Salem Smiled As Leon Wrapped His Arm Around Her And Planted A Quick Kiss On His Cheek. It Was Refreshing

salem did well at adjusting to life in valpo post break up with leon. she had a solid group of friends and routine at home, with stevie, that she'd grown to look forward to and truthfully it was the stability she desperately craved. running into leon in la was completely unexpected and when she learned he was returning as well being back home in valpo had her stomach in knots. they both had a lot to say that couldn't be done over text and salem felt like she was at least owed a conversation about why things ended the way they had between them. after biting the bullet and finally sending leon a text about bringing her food (she had to find a way to break the ice right?) she waited anxiously for his arrival. she heard a knock at her door and couldn't help but smile upon answering when she saw leon standing there not only with the food but her favorite flowers as well. "that was fast." she teased as he proceeded to step inside. salem shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen. she instantly felt deja vu from it all. "the flowers are nice, thank you by the way." she said nervously while retrieving a vase for the sunflowers. "so, how have things been for you since coming back?"

on his way to valpo, leon had a night layover in la. he went to a bar and bumped into salem there. of course she looked gorgeous, like usual. and after they fucked, the man had to leave in a rush to make his flight. running out of money back home was a huge deal he was dealing with, he couldn't afford another flight. he felt shitty, because he really wanted to talk to salem -explain why he had bolted the way he did- but the craving and addiction was pretty much there still. it never leaves him. it follows him around like a lustful shadow that activates the moment he sees her beautiful brown eyes. that tantalizing smile. and now they're both here. and he's on his way to her place, a place he called a shithole and doesn't even know why. it's not even that bad, maybe he thought he was being funny, but it definitely went all the way left. the uber stops in front of salem's place and leon takes a deep breath. okay. it'll be okay. so much needs to be said. he's nervous with the bag of veggie quesadillas in one hand, and a sunflower bouquet in the other. after thanking the driver, the blond gets out of the car and rings his ex's doorbell. he fidgets in place. after a few moments, the door swings open and he does his best to put on a smile that reads kindness and sorry at the same time. "aye."

@cybermuses

PROMPTS I’D LIKE TO RECEIVE, PART 1.

⤿   headcanon memes; comfort character edition!   tw: death, family, religion.    

send in a symbol and i’ll answer the corresponding question about my muse!

[ 🧱 ] how would you describe your muses’ morality? what are their core values?

[ 🌎 ] are there any aus you have for your muse? what are they like, and how is your muse different in them?

[ 😱 ] does your muse have any specific fears? where did those fears come from?

[ 🤝 ] how does your muse approach intimacy? are they hesitant, or do they like it? what types of intimacy do they like and dislike? (ex. physical intimacy, sexual intimacy, emotional intimacy, etc.)

[ 👪 ] what is your muse’s relationship with their parents like? was it always this way?

[ 💍 ] does your muse have a “type” of people that they prefer to enter relationships with? is their type generally compatible with them, or does the dynamic tend to be toxic?

[ 🏆 ] is your muse multitalented? what are their hobbies, and why did they pick up these hobbies? if they don’t have hobbies, why don’t they?

[ 🐱 ] does your muse have pets? did they have pets as a child? how do they feel about animals?

[ ❌ ] is there something your muse struggles with that they might never overcome? what is it? why do they have so much trouble with it?

[ ✨ ] what aesthetics or symbols do you reference when writing your muse? are these backed up by canon, if your muse comes from a canon? is there any specific relevance to these choices?

[ 🌱 ] what themes are relevant to your muse?

[ 💀 ] has your muse gone through anything traumatic? if so, how has this trauma affected them?

[ 💛 ] how empathetic is your muse? how compassionate are they? is this something people expect from them, or are people surprised when they find out how compassionate or empathetic they actually are?

[ 👗 ] what is your muse’s fashion sense like? are they able to dress the way they want to? what would they wear in an ideal world?

[ 🔮 ] what is your muse’s relationship with religion and spirituality? were they raised in a certain religion? have they stuck with the same set of spiritual beliefs all their life, or have they changed over time? are they settled in their spirituality now?

[ 🤷‍♀️ ] how does your muse approach strangers? how does this compare to how they interact with close friends or lovers?

[ 🎵 ] is there a specific song or songs you associate with your muse? why is that?

[ 💸 ] if your muse had no shortage of money, what would they buy?

[ 🐺 ] does your muse like solitude? do they prefer it to being around others? how easily does your muse get lonely?

[ ⚰️ ] what are your muse’s greatest regrets? what would flash before their eyes when they’re on their deathbed?

[ 🧸 ] does your muse keep anything sentimental? if so, what do they keep and why?

[ 🙏 ] what does your muse need? this can be something material or something abstract.

[ 📚 ] what books does your muse have on their bookshelf? what books would they like to have? if your muse isn’t an avid reader, is there anything they collect or might like to collect?

[ 😍 ] does your muse believe in true love? why or why not?

[ 😇 ] what would your muse do if they became a god?

salem, do you believe in ghosts? do you think you've ever seen one?

“i fully believe in ghosts actually! my grandma is super into the paranormal and took me on one of those haunted tours at the lalaurie mansion in new orleans once. i didn’t actually see a ghost but i felt the presence of all these spirits and i had to sage myself afterwards it was really intense. i also have a theory that imaginary friends are just ghosts that are only visible to small children but that’s another conversation.”

salem nervously stepped inside and took a look around. something about the apartment felt like home. she remembered leon showing her pictures when they originally planned to be here together. the spot in the living area where stevie would sleep and the beautiful balcony they could sit on and work on music together. they should be here together but that was before she made a mess of things. "i know..." she responded quietly. he had a point and between the last time and now it was like deja vu. salem wasn't sure why she put put him through this a second time. she made her way over to the couch to sit after taking her shoes off. leon reemerged from the kitchen with a glass of water, he was quiet and she could tell he was visibly upset by her just showing up out of the blue and completely intoxicated. "thanks." she said with a small smile before taking a sip. "listen, i know i should have maybe called or texted you first but i didn't know if you'd pick up and i just really needed to see you." she looked down at the glass of water and zoned out for a bit unsure what to say next. there was no real explanation other than salem and her usual bullshit, that much she was aware of. "honestly i've been here for like a week now and i've been trying to figure out what to say to you but nothing really seemed right."

he's still shocked to see the woman he loves in front of him. she's trashed, that much is obvious, and he feels bad. "come in," he says with a sigh and a pinch of his nose. why does she keep doing this? first, after she ghosted him for a week, she showed up at one of his gigs, drunk. and now this? "shit's getting old, sal," the blond mutters under his breath, even though he doesn't really mean it. something about the uncertainty of their relationship, it makes him feel things more deeply. he hates her and then loves her and then hates her again. leon walks into the kitchen and pours a glass of water for her. what is he gonna do? he can't yell at her now, can he? he doesn't even want to do that. he doesn't know what he wants to do. everything's a mess and he wishes he could flash forward to the part of the relationship when everything's okay again. when he can hold her without the fear of her abandoning him again. the man doesn't notice the water overflowing from the glass and pouring onto his hand and the counter. "fuck," he whispers.

to say salem was surprised when rohan offered to give her a ride from the airport would be an understatement. the two weren’t exactly best friends ( and the thought that they were becoming friends made her shudder a bit ) but salem had a theory that he was trying to worm his way into getting one of those vintage guitars they spoke of. with her bags in hand she made her way to the pick up area and eyed rohan with his book in hand. “pretending to read at the airport to pick up girls is wild.” she said while approaching the other. the two didn’t really know how to have a normal conversation that didn’t invole insulting one another. salem rolled her eyes at his comment as she placed her bags down next to her. maybe taking an uber would have been a better idea. “i don’t always look judgemental, you just do a really great job at irritating me. you think your face was the first one i wanted to see after a ten hour flight?” she replied matter of factly as she made her way to the backseat window to quickly peak in at stevie who she missed terribly. “be gentle with my luggage, it costs more than your little boat by the way.” her hand gensturing towards the bags while turning back to face rohan. 

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏────────────────────

closed  starter  for  SALEM  (  @cybermuses  ) location  :  airport  ?  ✈️

-ˋˏ ‏‏‎ ‎꒰ ‏‏‎ ‎🐚 ‏‏‎ ‎꒱‏‏‎ ‎ ──‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎the  sound  of  luggage  wheels  on  the  pavement  causes  rohan  to  look  up  from  where  he's  leaning  against  his  truck,  and  almost  immediately  he  snaps  the  worn  paperback  in  his  hands  shut,  tucking  it  under  his  arm.  he's  not  a  bad  person,  see.  rohan's  world  runs  on  favours  ;  he  might  have  sworn  off  the  idea  of  personal  friendships,  but  favours  ?  he  could  argue  to  himself  that  favours  were  simply  an  investment  in  good  will  because  he  might  need  to  cash  them  in  one  day──‏‏‎   even  if  he  had  to  be  delusional  to  think  that  it  wasn't  obvious  he  had developed something bordering on friendship with the woman  who  had,  if  you  asked  him,  kidnapped  his  cat  into  forced  marriage.  "  sorry,  i'm  not  doing  charity  work  ;  the  taxis  are  over  there,  "  he  informs  her  playfully  (  or,  as  playful  as  rohan  can  get  )  gesturing  her  away.  it's  the  closest  to  a  real  greeting  salem  is  going  to  get,  even  if  he  was  the  one  to  offer  to  pick  her  up  in  the  first  place.  "  i'm  waiting  for  someone.  you  might  have  seen  her  ?  about  this  tall──‏‏‎   "  he  holds  his  palm  flat  in  the  air  in  front  of  him,  "  ──‏‏‎ curly  hair,  always  has  this  look  on  her  face  like  she's  judging  you.  .  .  ?  her  cat  is  in  my  car  and,  much  like  her,  has  an  attitude  problem.  "

"okay, we can talk about it tomorrow." she said quietly while quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. salem watched leon as he walked out of the living room before shutting the light off. her mind was racing for what felt like hours. she couldn't sleep and for some weird reason, maybe out of habit, found herself knocking on the bedroom door. "can i come lay with you?" she asked after peaking her head in the door. leon was half asleep and told her to come in. salem crawled into bed with him and cuddled up against him. it was comforting to be this close to him again and all she wanted was for things to go back to normal. "im so sorry for how much i've hurt you." she wasn't sure if he was awake or not but she needed to get it off her chest. "i don't want things to end and how much i love you actually terrifies me. but i don't know how to be the person you deserve..." she turned to him and realized he was sound asleep. salem ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his forehead gently. she turned back around to cuddle against him before eventually falling asleep.

when morning rolled around salem was woken up by the sunlight peaking through the curtains. she looked around the room and then over to leon who was still sleeping. her hangover was raging and the thought of the inevitable talk they were supposed to have made her stomach turn. she got up out of bed and quietly tiptoed out of the bedroom slowly closing the door. leaving this way probably wasn't the best decision but she felt like there wasn't much left for her to say anyways and she truly was tired of hurting him and that's what the end result would be anyways. so she grabbed her shoes and her bag and left the apartment.

this is too much. he hates seeing her so heartbroken. absolutely destroys him. but at the end of the day, he really can't be just a punching bag. he has a lot to think about. "i can't do this right now," he looks down at her with tears bubbling in his eyes. the fact that she can't promise not to break his heart again, it kills him. and he wants to trust her. they both bring so much baggage into this relationship. but he sees himself in her, and it really feels like she's the only one who understands him. the only one for him. she's his soulmate. "i'm going to bed," the man says. he presses one hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her in somehow. "the bathroom's that way and the kitchen's stocked. we'll continue this tomorrow, okay?" it fucking hurts to pull his hand away, and it hurts even more to leave her in the living room as he goes to the master bedroom. he just wants to hold her, fuck her, make her feel good and trust her to not fuck him up again. is that really possible? leon takes off his shirt and climbs into bed with just sweatpants. he scrolls through his phone for a few minutes, but he can't concentrate on anything. so, he switches off the light of the lamp on his nightstand and tries to sleep.

♡ kiana ledé via tiktok ( kianalede )

salem gave iris a reassuring nod before pushing a few things on the table aside to make room for the other to set her things down. "of course i'm sure! i need to be around people anyways plus i would love the company." she said with a smile. "you're actually the first familiar face i've seen all day if you can believe it." salem had seen iris around town and made conversation in passing but still hadn't gotten a chance to really speak to her or check out the infamous quilpué zoo for that matter. "is your hand okay by the way?" she asked with a bit of concern after eyeing the bandage. "i'm sure handling animals all day poses great risks. hopefully you weren't mauled by a tiger or something."

iris had spent most of her time with... animals. which made great company, at least so she thought, but it wasn't the same as connecting with people. she had been having a hard couple of months, which fuelled her into taking more hours at work with her practice and ignoring everyone else in favour of animals. she had just gotten done with a doctors appointment, her hand slightly mauled by a cat and it was just a precaution to see the doctor but everything was fine and she couldn't even blame the cat for acting out -- it was all just part of the job. now that she was at the cafe she desperately needed some kind of caffeine after her shift. it used to be like this when she was in school, getting a coffee before, and getting a coffee after just to keep her head up. when she gets her cup of iced coffee she has her ipad in hand to do some charting but realizes there's not many spaces left until she eyes salem, and she looks behind her to see if she's talking to anyone else before cautiously making her way over towards the other woman and gently sitting down in the chair. "are you sure?" she asks, "i just wasn't sure if you were talking to me or not. but i'd love to sit with you, of course."

Don’t assign me yours.