inklingofinspiration

[inklingofinspiration]

to gain the blessing of a kamisato .

___

word count: 2.6k!

warnings : none!

pronouns used : they/them – gender-neutral.

inspiration / prompt used : @hiraya-rawr's lovely piece

pairing: various x gn!kamisato reader (includes xiao, xingqiu, ningguang, beidou, and mona)

A/N:  i think it’s obvious i’ve never written for ayato / ayaka, and xiao’s kind of took an unexpected turn, though, so i’m hoping i wrote all of them well either way.  i think my favouritism for some characters over others show through lengthwise, but i had a lot of fun with mona’s. regardless, enjoy! ^--^

p.s. – i had the fourth part of a gradum ad lumen written and was planning on posting it today as well, but google docs decided to delete it, so i’m in the process of rewriting it. 

___

xiao .

– the tortured yaksha zhongli had seemed to take under his wing? absolutely not.  

– as a surprise visit back from liyue, where you had gone to continue your studies of adeptus’ lifeforms, you had brought your lover with you to inazuma, though you’d introduced him as your friend to avoid any fights your siblings may have started at the more intimate title.  all had seemed to go well; ayato had seemed to take well to the fact that xiao had at least minimal knowledge of inazuman etiquette if the impressed expression that passed over his face when the adeptus had taken a seat on the floor after being asked to stay for dinner was any sort of sign.  

– after getting over the initial shock of his curt responses, ayaka herself had grown extremely interested in the meaning of the tattoo-like markings that adorned his upperarms and his clothing.  you were impressed by the way he had managed to bite back any facetious or cold remarks you know he was so used to making all throughout the meal and lingering conversation afterward, but it was when he bid his farewells to the two that you were most shocked. 

– despite the tension that visibly coiled through his shoulders, he managed to shake ayato’s hand and kiss the back of ayaka’s palm, pulling away and, albeit a bit hesitantly, speaking fluently in the native inazuman tongue; i appreciate your generous hospitality. 

– the sidelong glances and barely visible smiles your siblings had briefly shared before bowing their heads in return and responding in the same language had given you the impression they would have no issue if you were to ask for their blessing with him.  the conversation that followed two months later after you hesitantly approached the subject contradicted those beliefs. 

“what do you mean ‘no’?  what could have possibly given you two such a bad impression of him?”  you asked, slightly distressed by their immediate rejection.  the two of them again exchanged a look, ayato speaking once again, 

“you misinterpret us.  we don’t like him, per say, rather. . . we’re worried that you would regret your decision later on.  with a past such as his, we’re concerned that he might accidentally hurt you or inadvertently make you end up bearing the weight of it.” 

your brow stitched together, finding yourself almost offended by what your older brother was insinuating.  

“of course you sent one of your detectives to psychoanalyze every detail about him you could find.  do you two trust me so little that i can’t even make friends without you sticking your nose into their business?”  you snap back, hands whipping back and forth in hurried gestures alongside your words.  “you had no right.  both of you.  and regardless, it’s my choice of whether i want to “bear that burden” or not.  i trust him, is that not enough?” 

it was ayaka’s turn to interject, her voice soft and assuring as she stood to her feet across the table from where you also stood, the smile she always wore when she acted as mediator in your’s and ayato’s arguments lacing her features. 

“of course it is, n/n.  we just want the best for you and to ensure your safety.  please, just allow us to say our part, have an open mind and heart, and if you still don’t agree, then, well. . . we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

– you had slowly complied, finding yourself seated a few minutes later as the conversation slowly eased forth once more.  the three of you eventually agreed that it was, in fact, your choice, though you could easily sense the moment of reluctance as ayato bowed his head in compliance to ayaka finally agreeing to give the two of you their blessing.  

– while he definitely wouldn’t have been their first choice, your siblings came to greatly appreciate the safety and security xiao offered you and were more than content to welcome him into the family once they got to know him a bit more.  

ningguang .

– you couldn’t have asked soon enough.  they would be ecstatic if you introduced them to the closest thing to liyue royalty and asked them for their blessings.  along with the fact that you two seem so happy together, the benefits that both sides would receive would be innumerable.  with established ties in liyue, and ones with high influence and incredibly promising no less, they’d surely be able to make their family name known there with ease.  

– they were immediately charmed by your elusive partner as well, and they likely would have been ready to sign any documents right then and there, but when they observed the tender gentleness that she interlaced your hands with and the way she offered you her fur coat the moment she saw you shivering from the cold, promptly followed by an unexpected and sharp clap of her hands that brought servants bustling through the open doorway, trunk after trunk filled with expensive gifts, silks, and hand ground spices being set along the wall beside the two siblings as a graceful thank you, ayato was practically uncapping his pen and holding his hand out for the dotted lines.  

– it was finally after everyone had setted down and the conversation slowed that you slowly breached the topic, ningguang’s elusive and capturing smile present all the while. 

“so, our main intention of coming here was to give you the opportunity to meet ningguang, but also personally invite you to our, uh, wedding,”  you finished, your tense posture slowly easing as you felt ningguang dip her head in agreement.  it only took a second or two for your siblings to process your words, ayaka exclaiming joyfully and reaching across the table to hold your hands in hers, 

“we would be honoured.”

xingqiu .

–  based solely on first impressions, while his social standing is more than appealing, he seemed a bit. . . odd.  

– his sense of humour and mischievous smile that he couldn’t entirely suppress whenever he looked at you, even around your siblings when it was meant to be a time to make good impressions, while amusing, did have ayaka tilt her head in question a few times.  he managed to charm them regardless, especially after they observed his poetic and eloquent speech and how well the two of you seemed to get along, even with the playful banter that seemed to be a common occurrence in your relationship.  

– the four of you had met for a late lunch in the courtyard of the kamisato estate, various dishes of tempura, ramen, which surprised you with ayato’s particular distaste for oily foods, and sushi, along with a few sweeter delicacies such as mochi and dango, and while xingqiu was more accustomed to higher-end liyue dishes, he seemed to accommodate the unfamiliar dishes just fine and enjoyed them greatly, in fact. between the clatter of porcelain and click of silverware, the conversation drifted from xingqiu’s standing in the feiyun commerce and his responsibilities along with it to traditions among liyue such as the lantern rite festival and rarer specialties found solely in the harbour city.  

– you yourself were impressed by the easy but still formal atmosphere after your siblings and and xingqiu seemed to slowly grow accustomed with each other and pushed past the formalities; rather than the interrogation conducted by ayato you’d expected to happen, it was an almost pleasant conversation that you would have commented more on throughout the changing of subjects had it not been for your worries about just what they would think of him.  

– when it came time to bid your siblings farewell, xingqiu bowed deeply to ayaka and ayato, addressing them both with efficiency and ease, a polite smile adorning his features as they returned his gesture and insisted that he return.  the offer made your head shoot up from where you stood off to the side, having already hugged your brother and sister with the promise of visiting again soon, and feel confident that they found him almost as endearing as you did.  the notion settled well with you for the following months, and it carried over into when you prepared to ask them to allow xinqiu to visit once more with the intention of asking them for their blessing, so when you immediately detected their hesitance, you were a bit more than confused. 

“I.  . . thought you liked him,”  you trailed off, practically withering away under their tentatives gazes that ayaka and ayato exchanged as though reluctantly contemplating your words.  ayaka seemed almost panicked by your comment, hands fluttering every which way as she rushed to explain in your brother’s stead, 

“ah, no, no, that’s not it at all.  xingqiu was delightful, and he’s delightful company!”  she exclaimed, silently gesturing for ayato to agree, something that didn’t go undetected on your end as you watched the two of them carefully. 

“the two of you get along quite well,”  your brother acquiesced before continuing,  “we simply didn’t realise you were so far along in your relationship.” 

you slowly nodded, fidgeting with the hem of your robes before forcing out a sigh and making eye contact with both of them,  “i’ll take your word for it, but if you’re going to simply wait to say no while he’s standing here in front of you, then i’d rather you tell me now instead.  xingqiu wants to earn your respect and has been stressed about it for the past month now; he insisted we proceed with formalities, so, please.  understand that he is just as important to me as you two are, and i wouldn’t want anyone hurting either of you.”

ayaka and ayato both nodded, the former reaching out to you with her typical encouraging grin, 

“of course, n/n.  we would never lie to you, let alone about something as serious as this.”

–

the two kept true to their word, smiling and tipping their heads amiably once xingqiu had voiced his proposal a few days following your private conversation with your siblings, and even extended the offer to allow xingqiu to stay at the estate for a few days so he could get to know them a bit better before your two families officially intertwined. 

mona .

– ah, you’d like them to meet the renowned astrologist of mondstadt?  certainly!  she’s also your lover?  that’s fine as well.  but you’d also like to marry her?  allow them to. . . revise her spending patterns a bit more thoroughly. 

“the stories of the yashirou clan’s feats have stretched far and wide across teyvat,”  mona stated as you introduced her to your siblings, silently praying that the interaction didn’t go sideways just yet.  “the stars indeed seem to be on your side. i’m honoured; anyone worthy enough to captivate their attention so greatly will have my respect.” 

“your flattery is appreciated but unneeded,”  ayato responded, sparing a quick bow and fleeting smile.  “your ability to read others’ fates has become something of a popularity in inazuma as of late.  to be so popular, i’m sure you must find yourself with sufficient enough funds to support y/n?  if your intentions to take their hand are still present, that is.” 

had is been anyone else, they likely would have faltered at the cloaked jab, and you certainly shot ayato a glare that he’d certainly become accustomed to over the years but typically managed to stop even him in his tracks nevertheless, but mona remained unaffected, her cool gaze remaining on him as she spoke, sidestepping a bit closer to you as she did,  “it’s quite impossible for a revered astrologist such as myself and of such calibre as well to suffer financially, if that’s what you so wish to insinuate.  while i made a habit of. . . overindulging before y/n and i became close, i’ve made adjustments to comfortably satiate both our needs and wants.” 

ayato seemed impressed by her unaltered demeanour, shifting his arms in an almost impressed manner as he took note of the confidence behind her words.  

“very well.  would you care to join us for dinner then?  i’m sure you must be at least peckish from your travels, and i couldn’t imagine wanting to plan something as grand as a wedding on an empty stomach.  come, i believe thoma has just finished with the last of the sushi.” 

beidou .

– ayato and ayaka are at least slightly familiar with beidou, especially since she imports a lot of foreign goods from liyue and mondstadt when she’s in inazuma, so introductions wouldn’t be as prolonged as they might be with other characters.  that said, respect for her would also be present, as they would find her dedication to her crew and ship admirable as well as her amiable and willing personality, seemingly untouched by the harsh conditions of the salt-laden seas and harsh storms that she often faces.  

– while they’re not crazy over the prospect of you constantly moving around, they also acknowledge that beidou is more than capable of protecting you should danger arise, and you’ve always had a certain passion for travelling, and it wouldn’t take much convincing should the sea captain ask them to bless her in her pursuit of you.  

“ah, a pleasure as always, captain beidou,”  ayato greeted with a bow of his head, offering his hand for her to shake across the table after he saw the two of you enter his office, ayaka, who’d intercepted you in the courtyard, leading the way.  “y/n.  i hope the two of you have been well.” 

“it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”  beidou mused as she shook his hand before her other arm wrapped around your shoulders and pulled you closer to her, eliciting a soft giggle from you as you stumbled sideways, to which she grinned along with,  “anyway, we’re still here on business, just not the typical.” 

ayato seemed intrigued by this, tilting his head curiously before his eyes flitted between the two of you.  “is that so?  what may i help you with?” 

by that point, ayaka had already joined your group, lingering by the side of ayato’s desk, smiling to herself as if she’d already pieced together the puzzle but stayed quiet nevertheless.  you and her shared a brief smile. 

“you wanna take this one?”  biedou questioned, glancing down at you, only for you to nudge her encouragingly as a sign for her to continue.  her smile returned.  “well then, we were hoping to make things a bit more official before we left for our return to liyue.  nothing too fancy, but we also figured you two would wanna be involved.” 

ayaka shouldered ayato gently but gleefully, the reaction enough to make you feel yourself grow more excited by the second as you watched ayato break into a slow smile as well. 

“we would be honoured and appreciate your thoughtfulness.  shall we begin tomorrow morning?  i’m sure i could clear my schedule.” 

“sounds great.  i’ll take you guys to breakfast; my treat,” she complied, the arm around your shoulders slipping to your waist.  while it had been much easier than expected, you could barely contain your own glee by that point and would have leaned up to peck her lips right then had it not been for the expectant gazes of both your siblings on you.  you nodded in agreement when you realised it, grinning like an idiot all the while, 

“thank you, it means more than you know.”

[inklingofinspiration]

Don't ever hesitate. Reblog this. TUMBLR RULE. When you see it, REBLOG IT.

The original post only has US helplines. I’ve added UK helplines underneath. It would be great if people could add numbers from everywhere in the world.

Depression Hotline: 1-630-482-9696

Suicide Hotline: 1-800-784-8433

LifeLine: 1-800-273-8255

Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

Sexuality Support: 1-800-246-7743

Eating Disorders Hotline: 1-847-831-3438

Rape and Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673

Grief Support: 1-650-321-5272

Runaway: 1-800-843-5200, 1-800-843-5678, 1-800-621-4000

Exhale: After Abortion Hotline/Pro-Voice: 1-866-4394253

Child Abuse: 1-800-422-4453

UK Helplines:

Samaritans (for any problem): 08457909090 e-mail jo@samaritans.org

Childline (for anyone under 18 with any problem): 08001111

Mind infoline (mental health information): 0300 123 3393 e-mail: info@mind.org.uk

Mind legal advice (for people who need mental-health related legal advice): 0300 466 6463 legal@mind.org.uk

b-eat eating disorder support: 0845 634 14 14 (only open Mon-Fri 10.30am-8.30pm and Saturday 1pm-4.30pm) e-mail: help@b-eat.co.uk

b-eat youthline (for under 25’s with eating disorders): 08456347650 (open Mon-Fri 4.30pm - 8.30pm, Saturday 1pm-4.30pm)

Cruse Bereavement Care: 08444779400 e-mail: helpline@cruse.org.uk

Frank (information and advice on drugs): 0800776600

Drinkline: 0800 9178282

Rape Crisis England & Wales: 0808 802 9999 1(open 2 - 2.30pm 7 - 9.30pm) e-mail info@rapecrisis.org.uk

Rape Crisis Scotland: 08088 01 03 02 every day, 6pm to midnight

India Self Harm Hotline: 00 08001006614

India Suicide Helpline: 022-27546669

Kids Help Phone (Canada): 1-800-668-6868, Free and available 24/7

suicide hotlines;

Argentina: 54-0223-493-0430

Australia: 13-11-14

Austria: 01-713-3374

Barbados: 429-9999

Belgium: 106

Botswana: 391-1270

Brazil: 21-233-9191

China: 852-2382-0000

(Hong Kong: 2389-2222)

Costa Rica: 606-253-5439

Croatia: 01-4833-888

Cyprus: 357-77-77-72-67

Czech Republic: 222-580-697, 476-701-908

Denmark: 70-201-201

Egypt: 762-1602

Estonia: 6-558-088

Finland: 040-5032199

France: 01-45-39-4000

Germany: 0800-181-0721

Greece: 1018

Guatemala: 502-234-1239

Holland: 0900-0767

Honduras: 504-237-3623

Hungary: 06-80-820-111

Iceland: 44-0-8457-90-90-90

Israel: 09-8892333

Italy: 06-705-4444

Japan: 3-5286-9090

Latvia: 6722-2922, 2772-2292

Malaysia: 03-756-8144

(Singapore: 1-800-221-4444)

Mexico: 525-510-2550

Netherlands: 0900-0767

New Zealand: 4-473-9739

New Guinea: 675-326-0011

Nicaragua: 505-268-6171

Norway: 47-815-33-300

Philippines: 02-896-9191

Poland: 52-70-000

Portugal: 239-72-10-10

Russia: 8-20-222-82-10

Spain: 91-459-00-50

South Africa: 0861-322-322

South Korea: 2-715-8600

Sweden: 031-711-2400

Switzerland: 143

Taiwan: 0800-788-995

Thailand: 02-249-9977

Trinidad and Tobago: 868-645-2800

Ukraine: 0487-327715

[inklingofinspiration]

maple-leaf laden breeze .

you have me.

until every last star

in the galaxy dies,

you have me.

illuminae, 232.

___

word count: 4.6k!

warnings : mentions / descriptions of injuries, blood, gore, violence, death, angst, etc.  also not proofread 

pronouns used : they/them – gender-neutral.

inspiration / prompt used : as you cupped his face with your hands, he could practically feel his heart cracking under the utterly tender, gossamer pressure your gaze held; you pierced his soul like a single sliver of moonlight would through a canopy of swirling mist after a devastating storm.  eternal, tragic, and never once wavering.  and perhaps it was the slight tinge of salt to the air, or maybe the stray, unmistakable blazing leaf that drifted through the beckoning breeze as though a coaxing from the gods, but whispers of the things he had left unsaid in his tainted and scarred mind began falling from his lips like poetry long since forgotten and hymns that the universe hadn’t heard sung in the past millennia. 

pairing: kaedehara kazuha x gn!reader.

A/N: kazuha is honestly such a criminally underrated character, and it’s addicting how freely i can write with him.  if it isn’t made clear throughout, this takes place during the golden archipelago quest where kazuha’s memories are the main focus.  no worries if you haven’t played said quest yet, it’s not too dependent on the lore regardless, but if you have, i tweaked with how it went a bit for the sake of the fic; i couldn’t find any decent replays of the quest and my memory of exactly how it went is a bit hazy, so if i get something wrong, bear with me.  i also just made reader an electro polearm for the sake of simplicity; let me know if you want a specific vision / weapon when requesting!  (please also excuse any characters I may be ooc for) [for returning readers, i’m also testing out a bit of a new aesthetic for my posts; let me know how it looks.]

“Kazuha?”

Your footsteps were slow, careful, as you made your way along the edges of the maplewood floors, one hand gently dragging along the wall to steady yourself as your head relentlessly pounded, vision making it seem like the room was practically swaying beneath your touch.  

A few minutes had passed since you and your group consisting of Aether, Mona, Fischl, Paimon, and Xinyan had been torn from the island and rifted to a recreation of Kazuha’s childhood home with the help of the magicked bonsai heirloom, but despite the ample amount of time it may have been for the others to recover, you couldn’t seem to shake the overwhelming sense of vertigo.  And perhaps it was the churning anxiety that had filled you upon realising that Kazuha was missing from the group that made the dizziness linger, but the fact that you couldn’t find him was the only thing you could find yourself concerned with as you finally reached the other side of the room.  Your hands immediately found the grooves in the screen wall, the sound of Fischl and Mona’s bickering ceasing from behind you as you felt all five of them turn to watch you shove the door aside and step past the threshold without a moment of hesitation.  

With your energy now focused on taking in your surroundings, your head seemed to automatically clear, leaving you to reach for your polearm secured across your back and ignore Aether and Xinyan’s attempts to call out to you as you slowly made your way down a corridor lined with screens similar to the one you had just pulled aside.  The wood creaked almost hauntedly with every other step you took, head swinging this way and that every so often to ensure that nothing was crouched behind the occasional crate, waiting to pounce and attack you and your friends.  You finally paused when the hallway halted sporadically, nothing but a wall and,a rather out of place looking lever just visible in the dim lighting, turning to conduct a quick headcount of your group as they all caught up and joined you in observing the wall.  

Mona was the first to speak, tossing rebellious strands of raven-violet hair out of her face whilst flicking a wrist in the direction of the lever,  “It seems pulling that is our only option.  Perhaps we use Y/N’s polearm to push it down while we all step to the side in case it’s a trap.”

You merely nodded, silently praying that whatever lay on the other side bring you closer to finding Kazuha.  

Xinyan, Aether and Paimon seemed to hesitate for a moment, sharing an anxiety-riddled look that you just barely caught out of the corner of your eye but chose to brush off when they finally fell into rank behind you as well.  You sidled to the head of the group that was practically crammed into the corner furthest from the lever and gave your polearm an experimental swing and twirl before slowly leaning forward with the tip of your spear outstretched; even with your form bent and your weight balanced on one leg, you were still just an inch short from reaching the lever.  A small huff of frustration left your lips as you shuffled around haphazardly on the sole of your boot still planted on the ground, practically able to feel the fact that you were about to fall until you felt a hand grasp your free one, the borderline flailing movements of your polearm halting the moment you registered it. 

Your head tipped to the side, e/c irises quick to find Aether offering you an assuring smile, which you returned easily before using the newfound balance Aether offered and successfully managing to snag the lever with the dulled edge of your weapon and shove down harshly, the sound of gears turning following almost immediately after.  You watched intently, slowly coming to stand on both of your feet once more as you nodded toward the blonde that had steadied you and his floating companion. 

“Thank you, Traveller,”  You managed, flashing him another smile. 

“Of course,”  He responded, both of you not wasting a moment further before turning toward the wall just in time to see it practically fold in on itself and reveal a short continuation of the corridor before halting once more, a screen that might as well have been an exact replica of the one you had pushed to reveal the hallway in the first place slightly ajar.  

“Well, what’re y’all waitin’ for?  We’ve got a samurai to find,”  Xinyan exclaimed, jogging ahead of your otherwise stationary group of friends, laughter clear in her voice as she coaxed the rest of you after her.  It was more than enough to drag you from your uneasy reverie, glancing over your shoulder to ensure that Fischl and Oz were even still with you, given how uncharacteristically quiet the two of them had been.  Mona seemed to beat you to the punch, though, which seemed to be the case most of the time, falling into step beside the princess and starting up a conversation you couldn’t quite hear. 

You knew that they could easily handle themselves, so you hurried after Xinyan with Paimon and Aether on your heels, your polearm swaying rhythmically with each of your strides all the while as you approached where the guitarist stood, apparently trying to get a glance into the room before barging in, given how she had her back turned toward you, practically standing on the balls of her feet to try and see over something that you could only guess was blocking her line of sight.  She turned to you as you approached however, her voice dropping to a cautious whisper, 

“I think there’re people in there.” 

You looked over your shoulder to confirm that Paimon and the male had heard, the three of you sharing a subtle nod in agreement as the two of them drew their weapons while you summoned forth a bout of electricity that you could feel practically sparing beneath your fingertips in response.  Xinyan nodded once more, mouthing a countdown and pivoting on her heel to shoulder the door open the moment she reached three.  

Drafts of sunlight illuminated the room that you quickly discovered was a dojo of sorts, given the various swords pinned to the walls and the cushioned mat floors, taking in at least six samurai that you typically found guarding the outskirts of Inazuma bristling at your sudden arrival.  Adrenaline instinctively began coursing through you, sizing up the pyro-wielders all the while. 

The terse silence didn’t last longer than a few skipping beats, shattered by an unintelligible order one of the samurai barked that made the rest of them instantly charge forward, faces obscured by their armour and the beginnings of their attacks.  You didn’t waste a second; you darted toward the closest one, slamming the end of your polearm into the floor and using your own momentum to launch you forward, careening straight into their side and sending them sprawling on the floor, if only for a moment.  But you were ready for the oncoming blow you could have seen from a mile away, ducking to avoid the searing nick of their flames and heated blade just by an inch, a frown taking residence on your features as you did so.  In your crouched position, you swung your spear so that it slammed right into the back of their knees, once again sending them stumbling to the side and allowing you the opportunity to call upon the crackling electricity and make it limn your lithe and fluid attacks. 

The sharpened blade of your polearm found purchase in one of the ridges of the knight’s armour, repeatedly sending jolts of your electricity through the tip to further daze your opponent before you leapt upward swung it in a flourishing arc to pierce through their back and make them fall to the floor a moment later.  

You were barely given a moment to recover, sides heaving and sweat beading along your forehead, when you came face to face with another of the pyro-samurai.  He didn’t seem too pleased at the sight of his fallen companion, the sound of his sword drawing making you nearly scoff. 

“If you wanted a turn, all you had to do was ask.”

And then alloy enforced silver met steel as you parried each of his oncoming blows.  Your movements might as well have carried the blessing of the wind, each bound swift and agile while your attacks were calculated and never once hesitating; continuously flowing and devastating.  You practically had the other backed into a corner within a few minutes, each twist and flick of your polearm and sparking shocks bringing you closer and closer to victory. 

All up until another electro samurai managed to creep up on you and slice through the right arm of your traditional Inazuman robes to create a searing gash that stretched from your shoulder to your elbow.  Crimson flowed in unforgiving rivers, the sting of his electric-charged sword as it slitted your skin almost enough to blind you as you stumbled backward and bit back a curse as pain blinded you.  Your polearm hung limply at your side, your free hand coming to clutch your injured arm and wince as you heard the slow, predatory steps of your unexpected opponent approach.  Your pulse was thunderous, drowning out even the clashes of your friends’ weapons against the samurais’ and the grating sound of electricity flaring against the heat of fire.  You could feel the ghostly murmur of electrified steel cutting through the tangibly thick air, your grip on your weeping wound tightening, praying to whoever may have been listening that this was the slim chance you survived. 

However, just as you heard the threatening riff of electricity dancing along the samurai’s sword, you risked a final glance just in time to see Mona twisting out of the way to avoid the oncoming attacks of the pyro samurai you had previously cornered, her hand flicking hastily in your direction and a wave of hydro careening straight for your unknowing attacker.  You barely gave yourself the opportunity to blink before you were shoving aside your pain, setting your jaw and shoving yourself into an avoiding tumble just as the samurai raised his sword.  The pressured stream of water sent him stumbling right into the wall as you dropped to the floor, springing back to your feet a beat later and not even hesitating before you plunged your spear into his back.  In that moment, like a symphony ceasing an intricately woven piece at such a moment that made a song feel as though it was left at a cliffhanger, the dojo fell silent, the only audible sounds left being the heaves of sighs and pants from your friends as they glanced around the room, eyes locking every so often.  

You withdrew your polearm after you sent Mona a weary smile, withdrawing your polearm with minimal effort, hearing the sound of the samurai’s body slump to the floor almost instantaneously, before you retrieved the torn shred of your robes and made quick work of binding your wound with it efficiently.  You ensured that it was tied tightly, dabbing up the excess blood with the flitting ends of your makeshift bandages, more than relieved to see that it had staunched the blood flow while your friends slowly milled about the room, checking the walls for any more levers.  

You had just finished resituating your robes and dusting off the knees of your pants when familiar black boots embroidered with gold stitching entered your line of sight, to which you tipped your head back up only to be met with the sight of Aether and Paimon floating by his shoulder once more.  He gestured with a gloved hand to your bandaged upper arm, a slightly abashed smile taking residence upon his features as he spoke, 

“I’d. . . offer to help you patch it up, but I wouldn’t think any of us have the proper materials.” 

You nodded with a weary smile of your own, brushing aside his offer politely,  “Ah, it feels better already, so I wouldn’t worry too much.  Thank you, though.”  

“Of course,”  He nodded before glancing over his shoulder as Xinyan with Mona and Fischl trailing after her approached, the six of you gathered once more. 

“You okay there, N/N?”  The thick-accented guitarist queried as she observed your bicep and the blood that had dried on your hands, leaving you to nod, about to respond before your eyes fell on yet another lever they must have missed from across the dojo.  

You sidled past the group hastily, mind finally back on track to finding Kazuha once more as you swiftly approached the lever, not even hesitating as you grasped it and shoved it down, feeling the ground rumble beneath the soles of your boots and gears once again click into place, just as they had when you’d pulled the first lever.  You tapped your polearm against the wooden panel testily, flinching when it seemed to respond to the contact and jolted backward to reveal yet another winding corridor.  You gave the group another exasperated look over your shoulder and a quick wave as a gesture for the rest of them to follow before stepping past the threshold and being met with dusty shafts of sunlight pouring through the paper-like ceiling and painting the way in a muted beige light.  Crates and discarded weapons of all sorts littered the floor, faded renditions of maple leaves drifting in a phantom breeze just barely visible along the walls, every delta you observed as you slowly walked, weapon lightly clutched in your uninjured hand, hoping that the short break for your bandaged arm would help make the pain subside.  You could only pray that you found Kazuha safe and get out of the blasted place as soon as possible.

You were about to turn the corner when you heard a flurry of almost distorted voices, instinctively throwing your back up against the wall and quieting your footsteps, grip on your polearm tightening as you carefully leaned over to get a quick look at who was speaking.   The breath was stolen clear from your lungs, much to your pleasant surprise, when you stole a glance just around the bend, only to find familiar red-streaked pale tresses and unique Inazuman robes flitting about as Kazuha shifted in his crouched position, a mere few feet away from where you stood.  You hesitated to approach, however, as your eyes glossed over his mourning expression.  It was only then that you recalled the voices you had heard just a beat prior, and when you finally mustered the courage to clear the corner, you saw the flicker of silhouettes against the screen that Kazuha was stopped in front of – two of them, to be precise – and you almost immediately recognized one of the two voices.  You could only guess he was watching a memory of his unfold, given how distracted he seemed to be; so much so that he didn’t even realise your slow approach, taking in the scene all the while. 

“I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand!”  The seemingly younger figure of Kazuha exclaimed, the fret that was lacing his voice almost enough to make you flinch as you finally paused your steady steps a good two feet away from him.  

“Kazuha, have you forgotten our promise?”  The other person replied, clearly older, perhaps his father, replied, an almost cutting edge to his voice as he spoke. 

“You really want to give it all up?  But– but even if we’re having a rough time, you still have me by your side!  Can’t I be of any help?  When you were my age, you were already helping grandfather out.  Am I so incompetent that I’m a disappointment to you?  Or. . .”

You could feel your very soul ache at the younger version of your friend’s words, sparing him a sympathetic look only to jolt back to the retelling of his memory as his father whipped around to face the child,  “Kazuha! –” His tone faltered, the way his ways must have met his crestfallen expression left up to your imagination, given the lack of distinguishable features because they were merely whispers of shadows now, which only made it all the more heart wrenching as you heard the older male’s words slowly gain a more caring, hesitant limn; he released a sigh.  “Now you’re blaming yourself for all this. . . that is why I’ve failed you as a father.”

He continued, clearly readying himself to apologise, only to stop mid sentence, both apparitions of the shadows suddenly dissipating as though they had never been there in the first place.  You were startled out of your reverie at that, e/c stricken irises slowly turning to Kazuha to find him already looking back at you.  Neither of you said a word for another beat or two, the way he shifted almost uncomfortably before dropping his gaze bringing a worrying frown to your expression.  You dropped down to the balls of your feet in front of him after taking a step or two toward him, now at eye level with him. 

You gently set your polearm on the floor beside you before you took both of the wanderer’s hands in your own, his bandaged palm handled with care as you beckoned his attention back to you.  You managed an assuring smile this time, hoping that you hadn’t come across as intrusive by stumbling upon him in such a vulnerable moment.  He beat you to the punch, crimson gaze finally meeting your own once more,  “I. . . apologise.  I was looking for you and the others, but it seems I got sidetracked.” 

He bowed his head in apology, to which your brow knitted together at his uncharacteristic behaviour; no matter the situation, you had never once seen Kazuha’s calm and collected demeanour falter.  You squeezed one of his hands carefully before settling into a seated position on the floor, hoping to coax his eyes back to your own, tone quiet and assuaging as you spoke, 

“You have no need to apologise, I completely get it.  I know it’s not always great, having to relive all the bad memories, this time a bit literally, and all, but I’m here for you, okay?  Anything you need, I will do it for you in a heartbeat.” 

That seemed to be enough to get his attention, considering he slowly tipped his head back to lock gazes with you once more, his expression of tentative takenabackness making you feel as though your heart was slowly chipping away.  Your understanding smile overtook your features in hopes that it would make him feel at least a bit better.  He released a shaky sigh, the telltale glimmer of tears forming gilding his eyes in an almost silver light, watching as he fumbled with his words and attempted to conceal his faltering hold on his facade.  

Your hands were moving from his own before you even realised it, fingers carefully dancing along his cheekbones to wipe away the stray tears that had fallen from his lashes before you shifted just a bit closer, now raised on your haunches as you took his face in your hands.  Once again, a subtle air of surprise passed over Kazuha at your sudden actions and the careful movements that held nothing but pure, gentle affection you made as you held him, making your shoulders rise and fall as you drew in deep breaths; a silent gesture for him to follow your actions. 

[brief switch to kazuha’s pov]

As you cupped his face with your hands, he could practically feel his heart cracking under the utterly tender, gossamer pressure your gaze held; you pierced his soul like a single sliver of moonlight would through a canopy of swirling mist after a devastating storm.  Eternal, tragic, and never once wavering.  and perhaps it was the slight tinge of salt to the air, or maybe the stray, unmistakable blazing leaf that drifted through the beckoning breeze as though a coaxing from the gods, but whispers of the things he had left unsaid in his tainted and scarred mind began falling from his lips like poetry long since forgotten and hymns that the universe hadn’t heard sung in the past millennia.  Silent murmurs of all the things he still wanted to say to you. 

He followed your unspoke instructions, his originally shallow breathing slowing to match yours – anything to keep all your attention on him in that moment.  He couldn’t quite recall when he’d become so fervently greedy, but perhaps discovering something that you truly desired could turn your entire personality around on a moment’s notice.  

As you both relaxed once more, your hands still acting as his gentle and mindful tether, his warding from the thoughts that were surely waiting for just the right moment to overtake him once more, he couldn’t help the brief moment in which his eyes slipped from your gaze and to your lips, an almost unrecognisable pull practically shoving him to make the move that had been on his mind since the moment he had met you. 

Over the months that the two of you had grown closer, you had slowly begun to slowly circle one another, the fleeting touches and prolonged eye contact – such cliches that he’d read a hundred times over in poems, novels, short stories, and yet, when it came to you, those moments could only be labelled as indescribable and heart stopping.  You were in a constant cycle of making the final move in an unfinished chess game, unsure of whether you either wanted to find out what awaited you once you finished it.  

Perhaps this was the moment in which the flourishing and prolonged dance along a constantly wavering line ended.  At least, he hoped so. 

It all came rushing back to him at once, as though his brief reverie spent reminiscing on your previous interactions had somehow stopped time in its tracks, not even risking a glance back up to your eyes in fear that he would see an expression of fear or disgust on your face rather than a reciprocation of the tender one he had managed just before he leaned toward you.  And when his lips finally met yours, he could have sworn to Celestia and back that he felt your electro vision sparking flecks of stardust across the panes of his face.  

Rather than you immediately pulling away as he had feared you would, you instead went stiff for a moment, making him second guess his actions and nearly pull away himself until you wrapped your arms around the back of his neck and returned the kiss tenfold.  All the lingering feelings that had put him on edge being back in the place where his childhood had been turned upside down right over his head dissipated and for the first time in years, after all the time spent wandering the nations, grieving all the losses he’d come to know and the futures that could have been, he felt as though he’d finally found a place to call home.  

Not on the other side of the screen, where his father stepped down from the role as his guardian that he hadn’t been too good to begin with. 

Not seated on the carpet where he’d played marble checkers for hours on end to occupy himself while the clan of his family met and discussed coming events and brewing conflicts. 

But, rather, with you.  Your arms wrapped around him and holding him so closely with more care than he could have ever remembered anyone taking the time to show him in years – as though he was the most precious thing to you and he basked in such a notion.  It made him sick to think that the lack of attention paid to him as a child had made even the thought of affectionate touch such a foreign concept but one that he had craved nevertheless; a carnal thought that practically rotted away his heart by the second.  But there was the underlying gratefulness that he’d be able to experience it, all of it, with you for the first time.  It made it special, tethered his soul to yours in every sense. 

Slowly, hesitantly, his hands came to place themselves at your hips, returning your fleeting touches as his fingers danced along the small of your back, never settling somewhere for too long.  

After a few beats longer, you both drew back, gasping for air, his hands still at your hips, your arms still around your neck, before your eyes locked.  When he’d imagined this moment, the way he did a million times over just as he was drifting on the verge of sleep, he always thought he would say something to you – recite the verse of a sickening love poem to bring a smile filled with laughter to your face, or perhaps those three eternally romanticised words would bloom in the air like the first blossoms of spring.  Instead, silence followed.  And he couldn’t have wanted it another way. 

[switchback to [name]’s pov]

You could practically feel your soul slipping from your body the moment you and Kazuha parted from each other, air filling your searing lungs only for it to hitch in your throat the moment your eyes met his once more.  Your hand had slipped up to gently hold the side of his face, a soft smile gracing your lips before you leaned in and gently pecked his cheek, this time standing up as you pulled away and offering him your hand as he climbed to his feet as well.  He took it, glancing between your intertwined fingers and to your unwavering grin, returning it after a beat, and he looked as if he wanted to say something, the words nearly ready to flutter in time with your heartbeat from his parted lips, only for the two of you to jolt up and away from each other as you both felt a hand clamp on your shoulder and Xinyan’s voice exclaim loudly in triumph, 

“Ha!  Told ya’ I’d find them first, Aether!”

You looked over your shoulder in time to see the rest of the group file through the corridor you had come just a few minutes before – how long had it been?  Time seemed oddly obscured in this wayward memory-scape.  The traveller offered you a kind smile before looking to Xinyan as she called out to him, a soft laugh sounding from him and a scoff of disapproval from Mona.  

“Must you be so loud?” 

“Loud?  I’ll show ya’ loud!”

You could only roll your eyes and meet Kazuha’s gaze over Xinyan’s head as the wave of bickering surrounded the two of you, the final scraps of the serenity from your shared moment not too long ago still remaining through all the discord.  The smile the two of you wore seemed to allow a small window for Aether to read into, silently herding the rest of the group away from you and allowing you a final moment of understanding silence before heading off with the rest of your friends to find your way out of the labyrinth of memories, but rather than facing ones that seemed daunting, you held your head high at the thought of the ones you’d just experienced. 

—

A/N: the ending is literally so bad !!  but this has been sitting in my drafts for months and wanted to wrap it up.  lmk if i should do a part two?  maybe of reader’s memory scape??  It’s been a while since the event, obviously, so i’m not gonna remember all the technical terms, unfortunately.   have a great day/evening, thank you so much for reading, it means a lot!

[inklingofinspiration]

tear the world in two just for you .

decided to take a short break from the maze runner chapter I’m working on and post something for supernatural since I’m rewatching the series.  I’m interested in writing a few pieces for this fandom, so if you have any requests, feel free to let me know!  this was also nowhere close to my best work, it’s a bit rushed if i’m being honest, and I can’t stand it, but I wanted to get at least one piece of writing out tonight, so i’m just rolling with the punches at the point.  the ending makes me want to delete the entire thing. I’m in the process of moving and starting a new school as well, so that’s not helping the quality of my writing as of late either, so if i disappear for a while after this, i’m just getting settled and back into the swing of things.  hope you all understand.

___

Word count: 2.3k!

Warnings : discussion of religious themes, nothing too severe, blood, gore, torturous methods / discussions of them, not beta-read, the typical spn warnings.  spoilers for s4; i’m not sure if there’s anything explicitly revealing, but just a precaution.

Pronouns used: they/them – gender-neutral.

Prompt(s) used: “You have two seconds to let them go before I send you back to whatever pit in hell you came from.” (#14 – Comfort // Protective) / “Don’t touch them.” (#5 – Comfort // Protective).

Pairing: Sam Winchester x GN!Reader.

A/N: I had this planned to take place around 04 x 03 before anyone really knew about Sam’s powers.  I can’t quite remember when Alastair and Castiel were introduced, so for the sake of this plotline, I’ll just pretend they’re already known characters.   enjoy !  also take note that my alastair may be a bit off canon-accuracy, this is merely my interpretation of his character. 

___

You could feel the metallic tang of blood raise in the back of your throat the moment you jolted awake, expecting for the past two hours to have been some awful fever dream and wake up in a dilapidated motel room with Dean working his way through his second pie while Sam remained fixated on the screen of his laptop, not unfamiliar surroundings and the realisation that you were bound to a chair.  And the low chuckle that had your head snapping in the direction it had come didn’t exactly help calm you from your frenzy – how long had you been out?  Had Sam and Dean even realised you were missing yet? – 

Your train of thought was quick to be cut off as the figure that seemed particularly bemused by your predicament finally stepped out of the shadows, darkness seeming to cling to his figure as your breath hitched in your throat, horrified recognition turning into searing, unadulterated fear and your heartbeat immediately skipping a beat.  With your body feeling as though it was about to burst from the oncoming tremors and anxiety practically free-flowing through your veins, you felt as though you were frozen in place, unable to even lift a finger under the sickly humoured gaze of the inquisitor, almost able to feel your soul leap out of your body as he began taking slow, taunting steps toward you.  He was playing with you and you knew it, but the fear that instinctively took over the moment you caught sight of him had already taken over; it was far too late to resort to logical thinking by that point.  Even the small scraps of Dean’s time in hell that he’d told you about, the minor and vague details of the torture Alastair had put him through, was enough to make you begin fighting against your bindings.  Your panicked struggling rapidly turned desperate, the ropes chafing your ankles and wrists, holding true and unforgiving no matter how hard you shoved at the chair and kicked at its legs at the sound of Alastair’s voice.  

He took agonisingly slow steps toward you, the sadistic pleasure as he took in your weak attempts to conceal your terror, voice almost sounding bored through his thick, grating accent.  His words were permeated in a sickly sweet venom, a faux guise of a nearly polite facade falling over his features habitually as he spoke, likely a ploy to try and settle you into a false sense of security,  “Ah, it seems I finally have the pleasure of meeting you at long last, Y/N.” 

You had to practically restrain yourself from flinching at the practically unnatural way your name sounded on his tongue, setting your jaw and drawing in a sharp breath when you finally came to the realisation of just how pathetic you had been acting; since when did you cower, sadistic demon or not?  All you had to do was find some way to either contact the Winchesters or reach for the flask of holy water in your back pocket and recite all the Latin incantations you could remember.  Maybe both, but they were simple tasks and you just had to stall in the meanwhile.  You could manage that, couldn’t you?  Even with the rather disturbing feeling that seemed to practically embroider itself into your soul like a searing brand that would mark you for the next eternity, you stifled the scintillas of terror practically sparking across your skin and steeled yourself against any feelings aside from the harsh determination that ebbed through your anxiety.  You allowed the demon to be met with silence, finally gathering the courage to tip your head upward and hold eye contact challengingly.

“I jest, the terms may be rather. . . unpleasant for you, but I’m afraid I can’t have you running out and about while trying to lure your slippery friends to me, could I,”  He continued without missing a beat, seeming to drag out his words to remind you that he was the one in control of the entirety of the situation; you, in no way, held the upper hand. And it only made you all the more determined to gain as much.  Getting him close enough would be the first step, so you could only grit your teeth and play into the still-lingering fear pooled in your chest for at least a semi-authentic performance while you waited for the brothers or even that nutjob angel that had been tagging along with them for the past few months to show up.  

But you apparently didn’t even need to do much to lure Alastair close to you, the final, long stride he took toward the chair you were restrained to closing the distance in an instant.  You exhaled a shaky sigh before gathering your wits.

“Please,”  You whispered, tipping your head down, chin nearly meeting your chest, bowing as deeply as you could to hide any flicker in your terrified facade from the demon as you spoke, careful to pitch your voice just right.  “I don’t know where they are, I swear.” 

“They’ll come searching for you soon enough.  We just have to be patient until then, and what better way to pass the time than to get to know each other?” 

Even a fool could take note of the ominous threat that laced his words under the cool, even strokes of his emotionless expression, the limited proximity with him bent by your side and hovering just over your shoulder making your heart leap to your throat; you could feel the sick grin that twisted his features.  Oh, how you wanted to rip his throat out. 

In spite of the simmering rage that slowly began to seep into your limbs and nearly blind you, brought forth by the grief for the decades he had spent torturing your friend, you forced your posture to remain loose, vulnerable, and pathetic, eyes stitched to the blood-stained carpet to avoid insighting anymore of your unbridled anger for Alastair.  Dean would get his revenge soon enough, you assuaged, loosening a sigh from the back of your throat, hoping it came out like a feeble quiver to further sell your cowering act as you felt a cold fingertip flick across the side of your neck, pressing against a place that you knew a major artery or two ran along with pressure that was borderline harsh, Alastair’s voice humming lowly, contemplatively, and coming out in a muted drawl, just loud enough for you to hear the deriding limn to his voice. 

“You know, the carotid arteries have always been a favourite of mine,”  He mused, continuing to trace the invisible line of the vein along the side of your throat,  “Such an important little thing it is, delivering blood to your brain.  And, of course, where you find your pulse.” 

He continued on his mindless lecture, tapping mockingly against the spot where your slumped shoulders met your neck,  “But I’ve seen plenty of people who still have that precious heartbeat of theirs that are just practically lifeless.  Your dear friend Dean was one of them.  All that self hatred, and for what?  Just to let it eat away at him until he finally consumes himself from the inside out?  Such a shame it was, when he got away.  He showed such potential.”  Finally, after seconds seemed to crawl by where Alastair continued his examination of your neck as though you were some animal about to be shown, he clicked his tongue and withdrew.  “Nothing that won’t be remedied by the end of the night, I hope.  All in good time.”

He seemed to find amusement in his last words, clasping his hands behind his back and chuckling quietly to himself, all the while leaving you to struggle to keep yourself in line and not jump to your friend’s defence.  You were about to open your mouth to finally shoot back a retort, head lifting from its original bowed position when you saw light drag against silver and the demon brandished a dagger so sharp it nearly made your head spin.  You barely had time to process anything that was happening; hell, you were doing good to even recognize your emotional responses to all of this, let alone the fact that you were about to get diced up by some dickhead demon.  

You gritted your teeth and averted your gaze, hoping you could find some way to stall by resorting to desperate measures.  It was never too late to start believing, right?  

You closed your eyes, attempting to calm your racing heart all the while, and began repeating every holy verse from every book you could remember in your head, praying that someone was listening and even whispering Castiel’s name for good measure as Alastair began to approach once more.  A few beats passed where all you could hear was the rush of your own blood and the drag of Alastair’s shoes against the rug beneath you, grimacing and cursing yourself to hell and back for believing that would have actually worked and having not used those precious few moments to try and reach your holy water instead.  The demon drew closer by the moment, his grin only growing wider at your useless attempts to once again free yourself from your restraints. 

“Now, now, there’s no need to fret,”  He chided, bracing a hand on the arm of your chair to still it.  “We’ll have plenty more time to –”

He was cut off as a crash sounded from somewhere above, quickly followed by several thuds and a crescendo of rushed footsteps down a flight of stairs, e/c irises instantly flicking to the closed set of double doors leading into the dingy grey room, practically sagging in relief as you heard familiar voices shouting your name.  

“It seems our guests have arrived a bit early,”  Alastair enunciated, not sure whether he looked pleased or disappointed as he set the dagger on a nearby table with an unreadable expression.  “Let’s give them a proper welcome, shall we?” 

Just as he finished his monologue, the doors flew open, leaving you to flinch as they slammed against the wall with unnecessary force, revealing just the trio of people you had been praying would show up; Castiel, surprisingly enough, stood at the head of the group with Sam and Dean right on his heels.  The angel instantly locked eyes with you from across the room, sending you a brief nod before settling his gaze back on Alastair, his hand within clear reach of the blade strapped to his hip.  All the while, Sam shouldered his way to the other side of Cas, clearly making a beeline for you as he searched you for any visible injuries from his distance, only for Alastair to chuckle and extend his hand almost lazily, flicking his wrist and sending the younger Winchester careening back into the wall with a harsh sound that made you jolt in your seat and only struggle even more. 

“Sam!”  You and Dean called out in unison, the latter attempting to rush to his aid before suddenly pivoting on his heel with an acrimonious glare so biting, you could have sworn you saw Castiel stiffen from beside him.  The silence that followed didn’t last long, severed by Dean’s low, vicious beginning of a warning before Sam staggered to his feet once more and beat him to the punch, mimicking Alastair’s previous gesture, clearly just a beat away from summoning forth the terrifying heights of his newfound powers.

“You have two seconds to let them go before I send you back to whatever pit in hell you came from,”  Sam seethed, tension visible in every part of his body, the premature shock that settled over you at his words enough to leave you stunned as the demon only laughed once more.  

“Have you forgotten already that your pitiful attempts at magic don't work on me?”  Alastair reproached, his nonchalant smile remaining unwavering as he once again appeared at your side, all eyes on you as you jerked away from him as he patted the top of your head.  

“Don’t touch them.”

Again, that low, heart stopping laugh sounded through the room before Castiel stepped forward and began reciting what you could only assume was a high level banishing spell in Latin, tilting your head back as you watched Alastair’s eyes flicker in almost horrified recognition as his words – a rare chip in his demeanour that you never thought you’d see.  

“A capite ad calcem, a fortiori, bona malum superate,”  He began, a silver glow dancing at his fingertips as he traced an invisible sigil through the air, unfazed by Alastair’s attempts to intervene, the demon reaching out to you in a last ditch effort to cease Castiel from the ritual before Sam and Dean were at your side, shoving him back and dragging you away all the while,  “Ab intra, ab origine, absit iniuria, absit invidia, absit omen, abyssus abyssum invocat, carpe noctem, bona malum superate.”

It was over in an instant, Sam’s crouched figure from beside you shielding you from the bright flash and muffling Dean’s curses shot after the demon, his lithe fingers quickly fumbling with the rope around your wrists and undoing them in a matter of moments, gathering you in his arms and pressing you against him.  The world seemed to fall quiet just then as you allowed yourself to melt into his protective but gentle grasp on you, momentarily forgetting everything that had happened and settling to let him alleviate the volatile mix of adrenaline and anxiety that was pumping through you, pushing your hair out of your face and whispering things that were nearly incomprehensible but comforting nevertheless.  You shoved away every thought that wasn’t him away, hoping that you could perhaps just stay like this for a while.  He seemed to efficiently ward off the inevitable numbness that would overtake you when you fully processed it all and you could only think that that was the best thing for now, exhaling a shaky sigh of relief to know that you were finally safe and found blasphemous comfort in knowing that he had seemed ready to rip everything apart at the seams if you had been hurt.  

People who said ignorance was bliss had clearly never been in love with a Winchester.

[inklingofinspiration]

a gradum ad lumen - part 3 .

i’ve been really eager to write this chapter, thomas has always been a personal favourite.  again, if any of you have requests for things to happen in the coming chapters, then feel free to dm me!

___

Word count: 3.9k!

Warnings : general TMR TWS; blood, slight gore, disturbing ideas / images, and depicted injuries.  mentions of drunken acts and alcohol in this specific chapter.

Pronouns used: they/them – gender-neutral.

Prompt(s) used: “Who knows.  Maybe we’ve actually made it out of this hellhole after all.”

Pairing: TMR x GN!Reader.

Parts you may have missed: Part 1, Part 2.

A/N: i’m trying to make my writing style less choppy, so let me know how i do!  I also might go canon divergent on a few minor things throughout the series, so don’t mind anything like that if you happen to notice.

___

At your words of greeting, the Greenie seemed to fall silent, a look of confusion churned by fear and terror passing over his features as he took in the sight of you and your outstretched hand. 

“Didn’t realise I looked that bad,”  You joked in a weak attempt to make him feel at least a bit better, but you knew how it went.  The way that anxiety constantly bolted through each newcomer when they awoke in the Box, trapped and alone, only to be hauled out by a group of people they didn’t know, with no recollection of who they were or supposed to be.  It was horrifying.  So you quickly amended your statement with a nervous shuffled,  “Right, uh. . . look, I know you must be confused, scared, all that, but we’re not here to hurt you, promise.” 

Still, no response as he continued to practically gawk at you from where he had fallen on the ground. 

By that point, Newt and Alby were already shoving through the crowd to reach you, Newt shouting an order that sent the rest of them scrambling, both of them stepping forward, but you subtly flicked your hand, silently telling them to hold off for a minute.  The blonde seemed to understand, turning to Alby and whispering something in his ear before they both stopped and waited expectantly.  Just then, a shaky, hoarse voice cut through the temporary silence, dragging your attention back to the Greenie as he finally spoke. 

“Who are you people, and why don’t I remember anything?”  He spat, seeming to have recovered from his fall and scrambling to his feet, the venom that laced his voice making it sound as though you were responsible for the missing pieces of his past life and identity.  You merely offered a sympathetic smile. 

“We’re in the same boat as you, Greenie.” 

“Stop calling me that, I have a name.”

“Oh, sorry, didn’t realise you’d remembered it already,”  You said apologetically, beckoning for him to continue.  “What is it?” 

That’s when he seemed to falter, clearly wracking his brain to try and remember a detail that so many seemed to take for granted; the Creators hadn’t even been decent enough to let you have that off the bat, and the thought of it was enough to make a bitter taste fill your mouth.  When he went silent, you offered him the same smile you had a beat earlier, 

“That’s alright.  It comes back sooner or later; each of us had to wait a few hours or so before it came back to us.  But, in the meantime, we’ll tell you ours instead.” 

You waved Newt and Alby forward, your apologetic smile breaking into a grin as you gestured to them both,  “That’s Newt.  He’s Keeper of the Trackhoes – leader of people who play in the dirt and garden, basically, but also second in command.  Alby here’s our beloved leader who keeps us from losing it and letting all this go down the drain.”

You swept your arms toward the Bloodhouse, Maze walls, Homestead and everything in between with a certain sense of pride; afterall, you’d been helping out to make the Glade what it was from the very start, give or take a few months. 

“And I’m Y/N, but you can call me N/N if you’d like.  We’ll show you the ropes in a bit.” 

You wrapped up your speech with a punctuated bow, feeling Alby laugh quietly from beside you as you dusted your hands and glanced to Greenie.  He had fallen silent once more, whether he was trying to take in everything and process it all or thought you were a nutjob was well past your realm of knowledge as he remained oblivious to the three pairs of eyes that were fixated on him.  When his eyes finally circled back to you and the others behind you, he spoke with a specific uncertainty, 

“Okay. . . so what’s with the walls?”  He queried, mimicking your earlier gesture toward the hulking steel masses that closed in on you on all sides. 

You were about to respond when Alby beat you to it, his patience clearly growing thin at all the questions. 

“We’ll give you a tour tomorrow first thing, you can ask questions then.” 

Newt nodded to back Alby up, offering you a sidelong glance as though he expected you to do the same, but you merely shrugged and continued your conversation with him.  

“Can’t have you getting any special treatment,”  You joked as you began walking toward the gardens, which stood behind the newbie.  As you passed, your voice dropped to a whisper, praying to the gods above that the other two didn’t hear you,  “If you have any questions, you can just come to me, Alby can be a bit impatient with the Greenbeans because no one was ever there to answer his questions.  Was the first to arrive here and all.” 

You watched him nod from your peripheral vision, to which you grinned before pausing a few steps away and turned back to face him and gesture from you to Newt,  “Oh yeah, you’ll be workin’ in the gardens with us for the rest of the day, so feel free to tag along.” 

—

“Here, you can take over chopping the wood.” 

You were more than happy to pass the hatchet over to the unnamed male, only for him to stare blankly down at it as he turned it over in his hands, leaving you to grin sheepishly as you gently took it back into your own grasp. 

“Right, sorry, keep forgetting.  Uh. . . you can work with Newt to finish picking the tomatoes or start stacking the wood I’ve already cut,”  You offered, leaning against the handle of the hatchet after you had stabbed it into the scarred tree trunk once more.  Greenie looked from you to the second in command, raven coloured hair practically dancing in the wind that blew through the Glade every ten minutes or so before he began reaching for the first piece of wood that lay a few feet away from the worn soles of your boots without much of a response aside from that.  You nodded before brandishing the hatchet and set another block of wood onto the top of the tree stump, giving the tool a subconscious twirl, the trick something you had picked up on when Minho had been chopping wood himself at least three months back.  

You almost laughed at the thought, memories of how he’d groaned each time you failed to repeat his deft and fluid movements but continued helping you well past the dinner call until you could finally do it without a second thought.  But your thoughts were quick to be interrupted by the same cutting and almost out of place voice that had your head turning in an instant, the hatchet easily splitting the awaiting log as you did so, despite the almost guaranteed danger that came with taking such a risk.

“How long have you been here?”  The Greenie asked, hazel eyes fixated on your e/c irises, his figure crouched beside a few split pieces of wood, a hand planted in the soft, feathery grass still damp from yesterday evening’s storm and the other hovering over one of the aforementioned pieces of woods.  You paused at the question, however, levelling him with a curious stare but answered without missing a beat. 

“About two years or so, give or take a few months.  Why?”  

“Two years,”  He repeated with a certain breathlessness, almost as though he couldn’t believe it, but was quick to shoot a rebound question.  “You still haven’t found a way out?  Of the Maze, I mean.” 

You shook your head,  “It’s a work in progress, but the Runners go out each morning and dedicate themselves to tracking the movements of the walls, see if anything new’s appeared.” 

“Runners?” 

“Yeah, you’ll see them take off tomorrow during your tour, maybe even see them come back tonight during the bonfire if you’re lucky.” 

“Do you guys usually have bonfires?” 

“You’re just full of questions, aren’t you,”  You teased, rolling your shoulders back and stifling a yawn before you continued.  “We have ‘em once a month, helps keep spirits up around here.  You’ll see why when it happens; dinner should be called in an hour or two, so we’ll be lighting the fire sooner or later.  You’ll get introduced to everyone there.”

Another nod from him,  “Thanks.”

You happily returned the gesture with a dismissive wave of your hand before turning back to the last few pieces of wood, the sun beating down pleasantly on the back of your neck as the afternoon slowly began to melt away into the cool weather of the early evening. 

—

“My back feels like it’s about to bloody split in half,”  Newt muttered from beside you as you walked with him and the Greenie flanking you, each of you carrying a plate of dinner toward the bonfire pit where Builders had already begun dragging the piles of wood you had chopped and throwing them in a haphazard heap, months of built up ash and char fluttering up visibly through the practically sparking night air as you approached the gathering crowd with your typical grin.  You spared a glance over your shoulder at Newt’s comment, the urge to laugh only increasing at the incredulous look he shot you at your expression. 

“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting about your chronic back pain, old man,”  You teased, hearing him huff from behind you before you finally reached a log that wasn’t swarming with a dozen or so Gladers, your ankle practically bursting in relief at the sight.  “You think Minho’ll actually stay awake for this one, or he’ll pass out mid-drink like last time?” 

The three of you settled into the grass in front of the log a beat later, watching as someone lit a match with relative ease and tossed it onto the logs wetted with whatever flammable drink Gally had whipped up this time around.  You were entranced as your eyes remained fixated at the seemingly alive flames, brilliant autumn golds and oranges flickering and lapping at the air, shadows dancing in their wake and stretching to touch the glowing constellations embedded into the black velvet of the sky, missing Newt’s response under the roar of flames and the ravenette seated beside you finally joining the conversation. 

“Who’s Minho?”  He asked, looking up momentarily in your and Newt’s direction rather than his dinner of bread and casserole that Frypan had seemed particularly proud of when he’d been dishing it out.  Newt gestured for you to explain as someone called out to him, dragging him into a separate conversation – a debate about whether they should wait for the Runners to return before passing out drinks from the looks of it. 

“I envy your existence,”  You joked, settling your back against the log behind you and momentarily staring off at the fire once more before returning to the conversation with a bemused laugh.  “He’s, uh, Keeper of the Runners; you’ll know him when ya’ see him.  A bit tall, as egotistical as they come, looks like he uses the world’s supply of hair gel each morning.  The entire deal.” 

At his confused stare, you elaborated. 

“If you’re a Keeper, then you lead a certain group.  I can’t tell you too much, otherwise Alby’d skin you and me both, but he’s in charge of the whole running deal.” 

He seemed satisfied with your response, nodding once more and falling silent suddenly as his eyes trailed after something past the enrapturing glow of the fire; you followed his gaze only to see the Runners jogging through the East Door as if on cue, Minho at the head of the pack.  Newt had just finished settling the argument (if they began passing out drinks that instant, there wouldn’t even be any left for the Runners to begin with, had been the conclusion) when he caught sight of Minho as well. 

“There the bloody shank is,”  He said after a moment, clearly bemused at the rather irritated look on the Asian’s face as he took in the sight of the bonfire that had started without him.  You shouldered Newt playfully, which he easily returned, shaking your head and waving the Keeper over once he got close enough.  

Minho’s finch coloured irises flicked to you the instant you raised your hand to him, despite the distance and veered from his path to the Maproom, clearly more than content to take the detour to put off the dreaded process of drawing up the maps of the day for at least a little longer.  He almost seemed ethereal as he slowed to walk, the firelight bathing him in a vermillion-tinged gold light that seemed to morph to his figure when he finally halted beside you, his typical smirk instantly taking residence on his features as he observed the three of you. 

“Look at you, being all nice and sweet and fetching me dinner,”  He teased by way of a proper greeting, reaching over your shoulder and nearly snatching up the untouched plate of food that rested on your lap.  As soon as you realised it, though, you swatted at his hand with a scoff. 

“You wish, slinthead.  You haven’t even introduced yourself to the  Greenie.”

Your running partner pinned the aforementioned male with an almost analytical stare that the other had no issue returning, the tension in response to that nearly palpable and crackling.  You glanced back to Newt, who only rolled his eyes in an exasperated manner, turning back to his meal as though he thought they’d sort it out without a fist fight.  You sighed at his lack of aid, but were quick to handle it yourself, hitting Minho’s side with enough force to tear his attention away from his seemingly new opposer, however begrudgingly he had done so. 

“Play nice,”  You chided, which made him laugh as he began jogging once more, shooting a final riposte over his shoulder before you were out of earshot. 

“In your dreams.”

The Greenie spoke up once more, settling himself back into a more comfortable position as he muttered into his food,  “What was his deal.”

It was more of a rhetoric than anything, but you snorted at the comment.

“He’s a bit of an ass sometimes, but he’ll warm up to you eventually.”

“Language,”  Newt warned from your opposite side, which made you pass the ravenette a joking eye roll.  “Minho’s enough of a hassle in that department, I don’t need you there too.” 

—

Minho had joined your pleasant trio half an hour earlier, you, Newt, and him drifting in and out of conversation, you leaning in Thomas’ direction every so often to fill him in on parts of the Glade that were mentioned when his face twisted up into a confused expression.  He remained quiet for the most part, the only interaction he seemed to have over that course of time was responding to you and meeting each of Minho’s glares he shot his way.  There wasn’t much you could do to stop it, save for the occasional heel of your boot to the Runner’s shin, the agitated look that passed over him enough to save you and Newt a few exasperated eyerolls. 

You two had just finished discussing what would be done in the Glade tomorrow, your activities tailored to accommodate your injured ankle and all, when Alby waved Newt over from the other side of the bonfire.  The leader was clearly wasted, if not damn near close to; his shouts to the blonde were slurred, his steps more akin to stumbles that nearly sent him tumbling into the fire as he stepped too close, and just the sight was enough to make you laugh and offer Newt a pat on the shoulder. 

“Have fun, don’t end up like him,”  You teased as he swatted your hand away and stood up, clearly dreaded whatever lay in store for him next before he lifted his hand in farewell, disappearing in the glow of flickering orange-gold soon after.  

“So, has Greenie here remembered his name yet, or is he still sulking like a sissy about it?”  Minho commented with a certain amount of venom that made you wince.  You were about to ask why he was being so short when you took a glance around him and saw the mason jars scattered around him. 

Of course he was planning on not remembering anything about the next few hours. 

You had never really been a big fan of drinking, whether it be the rancid taste of Gally’s godawful brews or the thought of a pounding headache the day after.  So you settled for whatever Fry kept stashed in the back of the fridge for you, and you were more than content to have that instead.  But no matter how much you wished you could go, settle down into one of the worn stools that lined the counter of the kitchen and get away from all the chaos, it was more than evident that you couldn’t leave the two alone.  Who knew what could happen with Minho’s short temper and the Greenie’s defensive responses. 

You elbowed the Keeper harshly in the stomach, your words coming out as more of a hiss than anything,  “Slim it, Minho.  You were in the same position a few years back.”  

He only snorted in response, looking about ready to reach across the log and attempt to strangle the ravenette, bringing the jar in his hand to his lips once more, only for you to snatch it out of his hands before he could take another drink and handed it off to a passing Glader.  He was about to protest when you shot him a glare that nearly made him recoil, reduced to mutters as his arms folded across his chest and he settled against the back of the log. 

“He’ll. . . warm up to you eventually,”  you offered wryly, almost laughing at the Greenie’s unsure expression when a shout rang across the bonfire.  You didn’t even have to turn around to know what was coming next, especially not with the cheering that erupted not a moment after Gally called out to him, footsteps audible as they disturbed the grass underfoot. 

“Hey, Greenie, how about I give you a preview of what you’ll be seein’ a whole lot of in the future, huh?  As a Slopper, y’know,”  He remarked once within appropriate earshot, stopping just a few feet from where your legs were stretched out.  And as though he read your mind, he spared you a glance before settling his attention fully on you,  “Unless you wanna go first.” 

You scoffed at that, rolling your shoulders back experimentally and narrowing your eyes as you met his gaze without missing a beat,  “Yeah?  You want a repeat of last time?” 

“This could be different.  But if you chicken out, I get that.” 

The taunt did nothing to infuriate you, something you dismissed with a disparaging wave of your hand before offering the Greenie a sidelong glance and sighing.  The moment you wordlessly climbed to your feet, sending a nod to Thomas and a warning glare Minho’s way, the boys that had followed after Gally erupted into cheers, the aforementioned Builder gesturing for you to lead the way to the hastily drawn circle that they called the ‘fighting ring’.  It seemed childish, the idea of essentially cat-fighting with a bunch of drunken teenagers, but you could put on a show if that’s what they wanted.  

“We’ll let good old Clint give us the countdown, since you already know the rules,”  Gally supplied, nodding off to the Med-jack, who shot him a thumbs up as the Keeper began stretching out his arms, making more of a show out of it than anything.  A meagre eye roll was elicited on your end, taking up a spot on the opposite side of the circle from Gally, shuffling back and to the side a few paces to position yourself a bit more to your convenience; your arms hung loosely at your sides with your legs staggered just behind one another, allowing for a flexible but firm stance in preparation of the hopefully quick fight.  

It was known that you were more than knowledgeable in combat techniques, something that was a bit hard to not be after having been in the Glade for as long as you had been.  And perhaps your regular fights with Minho played a small part in it as well, but you were practically the crowned ruler in that aspect among the Gladers.  Gally just seemed to have the constant and compulsive urge to continuously one up and belittle your every move, so you were sure to humour it every once in a while.

As the Med-jack’s voice rang clear through the otherwise silent air, you felt yourself stiffen slightly, adrenaline already beginning to course through you at the sound, 

“Three,”

“Two,

“One!” 

Clint couldn’t even properly finish before Gally leapt up and sprang directly for you, determination limning his every move as he raced toward you; he was frighteningly fast for his size, you seemed to note every time you were faced against him.  But you didn’t allow it to deter you much, steeling yourself against the ebbing anxiety that crackled within your chest, pivoting on your heel and practically dancing just out of his reach as he attempted to swing a hook for your jaw.  Your boots stirred up dust in your wake, movements light and swift, calculated as you leapt back once more, the Keeper seeming to grow frustrated as each of his blows failed to connect.  

Finally, you caught sight of an opening when he drew back his fist and aimed for your stomach, allowing you ample time to parry his blow by meeting it with your forearm and shoving it away from you before grabbing his wrist and yanking him forward.  The unexpected contact left him stunned for a moment, which you took advantage of mercilessly, quick to sidestep behind him and pin that same arm behind his back, twisting hard and fast until you heard him grunt in pain. 

He practically flowed at your mercy as you shoved him to the ground stomach first, releasing  your hold on him a second later as Clint announced you the winner at Gally’s struggling state to recover.  

Once more, cheers erupted from all around you, and you couldn’t help the exasperated eye roll and grin that overtook your features, waving with a laugh as you stepped out of the ring before Gally could challenge you any further, a few of the Gladers managing to slap you on the back in encouragement as you passed.  Through the parting sea of bodies, you made your way back toward your original spot between Minho and Thomas, the two clearly doing their best to ignore the other’s presence, but both perking up as they caught sight of you. 

“Well?  Did you win?”  Minho slurred, somehow in an even more drunken state than he had been in to begin with, which only made you roll your eyes for the nth time that night, nodding nevertheless.  You turned your attention to Thomas, holding your breath as you questioned him with an almost irritated tone, 

“You bloody drunk too?” 

He shook his head.

“Wonderful,”  You clasped a hand over his shoulder, gesturing for him to follow you as you both climbed to your feet and began walking away from the roar of the ongoing bonfire, ignoring Minho’s protests for you to stay all the while,  “Let’s get you settled then, hm?”

[inklingofinspiration]

a gradum ad lumen - part 2 .

you guys can probably guess by now that i’m a more spontaneous author, so my activity will have it’s ups and downs, and I may just be inactive for months on end when i lack motivation / time to write.  but with my high muse for this series so far and the release of season three for umbrella academy, i’m hoping to get out a good amount of writing for as long as i can.  but anyway, chapter two!

___

Word count: 3.9k!

Warnings : general TMR TWS; blood, slight gore, disturbing ideas / images, and depicted injuries.

Pronouns used: they/them – gender-neutral.

Prompt(s) used: “Who knows.  Maybe we’ve actually made it out of this hellhole after all.”

Pairing: TMR x GN!Reader.

Parts you may have missed : Part 1

A/N: I always forget to beta read my writing, so if parts don’t make sense, just ignore it.  I typically do end up reading them after my pieces are posted, so I’ll likely get around to fixing any nonsensical bits the following week.  I also apologize for the long and pretty bland chapter, I’m hoping things will be more eventful from here on out. 

___

“Jeez, talk about a storm.”

You and Minho were spectating the harsh winds and rain from the safety of your room in the sporadic and rickety building you called the Homestead, watching as the unrelenting weather drenched anything the instant it touched it, the Gladers that were darting about the perfect example as they hastily went about gathering personal belongings and other things prone to being destroyed due to water damage to shelter in the Homestead.  Newt was amongst them, the sight of the Keeper directing the traffic through the already muddy grass and whipping winds more than enough to entertain the two of you as you awaited your impromptu supper to finish cooling down.  

Despite the later time that you and Minho had come  back to the Glade, bringing the arrival of the unexpected storm with you, Frypan had managed to set aside a few bowls of still hot vegetable stew with freshly baked bread rolls that you were more than eager to devour the minute the soup cooled.  In the meantime, you nodded in agreement with Minho’s comment, idly picking at a loose thread dangling from the hem of your nondescript shirt as the two of you continued to watch.  You had dragged a stool up to the window, knowing that you’d be there a while if your running partner planned on staying by the window for the entirety of the rainstorm, and you were more than relieved that you had done so beforehand, even the thought of trying to stand for that long with your injured leg enough to make you shudder inwardly. 

You and Newt had managed to find Clint just as he was throwing empty jars and bandages into a bin, which typically signified that he and Jack were about ready to retire for the evening, and have him run a quick but thorough check on your ankle after explaining what exactly had happened to the medic.  Thankfully, after he rolled it experimentally, observed your elicited reactions, and asked you to rate the pain you felt when standing or attempting to walk on it, he confirmed Newt’s suspicions and said that the swelling would subside after a few days, the pain sure to follow suit as well.  All you had to do was keep off it as much as possible, though, which put you in a bit of a bind; Clint had been sure to specify that “staying off it” included going out into the Maze until he cleared you again, the news making you deflate slightly.  Luckily, you were still able to at least hobble around for short periods of time, which meant that you could pitch in with the Trackhoes and whatever tedious tasks Alby needed help with around the Glade for the time being, and you were more than content to do it – so long as you were helping in some manner. 

After a few moments of the rain beating away at the roof overhead, the wind sweeping around it to form an uneven staccato, you finally managed to verbally respond to Minho, pulling your gaze away from the grey expanse of the sky to glance back at your steaming meals and back to the other Keeper as you spoke,  “hopefully it’ll let up soon.  Can’t have the Glade too wet with a new Greenie coming up tomorrow.”

You watched as he tipped his head toward you, nodding as he seemed to fully process your words. 

“Oh yeah, poor slinthead.  Almost forgot about that.  You’re gonna be here to see him bawl his eyes out and then get his ass beat by Gally, you lucky duck.”

You stifled a laugh, shoving Minho’s shoulder playfully before shaking your head and stretching your arms out above you, practically able to feel the weariness and fatigue as it settled into every crevice of your bones from the day’s strenuous events.  

“You’re gonna be here for the bonfire too, slinthead,”  You replied as you got to your feet and awkwardly limped to the makeshift table tucked into the corner of your room and retrieving the two bowls and plate under Minho’s humoured gaze.  He watched as you attempted to balance a bowl in each hand and the plate on your forearm, finding very quickly that the porcelain of them were heated almost searingly to the touch, which caused you to nearly up end them on the Runner before he snatched them out of your hands and herded you back to your stool.  You were left with the plate of bread rolls, which you quickly set aside on the window sill and plucked one right off the pile, wasting no time in savouring the food after the long day you had and the sure-to-be-longer one ahead.  

“Save some for me, will you,”  He joked, pulling up a chair of his own beside you and discarding the bowls of soup to snatch up a piece of bread himself.  You glanced up at him in response, chucking the first thing you could find at him, which just so happened to be a wad of paper to his head.  Minho jerked back, surprise quickly melting into a challenging grin as he tossed the piece of paper right back at you.  It only took a minute or two for you both to forget about the storm and dinner before you had tackled him to the floor and began trying to gain leverage over him as he struggled in your light grip.  Play fighting might as well have been a part of your daily routine, with how often the two of you found yourselves tussling about, whether it was while you were on lunch break in the Maze, trying to prove who was stronger, or just out of pure happenstance.  Either way, it always managed to have the two of you laughing, that much evident as you managed to plant a firm hand beside Minho’s head, your eyes locked with his and both of you breathless.  

“So. . .” you began, barely able to speak without a few bouts of quieted laughs escaping you, your sides heaving all the while.  “You have anything planned for tonight?” 

The male seemed close to choking, his own laughter clearly visible in his expression as he brought a knee to your stomach, sending you sprawling on the ground beside him before he mimicked your original position, his typical prideful smirk on his face,  “I think I should be asking you that.” 

You couldn’t help the grin that overtook your features, whether your heart was beating like a forgotten door in a windstorm due to the situation at hand or the fact that you and him had just spent a good five minutes play fighting completely unbeknownst to you.  However, just as you sucked in a breath to suffice your winded and strained breaths, words practically dancing on your tongue with your prepared riposte, the door to your room swung open to reveal an unmistakable blonde standing right in the doorway.  His doe-like eyes took in the scene before him, gaze sweeping from Minho’s turned head, wearing a cocky grin at his processing expression to you struggling in the Keeper��s grasp, desperately not wanting him to get the wrong idea.  

“We– we were– Minho tackled me!”  You cried in feigned anguish, an arm dramatically coming to drape over your forehead, your body going limp in response.  Under the joking front, you just hoped that it was enough to distract the second in command from the conclusions he could draw from the position you and Minho were in.  “You have to help me!” 

“I’m good,”  Newt managed, having to stifle his own laughter as you struggled in Minho’s grip, attempting to throw him off in a myriad of ways as he continued.  “Alby wanted to see the two of you, so I’d suggest postponing your little. . . session until after you talk to him.  Something about the Greenie and a tour.”

You exclaimed a sound of protest, reaching for the wad of paper you had thrown at Minho only a minute or two prior, and chucking it the blonde’s way with the sole intention of hitting the back of his head.  But he ducked out of the way and padded down the hallway just in time, allowing it to hit the wall and sink to the floor almost soundlessly, his giggles and laughs audible until he clomped down the stairs and disappeared out of sight.  As soon as he was out of earshot, Minho let out an audible groan and moved to lay on the floor in a position similar to yours, clearly dreading the unexpected meeting with Alby.  You both lay in silence for a minute or two, your eyes fluttering shut as you exhaled.  After a moment or two, you rolled onto your side. 

“Come on, shank, best not to keep our loving leader waiting,” You stated as you rolled your shoulders back, wincing gingerly as you finally stood back up.  

You both were downstairs and standing where Alby sat at the bar on the first floor of the Homestead, either swishing a glass of water or one of the bitter tasting concoctions Gally mixed up the evening before every bonfire.  Silence had settled over all of the other Gladers, each of them tucked into their own sleeping bags and strewn about the floor and practically everywhere you stepped.  At least half of them usually slept outside, but with the prolonged rain, it wasn’t quite doable, so whenever a rare storm did happen to spring forward, everyone settled with cramped space in exchange for warmth and a dry place to sleep.  Lucky for you, you didn’t have to stress all that much about sharing your space whenever it rained, courtesy of the fact that you’d gotten your own room far before any of the others had even arrived in the Glade, save for Alby and Newt, which was something you often thanked the stars above for.  Being crammed into a room with about a dozen other people wasn’t exactly on the top of your bucket list. 

You were pulled from your abrupt train of thought though, when your first in command turned to nod at both you and Minho and gestured to the stools on either side of him, a wordless motion for you to sit. 

You eagerly complied, the aching of your ankle beginning to set in and make the gears of your brain falter every minute or so from having stood for a good few moments.  Minho claimed the seat to the right, leaving you to sink into the stool on the left before Alby tilted his glass in your direction, which you steadily declined with a meagre wave, only for Minho to pluck the drink right out of Alby’s hand the moment it was offered and down the whole thing.  Judging by the bitter expression that overtook your fellow Keeper’s face, it answered the question that had drifted through your mind a minute earlier; Gally had been handing out samples of his drinks, then.  

You and Alby shared an off-handed snicker before the latter composed himself and began to speak at last. 

“Since Y/N here’s screwed their ankle for the time being, you’re gonna be stuck with running by yourself for the next few days,”  Alby pointed out, directing his words to Minho, whose thoughts were practically on display for anyone who passed; thanks for stating the obvious.  But he remained silent nevertheless, only nodding along and allowing the other ample time to speak.  He turned to you next, jutting his chin almost imperceptibly,  “which means I want you to show Greenie the ropes.  I’ll still show him around, Chuck’s already been assigned as as his tour, but just keep an eye out while you’re stuck here, yeah?” 

“On it,”  You confirmed with a complacent tilt of your head, which Alby returned without missing a beat. 

“That’s all, I just knew it’d make Minho mad,”  He mused after a moment of you both staring at him expectantly, as though he had more left to say.  A muttered “yeah, whatever” was drawn from the aforementioned Runner, at which you grinned and nodded toward the two of them once more. 

“Good that.  I’m gonna head to bed then.” 

Minho and Alby spoke their quick farewells in your direction as you headed back up the stairs, careful to avoid any of the loitering Gladers as you stepped around any of them that were inconveniently stationed right in the middle of the hallway leading off to your room.  Once you finally slipped through and into your room and shut the door behind you, night had fully fallen, starlight and moonbeams spilling through the window as you cleared the dishes from yours and Minho’s dinner that had been left on the sill and set them aside on the table they had been originally.

Thankfully, you had changed the minute you had gotten back to the Homestead after your checkup with Clint and Minho was off showering, so you collapsed onto your bed with a content sigh, feeling as though you fell asleep the instant your head hit the pillow.

—

You were awoken by a rapid knocking on your door, a voice slurred from sleep sounding from the other side allowing you to conclude that it was wake up call, to which you allowed yourself to brush off momentarily.  You rubbed at your eyes and blinked a few times, huffing a bleary sigh and swinging your legs so that they dangled over the edge of the mattress.  You stretched out your limbs before finally slipping out of bed and padding rather wobbly across your room to retrieve your running harness hung by the door before you remembered your little predicament as your ankle knocked against the leg of your dresser.  You bit back the urge to curse the stupid thing, finding payback as you harshly pulled the drawers open and rifled through clothes you didn’t use when running.  After a few moments, you settled with your go-to outfit for whenever you didn’t care to put too much effort into searching for clothes but still wanted to look presentable.  

You were changed and out the door in a matter of minutes, waving to Winston as you passed him on the way down the stairs and high fiving Chuck’s outstretched hand before you easily climbed down the handful of steps that led from the Homestead and onto the dew-misted grass.  The other Gladers were milling about, sleep still laid thick in the air along with the early morning scent of the lavender you had begged Newt to plant for about a month straight, claiming that it would help keep everyone who passed calm and content, when in reality, you just wanted it there to help cover up the eyesore of the Bloodhouse and aesthetic.  You grinned at the memory as you headed for the kitchen, recalling how proud he had looked when it first began to bloom and the way he looked as though he was about to burst when you thanked him eagerly.  

You were among the first early risers who managed to snag places at the front of the line to collect breakfast, which allowed you to peer over the counter to see what Frypan had whipped up for the morning.  You could typically tell by what had been cooked whether he had been in a rush or not, so when you laid eyes upon buttered toast and boiled eggs with vegetables freshly sliced from the garden, you knew he had to be in a good mood.  When it was your turn, you slid into place opposite from where Frypan was standing, offering him a bright grin and wave before he slid your tray of food toward you.  The chef looked up, a matching smile instantly greeting you as he leaned against the counter. 

“Hey, N/N.  Heard about your fiasco yesterday,”  He prodded teasingly, to which you rolled your eyes playfully and lifted your tray. 

“Seems as if everyone has,” You shot back easily, tapping the counter by way of farewell along with a laugh at his words.  “Thanks for the food!  See you at lunch!” 

“You too!” 

You sighed mindlessly to yourself as you walked from the kitchen, the golden rays of sun bathing you in much needed warmth and a light breeze batting at your hair as you walked.  The table that you typically sat at appeared after a moment or two of walking, the worn picnic table a good few feet away from the front door of the Homestead but at a central point that allowed you a view of all the other Gladers as they seemed to wake up more and more by the second.  You seated yourself in the middle of one of the benches and set your tray down, opting to wait to begin eating until the others arrived as you humoured a glass of water idly.  

You could feel unadulterated excitement as you remembered that it was Greenie day, practically trembling in your seat because of it.  Whenever a new Glader arrived, you took the opportunity and ran with it; you didn’t view them as another mouth to feed, rather the prospect of another pair of hands to help around the Glade and another person to share the crappy experience of the Glade itself with, as corny as it sounded.  A new person meant the possibility for a fresh set of eyes that just might be the key to finding a way out, essentially.  The idea was something Minho often teased you about when the time for a newcomer approached, but you knew it was all in good fun.  

You were about to glance over your shoulder in search of your friends when Newt, Chuck, and Alby all seated themselves in one spot or another at the table.  You grinned at the sight, Newt seeming to sense as much as he took up the seat next to you, and merely responded with a breathy laugh and quick shake of his head.  Chuck had already launched into a rigorous rant about one of the Trackhoes that had left a particularly big mess right outside of the kitchen when bringing in the vegetables of the week for Frypan to use that he’d ended up having to clean, you listening intently all the while as you pushed around the piece of toast on your plate with a fork.  Despite how clearly frustrated the younger boy was, his animated hand gestures that subconsciously whipped back and forth along with his words were enough to make you take it all in with an amused smile, left breathless once he finally finished and turned to his plate while you laughed lightly. 

“Well, we appreciate you cleaning it up, I didn’t even realise anything had happened.  I’m sure Newt can give whoever it was an hour-long lecture to make sure it doesn’t happen again, though,”  You replied between drinks of water.  You nudged the blonde’s leg from under the table and shot him a sideways glance, subtly tilting your head toward the other boy when he looked up at you in confusion.  Newt stumbled to respond, tapping his fork against his plate as he let out a slightly nervous laugh. 

“Yeah, of course.  I’ll put the shank in the Slammer next time he does it.”  

Chuck beamed, shooting the second in command a thumbs up as he took a bite of his sandwich, clearly eager to get the day started as he rushed to finish the meal.  From beside him, Alby stood, silent as ever as he watched the conversations take place, gaze occasionally lifting from his plate to glance at each of you but finally spoke as you made eye contact with him. 

“Since Greenie obviously isn’t gonna be coming anytime soon, probably in the afternoon, we’ll just have the tour be tomorrow,”  He stated in an almost bored tone, his shoulder rolling back in the direction of the Box.  “He can work with you and Newt in the gardens ‘til then.”

Newt jumped in before you could answer with more than a nod,  “Good that.  We still on for the bonfire?” 

You and Chuck both looked up from your plates at that, your eyes sliding toward Alby as he seemed to consider Newt’s words, weighing the options. 

“Yeah, I don’t see why not.  ‘Sides, I think the others’d kill us otherwise.” 

—

The early afternoon sunlight was searing as you lifted a hatchet you’d been working with for the past hour above your head before bringing it down to split a block of wood in half and embed itself into the stump below.  

After spending your morning weeding out the vegetable garden and picking carrots, you had found that the wood to be used in the fire that night still had yet to be chopped, so you were more than happy to step in and come to the aid.  Newt had tagged along, the two of you drifting in and out of conversation as he carried on with tasks around the stump that you were chopping wood at and keeping an eye on your ankle in case you misstepped or twisted it on accident, and he was taking his first break of the day, his body leaned against the the fallen tree as he watched you bring the axe down on one of the last pieces of wood.  You huffed in exertion, the back of your forearm coming to wipe the beads of sweat from your forehead before giving the tool a final swing to set it purposefully into the tree stump.  

You heard Newt whistle, your head turning right to glance over at him before he tossed you his water bottle, which you snatched out of the air and took gratefully.  You were about to hand it back to him and utter your thanks after a long minute of downing the water when the final blare to announce the arrival of the Box sounded, all the Glader’s heads shooting up in response.  You shot Newt a grin before he laughed and rolled his eyes, gesturing for you to head toward it with him on your heels.  

You arrived a minute or two after everyone else, your ankle’s several jolts of protest slowing you down to a fraction of your typical speed, so by the time you had even reached the fringes of the crowd gathered around the newcomer, the Box’s doors had already been thrown open, the Greenie likely already dragged out.  

Several murmurs and taunting comments were exchanged as everyone else seemed to get a good look at him, leaving you attempting to crane your neck to see over the sea of bodies crammed together, only for them all to let out a laugh in unison, all of them parting someone bolted through the crowd and headed straight for you. 

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a Runner!”  Someone called as the person who you could only assume was the Greenie continued sprinting, seemingly unaware of their surroundings as they took off.  You braced yourself for the harsh impact, knowing you wouldn’t be able to make it out of the way in time with the speed he was running at, but it seemed as though his luck ended about there, leading to him tripping and falling right at your feet.  

As dazed, hazel eyes looked up at you, you smiled, recovered from the minor scare he had given you and offered a hand for him to pull himself up, 

“Welcome to the Glade, Greenie.” 

[inklingofinspiration]

a gradum ad lumen - part 1 .

decided to post the first chapter to the Maze Runner fanfic I discussed earlier, I thought it would be a good way to ease back into things after my prolonged absence.  hope you all enjoy, please contact me if you have any specific requests for the series and let me know what you think!  ending is also a bit rushed, because i was super excited to get this posted for you guys, but i already have the second chapter in the works.

___

Word count: 2.1k!

Warnings : general TMR TWS; blood, slight gore, disturbing ideas / images, and depicted injuries.

Pronouns used: they/them – gender-neutral.

Prompt(s) used: “Who knows.  Maybe we’ve actually made it out of this hellhole after all.”

Pairing: TMR x GN!Reader.

A/N: just one; i imagined reader had a slight british accent when writing this, but feel free to think otherwise!!  this is also open to any skin tones, body sizes, etc.  i believe in inclusion to the fullest, and plan to make a few fanfics w/ a practising muslim reader in the future; lmk if you have any ideas! 

___

Staying out in the Maze was likely a dumb idea, especially with the ever-present thought of the fact that the Doors were bound to close at any minute pounding at the back of your head.

Nevertheless, your eyes were fixated on the sight in front of you, hands on your hips as e/c irises took in the thick vines that were rooted into the cracks lining the stone floor and stretched as far as the eye could see up the surrounding walls.  Your hand reached up to thread through h/c coloured tresses, thoughts bumbling about your head in an analytical manner. 

E/c coloured eyes moved after the beetle-blade, the metal, bug-like machine chittering as its red-light flicked across the wall it was scampering along before pausing.  Almost as though it sensed your presence, the thing’s head turned to you, camera staring right back at you as it focused on the stationary Glader.  You took a challenging stride toward it, surprised by the fact that it didn’t even move, the step bearing an experimental trial as well as it encouraged them onward.  You were quick to take advantage of the situation, leaping after the machine and closing the few metres of distance between you and the beetle blade in the process.  

Unfortunately, the sudden movement on your end had sent the beetle-blade shooting further along the wall, bee-lining it straight for a crack in the stone that it would just barely manage to fit into.  However, after months of trying to catch one of the blasted things, you’d come to learn a trick or two.  You kicked off the ground, clearly determined to finally get your hands on one of the rutting machines even if it meant having to risk the slight detour from heading back to the Glade.  

You swiftly scaled among the vines, arm shooting above head as your fingertips came to wrap around one of its legs just as the machine made to disappear.  Triumph shot through you as you were about to yank the thing back and disarm it, focused solely on the task at hand when a swift shout that consisted purely of  your name halted everything and sent them tumbling backwards when your single-handed grip on the vines jerked loose in surprise.

Your ankle, however, was more reluctant to follow, remaining  entangled amongst the vines, a sharp jerk sending jolts of pain through your leg the minute your back slammed against the hard, unforgiving floor.  The pain flared, your vision swaying as your eyes flicked to the shoes of the now approaching figure, clearly not pleased with the situation in the slightest as a frustrated and slightly pained groan drew past your lips.  Your thoughts of irritated agony echoed the emotion vividly as you practically felt  the bruises forming along your ankle, only to be interrupted by the same person who had caused you to lose your balance in the first place, a teasing lilt now lacing the newcomer’s voice, which you could easily pinpoint as Minho, 

“Man, I knew you liked me, but I didn’t realise you’d be throwing yourself at my feet the minute you heard me.  Not that I can blame you, I am pretty hot,”  Came his playful words, causing you to set your  jaw in an exasperated grimace before snapping a response. 

“Slim it, before it’s your ankle getting broken, shank,”  You growled, accent heavy and thick in their unpleasant predicament.  You took note of the airy laugh their running partner allowed to bubble past him before crouching beside you and gently unwinding the shrubbery the held them captive, leaving you to wince as your leg dropped to the floor alongside your other leg with a harsh ‘thump’.  “Bloody hell, that hurts like a fucking–,”

“Woah there, you think Newt’d approve of that kind of language?”  Minho snickered from somewhere behind you, the volume of his laughter only rising as you tilted your head back to shoot him the best glare you could muster from the ground.  After a few beats, he finally stifled the rest of his bemused sounds, eyes flicking from your haphazard position and back to your eyes that strained to keep pace with his own before he rolled his eyes and crouched down to offer you a hand up. 

You were rolling onto your stomach in an instant, gingerly twisting your aching leg a moment later with great care as to not let it snag in the chipped concrete floor before you flung your hand into Minho’s outstretched one while huffing a begrudging sigh.  His grip was cold and assuaging in contrast to your heated and unpleasant grasp from being pressed against the Maze’s floor, you noted in the fleeting moment in which your eyes met once more, only for you to bite back a bark of pain as you attempted to settle a sliver of weight onto your leg.  Had it not been for the Keeper’s firm grasp on you, you would have stumbled right back to the ground and likely been left there had he not shown up in the first place, but he offered a teasing scoff instead and slung your hand that was already in his own gloved one across his shoulders.  You obliged with his actions gratefully, almost gasping in relief as you felt the crushing weight alleviated from your injured leg, and began stumbling alongside Minho as he set a rather swift pace that you struggled to keep up with, considering you were only left with only one good leg.  

“Keep up or we might as well roll out a picnic blanket and wait for the Grievers to come and enjoy the quick meal we’d make for them,”  He managed after you stumbled for the nth time, his breathing clearly heavy, and the signs of strain obvious, but he didn’t so much as falter as he continued practically dragging you in the direction of the East Doors.  You couldn’t help but cast a partially distressed glance in his direction, feeling nothing but sorrow at the unnecessary weight you were forcing him to bear, but you knew that he would only tighten his grip on you if you tried to manage without him, so it was a losing game either way.  You cast a final glance his way, but he seemed to catch notice of your lingering stare in his peripheral vision, not even fully turning his head as his mahogany irises focused on the twisting corner wreathed with thickly woven vines just up ahead.  “What’re you lookin’ at, shank?”

You pushed off the ground with your good leg, springing forward and stumbling a few steps as Minho matched strides with you, huffing your response between focused breaths and sighs,  “Nothing.  Uh –,”  you panted softly, sweat beading on your forehead as you continued to manage single steps in the time Minho made three paced strides.  “ – anything planned for tonight?” 

The two of you rounded the corner and you could practically feel your running partner quaver in relief, his response breathless but audible as the two of you attempted to hurry through the homestretch. 

“A big plate of whatever crap Frypan has cooked and a warm shower to rest my weary bones.”

You were about to scoff a laugh the moment you cleared the Doors, already shouldering him with an eye roll and a witty quip soon to follow, when someone called out to you and Minho.  Both your heads turned in unison, your steady steps pausing as his arm fell to your waist to hold you steady, and a beaming smile instantly made way through your exasperated frown as you caught sight of Chuck ambling straight for you, Newt trotting not far behind.  

“What happened?  You guys were out for like, two hours longer than usual!”  The younger boy exclaimed as he approached, finally taking in the sight of you leaning against Minho and his arm around your form before he gagged and darted away.  “Get a room!”

You choked a surprised laugh at the suddenness of Chuck’s joke, watching his retreating figure stick out his tongue at Minho’s irritated expression, which made him look as though he was about to go after him had it not been for Newt’s prompt arrival.  You greeted him with a soft “hey” and the same smile that had been present for the short period of time you had to talk to Chuck, which the blonde seemed to eagerly return, nodding at Minho and taking in the closeness between the two of you.   

“You two had an eventful evening, huh?”  There was no malice in his voice, merely just an amusingly intrigued tone to his words as he gestured to Minho’s gentle hold on your waist, which made you fumble over your words momentarily, rapidly moving to explain the situation as your hands flicked subconsciously along with your rushed train of thought.

“Oh, uh, Minho distracted me whilst I was trying to grab a beetle-blade, and I ended up falling.  Blew my bloody ankle, it seems,”  You gesticulated to the obviously sparse pressure you were putting on your leg with a slightly nervous laugh as Newt cracked into a brighter grin.  

“It was your fault,”  Came Minho’s facetious remark before he cursed under his breath suddenly and knocked your shoulder.  “Since you’re too busy chattin’ up a storm, I’m gonna have to do the maps, aren’t I.” 

It was the second in command’s turn to scoff lightly  and wave a dismissive hand in the Asian’s direction. 

“Consider it an order.” 

“The things I do for you shanks.” 

“Yeah, a bloody hard life you have, shank,”  Newt mused, his smile never once faltering before his eyes finally strayed back to you.  “I’ll get Jack or Clint over, see what they can do in the meanwhile.  Probably just needs to keep off it for a while, take it easy.”  

“Ay, ay,”  He quipped, a lazy, two fingered salute his makeshift form of a farewell, quick to turn on his heel after his fingertips tapped your shoulder in a reassuring manner before he jogged off in the direction of the Map Room, leaving you and Newt to your devices.  

The two of you immediately fell into a bout of comfortable silence as he slowly edged toward you, taking Minho’s place at your side and slipping an arm across your shoulders before looking to you for silent confirmation to begin guiding you to the Medjack hut.  You nodded easily, instantly finding a compromised speed to limp alongside Newt, your own arm settled just under his shoulder blades as you both made your way across the Glade with the sun fully beginning to set behind you.  

“So,”  He began after a moment, doe eyes fixated wholly on you as you carefully navigated through the swishing grass.  Gladers were bustling about the expansive courtyard, some carrying plates loaded with food while Builders wrapped up the day, Gally’s shouting fit heard even from the distance you and Newt were as he ordered the others around.  “You ready for tomorrow?” 

Your head perked up in curiosity, brow furrowing as you called upon even the slightest memory to recall what was supposed to be taking place the next day, finding rather quickly that you wouldn’t be able to.  You offered te blonde a confused look as you continued to keep pace with him as best you could, only stumbling every few feet or so now that you were walking across the even terrain of the grass-laden field.  “What’s going on tomorrow?” 

The second in command chuckled, the sound more akin to the shard of a melody plucked out of a long-since-forgotten song, ancient and rich and beautiful as the golden rays of the dissipating light hit the panes of his face and sent the amber tones to his eyes sparking.  It was truly a peaceful moment, one that you found yourself eager to meld into as you laughed alongside him. 

“Greenie day.  I’m surprised you didn’t remember though, you’re usually more on top of it than I am.” 

You hummed.  It was odd, how something so big followed by the most looked forward to night of the month followed right after slipped your mind, but you figured that in combination to the surge of new Runners and having to train them alongside Minho had proved to be a bigger distraction than you had originally though.  So you shrugged, a content sigh tugging at your lips as you leaned into Newt with a nod.

“‘spose so.  Let’s just hope they aren’t another nutjob like Gally.”

[inklingofinspiration]

Matchups Closed, as of February 3rd

Hey!! Thank you guys for all the support and requests I've gotten in the past few days, I really appreciate everything and all your kind words. Matchups are closed, as I got a surprising amount of requests, though, so if you missed the deadline, don't worry, as they will be opening back up as soon as I get through everyone else's. Can't wait to go through all of these, they've been a blast so far!

[inklingofinspiration]

hello may i have demon slayer match-up

my name is rex, i’m queer and use they/them pronouns and i’m 15. And i would prefer someone not over the age of 19 plz.

have like a caramel colored skin-tone (i feel like saying im black may be easier but 🤷🏽‍♀️) and im 5’3. Rn i have a purple-pink short mullet and i have pretty curly hair, im pretty chubby but i have an hourglass shape (but i have super noticeable hip dips) , i got pretty big fucking tittes (not even in a bragging way, im a fuckin k cup bro😭) and thicc thighs(thicc thighs save lives, sorry i’ll stop). I dress pretty alternative but i cant just choose one subculture tho, i wear a lot of heavy eye makeup. I could say i dress kinda “showy” but thats kinda what only fits me, but also who gives a fuck.

Honestly I don’t really have a type. Tbh most of my relationships have ended pretty badly cause they ether only wanted something sexual from me or I was “too clingy” when i just wanted basic ass affection. But the most I want is someone who is physically affectionate (like kisses, cuddles, and hugs for days) also im ok with pda to an extent like i will hug and like cuddle you but im not gonna make out with your infront of others thats weird af.

Im a libra sun, scropio moon, and gemini rising. This means that im a pretty social person and always wanna hang out with friends and just have fun, but moon in scropio makes my emotions rlly haywire and kinda boosts any sorta negative emotion, which is hard when you have chronic anxiety and major depressive disorder. Which also means i take medication for it, which i forget a lot. And because of these things i have anxiety tics, where it ranges to making noices and twitching a bit to full on hitting myself and saying random shit. But I really like making people laugh, it makes me feel helpful, but im also good at being to mother figure for people. I also like playfully bantering with people, like i love you but will full on roast you and get into fake fist-fights. I am a bit of a violent person at times but I have a punching bag and boxing gloves which help a lot. But I only get that angry when someone uses an insecurity of mine against me or is talking bad about someone i love, cause it you do that im beating your ass. I do have a bit of body insecurities mainly about my hip-dips and stomach. But because im curvy i get hit on by adults a lot and its creepy as fuck.

My hobbies include art (painting, drawing), sleeping (because i stay up mad late😭✌🏽), reading comics, Marvel and D.C superheroes, and super villains, cartoons, and anime/manga.

My favorite music genre’s are rock, alternative, emo, rap, and a little bit if indie music.

Personality: funny, sarcastic, creative, kind, inappropriate and the right times. Like im not gonna pull out a dick joke in front of your family

I don’t really have a type and im queer so i dont have a gender preference, but anyone who’s love language is physical affection cause im a clingy bitch

I have a couple ideal dates. So the first one is like an indoor picnic and a movie, an arcade date, and a stargazing date where you get take out or fast food and drive up a hill to see the stars and you like cuddle n shit.

A/N: I've been wanting to do a KNY matchup, so let's do this. But first, can I just say that you sound like such a stunning person?? (You cannot tell me that you're not, I know I'm right) Your hair must be fucking incredible, I absolutely love mullets, and don't even get me started on how nice and fun of a person you seem to be [/pos]. Your request was a blast to read through, so I was pretty hyped for this matchup and knew off the bat who you would pair well with.

*・⬪・──────・⬪・*・⬪・──────・⬪・*

I'd ship you with. . .

Inosukue! Honestly, it would be so funny watching the two of you interact at first; when you guys first meet (if I'm reading you correctly), he would be challenging you to some random ass competition off the bat, it doesn't matter where the two of you are. After seeing you kick ass (you can't tell me you wouldn't) during a fight with a few high-level demons, he'd take it as an indirect challenge and there would be no getting out of it. He would probably want to actually fight you, but you'd probably have him on the ground in, like, a minute, so all that would do is make him even more fixated on beating you in something.

For the next few weeks, he will turn everything into a competition, whether it's who can eat their dinner the fastest, who does the best in training (assuming you're not a hashira), etc. You humour him for a bit, maybe even the first two weeks, but after a while, it just gets tiring and even Inosuke needs a break at some point. He'd probably end up stumbling across you painting//drawing after a long day of training at the Butterfly Estate, and would just kinda watch you for a minute. While it’s truly out of character for him to be stunned into silence, just watching you so at peace and makes him wonder how you’re able to switch between your social and robust self to. . . something like the quiet, tranquil ambiance you had about you then.

But once he snaps out of it, he'd march over to you and ask what you were doing, that kind of thing. When you explain that you're just drawing//painting, all your free will of drawing what you want to is over, you get no more of that. He is forcing you to draw him, no matter how much you protest, and after you're done, he's parading around and bragging to EVERYONE that you drew him. To be honest, he wouldn't stop talking about it for the next few days, and if he ever needs a boost in an argument with someone (Zenitsu), he's bringing it up.

"You can't just take my food!" Zenitsu cried, clearly agitated and distraught over the fact that Inosuke had taken over half his meal after he had polished everything else off. Tanjirou had gone off to give Nezuko some food, which had left you in charge of watching over the two to make sure they didn't wreck some ancient hashira heirloom that was left lying around, but not even five minutes after and they were already looking like they were about to start swinging at each other. Inosuke, who barely even looked up from the stolen food before continuing his fervent attempts to eat everything in sight, grunted a low chuckle, clearly only encouraged by the lightning-wielder.

"Why not? You left it sitting there, so I called it," He responded between vigorous bites, the entire scenario only making you watch in flickering bemusement, torn between whether you should intervene or let it continue on. Entertainment while you ate was never something you could complain about, and this was certainly better than any play you could go see; besides, nature had to work it's course somehow, right?

"Rex-chaaannn," Zenitsu whined, his voice instantly gaining a more sugary sweet tone, rather than the course, unchecked one he had used on the boar head just a few moments ago. "Tell Inosuke to give me back my food."

You bit your lip in an attempt to hold back laughter when the accused slayer shouted something from across the table, "Shut up, Monitsu!"

The clearly incorrect pronunciation of his name sent Zenitsu into a fit, shouting practically unintelligible things from how fast he was talking, looking as though he were about ready to jump across the table to try and fight him when you burst into laughter, unable to contain it any longer. Inosuke spared you a brief glance, but the somewhat proud smirk that took residence upon his features as he continued to eat wasn't something that you exactly missed but chose not to point it out.

"I don't think there's much for you to eat now anyways," You finally commented after recovering from your fit of laughter, heaving an amused sigh when Zenitsu let out a noise of dismay.

"You can't keep taking my food, you simpleton!"

"Yeah I can, they drew ME, not you, so that's just another reason that I'm better than you!"

It would just be a love hate relationship between you guys; while you have your playful fights (both verbal banter and physical), you'r always there to back the other up in combat and Inosuke appreciate the support in his own, odd little way. For whatever reason, though, he still feels like he has to prove that he's better than you and insists that he just lets you stick around to give you something to do. When really, it's probably just the other way around.

I get the feeling that you'd probably throw your arm around his shoulders after a successful fight and boast about how you two did more work than Tanjirou and Zenitsu (playfully, obviously). Whenever you do that, it fills him with so much pride and for a second it doesn't register in his head for the first time, like?? 'They're not challenging ME? The hell's this about?' before realizing what you're saying and it only makes him more egotistical. He'd put up a weak front and say something like "Lord Inosuke did most of the work, Krex!" (the incorrect name </3) but wouldn't say much against you aside from that.

When you guys start dating and he gets introduced to physical affection, he gets so confused by what the hell it all means, but secretly enjoys your hugs nevertheless. After the two of you confessed, he would definitely brag about it and hold it over everyone's heads, like he did with the drawing, and it's just beyond humorous at that point.

Inosuke would 100% finally get your name right, and whenever anyone complains that he gets yours and not theirs, his knee-jerk reaction is always to respond with; "Yeah, 'cause they're important". Would cause endless conflict among people, but it's worth it seeing him be so stupid, insulting and caring all at the same time.

He carries you around a lot, especially enjoys giving you piggyback rides or parading around the Butterfly Estate with you hefted up on his shoulders, announcing to everyone that the two of you are "coming through". He will probably show you off a lot, because he just finds you to be such a great person and wants everyone to know that you exist and will be sure that no one cuts you off when you speak!!

He teaches you his breathing technique, change my mind.

As far as your ideal dates go, you're probably the only person who would be able to get him to sit still long enough for that kind of thing, let alone ENJOY it, but he's willing to do whatever makes you happy. (Don't be discouraged by however begrudgingly he may act when following after you to go to them, he's hyped to get to spend time with you) While he has his different ideas of fun, you always manage to persuade him to do that kind of stuff with him, and he'll almost always agree.

*・⬪・──────・⬪・*・⬪・──────・⬪・*

A/N: I hope you enjoyed, this was super fun to write, and I definitely laughed quite a bit when writing it! I'm so sorry if this took a long time, I have six weeks exams, so I was busy studying, but I should be getting to these super soon. Thank you guys all for the requests, matchups are now closed, but will be reopened as soon as I clear out all the ones waiting to be done.

[inklingofinspiration]

Hi! Are your matchups still open?

Thank you for asking! They are, but I got a surprising influx of requests, so I'll probably only keep them open for a few more days! Feel free to request a matchup until February 2nd, and if you miss the chance, don't worry, because I plan on opening them back up as soon as I finish all the other requests!!

[inklingofinspiration]

hi!! could i get a kny, mha, or aot matchup? <3

About me:

Pronouns: he/him and they/them.

Sexuality: bisexual but I have a strong preference for men.

Appearance: I have green and brown eyes - they go from green on the outside to brown in the inside. My hair is brown and short, it’s an undercut like Levi’s. I’m also short - about 5’2”, which kinda sucks because people tend to make fun of me for it and try to make me feel bad but I like it and am fine with it. as far as my style goes it’s non existent. since i transed my gender all i wear is baggy stuff. if i could wear whatever though it would be more of a grunge style for sure.

Personality: I tend to come across as distant and sometimes even as mean at first, but once you get to know me I can am nice and slightly chaotic. I’m definitely more introverted but when I’m with the right people I can become extroverted. I tend to get angry quickly but I can control it very well. I’m very insecure inside and try to cover it up with fake confidence. It takes a while for me to fully open up to people, I have major trust issues because I’m used to people hurting me (like friends and stuff). I push people away and am in fact super lonely. I am good at reading emotion and understanding other’s feelings but when it comes to expression my own or trying to comfort people it’s like I can never say the right thing. In my head I know exactly what to do/say but I am unable to actually do/say it. I can always tell when people are lying or trying to manipulate me. I also have adhd but it’s mainly the inattentive part.

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor

Likes: sleeping with stuffed animals, summer, swimming in lakes, skateboarding (not tricks, just cruising around), reading fantasy manga, and daydreaming about being in said manga worlds.

Dislikes: authority figures, people touching my stuff, when people disagree with an opinion I feel strongly about, winter, sushi, and basic people (like the mean ones yk).

Love language: It’s touch but I’m picky about it. If it’s people I care about I love it but random people/not super close friends I hate touch. Also words of affirmation!

thank you! hope you have a good day/night!

Sure thing! Thank you for asking, and I hope that you're slowly able to build your confidence up and you find people that you can trust. I'm always here if you need to talk! *・⬪・──────・⬪・*・⬪・──────・⬪・* A/N: I'm also just going to assume you're looking for a romantic matchup, feel free to ask for another matchup if you aren't satisfied. I also just went ahead and randomly picked a fandom and got MHA, hope you don't mind!! (Also you sound like such a cool person, omg/g) I'd pair you with. . .

Kaminari! This was definitely an interesting matchup, I had to sit and think awhile as to who would go well with you, because there were so many options, but in the end, I think this was probably the most fitting. After taking into account your hobbies and overall personality, it was so painfully obvious and I felt stupid for not realizing sooner.

The first thing he'd notice about you is definitely your haircut and style in clothing [/pos] and would be all over it. He would be quick to approach you and compliment it and it would rapidly turn into him just outright flirting with you from there. Since you're introverted, Kaminari would take it upon himself to make friends with you and get you to get out more soon after that.

Would definitely make it his goal to eat lunch with you everyday and during that time, you'd slowly warm up to him. When you tell him you like skateboarding, you never get rid of him after that. After school or on the weekends, he would demand that the two of you go to the nearby skatepark together and you cannot tell me he wouldn't do everything in his power to pull off stupid tricks to try and impress you.

And once you warm up to him, it's like he's ascended. He's so hyped and excited that he's making progress and would definitely be encouraged to interact with you even more after that. He takes into account the fact that you like words of affirmation and runs with it; he'll shout compliments to you across the hallway, finger-gun you and playfully flirt and take any chance to boost your confidence at any chance he can get.

He would definitely take you to meet the Bakusquad as well, and would just be through the roof if you got along well with them. That would also probably be where he starts to realize he actually likes you and everything just becomes amusingly complex from there; he would be offering to take you out to lunch every other day, calling you "chivalrous" nicknames and he would definitely try researching proper etiquette from, like, the 1950's and end up doing everything wrong.

Kaminari would eventually just ask you, as casually as he can possibly muster, what your ideal date would be and immediately begin planning to take you on it as soon as possible afterwards and would plan to confess there. He would be so hyped, honestly. Thoughts of how cool you are and just how neat you'd be to have a relationship with would be all he would think about for the next week, and he would scribble sickening love poems into the sides of tests and quizzes that he didn't study for. (Aizawa would give him a point or two of extra credit for how atrocious they are as a silent plead for him to stop)

Denki would start to thoroughly admire everything about you and would just be stumped at how you don't have soaring levels of confidence. He would view you as an observant, intelligent and overall just great person to hang around -- that feeling in his chest that he got when you finally warmed up to him would live RENT FREE in his head, no questions asked. He could easily label it as one of his greatest achievements.

After he finally confesses and you guys start dating, he'd always have your back and be there to cheer you up whenever you need it. He's definitely going to do everything in his power to show you that you finally have someone in your life that you can trust wholeheartedly and would never have to question if he truly means everything he says or not. He would be absolutely enthused by the idea of being able to support someone in the way he would you; if you ever begin to question yourself or are just having a bad day with your confidence and whatnot, he would be right there and catch on faster than you could blink.

All in all, it would just be such a good relationship, would rate it a 100/10 at any given moment, I can't stop thinking about how well your guys' dynamic would work.

*・⬪・──────・⬪・*・⬪・──────・⬪・*

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! If you'd like me to redo this, please let me know and I'll be more than happy to do so! Have a nice day, and remember that you're a wonderful person who will go so far in life. I know life and the people around may seem super shitty and just untrustworthy, but you'll find that special someone, I promise.

[inklingofinspiration]

Gentle Caresses and Summer Laced Sighs

Took an unexpected beak after some stuff came up. I will be getting to requests later on, hopefully I'll be getting back into writing sooner or later this week. Thank you guys for all the support, it means a lot!!

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Word count: 2.4k, on the dot.

Pronouns used: Gender-neutral.

Warnings: General KNY tws; blood, mentions of injuries, etc.

Prompt(s) used: #8 from Protective//Comfort + 15 from Fluff.

Pairing: Zenitsu x GN!Reader

A/N: I just got into KNY this week and instantly fell in love with Zenitsu, so I decided to type something up for him. Keep note; you two have an established relationship, you're the hashira of ice, and have significantly heightened eyesight. Also, please bear with me if I make up places at the Butterfly Estate; obviously, it's not going to be anything unreasonable or intentional, I'm just going with the flow. As usual, prompts will be in bold.

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The low hum of an awakening symphony of songbirds had just begun to greet the rapidly coming dawn when you finally reached the Butterfly Estate.

The sun rose on the horizon, washing the sky in elegant gold hues and gently batting the pearly spindles of moonlight away as orchid-lavender set the otherwise dark and lapis-coloured sky alight, a blissful breeze murmuring delicately across the panes of your face. The dew-murmured chills that leapt down your spine were more than welcome, instantly cooling your heated and bloodied body as you kept pace with Giyuu, the two of you walking side by side through the expansive courtyards just as everyone was awakening for one task or another. The comfortable silence that the two of you shared was akin to an aubade, delicately sending your thoughts drifting back to your latest successful mission. You and the water hashira had been directed to take down a horde of high-level demons, which had taken around two nights of gathering information and learning as much about them within that short period of time and taking them down in the third before the two of you had unanimously decided to rest for around half a day before travelling back home.

Not that it had been anything too difficult, but you had gotten quite a few nicks and cuts over your body and your kimono would have to be scrubbed thoroughly to rid it of the demon blood, which mingled with your own, that stained the fabric. But after having travelled nearly all afternoon and night the day before, you were pleasantly exhausted and famished; that and you were missing a certain someone, who you were sure would be notified of your presence and sprint through the compound to greet you at any given moment. Giyuu, the endearingly quiescent close friend of yours that you had met years back when you had first become a hashira, seemed to take note of your surely chimeral gaze that flicked along the groups slowly treading about, your fatigue-laced thoughts practically worn on your sleeves – or so it seemed – and merely gave you a curt nod and subtle wave before slowly veering away from you and heading toward one of the various doors of the estate. You assumed he had probably gone to change and likely take a shower, something you had been longing for since you had packed up camp to head back home, and were planning on doing so yourself as soon as you got the chance to greet Zenitsu and possibly grab a piece of bread to temporarily satiate your growing hunger.

Your e/c coloured eyes flicked carefully along more and more troves of people but found that you still had yet to find your excitable lover, even as you hesitantly threw a final glance over your shoulder before padding across the way and locating the door that led into a nearby corridor. Your surroundings were instantly familiar, the relief of finally being home fully washing over you and glimmering in a clinquant manner in the back of your head as you heaved a tired, but nevertheless happy, sigh in response to finally being back. After pausing for a few moments longer, hand still remaining on the doorknob long after the door had closed behind you as you slipped inside the spacious mansion as though you expected the male to suddenly appear out of thin air, you reluctantly released it from your grip and began making your way to your room, concluding that it would be best to change and all before seeing Zenitsu anyway.

He probably had training that Tanjirou had dragged him along to anyway, so you didn’t want to have to wait up for that long and make even more of a mess for the cleaners to have to attend to –

Just as the thought graced your mind for a considerably brief, ephemeral period, the sound of pitched shouts and multiple pairs of shoes sprinting down the hallway ahead of you brought your tired gaze up to instantly be greeted with a sight that you didn’t even have to process for it to make you crack a smile. Zenitsu was charging down the hall, a bright grin on his face as he frantically waved to you and called out your name, dragging out the title of endearment despite already having your attention, followed by a seemingly out-of-breath Tanjirou and energized Inosuke.

“N/N-chaaaann!! You’re back! You could have said you were on your way, I would have skipped training to make sure I saved you all the warm water and made you breakfast!” He shouted, finishing when he had run down half of the corridor. Your smile merely grew wider at his words, grateful for his caring demeanour that others may have found overwhelming, but you found as something you were particularly fond of and appreciated, especially in moments like that.

However, just as you were about to thank him for his offer, you felt Zenitsu slam right into you, quickly followed by Inosuke and Tanjirou, knocking you clean off your feet and slamming back first onto the wooden floor. You laid in a momentary daze, more than aware of the tense silence that was synonymous with a calm before a storm, a low ringing filling your ears as you slowly wrapped your head around the rough impact you had just taken. You felt the weight of the yellow-haired male atop your frame, unable to flick your eyes down to look at him then but planned on attempting to sit up and let loose a string of bitter curses before you were interrupted once more.

The passage that had been deathly quiet barely seconds ago suddenly erupted into a cacophony of noises, the sound of Zenitsu’s babble of apologies and surprisingly aggressive comments directed at Tanjirou and Inosuke overwhelming the boarhead’s laughter and the maroon-eyed male’s rapidly firing apologies as well. You sucked in a breath, a soft laugh slowly escaping your parted lips as you finally managed to wriggle away from the three bodies weighing down on you, a hand slowly coming to touch the back of your head gingerly, only to find that a small bump was already forming, much to your dismay. But a minor headache was the least of your worries as you felt someone suddenly seize your other hand and looked back to see Zenitsu sobbing pitifully near your hastily folded legs, even more nonsense being voiced through his shaky voice.

“N/N-chan, I’m so sorry! Please don’t hate me, I promise I didn’t mean to run into you. Are you ok? Do you want me to–”

Not particularly willing to deal with a full-blown breakdown from him, you gently reached out for the blonde’s other hand, slowly looking to Tanjirou and nodding to him in a silent dismissal, which he instantly registered before dragging his still cackling friend away to leave the two of you be. As you initiated contact with him, Zenitsu sniffled, lifting his head and looking slightly taken aback as he was met with the sight of your reassuring smile and your other hand slowly reaching up to wipe away his stray tears.

“It’s alright, I promise,” You assuaged, hoping that your kind, even words would calm him down as you continued, “I’d never hate you, especially not for some dumb mistake like that, remember? “

The slayer slowly nodded, leaning into your touch and seeming to revel in it as his eyes fluttered shut momentarily before his bright-glassy orange irises met yours once more, another smile tugging at your lips as you idly ran your thumb along his cheek before patting the side of his face.

“Now, I think I’d like to get changed before I run the risk of getting trampled or run over, and I’m pretty sure you have training to be getting to before Tanjirou keeps you after and lectures you. I’ll probably finish with everything I need to do around the same time as you, though, so maybe we could eat lunch together.”

At the sound of your offer, Zenitsu immediately let out what sounded to be a wail of agony at first, but you soon recognized it as a sound of delight as his arms swiftly wrapped around your leg, his face coming to nuzzle against the shin of your outstretched leg, his ensnarement fashioned from his arms preventing you from standing. It’s not like you had the heart to shove him off or scold him for clinging to you, however, you merely allowed him his moment of glee, finding that things typically worked seamlessly if you let him express himself rather than forcing him to act a certain way. So, you merely sat back, laughter presenting itself as a smile as you kept your gaze fixated lightly on him, your hand slowly coming up to ruffle his hair as he spoke, “You’re so nice, N/N-chan, marry me!”

At that, you allowed a brief chuckle to escape your lips, slowly pulling your leg away in a certain manoeuvre as to not make it seem like you didn’t want him touching you, rather as a silent reminder that you both still had things that needed to be done. Zenitsu instantly followed, unbothered that you had pulled away – however much you hadn’t wanted to –, standing beside you and waiting patiently as you dusted off your already bloodied kimono before he hugged you, arms tightly wrapping around your frame, which you almost immediately reciprocated. After a few beats, you pulled away, pressing a kiss to the top of his head and ruffling his hair once more. You didn’t miss a beat, beginning to trot off down the hallway, throwing an enthused wave over your shoulder and shooting an accompanying grin your boyfriend’s way as he yelled a prolonged farewell after you, seemingly energized by your multiple signs of affection. Your laughter was a gracious huff of air as you finally reached the door leading into your room, shouldering the door open and kicking it shut behind you with nothing more than a second thought.

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With a towel draped over one shoulder, hair hanging damply and sending droplets of water slowly trickling down your neck and along divots and trails on your back parallel to your spine, you loosened a content sigh, relieved to have finally scrubbed yourself clean of the dirt and demon blood that had clung to your body. Cleanliness was one of your top priorities and used the saying “without tidiness, there is no order” so often that it was one of the main things Shinobu used against you when ganging up on both you and Giyuu. You laughed at the thought, finding bemused solace in the playful banter that was typical between you at the insect hashira, ensuring that you made a mental note to pay her a visit sometime after you finished tending to your wounds.

As you rolled up one of the sleeves to your haori and kimono, fabric soft and delicate as it fluttered lightly between your fingers, you clenched your jaw slightly at the sight of a still bleeding wound that you had somehow managed to miss when you were taking a bath. The scarlet fluid glimmered dully in the late morning sunlight that had somehow made its way through your drawn, sun-bleached curtains, seemingly chimerical golden strands plaiting themselves with incandescent vermillion. You narrowed your eyes slightly at the wound, contemplating whether a trip to the healers would really be necessary when the door burst open and you nearly leapt out of your skin.

Zenitsu bound into your room, somehow managing to close the door behind him in his rushed flurry of movements, your name already being drawn past his lips as he practically danced in circles around where you sat, “N/N-chan!--”

He paused, a frown overcoming his features as he fell silent, orange irises flicking to the exposed gash along your forearm before he looked up to you. You could sense his outburst before it even happened, jumping in to save you both the trouble and slowly dragging the topic away from the unspoken concern, hastily rolling your sleeve back down all the while.

“I thought Tanjirou dragged you off to training?”

Zenitsu, instantly turning slightly bashful at the sudden question, shot you a hesitant grin, a hand resting on the back of his neck as he spoke.

“Yeah! But I wanted to come see you, so I snuck off while he was busy trying to get Insouke out of a tree.”

At the odd statement that he said so casually, you grew a bit concerned but didn’t press further about the topic, rather stood up from the chair at your desk before reaching out to the male and gently placing your hand on the side of his face before leaning in peck his lips. The slayer froze at it before melting into your touch and leaving you to smile lovingly at him before pulling away and tipping your head carefully as a silent apology.

“I was just about to head out to the healers, though. And if you get caught, then you’re gonna get stuck doing dishes after lunch.”

At the sound of your words and the sight of you slowly making to exit your room, Zenitsu was instantly leaping to the door, his arms waving frantically in a weak attempt to shoo you away from it as he voiced his protests at an almost inhuman speed.

“Don’t go!” He began, his haori becoming nothing more than a smudge of orang-yellow-white as he continued to flap his arms up and down, the sound of fabric churning against air, even from where you stood. “You stay here, rest, and I’ll make some tea!”

You were about to decline politely and insist that you needed to go and see the healers when you heard the heart-wrenching desperation that laced his voice; almost as though he was scared to let you go. So, you heaved a soft sigh, a hand running through your hair carefully before slowly complying, nodding in response to his words and found yourself unable to hold back your smile as you heard him excitedly exclaim.

“But if you get caught, you have to deal with the hashira,” You teased, feeling your smile grow wider as Zenitsu confirmed your statement.

“Ok! Don’t go anywhere, N/N-chan, I’ll be right back!”

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A/N: I'm so sorry if the ending was rushed or if I was ooc for him, it was my first time writing for Zenitsu, so please bear with me. I definitely plan to write more pieces for KNY in the future, however, so I hope to improve. Thank you for reading, I will continue writing matchups tomorrow, this was just sitting in my docs and I decided to get a piece of writing out tonight instead.

[inklingofinspiration]

Matchups

Hey!! To get back into posting here (sorry for the longer than expected hiatus), I thought I could do something fun for you guys and do some matchups! I'll be doing them for KNY [Demon Slayer], Attack on Titan, Genshin Impact, My Hero Academia, Umbrella Academy, Star Wars, and Maze Runner.

Requirements --

When writing your request, there are a few things you need to include; basic physical appearance (pictures are, by no means, required), description of your personality, some of your interests and hobbies, sexuality, pronouns, (please include your sexuality and pronouns) love language, Harry Potter house (fuck jkr, tbh, good fandom, though), etc. You're allowed to include insecurities and flaws as well, I'm absolutely fine with that, the same going for mental illnesses//disorders. [I completely understand if it's something you feel is necessary to add, I personally have high-functioning BPD, ADHD, and depression.] I'm also fine with you including descriptions of struggles with your mental health, what it was//is like for you, this is a safe place where you can freely talk about that kind of thing. Just be sure to avoid detailed descriptions of s*ic!d3, s3lf-h*rm, etc., as it can be triggering to others, and I want everyone to feel welcome, but feel free to include basic talks about it, as it's something I often struggle with as well.

The request can be as detailed or basic as you want, so go crazy and have fun. I want this to be a nice event where everyone can enjoy it, so if you go on a rant in your request, then that's perfectly fine. (I personally find it adorable and endearing, so I really don't mind.)

If you'd like an example, I can easily write one up for you guys and post it, just DM me and I'll be more than happy to end it your way.

As far as how many fandoms you can ask for, I'm not too picky so just ask for what you want and I'll do my best to include all of them. Some basic match up prompts I'll do that you can ask for are enemies//rivals, best friends, lover, friends, and sibling(s). If you have a specific trope in mind, just include it in your request, and I'll do something with that for you as well. You can also ask for 3-4 headcanons for 2 of your matchups or 1 headcanon (will still do 3-4 for you) match up and a mini prompt, so if you want a little something extra, I have come prepared to supply.

For cross fandoms, you're more than welcome to specify specific tropes for specific fandoms, and I'll comply with said request and match you up. Just be sure to clearly state at the start of your request what fandom you're looking to be paired up with so I know what I'm doing.

Extra Notes --

This is also just a way to get to know you guys, so I'm super excited for this and can't wait to see what kind of things I get! For those who don't know, you can request your matchup in my ask box, and you're also able to ask anonymously, it really doesn't matter. I've also been recently informed that there's a character limit on the askbox, though, so if your message exceeds it, feel free to just send it over through DM's and I'll just copy and paste your message into the post.

Have a great day, I look forward to hearing from you all.

- Asterin

[inklingofinspiration]

Semi-Hiatus

hello! I'm sorry for the wait on any and all requests and for not having posted much recently; I'm going to have to take a semi-hiatus until this upcoming Monday for exams. hope you guys understand, I'll hope to have at least one chapter of the maze runner series posted or a request. thank you for your patience and all the support, it means the world!!

[inklingofinspiration]

Hi could I please request a TUA Luther X Reader one shot with prompts fluff#18 and flirty#5

Thank you, Anon, for the first request! I’m more than happy to do so, however, please be warned, I know next to nothing about how to write for Luther, but I’ll try my best! Not sure if you wanted specific pronouns, so I did my best to make it gender-neutral, hope you don’t mind. The prompt will be highlighted or in bold!

___

Word count: 2.4k

Pronouns used: They/them. Gender-neutral.

Prompt(s) used: #18, fluff and #5, flirty.

Pairing: TUA x GN!Reader, all platonic, aside from Luther.

A/N: A few things to note; Y/N/N is your nickname and this takes place when they’re all 15-16ish, but Ben’s not dead.

___

Y/N hadn’t been expecting to stay the night at the Hargreeves mansion, least of huddled in the centre of the living room with all the siblings.

The weather had seemed to take an unexpected turn just as you had been attempting to leave, bright flashes of lightning and baritone growls of thunder cutting your farewells in half. The next thing all of you had known was that sheets of rain were suddenly tearing through the streets of New York, leaving the pedestrians who had been scattered all across the sidewalks and streets to dart to the nearest shelter.

That had been thirty minutes ago when you all still had power.

An unlucky strike of brilliant electricity left the lights flickering and the heater abruptly petering out, cold tendrils that laced the harshly pounding rain slowly intruding the manor. You had been in Ben’s room at the time, hoping that just maybe the weather would let up for a few minutes; just long enough for you to dart down the street and head back home, but your luck only seemed to be depleting when a soft gasp left your lips as the two of you were suddenly met with swimming darkness.

“We should. . . probably go and find the others,” Came your friend’s voice through the now pitch bedroom as soft murmurs slipped under the door from the corridor as all the other siblings ducked out of their rooms. You laughed, nodding in response, the fact that he couldn’t see the gesture slipping your mind momentarily until you hummed in agreement. You hopped off the desk that you had been sitting atop a few minutes prior, managing a few hesitant strides until your knee slammed right into the corner of his bed, a string of curses that could curdle milk leaving your lips as pain immediately jolted away any drowsiness that had begun to drag your alertness down. A soft, bemused laugh was heard from the other side of the room, leaving you to whip your head around to the source and glare playfully at the black-haired male.

“No need to ask if I’m alright, don’t worry,” You teased, the riposte enough to make Ben recover from his enlivened state, feeling his hand come to gently brush against your own in a silent offering.

“I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time for that,” He responded as your hand slipped into his, your fingers slowly coming to intertwine with each other. Ben led the way through his room, the door slowly creaking open as you were met with the sigh of multiple candles bobbing and gliding through the dark air that was now limned with the chilling bite of the rain. The voices of all the other siblings fell pleasantly on your ears, the unpleasant situation seemingly doing nothing to deter the usual banter between Luther, Diego, and Five as they fought to come up with a plan. You ducked away from Ben, offering him a quick squeeze of your hand before the two of you parted ways, coming to stand beside Allison and bump her shoulder playfully. The teenager turned to you in response, the candle she was holding illuminating the soft smile that came to play on her features at the sight of you.

“Hey, Y/N/N,” She greeted, her brown eyes slowly gaining their usual mischievous glint as she caught the quick flick of your eyes towards a certain male. Allison took it in stride, not even missing a beat as she formulated the tease, a singsong voice overtaking her words, “You should talk to him.”

You spared her a glance, rolling your eyes but not able to bite back the slight smile as your thoughts wandered to striking up a conversation with the blonde. While the two of you rarely exchanged anything more than the formal pleasantries when you came over to see Ben and Allison, the two of whom you had met at Griddy’s and instantly hit it off, you found yourself often stealing glances of him as often as you could without it becoming too obvious. But you didn’t like him – at least, not in the way Allison was implying. No, you just found his soft blue irises enrapturing and his terrible attempts at jokes amusing. You were acquaintances, and you just so happened to find him. . . endearing, was all.

Nothing less, and certainly nothing more.

So, with that in mind, you huffed softly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

You didn’t miss the exasperated sidelong glance the female offered you, laughing slightly as her hands made to prop themselves against her hips before remembering the candle she held and kept it steady in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak, clearly planning on teasing you more before Five interrupted.

“Come on, geniuses,” He called, the sarcasm that laced his tone making you laugh once more as Allison scoffed, “We’re all going to the living room. There’s blankets down there.”

Which is how you ended up sitting between Ben and Luther, the fact that you were beside the former surely something that Allison had plotted in the short time it had taken for you all to get settled.

Overhead, the rain continued to pound mercilessly against the roof, occasional shakes that followed jolts of thunder that sent the house trembling slightly keeping everyone on their toes. Despite it all, everyone was relatively silent, too immersed in their individual efforts to keep themselves warm as shivering and shaky sighs filled the space.

You ducked your head, sharply exhaling and watching in disappointment as the air visibly wreathed your h/c tresses in a white mist before twirling away and disappearing once more. Your shoulders shook, despite the blanket that you clung to desperately, hugging it as close to your frame as possible and just barely missing the soft look that Luther, from your right, offered you as a slight tremble wracked your body. Had the shaking come just a moment later, you would have caught it, but it didn’t appear that you were getting anywhere luck-wise at the minute.

Instinctively, as the overwhelmingly low temperature began draining the colour of your face and making you feel as though you were about to pass out, you leaned to the side, not even processing the fact that Ben’s shoulder was in the opposite direction. Beneath your temple, you felt his shoulder tense, e/c irises flicking up as fatigue began to limn each of your slow thoughts. You blinked, eyes now wide as you jerked back, heart swiftly leaping to your throat as any tiredness that had slowly accumulated despite the current situation instantly dissipated as you realized what you’d just done. Luther was staring down at you, the two of you wearing the same shocked expressions as his blue eyes filled with something akin to horror.

By now, all the other siblings had turned to watch as the situation unfolded, a soft snicker even escaping a handful of them before you flinched and jumped to your feet. Blanket now forgotten as it pooled at your ankles, you ducked your head, feeling your heart pound relentlessly in sync with the rain against the roof. You refused to make eye contact with any of them, your eyes fixated on the tips of your shoes before you made to pivot, stumbling slightly. You instantly righted yourself, hastily making your way out of the living room as your mumbled words fell from your lips, whether they were heard by the siblings or not unbeknownst to you as you hurried away,

“I’m, uh– I’m going to get water.”

You allowed your feet to take you as they pleased, your strides brisk and messy in a desperate attempt to put as much distance between you and Luther as possible, trying to calm your racing pulse all the while. The whole situation had been a mess, to say the least, and you paid so little attention to your surroundings that you were thankful that Sir Reginald and Pogo had gone on a business somewhere overnight so that you didn’t have to worry about accidentally running into them and explaining just why you were there. By the time you realized that you were in the kitchen, you had somehow managed to calm the frightened flurry of thoughts, your hand reaching up to tuck rogue hair behind your ear just as a shaky exhale left your lips.

This was fine, nothing happened. You could easily go back and pretend that it had never happened, and they’d take the hint.

Who were you kidding, it was the Umbrella Academy; they were never going to let you live it down. Diego would be teasing you five years into the future for it and you’d have to live with the ever-present embarrassment as the memory was recalled every time Luther so much as breathed in your direction. And gods, Allison, Klaus and Ben would be the worst.

A groan left you at the conclusion, suddenly dreading the thought of returning as you slowly approached the counter, stupidly turning your back to all the entrances into the room as you opened a cabinet. Your hands clasped around a glass, tugging it out of the cabinet and shutting it with a harsh bump of your shoulder and ignoring the clatter that announced its protest all the while as you sidestepped towards the faucet. However, as fate had it, you glanced up and over your shoulder to the kettle laying not too far from the sink and saw someone standing at least ten feet behind you as you jerked around to face them.

Recognizing it as Luther didn’t help the terror that was slowly filling you, a hand coming over your chest in a vain attempt to cover up your slightly shaking palms as a muttered “Jesus.” left your lips. You turned the handle that allowed for cold water to slowly fill your glass, shoulders tensing as Luther spoke.

“Are you. . .okay?�� He began, the hand that wasn’t holding a candle coming to rub the back of his neck as you turned the faucet off, a silent sigh leaving you as you realized you had to make conversation with him after the fool you’d made of yourself mere minutes ago. You opted for a simple head nod.

“Yeah, yeah, fine. I think the cold’s getting to me,” You admitted with a forced laugh. You finally gathered enough courage to turn to face him but didn’t even think about closing the distance between the two, instead leaning your back against the counter as you took a sip of water, hoping it would aid in your hopes to clear your head. You watched as the blonde nodded, the conversation slowly lapsing into a tense silence that made you cringe at how awkward it was.

You cleared your throat, busying yourself with the task of emptying the glass as quickly as possible and ducking your head with your eyes slowly taking in every corner of the kitchen so that you didn’t have to make eye contact with Luther. You set the glass in the sink a moment later with a soft clink, about to offer Number One a nervous grin by way of a farewell when you noticed he’d been staring at you the entire course of the minute and a half the two of you had been standing there, a concerned frown overtaking your expression instead.

“Is there, uh, something on my face?” You mumbled, brows knitting together in a confused manner, the words seeming to throw Luther off as his head instantly jerked away. You noted the crimson that came to dust his cheeks but quickly dismissed it as an effect of the cold as he responded.

“No, no! I was just. . . looking over your shoulder. At the tea kettle,” He announced, offering a stiff smile as though that would convince you of his horribly constructed lie.

You nodded, a small laugh surprising even yourself as you released it, “Oh, right. Looked like you were staring at me.”

Luther didn’t really seem to process his words at all, the line simply falling from his lips as it was the first thing that came to mind, the answer coming far too rapidly to be natural.

“I can’t help it,” He admitted breathlessly, the volume of his voice so quiet that you could barely make out his words, “You’re stunning.”

All conscious efforts of keeping your expression reigned into a polite, neutral emotion snapped. A surprised frown overcame all else, taken aback by his words as the male instantly grew horrified with himself, butterflies erupting in your stomach and the feather-light wings of pleasant anxiety making you feel as though you were floating. ‘He thinks I’m. . . stunning?’ Your mind slowly whispered, a stupid grin slowly overtaking your features as you replayed his words in your mind over and over.

“I should go,” He muttered, swiftly making his way to the nearest exit before you leapt up from the spot you had been leaning against, desperate to stop him.

“Wait!”

Luther’s head turned over his shoulder, his posture clearly tense as you jogged over to him, pausing as you grew only to be a few feet away from him. Now that you had managed to get him to stop, you weren’t entirely sure what to say, suddenly becoming overwhelmingly aware of that as you stuttered out an addition to your statement,

“You think I’m. . . [preferred compliment]?” (Ex; pretty, handsome, attractive, etc.)

You watched as the teenager’s head slowly ducked, clearing his throat awkwardly before slowly nodding. Instantly, euphoria enveloped you, allowing for an airy laugh to escape you, slowly taking another step towards him as an unexpected wave of confidence washed over you, reaching for his hand.

“You’re pretty adorable yourself,” (Tweaked the prompt to fit the situation) You stated, colour vividly painting the panes of your s/c (skin colour) skin delicately. As you spoke, tone gentle and quiet, you held Luther’s hand between both of your own, practically able to feel his eyes on you all the while. Suddenly, you felt a hand slip under your chin, fingers hesitantly tilting your head back to meet his clearly nervous blue eyes as your surprised ones found his.

Decisively, you exhaled and stood upon the balls of your feet, closing the space between the two of you as your breaths mingled momentarily. The next thing you knew, your lips were on Luther’s, eyes wide before the fluttered close, grinning into the act of intimacy as you were suddenly met with one thought;

Yes, you liked Luther very much.

Maybe you should listen to Allison more often.

___

I’m so sorry, this feels so rushed and bad, but I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to request in my ask box, I should be posting the start to my TMR x Reader fic sometime soon! Have a lovely Christmas.

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TMR X Reader Fanfic?

Hey! I'm a new account that just joined tumblr and was hoping to post some pieces of writing on here. I'm currently writing a TMR x gn!reader, endgame character yet to be decided, and was wondering if any of you would be interested in reading it if I did post it. Thoughts?

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Prompt List

Angst

“Why would you do that?”

“How am I supposed to trust you after you tried to kill me?”

“I can lose everything, but gods, I can’t lose you.”

“You thought I loved you?”

“You did this to yourself.”

“Don’t touch me!”

“You can’t just come into my life, expect me to willingly give you my trust and respect. . . my *heart* and just let you break it.”

“You can’t say that. You can’t say things like that. We’re not together anymore.”

“Please don’t die. I still have so much more to tell you.”

“Why are you covered in blood?”

“You could have told me! You could have had the decency to at least tell me that you were hurt.”

“Please, just come home.”

“We need a break.”

“Why are doing this?”

“So, you’re against me now?”

“You think I had a choice?”

“I trusted you!”

“When was the last time you slept?”/ “When was the last time you ate?”

“We can talk this through, please, just, . . . come down.”

“We could have been perfect. This just wasn’t the right time, love.”

“I wasn’t ready to say goodbye!”/ “I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

“What do you mean you can’t find them?”

“It’s too late.”

“What are we? I mean, really?”

“This is breaking my heart.”

“They’re not yours to hurt.”

“One more chance, please. That’s all I need.”

“I hate you.”

“Is this a game to you?”

“You can’t keep burying your past. You’re going to have to face it sometime, and no one is going to be able to help you.”

“It’s better this way.”

Comfort//Protective

“Hey, it’s okay.”

“You can talk to me. I’m here for you.”

“Could you– could you come get me?”

“Whatever you need.”

“Don’t touch them.”

“You can stop being strong, everyone has to cry sometime.”

“You should try and get some sleep.”

“You stay here, rest, I’ll make some tea.”

“I’ll never forget you, okay?”

“You’re safe, you’re safe. I’ve got you.”

“No one will hurt you again, I promise.”

“Try breathing with me and then we’ll talk.”

“It was just a dream, you’re awake now. No need to panic.”

“You have two seconds to let them go before I blow your brains out.”

“Would you feel better if I, uh, gave you a hug?”

“Focus on my heartbeat.”

“I can. . . give you a list of the things you make me feel. If it’ll help, of course.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” “It’s okay, you’re okay, everything’s okay. You have nothing to apologize for. Not your fault.”

“Please tell me what’s wrong.”

“I love you.”

“I wish I could take all your pain away.”

Fluff

“You look stunning.”

“Please don’t let me fall.” “You know I’ll always catch you, darling.”

“Stay there.” “Why?” “I got you something and you can’t see it until I finish!”

“I know I’m supposed to be, like, badass and everything, but could you play with my hair?”

“Come take a nap with me.”

“Work can wait. How about we grab some lunch?”

“Let’s go outside!” “It’s raining.” “I know! Let’s go!”

“You’re freezing. Do you want my jacket?”

“Can we just stay in bed?”

“Do you know how much I love you?”

“The sun is almost as bright as you are.”

“I missed you so much.”

“You give the best hugs.”

“Your hair’s so soft.”

“Don’t go!”

“You’re always gonna be my favourite.”

“Can I, uh. . . hold your hand?” / “Can I, uh. . . kiss you?”

“You’re unbearably adorable.”

“What are you doing?” “Trying to kiss you.” “You’re going to fall.” “Better give me one quick, then!”

“Just pretend to be my date.”

“Does it feel good?”

“Can’t you take the day off?”

“Here, let me carry it.”

“I made breakfast.”

“I’m so glad you’re back.”

“I couldn’t help it. You were just sitting there.”

Flirty

“You almost look as great as me. Which takes a lot, by the way.”

“You expecting someone?”

“Compliments won’t pay for my drinks.”

“What’s your name?” “Whatever you want to call me.” “How about mine?”

“I can’t help it. You’re stunning.”

“I must be in heaven.”

“Your smile’s especially pretty when you’re lookin’ at me.”

“Y’know, all you’re doing is making me want to kiss you.”

“Are you flirting with me?”

“And I thought I looked good tonight.”

“How are you not dating someone?”

“Gods, I can’t get over you.”

“If you’re looking to buy, I’m on sale.”

“I could teach you. For a price, of course.”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

Enemies to lovers

“Some days, I can’t get you out of my fucking head. Your words are all I can think about, and that– that stupid smirk of yours and your sarcastic comments. And other days, I wonder why the hell I’m even wasting my time.”

“I save your life and I can’t even get a thanks in return? How polite.” “You pushed me into a river.”

“Prove it.”

“Fuck you for leaving me when I needed you. And while you’re at it, fuck you for making me think that you loved me!”

“If you knew just how much you frustrated me, I think you’d want to make out with me and then shove me down a flight of stairs.”

“I could tear you apart if I wanted to, y’know that?”

“No one will believe us when they see us together.” “You know how much I love to shock people.”

“How could I ever love someone like you?” “I dunno, I think I’m pretty great.”

“Why don’t you step aside and let me handle it? You seem a bit. . . distracted.”

“Every night, I have to tell myself that I don’t love you. I have to hold a knife to your throat and act like I’m going to kill you just to keep myself convinced that I haven’t actually fallen for you.”

“Oh, really? Yes, you may be stronger than me, but let’s not forget who has all the power here.”

“It’s hard to remember we’re not trying to kill each other anymore.”

“Bring me to your leader.” “You’re talking to her.”

“Don’t patronize me for something you didn’t have the balls to do in the first place!”

“Do you ever shut up?”

“Make it fast, you’re bleeding all over my new rug.”

“I. . . didn’t know where else to go.”

“What’s the matter? Don’t I look pretty covered in all this blood?”

“I dunno, all I got from that entire thing was that you’re madly in love with me.”

“Mighty impatient today, are we? Not to worry, I can adjust just fine.”