#\\ my tooth ended up putting me out longer than i thought it would

[cinisemperium]

@shootstyled cont. from here ( new post because swapping to beta )

Izuku is rambling, his nervousness obvious but Shoto is unbothered by the stream of words flowing unchecked from his long time friends mouth. If anything, he finds it a little bit adorable. Some things never really change, and it is a comforting thought to know that at his core, Izuku was one of them.

"You are always welcome, no matter what time it is." The sentiment is given with a soft smile, the words quiet and sincere. Although not very social himself, Shoto was always happy to see his friends, even at odd, unannounced hours such as this. Izuku had been away for a while, working overseas for several years and it had been a while since he had seen the other hero's face on something that wasn't a magazine or television screen.

"Thank you. It took a lot of work to get Third Degree to it's current state, although your praise should really be going to everyone inside. It's thanks to them that the building is even functioning." Without everyone who worked under him, Shoto's agency would never have made it off the ground. Even on a day to day basis, his secretaries are the only reason he can even function properly as head of the agency.

"You've been busy, of course, in America? How were your studies?" As he asks the question, he steps aside, inviting Izuku into the building with a sweep of his arm.

[spooky-scary-scarecrow]

"You have beautiful eyes."

(So, I've been skimming Tumblr and haven't found any goddamn Cooper Howard fics that involve how pretty his damn eyes are. Only a handful of people actually mentioned it - babyghoul still has his luscious eyelashes. So since nobody has written a fic of it, I put it in my hands >:] Enjoy!)

Warnings: Mild nudity, mentions of after-sex, cuddling, complimenting, tooth-rotting fluff, a teeny of lore-building in the first few paragraphs

It was a quiet evening, the both of you laying on an old mattress you had found that was surprisingly intact enough to not have a spring digging into your back. The night was elongated from the actions that happened merely moments ago, labored breath between the both of you still filling your ears.

Turning to face Cooper, your eyes roamed his scarred body. A lean frame with muscle, not too much yet not too little. Just enough to show off how strong he can be. You both met only months ago. It was supposed to be just him killing a bounty for you and you'd pay him in caps and viles. Though after the next few bounties, you grew on him and decided to tag along with his journeys. It was like the longer you were both exposed to each other, the more you fell. Ending up in this situation many times before. Quick, easy, just to relieve stress.

Until now. You took the time to observe him. Observe his scars and muscles and callouses as he laid on his back, arms behind his head as his eyes were closed for the moment. You let your gaze drift up to his face - the normally hardened expression softening.

"I can feel you starin'," he spoke after a moment, making your cheeks flush red as you look away.

"Sorry, I just never seen you so... relaxed," you mumbled sheepishly with a chuckle.

A soft hum left him, his arm wrapping around your shoulder and pulling you in without warning. This was rare, the physical touch. Affectionate. Slowly, you rest your head on his chest, hearing the faint beat of his rotten heart and the rasp of his lungs as he breathed.

A moment passed before you looked back up at him, capturing his gaze with your own. Suddenly, you noticed something you never noticed.

His eyes. You never studied them because of how much movement he made - or there just wasn't any time. You would have thought that his lashes would have been gone along with his other body hair but no. They were still there. Rather thick and long. Framing the hazel orbs of his. Making them stand out.

They seemed almost a rich, deep gold and green at the moment because of the lighting - only the dim flame of the oil lamp on the ground beside the mattress lighting the area.

They were beautiful.

"I never noticed your eyes," you blurted, your gaze lingering on his. You could just see the shift of emotion in them - they were so expressive. More expressive than you expected. It showed he was still a man - still human - even if he did turn into the being he is now.

"Is that a compliment, darlin'?" he mused, raising a hairless brow.

You pondered. Maybe it was. Maybe you should say the things about them that were stuffed in the back of your brain.

"Yes," you answered after a beat. "I'd say more about them if I could put it into words."

He was the one to break the eye-contact, leaning his head back. You didn't speak again, afraid you might have hit a soft spot in the man. But you could see the corners of his lips twitch, his roughened fingertips tracing imaginary shapes on your bicep as he gazed up at the ceiling, through the holes in the roof.

"I never paid attention," you continued with little hesitancy. "Of your eyes, I mean. I always thought all Ghouls had fully black eyes."

A grunt in response. You can take that. The silence fell between the both of you once more. With a heavy exhale, he pulled you closer until your body pressed firmly into his side. A subtle gesture. A silent thank you.

Maybe you should pay attention to him more often.

Thank you for reading! Give me a message if you want to request any prompts for our cowboy ghoul here :D

[nothing0fnothing]

Most parents decide they're going to use their child's innate naivety and trusting nature to instill a sense of wonder. Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, mermaids are real, Disneyland. All that.

My parents used it to create an invisible panopticon that only existed in my mind so they could easily deny its existence if I reported it to anybody.

Basically, was told at a very young age, that there were tiny hidden cameras I couldn't see everywhere in my home, and in my clothes, and in my school. They gave my stepdad 24/7 round the clock acsess to view me whenever he wanted to. He said these cameras could not only record my face, voice and actions, but that they had special technology that could read and translate my very thoughts.

I was at the "mermaids and unicorns are real" age, so not only did all of this seem totally plausible, it terrified me. I was changing under the covers of my bed, worried he could see me on the toilet or in the shower, and worst of all I started monitoring and censoring my own thoughts, convinced he could hear every one of them.

My mum noticed I had started taking longer to get dressed and ready than I used to, and asked why I was wasting time trying to get dressed in bed. When I told her about the cameras she tried to convince me they weren't there, and even did a sweep of my room to prove it to me, but I didn't believe her. I thought my step dad had so much power he could even hide these mind reading micro cameras from other adults. She just kind of brushed it off, assuming this was some silly thing I'd be over in a week.

I wasn't.

He kept reminding me of them, so I continued to be scared of them.

The second time my mother heard of these invisible cameras were when another parent, concerned, told her about it.

See I'd been playing at her daughters house, and I was asking her to call my step dad to ask permission for every minor thing I did.

"Can you call my dad and ask if I'm allowed to play in the garden?" "Can you call my dad and ask if I'm allowed to watch TV?" "Can you call my dad and ask if I'm allowed ketchup on my chips?"

She would assure me she'd asked my mum and my mum said it was fine, but I was adamant it be my step father she call. Eventually, she asked me why I was so concerned about his permission to do these things I'd been doing fine every other time I'd been at her house.

"Because he's the one with the cameras."

I said it so naturally. Like every family had a parent who had the cameras and another who was under surveillance by them. I was worried that if I conveyed the frozen still fear I felt over these hidden cameras, it would seem that I had something to hide.

"There's no cameras in our house so you don't have to worry about it." She tried to convince me.

"Oh no, they're in my clothes" I said. "They're so tiny they could be in a zip or a button or on my shoe laces and nobody would know."

She was, understandably, freaked out by this.

I'm not sure if she beleived my step dad had just sent me bugged into her home like a pervert or something, but I think when I started talking about how it can hear my thoughts like a regular camera can record voices, she realised that this was something else.

My mum pretended that I'd made it up and was lying for attention, even though she knew I wasn't. She knew that her husband had been terrorising me with these fake omnipotent cameras for weeks to the point I was losing sleep and dreaming about them. It was just easier for her to paint me as some kind of freakishly and manipulative child. It was really messed up, this woman's daughter was my only friend, I'd be friendless and alone if she decided she didn't want her daughter learning this behaviour from me.

The last time it was brought up to her was by my aunt. I'd had a bonding day out with her that ended in me crying on her couch after dinner. I vented about the cameras and how much pressure they were putting on me. I said I felt scared to be out with anyone, because if my daddy was watching and he heard their thoughts and he didn't like them, he could stop them from ever seeing me again. I knew she didn't like him, and he didn't like her. All he needed was video proof that she thought bad things about him and he'd have the perfect excuse to cut her out of my life. I didn't want that, I loved my aunt dearly.

My mum tried to pull the same "oh she's just making it up for attention" bit, but my aunt knew my step dad, and she knew he was exactly crazy and twisted enough to torture me like that. She believed me over my mother, and after that I never heard about the cameras again.

Over the weeks I wasn't threatened with them, I slowly started to think about them less and less. And by the time I stopped thinking about them entirely, I'd stopped believing in tooth fairies and unicorns and high tech invisible cameras that could hear my thoughts.

I never forgot about them though.

[sabbathbloodysabbeth]

Eddie skims the books on the shelf in front of him, there was no use in trying to find one he was actually interested in. He was just going to end up forgetting about it and picking up one of the lord of the rings books again. Instead he just lets himself wander through his thoughts. Letting his body go in autopilot as his fingers gently brush the spines of dozens of books.

He should be in gym class, but he isn’t. The consequences of skipping were far better than those of actually showing up. The last time he went (over a month ago now) he ended up walking out with a chipped tooth and black eye. And he can’t forget about the bruised ego.

Walking at the end of one aisle, he carefully turns and moves himself into the next. Preparing to loop through said aisle again but nearly jumping out of his skin when he nearly falls over another person. A person who was sitting down, back pressed to the shelf he was walking the corner of.

A croak like noise comes out of the back of his throat as he nearly tumbles face first into carpeting. Stumbling forward a bit and catching balance on the shelf to the left of him. Secretly praying to all that’s holy that he didn’t somehow know the entire shelf over.

“Jesus H Christ.” He spits out, a hand pressed against his chest as he dramatically breathes heavier then normal. Putting on a show for whoever nearly killed him. Turning around to face the culprit he nearly jumps back again startled.

Sitting, pretty pathetically Eddie would say, was a very beat up Steve Harrington. Who looked like a horror book came to life. His eyes, or eye was a bit glossed over and wide as he starts stuttering over his words a bit. Obviously having a moment before Eddie came along and crashed the party.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to trip you up like that.” Steve visibly cringes at his own words, as if he was also aware he seemed pathetic.

“Eh- it’s alright. Not the first time a king has tried taking me out.” He grins, before faltering a bit as he remembers that the other wouldn’t understand his DnD campaign reference.

He begins to walk away, wanting the entire awkward interaction to be over. But he can’t help but be just a bit nosy as his eyes glance down at the book in Steve’s lap. It probably had been open at one point, but it was now closed and Eddie is secretly thankful he can read upside down.

“Head injuries huh?” He points out. “Didn’t take you for a reader King Steve.” He drags the other’s name out a bit longer than he has to as he crosses his arms over his chest and cocking a hip out. He didn’t personally enjoy talking with asshole jocks, but what he did enjoy was knowing some things. He liked having some lore for the people around him.

“I’m not.” Steve snorts as he lifts the book up. “Just trying to do some research, I don’t know if you have eyes or anything but my face is pretty smashed in right now.” He retorts back with a little bit of sass. Eddie notes how his words slur up a bit, like he was drunk. But Eddie could spot a drunk anywhere and Steve Harrington seemed a hundred percent sober.

Furrowing his eyebrows, just a bit concerned he doesn’t let up the banter. Purposely forcing his eye lids open with one hand and jokingly pressing the finger tip against his eye before pulling back. Blinking the tears out of his slightly agitated right eye as he brings two thumbs up and comments, “we are in the clear I, Eddie Munson, let the record show, have eyeballs.” He grins dramatically.

“Want a gold star for that poncho.” Steve snorts, shaking his head a bit obviously amused. His body tensed up a bit as he goes a bit pale for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut with shaky breathes as his fists tighten around the book he was holding.

“Yes I do in fact want a gold star-” Eddie mumbles out gently, face scrunching up a bit more worried now as he moves his crossed arms from off his chest and moves a few steps closer to the other.

“Hey Harrington, you alright? You don’t seem like your typical charming self.” He comments as he hesitates for a moment before he crouches down. Leaving a few inches between the two of them.

Steve gives a weak nod of his head before he adjusting himself. “Yeah- just moves my head too much. Happens sometimes you know?” He chuckles gently.

“Oh thank god, you were looking a little green. Was worried you were about to hulk out on me buddy.” Eddie jokes a little, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Lifting his hand up and running one of his rings against the bottom of his lip before glancing back down at the book.

“Find anything good in there, or are you just holding it for show?” Eddie asks gently, trying to come off a bit more teasing.

Steve snorts again, sounding a bit stressed as he nearly shakes his head no again but stopped ps himself. “No, couldn’t even make it through the first page without wanting to throw up.” He groans as he quickly adds. “Not because I don’t want to read it, it’s just the words won’t sit still and it hurts my eyes which then hurts my head.” He groans as he opens his eyes back up fully and looks down at the book with a little huff.

“Could always get a nerd to do your homework for you,” Eddie jokes, slightly hinting towards Wheeler. “Heard that girlfriend of yours had a decent brain on her, she seems like the type to understand that you’ll need help.” He tilts his head to the side as he looks at the other.

Steve makes a noise that Eddie can’t even place, it sounded like the mixture of a laugh and a snort combined. “Can’t, I’m pretty sure she cheated on me with Byers. Don’t want to feel any more stupid around her.” He mumbles the last sentence out.

Eddie looks a bit surprised, he hadn’t taken Mrs Priss to be a cheater. Though he furrows his eyebrows again in thought. “If you give me a twenty I’ll read that book for you and try answering any questions you have.”

Eddie didn’t want to seem completely like a sweetheart, he had to keep up the image he had going on or else people wouldn’t take him seriously during deals. And he didn’t want to ruin said image to Steve Harrington of all people.

Steve squints his good eye at Eddie suspiciously, “I’ll pay you a hundred if you don’t mention this to anybody else.”

Eddie feels a little bit shitty for doing this but an image had to be kept.

“You’ve got yourself a deal Harrington.” His grin isn’t fully authentic as he takes the book from the other and does a playful salute as he stands up fully and begins to walk away.

[hanfourz]

hi pookies !! ^__^ in honor of halloween (my fav holiday) i just wanna leave here some thoughts bc i'm feeling silly;

sitting on sungho's lap while doing his makeup for your matching halloween costumes, which probably takes way longer than it should bc y'all end up making out <3

holiday baking with riwoo (we all know he has a huge sweet tooth) where y'all lick the icing off each others bodies :3

going trick or treating with myungjae where y'all share the candy (indirect kissing :p), specifically a lollipop (myungjae oral fixation agenda mhm) just to rile him up

taesan fucking you with a ghost face mask on (i just know he's freaky and would do anything you ask him to) 🤞🏻

acting bratty at a halloween party with leehan (brat tamer leehan just makes sense) so he can put you in your place later <3

OKIE enough for today mwahaha have a nice day <3

— 🐈‍⬛

🪼 - CAT ANON WE FAWKING LOVE YOU!!!!! halloween is also my fav holiday and i was so sad i didn't have smth to post for it but we decided to just use these to make a little holiday smut drabble series... we're definitely making smth separate for sungho and taesan... this is so insane

i cannot stop thinking abt ghostface!taesan... i imagine when u first bring it up he's a little apprehensive bc he doesn't get why you want him to do it so bad. but once he sees the way your eyes go wide and you squeeze your thighs together when he walks in the room with the mask on, he starts to get it. he relishes in the way your jaw hangs slack and you can't take your eyes off him. he takes his time teasing you and working you up, when you beg he tilts his head and laughs but doesn't give you what you want. when you try to touch him, he pins your hands down and says nothing but you already know that means you better keep your hands there or you're not cumming. and the fact that he doesn't say a word through the whole thing makes the experience even better. even when he's inside you, fucking you within a inch of your life, he only lets out quiet sounds so you both can hear the lewd sounds you're making around him. (full drabble is in the works as we speak)

AND DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON BRAT!TAMER LEEHAN!!!!! ALSKNFLANFFAL

[memphisnovels]

Evermore

Chapter 19. Mine all mine

Previous chapter

Masterlist

This chapter is a little longer than the others but I promise time flies when you're having fun and I had a bucket load of fun writing this! I hope you enjoy and thank you so much for reading<3

pairing: Pietro Maximoff x OFC

warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, Pietro and Nadia being Pietro and Nadia, defining the relationship (FINALLY)

I cringed as I watched Pietro cram a forkful of eggs and bacon into his mouth before taking a large bite of his toast. “What?” He spoke as he chewed. I grimaced and looked down at my own plate.

“You are truly vile.”

He grinned. “You like it. Besides, I’m a growing boy I need my nutrients.” He gulped down his juice before continuing to scoff his breakfast. He pointed at my plate with his fork. “Are you going to eat that?”

I pulled the plate toward myself, narrowing my eyes at him. “Yes.” Although, my stomach was filled to the brim and another mouthful would surely make me sick. The wounded expression on his face had me rolling my eyes at him, yet I slid the plate across the table nonetheless.  

“Hey, I have a question.” I sighed exasperatedly at his words, but he chose to ignore my antics. “Why do you like the city so much?”

I shrugged, considering his question. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just the first place where I felt really free.” It was nonchalant, the way I spoke to him then. It struck me as a little funny how easily that came from me now when not that long ago the thought of exchanging more than a few necessary words with him had me running for the hills.

He nodded, evidently pondering my words. “That makes sense, I guess I just don’t really have somewhere like that. Sokovia is where my parents died and there was always so much conflict there, then there was Strucker and his compound. When Wanda and I joined the Avengers, we came straight here and I suppose this place is that for me, but I never really saw a lot of the city.”

I swallowed heavily, looking down at my mostly empty plate. “It’s really not that good, it smells strange, and most people hate the light pollution.”

“You don’t have to feel bad for me.” He spoke up, putting an end to my rambling.

“I don’t.”

He smiled at me. “Okay.”

I could feel his eyes on me from my peripheral, but I refused to glance at him, the stubborn pride that lived within me begging me to continue the charade of indifference. Yet Pietro was a worthy opponent, never seeming willing to let me get away with it, completely unfazed by my tricks. Finally, my eyes met his, reluctantly. His smile only grew. “What?”

“Nothing.”

The awareness I had of my heart then annoyed me. “I don’t feel bad for you.”

“You said that.”

That damn smile, constantly lingering, a little cheeky, and always charming. “Good, then you know.” He hummed, leaning back in his seat after clearing both our plates. “I don’t know why you are looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“You know what.”

He shook his head, smile never even faltering. “I don’t think I do, Nadia.”

“Oh, for fucks sake! I don’t like that you don’t have a place, and I don’t like that those things happened to you. Alright, happy now?!”

“You don’t like that what things happened to me?”

“Jesus, do I have to spell it out for you?” He nodded eagerly. “I don’t like that bad things happened to you.”

There was silence between us for a long while then. I looked at my lap, my cheeks burned. My heartbeat filled was ears, thrumming against my sternum. I had to admit, telling him the truth got a little easier each time I did it but that didn’t make it completely painless. “For what it's worth… I don’t like that bad things happened to you either.”

My eyes met his again and just like that, his smile was back. Try as I might to fight it the corners of my mouth tugged upward in kind.

…

His flesh glistened under the low lights as he pulled his shirt over his head, using it to wipe the sweat from his forehead. I swallowed heavily, drinking a little faster from my bottle. Returning to the mat with him, I gestured for him to approach. The corners of his lips were upturned as he looked me up and down, taking a few steps further onto the mat.

“Go on then, Prinţesă, what’s your next move?”

I smiled at him. “Funny I was going to ask you the same question.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “How about you lead for once, Pietro.” His smile turned menacing, and he took another slow step toward me.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

He moved quickly, just the way I’d taught him, striking with precision. I dodged easily, almost laughing in his face at his predictability until he swerved at the last minute and moved the opposite way he had been, dodging my impending attack and grabbing around my waist and taking me to the ground on my back. He took my wrists in each of his hands restraining them above my head with a shit-eating grin wide across his face. I narrowed my eyes at him. “So, you are capable of strategizing?”

Pietro chuckled, low and utterly taunting. “You have an awful lot of attitude for someone who’s on their back.” I shot him a venomous glare.

“Oh, don’t worry it won’t be that way for long.”

My words only seemed to both entertain and entice him as his grin grew in size, revealing his teeth to me. The look faltered for a moment as he glanced down toward my hip. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” One of his hands drifted down my arm to sit beside my hip on the mat, fiddling with the side of my shirt.

I shook my head at him. “I’m fine. Dr. Cho used her weird magic medicine and it’s almost completely healed. She said she doesn’t even think it’s going to scar.” When he still seemed unconvinced, I brought my now freed hand down to lift the side of my shirt and reveal the now only slightly marred flesh. “See all better.” Still, he scanned the place where the wound had been. With some hesitation, I let my hand find his cheek, bringing his face back up so he'd meet my eyes again. “You didn’t hurt me, I promise.”

His nose grazed mine as he leaned forward slightly, his breath dancing across my cheek making my eyes flutter for a moment. My lips upturned just slightly as I leaned upward into him, grazing my lips over his for a split second before locking my legs around him and using my free hand to cross his chest and flip us so he was on his back. Before he could regain the upper hand, I moved my legs to restrain him and held his wrists above his head just like he’d done to me. His look of indignation had me biting back a laugh. “That was completely unfair!”

“How many times have I told you to focus?”

He raised both eyebrows at me, I knew him well enough to know the look he was giving me meant trouble. “Well, that’s a lot to ask of me right now, you know how I feel about you in this position, Prinţesă.” I rolled my eyes at him, leaning down and letting my eyes drop to his lips ever so slowly. He strained his neck to reach me, but I pulled back just a little when he got close. “Really?”

“You’re not getting what you want until you show me you can stay focused.”

“Oh, as if you weren’t just undressing me with your eyes!”

My gaze narrowed at his words, and I scoffed at him. “Are you actually delusional?”

He smirked. “We both know I’m not. You say I don’t know how to focus but when it comes to you, I seem to manage just fine.” He licked his lips, I scolded myself for letting my eyes track the movement. His lips twitched upward, and he bucked me off of him before enveloping me in a blur of blue. “Looks like I’m not the only one struggling to focus on the task at hand.”

“You’re a prick, you know that?”

“You tell me quite often, but I have a sneaky suspicion that you like it. That’s why I best you so often.”

The gasp I let out was equal parts disbelief and indignation. “Now I’m sure of it, you really have lost your mind. In what world do you ever beat me?”

He only smiled at me. “I got you to admit you were obsessed with me.” I opened my mouth to protest, with some choice words however he beat me to it. “In fact, I have a wager for you, call it a friendly competition.”

“Pray tell?”

“I’m not going to kiss you again until you admit that I distract you just as much as you distract me. You admit that I’m not delusional and these lips are all yours.”

A hearty laugh tumbled from me. “You’re challenging me to a test of self-control? You do realize who you’re talking to right?” He grinned down at me. “What do I get when I win?”

“My undying affections?” I raised a single eyebrow at him. “Fine, I’ll admit that you were right.”

“You’re never going to win this.” He shrugged, toothy grin never faltering. I sighed exasperatedly. “Deal.”

His lips were on mine then, it was passionate and had my body melting into a puddle of mush. The way he kissed was hard to describe at the best of times, it was fervent, borderline sacred, and hungry in equal measure. I was left breathless when he pulled back, hovering barely an inch from me. My eyes remained closed. “See I’m already winning, Nadia, look at you, letting me distract you so easily.” My eyes shot open, a glare immediately taking over my expression. My ire only amused him further. He bumped his nose with mine. “I hope you enjoyed that because there won’t be any more for a while, not until you give in, at least.” He held my wrists in one hand, his other moved over my hip. I winced hard, shutting my eyes tightly as I released a cry of agony. He let go of my hip instantly, freeing my hands and sitting up in one swift movement. “Are you okay? What happened?” I flipped up before he could even contemplate what was happening, forcing him onto the mat on his stomach and sitting on his back this time around.

I put a hand by his head, leaning down to look into his beautiful blue eyes, his face squished into the mat. “Remind me who is winning again?” I raised my eyebrow, a grin spreading across my lips.

“You deceitful minx!”

In all honesty, I’d expected Pietro to break before dinnertime, yet surprisingly he had remained steadfast in his endeavor. He’d sat across from me at dinner, sending me cheeky glances from across the table but showing no sign of giving in or even struggling.

This pattern continued for days, four to be specific, and I was becoming antsy. How the hell was he so calm and collected? It’s Pietro for god’s sake, there is no way he could pull this off; was there?

I was becoming less sure as the days passed and my anger was growing insurmountable as I felt the magnetism between us begin to itch.

On the fifth night, I sat beside Natasha at the table, humming around a bite of pizza that was especially cheesy and delicious. I watched Pietro’s jaw tense at the sound, prompting me to do it again. He met my gaze, his eyes narrowed but an unreadable expression sat across his face. Wanda was off somewhere with Vision and Sam was sleeping off his last mission. It was only Steve, Pietro, Natasha, and I at the table now. Cap spoke casually to Pietro about something whilst Nat described the dress, she was planning on wearing for the benefit we were invited to that would take place in a couple of weeks.

“I think the plunging neckline is important, color wise I’m thinking classic black is the only choice and…” I licked my lips slowly using a single finger to wipe over the area before bringing it to my mouth, all whilst looking directly at Pietro. “Are you even listening to me?” Natasha asked. Pietro stood from the table abruptly, going to place his plate on the sink and leaving the room. I smiled to myself.

“Yes of course. Black dress, plunging neckline.” I shoved the rest of my pizza slice in my mouth and smiled at her.

Natasha raised her eyebrows at me. “What are you planning on wearing, Pimenova?”

I shrugged. “Well for starters I wasn’t planning on going.”

“Okay, great so you will in fact be going. I’ll send you a couple of dress ideas tonight and you can always have a better look this weekend.”

Cap cleared his plate before wishing us both goodnights. We returned it and I asked Natasha what she was talking about.

“Oh, you know, this weekend on your date weekend with Pietro.”

My eyes narrowed at her accusatory tone. “First of all, how did you even know about that, second it is not a ‘date’ weekend.”

She smirked at me. “I saw your little list of spots on the table this morning. No need to be so defensive I think it's sweet what you’re doing for him, he will too.”

“I’m not doing anything for him… I just feel like… he doesn’t have a place, Natasha. We always had New York and maybe it won’t be the same for him, but he deserves something. An option at the very least.”

The smug expression on her face shifted then, smoothing into something that held much more weight. Something soft and immensely meaningful. Her lips were upturned as she spoke again. “I think he already has more than you realize.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by that, but I chose not to push, we finished our food in comfortable silence after that.

The soft sound of a Queen song filled my ears as I wandered into the lab with a plate of reheated pizza grasped between my hands. Tony was hunched over the bench with a screwdriver in hand. “You know for someone who said he was going to take some time off you certainly spend a lot of time tinkering around here,” I spoke up, sitting the pizza beside him. He glanced up, raising an eyebrow at me.

“This is me relaxing, kid.”

“How does Pepper feel about that?” He grumbled out an answer, not glancing up at me as he continued to do… whatever it was he was doing. I glanced at the door, considering leaving despite his glum mood, what could I say to him? Would he even want to open up if I asked him to, did I want him to? I’d always maintained a distance between us, never comfortable enough to let too many people get close but as I watched Tony, shoulders tense, ignoring the food, leaving didn’t feel much like an option. So, I sat, facing him on the opposite side of the bench. “Is everything okay?”

“Peachy.”

I swallowed, twiddling my thumbs. “We don’t have to talk but you should probably eat.”

He glanced up at me through his lashes. “What is going on right now? You never want to talk, but now all of a sudden you do.”

“You seem like you could use someone to talk to and I’m trying something new. The easiest way to get me to leave you alone is just to spill, you know I’m not one to give up easily.”

Tony huffed, shaking his head and finally looking up at me. “Pepper wants to talk about things that I don’t. It’s irritating and I just needed some time.” I breathed a laugh at that. “What?”

“It’s just… I know how you feel.”

The corners of his lips upturned so slightly it was almost imperceptible. “Yeah, I guess you probably do.”

“So instead of talking to Pepper about these mysterious things you don’t want to disclose you’re here, hiding out in the lab.”

“Well, when you say it like that it sounds a little pathetic.”

I smiled at him. “More than a little.”

“I don’t think you can exactly talk, Pimenova, you’re not someone I’d describe as being particularly communicative.”

A laugh tumbled from my lips, and I leaned back in my chair; I couldn’t argue there. “Why don’t you want to talk to about whatever it is with her?”

“It’s complicated.”

I glanced around. “Well luckily for you I have nothing but time.”

Tony did nothing to hide his disdain at my words, huffing and puffing like a petulant child. I found it all rather amusing. “I left the comfort of my home to come be around you idiots to avoid talking about it, what makes you think I’m antsy to spill my guts now?”

“Spare me, as if you don’t miss us terribly whenever you leave.” I teased. “And I’m not saying you have to tell me what it is just why it’s you’d rather flee than talk about whatever it is. It’s not as though I’m going to judge you, I wouldn’t exactly have a leg to stand on.”

“You really don’t have a leg to stand on as it is. You don’t answer questions but you’re happy to ask them?”

I closed my eyes for a moment glancing away to survey the room, empty save for the range of strange tech surrounding us. “You wanted to know what Wanda showed me in the shipyard. I didn’t want to talk about it because it was painful, I’m guessing it’s the same for whatever it is that you’re avoiding.” He didn’t look at me. “You’re right though, it isn’t fair for me to expect you to share when I won’t, so consider this my answer. Wanda showed me a medley of some of the worst moments of my life and made me think I was living them all over again. She showed me the Red Room, my first kill then my most painful, and a whole lot of other moments that I’d been trying really hard to forget.”

He met my gaze then. The look he gave me then was not one that was common for him, yet I’d seen it before. That day when we’d first moved to the compound and I’d told him why I didn’t mind light pollution was at the forefront of my mind. Empathy, I supposed.

“Sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry; I’m telling you because I do understand that trust is a two-way street.”

He nodded. There was silence between us for a long while then. He’d put the tool in his hand down and he simply studied the piece of pizza that sat beside him, likely cold by now. “There was someone in my life… a long time ago. Someone who meant the world to me. She died, years ago now and the last thing I said to her… Well, it wasn’t exactly kind.” I remained quiet, listening intently to him. “There are not many days when it's not the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last thing before I go to sleep.” He took a rather large bite from the slice of pizza. I guessed he was referring to his mother, I remembered hearing something about his parents dying years ago after they’d had a fight. Irrespective of what his reasoning was, I knew what it was like to have something you’d done, something you regretted, haunt you. “You know, if you’d been gone much longer, I wouldn’t have made it through here. Pietro nearly sent me insane.”

He was evidently shifting the topic, but I let him. “What do you mean?”

“Kid was practically going out of his mind with worry from the second you left and then you went off comms and obviously we were all concerned but he pretty much had to be restrained from going to Morrocco after you, barely healed leg and all. Honestly, he was insufferable.” I looked at the ground, smiling a little at that information. “It was actually a little sweet also, I guess. Sickening, but almost cute.”

Before I left Tony to finish his tinkering, I glanced back at him from the doorway. “Take it from me, Stark, avoiding talking about something because it’s painful doesn’t actually make it hurt any less.”

…

The rain that had followed us for most of the trip from the compound cleared up as we entered the city.  Pietro hadn’t said a lot since I’d told him, he’d just stared at me in a way that made me exceptionally nervous. Even on the car ride, he’d spoken a few soft words here and there but otherwise he’d been mostly quiet. The second we stowed our luggage away in our adjoined rooms I’d smiled warmly at him and waved the list at him. “Well come on, we’d better get moving I’ve got a lot planned.” The smile he gave me made a tingling feeling dance across my spine.

Our first stop was the bakery near my old apartment, they had the best bagels in the city, the perfect cream cheese to bread ratio. We walked through the crowded streets and basked in the sunshine while we ate the warm delicacy. “I’ll admit it’s a lot better than I’d expected.”

“I told you.” He bumped his shoulder with mine as we walked. I led him toward the huge building having him stand across the street with his back to it. “Okay, now turn around and prepare to be just a little underwhelmed.” His eyes widened as he turned to face the MET in all its glory.

“Jesus, that’s big.”

I walked past him, beginning up the steps. “I know right and look how fucking dirty it is as if those rich girls were sitting on these steps to eat their lunch.” When I realized he wasn’t following, I turned back to see him watching me. “Don’t you want to go in?”

“No, I do, it’s just…” His lips turned upward, and his brows furrowed a little, it was as if his face was melting. The sun made his eyes glitter, making them even more mesmerizing than usual. He shook his head softly before meeting me on the stairs I’d stopped on, looking down at me for a moment. His chest almost grazed mine he was so close. “After you, dragă.” Darling.

“What does that mean?”

He leaned in close to me, his breath fanning over my lips, it had my eyes fluttering. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” With that he was off toward the entrance, leaving me dazed and utterly fed up with his stupid wager. We looked at art for a lot of the day, before taking back to the streets where we got a New York slice and spoke for hours.

“It’s strange because growing up, I didn’t really know who I was, or I guess there really wasn’t a me that existed outside of the Red Room. Being out meant having to become a person just like everyone else. I didn’t even know my favorite color before I got out, I was just a nonentity.”

“What’s your favorite color now?”

I shrugged, looking over at him. We’d stopped in Central Park a little while ago, laying back on the grass to watch as the sun set over the city and casted the streets in a pinkish orange hue. I smiled at how it looked at this time of day, everything the light had touched, transformed by the dwindling sun. “I think it’s this.” When I met his eyes again, they were set firmly on me.

“What is your favorite color, Pietro?”

A cheeky smile crossed his lips. “Blue.”

“Favorite food?”

“Plum dumplings.”

I had to bite my lip to stop the smile from taking over my expression. Rolling my eyes and hoping he couldn’t see the flush that has coated my cheeks. We continued like this, asking silly mostly inconsequential questions to each other, and there, on that patch of grass, there was a rare moment where I was completely at ease. I could feel his eyes on me then as I watched the birds hopping from branch to branch. A tilt of my head revealed him fully to me once more, still gazing at me intently, not even attempting to pretend that he wasn’t, unashamed at being caught. His lips were upturned, not a full smile, merely the suggestion of one. My smile brightened slightly as I stared back at him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He didn’t answer right away, just kept watching me, eyes tracing over the flesh of my cheeks and nose. “No one has ever done something like this for me before.”

I smiled softly at him. “What no one’s ever taken you to a smog-covered, rat-run city to eat a bready doughnut thing with cheese in it?”

He chuckled light-heartedly before becoming earnest once more. “Seriously, Nadia, this means a lot to me.” He kept his voice a little hushed, loud enough only for me to hear as if the words shared in the small space between us were sacred, something that was reserved solely for us.

“Natasha and I used to talk about New York when we were younger, I suppose it was our dream. This intangible place where everything would be okay.” His knuckles grazed my own. I felt a little silly when my heart picked up, I’ve literally killed people how could the slightest touch from him have my pulse fluttering? Holding my breath for a moment I extended my fingers slightly, bumping his. He had touched my hand before, but this felt different. We both turned back toward the sky as I let my hand upturn beside his. A warm weight filled my palm then and I exhaled the breath I’d been holding.

Nonna Maria’s was next on the list, the obvious dinner choice, really the only acceptable choice. There was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach as we passed the threshold of the restaurant. I got take-out here my first night in New York, Natasha and I had spent many days gorging ourselves on the freshly baked bread and delicious pastas and somewhere in all of that I’d found myself becoming strangely attached to this little family-run business. An intangible nervousness took over my as we were seated, perhaps it was just that this place was the first thing that had felt like mine since I left Russia, and now I was sharing it with Pietro. “Nadia, my sweet Nadia!” Maria called as she approached our table. “Please, tell me you’ve come back to the city, my dearest.”

“Just visiting, unfortunately, but I brought you a new person to overfeed.” I teased. Maria tsked and waved her hand at me before turning to Pietro.

She gasped and placed a hand to her heart. “Such a handsome young man, you know I have been praying for this. Praying for my Nadia to find love!”

“Okay, settle down, this is my friend Pietro.” I introduced, intervening before she got any more carried away.

“Oh of course he is.” She gave me a knowing look. “You children with your strange language, I will never understand it. Let me get you some more bread, it fixes everything you know.”

I laughed as she left, sipping on my glass of wine. “Is that what we are, Nadia?” I raised an eyebrow at Pietro’s words. “Friends?” He added, a little smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “It’s just I’m getting the strangest sense of déjà vu.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

He sent me a boyish smile. “Well, friends don’t generally kiss.”

“When was the last time we kissed?” My tone was taunting, challenging him with every syllable. His eyes narrowed slightly, smirk only growing.

“If you want me to kiss you, Nadia, you need only say the magic words.”

The look I gave him was downright devious. “Why’s that? You’re not struggling, are you? Because I’m more than happy to call it a fair game, after you admit I was right of course.”

He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, downing his drink, and leaning forward over the table toward me. His knee brushed against mine. “Oh, I’m doing just fine, Prinţesă.” My eyes darted down for just a moment. “All you have to do is tell me exactly how right I am, and I’ll kiss you anywhere you want.”

A flush travelled up my neck, a shiver not far behind. I was a connoisseur of self-control, adept at keeping myself in check, at not giving in. That was how I was trained, plus my healthy dose of innate stubbornness tended to help. Yet now, in the face of Pietro, I felt myself folding, control crumbling, leash waning. He was in control now and he knew it. That wouldn’t fly with me. I left a sultry smile cross my face as I leaned forward in my seat, flipping my hair over my shoulder and using my arms to accentuate my decolletage. My foot slid across the space between us, situating itself between his feet. I dragged the tip of it up the inside of his leg, watching his hands clench into fists as the muscle in his jaw feathered. When his eyes met mine, they were a much darker shade of blue, a dangerous glint in them. He attempted to grab my foot when it ventured to his thigh, but I yanked it back before he had the chance, standing and slipping my coat back on. My hand fell over his shoulder, and I leaned down so we were at eye level, moving closer until I was sure he would feel my breath on his ear. “Don’t hurt yourself for the sake of making a point, Pietro.”

“I know that you think you’re very clever-” I heard Pietro’s voice call as we stepped outside, frustration palpable in his tone. “But your little seduction routine isn’t going to work on me.”

“Oh? Are you sure?” I took a step toward him. “Because I have the strangest feeling it’s already working?” My eyes trailed down to his hand that was situated over my hip. He yanked it away as if I’d burned him, pointing at me accusingly.

His glare had plenty of heat but no real anger behind it. “I’m not going to give up so easily, you know this right?”

“I spent most of my life training to break people down, you know this right?” I began walking down the street, basking in the nippy autumn air.

“I don’t want to be just your friend. That’s what I told you before you went to Morrocco; I meant it.”

His words stopped me in my tracks and when I turned back to look at him the streetlights and starlight bathed him in this magical way that managed to wipe all the thoughts from my mind. “I know,” I murmured.

“So… maybe we should talk about it.”

“You want to talk about it now?”

He shrugged. “There’s no time like the present.”

I bit my lip, laughing a little to myself. “Do you want to be my boyfriend, Pietro?” I teased.

His response had me stiffening in my spot, heart skipping, eyes fluttering. “Yes, very much so.” There was no amusement or taunting lilts in his words, it was deadpan; absolute. I opened and closed my mouth like a fish out of water. “Do you want to be my girlfriend, Nadia?”

I’d never had a boyfriend before. There had been boys, they never lasted more than a night where I told myself maybe I’d feel better if I just forced myself to be normal. There had never been mornings that followed. My heart was racing, and I felt a little lightheaded. Pietro stayed put, quiet but steadfast. He didn’t rush me or flee, he laid himself bare before me and waited, patiently, for me to respond. Part of me wanted to roll my eyes, boyfriend, girlfriend, how tedious. Though, really, I knew that was just because if I was dismissive maybe it wouldn’t feel so exposed. “I’m not sure I’d be a very good girlfriend.”

His eyes softened at me. “I don’t think you give yourself enough credit.”

“I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

He took a few steps forward, leaving a big enough gap that he wasn’t crowding me, but I could still feel his body heat radiating onto me. “Well, saying yes is a good place to start.”

 “Ask me again.”

“Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

I smiled at him. “That depends.”

His lips curved up into that familiar smirk. “What does it depend on?”

“Will you kiss me if I’m your girlfriend?”

“How about this, you answer my question first then I’ll answer yours.”

I considered him. I could keep prodding, be stubborn, and have it my way, but then Pietro was standing before me, and the stars were in his eyes as he left the ball roll delicately into my court. He’d challenged me from the start and yet he’d always given me time, slowed down when I told him to, clearly laid my options before me, and let me choose for myself. It terrified me how much I didn’t want to run away from him, from his softness, from his adoring patience. So, despite myself, I didn’t roll my eyes or feign indifference, I gave, ever so slightly.

I took a step toward him. “The answer is yes.”

The words had barely left my lips before he was kissing me breathless. His forehead rested against mine; his eyes still closed. After almost a week of his ridiculous wager, I’d been ready to crack myself, but I didn’t need to tell him that because somehow, he’d known me from the moment we laid eyes on each other.

“You win, Nadia.”

[thatspookyagent]

Dating Inumaki Toge (Black!GN!Reader) would include…

Warnings: Literally nothing but tooth rooting fluff lmao

a/n: Greetings to anyone who stumbles along this fic and decides to read it! This is my first time writing for the JJK universe and I hope that y’all enjoy! Side note: These headcanons are long cause I got carried away writing for my favorite JJK character and one of my favorite anime characters of all time. So please excuse the ramblings and infodumping style headcanons lmao. Expect more from me that has to do with JJK especially when it comes to Inumaki content. Also smol heads up, I low-key wrote this with a darker skinned!reader and 4type hair!reader in mind unapologetically so oop!! Anyways please have a fun time reading this and remember to reblog it if you ended up enjoying it! :))

If you want to be tagged in any of my content, don’t be afraid to tell me via my ask box or through messages! Just remember to be clear about what specific kinds of content, characters, and fandoms you want me to tag you in or if you want to be put on my general tag list! I’m always looking to add more people and I’d be more than happy to add you (if you wish)! :3

Where to start with Inumaki, how about imagining the softest & most wholesome relationship that you possibly can that transcends words and in fact doesn’t need them in order for your relationship with him to function or feel complete/valid

Your relationship together functions a lot on both the little things in life but also the little gestures in life that convey things that most words (or signs) cannot

Not that signing or speaking is any less valuable, Inumaki is more than willing to teach you some Japanese Sign Language

Though you’ve got the food language down pat

No really Inumaki will reply with rice ball ingredients and you’ll dissect what he’s saying better than a world renowned English professor

This fascinates literally everyone that y’all come across, hell even for as long as Maki and Panda have known and come to understand and decipher what Inumaki says, they’re still in awe at how you read and communicate with him

You swear that it’s all in the eyes and it really is

Toge doesn't really hold back emotions or suppress his thoughts about something around anyone in general so that helped with understanding him immensely

You’ve come to be able read every little crease and fold that Inumaki’s face will make within various moods like tea leaves

At times you even know his mood better than he does and vice versa

For as much as you’ve learned about him, he’s made sure that he’s done his due diligence and done the same for you

For some people that would frighten them because it means no longer being able to really hide certain parts of yourself or certain emotions during tough times

However the two of you welcome this intimacy and vulnerability, though it of course took sometime and learning

Especially when it came to recognizing and accepting that physical touch would be a main form of communicating between the both of you

Goodnight kisses are often animal kisses, which holds a lot of meaning for Toge since he has to let his high collar down in order for you two to touch and rub noses together

It was an incredibly nervous and anxious moment for him when you suggested animal kisses as a form of affection for the first time

To make him feel better you asked him to close his eyes and by the end it left him wanting more

Which he gladly stole from you cause he’s That Guy™

Whenever you want some attention from Toge, you like to hold your hands out, palms facing upwards, and then allow him to come to you and proceed to settle his palms on top of yours

This gesture along with the touching of foreheads is such a frequent occurrence from you both

Expect Toge to always initiate forehead touches with you whenever you and him have to split up for a mission

These touches linger much longer than normal, and even have an added nuzzle in them

At times he'll close his eyes as if to relish and store the moment inside his stash of memories of you but also secretly wish you good luck internally

If you hold this boy's head with both of your hands while doing so he will melt on a nuclear scale :"

Honestly discussing which forms of intimacy to try out or implement usually happen over text, especially at later hours within the day

You love to huddle underneath the covers and just text away to Inumaki about anything and everything with only the screen of your phone to light up your room

He’s a pretty insight and thoughtful guy, regardless of how he personally chooses to express that

That thoughtfulness really shines when one day he requests to start helping you do your hair

If you have longer natural hair, he’ll watch tentatively and take notice of how much maintenance it requires

This also goes for any protective styles that you put your hair in that require work or any weaves that you use and maintain

Hell even if you have short ass hair, he will take note of how you care for it and yearn to aid you in doing so

Also does not mind if you just walk out the door with you hair in its natural shrunken state

So yeah from weaves to waves, this man will absolutely learn all that he can in order to make your hair care time run smoother

Feel like he’s the type to really be able to express how he doesn’t have the words to describe how much he’s in awe when your melanin shines in natural sunlight

Whenever you two are in public, he will unapologetically stare at your hands especially when he holds him

He does this thing were he’ll lift up your hand and try to get the sunlight to hit it at just the right angles

Gets routinely lost in thought whenever you’re around him and in broad daylight because he is yet again admiring your skin tone

Will try to collect and buy accessory items that he thinks best compliments it

Speaking of accessory items, he does enjoy crafting you little trinkets and baubles for you to either wear or just keep around you

If you make him something he’ll honestly short circuit, like no really Toge has left the chat that is life!

Will keep that item on him at all times, whether it be visible or not, he just prioritizes how it makes him feel to wear it and know who made it and gave it to him

Loves to look at and caress it before he goes to bed and after he wakes up in the morning

He'll want more stuff for decoration and what not for his room so that he'll have items that you have made and remind him of you in his personal space

Also I forgot to mention, you and Inumaki also speak through hugging

No really like whenever you two hug in public or just in front of other people, when you and him pull apart, you’ll reply to whatever his hug was meant to convey

Like you and Toge are having a full blown conversation with hugs and no spoken or signed word and it will make jaws drop

Certain squeezes in certain areas for a certain time all have their own little individual messages within the nuances of the actions

Sometimes it’s obvious to everyone what Toge means to tell you or vice versa cause there’s a chance that he might not ever see you again and is making sure that if this is the last time that he’ll ever hug you, you best know loud and clear what he’s trying to get across to you in that moment

But there’s also touches for less intense moments that are just meant to be cute and endearing and not really read deeply into as well

Like whenever you boop Toge’s nose or poke his side playfully, it’s pretty much a form of playful banter between you two but without spoken word

I feel like I’ve been talking about mainly touch or non verbal communication a lot so onto some headcanons that don’t revolve around that lmao

I feel like Toge and his partner would be two incredibly mischievous people or at least Toge would convince his partner into partaking in some shenanigans every once in a while

Like they’re two little shits in a pod but nobody ever sees them coming, guesses that it was them, or believes others when people call them out sksks

Being a little shit with Toge includes pulling light pranks, annoying people with your excellent sense of understanding between one another, and photobombing anyone and everyone

Like no y’all will do this thing that’s almost like a skit where you and him just talk back and forth in rice ball ingredients and you’ll catch and understand literally everything that he’s saying but others can NOT understand the both of you and it drives them MAD

You've undoubtedly pissed off both Maki and Megumi the most with your antics while giving Itadori brain rot whiplash cause that boy isn't smart enough to understand you two and takes the conversations way too seriously

Also for the photobombing people, you have formations and plans for those moments and it’s almost like you two choreographed photobomb poses n stuff

[Cue the Formation B line that Gojo says but its you saying it and rushing alongside Toge to jump into camera view of someone’s family vacation photo

Some people don’t mind or care, others join in on the fun, while some have some color words to exchange with you and Toge lmao

Also feel like Inumaki is a pretty good gamer so despite your personal skill level, he will always be down to chill and play something that the two of you can really get into together

Oh and if you know how to play a musical instrument, Toge will jump to organize a little jam session with you before you can even blink

Expect there to also be movie nights and show binge watching with Toge as well, like you have not LIVED till you have seen this man scream OKAKA !!! at the TV cause a show ended on a cliffhanger after being cancelled

Eventually you join in on yelling rice ball ingredients at TV screens while also throwing popcorn cause screw shows ending on cliffhangers permanently

You and him absolutely share playlists and watchlists of any kind together

Whatever you listen to will get absorbed into whatever Toge listens to, and he’ll play your favs whenever he’s thinking about you or about to walk out the door to start his daily training

If he catches you listening to what he likes to listen to personally or songs he’s recommended you based on your own personal taste, expect him to bring that up and how happy it makes him during your daily midnight texting convos with each other

Music is a bit of a key part within your relationship with him cause it expresses another form of intimacy between you and him that can sometimes incorporate words or not

It symbolizes and mirrors a ton of similarities within your relationship while being a way to communicate non verbally with one another while embracing so many complex emotions, all at the same time

This is the main reason why he steals you away to slow dance to something playfully or just bask in some tunes that either you or him found and shared with each other

For him he never wants the music to stop, he wants what the two of you have to persist and stay closely intertwined with one another

No matter what tune or melody is currently playing in your life, as long as he has you for a dancing partner, he’ll face the dance floor with you on it by his side 

[fizzycherrycola]

Malaysia/Singapore, 1921

On a dark, rainy night, Singapore finds himself in desperate need of a warm meal and a bright smile. Luckily, he has someone who cares for him very much.

Originally intended to be part of a Hetalia fan anthology, however I missed the deadline long ago. You can find it at @hwsrazzledazzle . This is my first time writing Malaysia and Singapore, so I hope I've done them justice. Please enjoy! If anyone notices inconsistencies or cultural mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix them right away.

December Rain 

Singapore; 16 December 1921 

“Governor, is there really no other way? We are in peacetime, so surely-”

“Unfortunately, this is the way it must be. Perhaps if relations between London and Tokyo improve, then these restrictions may be lifted. But from what I understand, it is unlikely that either of us will witness such a thing happen in the near future.” 

“...I see.”

“I know this is all rather irregular, but even so, I trust you will follow these new regulations once they come into effect. Won’t you, Singapore?”

“Yes, Governor Guillemard, of course.”

“Good. Very good! I had the sense when we first met that we would get along well. That you were an honourable, hard-working young man – or colony, I should say – and that you would cause no trouble. I’m delighted to see that is still the case.”

—

A torrent of water falls from the heavens in rippling sheets. People dart about, some on bicycle and some on foot. They splash through the wide puddles of the civic district, anxious to be home before the dark night sets in. The lucky ones squeeze onboard the bustling electric tram with their elbows and umbrellas poking through the open windows. Unfortunately, Singapore was not one of those lucky ones today. 

Clasping his cold hands together, Singapore rubs his knuckles. He huddles in the seat of his hired rickshaw, grimacing at his situation. The spats covering his shoes are terribly soggy and the rain has soaked his grey trousers up to the thigh. He leans back in his seat, sheltering beneath the rickshaw’s canopy, hopelessly trying to stay as dry as possible. Normally it wouldn't be an issue, but tonight... Malaya is visiting for dinner. It’s the first date they’ve had in months.  

There is a tightness behind his ribs and Singapore takes a steadying breath. He needs to dispel the stress of the business day and the terrible news he was given.

None of that matters at the moment. Even though his disheartening meeting with the Governor went on for much longer than expected, he should still make it home before Malaya arrives, because that silly oyen is often late himself. And to the rickshaw puller’s credit, they are speeding down the muddy streets. 

Eventually, Singapore’s abode reveals itself wedged amongst a long row of shophouses. The vehicle’s rickety wheels slow to a halt and the rickshaw man glances back expectantly. Quickly, Singapore tosses a few coins his way. Then, he hops out of his seat, over the gate, and dashes through the five-foot way. 

He pushes open the wooden door to his house and pauses, holding his breath. The darkened front hall is quiet and none of the oil lamps appear lit. Thank goodness. Tension floods from his shoulders and he releases a sigh. 

He slips off his shoes and carries them inside, hoping to wipe the leather dry and preserve his valuable Oxfords. His bare feet tap terracotta tiles as he pads through the front office, then the smell of firewood hits him, mingled with the aroma of red chili and garlic. Peeking into the hallway, he sees dim light and steam emanating from the kitchen in the back. 

His hairs stand on end and a second later he’s bursting into the warm room. 

“Why are you here so early?!” Singapore demands. 

Malaya flinches and glances up from the stove. “Oh, you’re here!” A bright smile blooms across his face, putting his crooked fang tooth on full display. “Welcome back!” 

“You’re never early! How did…?”

“Ah? I thought I was late. You said we would meet in the afternoon.”

“No, we said it would be in the evening.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Malaya chuckles. “I thought it was strange when I walked in and nobody was home.” 

“Wait, what are you doing?” 

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m making dinner!” 

“But I was going to....” Singapore’s words fail him as he gawks at his kitchen. The mortar is smudged with trace remains of crimson spices and his stove is lit with the smoky haze of burning charcoal. Malaya tosses peppers into the wok and effortlessly works the sizzling heat like he was born for it. Singapore sighs. “Never mind. Let me take over from here.” 

Malaya laughs incredulously. “But I’m almost finished!”  

“It doesn’t matter. This is your first time in my new home! You’re my guest.” 

Malaya quirks an eyebrow and gestures to Singapore with the backend of his chuan. “Singa, you’re dripping wet. You’ll get rainwater in our food.” 

Baulking, Singapore looks himself over. His suit is darkened and heavy, leaking droplets onto the floor. 

Grimacing, he deflates. “...I’m sorry.”  

“Ah? You don’t need to apologise.” 

“No, I should have arrived earlier. I had plans for our dinner together; I wanted it to be special.” 

Smiling wider, Malaya seems to melt on the spot. “Sayang….”

“I can take over after I’ve changed.”

“No. This is my cooking now.”

“But–” 

“It’s fine. You work too hard!” Malaya steps away from the wok and nudges Singapore out of the room. “Quick! Go change out of those clothes before the food is ready.” 

Reluctantly, Singapore trudges upstairs to his bedroom, glancing back at the kitchen as he goes. 

Once upstairs, he takes a moment to tend to his Oxfords, the higher priority, before his own comfort. When he’s satisfied that the leather is dry enough, he peels off his wet business attire, shivering despite the humidity, and then towels his damp skin. Throwing on something clean, he pauses in front of a small mirror to tame his dark hair before returning downstairs.  

The dining area is bathed in warmth and an array of dishes decorate the table. Dinner is set out before him: tomato rice with ayam masak merah, a mix of chicken and dried chilies sambal. The saucy red soup glistens in the lamplight and Singapore’s belly rumbles. Malaya snickers, placing the finishing touches on the table and telling him to dig in. 

With a flush rising to his cheeks, Singapore thanks his companion and relents. He takes a bite of the chicken, and a burst of rich, creamy, spice hits his tongue. It’s so delicious that he sighs, the flavour bringing back memories of other rainy Decembers, long past. When it was just the two of them, huddled beneath a small, thatched roof.

“Abang, it’s so good,” Singapore says. “Thank you.”

“Anytime!” A wide grin graces Malaya’s face as he produces a gorgeous bottle of tapai rice wine and pours both of them a healthy glass. Then he sits as well, going for his tomato rice, and talking unabashedly between massive mouthfuls of food. “You know, I think your last house was better.” 

Singapore pouts. “Don’t say that, lah. I was hoping you would like it here.” 

“Well, ah… it’s not what I was expecting.”

“I was able to get this because my markets have been paying well. Would you prefer it if I returned to a timber attap house? Go back to my old kampong?”

Malaya sheepishly raises his hands in mock surrender. “No! It’s just very… different?”

“It’s closer to the city centre. And it’s modern.”

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry.” Malaya leans in and gives Singapore a quick kiss on the cheek – an apology. He leaves behind a few sticky grains of rice, and Singapore rolls his eyes before brushing them off. “You worked very hard for this, so I’ll admit, for a city house, it is really spacious and fancy.”

Singapore swallows a few more bites of food while considering his companion’s sentiment.

Indeed, the new dwelling takes some getting used to. Bought last July, Singapore’s abode stands three stories tall and has an elaborate, ornamental façade. Decorated with colourful tiles and plasterwork, it is more stylish than his previous place. If only the floors were worn in, and the rooms smelled of the forest, perhaps then this mass-produced building would feel more like a home. 

It’s no matter, though. He will adjust. As if reading his mind, Malaya pokes his elbow and gestures to the open courtyard. “Plant a garden in the spring; that will help.”

Singapore glances at the bare space and imagines it filled with kang kong, lemongrass, and chili plants. It warms his heart.

“That would be nice.”

Malaya polishes off his rice and sets the bowl down. “So, you meet with Guillemard today?”

“Ah… that’s right.”

“Mm! I’m meeting with him in a few days, too. What did he say?” 

Singapore ducks, suddenly very interested in the wood grain of his table. “I’ll tell you after dinner.”

“Come on, tell me. Is it good news?”

Weight settles on Singapore’s shoulders and bears down on his neck. “No, it’s bad.”

“Now I have to know!”

Singapore sighs. The locks in the back of his mind slowly release, allowing a bitter slurry of unease and gloom to trickle forth. He’s been holding onto this all day and he was never good at hiding things from his dearest.

“You’re not going to like it.”

Malaya downs a swig of rice wine. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

Singapore follows his lead, taking a sip from his own cup and allowing the burn to roll down his throat. He swallows, and means to slam the cup down, but it settles with a skittering series of taps. Is he nervous, or just upset?

“Guillemard said… beginning next week, we cannot have any contact with Taiwan, Korea, or any other kingdoms under Japan’s control.” 

The statement falls wet out of his heart to splatter ruin onto his new, tile floor. Malaya blinks, silent for a while, his eyes going wide.

“No, that can’t be right.” 

“Personal contact lah,” Singapore clarifies. “We can’t send them letters, telegrams, or schedule any visits.”

“Not even letters?”

“None.”

Malaya gapes. “Why would he say that? Did he have a reason?” 

“I couldn’t get all the details.” The morning and afternoon were like a whirlwind. Questions flew around the rooms of the Governor’s estate, from not just himself, but even the groundskeepers who he caught whispering in the halls. “I heard there was a conference,” Singapore continues, “and a treaty was signed. Somehow, this new treaty ended the alliance between England and Japan, but it was more than that. Apparently, there has been tension between them for a long time, maybe years. So, it is possible… perhaps a combination of different things ....” 

“Wait, wait!” Malaya cries, jolting Singapore out of his recollection. “Tahun Baru Cina!”

It takes Singapore a moment to understand. “What about it?”

“Taiwan invited us to celebrate with her. You remember; we were meant to visit her in that city... what are we calling it these days?” 

“Taihoku?” 

“That’s it!” 

“I’m guessing that will be cancelled.” 

Malaya releases a puff of air. “They can’t just cancel the New Year!” He slumps, staring forlornly at his empty rice bowl. He looks like a cat, longing for more food, as though that would be enough to fix all the problems of the world.

“Someone else might host,” Singapore suggests. 

“This is terrible,” Malaya mutters.

Singapore frowns at his wine, cloudy and glistening in the lamplight. He imagines it reflecting a sea of red lanterns as they ripple in the night air, a dream of years past. If he concentrates, he can recall the clamour of jubilant voices, the thrum of drums, and the crackle of firecrackers.

Gathering under one roof to welcome the New Year was a tradition they shared. Who started it and when, Singapore does not know, but every house he visited would be brilliantly decorated in a rainbow of colours, and every table would be packed to the edge with food. Different people would host and attend each year; a variety of familiar faces that came and went. Philippines, Vietnam, Siam, Manchuria, Korea, of course China, and more. Sometimes there were so many of them, there were not enough seats to go around! 

Occasionally, the turnout was smaller due to war, famine, or sickness, but it was always a pity when it happened. It’s still a pity now. Singapore sighs, again. “I’m sorry for ruining the evening with depressing news. This date was meant to be special.” 

Malaya blinks, returning to life, and shushes him. “You know, if you keep stressing out, your hair will turn white.” 

Something in Singapore's face must be betraying his feelings, because Malaya’s smile falls almost as quickly as it appears. He shuffles closer and secures a steady arm around his lover’s shoulders.

“Abang….”

Rain pitter-patters on the courtyard stone. The distant sounds of city life grow quieter as night falls. Is it raining in Taihoku as well? Is there a little girl on the other side of the sea mulling over the same sad news? Poor Taiwan. She’s still just a child; she won’t understand.

A knot has lodged itself in Singapore’s throat. Times like these serve as a potent reminder: it is the spiderwebs of alliances that shape their uncertain destinies. Of course, he is not a revolutionist. Order, harmony, and life are too precious to him. All he must do is keep his head down, work hard, and if he does that, he can get by. But sometimes… sometimes….

Without prompting, Malaya whispers, “I know,” and hugs him, lean muscle cradling Singapore’s thin frame. And Singapore doesn’t realise he is clenching his jaw until Malaya strokes his cheek and it slackens. Heat radiates through his ribs like an antidote. A rattling breath escapes his chest and his eyes fall shut. Their bodies slope together. 

They stay that way for long minutes. The weariness of the day begins to levy its toll on Singapore’s consciousness and his head droops. Safe in his companion’s arms, sleep tempts him. He almost doesn’t hear when Malaya whispers: “When do these rules start?”

“Next week,” Singapore murmurs.

Malaya’s lips press gently to his temple. “Then we will send Taiwan and the others some letters. We will wish them an early Happy New Year, before these awful new rules take effect.”

Shifting, Singapore meets his brilliant golden eyes. Dark umber bangs brush the tips of his eyelashes and a firecracker lights in his heart. His oyen is so handsome. They kiss and Malaya’s inviting mouth tastes faintly of chilies.

“Can I stay with you for more than a few days?” Malaya whispers.

“Of course,” Singapore says. “But is that okay? Won’t you get in trouble with the sultans?”

With a wave of his hand, Malaya dismisses the notion. “I’ll just keep begging my bosses until I manage to annoy them into letting me stay. Besides, my sayang is worth it.” A smile dawns on Singapore’s features and they entwine their fingers. Malaya nuzzles his hair. “And after I go, I'll come back in the spring to help you build your garden. We can plant some red hibiscus together.”

“...That would be nice.”

Suddenly, Malaya squeezes him tight and peppers his face with kisses until he’s laughing. And the spark in his heart becomes a booming firework display, so bright and colourful that it threatens to burst from his soul. 

Eventually, Singapore has to push him away, before things get heated and they make a mess of both their clothes and the dining table. He suspects there are red chili smears decorating his face. Malaya relents only after leaving a suggestive bite to his neck, practically purring with delight.

They gather up the dishes from the table, and as Singapore follows his companion back to the kitchen, he finds he is able to stand straighter. Malaya has a kind of resilience, a living strength that courses along the lines of his shoulders and blooms in the curve of his toothy smile. And Singapore has always found it captivating. Despite their misfortune and the struggle of navigating life, his oyen thrives and endures. How lucky he is to share delicious dinners and squander time with this special person. 

Singapore’s thoughts drift to the feathery bed that beckons them both and suppresses a shiver of excitement. Hurriedly, he plunges a bowl into the water basin and scrubs it clean, eager to indulge in the rest of their evening and the precious days ahead.

As long as he has Malaya, everything will be okay.

End / Fin

~~~

Author’s Notes 

Laurence Guillemard was the British-appointed “Governor of the Straits Settlements” and “High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States” from 1920 – 1927. 

“Abang” and “sayang” are Malay terms of endearment. 

Malaya/Malaysia’s national animal is a tiger, which is why Singapore calls him “oyen,” meaning: orange cat.

The first Singaporean shophouses were built starting in the 1840s, under the original ordinances laid down by Sir Stamford Raffles. Over the years, architecture styles changed but the houses remained popular until the 1960s. They are now considered important heritage pieces and are valued as historic examples of architecture.

An attap house is a traditional dwelling made with attap palms, which provide wattle for the walls and leaves for their thatched roofs. They are often found in kampongs (traditional villages) throughout South East Asia.

The Anglo-Japanese Alliance was a pact between the British and Japanese that was signed in 1902. Both parties benefited in various ways, including defensive strategies, trade, and cultural exchanges. However, over the following decades, the relationship would slowly deteriorate. It was viewed as an obstacle at the Paris Peace Conference following WW1, and then battered further by the 1921 Imperial Conference. It finally dissolved on 13 December 1921, when the Four-Power Treaty was signed in Washington DC.

Lunar New Year! In Malaysia, the holiday’s official name is “Tahun Baru Cina”. 

Taihoku was the name given to Taipei while it was under Japanese rule.

“...your hair will turn white.” It’s my personal headcanon that Singapore got his trademark streak of white hair from overworking himself in the 20th century.

[swiftsuburbanlegends]

OKAY OKAY Lucas and Nik get injured and end up with Danny for safety purposes, Vin gets upset because he's her safe space and feels betrayed by him for letting Lucas in but Dallas tells her everything he did to get here for her and how his brother died (mayhaps it's never permanent we decide later) so after some stewing Vin has a normal conversation with him

Look I can see Lucas struggling to like stuff his duffle, because he knows this is hurting Vin, and he'd rather risk infection on the streets than be the reason she is in pain again.

She comes into the room and sees him putting in the last of his stuff.

"What do you think you're doing?" He sighs, knowing he can't make up an excuse. "What does it look like? I'm getting out of your way." "I never said I wanted you to go." "Maybe not to my face, princess, but we both know you would like it better if I found other accommodations." "I told you to stop calling me that." Only she's not sure if she actually had. Lucas was the only one who had ever called her 'princess'. The moniker was technically hers, but she had never felt like it fit. She had never even seen the inside walls of the Queen castle. She had believed herself a commoner a lot longer than she had known the truth. He met her gaze then nodded. "As you wish. But still I should go." "Don't be stupid, you can barely more your arm," she gestured to him as he tried to move his duffle from the bed. "You could make that worse if you leave." "And if I stay, I'm gonna hurt you worse. And I can't be the reason you're in anymore pain," he shook his head and she can see the tears he's fighting back. "So I'll find something else, somewhere else." "You think leaving is going to cause me less pain?" "Vin--" She moved to him, taking the bag and tossing it to the side. "No. If you leave, and something bad happens to you, what do you think that's gonna do to Dallas, to me?" "I thought you wanted me gone?" "I never said that." "You sure as hell have acted like it." He winced, and she didn't know if it was out of pain or the reality of his words. So Vin did the one thing she could think to do get him to stay. She reached across the space, a couple of inches that felt like lightyears, and took his hand. "I wanted you to be able to go back. I wanted you not to be working for Merlyn, to stop yourself from turning in Thea. I wanted you to be able to erase the things that drove us apart." "If I could--" "Let me finish, please," Vin took her other hand so she could turn his face to hers. "I know we can't go back. I know the things you did, they'll always be there. And I wish I could tell you that they won't keep me at arms length, but I can't. What I do know is, even if I didn't want to admit it, when you were shot I was terrified that I would never see you again." "I'm right here," he said, squeezing her fingers. "You weren't though," she shook her head. "For an hour I thought, I thought you weren't going to make it. I thought, this is it? This is one of my only tethers to home, just cut. No valiant roar, no fighting tooth and nail to stay, just you, gone. And it felt like losing my parents all over again, but so much worse." "You and Dallas are my only connections to home," she continued with a sad smile. "And if you die, I don't think I could handle that for real." "Princess..." "So stay," she pressed. "Maybe it's selfish, but stay anyway. Because if you leave, I'm going to imagine the worst. You promised me once that you would never leave my side, and you'd always protect me. And if you leave--"

[shardofhope-fanfic]

Jimmothy. (2021, May- 2024, March, 7th)

I don't know if it's hilarious, or morbid that Jimmothy and his brother passed at the exact same time in my life. I don't mean a date, or anything so specific. But they left me during the transitory periods of my life when I had time to dedicate to them without any other worries. When Juice Box passed, it was too soon. I fought the reaper tooth and nail to give him more. He died short of his second birthday.

Jimmothy was made of tougher stuff than that, I suppose, but the march of time will wear us all down. Rats have it rougher than us, as after two years, their nerves began to fray and fail. I knew he was getting old in December when he began to waddle. Hind Leg degeneration had begun. I thought it would be different, this time. A slow decline into a peaceful death. I had time to come to terms with it. I thought it would be easier.

This monday, he seemed slightly off. He was still eating, but very little. All he wanted was apple sauce and attention, and I made an appointment for him to get checked out on Thursday. Not for any notion that I could keep him alive for much longer, but to make him comfortable.

Tuesday, he had stopped eating altogether and took a rapid downturn, only wanting to sleep, and occasionally cuddle. Strange, considering he was as independent as a rat could be. He hated being handled and coddled. And would only allow extended petting when he rode around on my shoulder like a pirate. Boys always tended to be, but that's what I loved about them. They were little teenagers, constantly embarrassed by their "Dad" being around, except when I fed them of course.

Later in the night, I knew that he wasn't long for this world. His hind legs had completely given up the ghost, and I couldn't coax him to even drink water. I thought it would be easier. It was not. I cried my eyes out like it was the first time I held him. I was so convinced that he would be gone in the morning, so I slept, getting mentally ready for burying the last of my first pair.

Yet he was still there in the morning, so my surprise. All that preparation crumbled in a moment, and I spent most of the day crying, petting him, and fretting over making him comfortable. I made a bed for him on my desk. I cried more, and I thought that maybe he would make it to the vet.

I spent an hour petting him as I listened to my records, holding him in my arms like I used to do when he was young as he rested. I made my peace then, I thought he may linger for a few more days and gently put him away to use the restroom.

by the time I got back, he was gone. died in the 3 min it took me to take a piss and wash my hands. His brother, of course, did the exact same thing to me.

In my heart, I feel like he was helping me get over him before I had to put him to rest. That he knew how upset I would be, how much I loved the little bastard and wanted to spend some time with me before his time was up. I like to think that, instead of he just wanted to die alone.

Either way, he was an important part of my life. Bought as a paid with his brother, during some of the worst years in my life. I'm better than I was then, healthier and happier, despite everything. Yet....Yet I feel a little lost, without them. Without my boys.

This doesn't even feel like a eulogy to me, more an explanation of what happened, and how much I miss him already. Yet, it feels like the best way to show what he was. He was a stubborn bastard who always wanted his way, despite whatever it was. But he loved everyone, even still.

Even still. I want him to have a little of the immortality that the internet provides, and thus, I write this. In the end, his stubbornness was a gift to me, giving me the time to spend some last moments with a pet I loved with all my heart.

Goodbye, my little bastard. I'll miss you.

[l8rs-gat0rs]

Hello Stranger

Pairing: Mariam "Midge" Maisel x female Reader

Warning(s): allusions to homophobia, a brief switch to Midge's POV, y/n use, slight angst, tooth. rotting. fluff. Oh and ofc, lots of swearing, this IS a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fic XD

Summary: You are at the- special...bar you frequent, and see a gorgeous stranger. You are Intrigued by her and decide to approach her.

Word count: 4.4k

My first Midge x reader fic!!! (And certainly not the last) I'm so proud of this and I love the show so much. This particular fic is based off of S4 E4 When Midge takes Susie to a Lesbian bar. I noticed The Midge x reader fics are extremely scarce, so why not add to the pool for all my Fellow Rachel Brosnahan simps haha. This ended up being wayyy longer than I expected, but I hope y'all enjoy it :)

~~~~~Happy Reading! ~~~~~~

You stood at the bar taking a sip of your drink, as a girl you were not interested in, told you something that, you guessed it…

you were not interested in. 

This is a typical Friday night at the bar.

You come to find love, and the same type of girl would always approach you.

The boring type.

You wanted someone who interested you, someone who made you laugh. Someone who would always keep you guessing. Someone who you could spend the rest of your life with and never get tired of.

You nodded absentmindedly as the girl in front of you spoke animatedly about...something.

You're just about to brush the girl off -kindly, of course- and take your leave when a woman walks into the bar.

She took her coat off after she sat down. Looking around with a big smile, ordering two drinks from the waitress who came to clean up their table from the previous patrons before facing the short woman she had come in with.

Oh, of course she already had a girlfriend.

But something seemed different about her.

She wasn't like the other women who usually came here.

Not to mention, drop-dead gorgeous.

You were surrounded by women making out by the bar but all you could see was her, as if a spotlight was shining on her.

"Um, hello???"

Suddenly your attention snapped back to the girl in front of you and you smiled at her sheepishly as she frowned.

"I'm so sorry, um- I-"

"Save it." She rolled her eyes and walked towards the huge crowd of women that were dancing.

"EAT ME, I'M EXCITED!"

Your head snapped back to the mystery woman with her assumed girlfriend and you chuckled as you watched her giggle at her girlfriend's statement.

Then her girlfriend seemed to look around, her smile slowly fading, causing you to quirk a brow.

She quickly leaned in, and the mystery woman looked excited.

The mystery woman leaned in as well, saying something back, but you couldn't make out what either of them were saying.

The mystery woman's smile disappeared, and her girlfriend seemed to be upset.

Ah, curse this, you were too far away to hear what either of them were saying.

You grabbed your drink and started to move to a place at the bar that was closer to them

You were surprised when the shorter woman drank her drink quickly before she got up, saying something angrily, before leaving the bar.

The mystery woman looked upset as she took a sip of the drink the waitress had put down.

This is it. It was time to make your move.

You walked over to her as she looked deep in her thoughts.

"Bad break up?" You asked her as you stood in front of her table holding your drink.

She looked up at you for a second, registering what you said, her eyes widened.

"Oh, no no, we aren't- I'm not-" She started waving her arms in the air in front of her.

You chuckled and she stopped speaking, a wonderful smile gracing her face.

"May I?" You smiled, gesturing to the seat across from her.

"Yes, yes, of course," she said quickly.

You sat down, placing your drink on the table.

"So that was, not your girlfriend?" You asked with a raised brow.

"Oh god no, that was Susie, she's just my friend. I wanted to bring her here because she's always so busy being my manager. I want her to find love."

"Your manager?" You questioned, taking a sip of your drink.

"Oh right, yeah, I'm a comedian. Susie is my manager."

"Wow, that's a new one." You were pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah, I get that one a lot," she smiled.

"I'm sure you do." You stared down at your drink, then looked back up at her with a smirk.

"Do you also get people telling you how gorgeous you are often?"

She smirked right back at you and raised her eyebrow.

"No, as a matter of fact I don't, so you should keep telling me that." She said, causing you to let out a laugh.

"I can tell you that all night if you want, because it's true," you shrugged.

"Well, aren't you just a charmer?" She sat back in her seat, eyeing you with her arms crossed.

"I guess you could say that." You smiled cheekily.

"And a cute one too," she said, her voice much quieter than before as she looked at you through her eyelashes, not breaking your eye contact.

"Now who's the charmer?" You shot back.

You practically felt your heart rapidly beating in your chest as silence enveloped the two of you. The tension could be cut with a knife.

"Wanna go for a walk?" She finally spoke up.

"Sure" 

The two of you downed the rest of your drinks before you got up, holding your hand out for her to take.

She smiled as she got up and slipped her hand into yours.

Your hand still burned from the contact after she let go to put her coat back on.

The two of you left the bar and started to walk down the lit-up streets of New York City.

"My name's y/n btw, I mean, in case you cared at all," you joked lightly.

Her eyes widened as she looked at you.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry I never asked! My name is Miriam, but you can call me Midge." She said apologetically.

"Hey, no worries, to be fair, I didn't ask either, so it cancels out." You smiled, shrugging your shoulders.

Once again a beautiful smile graced her face and the melodic sound of her giggles reached your ear.

"Midge is a cute name." You remarked.

"Why, thank you, I happen to quite like your name as well" Midge smiled.

You giggled a bit causing Midge's smile to widen.

The two of you walked in silence for a few seconds before Midge spoke up once more.

"I've never...you know..." She started, implying words you understood very well. They had been said to you many times.

"Been with a woman before." You finished quietly for her.

"Yeah, that." She laughed nervously.

"It's okay, I understand." You stopped in your tracks, feeling self-conscious.

"No, no, no!" Midge turned around and grabbed your hands in both of hers.

You felt your cheeks and ears start to burn as you looked down at her soft hands holding yours.

"I, it's just...new, that's all." She looked down at your hand as well.

"But a good kind of new," she said lower, moving closer to you.

"Yeah?" You asked, meeting her eyes.

"Yeah, very good." She repeated softly, her eyes now locked onto your lips.

You worked hard to steady your breathing as you started to lean in closer, placing your hands on her hips.

Your eyes dropped to her lips and you licked your own, causing her mouth to open slightly.

You didn't feel it until Midge's back hit the tree behind her, but the two of you had slowly been moving.

Her eyes moved back up to yours as you did the same, the two of you looking for confirmation from each other before you softly pressed your lips against hers.

Midge breathed through her nose sharply, her breath feeling warmer than it actually was against your skin.

Growing excited, Midge opened her lips, testing the waters with her tongue, causing you to gasp as she placed her hands on your cheeks.

You felt her smile into the kiss before the two of you pulled away for air, gazing into each other's eyes once more.

"Wow, am I that good? You're out of breath and you've got stars in your eyes." She chuckled softly, her breath fanning your lips.

"I mean, obviously, the most beautiful woman in New York just kissed me." You smiled.

You watched as she looked down, playing with the Lapel of your coat and smiling to herself, her cheeks burning bright red in contrast to her fair complexion.

"Oh? She's blushing now!" You gasped, feigning surprise.

"Oh shut up!" She pushed you away from her causing you to laugh heartily.

"Come onnn, it's cute." You smiled after your laughter died down, offering her your hand.

She rolled her eyes with a smile and took your hand, the two of you continue to walk down the street.

She wrapped her arm around yours, not wanting to let go as the two of you walked.

You felt her body heat melt into you, you never wanted to let go.

"You know, I don't think I'd ever get tired of your smile." You said aloud.

"I'd never get tired of hearing you laugh." She replied.

"I'll definitely laugh, especially with you." You nudged her softly.

"And I'll definitely smile, especially with you." She nudged you back.

You felt like you were on cloud nine, your cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

Midge checked her watch and frowned a bit.

"Is everything okay?" You asked, slightly concerned.

"Yeah, it's just really late and I should get back home. My kids are probably asleep right now." She sighed, letting go of your arm and turning to face you as the two of you stopped walking.

"Kids? You're...you're married?" You said, dismayed. You felt your heart begin sink.

"Oh god no! I was married, but that didn't quite work out. My husband left me for his secretary if you can believe it." She laughed light-heartedly.

You let our a sigh of relief before responding.

"I actually can't believe that because, how is he stupid enough to leave you?" Your eyes widened as you gestured to her.

"I ask myself that everyday." She laughed.

"Wellll, on the bright side"

You grabbed her gently by the waist and quickly pulled her closer to you, causing her to let out a surprised 'oh!'

"As a result of said stupidity, I got to meet you." You smirked.

She pressed her lips to yours once more, a quick kiss, causing your head to spin at the boldness of this woman.

"Yes, thank you Joel!" She announced to the sky, throwing her arms into the air.

You laughed at her outburst,

"Well then, I'll let you get back to your kids." You stood back from her, placing your hands into your pockets.

"I really had fun today y/n, thank you." Midge said sincerely.

"Me too" You smiled warmly.

"Do I get to see you again?" Midge asked hopefully.

"Of course," you nodded.

"You need a cab?" You asked, ready to call one for her.

"No I'm good, I live close by. My apartment is two blocks that way." She pointed behind herself.

"Oh, me too actually, but I'm that way" you pointed behind you.

"Ahhh, a fellow resident of the upper West Side!" Midge raised her eyebrows with a smile.

"You know it," you chuckled.

"Well then, I'll see you around?" You questioned.

"I will see you around." She nodded her head once.

"Oh, and one more thing," you said, causing Midge to raise her eyebrows.

You moved closer to her and you heard her breath hitch when you leaned in towards her lips, your breath mixing with hers.

She closed her eyes causing you to smirk as you slipped the piece of paper you had written your number on earlier Into her coat pocket.

She opened her eyes slowly when she didn't feel your lips, seeing you standing the same distance you were before you leaned in.

She gave you a pointed look causing you to laugh.

"What? Expecting something else?" You smirked at her.

Midge rolled her eyes as you noticed a blush creep along her cheeks, causing you to laugh once again.

You quickly moved back closer to her and pecked her lips softly causing a smile to return to her face.

"Check your pocket, darling." You eyed her right pocket you had slipped the paper into.

She looked down and grabbed the paper out of her pocket, grinning as she looked at the digits.

"Do you just keep a piece of paper with your number on it at all times?" She asked incredulously.

"You never know when you'll need to give a pretty woman your number." You shrugged, a smirk still gracing your face.

"Well, aren't you a smug one." Midge placed the paper back in her pocket before crossing her arms.

"What can I say, I'm popular with the ladies" You shrugged once again.

"Wow, I better step up my game then, before you start making business cards." She joked.

You laughed loudly causing Midge to light up.

"Oh no, trust me. You're the only woman I've ever given my number to." You clarified.

Midge's smile softened at your revelation.

"You were waiting for the right person?" She asked softly.

"Pretty much " You replied.

"Well then, I'll be sure to call you." Midge smiled as she patted her pocket with your number in it.

"I will be eagerly awaiting that call!" You pointed at her while walking backwards.

"I won't make you wait too long, I promise." Midge called after you.

You smiled before saluting, and turning around to walk back home after shoving your hands into your pockets.

You squeezed your eyes shut tightly and grinned before opening them again.

You couldn't wait for her call.

~~~Midge's POV~~~

"Jesus Christ Miriam, the two of you were just swapping spit? In public!?" Susie said with widened eyes.

"God-what!? We weren't, swapping spit. We kissed a couple of times that's it, and no one was even around!" Midge explained exasperatedly.

"Yeah, thank god! Otherwise, the two of you would be goners." Susie muttered.

"Susie-" Midge started.

"It's the biggest fuckin joke of the century, you bring me to a lesbian bar to find someone, and you end up finding a woman for yourself!" Susie exclaimed dryly.

"I mean yeah, now that you mention it, it is a bit funny isn't it?" Midge smiled.

"Ugh you are always smiling. Stop. It's like looking into the sun every goddamn time I look at you" Susie groaned.

"Wellll, she said she liked my smile. A lot." Midge sighed dreamily.

"Wow, she's really got you hooked hasn't she?" Susie said, more softly than usual.

Midge raised her eyes in surprise as she looked at Susie.

"Whaaat? Why you looking at me like that!?" Susie shouted once again.

"You caaaaare about me Susie!!!" Midge exclaimed joyously, while throwing her arms around Susie.

"Ah, shut the fuck up, don't make me regret it!" Susie snapped.

Midge removed her arms from Susie, backing away with her hands in the hair, but with a smirk.

"Anyways go call her ya big dummy. But be careful with her. You can't trust broads these days." Susie muttered the last sentence with her arms crossed.

Midge took mental note of Susie's words, wondering who had hurt her friend this badly to the point where she couldn't trust women anymore.

"Is it too desperate to call now though?" Midge asked cautiously.

"Desperate!? It's been 2 days!! She's gonna think you blew her off!" Susie shouted, throwing her hands out to the side.

"Oh, shit. Really!?" Midge asked with wide eyes.

"Yes really, who the fuck are you? Lenny Bruce!?" Susie asked incredulously.

"Well I mean, Lenny-" Midge raised a pointed finger in the air.

"GO CALL HER." Susie cut her off.

"Yup, going!" Midge nodded before hurrying to the phone.

~~~ Y/n's POV ~~~

You sucked on a lollipop a kid had sweetly given you while you were on the subway.

Damn, this thing was good.

The phone ringing startled you a bit.

You clutched your chest with the lollipop still in your mouth before you picked up the phone.

"Y/n L/n, who is this?" You said absentmindedly into the phone.

"Ah, I've got your last name!" You heard a woman's voice through the phone.

Wait.

"Woah, Midge!? You called me! I was beginning to think you had blown me off!" You straightened up excitedly, taking the lollipop out of your mouth.

"No, never! Who in their right mind would blow you off! I mean, unless we're talking about different blowing- oh wait! I forgot, you don't have a penis so there's nothing to blow on is there? Ah shit, that was a good one too." You heard her say.

You practically snorted into the phone.

"Wow you're funny, you should take up comedy sometime." You joked.

"Wow really!? Thank you so much for the suggestion! Maybe I will..." Midge said thoughtfully.

The two of you chuckled before you fell into a warm silence.

"So... What made you call back?" You spoke up curiously.

"I missed you. I want to see you again." She replied simply, causing your heart to speed up.

"Yeah?" You breathed out with a smile.

"Yes." You could practically hear the smile in her voice.

"Well then, where shall we meet?" You asked, putting the lollipop back into your mouth as you waited for her response.

"Hmmm... How boouuut..." She thought for a while.

"Ah! There's this small diner in the West Village..." Midge started.

"Mhm," you said, still sucking on the lollipop.

"It's called the City Spoon, you know it?" She asked.

You took the lollipop out of your mouth as you thought for a moment.

"Hmm, yeah actually, I'm pretty sure I know it." You said, vaguely remembering going into the place one or two times.

"Alright, perfect! Then it's settled. It's a date!" Midge announced excitedly.

"Oh, so it is a date?" You smirked.

"Yes, yes it is." Midge said matter-of-factly.

"Okay then. What do you think about next Monday?" You asked.

"Next Friday is perfect." Midge confirmed.

“Oop okay then, I guess next Friday is perfect" You chuckled

“Oh wait sorry, did you say Monday?” She backtracked.

“No no, Friday is great!” You reassured her.

“You sure?” She asked uncertainly.

“Yes I’m sure” You smiled

“Okay then, perfect. I will see you on Friday.” You heard a smile in her voice.

"Alright, well I can't wait to see you then." You said shyly, looking down at the lollipop In your hand.

"Has anyone ever told you, your voice sounds hot over the phone?" Midge said with a lower voice.

Your eyes widened and you dropped the lollipop in your hand.

"Ah fuck!" You shouted as it fell to the floor.

"Jesus, was it that bad?" Midge joked through the phone.

"Ah no, no! I just dropped the lollipop I was having." You sighed and chuckled.

"Oh, so it was a good 'ah fuck!'. Also, did you just say a lollipop??" Midge asked.

You pictured her with a confused face on, eyebrows furrowed, causing you to giggle because she looked adorable in your mind.

"Yes, I was eating a lollipop just now, I know it's childish, but it tastes good!" You defended yourself, shrugging your shoulders after picking up the lollipop and throwing it out.

"Hey, I'm not judging!" Midge claimed.

"Right..." You smiled.

"I wasn't! But hey, I'm sorry I gotta go. I really want to stay and talk more, but Susie is making weird, slightly sexual hand gestures at me... What? You fingered a pigeon?" Midge sounded confused.

"I'm not even gonna ask..." You laughed.

"Ah, she's yelling at me, I'll see you next Friday?" Midge asked hopefully.

"Next Friday." You confirmed with a smile.

"Great! Bye!" She said happily.

"Bye Midge." You said, before you placed your phone back on the receiver.

You shut your eyes tight and pumped your hands in the air, jumping up and down with excitement.

~~~time skip to next Friday~~~

You looked up at the sign above the diner.

Yup, this was it.

You took a deep breath in before opening the door and walking in.

"Y/n, over here!" Midge waved at you with a big smile on her face.

You smiled as well, making your way over to the table she sat at and sitting down yourself after removing your coat and hanging it on the back of your chair.

"I'm so glad you made it." Midge said with relief.

"Yeah, me too," you nodded.

"Sooo what do you recommend?" You asked her after picking up a menu the waitress had left on the table for you.

"I mean, it is around breakfast time, so I would recommend the pancakes. They are amazing!" Midge raved.

"Alright then, I'll take your word for it!" You shrugged with a smile.

"Great! You won't regret it" Midge said excitedly before flagging down the waitress.

"Two orders of pancakes for us please." Midge said, handing her the menus.

The waitress smiled and nodded before writing the order down and going to give it to the chef.

"So, you come here often?" You asked Midge looking around the pretty small diner.

"Actually yeah. I used to come here a lot with my ex-husband. We actually came here right after our wedding." Midge said more quietly, with a wistful smile.

"Oh, I'm-" you started, your smile falling.

"No, no it's okay! I missed the old place. I haven't been in a while since the divorce, other than coming here with Joel once in a while to talk about the kids and stuff." She brushed it off.

"I picked this place because I love it, and hey, why not make new amazing memories here." She smiled warmly at you.

Your smile returned, and after a beat of silence, she spoke up again.

"What about you? You got a special spot as well?" She inquired curiously.

"I mean, yeah I did. I used to have a... partner, as well, not married or anything, but we were together for a while" you started saying, Midge hanging on to every word you spoke.

"We had this cute little spot down in Greenwich Village. We used to love going there." You smiled fondly at the memory.

"Well, what happened? Why'd you stop going?" Midge asked.

Your smile was replaced with a frown.

"Well, one day some people decided to tell us off. They didn't appreciate people like us..." You said, hinting to Midge at what you were saying.

Midge frowned and moved to put her hand over yours on the table.

"It's okay though, I still go there myself sometimes. I don't think anyone who works there remembers me." You chuckled.

"We could make our own spot. A new spot." Midge squeezed your hand, looking deep into your eyes.

"Yeah, I'd like that." You smiled.

She smiled softly as well before the waitress came back with your food.

"Here you guys go, enjoy!" She nodded at the two of you before going off to help another person.

"Alright, here we go!" Midge exclaimed excitedly once again.

She grabbed the syrup and started drizzling it over her pancakes.

Your mouth was practically salivating as you looked at your food.

You put some butter on it and watched it melt a bit before Midge handed you the syrup.

You repeated her action before placing the syrup back down.

"Alright, let's dig in." Midge said, grabbing her fork and knife and cutting into her pancakes.

You did the same and brought a piece of pancake to your mouth before placing it in and chewing slowly. Midge watched you intently, waiting to see your reaction.

Your eyes lit up, causing midge's to widen as she raised her eyebrows.

You swallowed before speaking.

"This is amazing!" You burst out.

"Yes! A success!" Midge pumped her hand in the air after placing her fork down.

The two of you chuckled before starting to eat the rest of your food.

You talked in between bites, getting to know each other slowly.

When the two of you were done you got up, leaving your money on the table. You made sure Midge didn't pay, claiming it was your treat.

After some resistance she let you pay for it and the two of you grabbed your coats, putting them on before walking outside into the cool city air.

"Blegh, I'm stuffed." You said holding your stomach.

"I know, me too. Those things are heavy! I might not fit into this dress anymore," Midge exclaimed, causing you to chuckle.

"I usually have eggs and bacon but I thought I'd switch it up." She continued.

You smiled before speaking up,

"So...." You said into the air, not looking at her.

"So?" She asked curiously.

You sighed, suddenly feeling nervous.

Midge frowned,

"Hey, what's going on in that pretty head of yours?" She asked, holding onto your arm.

"I really like you, Midge." You said sincerely, looking into her eyes as the two of you stopped walking.

Midge stepped in front of you.

"And that's a bad thing?" she smiled lopsidedly.

"No, no! It's just..." You sighed once again.

"Hey, it's alright, you can tell me." Midge grabbed both of your hands into hers.

"I don't want to be hurt again. After what happened, the thing I told you, at the spot in Greenwich Village, my ex, she...she left me. She wasn't willing to go through 'the struggles of being with me in public' anymore," you rolled your eyes, making air quotes.

"She left me after that night. She left me, and went off and got married to some...Man." You looked away, the pain in your chest twisting your stomach and making your heart ache.

"Oh, baby... I'm so sorry" Midge said, putting a hand on your face and making you look back into her eyes.

You smiled, a warm flicker sparking in your heart at the pet name.

Tears started to form in your eyes and Midge stroked her thumb along your cheek.

"I promise, I will never hurt you like that." She said firmly.

You leaned into her hand and put your hand over hers.

"I won't leave you, and if anyone decides to fuck with us, I will go to jail defending you." She furrowed her brows seriously.

You laughed, causing a smile to return to her face.

"There's that gorgeous laugh I love." She said softly before pulling you in for a small kiss.

You giggled after pulling away.

"Hey, it's still morning!" You said hushedly.

"So? Like I said, I'll kick anyone's ass if they fuck with us." She said, stepping back and flexing her muscles.

"Oh, you tiny, dangerous thing" You said fondly.

"I am very dangerous, don't doubt it!" She said pointedly.

"Oh, I don't." You both laughed as she grabbed your arm, and the two of you started walking down the street again.

[cromcrux]

Pitch's Center

"Come to gloat, have you?" Pitch's voice sounded small, despite the intimidating echo.

"No," Jack couldn't see him, but he hadn't expected to.

"All the teeth have been returned, and I don't have yours anyway."

"I know. You left them with me on the mountain," Jack smirked. "With my crook."

"Ah, yes. I really didn't think you could put it back together. Stupid of me, I should have cast it into the dark of the ocean."

"You might have reigned longer that way," Jack agreed. He painted little snowflakes with the end of his hook as he walked lazily around the maze like stairs. They accommodated him, despite their dizzying nature.

"Why /are/ you here?" Pitch asked finally, his shadow cast tall against the wall behind Jack.

Jack ignored it. "You know, before I became a guardian, they looked at me the same way. Mostly a nuisance they could ignore anywhere it wasn't winter. Not that I really caused any trouble for Tooth or North." He crested the top of one narrow stairwell. "Wasn't until you came back that they gave me any serious thought."

The shadow turned, Pitch's voice dripped with contempt as it faded out. "How wonderful for you."

Jack sat at the top of the stairs, letting his feet dangle over the end, letting the frost burst out like glitter in the dim space. "I didn't even know I had a center before that. But you're older than me, right? Older than Tooth or Bunny. Maybe older than North?"

Pitch's shadow stilled suddenly.

"So I gotta wonder, if we're all made by the Man in the Moon, he must have made you too. Which means," Jack's icy eyes didn't lock on the shadow but did turn to a dark spot behind him. "What's your center Boogey?"

Pitch emerged to meet Jack's gaze, his own eyes flickered gold before returning to the monochromatic usual. "Fear. Obviously."

Jack nodded and made an acknowledging gesture with his shoulders. "Well sure, that's what you tell everyone else and maybe what You've told yourself for a long time but," Jack lifted himself with a cool shaft of air and turned to face Pitch, leaning casually on his crook. "What does that mean?"

Pitch hardly had the time to wipe the look of shock from his face before Jack was almost directly under his nose.

"See, my center is fun. But it's the fun you have when you're in danger. The fun that lets you ignore that danger until you're safe again." He gave Pitch a sly grin, ice dancing in his irises. "What is your fear for?"

Pitch was too startled to speak.

Jack kept leapt back, precariously perched on the edge of the stairs. "Think about it, we might need you too one day " then he tipped back and was gone over the edge.

Pitch rushed to see where he had fallen, but Jack was gone. He closed his eyes, looking through his many shadows. Wherever Jack had gone, it was too bright to see him. "What is my fear for...?" He gazed up at the maze of his domain, then back to where Jack had been. "Even if you need me Jack, the other guardians would never agree." He slipped back into his shadows.

[dark--whisperings]

Fic Tag Game

Tagged by the lovely @mischievouschan4 & @wibzenadarksiderwithasoftheart! 💖✨

How many works do you have on ao3?

Thirteen!!

2. What's your Ao3 word count?

101,352. And almost all of that has been in 2023!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, only Star Wars! In the past, I've written for Transformers as well, but I wasn't as dedicated to writing for that fandom as I am Star Wars. I actually started out in fandom as a beta reader and an artist; writing is pretty new to me!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

the way you say my name - 332 kudos

Those Eyes Like Fire - 205 kudos

Falling Deep Into You - 167 kudos

out of our hands - 143 kudos

Suffocate Me (I'm Still Breathing) - 131 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments?

Always! I adore all of my readers and love a good joint flail in a comment thread!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Falling Deep Into You. Let me tell you... the boys have it BAD in this one, but we do love their inability to communicate. This is the first part of a three part series. The second part (Falling For Your Body and Soul) also has an angsty ending, but things are slowly starting to resolve in this installment. There will be a third (and final part), but I haven't started working on it yet!

7. What's the fic your write with the happiest ending?

That would be out of our hands. This one starts out angsty as fuck, but resolves into the most tooth rotting, disgustingly soft fluff I've ever written. Close second would be Those Eyes Like Fire, which is mostly snark with a side of fluff.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not so far! Though I have had hateful comments on my art in the past, and it's never fun to deal with. Fuck the haters!

9. Do you write smut? What kind?

Do I write smut... *checks AO3*. Yep, everything I write is smut. 🤣🤣🤣 I do lean towards more kink-focused/taboo smut. You know what they say... write the things that you would want to read as a reader!

10. Do you write cross-overs?

Not so far, and not sure I could do it justice!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet, but if anyone would like to... feel free to drop me a dm! 👀

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

I have! Unfortunately, it's no longer posted, but it was a lovely experience that I would do again in a heartbeat. ALSO planning to cowrite one with @mischievouschan4 in the new year. 💖

14. What's your all time favourite ship?

I have a few! Obikin, Kylux, Kalluzeb, and Snarry!

15. What's your WIP you like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I actually don't have one of these! I only have two WIPs at the moment... one of which I'm about to post the final chapter to (Suffocate Me (I'm Still Breathing)). The other is a long fic that I've been picking away at for a while, but fully intend to finish.

16. What are your writing strength?

I like to think that I'm really good at conveying emotion and building tension with words. I've also been told by others that I'm excellent at figurative language.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm long-winded. Pretty sure I could get the point I'm trying to make across in a lot fewer words than I end up doing.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I actually LOVE reading fics with dialogue in another language! I'd love to do one myself, but I'm only somewhat passable in French, and I wouldn't want to post something in another language unless I was confident in my own ability.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Transformers... which also happens to be the first fandom that I was heavily involved in! 🤖

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

the way you bend, the way you break and Suffocate Me (I'm Still Breathing), hands down. Both of these drew on some very real personal vulnerabilities, and I feel like they more than adequately represent the piece of my life that they were intended to. I'm very proud to have put them out in the world.

---

No pressure tags: @tideswept, @innepttia, @anakinschmanakin, @ineffable-snowman, @tennessoui, @fishnamedsushi

[kinaesthetiqueer]

I CAN'T DECIDE SO I'LL ASK YOU

what was YOUR favorite part of that HUGE chapter?

*vibrates* uuuh oh fuck oh gods

to write or to read? for the payoff or for the future implications? planned or unplanned? hey get back here!!!!!

just kidding, you know I'm going to answer all of those

[chapter 19 spoilers below]

to write: weiss having that really gay thirsty moment @ yang. this toed the line between weiss being gay and weiss being a [vampire] but i think it was fun to play with the idea of repression and desire. definitely had some moments of being like damn this is gayer than i expected but still fun. the fight overall was fun to write but even moreso because i knew how the aftermath went. i was happy to write that first.

to read: i love weiss' emergency conversation with klein. i think her relationship with him is so interesting and when she needed to get away from the room, i had to think about what would she do? she was at a point where she needed to talk to someone. the idea of him having been someone she could go to on the DL and confide in feels right to me. i put waaaaay too much thought into a way for them to chat that skirted plausible deniability. as implied, weiss' everything is connected and monitored. more on that later

for the payoff: ashes to ashes to ashes! poor weiss, so fond of fine cuisine from the very beginning, no longer being able to taste anything she likes. someone pointed out in a comment that ive been leading up to that since the very beginning with the steak and lemon pie and that made me giggle so happily. food has been so important, one because i love cooking but also two because i knew where this was going the whole damn time

for the implications: the velvet/yatsu study sesh is me trying to find that natural rhythm that leads to velvet describing weiss as a close friend in after the fall. as im (un)healthily obsessed with the novels, i take a lot of vibes from them. there's a lot of future implications that i cannot fucking talk about with this scene, but it's fine. :)

planned: ugghhhhhh it's a toss up between the very beginning and the very end. the 'weiss doesn't know what to freak about about first' thru to 'tooth, that's a tooth, my tooth' and 'weiss screams herself awake' were some of the only pieces actually written when i finished 18. i love the cliffhanger a lot but i love weiss just waking up in absolute horror. ch 19 was a single page of those two bits and a few mini plot beats. which is why i thought it was gonna be short but lmao. longest chapter to date. I'd say weiss is trying fight nora for her queen of the castle status but they're gonna kiss [eventually], not fight.

unplanned: the fucking rage of weiss when she learned what jacques did. i did nooooot see that coming. that just spilled out of me. she was mad. i was mad. it just happened and it was a loose end that needed some closure. i wanted to hug her so bad because she's pissed but she's also aware it was a disproportionate response but also not but also scary. i want her to be mad about it

sorry this got cut abruptly bc i had to pay attention in class! but yeah, those are some of my favorites and that's definitely not all of them.

[m1st1x]

RUIN Theory! - Escape Plans

Spoilers for all of the RUIN dlc. Buckle up, I’m about to make a controversial theory that no one here will be happy about. …yay. You might’ve heard someone else mention the idea, but I am ready to try and sell it to you.

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Ok, I want you to hear me out. What if Security Breach never happened? The idea was first planted into my head by Matpat during on of the GTLive play throughs of RUIN, and since then, a few connections have been made. I just want to share what I think could make this theory make sense.

So first, I decided to look at the Glamrock’s shattered and ruined designs to compare, and I noticed a few little details. One is that Freddy still has the present. Now this could be because he’s the prototype, but I’m not going to immediately write it off because of that. Another thing that everyone noticed is Roxy’s face—it’s completely different, and it has those ports which I assumed are how the eyes attach (but even then, how would they rotate properly? It doesn’t really make sense). Thirdly, Monty didn’t have a sternum piece before RUIN. In Security Breach, there’s just a hole there. And, his tail wires are longer in RUIN, not to mention the fact that they’re bound with cable ties. Given how he acts, I don’t think he would have the insight to install one himself. He also wouldn’t be able to reach back there to tie all of those messy wires up, especially not with how good it looks. So unless someone came down there to fix some of them, I can’t see how they would end up like that. Chica doesn’t seem to have any discrepancies though—there’s nothing that was lost that she now has from what I can see. (Side note: I noticed Monty has a gold tooth, which reminded me of Foxy, specifically the Golden AR plush whose description was “I guess he replaced more than his teeth.” It just struck me as odd.)

Then I looked at and thought about the comic pages. They’re all in fairly random places, but the page with the Burntrap ending is down in one of the rooms with the burners. That’s odd, right? How would Gregory have gotten down there to drop it off? How would he have known about both Burntrap and the Blob? And why is that ending not shown as comic pages in Security Breach? (Who collected those pages and put them together?)

Then I had an idea. People pretty much agree that Vanessa is Vanny, and the theory that Gregory is GGY, or Dr. Rabbit, is out there even if we don’t have too much information to back it. This would mean both are under Glitchtrap’s control, or are at least on his side. What if Gregory (or the Crying Child, if you’ll accept that theory) drew those while being stuck in the Pizzaplex? Like the kind parts of him broke through, whether that be because of a spirit or not, and he sort of fantasized. I know it sounds like a stretch, but hold on. Kids fantasize, especially kids that are being abused. They make up scenarios where they do things that they aren’t able to do, and sometimes the ideas are put onto paper. I mean Gregory has got to have seen all the animatronics while he’s there, and he’s probably got the processing power to figure out how the animatronics would break when faced with certain factors, even if he wasn’t completely right or knowing of how they all looked underneath their suit. He’d also probably be pretty angry at the whole place, except maybe that one character that he really liked for whatever reason—Freddy. He would even know about the animatronic in the basement, which explains why he said that it was trapped down there for a long time and why he knew about the MXES security program. He could’ve even been partially behind it. He’s also probably seen the Blob and Burntrap during his time there, and I’d imagine he hates Burntrap more than most. He knows what he’s done, who he was made by, and/or what he was made for. He’d probably have some beef, so it would make sense why that ending would look better than the others. It’s the one he wants to happen the most. All the animatronics are shattered, the building collapses, and Burntrap dies.

I can hear the questions—but what about the bad endings? Why would Gregory fantasize about those? You have to remember, he’s not stupid (and is he’s a robot, he would be more logical anyways). He would know that Vanny would be sent to find him if he just ran, maybe it even happened once or twice already, and he would know the map of the building, so he’d know the best door to leave from. The Burntrap ending is the only one where we don’t see them actually leave, so they might’ve not even made it in that scenario. It is only that—a scenario. A stupid idea, but it could happen. And even if that isn’t the case, our minds go down bad paths all the time, even if we don’t want them to.

Maybe one of those comics was a plan to try and escape, but something else ultimately ended up happening. Vanessa is with him in the cutout/Brazil ending, so they could’ve escaped together. Maybe with the help of Helpy. It would probably be the most similar to the Princess Quest ending then, with Gregory helping Vanessa snap out of it. This theory would even make sense for why he dropped the elevator (you know, if he was the one who dropped it). “We can’t risk being followed,” he says. That could be talking about him, Vanessa, and/or Charlie/Elizabeth if they’re in the same body, and I understand why he would do anything—even sacrifice a friend—to not go back. To not be found again. The missing posters could’ve been put up by the one controlling (or trying to control) them, which would force them to stay in hiding, leaving Cassie wondering where he went. I’m not sure how they became friends in the first place, but my best guess is that Cassie visited the Plex often, Roxy says that he came for her birthday twice, and they met at some point.

For the Glamrock Freddy backpack near the MXES machine, I believe it’s Gregory’s. He might’ve dropped it on his haste to get out of there, or couldn’t come back to get it when the plan was in motion. And something I did find odd during the normal ending is that the speaker seems to cut out. It has a ringing sound to cut in, and that same noise occurs before Gregory says “it’s not your fault,” and drops the elevator. A popular theory is that it was that animatronic in the basement the whole time, which although I’m not completely with, I feel like it could have some plausibility.

EDIT: there’s “He was our superstar” in yellow graffiti in the beginning, which I feel could either be referencing Gregory, Glamrock Freddy, or even Glamrock Bonnie.

EDIT II: when you’re in the daycare attendant’s room in AR, you can see Roxy, Chica, and Monty in a playhouse, with Roxy being front and center. Sun and Moon sit on a table on opposite sides, kind of overlooking the scene. Moon looks a bit ostracized though, and Freddy is absent from what I’ve seen. The glitch Eclipse/Sun is on the ceiling. Could this be a notion to Freddy being not very liked by the other animatronics, or him not being under the glitch’s hold? It might explain why the prototype doesn’t even show up in AR mode.

EDIT III: I forgot to even mention Gregory’s attitude in the games. He HATES the animatronics, and I feel there’s less fear than there should be. He’s definitely scared for his life, but that isn’t really shown in his actions. He shatters all three without remorse, only caring about Freddy. Meanwhile, Cassie is nice and sympathetic towards them.

EDIT IV: I just realized that the backpack is next to a hole in the wall that Gregory could’ve definitely fit in.

EDIT V: Monty’s endo coloring. In the shattered design, his endo is all this dark grey color, but in the RUIN design, parts of it—namely his jaw and chest—are tan colored. It isn’t the right color for rust, and there aren’t any parts that color in the other animatronics. (You can see the jaw hinge in shattered Monty. It’s definitely that grey, not bronze.)

[dragonbanexxi]

Soul of Bronze; Blood of Fire

Not Canon Compliant!!!!!

Helaena Targaryen x OC Targaryen Royce

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The Heir of Runestone would often joke that he should be referred to as Rhaegar Stone. Seeing as his father (Prince Daemon Targaryen) had no want for him and his mother (Lady Rhea Royce) was long dead. All jokes end when he and Ser Gerold Royce are summoned to the capitol by none other than King Viserys the First of his Name. The King wanting nothing more than to bring his estranged nephew into the fold, Viserys offers Rhaegar his so called Targaryen Right. A betrothal to the Princess Helaena and the chance to claim a dragon. Will Rhaegar be able to claim such a beast? Even if his valyrian skills were lacking? Prince Aemond seems to think so. Though he’s mostly is just thrilled to finally have someone around who’s willing to be his friend. Also the court begins to notice that the Princess Helaena seems to have taken a liking to the new prince. Much to her mothers dismay, who’s fighting tooth and nail to have the girl be given to Aegon. Something neither sibling wanted. To Rhaegar everything was going smoothly until the news of Laena Velaryon death had dampen everything.

Chapter 6: Laena

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“Laenor has written” the beautiful woman says quietly as she sits next to her husband.

“Rhaenyra has delivered another son.” The Exiled Prince scoffs.

“Did your brother mention if this one also bears an unremarkable and coincidental resemblance to the commander of the City Watch?” The man saw his wife roll her eyes.

“He seems to have left that detail out.” She drawls.

The beauty’s expression softens “I miss my brother Daemon, as I think do you.”

Ever the sarcastic her husband responds with his classic snark “I miss Westerosi strong wine, it could be drowned on for a few hours of peaceful oblivion.”

Throwing out the last few sprinkles of wine from his goblet to the floor.

“Not like the shit they drink here” he gets up walking to get a view of the glimmering ocean, moon reflecting serenely.

Daemon heard his wife’s gentle footsteps behind him.

“Laenor mentioned something that might interest you.” Laena says in a weary tone that makes the prince nervous. Not that he’d openly show it.

The man turns and leans the on ledge. “Humor me dear.” His wife gave him an unsure look.

For all the seven and a half years of marriage with Daemon, the Velaryon Woman had never spoke of Daemon’s firstborn. Rhaegar Targaryen had always felt like a forgotten memory to her. Guilt had only began to eat away at her during this new pregnancy she was bearing. Even when she was pregnant with the twins, Laena never bothered to speak about the forgotten boy hidden in Runestone.

“Rhaegar Targaryen is in Kings Landing.”

The familiar expression of her husbands kind face was replaced with one he uses for the Rogue Prince. A million emotions fluttering in the mans indigo eyes, Laena couldn’t decipher.

“Laenor says that his grace King Viserys proposed a match between your son and his daughter. The Princess Helaena.”

The war in Daemons mind was no longer able to be hidden. His jaw clenching tightly, and his aquiline nose flaring in anger.

“HOW DARE HE!!!” The man roars while slamming his goblet on the floor. His breathing becoming erratic.

“HE IS MY SON!!”

Laena flinching at his outburst. Perhaps she has made a mistake in telling him about his firstborn. The Velaryon Woman put her slender hands on his shoulders to help calm him down making soft cooing noises.

“Viserys is always doing this Laena!” He hisses “To use my firstborn against me! My brother has sunk to a new low!”

His wife doesn’t know how to respond. Truthfully she had thought Daemon was just going to dismiss the news and act like he has always done when it came to the boy. Ignore his existence.

Guilt swarming in her belly as her baby moved in her womb. It was as if the baby was showing its disappointment to their mother. Making Laena feel worse.

She was no better than Daemon. Carrying on with her life with Daemon not caring if her stepson was being well taken care of. A boy who has suffered life for fourteen years with a dead mother and a deadbeat father. With no one to give the boy any parental affection.

By the Fourteen Flames she truly was a despicable woman.

“Laenor says the boy is faring well.” She begins once more.

“Rhaegar is apparently good at wielding a sword, stating that he has potential of being a strong knight.”

Daemon only hums as he’s taking in the information. Laena wonders what he’s thinking.

“I don’t know if I should tell you this last bit or not.” Seeing as how he reacted badly earlier on, this last bit would surely upset him even more.

“Just say it.” He spits out.

Laena hesitates but continues nonetheless.

“Rhaegar has petitioned to respectfully drop his last name Targaryen in favor of Royce, the king has yet to decide.”

A look of dejection crosses the insulted man’s face. He turns around to view the ocean once more.

“Do you never long for home?” She asks meekly.

“No”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Believe what you please.” He cuts her off.

“You’ve lore the virtues of Pentos but you have no interest in it. If you did, you would venture into the city but instead you spend your time here in the library, reading accounts of the same dead Dragonlords who’s legacy you claim has no hold on you.”

Daemon still doesn’t turn around but he responds with “I didn’t know I was being so closely observed.”

“You do not sleep” she cries out softly.

“Well how can I with you haunting my every move?” Still not facing her. He didn’t see the hurt in his lady wife’s eyes.

“Perhaps I have disappointed you. Perhaps I too am not the wife you would have wished for yourself.”

“Laena” he says softly.

“It does not pain me, I have made my peace.” She gets closer to him. Caressing his shoulder.

“But you are more than this Daemon, the man I married is more than this.” She kisses his clothed shoulder.

“Write to Rhaegar dear. A boy needs his father.”

The Rogue Prince only scoffs as he walks away. Leaving Laena alone in the moonlight.

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