#(in a cool invited way not a panicky one)

[bunnibabygirl]

What’s your all time biggest turn on?

idk man I’m asexual so I don’t experience those in the same way allo people do, and it also changes a lot. When I was younger the predator/prey kink went HARD (which I totally blame Doctor Who for), and that eventually turned forest-specific, and later I went through phases of primarily being into bondage or somno or free use or cnc and so on. But because I don’t really experience sexual attraction it was the kinks/scenarios themselves I was interested in.

If you specifically mean in people I tend to find other plus size femmes with cool eyeliner and styles most attractive (aesthetically), and most of my romantic situations have been with guys who are either at least a little bit queer (I could spot a questioning “bi-curious” dude a mile away in high school) or were autistic (like me in hindsight shockingly to everyone gasps from the crowd who could’ve known).

It’s ALSO hard to answer because I’m omnisexual and feel every kind of attraction differently based on the gender & presentation of the person- the biggest things I like in women are very different from in enbies or in men for example. Honestly the biggest thing coming to mind would be music taste- meeting someone who’s just as into Nine Inch Nails as me for example? instant attraction. That’s the other thing though is not only do I not feel sexual attraction for asexual (and let’s be honest autistic) reasons, I also don’t feel a ton of difference between romantic and platonic relationships (definitely for autistic reasons). Either way I care about the person deeply, and being polyamorous I’d ideally like to surround myself with people that close to me regardless of what kind of relationship we have. I would entertain a romantic relationship with anyone, it’s not something exclusive to me or full of prerequisite attraction. My love is rare but not hard to win.

aaaaaand anyway since I’m a lil ramblyrambler and anon probably wasn’t trying to ask about any of this, I guess I default to my original answer of idk man. This blog has certainly documented some phases over the last 3 years and not everything on it still appeals to me in the same way if at all, but with the majority of my kinks being trauma informed if not altogether founded they’ve generally stayed thematically consistent. (Not to broadly pathologize kink but in my personal case I can directly trace almost all of them to ✨sources✨)

Here you go though here’s your short totally focused response that clearly and concisely answers your question have fun with that ☺️

[floshav]

Friday night and i'm all alone.

Sirius black x fem!reader

modern au

word count: 4k+

warnings: eventual smut, handsy Sirius, sexual tension, nerd reader, underage, drinking, smoking, virgin, first time, fingering, neck kisses, eating reader out, doing this near friends, taking advantage, reader gets drunk, Sirius is aware.

summary: y/n's book and cup of coffee isn't enough to keep her satisfied tonight. There's an itching bite of loneliness that crawls up her back, one that yearns for someone to just be in her presence. So she finally decides to accept the invitation James had sent the friend group a while back to crash at his place this Friday in hopes Sirius would be there. Things get weird between her and Sirius when she arrives. Alcohol is involved, panties are off and there's a bunch of teenage angst roaming the air tonight, everything which should've rung alarms in her head but with Sirius all over her, how could she complain?

The muffled sound of rain, the random channel that was playing on the telly, probably a sitcom with the amount of fake crowd laughs there were. A book in her hand and a cup of warm coffee. The night should've been set perfect for y/n. Her mom was even out of the flat tonight. So she was left all alone in the London flat she'd called home. Away from hogwarts for Christmas meant not seeing her friends for a couple of months which she was usually fine with, ecstatic about even. But this evening was static and lonely. Not the type of comfortable alone time you'd beg to have every now and then, but this empty feeling growing bigger and bigger by every moment another fake crowd laugh was being dispersed on the television screen. She felt her usual self which would just get lost in the book she was reading, become unfocused and panicky. Why did she feel like she had to talk to someone? Touch someone, just contact with anyone. Hell.

The low buzz of her phone shook her out of her depressing thoughts with the notification reading,

James (douchebag):

gathering my place tonight? 11pm good? Bring your own alcohol

Oh shit. Was this real? Had James really invited her over to his house? This was the first time she'd received an invitation from James due to him not really trusting her ever since she joined the friend group, despite the rest of them convincing him y/n was trustable and safe. So she jumped with glee (as much as one could on a sofa with a cup of coffee in their hands.)

The time was 9pm, and the rain had simmered down to a mere drizzle. The pitter patter of the drops still evident outside making the atmosphere fuzzy and warm. An hour had passed since the text and Y/n had been contemplating whether or not she should attend his house party because she was a hundred percent sure quite a few people she didn't know were going to be there. However the thought of Sirius possibly being there overtook her mind. Would he finally notice her as cool if she went? Would he even be there?

She sighed before making her way to the vanity that sat dull and dusty in her room. The lack of makeup she owned was embarrassing to say the least, so she gathered whatever makeup was left unexpired or even intact and wiped the dust off the mirror with the sleeve of her sweater. She looked dead straight into her own soul wondering why she was making such a big deal out of going to a party, was she really that lame? Why did one of her eyes seem wonky or why was her nose not pretty enough. She quickly dismissed those thoughts by slapping her face with both her hands waking her up from whatever dark thoughts that came in.

"Okay. It's gonna be okay, you look fine. Right?" Y/n grimaced at her own words and quickly applied a layer of gloss to distract herself. She did her makeup naturally with heavy mascara just enough that it would probably smudge underneath her eyes, a soft layer of eyeliner accentuating the inner and outer corners of her eyes, concealer to cover up her dark circles and a soft hint of cherry lip balm caressing the buds of her lips finishing her look.

She'd decided to wear something she was comfortable with to the party and looked in the vanity one last time. "Alright. Alright... Hey Sirius. How are ya? Did you hear about longbottom getting a nasty snake bite during quidditch the other day? I mean crazzzy right. Ugh." She frowned at her attempt to whizz up a convo between her and Sirius "Sooo... parties am i right? Fuck this." Y/n sighed before texting her mom to let her know she'd be out for the night.

mom aka top G : Finally you're getting your bottom out the house!

She rolled her eyes at the reply.

The time was now 11:15pm and y/n was positively running late. She'd been ready for around 30 minutes now but was stalling due to nerves. She wondered if she should've gotten all dressed up after all. Maybe she should've just stayed home. It wasn't too late, not like she was stood right in front of James' parents front door.. Oh right, she was.

So she took in a deep much needed breath of the crisp air before removing her hands out of the pockets of her black puffer jacket proceeding to knock once. No answer. So she knocked twice for good measure. She could feel her nose get redder by the minute as she stood outside like an idiot in the painfully cold London air, so she knocked again this time the hardest she could, clearly transferring a bit of annoyance into the knock too.

"James?" y/n yelled

"Lily?" she yelled again

A light shadow grazed past the curtains too blurred to be visualised.

finally her face was greeted with the warmth of the inside of the house.

"Y/n! You made it! I'm so sorry i didn't open the door earlier, Sirius spotted you from the window just recently." Lily said with a sweet smile on her face. She was dressed sweet and softly , wearing a mini dress that was white and innocent yet hugged her curves perfectly, her hair was tied into a messy bun and she wore a silver heart necklace that adorned her neck beautifully, y/n was sure james gifted her that, a long with a small failed covered hickey that sat right below her ear.

"No no, it's okay Lils, I love being stranded in the cold."

"Oh shut up." Lily chuckled whilst grabbing y/n by her shoulders and pushing her into the warm home.

As she entered, the sound of soft rock was being played in the background, surprisingly not too loud. The house reeked of alcohol, something vodka and maybe a few fruity notes too, the place was filled with teenagers chatting and dancing, some even smoking. She wasn't going to lie, this was the coolest she's felt in a while, being surrounded by cool looking people. There were several familiar faces and some unknown but sure she'd seen before. She was quickly brought back to the present as she heard a voice call out for Lily.

"Lily flower, who was at the door?" Called the rowdy sounding James from an unbeknownst direction.

This was good y/n thought. Wherever James was, Sirius was probably at too.

"Only the life of the party!"

"Lils don't say that!"

"Shhh it's for comedic effect."

Y/n followed Lily around like a lost puppy dog, feeling a bit insecure at what she was wearing. All the other girls who were there were dressed normally and sexily just like one should when invited to a bloody James Potter party.

"Ah! There's my favourite little nerd!" James yelled, clearly drunk whilst swinging both his arms around y/n's shoulders carelessly.

"Don't call her that." Remus spoke softly from an armchair he'd been reading a book in whilst sipping on something alcoholic probably.

"Why! I mean its true isn't it? You little little... little nerdy nerdo" James teased before pincing y/n's nose a little too hard leaving a dust of red on the tip.

"Okay that's enough of you James." Lily sighed before attempting to drag him away from y/n having a mini arguement with him in the process.

"Right, sorry bout' James y/n. But i must say, i'm quite surprised to see you here, everything alright at home?" Remus joked with a softness that could melt any girls heart.

"Merlin Remus, just because i'm at a stupid party doesn't mean i've gone insane." Y/n rolled her eyes

"Pffft, but you sure look insane" Called the familiar voice of... Sirius fuck.

He sat prettily on the sofa that was diagonally across from Remus, arms swung lazily on the sides, one hand adorning a ciggarette whilst his hair was sat messily on his head, slightly in his eyes.

Did he get a haircut? Y/n thought to herself before admiring how his lashes were so long they pratically brushed his undereye or how his cheekbones and chin were so sharp they could practically cut her up.

"Hmm, Y/n?" Sirius called out with a quirk in his eyebrows

Y/n took in a shaky breath before letting it out slowly trying to compose herself.

"Yea?"

"I was just joking by the way, you look" he hessitated

"You look nice."

Did he think she was insulted by his earlier comment and was trying to make up for his behaviour by giving her a fake compliment?

Whatever.

"Thanks. You look nice too." Y/n gave him a tight smile before making her way to sit beside him on the sofa he was at.

"Sorry. Its just i never see you dress like this, took me off gaurd was all."

Dress like what?

"What d'you mean?"

"You know... the skirt and boots, why haven't you taken your jacket off?" Sirius trailed before taking another whiff of his cigarrette.

"Ciggs aren't good for you, you know?"

"Shit, really? Damn i thought they could cure depression!" Sirius faked a shocked look. "God, you're so infuriating."

"Aren't you hot?"

Y/n's face got red.

"Like from the jacket"

Oh. "N-no im fine." Y/n said as she felt her chest get stickier by the second.

The truth was, she didn't want to reveal what was underneath, because she knew he'd tease her for the lack of top she was wearing.

"Ugh, must i do everything for you?" Sirius said before placing his cigarette between his lips to give his hands freedom towards y/n. He zipped down the zipper before gently removing the material from her skin, struggling a bit due to the sweat that stuck to her like glue.

"Hm and here you were, saying you weren't hot."

The room was semi empty at this point, Remus walking out a few minutes ago to get another beverage whilst others were left either making out or just stoned out of their minds.

"Well, im not." Y/n stubbornly said before allowing Sirius to remove her jacket, nervous on his reaction towards her choice of clothing.

She wore a long sleveed black laced top, the neck cut low into a V which was just enough to reveal her chest. Several necklaces doing the job to attempt and cover the bare skin. It sat slightly cropped above waist, only showing a peek of her skin but just enought to get Sirius feeling hot.

He attempted to discreetly eye her outfit, before almost dropping the ciggarette that was dampened from being in his mouth for a bit.

"Well, wasn't so hard now was it." Sirius said before returning to his original position.

Y/n could sense the slight tension that was built from the contact of his lean hands on her skin, making her let out a breath she didn't know she was keeping.

"Why dont you take a whiff" Sirius asked whilst handing the ciggarette to her.

"Nah, i care about my lungs unlike certain people"

"Oh come on, get that stick out your ass, one whiff won't damage your fragile little lungs."

"I dont know Sirius-"

"Trust me, it won't sting."

"Fine."

"Here i'll do it for you."

Sirius carefully lifted y/n's chin placing the cigarette in between her lips.

"Now breath through your mouth"

"You're doing so well"

The sight made an impending erection grow in his pants, the sight of her mascara smudged and lip stick stained on the ciggarette was enough to turn him on. The way her eyes were filled with innocence while he was corrupting her.

Y/n coughed out the smoke before rubbing her lips with her fingers.

"That was awful!" she laughed with a sour expression

"Hey, atleast you can say you've smoked once in your life now." Sirius chuckled before resting his arms at the sides of his figure.

His erection had become painful at this point, the way the cutting of her shirt was low enough he could get a hint at her lacey bra. He needed to snap out of it, this was his friend for goodness sake.

By now, Remus had entered the room with a new drink in his hand and a couple of lipstick stains on his cheek.

"Remus getting bitches? Thats a new discovery" Sirius teased before running his fingers carelessly through his locks, taking another whiff out his cigarette effortlessly before blowing the smoke in y/n's face making her slap his thigh in annoyance. However, she didn't move her hand from his thigh.

She felt isolated and was in need of any kind of touch, so the warmth of his thigh surprised her more than it should've. She wished she could just take his hand right then and there to find some sort of comfort within him after all her time alone.

This sent waves of butterflies to his stomach. Suddenly the room turned into the sahara desert meanwhile turning his dick to brick. How could such simple touch make him weak to unsettling degrees.

He cleared his throat trying to compose himself before he just couldn't take her unintentionally teasing any further.

"Have you uhm" "Have you ever tried alcohol before?" Sirius inquired. The real question he would've asked if he wasn't such a pussy would be Have you ever had a one night stand before with a friend who clearly has feelings for you. The question was too direct but he desperately wanted to know. His dick aching at the contact so close to it.

Y/n shifted in her seat removing her hand from his thigh.

"Well.. dont laugh at me. But i haven't." y/n said as she went slightly pink at her unexperienced self.

"Hm, then lets start small shall we." Sirius said before getting up and giving a hand out for y/n to take.

"B-but Sirius i dont know if thats a good idea-"

"Oh be quiet" He laughed before rolling his eyes whilst grabbing both her wrists

He dragged her to the kitchen, his lean hand big in hers whilst he occasionally looked back to be met with a dissapointed looking y/n.

"Why the mad face pup?" Sirius said before lightly slapping her cheek as they arrived in the kitchen, something david bowie playing in the background now.

The nickname made y/n impendingly wetter than she already was at how much attention Sirius was giving her.

"C'mon, try this." Sirius said as he poured her a cup of an unknown beverage and handed it to her. The smell was familiar and pungent. Not something y/n would normally reach for, but chugged it down anyway.

The sight was unholy, the way the booze dribbled down her chin making a mess on her necklaces and chest sending a small twitch through sirius' boxers. After she was done chugging, her lipstick was smudged slightly below her lip and her mascara a bit runny due to the sting the alcohol gave her. Sirius just couldn't help but brush the front of his jeans to provide some kind of relief for his throbbing cock.

"Here, you got a lil' something under your mouth" Sirius used as an excuse to approach her up close whilst lightly rubbing his thumb below her parted lips, wiping the smudged lipstick away. Her eyes were glassy and her cheeks were red as she looked into his eyes. He tried to avoid eye contact because any more of it and he'd be a leaking mess.

"How bout' you Sirius?" Y/n hiccuped before swallowing hard

"Me? what about me?"

"You're not gonna take a shot?"

"Well.... Fuck it." He said as he watched her pretty eyes before chugging down a random glass filled with vodka, the sting making his throat cry for help.

Y/n had gone surprisingly giggly even after just one shot of something alcoholic which she didnt really know what it was, and this made Sirius think dark thoughts.

No i shouldn't take advantage of her. Fuck.

"We should play truth or dare!" Y/n yelled out hazily as she started rocking sirius' shoulders back and forth with force, as if he wasn't this intimidating figure she once saw but now a tiny teddy bear.

"Woahoho, calm down there pup." Sirius said as he steadied himself on her shoulders.

They were now inches apart eyes both glassy and filled with lust and tension that had been ignored.

"Truth or.... dare" Y/n said as she blinked slowly slightly slurring her words, lips curling slowly

How could such little alcohol have such a dire effect on her? Sirius thought to himself.

"Dare." Sirius said dead straight into her soul moving his hands further down to her waist.

"Ok" She breathed shakily "I dare you to tell Cara Sparklepants that you like her."

"Oh come on y/n what kind of dare is that." Sirius said annoyed as he removed his hands from her waist putting them on either side of his hips

"Well you chose it! So you have to do it now." Y/n said childishly as she threw her arms in the air carelessly

"Ok fine."

Sirius slowly approached Cara eyeing Y/n angrily as he did so.

"Hey Cara..."

A flustered Cara appeared as the conversation furthered making y/n wonder if Cara was the one with a crush on Sirius. Seemed like every damn girl in that school liked the boy.

An annoyed sirius returned with a middle finger in hand.

"Great now a random girl thinks i like her."

"Great job siri!" Y/n giggled before stumbling a little bit

"Hey, you alright? Your alcohol sensitivity's really fucking high." Sirius said concerned as he slung one of her arms over his shoulders.

*Hiccup* "What makes you think i ain't!" *hiccup*

"Yeap you're definitely not alright." Sirius concluded as he began to drag her body up to James' bedroom.

"Wait! You haven't even given me a truth or dare yet!" Y/n acclaimed as she pouted giving Sirius puppy eyes. This evidently made Sirius break in his pants, feeling a patch of wetness spur around his boxers.

"Ok fine, truth or dare y/n." Sirius said as he lead her into the bedroom that had been left unoccupied, couples making out either outside the door or by the bathroom.

"Dare." Y/n said devilishly as she dragged a finger down his chest all the way to the buckle of his belt lifting it swiftly, the alcohol taking over her system.

Sirius breathed shakily trying to conceal himself.

"I dare you...." He hesitated but continued knowing she wasn't sober. "I dare you to hide your panties somewhere in this room.. and i'll find it." Sirius said hesitantly as he began to eye her up and down. By now she'd been spread out on the bed clearly dazed and oblivious to what was happening.

"Hmmmph. Okay" Y/n said as she slowly removed her dampened panties. The sight made something ignite within Sirius, the shine of her underwear, had she been turned on this whole time too?

"Well close your eyes you doof" Y/n said whilst getting up from the bed

"Yea" Sirius breathed

Y/n had carefully placed her panties in her bra. Careful not to let the low cut of her shirt to reveal the material. She grinned cheekily before tapping sirius on the back.

"I'm done"

"Now where could they be" Sirius wondered whilst wandering the room.

It took him a solid 5 minutes before he realised a lacey material poking out the edge of her bra.

"Oh you little bastard."

"Hm?" Y/n asked with fake innocence

Sirius walked over to y/n with both his hands in his pockets carefully eyeing her in the process.

"May i?"

Y/n nodded before he slowly pulled the wet material from her bra, swinging it in front of her face.

"Well.. you didn't specify where i couldn't hide it." Y/n smiled before sitting at the edge of the bed

Sirius was beside her when she said "Do you like me Sirius?"

"I" "I- Of course i do." Sirius chuckled nervously before sitting beside her at the foot of the bed

"No as in." She breathed "As in do you like me as more than a... a friend." She said before her face turned pink in embarrassment.

"What do you think?" He said slowly whilst inching his hand closer to her thigh.

"I think you do." Y/n said as she eyed the evident bulge in his pants from all the unintentional teasing.

Fuck, sirius thought to himself

"I think you do too." He said whilst giving her dampened panties back to her.

"I forgot you had those." She chuckled before shoving it into her pocket.

"Not gonna put them back on?"

"No. This dare requires them to be off."

Sirius felt his stomach drop at the words. Cock twitching at the same time.

"I dare you......" "to show me how much you like me" Y/n said quietly as she took his lean long fingers in hers whilst guiding them towards her thighs.

"You sure about this?"

"Yes."

At that, sirius quickly took charge leaning in to kiss her softly.

She whimpered at the contact making his already rock hard erection even harder than it possibly could be.

He swiftly moved his hand up her thigh and under her skirt looking at her again for approval before she nodded with parted lips.

"Have you ever been fingered before?" Sirius asked with eye contact as he made his way to her inner thighs.

"N-no" y/n said whilst trying to compose herself under his touch, mouth already parted whilst soft pants were released

Sirius rubbed her inner thigh slowly before finding his way to her slick.

"Well i'm gonna show you how good i can make you feel." He said as he kissed her inner thigh

"Fuck you're so wet." He breathed shakily before spreading her folds slowly with his fingers.

Y/n let out an unholy moan, making sirius weaker in his knees.

He slowly slid one finger in and hissed at how tight she wrapped around him.

"You're so fucking tight." Sirius said as he pumped into her slowly. The sounds of wetness pooled around the room as he continued to finger fuck her, easily sliding in and out

He quickly removed his finger before signalling for her to move further up the bed. Sirius was now placed in between her thighs, mouth close to her cunt and hair in his eyes.

She quickly grabbed onto his locks making him release a low moan. He inserted his fingers back into her cunt this time making it two, while his thumbs slowly and painfully circled her clit.

"Fuck sirius, please." Y/n whimpered, eyes glassy at the arousal he was causing her.

"Please what?" He asked whilst looking her in her eyes, her thighs practically wrapped around his head.

"P-please"

"You're gonna have to use your words pup"

"Please g-go faster"

"Good girl." He said before removing his fingers causing her to whine loud. He quickly removed her pain by spreading her legs wider than they already were, before licking a wet stripe all the way up to her clit. Making her head lull back in pleasure.

"Fuck!"

"You taste so fucking good y/n." He said as he licked her clit in circles slowly rubbing the sides of her thighs. Her wetness was spread all over his chin and nose. The sight was enough to push y/n over her edge. The way his hair was slightly in his eyes, him keeping the eye contact as he went down on her making sure she was feeling good.

"You gonna come for me?" He asked as he made his kitten licks more intense

"Y-yes."

She screamed as a sudden finger was inserted into her pussy driving her over the edge, causing her to come all over his fingers and mouth.

"You taste amazing." Sirius said whilst licking her clean before he got up to caress her face.

"T-thank you Sirius." Y/n said shyly as she attempted to avoid eye contact.

"Hey beautiful"

"Look at me." Sirius demanded before holding her face in his hands.

"I hope i showed you how much i like you."

-------------------------------

guys i'm sorry this smut is so bad😭

[meowww-ffxiv]

Post 6.4 MSQ

.

Estinien was already in their chambers by the time Liios arrived.

The sight of that familiar, muscular, bare back turned to him in the living room gave Liios pause when he opened the door. He quickly stepped through and closed it behind him, just in time for Estinien to throw a smirk over his shoulder.

"And you're the one who always insist on knocking," he said, though his tone was airy.

"I thought you'd be kept longer with Zero," Liios replied.

He had tried to keep the same tone, but the way Estinien turned fully to face him made him think the attempt was unsuccessful. For a moment, the muscles in Liios's face strained against reflex. His whole body wanted-- it wanted to obey its defense mechanism. It wanted to smile, shrug, swing the arms about to distract those scrutinizing with gestures and movements and hide the tension in his shoulders that Ptolemy had always told him was an easy tell when he was stressed.

It wanted to pretend. It wanted to defend itself and the fragile thing known as Liios it shielded with its cloak of flesh and sinew.

But Estinien's expression was an invitation, not a threat. His gray eyes peered, but they did not cut.

Liios held himself stiffly for a moment, caught between the awareness of his bad habit and all the animal, adrenaline-addled instincts of prey-predator...

...and then forced himself to let it all go with a sigh.

Liios made his way to the long divan Estinien occupied, and after another moment of indecision sat down. The cushions sank pitifully under the rattling weight of his combat clothes and all the gadgets attached.

"Can you help me?" Liios asked, tugging at the buckle that held his pauldron to his arm.

Estinien inclined his head in understanding, gaze softening to something Liios could bear without feeling panicky. He reached for Liios's hand on the buckle, cool fingers brushing his gloved ones in silent affirmation, and with an invisible but all-consuming amount of relief, Liios let go.

Silence turned comfortable between them after, as it always did. Estinien undid the belts and buckles fastening Liios's light but secure armor with the practiced efficiency of an expert. Piece by piece steel and hardened leather were removed, until Estinien at last tugged on Liios's neck guard, and divested him of all but the thinnest layer of under-armor.

Estinien had no shirt on and his pants were loose and flimsy, and the night was balmy, but it was Liios who sat tense like a metal spring. His eyes were trained on the low table next to the divan. They had been since he sat down. He was aware of this. Aware, also, of how his shoulder and back muscles ached and stung with the sheer tension in them, but it was impossible to tell them to relax.

It wasn't always like this, after a fight. Sitting here, having to acknowledge every sinew pulled taut. And it wasn't as simple as getting old, though Liios felt more and more the frailty of his mortal flesh for all that it had borne him through some impossible skirmishes. There were times when he'd carry all this tension to bed no problem, wake with it no problem, go about his days not minding it because he knew he couldn't do anything about it.

But now... Now it was...harder. Liios didn't know why. Perhaps he should curse the strange twists and turns of recent months. The latest victories had allowed him to relax, and now that losses piled bitterly onto the sweetness, the return to tension wasn't going so smoothly.

A large, calloused hand closed around the back of his neck. Estinien's fingers curled loosely around the slender column of Liios's throat. He could snap it if he wanted, all too easily. Liios had seen firsthand the sheer strength in those digits. He didn't.

Instead he pulled Liios to him, who went half-willingly and wholeheartedly weary, until Liios's face was pressed to the hollow of Estinien's throat.

His skin was warm and damp from a recent shower, smelling of the rosewater Vrtra's house staff was fond of treating their guests to. That they managed to wrangle Estinien into liking it was nothing short of a miracle itself. Liios breathed it in, then out, shakier than he would have permitted anyone else.

Those calloused fingers played with a strand of his hair. Liios's long ears twitched, and Estinien turned away to sneeze.

"Sorry." Liios pressed them back, away from his companion's face. There was a joke in here somewhere about Estinien's supposed allergy to rabbit fur, and how Liios would get offended about being compared to a rabbit just because he was a Viera but his hair was...rather like rabbit fur...but neither of them pursued it for the moment.

Estinien didn't deign to acknowledge the apology either, which was what he usually did when he thought it was unnecessary. Instead, he pressed his lips to Liios's forehead and muttered, "What puts you ill at ease?"

Straight to the heart of the matter, as always. Liios closed his eyes and sighed through his nose, but permitted it -- permitted all this; Estinien's directness and all the soft flesh and blood of Liios's body his words were cutting into -- by snuggling closer. He ran his nose along the column of Estinien's throat, then along the handsome line of his jaw.

"I," Liios began.

He could muster nothing else.

His head buzzed. The logical faculties processed and cataloged the incredible, volatile information he had been fed since Y'shtola hatched her plan of using the moon to enter the Void. The smaller and mortal part of it trembled in fear, overwhelmed, as it always did on the cusp of star-scale catastrophes. They clashed, like different lights on a panel flickering in a chaotic sequence that made Liios's temples throb.

It could also be that he was just tired. He hadn't slept well even before this, rushing to catch up on intraplanar theories of travel from Crystal Tower records and Omega's data logs. Desperate to be at the same level of expertise as his friends. Not out of lack of faith in Y'shtola or Urianger, of course, but rather because Liios had long understood that the only way to not lose and watch someone die was to stay one step ahead. Two if possible.

Two hadn't been enough, this time. The echo of Vrtra's horror and grief throbbed in time with Liios's temples, and he saw that red moon and the pitiless darkness of space on the back of his eyelids again. Azdaja's deformed body, hurled into a cauldron of Darkness. The thing that rose out of it, an infant abomination born of wretched, all-consuming hope.

Liios's skin crawled. The night was already balmy but suddenly he felt overheated. He withdrew from Estinien with a shuddering breath, not knowing which part of his mind to focus on. The ones that didn't want him to flee his skin, obviously. The parts not drenched in rising panic. But it was getting impossible to tell which parts those were.

Estinien let him run, but not too far. Liios was kept anchored by a hand around his wrist. Gray eyes studied him, concerned but watchful. Waiting. Wrapped in purposeful, blissful silence.

Liios shuddered again. He could feel his pulse in his teeth, his chest aching with how damn hard each beat of his own heart slammed against his ribcage. Even the sound of his own breathing grew too loud, frighteningly loud, to the point of being unbearable.

Falling meteors. A pitiless black sky. Apocalyptic red soil. The sheer pressure of a foe cloaked in black, every cleave of his sword rending the very air with frost. Then it blended into a feathered head, a deathly pale face, the weight of a hundred worlds' worth of bad ends--

Warm hands cradled his face.

Liios snapped his teeth down on the rising wave of panic and pulled. Imagined himself the lion, seeking bones and veins. He drew another breath in a hiss, then forced it out slowly.

His head spun. He blinked, and blinked again. Calloused fingers wiped at something damp on his cheeks.

When his vision cleared, Estinien was still there. He was frowning, mouth tight, the way he often was when he caught Liios at the tail end of an episode.

It certainly felt like it. The fog blurring the edges of Liios's senses. The sheer exhaustion seeping rapidly into his bones. The strange, distressing noises that could very well be his own dry-heaving.

And his chest hurt. Though not to the degree that black spots danced in Liios's vision. He also felt faint, not like he was about to faint.

Fine. An episode. But not the worst of them.

Liios closed his eyes. He didn't need them open, not with Estinien here. With great effort, he managed hoarsely, "I need to-- to lie down."

The divan shifted. "Lean back," Estinien instructed.

Liios obliged. He trusted his weight to the feeling of strong arms around him, and a moment later he was pressed against the softness of cushions.

It was a relief to be lying down, Liios realized. He still had to force himself to exhale, force himself to loosen the muscles he could feel, but it was far easier like this.

Estinien's hand remained on his wrist. The weight of his arm on Liios was an anchor. He must have seated himself on the floor by the divan. And Liios could feel his eyes on him.

When he trusted himself to speak again, Liios said, "Ultima Thule. The red moon reminded me of the Dead Ends."

"I see," Estinien replied simply. He sounded neither sympathic nor judgmental; rather, like he understood. It was an immense comfort.

Liios pried his eyes open, though with some effort. "The aether of that plane is rough," he murmured, exhaustion barely pushing it above a whisper. "And Azdaja-- We were so close. Vrtra didn't deserve to have come all that way just to see his sister taken from him again. I..."

"We," Estinien corrected him, "were unprepared. The enemy was cunning and outplayed us. It will not happen again."

Liios looked at him. How can you be so sure, he wanted to ask.

But that would be a moot question. They both knew the answer. They must be sure because they must be the ones to ensure it be so. Simple. Straightforward. What was lost, was lost. That it hurt was natural. Let the pain be. Don't pick at the scab.

--so said Estinien, the way he squeezed Liios's wrist.

Liios disentangled himself, if only so he could reach for Estinien's face. His hand shook, but the way Estinien kissed the back of his hand as it drew close to his lips was worth it.

"How's Zero with a spear?" Liios asked.

Estinien snorted. "She saw no reason to pick up another weapon when her tool of choice was adequate," he said. "A sentiment I can respect. You've seen her with that scythe. Absent of that queer aetherial imbuement, she still hit like an enraged wyvern."

"Hard and fast," Liios said. He closed his eyes, not bothering to fight the wave of exhausted drowsiness. "Claws and fangs. Maybe her arts...were reflective of dragoons'."

"In that they were developed to hunt a particular foe, aye."

Estinien might have said something else, too, but Liios's tedious grip on consciousness had already slipped.

Dangerous. Anywhere but here. Here, next to Estinien, Liios didn't mind the frailty of his...everything...so much.

[druidgroves]

6, 12, and 41 for georgia and mac >:)

thank u ezra >:) ehehe

domesticity meme

6. do they get married (or equivalent)?

they don’t get married in the old-world traditional sense that georgia thinks of, with rings and all the planning that goes into it, but one night they're looking at the ceiling laying in their shared bed with shaun & duncan wedged between them & dogmeat at their feet like “we're basically married at this point." it's not so much "hey let's get hitched" but more "by all accounts we already are", only georgia decides she wants to define it a little further by doing what she does best: making it an Event. they have a small ceremony in sanctuary in the regular wasteland way (georgia asks preston if he’ll lead the ceremony & he is truly touched) but then have a big party with lots of celebrating after :> everyone's invited.

12. favorite non-sexual activity?

they like reading together ! georgia will put the radio on low and they'll cuddle up together either reading a comic or sometimes georgia will read from some of the books she's picked up in the wasteland. mac likes listening to her read and more often than not ends up falling asleep in her lap lmao.

41. what would they do if the other one was hurt?

in this kind of situation, they're both different degrees of panicky, but mac is way better at hiding it. he's used to be the level headed one in charge, so it comes easy to him, but that doesn't mean he isn't extremely worried when georgia manages to get shot at or knocked around. georgia, on the other hand, is a mess of nerves whenever mac gets hurt. she frets and she worries and her mouth gets away from her so she's rambling trying to keep her cool but failing.

[spidey-d00d]

Nightmares

Hangman x Reader

summary: In which you were in an accident during a mission, and have a nightmare that night, but Hangman is there to help and finally confesses his feelings

warnings: Plane crash, injuries, ANGST, i'm sorry its the only thing I know how to write at this point

wc: 1997

unedited and poor writing i'm sorry.

This mission, to say the least, was a brutal one. You had never experienced anything like it and it terrified you. Though you knew what you were signing up for, being a fighter pilot, in Top Gun, being invited back, everything, you knew what you were getting into, yet it still scared you. 

The pilots that you now considered family wouldn’t leave you alone, not even for a second, and part of you was thankful for that. Setting up a makeshift bed in a conference room that was unused on the USS Enterprise that was bringing them home, the entire team was there. They wanted to make sure you were alright, you got the brunt of the mission and they knew that you needed people surrounding you. 

Sooner or later, after replaying everything in your head, just staring at the ceiling, exhaustion took over and you had no choice but to fall asleep, despite your best efforts. 

Banking left and right repeatedly, dodging missile after missile, you were running out of time. 

“Rooster where are you?” You said worriedly, not knowing how much longer you could dodge their attacks. Your wingman, Rooster, was busy helping Maverick, but you now needed help and were on your own. 

“I’m coming, just hold on!” He grunted, like he was having issues of his own. 

“You need to hurry up Roos!” You started getting panicky, which definitely was not like you. You were cool and calm under pressure, never having an issue. You were strong and confident, especially in the air. 

Everyone on the ground was now starting to worry, the one person that shouldn’t and wouldn’t panic, was now panicking. Biting their nails and looking around at each other worriedly, they zoned in on listening to the comms that connected the pilots to each other and to the ground. 

You were now out of time, Rooster couldn’t get to you in time and there was more than one enemy on your tail. Out of flares and missiles, you were running low on bullets too, dog fighting wasn’t an option either. 

You’ll never forget the feeling of hopelessness you felt then. You knew the statistic you were briefed on before coming on the mission, the chance that someone wasn’t coming home from this one, you were that someone. You were the one to not come home. 

You were the reason your family was going to get a knock on the door by 2 unknown soldiers, and are handed a folded up flag. You were the reason that Bradley would feel guilty for the rest of his life for not being able to save you, Mav too. You were the reason that the rest of the team, Hangman, Phoenix, Bob, all of them, weren’t going to be able to sleep at night knowing they weren’t there to help you. 

“It’s too late Roos, make sure you get home safe please.” You said quietly over the comms, his yells automatically erupting. He was coming, but it was too late. 

The enemy missile had hit your left wing before you had a chance to even see it coming. It shoved your plane forward and started it in the spiral. With one side of the plane down, it was going down in a flat spin and fast. Loosing your breath you grabbed onto anything that was around you, trying to hold yourself. 

“I have to eject!” You yelled, not sure if you were trying to let everyone else know or get yourself to get it done. Either way you were reaching up to the handle above you to remove the canopy. It was a bad idea, although it was your only chance at any survival. 

As soon as the canopy was opened, the flames from the missile exploding your wing were swept right into you, burning your flight suit right to your flesh. 

Everyone that was connected to the comms would never forget your screams of agony, it haunted them. 

Everything else was quite the blur for you, you weren’t sure if it was because you were knocked unconscious or because you trauma blocked the memories, but everything after your parachute opening was either gone or patched together. 

What you do remember is hitting the ground, hard. It knocked the breath out of you but once you were able to taking in normal breaths, you tried moving. Tired reaching up to your check to turn on the tracking device that would let people know where you were, but the pain was excruciating. Letting out a blood curdling scream, you ran out of air again. Your body was in more pain than it has, and probably will ever experience. 

You weren’t sure if you were able to turn on your tracking device, in too much pain to care, panic was washing over you by the second. This wasn’t how you were supposed to go, alone, scared, in pain. 

The panic washed over you and consumed the rest of your thoughts, it was the last thing you remember before your eyes closed and black took over your vision. 

You sat straight up, sweat drenching you and your chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. Hand on your chest to try and relieve the pressure you felt on it, you looked around. Everyone around was sleeping, dead to the world. It was a long day for all of them, yourself included, you just wish that you could sleep too. 

You thought that you were the only one awake before you went to finish your look around at all the sleeping bodies and made eye contact with the green eyes that were full of concern. 

Neither of you had said anything, you just stood up from your spot and walked, well basically ran,  out the door, not wanting to wake anyone up from your heavy breathing. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t catch your breath. 

Not much longer, Jake followed you out, automatically going straight for you and wrapping you in his arms. You weren’t sure who needed it more, you or him, but neither of you said a word. He held you tight against his body and it was just what you needed to calm down. 

You slowly but surely caught your breath again, but you never moved from your spot. It was late, or early in the morning, you weren’t sure, but you did know that no one was awake at this time. It was quiet on the ship, no sounds besides the breaths you two were taking, it was peaceful. 

“Thank you” You whispered, not wanting to break the peacefulness. You didn’t move your head from its place on his chest. He had one arm wrapped around your body, the other holding your head to his chest. His head leaned against the top of yours as both of your arms attempted to wrap around his body, but he was much bigger than you, more built. 

Neither of you said anything else, he gave a very faint hum to acknowledge you but there was no more attempt to talk. 

Little did you know that while you were going through everything in the air, Hangman was losing his cool on the ground. He never got the chance to explain the feeling he developed over the course of training but you made him feel things he didn’t know he was capable of feeling. Love was all he could describe it as. 

With that, and not knowing what was happening to you while you were out on the mission and him being grounded, he was losing his mind. Pulling at his usually well kept hair, pacing, practically yelling at his superiors to let him take off and find you, to help you, no one had every seen him act like this. 

The other pilots never knew he felt that way about anyone, let alone you, and seeing the usually confident and cocky Hangman lose his cool and break down while their friend was losing their battle in the sky, it was terrifying for all parties included. 

“I love you, Y/N” Jake finally said something. It knocked the air out of you yet again. You weren’t sure when your feelings started for the man, or when his feelings started for you, but for some reason it wasn’t a surprise. Well it was, just for the fact that you didn’t think tonight would be the start of this conversation, and that is what gave you a little shock, but you weren’t completely surprised. 

Before you could say anything, he continued. “I didn’t know if you were going to come home to me and that was the most terrifying thing I have ever gone through,” He sounded like he was on the verge of tears. It tore your heart apart, but you didn’t look at him, you guys had stayed in the same position that you had been in for at least 20 minutes, just standing in the hallway, holding each other. “I don’t know if you feel the same way but I couldn’t hold it in any longer, not after what happened. Not knowing if I could see your e/c eyes again. Your smile. The way you put me in my place. I couldn’t bare never seeing you again and I just needed you to know that I love you.” He rambled. He was nervous that you didn’t feel the same way, and he wasn’t sure what would hurt more, if you didn’t want him or if you didn’t come back to him. 

He didn’t have to worry about either though, not right now at least, because you pulled away and finally looked into his eyes. He looked so scared, exhausted. Your heart broke slightly, knowing you were the cause behind them. 

“Jake,” You let out in a whisper, he looked like he was about to collapse, he probably thought you didn’t want him back but boy was he so wrong, “I love you too.” Was all you said as your hand went to rest on his cheek. The touch made him lean into your hand and his eyes close. 

He felt like he could breathe again, he was okay and you were okay, you guys were going to be okay. 

Jake leaned in slightly, closing the already close proximity you guys were in and letting his lips very softly touch yours. He never understood when people used to say that fireworks exploded when you finally kissed the one until them. He felt them all over his body, you did too. You had never felt such a thing, but once you did, you knew you wanted to experience this for the rest of your life. 

“Come on, lets go get some sleep.” He gave you a soft smile after pulling away after a little while. You finally felt the wave of exhaustion hit you again, and you hoped that you could actually sleep this time. Jake could sense the bit of hesitation you had for going back to sleep but he held you close as you guys walked back to the door, “I’ll be right there with you the whole time, I won’t let anything happen to you baby.” He said quietly as you guys pushed throught the door and into the room. 

You smile, leading the two of you to where you were sleeping before. Pulling the blanket up, you had slid yourself into the makeshift bed, and left room for him to climb in after you. After settling in, you laid your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat go steady. It calmed you more than you realized, and soon enough you were dozing off. 

“I love you y/n, always.” Jake said very quietly, even you could barley hear him. Feeling the soft touch of his lips on the top of your head you drifted off into sleep, finally able to get some peaceful rest now that you had him to protect you. 

[books-and-catears]

Hihihiiiii!!!!! Omg I'm so excited to ask this one-> ok so can you write/headcanon the Brothers and Undatables in a situation where MC can't swim and the brothers + undatables don't know it until one of the squad (Solomon's voodoo) picks MC up and throws them into a pool/fountain on the deep end as a joke? And MC drowns?

Bonus if anyone aside from Satan, Leviathan, and Lucifer know CPR and double bonus if Beel manages to rebibe w/o cracking a rib on MC!!

Aww heyheyhey!!! We love excitement in this house yes we do. Thank you so much for the angsty ask!

It got a bit long so I'll do it in two parts! I hope that's okay? Also I hope I can do it justice :3

It was a summer afternoon in Devildom. Diavolo had invited the whole gang upto his castle. Solomon had recently told him about pool parties and he was excited to try it out.

Everyone came in, already having the time of their lives splish splashing in the water, or going ham on Barbatos and Luke's snacks.

You were there, dipping your feet in water, enjoying the cool feeling between your toes. Everyone kept inviting you in the water, you tried to put them off by saying "Maybe later!"

You could have just said you couldn't swim. But that was too embarassing to admit, so you just shook your head and splashed water at them instead.

Mammon and Asmo were splashing water on you, so you didn't see the Little D's sneak up and hoist you up from behind. Before you knew it, you were sent flying headfirst into the water. Maybe you should have told them, you thought.

Maybe that would be better than the endless blue, the distinct lack of air and burn in your lungs as you tried hard to swim to the surface and lost all energy.

(Part 1: The Brothers)

Lucifer

"MC enough playing around. Come Bach up now." Got tensed when you didn't Immediately float up to the surface.

"MC?" He dived in to check on you. His eyes grew wide when you saw struggling, flapping your hands and feet aimlessly.

"MC HOLD ON!" The panic in his voice was muffled by the water. You felt your body being held and pulled up to the surface.

"MC? MC can you hear me?! MC!" You felt someone shaking you, their hands warm on your arms. And then your lips turned warm.

You'd recognise that kiss anywhere. It was more urgent this time, as Lucifer tried his best to get air into you.

"Luci... fer.." You choke out before coughing violently and spitting the pool water everywhere.

"You're okay..." He lets out the biggest sigh of relief. He holds you tight in his arms and takes you inside to dry you off. "I thought I lost you again..."

"Whoever is responsible for this," The suppressed rage in his voice sounded deadly, "will pay for it."

Mammon

"Oi human! Are ya sulking down there?!" Mammon joked as he dived downwards to bring you up.

"They got ya pretty good huh-" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the state you were in. Your eyes closed and your limbs horribly limp.

"MC! MC WHAT HAPPENED?!" Mammon grabbed you and pulled you up instantly. Even in your dazed state, you could feel the pounding of his heart and the cracking of his voice.

"MC not again please not again I'm sorry I'm sorry please wake up..." He was crying now. His tears and hands were warm on your skin as pushed at your chest cluelessly.

"THEY'RE NOT WAKING UP! LUCIFER SATAN DIAVOLO SIMEON SOMEONE HELP PLEASE!" He was frantic and clamping his mouth on yours now, gasping more than blowing air.

You coughed and sputtered eventually. "Mammon... you...are exceptionally bad at CPR." Mammon hid his face in your shoulder and hugged you like there's no tomorrow.

You laugh and try to tell him you're okay but all he does is hold you and cry. "I'm the worst protector...I'm so sorry MC.."

Leviathan

"Welcome to my turf, MC!" Levi laughed as he waited for you to float back up. But you weren't. Are you stuck on something? He sees air bubbles on the surface.

He dives down and swims towards you swiftly. "MC OH NO! WAIT MC IM COMING!" He darts to towards you and gets you out the fastest.

He starts to tear up and panic cause this is just like that sad anime "Lost my Best Friend in the Deep". Embarassment be damned, he can't let you go.

He urgently called for his brothers for help and fumbled with you held tightly in his arms. He pushed on your chest and watched the water sputter out.

"MC?? You're okay now, right??! MC!!?" The urgency in Levi's voice caught you off guard. You open your eyes to see him teary eyed and sniffling.

"I'm okay Levi..." You say, your hand reaching to hold his face. He breaks down at your touch.

Pressing his face harder into your hand and crying. He's so glad you're okay. "I thought I lost my best friend...don't worry MC, I'll teach you how to swim!"

Satan

"MC, you do know how to swim right?" Satan called out to you, right after the splash. There was something about the way you fell that made him feel uneasy.

When you didn't float back up, he immediately dunked himself downwards, only to see his suspicions were right.

"MC! It's okay it's okay I've got you!" Satan's arm wrapped around you as he pressed a warm kiss on you under water. The flames in your lungs died down a little.

He rushes you upto the surface and lays down gently, tilting your head at the optimal angle.

His mouth is on you again. Urgently breathing life back into you. He also had spells ready in case this usual way didn't work.

"Satan...? You...thank you.." You said tired as you leaned into him, wrapping your arms around him weakly after vehemently coughing.

He lets out a sigh of relief and bumps his lips against your head softly, cradling you in his arms. "Why wouldn't you say that you couldn't swim? Don't do this to me ever again, MC, you're all I have..."

Asmodeus

"MC darling, no need to be embarrassed, you looked so cute when you fell like that! Come up now!" Asmo giggled as he watched the water, waiting for you to come back up.

He gets panicky when you're still not up yet. Swims down as he quickly as he can calling out your name. "OH NO! MC WHAT'S GOING ON?! MC!"

He reaches for your hands and starts tugging you towards him. Why are your eyes closed like this? Why have you gone limp?!

He pulls you up to the surface, frantically calling out to Satan and Solomon for help, all the while bouncing you in his arms like a baby as a attempt to gain conciousness.

He's full on sobbing as he Solomon gives you CPR. The moment you cough and sputter, he pounces on you, his head pressed against your cold chest, now rising and falling normally.

"Asmo... don't cry...I'm okay.." You say weakly smiling and trying to hug him back, running your hands in his hair.

He holds you close and presses kisses on your whole face."MC! You gave me such a fright! Don't do that again please, MC! I can't bear the though of you gone again!"

Beelzebub

"Ah I'm so sorry I couldn't catch you MC" Beel even had his arms outstretched so he could catch you before you fell, but he missed.

He's fastest to get to you after Levi. "MC? Are you okay down there- MC?! Why are you being like that?!" He gets frantic and scoops your limp body in his arms.

This is his worst nightmare. He urgently gets to the surface panicking inside. "MC..please wake up.." He calls out sadly, as he gently lays you down.

You're barely breathing. He knows what he has to do. But you're so fragile compared to him he doesn't want to hurt you.

He tries as gently as possible to push against your chest to regulate your breathing again.

"Beel..Beel..." You cough out his name as you reach up to hold his face in your hands. He stops immediately and engulfs you in a hug.

He doesn't say a word. He doesn't need to. His teary eyes and tight grip as he lifts you up and takes you inside the house to feed you, says everything you need to know.

Belphegor

"MC you're so easy to sneak upon hehe. Come here and lie with me." He was just snoozing at the edge, smiling down at where you just fell.

What's taking you so long to come back up?He impatiently dived downwards to find you. And he was horrified by what he saw. "MC?!Damnit MC, why didn't you call for me!?"

He hoists you into his arms and tries giving you a kiss of air like he'd seen in Levi's shows. Still unsure of what to do, he just hurries you up to the surface.

"They were struggling to swim. Something's wrong. Fix them please. Fix them fast." He said, calling out to his brothers. He held your hand shakily and lay next to you, as Beel gave you CPR. His grip tightened once you started coughing.

"Belphie... I'm okay..." You squeezed his hand as tight as you could. He hid head in your shoulder before picking you up in his arms.

He wrapped you up in a towel and tried to make you fall asleep in his arms. "That was a horrible feeling. I don't want to feel that again." He mutters to himself while holding you closer.

[familyfriendlyweed]

makeup sessions (karl jacobs x fem reader)

a/n : hi! this is my first tumblr post. i have written stuff on wattpad in the past, but it’s still quite new to me, so please be nice :]] i accept positive critism and advice, as that most definitely will help me grow as a writer!

 Y/n let out something between a squeal and a scream at the same time when she saw Karl's tweet. her face was beat red and her lips couldn't help but curl into the stupidest grin ever.

the tweet read :

hey @) y/nhasursocks wanna do my makeup at my stream today :]]

 it was the simplest tweet, yet it meant so much to the girl. Karl and Y/n were always really good friends, they often streamed minecraft together, but never in a million years did he yet ask her to be in his stream in real life.

 Y/n picked up the phone with trembling hands, already seeing a bunch of likes, comments and retweets to Karl's tweet. before answering, she got curious to know what the people say. cautiously opening the comments section, the girl scanned it through with her eyes. a bunch of "awwwwws" and hearts could be seen, which worsened her already red cheeks.

With her heart thumping hard against her ribs, she started writing her reply :

sounds great! <3

 for a moment Y/n hesitated to press the "reply" button with the "<3" emoticon in the comment, but then she figured she and Karl sent lovey dovey emojis/emoticons in the past to each other anyways, so, she pressed the "reply" button at last.

 in an instant, her reply started gaining more and more likes, comments and retweets. Y/n was never really popular, having her clout was only because of Karl being her friend, so seeing this much attention was weird to her. but she didn't care about that right now. all that Y/n cared about at the moment was the fact that Karl appreciated her enough to actually invite her over.

 a little bit later in the day, Y/n received a private message from Karl, which said :

hey Y/n! I'm really glad you're up to stream together <3 i planned on starting the stream at 4 pm, but you can change the time if you're busy :] here is my address (don't tell anyone! :D) - (random address lol)

 Y/n answered :

 thanks for inviting me bestie!! 4 pm is cool, I'll be there! <33

 she set the phone down, unable to remove the blissful smile from her face. she has never felt this way before - it was really weird, but the constant butterflies in her tummy reminded her that it's a good feeling. taking a few deep breaths, Y/n reminded to herself that all she has to do is to go to Karl's house and have a good time AS FRIENDS - no romantic stuff is needed.

  ~~~~~time skip~~~~~

  Y/n got off from the bus at 15:50, but she still had about 5 minutes to reach Karl's house. in what felt like forever, the girl felt a sting of what was unmistakably fear and guilt - what if she was late? and what if Karl would be annoyed with her for that?

 slowly she broke into a panicky run. passing careless citizens, who all looked at her fear-stricken face curiously, she finally made it to the front door of Karl's home. Y/n pulled out her phone and found the code that she was supposed to enter next the main door. she quickly dialed it, a beep beep beep was heard and she entered.  

 finally making it to Karl's apartment, Y/n stopped to smooth her hair and straighten her clothes so she doesn't look too shabby. her body seemed to be moving on its own - her finger pressed the doorbell automatically.

 Karl opened the door almost in an instant - he wore a warm smile and before Y/n could stutter a "hello", he pulled the girl into a big welcoming hug.

 "hey Y/n! it's so cool you made it!" Karl exclaimed, still holding her close.

Y/n's head was spinning, she needed more time to process what was happening. but nevertheless, she finally lifted her own arms and hugged the guy. burying her face into his sweater, she inhaled Karl's scent deeply - he smelled something like honey and warm days.

"hello, Karl." she mumbled with a grin on her face.

"come on, do you want to eat something before the stream?" Karl asked, letting go of the girl and taking her hand into his instead, leading Y/n into the house.

"oh no, I'm full. let's get straight to business." she answered, the blissful smile and content blush never leaving her face.

"alrighty! you already know, but we'll have an eventful makeup session, and then I thought maybe play some minecraft so the stream isn't too short?" the guy asked, opening his bedroom door.

"sounds great!"

Karl smiled and went to his computer :

"you ready? I'll start the stream now."

the girl quickly fixed her hair again and gave him thumbs up :

"ready."

Karl started the stream with facecam on and as soon as the chat saw Y/n, it went absolutely wild.

"guys, give her a rest, poor girl just came!" he laughed, drawing her a chair. Y/n thanked quietly and sat, waving to the chat timidly. in the corner of her eye, she saw comments like "she's so adorable" and "look at Karl being a gentleman" in the chat and her cheeks grew more red, but this time from satisfaction.

"well, as you guys know, Y/n agreed to be in my stream today, and since some of you don't really know her, she's a really good friend of mine who also streams and does youtube videos - so go support her!"

from that moment Y/n relaxed more and more with each minute. it was fifteen minutes into the stream when she already felt as if at home.

"Karl, you have a hell lot of lipsticks, where did that come from?"

"uhhhh, I only bought them for the stream today!"

"oh really? why are they all used, then?" Y/n asked giggling and showing them to the stream.

"hey- don't expose me like that!"

"chat, clip it, CLIP IT!"

all was going really well, Y/n was having a really good time with Karl AS FRIENDS. it was really nice. but all hell broke loose when the time to put eyeliner came.

"alright, I have no idea why, but you have four eyeliners."

"they're my sister's."

"haha, yeah, yeah, alright. Which one do you want big man?"

"hmmm, the one in your left hand!"

Y/n set the other eyeliners on the table, quickly glancing at the chat. her cheeks grew very very red…

"Y/N DO THE MEME SIT ON HIS LAP" "SIT ON HIS LAP" "THE MEME, DO THE MEME!!!"

  a/n: if anyone is confused, this is an example of the meme i’m talking about :

the girl tried to act as if she hadn't seen the comments, but Karl was already by her side, reading them with her.

"meme… what meme?" he wondered out loud. Y/n got the impression that he was genuinely confused.

'chat, shut the fuck up, please shut the fuck up.' thought Y/n, but of course chat was just being chat.

"SHE SHOULD SIT ON UR LAP" "THERE'S A MEME WHERE A GIRL DOES A GUY'S EYELINER WHILE SITTING ON HIS LAP" "WE'RE NOT FORCING BUT YOU GUYS WOULD LOOK SO CUTE"

Y/n hid her face in her hands, unable to control her blushing. Karl just chuckled sweetly :

"chat, calm down, she's going to die from blushing."

he put on the "please stand by" screen and scooted over Y/n :

"hey, it's fine. we won't do it if you don't want to," Karl then leaned closer and whispered, "I'd be pretty glad if you agreed, though."

Y/n lowered her hands, showing off the big red hue on her cheeks. for a split second Karl's eyes widened -  she looked really adorable.

"I'd also be glad." the girl said, almost not believing her own words.

Karl's adorable smile came back and he leaned back:

"well then, come here."

Y/n stood up shyly and straddled his legs, grabbing the eyeliner in the process.

"do you want me to turn on the facecam?" Karl asked quietly.

the girl nodded :

"I don't mind."

he turned it on and put his hands onto Y/n's hips. even without looking at it, Y/n knew the chat was blowing up at the moment.

"you guys better subscribe, because we're providing very good fanservice." said Karl jokingly and Y/n laughed. turning to him, she opened the eyeliner and put it next to his eye, only to find him staring at her in an awe. the girl blushed as a strong urge to kiss him kicked in. it looked as if Karl wanted the same thing.

at the precise same time, they both leaned in and pressed their lips together, Y/n putting her hands onto Karl's cheeks to hide the view from the chat. the kiss was very short and with no tongue included - but it was the most sweet kiss Y/n has ever shared with someone. she pulled away, an identical grin to Karl's on her face and hugged him very tight - they almost fell off the chair.

laughing, she continued to do Karl's makeup as if nothing happened and everyone watching the stream wasn't fainting and clipping the kiss. this will be talked about for a long time, but as before, Y/n didn't care about that, and nor did Karl.

a/n : anddddd cut! it’s quite wonky, but i believe it’s pretty swell for my first mcyt fanfic :]] let me know what you think of it and if you have any tips or advice on how to make my future stories more enjoyable! thanks for reading and i hope to see you around <3

[thescarletwitchsapprentice]

Sweaters, Snowballs, Cocoa, and Kisses (Wanda Maximoff x ADD!autistic!reader)

*Not my GIF.

Summary: (Y/N) doesn’t like extreme temperature, but Wanda really wants to play in the snow, so do the other Avengers. Along with that, Christmas is coming up. Basically a fluff fic with a small amount of angst.

Request: Not this. I’ve got one, but it’s angsty. I need fluff.

Warnings: Meltdown/shutdown, fluff, a small dash of angst, Christmas, some Hallmark-y sappiness.

Word Count: 2823

Note: Some wintertime fluff in May. Why not? And Pietro and Vision are alive because I say so.

You hate winter.

It’s always so cold and it makes you shiver even thinking about it. All of that cold snow, hypothermia, frostbite, not to mention the slippery ice. You’re so scared you’re gonna fall and break a bone. You’d much rather admire its frosty beauty from within, sipping hot cocoa and wearing comfy pajamas, cuddling up with a loved one, watching old Disney or holiday films.

Your crush, Wanda on the other hand, LOVES winter. And you love her. But shy little ole you hasn’t worked up the courage to talk to her. Every time you try, or even think about trying, you feel the butterflies of love all a-fluttery in your tummy. Your cheeks turn into red roses. (Not literally, of course. That’d be EXTREMELY concerning) You feel yourself stumbling over your words, even in your mind. Not to mention you get weak at the knees. Social skills aren’t exactly your strong suit as it is, so this extra layer is just....it makes you feel embarrassed. 

And no one can blame you. Wanda caught your eye immediately when you first joined the team. She has such a softness about her, even if she seems slightly aloof at times. You’ve heard her playing guitar and singing while passing her room at the compound, and your heart just about stops whenever you do. She has the voice of an angel. Her laugh is made of sunshine and rainbows. Her voice as soft as a marshmallow pillow. So much more inviting than even the beautiful, but biting, winter wind.

Not to mention; Wanda loves wearing fluffy sweaters in December. They always look so soft and warm and.....how you long to just snuggle up against her on a couch by the fire in comfy pajamas and fluffy slippers while watching a cute holiday film or an old Disney film. Maybe even give her a cute little peck on the cheek. But shy little ole you chickens out all the time. 

===============================================

And then one winter day, there are no missions. No training. Nothing.

You’re using your light powers, one of your powers, to decorate the place with Steve and Bucky when Peter bursts in with snow clothes for the whole team.

“Guys!” he exclaims excitedly. “It’s so beautiful outside. We should go out and play!”

As much as you hate the winter, his enthusiasm is contagious. Wanda looks up from her book.

“I love that idea,” she smiles. “Pietro and I used to play in the park whenever it was safe to go out in the winter.”

Her brother zooms inside, startling Peter.

“I heard my name?”

“I was just mentioning how we used to play in that park in Sokovia in the winter,” she says. “Remember? Mama and papa would make sure it was safe before taking us. Even if it was for only a few minutes, it was always so fun.”

“And that one time I hit you square in the face with a snowball?”

“I got your TV night pick after that,” she giggles.

Your mind begins to wander as Wanda and Pietro talk a bit more about winter in Sokovia. You think about just how beautiful, how adorable, how dreamy, how......perfect Wanda is. You’re so distracted that you almost don’t notice Bucky stumbling on the ladder. Luckily Pietro rushes over to stop him from falling. 

“Steve, (Y/N), you two need to be more careful.”

“You’re one to talk about careful, Needy for Speedy,” you joke.

All of a sudden, you hear that cute little giggle. You look to see Wanda smiling at you. Immediately you go weak at the knees and your cheeks are the reddest they’ve ever been. Even your nose is red.

“You’ve got a little something on your face, Rudolph,” “Need for Speedy” jokes back at you, smirking as he sets Bucky down.

“What’s going on?” Nat asks as she enters dressed in casual attire.

“It’s so beautiful outside,” Peter says as he finishes reorganizing the clothing that Pietro startled out of his hands. “I was thinking we should have a snow day! You know? Go outside and play!”

“That sounds kinda cool,” Nat shrugs. “I’m down.”

“Count me in,” Bucky adds.

“I mean, it can’t be colder than the ice I was frozen in,” Steve shrugs.

“I’ll go too,” Pietro agrees.

“I talked to Mr. Stark, Dr. Banner, Clint, and Thor,” Peter tells the rest of you. “And they said they’d be up for it as well. Vision told me he’ll hang back. What about you, (Y/N)?”

“Oh,” you exclaim. “I’m....I’m not a fan of winter.”

“Ah c’mon, kid,” Steve says. “We won’t be out for too long.”

“It’s just....well, I’m sensitive to the really cold and really hot and I’m scared of slipping on the ice,” you admit sheepishly. “It’s okay. I can stay back with Vision.”

“I don’t want you to miss out, though,” Peter tells you. “You’re part of the team. I mean, Vision is too, but I don’t know how he reacts to the snow, so I’m okay with him staying behind if it means he stays safe.”

“When we come back, we could have a movie night and hot cocoa,” Wanda suggests. “One of the best parts of winter is warming up after being out in the cold. If you want, you can hold onto my arm if you’re scared of slipping when we’re walking to the park, (Y/N). And if it gets too cold for you, you can just let me know and I’ll go back to the compound with you.”

You didn’t think your face could glow any redder. You thought wrong. Wanda actually said your name. To you. And she’s offering to help you.

“I, uh....” you stammer. “Wanda, you....you really don’t....you shouldn’t waste....”

“I want to,” she insists kindly. “You seem really sweet.”

Oh Lordy Lordy-Lord....you feel like you’re about to faint. The butterflies are extra fluttery today. Why is an angel like her wasting her time on someone like you? You have no clue. 

“I-I mean, if....if you’re sure....” you stammer on. 

“Of course,” she smiles. “It’s like Peter said. You’re part of the team as well, and I don’t want you to miss out either.”

You nod. 

Maybe a little too much.

“Okay, that’s enough, Bobbly McBobble-Head,” Pietro jokes with a knowing smirk. “Let’s get ready.”

=========================================

Soon enough, you’re all bundled up and on your way to a park just a small walk from the compound. Despite Wanda supporting you, well actually because of Wanda supporting you, you still feel like you’re slipping because you’re so weak at the knees. This leads to you apologizing to her every few seconds.

“You have nothing to apologize for, (Y/N),” she tells you gently.

How is she so patient? How is so sweet? How is she so compassionate and understanding? So many questions like this plague your mind as you slip to the park. When you arrive, everyone else is getting right to playing. Nat, Steve, Pietro, and Bucky are all in an intense snowball fight. Tony and Peter are building a snowman together. Clint and Bruce are sliding down the hill on sleds. 

“I think I’m going to make some snow angels,” Wanda muses.

“But you’re an angel already.”

The phrase somehow slips out of your mouth and into her ear. Her face turns red and she giggles, her nose scrunching up.

“I was right. You are sweet, (Y/N).”

You’re like a snowman in summer, about to melt at any moment. Wanda helps you get onto solid and steady ground before heading off to make snow angels. For several moments, you just stand there. Here you are, out in the cold, because an angel of a woman wants to make sure you’re included in the team. The thought is just.....surreal.

You end up kind of just walking and standing around for a while. You’re extremely worried about how you’re going to react to the snow if you sit in it, let alone lay down in it. You end up kind of just drifting off into a walking daydream; one day, you want to work up the courage to admit your feelings to her. You’re worried about being rejected, but at the same time, you don’t want to lose that chance. There’s always a chance that she might have feelings for you as well. There’s always a chance.

“Yeah,” you say to yourself. “There’s always a cha--”

THWACK!

A stinging burst of cold hits you square in the face and brings you out of your thoughts. You find your vision obscured by snow. Immediately you go into a panic. Your chest tightens up and your breathing becomes shallow and rapid, your heart beating wildly. Tears well up in your eyes. Instinctively you drop to the ground and begin to rock as you hear footsteps rush over.

“I’m so sorry, (Y/N),” you hear Bucky exclaim. “I swear I didn’t mean to hit you.”

You wince and make a small squeak as he tries to put his hand on your shoulder. 

I wanna go back, I wanna go back, I wanna go back.

“Back up,” you hear Nat tell them. “Give them some space.”

“Wanna go, wanna go, wanna go,” you repeat as you rock.

Then you remember. 

“And if it gets too cold for you, you can just let me know and I’ll go back to the compound with you.”

“Wanda!” you cry out, your tears almost freezing to your face. “Wanda!”

In moments she’s at your side. 

“It’s going to be okay, (Y/N),” she tells you gently. “It’s going to be okay.”

You finally brush the snow off your face, but the experience has still left you feeling panicky.

“Wanna go, wanna go, wanna go,” you repeat.

“We can go back to the compound,” Wanda assures you. “Come on. I’ll take you back.”

You blink out the snow that remains in your eyes and reach a hand out to Wanda. She gently takes it and helps you up. 

“(Y/N), I-” Bucky begins.

“Bucky, I don’t think this is the time,” Clint says. “They’re clearly overwhelmed.”

Wanda leads you out of the park, trying to make sure you two get back as quickly and safely as possible.

==================================

The two of you arrive and take the elevator. Wanda helps you out of your snow clothes.

“Is there anything else I can do to help?” she asks you.

“Cocoa, cocoa, cocoa,” you repeat as you take off your snowpants.

“I’ll get started on it,” Wanda tells you.

Once the snow clothes are off, you head to your room and throw off your clothes, changing into warm pajamas and fluffy slippers. You impulsively rub your arms to get the heat back in them, and you place a warm wash cloth on your face, the tears still rolling down your face.

You flop onto your bed and let the silence and warmth cover you. It’s not too hot, but it’s definitely not freezing-cold. That’s when the realization hits you. Wanda Maximoff, your crush, walked you back to the compound and is doing what she can to help you through your sensory overload. And now it’s just you and her in the compound.

Well, it’s actually you two and Vision, but he was staying back anyway. 

About half an hour later, there’s a knock on the door.

“(Y/N)? I’ve got your hot cocoa ready.”

It’s Wanda. Your heart is pounding fast and the butterflies have returned. Trying not to get weak at the knees, you wobble over and open the door. There’s Wanda with a mug of hot cocoa and a plate of something. And she’s wearing one of her fluffy sweaters; this one is holiday-red and has a snowflake on the front.

“You okay?” she asks. 

You nod. 

“Y-yeah.”

Your cheeks turn absolutely rose-red.

“Are you sure?” she asks. “It seems like you just get so wobbly around me.”

So she has noticed! 

“I....Wanda, I.....I’m....” you stammer. 

She smiles kindly.

“How about we go to the lounge and talk?”

You nod again, and the two of you head to the lounge, decked out in holiday decor. Wanda sets the hot cocoa and plate, which you now see is full of Christmas cookies, on the table and sits on the couch. You wobble to a spot next to her and sits down. For a few moments, you say nothing. The butterflies are at maximum flutter by now. 

“Just tell her, you blushing idiot!” you think to yourself. “Just tell her that you’re in love with her!”

You gulp.

“W-wanda?” you ask.

“Hm?” she responds curiously.

You try to gather up what to say. 

“Um.....I.....I’m.....you.....with.....love.....in.....” you begin, stumbling. “For a.....been...long time.....in love....I’ve.....with you.”

Wanda smiles kindly.

“I know,” she says matter of factly.

This somehow comes as a shock to you.

“How.....?”

“I’m a telepath.”

You mentally facepalm yourself. Of course! How could you forget?

“I think....no, I’m almost certain that I’m in love with you too,” she replies. “I’ve seen you interacting with the others and you’re just so sweet and shy and adorable.”

The color returns to your face with a blush. 

“You....you really are? Why didn’t you say anything?”

She shrugs. 

“I guess I wanted to hear it be said in your real voice. And I suppose I was a little nervous to approach you.”

“You? Nervous? To approach me?”

Wanda nods. 

“Do you want to cuddle with me?” she asks.

You nod, moving in timidly. Thankfully Wanda lets you take your time and you slowly lean in close until your face grazes her sweater. Your head immediately drops on it, beaming. It’s even softer than it looks. Wanda smiles at you as she offers you a blanket, which you graciously accept. 

“So....are we, like, a thing?” you ask her.

“Do you want to be?” she asks.

You glance away, feeling shy and nod slightly.

“Yeah....I’ve been in love with you for a long time now.”

“Then we’ll be a couple.”

Your heart is beating wildly, all sorts of happy thoughts flying through your heart and your head. You and Wanda cuddle on the couch for a while when something catches your eye. You look to the ceiling, and right above you and Wanda, is a sprig of mistletoe. She notices and looks up.

“Oh!” she exclaims smiling, her face turning red.

You two look at each other, both of your faces rose-red. 

“Oh my.”

You hear Vision’s voice and turn to see him entering with another plate of cookies. 

“I’ve heard that mistletoe is used to ward off witches and demons. Also that lovers are to kiss under the mistletoe.”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” you shrug, trying to stay calm. 

“Steve told me to hang it there,” Vision admits. “I have to wonder if he knew this would happen.”

Wanda giggles again.

“I imagine he knew something would happen.”

She glances to you.

“Do you....want to?”

Can your face get any redder? Apparently. You nod hesitantly, leaning forward, uncertain of how to approach this. After some blushing and contemplation, you decide to just go for it and give her a sweet peck on the lips. You feel fluttery and on Cloud Nine. Wanda leans in and gently places a kiss on your lips, longer than a peck. You can taste a small scent of frosting, almost as sweet as she is. Slowly she pulls back. 

“I love you so much,” she replies softly with a gentle smile.

You turn your face away, but she gently guides it back. 

“No need to hide,” she assures you. “I love to see your beautiful face.”

The two of you look at each other for a while.

“I...I love you even more,” you reply.

“No, I love you more,” she giggles, booping your nose.

It twitches like a little bunny rabbit’s in response. 

“No, I love you more,” you smile, booping hers in return, and she also twitches it like a little bunny rabbit’s nose.

“No, I love you more.”

“No, I love you more.”

“I love you to the ends of the earth.”

“I love you to the moon and back.”

“I love you to the moon and back times one-hundred.”

“I love you to the moon and back times one-thousand!”

“I love you to the moon and back times one-million!”

“I love you to Pluto and back times one-billion!”

“I love you to the ends of the multiverse and beyond!”

This goes on for some time. Sure, it’s sappy, but you love it. You two end up in a fit of giggles and nose-booping before turning on some classic Disney films and cuddling up close. By the time the others return, you and Wanda are falling asleep to The Winnie-the-Pooh Movie with you leaning your head on her sweater and smiling. 

The others may know that you and Wanda are a thing. But how you two became a couple? That’s between you and her. 

And you wouldn’t have it any other way.

[narrators-journal]

Step four

CW: Congratulations reader-chan! You’re expecting! Illumi also really cranks up the yandere side, nothing too bad, but he’s definitely not proving to be a stable man in this part.

Previous part: here

First part: here

Illumi found his mother in the family library, doing some research for a job she'd gotten.        "Mother, sorry for interrupting, but I have a rather pressing dilemma with my relationship." He said, and he could see the woman perk up slightly, but she only hummed and stayed focused on her research,       "Sorry dear, I can't help right now, maybe try Gotoh." She spoke casually, but he could see in her body language that she was dying to hear about her eldest son's relationship.       "I was wondering if it would be inappropriate to bring her here so soon." he added, and like that her research was forgotten and she was instead offering him a seat beside her. So, he sat in the intricately carved wooden chair and filled her in on his dilemma with the concerns for your safety after finding out Hisoka knew your name, and the concern of pushing you away unnecessarily. "I don't want to put her in danger, but my research on dating says that bringing her here is something to do later on, when we've been together for more than a month." he explained, his mother digesting the information before speaking,                "This is a rather delicate situation...but since Morrow is here, it should be safe to leave her where she is. Maybe set some butlers as constant bodyguards, but hold off on bringing her around here. At least until I can prepare! Oh I'd have to get the chefs to cook a special meal for when your father and I finally meet your partner, and the mansion will have to be meticulously cleaned, and the gardens tended to!" Illumi sighed as his mother rambled on a tangent about how this sort of conflict was always so romantic in the novels she'd read and how she'd have to make sure the family was perfect so as to leave the best possible impression on you.        "Mother, I am being serious. I have worked with Hisoka before, he's a dangerously clever man. I don't want to risk him harming my future spouse," he reminded the woman, who savored her excitement for a moment longer before regaining her composure,         "I'm sorry dear, I just get so happy when I think about my sweet baby boy finally settling down," she said somewhat wistfully, and the assassin inwardly groaned. He was the eldest of at least five, he was far from her baby anymore, but he couldn’t really remind her of that without sending her into a sobbing fit. "anyway!" she chirped, drawing him back from his blank staring and practiced way of spacing out when she took advantage of the fact she was the only Zoldyck allowed to be mushy like this, "I really do think you should leave her where she is, at least for a bit longer. Once she comes to this mountain she won't be able to leave easily, and I'd hate for your future wife to turn out to be some spy or desperate journalist." While she said it in honesty, her voice lacked any real remorse. If you did turn out to be a threat, even Kikyo wouldn't hesitate to squash you like a bug. I think out of everyone to have after (y/n), mother would be the worst. Illumi thought as he pondered his mother's words, agreeing to keep you at your home for the time being. So, for the next few weeks Illumi alternated between jobs and returning to stalking you, but until he could rein in the possessive urge to kidnap you, he kept his distance. When he couldn't watch you himself, like when he was torturing Hisoka for adding extra steps to that job, he made sure someone was still there to ensure nothing bad happened to you. Another bonus of this set up he found was that the servants he had hidden nearby to watch you were able to warn him when you started acting odd. They couldn't exactly place why you were suddenly so anxious and slightly distraught though, so the ebony-haired assassin decided to finish the job he was on quickly when he found out and return to his secondary home. About a day after he'd returned, in the late afternoon, you knocked at his door, as he was expecting.         "Hello," he hummed as he opened the door to find you standing in the slightly chilly daylight fidgeting anxiously,         "Um...I think we need to talk." You said, your words shooting an arrow of anxiety into his heart, Is she going to break up with me? Should I have brought her home sooner?  Should I just grab her now? he asked himself, his dark, empty eyes scanning over your form to glean any information he could from your body language while he wrangled in his moment of panic, No. Invite her in, if she really is about to break up with you she'd be easier to subdue where no one can be a witness. he told himself, temporarily quelling the urge to snatch you up and refuse to let you go again and instead inviting you inside to talk out of the cool late spring air. Once inside you sat on his couch, too preoccupied with your own thoughts to mind the bit of mess in the room that Illumi was swift to sweep under the couch or toss out of sight. Your tense mood drove Illumi crazy, but he skillfully hid the fact that he was growing impatient with waiting and beginning to plan out a way to sedate you and take you home, keeping his focus on the dirty clothes he was throwing behind the chair and the garbage he was shoving into his pockets. simply sitting beside you after a while, awaiting whatever bad news you might have for him. Is she really going to try and break up with me? Damn it, I should've never let my mother talk me into this whole 'dating' thing. He thought bitterly, his own sliver of anxiety adding to the tense, heavy air you had already created. However, after an excruciatingly long stretch of time, you took a deep breath,        "Illumi, I t-think I'm...pregnant." you forced out, not looking at the dead-eyed assassin as the two of you fell into another stretch of silence while Illumi processed this news. Pregnant? We've only had sex twice, is she really that fertile? He pondered, an honest smile spreading across his usually expressionless face after it set in. In a flash, he'd jumped up and scooped you up, hugging your possibly smaller body to his tightly, making you squeal,         "this is wonderful news!" he said, making you smile and turn a light pink,             "Oh, well if I'd known you'd be so happy about it, I wouldn't have stressed so much," you laughed awkwardly, letting Illumi hug you for a moment longer before he put you down again and cleared his throat, his face returning to his bland expression,          "Though, this does put a rush on putting together a wedding." he hummed, not noticing the way your eyes widened          "uh? w-wedding?" you squeaked, drawing his attention out of his thoughts and back to you. Your panicky expression was rather cute to him, you were so innocent,          "Well yes, I was originally planning to take things slow, but now I can't afford to wait. Not to worry though, I'm sure my mother will help you plan it," he assured, but judging by the increasing panic in your (e/c) eyes, it didn't work, "is something wrong, (y/n)?"          "I-I don't want to marry you?" You squeaked, and while your words did sting, he knew this might happen,          "Well, I can't let you parent this child without me, and marriage is the perfect way to ensure I stay involved as well as that you and our child are safe from harm." He explained, but you shook your head,          "Illumi, no! It's only been a-a few months since we've started dating, it's far too soon to marry!" you tried to explain, but he waved your arguments away,          "dating is already a redundancy, I've been very patient in waiting this long before moving on to marriage," he explained, getting a bit annoyed at your horrified look. It was intriguing to see you get flustered and slightly scared, but marriage was not something that deserved this sort of reaction. He sighed, I can't let this continue, the stress is not good for the baby, he reminded himself before speaking again, "Please explain to me why you are so against getting married. I don't think I'm understanding your points clearly enough." For a moment, you struggled to find words, obviously confused and shocked, but he made sure to be patient,        "I-Illumi, it's too soon for marriage, that's something for later on down the road, i-if we even make it that far." You tried to explain, but the assassin grimaced, so you spoke again "Plus, it's perfectly fine if we don't get married before the baby's born, we can still parent them together," Your words made his expression darken further. Finally, you sighed dejectedly, "or...I could always just termi-" Illumi cut you off by grabbing you by your shoulders, his grip tight, nearly painfully so he was sure, but he was not about to allow the entertaining of such ideas,         "You will NOT harm that baby, (y/n)." he said darkly, watching tears well up in your (e/c) eyes from fear and maybe pain. That made him calm down, he had to keep his temper in check before his malicious aura was the one to harm his future wife. "If you try anything to put yourself or our baby in danger, I will be forced to keep you under strict observation." he warned, his voice not holding any room for argument when he spoke, but than he tried to relax, hugging your slightly shaking form to him again.        "It'll be okay, mother will plan a good wedding and you'll be a good mother when the baby's born." he assured, running his hand through your (h/l), (h/c) hair in an attempt to calm you down and show that despite his flash of temper, the excitement of your good news still zapped through his veins. "I'll keep you safe, i promise." He could feel the shiver his words sent through you, but fear was easier to manage than defiance. After a moment though, he let you go again, "I'll have some butlers help you pack your most necessary things, tomorrow I'll take you to the estate." he decided, and when you went to argue again he gave you a cold look, "you can't say anything that will change my mind. The Zoldyck estate is the safest place for you, so go home and pack." he ordered, his tone firm enough for you to get the message. You didn't get a choice.

[memzhay]

The Rehearsal

The long teased on camera kiss was happening. There had been a lot of discussion on the whens and the hows of it. Should they do it on the camping series with Stevie? Should they do a bunch of fake out kisses while camping and then do it on a regular behind the desk episode right after the camping series dropped? Should they do the kiss first and then do the camping series? Should they do it on Good Mythical More so the hard core fans would be the first ones to see it? There were lots of variables, and it was important to get it right.

In the end, they had decided to do it during Pride month, in a main GMM episode, right around the time that the crew would be running the big 5K for the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center. The concept for the episode was a trivia game where there were no winners or losers, highlighting the contributions of LGBTQ individuals throughout history. Not just in things like music, and fashion, but in fields of science and technology, philosophy, all kinds of things. It was a solidly good concept. They would finish the game, say something about the Center and the upcoming 5K, they kiss, they spin the Wheel of Mythicality.

It was a few days before the shoot, and Link seemed nervous and on edge. He and Rhett had talked about it a bit, and it wasn’t that he didn’t want to do the kiss, or that he was worried about their friendship, or their families, or anything like that. He said he was worried about technical things, but had trouble articulating exactly what. They decided to have a rehearsal one evening at the studio after the crew had gone home. After a lot of discussion earlier in the day they had for sure decided they wanted the kiss to be standing up over by where they used to do LTAT rather than behind the desk. Since the premise of the game was really more of a behind the desk sort of thing, the writers weren��t exactly sure what the motivation would be for them to suddenly be standing up, but said not to worry about it. If it was important, they would figure out a way to make it happen.

They were standing in the spot where they planned to do the kiss. They had put chairs out where the cameras would be. They put the wheel where the wheel would be. Once they were satisfied that the scene was set, Rhett turned to Link.

“Ok. So we have camera 1 here, 2 here for close ups, far away cam if we need it will be up there. All good?” Rhett asked.

“Yeah,” Link said pacing around and adjusting the chairs minutely one way then another. “If this is the main camera, then that means we should be standing here and angled like this.” He adjusted his body so that he was in profile to the camera with his feet at a right angle so that his body faced the camera slightly more.

Rhett angled himself to match across from Link, eying the positions and imagining the camera angles. “That should be fine. Do we want to put tape marks down?”

“Not right now,” Link said awkwardly. It seemed like he couldn’t meet Rhett’s eyes and kept sweeping his gaze across the floor and their feet like something still wasn’t quite right. Rhett put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Hey now. Everything is cool. It’s just me. Ain’t nothing dramatic happening tonight. Tell me what’s bothering you. Was it the camera positions you were mostly concerned about? Do we need to get a real one out instead of these chairs?”

“No,” Link replied. “It’s not that. I’m just overthinking every detail, and it’s kind of embarrassing.”

“Out with it, Neal! Rhett McLaughlin is here to help.”

“What am I supposed to do with my hands?” Link blurted out. “I mean we hug, and it shouldn’t really be that different, right? But do my hands need to be more on your shoulders than they normally would be, am I supposed to touch your hair? Are you supposed to touch my face? Speaking of your hair, is it going to be up or down? How long a kiss are we talking here? We don’t want it to be like a quick peck, so do we count slowly to 5? I know we already talked about that before, I just…” He was spinning out of control fast.

“Man! You really are in your head about this,” Rhett said with sympathy. “That’s too many things to think about at once, right? It’s like shooting a music video. If you think of all the things that need to happen at once, it’s overwhelming. Let’s take it in steps.”

“Right,” Link said taking a deep breath. “Steps. Find the process. One thing at a time.”

“Good,” Rhett said. “Now come here and hug me.”

“I…You..” Link stammered, his hands making tiny helpless windmills in the air.

“Come on! Like you said, it’s not like we don’t hug. Hug your buddy! Let’s start from there,” Rhett prompted spreading his arms in invitation.

Link chuckled about how silly he was being and stepped into the hug. His hands went automatically to the middle of Rhett’s back. It felt fine. Not alien, or awkward, or different than any time they might hug.

“Come on and hug me like you mean it!” Rhett said, giving Link a squeeze and jostling him back and forth a bit. Link laughed in spite of himself and returned the hug with a bit more gusto.

“Alright! Now we just lean back a bit and we are in a perfectly good kissing stance. Are your feet still angled right?” Rhett asked, turning his face to the side and looking down. Both of them had their feet properly angled. “See! We’re pros. We can do this!”

Link chuckled a bit. “Ok. So the hands just sort of go where they would anyway. I’m fine with that.”

“Alright then, let’s talk hair stuff,” Rhett suggested. “Do you want to touch my hair?”

“I don’t know!” Link pleaded. He didn’t try to pull away from the hug though.

“You touch my hair a lot. Remember when you used to cut it back in the day? You’ve cut it, curled it, straightened it, covered it in peanut butter. It’s still just my hair.” Rhett reached up and pulled the ponytail holder out of his hair and shook it out a bit. Link automatically shook his own head in dramatic, somewhat mocking fashion. Rhett chuckled.

“Ok. Just your hair. Not like it’s made of snakes,” Link said, bringing his hands up and sliding them into the hair at the base of Rhett’s neck. His hair is so long these days! He looked at his fingers flexing them a bit. There was more of it than there ever has been, but it was still just Rhett’s hair.

Seeing that Link was fairly comfortable, Rhett slid a hand into Link’s hair as well. Link closed his eyes and leaned into Rhett’s hand ever so slightly. Link brought his hands back down to where they had been on Rhett’s back and focused on the feeling of Rhett’s fingers curling and uncurling gently in his hair.

“Next agenda item, the length and voracity of the kiss,” Rhett stated. “What do you think would be best?”

Link’s eyes flew open and he considered. “I think it does need to be more than just a quick smooch, I think we referred to the tone before as sort of friendly and respectful, but what if when it happens we are all adrenalized? What if it goes wrong? What if I end up kissing you, I don’t know, too much? Not enough?” Link was starting to sound panicky again.

“Let’s establish right now,” Rhett said quietly, “If you don’t want to do this, if it’s too much, it stops here. No guilt or blame, nobody’s going to give you a hard time. Furthermore, if you want to kiss me more than just quick and ‘respectful like’, I hereby consent.” He smiled warm and comforting down at Link, his fingers still lightly working their way through his hair.

“Good. Ok. I’m fine, really,” Link assured. “I’m not backing out, it’s just, it’s the first time, and I want it to be perfect.”

“And what is perfection?” Rhett prompted, giving Link the set up for something he said all the time.

“An illusion,” Link said with a sigh. He was feeling better. This was going to be ok. The girls were fine with it. The kids were fine with it. However it turned out, him and Rhett would be fine. Another shadow flitted across his eyes.

“Anything else?” Rhett asked.

“I guess there is one more thing,” Link began. This was real embarrassing. “I..I’ve never.. I’ve never kissed anybody with a beard before. Do you think the texture will freak me out?”

“I’ll have you know the texture of my beard is perfectly lovely!” Rhett exclaimed in mock outrage. He considered the problem. “But you better go ahead and put your face on it, just to be sure.”

“What?” Link began to pull back.

“Here. I’m going to lean down, you can kiss my cheek, rub your nose in it, whatever you have to do to be comfy with your dear old friend, my beard,” He said with a calm smile.

Rhett leaned down and Link brushed his cheek on the auburn beard he knew so well. Scratchy wasn’t the word. Not soft either exactly, but definitely not painful or unpleasant. He turned his lips into the side of Rhett’s face and lingered a moment, noticing again that Rhett’s hand was still lightly moving around the back of his head, petting his hair.

“It smells nice,” Link said as though in a dream.

“Mythical.com/store,” Rhett chimed in. They both laughed. Link pulled his face back a bit and smiled an untroubled smile up at his friend. He then tucked his head down and snuggled into Rhett’s chest, feeling his heartbeat. That constant, steady beat that had been with him so much of his life. They stood there a long time like that. There was no rush. This was a good idea. They should have done it years ago.

[uno-writing]

Sorry for the "minor interactions" earlier , it's just that I consider Rei a secondary character even tho he kinda started the story in a lot of ways 😭

Also, I was in the train and my brain decided to hurt me even more.

Would you be able to write about Remi's mother learning her daughter ended up in the hospital (thanks to john) like, what... one month after the loss of her son ? I dunno, I just wanna cry today I suppose. Poor mom...

(Kudos if there's a bonus scene of the squad meeting remi's mom/parents in general and she just... glares at john 👀)

Also since all the cool kids are doing it, could I pls become baguette anon if that's not already taken ? 🥖 👀

Welcome Baguette Anon!!! Don’t be sorry!! I’d classify it as minor interactions too since we don’t see them interact a lot!! I just said it was sad bc Rei died and that’s why they’re considered minor interactions. And yeah, poor Mama Lighting. She seems like such a good mom too😭😭🍿🥤🍭🍬🍫🧋🥨🥬🍦🍧🧊🐇🍩🥖

*Mama Lighting was in the middle of baking a tray of cookies for the new neighbors when she got the call from Vaughn telling her that Remi went to the hospital

*She only turns off the oven and the mixer before leaving everything how it was, not caring enough about the eggs or milk sitting out

*On her way to the train she calls Arlo to try and figure out what happened (you can’t tell me with how close remi and rei are to arlo that they haven’t introduced him to mama lighting)

*So Arlo answers and he tries to explain but she just kinda overloads him with questions bc poor mama’s in full blown panic

*Arlo finally gets the story out and it’s the FULL story, start to finish

*Like he’s ballsy, but not lie to worried, mama bear ballsy

*Now Mama Lightning’s panicky and pissed

*Like some punk at school messed with her baby?? No, that’s not gonna fly

*So she finally gets to Wellston and visits Remi at the hospital and she asks her the same questions she asked Arlo, just to double check all of the information

*After Remi finishes, Mama Lighting goes off about how Vaughn’s gonna get an earful and then Remi just asks her not to

*Mama Lighting reluctantly agrees and then ends up staying in Wellston for a few days

*Fast forward!!

*Remi invites John and Sera (along with the others) to stay at her place/meet her mom since they’re the only two that haven’t met Mama Lighting

*They agree and so everyone goes to Remi’s house

*And Mama Lighting knows who John is as soon as he walks into her house

*She’s just staring John down and John knows that she’s pissed at him for what he did to Remi and he’s just really awkward and can’t really look at her

*”John.”

*Her voice is just super cold and John’s starting to be like ‘oh fu-’

*But he looks at her and she makes sure that he’s meeting her eyes

*”I can only assume you’re a better person know that my Remi is friends with you, but if you ever think of hurting her ever again I will fry every one of your nerves and ensure you spend the rest of your life in pain, do I make myself clear?” - Mama Lighting

*”yes ma’am” - John (he kinda squeaks it out to bc he’s honestly terrified) *Mama Lighting relaxes and she smiles at him and the others

*”I just got muffins out of the oven if anyone’s hungry!” - Mama Lighting

*And John’s just suffering from whiplash and Sera finds it so amusing

[wlw-multi-fandom-imagines]

Would you be willing to write a Leah Rilke (The Wilds) x reader imagine with the prompt “Why are you so nice to me?" Where reader was also sent on the "retreat" and she comforts Leah after a fight with one of the other girls and reader admits they like her?

You released an exasperated sigh as Leah stormed away from the fire and disappeared into the darkness towards the shore.  Tension still hung in the air, lingering from the words that had been shouted over the crackling of flames between Fatin and the now-absent member of the group.

“Fucking crazy,” Rachel muttered, shaking her head and tossing the small piece of driftwood she had been toying with into the fire.  “We all better sleep with one eye open.”

“Dorothy, care to start your position as my bodyguard a little early?” 

You rolled your eyes at Fatin’s comment and stood up, sand falling from your weathered shorts as you did so.  God, you were never going to the beach again if you got off this hell forsaken island.  

“I’m gonna go check on her,” you admitted, seeing Toni’s gaze reach you first. While you knew she wasn’t particularly invested in the argument, she had noticed the way you tended to volunteer to help with whatever tasks Leah took up around the camp and that you beamed a little too widely whenever she laughed at one of your jokes.  She rolled her eyes but stayed silent as you started in the direction Leah had headed in.  

--------------------------------------------------

Get a fucking grip.

Leah repeated the mantra to herself silently, her arms hugging her knees to her chest as the chilly night air washed over her in gusts.  She knew the other girls thought she was batshit insane and at this point, she was grappling with convincing herself that she wasn’t.  

“Hey.”

Your voice startled her out of the new spiral she was starting towards and Leah jumped as you sat down in the sand next to her.  She hadn’t expected anyone to come after her, but she couldn’t exactly say that she was surprised it was you that had.  Other than Shelby’s little freak-out over the mussels and the absolute shit show food-poisoning that had followed, you hadn’t made many of your reactions very readable since clawing your way onto shore on the first day.

“Hey,” she muttered, wiping at her eyes with the collar of her shirt.  “Checking to see if I’m finally fully off the rails?”

“Nah, nothing like that.  The smoke kept getting in my eyes.”

Leah squinted at you in the darkness and chewed at her bottom lip.  She knew that wasn’t true, and you had to know that she knew that, so why would you even bother saying it at all?

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.  Although, if this is the first round of a game of 20 questions, we’d better invite Shelby over.  She’d be pissed if we played without her.”  You felt a smile play at the corners of your mouth as Leah released a short, raspy chuckle.

“Why are you so nice to me?”

“Oh,” you looked away because even in the darkness you had felt the way her gaze intensified as she waited for a response.  “I, uh, I don’t know.  I mean, I’m nice to everyone, I hope.”

“Yeah, yeah, definitely, you are.  I just...I guess I mean like why is it whenever I freak out and piss everyone else off, you don’t seem phased and you don’t give me the silent treatment.”

You didn’t have a good comeback to deflect what she was saying, and you glanced back to where the rest of the group still sat by the fire.  Maybe you would have been better off just minding your own business and turning in for the night.  As the seconds ticked by and Leah once again waited for you to reply, you wracked your brain for an answer, any answer that would ease the new kind of tension that was building.

“Honestly, I just kind of...don’t like seeing you upset, I guess.”

That answer wasn’t enough and you knew it.  Frustrated with the fact that you couldn’t find the right words to say, you hung your head and sighed.

“Sorry, that’s not true.  Well, it’s true, but it’s not really the whole truth and I know you hate being lied to so I’d really rather not do that, but this is kind of...shit.”

You were digging yourself into a hole now and before you could dig yourself any deeper, you decided to do the smart thing and pull yourself out.  Uncrossing your legs, you stood up and tried to quell the panicky feeling that was building in your chest.  

“Hey, don’t.”

You froze as Leah’s hand grabbed one of your own and she got to her feet.  Part of you wanted to pull free and return to the fire, to the safety of the rest of the group because honestly, Leah probably wouldn’t have the guts to follow you back just yet and you wouldn’t have to admit what you’re about to admit and you wouldn’t have to be standing here in the dark with her face so close to yours and-

“Y/N?”

You snapped your attention away from the train of racing thoughts it had run away with and back into the reality of the situation.  

“Sorry, sorry,” you apologized, a slight tremor in your voice.  Leah’s grip on your hand tightened, a sign that your inability to keep your cool at the moment hadn’t gone unnoticed.  “Honestly, I just...I don’t want this to make things weird, but I kind of have like, a crush or something on you, I think.  And I’ve been trying to be, you know, chill about it but clearly I was not as chill as I thought-”

You didn’t manage to get another word out before Leah leaned in and pressed her lips against yours.  It caught you off guard in such a way that the other girl nearly pulled back because you didn’t move for a few seconds, but when you finally managed to snap out of your shock and your mind shifted into overdrive.

Holy shit.

Kiss her back, idiot!

Hello???  Do something!

She’s kissing me.

Battling against the cacophony of thoughts battling for dominance in your head, you desperately tried to stop your hands from shaking as you placed them on her hips and she pressed against you instinctively.  

You don’t know if it’s been 30 seconds or several minutes by the time you separate, but either way, you’re breathless when the kiss ends.  One of her hands is on your chest and you sheepishly wonder if she can feel how hard your heart is pounding against your ribcage.

“Wow,” she murmured, glancing at her hand and then back at your face.  “You okay?  Don’t go having a heart attack on me?”

“Well, we’re all CPR certified so...I’d say I’m in good hands.”

[inumaki-roll]

hi!! could i please request mha (( deku, bakugo, todoroki, kirishima, denki, sero, shinsou, tamaki, mirio, shindo, monoma, shiggy, dabi + hawks ?? I’M SO SORRY IK THIS IS A LOT..... )) + danganronpa guys (( nagito, hajime, makoto, rantaro, shuichi, chihiro, byakuya, izuru, kazuichi, & kiibo )) with an s/o who is like tall & chubby ? they get insecure about it and really are body-insecure to the point it’s like super frustrating bc they want to express themselves through their outfits but absolutely hate clothes shopping and will break down bc of the amount of people, the clothing sizes, and being upset after trying things on... sorry this got kinda personal lol i just really am in need some comfort and would appreciate this!! thank you so much!!

hi anon !! unfortunately i don’t have writing requests open for bnha !! i’m sorry abt that !! but here are the dr ones you requested !!

- mod rantaro ✧･ﾟ: *✧

➽───────────────❥

MAKOTO NAEGI

- makoto would love it that you’re taller than him omg 

- he’d be so confused on why you’re insecure abt it bc he finds it so cute 

- if you can’t find anything to wear he’d let you wear his jacket if you want !! 

- he would 100% ask komaru for clothing advice and she would let you borrow some of hers to avoid going to the store and being uncomfortable in the store 

- she could also help you online shop !! 

- if you guys were ever in the store together and you started panicking bc of insecurities, he’d immediately get you out as soon as he senses your uncomfortable 

- hed hype you up if you were trying clothes on in a store i know it 

- he doesn’t know much about “fashion” but i think he’d like picking out clothes for you but he’d also be nervous bc he doesn’t wanna pick out the wrong thing 

➽───────────────❥

CHIHIRO FUJISAKI 

- he’s also short so i think he’d think it’s so cute that you’re taller than him 

- OKAY BUT. HED BE AWESOME AT FASHION ADVICE YOU CANNOT TELL ME HE ISNT. 

- he literally dressed in both masculine clothes and then feminine clothes. he’d know a lot about how to dress 

- he’d give timid little tips of advice it’d be so cute please 

- he’d like clap for you when you try things on 

- like cute little claps with the biggest smile like “y/n! you look amazing in that!” 

- he’s also quite insecure so you guys would be able to comfort each other !! 

- he’d always feel so worried if you got upset and would try his best to calm you down but he’d be so panicky 

- i think he’d also make a website that like... gives you clothes recommendations like specifically for you 

➽───────────────❥

BYAKUYA TOGAMI 

- he’d be very shocked when he finds out

- like he’d be like “y/n! why are you so concerned about something so insignificant? looks do not matter, although the feelings you feel are valid. many people experience this problem as well, so you are not alone. if you wish, we can go shopping together sometime if you are comfortable with that.” 

- he’d be very concerned about you and would constantly check up on you

- he’s also tall so like,,,, power couple 

- he’d buy you whatever you want no matter how expensive 

- he’d be very nervous if you started crying at a store, he’d pull you to the side and talk to you to calm you down 

- he’d say very heartfelt things to you, and he’d really mean them 

➽───────────────❥

KAZUICHI SODA 

- HED BE SO CONFUSED ON WHY YOURE INSECURE 

- “if y/n pretty... 🤨 why they not think so... 🤔”

- he’s the biggest simp so he thinks you look amazing in literally anything 

- if you try on clothes at a store his jaw would be on the floor the entire time 

- CONSTANT PRAISE AND COMPLIMENTS 

- like if there’s a commercial on tv and it’s for clothes he’d look at the outfits and points to the ones that you would look good in (it’s every single outfit btw)

- he would want to try his best to help 

- he’d find your height so cool too though 

➽───────────────❥

NAGITO KOMAEDA 

- OKAY BUT HED BE SUPER SUPER CONFUSED WHY YOURE INSECURE 

- HE SEES YOU AS FLAWLESS

- he lets you take your time, he lets you call the shots when you want to go shopping so he won’t invite you bc he doesn’t wanna offend you accidentally by inviting you to go shopping with him 

- i feel like he’d like immediately hug you when he found out 

- like he’d be genuinely SAD that you feel that way 

- he’d wrap you up in his big jacket and lay you down on the couch and hold onto you 

- if you do want to go shopping he’d be willing to spend sm money 

- he’d also be literally drooling over how you look the entire time too

➽───────────────❥

HAJIME HINATA

- he wouldn’t even notice

- he would have to have a flat out sign that you’re insecure 

- as soon as he suspected it, he was a little hesitant to confront you 

- he had no clue what to say 

- but he did give you many compliments and saying that if you need something to always come to him because he will try his best to help 

- if y’all ever went to the store together he’d be blushing the entire time bc he thinks you look so good bye 

- he would give recommendations occasionally but when he does give recommendations they’re wicked good 

➽───────────────❥

IZURU KAMUKURA 

- he would immediately know and would know exactly how and when to comfort you 

- when he notices that you’re having a particularly bad day, he’d drag you to lay with him and pet your hair with no words whatsoever 

- he’d give the best recommendations. like they literally look perfect on you 

- i think he’d also like buy you clothes without taking you to the store 

- he already knows your taste in clothes and what would compliment you, he would go out and buy them for you 

- he could also make clothes for you !! 

- pls. imagine him sewing. why is that so cute bye 

➽───────────────❥

RANTARO AMAMI 

- he’s got 12 sisters, he’s used to this 

- he’d know immediately as well 

- but he’d confront you almost immediately 

- i feel like he’d make a little plan to make you feel better 

- like when he notices, he’d buy you a little “comfort sweatshirt” and a bunch of flowers and would buy a new movie so you could hang out with him and watch it together, to get your mind off of insecurities 

- he’d give you a bunch of his jewelry and say they look pretty on you 

- he’d let you wear his shirt too bc that shirt looks wicked comfy 

➽───────────────❥

SHUICHI SAIHARA 

- okay he’d also put all the clues together and know immediately 

- he would not say anything about it, he doesn’t wanna make you upset 

- instead, he does little things that might make you feel better 

- he’d let you wear his hat while shopping, to block out other people 

- he’d be very comforting and would avoid crowds of people bc that makes you uncomfortable 

- if you ever complained about yourself this boy would not be having it 

- “y/n!! don’t talk so bad about yourself!! you need to see how pretty i think you are!! i don’t care how tall you are, or what you look like! you’re very beautiful to me!!” then he’d realize he was kinda yelling so his voice would soften up

- “ah, y/n, i’m sorry about my tone- i d-didn’t mean to be loud. but you get what i meant. i think you a very.. pretty and i wish you would see yourself that way too.. please?” 

➽───────────────❥

KIIBO

- he’d google how to help you and would be kinda shy about helping you but he knows that he needs to help you 

- i feel like he’d be kinda lost on this since he’s a robot and he’s always looked the way he looks 

- he would.. understand how you feel though? 

- not exactly the same as how you feel but he would relate in a way because he does get teased and discriminated on for being a robot 

- he’d give you little pep talks 

- “y/n. as your significant other, i think it would be good for me to confront you on this subject. this subject may be a bit awkward but i hope to make you feel better about this. i have noticed you are not confident in looks, but there is no need for you to feel this way. you are extremely attractive, and it’s insignificant what you look like anyways. what matters is how you treat others. i am a robot, i an aware of that but i am not ashamed of it. this is why if you think you are lacking in something to acknowledge it and to embrace it. there are plus sides to being a robot as well as there are many plus sides to being tall like you are. if you would like to accompany me on a shopping trip i would be more than happy when you are ready.” 

- i dont think people realize how short kiibo is so he’d think the way you’re taller than him is absolutely endearing

➽───────────────❥

[fanficparker]

Hey! Can I request for a Haz x shy!reader where they go to his house to meet his family and she is all nervous or probably makes a mistake and is like, “your family must hate me now” and Haz comforts her? asasjajskkssjsk

LOVE SO SOFT // H.O.

Boyfriend!Harrison Osterfield x Fem!Reader

Word count: 1.7k words

Warnings: A little bit of blood, minor injury, anxious reader, loads of FLUFF, hurt/comfort

A/N: I made it a complete one-shot, haha. Hope, you like it :)

Summary: It starts on a crisp winter morning with a rose. It continues on a lazy summer afternoon with a bouquet. It doesn’t end on a pouring monsoon evening even with those three magic words.

Sometimes the thing you are searching the most in your life, never comes to you, no matter how hard you try to find it. But when you finally give up and stop searching for it, it may just right there, find you itself.

That thing was love in the case of Harrison.

IT HAPPENED ON ONE COLD CRISP MORNING. He was brisk walking on the pavement, enjoying the cool wind hitting his face when he was stopped by a little "Excuse me!"

He stopped and plugged the earphones out of his ears, turning to find a woman around his age, holding a piece of paper in her hand.

"Yeah?" He asked, shifting her eyes from the paper to his face.

"Er..." She walked closer. He could sense a brief hesitation in her movement, nevertheless, she stood in front of him, speaking - "Do you have any idea where this (she read out from the paper) Mi-Michi and Mavey's Bookstore is?"

The name seemed familiar to his ears. Before he could think any further, she interrupted him: "It's near some Burger shop... I forgot its name."

The bells rang this time.

"Yeah... It on the opposite side of the post office to the left!"

Oh, of course, she didn't know where that was either. He could tell by her expressions. She must be new here.

"Thank you." She smiled, though. He could again read the hesitation in her voice and movements. She was moving away from him, walking towards the wrong direction, away from the bookstore, from the post office. And that's when he offered to walk her there.

He wasn't looking out for anything that day. He wasn't looking out to talk to her. To notice the slight smile on her lips, or the great complimenting colour outfit she was wearing. Or the way she hid her embarrassment over small things. Or the rose she gave him either.

The rose.

Yes, it was the rose that did it all.

He wasn't expecting anything more than a thank you. And definitely nothing like a flower, a rose specifically.

When they stopped outside the bookstore, she did say thank you, but she also fiddled inside the handbag she was carrying. She plucked out a pink rose and handed it to him. He couldn't deny it because he never had learned to expect it in the first place.

Someone just gave him a rose. Someone he didn't even know the name of.

"Wait... What's your name?"

But she had got inside the bookstore and he had some urgent errands to run.

There was a shop tag attached to that rose. He could read it. He knew where to find her again. He did find her again.

And then again and again...

IT HAPPENED ON ONE HOT LAZY AFTERNOON. He had brought a red rose bouquet for her. How stupid it can be? After all, she worked here in a flower shop.

"You know this a flower shop, right?" She leaned across the counter, biting her lip.

"Yup, but this is not for you." He smirked while her face grew panicky.

"Tis' for my girlfriend..." He whispered, pecking at the base of the bouquet.

Not for her... She tried to push away the feeling of her heart ripping apart inside her rib cage.

It was okay; she told herself. She wasn't expecting him to fall in love for her like the way she did for him.

It was okay. She tried to smile.

"Oh... Th-that's great!" She showed some fake enthusiasm.

It was okay.

"I-I will like to meet her someday."

He noticed the hesitation again. But this time he wanted that. He watched her as she pretended, pretended to not care, to be happy for him.

It was too much.

"You can take that spot though and get these for yourself..." He sucked in a deep breath, "Be my girlfriend."

They kissed that day at the back of the shop in that narrow alleyway, slowly and passionately. Softly and hesitantly. Shyly and confidently.

They kissed again.

And then again and again...

IT HAPPENED ON ONE POURING MONSOON EVENING. He invited her to meet his family. She hesitated again. He had held her hand, not wanting to let go.

"Please... They will love you."

She still hesitated, not wanting to meet just yet. She was ready before they actually stepped on the front porch. She literally spent two hours getting ready. But now...

"Please... For me?"

His eyes, the way they glimmered and pleaded, was again too much. He was always too much for her. She closed her eyes and pressed the door-bell. Her smile was strained when his mom welcomed her. Her heart was pounding when she hugged her. She was anxious upon removing her wet sandals, afraid if the wooden floor got dirty.

Harrison noticed again. He dumped the umbrella in the stand and stood close to her, his palm stroking her bicep, shooting her a smile which did all the magic.

She heard the unspoken message in his actions.

It's going to be okay.

Should she wait at the dinner table or help his family in the kitchen? It became the question that bothered her after a few minutes of positive interaction, draining all the optimism she had gathered. It became awkward when both his mum and sister left for the kitchen. It became weirder when he followed them, leaving her alone near the dining area.

Playing with the hem of her long sleeves was no more a suitable pass time. She didn't want to chip off the nail paint she applied so intricately. When the noise of a metal spoon or spatula falling to the kitchen floor reached her ears, that was it for her. She walked to the kitchen, desperate to get involved in whatever Harrison and his family were doing.

"Sorry, love. We should have arranged everything on time, but it got a bit delayed." His mum addressed her apologetically.

"Harrison, why don't you spend time with her?" She asked him next.

"Uh---"

"No problem. I was just... bored... thought I could be of any help?" She smiled, joining them inside the kitchen, standing beside her lover, finding something to do.

"I can chop the salad?" She offered when her eyes landed on the uncut vegetables lying over the chopping board.

"Sure..."

They were talking and laughing. So far, so good. His sister was stirring the soup on the stove. He and his mum were arranging the plates and crockery while she was cutting the tomatoes and the green vegetables.

"You can use the serrated knife for the tomatoes. It would be easier." His sister suggested.

"It's fine." She placed a tomato on the board after removing its core and started running the blade vertically. She needed to impress them, flex her chopping abilities. She went on faster, slicing the large tomatoes one after another. Until the knife slipped off and ran across her finger instead. No, the tomatoes were too soft and juicy for that kind of cutting.

The knife dropped on the floor with a sharp noise, diverting all their attention to hers.

"You oka-"

"Yeah. I will just use the bathroom," She excused herself, moving at a pace that was something between running and walking.

Opening the tap of the basin, she let the blood wash off her finger. It was a minor cut but deep. Upon hearing Harrison's voice calling her outside, she turned off the tap instantly and searched the cabinet to find some cotton and rubbing alcohol.

She walked outside, pressing the cotton over her wound, hiding it from Harrison's vision.

"Are you hurt?"

What?

"No. Of course, not." She let out a burst of staggering laughter, trying to surface the lie.

He hummed, pausing for a second, looking into her eyes. She refused to meet his icy-blue ones, clenching her fist tighter to ease the stinging pain.

"There was some blood on the board."

And now Harrison found her outright lying, hiding things. She had read on various online articles how for many people this was the end of the trust. All she wanted was to look good in his family's eyes and they must have come to know about her carelessness too. She even rejected his sister's advice.

Instead, she received a hug. Harrison had softly pushed her back into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her body, keeping his head on her shoulder.

"I told you it was going to be okay..." He whispered below her ear, softly blowing some stray hair off that area.

"It didn't go okay though," She could feel her voice breaking.

"What didn't go okay, love? All I see is my family being absolutely fond of you." He kissed at the spot below her ear, his favourite place to kiss her.

"I just... made a fool of myself. I am such a noob."

He giggled at the choice of her words.

"No, you are not," He stepped in front of her, lifting her chin with his fingers.

"First, cutting yourself while chopping isn't a big deal. And second, even if you were a noob (he made a dorky face at the word, pouting dramatically), I don't see how it will make you a fool. Come on Y/n, we are here to meet my family not to give an exam." He wiped the little wetness on her eye-lashes and leaned in to peck her over her eyelids.

"I love you, you know that, right?"

Her heart again thudded inside her chest. He just said those three magic words for the first time or was she hearing wrong... She nodded instead, unable to say anything back.

"So, no need to feel embarrassed. And now get me your hand. Let me fix it real fast."

He made her sit over the counter and wrapped a band-aid over the cut. Meanwhile, she still thought of the words, dreading to reply.

"We good to go?"

"Huh?" She realised she was blankly staring at his face. "Er... Yeah."

She jumped off the counter as he walked towards the door.

"Hey, Harrison?"

He stopped at her voice and turned to see her walking towards him.

"I love you too." She said, pressing a kiss over his lips.

He was smiling into the kiss.

She bet she could make him smile again and again. And she did.

 ONE-SHOT TAGLIST:  @god-knows-what-am-i-doing // @multifandomlover121// @its-a-leap-of-faith-kid // @emmaloo21 // @swiftmind // @trustfundparker // @hollands-weasley //  @hazmyheart // @lost-aesthetic-of-past // @tommysparker // @redlips-c // @just-a-littlebit-of-everything // @miraclesoflove // @serendipitous-amor // @hazardosterfield // @lizzyosterfield // @thenoddingbunny-blog // @halfblood-princess-505 // @spidergirl007 // @viagracex // @parkerpeter24 // @fanficscuziranout // @httplayer // @veronicas-littleworld // @slytherin-chaser // @perspectiveparker // 

[takohebi]

Serpentine Escapade

Pairing: f!MC/Yuu x Jamil Viper

tags: fluff, romantic tension || word count: 2431

Summary:  The NRC was hosting an extravagant Ball. Yuu wanted a few moments away from the party. A familiar snake slowly glides up to her.

Read on AO3

Fic under the cut- 

Yuu slipped away from the main hall quietly. The NRC Ball was a huge event, with student representatives coming from other colleges as well. Yuu was overwhelmed by the number of people on the dance floor, swirling together delightedly as the light music club provided music and entertainment. It wasn’t like she was lonely- she had already danced a lot, albeit clumsily with Ace and Deuce and even twirled an indignant Grim around a few times. Then Azul and the Leech twins danced with her, their movements elegant and graceful despite being mermen. And she had promised Cater and Lilia dances later. No, Yuu wasn’t lonely; she just wanted a short time away from the bright lights and the crowds. She may not be as asocial as Idia (who did not turn up today, although Ortho did) but big crowds still made her feel nervous and overwhelmed.

She retreated to one of the more reclusive balconies surrounding the humongous ballroom. There was no one around. She let out a sigh of relief.

Yuu stood in the wide balcony overlooking the immaculate Pomefiore gardens. The music was a dull rhythm in the background now, a comforting constant in the otherwise still and quiet night. Yuu sighed. It had been many months since she was whisked away by the carriage. She had essentially restarted her life here. New friends, new rules, new troubles, new...feelings. It was definitely an improvement from her old life, so much so that she continues to repress those memories when they inevitably intrude upon her life in Twisted Wonderland. Shaking her head to dispel the rising mix of apprehension and unease whenever she slipped and remembered her past, Yuu tried to focus her thoughts on the faraway beat, tapping her foot in cadence. It was a tried and true technique that kept her from spiraling and soon she was back to being herself again, eyes closed, body swaying gently to the music, her foot keeping the beat.

“Yuu? Is something wrong?”

A familiar voice jolted Yuu out of her focused distraction. Her eyes flew open to meet Jamil’s, her heart racing a mile a minute. Jamil walked casually towards her, his expression collected but maybe hinted with a slight bit of concern. Maybe. At any rate, Yuu didn’t say anything but watched him get closer, her eyes idly taking in his appearance, though not for the first time this evening. Jamil hardly wore shirts. His dorm uniform and gym clothes always consisted of a hoodie. So seeing him buttoned up in an elegant suit was a special treat. Jamil looked good in everything he wore, and tonight was no exception. The well-tailored suit accentuated his long legs and lean body, making Yuu’s breath catch with every stolen glance during the Ball.

Yuu realised she was attracted to the reticent vice dorm-head shortly after his overblot incident, when Kalim started inviting her over for dinners or mancala games. These sojourns almost always ended up with her staying back to help Jamil clean up and settle things in order and during these moments, Yuu came to realise 2 things: Jamil Viper was a very capable man, who balanced his duties, academics and hobbies perfectly and without complaint, which was pretty cool and admirable. And also, Jamil Viper was very handsome, alluring and physically attractive.

The second observation hit Yuu with the power of a speeding truck when she first saw him laugh at a silly story she shared with him as they were wrapping up after an evening of mancala. His mirthful expression combined with his voice ringing out in amusement dazed Yuu and she realised she was already in love with him for a while now, enjoying their small, quiet moments in each others’ company in the opulent Scarabia Dorm.

At present Jamil had reached her spot in the balcony, the worry on his face a tad bit clearer. “Hey are you feeling well? You look spaced out. Everything okay?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.

“Oh, I just wanted a small break from the crowd. I am fine. Needed a moment away, that’s all.”

“I get what you mean. The Ball is really grand and it seems with each passing year, more people turn up for these events. It’s just...I saw you leave the Hall and not return and-”

“Ha you thought I was going to run away? Away from the delicious desserts? No way!”

“- and was concerned that you might not be well.” he continues, eyebrows creasing disapprovingly at her feeble attempt at deflection. His annoyed face was adorable, Yuu thought to herself. But she refrained from saying it. It won’t be wise to annoy him further.

So she smiled and said “I am fine, Jamil. Thank you for asking. I do intend to return to the Ball before Lilia hexes me for spurning his dance offer."

She gave a shallow laugh as Jamil’s earlier words sunk in. Had she continued watching Jamil as she spoke, she might have seen his frown get deeper when she mentioned Lilia and her promise to the enigmatic fae. But Yuu now had other thoughts in mind.

So he had watched her leave huh? He had watched her leave. The idea of Jamil looking at her from afar made her insides flutter. She too, had been looking at him during the event, quite a lot in fact. She saw him dance with a lot of students from his dorm, Azul (though Jamil seemed extremely reluctant about it), Ace and Floyd. She was hoping to dance with him at some point too, making a mental note to ask him later. And now he is here, with her, under the waning moon, alone and away from the party. As she slowly started to think of how to phrase the question without being weird, Jamil spoke.

“Would you like to dance with me?”

Yuu’s head snapped to face Jamil. He was looking away, expression neutral but she swore he was blushing slightly, the same look he had on his birthday celebration, many weeks ago. She blinked rapidly, her mind blanking. She wasn’t mentally prepared for this!!

Jamil looked at her, his frown had returned. Yuu panicked for a moment before forging on.

“It’s fine-”

“YES”

“I want to dance with you Jamil. I mean it.” Yuu grinned, barely able to contain her excitement. She hoped the semi-darkness helped hide her blush.

Her heart hammered in her chest as Jamil wordlessly held out his hand, a soft smile on his face. Why was this man so beautiful?

Almost too eagerly Yuu took it, and Jamil pulled her into a slow dance, in perfect harmony with the distant, ongoing music.

Now as noted previously, Yuu had already danced quite a bit before but somehow this time, it felt more...personal. Was it because her partner was a man she’d been slowly falling in love with? Was it because right now they were away, separate from the rest of the school, rest of the world, tangled together in this moment of time?

At any rate, all she could think of right now was the feeling of Jamil’s hand in hers, his other on her waist and the proximity of their bodies, their breaths. It felt intimate and it made her forget to breathe. Her body followed Jamil’s mechanically, and she was happy to be led by him. It gave her time to drink him in. She could hear the soft tinkling of the bell in his hair accessory. It was a soft reminder of their closeness. Her eyes wandered more. She noticed his lashes were a kind of long, and his makeup for tonight seemed immaculate. Oh his ear had a small mole, how cute.

She continued.

The muscles in his neck flexed and moved slightly with their steps, the sight mesmerizing Yuu. Ha, Jamil didn’t need his unique magic to hold her captive. His lips were gently sloped into a casual small smile and Yuu could not believe her heart could beat any faster, but it did. Her eyes raked over his hands next- seeing their intertwined hands made her skin tingle with happiness and excitement. His other rested steadily on her waist and Yuu wondered how would it feel to let it wander. He smelled nice too. Some kind of soft cologne. Yuu was careful not to inhale too much, lest she forget herself and do something inappropriate. Ahh, she was enjoying this dance very much.

Though her eyes ravished his body and face, Yuu did not look into Jamil’s eyes. She knew if she did, she would do or say something stupid and or crass and she was scared. Scared of breaking this magical spell. The air around her felt electric and heady. And she wasn’t done with it yet. Just a few moments more...

Suddenly Jamil’s grip on her hand grew a slight bit tighter, breaking her indulgent thoughts and prompting her to glance quickly at him. He was again looking away, again frowning and looking a little...pouty?

“Hey are you okay?” Yuu asked, slightly panicky. Was she dancing badly? Is he bored?

He started. He probably squeezed her hand unknowingly. Odd. Jamil is usually pretty calculative of everything. Impulsive is not a word to describe him. He sighed softly, the action fanning Yuu’s hair and gently caressing her neck, causing her mind to go into overdrive. Focus! She has to focus! It won’t do to lose her mental faculties right when Jamil is about to speak.

“It’s not me, I am worried you are not enjoying this.”

“What?! Why would you say that?” Yuu asked with a laugh, the idea that she could possibly not be enjoying being held by Jamil seemed so absurd.

Jamil huffed, lips quirking, accentuating his pout. Lord this man can be so endearing! He seemed to be carefully thinking about his words. Hmm, he usually didn’t need to think so much.

“Earlier… when- hmm. When you danced with Ace, you were talking...laughing. You seemed more- enthusiastic. You can be honest with me you know? I have faith in my dancing but not in being an enjoyable companion.”

Jamil seemed to be picking his words slowly, cautiously. Yuu was not.

“Jamil! That was because Ace was constantly mimicking Crewel as we danced. His imitations are really funny. Well you know how Ace is, he is never serious.” Yuu laughed nervously but Jamil didn’t look convinced. Yuu’s brain raced, trying to find words and string them together.

Instinctively she tightened her grip on Jamil’s hand and leaned in, hoping her panic doesn’t show. “Jamil, I swear I am having the time of my life right now. I- I don’t know how to express it well. But I would rather be here dancing with you, than with anyone or anywhere else right this moment. I really enjoy your company and would have refused to dance if I really did not want to. You know that right? I am here because I want to.”

Jamil’s eyes widened slightly, his lips parted as if to say something but no words were spoken. Yuu realised she had done what she was avoiding- looking at Jamil’s eyes and with them being this close, she noted his eyes were a pretty grey, the light from the Hall casting a warm glow. Yuu felt her thoughts trailing to his lips again. They were right there. She glanced at them and wet her own. How easy would it be to accidentally lean in a bit and brush her lips against his. A small chaste kiss. She let out a breath and quickly shot a look at his eyes again. They were searing into hers and she could see him quickly work something out as he held her stare.

How and when she did not know but Jamil’s hand had now moved from her waist to her face, cupping it gently. His expression shifted to something a little cocky. The way he looked when he knew he was winning. Smug and certain. Yuu hoped her heartbeat wasn’t actually audible because right now, all she could hear was the roaring in her ears.

And Jamil’s voice. His silky smooth voice as he spoke in a lowered tone-

“Yuu. If it’s ok with-”

“YUU! THERE YOU ARE!!”

Ace’s voice cut through the moment, cleanly slicing the tension and Jamil instantly leaned back, face immediately resuming his usual stoic expression. Yuu loved her friend but right now she was angrily wishing she could use magic because she would very much like to curse him for a year. But the look of relief on his face as he ran towards the two softened her heart. A bit. Yuu was still pretty mad.

Behind him, Deuce appeared, a little out of breath, holding Grim. Evidently they were looking for Yuu. “We were worried about you. You could have at least told us before taking off y’know.” Grim said, a look of exasperation on his face.

“Sorry, I chanced upon her sometime ago but she wanted some fresh air so I was accompanying her.” Jamil replied, politely.

“Well we just didn’t want her missing out on the desserts. That’s all.” Ace said, crossing his arms. Sure Ace. That’s all. His reluctance to admit his feelings made Yuu smile. Her idiot trio were most definitely the cutest people in the campus. Uh, save for Jamil. And Kalim. Hmm maybe that title has a lot of competition.

Deuce was on his phone, maybe texting someone. Ace was talking, “-yeah tell Ruggie that we found her and she’s fine. Hang on, maybe don’t tell him. He still owes me for cheating me out of my lunch the other day…” As Deuce elbowed him and the bickering started, Yuu’s idle thoughts were interrupted by a pressure on her hand. Her heart skipped several beats when she realised Jamil was holding her hand throughout this even if they broke apart the moment Ace spoke. Yuu slowly glanced at him and saw him stare at her friends, with a blank expression.

“When the light music club performs “Buzzing Currents”, come back here, I will be there. We have a dance and other...things to finish. I’ll be seeing you.” Gently letting go of Yuu with a final squeeze, Jamil strode away, citing some excuse about disciplining his dorm. As she stole one last glance, he looked back, a cheeky smile on his face and eyes narrowed in what looked like amusement. He looked like a cat that got the cream.

Yuu couldn’t wait to be eaten.

[tory-ben-hi-shelton]

my favourite quotes from code

"Okay, pal." Ben gripped our captive at both ends. "Count your blessings that my friend here is a total softy."

It'd been nice fishing alone with Ben. The two of us didn't spend much one-on-one time together, and he often went mute when Hi and Shelton were around. Probably because those two never let anyone get a word in edgewise.

"Don't be such a baby." I teased. "They're practically lap dogs."

"Lap dogs won't rip your face off. Or eat you."

"All in all," Shelton said, "this is a tremendously dumb game."

"You're a dumb game." Hi shot back.

More dramatic moans, but the boys stopped what they were doing.

"Fine." Hi.

"Whatever." Shelton.

"One time." Ben held up a single finger. "One."

"This game is popular?" Ben was sitting on his tackle box in the shade of a large Elm. "Sounds pretty nerdtastic to me."

"We can't all practice birdcalls like you."

"Honey, in my day a young lady didn't speak to her elders like that. We were taught manners." I was about to further reduce her opinion of my upbringing when the shade to Kit's office rose.

Kit once said I terrify him. He meant it in a good way. I think. Pretty sure.

"Tory!" Whitney squealed. "He's going to attack!"

"Maybe." I walked into the kitchen and snagged a diet coke from the fridge. "Try to protect your throat."

"Tory!!!"

"Later." Jason tossed a head nod to Hi and Shelton as he passed them. The Two Stooges clumsily returned the gesture.

Shelton drifted back to my side wearing a sly grin. "That was smooth, player."

"Shut it."

"I know." I signed, turned. Ben often knew what I was thinking.

Shelton rapped a short sting of characters just above the signature: Hemxvivobz

"That's useful." Hi said. "Sounds like a sex position."

"Like everything you do is cool," Hi snorted. "Still have that ninja costume you wore to my twelfth birthday party?"

"Ben, that's brilliant."

Suddenly, the boy was all blushes.

"No big deal. Easy, really."

"We have got to work on our decision making process." Shelton was shaking his head. "Right now we just follow Tory over every cliff."

"Oh, boohoo." I mocked. "Get moving."

Already handsome, flaring took his attractiveness to a whole new level. His coppery skin practically glowed in the evening light. I turned quickly, surprised by the colour rising to my cheeks.

Ben took a breathe, seemed to realize how hard he was clutching me. His hand dropped as if burned.

"Come on Shel-Dogg," Hi stuck out a fist. "After everything we've done, the dark shouldn't scare you anymore."

"And yet, it does." A moment passed, then Shelton reluctantly bumped Hi's fist.

Terrified, I lunged towards my wolf dog. An arm circled my wait and dragged me to the ground.

"Just follow my lead." Code for: I have no idea.

"Very nice," I said. "I wasn't aware break dancing was back in style."

"Now you are." Hi popped open a bag of Bugles. "I also do a killer mime."

Ben smiled for the first time all afternoon. It was nice to see. When he deigned to flash his pearly whites, Ben went from sullen boy to charming young man. I much preferred the latter.

"What happened?"

"A crazy female line backer pummeled my chest." Hi grumbled. "She's still pinning me to the ground. And she isn't as light as she might think."

Their Cinderella run had made Shelton and Hi popular with the older kids. The two were joking and talking trash, seemingly holding their own. For some reason, this made me proud. What an odd thought.

Without thinking, I launched myself at Ben, catching him off guard. The weight of my body knocked him over backward. Never hesitating, I jumped on his chest and started slapping his face.

Ben was slouched in the copilots chair, too dizzy to stand.

"He's no good for you," Ben said abruptly. "Doesn't deserve you."

"Just be quiet." Soft. "We're almost home."

Ben's eyes were slits. "That guy, he's..." His hand rose, fell. "Dime a dozen. Doesn't know anything. About you. The real you."

Mercifully, Ben trailed off. In moments, he was snoring.

Hi and I headed for the lot. I hoped Wimpy and Vomitasaurus and gotten their acts together.

"Off-limits." Shelton muttered. I chose not to hear.

"I could kiss you, Tory."

"Some other time."

"Choir practice?" Ben rolled his eyes. "Perhaps your worst cover story ever."

Hi grabbed Shelton by the cheeks. "You, sir, are a genius." He leaned forward to kiss eachother one.

"I try." Shelton flailed as Hi his first sloppy smacker. "Man, get off me!"

"Problem? Why?"

Hi looked at me strangely. "We're a little busy Friday night."

"Busy? Doing what?"

The boys exchanged a look. Hi snorted.

"I don't know about you," Shelton said, "but I'm escorting my friend Victoria to her debutante ball."

"Fine! I won't go anywhere else alone. Ever again. Scouts honour."

"You're not a scout," Hi pointed out. "No loopholes, Miss Brennan."

I nearly ground my teeth. "On my honour as a lady, Hiram."

"Excellent! I accept."

Hi lifted the heavy cream envelope penned with my name. "What's this?"

"Oh, that." Could anything matter less right now? "You guys are gonna love it."

I passed along our invitation to the Claybourne Manor. Their groans drew every eye in the room.

"Ben, stop the boat."

He looked at me funny. "We're in the middle of the ocean, Victoria."

"Jason's my friend," I said quietly, "but he's not a Viral. He's not part of my pack. He'll never mean as much to me as you do."

Ben's eyes snapped to meet mine. He stared at me intently. I felt my cheeks burn.

"And Hi and Shelton, of course." I added quickly.

"Of course."

"We're always one step behind. Running straight into whatever direction the Gamemaster points. He's owning us right now. Scripting our every freaking move!"

Abruptly Ben was beside me, his hand finding mine. "Later, Tor."

Voices intruded from far away.

"Oh man, she really did it this time!"

"Should we call a nurse?" Panicky. "An ambulance?"

"And say what, exactly?" hissed a third. "That our friend passed out after some bad telepathy?"

I considered running away. Joining a travelling circus. I had a savings account, and a tiny trust fund courtesy of Aunt Tempe. I could probably get as far as Singapore before anyone noticed. I'm very resourceful.

Hi, naturally, had opted for flair. His tux was crushed purple velvet with tails, accented by all white silk—tie, vest, gloves and suspenders. He completed the outfit with a freaking top hat and cane. Whitney had nearly fainted on seeing him.

Ben lurched forward to catch my elbow. "Jason will escort her."

Unable to speak, I thanked him with my eyes. "You'll do great," Ben whispered, patting my hand. "Just picture them all in their underwear." I gave a decidedly unladylike snort.

"Don't choke, Boat Girl."

I almost laughed. "Step off, bitch."

"Oh, we're, um playing a pretty serious game of Dungeons and Dragons," Hi stammered. "I'm, like, the head ... unicorn master, and Tory has to find my magic... beans. Seeds."

Hi cracked the door. "Ladies first."

"Why, thank you, sir."

For the hell of it, I dropped into another formal curtesy. The boys snickered. Then, straightening their soiled garments as best they could, gave me a polite round of applause.

"You okay, Tor?" Shelton had a sandbag on one shoulder, hauled up from the beach. "We don't have time for an ER run."

"We could amputate," Hi suggested. "Shelton, get the whiskey."

"Comedians, both of you."

"I dreamed it."

"Aha! You dreamed it." Hi yawned and rubbed both his eyes. "I think it's time we get you medicated."

"Good thing we're Virals," Ben said.

Our eyes met. He actually smiled.

"I'm with Tory," Ben said firmly. "To the end."

"Thank you." I felt a rush of affection. When it really matters, I can always count on Ben.

I stared at Ben, aghast, incapable of speech. My friend. My confidant. Trusted above all others on earth.