#Changes his disguise with the phases of the moon

[river-lethe-tears]

Ludger my beloved <3

Recently got obsessed with this, so here’s a quick two minute sketch lol

[shycroissanti]

Kishin could have both Human/demon future. What if whatever turns him into a human? instead of giving him a way to shapeshift into a human. He already can shift into a bean and teach other demons. So this progression of shapeshifting skill could seamlessly turn him human -mainly just his appearance-. He can already walk in the sunlight. this form could let him eat basic human food again. and not scare normal humans. when he's in this form even demons might mistake him for one. But he could shift back into his demon appearance. the demon that tried to attack him the upper moon 2 or Irina would regret it. He would be slightly weaker in this Human form but strong enough to punch a weaker demon out. ( I love Kishin alternative future AU Upper Moon 2 and if you do make it the canonical future. I would love it. but if you want a form of "Human" Kishin this is my idea.)

I'M LOVING THESE IDEAS!!! ((o(^∇^)o))✨️💖

So, I don't know if this makes much sense with the KNY universe, because initially the idea was for Kishin to return to being fully human after the final battle🤔

But like this, Takahiro no longer makes any sense in the anime's canon story, so I'm already considering these ideas for my original story xD

In the future:

Kishin has become the upper 2, Takahiro, Yudi and Zenshin who are the biggest threats (because they are the strongest demons) are now more friendly with others and don't cause as many problems as before.

Now everything is more peaceful (of course there are still several threats and dangers in the world, but the main characters had some time to rest/train). Kishin spent some time training and meditating to improve his abilities, until he reached a point where he can kind of transform into a human again.

(This is also likely because Kishin has a completely clear conscience, as he has never attacked any human)

Now a small drawing that I made imagining his design:

(I did it digitally so it would be easier to color X3)

The marks on his body remain, so he only hides the upper moon mark.

His hair changes color with each transformation.

His eyes return to white in his human form.

So, just one additional piece of information: Takahiro can very well disguise himself as a human with ease, but in his case it is by pure luck, since he barely has any demonic appearance (like horns or claws) the only thing he is able to do is change the color of his eyes✨️

And since this is in a slightly more distant future, Irina is already in her black hole phase, so Kishin and Irina changed almost simultaneously :3

Now Kishin can change form whenever it is more convenient, I imagine this can make him a bit tired at first, that's why he spends most of his time in his new human form and transforms into a demon again when he needs to fight.

Le tags💖

@c00kietin @larz-barz @knyinfinity @demonslayerdoodles @night-mince10001 @scaredyfurry2 @pinkwisteria @giyubabe @pulim-v @nothingtoseehere1-2-3 @tor-the-tortilla @zenitsustherapist @ayunakatsukiwolfhashira @sunbrokenswords

[kiigan]

❝nocturnal poetry; dressed in the whitest silver you'd smile at me❞

⇾ deity/supernatural verse ⇾ tag: give me high in a world of contradiction; intertwining of the tangled earthly desires ⇾ status: alternate universe; open to interactions

ㅤBased on Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion with a large dose of headcanons, exploring the idea of Itachi as Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the Deity of the Moon. This is a versatile verse and can easily be used in a lot of different settings, cross-overs included. As a general background, Tsukuyomi grows easily bored of the same-old, same-old immortal existence (especially upon entering times when ancient deities are mostly forgotten by humans) and often visits the human world for his own amusement.

⇾ Appearance and mannerisms ㅤTsukuyomi easily stands out due to his uncommon beauty, androgynous features, traditional clothing, complex vocabulary, and generally ancient mannerisms and habits. Has deep black eyes that change to a blood-red color whenever making use of his powers. Long black hair reaching down past his waist, which he keeps loose or more intricately styled according to his mood. Dresses in a variety of kimonos, the colors and patterns also according to mood (though he tends to favor reds and golds), and tends to go barefoot everywhere (being unaffected by any sort of human injury, sickness, or dirt). If needed, is willing to compromise for geta sandals. Loves accessories and tends to always wear at least a few bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, and headpieces. Often wears make-up in the traditional Japanese style.

ㅤTsukuyomi is very elegant in his movements, be it standing or walking or sitting or even simply lying down, and his presence brings about an aura of serenity and peace. Has the habit of carrying around a wooden folding fan with moon patterns, mostly to fan himself with for dramatic effect. Or to smack outrageous humans on the head with, whenever necessary.

⇾ Personality ㅤGenerally tranquil, welcoming, and nurturing. Has moments of big excitement, especially when learning new things about the mortal world. Even though he can be terribly condescending towards humans, and may or may not be salty that they long ago gave up on their worshiping, he does in fact respect them a lot for their tenacity and intellect and is very interested in learning more about their world. Despite the serene mood, he can also be incredibly sassy and/or stubborn. As well, he often displays a very flirtatious and teasing mood.

⇾ Powers ㅤTsukuyomi's powers are mostly related to the weaving of illusions. He can effortlessly manipulate the environment and the bodily senses and create illusions that are almost impossible to break. He is also able to easily conjure glamors with which to disguise either himself or others, or even physical objects or entire buildings. Additionally, he possesses the ability to read minds and, although to a lesser extent, to manipulate said minds and to erase or modify memories. He also possesses the ability to weave and influence dreams. Generally speaking, he is able to fluctuate and hover above ground and can fade into mist in order to avoid attacks.

ㅤWhile in the human world, Tsukuyomi's powers are directly related to the circadian cycle and to the moon phases. During daytime, most of his powers are unavailable to him, save for the ability to conjure glamors. Daylight also greatly impairs his eyesight, making it rather blurry. The magnitude of his powers fluctuates along with the moon cycle, being at its peak during full moon and at its weakest during new moon. His general mood follows a similar pattern, fluctuating between more enthusiastic and energetic, and more lethargic and quiet.

⇾ Random little bits

Knows literally nothing about technology. If you hand him a phone, he's gonna ask you what is this enchanted rock that shines bright and plays music.

Can't read/write modern world languages, despite being able to speak them with a heavy accent.

Has a huge soft spot for human indulgences, including food and drinking (despite having no real need for any of these) and every other vice.

Can't cook to save his life, because obviously that is not a deity-like skill. Because he does love human food, however, will shamelessly empty your fridge regardless.

Loves sleeping, despite also having no real need for it. Just loves fluffy beds and couches and cushions in general.

Loves soaking in the bathtub for hours, despite never actually getting dirty or sweaty.

Also has a very soft spot for human trinkets that are completely useless.

Will compensate you for any trouble by granting you beautiful and pleasant dreams and by offering the bestest massages.

Very talented at playing the shamisen.

Naturally smells like a mixture of jasmine and amber.

Actually has a myriad of children, of every possible age and with a lot of different partners. These deities have been around since the beginning of time and have frolicked a lot okay. Don't judge.

You know the Uchiha dramatics? They originated in Tsukuyomi.

[piracytheorist]

Macabre Theme and Variations (9/15)

Fandom: Spy x Family Word count: 4.4k for this chapter | 38k so far | 65k in total Rating: T Warnings: Non-permanent character deaths, graphic violence

Summary: Twilight wakes up. He works on his mission. He dies. He comes back and does it all over again. Each time a little different. (Inspired by the film Happy Death Day)

AO3 Read from the beginning: Tumblr | AO3

~

Chapter 9: Falsetto

falsetto = artificially making one’s voice sound higher

~

Borf!

“Oh,” Twilight says, jumping up from the bed. He opens his door and drops to his knees, frantically rubbing at Bond's fur. “Oh, Bond. You have no idea how happy I am to see you, boy.”

Bond reaches up a little to lick his cheek, and a small giggle escapes him.

A giggle. He can't believe it.

He still feels the wide smile on his face when he stands up to stop Yor before she bumps into the wall. She hums in acknowledgement with a small smile and goes on with her routine.

He crouches back down, resting his arm on his knee as his other hand pats Bond's head.

For the third time someone else risked their life for his sake, and all Twilight could do was stand helplessly and watch as they died.

He can't allow this to keep happening. He needs to get his act back together and end the loop, and fast.

However, he's starting to warm up to the lack of consequences.

“Hey Bond,” he says. “Do you want to go for a run?”

Bond makes an excited borf, his tail wagging wildly.

The cold morning air blows sense back into him. He looks at the moon, still in its waning gibbous phase.

He has a ton of questions he still needs answered. About Yor, about Anya, hell, how did Bond see the grenade coming ten whole seconds before Pollux even pulled the ring off of it?

About Pollux, though, his boasting answered Twilight’s questions like an unexpected gift. The fact that no-one else from WISE is in danger of a later attack orchestrated by him was crucial knowledge to acquire, and though it was the only new piece of information, his speech provided the wake-up call Twilight needed.

Pollux was wrong about him; though he's fully immersed in his Loid Forger persona, Twilight knows there's no way to build any lasting and meaningful relationships through a disguise, no matter how perfectly he dons it.

For that reason, he can't try for any development with Yor or Anya while this loop lasts. Anya he could handle, in part, because she's already shown affection with him, but the previous day showed him he does not deal well with opening his heart to Yor only for her to remember nothing the next day.

He'll find her, just like she asked. He will tell her about their day in the loop, and as much as he can about his real identity. It will then be her choice, one he will respect to the fullest.

It will affect Operation Strix, of course, if she decides to divorce him, and even more if she requests custody of Anya. As for the prospect of her reporting him... she'll know that doing so will endanger Anya's place, either with him or her, so there's actually good chance she'll avoid it. But even if she does report him and he needs to come up with a more drastic disguise, he can still find a way to approach Desmond.

It's dangerous. But at this point, with both him and Yor being emotionally compromised with each other, trying to keep up with the pretend marriage can be more dangerous. And less desirable, if he's honest with himself.

He pauses his jog, leaning his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

It's incredible how much he's changed, all in a day that never changes. More than ten years of spy work crumbling down within a repeated week.

He looks at Bond, who's also stopped in front of him, tongue hanging out of his mouth but ready to keep going for more.

There was no actual requirement for him to be miserable in this job. It's just easier to be detached and avoid emotional complications before they even appear. His feelings and emotions did not hold any value to him, until he found himself surrounded by three beings, two humans and one dog, who cared for him enough to make him feel guilty they did. Enough to make him want to be worthy of it.

To make him want.

He might have been helpless at the face of such circumstances, he thinks as he continues his jog. It's not just this week. It probably even started the moment after he'd rescued Anya from Edgar, when she ran to him and said she wanted to stay with him.

He was just too proud of and too focused on his spy work to realize what that simple gesture kick-started in him.

Well, no point in self flagellating now. It is what it is; Pollux lost control on his emotions and instead tried to wield control over the family he'd infiltrated, then tried to win them back with honesty, failing spectacularly. If Twilight is to learn anything from this story, it’s that he needs to put honesty first, before his emotions get the better of him. The fact that he's not immediately shutting down the whim to be open about being a damned spy is a first sign of loss of control. It should be ironic that his plan is to pass on that control to Yor and allow her choice to dictate the future of Operation Strix, but from the first moment it was a mission depending on two clueless civilians.

The responsibility to adjust the mission will fall on him, but he's used to that.

He sighs decisively. He has enough time to plan his confession, but first he has to end the loop. And with the thought of no consequences, he realizes this is yet another day he needs to die.

At least, he can look inwards for what he considers fun today. If he's to try and truly be a father to Anya and a husband to Yor, he needs to know what lies in the man he wants them to accept, for real this time.

Back home, he showers and prepares breakfast. It's still the classic omelette from the previous days, but today also offers two scoops from the surprise ice cream for each one of them.

The look he has is far too pensive for a mere ice cream box, but he can't stop thinking how, without this choice in breakfast, Anya won't get the chance to eat the ice cream until the loop ends and they finally return home after the theater play. Aside from the sneaky spoonfuls she took the night before the loop started, of course.

Anya doesn't demand any explanation on the ice cream for breakfast. Yor is a little cautious, but her worries seem to disappear as she undoubtedly notices the smile on his face.

It's not acting like the proud father that's difficult today, that comes naturally by now. It's acting like that, knowing he'll have to miss the play again today.

Just that. Today and tomorrow will be purely for testing. If he gets the information he needs, in two days he can start hoping he can catch the bastard.

And Anya? How is she reacting to this?

She was looking at him, but now she immediately drops her gaze to her ice cream bowl.

That little rascal. She had taken a few secret bites off of it, yet on her day off she'd asked for more ice cream, fully believing that at the end of that day she'd get to enjoy even more.

Suddenly, Anya blushes. She fills her mouth with ice cream, cringing as it freezes her tongue.

He can't help smiling at her cunning. She may not be as intelligent as he originally thought, but she most certainly is smart. And if there's one thing he admires in people...

Despite her previous nervousness, Anya and Yor as well seem to mirror his profoundly, honestly good mood as they wait for him by the entrance.

It's amazing what being earnest with himself can do.

With that in mind, he reaches for Yor's hand. He brings it to his lips and kisses it. He hears Yor's gasp of surprise and lets it go, smiling kindly at her.

Quick enough to not build up to much, but meaningful enough to hopefully make her smile today.

He watches Anya get on the bus, and on a whim, he focuses on her and thinks.

The bus will take five times to start.

Anya scrunches her eyebrows, of course; she turns her head forward and listens for the struggling engine. When it takes off at the fifth attempt, she looks back at him.

He clenches his hand into a fist and instinctively searches for something his mind can focus on.

The periodic table will have to do.

Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, sodium, magnesium...

“Well, have a good day at work!” Yor says, and the way she sounds happier than any other time gives him enough distraction.

That kiss on the hand did brighten her day.

He turns to her with a grin. “Thank you, Yor. You too.”

She turns to the direction of the city hall, but he stands there feeling like an idiot, looking at the direction the bus left towards.

Can Anya read his mind?!

No, that's– that's impossible.

He immediately doubts that impossibility. He's stuck in a damn time loop, dying and coming back every day. His standards for disbelief in the supernatural have plummeted.

And... and damn it, it would make so many things make sense.

The way she'd solved that crossword perfectly, then didn't even know how much a dalc is. Her chimera toy being left in his room that was supposed to be under combination lock, with all his spy gear exposed. Her stress attacks in big crowds. The way she sputtered all kinds of nonsense – all of sense to him – in the admission interview for Eden. The way she answers questions that weren't even asked. The way so much of what she says sounds too deep for a child her age, but with words only a child her age would use.

And of course, the way she's been acting all strange within the time loop, making him feel as if she's aware of it.

Well... if she has been reading his mind, then she has been aware of it, every time after his own realization.

Then she knows who he is and what he's doing.

And that means she consciously chose a spy as her father – twice.

He blinks in shock, realizing a few people have started staring at him.

He takes the route to the library.

Damn it. He was supposed to spend the morning here, looking for inspiration for introspection, but his mind is absolutely consumed by the thought that Anya could have been reading his mind all along.

All along. Even when he'd thought about abandoning her.

His skin crawls. And she stayed through it all.

Why?

And how could she even do such a thing? Was she, somehow, brought into his path intentionally? Such an ability would be the ultimate weapon in data and intelligence gathering, so it wouldn't be a surprise if someone, whoever is responsible for her, had let her mingle with a spy and extract as much information from him as possible.

He bites his lip. With such a power, Operation Strix could be completed in a single day. As well as so, so many of the missions people like him take up.

If anyone finds this out – and he was amazingly lucky to get enough clues to discover it himself – she's going to be in huge trouble.

He realizes he doesn't feel the least bit terrified at the possible invasion on his private thoughts; he's terrified at the idea of someone discovering her and using her... even if it's for the sake of peace.

He closes the book he hasn't managed to concentrate on for the past half hour now. He rests his chin on his fist.

His plans for today do not allow him time to deal with letting her know he's discovered her secret. He'll have to keep his mind occupied whenever he's close to her.

At least, he hopes she can only read his mind when in close proximity. Otherwise, she must already be aware.

His shoulders slump forward at the thought that he cannot predict her reaction to him knowing, and not because of her general unpredictability, but because he knows he hasn't given her enough space to trust he won't abandon her or report her.

She will be terrified, and it will be his fault.

He covers his face with his hands. He has to make things clear with her; but not today.

He can have enough on his mind to keep it occupied in her presence so that nothing will slip through. Typical mental discipline today, then.

That is, as long as she can only read his most surface-level thoughts. If she can go deep enough and pluck his mind apart...

At least, she won't be utterly heartbroken by his absence in the theater tonight. She'll learn what he plans to do and why he prioritizes that over seeing the play for the seventh time.

Hopefully. The thought that she won't remember it tomorrow isn't enough to assuage his guilt.

He gets up and puts the book in the return cart. Reaching the reception, he asks for guides on alarm clocks.

He'll have to talk with Anya about her ability, eventually. If they're to stay a family, if he's to reveal his secrets, he can only ask for a certain amount of honesty from her too. As little as he worries about her reading his mind in comparison to the government finding out about her, it's still inappropriate for her to read through his thoughts with no judgment or permission.

He starts cooking and going over his plan for today. Yor returns home, and he settles his features into a content expression.

It's becoming harder and harder to keep lying to her, but for now he has no other choice.

She helps him with the rest of the cooking, then he feels his shoulders tense when he hears the sound of the school bus approaching.

He brings the books he got from the library and spreads them open on the coffee table, bringing over his alarm clock as well. He’s just began taking it apart when Anya comes in. She approaches him and leans over him, eyes wide with curiosity.

Is she wondering whether I’m adjusting it into spy gear? I wouldn’t do that right in front of her and Yor! Besides, gadgets are Franky’s specialty.

“Is it broken?” Yor asks, voicing Anya’s unspoken question as well.

“Yes. It didn’t ring today.” For the ninth time. “I went by the library today and picked up some books that might help me fix it.”

“Papa is very smart,” Anya says.

A choked hmm comes out of his lips. Not as smart as I thought I was. I- Alright, alright, that gear is a little rusty, maybe that was it? No, it’s moving normally…

It doesn’t take long after that, making the whole repair a much shorter distraction than he’d hoped. He sets the alarm for a minute from now and puts it down on the table.

It feels almost taunting when it finally rings.

If only the time loop was so easy to fix.

“Alright, should we eat?”

It's a good thing he also has his own mission today. He goes through all the details again to keep his mind full, pausing in-between to list random facts from his memory.

To no surprise, Anya appears interested when he thinks of his mission, and confused when he thinks of random facts.

Five minutes before they have to leave for the theater, the phone rings. He answers, fully aware of who it is before he’s even picked up the receiver.

“I may have to be late for the performance,” he says as he hangs up. “An emergency came up at the hospital.”

“Oh, no,” Yor says. “Everything alright?”

“Yes, just some paperwork that needs to be taken care of. Nothing to worry about, but I need to be there. Would you mind taking Anya to the theater?” He doesn't bother lying that he'll meet them there later. Funnily enough, he used an excuse about paperwork and not a patient in an emergency, out of fear of worrying her.

“Of course, no problem! I hope you won't miss it, though.”

Don't hope that high.

He studies Anya's reaction as he prepares to leave before them. She seems... satisfied.

Three point one four one five nine two six five three five...

He decides that a hundred meters away from the house would be a safe distance, so he finally allows his mind to analyze Anya's reactions.

She appeared interested whenever he was focusing on today's mission. Does she somehow see it like Spy Wars coming to life? Is this why she chose to stay with him?

But... why would she do that, after Edgar's men kidnapped her? Why would she choose to stay in such a dangerous life?

If it's not her being able to read his mind, then he's certainly losing it. If he wasn't determined on clearing some things up tonight, he would turn right back and tell Anya all he's discovered, just to make sure he's still sane.

Instead, he takes a train for a Berlint district far from the hospital.

He's not in disguise while on the train. He needs to leave a trail for Pollux to follow, though he wonders how quickly he'll manage to find him. He'll see he's not in the theater, nor the house, nor the hospital... how far down his list is Yuri's house?

After he arrives at the train station, he enters the public restrooms and exits in his disguise, his feet stiff as they carry him to Yuri's apartment.

He has been carefully, painfully trained to always limit the consequences, always prepare for the worst possible scenario, always be careful.

It feels completely alien to do something so reckless. His hand hovers in front of Yuri's doorbell as a fear crosses his mind; what if fate, or whatever power has trapped him in this time loop, chooses to end things here because of his audacity to take advantage of the situation?

His finger moves, as if on its own, and rings the bell.

Too late now.

The door opens, revealing a worn-out Yuri. As expected, he suddenly straightens, composing himself. “Lieutenant,” he says. “What brings you here?”

Yuri steps aside and Twilight enters, bowing his head in greeting.

Comfortable enough to let him in without giving him verbal permission.

“We might have some new clues on Twilight,” he says in the lieutenant's voice.

“Really?” The exhaustion seems to disappear from the young man's face.

Twilight suppresses a sigh. Yuri is another matter he needs to discuss with Yor, with enough secrecy to not spill a secret that's not his to share, but enough openness so that she'll know what balances she'll have to keep, should she choose to stay with him.

He stands between the hall and the living room, allowing Yuri to take his designated seat, before he picks a seat on his own.

“Show me,” Yuri says, eyeing the envelope in Twilight's hands. That excitement was enough, apparently, to cover how the “lieutenant” suddenly felt too uncomfortable sitting first.

“First of all, I need a summary of what you know about him.”

“Nothing new since last time. Which isn't much,” he says, rubbing at his hands. “Only that he's from Westalis, and that he's dangerous.”

Oh, from your perspective, certainly.

“If he’s as good as they say, we have to catch him in the act. He’ll deny any involvement until his last breath.”

“Any chance he could be bought?” Yuri asks.

Twilight thinks. What could there be in it for him to not only admit the truth about who he is, but to also endanger the lives and causes of other WISE spies?

Suddenly, he’s glad Yuri works for the secret police. It means that Yuri won’t allow Yor’s life to be threatened just so Twilight’s cooperation could be bought in exchange for her safety, and even if they went that far, Yuri would much rather abandon everything and whisk her off to safety. 

But Anya… how many lines would they cross to force Twilight to spill his beans?

“For now we have to rely on bringing him face-to-face with hard evidence,” Twilight says.

“Can we do that?”

“We just intercepted a transmission that may be reporting he’ll depart from Berlint soon.”

“So he's been hiding here! The bastard!” His hands clench into fists.

“Calm down, Yuri. Aggravation won't help us capture him faster.”

“We need to do something about him. I can't relax while he and his fellow traitors roam our country so freely.”

“And what would you do, if it was fully in your hands?” he can't help asking.

“I'd lock him up in a cell,” he says and his eyes darken. “I'd starve him. Force him to eat rotten food until he spilled everything he knew about the spies they've planted here.”

That's a brother-in-law for you.

“You know torture doesn't offer much valuable information, especially when done to people like him.”

“What else can we do?”

He looks at the clock. By now Pollux will have realized Twilight isn't in the theater, and it won't take him long to confirm he's not in the Forger house either. “Catch him before he leaves. Anyone you suspect might be him?”

Yuri shrugs. “Of all people in the city? If he's as good with disguises as they say, he could be anyone.”

Even... come on, say it.

“Wait, do we know since when he has been living here?”

He looks deep into Yuri's eyes, gauging for the tiniest reaction. “Anywhere between a year and a year and a half.”

The reaction isn't tiny, after all. There's a hint of shame and hesitation when he says, “It's a long shot, but the only one I can think of is the man that married my sister.”

There you go. Interesting word choices, too.

“Yes, that... Loid Forger, correct?”

Yuri raises an eyebrow at him. “I... Have I told you his name?”

You haven't? Excellent.

“What reason do you have to suspect him? Other than not approving of him.”

Yuri scoffs. “I mean, it is weird that he just appeared out of nowhere as my sister’s husband. I love my sister, but she’s too gullible. And a spy like Twilight would do his best to appear like a normal man and accept any weird behaviour just to get in her good grades.”

Twilight has to restrain himself from cringing in shame. He did do that. He didn’t realize when the reason behind his acceptance turned from spy instinct to genuine affection, but it doesn’t undo all the ulterior motives behind his understanding of Yor. He swallows hard before he speaks again. “It would break her heart to find that out.” It’s such an honest confession that his control on mimicking the lieutenant’s voice almost shatters.

“It would be what’s best for her. I don’t like the guy either way.”

“If he really is a spy, whether Twilight or anyone else, that could cause quite the trouble for your sister. She would have to be brought in for questioning.”

“Not a chance. My sister has nothing to do with this.”

You would use your influence in the service to clear her name of any suspicions. But how will you do that without exposing your secret to her?

“But if it is him...” His eyes darken further, his mouth twisting in disgust. “He wouldn't survive long for us to question him.”

“Due to your sensitive connection to him, you wouldn't be allowed to handle his interrogation.”

“I would take it slowly. Rip his fingernails one by one, then rid him of the rest of his fingers knuckle by knuckle.”

“Yuri–”

“I'd gouge his eyes out. He'd have to depend on his hearing to see what comes for him each time after that.” A smile starts creeping up his lips. “Starvation and rotten food would be the least of his worries.”

Yeah, absolutely no telling him.

Yuri looks up; Twilight tries to control his expression, but he’s certain some of his horror bleeds through his widened eyes and clenched jaw. It’s not enough to quell Yuri's apparent excitement at the prospect of torturing the man his sister married.

“And that is why you wouldn't deal with him.”

“Not officially, maybe.”

“And you know that whoever that Twilight is, he won't spill his secrets easily anyway. If he spills them at all.” He won’t.

“We can still make use of him, if not as source of information, at least as an example of why people shouldn't mess with our country.”

Twilight decides to test the waters. “Yuri. That's not a pleasant path, and you're too young to be subjected to it.”

Yuri won't remember that tomorrow, but it feels wrong to watch such a young person be so passionate about that and not say something.

“We serve our country. That comes first.”

He swallows hard. “You're still allowed to have your own morals. Even if you're willing to ignore them for your job, you should still have them.” Please tell me you have some. Please tell me you're not lost to their cause already.

Yuri looks up at him, eyebrow finally raising in thought.

Not much time left, then.

“What exactly does the report say?” Yuri asks.

Oh, no time left at all. He's fast. Or you're sloppy.

Before Twilight can answer, he feels the hair on his body rise at the sound of footsteps outside Yuri's door.

For a moment it feels like the air is full of smoke and the walls and floors are covered in spilled blood.

Twilight blinks and the moment is gone. He looks at his body. He's not injured. He's not injured. He's not–

“Lieutenant?” Yuri asks in a controlled voice.

They both jump at the sound of a silenced shot. The front door starts swinging open.

Yuri hides behind the couch, his hand reaching under it for something.

“No need,” Twilight says in his own voice. “He's here for me.” He raises his hand and rips the mask off his face.

Yuri stares at him, frozen in shock.

“Your wish coming true,” he says, standing up. “Finding incriminating evidence that the bastard who married your sister is a traitor to your country. And yet you're not prepared to handle it.”

Pollux is coming closer.

“Stay covered. There's one more set of bombs after the first one.” He runs towards Pollux, whose jaw has now dropped in shock.

Flash. Burn. Crack.

BANG!

[kousagi7hikari]

Name: Akuma

Species: Demon

Do they exist in a story?

Not really. I put him in a bunch of different stories, but they’re more like AUs than anything else. He exists in my own head, mostly.

What inspired them?

A while back, I made a bunch of characters that were “What if Danny Phantom was a different creature of myth?” And then they just grew their own personalities

How did you name them?

I had an issue of Shounen Jump that had the first chapter of D Grey Man in it. It had monsters named Akuma, which I learned meant “Demon.” So, there you go. Let’s keep in mind I was in middle school when I made him, so I wasn’t aware of how “moon moon”-ish it would be, but it’s been over a decade, I can’t change it now!

Any big changes between first making them and now?

Akuma’s mostly gone through some personality changes. Before, He was very much a crappy teen, and now he’s an adult who is full of softly boiling rage. So, he handles his anger better. He also grew out of his “middle school” phase.

What’s the best thing about them?

He’s been with me so long and he just keeps growing. Also, he’s surprisingly loyal, for a demon

What’s the worst thing about them?

STILL VERY ANGRY. But at least he can better manage and direct his anger.

I feel the need to say that he’s not angry all the time. He just partakes in Wrath a lot

What part of yourself is in them?

Again with the anger. It’s mostly my righteous fury and indignation at how unfair some things are. I can use Akuma to blow off some steam and imagine certain situations in a safe space.

Do they have any hobbies?

He plays the violin! Something that grew from me listening to “The Devil went Down to Georgia”

What’s their backstory?

Not a whole big backstory, but, when he was younger, Akuma tried to take over the world. This went about as well as you would think. Half of his powers were sealed away because his brother made a plea bargain with the divinity who were in charge. He recently got them unsealed which allowed him to learn more spells and abilities and also grow up. He looks back on his attempted takeover the way we look back at our middle school phases.

Do they have any friends?

He’s friends with another OC of mine, Victor! Victor plays piano, so they sometimes perform duets together. He also has an unnamed demon friend he meets back in Hell sometimes at a bar for a drink just to chat. Obviously, not very developed.

Significant Other? Crush?

He’s got a boyfriend~ First serious one. An owl/winter forest spirit named Suluk. He belongs to my bestie!

What kind of powers do they have, if any?

Akuma can manipulate shadows and create fire, but it’s blue and purple cos AESTHETIC. He can also summon his violin and do magic with it. He can also cast some spells (whatever I want for my daydream scenario)

Any family?

Akuma has one brother, an angel named Sora. They’re twins. If you wanna know how that works, you’ll have to wait for Sora’s entry!

What foods do they like?

Akuma doesn’t need to eat human food. He mostly eats souls. However, he’s been known to dip into a steak once in a while, occasionally something decadent if he’s infiltrating a fancy party for one reason or another. His sin is not gluttony

Do they engage in combat? What do they use to fight?

Yup! He uses a combination of fire magic, music magic (energy with his violin) and either a scythe or a pitchfork. Sometimes he uses two of each, depending on how he feels.

Do they speak other languages?

He can speak whatever language he needs, but his mother tongue is a sort of Celestial language called Devine

Do they have a Nick-name or an alias?

Aki for short. When he disguises himself in a feminine form, he goes by the name Autumn. If he’s in disguise in his usual form, he goes by Adam Davidson. His full name is Akuma J. Devine. Much like Crowley in Good Omens, it’s just a J.

How do they get around?

Flight. Teleportation for long distances or to go back to Hell.

Can they cook?

Absolutely not. Does not have the patience for it

Who is someone from their past?

I think Akuma kept to himself a lot when he was younger, only sticking with his brother, so there weren’t a lot of folks in his past. He’s made more friends recently though.

Art by myself at @fangirltothefullest

[nonawaaa]

hello hehehe

Limited Strings Attached 

Playing in the field of love, friendship and sex. Pure sex, with limited strings attached.

FFn// AO3 

cw bad words and bad doings 

Hinata knows that it’s wrong, they are young adults, responsible for their actions, they already know the difference between right and wrong but the idea of it being wrong just made it even more exciting. She never knew that she would say anything like this, that it’s exciting, for in fact in all her life she never desired for anything exciting, which is why when the kiss by the moon happened with Naruto it felt as if she were to burst with emotions. She knew Naruto likes excitement, the thrill of life, hell he is the most active and noisy in their circle, but she never thought that they would end up like this.

Sex. As a friend? Yes

Hinata’s admiration for Naruto is an open secret. Everybody is aware of her feelings since they were kids, but as time changed, they did too. Her admiration for him never really went away, it’s just this time she’s more mature, she knows her priorities and responsibilities, so she grew out of her fainting phase but she still blushes around him from time to time. Naruto was pretty dense right from the start, it was just when they had the mission to retrieve Hanabi when he realized his feelings for her.

They had the most romantic and dramatic kiss but the thing is, both of them are still young, both wanting to experience many things before they commit to something… to someone. That’s why when they went back the village, the kiss was never brought up, like a treasure ready to be buried and not be find until years later, both of them tried to keep it cool around each other, but as the time went on, even their friends can’t deny the sexual tension between them.

Then the faithful night happened, the sexual tension between them was far too great, much more when they were left alone, in Naruto’s apartment, he told her that they would just talk and eat ramen but then Hinata was the one who initiated another kiss, but Naruto was the one who pushed it further… and deeper. They both knew it was wrong, they’re friends, but they also wanted more and that pushes them to succumb to their desires.

After that, they had a long talk, if they were really ready for a serious relationship, both knowing that it was too early, but they’re also too impatient to get their hands off of each other. Naruto wanted to focus on his dream, building his image to become the next Hokage, he wanted to play the field more, unchained. Hinata on the other hand wanted to focus on changing her clan, she wanted to have fun with her friends and family, and she thinks being in a serious relationship means putting all her attention for the one she truly love, not that she don’t love him but still, she would have to give up a few responsibilities and she doesn’t want to leave them undone.

That’s when they decided to play. Play in a field they never been to before. Play in the field of love, friendship and sex. Pure sex, with limited strings attached. They both decided to go with the flow and let faith and destiny handle the steering wheels of life.

They needed to keep it a secret though, Naruto became famous, many girls flock around him all the time, many wants to be friends with him but many also wanted more, Hinata thinks she’s pretty lucky she get to be both, they have reputations to protect, Hinata being in the Hyuga clan and Naruto wanting to be Hokage someday, they also have the same friends, it would be weird if they knew that they’ve been sneaking just to touch and kiss each other.

Hinata fumble her fingers as she wait for Naruto in the outskirts of the Land of Fire, the village is pretty sketchy to be honest, full of bars and motels for shinobis around the country to chill and have fun, maybe too much fun. It’s not the first time that they met up here, but they make sure to not be in the same place two times in a row. They don’t meet up every day, they still have missions and other things to do, they usually just meet up every week or two, the longest was when Naruto was sent in a long mission for a month and needless to say that their night when he went home was… exciting… and hot, Hinata still blushes when she remembers that night, her taking the lead and being on top gave her the opportunity to watch Naruto squirm and pant beneath her, it was empowering.

“Yo! Hinata,” she hears somebody calls behind her, his voice already low and chilling, sending shivers to Hinata, she knows what that voice meant, already hungry for something. They haven’t seen each other for three weeks, a bit too long for them, as embarrassing as it sound, Hinata’s hand were itching to touch him, lips already missing his, his neck, his body.

She turned around and Naruto already held her hand, leading her to one of the hotels that is lined up in the busy street, they didn’t need any disguise or anything, as they said, blend in with the crowd, besides, it was already late at night, many shinobi already drunk or they went home, or just like them, having a bit of fun.

As they checked in the hotel, the receptionist didn’t even bother to look at them, thinking they’re just some random shinobi, little did they know that if somebody knew who them was it would be scandalous, a clan princess and a war hero checking-in in a very sketchy hotel, it would be in the front page of every newspaper in the whole world.

They already did this so many times before, but Hinata would be lying if she said that her nervousness was already gone, she still have feelings for him of course, but then again, he also have feelings for her, so she think Naruto must still be nervous too.

“I’m gonna take a shower first,” Hinata said as soon as they went in the room. Naruto nodded, understanding that she wants to clean the sweat and dirt first, it’s been a habit.

Hinata begins to strip, layer by layer, she knows this scenario all too well, she needs to prepare herself mentally, she still feels the guilt clinging to her bones every time she and Naruto meet up, but on the other side of guilt is excitement, she feels alive, so, so alive.

The warm water splashes on top of her head, down to her neck and up to her toes, washing her all over, her muscles relaxes, she feels tired after all the missions and reports she did all throughout the day, but deep down she can’t wait to unwind with Naruto, a different kind of unwind but it’s the best.

After a few minutes she felt strong arms wrap around her from the back, “N-Naruto-kun!”, she squeals under his touch, she was too caught up by the warm water against her skin that she didn’t realized that Naruto had join her in the shower.

“Shhh,” Naruto whispers against her hair, she knows it was intended to comfort her but it just send sparks all around her body, his voice already low, the warm and soothing voice he have whenever they are with friends gone, it’s a different side of Naruto, his side that just make Hinata weak in her knees, his side that she only knew.

“I missed you,” he continued to whisper, “Three weeks Hinata,” his hands begin to travel and touch, first her waist, then her stomach, “Three. Fucking. Weeks.” and to her already perked up nipples.

Hinata tries her best to stifle a moan, thinking it’s way too early to feed Naruto’s ego, but as she tries her best to stifle her moans, her body says otherwise, her back arching, breast flushed to his hands.

As the warm water washes over them, Naruto begins to play, flicking and pinching both of her nipples with his thumb and index finger, sometimes only one nipple but when he do it at the same time her knees weakens more, and Naruto knows she likes it, she like it so fucking much.

His hands continue to torture her more, and more, until she felt his soft lips against her ears, “Hinata look at me,” it registered late what he said to her, her mind full of the sensations she’s feeling in her chest. One of Naruto’s hands left her breast and went up to her chin, forcing her to look at her back and straight at him, “I said look at me,” his voice almost a growl, demanding.

His lips crashed with her, it was deep and hot, his one hand still up in her chin as the other still plays with her breast, the sensation is too strong for Hinata but still not enough as her legs rub against one another, looking for some friction. His tongue begins to dance with hers, sucking her, sometimes her sucking him, it was give and take, and it feels good, sloppy kisses under the shower, his fingers flicks her nipples once more and she can’t help it.

Her mouth leaves his as she moans, trying to steady her breath, and there it is, Naruto’s smirk, her moans are like food to his ego, he knows she’s feeling good and that’s the most important thing to him. He kissed her again, this time deeper, their tongue dance to their silent song that is desire, his hand that is previously on her chin gone, but the other still plays with her breast.

“Naruto-kun cold!” she screams as the water above them turned cold, unaware that he turned the switch on, it did her no good, her body stood up straight again, her senses goes back and forth the cold water and his hands on her.

“It was getting a little bit too warm,” he said against her lips. His hand continue to tease her breast but her senses was again divided as his other hand begins to travel south, to her stomach, hips and in between her legs.

“Naruto-kun~” she calls out his name as plea as he begins to play with her folds, teasing her, it was building her up, slowly much to her dislike, she was hungry for something more.

Her mouth shaped like a perfect ‘o’ as he enters one digit inside her, forget about stifling her moans, Hinata let them out, she feels Naruto’s smirk widen by her reaction, he feels way too confident as he insert another finger in her.

“Ahhh!” she can’t help it, his digits are long, way longer than hers, her fingers would never reach the depth his fingers can and it just makes her knees weaker and weaker, trembling even, his fingers starts to move, in and out, curling to hit the right spot that can illicit another moan form her.

Hinata doesn’t even know where to focus to anymore, sensations driving her crazy as hell, her lips still crashing with his, tongues still dancing, the cold water that is hitting her hot skin, his one hand that still assaults her nipples and his fingers that is going in and out of her, playing, teasing her, it was beginning to blow Hinata’s mind, too many sensations all at once, Naruto is way too good as this, knowing how to drive her crazy, building her up and up and just when she feels herself reaching heavens, Naruto pulled her to the ground once more, pulling away from her.

“What-“ Hinata almost fell to the bathroom floor as her knees feels like jelly, she looks back, almost tearing up from her fall from the sky, she was almost at her high, but then Naruto decided to be an asshole. Naruto smiled at her, not the warm smile he always wears but a carnal and sensual one, his eyes darker than usual, full of desire, his tongue trailing across his lips as he watched her whimper and rub her legs together by the lack of touch that he left her, he’s ready to devour her right there and then but he decided that it would be more fun like this.

He pulled her into a hug, Hinata is already panting, as their skins touched again, they can feel sparks sending shivers to both of their bodies, Naruto feels alive, excited, hungry. Their bodies are like magnets, attracted to each other, force too great to be pulled apart, Hinata felt her body finding support to his as she already feels light in her feet.

She feels his cock poking her by her hips, hot and standing tall and proud, the feeling of his shaft against hers just made her want to grind against him, finding friction, wanting release. And she did, slowly, on her own pace, making Naruto hiss by the contact.

“Hinata stop,” she didn’t, her desire taking over her, she wants to put it in her, she wants to feel him inside her, as her hands make their way to his cock, Naruto let out another straggled hiss, “Hinata I said stop,” Naruto voice was firm as he bit his lower lip, already panting, way more than he liked, he wants to prolong this, savor this night, he can’t cum, not yet, he wants Hinata pleading first.

His hands find their way to Hinata’s cheeks, making her look up to him, her eyes already half lidded, already breathing heavily. He kissed her first, long and deep, pulling away breathily as he whispers in her ears, “Why don’t you suck me?”

Hinata’s eyes widen, not because of shock, but excitement, his whisper was like a command Hinata would follow at any given time, she wants this, she wants him, she wants to taste him, the thought alone make her wet in her core.

She slowly kneeled down, just like a good girl who prays, but she prays to a different kind of God, amuse by her thought she smiled, her eyes still locked with Naruto, seeing her smile just made Naruto’s cock twitch, impatient. As she came face to face with her lovely midnight snack, she licks her lips, all doing this as she maintained eye contact with him, Naruto feels like he is given a show and a torture at the same time, not knowing if he would feel mad or grateful.

He was already too hard, wanting to feel her mouth suck him to death, the tip already screaming right in front of Hinata’s face. She licks him, starting by the very bottom and up to the tip, making him groan, her tongue hot. He watches as Hinata devour him, feeding to the sensation that is slowly building up, she is too fucking hot and too fucking good.

Naruto almost came when she begins to play with his balls while still sucking him in, so deep he reached the back of her throat. Hinata is getting too good at this, she knows by his reaction, his knees starting to buckle as one of his hands find support by the wall in front of him and the other on her hair, she would be lying if she said that giving Naruto a blow job is easy, hell he has been endowed by the heavens above with this big dick he have, she never get why Sai always made fun of him. Hinata almost teared up every time he would hit the back of her throat, but his groans compensates her, she feels so powerful as the man who helped save the world moans for her.

Naruto know that he is close, so close, he can feel it ripping from his stomach to his dick, and Hinata wouldn’t stop, she continues to lick and suck him as if it was the best food she ever had. He can’t help it as both of his hands are now on Hinata’s hair, holding on for dear life.

As he trust in her mouth, Hinata moaned at the sudden assault, the vibrations of her moan just made Naruto closer to loosing himself. He continued to trust in her mouth, her skillful and delicious mouth, Hinata felt some tears falling as she tried to hold on to his thighs as he continue to pound in her mouth. Naruto continued trusting, his movements became more frantic and random, until Hinata felt hot thick liquid flow down her throat, Naruto continued slow trusting as he let everything out in her mouth, only pulling himself out with a pop caused by Hinata’s sucking. He watched as she drinks everything that he let out, her eyes watery as she looks at him back.

“Shit Hinata you almost killed me,” Naruto said as he tried to catch his breath, his heart pounding in his chest as a result from his release. He reaches for Hinata’s hand, it was now time to serve the princess, but she just grabs his arms, her legs already shaky and can’t stand up.

Naruto slid one arm into her legs and the other to her back, carrying her like the princess that she is, he feels her body leaned against him for support, her lips trailing kisses in his neck. Naruto quickly turned the water off and went out of the bathroom, both of them still dripping wet from shower, her lips trail up and up until it crashes in his lips, her tongue already inside dancing with his as he let her in with no thinking, letting him taste his own release, he carried her to the bed as they continue to make out.

He sat down by the edge of the bed, their tongue still dancing to their little tango, he changed their position letting Hinata straddle him, him in between her legs, it was more to his advantage really, he can see and touch everything, her hair, head, back, legs, even her perfectly rounded ass, he squeezed them, earning him a little moan from Hinata, he can feel how dripping wet she is, perfect.

He pulled away, both of them gasping for air, their forehead touching, looking for some support, bodies flushed together, her arms still wrapped around his shoulders, hands playing with his hair from the back, while his hands continue to travel down, from her waist and to her legs.

Naruto laid down the bed, causing Hinata to sit atop of him, his hard cock poking her by her ass, making Hinata lean forward and let out a long breathy moan. His hands are still in the back of her legs, guiding her to go up more.

“What are you doing?” she asked him, confused as to why he would want her to go up when the thing she wants is already poking her. Her body feels like total jelly, she just wants to find release, she’s aching for it, though she still let Naruto bring her up.

“Sit on me,”

This made Hinata paused, her hands on his broad chest, feeling his heart pound, “What?”

“You heard me. Sit on me,” his eyes are serious, sensual, demanding. But Hinata is still confused, and embarrassed to say the least, though she knows that’s probably too late by now.

“Com’on I know you like being on top Hinata, I just want to get a little treat,” Naruto finished his sentence licking his lips, making Hinata blush, her core getting wetter by his actions.

She gladly and whole heartedly complied, still embarrassed that he knows she likes being on top, but this is new, she is literally on top. Naruto guided her as he positioned her very core in his mouth, his back laid perfectly in the bed as she straddle his face.

“Beautiful,” she feels his breath hot against her skin, she’s panting furiously, heart beating so loud she can almost hear it.

Hinata doesn’t know what to expect but she feels all the sensations rip through her as his tongue slowly plays her outer folds, making Hinata buckle and moan, not expecting that it would be this… hot. Her hands finds support on the bedpost, moaning and almost cumming just by that one lick.

“So fucking wet Hinata,” Naruto continued licking her, his one hand on her legs as the other slowly puts one finger in her as he continued licking every fold.

“Shit Naruto!” she was taken back by his digit entering her, it went in so smoothly, her other hand grabbed his hair as the other still held on the bedpost.

“Heh so you’re cursing now,” Naruto lightly blew on her clit, she can feel his hot breath hitting her, it was a torture, a blessing. Her moans echoing around the room, not holding back, Naruto continued to lick and taste her, his finger sliding in and out as he do so, Hinata’s legs are on the brink of giving up, her body hot and aching.

She felt Naruto smiled as she begins to ride on his face, grinding against his tongue, moaning nonstop, he let her do her thing, he continued to push his tongue deeper and deeper, making Hinata grind against him more. Sweaty bodies hot and grinding to one another, Naruto begins to feel his own ache as his shaft is once again hard and twitching below him, so ready and impatient to be inside her. Hinata’s movement itself is a plea, her legs begins to tire but she can’t stop as she feels herself building up, ready to break loose, almost.

Naruto begins to become impatient as he slightly pulled away her dripping wet core and very lightly blows on it, making Hinata fall on her edge, the sensation unbearable, mind blowing, his finger, tongue, breath, she can feel everything, it almost shattered her.

“Fuck!” she screams as she continue to ride his face, making Naruto drink up every drop of her fluid, she can still feel him sucking on her, not wasting a god damn drop, she held on to the bedpost, chills running down her spine making her shudder as she became more aware of the cold sweat running down on her back. Her mind completely hazy, breathless, it was amazing.

But Naruto didn’t even let her catch her breath as he pulled her down once again and changed their position, him on top this time. As Hinata tries to catch her breath, she can see Naruto wipe her sticky fluid on his chin, it was so sexy that Hinata eyes shut at the sight of it, still feeling the aftershock of her incredible release.

Naruto didn’t waste any time as he positioned himself right in her entrance, filling her in completely in the first trust, groaning right by her ear by the familiar sensation as her wet, hot core took him in completely, offering no resistance caused by their earlier ministrations. Hinata jerked up, her whole body screaming as he finally, after all the other things, entered her.

“Ahhhh- mmhppp…” Hinata covers her mouth with the back of her hand, trying her best to stifle her moans, her mind and body completely on overdrive as Naruto mercilessly pound inside her.

“S-Shit Hina-ta” Naruto bit his lower lip as the sensation washes over him, her soft, beautiful body right under his, her hair fanned out in the bed, her eyes closed shut as he continued pounding in her, one thing he doesn’t want is that he doesn’t hear her moans, he grabbed her hands with one hand as he pinned them up above her head and his other hand on the back of her one leg, opening her more, going in deeper.

“Haaaa- Naruto-kun!” her moans and pleas fill his ears, smiling as he watches her go crazy beneath him, but who is Naruto to talk as his pace grows faster each second, wanting release. Hinata is completely under his mercy, which for the love of god, he seems to don’t show any as the hand that was on her leg reached down on her clit, pressing and playing with it as he pound into her more.

Screams of pleasure, echoing and bouncing off of the room walls, it was heavenly. Naruto’s pace became more random, his legs jerking and buckling, a sign that he is close once again, but he held on, wanting Hinata to finish first, but as it feels like eternity, Hinata is already on the brink of falling, her head completely blank as her body focused on the gripping feeling in her stomach and groin.

“N-Naruto-kun pleeeeease~” her last plea did the last for Naruto as he went in deeper and played with her clit more, bringing Hinata to her high and to her fall, screaming his name, biting her lip as she do so, completely euphoric.

Though it didn’t stop there as Naruto runs after his own release, continuing to pound in her, beads of sweat run down his forehead and back, his legs jerking up and up. As Hinata wrapped her legs around his waist, leaving Naruto undone, his hips pushing more inside of her as he releases everything inside. Hinata’s body jerking up every time she feels Naruto spill everything in her, hot, thick fluid filling her in.

Naruto continued slow lazy trust until he was done filling her in, bodies tangled, hearts pounding in the same rhythm, breathless as they are. They both knew it was wrong, that this was bad, they are slowly becoming more addicted to each other but still very scared of commitments, but this feeling of being alive, utterly spent and being so intimate, this feeling made their secret rendezvous worth it, and they both knew, that whatever happens, how much guilt sip through their bones with all the lies they tell themselves and their friends, they will still comeback to this, to each other, and they can’t wait for the next one…

[j-amespotter]

★ cardigan - s. b.

“i knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired.” 

Pairing: Sirius Black x Reader

x. x. x.

Summary: Your relationship with Sirius is on the rocks, but you loved him and at the end of the day, he was always there. For your own happiness, something had to change. 

Genre/Warnings: angst, alcohol, language, toxic relationship 

Word Count: ~3k

A/N: this took a lot, and i mean a lot of energy. not sure how i feel about it (i am my worst critic) but i really didn’t want a pushover protagonist. ps... communicating with your partner is hot! let me know what you think (and if you think i should make a taglist) :) 

masterlist

“Ravenclaw girl this time. Blonde… I think I recognize her. Couldn’t see the front of her robes, she might be one of the fifth-year prefects. You know I’m terrible with names. Ask James, he finds it hilarious.”

“You should work for the Prophet, Lils,” you said, without looking up from your toast, which was becoming more and more tasteless with every bite. “What were they doing?” 

“Talking,” answered Lily pointedly. “He ended the conversation fairly quickly when he saw me looking, though.” 

You sighed. This discussion was becoming too routine for your liking, most often with Lily, occasionally with Remus. “Well, if they were just talking, then I don’t see the issue. Lily, it is early. We have double Potions this morning. I really don’t want to deal with your weird suspicions about my boyfriend right now.” 

If Lily sensed your underlying irritation, she chose to ignore it. “I just think you deserve better, that’s all. I mean, James–” 

You finally turned and stared defiantly into your best friend’s vibrant green eyes. “Lily, I hate to break it to you, but James is the exception, not the rule. Just because he’s some angel on earth doesn’t mean all boyfriends are like that, and that’s not even considering the fact that he’s been hopelessly in love with you since second year…” 

Huffing, Lily picked at the fruit off of her plate. “Okay, I get it. I won’t bring it up again.” It was sweet how much Lily cared. James doted on her day and night. It would have been easy to forget about her friend’s love-related quandaries. But that was Lily Evans – always considerate of others.

Truthfully, you were tired. You knew what ‘talking’ with Sirius Black entailed. It did not make you feel as secure as you indicated to Lily. As time went on, it was getting increasingly harder to defend Sirius’s overly-careless behavior. If he wasn’t chatting up girls in random corners of the castle, he stood you up on your scheduled study dates in favor of detention with James. There was only a little comfort in the fact that he wasn’t always like this. If he was, would you have even dated him? Deep down, you knew that as much as Sirius was a thrill-chaser, he was incredibly capable of being a loving boyfriend. For that reason alone, you bore the incredibly painful motions of being in a relationship with him. 

He briefly reminded you of his better qualities when you opened your Potions textbook and felt a feathery kiss on your neck. “Guess who?” whispered Sirius sultrily into your ear. 

You couldn’t help the automatic flush that made its way onto your cheeks. “Hmm… is it Remus?” you whispered back, stifling a giggle. 

“Don’t tease,” he grunted before planting a swift kiss on your cheek. He plopped onto the chair next to you and faced you with a lazy grin. “You look disappointed, love. I’m afraid your usual Potions partner is a bit preoccupied at the moment.” He gestured across the room, where you spotted Lily practically hanging off of James’s lap, distracting herself until the start of her favorite class with his lips. 

“They’re hopeless,” you commented airily, in an attempt to disguise your envy. You felt Sirius’s gaze burning into you. “Missed you at breakfast this morning,” you added in a casual tone.

“Oh, well, you know–” 

“No, I don’t know,” you interrupted, bitterness leaking from your clipped voice. You always let Sirius off too easily. “But I certainly can’t wait to hear your ready-made list of vague excuses. Please, do continue.” There. He had it coming. He deserved for you to throw him off track.

“Baby, it was nothing,” assured Sirius rather predictably. “Just Pippa asking for help with Transfiguration. Honest.” He placed a hand on his heart in mock sincerity, which only angered you further. 

Nevertheless, you chose not to argue. He was incredibly brilliant with his words. There was no way he would understand your plight. Instead, you absentmindedly flipped through your Potions textbook as Slughorn finally entered his unruly classroom. 

Sirius seemed uncharacteristically bothered by your lack of response. With a half-glance at James and Lily, he entwined his fingers into yours. “They’re in their honeymoon phase, you know. You really can’t compare.” 

“There is no comparison, Sirius. James prioritizes Lily. I can’t remember the last time you prioritized me,” you whispered. There was a finality in your tone that you hoped he would hear. It was the most you were willing to discuss the matter. 

Sirius Black was a lot of things, least of all oblivious. He gently squeezed your hand. Silently, he slipped his fingers out of yours, choosing to follow your lead and not pursue the issue any further. 

A part of you was proud of the fact that you finally found it in you to voice your concerns to him, but another larger part dreaded the irreversible distance it put between the two of you for the rest of the day. You weren’t necessarily avoiding each other. Though his smiles were significantly more tender, he seemed reluctant to talk, let alone touch you.

Sick of the mental torment you were subjecting yourself to, you stuffed your unfinished Charms essay into your bag and headed to your dormitory, choosing to retire for bed early. Mid-yawn, you spotted a single red rose on your unmade bed. You didn’t have to read the attached note to know who it was from but felt your heart thudding against your chest as you unfolded the small piece of parchment. 

I’m sorry. I love you. 

There was no signature, but you could recognize his meticulously-slanted script anywhere. You stared at the note adoringly before pressing your lips to the corner of the crumply parchment and marking it with the remnants of your lip gloss. 

Suddenly, you were no longer tired. Skipping down the stairs, you found yourself wishing for a certain map that would tell you the exact location of the only person you wanted to see.

Fate seemed to be on your side when you saw him in the common room, his head bowed as if he was praying. “You’re here!” 

He gazed up at you, his shoulders relaxing when he noticed the smile on your face. “I’m really–” 

You didn’t let him finish. You kissed him hard, throwing your arms around his neck. You felt him smile against your lips. Reluctantly, you pulled away from him. “Don’t worry about it. I was being silly.” 

Sirius’s grin widened. “You’re quite low maintenance, y’know. I thought it would take at least a week and a hundred roses. And if not roses, then daisies, sunflowers, peonies… I was ready to pull all the stops. For future reference, a good snog is all it takes to win me over.” 

You laughed heartily, though you struggled to keep up with his train of thought. You always appreciated his good-natured ability to poke fun at the gravest circumstances. “I just missed you.” 

“Me too, darling. I’ll do better this time, I promise.” 

☆

True to his word, Sirius showered you with a level of affection that could rival James’s for Lily. He spent every spare moment with you in his bed, sneaking into the kitchen for secret dinners, and pushing you against bookshelves in the back of the library, homework-be-damned.

On Tuesday night, you sat on the Astronomy Tower. You glanced at your watch, realizing that Sirius was nearly an hour late. Your eyelids were drooping shut. It had been a long day. Everything in your brain felt scattered. You could’ve been catching up on the mounds of schoolwork you were now falling behind on. Sirius… Did he say midnight? Did you hear him correctly? Maybe he meant for you to pencil it in. Maybe he was hurt. Was it Remus? You stared at the sky, peering at the crescent shape of the moon. It taunted you. Stop kidding yourself. He’s not coming. 

Just as you were about to call it a night, Sirius stumbled into the Tower and onto the floor. Startled, you helped him up. “There you are! Are you alright? I was so worried… Are you drunk?” 

His grey eyes shone in the soft moonlight. The cloudy expression on his face paired with the sloppy grin he sent your way spoke for him. “Lost track of time… we snuck into Hogsmeade,” he slurred. “Rosmerta slipped us some firewhiskey. Here, I brought us a bottle...” He reached into his robes, only to come out empty-handed. “Uh-oh… finished it. Sorry, baby.”

You processed his words very slowly, realization dawning on you with the weight of heavy bricks. “Un-fucking-believable.” 

“Hey! We’re all of age.” He threw up his hands in surrender and widened his eyes innocently. “Next time, darling. I promise.” 

“It’s not about the fucking drink, Sirius! You’re here so you obviously haven’t forgotten that we had plans tonight! I don’t care if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade, but you should’ve told me. I’ve been waiting here like an idiot for an hour. I’m exhausted!”

“Told you,” he grumbled, now irritated, “we lost track of time.” 

You stared at him, unable to comprehend his complete shift in attitude. “Whatever,” you said finally. “I’m going to bed.” 

Spinning on your heels, you swallowed the lump in your throat as you prepared to march away from him with your chin up. Before you could take too many steps, however, a firm hand grasped your wrist. The intensity of the force pulling you back to him felt so otherworldly that you could hardly believe it was a wasted Sirius. 

You had a fleeting thought of pushing him away but instead tilted your head so he could pepper kisses onto the crook of your neck. “I’m sorry,” he whispered over and over again, between his fluttering pecks along your jawline. 

His lips found yours. His hand released your limp wrist as his fingers gently trailed up your arm. “So beautiful,” he murmured, gazing directly into your eyes. You practically melted as your body fell into his. Like always, his arms were ready to catch you, drunk or otherwise. 

☆

“No Sirius yet?” asked your mother, sipping her drink cheerily.

You refused to look her in the eye in fear of giving something away. “No, not yet. Should be here soon, though.” 

“Better be,” said your father, slipping away from a party guest. “He’ll miss cake.”

It was your parents’ twentieth-anniversary party, an occasion made doubly special as their one and only daughter was now officially a Hogwarts graduate. You had planned the party and made Sirius promise that he would not only attend, but also arrive early to help greet your guests as your boyfriend. 

You knew that your parents did not initially approve of Sirius, but as your relationship strengthened, so did Sirius’s standing in your family. Now, post-Hogwarts, you were desperate to not only show your parents that the two of you were committed to one another but also feel yourself that your love would endure the many challenges of adulthood. 

As the last of your family friends trickled out of your childhood home, you failed to hide your disappointment at his loud absence. Like many months earlier, your mind see-sawed between possibilities, some pathetic, others worrying. You were in the middle of a war, after all. You always believed Sirius’s recklessness would be his downfall. 

Fortunately or unfortunately, your worries subsided when you saw him slip into the parlor with a present in hand and a sheepish smile directed at you and your parents. “Happy anniversary! Sorry I’m late, you won’t believe– hey, where’s the party?” 

“It’s over,” you announced bitterly. 

Your mum and dad sensed the tension and tactfully exited the room. “We saved you some cake, dear,” your mother said to Sirius, after politely thanking him for his present. 

“So,” you started as you heard your parents’ footsteps fade away, “where were you? Actually, don’t answer that. Let me talk first. This was important to me, Sirius. You knew that! What will I say to Mum and Dad? Don’t I matter to you at all? Is it always going to be like this?” 

“Slow down,” whispered Sirius. “I’ll explain everything – just listen! I was with James, okay? We were only mucking around on the bike. I was on the way, I swear! But then these Muggle Aurors – police, they’re called – they started chasing us! We were getting away but these three blokes – Death Eaters – caught up to us. Long story short, we got into quite a scuffle and…” He looked at you in an attempt to gauge your reaction. 

Your mouth hung open as you absorbed his story. Regardless of your anger, he presented a legitimate case for himself that you could not quash. “Death Eaters? Thank Merlin you’re alright. How on earth did you get away?” 

“I’ll tell you everything. Your mum mentioned something about cake?”

You stood on your toes, wrapping your arms around his waist and laying your head on his chest. “In the kitchen,” you answered softly. “I wish you would be more careful.” 

He kissed your temple. “Don’t worry,” said Sirius dismissively, “I handled it, didn’t I?” 

☆

“So, what do you think?” 

You and Sirius were standing in the middle of his new studio flat. Primely-located and newly-furnished, it was the picture-perfect bachelor pad. Sirius now had a place to call his own, thanks to a bountiful inheritance from his Uncle Alphard. The walls were bare and the lighting dim, adding an overall sensuality to the atmosphere. 

“It’s nice,” you remarked sincerely, smoothing his plain black bed sheets. You peeked into his wardrobe, smirking to yourself as you noticed it was half-empty. “Lost the rest of your clothes, babe?” 

“No,” answered Sirius quietly. “It’s for you.”

“What is?” 

“The closet space. It’s for your clothes.” His voice was barely above a whisper. 

“For when I come to visit,” you amended automatically. 

You turned to see Sirius scratching the back of his head. “No, for when you live here. With me.” 

“W-What?” Your mind was reeling. You leaned against his side table to steady yourself. “Me? Move in with you?” 

“Well… yeah,” said Sirius as he slowly regained his signature confidence. “We’ve been together for ages, seems about right. Besides, James and Lily are getting a place together.” 

You did not understand why you weren’t over the moon. It was what you always wanted from him – a tell-tale symbol of his otherwise-flaky commitment to you, a sign of your sparkling love. It was the beginning of the next chapter of your lives, and you were meant to start it together. On paper, it was perfect. There was no explanation for the sinking feeling in your stomach. 

Suddenly, the words that would never come were on the tip of your tongue. The answer was clear as day. “No.” 

“What?” 

It was an extremely difficult task to catch Sirius Black off-guard, a feat you used to motivate your argument. “No, Sirius. I won’t move in with you.” 

Shock was written all over his face. “What the hell? Why?” 

“Because… you didn’t even ask me!” 

Sirius stared at you blankly for a long moment before bursting into laughter. “Alright… (Y/N), will you please do me the honor of sharing an address with me? Is that it, then? Shall I get down on one knee?” 

“No, Sirius. That’s not the point,” you said firmly. “The point is that you didn’t ask me. You just assumed that I would say yes – don’t interrupt. I know we’ve been together for years, but can’t you see? You make me so incredibly happy and yet, so unbelievably unhappy at the same time. You’re so good to me, and then so horrible, and then amazing again… I can hardly keep up anymore. I’m a fucking doormat and I’m sick of it! It’s humiliating. I’m tired of feeling humiliated in front of people I care about. It’s starting to become too high a price of being in love with you.” 

You ended shakily, afraid to look at him. When you dared, you saw him wearing an unfamiliar expression. The silence washed over you both for an eternity. You had the horrible thought that perhaps this was it. Perhaps, you crossed a line. Maybe he hadn’t noticed how broken you both were, how broken you were, and now… well, he couldn’t unsee it now. You were over. Without a word, you headed for the door with your head down.

“Wait,” shouted Sirius hoarsely. “Don’t go. I-I’m not sure what to say to make you stay.”

“Try being honest,” you whispered weakly. 

He swallowed nervously. “Okay, here goes. I know that I haven’t put enough effort into this relationship… I know that. I realize that I take you for granted and that you deserve better. I don’t blame you for thinking that. I would never have blamed you for thinking that. But here’s the truth – I am so far gone when it comes to you, you have no idea. I am so in love with you. I think about you morning, noon, and night. And the thing is, here we are, fighting for Muggles and Muggleborns and the good of the world… but above all, I am so utterly afraid of losing you. I think that’s why, actually. That’s why I keep you at arm’s length. I don’t think I mean to, but it just happens. Because I’ve never met anyone who loves me as much as you do, not even my mother. Especially not my mother. I’m torn between keeping you close and pushing you away because the truth is, you’ll always deserve better than me. And I’ve always been afraid of you realizing that.”

His truth was careful but sincere. Your hand slipped off the doorknob. Still, it was not the first time Sirius had rendered you speechless. “How do I know you mean it? That it’s more than just words to you?”

“Let me prove it to you,” he said meaningfully, grey eyes glistening. 

You took slow steps toward him, and he embraced you with the hope of filling all the gaps he may have left open. “Okay,” you said, your voice muffled into his shirt. “Just… leave the closet half-empty for a little while.” 

[cyborgsquirrel]

Ever wondered what the Marauders' homescreens would look like if they had phones instead of linked notebooks in my fic? Well, wonder no longer because I spent two days making them on my phone 🙈. So to pretend it wasn't a complete waste of time, I'm sharing them on here as some kind of 'extra' content 👀 (this is obviously much later in the story than it's currently at, since they all have pics of their animagus forms).

Peter's wallpaper is the smoke from a potion he brewed. His icons are potion bottles (he was very excited when he found them). And he has an astroclock for timing the collection of ingredients. The photo of Wormtail was taken by James.

Sirius' wallpaper was taken during a prank where they made all the water in the greenhouse rise up to the ceiling and rain down on everyone during Herbology. He chose icons to match because he's an artist, and he has the Spotify widget because he listens to a lot of music. The photo of Padfoot was taken by Remus after a pleasant afternoon walking in the woods together.

James' wallpaper is the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room 🙄. He chose the goldest, sparkliest icons he could find, and added gold glitter frames to his photos to match. The photos of Prongs were taken by Sirius after he cast charms on him (fun times).

Remus' wallpaper was chosen so he could cleverly disguise his moon phase widget (which changes to match the actual moon phase) in case anyone looks over his shoulder. The pic isn't a photo of Moony (that would be dangerous). It's a painting of Moony done by Sirius, and he chose icons that would match the general aesthetic.

Also, I have no idea who the artist is for any of the images I've used as wallpapers/fake photos, but it certainly wasn't me.

[wwxs-spicy-zixuan-peppers]

so last night while i was avoiding working on my commission, i was going off on discord and friendos were encouraging me so the swan princess (1994) AU.  gratuitous use of the shocked pikachu emoji i have access to on discord.

okay the hot xuanxian swan princess au right- so jzx and jyl are betrothed since like birth. every summer they are brought together to hopefully fall in love, and wwx and jc are with her to make sure their sister is treated right. but jzx is out here looking at wwx and then one summer, they all show up and wwx is hot now. so he breaks the engagement and tries to hit up wwx but wwx is like "lol no" and they leave for lotus pier and they get attacked and jyl and jc make it out relatively fine, but wwx be missing

idk who to make the evil wizard. wrh? he wants wwx for his sexy cultivation secrets passed down from granny bssr???? idk, but jzx is at home thinking about how he really messed up, and he doesn't think wwx would just fuckin die, if he was dead he would have been found by now. so he's off, looking for his mans

so wrh has a bird now, right. he's like "hey. marry my son, give us your shit, idk my motives aren't exactly well thought out during the spouting bullshit phase of the au process." and wwx is like "lol no" and wrh is like "then i hope you like being a bird." and wwx is like ">:("

okay so wwx is a cool goth swan. when there's moonlight on the lake, he can be a cool goth dude. wwx is studying the curse mark and shit, wrh is like "nice try jackhole, only a declaration of true love can break the curse. so if you agree to hand over your shit, my son will declare his very true and sexy love for you" and wwx is like "there is nothing true or sexy about that that boy" and wrh is like "...maybe so."

so jzx is out here, looking for wwx, and he sees this cool goth bird. and wwx is like "squack" and jzx is like "damn, tonight's dinner reminds me of my missing love." then the moon's on the lake and wwx is like "i swear to god you peacock, i will snap at your heels when i get you" and jzx is just so happy to see his mans!! and he goes over there, lifts wwx in a little princess lift spiiiin, and kisses him and wwx is like "damn slow down dude, you were just trying to eat me" and jzx is like "your siblings will be so relieved that you're alive! we will be married at dawn" and wwx is like "yeah i'm kind of cursed here, wrh wants my hot and sexy cultivation secrets. the only way to break it is for someone to declare their love for me??? so i need to kill whr since no one's gonna do that" and jzx is like "I will." and wwx is like "it's gotta be true love" and jzx is like "i truly love you? i'll go scream it at everyone right now." and wwx is like "oh you love me? name three of my albums what do you even like about me?" and jzx is like shocked pikachu face

okay so wrh shows up after jzx leaves and is like "i heard you talking shit, there's no moon tomorrow so you i'm gonna send in a fake you that he'll declare his love for someone who is not you and you die?" and wwx is like "then how are you going to get my sexy info?" and wrh is like "well you're going to give it to me so i do not do the thing?" and wwx is like "i'd rather die than you use this information to hurt the people i care about." and wrh is like "well you have 24 hours to change your mind, and only i can save you"

so jzx is on his way home and is like "okay so i found the love of my life and i gotta prove that i love him" and jzxun is like "gay" and jzx is like "yeah"

so jzx is telling his mom and whore dad about how he's found the person he's going to spend his life with and he needs to throw a really really big party so that everyone in the world knows. that'll show him that he loves him bf.

so everyone is showing up to this party on such short notice, jyl and jc are there. JC is like "hey my brother went missing last time i was here, why the FUCK are we here now?" and jzx is like "i need to declare my love for my future husband and i need the world to know, now everyone wait here so i can go grab him." and he goes off to grab wwx but "runs into him on the way" and he brings him in and JC and JYL are like shocked pikachu face.

so meanwhile, WWX is off in goth bird hell and he's wrecking shit in the manor and is wrecking so much shit before he dies. and wrh is like "damn what the fuck dude. your bf is throwing  a party to show off he loves you, you??" and wwx is like "okay i need to go stop that before he embarrasses both of us" and he goes off and flies directly into the party and beats the shit out of his impostor. [9:38 PM] and jzx is like "wait if you're the goth bird love of my life, then who is tiny waist ass fat over here?" and wwx honks like "really, you only want me for my sexy body?" and jc is like "hey what the fuck is happening?" and impostor wwx is like "you know what, fuck this." and dispels the disguise and walks out.

so jzx has this big goth bird, and everyone is like "hey what the fuck?" and jzx lets wwx go but hugs him and is like "i'm sorry, i was in such a rush to tell everyone how i feel about you that i almost confessed to a whole ass not you." and jyl is like "can you please explain why that person was dressed up like my brother and why he is apparently a bird now." and jzx is like "oh uh, wrh wants his sexy brain and only a declaration of true love can break the curse." and jyl is like "and you love my brother?" and jzx is like "yes" and jyl is like "okay. and what do you love about him?" and jzx is like "uh, everything? he's really smart and it's like effortless. he's kind but he doesn't take bullshit from anyone but your mom. he cares so deeply about things and i can only dream to be one of those things he loves. he's pretty yeah, but his smile is only a reflection of everything inside of him." and jc is like "gay" and BOOM. declaration of love.

and wwx is standing there and and jc and jyl hug the shit out of him and jzx is like. "oh shit i did it" and then he has this realization of "hey wwx do you uhhhh, feel the same?" and wwx is bright red and like "i mean. i've known your dumbass for a long time. i can't hate you for not being in live with my shijie even though you're clearly wrong, you know what you're about. I think,,, i could,,, i could love you back" and then they live happily ever after

[kilesplaysthings]

guess who's made another ikemen playlist~

This time we doin ikevamp boys with classic (love) songs! :3

Napoleon: You're the Inspiration by Chicago (cheesy, i know, but Napo's kinda cheesy ngl lolololol)

You're the meaning in my life You're the inspiration You bring feeling to my life You're the inspiration Want to have you near me I want to have you hear me saying no one needs you more than I need you

Arthur: Fooled Around and Fell in Love by Elvin Bishop

I must've been through about a million girls I'd love 'em and I'd leave 'em alone I didn't care how much they cried, no sir Their tears left me cold as a stone

But then I fooled around and fell in love I fooled around and fell in love

Mozart: Go All the Way by Raspberries

I never knew how complete love could be 'Till she kissed me and said, baby Please, go all the way It feels so right (Feels so right) Being with you here tonight Please, go all the way Just hold me close Don't ever let me go

Leonardo: Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce

If I could save time in a bottle The first thing that I'd like to do Is to save everyday 'til eternity passes away Just to spend it with you

And if I could make days last forever And if words could make wishes come true I'd save everyday like a treasure and then Again and again I'd spend them with you

Vincent: I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner

In my life, there's been heartache and pain I don't know if I can face it again Can't stop now, I've traveled so far To change this lonely life

I wanna know what love is I want you to show me I wanna feel what love is I know you can show me

Theo: I'm Not in Love by 10cc

I'm not in love, so don't forget it It's just a silly phase I'm going through And just because I call you up Don't get me wrong Don't think you've got it made I'm not in love, I'm not in love

Isaac: Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon

I can't fight this feeling any longer And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow What started out as friendship has grown stronger I only wish I had the strength to let it show

I tell myself that I can't hold out forever I said there is no reason for my fear 'Cause I feel so secure when we're together You give my life direction, you make everything so clear

And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

Jean: In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel

Love, I get so lost sometimes Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart When I want to run away I drive off in my car But whichever way I go I come back to the place you are

All my instincts, they return The grand façade, so soon will burn Without a noise, without my pride I reach out from the inside

In your eyes; the light, the heat I am complete (in your eyes) I see the doorway To a thousand churches (in your eyes) The resolution Of all the fruitless searches

Dazai: The Chain by Fleetwood Mac (Dazai's route seems a bit dark and dramatic, so I feel like this song will fit the potential heartbreak his route could have)

Listen to the wind blow, down comes the night Running in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies Break the silence, damn the dark, damn the light

And if you don't love me now You will never love me again I can still hear you saying You would never break the chain

Sebastian: Stand By Me by Ben E. King

When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No, I won't be afraid Oh, I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand Stand by me

Comte St. Germain: Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues (ooooh how I love this song!! I had to use this for him. it's so passionate like I feel his route will be~)

Nights in white satin Never reaching the end Letters I've written Never meaning to send Beauty I'd always missed With these eyes before Just what the truth is I can't say anymore 'Cause I love you Yes I love you Oh, how I love you

Shakespeare: Every Breath You Take by The Police (I mean..are you even surprised by this?? lol)

Every breath you take Every move you make Every bond you break Every step you take I'll be watching you

Every single day Every word you say Every game you play Every night you stay I'll be watching you

Charles: Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen (idk if this is fitting or not, but I just felt this for him. Don't really know the three newer guys yet so we'll see!)

I've been meaning to tell you I've got this feelin' that won't subside I look at you and I fantasize You're mine tonight

Now, I've got you in my sights

With these hungry eyes One look at you and I can't disguise I've got hungry eyes I feel the magic between you and I

Faust: Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer (I really can't get a grasp on Faust yet, but this song is quite obsessive which seems fitting???)

Your lights are on, but you're not home Your will is not your own You're heart sweats and teeth grind Another kiss and you'll be mine

Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love

Vlad: Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult (Fun Fact: I came up with this playlist specifically to make this song for him!!)

All our times have come Here but now they're gone Seasons don't fear the reaper Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain We can be like they are

Come on, baby (don't fear the reaper) Baby, take my hand (don't fear the reaper) We'll be able to fly (don't fear the reaper) Baby, I'm your man

[cakejots]

too much gel

Marinette is sooo not going out to their anniversary dinner with him looking that prince-like or almost everyone else: omg cat walker looks so good me: how bout i diss adrien’s hair style and colour choice, but under the disguise of a crack fic 🤩

Rating: T, Words: 1760, Chapters: 1/1

Read on AO3

“I can’t wait for our anniversary dinner tonight, Tikki!” Marinette beams as she stands in front of her full-length mirror, adjusting the accessory in her hair. “How do I look?”

“You’re going to sweep Adrien off his feet!” Tikki hovers closer to her hair, “Though, with that, you look like a princess!”

Marinette finally manages to position the tiara accessory in a way that can be seen from all angles. Nothing too attention-seeking, but just enough for anyone to see it once they lay their eyes on her.

It was a minimalistic rose gold tiara that contrasts her dark hair and blue eyes and matches her serenity blue coloured dress. She’s really proud of how it turned out. “We’re going to Hôtel Particulier Montmartre, so I’m going to dress up a little. Adrien said he’ll be going dressed as a prince.”

Tikki giggles at how ecstatic Marinette is. “Sounds like you two will be having a lot of fun!”

“Oh, you have no idea, Tikki!” Marinette physically glows as she recounts the things that Adrien has planned to do with her for tonight. “We’ll be eating there for dinner, and afterwards we’ll be walking around. Exactly where I’ve no idea. Honestly, I think my brain short-circuited the moment he mentioned the restaurant. But I’ll be walking hand in hand with Adrien! And we’ll be talking about anything and everything under the sun— I mean moon.” Marinette’s probably rambling to herself right now, but she can’t help it. She’s thrilled! “Where we’ll sit on some bench and talk and admire how beautiful the moon is. And I’ll soon fall asleep on his shoulders and then he’ll kiss my forehead and tug me closer. And then, we’ll go home, where he’ll carry me to the bed, kiss my forehead again, and sleep next to me. Wait, was it home or hote—”

“Marinette! Adrien’s here for you!” Her mother yelled, loud enough to snap her out of her own bubble.

“Uhhh, coming!” Marinette rushes to the door and Tikki chuckles at how quickly she changes her mood. She phases through her pouch, looking forward to the events of the night.

Marinette enters the living room to see Adrien smiling at her in all his dashing glory.

“Marinette! You’re dazzling, my Lady!” He said he’ll dress up as a prince, and he delivered. Those polished boots, those ironed pants, that solid belt, those shiny buttons, that lovely smile, that well-kept hair with a few thick strains standi—

Wait.

That hair?

Well kept?!

The corners of her lips and eyes twitched.

No. Oh no no no no no!

Not that hair again!

Also, he dyed his hair that dirty green colour? That #3d4c1a dirty green?

On their anniversary?!

The audacity this man has.

Marinette moves towards him and gives him a big big hug. Lips on his cheek and arms around his neck, pulling him in with enough force that he stumbles forward. Her hand removes the band that hangs near his nape in the process.

She pulls back and smiles at him, noting a raised brow on his handsome face. Damn it, he noticed. She reaches up and runs her fingers roughly through that gel-filled hair. It’s so stiff.

Mon Chaton, why.

But she’s still smiling brightly. “Let’s go to my room for a while, Adrien.”

“We’re going to be late, my Lady.” Both brows are now nearer to his hairline. Hairline. The hairline. One that she’s not supposed to see ever again or anytime soon.

Tikki help her. Plagg too. Plagg help her too, please.

Speaking of Plagg.

“Let’s go to my room.” She repeats and twirls, leaving no space for argument from his side.

Once he enters her room, and as soon as the door is closed, she pounces at him. Her hands fly into his hair, messing up that hair as much as she can.

There’s too much gel. She can’t dig deep enough. Why does he need gel on his perfect hair?!

“Marinette, you're ruining my hair!” He grabs her forearms and pulls them away, but she’s holding onto them like her life was on the line.

“That’s,” she grunts, “the point!” She continues rubbing against his hair, liberating them from its confines. She is not going out for their anniversary dinner with him looking like that.

“At this rate, you’re going to pull my hair out, let go!” His hands reach to pry her fingers away.

Marinette rolls her eyes. He’s exaggerating; so dramatic. She’s not really pulling them, merely messing them up. But she needs water if she wants to get rid of everything that doesn’t belong in his hair.

She releases her hands and stares at them. The substance she has gathered is gel residue and something green.

Oh no, is that permanent dye? He was a sunny blond just yesterday!

Okay, calm down. Deal with it one thing at a time.

“Plagg!” she shrieks.

“Marinette, are you crazy?” Adrien is back by her side and covering her mouth. “Your parents are still nearby!”

She licks his palm and he yelps away. “Why did you even allow this?” she asks as Plagg comes into view.

“Why not?”

Marinette might have just burst a vein somewhere. “Have you not witnessed this monstrosity enough?”

“I’ll have you know, dear Guardian, that I contributed to this before. And I’m actually proud of my creations, mind you, no matter how catastrophic looking they are.”

“You’re the Kwami of Destruction, destroy this— his hideously polished hair!”

A gasp escapes Adrien’s lips.

Plagg totally ignores her and turns to Adrien. “It’s a pretty good replication! Without magic might I add. Well done, kitten.”

The smile that spreads across his face is enough to make Marinette drop whatever she’s doing and admire it.

She smacks both hands on her cheeks.

Focus.

She leaves them and heads to the other side of her room, to a specific chest. Another medium-sized chest that she has purchased to store all the magazines, photoshoots, and whatever Adrien has ever appeared in, and starts digging.

“Of all the hairstyles you’ve had in your entire lifetime, you decided Catwalker’s the most prince-like?” She walks back to his side, with pink hand-shaped marks on her cheeks, and a pile of whatever that has his face on them in her arms.

She throws them on her bed, spreads them out and starts flipping the pages.

Adrien has seen her collection before, but it doesn’t mean he stops being amazed by it.

She shoves a magazine into his chest. “Autumn shoot when we were seventeen, you had flowy wild hair that was perfect. I didn’t get to touch it that time but I just knew it was silky soft.”

Adrien looks at the page opened and remembers that day well. It was a memorable one. His friends were there with him, but he was especially elated to see Marinette there. That could be the reason why that photo shoot turned out so well.

She throws another on top of the current one. “The undercut you had when you were eighteen? You looked so hot. I mean you‘re still hot now, just not with the hair, but god damn that photoshoot from back then. Wheeeeeee!”

He laughs and Marinette hisses at him.

“Heck, even your everyday hair is fine too!” She gestures to her bed. “Just look at all these! I’ve more in the chest. You’ve so many to choose from and yet you choose Catwalker’s? What were you thinking, Adrien?”

Adrien regards her bed and teases, “I think it’s an endearing sight to see that you still have my photoshoots from when I was fourteen.”

Marinette ignores his comment—he wasn’t answering her question anyway—and scowls, though she’s pretty sure her cheeks were flushed. Her fingers run through his mane again. It’s still too rigid to her liking.

“And why this ugly green?” Great change of topic, Marinette. Very smooth.

He shrugs. “Some overseas celebrity is wearing it, I thought I’ll give it a try. It’s kind of unique, no?”

“Adrien Mister Supermodel Agreste—”

“Hey!”

“—you’re the one setting the trends. Not following them!”

He gives her a dirty look. “That doesn’t even make any sense—”

“Yes it does.” She cuts him off. “You’re just in denial. And I won’t let anyone in Paris walk around in that shade of green. On clothes? Amazing. As hair? Revolting.”

“You just insulted so many anime characters.”

“Zip it! They aren’t real. We are.”

He brings his hand to his chest. “How dare you!”

“How dare you dye this shade on our anniversary!” She points a finger into his chest. “Are you sure your father won’t say anything about it?”

“He doesn't have a say in what I do in my private life, and that’s precisely why I applied this hair chalk to my hair.” He crosses his arms. “If he gets mad from pictures, then he’s just clowning himself because I’ll be back to blond by tomorrow.”

Marinette heaves a sigh of relief. “Well, you could’ve chosen another colour.”

“Buguinette, why are you complaining? You liked it the last time!”

He’s right, she did like it. A lot. And she’s not going to deny that.

But not anymore.

“Yes, but no. I don’t like it right now. Please wash it off, Minou.”

“Why not? You were swooning when you saw it.”

Well, okay now it’s her fault he has that memory of her. She needs to rectify it.

“It’s too pristine and polished. You’re a free and wild spirit, Adrien. This hairstyle doesn’t suit you. This isn’t you.”

Adrien radiates happiness at her statement, ready to crush her in a hug if she had just shut her mouth.

“Besides, it’s ugly.”

He glowers at her. "Excuse you, my Lady. May I remind you that you were the one raining down praises on it back then?”

“Oh shut up.” She crosses her arms and faces elsewhere. “I was obsessed back then, everything about you was perfect.”

Adrien snorts. “And you’re not now?”

“Back to you, Mister.”

He sighs, he can’t win against her stubbornness, but he still loves her all the same. “And now we’re late for dinner.”

“Screw the dinner. Let’s just stay in and watch movies.” She gives him a side-eye. “You’re supposed to wash that hideous hairdo away before we do anything else by the way.”

“But our perfectly planned anniversary dinner!” he exclaims, yet, he takes a fresh towel from her wardrobe.

“It’s fine,” she waves, “just let me bury my face into your goldilocks once you wash and blow-dry it.”

[aimee-maroux]

Plato-nic Love (Part I)

I sadly didn’t finish the whole story in time but this is part one of Seren and Plato’s epic love story for the ages XD

Illustrations were done by the wonderful @sigeel​ 😍😍😍

So this submission is by the two of us!

Plato-nic Love

Seren poured a libation of wine and started working on the grapevine that had been growing in the family garden for a while. At first, her mother had tried to get rid of it but it had proven the essence of indestructable life and so they had accepted its presence much like Seren had come to accept the presence of its patron god. She was about to cut off a branch to use for making a crown later on when she heard a familiar voice. "How is my favourite bacchae?" She sighed. It had been about a year since she had agreed to become his faithful follower and needless to say she was still the only one. "Do you know what day it is?" Seren started frantically going through all the calendars she had studied, from the reconstructed Attic calendar to the Roman calendar before and after the Julian reform -what moon phase were they in again? "You always think we don't care about these things but I have a sursprise for you." Dionysos flashed her a bright smile. "What?" she said flatly. A surprise from a god couldn't possibly mean anything good.

"I SAID: I have a SURPRISE for you!" Confetti and flower petals started raining down on them and from above sounded a rustic melody played on pan pipes. Seren looked up to see Hermes sitting on a treebranch, grinning as he played the instrument his son invented. "Ha ha, very funny, Hermes." Dionysos took Seren by the shoulders. "He was supposed to play the Time Warp. Because it's exactly ONE YEAR TODAY that you became my bacchae and do I have a surprise for you!" "Yeah, you said so. But maybe it would be better if-" "Nonsense! As your patron god I am exceedingly generous. You see, I have noticed your infatuation with Plato." "You don't say." "Yes. Anyway, Hermes was so nice to pay grandfather Kronos a visit and relieve him of a little artef- well, details, it doesn't matter! What is important is that you will get to meet Plato!" "Really?!" There was a nagging voice in Seren's head that told her to be careful but Dionysos had just told her she'd get to meet Plato! "Really. All you have to do is take my hand. But I have another gift for you. Hermes, come down here!" The messenger god swung himself lazily from the tree and floated down until his winged sandals touched the ground. "My brother pointed out that you might have difficulties speaking ancient Greek fluently so he will grant you the ability to speak it like a native for as long as you give up your native English." Seren gaped. "That... is surprisingly thoughtful of you." "Hermes, do it! And no nonsense like giving her a lisp or a foreign accent!" "Of course not. Why would I do that?" Hermes grinned at Seren. "I'd not even be there to see it." "What? Now? Wait!" Seren cried out as divine magic rearranged the synapses in her speech centre. "I did not agree-" "She'll speak fluently once you arrive in Greece," Hermes said, "Once you return, the magic wears off." Dionysos gave his brother a suspicious look. Then he beamed. "Perfect!" Dionysos clapped enthusiastically. "Hold on tight!" He pulled her into his embrace and Seren instinctively hugged him. The world around them began to blur and the heavens seemed to turn back as they sped through time and space. There was a sudden jolt and the world was clear once again. Only, it looked strange. But not strange enough for Seren not to recognise her patron god had spoken the truth. This was ancient Athens! She felt a nasty queasiness but she was much too excited to care about that just now. She had known about polychromy but the sheer explosion of colours in the city made her heart sing. The reconstructions were mere shadows of the vibrant paint on the statues, buildings, and clothes. And the Akropolis! It looked majestic even now but the ruins were nothing compared to the magnificence of colour and architecture. Seren stood in awe, even though they were miles away down in a sidestreet. Potters had laid out their painted vases and other works as they created new ones. Seren couldn't decide what to see first, jumping this way and that until the unsavoury sound of regurgitation briefly diverted her attention. Dionysos leaned against the mudbrick wall of a house and puked his guts out. "How can you be so chipper?" Dionysos groaned, wiping his mouth. "You're mortal!" We travelled both time AND space. You should be barfing like a youth at his first symposion." But Seren just ignored him in her euphoria. "It's Athens!" she cried. "ANCIENT Athens!" "That fleet-foorted son of a-" "What? What is it?!" "Nothing, nothing. Everything is fine. I just..." Dionysos leaned against the mudbrick house. "Hermes could have said something about the inconvenience of travelling." Seren shrugged. Who cared, they were already there. "I want to see EVERYTHING!!! The sculptures! The pottery! The architecture! The clothes..." "Speaking of which..." Dionysos grinned. "We should get you something less 2020. If you want to meet Plato, we need a certain disguise. And you want to look your best for him, right?" Seren screwed up her face. "Plato isn't about looks. He's about the beauty of the soul." "Well, if you want to go dressed in that tasteless pink sweater and leggings combination. But let me tell you, nothing looks better on a woman than a finely woven chiton." "Yeah, you're not at all biased." "It's one of the few things even Apollo and I agree on, so it must be true." Seren would have been happy just roaming the streets of ancient Athens for a couple of days. Or for however long this time thingy would allow. The prospect of meeting Plato both exhilarated and terrified her.

Dionysos bought her an elegant chiton in the extremely crowded agora. Seren hardly suppressed a squeal when he paid with real ancient drachmae. Only they didn't look ancient at all. "Why is nobody staring?" she asked, as another group of people walked past them without paying them any mind. "Did you put glamour over my modern clothes?" Dionysos laughed. "No need, honeybee. This is Athens. At a time like this they get tourists from all over the world. One strange, foreign costume is not going to turn any heads." He pulled her away from the merchants and splendour of the agora into the entrance of a seemingly abandoned house. "Put it on," he said, handing her the chiton. "Don't peek!" she reminded him before she changed into her new garment. It felt cool and pleasant on her skin and the quality of the linen was indeed fantastic. Despite the loose fit the fabric was so delicate it hugged her figure in an almost revealing way, making her feel exposed. "Is this really acceptable dress?" she asked. "Only with this worn over it." Dionysos came up behind her, closing another layer of cloth over her shoulders with simple dress pins. "You look great, honeybee," he said sincerely. "Plato can consider himself lucky. You got the brains, you got the looks, and even that austere, joyless personality to match." "I get the impression you don't like Plato much." Dionysos slung the belt around her waist and fastened it. "What gave it away? My graffiti, my groaning everytime you bring him up, or the charming way I speak about him?" "The graffiti was a pretty obvious hint." "I hope you appreciate my gift all the more, honeybee." "I do." She smiled. "But I don't think I could appreciate it any more than I already do. This is a dream come true. The most exciting day of my life. More exciting even than Delphi." "Be careful not to tell Apollo," Dionysos warned but he looked pleased. "Sure. If I ever run into him I'll remember it." As they stepped outside, the streets were empty. "Where is everybody?" "Oh, it must be time to crown the victors." "Victors? Of what? It's too cold to be July, isn't it?" "Not the Panathenaic Games." Dionysos smiled broadly. "It's not an athletic contest. Today..." He made a dramatic pause. "Is the last day of the Great Dionysia!" "Oh." Seren was disappointed. "So we can't go and watch any of the plays?" "I'm afraid it is too late for that. But I can show you my theatre and the temple with my cult image if you want."

Seren politely admired the simple wooden log that was supposed to be a representation of Dionysos and genuinely marvelled at the masks that had been dedicated below it. She patiently listened to Dionysos as he recounted the story of the very first Dionysia in Athens and how he used to mingle among the crowd every year to watch what the people of Athens had put on the stage in his honour. Once they arrived at the theatre it was already empty but it was a stunning sight all the same. Seeing everything intact and in its full glory filled Seren with unknown joy. The decorations, both permanent and temporary, were as colourful and flamboyant as the god they honoured. When they made it back to the streets of Athens, there were already groups of shouty drunk people roaming about. "Victory parties," Dionysos explained when he saw Seren's face. "In fact, we are about to attend one too. But first..." A purple mist shrouded the god's body and when it dispelled, his simple chiton had given way to a slutty ankle-length skirt that hung low enough to expose part of his bum cheeks, his arms, wrists, and ankles adorned with golden jewellery. "I know you practiced with the aulos. You're gonna be a flute girl." Seren startled. "What? No! I'm not nearly good enough!" Dionysos shrugged, making his golden bracelets clink. "I don't think I need to tell you that other kinds of women are not allowed at symposia. Unless you want to play the role of a hetaira..." "F-Flute girl is fine."

They arrived at a house that obviously belonged to someone well-to-do. "A group of revellers is about to show up here any minute. We'll join them to enter the symposion. Trust me, they're too drunk to realise we don't belong." Seren nodded nervously. "Now would be the time to ditch that respectable dress." Reluctantly, Seren freed herself of the protective extra layer of clothing and received the aulos flutes Dionysos handed her. The revellers did indeed show up. Loud and obnoxious, it was impossible not to notice them. A man in his late 20s or early 30s led the group. Half-naked and well into his cups, crowned with a wreath of ivy and violets, he was all but carried by two sturdy lads who looked like they were half-naked professionally. "Come!" Dionysos tugged on her arm and they danced along, she awkwardly, he with a grace and confidence she envied. The leader of the group pounded against the door and yelled for "Agathon". Seren's heart skipped a beat. "Is that... Alkibiades?!" she whispered to Dionysos. "The very same." "We are at THAT Symposium?!!" "We most certainly are." Seren gaped at the man who would eventually be the ruin of Athens by defecting to Sparta and then to Persia. He rattled the door, shouting "Agathon!" and dropped his single piece of clothing in the process, quickly picked up by his lads. Seren shrieked when the man suddenly leaned heavily on her, his arms reeling for support. Dionysos was quick to jump to his other side, taking most of the load off his bacchae. "AGATHON!" Alkibiades yelled once more, in the manner drunks yelled on their way home from the pub after closing hours. He kept demanding to see Agathon with a heavy tongue until a servant boy finally opened up and led them to the andron. Alkibiades managed to stand on his own, stumbling towards the host of the party while announcing how completely and utterly wasted he was. "Let's bring the bacchic spirit to this lame party!" Dionysos cheered. Seren gazed around with stars in her eyes. The room was bright with torches and the klinai were populated by men both young and old but all shirtless and all with crowns of ivy on their heads. She looked more closely at the guests while Alkibiades spoke to Agathon, probably congratulating him for his victory. But none of the symposiasts looked like any of the artworks she had seen of Plato. They were most likely created after his death anyway. "Soooo..." She leaned on Dionysos' shoulder. "Where is Plato?" Dionysos gestured at the kline at the very end of the room, occupied by two young men. "The dark-haired one."

"THAT is Plato?! I thought he'd be at least in his 30s!" Dionysos grinned a smug grin. "He wrote the Symposion in his late 30s. But this, honeybee, is the year the titular symposion actually took place. The first year of the 91st Olympiad. Or, as you would say, 416 BCE." Seren gaped at the young man seated on a couch with a blond youth. He had long, curly hair crowned with a wreath of ivy like all the symposiasts, young and old. A strong, Greek nose gave his face a distinct personality. Who would have thought the man Seren knew only from his words and artwork showing him as an old man could be so... hot. The blonde guy leaned over, whispering something to him. Maybe they were flirting. It wasn't anything unusual back in the day, Seren knew that. But they seemed to be about the same age. Shouldn't- "Play, flute girl," Dionysos nudged her with his elbow, "I'll clear the kline for you."

Seren watched him shimmy over to the pair and tried to remember how to play the aulos. She had practiced so much but right now it felt as if she knew nothing at all. Her idol, Plato, might be listening! Her cheeks burned as she blew into the wooden instrument, the tune an embarrassing version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Despite playing the role of a dancer, Dionysos sat down with the two no doubt aristocratic young men in his usual impudent manner. The blond youth's face turned sour. "What is the meaning of this?" "I came for the entertainment." "We are very well entertained by each other's company, thank you." Dionysos gave the blonde guy a cheeky grin. "Does your company agree?" He crawled on the kline until he basically sat on Plato's lap, prompting the young philosopher to blush. How cute! "Some people can be such a dull affair, talking about nothing but themselves all the time." The angry blond yanked Dionysos off Plato. "This was a philosophical symposion before you arrived!" "Yes. And to shame! You are celebrating a victory at the Dionysia. Where is the revelry?" "There are countless symposia all over Athens. Why did you have to come and ruin this one?" "You know exactly that I didn't ruin anything. But please, if you have any grievances take it up with my master. Alkibiades." "You know what? I will!" The blond aristocrat got up from the kline and grabbed Dionysos by the wrist, effectively pulling him off the kline. He dragged the god behind him as he made for the door, leaving Plato all alone on his bed of colourful cushions. Dionysos winked at her as they passed and it was at that moment that Seren noticed that his "friend" was the only one wearing laurel instead of ivy. Did they just... cock-block Apollon? But not all is lost, she reasoned, if Plato likes Apollon, he likes blondes, right? Right?

Shyly, Seren sat down next to the man whose teachings she still hadn't figured out. And maybe neither did he. He was so young and handsome. She was close enough to smell his heavy perfume and either oil or sweat or both made his chest gleam in the firelight. It really was quite hot in here. He didn't fit the stereotype of the philosopher at all, being so young and handsome and quite brawny. But no matter how hot he was, his physical appearance was dwarfed by the beauty of his brain and thoughts. His intelligence was that much hotter. That being said, Seren liked to think she would be less flustered if the man were old enough to be her father. But he was not. He must be about her own age. "We got rid of the other flute girl." "Wa-What?" "You must know there were already celebrations with heavy drinking last night. Surely you played at Alkibiades' place or some other house?" Seren nodded timidly. "So Pausanias suggested we refrain from drinking tonight and we ended up sending away the flute girl as well. A shame, because before you came in, it was all boring speeches of the old men assembled here. I enjoy the delightful harmony of music much, much more." "You don't like philosophy?" "Of course I do, but not at a drinking party celebrating the Dionysia. You're not from here, are you?" "Ahm, no?" "I don't think I've met a Spartan flute girl. Most of them come from Peiraieús." Seren laughed nervously. What the fuck, Hermes?! "I hope it's not a problem?" she mumbled. "No, no. I'm just surprised. Do you have a name, dear?" "I... I am Seren." "Seiren? What a fitting nickname! My name is-" "I know who you are!" Seren gushed, "I-I-I admire you greatly, Plato!" "Oh?" To Seren's great relief he smiled. "So you have seen me compete?" "Uh, yes, of course!" Seren would be thrilled to see him at any competition, really. "It's just a silly name my wrestling coach gave me. To intimidate my rivals, he says." "I like it!" "You like my broad shoulders, Seiren?" Seren blushed. "No, that's not what I, uh..." "It's all right. Lots of women admire them." "Ahahaha." Was he flirting with her? Or just bragging? "You may be an outstanding athlete," she said, "But I admire your words even more." "My poetry?" Now it was his time to blush. "Did you play it?" "Not yet." Seren decided to be bold, "People want to hear the same songs, Sappho, Pindar and the like. But... But maybe you can teach me how to play yours?" "No I... I burned them all." "Why would you do that?" "I wanted to focus better on my studies. Maybe I made the wrong call. Mousaios, the guy who just left? He said music is like medicine and can create harmony between opposites, that a musical education is helpful in the study of philosophy. Ah, I don't know. I don't want to bore you, flute girl." "You're not boring me, Plato. Please, tell me your thoughts!" And then, all of a sudden, a large drunken group walked into the room and joined the party, Dionysos among them. There was noise everywhere, and Plato leaned in very close and asked: "What do you say, Seiren. Shall we make our excuses and leave?"

to be continued...

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Impressions from TTM

Spoilers, spoilers everywhere. Just a big bulleted list of thoughts as I read through the graphic novel. Not a lot of detail included, so it’ll make a lot more sense if you’ve already read it yourself!

looks like Moonshadow elves cross the arms of the dead... when they have a body to bury

it’s nice to see that Rayla imagines Runaan with all his shirts, the way she last saw him

kinda looks like Rayla changed into her jammies right on her bed and dumped her clothes on that little table. maybe she’s afraid of letting the few things she actually possesses out of her sight

listen we get one little panel of Opeli in here and it’s great

Soren’s cape smacking Callum in the face, 10/10

Lujanne’s appearance out of nowhere, along with Allen’s is just adorable, she’s so sparkly. And also she can apparently just turn totally invisible with an illusion spell? Even at a new moon? Probably because of the Nexus I guess

Lujanne’s “Big strong man with big strong feelings.” She and Runaan have exactly the same type and I support them

Allen’s face when Lujanne says it aches to miss Phoe-Phoe

Callum eating off Rayla’s plate and wondering how Lujanne suspected they were a couple, hmmm

Soren and Allen bonding

Rayla warning Lujanne about hand disguises, as if that was something Runaan made very sure she knew

Rayla’s cute chaos grin when Callum’s Aspiro spell goes off is my favorite pic of her in this whole graphic novel

Lujanne’s “Oh.” afterward is my fave pic of her, too, she does not seem to handle reality well!

Bait’s tongue will never get old

Lujanne’s whole speech during Phoe-Phoe’s rebirth ritual is so touching and beautiful, my heart

Lujanne putting the newborn Moon Phoenix into Ezran’s hands, like she knows he’ll have the best connection with her

Callum’s tears as he reminds Rayla that Runaan killed Harrow, he’s trying to move on, but it hurts

Rayla’s self-soothing behavior when she has her second nightmare in the book--she must have these most every night :((((

the big symbol on the Moon Temple doors looks like a stylized Moon staff, like it’s a building for mages

Lujanne saying Rayla might not want or need the truth right after Callum mentions Runaan’s name to her, he sassily asks about her husbands and she turns it into a compliment

Callum’s big reaction to the moon opals is adorable. The only other one he’s seen was part of a pair of treasured gifts between long-time spouses, so it kinda looks like he’s all “uhh we just started dating”

also Ethari must’ve made cute metal swirly covers for the pair he and Runaan wore, since these two are undecorated--maybe he got his from Lujanne?

listen Lujanne is a hoot and all but she’s both an ally and an antagonist. Her actions are trustworthy but her advice is generally terrible. It’s an interesting parallel to how Runaan says a lot with his actions too, but he talks a lot less than Lujanne

Rayla yeeting herself into a fight just to ask Soren for a talk is 10/10 Moonshadow assassin goals

but her hood is up when she’s lurking in the trees--she might not have known where she’d find Soren and was anticipating something less fun on the feels-o-meter

Rayla in the mud again. Soren keeps making people fall in the mud

Allen’s grumpy squiggle

Callum, I love you, but you have no respect for moon opals. It’s like they wronged you in a previous life or something

that dancing elf has very long hair and shoulder pauldrons, and they start off dancing with six kneeling, watching, hooded elves around them--Moon Druids wore hoods even before they were assassins. Considering what Lujanne said about why the portal was sometimes opened, maybe those six kneeling elves are waiting under their emotion-hiding hoods to farewell a loved one who’s recently died?

can’t tell for sure but maybe the elf is dancing along the lines in the stone like they mark patterns for ritual dances, which would be the bomb

Soren and Rayla’s conversation is pretty wrenching. Seeing Soren have to struggle with what he did because it’s tangled up with Viren is rough because as a Crownguard it should just have been his duty to defend his king and he’d have nothing to feel weird about

Rayla dissociating herself from the term “assassins” and Soren dissociating from calling Viren “my father” in the same conversation is 10/10 excellent growth

Soren must know what happens to prisoners his dad gets a hold of, even if he doesn’t know the details :(((

“we captured him” and “Viren took him” seem to be talking about the Crownguard and Viren, not the brodigies and Viren

Rayla having a wooden sword at the end of the day bc she played swordfighting with Allen and Soren all day long

the panel where Rayla doesn’t say anything at all after telling Callum that she asked Soren about Runaan actually says so much, you can hear it

every time Lujanne’s white lies idea gets repeated, things get worse

Allen’s reading glasses, there must be one optician in the human village and he caters to soft kindly gentlemen of a certain age

in the moon phase montage, baby Phoe-Phoe is flying next to Ezran after one week at the Nexus. Maybe he’s paying her back by helping her learn to fly after she helped him teach Zym how to fly! Did they bond as tightly as Ezran did with Zym? I support Ezran just bonding with the most powerful flying creatures in all the land.

the irony of Callum using Lujanne’s tactics against her is amazing, but really the white lies thing is a giant ball of chaos in this story and it does not play favorites

Bait on the stone pillar during rebuilding

all the noises the Moonhenge makes are 10/10

Rayla dancing with Callum even though there’s almost no chance she’s ever done that dance before

Lujanne’s pupils going white, that is a cool effect, what’s it mean?

the black moon in the pink sky is so spooky! Is it just me or does the color scheme here kinda vibe like the space outside Aaravos’s library?

the smoky assassin squad, 10/10 creep factor, I love it

the lightning being a literal crack of doom with “CRAK-DOOM” as Katolis Castle appears, “echoes of thunder” indeed, very nice

Lujanne being mad but she can’t decide if it’s at Callum or herself

when she says pulling Rayla out now will leave her soul on one side and her body a husk. After the Insta live stream last night where we learned that soulfang serpents are Moon primal creatures, that’s... super interesting

smoky assassins go tssh in the rain like they’re still hot from being cremated, thanks I hate it

Andromeda finds Rayla first and seems closest/most aggressive so I wonder why she might hate Rayla more than the others

the assassins’ wrist bindings have gone red but they’re still attached and seem to trap the souls where they are. But all they need to be free is to perceive that Rayla completed their task, even though we know otherwise. So... would that work for killing any target? If you’re certain that you did it, does your binding fall off even if you’re wrong? eyes Pip

this must not be the actual afterlife since the spirits kind of mist up toward the moon and vanish, it’s more like a lobby, no one stays here unless they get stuck

portaling around just by shouting at villains, excellent

Rayla literally dropping a sword at the sight of the pod Viren’s in, yeah, it’s that creepy, I agree

Viren’s eyes are so black I think they’re Aaravos’s. I got a whole headcanon on Good Viren and Evil Viren for S4 now, wow

Phoe-Phoe pulling out a feather for Callum, awww my heart! This is why Ezran had to come, to bond with her so together they could save Callum and Rayla, it’s so sweet

so these humans are from the Storm Spire battle, bc that’s the Storm Spire behind Rayla and Callum on p108, with the rune-written arch. Did they die hating Rayla and Callum from the battle? Did they even know Rayla was up there? Or is pod Viren/Aaravos actually making them attack out of hatred for Viren’s death? One of these is definitely creepier and more awesome

Rayla’s confidence that Callum can and will boost her at the right moment with his magic, my heart, I love battle couples

that one panel that mirrors the Ghost Feather key art, hhhhhh

Rayla being the better swimmer, such precious irony, thanks Runaan

them holding hands and swimming upward together on the full-page panel is blessed

Lujanne pulling Rayla out of the lake with both arms gives me feels bc my grandma saved my life once

Lujanne being super soft over Rayllum, she is indeed a hopeless romantic

Rayla says “gone” about her parents and Runaan, and that’s the word Ethari used too, and I’m suddenly wondering if Ethari reached right into that pool and has always known that the lotus is half-submerged and if the sword he’s been making is for himself

I’m so glad Rayla told Callum what she saw of Viren

Rayla deceiving Callum and heading into danger alone because his life is more valuable to her than her own is exactly what Runaan did for her the night of the full moon in Katolis. I’m leaning toward her having thought this over and doing it on purpose bc she believes it’s a sign of deepest love--that Runaan’s actions and Lujanne’s words match up in her head, so she thinks it’s the right thing to do bc the mage and the assassin agree. Alas, Callum doesn’t understand the Moon arcanum yet, so he will have a different opinion. That mage and that assassin do not agree!

Rayla’s cloak has that Moon Temple symbol on its back. Is it Lujanne’s cloak? Any Moonshadow who sees it will probably know where she got it and who helped her. That could be fun!

[archival-avianalchemist]

Jojo AU Nobody Asked For :D

((So I’ve been watching Jojo on and off for months now. I’ve also been thinking about what stands my characters would have. I haven’t finished part three yet, so there may be some inaccuracies and I don’t know enough about what happens to properly integrate them into the story, but this is just for fun so here it goes!

Soma Cruz: Devil Blue

His stand would resemble Dracula’s true form, except it’s blue with a thick white mane and the tip of one of its horns is snapped off.

His stand is slow but powerful with high defense and high attack. He favors using it for powerful ramming and fire-based attacks and using it’s thick hide and large frame to protect innocents and allies alike.

Soma’s backstory: Undetermined, but he’d retain his status as a reincarnation of a former threat to humanity and use his powers to become its protector.

[Jane Doe] (AKA Plague Knight): Moon Lime

Her stand would resemble a green archaeopteryx that becomes more like a non-avian dinosaur or more like a bird depending on the phase of [Jane’s] internal moon clock (displayed by a moon pendant she’s never without), with the full moon being on a Saturday and the new moon being two weeks later (following the real lunar cycle would mean that she’d rarely get to use her special abilities).

Moon Lime is always fast and about the size of a medium dog. What it lacks in raw power and reliability, it makes up for with its adaptability and the element of surprise. Few opponents see the same stand twice.

The fuller the moon, the more non-avian dinosaur Moon Lime has. It loses its flight abilities but gains claw attacks. At full moon, it has an extremely powerful claw attack.

The darker the moon, the more bird-like traits Moon Lime gains. It loses its quick ground movement in favor of flight. At the new moon, it has a powerful swooping attack.

[Jane’s] backstory: She was a researcher in the United States when she got her stand, but it came at a terrible price: her memory. She woke up alone in the woods away from the life she once led, leading her to adopt the name [Jane Doe] until she rediscovers who she is. Over time, she became a master of disguise, changing her clothing to avoid detection by other stand-users and only fights while wearing a pale green, plague doctor’s mask.

How Soma and [Jane] Met and became Allies:

She wandered aimlessly, looking for anything even the slightest bit familiar when she encountered Soma. Since every stand-user before him had attacked her, she attacked him to avoid being caught off guard. Though he bested her, he showed mercy when he realized that her preemptive attack was out of self defense. She joined him because, despite her cynicism, his idealism, loyalty, and sincerity drew her to him.

Though they bicker a lot, they’re inseparable and always ready to help each other both in fights and with personal matters. [Jane] challenges Soma when he’s being too inflexible and Soma keeps [Jane] from becoming too reckless. Moon Lime scouts for Devil Blue and Devil Blue provides defense and backup for Moon Lime when it’s time for it to use its most powerful attacks.))

[lol-jackles]

What do you think of the falcon and winter soldier? Am i the only one bored by it? It seems like just a normal superhero show, like the arrowverse shows on cw. They have more budget and bigger actors, but the storyline is just okay. What do you think?

6 months after the events of Avengers:Endgame, Sam has rejected the call to be the next Captain America.  Now if you think it’s weird and illogical when Sam gets mad that the U.S. Government for giving the shield to someone else after he explicitly rejected it, that means you have no idea how brilliant the writing actually is!   Now readers you might be thinking I'm being sarcastic but I assure you that I'm being super cereal, to quote South Parks Al Gore.

Sam goes back to his hometown where his sister is angry at him for not helping their fishing business, despite the fact that he was snapped out of existence by Thanos, but that’s clearly no excuse. Bucky is now making a new life for himself by going to a sensitivity training program and talking about his feelings.  Don't be fooled kids, it was actually very action packed! Eventually these two are forced to work together when the threat of a group of activist freedom fighters threaten to liberate the world!  

Baron Zemo returns to help take down these terrorists, oops, I mean FREEDOM FIGHTERS.  You remember Baron Zemo, the villain who almost destroyed the Avengers with cunning and intellect and caused the polite airport fight Civil War among the Avengers?  Well kids he's back as a goofy and unthreatening doof.  

Meanwhile, Captain America 2.0 has the audacity to be white and have served in Afghanistan and fight for his country and barge into foreign countries to stop international terrorists with Government mandated authorization!  Doesn't he know that only bald women of Wakanda are allowed to do the same thing, because international law does not apply to Wakanda?  Get 2.0 to diversity training stat!

The terrorist, oops, I mean ACTIVIST GROUP, call themselves the Flag Smashers and they're pissed that all of the houses, goods, and other free things they had possession of when half of the earth’s population was wiped out of existence, now have to give back all of their property!  How unfair of the people to take things away that belonged to them in the first place. The Flag Smashers clearly are the rightful owners of these possessions, come on! Their mission is to pull off a series of bombings and kidnappings to force the government to change things back to the before times.  Uh, how do they expect half of the population to disappear again?  

I adore that the show expertly subverts your expectations by revealing that the leader of the Flag Smashers is a dumpy teenaged redhead who looks as threatening as a love child of Paris Hilton's chihuahua and Barack Obama's water poodle.

I felt my spine tingle when Karli puts on a mask to disguise the stunt double who performs all of her expert villain fight techniques because Flag Smashers all have the same Super Soldier Serum that was given to Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.

Readers you have no idea how I was totally won over by how elegant the writing is with subtle undertones and ideas in a way that feels completely natural and organic.  For example, when Sam and Bucky travel to a black neighborhood and Sam gets into an argument with a Black girl about using the name Black Falcon, or when Sam meets an elderly super soldier who got written out of history because he was Black, or when Sam is almost arrested by a white cop, who failed to recognize Sam (a global hero and member of the Avengers) because he is Black!   Many of my friends, and possibly yourself, dear reader, failed to recognize this subtlety, but I didn’t!  The show also explores the growing sexual desires between Sam and Bucky...

The development of the two main characters is the best thing about the show because by the end of the series, Sam takes up the mantle of Captain America, Bucky is rehabilitated, and Baron Zemo is back in jail.  So everything goes back to the way it was after Avengers: Endgame.

Credit to the writers of Sam’s brilliant speech in the finale where he lectures the Government to be nicer to poor people and recognize their own privilege. Truly a remarkable and excellent ending where the character does not offer any solutions to the problem, but tells people to figure things out on their own.  I mean, no other superhero faced with political challenges has ever done something of this magnitude, just march right in and tell people to do better, without offering any workable solutions and ideas of their own!

So the takeaway message of this show was it’s okay to murder people to take things that do not belong to you; borders are bad except for Wakanda because rules do not apply to them, and Do Better but never mind in what way, context, or what is exactly needed to improve yourself.  Golly I can't wait to see what further exciting new direction that Phase 4 for Marvel is going for.  

Okay I’ll be super serious for real this time:

John Walker is setting himself up to be one of the best new MCU characters going forward. 

Shoutout to Wyatt Russel for what I hope is a big breakout role for him. He crushed every scene he was in.

Sharon is the Power Broker??? Who could have seen that coming? (everyone)

RIP Karli. You won’t be missed. Enjoy your spot in the lame MCU villain club.

Sam’s speech was truly fitting of Captain America. Well done.  Too bad Karli was so lame. That speech could’ve hit even harder if we actually had sort of cared about her.

Zemo’s Alfred is a scary dude. We can all thank him for making sure they aren’t dragging out the Flags Smashers plot beyond this show.

With all the jokes about Steve Rogers being on the moon made me think of Umbrella Academy.  Maybe he’s up there with Luther Hargreeves and Nick Fury right now.

My man Bucky getting invited to the cookout. Respect. Naturally he shows up with a store bought cake… Come on man

My man Sam got a new suit.  Respect.  Naturally he thinks his thinking unit (that fucking cranium) still doesn’t needs protection.....Come on man.

I'm so glad Disney didn't lead with FatWS.  WandaVision was better.  That’s right I said it, I liked WandaVision more.

[blu-eh]

quaranteens

[AO3]

Or: a day in the life of the quarantined high school spider-kid.

Cindy Moon thinks she knows weird. 

New York has always been a little strange on its own—there’s a reason it’s so well known despite the general vastness that is the entirety of America. Still, the rise of superheroes and supervillains when she was a little girl had been a punch in the face. Aliens had been more of a straight-up knockout at the time. The Avengers formed and, yeah, that has been somewhat of a wild ride because now there is always something happening in New York. Still, those somethings are usually handled by at least one of the wayward superheroes who now live in the city she calls home. 

Until they weren’t. Like half the population of the universe, she just up and died for about five years before they were suddenly resurrected and thrown into a world that they didn’t really belong to anymore. If aliens were a knock-out, she's not quite sure how she'd describe the previous months of absolute anarchy. 

It’s alright, though, because eventually everything calmed down and life is back to its normal amount of weird. Social media is currently bopping because she (like half the population) had missed five years’ worth of memes and are desperate to learn. Even now, eight months later, she still hasn’t caught up totally. She still goes to school in the morning. She says hello to the friends that were blipped with her (and says goodbye to the ones that weren't). There are other happier things, too, like that time she caught Spider-Man on the rooftop singing some offbeat pop song. He spent the better part of an hour desperately trying to get her to delete the shaky video she took while trying not to laugh. 

(She posted it anyway. It had almost half a million views by the time the week was over.)  

So, yeah, Cindy is pretty confident she knows weird. 

You can imagine her reaction when the quarantine started. 

No one is quite sure what caused it, exactly. Cindy had spent late nights on google like any other reasonable person trying to find an answer for why all of New York and most of the east coast has to be locked up in their homes for the foreseeable future. There no certified answer, really, but Cindy can pretty safely assume it’s probably something supervillain-related. That, or it’s aliens again. 

(She really, really hopes it’s not aliens.) 

The reason doesn’t change the outcome. Work and schools close. No one is allowed to leave their homes or apartments. Teachers spend exactly a week setting up online classes, and Cindy very much enjoys that break, before she’s forced to attend first-period chemistry at exactly seven-thirty in the morning online. If that isn’t enough to certify a horrifying start to her day, then the mandatory ‘video cameras on at all times’ rule certainly would. 

But that’s all fine. It’s whatever. Video cameras on at seven-thirty for online classes might really suck, but there are some exciting things about it too. Mainly, Cindy can now confirm her theory about how Suzan hasn’t outgrown her middle school horse girl phase given the number of horse pictures still hanging up on her furthest wall. Or there’s that fact that Flash’s apartment is always strangely empty and startlingly clean despite being so absurdly big and nice. Or that Abe’s bunsen burner collection next to his bed makes him a nerd with a capital N. 

So, it’s not all bad. She’s known her classmates (or, at least, she's known half of her classmates) since they were all young, but even she has never really interacted with them in a situation like this. Being stuck in quarantine with everyone else lets her see just a little bit closer into everyone’s lives.

This all leads back to the most crucial point—Cindy Moon knows weird. And Peter Parker? Yeah, Peter Parker is weird. 

Peter’s life is no mystery to most of Midtown School of Science and Technology. Especially not to Cindy, who’s known him since they were both toddlers in the same preschool. He’s not exactly subtle in any way, either. She knows about how he lives with his aunt in Queens, and, subsequently, his uncle’s untimely and incredibly devastating death. She knows how he’s a nerd that likes school, how he wears science pun t-shirts every other day, and how he’s just about as close to a teacher’s pet as you can get while being the school’s greatest genius slacker. 

She also knows that he mysteriously got jacked their freshman year of high school, and no one could ever explain why. Something happened, then, because he quit a lot of their shared activities. Robotics club had been the first causality, but it doesn't stop there. He started getting into furious whispered conversations with Ned more frequently in the hallways when they both thought no one was there. He started skipping decathlon practice not long after, which was perhaps the most startling given how dedicated he had been to decathlon previously. Sometimes he comes in with a limp or sloppily done makeup to cover up a bruise, only for it to disappear the next day. Cindy is also pretty certain she isn’t making up the time, right before the blip, that Peter had seemingly disappeared off a moving bus right as the aliens started attacking. 

Peter Park is weird. This isn’t new. 

However, what really ties this all together is that Cindy might not know everything about Peter Parker, but even she’s fairly convinced his little apartment in Queens is not supposed to look like a log cabin disguised as a mansion. Yet, every morning when she logs onto Zoom for their shared seven-thirty chemistry class, Cindy can definitely make out the beautiful finishes of a massive kitchen with beautifully crafted wood cabinets and a stunning view of the lake through the kitchen window. If Cindy’s paying attention enough, sometimes she catches the blurry image of a toddler running around at seemingly random intervals. 

Flash is convinced he’s using a background filter to make himself seem cooler. Cindy is not so sure. 

It takes another week of Zoom University, but the reality of the situation comes crashing down in perhaps the most spectacular fashion. Cindy’s seen a lot of soap operas and medical dramas recently, but absolutely nothing compares to the glorious spectacle that is Peter Parker’s life. 

Like most of this weird form of a quarantine adventure, it starts in the regular seven-thirty AM Zoom chemistry class. There’s nothing specifically remarkable about this chemistry period—the most interesting thing so far is how fast the majority of the class had forgone any sense of getting ready in the morning. Even Brad Davis, who has been trying to impress MJ for the better part of the year, did nothing more than roll over and turn on his camera when asked. Cindy herself barely makes it to her desk in her PJs in time for class to start. It’s only MJ, who somehow manages to get up at the ass crack of dawn every morning and still manages to look perfect in time for class, and Peter, who’s still sitting in that picaresque kitchen, that even try to look like they’re ready for the day. 

Mr. Cobbwell commented on it the first couple of days to get them a little more motivated to be presentable. Now, even he looks like he’s barely holding it all together. It’s truly remarkable how a single Zoom class can expose man's fallacies in such a blatant and brutal manner.  

So life continues on. The first part of the class is normal—Cindy's not quite sure what they're learning about but she'll probably figure it out by the time the second test rolls around. Then the toddler runs behind Peter Parker’s screen.

That in itself isn’t wholly unusual. Cindy’s not quite sure where Peter is, exactly, but the toddler isn’t anything she hasn’t seen before. In fact, the toddler has made quite a few (adorable) appearances over the last two weeks. The most notable one being the time she ran screaming behind Peter while Peter had been asking a question and Peter never once batted an eye. 

This time, it’s the man that comes running in after her that gives Cindy pause. He scoops her up and says something that Cindy can’t hear due to the mandatory mute rule that Mr. Cobbwell had imposed on them last week after someone’s parents got into a screaming match (swearing and all) halfway through the lecture. He holds her on his hip, kisses her forehead, and almost immediately zeroes in on Peter's computer screen. 

This man isn’t someone Cindy recognizes right away despite the ringing familiarity in her head. She squints, trying to figure out where she’s seen this man and his toddler before and why Peter is in this man’s house and/or why this man is in Peter’s house. 

The man turns around to face the camera—arm full of toddler and everything—and Cindy finally makes out the fashionable goatee, oil-stained t-shirt, and actual arc reactor in his chest before she makes the connection and bites one her tongue to keep from shouting in surprise. 

No way. 

She’s not the only one who’s noticed, either. Mr. Cobbwell (bless his soul) is still droning on about moles or something equally unimportant. The rest of the class, though? Yeah, the rest of the class has noticed if the wide-eyed looks and subtle glances in the direction of Peter’s screen are anything to go by. The tension on the Zoom call is almost palpable. 

Peter himself remains blissfully unaware of the entire situation. Cindy wants to scream.  

Absolutely no fucking way. 

The man—Cindy doesn’t want to call him who she thinks he really is because it makes absolutely no sense for that man to be in Peter Parker’s home—doesn’t stay for very long. He ends up wandering out of the camera’s sight not thirty seconds later—she’s not quite sure, but she thinks he might’ve winked before he left too. More than half the class has definitely taken a screenshot by this point. Herself included in this list. 

It’s almost agonizing, having to sit in her uncomfortable desk chair and not say a word. It’s not like she can unmute herself and start what will definitely be the wildest Zoom class fight of the twenty-first century. Mr. Cobbwell probably wouldn’t appreciate her interrupting his stoichiometry equations, the mystery of the Tony Stark lookalike or not.   

She doesn’t have to wait for long, though. Whatever stars are smiling down upon her, Mr. Cobbwell ends up being forced to take an emergency phone call. Cindy bides her time until the exact moment that Mr. Cobbwell had muted himself and walked away off-screen before she furiously unmutes herself. 

“Peter fucking Parker,” she says. Peter’s head snaps up so fast that it almost looks inhuman. “Did Tony Stark just waltz in and pick up his child in the background of your Zoom call?” 

Peter freezes. Wide-eyed, with ‘guilty’ written on his forehead in 72, bold, Times New Roman font. It takes a solid thirty seconds before he can put himself together enough to click the unmute button. 

“I—no?” Peter says. His voice is startlingly high pitched, and his expression is nothing short of horrified. 

Damn, if that isn’t anything but a confession. 

There’s a voice in the background that’s too garbled to make out, but Peter quickly mutes himself and turns his camera off despite the mandatory camera-on rule that had been in place for the entirety of the founding of Zoom university. Two messages come through the Zoom chat before Cindy has the chance to wrap her head around the entire transpired interaction.

[Peter Parker]:  Sorry, Mr. Cobbwell. My mic and video aren’t working. 

[Peter Parker]:  I think I have a bad connection.

Cindy’s not the only one who finds this bullshit if the look on Flash’s face, in particular, is anything to go by. The rest of the class simply watches this entire interaction with wide eyes. Considering this is the most interesting thing to happen to most of them in the last two weeks, Cindy can’t really bring it in herself to blame them. 

“Peter,” Cindy says, loudly. “Just because you muted yourself doesn’t mean you can’t hear me. What the hell was that?” 

There’s no answer. Not even a chat message comes through. 

Cindy’s about to rip into him again, peanut gallery and all, when Mr. Cobbwell decides to make the most inopportune appearance in the history of teachers walking into classrooms at bad times. Truthfully, this one would go right up there on the top of a compilation of worst teacher entries. 

“What happened to Peter?” Mr. Cobbwell says. He reads the messages in the class Zoom chat. “Oh, that’s unfortunate. Peter, let me know if you need any help or continue having trouble before the next class.”

[Peter Parker]:  I will. Thanks! 

Cindy doesn’t get the chance to wring more answers out of Peter before the class period ends. He’s the first one to leave, lack of camera appearance and all. Cindy logs into her next class confused, and frustrated, and oddly excited all at once. 

                                                            ---

The next morning, Cindy is the first person to log onto the Zoom call for first-period chemistry. 

She’s not the only one who has this idea. By the time seven am rolls around—a full thirty minutes before class is even set to begin—over half the class is in the Zoom call. It’s no secret that Peter liked to join Zoom calls early, and everyone’s more than a little curious after the events of yesterday morning. 

Like clockwork, Peter joins with his camera working at exactly seven-fifteen. He takes one look at the almost-full meeting, does a double take, and scrambles for something on his computer.  

Cindy narrows her eyes. “Peter, if you leave this Zoom call, I’ll have MJ eject you from the decathlon team.”

“MJ wouldn’t do that,” Peter says but he doesn’t sound so sure.  

“That all depends on how convincing her argument is,” MJ says. Her camera isn’t even on. 

The look Peter gives her is so full of betrayal that Cindy almost wonders why he isn’t on the acting team. 

(Then she remembers that Peter has commitment issues on a good day and, well, acting has never really been his thing. He can’t even lie with a straight face, and considering most of what comes out of his mouth this day and age is a lie, it's probably for the best that the idea is never considered again.) 

“Why are we even here? It’s a background,” Flash insists. “He just coded it or something for attention.” 

“Flash, shut up,” Suzan says. 

“Yeah, okay, Flash. Why are you even here if you think it’s a background?” Cindy shoots right back, full of adrenaline from the Tony Stark-shaped mystery that’s being hung above all of their heads. 

“No, no, no. Flash is right,” Peter says immediately. “It’s a background. I had Ned help me code it and everything.”

Ned’s in the meeting, but his camera is off, and his mic is muted. Cindy gives Ned a moment to speak up and confirm but there’s not even a twitch. Cindy turns her pointed look back to Peter. 

“I said,” Peter says louder. He subtly glances in the direction of the list of names currently in the meeting, “That I coded that background with Ned!” 

Ned doesn’t come on to confirm or deny. If the look Peter is sending the Zoom call is any indication, he knows that there will be no help from that corner of the room. Either Ned is watching this all go down with popcorn in his hand like the rest of the class, or Ned is AWOL and won’t be returning in time to save his best friend from getting his ass absolutely grilled. 

“Right,” Cindy says dryly. “Peter, you are the worst liar in this entire class.” 

“It’s a coded background,” Peter insists. “That’s all it is. It’s a coded background.” 

                                                         --- 

 It’s not a coded background. 

Peter doesn’t log on early the next day. In fact, he logs on a full five minutes late and gets a snide remark from Mr. Cobbwell for his efforts. His camera is on, at least, and Cindy knows he sees her glare if his paling face is anything to go by. 

I will find out, she mouths at him. 

She’s pretty sure he doesn’t understand the exact words she said, but her vibes are not hard to guess. He gives her a wide-eyed stare and shakes his head in defiance. 

Well. No one can say that Cindy never liked a challenge. 

This time, though, she doesn’t even have to wait until the end of the class period to get more information. Peter does that all for her. 

Peter’s unmuted. He had just finished giving Mr. Cobbwell a (correct) answer to the latest chemistry question when there is a thunk sound from his side of the line. Peter glances up, seeing something that isn’t in the camera’s line of sight, and his expression drops so fast that Cindy’s not convinced he’s seen a ghost. 

“Who is that?” a voice says. It sounds strikingly familiar. “Peter, are you chatting with your school friends?” 

“No,” Peter whispers in poorly disguised horror. 

“Well, well, well,” the voice says and, oh god, it’s so familiar. “What do we have here?”

Peter lunges for his computer. He turns off his camera and mutes himself before Cindy can even think of a proper response. There’s silence in the Zoom call. Even Mr. Cobbwell can’t find it in himself to reign in the class and break the absolute grappling stillness that is currently holding the entire first-period chemistry class. 

It’s all of thirty seconds before Peter’s camera flicks back on. This time, he isn’t alone. 

Cindy might have thought about it, and she’s reasonably convinced that she’s right about the entire situation, but truthfully nothing could prepare her for the emotional whiplash upon seeing The Anthony Edward Stark pulling up a chair at the beautifully carved wooden table and plopping in a seat directly next to a red-faced Peter Parker. Tony Stark takes it all in—the leftover Zoom chats from those kids that don’t want to unmute themselves to ask a question, the half-finished equations written on Mr. Cobbwell’s shared screen, and the twenty-something high school kids staring at him with a combination of confusion and awe. 

“Good morning to Peter’s class and friends,” The Tony Stark says. Peter’s face seems to get redder and redder. “What a wonderful day to continue the education of the youths.” 

Ned turns on his camera and unmutes his mic. “Hi, Mr. Stark, sir! 

“Hi, Ted,” Mr. Stark says. “Good to see you again.” 

“OhmygodMr.Starkalmostknowsmyname—"

Peter buries his head and lets out the world's most pathetic whining noise. 

“I—,” Mr. Cobbwell stutters out. “Mr. Stark, what are you doing…here?” 

It’s a very eloquent way of asking why the hell are you in the house of one of my students? Cindy has to give him props for not being a stuttering mess. She’s not quite sure she could form actual words currently, even if she tries. 

“I love disrupting important conversations,” Mr. Stark says. Cindy’s pretty convinced that he’s purposefully playing ignorant. “And I was curious to see what Peter here was doing at so early in the morning. So, what’s on the lesson plan today?” 

“Well,” Mr. Cobbwell says. What’s he going to do, tell the Tony Stark to leave? No sane person would even try. “Today, we are working on balancing equations.” 

“Basic stoichiometry,” Mr. Stark says. He’s ignoring Peter very obviously pushing on his shoulder. “I would say I’m rather adept at that, right, Peter?”

“Not really,” Peter says. 

The Zoom chat starts blowing up. No one wants to verbally get in the middle of what is possibly the most interesting thing to ever happen to them. This is including the time where half the population died for five years. 

[Abe Brown]: can someone PLEASE explain whats going on

[Zach Cooper]: honestly dude if any of us knew i think we would tell you

 “Right,” Mr. Stark says. He stands up and lets himself be pushed a little further away by Peter. “I have to do other things right now—very important work things that pertain to the safety of the universe and whatnot—"

“Mr. Stark, you’re retired,” Peter says. 

“And you’re in class,” Mr. Stark says. “But feel free to send me an email if you ever want a guest lecturer. Well, send Peter an email and I’ll respond through that. Probably.”

[Betty Brant]: does this mean peter was telling the truth about the internship? 

[Sally Avril]: whos gonna tell flash

[Flash Thompson]: shut up. i can read

[Sue Lorman]: what are your current feeling, flash?

[Sue Lorman]: ….flash you there?

[Sue Lorman]: you know we can see you camera on right

[Sue Lorman]: ope he turned if off lmao

Mr. Cobbwell gaps, unable to come up with a proper response. Peter’s looking somewhere off-camera with desperation bleeding into his expression. 

“Mrs. Potts,” Peter says. His voice pitched upwards, almost as if he were whining to Pepper Potts, which of course, Cindy thought of as ridiculous. After all, common sense dictates that no one would ever whine to the Pepper Potts.

“I’m sorry, Peter,” a voice says off-screen and, yeah, Cindy has seen enough of the #1 woman CEO’s interviews to be able to recognize her voice. “But you and I both know that it was only a matter of time before he made an appearance.” 

Peter puts his head back in his hands and looks like the picture perfect definition of someone how has tried to fight with the logic of the universe and lost spectacularly. Ms. Potts steps into the view of the camera for the firt time, just as beautiful and as striking as every interview Cindy has managed to get her grubby hands on. 

“Tony,” Ms. Potts says. “Why don’t you go get Morgan some breakfast?” 

It’s not a suggestion. Mr. Stark doesn’t take it as a suggestion either. He gets up so quickly that it’s almost like he had never been there to begin with. 

“I’ll sort this out,” Ms. Potts tells Peter. Then, to the rest of the class, “I’m incredibly sorry for my husband’s disruption. I’ll make sure he doesn’t interrupt further so you can finish your class.” 

Class had ended almost ten minutes ago and almost everyone will be late for next period, but no one tells her this. 

She leaves them after that—Peter still hasn’t removed his head from his hands, and he doesn’t look like he’s about to join the world of the living any time soon. Cindy takes this as the perfect opportunity to maybe-finally figure out the mystery that is Peter Parker and Tony Stark. 

(Because as much as she loves being right—and, oh man, this is definitely going on her resume under ‘amateur detective'—this entire situation only leads to more questions than it does answers. Mainly how the fuck does Peter Parker even know Tony Stark? Why is he spending quarantine in that house? How does someone like Peter Parker even get there in the first place?) 

[Cindy Moon]: alright which of you has peter’s contact info because We Need To Chat

[Peter Parker]: we really don’t

[Ned Leeds]: i have it

[Peter Parker]: ned.

[Peter Parker]: ned don’t you dare

[Sue Lorman]: guys this is the class zoom chat

[Sue Lorman]: everyone can see these messages

She almost forgets Mr. Cobbwell is still in the meeting, so you can imagine her surprise when she looks up to see him reading the Zoom chat. 

“I think,” Mr. Cobbwell says. “That we will end the lesson there for today.” 

[Cindy Moon]: sweet

[Cindy Moon]:  hmu if you want to be added to this new

[Cindy Moon]:  hmmmm

[Cindy Moon]:  lets call it a study group that im making

Half the class joins within fifteen minutes of Cindy making it. She’s never been so proud in her life. 

                                                       --- 

Cindy Moon has added Peter Parker to Explanation Station

[Peter Parker]: oh no

Peter Parker has left Explanation Station 

[Cindy Moon]: no you dont

Cindy Moon has added Peter Parker to Explanation Station

[Peter Parker]: please dont do this to me

[Cindy Moon]: you brought this upon yourself 

[Michelle Jones]: spill, parker

[Peter Parker]: mj you literally already know

[Michelle Jones]: i mean, yeah, but i really like watching you squirm

[Peter Parker]: why are you and i friends again

[Michelle Jones]: i don’t know, loser. why are we?

[Ned Leeds]: because peter thinks youre really cool

[Peter Parker]: ned i love you but i am actually going to toss you into the hudson river one of these days

[Ned Leeds]: :(

[Flash Thompson]: this is literally disgusting 

[Michelle Jones]: Then Leave

[Peter Parker]: you know for a sec i completely forgot about this entire chat

[Peter Parker]: so im just gonna,,,,

Peter Parker has left Explanation Station

Cindy Moon has added Peter Parker to Explanation Station

[Cindy Moon]: bro.

Peter Parker has left Explanation Station 

Cindy Moon has added Peter Parker to Explanation Station

[Cindy Moon]: PETER

Peter Parker has left Explanation Station

[Abe Brown]: honestly i don’t know why i expected anything different

                                                        --- 

The next day, Cindy is yet again the first person in the Zoom meeting. Yet again, Peter doesn’t show up until some five minutes or so after the 'tardy' bell rings. 

Unfortunately for Peter, Mr. Cobbwell is also running late that day so he gets the full brunt of a curious class of twenty or so students who accidentally saw Iron Man on a Zoom call and not once got an answer as to why. Only about a third have their cameras turned on, likely because it’s seven-thirty in the morning and no one actually wants to be here but curiously is a dangerous thing. However, very, very few are muted. It’s as if they’re predicting the argument that is undoubtedly going to take place and are just waiting to jump in like the hungry pack of drama-feeding sharks that they all are. 

Peter takes all of ten seconds to notice the silent tension. He yet again freezes on the spot. “…Where is Mr. Cobbwell?”

“He’s late,” Suzan says. “Like you are.”

“Oh, great. Uh, I guess I'll be taking my leave—"

“—Oh, no, Peter. You are going to sit your little white boy butt down and explain why Tony Stark and Pepper Potts are in your house,” Cindy pauses and then, “Or are you in their house? Do you even own a house? This is confusing.”

“Why would I own a house?” Peter says because of course that’s the part he gets fixated on. “I live right in the middle of Queens.”

“Well, obviously not right now,” Abe Brown says. 

Peter bites his lip and goes silent. Cindy wishes they had class in person so she could wring the answers from him personally. 

“Peter,” she says slowly. “The quicker we get an explanation, the quicker we stop harassing you.”

“You could just stop harassing me to begin with and forget about it,” Peter offers helpfully. Some of the class boos. Peter ducks his head and rubs the back of his neck. 

“That's not happening and you know it.” 

“I—ugh, fine,” Peter says. He doesn’t meet their eyes and instead chooses to fiddle with his notebooks in front of him. Cindy knows this is a lie before it even comes out of his mouth. “I’m, uh, I’m here for my internship?”

It comes out more of a question than an actual answer. He still doesn’t meet their eyes. Cindy sends him a look that’s so unimpressed that she can see the exact moment that Peter’s eyes flicker towards the 'leave Zoom meeting' button. 

“Peter,” she says. “Stark Industries is currently shut down, like the rest of New York, because we are in quarantine. Also, internships don’t usually constitute internees going to their mentor's houses to attend online school. So if you are going to lie, at least make it believable.”

Peter gives her a look of utter horror and turns off his camera. 

“Peter!” she hollers. “You can’t run forever! I know you can still hear me!”

“I knew it,” Suzan Yang says, quietly. There’s something like muffled laugher that comes from MJ’s computer. 

Peter is saved by some ungodly force of nature because Mr. Cobbwell takes that exact moment to log into the meeting. Cindy puts on her perfected look of an innocent high schooler and greets her chemistry teacher at ass o’clock in the morning just as she does every day. 

(If she sends a particularly vicious look towards the black square labeled 'Peter Parker' at the top of the screen, well, no one can really blame her.)

Peter never once turns his camera back on. 

                                                           --- 

[Jason Ionello]: anyone want to take bets on why peter parker knows tony stark or

[Flash Thompson]: i still say its fake

[Betty Brant]: flash the only one youre fooling is yourself

[Betty Brant]: peter did say he had an internship 

[Cindy Moon]: weve already debunked the internship theory

[Betty Brant]: hm. damn i got nothing then

[Suzan Yang]: i have a theory

[Cindy Moon]: you have said your theory many times in person and i honestly don’t want to think about it at all, ever, so im going to say debunked 

[Suzan Yang]: your loss then

[Zach Cooper]: five bucks on the secret love child theory

[Brad Davis]: bet

[Kenneth Lim]: theres no waayyyy lmao could u even imagine

[Sue Lorman]: no, no kenneth shut up i want to hear more about this theory

[Zach Cooper]: its really quite simple and im sure you can understand it if you read the name ‘secret lovechild theory’ 

[Michelle Jones]: im screenshotting these to send to peter

[Cindy Moon]: oh right peter said you already knew the reason

[Cindy Moon]: mj spill challenge 

[Michelle Jones]: no thanks its more fun watching you guys guess

[Cindy Moon]: hm alright i guess we need an answer from the source 

Cindy Moon has added Peter Parker to Explanation Station

[Cindy Moon]: confirm or deny above theory 

[Peter Parker]: oh my god

Peter Parker has left Explanation Station

[Abe Brown]: yet again i am not quite sure why i expected something different

                                                         --- 

Perhaps the most surprising outcome of the entire clusterfuck of a situation is that they do get something out of it. Of course, it’s not from Peter because Peter is like a steel trap and everything he says only leads to more questions and no answers. Cindy has been trying this for almost a week now. She knows how this goes. 

She isn’t expecting to log on for first-period chemistry like always, only to see The Tony Stark already on the meeting. 

She’s not early this time—she stopped that some three days ago when Peter made it incredibly clear that he wouldn’t show up early anymore either. Instead of wasting thirty minutes of precious sleep, Cindy decides to put her drive towards more obtainable goals like trying to get out of bed instead of trying to grill a person who doesn’t even show up half the time. 

Mr. Cobbwell is already on too. He seems ecstatic for incredibly obvious reasons. Not many teachers can say that they had Tony Stark guest lecture, after all, even if it is just through Zoom. 

He’s got a little label with 'Tony Stark' and everything. Cindy doesn’t know why she’s surprised that the previous CEO and Iron Man does, in fact, have a Zoom account. 

“—I’m sure the student will enjoy whatever you have planned,” Mr. Cobbwell is saying. He checks the timer and startles. “Oh! We’re about ready to start. We’re missing a couple students, I think, so we might have a few that log on late, but you can start whenever you’re ready, Mr. Stark.” 

Mr. Stark looks at his screen intensely. Then, he stands up from his kitchen table (the same one that Peter has been sitting at. Go figure) and says, “Hold on just a moment.” 

Mr. Stark wanders off-camera just as there’s a crash in the background. 

“Peter, you’re supposed to be in class,” Mr. Stark says. It’s muffled, almost impossible to understand, but Cindy’s listening in so intensely that she’s determined to understand every word. “C’mon, kid, Pepper is going to kill me if you skip.”

“I’m not skipping! I’m just—I’m sick! I’m so sick, Mr. Stark,” Peter’s voice comes through. It’s even more muffled than Mr. Stark’s is. “I’m sorry but I don’t think I can make class today. I’m gonna throw up or something. I’ll just be going back up to my room—"

There’s a sigh. Mr. Stark wanders back into camera view and addresses Mr. Cobbwell and the entire class, “Yeah, I’m going to need another moment. Teenagers and all that. I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course, of course,” Mr. Cobbwell rushes to assure. “Take all the time you need.”

“Thanks,” Mr. Stark says. He turns off his camera and mutes his microphone. 

It doesn’t take long—Cindy’s not counting the time despite being incredibly invested. However, Peter does log on almost five minutes after the bell should’ve sounded looking distinctly not-sick and incredibly disgruntled. He shoots someone off-screen a look just as Mr. Stark turns his own account’s camera and microphone back on. 

“Now then,” Mr. Stark says. “How about we start this lovely little lesson? High school chemistry is one of my favorite subjects, after all." 

(Cindy can’t be certain because Peter’s muted, but she’s pretty sure that he gives a little groan when he buries his face in his hands and looks like death personally came to pick him up.) 

The lecture starts. Unfortunately for Cindy and the rest of the class, chemistry isn’t suddenly exciting even when you have a superhero to teach it. It’s still seven-thirty in the morning, they’re still playing the part of innocent Zoom University students, and chemistry itself just really sucks, if she’s completely honest. 

Time passes. The class is about to end. Cindy does manage to learn something even if that something is the fact Peter is not below a couple backhanded comments directed at The Tony Stark. She can’t hear them very well because Peter’s mic is muted but, y’know, Tony Stark is sitting right next to him and his mic definitely isn’t muted so she gets to hear a couple of gems with the rest of the class. That alone makes this entire thing worth it.  

“I would appreciate it if you would all keep this on the down low,” Mr. Stark says right after he had finished his guest lecture on the applications of modern chemistry. It’s possibly the most excited Cindy has seen Peter all week. “PR and all that. I’m sure Pepper could explain more if you wanted her to.” 

“Mr. Cobbwell, are we done?” Peter says suddenly. “I have another class to get to and I’m sure Mr. Stark is really incredibly busy—”

“I do have a toddler now,” Mr. Stark says with a nod. “And an ungrateful teenager, apparently.” 

Peter very distinctly ignores that. “—I’m not sure I’ll have enough time to make it to my next class if I don’t leave now. So can I please leave?” 

Mr. Cobbwell gives him a look but Peter doesn’t back down. Eventually, he says, “Alright. Everyone say thank you to Mr. Stark for so generously spending his morning being here with us—”

A couple students unmute just to say “Thank you, Mr. Stark,” while even more post thank yous in the chat. Mr. Stark gives them an award winning Iron Man smile and, yeah, he definitely just gave them finger guns as well. Cindy’s not quite sure if that makes him cooler or not, honestly. 

“—And with that, class dismissed,” Mr. Cobbwell finishes. 

Peter is the first one to leave the meeting. 

                                                          ---

Cindy Moon has added Peter Parker to Explanation Station

[Peter Parker]: cindy its almost 3am

Peter Parker has left Explanation Station

Cindy Moon has added Peter Parker to Explanation Station

[Peter Parker]: It Is Almost Three In The Morning 

[Cindy Moon]: throw us a bone, peter

[Cindy Moon]: peter???

[Cindy Moon]: peter you there???

[Peter Parker]: listen. 

[Peter Parker]: yes, okay, i know mr stark

[Peter Parker]: and he promised to stay out of my calls originally so No One Else Would Know This but you all saw how well that went

[Kenneth Lim]: guys its three am

[Sue Lorman]: no shut up peters about to let something slip something i can feel it

[Jason Ionello]: oh my god why is my phone going off at 3am

[Zach Cooper]: everyone shut up let peter type!!!!

[Peter Parker]: you guys are really invested in this huh

[Zach Cooper]: dude u know The Tony Stark

[Peter Parker]: i guess that’s fair

[Peter Parker]: mr stark heard that he was caught on video the other day and. well. 

[Peter Parker]: he decided to make it worse

[Sue Lorman]: you mean better

[Peter Parker]: no i definitely mean worse

[Peter Parker]: im pretty sure hes making you sign NDAs though

[Cindy Moon]: hes making us do what

[Sue Lorman]: what

[Jason Ionello]: oh damn

[Zach Cooper]: can someone tell me what an NDA is

[Peter Parker]: i mean. he’ll pay for your college

[Cindy Moon]: nm my lips are sealed 

[Jason Ionello]: same

[Betty Brant]: yeah u know what. thats fair

[Peter Parker]: ok! cool now that’s all sorted out 

[Peter Parker]: uhhhhhhhhhhh

Peter Parker has left Explanation Station

                                                    --- 

Just a day later, a mysterious envelope shows up at her door with a return address already stamped. Cindy wishes she could say she’s surprised at the bolded 'Non-Disclosure Agreement' stamped at that top but, really, that would be a lie. 

She does end up reading through the entire thing, mostly because she has a big fat tendency to run her mouth and doesn’t really want to get sued by a man who could buy a team of lawyers just to have them over for breakfast. Seeing the very eloquently written ‘if you keep your mouth shut, we’ll pay for your entire college and graduate program if you want’ clause is very nice to read. 

She signs it without hesitation. 

Mr. Stark doesn’t really make many more appearances after that, mostly because quarantine comes to an end and they’re all back in normal school by the end of the month. When she sees Peter Parker in person for the first time, surrounded by both MJ and Ned, they only meet eyes for a second before Peter is hurriedly packing up his backs and heading to his next class. 

They don’t say anything about what happened during those quarantine weeks. In fact, no one does. 

Cindy doesn’t really ever get an answer as to why Peter Parker is at Tony Stark’s house, of all places. She doesn’t ever really get an answer to why Peter Parker knows Tony Stark in the first place. There are theories, of course, but there had been theories long before The Reveal happened and there will be theories long after. It’s just yet another thing to add to the mystery that is Peter Parker. 

However, with the prospect of a fully paid college tuition and the many hours of engineering and business tutoring from Mr. Tony Stark and Mrs. Pepper Potts themselves, she finds that she doesn’t quite mind letting sleeping dogs lie. And, yeah, Cindy Moon is pretty sure she knows what weird looks like now.