#Commander Sulk is great for him honestly

[shepherds-of-haven]

You sigh. You've been wondering if he's seemed a bit brooding and distant towards you, these last few days, … You have been busy helping Red orchestrate the move out of Solhadur, so maybe he's just been giving you space to get things organized?

❗️❗️❗️

asfdjhslkdf now i can’t get the image of Commander Sulk himself watching MC and ex-Red menacingly from a distance out of my head 😭

Stock illustration of MC and Red hanging out together and being normal:

But zoom in past them, and what do you see?...

A dark presence...

[its-not-a-pen]

[餘智傳] The 2nd Century Warlord (Part 2)

based on the story by @romanceyourdemons

Read part 1

ninth day as a second century warlord i try to tactfully ask my fake liege lord if he sent the assassin to kill my loser liege lord and it turns out the idea of using assassins never occurred to him, but now that i’ve suggested it he’s really into it. in order to save my loser liege lord i volunteer to be the one to kill him

tenth day as a second century warlord on my way back to my loser liege lord’s city i realize i won’t be able to collect my men from my fake liege lord until i bring back my loser liege lord’s head. this would have been a great thing to think of before i got myself in this situation. i go back to my loser liege lord and ask him to rescue my men, and he tells me that if he could sack my fake liege lord’s camp he already would have. that doesn’t change the fact that my men are still trapped. they’re prisoners, even. i go back to my room to sulk

eleventh day as a second century warlord i find a little caged pigeon in the rafters of my loser liege lord’s room and deduce it belonged to the assassin. without asking permission or telling my loser liege lord goodbye i let the pigeon loose and follow it north. don’t ask what i was doing in my loser liege lord’s room. it’s not important

twelfth day as a second century warlord i disguise myself as a wizard and enter the camp of the coalition leader the pigeon led me to. in the middle of my little sleight of hand performance i make eye contact with the coalition leader’s second-in-command. IT’S THE WIZARD THAT STOLE MY LOSER LIEGE LORD’S WIFE. after the banquet i corner the fake wizard and ask him what the fuck is going on and he just says “wouldn’t you like to know” and leaves. i don’t know what to say to that so i just let him go

thirteenth day as a second century warlord i’m honestly so sick of not knowing what’s going on, so i adjust my wizard costume to passably disguise myself as a woman and break into the women’s area of the camp, where sure enough my loser liege lord’s wife is. i ask her what she’s doing here and she tells me the fake wizard overheard her singing a poem she overheard on the street, not knowing it contains the coalition leader’s formation’s weaknesses. the fake wizard kidnapped her and assigned an assassin to kill her husband before they figured out the poem’s significance. she shares the first couplet with me but i’m discovered and thrown out before she can share any more. she doesn’t need to. through a bizarre coincidence of homophones, it’s the poop version of my misinformation nursery rhyme

fourteenth day as a second century warlord i go back to my loser liege lord and tell him everything, urging him to join with my fake liege lord to attack the coalition leader according to the weaknesses in the nursery rhyme. he tells me frankly that he doesn’t trust me anymore. i ask him to execute me if that’s really true, because i can’t bear to live if i can’t protect him and i can’t protect my men. he agrees to attack the coalition leader

fifteenth day as a second century warlord. due to the information in the nursery rhyme, and thanks to my loser liege lord reminding me of the weather conditions multiple times while planning our battle strategy, our alliance carries the day. my loser liege lord gets his wife back. my men tell me that our fake liege lord actually treated them really well and they’d like to stay with him if i don’t mind. i do mind, now that neither the men i love nor the man i love have any use for me, but i don’t tell them that

sixteenth day as a second century warlord i’m preparing to leave to i don’t know where, maybe to try to become a wizard for real, when my loser liege lord stops me and asks me where i’m going. he says he had hoped i would continue to work as his advisor. i was unaware i was his advisor in the first place. i agree, and he tells me he’s truly honored to have me in his service at last. he has known i am a rare and talented man with a strategic intelligence far above his ever since the day he witnessed me tying branches to my horses’ tails in six inches of mud, and could not for the life of him figure out why

The end.

Thanks for reading! Notes under the cut

CORRECTION#1: the warlord's courtesy name was incorrectly written as Yú zhī 餘知 [plentiful knowledge]. my dumbass did not realise zhī 知 [to know] is a GOD DAMN VERB. It should be zhì 智 [wisdom].

CORRECTION#2: the clothes from part one are from the WRONG DYNASTY!!! BY 1200 YEARS!!!! it's meant to be HAN not MING.

#9 Misreading the standards: Loser Liege's name is Yue, so I decided to go with Lè/Yuè 樂 [optimistic/music]. I made the Chad Liege's name Cháo 巢 [nest] which is pronounced identically to Cáo 曹, the infamous IRL warlord. Just like his IRL counterpart, he is the affable, lawful-evil boss who is kind to his employees. I went ALL OUT designing Lord Chad Chao's outfit. He's got so much drip the yangtze river is about to break its banks. Now THAT'S a main character!

#10 Wardrobe Malfunction: the soldiers are now wearing clothes from the correct dynasty. i even gave them grass sandals! I really wanted to show how utterly outclassed they are, this is the difference between a peasant militia and a professional army. (They're in the exact same poses as part 1, except more terrified).

#11 mountain-water art: man i love doing traditional style backgrounds, the white space is very pleasing. Does it make sense to camp your coalition out in the mountains? No. Is it cool? Hella.

#12 you're a wizard, hairy: my favourite detail is the pigeon from day 11 sitting on the warlord's hat. I had to cut SO MUCH from this scene because there wasn't room. There was going to be musicians, jesters and strongmen. (Based of funerary figures)

I wanted to make it clear that the Coalition Liege is the richest guy of all, but he is all style and no substance. He's got an army of dancing girls and drunk officers. You get the feeling that his Chief Strategist aka Fake Wizard aka Zhuge Liang Knockoff, disproves.

#13 Hua Mulan: RIP the Warlord's beautiful beard ;n; He's wearing one of the dancing girl's outfits and I like to think the ladies helped him do his makeup too. I wanted to add a little character moment for the Wife and Warlord. They're holding hands which is not strictly proper, but I wanted to show the intensity of the emotions.

#14 the supplicant: I really like the framing here, I wanted both faces to be visible so we can see what they're thinking.

#15 enemy of my enemy: the Warlord is finally in command and flying his standard Huáng 黃 [yellow]. He is wearing a wu guan with two pheasant feathers, for a high ranking military official.

#16 the romantic subplot: the Warlord and his Loser are tenderly holding hands while the Wife and Noble Steed looks on with approval. I wanted the handholding to be slightly awkward and kinda spontaneous, like they were both aiming for a manly, platonic hand-clasp but veered wildly off-course into homoeroticism. In the background, an oblivious Lord Chad is showing off the little wooden horse one of his new soldiers gave him (that guy's been carving it since part 1, it's high time we acknowledged his hard work).

Want to learn more about the (mostly) true story that inspired this post? Check out Romance of the Three Kingdoms! TV show, the book and the movie Red Cliff,

[alexanderlightweight]

Happy wednesday! hope you, Saeth and nightshade had and will have a great week. (btw, what dog-race is nightshade? I don't think I've read that before 🤔)

Honestly I would love to read more about the nameless timetravel fic! So curious to see how they will change things this time around. For instance, how easy do they get rid of valentine?

nightshade is a lab retriever and he's super lovable and spoiled and he likes being wet so he smells like a pond most of the time! i hope you are doing well and they'll have a pretty easy time, they have alec and alec's never met an enemy he didnt study. i hope you're doing well! we finally all napped and feel much better.

saeth named it the same sky and now it has a name lol i hope you enjoy!

lumine

—

Alec is aware he’s blunt.

He’s also aware that Magnus is working through a trauma that Alec can’t fix through anything but time and Magnus doesn't have the time he needs.

It’s with desperation that he looks at Cat and Ragnor and he gives a wry smile.

“It’s nice to meet you again, Catarina. And Ragnor, I look forward to getting to know you in this new lifetime.”  He blinks guilelessly, hoping he got his point across and he thinks he does.  Cat hisses lightly, reaching out to grab Ragnor’s arm and Ragnor himself pales to a lighter green and nods, eyes hardening.

It also lets them know that Magnus has been wounded in a way they’ve always desperately tried to protect him from, one of their deaths.

“Darling, tattling on me to that old cabbage already?” Magnus asks, voice dark and low and Alec chuckles, wrapping an arm around Magnus’ neck.

“I need to make sure someone keeps an eye on you when I’m back at the Institute.”

Magnus is thoroughly distracted now, face outraged as he uses magic to drop Alec and pin him to the ground.

“You are not going back to the Institute!” Magnus barely manages to get out, “you are moving in here. Immediately.”

And because Alec hasn’t been married to him for centuries now and not learned how to be a little shit, he hesitates.  He knows now exactly what it does to Magnus for him to look up through his lashes, or to bite his lip while sulking.

And Alec will now admit that he sulks, because it makes Magnus give in immediately and Alec isn’t a strategist for nothing.

“But we only just met, Magnus. I thought during the first time round, you said these things had to happen slowly? That I was moving too fast?”  Alec purposefully tries his best to sound earnest and also hesitant, a little sad even.

Magnus almost falls for it and it’s with outrage that he realizes he’s almost been played.

“The audacity of some brats.” Magnus mutters, but he’s smirking down at Alec and he nudges him playfully with his boot. “Come up here darling, stop making me want to lock you in the bedroom.”

“Oh?” Alec asks, suddenly interested, “is that an option?”

“Why do you want to know if that’s an option?”

“Well obviously I’m not doing the whole interim head and commander I did last time. I don’t see why I can’t just stay wherever you’d like me.”

Magnus is staring at him adoringly and Alec sighs, letting himself pout up at the man he loves.

“So are we faking my death, am I being kidnapped?” Alec flutters his lashes and then frowns, wincing as he looks contemplatively at his side.

“You still have your parabatai bond, don’t you?” Magnus asks, something off in his voice and Alec winces, because he did try to block that off. Not wanting Jace to feel Magnus or Magnus to feel Jace.

“I haven’t had to share you for decades now.” Magnus whispers and Alec sighs and kisses Magnus’ cheek and the corner of his eye. “I thought it was just the bond resettling, that I couldn’t access all of you but would with time.”

Alec curses the pain he’s about to cause his parabatai, but he also doesn’t care as much as he might have a century ago.  Alec’s siblings lived good, full lives and they died happy and content.  Rare, beautiful gifts for shadowhunters and Alec finds that he looks at these new, young versions of them more like their distant descendants. 

Which is good because in the last few decades, Alec has learned that there is truly nothing and no one that Alec wouldn’t sacrifice to keep Magnus safe, happy and alive.

“Okay, we’ll fake my death. Maybe we can take care of Valentine and I’ll just show up in the aftermath. Explain who Jace is, what Valentine did to him. We can blame the bond breaking on him. Say he kidnapped me or something.” Alec is resolute in his decision. Other things, better plans, can be figured out but Magnus needs this.

Alec can tell in the way his hands are trembling, just a little.  The way he reaches for across the bond and then pauses, as if hesitant to press closer.

It’s grating on Magnus already and Alec doesn’t think he needs this new stress on top of holding back his temper and sorrow over what’s happened to them.

True they have each other and a chance at a new life, but it’s also different.  They were done with this life and this world, moving on to another and now they’re back.  So far back before so many things went wrong.

Alec hates that he knows Magnus is going to feel responsible for solving so many of those problems for the downworld.  Magnus doesn’t need a young interim head fighting his parents at his side.  Magnus needs a strategist who knows all sides and can be brutal, even towards his own people.

Alec has been Magnus’ secret weapon in many small and large wars across the years and it’s a position he’ll happily take up again.

It’s with ease that he rucks up his shirt and hands over his stele to Magnus, who takes it with the same awe that he had the first time Alec went to Edom for him.

Someday, Magnus will stop looking at him like that. Like it’s a surprise that Alec loves him so much.  It’s been well over a century and it still hasn’t happened, but Alec has hope and enough love to make it a habit.

“Third times the charm?” Alec says even though it doesn’t feel funny, that this is the third time this part of his soul has been cut away.  He’s lived longer now without Jace and bonded to Magnus than he did the other way around. 

It feels strange to not let Magnus encompass him entirely and Alec misses it with a fervor that he leans into. It keeps him steady through the breaking of the bond and Alec can feel Catarina’s startled, concerned magic pressing against him.

“He’ll be fine now.” Magnus murmurs next to him and Alec settles, safe in that knowledge.

[moseslikellamas]

Driftwood Tourney

A tale of the Raven Knight and the Princess of Plums

Chapter two

Pairing: Benjicot x Targaryen!OC

Summary: Princess Viserra finally gets her wish, flying high in the sky on her Dragon Phantom.

Warnings: none currently. Eventually violence.

Word count: 2k

Is Viserra kinda a brat? Undoubtedly, yes. But did you really expect anything less from Rhaenyra’s daughter?

Viserra stood with her brother and Rhaena staring at her uncle who had already begun to taunt Jace.

“Lovely day to get in the sky, wouldn’t you say dear heir?”

The word heir dripped off his tongue like poison, deadly and gross. No doubt that was his intention. Viserra rolled her eyes, she knew her uncle didn’t even want to rule. He was wholly unsuited for it. But he also didn’t want Jacaerys to have it, obsessed with the idea that he doesn’t deserve it to do the whispers about his heritage.

“It is a great day uncle, I know it’s early but are you sure you aren’t too far gone into your cups? Sunfyre can only make up for so much.”

The snort Luke let out was the last straw. The growing tension in the room snapped as Aegon lunged for Jace. She watched in irritation and mild horror as her uncle attacked her brother. As Aegon made to grab Jace, Aemond suddenly reappeared pulling Aegon away by his collar.

“Honestly brother.” He said as he righted Aegon on his feet. Those were the only words he spoke before he shot a glare at them that made her heart skip in fear.

Viserra stood there shocked for a moment longer before she was off running to find Phantom. She had decided she was flying today, dragon staff and family be damned. There was no way she was getting this newly appointed privilege revoked. So she made her way deeper into the pit, hating the dark halls and the packed dirt beneath her feet all the way. It took her several turns to reach Phantom who was waiting for her. It was obvious he was not happy with her upon her arrival.

“Rytsas, Phantom.” She called the greeting loudly to the sulking dragon.

A huff was the only response she received as he turned his head away from her, blocking his vibrant green eyes from her sight.

“Sōvegon rūsīr issa.”

Finally hearing the word he wanted, fly, the massive white dragon began to stir. He waited patiently as she removed the chains, she spoke softly to him all the while. Complaining mostly about her mother barring them from flying. She took care to wait and watch the halls before deciding which way to go. Since none of the instructors had bothered to show up she had to determine which route was the safest to take. Another flaw of the pit, if you ran into another dragon in the halls things could become deadly quickly. She said a quick prayer before deciding to turn left and venture towards the back exit, hoping no one else had the same idea.

Viserra gasped as she stepped outside, not realizing she’d stopped breathing as she led Phantom out. Relief and excitement bubbled into her veins as she worked to mount Phantom, calling for him to kneel. She could tell he was impatient to get into the sky by the way he collapsed so she could mount him. Dramatic as always, she thought while climbing up.

“Bē, Phantom! Sōvegon.”

Phantom was up and flying before she could finish the command, wind rushing through her hair as the began to rise higher and higher. Soon they would be invisible, encased within the clouds it was impossible to spot her dragon. Often the only clue as to where they were was the glint of black on his back from her riding clothes. She had specially made a pair of white robes for stealth but thus far had no reason to use them. It was better to let her family have some shot of finding her in the skies. They continued to rise for some time, they both preferred to fly as high as they could. It was peaceful way up top, where nothing flew as high as they did. When she was younger she thought if only they could fly a little higher, she could reach up and grab the moon from the sky.

Viserra shivered as they flew through the mist and clouds, droplets of water occasionally falling on her when they would break through a set of clouds. At one point they broke through to see the sun and a beautiful blue sky above all the clouds. It was breathtaking, the golden rays shining just for them. Phantom had let out an appreciative snort at the sight and the two of them had stayed there a while. For the first time since she’d been sentenced to living in the Red Keep, she felt happy. A light weightless euphoria was all over her, pouring out from the depths of her being. She knew they’d been gone too long already, that her brothers would be wondering where she was.

“Ilagon.”

Her heart was so not into the command to return down that Phantom ignored it. She was relieved that he had and it reminded her of the first time they’d ever flown together. Viserra was twelve when she first took flight, though Phantom had been ready a year earlier. She had been so frustrated, so annoyed at all of her family. She loved them dearly but she never had any time for herself. Someone was always pushing her door open or asking a favor. It was enough to drive anyone mad. Until one day she’d had enough, her mother had been lecturing her outside. It was still early in the morning, the dew still fresh on the banister as they watched the sun rise.

There was no telling what her mother had been saying to her, the message long lost to time. She had just remembered feeling so unbelievably upset. She hadn’t asked for this life, for her mother to be the most important person in the realm behind her grandfather. And she had desperately wished that she could forget all of that duty and responsibility even if just for a moment. Viserra’s lack of interest and obvious anger had not done much to win her mothers favor that morning. Walking away from her mother and giving up all pretenses of listening, she leaned over the rail of the balcony. Below her, eyes level with hers was Phantom. Perched precariously on a stone dragon was her own dragon, listening intently.

Viserra had jumped out of her skin when her mother’s hand touched her shoulder, bringing her back to her unpleasant present. She shot her mother a defiant look before she climbed the balcony banister ignoring her mothers yells of protest and command for the guards. Before a single hand could touch her, she leapt. Nothing but blind faith had accompanied her for a heartbeat, before she felt the leathery scales beneath her. The sound of wings flapping and air rushing by her ears made her finally open her eyes. She was holding onto the spikes of Phantom’s neck as he swooped over the water. She screamed in delight watching the water ripple beneath them as he dragged his wing tip across the water.

It had been a stupid decision to say the least about it and her mother had immediately banned her from riding again until she had formal lessons. But she had always liked that insane primal feeling she got from riding without a saddle. She had snuck out many nights to ride unsaddled, without her mothers permission. It earned her a reputation for being willfully obstinate but she didn’t care. What was the point of having a dragon if not to fly? If she could, she wouldn’t come down. The two of them becoming an ancient legend in the sky, a myth of a phantom dragon made of clouds and the star woman on its back. That would be a more interesting life, rather than whatever political marriage she would eventually be forced into.

Her thoughts turned dark at the idea of marriage. She knew her mother wouldn’t have a choice in the end. She would try to give her options but her place on the throne was challenged daily. Inevitably as the only available option, her mother would move her where she best thought suited the realm. This time when she called for Phantom to return them down, he listened though reluctantly. Loathe as she was to return she was going to be in a lot of hot water for staying out as long as she did. It had been several hours at the point and though she had tried her best to keep turning Phantom back towards King’s landing; it would still take them another hour to get back.

As they descended the clear skies faded into freezing cold mist and torrents of water. She quickly called for him to move faster, it was dangerous to linger in the clouds while it was storming. They might blend in with them but they were not immune to lightning strikes. She began to curse loudly as the rain pelted her sideways. The wind was blowing so hard, she was glad she was strapped in tightly. Her hands were wrapped tightly around the reins as she directed Phantom onwards. She kept an eye above them looking for any telltale signs of lightning. She strained her ears as well, waiting for the thunder. It took two minutes for the first rumble to roll through. It shook her in the saddle; it was so loud and she knew she was trembling as she called encouragement to Phantom.

One, two, three heartbeats later the first strike hit a meter away from them and Phantom stuttered at the sight. She called for him to keep calm. It was too late for them to change course. They should’ve stayed up top above the storm but there was no going back. It was too dangerous to try veering back up, besides she couldn’t see where they were going behind the clouds. They were forced with only one option, to continue on. The two of them worked in sync to avoid the lightning, hoping they were fast enough to move out of its way. She knew it was all an illusion, if they were going to be struck down they would never see it coming. But if she focused on that fact they would be lost for sure.

Soaked, exhausted and freezing Viserra nearly cried with relief as she spotted the Red Keep through the gloom and strife. Never had she been so pleased to see the red bricks waiting for her. It took her longer than expected to coax Phantom back towards the Dragon pit on Rhaenys’ hill. Despite the storm raging around them he did not want to return and she couldn’t blame him. Many promises and commands later, it was the strike of lightning next to them that got him to land. Upon her arrival the princess was mobbed by a rush of dragon trainers. Ironic, she thought as they helped her down from the saddle. Where had they all been earlier anyway?

It was the sight of her Kingsguard that made her feel real relief though it was dampered a bit by the sight of Grand Maester Gerardys beside him. It meant her mother wasn’t angry at her, worse she was worried. Several cloaks were wrapped around her as she shivered still soaked through to the bone. She pushed the hands around her away, walking back towards her dragon who was looking rather distressed.

“Sagon gīda, Phantom. Sagon arlī jāhor nyke.”

After reassuring her dragon she would be back for him she turned to the waiting maester and knight. Speaking briskly through chattering teeth she said, “I will be with you both in a moment. My dragon needs my attention as he is rather restless.”

She didn’t wait for a reply. She knew it would only be a protest against her and she didn’t have time for them. Or for her mothers worries for that matter, she was fine. She lingered with her dragon for longer than she should have and much longer than was polite. She didn’t care though. She was already in for it, why not take her time? Phantom needed the time with her anyway. The two stood together for a while, content in the other's presence.

[crossroad-of-fate]

Enlightenment of The Ace of Hearts

You softly thanked Professor Crewel as he handed you your test results, an eighty-five was written on the corner of the paper in red ink. The same red ink you had despised for the poor numbers in past tests that were returned to you. It used to look menacing in your eyes, but now you looked at it proudly.

And the smiley face that was drawn below the number made you beam in happiness even more, a smile now plastered on your face. That was until someone slid their test results on top of yours. His name piqued your interest and the number stated on his paper made your smile turn upside down.

"I win~" Ace announced in a sing-song voice, enjoying your crestfallen face. He got a 93. How was that possible? This was Ace and you refused to admit that he is smarter than he acts.

"Did you chea-"

"No." Ace laid his elbow on the desk, resting his chin on the back of his palmed hand, looking smug. "I learned my lesson from last time."

You didn't believe a single word that came out of his mouth and continued to gaze at him suspiciously. He returned your unbelieving stare with a playful one, not a single bit offended by your claim. You don't take his insults to heart so why should he. And he liked seeing your angry face too.

A sigh passed your lips and you lowered your head in defeat, "What do you want?" You groggily asked, already feeling pity for your wallet.

***

Ace's arm was slung around your shoulders whilst you two walked to the cafeteria. Your hips were touching but neither of you paid attention to it, you were busy sulking and he was basking in his glory. He patted your shoulder in, what he considered, consolingly, in truth it only added more weight to your frown.

"I regret making a bet with you." You expressed.

"You were the one that made the bet, Prefect. All I did is win." He winked and chuckled when you turn your face away from him in shame.

Ace pulled away from his arm in favor of pushing you towards the end of the patisserie line. "Get me 2 chocolate croissants." He commanded jokingly.

"Yeah yeah.." you responded weakly, still upset that you had to spend your money on him. The Heartslabyul student walked towards an empty table and took out his phone to pass the time. He was in the middle of a puzzle game when he felt a pair of eyes boring holes onto his skull.

You were glaring at him, he could tell. So he glared at you back. It wasn't anything serious, you aren't angry at him but you still stuck your tongue out at him in a childish manner. He pressed his jaw down onto his neck; exposing his double chin and raised an eyebrow at you.

You giggled at his funny face and smiled at him in reflex. It was unexpected and Ace felt something in his stomach flutter, he was glad you decided to turn your back on him so you wouldn't see the red starting to flush his cheeks. But even in his flustered state Ace was hit by a painfully obvious realization.

Oh no.

Not this again. Ace stared at his reflection on the screen of his phone, noticing the embarrassed expression looking back at him. He wanted to deny it, he does but the signs were all there. The funny feeling in his stomach, his inability to make eye contact with you at times, the unnecessary physical contact, his teasings-

The most surprising thing to him wasn't that he developed a crush it's that he developed a crush on you. Okay sure he does mock you a lot but he acknowledges the good parts of your personality, and he does admit you were charming in your unique way, and oh great seven- how is he supposed to hide this from you?

Is he even supposed to hide this from you?

He found himself glaring at your back, he wasn't angry at you he was just..upset. You made him into a mess and you didn't even know. Yeah, this is your fault! He didn't ask to fell for you!

And you didn't ask him to fell for you.

You just treated him the same way you treated your friends, patiently. And he was into that.

Two small brown paper bags were set on the table in front of him and you sat beside him with a plate of french fries in hand. "There. Eat up before I change my mind and wrestle you for the croissants."

The confused expression Ace had quickly vanished and was replaced with a smirk, he took out a chocolate croissant and bit into it before saying,

"You should study harder next time." You scowled at him while you put a single fry in your mouth, "You were just lucky."

"You don't need to be so angry at me for getting a 93, (Y/N). Just accept that compared to me, you're dumb."

"Haha, am I now? I think you're forgetting who out of the two of us got an anemone stuck to his head-"

"Oh, come on! That was one time!" Ace cut you off, he scrunched his nose as the memory of being overworked by the Leech twins played in his mind. He would sometimes feel the chill on his back when remembering their laughter.

"But I gotta say.." he looked at you in visible discomfort, trying to prepare his ego for another strike-

"Congratulations on getting a 93 on the test. I'm proud of you." The croissant fell from his hands. You didn't think much about your compliment and continued to enjoy your french fries. Meanwhile Ace had to go through another mental crisis.

He was expecting you to destroy his pride but you complimented it instead. Were you just joking or were you genuine? A genuine compliment..well this is a first. The tip of his ears turned red once more. Ace was flattered but he couldn't let you see him blushing like a fool over one praise so he shook away that feeling and pushed the paper bag towards you. (Y/N) questioned him about it.

"You can have it, I'm already full with one."

"Really? Are you sure? You can't take this back."

He nodded surely so you smiled and picked up the paper bag. Pulling out the chocolate croissant you took one bite before saying, "I bought this with my money so it's rightfully mine."

"I'm surprised though, just one praise and you generously gave it away. I'll have to start praising you every day then." He turned his head towards you so fast you could've sworn you heard a whiplash. His cheeks were flushed red once more and he slapped the table harshly with his hands, it startled you and almost made you choke on your croissant.

"Hey! I could've dropped my croissant.." you complained. Ace lifted his hand to take it away from you but you saw his sudden movement and raised the bread away from his reach.

"I changed my mind! Give me back the croissant!"

"I told you, you can't take it back!"

It was ridiculous how Ace stood up from his seat just to try and have his fingers graze the tip of the croissant but he'd rather die than have you stare at his red face. Your palm was pressed against his cheek, pushing him away from getting to your precious snack. The fast beating of his heart was new and he hoped you can't hear it because of his yelling. Honestly.. you might as well give him a heart attack while you're at it.

[wanderinginksplot]

Hello! Um, how about Wrecker with a s/o who has severe childhood trauma, and has a hard time opening up to people other than him?

Hello! First off, thank you so much for this request! It was a good challenge. Secondly, I am so sorry this took as long as it has. I had a pretty uneventful childhood, so I ended up doing a lot of research to write this right, and then I rewrote it about a dozen times... anyway, trauma is only minimally mentioned (at least directly), but I hope you like it!

Wrecker + Traumatized Reader

How did it go today, cyare?" Wrecker asked, dropping a kiss on your cheek. He had just gotten home from a shorter mission with his squad and began stripping off his armor while he waited for your answer.

You always felt silly complaining to him. The things that troopers saw and had to deal with on a daily basis were so much worse than you saw - especially since you were permanently stationed on Coruscant. Still, from the expectant look he sent over his shoulder, Wrecker was waiting for an answer.

"Well…" you started slowly, not sure how much information he wanted, "I think it went okay? The board seemed to like the presentation. The Head Commander said the lack of internal life support in the Phase II armor is an issue they've been looking at for some time. I’m supposed to work on a follow-up. I might throw together some preliminary schematics for a Phase III armor set…"

“Sounds like it went great!” Wrecker encouraged, interrupting you before you could get too lost in your engineering thoughts. You had been known not to emerge for days once you got started. “You've been practicing this presentation forever."

You grinned at him. "Thanks again for being my test audience. I know it isn't something you're really interested in. You guys don’t even wear the Phase II."

"No, but I like listening to you talk," Wrecker told you unabashedly. 

You shook your head a bit at that. "You're such a sweetheart. How did I get so lucky?"

"There's a group of Seppies in the Guard's cells who didn't think I was sweet at all," he told you, sounding mystified. "If it wasn't for Cross, I wouldn't have gotten outta there at all."

You tensed a bit at that, and not only from the reminder of how dangerous his job could be. You knew what was coming. It was only a matter of time… 

"Have you thought any more about it?" Kriff. There it was. You wanted to snap at him, remind him that he was pushing a very firm boundary, but Wrecker sounded so hopeful…

"I- I just don't know, Wreck," you admitted miserably. "I know they're your brothers and I want to meet them, but… it's a lot."

"That's okay," Wrecker said comfortingly. He was doing his best to reassure you, but you could hear the clear note of disappointment in his voice.

Your heart plummeted to your toes. Why couldn't you do this for him? Wrecker was the best, most considerate boyfriend in the galaxy. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of the galaxy, for your safety.

"Okay, let's do it," you agreed abruptly. "When do you want to have me meet them?"

"Really?" Wrecker asked, a smile like dawn warming his face.

You nodded and forced an answering smile. You weren't sure how you would handle the pressure of meeting the other members of the Bad Batch, but for Wrecker? You would figure it out.

He ran off to contact the others and your smile faded instantly. From everything Wrecker had told you, Tech was nice and Hunter was quiet, but Crosshair was rarely anything other than abrasive and rude. And that was to his brothers.

You fought a shudder. Being snipped at always reminded you of growing up - and not in a good way. Sarcastic comments were always the first step, then objective-sounding remarks, and then… You didn’t want to think about what had always come next.

But still, this was important to Wrecker, and you were determined to try.

---

The next day, you were anxiously fiddling with your sleeve as you walked to the GAR with Wrecker beside you. The height difference between you always made you feel like a child being escorted around by an adult, but Wrecker normally took your teasing complaints as the jokes that they were. 

You weren’t saying anything at all that day.

“Hey,” Wrecker said gently, grabbing your hand and stilling the fingers that were slowly unraveling your sleeve. “Are you okay?”

You blinked up at him. “What if they don’t like me?”

Wrecker made a strangled sound, like he had started to laugh but thought better of it. “Of course they’re going to like you! Why wouldn’t they like you? And even if they hated you, I like you. And I’m the important one here.”

You wanted to laugh at his exaggerated pout, but the corners of your mouth felt like they were attached to weights as you gave a tight nod and refocused on walking. Wrecker, however, wasn’t having it. Using the light grip he still had on your hands, he tugged you to a stop, forcing the rest of the foot traffic to part around his broad figure as he bent to talk to you.

“Say the word, cyare, and we’ll go home right now.”

“What? No!” you denied immediately. “I said I would meet your brothers, and I meant it. Why? Have you decided you don’t want them to meet me?”

“Of course I want you to meet them!” Wrecker told you. He brushed a hand against your face, smoothing the frown line you could feel forming between your eyebrows. “But I don’t like seeing you this way. If it’s too much, we don’t have to do this. I meant what I said: we can go home right now.”

You searched his face and found only heartwarming sincerity. He meant it. If you said you weren't up for this, he wouldn't be upset or hurt. He wouldn't sulk or find ways to punish you. Nothing would change between you. 

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," you assured him.

Wrecker was your safe space - the exact opposite of everything you had dealt with growing up. He pushed your boundaries, but he made you stronger. As you tripped through the crowd by his side, the idea soothed you more and more until you couldn't stand it.

"Wrecker, wait," you pled, pulling on his arm. 

It was a surprise he had even felt the pull, honestly, but he was so attuned to you that he stopped immediately. He looked down at you with open concern. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I love you," you blurted, and your face grew hot so quickly that you felt a little dizzy.

"You love me?" Wrecker asked, sounding stunned.

"…yeah…" you said slowly. You weren't really sure why you had needed to say it right that moment, but you knew that you meant it. Wrecker was everything to you, and it had been enough to prompt an admission of feelings that you had never thought you would be able to verbalize.

He was still staring at you and you were getting nervous. "Anyway, we should probably get to the GAR," you told him, striving for a casual tone.

"Forget the GAR! You love me!" The next thing you knew, Wrecker had lifted you up and spun in a quick circle that left you dizzy for sure this time. "I love you, too! We need to go celebrate!"

He set you down and had started down the street in the direction you had come from, dragging you along by your hand as you alternated between laughing and trying to get him to stop.

"Wreck, we can't just not show up to meet your brothers," you protested. "They're waiting for us!"

Wrecker paused, glanced back at you, and heaved a deep sigh. "Fine," he grumbled, walking back toward your original destination. "They get twenty minutes, then I need you all to myself."

The dark-eyed look he sent your way made your mouth go dry. "Fifteen minutes."

He laid a searing kiss on your lips. "Deal."

---

To your shock, the Bad Batch was less intimidating than you had thought they would be. Hunter even made an effort to talk to you.

“So, what is it you do for the GAR?” he asked, dark eyes startling in his half-tattooed face.

“I- uh, I’m an engineer,” you explained. “I helped design the updates implemented in the Phase II trooper armor. Joint Kamino-Coruscant effort and all of that. I didn’t have anything to do with commando armor, though.”

Hunter shrugged. “Still, I’ve heard good things about the Phase II. You did nice work.”

“Thanks!” you said, only slightly too loud. “There are a few things that got lost in translation due to budgetary issues. One of my ideas was to add in a new scope for the larger rifles, one that would acclimate to counter visual disruptions. Brightness, direct sunlight, reflections, and so on. It had a couple other features that were popular with the ARCs and commandos who tested it. Alpha-17 on Kamino said he was keeping his, even though it was just a prototype.”

“Wish I coulda seen that,” Crosshair muttered, his first contribution to the conversation.

“You kind of can,” you offered. “I have a few prototypes left. I brought one along in case you wanted to give me any feedback. I still have hopes for the Phase III…”

Crosshair eyed the scope you were holding out to him, face full of suspicion even as he accepted it from you. He examined it closely for several minutes, dialing in and out of various features as you watched. Eventually, he nodded and you breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Looks good,” he reluctantly praised, handing the scope back.

You didn’t take it from him. “Actually, that’s a tactical prototype. If you were interested, I would love for you to use it in the field as long as you let me know how it holds up.”

Crosshair’s eyebrows shot up and he chewed his toothpick thoughtfully as he stared at the scope. You weren’t above a little bribery, and had made a few tweaks based on Crosshair’s preferences. Granted, those preferences had been relayed by Wrecker, a man whose go-to weapon was bare hands… 

To distract yourself, you looked to Tech. He had been quiet, almost silent, for most of the meeting. From everything you had been told, that was unusual. 

“Tech, Wrecker tells me that you’ve been analyzing statistical data about your squad to maximize your effectiveness. What kind of variance are you looking at?”

Tech stared at you for a long moment. “A difficult question to answer, as the variance has increased significantly since you and Wrecker met.”

“Excuse me?” you asked politely, taken aback by his implication.

“The frequency at which Wrecker is injured has increased by roughly 2.7% since the two of you started your relationship.”

“Tech,” Hunter reprimanded sharply.

“Ease off,” Crosshair said, voice low.

You glanced at Wrecker, sitting tensely beside you. “You didn’t tell me you were getting hurt on your missions.”

“Just a little,” he admitted, glaring at Tech.

“By my calculations, this places his risk of a fatal accident at 9% and growing,” Tech finished, unbothered by Wrecker’s glare or his brothers’ words of warning. “Added to the fact that Wrecker wears less armor than a trooper of his size should, he is highly at risk.”

“What is this about your armor?” you asked Wrecker, pinching his side when he avoided looking your way.

“Hey! That hurt!” he complained, finally looking down at you.

“Not as bad as a piece of shrapnel would!” you lectured him. “As soon as we get home, I’m going to start working on a better set of armor for you. I have some leftover plates from the commando armor comparison. I can use that as a basis…”

“What about your Phase III?” Wrecker asked, a bit desperately.

“That doesn’t matter!” you snapped. “If I can’t keep you safe, none of it matters! I’m designing heavy-duty armor for you, you’ll participate in extra drills with your team until you get used to it, and I want a report on every injury, minor or not!”

“Told you,” Hunter said, sounding satisfied.

“Five credits,” Crosshair sighed.

“The deal was twenty,” Tech argued, then allowed himself a small smile. “I like them.”

“Yeah,” Hunter agreed.

Crosshair, studying his new scope, just nodded. You caught only bits of their conversation, though, since you were still semi-arguing with Wrecker.

“C’mon, let’s go back to your place,” Wrecker pled.

“So I can get started on your armor right away?” you asked. “Good idea!”

“But… you love me,” Wrecker pouted.

You softened and leaned up to plant a kiss on his lips, ignoring the scoffs and smothered chuckles from his brothers. “I do, Wrecker. I love you so much that I can’t stand the idea of you getting hurt. Now let’s go.”

Wrecker sighed heavily, but clambered to his feet and waved goodbye to his brothers as he followed you out.

---

A/N - I don’t actually know if the Bad Batch wears Phase II clone trooper armor or Katarn-class commando armor, so I just went with commando armor and modified helmets.

Thanks for reading! You can see other works like it here or feel free to request something of your own!

[liquorisce]

High School Years, Ch 3: aftermath.

pairing: eren x mikasa (SnK)

rating: M. (nsfw)

Summary: for eren and mikasa, love was easy; they'd loved each other forever. but physical attraction? that's a whole other story.

read on ao3 | chap 2 | chap 1

The morning after the… “confrontation”, when they walk to school, they hold hands. It's a new dimension of their ‘relationship’, and the thought of calling it that, of calling Eren her ‘boyfriend,’ is something that makes her feel so many things.

“So um,” she begins, squeezing his hand a little bit, soft pink dusting her cheeks, as he turns to look at her questioningly. “... Are we going to tell the gang?”

For the briefest moment he looks confused, but when he sees her shy expression, not spelling it out because she doesn’t know how to say it yet, his eyes widen in understanding. “Ah that you and I...,” he colours, just a little bit, because it wasn’t until the words were literally at the tip of his tongue, that he realizes he doesn’t know how to say it either.

She’d said it last night, called him her boyfriend, and it did things to him, making his heart constrict with a nervous kind of excitement. Because he was Mikasa’s boyfriend, and that was something of an honour.

But another part of him, the part that recognizes what it means for a high school kid, just finds it completely lacking, he doesn’t want to announce that he’s ‘dating’ Mikasa Ackerman, the word simply does not do it justice. And he sure as hell doesn’t want to hear her name in the gossip rings, from the mouths of shallow, boring girls who have little better to do than keep track of their high school reality show or from the dirty whispers of teenage boys who can’t control their hormones (if Eren is one of them, he doesn’t acknowledge it).

“... Maybe we could just keep it quiet? Just for a little while…” He watches her expressions searchingly, and she does that thing that she does, hides into her bangs when she doesn’t want him to see what she’s thinking and he panics, just a little.

“Hey, listen,” he stops her by the wrist, before they round the corner onto the street of their school.  “... It’s not that I want to hide it,” he whispers, resting his forehead against hers, because god forbid she thinks he’s embarrassed or ashamed or anything short of absolutely ecstatic, “You know that, right?”

She closes her eyes and she lets the waves of insecurity pass her by. Surely, there was nothing more to worry about. He’d made no secret of the depth of his feelings last night. “Mm-hmm.” She feels his minty breath cool on her lower lip and she reaches up to press her mouth against his. It’s tentative, the way she does it, reserved and shy but completely incomparable. It’s like everything she does, he thinks breathlessly, as he deepens the kiss. There’s no one like her.

She threads her hands into his already messed up hair, breathing harshly as she breaks away from his kiss. “I don’t mind,” she agrees, “... I think I’d like it to be just between us for a while…”

And because he’s so grateful that he’s in love with his best damn friend, who knows him and understands him like nobody else, he kisses her again… just because he can.

…

They know. He doesn’t know how they know, but they fucking know, and he mutters unhappily under his breath, “... fucking vultures, the whole lot of them.”

Armin smirks, not unsympathetically. They’d mutually decided to tell him (rather, he spotted them holding hands, and he’d almost cried in happiness), even though Eren had been somewhat sour about it, sulking when Mikasa had pointed out that they obviously needed to tell Armin. Eren was a brat, and a jealous one, especially where Mikasa was concerned, so despite having ample proof by now that the kiss between Armin and her had meant nothing, it remained a sore topic for him.

“Isn’t it easier this way? At least now you won’t have to stare down all the boys queuing up to ask for her number in the cafeteria.”

“... That’s not the point,” Eren sulks, even though he knows Armin has a point (he always does), the phenomenon he’d described was a canonical and frequent event that he actively loathes, because Mikasa was quite free with her personal details that way.

( It’s high school, Eren , she’d told him exasperatedly one day when he’d actually brought it up to her, if I don’t give them my number they’ll get it from someone else anyway. Besides, the block functionality is quite useful .)

Somehow Eren is fairly certain that knowing she was in a relationship wouldn’t be enough to deter potential suitors (/ fanboys) and as they walk towards their class, he spots the best example of this crass behaviour in none other than his horse faced friend chatting up his girlfriend, who seemed to be fairly liberal with her smiles.

Armin watches the scene from right next to him and snorts, barely able to contain his laughter. “... You’re so transparent, Eren.”

“Clearly the news hasn’t reached everyone,” he clears his throat, tearing his gaze away from the beauty and the beast, trying his best to remain civil and not scare his girlfriend away in less than 24 hours of them being, you know, together .

“This is what you wanted,” Armin reminds him, clapping his shoulder sportingly, barely able to contain his grin.

…

She tugs nervously at her hair, feeling ridiculously exposed despite the fluffy maroon scarf around her neck. She hadn’t been prepared for the events of yesterday, be it the emotional confession, or the heated kisses, or the possessive nips at her neck.

She certainly wasn’t prepared for the self consciousness that came with the marks he left on her, and had absolutely no knowledge of the make up skills required to cover it. (It hadn’t helped that it had taken Armin less than two minutes to spot the hickeys.)

But what she was least prepared for, is how almost everyone seemed to know, without her even having to open her mouth, and how they all seemed to have an opinion.

… Aw, but I was really counting on him getting back together with Krista… they were so cute…

… I wonder how long he’ll stay with this one…

… wait, Mikasa Ackerman? Aren’t they like practically siblings or something? Ewwww~

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to gag, or if she wanted to hide… or both.

She doesn’t hide. Because Mikasa Ackerman is a class act and despite feeling completely torn up listening to bitchy people talk about her like she does not possess hearing, she goes through the day looking outwardly untouchable.

But after trudging through the entire day of listening to absolute bullshit rumours and whispering, she’s pretty sure she feels a migraine incoming. Groaning to herself, as she takes out her notebook from her locker, she finds herself face to face with a chirpy voice that she once hated.

“... Hey,” Krista says, with a small smile. “... rough day, huh.”

Mikasa nods, it’s not that she dislikes the cute blonde in front of her (not too much, anyway), it’s just that today was not the day she wants to be visually reminded of her existence. Because watching her, in her white miniskirt and pink sweater, perfect blonde hair and her perfect smile, is reminiscent of all the days she hid in her room with only her insecurity for company.

“So um,” Krista begins, because Mikasa can be comfortable in her silence, just looking at Krista questioningly. “... Everyone’s talking about it, basically,” she blurts out, unable to help herself.

“And if you want to know whom to smack, it’s Hitch, because she says she saw you guys holding hands outside school and making out, and she snapchatted it to the whole world, because that’s what she does and,” - Mikasa’s eyes narrow and Krista takes a deep breath.

“Look, I just wanted to reach out, and you know,” she clears her throat, like it was obvious what she was doing here. Mikasa just looks blank, feels blank. “... Like, I don’t want it to be awkward or anything, between us,” Mikasa is genuinely confused at this point, because there didn’t have to be an us, between her and Krista, their social circles were comfortably distant enough to have as minimal interaction as possible. “... You seem like a great person, and honestly, I’m not even surprised you guys ended up together. It was just a matter of time, I guess.”

She smiles earnestly as she says this, and Mikasa finds herself liking the short blonde despite herself, and offers a smile back. “... Thanks, that’s sweet of you.”

“And um,” Krista offers, completely casually, “... I could lend you some concealer if you wanna… you know, cover that up.”

…

“Snapchat!” Sasha wails theatrically, “... I can’t believe this is what our friendship has boiled down to.”

Mikasa has the grace to look guilty. “Explain to me, bestie ,” Sasha can be quite scary when she has her manic face on, “why, I had to receive a snap from the school’s number one hoe, informing me of the fact that my best friend had finally hooked up with her absolute thirst trap of a roommate.”

She doesn’t have much to say to defend herself, she simply slinks lower into her seat. “... I’ll buy you lunch for a week,” Mikasa whispers, defeated.

“Oh you better,” Sasha declares, still fuming. “... Snapchat, are you fucking kidding me…” She turns around once more, sizing Mikasa up deliberately. “... What about that time I walked in on you guys, in the kitchen, and he didn’t have a shirt on?” Sasha narrows her eyes accusingly. “... Were you two already…? Did you lie to me back then?”

“No! God, no,” Mikasa vaguely wonders why she sounds so defensive and apologetic about her own love life, but she remembers that Sasha is upset and for what it’s worth, she loves her like a sister, so she says, “... I swear, there was nothing between us then. It only happened, like… last night.”

Mikasa blushes as she says it, and the twinkle returns to Sasha’s brown eyes. “You must tell me everything,” she commands, and despite her sighing and blushing and giggling, Mikasa does exactly that.

...

He waits for her as they walk back from school. This is new too. Well not entirely, they’d walk back together, the three of them, Him, Mikasa and Armin, everyday in middle school, but high school had brought them different routines, and a distance that he was happy to get rid of.

“So…” he says as he slips his fingers between hers. “So much for our plan to keep it quiet.”

She burrows her head into his arm, “... everyone knew. Literally everyone.” After a minute, she adds reproachfully, “The hickeys you left on my neck didn’t help, either.”

He grins despite the glare she gives him. Embarrassing or not, he didn’t regret it one bit, not the moments that led up to those anyway... the way she’d found herself on his lap, fitting so perfectly in his arms, and against his mouth. The way she’d gasped when he’d let himself explore the sensitive skin on her neck.

He understands her situation, but god, there was no way he’d apologize for the sheer sensation he’d felt in that moment.

Tugging at her scarf to see his own handiwork, he can’t help his disappointment when he sees only a faint outline of them on her pretty skin. “... I see you’ve covered them up.”

“Ah,” Mikasa grins, “... that was your ex, actually.”

She feels him still, letting go of her hand for a brief moment. “... What?” Eren blinks nervously. They don’t really talk about his ex, not much more than they did yesterday anyway, and he wishes they’d never have to, not now that he knows perfectly well how much it had hurt Mikasa.

“You… um, spoke to her today?”

Mikasa nods, “... She came by to say hello, yeah.” And because Eren looks extremely uncomfortable at the thought, she giggles and tells him, “She says she didn’t want things to be awkward between us.”

Eren groans, “... this sounds like the teaser to every high school drama ever.” But despite his sarcasm, he was worried because despite Mikasa’s unassuming popularity in school, she lived her life outside of the cliques, the gossip rings, the drama… and Krista, sweet that she was, was somehow always in the thick of it.

“Don’t worry,” Mikasa says sweetly, “... if you want me to tell you that we had a catfight over you, prepare for disappointment.”

He grins in relief and asks, “... Is it so wrong to indulge in the fantasy of you fighting with another girl over me?” And because he can’t help himself, he adds, “You’d win for sure, Mikasa.”

…

As long as she can remember, Mikasa had been in love with Eren. It wasn’t complicated, or confusing for her, she’d loved him and she’d always known it.

When she was younger she had less trouble expressing it, they played together all the time, and she shared her toys with him, her sweets, and promised his mom she would take care of him when he got into trouble.

During her darkest days (after losing her parents), he would look after her, keep an eye out for her, tuck her in sometimes and sleep by her side when she had nightmares. Back then it was easier to ask for his attention - Eren could you stay with me, she remembers her 12 year old self asking, sniffling in the night, with no inhibitions, just a young girl asking for comfort from the boy she shared everything with.

(He’d given her everything she asked for graciously, fussing over her in his own way, watching over her even when she didn’t notice.)

It’s the ‘how’ that increased in complexity, the way she wanted more and more as the years went by, until the point where her love for him was a complete stranger. It was frustrating when she first realized it, when she realized she looked at him more often than usual… when she realized she wanted him to look at her too.

Growing up they’d watch movies together, and she’d often wonder about the way the hero kissed the heroine at the end of the movie, and wondered if someday Eren would kiss her like that. Most of all she wondered if Eren thought about it too.

When he started dating, that became amply clear to her - he thought of kissing, and to her unfortunate attention, it became clear that he thought of much more too. Those months were incredibly difficult for Mikasa because not only did she have to go through life like nothing had changed - ostensibly nothing had, not between them - but she had to police every indiscrete thought when he walked around after his shower without a shirt on, she had to control her gaze every time it fell on his beautiful mouth, wondering exactly what it would feel like against hers.

And for the first time in the longest time, Mikasa could no longer love Eren the way she always had, openly and without shame, she could no longer ask of him his care and attention.

But it feels like overnight so much has changed, she can barely comprehend it. Eren is so generous with his attention (his love), she wonders if the last couple of years of distance was the doing of her own imagination.

He is so free with his touches, sometimes gentle on her waist, sometimes tender on her face, sometimes rough in her hair (this excites her most of all). She no longer has to wonder if he’d ever kiss her like in the movies, he kisses whenever he damn pleases, and it always, always takes her by surprise. And it is so much better than she has ever imagined.

…

He saunters in as she prepares the tofu carefully, and because Mikasa is a perfectionist in everything she does, she’s concentrating completely on flipping each piece at the perfect moment when they turn golden brown.

But because Eren finds literally everything she does impossibly cute, he wraps an arm around her waist and kisses her gleefully on the cheek. It has the desired effect, she gasps, dropping her fork, and he catches her in an open mouthed kiss.

He manages to distract her for a good couple of minutes until she smells the tofu becoming decidedly darker than golden brown. “Erennn,” she whines, “... my tofu is ruined!”

“I’m sure it’ll taste wonderful,” he says because she’s an excellent cook, but also because he’s slightly affronted that by the way she pulls away in complaint.

“Please. Go sit,” she swats him away, making him pout adorably. He does as he is told and waits till she plates the food minutes later, and he’s pleased to say that he was absolutely right, it did taste wonderful.

But he’s more eager to eat up as soon as possible and finish what he tried to start a few moments ago.

“What are you going to do after dinner?” The answer he wants to hear is I’d like to make out with my boyfriend , but just as he expected, Mikasa’s mind is on a slightly different wavelength.

“... Hmm,” she eyes him suspiciously, “... I guess I’ll finish cleaning up and read the latest chapter in English Lit before bed, and just drift off to sleep. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” he states innocently. “... I’ll help you clean up.”

He changes the topic before they have a chance to linger, and does good on his promise to clean up as fast as he can. It’s ridiculous the way he’s acting, and he doesn’t understand it himself, but he can’t seem to help himself. He can’t seem to stop looking at her, can’t seem to stop craving her, whether it’s the closeness of her body or the taste of her lips, and he’s pretty certain the way he’s acting right now is downright embarrassing, but somehow since its with Mikasa, he feels emboldened.

Or at least that’s how he’d felt until recently. Of late there’s been just the slightest amount of doubt that’s crept in. He finds himself wondering if it’s just him who feels this way, this inexplicable urge, and he wishes that she’d be the one reaching for him more often.

“Thanks, Eren,” she murmurs, breaking him out of his intense internal monologue, when she reaches over and brushes a chaste kiss on his cheek. It warms him instantly, immediately making him want more.

He dries up and follows her out of the kitchen, and as she turns into her room, he grabs her wrist and says, “... Mikasa, wait,” and when she flips her head to look at him, he nestles her against the wall and whispers, “... I just wanted to say goodnight,” before kissing her full on the mouth.

For all that he internally complains about her not initiating their kisses enough, she responds beautifully to him, opening her mouth to him, and slipping her tongue inside, gasping when his fingers slip under her shirt, brushing softly above her ribcage. She slides one hand around his neck and the other clutches his shirt, pulling him so close to her, he revels in the feeling of her body pressed against hers.

He doesn’t even know how, or why, because he isn’t thinking when he’s kissing Mikasa, just going with it, running on the sheer feeling of it all, because he just gives into her - but she’s got both arms around his neck and he’s pressing her so firmly against the wall, tongue shameless in its exploration of her mouth, he slips one of his legs between hers.

She likes it, likes the pressure between her legs and she finds herself moving against him, grinding almost, embarrassingly, and she doesn’t even register consciously, until she feels him hard and pressed up against her thigh. She makes an embarrassing noise, something between a gasp and a moan, and suddenly his eyes snap open, all too conscious of their position.

She feels him twitch against her, and she can barely breathe with the excitement of it all, the newness… the feeling. He looks at her like a different person, green eyes heady and searching, holding her in a heated gaze. But in the most crushingly confusing move, he steps back and whispers “good night,” before turning towards his own room.

Quite frankly, she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Any more of that and she would’ve melted into jelly all over the leg that was between her thighs. And instead of pursuing that intense, boneless feeling, she finds herself catching her breath alone in the hallway with a confoundingly novel ache between her legs.

…

He watches her at the tennis court the next day; he drags Armin with him.

He’s never cared much for the game itself, only knows the basic rules because Mikasa’s been playing for years. She has a practice match today, against Jean, and he’d claimed he’d only wanted to see ‘his girl’ crush that horse face to the ground.

But the more he sits next to Eren, the more Armin feels decidedly uncomfortable. “Oi, Eren,” he says, when he’s fairly certain he’s had enough. Eren looks at him annoyed for being distracted from the game. “... What?”

Armin pinches the bridge of his nose before speaking, because how does he say this politely? “... You’re staring.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t huh me! You’re literally ogling her,” he hisses under his breath, “... it’s embarrassing, so please stop.”

He feels his face burn as he splutters, “I, I’m just watching the-,” he’s quite literally red by this point, “... Armin, what the fuck?” He just wants to hide, and so he hides his face in his hands.

He was right, he was staring, and he knew this because his mind had memorized the way she looked in that outfit, white tank top low cut and body hugging and giving him an excellent view as she moved. And he didn’t even want to comment on the way those shorts hugged her curves and how it flowed perfectly into her long, glorious legs.

If he could kick himself he would.

“What’s going on with you?” Armin asks, after he gives Eren a moment to recover from absolute mortification. Hesitating, he says, “... This isn’t the first time I’ve caught you staring at her like this recently.”

He looks at Armin helplessly, because he doesn’t know how to put it into words. “You can talk to me,” Armin coaxes him, “... you do embarrassing shit in front of me all the time anyway,” he supplies helpfully.

There’s conflict in his green eyes as he considers just how to say it, if he wants to at all. He’s still not a hundred per cent over the fact that Armin was Mikasa’s first kiss and if anyone could hold a (pointless) grudge it was Eren.

“However if you still choose to not talk to me about Mikasa because you are hung up over a stupid drunk kiss, then that’s completely fine with me too,” Armin says, reading Eren’s mind cheerfully.

“... You didn’t have to bring it up,” he says sullenly. Armin rolls his eyes. “... You’re thinking about it anyway, so I might as well talk about it.” He’s known him far too long to not understand the very simplistic nature of Eren’s thought processes.

“... I can’t stop looking at her,” he confesses, deciding to gloss over the discomfort of their kiss and focus on the main problem instead. “I hadn’t noticed,” Armin quips dryly, and Eren glares at him - so much for ‘ You can talk to me, Eren.’

“I’m losing my mind here, Armin,” trust Eren to always be dramatic, without fail, “... You can make fun of me all you want, but everytime I look at her, I,” he inhales sharply. “... God, I feel disgusting. It’s Mikasa for fuck’s sake.”

And It’s Mikasa whom his friend had always been slightly unhinged for, but Armin thinks better of saying this.

“... I feel like I just don't know how to look at her respectfully anymore,” and he says

this almost choked, so distressed, that Armin tries very very hard to suppress a laugh.

…

She wishes she hadn’t done it.

In a rare moment of weakness that she now regrets, she had given into Sasha’s ever curious inquisitions into her love life. And by love life here, Sasha was explicitly digging for the good stuff.

“Eh?!?”

Mikasa waits patiently for Sasha to return from her high pitched look of disbelief.

“... What do you mean you haven’t slept together yet?” Sasha asks, a bit calmer this time, but still urgently distressed about the matter.

“We just… haven’t,” Mikasa explains rather unsatisfyingly.

“So… do you like, want to wait or something? I thought you’ve been in love with him since forever…”

No matter how much she’s accepted that fact herself, it still makes her blush when she hears it out loud. “... It’s not like, I want to, um, wait or anything,” she confesses. Because she’s found herself thinking of the same thing every night since the time Eren had her against the wall, pinned against him and his hardness. It’s almost like it created a monster out of her, a monstrous desire that has her eyeing him out the corner of her eye whenever she gets the chance. It makes her seek him out more often, seek him out after his workout, after his shower, innocently, by accident of course, and she’s ashamed of herself.

“... You just need to jump him,” Sasha says, with the utmost seriousness. Like she knew anything at all on this subject. “And boy have I got the perfect thing to help you.”

…

Mikasa Ackerman is a huge fan of Marie Kondo. It was one of the curiously annoying yet cute things about her that Eren has an impressively large list of.

She’s watched the Netflix show more times than he can count, follows her on Youtube, and once he’d seen her pray to her room or some shit before she started cleaning. It mystifies him, and he doesn’t care enough to understand more so he just goes along with it.

Today she’s decided she has way too many clothes and she will only keep what “sparks joy” in her, so she’s strewn out her entire closet and demanded in the sweetest way that he helps her with her mission.

(She throws in the offer of trying out all her outfits before she throws them out, and Eren is horny for a fashion show or the moments in between so he readily agrees)

“... I’m not sure about this one,” she says, eyeing herself in the green dress critically.

Eren’s eyes bulged in disbelief. “... You’re kidding, you look like a fucking goddess, Mikasa.”

She blushes happily with the compliment, but Eren isn’t exaggerating. It’s a slinky strapless number which was incredibly short. And it had a slit. According to Eren, the slit could not be emphasized enough.

“... Your legs look incredible,” he says, providing her the only decent compliment he can muster. The rest he does his best to convey with eyes.

“... It just doesn’t feel like something I wear usually, you know… so I don’t know if it sparks joy...”

He resists the urge to roll his eyes, “Well, you should wear it. C’mere let me help you spark some joy,” he says, playfully pulling her down into the pile of clothes that made a poofy bed on the floor.

She giggles, settling over him happily, and for a moment his sappy little heart feels like it’s going to explode. He’s pretty sure her giggle is his most favourite sound in the whole world.

“... You’re insane,” he breathes, relishing in the way she feels on top of him, his hands sliding up her legs and resting just beneath the hem of her dress (just beneath her ass). She kisses him sweetly, tongue flicking gently on his lip and making him groan softly. His hands brush past her ass, caressing ever so softly as they come to rest on the small of her back.

She deepens the kiss, and he grabs her hips roughly, angling her mouth onto his in a way that suits him, gives him access and he sighs into her mouth. The view of her on top of him, is unparalleled, her thighs around his hips and her chest heaving temptingly with her harsh breathing. He closes his eyes and captures her mouth again before he makes a fool of himself in front of her again.

But she has her hands in his hair, and she’s pressing down, grinding down against his crotch, and he can feel himself pulse at every brush of contact, and he groans knowing fully well that there’s no way she can’t feel his length brush against her legs.

He doesn’t want to stop, or run away, because he’s ridiculously turned on at this point, and unwilling to let go of her, so he simply turns her around and pins her beneath him, taking advantage of the way she squeals, to slip his tongue into her mouth and taste her.

It’s so tempting having her beneath him like this, so he gives in and slips his leg between hers again, eager to have her rub against him like she did that day, with the faintest hint of a moan, like he hasn’t been able to forget.

His fingers entwine with hers and he stretches them above her head, wanting so much to just kiss her senseless, but they collide with a cardboard box and he spares a glance at it, in annoyance.

Until he squints and actually sees what it is. The label alone makes him blush, not to mention the contents that he could clearly see under the transparent plastic covering.

Mikasa looks up, dazed and a little bit disoriented from what was possibly the most intense make out session she had ever experienced. “... Eren?”

“Babe,” he rasps, choked, “... are you trying to tell me something?”

She follows his line of sight, and wants to hide, wants to die, wants to erase this moment from her very existence.

Her Sensual Pleasure kit, he reads, his mind effectively going numb as he comprehends the contents: a vibrator, a blindfold, some pink fuzzy handcuffs and what looks like a generous bottle of lube.

Somehow even though she forgot about this ridiculous thing, having stuffed it into her closet to forget all about the ridiculousness on her friend’s face when she gave it to her, it seems to have stumbled out into the light of day at the worst possible moment.

If she could murder Sasha and get away with it, she would.

“... I-It’s not what you think, Eren,” she mumbles, cheeks red and panicking, even though she has absolutely no idea what she wants him to think.

“I assure you,” he manages, “... I’m not really thinking right now, Mikasa.” Sure enough his mind had somewhat short circuited, barely able to handle the pressure of having his extremely sexy girlfriend beneath him and somehow simultaneously having discovered what appeared to be her sextoys .

Gingerly, he reaches for it, and he almost gasps, because the box had been opened and fiddled with. “Did you actually…”

He looks at her face, and it’s the colour of a tomato by this point, teeth biting her lower lip nervously, and he doesn’t know whether to laugh or if he is even more turned on.

“The vibrator, Mikasa, did you…?” His voice is so hoarse just imagining, it superseded any fantasies he’s had up until this point. “... Eren,” she whines, embarrassed, hiding her face in her hands.

“Please for the love of god, Mikasa, please just tell me, baby,” he’s pleading because he really needs to know at this point. He needs to know if he’s been going to bed in the room besides her without the potent knowledge that she’s been using this to relieve herself at night.

When she nods, just ever so imperceptibly, he’s pretty sure he’s going to combust. “... What did you think of when you were using it?” His voice sounds like a stranger’s.

She looks conflicted, looks unbelievably embarrassed, but he’s pretty sure he isn’t imagining it when he hears the faintest whisper from her saying, “... you.”

But that isn’t going to cut it, because he’s spent countless nights with a raging boner and raging guilt, as he jerked off to the most tantalizing moments he’s had with her… and he barely ever manages to look her in the eye the next morning. So he has to, no, he needs to know that he hasn’t been the only one in this absolutely ridiculous situation.

He kisses her hard, teeth grazing hers, mouth eager and greedy, and she responds to him with equal fervour. His head drops to her shoulder as he kisses her bare collarbone. “... If you knew how many times I’ve touched myself thinking of you, you wouldn’t be able to look at me the same again.”

His words are a deep, throaty confession that he whispers on her skin, and it brings a tingle down to her spine and all the way to her toes. She thrusts her chest upwards against him subconsciously.

“... I think of you too, you know… all the time,” she confesses, forgetting the very meaning of inhibition. It’s hard to remember it when he looks at her that way, heat burning from his verdant eyes, his grip firm against her hips. She doesn’t want to; doesn’t need it, if it means she can be this close to him.

“... Do you think you can show me?” he whispers, barely thinking through his requests through his lust-filled haze.

He sees her hesitating, contemplating, and he finds himself praying as his fingers inch up the dress and dig into the curves of her ass, lips delicate against the tops of her breasts.

“Only if you show me how you touch yourself,” she murmurs, and he can feel himself twitch in excitement.

She backs up against her bedpost and slips out of her panties, and Eren is absolutely, positively certain, he has never seen anything more appealing than when she slowly, deliberately, hikes up that beautiful green dress and spreads her legs.

He’s so lost in the sight before him, he forgets what he’s promised until she says, steel eyes determined, challenging him almost, “... your turn, Eren.”

He shucks his pants off gracelessly, he couldn’t make it look as artful as she does even if he tried, but he’s happy to be free of the restrictive material as he springs heavy and erect at the sight of her. “... Could you um, pass me the lube,” he asks, and she does, but not before squeezing some onto her own hand.

It’s hypnotic how she rubs it into herself, wet, and pretty and pink, and he jerks into his hand, slick and wanting, as he whispers, “... God, you’re beautiful.”

His words only serve to enhance the needy pressure between her legs, the tingling feeling that her slow circular motions were only making worse. She picks up the vibrator and turns it on, pressing it to her nub, the way she’s done a few lonely nights by herself, wishing it was him against her skin.

It’s different this time, because even though it’s her and the silicone toy, Eren’s gaze is like liquid fire on her skin, dark and licentious, and almost greedy. She throws her head back, shivering with pleasure and gasping.

“... What did you think of when you played with yourself?” He asks again, and this time she knows he wants a more specific answer.

“Your fingers,” she mumbles, and she finds the pleasure makes her startlingly more honest. He could ask anything of her, and she would tell him.

The idea, the thought of it, makes him twitch happily in his hand, and he jerks erratically, feeling an unbelievable urge come over him. “... Did you get wet thinking of my fingers on you, Mikasa?”

“Mm-hmm,” she nods, blushing prettily, high off the vibrating sensations. Without planning to, he crawls over between her legs and kisses her deeply, murmuring on her lips, “... then let me touch you, baby.”

It was her who was being stimulated, but he nearly groans into her hair at the feeling of her soft wetness, the way it feels against his fingers, the way her arousal coats him so eagerly.

“... I’ve wanted to touch you for so long,” he murmurs hoarsely, rubbing delicate circles across her nub, diligently favouring the area she had favoured mere moments ago. “Then why didn’t you,” she gasps at the last syllable, at the sudden intrusion of his long finger having slid deep inside her.

“... Sorry,” he says, sounding far too turned on to be sorry, “... you’re so wet, Mikasa.” He’s in awe, almost reverent of how warm she is, how easy.

She hangs on to his neck now, teeth grazing his neck, whispering, “... I want you, Eren.” Her breath is warm and damp and he’s unmistakably certain of what she asks.

“... Are you sure?” He asks, panting, hoping to god she’s sure, because he’s so ready, he’s been ready for a long time now, and he can barely control himself from leaking onto his own hand, when she says, “Yes.”

He makes sure she’s comfortable, or as comfortable as she can be on top of her clothes, and he commits everything to memory, the way she looks beneath him, the way her breasts heave when he pulls off the entirety of that dress, the way her nipples stiffen against his warm kisses. “... Please,” she whimpers, when he takes his time with her, taking the peaks of her breasts into her mouth and teasing ever so slightly with his teeth.

“... I can’t help it,” he rasps, “I want to touch you everywhere, you’re so pretty, babe, I,” -

He chokes, cut off, by the feeling of her delicate hands circling around him, pumping slowly as she guides him to her entrance. “Shit, Mikasa,” he curses, closing his eyes as he feels the sensation of her warmth against his tip.

It’s not his first time, but he feels like a stumbling virgin, murmuring desperate things as he feels her sheathe him completely, pausing only to pay attention to her comfort. Barely coherent, he asks, “... you okay?” She nods quietly, and his eyebrows furrow, looking at her questioningly. “Feels… so full,” she manages, with a feeble groan, and he can’t help but grin at how irresistible she is.

“... That’s because I’m supposed to fill you up, babe,” he whispers, not caring how far gone he is, because he slides out just a little only to spread her legs for him again, and slide back in. He tests the rhythm carefully, watching her expressions for any sign of discomfort, but the way she squeezes her eyes, the way she throws her head back with a gasp, just makes him lose whatever little control he had.

“Please tell me if I need to go slower,” he tells her, but judging from her reaction, from her moans, she only seemed to be egging him on.

It’s too much, he thinks, too much for him to possibly handle, not with the way she bucks her hips, and definitely not with the way she clenches needily around him.

And in a moment that he’ll probably never live down, he groans, “Fuck, babe, I’m going to,” - barely realizing with some consciousness to pull out of her tight, wet, core, and spills onto her stomach.

Mikasa’s never seen him make a face like that.

When he opens his eyes, she’s looking at him in wonder. And he’s looking at the mess he’s made on her stomach, and even though a small part of him only feels arousal at the sight of that, today he just feels like a massive asshole. “Shit,” he curses, not happy with how this played out at all. He reaches for the panties she’d so easily discarded and mops up his sticky release, mumbling, “... God, I’m so sorry, Mikasa. This was your first time, I can’t even believe,” -

“Eren,” she interrupts, because she doesn’t have time for this, his self-derision can come later. “... I, um…,” she clenches her thighs together, and he suddenly realizes that he hadn’t yet completely fucked shit up, he could still make her feel good, and that’s all he wanted.

He settles himself between her legs and spreads her folds open for him, feeling a familiar twitch at the pretty sigh in front of him. “I’ll take care of you, baby,” he whispers earnestly, before she feels his mouth on her folds. He kisses her like how he kisses her lips, like he wants to consume her, and if she thought it felt good against her own mouth, it felt only a million times better down there. He’s generous with his tongue, probing circling, sending her into a frenzy that only he could have managed.

She threads her fingers into his hair, gasping his name, prettily, holding on to him as she rides wave after wave of pleasure against his tongue.

When he lifts himself up and looks at her, he grins, his mouth shining because of her juices, and she closes her eyes swearing to herself that she will never forget that sight.

He collapses next to her, this time of a happier countenance because somewhere in his mind he’s judged this to be a fair exchange, and because Mikasa knows him so well, she can’t help but giggle.

“I’m not usually like this,” he asserts, once he’s caught his breath, and she’s barely managed to catch hers. She raises an eyebrow at him, amused. Trust Eren to be bothered about the unnecessary mechanics of his ego, barely minutes after their first time. “... I swear, next time I’m not going to let you go unless you have at least three orgasms. Minimum.”

“I guess I’ll have to hold you to it, Eren,” she murmurs, chuckling. “And before you freak out about the other thing; I’m on birth control, so don’t worry.” There’s silence, remarkably guilty silence, because he hadn’t thought about it, and that’s ridiculous because he’d never done it without a condom before, and if he ever feels like the biggest idiot on the planet, it’s at this moment.

“... I fucking love you, Mikasa,” he says sincerely, thanking the gods and this insane goddess right beside him, and this time she can’t help but laugh out loud.

a/n: edit: two whole weeks after posting ao3, i finally got around to putting this on tumblr.

to all those who have been on this journey with me, thank you so much. it's been so fun with these guys in the hsy verse.

i can't believe the story is over; i'm not ready to let go. going forward i may or may not right 3 more chapters each focusing on armin, historia, and jean respectively. i'm still mulling over it :)

i've recently been made aware that some people who read my stories are minors and i should be more mindful. so the note below -

i'd just like to clarify that it's fairly normal to be 18 yo in senior year of high school (at least where i'm from), which is when this last chapter takes place, so i did not feel the need to write age anywhere. i just want to clarify this; im no one to lecture any body on the appropriate age to be sexually active - as long as the person who you're with treats you respectfully and honours your consent. and respect your own limits and body.

HOWEVER I WILL ABSOLUTELY TAKE THIS MOMENT TO LECTURE YOU ON THE USE OF BIRTH CONTROL - PLEASE USE CONDOMS. please discuss birth control or std prevention with a sexual partner. DO NOT BE LIKE EREN AND FORGET JEEZUS. i'm 27 when i'm writing this so the last scene was just meant to be funny, especially his unbelievable sigh of relief when he finds out she had the foresight to be careful.

anyway, see ya and if it might interest you pls check out my mikasa stripper au ;) i'm very excited about it.

[ssamie]

nine. SOFT

suna rintaro x fem! mitsuri reader

(kny x hq)

warnings: spelling mistakes,  2k+ words, italicized words/ sentences are her thoughts, mitsuri’s hair+eye color was used.

gen masterlist.      sakura mochi.

"suna-kun, what is this for, exactly?" she hummed curiously as she held onto his hair 

"f-for my strength of course" suna replied. he was currently tasked to do a hundred pushups by kita after lazing off at practice for way too many times. and he, for some reason, found it a good idea to make her sit on his back as he does this. 

there was really no telling what ran through suna's mind when he thought it would do him well to have her weighing him down

"but wouldn't your arms hurt from carrying me?" she asked with worry lacing her tone as she prompts to stand up 

"no, no. stay there." suna demanded as he pulled her back down on his back 

"well, im not really the lightest girl on the planet, so this may be really hard for you.. and it's extremely embarrassing for me" she muttered with a frown "and shouldn't i be sitting closer to your lower back?" she asks "this position will give you bad backaches" 

she gestured to herself, as she sat on his upper back, way too close to his shoulder blades, while her legs were slung over his shoulders 

"im likely to be quite heavier than most girls since my body mass is quite higher than normal, given the muscles that i train" she said "plus.. my more fatty areas if you may" she mumbled as she cleared her throat and nervously hugged her chest 

"no, no. you're perfectly fine the way you are, bunny" suna dismissed her self-deprecating comments with a scoff 

"besides this keeps me motivated" he mumbled out with a content sigh as he pushed her thighs closer to his face

her hand lightly gripped his hair as she let him squish his face with her thighs. "i don't really get how this is motivating" she chuckled sheepishly

"of course you wouldn't, you're not the one feeling bliss right now" suna said, though his words were slightly muffled "alright then.." she nodded with a bit of hesitance as she felt him tremble a concerning amount 

"um. suna-kun, if you think your arms are about to give out, then maybe we should stop for now" she suggested with a smile as she tries to stand up from his back 

"nah, i can do this bunny" he declined in a nonchalant tone 

"suna , what the hell are you doing?" aran sweat dropped as he entered the gym "oh! he's doing the punishment push-ups, aran-kun" she explained with a smile as suna shakily lifts himself up once more "yeah i get that but-" 

"OI, SUNARIN! WHAT DO YOU THINK YER DOING?!" atsumu yelled as he hurriedly ran towards y/n. the blond picked her up from her armpits and carefully lowered her to the ground 

"ah, that's it. the motivation's gone. i can't do this anymore" suna sulked as he let himself drop facedown on the ground "eh? is your face okay?" she asked worriedly as suna rolled over, showing his forehead which had a reddish bruise forming 

"no." suna responded 

"good afternoon everyone, what happened here?" kita asked them as he entered the gym "suna-kun lost his motivation" she replied with a frown as she stared down at the brunette 

"i see." kita hummed in response "but that still doesn't excuse him from the punishment." 

"cruel" suna mumbled from the ground 

"ah, don't worry! i'll do the rest for you" she said with a bright smile as she gets down on the ground beside him "no, no. i don't think it works like that, y/n" aran dismissed her suggestion as he picks her up from the ground 

"its fine! he only had to do eighty more, after all" she chuckled as she waved her hand dismissively "i can do it quite quickly" 

"y/n-san, you shouldn't face his punishments for him." kita told her with a furrowed brows "after all, you've been a great manager to us, so you don't have to do anything but relax for now" 

she frowned from his words and gingerly poked suna's chest, seeing as he was making no effort to move from the ground "but then suna-kun might get too tired to hang out with me later.." she muttered sulkingly as she fiddled with the ends of her braids 

"yeah, kita-san" suna mused with an exaggerated pout and puppy eyes "i might not have enough energy to hang out with her" 

"suna, you monster" aran snickered as he watched kita have a crisis in his head 

"i.. i see." kita muttered in defeat "you can do what you want" 

"but you really don't have to-" 

"okay, it's your turn to get on my back then, suna-kun!" she said with a smile as she got in a push-up formation "huh? is that really necessary, bunny?" suna gulped nervously "you may not be able to carry me-" 

"alright!" she cut him off as she abruptly pulled him down to sit on her, "tsumu-kun, count for us please!" 

"right right!" atsumu nodded in excitement as he got down to cheer her on 

"you see this, samu?! y/n-chan could probably do this better than you!" atsumu laughed tauntingly 

"hah?! she's probably also better than you, fatsack!" osamu yelled back in aggravation 

"hah?! well atleast i'm better than you!" atsumu defended "we'll see about that" osamu scowled as he got down on the ground beside her 

"fine then, i'll just join to prove you wrong!" atsumu huffed as he too got ready to do push-ups 

"theres more of us now! that's great!" she cheered cluelessly as she gave the twins a grin "alright, i'll count" suna mused as he pulled out his phone to take a video 

"ready, set, go!" and thus, what was supposed to be a punishment had turned into a competition. 

"h-how many have we done?!" atsumu wheeze out as he felt his arms start to tremble "hm, about a hundred and fifty maybe" she answered him with a hum as she continued to push her self up and down from the ground 

"that's way more than needed!" atsumu whined 

"you could always give up if you can't do it, tsumu!" osamu taunted his twin, even though he was facing some troubles as well. 

"hmph, as if! this is easy!" atsumu boasted with a grin "i could do this in my sleep" 

"im glad to hear that, tsumu-kun!" she beamed happily "shall we do another hundred then?" 

atsumu's face dropped as she heard those words leave her mouth. his skin was turning ghostly pale as he nervously laughed in response. "a-another hundred?" he squeaked out 

"yep! suna-kun seems to be enjoying this quite a lot, after all" she said with a smile as she looked at the brunette 

suna was currently taking way too many selfies, which were all taken at a facebook mom angle, while he throws up peace signs and flipping off the twins "alright, now here we see the miya twins getting absolutely bodied by y/n." suna sneered to the camera as he zoomed in on the twins' faces 

"look at her! look at her go!" suna cheered with a playful smirk as he patted y/n's braided locks 

"the absolute best. spectacular. amazing. never been seen before. better than all of you." suna listed out

"yuh, get it best friend" suna chuckled as the twins finally gave up and let themselves drop on the ground 

"ah, over already?" she said "usually i would have to do a thousand for our typical training session with my friends" 

"your friends are not normal! who the heck does that?!" atsumu shrieked in horror "well, it doesn't matter now, doesn't it?" she laughed carefreely "you both did a very nice job!" 

she patted their heads with a proud smile as she handed them two towels to wipe off their sweat "thanks" the twins mumbled out with a droopy smile as they relished in her sweet and gentle touches 

"anyways.." she said as she abruptly retracted her hands, much to their displeasure, and turned to face suna "suna-kun, we can hang out now, now that that's done" she said in an eager tone as she excitedly rocked her heels back and forth 

"yup. thanks again bunny" suna said as he slung his arm around her shoulders "but you really didn't have to do that for me" he said with a lazy hum as he led her to the benches 

"oh, it's fine. it was honestly pretty easy-" 

she cut herself off as she was met with suna's face inching closer to her, while his hand reaches out to hold the side of her head "eh?" she squeaked out as she blinked to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.

'is he.. is he gonna kiss me?'   she thought to herself 

'im not ready!'  she panicked as she felt her face start to get hotter 

'no, no. im ready! i've been dreaming of this!'  she pondered with determination 

'suna-kun is gonna kiss me!'  she squealed internally  

'then afterwards, we can get married and live together and have a family of bunnies and hamsters! maybe we can adopt tanjiro and nezuko too-' 

"your hair's all messy" suna mumbled as he grazed his fingers through the long braid before finally taking the hair tie off at the ends 

"ah." she huffed out with a blank smile 

she sat still as he took off her other hair tie and started undoing and untangling her braids, leaving her long and thick pink and green hair flowing down in pretty waves upon her back

"turn around for me, bunny" suna commanded in a whisper as he patted her waist to turn "o-okay" she replied nervously as she obediently turned around and kept her hands on her lap 

"your hair's so pretty, bunny" suna whispered to her ear as he started combing his fingers through her soft locks "really? thank you, suna-kun" she mumbled out in gratitude as she flusteredly rubbed her hands and thighs together 

"and your hair colour's so adorable. makes you look so cute" suna cooed as he played with the ends of her hair 

"r-right.." she mumbled quietly as she covered her reddened face with her hands. silence had washed upon them along with the various voices of the team as suna started braiding one side of her head 

"where did you learn how to braid, suna-kun?" she asked in curiosity as she held down the other half of her hair "my sister made me do her hair all the time, so i just got better as time went by" suna explained with a shrug 

"can't say her hair was as nice as yours though" suna sighed "it was like a rat's nest with all the knots" 

her eyes shined in adoration as she heard his adorable reason. she gripped her pounding chest as hearts start surrounding her form "suna-kun, that's so sweet!" she squealed "i never expected that from you!" 

"guess so, hm?" suna mumbled out nonchalantly as he tied her hair in place 

'ah, just as i'd thought' she thought to herself 

'he's the perfect husband after all!'  she cried happily in her mind

"anyways, what'd you wanna do?" he asks her as he proceeded to braid the other side "hm, we could go to the same place kiyoomi-kun and i went to yesterday!" she suggested with a grin 

"he liked it, so im hoping you would as well" she hummed happily as suna ties the end of her braid 

"is that so?" suna hummed "where is this exactly?" he asked "its a secret hideout!" she said "but.. its only a wisteria garden and a private teahouse" she admitted 

"theres also a koi pond by the back, but kiyoomi-kun wasn't able to see it" she said "i was hoping to save it for you" she admitted bashfully 

"for.. me?" suna muttered in surprise 

"yeah.. i went there last night to prepare you food so we can eat by the pond and watch the sunset.." she mumbled "but i was also thinking of doing it at night since the fireflies would light our surroundings and it would look really pretty.." she hummed dreamily 

suna blinked dumbfoundedly as he listened to her ramble on and on about their planned hangout 

"but we could also-oh im sorry" she cut herself off with a nervous laugh "was i talking too much?" she asked nervously "sorry if i talked too much!" 

"people say i never shut up, so you can tell me when i'm annoying you" she waved her hands dismissively "you're not annoying me, bunny" suna said with a sigh 

he took her shaking hands in his and pulled her up to her feet. "let's go have that picnic you planned out, yeah?" suna asked with a small smile "wouldn't wanna let your efforts go to waste" he chuckled 

"okay.." she muttered as she hung her head low. her cheeks flushed a dark pink as she nipped at her lips to calm herself and her pounding heart. 

"y'know, your hands are really soft, y/n" suna said as he brought her hand up to his line of sight to further inspect it 

"a-ahm! please don't do that!" she laughed sheepishly as she retracted her hand and hid it behind her back "why? what's wrong, bunny?" suna asked worriedly as he stopped in his tracks to look at her 

"well, my hands aren't the prettiest so you shouldn't look at them for too long" she said with a shaky smile. suna furrowed his brows and frowned as he listened to her awfully degrading words. 

"they're the prettiest, bunny. i don't get what you're talking about" he said 

"well, my hands are super scarred because if sword fighting, and they're very nasty to look at" she said as she rocked on her heels "or so i've been told.." she muttered 

suna sighed and slumped his shoulders, stuffing his own hands in his pockets as they quietly continued on their way. her usual smile wasn't present as she kept her vision straight ahead. her hands stayed hidden behind her back as well. 

suna slyly side eyed her, debating in his head on what he would do, before coming to conclusion with a sigh "c'mon, im in the mood to eat" he said with a yawn 

he grabbed her hand and stuffed it in his pocket alongside with his. his thumb lightyly rubbing shapes on the scarred skin. 

'what is he doing?'  she thought to herself 

her eyes glistened as she put her other hand over her chest, her heart beating more erratically than before. "if we do this, you won't feel sad anymore right?" suna muttered as he looked away to avoid eyecontact 

"i think so.." she mumbled in reply 

"alright then, its settled" suna huffed out. "were walking like this starting now, kay?" 

"that way no one'll see your hands since you don't like it" he said. his olive green eyes peered at her as he put up a nonchalant facade to throw her off. 

'he's doing this all for me?'  she thought to herself 

'wow.. suna-kun really is the best' 

she smiled happily as she scooted closer to his side. suna sighed in relief as the skip in her step finally came back, as well as the sweet melody she always seems to hum. 

"are you happy now, bunny?" he asked her 

"yeah! and it's all thanks to you, suna-kun!" she said as she swayed her other hand back and forth while the other stays intertwined with his 

"glad i could help, bunny" 

"so this is giyuu's fish, and that one's rengoku-san's, that white one with red spot is uzui-kun's" she listed out 

"muichiro-kun's fish is dead because he forgot about it and it starved to death" she said 

"and this is mine!" she said as she pointed to a certain koi fish in the pond 

"i have no idea who those people are, but let me see yours.." suna scooted closer to the water and watched as the fish followed her finger, which she swirled around the water 

"i named him koi" she said with a smile as she lifted the fish out of the water "you named the koi fish koi?" suna sweat dropped 

"yup! and also because it means love" she explained "obanai-kun helped me name it.. he said it suited me as the owner" 

"it does suit you" he agreed with a nod 

"anyways, you better put him back or he'll die" suna said as he pointed to the fish in her palms which was flapping around in discomfort 

"ah! im sorry, koi-chan!!" she exclaimed as she gently placed it down on the pond "i forgot you can't breathe here!" she cried out as she leaned down to pet it gently with her finger 

"have some mochi!" she squeaked out in distress as she tried to feed it a whole ball of sakura mochi. she panicked even more as the fish declined her offering and opted to swim away 

"eh?! you don't like it?! are you mad at me?" she sulked as she gloomily placed the mochi on a lily pad and let it float away 

suna chuckled and pulled her back by her arm, letting her rest her back on his chest as she continued to sulk "you're adorable, bunny" he muttered with a soft laugh as he rested his chin on the crown of her head 

'so soft.'  suna thought to himself as he wrapped his arms around her.

"sorry about that, suna-kun" she said "koi-chan might hate me if i don't leave him some mochi on his lily pad like usual"

"though im starting to think he doesn't actually eat it and oba-chan just takes it out by morning.." she mumbled "hmm, im sure he eats it with his fish friends." suna said as to entertain her

"but now, we have to eat as well" he said as he took a mochi and shoved it in her mouth

"mmhm. thwanks suna-kun" she said through muffled words as she chewed the gummy treat. suna simply peered down at her, watching her eat with a single thought causing his mind to go in a frenzy

"should i do it.." he pondered out loud as he hesitantly brought his hands up to her face

"hm? do what- eh?" she blinked dumbly and looked up at him with curious doe eyes "what're you doing, suna-kun?" she asked him 

"hmm.. soft." he mumbled 

she blinked cluelessly as he kept on squishing and massaging her cheeks, lightly pinching the soft and plump tissue with a look of amazement 

"so soft." he mumbled once again as he pinched them one last time 

"hm.. what else should we do?" she asked him as she scooted away from him to face him properly. she smiled nervously as suna kept staring at her with his olive green eyes. 

his expression stayed monotonous, almost like he didn't care, but the bright and flowery aura surrounded him, said otherwise.

"should we walk home or take the train?" she asked him "the miya's residence and your home isn't really that far away, right?" she pondered 

"though, i don't want you to tire yourself out by walking" she said in concern "sorry, am i talking too much again?" she asked with an apologetic smile as she realised he still hasn't responded or moved an inch from his initial position 

"its fine, bunny." he spoke "i think i wanna walk home with you" he said as he stood up from the ground and dusted the bottom of his sweatpants 

"i'd like to hold your hand again" he admitted through a yawn as he stretched his arms over his head 

"eh? really?" she asked in disbelief 

"of course" suna reassured her "though, after this i'd like to see you training with a sword." he said "it'd be cool seeing you swing it around and deck some guys, yeah?" suna mused as he looked around the wisteria covered path 

"really? would you like to visit the dojo with me sometime?" she asked excitedly with a grin 

"sure, bunny" 

"i'd also like to meet whoever said your hands were ugly. i'll beat them up."

"ah, there's no need to" she chuckled nervously 

"so.." suna trailed off "wanna hold hands again?" 

"yes please."

[goddessofmischief]

Amora in Blue Monday: Headcanons

As a Kid

* Born in Vanaheim

* Her parents are █████ and █████

* When Odin first brings her to Asgard, Thor would be awkward around her

* She’s probably the one person he can’t charm

* So Loki immediately calls dibs like ‘my person’

* He’ll literally do whatever it takes to win her over

* Which ends up not being all that difficult

* Odin doesn’t want her to read so Loki just gives 24/7 access to his library

* Friendship begun

* Definitely wanted to be a Valkyrie as a kid

* Cried for a week when she found out they were extinct

Teenager

* Odin regrets everything

* He def thought that her being a magic user would be a good thing, because she’d marry Thor and it’d be like him and Frigga

* But whoops, she’s #TeamLoki

* Amora gets hopelessly bullied by Sif and the Warriors Three (except Hogun, who she has a book club with)

* Loki teaches her to fight

* Fandral gets really impressed by this and becomes her first-ever boyfriend

* They’re just really cute together and he’s sweet, but she dumps him for not knowing who Shakespeare is

* Absolutely demolishes Loki at chess

* Loki just knows she cheats

* Two magical teenagers who are secretly in love with each other = chaotic

* Awkward pranks

* Basically that scene in Prisoner of Azkaban when Hermione accidentally grabs Ron’s hand

* Loki starts having *feelings* * And reacts by shutting her out and being moody

* Romantic confession

* Basically the same dynamic as before but with obnoxious kissing and reading together while the other’s head rests on the other’s shoulder

* Loki reenacts the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet

* Thor thinks their relationship is incredible and can’t wait for her to be his sister-in-law

* Loki *throws a fit at a ceremonial occasion*

* Thor: *gestures vaguely at Amora* go fix him

* They’re about to be legal adults on Asgard, they’re gonna get married, everything is going great

* But oh boy

* Trouble up ahead

* Odin springs the engagement

Adult

* Loki sulks in his room for two weeks

* Refuses to see anyone until Amora slides a note under his door

* She just kinda sits on his bed with him for awhile, holds his hand and tells him everything’s gonna be okay

* Amora goes to talk to Thor

* Thor is honestly really mad because even though he had a tiny crush on her when they were like sixteen, he doesn’t feel that way anymore

* And it probably wasn’t because he actually loved her, it was more about the fact that she was the Most Beautiful Woman in Asgard™

* So they agree to break it off

* There’s a lot of trickery involved with wrecking the engagement but I won’t spoil it

* Once she and Thor break Odin’s proposed engagement, they have the softest and greatest friendship

* Literally just making jokes about Loki all the time

* Amora, Thor and Hogun are the chaotic trio the world deserves, tbh

* Loki’s about to propose

* Whoops, more trouble up ahead

* Because the Trials are happening

* What are the Trials, you may ask? You’ll wish you hadn’t

* It’s a series of competitions held to determine the Asgardian Captain of the Guard

* Amora wants this so badly

* Guess what? So does Loki

* Who is a terrible loser

* Amora really wants to win so that she can actually prove herself as part of the Royal Family, and not just for marrying a prince

* Loki wants to win so he can command the army and be equal to Thor

* A lot of fighting occurs over this

* Loki thinks she should drop out

* Amora thinks he should drop out

* Amorki’s in trouble, you guys

* Not much more can be revealed because plot, but I will take specific questions if anyone wants to know anything about these guys, I love ‘em

[bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture]

One Thought, Only Video Game. (That still hasn’t announced its early release date plox I just wanna play please :cry:)

I guess while I’m sulking I can continue the reread or something. 

[No. 15 - Vs.]

So we’re back at the yacht with the crew, the boat still being surrounded by villains who have yet to approach. Mineta is freaking out about Izuku’s plan from last chapter to fight the villains in the water, saying that Izuku’s contradicting himself after implying that the villains are strong enough to kill All Might. He then suggests their only hope is to hide until heroes show up to rescue them.

Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of Mineta hate in the fandom, and did participate in it more earlier on. But the more time I actually take a look at his character, the more I realize that he’s actually got some great potential as the straight man / reality ensues to the rest of the cast who play to their shounen setting more faithfully. If you just cut out most of the perversion and worked in more scenes of him commenting on the shounen setting in a semi-meta function (like not outright referencing comics or anything, just the ‘this is crazy!’ from a IRL view on shounen shenanigans), he could have been a lot of fun, maybe even played off of Aoyama or sommat. 

Alas, that is not what we got. But maybe, in the course of this reread, I can pick apart the stuff about Mineta that could make the base for a good character, and maybe I can eventually use those pieces to make a new Mineta, a likeable Mineta. That’d be a crowning point in my career to be sure.

But yeah, like, Mineta kind of has a point here from a non-shounen POV - 'If these guys are strong enough to fight the top hero and possibly kill them, then maybe we shouldn't try fighting them ourselves when we're newbies and just try and keep away until actual trained heroes show up.' Like, their specific situation makes it impossible even without envoking shounen stuff, but, strictly speaking, he’s not wrong here. 

Anyways, Izuku sort of completely glosses over Mineta’s panic, instead turning his attention to the villains and remarking that all of said villains are suited to aquatic combat. Mineta complains about Izuku ignoring him, but Tsuyu catches on to Izuku’s point - the ringleaders must have recruited their team knowing about the USJ’s different environments. Izuku determines that their intel had told them that much, but with how careful all their planning had been, one odd point sticks out - they warped Tsuyu into the flood zone.

There’s a moment of silence between the three before Tsuyu tells Izuku to take his time, and Mineta just demands Izuku’s point. Izuku exhales and apologizes, then clarifies his point - the villains must not know about the class’ quirks! Tsuyu has a moment of surprise as the manga briefly flashes back to Tsuyu’s comment in the classroom about being at home in a flood. Tsuyu concedes his point - if they’d known about her frog powers, they’d have dumped her into the fire zone.

Izuku determines that because the villains didn’t know about their quirks, the strategy to handling them became ‘scatter and overwhelm them with numbers.’ Mineta’s shown sweating in fear as Izuku continues - the villains have the three beat in numbers and experience, so there’s only one way to win - exploit the lack of knowledge about their quirks. He then points out how the villains not trying to get on board supports his theory, while then thinking to himself how that also means that the villains aren’t underestimating them.

Now we get some fun quirk talk! And Mineta being Mineta. Sigh.

Tsuyu’s quirk is pretty versatile! She can jump high, stick to walls, stretch her tongue up to twenty meters (and wield it like a prehensile limb, as we’ve seen already). She can also ‘spit up her stomach to clean it’, which was something debated in the NWA server for a bit before we determined that it meant that she can just throw up on command, not that she actually expels her stomach like a starfish or sommat. Finally, she can secrete a poisonous fluid, though ‘poison’ is a stretch when it really just stings a little.

Mineta gets hung up on the ‘secrete’ part (why), while Tsuyu notes the last two aren’t that useful, so just forget about them. Izuku notes that she’s strong and that he underestimated her. Izuku then explains a bit about his own quirk - mostly just ‘super strength but after I use it it messes me up, basically a double edged sword.’ Which, simple, but to the point.

Mineta silently pulls off one of his hair orb thingies and sticks it to the wall of the yacht, then explains that the balls are really sticky, and that if he’s feeling good, it’ll last all day. New ones grow in where the old ones were on his head, but if he pulls too many, he starts bleeding. They bounce off of his own body without sticking to him.

(I will give him credit here, the wording for his explanation for his quirk is not skeevy as it’s made out to be in the dub. For all we know from this, it could just mean ‘in good health’ or ‘in a generally positive headspace / mood,’ not… other stuff.)

Anyways, after four panels of silence, Mineta freaks out and repeats his statement that they have to wait to be rescued, and that his quirk is terrible for fighting multiple opponents. Izuku tries to calm him down, saying that it’s a great quirk, they just have to think of how to make use of it. 

The yacht gets attacked by one of the villains, water slamming up the middle and basically ripping a massive hole through the middle. The villain states he’s getting bored and ‘let’s finish this thing’, his arms reforming / part of the water. Tsuyu notes the villain is strong, and managed to split the boat in two, all while the three of them try to hold on to each other and keep from sliding down the now angled deck they’re on.

Mineta, in tears, does a but of a battle cry and starts tossing his quirk balls into the water below, all three students and all the villains watching on silently as said balls sploosh in. Mineta freaks out some more as he turns to Izuku and points out how nothing seemed to be accomplished, while Izuku is stressed that Mineta’s panic gave away his quirk to the enemy. Izuku then realizes that no, the villains are on guard now, trying to splash the balls away without touching them. A plan sparks in Izuku’s mind. Down below, that shark villain notes that the kids only have a minute before the boat sinks and they’re all chum.

Again, Mineta proving to be a surprisingly apt straight man to the other two. Why aren’t those two scared? They were just middle school kids not all that long ago, why are they in a life or death situation so soon? (And then he ruins it with being a pervert. Sigh.)

At the same time, Tsuyu kind of has a point as well. They all came to UA to be heroes, and the fact that they signed up for it and got in by fighting robots kind of weights those who get in more towards the side of people who are likely to see trouble and jump in rather than those who run away. So Mineta being entirely cowardly and wanting to run and hide sort of… belies his purpose being in the hero course at all.

And then of course the second half of this page, just as good as the first:

Another moment of Pro Hero Deku, Symbol of Hope shining through early Izuku’s nerves and doubts. You can see the moment Mineta realizes Izuku is just as scared as he is, but is acting in spite of it. Which will in short order inspire Mineta for his part of the plan to make their escape.

Another small thing that I really find interesting from this is the choice of quote Izuku pulls from All Might’s documentary - ‘The moment when the enemy thinks they’ve won represents your best chance.’ This is something that actually comes up several times going forward in the manga - most notably, All Might’s fight with AFO at Kamino, wherein he fakes having nothing left in order to make AFO’s guard drop, then uses all his strength to take AFO out in one shot.

I think, though, that this interview came before All Might’s first fight with AFO, since I doubt he had much time or interest in them after his injury. And in turn, I think this might be a small hint to All Might’s first fight with AFO, even if not intentional - I wouldn’t be surprised if AFO thought All Might was defeated after that blow to his stomach, but All Might managed to surprise him and take him out while he was overconfident in his victory.

Am I reading too much into random little things again? Probably! But it’s fun.

We get a little bit of a view from the villain’s side of things, with one villain commenting on the ‘little one’ whining and how the kids ar a bunch of babies. The villain who took out the boat, who seems to be the leader of their group, I guess? Says Shigaraki said not to get careless - it’s not their age that matters, but their quirks… and clearly the villain’s quirks have the advantage in the water.

And then we get Izuku enacting the plan. What’s the plan, you ask?

Do what Kacchan would do, of course.

One of the villains scoffs and determines Izuku’s just a dumb kid, and that as soon as he lands, they’ll gut him. Izuku, meanwhile, is thinking about how no matter how big a smash he pulls, the villains have them surrounded, so he can’t hit them all. He also determines that even if they make it out of the flood zone, there’s more villains to worry about, so he can’t afford to sacrifice a whole arm. As he starts falling towards the water, he has his fingers prepped with power and ready to flick, frantically muttering to himself to keep the egg from exploding. 

Back on the deck of the ship, Tsuyu is poised to leap, Mineta tucked under her arm. Mineta is internally stressed over how he saw Izuku shaking, he knows Izuku’s as scared as he is, so how??? Meanwhile, Izuku calls out his attack - a Delaware Smash - and, well.

RIP to that glove. And the Flood Zone. And his finger. 

The villains are all blasted away with the water, while Izuku swears over his busted finger before calling out to Tsuyu and Mineta. Tsuyu leaps from the deck, grabbing Izuku around the waist with her tongue as she soars past. We get a rather graphic up close shot of Izuku’s finger, bloodied and bent backwards from where it should be. Very graphic, what the fuck.

Mineta’s reaction to the sight is shock, followed by him shouting again and throwing a ton of his quirk balls into the water, all while thinking about how Izuku is always doing the coolest things. Mineta just keeps tossing them in among the villains as he notes that that’s all he can do in comparison. 

The water starts to get sucked back into the middle by gravity and the vacuum from the blast, dragging the villains and the quirk balls, with the latter sticking to the former, and in turn sticking the villains to each other. The villains freak out that the balls are sticking to them and can’t be removed, and then in being stuck together in one massive blob. 

As the villains are all sucked into the middle, Izuku explains that by delivering a strong shock to the water’s surface, it spread,s and once it rushes back into the center…

Tsuyu’s one-liner count: like ten at this point, IDK I haven’t been counting. She’s just taking every chance she gets and running with it.

And I love Tsuyu’s little ‘good job’ to the other two for their parts in the plan. What a great little moment to end the chapter on. See y’all next time on ‘Shigaraki continues to traumatize school kids.’

[writing-wrxngs]

Snowfall

(Here’s something nice after that rough angst. Usually after I write something that’s really angsty I HAVE to make something really nice and comforting just to balance things in my brain, and to soften the blows for the angst I write)

What was supposed to be a fun night out had been canceled, what with the snow falling too hard and the wind whipping too hard for anyone to leave the house. Techno and Wilbur took the loss well, as they were plenty old enough to understand the severity of the storm, but Tommy was upset.

When he was first told that they would have to stay in for the night, he was almost inconsolable. Phil had long given up on trying to get Tommy out of those sort of hissy fits, since usually they would taper off on their own once Tommy realized he wasn’t going to get his way. At least this time the situation was out of his hands so he didn’t feel as bad for it. He was just the bearer of bad news. Instead, he let himself be unfazed by it, until the boy stormed off to his room to sulk. It was at that point now, and Phil made a note of the time. If Tommy was still upset in an hour or so, he’d go up and check on him.

Until then, he busied himself with indoor things, small tasks around the house that he’d been neglecting and the like. Meanwhile, Wilbur and Techno sat close to the fire, reading books and doing homework, trying their best to be busy, too. Phil watched as Wilbur pondered a question on his paper, before moving closer to ask Techno. Techno pushed his glasses up onto his face and took the paper from Wilbur’s hand, reading it himself. At the distance the two were from each other, it struck Phil. Despite all the differences they had now, everything they did to make themselves stand apart from each other, they still looked so alike. Of course, it would never be how it was when they were young, but they certainly would always share some things. The observation made him chuckle.

The two whipped their heads to the sound. “What’s so funny?” Wilbur asked.

Phil just shook his head. “It was nothing, son. Don’t worry about it,” he said, going back to his own work. He’d let his two eldest do their work in peace.

After that strange interruption, Wilbur turned his attention back to Techno, who was explaining the question on his homework to him. He listened, and finally understood it. That was the nice thing about Techno being the same age as him. He was doing the same things as him, and they were fresh in his mind since he did them at the same time. Best of all, Techno seemed to be good at everything Wilbur wasn’t. Wilbur could say the same, but not to the same extent. This was mostly just because Techno didn’t have many things he wasn’t great at. If there was, he simply didn’t do them. Regardless, both of them appreciated the way they seemed to work so well for each other. Once Techno finished explaining things, Wilbur nodded in understanding. Another thing was since Techno actually knew him, better than any teacher ever could, the terms in which he explained things were ones Wilbur was more comfortable in. Once that roadblock was passed, the two did their work in silence again, the only sound being that of the fireplace. Usually they did their work up in their room at their desks, but a cold night like this called for the warmth of the fire. And honestly, they also did it because if they did it there, they’d be doing it together, making up for the time they were supposed to spend together going out. The fire was higher than usual, trying its hardest to compensate for the harsh winter weather, and the flames danced in the reflections coming off from the twin’s glasses.

The hour passed, and Phil went upstairs to talk to Tommy. Wilbur watched as not much after, he returned down the stairs, exasperated. “Tommy still moping about up there?” he asked.

The exasperated sigh Phil gave was answer enough.

“Lemme see if I can cheer him up,” he said, getting up. “I’ve gotta put my homework away anyways,” he added.

Phil shrugged in response. “Go ahead, he’s still pretty bummed out. Maybe you can work your magic on him,” he joked.

Work your magic. That was Phil-speak for Wilbur’s charm. Sure, Wilbur was a smoother talker extraordinaire, and if he wanted to, he could convince a man with no legs into walking again. But Tommy, Tommy was a different story. That boy hung on Wilbur’s every word, regardless of what he was actually saying. This was a fact Wilbur knew well. He loved it, because as much as he hated to admit it, Tommy was an alright kid. He loved that little shit. Feeling adored is a great feeling, and he was happy to indulge his young devotee for more of it. A plan already forming in his head, Wilbur climbed up the stairs.

Like he had said, he first went to his room to put away his homework, and then went to Tommy’s. He didn’t knock, but walked in quietly.

Tommy was on his bed, sitting with his knees tucked up by his chest with his arms crossed. Sulking. He didn’t move to acknowledge Wilbur, but certainly noticed him there.

“Still sad we got snowed in?” Asked Wilbur.

With a small frown, Tommy nodded. “It’s not fair,” he said. “We were gonna have so much fun and now we can’t…”

Putting on his usual smile, Wilbur looked at Tommy. “Who says we can’t? There’s lots of things we can do!”

“It’s all the same thiiing though,” Tommy whined.

Wilbur took Tommy’s hand and pulled him out of bed. “You’re just letting yourself get stuck in a rut, Tommy. If you think outside the box, you can find something to do.”

Trying his best not to fall as he got pulled out of bed, Tommy yelped. He tried to say something but just stuttered out a few sounds, shocked as he was dragged along into Wilbur’s room. “Wil, what are we gonna do?” he asked, finally able to compose himself.

“Just wait a minute,” Wilbur said, going over to his desk to rifle through the drawers. He found what he was looking for, a flashlight. He tossed a coat of his to Tommy. “Put that on,” he told him.

Tommy did as he was told, watching as Wilbur then moved across the room to Techno’s desk, looking through those drawers, too.

“Perfect,” Wilbur whispered to himself as he found the second flashlight he was looking for. After that, he grabbed another coat of his and put it on. “Come on, we’re getting on the roof.”

Running over to the window to meet his brother, Tommy let out a small gasp. “You can go out there? It’s safe?”

Wilbur chuckled. “Course you can. I go out there all the time. It’s nice out there.”

“What do you do out there?” Tommy asked.

The answer sat underneath Wilbur’s mattress. A pack of cigarettes, one that slowly dwindled away with occasional smoke breaks the teenager took. With a crooked smile, Wilbur said, “just to get out sometimes. Once in a while it’s just nice to get a break from this house.”

Tommy nodded in understanding. “Get some fresh air,” he chimed in.

“Yeah,” Wilbur said, trying not to chuckle at the irony of the boy’s statement. He slid the window open, confident in it’s silence. He knew that the window never squeaked, never made a noise in protest of being open, never got stuck in its tracks. He climbed through first onto the roof, the cold taking him by surprise after staying in the warmth of the house for so long. He helped Tommy through the window and closed it behind him. The snow would get in if he didn’t. It was easy to open the window from the outside, anyways. Wilbur often thought how odd and borderline unsafe it was to have a window so easily accessible facing out to the low roof above the front porch of the house. A front porch that was easily climbable. Wilbur also didn’t care all that much because, in his teenage selfishness, these conditions were advantageous to him.

Scrunching up his face against the snow, Tommy looked to Wilbur. “So what are we gonna do up here?” He asked, curiosity finally taking hold of him.

Passing a flashlight to Tommy, Wilbur instructed him to lay down on the roof and turn on the flashlight. As his brother did so, so did he. When you look up at snow that is falling down quickly, they almost look like stars. Stars you’re flying though. The flashlights made this effect more obvious. “Doesn’t it look like we’re flying through space?” he asked.

Gasping as the idea clicked in his brain, Tommy nodded. “It does! But why are we flying through space?” the boy asked, baiting Wilbur into giving him a story. That was his favorite thing Wilbur did; taking a little thing they did together and spinning a whole saga out of them.

Secretly, Wilbur knew that's what Tommy was doing. The kid wasn’t sneaky. In fact, Tommy didn’t have a subtle bone in his body. He hummed in thought. “Well, I’m a space explorer, looking for faraway lands that have never been discovered before. To speak to new alien races. Captain Wilbur. And you, Tommy, you’re my lieutenant.”

“What’s a l-lieu-lieu,” Tommy struggled. He always struggled with big words, despite the fact he was getting too old for such things. Everyone just hoped he’d eventually grow out of it and were thankful that no one at school bothered him about it.

“Second in command,” Wilbur explained, cutting off the stuttering. “My right hand man.”

The concept made Tommy downright giddy. Those lines were all the boy needed to be enraptured in the story. He made spaceship noises for himself and he listened intently to the more complex parts of the story that Wilbur weaved. He reacted when Wilbur gave him something to react to, and rolled with whatever he was given.

After a few minutes, the two brothers were both caught up in the story. Laughing and moving the flashlights around as if on cue, completely devoted to the creation. Tommy had completely forgotten how he felt the beginning of the night. Wilbur could tell, in the few moments he stopped playing the game and checking on Tommy. His cheeks were more flushed from laughter than from the cold, and his mind was obviously completely somewhere else. He definitely worked his magic, that's for sure.

The only reason they stopped was the sound of the window being slammed open breaking their illusion. “You’re gonna get yourself a lecture and a half if Dad finds out you brought Tommy out there, Wil,” said Techno’s voice, cutting through the wind.

Turning to the window, Wilbur frowned. “I know.”

“Technoblade, we were having fun!” Tommy retorted from beside Wilbur.

Techno rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you were, but if you get caught it’ll be a far worse end than me telling you to come in.”

How was Techno always right? Wilbur sighed in defeat. I guess someone had to be the responsible brother. “You have a point there. Come on Tommy, let’s get in. You better not catch a cold from this either,” he joked. After climbing back through the window, he helped Tommy back through.

Despite not liking the fun being cut off, Tommy was still smiling. “I won’t!” he chimed, already running out of the room to his own.

Chuckling at the sight, Techno shook his head. “How do you do it?” He asked.

Wilbur shrugged. “I dunno. Him and I just sorta click. He can be annoying as all hell, but he’s a good kid. I know his buttons better than anyone here.”

He didn’t quite understand what that meant, but Techno nodded. Tommy, of course, was his little brother, too, but they weren’t close in that same way. He still cared, but maybe it was just that the way he showed he cared didn’t mesh the same way Wilbur’s did. “Well, I don’t get it, but it’s definitely a good thing. Someone’s gotta be able to push those buttons.”

“Yeah, I’m just happy it’s me. He pushes my buttons the same way,” Wilbur said with a chuckle. He had never thought of it like that. Regardless, he had been able to cheer Tommy up, and to his surprise, he had a good night himself. Sure, it wasn’t what had been planned, but the night had been salvaged. And that was something he was proud of.

[lesbianavatarverseimagines]

You Left Me - Part 1 of 2

Pre-Redeemed!Princess Azula x Reader

Anon Asked:

Could you do an AzulaxReader where the reader grew up with both of the royal children and always kept them in place, especially Azula, knowing that she had mommy issues? As they get older and grow closer, the reader is suddenly declared dead after her war ship is blown up before Azula is named Firelord, which is the last strike to Azula losing her mind during the final battle? Thanks AJ! 

The events will be stretched out so that I can make them older during the canon events!

(A/N: I’m kind of surprised by the requests I got overnight, but I love it! Thank you everyone! I love you guys! The next one will either by Mai, Kyoshi, or Rangi! If I’m up to the task, I may even do all three haha - AJ)

***

It all started with my parents selling baby me to Fire Lord Azulon. Apparently they needed money that bad and wanted me to have a 'better life' knowing damn well I would probably become a palace servant. However, the Fire Lord seemed to take pity on me after learning that I was a firebender at the young age of 2, when I started learning to cook. After I impressively firebreathed at my caretaker, who refused to give me a chili pepper, he immediately heard of the incident and placed me in the care of General Iroh, who was to train and teach me the arts of firebending.

At the impressive age of 5, I’d mastered fire using non-conventional forms. I studied waterbending and airbending forms and used those to make me more effective as a master of the arts. I also took great pride in Iroh’s teachings of the mind, body, and soul. It opened my eyes to the great things I could accomplish if I had the ambition. I was also introduced to Prince Zuko and Princess Azula, the royalty that I'd be personally guarding once my training was finished. They both latched onto to me very quickly, as I had that playful charm, but a powerful aura that made them feel safe. 

***

By the time I hit 8, I was made the personal guard of the prince and princess. 

“You are to guard them with your life and keep them in line, behaviorally and training-wise, Private L/n. They are to respect you as they would me. You know what to do if they do not.” Fire Lord Azulon had told me during my official inducting ceremony. I bowed, honored to have been given a position that thousands of so-called 'masters' fought so vehemently for.

As soon as I was dismissed, I ran to the courtyard where Azula and Ty Lee were doing somersaults. Mai was sitting against a tree fiddling with her fingers while Zuko walked with his mother, Ursa. As I walked over to the three girls to tell them the news, I watched Azula fail to stick her landing. As a result, she retaliated when Ty Lee landed perfectly by pushing her to the ground. I stopped walking once I reached them and gave Azula a stern look.

“Azula, you need to stop being mean to your friends. Just because you’re a princess doesn’t mean that your behavior is acceptable.” I grunted out. She stopped laughing after seeing that I was completely serious and helped Ty Lee from the ground, apologizing after. Azula then skipped over to me and gave me a hug before waving her friend over.

We huddled together for a second before she whispered, “Watch this.” She skipped over to Ursa and urged her to let Zuko play with us. Once he came over, Azula demonstrated the ‘game’ that we would be playing. “We have to try to knock the apple off the other person’s head, like this!”

She shot an orange flame at Mai’s head and caught the apple on fire, prompting Zuko to panic and save Mai from catching on fire. However, he ended up tackling her into a water fountain that was behind them. Azula, Ty Lee, and I laughed and started cooing them until they walked away in embarrassment.

***

At the age of 11, we all learned that General Iroh’s son had passed away during battle and that Iroh was coming home. It hit home for me, as Lu Ten acted as my older brother after I was taken in as Iroh’s pupil. Time seemed to pass by very fast until I was suddenly in the throne room of the palace with Prince Ozai, Prince Zuko, Princess Ursa, Princess Azula. Ozai had requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon to show the advancement of his children’s skills.

As usual, Azula excelled like a master in the making, but Zuko wasn’t at the same level yet. In the end of it, Azulon ordered me to escort the kids out of the room for a private discussion with Ozai.

While we walked out, Azula grabbed my hand and we all snuck back in to listen. I didn’t really pay attention to the heated conversation between father and son, as I was solely focused on the princess’ hand in mine. At some point, a frightened Zuko ran out, but Azula and I stayed until the discussion was over.

We ended up walking to my room, which was between theirs. After I closed the door, I sunk to the floor. I never got to express my grief about Lu Ten’s death because I was constantly expected to never show deep emotion. I forgot that Azula had come in with me, so she watched as I quietly broke down in sobs. It almost surprised me when she sat next to me and cradled my shoulders in comfort, knowing that I was going through a hard time. She didn’t say anything even after I was done and helped me out of my armor and into bed. 

“Get some sleep, Y/n. A lot of things are going to be happening tomorrow.” She said as she walked out and closed the door.

***

At the age of 13, Fire Lord Ozai challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai, making me jump up during the war council to object, as it was my sole duty to defend the prince, no matter who it was to. “No! As my duties pertain, I am the one who will participate in this Agni Kai! The prince shall not be harmed, my Lord!”

Fire Lord Ozai widened his eyes for a split second, surprised that one his most trusted and obedient guards was speaking out against him, during a war meeting nonetheless.

He fumed. “It may be your duty to protect Prince Zuko, but he needs to learn discipline! I will give you a day to train him before the challenge, but that is the only mercy I will give. Now, take him and get out of my sight, Private L/n!”

I grabbed Zuko by the upper arm and pulled him up. I then dragged him out of the throne room that had noticeably grown hotter in temperature.

Once we were far away enough, I led him to the training grounds and punched a purple fireball at him, catching him off-guard. He yelled and dropped flat on the ground, narrowly avoiding the flames. “What are you doing?!”

I angrily got into my stance. I bent my arm to where my right elbow was next to my ear with my fist parallel to the side of my face. My left arm stuck out like a punch, except my hand was opened rather than in a fist. It matched Zuko’s stance since he took inspiration from me and wanted us to have an identical fighting style.

“Fight me.” I growled angrily. “Iroh and I warned you not to speak up during the council, yet you did! Show me what you’ll do during the Agni Kai, Zuko!”

He shakily got up, realizing how angry he’d made me. He got into his stance and sent weak firelashes toward me, not putting enough momentum behind his strikes. I cut through the fire in a rage, not caring that it was burning my skin. How dare he be so weak when he had an Agni Kai tomorrow!

I firebreathed at him with what sounded close to a dragon roar. The flames spread everywhere as my anger only rose. “Y/N!” Solid arms wrapped around me, cooling me down a little bit. Azula yelled through the roaring, “Y/N, STOP! YOU’RE HANDS ARE BLEEDING!”

I listened to her on command and realized that I had obliterated most of the training equipment. Zuko was lying on the pavement again, cowering in fear while Azula held me in place. Wetness ran down my face uncontrollably. My brother would be no match for the general he was to face and I wouldn’t be able to protect him. Another person I care about would die tomorrow along with my honor.

How dare he?!

***

At the age of 16, I was promoted to captain and given my own ship to command. By this age, I'd begun to hate Fire Lord Ozai with a passion.

A while ago, during the Agni Kai, everyone was surprised when they found out that Zuko would be fighting his father rather than the general he spoke out against. When Zuko bowed and started begging for his life as Ozai approached him, I’d gotten up and almost ran on stage until the same solid pair of arms wrapped around me and held me in place again.

“I’m sorry, Y/n, but he has to do this on his own.” Azula had said. As much as I’d grown to love her, I had to disagree. He couldn’t do this on his own. He was a child, as were we.

I flinched away from the memory, focusing on my current mission at hand. I was to find Zuko and bring him back to the capital, as he and Iroh were both apparently traitors. Honestly though, how surprising. You give him a huge scar and then banish him, expecting him to remain loyal to you?!

I scoffed in contempt. Once I completed that task, we were to find and retrieve the Avatar, dead or alive, which was something I was wholeheartedly against.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead as a familiar voice spoke out from behind me.

“Are you just going to sit in here and sulk all day, or are you going to train with me?” I heard Azula say from the doorway of my room. I chuckled and turned around to see her giving me that signature smirk.

Azula was to be the successor of Ozai instead of Zuko, as she was the promising prodigy. Ozai tried turning her into a monster, but I was the line that he couldn’t cross. Part of the reason why he promoted me was to get me away from her so that he could turn her, but she always found a way to be at my side and get my advice. I knew she was a ticking time bomb due to the level of her father's abuse, but I loved her too much to leave her on her own. I wouldn’t let her turn into her father so long as I was alive. And that was what I worried about these days.

I smiled and bowed, to which she snorted. “Of course, O’Princess Azula. We shall duel!”

She came over and kissed my cheek before grabbing my hand to lead me away from my thinking. “I am glad that you think of me so highly, Captain Y/n.”

***

After I’d turned 19, Sozin’s comet was nearly here. I was to participate in the raid on all of the nations and burn it all to the ground. I, of course, wasn't going to do that and had joined Team Avatar to stop Ozai. 

Azula didn’t know that I switched sides, as her father sent me away a couple months ago on a ‘scouting mission’ before declaring her Fire Lord and then declaring himself Phoenix King. I knew that she would be stressed under the weight of the title without me there, so I tried my damndest to go back to her and convince her to switch sides. However, fate decided differently. 

An explosion rocked my ship and soon sent me spiraling into blackness.

I’ll find my way back to you, Azula. Before it’s too late for you.

***

(3rd POV)

As soon as Azula learned of your death, she broke. Her mental state completely broke into pieces right before her.

She banished everyone from the palace and went into a frenzied state, seeing you and her mother everywhere she looked. She’d just got done cutting her hair when she looked in the mirror and saw you smiling. Illusion!You didn’t even have to say anything for her to start crying uncontrollably. Why did the fates have to be so cruel? You should be here ruling at her side!

When she blinked, it was her mother, Ursa, standing in your place, telling her that she was loved. A brush was thrown at the mirror and shattered the glass on impact.

After Azula got dressed and went outside for her coronation, the ceremony was stopped by her annoying brother, Zuko, and Katara, the Water Tribe peasant.

"You want to be Fire Lord? Fine, let's settle this. Just you and me, brother, the showdown that was always meant to be; Agni Kai!"

Zuko agrees to the challenge after seeing that something was off about her.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother." Azula growls out.

"No you're not."

***

Once the battle was over and Azula was in chains, she started thrashing around while screaming and crying. "Y/N!" She sobs. "WHY?!"

Why did you have to leave me?

***

End of Part 1.

(A/N: I hope you enjoyed!! I actually cried a little bit with this one. Azula deserves a redemption, so I'm gonna give her one since they did her dirty in the comics ;). Azula is 18 at the end of this but will be 19 in the next part, while you'll be 20. Part 2 will most likely be uploaded later today 8/15/20!)

As always, REQUESTS ARE OPEN.

[obeymeluv]

Every Little Piece - Leviathan x Reader

This is so long, holy wow! I hope you like it, I tried! Levi’s character is kind of hard for me T_T

»»————-　　————-«« »»————-　　————-««

Levi certainly has a new appreciation for the phrase ‘blood, sweat, and tears.’ after he receives an unexpected birthday present from the human normie he TOTALLY HASN’T FALLEN FOR.

»»————-　　————-«« »»————-　　————-««

Levi’s birthday was in two weeks and you had no idea what to get him. Were birthdays different in the Devildom? They didn’t sound different (except for the food). The days whittled down as you helped the brothers work jobs and studied for school. You didn’t mean to avoid getting him a present but you were worried you’d get something terrible. Leviathan’s birthday would be your first-ever Devildom birthday and he wasn’t the most social brother so what were you supposed to do?

You don’t think he hated you. He just wasn’t…upfront about his feelings. Leviathan was painfully shy and all you really knew was he liked video games (you were getting to know the flying Akuzon pigs), had a stash of suckers Beelzebub could never find, and adored Ruri-chan. He’d texted you several times to be his ‘package lookout’ and had designated you as a substitute signee so that had to mean something, right?

Standing in front of your calendar like a zombie, marker in hand, it hit you in the face all over again. Levi’s birthday’s in one week. You couldn’t hide behind the excuse of ‘needing more Grimm.’ You had to do something! Doing nothing was the absolute worst thing because then Levi would think you hated him and you didn’t but he’d be crushed and—

“Would you like to join me?” Lucifer materialized in your doorway, nearly giving you a stroke. The marker tore up through the calendar, a streak jumping across the month. With a wheeze and a white-knuckled grip you turned to glare at the second-most powerful demon in Devildom. Lucifer was infuriatingly pretty at any given time but he was just infuriating with that smug grin on his face. He seemed to sense your dilemma and closed the space between you to analyze the calendar.

His lips turned in the smallest smile, an odd sensation warming his heart as he took in the crudely drawn cake and the ‘L’ in the corner. “I’ve arranged a small buffet for Levi’s birthday and need to sample some things. Care to join me?”

Levi’s taste were very different from yours—one of his favorite foods were brains!—but you suspected Lucifer was giving you the opportunity you’d been looking for (and dreading). “I can,” you capped the marker, frowned at the smudge of color on your hand, and smoothed your shirt.

“Perfect,” Lucifer offered his arm, picking up your purse as he whisked you into town. His presence was enough to guarantee your safety and you took solace in the fact as you looked around. The brothers had taken you into town a few times but you never really got the chance to see anything beyond the places they liked to eat and shop at. Was he walking slowly for your benefit or was this a rare treat for him? You were pleasantly surprised at the history behind the cobblestone streets, chic buildings, and several cafes you’d never noticed.

He stopped at one in particular, held the door open, and followed you inside. You expected it to be busy but perhaps this was a private appointment? “You can look around but please don’t touch anything and don’t go outside without me.” his voice was cordial but pointed. Almost like a lecture even though you didn’t do anything wrong. Lucifer’s eyes were dark but glinted with trust.

You searched for interesting knickknacks and struggled to place the décor—old-style French?—as Lucifer talked about dishes and the clanking of spoons began. There was only so much to look at and you soon found yourself staring out the storefront windows. Across the street someone danced in front of you. You rubbed your eyes, not sure if you were tired or if they really were dancing…shimmering like heat coming off pavement in the summertime.

That meant magic, right? You were pretty sure you’d just watched a spell happen, or some kind of shield go up. It was hard to see the shopkeeper but you felt compelled to go over there. Lucifer would never let you, you knew, and the creeping urgency grew from a whine to a wail as the minutes ticked by. It morphed into a mild panic, like you must go over there or you’d simply burst!

Did anyone else feel this?! Lucifer and the owner were nowhere to be found but you could hear them discussing flavors down the hall. There was the sound of a heavy door and footsteps. You took a chance and slipped out of the shop. No big deal, you’d be back in under five minutes, right?

The magic twinkled as you drew closer, like a flossy haze that parted to let you through. He was in a wooden booth with shelves that stretched along what used to be an alleyway. Or…what you’re sure had been an alleyway. There was something homely about this space, as if this had been a shop forever. Urgency and compulsion quashed, you took a moment to breathe and scan the shelves for anything Ruri-chan. Anything Levi would like, really.

You didn’t remember saying anything but you must have because there was a fifty-piece puzzle in your hands. The box was soft but sturdy, like it was made out of something far better than cardboard. The artwork was gorgeous, far too good for a puzzle. It was Ruri-chan, so you were happy to take it. The price was undoubtedly a markup or just because it was Ruri-chan, but you had enough and laughed off the over-the-top sales pitch about it being ‘rare’.

Your change and receipt were barely in-hand when something sharp and agonizing pricked along your back. With a yank and a blink you were standing on the sidewalk again, sound rushing back into your ears. Lucifer looked a little flustered than he cared to admit; you could hear his claws catching on your shirt. “Honestly human!” you could hear his horns straining not to break through the skin of his forehead, “where were you?”

“Right there…with the shopkeeper?” you pointed to the alleyway only to find exactly that. No store, shelves…nothing. All you could do was show Lucifer your change and the puzzle. “There really was a shopkeeper!”

He was furious. Thousands of years of dealing with younger brothers made him a master at hiding it but you could feel it. Humans were especially sensitive to demon auras.

It took every ounce of Lucifer’s control not to snap your arm as he marched you back over to the café. His heart was still settling from the fact that you’d disappeared! Whatever enchantment you’d stepped into would’ve surely dragged you deeper if his own energy hadn’t broken the illusion. The café owner couldn’t recall a wooden stand or the shopkeeper you described; Lucifer went against his instincts to contact the Devildom authorities and simply thanked whatever luck he had left that you were alive.

Strange you hadn’t been eaten or spirited away, though. The shopkeeper could surely smell the human on you. There must be another reason. A motive, he tried to ignore the questions and doubt, confirming the delivery time instead. He was ready to collapse in his study and keep you in one spot. A nervous, tired silence stretched between the two of you; Lucifer was half-aware of your desire to shrink into nothingness. A punishment was expected, and a punishment would be given.

“You’ve disappointed me,” Lucifer hung his coat on the coatrack, “More than I thought you could. You were a bit of peace in this chaos.” He waved at the House of Lamentation, upset. Lucifer was right to feel this way, just as you were right to feel however you did towards him. “Go to your room and don’t come out until I call for you.” He spoke with finality, something you knew better to challenge, and frowned at your back as you sulked up the stairs.

All for a silly present, Lucifer shook his head. He grabbed a small snack and settled in his study, hunting for answers about the shopkeeper you couldn’t quite recall and what a Ruri-chan puzzle was doing outside of the licensed stores Levi constantly yammered about.

It took a while for you to crawl out from under the crushing weight of Lucifer’s disappointment. That stung more than you thought it would. He acted like you’d been gone for quite a bit! The room felt oppressive, like it was enforcing Lucifer’s command. You cleared off the desk they’d given you, smoothing out blank puzzle pieces. “WHAT?!” you thumped the lid against the desk before turning a handful of pieces just to be sure.

Nope. Blank. Totally blank. You’d gotten in trouble AND ripped off! “Great. Fucking great,” you slapped a few pieces off the desk because why not as you stomped over to the calendar.

Seven days left to get him another present. If Lucifer let you out, that was. Should you just give him Grimm? Honestly, that would’ve been better. Then he could get whatever he wanted! Feels kind of impersonal though, you ran your fingers through your hair and plopped down in the chair dejectedly.

You sat there, hunched over, until your back hurt. With no homework to do and no desire to take a nap, you stared at the puzzle. It was clear, like glass. Were Devildom puzzles different? Curiosity ate at you. You scooped up the pieces you’d knocked on the floor, hissing when one cut your finger. You’d earned that, right?

“Woah!” you breathed, astonished to see a blob of something on the inside. Was that…was that your blood?! You watched it run across the piece like watercolors, making…something. Judging by the box art it was a detail on her stocking? While setting the piece off to the side you must’ve touched others; bits of stocking and costume and ribbon flared to life. Two of the pieces clamped together adamantly, like they refused to be separated.

And so the investigation began. Devildom puzzles were certainly challenging! If you tried to force incompatible pieces together, you were cut. Upside: the image was clearer, downside: more cuts. When compatible pieces were placed together they locked into place.

A dull thrum began to pound in your temples as you slid pieces back and forth, grouping suspected matches together for later use. There was no panic like what you felt at the café, but a mild kind of sleeplessness that compelled you to finish. Like the itch to read one more page or binge-watch after a cliffhanger you just couldn’t put the puzzle down! Click! Click! Click! you were starting to see more of the idol pose and ribbons now.

BAM!

Was that your door? Guess it wasn’t sealed shut after all…

You were ripped out of the chair so hard you thought you had whiplash. The world trickled back into view around you. Not just Ruri-chan, but the stone walls and Lucifer and…Beelzebub, Mammon, and Satan? “I smelled blood,” Beelzebub mumbled worriedly as Lucifer threw Satan half of the puzzle box. Mammon lifted the puzzle up despite your protests and you were amazed to see the twenty-ish pieces holding strong. Lifted up just as easy as anything, and not falling apart!

“It’s not on the desk,” Mammon shook his head. He put the puzzle back down. You slid two more into place, that familiar thrum coming back. It was quieted by their hysteria.

“They look empty,” Satan lamented, staring at the inside of his half.

Lucifer gnashed his teeth and furrowed his brow, corners of his half—the top—ripped apart.

It was so very quiet—Click!—and barely worthy of his attention—Click!—given the anomaly your room had become but Lucifer couldn’t stand it. He noticed blood dripping from your fingers and snatched your hand up. He touched it to his half of the box.

Nope.

Gesturing snappishly for Satan’s half, the brothers crowded around in awe as your blood revealed a hidden sigil. It was a cursed object. For as long as he lived Lucifer had only seen cursed items come from powerful owners or substances. Bones of creatures and things of that like.

This puzzle had been corrupted, imbued by the curse of a lesser demon. The air in your room seemed to clear as Satan and Lucifer destroyed the box with black fire. Spells you’d yet to learn. “Not the puzzle!” you threw yourself over it with a pout. “It’s almost done!”

Not really but what else did you have?

Click! Click! The fighting must’ve jostled the table enough to link a few more pieces.

“Pick her up, Mammon!” Lucifer glowered at him. You gripped the edge of the desk with all your might as Mammon began to lift you up.

“No!” protested.

“You need to go to the infirmary!” Mammon hissed at you as Beel scratched his nail along the side of a finger. He didn’t want to risk actually breaking one. “Have you seen your fingers?!” Mammon grunted as you dug your nails into the wood. It was an odd sensation, the feel of damp wood under your hands. You glanced briefly at the desk, wondering if there was a better way to grip it, when you saw a flash of bone and muscle that made you queasy.

It was enough for you to lose your grip and for Mammon to haul you up. Mammon stepped out of your doorway and the fatigue hit you like a train. You were so very sleepy. You didn’t feel that good, actually. “Wh-what? Hey, snap out of it!” Mammon shook you.

“Don’t close your eyes!” Satan was running down the hall now, a flash of gold in the corner of your eye.

You awoke in what you could only assume was the Devildom hospital, surprised to see a bag of blood and an IV in your arm. Was all of that yelling and stuff a dream? “Big news, little detective!” Asmodeus all but sang, leaning into view. If you weren’t so dazed he would’ve scared you out of your skin!

“News? Detective?” you blinked at him slowly, “What?”

“You got your wish!” he clapped, “you found our dear Levi something super rare!”

“I did?”

“Always a blabber mouth!” Mammon complained, strolling in. “Food first, remember? Lucifer said.”

You leaned up a little, able to see a plate of food on the other side of Asmodeus. Your stomach grumbled loudly. Mammon nudged past Asmodeus, handing you the plate of food before whipping out a second chair to sit on. Asmodeus fired back something catty as you stuffed your face with turkey, crackers, and whatever small thing your hand landed on. “That puzzle,” the fifth-born smiled at you as he shoved the second-eldest away, “was, like, limited edition or something! Only fifty—or was it one hundred? Definitely less than two hundred!—were made for some anniversary contest. Some guy—in maintenance or development or whatever, maybe the warehouse—stole them to resell!”

Whatever Mammon had smelled much better! You’d eaten everything except for a few raisins. Mammon tossed you a few fries as he unwrapped his burger. “But he cursed them,” Mammon said after a bite. “Here in the Devildom rank is based on power. The more power you have, the nicer people act, the stronger you are, and the more your life rules!” he grinned against the burger. The second-strongest student council member would be happy about that, wouldn’t he?

“It’s like an indirect pact,” Asmo explained. “You start the puzzle, the puzzle takes your power and gives some to him.”

“But you don’t have power like we do,” Mammon poked a fry at you before taking a bite. “You have blood, which is much better. He was getting a free meal the whole time!”

No wonder you felt like shit.

“Which is totally wrong. Does he deserve it? No!” Asmodeus huffed. “But your blood, like all humans’, is very distinct. The guy set his own trap! I heard he’s being dealt with right now!” Asmodeus grinned, painted nails playing along his D.D.D. “It’s all everyone’s talking about!”

“Caught by a human,” Mammon shook his head.

“Did they take the puzzle?! I wasn’t done!” Asmo pushed you back down into the hospital bed before you hurt yourself. “That’s the only thing I found for Levi and—“

“The curse was only on the box. The guy’s either too lazy or stupid to bind a curse to every piece so your puzzle’s safe.” Mammon ignored the jab of ‘stupid knows stupid’ from Asmodeus.

“So I can finish it before Levi’s party? Good!” Asmo made a face that he tried to cover by fluffing his hair.

There was something they weren’t telling you. “Asmo—“ you started, looking him in the eye. He wouldn’t meet your gaze. “Mammon,” you tried, the elder brother’s eyes looking here and there behind his yellow shades. Mammon sucked on his drink, pretending like he hadn’t heard you. You kicked your foot up, grazing the cup. He sputtered, trying not to spit it all over the bed.

“You might not get out before Levi’s birthday,” Mammon coughed as he scratched the back of his neck. “Lord Diavolo wants to make sure you’re okay. It’s a big thing, ya know? You were hurt. We had to find blood for you!”

“The curse wasn’t intended for a human,” said Asmodeus.

“And they still have to work on your hands.” Mammon mumbled. Asmodeus threw his hands over yours before you could get a good look at them. From what you could tell, they were covered in bandages. Mostly your fingers.

“It’s a delicate process,” Asmo explained, fingers stroking the backs of your hands. “Reattaching things, healing layers, that rotten curse really did a number on your hands!” he bemoaned, pressing his cheek against one. “But they’ll be back to normal soon, and beautiful as ever! I’ll even paint your nails!”

“So I have to stay here?” you deflated.

“Only for a little bit!” Asmodeus tried to cheer you up. Clearly it wasn’t working.

“But Levi’s present!”

“I’ll bring it to you,” he whispered as a nurse walked in to take your vitals, shooing them out. The next day, Asmodeus brought you the puzzle and a special frame. It was hinged like a binder, could fold and unfold, but one you locked the latch on the side it would meld together like a real frame. “Double-sided glass, just in case.” He seemed so proud of himself. “These anniversary gifts are supposed to have hidden stuff in them. I didn’t want Levi to miss out.”   

So there you sat, resigned to testing, doses of magic from the nurses, inspections, occasional walks, and rare visits from the brothers. With the curse stripped away you were surprised to see the newly-connected pieces fill with watercolors. You could only guess the original puzzle was meant to be a watercolor painting but the curse took your blood since you had no power to give. Forty-something pieces in, you almost didn’t want to finish it because you had real blood staring back at you.

Levi wouldn’t like that, would he? Did he even know what happened to you? He may be a shut-in but he’d realize sooner or later that you weren’t at school or signing for his packages. What if he knew about the puzzle and felt guilty? All that blood and work and no visit. Not even a text!

Maybe you were just a gross normie after all…

You’d only managed to put together two pieces. The pain was beyond anything you’d ever felt. You expected a dull burn but it was everything at once—pins and needles, fire, numbness. The feeling of just being raw and scraped. Too tender to hold the pieces, and trying to nudge them into place felt like petting a cactus. You had a bout six pieces left, and the six pieces sat there during your latest nap.

“The quality! Ah, I think this was the concept art for the unused outfit! Wow, I can’t believe it’s mine!” You awoke to a voice you didn’t expect, struggling to meet orange eyes. This one could definitely be a dream! Levi was out of his room?! He froze, too, wide orange eyes taking you in. The dust of pink in his cheeks turned to red and crept up his ears.

“Do you like it?” your vision cleared. You could see his horns, which meant that noise was his tail was slapping around the chair legs. His face burned even brighter as he looked away from you. Down to his lap, at the wall, anywhere.

“It-It’s nice,” Leviathan fidgeted and started wringing his hands. “For a normie,” he added quickly, like it would kill him if he didn’t. You rolled your eyes and managed a breathy laugh.

“It was supposed to be a surprise but…well, you know.”

“About the stupid normie who got hurt over a present? Yeah, I know.” Levi smiled and you couldn’t tell if it was genuine or if he was smirking at your incompetence. His eyes were soft, though. Confused and a little afraid, like he didn’t understand the lengths you’d gone to. His tail unwound from the chair and dropped a crumpled bag of fast food in your lap. Leviathan draped it across his lap before digging a small console out of his pocket.

Anything to drown the silence.

He could turn it on and play right now but couldn’t bring himself to. It was all muscle memory, power switch in the corner and press ‘A’ twice to get to his save file. But that didn’t feel right. Something gnawed at him. “Why didn’t you stop?” he finally asked, hand tightening around the game. “Why didn’t you stop if it was hurting you?”

You blushed, half-hoping you’d choke on your food. You hadn’t thought about it, really. “I just…wanted to do something nice for you.” You whispered. “It was for your birthday! You have to have a good present!”

“Stupid normie!” he laughed airily, shaking his head. You thought you saw him wipe a tear from his eye but didn’t say anything. Levi fixed his hair and flicked a couple of buttons, not knowing what else to say or how to deal with the funny feeling in his chest.

“And it was my first Devildom birthday! I wasn’t going to bring a lame gift!” you nudged him. That one got a real laugh out of him. “But…do you really want it now? It’s messed up.” You picked at the bedsheets until you remembered that hurts like a bitch! and stopped.

“It’s rare,” Levi corrected with a slap of his tail, “There were only one hundred made and I have the only one with blood in it!”

“Isn’t that gross?”

“Normie blood might decrease the value but…” Levi gripped the side rail of your hospital bed, “but you did it for me. You…you cut your hands for me. To make a gift for me,” Levi’s hand drifted over yours cautiously, turning it over to see your palm. His hand was warmer than you’d imagined. “You’re a real friend.” Levi’s tail slithered over your legs and patted the bed.

“You’re saying that about a normie! Oh my gosh!” you teased, sending Levi into fits of laughter. He never let go of your hand, either. “You want to finish the puzzle?” you offered, pulling his hand towards the remaining pieces.

“Mmm,” Levi nodded, flicking them into place with ease. He’d never worked on something with a friend before. Six pieces wasn’t much, but given what Asmo said about your hands, it was enough. He and Mammon spared no details about how determined you were to finish this for him. Leviathan slid it into the frame, locked the latch, and flipped it over to reveal a hidden message.

He crooned and cooed over it. Apparently it was part of a song from a deleted scene (or an OVA?), written in shiny gold lettering.

Every little piece of me is yours to hold on this magical journey. Just us, just two! A little private puzzle only lovers can do. It starts with the hands and ends in the heart, a special kind of love that can never break apart!

“Ahh! It’s so cool!” Leviathan crowed loudly, holding the frame up like a trophy.

“Cooler than the little brother who has the best gift?” Asmodeus strolled in like the cat that ate the canary. He was up to something. You’d bet he was waiting outside the door, timing his entrance! Levi placed the frame on your lap gently, eyeing him curiously. Asmodeus snuggled up to his big brother and angled the D.D.D up. You thought it was for a picture but it began to ring. You could see the muscles in Asmo’s arm really straining to hold onto Levi as he made that awkward excited noise of his. He was trying to run out of frame because of some lady.

“Hi Levi! It’s me, Ruri-chan! Well, that’s who you know me as, anyways!”

Asmo hushed Levi’s squawks of not looking good and babbling panic, pinching his face to make him smile.

“We heard what happened to your friend! The studio and I would like to give our thanks and invite you to an exclusive unveiling party for some new merch! Will you come?”

Somewhere in the babbling and questions there was a yes.

“Great! We’ll send the wristbands! Thanks for being a fan!”

You didn’t know who was faster on their D.D.D., Levi or Asmo. One sent out a Tweet declaring his awesome brother status, and the other bragged about his exclusive invite from Ruri herself. “Most of the puzzles were recovered and the studio was really moved by a human who worked so hard for a demon!” Asmo explained. He’d embellished quite a bit, you guessed, but it didn’t seem to hurt anything. “The tickets should be at the house by your birthday,” Asmo added, sauntering out the door.

Your D.D.D. buzzed. He was king of the birthday presents, apparently.

“Best birthday ever!” Levi was so stoked, pumping his fists. It was a few days away, but he was already convinced.

You expected to spend his birthday alone. You thought he’d come back with stories and lots of merch but Levi surprised you with a wheelchair instead. Diavolo and Lucifer pulled some strings to get you discharged. He was so embarrassed, so excited, that he couldn’t look at you (it made helping you into the wheelchair hard). “They gave me two wristbands, so I’m taking my friend.” Levi stated quietly as he pushed you down the hall.

He was glowing!

You thought Levi would melt when the party committee let him take home one of everything. They placed a silk satchel around your wrist and told you not to open it until you got home. Levi hardly paid it any mind as he gushed about figures, concept art, and the bags of goodies cluttering your lap.

Did you know the first thing about Ruri-chan? Not really. Were you wearing matching shirts because it was his birthday? Yes.

He couldn’t wait to get home and stream this haul! His brothers and their fanfare of balloons and streamers were totally ignored as he prepared to lug your wheelchair up to his room. Lucifer barely convinced him to cut the cake before Levi explained how wonderful each piece of exclusive merch was to his captive audience. “Plus whatever this is,” you took the satchel off your wrist and handed it to him. Levi dug out two necklaces; each had Ruri-chan holding a heart that ended in part of a puzzle piece.

“They’re engraved!” Asmo’s eyes lit up.

“It’s probably cheap jewelry,” Mammon poked at the cake, hissing when Asmo tried to shove his face in it.

Leviathan turned the necklaces in his hands for a moment, staring at your names. He held yours out to you. Instead of taking it, you clicked it together with his. A verse appeared on the back of the pieces. It was the same song.

“It starts with the hands and ends with the heart, a special kind of love that can never break apart!” Levi recited, secretly excited he’d gotten the second half of the verse on his necklace.

“EXCUSE ME?!” Mammon jumped up, Beel and Asmo forcing him into the chair.

“Happy birthday, Levi!” you smiled at him.

“Thanks, normie.” Levi wanted to pat your head and be cool, have that classic moment, but his fingers got tangled in your hair instead. He couldn’t even be embarrassed about it. All things considered, it was still a great birthday!

[evabellasworld]

Storm of the Republic

Chapter 29

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29

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Summary:  When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

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Putting on her surgical mask, Dr. Urakchaevy took a deep breath as she glanced at the surgical tube, before shifting her focus towards Tup. With his head covered in plastic foil and his eyes shut, the doctor slid him inside the machine and looked at the panels. “We’re now beginning level 1 brain scan,” she announced to Fives, who was the only one in the room. “This will only take a short while.”

As Fives gave a nod of approval, the machine scanned his brain for 30 minutes. The ARC Trooper tapped his foot on the floor as the doctor focused on his brain condition. From what she had gathered so far, his brain scan was blue, showing that he was slipping towards his deathbed.

This is not good , her teeth chattered. Somehow, I couldn’t find any lumps in his brain, and yet, Tup is unconscious. How is this possible?

“Is everything alright, Doc?” Fives wondered, noticing her hands trembling on the panels.

Dr. Urakchaevy nodded, pressing her lips. “I’ll have to raise the brain scan to level 2. There’s nothing I could find on the surface of his brain.”

“Alright, Doc, you can raise it up to level two,” he gave a thumbs up. “I hope he’s alright.”

Let’s hope he does, she let out a sigh, as she performed another brain scan on Tup, hoping to dig deeper. Another half an hour has passed, and Dr. Urakchaevy felt her sweat dripping from her forehead, despite the air-conditioning in the room.

Considering Tup was the first clone she had treated, she wasn’t knowledgeable in their biology. The only thing she knows about clone troopers was the fact that they fought for the Republic, even though it had been crumbled by the Empire. She doesn’t see the point of the conflict, but Dr. Urakchaevy has to perform her duty to save her patients.

As the machine beeped, the doctor checked on her panel with a gleam painted on her lips, only for her shoulders to slump towards the results. Is this machine broken or what? Do I need to re-scan just to make sure I find something inside Tup?

“Did you find anything, Doc?” his voice turned agitated. “Please tell me you found something, Doc.”

Dr. Urakchaevy remained silent as she stared at the surgical pod, wondering if she could raise the level of the machine. She knows the risk, and she’s not sure whether she would like the result. The worst-case scenario she could think of was the side effects of the radiation, which was nausea, fever, and vomiting. But it was the only way if she wanted a fast result.

“It’s still the same result as the first scan, unfortunately,” she reported, turning towards him. “I’m afraid I have no choice but to perform a Level 5 atomic scan.”

“What’s wrong with that?” asked Fives, raising his eyebrows. “Is it dangerous?”

“It’s full of radiation and Tup might experience side effects, but it’s the only way I could find a lump inside his brain, though the chances are rather small. Are you okay with that, Fives?”

Fives tilted his head upwards as he pondered for a moment. I can’t just refuse his surgery and let him die. I’ll never forgive myself if I made the wrong decision.

“If the Level 5 atomic scan means saving my brother, then you need to do it,” he told her. “I came here to save Tup, and I’m gonna bring him back to base, safe and sound, so do what you have to, Doc. Go with the Level 5 atomic scan if you must.”

Dr. Urakchaevy gave him a small smile. “You’re a caring brother, Fives. Now go wait outside with your sister, Yara. I’m sure Thonda is done patching her up by now.”

“Will Tup be okay, Doc?” his voice quivered. “I don’t want to lose him, really.”

“He’ll be alright,” assured Dr. Urakchaevy, holding his hand. “I promise you. He’ll walk out of this room and act as if nothing had happened to him. He’ll drink with you and Yara and go back to his usual self.”

“In case he doesn’t make it, can I say my last words to him?”

“Fives, Tup will be fine,” she said, opening the door for him. “Besides, this will only take a few minutes, so don’t worry. I have faith in your younger brother.”

Without saying a word, Fives stepped out of the surgical room and held his breath when he found Yara sitting all by herself, munching a plate full of chocolate chip cookies. Cracking a smile, he tiptoed towards her and slapped his arms on her shoulders, making her choke on her food.

“Bitch, I told you not to sneak up to me like that,” she cussed with her mouth full, kicking his shin. “I could have died of a heart attack, you know.”

“Well, it was funny,” he burst into laughter, as he sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulder. “You could have seen the look on your face. It was so ugly.”

“Shut up, Fives. At least I’m more good-looking than you.”

“Says who? Everyone knows I’m the most handsome man among the Grand Army of the Republic.”

Yara sticks her tongue out in disgust. “Yuck, you’re ugly as fuck.”

“No, you’re ugly.”

“No, you’re ugly.”

“Fuck you, Fives,” Yara shoved his shoulders, her other hand gripping on the plate of cookies. “I hate you so much.”

“Well, fuck you too, Yara,” Fives imitated her voice, as he snatched away her cookies from her grasp. “Also, you ate too much of these. Save some for me, will you?”

She crossed her arms, her lips pouting. “Give me back my cookies, dickhead. They’re mine.”

He shook his head, stuffing one in his mouth. “Hey, sharing is caring, okay? Besides, it’s been a while since I had authentic food, anyway.”

“Tell me about it. I miss drinking margaritas from 79’s. It was the best drink I could ever have, you know. I wonder what’s their secret?”

“Maybe they made it with love,” Fives jokes, leaning on his seat. “Also, the music was glorious at the club. I always enjoyed the songs that the DJ played on the dance floor, especially the song Groovy. That was my all-time favourite song.”

“But somehow, someone always bested you on the dance floor,” Yara snarked. “And that someone is sitting right next to you. Guess who it is?”

He rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Yara. I beat you one time and you were sulking the next day.”

“Yeah, exactly. You only beat me one time, Fives. The rest of the time we spent at 79’s, I always held a record on the dance floor, aside from Lisa, of course.”

“God, I miss those days. Everything was simple back then. Now, it feels like we’re stressing our future like a bunch of old men waiting for death.”

“I know, Fives. I miss the days when the only reason I cried was because I failed the simulation. Now, I cry because everyone we know was killed in front of us, and we don’t even know whether we’re next in line.”

“And I miss the day where the only reason we’re happy was because we passed the simulation. Now, I can only be happy because I lived to fight another day, though I wished I could join the rest of our fallen siblings instead.”

Yara hummed to herself. “I know, Fives. Honestly, when this war is over, I just want to walk away from all of this. I want to settle down somewhere and find someone to love, like Commander Fox. He and Riyo are so happy together and I want to be like them.”

“So, you’re looking for someone like those male leads from your favourite rom-com?” smiled Fives. “And how many kids are you planning to have?”

“First of all, I want a guy who is kind and sweet and secondly, I want at least four kids, doesn’t matter what gender they are.”

“Four kids? Well, that’s a lot, to be honest.” “I want to shower all my love on my kids and accept them for who they are, no matter what,” Yara expressed her hopes and dreams. “And I also want them to have a better life than I did. Since I fought in a war, I want my kids to live a peaceful life, without worrying about a single thing.”

“Sounds like a pleasant life,” Fives said, placing an empty plate beside him. “Honestly, I would like to have that kind of life, too. If only I could find someone like that.”

Before Yara could say something, Dr. Urakchaevy walked out of the surgical room with tears of shame in her eyes. Fives stood up from his seat, waiting for her to speak. “So, did the surgery went well?”

She bobbed her head with hesitation, her fingers fidgeting. “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

“We would like to hear the good news,” Fives replied with his brows furrowed.

“Okay then, the good news is that the surgery went well, and we found a tumour inside his brain,” she informed him, showing the evidence she extracted. “I’m not sure what kind of tumour it is, but I can do my research on it.”

“That’s great to hear, Doc,” Yara beamed. “But then, what’s the bad news?”

“Tup didn’t make it,” Dr. Urakchaevy broke the news to them. “I’m so sorry, guys. I did everything I could to save him, but somehow, his heart rate stopped.”

Fives’ face contorted as he dropped to his knees, frozen. Yara could not utter a single word from her mouth as tears flowed on her cheeks, hugging her knees.

How are we going to face Rex after this?

[scarletaire]

covenant mine

A/N: My humble offering to the Jurdan fandom. First posted fanfic, and hopefully more to come!

Fandom: The Folk of the Air

Genre/s: Fluff

Rating: T

Tags: Post-QON, fluff, established relationship, wholesome jurdan, cardan is a soft boi, and he likes to cuddle

Description:

 A year into their marriage, Jude presents Cardan with his own wedding ring.

[Read on AO3] [Masterlist]

Cardan is waiting for her when she finally returns to their quarters at the end of the night.

Jude shuts the great oaken door of the royal suite, eyeing him carefully. Flowering vines follow her fingers over the doorknob, twisting together to lock the door behind her.

He is seated on the plush armchair that he favors beside the mantle, and he tracks her with intensity as she makes her way into the sitting area of their bedroom. His eyes are clear, so he isn’t drunk. But Jude immediately notices his tail swishing low against the carpet, betraying his agitation.

“Wife,” Cardan greets her.

“Husband,” she says in reply, shrugging off her jacket as she crosses the threshold. The heavy denim makes an unnatural thunk as it hits the floor. Her knives come off next; she plucks them from each of her boots, then her right thigh, and her left forearm. Nightfell goes last, set reverentially down on her weapons table right by the main door. She pats the pockets of her jeans before turning to face him again.

Cardan wields the silence in the room like his own weapon, sharpening it like a blade against her conscience. She knows that she worried him greatly by venturing to the mortal world without telling him. But he knows her better than to restrict and control her movements, so he doesn’t confront her for it.  

But clearly he can damn well sulk about it.

Jude’s propensity towards danger and recklessness is still a bit of a sore point almost a year into their marriage. Cardan wishes that she favor the side of safety now that she has taken her rightful place as the High Queen of Elfhame, but those instincts and tendencies are what has kept her alive for so long. It is one particularly stubborn piece of armor to be rid of, and she is still learning how to compromise.

But seeing Cardan perched on his chair, still dressed in the night’s regalia, and an uneaten plate of dinner ignored beside him, Jude decides that she can afford to let him have this one. She didn’t deceive him by going to the mortal world, but he has made it clear that he wished to be informed of such plans should she make them. She knows she is in the wrong this time.

“I’m not sorry that I went,” she tells him finally, and it is the truth, “but I do regret that I was remiss in telling you I was leaving.”

The fingers of one elegant hand come up to steeple under his chin, insouciant even in his sulking.

“Cardan. I really am sorry I worried you.”

He says nothing.

She raises an eyebrow at him, unimpressed by his posturing.

Cardan sighs, a bit begrudgingly. “I believe you. Even though you make it incredibly difficult, you heedless mortal.”

“Do you accept my apology?”

“Loath though I am to admit it, I do.” The tension in his shoulders is replaced by a slouch, and he extends a plaintive hand toward her. “Will you soothe your troubled husband?”

Jude is powerless to deny him.

She takes his hand, the chill of Maine in October banished by the fire-warmed touch of his skin. Cardan pulls her toward him, and she allows him to settle her easily on his lap. His arms are a cradle of silk and brocade for her to lean against. After checking her over for any possible scratches or bruises and finding none, he buries his face into the quickly heating skin of her neck.

Affection does not come easily to Jude. It is a small and fragile thing she is still growing and nurturing after years of sharpening herself on war games and poison. But she understands the significance of moments like this, understands the undercurrent of tenderness and gentleness that blooms within her, and so she tries, for him.

(And if she’s being completely honest, she tries for herself, too, if only because she has come to crave and collect each of his little touches in turn.)

Jude shifts, and at first Cardan loosens his hold reluctantly, but she is only moving so that she can turn toward him entirely. She is soon straddling him in their armchair by the fire, and has wrapped her arms back around him as tightly as he has done to her. Cardan, so deprived of attention and affection as a child, melts completely into her embrace, tail twining around her ankle.

She doesn’t know how to process the relief softening the limbs of his body. He must have been beside himself with worry. She is still getting used to being worried over by him, and so there is a niggling sense of guilt gnawing at her now. She hugs him tighter in response.

It’s easier said than done though, because he’s still taller and bigger than her. She has to reach around the breadth of his shoulders and wrap her legs across the spread of his thighs, and it’s almost like there is too much of him for her to hold. She feels small in the space of his worry and his relief and his embrace. She grits her teeth against the ache of emotion building in her throat, against the comforting press of his chest, solid against hers.

Many moments later, Cardan surfaces from between her neck and shoulder. “And how is Madoc the exiled faring in the mortal realms?” He knew where she went, then. It’s still a bit odd to have someone know her so well.  

“He is resentful,” Jude admits, “but none of the spies I stationed near him have reported suspicious activity.”

“And yet, my queen, suspicion remains heavy in your voice.”

“I needed to confirm some things for myself,” she explains carefully. “My father may have sworn to never put his hand on a weapon again, but that doesn’t mean he can’t command another in his stead.”

Cardan studies her face in earnest. “Keeping the peace is not your burden to bear alone, Jude.”

She touches a lock of hair that has fallen across his forehead. “I know,” she says, softly.

“You promised to warn me the next time you planned something dangerous.”

“I know.”

He waits, the silence his willing pawn.

Jude reaches for the short hairs at the nape of his neck to give her hands something to do. “I just needed to see,” she says,  “for myself. How he was doing.”

There is grim understanding in Cardan’s eyes as he listens to her. If there is anyone who knows what it is like to love and resent the person who raised her, it is him.

“Did it help?”

Jude thinks about her reply, wanting to answer him as honestly as she can. “Yes,” she tells him. “I never have to wonder about him again.”

“Does that mean that you will never again check on our old enemies all by yourself?”

She smirks. “I’ll let you come with me to check on the others.”

His eyebrows crease. “You speak of Nore and the Court of Teeth.”

She shrugs. “Unlike Madoc, there may be others who have not accepted their judgement so easily.”

“Do you doubt Suren’s ability to control the traitors?”

“No,” she admits, a little uneasily. “Not that.” There was something in Suren’s untethered, sharp-toothed grin that unnerved her, but as long as that remains directed towards the peace of Elfhame, then she is willing to leave it untouched.

Jude sits up straighter on his thighs. “A year has passed since I laid judgement on Madoc and his coup,” she explains.

“Yes,” Cardan breathes. “And what a fearsome thing you were to behold.” He says this the same way he had once spoken about her hospitality of knives. Jude feels the glint of a grin tug at the corner of her mouth.

“A lot can happen in a year. I think it would be utterly feckless of us to let that much time go by without reminding Elfhame what happens to those who threaten the crown.” You and me, she thinks. Us.

At this, Cardan doesn’t bother to hide the beginnings of his own wicked grin. “Ah. Is that what you are scheming, Jude? Reminding our kingdom of what a formidable queen you make?”

His eyes burn as he looks up at her, the firelight setting the angles of his face aglow, his clothes and hair in disarray from her embrace. He is unbearably beautiful. He is her husband. “Perhaps.” She is unable to stop herself from leaning down and whispering it against his lips. “If my great king should deign to join me.”

Cardan’s fingers clench against her hips in anticipation, but Jude is already pulling away.  She has one more thing to confess before she can let herself fall into him completely. “Checking on Madoc wasn’t all I did in the mortal world.”

He frowns, though whether it’s because she denied him a proper kiss or because there is more to her scheming, she can’t be exactly sure. “Your words bode ill, dear wife.”

Jude pokes at the wrinkles on his forehead. “Nothing for you to anguish over. Quite the opposite in fact.”

“Oh?”

“Cardan. Not like that, either.”

“Oh.”

She bites her lip to keep from smiling. But then she thinks about what she has for him in her pocket and she is biting her lip for another reason. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that she is looking down at Cardan, who watches her with an inhuman stillness, the otherworldly lines of his ears and his cheekbones and his jawline illuminated against the dying night sky, she is suddenly less sure.

Jude thumbs at the ruby ring on her fourth finger, the one missing its tip. Cardan had known the significance of that mortal convention to her. Would he be willing to accept it for himself?

“Jude?” he asks, after she has been silent for too long.

She takes a deep breath. “There’s a tradition among married human couples,” she begins. “When a couple is wed, they exchange rings to wear as a symbol of their vows to each other.”

“Yes,” he says, taking her left hand. “That much I understand.” And then he takes his teeth to the sensitive skin of her fourth knuckle. Jude swallows as she tries her best not to think about the marks those same teeth had left on the insides of her thighs.

Cardan looks at the red imprints he made above her red ring, and then up at her face. He grins, roguishly pleased at what he finds there. “I like seeing this on your finger. I like it even more knowing what it means.”

“Yeah, well,” she says, struggling not to squirm, “I realized that you gave me a ring the night that we wed, but I never gave you one back.” She reaches into the pocket of her mortal jeans. “So I was wondering if – if maybe you would take this one.”

His eyes widen. In her palm, flashing in the light, is a yellow gold band paved all over with a single row of tiny, blood-red rubies.  

“Jude,” Cardan breathes.

“It was my mom’s,” she blurts out. “Or at least the gold was. I knew that Madoc kept the ring she was wearing the night he –” Her words fail her, and he waits in stunned silence for her to continue. “That was part of the reason I visited him today. To ask for it. Taryn and Vivi said it was ok for me to have it, but I wasn’t sure if he would actually give it up. He did, though, so I had the gold melted down and the rubies added because I wanted us to –” She realizes she’s babbling, and the words die off into a whisper. “I wanted us to match.”

“Jude,” he says again, and this time, she recognizes the awe in his tone.

“Do you… do you like it?”

“Yes.” His reply is immediate. His voice is hushed. “Yes, Jude, I like it very much.”

Jude watches as Cardan solemnly removes the rings on his left hand. All of them, every single one. His eyes never leave her face as she slowly, deliberately slides the new ruby ring onto his finger. Only when she whispers, “There,” does he look down at his new piece of jewelry.

Cardan takes her left hand in his, palms down, and moves them by the fire so that their rings sparkle in the light.

“A perfect pair,” he says, and then he is kissing her.

Cardan is not entirely kind with this kiss. He drags her closer by the roots of her hair and takes her bottom lip in between his teeth. She bites back and digs her fingers into his hair and shoulders in kind, using her position over him to her advantage. But he is needy and demanding, as if he has been unmade just a little by receiving her ring, and so she lets him sweep her away. There is a fire at her back, and there is the heat of his body as he pulls her in flush against him, and Jude feels like bursting.

“There is something I must ask,” he pants against her pulse point several long, fevered moments later.

Jude can barely think straight. All she can see is the dark desire in Cardan’s glittering eyes, and the color red. The red of their shared rubies, and the red of their bedsheets, singing their siren song just a few feet away.

“My cruel conqueror,” Cardan croons into her ear. "Who did you ask to make my ring?"

“What?” She steadies herself against his chest, the buttons of his shirt almost completely gone down the front. “Oh. I had a mortal jeweler do the ring while I was down in Portland.” 

The relief is painfully palpable in Cardan’s voice. “Thank the stars.”

Jude laughs.

________________

End Note: 

Cardan's new wedding ring.

I like to think that after Grimsen and the snake incident, Cardan becomes extremely wary of faerie craftsmanship.

Thank you for reading!

*EDITED (AUG 9, 2020): Changed a line to address the accuracy error pointed out by Ul’Yana on AO3. Shout out to you and your amazingly sharp eyes! <3

[faefictions]

Lonely People | Ch 2

Pairing: Harrison Osterfield x reader

Word Count: 3,377

Playlist link on my master list!!

“HURRY UP SIERRA, WE WANT TO GO!” Jace yelled from the front door. Y/n was sitting on the couch, scrolling through social media. She had mentioned that Tom might show up that night, which caused Sierra to obsess over her appearance more than usual. 

She appeared in the doorway of her room, just in sight of the two roommates. 

“Do I look amazing yet Jace?”

“Yes, of course you do. Can we go now?”

“The correct answer was no, dipshit, so shut your mouth and let me finish or I’ll start moving slower.”

He let out a loud sigh as he watched her disappear to her bathroom again. He plopped down on the couch next to y/n, his weight forcing her to lean his way. 

“You are the least patient person I know, how are you ok with this?”

“She likes the kid, just give her a break.”

“I’ve given her a break for the last 2 hours. I’ve hit my limit, Peach.”

She tensed a little hearing him call her that again. He started calling her that a few weeks after they met. She never knew why he had chosen it, but she liked nicknames so she never complained. The last time she had heard him call her that was the night he confessed his feelings though. Hearing it again brought back the memories. 

“Y/n, I need to talk to you.”

“What is it Butthead?” She smiled as she used the nickname she had given him, a lot less endearing than the one he had for her. 

“I’m being serious.”

“Ok, fine, what’s up?” 

They were in their kitchen, Sierra had just gone out for the night, making some excuse about going out to dinner with someone she never named. Y/n sat down on the counter, across the room from Jace. He was subconsciously placing himself as far away from her as he could. His nerves were getting the best of him. 

“Well, uhm, Sierra told me if I didn’t talk to you tonight she would kill me, or she would talk to you herself, but I-I don’t, uh, I don’t really…”

“Jace you’re killing me, please, just spit it out,” she giggled a little, the last time he would hear that for a while. 

“I like you, Peach. L-like a lot.”

“You ok?” his question pulled her mind back to the present. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, no I’m fine. Just zoned out for a second.”

“Ok, well, while you zone back in, I’m going to go grab Sierra and literally carry her out the front door.”

“Jace, give her 2 minutes. I promise she’ll be ready,” she laughed at how irritated he was. It was nice to have some sense of normalcy between them again. 

“Fine, but if I have to wait a second longer than that, I might die.”

“I’ll make sure the funeral starts on time.”

The both laughed at her reply, before falling into a comfortable silence. She continued to scroll through instagram, while Jace sat and picked at some loose strings on their couch. 

“Ok, I’m ready,” Sierra announced, her shoes clicking on the floor as she entered the living room. 

“Finally,” Jace groaned, making his roommates giggle as they headed out the door. 

When parties were too far for the trio to walk to, they would usually take turns being designated drivers. Occasionally they would call an Uber so they could all drink, but tonight, y/n wasn’t so lucky. It was her turn to drive, which meant no drinking for her.

When they got to the house, Sierra ran off, commanding her friends to text her if they saw Tom. 

Jace followed y/n into the first room of the house, grabbing himself a drink and sitting on a couch next to her. 

“Hey, uh, I wanted to say, I’m….I’m really glad we’re talking again,” he struggled to get out, trying his best to not make eye contact. 

“Me too.”

“You know, I… I never wanted you to feel pressured…”

“Jace, shut up.”

“Seriously though.”

“I know, I just… I don’t really want to talk about it. If you’re ok with that.”

“Yeah…I’m gonna go get another drink. I’ll see you later.”

He got up off of the couch, a half full cup in his hand. She knew he could have spent another 10 minutes drinking it, he just needed an excuse to get out of the situation. He needed an excuse to get away from her. Again. 

And the guilt hit her like a truck just as it had the first time. 

“What do you mean you like me?”

“Like, I have a crush on you. God, it sound so dumb like that. But I’ve liked you for months now and Si has been bugging me to tell you, I just…”

“Jace stop.”

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything, I just figured…”

“Jace, fucking stop,” she burst out. He stopped talking and his face turned white, he knew that he had made a mistake. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, I just….”

“No, it’s fine, I get it.”

“Jace, I’m sorry, I just… don’t really do the whole relationship thing,” she muttered, her gaze unable to meet his. She could feel the tears brimming her eyes, and although she knew his were in the same state, she couldn’t bring herself to see him. 

“Oh, ok, yeah, I get it, honestly. I didn’t want to tell you anyway. Sierra just wouldn’t shut up about it.”

She could sense his heart breaking, but trying to mend it would only make it worse, so she kept quiet, no matter how much she wanted to apologize and hug him. 

“Well I had plans tonight too, so I’m going to head out.”

As he headed for the door, she finally looked up at him. He was no longer looking at her, but the single tear was still visible on his cheek. Her heart felt too heavy for her to move, and it kept her from calling after him. 

About an hour into the party, y/n was losing her mind with boredom. She hadn’t seen either of her roommates, and although she saw plenty of familiar faces, she wasn’t really in the mood to socialize with any of them. 

She finally got off of the couch where Jace had left her and made her way to the back yard. She knew her roommates well enough to know that if they were partying, they would be inside socializing and dancing. But since she knew one of them would be flirting and the other would be sulking, they were both going to be outside. 

Sure enough, they were both outside in an area with a diverse array of patio furniture and torn up couches. Y/n was a little surprised to see Sierra and Jace together. Sierra was sitting incredibly close to Tom on one of the couches, her back to Jace and Harrison who seemed to be getting along very well. 

As y/n approached, she could tell that Jace hadn’t been drinking much. She was pretty sure the drink in his lap was the same one from their earlier conversation. Sierra on the other hand was well over the line of tipsy. 

“Hey, y/n! I was just about to come looking for you babe!” Sierra exclaimed a little too loudly when she saw her approaching. 

“Oh yeah? And why’s that? Looks like you’re having a great time right here.”

Sierra excused herself from the couch, pulling y/n a few feet away, out of earshot of the boys. 

“What did you say to Jace?”

“Oh come on.”

“No, you come on, I see him sulking. Now what did you do?”

Y/n scoffed, sighing before she replied. “I asked him not to talk about the ‘incident’. I thought it would make it easier, but I guess we’re not on the same page.”

“Ugghhhhhhh, why can’t you guys just get along for like two minutes? That would really make living with both of you a lot easier.”

“How about, instead of worrying about us, just go back over to Tom and have a good night. “

“You have to fix this at some point.”

“And tonight is not that point, ok?”

The stress and guilt of the situation was starting to peek through her facade, so Sierra dropped the subject and hugged her friend, before leaving her to go back to sit next to Tom. 

Y/n had the urge to go back inside. It seemed like the lesser of 2 evils. She could either go inside and be alone and bored, or stay and have to choose between sitting by the overly flirtatious pair, or sit with Harrison and her sulking roommate. 

Before she could turn to leave, Harrison called her name, ruining her plan of leaving. She made her way over to stand behind him and Jace on the couch. 

“Thanks for the invite. As terrible of a sight as that is,” he said, motioning to the couple, “I’m hoping this means he’ll shut up about her for five minutes.”

“That’s some wishful thinking. I give you a 15% chance of that happening.”

“You want a drink?” Harrison asked, pointing towards the house. 

“No, I’m driving tonight.”

“Well want to come help me fight through the crowd?”

“Sure.”

Harrison asked Jace if he wanted to tag along, but of course he denied.

She followed Harrison into the house, pushing her way through the sweaty bodies so she could keep up with him. 

While he searched for a cup and something to pour, he told her about his day. He complained about something that had happened in class before they had been assigned as partners, then told her about something that had happened inside the coffee shop he had stopped at on the way home. She tried her best to pay attention, but she couldn’t seem to listen. Her brain was dwelling on Jace’s expression when she joined them and when they left without him. She knew she had hurt him, but she didn’t think it was fair that he acted like a child about it for so long. She felt bad for not liking him back, the guilt was eating her alive, but she didn’t deserve to receive the glares out of the corner of his eyes when she was around. She knew it was just out of pain, but she was getting sick of it. 

“You ok?” Harrison asked, looking at her with a bit of concern. 

“Yeah, sorry, I just got distracted.”

“This is probably none of my business but did you and your roommate have a fight or something? You both seem a little miserable,” he commented, giving her a sympathetic smile. 

“Sierra seems completely fine,” she joked, hoping to avoid the topic. The whole situation with Jace was enough drama, she didn’t want to suck anyone else into it. 

“I think we both know what I meant,” he laughed. She took a second to consider telling him, but ultimately decided against it. He was right, it wasn’t his business. 

“It’s a long story, don’t worry about it,” she excused him, quickly turning on her heel to make her way back out to the couches. Harrison grabbed his cup and pushed past a few people to catch up with her. 

They both sat back down on the couch where Jace was staring off into space. She could see that he still hadn’t touched his drink. 

“So how do you two know each other?” he questioned, finally moving his gaze to the two. 

Harrison explained that they were assigned as partners and that she was the one who had invited him and Tom that night. Jace’s expression showed nothing but confusion.

“You’re taking a photography class?”

“Uh, yeah,” she replied, really wishing that she had a drink in that moment. 

She loved her roommates, no one could question that. She made meals for them whenever she got the chance and she would go all out for birthdays and holidays. She always did her best to show them how much their friendship meant, but she made a point to never tell them much about herself. 

They didn’t know her family, where she was from, her aspirations, her fears, or anything that even came close to the personal category. She had mentioned once that her major was in the art’s department, but they had been drunk at a party, so no one seemed to pick that up. 

Her roommates definitely noticed that she was weird about that information, but they loved her personality and they didn’t want to lose a friendship just over the fact that she didn’t want to talk about herself. 

Harrison, however, thought it was insane that her roommate didn’t know about her major. 

“How did you not know that? Don’t you two live together?”

“Yeah, I guess it just never came up,” she replied shyly, hoping to drop the topic soon. 

“You never thought to ask each other what your majors are before you decided to live together?”

“I know Jace’s major.”

“Really?” Jace asked, surprised that she had paid enough attention. He wasn’t as conservative as she was in giving out personal information, but he knew for a fact that his major was never a topic of discussion between them. 

“Yeah, you’re a film major.”

“How did you know that?”

“What kind of roommate doesn’t know the other’s major?” she joked. 

“It’s not my fault that you’re little Miss guarded.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Jace went back to talking to Harrison while y/n sat quietly beside them. Nights where she was the designated driver were never fun for her. She always ended up babysitting the others somehow. She had once literally dragged Sierra into the car after she had blacked out. But that night was a little less miserable. By all means, it should have been worse. The passive aggressive nature of her relationship with Jace was bad enough, but watching Sierra being overly flirtatious made her feel sick. Despite this, she found herself in a good mood as the night went on. 

Harrison was quite charming, and she laughed at quite a few of his jokes. Most people she hung around were very demanding with needy personalities, which made being around them exhausting, but Harrison was the opposite. He could talk and tell stories and ask questions for hours. She found it refreshing. 

As midnight rolled around, Sierra had fallen asleep on Tom who had joined in on the conversation between the 3 on the couch. Jace made some complaint about it getting late. He had a morning class the next day that he needed to get sleep for, and as much as she wanted to force him to stay as payback for the previous night, y/n told him she would meet him out by the car. She watched him say goodbye to Harrison before he made his way through the dwindling crowd inside. 

“Si,” y/n called over to her friend, throwing a pillow to hit her in the chest. Once it hit her, she jumped and yelped. 

“What the hell, y/n?” she asked drowsily. 

“Jace wants to go. You ready?”

She answered with a loud groan. 

“I’m taking that as a yes. Come on, he’s out front.”

As she watched Sierra slowly make her way off of the chair, she turned to Harrison. 

“How are you guys getting home?”

“We’re going to call an Uber.”

“If you wanna save some money you can ride with us.”

Harrison agreed that sounded like a good idea.

Tom’s arms remained around Sierra, guiding her through the crowd so she didn’t fall, although he wasn’t much steadier than her. 

When they finally exited through the front door, y/n searched the yard for Jace. He was standing on the sidewalk with a cigarette between his fingers. Y/n let out a loud sigh, turning to Harrison. 

“Do me a favor and keep the drunk idiots over here for a second?”

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed a bit reluctantly. 

She nervously made her way over to Jace, not exactly sure what she was going to say. 

He had quit smoking 6 months prior. It was a bad habit that was really affecting his health, so the girls helped him quit. But here he was, staring off into the distance with a cigarette between his lips yet again. 

Y/n approached him from behind, quietly and carefully considering her words. 

“You’re smoking again?”

He barely made an effort to look at her out of the corner of his eye, grunting an affirmative response. 

“I thought you kicked the habit.”

“Well, shit happens. Why would you care anyway?”

“Because I care about you not dying.”

“Have a funny way of showing it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She was trying to keep her voice down, suddenly very aware of how close Tom, Harrison, and Sierra were. 

“I think you know exactly what it’s supposed to fucking mean. I’ll meet you guys at the car,” he stomped on the butt of his cigarette and stormed off in the direction of her vehicle. 

Y/n stood defeated in the spot where Jace had left her. She wished she could blame his temper on alcohol, but she knew he had barely had enough to give him a buzz. As she was processing the event, she heard Sierra behind her. 

“I told you you need to fix it,” she mumbled. 

“I’m working on it,” y/n grumbled in frustration, turning to look at her. 

“Well it doesn’t seem like it.”

“I really don’t need this from both of you.”

Y/n turned on her heel and started to walk in the same direction and fashion Jace had just a minute prior. 

Jace was already in the back of the car. Tom and Sierra joined him, her head rested comfortably on his shoulder for the entire duration of the ride. 

Harrison sat in the front seat, trying not to awkwardly laugh at the uncomfortable situation which had resulted in a heavy silence in the car. The only noise present was the hum of the motor and the occasional direction he would give y/n so she could find her way to his apartment.

When she dropped them off, Harrison thanked her for the ride and gave her a sympathetic smile, which she did her best not to roll her eyes at. 

Tom kissed Sierra on the cheek, asking her if their plans to see each other the next day were still valid. She nodded her head, kissing his cheek as well before he shut the door. 

The silence carried out until they got back to their apartment. As soon as y/n had put the car in park, Jace was out, slamming the door in the process. He stormed off toward their building. 

“Guess I’m walking you in,” y/n sighed, eyeing the drunk girl in the back. 

As they walked towards the building, y/n couldn’t help but smile at Sierra. She was giggling and blushing down at her phone, the name Tom present at the top of the screen. 

“So I heard him ask if he’s gonna see you tomorrow. You guys going on a date?”

“Yeah,” she beamed.

“I’m glad you’re so happy. But let him know if he breaks your heart, I’ll chop his balls off.”

“I will,” Sierra rolled her eyes and laughed. 

It took another ten minutes to get Sierra up the stairs and into bed. Y/n helped her take her shoes off and even tucked her in. She was exhausted by the time she had made it to her own mattress. 

She plugged in her phone, checking the time before she went to the bathroom to wash off her makeup. It was 1 am, and she didn’t have the energy to take a proper shower. But then again, when did she ever have the energy?

When her face was washed and she was in something comfortable enough to sleep in, she collapsed into her bed. 

Thoughts about the night kept her stirring and wide awake. After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, she finally grabbed her phone off of her nightstand and scrolled to the conversation she had labeled as “model boi”.

“Hey, sorry about all the drama tonight. Hope you and Tom still had a good time.”

(Pls comment/ask/message me any thoughts you have on the chapter! I am still overly excited about you guys reading this!!)

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