#Do you know how many types of blankets you can buy that look like raw meat? It's bonkers.

[yamina-chan]

Followed by Luffy suggesting one that looks like grilled meat instead and getting denied again.

Link to the Tweet

[xlbrh]

Genshin Impact - Small things they do to show their love

notes : so i’ve been trying to think of an idea for a long story to write for one of the characters, but i’ve been having a little bit of trouble :( if anyone has any suggestions i’d love to hear them! hopefully i’ll be able to come out with an introduction or something soon 

in the meantime i wrote this up, so i hope that you guys enjoy!

Genshin Masterlist

warnings : none

format : bulleted, headcanons. fluff

pairings : diluc, kaeya, childe, zhongli, xiao, albedo, aether x gn! reader

word count : 1426

everything under the cut-

Diluc:

during your nightly walks around mondstadt, he notices how chills can rack your body, especially when the wind blows

he’ll remove his jacket and drape it around your form, no matter how much you may protest

sometimes his arms will circle around your waist, drawing you towards him in an effort toto keep you warm until you get home

if you’ve been out adventuring close to the dawn winery, he’d invite you to the manor to share a meal or drink, whichever you’d like

whatever you desire, he’ll see to it that you receive it – most of the time he wouldn’t even ask you due to how well he can read you and your actions

when you try to refuse his offers, he’ll tell you ‘just let me look after you, my love’  

when you come to visit him in the angel’s share, he always has a seat ready just for you

he’ll keep a blanket and some books under the bar, since he knows how you like to curl up in the corner, engrossed in your reading

if you’d like he’ll come and sit with you for a short while, bringing a drink of your choice over while you tell each other about your day

Kaeya:

kaeya is the kind of man to call you every pet name under the sun

whether it be sweetheart, darling, love etc. he loves to use these types of names for you frequently, as a form of affection

he loves your reactions to them, especially when your cheeks flare up and you turn away out of shyness – he finds it extremely endearing

he would offer to train you in swordsmanship, regardless of whether you can already wield a sword or not

he likes to not only see your strength grow, but also offer you a way to protect yourself since he cannot be with you at all times

kaeya takes pride in the training sessions you have, after all they give him another reason to spend even more time with you

he loves for you guys to have matching things, no matter how small they may be 

for example, he’ll buy you a bracelet to wear, one that matches with one on his own wrist as well

jokingly he once bought you an eyepatch to match his, but he finds it sweet but hilarious when you’ll wear it around him sometimes

Childe:

since this man is a literal walking wallet, he has no problem with spoiling you with gifts

whether that be a necklace you’ve had your eye on, a new shirt because you ripped yours in battle, or a book he knows is the next in the series you enjoy

when asking him why he leaves you so many small gifts, his response is just ‘well, because i love you, of course!’

if you ever get hurt during a battle, he’ll be the first to help you

whether that be taking down the enemies if you haven’t already, or tending to the wounds you’ve received

he’d work with utmost caution, wrapping each wound gently and finishing them off with a kiss on top

when strolling the streets of liyue together, childe ensures that your body is connected to his one way or another at all times

whether that be intertwining your hands together, an arm loosely wrapped around your waist, or stopping to give you a brief peck on the forehead

he has no qualms in showing the public that you’re his – something he makes you well aware of

Zhongli:

he knows you love when he tells you stories of his past and the history of liyue, and he enjoys telling you about them

he finds the childlike wonder in your eyes adorable as he tells you tales of adepti and archons alike

zhongli will try his best to make them as entertaining as possible for you – drawing you in with every word he uttered

he likes to play with your hair, and for you to do the same to him

if you have longer hair you can guarantee he’d be braiding and styling your hair in all different ways, adorning it with hairpins he’d purchase for you

if your hair is on the shorter side then he’d love to run his fingers through, stroking your hair and massaging your scalp until you fall asleep with your head against his chest

if there is anything in particular that you take a big interest in, zhongli will try his best to research around it – even though he probably has the knowledge anyways

he wants to be able to talk to you about things you’re interested in, as well as share in the enjoyment that you get from it

he would leave small notes to you when he can’t always be around you, sometimes with small facts he learned of

Xiao:

he would for sure watch over you if you ever go on a long adventure, no matter what other duties he may have to attend to

expect to see a good few hilichurl and treasure hoarder camps abandoned thanks to his interference

‘anything to ensure your safety’, he thinks

some nights, when his duties have been fulfilled early, he’ll try his hand at preparing a meal for you to share

of course nothing especially fancy! After all he doesn’t have to eat himself – its all for your enjoyment

if he struggles he’d probably reach out to verr goldet some help

just imagine him setting a small picnic up on the wangshu inn rooftop iM WEAK

once xiao finally becomes accustomed to physical contact, he’d make an effort to hold your hand a lot more often

lightly squeezing it or tracing shapes with his thumb every now and again

if you’re lucky he way even take his gloves off – just to feel that warmth from his hand can be very comforting indeed

Albedo:

you’re literally the only person he will listen to when he is engrossed in his experiments

as we know he tends to block out the rest of the world when he is deep in though

but as soon as he hears your voice of concern asking if he’ll take a break to eat, you wanna bet he’ll be leaving his office in an instant to join you for lunch

he does the exact same for you when you’re hard at work, so he appreciates the way you always look after him

when out looking for more specimens to analyse, he stumbles across his fair share of flowers

of course he knows which are your favourites – he knows everything about you, after all – so he’ll be sure to pick some to bring home to you

when giving them to you, he mentions ‘well, they reminded me of you, so i thought you’d like them’

if you ever get ill for some reason, albedo becomes your personal doctor

he’ll spend hours preparing serums and medicines for you to alleviate your pain – but will never let you out of his sight while doing so

he’ll ask noelle if she can fix up some food for you in the meantime, since at every free opportunity he’s sat at your bedside, hand in yours as he whispers words of comfort to you

Aether:

aether is always ready to make you something to eat whenever you’d like!

he for sure has a small section of his brain dedicated to learning of recipes that he knows you enjoy, no matter how simple or complicated they may be

will make sure that you always have some lunch ready to take with you wherever you go, even if it means he had to wake up early and travel halfway across teyvat to bring it to you

he will bring you back numerous treasures from his travels

sometimes he’ll ask the locals in whichever area he’s in if they can craft the raw materials into something that you can treasure

there would be a shelf in your room specifically for aether’s gifts, where he’ll occasionally point to each one and tell you the story of how it made it’s way back to you

he makes sure to let you know how grateful he is to have you by his side

every time you do something for him, no matter how small it may be, he’ll thank you and let you know how much you mean to him

when on his travels he makes sure to write letters and send them home to you – just because he’s far away doesn’t mean he’s not still thinking about you

[troublesometrollhunters]

Ooo, could you do headcanons with what it would be like do run a Bakesale with Toby, Jim, and Claire?

Bakesale Sheingians

Choas utter choas but hey when is this group ever organized?

The Bakesale is either to raise money for Claire's theater program or to help make Toby look good for Darci. After all raising money to get a new mascot costume or new sports equipment, easiest way to her heart.

You each agree to tackle a different type of desert so that way you have a million things to sell. It'll be a good way to relax but also it'll be something fun to do outside of Trollhunting.

Toby does cookies and brownies. Nana has the best cookie recipes and he loves brownies so why not?

Claire picks pies and some traditional mexican desserts. She gets super excited to make and share receipies her mom and adbulea taught her!

You chose cakes and cupcakes. Simple enough but can be really fun and are a baking classic. Plus there's a million ways to make them.

Jim does a bunch of other stuff like crumbles, lemon squares, soufles, pudding, fudge, really anything the rest of you can't do. He's not much of a baker but he enjoys trying out new things in the kitchen.

You all spend the weekend at Jims. You start baking the weekend before the Bakesale. His moms pulling a double shift so you have the house to yourselves and Barbara said she was okay with all of you staying to keep Jim company. Besides Claire decided selling on Monday at the beggining of spirit week would make everyone crave sweets and was a good way to start the fundraiser.

It takes forever to get the actual baking done though.

Jim is kind of a perfectionist when it comes to cooking and it turns out baking is the same way. While he makes everything perfect Toby is trying everything to make sure its "sellable". You all are guilty of this and probabaly end up eating and tasting more than you meant too. And with so many people in the kitchen all doing different things it becomes choatic fast. At least your all laughing.

As Claire plays her PapaSkull playlist, Jim begins organizing desserts, and you begin frosting Toby dances around the kitchen cheering everyone on since his brownies an cookies are baking.

He quickly gets bored when the cookies are baking and starts an all out flour war. As You, Jim, and Claire are trying to continue making your baking creations Toby causes a bit of mischief wanting to mix things up. He wants the bake sale to go smoothly but it was getting to serious and this was supposed to be fun.

As you hold back Claire from throttling Toby the trolls come out from Jims basement for a surprise visit while Jims in the middle of stirring. You say hi as Toby laughs and Claire struggles against you to get cupcake all over him.

Draal asks if this bake sale is actually a bake war but you quickly shut him down when you see him eye a whisk covered in batter.

The trolls are confused about whats happening and ask questions curious as you doge getting hit by a giant glob of frosting. Jim is trying to hold back laughter as he keeping baking. You'd lost your grip on Claire and now she was threatening to end Toby in Trollish and Spanish for the chocolate goop in her hair.

Blinky commends her Trollish but asks she not say such vulgar things. Toby hides behind Aarrrgh giggling and Aarrrgh grabs some raw dough off the counter to eat. Draal looks at the choas before asking Jim if he'll be coming to training tomorrow. Jim explains the baking will take all weekend and he would be focused on this since there weren't any trollhunting jobs.

Blinky sees this as a learning opportunity about human culture and decides to help!!! He convinces Draal and Aarrrgh to participate as well as you and Jim shrug. It was already crazy might as well just make it fun.

The trolls talk about their traditional desserts and troll feasts as you all talk about your desserts. Claire excitably talks about her Mexican heritage and the desserts her family taught her to make while Toby mentions he's so he would've made stuffed donuts but Jimbo didn't have a fryer or the right kind of oven. Blinky takes out a book and begins writing things down to not forget as this is all fascinating.

Aarrrgh and Draal snack a lot but thankfully they only eat everything that couldn't be sold like burned or ugly looking goods. Draal finds he likes candy more while Aarrrgh likes the cakes and cookies. Blinky meanwhile tries Jims fudge and Claires pies.

By the end of the night your all covered in flour, milk stains, batter, frosting, egg shells, and god knows what else but you had all had so much fun.

As you settle in the basement for the night the trolls join you happy to stay. You curl up in blankets and pillows and sleeping bags and tell stories and play games before falling asleep cuddled against each other.

The entire weekend pretty much goes by in a blurr of baking, messes, troll questions, sleepover games, and eating a majority of your product. Thankfully on Monday more than enough survives taste testing to sell.

Jim's no surprise sell out the fastest but your all surprised at how well the bake sale goes. All the teachers buy something and a ton of students support you guys as well. Even Steve buys something (from you and Claire flirting the whole time but hey more money)

At the end of the day you've sold out what you were prepared to sell for the whole week. Money is raised for the school and your all happy you got to do something fun.

[binniesthighs]

multifandom soulmate aus ✨

soulmate (n): a person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner.

✨ a/n: hello hello!! today on, “Ro’s self indulgent fics” ehehe i’ve been thinking a lot about some of my favorite kpop besties and how i feel like sometimes in a group, there’s the members who just stick like glue and it’s kinda like they were destined to meet that way! anyway hehe this concept is so fkn cute to me so i wanted to make some poly r-ship headcannons with some of my favorites! 

➛ disclaimer: the pairings that i use are def not all inclusive of all “soulmate” pairings out there, just the ones i know of atm! also, i know some of these groups better than others, so some will be more specific, and others a little more general! 

✨ groups included: stray kids, ateez, the boyz, monsta x, seventeen, txt, bts 

✨ feedback is always appreciated! who’s your favorite?✨

➛maybe if we’re feelin’ spicy i can do a part 2 with the ones i haven’t done yet ;) 

Pairing: idol x female reader x idol (see fandoms above!) 

Genre: fluff n’ smut

Tags: established r/ship au, poly r-ship, sexual content (the usual stuff also including unprotected sex-please stay safe!) comfort ahhh, mentions of food alcohol  

*all photocreds go to ops :) 

both sfw and nsfw under the snip snip! 

♡ chanlix ♡

sfw

omg where the hell do i start with chanlix we love our cannon soulmates 

arguably the softest fkn pairing on this list; being soulmates with chanlix is like meeting your other halves (thirds?). there’s some serious destiny at work here!! 

the three of you understand each other on a spiritual level--almost to the point where you could likely read their minds if you wanted to try haha. there’s also a really, really strong type of emotional intimacy that you share with them that’s out of this world. 

this soulmate bond is so fkn strong, the three of you could go through any hardships and come out of it stronger than ever! 

the three of you have cute lil nicknames for eachother that you thought up yourselves! 

 your families are close as heck! it’s really pure how by the three of you so many people can get close ahhh 

i think that chanlix would be really into more outdoorsy dates? camping, swimming, hiking, sightseeing, stargazing, picnics etc! felix also loves taking you on food tours! 

bc chan is chan, he really takes on such a protective role over you and felix, he would quite literally do anything for you two: forgot your notebook or documents on the way to work/school? he’ll drop everything to bring them to you. sad? he’ll get you your favorite food, tons of blankets, his hoodie to wear and your favorite movie/tv show to watch with you! if anyone hurts your feelings too he will square tf up. 

felix is the world’s most adoring boyfriend in so, so many ways. not only is he such a cuddle bug, he shows you that he cares with tons of acts of service similar to chan! this comes in the form of his baking of course and other silly little gifts he sees that reminds you of him. he isn’t the best at words sometimes, but will soothe you by giving you a little massage or by playing with your hair! 

nsfw 

okay...😏 damn i’ve been wanting to write some poly chanlix so fkn bad ahhhh 

once again i really see chan taking the lead in more intimate situations. he really likes giving directions and seeing both you and felix carry them out! honestly he gets a bit of an ego boost seeing the both of you all whiny and fucked out ahhh 

here i come with my softsub!felix agenda oops hehe but this boy is frickin’ angelic for you and chan oml, he always asks for permission before he does things and eats praise up with a fkn spoon. praises alone really get him off: “does lixie like it when i play with his cute cock like this?” 

there’s something that gets the three of you ridiculously amped when you do all kinds of roleplay scenarios FRICK some favorites are pet play (you and lix being the kitties) teacher/student, roleplaying strangers, sex slaves, artist/muse, oh my god there was a halloween where you once did vampire roleplay you still think about it 🤤 

since the three of you are so comfortable with eachother, experimentation feels really safe! for example, the suggestion of shibari came up and now....let’s just say lix looks really pretty tied up ;) 

chan’s got a huuuuge (cock) and size kink!! he really likes topping both you and lix and seeing a bulge omg.... also when he can bulge your throats mmmhm! 

felix loves it especially when you ride his face, and he cold do it for hours! he looks so cute between your legs when he licks over and over your clit. he’ll ask you too if he’s doing good and you better say yes ;) 

favorite position would be all cuddled up and cozy with the two of them double penetrating you real nice and slow with tons of kisses and just touchin’ all over 

cockwarming cockwarming all day, every single time, without fail, it feels wrong if you finish without it! 

♡ woosan  ♡

sfw 

idk why but the first thing that comes to my mind is that in certain settings, ya’ll are loud as fuck AHA i guess what i mean to say as that as a trio, you are all super, super unapologetic and confident when around each other! this might have lead to you getting kicked out of a couple bowling alleys and karaoke places before... 

there’s a type of unspoken understanding that the three of you have that makes your bond so special. while you love eachother so dearly, it isn’t something that you really feel needs to be said out loud, it kind of just is! 

woosan are already really clingy on their own and when you come along?? you all can’t keep your hands off each other!! ya know how in movies there’s the whole “hand in the back pocket of your jeans???” woosan!! 

their energy together is so fkn chaotic but that's why you love them! they never fail to make you laugh and this is also the best way that they know how to cheer you up! 

Bc the three of you are a bit unbridled, it’s a bit hard to be serious at times when you go on dates/hang out with friends together so often you get some affectionate eye rolls haha 

wooyoung is someone that will try anything with you! hehe even if he knows that he mind not be that into it, he’ll still go with you! of course, he might say something snarky but he really does love just spending time with you! wooyoung also shares you with all his friends (changbin, yeonjun) so lowkey it feels like you’re one of the bros at times LOL 

san is a big fan of giving you gifts! oh also! words of affirmation too, san is someone who knows your insecurities well, so hypes you tf up all the time!! he especially loves buying things for you that he knows you’ll look pretty in just so he can compliment you ahhh 

at the end of the day however, there’s nothing more more that the three of you love than the tightest cuddles ever as you fall asleep! honestly, sometimes its a little too tight haha 

nsfw 

THESE BOYS FKN RAVISH YOU LIKE YOU’RE A FIVE COURSE MEAL 

and of course they expect the same from you as well! i mean....can you blame them??? these boys are sexy as hell and they frickin’ know it!! 

i have this super clear image of both of them stripping you down and rubbing massage oil all over your body and then giving you the turn to do it to them my lord...

sort of along this line, temperature play makes these boys feral. wax, ice, blowies with popsicles you name it 

both of them really just like being touched all over because they have the prettiest dancer’s bodies and just feeling hands on their muscles makes them loose it. 

wooyoung loves to mark the hell out the both of you in a really territorial way: all over your chests and necks even on your thighssss 

san, while he often does find himself in sub space, really easily can switch to dom you in the most beautiful way. everything with him is really intimate and raw: if this wasn’t already obvious haha he would like have a hand kink and loves seeing the way that his fingers look pumping in and out of your entrance and how your juices look as well. 

back too wooyoung, he’s the king of oral. whether it’s going down on you and sucking at your clit or deep throating with master level skill...foreplay is never boring with him! 

in my brain, i can see the both of them filling nearly position so this makes for an interesting dynamic to say the least AHA 

every once and a while, they’ll let you take complete control of the both of them while they just sit back and watch you with the most smug-ass grins that you’ll see in your life! 

AH another thought: woosan fkn love when you squirt on them, in any way this might look: when you’re nearly screaming in your overstimulation they want it all over them. 

favorite position would be 69 threesome style with all of your sloppy moans in-between <3 

♡  moonbae  ♡

sfw 

HEAR ME OUT the king of soulmates that know that they are soulmates but don’t take it seriously in the slightest istg this is my most favorite dynamic ahhhh 

there is not one dull day with these two boys, they’ll have you laughing in stiches until you can barely breathe like, the best kind of wheezy, silent laughter ya know what i’m talking about 

INSIDE JOKES literally so many inside jokes with the three of you 

Kevin is never scared to call your ass out, but that’s bc he knows you so well!! it’s all just jokes don’t ya worry ;) 

Along this line, your groupchat like has some random-ass name that’s also an inside joke

Jacob on the other hand is the biggest sweetheart when it comes to you, boy frickin’ melts. There is not a day that goes by when he hasn’t told you he loves ya morning and night. 

Also the best listener in the whole world, you can tell him anything and everything and he’s just sit and listen and give advice. 

Kevin loves you a ton a ton but just shows it differently! He remembers all the little things about you that you tell him to the point it’s scary how he does it so well 

Meme king Kevin would send you memes that remind him of you and Jacob

Lowkey i can see the both of them getting into the cutest petty arguments like which one of them you love more or think is more talented AHA again it’s all in good fun hehe 

it goes without saying but...it’s cuddle central up in here. 

THEY WOULD SERENADE TF OUT OF YOU oh my god it’s literally heavenly, Kevin would play piano and Jacob would play guitar FRICK 

You have oddly specific dates?? Like they would pick a movie to go see that the three of you would all hate just to meme the whole time. Jacob would still get invested accidentally tho. 

The way to both of these boy’s hearts is their stomachs so when you cook for them they would quite literally do anything for you 

nsfw 

ok ok so i’m a baby deobi so this is the gist of what i’m getting (i also did a little research LOL thank you @ deobi smutblr hehe) 

firstly i would like to say that i’m manifesting thigh riding with Jacob and i literally can’t think of anything else for some reason just p h e w and BOY does he love it too he thinks its so fkn cute to watch you! 

i get heavy, heavy switch vibes from Kevin with maybe some sub leanings??? either way, jacob def has soft dom vibes (oh god and occasional soft sub) to me but also has no problem with you taking control and doing what you like to him if that’s what you desire! 

kevin is impatient impatient and does not do well with your teasing. also...loud as hell, like, sometimes you have to tell him that he needs to calm tf down hehe (but of course you love it when he gets like that) 

separately, both of them are very different experiences i think: kevin is a fan of hard and fast, kitchen counter over the sofa type stuff sloppy toppy in risky places, and he loves to experiment too! 

jacob is also really different where he likes much, much more slow and intimate stuff like missionary, shower sex, real atmospheric stuff like candles and nice scents ahhh BIG fan of really fluffy pet names too like baby, princess, angel etc. super visual too omggg gets hard when you strip for him i think ;) 

together it’s a fkn whirlwind i’ll tell ya that. its like, honestly the most unique experience i can think of on this list because the two of them are so different. i will say that it can end up being really giggly and sweet tho! 

when it’s the three of you, kevin’s dom side comes out a little more so you’re left with these two lovely boys who want to give you all the attention! it’s lowkey a competition lol 

favorite position is when you’re sucking jacob off and kevin gets to do literally whatever the hell he wants with your pussy...i imagine that it might have to do a lot with edging if you ask me ;) 

♡ jookyun  ♡ 

sfw

oddly, i find myself soft af for jookyun and idk how to describe it haha (considering that they can often be hard as hellll) 

the three of you are also really nonchalant, but this is really in the way that you just feel as if you’ve known eachother for a really long time! 

as we know, jookyun were a bit of an enimies to lovers arc (AHA) so with the time that they’ve spent building their bond, it’s strong asf! 

i like to think that jooheon and changkyun would really get a ton of artistic inspiration from you for their music. since both of them write and often reflect bc of this, you’re totally their muse! (they’ll write some nasty as hell lyrics thanks to you too LOL) 

while our lovely thicc mx boys have unbridled confidence at times, really, they are babie. and they are frickin weak for your pampering. 

because of this, the two of them would become flustered as all hell when you do lil things for them!! this could be making them some lunch or just giving them the off compliment that they look a lil extra handsome that day. 

your safe place is with them!! ahhh i would also like to add the number of slick ass grabs when you’re in public is a bit off the chain at times ahah 

the duality of this r/ship is really something to note LOL when you go out and about when the two of them you certainly get some stares bc they look a lil intimidating at times but when you and your boyfriends cuddle up on the subway you give all passerby's whiplash haahah

Kyun is someone who is insanely romantic. almost to the point that it is cheesy haha he’d treat the both of you to expensive ass dinners, beach vacations and maybe even matching couple’s jewelry like rings or bracelets! 

jooheon on the other hand is a little more toned down haha but has another side to him that fkn swells with pride knowing how breathtaking you both are...frankly, his ego skyrockets knowing that he’s got you both for arm candy if this make sense teehee 

the three of you call eachother “babe” interchangeably, so it can get a bit confusing when you’re all in the same place and someone says “hey babe?” you need a new nickname ooP 

nsfw 

hello and here i am to push the sub!changkyun agenda. first and foremost i would like to explain how this man is such a pillow princess with the most lovely bratty edge *sighs* all that kyun wants is for you to fkn use him and do literally whatever the hell you want!! this man daydreams about you riding him right then and there wherever the hell he is. 

also, kyun is the king of toys, both using them on you and on himself! need i also say breath play as well in the same giving and receiving form? more than anything he loves it when jooheon wraps his hand around his neck hooooly ahhh he prefers it when you tease his tip with a vibrator until he’s angrily red and begging for you to give him a break just for you to bend down and give a kiss to his pearly head which makes him jolt 

jooheon is often more of a soft to hard dom if you ask me and takes care of both you and kyun really well. also... he will manhandle the hell out of you if you feel up for it (cough cough your arm kink for him ) oh shit and his thighs....don't’ even get me started 

while the three of you often opt for the hard and fast (even in some more risque places--such as in the recoding studio) there are really some more intimate times that you share too! 

on one of changkyun’s vacations, in the middle of the night, when no one was in sight and the hot tub was free for use...it started out as a bit of making out but then turned into something else when you decided to straddle jooheon and he let his hands creep under the straps of your swimsuit...needless to say you were bouncing on both of their dicks while you were warmed by the crackling bubbles 

at times, jookyun can get a little needy and impatient without you, so this has lead to a couple situations where you walk in on them letting out their frustrations ;) of course, immediately then they’d love for you to join! 

kyun has an oral fixation too, sooo he may or may not love cockwarming with his mouth or sucking your fingers lightly when you go to suck his dick~ 

♡  junhao  ♡

sfw

here me out with this one...but...there’s something really intimate about this relationship?? oh how to put this into words LOL junhao also have an insanely deep bond that really transcends if ya ask me haha 

while they both can be really goofy around eachother when comfortable the soulmate vibes are just...immaculate! this is all i can say? all three of you are just so connected in the way that you accept each other for all that you are and just kind of naturally gravitate towards each other even before you really knew that there were romantic feelings involved! 

first, i would like to say that out of all the pairings on this list, you three are classy as FUCK. seeing the three of you next to eachother is like seeing literally three models in the flesh. the way that you dress (sometimes even to match a little) is unbelievable bc you all just look so good? 

hand holdingggg wherever you go! holding hands across cafe tables, playing with each other’s hands absentmindedly hehe 

TRAVEL BUDDIES you would go anywhere with them and take tons of pics!! i mean the prettiest pics 

hao shows his love for you in the form of so many things, all of which he makes himself!! you inspire his physical art and drawings which he shares with you and he also loves to take clothes too and personalize them for you! 

jun on the other hand would take you to the studioooo and you could watch him danceee oh my gosh he’s literally so breathtaking and he would be dancing just for you with every curve of his body he’s so magical :’) then he’d ask you for feedback and you’d just be speachless...also loves to make you smile!! just being his goofy self he’s the best at it and thinks you’re so cute! 

there’s a ton of adoration in this relationship! tons of cute little displays of skinship that might look like a poke in the cheek or the fluffing of their hair ahh 

still, i feel like you would have kind of silly little nicknames for them that match their personalities and perhaps...you could have matching phone cases with these nicknames.... 

in this relationship there’s a ton of quiet moments that are really peaceful and indulgent such as watching sunsets, drinking wine together, just talking about life n stuff like that! 

nsfw 

hellz yeah we’re in for some more intimate-ass fuckin! but also....😏

this boys are kinky as shit but in like a really classy ass way lolll this is so hard to put into words. 

well, i’ll start with junhui catboy agenda so there’s that hehehe he would most def be into pet play: that could be like ears or pretty collars and of course calling you (or him) kitten. 

minghao is really versatile and doesn’t really like labels of dom and sub, he just does what he wants and what feels good to him! bc we’re talking about how intimate everything is, the kind of sex that you share with them is often never rushed but really purposeful and even planned sometimes! 

i also see there being TONS of sensory items that would come into play with junhao such as flowers, fragrances, aphrodisiacs, all kinds of fabrics for sensory deprovision such as velvet, silk, hemp rope, and so much more! 

BOTH OF THEM WOULD SOUND ANGELLIC i see hao as letting out really pretty soft moans that kind of trail on his tongue and jun sort of choking out gasps with a bit of a rasp to them when they cum or they feel turned on

oh god MIRROR SEX that's what i have to say about this 

it doesn’t happen often, but sometimes when any one of you would be feeling needy or pent up they can certainly do hard and fast with you between the two of them. especially when this happens, oh my god hao loves it when you moan really breathily into his mouth when you’re pressed against him ooooh shit 

and jun loves it when you bite into his shoulder too when he fucks you it just makes him feral 

actually, i could really see the three of you recording yourselves, or even taking pictures when you have more intimate moments to look at later, just for your own enjoyment or to get off when you’re without the others 

favorite position: hmmm mirror sex with you on top of minghao literally just kissing him and marking his body as jun eats you out until you’re dripping down to minghao’s cock which he jerks off too~ 

♡  yeonbin  ♡

sfw 

DON’T TOUCH ME IM SOFT  

admittedly i don’t know too much about this pairing but i do know a lil so i wanted to add them!! i also did a lil research hehe 

FIRST i would like to say that the three of you would without a doubt have the cutest puppy together, if not one, then two!! they would be little dogs with perfect haircuts and likely have their own instagram account which the three of you would run! they’d be instragram famous of course 

LITERALLY EVERY DAY ITS A FIGHT OVER WHOS CUTEST i kid you not this is an ongoing battle you’re all just...so weak for the other ahaha 

being in a relationship with them is like being in a relationship with your bestfriends! 

dates with the two of them can really range all over the place bc you just like having fun together! movie dates, breakfast dates, ZOO OR AQUARIUM DATES, taking little trips to places you haven’t been before or stay at home dates like having a little indoor picnic! 

soobin is really low energy, and would often opt to hang out with you at home or at a cafe while the two of you do your thing together! he lovessss when you bake or cook for him, literally whatever it is he’ll eat it! 

his smile is instant serotonin and the reason why you fell in love with him! the two of them together all smiley is your lockscreen! 

yeonjunie prefers going out with you clothes shopping and would DEF enable you to dye your hair a color that you’ve always been dying to do! he also loves showing you new music and blushes like heck when you tell him that you like the songs that he picks! 

in their own playful ways too, they’d always call you out on your bs LOLL but they just wanna motivate you! they’re your biggest cheerleaders! 

Deep down though, both of them are quite cheesy and would love to shower you with alll the stereotypical romance that you can take even if it makes all three of you cringe ahahah 

nsfw

NEEEEDY and literally so mf horny on the dl like it’s comical to how soft and shy they can be in real life situations 

oh my god this is a godly thought but i see both of them being both switchy as heck but not really bc they like how it feels to be in those different postions but literally....bc no matter what it is they are getting off lolll 

i see both of them having sub leanings but can get real bratty if they’re feeling it. 

yeonjun does have a dom side to him that just comes with his general confidence that he gets around you! when either of you beg from him he’s ready to let himself loose. 

im so sorry but they literally handed pet play to me on a silver platter with cat & dog and there is no going back for me. SO you’re in for puppy, kitty and bunny play (shhhh yeonjun’s got his fox ears too) 

WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT HOW ALL OF YOU WOULD LIKE THIGH HIGHS

both of them love being edged to high hell by you...no matter if it hurts...they kinda like it? 

at the same time, both of your boyfriends also love giving you all the attention at times too! i’m talking about one of them playing with your breasts while the other trails kisses down your body all the way down to your pussy aching for attention too

FUCK this might be just me but soobin eating you out>>>> a GODLY sight. 

i have this other fantasy of yeonjun with either lip piercings or nipple piercings or even a dick piercing someone plz tell me to calm down 

oh please...bubble bath with the two of them holy shit baby pink bubbles all around you while you take turns givin’ each other cute kisses ahhhh 

one more thing to the pile here would be hella mutual masturbation soo much of it. the three of you get off just simply watching eachother too and dirty talking how much you love the way the others look with hands rubbing themselves away with cute whiny moans~ 

♡ taekook ♡

sfw 

omg! this is my first time remotely talking about bts on my blog hehe this is so exciting!! i don’t really read too much bts ff so this is going off of my own perception! 

i just wanna say....there’s so much to unpack here LOL but like many of the soulmates on this list, these boys are ~whipped~ for you and eachother!! its so stinkin’ cute 

another thing about these expensive boyfriends is that they loooove to sing for you too! they’d sing you to sleep, when you’re sick, sad, or just had a hard day allllways hehe 

the three of you have sickeningly adorable nicknames for eachother, the kind that honestly make heads turn LOL 

jk would without a doubt get tattoos with you!! and wine drunk lollll he’s also a huge enabler so if there’s anything that you’re considering buying or doing he’d hype you up so bad you barely have to think twice heheh 

kinda like junhao they’d also make amazing travel buddies but less for the aesthetic, but for the luxury. you’d stay at amazing hotels and eat at Michelin star restaurants wearing luxury brands that they bought for you

i feel like this goes without saying, buuuut in this r/ship, its alll about the adoring glances from afar or even just right next to you bc they love you so much!! 

i also get a very protective vibe from them as well, you’re very special to them, and they never wanna see you in harms way or disrespected by anyone! this could even look like having their arm around you on the bus or on the small of your back in a crowd 

together, they’re the biggest jokesters and flirty as HELL they think that it’s so funny when they flirt out in public AGRESSIVELY just to make you a lil embarrassed hehe  

forehead kissessss and kisses on the back of your hand! 

nsfw 

luxurious in this area tooooo 

they would rent out the penthouse or presidential suite to make an evening for you and pull out all the stops: expensive champagne, lingerie selected just for you, a breathtaking view of the city ahhhh 

ya all know how much i love my soft and intimateeee body touching and there would be plenty of this! they take their time undressing you and eachother and would plant kisses into the nape of your neck and shoulders as you do so! 

i would like to contribute to this conversation sub!jk bc this is something that ahhhhh i really like to think about as well as soft dom tae bcccc why not heheh 

these boys are utterly gorgeous under soft lighting and prowling all over your body too tho ahhh 

BUT! imagine teasing the hell out of jk, barely letting him feel your mouth besides fleeting kisses while tae drives his hips into you from behindddd 

in fact, these boys actually don’t mind a little voyeurism with the wide windows in your suite, opting to leave them open so there's a bit of thrill in the way that they fuck you too~ 

tae has a bit of...dare i sayyyy a power kink, so when you call him names such as sir, daddy, master etc oh boy 

jk himself is bit into sensory dep specifically with blindfolds especially when its your hands travelling all around his body making him shiver. 

both of them just looove cuming all over you as well: face, ass, thighs, belly, literally anywhere, they just think that you look amazing like that! 

there are a couple times here and there when the three of you also do a bit of cam work together for other people to watch--although it isn’t often, you rake it in when you do so. the three of you are a perfect fantasy! 

sex also can happen in odd places with you three too since you can just start feeling it and don’t really care ;) strangest place....hmm i’d say when you joined the mile high club with them~ 

~🌹~

Bunch of (Ro)ses! 

@minaamhh @dazzlehoseok @synnocence @jjewibeans @hyunsluvv @unexceptional-h @bobawithchaitea @lechanters @sailorhyunjinz @silencefavarchive @lunarskzzz  @yourdaddychan @bubblelixie @spnobsessedmemes @lmhmins @eunaeiekim

[hualianff]

Smol XL

Modern AU where HX comes home around one in the morning after his night shift at a restaurant known for its exquisite fish dishes. Even after taking a dinner break during his shift, HX is starving.

It takes HX several tries to jam his key into the lock before successfully stepping into his apartment. His numb feet carry him through the foyer, heading straight to the fridge.

On his way to the kitchen, the open space to the living room grants HX a view of his roommate HC’s head turned to the television. Some sort of rom-com mixed with martial arts plays on the screen—not what HC typically watches, but HX doesn’t care enough to think too much of it.

With a large yawn, HX opens the fridge in hopes there is something moderately tasty to snack on. The sweet and tangy smell of pork hits HX’s nose, surprising him. HC must have cooked tonight because there was no pork in the fridge this afternoon when HX left for work.

HX reaches for the container sitting on the shelf at chest level, inspecting the overflowing contents of pork, veggies, and rice. He is momentarily skeptical. It’s strange for HC to leave so many leftovers after cooking. It seems HC has left enough that HX can snag a portion. When it comes to his roommate, HX certainly takes what he can get.

After glancing at the lid, HX spots a small sticky note with elegant hand-writing: He Xuan ♡

(HX: 🤨)

HX turns to the counter.

There’s another container with semi-burnt cookies in the middle of the island.

(HX: 😲 )

Begrudgingly, HX scoops the leftover food and some cookies into a bowl to take to his room. On his way, HX is forced to pass by the living room. This time he is afforded a side view of the couch.

Sure enough, HC’s boyfriend is tightly wedged between his legs, leaning back against HC’s chest. A purple velvet blanket covers them both, combining their forms into one huge blob.

The couple doesn’t notice HX. Or at least, HC side-eyes HX for a split second before leaning his chin on his boyfriend’s shoulder, eyes glued back to the television.

HX shakes his head, then scurries into his room.

Even if HC is going to have XL over for dates and permeate the air with romance when HX is home, at least they always save food for him.

***

When HX gets up at a quarter till seven to brew his morning coffee, he’s met with the sight of XL cheerfully mixing pancake batter in just boxers and a t-shirt that is clearly HC’s because of the way it slips off one shoulder.

HX rapidly blinks as his eyes immediately locate all the love bites littered on XL’s collarbone.

“He Xuan, hi! Good morning!” XL exclaims, turning to face the taller man.

“Morning,” HX greets with a nod of his head. To distract himself from the physical evidence that HC is a goddamn leech, he rounds the counter until he stands beside XL. Out of politeness, HX asks, “What are you making?”

“Pancakes! I’m trying this new recipe that my mother sent me. They’re supposed to be extra fluffy and savory, and I’m going to add blackberries since those are San Lang’s favorite,” XL explains distractedly. HX assesses the bowl of blackberries, bottle of syrup, and whipped cream on the island behind them. “And don’t worry, I’ve made enough servings for the three of us and possibly extra. But that depends how hungry you and San Lang are.”

HX stares wordlessly at XL’s side profile as XL turns the stove on with a brief click! The shorter man holds his palm over the pan, waiting for it to heat up.

It’s safe to say HX is thoroughly touched, though he would rather not admit it. Despite his snarky comments, HC cares for HX with little things like doing his laundry or buying HX’s favorite snacks on a spontaneous grocery run. Then there’s XL who goes out of his way to strike conversations with HX to ask about his days and of course, cook for HX.

The two of them make quite a pair.

So here HX is, helping XL flip the pancakes while XL himself decorates the stack designated for HC. Once enough pancakes for the three of them have been cooked–half the bowl of batter left–HX picks his plate up, standing behind XL to wait for the toppings.

HX is in the middle of telling XL about this one customer who eats at the restaurant every week just to request that the head chef, which is HX, surprise them for their dinner order. It baffles HX to no end. What was the point of going to a restaurant and relying on the chef to decide what you’re going to eat?

“How can a person be so bold?” HX asks in disbelief. He tugs at the collar of his black t-shirt, itching at an area on his shoulder where his uniform slightly chafed the skin. XL laughs lightly, followed by the sound of whipped cream splattering out.

“Well, they certainly have your attention, don’t they?” he teases, flashing HX a smile over his shoulder.

HX jerks back at that.

“What? No, they don’t. Not like what you’re thinking. No. Nope, not like that-” HX rambles, narrowing his eyes at the shorter man.

“What’s their name?”

“...”

XL merely raises his eyebrows. HX exhales sharply, breaking eye contact with the devil’s counterpart.

“How could I not know? Their name is always on the receipt. It’s not my fault I’ve memorized it from seeing it so many times.”

“I never said anything was your fault. But…” XL trails off. He turns back to sprinkle some chocolate shavings onto HC’s pancakes. “Are they hot?”

HX outwardly scoffs. Seriously, HC is a terrible influence on his boyfriend!

(Little does HX know, it goes both ways.)

“What- what kind of question is that? Completely irrelevant. I’m a chef who does their job. I don’t care about a customer’s looks; I care about their tastes and whether they are sufficed by the food we serve. Nothing more,” HX insists.

He is unknowingly babbling at this point. He doesn’t know why his big mouth makes its appearance whenever he’s with XL. It just happens. Which HX will regret within a few hours. But it’s okay because no matter what HX has to say, XL is the type of person who will always listen.

Having at the very least one person like this in his life is not something HX will take for granted.

“-and it seems to work because they always leave generous tips, which I’m not complaining about-”

A raspy dominant voice asserts itself in the middle of HX’s monologue.

“Why the fuck are you talking to yourself?”

HX pauses his rambling, eyes rolling to the ceiling. This dickhead-

But before HX can turn around to respond with a defensive “fuck off,” XL’s entire body straightens up. With the plate of neatly stacked pancakes piled with berries, whipped cream, and chocolate, XL peeks his head out to the side of HX’s figure.

“San Lang! I made pancakes-!”

A startled choking sound snags in HC’s throat.

“Gege!?”

HX, in the middle of such a comical scene, can barely contain his amused smirk.

***

Bonus:

HC internally screams as XL settles into his arms for their movie night. He loves squeezing XL against his body. Hugging him from behind. Tickling him. Really, anything to get his boyfriend’s attention. (As if he doesn’t already hog most of it.)

XL alike loves being in HC’s arms. He loves listening to HC’s heartbeat while leaning back against him; loves feeling HC’s laughs reverberate against his chest.

Towards the end of the first movie, HC playfully pokes XL on the cheek. When XL turns his head around with an indignant expression, HC grabs his chin and places loving pecks all over those soft cheeks. XL instantly smiles, eyes curving into crescents from the affection.

HC quickly gravitates towards XL’s lips, pressing his mouth firmly against XL’s. Within seconds, HC’s grip on XL’s jaw tightens as he kisses his boyfriend with urgency, swiping a tongue against his bottom lip.

XL, gasping out a breathless: “Hmmph-! San Lngg-!”

Twenty minutes into their makeout session, the smoke alarm goes off. The couple breaks apart from the blaring beeping.

XL: “MY COOKIES-“ *leaps off of HC*

HC, winded as XL uses him as a springboard to jump off the couch: “OOF-“ *wheezes*

Raws:

XL IS SHORT ENOUGH TO NOT BE SEEN FROM THE BACK OF THE COUCH. HC’S FRAME COMPLETELY SHIELDS HIM.

XL IS SMOL COMPARED TO HIS TOL BF

HX saw the food and was like “yep, Xie Lian is definitely over, even if I can’t currently see him”

(Special thanks to @no-one-says-hi for contributing/listening)

[obeymeluv]

The Bros as Dads

PSA: The boys would be very attractive dads (emotionally and physically). That is all.

Note: the headcanon also includes genders for the kids. I can see some of them having sons, and others having daughters. And, obviously, everyone is older (20′s-ish).

Lucifer

Takes a while to process the news. It’s kind of a big thing. His love life was something of a roller coaster (or nonexistent) until you. The ‘L’ word was a hurdle, now there’s a B word and a P word?!

When his brain realizes what you’ve said or if you show him some proof, the pride takes over FULL SWING (you can feel it explode in him, like his aura) and he purrs

You are truly his stars, his moon, and the heavens he so dearly misses

There’s this raw, vulnerable love in Lucifer’s eyes and it pretty much awes everyone because he’s usually so proper and reserved

The memories are old and dusty but Lucifer’s parenting instincts are strong

A type-A, fussy person. You may have 7 months left before you give birth, but the house will be spotless and perfectly proofed before you hit bed rest

Piles of parenting books suddenly sprout around the house. No one’s sure where they came from or how there’s even that many WRITTEN about parenting.

You and the child become his world. You’re his kryptonite, the only thing to convince him away from long hours or break him out of sour moods

Lucifer is very stressed, more than he thought he’d be, because you’re carrying his child and he worries for your health.

He’s with you every step of the way, from appointments to birth

He’d absolutely drop everything to tend to your needs, or appoint one of the brothers if he couldn’t.

Likes to busy himself with making a nursery and is actually good at themes/interior decorating

Has a tiny desk built in his study. The child won’t be able to join him for a while, but the idea of his tiny joy working on something beside him warms his heart

Hunts down obscure herbs and items from folklore that are supposed to bless pregnancies or benefit the unborn. Turns out he’s really nervous and superstitious.

Lucifer is the worst when it comes to shopping because his pride outweighs his logical restraint. If he convinces himself IN THE SLIGHTEST that his child would look good in something or the nursery could really use an item, it’s coming to the House of Lamentation

He ugly cries when he realizes you’re having a girl because he feels like Lilith has been given back to him.

Refuses to name his child Lilith because of everything that happened. Can’t settle for anything close to her name or any nicknames they gave her.

Makes you a sleeping space in his study. Loves to take breaks to watch you sleep. Unintentionally takes a break to kiss your stomach and talk to the baby.

Firm believer in ‘in the belly’ enrichment so you’ll have music playing and Lucifer will read to them all the time.

If the baby’s not with you, she’s with him. Lucifer has definitely shown up to a meeting with Lord Diavolo with his baby in a chest carrier. The meeting went flat because Diavolo wanted to play with the baby.

He’s the type of dad that demands total silence when the baby’s sleeping. Might have tied up some of his brothers to achieve it.

He’s not a total hard-ass (this kid has made a sucker out of him, okay?) but his kid will definitely have manners and knows to help clean up.

The type to take naps with his kid. He’ll get up at 2 in the morning and climb into their crib if they’re fussy.

Lucifer spent so much of his life being the primary caretaker for his bros that he forgets he’s not alone this time. When you push him back down so he can sleep, and tend to your daughter, his heart almost bursts with love.

On the fence about another child. The kid’s going to have pride in spades and he thinks a sibling will humble them (and make them less lonely). He’s also afraid of that prideful wrath and doesn’t want two prideful little demons always fighting

Isn’t the best with dressing up his kid but likes to give them fancy shoes. The shoes are always on point even if the rest of the outfit is a disaster.

Is 100% ready to receive any and everything “#1 Dad” because he IS, DAMN IT. He’ll use it regularly, too.

Mammon

He’s freaking out hardcore (”You sure? Really, really sure? Maybe you just have gas or something. Y-yeah!”)

Doesn’t believe it until he sees a test. Promptly faints. Dead-ass faints as soon as he sees it.

Kind of remembers it when he wakes up, and you have to remind him again.

This time he’s pretty excited because THE GREAT MAMMON will be having a child. WHAT A GIFT, RIGHT? THE BEST GIFT!

All the magazines are snapping up this gossip and, for once in his life, he puts the earnings away. Kid has a nice fund going before they’re even born.

His schedule is 50% work, 50% family because YOUR MAIN MAN HAS TO BE THERE. Work just pays the bills and pads the nursery account, okay?

The Devildom has something similar to a baby shower and Mammon puts all KINDS of high-dollar shit on there. His baby’s going to be stylin’, okay?

Some crying in front of others, but an entirely different kind of crying behind closed doors. Vulnerable, grateful crying about being loved and having a tiny someone who will love him, too

Pays someone to explain baby stuff to him. How to change them, feed them, what type of breathing you should be doing. It surprised his bros because Lucifer could just give him that info. The fact that Mammon paid for it means he’s pretty serious about learning.

Gets tons of free maternity photos because all his magazines want the scoop. He gets to pamper you and see you all dressed up and beautiful and EVERY magazine has a shot of him crying like a proud sap.

Mammon hoards all of those pictures. Has a pile of them in his room, totally separate from everything else.

Has a lot of nervous energy and can get frustrated with all the baby books, so he distracts himself with scrap-booking. Surprisingly good at it.

Mammon thinks you’re just the most beautiful thing ever. He loves taking pictures of you. Wants the kid to have no doubts about how much he loves them and their parent.

He’s so lovesick. When you sleep or hug your belly or just touch it he melts.

Stacks Grimm on your belly when you sleep. Thinks it’s fun. Likes to record how big the towers get.

Not the best at getting up for your random-hour cravings and has definitely made you cry with his bluntness. When he’s more awake he’ll apologize and you guys will work it out.

When he finds out he’s having a little boy, the bros throw a party. Mammon gets semi-drunk and has a huge, ass-chewing lecture about how the bros made him feel for centuries and how they better not say ANYTHING like that to his kid.

You shot down any and all attempts to name the kid anything money related.

Almost passed out when you had the baby.

Cried when he first held him. Calls him Mamm-mini.

Totally planning the baby’s first photo shoot. Has people on standby to make matching outfits.

He now has a partner in crime and the kid can charm the pants off of anyone!

Mammon is 100% devoted to this kid and he secretly hopes he’s the favorite parent.

Lives for any second of bonding he can get. NEEDS IT TO LIVE. 100% a sappy dad.

The most supportive dad, always saying nice things because he knows people didn’t always say nice things about him.

Levi

Brain stops working. You almost think you’ve given him a heart attack

Levi feels you take the controller from his hand and instantly has to fill it with something else, taking yours. He looks at you and asks you again if you’re sure.

He can see it in your eyes and he just crows. He doesn’t know if he’s excited or scared but he made the noise.

Worries A LOT about the idea of becoming a father. Can gross otakus be good fathers? How does he dad?

Gets pre-stressed about social interactions. Kids have to go to school and have play-dates and Levi’s going to have to talk to people...ugh! Gross!

Definitely has a few break-downs (feelings of inadequacy, etc.) before Lucifer or Satan comfort him. He’s better than he thinks, just insecure. Everyone learns as they go. They have classes (”They’re like cheat codes, Levi.”) and it makes him feel better

His gaming friends send their congratulations and he gets lots of themed blankets and onesies.

Wants you to have a water birth because the water is his child’s calling. Really attached to the idea.

He’s constantly looking up guides to baby-proofing, double- and triple-checking safety specs of anything before buying it.

Spends HOURS scouring Akuzon, comparing brands, and reading reviews for everything.

Akuzon noticed he was buying lots of baby books and looking at baby-related things so they sent him a onesie.

You get a lovely beach/water-themed maternity shoot and Levi is so love-struck he gets a nosebleed. Once he’s cleaned up it makes a darling photo shoot.  

Has already made lists of anime for the kid to watch. Some are his favorite, some are for the lessons and moments that stuck with him

Asmo messaged TSL on the down-low and Levi got some quality kid-sized merch.

Tries to get you to name the baby Henry if it’s a boy. When he finds out it’s a girl, he pushes for Henrietta.

Reads TSL to the baby and plays ocean sounds.

As you get further along in your pregnancy, he buys a fridge for his room and stocks it with your favorite cold stuff. Any snack foods are just added to his stash.

You are absolutely worshipped. Craving something? Akuzon has it and the fastest pig is on it’s way. Your feet hurt? Try a water bath!

You’re his Player 2 now and forever (always have been), and he’s keeping you in perfect health.

Probably keeps a video journal for the kid or of the two of you during your pregnancy. Big on preserving stuff digitally.

Probably makes a game for his kid just because. They’ll be able to play it when they’re older.

Bought a ton of Magical Girl-style hairbows and things for when their hair grows in. His daughter’s a fucking princess, okay?

Belphegor bought the baby a goldfish onesie and Levi loves it to pieces.

Bought the baby a seashell bassinet and rocks them to sleep with his tail.

Levi has a bad sleep schedule and wakes easily, so he’s usually the first one to get up and handle the baby.

He has this complex about being a good dad. People can call him a weird, gross otaku but they’re ALSO going to mention how good of a dad he is!

Super affectionate with his kid in a quiet, whispering, mumbling way. Just thinks they’re the best thing.

Having a daughter really makes him rethink some of the ways he viewed anime characters and made him super critical. If his daughter ends up liking anime he’ll make it very clear what he thinks and how she shouldn’t let other people treat her like an object. 

His demon form gets triggered REALLY EASILY if his bros hold her for too long. THAT’S HIS BABY, THANK YOU!

Satan

Secretly hoped to be a father one day. Wanted to prove so badly that he could be one, and move past the constant fear of his temper looming over him. He didn’t want wrath to be his only legacy.

Can’t manage more than a genuine smile and a lilting laugh when you tell him, but he’s literally almost sick with joy. He’s just not the type to jump from the rooftops or anything

Asmodeus and Mammon convince him into drinking because he needs to let loose and really show it!

Satan ends up drunk-stumbling to Lucifer and plunking his head into his chest and crying. He’s crying because he’s happy and mumbling something about ‘granddad’. When his tears dry he’s happy as can be, smugly calls Lucifer an ‘old fuck’ and promptly throws up.

They’re past most of their bad blood but even Lucifer wasn’t surprised Satan never got EVERYTHING out of his system. A lot of his childhood memories are tainted with pure wrath instead of coming into his cardinal sin through some other mean. Or naturally, like puberty.

Between his personal research and Lucifer’s expertise, the baby-proofing is totally covered.

His book binges are strictly about pregnancies, suspicions, rituals, parenting, and anything he can think of that has to do with kids.

He’s big on teas and brews that are supposed to help with pregnancies and pains. Uses his many connections to get ingredients for said teas

Reads the classics and big epics to his unborn child.

Buys you some Hellcats for protection. They’re fiercely loyal, so he’ll know you’re safe.

He’d be the type to nag you about your diet, but not to be mean. He’d support it with this absolute WALL of evidence that turns into a lecture that could last for hours.

Has to fight the Hellcats to sit next to you or touch your belly a lot more than he thought he would. He’d never say it out loud, but he’s starting to hate the cats (he doesn’t mean it though).

Starts cleaning up his book piles a lot more. The baby would get hurt if the stacks fell on them. His room becomes virtually spotless.

You pick books to read together. You end up reading Satan to sleep, too. He keeps a hand on your belly.

Gets nervous about you wanting to go out, and basically tries to keep you in the House of Lamentation. Relents a little because hormones make you scary. He was basically afraid of nothing because the walks were fine.

You like to sit in the Devildom gardens and he thinks you look picturesque and wonderful. It takes his breath away.

Asmodeus is your personal photographer because Satan doesn’t think anyone else will do you justice.

Finds out you’re having boy-girl twins and totally shuts down. What does he say? How does he respond? BELPHIE OR BEEL WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE TWINS! WHY HIM?!

Lucifer is BEYOND amused. This is definitely payback for everything Satan did in his childhood (so the saying goes).

It doesn’t bother him as much when he starts buying smart little cardigans, button-ups, ribbons, and bowties. He’s actually quite happy.

The Hellcats act weird and tip him off to your contractions before your water breaks. Satan gets you to the hospital and helps you give birth. The twins grow to look more like him than you, but if someone mistakes you for the nanny or says something derogatory, he’s pulling two ferocious kids off an idiot

Satan was afraid he’d be a short fuse, but he becomes the parent that explains everything to death (for better or worse). The kids will get a lecture when they’re bad, when the ask ‘why’ to something, he’ll explain why he gave the punishment he did, and be very clear with anything.

Asmodeus

Quickly falls in love with the idea of you being pregnant. It’s the best! Proof of his truest love, the thing that makes his heart beat!

He loved you to pieces before you were pregnant, and loves you even more now (if that’s possible).

Always wants to be with you, smothering your belly with kisses and touches and looking at it like it’s the next greatest love of his life

Takes names very seriously. “My child is a gift unto this world. People will know their name, so it has to be a good one!”

Gets really wrapped up in decor and aesthetic. He’d be a one-man force for all of it if you didn’t tell him to stop and breathe! Asmodeus just has lots of ideas, okay?

Has a really hard time understanding the value of baby-proofing until Satan smushes a few of his lipsticks in his hand and knocks around some finishing powder (”Now imagine that. All the time. With anything you love.”). 

Hires someone to baby-proof the room because that’s just not his thing. He’ll handle securing the valuables, okay?

Constantly reading about beauty rituals and things to do for his pregnant wife. She’s doing something really hard and deserves to be pampered!

You’ll constantly be pampered or trying ‘this and that’ because he read it was good for the baby. Good for beauty, good for health, etc.

Has a pretty decent diet, himself, and keeps you on yours.

You definitely have pregnancy sex a few times. Anything he can do to help you out, you know?

Asmodeus ADORES watching you grow round with his child and LIVES for helping you take care of yourself. He’ll let you lounge in his fantastic tub and has no issues sitting on the floor and doing your toes

Picks out all your outfits. Wants you to look your best! Don’t worry, you’ll be comfy!

When he finds out you’re having a girl he cries. A lot.

SO MANY BABY UPDATE BROADCASTS ON DEVILGRAM! There is an official ‘baby watch’. It’s trending more than you thought it would.

Takes TONS of videos.

His baby is easily the most fashionable child in all of Devildom.

Takes really candid, private photos that have a lot of sentimental value. A lot of your pregnancy photos are you looking comfy in bed or sitting at a vanity in breezy clothes as he does your makeup.

The type of dad to sit down in the middle of the store to play with toys (are they good enough for his kid? Like, really?). Must feel everything before he buys it. If he doesn’t like how it feels, he won’t buy it.

You end up giving birth earlier than planned and Asmo almost throws up because birth doesn’t look like he thought it would

Super nervous during your pregnancy because you’re in pain and there’s lots of noises.

Busies himself doing your makeup because that’s the only way he can handle the situation. You’re holding his tail and he SWEARS you’re going to break it off!

The bros help deliver his little angel and Asmo is SMITTEN. ABSOLUTELY SMITTEN.

Holding his baby 24/7.

Loses sleep just because he watches them sleep. Sometimes he loses sleep for real because DAMN, babies don’t sleep a lot, do they?

It’s really hard to adjust to and he’s surprised his skin isn’t god-awful.

Doesn’t regret a thing, fawning over their tiny nails and little curls, and OMG EVERYTHING! Cries a lot because they’re just perfect

His wardrobe reflects his dad status but he still looks like a DILF. You can give him the most classic dad attire and it just looks good on him.

Beelzebub

He’s excited about your pregnancy. Boy honestly tried for it, you know? Studied positions and everything.

Beelzebub has so much love and the idea of holding a tiny someone just warms his heart

Everything kid-related is totally foreign to him except for how to act with them. He and Belphie were the youngest so he was used to being taken care of until he got old enough to climb and eat on his own.

The type of guy to need explicit, step-by-step instructions on EVERYTHING. He doesn’t have a brain for it like Satan or Lucifer, so he needs help

Seriously. Give him a checklist for baby-proofing and he’ll get it done.

Gets pretty down about not being able to cuddle and snuggle like normal, but he’ll look into safe ways to do so.

Has special snuggles with the baby. Kisses your belly and rubs it. Talks to your baby like the little demon it is (even if it doesn’t have a name yet).

Lives for the times you talk to the baby, talk yourself out of bed, or how you absently talk to your belly throughout the day.

Works out to deal with stress and nerves, but also because he wants to be a good, strong dad

The doctors give him a list of exercises you can do and he does them with you

Can’t really take the nutrition advice seriously. He eats pretty much everything and you probably will, too.

When people ask him about your pregnancy, he uses very inclusive language (”We’re expecting, etc.”)

You make mini-dates out of your late-night cravings. Beel is totally in love with it.

Beelzebub becomes your food finder. There’s been times where you look at him so cutely, so imploringly, and all you can manage is ‘spicy and crunchy’. He’ll find you something, don’t worry! He’s an expert!

Big on massages and cuddling. Likes to cup his hands over your belly and trace it.

The type of dad to gain weight with you as your pregnancy moves along. Becomes soft, strong dad.

Finds out you’re having twin boys and has the happiest crying session ever. Belphie is the first to know and all Beel can say is ‘Just like us!’ as he nearly crushes his twin to death.

Likes to dress them in cute and comfy clothes. Animal onesies? Yes!

At some point yours twins are going to look like hotdogs and hamburgers. There’s no shortage of food costumes thanks to Levi, Asmo, and Beel.

Suspicious about baby food, bugs Satan about how nutritious it is, and tries all of it just to be sure.

Some of their teething toys look like real food. Beelzebub ate one on accident.

Is a perfect gentle giant. Afraid of hurting them, for they are tiny and precious, but gets over that pretty quickly.

Always wants to cuddle and hold them. You have to make him leave them alone to sleep. Gets kind of sad when they’re napping because he can’t make faces at them or hear them laugh. Right back to his usual self when they wake up, though.

You best believe they learn their alphabet by studying food. Beelzebub will stand in the kitchen and dig through the pantry until he finds things that match the letters of the alphabet 

Belphegor

He’s kind of surprised you ended up pregnant because the sex is usually lazy and casual. Yes, he has the moments where it’s pretty hardcore, but...wow. For some reason, he just didn’t see you getting pregnant.

Secretly hopes you have more than one kid. Something in him would just be happy if there’s more than one kid. You think it comes from the time he spent alone in the attic but never say it.

Sleeps a lot more. Not out of avoidance or anything, but because naps will be rare in the future. He likes to think he’s stockpiling sleep.

Makes sure you’re comfy at all times.

Would love for you to sleep and be cozy but apparently that’s not healthy for humans, so he takes easy walks around the house and keeps you semi-active.

He’ll give you his cow pillow to use as a back pillow. It’s his way of letting the baby use it until he can share it with them.

Listens to a lot of audiotapes about parenting. Looks at books, too, but does better with audio. 

Reads a new bedtime story to your kid every night.

Sometimes you guys sleep in the star room so he can talk to them about constellations. They can’t see anything, of course, but he still goes into detail.

Isn’t much of a picture person and doesn’t see the point in taking maternity pictures. It’s actually because Belphie has a photographic memory so he remembers everything.

The bros force him into taking maternity pictures.

The type to journal everything. He writes a big-ass, super-detailed diary for the baby.

Is kind of worried about his temperament, so he’ll take some classes on how to handle stress and stuff before the babies arrive

Becomes King of Lists. There’s lists for everything. Lists help. Lists are good.

When he finds out you’re having triplets (a boy and two girls), he doesn’t know how to react. You saw him smile though. It doesn’t sink in until you’re hugging him. “I’m never sleeping again,” he realizes with absolute terror.

Beelzebub is super excited. “That’s twins plus a bonus!”

Very snobby about the nursery decor. Also very tactile like Asmodeus. If it doesn’t feel good, it’s not going in the nursery.

Wants a barn-themed nursery (to include as many cow-related things as possible)

You get the comfiest PJs.

With three kids, he lives by embroidery. He has to have a way to tell them apart, after all (the girls, at least).

Can’t hoard the babies but wants to. Hates that he doesn’t have enough arms to hold them all at the same time.

Is very interested by their tendency to hold each other and nap together. Finds it super adorable.

Makes a super-sized crib he can climb in and sleep with them. It’s basically a Belphie-sized bed with little attachments his kids sleep in. Separates them all just enough so he doesn’t worry about hurting them, but there’s still contact

Thanks whatever god exists that they mostly stay on a schedule together. Makes it stressful for changing diapers, but very fun to feed them.

Almost dies laughing when Lucifer holds them for the first time because one vomited on him, the other sneezed in his face, and one pooped so much it got on his pants leg.

Lulls them to sleep with his happy purr, and gets woken up from a dead sleep by pure love when they make the sound back. Suddenly there’s three chirpy purrs rolling against him and he’s in love.

Proud they love their mama so much (to the point of being TOTAL mama’s kids), but also kind of relieved he can breathe.

The three trade off occasionally when they realize he’s free real estate and come to him for snuggles. They all love him so he doesn’t mind.

This house supports cuddle piles! Belphie got them hooked on group naps for a young age and they sleep together now. 

Hope you liked it :)

[plush-rabbit]

Half Gloves Headcanons

A/N: Headcanons because,, yeah!! Hope you enjoy!! (also i’m assuming you’re talking about fingerless gloves so that’s what it is or at least referenced!!) -

Bubaigawara Jin:

He gets it. Jin will probably understand your need to have gloves on your hand more than anyone. He has his mask to help him out with his own anxiety, so you having your gloves is just something else that you have in common. He’s quick to notice your constant need for it, the way your hands thread with each other, the nervous picking against loose threads and in a sort of knowing way, he’ll inch closer to you, offering his own hand for you to play with in order to calm down. 

If your gloves ever get ruined, he’s a bit worrisome. He knows what it’s like to lose something so precious- he’s lost count of how many times his own mask has ripped- so he freezes. Whether it’s a tear or a spilled drink on the fabric, he’ll freeze and begin to look for a cloth or a spare glove to give to you. Most of the time, it’s a piece of cloth he happens to have. There are few times where he’ll offer his own. It’s not because he’s stingy with it, but it’s important to him as well- something else to keep him held together- and he knows that you understand that. Not to mention that you have expressed your concerns about having your entire hand covered.

He’s a bit awkward in trying to find out what you like in terms of your hands and texture. He doesn’t want to ask outright, he’s aware of how nervous you get with the discussion of it so he doesn’t push. He’ll bite his bottom lip raw, searching through your gloves, figuring out what type of fabric you use, if there’s any repeating brands or whatnot. He’ll give you the gloves wrapped crudely with wrapping paper, stuttering about how he thought you would look nice in plum colored gloves. 

Oftentimes, he’s going out of his way to make sure your hands stay safe. He’ll do any manual labor, let you rest beside him as your hands remain safe under the blanket. He won’t push you to tell him about your need for your gloves- you never do with his own mask, so he gives you the same respect. He does like it when you touch his hands, he can feel the slight pressure from the gloves on his hand, the way the fabric almost pulls against his glove and yours. He’ll seldom comment on it, just wanting to live in the small peaceful moment, but when he does, he’ll lean against your chest, press his face against the crook of your neck and tell you how nice you feel.

Jin will never push you to show your hands to him. He will never complain, he’ll always “ask” permission before holding your hand, which is really just him leaving his hand open, palm facing the ceiling and waiting nervously until you place your hand in his. He’ll take things slow, waiting for you to initiate things at your own pace, asking if it’s okay to touch any other parts of your body. If you choose to show him your hands, he will need verbal confirmation that he’s allowed to look and touch. During those times, he’ll rarely let go of your hand, always holding it in his, tracing against your veins and over the bumps of your knuckles in a gentle manner.

Dabi:

Dabi sort of gets it. He isn’t entirely sure of how it helps you cope, but if it’s helping you, then he isn’t going to question it. He’ll watch you fidget, nervously running over the edge of where the gloves end, seeing you wrap a loose thread tightly around your finger. It’s these sort of times where he’ll step in. He knows it’s more of a tic rather than you trying to actively cause harm to yourself but it still irks him when he sees your finger pale and redden all at once. He’ll grab your hand, run a coarse finger against your own and look straight ahead, not wanting to meet your gaze.

He’s difficult to point down. He doesn’t want to meet your gaze whenever you tend to ply or fidget with your hands more out of respect than anything else. He doesn’t think he gets to see you in such a fragile way. He can see how your face flushes whenever you catch him staring and a part of him believes it's the same as when he fixes his staples. He gives you the same privacy, not wanting you to have him think of himself as anything less and believing that you don’t want him to look at you. He’ll just hold your hand, bite the inside of his cheek and squeeze your hand a bit too tight.

If your gloves were to be damaged in any type of way, he’ll get you new ones. He gets whichever that he can get his hands on- at least that’s what he tells you when he drops the bag beside you, your hands hidden under the blankets. Coincidently, the gloves that he always buys- or rather steals- are the same type that you wear- same color, store bag, and brand. He’ll deny ever actually looking for the brand, only muttering how you seem troubled without them and he just wanted you to stop picking at your hands; but he fails to ever put things away properly, a piece of paper with pretty handwriting details the brand hat you wear and the size.

When he does spend time with you, he fidgets- just a bit. Enough for his hands to scratch lightly at your arm and hold it down, his face pressed against you and his hands slowly slipping down to your wrist. He’s needy. Desperate for attention and praise. Desperate for anything that you’ve already given him. But he knows how you are about hands, so he won’t ask to hold them, only kissing at your face roughly, so careful not to dig his nails into your skin, and feverish as he pushes himself closer to you. A fool to just hold your hand- just for a second. But he doesn’t want to force you into anything and he doesn’t want rejection, so he’ll take what he can get, only in your sleep will he trace against the lining of the fabric and wake you, telling you he’s going to leave. Whatever thing you have with your hands, he knows it won’t feel good if you sleep in your gloves.

He knows it’s for your anxiety- to deal with whatever you have and he’s seen how you act without your gloves- paranoid, wide eyes that scan the room, your skin picked and bitten, so he won’t push for you to remove your gloves. It’s not a sign of trust that’s broken or interfered with in his eyes, but he wants to make you feel better sometimes, and he wants you to know that whatever it is with your hands and tics, he just wants to know that you can count on him. When you decide to hold his hand, without any gloves, Dabi acts nonchalant externally. He’s simply having you thread your hand with his, but he’s memorizing the calluses on your fingers, the way that your nail scratches against the heel of his palm. There’s a slight twitch where Dabi will have a fingertip trace along the lines of your palm.

Shigaraki Tomura:

Tomura understands why you want to wear gloves. He won’t get the reason, but he won’t push. If wearing gloves makes you feel better, who is he to judge- especially when he wears a hand on his face. He’ll watch your hands, ignoring the almost forced way that you play with them but as time goes on, you’re more bold with your actions, touching the gloves and running your fingertips over the seams. He’ll place his head against yours, eyes slowly closing as he watches you fidget. 

He will take notice of the type of gloves that you wear. He’ll get a pack and depending on the timing of the relationship, he’ll have Kurogiri warp him to grab packs, or he’ll simply break in and take them, carefully placing them in a bag to avoid accidently touching them. Further into the relationship, he’ll just make sure that you have spares on hand or that he has spares with him stuffed into his pockets. He knows the importance of your gloves, has watched you fret over them and almost in a panicked state, hide them under your thighs or covers in a desperate attempt to regain the safety and it’s something he doesn’t want to see.

There is a chance that he will be annoyed. He knows the importance of them, has gotten you pack after pack in case there’s an emergency and yet, there is an almost frenzied part of him that just wants you to put your hands on him, free of any fabric and only touching him in the soft way that you always do. But he won’t ever push or be sour in front of you. He might frown if you go to hold his wrist or hand- depending on the time of the relationship- but he always tends to relax, pressing his lips against your head in an almost kiss. His negative emotions tend to simmer away, allowing him to relax as you touch him as you always do. 

When you sleep beside him, he’s pressed against you, his body on high alert as his hands near yours. There are a few times when you sleep with your gloves on, forgetting them usually, so he takes that time as much as he can. He’ll grasp your hand, let his fingertips run along the edges of the gloves, and if you whine in your sleep or twitch, he’ll drop your hand as if it burned him. He’s left on high alert, heart racing and breath escaping him, holding his own hand. His hand has touched yours, neared yours in gloves and all, but he’s never wanted to touch the edge of your glove, always finding that more intimate, so actually nearing the edge of your skin has him brewing in shame and excitement.

Being in any type of relationship with Tomura contains a lot of neediness. He wants the constant touching, and while he won’t ever complain about never holding your actual hand or the constant need to have your palms covered, he is caught staring at them quite a few times. If you do happen to show your hands, it’s quite a big sign of trust for him. He’ll be the one to cautiously remove one glove, taking his sweet time as his spindly fingers trail against your palm, lifting the glove to expose your hand and whether it's because of the feeling of being bare or the glove that scratches your skin, you shiver. He’s restless, muscles pulled taut, jaw clenched and a tight swallow as you press your hand flat against his, his thumb refusing to meet yours as you thread your fingers with his.

[myelocin]

Forever, forever | Konoha Akinori

Synopsis: And so love came with the intention to stay, to bloom, to linger. 

Characters: Konoha Akinori

Genre: Fluff, Domestic AU |  WC: 1,500+

A/N: This is a commissioned piece by @gg9183​ :D You can check out my commission sheet here if you’re interested <3

音楽のある風景  - Haruka Nakamura

There’s an afterglow that comes with coming home with groceries.

So take this: it’s February 11th, where the sun looks like summer in the sky despite the bite of the last bits of winter around. When you say home, you think of the house in the suburbs, bought after a year and a half of marriage, instead of an apartment in the city.

There’s a fridge, with some photos, hung by the magnets Akinori swiped from his boss’ office table at work. The curtains in the living room tied together by some strings you remember you found in a corner of your room and chucked in a moving box almost seven years ago, but somehow it fits.

A lot of things fit:

The grocery bags in the trunk of his car, the jacket he wears that you bought for him last Christmas, and the ring on your finger that shines with the same kind of gold as his. There’s a cabinet for shoes right by the door of your home that holds your shoes and his perfectly, and a little bell hung right by the door that Akinori hums along to every time he comes home.

Life like living in the afterglow of an “I love you,” confessed at eighteen, then an “I do,” years later. An endless, infinite sense of love found in the little things, because love is meant to do just that. To linger in the spaces in between and bloom endlessly for a lifetime and a couple more. It remains in the photos you pocket in the albums, and in the ones framed on the wall. In a spot he missed in your bedroom when you first moved in and painted the walls, and in a polaroid of that day tucked inside his wallet.

A grounding sense of home, within a house you found on a listing together. Bits of what’s you and him shown through the different hues of paint on the walls and the furniture. Your shade of mint and carnations to his smoky grey and blues. On occasions it clashes, but it works.

Love works. Life works. The little system in you settled into within the world that’s both you and him works.

And Akinori loves you like that. He loved you before the “will you marry me?” and the “I do,” because he was tripping on his own two feet and diving headfirst into the flow the second he cracked a joke and you looked at him and laughed. He remembers his red cheeks, and your smiling eyes. Laughter ringing like bells, the sound a melody instead of just noise. Time, afterwards which moved in a gentle flow, the waves sometimes rough but oftentimes kind.

As kind as the love February 11th brings him, because even if it’s just a Thursday—it’s a day where he’s at home unpacking groceries with you.

You’re laughing, retelling the story of a funny memory at the market just 45 minutes ago, and he’s sat in front of you with a bag of carrots in his hand and his heart’s bursting. As kind as love is, he realizes that it’s also just a little bit terrifying. The years he built with you, evident through the tangible pieces of today, and he’s scared.

He thinks of what it means to lose, and the idea of love—you, this, and home—as something he can lose as much as gain has his mouth feeling dry all of a sudden.

There’s too many bits of you scattered around what became home to him, that he just knows pieces of him hold your name or face now. The blankets he sleeps under smells like the detergent he let you pick out, and he doesn’t want to lose that. The exact brand of your shampoo and conditioner is something he never uses but always buys during his grocery runs and he doesn’t think he even wants to imagine a scenario where he’d have to skip the aisle. You’re the face he thinks of when he sees mint and carnations, and Akinori knows nothing’s ever going to redefine that.

But then you’re laughing again, even louder, and the noise in his head is quick to die.

“Aki,” you chuckle, and every thought that fed into his fear is hushed.

“Oi,” you say again, a little louder. “Akiiii.”

He’s home.

He remembers that the bag of carrots are still clutched in his hand and that today’s just a Thursday where he unpacks the groceries he got with you. On the table are your favorite kind of chips next to the kind he prefers.

Love is also that.

So much of it felt when the trivial things that bloom because of love are staring at him in the face, the feel of it on his palms. 

He’s staring at you, the smile on your face still true, while you reach forward to pinch his cheek when he’s a little slow to respond. Akinori’s never been the type to say much, but you know he’s always felt things as they come. Emotions raw and so, so unapologetically real, you can’t help but love him just a little bit more—even though just the day before you swore to yourself nothing would ever come above that moment.

The sight of him, wide eyes, clutching onto a bag of baby carrots, and the scarf you had to wrestle him to wear earlier that morning half slipping off makes you think otherwise. Every day, love truly does grow.

Your smile mellows into a soft line and you hop off the stool and walk in front of him.

“Grace,” he says, and clutches onto the bag just tighter.

“Hi,” you whisper, peering up at him.

In the moment, even if he could spend his days finding the right words to define that love can be this, or that. Words to sentences to paragraphs and novels—more than anything, the only definition that triumphs above even the most gentle words of a poet is that love, will always be you.

“My Gracie,” you hear him say, and even if you want to chuckle at the uncharacteristically soft way he says your name, in the moment you just let him be and hold him. You settle with taking a seat on the stool in front of him, keeping your eyes trained to him as you tug on the bag of carrots still clutched tight.

Something inside you softens at the sight of his whitened knuckles around the plastic, not budging.

“Babe the carrots did nothing to you,” you laugh.

Akinori’s sheepish with his reply, his shoulders relaxing and eyes blinking as if to get rid of the tears whose sting have been nudging at him for a while now. At the sight of you, the last of the intrusive thoughts fizz away, and what remains is what matters.

And that’s the moment. 4pm on an OK kind of Thursday, the smell of your hair just soft enough for him to smile at, and a bag of carrots from his grocery run with you in his hand. He’s home, with you, and the slippers on his feet are still the silly pair he recalls you laughing at when he first bought them. You still say his name with kindness and patience, and love him with the kind of love that had him seeing the stars and the world just a little more gently since day one.

Love, through grace, because that’s who you’ve always been. His bundle of grace in a world perceived as too rough to heal by tendrils of just love alone.

Akinori supposes the world could always be wrong in some ways.

“We’re gonna eat the carrots anyway,” he counters, setting the bag on the table and leaning down to press a kiss on your forehead.

“Yeah,” you pout, then continue, “but they don’t need to be smushed yet. They’re supposed to be crunchy. I don’t like bruised carrots.”

“Aren’t hickies the same thing as bruises? Last time I checked you didn’t complain wh—“

“Oi,” you cut him off, smacking him on the arm with a laugh. “But what’s up? Something bothering you?”

He hums, eyes glancing towards you, then at the photos and post-it note scribbles you leave for him on the refrigerator door. “Nothing,” he says. “Just thinking about how much I love you that’s all.”

“So you squeeze a bag of carrots half to death because you love me?” you snort, walking over to the fridge and placing the bag inside.

“I squeeze a lot of things because I love you babe, but I guess I’m thinking about it just because,” you hear him reply, along with noises of what you assume are just him folding the paper bags together.

“Just because,” you whisper to yourself with a smile, closing the refrigerator door and feeling your heart swell at the post it note Akinori left for you yesterday morning when he had to leave a little earlier for work.

“gotta leave early :(“ it reads, next to, “can’t wait to come home. i love you forever, forever. –aki”

[megatraven]

you know i had do it ya... all of them. all of the watercolors

DSFRGTREDFR i appreciate u so much....... (wont re-answer th ones ive already answered tho)

cadmium yellow; when you think of the word “happy” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

alex. is anyone surprised? probably not. alex is the biggest source of happiness for me at the moment bc i love them so much and think of them so often vuv

hansa yellow; what’s your guilty pleasure song?

god is a woman by arianna grande!!!!! love it

yellow ochre; name an artist/band whom you just discovered & can’t get enough of!

i hope it counts if it’s a fictional band bc Julie and the Phantoms own my ears rn

naples yellow; where do you feel most at home?

in my little apartment, in my bed with bunches of blankets and stuffed animals and snacks vuv

raw sienna; with whom do you feel most at home?

i don’t know! i’ve never really thought about it, and thinking about it now, i can’t pick out just one person. any of my friends, i guess!

golden ochre; describe the relationship you have with your closest friend.

i don’t have just one closest friend, i have a few. but my relationship with them is nice, we’ve made good strides to setting healthy boundaries, i think, and we can talk to each other about anything! :D

cadmium orange; what do you like to do on your days off?

rest and relax, watch a show or maybe just turn on some music while I play lovestruck or lovelink, play some pokemon, and either write or draw! i also really like to nap, especially since i often wake up early on my days off, and most of my friends aren’t online yet. helps me skip to when they Are online

orange lake; do you have anyone you can turn to when you’re sad?

oh, i have many people who would be very supportive, i know. it’s not a matter of having someone for me, though. i just don’t know how to bring it up to them, so i usually just keep quiet about it whenever i am :’)

titans; do you prefer slow mornings or relaxing evenings?

relaxing evenings, i think. slow mornings tend to frustrate me a little, but relaxing evenings are perfect

shakhnazaryan red; are you currently binge-watching anything?

julie! and! the! phantoms!!!!! i mean i already bingewatched it but i keep rewatching it like all at once, that counts right???

red ochre; are you more right-brained (creative) or left-brained (analytical)?

right-brained B)

burnt sienna; is there a painting that brings you peace when you look at it?

there are many, but i can’t think of any names or artist right now :^)

english red; what animal do you relate to most?

tiger tiger tiger tiger t-

vermilion; what’s your favorite accent?

right now? greek!

cadmium red; do you have a “type” when it comes to a significant other?

not really! just. girl or nb, i guess lol

scarlet; describe your current crush/es.

i guess i’m still nursing a crush from a couple years ago, though it’s much smaller now since we don’t talk as much but ummm she’s really sweet and funny, and endlessly kind it feels like. she’s so creative and smart and i love how passionate she gets <3 she’s a really good friend, too, and i really appreciate having her in my life in any amount :D

ruby; what does your ideal first date look like?

some cute little cafe-type place, MAYBE with some light hand holding, as we talk about whatever comes to mind, be it fandoms, our lives, etc.

carmine; what does your ideal second date look like?

just hanging out in the living room or bedroom, really. i don’t care much for going out, but if we went out anywhere at all, it would be lovely to walk down the street after a nice autumn rain vwv

madder lake red; would you ever kiss someone (or accept a kiss) on a first date?

no, and i don’t think i will ever really want to kiss anyone, thinking of being kissed kind of squicks me out. unless it’s a kiss on the cheek or hand or something, then that would be okay :)

rose; what’s something really positive going on in your life right now?

oh hm..... well, at work, my coworker has been really nice about letting me play christmas music on the radio all day :) it drives him nuts, but he keeps turning it on for me because he knows i like it a lot. it’s really sweet. it’s not a huge gesture, but it means a lot to me!

quinacridone rose; what’s something you’re really looking forward to?

the day that i finally adopt a cat! i’ve been sitting on it since around april but i just keep waiting. the day i do it, though..... i can’t wait!

violet rose; what does your dream house look like?

small house near the base of a mountain. neighbors not too far away, but not too close. i have a big yard, and a great view of the mountains i nthe area, and lots of trees. inside and nice and homey, soft yellows with accents of white paint the walls inside and out, and it’s filled to the brim with little knickknacks and things i’ve collected over the years

violet; is there any place in particular you’d like to settle down?

right now my heart is set on colorado because the mountains there were gorgeous.... i’d settle for anywhere close to some mountains though

blue lake; what would you like to do/accomplish before you settle down?

i’d like to travel a little, visit some of the friends i’ve made, really do something good for the world before i settle

cobalt blue spectral; what is the most beautiful place you have ever been to?

the rocky mountains!

ultramarine; when was the last time you were in a good mood? do you know/remember what sparked it?

i’m in a good mood right now! just getting to talk to my friends while i eat dinner and enjoy the things i love is a pretty good recipe for a good mood!

blue; what’s the most recent dream you remember?

i.... hmm. im having a hard time remembering any recent dreams. i had to go look into one of my chats for the last time i mentioned one- i had a dream where i was talking and became friends with Mr Fruit, a youtuber i’ve gotten really into watching recently :)

bright blue; what does your dream family look like? any kids or pets? how many of each?

honestly just me, a spouse, maybe a kid that we adopted (Maybe!!!!), and a LOT of pets. cats and dogs, at least one snake, some rats........

blue cobalt; do you like your name? would you give yourself a different name if you could?

i’m okay with my name, though i think i’m starting to really prefer meg over megan. if i could give myself a different name w no judgement on what it would be, i think i definitely would tho

prussian azure; what’s your favorite scent?

vanilla cupcake candles <3

azure blue; what’s your favorite type of tea, if any?

i don’t have a favorite!

turquoise blue; if you could start a garden, what would you plant?

tiger lilies <3

cerulean blue; if you were guaranteed to have a viewership, would you start a youtube vlog?

ABSOLUTELY

glauconite; describe your body without using any negative adjectives.

cute. soft. mine.

yellow green; picture yourself walking in a field. what do you see & hear in this scenario?

i hear the sound of birds and crickets, and a babbling brook off in the distance. i see flowers that don’t typically grow together doing so for me, shifting lightly in the wind. a few critters bounce over the flowers from time to time- fox kits, rabbits. everything’s at peace.

green light; are you in a comfortable place in life? if not, what do you think might make it better?

hmm. yes and no? i think a lot of things for me would improve if i could just work up the courage to come out irl. even if i didn’t get the responses i would want.

green; name three countries you want to visit; do you have any actual plans in place to visit any of them?

france, cyprus, japan. i think the one i would like to visit most is cyprus :) i don’t have plans for the other two, just dreams vwv

emerald green; do you speak any languages besides english? are there any additional languages you want to learn?

not yet! but i’d love to learn french and greek and tagalog!

oxide of chromium; what’s your favorite book?

where the red fern grows

olive green; are you currently reading anything? how do you like it so far?

not any books, but i’ve been meaning to start reading cinder!

mars brown; what’s a movie that always puts a smile on your face/makes you laugh?

ratatouille vuv

burnt umber; what’s something you plan to do before the day is over to take care of yourself?

eat dinner and drink water :) (im doing both rn)

umber; have you drank enough water today?

i think i’ve drank 2 bottles. not as much as normal, but i plan to drink more!

voronezhskaya black; what or who is your go-to outlet for when you need to vent?

my scro friends :) (thats th name of our gc lol) there’s three other people in there and that’s typically where i go to vent if i have to. them, or my MLF friends. both groups always have my back and i adore them 

sepia; name five things that always make you happy.

alex, food, blankets, talking to friends, buying stuffed animals

indigo; what’s the best/sweetest compliment you have ever received?

one of my coworkers once told me that he can see the passion that i have for art, and i don’t think anyone has ever told me that they can see it before. it meant a lot and i hold it close to my heart now :)

payne’s gray; describe your aesthetic?

this is too hard my aesthetic is too broad ;( here’s my aesthetic tag tho

black; post a selfie because you are so beautiful!

im eating fried chicken rn so i will not take a new pic. instead, have this older selfie from 4 months ago!

[cheryllclayton]

hashtag game! get to know me

tagged by the following lovelies <3: @daphnesvieira, @likemereckless & @thugheadjones

1. what is the color of your hairbrush? black

2. name a food you never eat - I’ll try ‘most’ things but I will not eat raw sushi or some seafood like oysters

3. are you typically too warm or too cold? Cold but I don’t like being hot, I’d rather be cold and put on a hoody and a blanket than be too hot.

4. what were you doing 45 minutes ago? working lol

5. what’s your favorite candy bar? Hmm...Reese’s Cups, Mirage, Snickers, Twix

6. have you ever been to a professional sports game?  Went to my first NHL hockey game with the dear @daphnesvieira this year!

7. what is the last thing you said out loud?  I think I was singing aloud to the song on the radio lol

8. what is your favorite ice cream?  Cookie Dough...Heavenly Hash...and im also partial to some old school flavors once in a while like bubble gum, cotton candy, tiger tiger and licorice!

9. what was the last thing you had to drink? water

10. do you like your wallet? YES! I just got a new one and it’s black with blue butterflies from ShagWear!  I love their wallets, they are soft and durable and cute and can actually hold all my cards and shit lol

11. what is the last thing you ate? Pumpkin cloud cookie :)

12. did you buy any new clothes last weekend? i did by a couple new shirts about a week or so ago...

13. what’s the last sporting event you watched? pfffft i dont even remember....probably the live NHL game in February.

14. what is your favorite flavor of popcorn? White Cheddar or dill pickle

15. who is the last person you sent a text message to? my hubby....or was it @lazydaizies....lol

16. ever been camping? yes, but i haven’t been legit camping (like tent/camper in the woods) type camping in years

17. do you take vitamins? Every day :)

18. do you regularly attend a place of worship? no, i do not

19. do you have a tan? in the summer i tan pretty easy...but i always lose most of it over our long ass winter

20. do you prefer Chinese or pizza?  Chinese, but depends a lot on my mood

21. do you drink your soda through a straw? sometimes...it all depends really lol

22. what color socks do you usually wear? i don’t wear socks often actually...and when i do, my socks are all different colors, i don’t like boring socks lol

23. do you ever drive above the speed limit? maybe....

24. what terrifies you? disease i guess....something happening to my kdis

25. look to your left, what do you see?  my desktop scanner

26. what chore do you hate most? i hate dusting...always have...

27. what do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? LOVE the aussie accent!  I’m jello of the woman who have it ( @lucivar)  and it makes me wanna climb the guys that do ;)

28. what’s your favorite soda? used to be diet pepsi and im obsessed with iced tea but i haven’t drank pepsi in over two years and have only had iced tea a few times in that time as well.

29. do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? drive thru, usually i have kids with me or have things to do...busy busy

30. what’s your favorite number? lucky number 13

31. who’s the last person you talked to? a coworker

32. favorite meat? chicken

33. last song you listened to? Savage Love

34. last book you read? Some romance on a reading app, i think it was called My Bestfriends Sister...or something like that....besides the constant fic i read lol

35. favorite day of the week? Saturday/Sunday

36. can you say the alphabet backwards? Absolutely not

37. how do you like your coffee? splash of milk or cream

38. favorite pair of shoes? flip flops...terrible for my feet but i live in them...when there isn’t snow anyway.  When im not wearing them i am usually wearing some sort of sketchers shoes or boots

39. time you normally get up? when i work, by 7am, if i don’t work, whenever i want if i have nothing to do lol 

40. what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? sunsets

41. how many blankets are on your bed? 2 and a sheet

42. describe your kitchen plates? white with a floral print

43. describe your kitchen at the moment: probably still covered in baking dishes from last night lol

44. do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? mmm i like a good cooler or fruity drink...sangria...margarita...moscato wine....just a cold beer and clamato on a hot day...i’m not too picky when it comes to booze lol

45. do you play cards? yes, all kinds and a lot, just play kaiser and skipbo this weekend lol

46. what color is your car? gold

47. can you change a tire? yes

48. your favorite state or province? BC

49. favorite job you’ve had? the one i am in right now :)

I tag, if you’d like, @lazydaizies @lucivar @thetaoofbetty @charliemeg @alicat-gotyourtongue @anchor-bird-94

[fmdxsujiarchive]

summary: a close producer tells suji the story of his twenty year-old niece falling in love with her first boyfriend, and it takes suji back to the days when she was young, stupid but in love date: multiple times around june to july word count: 2,205 words, excluding the lyrics notes: creative claims (full lyrics & composition) verification self-para for one day of twenty! not name-dropped but some very vague mentions of jae 👀

it’s been a couple of weeks since she’s submitted 26 for confirmation. the feedback that she received from the couple of in-house producers about the song had been overly positive. they say that they’re proud that she’s ventured into something a bit different and that going for a rock ballad style doesn’t sound too bad for her next album. suji knows that they’re mostly teasing her, but she appreciates the genuine support that she’s been receiving. she really wouldn’t be anywhere close to a singer songwriter if all these people surrounding her hadn’t been so helpful and supporting. 

she’s mumbling on about how many she should go find herself an actual studio to work in other than her home studio so that she doesn’t have to borrow equipment from a bunch of people inside the company when the producer that’s been allowing her to use his studio walks back in. he’s brought in some food, and she almost forgets how she hasn’t eaten in about five hours. she gives him a quick thanks. 

“hey, so my niece is turning twenty soon, and i was wondering what twenty year-old girls would like? i literally have nobody else to ask but you, suji-yah.” the look on his face tells her enough that he’s quite desperate for some advice, and she can’t help but chuckle as she takes a fry out from the bag. 

“i haven’t been twenty in so long, oppa,” she replies with a slight hum. “the most typical presents are roses, perfume and a kiss. i’m positive she doesn’t want the last one from you so maybe perfume? just go to olive young and ask them what’s popular these days with college freshmen. i’m sure they’ll be more than ecstatic to help you.” there was nothing special that she received on her turning of age day so she wouldn’t be too much help. 

“my sister—her mom—tells me she has a boyfriend already though so she’ll probably be getting all that from him anyway. isn’t there something more useful?” suji can’t help but laugh at the look of disgust that’s on minwoo’s face as he talks about his niece’s boyfriend. her sister hasn’t blessed her as the position of an aunt just yet, but she thinks she’ll probably understand the feeling one day. 

“if you want to be useful to both your sister and your niece, i say get her a laptop. that’s useful for college freshmen.” that seems to do it for him because he immediately whips out his phone and types on it. she assumes he’s making a note to himself or looking up laptops. either way, he seems to have hit the jackpot so she swivels her chair around back to the computer. 

she’s pulled up an older beat that she’s had drafted since preparations for her first mini album. it wasn’t polished enough then to be released as an actual song, but it was a soft beat that she enjoyed, and so she’d been working on it for a couple of days now, trying to polish it up so that it actually sounded like a song. 

“that sounds nice, suji. almost like a softer version of 26.” suji turns back around at the sound of minwoo’s voice with a raised brow because she hadn’t considered it like that before. the background sounds are quite repetitive as she’d been hoping to keep it minimal with the instrumentation, but now that he mentioned it, she could hear the similarities. “i guess? it has a lot less guitar though because i’m not trying to write another rock song, trust me. 26 was difficult enough though jaehyuk oppa was helpful when it came to the guitar in that one.”

he gets his eyes off of his phone to walk over to the screen. “yeah, but i think where the beat falls is pretty similar. not that it’s a bad thing. i actually think if you were to finish this, it’d go well in an album with 26. that is if gold star confirms 26 which they’d be stupid not to.” she gives him a light punch on the arm out of pure embarrassment from the compliment. 

“okay, yeah, my sister definitely wants the laptop. i think she just doesn’t want to buy one herself for her daughter. speaking of my niece, apparently she’s head over heels for this boyfriend. it’s her first boyfriend so can you blame her?” she can see that he’s trying to brush it off like it’s not bothering him, but she can see the clenched jaws as well as how he’s tapping the soundboard a bit too rapidly. “i think everybody thinks they’re in love at that age.” 

he nods in agreement before telling her how he needs to leave. she nods goodbye at him, and he doesn’t forget to give her one last burst of encouragement about how nice the composition sounds, and she gives him a thumbs up in response. 

now that her distraction was gone, she went back to the composition at hand. it was almost finished, but after minwoo had implanted the idea that it was similar to 26 but softer, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was the right decision to keep taking it. the instruments used are different, but the direction and sequence of things was similar. she puts it on repeat a couple of times before coming to the decision that she still likes how raw it sounds as it was originally drafted back when she was beginning to learn how to compose. she’ll take his words as meaning that her sound just really hasn’t changed too much. 

the volume of the background instrumentals don’t shift throughout the whole song, and she likes that about it. she continues to add a few new sounds as the song progresses, but it returns back to the original composition that she had in the very beginning at the end. the song progresses like it’s telling a story and that after the climax, it comes to a resolution just as it began. just the way she likes it. 

the completed composition is a step up from its very first original draft she created back in early 2019. she knows that her upcoming album is going to be released late into the year, and she thinks the way the muted bells and other instruments work together reminds her of walking on a fresh blanket of white snow. 

she hopes that it’s how others perceive the song as well. 

//

she’s on stand by in the middle of filming and hanging out in her car to avoid the harsh sunlight when she decides that she’s already memorized all five of her lines, and that’d she would like to use her time a little more productively. she takes out her cellphone as well as the notebook she keeps with her at all times in case she gets a burst of inspiration. 

she’s scrolling through her list of compositions that are naked without lyrics when she gets a kakaotalk from minwoo. 

[ hey! my niece really loved the laptop so thanks a lot, suji! but she’s always on a date with her boyfriendㅠㅠㅠ i miss when she was seven ] 

suji can’t contain her laughter at the whiny text, and she’s lucky that she’s the only one in the car right now. it would have been embarrassing to explain what she was laughing so hard about if anybody was around. leaning back onto the car seat, she tries to think back to her own life back when she was twenty. what was it like? was it as great of a transition as people make it out to be? 

twenty would mean six years ago which was exactly when she first debuted with fuse. she doesn’t remember any feelings of being in love around that time or really falling for anybody. all she can remember is the nerves she felt from performing on stage and just overall from being a rookie in the industry. looking back at the text that minwoo sent her, she smiles because his niece seems to be living the life. 

twenty. 

it’s made out to be some extravagant age, but nothing really changes much. however, korea seems to put a lot of emphasis onto the age. you’re suddenly allowed to drink, stay out during later hours and buy lottery tickets. though it also means you no longer can pay a discounted fare for the subway and bus, and that you’re suddenly thrown into a bigger society that’s no longer just school. 

but she can’t help but be a little jealous of minwoo’s niece. to feel like you’ve fallen so deep in love that you can’t live without your significant other though they’re both young. people grow out of love as quickly as they fall in love. she hears stories of how people were in the most beautiful relationships as college freshmen right when they hit twenty, and then they go through nasty breakups and then all marry someone else. however, when she hears those stories, the same people who curse their boyfriend or girlfriend at the same time also tell her that it was a meaningful time of their lives. 

perhaps that’s what’s so beautiful about being twenty. 

being allowed to do wild things, throw yourself into all these relationships but then look back at it and excuse yourself because you were young. because you were fresh, and you didn’t know any better. 

you know, there’s nobody i like so much these days that it makes my heart burst  not since that blue summer of our’s  that we passed through and suddenly faced breaking up 

there’s that feeling that exists when you first fall in love where you feel like you can’t live without the other person, and that you’re going to be with them forever. though she wasn’t twenty when she first felt it, she remembers the butterflies she felt as well as the way her cheeks would flush up at the mere thought of him. now suji looks back at it and laughs because just like minwoo’s niece, she was simply young and stupid but equally in love. loving at that age isn’t invalid, and that’s what she wants to tell minwoo, but she also understands why adults are quick to tell their adolescent children that nothing will actually last forever at that age. sure, there are the exceptions but most people are born as the rule anyway. 

the moment you turned away from me that night i cried alone so hard that i couldn’t breathe i’m still here the same

what was love to me back then?  somehow i don’t think i can love again

suji never actually confessed because the crush came and went, but she thinks that if she weren’t living her life as an idol, and that she was some regular college freshmen going through a breakup with her first love, this is how she would feel. somehow after losing your first love, you’re left with the thought that you can no longer love again. it’s only years later or when you’re meeting someone else that you tell yourself that it was such a silly thought to have. again, it’s the perks of being young. of being twenty.

back then when it was thrilling and clear back then when the whole world was brilliant  that time when i cried alone and hurt back then, at that time

one day in my twenties that seemed like it would last forever

it’s like the butterflies are back in her stomach as she writes down the lyrics as if she’s writing a boyfriend to some non-existent ex-boyfriend from her younger days. there’s a specific face that comes to mind that she does her best to try to erase because she knows it’s foolish; she knows that she’s completely over that now. she doesn’t feel her heart fluttering anymore around him, and she doesn’t blush at his every touch like she used to. or at least she doesn’t think she does. 

suji makes a mental note to herself to thank minwoo—or more like his niece—for being the inspiration to this song. if he hadn’t walked in on her that day and asked for the present recommendation as well as whine about how in love his twenty year-old niece was right now, she doesn’t think she would have been inspired to finish the song. 

it goes well with the soft instrumentals of the song, and she likes the way that it can act as a key to locked up memories that people most likely have of their first love, their first relationship, and their first heartbreak. 

a lot of people like to think that when they turn twenty, they magically turn into complete adults. they go above and beyond to prove that they can care for themselves only to look back at those days about five or six years later and cringe, kicking the blankets as they try to go to sleep with those memories in their head. 

but there’s a nice, cringey emotion that comes with the memory of coming of age. twenty, while legally now an adult, is a transition between still being young and learning more about yourself and the world. not just in love but all around. 

she scribbles little doodles and hearts around her finished lyrics just like she would back in school and closes the notebook with a satisfied smile. perhaps if this song makes it onto her next album, it’ll become one of her favorites.

[missusk]

Pecha Berries

A Pokemon Shield Nuzlocke Story.

Chapter 3 - The Gym Challenge

[Team Roster: Jackson (Scorbunny), Bella (Yamper), Lacey (Wooloo)]

It was their third day in the Wild Area. Dolly’s chest heaved as she pried off her boots and inhaled sharply as she peeled off her socks. Laying them out in front of her with a grimace, she slowly wiggled her toes.

They were swollen, with blotches of red pocking where her shoes were too tight. The skin around her blisters were peeling up, just a bit paler than the fresh skin around it. Her legs ached, and her shoulders had a simultaneous dull and sharp shooting where her backpack straps sat. She let out a groan and flopped back onto the grass.

“This is rubbish,” she grumbled. “Hop better be grateful that I’m doing this for him,”

“That’s what you get for always sitting on the couch,” Jackson stated, raising his eyebrows.

“What do you know, we only met a week ago,” she huffed from her spot on the ground. 

Her view of the sunset sky was interrupted by a Scorbunny face.

“Am I wrong? You have like, zero muscle.”

Dolly looked to the side, avoiding eye contact with the Pokémon in front of her. She grumbled as she lifted herself back up to a sitting position, gazing at the camp before her as Jackson trotted off smugly. She lifted her arm and tried to flex. Maybe if she pushed some skin up on her upper arm it could look like a bicep? Whatever. He was just a foot-tall bunny with toothpick arms too, what did he know.

Her team darted about, filled with an unimaginable amount of energy compared to how she was feeling. She leaned back on her elbows as she watched them play. There were only two new team members, a Bunnelby and a Grubbin, who seemed to be getting along fine with the rest of her Pokémon. One more team member and that would be six - couldn’t get too attached to too many, just in case.

It had been a while since Dolly interacted with so many Pokémon at once, and she wasn’t quite sure how to do it. Should she treat them like a classroom of students? As a group of friends? Or something more dramatic, like a team of seasoned warriors or something?

They all cheered as Lacey headbutted Jackson into a tree stump. She scratched the seasoned warriors idea out pretty quickly.

Her stomach tightened as dusk crept over the Wild Area. This night was exactly like the one so many years ago: cool, a slight breeze, the grass already dewing over in the spots the sun hadn’t hit for a while. It had the type of air that sticks to the lungs a bit, then chills and makes nose hair prickle. The kind where her feet ached, dirty and grass-stained, but it was okay because she could wash them up quick before supper - but only when mum flashed the back porch light a couple times. It was after a day of adventuring, of training, and plenty of laughter. Of just her and her Pokémon. Just one, at that time, though. 

Her Pokémon and her used to dart around the forest with the flower crowns they made together, giggling as they pricked their fingers on burrs and thorns as they reached for the Pecha berries in the bushes behind her old house. She could remember how she smiled, what her laugh sounded like. Her heart clenched in her chest at the thought. That was before…

Dolly fiercely shook her head, almost whipping her glasses off her face. She shook it again for good measure, as if to shake the memories out altogether.

That was a different time, a different life. That was before she moved to Postwick. Perhaps it won’t happen like that this time, she faintly hoped. She let out another deflated sigh as the sun finally sank beneath the horizon. Perhaps things will be different this time.

“Alright, team,” she called, forcing herself up off the ground, wincing as little pebbles dug into her raw feet. “Who wants some grub?”

They all circled around her gleefully with cries of ‘Me! Me!’ and an excited buzz from Sap, her new Grubbin.

After a quick batch of curry, they settled in for the night. They all snuggled up against one another as Dolly unfurled her tent like a blanket over all of them. After an unfortunate escapade filled with plenty of frustrated grunts, an accidental fireball, tears in the fabric, and an apologetic Yamper, their first night in the Wild Area set the stage for the rest of their nights in the Wild Area: all sleeping together to keep warm under their dilapidated tent shreds. At least it wasn’t raining this time.

It took eight hours, Jackson leading morning calisthenics, breakfast porridge, and they were on the road again.

“Miss Dolly, are we almost there?” Lacey asked, trotting along beside her. “I don’t mean to complain none, but some of the folks on the team are getting real tired of traipsin’ through these fields,” 

Dolly reached down and gave her Wooloo a pat on the head.

“I’m sure we’re getting close, Lacey,” she said. “Motostoke’s getting bigger by the day. I suspect we’ll be there by lunch time.”

It was true. The city that was just a speck at the Wild Area train station was now a looming industrial giant.

“I don’t mind travellin’ so much anymore, though, Miss Dolly,” Lacey said, looking down sheepishly and brushing against Dolly’s leg. “At first, I was real scared, but now it’s not so bad. I like havin’ everyone on the team, they’re all real friendly. An’ you’re a real good Trainer,”

Warmth spread throughout her chest and Dolly bit her smile back. Maybe keeping two would be fine.

As they traveled closer, Motostoke seemed to loom taller and taller, and yet the path winding there looked longer and longer. They encountered an array of wild Pokémon, built up a few levels, and finally made their way up the steps of Motostoke. 

Dolly’s legs wobbled as she took in a breath. The city was magnanimous. Bricks, vendors, and Pokémon lined every inch of the streets and smoke billowed out of the skyscraper-like pipes that rose in the air. Windows sparkled in the sun, casting an orange glow on the city. 

She had a crick in her neck, but she didn’t care as she arched her head to see the tops of the buildings. The river gushed beneath the bridge, coursing through the city just as the residents above did. Dolly stopped at the end of the bridge, taking in the rest of the site before her. People and Pokémon bustled to and fro, stepping around the wide-eyed Trainer standing in the middle of the street. She had never seen buildings so tall, not even before she moved to Postwick. The city seemed to buzz with music, as Pokémon sang with their Trainers on the corners, and shopkeepers shouted their deals from their welcome mats. Dolly grinned as the magnanimity of the city soaked into her skin. 

“Hey, Dolly, you finally made it!” a voice called. 

Dolly waved a greeting as a tall red head sauntered up to her. Sonia stopped and twirled her hair with a grin.

“Real ace of you to make it through the Wild Area! Seems like your trek ran you ragged, though,” she added with a pitiful glance to Dolly’s haphazard appearance.

Dolly looked through her smudged glasses to the rips in her dress, the mud on her shoes, and the dirt under her nails. Yikes. 

Sonia offered her a pity laugh and set her hands on her hips.

“Alright, here’s the deal. It’s barely the afternoon, and something about the way your mouth’s been hanging open this whole time tells me you’ve never been to a city like this, and Sonia’s here to show you around. Let’s pick up some new clothes for you, I’ve got a friend at a salon down the road that can fix up your hair, and then I’ll treat you to lunch, sound good?”

“If Sonia’s buying lunch, count me in!” another voice called. Hop jogged up to meet them, grinning. His eyes widened when he took in Dolly’s haphazard appearance and he took in a quick breath through his teeth. “Yeesh, Dolls, did you crawl all the way here?”

Dolly was about to retort but Sonia interrupted.

“Dolly and I are actually about to go shopping and get our hair done, if you’d like to join that?” she asked, setting a hand on her hip. “If not then buzz off.”

“Buzzing off,” Hop said with a salute. “I’ll catch you guys later then.” 

Sonia and Dolly laughed at the grimace on Hop’s face and they headed toward lunch first (per the request of Dolly’s grumbling stomach), then the boutiques together. She tossed out her old pink dress in favor of non-disgusting, inconspicuous, normal leggings and shirt. Sonia kept trying to get Dolly to buy lots of frills, lots of patterns, and lots of blindingly-bright neon that made Dolly's skin look like washed-out paper. After a little back and forth, Sonia did persuade her to buy a skirt to go over her leggings and some peach-colored glasses, just to liven up her look at least a little bit. 

“Thanks for all of this, Sonia, but you really don’t need to spend all this money on me,” Dolly said, feeling along the fringe of her new black skirt. “I feel a little guilty,”

Sonia waved her off, grinning and twirling her hair again.

“Oh, come off it. I’ve always wanted a little sister to spoil, and you looked so bedraggled coming up those steps to Motostoke. Gran gave me some pocket change, and it’s the least I could do for my best mate’s little brother’s best mate.”

It took her a second to do the mental math as Sonia laughed again. 

“Speaking of those two, though,” Sonia continued as they made their way toward the salon. “Leon said you can talk to Pokémon, is that true?”

“Um, yeah. Sometimes it’s nice, sometimes it’s annoying,” she shrugged. She really wouldn’t mind not hearing those two Sqwovets screaming at each other every time she sat in her living room.

“Fascinating,” Sonia replied, looking into the sky. “Do you know why? Like, did you learn it somehow?”

Dolly shrugged, watching two kids kick around a ball with a Pikachu.

“I dunno, I’ve been able to for as long as I can remember.”

“Are there other odd things that happen with you and Pokémon?” Sonia asked.

A bell tinkled as they walked into the salon. Dolly shrugged again as the beautician took her bag and jacket. Why was everyone pushing this today? When Hop found out she could talk to Pokémon he just said ‘wicked,’ asked if his Wooloo thought he was cool, and they moved on with their lives.

Sonia squinted her eyes.

“Have you lived around Pokémon much?”

“Just as much as any other person.”

The beautician guided the pair further into the building.

“Are you good at learning new languages?”

“Not really, sometimes I feel barely fluent in the one I do know.”

“What about social cues, body language, things like that?”

“Hardly.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have the Nuzlocke Curse, would you?”

Dolly’s jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.

“How did you..?”

Sonia nodded, a slight smile appearing on her face.

“Lucky guess. I read about it in a book recently. It was about communicating well with Pokémon, and it listed that as an exceedingly rare condition - so rare that it’s only been speculated about in theory. I’ve never heard about a real human being able to speak to Pokémon, so I’ve been dying to ask you ever since Leon told me. Can you tell me about it?”

Sonia seemed pretty normal, pretty nice, and genuinely interested in Dolly. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to let her know a little bit…Just the basics.

“I’ve never met anyone to know about it besides me and my mum... But I’ve known I’ve had it for a couple years, now. Not sure if I was born with it or if it came along later,” Dolly said as the beautician leaned her back in the basin. 

“Girl, I’ve never seen so many sticks in a client’s hair,” the beautician grimaced to herself as she picked out remnants of the Wild Area. 

“When did you start noticing signs?”

“I think I was about seven or eight,” Dolly continued as Sonia looked on inquisitively, a hand on her chin. 

“That same book guessed Trainers could only catch a limited amount of Pokémon, is that true too?” Sonia asked as she spun in the chair beside her. “The authors predicted it’s something about the blood of the Trainer, counteracts something in the technology of the Poké Ball, interacts with the language part of the brain or something. But again, it’s all just speculation.”

Dolly pursed her lips at the concept. After she caught her first Pokémon, she tried a billion times to catch others around her house, only for the Poké Balls to break.

“That might explain why I always feel so tingly, too,” Dolly whispered, looking at her hands. 

“Tingly?” Sonia repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“You know how you feel when a body part falls asleep, and just starts to wake up? It’s like a bunch of Beedrill stinging at numb skin. It doesn’t hurt, it’s just really uncomfortable, so I don’t try too many extra times anymore,” Dolly said, her voice tapering off as the beautician shampooed through her hair. “It does really hurt, sometimes, but that’s just when...um…never mind…”

When what? They died? Sonia was nice enough, but Dolly didn’t really want to delve into that bit or her backstory with a woman she met a week ago. Sonia seemed to know at least two things about the Curse, but Dolly was hoping that was the limit. She couldn’t decide if she wanted those authors to have written more information for her own sake, or less so she’d get fewer questions from Sonia.

After the beautician brought her to the chair and Dolly picked out a new hairstyle, she explained to Sonia a bit more.

“I’ve never met anyone else with something like this, so it’s kind of hard to measure,” she said with a shrug.

“It sounds interesting,” Sonia said, twirling her hair. “Gran’s got me on this historical project right now, and that’s all the book mentioned anyway. I haven’t been able to find any other reliable sources, but if I find out anything else about the Nuzlocke Curse, I’ll let you know.”

“Alright, honey, take a look.”

Dolly grinned at her fresh, new appearance, thanked the beautician, tipped her significantly, and she and Sonia stepped back out into the setting sun of Motostoke. As they walked down the brick streets, Dolly tugged at her new hairstyle. She had never gotten her hair longer before, so she wasn’t quite used to how it sat. She fiddled with it and the shopping bags she was holding when then they spotted Hop and Wooloo walking down the main street.

“Hey girls, finally done with all your doll houses and pillow figh-” Hop stopped mid-sentence, his jaw still hanging open.

“What?” Dolly asked, looking behind her. 

His eyebrows pulled together and he blinked a few times.

“You look...different.”

Dolly raised an eyebrow.

“Astute observation. Apparently Fairy-type Pokémon can make your hair longer in minutes. It felt pretty weird. My mum’s always cut my hair and I’ve never had it done before, much less gotten it so much longer in one sitting. Keeps getting caught in my bag straps, though,” Dolly added with a grumble, hiking her backpack up again.

She picked at the ends of a few platinum strands that laid over her shoulders. Hop's gaze flitted to her face and lingered just another second. She noticed his jaw clench as he swallowed.

“Huh.”

She wasn’t quite sure why, but Dolly was also glad the beautician persuaded her into letting her test some new mascara on her. After another beat Hop flung his arms behind his head.

“Pokémon are ace, don’t you think Dolls? ‘Cept giving a Feebas long hair still makes it a Feebas,” he ended with a grin.

“I oughta smack that stupid smirk right off your face,” Dolly growled. “I’m sure this Wishing Star can add some extra damage.”

“Sorry Dolls, as much as I’d love to stay around for that, I’ve got a date with a Gym Challenge registration sheet! I’ll save you a spot!”

And with that he was off, sprinting through the streets of downtown Motostoke.

“...Twit.”

“Happy to see you two embrace a healthy rivalry,” Sonia sighed from beside her. “To be fair though, I’ve never heard Hop pay attention to anything that wasn’t a Pokémon or his famous brother. Pretty impressive he noticed a change in you,”

“Come off it, Sonia,” Dolly grumbled. “The bloke called me an ugly fish.”

“Can’t deny that one, mate," Sonia chuckled. "Anyway, you ready for the opening ceremony? How is your Pokédex coming along?”

“I’ve caught a couple Pokémon...they’re a pretty lively bunch.” She flinched at the memory of her mangled tent and their weird game of seeing who can headbutt Jackson the farthest.

“Now that you’ve freshened up a bit, why don’t you head up to check in at Motostoke Stadium? It’s right up the road,” Sonia said, motioning to the monumental stadium at the end of the path. “Just follow the purple head sprinting down the road and you’ll get there in a flash.”

Dolly left Sonia with a wave and a thanks, then set off for the stadium. She was surprised to run into Leon, who directed her up the lift and to the front doors. Although he was eloquent and charming as always, she successfully managed out a grunt of gratitude like the Conkledurr she was.

“Took you long enough,” Hop grinned. “Coulda got a manicure myself with how long I had to wait here,”

“You could have gone in, you know,” Dolly said, rolling her eyes.

“I couldn’t have you miss this part of my legend! What kind of mate would I be?”

Dolly rolled her eyes again as the pair pushed through the grand glass doors to Motostoke Stadium. Their jaws dropped in unison.

“Would you look at this,” Hop breathed. “This place is packed with Gym Challengers! Every one of these folks is another rival!”

The brick walls arched to the ceiling, which to Dolly, seemed like a thousand stories high. The grand entryway was draped with bold banners advertising the Challenge and Dolly couldn’t help but breathe out in wonder. Bold colors and banners and smiling faces adorned the atrium, and Dolly arched her neck to see through the domed-glass ceiling.

She looked around her in awe as she and Hop made their way through the crowd. The magnificent atrium was filled with Gym Challengers of every shape and size. There were all types of people surrounding them; some their age, some older adults, and even some who could have been old enough to be her grandparents. There were Pokémon fluttering around as well, weaving in between the legs of the hopeful Trainers. A Blipbug here, a Butterfree there, and Dolly almost lost her footing when a Morpeko scampered between her legs.

A girl about her age grabbed him up off the ground. She dusted off her dress and tossed one of her dark pigtails out of her face as she stood up, the Morpeko secure in her arms.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” the girl said. “He gets real excited ‘round so many people, but you’re looking a bit gobsmacked by all this. You must be from some small country town, is that it?”

She nodded. This girl had a soft and unassuming smile - Dolly liked this fellow Gym Challenger already.

“Yeah, from Postwick.”

“I’m quite the same myself, I'm from a small town off Route 9. What’s your name?” the girl asked, patting her Morpeko.

“Dolls, come on, we still need to register!” Hop called from the desk.

“Dolls, huh? That’s an odd name,” the girl said with a smile. She held out her hand. “I’m Marnie.”

“It’s Dolly, actually, short for Dolores. He just calls me that, but his name is Hop, so mine’s not so bad in comparison,” Dolly said, shaking her hand.

“I look forward to battling you, Dolly. And beating you,” she added with a soft grin.

She could feel the buzz of friendly competition in the air between them. She couldn’t help but grin as well.

“We'll see about that, Marnie,”

Dolly jogged up to the front desk where Hop was waiting in line to register. 

The boy in front of Hop turned after finishing his registration, looked him up and down, then shoved past his shoulder. Hop let out a grunt and Dolly scoffed as he sauntered out into the crowd. 

“Seriously? What a piece of work…” Hop grumbled, rubbing his shoulder.

The League staff at the counter called for the next in line, and Dolly handed over her endorsement from Leon. She could see the staff member’s eyes grow wide through his sunglasses.

“Fancy that,” he whispered. “This is the first time we’ve had a Challenger endorsed by the Champion!”

Hop grinned in return, slapping his endorsement on the counter next to Dolly’s.

“Well, now you’ve had two, because I am as well!”

“The two of you must be something special,” the staff member said with a nod to the both of them. He flipped through the pages on the clipboard in front of him. “Alright, you’ve both been successfully registered as Gym Challengers. You can request a number, otherwise we can assign one to you. What’ll it be?”

Dolly scratched her chin. When she was younger, she and her first Pokémon had a competition of who could shove the most jellybeans in their mouth. Dolly won with a high score of fifty-two, and from then on that had always been her favorite number. 

“I’ll take number fifty-two, if it’s available.”

The League staff flipped through his papers again.

“It is! It’ll be 052,” he said, scribbling down on his paper. Then, he looked to Hop. “And for you?”

“Eh, number one is already taken, just give me whatever,” he said, folding his hands behind his head.

“How does 189 sound?”

“Sounds like the number of the next Champion,” he grinned. “I’ll take it!”

The League staff raised his eyebrows, and she could see the faint outline of his rolling eyes from behind his sunglasses. She wondered how many times he had heard that line before.

“You can pick up your uniforms to the left,” he said, gesturing. “The opening ceremony starts tomorrow at 09:00 sharp, don’t be late.”

Sure, Dolly's main goal of all this nonsense wasn’t necessarily to be the Champion, but now, after looking around at all of the other dewy-eyed Gym Challengers, a fire of competition rose within her. She used to be good at Pokémon battles, and directing her team through the Wild Area came as second nature as riding a bike. Suddenly, the risk of it all started to finally be outweighed by the reward of victory. The thrill of competition, of the lights and the cheers, all of it made her think that maybe this whole ordeal wouldn’t be so bad after all. It could maybe be fun, even.

Hop and Dolly made their way to the Budew Drop Inn, where apparently Chairman Rose had reserved rooms for all the Gym Challengers. They found Sonia in the lobby, stating that she was researching the mysterious Pokémon that were said to be in the Slumbering Weald. She dove into Galar’s history and the tale of a great hero who saved the country. Dolly zoned out as she talked, looking around the hotel lobby. A group of people all with pink hair were standing at the registration table. They were all wearing matching outfits, too, maybe they were a band or something? Did the opening ceremony have a half-time show?

She focused again as Hop elbowed her in the ribs and she let out a grunt.

“Did you hear that, Dolls? Apparently, this hero guy had a sword and a shield. I wonder if it has anything to do with what you heard in the Slumbering Weald?”

“Oh, yeah, maybe,” Dolly said, wondering if Sonia noticed her not paying attention. “Wait, actually, yeah maybe!” she almost shouted, focusing in again. “Have you found anything about a shield, Sonia? Or about, you know…the other thing?”

Sonia scratched her chin and shook her head.

“Not particularly, no. About either topic,” she added with a shrug. “Once I find out anything more specific, you’ll be the first to know.”

If that thing in the Slumbering Weald really had some connection to Galar’s history, then maybe she could even learn more about her Curse as well. It did tell her to ‘break the Curse,’ after all. Dolly shoved the hope of breaking the Curse pretty deep down a long time ago, though.

Tagging along with Hop for this Gym Challenge was turning out to be pretty lucrative. Hopefully Sonia would run across some new information for her soon. Assuming her lesson was over, they waved goodbye to Sonia and headed up to the registration counter, only to be blocked by the weird band-looking group. After a couple threats were thrown at them, they learned they were called ‘Team Yell,’ then Dolly and Hop defeated them all within a five-minute span. Dolly was surprised to see Marnie walking up the steps as soon as they had finished. Marnie smiled at the two of them again as they got back into the line to check in. The three of them chatted a bit, learning she was from a town called Spikemuth. It certainly sounded more interesting than Postwick.

The night came and went and before she knew it, and it was time to line up for the opening ceremony. Her nerves tingled as she and Hop grinned at one another, the anticipation palpable in the air. Dolly could feel a lump of nervousness in her throat. One by one they lined up, all waiting to enter what they thought would be their pitch one day.

As she and the rest of the Challengers waited, they heard Rose address the crowd, welcoming them to the Gym Challenge. His powerful voice echoed throughout the stadium.

“It is my pleasure to announce that finally,” he paused. “The Galar region Gym Challenge is about to begin!”

The stadium erupted into cheers as he smiled around the stadium. She had to admit, even though her heart was beating in her throat, Rose had quite the aptitude for commanding a room - stadium, even. As she and the other Gym Challengers waited in the tunnel, his voice continued.

“Participants must defeat the eight Gym Leaders and gather the eight Gym Badges to prove their skill as a Trainer! Only the most worthy will have the honor of challenging the greatest Champion in history!”

Again, the crowd went wild at the mention of their Champion.

“Now,” Rose called, gesturing grandly. “I would like to invite the Gym Leaders to show themselves!”

As he introduced each Gym Leader, Dolly’s heart pounded in her chest. It had been a long time since she had felt like this, such a rush, such a thrill, and to think it was only a week ago she had sat on her couch for three days straight.

It was time to introduce the Gym Challengers. Each name was called, and one by one the other Gym Challengers moved forward, walking onto the pitch. A couple A’s, one B, two C’s…

And she was next. Her heart was beating in her throat as she waited for the announcer to call her name. A League staff ushered her forward. 

“Number 052, Challenger Dolly!” the announcer's voice boomed over the arena.

It was like she was waiting her entire life to hear it. It was like she was waiting her entire life to feel the vibration in her veins as the crowd roared for this new Challenger, for her future matches, for her. She stepped out of the tunnel, into the light, as the waves and power erupted from the stands. Even if she was only going to battle through one Gym, she would remember this moment for the rest of her life. 

———————————————————————————————————–

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[banashee]

Yet another part of my @badthingshappenbingo​ is done.

Square 9: Bloodstained clothes

Please mind the tags and trigger warnings - additional warnings on the bottom of this post and in the end notes on AO3!

*+~

 The way back home from hell

 Looking back, he has no idea how he actually managed to make this work, but he’s sitting in the second hotwired car and making his way towards New York.

 At this point, it is sheer spite and willpower that keep him going, his body reacting automatically.

 After his first initial escape from the hellhole they’d thrown him into, Clint managed to find some clothes on an accessible laundry line in front of a dark, quiet house. Faded blue jeans and an old grey t shirt. Nothing distinctive, and something that millions of other men wear as well - nothing memorable at all.

 Some time later, Clint sees another car, abandoned by the side of an otherwise empty road in the middle of nowhere. He changes vehicles again.

 At the time, he doesn’t think, just acts - he can be ruthless, especially when it comes to survival.

 This ruthlessness is part of the reason he’s so good at his job, but it’s also a trait that he doesn’t always like in himself.

 It’s useful, sure. But Clint doesn’t like hurting people, doesn't like taking their hard earned possessions just because it’s convenient. Right now though, he has no choice, and part of him, the part that is still present despite everything, feels bad for taking these things away from their owners.

 By the time he makes it back to New York, after changing cars again and hopping onto a train for part of the way, he is filthy and beyond exhausted.

 Clint manages to doze a little bit on the train, well hidden in between wooden boxes and shipping containers, but it doesn’t last long. He’s too keyed up, too exposed out here, despite sitting on the floor, unseen and no one else being around.

 His clothes are stained with blood, cuts and scrapes and tears everywhere, slowly oozing through the fabric. Bruises that have lingered for weeks, days and hours. He’s hurting all over.

 If anyone saw him like this, thin and pale, shaking all over and disoriented, wearing clothes that don’t fit him and completely out of it, they’d be freaked out. Especially if they’d learn just how many miles he managed to drive on his own, out of sheer will power and miraculously without getting stopped by the police or causing an accident.

 How he manages to stay upright at this point is a mystery to everyone including himself afterwards, but when he wakes up again, because he must have passed out along the way somewhere, he does so in a SHIELD medical facility.

 Clint blinks awake, heart beating fast and takes in his surroundings. Medical has become uncomfortably familiar to him over the years, no matter if it’s New York, the Helicarrier or any other base he has ever been to. It doesn’t matter.

 His pain has dulled down, which is good, but it also makes him anxious about what happened while he was out. There is a heavy weight on his chest, and he’s almost choking on panic, wants to claw on his skin, but he’s too weak to do any of it. So he keeps panicking, silently and alone in a hospital room, until doctors and nurses come in to poke and prod.

 He falls back asleep after that, and when he wakes up once again, the fear sits deep in his chest - he doesn’t know what happened to him while he was asleep. Everything in his head screams at him to get out of there.

 Clint forces himself to sit up, and everything around him starts spinning - he’s too out of it to do much, and when a big hand pushes him back to the bed, he whips around in an attempt to attack, but he’s too slow, too unfocused. Director Fury simply motions for him to stand down, and withdraws his hand right after. Clint is glad - hands are a really,      really     bad idea right now. He looks away, and spots his hearing aids on the bedside table. He puts them in, slowly, to buy himself some time.

 When he looks up again, he managed to put his mask back in place, at least somewhat.

 “Sir.” he acknowledges, and he sounds rough, like he swallowed sandpaper. He feels like it, too.

 “At ease, Agent Barton.” Fury rumbles, and places a bottle of water near Clint. “Want to fill me in on what the hell happened? Because it sure wasn’t the mission you have been assigned to.”

 Clint barks a painful laugh.

 “It sure wasn’t.” he rasps, and takes the water - still closed, not tempered with. He opens it, and drinks. Then he slowly tells Fury what happened - or at least, as much as he trusts him with at this moment.

 He tells the Director how Agent Taylor changed plans, and completely blindsided Clint with it. He tells him where he went, and what intel he was able to secure. He tells him about breaking out on his own, not trusting to be picked back up again, even though those details are still fuzzy to him.

 Clint has a hard time to stay clinical in his report, not letting anything show. But he manages to do so. Barely.

 Fury listens, and his one visible eye focuses on him the entire time. He lets him talk uninterrupted, only reacts when Clint has finished talking. He didn’t tell the director about the more personal details of this mission - and he really doesn’t want to.

 “You should know Agent Barton, that Agent Taylor has been dealt with accordingly. What he did is not to be excused. And you’re on paid leave until further notice.”

 “Sir…” Clint starts out, pausing then to swallow a lump in his throat. “I appreciate that, but I’m done here. I don’t know who I can trust, and my name is out there. They know my name, my face and I’m pretty sure I’m wanted for crimes I did not commit and for jobs I was ordered to do. I’m not staying.”

 If it were anyone else, the flicker in the one dark eye would be understanding - at least it’s not pity. Small favors.

 “This won’t be a problem, Agent. I understand why you are worried, but SHIELD will clear this up. You are one of our people and we protect our people. Heal up. Go home, rest. And for fuck’s sake, go talk to someone whose job it is to help with this sort of thing. You’re on paid leave. Until further notice. If you still want to leave then, we’ll talk.” Fury tells him, and it’s clear that this is his last word on the matter.

 Clint doesn’t believe him, though. How could he, after everything? He remains wordless, staring ahead and burning a hole in the wall with his eyes.

     ‘Keep it together.    ’ he tells himself, and does just that - he is used to it by now.

 The director disappears soon after, and Clint is left silent in seething anger - he feels trapped and betrayed, and as soon as he can manage, he leaves medical.

 No one stops him this time, and he isn’t sure if that’s because they deem it safe for him to go, knowing that he will always leave as soon as he can, or if they just don’t give a shit anymore - Clint finds that it is all the same to him.

 Clint is still hurting, shaking violently, and he only makes it as far as his apartment in Brooklyn. If he had any amount of strength left, he would have gone to one of his safe houses. Some place that no one knows about, where they won’t go looking for him.

 But as it is, he barely makes it through the door and to the couch before he collapses, head buried in his hands as everything is crashing down around him. Unconsciously, his fingers pull on his hair in the process, just he can focus on something - anything. He remains there for who even knows how long, but by the time he looks back up again, coming back to reality, it’s already dark outside.

 When he is able to pull himself back up again, he slowly walks into the bathroom, piling his clothes on the floor and leaving them there - he doesn’t care. When he gets under the spray of water, he turns it as hot as it will go, and painfully so. It’s hot enough to almost boil, and he scrubs himself with too much soap and for way too long, until his skin is red, raw and irritated. The feeling of hands that grab too hard and grip everywhere never disappears, no matter how long or how often he keeps trying to wash it off.

 Clint gives up when he can no longer stand upright in the shower. Reluctantly, he climbs out, gripping the sink when his legs are about to give out under him and carefully makes his way into the other room.

 It takes his last bit of strength, to walk into the bedroom to get dressed in something clean and dry that is his own. The clothes should feel familiar and comforting, but as it is, after weeks locked away, the pants hang low on his hips and the long sleeved shirt dwarfs him more than it should.

 Then, Clint gets his personal phone from the locked drawer in his desk. A hidden compartment. Irony has it that he actually forgot to pack it for his latest mission, which is a good thing, or he probably would have lost it by now.

 He settles down on the bed, holding onto the headboard for support because every part of his body is aching. Then he curls up under the blankets.

 Clint forces himself to breathe in and out a few times, and it gets more and more shaky. Wetness blurs the edges of his vision, and he doesn’t try to hold back the tears that silently roll down his face.

 He clutches the phone in one hand, pressing it close to himself as if it could mimic a comforting human presence.  

 A while later, when he can breathe just a little bit easier, Clint types out a short text message, hands shaking while he does so. He is wiping one sleeve across his face, in an attempt to clear his vision again and pulls the covers tighter.

 He’s home now and he should feel safe, but as it is, all he can feel is exhausted. Exhausted, scared and expecting his front door to be kicked down at any moment.

 It takes him longer than it should, but he finally manages to finish and send the text. Then he throws his phone onto the pillow next to him, turning away and then he can’t hold himself together anymore.

 He’s feeling utterly lost and alone, and he doesn’t know what to do. So he ends up crying himself to sleep, until he finally passes from pure exhaustion.

 *+~

 A few hundred miles away, on a different SHIELD base, Phil Coulson's personal phone vibrates with a text message.

 He just got back in that day and he finally finds the time to check the device after the debrief and after mission reports are done. His OP took way longer than expected, and he’s been completely cut off from any outside communication for the entire time.

 Phil opens the message right away when he sees that it’s from Clint . When he reads it though, the smile is wiped off of his face in an instant.

     Please come over when you can. Or call. Anything.  

 The words send a cold dread down his spine, because whatever this is, it must be bad.

 He turns on his heel, heading back the way he just came to catch a plane to New York.

*+~

Trigger warnings: - dealing with Trauma - Rape aftermath - PTSD - Paranoia and trust issues - blood and injury - implied self-harm (hot water and excessive washing) - if you would like me to add anything else, please let me know

[ashtheshortstack]

Garlic in the Cauldron - Ch 3

Garlic in the Cauldron

Adrien Agreste learned from a young age that witches were the enemies to vampires. He was taught to kill on sight, drink them dry, and never look back… however, meeting a witch named Marinette threw his entire world off balance.

Ch 3 - Drops of Sunlight

Read on ao3

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I’ll remember to update this on tumblr eventually. 

“So, what’s your family like?” Adrien asked.

The pair sat together beneath the tree where Marinette had crashed her broom all those weeks ago. They’d begun meeting up there on a regular basis. Adrien informed Marinette of their hunting schedule, so he could sneak out to see her. After a few days, she decided to start bringing a blanket for the two of them to share. She’d lay it out like the two of them were having a picnic.

It was nice. Something so simple. He hadn’t ever experienced something like this. There were many times when they were out there, he was tempted to make a move. Wrap an arm around her shoulders. Hold her hand. Something… But he never got the guts.

Marinette hummed, gazing up at the stars above. “My parents are wonderful. They’re my coven’s bakers. They bake bread and sweets. They’re just… very warm, loving. They are attentive and supportive.”

Adrien couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes lit up when she spoke of her parents. He remembered his mother being warm like that. They used to spend so much time together. So many emotions swirled inside his chest. He desperately longed to feel that love again. The way Marinette described her parents sounded so wonderful. Why couldn’t he have that? Why didn’t his father love him like that? His throat felt tight, eyes glazing over. He sat up, sniffling and wiping his eyes quickly.

She followed, rubbing a hand gently on his shoulder. “Adrien?” she asked, voice full of concern.

“I wish… I wish I knew what that felt like,” he confessed. His groveled tone of his voice felt foreign. He’d never heard himself sound so raw with emotion when speaking. It scared him. He didn’t know how to talk about what he felt.

Marinette’s eyes were wide. Those bluebells looking at him with so much pity. She squeezed his shoulder. He’d never been comforted like this before. Not since he was young and his mother was with him.

She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m so sorry.”

Forcing a smile, he shook his head. “Thank you. B-But you don’t need to worry about me. I’m okay. I’m glad you have a happy family. What about friends? Do you have friends?”

Marinette seemed cautious when she spoke this time. “Y-Yes. My best friend Alya, and I hang out with her boyfriend too. His name is Nino.”

Swallowing, Adrien nodded. “I-I see. Sooo… how does that work here? Courting, I mean.”

She snorted at him. “Vampires call it ‘courting?’ We call it ‘dating.’”

He’d been under the presumption that vampires were a little older fashioned. Not that he knew much about his own society, let alone the rest of the world. Just from what he gathered from talking to Marinette the last few weeks, it told him how… dated vampire traditions were. Maybe, it was because their society was so old. Who knew?

“How do you date people, then?” he asked.

“Well, we just like someone and date them? Why? Is that not how you do it?”

Laughing nervously, he fiddled with his hair. “We do that too, but if we’re not married by twenty-five then we’re forced into an arranged marriage.”

Marinette seemed surprised by the admission. Another emotion crossed her face, but Adrien couldn’t seem to decipher her. His instincts seemed to fail him at times. He was supposed to be able to sense strong emotions, but Adrien couldn’t seem to pick hers up often.

“You have a few years, right?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, I do. Knowing my luck, my father would stick me with someone awful. He doesn’t really care about how I feel about others too much.”

“The more you talk about your dad, the more I hate him.”

Snickering, Adrien jabbed his thumb in Plagg’s direction. “Join the club. Plagg’s the leader. There might be an initiation, so you’ll have to ask.”

Marinette grinned. “Is Plagg going to haze me?”

“He may just make you buy him camembert. It’s his new favorite food,” he joked.

“A cat who likes cheese… Huh. That makes sense though. Familiars aren’t like normal pets. They take on traits of their owners,” she said.

Tilting his head, the blonde gave her a puzzled look. “Really?”

She hummed and nodded. “Mmmhm! If it’s not you that likes camembert, then it’s probably a trait left over from his previous owner. Even if Plagg didn’t know his owner liked camembert. The—The warlock that Plagg was a familiar of… Tikki told me the kid was young. Sometimes, if a familiar has a super close bond with their owners, the familiar dies with them. But since Plagg and his owner didn’t get the chance to bond, he didn’t have that consequence,” she explained. There was a wavering in her voice.

He could tell she was sparing him the details of whatever his clan did to this kid. Probably killed his whole family. Adrien wouldn’t doubt that. Vampires could be ruthless when it came to getting what they wanted.

Adrien sat silently, mulling over the conversation. “What age do you get your familiars?”

“We’re matched with a familiar at the age of ten. It’s like our coming of age gift when turn double digits,” she told him. She paused a moment, licking her lips in thought. “D-Don’t feel guilty for what happened, okay? Plagg is clearly forming a bond with you. He couldn’t do that if there wasn’t something he liked about you.”

“I knew it,” Adrien murmured. He perked up calling up to Plagg in the tree above them. “I knew you liked me, Plagg!”

He hissed, tail bristling. “Whatever she told you, it’s a lie!”

Marinette laughed at the exchange. God, he loved her laugh. It sounded like chimes on a windy day. He wanted nothing but to hear that sound for the rest of his life.

Adrien fell back onto the blanket, curling his arms beneath his head. Marinette followed suit, lying down beside him. They sat in a comfortable silent for a few moments. Plagg glowered at him before turning his attention back to Tikki, making Marinette let out a soft giggle again.  He was so happy with her. He didn’t know it was possible to feel this warm inside. This was friendship… and he was so grateful to experience it. Even if it was taboo, he didn’t care.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when her fingers pinched at his ear. Glancing sideways at her, he noticed her amused smile. Adrien cocked a brow, eyeing her curiously. “Uh… Something wrong?”

Marinette yelped, jerking her hand back. “Sorry! I just… Your ears are cute.”

He sucked in a breath, lips going into a flat line as his cheeks warmed. Oh, God. She was going to be the death of him… and he was supposed to have like another hundred and eighty years on his life.

“You think so?” he squeaked.

She laughed. “Yeah. I do.”

“Well,” he cleared his throat. “That’s not fair. Vampires have all types of stereotypical quirks. But you don’t have warts or a green skin.”

Marinette sat back up, leaning over him with a smile. “Maybe, you’re not looking close enough.”

Adrien pushed himself up. Leaning towards her, he made a show of squinting and searching her face. He pretending to look for any bumps or blemishes, but instead he noticed she had a dusting of adorable freckles sprinkled along the bridge of her nose. He gulped. She was too cute. Heart beating quickly, his eyes dared to glance at her leaps before he retreated. His cheeks felt so hot.

“W-Well, you lied. I didn’t see anything,” he murmured, pouting.

Marinette smiled, giggling at his expense. “Sorry,” she teased, shrugging with using her hands in the gesture.

Swallowing, Adrien gathered his courage. “You know… I’ve never felt so comfortable talking to someone like I do with you. I can joke around with you, and we make each other laugh. It’s nice…”

She ruffled his hair affectionately. “That’s what friends are for, silly. We’re supposed to enjoy each other’s company.”

He smiled. “I’m glad I met you, Marinette.”

She gaped, a little stunned at his admission before nodding in agreement. “Yeah, I’m glad I met you too, Adrien,” she smirked. “Even if it was a rough start.”

He groaned. Marinette loved joking about this far too much. Rubbing his temples, he frowned. “Jeez, don’t remind me.”

“Hey,” she patted his shoulder. “It’s alright. You didn’t eat me. I forgive you.”

Adrien gave her a sideways look. “I’d hope so. Considering you spend time with me every other day.”

“Which I also enjoy. It’s nice having someone to talk to about anything.”

He chuckled, flashing his fangs in a purely grin. “I agree. We talk about some wild things.”

“We do. And we’ve learned a lot about each other. Even though we’re pretty different, witches and vampires do have a lot in common too. I think… I think our kinds could get along again someday.”

Smiling, he nodded. Oh, how he wished. He wanted to be able to walk hand in hand with her without being judged. Without worrying for her safety. Adrien had avoided admitting it before… but he was falling for Marinette…

Hard.

______________________________________________________________

A few nights later, he beat Marinette there. He wanted to get out of his home asap. Adrien hated being cooped up in that dark mansion. The witch came traipsing into woods, their usual blanket strewn along one arm, and a large basket hanging off the other. It’s the most like a fairy-tale character she’d ever looked.

She wore a cute dress. It was red with black spots littered around on the top near her chest. The red was a lacy black that stopped at her knees.  And, to his surprise, she actually wore a pointed witch hat. She shouldn’t be so cute. He thought the concept of witches hats never made sense but seeing Marinette wear one changed his mind. He was so lucky to know her.

Pulling his dark hoodie off his head, he tilted his head at her. “Hello, little red ladybug, bringing some treats to your grandmother?”

Marinette rolled her eyes, setting down the basket. “No, I was bringing some treats for a smartass vampire. I’m questioning now if he deserves them.”

“Oh, he does. He’ll wolf them down.”

She paused, blinking at him. “Was… Was that a pun?”

Adrien grinned, giving a lopsided shrug.

Marinette laughed. “You’re definitely not getting any sweets now.”

Dejected, he puffed out his bottom lip, giving the best puppy pout he could muster. She flicked him on the forehead. Adrien yelped, rubbing the sore spot. “That was rude.”

Marinette began to unfold the blanket. Adrien eyed the basket of goodies. "You didn't spike those with garlic, did you? I don't want to go into anaphylactic shock and keel over before I even get to truly live."

"You really are allergic to almost everything, huh?"

Adrien shrugged. "It's a gift."

He couldn't help but search her. Eyes wandering along the pompously poofy dress she wore. The sleeves were big on her arms, and the outfit flared out at her hips. Marinette seemed to notice his stare as she looked down at her choice of clothing. "We had a festival today, okay? We’re supposed wear traditional clothing that embodies familiars,” she quickly explained.

Ohhh. So, that’s why she was dressed like that. The red and black was to represent Tikki. That made sense. Witches had pretty interesting traditions.

His recognition must’ve been clear on his face when she gave him a shy smile. Adrien glanced away shyly, before giving her a sideways look and shifting awkwardly. “Do you… Do you think I’ll be able to see a festival sometime?”

Marinette seemed stumped by his question. Clearing her throat, she went back to laying out the blanket as she spoke. “M-Maybe. I hope there’s a day when vampires and witches get along again. But—uh—right now, no. Familiars can smell vampires from a mile away.”

Confused, Adrien felt his ears perk. “What? Really? Did Tikki smell me the first time I came here?”

She smoothed the blanket out, patting for him to come sit. Adrien did so, crawling over to take the spot next to her. Marinette reached into the picnic basket, taking out two eclairs. One for each of them. When she handed him the treat, her fingers brushed his. Adrien’s fingertips tingled at the touch.

“Tikki was sick the first time you came. I was flying us back home from the healer when I crashed. She still wasn’t in tip-top shape yet. She wanted me to do a big spell on you to protect myself, but I chose not to. For her safety… and the fact that you didn’t seem like a blood thirsty monster.”

He watched as Marinette took a bite of the treat. As if she hadn’t just told him she’s capable of powerful magic. Adrien followed suit, taking a bite of the sweet. Jesus… okay. Anything Marinette made was officially the greatest thing he’d ever tasted. He hadn’t even had chocolate since he was a kid.

Licking some of the chocolate off his lips, he looked at her. “If you don’t mind me asking, how powerful are you?”

Marinette smiled, placing a finger to her lips. “That’s a secret.”

“Aw, c’mon… You can’t tell me?”

“Sorry, family disclosed secret.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

There was a pause. Something in that admission had his mind whirling. Marinette must’ve felt it too. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes were wide. She seemed stunned that those words left her mouth. Adrien had to admit, he was a bit surprised too. Sure, they’d known each other close to a month now. But for a witch to openly say she trusted a vampire sounded unbelievable.

“Do you—Do you mean that?” Adrien asked a little too hopefully.

She glanced away, nodding shyly. “Yes. You’re my friend, Adrien. And I trust you.”

“Wow. No one has ever said that to me before.”

Marinette’s eyes shot back up, boring into his. “Now, someone has.”

She held out her fist. Adrien smiled, bumping his knuckle to hers. It’d been something they’d started. Anytime the moment got serious, Marinette would give him a fist bump to break the tension. He thought it was cute.

He took another bite of the éclair, a little too much. Maybe, he was just trying to compensate for the tenderness by being funny. Marinette never seemed to mind. He enjoyed being a comic relief in their serious moments. Whether it was dropping a pun, or now shoving too much pastry in his mouth.

Marinette gawked him. “Don’t eat it like that! You can’t even appreciate at it,” she laughed.

“I do appreciate it,” he retorted with his mouth full.

She scoffed at him. “You’re going to make yourself sick if you eat too much of it.”

Adrien waved a hand. He chewed, finally. And swallowed the pastry. “I didn’t eat before I came. I’m on an empty stomach.”

Marinette eyed him. “You’re not going to frenzy on me, are you?”

He snorted. “No. Takes about three days without blood for that to happen.”

“Did you drink some last night?”

“Yes.”

Her shoulders deflated in relief. “Okay. Fine. I’ll lay off.”

“Jeez, Ladybug, I can take care of myself,” he teased in a mocking tone.

She glowered at him. “Quit calling me that.”

“What about Bugaboo?”

“Even worse.”

“My lady?”

“…Acceptable on occasions.”

“Nice.”

They both sputtered with laughter. Adrien was so elated to have someone to talk to like this. Even if Marinette didn’t feel for him the way he felt for her, it didn’t matter. He was just glad to have someone to talk to. Someone to call a friend. You know, that wasn’t a talking cat.

Adrien took the last bite of the éclair. Chewing soundly like he was a starving man. So, maybe he’d neglected enough human food than normal. Marinette was right. He needed to be careful. If he skipped one too many meals or didn’t drink enough blood, he could hurt her. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.

It was funny, he realized. Marinette was basically teaching him what it was like to be a normal teenager. To have a crush. To have a friend. To sneak out to go be with said person. Pigging out on sweets that his father would have his ass for. It made him so happy. And that was a feeling he hadn’t experience in a long time. His mother made him happy, but she wasn’t here anymore. Granted, he wasn’t sure if she’d be too happy with him for having a crush on a witch either, but Adrien just didn’t care. His mother would be thrilled that he was feeling joyful again, wouldn’t she?

When he felt a thumb at the corner of his mouth, he almost lost his shit. He yelped, blinking stupidly as Marinette rubbed her thumb across him.

She gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry, you had chocolate on your mouth.”

“Oh.”

Marinette smudge the chocolate away, before bringing her thumb to her mouth and having the audacity to lick it off her skin. Adrien gulped. The slight made him way too warm.

She gazed at him. Scooting closer, her thigh pressed to him. Adrien was just trying not to tent his pants at that point. Any self-control he had was waning at the feeling of her thigh touching his. Suddenly, her thumb was back to his mouth. But this time, he doubted she was rubbing chocolate off. The pad brushed across his top lip before she lifted it at the corner, exposing his fang. Why was she studying it so closely? He assumed she was just curious. But was she scared?

Ugh, he wanted to be able to feel what she felt. So badly.

Maybe… Maybe he could? They were close. She trusted him. There was a slight possibility they were close enough for him to use that ability. His hand cupped hers. Marinette’s thumb left his lips, and her fingers splayed out against his cheek. Adrien couldn’t stop himself from leaning into her touch.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Her cheeks were pink, but she made no motion to retreat. “Yeah, sorry. I just—I just started wondering what they really looked like. But, you have chocolate all over your fangs,” she said with a smile.

He laughed. Taking her hand from his cheek, he pulled her knuckle to his lips, and pressed a kiss there. He traveled upward, giving one more peck to the back of her palm. Suddenly, the new feeling was overwhelming. He could sense her giddiness. Adrien took that as a good sign. He placed their hands on each of their thighs. His fingers intertwined between hers.

When Marinette didn’t let go of his hand for the rest of the evening… he took that as a good sign.

____________________________________________________________

Adrien was itchy. Why was he so itchy? He felt a paw poking at his cheek. He swatted at the cat. “Plagg, not now.”

“Kid. You have to wake up or else you’re going to be covered head to toe in a rash,” Plagg said sternly.

Groggily, Adrien rubbed his eye. “Wah…?”

He went to reach up with his other arm, only to find it resting beneath Marinette’s head. Oh shit. They’d fallen asleep!? He never slept during the night. How’d he…? What the fuck!?

Suddenly, he understood. The sun was peaking out from the horizon. He panicked. His father was probably sleeping at home. Hopefully, Nathalie hadn’t peaked into his room to check on him yet. If she had, he needed an excuse and fast.

He gently shook her awake. Marinette’s eyes were half lidded and groggy as she looked at him. “Adrien…? What are you doing in my room?”

“I’m not,” he said quickly. “We’re outside. We fell asleep. I have to get home… fast.”

Realization seemed to hit her, her eyes went wide as she rocketed to sit straight up. She began floundering and flailing her arms. “Oh my God, Adrien! This is all my fault! You have to go! I’ll clean this up and get back home before my parents wake up. You have to get back or else you’re going to be in trouble. I’m so sorry!”

“Hey! Hey…” he cooed, rubbing her shoulders. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine. Just get home safely, okay?”

Marinette nodded.

Adrien quickly turned into a bat, flying as fast as he could in the direction of his home.

When he finally arrived, he flew into the bathroom window. He immediately turned on the shower with cold water. He had cool his skin from the sun. The last thing he needed was to get caught with a rash. Then Nathalie and his father would know he hadn’t been home. All of the windows in the mansion are tinted. He wouldn’t have any sun access unless it was directly from outside.

Plagg stood on his bathroom counter as Adrien shucked off his clothes. The cat familiar snickered, earning a glare from Adrien.

“Why didn’t you wake us up sooner?” Adrien growled.

“You guys were so cute, how could we?” he joked, a clear edge in his voice. Adrien knew damn well that Plagg thought their romance was gross. “And Tikki fell asleep too… so I just didn’t want to wake anyone.”

“Tikki is going to kill you,” he said as he jumped into the cool shower.

Plagg sounded noncommittal as he spoke. “Yeah, sure. She’ll forgive me. So will you. Pretty sure you liked waking up with Marinette beside you.”

Adrien huffed as the cool water hit his skin. “Maybe.”

“Someone is sooo in love,” the cat cooed with a laugh.

“Shut up.”

“It’s true.”

“She doesn’t feel that way about me, okay?”

“Have you asked?”

Adrien snorted. “Why would I? Who wants to get turned down by the girl they like?”

“Who said she’d turn you down?”

“Plagg, stop with the mind games.”

“I’m just saying. You don’t know until you try.”

Adrien didn’t want to admit that he hoped Plagg was right. He hoped that he’d gather the courage to tell Marinette how he felt. And hoped she felt the same. No matter how taboo their romance was… it didn’t matter. They would be two beings in love, regardless of vampire or witch.

There was a rapping at the door.

“Uh, yes?” he called out.

“Adrien,” it was Nathalie’s voice. “What are you doing taking a shower at this time of the day?”

“I was having trouble sleeping, so I decided to try to take a shower and see if it’d help.”

Thank, God. That’d meant that Nathalie hadn’t checked in on him yet. So, he hadn’t gotten caught. She probably got back from the hunt and took a nap before coming to check on him.

“Okay. Get to back to bed soon.”

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her footsteps walk away. He thanked his lucky stars that he hadn’t gotten himself royally fucked by being out with Marinette last night. They’d have to be much more careful next time.

He just hoped Marinette didn’t get caught…

[writings-of-a-narwhal]

What kind of homes do people have in your world? What holiday is the biggest party?? Which holiday is the most religious?? What holiday has the biggest arguments? How do marriages end in your world? What animals are the most popular pets? Let me know if you need more.

thank you so very much you are amazing for doing this

What kind of homes do people have in your world?

this varies by region! each species has their own type of housing, though in the main city that’s in the center of everything there’s a bunch of patched together buildings that can be used by any of the species. and, as always, it varies by status within the cities.

the Felidae tend to have large homes with tall ceilings, if they live in the city or somewhere similar to there. their beds are giant mounds of pillows and blankets so as to make sure they are comfortable with their cat centaur bodies.

Elves have very nature inspired homes that are littered with trinkets and things they feel are imporant. sometimes the homes are carved out of trees and other times they are pieced together with other natural resources.

the humans make do with what they can get their hands on. raw or manufactured materials, all bound together with nails or glue or anything. a resourceful bunch, they are. 

Dwarves have homes that are carved out of stone, usually underground. if they aren’t underground they’re carved in the side of a mountain. however there are some exceptions. they also have stone doors that can be opened with a child’s touch.

these are the main species i have set up right now, but there are more to come!!

What holiday is the biggest party?? Which holiday is the most religious?? What holiday has the biggest arguments?

fun fact, i almost never create holidays because i’ve never been someone who celebrates holidays or anything like that. but i guess there are a few holidays out there that are linked with the legends of old, which are the closest thing to a religion i have at the moment. 

i want to say that each species has their own way of celebrating the legends but the biggest event is the weeklong festival in the main city in what used to be Altura that has tons of music, dancing, food, socializing, buying and selling, and all sorts of things! definitely the biggest in the land

How do marriages end in your world?

among the Felidae divorces are almost unheard of. the big cat cantaurs are loyal to their mates to the death, very few cheat or divorce. those who do are looked down on. death is what separates the couple.

other species tend to not have as strict of a code as the Felidae. divorces can happen and are more common in certain species. divorce can happen in many ways. sometimes it’s through the courts, sometimes it’s not official through the courts, sometimes it’s a physical fight between the couple that determines who gets to choose what they want in the divorce. it varies a lot !!

What animals are the most popular pets?

i’d have to say that dogs are quite common, just as they are in our world. though the most sought after ‘pet’ are the monster horses that prowl the land. even a regular horse is very good!!

[fallout4holmes]

Far Harbor 7

Valentine and I returned to Far Harbor in the morning to find a Miss Nanny model robot talking to Captain Avery. The robot introduced herself as Pearl, and said she was looking for a detective. Apparently the staff at the hotel on the cliff were distressed by the lack of a response when they tried to call the police.

A staff of robots who hadn’t realized the world had ended, and now wanted help with a murder investigation. At least it was different. The hotel was swarming with ferals, as should have been expected. In fact, I assumed this whole thing was simply going to be a macabre misunderstanding, an example of a robot's programming unable to adjust to dramatic change.

Then we saw the Vault door.

“Well, well,” said Valentine, “this place just got a little more interesting.”

“Indeed. I shudder to think what sort of experiments they had planned for the hotel residents.”

Never in my wildest nightmares could I have conceived what we found inside. The Vault was a plush luxury hotel, every possible need of its residents tended to by a staff of robots. We were met by the head of staff, a Mr. Handy called Maxwell, who led us to the scene of the crime where two of the… residents, were arguing.

“Goodness,” Valentine said.

“I would have used much stronger language,” I muttered.

“No need to be crass while we're working.”

“Normally I'd agree, but this seems an appropriate exception.”

The residents were human brains encased in glass domes atop mechanical cylinders with simple robotic arms and caterpillar wheels. They could speak, and did so, shouting at each other around the toppled form of another one, the glass protecting the brain smashed in. Maxwell managed to interrupt, asking them to return to their quarters while the detectives investigated.

“Your residents are robots?” I asked as they left.

“Not robots, Detective. Well not exactly anyway. I believe the term they use is 'robobrain.’ Back before the war, the residents decided the best way to wait it out was to put their brains inside robotic chassis.”

“I guess someone wasn't a fan of robobrains,” Valentine commented as he looked down at the smashed glass, “At least not this one.”

Maxwell gave us the name and occupations of all five remaining “robobrains” and we began. It was surreal, to put it lightly. No, I must be honest, it was mad. We found the Overseer’s office and learned the Vault was originally intended as a grand social experiment; a lower working class would be housed in a cramped wing of the Vault while an elite rich lived in luxury… but the door wouldn’t open when it came time for the masses to enter. As Maxwell said, the rich residents had decided even before the war to gain immortality as robobrains, and so the Overseer was stuck as the sole experiment, the one person who had to live with ‘these assholes’ as he put it. For their part, the robobrains descended into a mild madness of delusion and banality… until one of them decided to commit murder.

There were limited options as to who the killer could be, and the solution was ultimately fairly simple, though certainly unique. I’d never had a case where the murderer stole the victim’s voice to fake his own death before. Ultimately, Vault 118 was a surreal, macabre distraction from the drama of the island. It was almost refreshing to deal with something as straightforward as murder born from greed, as terrible as it may be to say so. At the same time, Vault 118 is little more than a lush Hell of its residents’ own devising.

We returned to town and were met by Dr. Wright. Teddy, as he insists I refer to him, heard about what I’d done to assist around town, and had an idea for turning around the town’s attitude toward me. There is an old ritual called “The Captain’s Dance,” a ancient rite of passage that hasn’t been completed in a long time. It involves chumming the water and fighting what comes. If I can complete it, it’ll earn the respect of the town.

Valentine is doubtful. I wanted another opinion, so I went to the best source of information on Far Harbor and the island. Longfellow’s initial response was not encouraging.

“You want to what?! Cap’n, I know you can handle yourself in a fight, but there’s a reason this old tradition faded away. Too many people hoping to be Captain ended up dead.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, “But will it work?”

“Assumin’ you don’t die, sure it’ll get people to respect you, but why the hell do you care?”

“I don’t give a damn about their opinion of me, Longfellow. To be perfectly blunt, the people in that town need a reminder that monsters can be fought and beaten, and maybe not every stranger that comes to town is trouble. I’m tired of seeing nothing but suspicion and despair everytime I say hello to someone.”

He sighed, and turned to Valentine, “And you’re just going along with this, metal man? Ain’t you supposed to be his friend?”

Valentine was mildly offended, “You think I haven’t tried to talk some sense into him?”

“You’re stronger than him, ain’t ya?”

“Not particularly fond of the idea of knocking my partner unconscious,” he frowned. “You’re welcome to try locking him up, but he’ll get out.”

The old hunter scowled. “… well, hell, cap’n, if you’re dead set on this foolishness, I guess I’m gonna have to go along with you. Can’t have your death hauntin’ me, got enough reasons to drink as it is.”

I was not cavalier, I knew exactly how dangerous this undertaking would be… I thought. After all, I'd defeated everything that has tried to eat me so far. This would be dangerous, but survivable. I had plenty of ammunition, a few grenades, and friends at my back. There was no sign of an angler’s light, no sound of a Fog Crawler in the distance, just a swamp full of mirelurks.

I should have anticipated the queen.

And yet she fell… and so did I, collapsing as my head spun and vision fogged. I heard Valentine shouting in the distance, and then he was beside me, “Holmes! Sherlock? Oh thank god you’re alive.” I felt the familiar jab of a stimpak in my shoulder, and another in my leg. My sight cleared as he gripped my shoulders, worry and anger all over his face, mere inches from mine, “You are an absolute idiot! If you weren’t half dead I’d… I don’t even know what I’d do!”

I had no words to adequately express what I felt in that moment, and only one reaction seemed reasonable. His lips against mine felt like something between malleable plastic and supple leather worn by the elements. “I'm sorry,” I said. At his baffled scowl, I clarified, “For scaring you. You're right, this was an idiotic plan.”

“That suggests you had a plan to begin with. I said you were an idiot, period.” His hand clasped mine. “If I could have heart attacks, I'd have had three of them since meeting you. Can you stand?”

I could. Longfellow shook his head as we approached, bemused. “You’re a strange one, cap’n, no mistake. Come on, let's get you back. Reckon the witness the doc sent will get back long before we will.” The old hunter chuckled, “Should have seen the way he ran out of here.”

We made our slow way back to Far Harbor in exhausted silence. The people were assembled, a feast set, and Dr. Wright was giving a speech about me. Cheers went up all around as a Harborman confirmed I'd completed the 'dance' and killed a mirelurk queen, and the party began.

Dr. Wright confirmed I wasn't going to die, and quipped, “If they don't respect you now, well, fuck 'em.” It was a sentiment I heartily agreed with.

I milled about, making an appearance and performing the socializing expected just long enough to claim exhaustion and go up to the room over the Last Plank. Valentine followed.

“First time I’ve seen this town in a good mood. Almost makes this dumb stunt worth it.”

I pulled off my chest piece with a groan, “You’ve made your point.”

“Hey, hold still.” The contrast of leathery plastic and cold steel on my back as he pushed up the edge of my shirt surprised me. He tsked, “Your armor’s straps rubbed the skin raw. Being constantly soaked the past few days probably didn’t help.”

I set to removing the rest of my armor, “I hardly noticed.”

“We’ll have to buy you a new set of clothes.”

“The clothes will have dried by morning.”

“My point was to get you out of wet clothes in the first place…”

He was suddenly quiet as I removed my shirt. I glanced at him, “Is something wrong?”

“I'm not sure.”

“You did say I needed to get out of these wet clothes.”

“Holmes, you don’t even come downstairs in your own home unless you’re dressed or in a robe to cover the fact you’re only mostly dressed.”

I removed my boots and socks, “The two of us are alone in a room above a bar on the fringes of what might be described as civilization. My desires for privacy and propriety are second to my need to be dry for an evening.”

“And you'd rather be naked than wear a fisherman's outfit.”

“What? Of course not, it simply wouldn’t be practical. There’s no point in spending caps on a full set of clothes I’m only going to wear one night, perhaps two.”

“Sure, sure,” he grinned. He watched me search for some sort of blanket for the bed, his grin fading to something softer, more self conscious. “Hey, Holmes… about the kiss.”

“What about it?”

“You aren’t usually the type for physical displays of affection.”

I scoffed, “The fact that I choose to keep my most intimate emotions private from the rest of the world doesn’t mean I don’t feel them.”

“I wasn't saying otherwise. Just surprised.”

I sighed, “I apologize, it was a common assumption for most of my life. I'd never seen you so panicked, I was relieved to be alive, and…” I shrugged, “even I have moments of emotional impulse.”

He softly laughed to himself, “I guess I'm making this more complicated than it is.”

I tossed the threadbare excuse for a quilt I’d found onto the bed and turned to him, “May I remind you, Mr. Valentine, the idea of us being partners in more than the business definition was originally your suggestion.”

He folded his arms, “While you cracked wise about being on one knee.”

“I simply want to establish that any confusion in our relationship is your fault.”

“Ha! Any relationship with you is going to be confusing. Half the time I don't know what possessed me to fall for you.”

If I can be forgiven for using such a cliche, my heart leapt. “I wonder that myself. God knows you deserve better than -”

“Shut up, Sherlock.”

His kiss was firm, his arms circling around to pull me close. I let the boundaries fall, melting against him. A soft heat emanated from his chest, along with the faint hum of internal machinery. It was exquisite.

“Are you always this warm?” I asked.

“Running a little hot right now, actually. Must be a kink in the coolant system.”

I pulled away just enough to see his face, “Was that a joke?”

He grinned, “Yes, that was a joke. I don't feel… what I guess you'd call lust, but some part of me sure wants to. If you were a dame, at least I might have some idea of what to do next.”

I stifled a sudden laugh, “Dame??”

“Don't make fun of the way I talk, you're almost as bad as Danse.”

“I’m not nearly so verbose.”

He smirked, “Whatever you say, doll.”

“Valentine, if you ever call me ‘doll’ again, I will respond with violence.”

He laughed, “Got it.” Metal fingertips traced the side of my face in pure awe, “Any thought of love was all memories, just the old Nick’s grief… but you. You’re mine.”

I turned my head to kiss his hand, “For as long as you’ll have me.”

He kissed me again, and made a small sound of surprise as I coaxed a deeper kiss from him. His mouth is warm and dry, tongue like soft rubber that tastes of smoke and something slick and metallic and unidentifiable. I was quickly losing whatever semblance of physical control I'd had.

“Nick…” I’m not sure I knew what I was asking for, but I was begging.

His hands drifted lower, slowly seeking permission and giving me plenty of time to change my mind. “You sure about this?”

“Yes… if you want,” I suddenly analyzed everything about the scene, panicked that a partner who can't feel lust would feel forced or obligated…

A gentle force on my jaw turned my eyes to meet his. “I’d like to see if I can make you stop thinking for two minutes.”

I shivered, “Only two?”

He smiled, “One step at a time, partner.”

He's buying clothes this morning. Mine are dry, but desperately in need of a wash. And so I woke to him leaving, a quick kiss as he said, “We can afford clothes, one use or not. Go back to sleep.” I didn’t have the energy to argue.

I've never been more affectionately bemused at the sight of bruises on my skin. I have not often craved physical contact with anyone; my marriage was one of intellectual companionship and deep friendship. I remember being in her arms or holding her in mine, the proximity to someone I love a unique comfort, but this…

I love him. I already knew it, but seeing it written…

Dear god, I'm prattling away into a diary like a lovesick schoolboy when there's work to be done.