#Everyone Forgetting Last Boss until the Last Second: Part 2

[nrdmssgs]

König meeting civilian reader Scenario (part 2)

Masterlist

Part 1 here

Huge shoutout to @ethanhoewke and @patyog for helping me realize, the second part was possible.

After a month, reader meets König once more, this time in more intimate atmosphere. König gets cuddles)

It was not an easy task to gather all your friends together. Not because your group was particularly big. You just were all growing older: some started families, others changed jobs, places of work, every next year there were more adult problems, keeping some of you away from others.

So you weren't surprised, when only a few of your friends agreed to come to that little party of yours to celebrate your move to another part of town.

You scroll down your group chat, counting, how many people will come, when you stumble upon a message of your friend, who introduced König to your company.

"I'm coming with *Königs civilian name*"

You felt, as if a little light flickered in your chest.

Even though the last time, you've seen this humble and gentle giant was almost a month ago, you still remembered him time to time and smiled. His voice, soothed and carried away by the talk, you two had, still resounded in your ears from that conversation in the bar.

Behind the menacing figure, there was a warm soul. Not a most open one, but still... You didn't need much time to figure it out.

There were these little "cracks" in his reserved demeanor. Little shy smiles, happiness flickering somewhere deep in his silver eyes, when his mind was consumed with something, he was passionate about.

You weren't sure, why exactly, but you were happy, you'd see him once again, hear his sweet accent.

The moving itself is scheduled for the next day, but this is your old tradition - to celebrate not in the new, but in the old apartment. As evening falls, your friends begin to gather.

König and your mutual friend are among the first to arrive. You greet them warmly and lead them into the living room.

He smiles, but does not look up and seems to be trying to press himself against the wall, take up less space.

You feel sorry for the poor guy, so you give him a little tour of your apartment, just to keep him busy.

"And here is my bedroom. Now it's almost full of boxes, as you can see. And the bed seems to have been taken over by Bo," you laugh, pointing at the fluffy red cat's tail sticking out from under your blanket.

He almost steps into your bedroom, but stops abruptly in midstep."E-ehm, is it ok, if I say hi to him?"

"Go on, this old buddy can be grumpy, but he enjoys a good scratch. Just don’t expect anything big from him, he isn't the most outgoing pal."

And so you leave those too alone at peace. You don't tell König, that your old cat tends to ignore strangers, unless they bring him treats.

The evening goes on, you chat with friends and almost forget about two discreet quiet buddies hanging out in the next room.

That is, until it's time for your old tradition: a ritual you've developed with your friends a long time ago. You called it "Hyde scroll". In honor of the move, you and your friends bought a roll of paper and the cheapest set of paints. The roll was laid out in an empty room and everyone had to draw or write something that is now weighing on him. Someone confessed their love, others drew caricatures of their boring colleagues or bosses. There were no restrictions or rules in this matter. At the end, the one of you who was going to move took the resulting collage with him.

And when you uncorked the sparkling wine and poured it into glasses and prepared paints and paper on the floor - you remembered that someone was missing here.

"Hey, I'm sorry, we completely forgot you here!" you stop at your bedroom door, shocked by what you see. König is sitting on the floor by the bed, and your cat Bo, who is usually not interested in guests, stretched out on his chest and pressed his red snout to Koenig's chin. Bo`s purring so loud, as he never did with you.

König seems to enjoy it so much, he would gladly purr too if he could. His massive hand covers the whole upper body of Bo, who was never considered a small cat. The other hand is rested under Bos` paws to serve him as a support.

The guy looks at you and shyly smiles. "He wanted cuddles, I guess."

"H-how did you do that?" you ask, utterly confused. "Bo is not the easiest one to make friends with..."

König looks down in embarrassment at the cat purring loudly on his chest. "I didn't do anything special, honestly. I guess, animals just love me."

You giggle and pull him by the hand to the living room, where others already enjoy their sparkling wine and creative freedom.

The appearance of König with a cat in his arms causes a sensation in the room. "This is the first time Bo has hit it off so quickly!" notices one of your friends.

You even get a little jealous of your cat. You lived with him for 13 years, and he never slept so peacefully in your arms if you got up and walked somewhere.

Perhaps it was because you were much smaller than König and the cat was not so comfortable when you walked somewhere with him in your arms.

König sits down on the floor in front of the spread paper and looks at what the others had drawn and written. Sometimes he chuckles softly, sometimes sighs tenderly. He still holds Bo carefully in his hands.

You move paint and brushes closer to him. "I can't, my hands are full. And this is where your friends should paint, not someone you see a second time," he says, looking up at you.

"Hey, we're already friends, since you almost stole my cats' heart," you get down on the floor next to him and take the cat away from him, getting a disgruntled look from Bo. "I trust my buddy here, he won't open up so easily to someone not worthy. So might as well call you my friend."

König looks taken aback by your words and you proceed. "Here, you see that small doodle at the corner? It's from our mutual friend. And you know, how our friendship started? I liked his T-shirt and I just walked up to him and asked where can I buy a same one. Fast-forward to this day - we're almost best friends. So... friendship doesn't always have to be earned or to start with anything big. Sometimes it just... you know, just starts."

His expression slowly changes to a more understanding one. You start telling him about other doodles and people behind them. In several minutes a little barely visible smile blooms on his face again.

In the end, you convince him to take a brush and paint something. You even promise not to peek as he does it.

When the evening comes to an end and almost all your friends leave, Koenig helps you clean up after the party. Almost the entire apartment is filled with boxes of things you packed for the move. You have to maneuver between them, like in a maze.

At some point, you turn from behind a mountain of boxes and almost trip over König. He catches you at the last moment and for some reason apologizes.

"You have nothing to apologize for, it's all about moving with endless boxes," you laugh back.

He looks around the rows of boxes and looks at you anxiously. "Are you going to load everything into the car tomorrow yourself?"

"Well, of course, I can ask Bo, but something tells me that he will not help me."

He chuckles as he looks back towards the bedroom, where your cat has gone. "Can I... can I help you tomorrow?"

"Hey, it won't be fun... Just a full day of loading, unloading, heavy lifting, putting oddly named furniture together. I don't think, it's something, you want to spend your time on."

"I'd be spending my time on my friend... And besides, heavy lifting never bothered me."

[dungeons-and-dictions]

It’s Analysis Friday about precisely why Hazbin Hotel is such a stand out.

But first - this is probably my last Hazbin Hotel-related analysis until the next season; give me asks during this long dry spell!

Why on this specific topic? Because I’m tired.

Y’all.

Listen.

I’m all for subjectivity. People can just like or dislike things regardless of quality. Heck, I know Helluva Boss is part of the Hazbin world, but it gives me too much cringe and vicarious embarrassment to handle.

(Yeah, I’m weird. I know)

But I keep hearing people say Hazbin Hotel is mid or just relying on hype.

Those are fighting words!

We are getting quality on par with Disney movies for a tv series!

That’s crazy! Let’s break it down.

Musical numbers

Talented singers play the main crew. Stephanie Beatrix plays Mirabel Madrigal, Kimiko plays Izzy, etc.

There were 2 songs per episode! And because it is truly perfect for a musical, we even get thematic reprises and callbacks!

Does anyone recall when similar things have happened in animation? MLP:FiM had a glorious episode that was ALL musical with a reprise. That’s all I have at this scale outside of Disney.

Characters

I’ve always known Vivzie to put thought into her work, and this shines through so well in Hazbin.

Lucifer’s depression is similar to my own

Angel’s gradual changes and struggles are realistic

Charlie’s breed of passion is the same as mine in my career

Alastor’s extremely manipulative yet we all love him

Velvette had one of the best formal character intros I’ve seen in a long time

Hazbin Hotel works really hard to get away from stereotypes, and dives in past superficial traits.

Also, we get things like Valentino sounding like he’s squeaking because moths squeak. We don’t need these things!

Animation

You know what else we don’t need?

Airplane arms!

Complicated dance moves!

Cute leg swishies with cuter sound effects?

Every second you see is 10+ frames traditionally. (Idk the studio’s technical details). That’s wild to add in these complicated extra details! And they flow so nicely! This level of quality for 2D (and honestly 3D too most of the time) is unheard of in the West nowadays.

And on that, western adult animated shows typically are so poorly made, especially in the art. Even the few I have seen that have okay stories to tell absolutely stink in terms of visuals and movement.

Story

Yeah, this is the biggest weakness Hazbin Hotel has, no doubt. The story is actually an incredible premise, and truly done pretty well within the awful time constraints. I think everyone is valid in saying it was far too fast! Hopefully we get more (or longer) episodes in upcoming seasons.

But at the same time, this is also the nature of musicals. If you think this is fast, don’t watch the Les Miserables musical where everyone only sings. Idk why, but singing the entire time makes everything seem like you’re in a race car on autopilot.

Don’t forget; the symbolism just drips out of the screen in this show. The fact that I could still do more analyses even now is a testament to that with all the content I have done since it aired. Vivienne goes hard on the details.

But put yourself in Vivzie’s shoes. You do the impossible, shot for the moon while hoping for maybe the top of a 5-story building, and you were offered the stars. Your project has been a part of who you are before you even went to university, and a major company gives you a way to bring it to life? Why wouldn’t you settle for this good of a deal?

Innovation

People do not bring up often enough that Vivienne broke a glass ceiling separate from that of gender. She showed that YouTube animations can be taken seriously, and even be aired.

In this age, the Saturday morning cartoon blocks I grew up with no longer exist. There were tons of great shows, and I could talk with other kids about it. Nestled within these weekends were shows that ran short pilot episodes for potential series. The last time I saw one was Adventure Time’s pilot.

It’s been a whiiiiiiile.

So having a cutesy little indie pilot animation amongst thousands on YouTube be such high quality and get a mainstream platform? Spindlehorse made history!

Moreso, Helluva Boss is also demonstrating the capacity of indie studios like never before - and what may pave the way for the future of animation too.

Out of all the animated series running on YouTube, Glitch is the only creator who does 3D that I am aware of. Even Glitch’s work has only started within the past few years, ie after Vivienne managed the impossible.

So please, stop complaining about subjective parts so much. Hazbin Hotel objectively has some of the highest craftsmanship in western animation.

We are blessed that Vivienne’s dream has come true in such a glorious manner. When I discovered her back in 2012, I couldn’t have guessed the pilot would be so successful, nor that it would change what was possible for animation!

[cloudlessly-light]

Chills on a summer day 2/3

A/N: Sooo, guess who got a little carried away and turned this two parter into a three parter? Me, I'm the perv with no self control. The last part of this will be posted on Thursday, then I'll be on vacation for a couple of weeks.

Summary: Emily takes a summer job as a secretary at a law firm thinking that it will be a good way to keep her mother of her back. What she doesn’t realize though is her boss, prosecutor Aaron Hotchner, is not only a pain in the ass but also a man able to make her lose all sense of control. Word Count: 2,6k Rating: Explicit Warnings: Smut, in public, sex toys, oral sex, dirty talk, orgasm delay/denial, orgasm control, alternative universe, age difference (everyone is of age), power dynamics

Part II

 It started that morning in his office, but it’s nowhere near the end. He kisses her behind that closed door, ignores the way they hear people outside the room as he makes her come on his desk, fingers buried inside of her and her moans muffled by his lips on hers. It becomes strikingly clear that with him, she had no control and she had no issues with that.

He comes to her apartment that night, fucks her until she’s sure she’ll collapse from the intensity of it, he whispers filthy words against her ear as she pleads for more, holds her close and kisses her between feeding her the food he had brought over, then fucks her again for good measure and Emily is sure that she’ll be forever ruined for anybody else.

 *

 Emily comes into the office with his marks covering her pale skin and she feels the excitement of it, knows that when his eyes scan her body he’s mapping out where to leave kisses next.

“I need you to fax this over to Strauss.” He hands her the papers in her hand and she takes them.

“Right away, Mr. Hotchner.” She smirks at him, can see that he’s having a hard time not to look at her exposed neckline. When she stands she’s too close to him, her body almost touching his and she shivers from the thrill of hiding in plain sight.

“On a second thought, I need some things from the file room.”

It’s a horrible excuse, they both know it and neither care as they walk across the office, Aaron keeping distance from her and she sways her hips a little more than she usually would. It’s almost lunchtime so the office was pretty empty and he took advantage, sneaking into the small room behind her when no one was looking.

She tugs on his tie the second the door closes and he presses her up against a wall as he kisses her. His hand skim over her body, knows that they didn’t have time for this but found that once they had started this thing it seemed impossible to keep away from her.

“Stay late tonight.” He mumbles in between heated kisses. His hand moves under her skirt, feels the soft skin of her thigh and she sighs into his mouth.

“Yes.” Her body felt like it was on fire from him, denying him anything seemed unthinkable. “You can fuck me against that huge window of yours.” She feels him press her harder against the wall at her words, a low growl leaving him as he licks over her racing pulse.

“Dirty girl.” He mutters and she nods, her grip on his tie only tightening to pull him back to kiss her. He has to force himself away from her not long after, knowing that anybody could walk in there at any second. His breathing is uneven, arousal stirring inside of him and he gives himself a moment before backing away from her.

“I’ll wait a minute or so.” She says before he even has time to mention it, her words accompanied with a smile and he nods.

“Don’t forget to fax the papers, that wasn’t an excuse.” He winks and then leaves her, intent to finish up as much work as possible.

 *

 “Mine.” He mutters only a couple of weeks later as he pushes his hand under her skirt as she stands by his desk, the word so casual that she barely hears it over the sound of her own low moan of pleasure as he squeezes one of her ass cheeks. “Where is the deposition from the Jareau case?”

She knows what he’s doing, knows that he knows exactly where on his desk the papers are but she still leans over the heavy wood and his fingers dip inside of her underwear, fingers rough on her clit before pushing one inside of her. It’s not enough, he knows that it’s not, his actions designed only to drive her a little crazy, not to give her any relief.

“H-here.” She mumbles, mind hazy with arousal. His hand moves away from her to take the paper, fingers wet from her and she blushes when he casually licks her off his hand. “Would that be all, sir?”

“For now.” He smirks at the way she visibly trembles as she walks on weak legs towards his door. “Oh and Emily?” When she stops at the first sound of his voice wants to groan at the obedience. “Bring me lunch today.”

“What do you want?” She flushes harder as he looks at her up and down, tongue quickly swiping his bottom lip.

“You.”

 It’s strange, how she so easily submits to him, something she had never willingly given a man before but with him it’s like second nature. He tells her one night that it’s part of his attraction towards her, that someone so in control, with such strength and prominence, would gave in to him like she did. But she finds that she trusts him, even after so little time, she trusts him.

 *

 She walks into his office in the afternoon ready to head home. He had been in court all day, had been stressed and bordering on rude when he came back. She knew that days like these were frustrating, when the system failed despite his best efforts and she knew that he would need some kind of release.

He’s on the phone, sitting at his desk when she walks in and he waves her closer without stopping the conversation on the phone. She had become an expert on him, the slight curve of his lip making it clear exactly what he was thinking and she closed the door softly. He’s taken off his suit jacket, hung it up on the back of his chair and rolled his sleeves up, showing off her forearms and Emily can’t believe how gorgeous he looks.

“Excuse me for a second.” He tells whoever is on the phone and urges Emily to sit on his desk in front of him. His hand covers the phone as he rolls his chair back from his desk to watch her as she leans back on one hand. “I’m bored, give me something to entertain myself with?” When she nods and easily spreads her legs his hand moves to her knee, his touch warm as he draws lazy patterns along her skin. “I’m back.” He says into the phone but keeps his eyes on Emily as she unbuttons the shirt she had tucked into her pencil skirt.

She reveals the red bra to his hungry eyes, his eyes fastening on the little bow in the middle of her chest. She leans back on her hands again, spreads her legs further apart as the fabric of her skirt pulls up and he can see a hint of the matching red silk panties. She smirks as he holds back a groan, his hand on her thigh tightening slightly before pushing her skirt up enough to bunch the fabric over her hips.

Emily loves the way he’s as affected by her as she is by him, his jaw clenching and eyes intense as he follows her hand that she’s slowly dragging over her chest, down between her legs. She lets her fingers hover over her center, holds back a gasp at the heat she feels even through the fabric and when he nods she moves her fingers into her underwear.

“No, that is not what was agreed on.” Aaron says and she’s once again amazed by the way he’s able to control his tone of voice, even as he rubs over his pants where his cock is tenting them.

Emily barely listens after that, her fingers rubbing in slow circles over her clit as she watches the way he watches her. She wanted him, knew that the moment he’d hang up the phone he’d be on her but she didn’t want to wait.

“Hang up.” She whispers quietly enough that the person on the other end wouldn’t hear her and she sits up straight. She uses his momentary surprise to her advantage, pulls his tie hard enough for him to lean down and licks a slow, broad stripe up his throat until she’s able to tug his earlobe between her teeth. “Hang up and fuck me, Mr. Hotchner.”

Aaron just barely holds back his growl, his hand tight on her waist as he tries to keep her planted. It doesn’t work, Emily smirks against his neck and then proceeds to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his pants, using the fact that he only has one hand free for her benefit.

“You said you wanted something to entertain you.” She wraps her hand around his shaft and pumps him, spreading his precum into his skin. She grins when she sees him swallowing, his teeth clenching and she knows that he’s giving in. Her wrist twists and he does groan that time, low and dark and she’s sure that whoever he was talking to heard it.

“I’m sorry, I’m going to have to call you back.” Aaron barely hears the lawyer on the other end respond, hangs up the phone and tosses it on the desk. “You’re in so much trouble Emily.” His lips on hers are rough, teeth tugging on her bottom lip and tongue soothing the bite before she even has time to really feel the sting of it. “Bend over the fucking desk.”

She does, feels his fingers trail along her spine and up her neck until he grabs hold of her hair. When he pulls she expects it and bends with his pull with a gasp.

“Aaron.” She grinds back into his hips, feels his heated skin against hers and his other hand moves around her body, finding her clit.

“I don’t appreciate being disrupted while I work.” His fingers are rough, almost too harsh against the sensitive nub but she only moans.

“I seem to recall you wanting a distraction, I was about to go home.” She argues but the breathlessness in her voice packs little punch and they both know it.

“I was more than happy to watch you, pretty girl, but you had just had to be a desperate little thing.” He lets go of her hair and she falls against the desk, a few papers falling to the floor in the process. The slap on her ass cheek is loud and surprising and when she moans he does it again, slapping her ass until she’s squirming and skin is flaming red.

“Who would have thought that the embassy princess would like this.” He snickers and she flushes in response, her voice caught in her throat. “Look how you’re staining your cute little panties. Maybe you should stop using them, there really isn’t a point when you can’t keep yourself from ruining every single pair you own.” He keeps her underwear pushed to the side and slips the tip of him through her folds, a moan escaping him at the wet heat of her.

Emily bites her own hand to keep the loud moan down when he finally pushes inside of her slowly. He presses forward until his hips are flush against her still stinging ass, his size making her hiss slightly as she fidgets in place.

“Jesus, fuck please.” She whimpers, tries to move but the sharp edge of the desk keeps her still.

“Ask for what you want, like a good girl.” He feels her clench around him, sees her body straining at the somewhat painful fill of him. His eyes flitter towards the office door at the sound of voices, but they’re gone as quickly as they came and then Emily is whimpering underneath him.

“Fuck me.”

“That’s not asking, is it?” He presses forward and her body lurches into the table with a sound in between pleasure and pain, his other hand back to keep pressure against her clit. “Ask for what you want, nicely.”

“Please, please Mr. Hotchner fuck me.” She plays into the part that she knows he secretly loves and is rewarded by him pulling back, only to snap his hips back against her.

“That wasn’t so hard was it?” He sneers and she shakes her head, no words leaving her panted lips.

Emily can’t do anything but grip the edges of his desk as he sets a brutal pace behind her. She knew he was taking out the frustrations of his day, used her body to get himself off and she hadn’t ever imagined liking being handled like this as much as she did.

She was no novice when it came to sex, but the weeks with him had taught her more about pleasures and wants than she had ever thought. He seemed to know her body from the start, and the things he didn’t know he was quick to learn, pushing her further and further into ecstasy until she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to come back down to earth. His rough fingers circled her clit faster, and she could feel her muscles tensing as he muttered words of praise behind her.

“Come with me, I want to feel it.” She panted and turned her head enough to look back at him. He was sweating, teeth bared as he slammed harder against her.

“You’re going to drip with me all the way home.” He grunted and she clenched at the thought, at knowing that she’d feel him all night.

She comes with a broken cry, his hand just barely able to cover her mouth before the sounds leave her as he leans over her bent body. She hears his own sounds of pleasure buried against the back of her neck, his mouth hot and clammy on her skin as his hips jerk against her. She moans when he steps back and he slips out of her, immediately missing the way he feels. He pulls her up with him and then sits her back on his desk. His hands are gentle as he carefully buttons her shirt back up and then pulls her skirt down over her hips, thoroughly checking her over in case he had missed anything.

She smiles at him, watches as he goes from hard to soft, something she only gets glances off and he kisses her forehead.

“Thank you.” He whispers with a  smile against her skin and she pulls back to look at him, hand gentle as she strokes over his cheek.

“Looked like you needed it.” She pulls him down for a kiss, this one softer than earlier and she knows that they’re tethering a line of something more than just a causal summer fling.

“Do you have plans for the weekend?” He asks once they pull apart and he fixes his pants and straightens his shirt.

“Mother is visiting.” She huffs, already a tension in her shoulders at the thought. “But she leaves on Sunday evening.”

“Want me to come over, take your mind off it?” He pulls her closer, his large hands on her waist while her falls to his chest. “I’ve been thinking about that headboard of yours…” His eyebrows raise at her smirk. “Haven’t tried tying you to it and having my way with you yet.”

“You don’t think you’re having your way with me, Mr. Hotchner?” Her smirk turns into a full blown smile at the way he grunts low in his throat.

“I think you still have a few lessons to learn, pretty girl.”

[10hourshift]

Girl help the au is getting out of hand haha

Feel free 2 ignore this

For some reason I have spent quite some time doing some "world building" (if it can be called that) that I probably won't add in the comic, so, gonna dump it all here.

The school is not the best of all, not even by public school standards, if anything, the school is often a second choice, and most of those who enter there are mostly bc it has little requirements to get in, and is very lenient to special cases.

Some examples of these people would be Freddy (he enters after the classes started) Bon, Julian (both didn't enter the private school they were going to at the last minute, so they got "stuck" in that school, there's more to them later)

For the school itself, it's not that bad (there's a reason that many ppl prefer to go there as a second choice in comparison to other schools) the classes are fairly decent (though, some teachers are prone to not show up to class), and it has a bunch of academic and sports programs, even though it kinda lacks on the cultural aspect. Until a new benefactor steps in.

So, after Julian failed miserably during his entrance exams for the private school he was going into, his father got him into the school he is in now, and to "cover up" the incident his dad decided to become a benefactor of the school, and bc of that, now the school has more budget, with the condition of using it for the whole "art" section (idk how to call it). And out of the blue, the school now has an improved auditorium, a bunch of new material and instruments, and, of course, a variety of new activities for the students, starting with a brand new band contest where everyone can participate, who knows what might happen next, maybe there'll be an official school band, or a chorus or something, (this is all really just testing how the students might take the new situation)

**Julian exposition time again!. Let's go. He basically burned himself out for trying to study for the entrance exams, finish middle school, and all that. It was bad, like, forgetting weeks worth of studies the moment you start the exam bad, like staring at the questions for the whole 3ish hours of the test while none of the questions make sense bad, like, flunking so embarrassingly that it's basically a secret, to the point your dad makes up an elaborate plan to hide the true reason you're going to a certain school, and forces you to take a different path than the one he had already set up for you bc you couldn't keep up bad. Like, that bad. (Poor guy, every time I check on what his deal is, I add more to it. I'm sorry but I like it when the characters'actions are part of the setup of the story, idk how to explain but is Fun)

Now, onto the ppl behind the music contest.

Lana*- secretary- the one actually in charge of the contest

Vincent (yes, the waiter/presenter*) - intern teacher- the one who is supposed to do most of the work

Owynn- student 15 yr old- he helps out every now and then bc he has nothing better to do w no ulterior motives :)

Bon's dad*- music teacher (I'll get to that, hold on)- he has to set up practice sessions/ music classes for whoever enters the contest

[insert OC name here] (an oc wow)- student/intern 17 yr old- the one who ended up doing most of everything

*giving them roles bc I'm lazy 4 ocs, even [insert OC name] is almost the librarian, yeah he's another different character

The arrangement goes like this: Lana is the head of the project and the one who reports back to the boss (between the principal and Julian's dad idk). The planning of events, the coverage, and those administrative details get solved by Vincent, and Bon's dad is supposed to manage the music rooms and instruments, as well as make schedules for using those for practices. [Insert OC name] does most of the hard labor, checking registrations, putting up the signs, etc., since their job as an intern is basically to help w anything that needs to be done. And also basically doing all of Bon's dad responsibilities since he doesn't actually have the time to do his job as a teacher.

[apples-of-apples]

I have to continue here ‘cause I reached word limit!

Anyways everyone shows up again for like the fifth time because they cant stop showing up at the most dangerous spots in the area but they are just terrified of showing their faces anywhere else in Lemuria. Anyway for a quick summary of that “story bad because it is repetitive not much happens and not much changes until the literal last second.”

Point 2 - the world building is separated from the story part because it really needs to be talked about. First off Lemuria is impossible to understand in placement relative to the rest of EO. This is because of EO5 classes being here even though I’m pretty sure EO5 was on mars, and literally everyone from across the plant is here but the is never even a hint at where it could be relative to even Etria. The more important part of world building that this game forgets is to have characters that interact with the world that aren’t your characters and for it’s world to still function without your guild. Because even through quests most of the banter about people and the interacts that come from that just don’t happen because Kvasir exists the dialogue just refuses to tell anything other than kvasir’s stalking of all women.

Point 3 - honestly the best part of this game. The classes are mostly well balanced with very few being to overpowered or obscenely weak. But when you see the exceptions they are very loud for example War magus is amazing with random curse and cut skills because they can be used easily and their force allows for cuts to work without conditions needed, the bad part comes when actually using them. Because they heal their defenses kinda suck, but with a defender they’re ok. Wrong, because while they can be ok with cuts some sicko decided that war healing was a good idea. War healing just ruins the war magus as a healer because even though they heal pretty quickly they usually don’t heal enough and party members die. This just sucks when compared with the monster that is medic. Medics literally have multiple options for fully healing, reviving and restoring party members and it makes war magus almost obsolete. Another example of an overpowered class is hero. Heroes are the most general class in the games and they aren’t balanced with that in mind. Heroes are almost indestructible machines of pure power that make other options not worth ever considering like the blót fight that I called the worst boss in the game because that fight was something that made me almost drop the game because it was so heavily designed around the idea that people will use hero it makes me angry. I Wong explain it in depth but it’s just a horrible fight especially since literally ever boss has enough health to be a postgame boss or even the final postgame boss in some cases. The worst cases I saw were jormangander, and the yellow bird with an impossible name. The first one is just an hour sponge with like 95000 health which is just more annoying than anything else. The yellow bird though? It has 45000 hp at a point we’re you are maybe level 60 or higher if I remember right. This level was barely enough for bosses with 24000 in previous game why would 45000 with a party without game prélarts like imperial and highlander need to deal with this?? I get they needed to balance around the better classes, but all that means is that there is no room for experimentation, and you have to find a way to use better characters because no amount of strategy works when the answer is just the bosses died to fast when *insert class killed it* it’s just a big disappointing.

Anyway that was a long rant. I got off topic for a while but even with these complaints I still like the game I just have some problems with it like kvasir

Other than that thanks for reading my insanity!

Ok, so like no one has to read this or look at it I just need to scream into the void about Etrian odyssey X (Major story spoilers)

Starting this off I am going to divide this into 3 sections 1. Story, 2. World building, 3. Gameplay.

Point 1 - The game actually starts pretty good in this aspect! The beginning is a pretty strong hook into the story and game as a whole! The next bits of story are good too! The pink haired medic (I can’t remember her name) giving the party a reason to been called on specifically for help early on because they find the east ruins is great for more set up! But the next part is immediately worse than this because it reuses a plot from a previous game, for some reason?? The plot isn’t any different than it was in EO4. It’s still just a big bad bear murdered some people, and now you have to kill it. The only thing that’s new is Cernunnos showing up for all of 5 seconds before being killed by the party. Like I get this is supposed to be a celebration game for the series but you can’t just reuse a plot from a previous game and add a character into it like they did. Oh well, the next dungeon isn’t horrible. I mean they made a super boss into a joke, but they didn’t copy a storyline this time. Leo and Shilleka are a cute duo together in all honesty. Leo’s moment at the end where he overcomes his self perceived weakness and curse to help the party is nice. Then the next dungeon is from EO3 and it’s different overall in story from the game it came from, but it just stole the characters traits from EO3. Like the new characters are just two kids in the dungeon who know each other and they get separated in the dungeon until one of them is on the brink of death. This is literally just Hypatia and Agata, but they both live. Again I get this is a call back to a previous game, but if they’re going to be so insistant on it then just bring someone into the game like bring Missy so she can talk about Hypatia and Agata like I remember some kids like you instead of just copying characters that were already made. Then the next dungeon is the west ruins and there is nothing to talk about except for the last floor where everyone you met is also here and they are also trying to find out ways to traverse the labyrinth! But why are they doing this? I understand that it is quite literally first come first serve with the hidden treasures of Lemuria but when there are No other guilds in sight other than some 1-2 party guilds it just decreases the tension of bosses. It’s different in EO1 with Ren and Tlachga because they are established to be strong, but in nexus these people can just handle enemies that regularly beat up player parties even though they should be around the same level as you? What’s the logic here?? Then for the next few dungeons they are basically filler that are made just to remember that these stratums exist and to show off more characters new or returning. The only returning one is Artelind and the new ones are a viking princess and the child the Wulfgar, Wulfgar Jr. eventually you get to the north ruins and it’s the same as the west ruins, but it’s a new boss and there is some dialogue between characters for a minute before moving on to more pointless dungeons. This is a good as time as any to address that fact that while there have been official missions from the princess a lot of them are just… things the party would’ve done anyway. The only exceptions are the ruins that you only really would want to do from the rewards from the missions. Other than that we get to the forest folk and they don’t matter after like 3 conversations because they’re dead whoops! Then the final ruins where the worst boss in this game is and the princess gets kidnapped I guess?? Literally no one cares though there is no panic, so what’s the point?? And what was the point of the forest folk if they just die again?? Why are half the things in this game rehashed from older games with barely any creative twist and it can just get away with blatant lazy writing?? You can only call Nexus a celebration for so long before it is just called a rehash of the entire EO franchise. Then there is jormanjander who is just boring. The idea is cool but it’s just a damage sponge that dies without to much of a fight.

[aceofspadegrass]

Our favorite aib characters and y/n splitting into teams and playing competitive hide and seek

Hide And Seek: Beach Edition

Characters: Aguni Morizono, Hatter, Tatta Koudai, Arisu Ryohei, Usagi Yuzuha, Kuina Hikari, Chishiya Shuntaro, Niragi Suguru, Last Boss, Ann Rizuna

Genre: Crack. It's Hide And Seek time!

2.7k words

Quick mention, Y/N is written as Yin the entire time, please insert any name in as if it says Y/N. I only did it because that’s how I always read it as because I’m weird like that.

Also Y/N is written as gender neutral, but please if you want put any pronouns in place of it.

Anyways, here it is!

It was rather quiet at the Beach today. Well, mostly because everyone unimportant was out doing games. It was amazing, really, how quickly and empty the Beach ended up. The only people left were a small handful, that being the executives, militants, and a few extras.

Of course, Hatter wasn’t going to let everyone left to just sit around by themselves, despite the fact that a decent chunk were perfectly fine with being alone in a completely quiet Beach for once.

“ So, what the fuck are we all doing here?” Niragi was the first to speak up within the meeting room, one hand holding his head up as his elbow rested on the table, the other hand busy with combing through Yin’s hair, who was comfortably laying across three people’s laps, with Chishiya the unfortunate chair for their feet. Arisu was nestled in the seat between the two, staring purely at Hatter as the robed man stood at the end of the table with a grin, arms out to the side.

“ Well, that’s easy! Since right now, the entire Beach is ripe for the taking for the…..” He pauses, head counting everyone in the room. “ Eleven of us, including me, I thought of something to pass the time!” “ What is it?” Arisu asks, tilting his head. Hatter grins, and he raises his arms even higher, his grin spreading even further across his face.

“ Hide and Seek: Beach Style!” Hatter announces. In return, he gets a few eyebrow raises, a few blank faces, and Tatta vibrating in excitement.

“ Across the entire Beach?” Chishiya intones, “ For ten people?” He leans back on his chair, arms resting comfortably folded on his chest. “ Sounds interesting.”

“ Wouldn’t that take forever though?” Tatta raises his hand, Hatter smiling.

“ We have all the time in the world right now!”

“ Yes, but even so, it might take far too long to search everything, especially so little people with so much time.” Aguni glances at the others within the room. “ We should have rules in place so that there is a plausible chance to find everyone.”

“ Ah, alright. Okay, listen up! We’re going to play hide and seek, where the only rules are that you can’t hide in any normal room, but the executive rooms are up for grabs, and any place within the Beach! To be fair, once you find a hiding spot, you can’t suddenly move from that spot. And once you’re found, you’re obligated to help find everyone else! Fair enough?” The others all nod and give noises of agreement, Hatter smiling. “ Good, good! Now, who wants to be it?” He looks among them, the others doing the same.

“ I suppose I can.” Ann was the first to offer herself, raising a hand. Hatter nods, and she turns around and starts counting. The moment the first number was uttered from her lips, everyone ran out, ready to hide away as well as they could. Yin was dragged along by Niragi, for reasons they weren’t too sure of, but Niragi seems rather eager to drag them away.

“ Where are we going?” They ask, Niragi saying nothing and continuing to drag them along. They reach a room, which appeared to be a storage room, Niragi pulling them inside and shutting the door. He turns to them and smiles, before gesturing to the pile of boxes in the corner. They nod, and quickly duck behind them, Niragi taking a spot by a separate pile of boxes.

“ This should be good enough. It’s a decent ways away from where the dissection bitch is, and out of the way.” Niragi explains, Yin nodding. It seemed fair enough.

“ Where do you think the rest of them would be?” They ask, curious. Niragi shrugs, sitting back and brushing a few stray hairs from his face.

“ Hell if I know. Hey, how fast do you think Ann would find everyone? I would say at least two hours. The Beach is big as shit, and there’s only ten people in the entire building. Bets that Ann doesn’t find us for at least half of that.”

“ Oh, you’re on! I say she’ll never find us-“ Yin chirps eagerly, leaning against the boxes. Niragi nods, smirking. They sit there in silence for a while, Yin carefully listening for any signs of movement outside.

There was nothing for a while. The both of them were prepared to be waiting for a while, since it was theoretically one against ten in a massive building. Yin’s breath hitches as they hear footsteps outside, and the door opening, letting in light from the outside. There was the soft tapping of footsteps, Yin and Niragi making eye contact with each other, Niragi placing a finger to his lips.

The footsteps stop for a few seconds, Yin and Niragi staying still, but Ann’s head pokes into their sights, Yin yelping and bursting into laughter as Ann lightly waves to them.

“ Found the both of you.” Ann looks to Niragi, Niragi pouting slightly and getting up. He comes over to Yin and helps them up, and the trio exit the room. Outside was Aguni, who looks at them and lightly tilts his head up in greeting of them, Niragi rolling his eyes.

“ Aww, are we the first few? Lame.” Niragi grumbles, Yin patting his back in comfort. Ann ignores the comment and walks down the hall more. Aguni, Niragi, and Yin follow after her, the four occasionally stopping to check the other rooms they pass by with zero luck. They get that hall cleared out rather quickly, with four people searching at the same time. Ann leads the little crew out to the pool area, looking around for a second.

“ There is no way someone is hiding out here at the pool. It’s too open!” Niragi waves a hand as he gestures to the pool.

Yin shrugs, walking closer to it with [E/C] eyes scanning the area briefly. “ I dunno, there may be a chance. Look!” They point to a stack of opaque colourful pool floats stacked atop each other right by the pool. Aguni and Niragi look at each other, sharing a brief nod, before approaching the pool floats, Ann following after them. Yin giggles a little and trails along behind them as Aguni and Niragi settle a hand behind the floats, Ann quirking up a lip as the floats shift just a little.

“ Found you.” She announces with a cool demeanour as Niragi and Aguni push the tower into the water, a yelp emitting from the stack as Arisu tumbles into the water. With a bit of struggling, Arisu frees himself from the floats and resurfaces, sputtering and spitting out water. Niragi cackles and points at Arisu, Arisu swimming closer to the edge. Aguni helps him get out of the water, Arisu shaking his head and getting water droplets all over the volcano man.

“ Serves you right.” Yin grins, Niragi glaring at them, Yin patting his face with a smile, making him sputter and back away. Arisu smiles, wringing out his poor shirt in the meantime.

“ How did you even get in there?” Yin asks. Arisu opens his mouth, but then quickly shakes it.

“ Can’t say.”

“ You must have had help. And considering that I don’t think they would have left you unsupervised with how close you were to falling in the pool…..” She looks around. “ They might be in the area. Come on, let’s look around.” She walks away, everyone splitting up and looking around.

It wasn’t that hard, Aguni pulling out Usagi from underneath a chair that was a bit out of the way. Arisu excitedly waves at Usagi, Usagi smiling and waving back at him. They regroup, and after yet another sweep, they head onwards.

“ So, we need to find Chishiya, Kuina, Tatta, and uhhh… Hatter. Right?” Arisu counts each person on his fingers, looking at Ann. Niragi and Aguni glance at each other, but before either of them could correct Arisu, there was a rather loud noise above, Ann looking up and pulling her sunglasses up.

“ Found Hatter.” “ Wait really?” Arisu looks around in confusion, then at Ann with a mildly worried face. “ I don’t see him? Did you mean that noise?”

Ann nods, and she ducks into a room, looking at a vent cover. Everyone around her look at the same vent, Arisu very much confused. So was Niragi, but he wasn’t keeping very quiet about it. “ I don’t fucking get it.”

“ I think he climbed into the vents. Are any of you willing to climb in?” Ann looks at the squad, Usagi nodding and approaching the vent. With the help of Aguni hoisting her up, Usagi managed to get the oddly loose cover off, and she squeezes herself inside, Yin and Arisu cheering her on as she disappears into the vent. The group follow the sounds of her moving around as best ad they could, until there was a rather sizable loud screech, followed by something falling. Aguni was the first to head towards the noise, Niragi and Yin not far behind with Ann and Arisu at the back.

The sight was something else, Hatter face planted on the ground with Usagi coming out of the ceiling a little bit later in a much more dignified manner. Aguni sighs and kneels down besides Hatter, shaking his shoulder. Hatter pops up rather quickly, chuckling. “ I have been caught~ A shame.” Hatter looks around at the group, smiling. “ But I wasn’t the one that sucked at hiding either!”

“ Congrats.” Ann monotonously praises him, Hatter getting up and wiping his kimono down.

“ Thanks! Now onwards, I think I know where the small one is!” He runs off, Aguni immediately following after. Niragi grins excitedly and grabs Yin’s hand and drags them away, yelling something about ‘being the one to find the watery pancake batter’.

By the time Hatter had even the semblance of stopping, they were upstairs where the executive rooms were, Yin tilting their head.

“ How do you know he’s up here?” They inquire, Hatter smiling and slapping their back.

“ I just know! Trust me!” Hatter chirps, and he starts throwing open doors, Niragi doing the same with a little more ferocity, adamant on finding Chishiya. Yin chuckles, and the rest begin to search.

It takes a good ten minutes before any of them even found a trace. Well, a trace being finding Kuina hiding in the closet and coming out wearing a fucking rainbow bikini.

“ Seems like you had fun.” Yin comments, Kuina nodding and smoothing down the ruffled top. “ I did!”

“ ….. Weren’t you wearing a different bikini earlier?” Arisu asks, Kuina nodding and smiling happily.

“ I was. Now anyways, Chishiya’s around here somewhere. Buuuuut I’m not telling you where. Sorry not sorry!” Kuina shrugs, and Niragi rolls his eyes, leaving the room and calling random words that the rest can only assume meant he was attempting to call for Chishiya. They had no choice but to follow him, looking through the rest of the rooms. Hell, they looked through the rooms twice, as Chishiya was a little shit who was clever enough to hide literally anywhere to avoid being found. Kuina was intentionally being a little unhelpful as well, as she apparently knew where Chishiya was but loyal enough to not be a snitch.

Yin splits from them to search Hatter’s room, looking through every crevice and humming. It was a bit of a controlled chaos mess in there, and they find a few stray cookie packages, both empty and near empty before they spot a small box in the corner, inconspicuous and hidden unless someone was looking directly for them, yet big enough to possibly fit a human cat inside. Grinning, they quickly approach the box, and throw upon the lid, only to be greeted with something even better.

“ Hi Tatta!” They greet, Tatta looking up at them from the cramped space. It was actually impressive how Tatta crammed himself in there, actually.

“ Hi Yin!” Tatta greets back, and shifts back and forth, smiling a little nervously. “ A little help? I’m stuck.” Yin nods, and they grab the edge of the box and tip it over, Tatta grunting as it lands with a thud. He wiggles within the confines, and extends his arms out as Yin helps him pop out of the box. Tatta stands up and thanks them, complete with a nice friendship hug, Yin hugging back. They grab his hand and drag him out of the room, meeting up with Kuina, Arisu, and Aguni, the former two waving at Tatta. Tatta waves back, smiling as Yin joins them. “ Found Tatta! That means we just need to find Chishiya, right?”

Kuina and Arisu nod, Aguni only grunting slightly in response and holding up a finger. The others look at the man in curiosity, Tatta and Arisu both tilting their heads in synchronization.

“ I fucking found you, you tiny rabies foaming ferret!” Niragi’s voice rings clear and true, followed by a yes of indignation as Chishiya suddenly emerges from Niragi’s room, wearing a fedora on his head. “ You fucking slut!” Niragi emerges not much longer, Chishiya planting himself right in the middle of the hallway gang, Niragi trying to get to him only for Aguni to stop him with a hand on his chest.

“ Not right now.” Aguni orders, Niragi grumbling angrily and thankfully backing away, Yin coming over and patting his shoulder. Niragi huffs, calming a little from Yin’s presence.

Ann and the others come around bit later, Hatter grinning and spreading his arms out. “ Well then! Wasn’t that fun! Looks like we’re all here!” “ Actually-“ Aguni butts in, but Hatter ignores him.

“ Congratulations, Chishiya, you were the last to be found! Aren’t you proud of yourself?” Hatter says, Chishiya tucking his hands in his pocket and saying nothing, eyebrow raised and lips curled into a slight smirk.

“ The last?”

“ Well, yeah! You are quite a hide and seek champion.”

“ He’s a bitch to find.” Niragi grumbles, leaning his weight on one leg. “ Fucking cat ghost.”

“ Thanks. Bet you were the third to be found.” Chishiya lightly retorts.

“ He was.”

“ Wh- Oi! Shut up, Ann!”

Ann just turns away, eyes scanning the group. Aguni was frowning a little, looking at Hatter. She quickly figures something wrong, counting everyone mentally. “ No, wait. Hatter, we’re missing one.” “ Oh? And whom may that be, Ann?”

The others all look around as well, some a bit confused. Only Aguni, Niragi and Chishiya seemed to know before the rest of the people that hid realized, Niragi scowling a little.

“ You fucking lobster, we haven’t found Last Boss.”

“…… Well…. does anybody have any idea where he might be?” Kuina asks.

They all look among each other, not a single hint of anybody knowing.

“…. Split up?”

Everyone nods, all dispersing within seconds.

As people started coming back from games, the ten remaining were now back at the meeting room, none of which accompanied by any hint of the tiger stick.

“ How the fuck can he not find him-“ Niragi blurts out, hands on the table and staring at everyone, “ Where the hell did he go.”

Everyone could only give off shrugs and ‘I don’t know’s, Aguni sighing.

“ Well, he wins.” Aguni sits down, crossing his arms over his chest. “ And nobody knows where he could possibly be.” “ He’s so good at disappearing, I’m amazed.” Tatta comments, Arisu and Usagi nodding.

“ So….. does that mean I have to call him?” Niragi pulls out a walkie talkie from his pocket. Aguni waves him to give the go ahead, Niragi clicking it on. “ Hey, egg noodle. You won. Get back here or else I’m filling your closet with rubber ducks.”

There was silence, then the slightest noise that may have been a hum, before…..

“ No. I’m comfy. Night.” The line immediately goes dead again.

Everyone is silent, Niragi taking one slow breath, shutting his eyes with murder in his smile. “…… Bitch.”

[ajulisz]

Yandere!Renata Glasc X Reader 2/2

Part 1

MC Pronouns: They/Them (but very little to mentions)

Pairing: Some Sevika x Reader and... well... very abusive and unilateral Renata Glasc x Reader

Content Warning: Non-con drug use, kidnapping, violence description, death (not yours)

A/N: I actually thought I posted this but then I saw it in my drafts when someone called me out and freaked tf out. I'm so sorry to everyone who was waiting, btw if I dont post the last part of something you can totally remind me of it or my bad memory will forget it bc the drafts part of tumblr are out of my sight (thanks ADHD)

~Read with caution, stay aware there might be warnings that I missed and if you see some, PLEASE let me know so I can add it to the list :)

After some people found out about you and Sevika, the ones who weren't scared of you for being "Glasc's protected" now were far away from you because of the 'Scary Lady'

Walking in Zaun could be a dangerous adventure, any wrong turn could be a death sentence

Far from what they thought, you didn't needed protection, living here your entire life gave you some skills that new-unadvised-comers would literally die for

But you didn't complain, it was good to walk home after a tiring day without anyone messing with you

Renata never made you stay past your shift, much less so late, and all the rare moments that happened she would always send someone or escort you to your house herself

This was an unspoken rule betweem both of you that was being flawlessly followed... at least until today

Miss Glasc was so occupied with paperwork that when you told her how late it was she simply dismissed you with a flicker of hand

Zaun's fog was more intense than usual, the harsh cold was slowly taking all the machines warmth away, so the livid streets where almost empty

When she was filled with work it was for the greater good to not bother her, principally for something as trivial as "I don't want to walk home alone", so you simply wished her a good night and left

The walk home was safer than when there was a whole bunch of people in the streets, but any moving shadow meant that your eyes needed to be more attentive

Your house had a brand new door since Sevika made sure to punch your old one just to demonstrate how fragile it was, so it also had a set of new keys that you still didn't quite knew how to sort out

You only stopped your tries when you heard a noise at the begging of your house alley where the principal streets met and jumped when someone grabbed your shoulders

"Hey, you're looking at the wrong way" Sevika's voice rang with a laugh when she realized how scared you where once you started trying to punch her

Apparently she got away from work just to walk you home but you were taking too long so she finished whatever she had to do for her boss, got food and now you both were sitting at the small stairs in front of your door while eating and talking.

You had completely forgot about how tired you where and didn't remember where you put your keys at the moment you finished.

Sevika was again laughing and looking around to see if you dropped it around when three figures appeared at the entrance of your street

They also tried to take their chance a million times against her, last time one of them made a scratch that drawn blood enough for you to be concerned with

Your girlfriend knew them, she knew they where just some street gang that robbed any unattended person and did some of Silco's dirty jobs when she was away

As always, none of them talked, only stalked toward Sevikas direction and smiled when she growled at them as a warning

You didn't understood the gravity of the situation until Sevika pushed you away at the same time that other people appeared closing the alley exit

It was in a blink of an eye that Sevika's mechanical arm started glowing and the first punch was thrown , but not in her direction, in yours

You loosed your conscious for a few seconds and only got up when you heard Sevika screaming at someone, you tried to move but three other guys were holding you in place making you watch Sevika trying to fight her way to you

One by one they where falling down in pools of blood but you could see that her energy and shimmer was also being drained since they broke the reservoir on her shoulder

You tried to fight, you tried to move, but they were stronger than you, your body shivered when she felt to the ground

It was over to her, she didn't got up when they punched her in the face again and you thought you were allucinating when you heard your bosses voice

Your scalp was hurting but still you managed to look up and see Renata making her way through the crowd of brutes, her smirk only flattered when she saw you and a low warning growl could be heard behind her mask

"I told you to not hurt them" the woman said while holding your face when they let go of you taking a few steps back "What did they did to you sweet pet? It's not gonna hurt anymore and they will pay, I promise"

Your eyebrow and mouth was bleeding from the punches they throwed at you and your head hurted from the impact with ground and with how hard they where holding your hair

When Renata words hitted their ears and they realized their head was in line the rest of them moved back, trying to find ways to escape

It was more than clear that any brusque movement was going to make Miss Glasc snap

You smiled at her, she always knew when to appear, when to help you but it got you of guard when she forced your mouth open with two pills down your throat.

Even through the mask you could imagine her wicked smile when she looked at the ones that tried to escape on the other end and moved her arm, knocking them out with the pile of bodies that she stacked

You started to feel numb to the point where you couldn't move.

Renata gently laid you down to finish her service, and with only one twist, her entire mechanical arm opened into a claw that elongated far enough to pierce one by one of the ones trying to escape

The sound of bodies pilling on top of each other and heads brutally hitting the ground when she receded her arm into its normal made you wanna throw up, but not even your stomach could make such a big move without your entire body having that awful freezing numbed felling

When Renata turned and started making her way towards you Sevika slowly got up from the ground spitting blood on one of the corpses that was next to her

"Don't you- Don't you fucking dare to to-touch-" She tried to speak but with every word a bloodied cough came instead of complete sentences

Renata tsked with a smirk stopping in the middle of the track and turned to face your girlfriend

"Or what? You couldn't even protect yourself, imagine them." She said slowly "You. Don't. Deserve. Them"

You couldn't move and all you could feel was the eerie cold air and your heart clenching when Sevika's stiff body was throw in front of you

In a fraction of seconds the woman modified arm extended again but this time to wrap around Sevika's throat

You could see the little oxygen that was left in her body leaving slowly while she still tried to fight the woman

"It's ok now darling, I'm here with you... No one else will try to hurt you or dare to take you away from me" Renata said while holding you in her arms, taking you away from your lover and from your life.

What once was her bright grey eyes - where you normally could see the entirety of a loving soul - was now unwelcoming to any kind of care.

She was dead.

Renata's plan may have been much more grotesque than what she wanted but at least, you where finally safe and with eyes only for her

[zafirosreverie]

Must be the eyes (Teacher!Agatha x Fem!Student!Reader) part 2

(Part 1)

a/n: this is long, like, really long. Uppsies

- - - - - - - - - - -

Salem ... you were going to Salem !!

Nick laughed at you when you jumped out of happiness, before wrapping your arms around him and spinning him around. You were quite excited.

"I see someone is excited" he laughed as you let him go

"Sorry" you laughed "I just can't believe it! We’re going to Salem, Nick!" you screamed with excitement

"Yes yes, I was in class too, history girl” he laughed again "But it doesn't seem a bit strange to you that just last friday you mentioned that you wanted to go, and today, monday, they tell us that they will take us on a field trip precisely to Salem? Not to mention that Ms Harkness doesn't seem like the kind of teacher who wants to take her students on trips. "

"So?" you asked. You knew exactly what he was implying, but you decided to play innocent "Maybe the universe thought it would be a good time to pay me what it owes me"

"Suuuuure. And Ms Harkness totally wasn't looking at you during the entire announcement" He said

"She wasn't" you agreed, making him roll his eyes.

Except that she totally was. Nick was right. From the moment the older woman had walked into the classroom, you could feel her eyes fixed on you. At first you felt like you were in trouble, but when she started talking about the trip she and professor Maximoff had planned, a part of you (a small and somewhat selfish part) couldn't help but think that maybe she was doing it for you.

It was silly and you knew it, why would a woman like Agatha Harkness go to the trouble of planning a whole field trip, getting a hotel, food and transportation for almost 30 students, just so that you specifically could fulfill one of your dreams? Not to mention, there was no way she knew about it.

But the feeling that you were something special to her, even if it was only in your imagination, was enough for you.

You sighed "Nick, if you're still upset about the project, I'm sorry ok? But don't get me in your business with her"

"Hey! I didn't sleep all weekend to finish it, okay?" he defended himself "I didn't even go to the movies with Dalton, Y/N. Do you know what that means? I missed a date with him!" he pouted, making you laugh

"First of all, you had almost the entire month to do the project, you shouldn't have put it off until the last minute. Second, it wasn't even a date! You haven't been able to confess your feelings to Dalton in two years"

"So? At least I'm making progress with him, you've been drooling over our teacher since the first day of college and all you've done is have these tense discussions with her."

"Shhhhh" you shut him up "shout it out to everyone, would you?"

"Hey, you started"

"It's different and you know it Nick" you sighed "You're only a year older than Dalton. There are at least 10 years between me and Ms Harkness, not to mention that she is our teacher!"

"Pfff, 10 years? Come on Y/N, we both know she's probably twice your age" Nick scoffed

"She's not that old" you blushed "And that's not the point anyway"

"Right" he nodded "the point is that your girlfriend is going to take us all to a haunted town just to make you happy" he smirked.

"My what- she’s not-" you stuttered.

Nick laughed and you flushed with both embarrassment and anger. You ran after him to try to hit him, not noticing the pair of blue eyes staring at you from a window.

________

Agatha sighed to herself as she watched you walk away with that little friend of yours. She had watched all the interaction and when she saw you blush she wished she could listen, but you were too far away.

However, what she did hear were your screams of excitement and she couldn't help but notice that her heart leapt a little at the thought that it was she who had made you so happy.

Again, she would never tell anyone, but the only reason she had agreed to accompany Wanda was because of the conversation she had overheard, when you told Nicholas that you didn't have money for two trips.

At first, it had been easy to lie to herself, saying that she was simply killing two birds with one stone: Wanda could have her field trip and you could visit Salem at no expense, that way you could save up to go elsewhere in summer.

However, when Wanda asked why she had specifically chosen your class, she hadn't known what to answer. She wanted to see you happy, she felt you deserved everything in the world, but she couldn't say that to the redhead, so she had given a bad excuse that your group was the least problematic. Wanda hadn't believed it, but at least she had the decency not to comment on anything.

She told herself that she had to be more careful. She couldn’t let anyone, student or teacher, find out that perhaps it was no longer simple affection what she felt for you.

When she walked into your classroom, however, she couldn't help staring at you from the get-go. She didn't want to miss your reaction to the news. From the sparkle in your eyes, the way the corner of your mouth lifted, how your nose wrinkled, the way your shoulders tensed, and how you clenched your hands to avoid showing your emotion.

She wanted to see all of that.

But that had made her look at you the whole time. She never once had she taken her eyes off you, almost forgetting that it was supposed to be a school trip, for all of her students, not a surprise gift specifically for you.

Even if that's what it really was. As she had told Wanda, she was more than capable of teaching Salem's history without having to take you there, but she did it for you. And a small part of her wanted to tell you, she wanted you to know what she had done, she wanted you to understand how much you meant to her, without having to use her words.

She wasn't sure if she'd made it, but your excitement was enough for her. She just wished she could be the one receiving that crushing hug, instead of Nicholas.

"Earth to Agatha" said a voice behind her, making her jump

"Maximoff" she sighed "No one told you it's rude to approach people like this" she crossed her arms and frowned.

"In my defense, I've been here for about 15 minutes, it's not my fault that you get lost in your thoughts so quickly" the redhead teased as she handed her a coffee "It must be age"

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you called me old, just because of the coffee" the brunette growled, taking it.

"Lucky me" the youngest smiled "So, ready for the trip?" she asked

"There's still a whole month to go, cutie" she said

"Don't even remind me, I was hoping they'd let us go sooner" sighed the redhead.

"Wanda, I know they are university students, but not all of them have the income, no matter how little the school charges them. We have to pay for transportation, meals and hotel, not to mention that many of them will want to buy souvenirs or do another activities" Agatha reminded her

"It's a field trip, Aggs, not a vacation."

"Try to convince 30 students of that" scoffed the older woman

"... fair enough" sighed Wanda "and we still need another chaperone"

"What do you mean?" Agatha frowned "Isn't that why I'm going?"

"Yes, but as we also take male students, by law we must bring a male teacher too"

"That’s bullshit"

"I know, but I'm not going to complain and risk losing my permit."

The brunette thought about it for a moment before sighing. Wanda was right. And she wouldn't risk having the trip canceled either, not after seeing how happy it made you.

___________

It was the longest month of your life! You were too excited, you could hardly think of anything other than the trip. You had worried a bit that it was too expensive, but were pleasantly surprised when you realized that it was less than half of what the trip would cost you alone.

Besides, Nick had told you that he could lend you money if necessary. It wasn't that you were broke, far from it, but being a college student, living alone in a rental department and with a part-time job, was difficult.

However, you had managed to save enough money to pay for the trip and still be able to even spend a little on souvenirs or other things, which would be necessary to thank your boss for giving you permission to be absent for two weeks and your friend Alisha for covering you.

"Hello" you smiled at the secretary

"Good afternoon" she replied, a little serious but at least she smiled back at you "can I help you miss?"

"Yeah, uhm, I'm here to pay for the trip to Salem, group 203" you said

"One moment please" she nodded and pulled out a couple of lists "Your name, queen?" she asked kindly

"Y/N  Y/L/N"

The woman scanned the names with her eyes, searching for the letter of your last name, but you felt your stomach drop a little when she frowned before looking at you.

"Are you sure, dear?" she asked

You blinked in surprise before nodding.

"How strange" she said "it appears that it is already paid"

"W-what?" now you frowned "It must be a mistake"

"No, Y/N  Y/L/N, paid. Are you sure you didn't forget? It usually happens" she assured you, smiling at you.

But you knew that was not the case. You hadn't paid before because you didn't have the money. Damn, you were sure you were the last to pay! You were supposed to leave in three days!

"No" you said softly "I'm sure I didn't pay for it"

The woman was about to say something when you heard a rather familiar pair of heels coming up behind you. You didn't even have to turn around to find out who she was.

Agatha smiled as she stood right next to you, her hand pressed to your lower back. She smiled at the secretary before speaking.

"Good afternoon, Lu" she said to the woman

"Good afternoon, Ms Harkness"

"Is something wrong? Or why the long face, Miss Y/L/N?" she asked, smiling at you

It took you a moment to answer, too stunned by the warm touch of her hand on your back and the smell of her perfume filling your air.

"Someone paid for my trip" you said simply

"Excuse me?" she asked confused

"Someone paid for my trip" you repeated "it wasn't me, miss"

"Well, I still don't see the problem" she smiled at you "maybe that little friend of yours paid for you, or someone is trying to win your heart" she winked

The way she said the last part sent a chill down your spine. It felt too intimate for some reason.

"Either way, I wouldn't worry about it" she said, pulling you out of your thoughts "take advantage of it, Miss Y/L/N, not all of us are lucky enough to be given a free trip, right Lu?"

"Absolutely Ms Harkness"

You weren't so convinced, but you weren't in a position to argue with a teacher and a secretary, they were two against one. That and the hand on your back was too much of a distraction to think properly.

You nodded and thanked them before turning on your heel to go find Nick, hoping it was really him who paid for you. You immediately missed the warmth of the hand on your back.

____________

Well shit.

You cursed yourself while running around your apartment. You were sure you had set the alarm, but it hadn't gone on. If it weren't for the fact that you had left the window open and the sun hit you in the face, you wouldn’t have woken up.

When you looked at the clock on your desk, you jumped up. You noticed that your phone had not charged at all and was, in fact, turned off. Double shit.

You tossed it along with the charger in your backpack, after getting out of a quick shower and bouncing around the room as you put on your floral dress and a pair of tennis shoes. You did not care about the mess you left, you would fix it when you returned.

You had 20 minutes to get to school or you were saying goodbye to Salem.

_____________

Agatha tried to appear neutral as Wanda took roll and Jimmy helped the students put their bags onto the bus as they arrived.

She supposed it could have been worse. Of all the male teachers in the school, Jimmy Woo, the chemistry teacher, was the most educated and one of the few that Agatha actually liked a little. At least the students listened to him.

Not that she was really paying attention to that, if she was honest.

Actually, the only thing on her mind was you. Nothing new, but this was different. You hadn't arrived yet and they were 15 minutes away from leaving. She was beginning to worry.

She didn't understand what was happening, you were the most excited about the trip, she had paid for you, and yet you weren't here? She had thought you would be the first to arrive. Have you regretted it? No, you would have told her or Wanda. Something happened to you? Surely Nicholas would have said something when he arrived.

So why was there no sign of your precious face? The brunette could convince Wanda to wait for you a little longer, but she wasn't even sure you were going to come. That made her sulk quickly.

She had agreed to take this trip, for you. If you didn't show up, she would have done everything in vain! She didn't even want to go to Salem to babysit! So you had better arrive in the next 10 minutes or you would be in serious trouble when they come back in two weeks.

"Smile Harkness" Wanda laughed, seeing her partner with her arms crossed and a frown "We're almost gone"

"Good, because we still have five hours of travel and I'm already starting to get tired of the voices of these children" she growled.

She really did hope her concern wasn't so noticeable.

____________

You sighed in relief when the taxi finally arrived at the school, seeing that the bus was still there. You did it!

You walked quickly, smiling at Professor Woo, who kindly put your suitcase on the underside of the truck.

"We were waiting for you, miss Y/L/N" he said kindly, helping you up the steps.

"Oh no, am I the last one?" you asked, blushing with shame.

"That's right" said Professor Maximoff, smiling at you as you went upstairs.

Well, at least no one had noticed. The rest of your classmates were all talking to each other, laughing and some flirting, not paying attention to the fact that you had just arrived. Excellent.

Except ... oh no.

You looked for Nick, to go sit with him. Sadly, it looks like Dalton was ahead of you and your best friend was too busy flirting to have saved you a spot.

"Take a seat please Y/N" Wanda told you

"Uhm ... where?" you asked, pointing to your companions.

The red-haired woman followed your gaze and realized that you were right. All the seats were taken. That made her frown. They were supposed to have all seats counted, so she, Jimmy, and Agatha had taken the liberty of using two seats each. But it seems they had miscounted.

"Well, I suppose you will have to sit with one of us" she told you.

You nodded, but didn't move, not knowing exactly which of the three to sit next to.

Fortunately for you, you didn't have to make the decision.

Agatha had kept a sigh of relief from escaping her lips when she saw you and Jimmy getting on the bus. She had been biting her nails nervously.

Your choice of clothes had not gone unnoticed and she, taking care that neither Wanda nor Jimmy caught her, let her eyes roam your body. The dress fit too well on you, hugging all the right parts, and ended just above the knees, allowing her to observe your beautiful legs.

She was so busy scanning you with her gaze that she almost missed Wanda's comment. "I suppose you will have to sit down with one of us." Her reaction was almost automatic.

She got up and motioned for you to sit in the window seat. "Take a seat, miss Y/L/N" she said, a little anxious, but with a frown so that the others would think that she was simply desperate to leave.

You blinked before nodding and scooting into the seat. You tried not to show any emotion when the older woman sat next to you and her thigh brushed yours.

You didn't know if you wanted to curse Nick for abandoning you in favor of flirting, or if you wanted to kiss him. You had five hours to think about it from here to Salem.

Wait. Five hours. Five hours trapped between Agatha Harkness and the window and without the possibility of distracting yourself with your cell phone. Oh shit.

___________

"It's not as bad as I thought" said Wanda "You were right Aggs, it's the least troublesome group" she laughed

The older woman rolled her eyes without answering. Her friend was right, most of the students were behaving quite well. There was no excessive yelling, no one was getting up from their seats or causing trouble, everyone seemed more interested in catching up on gossip.

But that didn't mean she liked being there. Her head was already spinning and there were still another three hours to go. The only good thing she had was that you were next to her.

Sure, she had to act nonchalant with you, just trying to get you talking a few times (which didn't work, but at least you had smiled at her and that was enough for her), but she couldn't help stealing glances from you every now and then.

She had given you the place by the window with the excuse that she needed to be in the hallway so she could throw death glares at others and make sure everything was in order, but the truth was, she just wanted you to be able to see everything. So that you don't miss even the entrance to the town.

It had worked for a while, because you looked quite entertained. Until that moment.

When the brunette looked at you sideways, she could see that your eyelids seemed to weigh and how you were starting to nod. Agatha had to admit that a sleepy Y/N was probably the cutest thing she had seen in a long time.

You struggled to stay awake, but after two hours of staring out the window (you were definitely not looking at your teacher through the reflection, thank you very much) your eyes felt tired. Maybe, you could sleep for a while, and hopefully when you woke up, you would be arriving in Salem and you wouldn't have to deal with the blush on your cheeks caused by the mere presence of your crush by your side.

It seemed like a good plan.

Sighing and careful not to kick the older woman, you settled into the seat better, closing your eyes and blocking out the noise around you. It didn't take you long to fall asleep.

Agatha knew the exact moment you had been lost from the world of the living, when your head began to tilt a little. She inwardly cursed you for being so cute.

However, she froze when she realized that little by little, you were sticking closer to her.

At first it was just your head leaning in her direction, but then you were leaning on her shoulder. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling (actually, it was perfect), but it did make her pulse race, especially when you kept falling more and more on her, until you ended up with your head on her chest and basically using her breasts as a pillow.

"Ok, okay, don't panic, everything is fine" she thought "act normal, you are a teacher taking care of her student, nothing to see here"

But she could feel her heart racing at a thousand kilometers per hour and as much as she didn't want to wake you up, she doubted you couldn't hear it, you had your hearing just above it!

She was too busy trying not to move, not to bother you, that she didn't notice the knowing looks and smiles that her two colleagues shared.

When Wanda stood up to supervise the students in the background, she raised an eyebrow, smirking at Agatha. The older woman rolled her eyes and mumbled something about not wanting to wake you up out of mere politeness, but the truth was that her arms burned with the need to hold you and pull you closer to her.

____________

Wanda giggled and motioned for Jimmy to take a look at Agatha's seat. When the man did, he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

At some point during the trip, the brunette had fallen asleep too, probably bored of not moving so as not to wake you up. However, it seemed like her precautions weren't working on autopilot, because the moment she fell asleep, she leaned on you, portraying a cute scene with you on the older woman's chest and Agatha's head on top of yours.

Wanda took out her cell phone and quickly took a photo of you two.

"This is gold" she whispered to Jimmy "this is valuable blackmail material, Harkness will have to do what I ask for at least a month"

"I guess I owe you 10 dollars" said the man.

When they were discussing the details of the trip, the redhead had told him her theory about how the brunette felt about you. Surprisingly, Jimmy hadn't been shocked, he didn't think the other woman had a crush on her student, but he wouldn't look down on Agatha if that was the case. They had both gambled on how long it would take for the woman to start being more obvious.

"And a coffee when we get to Salem" Wanda reminded him.

_____________

Agatha woke up when a particularly loud sound from the movie they were playing in the bus sounded from the speaker above her head. The woman blinked several times, before looking around her.

Jimmy seemed absorbed in the movie and Wanda was asleep. And God knew what the students were doing behind her.

But that was not the important thing. What mattered was the bulge in her arms.

Your hair had fallen over your face, so the older woman gently brushed it away, letting her fingers brush against your skin. You were a beautiful sight. You always were, sure, but just like that, asleep and vulnerable, you were just breathtaking.

Looking at the clock, Agatha knew that they were about to arrive in town, and although she didn't want to wake you up, really enjoying having you like this, she also wanted you to see everything. So she gently started shaking you to wake you up.

You groaned a bit at the annoyance, but in a few more moments your eyes began to open. It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the light, but when they did, you frowned.

Why were you so low? You remembered falling asleep almost glued to the window, so why weren't you there? And why did you have a pillow? You hadn't brought a pillow with you.

It wasn't until you caught a familiar scent that you realized you weren't on a pillow. You were on top of your teacher. More specifically, on her chest. Shit.

You got up quickly, muttering an apology and trying desperately not to look at her. You just used Agatha Harkness as a pillow! What an idiot! She sure hates you now.

The older woman was a bit surprised when you jumped up, almost hitting her in the process. If it wasn't because you looked adorable with a red face, she would have tried to comfort you. Besides, she couldn't risk any of her colleagues finding out about her feelings for you.

So she didn't say anything, as if nothing had happened. But she was loving the nervous version of you more and more.

_______________

When you entered the city, you completely forgot the whole incident. Your mind quickly entertained with the landscape and you could see how all those witch tales came to life in front of your eyes. Definitely better than Disneyland.

Agatha couldn't help the pang of pride she felt when she saw your excited face. It was a good choice to sit you by the window. If anyone deserved to have the best possible experience in Salem, it was you.

She just hoped the rest of the trip would go without incidents. Not that she thought falling asleep on her was a bad thing, it was just that she trusted herself less and less to keep herself under control.

- - - - - - - - - - -

tags: @midnight-lestrange @everythingmarvelsherlockspn (tag not working) @amethyst-bitch @juliejules-089 @powerfulmagicalgirl (tag not working) @novohyde @annie-mit-ie​ @agentbrownierso​

[kpoptwitches]

Since requests are open, please write a drabble on reader falling for Mafia Yoongi and Yoongi trying to push her away but finally gives in. 🤐🤐 it felt like a nice plot in my head but now that I wrote it out, it feels kinda weird to ask for a mafia fluff 😂🤦‍♀️ feel free to ignore if you find this to be stupid.

|| No, not at all! Thank you for your request, I love the idea. The beginning is kinda long, but I hope you enjoy!🌻 ||

I’m Won’t Let You Go

Pairing: Mafia!Yoongi x reader

It all started out as fun and games. Meaningless sex. Occasional hookups.

Yoongi would show up at your house anywhere between the hours of 2 A.M. to 5 A.M. All the hookups, it never meant anything. He would leave without saying a word. Only to disappear and reappear a few weeks, maybe even months later. It never really mattered to you.

That is until things slowly began changing. His visit became more frequent. Yoongi started showing up outside your work to make sure you got home safely. Of course, he never told you why. He would listen to you complain about your day, nodding every so often. He would listen to you moan about your pig of a boss. How he would gradually make your work uniform shorter. How he would eye you up and embarrass you in front of the other staff. And all Yoongi did was listen, or so you thought. You went into work for your next shift, and saw your boss with a broken nose. Dark black rings circling both his eyes. A busted lip. No perverted comment was sent your way. He never even looked at you. For the first time in a long time, your boss stopped harassing you.

Things started changing when you yearned for his touch. The same touch that sent ablaze erupting under your skin. The same touch that sent shivers coursing through your body. You found the scent of his cologne oddly comforting. You began wishing he would stay the night, just so you could curl up against him just a little longer. Your heart started aching each time you woke up to an empty bed.

Things started changing when you began wanting more than just meaningless hookups.

You thought things were looking up when Yoongi invited you out to club one Saturday night. The only rule; don’t bring any other guys along. You obliged, not caring enough about other men anyways. You spent the night drinking, dancing your heart away, and of course, shacking up with the wanted criminal.

And like always, by the end of the night, he made sure you bring you home safely.

Your face was tucked into the back of his neck, legs loosely wrapped around his waist. His hands gripped your thighs as he carried you up the stairs to your apartment.

“Hey, Yoongi,” you drunkenly slurred, “I hurt myself.”

He sighed, “How did you hurt yourself, Y/n?”

You giggled, lifting your head up to whisper in his ear.

“Don’t you know .. I scrapped my knee falling for you.”

Yoongi couldn’t help the small smile that formed due to your corniness. You’re always such a handful, especially after a night of drinking.

“You’re drunk,” he curtly replied.

A pout formed across your lips, “Gosh! You’re so stupid, I’m being serious! I really fell for you, Yoongi.”

For a split second, he paused. His face expressionless. You didn’t mean that. You can’t mean that. Without saying another word, he helped you into your apartment, dropping your body onto the couch. He tossed a blanket at you then disappeared into the kitchen. He returned shortly after with a glass of water and a pain killer and placed it down on the coffee table. He went to walk away until your hand reached out, gripping onto his sleeve.

“Stay with me, please,” you muttered, eyes slowly falling shut.

He silently agreed, finding himself unable to say ‘no’ to you. He sat down on the floor beside the couch, resting his head against the arm. You moved your hand from his sleeve down to his hand, interlacing your fingers with his. A sleepy grin formed on your lips, and you drifted off to sleep.

***

Everything was cold when you woke up the next morning. The blanket had fallen onto the floor, exposing your skin to the chill in the air. Everything around you seemed darker than normal, almost gloomy, perfectly mirroring the feelings swirling around in your chest. Just as you mentally predicted, Yoongi was no where to be seen.

The glass of water and pain killer still remained on the coffee table, completely untouched. If it wasn’t for your memories of last night, you would have thought Yoongi was never even here.

***

Nearly a week had passed by with no sign of Yoongi. He wouldn’t return any texts. He didn’t show up at your apartment during ungodly hours of the night. He never even appeared outside your work to drive you home.

You huffed, shoving your hands into your pockets of your jacket. Yet another night you have to take the dreaded walk home. The moon was high in the sky, but the light it gave off barely illuminated the sidewalk in front of you.

You looked up from glaring the pavement to see a familiar figure leaning against the wall, just a few steps ahead. You hadn’t noticed him before.

“Yoongi?” your voice called out, confused.

You watched as he pushed himself off the wall, taking small steps towards you. His lips were pressed together in a small thin line, but you noticed the whirl of complex emotions in his eyes.

“I need you to stay away from me, Y/n. Stop texting. Stop calling.”

You stood stunned, lips slightly parted in a silent gasp. Stay away from him? Annoyance started to creep in, your eyes slowly shifted into a glare.

“Really,” you scoffed, “You came here just to tell me that? After pretending like I never existed for a week?”

“Y/n, I mean it,” he replied, ignoring your questions.

Crossing your arms, you closed the gap between you two, your noses practically touching.

“What? Are you getting all discombobulated because I drunkenly confessed?”

His tongue poked his cheek in irritation. You obviously hit a nerve, or maybe even bruised his fragile little ego.

After a few seconds, Yoongi finally spoke, “Watch how you speak to me, sweetheart.”

“Or what?” you fired back, a bold smirk toying on your lips.

Annoyance and frustration was evident in both your eyes. You observed as his eyes slowly flickered down to your lips for only a split second. Before you knew what you were doing, you spoke up again, catching Yoongi off guard.

“If you want to kiss me then do it, but if not, then leave. And you’ll never hear from me again.”

Yoongi seemed as if he was contemplating, weighing different pros and cons. You scoffed again, taking a few steps away.

“Forget it, I’ll make the decision for you.”

You turned to step past him until his hand sprung out, catching your forearm. He pulled you back to your spot in front of him, then crashed his lips onto yours. The kiss was passionate, it was as if he was he was telling you everything he wanted to with one simple action. After what seemed like forever, he finally pulled away, eyes half closed and nearly breathless.

“You just don’t seem to get it, princess. I’m bad for you. In every way possible.”

“You don’t seem to understand,” you fired back, “I don’t care how bad you think you are.”

He chuckled at your response, “If that’s how you feel then fine, but after this, I’ll never let you go.”

“Who said I wanted you to?” You tilted your head to the side, in an almost teasing manner.

You felt his hands slip to the back of your thighs, lifting you off the pavement. In response, you wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him in for another heated kiss. Your back was pressed against the cool brick wall while one of Yoongi’s hand slid under the fabric of your thin t-shirt. His lips left yours, slowly trailing down to your neck.

“Yoongi,” you moaned, feeling his teeth nipping at the sensitive skin, “People might see us.”

It was his turn to smirk, pulling away just enough to look into your eyes.

“Let them watch, babygirl. I want everyone to see that you’re now mine.”

[rottingsparrow]

Part 4! Of rereading Lore Olympus. Ep 31-40

Gotta be real I keep forgetting to post these even tho I'm reading them but it's fine. Obviously I won't finish before the end of the 2 week break (this Saturday) but after this I may start reviewing episodes as they come out, who knows. Last part:

Ep 31

Theres so many other reasons you shouldnt work together but ok

Also shes literally so smart right like thats canon

Artemis is cool hera,,,sometimes

Which two sons i wish i knew the lo family tree as opposed to the real one yknow

How do heras powers work she felt her pain but doesnt know who??

I would kill for a comprehensive list of family tree and powers, dont even have to spoil powers just please i get so confused

Ep 32

Train ur fuckin dogs hades i think ive said that before

He changed skin color again but like not just light vs dark thats a whole diff shade of blue

Hehe threaten low class workers so cute and quirky hades

Why is uh psyche/whatever her nymph name is wearing more traditional clothes while not in the mortal realm

Love the dog

Hades has a point, even tho it makes no sense for him to have said that

Ok also point out in the like future episode he wants persephone to call him Aidoneus but doesnt like when others do it why

Thats my same thing with him calling her Kore like i know in the future its like explained or whatever but idk

Aphrodite has a point it was a favor in a way

A dumb way but yknow

I remember everyone losing it over the “im only interested in the dead ones” panel but looking at it its so lame LMAO changed his entire face shape for a panel

Ep 33

HECATE HECATE WOOOO

Im but a simple man

Hades texts like an old man i know he is one but

Also i am dying to know how his business works including as the god of the underworld like. Give me something

Then again, maybe i am a lil dumb when it comes to this

I always thought he was giving the little elevator friend a sugarcube lmao

I like how minthes ears react to her emotions

Stop fighting at work omg this would be the worst place to work at

“Hey can u do ur job”

Ep 34

Why this subplot ugh

The crown floats yet is sideways after she hits him

Also haha hitting

Also their relationship does confuse me just a tad bit yknow

All the clues were there hades you dumbass

“Cancel all my meetings” DO YOUR JOB

“This doesnt affect you in the same way” cause hes a man or a king or both but also kings seemed to get treated the same by their subjects until they are dicks and excute their power

From what ive seen

Then again we havent seen poseidon do that but that brings me to the point of I wanna see poseidon realm

thats . so creepy hades ew

“Smth must be done about this” like fair legal action right?....right?

Who reads newspapers these days anyways wait a second

Ep 35

See the laptop having news makes more sense like sure we make newspapers but ppl dont use em as often

“Biochemistry Theory” fun fact I switched majors to specifically avoid taking chemistry

What are they typing he just started speaking

What type of nymph is thetis bc i know minthe is a river nymph but thetis has fancy ears

They are so mean to each other lmao

The financial situation and the fact that they both are like sleeping with the kings confuse me why do both of them do it.

Like retrospectively i understand it but when i first read it i was like “are nymphs supposed to be like hookers??” so i was lost for a bit

“Hades micromanages computer usage” oh what a shit boss

Also the meal ticket she has a job sure hades gave it to her but

Idk maybe im slow

What an awful way to do a heart shape i just tried it wtf

“Crying is for wives” damn

Yes body issues that dont get brought up again right? Like she all of a sudden gets bigger boobs and i dont think hades pays ppl enough for cosmetic surgery

You guys know this is a work setting

Has rachel ever had a job bc this feels like a comical trope seen on tv the workplace drama yknow

LMAO IN THE LAST PANEL RACHEL FORGOT TO GIVE HER NYMPH EARS

Like fully normal ears i know its a mistake but its funny

Ep 36

“Not my circus not my monkeys” queen

Hades is it not your circus how dont involve hecate in this

“Stop starin at me with them big ol eyes”

Oof that does not look good on you, i mean why didnt you give her the coat

“I thought you didnt get jealous” ok she may have said that but literally everything about her contradicts that

And i love this part bc he doesnt call her crazy and they talk, i mean he hides some of the truth which like fuck him, and then they try to talk about the party and

Ugh i know minthe is supposed to be an antagonist but rachel does this weird thing where she tries to flesh her out, then realizes it would be an easy set up for a redemption arc and screws her over again

I know the ppl in the mortal realm are generally frightened of hades but why are ppl in olympus

“I wouldnt expect anything less from a goddess” so we are going to bring in the racism/speciesism that occurs in this story right

Its the middle of the day isnt he supposed to be in the mortal realm moving the sun or some shit

Ep 37

“Last night” Rachel its ok to space things out sweetie

Ok ok so one thing i hate about her characterization of apollo is he goes from being delusional to knowing what he did was at least slightly wrong and i hate both are fine stories but pick one he either is so infatuated with persephone that he thinks that they had a great time or he wants her for her power

And! A transition from one to the other would be fine, but she goes back in forth in his characterization

Little red vines look cool

Hehe cerberus

How did he escape tho

I love that dog

Ep 38

Oh its the greenhouse again

But this time it represents the evil feeling?

Idk but i like eye symbolism im lame lol

Why was she sleeping in the chair

When did she get those clothes i dunno if eros would buy her business casual

Artemis really sees all the signs and then goes “meh”

Like points out the possible crush on persephone just connect the dots they are so close

Why is there not more than one door

Why is no one getting off

How does rachel think train stops work

Ep 39

Also not thatanos with an undercut lmao

Ope its thanatos i mixed it up

Also minthe you just actively arent doing a good job like lmao how are you not getting fired

Hades smoking a cigar is so old and gross tbh

What an awful boss

That man has a point dont stand infront of the door

She gave her a little flower nice

Minthe i know ur being spiteful, weird bc hades explained shes just the daughter of a friend( i know its a lie but still) but just do your job

“It says restricted access but that lady says it was fine” i would just wait until someone came out theres no reason to go inside

Ep 40

Why would they not have a lock on this place actually

Why wouldnt she just leave the way she came

When did hades put on his glasses

How is it hades fault what

So many questions yknow for such a short episode

Also does this place not have security cameras in places that are tartarus

[annie-mit-ie]

Glimpses: Part 16 (Kathryn Hahn x Fem!Reader)

Part 1 // previous chapter <<< >>> next chapter

Summary: A lot is happening.

Word count: 2.8k

A/N: hello again! I was away on a family vacation over the weekend and am sitting in a car on the way home. This is, one again, entirely written and edited on the phone so pls be kind 🥰

Moreover, I can’t believe how many people loved and reacted to the last part. Good confidence boost! Hope y’all will enjoy this lighter chapter as well - a new rollercoaster is already awaiting around the corner ;)

Tag List: @danvers97 @zafirosreverie @srtamercurio @wanatag @pulledbythestars17 @plantowl @spacehahn @sarahp-stan @agentbrownierso @our-blood-is-our-ink @fruityhahn @emril-osvigne

_____________________________________________________________________________

“You told her WHAT?” Jennifer looks at Kathryn in disbelief.

Kathryn, who is sitting on the couch, tea in hand and a wide smile on her face, looks at her manager. “That I think I am in love with her. Yup. I did that,“ she takes another sip. „Because, you know, I think I am.“

She smiles to herself and looks at her tea before she continues talking. „I can’t stop thinking about her. I want her around. Preferably at all times. I know I haven’t talked to her or anyone about it, but really… the whole thing with Jeffrey really made me realize… I couldn’t touch that man. At all. I couldn’t even bring myself to think about it. Because of her. I really do think this is it, Jen.”

Jennifer looks at Kathryn and for a moment both woman fall silent. “I just… I don’t think it’s a good idea. You might be at the height of your career right now. I just have a gut feeling.”

“Eh,” Kathryn waves the remark off with one hand. “You’re wrong.”

Not giving it another thought, she sips her tea and sits in silence, as Jennifer shakes her head and leaves the room, running into Agnes who is just about to enter. Agnes reminds Kathryn that she had to leave for today’s set in a couple of minutes and collects whatever she needs with her.

Agnes seems to be in a very good mood and occasionally checks her phone to stay on track as she leads Kathryn out of the room towards the car she had called for her. The women slip into the backseat and Kathryn immediately lets her head fall back and closed her eyes.

Lately, whenever she does, she can see your face. She doesn’t mind that you didn’t say anything back after she confessed to you. After all, it was her fault for calling right after work where people usually still need her. Right after she poured her heart out, someone came running towards her and told her to meet the director for an urgent arrangement. Obviously, Kathryn had to hang up right away as the project is top secret and the actors are not allowed to have their phones on set at all to keep it that way.

Seeing the tears on her face, the crew member didn’t say anything about the rule and never planned to report her for using a device in the first place. You saw him on you screen for just a second and realized Kathryn had to leave immediately. Both of you smiled and it felt wrong but at the same time the way her eyes looked made up for it and her apologetic good bye forced your heart to skip yet another beat.

Back in reality, Kathryn opens her eyes again and smiles at Agnes who is placing her hand on Kathryn’s. “You okay, K?”

Kathryn nods. “Better than ever before. I just wish she was here, you know?”

Agnes knows.

Today’s shooting is long and Kathryn’s body aches as she falls into bed that night. Tomorrow will be just as long, especially since the crew has to leave the area for a 2-day-shoot in the mountains. She sighs as she leans up against the headrest to type out a message telling you about it all. This week, time is tight and she hasn’t had enough of it to properly talk to you again. Especially with Jennifer following her every step to make sure she takes care of herself.

Preparing for the long shoot, Kathryn puts herself in a kind of trance, especially since her scenes will be mentally and physically demanding. Two days later, she snaps out of it as Agnes and her sit in a car on their way back to the hotel. Weirdly enough, she is full of energy and beams as her team wants to go have dinner tonight to celebrate the end of the week.

She immediately strips and hops into the shower before getting ready for dinner. Thinking about how it’s only gonna be her and the team, she ditches an extensive make up and is just about to just put mascara on as it knocks on her door.

Expecting Agnes or Jennifer to pick her up, Kathryn wants to just ask for them to let themselves in. But something holds her back, so she gets up and opens the door herself.

It’s you. You, in all your beauty. Your hair the way she likes it best, some make up, an outfit that tells her you know she is on her way to dinner. Kathryn is not able to form any words and just continues staring at you as you fiddle with your hands and shoot her a shy smile.

For a moment, neither of you speak or move, until you take a sharp breath. “I am in love with you, too”, you hear yourself say, before you launch forward, cup her face with both hands and capture her lips with yours.

The kiss is long, but sweet and she holds you close after it ends. “Y/N… you are here… you are real…”

There are tears in her eyes as she reaches up to move a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “I’ve missed you so much. Oh god.” She sighs into your ear as she wraps you up in a tight hug while the door falls shot behind you.

A few seconds pass before she lets go and finally faces you. Realizing she isn’t in a position to talk, you take the lead, “I heard you’re going out for dinner?” She nods and cups your face to kiss you again. Hard. Wanting.

“Hold on!” You stop her. “We gotta get going, hm?”

Once again, she nods but you also feel your self slowly being pushed towards the wall behind you. Eventually, your back meets it with a thud, blowing some air out of your lungs. Looking at her, your chore burns and you bite down hard on your lower lip because you can feel yourself spiraling, wanting her, slowly giving in.

“Kathryn…”, you say her name, nearly moan her name. Teasing her with it, you want to see what effect it has on her as you let it roll on your lips. You are finally just about to give in as it knocks on the door again.

Realizing what had just happened, you jump back and remove yourself from Kathryn by ducking under her arms that are resting to your side. She takes a breath and flattens her shirt before running her hand through her hair as she opens the door. It’s Agnes.

“Boss? I’m - oh! HEY Y/N! Nice to see you found each other.” There is a short moment of silence in which she takes in the situation and realizes how out of breath Kathryn, highlighted by the cheeky smile you’re spotting in the background.

She coughs. “The limo is waiting. I’m here to pick you up, the others want to leave.”

Apologetic, she nods once and closes the door behind her again. Kathryn shoots you a short smile, grabs her blazer and your hand and leads you out of the room, following her right away.

The trip is nice. The whole team is there and you recognize Ben, the hairdresser, who is standing with Agnes and Jennifer, right away. As always, the manager acts professional and polite but keeps her distance while Ben wraps you up in a tight hug as he tells you he missed you. There is also a young blonde, whose name you don’t quite understand - Agnes introduced her as the set’s make up artist - and another assistant, who is responsible for all things regarding the project Kathryn is still working on. She seems very busy and organizes something after welcoming Kathryn shortly.

Quickly, you realize that Kathryn invites everyone out for a nice evening as a thank you for their work. She is one of the few people who realize that it takes a team to bring life into a character and it just makes you fall for her more. She shoots you a smile and lets her hand run over your arm before getting into the car where she sinks into the soft limo-seats.

Within the group, you look like you belong. No one would raise any suspicion asking who you are, especially since Kathryn’s set assistant, who is a local, organized a table at a restaurant far away from where the paparazzi would assume an actress would go out to.

The groups time at dinner is great. Once again, Kathryn takes the time to thank everyone and ask about their time and if anyone needed anything that she could provide. Occasionally, she would touch and squeeze your leg under the table and look directly into your eyes as you talk. You love when she puts her arm around the back of your chair to completely face you and take in every word you say. Sometimes, she would even run her index finger over her lip and bits down on it - a common thing she does that makes you forget every thought you’ve ever had. Other than Kathryn, everyone else also seems to be very interested into the stories you tell and they all make you feel like you are right at home, which is a welcomed change to how ex-partners treated you. Not that you and Kathryn are an actual thing.

When dinner comes to an end, everyone is high of laughter and slightly tipsy you are the last person to slip into the car. Kathryn is already sitting in the back of the long couch that fills out the limo. Sitting down, you move a little too fast, prompting her to use your momentum to pull you closer and plant a short kiss on your lips.

Immediately, you pull back and look at the others in shock as you realize you guys weren’t exactly open about it all, but no one seems to think about it any further. Jennifer types on her phone as the make up and hair artists discuss next week’s looks. Only Agnes really realizes and shoots you a wide smile as your eyes meet. Softly, you smile back and, having gained new confidence, lean into Kathryn’s touch who is playing with your hair and place another kiss on her lips before she wraps an arm around you and you just lean against her side.

Back in her hotel room, you sit down on her couch as you are unsure what to do with yourself. Agnes, who organized the whole surprise with you, organized a separate room for you where you put all your stuff this afternoon which is why you seem a little lost right now. She is an angel. Right after Kathryn’s confession, you called Peter who gave you his number just in case you ever needed him. He not only connected you with Agnes - he also offered to take you to the airport. With their help, you managed to get to the woman of your dreams within a couple of days.

Kathryn’s head pops out of the bathroom. “Make yourself at home, honey! It’s all yours as well.”

She shoots you a small smile before she pops back into the room. Sitting there by yourself for a minute, you try to take in everything that is happening tonight and are just starting to wonder where you’re gonna sleep as Kathryn walks back into the bedroom. Locking eyes with you, she walks straight towards you before plopping down next to you on the other side of the couch you are currently sitting on.

A soft smile plays along her lips and her eyes glisten in the bright moonlight that’s coming in through the open window. A light breeze is ruffling through her hair and the whole scene is soaked in dark blue light as the night makes your eyes heavy and you sink into the cushions.

For a moment, you sit in silence as she lets her head fall back with closed eyes and her hand rests on your ankle, slowly caressing it with her thumb. She smiles.

Suddenly, she straightens her back and sits up again, facing you. “Hey.”

“Hey.” You say back with the softest voice you have in you.

“I am so happy you are here. I feel like I can finally breathe again.” Her face lightens up, elevated by the moonlight.

You need a moment to comprehend what she has said before you respond. “I feel like there is no other place I’m supposed to be at.”

Fully focusing on you, she nods as she takes in your every thought while her smile widens. Another breeze comes in through the window and you realize one again how incredibly beautiful you think she is.

Actually,” she takes, “I really don’t want to change that. I would like to have you here.”

For a moment, your brain wonders if she wants to offer you a job - which, absolutely is dumb - but you remember to listen to her as she continues speaking: “If you want to… you can stay. Here. I would love that.”

You feel honored but at the same time you feel like this situation of not talking things out will continue if you don’t take the chance and step up.

You move a little closer to her, rest your elbow on the back of the couch and place your hand (that has been propping up your head) on her cheek, fingertips softly touching her hair. For a blink, you sit there and take in the moment of intimacy before you move a strand of hair behind her air and place your palm against the back of her neck, caressing her slowly.

“Kathryn…. I wanna be with you.” You decide to rip the bandaid off. “I want to hold your hand, kiss you, I want to spend any possible moment with you and just… be.”

Once again, she nods. “I want that, too.”

You both smile. Moving forward, you cross your legs as you take a seat right next to her to take her hands into yours. Her eyes shoot up and she looks at you in anticipation.

You take in a deep breath and collect your confidence to ask a question that makes your heart rate go up so far Kathryn would probably be mad at you for. Right as you open your mouth to talk, the brunette blurts out what is lying on your tongue. “Please be my girlfriend!”

You stare at her in disbelief. It’s what you wanted, but hearing her suggest it is a completely different story. “Please,” she repeats, “I know this isn’t gonna be the easiest ride but… in the short time we’ve been… together… I just.. I want to be with you. REALLY be with you.”

It’s time, it’s time and you can’t hold onto you anymore. You launch forward and pin her down on the couch. Her hands fall over her head and disappear in her wild mane. She looks at you with open eyes and widened pupils as a cheeky grin finds its place on your face.

“Yes! Let’s do it!”, you say before finding her lips and kissing her until both of you can’t breath anymore.

It’s not the romantic situation you’ve always imagined. It’s not the grown-up situation of being with someone older you expected. But somehow, it’s perfect. You remember the countless times she drove you mad. The times you had to hold back. The dreams you’ve had about her and somehow it just seems fitting that this is how she becomes yours. Breathless, on the other side of the world, on a spontaneous surprise after blurting out sweet confessions. After all, you are head over heels for each other which put you in the position you’re in in the first place.

Remembering all the hot longing glimpses she’d thrown your way tonight, you go in for another kiss and deepen it quickly, becoming one with her under the calming moon light.

[morganayenneferburnham]

Have I Known You 20 Seconds or 20 Years? – Nikolai Lantsov Series

Chapter 1: Devils Roll the Dice, Angel Roll their Eyes

Chapter 2: You Did a Number on Me

Chapter 3: You Could Call Me Babe for the Weekend

Chapter 4: The Best of Times, The Worst of Crimes

Chapter 5: All I Know Since Yesterday Is Everything Has Changed

Chapter 6: That Night We Couldn't Quite Forget

A very short summary: Y/N has been working with the crows for a few years. Her life feels complete until she meets the insufferable Nikolai Lantsov. She finds herself forced to work with the King of Ravka on one of Kaz Brekker’s crazy schemes.

Word count: 2k

A/N: Coming back at you with an update!

I introduced Kaz's POV to make it a bit more interesting. Keep in mind that this is taking place a few years after the events of SOC and CK so Kaz has gotten a bit of time to heal. This chapter explores how the events of the night of the party affect Nikolai, Y/N, and Kaz.

Enjoy! :)

Chapter 6: That Night We Couldn't Quite Forget

It had been decided they would stay at the Hendriks’ mansion to prepare for the next part of the job. It would be easier to keep their plans secret that way and the mansion was much more accommodating for their group than the slat.

A few days had passed since Y/N’s troubling confession. It was true that Brekker seemed to be in a particularly sour mood every time Nikolai had tried to talk to him, but the king still couldn’t believe he’d send the Grisha back to the pleasure house.

Even if Dirtyhands truly was as ruthless as rumored, she was simply too valuable... and Nikolai didn’t believe Kaz was everything the rumors made him out to be. He hadn’t missed the hint of pride in Kaz’s voice when he talked about the many talents of his Grisha. Kaz even seemed quite possessive of the girl. Nikolai knew something else had to be going on. Y/N had to be mistaken. Kaz wouldn’t send her back to the pleasure house, Nikolai was sure of it. So why was she convinced he would? What had given her that impression?

Y/N had avoided him since that fateful conversation, but her distance had done little to clear Nikolai’s mind. Had he really imagined the hurt in her eyes when he had told her he shouldn’t have kissed her? Of course. He had to have imagined it. Surely, she couldn’t believe he didn’t want her. She was intriguing, brilliant, and absolutely gorgeous. How could he not want her? How could anyone not want her?

Nikolai couldn’t stop thinking about her. When his mind wasn’t trying to understand what had happened between her and Brekker, it wandered back to that night. The look on her face when he had pulled back from the kiss had been breathtaking. He had wanted to ignore the guard, ignore the job they had to do. He had wanted to stay in the moment, but that had been impossible.

Maybe he should go see her. He should apologize to her. For what? For kissing her? Or for saying he shouldn’t have? Maybe for asking Brekker about her? It baffled him to find himself so helpless when it came to her. He was usually so charming. Why was it so hard with Y/N? He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to know why she thought Kaz wanted to send her back to the Blue Iris. He wanted to be the one to comfort her. That was his problem. He had always wanted things he couldn’t have. He had always wanted too much. Nikolai Nothing. Nikolai, who has no right to his name. Bastard. Nikolai, who has no right to his crown. Pretender. Nikolai, who has no right to her heart.

“Nikolai! Are you even listening?” He flinched. Zoya sounded particularly annoyed.

“Of course, dear. You were going on about the report we’ve received from Tamar.”

“And what exactly does the report say, moi Tsar?” her raised eyebrow and amused smirk made it clear she knew he wouldn’t be able to answer her. Damn it, why does she have to know me so well?

A knock on the door saved him the embarrassment of having to come up with a poorly concocted excuse.

Wylan’s head popped in from the doorway. “Kaz wants to see everyone. He’s made progress with the plan.”

---

Nikolai and Zoya had made their way to the music room, following Wylan through the corridors. Nikolai took place on the back of the small couch facing the table Kaz was using as a makeshift desk. He was right behind the Grisha who occupied most of his thoughts. The chairs had already been occupied by the other members of their little group of misfits, and he figured he was better off leaving the last available one to Zoya. Though he would never admit it; his choice had been influenced as much by his desire to appease Zoya as his desire to be close to Y/N.

Maybe he should’ve thought about the consequences this particular sitting arrangement would have before taking place. He knew Kaz had started explaining something about the security of the base, but he just couldn’t focus on the criminal’s words. Y/N’s head was practically resting on the outside of his thigh and some of her hair was splayed across the fabric of his trousers. The flowery scent of her hair was hypnotizing. Nikolai couldn’t think straight. He wondered if it was as soft as it looked. Saints he wanted to feel it between his scarred fingers. He wanted to touch her. He wanted her.

He had wanted her since the moment they’d kiss. Since the moment he had felt her relax in his arms. If he was truly honest with himself, he had wanted her since the moment they’d met. He knew fairytales were just that, but he could’ve sworn the beautiful Grisha had cast a spell on him, just like in the stories his mother had read to him all those years ago.

---

Kaz had realized Nikolai wasn’t paying attention to anything he was saying. The King’s entire focus was on the corporalnik sitting in front of him. Kaz felt his anger bubbling inside of him. It was becoming a very familiar feeling when it came to the Ravkan King. Losing Jordie wasn’t enough? Losing Matthias and Nina wasn’t enough? Do I really have to watch her leave me too?

Inej had taken over, explaining what she and Zoya had discovered about the guards.

For a long time after Jordie’s death, Kaz had thought he didn’t really need anyone. He thought he hadn’t needed any human connection, but his crows had shown him otherwise. They had made him realize he wasn’t alone. He could rely on people. He could trust them. Losing Matthias had been hard on everyone and much harder on Nina than on any of them. Kaz had understood why Nina had left Ketterdam to go back to Ravka, but understanding hadn’t softened the blow of her departure. Kaz struggled every time he had to watch Inej leave on the ship he had given her even though he knew she always came back to him. He didn’t think he could bear watching Y/N leave their family to follow Nikolai back to Ravka.

It was funny, really. A former Drüskelle, wrongfully convicted of slavery. A Ravkan heartrender with a ridiculous appetite. A Zemeni sharpshooter with a gambling problem. A merchling runaway with a terrible father. A Suli indenture turned spy. A Kaelish corporalnik with a gift for getting on his nerves. This unlikely bunch of people had become his family. They had found their way into his cold heart. He rarely showed it, but he truly loved them.

He had already lost so much. He couldn’t bear losing anyone else. If that meant crossing a king, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it. He’d get Nikolai the plans and the prototypes he wanted, but that would be the last time he’d work with him.

Inej had stopped speaking. She was looking at him expectantly.

“Thank you Darling Inej.” The corners of his mouth quirked up, barely noticeable to anyone but her. “According to the blueprints, the antechamber to the vault functions as a scale. If any weight is added it triggers a defense mechanism. We’ll have to temper with the mechanics of it. I haven’t quite figured that part out yet. I’m hoping Wylan will come up with something.”

“On it, boss! I’ll take a look at the plans after this.” Wylan had really grown into his role with the dregs. Kaz still remembered the insecure boy he had first met for the Ice Court job.

Kaz nodded. “If triggered, the doors to the antechamber close and it becomes sealed before it fills up with water, drowning anyone inside it.”

“No pressure then.” Jesper piped up, his tone was way too jovial for the grim reality they were facing.

---

Y/N knew this meeting was important, but she couldn’t get her mind under wraps. She could feel Nikolai’s every movement behind her, and it was driving her crazy. She felt her hair move with his thigh as he shifted his position repeatedly. She had avoided him as much as she possibly could. She was trying and failing, to appease Kaz. Avoiding Nikolai had seemed to help keep her mind off him a bit during the day but at night her mind kept bringing up that Saints forsaken night.

The previous night she’d dreamt of him, again. However, it hadn’t only been the memories of their kiss. In her dream, they had been back in her room at the Hendriks’ mansion and, this time, the kiss hadn’t been part of an act. It hadn’t been Ainsley and Eoin Ó Ceallaigh. It had been Y/N Y/L/N and Nikolai Lantsov. That was ridiculous. Nikolai couldn’t possibly think of her that way. He obviously didn’t want her. Why would he? He was King of Ravka. He could have anyone he wanted. She was a Grisha indenture working for a barrel boss. She was no one.

That knowledge didn’t help her right now. Nikolai kept shifting his weight behind her. He was distracting her from the meeting, from her job. She couldn’t keep thinking of him. She needed to pay attention to Kaz. She needed to prove to him she could do the job. She needed to show Kaz she deserved her place with the crows. She had to stop thinking about Nikolai.

Kaz kept explaining the information they had already collected and what else needed to be done before the heist. She willed her mind back to the matter at hand. She managed to ignore Nikolai for the rest of the meeting. Keeping a strong hand on her mind’s reins. Kaz ended the meeting sending everyone on their way. There was still a lot to do before they would be ready to break into the military base.

-----

Kaz knew Y/N was lurking behind him. She had waited for everyone to file out before approaching him. He waited for her to speak, knowing she had something on her mind.

“You are going to send me back, aren’t you?” He heard the tremble in her voice. She sounded resigned.

He was surprised by her question. He had been expecting her to lose it on him for being in such a sour mood. He had been expecting a lecture not… whatever this was. “Send you back? Send you back where, Y/N?”

“The house of the Blue Iris, Kaz. I know you think I screwed up on the job. I know how much you hate people screwing up.” That surprised him. Of course, he’d rather have every job go perfectly according to the plan but that was improbable in their line of work. Why would he blame her for something out of her control?

A bitter laugh left his throat. “Is that really what you think of me?” Wasn’t he helping Inej go after slavers? Why would he send anyone to a pleasure house? Let alone a member of his family?

“I would never send you back there! You’re not people, Y/N. You are important to the crew… You’re important to me.” He knew he should leave it at that. “You’re a valuable investment.”

“But… You’ve been so… angry with me?” He could tell she was unsure, scared to make his anger flare up again.

“I’m not mad that a guard came back earlier than you thought, and that you had to improvise. It was the right move.”

“Then why are you mad, Kaz? What did I do?” He could hear the plea in her voice.

“You did nothing wrong.” That was true. He wasn’t mad at her. He was scared to lose her. Not that he’d ever tell her that. “I’m not angry with you, Y/N. My problem is with the king.” She looked at him, her eyes full of questions. He didn’t want to get into it right now. “You should help Wylan with the plan,” he said, dismissing her.

Kaz listened to her footsteps as she left. He still couldn’t believe she doubted him. He hoped he had succeeded in convincing her he never wanted to see her go. If he wasn’t more careful, he was going to push her right into Nikolai’s awaiting arms.

-----

tagged: @power-of-words23

[lucyintheskywithxanax]

At 11:08pm In The Music Room, I Was Saved (Part 2)

Pairing: Wilhemina Venable x Fem Reader

Part 1

A/N: second and last part, lovelies. Thank you again anon for this prompt (I may have, once again, deviated from your original idea bear with me), and thank you @venablemayfairgoode for helping me figure out the end (tw: the death of a dog is mentioned :))))))) ). As always, English isn’t my first language. x

Word count:  ≈ 7 000

You were so fucking pissed. Also, you couldn’t stop crying. The world had ended on a beautiful late spring afternoon and now, for some reason, you were trapped in a gloomy building with people you didn’t know and the woman who had broken your heart bossing you around.

And the worst was, you had been so relieved to know she had survived. And you shouldn’t have. But the tears you had cried on the plane to Outpost 3 had not only been for your family and friends; they had also been for her. They had mostly been for her. And you hated yourself because of that.

She looked different. Her clothes were darker, her hair was darker, her eyes were darker and they were glazed. They looked as if they were made of stone. Tourmaline maybe. Something bad must have happened to her, but you decided you didn’t care. Bad things had happened to you, too, and one of them she had caused.

“There’s been a mistake,” she said, voice very deep and very slow. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I don’t want to be here,” you sobbed.

“You were assigned at Outpost 2.”

You were so mad at her. Had she done this? Ripped you from your family and sent you to this dark place to spend the rest of your life consumed by grief and guilt and hatred? She couldn’t have done this, she wouldn’t have done this but then again and was that panic in her eyes? It was gone before you had time to take a good look at it, but you knew her. You knew how to read her.

“Why are you here?” she asked, as if you had chosen to, as if it had been your decision.

“Because some rude guys barged into my flat and shoved me into a plane,” you sobbed, wiping your nose on the back of your hand. “I don’t want to be here,” you repeated.

“You should’ve been sent to Outpost 2,” she said. She was trying so hard to hide the confusion from her face, but you saw it, and you saw that flash in her eyes again and it was panic.

Suddenly it hit you: how could she know where you should have been sent? How could she –

“Did you…” It was hard to speak. Your throat was too tight. Your eyes widened with horror, and hers hardened. “Are you the reason why I’m here?”

You were vaguely aware that everyone else in the room was staring at you and Wilhemina. You should have felt ill-at-ease, should have felt shy. But all you could feel was anger.

“I don’t want to be here!” you cried again, but this time it was fierce. This time it was a cry of rage.

Wilhemina tapped her cane on the ground. The sound echoed off the walls.

“Better sad than dead,” she said coldly. And then she proceeded to ignore you as she explained the house rules.

You barely heard what she said. You were burning, and you couldn’t stop your tears from falling. This was not happening. You were in a dream. You would wake up and everything would be alright. You would count to ten and the nightmare would end.

You counted to ten. It didn’t end.  

What you did hear of Wilhemina’s speech sounded ridiculous. No technology? No sex? Death punishment for intimacy? People basically being your slaves? Her eyes were too cold. They were glazed. This wasn’t the Wilhemina you knew. The Wilhemina you knew had used cruelty for protection. This one used cruelty for fun.

A few people protested, but the protests didn’t last long. This Wilhemina was just as scary as the one you knew.

And then she was leaving, to the sound of her cane, every tap a stab to your heart. A Grey led you to your room and you collapsed on your bed, hugged your pillow, and cried.

The next few days you didn’t leave your room often. You felt so empty. You spent most of your time lying on your bed and grieving the people you had lost. You got up for lunch and dinner. Sat at the table and stared at your plate as the others tried to make small talk. The food cube had no taste. It felt like jelly in your mouth. You hated it. You hated having to swallow it. You hated how it never soothed the hunger in your stomach.

You sat on the left side of the table. Wilhemina sat at the head of it. The light from the candles would glint off your food cube and fork. Coco sat on your left, a girl named Mary on your right. Coco would do most of the talking. Complaining, really. Sometimes – but only sometimes – you would glance in Wilhemina’s direction. Once or twice, she met your eyes. Hers were cold and like a black hole.

After the first week your tears finally subsided. You spent more time in the music room with the others, playing board games, reading, talking. Coco was a bitch, but she made you laugh, and you soon befriended the girl named Mary. She was about your age, was very shy and didn’t speak often. She kept in her pocket a photo of the dog she had owned and loved more than anything else, a small, sweet thing with big black eyes named Sam.

You didn’t know how Wilhemina spent her days. You barely ever saw her. You could forget her, you thought, if you didn’t dream of her every night. You would forget her if only your stupid heart would stop skipping a beat and break into a gallop every time you heard the familiar sound of her cane, letting you know she was coming, she was coming! in a second you would see her and be near her and hear her voice. You would forget her if she wasn’t your first thought every damn morning when you woke up. If when she was near you, you didn’t feel like you were burning and suddenly became aware of every single sound that was her, the rustle of her dress, her breathing, her heart beating, her eyelashes fluttering, everything.

You barely ever saw her, but when you did, time stopped, and it lasted forever.

You fell into a routine. Aimless, dreary. Getting out of bed every morning. Eating your food cube. Making small talk with the other residents. A teary-eyed Mary showing you her picture of Sam. Trying not to think, not to remember. It went on like this for a week and a half, until two Greys were found having sex and were sentenced to death.

It was Mary who told you the news, just before dinner. At first you thought she was joking. But then every soul at the Outpost was talking about it and even Coco seemed scared.

You didn’t know the Grey girl, but you had spoken to the boy once or twice. His name was Mark. He smiled at you every time you would meet him in a corridor.

You ate your food cube in complete silence and shock. When dinner was over, when Wilhemina stood up and walked off, you didn’t think. You stood up, too, and followed her.

She didn’t become aware of your presence until she was halfway down the corridor to her room. You saw her slow down, come to a halt. She tapped her cane on the floor, then turned on her heel.

Time slowed down. You noticed every detail, even the smallest ones. The way the candlelight glided over her cheekbones as she turned. You were still so attuned to her, every inch of her.

You stopped breathing as her eyes locked with yours. And it would have been so easy, to take a step forward, to wrap your arms around her waist, to pull her close and go back home. It seemed her eyes were pleading you to do just that.

But then she blinked, and her eyes turned cold. Glazed. Tourmaline. You felt your body stiffen.

“May I speak to you?” you asked, almost a hiss. Then you added, “Ms Venable.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly at you, raised her chin. “I do not care to hear what you have to say,” she said coldly.

You took a step forward and snarled, “I will say it. You can either listen to me here, or in your room. Office. Whatever.”

Her nostrils flared, and for a second you thought she was going to slap you. You had seen her slap some of the other residents who had dared question her rules. That was one of the things the new Wilhemina had no problem doing.

But she merely nodded, almost imperceptibly, and led you to her room.

You tried not to look. At the bed, perfectly made, at the pillow where she laid her head every night. At the vanity where she did her hair and make-up every morning. All the small rituals you knew so well.

It hurt. Merely standing there in her room felt like someone was crushing your heart between cold fingers.  

You came to a halt in the middle of the room and tried to swallow past the lump in your throat. Wilhemina stopped in front of you, rested both her hands on the head of her cane.

How did she look so different? Why was her face so hard and so cold? She reminded you of the ancient statues of Greek or Italian gods. The powerful, lifeless stare. The dangerous power. How she could destroy you – how she had destroyed you – with one word or one tap of her cane on the floor.

You searched her face for the light, for the fear, for the love, the shyness and the boldness, the desire to be completely, truly seen and loved. You found nothing.

“Well?” she asked, annoyed, after a while.

You cleared your throat. “I heard you’re gonna have Mark and that Grey girl executed tomorrow morning.”

“You heard right,” she mocked.

You cleared your throat again. Your right hand twitched at your side. “Why?”

She made an annoyed noise. “You know why. They didn’t follow the rules. They put their own little disgusting needs first and compromised the group. We cannot have more mouths to feed.”

“Disgusting needs,” you repeated automatically. You took one step towards her and raised your head defiantly. “I don’t remember you calling sex ‘disgusting’ when we were doing it.”

Something flashed in her eyes. Something that almost looked familiar.

“Don’t be crude,” she hissed.

“You cannot have those two Greys killed,” you went on, ignoring her. “That’s murder, Wilhemina.”

Her name dropped from your mouth before you had time to think. You paused. She didn’t react.

“I know you’re better than that,” you added, taking another step towards her. Closer. You wanted to reach out and touch her. It seemed to you she was leaning forward, forward – towards you. It seemed to you her eyes flicked to your lips.

How you had missed her. How you missed her still. How you wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her and demand an explanation as to why she had destroyed your world, stolen all the stars from your night sky. How had she dared, who did she think she was, and what had happened to her that had stolen all the light from her eyes?

“For God’s sake, Wilhemina,” you cried when still she didn’t react, didn’t speak, didn’t move, “you can’t kill two people for being in love!”

“Why not?”she hissed, low and dangerous, like a snake.”What’s so special about love?”

“You know what’s so special about love. You felt it.” A pause. “And don’t tell me you didn’t. You may think you were good at hiding your feelings, but you weren’t.”

Wilhemina’s gaze hardened. “Those two Greys will die tomorrow at dawn,” she answered emotionlessly.

You raised your hands in frustration. “What’s wrong with you?” you cried. Again, she didn’t react. Her silence only fueled your anger. “If you do that,” you went on, gritting your teeth to stop yourself from yelling the words, “if you have them killed, you’ll be walking down a path I cannot follow you on.” You gave a mirthless laugh. “But I guess you don’t care. Who am I kidding? You don’t want to have anything to do with me anymore. You made that clear months ago. But ask yourself this question, Wilhemina: will you be able to sleep knowing you’ve killed two innocent people?”

Oh, she would. Without a doubt she would. She knew it and you knew it and you saw it on her face. Yours turned sickly pale.

“Okay,” you mumbled, lowering your head in defeat. “Okay. I – you know what, I –“ You met her eyes again. “I don’t even know how I could fall in love with you in the first place.”

She swallowed, but her face remained blank. But that familiar something flashed in her eyes again, something sad, that looked almost like the Wilhemina she used to be.

You knew confronting her would likely make her shut down. You knew that. But you were only human, for God’s sake, and you had been hurt and betrayed and it was a well-known fact, that anger was stronger than Man.

So you took yet another step towards her and clenched your fists.

“I have questions,” you growled, “and you’re going to answer them. Why am I here? What made you think you could dump me with no explanation? Did you even love me, or was it all a game to you?”

By the end of your little outburst you were breathless, and Wilhemina, the Wilhemina you had tried to reach and caught a glimpse of, had been roughly locked away.

“Say one more word,” she enunciated, glazed, empty eyes staring right into yours,” and I’ll have you arrested and whipped every day until you meet your pitiful end.”

You opened your mouth, but she cut you off. “Don’t forget who you are, Y/N. I’m the only one who has authority here. If you question me or my rules again, I’ll make sure that insolent tongue of yours is nicely severed from the rest of your body. And don’t think I won’t enjoy watching.”

Your whole body was shaking. But it wasn’t with fear. It was with rage, and with something else you didn’t like at all, for that something else was love. Love that was terrified and aching because this wasn’t her, this wasn’t right, and part of you desperately wanted to make it right again.

Someone knocked on the door. Your eyes widened.

Don’t, you screamed at Wilhemina in your head. Ignore whoever it is. Talk to me. Let me in, let me help you, let me –

“Yes?” Wilhemina called.

The door opened, and Mary shyly stepped into the room. “I, um, I’m sorry to bother you,” she said in her sweet, low voice. “But, um, Y/N, I need your help with something.”

“Can’t it wait?” you asked her, your gaze not leaving Wilhemina’s face, your voice shaking, your body shaking with rage and love and ache.

“Obviously it cannot,” Wilhemina answered, eyes boring into you. “Or else little Mary wouldn’t have been brave enough to push that door open.”

Mary shot her a scared glance and immediately lowered her eyes again.

Send her off, you begged Wilhemina. Make me stay.

Her gaze was too intense, it was too cold, too dark. You lowered your head and turned to Mary.

“I lied,” Mary whispered once she had closed the door behind you two. She glanced up at you with a smile. “I don’t need your help with anything. I just thought I should come and rescue you.”

You swallowed. Your body was still shaking, and you couldn’t unclench your fists. “Right.”

“I heard her threaten you. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” you retorted sharply.

Wilhemina wouldn’t hurt you, you thought. She had only tried to scare you, to push you away. She would never carry out her threat.

But then again. You didn’t know what this new Wilhemina was capable of. Fear vaguely sang in your chest. Maybe she had meant every word.

“If there’s anything I can do to help you,” Mary was saying, “please tell me. I’ll be happy to listen.”

You thanked her, told her you wanted to be alone, and went to your room.

**

Wilhemina had decided the execution would be public to set an example. All the residents of Outpost 3 gathered in the music room and the two Greys who were to die were ordered to sit down on their knees in the middle of the room. They were both crying. Pathetic. Weak. Wilhemina looked down on them and smiled to herself.

A guard walked in with a gun. The Grey boy whimpered.

Someone – the hairdresser – mumbled something, a protest probably, but he was too scared to say it loudly. The old lady who had once been a star nodded at Wilhemina and gave her a smile and a thumbs up. Wilhemina ignored her.

You were standing in front of her slightly on her left, by Mary’s side. Wilhemina was trying not to pay you attention, but somehow you were the only person she could see.

You spent an awful lot of time with Mary, she had noticed. Laughing together, talking together, napping together. Good thing for you. Mary was just the type of person who would treat you right. She’d be kind, and happy, and healthy, and enough.

The Grey boy said something, pleaded for his life, probably. Wilhemina didn’t care. She didn’t listen. She nodded to the guard, and he crossed to him, holding the gun in front of him.

Wilhemina saw Mary grab your hand, saw you touch your shoulder to hers. Oh, you would be alright.

She didn’t know why, but her eyes had started to sting. Her hands were shaking. She willed them not to. They would not stop.

The guard raised his gun, pointed it at the Grey boy’s head, but Wilhemina didn’t see him, not really. She saw you turn your head and look at her, your eyes glossy and pleading, your hand holding Mary’s, and Wilhemina took a sharp intake of breath and felt tears pool in her eyes for she had loved and loved you and she had lost you. And now she was losing you again.

But she couldn’t go back, not now. She would lose her authority, she would be laughed at. And besides, she didn’t want to. This execution was the right thing to do. It would make everyone at the Outpost fear and respect her. They would bow their heads to her and they would hate her but they would never, never laugh at her.

There was a low but fierce shout, “Stop!” Your voice.

The guard lowered his arm slightly. He looked at you, confused, then at Wilhemina, awaiting orders. You stepped forward, letting go of Mary’s hand, came to a halt as if you weren’t sure what to do. A second passed. Then you crossed to Wilhemina, cupped her face in your hands, searched her eyes and murmured, “I love you.”

Something inside of her melted. The warmth from your touch and the warmth from your voice seeped into her and turned ice into water. The water washed down everything and left her insides dripping wet and glinting in the sun like after a hurricane.

You had spoken too low for the others to hear, but they saw the change on Wilhemina’s face. They saw her eyes widen and the light weave in as if she had opened a blind to let the sun in. They saw life and emotion settle back on her face and soften it.

For the first time since the world had ended, since you had walked into this music room sobbing and looked up and met Wilhemina’s eyes, you found her again. And you fell in love with her all over again.

You tried to give her a smile, and it was small and quivering, but it was genuine. It was fond. Wilhemina’s lips parted on a breath as she searched your eyes, wondering, hoping, and when she blinked a tear rolled down her cheek and you caught it with your thumb. You were crying, too, but you smiled again, stroke her cheek. You felt the tension leave your shoulders.

The gunshot echoed off the walls as loud as a crack of thunder. It made everyone in the room jump. The Grey girl screamed as Mark slumped onto the floor at the guard’s feet. The guard moved his hand, pointed his gun at the girl and pulled the trigger.

The second gunshot was louder, somehow. It deafened you and left a ringing in your ears. Your hands fell from Wilhemina’s face as you both turned to stare at the two corpses. Blood slowly pooled around them and shone faintly in the candlelight.

The guard met your horrified gaze and shrugged. “Following orders,” he said nonchalantly. “It was taking too long.”

Wilhemina was staring down at the two dead bodies with an unreadable expression on her face. Then she looked up at the guard, and her eyes were glazed again.

“I didn’t order you to shoot,” she said coldly.

“You did,” the guard argued.

“She told you to stop,” Wilhemina said, nodding at you, her voice growing angry now.

The guard shrugged again. “I only take my orders from you.” He raised his gun and held it to his chest, a defiant look in his eyes.

Someone in the room was crying softly. You didn’t know who. Your mind had gone numb.

Wilhemina turned away from you. Slowly, regally, she walked to the corpses, her dark, glazed eyes fixed on the boy’s head. She stopped in front of him and tapped her cane on the ground. Then she gave orders to carry the corpses outside and burn them.

Dinner was silent that night. You swallowed your food cube and drank your water. You couldn’t look at Wilhemina. Coco tried to diffuse the tension with a few sly remarks that made some of the residents laugh nervously. When dinner was over, you excused yourself and went to your room.

You lay on your bed and prayed for sleep, but sleep, unsurprisingly, didn’t come. You turned and turned until you gave up. You sat up with a groan and buried your face in your hands.

Blood, slowly pooling. The two bodies, not moving. Wilhemina’s eyes, widening. A tear rolling down her face, that you caught with your thumb. You couldn’t chase those images from your mind.

It hadn’t been her fault, not really, you told yourself. She would have spared them in the end. You knew it. Without a doubt.

You buried your fingers in your hair, dug your nails into your skull. She would have spared them, for the Wilhemina you knew had come back, if only for a few seconds – and she had been hopeful, and you had been, too.  

And you knew you should still be mad, you knew it was too early to forgive her. But you were ready to surrender and fall back into her arms the second she’d want you back. If she ever decided she wanted you back.

There was a whisper, in your head, that assured you she did.

At 11:00pm you gave up on trying to sleep. You got up and went to the music room, hoping someone would be there and would like to talk to help you pass the time. Maybe Coco, for she would make you laugh. Or Mary, for her kindness would soothe you.

There was only one person, and it was Wilhemina. Your heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. You thought it was because of annoyance, or disappointment maybe. Bullshit, your heart told you. She had been the one you had wanted to find.

Wilhemina was sitting in an armchair, her hands resting on the head of her cane, her eyes fixed on the fire. She raised her head when she heard your footsteps, and met your eyes.

“What are you still doing up?” she asked, not unkindly.

“There’s no curfew I know of,” you replied, probably too sharply, but Wilhemina didn’t seem to mind. She nodded, then resumed her staring at the fire.

For a minute you hesitated. Going back to your room was the wisest and safest option. But before you had consciously taken your decision, your feet moved towards Wilhemina. A moth drawn to a flame. Always, when it came to her.

You sat on the armchair opposite the hearth from her. For a long moment there was only silence. The fire crackled lazily and warmed you up.  

You glanced up at Wilhemina, only to realize she was staring at you. You quickly lowered your gaze, nervously shifted in your armchair, then glanced at her again.  

The expression on her face wasn’t closed, you noticed. There was a wistfulness to it, some sprinkles of curiosity, too. You felt hopeful again.

“So,” you said, assuming a casual tone as if you two were having a friendly conversation in a bar, “what’s your plan in the long run?”

Wilhemina watched you for a few seconds before she answered. Her voice was emotionless. “The Cooperative should contact me soon enough with new instructions.”

That’s not what you had meant. You had meant about her and you. But you let it drop.

“So you’re still following orders, uh?” you taunted. “I thought you were the only boss around here.”

“This is bigger than this outpost,” Wilhemina replied coldly. “This is about building a new, better world, where everyone is at their rightful place according to their worth and abilities.”

“What is my rightful place in this new world, do you think?” You waited, but no answer came.”What is yours?” you tried again. “Let me guess. You are the feared, hated leader. Making sure everyone respects you, making sure everyone survives. Noble work, but it sounds awfully lonely. Wouldn’t you rather fall asleep in somebody’s arms every night?”

Wilhemina’s expression hardened. She kept silent, which surprised you, and averted her eyes from your face to stare at the fire again.

You watched her. You watched the shadows the flames threw on her face. Followed the arch of her brow, the line of her mouth.

Had she done something to her hair, or was it the dim light? It was darker now. She had let you dye it once when you two had been dating. You had frowned at the smell and coughed and splashed the walls with tiny dots of orange. Wilhemina had tried to scold you, but she had burst into laughter instead, her hair piled on top of her head. She had let you wipe the dye splatters from her face and tuck her hair in a shower cap. And while the dye processed, she had sat on the couch reading and you had rested your head on her lap and grinned at her.  

Wilhemina cleared her throat, bringing you back to reality.

“What you said earlier, did you really mean it?” she asked in a low voice, still staring at the fire. “Or were you only trying to save the Greys?”

You leaned forward, digging your elbows into your thighs. “I’ll answer that once you’ve answered my own question. Why did you leave me?”

A pause. An annoyed look.

“Because I felt like it,” Wilhemina replied.

Your jaw dropped. “Wow. Because you felt like it?” You shook your head, anger rising in your chest. “I don’t believe you. I’ll ask it again. Why did you leave me?”

Wilhemina’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve just told you why. It’s not my fault you’re too proud to accept it.”

“Why did you leave me?” you repeated, clenching your fists.

Wilhemina made an angry noise. She tapped her cane on the floor, then slowly stood up. You jumped on your feet and followed her when she crossed the room and turned right down a corridor.

“Did you wake up one morning and realize you didn’t love me?” you called, as she opened the door to her room. You stepped inside after her. “You’d had your fun, but now it was time to plan the end of the world? Uh? Do you have any idea,” you growled, voice growing louder and angrier, “how it felt to watch you leave without even knowing what I did wrong?”

“I never wanted to hurt you,” Wilhemina said, voice quavering.

“Then why the fuck did you leave?” you growled, taking one step toward her. “Tell me! For fuck’s sake, I deserve an explanation!”

She couldn’t meet your eyes anymore. She was staring at the floor and her breathing was quickening at it always would when she was trying not to cry. And suddenly you were in the company of the Wilhemina you knew, the one you loved, the one who didn’t think she should be soft and kind but was still willing to try, for you.

“Elijah came to see me,” she answered, so low you barely heard it.

“So what?” you growled. “You fucked him and realized he was your one true love?”

She winced, and you bit your cheek, thinking that maybe you had gone a bit too far. But she deserved it, part of you thought. She had hurt you too badly.

You waited, but she didn’t add anything after that. So, rage beating inside your chest instead of your heart, you strode to her and planted yourself right in front of her, fuming, and she flinched but held her ground.

“Tell me,” you hissed through gritted teeth. “Why did you leave me?”

She drew in a breath, turned away from you and crossed to her chest of drawers. You were about to yell at her when she opened one of the drawers, closed it again. She crossed back to you and dropped something into your hand.

A lighter. Small and black and plain. You stared at it uncomprehendingly.

“What…?”

Wilhemina had never been good with words. But when you two had been dating, she had been willing to open herself up to you in any way she could. Actions sometimes were easier, she had found.

You glanced up at her, then back down at the lighter in your palm. “I don’t understand,” you said.

Wilhemina had averted her gaze from you again. “I couldn’t pick it up from the floor,” she whispered brokenly.

It didn’t hit you all at once like a revelation. Instead it felt like something spreading inside your head. A bubble. Slowly inflating until it burst.

“What?”

Somehow, it was the only thing you could say.

Wilhemina squared her shoulders, raised her chin, built up her walls. She met your eyes and glared.

“You got what you wanted. Now leave before I feed you to the monsters outside.”

You opened your mouth to say something, but instead you burst into tears.

Your chin dropped to your chest and you sobbed, as Wilhemina stared at you in shock. She extended one hand towards you, hesitated, changed her mind. Her brow pushed up in confusion and concern as she waited for you to calm down, dying to touch and comfort you, but not daring to. She had lost you, after all. She hadn’t been enough.

Some people are just too fucked up to be loved, Elijah had said. She could hear his voice now as if he were saying it again, remembered his exact intonation, the way he had pronounced every syllable.

“It’s alright,” she tried after a little while. “He was right.”

“Who was right?” you sobbed, wiping your eyes.

“Elijah. I did the right thing for you.”

That made you burst into tears again. Except this time, you wrapped your arms around Wilhemina’s waist and pulled her close.

She stiffened against you, but you buried your face in her chest and held her tight and cried and cried at how blind you had been. Your heart broke, but this time it didn’t break for you. It broke for her. For how low her self-esteem was, how she had tried over and over again to be kinder and softer and yet had still been convinced loving her was a burden. Loving her had been the best thing in your whole goddamn life.

Tentatively, Wilhemina slipped one arm around your waist and rested her chin on top of your head.

“I’m gonna bring Elijah back from Hell and kill him,” you mumbled against her chest.

“But he didn’t do anything wrong,” Wilhemina replied. “He was right. All he did was love you so much he only wanted the best for you.”

You shook your head, wailing as Wilhemina brought her free hand up to your head and started stroking your hair.

“I’m so sorry,” you choked. “I’m so sorry.”

Wilhemina’s fingers stuttered in your hair. “What for?” she asked, and you couldn’t see her face but you knew what her expression must be like right now, brow pushed up in confusion, eyes wide as she tried to think of something to say or do to help you calm down.

You sobbed against her chest and tightened your grip on her. “I’m so sorry he did this to you and I let him.”

“I don’t –“She paused, hesitated. “I don’t understand,” she breathed after a moment, which only made you cry harder.

You felt her body stiffen again. “No no no, please don’t cry,” she pleaded. Her hand hovered over your head, afraid to touch you now. “I’ll stop talking, I’m sorry, I’m going to shut up. But please don’t cry.”

You clung to her, clutching the back of her dress, wishing that you could… you didn’t really know what. Let her creep inside of you, let her nestle by your heart so the outside world could never hurt her ever again.

When you had calmed down enough to speak, you asked her what Elijah had told her exactly. You wanted to hear every word, so you could erase them from her brain and replace them with words of truth and love.

You had expected her to refuse, to shut down and keep silent. But to your utter surprise, she let out a shaky breath, pressed her cheek against your head, and started to speak.

It was barely a whisper, and at first she paused and hesitated every second or so; but then, words poured out of her, ashamed and painful. You closed your eyes against a fresh wave of tears as you listened.

It didn’t last long. When she was done, her whole body slackened and you tightened your grip on her, afraid she was going to collapse on the floor. She didn’t, though. She nuzzled your hair and sighed.

She hadn’t broken up with you because of you. She had done it for you. Or at least, she had thought so. And it made everything worse, for you had said hurtful things to her. Accused her of things that had never even crossed her mind. Rubbed salt on the wound.

Not your fault, said a voice in your head. You hadn’t known.

After a quiet moment had passed, you took a deep breath and pulled away. Wilhemina let out a faint noise of protest, but you cupped her face and locked eyes with her.

“Have you ever thought that, maybe,” you whispered, offering her a small, teary smile, “I’m the only one who can decide what and who’s enough for me?”

Wilhemina’s eyes widened a bit. You gave her another smile, then let go of her face and looked around the room.

“You said Elijah told you you could never be enough for me and you believed him,” you said, gathering unlit candles in your hands. “I know this kind of thoughts don’t go away easily. I know it takes time and work. But let me show you something.”

You came to a halt in front of Wilhemina and held out the lighter. She glanced at it, then met your eyes, frowning. You leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on her mouth. Wilhemina’s lips parted on a breath as you pulled away.

You smiled. “Let’s pretend these candles are my heart. Shush, let me finish. Sit down. Let me show you how you light up my heart.”

You set the first candle down on the bedside table. “Remember the day we met at the supermarket? I was blocking the aisle with my cart and you snapped at me. Told me my ass was too big for this world.” You chuckled softly at the memory. “My life was so boring before that day. I hadn’t realized it, but it lacked challenges, it lacked passion. It’s like my brain was asleep, and with just a few words, you awoke it.”

You flicked the lighter and lit the candle. The flame flickered, then grew. You glanced at Wilhemina, gave her a smile.

“Remember the first time we made love?” Wilhemina’s eyes were riveted on the burning candle. You bit your lower lip, set a second candle on the chest of drawers. “You were so nervous, and you tried to hide it, but Mina, honestly, I can tell you now, you weren’t very successful. You thought you would hurt me or not know how to pleasure me. Remember how many times you made me come that night? You’re a great lover, Mina. And you sure have talent in these fingers and tongue of yours,” you teased. Wilhemina’s eyes, wide and shining, flicked to you. “But do you know what you’re even better at? The way you take care of me after. The way you cannot seem to be able to stay away, how you always snuggle up to me and hold me and ask me if it was good.” You lit up the second candle.

You took a third one, put it on the floor by the door. “Remember my birthday?” you went on. “I’d spent the last one alone. You brought me breakfast in bed, bought me flowers and a cake.”

“I ruined your birthday cake,” Wilhemina whispered sadly.

You shook your head, flicking the lighter again. “But you bought it. For me. To celebrate me.”

You crossed to the other side of the room, set two candles on the vanity. “I don’t know if you’re even aware you did it, but you’d always fluff my pillow when you’d make our bed in the morning. You’d never fluff yours. Only mine.”

Wilhemina let out a noise halfway between a laugh and a sob.

“It’s only one example of all the things you did that made me feel so loved. Like how you’d always buy pears even though you don’t like the taste of them, just because you knew I do. Or how you read the whole of War and Peace just because I said it’s one of my favorite books. That’s more than a thousand pages, Mina.” Your voice broke as your lips parted on a smile. “You didn’t even think it was that good. But you read the whole thing. Valentine’s Day. You said you hated Valentine’s Day. You bought me flowers and chocolates and tickets for Carmen. Front row center seats, Mina.”

You were crying again by now, but these tears were happy. You set the last candle by the bed. “You made sure I’d survive the Apocalypse. It was you, wasn’t it? I don’t know how you did it, but I’m sure it was you. I used to be mad at you for having saved me but left all my friends and family to die. But you saved me. Gave me another chance at life. Because you still cared about me.”

Wilhemina sniffed, wiped her nose on the back of her hand. You walked around the bed and took her hand.

The whole room was studded with bright, dancing dots of light, as if you had stuck your head into the night sky. Wilhemina’s hand was shaking, but she laced her fingers with yours and gave them a tight squeeze.

“So, you see,” you whispered, “see how bright you make my heart shine.”

A sob pushed out of Wilhemina’s throat. She wrapped her free arm around her waist, hugging herself as she cried. You leaned towards hers, bumping her shoulder with yours. For a while she didn’t move; then she, tentatively, laid her head on your shoulder. And then, as you did not protest, did not push her away, she slipped her arm around your waist and pulled you close.

Her hand cupped your face and her mouth crashed against yours as she sobbed and you sobbed and kissed her fervently back. How you had missed this. How you had missed her. One of your arms wrapped around her shoulders to press her closer still, tongue sliding inside her mouth. You were shaking, entirely too hot and so, so alive.

Something seemed to break loose inside Wilhemina. She let out a noise like a whimper, and suddenly she was crying over and over again “I’m so sorry” and “please” and “don’t go”. You pulled away slightly, cupped her face to make her look at you.

“I’m not leaving,” you whispered. “I forgive you.”

Her shoulders slumped with relief as another sob pushed up her throat. “But what about Mary?” she hiccupped.

You frowned, stroking her cheek. “What about Mary?”

“And what about the two Greys?” she went on, voice growing frantic and breathless. “What about the rules? I’ll hurt you again, I’ll hold you back, I’m too fucked up –“

“None of that,” you shushed her gently.

“But I –“

“No.” A kiss on her mouth, slow and sweet, meant to reassure. You tugged softly at her lip, and she moaned, dug her fingers into your skin. She let out a breath that went all the way down into your lungs, and sank into you.

After a moment, she rested her cheek on your shoulder and opened her eyes to look at all the lighted candles. You held her, stroking the nape of her neck, rubbing circles on her back.

The candles were burning. They lit up the room.

Tag list:  @sapphicsarahpaulson @mssallymckenna @supremeinlilac @pluied-ete @rainbow-hedgehog @pearplate @angelxsarahp @paulawand @asktammyr @peggycarter-steverogers   @coconutlipss ​ @saucy-sapphic​  @thesupremewife @coxmicbabygirl

[littlemisspascal]

Death and an Angel part 3

Death!Din and Cupid F!Reader

Summary: You and Din have an unexpected heart-to-heart about what it means to be Death and a Cupid on route to a planet where Din’s potential soulmate lives.

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,500

Warnings: Pining, smidge of angst, more plot development, Razor Crest (RIP I miss you darling!), a made-up home world for the reader (yes, yes, there’s like a million I could have picked but my brain said NOPE)

Author Note: Ahhhh, the comments are so amazing from you all! Thank you everyone out there sparing time to check out my little universe, it makes me sooo happy you have no idea! As always, I hope you enjoy this new segment as I try to plot this story out and get these two idiots to acknowledge there just might be something between them. 

Also special thanks to @codenamewitcher​​ for including the first two parts on Weekly Fanfic Recs. Be sure to go check out the list for a whole bunch of fantastic stories!

Links to Part 1, Part 2 and Part 4

Photo Inspiration: (What I imagine is beneath the armor in this scene...*dreamy sigh*)

There is a distinct silence that can only be found in hyperspace when the stars outside resemble sparkling streaks of silver tinsel and your breath is trapped within your lungs as you’re awestruck by the sheer beauty of it all. You experience this silence aboard the Razor Crest, sitting in the cockpit behind Din as he pilots his beloved gunship. It isn’t the first time you’ve been a passenger, having traveled with Din on two previous ventures where your Cupid services were required on planets far away from your home on Umbriel.

Off-world assignments for you were generally rare since your bosses were more inclined to choose Cupids of higher ranking to handle those clients, but sometimes you were the only available option left. Which, come to think of it, is exactly how you became the one roped into meeting with Death every full moon. Your bosses decided someone needed to check up on him to make sure he wasn’t reaping anyone before their fated time and thus messing with the natural order of things. You privately have reached the conclusion it was a decision made during a fit of paranoia as you had yet to find any evidence suggesting Din ever broke a single one of the universe’s rules, let alone even considered the mere possibility.

When you did travel for assignments, you never stopped feeling like a goldfish being dumped out of your familiar little bowl and into a massive ocean full of strange oddities. You would often find yourself wasting time trying to successfully navigate the unknown world when you should have been focused on tracking down your client’s soulmate.

That’s why Din had offered to start traveling with you. Actually, in his own words it was because, “You think about love so much you don’t see trouble until it’s an inch in front of you. Someone’s got to be there to look after you.”

You’d tried to argue, told him you had never experienced trouble and that if you did then you could handle it with your bow. All Cupid’s were required to master archery for self-defense purposes, though Din’s responding snort of derision made you suspect he wasn’t convinced of your skills. You wondered if he thought, just as humans incorrectly did, a Cupid only used their bow to spread love and lust. Or maybe he just thought you weren’t capable of such finesse. It was an insulting assumption, fueling you with the burning desire to prove him wrong. One day, you keep telling yourself, a repetitive chant. One day you’ll show him just how capable you are with your weapon and you imagine his look of shock, whether worn openly on his face or hidden beneath the visor of his helmet, will be utterly priceless.

But in the meantime, you’re in no hurry to encounter trouble. Finding enjoyment in taking these trips with him on his ship instead.

The Razor Crest had actually been a complete surprise to you when Din first welcomed you on it; primarily because the notion of him using such a primitive form of transportation despite the powers he possessed as Death was too outrageous to wrap your head around. However, it took less than ten minutes soaring through space for you to discover just how many details of the universe you were missing by relying on your Cupid abilities to teleport yourself between locations. Never would you have imagined Death to be the one to teach you to love the slowness of travel, to let your eyes linger on all the beautiful wonders along the way. But that’s exactly what happened.

You turn your head away from the window to look at Din. From your angle, all you glimpse is the back of his helmet, reflecting the passing starlight. Soon you’ll be introducing Din to the first immortal on your list of potential soulmates.

Death, you quickly correct yourself. He’s only Din when he’s around you.

You initially thought he elected to wear his armor because you told him he could to ease his comfort, but now you think it’s because this is him meeting his potential soulmate as himself. It is easy to forget sometimes this is the image of Death—a warrior enshrouded in beskar, cunning and ruthless—that is recognized throughout the universe. And feared.

If the handsome face he concealed was known instead, you wonder if mortals would readily choose to embrace the ending of their lifetime, rather than foolishly seek to run from its inevitability.

“What is it?” Din’s baritone voice startles you as it shatters the quietness. The modulator within his helmet gives his tone a low raspiness that never fails to send a chill down your spine when you hear it.

“Huh?” You respond ineloquently.

“You’ve been staring at the back of my head for the last five minutes, angel. I figured you had something worth saying.”

“Oh, no. I was just thinking about you.”

Immediately you wish a meteor would collide with the ship, providing you with the necessary distraction to escape and find somewhere you can hide until the end of time.

“...What about me were you thinking?” Din wonders after a solid thirty seconds of pure silence, voice somehow conveying an equally blended mixture of intrigue and wariness. He flips on the ship’s autopilot and turns in his seat to pin you with his gaze, apparently unwilling to let you try and weasel yourself out of the conversation.

You roll the question around in your mind, wanting to give an answer that satisfies him without it also embarrassing yourself further.

“I was thinking how much of an enigma you are,” you murmur at last, leaning back in the chair with your arms crossing over your stomach. “You wield such incredible powers and yet you choose to wear a human face, to call this man-made ship your home and to also spend your spare time living amongst those you will eventually reap. Why are these your choices?”

He tilts his head, and you just know there is a little crease of bewilderment appearing between his eyebrows right now even if you can’t see it. For as much as he is a puzzle you can’t put together, he is also at times an open book that you will never tire of reading.

“I would think you, more than most beings, would understand the discomfort that stems from loneliness and the lengths one will go to ease it,” he says, not unkindly. He mirrors your position, maneuvering himself until he’s comfortable in his seat and totally oblivious to the dilating of your pupils as you observe every subtle shift of his armor-clad body. “Isn’t that the true purpose of Cupids? To spare individuals the ache of living a life of solitude by introducing them to someone to love so they no longer feel it.”

“That’s a poetic way of putting it,” you answer, smiling softly and shrugging your shoulders. “My superiors would just quote our mantra back at me when I used to ask. Amor vincit omnia.”

“Love conquers all.”

You shouldn’t be surprised he’s able to translate such an ancient and obscure language, but your eyes widen regardless. “That’s right.”

His voice is unusually soft when he asks, “Do you like being a Cupid?”

You stare at him, caught off guard by how easily he’s changed the topic of the conversation from himself to you. You’re used to taking orders and being thanked for your services, but no one has ever asked you if you liked doing any of it.

“I’m good at it,” you finally say, even though it’s not really an answer.

He nods his head still, as if he understands. A part of you thinks he actually does.

You lick your lips, eyeing him hesitantly. “Do you...like being Death?”

“I’m good at it,” he echoes, but your words sound somber coming from his lips.

The cockpit fills with hushed silence again, but there’s a unique tenderness unlike ever before. Minutes seem to stretch on for entire seasons as you watch one another, content to simply coexist and revel in each other’s presences.

It would be so easy to slip off his helmet and kiss him right now.

You stiffen, stunned at your own thought, but you aren’t given the chance to analyze it further as an alarm on the ship’s control panel announces with a resounding beep you’ve reached your destination.

Din spins in his seat, reclaiming control of the steering to begin the ship’s landing process. You look out the front window at the large green-blue planet drawing nearer with every anxious tick of your heartbeat.

“We’re here,” you say needlessly, forcing excitement into your voice. Fake it till you make it, isn’t that the human expression?

“Who is it we’re meeting on this backwater skug hole?” Din asks, pressing a series of buttons above his head.

You kick the back of his seat. “Be nice,” you scold when he shoots you a look. He mutters something unintelligible under his breath as he turns back around, prompting you to roll your eyes. “She’s a goddess of springtime and motherhood. The locals call her Omera.”

Tag List: @leilei-draws​, @theocatkov​, @becauseican2, @vintagesaph​, @stardust-and-starlight​, @kay2304, @odelia-d32, @adrieunor​, @remmyswritings​, @gallowsjoker​, @rhiannon-russo​, @randomness501​, @eleine-t1d​, @nicotinebirds, @sylphene​, @softly-sad​, @maytheglitter​, @melobee​

[tsukiihime]

Heartbreak (Bakugou x Reader), (Shinsou x Reader) Part 2

The second part to the fic I wrote, this will probably be my last post for another week since I have school to catch up on. Enjoy!

Word Count: 3.4k

Warnings: Angst, a bit more fluff on Shinsou’s end, drinking

Taglist: @sugarandsoft

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

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It’s three in the morning, and Bakugou can’t sleep.

He’s beyond pissed at himself for staying up this late, but he can’t help it - he’s been in bed since nine and he can’t get you out of his mind. He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about you since you stormed out of the apartment. He regrets not chasing after you, he loathes himself for being such a dick and he hates himself for even letting his stupid agency dictate his personal life. He wants to tell you so bad that you’re wrong, that beating Deku doesn’t mean a damn thing to him if it means he has to lose you. He wants to hear your voice so bad it hurts. He knows you’ll be going to Shinsou - you always do when you have a bad fight. He knows you’ll be safe there, but he feels like such a fool. He let you walk out in the rain on your own. What a hero he turned out to be. 

Bakugou spends the night alternating between flipping through the endless channels on the living room TV and staring at the ceiling. Every time he closes his eyes he sees your face - anger boiling your blood, disbelief painting your features as he fights with you, tears staining your cheeks. He feels sick to his stomach imagining you walking in the cold as you leave the apartment, sniffling as you make your way out in the rain. He wants to call you to explain himself.

But he doesn’t. His pride won’t let him.

It’s his pride that makes him trudge out to bars with Denki, Mina, and Sero the next day after you leave - he needs alcohol in his system to numb himself from the thought of you. Anyone will do if it warms his bed and makes your face disappear for even a second. God, he never thought he would be so hung up on you. He downs beer after beer, dances with woman after woman. Names and faces blur together as a cacophony of voices plays in his head. 

He ends up taking someone home that night - he couldn’t remember her even if he tried. He takes her back to the apartment you shared and pushes her onto the bed you shared. He kisses her collarbone and up her neck, but he’s aiming for your favorite spots instead of hers. The image of you overlaps with her, and he sees your figure beneath him instead of some stranger. Maybe it’s the alcohol, maybe it’s his broken heart playing tricks on him.

He kisses her, imagining it’s your scent he’s breathing in rather than the vanilla and booze she smells of. He pictures your arms wrapping around his neck, your lips on his. She says his name, like honey on her lips, whispers it into his ear. And if he tries hard enough, he can twist her voice in his head to sound like you.

“Katsuki, I love you.” He hears it over and over, sees your smile and hears your laugh. “Katsuki, I love you.”

He makes her leave after that. She’s upset but he is too - an argument ensures and she storms out, leaving behind her underwear in her hurry to leave. 

He doesn’t notice. He’s too busy thinking of you.

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It’s been three weeks since your breakup with Bakugou. 

The news stations and gossip websites have been flooded with reports of Camie and Katsuki - neither have said anything about their relationship and the speculation of if they are or aren’t a couple is driving everyone wild. Thankfully, the people who were leaving awful comments have long since left you alone, prompting you to turn your Instagram to private and changing your username so they can’t find you easily. 

You’ve been avoiding social media like the plague, ignoring all television interviews that involve either Bakugou or Camie - you’ve learned your lesson from the night of the Hero Rankings. But you’re only human after all, and the one time your curiosity got the better of you, you dove into the comments on a tabloid’s website to see what the public was saying.

It doesn’t escape your notice that the comments are much kinder - it ranges from well wishes to remarks about how they wish they could replace Bakugou or Camie in the relationship. No one mentions you, which you are grateful for. You know the media thrives off of drama and rumors, so you’re content to have been forgotten about in this narrative. 

Shinsou’s been treating you like normal - another thing you’re grateful for. He is kind without being overbearing, and he gives you distance while also being there for you when you need it. You’ve migrated from sleeping on the couch to crashing in his bed, and more often than not you fall asleep to the smell of his body wash as you lay on his chest. 

You wonder what Bakugou would say if he saw you. He knew how close you and Shinsou were and still are, but anyone could think that you and the purple haired man were lovers. Here you are, getting upset at your ex-boyfriend for having a woman over two days after the breakup, when you are falling asleep in the arms of another man - even if he is your best friend. You wonder if that makes you a hypocrite. Your emotions are in chaos, all jumbled and confused. You miss physical intimacy and a part of you wonders if you’re just using Shinsou as a replacement. “It’s better to sift through these feelings when I’m calmer”, you think to yourself, “I’ll come back to it when I’m in a better place.”

Otherwise, you’ve been steadily making your way back to a normal life - work, school, and your personal life all seem to be peaceful and you’re content in a way you hadn’t been for a long time with Bakugou. Of course, the wounds of the breakup are still healing, but you’re doing a lot better from three weeks ago, when you couldn’t even bring yourself to get out of bed. Shinsou has been making sure that you eat properly and that you take care of yourself. Now that you’re out of that post breakup funk, he notices that you’re cheerful and upbeat - a good sign that you’re slowly recovering from your heartbreak.

Today, you’re home alone while Shinsou patrols the city - he’s promised to pick up dinner on his way home so you don’t have to cook. He’s looking forward to tonight - you’ve finished all of your school work for the weekend and you’re off from work until Monday. He’s eager to come home to you, he’s turned down his coworkers invitations to drink so he can spend the weekend with you. He’s picked up food from your favorite Mexican restaurant, and he’s stopped at the grocery store to get your favorite flavor of ice cream - the one that’s almost always sold out. 

He arrives home to see you lazing about the house - you’re laying on your back on the couch, holding your pastel Animal Crossing Edition Switch with a bag of chips resting on the table next to you. Your eyebrows are furrowed together as you focus on beating the shit out of a boss in Cuphead - a game you and Shinsou spent hours playing when it came out trying to pass the incredibly difficult levels. You’re wearing Shinsou’s favorite hoodie again - you might as well claim it as your own already you wear it so much - and your fuzzy cat print socks match with a fluffy cat ear headband that keeps your hair out of your face. Your face is recently washed and slightly pink, and he can smell your favorite coconut body wash from where he’s standing. He waits until you lose the stage (let's face it - there’s no way you’re beating that damn clown boss without his help) and he makes his way over to you, leaning over to look down at you as you exhale in annoyance at your loss. 

“Hey there, I got dinner. Also nabbed some dessert for you - ready to watch nothing but ghost stories for the rest of the night?” You stretch out your arms and legs, groaning as you move to stand from the couch. 

“Only if you promise to sleep next to me until I see sunlight again.” You hate ghost stories - you can handle scary movies about murderers and clowns but you don’t mess with ghosts. The only reason you’re watching tonight is because you know it’s Shinsou’s favorite and he always watches your nature documentaries even though you know deep down he probably doesn’t enjoy them as much as you do. You saunter over to the kitchen, and prop yourself on the counter facing Shinsou as you pull a taco to your mouth. “Ugh, even though the Exorcist was made like 50 years ago it still gives me the creeps. I can’t believe,” you take a moment to drink some water, “that you can watch her crawl backwards down the stairs and not piss your pants.” Shinsou lowly chuckles, giving a teasing smile as he unwraps his burrito.

“It’s ‘cause I’m not a chicken.” You roll your eyes and snort. 

“Whatever Mindjack. Not everyone can be as fearless as you.” He smirks as you swing your legs, turning your full attention to the taco you have in front of you. “Hurry up and finish so we can do a facemask before our movie marathon. You didn’t forget about that did you?” 

“‘Course not. You wouldn’t let me forget even if I tried, since you’re such a nagger.” You pout, hopping off the counter to wash your hands. Shinsou spends a bit too much time admiring how small you look wearing his hoodie - enveloped in something that belongs to him makes him swell with pride even if it’s wrong of him to think so. He wonders when he started to feel this way towards you, when his love changed from a close friend to an admirer. When he remembers his life, you are always there with him. By his side like a part of his body, always around when important events pass by, always by his side when the going gets tough. It’s not as if he’s always been pining for you - he’s brought other girlfriends around before even if the romance fizzles out before long - but recently he’s noticed you in a different light. Your bedhead and your sleeping face are just as cute to him as when you have your hair done and makeup on. Bringing other men over was never a problem, you’re his best friend and your happiness was always the first priority. But now, he finds himself annoyed at the mere mention of possible partners. You have no shortage of those - you’ve always been able to draw people to you as nerdy as you are - and the green vines of jealousy wrap around his heart every time someone gives you a gift on Valentine’s Day or someone asks you out for a coffee. You usually turn them down since you have so much to focus on, work and school makes you a busy woman after all. But he can’t help but be irritated at the stares you get in public sometimes - as beautiful as you are, you would think that you’d notice the way others look at you. He’s always loved you, but now he feels this once platonic love changing into pure romance, he aches for you like he’s never had before - longing for your touches, your hugs, your feather light kisses on his forehead when he’s having a tough day. The guilt he feels every time he holds you close like he did when you were kids, when you lay your head on his chest and he plays with your hair. To you, it’s still the action of a best friend, but to him it’s something he’d do for a lover. And yet, you’re oblivious, as dense as a rock but he loves that part too. How infuriatingly adorable you are sometimes. 

“‘Toooooshi~”, You wave your hand in his face as he comes back to reality. You raise an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

“Never better.” Your arms cross as you stare at him, suspicious that he’s hiding something from you. 

“You ready? I got everything set up.” He nods, and you turn to walk towards his bedroom.

Shinsou’s room is quite neat, a black bed in the corner next to ceiling to floor windows that gives a pretty good view of the city. He scored a good location in spite of his modest salary - he’s in it for the heroism and the good deeds, not the money. He may not make as much as Bakugou, Todoroki, or Deku, but he does alright. His capture weapon and artificial vocal cords mask rest atop his bookshelf, populated with picture books of you and him in your younger days, as well as a Polaroid camera you left with him when he went off to U.A and you stayed in Saitama. Next to the parts of his Hero costume is a picture of you and him on a trip to the beach - one he treasures above all else. In it, he holds you bridal style as you both smile from ear to ear at the camera. You’re practically glowing, wearing a bright yellow bikini set with a see through beach coverup wrapped around your hips, sunglasses resting atop your head. Shinsou recalls how you nagged him to actually swim with you, and you pretty much forced him to wear those green swim shorts - this picture was before he decided to run with you in his arms to the water. 

He sees your presence everywhere he looks in his room. After he reassured you that you weren’t a burden, you’ve basically turned his home into your home as well. The bottom half of his bookshelf is claimed as yours - it’s filled with your favorite stories, and your collection of Switch games is stacked next to the shelf neatly. Your laptop rests on his bed (you were no doubt doing homework before you got distracted and started playing Cuphead before he got home) with your Geology textbook open and notebooks filled with notes and highlighted phrases. Your clothes have been hung up in his closet, with your makeup and perfumes taking over three-fourths of his bathroom counter. If anyone else came to visit, they’d think you two were an item.

But alas, you two are not.

You push your schoolwork and computer aside to make room for you and Hitoshi, making your way towards the bathroom to grab a basket of skin care products and face masks. Shinsou knows how much you care about your skin - and by extension his skin - and he watches as you walk from here to there gathering what you need. You turn to him with a huge grin on your face as you hold up a matching cat headband in the color black, something you picked up from the store before you came home last week. He sighs, but turns around anyways to allow you to pull his lavender hair back into a loose ponytail and place the cat headband on his head before turning back to face you. 

He looks so silly wearing it, but for you, he’ll do anything. You grab your phone and open the front camera, sticking your tongue out while grabbing Shinsou’s face, squishing his cheeks as he makes an annoyed face at the camera. After taking the photo, you upload it to your now private Instagram and send the picture to Shinsou who does the same. He’s always been a private man, so you don’t worry about the public getting a hold of the photos and trying to make a story out of your life like with Bakugou. 

Tossing your phone aside, you motion for Hitoshi to turn towards you, propping yourself up on your knees in front of him as he sits cross legged. You giggle as he looks back at you, reaching to grab a jar of your favorite moisturizer and opening it. The smell is familiar to him - you always smell like it at night when you watch TV while sitting next to him in the living room. You start to apply the product to his face, careful to keep it out of his eyes and mouth. “You need to take better care of your skin ‘Toshi.”

“I know. I’ve been putting sunscreen on like you’ve asked.” He’s not lying, it’s become a part of his routine ever since you suggested it. 

“Good. You better be taking the time to eat properly at work too. I know you’re sleeping normally again since I’ve been here, so I won’t lecture you on that.” You glance at his arms, covered in scattered scars from run ins with villains. 

Most people look at heroes as an invincible force, unstoppable like All Might. Others may see Mindjack, but you just see Hitoshi Shinsou, your partner in crime.

“Thank you Hitoshi...for everything.” You blurt it out before you can stop yourself.

“I didn’t know this facemask meant so much to you.” You punch him in the shoulder as he laughs.

“‘Toshi, I’m serious. Look at all you’ve done for me. You let me crash here, listen to me complain, make sure I’m okay...without you, I probably would still be lying in bed all depressed.” You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. “I have to say it before I never get the chance to. You may be Mindjack, a hero, but you’re still Hitoshi to me. You do so much for me and you put your life on the line for others every day. I watch you and I’m proud of the boy who proved everyone wrong when they said you had a villain’s quirk. You being here for me after everything with Bakugou and always being there for me growing up makes me realize how much you mean to me. You’re my hero, ‘Toshi. But I need you to stay safe. Look at all your scars...” You pull back from the hug and grab his arms, running your fingers over his scarred skin. You’ve always known Shinsou’s job is dangerous - he’s a hero after all, he saves people. But he’s also your best friend. He’s a selfless man, a kind man. 

You love Shinsou. You truly do, he is someone you can never lose. To lose him would be to lose a part of you.

He says nothing in response, so you continue. “Remember that time you fought that villain in the subway? All the news stations said that the tunnel was going to collapse and I just felt like my heart was going to burst. I saw you getting trapped and I felt like…”

You trail off, feeling the familiar sting of tears as you hold them back. Hitoshi gazes at you, lilac eyes boring into your own. “I felt like my whole world was ending. When you came out alright I thought I would faint. I was so scared ‘Toshi… scared you wouldn’t come back. I don’t want to lose you.” Shinsou grabs your cheeks, gently moving his hands so you face him. He wipes a tear from your eye. 

“I’ll always come back to you.” You close your eyes, and press your forehead to his.

“You better. I’ll be waiting.”

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

Bakugou wants to be anywhere else but here. 

He’s at Kirishima’s apartment - he’s been dragged out of his house by Mina and Kaminari for a night of drinking, with Sero and Jirou also coming along for the ride. The blonde would rather be in bed, wallowing in his misery, but his friends won’t let him stay inside. So he pouts in the corner, arms crossed and a permanent scowl painting his features. Kirishima gives him a knowing smile, and mouths “I’m sorry”. Bakugou clicks his tongue and looks away, grabbing his phone in order to distract himself from all the noise. 

He would rather die than admit it, but he’s been looking for your Instagram ever since you left. You must’ve unfollowed him or even blocked him - he can’t find a trace of you anywhere. He hates this pathetic side of him, one that makes him seem like a stalker, but he has to know you’re okay. If his pride won’t let him call you, then he needs to know you’re okay.

To his surprise, you pop up on his feed. He immediately inspects the photo of you, and breathes a sigh of relief to see your face. Your tongue is sticking out all playful, beaming as you hold Hitoshi’s face for the photo. You’re wearing that cat headband you always use when washing your face, and he can tell you’re almost ready for bed. He smiles solemnly, vermilion eyes staring at you, so far away.

He notices you’re wearing one of Shinsou’s hoodies and his blood boils at the thought - he knows you are friends but he hates the idea of anyone else having you - although he shouldn’t be one to talk after bringing home that girl from the club. He hates himself for doing it. He stares at your face before standing, saying a curt “I’ll be back” before making his way to the balcony. His friend’s voices fade as he stands outside overlooking the city, and he makes sure the coast is clear before dialing your number.

Fuck his pride. He has to hear your voice. 

[quinnthemushroom]

Dancing With Shigaraki

Warning: Men, mild sexual content, mild swearing, brief mentions of death (no one relevant to the story/no spoilers for anything), probably out-of-character Shigaraki, bitch boy's emotions are everywhere bc I'm inconsistent lmao. Enjoy

"Go ask her to dance."

"No."

"C'mon, boss man, you need the action."

"Is being a villain not enough action for you?"

"Not like you'll accidentally disintegrate her this time, you brought your gloves."

"Dabi-"

"Hopefully not the only kind of glove you brought."

"Fuck off."

Dabi brought Shigaraki to a club, despite Shigaraki having "better things to do" than coming to a club with horny and drunk people.

The worse part is he wasn't having a horrible time, albeit, there was one reason he hadn't gone home already.

You.

He hated everything about you already and only knew you existed for an hour. He watched the way you swung your hips to the music, he noticed how you annoyingly pick at your fingers when you get nervous, he noticed how you looked seductive when you knew someone was looking or trying to pursue you and how that smirk turned into an innocent smile when you thought no one was looking, like a 2-faced snake.

He also noticed how your innocent smile lit up the room, he noticed how you had the most fun when you danced with your feet instead of your hips, and how you talked with your hands when you got comfortable with whoever you were talking to.

Some guy, clearly drunk off his ass, walked up to you.

"How many more guys are gonna dance with her before you take your shot?"

"I could if I wanted to, but I don't."

But I do.

"I dare you then."

"What are we? 12?"

Shigaraki doesn't hear whatever Dabi says next as he watches you push the guy away repeatedly. Stupid bastard couldn't even take the hint, could he?

Without thinking, Shigaraki is out of his seat and speed-walking up to you. He grabs the first thing in his reach, your hand. He pulls you into him and glares at the bastard.

He leaves and poor Shigaraki doesn’t even notice how close and personal the two of you are until he finally looks down at your face and your wide eyes that can’t look into his for more than a second at a time, dancing around to look at anything but his red eyes. Your hands are on his chest and because he's trapping you in with his arms your breasts are pressed together.

You didn't look uncomfortable but you didn't give him the same look you gave everyone else all night. Were you disgusted with him? Were you in shock? Did you not like him?

After a second of shock, the innocence in your face washes away and is replaced with a more seductive and confident look.

You wrap your arms around his shoulders, hands playing with the hair, giving a quick tug and not oblivious to the small gasp Shigaraki lets out.

Your hips are smoothly swaying to the music, mesmerizing the poor boy in your arms. The sudden change catches Shigaraki off guard as tries to speak, sounding out of breath.

"Hey, I'm uh-" has his throat always felt this dry? "Shigaraki."

Your eyes still can’t stay on his for long, you’re still nervous. You think he can’t feel you picking at your fingers with one hand while you twirl a bit of his hair in your other hand

but he can.

Knowing that you’re as much of a nervous mess as he is, he gains a sense of confidence he couldn’t find earlier that night. As smoothly as he can, he runs his hands over your hips and waist, around to your back to go up to your shoulder and down your arms to grab your hands.

He raises your hands above your head for your to turn around and hopes you’ll get the hint. And, thankfully, you do.

Your arms cross comfortably in front of you as he lowers his hands, still holding yours, to lay on your waist. Your ass is pressed up against his crotch, your back flush against his chest. He pretends not to notice all the little things that make him want to kiss you until you forget your name and only remember his.

He pretends not to notice how you subconsciously rub your fingers together, trying to pick at your fingers without letting him notice. You’re nervous. He pretends not to notice how your hips are swaying less now that your ass is pressed against him. He can’t decide if he thinks it’s because you’re nervous or because you’re trying to tease him. He pretends not to notice the goosebumps he can feel on your arms after he leans his head on your shoulder and starts breathing softly on your neck. He pretends not to notice how you lean into his touch slowly, clearly enjoying the warmth and comfort of being held.

It only takes a minute before you’re fully leaning against him with your head thrown back onto his chest/shoulder with your eyes shut, letting him keep you from falling.

He wonders why you trust him in such a vulnerable position and how you can just be enjoying the moment when he could take advantage of you, not that he particularly wants to. He gets lost in thought and stops swaying with you, which you notice very quickly.

And how do you get his attention back to dancing with you?

Instead of continuing to sway your hips side to side, you grind back onto him for a second, enjoying the quiet breathy groan you get from him

“Fuck,” he whispers. “Don’t do that.”

“Or what?” you say, shaking your ass a little and testing the waters.

He feels around your hips and finds the waistband of your panties, and tugs on it so it snaps against your hips. You yelp and playfully elbow him and the two of you laugh.

He doesn't know who you are. Hell, he doesn't even know your name.

But he wants to stay like this forever. He doesn't force himself to stop laughing or force his smile into a frown

You slip your hands out of his and you turn around to face him

As he’s about to pull away from you completely and walk away without another word, embarrassed you got his guard down, you grab his shirt. You look up at him with a kind gaze as you stare into his eyes and don’t dare look away.

Dabi, the bastard who tried to dance with you earlier, the other people dancing near you guys were the last thing on his mind. The way you smelled when you two were swaying and he could smell your hair, the way you felt when you jumped in his arms as he snapped your waistband against your skin, the way you sounded, the way you looked...

He couldn’t get enough of it.

Fuck he has to know how you taste.

Before you can say anything or move, his hands are back on your waist and pulling you in. His lips smash into yours, hurting the both of you a bit. The kiss is awkward at first but it doesn't take you guys too long before you find a beautiful and intense rhythm in the kiss and become involved in a short makeout.

You slowly pull away and speak up.

"Come back with me."

"Where?"

"My place, you idiot." You say as if you weren't asking a literal stranger to go to the place you lived.

"I could kill you in your sleep."

"You won't." You're confident for someone who doesn't know half of what he can do.

He doesn't know what about you draws him in so much but one thing he knows is he's never going to be able to stop thinking about you.