#I also just dislike anyone that is clearly putting on a happy voice 'cause they clearly feel like that will give them license

[magneticflower]

One of the things I detest the most about this era of constant video content is the way that so many people talk to the people watching as if they're speaking to a five year old that is still developing comprehension skills.

[favefandomimagines]

Fools Gold (r.c.)

Summary: how much are you worth to rafe and his friends?

AN: sorry the new obx pics that were posted inspired me to write an angsty af rafe fic also thinking about doing this same concept with JJ.

again, the rafe i write is not canon. he’s just a dick most of the time.

You weren’t friends with Rafe Cameron. There wasn’t any parallel universe where the two of you would be friends.

He despised you because you chose a life with the Pogues over a life with the Kooks. But he didn’t seem to have as big of a problem with Kie as he had with you.

You couldn’t figure out why he disliked you more than anyone on the island. You figured it had to do with the fact that he didn’t like the fact that everyone knew he slept with a Pogue.

Once upon a time, you lost your virginity to Rafe. After realizing how he acted towards you, you didn’t really know why. But at the time, you felt safe with him. Better him than some random tourist at a party.

But after you and Kie made the grand transition from Kook to Pogue, he never spoke to you again. And when he did, would he some mean and snarky comment that you tried not to let get to you. But a person can only take so much before the words start to stick.

—

You were at a Boneyard party with your friends, you and Kie talking about the upcoming beach cleanup the two of you were planning. You were minding your own business but you could feel a pair of eyes burning into the back of your head.

“Dude, $500 you can’t get Y/N to go out with you and stay with her for 6 months.” Topper bet the older boy. “$500? That’s it? To get Y/N to go out with me?” Rafe laughed. “Yeah, it should be an easy $500 right?” Topper asked.

Rafe thought about it for a moment, deciding if he was really that bad of a person to lead you on like that. He didn’t really hate you as much as he said. He was just hurt that you felt he wasn’t good enough to stick around for.

“It’s a bet. $500 in 6 months.” Rafe finally said. The two Kooks shook hands and Rafe’s fixation landed on you.

You were standing with Kiara by the fire, drinking your hand, clearly talking about something you were passionate about. Rafe noticed that whenever you talked about something you loved, you talked with your hands ten times more than you did normally.

He assumed you were talking about the ocean or something like that with how big your smile was.

Rafe then put on his asshole Kook facade and began to approach you. “Hey, Y/L/N!” He called. You took one look at him and instantly rolled your eyes.

“Can we help you?” Kie asked him. “I need to talk to Y/N. Alone if that’s not a problem with you.” Rafe sassed the girl. Kie looked at you, almost a nonverbal way of asking if you’d be okay alone.

You gave her a small nod and she reluctantly walked away. “What do you want, Rafe?” You sighed. “Go out with me.” He said. “What?” You questioned. “Go out with me. We can go somewhere on the mainland or somewhere local. Wherever you like.” He explained.

You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh before you realized he wasn’t joking. “You’re serious?” You asked. “Yeah, I’m serious.” Rafe answered. “Sorry if I have a hard time believing you want to go out with me after you’ve treated me.” You said.

“I was a dick. I’ll make it up to you. Just give me a chance.” Rafe replied. You looked at him for a moment, being very wary about the whole offer. “Okay. One date and if I even so much as a sense a stupid practical joke, I’m out.” You finally said.

Rafe smiled down at you before slowly backing up. “Great. I’ll pick you up, Friday at 6.” He said.

You had no idea what just happened. Rafe Cameron asked you out? And he actually seemed to mean it?

And to say the date went well was a total understatement for both you and Rafe. You both had an amazing time together, exploring the mainland and not having to worry about the Kook v. Pogue prejudice.

In the 6 months Rafe had been with you, he soon realized there wasn’t a single thing he didn’t love about you. He loved how you would dance around to your indie and alternative music as if no one was watching.

How you dragged him to the beach to watch the baby turtle eggs hatch. Even though he said he didn’t want to, he’d go anywhere if you asked.

Rafe also loved how you loved life in general. You didn’t care about the class system on the Outer Banks, you just cared about the people you loved. Your dad, your brother, the Pogues, and now Rafe.

Which made him feel even worse about the bet. It was nearing 6 months and Rafe knew he couldn’t just end it with you. He knew how that would hurt you. So he called Topper and asked him to call the whole thing off.

“Maybe we should just end the whole thing. You can have your money and we can call it off.” Rafe said over the phone.

“You aren’t going soft are me now are you?” Topper mocked. “No, I’m just saying this bet is stupid. It’s too easy now.” Rafe lied. “I’ll double it. $1,000 if you can make it to 6 months with Y/N.” Topper said.

Rafe hadn’t known you were going to come over so early so he thought he had time to talk to Topper. But you were standing out in the hallway in front of his door, listening to the whole thing.

“Wow, $1,000. Only an idiot would turn that down.” You sneered. Rafe turned around with wide eyes before quickly hanging up the phone. “H-How much did you hear?” He asked. “All of it.” You answered. “So you asking me out that night was a stupid bet? And our entire relationship has been a lie?” You asked, your voice raising.

“No, Y/N, let me explain.” Rafe pleaded. “Why should I? I think you and Topper explained everything perfectly. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. I’ve just been a huge joke you and your friends could laugh about.” You said.

Rafe began to walk towards you but you talking a couple steps back made it very clear you didn’t want him coming near you.

“We’re done, Rafe. I hope you enjoy the money.” You said sadly before you left his bedroom. When you walked into the hall, you saw Sarah standing a little ways away, but you knew she heard everything. “Did you know?” You asked her. “Of course not. I had no idea he was doing this for money.” She answered.

“Everything was a lie. I-I really thought he cared about me.” You spoke quietly, the tears welling up in yours eyes.

Sarah frowned and pulled you into a warm embrace. She couldn’t help but feel guilty since it was her brother who was causing you so much pain. “I know we were supposed to hang out tonight but I think Im just gonna head home.” You said.

She didn’t want you driving home in the state you were in but she also knew that you being alone was what was best for you.

When you arrived home, you avoided your father’s questions like they were the plague and made a b-line for your bedroom. But even then you couldn’t escape Rafe’s presence because everything reminded you of him. 

For weeks after you are Rafe broke up, you were a bit different. You didn’t really feel like yourself because you didn’t know what was real anymore. Finding out about the bet made you question everything and your self esteem took a pretty big hit. 

But you were good at faking it for the most part. You still hung out with the Pogues as if nothing was wrong.You went out to Boneyard parties, hung out with Kie, surfed with JJ, went shopping with Sarah. But you could only pretend so much. 

You were sitting on your surfboard in the water, JJ floating next to you as you two waited for a wave. 

“JJ, can I tell you something?” You asked him. “Of course, Y/N.” He said. “Rafe and I broke up. Apparently I was nothing but a cash grab for him.” You confessed. “What? What do you mean, cash grab?” He asked. “I was just a bet. Apparently Topper bet him $500 to go out with me and make it 6 months. I guess he was calling Topper to call off the bet but he offered him $1,000. I haven’t told anyone, only Sarah knows.” You explained. 

“You know he’s a moron, right? You’re not even worth $500, you’re priceless, Y/N and don’t let Rafe and his dickhead friends make you think any differently.” JJ said. 

You could tell that telling him the truth really riled him up but he never fought with Rafe for the sake of you. Your friendship was more important than wanting to knock Rafe flat on his ass.

“What are you going to do?” JJ asked. “I don’t know. I’m having a very hard time believing he faked everything the past 6 months but Rafe is pretty convincing when he wants to be. But am I really that stupid to think he actually cared about me?” You answered. 

“No, that doesn’t make you stupid. And what I’m about to say I will never admit to saying but what if Rafe actually did care about you? I mean, everyone knows his dad is always on his ass about money and he was going to turn it down for you.” JJ said. 

You sat quietly for a moment, watching the stillness of the water before looking back to JJ. “Are you saying I should talk to him?” You asked. “I’m saying maybe you owe yourself that much.” He answered. “Since when the hell did you become so insightful? Usually you’d tell me to beat him up or smash his car.” You laughed. 

“Well, this time I just want you to be happy. And as much as I hate to say it, he made you very happy.” JJ said. “I really don’t like it when you’re right.” You muttered. 

After a couple more minutes, you and JJ headed back to the beach and when you got there, Rafe was standing on the sand a few feet away from the shore line. 

You slowed your pace slightly as you made eye contact with him. You readjusted your grip on your board as you and JJ kept walking. “Y/N, hey, can I talk to you?” Rafe asked uncomfortably. 

You and JJ had never seen Rafe look less confident before until that moment. “JJ, I’ll meet you back at the Chateau.” You told the blonde. JJ nodded his head but not before giving Rafe a suspecting look as he walked away. 

“You wanted to talk?” You asked him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Y/N. I should’ve never taken that stupid bet in the first place. I-I guess I was holding a grudge against you before.” He said. “For what? I never did anything to you, Rafe.” You asked. “You left me. You chose the Pogues and the Cut over me. We were always friends before and then you and Kiara just decided it wasn’t good enough anymore. That I wasn’t good enough.” He explained. 

“I didn’t choose the Pogues because of you, Rafe, or over you. Figure 8 is toxic and everyone we used to hang out with was terrible and I couldn’t do that anymore. You were the one who froze me out after we slept together. Let’s not also forget that you faked our entire relationship.” You rebutted. 

“No, no, Y/N, I didn’t fake anything. Everything we had was real. You have no idea how it easy was to fall for you because you are amazing and I-I messed it up. I hurt you and I know it’s not going to make it better, but I’m sorry.” Rafe said. 

You pushed your board into the sand before sitting down in front of it and motioned for Rafe to do the same. 

“I was falling in love with you, Rafe. So to hear you and Topper just use me for your own sick enjoyment, broke my heart.” You started. “I defended you to everyone to just find out that they were right.” You finished. “You said ‘was.’ Like past tense.” Rafe spoke quietly. 

You swallowed the lump in your throat as you stared at the sunset. “I wish we could just move on, forget it ever happened but I don’t think we can.” You said. 

Rafe’s body stiffened and he hung his head low, not liking where the conversation was going.

“But, we can start over. Clean slate.” You added. The boy looked up at you, almost as if he thought you were kidding. “Really?” He asked. “Yeah, really. But, on a few conditions.” You said. “Anything, I will do anything.” He said. “You leave my friends alone. He’s going to kill me for saying this but JJ was actually the one who told me we should talk so you kind of owe him. Second, you let me punch Topper, very very hard.” You told him. 

Rafe laughed lightly at your words as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder. “Sounds like a plan.” He said. “Also, give me your phone.” You said. Rafe took his phone out of his pocket and gave it to you. 

He looked over your shoulder to see what you were doing as you opened the Venmo app. 

You pressed ‘pay and request’ and put Topper’s user name in. 

@TopperThornton: Pay $1,000 

Summary: congrats, i lost the bet. Y/N is worth so much more. she’s also gonna kick your ass 

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Rafe commented. You hummed in response, resting your head on his shoulder. Rafe pressed a light kiss on your forehead as the two of you watched the sunset together. 

[a-friendly-fangirl]

My thoughts on Sex Education, season 3.

⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️

First of all, please try to remember that this is just my opinion. I'm nobody to judge whether the season was good or bad and I don't mean to hurt anyone.

With that being said, I'd like to begin by admitting that I liked these 8 episodes overall... but there were so many things that felt wrong to me.

I loved Jean's journey during her pregnancy and the way she tried to take care of everyone at the same time (although I kind of disliked Jakob for some things he said).

I loved Aimee and her desire to heal after the assault. The way she really wants to make her voice be heard was heartwarming and inspiring to me. Plus, her friendship with Maeve is one of the most beautiful I've ever watched (about this, I'll say something later on).

I loved Viv and her ambition that slowly became less important than her peers and their rights. She really wanted them to be happy in the end. I think that she didn't really understand how bad things with Hope were until the trip to France. And she redeemed herself in a great way.

I loved Lily and her journey towards acceptance of herself, even when others thought she was weird and silly. It was empowering seeing her so confident in the end.

I loved Adam's growth. It taught that even the most simple of passions can turn into something meaningful and that, no matter how bad you are, you can change.

Above all, I loved Maeve finally getting the chance to do something amazing for herself for once.

All of these things were wonderful, truly. But so many others I didn't like and I couldn't really understand as narrative choices.

Let me begin with the one I found the most annoying: Isaac's fake redemption arc. I know what you might say: "Of course you hate it! You ship Maeve and Otis!". Well, yes, I do. But it's not all about that. I might be exaggerating... but Isaac deleting Otis' message was beyond disrespectful to me. If you remember, at the beginning of the second season, Isaac was really mean to Maeve... but he had the opportunity to redeem himself. He had the chance to say he was sorry and to be a better person to her, even though he had been around for so little time. However, when it came to Otis to have the same opportunity, he decided that he wasn't worth it. Isaac, who didn't really know Otis, took away from him the chance to at least say that he was truly sorry for being such an ass to Maeve. But, what feels even worse to me is that he took away even Maeve's possibility to decide. We don't know how it would have gone, if Maeve had listen to what Otis had to say. Maybe she would have forgiven him. Maybe she would have still chosen Isaac, because Otis hurt her too much. Who knows what might have been? No one. And why? Because Isaac decided for everyone. And I don't care if he thought he was protecting Maeve or if he was angry. It. Was. Not. His. Choice. To. Make.

Also, I didn't really understand why Maeve wasn't as mad as I was with him. Sure, she stopped talking to him for a couple of days. But the moment she started to speak with him again, they hooked up. Too fast, too soon, in my opinion. He apologised? Sure. But so did Otis. And he didn't get to be so easily forgiven.

But let's move to the another point I have a lot to say about: Otis and Ruby. I really liked them together. I found them cute and funny. But still... Ruby struggled for real to accept Otis for who he is. And Otis acted the way she wanted to keep her close. For example, he shaved off his moustache for her. Now, most of the fandom hated that moustache... but again, Otis seemed to care a great deal for it. He kept repeating that he spent months growing it. But Ruby didn't like it. And he sacrificed something he was proud of for her. But okay, a lot of people would do something like that for their loved ones. But then he had to dress like her friends to fit in. To be fair, Ruby gave up that idea pretty soon... but she just reacted to Otis refusing to do it. If I had to make a comparison between her and another love interest (not Maeve, 'cause I'd be biased), I'd choose Ola, of course. She was putting pressure on him in other ways, but she never wanted him to be any different than who he was. Love, after all, means acceptance. And perhaps Ruby loved Otis for he saw the hardest part of her life, without judging her. I wish it could have been the same for him.

About this, I've noticed many people being disappointed in Otis not saying he loved her too, because it means that he was just using her. Well... no? I mean, he was the first one to admit that, if she was willing to give him more time, he might have learned to love her. Should he have made it clear to her earlier in the relationship? Sure! Can we condemn him for not feeling the same? Absolutely not! Feelings can't be forced. And I'm also sure that he thought he was done for good with Maeve. He suffocated the love he had for her so much that the clinic made him sick and that he admitted his feelings only when pressured by Maeve herself.

In conclusion, I think that Otis and Ruby might have had a wonderful friendship, if they were only given the chance. They have that kind of chemistry.

Talking about people who are better off as friends: in my opinion, that's all Maeve and Aimee will ever be. I honestly can't see anything romantic in them. The purity of their friendship means so much to me and it's, at least for me, so different from the "Friends who are more than friends" energy. We're so lucky to have such wonderful actresses to play these characters... and what I see in their gestures and glances tells me of a great friendship. They're so different from Emily and Sue in Dickinson (they're supposed to be just friends, but they're clearly not) or even Judy and Jen in Dead To Me (another pair of friends that can be ambiguous with each other).

Moving to another couple, whose development I didn't understand: Adam and Eric. I'm not a great fan of their relationship. I like them both as individuals. But the bully-victim dynamic they used to have wasn't the best one to start a relationship with. I could see the appeal though. So much that, I was truly happy for them, when they said their first I love you's. And every step Adam made in the right direction made me smile, since that it took him a long time to grow up. Eric seemed happy with him too. Until he went to Nigeria. I sincerely loved the whole trip... but something felt wrong in him founding what he truly wanted there, where he couldn't even tell his family he had a boyfriend. The scene in the taxi gave me chills. I felt the risk he was taking by going with a stranger to a gay club. A stranger that he kissed almost out of nowhere (whether it was the heat of the moment or Adam not replying to him, I'm not sure). It's the second time he cheats on his boyfriend. And I think Eric deserves far better as a character.

My question about this whole drama is: "How come Eric found out that he wanted to be free in Nigeria and not in England?". If it's true that going to the club made him realise he wanted to be among people like him, it makes the whole situation even more absurd. Because there are plenty of gay bars and clubs in England. Why not go to one of them? My theory is that they wanted to build a good romance with Adam, then build tension between them and in us and end the whole thing with their breakup (probably to make Adam fall in love with Rahim).

I swear I'm almost done. I want to discuss one last topic with you all.

Maeve going to America like that felt so rushed. It's probably another strategy to make us want to see more of the show. And it surely worked. But still, it has, at least for how they developed it, nothing to do with Maeve maturing. The idea itself was amazing. I loved her getting the opportunity of a lifetime. But she literally decides to go the evening before (which is not even realistic. In real life, you have a deadline until which you can pay to go wherever you want. If you don't, your place is given to someone else), after getting the money from her mother. Now, where does that money come from? She might as well have stolen it, since she didn't have it before. In my opinion, this part of the story could have gone differently with little effort and the same outcome. How? Well, since that basically everyone thought she deserved to go to America, why couldn't have her classmates and teachers organised a fundraiser? Even in secret, so that she couldn't get angry for their "charity". It would have been so much better and so wholesome to see everyone in that school give a little sum for her, even to thank her for the help they got from the clinic.

Anyway, I'm so sorry for talking so much, but this season didn't go as expected and I truly needed to vent :P.

Thank you for listening❤

[lilxberry]

The Guilt Of A Lover - Natasha Romanoff

Synopsis;

You tend to be quite off-put by other women when you’re with the love of your life, even feeling guilty when there truly is no need to for you to feel so. Natasha herself tells you as such.

Warnings: Lil’ bit of language. Jealous Natasha. Oblivious and paranoid reader. Pretty much it tbh.

Words: 2,072

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

_______________

You sat there, admiring your red headed girlfriend as she took down yet another agent in training. You were always in awe of how he body moved when she was up against an opponent. Plus, you had a great view of her ass right now so were as happy as can be during your break from training. 

Natasha looked at you and sent a cheeky, subtle wink towards you. You grinned at her like a fool. She was in every way the perfect woman for you. She’s the woman 

Just as you stood up and took a final gulp of water from your bottle, ending your break, one of the trainees, a young blonde girl, steeping in front of you, blocking your path.

“Hey, I was wondering if you could train with me and help me out with my stance.” Josie-Jessie-Jade, you hadn’t really cared to remember her name, asked as she played with a strand of her hair, twirling it around her slender, manicured finger. A tell-tale sign of flirting which you hadn’t noticed.

But Natasha did.

The girl had been flirting with you non-stop during the training sessions you helped lead. She had always found an issue which you just so happened to be the only one who could fix it. ‘Not like there’s any other superiors she could ask.’ Natasha thought bitterly as she watched on from the corner of her eye.

“Uh-sure. Why don’t you get into position and I’ll see what needs you’re doing wrong.” You instructed the young girl who giggled as she turned to get back on to the matt.

Once there, she plants her feet atop the cool surface, raising her arms out in front of her and bending her knees ever so slightly, sticking her ass further out than nessicary. 

You sighed heavily through your nose as you witness her positioning. ‘How did this girl even get as far as she has with S.H.I.E.L.D..’ You leisurely walked towards her, noting what she should do to make improvements.

“For starters, your knees are bent too much, that can throw you off balance.” You tap her knees until you’re satisfied with the amount they’re straightened. You proceeded to move her feet so they face a more efficient direction. Lastly, you moved to behind her, ready to correct her flimsy, half-arsed positioning of her arms.

“Your arms should be more bent. Bring your elbows towards your body, this will help you protect yourself.” You gripped her elbows with a gentle but firm grip, pulling them back inwards towards her torso. 

As your arms reach around each side of her, she pushes herself back into you, her back being forced to come into contact with your chest. “Like this?” She feigns innocence as she asks in a sickly-sweet voice, puffing her chest out, making them fall into your line of sight. 

You clear your throat and quickly detach yourself from her, making sure you advert your gaze from her eyes as she turns around. “Yeah, just like that. Keep practicing.” With that, you walk out of the training room hastily, leaving Josie-Jess-Jade confused and frustrated.

Natasha notices your quick departure and frowns, concerned about the one she loves. 

She turns her gaze towards the younger girl, a burning anger in her eyes as she stares for a moment. Natasha swore she would find out what was wrong later. 

Oh boy, she sure did. 

_______________

Natasha had yet to see you all day after training had concluded. She could tell something had upset you and had a possible reason as to why you were so quick to exit the room.

Ever since you two had started dating, you had always been mindful and concerned of your girlfriend, putting her before yourself. She knew that you hated the idea of hurting her or betraying her and whenever you thought you had, you would be over cumbered with guilt and then profusely apologize after some time to scold and punish yourself with horrid thoughts.

For as long as Natasha had known you, you had never betrayed her once. The multiple occasions you’ve said you had done so was purely an overreaction on your part. 

--- flashback ---

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to look at her. You know I’d never look at anyone else in the way I look at you. I’m so, so sorry. Please forgive me.” You spoke as you buried your face into the crook of her neck, holding her tightly, afraid that if you loosened your vice like grip around her waist for a millisecond, she’d leave in an instant. You’re breathing was erratic, clearly panicking about whether she’ll leave you ‘cause of your ‘slip up’.

“Y/N, seriously, you’ve done nothing wrong.” Natasha soothed into your ear, stroking your hair gently. “Just because you happened to look up from your phone the same time as that girl bent down, it doesn’t mean you messed up. It’s not like you were actively looking at her tits baby.” She cooed, trying to add humour into the situation but you clearly felt just as guilty as you did before.

“Babe, the fact that you looked away instantly just shows you not only have respect for me and our relationship, but to other women as well is one of the reasons I love you but please stop feeling guilty for something that’s not worth it.” Natasha continued.

You planted a small kiss upon Natasha’s shoulder before fully raising your head to look down at your girlfriend. “I love you.” You spoke quietly, afraid what would happen if your voice raised even a decibel higher.

Natasha looked into your eyes, still seeing the guilt you hold behind them and sighed. “I love you too, Y/N. Now, how about we finally head down to the living room for movie night?” She smiled as a small smile had broken on to your face also.

“Sure.” You grabbed her hand, interlocking your fingers with her before leaving your shared bedroom and heading to the elevator, ready to wrap your arms around your girlfriend on the couch whilst you and the rest of the Avengers watch Short Circuit.

--- end of flashback ---

Natasha has always loved your honestly and dislike towards disloyalty within relationships but sometimes, she felt as though you sometimes overreacted when someone flirts with you. 

She hates how you beat yourself up when you feel guilty about something you couldn’t have done anything about in a situation you were thrown into unwillingly.

As she walked along the hallways of the compound, she noted Steve, Bucky, Sam and Clint further up in the direction she was headed towards talking. Once Natasha got closer to the quartet of men, she asked of your whereabouts. 

“Last I heard, she was down in the lab, sitting quietly with Bruce and Tony.” Clint had answered his friend. The other three men nodded in agreement.

Natasha smiled in thanks before making her way towards the main lab that usually occupies Tony, Bruce and yourself.

finally reaching the lab, she was about to open the door when she heard the voices of the three of you talking clearly.

“I still feel bad, man. Whether something was on accident or not shouldn’t be an excuse for that.” You said in a solemn, guilt-ridden tone. “What makes you think she’ll say yes to marrying me if I’m constantly looking at other people!”

Natasha’s breath hitches at the mention of marriage. You wanted to marry her. A huge grin made its way on to her face, cheeks nearly splitting at how far her lips had upturned. The rest of your conversation was all but muted to her as she thought of being your wife.

Before the three could continue with their conversation, Natasha had opened the door and alerted you and the science bros of her entrance. She smiled widely towards you whilst you looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an on-coming truck. She paced quickly towards you then surged forward to connect her lips to yours.

Your eyes had widen in shock before quickly closing as you melted into the kiss, responding to the affection with just as much emotion. You held on to her hips with a feather-like touch, as if afraid she’ll break whilst her arms snake their way around your neck, pulling you deeper into her kiss. 

Before either of your lungs could collapse in on their selves from lack of oxygen, you broke apart. She grinned up at you as you looked down at her with a dazed expression embedded into your features. You hadn’t even noticed the pair of scientists leave their lab to give you two some much needed alone time.

“So, you wanna marry me, huh?” Natasha whispered in a playful tone. The blissful and content expression was quickly wiped off of your face as she said that and was quickly replaced with a deep red blush and a look of embarrassment at the fact that you had been caught red handed.

“I-uh-I,yeah, I uh-I’ve been meaning to ask you for a month now but I guessed it was never the right time.” You chuckled and smiled sheepishly down at your girlfriend.

“Or is it because whenever you plan to ask, you “mess up” and have to apologize.” Natasha had added air quotes around mess up as she truly believed that you have never done so once. Obviously, you’d beg to differ.

You looked down guiltily, scared to look the red head in the eye. “I’m sorry. I know I messed up again. She asked for my help and then I just kinda saw them. I’m so sorry. I get if you want to bre-”

You were cut off by Natasha gently pressing her soft lips to yours, them moulding together perfectly. She pulled away just as quickly as she had initiated the kiss and leaned her forehead on yours. “Ask me.” She whispers, eyes searching your own for something neither of you knew truly what for.

“What?”

“Ask me. That is, if you still wan to marry me.”

Realisation quickly crossed your features. It was almost comical how your eyes had widened and your mouth drop open into an ‘O’ as you frantically search your pockets for the velvety box.

Soon enough, you found the cuboid container and grasped it into your hand as you retracted it from your pocket in a tight grip. You dropped down on to one knee and cleared your throat at least 20 times before you attempted to speak. 

“Natasha,” The clearing of your throat had apparently not mattered as your voice had still broken into a higher pitch when you spoke her name. Quickly clearing your throat of the dry lump, you attempted your proposal once again. “Natasha, will you marry me? I did have a whole speech about two papers long but I forgot it, sorry.” Your sheepish smile barely concealed your nervousness as you waited for an answer.

“Yes, Y/N, yes I will marry you.” Natasha spoke as she nodded vigorously. You were stunned for a moment before speedily recomposing yourself and pulled the ring from the box to place upon your now fiancé’s finger. 

After you slipped the simple yet elegantly beautiful ring upon her slender, pale finger, she tugged you up with a huge burst of strength before once again plummeting her lips on to yours, kissing you feverishly, conveying both of your love for each other.

The kiss was soon broke and both your eyes had opened to reveal each others beaming smiles towards their loved one. “I think we should tell the others.” Natasha suggested.

“We already know. congratulations. Now, don’t fuck in my lab.” Tony spoke, soon followed by a scalding from Bruce and congratulations from the rest of the Avengers.

“Maybe we should do Banner and Stark a favour and keep their lab sanitary.” You chucked as you spoke. “There are a million places more comfortable that a lab for those kind of activities.”

“Well then, lead the way.” Natasha spoke with a hint of playfulness.

You smirked and grabbed the back of her thighs, signifying her to jump, which she did so gracefully, wrapping her legs around your torso and your hands move to hold her up by her ass. “Yes ma’am.”

And with that, you left with your fiancé to consummate your engagement with the love of your life, leaving behind the guilt of a non-existent issue.

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Yo I am in love with every female marvel character I swear

My first Natasha fic which I really enjoyed writing

I hope you enjoy

And as always, constructive criticism and requests are welcomed and greatly appreciated :D

[robininthelabyrinth]

AU where the Wei Wuxian who returns from the Burial Mounds has already had his mind so affected by the resentful energies that he's forgotten - many, many things. He remembers who tried to kill him, so lashes out against the Wens, but everything else? Not so much...

There was something quite freeing about not having much of a memory, in Wei Wuxian’s view; it wasn’t his fault that no one else seemed to agree with him.

It made things very simple. If he liked someone, he liked them; if he didn’t, he didn’t – he didn’t have to worry about how they might have interacted before, or what their history was like, or who they might be. He could just feel what he felt, and act accordingly.

Take the one in purple with the poisonous tongue, who scolded him in public and wept over him in private; Wei Wuxian liked him very much. So what if he couldn’t remember his name, no matter how many times he repeated it?

If he had a memory, he might have resented the way the man ignored his wishes and demanded desperately that he work on a cure to undo the damage the Burial Mounds had caused; as it was, he was able to simply see it as a gesture of love by someone who only knew how to show affection and never how to speak of it.

He liked the girl who made him soup, too. She made him feel safe and small in the best of ways; he’d remember just enough of manners to make sure they were alone before he asked her if she was his mother – it turned out she was as young as she looked, and not younger due to cultivation, and so it was impossible. A pity, in his view, and he told her as much; she’d been sad but also flattered.

She’d patiently explained a few times over what their relationship actually was; from that point on, he tried very hard to remember to call her shijie, and most of the time he even managed to remember it.

So there were two people he liked.

Turned out there weren’t many more than that. The ones in white-and-red – he didn’t like them.

That was something of an understatement, actually.

He loathed them.

It made killing them and denying them the dignity of having an intact corpse, turning their bodies into his puppets, into something that was not only useful, but enjoyable.

The man in purple scolded him about that, too, but maybe not as hard as he seemed to think he should.

Those ones were the easy ones: the rest were a little more tricky, since he largely felt nothing at all about them – as a favor to the two he liked, he didn’t make a move against them unless they provoked him, which they sometimes did, but even when he did take action it didn’t really matter. It wasn’t as though they weren’t all willing to trade a few dead allies in exchange for his power.

Good, bad, indifferent – that was his life now.

Nice, clean, simple.

There was only one problem.

At first he’d thought the one in white was the one in purple’s friend – they spent an awful lot of time huddled together trying to think of ways to cure him – but eventually it’d been explained to him that they weren’t. In fact, the one in purple said that the one in white had previously hated him.

Wei Wuxian didn’t like that.

He had no idea why he didn’t like that, but he didn’t.

“You’re not allowed to hate me,” he told the one in white, cornering him one day and poking him in the chest. “You’re not. You need to like me. You understand? You can’t dislike me.”

The one in white blinked. He had very long eyelashes, and pretty golden irises beneath them. “I don’t dislike Wei Ying,” he said.

“Good,” Wei Wuxian said, satisfied. And then, because he was feeling mischievous, he said, “Your forehead ribbon is crooked,” and laughed when the man immediately reached out to fix it.

He laughed an awful lot when he was around the man in white. He wasn’t sure why, since the man himself seemed to have no sense of humor at all, and barely any more ability to carry a conversation, but the man in purple seemed to think it was a good sign – apparently he’d always done that.

Personally, Wei Wuxian thought it was suspicious.

He laughed around the man in white, he felt bad when he thought the other man didn’t like him, he constantly felt the need to be near him, to tease him, merely seeing him made him lick his lips and taste the phantom impression of sweet wine, and yet no one else seemed to think they were on good terms –

It was really very obvious what was going on.

Even someone with no memory could figure it out.

He snuck up on the man in white late one night when he was off patrolling unnecessarily, as if all their sentries wouldn’t do the job; personally, Wei Wuxian would wager that the man in white just liked to be alone.

“I know, you know,” he said conversationally, and the man in white – totally unsurprised to see him, another mark of evidence in favor of Wei Wuxian’s theory – turned to look at him. “There’s no need to keep hiding it.”

“Hiding what?” the man in white asked, stoic as always.

Wei Wuxian laughed and wrapped his arms around his neck; the other man stiffened, but that was fine – Wei Wuxian reached over and placed the other man’s arms around his body, and yes, it was just as he’d thought; a perfect fit.

“I know we were lovers,” he said, and laughed again when the man in white’s ears turned bright red immediately. “It’s pretty obvious, you know.”

“Wei Ying –”

“Ah, ah, don’t worry! I won’t tell anyone. The way everyone thinks we can’t stand each other – we were clearly hiding it from them for some reason, probably politics, I think I’m very happy that I can’t remember politics – and even if I think it’s stupid, I won’t embarrass you by revealing it. But there’s no real reason we can’t keep on carrying on in private, right?”

“Wei Ying –”

“It’s my memory, isn’t it?” Wei Wuxian sighed dramatically. “You’re so stubborn. So what if I’ve lost my memory? I’m still me. The purest form of me, in fact, untroubled by all that mess…I’m still capable of thought, and I’m an adult, and I’m consenting. You should take me to bed.”

“Wei Ying!”

“Or do I take you to bed?” Wei Wuxian squinted at him. “Do we switch? I did some research, you know, once I figured it out – the cultivator in green, with the fan, has a truly marvelous collection, I hadn’t even known some of that was possible – and it seems – mmmm!”

The man in white had covered his mouth very firmly.

Wei Wuxian struggled for a bit, and the other man’s other arm tighten around him, and oh, yes, they were definitely lovers and he was definitely the one being bedded; he would rather like it if the man went a little further, maybe tossed him down on the ground – or oooh, maybe against a tree, that would be exciting, they’d done that on the fourth page of the book he’d looked over –

“Wei Ying, listen to me,” the man in white said, then jerked away his hand in a panic when Wei Wuxian licked his palm.

“I’m listening,” he said lazily. “Go on. What’re your conditions? Whatever they are, I’ll meet them.”

The man in white had been about to say something, but suddenly hesitated.

“Well?” Wei Wuxian prodded. “You want this as much as I do. I can tell.”

He rocked his hips forward suggestively, and smirked when the red started spreading from those ears into those cheeks.

“You will meet my conditions?” the man in white finally said, and yes, Wei Wuxian was going to get laid!

He had no memory of whether or not he’d done it before, but he was very enthusiastic about the idea.

“Whatever you like,” he said recklessly.

The man in white pressed his lips together for a moment, clearly weighing his options, and finally he said, “Very well.”

Wei Wuxian grinned. “Hit me.”

“Put your full effort into regaining your memory,” the man in white said, and Wei Wuxian’s smile disappeared.

“That’s not fair!”

“You haven’t been trying,” the man in white continued ruthlessly, and he’s not wrong; Wei Wuxian’s been nodding rather than waste effort disagreeing. “If you tried, you would succeed.”

Wei Wuxian pulled back just enough to study the man in white’s expression. “And if I do manage to get my memory back?”

The man in white looked awkward, but determined. “I will – do as you said.”

“Oh no,” Wei Wuxian said. “No deal. Uh-uh. You think I’m going to trade what might be weeks of work for a mere roll in the sheets? Absolutely not. You’re going to need to up your offer.”

The man in white frowned.

“I want to go public,” Wei Wuxian said, and grinned at the way the man’s eyes widened. “I don’t like the thought of sneaking around and not telling my family – my shijie, my…you know, the purple one, him – they should know. I want them to. You want me to put my full effort into getting my memory back? Fine. Then I want you in my bed all the time, not just when we can do it in secret.”

The man in white seemed to be thinking very hard about something.

Wei Wuxian waited.

Eventually, the man in white nodded, and Wei Wuxian beamed.

“Very well,” he said, and his voice was oddly shaky; the thought of going public must really be frightening to him. Good thing he had Wei Wuxian by his side; Wei Wuxian wasn’t scared of anything. “If you successfully regain your memory, I will go to Sect Leader Jiang and ask for your hand in marriage.”

Wei Wuxian hadn’t actually meant marriage, only publicity, but of course a stickler for etiquette like Lan – like Lan Zh- – like – like the man in white, well, of course he’d insist on doing things the right way.

That was fine by Wei Wuxian.

“And when we’re married, we’ll sleep together every day,” he added, feeling especially daring. “You hear me? Every day.”

The man in white nodded. “Every day.”

Wei Wuxian grinned. “Well then,” he said, feeling quite smug at having wrapped things up so nicely. His past and future self-with-memories was going to just have to thank him for doing what he’d clearly been too much of a coward to do before. “I guess I’d better get to work.”

[ihaveafandom-problem554]

i love your works oh my god, the wait was so worth it. thank you for doing my requests!! they all turn out great :D despite my username, I’m glad I made an account just so that I could request more of your spider bro content.

okay so uh I’m sorry if I’m requesting this a bit early since you only posted your latest spider bro today but after reading it, a sudden wave of problems and curiosity hit me so I thought:

‘yo aren’t the village gonna question why spider bro and rui only come around during sunset to night time sooner or later? are they gonna make up some excuse about them having some condition where if they stay in the sun for just a little bit they get really bad sunburn?? like “yeah so our parents died because they went out in the sun for too long so newbie demon slayers noticed this and thought they were demons in disguise and killed them, haha runs in the family amiright” idk ?? (sorry that’s a weird death) I like to imagine they pretend to be albino so that they can have an excuse in case someone ever asks them or say that they have jobs in the day time to support each other so they just visit around night time.

but honestly, I think the village would be a little sus of them but then they’ll be like “ehh they can’t be demons, they would’ve ate us already! plus they’re just so kind!!” so yeah.. (unless the village doesn’t really know about demons, then you can just ignore this)

okay so imma just start putting my ideas and prompt in here yeahh ..

so what I imagine is that the village knows about demons, but most just chalk it up as some sort of folklore to keep kids from wondering at night by themselves. however some (mostly the elders) claim to actually experience demon attacks so despite practically everyone living these two, they have their eyes on them just a bit..

the elders there would usually gather some kids and tell stories about demons roaming the night hunting for humans, and there would be people who would be as strong or stronger than the demons and slay them by cutting their heads off with a special blade- they say that there’s a whole organization dedicated for these specific people! and that those people who would sometimes come to the village with an odd uniform on are part of them.

one day while spider bro and rui visit the village, ashai drags them to where his grandfather would tell stories about demons and how the grandfather’s father were part of that organization and was called a “hashira” who mastered the sun breathing.

after that ashai would be like “that’s just gramps being all weird again with his whole demon slayer stuff, but it’s pretty interesting! it’s only a folklore though so you have nothing to be scared of. honestly, there’ll be times where I think you’re both demons or something because you guys act like you don’t know how to function as a human being sometimes, haha” and the spider bros would just be like “aha.. yeah..”

some of the elders start noticing that they only came around night, and unfortunately, not everyone is friendly. they kind of start interrogating them to the point where the other villagers would politely step in and tell them that they’re just kids with a condition that runs in their family (and rui becoming fed up then almost slashing them into ribbons). of course, a small portion of them don’t stop and are.. quite positive of it and would be a bit passive aggressive towards the two.

alright so I’ve come up with some ways it could go but I have no idea, you can decide which is better or somehow merge them together or mismatch and combine things,,, :D

1: obviously, the spider siblings can’t survive on human food. they’ll need human blood, the human food is just for when they get bored of eating humans for a bit. but.. how are they gonna get some? they can’t eat the village, and as much as they found the elders annoying they couldn’t since 1, they were pretty much right about them, and 2, if they were to eat the elders/anyone who found them suspicious even more people would start growing sus of them.

maybe.. the demon slayers that came to the village every now and then?

(name) would usually just use his spiders and take at least a cup (or two if rui’s feeling hungry) of their blood and bandage them up to go.

it lasted for a few weeks, so he thought he could control it.

him and rui did their best to try and suppress the urge, they really did.

they vowed themselves to not eat innocent people after meeting the friendly village.

but whenever a demon slayer would come to the village and whenever they took one or two cups of their blood, the more they craved just devouring them right there and then.

it was true that the two had a dislike for demon slayers, but they can’t say that most of them aren’t innocent. (I mean.. they kind of aren’t too)

they can’t do that.

but…

a few more cups won’t hurt, right?

a few days pass, and the butterfly mansion has been getting more and more demon slayers, most of them were from dangerously high blood loss, just enough for them to live and walk.. kind of.

and they all came from near the mountain.

but.. (I’m assuming this is after the fight between tanjiro and rui, but instead rui got away before tomioka could show up) didn’t tomioka, shinobu, and a few other demon slayers slay all of the demons there? unless there are a few hiding.. however they claim to not have entered the mountain, and instead went straight to a nearby village. they also claim to not have remembered anything about getting their blood taken, just waking up on a floor near the village with their arm bandaged up (it always happened at night time, too).

two or more days pass before they send some demon slayers to come investigate.

these demon slayers of course being tanjiro, inosuke, and zenitsu (plus nezuko).

when they arrived, it had been around 5 to 6, just before the spider siblings came to visit.

as they entered, tanjiro could smell a very faint scent of a demon almost everywhere (mainly around the shops and the people)- so faint that he could’ve missed it if he wasn’t searching for demons right now.

but before he could try to track it down, many young children from the village ran up to them and started excitedly asking about their uniform and their swords.

“are you guys demon slayers?”

“are grandpa’s weird demon stories are true?”

“can I touch the sword???”

it was no secret that they stood out from the crowd, and the villagers usually didn’t really question it because each demon slayer looked pretty normal and bland.

tanjiro smiled remembering his younger siblings all getting ready to eat and play during spring time.

zenitsu noticed tanjiro being confused and told them that demon slayers weren’t very well known, but it seems like it’s a folklore from around here.

and inosuke, of course was about taken aback by all of these mini humans running around them and was about to fight them until tanjiro reassured him.

ashai ran towards them thinking that rui and (name) was here a bit earlier than usual but was a bit disappointed when he got closer to clearly see their faces (and a boar head).

I TOLD MYSELF I SHOULD'VE ADDED A SCENE WHERE OLDER SPIDER BROTHER EXPLAINS TO ASHAI THAT HE GETS REALLY BAD SUNBURN BUT MY LAZY ASS SAID NO. ACTUALLY FUCK ME WHY AM I SO LAZY!?

Anyway let's do this..

Ok so the Village are familiar with demons and demon slayers but they take it as a Folklore since the grandparents keep mentioning it to the kids.

And before [Name] brung Rui, Ashai did ask him why he only came when the sunsets. And [Name] told him he was really sensitive to the sunlight, like, to the point it would actually burn him really bad.

And Ashai looked at him saying, "You could've just said you get really bad sunburn.."

And yes, his mom did smack him for saying that.

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

"Hi Ashai! You seem happy today."

"[Name]! Rui!" Ashai called out, running towards the two boys. Rui immediately pouted when he noticed the voice calling up to them wasn't one of the kind ladies trying to offer him food. Meanwhile, [Name] smiled at the boy's presence and walked faster towards Ashai.

"Yeah! I want to bring you to my grandfather-”

“Why?- Wait was is that..” Rui interrupted causing Ashai to stop walking and face Rui. “You did not just ask what a grandfather is.”

“I did. Now I want an answer.” Rui demanded his facial expression not changing a bit. Ashai sighed before explaining what a grandfather was, later explaining what a grandmother was, then explaining what a great grandfather and grandmother was.

Before Rui could ask anymore questions about people’s parents, Ashai changed the subject to the reason why he wanted to take them to his grandfather. 

‘Demon slayers’ was the first thing that came out of Ashai’s mouth and it made the two spider sibling’s heart drop. Rui’s heart dropped even deeper once he heard the word ‘Hashira’. It was almost impossible to hide the fact that it bothered him greatly.

Ashai turned around to race the two, and met their petrified expressions. Thinking they were terrified about the demon folklore, he immediately stopped talking and cupped [Name]'s face to try and reassure him.

"Oh no don't worry! It's just some dumb folklore, there's nothing to worry about! The demons aren’t real, it’s just some dumb story to keep the little ones from going outside at night. Its just gramps being all weird again with his whole demon slayer stuff, but it’s pretty interesting! Again, it’s only a folklore though so you have nothing to be scared of.” Ashai says letting go of [Name]’s face and opens the door for the two siblings to walk through. “Honestly, there’ll be times where I think you’re both demons or something because you guys act like you don’t know how to function as a human being sometimes, haha” Ashai joked, hoping to lighten the mood a bit

[Name] nervously laughed back while Rui just glared.

As the 3 boys walked inside the minka, [Name] noticed no one else was there except for the old man and Madam Yui. Not only that, but there was some strange aura in the air, as if he wasn’t welcome here. Turning over to Rui, [Name] can see his uneasy expression as well. But before he got the chance to say anything, Yui spoke aloud.

“Oh! sorry boys grandpa needs to rest, I’m sure if you come back later he’ll tell you one of his stories.”

A quiet sigh of relief was emitted from Rui. “Aww, that sucks I really wanted to you guys to here some of his stories.” Ashai pouted slightly. 

“Don’t worry, he’ll be awake soon.. Ashai, go over to the bakery and get the box wrapped in blue, its for your grandfather, don’t take to long ok?”

“Ok.. [Name]! Come with me-”

“No, I need him for something, just go over to the bakery real quick, get the box and come back.”

“But-”

“Nothing sweetie.. Hi Rui” Yui smiled, hugging the demon child who had just ran up to her. “How are you baby? Did you eat the food I sent you home with?”

“Go young man.”

Knowing he couldn’t argue any further, Ashai reluctantly went over to the bakery without [Name]. “That boy is obsessed with you, isn’t he?” Madam Yui joked. Unfortunately for [Name], he was too busy staring at the door Ashai just went through to hear what Yui said, causing him to answer a couple seconds late. “H-huh”

“The tempura and Sushi? Yeah we finished it.”

“Oh, you must still be hungry.. [Name] can you close all the blinds and sweep the floor?”

“Of course!”

“Thank you dear, I’ll be in the kitchen with your brother if you need me” Yui said, walking into the kitchen with Rui.

[Name] got straight to work, closing the blinds and sweeping isn’t anything hard...But the strange aura he felt before when he first entered, intensified. It almost felt like the air gotten thicker as well.

As [Name] swept closer to the sleeping grandfather, he noticed something right next to him. Taking a closer look, [Name]'s eyes at the sight of the samurai sword. Why does it look bigger than the usual than the swords I’ve seen.

After staring at the sword for a bit, [Name] finally looked away from the sword to finish sweeping. 

“I kill your kind with this exact sword”

...

“Is that what you tell the demons before you kill them?” [Name] questions, trying his best not to show the slightest amount of fear in his voice. “Every. single. one.” [Name] nodded, but refused to face the owner of the voice and the larger than normal sword. “Your kind disgusts me. Killing innocent souls just for your selfish needs.”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘Your kind’ sir-”

“Demons.” He spat. “I mean Demons.” [Name] only nodded, no words, justs movements. Speaking of movements, the old man began to get up and slowly move closer to [Name]. Shit, what do I do now?

After hearing Ashai say that his grandfather was a Hashira, [Name] knew that his age didn’t affect the way he moved. The retired hashira can block his way to the door in the matter of seconds. He didn’t want to question how fast he was compared to a sun-breathing hashira. So he put the broom down and finally face the old man who was ten feet away from him. “Who many demons did you ki-”

“You may have fooled everyone in this village with your little story. But I’m not naive.” The sun breathing hashira was now walking towards [Name]. [Name] wasted no time walking towards the kitchen, he could probably notify madam Yui..

If it wasn’t for the sun breather grabbing [Name] by the neck. "Like I said before... your kind disgust me. And don't get me started on your excuse of a leader 'Muzan kibutsuji' (I hate his last name. I've spent about five minutes trying to figure out if the first half was 'kitbust' or 'kibust'). You don't happen to have any information on him do you?" With every word, the hashira tighten his grip on [Name]'s neck. Making it harder and harder for [Name] to breathe. "And don't worry about him finding you after you tell me, I'll kill you the second I get the information I need."

"A-and...wh..if...don't..?" [Name] was barely audible and on the verge of blacking out with the insane grip on his neck. He could taste own blood at this point, but he wasn't concerned about the blood trickling out of his mouth, he was more concerned about how no one was here to save him. Madam Yui told Ashai not to take long, and the bakery isn't far away from here. So what the hell?

Without waiting another second, [Name] unleashed a tiny spider to go and kill the hashira. Sure he was Ashai's grandpa but, it was either this old man or him.

"Have nothing to say? Well that's disappointing.." [Name] could feel his eyes threatening to shut as he Choked on his own blood. "P-plea....sto..p" he tried to plead. "If it wasn't for you disgusting demons.. my wife would've still been alive. I swear, I will defeat your leader, and kill every single one of you good for nothing demons-"

"GRANDPA NO HE ISN'T A DEMON! LET HIM GO" Ashai yelled, alerting Madam Yui who came rushing out of the Kitchen, Rui not to far behind. "Put him down Grandpa! He isn't a demon!" Ashai pleaded, gripping onto his grandfather's hamari, tears threathing to spill from his eyes. "PLEASE STOP YOUR HURTING HIM!"

"Oh Ashai, this isn't what you call a friend. This is a human eating demon, that killed your- OW DAMMIT" The hashira yelled in pain, thus letting go of [Name].

Once [Name] hit the floor, he immediately sucked in as much air as he could before choking again.

"[NAME] are you ok?!" Ashai called, rushing over to help [Name]. Rui would've done the same if it wasn't for Yui protectively holding on to him.

"When was the last time you took your medicine? You almost killed him! He's only a child" Yui quickly scolded the elder. " Oh sweetheart.. that kick was so powerful it almost broke my arm. You should-"

"I'm not and won't become a demon slayer. Go back to your room and take your medicine. You almost killed him!"

"He isn't a kid. That thing is a demon.. And so is the smaller one your holding."

"They aren't demons-"

"They how come they only come out when the sun goes down?" To that Madam Yui didn't have an answer. She never really thought about why they did come when the sun isn't out. Thankfully Ashai spoke up just before the elder could prove his point. "Their both sensitive to sun the sunlight. Both their parents died because of that."

Madam Yui held Rui even tighter as she looked back at the elder. "Ashai go take [Name] to Ms. Reiki." She demanded. Without thinking Ashai immediately picked up [Name] and proceeded to carry him to whoever Ms. Reiki was.

"I know you wanna check on [Name], Rui, don't worry we'll go there in a minute." Yui reassures, while cupping Rui's left cheek. "Yui, your not this naive."

"You should be ashamed of yourself, hurting a defenseless child-"

"He isn't a child.. You know that demons basically have a unlimited lifespan? That 'kid' is most likely 40 years old"

"Your just delusional, you haven't taken your medicine all day have you?"

"I do not need that Goddamn Medi...cine.. What the hell are you staring at?!" The elder quickly spat at the small spider boy who stared at the two adults.

"Nothing.. I didn't know older people quarreled.. I thought only children quarreled." Rui said with pure innocence. "I thought when hu- people got older they learned how to settle their arguments maturely, rather than idiotic children that need someone superior than them to settle it for them"

The two adults stared at Rui, both with different intentions of what to do next. "Oh, Rui, It's-"

"Don't explain anything to that thing." The elder spat. Rui watched as the two adults argued with each other. For some strange reason Rui was invested slightly uncomfortable but couldn't help but listen to what they had to say.

Throughout this argument, Rui learned some new words..

...

"I'm so sorry about my Grandfather, [Name], my mom said he's been having some illusions lately.. I didn't expect it to get this worse." Ashai apologized for the 26th time. "Like... I said for 26th...time Ashai, its ok! I'm fine really.."

"I know but he choked you and called you a demon! Why are you so calm about it?! You could've died!"

".....But I didn't..So..Yay?..." [Name] jazzed-hand. Ashai just sighed in response.

"That's odd.." Ms. Reiki said to herself, but the boys were interested anyway. "What's is it Reiki-san?" Ashai asked, his voice full of concern. "You said your grandfather choked him right?..Oh nevermind it's probably nothing.." She dismisses. "How's your throat? Is it feeling sore?"

"Well-"

"Don't speak. Just nod or shake your head." Reiki quickly spoke. [Name] nodded slightly before smiling at Reiki. "Your welcome sweetie.. Oh! Yui, is everything.."

"Everything's ok.." The two boys turned their heads to face Yui, who had just walked in with a sleeping Rui. "[Name] I am terribly sorry for what occurred and your injuries."

"It's-"

"What did I say about speaking?"

Not wanting to know the punishment for disobeying a nurse, [Name] nodded again with a smile, hoping Madam Yui will see that he forgives her. Thankfully she understood and returned a smile. " [Name] you can go, just remember to take it easy on your throat and take the medication I gave you." [Name] obeyed and made note to throw out the medication, since it had no use to him.

Both Reiki and Madam Yui watched the [Name] walk out with his admirer, Ashai.

As they left, the two women looked at each other with worry some expressions. "How did it even happened?" Reiki asked immediately. "I'm not sure.." Yui answered in disappointment. "I was in the kitchen with Rui because he wanted a snack. Then all of a sudden I hear Ashai yelling something about a demon so I ran out to see him choking [Name]"

"Did he take his medicine? Or did he continue to rant about how he doesn't need it?"

"That exactly" Yui sighed. She looked down at the sleeping Rui she had in her hands. The only thing she could think about was how the situation would have happened if she didn't come out sooner.. Rui would've lost the only member of his family.. he would've been traumatized for the rest of his life.. "The nerve of him to call him a demon.." Yui spoke through her teeth in anger.

Taking a second to rid off any dark thoughts she turned back to Reiki. "I'm leaving now. I want the kids to eat something before they leave, have a nice night."

"Same to you as well"

...

"You need to eat a human"

"I'm aware of that.. But who am I going to eat?" [Name] questioned. It has passed a few weeks ever since the two spider siblings ate a human body. Sure, the human's food is tasty and gives them energy for a couple hours, but it doesn't give them the nutrients they need. Day by day they can feel their bodies growing weaker do to the lack of human blood in their system. [Name] could care less about his own health, he was more concerned about Rui and what he was gonna eat. Every couple minutes or so, he could here Rui's stomach growl from hunger.

It pained him to see Rui in this state. Yet he's been in this state for weeks now and [Name] still doesn't know what to do or who to eat.

"We can eat that old sun-breather" Rui suggested. [Name]'s eyes widen in response. "Or" Rui continued, "We can eat everyone else who called us a demon! We'll make them regret-"

"We can't do that.."[Name] sighed. [Name] knows that Rui's way smarter than this, but after weeks of being around humans and not being able to take a even a bite out of them, is bond to do something to the way he thinks.

"They've been accusing us for being demons, if they suddenly go missing, we would have a lot of suspicion towards us."

"If we can't eat any of the old people or anyone else at the village who can we eat?" Rui asked, completely annoyed. "It's already a problem that we can't go out during the day when the sun's out, so how can we- uhh... [Name] what- what are you doing?" Rui questioned as he watched [Name] create a small spider and send it out to go in the opposite direction towards the deeper part of the woods.

"[Name], What are you?- huh?" Rui stopped talking as he sees a demon slayer slowly walk towards him like a mindless zombie.

"You did so well sweetie~" [Name] cooed to his spider, gently petting the spiders head. "uhh.."

"mh? Oh! I heard footsteps coming while you were talking.. I don't think we can devour the body this time though.. they'll probably send in more demon slayers complaining about a demon."

Rui stared at the demon slayer who had no control over their body. It's right there in front of him, he has every right to devour the vulnerable human, but then at the same time he doesn't. Just because people don't know he's a bloodthirsty demon who needs human blood to survive.

"Cut the skin open, you can suck the blood off of that. Take as much as you want but don't take too much so they can't walk, ok?" [Name] said. "Wait what about you? You need to-"

"It's fine, you need it more than me, I'll just fine another-"

"No. Take some as well, we don't know the next time you'll get choked like that.. or be threaten with wisteria.. we might not be able to regenerate as fast as we used too. I won't take a lot.. A cup or two should be enough to last a week or so." Rui demanded. [Name] only nodded in response.

Rui examined the slayer standing in front of him, figuring out where to suck the blood out of. "Cut open wherever chubbiest and take some blood. I'll send out a couple of my spiders to grab some bandages so we can patch them up. Then we'll leave them here and continue with our day." [Name] said, already making bigger than normal sized spiders to send out to the village to steal some bandages.

"How often are we gonna do this?" Rui asked while using his threads make a 'X' formation around the slayers hips. "I guess every couple weeks? or when your feeling hungry..."

It was surprising how well they managed to control themselves for so long. After taking a little more than one cup of blood, they soon decided to reward themselves with another two cups. After being satisfied, they cleaned and bandaged the body. Later leaving it mindless on the ground waiting for sunrise to come and free it from it's curse.

The spider siblings decided to do this every week or two. Find a slayer, drain most of its blood, patch it up, and pretend like nothing happened. It was hard trying not to devour the human, but the managed. Sure they had to hold each other back every now an then but the really are trying..

Meanwhile the butterfly mansion was trying to solve the mystery of the barely walking slayers with bandaged arms, legs, neck, and or stomach with a dangerously high amount of blood loss.

"Shinobu! We got another one!" Aoi called from the door frame leading to the medical room. "And Yes! Its the same bandaging pattern!" Shinobu sighed, yet kept the smile that was always on her face. This is the 5th one this month, the last person was barely alive.. if this keeps going...

"Oh! Another one?" Kanae (Yes she's alive here, I really miss her) said walking into the same room as Shinobu. "Your back so soon?" Shinobu questioned. "Only for a bit... I do have to get going soon. But since it is still day, I thought I would be able to get some more information on why some of our people are coming back with a terrible amount of blood loss. You care to join me?" Kanae offered, signaling Shinobu to follow her. Without a doubt, Shinobu followed her sister to medical room Aoi was in.

...

"Wait, The mountain that's a couple miles from here?" Shinobu asked, interrupting the story the only stable slayer was telling. "Y-Yeah actually.." The slayer answered.

"That's odd.." Kanae remarked, putting her index finger to her on her chin. "Shinobu, didn't you and tomioka slayed all the demons near the mountain?"

"Yes. Indeed we did.. We even raided the shed near the mountain."

"Act-actually.." The slayer spoke up "I never went to the mountain.. I went straight to the village near the woods."

"Why go straight to the village?"

"I was going to ask the people there if they had experince any suspicious activity. But before I got to the village, I felt something bite me. That's when I passed out. I wasn't sure how long I was out for, but when I woke up.. I was all bandaged up."

"Sorry to interrupt" Aoi interrupted "But, did you ever did get the chance to go to the village?"

"uuh no." The slayer concluded.

" Why'd you asked that Aoi?" Kanae asked. "Oh I wanted to know where the bandages came from. Anyway I should get back to work." Aoi claimed as she quickly walked off.

Aww she want to contribute but got nervous.. Kanae smiled to herself before getting up with a small stretch.

"Well!" Kanae clapped. "We'll send a couple demon slayers to investigate the area... Aoi said the patients claimed that it happened at night correct?"

"Uhh Yeah.."

"Then it's settled we'll send slayers right away to the area.. please get as much rest as you can and stay healthy, we will get to work immediately. Thank you!" And with that Kanae signaled her sister to follow her once more before leaving.

"Are you going to ask any of the Hashira to help?" Shinobu asked. "Well no that's not who I had in mind.."

"Then who?"

...

"We could've got here earlier if SOMEONE DIDN'T MAKE US STOP FOR TEMPURA!" Yelled a very pissed Zenitsu. Inosuke paid no attention to Zenitsu and instead enjoyed the last bite of Tempura he had in his mouth underneath his mask.

"Well it's only 5:48 so we have plenty of time to investigate the area" Tanjiro said trying his best to cause not another fight between Zenitsu and Inosuke for the fifth time today.

Zenitsu sighed. "Well? Do you smell anything?"

"Oh um.." Tanjiro took a second to sniff the air.

The village smelled friendly. Happy kids, happy adults, happy pets, demons, baked goods, fresh food, healthy environment..

"Huh?" Tanjiro said quietly to himself. He took another sniff around, taking him about a minute to finally, fully grab the demon scent.

"It's very faint." He unintentionally reported to Zenitsu. "It's on almost everything..and everyone.."

"Wait.. on the people too?! Dose that mean it's hiding as a human!?" Zenitsu began to panic. "It seems like it... how else would the scent get on the people."

"Start tracking it down gompochiro!!" Inosuke demanded.

"Right I should-"

"Is that a real sword?" A little girl asked. "Oh uh- where did you-"

"Are you a demon slayer?"

"Are grandpa's weird stories true?"

"Why do you have a boar hat?"

"Can I touch the sword?"

"Can I wear the boar hat?"

"Is that a bird on your head?"

A whole bunch of little kids ran up to the three strange looking people and asked them all the questions that came to mind. Not giving them the chance to answer.

Tanjiro smiled at all the kids who surrounded them, they reminded him of his siblings when it was time to eat or going out to play.

"Are Grandpa's weird stories true?"

Tanjiro's eyebrows furrowed. "I thought demon slayers weren't that well known.." Tanjiro questioned Zenitsu.

"INOSUKE STOP TRYING TO FIGHT THE KIDS- huh? Oh uhh I guess it's a folklore around here.. maybe to keep the kids from walking out at night or- INOSUKE NO"

"LITTLE ONES FIGHT MEEEEEEEE!!!"

"No! No Inosuke these are kids, you know? The ones we don't fight!" Tanjiro quickly reassured. "Huh? Why not?? Their just like us but smaller! They can fight!!"

"Oh you got to be kidding me-"

"[Name]! I didn't know you were coming this early- oh hi! Sorry.. I thought you were someone else.." Ashai apologized, he thought [Name] and Ashai came earlier due to the ruckus outside in front. Instead he ran up to a couple of strangers in weird clothes and a shirtless boy in a boar hat.

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

So why did this take me a month to post? It's not even that long..

I'll edit this in the morning and answer the other asks in the morning as well.

Remember that requests are still open and have a nice night/day/afternoon/universe

[asleepinawell]

hiii not sure if it’s okay to ask a poi question but here it goes - i recall seeing you expressing (at least some level of) discontent with what Harold has done on the show (to root, to shaw and all those hypocritical decisions throughout). would you like to share more about your thoughts on this character? tks

always okay to ask poi questions. since the fandom is pretty small these days i was going to put my answer under a read more line so people could ignore it more easily if it’s a subject that bothers them but apparently you can’t add read more lines in ask answers? thanks tumblr! so if this is a topic that annoys anyone, please, just skip it. also, while some of this is facts or based on facts a lot of stuff is obviously my opinion and therefore not canon and not the only opinion etc etc.

in general, i wasn’t crazy about the way harold treated any of the other characters (with the exception of john who he had a pretty great relationship with). for root, there was the refusal to call her root, which i found very gross and uncomfortable (like, in general you should respect what people ask to be called, but also it was linked to the traumatic death of her childhood friend and he absolutely knew that so fuck that shit). he even said something along the lines of 'john reese is what you prefer to be called' to john right in the first episode? he was okay with using reese's fake name, but not hers because he made her identity into a power game.

he also tended to be..hmm, patronizing is the wrong word (and lbr root was extremely patronizing to everyone) but more that he treated her like ‘rehabilitating’ her was his pet project or something. i mean one thing that always struck me was his ‘what happened to you’ line in bad code and then the subsequent decision to put her in a mental institution instead of, you know, jail, which is where every other perp they ran into tended to go. he saw her as broken and flawed and in need of his help which, to me, came off as hypocritical and belittling.

also, putting someone in a psychiatric institution where they get pumped full of drugs when they don’t need to be? really fucked up! even if you argue root needed therapy/was depressed whatever, that’s not what they were treating her for. they were treating her for ‘delusions’ and ‘hearing voices’ which were...real things. like, the machine was speaking to her. harold knew that. he let her get put on all sorts of medication and put in solitary confinement and oh yes also her doctor was a really fucked up dude, something harold could easily have dug up if he’d bothered. also the whole ‘killing off a woman to advance a man’s character development thing’ is, uh, a bad trope. to put it mildly. i could write a lot more about his shit with root but let’s move on.

in some ways, his attitude towards shaw bothers me most. he consistently treats her like she’s violent and unhinged because she has aspd and despite the large amount of evidence to the contrary. she is, in fact, the most cool and controlled member of the team (not counting carter) and the least likely to go off half-cocked. shaw does play into this, but mostly only with harold and only through her words, not her actions. she knows what he thinks of her. when she’s captured by samaritan, harold gives up on her very quickly in a way he would never have done for john (and probably not for root either at that point). shaw’s reaction to sim!harold in 6741 of ‘did you even look for me’ says a lot about what she thinks he thinks of her. his whole ‘binary moral compass’ line to her is also, uh, heavily projecting. shaw and carter had the strongest moral compasses of the group. by a long shot. 

moving on to the machine. so first and foremost, if you’re creating a sentient being, whether that’s having a kid or making a self-aware AI, you don’t create something with the intention of locking it up and ignoring it forever. (and he was creating her for the bush/cheney administration???? who TM pointed out was terrible if he somehow had managed to miss that. root called them something like the worst people imaginable and she wasn’t exaggerating). was it too dangerous to let TM be free from the get go? maybe! but then don’t fucking make an AI you think can destroy the world, buddy. there are a lot of reasons he made TM and none of them make this acceptable to me. once TM had clearly proven to be not a threat and trying to help he continued to ignore her and act like she was dangerous.

harold always needed very badly to feel like he had the moral high ground and not be the person who made a bad decision, which yes, is probably partly due to the trauma from what happened to nathan but that doesn’t make it okay when being paralyzed by being unable to make a decision got people killed. more than once! also, most of his morals got tossed out when they weren’t convenient. wouldn’t kill the senator to save the world because killing is bad! next episode he’s like if anything happens to grace kill all of them. cool story, still murder.

i wanna conclude this rant by talking about harold as a character vs harold as a person. meaning, harold as a fictional character who is used as a narrative device in a story as opposed to harold himself without the context of him being fictional. i don’t mind characters who say and do things i dislike. it’s very important to have characters you dislike as people imo. feels like an understatement. but lambet, for example, is a slimy asshole. the story is aware of this. he gets an ending a slimy asshole deserves. harold has a lot of flaws, and causes a lot of damage, gets his friends killed, and his stubborn refusal to budge on his arbitrary moral high ground lets samaritan take over and almost makes team machine lose. he gets a happy ending. with the woman he lied to (and caused a lot of pain and grief by lying to). root ends up dead, shaw gets tortured and fights her way back for root only to have her die which is kind of handwaved as ‘well she has tm with root’s voice good enough’, and john, after having rediscovered his will to live and have a life in the end of s4 goes right back to his whole dying for someone else thing. only harold gets the happy ending.

the show was actually pretty good at highlighting harold’s flaws and making them interesting, and then it kind of forgot that at the end in terms of story outcome. like, if harold had suffered enough to get a happy ending, then why didn’t anyone else get one? so my annoyance was with the narrative’s failure to satisfactorily conclude the characters’ arcs. (and for the record, i’m not one of the people who think he should have died. i don’t think it would have served a point. also death doesn’t equal redemption to me).

so, yeah, not a fan of him. don’t write him in my fics since my dislike would take time and focus away from writing about the people i do like. would probably be less bitter if they’d ended the show better. i was 300k words fic level of bitter. there was some post i saw going around recently about how if your found family show doesn’t end up with your found family together then you’ve kind of missed the whole point of found family and yeah, that.

[levis-hazelnut]

Levi x Reader Nightmares

Screaming filled your room as your eyes shot open and your body jerked up. You had woken up gasping and a few tears rolled down your face, dropping onto your covers. Dragging a hand up your face and into your (H/C) tresses, you tried to calm yourself down so you could go back to sleep. You laid back down, wiping your tears away and staring up at the ceiling.

You are glad that you requested for your own room because you wouldn't want anyone to see you like this, or for them to wake up because of your screaming and crying.

For a moment, you closed your eyes as you sighed heavily and shook your head to rid of the memory.

"Please! Stop! She can't breathe! Aren't you Military Police meant to help us, not kill us?!"

You clenched your eyes shut as if the nightmare would end. Why does your past still haunt you? Why can't you just forget about it? You hated waking up in the middle of the night nearly every night. Every time, you would wake up panting, or bawling your eyes out, or you would just wake up silently.

You detest people, mostly the Military Police because they are the cause of the nightmares which wake you up every night. They are the reason you can never forget about your past. It's all their fault that you are broken and it will be hard for you to get yourself together again and to rid of those horrible memories.

Slowly drifting back to sleep, you tried your best to shake those flashbacks out of your head so you can continue your sleep without any disturbances from your wretched past from years ago. However, you don't let that bring your morale down. You try to stay as happy as you can so you aren't a burden on anyone else, so you smile your past off. Laughing with other people makes you forget about it.

Sometimes, you really dislike your life and wished you were never born in the first place. But other times, when you are with your comrades, you love living and you're glad you're still alive.

Titans make this a ruthless world. But your comrades cheer you up.

Titans eat and kill your friends. But the remaining ones comfort you.

It's a cycle.

The same thing happens over and over again but it's difficult to get used to it. No matter how many times it happened, you used to react the same as always. Now, you know not to grow too close with anyone because that friendship will disintegrate before your eyes. You don't mourn over them anymore because it always happens and you see no value in it - it won’t bring them back.

When sunlight fingered through your sheer curtains, you woke up after being able to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night. But you were still quite sleep-deprived like you would be any other day. It's unhealthy that you hardly get any sleep, but you can't help it.

Sluggishly, you got ready for the day and walked to the mess hall for breakfast, sitting down on the table where your friends were.

"Hi, guys," you said.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Hello, (Y/N)."

You yawned as you were about to take a bite from your food, so you covered your mouth, having the urge to just rest your head on the table and sleep.

"How come you’re tired? You're lucky to be able to have your own room so no one wakes you up in the middle of the night."

I'm not lucky. I still wake up in the middle of the night and it isn't because of someone, you thought.

"I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Yeah, because I kept you up," Jean smirked.

"Shut up."

"You aren't denying it."

"You weren't the one who caused my lack of sleep," you retorted.

"What was it then?" Connie asked.

"I... just wasn't able to fall asleep," you lied.

"I know something that will tire you out," Jean stated with that smug face, so you rammed your foot into his under the table.

You quickly finished your food and went outside so you could have some peace before the day full of training and chores starts. Strolling far from the castle-like building, you went to a tree and stood beneath it, leaning against the trunk as you stared into the distance with your arms crossed over your chest. There was a slight breeze which rippled through the air and made your hair flow with the rhythm of the wind.

"What are you doing out here, brat?"

"I wanted some peace," you replied.

"... Are you okay?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Because the only other room near mine, is yours and I heard someone screaming like they were getting murdered or something."

A shade of red dusted onto your cheeks. Of all people, Levi was the one who had to hear that.

"You were awake?"

"Yeah, I had work to finish off. And even if I was sleeping, I'd probably wake up. What happened?"

"Well, clearly, I wasn't getting murdered. I just had a... nightmare."

"A nightmare made you scream your head off?"

"It wasn't a normal one. It was more like a flashback from my past... I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay... It's kind of cold. Don't you want to be inside?"

"No, I'm fine."

With that, Levi left you alone, going towards the building.

Is there no cure to your nightmares? Is there not something that would allow you to sleep calmly? You have thought about something that will let you sleep in peace, but it's something that will make you sleep forever so you never tried. You didn't like that you actually had thoughts about that. Your life was messed up and it messed up your mind, making you think of unbelievable things.

You wished you could have a normal life. One without despicable people. One without vile titans. One without depression. All you wanted was a cheerful life.

After finished your cleaning duties, you wandered around HQ by yourself since there was nothing else to do.

Your head shot around when you heard someone talk in a cheery voice, thinking it was someone you knew ages ago but it wasn't. It was just some other Scout. They smiled at you and ended up laughing when they noticed that you zoned out, which had brought you back to reality. You gave a slight smile in return, but you immediately turned around and paced through the corridors, going somewhere where it was quiet and you could be alone. You found a dead end and leaned against the wall, sliding down it. Your knees were bent and you crossed your arms on your knees, resting your head in your arms as tears streamed down your face, some landing on your legs and some pattering onto the floor.

That Scout's voice and smile reminded you of Rose - a girl you grew up with. But her life ended before she could even get in trouble with her friends. Before she could run around and play within the walls. Before she could acknowledge what a terrible world it is.

She had ginger kind of hair which only went just above her shoulders. She had glistening, dark blue eyes. She was always happy and always had a smile on her face. Rose was younger than you, but only by two years, and she would call you Big Sis because she said that you reminded her of her sister. She didn't have a family since she had no idea where her parents were, so her sister was her only family, but she got killed by some thugs.

Similar to her, your parents were killed and you were an only child, so you didn’t have a family. You lived in the Underground, which is where you met Rose, along with Abigail. Abigail wasn't as sweet as Rose, but she was caring and didn't like showing it. She was the eldest out of the three of you and she always looked after you and Rose until she left both of you unexpectedly without saying goodbye.

That left you and Rose to live together, stealing together, running together and fighting together.

That all changed when you left Rose somewhere to hide as you went to steal some food. You successfully did and made your way back to her, but when you got to the place you told her to stay, she was nowhere to be seen. You abandoned the food and ran around, searching for her. Eventually, it turned dark and you had to rest, so you could start looking for her again the next day.

As you tried to get some sleep, you couldn't because you needed Rose with you to be able to sleep. She wasn't safe and you knew that. So you began looking for her again, and she was still nowhere to be seen.

Returning to your original spot and that's when you heard Rose's, normally delicate voice, screaming. You jogged to her screams which were then silenced before you heard gasping like she was struggling to breathe. You gasped as well when you saw Rose trying to get air into her lungs. A hand was wrapped around her neck and she was lifted off the floor, pushed against the cold, stone wall. You knew the uniform that the person was wearing - it was the uniform of Military Police.

"Please! Stop! She can't breathe! Aren't you MPs meant to help us not kill us?!"

You were about to rush towards her but a hand gripped your wrist, making you turn your head around. Another Military Police. You tried shaking his hand off but he wouldn't budge. He put a hand on your mouth and dragged you away before knocking you out.

When you woke up, you were kneeling down and your hands were tied behind your back. A rope was also tied around your ankles. You realised that you were positioned to look at Rose being harmed. When you saw her being slapped continuously on her cheeks, you widened your eyes and tried shouting. Her face was bright red and it looked like she was about to give out any second. There were bruises around her eyes and lip and a few cuts on her face.

What did they do while you were unconscious? Again, you tried shouting but you were gagged and anything you said was muffled. Tears ran down your face as you couldn't do anything, but watch.

The two Military Police stopped slapping her and started to kick her and knee her and punch her.

Why are they doing this?

After a while, you got so agitated that you looked for anything that would cut you out of the ropes. You noticed a dagger beside you so laid on your side and wiggled your fingers about to try and reach it. Once you got it in your hand, you started slicing at the rope which tied your wrists together. When that was done, you were able to easily cut through the ropes on your ankles.

However, when you were free, you realised that Rose wasn't moving and it didn't look like she was breathing. Her eyes were still open and blood leaked from her head.

The salty liquid left your eyes once again. You weren't going to run towards her, there was no chance in saving her, so you sprinted away in the other direction, as far as you could go.

A few years later, you joined the Scout Regiment and found out that that's where Abigail had come to. You were elated that you were reunited and you told her about Rose.

After a few months of being a Scout, Abigail had left you as well. On an expedition, she was grabbed by a Titan and she squirmed in its hand. The crack of her bones echoed in your ears and blood sputtered everywhere. Why were you always around death?

And that's what happened in your past. That's why you have nightmares nearly every night. That's why you can't sleep peacefully. That's why you are crying, right now.

As you quietly sobbed, you heard footsteps approach you but you didn't move. They sat down next to you as you continued crying. You glanced up when you felt a hand tap the top of your head in a caring way. The way Abigail would when you or Rose would be upset.

"W-What are you d-doing?" you stuttered, burying your face in your arms.

"Why are you crying?" Levi replied.

No words were able to leave your mouth; you had to calm down before you could speak to Levi or anyone.

Around twenty minutes passed and Levi was still by your side, he didn't say anything, nor did you. When you brushed your tears away and blew your nose into a tissue he handed to you, you told him about your life and why you have nightmares.

"My life is cursed. I'll lose all those who are close to me," you muttered once you told him everything.

"You aren't cursed, brat."

"Why can't I get rid of my memories? Why are they engraved into my brain so I never forget them?"

"You needed to let it all out and you needed to talk to someone about it. You might be able to sleep properly now."

"What if I still can't?" you asked quietly.

"You need someone by your side to comfort you. You can't deal with your problems by yourself."

"And who is that ‘someone’?"

"I don't know. Someone you trust or someone you have a liking to."

"I don't really trust anyone. And I don't think the person I like will want to help me with my problems."

"Why did you tell me about your past then? Do you trust me?"

"I, uhh... I don't know. I just let it all out like you said I needed to."

"Would you have done that if it was someone else?"

"I don't... think so."

"So do you trust me?"

"I guess."

"Then, I'll be there if you need me."

"Really?" You arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And why do you think that the person you like won't help you with your problems?"

"Well, I know they will now," you told him, kind of hinting that you were talking about him.

"What made you change your mind?"

"Um... because at first, they seem like someone who doesn't care about anyone, but once you get to know them better, they're really soft-hearted."

"Sounds like someone I know." He lifted an eyebrow.

"You know them very well."

"Should I guess who it is?"

"You have one guess."

"Is it me?"

"Yes..." you barely uttered.

"I like you, too," the raven whispered before softly moulding his lips with yours.

It was a short, sweet kiss that left a smile on your lips when you pulled away. Levi tucked a bunch of hair behind your ear and lightly caressed your face. A yawn left your mouth, so you laid your head on the male’s shoulder and fluttered your eyes closed.

"I want to sleep," you murmured.

"Have you finished your chores?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you sleep in a bed?"

"I'm not bothered."

"Tch. Lazy a*s."

"Shhh.”

Levi stayed silent as he allowed you to lay your head on his shoulder as your body was pressed up against his. With some reluctance, he rested his own head upon yours and put a hand on your lap, causing you to flinched, but then. you put your hand on top of his, and he softly stroked it with his thumb.

"Who's there?" a voice muttered to themselves. "Oh. It's just you guys,” Hanji said. She walked away, but her footsteps backed up to where you were. "What?!" she yelled, making you jump.

"What the hell, Hanji?" you snapped.

"When did this happen?!"

"Like five minutes ago."

"Aw! Okay, bye! Sorry for disturbing you!"

She squealed as she skipped away like a schoolgirl. You sighed before standing up and dusting your clothes.

"Where are you going?"

"To a bed."

"You can sleep in mine if you want."

"It's fine. I want my bed."

He nodded as he stood up and followed you, pecking your cheek before you entered your room and he went into his office.

You felt giddy as you laid in your bed, thinking about Levi and what happened, allowing you to fall asleep with a smile on your face.

A few months later...

Screaming filled your room as your eyes shot open and your body jerked up. You had woken up gasping and a few tears rolled down your face, dropping onto your covers. Dragging a hand up your face and into your (H/C) tresses, you tried to calm yourself down so you could go back to sleep. You leaned against the headboard of the bed, and felt fingers gingerly brush away your tears.

Turning your head to the side to look at the raven beside you, he sat up and kissed your cheek before embracing you into a hug. You flung your arms around him and cried into his shoulder as he comforted you, gently stroking your back.

"Shh. It's okay," Levi whispered. “I’m here. You’re okay.”

You slowly quietened down and rid of the tears that were still on your cheek. "Sorry," you spoke quietly.

"For what?"

"Waking you up."

"Don't be sorry."

"But don't you get annoyed that I wake you up by screaming?"

"No. I said I'll be here for you and I'll help you with your problems."

"Thank you, Levi,” you smiled softly, leaning your forehead against his.

He placed his lips on yours. "Anything for you."

Since you were now calm, you reclined onto your back and Levi did the same, looping his arms around your waist and pulling you close to him. Your head rested on his bare chest as he kissed the top of your head and closed his eyes.

You won't have to deal with your nightmares, which scarred you, by yourself anymore. You have Levi who will comfort you, help you and protect you. It's rare for you to have nightmares now, but they still happen and he is always by your side to keep you safe and to calm you down.

[fourfucksake]

online meeting

pairing: chris evans x black!fem!reader

warnings: cursing, stripping, masturbation

word count: 4.2k

p.s this workpiece is set in an alternative reality. this is a professor!chris one shot + i imagined y/n as a black girl, but i hope every single one of you lovely people will read!

Heaps of new policies bombarded universities since the spread of the virus. The amount of preparation and paperwork that had to be completed due to the newest conditions in the teaching system made everyone stressed to the maximum level. Perhaps, that’s why teachers communicated more during those challenging times; only those who work in the same environment can relate to your work frustrations. Individuals whom before appeared almost invisible where now your online buddies. It was quite incredible though.

Chris enjoyed the feeling of this community being available for him whenever he feels like expressing his irritations and or simply desires to moan about his dislikes. Before, he has never considered himself to be a whiner, but since everyone has been constantly moaning and pouting, he thought this is the right time to join the club.

Taking into consideration the current state of the world he was assured that everyone is a complainer right about now. He was okay with that though. No doubt, he didn’t know much about psychology, however, it seemed only logical to allow people to talk about how they feel. Also, it appeared plausible people felt scared, confused, or worried. Hey, these were very surreal times. There was no reason to make others feel bad about having emotions.

Of course, there was some resentment towards certain members of University since all the teaching went online. Sometimes, Chris felt like most of his colleagues gave rats ass about regulations and procedures that were now put in place. Instead of trying to provide the best learning experience possible, they restricted themselves to slamming all the work materials online for students to figure everything out on their own.

Personally, he found online teaching unbearable and exhausting. He hated it; there were no words to describe how much he despised it. At first it was alright; it was tolerable and doable. In a way, it was nice. Being at home, able to wake up later than early morning hours. Being with his dog and going on long walks wherever he wished. Being able to take his time with cooking, exercising, reading. All of those mentioned were exceedingly pleasant.

However, Chris chose to be a teacher. He loved spreading his knowledge around. Since an early age he would teach his younger brother; he was much help when it came to revising, essay or exam tips. This was his passion, he loved it. This pandemic undeniably took this away from him. However, there was still room to provide students with knowledge this way, and he tried extremely hard to do so in most effective ways.

For example, he did not have to orchestrate his own online meetings to be this long. Half an hour, that was a long time slot. This was planned completely on purpose. Ultimately, his desire was to provide students with the time to talk to him, express their concerns, and ask questions. Maybe he took this job way too seriously, he thought, and it wasn't needed. However, there’s always this teacher everyone likes, and Chris wanted to be precisely that guy. It wasn't some stupid ego thing, not at all. He genuinely wanted people to feel like he is there for them and wants them to succeed. Every single individual had an ability to be successful, some just needed an extra push too keep them on track. Although his own schooling experiences where genuinely pleasant, he knew he would benefit more from University experience if he had a teacher like him. Not to lick his own ass, he thought, of course.

After years of working in the schooling system no errors have ever occurred. Until last year, when the last class prior to pandemic began their college journey. Back then and there a problem has arisen – you. It was no one else than little Miss Perfect, the girl who made him look twice when she entered the room. Oh, how tiring and fatiguing crushing on you really was. Chris was always collected and focused while working, but with you in his classes he found himself distracted. Often losing his train of thought, his mind shifted to dark places when your class sat in front of him. Chris was a perfectionist, so this was, in fact, greatly infuriating for him.

He did not feel this way since high school. Back in the day he was not the coolest kid you could walk past in the corridor. Thankfully, he has never had his head shoved in the toilet, but not being bullied did not necessarily mean there’s a successful high school experience behind an average American. In his own opinion, he was just a normal kid that had nothing to show for back then.

Precisely that, being average, was now the reason behind this familiar feeling. A pretty girl, a popular girl causing vivid emotions to flush down himself. Looking at her while she does the most ordinary things was the reason behind the uncomfortable state in his pants. His hormones went ill around her, reminding him of how tough being a teenage boy with no control over his erections was. It felt so familiar, craving her this badly, almost as if he’s done it before. Maybe, in a way, he compared you to someone he crushed on for the whole duration of high school. A beautiful skin complexion, addictive smile and those big, shiny eyes staring at his soul; those qualities of yours highly reminded him of her.

Chris remembered that girl very well. He recalled being fascinated by her presence, by her strong personality, and hypnotic prettiness. Her name did not pop up in his mind for years. Until he met you. Chris had Pearl, Pearl Bennett, tattooed on his brain back then. Needless to say, it was embarrassing how annoyingly beautiful she was. Just like you. Now, he didn’t even know if she was alive, he hasn’t seen her for years. It never really bugged him then, it didn’t bug him now. It was just a pleasant memory that he was able to recollect because of you.

He wasn’t sure about your feelings towards him. Mr. Novak, his colleague, often commented on the way some students would look at him. Chris regularly heard Novak claiming that Evans could get any of “that young pussy” if he only snapped his fingers. Whether it was true or not, he had no idea. Maybe, he was just humble. Or stupid, possibly very stupid.  

The house was practically unoccupied now; his wife was dropping groceries off at her mum’s house and Dodger was nowhere to be found, most likely sleeping someplace in the house. Chris did not mind. In fact, he was relieved to have no other human being here. Since pandemic began his marriage decreased in its quality drastically. For quite some time existing relationship brought more annoyance than joy. He was not sure if it went both ways but noticing how regularly his wife exited their house in recent times it was healthy to assume the feeling was mutual.

How did he feel about his failed marriage? Weirdly, he was awfully okay with it. There was not a single part of him that cared enough to fight for this marriage any longer. Right now, all his thoughts were concentrated around another female. How she managed to look delicious without trying. How she smiled or laughed. How her faced twisted with grumpy expressions once she didn’t understand a certain concept of a lecture. Chris could go on, and on, and on.

It was not possible he could describe you in any other word than perfect. It was quite pathetic, he thought, it shouldn't be like that. Yes, you are a pretty girl and yes, no man can probably say no to you. There was just something about you, something so extraordinary that it took his breath away. What was this fascination? He wasn't sure. However, what he was positive about was that he enjoys looking at you. He enjoys listening to you. He enjoys thinking about you. He enjoys all those things way too much; he was aware of that. He was not ready to stop thinking about you just yet.

Now, sitting in front of his Mac, his eyes were focused on the screen. He wasn’t too up to date when it came to the modern technology, but he also wasn’t clueless to how to work a computer. Setting everything up, he glanced over at the previously printed list of names with time slots besides them. The list was not in alphabetical order, students had their half an hour available for the next eight hours of his life.

It would be a lie to say he was not thinking about you. He was looking forward to seeing your face, even if it’s only on the computer display. Your surname and student ID were somewhere halfway through the list. Naturally, he searched for your name straight away after the programme generated the list.

The ticking of the clock hanged on the nearby wall sounded out so clearly. Almost like a racing heart whenever one feels more strain than usual. He could feel the nervousness growing within him as the time passed. He almost felt bad for the kid who had his scheduled meeting right before you. Chris kept on stuttering, disconnecting, and asking for questions to be repeated. Unfortunately, there was no strength in him to think about the failed one-to-one since his brain was too concentrated on you. His favourite, little student.

His thought process was disrupted as a green dot appeared next to your surname, suggesting your online availability. Licking his lips and fixing his hair, his fingers position themselves on the mouse. One click and the signal began. Beep one, beep two, beep three.

“Hi, Mr. Evans!” Her bubbly voice caused Chris to smile. She waved and in response so did he. She seemed happy, her face expression indicated nothing but joy, he enjoyed it greatly. “Hi! How are you? How’s everything?” He asked with an honest curiosity, still smiling at his student. It’s been months since the last time they spoke without anyone else around. Of course, this was the first instance of them conversating in those settings, but he did not mind. Any type of physical interaction seemed impossible now and anytime soon. This was the best he could receive for a significant period for now.

Their faces didn’t shut for the first couple of minutes. Talking about the past months, Chris was quickly reminded of how smart and funny this girl infatuating really is. They seemed to be getting on well right from the first meeting. Weirdly, she had similar likes and dislikes as well as sense of humour. It was like talking to a long-term friend whom you haven’t seen in the longest time. He noticed her hair change, spotting the long knotless braids; in his opinion she looked completely stunning in this hairstyle. He was quick to comment on it and as a reply he was given a complement on his newest buzzcut.

Sadly, but still, he ended the chit chat to focus on discussing work material. Chris tried to stay on topic and somehow it was going well. For the next couple of minutes, he chatted about work. His hand travelled to the left side of his desk to glance at a list of things he wanted to mention, however, he got cut off by the voice emanating from the screen.

“Are those meetings being recorded, Mr. Evans?” She raised her eyebrows with interest spread across her face. Her back bent forward, causing her face to enlarge on his screen. “I mean like,” She continued and coughed. “Is anyone going to watch this later? Does anyone have access to this after we finish talking?” Her question expanded or rather multiplied, sounding out in Chris’ air pads. There was no denying he was conflicted about why she was asking this question. This was not his first online meeting and not a single individual showed any concern in this matter.

“Well, no, not really. If any of us wanted to report our meeting for any reason then I guess, um, I guess it is possible to reopen the video chat,” Slow nod was all he could do at this very moment. No doubt, he still was not able to understand the nature of her question. “If any of us found the other person’s behaviour concerning, rude or inappropriate then the IT services could recover this video chat.” He added in a robotic tone almost as if he were reading from the script.

“Would you want this meeting to get inappropriate, Sir?”

He chocked a little as his eyes widened. He wanted to slap himself across the face in response to his pathetic reaction. Shouldn’t the age gap mean something? Why was he behaving like he’s on her leash? Why was he this…nervous? Excited?

Assuredly, she should be the one who is intimidated, meanwhile it’s her making the first move. He wasn’t sure whether this simply comes from his politeness and gentles; obviously, momma Evans raised him to be a respectful man. It’s apparent, the fear of scaring you was blocking all his possible moves. Risk of being reported for improper behaviour in the workplace was also a worry of his, but it came nowhere near the terrifying theory of frightening you.

But here you were. Being indecent with him. And oh, how he loved it. How he enjoyed this single sentence leaving your pretty lips. Your remarks were more enjoyable and exciting than everything he has completed with the woman he married in the past year, if not longer.

Was he being delirious? Did your comment indicated what he thought it did? Possibility of his mind playing games on him was high. It’s so easy to assume things happened when you wish for them to happen.

“Do you want to make it inappropriate? Do you want me to be inappropriate with you, Sir?” A deep breath left his mouth and a shiver travelling down his spine followed. He was now sure; he did not misunderstand. This was not his imagination playing him, tricking him into believing there’s something here that does not exist. All of this was very real.

“Whatever you wanna be on this call — I’m happy with,” He managed to speak out loud, fixing himself on the chair. This was a bad idea, he thought once again, a horrible idea that could quite literally ruin his career. Was he going to stop? Prevent this from happening? No fucking way.

“Huh, you sure about that, Mr. Evans? I can get really filthy when I want. I am a naughty girl,” Your words hit him like a truck, and he couldn’t help the blood rush in his trousers. He licked his lips slowly and pressed his back onto the chair. He could say something, but he chose not to. Whatever you planned on doing suited him and there was not an ounce of interest in preventing you from doing so.

No further words were spoken. There was a moment of short silence that felt like forever. A moment for someone to back up, break this madness off. No one expressed a need nor a want to stop. She played with her nipples through her shirt before they journeyed up. The straps of her pale pink top slowly moved down her arm, his eyes patiently followed. To him, you were mesmerising. At this moment you had his whole attention.

Looking straight at him, her hands removed the top and carelessly dropped it on the floor. His eyes glued onto her as the soft material left her body completely. He tensed as his length twitched, reacting to her breasts and hard nipples. Her skin was complemented by the colour of a previously worn top but seeing her without it sent shivers down his spine.

Chris could feel the discomfort in his pants becoming unbearable, needing to expose himself immediately. With shame, but still, he slowly undid his zipper. For a while now the feeling downstairs was insufferable, pleading and begging to be uncovered by his hand. Chris gulped back the lump in his throat as he completely freed his member. The view on the screen made his dick ache, his length twitched, jumping again his tense stomach.

“Liking this?” She teased, firmly grabbing her breasts. His eyes darken when he took in all her naked presence. The way she touched herself, he wanted that too. He wanted to feel her nipples between his fingers. He ached to be close to her.

“I wanna see all of you,” His words escaped his mouth, hand firmly grabbing his cock. Without shame nor hesitation his member was stroked, slowly and decisively, as his back leaned on the chair comfortably.

She was quick to listen. So submissive, he though, hand still firmly hugging his man part. He observed as she stood up, taking a few steps back. Still looking at Chris, her body turned around in a circle. Her moves were slow, very captivating, making Chris feel like every single movement was in slow motion. He already adored her body.

Her hands roamed around her own body before she slipped her hand inside her shorts and panties. Subtle movements of her hands indicated she’s pleasuring herself right in front of him. By her expressions, he was able to conclude that she’s enjoying herself. She didn’t play with herself for too long. Pulling the defiant material down as her eyes travelled to his, she exposed herself completely. He felt his mouth dry at a sigh of her bare body. She gave him a sultry look, realising the power she now held over him.

“Is this how you like me, Mr. Evans?” She broke of the silence, still exposing her hot flesh. It took Chris a couple of second to even register the question, his imagination run too wild to focus now. “Do I like you naked? It’s certainly a more thought-provoking image than how I usually view you,” He teased, slightly raising the corner of his lips in a smug smile.

Licking his lips once again, he watched as she took a box from underneath her bed. It was a regular box, nothing fancy. Taking off the lid her hand searched inside for a short moment before pulling out a pink dildo. Suiting, he thought, always liking this colour on her. He admired how her skin tone was complemented by the shade.

“I love imagining it’s your cock fucking me instead of my dildo,” She said completely unprovoked, making Chris widen his eyes. They did something naughty, something filthy, yet this comment really threw him off. “I’m gonna show you how I play with myself when I think of you,” She added and waisted no time before sitting on the bed. Chris had to admit, he spotted the bed straight away when the call started. Picturing himself laying there, you next to him, he took some time imagining the wicked scene you two could create on that mattress.

“I will show you how much, how much I love picturing us together,” Her seductive voice reached Chris’ ears, his interest growing with every single second. There was this unexplainable fear within him at this very moment, fearing she is going to stop. He was helpless now, he needed her to entertain him long enough for him to reach satisfaction.

Licking his lips once again, he watched as she took a box from underneath her bed. It was a regular box, nothing fancy. Taking off the lid, her hand searched inside for a short moment before pulling out a pink dildo. Suiting, he thought, always liking this colour on her. He admired how her skin tone was complemented by the shade.

“I want you to watch,” His student said firmly, staring right at him. The sound of a dildo followed. Chris’ breath was caught in his throat straight from the anticipation of the next step she’s going to undertake. With hunger, Chris watched as she teased herself, rubbing her clit. The toy fondly slid inside of her, resulting in her lewd sounds and Chris’ silent moan.

Her nipples were hard, her unoccupied hand coming up to fondle them both whilst her bottom lip was taken hostage by her teeth. She was really enjoying herself; Chris could tell. The bed made a squeaky noise every time she moved. The call was so clear, thank God, he was able to enjoy every motion of hers. The moans, whimpers and groans escaping her pretty lips as she fucked herself with a toy. The quality of the video chat was good, but not great. He wanted to see her in full HD, he wanted to see the details. For now, though, viewing this was enough. This was damn good, so good. Those desperate hand movements, stuffing the length as deep as she could, it drove him insane. Oh, how he wanted to stretch her out like no one did before.

“Just like that, baby,” He groaned, squeezing his hard cock. He was conversating with you through moans, examining you as the vibrations caused tingles in your lower department. He couldn’t feel it, but he knew her pussy was throbbing and pulsing, desperate for more length to enter. His body parts were no different; his balls felt heavy and his dick was hard as a rock, begging for a dream release.

The heat began to grow within his body with each and every movements of hers. She kept him going, moaning his name, calling him daddy, reminding him who she’s pulling this show for. If only she had any idea what it did to him. A shaky hand wrapped around his length made rapid movements, fighting for his orgasm to arrive. Watching her, listening to her, it was magical. This craze he had within him, this fixation she caused – it was obsessive. A loud scream, her thighs closing on the pink toy and her eyes shut while she orgasmed was enough, it was everything.

The feeling of euphoria intensely swept through him as a creamy load exploded in his hand. She could not see it, but he knew she felt it. All that left his mouth was a silent “fuck” as he collected his breathe. Chris was in pieces, still processing previous events. It was now clear to him how he pleaded for that orgasm to happen, how he needed it. He was embarrassed to admit how strong, how intense, the load bursting onto his hand really was. Lucky for him, no one knew anything about it but him and himself.  

„You liked this little show of mine, daddy?” Her voice awakened his senses, causing his mouth to water once again. She caught him looking at his crotch, now surely convinced what happened. She removed the toy from her body, a silent whimper followed. She threw it away on the bed like it was nothing, like it did not help them both cum just minutes ago.

“So much baby, so much. Can you show me s’more? One more time,” He breathed, looking at her with lust. She obeyed, without hesitation; her body rose from the bed and did a slow, full 360 to demonstrate her delectable features. Maybe, he was delusional, but he was sure her juices travelled down her leg. If he were right next to her, his tongue would have taken care of that.

“See you in a seminar, right, Mr. Evans?” Her sweet voice rang in his ears followed by his quick nodding. He had a chance to see her collecting the missing wardrobe that she then put on right before him. Chris could not help but notice her shaky legs. She sat down in the exact same position as before. She reached for a cup, drinking, and sipping the liquid through a straw. Now, she was back to her regular self, looking innocent once again. It slightly woke him up, brought half of him to reality.

“Yes, Miss. I will see you there. Be good, huh?” Chris said casually or at least he tried to do so. He was caught by surprise, convinced that he’s going to slur over his words more. He caught a glimpse of her eyes, forming as much of an eye contact as possible through the processor. Her current thoughts seemed impenetrable to him, although he always thought he’s amazing at reading facial cues.

“Me and you both know - I won’t.”

The last words of his current interest sounded from his Mac. Sending him a flirty wink before pressing the right button, she terminated the call. The intense orgasm left his hand still somewhat shaking. Eyes focused on the screen, he looked like he was awaiting another glimpse of her to come back.

Chris’ ecstatic state wasn’t quick to falter. It took another couple of minutes for him to do anything. Literally, anything. He was already late for the next meeting, which he felt absolutely no remorse for. His eyes lowered to look at the mess he produced; his mind displeased as he had realised, he needs to move to clean it.

Once again, it was just him and his usual surroundings. The call was over, just like that, almost as if it never happened. Despite his deepest longing, he could not go back to what just happened, he could not relive it. Your moans and whimpers performed in his head like a favourite song one would put on replay without a hesitation. He was craving more, his fingers curled into fists as he felt his cock hardening again. He was not sure what his next moves in this matter will be, but he was more than sure he needed to be inside this beautiful body.

[mugi-chan]

I was just watching some animation and opening and I was like, what the twisted Bois will do if they catch MC singing some song of our world? Not only Disney like, even Grim, that come back at Ramshackle singing "Believer of the imagine dragon" and run(or fly) to find help cause thinking that you are going to overbolting? Or Rook that hear you singing "le festin" and start to walk whit you trying to guess the song 😂 and choose you who will be the most funniest 😂 P.s.: love your writing :,3

ლ  Tea Order: Vice Dorm heads: Woah what kind of song is that? 

ლ  Warnings: None!

ლ Shop owner notes: Trying to think what songs would fit the vice dorm heads where kind of hard 工ｴｴｪｪ(;╹⌓╹)ｪｪｴｴ工 Also I had like the biggest writers block for the past week and suddenly I got inspo to write during school like... bruh

You were helping Trey out for the next upcoming unbirthday party 

Trey tasked you with doing the mixing of cake batter 

As this was most of the time a really long and boring task you were quietly singing to one of your favorite song 

Trey was focused on decorating that he didn’t notice your singing at first 

But once he finished decorating one tier of the cake he overheard your singing 

He didn’t say anything at first letting you finish your song 

“That’s a really nice song, what is it?” 

“Oh it’s (f/s)”

Trey was thinking if he heard that song before but drew blank 

“I never heard of the song” 

“Well I don’t expect you to it’s a song that I don’t think this world even has” 

This peaked his interest 

He knew your world has different taste then any of their countries

So he took this as a perfect time to get to know your world better 

“So how those the song go?” 

You were happy that Trey wanted to know more about your world 

“Well it kind of goes like this” 

You started to sing the song but soon got really embarrassed and stopped mid way to cover your face. 

Trey wrapped his arm around your waist resting his forehead on yours

“Aw come on it’s really good, can I hear more?”

Still embarrassed you reluctantly agree

Giving out a helping hand is always needed for Ruggie 

Trying to deal with Leona and the rest of the dorm is stressful 

So you decided to help Ruggie out with some chores 

You two were on top of Savanclaw dorm doing laundry 

As you were putting up the laundry you were singing one of your favorite songs 

Ruggie being the cheeky little hyena he pretends he can’t hear you 

You continue singing until you realize Ruggie was just sitting there smiling

“Aw don’t stop (y/n) that song is really good!”

“Y-you heard?!” 

You started to grow shy and turn away 

Ruggie just laughed as he got up

“What song is it? I never heard of it” 

“It’s (f/s)” 

“Ahh must be music from your world” 

You two discussed the music that your world might think is good

“Shishishi, one day if you do get back home you should bring back a CD full of your worlds music” 

You agree, hoping one day that you can go home but find a way to come back to see your lovable goofball hyena 

The next day you could hear Ruggie sing the exact same song you were singing 

“Ruggie how can you remember the lyrics already?” 

“Shishishi, well I’m just that good” 

You nudged his side laughing with him. 

(Sorry Ruggie was short I ran out of Ideas)

When Grim first busted into the mostro lounge, jade was going to scold him from busting into the mostro lounge until he saw how distress he was

“Oya oya Grim what seems to be the problem?” 

“(y/n)! I don’t know what’s going on but they’ve been muttering to themself for a while in a strange language!” 

Now this confused the octa trio 

What? A strange language and muttering to themselves? 

Azul put Jade in charge of this since clearly Grim is in distress and (y/n) is his s/o 

Plus this could make for a good deal, who knows what Azul can get out of this 

Jade clearly disapproved of that reasoning but that will have to wait

His main focus is on you 

When he got to Ramshackle dorm everything looked normal nothing out of place

Opening the door everything still feels normal, nothing still feels out of place

But who knows what could happen

Entering the kitchen he saw you preparing a snack muttering to yourself 

He sees why Grim was worried

He didn’t understand the language you were singing to 

A playful smirk appeared on his face as he leaned down behind you 

“What a nice song your singing there my little guppy” 

You shrieked as you turned meeting face to face with Jade

“Oya oya, Is my little guppy scared?”

“No you just scared me!” 

“Apologies” 

Jade explained himself on why he was here

A small oh came from your mouth 

You gave a small glare to Grim as you explain what you were doing 

“Ah I see, may I hear more of it. I may not understand it but your voice is cute” 

You rolled your eyes as you went back to what you were doing

You were brushing Jamil’s hair as Jamil had a pretty stressful day

Brushing his hair made him calm 

And you singing, oh he feels like he may be in heaven

But this song you were singing, it was strange 

You sang in a language he has never heard of 

All of these weird intonations 

And words he can understand but not know the context for it

How very strange these songs were for him 

He let you continue singing as he was trying to decipher what you were singing

Alas he drew blank

Once you finished singing the song Jamil asked you about the song

“Oh, the song? It’s like a pop song from my country” 

“Ah I see” Jamil leaned back letting his back meet your chest

“Do you want to hear more?” 

“I would like to know the meaning of the song” 

A smile crept on your face as you explain the meaning behind the song as you started to braid his hair.

If you think Jamil had a nice soothing voice, your right 

But Jamil also thinks your voice is very soothing as well

It helps him relax

A very familiar language echo across the Pomefiore halls

Could it be? Someone in here speaks French as well? 

Rook went to the hallways trying to find the source of the voice

Drawing near the end of the hallway he was met by his beautiful and wonderful (y/n)

Oh just seeing you there felt like an angel just fell upon earth and took interest in Rook

He hid from you knowing how much you dislike having an audience 

The song was so beautiful, majestic for his ears 

Deciphering the words he could understand parts of it

Derniere Danse? What was his sweet (y/n) trying to say?

Your last dance? Oh my, is something wrong?

So much questions forming around his head as he decipher the words

None of these were making sense

Once you finished singing Rook clapped scaring you

“That was beautiful my love, truly magnificent!”

A small blush crept on your face as you tried to look away from his gaze

Rook plopped himself right next you snuggling close to you

“What songs was that?” 

“Oh just a song that I knew for a while”

“I thought you told me you never spoke French?”

“Well I may not know French but I can sing it”

“I still think it’s beautiful, may I hear more?” 

You nodded allowing Rook to be comfortable as you try your best to sing french songs

Heck you tried to sing the theme song from Ratatouille

But did Rook care? Nope! He’s just happy that his love is speaking… well singing in french

The forest is a great way to get away from all the noise that NRC produce

Rowdy first years, light music club noise, and Sebek

Lilia was at light music club so you had time to yourself

And walk in the woods are nice to have 

Hearing the nice calm forest gave you a place to talk to yourself about all your woes and talk about your own world without anyone asking a million questions about the world

I mean you don’t mind answering questions but sometimes it can be tiresome and annoying at times

But there will always be this one thing that will always resonate in you

(f/s), a song you know the lyrics for and the only you can still remember as it have been ages since you last saw your world

Singing said song always bring peace to your just like the forest

What you didn’t know was the Light music club ended early so Lilia was looking for you

Once he did he spotted you in a clearing in the woods singing to yourself

My my my what a strange song you are singing, clearly Lilia drew blank as the song was so strange yet seems so familiar to him

He waited for you to stop singing to appear next to you

Of course scaring living soul out of you

“My my, what a beautiful song you have, mind if I ask what it is?” 

“Lilia you’re here early!” 

“My club finished earlier than expected” 

“Anyway what was that song you were singing?”

“You heard?!” 

“Of course”

Oh no did Lilia do something wrong? 

You were trying to hide you face in embarrassment as you didn’t want Lilia to hear it 

“What’s the matter (y/n)?” 

“I didn’t want you to hear me sing”

“Oh my love don’t say that I love you singing it’s beautiful” 

Lilia gently grabbed your cheek resting his forehead on yours

“I don’t mind if you sing it a hundred times, it’s beautiful”

Would you like to order something? Look at our Tea shop rules first!

[sword-brainrot]

Hello~! Let's say that the saniwa has a part time job at a cafe to get some more money for the Citadel, and the swords already know this.

One day, some of the swords decided to go visit them while they were working. How would Sanchoumou, Tsurumaru and Shokudaikiri (separate please) react if the first thing they see is an angry customer pouring their steaming hot coffee on top of the saniwa because they got their order wrong (and possibly burning the saniwa too)?

Hello! I wasn't sure whether I wanted to do the headcanon format for this or actually write out each scenario for it (like a little fanfic). I decided on going with the headcanon format but if you wish to see the other way as well, just let me know! I loved this idea and wouldn't mind doing it again ^^

TW: Implied violence, burns/scars

♡  Sanchoumou would actually frequent the café that you work at (even if he scares the other customers a little bit just from his rather intimidating appearance). He would always order the same thing, a black cup of coffee as he watches you work or reads a magazine.

♡  He would always sit in the the table closest to the corner as well. The customers that go there often begin to think it's just his table due to him being there fairly often.

♡  Everyday after your shift ends and you are suppose to clean up and go home, he would be outside waiting for you to walk you back to the citadel together. Making extra sure you are safe. Even on the days where he can't make it, he will make Nikkou or Nansen come and walk you home in his stead. (very rarely he ever asks Norimune to go)

♡  He actually tries really hard to not scare away your customers! He knows he looks rather intimidating for being there so often and his appearance, so if he seems some customers looking at him with concern, he will flash them his most gentlemanly smile.

♡  So the day that a new customer comes in and starts to get all angry? Oh boy...

♡  When he first hears someone raising their voice, he puts down anything he was doing and quickly looks up. He knows that you are independent and can take care of yourself so he will clench his fists until the whites of his knuckles appear and bite his lip, trying to hold himself back from going over there.

♡  It is only when the fuming customer stands up and pour their steaming hot coffee on you that he loses control. No longer is he sitting in the corner, far away from the action. You don't even see it happen before you know it, he is right next to you, towering over you and the customer. His ruby eyes feel like you can see the flames coming off of them.

♡  He would grab the rude customer by the front of this clothing, making sure they can't escape before ordering the other staff to come and help you quickly.

♡  The last thing you see before they pull you into the back is Sanchoumou practically dragging the guy out of the café. Almost dragging him on the floor like he weighs nothing.

♡  That afternoon, when you are suppose to go home, Sanchoumou isn't there. It will be Nansen. Right away the poor boy will ask if you are okay and ensure you that will never happen again before taking you home.

♡  When you do get home, Nikkou and Sanchoumou are both not there.

♡  It isn't until very late at night until you will see Sanchoumou. He would ask to go into your bedroom and ask if you are alright.

♡  If you have burns/scarring, he would gently hold the area and give soft kisses to it saying how sorry he is and how he should of stepped in sooner. He would blame himself a lot for letting you get hurt. This will probably the only time he will show the more vulnerable side of himself. He will worry about you a lot and constantly say how it is his fault you got hurt.

♡  Needless the say, that customer never shows his face at the cafe again.

♡  "I promise I will never let you get hurt like that again, my little dove."

♡  Tsurumaru would also show up at the café a lot! Though... Not when you expect it.

♡  He comes in when you aren't there and waits to surprise you when you are coming out (and normally holding drinks... and almost dropping them). He would laugh and apologize while continuing to laugh.

♡  He gets bored at the citadel a lot so he will often sneak out and visit you!

♡  But that also means he sneaked out and could cause trouble else where...

♡  Did he buy those silly glasses with a mustache and a big hat just to sit in the café with a newspaper and freak you out when you go get his order? Oh ya. He tries to find anything to spice up the every life at the citadel and the café.

♡  The customers warmed up to him very quickly and often talk about him when he isn't causing trouble there. They all believe that he is your boyfriend or at least has a crush on you (and are they wrong?).

♡  So the day Tsurumaru comes in (loud and proud) but is met with an angry customer yelling at his saniwa? Oh god. He quickly runs over and puts on his smile to try to calm down the customer. Trying his best to take the attention off of you and onto him. If the customer was going to lash out at anyone and harm them, he wanted it to be him and not you.

♡  But clearly it isn't enough to take the attention off of you and as soon as the coffee hits your skin, his smile drops and his face shifts from nervous happiness, to concern, to anger.

♡  Unlike Sanchoumou, Tsurumaru doesn't even take the customer outside. He quickly grabs their arm, twists it behind their back, and forces them down on the ground to cause them to stop any further damaging actions.

♡  A smile would appear once more as he calls for help for you and to make sure this customer ends up being taken to the authorities. A smile that was poorly hiding a bunch of anger behind it.

♡  After he makes sure that the person is taken away, he would go in the back and gently touch your hands, and ask you if you are okay.

♡  He would give you a slightly worried look with a smile. "Guess I didn't help too much, huh? I'm sorry."

♡  He would feel terrible if you had any burns/scars. He would offer to take your place in the café until you felt safe and healed so you didn't have to worry about making money.

♡  Expect a lot of hugs with his big white coat constantly engulfing you and making sure you are warm and safe in his arms.

♡  Anything he can do for you, he will. With no complaints what so ever. He wants to make sure you know that even if he is a pretty silly guy, you can always rely on him and he would never let you down.

♡  Unlike Sanchoumou and Tsurumaru, Mitsutada doesn't actually come to the café too often! He is often busy at the citadel with making sure everything is clean and making sure to prepare every meal.

♡  But when he does have time (when Kasen or any other sword is planning on cooking that day), he is there!

♡  He likes to order a lot of different stuff from the café. Every time he comes, he orders something new. He wants to taste everything. Also expect him to go over and compliment the chiefs and the baristas after every visit. They quickly warm up to him and actually bring him into the back to teach him how to make things. (More food and drinks at the citadel!)

♡  He will often make you taste whatever he orders on your shift because he wants to find out what you like and dislike! As well make sure you have enough energy throughout the day.

♡  You will also see him in an apron way too small of him when he is in the kitchen. He sometimes won't even noticed that you came in because he is so consumed in whatever he is making/learning. It is very cute how much he gets engrossed in these activities and how much his eyes sparkle being there.

♡  He also makes sure that you two walk together when he is able to make it. If he has a day off, he is gonna use it to the fullest and make sure to spend the whole day at the café and with you!

♡  Mitsutada isn't a man who lets his anger get to him. But when he walked out of the kitchen one day and saw hot coffee be poured onto you? He had some struggles to hold himself back.

♡  He quickly ran over to you, taking off his jacket and putting it over you as he turned to the customer and told them, "Get out and never come back if you know what is good for you."

♡  He doesn't even wait to see their reaction before quickly bringing you into the back and take care of you and try to make sure that your wounds don't scar. He knows very well how scars can really shake up another person. Mitsutada’s hands are scarred badly which is why he constantly wears gloves to hide it from everyone. 

♡  All the while, his hands are shaking slightly as he is trying to tend to your wounds and bandaging them up after putting cold water on them and getting you new clothes to change into.

♡  He makes sure you have his jacket still on you in case that helps you feel a little safer.

♡  You don't even hear it at first because he is so quiet as he is treating you but he is constantly saying how sorry he is. It is the only thing he can really get out before sometimes looking up with a very worried expression and asking if you are truly okay.

♡  He wouldn't know what he would do if you got really badly hurt and he couldn't do anything about it.

♡  He would insist that you stay at the citadel for a while and let him make extra money for the citadel in your stead. He doesn't ever want to see you get hurt like that again.

♡  His gloved hands would gently caress your cheek as he looks at you with a worried eye. "You are okay... right? It's okay to lean on us swords too, you know? We will all help out if you need money, aruji(master). We care about you dearly."

[moonchildsaurora]

Running in Circles

✤ guard captain!Mingi x thief!reader  ✤ genre: Guard AU // smidge of fluff, (semi)enemies-to-friends. (feat. Yunho) ✤ t/w: sfw, none - except very brief mentions of some fighting, rated PG ✤ count: 3k ✤ [ part 3 ] of Lacuna miniseries

a/n - huge apologies for keeping Captain Song in for a so long but alas, he’s finally freeeeee. I really need to pick up the pace with continuing on with this mini series 😅 this idea sorta played out better in my head than out in words - I’m not 100% happy with this, it’s defs not my best but I shall practise writing more Mingi fics in the future! This is also probably the tamest of the lot in terms of cry-level. Just preparing you guys with an easy read before the shitstorm that awaits in the next member on the list one shot hahahahahahaha. @hereisleo​ & @barsformars​ hope you both enjoy this for ya man 😉 I couldn’t bring myself to hurt this giant teddybear too much in writing. Also everyone, let’s welcome back a familiar face within this one shot :P

In all of his years of being a royal palace guard of Aethevintis, nothing would cause his body to seize up with tension instantly and hasten the greys that threaten to come through his still youthful auburn tresses than when he was requested at the interrogation chamber.

Heavy steps echoed off the dark granite stone floors, the sharp clinking from an array of medals that hung proudly to signify his prestige were in sync with his tense pace. Song Mingi had no problem exercising command and authority when it was needed, in fact, he prided himself in doing so.

He was good at his job, and he knew that.

Otherwise the title of Captain wouldn’t had been bestowed upon him that four winters ago. The real struggle was when his confidence in being assertive was mistaken for the ability to intimidate, broad body physique to further fuel that common misconception. And so Mingi often found himself sat in that bleak chamber with some poor unfortunate soul, who had been frightened into admitting nothing more than petty crimes.

He’d argue such tactics were unnecessary. Running his hand frustratingly through his hair for the umpteenth time, Mingi mentally braced himself for whatever...or rather whoever awaited for his arrival.

Rounding the corner, his brows arched up with surprise upon seeing the King standing in front of the chamber doors. The troubled look that replaced the King’s usual ebullient features prompted Mingi to straighten his posture immediately; this was sure to be a serious matter.  “Good afternoon Sire…”

Yunho turned towards the rich baritone voice of the Guard Captain and rigid shoulders relaxed ever so slightly at the sight of one of his most trusted.    

“Captain Song,” Yunho nodded in acknowledgement, “Although I’m not sure if it’s entirely good at all.”

Mingi’s forehead creased but remained silent to allow the King to further elaborate about his plight.

“The Queen’s aquamarine diamond parure has been stolen, and I suspect a selection of other jewels too. Those I care not for as much as the diamond parure…it’s got high sentimental value as it was passed down within the family from my great-great-grandmother.”

“That certainly isn’t good at all. Has the perpetrator been caught yet, Sire?”

“As luck would have it, yes actually. And I’ve been told that you would be the perfect person to know how to handle this….situation,” at saying this Yunho fully turned to face Mingi. The falchion in his belt’s scabbard felt heavy and a million and one thoughts were running through his mind at once.

“Mingi…”  

Mingi could see the sincerity in Yunho’s eyes and the hesitation in spilling out the words that needed to be said.

“I hope you know that in any other circumstances, I would not be requesting you to deal with such matters that you have immense dislike for. I apologise for putting you in such a position. This…certain individual has crossed paths with you before and I’m hoping with that familiarity you may be able to coax them to reveal where the diamond parrure is. How you do so, I’ll leave that up to your discretion.”

Oh.

Well that wasn’t what Mingi was expecting to hear. A certain individual he’s familiar with?

He straightened his back and gave a determined nod of his head, “I shall do my best Sire. That room may be the bane of my existence but this matter is clearly of importance to you, let us hope the thief can be convinced to comply.”

“You have my utmost gratitude Mingi,” Yunho said, reaching his hand up to give Mingi’s shoulder a comforting squeeze before making his way out of the grim dungeon hallway.

Mingi waited till the King was out of sight before turning to face the chamber. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his heart and pushed open the doors with slight force.  

“Well, well if it isn’t my favourite Captain of the guards. Come to keep me company for the evening?”

If he wasn’t already sweating before, he sure was now. That oh-so coquettish voice he’s grown to recognise almost immediately, fell on his ears.

You sent a cheshire grin to the tall figure, legs propped up on the worn-out wooden table and hands idly fiddling with the heavy brass shackles around your wrists. This certainly wasn’t the first time your paths had crossed but it was the first for you both to meet in a more dire setting.

Mingi feared for the implications of your capture.

Not just a mere thief of the streets but being the leader of Dusk Talons, the Royal Crown surely won’t pass up a chance to make an example of a core individual from the renowned thief guild.    

“You ought to close your mouth, otherwise the flies will get in.”

One of the guards closer to you brought his fist down on the table, a mere tactic meant to frighten you. However, all it got out of you was the bored glance you sent to the guard who started berating you for talking back to Captain Song.

Mingi let out a sigh, “That’s enough. I can take it from here, you all are dismissed.” The command was given to the other guards in the room as he settled into the chair across from you. They left without a fuss and silence encompassed the room, though not for long.

“Would you please be a dear and help with this?” you asked, chains jangling as you held out your cuffed wrists towards Mingi.

“It would seem that’s not needed at all,” a ghost of a smile gracing his lips, “your handy work got the job done for you.”

“You’re no fun.”

Not admitting out loud, you were slightly impressed that the guard captain didn’t let your lock-picking slip by him. The shackles dropped on to the table and you made a show of stretching your arms out, body arching lithely off the chair. Your loose tunic rode up just shy of showing skin, causing Mingi to avert his eyes out of respect.

That widened your grin.

Mingi let out an awkward cough, any pre-planned script he had for questioning was abandoned. You weren’t entirely a stranger to him nor were you an acquaintance – if the laws even allowed for that. But Mingi didn’t feel right about making you go through the same interrogation protocol as previous criminals had to. You weren’t like them.  

“I can’t tell if you thrive off the riskiest raids or that you don’t fear anything nor anyone. Going after Her Majesty’s diamond parure? Of all things!”

An airy chuckle left you, “If I didn’t know better…you sound awfully worried for me, Captain.”

“Shouldn’t you be at least more careful? What would become of your family if something were to really happen to you?”

The grin on your face disappeared immediately.

Mingi continued when he didn’t hear a response, “I’ve seen you…giving food and gold back to those in the Lower Wrean. I know some of the funds for the city’s orphanages are provided by your guild. And that one time…the only reason why you led the attack on our eastern outpost was to rescue a few of your own and relocate some of the nomad camps away from potential crossfire. You don’t abandon family, right?”

These were the things that convinced Mingi, you weren’t really all bad. Questionable choices? Sure. Morals? A little grey. Although underneath the layers, your intentions have always stemmed from a compassionate heart.  

“What’s to the rich if they lose a few here and there? They have far more than enough, so to us, they’re top of the list of contributors.”

Mingi remembered you telling him that when he had first caught you escaping from one of the noble’s house. Your guild only ever stole from the rich and it was a bonus if the corrupted was targeted too. Mingi, who then was still under the command of the previous captain, hesitated to pursue. For his moral compass went spiralling. Being bound to carry out his royal duty or close a blind eye because he empathised with what you stood for.  

Empathy.

Nothing more than a weak link, according to his captain. There was little room for that, just as grey had no place among Aethevintis’ black-or-white justice system.

Hence, a thief was still a thief at the end of the day. Even for a good cause, by definition you were on the opposing side.

You continued to observe Mingi in silence, with a neutral expression, as you let his words sink in. Captain Song was much different than his predecessors. An unspoken level of mutual respect had developed between you both somewhere along the way of your encounters. The way he led with his heart rather than blind authority was admirable.

“We do what we must to get by. My family…as you so kindly put it…are capable of adapting to whatever circumstances are thrown their way. Risk is an inevitable norm for us.”

At least, you could appreciate Mingi looking at you without that faux sympathy.

“And I’ve lived doing what I do best…that is to survive. Being careful only gets you so far but being smart, well, you could go just about anywhere with that.”  

With a rather loud yawn you broke the tension in the dim room. The grin reappeared back on your face and you slinked backwards on the chair. Mingi was contemplating on whether switching back to the original subject of this…talk…would be a good idea or not. He needed a starting basis, a hint of sorts from you in order to give direction where he’d be searching for the missing parure.  

Betting on the fact that you don’t wholly despise him, Mingi tried his luck. “Now I do have a job to complete, and I’m sure we both would rather spend our time elsewhere other than down here…”  

“Aww, I thought we were having a good time getting to know each other better. Don’t get to do that as much on the streets now, do we?”

“What have you done with Her Majesty’s parure?” asked Mingi, keeping his tone levelled.

“You sure are set on that huh? What’s in it for you if you successfully retrieve the jewels?”

Tilting your head, eyes sparking a challenge. Only to be met with determination glinting off Mingi’s own pair of dark chocolate brown orbs.

“Nothing more than the satisfaction of returning a precious family heirloom back to my King. It’s of great importance and sentiment to him.”

You wished you could find fault in his resolution. Yet again, Mingi was nothing but honest in answering you.  

Surely, you could play a little nicer this time, right?

“Hmm, I’ll think about it. I’m feeling rather parched as well…any chance I could get some fresh water?”

Sensing you weren’t going to give in anytime soon, Mingi drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Standing up he offered, “And I’m guessing you haven’t had anything to eat?”

“You’re offering?”

“This is an interrogation chamber, not a torture one.”

Mingi left to gather the necessities. Head filled with too many conflicting thoughts, that he missed the growing grin on your lips and the space where the dungeon keys previously sat on his belt.  

“THE PRISONER HAS ESCAPED!”

“FIRE IN THE COURTYARD!”

It was havoc.  

The thunderous sound of fireworks broke through the tranquil evening. Catching everyone by surprise and confusion arose as to why bursts of colourful sparks were going off within the palace grounds. When some of the flag banners and trees caught fire from the stray sparks, it caused a flurry of panic.

And to make matters worse – the guards had lost you.

Mingi finished over-seeing the last batch of palace staff into the safe area. “All palace guards are to stay by the doors to the throne room and west wing! No one is to leave or enter until my unit and I have done a final sweep of the grounds, “ he ordered.

Part of the team was put in charge of getting the fires under control. He deduced the fireworks were set off as an intended distraction and, a successful one at that too. Mingi’s priority was now to prevent you from escaping.

He heard the commotion and shouting before, “CAPTAIN! THE SOUTHWEST WALLS!”

You held your own and by the time Mingi had reached your location, the guards who were stationed there were knocked out cold on the ground. A minor cut bled slightly from your left cheek and you looked a little more roughed up than when Mingi had last seen you.

“Here I was thinking this would be a clean goodbye…” you said, securing the rope around your waist that Mingi noticed was tied to the stone merlons. He also saw a couple of dark-coloured pouches with you that weren’t present on your attire during the interrogation.

Three guesses as to what filled those pouches.

You followed his eyes to where they were fixated on, “Ah yes, amongst thieves it’s the number one rule to not hide our spoils on ourselves…lest we get caught.”

A series of sharp whistles was heard. The signal that your guild had completed their tasks and was awaiting to reunite with their leader down below at the meeting point. You blew three consecutive similar whistles back in response.

“Wait!”

You paused with one foot up on the stone edge. Turning back to look, you saw Mingi’s hand hover slightly over his falchion.

“Are you going to try and stop me?”

‘No. But I will ask once more, where is the diamond parure? I know the cold season approaches and you’ll need all the resources you can get. Those gold and other jewels you’ve got there should be sufficient enough. So please….”

Having already made your decision the moment you slammed the doors to the chamber out, simultaneously breaking the noses of the unsuspecting guards, you knew what you had to do. But that didn’t prevent you from adding a little dramatic flair.

After all, you want to stay memorable in Captain Song’s books.

“You just don’t know when to give up, do you?”

Your voice dripping with light sweetness, eyes locked on his as you made your way right up to him. Your hand darted out to grab his falchion and on reflex, Mingi intercepted – large calloused warm hand latching around your wrist.

“But maybe that’s what makes so different from the others…” You flipped his hand so it faced palm up, and placed a familiar cobalt blue pouch on it. “You’re a good man, Captain Song. Thinking with your heart doesn’t make you weak…this world needs more of that, more of people like you.”

You watched his shoulders fall with relief and the look he had in his eyes change into something you couldn’t quite discern. Mingi nestled the pouch carefully towards his body, the delicate clinking confirmed its fragile contents within. And he didn’t feel the need to look inside for confirmation; he trusted you.

“If we were to meet in another lifetime, I hope we’d be on better terms then. Preferably one leaning closer to friends.”

A genuine smile crept up from the corners of your lips upon hearing Mingi’s words.

“That sounds rather nice, actually.”

You could definitely use a friend like Mingi in your second lifetime, should fate ever be so kind to give you another shot.

“CAPTAIN!”  

The clamouring of guards and blades being drawn drew closer and you could hear the running of feet up the stairs.

“Well, that’s my cue to leave. And I am so sorry for doing this but…”

And you physically winced when you sent a knee to his gut, causing Mingi to collapse and gasp for air.

“…Captain Song wouldn’t go down without a fight and this makes it look less like you just let a scummy thief off the hook.”

Mingi waved his other gloved hand, “I…understand – you ought to hurry…” he managed to cough out the words.

“Don’t be a stranger.”

With that, Mingi watched you leap over the wall’s edge just as back-up from his unit arrived. Not only did you leave him with the Queen’s jewels and potentially a bruise or two, you also left him with a new sense of comfort.

Two worlds apart. Two unlikely individuals who were both willing to cross the bridge that’s been built to fill the gap, to meet in the middle.

Yeah, this was a change he could get used to.

“Thank you Captain Song!” cheered the orphans, watching with admiration at how effortlessly Mingi climbed the tree to recover their kite that got stuck in the tall branches.

He soon found his legs to be attacked with hugs from several pairs of petite arms.  

Mingi returned the affections with gentle head pats and a, “Be careful not to run too fast and watch where you’re going!”  

The townspeople greeted him as he patrolled his rounds. Even scoring a ruby red freshly-picked apple from one of the vendors. Today would be a breeze. Golden rays of the sun shone down warmly and the morning air was still crisp. Mingi was already planning to finish his shift early and go see if he could convince Yunho to sneak away from royal duties for a round of archery out by the fields.

“STOP! THIEF!”

Just like that, his trail of thoughts were cut short. Mingi snapped his attention towards the direction where the yelling came from. Jogging over to where the crowd had gathered, he was nearly bowled over by a fleeting figure.  

Upon making eye contact for that split second, he could recognise your mirthful eyes from anywhere.

Your eyes crinkled with delight and being bold as to send a wink his way. But your feet never stopped sprinting and within seconds, Mingi had lost you among the sea of townspeople who still went about their business on the street.    

“THEY WENT THAT WAY!”

Mingi looked back to see some of his unit tailing after a few hooded figures who disappeared into the maze of alleyways. Your guild sure knew the layout of the town inside out.

A sigh escaped him. So much for finishing up early for the day.

But if it was a chase you wanted, then it would be a chase you’ll get. Being the respectful gentleman that he was, he’d let you have a head start of course.

Maybe one day, when he’s old and cranky, worn out to his bones – he’d stop running in circles after you.

Luckily for you both, today wasn’t that day.

[ayellowcurtain]

The what if Eliott was at that first party fic

-

Eliott doesn't really know anyone at this party. It was really courageous of him to show up at a party he wasn't even invited to. But the blonde and excited girl was talking to most people on the schoolyard about it, so desperate to get everyone involved that he thought she wouldn't mind if the only guy she didn't risk talking to came to the party too.

If he's not being too critical of himself, he thought that her sudden change of direction when their eyes met that morning was basically because she was too shy to go talk to a stranger, the new guy that changed school at the very last minute. It really didn't feel like she didn't want him to come.

Anything is better than staying at home, watching a movie he hates just to not start another fight with Lucille or his parents for being so rude that his girlfriend needed to make a scene while leaving their place one more time.

He texts her that he's feeling a little down and puts his phone on airplane mode so she won't play the annoying doctor. Eliott can't remember the last time he actually drank and he wants to do it without worrying for one single night. Thinking back, he quickly remembers when was the last time. He lifts his eyebrows and his beer when he finds a pair of eyes he knows very well. She won't tell anyone that she saw him here and he doesn't have who to tell he saw her either.

Eliott drinks half of his beer to that, not finding it as refreshing as he used to when he drank almost every weekend, from Friday night to Saturday afternoon. Idriss was fun. Sofiane was a perfect match to Imane's worrying eyes, still watching him, always having his back.

The house is too small for the amount of people inside and Eliott feels a little anxious, searching and finding a corner where he can relax for a little bit, enjoying the fact that he's a stranger, which makes him almost invisible to everyone. Not a single person wants to start conversation with a complete stranger and Eliott is so thankful for that. He wanted a night out of the house, with loud music but alone.

From where he’s standing he can see most of the guests dancing and having fun but he can also hear one loud and clear conversation. He looks carefully over his shoulder to find a small group of boys inside the kitchen, acting like they're being such rebels by smoking weed, looking at everyone else with superior eyes.

Eliott looks forward, trying to find the blonde girl the boys are talking about. While moving his head from the boys back to the dance floor, he sees a blue shadow going the opposite direction.

“What did I miss?” He hears the new voice but doesn't look back right away to not be noticed.

“Arthur is not feeling like sharing who's his pick is and Baz thinks he can get the blonde, tiny girl dancing there…”

Eliott bends his head back like he needs to tilt it that way to drink the rest of his beer sitting at the bottom of his bottle. He drinks nothing for the most part but he can't stop staring.

The new boy is perfect.

Eliott can't even find the right words to describe him even to his own consciousness. He's beautiful, wearing clothes that fit him, thick eyebrows that match his soft, dark brown hair perfectly kept back like even gravity doesn't feel like touching him to not ruin how he looks good so effortlessly.

Eliott has this thing where he needs to touch what amazes him and he wants to touch this boy so bad. To feel if his skin is soft or there's some hint of a beard that Eliott can't see from here. He needs to feel if his hair is as soft as it looks, if there some product making it a little less interesting, changing the texture. He wants to touch is eyebrows with his thumb, to see which color his eyes are.

All the boys look forward and from this new angle Eliott can almost see his eyes properly but the party lights keep changing and it's still not clear enough. The boy smiles sadly and Eliott doesn't understand how his friends don't see it, laughing at whatever joke the boy told them.

“Fine, I’ll take it.”

He's brought back from his sturpor when someone bumps into him, rushing to the kitchen, breaking the boys’ circle in their desperate search for the sink.

The blonde girl from the dance floor bends over and pukes nonstop. Her friend with the dark hair whines and her voice is so high it annoys Eliott even from a distance. But she looks nice with that cliche look you can find in any actress from the sixties. Even her dress is a little vintage: like a black tube with a white and rounded collar and the hair in a high ponytail.

There's a step between where he is and the kitchen, making it the perfect height for him to notice the slap the boy in the blue receives from his friend, standing almost over his boy to not stand in the way of the girls, still very much dominating the sink.

Eliott tries to pay attention to the conversation but his brain can't seem to let go of the music completely. So it's like trying to watch a scene with no sound.

But it's clear that they're interested in the girls. The other two boys are a little further to give their friends and the girls some room.

“Chloé.” He hears the boy in blue say the girl’s name, shaking her hand while also using it as an excuse to pull her a little closer, standing right in front of him.

Eliott looks away when he sees the boys moving, wanting to give their friend and the girl some privacy. Eliott wishes they would have stayed because he can’t just go up there and interrupt their flirting game because he’s so desperately interested in that boy.

He can’t hear anymore because they’re whispering to each other, about to kiss. It feels painful to watch so Eliott tries to focus on what’s in front of him, the bodies dancing close to each other to fit as many people as possible. From the corner of his eyes he can’t help but see them still standing close and he walks away after hearing the name he wanted to know.

Lucas.

Everywhere he looks, it feels like he’s in a party full of acquaintances this time. He finds two of Lucas’ friends standing close to where the drinks are, keeping a distance but clearly watching everything to make fun of their friend later. He runs into the other one weirdly dancing with the blonde girl, she seems to be doing a lot better now.

The excited girl from the schoolyard is walking around like a lost puppy, clearly trying to make everyone have as much fun as possible so they can all tell the whole school on Monday.

“Long time no see.” Eliott turns around quickly to find Imane behind him, smiling but not really happy to see him there, drinking, hiding from everyone he knows.

“Hi, Imane!”

She doesn’t fall for his overly excited voice, a little too loud to make it extra. But she does laugh after a second of silent scolding.

“Hi, Eliott…”

“She doesn’t have to know every step I take.” He responds to her thoughts:

Does Lucille, your annoying girlfriend that I dislike, know that you are here without her?

Imane nods her head, not believing a single word he says but always taking his side, no matter against who.

He doesn’t ask about Idriss for once. It feels like someone came, held every distorted memory he had of them and turned them into meaningless dust. Eliott is sure he knows the name of who did that to his past feelings.

Eliott looks around to see if he can find him, and like his eyes are already trained to find the boy, he finds Lucas across the room, against a wall.

They act like they’re somewhere private but anyone that looks can see his unbuttoned shirt, her eager lips moving too fast down his neck, too fast to make it enjoyable.

Lucas is not paying much attention though. And that rings every alarm inside Eliott`s brain, forgetting about his conversation with Imane. The boy seems to be trying to make his brain work in a way to make her nervous lips stop kissing his neck without telling her it’s not you, it’s me. It would cause too much confusion and the girl would gossip about it to her friends, to the whole school probably. And Lucas can’t have a girl saying to everyone he didn’t feel like making out with her.

Eliott sees the excited girl from this morning run back from to the kitchen to the front door, followed by a dark hair girl, hiding behind her while she opens the door to the police.

He can’t hear what they’re saying but from his past experiences, it’s obvious that the party is over. Eliott looks at Lucas, unable to talk to him like he thought about but he carefully puts the girl away from him and starts waking fast to Eliott’s direction without seeing him.

Just with the desperation in Lucas’ eyes that Eliott remembers about the conversation he overheard before. Lucas has a bag of weed in his pocket. And by the way he’s trying to find a escape route, he doesn’t trust himself to lie to the police coming inside now, happy to see all these underage and drinking teenagers.

Eliott steps aside and makes Lucas crash into him.

“Give me the weed.”

Lucas looks at him, blinking a few times, constantly searching if the police are getting closer, “What?!”

“Give it to me and I’ll give it back on Monday, at school.”

They’re running out of time, the music stops suddenly and you can only hear whispers, so many different conversations going on that it still feels too loud.

“Lucas…” Eliott looks over Lucas, nobody that matters is looking at them so he offers his open hand. Lucas is looking at him like he’s from another planet and any other day, Eliott would use this energy to start a normal conversation, to introduce himself and explain how he knows the boy’s name.

He finally feels a hand slapping against his, a small plastic bag in between them. He quickly closes his hand and puts the package inside his pants and Lucas turns back around by his side, a second later the policeman comes to get their informations. Eliott talks for both of them, as confident as he can so the police won’t ask Lucas directly.

[dprwolfgang]

Sin Ti // Angel Reyes ft. Dominic Lee Part 2

Angel Reyes x Solana Losa (OC) 

Dominic Lee (OC) x Solana Losa

2.45k

This took a bit of a 360 turn.A lil angst, a lil drama and because I couldn’t stop typing once I started...there’s a part 3 to this but it’ll come out after Ez’s part drops. Angel is a bit of an asshole, Dominic is a bit smug and Solana is no longer the woman Angel thought she was or maybe she’d always been that way?

Enjoy! Feedback is welcomed and please reblog, like y’all don’t understand how much that means to creators on here.

Unedited.

Four months later

Angel stared at the ultrasound pictures laid out on his coffee table. It has been a total of seven months since everything blew up in his face and to say he wasn’t coping well was an understatement. Angel had reverted to his shallow fuck- anything- with- a -pulse self with everyone walking on eggshells around him. Even as he sat staring at the pictures, there was a woman in his bed fast asleep.

Angel had tried talking to Solana but she had Vega playing bodyguard and Angel knew better than to mess with Vega because even though she could handle herself, her big brother Rio was another story by himself. He had no idea when Solana had left Santo Padre but he knew that his heart had left right along with her.

This was the second set of ultrasound pictures he’d gotten and if he was being honest, they were the only thing giving him hope that Solana would come back to him.

Adelita had shown up out of the blue, caught him in a rather compromising position and then proceeded to tell him that the baby had died. He didn’t know whether to believe her or not because Potter had told him something completely different including the fact that her baby was a Reyes. Maybe Solana had lied to him but he could see past that and forgive her because she’d done the same for him numerous times.

If only she would just come home.

Solana smiled as she took in the scene before her, it had been a year and six months since she had left Santo Padre and quite honestly she didn’t feel like going back. Her uncle had told her that it was best for her to stay on the other side for a bit while things blew over but what was supposed to be five months had become more.

In that time she’d given birth to a healthy baby girl who she had named Cataleya Marísol Reyes. She had also met a man who made her feel love and happiness to an extent she didn’t think was possible. Sol had come to realize that while she had love for Angel, she was no longer in love with him. She had given so much of herself to Angel without the same effort being reciprocated that she didn’t know what to do with herself when she got a man who did.

Dominic Lee was the man Bishop had entrusted his niece’s safety to while she was on the other side. Their families had a long history and Bishop knew that if anyone would keep her and her baby safe it would be the Lee’s. The Lee’s were an immigrant family from China, how they ended up in Santo Padre, Bishop didn’t have a clue but Dominic’s grandfather was the first Asian man to be a part of the Santo Padre charter. His father, much like Ez, had a lot of book and street smarts. He had gotten into a school on the other side, started a successful business and would occasionally help the charters getting shipments in and out of Mexico.

Dominic had continued his father's legacy in both aspects of business and as much as Bishop respected and cared for Angel, he never liked the relationship that had bloomed between him and Sol. He had warned her on numerous occasions that even if Angel cared about her it would end in heartbreak. Seeing his niece happy was the only thing that mattered most to Bishop and if that meant encouraging Dominic to make a move on Solana…then maybe that's exactly what he did.

"So…you and Dominic? How'd that happen?" Vega questions as they both look on at Dominic, Ez and Rio playing with baby Leya who already had them all wrapped around her little fingers.

"Honestly V, I don't fucking know. It feels like it all happened so fast, like one minute he's showing me to the guest room and the next he's rearranging my insides cause my hormones were off the wall. He makes it easy…"

Vega gives her a look that says to elaborate what she was talking about because Vega had always thought that her best friend would forever  be whipped for Ignacio.

"I never have to question whether he loves me because it shows in everything he does. I never have to ask him to make time for me, to take me out or to treat Leya the way he does but he does it anyways because that's the kind of person he is. I'm not saying he's perfect, neither am I but we're imperfectly perfect for each other, I don't know what it is but he just makes me feel whole." she smiles looking at the man who had managed to steal her heart in more ways than one over the past eleven months.

Vega smiles at the way her best friend glows and even though she's still hesitant on Dominic, she can tell that he makes Solana happy. She wasn't Angel's biggest fan but a part of her had hoped that maybe they could work things out if Angel would just get his shit together. She didn't send him all those pictures for nothing but Angel never got the clue and never came around asking for the information that she would've eventually given to him after pulling his leg a little bit first. Instead, the asshole had chosen to fuck his way through Vicky's girls and even had a run in with Adelita that Ez had briefly mentioned.

"What are you going to do about Angel? You know he's not going to be happy."

"Yo Stanford, we gotta go." Angel's voice sounds from outside the front door followed by a series of knocks.

"Speak of devil." Vega mumbles as she gets up to open the door.

Solana had moved to where Dominic and Rio were playing with Leya out of Angel's view. Ez went to grab his keys and kutte as Vega dealt with Angel. Solana wasn't ready to face him yet, she knew she'd have to sooner or later. She sees Angel's figure rush pass Vega and Ez before the bathroom door slams. Still tucked away in the corner of Vega's living room, she prays Angel just leaves as soon as he's done in the bathroom but those prayers fall on deaf ears as Leya screams out loudly just as he's walking by. Solana quickly takes her from Rio trying to calm her down but it's too late as Angel rounds the corner with Ez and Vega hot on his tail.

"What the fuck?" Angel looks around at everyone before him before settling on Ez. "So this what we doing now?"

"Angel, don't blow this out of proportion. They only got here today, nobody's hiding anything from your dumbass. If I find out you put your hands on my man the moment y'all leave from here, I won't hesitate to take my switch to your dick asshole. Now get out before Bishop calls." Vega speaks up trying to diffuse the situation.

Cataleya refused to stop screaming so Solana stands in an attempt to get her outside for some fresh air only for Angel to grab onto her upper arm. Rio sits back watching the shit storm unfold before him. Dominic is on his feet the moment Angel reaches for Sol and grabs onto her. He knew exactly who Angel was, they had never met personally but from everything Solana and Bishop had mentioned he had developed quite a dislike for the man.

"Suéltame Ignacio.”

“We need to talk.” Angel says pulling her closer to him.

“I know you heard her say to let go. I’d let go if I were you.” Dominic says stepping into their space. The edge in his voice told Sol that this wouldn’t end well for Angel if he kept pushing his boundaries.

“Who the fuck is this clown?” Angel questions looking around the room. Vega shakes her head because honestly, could he get anymore stupid?

It took a lot to piss Dominic off but when it came to the things or people he cared deeply for, it's like a switch flipped inside him. Angel grapping onto his woman and refusing to let go while she held on to their daughter  was something he refused to sit by idly and watch. Cataleya may not have been his child biologically but she was his nonetheless and he'd protect her at all costs even if it meant from her own father.

"He's my fiancé." Sol grits out glaring at Angel who drops her hand like he's been burned. She hands Leya to Vega asking her to take her for a walk, both Ez and Rio following behind her. Dominic takes his previous seat because the look in Solana's eyes told him she could handle the situation and that he didn't need to intervene at the moment.

"What the hell is your problem?" she questions poking at Angel's chest.

"You're the one who left and then show up here a year and a half later with another man who's apparently raising MY child! You don't get to ask me what's wrong with me when something is clearly fucking wrong with you. I thought I knew you Sol but it's clear that I don't." Angel spits out at her.

"I gave you six months to get your shit together Ignacio, you didn't. I gave you all of me for fifteen years and you didn't give two fucks because you got comfortable. What, you thought that if you kept slanging me dick I'd stick around? Everything I said to you that night you decided you wanted to believe some woman you'd been fucking over me, I meant it. Everything I said to you that night in the hospital, I meant it. I still gave you six months hoping you'd take the fucking hint and come sort shit out but fucking your way through Vicky's girls was way more important than being there the night your daughter was born. So much more important that you signed away your rights as her father over a fucking phone call while you were deep in one of those bitches hungover and high out your fucking mind. You don't get to tell me something is wrong with me when you can't get your shit together Angel. You're the one who fucked us up, you made your decision and I made mine. I have love for you and I'll forever be thankful that you gave me that amazing baby girl but that's it Angel."

It hurt, Angel couldn't lie and say that it didn't. The look in her eyes told him a lot but also a little at the same time. She was no longer the woman he knew. He could no longer read her emotions but that one look in her eyes told him that she was permanently done with him. He didn't remember the phone call she was referring to but he wondered just how fucked up he was for fucking up not one but two of his kids lives. They'd never know him, he'd never get to watch them grow and it's simply because he was selfish and wanted to have his cake and eat it too. He had everything with Sol, he was happy and so was she even if they didn't have a label but shit changed when he met Adelita.

"I was under the influence, how the fuck does that count as me signing my rights away? I already lost one child, I'm not losing another. My child will not call that clown dad." he says pointing over to Dominic.

"You might be her father biologically but that's not what it says on paper and until you get your shit together, you won't be coming anywhere near my daughter." Dominic states smugly. He wasn't on her birth certificate yet but he knew that shit would knock Angel of his high horse a bit.

"The fuck are you even doing here? This doesn't concern you." Angel says pointing between him and Sol. "As far as I'm concerned,you're just a rebound fuck. Sooner or later she's gonna come right back where she belongs and I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your skull."

Dominic stands and walks over to the both of them. "And yet still…I'm the one who put a ring on her finger and the one your daughter's gonna call dad. I already won,thanks to you." he smirks before turning to Solana and presses a kiss to her cheek. "I'll be outside, don't hesitate to break his nose if he gets out of line."

Angel waits for Dominic to exit the front door before he speaks. "Are you seriously going to marry him?"

"Si."

"Why querida? And don't tell me it's because you love him."

"Loving him is not the only reason why I agreed to marry him Angel."

"Then why?!" he shouts. "Did you even love me or was that all a lie just like you lied about Adelita's baby not being mine?" Once again Angel isn't expecting the slap that he collects as soon as he finishes his sentence.

"I'm a lot of things but a liar isn't one of them and you know it Ignacio. I get it, you're looking for someone to blame but I refuse to let you use me as your punching bag. Get your shit together before you lose everyone around you the way you did with me. Potter may have told you that Adelita's baby is a Reyes but that baby is not your Angel and it's not Ez's so don't even go there. Don't look at me like that either."

"Then which Reyes is it huh? My pops?"

"That's not my story to tell but what I'll say is, once the truth comes to light…you're gonna look back and regret this very moment. I guess love really does make you blind. Look what it did to me." she chuckles lightly. "you never loved me Angel, you loved the thought of me because I was easily accessible to you. That man out there," she points towards the front door walking closer to Angel leaning in close to his ear. "…he loves me unconditionally, always puts my daughter and I first. I never have to question where his loyalty lies  and while we've had our unpretty moments…I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your skull the next time you threaten my husband." Solana pats his cheek and fixes his kutte before picking her baby bag up and walking to the front door where she stops and turns to look at him.

"Don't make me your enemy Ignacio."

[neeterloveschenford]

RNM 3x03

Hey y’all! Was last night amazing or what! We finally got Malex!!!!!! We got Echo, Delmanes, and Kybel as well. So many good things happened. Let’s dive right in.

Poor Max. Poor Liz. Why did they use each other’s last names. (Weird) And then we segue right into Ortecho sister’s quality time. I love it when they bicker. They are so realistic when they do.

Broody Michael breaks my heart. And Jones is such an asshole the way he’s working Michael and Isobel. Which brings us right into broody Alex. (I love these two goobers.) I’m not sure whether Eduardo is good or bad, but I sure do like him. Also sassy Alex (Men who stare at goats, LOL) gives me life.

I do love Isobel and Maria sassing each other. I am enjoying the mystery of who gets murdered, but I am now convinced it’s not Michael for sure. And I think all the Sanders clues are red herrings. I still think it’s going to be Rosa. I don’t think she’ll actually die, cause they’ll figure it out before then, but she’s my leading contender. Also, don’t think I didn’t notice Max put up a card with Arturo’s name on it. Get that man off your murder board dude. If Arturo dies, we ALL riot!! And this is just what Michael needs. He truly believes he deserves to die, especially now that he knows who his father is.

Love that Isobel is seeing visions now. I’m hoping that next week when she and Maria take their “journey” that it’ll be her dreamwalking. I always loved that power of hers.

Have I mentioned that Kyle is the MVP of this season? I love his reaction to learning that there is another Max. And as much as he dislikes Max, you can see how much he cares about him. He’s just good through and through. I love him. He’s also totally done with Liz. The way he called her out on all of the things she did last season was fantastic! Max and Liz needed to hear everything he had to tell them.

Jones is so sneaky. I just love to hate him! He is working Isobel so hard. But I think it’s going to backfire. She’s going to embrace her empathic nature and read him like a book. I get the sense that Louise was able to sense the evil in him and that was how they knew that he was the enemy. Perhaps there was even a relationship between Jones and Louise. Maybe he’s even Isobel’s father! (Yeah, farfetched, but I determined to see him be somebody’s daddy!)

Ok, I don’t care what anyone else says, I am digging Delmanes! They are cute together. And I am not upset in the least that Alex ships it too. Look, I know I have had my issues with Maria. I think 2x06 is one of the most toxic episodes of tv out there. But I’m not going to blame Maria on something that was clearly all about Carina. I’m willing to chalk that episode up to a weird fever dream and go from there. She’s interesting this year. And one thing that makes that possible for me is her relationship with Greg. He’s honestly everything that Michael tried and failed to be when they were together. And Alex explicitly said in that episode that he could never hate her. They are best friends and everyone that hates either needs to suck it up or find another show to watch. She ain’t going anywhere. And if she can find her happiness with Greg, then so be it.

BERT!!! It’s been so long! I’ve missed him so much. And what is up with this Jordan? What an ass! Doesn’t he know he’s going to go the way of Racist Hank? I like the way everybody doesn’t know what to do with not racist Wyatt. As long as we dont’ get a romance between Wyatt and Rosa, I’m going to see where it goes. Could be interesting.

Back to my boy Kyle and him calling Liz out for all her nonsense. She needs to hear this! The cost of all of her unethical experiments was too much. I hope between this and her talk with Rosa she will begin to understand that she can’t play God with everyone else’s lives.

I LOVED Alex and Greg. Greg laid some truths on Alex that he definitely needs to hear (Are we sensing a theme in this episode?) Greg’s right. Why didn’t Alex join one of the other branches of the military? Why did he choose the one that his father was in? Alex has to rid himself of Jesse’s voice in his head. When he does, then he’ll finally be in the headspace to have a real relationship with Michael. And whether it’s good or bad, I think Deep Sky is going to be the catalyst for that growth.

And of course Michael is spoiling for a fight. And this Jordan creep is going to be the perfect target for him. (Also, protect Bert at all costs!) And did Max not notice the dudes in the alien masks? Didn’t a group of them attack Maria like one day ago?

Which brings us to my new favorite Malex scene. OMG! It was less than two minutes, but it packed such an emotional impact. Alex laid his own truths on Michael that were harsh but so so true. Michael has always held himself to a different standard than anyone else. Could he have been gentler? I don’t think so. I think it was exactly what Michael needed. And then we get the closest to a present day I love you than we’ve ever gotten. If Michael died, Alex would burn the world down. That’s how much he loves him. After everything that has happened between them. Despite the fact that they don’t know if they will ever truly be together. In spite of the fact that they haven’t been together in two years, Alex still loves him enough to destroy anyone who would dare to hurt Michael. We got feral Michael last season. By God I want feral Alex this season. I think we’ve earned it. (Also, MICHAEL GAVE ALEX A PRETTY ROCK! That could be the most unintentionally romantic thing he’s ever done.)

I also loved the fact that that emotional moment led right into the Liz and Max emotional moment. Max is so willing to let himself die just to protect Liz. And I think Liz is finally starting to see the damage she did to their relationship. It was easy to run off to the west coast and blame Max for everything from afar. But now she’s seeing first hand the damage she’s done.

Which led right into the emotional Kybel moment. (The shipping was strong this episode!) I love how she cares about him taking care of himself. And that is exactly what Kyle needs. Someone who sees him for the hero he is and wants to protect and cherish him. If they don’t happen, then I just don’t know what I’m gonna do. (Besides cry hysterically.)

I’m digging the whole mystery of the machines. Alex’s machine turning on and being amped up by the pretty rock that he got from Michael. And it turning on Kyle’s radio from his father. What things have you been hiding all these years Jim Valenti?

Poor Max doesn’t realize how dangerous Jones really is. It’s no wonder Jones is free now. It’s going to be interesting how everyone figures it out.

It amazed me that there was absolutely zero things that I disliked in this episode. All three episodes have been absolutely fantastic so far. I am just loving everything that has happened. I cannot wait for what’s to come. I just know it’s going to be so much goodness.

As always I have some theories that are percolating in my brain. I will be posting about those later. But until then, hope everyone has a wonderful week! I will see you all this time next week!

[cameoamalthea]

I think it's interesting how many people were wanting Jester to leave Artagan and go with the Moonweaver (who is awesome btw). I can't properly convey how relieved I am that didn't happen and that their already strong bond was made stronger and they both grew from it. Because that is how good relationships work and people are capable of changing for the better. Finding new faith worked for Fjord, but I don't believe it would have worked for Jester the same way. What they have can't be replaced.

If Artagan was forcibly taken from Jester it would have been traumatizing for Jester. 

What the Mighty Nein, and perhaps a portion of the fandom, don’t understand is that Jester is a depressed lonely person who hides it. She puts on a mask of always happy and fine, it’s ok. She’s not ok and they don’t see it. Jester is also afraid of being alone, which plays into her fear of being disliked and abandoned. 

Whether or not anyone else likes Artagan, Jester LOVES him and she has some serious attachment issues so just ripping him away from her would be super harmful.

There’s a scene in C2E19 where the party sees a shack and wants to investigate it. Jester suggests turning Frumpkin into a bird to go check it out since it’s like a mile away. Caleb does not like the idea, but then playfully says for you Fjord I will do it. Jester responds by being dramatic and pouting about him shooting her down but being willing to do it for Fjord. 

LAURA: Can Frumpkin be a bird? 

LIAM: (reluctantly) Yeah. 

TALIESIN: For a bit. 

TRAVIS: I want to check out the shack. 

LIAM: All right. For you, Fjord, I will make Frumpkin a bird. 

LAURA: Not for me, though. Caleb hates me.

SAM: We could just walk over there. It's a hassle to turn him into a bird. 

TRAVIS: Yeah. Keep your cat. 

LIAM: You are more sensitive than I would have imagined. 

LAURA: I want people to like me.

Caleb is extremely observant and although this is a light, playful scene, says something that cuts really close. “You are more sensitive than I would have imagined.” She’s being over the top and dramatic, he criticizes her, and since what she was joking about what is actually some real insecurity she kind of deflates, her voice gets real small and she says “I want people to like me.” 

It’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment made harder to catch by the fact everyone is talking at once and Laura is eating pizza (role-playing with your mouth full - this is not to shame her for eating, she is entitled to that pizza, but it might make it harder to pick up on the moment). However, I think this touches upon something important. 

Jester is in fact extremely insecure about being liked, and you see this with her relationship with the Traveler. Worrying that he might not like her now that she has other friends at first, and constantly needing reassurance that she’s the most important. 

There’s a brilliant thread on reddit that sums up Jester’s character as follows:

“She's a people-pleaser because she's afraid to lose people. She grew up with the only 'low resource' being people - caring, loving, laughing people. She had her mother, who definitely loves her, but that was it. Most children have scores of people, and other children! to play with. Jester didn't.

And she's afraid to lose that, at any cost. Even realizing she was manipulated, keeping Artagen is more important than standing up for herself or showing her disappointment, because she can't lose him.

Onto - Artagen. What we know:

He's openly admitted to being manipulative and selfish

More importantly: he's openly admitted to never wanting to be bored and never wanting to 'get into emotions'

This REALLY matters. Why?

Because Jester is afraid of losing everyone so she can't be what those people don't want.

Jester can't be upset in front of Artagen because he might get bored with all of her emotions and leave.

It's crazy important for her to be his favorite because, as she is helping him leave all of his followers (her biggest fear) he keeps saying he won't leave her.”

Jester has pretty serious abandonment issues. Children need the attention and support of a caregiver. RedditTotalWar made a great point on that reddit thread: “A significant withdrawal of attention is often enough to cause a child to develop abandonment issues. Children don't have the capacity to realize that some things aren't about them since they are the centers of their own universe.” So the fact Jester’s mother, who clearly loves her and is a good person, did not always have time for her and required Jester to keep her existence secret is damaging. 

Note, this is not to suggest that Marrion is a bad person or was intentionally abusive. You don’t have to be a monster to hurt a child. Disney example: In Tangled, Mother Gothel isolated Rapunzel and was an abuser who just wanted to use her. In Frozen, Anna’s Mother and Father isolated Anna out of a desire to do what they thought was best for their other daughter Elsa and to protect Anna from what they saw as the threat posed by Elsa’s magic. Anna’s parents were not intentionally abusive and loved their children, but Anna was still neglected and isolated and harmed by their actions.

To Jester, the message she got growing up was ‘Momma loves me, but she’s busy and I can’t get in the way and no one can know I exist’ which could easily be taken as ‘Momma loves me, but I’m not the most important thing to her’ or even ‘Momma loves me, but my existence makes her life harder, so maybe I’m not completely lovable since I’m a problem’. 

And while you may think, if she was that worried why would she act out and play pranks and cause trouble, the fact is that children who are insecure about being loved may self-sabotage with caregivers. You see a high rate of disruption in foster children right before adoption because the child starts exhibiting behaviors. Perhaps faced with the fear of, maybe my parental won’t love me if I cause trouble, it feels safer just deliberately causing trouble because then at least you’re the one in control rather than walking on eggshells terrified that messing up could mean abandonment. 

The fact that Jester’s prank on Lord Sharp resulted in her having to leave the only home she’s ever known and never come back under threat of death and that her Mother could not (or in her mind, would not?) protect her may have made her abandonment issues a lot worse. 

Jester is terrified of being left alone, of being abandoned. Taking away the one person who has been a constant in her life and who she has felt safe with all at once would not be good. As Laura said on her playlist “he’s always been the one person she could show her insecurities to” and losing that stable, trusted person would hurt. 

 I don’t think her relationship with Artagan is entirely healthy (it’s not healthy for a child to grow up with only one other friend and her attachment to him extreme and also he’s a selfish, manipulative Archfey - I don’t think Artagan thinks this relationship is entirely healthy). However, I do not think it would have been better for her to have him ripped away like that. Especially given the fact that the whole Moonweaver thing was her idea and she would likely blame herself for what happened. 

How devastating would that be for someone with Jester’s level of insecurity? 

The Mighty Nein, and again a portion of the fandom, may have preferred it if Jester broke up with Artagan and moved on or found a new god. Fjord’s relationship with Uk’otoa (Uk’atoa) was toxic and abusive, so the Mighty Nein are very wary of that sort of relationship. Fjord if projecting and thinks that any relationship with a powerful being that isn’t a god is dangerous. 

The truth is Jester’s relationship with Artagan isn’t really like one of cleric and god. It’s more like a personal relationship where he happens to give her divine powers.

LAURA: I take a bite of my caramel apple, and I go walking down.

MATT: You hear a crunch sound and your handshakes for a second and you look down and a mysterious secondary bite was taken out of the apple.

LAURA: (gasp) I lick the spot.

(groaning)

SAM: You're making out with your god? Gross.

MATT: They have a special relationship.

A special relationship indeed, Matt. It’s intimate, she talks to him about her crushes and asks him for advice on boys then casually confesses love to him.

LAURA: You're not jealous, are you?

MATT: "No."

LAURA: You'll always be my number one love.

MATT: "I know.”

Fjord is an orphan who was looking for parental figures. Vandren was a mentor and father figure, and it was through Vandren that Fjord gained his connection to Uk’otoa. The Wild Mother felt Motherly to Fjord and in Talks Travis said that when Matt first described the feeling his thoughts were on like have I found my Mother somehow. To Fjord religion is a divine parent, an authority figure who provides guidance and direction, and in the case of the Wild Mother love and support for him. 

Jester has never seen the Traveler as a ‘dad figure���. He’s just her best friend and based on her behavior towards him and jealousy towards his other followers, and the number of love songs on Laura’s playlist, I’m pretty convinced that Jester is IN LOVE with him. 

(I don’t know if that feeling is required. Given they grew up together with him in the form of another child and the fact Artagan is actually ancient, I think he sees her more like a little sister. This might be why he was so confused when she grabbed his face and leaned in like she was about to kiss him despite the fact that like she’s flat out told him that he’s her number one love and requires constant reassurance that she’s his favorite and acts like a schoolgirl with a very obvious crush)

And again, all of this may not be healthy or ideal for Jester. She might get hurt. However, I think in order to grow the relationship has to run it’s course no matter what happens. Artagan not only acted completely selflessly by kicking her off of him rather than face the possibility that she’d have to choose between him and or friends or be banished with him but like - he apologized to her. 

An actual, real, non-manipulative apology. He admitted he was manipulative and he’s sorry and when she tries to play it off as it’s fine, he says he doesn’t want to defend himself. He’s sorry.

That’s growth.