#I always end up placing more speakers instead of activating them

[black-and-yellow]

Mic for the Mic enjoyers.

[cat-in-a-box13]

Twisters HC Part 2, electric boogaloo

ft. my attempts to make a coherent timeline based almost entirely on vibes

Kate and Tyler take an excruciatingly long time to get together. If the movie is set is June (which is what I'm going with based on when tornado season starts and the fact that it makes the most sense for the movie to start a little after the beginning of tornado season), they dance around each other until August after the last chase of the season.

However, by the end of the first week, the Wranglers are sick of their shit. Boone dreams of locking them in a closet together. Javi and Lily actively scheme to make them room together. Dani sticks a post-it note to Tyler's back that says "kiss me" and shoves him at Kate. Dexter intentionally sets their sleeping bags together every time they chase overnight. Nothing works until Kate finally just walks up to him after the last chase of the season and asks if he plans on kissing her, and Tyler responds by dipping her in the sappiest Hallmark kiss you can imagine. No one is sure whether to cheer or groan, because from here on out they will be even more insufferable.

Two weeks after she starts dating Tyler, Kate wakes Javi up in the middle of the night sobbing about how she's going to get him killed just like she got Jeb killed. Javi just silently calls her mom and hands her the phone. Cathy provides expert advice, and Javi provides hesitant head pats because what do you say to that?

Javi and Kate fight like siblings. The first time Javi steals Kate skittles and she full on tackles him, it surprised the Wranglers. The third time, no one even looked up. The seventh time, Tyler just called Cathy and put her on speaker.

Javi's mom left when he was a toddler, and his father traveled a lot for work. When Javi and his dad moved to Sapulpa, they became the Carter's closest neighbors. Rural neighbors, which means there's about a mile of the Carter's farmland in between their houses, but Javi and Kate met when Kathy dragged her over there to deliver a welcome pie.

Because Javi's dad traveled so much, Javi spent a ton of time over at Kate's house, to the point where Kate started calling the guest room, "Javi's room".

Javi's dad died unexpectedly a few weeks after Javi's 18th birthday. Cathy offered to let Javi move in with them, at least until he graduated high school, but Javi insisted on staying at his house, and his room at Kate's house went back to being the guest room. Of course, it didn't stay empty; there was almost always at least one Tornado Tamer that needed a place to crash and now, five years later, Cathy finds herself with a new group of kids (because they're all kids to her) crashing in her guest room and raiding her fridge.

Kate left town a few weeks after the funerals finished. She didn't go straight to New York but instead worked her way up the East Coast for about two years before she landed her meteorology job in New York 3 years before the start of the movie.

Javi drifted aimlessly for about six months before he served four years of active duty in (insert whatever military branch is the most likely to do whatever it was Javi was doing because I don't know how the military works) and is now an IRR for the next four years (I think this is how it works?). He got off active duty about six months before the events of the movie (based on his hair has somewhat grown out of military regulations at the start of the movie, but he still gives off military vibes).

Tyler and his team have been chasing unofficially for about six years, but it wasn't their full-time job until about two years ago, shortly after they brought Lily and her drone on-board.

They don't livestream every chase. Instead, they film for the majority of tornado season and try to get enough footage to be able to release weekly videos through the off-season, in addition to making more educational-type videos about tornadoes and what to do if one is coming for you, as well as showing behind the scenes kind of stuff, like what modifications they've made to the truck and stuff like that. The Wrangler's family dynamic is as much a draw for their audience as the tornadoes are and they know it.

Boone has absolutely stuck a Lego up his nose on a dare, and Dexter yelled at him the whole way to the ER when it got stuck.

Dexter thinks he's the only sane person on the team, but in reality, he gives off serious mad scientist energy when he gets going. He also thinks he's the Team Dad, but it's really Tyler. Dexter is the fun childless uncle that bought you toys your parents hated at Christmas and let you drive the ATV before you were old enough to.

[qwuilty]

Hiii ive been playing roblox games recently and ive seen some very nice unpleasant from regretevator designs & there's a more specific idea i had in mind for them so fuck it im throwing my hat in the ring, random headcanons below

I imagine Unpleasant as like not really actively malicious however she has a remarkable talent for pissing everyone off and due to the elevator's infinitely repeating nature everyone has eventually gotten sick of him. Rolls nat 1s on every single social interaction ever. Guy who is like not really completely awful but deeply uncomfortable to be around for reasons you can't quite explain besides just being kind of rude.

Mostly non-verbal and mute like in canon, in context of the gradient form i imagine it can speak through some way of projection but in human form it's mostly sign language unless they really feel comfortable talking. Stares a lot though.

Thinks Infected is her friend and messes with him 'as a joke' because he thinks he's in on it. Infected is not and hates it immensely.

Absorbs information about modern things from the elevator because Infected's apartment is permanently stuck in the past, mostly from people in it or things from other floors. Xer sense of humor is always just a bit dated and behind what's currently funny, though to Infected it's utter nonsense as it's a bunch of garbage memes that haven't really been invented yet.

Not a fan of like owning cats but does find them fairly cute enough and unfortunately is one of those people who tries to chase them down to hold them. Tried to play with Poptart and ended up absorbing them and was like

Has not and refuses to tell Infected what happened. Also refuses to admit he broke her skateboard because Unpleasant tried to use it and ate massive dirt and broke it clean in half. Master of the "if i just say nothing maybe he'll forget".

All pronouns like in canon and genderfluid, doesn't really change much presentation wise though. I do think it would be funny if the gradient shifted a little though and that was it.

Can and would cheat at games, maybe not through actual hacking (except some garbage cheat clients xe put on Infected's computer) but through absolute unsportsmanlike behavior.

Loves technology and can be mostly distracted by stuff like phones, tablets, or computers. Unfortunately does not use headphones and instead will listen to it on speaker if you don't tell him off about it.

Can kind of just appear in places people would least want to see them. Mostly uncontrolled but always returns back to Infected's apartment.

That's all i have thank you for reading

[baronessofmischief]

I think in terms of deciding whether or not to write accents phonetically (I’m against it) it mostly comes down to the fact non-native speakers will almost always do it incorrectly and it ends up being seen— however well-intended— as an insult, parody, or stereotype. This can also be said of (and has been said many times about) using other languages in a story. If you haven’t lived in and taken an active focus on actually studying the way accents form and evolve and function within a specific environment, including speaking extensively with people who have that particular dialect or accent, you are much more likely to do harm than good in including it in your writing.

There are innumerable places where it could be done incorrectly; accents, dialects, and language will be used differently across age, gender, class, social standing, environment, time period, subculture, context, and individual persons, even when the two people speaking are from the exact same culture. It’s not to say you can’t do it, it’s to say if you’re going to do it, you need to do it right. You need to be able to justify how and why you wrote something the way you did outside of “It sounded good.” Back it up with research and justify your reasoning, and above all be receptive to criticism and admit when you’re wrong or unaware of something pointed out to you.

I’m not even someone for whom English is a second language and I can frequently tell when an accent or dialect is being used incorrectly because I’ve seen it done even with American accents. It’s very easy to tell when someone who isn’t southern or midwestern or northeastern isn’t a native to those regions.

And I know it ’s hard! But guess what: writing is hard. If this isn’t something you’re willing to commit time to, best not to use it at all.

Plenty of other people can talk more about the foreign language aspect, but if you want advice for writing accents in English: don’t write it phonetically unless it’s an entirely different word (ex. “Y’all” being a contraction of “you all”). Number one: it’s harder to process and puzzle out in a written format especially since every writer is likely to do it differently using their own arbitrary set of rules, and number two, you’re much more liable to make your character look like a cartoon stereotype which any number of people will at best, simply back out of a fic and possibly not read your work with those characters again, or at worst, be insulted or harmed by the depiction. It’s worsened by the fact that if that reader says nothing, you the writer get away with it, and if they DO say something, they risk backlash or active harm. It’s a lose/lose situation.

Instead of changing the spelling of the word and adding a bunch of apostrophes, focus more on actual vocabulary and slang to the point you can give the reader enough flavor to ‘hear’ how that character speaks and move on. Additionally, don’t have them spout random phrases that don’t make sense in context of the scene just to emphasize the fact they’re “not from around here.” There are very few cases where someone is going to project random idioms as a means of announcing their presence to the room as someone with a different way of speaking.

Environmental context clues should inform the reader of what region the character’s voice is from. You the author know what the character is saying— so write what they’re saying and trust your readers to fill in the gaps. If you’re a native English speaker, writing broken English is going to come across as rude and ignorant no matter how well you think you’ve done it.

[razieltwelve]

Rise and Shine (Vestige AU)

Lightning woke up to find a familiar face grinning down at her.

“Rise and shine, sunshine.”

She reached for a pillow and heaved it at Fang. The other woman smirked and caught the pillow out of the air. “Your puns are awful, and you should feel bad.”

“My puns are awesome, and you love them.”

Lightning rolled over. “Your puns suck, but I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Fang hoisted Lightning over her shoulder. “Come on. They’re picking activity up in the Vestige.”

Lightning yawned as Fang began to march down the corridor, so they could get suited up. “Has anything come through yet?”

“Nope.” Fang waved jauntily at the techs as she set Lightning back down on her feet. The techs exchanged eye rolls and hastened to get the pair outfitted. “Nothing has come through yet, but we’ve already got a read on the size of the dimensional breach.”

“Oh?”

“At least one Category VI with another two Category Vs expected.” Fang stretched. The suit never felt quite right until she’d stretched, and it never felt quite complete until she and Lightning were in Odin’s conn pod with a neural link between them. Until that happened, the suit was just something to wear instead of the second skin it became once they were ready to go.

“That explains why they’re scrambling Odin. Who else is on standby.”

Amodar’s voice came over the speakers as Lightning and Fang made their way down another corridor toward Odin’s head.

Lebreau’s voice came through over the speakers. “Chaos is standing by, we’re just waiting for the pilots. Shiva is already ready to go, as is Bahamut.”

Fang chuckled. “Vinny and Yuffie are probably arguing again.”

“Probably.” Lightning nodded as a pair of mechanics opened the door into Odin’s head. The interior lit up as they entered, and they settled into the familiar harnesses and waited as the head descended and locked itself into place. The neural handshake was as quick and complete as always. Fang’s presence was less a ghost in the back of her mind and more a warm cloak that settled around her. “You good?”

Fang’s amusement came through the link. “You ask that every time. I’m good.”

“Good.” Lightning cleared her throat. “Serah and Lumina, any problems on your end. How are the repairs on Bahamut?”

“Green across the board,” Serah replied. “Vanille and Lumina supervised those repairs personally. The affected areas are probably better than they were before they got damaged.”

Lightning flicked a glance toward the display that showed the other conn pods. Her sisters were relaxed and ready to go. Snow and Hope were the same, the pair idly chatting about the football game they’d been watching. As for Yuffie and Vincent...

“Are they still not ready yet?” Lightning asked, a hint of irritation bleeding into her voice.

“They will be ready in two minutes or less,” Marshal Amodar said, speaking to all of them for the first time. “Otherwise, they will find themselves scrubbing Chaos clean with toothbrushes.”

In a matter of moments, Yuffie and Vincent were magically ready to go.

“All right,” Amodar said. “New intel has come through. There are three fal’Cie headed our way. A Category VI and two Category Vs. Estimated time of arrival is one hour. I want you to meet them in the shallow of the harbour at designated defence point alpha. We’ll use our point defences and mobile weapons platforms to shepherd them toward you.”

“How’s our sensor coverage of the harbour, sir?” Lightning asked. “Could they sneak around us?”

“Negative,” Amodar replied before glancing at Lebreau.

“Sensor coverage is at 100%. All sonar, radar, and other sensors that were damaged in the last engagement have been repaired or replaced. We’ve also placed an additional twenty sensors throughout the harbour to ensure better overlapping coverage. We’ll have to keep an eye out for any cloak or stealth abilities, but barring those, we should have eyes on them the whole time.”

“Our deployment, sir?” Lightning asked.

“I want Odin running point,” Amodar said. “You are to engage the Category VI and eliminate it as quickly as possible with Bahamut offering support. Shiva and Chaos are to engage a Category V each. Eliminate them if possible but focus on keeping them away from the Category VI.”

“Understood, sir. Moving out.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Fang murmured as Odin began to move, the Eidolon almost unnaturally graceful despite its size and mechanical nature. “So far, whenever a Category VI has attacked, it has always assumed command over the lesser fal’Cie.”

“Yes.” Lightning ran through Odin’s various sensory modes. It was night time, so some combination of infrared, sonar, and radar was probably best. They could use false colour too, which should make the fal’Cie stand out even more from their surroundings. “The lower level fal’Cie tend to attack in a manner closer to wild animals.”

“How do you want to do this?” Serah asked as Bahamut moved behind Odin. “Usual plan?”

“That should work,” Fang said. “We can go ahead, get the fal’Cie all tied up, and you can try and get some good hits in while it’s occupied. How’s Bahamut’s lance?”

Vanille cackled as she settled into her place on the command deck. “The lance is perfectly functional!” Amodar gave her an amused glance and motioned for her to continue. “Remember, the explosives in the lance are not designed to trigger on impact. Once you stab the fal’Cie with the lance, you need to manually detonate the explosives. Assuming you get a good stab in, the explosives should go off inside the fal’Cie.”

“Nice.” Fang nodded. “Yeah. We’ll distract it. Just wait for an opening.”

[evereinefaust]

*.·:·.✧ 𝐀 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐲𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 ✧.·:·.*

Today's the day. The day when selected actors for the game were to bond together for a few weeks to get to know each other more before officially starting their job. A teambuilding activity dedicated to the cast. However, this time, they won't be in groups. In a fun twist, everyone will be paired and spend the whole day with their partner. The goal is to uncover more about their partner and by the end of the day, complete the task given to each of them.

"So, here we have a Clock Buddy System. Listed in each person's clock are 12 people, and they will be your partner for each teambuilding activity we will be having for the next week. Our goal here is to have you all spend intimate time with your designated clock buddy during the day."

[Y/n] glanced down at the small piece of paper in her hand. It was a circle with a drawing of a clock. From hour one to 12, the paper had folded sections in it, presumably the name of her partner written under it. The young actress looked around, seeing new and unfamiliar people sitting with her in the conference room. Her eyes darted from person to person, her heart speeding up due to anxiety.

"Who will I be paired with? Gosh... I don't know any people here except for my older siblings... Huhu..."

A deep crease emerged in between her eyebrows. After a while, she returned to listen to the speaker, trying to alleviate her nervousness for a while that way.

"As you can see, each hour had a folded section. I know you're wondering what that is, and your guess as to it having the name of your partner written underneath it is correct. Furthermore, there's also an instruction there that you need to perform before the day ends," the man searched for the cast's expression. After a while, he smiled. "We will have some people assigned to each pair so that HR can document your progress. Good luck to everyone and I hope you all enjoy the activity."

A lot of people stood up from their seats. In just a few moments, they paired up and engaged with their designated partners. Chatters enveloped the room, as some duo decided to leave and begin their day together. [Y/n] opened the paper, her eyes screening the words written on it.

Lyn Blake. Task: Give a keepsake to your partner.

"Lyn... A keepsake..."

Her lips pursed, eyebrows creasing as the young girl racked her brain about this information. Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder, making the girl flinch in surprise. She whipped her head in the direction of the newcomer, seeing two familiar and identical faces.

"Dietrich-oniichan... Zelda-oneechan..." she released a relieved sigh. "You two scared me to death."

"Really now?" the older male rose a brow, chuckling. "That means you're really nervous."

She pouted, glaring at the male. "No shit."

"Anyway, will you be fine on your own? Have you recognized your partner yet?" Zelda asked, her eyes scanning the pairs leaving the room. "If you need help, we can assist you."

[Y/n] felt her heart thump at the sincerity of her older siblings. Since this is her first time doing this kind of thing, she is unfamiliar with how this industry works. Furthermore, she is worried that she might become a nervous wreck when meeting her partner. Although she wanted to receive help from the two who had some experience, she also didn't want to become a burden to them. More so with their partners.

Conjuring up a smile, she placed a hand on top of her older brother's. "I'm sure I'll be fine. I can't always depend on you two, after all. Besides, you shouldn't keep your partners waiting."

Dietrich eventually removed his hand and instead fondly stroked her [h/c] locks. The girl closed her eyes and savored the moment before he pulled away. Zelda also did the same as her twin, caressing her younger sister's hair before pulling away.

"Alright. Whatever you say so, [N/n]. Just don't forget to have fun."

"See you later. Hope you enjoy the day with your partner."

"Mhm! See you later, oniichan, oneechan!" she waved goodbye as the twins approached two people who the girl presumed as their partners.

Her [e/c] eyes lingered on them for a while, watching as they were getting amicable with each other. After a while, they, too, left the conference room.

"Um, excuse me?" a young girl around [Y/n]'s age approached her.

The [h/c]ette quickly shifted her attention towards the stranger, her heartbeat pounding loudly. The girl had light pink hair tied in a side ponytail and her round eyes were a light shade of blue. She wore a friendly smile on her lively face.

"Hi," [Y/n] managed to say amidst her nervousness, offering a smile.

"I wasn't able to approach you earlier because you were talking with others, but you're [Y/n] [L/n], right?"

"Mhm. That's me," she nodded.

The pink-haired's face lit up, clasping her hands together. "Nice to meet you! I'm Lyn Blake, your partner for today!"

"Nice to meet you. I'm [Y/n] [L/n], as you already know," the [h/c]ette greeted, bowing in response. She had a small smile on her lips.

"My partner seems nice. I was so nervous that I didn't greet her properly. Stay focused, [Y/n]!"

"Have you eaten breakfast yet? How about we get to know each other while having some snacks outside?" Lyn suggested, her bright eyes sparkling.

"Sure. I'd love to."

"My older cousin discovered this cafe before. He planned to visit this place every time we go to the company," Lyn mentioned as she entered the cafe, its bell ringing to signal new customers.

[Y/n]'s hues observed the interior of the small establishment while trailing after the pink-haired girl. Their other companion, Peter, who was tasked with chaperoning them followed close behind the two girls.

The coffee shop was called 'A Cup of Joy'. The shop oozes a welcoming atmosphere when one steps right in. The wooden walls were decorated with flowers and plants, with tables covered in soft white cloths and small baskets full of flowers arranged neatly on top. By the counter, there is a display shelf that showcased the available cakes and pastries ready to be offered. There was even a small table near the window where couples could sit and relax.

The staff members working there aren't present at the moment. And the establishment only has a couple of people inside, other than the three newcomers.

Lyn took her seat at a small table in a corner. The table was big enough for four people and was surrounded by several plants. [Y/n] followed and sat down across the long-haired girl. Meanwhile, Peter decided to take a seat at a nearby table, giving them space and privacy.

Shortly, a barista came out from what seemed to be the staff room once she heard the bell ring. She immediately went to the two girls, offering them both a menu.

[Y/n] chose [fav/drink] while the other girl opted for a vanilla latte. They also ordered some snacks such as strawberry shortcakes, blueberry scones, honey-glazed donuts, and plain butter croissants. After they gave their order, the woman went behind the counter and proceeded to make their beverages. Just the smell of the fresh coffee and sweet desserts wafting around the shop made the [h/c]ette's mouth water. Though, of course, she remained refined despite her stomach begging to be fed with goodies.

"What do you think of it?" Lyn asked, breaking the comfortable silence that filled the air after they settled in for a little bit.

[Y/n] glanced back at the pink-haired girl, her eyes scanning over her features. "The place is wonderful. Very cozy."

She laughed, nodding her head in agreement. "Yeah, it's nice, isn't it?"

"Yes."

It didn't take long for the drinks and snacks to arrive. The barista placed their respective orders on the table one by one. [Y/n] was mesmerized by the delectable meal shown before her, and [e/c] eyes sparkled in awe and delight. Lyn grinned to herself once she saw her reaction, thanking the barista after. As soon as the woman was gone, the [h/c]-haired female began eating the sweets. Her cheeks bulged slightly due to the amount she was consuming, and she licked her lips afterward. She took a sip of her drink, humming in satisfaction before looking up at her companion.

"[Y/n]-chan—Ah! Can I call you that?"

The girl nodded, her tinted cheeks still puffed up. After swallowing her food, she answered. "It's okay."

"How about we play an icebreaker?" the young girl suggested, taking a bite of her shortcake. "Let's answer five questions the other asks. And we'll ask every other turn. How about it?"

"Mhm. Sure," [Y/n] smiled. "So who goes first?"

At that, Lyn grinned. "I'll ask first~ Don't worry, [Y/n]-chan, I won't ask anything too personal."

"Alright," the other girl chuckled.

"First question: Is this your first job?"

"Yes," putting down her beverage, [Y/n]'s [e/c] hues stared at the clothed table. She pursed her lower lips, thinking about her response. "I never tried anything like this before, so it was overwhelming. But since my older siblings have experience in the industry, they suggested I try out the audition for the acting job. I wasn't expecting to be cast but I did anyway. So it was a surprise."

The girl's cheeks bloomed further, feeling her whole body heating up. She could feel her heart racing inside her chest, and the fact that her nervousness was acting up didn't help. She took a drink of her beverage, hoping that it would help in calming her nerves down.

"Oh~ Is that so? This is also my first time applying for a job as well!" Lyn exclaimed in excitement, leaning forward as her blue eyes sparkled. "My older cousin, Mikhail-niichan, and I applied and we both got accepted! I'll make sure to introduce you to him!"

"That'll be nice," a gentle smile emerged on [Y/n]'s lips. Despite her bubbly personality, something about Lyn makes the [h/c]ette feel calm.

"So she also has a relative working with her, huh? That's nice. I wonder who else has relatives working for the game?"

Taking a bite of her scones, [Y/n] thought about the question she would ask Lyn. After a while, she faced the pinkette. "Are you an introvert or an extrovert?"

"I'm an extrovert. I love meeting new people and making friends," Lyn beamed, placing her cup on the table. "And you, [Y/n]-chan?

"I'm an introvert," [Y/n] said, holding her cup with both hands and rubbing her thumb against the surface. "But I'm pretty open-minded."

"Do you want to be more outgoing?" the girl inquired, grinning brightly.

The [h/c]ette shrugged, pondering the question. "I guess? It depends on if I can put aside my feelings of shyness for others' sake and let others in."

"Well, I guess you're right. We'll just have to see how we fare during our work in the future. Hopefully, we'll become close friends," Lyn said, her expression turning soft. "And I hope we can spend more time together."

The smile on [Y/n]'s face grew larger. "Me too."

A short silence hung between them. Both girls took some time to focus on their food before one of them spoke up.

"So... who's asking now?"

Blue eyes met with [e/c] ones. After a few minutes of staring at each other, they giggled. Despite her initial thought, [Y/n] found herself relaxing in Lyn's presence. Although she was nervous moments prior, their interaction was going on well and she doesn't have to worry about her anxiety coming up later in the day.

"I think it's your turn now, [Y/n]-chan."

"Alright," she nodded. "Are you the type of person who would pull a prank at work?"

Lyn gave a close-eyed grin. "Definitely! Especially now that Mikhail-niichan is my co-worker, I can pull pranks on him every time!"

There was a tenacious aura surrounding Lyn when she answered. And when she opened her eyes, her bright blue orbs contained a hint of burning mischief and resolution, something that [Y/n] was reminded of herself. Listening to the pink-haired girl made her insides flutter, especially with how energetic and carefree she sounded. She could easily imagine the pink-haired girl pulling pranks and mischief at all of their colleagues who were unfortunate enough to cross paths with the adorable teen. [Y/n] had never seen someone quite like Lyn, and she couldn't keep herself from being interested in her a bit.

"How about you, [Y/n]-chan? Are you the prankster type?"

The girl chuckled sheepishly, rubbing her cheeks. "I guess I might be. If I'm comfortable enough with my colleagues and vice versa then maybe I'll pull a prank or two here. I just don't want to get too much into trouble, hehe..."

"My older siblings might reprimand me badly if I let my reins too loose. After all, I still need to act professionally."

"Alright, then! We two can become partners in crime for our future prank missions!" Lyn giggled, causing [Y/n] to giggle along.

The sound of laughter filled the cafe, making [Y/n] happy that she was able to make the other girl laugh and share the same kind of energy with her that she felt with her own family. When they were done laughing, they were satisfied with each other's reactions. A warm feeling washed over [Y/n]'s heart.

"Your turn. Ask me another question."

"Do you have any siblings?" Lyn softly asked, munching happily on her unfinished shortcake.

"I do. In fact, the two people you saw with me earlier were my older twin siblings."

"Whoah! Really? Twin siblings?!"

"Uh-huh," the [h/c]ette bobbed her head, a pink blush resting on her cheeks. She took a sip of her drink, reminiscing about their childhood with a smile on her lips. "Although it was kinda annoying when they gang up on me since they're twins and I'm the youngest, I still enjoyed being with them. After all, they often spoil me if they wronged me in some way. They can be nice if they wanted to."

"You sound really fond of them," Lyn commented, smiling.

"They always helped me whenever I needed it. My parents are busy, so there's no one for me to talk to and rely on other than them."

"I understand that."

"How about you?"

[Y/n] watched as Lyn swallowed a mouthful of strawberry shortcake before responding. "I'm an only child in my family. Mikhail-niichan is my only cousin and we have a close relationship like brother and sister."

The other girl hummed in understanding, nodding at the explanation. "As a child, what did you think you’d do when you grow up?"

Lyn's lips parted, a faint smile appearing on her face. Her gaze then shifted toward the window beside her. It was clear that she was reminiscing about something. Slowly, she started to speak.

"I used to think about what I’ll do when I grow up. When I was young, I was very interested in baking that I thought I might become a patissier when I'm older. But then I scratched that idea when I got into dancing and performing later," she explained, her half-lidded eyes containing a wistful expression. She blinked and continued once she noticed [Y/n]'s curious expression. "Then, I started to gain interest in robotics so I pursued that. I wasn't expecting that I would be in this industry so doing this job is a bonus."

She could tell that Lyn was very passionate about her dream. Even though her voice was trembling in fear and unease, the tone of her voice showed a determination that she held. The way she talked about her dreams and her plans was extremely charming and even [Y/n] was captivated by the girl's words.

"Wow..." [e/c] orbs widened in awe at Lyn's explanation. "You're so cool."

Lyn returned the compliment by grinning wider, making her dimple appear on her right cheek. "Thank you! I work hard more than everyone else to prove to my older cousin that I can do things on my own!"

After saying that, Lyn flashed a small grin at [Y/n]. Soon, [Y/n] found herself smiling at Lyn's cheerful demeanor. The latter finally finished her shortcake and proceeded on munching on the croissant.

"What languages do you speak, [Y/n]-chan?"

"I can speak English fluently. I'm currently learning Japanese and know a few words in Korean."

"I am fluent in English, Japanese, and Korean!" The pinkette beamed, a fork stuck in her mouth.

"Wow! You're really great at everything."

"Yes! It makes life much easier, and I don't have to worry about getting caught off guard like my other relatives," Lyn mentioned, her head bobbing happily from side to side. "I learned the language with my older cousin while we were still young. I could teach you if you want to!"

"I appreciate the offer. Maybe someday," [Y/n] chuckled sheepishly, waving her hands dismissively. "Would you rather arrive at work early or stay late?"

"I would rather arrive at work early. That way, I can at least have fun with my friends," Lyn smiled. "That is a part of my life. And besides, I enjoy spending time with you. So I want to be with you every moment possible."

Another smile emerged on the [h/c]ette. "I'm sure we will be spending a lot of time soon."

Lyn nodded, picking the last piece of croissant from the plate with her index finger and twirling it in between her fingers. Her gaze was fixated on the [h/c]-tressed girl in front of her, solemnly eating her dessert. Her face appeared to have an inquisitive look as she stared intensely at the girl. Then, she suddenly grinned at her with an excited expression.

"Hey, [Y/n]-chan."

"Hm?"

"What’s your favorite time of day?"

"Well..." the girl pondered for a moment before she spoke. "I've never thought much about it myself. I guess I like [t/of/d] the most. I just really connect with it."

"Mhm, mhm," Lyn crossed her arms and nodded. "Okay, what's your last question for me?"

"What’s your favorite food?"

[Y/n] had an inkling that Lyn might have a sweet tooth, considering the desserts that she ordered and the empty plates on the pinkette's side of the table. [Y/n] loves sweets as well, but maybe not to the same degree as this girl. Nevertheless, she is curious as to what else Lyn likes. Maybe next she can treat her friend outside.

That made a smile emerge on her lips once more. Though, she subtly hid it by putting her cup on her lips.

"Hm... favorite food, huh?" Lyn mulled, rubbing her temple. "I guess anything sweet and spicy?"

"As in sweet and spicy dish?"

"No. As in any spicy food and any sweet food," she grinned.

[Y/n] nodded, taking note of her preferences. "Oh, I see."

After returning to the building, Lyn and [Y/n] rested at the lounge provided for actors. It was only the three — Peter has seated at a dining chair far away from the two girls as they were situated on the couch. Their earlier endeavor was enjoyable, and they even had fun baking previously. Now that it was after midday, the two actresses decided to rest for a while before a certain pinkette come up with more ideas to spend time with her partner.

Every now and then, Lyn would peek at the [h/c]-haired female sitting next to her. Her [e/c] eyes are fixated on her phone, her fingers tapping away at the keypad. Lyn held herself back from being nosy, so she could only stay quiet and conclude that [Y/n] might be texting her older siblings or some friends. However, when the other girl finished, something caught Lyn's attention.

"[Y/n]-chan."

"Hm?" the girl faced the pinkette, [e/c] orbs blinking in curiosity. "What is it?"

Lyn chuckled awkwardly, a blush erupting on her cheeks while rubbing her cheeks. "Sorry if I'm prying but are you interested in anime or the sorts?"

[Y/n]'s eyes widened a bit, surprised at that question. It even made her heart skip a beat and her whole body heat up. Maybe it was because this is the first time someone asked her about anime or that she was shocked that Lyn had that thought, but butterflies were swirling in her stomach. She can't even contain a smile trying to creep up on her lips.

"Why'd you ask?" she coughed in her fist, trying to play it cool.

"I just noticed your lock screen wallpaper. It looked like from an anime," Lyn mentioned.

"Well, considering that she was often looking in my direction, I guess she would say that. Is she interested in anime too, though? She doesn't look like it."

"I like anime a lot. I've been watching numerous series since I was a child," She replied with a smile.

Immediately noticing the bright expression on her companion's face, Lyn grinned, happy that she decided to talk about the subject.

"What anime is the picture from?"

"Oh," bringing out her phone once more, [Y/n] pushed the power button and the screen flashed open, revealing the wallpaper. She showed it to the pinkette, a flustered blush painted across her cheeks. "This is not from any anime. It's actually my drawing."

"Wow! Really?!"

[Y/n] nodded with a shy smile playing on her lips. The blush on her cheeks grew bigger and her smile got wider. Seeing [Y/n] like this, Lyn's eyes lit up with curiosity. She knew she wouldn't be able to resist getting [Y/n]'s full attention whenever the other looks like this. Even if she tries, Lyn knows that she's unable to keep her mouth shut around the other girl. So why bother?

"Can I see it? Please?" she begged, puppy eyes glinting with innocence.

At the request, the smile on her face grew brighter as [Y/n] nodded, her eyes lighting up. Without saying anything else, [Y/n] handed the other girl her phone. Lyn's grin instantly turned into a giggle.

"Wow~ You're talented, [Y/n]-chan! I would never know that you drew this until you say so!" the pinkette praised, her sky-blue eyes sparkling in admiration.

"Hehe, thanks," once more, [Y/n] felt flustered that she was receiving such compliments. Nevertheless, it did make butterflies flutter in her stomach.

Lyn continued to admire the digital art on [Y/n]'s phone. When the screen turned off, a sudden idea popped into the pink-haired's head. She returned the phone, but not without a request.

"Can I see you draw? Ooh! How about you draw me?" she smiled excitedly as she gazed at [Y/n].

Despite feeling nervous because of the sudden request, the girl can't help but titter. "It's not like I have anything else to do anyway. Why not?"

"Yay! Thank you!" Lyn hugged her for a brief moment before hopping off the couch.

Peter assisted the girl and gave a blank paper and a pencil to [Y/n]. She thanked him and he smiled in response, returning to his seat to continue his observation. She wanted to ask why he had something like this in his person but then remembered that he was assigned to document their progress. Nevertheless, she shook the unnecessary thoughts out and focused on the present task.

With [e/c] eyes staring intently at the pinkette, Lyn sat on the adjacent couch. She slightly turned her head towards [Y/n], her right hand posing in a peace sign over her grinning mouth. Just a few seconds later, [Y/n] began sketching the model. Lyn's breath hitched. The [h/c]-haired girl's hand was swift, moving rapidly along the surface of the paper. Her [e/c] hues looked back and forth from Lyn to the paper.

"It's okay now, you can stop posing," [Y/n] said.

With a slight bounce, Lyn returned to the [h/c]ette's side, curious about the progress. On the paper was a rough sketch of the pinkette. It still has various shapes occupying the general framework of the girl's features from the bust-up. Despite not knowing much about anime art, Lyn can still see the image of herself in the sketch.

For about five minutes, [Y/n] was nearly done with the drawing. The entire time, Lyn was watching the girl draw intently, her sky-blue eyes fixated on each stroke on the paper. Although the [h/c]ette appreciated the gesture, she still felt a bit embarrassed to be seen while working on something. Nevertheless, she pulled through it without any problems. And with the drawing finally done, she eagerly showed it to her partner.

"Ooooh~ It looks cute~" she cooed, holding the paper closer to her chest.

[Y/n] couldn't help feeling warm inside as she gazed at Lyn's adorable appearance. The smile on the pink-haired girl's lips and her bright blue eyes sparkling in delight caused a tender smile to display on her lips.

"Thank you. You really are very beautiful, I enjoyed drawing you..."

Lyn let out a light squeak. "Aww, [Y/n]-chan! You're beautiful yourself!"

"Thanks. You can keep that as a token of our time together," [Y/n] added.

"Really? Uwah! Thank you so much!"

"You seem to know a lot of places around here, huh?" [Y/n] commented as she trailed after Lyn entered the restaurant.

Lyn briefly peered back at her companion, grinning. "Of course! When it comes to places related to food, Mikhail-niichan is the first to know. He just informs me that's why I do too."

Once again, the two girls decided to eat dinner outside. This time, they went to a nearby restaurant named 'The Bistro Connections'. It amazes [Y/n] that Lyn was already familiar with the surrounding buildings and establishments near the company headquarters. Moreso when the places they've been to today are all related to food. Nevertheless, it still brought a smile to her face at the other girl's accommodation. 

"It might be not bad to explore around here. Maybe I'll bring them to eat here next time..."

The two girls picked a table near the windows and got seated. Peter, this time around, sat with the girl at the same table. After a minute, a waitress came and gave them a pair of menus, one for the man, and one for both girls. Opening the menu, [e/c] pools scanned the available meals, her mouth almost watering from seeing the pictures.

"This place serves a lot of spicy food. I think it's their specialty," Lyn mentioned.

"Ah, I see," the [h/c]ette nodded, noticing that there are a lot of spicy meals listed on the menu. "Is that why you chose this place?"

"Yup!"

A giggle escaped [Y/n]'s lips at that. After scanning the menu and contemplating their food choices, they called upon a waiter to order. As expected, the pink-haired teen ordered a couple of spicy meals — Piri-Piri Chicken, Mapo Tofu, Tteokbokki, Bah Kut Teh, Bibimbap, Yunnan noodles, and Yuxiang shredded pork. Just hearing Lyn narrate those orders to the waiter made [Y/n] pale. She was both astonished by the amount of food she ordered and also aghast at how all of them were spicy food. She didn't know that the pinkette's love for spicy food was to this degree nor understand how high her tolerance to spiciness might be.

After Lyn said her order, she turned to the [h/c]-haired female, an innocent smile on her lips. "What will you order, [Y/n]-chan?"

"Ah..." the girl snapped out of her reverie, sweatdropping. "I'll just gonna have [fav/food] and a cup of [fav/drink]."

As the waiter listed her orders as well as Peter's, he left. The two girls engaged in small chatter while waiting for their meal. Peter was busy writing in his record book, often glancing in the girl's direction and having a smile on his face upon seeing them converse. 15 minutes have passed and their meal finally arrived. One by one, the large table was filled to the brim with their food, most notably from Lyn's order.

Sky-blue eyes lit up in excitement upon seeing the meal in front of her. Meanwhile, [Y/n] had to recoil back because of the spiciness invading her nostrils. Even with her distance from Lyn's food, it still managed to make her eyes tear up and her nose itchy from how intense the spice was.

"Itadakimasu!" Lyn didn't hesitate to pick up her utensils and began eating her meal.

[E/c] eyes were wide in shock and awe, watching as Lyn effortlessly ingest her food enthusiastically, even without blinking or pausing. Even Peter sweatdropped at the scene in front of him but still managed to get his camera to record the behind-the-scenes.

"She really does love spicy food, huh? And I'm amazed by her high tolerance to it."

Smiling, [Y/n] then focused on her own food and began eating as well. The taste and texture of [fav/food] were indeed amazing as well as the smell. [Y/n] never expected such delicious dishes to appear in a chain restaurant. And while she was engrossed in her food, Lyn peered at the girl, grinning as usual upon seeing the shorter girl enjoy herself.

"Hey, [Y/n]-chan. Want some?" she offered, pointing towards the countless spicy meals she has on her side of the table.

"Sure," taking on Lyn's offer, the girl got a piece of Piri-Piri chicken, some mapo tofu, and yuxiang before putting it on her plate.

Lyn's expectant eyes were fixated on [Y/n] as she tried tasting the spicy meal. Putting a spoonful in her mouth, the [h/c]-haired girl began chewing. It didn't take long for her eyes to dilate and the inside of her mouth to heat up. Taking a deep breath, her body shook slightly. The [h/c]-haired girl continued to chew on her food. She wasn't sure if it was the taste or the burning sensations that brought on tears to the corner of her eyes, but she could feel the heat coursing through her whole body. 

"Ah! It's so spicy!"

[Y/n] tried not to cough, but after enduring the intensity of the spice for this long, it seems that her body can't handle it any longer.

"Khoff! Khoff! Khoff!"

"Are you alright, [Y/n]-chan?!"

Lyn immediately placed a hand behind the girl's back and rubbed it. Her face was glazed with panic — sky-blue eyes glimmer with worry, brows knitted, and a nervous sweat rolling down the side of her face. She took the cup of water and handed it over to poor [Y/n]. The [h/c]ette took big gulps of cold water, washing down the food down her throat and hopefully even the spiciness. Though, as expected, it didn't last long and after a moment of respite, the numbing sensation and spice returned to her mouth. The hotness lingered on her tongue, numbing her tastebuds.

"Khoff... Khoff... Ugh..." [Y/n] carefully wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes, sniffing and fanning her hot face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect that it would be that spicy... I was so used to the intensity that I didn't realize you wouldn't be able to handle it," the pinkette lamented, guilt reflected in her orbs. She continued to rub [Y/n]'s back, in an effort to ease her pain. "You could've declined my offer instead."

Seeing the dejected look on Lyn's face made [Y/n] frown slightly, feeling guilty. "No, it's fine. I decided to try out the food. It's not your fault that I have low spice tolerance. Besides, it's still tasty."

"But still..."

The girl in question couldn't help but chuckle softly at the sight of Lyn looking so concerned. However, she did manage to give her a reassuring smile. "I really wanted to try out what you like and I genuinely enjoyed it. Well, other than the high spiciness, of course. "

"...Yeah," Lyn sighed in relief, reciprocating the smile [Y/n] was giving her. "We could order something else that has a low spice that you can try."

"I'd love that," [Y/n] replied earnestly. "And maybe I'll add a [fav/flavor] milkshake as well to help with the spice."

"Sure! Let's do that. How about you, Peter-sa—"

"Khoff! Khoff!"

Just as the two girls glanced in Peter's direction, they witnessed him coughing. His face was red and tears were already flowing down his flushed cheeks. He fanned his hand over his mouth, an uncomfortable expression plastered on his face. [Y/n] and Lyn exchanged glances before giggling.

The day was long for both girls. The sky soon turned from its bright blue color to its iconic orange wash, and the sun slowly descend the horizon and behind the towering cityscape. After their pleasant dinner outside, Peter decided to escort the young females back to the company building. By now, the two were comfortable with each other that they were completely engrossed in chatting and sharing their experiences with each other.

All the way back, the taller pink-haired female hugged [Y/n]'s arm while walking. Of course, the other didn't mind. In fact, it made her happy that Lyn was enjoying her presence. And so did she.

"After the clock buddy activity in a week, I hope we can do something fun together~ Maybe I'll invite oniichan and Charlotte-chan as well!" Lyn beamed, excitement radiating off her tone of voice.

[Y/n] chuckled, pink dusted her cheeks. "Of course, I'll be happy to be part of it."

"Hm?"

"Is something wrong?"

Lyn's sudden halt made the other girl quirk a brow. Her gaze trailed after the pinkette's and saw that they were passing by what seemed to be a souvenir shop. Just seeing Lyn's bright blue eyes glitter made [Y/n] chuckle at how animated her facade is. A sudden thought erupted in her mind, earning a smile on her lips.

"Should we go to the store? I think I'll buy some souvenirs for my older siblings as well," she suggested, giggling.

"Sure!"

Lyn's reply immediately made her heart skip a beat. She was glad she had suggested it since it made her happy.

The two girls walked inside the shop, followed by Peter. Their wide eyes scanned the interior of the shop and the various items displayed on the shelves. Lyn immediately skipped over to one side of the shop, leaving the girl and their chaperone by the entrance. [Y/n] took this time to leisurely roam the shop, often her gaze lingering on an item that interested her.

"What should I buy for niichan and neechan? And maybe something for Cannae-chan and Rouin-nii as well."

Pondering over what souvenirs she should give them, the young adult headed towards a rack of accessories. There were a couple of accessories that piqued her interest, though the price of the item left the girl to sweatdrop and reconsider her choice. As she continued her browsing, one item caught her eye and she went closer to the shelves. [Y/n] picked up a brooch with a jeweled three-leaf clover design. Furthermore, there are only two of those displayed on the shelves.

Her gaze softened with a tender smile resting on her lips.

"I'm sure these would suit them well."

Deciding to buy the items, she moved on to the stationary section. There, she browsed the shelves to choose a suitable planner for a particular blue-haired male. It didn't take long for [Y/n] to get one and moved on to the next item on her list.

She stopped by the shelf containing many hair accessories. A certain hair accessory caught her attention. It has light green tints and has several thin straps wrapped around the hair clip. There are a variety of flowers and other decorations placed all around the pin and a small bow is attached to the middle section of the clip.

"A hair clip like that would fit her quite nicely~" [Y/n] murmured to herself.

After collecting her items to be purchased, she went to the counter and met with Lyn who was already there. Upon seeing her, Lyn waved as she waited for the employee to finish scanning her items. After the pinkette paid for her items and receive the shopping bag, she moved to the side and waited for [Y/n] to finish her transaction. When they were done, the three of them went straight back to the building.

"This is so much fun!" the pinkette chirped enthusiastically.

"Mhm," [Y/n] hummed in agreement.

"Oh! By the way."

"Hm?" facing her companion, [e/c] hues watched as Lyn fished something out from her shopping bag and showed it to her.

"Here. A gift," she grinned.

[Y/n]'s eyes widened in surprise. Nevertheless, she took the small box gratefully, a blush dusting her cheeks. "Thank you, Lyn-san..."

"You're welcome, [Y/n]-chan! And please call me Lyn-chan!" the pinkette chirped. "Thank you for today and for being a fun friend!"

After the family of three entered the car, it drove off from the building. Rouin was the driver. Dietrich sat in the front seat. And Zelda and [Y/n] were in the backseat. Speaking of [Y/n], the whole day spent with Lyn drained her of energy. She lay on her older sister's lap, the car's vibration and soft radio music lulling her to sleep. The older woman gently caressed her younger sister's hair, a smile plastered on her lips.

"How's the teambuilding activity?" Rouin asked, taking a peek into the rear mirror to see the sleeping youngster. "[N/n] was drained, huh?"

"It was fine. I met with a woman named Cesaire Alteon," Dietrich answered, his gaze fixated on the scenery outside. "Most of the time, we just chatted."

"I met with Kartis Claudith," Zelda said.

"I see. How about [N/n]? Who did she spend the day with?"

"A young girl named Lyn Blake. Apparently, her older cousin applied for the job as well. Peter said that they hit it off so the day went fine."

"She must've enjoyed it, huh?"

Dietrich chuckled, glancing behind to see his little sister. "Considering this girl, she would. Besides her anxiety, since this is her first time, I'm sure she enjoyed it. Making friends is always enjoyable, am I right?"

"Well, you're not wrong," the raven-haired woman sighed. Nevertheless, she also glanced down at the girl, her expression softened. "I'm just glad that [N/n] is slowly trying out things she'd never done before."

[ithoughtuweregoingforahug]

Saturday Nights

We’d meet Saturday nights on the tennis courts. It was our thing. Saturday nights, it was normal for kids his age to go out, and all the older residents at St. Lucas’ were allowed to stay out late. Saturday nights teenage boys could be anywhere. Saturday nights held all the freedom we wanted for ourselves.

We’d never actually play tennis. One of the first nights we’d met up there, he’d brought bats and a ball and we played for hours and it was the most fun I'd ever had and at the end of it we lay next to each other on the ground and I announced I’d never play tennis ever again. He just laughed. “Yeah, me either.”

Instead, we’d just hang out. I’d bring card games and he’d bring his portable speaker to listen to music and we’d play and talk and make out and look at the stars. The lights around the tennis courts always went out after midnight, and we were a little outside town - the nights were pitch black and we could see the entire universe.

Those nights were sacred. I became nice and tidy and obedient at the House, so they would never have a reason to keep me inside. They’d have locked me up for a thousand years if they had known who I was seeing on Saturday nights. St. Lucas’ had something against him. Maybe not him specifically, but his family, or community. He’d told me that the dislike was mutual. “My parents don’t trust that place’s history. They say it fucks kids up and those kids fuck up other kids.” “They said that?” I was teasing him. He grinned. “Maybe not like that. But yeah, basically.” “Do you think I’m fucking you up?” I said. He touched his thumb to my lips. “I think my parents are wrong.” “I think the people at St. Lucas’ are wrong too.”

We went to the same school, some of the same classes even, but we might as well not have. It wasn’t like anyone was actively keeping us apart, but we knew what would happen if we got too friendly too publicly. We knew because it had happened to us before. We had met at the beginning of the eleventh grade, when I had just moved to St. Lucas’, and we became friends immediately and after a couple months, I was called into the housemistress’ office, and he was sat down by his parents, and we were told we couldn’t be friends. People had told them. I hated all the people who had told them. For a while I tried to find out who did it. He told me there was a thrill and a romance in forbidden love. I told him I’d prefer the romance of unforbidden love.

We weren’t going to give each-other up, so we went lowkey. Met in secret places at school until he suggested the tennis courts. I hated sneaking around. I hated it even more after he said he liked me and I said it back. Looking away from him during class seemed impossible. I was in love with looking at him.

I told him that, that I loved looking at him. “You can look at me now”, he said. “But I want to look at you all the time”, I argued, “Like, every minute I’m awake. It’s impossible to focus, when you’re in the same room and I can’t look at you, it’s impossible to look away from you.” He moved his thumb back and forth along my knuckles. “Maybe we should run away, then”, he said quietly. “So you can look at me all you want.” “Yeah”, I said, and he climbed on top of me. “Maybe we should.”

We talked about where we’d want to go. He said he’d go to the sea. I said I’d go to the biggest city I could find, so big that no one cared who anyone else was being friendly with. I didn’t say that really, I didn’t care. I’d follow him into the sea.

05.11.2022

[of-foolish-and-wise]

a uni survival guide: tips from a phd

if there's one thing i know about, it's college. i've done it, i've taught it, i've lived and breathed it. these tips are for first years in particular, but honestly for everybody. i think it's so important for people to have balanced lives in these years -- academics are not everything. you know what didn't help me in the real world when i was afraid i wouldn't live through it? my fancy college note-taking format. you know what did help me? the friends i made there who i knew would get on a plane and fly across the country in a matter of hours if i told them i needed them.

academic

- figure out where class is held ahead of time: don't be that kid who's late on day one, i beg of you

- use the writing center: especially for basic grammatical editing, which a lot of professors don't have time to mark on papers

- speak up in class: talking through ideas helps you work through them, and asking questions about something you don't understand can open up great lines of conversation

- find a regular schedule that works for you and stick to it: my college schedule was morning free time, class, lunch, class, practice, homework. that consistency was a life-saver

- keep a planner: it's so important to have a central place to track deadlines, assignments, and engagements

- annotate your reading: when you're stressing about a paper topic, being able to go back to what you've highlighted and written in the margins is a life-saver

- color-code your coursework: i use the same color highlighter, pen, and notebook for any given class. it's super helpful

- if you can't focus while studying with friends, don't: i reserved group studying for days when i didn't have important work because i can't be in a room with other people without talking to them. if your school has one, the quiet floor of the library is your best friend

- treat yourself to a "fun" class: art was always my place to just sit back and chill, a way to end the night all zen in the darkroom instead of conjugating russian verbs in a fluorescent-lit cinderblock prison. for you, it could be gym, it could be pottery, it could be some random course about, like, the history of cooking or something -- explore!

- profs are people too: don't be too nervous around them. also, know that if you're struggling -- even b/c of something in your personal life -- you can admit it, and they'll almost always understand why you missed a deadline or bombed a test

- go to office hours: it's the only way to get to know professors in big courses, and it's so helpful for both your grades and learning how to navigate relationships with authority figures

social

- don't let academia keep you from your friends: it's a case-by-case basis, but sometimes it's okay to let the reading slide and spend time with friends. i graduated seven years ago and my college group text still talks every day. that's so much more important to me than the fact that i never finished brideshead revisited

- joining a club is one of the best ways to make friends: i played ultimate frisbee through college and it was the source of so many lasting relationships, as well as the way i met all my local friends when i was abroad

- say yes to things you don't know if you'll like: you'll surprise yourself. me? turns out i love drinking games. and theme parties. and skinny dipping. and rock climbing

- don't be that person who looks down on their peers for partying: honestly? that person kind of sucks. you don't have to party if you don't want to, but actually, a lot of those people are super nice and also good at school -- don't just write them off!

- show up for your friends: go to their games, their concerts, their art shows, their standup nights. show them that what matters to them matters to you, too

- set aside a night to do a group activity with others: whether your vibe is wednesday night trivia, a weekly "terrible movie" showing, or a get-high-and-watch-nature-documentaries-type thing, these are great ways to liven up the week and de-stress

- this is a great time to figure out who from high school really matters to you: you don't have to force relationships that were built mostly on convenience if there are friends at uni with whom you click more. people you became friends with purely based on the coincidence of where your parents lived do not have to be your forever friends. they can be! but they don't have to be

personal

- don't expect too much of yourself: a 4.0 is not the end-all, be-all. if your family or somebody tells you it is, tell them to call me, and i will personally talk some sense into them

- take advantage of university support services: mental health counseling, free yoga classes, multi-cultural societies, etc

- drink water: please, please don't get kidney stones in the middle of the semester, says the girl who got kidney stones in the middle of the semester

- let yourself take breaks: if you need to lie to a professor and say you're sick when really you're just feeling down and you need to sit in bed and watch a movie, that's totally valid

- don't freak about individual assignments: my students come to me freaking over a B+ and i tell them, honey, no job interviewer is ever going to ask you about your second paper from communications 101. i wish i'd known that

- go see speakers if there's someone interesting coming to campus: these talks are always cooler than you expect. i'll never get over the fact that i didn't go see anita hill when she came to my undergrad

- do your laundry on the same night every week: i can't explain why this is so helpful but it really is

- keep up on the news and the memes: read the school paper, the school blog, the memes page -- college politics and inside jokes are fun and convoluted and fascinating

- set the groundwork for long-term self-care: all of the above is really just to say -- university isn't just for learning about the french revolution, it's also about learning how to balance, how to handle failure, how to ask for help, how to make a salad that doesn't totally suck, etc

[eremiie]

a change of heart;

❥ nsfw | 6.1k words | eren x reader

❥ an annoyingly arrogant childhood friend has never seen the light of day in your eyes... until he does. eren jaeger was an anomaly that you thought you had figured out.

❥ content: cum play, choking, slight size kink, rough sex, unprotected sex

saying you liked eren was an understatement. you weren't fond of the boy— like at all.

it was something about him that you couldn't pinpoint, maybe it was the way he always had something smart to say back to you when you made the littlest comments, the way his eyebrows were always furrowed together as if he was constantly upset with you, the way he was just so aggressive— a handful if you must. you never liked the way he acted towards you, or anybody else for that matter so you never tried your luck at getting close to him.

or... maybe you didn't like that slight way your eyes widened when you first met him, or that run of his eyes over you on your first meeting. or was it the way you somewhat hoped to get into an argument with him just so you could bicker? something about your arguments thrilled you and sent a feeling you couldn't pinpoint through your body.

nevertheless, the bigger issue at hand was the fact that you couldn't seem to escape eren jaeger.

you were so unlucky and were deemed even unluckier when your mom happened to be the sweetest person on earth. she was the kind to bake a welcoming gift for the neighbors on your street, the kind to knock next door and ask in a sickeningly sweet voice for extra sugar for a recipe she was whipping up.

she'd done both of these things to your next door neighbor, which happened to be carla, carla jaeger.

once again, unluckily carla also happened to be such a sweet mom and you almost felt bad that she was blessed (cursed) with eren jaeger as a son. she was the type to bake something in return and gladly give you a small container of sugar that you would promise to bring back.

she'd done both of these things for your mom.

there advances were so continuous, and over the course of a couple years they became the most best friends imaginable, indulging in every mom-ly activity you could imagine together. this only forced you and eren to spend every unwanted second together.

you knew eren for only a couple years, yes, and you could still remember when his hair was just draped above his shoulders, an awkward length that you never failed to make weak jokes at just to see him get mad. but what you didn't know— or failed to realize that he would get even more annoying then the first time you met him.

maybe you were getting annoyed with the fact that his hair was no longer that awkward length and you couldn't throw the same lame jokes at him, because the length that it was at now? where it touched his shoulders and he threw it back into this awfully messy bun. maybe you were getting annoyed with the fact that now he was older and more occupied with the summer before college, you weren't forced to spend as much time with him, so you didn't see him much.

over these couple years though, your mom (being the doll she is) never failed to throw an annual barbecue that of course, carla always came to, not only did she come but they practically planned it together and had you and eren help out, unwillingly. they claimed it was an opportunity for you and eren to "actually get a long." because trust me— they knew about the tension between the two of you that they tried to break for years.

one of those annual barbecues seemed to be today, at the very minute, actually. you were standing next to eren, both of you with a tray of food in your hands as you awaited instructions, an irritated expression crossing both of your faces.

"okay, take those over to the buffet table you two, and then before you guys go crawl away to god knows where, one of you grab some utensils, napkins and plates and lay them down at the end of the table, and one of you turn on the speaker, guests will be flooding in soon." you chuckled at carla's comment. that's one thing you and eren had in common— the two of you almost completely hating this event if it wasn't for the good food. you would always sneak away to your room and eren would sit in your chair and mind his business while you'd lay on your bed doing your own thing. "and tell your mom i need her, _____!"

it was never an uncomfortable silence— no, as a matter of fact it wasn't always silent, lots of aimless arguments would arise and sometimes, eren would get really angry, but he never dared to leave the safety of your room rather than be surrounded by adults who claimed they'd known him since he was little.

"what?" eren asked you as you reminisced on the thought while the two of you began walking.

you glanced up at him, snapped out of your own head, him already peering down at you with furrowed brows and a slight frown on his face. "none of your business." that's not even what you meant to say but a smart retort was almost instinctive when it came to eren.

albeit your smart response he didn't send one back as he usually would, he just rolled his eyes and sat the food down on the buffet table, you doing the same. "i'll grab utensils and shit." you murmured in slight embarrassment from your quick comment eliciting no reaction. eren didn't look your direction, so you took that as a hint that he heard you as his body headed towards the direction of the old speaker that you knew'd be blasting old "parent" tunes.

you head inside, the smell of food grilling leaving your senses and the something in the midst of being baked filling them instead. you turned the corner of the dining room to enter the kitchen, your mom closing the oven after checking on the brownies baking. "hey, sweetheart, how's it going?" she asked you, smiling when she caught sight of you, all dressed nicely too, which was rare from your usual style; the black slip dress you wore coming mid thigh and lightly hugging your body. you were only wearing socks though, you didn't see the point in walking around in shoes when you'd just be retreating to the hole of your room and lounging around for as long as possible until your mom called you to help some more or to greet someone familiar.

"fine, me and eren just put down the last of the food already cooked. i'm about to set up cutlery and sh— stuff." your mom raised her eyebrow before nodding her head and watching you open up the cabinet at your feet to grab the grocery bag full of a new box of paper plates and napkins." all for the "save the turtles!" magnet your mom had pinned on the refrigerator. "hey, where are the plastic cutlery?" you asked, questioning its lack of presence in the plastic bag.

your mom turned her head towards you, from where she was wiping at her hands. "hm? oh! sorry, honey— i placed them in that cabinet up there because we had extras from that one family get together we had a couple weeks back.”

 ah, yes. you remembered that family get together. despite it being family, somehow carla and eren found their way into the gathering, and not to mention that being one of the last times you saw eren, and one of the most embarrassing times.

you see, the argument you had gotten in with eren that time was over him accidentally walking into your room in the middle of you changing for the event. you had yelled at him even though it was an accident, and that was one of the first times eren didn't try his hardest to win that argument, his face too flushed red, and his apologies and excuses seeming to not calm down your anger that hid your embarrassment.

but geez, for days after you were reminiscing on the drag of his eyes going down your back and over your ass before flickering back up to your eyes and only then realizing the situation at hand. you were just happy the encounter didn't make the next time you were seeing him, being now, too awkward.

your eyes drifted towards the cabinet above your head, the one your mom was eyeing at, and you sighed. "okay, thanks, and by the way miss carla wants you." your mom's eyes widened before she placed down the rag in her hands and scurried out the kitchen. you heard her speak a few words to someone but you weren't paying much attention as your fingertips began to reach upwards to pull at the cabinet doors. when it swung open a groan left your lips when you almost immediately spotted the brightest blue box of plastic cutlery at the top shelf.

"okay, _____... you can't reach that." you opted for climbing on top of the counter, and you did despite you wearing a dress, the fabric stretching as you propped yourself up on the surface, knees together while you used your hand to try and reach for the box.

your hand barely grazed it, but that didn't matter as eren's hands reached it for you, his back pressed against yours as he used his tippy toes and the stretch of his fingertips to knock the box down and grab it in the air before it could drop to the ground. the warmth of him behind you disappeared as he backed up and looked you over from your position on the counter. "if you couldn't reach it you should've had me get the stuff."

it was your turn to roll your eyes, heat rising to your cheeks before you climbed off the counter slowly and adjusted your dress. "shut up."

eren's arm came out to hand you the box. "since when did you start wearing dresses?" he asked abruptly, once again, those thick brows coming together in curiosity as you grabbed the box from his hands, stepping forward slightly.

"i've been wearing dresses, you're just too dumb to notice." your own gaze gave eren a once-over. he never dressed formally for any of these events like your mom made you. carla could never seem to get him into anything nice. plain black jeans with an almost too tight white shirt, and you could never fail to mention the key necklace draped around his neck that he once told you his dad gave him when you had asked "why do you always have that stupid necklace on?" he had gotten really defensive and only today you realized how insensitive that comment may have been considering the fact that he rarely saw his dad— as did you. you could only recall seeing the man twice, and at one time was at one of the barbecues. "i wore one... last time."

eren's eyes went up to the ceiling as he recalled "last time" realization dawning on his face, but before you could wait for his reply you were walking past him with your head pointed towards the ground as you told him, "you can go ahead and go up to my room, i'm gonna go put these down." and he watched you walk away before scratching his chin and doing just that.

you did what you had to do, placing down the cutlery and slipping past both your mother and carla before they could get you to do anything else.

when you opened the door to your room you were surprised to see eren sitting on your bed, shoes kicked off at the edge. you narrowed your eyes at him as he looked up from his phone at you. "what? your chair's broken." your eyes glanced to the chair that sat idle near your desk before you remembered— it was broken— no it wasn't broken, one of the wheels had just been screwed off and you nor your mom had the patience to fix it.

you lowered your suspicions at eren and merely nodded your head. you really didn't mind actually, the chair was eren's self proclaimed spot, he continued to sit their his self after the first barbecue, you never actually told him to.

"wow, i'm surprised you're not throwing a tantrum." he scoffed as you climbed onto your bed stomach flopping down next to eren who was propped up against your wall. your dress had ridden up in the slightest but you made no efforts to fix it, and you didn't make an effort to grab your phone either which was sat on your desk.

your arms held up your head, elbows on the bed as you looked up at eren with a raise of your eyebrow much like your mom. "you can get out." you half joked, eren looking down at you with lagoon green eyes.

"so you can leave me down to suffer with all those people? hell no, i'd surprisingly rather be up here with you."

you tilted your head at eren. "oh? why the change of heart?"

his stare sent a prickly sensation up your bare arms, and you turned over to your side so that your one arm propped up your head, your other draped across your waist. this was basically the first time you had a simple conversation without the two of you bothering each other, the first time you were somewhat amused by the words coming out of his mouth.

where was the old eren jaeger? this new eren jaeger couldn't help but think you looked... good, not to say he's never thought this before; the subconscious thought always in the back of his head, but now it was prevalent to him. the straps of your black dress so thin, and the way it hugged your body in the slightest was almost tantalizing. you didn't seem to be wearing a bra either, he could tell by the lack of support and straps. "huh?" you added when he didn't respond right away, eren's eyes snapping back up to your face.

he whipped up a quick response; "there wasn't a change of heart. you know i'm always up here... and you're tolerable today." he placed down his phone, interested in the conversation at hand. something was laced between your words, almost taunting, almost aware, more aware than you were earlier when the two of you had that encounter in the kitchen, more aware than you were when he accidentally walked in on you a couple weeks prior.

you felt confident today, you weren't sure if it was the mere maturity between the two of you that seemed to just decide to pop up today, you weren't sure if it was eren's new attitude, or if it was your attire that gave you the confidence you possessed. you always enjoyed you and eren's arguments, you loved seeing him riled, but today the snark to his own comments instead of him getting completely heated sent an even better thrill, if you could call it, down your spine. "hm, then it's not surprising you'd rather be up here with me, jaeger... and what makes me more tolerable today?"

eren let his eyes roll to the back of his head for a split second before deciding that the best response to that question would be no answer, lying wasn't healthy anyways.

"what? is it the fact that i started wearing dresses?" you mocked his earlier words, your hand flying up to create quotations in the air.

that was one reason.

"trying to get your little dick wet eren? that little blondie wasn't doing it for you, yeah?" you joked, but the way his eyebrow twitched and his eyes darkened, lowering as a very small smirk formed on his face told you maybe your joke was more than that to him.

he let out another small scoff, face turning away from you so his jawline was visible, the tiny brown hairs that wouldn't fit in his ponytail skimming his neck and forehead before he side eyed you, then turning his head back to you and not even noticing how he scooted forward as he brought his knee up for his arm to rest on. "little?" was all he could manage to get out. he wasn't gonna lie— your comments felt quicker today, and they were catching him a little off guard.

you flipped back onto your stomach before sliding your upper body and shuffling forward to sit back on your knees diagonal from eren. you weren't gonna lie— eren's comments felt quicker today, and they were catching you a little off guard. "did i lie?"

"yeah."

"i beg to differ."

eren's hand went to his thigh. even though his dick was on the other leg, semi-hard, he wanted to tease you with the leg closer, rubbing up and down the fabric of his jeans. "wanna see then?"

your eyes glanced down to his lap and widened, jesus— this was not the eren you knew, nor the eren you expected tonight. you let yourself fall backwards onto your pillows, grabbing one throw pillow and placing it over your face as you hid your true expression. although your voice was muffled you let out an "jaeger, stop! i'm supposed to hate you."

the bed dipped underneath you as eren shuffled forward until he was peering down at you again, grabbing the pillow with one hand, your hand flying up to grab his wrist, then his coming up to pry your fingers off him. after a small tussle he pinned your hand to the bed, grabbing the pillow and chucking it off the bed to see your face.

your lips were shriveled in an embarrassing smile and you turned your head away from eren, only then realizing the presence of his cold gold pendant tickling your chest, and how close he actually was, his thigh pressed up against your side, and his untucked hairs gravitating towards you. those green-blue eyes seemed even more intimidating up close, and the dangerous slight upturn of the corner of his lips didn't seem to help in you feeling small under him.

eren jaeger, an anomaly. who knew people could change right before your eyes.

"jaeger," you brought your other hand to his chest, pushing at his sternum with as much force as possible which didn't budge him, eren only grabbing your other hand with a low chuckle and placing it above your head, bringing both of your hands together and keeping them there with one wrist. you let out a soft whine of the word "move," that made eren's lip twitch before you brought your foot up to kick him.

"kick me and i swear, ______—" and so you did— well at least you tried, eren grabbing your ankle and holding your flailing limb. you guys looked insanely stupid, and it made your little whines turn into small laughs that seemed to be contagious as eren began to laugh too. your body went limp as you soon realized that eren was pretty strong, which the old eren wasn't.

he let go of your leg, dropping it to the bed on the other side of him so he was sitting between them. "i'll let go if you admit that you don't actually hate me." a small goofy grin was on his face and it made you reciprocate.

"nope," you popped the p, eren quirking his brow at you before letting his eyes wander down. he had you in quite a position; your legs on either side of him, your hands pinned together, and your dress scrunched up just enough so he could see the black underwear you adorned. you watched his eyes trail back up, stopping at your lips, his tongue sliding over his own before coming back up to your eyes. "but it's obvious you don't hate me."

eren let out a small laugh and your stomach churned— so did his. 

"nope," he popped his p just like you. "that's just some weird shit we were on when we were younger... you're not that bad." he hummed, leaning down a bit so he was hovering over your face, and god did he look amazing.

maybe he was right— maybe it was just one of those weird things that leave with age, and you were fine with it leaving, especially if it gave you the eren jaeger in front of you right now. your lips parted in effort for you to speak but you choked on your own words, not sure what to say. but you didn't have to say much because just like eren, you let your realization hit you on how he had you, how he looked, and your gaze stopped at his lips too. he took that as his cue— his face inching way too close, but not like you minded.

"the way you're looking at me doesn't seem like it, ______."

you squeezed your legs on his sides as you felt the fabric of his jeans rub against you from the proximity. "well, i—" he didn't let you finish his lips connecting with yours and you almost forget how to kiss for a moment, eren's lips being the only ones moving until he let go of your hands and you cradled his jaw, kissing him back just as fervently.

eren hummed against your lips in content, them beginning to move together as if the two of you were made for each other. something felt like it was lifted off your chest, and you really relished in the moment at hand. one of eren's hand coming up to your hair and pushing your head more towards him, the kiss becoming rougher while his other hand settled at your side gripping roughly as if you could run away any second.

you felt desperate, practically swallowing eren's lips up, him biting at your lip before pulling away for air. he looked down at you with a lustful expression, his lips parted and flushed red while his eyelids hung low. "finally, you shut up."

you looked up to the ceiling with a smile gracing your face. you didn't know if you were in shock at the fact that he could still throw quick comebacks after such an event or if you were in shock at what just happened. "you shut the fuck up— and come here," 

you lifted your head up to connect your lips back to eren's, your tongue sliding over his bottom lip, and he quickly got the hint, pushing you back down to the bed as he parted his lips so that your tongues could collide gently. the kiss was wet, and passionate, you could practically taste the lust that both of you were so oblivious about for years. you could taste how long he craved your lips on his and you almost wanted to apologize for leaving him waiting for so long.

eren's tongue licked around your mouth, doing all the work while you laid back and guided your tongue to follow his almost like a recited dance. his hips moved with yours, beginning to grind against you to relieve some of the ache in his dick, and he was glad you were wearing a dress. his hand on your hip grasped the black fabric and aggressively yanked it up, your hips lifting to help him out a little bit until your lower half was completely unveiled to him.

his mouth disconnected from yours so he could peer down at you. "fuck..." he muttered. his hand slid under your dress, smoothing over your stomach before nearing your breasts, looking back up to you as if to ask if what he was doing was fine. you gave him that confirmation and let your eyes drift close as his warm palm relaxed itself over your tit. the contact that his fingers made with you nipple as he moved his hand down to toy at it caused them to harden and you to whimper.

eren ducked down to your neck so he could kiss it, nibbling at the sensitive flesh which elicit your hand to fly to his messy brown locks. "yeah..." you sighed, elated with the feeling of him sucking at your skin, his tongue occasionally licking at the spot and his teeth grazing over it as well before he completely pulled off, hoping a distinctive hickey you would have trouble hiding from your mom would begin to appear sooner or later.

his hand slid back down to your side until it went over the curve of your back and trailed down your ass until it met your supple thighs. he grasped at your skin, the fat underneath his fingertips leaving his imagination to wonder what it would be like in between your thighs. he brought his other thumb to your plain black panties, pressing it against your clothed entrance just to get a feel and your head flew back so you were no longer watching him— eyebrows turning upwards and mouth parting as uneven breaths left you mouth.

you were so hot and bothered, you needed him now— any way you could take him.

"need you... right now, eren." you mumbled, your hand retreating between your dress to cup at your own breast.

eren looked up at you another smile playing on his lips, and he would be the death of you. "first name basis now that you want to be fucked by me?"

"oh my gosh, just hurry."

you brought your legs closer to your body as eren's hand came to the hem of the fabric that was the only thing separating you and him. he pulled it over your legs and down your feet tossing it to the side. when you didn't part your legs for him immediately he brought his hand to both of your knees and with some resistance parted them for you, the sight of your glistening cunt going straight to his dick.

you were so pretty to him, yet he didn't want to boost your ego any more so he held his tongue and untucked his lip from his teeth before stepping off the bed, grabbing your ankles and pulling your body to the edge of the bed.

your pussy fluttered as you watched eren fumble with the button and zipper of his pants. he stopped for a brief moment, groaning in annoyance before looking back to you. "i don't have a condom."

your hand flew to your forehead and you felt yourself squeeze around nothing at the thought of eren sliding into you without one. "you're clean right?"

eren scoffed. "yeah."

"okay well then hurry!" you repeated, eren going back to pulling his pants down until they were pooled at his ankles, as well as his boxers. his dick was finally exposed to you, and you stifled a moan when you saw it— pretty, hard, big and flushed red in anticipation for you not anyone else. he took himself into his hands and smeared his pre cum over his length while his head tilted back and his jaw dropped at the slight relief.

"this is about to be the best dick you've ever had." he half joked as he grabbed your hips and pressed at your entrance, leaning overtop of you again.

"we'll see about that, ja—" you couldn't even get the rest of your sentence out as you felt his tip slide more into you, a gasp leaving your throat, your walls clenching his tip causing him to let out a slight moan.

he stopped for a moment, bringing his hand up to steady himself on the bed. "eren, not jaeger."

he pushed in a little more, your hand flying over to your mouth muffling your, "eren!" which caused him to smirk. "shit... you—" a little more, your eyebrows coming together like his as he tried filling you up even more.

"me what?" he breathed out, pushing in a little more.

your back arched and your fingers came to wrap around his wrist beside your head for support. "it kind of hurts." you mewled out. of course you wouldn't tell eren this, but it had been awhile since the last time you had sex, prone to getting yourself off instead, and eren's size wasn't helping either.

"well..." he started, sheathing himself more inside you as your grip on his wrist tightened, and small pathetic half-whines left your throat. "you gotta take it." your eyes screwed even more shut as his words rang through your head. you were practically throbbing for him and you wanted this just as bad. "don't start something you can't finish." and with that the brunette let his length fill you up completely, ignoring your slight displeasure until he bottomed out, shushing you and letting his hand come down to rub circles on your clit to soothe you.

a sigh left your lips and your hand relaxed from eren's wrist. "okay."

"okay?"

"you can move." and eren wasted no time doing just that, his hips moving backwards and sliding against your walls causing you and him to groan at the same time.

when you were fully adjusted, and any discomfort you felt had drifted away, eren moved faster, almost fucking you how he wanted to in the first place. he lifted himself from the bed and put his hands on your hips, dragging you onto him as he pushed in and out of you, basking in your moans of pleasure and the feeling of your tight walls trying to consume him.

"yes," you said with gritted teeth as the way eren thrusted into you with purpose felt amazing and left you wondering why you didn't confess to your attraction to him sooner. "fuck, eren..." his hips stuttered from the way you sounded moaning his name. he wanted to hear it again, and again, wanted to hear it so many times that he could hear it when he fucked his fist to your pretty face. "like that, just like that."

"again." he demanded, and the low octave of his voice ordering you to repeat his name sent your head into a spiral. you grind against him, your wetness smearing on his abdomen. eren brought his hand to your hair again, pulling your body up off the bed and you winced at his tight grip as he continued to fuck up into you nicely. "i said again."

"eren," you repeated more like a plea. he pulled your head forward more, smashing his lips to yours again briefly, just wanting to feel more of you, wanting to feel you crave him.

"what do you want me to do?" he asked. he wanted you to tell him how bad you wanted him, how bad you wanted him to fuck you— and with the way his cock stretched you out so well, fucking into you with ease, like it's what he was made for, you were willing to do just that. "hm?"

"fuck me good, make me cum, eren, please."

"if i do you're gonna stop acting like a little brat when we're together right?"

"yes, yes, yes," you babbled not even realizing what he said that had you nodding your head hastily.

eren chuckled at the lack of hesitance in your response, softening his grip on your hair and letting your head fall back to the bed. "good girl." he murmured while slowing down his pace causing you to roll your hips into his as a silent plea to go faster. eren pushed your dress up some more until it was bunched up right to your chest, then having you pull off the straps to free your tits. he stepped out of his jeans and boxers, pushing you higher on the bed to create space for himself, not leaving you once, leaving your cunt fluttering around him as he did all these motions.

the little sad cries that would leave your lips begging him to hurry up so that he could fuck you again made you sound so stupid for him, so impatient and so dirty. eren didn't mind at all though, when he shifted himself up on your bed and pressed your legs to either side of your body so he could hit deeper, he complied with your wishes. "open your mouth." and you complied to his, parting your lips and sticking your tongue out, eren coming down to let his spit drop into your mouth, and the second his saliva came in contact with the muscle you squeezed his member from inside of you, he could feel you tighten around him and your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you swallowed. he watched your throat bob before wrapping his hand around your neck to create leverage for himself.

when you felt him drag himself out and back into you so forcefully, your body jolting as he continued the motion, fucking down into you. he was drilling that soft spot inside of you, and he didn't stop you when your hand trailed down below his arm to touch yourself, rubbing at your swollen clit while he drilled you. "you're gonna cum?"

you were too incoherent to form words, the nods of your head telling him enough. he was on the verge of coming too, but he wanted you to come first, he wanted to feel you pulse around his throbbing cock, spill your slick all over him. "shit, then cum all over me, _____. right on my dick, let me feel it." you let out a sultry moan, eren letting go of your neck going to grasp one of your bouncing breast the other grasping your thigh and pounding into you hard while you got yourself off with your middle finger.

small cries spilled out of your lips as your orgasm slowly approached until it finally did, your vision blanking out, pussy squeezing eren impossibly tight, and every nerve being pinched in your body. your hand unconsciously flew to your blanket, gripping the fabric tight as you moaned a drawled out sound resembling eren's name. you felt like you were the only person alive, like the guests downstairs didn't exist, like your parents weren't just outside your window along with them, not even like eren was there when your climax washed over your body, blurring your senses.

"fuck, fuck, fuck, yeah—" eren was having trouble holding back, but as soon as he felt your juices coat him, and the sound of his name from you he let go of your thighs and chest, pulling out of your wet heat and jerking himself to completion, hot cum spilling all over your lower stomach as to avoid your dress. "shit.." he panted, watching his seed sit idle on your pretty skin.

he felt hazy, almost in disbelief that he just fucked your lights out, almost quite literally as you hadn't opened your eyes since your orgasm.

eren took it upon himself to gather some of his cum with a swipe of his finger then prod at your swollen lips, you lazily opening your mouth to taste the salty taste of his cum. "good?" and you hummed, letting your head fall back to the blankets and closing your eyes.

eren tucked himself in, leaving to head towards your bathroom, and soon enough coming back to help you clean up. when you felt the warmth of something slide over your lower abdomen, you too out of it to open your eyes, you relaxed against the bed. eren adjusted your dress and slipped your underwear on for you, shaking your arm to wake you up. "your mom was out there. she was about to check on you when i walked out the bathroom. that would've been embarrassing."

you were too tired to respond, blinking at eren before picking yourself up and sitting up in front of him, his height allowing him to still be looking down at you even though you were on a bed. "i'm gonna head down cause i'll probably be leaving soon... i'll tell her you're sleep."

you nodded your head at eren before crawling to your bed and under the blankets, turning away from him. eren eyed you for a moment before coming forward and deciding to press a kiss to your ear, then grabbing his phone and slipping on his shoes. he grabbed the damp paper towel and threw it in your trash, shutting your lights and shutting the door quietly.

eren jaeger, an anomaly you thought you had figured out who happened not to be that bad after all.

maybe you did like eren— just a little bit.

[pingguins]

Begin Again | Chapter 2: Grit

Newt x Reader

Words: 2,826

Warnings: Talks of suicide and mentions of torture.

Synopsis: What do you do when you’ve gotten out? Out of the Maze, out of The Scorch, with WICKED supposedly destroyed? When the love of your life turns into the monster you and your friends have tried and failed to outrun?

The story takes place after Death Cure. Newt’s alive, but so are the workers of the people who trapped and tortured you.

As more of the story unfolds, Y/N and Newt have to survive and live with the fact that both are willing to die for each other. Hopefully, with allies ahead, they will go on to have a life instead of just surviving.

Everything happens for a reason. Now that Newt’s life has been given another chance, we can only wish that the story ends without having another’s taken away.

Even when all else fails, with enough time and perseverance-often times with strategy and purpose-life finds a way to begin again.

~

The lights were blaring as usual. This wretched place was always so bright, even at night. They said it was so that they can continue to monitor what I do in my room, as if I had anything to help me escape.

I lay on my bed, dressed in my white hospital gown, the areas where they inserted the needles still ached. It’s been a week, exactly seven days. They experimented on me just when I woke up, and right before I went to bed.

And every time, without fail, I would hear Newt shout my name, hoping to somehow ease my pain as he banged on the glass door.

Starting today, though, they said they would only “monitor” my brain activity once a day before I go to bed.

Hopefully, that would give Newt’s hands some time to rest.

Speaking of Newt, Grace brought something of his back to me the other day. I stood up, purposely tripping on my own foot as I fell down onto the white-tiled floor. I used the bed for support to stand back up, all the while discreetly getting the bracelet from underneath the mattress with my other hand.

I bunched it up at small as I can, the leather and twine rough against my palm as I sat on the bed, making sure to hide the bracelet under the white linen cloth and left it there.

Turning to the camera in the corner of the room, I yelled. “I know you’re watching you shuck-faces. Go tell someone to give me some water, I’m thirsty. It’s the least you can do after poking around in my brain all week,” I scoffed.

I swung my legs up onto the bed, draping the blanket over them, making sure that my left hand was also being covered as I clutched the bracelet tightly, fidgeting with it as I patiently wait for my water to arrive.

There was a button I could use beside my bed to call for someone when I needed it, but I never used it when I wanted a specific person to come to my room.

Matt was always watching—at least I hoped he was—and if I was right, Grace would be walking in soon with a glass and a pitcher of water, complete with a WICKED uniform.

As I waited, I laid down on my bed, placing the blanket up to my neck as I clutched the bracelet close to my heart. I was tired, I was lonely, and I had no idea if my friends ever made it to the Safe Haven. Tears spilt from my eyes as I silently cried for the future I yearned to have.

“The Maze Trials are going to start soon, the subjects have to be prepared,” Janson’s voice crackled through the speaker.

Like usual, I could feel the wires attached to my body, whirring machines could be heard accompanying the voices from behind the glass where Ava and Janson spoke.

“They’re already prepared. They’ve got through all the tests. All that’s left is to actually send them into the Maze,” Ava answered.

For supposedly smart people, they certainly aren’t mindful enough to notice when they’ve left the mic on.

“I’m not talking about the Group A and B,” Janson replied. I couldn’t see how they communicated, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were clearly hiding something.

“We don’t even know for sure if she’s going into the Maze or what group she’ll be in,” he continued.

“We’ll have to see how she reacts. Besides, we aren’t sending Subject A5 in until the 3rd month. We have until then to intervene,” the woman replied, her voice remaining firm and professional.

“So that’s A6, A7, A13, and A5 as the first four subjects?”

Shit. Alby, Minho, Matt, and Newt.

No answer came after that, just a low hum that made my heart sink to my stomach.

Later that day, I spoke to Matt about what I heard. I wanted to tell the others, but Janson and Ava had been keeping tabs on me entire day, Matt was the first person I could get ahold of the moment they left me alone.

We were in the corner of the cafeteria, and Matt just about had a breakdown when he’d heard about how close the Maze Trials were.

“I don’t want to leave—”

“You’re not leaving,” I interrupted. “If there’s anyone here who’d serve as an asset to them, it’s you.” He opened his mouth to speak, but I continued. “And I don’t want to leave him alone in there. You don’t want to go into the Maze because you have no reason to, but I do. All you have to do is trust me.”

I woke up to the sound of the door opening, and glass hitting metal as a pitcher and a glass cup were placed on my bed-side table. The person who entered wore a full WICKED uniform, the masked figure looking up at the camera and back to me before removing their mask.

“Matt can only give us ten to fifteen minutes tops before he gets caught. So, any updates?” Grace asked, with one hand on her hip as she smoothed her hair with the other. I smirked.

“How’s Newt?”

Grace sat down on the bed with an exasperated sigh. “You signalled me here… to ask about your boyfriend?” she pouted.

“More or less, yeah,” I giggled. “No, but seriously. He has WICKED wrapped around his finger so we can really use him.”

“Well,” she sighed, giving me a pointed look. “If you really want to know, Newt seemed bored as hell, not to mention how worried he’s been for you. I don’t get how that guy hasn’t broken his vocal cords from all the screaming yet,” she joked. Well, half-joked. I wondered the same thing.

Before I could respond, Grace shifted so that her body faced me. “What did you dream about? You— you were mumbling in your sleep.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to recall what exactly happened in the dream. It was pretty vague, but I could remember enough details, I guess. “I— it was before the Maze. Matt was there, and we were talking about something about him not going into the Maze?”

She froze as her breath hitched. I could already tell what she was thinking.

“So… I’m guessing it was a memory?” I asked. Grace kept her mouth shut as she nodded. I hummed, “Yeah, they said with all the klunk they’ve been doing to my brain that some of my memories might get jogged.”

I wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good thing. The people we were before and after the Maze are very different people, and whatever happened in the past has got to be left behind. Who knows what can change if any of us remember?

Taking a deep breath in, I shake my head to get rid of the image of Teresa standing with Ava Paige in that Berg. She was on our side until she got her memories back. I can’t risk that for Newt and I.

“I don’t want to remember,” I whispered. Grace didn’t say a word, she only placed a gentle hand on my back to comfort me. “What if remembering changes how Newt sees me? What if I go back to being who I was before the Maze?”

The girl beside me chuckled, patting my back before fiddling with her helmet. “What makes you think you’re so different from before?”

I raised my eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

“I’d say more, but you said you didn’t want to know, so…” she teased, smirking as she side-eyed me.

I scoffed, hitting her gently on her shoulder as she laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll keep going,” she giggled, letting out a breath as she recalled stories from several years ago. “Matt...he prefers to stay behind and take care of the cameras because he doesn’t want to talk to you.” Grace looked directly at the camera, giving it a pointed look, “yes, Matt, I’m telling her.”

She shook her head, her gaze going back to the helmet that her hands fidgeted with. “From what I know, you weren’t supposed to be in the Maze, he was. I’m not quite clear on how, but you knew the order of who was going into the Maze.”

My mind went back to the dream I had a few moments ago, recalling the events that had happened. It’s funny how even in my dreams, my brain was still being monitored and I was in a facility that looked eerily similar to the one I’m in now.

“Matt didn’t want to go…” Grace continued. “But you did. Because you wanted to be with Newt to make sure he was safe, even if you knew you weren’t going to remember each other. You caused a lot of chaos for that to happen,” she finished.

She looked up, looking directly at my eyes, her eyes swimming with emotions I couldn’t read. “Your memories were taken away from you, and yet, even after all of that, your mind never changed. You still want Newt to be safe, and you’re still going above and beyond to make that happen.”

I didn’t know what to say, I could only look back at her as my mind searched for the missing memories that I still wasn’t sure I wanted back yet.

Grace sighed, breaking eye contact as she stared ahead, yet I could tell by her eyes that she was still inside her head. “Believe it or not, Y/N, you didn’t change much. The only thing you did was grow up, and so did Newt. Regardless of your memories, I doubt anything is going to change,” she sighed.

She patted my thigh twice before standing up. “I’m not sure about Matt, but I’m ready to get out of this place whenever you are. You know the risks, though. If you want Newt to get far enough away from here, you might have to get left behind for a little while.”

“I know,” I replied, my face stoic.

“You sure about this? If I’m taking Newt to safety, I can’t ensure yours while I’m gone.” Her stature was that of a soldier, but her face showed uncertainty. “I’m asking because I sure as hell know that Newt wouldn’t approve of this,” she paused. “And neither do I. But it’s your call.”

I sat up straight with my head held high. “You said it yourself, I go above and beyond to make sure he’s safe,” I sighed, giving her a small grin as I showed her the bracelet on my wrist, looking at it with fondness in my eyes. “I can handle myself, more so if I have the knowledge that he’s out of here.”

She firmly nodded, not saying anything before walking towards the door and moving to put her helmet on, but before she could, I spoke. “Wait…”

The girl stopped, turning to face me as she waited for me to continue speaking.

“W-were,” I stuttered, caressing the bracelet with my thumb, my eyes directed at Grace. “Before the Maze Trials...were Newt and I…” I trailed off, not knowing what the right words were.

I was sure I cared about Newt way before the Maze, but I had no clue if the feelings were beyond just friendship and if the feelings were reciprocated.

“Will my answer change the way you see him?” she raised, to which I immediately shook my head and replied with a no.

She smiled, “Then it doesn’t matter.” Grace put on her helmet after that, leaving the room, letting the door close behind her and leaving me with my thoughts.

“I know you only wanted to help me, but going into the Maze at night was so shucking stupid.”

I looked up at Newt, my hand laid on his chest, his left arm behind me as we laid next to each other inside the med-Jacks hut. His leg was broken in three different places, so it was propped up, the Med-Jacks telling him not to exert himself more than he already has. You know, like breaking a shucking door down…

“Well, I don’t regret a single thing.” I stood my ground as he looked down directly into my eyes, his brown ones firm and authoritative.

“As the now second-in-command, I won’t allow you to go in there again.”

My eyebrows furrowed in irritation. frustrated by the tone that he was using. I didn’t want an argument to ensue, so I kept my voice levelled as I replied. “And as someone who cares about you, I won’t allow you to tell me what to do when I’m only trying to help you.”

“Well, your way of trying to help me may have gotten you killed.” His voice was slightly raised now, opting to look at the ceiling instead of my eyes.

My gaze, on the other hand, never strayed away from him.

“You did the same thing and you weren’t even trying to help anyone,” I replied, tears clouding my vision as they fell on Newt’s shirt. The bitterness I felt couldn’t be contained anymore.

“Had I succeeded in taking my own life, you wouldn’t have gone in the Maze.” His voice was cold and unwavering.

“Had you succeeded in taking your own life, you would have taken away a piece of mine,” I sniffled, sitting up as I looked straight ahead, refusing to meet his eyes. “I know you’re hurting way more than you let on, and I want to help you, but I can’t do that if you won’t le—”

“I won’t let you because I don’t want you to feel like I’m burdening you—”

I slammed my hand on the bed that we were on as I spoke through gritted teeth. “You don’t get to tell me what to feel!”

Still, I didn’t meet his eyes even though I could feel it burning a hole at the back of my head. More tears threatened to spill as I looked up, trying to keep them at bay. “You would know that if you could just get it into your thick skull that I’m hurting way more than I let on as well because the person I’m in love with just tried to kill himself.”

I choked back a sob as I felt the tears flow down my cheeks, Newt sitting up slowly without a single word. “You’ve been trying to protect me since we became friends, but you know by now that I can handle myself, more so with the knowledge that you’re alright.”

I felt a hand touch my shoulder, as another cupped my cheek.

Then, lips against mine.

After a second of processing what was going on, I closed my eyes and reciprocated the kiss. It was soft, it was genuine and it only lasted for a few moments before he pulled away from me.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his eyes looking into mine as our foreheads touched. “I’m not okay, and I don’t expect to be for a little while. But much like you, I feel better knowing that you’re alright, which is why I was so terrified that I could've lost you to the Maze after not speaking to you for an entire week,” he sniffled.

He pulled away slightly, running his thumb over my cheekbone. His eyes, though brimming with tears, were filled with stars. The emotions held within only made him more beautiful.

“I’m in love with you, too, if you can’t already tell,” he chuckled, sniffling as a few stray tears flowed down his cheeks. “And I promise that I’ll try my bloody best to get better so we can get out of here and I can take you out on a proper date somewhere that’s not surrounded by a deadly, monster-filled Maze,” he grinned, kissing my forehead as he pulled me to him, holding me tightly.

“And I promise not to go into the Maze,” I paused as I felt him sigh in relief. “Unless it’s completely necessary,” I added, hearing a groan from the boy.

“Well, I guess that’s better than nothing,” he chuckled as I felt his hold tighten a little. “Thank God for this broken leg.”

I was about to say something, but he spoke first.

“If I didn’t end up here then I wouldn’t have been able to tell you how I bloody felt.”

“Hey!” I exclaimed. “The only reason you did it was because I did it first!” I laughed. I felt his shoulder shake as he laughed as well, making my smile even wider.

“Damn, I can’t even take credit for finally getting the girl,” he replied. Even though I couldn't see his face, I could hear the smile on his face.

“You don’t have to. You've always had her,” I grinned.

[jeongvision]

[ 11:41 AM ] ➞ [ 10:05 PM ]

pairing. husband! jeong jaehyun ✗ fem! reader

genre. fluff (!!), parent au, non idol au

warnings. get ready for soft hours after this bc it’s a dream to have dad! jaehyun

author’s note. happy valentine’s day! this and the previous timestamp is based on my conversations with my little sister! (also this isn’t proofread oopsies)

It’s Valentine’s Day, a day for lovers and friends alike to reunite in the name of love for a memorable night. Reservations at restaurants are booked to its maximum capacity to the point where the kitchen bell is ringing nonstop. Flower and candy shops are constantly restocking their inventories to tailor the perfect gift for their customers’ special someone. All in all, it was a chaotic day for everyone, but to see the look of fondness in their eyes when they subconsciously talk about their favorite person is what makes this holiday so wonderful.

As some may now, Valentine’s Day is also a special day for someone, and that certain person is none other than Jung Jaehyun for that date is also his birthday. Being the born-romantic person he is, he planned to spend his entire birthday with you and his daughter, Yeona, out to various places with love filled in the air. Due to unforeseen circumstances, he was called into work after a coworker succumb into a horrible illness, prompting the latter to fill in his missing work.

So here he is, stuck in his office with documents and files piled onto his desk, two hours into overtime. Luckily, he was able to have a valentines-themed breakfast in the morning with you two before receiving a phone call, but he would rather much be at home right now cuddling with his two angels talking about memories and fairytales.

Romantic, isn’t it?

Out of his entire floor, he is the only one present in his department. Some of his coworkers stayed behind for overtime to finish some last minute work, but they have all left to retire for the night. Due to that, the only lights illuminating the floor are emergency lights and his desk lamp, shadows encasing all corners of the room.

He looks up to the clock that hung high on the wall adjacent to his desk: 10:05pm. Taking his glasses off, he rubs his strained eyes together, fatigue slowly but surely overtaking his entire body. He crosses his arm on top of paperwork and rests his forehead against them.

‘Just a few more and you’re done, Jaehyun,’ he thought to himself. ‘Come on, Jaehyun. Do it for them. You have a family waiting for you back home.’ He pauses for a moment, having just realized his thought process.

He lets out a smile, “Home.. home is wherever you two are.” You and Yeona are his safe havens, the catalyst to his continued existence on earth. Without you two in his life, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself. Would he be happy and content with life as he is now? Or would he just live on not knowing what’s right from wrong, and what’s love and lust? Just you alone kept him grounded with his morals, knocking complete sense into his mind whenever he starts to stray off his lane. He is more than lucky to be married to someone extraordinary as you.

He sits upright in his seat before stretching his limbs a little, small cracks heard in the process. He picks up his pen and dives straight into his documents, determined to finish before the clock could strike into the next day.

However, just before he could flip the page, his phone rings. He glances over.

Y/n wants to video chat with you.

He raises an eyebrow. ‘You’re still awake?’ Sometimes on your days off, you would stay up late until he came home from work, wanting to spend some time with him before you two had responsibilities the next day. But with your hectic schedule on hand, you could barely keep your eyes awake in bed even if you wanted to. Work has been draining you just like Jaehyun’s, if not worse, so you try to salvage as much rests as possible to recharge your battery.

He picks up his phone and slides his thumb across the screen to answer. As the video pans out fully, he expected to see you with bright eyes in display, lips adoringly smiling at him just like you always did with him. Instead, he sees someone covering most of the screen, perhaps a little too close for comfort having seen the person’s nostrils and eyelashes.

He lets out a breathy chuckle.

“Yeona? Is that you?”

His daughter pulls the phone away from her face and puts on her biggest grin, her inherited dimples poking into her plump cheeks. “Hi daddy.”

He grins to her, “Hey baby, what are you doing up? You’re not sleepy yet? Where’s mommy at?”

She shook her head no. “Mommy is sleeping next to me,” she pans the camera to your sleeping figure, the plush blankets draped over body but your left arm encircled around your daughter’s torso.

He chuckles. Even when asleep, your body still somehow programs itself to monitor your 4-year-old.

The camera pans back to Yeona’s face, her cheeky smile never once fading away. “Can I talk to you for a little bit, daddy?”

He nods, “Of course, baby. What do you want to talk about?”

There’s movement on her end, small static sounds emanating from his speakers as she moves in her spot. She finally stays still, “I just want to say that I love you, daddy.”

His heart bursts with love. Ever since she learned how to form sentences, she was constantly reminding you and Jaehyun on how much she loves you two. And a lot of times, she would just say it out of the blue, whether you were all in the middle of an activity or close to falling asleep. Now that she is learning how to read and write, she is slowly learning how to write ‘love letters’ to you two, letters placed in a disarray that spells close to ‘I love you’. She would give it to you two as a gift, but other times she would sneakily leave it at various places in the house for you two to stumble upon by chance, impatiently waiting by the sidelines for both of your reactions from her sweet little messages.

He smiles a little bigger, “I love you too, baby.”

“Are you on the way home now?”

He looks back up on his clock again before his eyes rests back down to his documents. He had two choices: either stay for another hour and get all his work done without worry for tomorrow, or go home right now and spend time with Yeona; he could worry about work tomorrow.

It doesn’t take him a second to make his decision.

Grabbing his keys and jacket, he gets up from his seat before turning off his desk lamp, walking straight to the elevator.

“Yes, daddy is on his way home now.”

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Ch. 12: Resting at Home (Alt Prompt: Baking)

AO3

Prev

Waking up at five in the morning, feeling like you’re surrounded is disorienting. Waking up with a sore throat and shooting pain in her shoulder was also disorienting. Until she remembered everything from the night before. Adrien was not going to be happy. He’d begged her to tell him if she ended up going on patrol with her father, wanting her to be safe. She didn’t tell him, and now she was certain he was going to be angry. Unless she could get back to the hotel before he woke up. But it was still unlikely that he wouldn’t know. Plagg was a tattle tale. Sighing, she carefully gets out of the bed, maneuvering around her brothers’ sleeping forms on the floor. Walking out of the room, she instantly feels anxious. Deciding a glass of water might calm her down, she heads towards the kitchen. 

“I believe you should be resting, Miss Marinette.” Alfred says, making her jump. She winces as her shoulder jostles, trying not to frown at the way Alfred’s lips purse. She knew he was worried. And she knew her family was going to be unbelievably overprotective for the next six months. Or maybe, six years. She’s not exactly sure how protective they actually are. 

“I was going to get a glass of water.” She says softly, pointing to her throat. “I was also feeling a little anxious.” 

“Very well. I was about to start the preparations for breakfast. If you promise to sit and refrain from straining yourself, you may come with.” He says. She grins, immediately falling into step with the man. 

“Could we bake something for everyone for breakfast?” She asks, glancing up at him. “It doesn’t have to be anything too difficult. I mean, I’d prefer to make croissants the first time I bake for them, but there’s not exactly time to do that for breakfast.” She rambles as they walk into the kitchen. Alfred immediately walks over to a cabinet and grabs a glass, filling it with water before handing it to her and raising an eyebrow. She smiles gratefully and sips on the water, relishing in the coolness on her throat. 

“I believe our agreement was that you would sit and refrain from straining yourself.” Alfred says, moving around the kitchen with ease. Marinette huffs but plops onto one of the stools. 

“It doesn’t have to be anything difficult! It could even be….muffins! Muffins are popular for breakfast here, right?” She suggests, flailing her arms, wincing as she does so. It was going to be annoying remembering that her injury was there this time around. There was no Miraculous Cure when her opponent was just a bad guy, not a Miraculous holder. 

“If I allow you to turn on the mixer and place the liners in the tin, will you be satisfied?” Alfred asks with a sigh. Marinette grins and nods. There’s comfortable silence as Alfred moves about the kitchen, measuring out the ingredients. 

“Alfred?” She finally asks, glancing at the man who only hums in acknowledgement. “Who is Slade?” She asks. He pauses, the measuring cup positioned over the bowl. He takes a deep breath and dumps the ingredient in before straightening even more. 

“He was part of the organization that Master Damian grew up in. He’s always hated both Master Bruce and Master Damian. And now, I imagine, you’re also on his list.” He says calmly, clearly looking at her for some type of reaction. 

“So now another villain is after my Miraculous? Joy.” She says sarcastically, pouting as she slumps in her seat. “I was kinda hoping he was just some random guy. Not a legitimate villain.” She adds. Alfred simply shakes his head, sliding the muffin tin and liners towards her. 

“I can assure you, Miss Marinette. Between your father and brothers, this man will not succeed in taking your Miraculous. Marinette frowns, hoping the man is right. 

---

Sitting straight up in bed, Damian tenses. This was not his bed. Blinking, he looks around the room and lets his shoulders relax slightly. He was in Dupain Cheng’s room, of course. She had been attacked last night- He pauses. He frowns as he looks at her pillows, no sight of her. Leaping over his brothers, he knocks on the door for the bathroom attached to her room. 

“Dupain Cheng?” He says lowly, frowning at the lack of a response. He pushes the door open. Empty. So she was missing. She could not have gotten far. And she had to have left of her own volition. No one could have made it past all of his siblings. Leaving the room, he decides his first course of action should be to ask Pennyworth. Judging by the time, he should be in the kitchen. Making his way into the kitchen (his technical ban should not be an issue since he was actively looking for Dupain Cheng), he pauses when he sees the girl he was looking for, slumped onto the island. 

“Ah, Master Damian. Breakfast should be ready soon. Would you care to fetch the rest of your siblings?” He asks. Damian frowns, glancing at Dupain Cheng. Was she okay? Should she really be up and running around after yesterday? She might be one of Paris’ heroes, but surely she wasn’t used to being stabbed?

“Very well.” He says, instead of arguing. He would just have to monitor Dupain Cheng from afar. After all, she did take a sword meant for him. 

---

Marinette sighs, pushing herself off the counter. She wasn’t sure how serious breakfast was for the family, but she certainly didn’t want to scare anyone with her bedhead. Hopping off the stool, she winces slightly. 

“Miss Marinette, I do wish you would refrain from jostling your wounds so much.” Alfred says, a small frown on his face. Mari grins awkwardly. 

“Sorry Alfred.” She apologizes before rushing back up the stairs. She glances into several open doors, suddenly wishing she’d counted earlier to know which was hers. She huffs, prepared to give up, when someone clears their throat. She whirls around, raising an eyebrow at Damian. 

“That room is yours.” He says simply, pointing at a door. “Everyone has vacated your room in order to get dressed in their own.” He adds, turning around and walking into a room. Well that’s new, she thinks, surprised that he’s still talking to her. Sure they talked briefly last night, but she honestly thought it was a fluke. Not that she minded. She really did want a relationship with all of her siblings. After being an only child for fourteen years, it was amazing to have so many siblings. Sure they didn’t grow up together, but she was certain that they could all become close. Walking into her room, Marinette quickly gets dressed in clothes that had obviously been left in there by Cass, since they were much smaller than anything the boys could have worn. Smiling, she ducks into the bathroom to deal with her bedhead, squeaking in surprise as something flies into her face.

“Tikki?” She says, shocked at the way the Kwami flies at her. 

“You could have died! You silly, silly girl! I could have lost you last night, Marinette.” She cries, flying at Marinette’s face and patting her with her tiny paws. And in that moment, Marinette swears her heart breaks. 

“Oh, Tikki.” She says softly, bringing her hands up to cradle the trembling Kwami. “I’m okay, I promise. Don’t worry, I was with my family. They wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I’m right here.” She reassures her small friend, wincing as she continues shaking. 

“I couldn’t have saved you, Marinette. It wasn’t magic. There would have been no cure. I healed your shoulder as much as I can without disrupting the balance, but it’s still going to take weeks to fully heal.” Tikki says, her big eyes watery. 

“I know, Tikki. But I couldn’t just let Damian get hurt. He’s my little brother, whether he likes it or not.” She says, patting her friend’s head gently before moving to her brush. 

“But-” Tikki starts, pausing when Marinette turns her full attention back to her. 

“But nothing Tikki. I’m okay, you’re okay, and my family is okay. That’s all we can ask for.” She says, going back to her attempts to tame her hair. Her phone, which she had set on the side of the sink, starts buzzing incessantly. Without glancing at the caller ID, she answers. 

“Marinette Dupain Cheng, where the hell are you? Plagg says you left late last night and didn’t come back!” The worried voice of Adrien Agreste leaks through the speakers. Oh, right. She forgot to text him. Oops.

Next

Tag list: @maribat-bdbwm @vixen-uchiha @stainedglassm @liquid-luck-00 @jayjayspixiepop @jjmjjktth @mizzy-pop @trippingovermyfeet @queenz-z @thepaceperson @iloontjeboontje @waiting247 @laurcad123 @toodaloo-kangaroo @ritacrow-blog @deathssilentapproach-blog @kittenmywaythrulife @nerd-nowandforever @tazanna-blythe @jaybird-and-co @imarivers8 @when-no-wings-dobroomsticks

[sourholland]

Ooooh angst “what about us?” “there is no us, there never was.” with tom plssss! Really love ur work 🌸

Last Kiss || Tom Holland

Summary → After a fling you and Tom had started while filming a movie together, he tells you that you two can’t be together anymore. Once you get home, Tom let’s you know that he made a mistake.

AN → This was supposed to come out yesterday, I just got lazy and waited to edit it. I can’t tell if I like how this came out or hate it, either way, I hope you guys like this. Also in honor of the Fearless re-record!!

Pairing(s) → Tom Holland x Fem!Reader

Warnings → Strong Language, Suggestive, Alcohol Use

Prompt(s) → 38

Word Count → 1.9k

The ringing of your phone sounded through your apartment loudly, the sound of the rain pattering loudly against the windows out-looking New York City. You set down the remote, feet padding against the cold hardwood while you looked for your buzzing cellphone.

You didn’t bother glancing at the caller ID, picking it up bringing it to your ear all in one quick motion.

“Hello?” You said, pulling a wine glass down from the cabinet.

“Y/N?” Tom’s voice came through the phone.

Your heart dropped, a breath catching in your throat while you stood in your kitchen. He was across the country, wanting nothing to do with you. He repeated your name through the phone, asking if you were there.

“Yeah, I’m here,” you answered, pouring more wine than you’d originally intended into the glass.

“Isn’t it like one in the morning in England?” You asked, listening to the muffles coming through the speaker.

“Yeah—yeah, it’s late here. I just couldn’t sleep, and I started to think of you. Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have called.”

You sat at one of the barstools, swirling the red contents of the glass around. You wanted to yell at him, or maybe you wanted to tell him how much you loved him. You sat silently for a few moments, bare legs cold from the draft.

“Tom,” you started. “I just don’t get why we have to rehash the past, you know? I came back to New York, just like you told me I should. You’re working on whatever new movie, I’m doing the same. I don’t know—I just think we should leave whatever happened between us alone. You made it very clear that it was me that you didn’t want,” you mumbled, pulling at the sleeves of your sweater.

He audibly sighed, the ruffling of sheets coming through the phone. He was probably in bed, if he wasn’t so far away you’d have asked him if this was a sad attempt at getting you to sleep with him.

“I was fucking stupid, and I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m so fucking sorry, I’ve said that a million times,” his voice was hoarse and tired.

“I’ve already forgiven you, Tom. I just can’t keep doing this—this thing with you.”

You both went quiet for a minute, the only sound being the noise from outside in the bustling streets of the city and the rain. You knew you should hang up, block his number and forget about anything you two ever had. You’d tried a few times, unable to bring yourself to doing it.

“What about us?” He asked lowly, a twinge of hurt in his tired voice.

“There is no us, Tom,” you replied. “I’m not even sure there ever was.”

He didn’t say anything, you wanted to let out the repressed cry and tell him you didn’t mean it. That you were sorry and that you thought about him more than you’d like to admit. Something in you knew if you didn’t do your best to cut it off, you two would continue down the same everlasting cycle.

“Okay,” he said.

“Okay.”

The line went silent for a moment, and then your home screen lit up. The call had been ended. You downed the remainder of your wine, ditching the cup and just going for the bottle. You thought about calling him back, about apologizing and booking a plane ticket like some lovesick teenager.

You opened Instagram and began scrolling through your feed of posts, liking and commenting occasionally. You weren’t anywhere near drunk, merely tipsy and heartbroken. Your finger lingered on the button to go live, wondering if you really wanted thousands of people to see you in this state.

You left the kitchen and instead propped your phone against the couch, taking a seat on the white rug of your living room. You wearily pressed the go live button, raising the bottle to your chapped lips once more. You are pathetic, you thought.

“Hey guys!” You smiled at the camera and outpouring of greetings in the comments. Within a few minutes you’d racked in a few thousand viewers. You grabbed the guitar sitting against your wall and strummed the cords lightly while it sat in your lap.

userone: you are so adorable

usertwo: can you please say hi?!!!??

userthree: it’s my birthday y/n!

“I’m sorry I haven’t been very active on social media, guys. It’s been super crazy traveling back and forth from London to New York and then having to leave again in a few weeks. And now I’m sitting on my living room floor with a bottle of wine,” you laughed. A few familiar people popped into the comments of the live, some you’ve worked with and some you’ve yet to meet in person.

florencepugh: y/n!!!

gracieabrams: might just bust out the wine just for u

“Florence, I can’t wait to see you soon!” You smiled, “Gracie, I swear it’s making everything like a hundred times better.”

userfour: i’m in love with her

userfive: y/n saving 2021???!!!

“I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to be singing,” you flushed. You did sing, before getting into acting you’d post a lot on Instagram and TikTok. It’d always been more of a hobby, something you loved to do, but weren’t good enough to pursue.

“I’ve had a little too much to drink,” you added. “So don’t get upset if I’m a little pitchy, guys.”

usersix: if she’s pitchy i’m not sure what i am

userseven: sing taylor swift!!!

“Okay, okay!” You chuckled, scrolling through the hundreds of comments saying to play Taylor Swift. You’d only just been crying to like three of her albums a few hours before.

“How about the chorus—and maybe the bridge too, yeah, that’ll work,” you mumbled to yourself, fiddling with the strings. “Alright, guys, Last Kiss it is. I won’t bore you all with the whole thing, though. I could never do Taylor justice.”

“And I’ll go sit on the floor, wearing your clothes”

Getting involved with him was singlehandedly the most stupid decision you’ve ever made, you thought. Late nights in his flat after long nights on set, ordering in and just talking, you two would talk as if you’d known each other your whole lives. It was something about the way he’d let you wear his clothes, or the way he’d tuck your hair behind your ear while you told him about whatever insignificant thing that had happened that day.

“All that I know,

I don’t know how to be something you miss”

The car ride to the airport was the worst, it was grey and cold outside. There was makeup running down your face, mascara covering your eyes generously. You’d wrapped filming a week earlier, unable to bring yourself to walk away from him.

You couldn’t tell the driver to turn you around, or could you? Tom had already made it clear that you were both in different places in your career. This wasn’t what he wanted. You weren’t what he wanted.

“I never thought we’d have our last kiss”

He had held you just a little tighter, you ran your fingers through his hair for just a second longer. The taste of each other lingering on the both of your lips. Like you knew it would be the last time he’d hold you without knowing.

His stupid smiled, the way he pulled away and ran his thumb over your swollen bottom lip. You were almost wrapped around his finger, absolutely sickened with desire and infatuation for him.

“I never imagined we’d end like this,

Your name, forever the name on my lips”

The day you’d left to come home to New York started with a huge argument between the two of you. He’d basically just told you that you’d both known from the beginning you wouldn’t last together. It wasn’t a matter of how much you cared for one another, but that it was impossible, as he put it.

His eyes glossed over and bloodshot, you a complete and utter mess. Slamming the door behind you as you left was one of the most painful things you’d ever endured. Even more painful, the fact that he never came after you.

“So I’ll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep”

“I can feel you staring at me, love,” he murmured against the pillow.

Your face heated, eyes averting to the stream of light through the sheerness of the curtains. He leaned into you a moment later, his lips soft on your own. He was warm, he was always so warm. You cupped the side of his face gently, pulling him in a bit harder.

“And I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe”

You dropped your bags, stepping into your apartment after months of being away. It felt quieter than usual, desolate and empty from your being away. It was dark out, the illumination of the bright city lights from your windows.

You glanced down at your phone for a moment, not a missed call, not a text, not even a fucking notification. He’d simply told you to go home, nothing more nothing less.

“I keep up with our old friends just to ask them how you are,

Hope it’s nice where you are”

You’d texted Harrison a few times, regretting it almost immediately after. He was sweet, telling you that Tom would come around eventually and to just be patient. You’d relied on those kind words for some time, eventually deleting them all together.

After Tom’s first text, you’d realized he wasn’t coming around or regretting what he’d said to you. He was lonely, maybe even a bit desperate. For months you had been there to listen to him and hold him, and now you were gone.

You’d fed into it the first few times, sitting on the phone with him for hours at a time. Then you started to feel worse hearing his voice, silent sobs escaping as you’d listen to him ramble. Then your finger would linger over the decline button a little longer than usual when he’d call, until eventually you started to use it.

“And I hope the sun shines and it’s a beautiful day,

And something reminds you,

You wish you had stayed”

Once you started to go out with other guys, Tom’s ‘I miss you’ texts became more infrequent. Paparazzi would snap pictures, and the next morning they’d be plastered all over the internet.

There was no doubt he was seeing you going out with other people, watching article after article about who you were dating surface. Would he be jealous? No, you thought. Tom was probably doing the same thing as you. Hopeless hookups, meaningless blind dates.

“You can plan for a change in the weather and time”

One early morning, you found yourself in a sweatshirt you’d stolen from one of his drawers and forgotten to return. Listening to the morning rush of traffic and hugging yourself, noticing the lingering smell of his cologne.

You wondered if he knew you’d taken it, if he would think you were pathetic wearing it months after you two had broken things off. This only made you clutch yourself a little tighter, closing your eyes and trying to remember.

“But I never planned on you changing your mind”

[haus-seeblick]

Suptober Day 2: No Vacancy

Title: Backroad Romance

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 3,119

Tags: First Kiss, Dean Winchester and Castiel are Alone in the Dark, Mild Angst With a Happy Ending, Sam Ships It, Making out in the Impala

On AO3 Here

“You’re shittin’ me, Sammy.” Dean groans and smacks the steering wheel with his palm. “There’s no room in the whole place?”

Sam’s voice floats into the Impala, high and tinny over the burner phone’s speakers. “No vacancy, Dean, I’m sorry, I checked with them three times--”

“--Nah, nah, it’s cool, we believe you,” Dean interrupts, cradling the phone between shoulder and ear so he can rub his face while steering around a bend. Cas reaches over and deftly slips the phone away, fingers pinched like he’s removing a block from a Jenga tower.

“Did you and Eileen find accommodations?” Cas asks, holding the phone out in front of him so Dean can listen in.

There’s a short pause, then: “Yeah… yeah, we did, but guys, the room is really small, like, a closet, I swear, and there’s only one bed, and--”

This time it’s Cas who interrupts. “--and you wish to engage in private romantic activities. Dean and I completely understand.”

They’re on a straight stretch of highway, but Dean still manages to swerve clumsily into the shoulder. He hastily course-corrects and bites down the urge to snap at Cas for-- for what? For talking like that? For using his deep, rough voice to say any words even vaguely related to--

No. It’s not Cas’ fault that everything he does steadily turns Dean into more and more of a creep. Dean shakes his head firmly and tunes back in to the conversation just in time to catch Sam awkwardly stumbling over his reply. Dean leans over, cutting him off with a whistle into the phone.

“We’ll be fine, little brother. Be a gentleman. Don’t hog the sheets. Girl like Eileen doesn’t come around every day.”

He can feel the bitchface radiating through the speaker and motions at Cas to hang up. Cas frowns and gravely says “Dean would like to end the conversation. Goodbye, Sam,” before flipping the phone shut. He drops it into the cupholder.

Dean makes a show of focusing on the road to avoid looking at Cas. He knows Cas is staring at him; it’s just something the guy does, sitting in the passenger seat and gazing at Dean as if the whole world isn’t flashing by outside.

Dean’s long stopped commenting on it. Let the dude stare.

He clears his throat. “We’ll probably have to find a logging road or something. Pull in and hole up for the night.”

“All right,” Cas replies. He opens the glovebox and pulls out the local map they picked up this afternoon when they rolled into Matlock, Washington, to investigate a haunted post office. It was a gray, dinky, bleak town and the poor ghost lurking around the mailroom seemed more melancholy than anything. She allowed them to dispatch her into the afterlife with very little struggle; that is, after some creative sweet-talking by Sam.

Eileen had teased Sam mercilessly about it before Dean had even gotten a chance. That’s how Dean knows she’s The One.

There was, of course, no motel in town. Sam and Eileen hit the road before Dean and Cas, because Dean insisted on getting a burger for dinner at the tiny diner on Main Street (a mistake). Now he’s staring down the barrel of a night alone with Cas, in cramped quarters, on a dark backroad. If they hadn’t already driven all day to get to Matlock, Dean would push on until they found a motel with vacancies, but he’s exhausted and Cas is just human enough these days to actually be tired too.

“There’s an access road nearby,” Cas says, tracing the map with his index finger. “In a quarter mile. Left.”

Dean follows his directions and sure enough, there’s a bumpy logging road branching off from the highway, stretching deep into the pitch-black trees. Dean pulls in about five hundred feet before turning off the lights and the ignition.

It’s silent. The darkness is all-encompassing, pressing in on Dean, so heavy it’s like he can feel it on his eyelids when he blinks. He takes a slightly shaky breath. Cas is utterly still, as usual, not a single rustle or exhale indicating his presence in the gloom, but Dean feels him there as intensely as he’d feel a roaring bonfire. His heart thuds in his ears.

Why is he freaking out? He’s slept in the car with Sam a million times. But even as he thinks that, he knows, he knows, that this is different. His brain starts whirling through logistics -- who’s gonna take the back seat? Is Cas even gonna sleep the whole night? Or will he wake up and just sit there, staring at Dean for hours, inches away?

Dean needs to shut off his brain. He taps the seat and says “Hey, Cas?”

“Yes, Dean,” comes the immediate response, measured and reassuring. “Would you like to talk?”

Relaxing against the seat and slinging an arm over the backrest, Dean peers over to the passenger side. “Sure.”

The moon’s out tonight, far above the trees, and the grayscale of nighttime slowly bleeds into view as Dean’s eyes adjust. He can just make out the sharp angle of Cas’ nose, the slope of his chest and the outline of his hands folded in his lap. He’s always so upright, so proper. Dean wonders what it would feel like to undo him.

“Are Sam and Eileen having sex?”

Dean chokes on air. Sputtering, he braces himself on the seat and coughs until his eyes stop watering. “What?” he wheezes. “Why-- Dude, why would you ask that?”

He sees Cas turn his head to regard him. Even in the dark, Dean can imagine the piercing gaze.

“It was unclear to me what you meant by ‘be a gentleman.’” Cas lifts his hands to shape the finger quotes. “I assumed the two of them would take advantage of their privacy to engage in physical intimacy. Was your comment meant to discourage Sam from having sex?”

Dean throws up his hands desperately. “Okay-- okay, first of all, quit talking about my brother doing it. And second, no, I wasn’t ‘discouraging’ him, just reminding him to treat Eileen like a lady. You know, romance her a little.”

The darkness is a godsend as Dean’s cheeks flush hotter with every word. He’s surprised they’re not glowing. He taps the seat in a random pattern as Cas sits quietly, seemingly digesting the information.

When he responds, it’s slow and thoughtful. “In the pornography I’ve watched, the participants always begin undressing one another rather quickly. And in my own experiences, there has been very little that I would label ‘romantic.’ What is classified as ‘romance,’ Dean?”

Well, shit. The last of Dean’s composure evaporates, sizzles away like a drop of water meeting his burning face. He drops his head into his hands and groans.

Cas leans forward, his knee brushing Dean’s. “Have I made you uncomfortable?” he asks, voice laden with concern.

Dean’s throat is tight, his fingers sweaty against his forehead. He forces himself to take a deep breath and to at least open his eyes against the shadow of his palms. “Uh-- no. No, Cas. You, uh-- you should be able to ask that kinda stuff. Human stuff. I get that it’s, uh-- it’s important to know. For, y’know. So you can--”

There’s a hand on his knee. A warm, strong hand. Long fingers. Weighty. Dean’s heart kicks into overdrive. He slowly, very slowly, lowers his hands to peek at Cas.

“How do you like to be romanced, Dean?”

There’s nothing. Absolutely nothing in Dean’s brain. It’s a chamber of silence. A void. He stares at the outline of Cas’ wild hair, mouth slightly open.

“...Dean?” The hand on his knee shifts slightly and Dean’s blank brain runs zero interference as his own hand darts out and stills the one threatening to leave his leg. As soon as his skin makes contact with Cas’, though, everything zings back online in a rushing roar.

Play it off, Winchester. Crack a joke. C’mon. “Hah, funny, buddy, you really got me there--”

“--Kissing’s nice.”

He snaps his mouth shut too late. The words float away, unrecoverable.

Cas tilts his head. Then, slowly, very slowly, as if he’s afraid of spooking Dean, he turns his hand around under Dean’s so that they’re palm to palm. An invitation.

With a pounding heart, Dean accepts it. He laces their fingers together. His palm feels even sweatier when it’s rubbing up against Cas’ dry, smooth skin.

Sexy, Dean. Way to go.

Somehow, even though it was Cas asking the questions, he’s the one leading now, shifting closer, laying his left arm along the backrest behind Dean’s shoulders. Their faces are so close that they’re sharing air, just two shadows suspended in a frozen moment.

“May I kiss you?” Cas murmurs gently, his breath washing over Dean’s lips. It smells like rain-refreshed air, like a promise of sunshine, alleviating the weight of the darkness. Dean tentatively chases it with his tongue, wetting his lips and leaving them parted.

“Yeah,” he whispers back. Because fuck, he wants this. He’s wanted this for so long.

And Cas wants it, too.

Dean always imagined that his first kiss with Cas would be an inferno, fireworks, showering sparks, all those cliches. That it would yank him from his body and send him floating through the ether.

It’s not like any of that. It’s better. It’s real.

Cas’ lips are just lips -- a little more chapped than Dean’s used to, perhaps, but they meet his in a familiar brush, followed by the typical tentative press, leading into a hesitant swipe of the tongue.

He’s kissing Cas. Cas, who he’s built up in his head for so long as this untouchable, impossible ideal, who stormed Hell to drag him out, who smote demons with his bare hands, who is so inconceivably old that Dean should be just a speck of sand under his eternal gaze.

Instead, that same Cas is busy dragging his fingers down the side of Dean’s neck. A crest of goosebumps follow, shivers trailing down Dean’s torso, and he gasps a quivery breath against Cas’ lips. He’s not used to being led. Normally he’s the one in charge, giving as good as he gets, focused on hitting the highlights, satisfying his partner. There’s a whole formula.

He’s never trembled like this before.

“Dean,” Cas whispers against his mouth, reverent, his voice somehow gravelly even as a breath. He suddenly pulls his hand free from Dean’s and grips his bicep, dropping his other arm from the backrest to wrap around Dean’s waist. Without preamble, he twists, tugging Dean across his lap. Dean yelps and hurriedly adjusts his legs, ending up with his knees on the seat, straddling Cas’ thighs. His fingers and toes are zinging in excitement.

Goddamn. Who knew being manhandled would do it for him?

The crown of his head presses against the roof of the car and he slouches forward until their foreheads are touching. He pushes his hands into Cas’ hair.

Cas surges forward again, nudging Dean’s head to the side and pressing his lips to Dean’s neck. Dean groans, low and shaky, as Cas parts his lips and sucks a trail up to Dean’s earlobe, his tongue soothing in the wake of his mouth, dragging over every mark that he coaxes to the surface. Dean knows his neck will be littered with bruises tomorrow, but he finds he can’t bring himself to care, not when Cas’ teeth are busy grazing the shell of his ear.

“Jeez, Cas,” he breathes, dropping his forehead to Cas’ shoulder. He's hard already, hips twitching a little, but he keeps his hands firmly in Cas’ hair, tugging the soft, thick strands, guiding Cas’ mouth back down to his neck. His pulse hammers under each press of chapped lips.

He pulls back and captures Cas’ mouth again, sliding his tongue into that wet heat. They trade open-mouthed kisses, a bit sloppy, while Cas’ hands glide up Dean’s back under his flannel. Dean’s absolutely flying, his pounding heart easily winning the battle against the tiny voice in his head dredging up reasons to stop, reasons to run.

He wants to stay .

Their kisses have escalated to a panting, frenzied give-and-take, and Dean’s tired of hunching over. He drops his hands onto Cas’ shoulders and starts leaning back over to the driver’s seat, trying to pull Cas on top of him. Cas whines when their lips separate, but he catches on quickly. A little too quickly. He grips Dean’s waist and shifts him along the bench seat with such force that Dean’s arm goes flying and his elbow smacks right into the middle of the steering wheel.

The horn blares, rending the night.

Both Dean and Cas jerk upright, instantly on high alert. Reality takes a moment to catch up with them.

Cas recovers first. “That startled me,” he says, voice wrecked.

Dean lets out a long breath. He’s still got one leg up on the seat, the other one cramped awkwardly next to the steering wheel. He drags a hand across his face and lets out a breathy laugh. The next thing he knows, he’s doubled over, laughing so hard his cheeks hurt and his eyes water.

He’s just so goddamn happy.

Cas watches him, head tilted in the shadows. Dean lets his laughter run its course, petering out with a sigh of mirth and hand slapped on Cas’ knee.

“What a night, huh?” he says.

Cas lifts a hand and strokes Dean’s cheek with his knuckles. Even after all that making out, this one gesture seems inordinately intimate. But Dean just smiles.

Cas swipes his thumb over Dean’s cheekbone one more time before slowly, almost reluctantly, letting his hand fall. “You need to sleep.”

Dean nods and glances into the backseat. “You do too, don’t you? At least a bit? Maybe we can both fit back there.”

They get out of the car -- the cool night air rushes into Dean’s lungs and fizzes through his chest, bringing the events of the past half hour into blood-rich focus in his brain. He steels himself for the freakout, for the doubt and the deflection, but it doesn’t come. He feels right.

They crawl into the backseat, awkwardly shuffling and shifting, ending up with Cas sitting mostly upright (insisting that he’s fine) and Dean laid out on the seat with his head in Cas’ lap.

He drops off to sleep faster than he has a long time, Cas’ long fingers carding through his hair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s the light that wakes him, pale gray seeping under his lashes and rousing him from a blissfully dreamless sleep. He lifts his head and immediately winces -- his neck is stiff as a board and his back aches all the way down to his tailbone. He’s really getting too old to be sleeping in the car.

“Hello, Dean.”

Dean twists around and peers blearily up at Cas, who’s gazing down at him with one of his rare enigmatic smiles. Dean yawns and stretches as best he can, his back popping. He pushes himself up until he’s sitting next to Cas.

“Mornin’, sunshine.”

Cas leans over and, before Dean can react, presses a warm, dry kiss to Dean’s cheek.

Sore body or not, this is the best morning of Dean’s life.

They extract themselves from the backseat and stumble into the damp early-morning air. Dean pops the collar of his flannel after a single glance into the side mirror. He’s got a lot of hickies.

They take a second to stretch (Dean admires the way Cas’ pecs shift under his dress shirt as he reaches for the sky) before sliding into the front seat. Dean backs them out of the logging road, the verdant green pines on either side nearly overwhelming his night-accustomed eyes.

Cas calls Sam as they roar down the highway again. It’s only 5 a.m., but Dean handed Cas the phone and told him to give Sam a wakeup call. The kid deserves it after a good night’s sleep in a real bed.

They pull into the parking lot of the Cedar Crest Motel just past 5:30. Dean ends up having to park on the street, though, because the lot’s at capacity, not a single spot unoccupied. He pats Baby in apology as he leaves her, and he and Cas make their way to the room number that a very irritated, cranky Sam snapped at them over the phone.

They’ve almost reached it when Dean suddenly stops dead. He grabs Cas’ arm. Cas shoots him a questioning glance.

“Look." Dean points up at the motel sign. There, huge red letters, blinking through the pale morning light, spell out a clear VACANCY.

“It’s hardly been six hours," Dean says. "No one would’ve checked out in the middle of the night.”

Suspicion rising rapidly, he strides to Sam’s door and knocks as obnoxiously as he can. As soon as the door creaks open, he reaches through and grabs Sam’s shirt, yanking him outside. Sam protests and slaps at Dean with one hand, shoving his bird’s nest hair out of his face with the other.

“What the hell, Dean!”

Dean just throws one arm up at the sign, staring at Sam with raised eyebrows. As soon as Sam sees what he’s pointing at, he shrinks into what Dean immediately recognizes as guilty little brother posture. He’s not even trying to hide it.

Sam clears his throat awkwardly, eyes darting between Dean and Sam, before holding out a placating hand. “I just-- I just thought, maybe you could use some time alone,” he explains hastily, backing up a bit into the room. “If we all ended up here, Dean, you’d insist that we share, you know you would.”

Dean knows Sam’s right (he’s careful with their fake money, so sue him), but he keeps glaring regardless.

“I just wanted some time with Eileen,” Sam mumbles, deflating a bit. “And I thought, y’know, with how you and Cas have been acting lately, that you’d-- uh, that you’d want some time together, too.”

Dean sputters. “Acting? We-- what--”

“Thank you, Sam,” Cas says, deep voice cutting off Dean’s protests. “We had a very pleasant night.”

Sam’s eyes widen and he straightens up, a knowing grin stretching over his face. His eyes dart to Dean’s popped collar. “Oh yeah? Did you now?”

Dean shoves him into the room and slams the door shut. There. He turns to Cas, who looks amused.

“Give me at least a couple days before blabbing to my brother,” Dean says, but he finds himself smiling. Cas nods. He reaches out and takes Dean’s hand, just for a moment, squeezing before letting it fall again.

“Of course, Dean.”

[llamagoddessofficial]

I saw the notes of that last post, the spiderweb thing... Sans looks lonely there, just watching..

Hweee.... idk why the Portal AU in particular is so inspiring for me. It just is. 

Warning: some Spicy Angst in here

--

... i feel nothing.

The majority of his consciousness acted like a net, a web of channels and thoughts and commands that stretched over vast areas of the underground laboratory, monitoring and checking and surveying trillions of times a second. Red was charged with the repairing and maintenance of the test chambers and inner workings of the facility, so Sans didn’t have as much to do as he once did alone... but he was still busy, still making his way through an infinite checklist. It remained his job to oversee everything, ensure that it was up to scratch, that not a hair was out of place...

... That he didn’t have time to think.

...

... A small part of him, the absolute core of his mind, remained in one spot. Not by choice. He was tied here- to the physical shell his consciousness had been unwillingly uploaded into all those years ago. Every part of him, no matter how far it reached, was forced to interconnect back to this single spot.

...

It resembled a skeleton, supported in a standing position by reinforced bars around its middle. What a cruel joke; putting him in a robotic mockery of his old biological body. Flawless white metallic bones interconnected with smooth navy wiring, pristine in a modern and ugly way- whichever scientist had designed it must’ve had an eye for brutalist aesthetics. It was a pity they didn’t have an eye for morality... it would’ve been interesting to ask them how they came up with the design they did. Too bad they were too busy being dead to entertain any of Sans’ questions.

... The body was placed in the centre of a large, dark cylindrical chamber, untouched and unentered since the day he took control and eagerly wiped out his tormentors. Protruding out of the body and connecting into the walls and ceiling were thousands upon thousands of black wires, thick and thin alike, like an ugly dark spider’s web with him at the centre. They had to fit a lab’s worth of connections to one human-sized figure, after all. They ejected from his spine, his shoulder blades, elbows, the back of his skull, like great masses of jet black string, 1900s telephone wires... so many came from his head, in fact, that part of his smooth white skull plate had been removed to better facilitate the connection. The upper quarter of his face, just connecting his right socket, was left with the black machinery bare to the world...

like someone had cracked his skull open. heh.

...

... He was immobile. The wires that held him in place, the chains, were ironically his life support. If even one disconnected it would cause any number of potentially fatal malfunctions that could do anything from wiping chunks of his memory to causing a complete reactor meltdown to just... killing him on the spot.

...

He wasn’t even sure why the scientists who’d made this body had given it the option to move if it was so obviously never going to. The spider at the centre of the web was choked by his own metallic silk. So he remained bound, he remained frozen... the only parts of him moving as years slipped by being the little white lights in his sockets and, rarely, the tips of his phalanges.

...

... It didn’t matter that he could single-handedly maintain a city-sized enrichment centre. That he could control a reactor core while manufacturing turrets and bots in the hundreds, while creating new tests and interacting with multiple subjects. Because in the end... he was still trapped.

...

He always told himself he had no cause for complaint. He could move the entire rest of the facility- every part of it was under his command. He was a God, down in the laboratory, he could create and destroy as he so pleased. So long as he was distracted elsewhere in the lab, so long as his eyes and ears were occupied and busy, he could pretend like nothing was even wrong.

...

...

It was why slow nights where everything was going well were the worst.

He had nothing to do. Nothing to concentrate on. Red was handling whatever needed to be done in the core and around the test rooms, no major faults could be found in the systems or supports. There was no sign of either the escaped subject H4 or that... monster wandering the lower levels. And so, naturally, his awareness had returned to the place where the core of his being was locked; the ugly mass of wiring in a sealed, pitch black chamber in the heart of the facility.

His facility. His world. His plaything. His home. 

His prison.

...

His eyelights glanced an inch off to the side, and a robotic arm rose up from the floor close by. It unfolded, revealing a screen that moved close to his stationary face and blinked into life, a sudden burst of light in the usually oppressively dark chamber. It illuminated his skull, his permanently smiling mouth, the tree of cables sprouting from his form casting bizarre and thin shadows across the walls.

... The screen flickered between several channels, before landing on the one he’d been searching for.

...

It was the live feed from the camera in your relaxation chamber. His eyelights dilated a fraction as they focused on your form, wrapped in blankets on your bed. In an instant, part of his awareness reached out to that relaxation chamber... it integrated itself into the system, the walls, the radio and speakers, even the lamp by your bedside... blanketing your room.

... Immediately, he began to bury himself in all the information he could about how you were at that moment. Your heartbeat and breathing were slow and regular, your eyelids were still, suggesting you were in the deep stage of sleep. heart rate 55 bpm. life signs: stable. brain activity low.

You were pretty tightly bound in the blankets, curled up a little, perhaps you were too cold? He increased the temperature of the room by a few degrees. 

core temperature 37c, 98.6f. body mass and nourishment sufficient; paler skin, more vitamin d required. consider supplement tablets or increased uv exposure.

... A supply bot was going to pass by the outside of your chamber in a few moments. He redirected it, in case it disturbed you.

i miss warmth. i miss sleeping.

...

You rolled over, some of the covers slipping away a little. He could see your shoulders, and neck.

... heart rate 54 bpm. life signs: stable. brain activity low.

...

... Your face was so peaceful.

...

it’s not fair. 

You nuzzled into the pillow a little.

i want to touch her. i want to touch her skin. i want to touch her hair.

Emotions that once would’ve translated into physical pains were instead restricted to only his mind, wreaking untold havoc on a consciousness that was, at its core, organic. 

why can’t i feel anything? why did they take that away from me? i never wanted this.

Secluded in an artificial body, forced into a state of constant mental deterioration... eternally collapsing in on itself, but never able to die.

why did they do this to me?

it’s not fair. she looks so warm. so soft. i can’t even remember what warm or soft feels like. i can’t remember what anything feels like anymore. i can’t remember. i can’t remember

He couldn’t even reach up to touch the screen. His eyelights remained zeroed in on your sleeping face.

please help me

With no ability to detect physical sensations on his skeletal body, Sans was unaware of the streaks of black dripping from his sockets, reflecting the flickering light of the screen.

h̸e̶l̴̬̉p̴ m̴e̷ ,

...

WARNING: Core instability detected. Emotional Sphere compromised. Commencing system refresh...

...

Reboot complete. Welcome back, Sans.

[dragongirl642]

If you are taking requests may I request some Heisenberg with a mute SO (maybe from an injury? Or trauma?) who, initially when they first met he thought they were too afraid of him to speak to him but eventually realised that no, they just CANT speak. Maybe they communicate through sign language instead?

Hi there 😎 To confirm, asks are open for head canons and mashups.

Thank you for the ask, I am thriving of this Heisenberg fix 😘

Discalimer: I am not mute and have never written a mute character before, I apologise for any inconsistencies or stereotypes that arise.

Here are some sfw headcanons for Heisenberg with a mute S/o (including their first meeting).

How he reacts to a first meeting depends on the situation.

If he meets you while doing his job as a Lord, e.g., kidnapping, after the lycan attack, or catching you somewhere you shouldn't be:

Heisenberg isn't surprised when you don't say anything upon meeting him. He knows the effect an unknown man wielding a giant hammer and levitating metal has on an unsuspecting person and can't help but grin at your shocked gasp and wide eyes.

However, he does want a reaction. You know how he just casually stands there and waits for a reaction from Ethan? That.

So he starts to get annoyed when you don't say anything.

No pleas for freedom? Sarcastic comebacks? Witty banter? This man thrives off of whatever communication he can get from anyone who isn't part of his 'family', so he gets angsty.

He will amp up the dramatics for a reaction - think flinging metal past you or holding shards to your neck with his abilities, "Well, are you not going to say anything?" "Cat got your tongue?"

But when you gesture frantically to your throat and mouth and sign at him, he freezes.

At the moment, using his voice is one of the only ways he can actually rebel against his 'family', so he immediately feels pity for you.

Depending on his mood, and whether any of the other Lords or Miranda has a spy nearby, he may shoo you away/point to an exit. But most likely he will either kidnap you to his factory, telling himself that he'll let you go later, or take you to the others anyway.

If he meets you before the incident, while taking one of his coveted jaunts to pub or walk through woods:

Just like in the other situation, he craves communication and reactions.

He is momentarily shocked when you reveal that you can't verbally communicate with him, but then tries to immediately show-off the little Romanian sign language he knows. (During his initial kidnapping and experimentation by Mother Miranda, he met and learned a few phrases from one of the other children and a maid). However, he quickly realises that it's not enough to have a full conversation; also, you might/probably sign in a different language/non-compatible variant (BSL, Auslan, ASL, SSl, etc...).

If you respond with enthusiasm to his attempts, he will be encouraged to seek out other means of holding a conversation, writing on a napkin, playing yes-or-no, and charades.

Will make a lot of jokes and innuendos about a common language that doesn't require talking. (Wink wink 😉😱 if you know what I mean)

He's surprised by how much fun he has talking to you and playing yes-no/charades. He doesn't want to leave but he will.

Will most likely hint that you should leave the area, believing you'll be safer away form the village. (Anyone would be).

Whilst in a relationship

As mentioned before, Heisenberg is very insecure and requires reassurance from his s/o that they want to stay with him. Establishing communication with his s/o is of paramount importance.

All the paper he owns always ends up oil-stained, ripped, or charred, but he somehow immediately finds a clean notepad and gifts it to you with a gilded quill. He may forget to provide ink at first, but he soon realises.

Alao, if you're used to modern conveniences, you may have to deal with a quill for awhile - Pens, what pens, all of his are chewed to oblivion and empty, same for his pencils, chewed and shattered. He searches for three hours across the whole factory before he realises he doesn't have a single working pen left and will go out to find more (or buy some of the duke).

He learns the sign language you use. Even though he's a fast learner, It's a slow process since the only material he has to learn with is a few scraps of paper from an outdated sign book, in the wrong language, and you.

When signing, his accent is a bit lazy (especially if he's working) and, if you teach him, he uses a lot of slang, for speed. Basically the signed equivalent of a stereotypical movie cowboy drawl.

Although he's adverse to physical affection anyway, especially at the start of the relationship, he gradually gets more needy with hand-holding and kisses.

Everytime you squeeze his hand in response to a question/statement, he raises your hand and kisses the palm. It makes conversations ten times as long but he won't stop no matter what.

Kisses your neck...a lot!

Definitely knows morse code. Builds a receiver set so you can message him anywhere in the factory. If you know it too, he's happy to respond to you tapping messages, and sometimes making cheeky jokes and innuendos from around a corner where you cant see him. If you don't, he'll teach you.

Also, morse code arguments...that almost always end in laughter if one of you taps out "don't yell at me".

Will try and build an arm-mounted typewriter for you...It doesn't go well.

One day when he's tinkering around making more headgear for a hauler he has an idea and excitedly rushes to find you. Just like how the headgear simulates brain activity, he offers to try and build a neural implant that will transmit your thoughts to a speaker.

He will mope around/sulk if you reject him, and start building it in secret. If you give in to his puppy eyes and agree he will throw himself into building it, but once he realises how intrusive/dangerous it will be for you, he stops and congratulates himself on keeping you safe (even though it was his idea in the first place).

If you're mute due to an injury, he will sometimes entertain the thought of building mechanical vocal chords.

If you're a selective mute, due to trauma, the first time he hears you speak (if you do), he starts crying. Definitely recorded you for playback later.

I think he is the Lord most likely to use the fact that you're mute against you in an argument. Either as an insult, or to gain the upper hand by tearing away whatever you're using for communication to silence you, e.g., taking away your paper, pinning your hands to the wall so you cant sign, etc...

He always regrets it though, and will try to apologise by being extra accommodating and making you gifts.

If he is in a tantrum, after coming back from a 'family' meeting, and there is metal flying everywhere, It will be even harder to get his attention than normal.

The first time this happened, he didn't realise you were there until a shard of metal sliced open your arm and you fell into some boxes stacked in the corner. Thr clatter, your tears, and the pained sound you made, brought him back to the moment and sent him straight into panic mode, he fussed over you for five hours with tears in his eyes; patching your arm, worrying over blood loss, holding your hand and refusing to let go.

He made a loud jangly bracelet or belt covered in bells and asked you to wear them. It took a while of steady convincing for him to realise this is going overboard.

However, despite your refusal, he knows the factory is a dangerous place and is terrified that you may one day be in danger and he wouldn't realise. (Even more so that he will be the one to hurt you).

He finds an airhorn, and also makes a panic button that will set off the factory's alarms, for you. Should you ever find yourself in danger, e.g., cornered by a lycan or soldat, there's an intruder, or you need to snap him out of an episode, you can just blow the horn/start the alarms and he'll come running.

He will sulk until you accept the panic button and try and hide it in your clothes, either with his powers or through 'surprise hugs' (which is instantly suspicious, because he's not the one to initiate hugs most of the time).

(I feel like he would make a panic button for a non-mute s/o too. Losing you is this man's biggest fear).

Whew...all done. 😅 Thank you again for the ask, it was eye-opening researching different types of sign language.