#I don't even know what I can add to this because it'll all just pale in comparison to how fucking stupid and accurate this is

[moodymisty]

It’s good that Horus had a breeding kink of all things, since it’s pretty common and bait (pictures of the reader) for it could be sent to him without rousing suspicion. But now I’m imagining an alternate universe where Horus had a more niche kink

Kor Phaeron, in the letter: It’s so sad that my son decided to do something as foolish as that 😢. I wish that through my actions (that you will not inform him of) he will better himself and put more effort into the crusade. And as you have graciously decided to take care of his wife in the meantime, here are some picts of her to know who you’re dealing with.

And Horus opens up a little picture folder where inside is a photo of you in sandals, another photo of you wearing sandals, a close up shot of your feet, a photo of you walking barefoot for some ceremony, a very up close photo of your feet that looks like someone took without your permission, and another photo of you in sandals (Horus is extremely hard)

Alright pack it up guys, I'm closing the blog down this is it we've peaked. This is the funniest fucking shit I've ever read

[happilychaengs]

love isn't enough

a/n: this is a repost bc i wanted to add more but you know me ‼️ writer's block and all that so it might just be kinda bad bc it's just been sitting in my drafts. also lmk if i missed a name bc i wrote this for sana originally

jihyo x gender neutral reader

angst

love is a fickle thing.

it's not the classic fairy tale sappiness nor is it the unbreakable bond people make it out to be in the movies. in reality, it's malleable. it's a sick and twisted thing, almost always used to hurt you. and maybe you don't notice it yet, but you will and when you do, it will tear your heart in two. it'll tear you piece by piece until all that's left is your cracked and broken psyche, afraid to love again. afraid to open up. afraid to be vulnerable.

and you know because that's what jihyo did to you.

it began with the promise of forever. with the stars by your side, and her hands interlocked with yours. they seemed to never let go, like she couldn't even imagine it. it was a distant, far-off thought that she couldn't possibly think of no matter what she did because then and only then, was she simply and truly in love with you.

you imagined it so when you stared in her eyes, the feelings she had for you so potent, you could almost see it bubble and rise up to the top. she kissed you then, and it was the only thing you could think of.

i'm only yours, she said and you believed it. because it was the truth but you should've known it wouldn't last. her love was already beginning to break. you weren't capable of keeping its shape.

her love began to twist, warping into whatever fit her narrative. the narrative of you and her. the narrative of why she was out for hours on end. the narrative of who the other girl was. just a friend, she would say.

but that's not to say she was the only one at fault because somewhere within you, you knew that whatever you felt was truly already broken. you just hadn't come to terms with it yet.

your love began distorting into the perfect mold for her. one that was so easily breakable and fixable again. one that jihyo could mold to her needs.

you love me, right? she would ask. and it's an attrocious word. love. it's a word that holds so much meaning over you and yet none at all when she leaves you alone in the night. she could've used that word with anyone else when she's laying in their bed, in their clothes, and whispering their name. and yet she can say she loves you the same.

it's disgusting and it's ironic.

you don't know why you didn't bring it up sooner when it was always an inch away, curdled up under the sheets, murmuring someone else's name. you don't know why you didn't bring it up sooner when her tone changed, that airy lightness replaced with a heavy guilt despite the continuous hurt she still brings you. you don't know why you didn't bring it up when your heart began to crack and she heard every bit fall to the ground.

you don't know why you stayed.

but maybe it was the way she promised you that fateful day that still holds something over you. forever. forever is a long time. time that you imagined jihyo would spend with you but she wouldn't. she couldn't. her love wouldn't allow it. it would rope her along, sweeping you up in the process.

what is your problem? do you not trust me? it's a mutter during the night sky, the darkness seeming to absorb any meaning those questions had. it's a pointless endeavor for her to even try ask but she relents, believing it would work. though the silence you give her serves as the reminder of mistakes she's made.

her love cracks like how yours did many times over.

you know. and there's only but an echo of guilt on her face and you realize it then, that maybe her promise really was always going to be empty. her hands glide across yours, grazing against your pale knuckles. did she ever love you after all? her shoulders relaxed, almost as if there was a weight off her shoulders.

and you didn't ever tell me. you never would've. the words are nothing shy of an accusation but there was nothing closer to the truth. maybe her love was all but an illusion. fabricated.

a tear falls, dribbling down your cheek as your heart begins to shatter.

maybe it was your love after all that was fickle.

[webslingerofthegalaxy]

RANT TIME

Okay, unpopular opinion that no one asked for but I have nowhere else to vent it so you're stuck with it time. I HATE the animated trolls shows, The Beat Goes On and Trollstopia. With a burning passion. I will admit, TBGO wasn't as bad as Trollstopia imo, but it was still bad. Why, you may ask?

Allow me to explain.

First off, let's start with TBGO. Now, since this comes after the first movie and we don't have a lot of context beyond it, I let a lot slide. But the main transgression I have is that this show brought Creek back. CREEK. Of all the MISERABLE LOUSY PATHETIC COWARDS to resurrect, they picked CREEK. WHY. Why was this necessary???? He adds nothing to the story beyond an annoying presence that makes me want to hurl my device like Captain America's shield. AND THEN, they make Branch the bad guy for not trusting him immediately. OF COURSE HE DIDN'T TRUST CREEK, THE SLIMY POS SOLD EVERYONE OUT TO SAVE HIS OWN SKIN. DID EVERYONE FORGET THAT!?!?! And then this leads to Branch having to APOLOGIZE to Creek and then eventually to them sort of becoming friends. THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN. Every episode he was in I could feel myself losing braincells.

If you thought that was alot, stick around for my rant on Trollstopia because holy shit, where do I begin?

Now, the idea behind Trollstopia is actually a good one. Like hey, everyone is so spread out, how about a group from every tribe comes to live in the middle which happens to be Pop Village? Genius! And I will admit, in the beginning it seemed promising! And then, they fucked it up.

How, you may ask?

Simple. My point can be simplified to 2 main subjects:

They put WAAAYYYY too much effort into Poppy's relationships with literally EVERYONE ELSE and nowhere near enough into her relationship with Branch, HER BOYFRIEND.

They absolutely, totally, 110,000% DESTROYED Branch's character.

I shall now explain my stance. First off, we have point #1. Now, don't get me wrong. Poppy should absolutely have relationships with other trolls! She's the queen, for hair's sake! And I really did enjoy the fact that she made new friends and got really close with them. As someone who has eternally struggled with making and maintaining friendships, I loved seeing her do what I usually cannot. HOWEVER, this is no excuse to neglect her relationship with her actual fucking BOYFRIEND. Trollstopia takes place after TWT, after Branch and Poppy confessed and entered a relationship (if you wanna argue with me, look at the official Trolls Wiki, it'll back me up). But if you watch the show, you can barely tell they LIKE each other, let alone that they're dating. The show ran for 7 seasons and, out of those seasons, can anyone tell me a single episode where they were the focus? I won't even ask about them as a couple, just them interacting together being the focus! Poppy and her friends repeatedly bulldozed over Branch, his feelings, and his boundaries, constantly mocked him, and shit on anything he wanted to do. I swear at times it was like watching Trolls 1 Branch and Poppy interact.

Finally, my second point: Branch's character. They absolutely fucking took all of Branch's hard earned character development from 2 movies and a holiday special and went:

Wanna know how I know? What does Branch actually DO in Trollstopia? About every 10th episode, he shows up to offer a crappy sarcastic remark that pales in comparison to his usual ones and does one of 3 things:

Gets hurt

Gets made fun of

Acts like a total moron, and not in a cute way.

He's basically turned into Jay from the later seasons of Ninjago (my apologies Jay, I love you but you know it's true). I mean, in one episode he got his ass absolutely HANDED to him when he tried the rodeo! COME ON. The dude who caught a stick fired at him without looking and jumped in front of a death bolt to save Poppy got served by a fucking bull thing? Bullshit (no pun intended). To add onto this, when he's not being trampled and beaten for no fucking reason, he's being used for the most CRINGEWORTHY comedic relief. I mean really, there was a whole episode about how he wanted to be called a "cool nickname" by Lownote. Really? We really think that's in character? And to top it off, he gets stuck with "Skippy Two-Shoes". WHAT. THE. FUCK??? I almost had an aneurysm when I heard that. And everyone was fine with it!!!! Which leads into my last point, NO ONE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT HIM DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE SAVED POPPY AND IS HER FUCKING BOYFRIEND. There was a whole fucking episode about him getting all pissed off at the Techno Trolls for taking over his lagoon in his bunker (which I have to say I'm jealous he has) to have "raves" at like 4am. WHO WOULDN'T BE PISSED OFF??? My upstairs neighbors bang around at all fucking hours of the day and it drives me insane so I get why Branch is mad! BUT WHY DOES NO ONE ELSE? Why is it when he complains he gets told that he's being "unfair" and has to "share"? Fuck that, he was there first! It's not like Trollstopia isn't huge, they can find somewhere else to infest at 4am!

In conclusion, I hate the animated shows because they destroy the relationship between Branch and Poppy and demolish all of Branch's character development, reducing him to the annoying sidekick that always gets cheered at when they get hurt or die tragically.

End of rant. Thank you for sticking with me, I needed to get that off my shoulders. Branch is my favorite character and it infuriates me that he gets the short end of the stick all the time. Enjoy this as a reward:

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

I'm bored so let me take it out on you with some of my Avatar platonic soulmate thoughts. Think of this like a guessing game. I'm going to jot the pairings down with a bit of background information and I want you to try and guess why I chose each pairing I chose (I feel like everyone has a slightly different interpretation of what a platonic soulmate can mean, so it'll be interesting to see if you pick up on what mine is).

Platonic soulmates:

In this AU there is a big distinction between platonic soulmates and romantic (I know in some the lines can be blurred) and the roles they play, and your platonic soulmate creates color on you whenever they touch you. The color that appears tends to reflect their mood towards you in that moment and can vary greatly in appearance (some soulmates' colors show up looking like watercolor paint, some look like flower stains, etc. Humans tend to have some that the Na'vi do not such as ink and gel pen, for obvious reasons).

Neteyam and Tsireya. They find out when Tsireya touches his arm to adjust his form during the Sully's swimming lessons. Their first color (which is very cherished and the color that the thing that goes on their songchord to record the moment will be; people will spend weeks looking for something that matches that first color perfectly) is a pale orange, which signifies that Tsireya is curious of him and wishes to be friendly (this will play a part in how the tone of the song at this part of the songchord will sound).

Kiri and Spider. Don't get me wrong, I like them as a romantic pairing and it's so obvious that that's where Cameron is going to take them in the next couple of movies, but I'm putting them here. They find out the very first day they meet, and their first color is a dark brown signifying that Spider feels settled and understood.

Jake and Lo'ak. Jake had long since accepted the fact that he had no platonic soulmate (and up until Neytiri he also thought he had no romantic soulmate either). Imagine his surprise when he held baby Lo'ak for the first time and splashes of pastel yellow appeared like marker bleeding into paper. Yellow means unbridled joy, pure happiness and elation. Neytiri had Jake add the pale yellow river stone to Lo'ak's songchord himself.

Neytiri and Tsu'tey. They found out the first time Tsu'tey got to see Neytiri. She grabbed on to his finger and left behind a white fingerprints, signifying her curiosity and lack of opinion surrounding Tsu'tey at that time. Tsu'tey scoured the entire forest for something that was, in his words, "the absolutely perfect shade" to put on Neytiri's songchord to mark the experience. Black was their last color, signifying Neytiri's despair at losing her platonic soulmate. Black is seen as the worst color to ever form between platonic soulmates. Unlike with other colors, black never comes off.

Ao'nung and Rotxo. Nobody can even remember when they found out. All Tonowari knows is that one day Ao'nung came scampering into their marui with Rotxo in hand (they were around two) and Rotxo had deep red handprints all over the hand that Ao'nung was holding on to. Ao'nung then began yelling at Tonowari about some horrible grievance Rotxo had committed. Amusingly enough, Rotxo just kept on grinning and despite the fact that Ao'nung's markings on Rotxo were red, Rotxo's markings on Ao'nung were pink; meaning he was amused, endeared, and thought of Ao'nung in that moment as his best friend. I say nobody can remember when the two found out because soulmates creating separate colors on one another only happens after the initial color is made by way of first contact, meaning they missed whenever the boys actually made their first color.

Feel free to add your own two-cents in as well!

Ohhhh babes I am so obsessed with this. I am in the middle of the long soulmate au post (none of you fuckers asked for any specific ones from the list so we're just doing a lot of little ones) so we will get into a lot more here but I loooove platonic soulmate aus. I've only read one fic with this particular platonic color/touch concept and it was a little different so my apologies if that bleeds through. I'd love to know what in your opinion the difference is in romantic soulmate marks tho, in the fic I read the marks were the same the soulmates just seemed to know.

-I love the idea of Neteyam and Tsireya, they seem so similar to me.

-I love that we've all decided we love spiri no matter what way it's portrayed, but regardless they are soulmates. I'd raise you that Kiri would feel that way lol.

-I lOVE baby Lo'ak and Jake. I like the idea that parents and children soulmates are treasured, and are fairly obvious because of where the first marks would be (if they stay I think they don't in your version). They'd be on the palm of the parents hand, and on the back of the child's neck, where they were held for the first time. Lol every time they have a fight the whole family is eyebrows raised like go have a little hug with your soulmate you guys are just too similar.

-FUCK OFF with Tsu'tey and Neytiri. If it's the same marks for platonic and romantic soulmates, but the soulmates themselves can tell pretty easily? Tsu'tey and Neytiri can tell they are not romantic, easily. The entire clan probably can, because Tsu'tey and Sylwanin were (they were too gross for it not to be obvious). But they're letting Neytiri and Tsu'tey pretend. Tsu'tey could tell RIGHT AWAY that Jake and Neytiri were romantic soulmates, and he'd be PISSED lol. "Neytiri you're gonna give the game away, dude."

-HILARIOUS OF AO'NUNG TO BE FURIOUS AT ROTXO WHILE ROTXO IS JUST LOVING HIM AND HAPPY. I'M CACKLING. This lives with my idea that Rotxo just showed up with Ao'nung one day and Tonowari and Ronal are constantly confused as to where he came from.

-I raise you Tuk and Spider. I know I know, crazy. But I stand by this. She reached up to hold his hand and it was a bright blue, because Spider was full of genuine wonder at this child who was delighted and unafraid to meet him.

-Also Norm and Jake, that is his BESTIE and I'm VERY intrigued by this concept of different soulmarks from humans and from Na'vi.

[gojocp]

Hello~

Are you taking request for Weak Hero???

Because I've got one!!

If yes, can I request Donald Na spending a last day with his sunshine girlfriend?? (Let's just say she's dying lol)

(sunshine - bright, stay positive type of a person)

first love/late spring

cw: angst, mention of character death featuring: donald na

a/n: hiii!! tysm for the request, the idea is so sad 😭😭hope you enjoy!! lmk how this is! < 33

"so please, hurry, leave me.. i can't breathe.. please don't say you love me" ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

'no.' was his first thought. 'no, no, no, no. this can't be happening.. not again..' he thinks. donald stares at you with wide eyes as you tell him the news. "i have leukemia." you say, looking down at your hands. "...what?" he asks quietly, eyes wide. "no.. no you- i-.." he trails off. his eyes start to water as he thinks of his mother, laying in the hospital bed on life-support.

as if you can read his mind, you say, "the doctor said chemotherapy is helpful, and the five-year survival rate is 65%. it'll probably go away with chemo, it's okay." you say, rubbing his back soothingly. "it'll be okay, donald." you add, placing a kiss on his temple.

"yeah, yeah.. it's okay, you're okay, you're fine, yeah.. it'll be okay.." he mumbles, trying to convince himself. .・。.・゜✭・.

that was 4 years ago, and things weren't looking good. you were losing your memory, your skin was pale, you were losing you appetite as swallowing became painful, you were losing weight, and it was harder to breathe.

donald visited whenever he could, but it became harder as the union grew. he took a few weeks off to spend time with you. there wasn't much left anyway.

donald sat by your bed holding you hand and placing soft kisses on it as he watched you rest. your cheeks had become hollow, your body frail. the doctor had informed him you didn't have much time left, a few days at most.

"donald..? is that you..?" you whisper. "yeah, i'm here.." he responds, softly. "what about your meeting?" you asked. "i already went.." he smiled, lying through his teeth. the meeting was 3 weeks ago. but he couldn't find it in his heart to correct you.

bang...bang..

"oh, hey! look, fireworks!" you beam, your eyes lighting up as you looking out the window. "is today something special?" you ask. "no.. i don't think so.." he responds. "hmm, i wonder what they're for.." you trail off. donald couldn't say the same, he set them up after all, knowing how much you enjoy watching them.

"when i go, i hope i go out just as beautifully.." you sigh, gazing out the window. "i'd like it if you didn't go at all.." he mumbles, watching your smile.

that's when reality hit for donald, you really were going. and it scared him.

"donald, i.." you begin, looking at your intertwined hands. 'please don't say it..' he thought. "i think i'm ready now.." you say, giving him a sheepish smile. 'fuck..that's even worse..'

"okay..." he starts, voice cracking as he tries to stay strong for you. and because he's loves you, he lets you say it. "i love you.."

"i love you too.." he says, covering his eyes with a hand in an attempt to hide his tears. "it'll be okay.. i'll be with you.." you begin. "in here," you point to his forehead, "and in here." you finish, pointing to his heart. and with that, you let sleep overtake you.

and you were right, maybe not in the way you meant it, but when he wakes up and your heart is no longer beating, the first places to hurt are his head and heart.

[philomenie]

Shadow Warrior

Hitman! Jolly - Part 2

CN despair, grief, mafiatheme, violence, sexual tension, cheating, guilt, explosions, death +18

If I forgot to mark something as CN, please let me know so I can add it!

@nojoyontheburn @jilliemiw86 @dsireland86 @aubrey-melinoe

FIVE

Doi, meanwhile, is close to going crazy with fear for Olivia. His men barely dare go near him, the mafia boss rages. “Where is he?” asks Nicholas, whom Geto has called. “Office!” nods Geto. “Good!” sighs Nicholas and heads off, hearing Geto's angry voice the closer he gets to his sprawling office.

“NO, NO, CERTAINLY NOT.... I NEED THE INFORMATION NOW, NOT TOMORROW, BUT NOW!” he shouts into his cell phone. Nicholas quietly closes the door behind him, then sits down in one of the comfortable armchairs that are grouped in a corner of the office. “YES, EXACTLY!!! I'M GLAD YOU UNDERSTAND NOW! SO FUCK YOU!” he continues to shout and then hangs up, slamming his cell phone on the table. “NO ONE KNOWS WHERE HE DROPPED HER!” he yells at Nicholas. “That was obvious.....” he grumbles, ”We have to take out Folio, the sooner the better, and find Olivia!”

Doi leans against his desk, wiping his face with his hands, “God damn it, I can't imagine what he's doing to her right now......” “Then don't do it! It'll upset you too much! You have to stay calm, Nobu, even for Olivia, especially for Olivia. Calm, cool, deliberate, and act. Otherwise....” Nicholas explains. “I know... but... Nick.... Just the thought of her being with him, what he could do to her, drives me crazy...” gasps Doi. Nicholas stands up and puts his hand on his friend's shoulder, “I know Nobu, just thinking about him having Nadja in his fingers....” Silently and understandingly, both men look into each other's eyes. “So what do we do!” sighs Doi. “I spoke to Perez on the phone earlier, weapons, ammunition are all on their way here already. Should be here tomorrow morning and then we'll do exactly what that little asshole does all the time, hit him where he doesn't expect it!” growls Nicholas. “What do you have in mind?” Doi nods slowly.

“Jelena....” Nicholas explains dryly, ”Nadja thinks he's really infatuated with his wife.....” “How do we get our hands on her and when?” Doi wants to know immediately. “She has routines, Nadja is proactive, has had her under surveillance for some time. If she keeps them up, we'll have her in our hands by noon tomorrow,” growls Nicholas. “And Olivia by evening at the latest....” Doi completes the sentence and Nicholas nods slowly, hoping that it's not too late for Olivia. The thought of passing on Nadja's idea to Doi that Karlsson could also have Olivia, if he really is here, briefly flits through his mind, but then he quickly dismisses it again so as not to make Doi go completely mad. Because in the state his friend is in right now, he would no longer distinguish between friend and foe and would probably have Karlsson eliminated.

Nicholas is already on his way back to Nadja when his cell phone buzzes. Irritated, he looks at his display and turns pale. Fuck..... he knew it! “Joakim.....” he answers immediately. “I need the new papers for Olivia... as soon as possible!” Joakim replies immediately. “Please tell me you have them with you!” gasps Nicholas. “Of course I have them with me!” growls Joakim darkly, ”What did you think? That I'd leave her to Folio's men, not look after her? Leave her to Doi?” “No.... And that's what I was counting on.... God, I'm relieved!” Nicholas breathes out in relief, ”Where are you?” “So you can tell Doi?” hisses Joakim angrily. “Joakim... you know I would never do that!” Nicholas explains seriously, ”What he did to you and her is beyond words and you know I never approved of it!” “I know!” Joakim grumbles and before he can speak any further, Olivia takes the cell phone from his hand. “I'm glad you didn't approve, NICHOLAS!” she spits at him. “Olivia.....” Nicholas winces. “Yes, OLIVIA!” she hisses at him, ”That you and Nadja did this to me and him..... I could strangle you all!” “I know... and believe me, I wouldn't put up with it again,” Nicholas explains seriously. “I'm sure there won't be a repeat of this! Bring the papers so we can get out of here and you can bang your fucking heads, I don't care about you all then.....” Olivia hisses at him. “Understandable...” nods Nicholas, ”But Olivia, please don't forget, Folio has you on his list too, as we now know.... He's not going to let up on getting his hands on you to destroy Nobu!” “I don't give a shit about Noah... he'll be lucky if he never has to face me again..... and when we're out of here, then....” Olivia growls angrily and flinches in surprise as Joakim snatches the cell phone from her fingers again. “You still see Folio as a danger to Olivia?” he demands to know, grumbling. “Yes.... He wants a complete takeover by any means necessary, to harm Nobu and Nadja as much as possible, to destroy them. What's the best way to do that? By killing the people closest to you to weaken you so much that you make mistakes, buckle, lose your mind. You know how it works, I don't have to explain it to you,” Nicholas explains seriously. “Absolutely!” growls Joakim, looking at Olivia with flaming eyes, ”I should have taken her with me in the first place. It's just as much my fault that she's in danger again as Nobus and Nadja's, yours......” Olivia looks at him, speechless. “Folio must be rendered harmless.....”, Nicholas blurts out. “I agree with you!” Joakim grumbles. “Wait a minute... Stop, no, no, no... this is going in one direction again.... STOP IT!!! We're leaving, we're out of all this then.....” gasps Olivia. “It doesn't seem that easy, min Liv!” growls Joakim angrily and Nicholas agrees. “FUCK... no, no, not again... OH God, I won't survive this.....” Olivia cries, shaking. “I'll get back to you later!” Joakim quickly explains and pulls Olivia back into his arms. “Shh, min Liv... calm down!” he whispers tenderly. “No... please, let's go... please don't have that nightmare again....” Olivia cries unrestrainedly against his chest. “Nothing will happen again! Nothing bad will happen!” Joakim kisses her, ”Have a little faith in me, will you?” “God.... You've said that before... and then?” Olivia sobs out. “I know, but I also told you that I would always come back to you.... And I did....” Joakim whispers lovingly. “After fuckin' two fucking years of hell!” Olivia cries bitterly. “I know... and I'm so sorry, min Liv!” he caresses her face tenderly, ”This will never happen again, I swear to you!” “Joakim it WILL happen again if we stay here!!! I can feel it!” Olivia whimpers desperately.

“No, it won't. But Nicholas is right... as long as Folio is alive, he's a danger, a danger to you and I won't let that happen!” Joakim rumbles. “He won't find us if we're careful!” pleads Olivia. “But... min Liv.... He will find us! Without Doi's protection, it's hopeless!” Joakim declares sternly. Olivia's mind races, “What if we ask Doi to give us protection? He owes it to you, to us!” “Do you really want him in your life any more?” Joakim asks bitterly. Olivia looks at him blankly. Joakim clenches his jaw, “I've seen you, several times.... How you were out together.... You were with him, he was with you......” he whispers harshly. Olivia looks at him, stunned, and she goes cold as ice, God, does he know we were in bed together too? Noah and I, it hammers in her head.

“I....” she swallows, unable to get another word past her lips for sheer fear of losing this beloved man again. “I thought you were together..... so.... But I couldn't just leave, that would have been even more painful!” he whispers harshly. Olivia begins to tremble, she notices dizziness and nausea setting in, her heart races and cold sweat breaks out of her every pore. Joakim, noticing her physical change, sits up worriedly, “Liv, what's wrong?” he asks, startled.

“Panic attack....” gasps Olivia and has to hold on to him, clutching his arm. “What should I do?” Joakim wants to know immediately. “Just hold me tight! Please.....” Olivia pleads chokingly. “Of course, min Liv!” Joakim whispers earnestly and pulls her close, lying back in bed with her and trying to calm her down as best he can, murmuring caresses in Swedish and Olivia breaks down completely, clinging to him, sobbing and trembling. God, she can't lose him again... what has she done? Getting into bed with Doi... oh dear God, please, don't ever let him find out, Olivia pleads in her head as Joakim gently cradles and caresses her. “Olivia is with Joakim!” Nicholas whispers to Nadja after he has laid down next to her and cuddled her in his arms. “Really?” Nadja looks up, relieved, “Hmm, she's safe. It's like you said, he's been watching her the whole time, looking out for her....” sighs Nicholas. “When did he come back?” Nadja wants to know, ”And does Doi know about it?” “Since when exactly, I don't know, but I guess a good while now and I haven't told Nobu yet!” sighs Nicholas again. “You're afraid of how he'll react....” Nadja looks at him questioningly. “Yes!” Nicholas nods gloomily, ”Nobu is just beside himself with fear of losing Olivia, even though he has never had her, will never have her. Not the way he wants it....I'm afraid he's having a short-circuit reaction right now!”

“But he must know that she's safe!” whispers Nadja. “Yes... but I don't know how to tell him that she's safe, but that he's lost her forever.....” snorts Nicholas. “I don't know that either..... But Nicky, he can't hurt Joakim! That can't happen under any circumstances!” gulps Nadja. “I'll make sure of that, and I'll remind him that he'd lose Olivia all the more if he did, she'd really kill him for it!” growls Nicholas, ”But now I want to get some sleep. I'm dog-tired!” “That's ok.... And I thought all-nighters were nothing new for you!” Nadja teases him. Grumbling, Nicholas raises an eyelid tiredly and looks at her mockingly, “There's a difference between me doing this for my babies and me having to do it because some idiot has to start stressing, raising hell.....” “I know...” Nadja kisses him tenderly, ”I'm just teasing you.....” But Nicholas can't really calm down, because he still doesn't know how to gently tell Nobu that he's lost Olivia forever.....

It's even worse than Nicholas imagined and for a moment he regrets just telling Nobu..... His relief when he hears Olivia is safe, followed by a frown and then that outburst when he finds out WHERE she is and WHO she's with.... Nicholas stands stoically in Nobu's study, which he turns into kindling with his bare hands and feet. Furious, Nobu grabs Nicholas and pulls him towards him by his collar, “YOU knew WHERE he was, you helped him!” With a cold expression on his face, Nicholas frees himself from Nobu's grip, smoothing out his jacket, “Of course... and I will continue to help him! And YOU my friend, leave him alone!” Nobu looks as if he would like to eat Nicholas. His eyes glow darkly, his hair hangs stringy in his face, his hands clenched into fists.

“Calm down! We now have time to plan everything in peace. Olivia is safe!” Nicholas explains coolly, ”You knew this would happen!” “He took her from me!” rumbles Nobu vindictively. “God, Nobu, come to yourself! YOU took her away from HIM and you're lucky you didn't pay for it with your life! And now you want to get between them? Are you still in your right mind?” Nicholas hisses angrily, ”I've never seen you like this..…”

“Because I've never felt SO much for a woman as I do for her!” growls Nobu bitterly. “Well... that's YOUR problem, my friend! Deal with it or it'll eat you up. If you really love Olivia, leave her alone, because she doesn't want you, she wants him, only ever wanted him.” growls Nicholas. “WHERE are they?” he then wants to know. “I don't know, Karlsson didn't want to tell me, to prevent you from showing up or sending men to him.” Nicholas explains distantly, ”A legitimate concern, I'd say!” “You think I'm going to have him killed in front of her?” snaps Nobu. “Maybe not in front of them.....” hisses Nicholas, then takes a deep breath, ”Listen... leave them both alone. They want it this way, Give me Olivia's papers, I'll bring them to them.” “Folio will keep hunting her anyway, because he apparently knows what she means to me!” Nobu rumbles. “Yes, I fear that too, just like Karlsson!” nods Nicholas. “So Karlsson fears it too.... Then he knows that he can never protect her in his life.... Only I can!” growls Nobu. “Hmm, like you protected her from Folio's men?” Nicholas interjects and Nobu would have loved to jump down his friend's throat again. “HE protected her....” Nicholas adds and Nobu thunders his fist onto the desk behind him. Shaking, he holds his bleeding knuckles. “Like I said... get a grip, otherwise Folio will have an easy time with us and you won't just lose Olivia!” sighs Nicholas, taking a handkerchief from his jacket and handing it to Nobu, ”For your knuckles!”

When Nicholas has gone, Nobu's rage and despair continue to race through him. Yes, he had to expect Karlsson to show up again... Fuck should he have let him die right away? As badly injured as he was, he certainly wouldn't have noticed. But he just didn't have the heart to do it back then. To this day, he's still not sure how he got into this shitty situation in the first place. But when he saw Olivia for the first time, it was as if a light had come on inside him. Olivia had him from the moment she walked into his life and he couldn't help but try to win this incredible woman over. By almost any means necessary. Nobu has to breathe in and out deeply to get himself back under control. Nicholas is right, if he completely loses it now, Folio will have an easy time of it. So he has to postpone the problem of Karlsson until later, when Folio has been dealt with and is no longer a threat. And then he can devote himself to Karlsson.... Nobu doesn't know how yet, but he can't just give up Olivia without a fight. But he can't just kill him, Nobu knows that, otherwise he would have lost Olivia all the more... No, he has to find another way to make Olivia leave him voluntarily.

Nobu begins to think about it.

“How did he take it?” Nadja wants to know as Nicholas walks back to her. “What do you think!” snorts Nicholas, taking off his jacket and throwing it on one of the armchairs in the spacious bedroom that he and Nadja will be occupying in Nobu's house for the next few months. “So bad...” sighs Nadja. “Even worse!” sighs Nicholas and lies down next to Nadja, taking her in his arms, ”But he'll calm down again. He HAS to calm down and he knows it. First Folio has to be switched off....” “And then?” Nadja wants to know tonelessly.

“Then I'm afraid Nobu might do something very, very stupid,” sighs Nicholas. “You have to stop him. He mustn't kill Joakim...” Nadja begs him again. “I will do that! Don't worry, I'll take care of that!” Nicholas kisses her, ”But now please calm down and rest, the doctors said you should take it easy!” “Hmm,” grumbles Nadja, who is getting tired of being in bed, but she complies. The fear of losing her unborn child is still deep inside her and she doesn't want to take any risks. “Sergei and Boris are here too.... They're staying in Doi's guest house!” Nicholas continues quietly. “Good!” Nadja sighs and snuggles up to him. “It's all going to be okay!” whispers Nicholas, ”We'll kill Folio, then it'll be safe again....” “Hmm,” grumbles Nadja, ”that wanker blew up my townhouse... I could put a bullet in his head for that alone! Not to mention my dead men!”

“Yes... he's a dead man who just doesn't know it yet!” yawns Nicholas and looks at his watch. “Do you have any plans?” Nadja wants to know. “Hmm, no... Or rather, it depends on Nobu whether he gives me Olivia's new papers....” sighs Nicholas. “And when you have them, do you want to meet Joakim?” Nadja wants to know quietly. “Yes!” nods Nicholas. “Take me with you, please... I need to see him... talk to him, apologize to him!” Nadja begs. “No way! You stay here in this fucking bed, safe!” snorts Nicholas. “I'm not sick and I can take good care of myself!” hisses Nadja. “Not a chance, Querida!” growls Nicholas, ”You don't have to see him to apologize to him, you can call him!” “What if he doesn't want to talk to me? Besides, I just have to see him.....” asks Nadja again. “No!” Nicholas shakes his head sternly, ”You're not going to put yourself and our child in danger over this. If you need to see him, we can arrange everything after this is over. But now it's just too dangerous!” “Hmm,” Nadja grumbles angrily again, ”I can decide that for myself!” “Yes, but it would be incredibly stupid and you're not stupid, you're just pregnant and your hormones are ticking... just take my word for it!” grins Nicholas. “Nicholas Ryan Ruffilo... you're dangerously close to becoming a dead man...” Nadja hisses and grabs his throat. Grinning, Nicholas puts his hand in hers and shifts to kiss her, “I honestly missed THAT, Querida!” he whispers. “Hmm, me too....” sighs Nadja and returns his kiss hungrily. “We should still be careful, the doctor said....” whispers Nicholas regretfully, running his hands over her body.

“FUCK...” Nadja gasps in frustration, but pulls away from him a little. “We'll soon be over that too!” smiles Nicholas and kisses her again, ‘And then...’ he grins mischievously and pulls her close to him.

Snuggled up in one of his hoodies and sweatpants, Olivia sits on the couch and watches Joakim prepare breakfast for them both... well, brunch rather... because it's almost lunchtime. She can't take her eyes off him as he busies himself in the small kitchen. Her eyes caress his skin, his face. He has tied his long hair back in a half bun and finally looks relaxed again. Olivia notices that he is hardly limping or shaking. “What are you looking at, min Liv?” Joakim asks with a smile. “You!” Olivia sighs happily, ”Just you!” “Hmm,” Joakim grumbles, his smile widening, brightening. “This... it feels so normal... just like always....” Olivia whispers softly. He looks at her, nodding, “Yes, min Liv... that's right!” Olivia reaches a hand out to him and Joakim leans in to take it. “It's going to stay that way... isn't it?” she wants to know quietly. Joakim goes to her, sits down next to her and pulls her onto his lap. Olivia wraps her arms around his neck and buries her face in the crook of his neck. “It will stay like this, min Liv...” he whispers tenderly, ”You don't need to be afraid anymore!” “I never want to lose you again....” Olivia whispers softly. “You won't, min Liv, never again!” whispers Joakim lovingly. Olivia chews nervously on her lower lip until Joakim notices.

“Hmm, what's wrong, min Liv?” he wants to know quietly. “I...” Olivia shifts nervously. “Hmm, if you keep going like this, breakfast will fall out....” he whispers in her ear and Olivia becomes aware of his growing excitement. She immediately stops her movements, “Sorry... I didn't mean to do that now....” Frowning, he looks at her, “Is something wrong?” “Um, no.... No... everything's fine.....” Olivia chokes out, feeling terrible. She has to tell him the truth, even at the risk of him leaving her.... “Liv... you know you can tell me anything....” he whispers tenderly. Olivia takes a deep breath, nods, “I know my darling...” she swallows, “But....” Just as she has plucked up the courage to confess it to him, his cell phone buzzes and he reaches for it, frowning. “Ruffilo!” he growls. “Answer it!” nods Olivia, relieved and frustrated at the same time. “Yes?!” grumbles Joakim. “I've got everything. Nobu just handed me Olivia's papers.” Nicholas explains. “Right, where do we meet?” Joakim wants to know immediately. “Wherever you want. But what about Folio?” Nicholas asks. “I'll deal with him before we get out of here!” growls Joakim hatefully. “How are you going to do that?” Nicholas wants to know.

“Let me worry about that!” Joakim grumbles and Olivia turns pale, shakes her head in despair and Joakim takes her in his arms again, pulling her close. “We should talk about this. Really Joakim... a one-man operation can quickly backfire. It could turn into a suicide mission and I think you've had enough of that...” suggests Nicholas. “Discuss... preferably with Doi so that he can kill me.” Joakim grumbles. “Nobu should be there, yes and no, he certainly won't kill you.” Nicholas explains seriously. “I've seen him looking at Olivia, courting her, seeking her closeness.... And he's not a man who admits defeat....” snorts Joakim. “I'd be lying if I said he wasn't...” sighs Nicholas, ”But Nobu's no fool either. He knows he'll never win Olivia over, especially not if he kills you!” “FUCK!” growls Olivia against Joakim's chest, ”If he should dare, try, or even think that, I will kill him!” Joakim laughs softly and kisses Olivia on the temple. “You heard her...” he snorts, ”Alright... let's you and I meet for the first time, talk about how everything's going to go down. What you're up to, Nobu, Nadja, you.... And then we'll see!” “Right, where exactly?” Nicholas wants to know. “I'll send you the coordinates... come alone!” growls Joakim. “When?” Nicholas wants to know. “This afternoon!” explains Joakim and hangs up. “Where do you want to meet him?” Olivia wants to know. “In the forest, at the clearing....” mumbles Joakim, ”I know my way around there, that's my advantage!” “I'm coming with you!” Olivia nods immediately. “No, min Liv, you stay here. You're safe here!” he shakes his head. “FUCK, NO, FORGET IT!” Olivia hisses at him, ”I'm coming with you and out with it!” “Din lilla häxa.... you little witch....!” snorts Joakim, smiling. “I am NOT staying here alone!” she repeats emphatically. “Ok... but you do what I tell you!” replies Joakim seriously. “Yes!” nods Olivia immediately, ”But it's Nicholas.... Do you really think....” “I don't know... actually, I think we can trust him.... But I've become more skeptical....” he shrugs his shoulder. “Yeah!” nods Olivia, before snuggling up to him again, ”Me too.....”

“Karlsson! Good to see you!” smiles Nicholas as he meets Joakim in the clearing. “Hmm, Ruffilo....” nods Joakim, looking around. “We're alone!” confirms Nicholas immediately. “Did anyone else follow you?” Joakim wants to know quietly. “No... I didn't notice anything... you think Folio?” Nicholas voices Joakim's thoughts. “Hmm,” he nods, ”this guy is dangerous! A real problem.” “You had your eye on him too?” Nicholas wants to know. “A bit... at least as far as Olivia is concerned!” growls Joakim. “I see.... Very well...” Nicholas reaches into his coat, causing Joakim to flinch and reach for his gun. Nicholas looks at him seriously, “Just the papers... I'm unarmed, my gun is in the car!” With these words, he slowly opens his coat, holding it open so that Joakim can see for himself that he really is unarmed. “Hmm,” he nods. “I'm on your side, I always have been!” Nicholas explains urgently as he hands Joakim the thick envelope. “I'm just being cautious....” grumbles Joakim and pockets the envelope. “What do you want to do next?” Nicholas then wants to know. “Like I said, kill Folio and then get out of here with Olivia!” growls Joakim. He looks Nicholas straight in the eye, “She's beside herself with fear that the same thing will happen as last time! I won't let that happen and I won't let anyone threaten her either!” “Absolutely!” Nicholas nods grimly, ”But we should take a targeted approach, coordinate, work together!” Joakim laughs bitterly, “I don't trust Doi one bit anymore..…”

“You can trust me, Nadja....” Nicholas explains seriously. Joakim snorts bitterly again, “Of course.... That's why I was alone when I woke up....” “Doi decided that... put Nadja under pressure.... We were completely blindsided by him before Nadja, me, could talk to Olivia. She was full of tranquilizers most of the time... unresponsive... Then your funeral...” swallows Nicholas, ”I'm still so insanely sorry!” “I trusted Nadja....” whispers Joakim harshly. “Nadja loves you... she climbed around in the rubble alone after the explosion, just with Alexei, to find you! She didn't want to believe you were dead. Just like me. We pulled you out of there together.... Joakim, please don't hold such a grudge against Nadja. She would like to talk to you about it!” Nicholas explains seriously. “She could have come with you!” growls Joakim, ”If she really wanted to talk to me!” “She would have, if she hadn't been on medically prescribed bed rest....” growls Nicholas. Joakim shrugs with a questioning look. “Hmm,” Nicholas nods grimly, ”she's expecting our child.... And if she hadn't gotten into trouble that shitty day, we'd all be buried under the rubble and Folio's plan would have worked!” “She's pregnant?!” Joakim drains all the color from his face. “She is... and I beg you, give her another little chance....” asks Nicholas. “Hmm,” Joakim nods, totally surprised by the news. “How is she?” Olivia's voice is suddenly heard behind the two men. They both flinch, startled.

“FUCK, LIV!” Joakim hisses, pulling her to him, ”You should stay away... why do you NEVER listen to what I tell you, fucking woman!” Furious, Olivia glares at him, “It's Nicholas.... Alone... I want to know if everything is okay with Nadja!” “She is, she and the baby are fine!” nods Nicholas. “Good!” Olivia sighs with relief. “We're all at Nobu.....” he looks questioningly at both of them. “Forget it!” hisses Olivia immediately, ”I'd strangle him with my bare hands!” “Understandable!” sighs Nicholas, ‘But what happens now...’ he looks questioningly at Joakim. “A meeting on neutral ground... then we can discuss everything!” he growls and Olivia closes her eyes. Nicholas sees her turn pale and hold on to Joakim, trembling. He puts his hand on her arm reassuringly, “Don't worry, everything will be fine!” “You don't know that!” she swallows, looking pleadingly at Joakim, ”Let's just get out of here!” He looks at her lovingly, “It's not possible yet, min Liv... you know that!” Tears run down her face, “God, I just hate everything right now... this situation, this life, this violence!” Joakim takes her in his arms, “I know, min Liv... but soon it will all be over! Then you'll never have to endure all this again!” Crying, she clings to him and Nicholas presses his jaws together. FUCK, Nobu... if you hadn't wanted her for yourself, it would never have come to this and the two of them would have been happily reunited and could have built a new life, he thinks to himself angrily. Olivia looks out of the window in silence on the way back. Joakim keeps giving her a worried look. When she suddenly flinches and screams “FUCK” out loud, he almost wrenches the steering wheel. “FUCK... What is it?” he wants to know, startled. Olivia looks at him in panic, “Milo!” she gasps, “FUCK.... I forgot my bloody dog!” “What?!” Joakim looks at her in irritation. “Milo... my dog.... He's still with Alma!” gasps Olivia. “I see...” nods Joakim.

Olivia looks at him questioningly, “You're not surprised?” “Hmm,” Joakim shakes his head, ”I've already noticed....” Olivia looks at him for a long time, chewing on her lower lip again. “What is it, min Liv?” Joakim asks her gently. Olivia gathers all her courage, “Joakim... there's something... I have to tell you.....” she whispers barely audibly. His gaze twitches towards her, questioning, irritated. He notices how his heart begins to race, nausea sets in. Olivia's gaze remains lowered, she fiddles with the ties of her hoodie, or rather Joakim's hoodie, which she is wearing. She is nauseous, her heart is racing, she feels dizzy. Pure panic races through her body. “No....” he suddenly growls and Olivia blinks at him in astonishment, ‘No?!’ she repeats incredulously. “No!” Joakim shakes his head sullenly, looking at her, ”No!” Olivia stares at him in disbelief, then the realization hits her like a blow... God, he knows.... Or suspects it.....She turns pale. Joakim reaches for her hand, squeezes it, “No!” he repeats again, this time pleadingly. Olivia clings to his arm, hides her face on his shoulder. Joakim stares at the road ahead with clenched jaws. Olivia has just confirmed what he feared all along... An affair with Doi. He has to summon all his strength to stay calm. His hatred of Doi is boundless right now. And he can't really explain why Liv.... God.... He breathes in and out deeply, hoping that his immense anger will fade. His gaze flickers briefly to Olivia, who is still pressing her face into his shoulder. FUCK..... He knows it now, but to hear her say it, to hear her say those words... that would have been too much for him. That's why he interrupted her, had to interrupt her, because otherwise he wouldn't have known what to do. He is hurt, angry, doesn't know what to do with his feelings. But one feeling covers it all and that's why he knows that he can forgive her, will forgive her. His deep, indispensable love for her. He also realizes that Olivia had to assume he was dead.... Damn... it still hurts a lot.

“I'm so sorry!” Olivia suddenly whispers, choked. “Hmm,” Joakim mumbles, then looks at her, ‘I love you!’ he whispers harshly and Olivia lets out a sob. His hand seeks hers and Olivia immediately wraps her fingers in his, holding him with an iron grip. “This will be over soon..... Then it'll just be you and me...” he whispers hoarsely. Olivia nods tearfully, unable to speak and at the same time infinitely relieved. As Joakim parks the car, he looks at Olivia, who is still clinging to his arm, stroking her hair, “Hmm, min Liv, what are we going to do with your dog?” he asks with a smile. Olivia looks at him with red, teary eyes and Joakim's heart clenches at the sight of her, so he leans over and kisses her tenderly, “Don't be afraid, min Liv, everything's fine!” Olivia wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him to her, “God, I love you so much.... I'm dying at the thought of losing you again.....” “Shh” Joakim reassures her, ”You'll never lose me again, I swear!” Olivia presses herself against him, not wanting to let go. “We should get out!” Joakim murmurs quietly, ”Not that we'll attract any more attention!” “Yes!” Olivia nods and gets out of the car, her limbs trembling. As always, Joakim pulls his hood low over his face and immediately pulls Olivia into his arms, walking with her quickly to the building next to the one with his apartment in it. Olivia looks at him questioningly, Joakim just nods, walks on with her, stops in front of an apartment and unlocks it, pushes Olivia inside and locks the door again, putting the security bolts in front of it.

“Where are we?” Olivia wants to know quietly. “My second home, so to speak... actually, I only leave my actual apartment via it,” Joakim answers and leads Olivia to the bedroom, closes the door there and pulls her to the closet, which is full of weapons and ammunition. Stunned, Olivia looks around, “FUCK.... You weren't idle!” she gulps. “I told you I was leaving NOTHING to chance this time!” he growls softly. The back wall of the closet consists of a strong metal door secured with a code lock, into which Joakim is typing the right combination and Olivia has to swallow, because it's YOUR date... Joakim takes Olivia by the arm and pushes her through, closing the door again behind him. “Why this way now?” she wants to know from him when they are back in his actual apartment. “Because of Ruffilo and I don't know what the Italians are doing right now, even if I don't think they're on to me!” he growls, placing the sniper rifle he's taken with him on his bed. Olivia's gaze fixes on it, “For whom?” she wants to know quietly. “Folio.....” growls Joakim, then looks directly at Olivia, ”And Doi, if he gets in my way, in our way!” Olivia nods slowly, looking away, “So you don't want to work with Nicholas and Noah?” Joakim runs his hand through his hair, “I don't know....” he sighs. “Please don't do anything rash...dangerous...” swallows Olivia anxiously as she places her hand on his chest. Joakim takes her hand in his, “No!” he murmurs softly, “I won't! I swore to you that I wouldn't!”

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #310 (Part 2)

Okay!! I'm back!! Here we go...!!!

So, before I could start baking a cake, I had to wash the dishes from breakfast. So I did!

...And then I sat down for a second, and Hoshi promptly decided that I am a bed:

...As you know, it was illegal for me to move until he was all done. So I sat around for some happy cuddle time, which is just as well, since I probably could have used a break by then in any case.

J's favorite cake is a tres leches cake. It's a very spongy cake which is then soaked in a mixture of evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream. It's obscenely delicious. And even, better, it's ridiculously versatile! You can flavor it with chocolate, with matcha, with banana, with coconut... pretty much whatever you can think of!! Heck, you could even probably flavor it with-

......!!!!!!!

Oooooh. You know what? Actually, I think I'll keep that particular idea to myself until the solstice; it'll be a surprise for you for your birthday!!!! Oooooh, I think you're gonna love it!!!! Just you wait...!!!! 🤩🤭😁

...Anyway!!! So you start with 60 grams of flour. We weigh our flour instead of relying on cups, because flour is super squishable; you can get wildly different volumes of flour with the same damn measuring cup because it compresses with pressure. So just save yourself the headache and weigh it.

To that, you'll add 3/4ths of a teaspoon of baking powder (I think about 6 grams...?) and 1/8th of a teaspoon (I think about 1 gram...?) of salt. I dunno if your world has measuring spoons; most of the rest of my world uses the metric system like sane people, and I'm not sure why my country hasn't gotten with the program. So my country still uses pounds and ounces and cups and teaspoons and tablespoons, and it's VERY annoying. But that's what we have, so... yeah.

Anyway, set the bowl of powdered ingredients to the side for now. We have to separate the yolks from 3 eggs. I like to use my slotted spoon for that, like this:

We're gonna put the egg whites to the side for now, and stick the yolks into our handy-dandy stand mixer (because I cannot whisk things that fast; maybe you could...???), along with 3/8ths of a cup of sugar (or 82.5 grams).

You'll whisk it on high until everything is combined and it gets pale yellow, and a little fluffy from air getting whisked in. Like this:

You'll add 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (or 40 grams) of milk to the beaten egg yolks and sugar, as well as half a teaspoon (or about 2.5 milliliters) of vanilla extract (or vanilla paste, if you like that better). Mix it up, and then sift your flour/baking powder/salt mixture, and slowly incorporate it into the yolk mixture.

Once the flour mixture and the egg yolk mixture are combined, it should look like this:

From here, you'll need to transfer it into another bowl. And this is another great thing about a rice cooker; you can use the bowl that comes with it for ANYTHING, because it can hold a lot of stuff!

...As for the stand mixer bowl, you're gonna hafta wash that, because we gotta whisk those egg whites we left to the side with some sugar until they make stiff peaks. But egg whites won't do the chemistry properly while we're whisking it if there's ANYTHING in the bowl with them other than sugar, and I know from experience that simply rinsing out the bowl with water isn't enough to get rid of any residual egg yolk. You HAVE to wash the bowl, and the whisk, too, with dish soap; hand soap will either leave some kind of moisturizing residue, or it won't be strong enough to get rid of all the food residue.

Soap for hands is different from soap for dishes!! Dish soap is too harsh to use regularly on hands!! Hand soap isn't strong enough to do a good job of cleaning dishes!! The chemistry and purposes of these soaps are different!! Don't forget!!

Here's our egg whites before whisking; you'll whisk it on high until it starts to get foamy. Egg whites do a chemistry thing when air is incorporated into them quickly. I'm not sure how the mechanics work; I used to know, but I forgot. I'm sure you can find out how it works if you're interested, though!

Here it is at firm peaks; you can tell because inside the bowl, the pointy bit is kinda (but not fully!) flopped over when you take the whisk out; this is the part where I added the sugar:

Here it is at stiff peaks; you can tell because the pointy bit in the bowl doesn't flop over at all:

...This might just barely be a bit overbeaten, actually. But that's all right. It'll do.

So now we have a cake batter in two parts. We have to combine it into a single cake batter, but WITHOUT popping the delicate bubbles in our whisked egg whites. So we (gently!!!) plop our egg white foam into our egg yolk mixture:

The idea is to slowly fold the egg yolk mixture over the egg white mixture, and keep doing that until everything is combined. But you have to do it very gently, or else the foamy bubbles in our egg whites will collapse, and it won't be airy or foamy anymore - it'll go all flat.

...I'm not very good at this part. This requires a level of precision that I typically struggle with. Most of my previous attempts at making this cake have fallen flat because I either overmixed it or mixed it too quickly, or mixed it too roughly.

...I'm a little nervous. But the only way out is through...

....!!!! Oh!!! Oh!!!!!! Sephiroth!!! I think it worked this time!!!! LOOK!!!

Ooooooh, that's so exciting!!!!! I've not had it turn out this well before!!! Oh my gosh!!!!

...Anyway!!! So I used an 8 inch by 8 inch (or 20 centimeters by 20 centimeters) cake pan. I lined it with parchment paper, because I know from experience that it doesn't matter how much butter you coat the pan in; this cake sticks to everything.

We pour in the cake batter, and we put it in the oven at 350 degrees F (or about 176.7 degrees C) for 30 minutes!

We can use the parchment paper to take it right out of the pan, and let it cool! Look how beautifully it turned out!!!

In the meantime, we'll mix together 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, and 1/4th cup (or about 59 milliliters) of heavy cream!

Putting in the heavy cream is very easy; you just dump it in there and it's fine. Evaporated milk is easy, too; you just dump it right in. But sweetened condensed milk is very goopy and very sticky; you'll need to use a tool, preferably a silicone one, to get it all out of the can:

...This is our "three milks". Tres leches is Spanish for "three milks". We have heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk - these are all milk products. So, figuratively, that's three "milks".

Now for the cake; we'll turn it upside down and stab it full of holes with a toothpick! You can't see the holes very well in this picture, but I promise you, I did stab it full of holes:

We stab it full of holes because we're going to let the cake absorb our "three milk" mixture. We're gonna slowly pour it into the cake pan with the stabbed cake.

...Yes, Sephiroth, I know it seems like a lot, but we're going to pour all of the milk mixture into the cake. All of it. It'll all get absorbed, trust me. It'll be okay, I promise! Let's go...!!! 🤩🤩🤩

...We do it a little at a time and wait for it to absorb, so it doesn't spill over the sides of our cake pan.

...And just like that, it's all done! Nice job!

...But we're not done yet!!! We gotta make the whipped cream frosting!!!

I'm using 1 cup (or about 236.6 milliliters) of heavy cream and 1.5 tablespoons (or about 18.75 grams) of sugar.

We'll whisk it on high speed...

...Beautiful.

And then we put it on our cake!!! But first... do you want to lick the whisk? Everyone should get to do that at least once, if they want to:

Okay!!! So now we cover our cake in the whipped cream, and then we cut it into slices!!!

Here's how it looks after taking a few slices out of the pan...

I made myself some tea to go with it!

It's a pale yellow when it brews, and it smells exactly like lemon cake! We had a little bit of whipped cream leftover; can you guess what I used it for? Hahaha...

...I wish I could give this to you:

...There are so many delightful things I wish I could give to you, but... all I can do is write these silly little letters... 🙁 I'm really sorry about that... 😞

...Well. Maybe by the time you get up out of that crater, you'll have read enough of my letters to know how to do some nice things for yourself. If you ever make yourself a tres leches cake someday, you'll have to show me, all right? Promise me, okay?

...I guess that's it for today. It's going on 1am, and I did lots of things today, so I should probably stop writing now so that I can go to bed.

I love you. Please stay safe out there so that someday, you can make a tasty breakfast and bake a delicious cake with someone who cares deeply for you.

I'll write again tomorrow. I hope you'll look forward to it.

Your friend, Lumine

[valxrsp]

a part 2/ continuation to this superbat writing because yes

also there's insinuation of NSFW in this, but nothing crazy :3

Clark chuckles, the thought of the situation all too easy to imagine. An auctioned date with Bruce Wayne, with all the women wanting the man.. and one of them wanting to win the date so bad she throws her bra at him to get his attention...

"I'm surprised it was only one bra being thrown, and not more."

Bruce rolls his eyes at Clark's words as he shakes his head, hiding his face in the man's neck.

Clark snickers, smiling softly as he feels the man's breath against his neck. He turns his head and presses a soft kiss against Bruces' messy hair.

"So you were auctioned off, huh? How much did the date go for?"

"Hm.. 10 grand, I think." Bruce mumbles.

Clark can't help but whistle at that. 10k dollars was a lot of money... especially for something as simple as 1 single date...

"Damn.. maybe I should go into the dating auction business, too. I could make a good buck myself if I can sell my services for that much."

"No." Bruce bites down on Clark's neck. "I'd buy the winning bid every time."

Clark's breathing hitches at the light bite on his neck, the slight possessiveness from the man making his insides shiver slightly.

"That's assuming you'll always be the highest bidder." He teases, tilting his head back slightly.

"Please." Bruce scoffs. "You think I'm not rich enough to have that be a guarantee?"

"It's not the money that's the problem, but how much you're willing to spend." Clark hums softly, letting the man's teeth tease his skin and leaving his neck exposed on purpose. "I could sell myself for an insane amount of money, and you would end up going bankrupt trying to outbid them.."

"I don't care." Bruce kisses the spot on Clarks neck that he bit, "I'd do it anyway."

Clark can't help but moan softly at the man's kiss, tilting his head to the side to give the man full access to his neck. The man's possessiveness was.. something.

"You say that now.. but what if someone bids a million?"

"Then I'll bid a billion."

Clark can't help the small shiver it goes through his body at those words, the possessiveness in the man's voice almost making him want to submit on the spot. He lets out a huff of breath at the man's declaration.

"A billion..?" He teases quietly, his tone slightly breathy. "You're crazy.."

"Crazy for you," Bruce whispers as he nibbles at Clark's neck.

Clark lets out a small whine in response to that, tilting his head back and exposing his neck even more to the man, feeling his skin getting more and more sensitive by the second. The man's words were making him wanna melt, and his body felt like it was getting slightly hotter by the second.

"You know.. it's impossible to give me a hickey."

"Shhh... doesn't mean i can't try... giving back all the ones you left on me."

Clark lets out a small huff at the man's words, his fingers gently tracing over Bruces' shoulder where he left a bite mark the night before.

"Yeah, but.. there's too many.." He mumbles, noticing just how many red and purple spots there were all over the man's pale skin.. "I might have gotten a bit carried away.."

"Yeah, now I'm gonna have to be wearing turtlenecks around my manor for a week." Bruce chuckles. "My sons would absolutely scold me."

"Oh god.. I hadn't even thought about that.." Clark ponders at the thought of the man having to explain the marks on his body to his boys. He was sure Dick would get a kick out of it, but Damian might end up yelling at him.. and that was if Damian even cared in the first place.

"Turtlenecks are cute though.." He adds with a sheepish grin.

"Are they? not too nerdy?"

Clark chuckles, his fingers gently tracing down the man's bare chest, gently grazing over his hipbone.

"They're cute. It'll make you look even more sophisticated and proper. Like a professor going to give a class... Makes you want to be a naughty student and break the rules."

"Oh? didn't know you were so kinky, farmboy." Bruce says with a teasing smirk, "You want me to dress up as a hot professor for you, hm?~"

"You would make a very cute professor.." Clark replies quickly, a flush forming on his face from the teasing smirk and the way the man was holding himself. "I would definitely misbehave.. and not on purpose.. I was always a bad student, very distracted and messy and clusmy and..."

Clark stops himself before he can begin rambling when he sees the look of amusement on the man before him. He wanted to kiss the stupid smirk off Bruce's face. So, instead of letting Bruce have the opening to make fun of him for being flustered so easily, He leans in and presses a soft kiss on the man's bare shoulder. "... You'll need to teach me a lesson on how to be a good boy, Professor Wayne."

Bruce's eyes widen just the slightest bit for a split second, caught off guard by the sudden boldness in Clark, but he composes his face. Though Clark can most definitely hear the way his heart just skipped a beat. "Mmh.. you've gotten way too good at turning me on, Kent." Bruce smirks, his voice deep and husky.

Clark's pupils dilate slightly at the sound of the man's voice getting deeper, the slight growl making his pulse race and goosebumps erupt over his skin. Heat immediately pooled in his stomach, the man's tone driving him insane.

"Bruce.." He mumbles quietly, closing his eyes and letting out a shuddering exhale of breath. "When you speak like that... I want to fall to my knees.."

"Really?" Bruce smirks and moves his hand down to Clark's bathrobe, below his waist. "Oh wow, hard already?" Bruce whispers hotly as he feels Clark's imprint through the robe.

Clark can't help but let out a gasp at the man's touch, the light brush of his hand making him jump slightly, a small whine escaping him at the firm touch.

"Bruce..."

He lets the man touch him through the bathrobe, his head falling back as he moans softly.

"... Please.."

Bruce smirks as his hands unwrap Clark's bathrobe and begins kissing down Clark's body, "I think I'll have myself some breakfast," Bruce's voice low and filled with lust as he moves his kisses lower and lower.

some superbats fluff because they've been all I can think about as of late 🙇🏽‍♀️

Clark lets his fingertips lightly trace the man's forehead to his cheeks, down to the man's jaw, down to his neck... His eyes followed his fingers' motions as they traced the man slowly, almost as if he was mapping him out... He lets his fingers slowly move back up to the man's lips, his breath hitching slightly as he gently traces the man's slightly parted lips..

Bruce's pale blue eyes blink open slowly as the man wakes up, Clark takes in the sight of the small but adorable half-asleep pout that forms on the man's face as he adjusts to consciousness.

Clark can't help the small noise that escapes him at the sight of the man's pouty expression... how the hell could someone as handsome as Bruce Wayne could look so damn adorable at the same time? He didn't think it was possible for a man so strong and serious to be so.. cute. It was just not fair to other men of the universe!

"Mornin' sleepyhead.." Clark whispers softly, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss against the man's lips.

Bruce lets a soft moan-like sigh of content as he kisses Clark back, holding the kiss for a moment longer before it ends. "I'm not a sleepyhead." Bruce mumbles, his sleepy voice deep and groggy, which definitely didn't match the softness of how he looks right now.

"Sure you're not.." Clark smiles softly as he hears the man's sleepy protest, leaning again and kissing him again.

"You look so pretty right now.. all messy. I never would've thought the playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne would look so good with bed head.."

Bruce lifts his head up, his fluffy hair bounces slightly at the movement, eyes squinting as his eyelids flutter from the sunlight, and Clark could've sworn he hissed like a vampire, "Bed head is not pretty."

"It is on you," Clark smiles again, lifting a hand up and gently fluffing up the man's hair even more, watching the mess of dark locks get even more mussed as the man huffs in protest.

"You should ditch the gel and let your hair be fluffy all the time. You'd drive half the city crazy and have women fainting at your feet.."

Bruce pouts slightly at that as he pulls Clark closer to him and buries his face in Clark's neck. "I don't want other people seeing my hair like this. Only you." Bruce grumbles against his skin.

Clark laughs softly even as his face heats up at the man's confession, his heart fluttering at how sweet the man could be, even in a sleepy daze.

"So you're telling me if you go out like this, I'm gonna have to beat up hordes of women who'll throw themselves at you?" He teases before kissing the man's cheek softly.

"mhmm," Bruce hums, "Women and men."

"Oh really?" Clark smirks against the man's cheek, a possessive heat sparking inside of him at the thought of other people wanting the man in his arms.

"Can you blame them? You're too handsome and charming.. not to mention rich. I bet you already have a few hundred admirers swooning over you as we speak.."

"I've gotten a bra thrown at me before. it was scary." Bruce mumbles, shuddering at the memory.

[snippychicke]

For the Sake of a Smile --Ch. 10/Short

Peeps, I have a migraine, but I really want to post this you guys as I do every Saturday. So, I'm not putting the energy into doing my usual formatting, but I promise the chapter is just a great as always. (I wrote it long before the migraine hit this morning, and @avellanas-nutty-empire edits make it 10x better)

So, without further delay, Chapter 10 and Short 10; all in one post!

(Will be posted to AO3 later; I don't have the focus to work on the html tags for all the italics)

Professor Dantlion looked like an average demon; cheerful, friendly, plain brown hair and eyes, and seemed approachable enough - if it wasn't for the fact he was the teacher's supervisor and had a dark aura just…hanging around him. 

Or maybe that was your own paranoia. 

"I had a meeting with Lord Sullivan," He started after formalities. "And it seems you were never actually initiated as Babyls Faculty." 

You blinked, confused. Sullivan hadn't mentioned anything about being 'initated' when he announced he found a job for you. What did that even entail?

"Oh, don't worry!" He tried to reassure, seeing your face pale.  "We're not as archaic as Jackapo's initiations. No blood rituals or life-or-death fights."

"Oh, okay," You squeaked. Your thoughts hadn't even drifted towards it being that dark or gruesome. 

"I know you're not technically a teacher, but Lord Sullivan asked for me to be your supervisor, so we'll be taking you out to the Brawl Inn tonight."

"Wait, what?" 

----

"It'll be fun, sweetheart," Sullivan tried to reassure you when you ran to his office after Dali left the library.

You however, were not reassured. You continued to pace the span of his office.

"Fun? I-I’ve never had fun at any after work gathering in my life. All my coworkers are demons while I am human, or have you forgotten?! Then you add alcohol into the mix which only spells certain disaster! I still can't remember much from that one drink at Walter Park! And that was one! With just Balam and Kalego! God, what if Raim and Momonoki finally corner me for girl talk?"

"There's no need for such language," Sullivan chimed, sounding vaguely disapproving - though you didn't really hear him. 

"What if my drunk ass admits everything? Can you imagine how bad that could end; not just about me and Balam, I mean everything, dad! The fact I'm human, or that Iruma's human! It could not only end with my death, but his too, and--" 

Sullivan stopped your frantic pacing with a gentle hand on your shoulder, his dark eyes meeting yours from behind his glasses. 

"Nothing is going to happen, my dear. You'll be safe. I not only trust you, but the other staff as well. You'll see how devoted the teachers are, and the fact that Dali accepted you as one of his own proves that he believes you are worth this honor."

You took a few deep breaths; hoping, wishing what he said was true. Sullivan knew them best, he knew what was at stake. You could trust him on this at least, right? 

"And I just love it when you call me dad!" Sullivan broke the moment as he quickly pulled you into a hug with a happy squeal. "You really do see me as your father, just like Iruma sees me as his grandfather! Oh, I'm just so happy!" 

"Really?" You half-heartedly complained at the sudden change of topic as well as mood, though you didn't fight the embrace. Sullivan's open paternal affection would always be something you secretly cherished. 

And maybe a change is what you needed.

"Absolutely, my sweet little princess! You two mean so much to me! And I would never, ever, put you in a situation you couldn't handle." 

With a groan, you wrapped your arms around his slender frame and allowed yourself to relax and accept the comfort he offered. Because considering how much he fussed over Iruma, and in a way yourself as well, you had to admit you had to believe him. Which meant you weren't getting out of the initiation, no matter how nervous you were.

But, if other teachers were going to be there… would Balam be there too? You knew he would protect you, but you also worried about everything else that came with being around him. 

----

"Kalego!"

The demon in question looked up from his book to Balam, who looked as excited as he sounded. Which - considering the giant demon had been distracted from his grading by his phone, Kalego presumed it was something you had done or said; per the norm, nowadays. 

"Hmm?"  Kalego grunted in acknowledgement as he continued his work. Spending the evening with Balam holed up in the Prep room sounded much more appealing than attending the teachers' celebration for another successful Harvest Festival. Calming instrumental music was drifting from the radio, and he had found a rather interesting blend of wine to sip on after sharing a decent meal with one of the few people in the Netherworld that didn't annoy him.

Even if Balam's interest was focused on you to the point Kalego doubted the other demon realized how much his time was spent either talking to, or about you. But he was such a love-sick hellhound that even Kalego couldn't be annoyed by his antics. It was as adorable as it was pitiful, even to him. 

And to be completely fair, he did enjoy seeing his comrade happy. You were rather close to being added to the short list of people Kalego could tolerate after work too. 

As soon as he figured out the conundrum that surrounded you and your son. 

"Dali is going to be her supervisor," Balam explained, furiously typing on the small keyboard of his phone. "And he plans on formally initiating her into her role as Librarian tonight."

That caught Kalego's full attention. Not only did Sullivan relinquish that kind of authority over his daughter, but also allowed Dali to oversee your rite? That was a surprising turn of events. He had figured the chairdemon would have insisted on having that privilege for himself. But… 

"Tonight?" Kalego asked with a frown. "Aren't the other teachers celebrating the end of the Harvest Festival?" 

Balam's excitement faded, and Kalego could almost see the forlorn expression behind his mask as Balam's broad shoulders slumped. "I know you didn't want to go, but…"

No, he hadn't. Kalego hated social events with a passion. And Balam had reluctantly decided to stay with him versus attending the event, mainly because of his own social awkwardness. But now that Balam knew you would be there, and the fact it would also be your initiation rite…

The taller demon gave Kalego a pleading look, silently begging for him to change his mind. Kalego cursed internally. Devi, he didn't have a choice at this point. 

"I suppose we should go then," He conceded with an aggrieved sigh. "Even if just to protect your future intended from the rest of the faculty." 

The tease caused Balam to blush heavily, far too flustered to even stammer a defense. What Balam saw in you, Kalego couldn't understand himself. But the fact he was interested in you, inherently meant to Kalego you were worth protecting - if even just for Balam's sake. 

Why the demon couldn't find someone who could protect themself was beyond him. And why you were so weak compared to your father and son, Kalego was determined to figure out. 

-----

Brawl Inn was a small building in the wasteland not far from the town of Babyls. You dismounted Podargos, giving the nightmare a loving pat on the muzzle before tying her to the fence where there was fresh water and feed (fresh ground meat and other things you did not wish to think about) already set out by the Inn staff. 

Sullivan assured you no matter what state you were in later, Podargos would get you home. And you had to believe him, she always seemed gentle and sure of herself. She was the first you had ridden, and never needed any correction as soon as you told her 'home.' 

Still, your nerves twisted your stomach as you stood outside - trying to psych yourself up. 

This wasn't going to be like back in the human realm. Your demonic coworkers were far better than your human ones had been. Oddly enough, they weren't as vicious or cutthroat, or prone to backstabbing. You vaguely remembered Kalego's comment that forcing others to drink was against their rules. 

You didn't know if that meant subtle challenges as well or not, but it was still reassuring. 

Yet here you were, unable to open the door and enter. You could hear boisterous talking and laughter coming from inside. 

Was Balam already here? He said he could have escorted you, but admitted he also had to convince Kalego to attend, so you had reassured him you could manage. You imagined he was going to have a hard enough time with Kalego. 

The sound of flapping wings caught your attention, and you looked up in time to see Kalego and Balam arrive. Seeing a demon's wings was always a shock, considering most of the time they were hidden, and you couldn't resist a moment to study the two's own pair. Kalego's was dark and glossy skin, large yet lithe. They were a pair from a typical legend, whereas Balam's… 

Were dark green feathers, with a span that was nearly as long as he was tall. You knew you had seen them before in the chaos of Walter park, but you hadn't been able to appreciate them. 

Granted, you couldn't exactly appreciate them now either; because as soon as the two landed, their wings folded back into virtual non-existence. 

"You weren't waiting for us, were you?" Balam asked after greeting you cheerfully by name. 

"No, I, um, just got here," You explained awkwardly. It wasn't quite a lie, you hoped only a few minutes had passed while you were having a moment. 

"Let's get this over with," Kalego sighed, pushing past you towards the door. Balam's arm wrapped around your mid back, providing warmth and safety that you had unknowingly needed. The confidence you needed to face the rest of the staff seemed to flow from him into you.

If he was here, you knew you would be safe. 

Inside the bar was dark with just a few candles lit to offer a trace amount of light. You pressed closer to Balam's arm - some instinctual part of you terrified as a robed figure stepped out of the shadows and held out a hand towards you. "Welcome, you who strive to fill the role of the Librarian of Babyls…"

"Must you really be so dramatic?" Kalego growled, interrupting the deep voice. "Seriously, Dali, she's already worked in the library for a few months." 

There was a pout on Dali's face as he pulled back his hood. "It's tradition, Kalego. I thought you of all demons would respect that." 

"There's hardly a need for theatrics with this one," Kalego shot back, gesturing sharply to you. "At this point it's a mere formality." 

"You're just jealous you didn't get the role to scare her." Robin stepped out of the gloom, pointing an accusing finger at Kalego. "Or you would have jumped at the chance!" 

Kalego huffed and crossed his arms. "Don't be ridiculous."

Someone grumbled about the effect being ruined, and with a snap the lights flared to life. More of the teachers lowered their hoods and chimed their own thoughts of how things should have went.  

"Are they always like this?" You whispered as the argument--bickering, really-- continued. 

"Well, not usually…" Balam admitted quietly. "But typically one is initiated when they first start. You're a bit of a special case." 

"Can we just hurry up and get this over with?" Elder Morax complained rather loudly. "I thought the main event tonight would be celebrating!"

Dali sighed, conceding he had lost. "Very well. Please, step forward." He gestured to you, and Balam's protective touch became a gentle nudge forward. 

You hesitantly stepped towards Dali and a dark crimson circle flared to life with dark symbols carving themselves into the stone floor. The magic was near palpable, making the hair at the nape of your neck raise as your heart quickened. 

"The teacher of Babyls is a sacred role," Dali started, his usual demeanor shifting into one far more serious. "As is the role of Librarian. To guide and guard the treasure of Babyls, its students, is the highest honor. Do you pledge your life to protect them above all else from the enemies that may target our treasure?"

This wasn't some meaningless pledge. You could feel the magic waiting for your answer, to make sure that you held true to it if you swore. Not just Iruma and his classmates, but all the students. 

It made you hesitate and think - was this really what you wanted to do? You highly doubted you could just up and quit after an oath like this. 

Hell, it was better than the fishery. And you had to admit; while the Misfit class held a special place in your heart, you were fond of all the students. Being a librarian at Babyls? There could be worse fates.

"I swear," You answered, meeting Dali's eyes firmly, and instantly felt the magic snap into place. The odd sensation took your breath away as the symbols flared a fiery red beneath you. There was a strange notion that maybe you hadn't sold your soul to Sullivan after all…

But instead hd just signed it over to Babyls. 

A thunderous applause broke out from the surrounding teachers as the circle faded into nothing, and before you could blink, Balam had swung you off your feet, lifting you until you were sitting on his shoulders. You clutched to him, stunned by the sudden change as you looked down at everyone.

Smiling. Cheering. Even Kalego had a faint smile on his face. 

You knew you had made the right choice. 

----

You may have had limited experience with human coworkers, but your demon peers were nothing like the human counterparts. Where you had been defensive around your previous coworkers, feeling as if you had to constantly prove yourself and be on guard, here you didn't. 

They easily accepted the fact you didn't want any alcohol, and in fact had many recommendations on non-alcoholic drinks instead. Despite being new and a bit of an outsider, you didn't feel excluded. 

Actually, quite the opposite. In a blur of events, you had been dragged from Balam's side to a seperate table across the large room, where most of the female teachers had gathered. Not just Raim and Momonoki; but Suzy, Furcus, and Tsumuru too. 

"We actually have a full table now!" Tsumuru cheered, being echoed by the others. 

"I have to admit, I do love what you've done with the library," Furcus admitted, the older woman smiling softly at you, looking rather tired. "Through the years, no one's really paid much attention to the organization of it."

"A lot of the students have enjoyed the new study spaces," Tsumuru added, making you flush from the attention. "I've even seen an increase in grades, which I can't contribute to anything else but the library's renovation. I was so excited when Dali said you were being initiated! I can only imagine how you'll help in the future!" 

"Those cubbies also make for good make-out spots," Raim added with a wink, making you flush even more. "Or have you and Balam found that out already?"

"W-we aren't courting, despite what the rumors say," You stated with a bit of a stammer, deciding there was no way to avoid the topic - so you were going to face it head on. With blunt honesty. 

"What?!" 

It wasn't just Raim and Momonoki giving you incredulous looks as you had expected - it was all of them. Even perpetually calm Suzy and Furcus looked surprised.

"No, that's just not possible!" Momonoki protested. "J-just look at you two! It's obvious!"

"It's more obvious than her crush on Kalego," Suzy chimed, gesturing to the blue-haired teacher who blushed yet nodded in agreement.

"Exactly! How are you two not courting?" 

You rubbed your face, willing the burning sensation to fade from your face. "Look, it's… it's like this. We fell into an easy friendship--camaraderie," You corrected, seeing their odd looks, "...because of mutual interests. And his skinship is a perfect match for my own…issues. But that isn't to say we're romantically interested in each other."

Raim frowned and leaned on the table, "I am a succubus, remember? I can literally taste the attraction between you, so don't give me that devibullshit." 

Wait. Could Succubi do that? 

The others were nodding, so you had to assume they could, and that Raim wasn't lying. 

"I mean, I-I am kinda… interested… in him…" You admitted, casting a glance to the table across the room where the other staff were. They were by far louder, so you doubted that anyone else could overhear the infamous Girl Talk you had been dreading. 

Yet almost sensing you were looking at him, Balam shifted to look at you - head tilted to express his concern. You smiled slightly and gave a small wave, letting him know you were fine.

Even if you were internally dying of embarrassment. 

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled and returned your small wave before his attention was caught by Robin invading Kalego's space once more. 

"Are you telling me - that you two are mutually interested in each other, but not courting?!" Raim virtually seethed. "Have you even said anything?!"

You blinked, startled by the severe expression on her face. You had no idea she - or the others - had been so invested in the relationship between you and Balam. 

"I haven't done this before, okay?!" You shot back after a moment, put on the defensive by her tone. "This is unfamiliar territory for me!"

"But, Iruma is your son," Furcus added, a frown gracing her face. "You can't have children without mating."

"T-that, was…" You trailed off, fear flooding through your mind as you worried about being caught in your lie. You had built a backstory, but hadn't quite explained it to Iruma - and you weren't sure what he had said about the matter. What if he had said something that would contradict you? What if it planted seeds of doubt in their minds? 

Devi, if only adoptions were normal in the Netherworld. But you had seen it yourself at Walter Park; most demons were demonish in that aspect. 

"Is the rumor of his father true?" Tsumuru asked as your pause became stagnant.  "He's really not present?" 

"It was one of those… unintended things," You awkwardly excused, not completely sure how deep a hole you were digging yourself. But surely demons had one-night stands? And maybe decided to keep any child conceived afterwards? 

"I've had plenty of those," Raim sighed dreamily, destroying any doubt. "Though, you know there are plenty of… remedies for afterwards."

You shrugged your shoulders, "Yeah, but… Iruma's one of the best things in my life so I don't regret anything."

"While that is adorable," Momonoki interjected. "Our main concern should be that our dear librarian hasn't courted before, and we all know Balam hasn't either. They're both helpless! We need to help them!"

Raim hummed, "You just want a real-life romance novel to play out before your eyes, don't you?" 

The other demon turned a bright shade of pink. 

"That is totally besides the point!"

"You guys," You whined. "It really isn't that big of a deal. Balam and I…we'll figure it out."

Suzy patted your hand reassuringly. "I'm sure you will. But if you ever need some advice, feel free to ask. I courted many a demon back in my day before deciding to pledge my life to Babyls." 

Raim nodded, "Absolutely. I would be happy in giving you a few pointers and tips on seduction. Together, we could have that giant of a demon wrapped around your finger." She smirked while twirling her own hair around her graceful fingers, making you blush deeper.

Furcus snorted, "You say that as if he isn't already." 

Tsumuru nodded, "You don't have to be a master at psychiatry like myself to know he has it bad." 

"And," Raim continued in a staged whisper, leaning over the table closer to you. "Once he's wrapped around your finger, you can finally wrap yourself around--" 

---

The evening became livelier as Robin and Dali pulled out games like Bingo and Charades, along with some Netherworld games you had no name for but ended up laughing until your ribs hurt. 

Partly just because of the anitics of the others as they drank more and more while you stayed sober. But, you had a feeling you would have ended up having a good time regardless. It truly was nothing like your previous experiences; you were thoroughly enjoying yourself. 

To probably no one's surprise, you ended up once more next to Balam; and all too aware of the 'supportive' gestures from your female colleagues, ranging from subtle thumbs up and winks to awkward gestures that you had no idea what they meant - but seemed vulgar anyways. 

You could only pray Balam hadn't noticed them or the fact you would suddenly pull his attention elsewhere in an attempt to keep him from noticing. If he had, he kept silent and just rolled with your antics while helping you with the games you were unfamiliar with. 

While also more or less compelling Kalego to participate as well, which made you giggle as the other demon grumbled half-heartedly. Having fun and being happy filled you with a sort of boldness, leading you to tease Kalego. 

Kalego would take it in stride and subtly return the teasing with light-hearted taunts. Which - judging by Balam's excited reactions as the two of you bantered back and forth - meant Kalego had officially accepted you into the fold. 

--

"Is it really okay to leave Robin with everyone?" You asked hours later as you left with Balam and Kalego. At least half a dozen of the other teachers were passed out inside the inn, and you felt guilty at Kalego's offhand comment about it being the newbie’s responsibility to get them all home. 

"He arranged it and allowed Dali to partake as well," Kalego replied with a snort. "He needs to take responsibility for his actions." 

"Considering most of them live in the teachers' dorms, he won't have that much difficulty," Balam assured, his hand combing through your hair thoughtlessly. "Are you okay with returning home?" 

The nightmare in question - still patiently waiting at her post - snorted and pawed a hoof as if insulted by Balam's implication.

"Podargos will make sure I get home safe and sound," You said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Dad and Opera trained her well." 

Yet despite the reassurance, Balam seemed reluctant to let you go. His hand brushed your cheek softly as he held your gaze. Was his thoughts wandering the same path yours now wandered, thinking of the possibility of a romantic relationship. Or had the wine he and Kalego been sharing still affecting him? 

(Granted, for as much as they both drank, you were surprised they were seemingly unaffected.)

Everyone seemed so sure that Balam held such romantic feelings for you that it filled you with hope - but at the same time, you were still so lost on what to do next. Was it unfair of you to wait for him to make that next move, or was he waiting for you? 

Devi, he'd probably end up waiting forever if he was. You don't know if you possessed the boldness to take that next step without his lead. 

"Shichiro," Kalego called, interrupting the moment. "Shall I leave you two alone? I would like to be home before dawn." 

"Still feeling that last glass, Kalego?" You couldn't help but tease despite the warmth spreading across your cheeks and his implication. Or, at least the one your mind readily supplied. 

His eyes narrowed slightly, though you hoped it was in good humor. "I applaud the fact you restrained yourself from drinking all night. I hate to see what the school would be like if everyone witnessed you crawling into Shichiro’s lap to sleep." 

"You two…" Balam sighed as you seethed in embarrassment as the dark-haired demon smirked. 

Fine, two could play at that game. "Well," you drawled as you turned back to Balam. "Since Kalego apparently needs help finding his way home--"

"I do not--" Kalego hissed, though your attention was once more captured by Balam as you reached up and patted Balam's cheek without thinking.

The giant demon quickly bent down so you could reach easier, and - well, the temptation to run your fingers through his hair was too much for you to resist. 

"I'll talk to you later, okay?" You finished softly as your heart thumped in your chest. Just a few small strokes and Balam's eyes had fluttered shut as he leaned more into your touch. He looked so happy, so content, so utterly cute, you gave into impulse and leaned in closer to press a quick kiss to his cheek. 

"Goodnight, Shichiro." You whispered as you pulled away before nodding at the other demon. "Kalego." 

Kalego returned your nod, but you didn't dare look back at Balam to see his reaction. You instead turned to Podargos, somehow managing to undo the knot keeping her tethered with shaky hands before pulling yourself up in the saddle. 

She was already galloping when you heard the flutter of wings unfurling and the two presumably taking their leave as well. You gripped the reins tightly, grinning to yourself as the wind whipped around you. You did it! You initiated affection with Balam, and now all you could do was pray it hadn't been too subtle of a hint. Because damn, your heart was hammering heavily enough as it was. 

Short Ten

Silence hung over the two demons as they flew, though Kalego knew it wouldn't last for very long. Before they reached the first trees of the forest, Balam finally broke the silence with a whisper "She kissed me…"

Kalego sighed, "I saw." He was happy for him, truly was. But why did you have to finally end Shichiro's doubts tonight? He was already mentally worn out from a long week, plus the hours of forced social interaction.  

He wanted to go home, have a long hot shower, and sleep. That is all he wanted at this point. 

"And called me Shichiro!" Balam's awed whisper turned into giddiness, and Kalego could easily imagine his companion blushing furiously despite the sky dark, moons barely providing any light. There were only two demons (himself and Opera, of course) outside his family that called Balam by his given name. Everyone else was too terrified of the gentle giant to take such liberties. 

"I was there for that as well," unfortunately, Kalego added mentally. He was actually surprised it took you this long, to be honest. After all, you had the whole Misfit class calling you mom now - if rumors proved correct. He had figured you had been using Shichiro in private for weeks now. 

Apparently not. 

A flap of feathered wings and Balam was gliding next to Kalego, the tips of his wings about brushing his. "Thank you, Kalego, for changing your mind." 

Part of his aggravation faded away, and Kalego nodded slightly. "It wasn't too terrible, I suppose." The finest wine money could buy, all from the Chair demon's own account. The food was surprisingly decent for a dive bar, and there had been a few amusing moments.

The moment of peace shortly faded as Balam all but giggled. "I can't believe she actually kissed me!" 

Kalego decided he should have taken a bottle of wine home with him after all. 

Hell, if he was going to endure this… "So, what are you going to give her as an offering when you ask her to court?" 

There was a flutter of wings as Balam faltered mid air with a choked noise, making Kalego smirk. 

-----

Opera calmly poured Lord Sullivan's tea, though their mind was full of unrest. You and Iruma had become close, and they acknowledged both of you as members of the Sullivan family, and therefore under their protection. 

"Not to question your decision..." Opera started as they finished. "But is it wise to have her sworn in as a Babyls teacher?" A human under the Oath of Babyls? Old, ancient magic that bound a teacher to the school and their duties -  how would it react to a human? Would it be the same, or cause you to suffer? 

"You said it yourself," Lord Sullivan stated calmly as he picked up his tea cup. "Evil is stirring, even here at Babyls. Iruma will be well protected between his ring and his classmates, though I plan to ask Barbatos Bachinko to continue to tutor him. However, my dear daughter does not have his power or allies. Even if she becomes Balam's intended, the Oath will force him to put the students before her. But, if she is sworn in as a sort-of teacher…"

"Then the others will see her as one of them, even if her identity is revealed," Opera finished as they realized Sullivan's true intent. "They will be more inclined to protect her as well." 

Sullivan nodded before smiling, "Plus, she really is as antisocial as Kalego. She could stand to use a few more-- what do they call them? Friends? Humans are social creatures after all…" 

[yeongwonie]

“where are you going when the summer’s over?” jay asks, reclining onto his forearms and tossing his head back to gaze at the glittering sky. you follow his line of sight, and your lips drop open into a faint o-shape.

the beach is the only place you’ve been where the sky is so dark and the stars are so bright (probably because of the lack of light pollution, but you’d also like to believe it’s because of your company).

instead of admiring the constellations for longer, though, you tilt your head to look at where he sits next to you, eyes tracing over every slope of his features as best you can under the pale moonlight.

“university,” you say, voice low so as not to disturb the lulling sound of the waves crashing against the shore. jay turns to look back at you, waiting for you to add more before being forced into acceptance by the stretch of silence that follows.

“right,” he sighs. absently, he traces figure-eights into the sand, then covers the drawings with a swipe. 

you can’t help but feel guilty; at the start of the summer, when you’d taken a job as a life guard, you’d been nothing short of apprehensive (sitting in a chair under the sun all day and watching other people have fun wasn’t really how you’d wanted to spend your break). now, with only a few days remaining before you’ll leave your aunt and uncle’s beach house and venture back into the city to start college, all you want is another week. 

jay knows this; you know he knows this. looking at you, another week is all he wants, too. 

“what if you stayed here?” he murmurs, though he knows what your reply is going to be before you even open your mouth. you wonder if he asks just to make you think about it, as though the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach every time the topic arises will wear you down until you give in and remain by the shoreline and by his side.

“you know why i can’t.”

"do i?" he smiles, though it's bitter and fills his mouth with the taste of acid. "what if i convinced you?"

"jay." your tone is now cautionary, because he probably could persuade you into taking a gap year and leaving your education behind to spend a few more weeks tangled between his arms and the warm embrace of the sand.

he's still smiling, though his lips press tighter together.

"i know."

"what would i even do in this town for a whole year?" you mumble. "soon, it'll be winter. the beach will be empty."

"i know," he says again, and you finally have to pull your eyes away so you don't see the look of resignation that crosses so gradually over his expression. you both look probably as close to a mirror image of the other as possible.

"it's getting cold," he adds, finally, when he notices a shiver run through your body. "i'll walk you home."

as much as it hurts, jay decides that night, under the clear, deep blue sky, that it'll be enough to spend a few more days in the sun with you. when the summer is over, he promises himself he'll see you off with a smile.

[nanas-teatime]

NEW FATUI THEORY (!)

I was just reading about them, mostly because I'm kinda obsessing over Arlecchino... And I tried to guess their constellations according to their characteristics.

Remember this is just a theory, I can be completely wrong. This may contain spoilers, so be careful.

Tartaglia, Scaramouche and Signora are self explained, we already know their constellations. I'll explain the rest:

Sandrone: she/he's literally called the puppet. Cunning, clever, always using tricks to reach what they want.

Dottore: he's known for modifying human beings, even his subordinate became some sort of a monster between ruin guard and human... He's fascinated by the idea to experiment with kids to turn them into superior models, the hydro, cryo, electro and anemo agents are the lowest of his creations, half machine, half humans. Human life is not important for him.

Pierro: The sad clown, it matches. Him/her and Arlecchino share love interest, but poor Pierro will always be the second option. (Of course I don't think it'll happen like that on game, but who knows?)

Capitano: she/he's not loyal to... anything, a braggart, however if you don't know anything about them you'll believe in their status, in all the lies. Since the constellation seems like a medal I guessed it went well with everything they try to represent. (however I think this can work with Pantalone too, because Pantalone HAS real status, like the status you earn with gold medals)

Pulcinella: literally the rooster. Also the original Pulcinella wears a bird-like mask, so yeah.

Unknown: we have 10 out of 11 Harbingers. Maybe another woman? Brighella, Columbina... Who knows.

Arlecchino: Arlecchino in the original work thwarts their master's plans to follow their own goal (usually a romantic goal) now on game Arlecchino has an orphanage, those kids are usually double agents, like the girl of the fortune slips or the cincin mage in the Chasm, maybe his goal is more related to that. I went for the bird because a bird is small, fragile, sweet just like a kid, also the bird has a heart shaped body... Maybe a connection to the romantic aspect of the original character, the tear because... What's he's doing is not his real goal, so he suffers. (I'm biased, sorry 😭)

Pantalone: I can't explain this, the original Pantalone is an old man, who usually wears a red costume as a representation of an internal flame he has, he's energetic, more if it's related to young ladies. (Again, I'm not saying this will happen on game, I couldn't fine too much info so... Yeah)

To add another theory, in the set pale flame you'll find the story of 5 fatui Harbingers, which probably will die during the events of the main story (THIS IS NOTHING MORE THAN A THEORY!!!)

Stainless bloom: La Signora.

Plume of death: Il Dottore.

Moment of cessation: Pantalone.

Surpassing cup: Scaramouche.

Mocking mask: Pierro.

I hope you had enjoyed my theory. I'd love to know your opinions 💕

[themurderofcrowscollective]

In minutes you're getting your human appearance tailored to your preferences, whistling a tune as you check yourself out in the mirror. Ginger hair, a fair amount of freckles peppered on pale skin, green eyes and a small tooth gap between your two front teeth. " I almost look like my brother, Rowan. " You giggle a bit before you change the hair color to brown and give your skin a bit more tanner color. " Oh that looks a lot better. Alright, I need a new name cause Garret would just give it away. Jared? " You look at your cat who seems to squint at the name. " Not Jared, got it. Richard? I could go by Dick for short. " Midnight looks up and down at you before he shakes his head no. " Fuck. " Sitting next to your cat, you sigh and think of a name until you snap your fingers. " Terry! I can be a Terry, this is a Terry face after all. " Your cat seems to enjoy it, meowing happily as you pick up your bags you've packed and access your phone, giving a confirmation that you're ready for deployment before getting Midnight into a cat carrier. " You all good in there? " Midnight meows in content as he loafs, a portal opening up and allowing you to step through. - - - Your name is now Terry Gallagher, you were born and raised in Dublin, Ireland and you like fishing, hunting, and secretly reading manga because you're still a diehard fan of Japanese culture and reading manga is fun. And you just so happen to know quite a lot about the spiritual world, but you've got a secret you'll take to the grave. Once stepping through the portal, you are instantly placed inside a helicopter with no one else inside. You seem to recognize the pilot who knows very well what you are, but to play it safe, he addresses you as your secret alias. " We'll be landing on the tarmac in about 10 minutes, Lieutenant Gallagher. " You only nod at him, holding the cat carrier on your lap. " It'll be okay kitty, just a few minutes longer. " Midnight does not seem to be bothered by the helicopter sound, in fact he's asleep. This little asshole can sleep through anything really, so you're not worried. In 10 minutes you land, and as the door slides open, you get out and squint a bit due to the sun being in your fucking face before you put on your sunglasses and adjust your eyes to find your newest Captain waiting for you. You forgot what it felt like to be alive, to be around living people so you can't help but look around and see the other men and women of the base leaving for missions or coming back, conversing with each other as you make your way to Captain John Price. " Sir, it is an honor to be here. " You salute a bit before Price returns the salute and smiles. " Welcome to the team, Lt. Gallagher! Come on in. " As soon as you're inside, you feel chills go down your spine as you follow him. It's been decades since you've been on an active base so you're a bit excited to be here again. Despite your eyes allowing you to see the spirits of those who've passed (who also recognize you without the human disguise) pass you by and wave or say hi, you're excited to be around living beings. He leads you into the breakroom designated for the 141, a special team you've had the honors of getting to see in battle. So many Shadows died during Las Almas which meant you had to have help in sorting who went where during that time, and you sometimes peeked in on what they did. You have a good idea on who everyone is, but you don't fully know them enough to even be called acquaintances. In the far corner is Ghost, not too far from him is Soap. At least you had photos to go with names when you were busy packing your stuff, or else you'd be the laughing stock for centuries among your fellow grim reapers. You scour the room and add faces to names. Konig and Horangi are at the table drawing together, Roach is watching a video with Gaz, Alejandro and Rodolfo are definitely making love eyes at each other and mumbling a few things in Spanish that you'd rather not translate to anyone, and Nikolai is getting up and approaching you. Oh shit.

" Shall I have this dance? "

Ghost has danced with Death countless times and only watched Death take his friends and loved ones with no ability of doing anything to stop it even more. He likes to imagine he's Death itself, until the day Death arrived atop a black horse in his dream... or should I say vision?

- - -

You are Death, not in a 'I'm-so-war-torn-and-edgy' way but in a more legit way. You were once a man named Garret, you had been slaughtered in captivity of the enemy and then woke up to find yourself being interviewed by the former Grim Reaper who instantly hired you on the spot as the new Grim Reaper.

Your horse is apparently your old cat named Midnight reincarnated so when you found him, you two were happy to see each other and an old bond between you both came back from the dead.

Some perks of being the Grim Reaper is wielding the scythe, yes you'll admit you're still a dork, and getting to travel the world freely. Since you're as dead as a doorknob, you also get to see the spirit world so you're a frequent visitor to Japan for the festivals held by the Mononokes and Yokais.

- - -

Every Day of The Dead, you visit old friends who've long died and still use your skills of speaking Spanish so they don't get rusty. It's great partying with them, and speaking of languages, you've mastered every language before you were signed up for field duty.

One night after being a sweetheart to a lonely dying man, letting him cross over to the afterlife, you hear your phone go ding so you take it out and see you've been given a new assignment. What strikes you as odd is that this isn't your usual task of finding a certain person across the world to help them move on but... to find a group of people who need to stay alive.

You accept it anyway, whistling for Midnight who comes galloping with a whinny. " New task Midnight, I gotta keep a group of individuals alive this time. A little strange but I'm always one for something new. " The pair of you start heading off with a portal opening up quickly in front, which you both enter through.

Upon entering through, you're back in your personal room with a letter on your bed. Midnight morphs into a black cat and sits on your bed, meowing while softly papping the letter. " Oh, thanks Midnight. " You pick it up and start reading it.

" 'Dear Mr. Reaper, upon accepting this task you hereby are required to wear a human disguise and it is important you do so as to not startle anyone. You are still free to go about your other tasks but you cannot forget that your group of particular individuals are of great importance.' Wow they still always seem so posh in these letters. Anyways... 'Upon further notice, your records from your previous life will not be used but you will go under a new alias with a secret life. It is up to you to remain anonymous, and once your task is fulfilled, you will be free from this task and go onto other tasks.' " You notice there's another slip of paper so you swap it with the other letter. " 'Your task will last until the designated timestamps of each individual.' " Below is a list of names and the ages they die. John Price - Current age: 48 - Death age: 90 " Goddamn. " Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick - Current age: 28 - Death age: 86 John 'Soap' MacTavish - Current age: 28 - Death age: 84 Simon 'Ghost' Riley - Current age: 29 - Death age: 85 For a moment you think the last two names are going to die together until you find a little sidenote. 'Simon Riley and John MacTavish are to die at the same time. They are bound by the chains of Fate and their love is written in the stars.' Huh. You've heard of those kinds of deaths, where love continues to live on even in death. You know a few guys like that too, but you've never experienced it in person. There are other names too. 'Konig' - Current age: 32 - Death age: 80 Kim 'Horangi' Hong-jin - Current age: 31 - Death age: 79 Another pair bound by chains. Gary 'Roach' Sanderson - Current age: 27 - Death age: 75 Nikolai 'Nik' Belinski - Current age: 49 - Death age: 90 Alejandro Vargas - Current age: 42 - Death age: 83 Rodolfo Parra - Current age: 41 - Death age: 82 And that makes a fourth pair. You catalogue the four pairs bounded by fate and take a deep breath, folding away the letter and putting it in your pocket. Midnight meows at you softly. " I know, this'll be one of the longest tasks I've done. But at least it's not eternity. " - - - (Pairs bounded by fate are John x Nikolai, Ghost x Soap, Konig x Horangi and Alejandro x Rodolfo. Yeh.)

[arsonmurderandjaywalking]

Been wondering about all those characters in your tags 👁

!!

sorry this took me. nearly 20 hrs to respond to.

Aelia Fallows is part of my magical girl story, which I have been very creatively calling MGS for short, serving as the mentor archetype character.

in this setting, (which is being workshopped very heavily all the time so this may change in the future) there are a number of gods, and they can choose a champion of sorts, blessing them with a fragment of their power and the typical magical girl transformation. there are three gods in particular, fire, lightning/electricity, and ice, who have an agreement (running bet of some kind? that was the original explanation for it I'm pretty sure but I can't remember what it was about. i don't know how I'm explaining it just yet) to choose their new champions at the same time every hundred years. but due to some yet-to-be-determined complete disaster that killed every single magic user caused by Selene Sterling, queen of whatever kingdom/realm I decide this takes place in, and also the love of Aelia's life. whatever the disaster was was at least in part caused by the god of death and knowledge (as in, she delivers the souls of the dead to the afterlife but not before she dissects them and extracts all of their knowledge to add to her stores) sharing something she shouldn't have with Selene and it eventually driving her mad.

Aelia was the eldest daughter of a farmer, and her younger brother Elian was chosen as the champion of the god of lightning, and then was invited to the royal castle, which is how she meets Selene.

fast forward however many years, and Aelia is about 29, and she's seen Elian and the other champions, her close friends, be ground down and spat out by the gods without a word of thanks from them, and knows that being a champion isn't all it's cracked up to be. and then Selene receives divine knowledge, and then Selene starts getting paranoid and unstable and manic and scared and it hurts to watch the woman she loves with her whole soul slip away and not be able to do anything, and then Selene causes the destruction of her entire life. and then she's watching her brother and her best friends and her entire family die, and then the castle is collapsing and Selene is still inside and Aelia wants to hate her and scream at her but she still loves her, so she finds her and she calls out to her, and Selene, hollow and horrible and lovely Selene who's become so skinny and sickly and pale in the past few months that she looks like a corpse, turns to look at her, and then the stone walls collapse on Aelia, and then she's dead.

and then she isn't. she wakes up in a pile of rubble, uninjured but clothes torn and bloody like she had been, and Selene is nowhere to be found, even beneath the rubble.

things get hazy here because I haven't decided yet whether or not that takes place in an alternate dimension or the disaster completely wiped out the existence of the kingdom but not the knowledge of the gods and champions survives and this takes place in a world with that knowledge. also did not mean for that to become actual creative writing. will probably happen again though.

so nevertheless both Aelia and Selene become immortal due to Selene begging the death god to revive her, who then ties their life spans to each other and makes them both immortal because she thinks it'll be interesting. and to be fair to her it is.

so fast forward again a thousand years, and the only people born with magic since the disaster are three 14-year-old girls (Luna, Terra, and Cecilia) that fall into Selene's (who has since deteriorated significantly and is plotting. something. i haven't decided what yet. she mostly just takes them in because they're the first people like her she's seen in a thousand years) hands quickly after awakening to their powers (except Terra who had lasted about 9 years before being recruited a couple of months before canon) and that Aelia has no idea of.

so then imagine her surprise when fire, lightning, and ice choose three new champions for the first time in a thousand years for some unspecified reason, and they're three 14-year-old brats (Arin, Helena, and Ella) with no one to guide them. and they're being so obvious that even she hears about them, despite living in a cabin in the middle of the woods and only leaving for groceries once in a blue moon.

at first, she's angry, mostly. primarily at the gods for choosing 14-year-olds with no one to guide them to fight whatever war is probably coming their way. and a little at the girls for being so obvious about it, for not comprehending the danger they're in, for reminding her of her brother and her best friends.

so she (very grumpily) decides to train them. she's still got her magic, even if the last time she used it was about 50 years ago, and she watched Elian and the others train all the time. she does not anticipate them clinging on to her like leeches and taking the (in total) over an hour trek to her cabin every day they can make it so they can annoy her until she kicks them out, rather than the required three days a week for training.

personality wise I think you can mostly extrapolate from what I wrote above, but for clarity's sake: she's a very responsible, down-to-earth, no-nonsense person. she's very pragmatic and realistic and blunt, considering she's been a recluse for the past thousand years. she has a number of issues from the disaster and chiefly among those are trust and emotional intimacy issues. she doesn't want to get close to anyone ever again, and tries to push the girls away when they cling to her, but then sees how that's hurting them and exacerbating the trust issues all three of them have and starts making an effort to reach out to them. she's not the perfect mentor/surrogate mother figure but she is trying. all of this is not to undersell the fact that she is a complete mess. before the girls she was completely overtaken by her depression and melancholy and general dysfunction. also I'm not sure where to put this but she has rock magic

she's really tall, like 6'2, and really buff. she's a farmer's daughter and it shows. she has tan-ish skin, though it's a lot ashier since being revived, and messy brown hair. back when she took care of herself she wore it short, a bit past her chin, but now a days it's about to her mid back, though she ties it back whenever she needs to do something. originally she had brown eyes, but after she was revived they turned grey (a trait she shares with Selene). she's constantly tired, and has really heavy eye bags. she wears plain work clothes. old white button-down, jeans and a pair of black work boots, all very worn. she also has this large jacket sort of thing. in my mind it looks like a cross between a jacket and a poncho. it's a light brown color.

[rurus-writing]

Togheter (oc stuff)

Notes:

"And they were ROOMATES"

"omg they were roomates"

Is the only way i can describe this hsit it's almost 1 am lawde forgive me for i am sinning for two dudes livin my fuvkin dream

Ocs: Kayn (+Ruri)

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 1075 words

Tws: Suddent touches; nothing sexual but still

Tags: @a-chaotic-dumbass @anonymousgeekhere

╔•══════•༺۝༻•══════•╗

The faint moonlight had already touched the men's bodies. Yet, that didn't seem to allarm them. It'd been some time since they've had much time togheter, and understandably, wanted to spend It all to it's fullest. Though, until then nothing special had happened.

Sure, they were togheter and loved eachother's company, but other than that, they didn't look to be much physically closer. Which was a thought that had already entered Kayn's mind, worrying that he might've done something wrong.

Deep down, he knew that he wasn't to blame, but felt a gut feeling just beneath him.

As he was laying in bed, brushing his hair in order to not get them too messy, he'd glanced on his left side.

Apart from a pile of stuff they'd have to yet figure out where to put, he was almost suprised to see Ruri, sitting on the nearest chair, proceeding to brush off a little fox's fur.

It hadn't been to much since Fedus had entered their lives, and even if in the beginning and still now they had a tense relationship, they'd grown to be pretty fond of eachother. Especially during the night, as he was the most active.

Kayn hadn't notice yet but, a grin had formed on his face, and the bigger It was the more he looked at them. He didn't realize how much time had passed, only being interrupted by that same voice.

"Are you alright, dear?"

Only now he'd step back in reality. Kayn decided to lift himself up, using walls as a tool. He tried not to yawn, just knowing It was probably later than usual.

"Ah, don't worry, don't worry. I'll be alright."

As soon as he finished, he moved himself closer, now onto the edge of their bed. Fedus was right into Ruri's arms, or at the very least, onto his legs.

Even he didn't know for how long he'd sat there. Kayn decided to stroke a little bit of the fox's fur, noticing the grin on her sleepy face. She'd long been asleep.

"She looks so...peaceful"

"Sure, when she sleeps."

Ruri's remark made him holding back his laughter, because he knew It was true. Some of her actions wouldn't,, be as quiet. Though now, he focused his attention onto something else. Since now his fiancee was far more visible, Kayn noticed how many nods were onto his hair.

Which looked strange, especially since he'd gone out. Though he had to keep in mind just how long It was, and how easly they could've formed.

When Ruri noticed his look, he first mumbled, before getting the right words.

"It'll be fixed tomorrow. I don't have a reason to do it now, It'd be wasted time"

He siently nodded. Even if he wanted to continue the conversation, Kayn didn't know what else to add. He loved hearing his voice, much more so when he'd have to tone It down during the night.

His whispers oddly reassured him, and how his pale, soft skin brightened under the moonlight only amplified it. Though he was mesmerized by his beauty, he was aware of how much he was capable of.

Yet, he didn't feel at risk. Not like he'd felt on the past.

He stood up, moving his attention to Fedus.

"Maybe we y'know, should put her on her pillow. She's sleeping anyways."

"Mhm, good point."

And just like that, the couple slowly moved the little animal, back where she should've been. It was fairly wide, so, she didn't need much else. When they'd finish, Kayn immidiately felt something cold on his cheek.

He almost jumped on his place, until he'd glanced over and saw It was actually his lover's hand.

Though, Kayn was very close onto saying some rather unpleasent stuff.

"I'm extremely sorry, I should've asked for your permission."

There was a fairly brief pause, in which Ruri had stroked hair away from his face.

"Though, you just feel... stranger than usual. Really, Is there anything wrong?"

"Hm? Ah, it's uhh, what's that's again,,, just a little tired, that's all."

Kayn hadn't realized that he got even closer, pratically now being face to face.

"If that's true, then go rest."

"I just, y'know, didn't want to ruin the night - specially when you're around."

He didn't look back at him, fearing that he'd just said the most unsensed sentence, just like that.

"Then, what would you wish to do? The night's not in ruin, so there's no reason to be worried."

"Well, uhm.,,,"

Thruth was, he didn't know what to do either. He franatically looked around him, with the only option for them both to lay down,even for a bit.

Though reluctant, Kayn pointed at It, trying not to make eye contact, as It'd be even worse. And like at first, he was laying, his head barely on a pillow. He didn't do much, facing himself on Ruri's opposite side.

But just as he thought the night was done, and didn't end on such a good note, he felt something, slowly making its way to embrace him.

It wasn't rocket science to realize that It was his lover who was doing so. Though, he was already glad that he didn't put his hands on his bare neck.

Then, he moved his hand above, playfully stroking his hair

"It's... it's so soft."

Though taken aback, Kayn didn't complain. In fact, he quite enjoyed it. It continued for some minutes, before turning back to their old position.

"Don't feel as though you ruined this. If anything, I had fun. I felt good."

Kayn turned around, kind of in confusion.

"As long as we're togheter, that's what matters. At least, that's my wish."

He wouldn't have admitted It, but that struck him more than It should. He normally didn't say much, and was unexpected. Nevertheless, Kayn smiled. Without a second thought, also joined into the hug. He couldn't see Ruri's face, but he knew he was content.

"Goodnight, darling."

Those were the last words he heard, before swiftly falling into unconciousness. He swore he'd said a 'Night' back, but Kayn wasn't sure. Though, he'd never felt that peaceful in some time. And It was okay, just like that.

Treasuring eachother was enough.

╚•══════•༺۝༻•══════•╝

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS | EPILOGUE

💖 story masterlist 💖

This is it. This is the happy ending they deserve. Fluff. Fem!Loki, because we don't get enough of Loki's female form. Some musings about relationships in general, I think. Guys, I'm crying as I'm posting this.

note: I've got two posts of outtakes coming out sometime this week. Snippets that didn't fit in the story but that have the needed vibe, y kno? As well as a new story is coming out soon... Be sure to check out my main masterlist and taglist if you like my writing <3

I want to thank all my readers for this amazing journey. I love all of you, really, like- I haven't figured out how to produce serotonin on my own ever since I hit puberty, and you guys, you are an amazing source for it. I appreciate the time and the patience that it took to read this 120k word thing and I hope you found a little something for yourself in my writing. A comfort, maybe, because everyone deserves to be happy. I love you all 3000.

"You suck," I grumbled in Peter's direction. Luckily, the little shit was out of my immediate eyesight and I couldn't just pelt him with the assorted items that were scattered around me; luckily for him - after enduring hours of non-stop rambling from the spider boy, I was ready to bargain with Stephen for the sorcerer to put a temporary mute ban on Pete. His nervousness was becoming contagious.

"And you swallow," Pietro replied with a snicker as I heard him wrestle with Peter's tie over the pathetic noises of whining and grumbling coming from the younger man.

"I'm lady, ladies don't spit," I rolled my eyes into the skies, catching Loki's appreciative snicker. She - and yes, Loki was in her female form for this event - carefully combed and did my hair, something completely out of this world, all puns intended. I supposed she was feeling generous, because her female form generally made Loki even more moody and unapproachable. But in a hot way. I hope she didn't notice me ogling her like some kind of gallery painting. "You're a goddess, I can't believe you're friends with me," I addressed Loki, watching the careful movements of her slender hands in the mirror.

A small smirk and a dusting of pink over her pale cheeks was what I got, but the silence was so, so loud.

"Stop flirting," Wanda remarked from her spot by the window where she was doing Natasha's make-up with surgical precision. "You already have three boyfriends, leave some for us, Jesus," Her tone was playful.

"Oh my God, like you didn't brainfreeze and run into the fucking wall, forehead-first, when you saw Loki walk in," I scoffed as Loki's blush deepened.

My witchy friend grumbled something rude in Sokovian under her breath but refrained from any more comments, choosing to simp in defiant silence. Well, good for her, because I was about a hundred and five percent sure that Loki was as equally as smitten with her. It's just that neither of them knew how to approach the other. What can I say, idiots in love...

And yes, yes, I can say that because it takes one to know one. My own idiots were somewhere on the upper floors - getting ready in their own rooms, pulling out their brand new suits and ties for the annual Stark gala. It was supposed to be a charity fundraiser but as all of us were quite disillusioned, we knew it was nothing but a pissing contest between people with small PP syndrome. Even Tony himself said so.

Which is why I had assembled all the girls and theys in my room for a mission debrief. My own personal pride wouldn't let me be anything but a star, and to be completely honest, I just wanted to show off my family to the world - even if the delicate parts of our relationship were hidden from the general public, it filled me with immense amount of joy to be surrounded by my very own at their absolute best.

As for Pietro and Peter, they arrived not too long after me, Wanda, Natasha and Loki made camp in the biggest room with the most amount of natural light, surrounded by make-up and other assorted tools. Both boys were bickering but it was obvious that some of the older men had gotten on their nerves, forcing the youngsters seek solace with their peers.

"You know, Vanity Fair better be talking about us for at least a week," I grouched as Wanda helped me into my dress before I returned the favour. "The amount of people I had to actually, physically talk to, to get us these fucking gowns, is frankly disgusting."

"Agreed," Loki admired herself in the mirror, smoothing out invisible creases in her gown. "Although I must say, the dressmakers on Midgard are far more patient and open-minded than on Asgard." Truly, Loki had nearly driven the poor lady crazy. But on the upside, Loki looked like a living doll. Pristine, perfect.

"Our whims are their wages," Natasha piped up with a chuckle.

We stepped out into the main room, taking note of the men scattered on the couches, all of them wearing an almost identical expression of being already done with the formal event - which, I didn't blame them. Having gotten used to the informal, communal-living atmosphere, I wasn't overly keen on being surrounded by random rich douchebags either; as it was unavoidable, I was going to be miserable - but at least I was going to be miserable in style.

Predictably, the menfolk froze and hurried to pelt us with compliments as they surveyed our ensemble - all of our dresses had a distinct vibe despite carrying a sense of individuality to each gown. That was my idea, actually, to present the team as a family - both to satisfy my own need for one and to present a good public image for the press. Call it getting good cookie from the public - in advance.

"Stunning, absolutely beautiful," Tony chastely kissed my cheek, leading my by the arm towards the limo, Stephen and Bruce a pace behind us. "I'm the luckiest man in the world."

"We are," Bruce corrected him mutely. Stephen's smirk was a mile wide. "It'll be hard to keep my hands to myself for four hours but I'll manage," The scientist added, eyes briefly flashing a fluorescent green.

"There are children here," Peter interjected, nervously waving a hand. I gently elbowed Tony, speaking with my eyes rather than words, that Pete was in dire need of emotional support for his first big public event. With a sigh, the engineer relocated to sit next to the spider boy, both of them talking in hushed tones.

"Now, Bruce," I smiled innocently. "Why would I refuse a dance or five to my favourite lab partner in crime?" I winked at him as giggles erupted all around us. "And I'm sure there's a point somewhere about wizards sweeping princesses off their feet," I kept up the banter in hopes that any remaining tension would evaporate before we arrive to the venue.

I, however, couldn't lose all of it for we were absolutely assaulted by the photographers and press as we arrived to the red carpet; it was only sheer luck that me and Wanda didn't stumble ass over heels out of the limo. That luck's name was Loki: her magic delicately helped us to exit the car with grace despite our large gowns. Mental note to buy Loki all the chocolate: add to priority list.

It went about as good as it could. Peter was introduced as a trainee - and nearly had an aneurysm when Tony none-too-kindly corrected the host, calling Peter his protégée and successor. As for little old me? Rising star of biochemical engineering. No titles, no direct titles, but it was heavily implied we were involved.

I could fell the old, white rich men leering at me despite the layers of silk and tulle. Nobody was commenting on my champagne intake so I downed one after the other until I had a comfortable buzz going on. I could absolutely see why female scientists became either reclusive or brash.

Bruce's eyes followed me wherever I went. I had encountered some people I vaguely knew from all the socialite events I had to attend with my mother, so it wasn't as if I was a fish out of the water; it's just that every time I strayed further than ten feet from out group, I instantly grew a tail in the form of one of the Avengers.

"Sam, quit being creepy," I exited the ladies room, immediately spying the handsome man just 'casually' hanging out by a potted plant, glued to his smartphone and pretending to be very busy.

He looked up guiltily, shutting down Minesweeper and pocketing the phone. "Not taking any risks this time 'round, Princess," He offered me his arm, leading us back to our table. "Tony would have my head."

I rolled my eyes, falling into the chair next to Stephen. "My tracker implant is still in and the bracelets Natasha loaned me are actually tasers. Bird, chill," My hand snuck under the tablecloth, blindly groping for Stephen's hand. It didn't take much time for him to respond, cradling my smaller palm in his larger one, offering the small comfort with a tiny tilt to his lips. Both my large skirt and the fabric covering the table aided the secrecy; I felt like a middle schooler sneaking a kiss from my first crush behind the bleachers.

Coupled with the bubbles in my champagne, it made me giddy.

"Sam is just being careful, Princess," Stephen rumbled patiently. "This ball will be over soon."

I snorted, "But Stephen, I love balls," Causing the whole table erupt in bashful snickers.

"Yeah, think to me about it," Wanda downed the remnants of her wine glass, eyes wide, looking to the side. The giggling became a full belly-laugh as I didn't have the decency to play coy. I just smirked because, yeah, I did love me some...

The final hour dragged on forever. My feet hurt from the dancing. I had my suspicions that time would pass faster if I actually move around so I didn't waste the chance and cajoled Bruce into several slow dances with me. The energy between us was electric; I hoped my wife eyes and the red crawling up his neck would be attributed to alcohol. We spoke in hushed tones, about nothing in particular, the words being like sticks we threw into our fire.

Tony wasn't around much, way too busy to do much more than stop by our table every now and then. I both envied and admired him; he handled everything with grace and serendipity. Tony was right there next to Thor and Loki - literal royalty - and I had to pinch myself to prevent myself from ogling him, sighing in lovesickness every goddamn minute.

"If you ever stop looking at him like that, I don't think he'll survive," Stephen's tone was cheeky; his eyes were intense as he looked down at me as we danced. My sorcerer was rarely sappy, but when he found the words to describe his feelings... It was serious.

I met his eyes slowly, letting him soak in the very same admiration and awe I felt when I was with him. I felt his shudder, I heard the hitch in his breath. He wasn't jealous, no, he simply observed. I wanted him to see what I saw. "The day that I stop looking at you all like that is the day that I need to get my head screwed on straight." I wasn't a poet but neither was this a romance novel. "As far as I'm concerned, I won the lottery, the grand prize and the fucking life."

He chuckled. "You have way too much faith in us, Princess," Twirling me as to avoid the out of habit embrace.

Did I, though? I was inclined to disagree. Sure, we had our spits and arguments and sometimes Stephen would stick his cold ass feet under my blankets, Bruce's love for curry was a crime against anyone who slept in the same room as he and Tony routinely flirted with everyone and everything that had a pulse. I had days where my mother's temper surfaced.

Sometimes, one of us would inadvertently hog the other person and the remaining two would pout, roll their eyes or pitch a fit.

I just didn't see it as a big deal. All of those parts were normal - what couldn't be said about the rest of our situation. Compared to couples I've seen around, I thought we're happy. My boyfriends seemed to be happy, too, and if they weren't, it usually was pretty obvious.

So - okay, perhaps we definitely should be working on verbalizing our feelings. That would definitely solve if not world hunger, then at least the world war three that occasionally erupted in Tony's penthouse. And the ups and downs - not the steep kind, but ones not too different from waves rolling ashore - was what held us together. Because, well, our world was hectic and fast-paced and sometimes we needed that gentle rocking motion to sway us back to peace.

Tony's arm on my waist pulled me back to reality, steering me towards the balcony. Bruce and Stephen followed, all four of us power-walking through the inebriated crowd.

"Just so you know, I'm on board with whatever crazy shit you're planning," Stephen raised a palm towards a smirking Tony.

His mouth immediately dropped into a pout I could barely resist kissing. "But... I had a whole speech prepared," The engineer retorted indignantly, discreetly attempting to swat the sorcerer on the ass.

"And I'm sure it was amazing, honey," Bruce placated the upset Tony with a laugh, causing the latter to intensify his pout, eyeing us with mirth over the rim of his glasses, his stupid, lovely face more kissable than ever.

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[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

White Lies (Pt. 08 of 21)

Pairing: Keanu Reeves X Reader

Word count: 3 K

Summary: Keanu found the girl almost dead, in the wrecks of what was once her car. While she was in surgery, stuck in a coma, he gathered the best doctors of New York to attend to her. They told him she is likely to have some kind of brain damage, what may lead to memory loss. And this possibility added up wit the fact that she's pregnant, made the council come up with an odd idea. They asked Keanu to pretend to be her husband, since the stress of finding out everything that happened could put the baby in danger. He reluctantly agreed, but only if she does has some kind of memory loss. He still goes she'll wake up soon, with her memories intact.

But when you finally wake up, there's nothing inside. You're quick to find your head is empty, void, like a blank canvas. The only thing that brings you some relief, that makes you feel less lonely is the mention of a husband. And you can't wait to meet him, because you know you can't deal with this by yourself.

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“I like Clarissa.” You say, agreeing with Keanu on his suggestion. You're walking home after your morning walk around the neighborhood, and you have your arm on his, panting a little. Keanu wants it to be a girl, and you want a boy, so there's a little bet going on, but neither of you chose what the prize will be yet. “And if it's a boy I like Henry. A name fit for a king.” Glancing at him, you smile.

“I like it too.”

“Great. But we still have some time.” Week 14 has started, and you're only keeping track of it so perfectly because Keanu has a calendar on the fridge, where he counts the days and weeks. It also helps that the e-book you have tells you everything that's happening at the moment, and you usually read it together at the beginning of the weeks. “But...” You stop by the house, sitting down on the steps that lead to the door. “We need to buy some stuff. Not only baby stuff but some pregnancy stuff too.”

Keanu settles down beside you, handing you the water bottle he was carrying, from which you take a sip. “What is it you need?”

“Uhm... Everything I have is getting a little tight. It'll only get worse with time. And...” Clearing your throat, you blush a little, playing with the bottle. “I need bras. Mine are getting small and my breasts are a bit tender so I can't take them squeezing me anymore.”

“Oh.” He sounds a little embarrassed too, what makes you giggle. “Let's go then.” Offering you a hand, he pulls you back at your feet. “Let's shower and head out.”

“Alright.“ You stand there for a while, and you know it's just because he always lets you get in first. But you decide to tiptoe, stepping closer to place a soft peck on his lips before moving inside.

After washing yourself from the thin layer of sweat from the walk, you put on jeans, comfortable white sneakers, and a pink blouse. Deciding to let your hair down, you make your way downstairs, finding Keanu waiting for you in the living room. “Hope I didn't make you wait for too long.” You say, making your presence known. He stands up from the couch, eyes finding you. “Because I have no excuse.” Gesturing at your clothes, way too simple, you shrug your shoulders.

“You look beautiful.” His words make you blush, and you start making the way to the garage.

Keanu opens the passenger door for you to get inside before walking around the car to take his place. You like that he's a simple man, unlike most of the celebrities out there. He drives his car, does his own stuff. He surprises you every day, and sometimes you even forget he's an actor. A very good one.

As he speeds through the city, you can't help but feel excited. You've been procrastinating for a while, but now you can't wait for it. Your stomach is starting to swell, your baby is growing, and you want to start getting things ready. The accident is turning into a distant memory now, as you allow the pregnancy to be the main event of your life. Because it is. You still have a lot of trips to the hospital every week, and Keanu is as careful and protective as he has been since the beginning, but you feel good. Things are amazing with him, moving at a slow but comfortable pace. And you're happy. Beyond happy.

Keanu's heart has been beating faster ever since they got into the store. It's huge, with several different departments. He intended to let her chose everything since he keeps telling himself over and over again this isn't his child. But the lines are starting to blur in his head, and he caught himself thinking the baby to be his.

“Which one do you like best?” She asks him, standing in between two pale beige cribs. (Y/N) wants to add color on the decoration, and of course, he agreed. “I can't choose.”

It warms his heart that she wants him to participate. But of course she does. To her, he's her husband. “This one.” He says, walking over to the crib on her left. “We'll have it delivered at our place.”

“Great.” And she smiles before turning around and continuing further into the store. But she didn't see the mountain of a man she left behind, holding his breath, eyes focused on her back. (Y/N) was clueless about the war happening inside his heart, constantly. Slowly, Keanu comes back to Earth, signaling at some of the women who work here. He didn't notice she was staring at him, too busy focused on (Y/N).

“I want this crib, please.” He politely says, and the woman quickly types something on her tablet.

“Done, Mr. Reeves.” Of course she knew his name, it didn't surprise him. “Anything else?” Her voice gets softer, like some sort of whine. Was she trying to seduce him? Probably. Keanu is well aware of how some women act around him, but this time, she's nothing to him. Just a speck of dust compared to the woman he's staring at now, peacefully looking at strollers, a hand resting on her belly, which just started to swell.

“Yes.” He says. “Come with me, please. We'll be buying some things today.”

“It'll be my pleasure.” She chants, a smirk on her face that Keanu doesn't even see as he starts making his way over (Y/N).

“This one is the best,” Keanu says, getting (Y/N)'s attention. She quickly looks at him. “I was reading about it.”

“This one it'll be then.” She says, flashing him another smile. (Y/N) is especially happy today. Her eyes leave him for a short while, finding the woman. He gets confused at the expression on her face before she turns away. “I wanted to see some clothes, but since we don't know the sex yet, I don't know what color to pick.”

“We can wait until we know.” He suggests and she nods.

As they move through the store, signaling to the woman everything they want, Keanu quickly noticed (Y/N)'s reaction to the employee following them around. It was only after she snapped at the woman that he noticed it himself, that she was trying to discreetly flirt with him.

“Ke, the doctor said I'll need one of those things.” (Y/N) says in a low voice, shyly gesturing at her breasts.

“A breast pump.” He states. “There's another store on the third floor. Let's check there.” Keanu is done with the woman annoying (Y/N), so he pays up for everything, leaves the address for it to be delivered, and guides (Y/N) outside, to the other store.

It's slightly smaller and more focused on the pregnant woman than on the baby, but they succeeded on buying everything for the baby for now.

She easily finds another woman to help her around, way more kind, thankfully, and, as they talk, Keanu follows then around. He eventually stops by some blankets, wondering if she'd want any of them. After some minutes, he resumes following her, but (Y/N) is gone. Keanu feels embarrassed for a while, having lost her in the store. Walking to the back, he sighs in relief when he finds her, looking at some lingerie. For a moment he wonders if he should interrupt, trying not to think too much about what may be in her head.

Shaking his head lightly, he decides to walk over to her. “Did you like it?” He asks, gesturing at the black and light pink pair of underwear she was starting at.

(Y/N)'s cheeks go red when she looks up at him. “N-no. I mean...” She mutters, letting go of the soft fabric. “...Do you like it?” She sounds uncertain, and it's cute the way her cheeks and neck turn into a reddish color.

Keanu doesn't want to answer. He doesn't want to imagine her in this lingerie, but it's too late now. The image is already burning through his head. He was just about to run from the subject when he remembers the lie he's into. And he is tired of lying. “I did. You'll look wonderful in it, but you don't have to buy it if you don't want and if you do, you don't have to wear it for me.” He couldn't help explaining it further, making sure she doesn't feel weird about it.

(Y/N) turns at the lingerie again, thoughtful. “Just this one.” She finally mumbles. “Mrs. Jackson already helped me chose some bras for the rest of the pregnancy and some for after. You know, those that you can pull down to feed the baby...” She's blushing all over again, and Keanu has to bite back a smile.

They have many bags when they leave the store, and Keanu's heart is filled with joy. He always wanted kids, but he never met the right woman. And let's be honest, time was passing. He only wishes this was real. But nevertheless, he loved doing this. He didn't know, or he pretended he didn't, but he was losing it. He was sinking further and further into the lie he created.

Staring at the big mirror you have on the wall of your bedroom, you check how the bra looks. It's not that bad, super comfortable, and it'll have some space for when your breasts grow more. Because they will according to the doctors. You're just about to walk over the edge of the bed to pick your shirt and put it on when the door opens and Keanu comes in.

You stop on your tracks, freezing, quickly crossing your arms. “I'm sorry, I should've knocked.” Keanu is fast to apologize, moving to leave.

“No, wait.” You burst out, running a hand through your hair. He turns back at you, eyes locked on yours. He's trying not to look, that much is pretty clear. Keanu is... Unbelievable. If you didn't want him at all, he'd never push you, he'd forever keep a distance. Taking a deep breath, you put both hands on your hips. “W-what do you think?” It's a stupid question. The bra is nothing special. Just a gray cotton fabric with thin straps, designed to offer some support. “I know it's super simple but...”

“You look absolutely beautiful.” He answers, slowly walking closer, but eyes are still locked on yours.

“Ke... You can look.” It comes out as a whisper, so you clear your throat. “You can look, I don't mind.”

There's this thing about Keanu, a sensation that only gets more intense. When he's away, you want him near, and when he's standing near, you want him even closer. Shyly, you take his hand, running your fingers through his skin.

Stepping forward, ending the distance in between your bodies, you raise your head to look into his eyes. “You can touch me.” The words are a living thing, and there's something in you pushing it out. You didn't know you were that brave... Maybe you're not. But this man is your husband, and you have no idea how you managed to marry someone so incredible. Placing his hand on your side, his fingertips burn on your skin.

Keanu's hand slides from your waist to the small of your back as he pulls you to him, making you collide against his chest. That's when you see his eyes traveling down, lingering just for a while. But it's enough to make you blush hard, a weird knot building on your stomach. “You're absolutely beautiful.” He repeats in a low, soft voice. You can't help but feel self-conscious under his stare, but your thoughts are quick to melt away when Keanu kisses you.

It's soft and slow at first, but you suddenly grow impatient, and you tiptoe, wanting to even climb on him if possible, anything to be closer, to be on him somehow. Deepening the kiss, you start walking backward, pulling him without breaking the kiss. Keanu's hands are all over you, but never moving too far. He's good at this, controlling himself. But you're not. You're running your hands through his chest, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and forcing him to move. You're too lost in him to notice where exactly you were going, so when the back of your legs reaches the bed, you fall back, awkwardly bringing Keanu with you.

A laugh escapes both your lips as he fixes himself on top of you, carefully moving you further into the middle of the bed. But soon enough you realize the position you put yourself into, and you blush, noticing how Keanu clears his throat, lifting his body a little, so his weight won't be on you. But you don't want him to go anywhere. You're still catching your breath, intoxicated by him.

“Sorry I made you fall.”

“It's alright.” He mutters. Biting your lip, you take in his dark eyes set on you. And his body, hovering over yours. “Were you jealous? Earlier today, of that woman at the store?”

Chuckling, you nod. “I guess I was. She was pretty.” Your comment, giving him a small smile.

“She's nothing compared to you, sweetheart.” Keanu kisses you again, but this time, he starts placing kisses along your jaw. He does it slowly though, as if waiting for you to stop him. But you won't. And a gasp leaves your mouth when his lips begin to move down your neck, all the way to your collarbone.

Closing your eyes, you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him closer, the need of having him only growing, but an annoying, beeping noise snaps you out of the stupor, and Keanu stops, placing a peck to your lips before pushing himself up. “Someone's calling you.” He says as you lie there, catching your breath.

“Who? I don't know anyone.” Sighing, you push yourself into a sitting position before stretching your arm to take your phone from the nightstand. “Laura.” You mutter. “Oh. We planned on going to that cute vintage coffee shop I told you about.”

“I remember.” He leans closer, a finger under your chin to pull you into another kiss. “Go and have fun, beautiful.”

Biting your lip, you nod, feeling way too many butterflies flying around.

Keanu leaves you at the coffee shop where you meet Laura. She has been your best friend, and you're always seeing each other. She often goes to visit you, and you went to her place a few times too. The coffee shop is cute, and you have a bittersweet chocolate pie. The sun is setting, but its golden light is hidden away by some heavy clouds. There's a storm coming tomorrow.

“So...” She sing-songs when she finishes her smoothie. “How's everything with Keanu freaking Reeves?” Giggling, you look down at your empty plate. “You're blushing, my friend.”

“Well... Your call kinda interrupted us.” Speaking in a low voice, you glance at her. Laura has a weird expression on her face, a little scared, a little confused. It reminds you of Lucia the first time she visited. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no.” She snaps out of it, clearing her throat. “What do you mean by interrupting?”

“Oh, it wasn't...” Shaking your head no, you bite your lower lip. “We were kissing... On the bed and... I don't know exactly what would've happen if we kept going.” Putting a strand of hair behind your ear, you sigh.

“You're falling for him, aren't you?” She asks, smiling a little.

“Yes. I'm falling all over again.” You're still speaking when some loud voices get your attention. Looking at the doors, you notice a group of people trying to push themselves in. “What's that?”

As you stand up, the group finally breaks in, and there isn't much time to think when you see the sea of people coming your way. Moving backward, you stand next to Laura.

“Mrs. Reeves, a few words, please.” A tall woman asks, and dozens of microphones and cellphones pointed at your face.

“Uhm... Alright.” You mutter as they surround you.

The flashes start, and the sudden lights make you feel dizzy. “Nobody knew about your existence until the accident. Why did you and Keanu Reeves kept the secret?”

“We wanted to keep it private. A-away from the public.” You mumble, trying to smile a little.

“Is it true you lost your memory?” A man asks.

“Yes.” Nodding, you run a hand through your hair as they move even closer. You don't want to answer. They don't have to know that.

“Will you and Keanu go on with the marriage or will you break apart?” Another flash and you close your eyes shut for a while, trying to steady yourself, your stomach feeling sick.

“We're... We're fine.” You mutter.

“Is it true you're pregnant?”

“Yes.”

“Will you ever recover your memories?”

“I don't know.”

“(Y/N)!” Laura says, and you feel her hands holding both your shoulders, and that's the only thing that makes you notice you almost fell. “Are you alright?”

“Mrs. Reeves, are there any risk that you could lose the child?”

It takes you some time to process the question, hands holding on the nearest chair, knuckles getting white. Trying to catch your breath, you take Laura's hand. “N-no.” You whisper, hoping they can hear it.

“Who are you, Mrs. Reeves? Can you tell us who you were before?”

“No, I don't–” Your legs fail and you collapse on the floor, your knees hitting the tiles hard. There's a yell coming from the journalists, and you see through their shadows as they come closer to get a good take of you on the floor.

“(Y/N), let's go,” Laura says, trying to pull you up.

Shaking your head no, you stay on the floor, their voices, their questions making your head spin around violently.

“I can't.” Voice barely a whisper, you feel your body shutting down you lower yourself to the floor. It doesn't take much until you see black, and then all your senses are overwhelmed as you fall into unconsciousness.

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