#I hate them (I love them more than anything ever)

[wearylaurels]

No because there’s something to be said about President Snow’s depiction in the original trilogy as this cunning, calculating and unflappable dictator, only for the curtain to be pulled back to reveal him as an extremely petty man who can’t take a single potshot to his ego. He really is just an extremely petty, extremely insecure, extremely vindictive man whose entire life has literally been keeping up the illusion of power and prestige for something that has been crumbling for ages. Who believes he’s entitled to everything he wants and rages when he’s denied it. Who takes every insult, every threat to his and the Capitol’s perceived greatness and security, intentional or no, and takes it to the furthest possible lengths in order to get back at them. Katniss sees him as intimidating and threatening because that’s the propaganda she’s been fed all her life, but in reality? Coriolanus Snow is *pathetic*. He’s a powerful man with zero morals or empathy, yes, but more than that? He’s *pathetic.*

I know it’s a running joke that Snow’s a grown man beefing with a seventeen year old and his ex of sixty plus years that he dated for three months, but genuinely. *Genuinely.* This man holds on to even the slightest insult, because he can’t take the idea of something acting or existing outside his perception of the world, and he *despises* when something shatters the perception he has of himself. *That’s* why he hates Lucy Gray so much—because she had the gall to force him to see a District girl as desirable and—heaven forbid—almost human. Because she was able to trick him and catch him off guard. Because she had the *audacity* to disappear, leaving him with the pit in his stomach of never, *never* knowing what happened to her. Because Snow *needs* control, he *needs* things to only exist and work a certain way, and that’s what made totalitarianism so appealing to him. It ensures he has the power he’s been denied all his life, yes, but more than that it allows him to ensure that the world—or at least, Panem—works the way he *thinks* it should work. The Capitol are elites who never question their status and privilege, who never need to live in anything less than luxury (the way he feels he should have). The Districts are barbaric lower class citizens who are only good for labor and entertainment. The regime is all-pervasive and all-powerful. He is the Greatest Man That Ever Lived. The Number One Peacekeeper even. Snow lands on top.

And the Games. The Games are supposes to be a dehumanizing reminder of the Districts’ savagery. That, left to their own devices, humans are selfish and violent and only out for themselves. Like Snow is. Because why would anyone ever be *not* like Snow? He literally calls himself “the best humanity has to offer.” So everyone else is either like him or worse. His experience and thoughts are the default, they are *law.* And if they aren’t? Shut up, yes they are. This is part of why he has Haymitch’s games edited so heavily, to destroy the idea that tributes would ever unite together as anything other than a pack of predators. This is why he has the tenth Games completely scrubbed from existence—so that there will be no memory of the year a “savage” from twelve survived because she won a Capitol boy’s affections. This is why he has the Games so thoroughly processed and manufactured overall—so that the Capitol citizens get their entertainment, yes, but also so that any memory of a Games that didn’t play out the way *he wants*, any example of a Games that defies *his* will, is forgotten. Seneca playing so hard into the “star-crossed lovers” bit is threatening not just because it highlighted how two kids from the poorest district were able to break the rules, but because it focused on a connection that breaks with Gaul’s teaching—that “humanity undressed” is nothing but cruelty and self-preservation.

Love shouldn’t be able to blossom in an arena. And as Snow said, he sees the whole world as an arena. Which is why he tries so hard to get into Haymitch’s head about Lenore Dove, why he hijacks Peeta to hate not the rebellion, not the districts, but *Katniss specifically.* Because as far as he’s concerned, “love” is another word for the possessiveness and obsession he felt towards Lucy Gray. And he *hates* the idea that any other version of love, any kind of love that’s genuine and equal and mutual, can exist. So he projects his feelings for Lucy Gray onto Haymitch and Lenore Dove, why he eventually has Lenore Dove killed with his signature poison when Haymitch survives the Games, when he had his mother and Sid burned alive. Why he has Peeta’s memories of Katniss be the ones targeted when he’s being hijacked. Because Haymitch and Peeta, unlike him, *loved* their girls. Truly loved, the same way Lenore Dove and Katniss love them. The way Lucy Gray most likely loved Snow, and he *can’t stand to let that love exist.* Because just by existing, they defy defies the way he sees love—as something dangerous that will inevitably leave you vulnerable to attack and betrayal.

In Snow’s mind, he’s running the world the way it’s meant to be run. The *natural* way it should be run. The way he sees the world is the *natural* way the world works. And yet, the fact that this world he runs is so heavily manufactured, that he has to go to such lengths to affirm his beliefs and keep this structure strong, is proof alone that there is nothing natural about it. And deep down, I like to think Snow knows that. At least, he’s aware of it, and he refuses to acknowledge it. Which is why he goes to such extremes whenever someone defies him—whether it be by plotting a rebellion, to eating a handful of berries, to finding friends in a death match, to even just being in love. He can’t tolerate the idea of something, anything, not going the way he thinks it should.

He’s your standard dictator, really—a small, small man with far, far too much power, trying with all his might to make himself look big.

Or something man idk I’m just yapping

The beef between Haymitch and Snow is so funny. The way Haymitch drank an entire pitcher of milk just so Snow wouldn't get any, so Snow kept supplying him milk throughout his entire stay in the Capitol after his victory... bro what are you doing you're the president of Panem😭

[brawberryz]

⎯⎯ㅤStupid detective

Batfam Yan! × L Lawliet! Reader

《Platonic》

Note: English is not my first language

TW / yandere behaviors, obsession, isolation, murder, violence, toxic relationships

L Lawliet! Reader, who is one of the family's best detectives.

L Lawliet! Reader, who is scolded daily for her diet of nothing but sweets. Several times they forced you to change your diet to a healthier one, but you simply refused.

Sweets were the best thing for you, and you weren't going to let anyone take that away from you.

L Lawliet! Reader, who spends most of her time in her room solving cases. You had surpassed the entire family in how far you could go without sleep.

Your dark circles were enormous and adorned your eyelids. Your family still wonders how you're still alive.

L Lawliet! Reader, who instead of using the shower or bathtub like a normal person decided to bathe in the washing machine. Alfred could still remember when he found you spinning naked in the washing machine.

Your excuse was that it was more comfortable. From that day on, your family's eyes never left you, afraid you'd do something stupid and end up dead.

You really didn't care. As long as they didn't bother you while you were sorting things out, you weren't bothered by their overprotectiveness.

L Lawliet! Reader, who began to obsess over a particular case, Kira. It was a case of a new serial killer tormenting all of Gotham.

Bruce offered to solve it, but you stopped him and told him you'd take charge. He trusted you in your abilities, but he believed this case was more dangerous than it seemed.

L Lawliet! Reader, who one day found you with a boy handcuffed to your wrist and a very loud blonde girl.

Apparently, you had found the culprits, but you didn't have enough evidence to blame them, so you literally stuck to them, refusing to leave their sides.

You can already hear Alfred preparing the guest room. They knew you weren't one to give up, and they knew you'd do anything to prove you were right.

And if that meant keeping two "innocent" people locked in your room and technically interrupting their lives to prove you were right, you would do it.

Fuck, of course you would.

L Lawliet! Reader, who can feel the murderous glares her family was giving their "guests."

They couldn't believe what you did. How dare you let strangers into the mansion and stick yourself to them!?

They hated how the blonde girl named Misa touched and hugged you. Who did she think she was, touching you like that?

It made their blood boil that someone other than them would touch you or spend time with you. Ever since those two people arrived, all your attention was focused on them.

Are they supposed to be your family? Why are you ignoring them now?

The no-kill rule trembled in each of them every time they saw you with Light or Misa.

They had to get rid of them NOW.

L lawliet! Reader, who ended up getting into a fistfight with Light after an argument, was surprising in that even though you were handcuffed and technically glued to him, your movements were skillful and quick.

Maybe your body seemed weak, but you weren't; you had been trained by the whole family to be perfect.

If Dick hadn't interrupted the fight, I could swear you could have killed him.

Although he wouldn't mind if you killed Light either; it would be one less problem on the family's to-do list.

L Lawliet! Reader, you have shitty posture. You could easily have some muscle problems when you're older.

Sometimes they wondered if your back or some muscle didn't hurt because of your posture.

L Lawliet! Reader, who is aware that she is surrounded by yanderes and murderers, you had realized this a long time ago.

You weren't stupid; you weren't the best detective for nothing, maybe better than Batman (although that would be too much of an ego boost for you).

You just hoped that your family's yandere-like behavior didn't interrupt your investigation into Kira.

My obsession with Death Note has returned. Omfg how I love that fucking show.

Maybe I'll do a Light and misa

[greenevergreens]

I also want to add that a lot of the complaints about trans people also have and are said about lgb folk.

Lots of people today think being lgb is a mental illness, or that it's not real and just people wanting to be special and get attention. That they're choosing to be lgb. That they're predators and just want to abuse or even rape kids.

We have VERY similar struggles, and it boggles my mind that people who know and are treated extremely similar to us, want to distance themselves from us.

Like yeah, we aren't exactly the same, we don't have exactly the same struggles, but for fuck's sake we're family, metaphorically of course.

We all have people who want us dead for whom we love or how we exist in the world. We all have to deal with people who think that being LGBT+ or queer or whatever word you want to use, somehow makes us dangerous, perverse, and should therefore be eradicated.

You don't have to like trans people to understand that we are all in the same boat. Hell, you don't even have to think being trans is a real thing to understand that we're on your side, we want exactly what you want, to exist as our true self.

Your ability to exist as a Lesbian, Gay, or Bi person wasn't gained alone. We fought together, alongside each other. Now more than ever we need unity.

This isn't about the identity, this is about our right to exist outside what the republican, MAGA, Christian world thinks we should exist. It's about making sure women can still be masculine if they want to, it's about making sure men can be feminine if they want to. Whether it's about, presentation or gender, they can't stand people being different. They hate it so much they're willing to kill us over it.

So whether you see trans people as their identified gender, or just as men and women playing dress up, that too should be defended.

Not to mention, if you want to bring up the bathroom or sports debate, your problem is NOT with trans women, it's always been about cis men.

“What if a guy dresses up as a lady to sneak into the women's restroom” So your issue is with cis men, not trans women. Also, MEN DON'T NEED TO PLAY DRESS UP TO ASSAULT WOMEN, men have been assaulting women inside and outside of women's restrooms for forever and only extremely rarely do so by dressing up as women first. Also, just in case you forgot, CIS WOMEN CAN ALSO BE SEXUAL PREDATORS!!! I never see that being brought up, because it's not about the safety of the American restroom, it's about, demonizing trans women.

“Okay, but what if a man dresses up as a lady to compete in women's sports!?” When in the history of EVER has a man, who's so sexist he thinks women don't deserve their own space, who would want to degrade (I say degrade because that's how he'd see it), himself by PERMANENTLY changing his body. Making himself grow breasts, putting in all the effort of voice training, wearing dresses, wearing makeup. Men who hate women like that would NEVER want to do anything to associate themselves with womanhood.

Trans women don't just get to say they're women and then jump into women's sports, there's a process and that involves making sure she's been on Estrogen long enough to have muscle mass comparable to cis women.

And that's not even acknowledging the most glaring and obvious thing. SPORTS ARE NEVER, HAVE NEVER BEEN, AND WILL NEVER BE 100% FAIR. Any good athlete is bound to have some sort of natural biological advantage. Micheal helps has an unnaturally large lung capacity, by transphobic logic, he's cheating by the way his body was born. He doesn't deserve any of his metals.

Bodies are different, one person may have a biological advantage in swimming due to a large lung capacity. Other's may have an advantage in running due to the way their body doesn't make as much of a specific chemical that causes muscle fatigue. Others may be inherently better at marksmanship due to some weird thing about their body that gives them unnatural control over how stable their hands are.

That's life, trans women included or not, SPORTS ARE NOT 100% FAIR THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN 100% FAIR AND THEY NEVER WILL BE 100% FAIR!! That's how bodies work, that's how sports work.

so many of those "drop the t" people make no fucking sense.

"lesbians don't want to suck dick!" and nobody is forcing you to. if they are that's just rape and has nothing to do with their transition

"it's weird!" .. okay??? and?? so what.

"well its too complicated and they talk about dysphoria and stuff instead of just your attraction to other people!!!" life isn't that simple. if somebody's identity is complicated, that is fine. and even then transitioning isn't as confusing as you're making it sound.

"it's a mental illness!!!" I heavily doubt you're qualified enough to make that statement. and, regardless, in the hypothetical scenario that it was a mental illness (its literally not), not all mentally illnesses can go away! not all illnesses are developed throughout life; a lot of them you were born with but you didn't know!

to add more onto that, if you replace the word trans with any form of neurodivergency then things show a lot clearer on how stupid it sounds. let me demonstrate

"(having autism) is so weird" "people with (adhd) don't exist, theyre just troubled and (easily distracted) people who want attention" "(npd) is just an excuse for (people) to (act egotistical), its not an actual thing!"

that doesn't make any sense and is really stupid. so do you know what else is stupid?

"being transgender is so weird" "people with gender dysphoria don't exist, theyre just troubled and confused people who want attention" "transgenderism is just an excuse for men to creep on women, it's not an actual thing!"

summary/tldr, transphobes should fuck off.

[noreasontobebland]

Sylus x Black Female Reader

You and Sylus Answer Sex Questions Based on Your Relationship (Questions 1-4)

“I’m going to bed.”

“Sylus!”

It’s not often you and him have time alone like this. He’s always managed to make time for you regardless, but you can’t help to feel like you’re a burden when you do so(he’s also established he genuinely loves being with you but I digress)

So when you spent the evening in his bedroom on the laptop and seen a questionnaire on tumblr you of course clicked on it.

And of course Sylus being Sylus he was so about to couldn’t indulge in your silly antics with him again.

“C’mon pleaseeee…I wanna know what you think—-“

“Think about what? How I make love to you? I think it’s one of the best and intoxicating experiences of my life and I cherish every sound, scream, and move you make when you’re under me. Goodnight.”

Oh you hated when he did that.

You peaked over his broad back facing you and began to teasing your finger on his bare chest. “Please.”

Sylus knows that will always co-sign on any idea you give him to partake on, it’s just you still seem to believe him when he teases you about it. It’s a fun game for him to see you beg sometimes.

“What do I get in return if I play this game?”

“I’ll suck your dick.”

“That sounds like a win win situation for us both instead of just me winning.”

Huffing at the fact that it’s true…you do enjoy giving him head, “Whatever you want. Please.”

“Let’s make it more interesting; with every 2 questions I answer, you owe me one favor. Deal?”

“There’s 20 questions.”

“Then I guess you’ll be owing me 10 fold.”

“Oh you are so—“

“Question 1.” He takes your laptop into his lap, pulling you by his side with a curled smirk, “How satisfied are you with your partner in bed? Scale 1-10.”

“….”

Sylus tilts his head at you, “Ladies first.”

“….very.”

“Oh don’t be shy now, sweetie you brought this up….give me a full sentence…”

“I am extremely…satisfied with our sex life. And to scale it…12/10.”

Sylus looks back at the laptop with a deadpanned look, “Just 12? I was going to give you a better score than that…seems I’m not doing enough to exceed your expectations.”

“No! No you are! You’re amazing in bed! Remember? Last night? I practically shouted about how much I love—-“

You begin to realize form the amused smile in his face he was just clearly fucking with you once again. And you pout, “You ass.”

“You are well above any lover I could ever have. You’re extremely attentive to what I want from you and to scale it…it’d be broken.”

It’s honestly astonishing to you how honest Sylus can be with you, you should be used to it by now, but he always seems to keep you on your toes with his words of affirmations.

“Question 2…What is something you never told your partner, but always wanted to do with them?…oh.”

“Is your fantasy that bad—?”

“No! I just….i don’t know I never really had any fantasies. You introduced me to everything….and I’m still learning from you new things so…”

You finally began to see a hint of blush flood his ears and cheek, despite having his famous poker face at you, you weren’t wrong he took all your first, and practically taught you what you knew now, and he still had a lot more he wanted to teach you. He leans back on the leather headboard and pretends to think, “I do have a fantasy myself, but I’ll save it for one of our IOU’s.”

“Heeeyy no fair!”

He hums before turning back to the laptop, “Question 3…What is something you won’t do even if your partner asked.”

“Interesting…well since you’re not that experienced—“

“Hey!”

“As long as it’s nothing that puts you in complete pain then I really won’t say no to anything.”

“What about pegging?”

He just stares at you with an unreadable look, “How do you—-?”

“I probably wouldn’t say no to you either. I trust you wouldn’t wanna do anything too bad…”

“Anal plug?”

“….moving on.”

“Question 4…What is something your partner does in bed you love?”

“Hm…its a lot but…well…maybe how you reach your arms out to me to kiss you while you’re cumming…you’re so cute—“

“OKAAYYUHHHH!”

“What?” He chuckles, “Don’t you love my honesty?”

“Thank you, Sylus….” You sigh trying to think, “I love how you…talk to me during. Y’know telling me in my ear how well I’m doing and if I’m alright. You sound…hot.”

You look up at him seeing his sly smirk, he kisses your temple before whispering, “Your comfort while I fuck you is hot to me as well.”

[sirxaibs]

Sanji Vinsmoke x Reader

𓊝﹏ All Too Well 𓊝﹏

blab blah blah I see him and suddenly im dumb

masterlist

SYNOPSIS: don’t you hate when your woman who is not your woman get fed up with you so your woman who’s not your woman goes and take matters into her own hands.

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖ You strolled through a lively port town with Sanji, the afternoon sun warming your skin as the scent of fresh bread and spices drifted through the air. He was, as always, a step ahead, effortlessly weaving through the crowd with you trailing behind.

Despite the reason for this trip to restock the ship’s food supplies Sanji seemed to treat it as a personal mission to chat with every woman who so much as glanced his way. It was nothing new, really. Every compliment, every declaration of love, every swooning reaction from the ladies it was all part of who he was.

But damn, was it annoying sometimes.

“Sanji,” you called, catching up to him as he leaned over a stall, grinning at the vendor a particularly pretty woman selling fresh herbs. “Are we actually shopping, or are you just collecting plans for tonight ?”

He turned to you with that signature charm. “What, love? Are you getting jealous? My love you’re always at the top of my list” His smirk was teasing, playful, but something about the way he said it made your stomach twist.

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Not in the slightest. Just wondering if I should be carrying all these bags myself while you’re busy.”

Sanji straightened immediately. “I would never let a lady carry heavy bags in my presence!” He took them from your arms with ease, but before you could feel triumphant, he turned back to the vendor and gently took her hand. “Forgive me, mademoiselle, duty calls. But know that your beauty is as fresh as your basil.”

You clenched your jaw. That was it.

Without a word, you pivoted on your heel and strolled off into the bustling crowd, leaving him behind. You didn’t need to deal with this right now.

You made your way to a nearby fruit stall, inspecting the selection when a voice interrupted. “You seem like you have good taste,” a smooth voice said.

You glanced up to see a man tall, rugged, with a confident smile. He gestured toward the apples. “Which one would you recommend?”

You hummed thoughtfully, picking up a ripe one and handing it to him with a slight tilt of your head. “This one.”

He took it, fingers brushing yours. “Good choice. Maybe you should stick around and help me shop.”

You chuckled, more amused than anything, but before you could respond, a familiar presence appeared beside you.

Sanji.

The air shifted instantly. His easygoing charm was still there, but his stance was different subtle but firm. “Ah, my dear, there you are.” His hand found the small of your back, light but undeniably possessive. “I was worried when you ran off.”

The man’s gaze flickered between you two. “You two together?”

Sanji smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Something like that.”

Your breath hitched slightly at his tone, but you said nothing. You usually just let it play out, enjoying the rare sight of Sanji stewing in his own jealousy.

You let out a short laugh, shaking your head. “Oh, no, we’re not together.”

Sanji’s hand, which had been resting lightly against your back, lifted ever so slightly before dropping entirely.

The man smirked, clearly pleased with the answer. “That so?” He took a bite of the apple you’d chosen for him, eyes flickering over you with interest. “Then maybe”

“Yeah, yeah, she’s free to flirt with whoever she wants,” Sanji cut in, voice sharp with something unreadable. “don’t let me stop you”

You turned to him with an unimpressed look. “Oh? You suddenly have a problem with that?”

His smile was still there, but it was forced now, tight at the edges. “Of course not, sweetheart,” he said smoothly, but there was an edge to his voice, a tension in his stance.

You scoffed, folding your arms. “Then piss off, Sanji. Thought you had some more lovely ladies to chase after.”

Sanji’s eyebrow twitched. His whole demeanor shifted still composed, still that smooth talking flirt, but now there was something else lurking underneath. He took a slow drag of his cigarette, exhaling before flashing you a lazy smirk. “Fine. Do whatever you want, gorgeous.”

With that, he turned on his heel and walked off, hands in his pockets, looking every bit as confident as always. But you saw it the tightness in his shoulders, the way his footsteps were just a little too heavy.

Good. Let him stew in it for a change.

You turned back to the guy, flashing a charming smile of your own. “Now, where were we?”

But even as you continued talking, a lingering heat stayed on your skin the memory of Sanji’s touch, his lingering gaze, and the way his voice had dropped just slightly when he called you gorgeous.

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

You continued chatting with the man, picking out a few more items for your collection, and although he was polite and engaging, your thoughts kept drifting back to Sanji. The way his hand had hovered at your back, the little flicker of jealousy in his eyes, the forced smoothness in his voice it was all so familiar, you felt it all too well and yet it made you feel strangely unsettled.

As the day passed, the random guy proved to be an easy companion, offering good suggestions for what to buy and being genuinely considerate when it came to picking out fresh produce and spices. He was easy to talk to, and the lighthearted banter between you two made the errands almost feel like a casual date. But every so often, you’d glance at the bags you were carrying, noticing that they were getting heavier as you loaded up, and that faint tug of regret would sneak in.

You missed the way Sanji always insisted on carrying your bags, even if it was over the top, and how he’d make sure you didn’t have to lift a finger when it came to food shopping, the way he’d make it fun with jokes, teasing, and making you feel like the only one in the world who mattered.

It wasn’t that this guy was bad company it was just… different. There was no shared bond, no shared history, no special moments where the two of you made meals together or laughed over burned rice or an over salted stew. It was a nice day, but it wasn’t the same as being with Sanji.

After a few more minutes, you noticed the sun beginning to dip lower in the sky. The port town was starting to empty out, and you realized you should probably start heading back to the ship. “I think I’ve got everything I need,” you said, your smile warm but thoughtful. “I should be getting back.”

The man nodded, giving you a polite smile. “Of course, I won’t keep you. Thanks for the company today it was nice to meet you.”

You waved it off, feeling the first pang of regret. “It was fun. Take care.”

Turning to leave, you started heading back to the dock, your steps a little slower than before. It felt like a quiet, pleasant day, but there was a knot in your chest. It was the first time you’d felt this way in a while like you were missing something, or maybe someone.

As you walked, your thoughts returned to Sanji again, to the way his voice had softened just slightly when he’d called you “gorgeous” before walking off. you’d find him later, and you could tell him exactly how much you missed his presence, his playful teasing, and the way he made everything feel like it had purpose.

But for now, you simply carried the bags of fresh food back to the ship, the smell of it reminding you of those quiet moments in the kitchen, when you two would bond over cooking together. It was a kind of peace you didn’t want to give up.

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

You climbed up the gangplank of the Sunny, arms full with bags of fresh produce and dry goods. The afternoon sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, casting warm golden hues over the ship. You had managed to grab most of the things on the list hopefully, Sanji had taken care of the rest. Knowing him, he probably had.

You exhaled, rolling your shoulders. The encounter in town still lingered in your mind, but you shook it off. Whatever. If Sanji wanted to act like a flirt one minute and get possessive the next, that was his problem.

Just as you were stepping onto the deck, a hand grabbed your wrist, tugging you to the side.

“Hey what the”

You turned to see Nami, her sharp eyes scanning your face like she was trying to read your thoughts.

“Okay,” she said, crossing her arms. “What the hell happened between you and Sanji?”

Your brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

Nami gave you an unimpressed look. “Oh, don’t even try that with me,” she huffed. “Sanji came back before you, dumped the supplies in the kitchen, and has been stomping around ever since. He’s barely said a word, hasn’t flirted with a single woman on board, and even turned down Robin when she asked for tea.”

You blinked. He turned down Robin?

Nami leaned in slightly. “So I’ll ask again what happened?”

You clicked your tongue, shifting your weight. “Nothing. We just… went shopping, got separated, and that’s it.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You said that way too vaguely.”

You sighed, rubbing your forehead. “Look, I just got tired of his bullshit, alright? One minute he’s all over me, the next he’s flirting with some random girl, then when I start talking to someone, he’s got a problem with it? I’m not dealing with that.”

Nami’s lips twitched slightly like she wanted to smirk but was holding back. “So you made him jealous.”

“I wasn’t trying to make him jealous,” you muttered. “I just had enough of him acting like I’m special one second and then running off to the next girl the moment I blink.”

Nami hummed, clearly enjoying this. “Well, whatever you did, it worked. I haven’t seen him this grumpy in ages.” She smirked, giving you a knowing look. “So… what now?”

You hesitated. You weren’t really sure. Did you want to clear the air? Did you want to keep making him stew in it?

Before you could answer, a familiar voice called out from the kitchen.

“Oi!” Sanji’s voice was sharp, impatient. “If you’re done gossiping, some of us still have a ship to cook for!”

You and Nami exchanged glances.

“Yep,” she said, grinning. “You definitely got to him.” immediately both you and nami run to bring the bags to him

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

Dinner on the Sunny was as usual a lively affair laughter, conversation, and the clatter of dishes filling the air as everyone enjoyed Sanji’s cooking.

But tonight?

Tonight, there was an unmistakable tension radiating from the cook.

Sanji moved through the kitchen and dining area with his usual grace, but his movements were stiff, his usual flirtatious remarks absent. He set plates down with a little too much force, his jaw tight as he worked in silence.

“Oi, Sanji, what’s with the attitude?” Zoro grumbled, eyeing him over his plate. “You got your ass kicked in town or somethin’?”

Sanji shot him a glare. “Shut it, mosshead.”

Zoro raised an eyebrow but smirked knowingly, clearly enjoying whatever was going on.

You, on the other hand, kept your focus on your plate, trying not to let your own amusement show. So he’s still sulking, huh?

Across the table, Nami sent you a quick glance before leaning back with a satisfied smile. “Dinner’s great, Sanji,” she said, clearly baiting him. “It’s almost like you channeled all your pent up frustration into it.”

Sanji’s eyebrow twitched, but he forced a smile. “Glad you like it, Nami.”

You caught the way his gaze flickered toward you just for a second before he turned away and busied himself at the stove.

Robin, ever perceptive, let out a soft hum. “It’s rare to see our dear cook so tense. I wonder what could’ve caused it.”

Luffy, oblivious as always, just grinned as he stuffed his face. “As long as he keeps cooking, who cares?”

Sanji ignored them all, but the way he gripped the edge of the counter told you everything.

Oh, he was definitely still stewing over what happened in town.

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

With dinner finished and everyone helping to clean up, the tension lingering around Sanji was still very present. He scrubbed a pan with more force than necessary, his jaw tight, his usual smooth demeanor buried under whatever storm was brewing in his head.

You couldn’t help it. Seeing him like this so obviously riled up was just too entertaining to ignore.

So, you casually leaned against the counter beside him, watching as he worked. “You know,” you mused, “for someone who flirts like it’s his life’s mission, you sure get pissy when the tables turn.”

Sanji’s scrubbing stopped.

Slowly, he turned his head, giving you a side eye that could probably set something on fire. “Oh?” he said, voice deceptively calm. “And what exactly are you implying, sweetheart?”

You smirked. “I’m just saying… for someone who was practically jumping from one woman to another earlier, you got awfully moody when I talked to someone else.”

Sanji let out a sharp exhale, setting the pan down a little harder than necessary. He turned to you fully, leaning in just slightly, his presence radiating something different something charged.

“You think I’m jealous?” His voice was low, controlled, but you could see the way his fingers curled against the counter, how his eyes darkened just a little.

You tilted your head, pretending to think. “Well, you have been sulking all evening.”

Sanji huffed out a humorless laugh, running a hand through his hair. “Tch. You’re ridiculous.”

“And yet,” you teased, stepping just a little closer, “you still haven’t denied it.”

His jaw clenched, and for a brief moment, you swore you saw something flicker across his face something raw, something real. But just as quickly, he scoffed, shaking his head.

“Whatever,” he muttered, grabbing another dish to wash. “Go flirt with your little market boy if that’s what you want.”

You grinned. “Ohhh, so you are jealous.”

His grip tightened on the plate. “I’m not” He cut himself off, exhaling sharply before turning his glare on you. “Go away.”

You laughed, thoroughly enjoying this. “Nah, I think I’ll stick around. It’s fun watching you try not to combust.”

Sanji shot you one last glare before turning back to the dishes, muttering something under his breath. But even with his back to you, you could see it the slight redness at the tips of his ears.

Oh yeah. You definitely had him right where you wanted him.

You watched him for a moment, enjoying the way his shoulders were tense, his hands working the dishes with a little too much force. It was rare to see Sanji like this off balance, rattled.

And you weren’t done playing with him just yet.

Stepping closer, you reached up and grabbed the front of his shirt, tugging him down to your height before he could react.

Sanji barely had time to blink before your lips were near his ear, your voice dropping to a teasing whisper.

“You know,” you murmured, “for someone who claims to be a gentleman, you’re not acting very chivalrous right now.”

His breath hitched, but he didn’t move, frozen in place.

“I did it on purpose,” you admitted, your voice soft but smug. “I wanted to make you jealous.”

Sanji’s fingers twitched where they gripped the counter, but he still didn’t say a word.

Smirking, you pulled back just enough to meet his eyes stormy, intense, filled with something unreadable. And before he could say anything, you leaned in and pressed a slow, lingering kiss to his cheek.

You felt his body tense beneath your touch, his breath hitch once more.

Then, just as quickly, you let go, stepping back and flashing him a knowing smile.

“Thanks for dinner, Sanji,” you said casually,

you turned on your heel and walked away, feeling the weight of his stare burning into your back.

And for once, Sanji was the one left speechless.

You paused just before stepping out of the kitchen, glancing over your shoulder with a smirk. Sanji still hadn’t moved, his hands gripping the counter so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His expression was unreadable, his lips slightly parted like he wanted to say something but nothing came out.

Perfect.

“Oh, by the way,” you added, tilting your head just enough to watch his reaction, “I think I’ll go hang out with Zoro for a bit. At least he’ll give me some attention.”

Sanji twitched.

His eye visibly twitched.

The sheer offense that flashed across his face was priceless.

His mouth opened, then closed, as if he was scrambling for a comeback but all he could do was let out a sharp, frustrated exhale through his nose.

You almost burst out laughing right then and there. Instead, you gave him one last wink before disappearing down the hall, leaving him stewing in his jealousy.

Y/n: “Oh, don’t mind me, Sanji. I’ll just keep teasing you until you get all worked up, but I’m sure you’re completely unaffected, right?”

[iwillseeyouinanother-life]

I finished sunrise on the reaping

That is the most painful book I’ve ever read in my fucking life dude.

- snow you fugly bitch you don’t deserve anything good.

- Haymitch from the moment he was reaped never had a fucking chance.

- I saw theories floating around about the clock arena in catching fire— how each wedge was meant for a victor. I think the Jabbarjays were meant for Haymitch.

- I don’t think Mags suffered a stroke I think her impairments are from capital torture

- also loved that Mags was Haymitch’s mentor

- “it’s okay to cry around Mags.” oh my god 🥺

- honest to god my hatred for Snow made me miss Gale— I HATE GALE BUT MAN I HATE SNOW MORE— I’d rather Gale be annoying than Snow be viscous.

- the epilogue “I have to take care of my family” HE LOVES THEM !! THEY BECAME A LITTLE FAMILY 🥹🥲

- using poetry to showcase Haymitch’s decaying mental state and decent into insanity was powerful.

- Katniss stealing goose eggs for Haymitch is so funny

- we fucking fell for capital propoganda in Catching Fire when they watch the playbacks of Haymitch’s games

- the fact that the first time Haymitch ACTUALLY gets picked in the reaping is Catching Fire— made me so angry for him.

- Lucy Gray Baird crumbs— delicious

- also why does Snow have a habit of trauma dumping to 16 year olds he plans on using as punching bags. The fuck???

- LENORES DEATH WAS SO SINISTER AND EVIL AND HORRIFIC AND GUT WRENCHING— SUZANNE WHY WOULD YOU EVER WRITE THAT.

- I did cry a lot during Maysilee’s death. Haymitch saying he went from hating her to loving her like family hit me like a fucking bus.

- I went into this being like— we already know what happens. How bad could it be?— worse. Awful. Horrible. We asked for it. We payed for it. Keep Finnick’s backstory in THE FUCKING VAULT BITCH WE ARE SORRY— WE LEARNED OUR LESSON SUZANNE 🫨

- reading this knowing what happens was like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Instead of shoes dropping it was fUCKING ANVILS BITCH.

- so happy we got more Mags lore

- Beatee and his son. Hey girl fuck you. Fuck you Snow. Eat shit bitch.

It was a great read but man it was emotionally harrowing as FUCK. I read the original trilogy because of this book announcement. I read it for Haymitch because he is my favorite. No regrets. Just tears. 10/10 highly recommend. If you are sensative get tissues.

[shouts-into-the-void]

Montresor caring about Will didn't come out of nowhere, Lenore was just mad: a biased completely unbiased post

The thing we need to remember as a rule is that Montresor's default personality is rude and antagonistic even when he's not actively trying to be an aggressor, which means you have to look at what he means rather than necessarily the things he says. He's a clear victim of abuse, who reacts to feelings trapped, cornered, threatened, panicked, or humiliated by lashing out. From what I have gathered, it seems like his mother may have been the type of person who was nice one minute, then became abusive at the drop of a hat, and/or acted loving while claiming she "had to do this for his own good", and he was clearly raised in a very strict religious environment where he didnt have a lot of control/was punished for things he couldnt help. As a reaction, Montresor tries to force an aggressive response out of anyone he feels threatened by, because at least then it's predictable and he feels in control. Okay, great, Montresor analysis out of the way, moving on.

Our first real look at Will and Montresor as a unit is when the clusterfucks (side note: I've seen a lot of people calling them the acoleets now? Far less funny, absolutely not) are discussing their spectres. During this conversation, Montresor is actually hyping Will up, and even when he agrees with Ada that is sounds useless, he makes sure to assure him that it "looks really cool though."

We only really see Montresor become outright violent and dangerous once it's revealed that only one person can win a new life. We see him actively panic about it, and while we don't really get a lot more context for him yelling at Will in the moment, I think its relevant that this is the moment when he starts treating Will less nicely, because now it's a competition an everyone else is potentially out to get him. Hell, he even immediately begins joking around with Will after telling him to shut up, so it's clear that he's acting out of stress and fear immediately after the revelation.

The interaction that immediately follows this is the incident with Morella and Ada, and I find it notable that Montresor goes out of his way to include Will. (when he makes sure to let you get your turn humiliating a woman to prove her loyalty to the group #romantic 🤡)

Later, during the Spectre vs. Students lesson, when Berenice bites Will and he asks for help, Montresor immediately tells her to leave him alone. While he seems mildly annoyed with Will the whole time (kind of understandably, because Will keeps screwing up the plan) he only says anything particularly horrible after Berenice slashes him across the face with her knife, which clearly pisses him off in general. We see him letting Will nap on his shoulder afterwards, which isn't super important I just think it's cute.

Montresor clearly sees them as a unit, as he still involved Will with the plan despite Will messing up the previous night with Duke and stops Will from helping Annabel with Ada despite not having a real reason to do by saying "We'll sit this one out." Like it should have gone without saying that if he's not doing it, Will isn't either. Then the next day, the fact that Montresor comes to get Will specifically so they can walk to breakfast together? Knows what his toothbrush looks like and goes out of his way to give it back? The little flick on the forehead when he calls him a church churchmouse? That he picks up on Will's distress and immediately goes to collect Ada to save him? I see you, fake-ass idgafer.

Which brings me to my next point, which is that it is Lenore on her enraged, vengeful tirade who claims that Montresor hates Will. She claims it's due to his behavior towards Will when he came to get him, but I think its pretty clear she only says it to upset Will. And Will can't think of anything nice Montresor's ever done for him because he's stressed, thinks he's about to get shot, and his self-confidence is super low. He even addresses the fact later that Montresor goes out of his way to save him all the time.

I also think now is a good time to point out that Montresor only seems to physically hurt Will in any significant way when he's been having a flashback. His expression when he comes out of his death flashback to find himself attacking Will is shocked, and while he doesn't apologize, his response does come across as apologetic. He has a similar expression when he wakes up from Ada's vision choking Will, only he looks incredibly panicked that time because he'd done actual damage. The expression on his face when Lenore points out what he's done is pained. I think this runs back to Montresor telling Will not to touch him, I'm pretty sure part of his trauma revolves around physical touch and when he's having an episode of PTSD/not fully aware of his surroundings he lashes out instinctively at the person touching him, which unfortunately means Will, who is a very physically affectionate person (man has 13 siblings and it shows.) Which is unfortunate, because I think Montresor also seems to be a very tactile person, and he actually goes out of his way to be touching Will a lot.

Another interesting thing? Montresor only ever addresses Will by name, which is very significant with context. The nicknames Montresor gives people are meant to mock them, so by only using Will's name it subtlely signals that he holds him in higher respect (or at least in more genuine regard) than the others. In Will's flashback, Sally–someone who went to school with him and was in all the same classes–doesn't remember his name, only that he's one of many Wilson siblings. So for Montresor, who can't even remember his "ace in the hole" and current fling's name, to be constantly making it a point to say he knows who Will is, is a great indicator of his actual feelings. By contrast, Will calls Montresor "Monty" exclusively, the only nickname he receives that is genuinely affectionate and something he never attempts to make him stop calling him.

Which pretty much brings us back to the events of the current episodes, which I've already talked about the significance of in another post. I know this is probably insanely biased for multiple reasons and im sure theres a bunch of little tidbits I've forgotten , but do with it what you will.

[marauder-misprint]

Hi! I loved honeymoon phase could you please please please make a second part?

Hi! I'm so glad you liked Honeymoon Phase ❤︎ I wasn't sure if I was ever going to do part 2 but here we are! Hope you enjoy ❤︎

Second chances

Remus Lupin x fem!reader

1.5k words

cw: angst, hurt/comfort, steps toward forgiveness

You can feel it everywhere you go. Remus’ eyes on you. 

It had happened so quickly. You went from having Remus glued to your side to actively avoiding him. You were right when you ended things: you have nothing to say to him. 

Your friends had mixed reactions to the reasoning behind the breakup. Some said they were glad to have their friend back and that it was good to get out of a relationship where your partner is too controlling. Others said that you were too hasty and should have been more firm in your boundaries. But no matter how they felt about it, they stood by you. They made a habit of purposely standing between you and Remus and helping you disappear from sight when it looked like he was going to attempt to talk to you. 

The biggest issue you have is finding a new place to study. You can’t just pick a new table in the library; Remus would just move to that table. None of your friends liked studying in the library either. You refuse to study in your dorm and the common is always too busy and distracting. So you hole up in whichever empty alcove or window seat that you can find. In a desperate attempt to just be away from people, you even studied in the bell tower once. And then you immediately went back to the alcoves. 

Not that you noticed, but remorse and guilt filled Remus to the brim. Once the full moon passed and he could think like himself again, he could feel the true weight of how he had acted. He hated that he had been that possessive of you. And what made him feel worse? You won’t let him near you, you won’t look at him, you won’t allow him to talk to you. He knows he deserves it, but that doesn’t make dealing with it any easier. 

And all he wants to do is apologize. He wouldn’t mind if you’d give him a second chance, even if it was just a second chance at friendship. But he needs to apologize to you to be able to live with himself. 

As time passes, your friends stop guarding you as diligently. You’ve told them you’re good, that you’re fine. You can handle it if he approaches you, not that you’ll give him the time of day if he does. But you still avoid the library as much as you can since you know he’ll be there and you’re just not ready for that step yet. 

Finding a place to work on homework tonight is being particularly difficult. All your new spots were taken and you’re about to accept defeat and study in your dorm. But there’s one last spot: the Astronomy Tower. You figure there’s no way that the tower is empty when everywhere is full. The Astronomy Tower, when not being used for class, was a nice place to relax and look out over castle grounds. 

To your absolute delight, it’s empty. You sigh a breath of relief and get settled. It’s peaceful. Comfortable. You could sit up here alone for hours. Which is what you end up doing, for longer than you originally intended. 

You don’t recall falling asleep, but you must have. It’s dark out and there’s a gentle hand on your shoulder. You rub the sleep out of your eyes. The glint of a Prefect badge catches your eye and you groan. You had just been trying to study and now you’re surely getting detention or losing house points. 

“Hey, you’re not supposed to be out right now.” 

You squeeze your eyes shut again. You forgot that Remus was a Prefect. And of course, it was just your luck that he’d be the one to find you on the one night you’re accidentally out past curfew. 

“Come on, you should get to bed.” 

Nope. This was real. Not a dream. Great. 

“Didn’t realize I fell asleep…” you mutter as you open your eyes again and begin to gather your things that are still splayed out around you.

He chuckles softly. “History tends to be a great sedative.” 

You don’t say anything for a little bit. You’re more focused on collecting your things so you can disappear into your dorm. You’d rather be anywhere but here right now. Once you have everything, you stand up and dust yourself off. You don’t look at Remus. Like always, you can feel his eyes on you.

“So what’s the damage? Fifteen points? Detention?” you ask quietly.

“You fell asleep doing homework. I’m not taking points for that,” he says. “I just need to walk you back to your common room.” 

You nod and head toward the stairs. You know you should be thanking Remus for going easy on you, but you can feel that it’s going to be an awkward walk. You’re not going to feed the awkwardness. 

Remus, however, does not get that memo. 

“I wanted to say I’m sorry,” he says once you descend the first flight of stairs. 

“It’s whatever,” you say flatly. “I’ve moved past it, you’ve moved past it. Don’t worry ‘bout it.” 

Remus frowns and hesitantly reaches out for your arm. His fingers brush your bicep but he doesn’t grab you. You freeze at his touch.

“Who said I moved past it?” he whispers. 

“I… I just assumed, sorry. You stopped trying to talk to me at every turn…” 

All Remus wants at this moment is for you to look at him. You are doing everything in your power to look at anything but him. You’ve never found the handrail so interesting. 

“I got the message that you didn’t want to talk to me.”

“I don’t.” 

“But I need to apologize. I don’t know what came over me.” A lie, but that wasn’t something he could tell you. At least, not now. “I shouldn’t have treated you that way, like a possession. Something that I didn’t have to share. You were my longest relationship.”

“Take it as a lesson then. You have to be patient with your girlfriends and let them have time with their friends.” You pause and sigh. “That’s all I wanted. A few moments with my friends because I had been giving you all my time. It wasn’t fair that you got to keep yours while mine faded into the background, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” 

Remus hangs his head. He feels the possibility of being friends again slipping through his fingers. Then, for the first time of the night, you look at him. His stance, his posture, is that of a remorseful man. You sigh again, louder this time, and lean against the wall. When Remus looks at you, he has the most pitiful expression on his face. 

“So what do you want?” you ask bluntly.

“Huh?”

“I’m not dumb. You’re letting me off easy for being out past curfew and you’ve given me an apology for something that couldn’t gone unapologized for.”

He runs a hand through his hair nervously. 

“I was… Fuck, Merlin knows I don’t deserve it, but maybe, I was hoping you’d have it in you to give me a second chance?” His words come out slowly and unsure before he starts to ramble. “Like I said, I know I don’t deserve it, but I’m also not over you. I really, really like you and I want a do-over. I won’t mess it up this time, I promise. I’d promise you the world. I swear on anything you want me to that I won’t mess it up. I’ll treat you better. We’ll hang out with your friends. You’ll hang out with your friends without me. Because, fuck, I really like you and I didn’t realize how much until-”

You put your hand over his mouth.

“Just… shut up for a second.” You hold your hand over his mouth for another second until he nods. “You want a second chance?”

He nods again. He wasn’t sure if you wanted him to talk just yet. 

“You’re aware that you’re the reason I was up here in the first place?” He shakes his head. “Can’t risk running into you in the library. And I needed a place to study.”

Remus doesn’t know how to respond so he doesn’t do anything. Then you start walking down the next flight of stairs. 

“Where are you going?” he asks, quickly moving to follow you.

“I’m supposed to be being escorted to my common room, remember?” 

“Okay, but where does that leave us?” 

“Remus, there’s no us. If you want a second chance at that, you’re going to have to give me more time. But I’m going to study in the library. Please don’t sit at whatever table I’m at. I’ll sit at yours when I’m ready. And, I guess, we can go from there. Okay?”

“Okay.” 

The rest of the walk to your common room is quiet. The chance at friendship isn’t gone. There is a chance if Remus continues to give you the space that you need. He needs to allow you time to forgive him. Space and time. Remus can give you that. If it yields the possibility of getting you back, Remus will give you all the space and time you need. He will be patient with you, as he’s promised. 

Tags: @navs-bhat, @yearninglustfully, @ilovejamespottersomuch, @bmyva1entine

[blastzachilles]

I know you’re still writing them, but do you have any little fun facts about lesbian Challengers? Like that you think would be interesting to share?

HI ANON POOKIE!!! you have been rotting in my inbox since my original post (thank you @peariote for working them out with me...) i'm so sorry for that... had to write them out... but here are like. four for each of them that i've been cooking up for you yum yum yum!!!!!

BIG thank you to @bullseyebullseye for the faceclaims (emma d'arcy for art and roberta colindrez for pat) im ill they're so good. and another HUGE thank you to everyone i consulted during this creating process!!!! i love you all so bad please enjoy <333

now stepping onto the court… LESBIAN!ATP .ᐟ ★

BUTCH!ARTEMIS a.k.a. ART - SHE/HE .ᐟ

– BUTCH!ART who’s a stone top. She loves giving, and has a disdain for receiving. He will give until the bed is broken. Until there is nothing left. Besides tennis, this is why she keeps her nails short. 

– BUTCH!ART who is just the biggest lovergirl ever. She will do absolutely anything for her girlfriend, just to make her happy. 

– BUTCH!ART who gets buff. Like crazy buff. He makes fun of Pat for their lack of muscles, and it culminates in Art topping Pat. Helps Pat discover herself a little more. 

– BUTCH!ART who dresses like a father. Button downs and cargo shorts for days. She loves a good khaki.

FUTCH!PATRICIA a.k.a. PAT - ANY PRONOUNS .ᐟ

– FUTCH!PAT who’s a hey mamas lesbian, minus the hat (she hates hat hair so opts for sweatbands instead). Always out with visible boxers, cargos low on her hips, shirts open and showing her bras (she exclusively wears sports bras). 

– FUTCH!PAT who wears their carabiner on his left side. She is extremely annoying about it. Will always point it out to whoever’s bed he’s trying to get into that night. Despite really being a switch, she still wears it on the top side (thinks it makes it easier to get into girls' beds).

– FUTCH!PAT who’s both a giver and a taker, and up for anything. They get tossed around like a ragdoll. Being topped by Art changed his life, made her more receptive to receiving and helped her figure out she liked that more than giving (realized “Wait. Maybe I don’t always need to top.”). 

– FUTCH!PAT who does not really give a shit about pronouns. “I’m whatever gets me in your bed faster, baby.”

FEMME!TASHI - SHE/HER .ᐟ

– FEMME!TASHI who’s a dom pillow princess with Pat and Art. But with you, she likes to explore more of her giving side. Though she never gives up that dom side of her.

– FEMME!TASHI who’s a Lululesbian, but doesn’t wear matching sets when she’s younger, instead opting for a bright jewel-toned jacket with a pair of leggings. As she gets older, she opts for black or navy blue matching sets and business casual.

– FEMME!TASHI whose love language is quality time and acts of service. As long as her girlfriend is with her she doesn’t care what they’re doing. They could be watching paint dry with her, and she’d never get bored just because her girlfriend is there. 

– FEMME!TASHI who has always been extremely comfortable with her sexuality. Even though she grew up in a religious household, she knew there was nothing she could do about the fact that she liked girls, so she embraced that part of her with open arms. When she came out, her parents were initially wary, but then warmed up to it. They fully embrace it with her now.

[mullermilkshake]

Trust issues.

Part 1 <- -> Part 2

Hiromi tries to iron out some issues.

Yandere!Hiromi Higuruma x PregnantFem!reader TW - Pregnancy,Captive,Kidnapping,Arguments

Hiromi was excellent at explaining and rebutting others' arguments, to pull them apart and make them look weak, while he appeared effortless and untouchable. 

How the hell was he going to explain this if you ever got out?

He never meant to get you pregnant either, it sort of just happened.

Now, it sounded ridiculous if it was ever discussed out loud, he knew what happened when two consenting adults, at the time, had unprotected sexual intercourse. He just didn’t anticipate pregnancy on the first try.

No one ever does.

That being said, Hiromi couldn’t help see this as a silver lining. He made more than enough money to support the two of you, and the idea of having a baby might mellow you out a bit to the point you may even stop trying to get away from him. Well, eventually you’d be too far along to try anything. High risk, big reward. Hiromi hated using restraints, but he couldn’t bear the thought of you running, getting out and ending up in a courtroom sitting opposite him.

You’d say wild things, totally delirious due to the stress on your body when you should have been holed up in bed for rest before the baby came. Hiromi’s poor heart sank at the mere thought of you turning against him. He never wanted to entertain the idea that you might want to ruin what he had worked so hard to formulate.

The first moment he saw you was what gave it away for him. He just had to have you, be close to you, be inside you. 

And with hard work and due diligence, he got all three.

“Please don’t ignore me when I speak to you. I know you’re upset, but I’m working on it, aren’t I? I said I’d make it up to you.”

You were about in your second trimester if he guessed correctly. Sitting on the bed with a self-inflicted swollen ankle, pouting because he left you here to go to work.

“I’m trying here, Love.”

Still you said nothing, looking away to punish him whilst he slaved over cases at work. He gave you plenty of slack to reach different parts of the house, you were not limited to one room. That was in clear breach of your human rights and Hiromi did not see himself as the monster you tried to make him out to be.

You simply hadn’t understood yet how much he cared for you.

“I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

It was because of what happened yesterday. Hiromi admitted that he shouldn’t have snapped how he did, but he couldn’t take it back even though he wanted to. Somehow, you managed to get hold of a knife from the kitchen. Before you could even move it, Hiromi snatched it away and gave you a ten minute scolding of how dangerous knives could be.

And he jumped out of his skin because he was certain you’d try to use it on him. How could you explain that one in court if he died because of it? Hiromi dreaded the thought of you giving birth in prison, so his instincts kicked in and he lashed out. So you were pouting at him, though his guilt was eating away at his brain. The way you looked at him so upset and innocent made his heart swell, he even took you to bed and held you until you fell asleep. Well, he had to drag you there, but you fell asleep all the same.

However, you still weren’t talking to him.

“What more can I do?” He said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and noting the way you pulled your legs away.

“I said I don’t want to talk to you. That’s what you can do.”

“Well, we need to talk about this, I thought it was all in the past but you keep bringing it up. We cuddled last night- we can again tonight. I took tomorrow off as a surprise so we can spend the entire day together tomorrow.” He intended on telling you tomorrow, but to hell with waiting.

You glared at him like he’d done something wrong. “We didn’t cuddle last night, you pinned me down because I was fighting you so much- you hurt my wrists because of it and you never even apologised.”

“I get you’re emotional right now, it’s completely normal-“

You cut him off before he could finish. “Do you know what the best time of my day is?”

He shook his head with a little curious shrug. “When, Love?”

“When you aren’t here.” Now you were just saying things to hurt him.

Hiromi let out a long exhausted sigh and pulled away at his tie to loosen it. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do. I really do.” 

Hiromi could sense himself getting frustrated, his eye twitching at the deep mess of the verbal cuts. “You seem to forget all that I do for you, Love… I’ll go run you a nice bath.”

He took the high ground and made his way over to the bedroom door to let you and he cooling off time. Because he knew you didn’t mean the horrid things you said most days, he put it down simply to your pregnancy.

Then, you carried on. “I never asked for any of it.”

Hiromi stopped by the door and kept his back to you so that his frustration did not develop into an anger he tried so hard to keep from you. “It didn’t stop you sitting on my cock the first time, did it? That’s how we ended up in this situation in the first place-“

“You put me in this situation in the first place! I was happy with a one night stand with a handsome stranger I’d never see again, and it should have been that way! It was you who started stalking me and getting possessive when you found out I was pregnant!”

You thought he was handsome. The first compliment you’d given him since living together.

“I had a life built for myself and you ruined it the moment you stepped foot in my life- I don’t stay here because I want to, I stay because I know just how bad you can make my life if I actually tried to get out of here.”

Actually tried? Hiromi had caught you all of an amount of four times trying to leave the apartment when he first made it a home for you. It was what you said and how you said it got him thinking, and it begged the question as to whether you were just bluffing.

Hiromi kept that close to his chest and turned to watch you on the bed, sat there so innocently with a scowl. “You stay because you love me, because you’re having my child- our child. That’s why.”

You fucking laughed at him. “Love you... love you?! I despise you, you’re lucky you have me tied up in here because if I had it my way, I’d give this baby up to a loving family that doesn’t have a psychotic kidnapper for a father-“

“Take that back.” Hiromi was not psychotic.

And you would not give his baby away. 

“I will not.”

He balled his fists so firm his knuckle joints cracked. “I said, take it back… I’m going to be the best father for our baby, and you aren’t taking them anywhere.”

“Where would I even go? I’m sure you’ve done something to make sure I have nowhere to go. I wouldn’t put it past you to tamper with my apartment.”

Well you weren’t wrong. Hiromi had paid the rest of your lease in advance, left a note that you were eloping and that you were okay and put all your things into storage. He didn’t see the point in keeping your apartment when you were living here with him now.

“You didn’t need your old apartment, why would I leave it vacant when someone else could use it?”

“See, I know you’d do some crazy shit like this- I knew I shouldn’t have gone back to your place that night!”

As far as your family were concerned, he messaged them regularly to avoid suspicion. Eventually he’d let you out, or your parents wouldn’t be able to meet their grandchild. Family was important to Hiromi. He was sure that your folks would love him too.

“Listen to me why I say this,” Hiromi would do everything to get him on your good side. He would not sit opposite you in court should you get out. So he simmered down his anger. “Everything that I’ve done, has been in consideration of you and the baby. I want you to be happy here, to start a life with me together while we make our little family.”

You watched his with an accusatory stare. “Y’know, sometimes I think you got me pregnant on purpose.”

He didn’t, he really didn’t. That he was innocent of. “Please don’t think that little of me. The condom broke, there’s nothing else to it- I got you your contraception for after the baby's here, didn’t I? As per your request, might I add.”

“Why do I not believe that?”

There it was again, the frustration flickering behind his eyes. “It doesn’t matter, I know my legal rights as a father.”

Following the recent changes in legislation, Hiromi would be granted joint custody. So even if you did get out, you’d be tethered to him for life. But that was a last resort. He could not afford for you to get out. 

You simply could not.

When you said nothing in response, no huff and top of the eyes, he continued. “Soon enough you’ll have to rely on me to help you. When the baby gets here, you’ll need me.”

He wanted you to rely on him, to confide and trust in him. You needed looking after, to be doted on and the sooner you realised that, the better.

“It seems we’re at a stalemate then.”

Hiromi nodded. “It appears so.”

The way you looked at him was nothing like how you did that night, seductive and lustrous, looking for a fun night. It was love at first sight for Hiromi, never understanding until then that someone could be so perfect, offering themselves up to him like fate. He couldn’t believe his luck to see you approach him, going against the flow of people towards the dance floor. That little black dress hanging off of your body perfectly and the jasmine scent of perfume at your neck.

Hiromi bet even now that dress would adorn your little baby bump to accentuate it. The area becoming one of his favourite parts of you he craved to touch constantly.

He gave up for now, he knew when to pick his battles. “Do you want a bath?“

“Yes.”

“I’ll run it and get dinner started.” Hiromi picked up on your own frustrated huff and stopped before he left the bedroom. "What now?"

Were you pulling him into another argument? “It’s done- I did it earlier.”

He noticed how you never made eye contact, yet it upturned the corners of his mouth nonetheless. “You did- you made dinner?”

“I’m bored in here, there’s nothing else for me to do.” You made dinner like a wife- Hiromi’s wife. And he’d marry you soon enough, your family did think you ‘eloped’ when all was said and done. 

“Well… would you have dinner with me?” That could be an interesting pastime, one he wanted desperately.

He could get to know you better than he already did.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.” Still, you hesitated, which meant you thought about it, Hiromi would take that as a win.

“Maybe another time then… I’ll get the bath ready.”

When he left, he couldn’t help but smile. Being honest with you had moved in leaps and bounds, seeing how being here was changing your mind about him. You and the baby would be a part of his dream and he hoped to make this little family the best one it could be, even if you were reluctant and fighting him every step of the way.

One day you’d see.

One day you’d care enough.

It was Hiromi’s job to lead by example and show you the best life could offer so leaving him didn’t seem so tempting anymore.

And he just could not wait to be a father.

DISCLAIMER - Crossposted from my AO3 - I do not own any of the characters or anything from the anime. This is a work of fan fiction and is absolutely not representative of the views or intentions of the original creator(s).

Also please don’t post any of my work without permission thank you!

[moonstars-tro]

due to the two posts i’ve seen talking about the way people mischaracterized the disaster twins in writing, i am going to make it my LIFE MISSION to not do that. like i do do deep emotional moments because we were so robbed of that but like……. usually those have no basis and are in high stakes.. but actually i don’t do the codependency thing and i actually really hate that, ive only ever seen it make sense in i think firefight? and also swsa. but like otherwise codependency disaster twins doesn’t make sense to me… i always try to include other brothers, ESPECIALLY PORTAL DUO i love portal duo my babies but anyway

ITS MY LIFE’S MISSION TO DO DISASTER TWINS RIGHT!!! NON MISCHARACTERIZED!!! LOVEABLE AND SILLY AND DUMB.

(/pos to those rants bee tee dubs, i get the frustration of seeing them mischaracterized or raph and mikey being excluded my GOD i love the twins more than anything in the universe rn but i HATE seeing raph and mikey excluded becuase 😭 they’re.. they’re still all brothers yk???)

[writer-fennec]

Let's play the Lyrics prompt game. I give you a lyric and you give me the blurb that the lyric inspires!

"Maybe you can show me how to love" - The Weeknd

Uuuuuuh...

I've never listened to this song but I'm braining it a little too well.

Simon "Ghost" Riley had never learned how to love.

Ever since he was a child he never understood what love was for. His father loved his mother. But he always hit her and his children. If that was his affection, if that was love, the love first of all ust have hurt a lot. Both to give and recieve.

When he was around middleschool he was surrounded by people talking about love. Their crush, their first girlfriend or boyfriend, how the kissed, sometimes even how they fucked. Ads on the streets showing engagement rings, cinema trailers for romace films, even the few chocolates he had the luck to buy on special occasions was filled with sweet and lovely words.

Yet what he learned, from seeing love in first person and what it was described as, never matched in his eyes. So when he got in the military he just ignored all the chit chat about dudes who had girlfriends, spuses or even wifes. He just closed himself from the external world, hoping to never copy his parent's behaviour.

After all why would you hit someone you love? Why would you one day try to end their lives and the next one pray the be forgiven. Why should someone like that be forgiven.

He spent years of his life suffering in the SAS. First the selection, then the training and then Roba. That was where he learned what love was. Being woken up every day by the same person. Being so dedicated to someone you wake up every day for them. That was hate love. He could stll live under Roba's torture because it was full of hate love.

Years passed after that. A the start he was cared for by Price, who treated him more like a friend than a subordinate, and he always said because he actually was also his friend. He never believed him.

Years went by, all full of nothing but dedication to his job.

Years went by and he learned who "Soap" was.

Days went by and in little time he became Johnny.

Hours went by and thye could only trust each other.

Hours went by and he was smiling at him under the mask.

Hours went by and be damned the mask, he needed his friend's trust more than anything now.

Hours went by and Johhny killed Graves.

Hours went by and he saved Johnny.

Hours went by and they finally kissed. Once. Twice. In that shitty hotel room, with yellow lights, a screaching bed too small for both of them and walls as thin as paper. But fuck it, in that moment all he wanted was Johnny. So he could comprehend that he... Desired him, wanted him, admired him, wanted to open his own ribcage to protect him.

But that wasn't love. Love was something else.

He learned it from observing and what he had for Johnny was not love.

It was so much better.

@bone-trash wanna read thus little thing?

[loumandaniel]

Yeah. Armand looks sooooo annoyed 😭😭😭 every time Daniel opens his mouth. I have to confess something. Even if I do kind of like the concept of dm and the eternal sunshine theory- I do love the question of what happens if you don't have time and your loved ones will never run out of time and also won't ever grow into anything else either- I don't think past dm happened. And uh. Idk how can dm happen then if there has been no past dm and a considerable part of dm was Armand terrorizing Daniel and Daniel trying to push through it before they eventually take a liking to each other.

i agree that past devil’s minion is essential, so without it, present dm going forward could feel odd. it’s easy to forget in fandom that devil’s minion is a blank slate right now. everything about them is essentially just theory. if you avoid outside interviews and books, the only thing you really know is that armand turned daniel out of spite. that’s it. if you don’t actively search for them, you won’t know they’re drifting toward something romantic until it actually happens.

i just can't come up with a reason to remove the chapter at all though. it plays a major role in armand grappling with his trauma surrounding marius, so i see no reason for it to be cut (hello anne rice's opinion on the cycle of abuse). it also ties into daniel’s character - his pursuit of truth, even to disastrous and unethical ends. the core elements of their relationship can exist in any form, but if there were to be something more between armand and daniel, it fits perfectly within themes of the show and who they are, even with your mention of "time running out." if dm broke up as poorly as they did in the book and there is no queen of the damned event to bring them back together, then of course armand being annoyed fits very well. imagine your annoying ex who left you because you two got too codependent is in your home untying your web you built for your current companion lol. i wouldn't want the king of destroying relationships in MY house.

the issue i've found with fandom and devil's minion (and honestly, a lot of other characters & ships get this treatment too) is that they're quite sanitized. when held up against their antagonism in the show, this tends to lead towards conflicting opinions. i hate to say it, but reading the books does a lot more heavy-lifting than one would expect. armand and daniel don't speak any differently in the show than they do in the books lol. they clash in both materials. they both want what the other has and they bleed together, which results in love.

i know this is mean to say, but the iwtv fandom as a whole really sands down the idea of love, or sticks to one singular interpretation. love doesn't immediately equate to a positive. the entire show revolves around how vampirism, whether as a curse or as a gift, confronts your emotions, your memory, against an unending corridor of time. if time heals all wounds, how many times can you rip the scar open again? like, yes, sure, louis and lestat love each other, but should louis love the man who dropped him thousands of feet to punish him for his denial of love? no lol. except, love here is measured against a passage of time beyond human comprehension. much of the love in this show can be horrific and dark, and yet there it is.

anyway, an unnecessarily long post to essentially say that, yea, devil's minion fits the show's theme too well for it to be abandoned in any form. armand enjoys living in lies at his own comfort, while daniel will pursue truth at the cost of his own. throw in the theory that a part of daniel's life is gone, potentially because of something armand has done? now, they’re clashing, but each with a long stretch of time to deal with that. they can be the warped mirror image of loustat, which is delicious to think about.

[alluringwaves]

OMG i love the OC so much and summer is the best character ever.

If you want you could do something where she plans something really nice to show them that she's not all that shallow and she's actually really nice and cares and knows a lot about them.

This is if you want otherwise love the work 💋🐬

👙 °❀* 𓍼:･ summer!roberts!reader plans a nice evening for her friends to surprise them (and definitely not because she wants to prove that she’s not that shallow)

(slight) summer!roberts!reader x percy jackson

a/n: tysm💞💞 hope u like it!

You had a reputation.

You were the princess of Camp Half-Blood—dramatic, high-maintenance, and completely untouchable. You liked pretty things, hated getting dirty, and had zero patience for people who couldn’t keep up. To most, you were the girl who cared more about her tan than a prophecy, who could kill a monster but would complain about breaking a nail while doing it.

And fine. Maybe you were a little shallow. Maybe you did throw a fit when someone used your body mist without asking. But that didn’t mean you didn’t care.

You just didn’t show it the way people expected.

Which is exactly why you were currently bribing an entire army of Hermes kids with Sephora gift cards and high-end snacks to pull off what you had planned.

“I don’t get it,” one of them—Connor, maybe?—said as he adjusted a set of fairy lights in the trees. “Why are you even doing this?”

You crossed your arms. “Because I want to.”

That wasn’t entirely true.

You were doing this because no one ever expected you to care. And that pissed you off.

No one ever assumed Annabeth was too focused on architecture to be thoughtful. No one ever questioned why Percy was always late to cabin meetings but still considered him a great leader.

But you? One dramatic sigh, one eye roll, and suddenly, you were selfish.

You were going to prove them wrong

By the time everything was set up, the entire campfire area looked like something out of a dream.

Twinkling lights hung from tree branches, soft pillows were scattered around, and a long table was filled with everyone’s favorite snacks—things no one even realized she noticed. The extra-cheesy popcorn that Will always stole from the dining pavilion, the ridiculous blue food Percy was obsessed with, the very specific type of marshmallows that Annabeth liked in her hot chocolate.

It was perfect.

Now you just had to get them here.

Which, obviously, was where Drew came in.

“You’re lucky I love you,” Drew said, flipping her hair as she strolled back toward you. “They’re coming.”

You pretended to inspect your nails. “Obviously. No one can say no to me.”

Drew smirked. “Except that one time—”

“Shut up.”

Before she could argue, voices rang through the trees.

“What the—?”

“Did Chiron plan this?”

“Wait, is that—?“

You turned, watching as Annabeth, Percy, Will, and a handful of others stepped into the clearing, all of them looking around in shock.

Percy’s brows furrowed. “What’s all this?”

You crossed your arms. “Do you not have eyes?”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “You did this?”

“Wow, Chase, say it with less judgment next time.” You huffed, tossing her hair. “Yes, I did this. For you. All of you. Because for some reason, you people never stop running around doing things for everyone else, and it’s exhausting to watch. So sit down, eat some snacks, and chill.”

For a moment, no one said anything.

Then Will grinned, grabbing a handful of cheesy popcorn. “Okay, this is actually kind of amazing.”

Annabeth inspected her hot chocolate, eyes widening slightly when she saw the exact marshmallows she liked.

Percy smirked. “Didn’t know you were capable of being nice.”

You scowled. “I’m not. I’m just bored. And I needed a fun project.”

“Uh-huh.” Percy flopped onto a pillow, grabbing a blue cookie. “Well, thanks, Princess.”

You rolled your eyes but didn’t correct him.

Because even though you’d never admit it, you did care.

You just showed it your own way.

[masoncantthinkofaname]

Hello Mason! How are you doing? I absolutely loved your answer to my last ask. I can’t help but feel like a wide-eyed child hoping to hear more from you! If you’re comfortable in sharing, could we have a story-time from your twilight shifting? I was re reading the book today and couldn’t keep you out of my mind!

Hi! Oh my, it's literally been ages since I shifted there. Luckily enough I wrote my experience down in my notes when I did, so most of the recalling will be based on what I wrote down and the things I remember!

For a little backstory. It was not my intention to 'seriously' shift to Twilight. I lost a dare to my best friend, and she likes daring me to shift to random places. So she told me that I had to go to Twilight, where I had to replace Bella, and Daeron had to replace Edward. The plot had to stay somewhat similar to the books, but obviously with us being two completely different people, it was fine for it to lead into a different direction (which it did).

I also shifted there before I actively started shifting with the exact same version of my husband. I did 'meet' him multiple times already, but he was very patient and let me decide on it myself. In that period in most cases whenever I shifted somewhere, Daeron in that place didn't know that I shifted there.

Reading through my notes I'm also just realising how unhinged I was while writing this, so prepare for a ride!

The storytime:

I won't go into detail on everything I experienced, as this post would be extremely long. But I was listening to a Noah Kahan song when I first shifted, and I was still in the plane. I remember feeling happy about scripting Hozier and Noah Kahan's music in.

My dynamic with my dad, Charlie, was a bit less awkward than the one he had with Bella. I feel like my personality helped to give a bit more flow to it. I can be a yapper, whereas he's more of a listener, and happy that he doesn't have to say anything.

But after meeting up with him he gave me the most awkward shoulder pat ever and we were just standing there like 😃

I wrote down the dates as much as I remembered as well, but I'm not gonna add them to this post.

Over the next like 10 messages I wrote down;

''Bella is so valid for loving the truck cause I do too girly''

and then I complained about hating school and especially anything math related.

Me being a man, even if I look like the biggest bottom ever, got more female attention than male attention, mainly at the first few days. And despite me not planning to share it this quickly, people learned that I'm gay quite quickly. Specifically, I wrote down;

''During lunch that first day Jessica asked me what my type is in girls, so I was like ''Men 🧍‍♂️'' ''

I also wrote down that, Mike absolutely is the type of guy to think I'm into him. And that he tried to make it extremely obvious that he's straight, especially after he learned that I'm gay.

The next like 20 messages basically include me simping for Daeron, describing how beautiful the Cullens looked, how I made eye contact with Daeron and felt equally embarrassed and giddy about it, and me wondering how anyone believes that he's a high schooler.

Daeron's self control seemed, at least a little, better than Edward's. But it was still very obvious that he was struggling during Biology, and although outwardly he didn't show it that much, I can only imagine how much he was struggling on the inside.

It was a little sad to see him look at me more neutrally/passively, considering I'm so used to this man softening up around me a lot. It hurt a little knowing that, in that moment I wasn't anything special to him yet.

But I still tried to be assertive, and start a conversation, because unlike Bella I wasn't going to let that chance slide. So I told Daeron I love his hair (because really who wouldn't love that luscious hair of his)

''and for some reason a little tension just left his body as he laughed, and thanked me we made a little small talk but he was very careful with his words, and because I actually knew why he was struggling I also tried not to push him but regardless of that there was no denying that we got along''

My biasness shone through when I was writing about meeting Jacob later that day. And I wrote down;

''I'm so sorry, but like next to Daeron and his hair you look kinda pathetic HSHSHSHSH''

I guess I can't blame him because he was only 15 at that point, and aside from that he wasn't a bad guy. During my time in Twilight I didn't get to see Jacob that much, because I only stayed for a couple of weeks.

Let's all thank past Mason for being helpful like always with my notes;

''the next few days Daeron wasn't at school, which was sad I don't care to remember much from that time no Daeron = no memory''

Okay I think I'm going to cut it soon, I'm not even halfway through my notes. But let's discuss the car accident first.

When Daeron came back to school he was nice to me, smiled at me in the hall, and we had some small talk during Biology.

During one class I had asked him some stuff about the homework they had before I came to school, and after school he came up to me when I was at my car, mentioning something about it. Which is when the accident happened.

''I really thought I was gonna throw up my heart''

Daeron saved me, of course, and I saw everything happen. Apparently I was very proud of being better than Bella, because I didn't hit my head unlike her, and although an ambulance was called, Tyler was in a much worse state than I was, and in the end, because Daeron's dad worked at the hospital, he said he would drive me. Which like, you wish, Bella.

I also wrote down a little rant about how cold he actually is.

Also, when I was in the car with Daeron, there was a lot of tension between us, as obviously he knew what I saw, and he couldn't make any excuses about it, and I already knew he was a vampire, even though I pretended not to know. So I decided to be a good future husband, and I told him that, although I don't know how he did that, I trust him, and I won't ask about it. Which visibly relaxed him a little, and we went back to talking about everything and nothing afterwards.

And this is where I'll leave it for now, I might make another part if anyone is interested. I'm sorry I'm not super detailed with this, it's a long time ago, so I'm relying a lot on my notes, and my notes are really long. So it would've been a whole fanfic if I tried to write it down in even more detail.

Thank you for reading!💚

[muqingslover]

[ Back on my doomed childhood boys agenda yippieeee!! This one is a more long kinda fic style of my take on their relationship! For the people who are new: I'm basically just exploring their vulnerability and dynamic with each other bc I think it's neat!

I'll be splitting this one into two parts that I plan on posting as soon as im done proofreading \⁠(⁠๑⁠╹⁠◡⁠╹⁠๑⁠)⁠ﾉ FYI: First part is more centered around Caleb and the next one around Zayne!

Also! Please give me tag name ideas specifically for these posts!! ]

-----------------------------❆❦❆❦⁠--------------------------

Zayne and Caleb have a complicated relationship. It wasn't hard to realize if anyone was to spend more than ten minutes in the same room as them.

You were their everything; Their first love, their most precious person and the one they'd both do anything for. They wanted nothing more than to make sure you were happy and safe regardless of where you were.

That fact soon extended into looking out for each other so you never needed to worry about either of them. Or well, that's how it started as anyway.

Caleb sometimes got into fights without your knowledge to protect you from the neighborhood troublemakers that wanted to bully you. It wasn't a big deal, really. But, during that time, he wasn't the biggest or the strongest and naturally he came out looking a bit rough.

"Again?" Zayne sighed when he found the other sitting near your house like a watch dog, looking all bruised up and disheveled. He expected this 'phase' of his to naturally pass as they grew older, but it didn't quite fully go away. Well, nothing that involved you ever simply disappeared with Caleb.

"Piss off." He huffed roughly as he wiped the blood from his split lip and crossed his arms over his chest like he was a pouty child instead of an edgy teen. Zayne was always amazed by the stark contrast of how he acted when you weren't around— The boarding on childish sulking, unmeasured words, constant grumpy or simply uninterested look on his face and his boyish, petty behavior. Part of him couldn't begin to imagine how exhausting it must be to always be putting on an act in front of someone he loves, to repress everything about who he is for the sake of being flawless.

"Let me take a look." He sat next to him as he reached into his bag for some of the emergency supplies he carried with him exactly for situations such as these. In the beginning there was a lot of "acting tough" from Caleb but by bringing up the fact you would be very upset if you were to find out the real reason as to why he was all beaten up he quickly piped down. This was basically routine now— The way Zayne would receive nasty glares because the alcohol stung, the grumbles about how this was nothing "compared to the other guys" and how the other refused to meet his eyes while he patched up the small wounds that littered his skin.

Caleb found...uncomfortable how he was always so earnest. Zayne always had that same "dumb, dead fish" look on his face and yet he was so....Genuine. More than he will ever get to be. His sharp, green eyes seemed to peel away each layer that he so carefully kept wrapped around himself to stay hidden from the world, hidden from you, laying him bare effortlessly and he didn't like that. No, he hated it.

After all, to Caleb, love is about being everything you want and more. It's about twisting himself into knots for your comfort. It's about living and dying for you without hesitation because nothing else, not even himself, matters if you're by his side. He will be who you need him to be and if that means throwing away who he truly is then he will do it gladly.

Still, sometimes, only sometimes, his mind would beg for a break. Only a small moment of respite where he didn't have to overthink about each of the expressions he made or triple check his actions.

Zayne never needed to find out that when he was by his side it was as if he could really breathe. It was just...easy. He didn't expect anything from him nor did Caleb want to impress the other in any way. Sure, he wanted to prove he was better than that "four eyes" was for you, but he never felt the desperate need to keep that facade he kept with you when it was just them. Nothing between them felt rehearsed or forced, not even when they lent each other a hand. How can someone Caleb dislikes so much bring him such peace remains to this day a mystery to him.