#I have spent so much time crunching numbers today | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

zaldritzosrose · 3 months ago

Text

Like Real People Do (Jacaerys x Noble!Reader)

We are back with a milestone request from my darling @legitalicat, and I also gifting this to her as a birthday treat! See the request ask here!

Song - Like Real People Do by Hozier

Summary: You were like a beacon of comfort and normality for Jacaerys. His title didn't seem to weigh as heavy when he was with you. You made him feel 'normal', whatever that word meant. You made him feel like he was not a prince, not heir to the throne, but a real person.

TW: She/Her pronouns, afab reader, noble reader, no specific descriptions of reader, all fluff, this is sickeningly sweet and we may need a dentist after, Jacaerys being a gentleman.

Words: 3121

I had a thought, dear, however scary, about that night, the bugs and the dirt…

You hadn’t noticed it immediately. But Jacaerys had begun to spend a lot of time simply watching you. Even doing the most mundane of things.

The daughter of a noble house sworn to his mother, you now spent a lot of time on Dragonstone. Following your father as he swore his sword to Rhaenyra’s cause. You would accompany your father whenever he would venture to the island.

At first, you had stuck to his side as much as possible. Rhaenyra being made heir had prompted your father to begin to school you in more of a political light as the eldest daughter, so travelling to Dragonstone to watch your new Queen had become a source of fascination for you.

And the more time you spent on Dragonstone, the more time you began to spend in the prince’s company. Jacaerys was usually at his mother’s side, so for the most part the encounters were more formal.

But soon your father’s visits became more frequent which meant you made more effort to find more comfort and familiarity with the island.

Spending time on the beaches over in the castle. Simply walking and taking in the scenery around you.

This is what Jacaerys noticed first. And it fascinated him to no end.

Why were you digging? What did you bury, before those hands pulled me from the earth?

As the war for the throne began to pick up traction, your father was occupied more and more. And he encouraged you to spend just a little more time exploring the island.

Today was one of those trips, wandering through the rocky hills as the sea air whipped at your hair.

But you weren’t alone this time. Too lost in the fresh, salty air, you didn’t notice the figure following a few paces behind you.

You descended to the beach, taking your shawl and setting it down to protect your gown from the sand. You absentmindedly drew patterns in the sand, letting the sound of the wind and waves wash over you.

But as the weather calmed, you heard another set of feet crunching in the sand. You moved to stand, immediately on edge.

Before you could say a word, Jacaerys spoke.

“Apologies, my lady, if I startled you?” he said gently, and you could see the genuine concern in his eyes.

You took a breath, brushing down your skirt before smiling.

“Oh, not to worry, my prince,” you tried smooth down your hair as you spoke, immediately regretting not braiding it for your walk.

The two of you stood in silence for a moment. This was the first time you had been truly alone with Jacaerys. Every other encounter had been somewhere within the walls of the castle, surrounded by any number of other people.

“I, uh, I apologise for my appearance, I was not expecting to be accompanied…” you mumbled, simply wanting to fill the silence somehow.

Jacaerys only chuckled. Maybe he should have made his presence known sooner? But he had found the way you took in your surroundings so interesting to simply observe. How relaxed you seemed, as if you’d shed the mask of your noble title. Something he wished he could do himself.

“Nothing to apologise for, I am the one that disturbed your solitude.”

You were surprised by how relaxed you felt, now that the initial surprise had dissipated. Maybe it was being out of the castle, out in the fresh air with no expectations for how you acted.

“You are welcome to join me, my prince?” you asked, silently hoping he would agree.

The prince smiled, there were no duties calling him back to the castle, though he likely should have been doing something. Maybe a bit of respite from the castle walls was what he needed?

“I would love that, my lady.”

You leaned down, spreading your shawl out as wide as you could so there was space enough for both of you. You settled yourself back down, returning your gaze to the sea before you. Jacaerys removed his cloak, doing as you had with your shawl. A little sand wasn’t going to do any harm.

As he sat, he took the chance to look at you, as he did whenever you entered a room. He took in just how lovely the sun was as it shone through your hair, how it began to illuminate your profile like a halo.

But what he enjoyed most, was how normal it felt to just sit beside you. He didn’t feel like a prince in this very moment, and it was thanks to you.

Of course, it helped that he truly did find you beautiful.

I will not ask you where you came from, I will not ask and neither should you…

How many hours passed, neither of you knew. But the weather soon took a turn, the sea air growing cold and the wind now more than a tolerable breeze.

Jacaerys noticed the way you tried to hide your shivers and took it upon himself to suggest you both return indoors.

“Shall we return? Dragonstone’s beaches can get quite cold in the evenings.” Jacaerys said softly, standing up and holding a hand for you to take.

And you took it gladly, letting him pull you to standing. Before you could even bend down to grab your own shawl, Jacaerys lifted his cloak to drape over your shoulders.

You kept your head down, trying desperately to hide the blush you knew had begun to bloom on your cheeks.

“Thank you, my prince. We should be quick then, so you do not freeze?” you teased, pulling his heavy cloak a little higher up on your shoulders.

Jacaerys nodded, grabbing your shawl from the ground and holding out his arm for you to take, his own cheeks growing pink as you took it.

“Please, would you call me Jacaerys?”

He didn’t miss the surprise on your face. You may have spent a lot of time in his presence, but using his name still felt extremely intimate. But the almost pleading look in his eyes was hard to ignore.

“I can try, I think. Though it will take some getting used to, so forgive me if I forget to,” you answered, hoping that was enough for now.

It earned you a soft smile, his appreciation clear.

He knew your upbringing would have been as ingrained in your psyche as his own. Calling a royal by their name would likely seem incomprehensible. Just as if he were to use your name, it would have felt quiet unusual.

But names were personal, intimate. Names had no status, no titles. And you made him forget his title with just your presence.

You both began to walk, your arm safely nestled through the crook of his elbow. You were halfway back to the castle when a thought crossed your mind.

“And mayhaps you should call me by my name then? Instead of my lady?” you asked, feeling a little disappointed as you saw the castle come into view in the distance.

Jacaerys smiled. He had heard your name whenever you were announced, a name as beautiful as the woman who owned it. It was only fair for him to use yours if he’d asked you to use his.

“That sounds fair. It can be something we allow for moments much like we shared today?”

He let his question linger. Silently asking for there to be more days like today, without having to embarrass himself asking.

“Our little secret…Jacaerys.”

Jacaerys felt his chest tighten at the sound of his name on your lips. The way you said it so gently as though you were still unsure about using it.

The rest of the walk to the castle continued in silence, but Jacaerys couldn’t take his eyes off you for most of it. There was something about you that kept drawing him in, something that made him desperate to keep you at his side.

You gave him a sense of normality, yes. But there was something else. Something that made his heart beat a little faster whenever you entered a room.

Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips, we should just kiss like real people do…

In the days that followed, Jacaerys’ mind kept returning to you. To sitting beside you on the beach, to the sound of his name on your lips, to the feel of your hand on his arm.

He tried to ignore the fluttered feeling in his stomach whenever he thought of you, but it was more than a challenge. His cloak still held the faintest scent of your perfume, which he had begun accustomed to being able to smell whenever he wore it.

You had returned home with your father the night before, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before you were back. The trips your father made were frequent, which he was now eternally grateful for.

He had stood at the castle walls as your ship left, still remembering the kiss to his cheek that you had snuck in when your respective parents were otherwise engaged.

A kiss that was still in his mind now as he tried to read the pile of parchments in front of him. Not a single word he read seemed to hold in his mind.

Every thought he had would somehow return to you.

I knew that look, dear, eyes always seeking, was there in someone that dug long ago…

You waited in anticipation for your father to tell you when his next trip to Dragonstone would be. There was no use in hiding it, you wanted to see Jacaerys again.

There was a sense of safety with him, you weren’t afraid to relax around. As he was with you. Whether it was only friendship, or something soon to be more, you didn’t know. But the mere thought of him gave you butterflies every time.

Each time you would see your father handed a letter, you hoped it would be a summons to Dragonstone again. But a couple of weeks went by and there was nothing.

You would go to sleep each night, silently wishing that the next morning would bring a letter.

Until one morning, your wishes were answered. Your father came down to breakfast, parchment in hand and looked immediately to you.

“Ready for another journey to our Queen, sweet daughter?” he asked, already chuckling at the fervent nod you gave him.

What you did not know, was that your father was more than aware of your affection for the prince, and he was more than supportive of it. To be in the prince’s good graces, was to be in the Queen’s and your father had long cemented himself as a pillar of loyalty for Rhaenyra.

The journey was planned for that evening, so you had no hesitation in hurriedly finishing your breakfast and leaving to pack your things. All your father’s journeys to Dragonstone were a week or two at best, so preparation was key.

So I will not ask you why you were creeping, in some sad way, I already know…

The ship arrived late into the night, the servants helping you, your father and the other members of your household collect your belongings and move them inside.

The castle was quiet, late enough that you were sure most of the royal family was already asleep. The sailings were not all that long, but there was little about them that you enjoyed. Yet, despite how tired you felt, you rarely found rest after one of those journeys.

You were all shown to your rooms, but you made no move to settle down. Even when exhaustion began to settle in your bones, you were a restless soul.

And Dragonstone at night? Well, that was something you had yet to experience to its fullest advantage.

The large castle seemed even grander in the darkness. The only light were the sconces on the walls and the chamberstick in your hand. You wandered the halls, paying mind to the rooms you knew were off limits no matter the time of day.

Your aimless wandering brought you to the library. Aside from the beach, it was one of your favourite places to visit. The tall bookcases that seemed to go on endlessly, the smell of old books. There was something so comforting about it all, despite it being far grander than the library in your own home.

But just like the beach all those weeks ago, you were not alone.

You couldn’t see him, tucked into a corner and hidden by the crammed bookcases. But Jacaerys had been in the library for most of the evening. The longer the war between his mother and uncle dragged on, the heavier the title of heir to the Iron Throne had begun to weigh on him.

And Jacaerys had never been more conscious of what others thought of him.

It was only when you heard the soft scrape of a chair did you realise you weren’t the only one hidden in the rows of dusty tomes.

“Is someone there?” you called, clutching your shawl around your shoulders.

When no one answered, you began to believe your mind was playing tricks on you. Until you heard some very familiar footsteps.

“It is just me,” Jacaerys responded, appearing from his corner with a soft smile.

You breathed a sigh of relief, walking closer to him.

“Jacaerys, I thought my mind was playing me for a fool, hearing things!” you laughed, setting the chamberstick down on the table beside him.

You took the chance to look him over. Maybe it was the candlelight, but he looked far more tired than usual.

“Are you well?” you asked, trying to keep your concern polite still.

Jacaerys sighed, his shoulders visibly sagging. Your presence was a comfort, a safe space where he could let his mask slip.

He sat down in a nearby chair. He was no longer a prince; he was simply a young man with the weight of seven kingdoms on his shoulders. As if by instinct, you moved closer to him.

Aside from the goodbye kiss to his cheek and the occasional soft touch of your hands, there hadn’t been much physical contact between you.

But you could immediately sense that he simply needed…something.

So I will not ask you where you came from, I would not ask and neither would you…

Your hand went to his shoulder first, standing between the chair in which he sat and the table. The touch was gentle, giving him the chance to pull away if he wished.

But Jacaerys didn’t want to. With you, he wasn’t a Targaryen prince, he wasn’t his mother’s heir.

He was just Jacaerys.

His hand raised to hold on to yours. Lacing his fingers and simply holding on to you.

How could he tell you how he was feeling? Would you think less of him? Would you think him weak?

But you were perceptive, and you could see the maelstrom of emotions behind his eyes.

“Jace…you can talk to me, you know that?” you asked softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

You only called him Jace when emotions were high. The last time had been when you had both said goodbye.

He sighed again. Why wouldn’t the words just come out?

“I…sometimes I wish I wasn’t the heir,”

Jacaerys hurried through the words, his voice barely a whisper but enough to hear.

Your face softened, though concern lingered in your gaze.

“And why is that?”

Your head tilted down to look at him as you spoke. Your hand moving from his shoulder to his cheek. The reasons weren’t something you were unaware of, but you knew he needed to talk it through.

“There are times I wish I could simply…be. To be able to live without the shadow of the throne at my back…”

His eyes closed as he leaned into your palm. With you, he felt like that could be possible. Since that day on the beach, you had respected his wish to not be seen as a prince. For his title to mean nothing whenever you were alone.

To let him be just a real person.

His eyes met yours and a soft smile tugged at his lips.

“I feel like that with you.”

Your heart stuttered in your chest, butterflies tingling in your stomach. Gentle waves of affection washing over you.

You made him feel safe. You made him feel comfortable. You made him happy.

“Jace…”

No more words left your lips as he pulled you closer. Wrapping his arms around your waist and tucking his under your chin. You hesitated for only a moment before you returned his embrace. Resting your cheek on the crown of his head.

“You make me feel real,” he whispered, his voice muffled against your neck.

You were sure he could have felt the rapid thump of your heartbeat now. But his was beating just the same.

The words hung heavy between you. The feelings between you both had been unspoken since the beach. Though it was only a few weeks, the tension had only grown more with separation.

You didn’t know what to say, but you realised you didn’t need to say anything. Your lips pressed to his curls, tightening your arms around his shoulders.

Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips. We should just kiss like real people do…

The warmth of your lips on his skin was like a wave of calm. A balm to his tortured mind. Your mere presence seemed to hold the ability to fix his problems.

One of the hands on your waist moved to hold your hand, bringing it to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to your palm.

But when his eyes met yours this time, there was only one thing he wished to do.

The kiss was gentle, tentative. But every ounce of love and affection that he held for you into it. The arm around your waist pulling you ever tighter into his hold.

And when the kiss broke, your leaned down to rest your forehead against his. Everything felt different, in the best way.

He was yours and you were his. For just a moment, Jacaerys could pretend he was just a normal person. He was happy and loved for who he was.

And you silently vowed to make it so he would feel that way forever.

I could not ask you where you came from. I could not ask and neither could you…

Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips. We could just kiss like real people do.

Jace Taglist:

@legitalicat @thenameswinter99 @sylasthegrim

@blissfulphilospher @elaratyrell @multyfangirl

(if you want to be added/deleted, let me know)

#follower milestone #milestone celebration #jacaerys velaryon #prince jacaerys #jacaerys x reader #hotd jacaerys #jacaerys velaryon x reader #hotd fanfic #house of the dragon

159 notes · View notes

mliter · 6 hours ago

Text

Zenless Zone Zero.

This is the third game to come out of post-2020 Hoyoverse.

This game spent a lot of time being teased and marketed before it's release. With me, a game to really grab my attention is character design. This company already puts out solid stuff, but it's the aesthetic that doesn't get me. Star Rail and Genshin Impact's detailed lean into fantasy, while executed well, doesn't really get me.

You're put in the shoes of two siblings, Wise and Belle, on their journey to uncover what happened in the past, and clear a loved one's name. That's so freaking cool! They're even doing illegal shit on the down-low! That's so freaking cool!

Then comes along ZZZ. It's setting allowed for more of a grindfiction (i hope i used that word right) look. I saw people describing this as Jet Set Genshin Impact, hilariously.

For one, this game's character designs are top notch. They're not quite as busy as the previous two games I mentioned. They're fun and relatively simple. Clean color schemes, big shapes, differing species and unique silhouettes can be found across the roster. (Still no black people though. At this point, I shouldn't expect it.)

Continuing on with the characters, like any gacha game, they're the stars of the show. The team puts special care into each of them.

There's a serious sense of community between a large chunk of the cast. Everybody knows somebody, somehow. Either through a shared interest, a job together, school, or childhood. Everybody's got their own thing going on, and the writers show each of them the love they deserve. Thanks to this, it is very exciting to see two characters we know well meet for the first time.

While having their own presence in the world and lore, they can also be the main character of an update, out of the blue. Either through the main story, a special episode, an event, or an agent story. What's an agent story? An agent story is a story made for that specific character. They're usually released by the update. Everything that happens within them are canon, and they flesh out the character to a satisfying degree. (most of the time.) characters grow from the point that they were before the agent story, like Anby wearing her silver squad uniform in the most recent story chapter.

So what's this one about? Surprising most people today, this is a post apocalyptic story. This takes place in a earth where 90% of humanity has been wiped out by a mysterious force that produces monsters. A majority of the game takes place in New Eridu.

The more you read into the story, the more you learn this event's effect on society, and the drastic measures that have been taken because of it. Through the lenses of two siblings, you learn that It's everywhere. In the storytelling, in the characters, and in the environment.

ZZZ's gameplay is modeled after action games. Fast paced, flashy and exciting. You can tell that the developers grew up on titles like Tekken, Street Fighter, DMC and so on There's an attack button, a special button, a dodge button, and an ultimate button. Each character has their own passive system that can be activated through any of these buttons, keeping gameplay unique. Some of them aren't even activated by these buttons, they just work in the back!

There's a lot of things the player can do to maximize unit performance. W-Engines, disks, stat watching... It's pretty well made actually. It's just that in my case, it makes my head spin. Much to both my friends & followers's dismay. Luckily i have them to help me out with the number crunching and basic common sense.

My favorite bit from it is the parry animation. Special care was put into it. A cool camera angle, satisfying sound, and an exciting visual makes for an awesome experience. There is so much love put into this game.

Now that we have that out of the way, presentation. For me, it's the best part of the game. ZZZ takes a specific kind of care in its worldbuilding, aesthetic and character design that rivals Splatoon, actually. From the marketing, to the animation, to the options menu, there’s style to be found all around. Story beats are presented with AAA artwork in the style of an animated comic book. Casual conversations have a stylish transition to another screen where every character has their own animation. Character trailers are AAA productions in the style of... well, anything. They can, and will do anything. I see it as a celebration of creativity and art. There's a lot of professionals out there working in positions that don't let them to get this radical with what they're working on. I'd imagine any creative would enjoy working on a product like this.

Speaking of art, one thing i really like is when hand-drawn art is heavily incorporated in a videogame. ZZZ does this so well. I think my favorite example of this is the mindscape cinema. This works in stages, a piece of art of the character fully clothed. As the player whales out and rolls for more versions of the unit, a greyscale version of that art will be revealed to the player, more and more. Then, a final version of the character missing some articles of clothing is revealed. With how this game goes about suggestive content, you'd expect this to be crazy, but they're actually pretty tact about it. Regardless, it's a really cool display.

Zenless Zone Zero is one of the strongest titles to ever hit the scene for me. From the art direction, to the art itself, to the presentation, to the look, to the art, to the world, to the music, to the characters... I could keep going. Whereas I'm not too good at the game, i get my fun out of it by being lost in the world, the stories told within it, and the characters this story is about.

With a dev team that seems somewhat different from what hoyoverse is given trouble for... I hope more people play this game. It's a serious gem. I'm having so much fun with this game. And i can tell these guys are having just as much fun making it. Maybe even more.

#game log #best of 2024 #best of 2025 #zenless zone zero

14 notes · View notes

paracosmenthusiast · 9 months ago

Text

The Apple Orchard

A very quick Neo x Reader AU in an apple orchard... Just some more lovely Keanu fluff <3

WC: 1.4k

Sweet, spicy cinnamon wafted up toward your face, splintered by the scent of warm, fresh apple.

With a long sigh, you kicked your legs out, stretching your arms up above your head. Your apple cider in question was sitting on the folding table in front of you, right next to a stack of cardboard boxes and a slightly sticky scale that had seen better and considerably less fruity days.

Working at the you-pick apple orchard was one of your better seasonals, and even one that you could almost claim you enjoyed. If it wasn’t for days like this—slow days when nobody even stopped by to check out the place, and you were alone with a cloudy sky and a chilly breeze.

Currently, you were resting your feet after taking a long lap around the orchard, trusting that at nearly seven pm (quitting time!) on a Sunday, you wouldn’t be particularly busy with customers. And if any customers had stopped by and noticed the back-in-five sticky note you’d placed on the scale, they hadn’t stuck around to greet you.

Which you were fine with. Just fine with.

Theeen you heard the rolling crunch of tires on asphalt, and you snapped to attention, jolting upright in your chair and leaning forward to scan the driveway. It was shielded by apple trees, by you could make out headlights through the leaves and branches.

The sun was long gone by now, as result of the ever-lengthening autumn nights, and at that moment, staring dumbly at headlights, shivering in cute but seasonally ineffective overalls, you started to get a little wary.

What was the groundskeeper’s name? Gary? Garrett? Was he working today? You reached for the lockbox, fumbling with the key in the dark to get to the little list of phone numbers you’d been left with.

A quiet clearing-of-the-throat had you looking up from your unsuccessful attempt to open the lockbox, and you were rewarded with a tall guy, about your age, looking a little perplexed. Brow slightly furrowed. “Sorry, is the orchard closed?”

He was tall, dark, and his voice was deliciously husky, like he’d just woken up. You stared at him for a moment, suddenly feeling that your overalls were more than enough to keep you warm, and then you realized he was waiting for a response.

“Oh—no! No, sorry, we’re still open! You can take a box, and, um, really it’s self explanatory, just go and pick to your heart’s content and then I’ll weigh you out at the end.” You hurried up from your seat, pulling the stack of boxes apart so you could hand one to him.

He walked forward, reaching out to take the box from you, and rewarded you with an adorably crooked smile.

You melted at that, gazing back at him and thinking you could stare into those pretty brown eyes forever.

“Are you...” He let out a short laugh and stepped forward, pushing his hair out of his eyes so he could smile at you again. “Working much longer?”

“Just until 7.” Then you would have to pack up, stash the table, the chair, the lockbox… Call the groundskeeper…

“Hey,” he said, quietly, and you snapped back to alert, feeling your cheeks brighten in response.

“Sorry. Excuse me. It’s been a long 12 hours.” You laughed, but the sound was weak.

He glanced over his shoulder, absently flipping the cardboard box over in his hands, and then looked back at you with a rakish grin that stole the wind from your lungs. “Okay, crazy idea here. But I could really use the help of an apple expert like you. I’m home for the holidays and Mom wants to bake this pie from scratch with me...”

He raised his eyebrows, trailing off expectantly, still turning the box over and over.

Absolutely. You definitely wanted to show him the best trees to pick from. He could reach for all the high-up apples you’d spent the last 12 hours staring at. What were the chances of another person coming by the booth in the last 15 minutes before closing?

You came out from around the table, forcing yourself to walk leisurely and not to run, and flipped the sign on the table to CLOSED.

“Sure,” you pointed him down the nearest lane of trees, fighting back a smile of your own. “All the best ones are down this way.”

He tucked the box under his arm, falling in step beside you, and just as you were congratulating yourself on keeping your composure in front of an incredibly attractive guy, it happened.

Your foot landed on a rotten apple and you slipped.

Just as you were cursing the groundskeeper, already preparing for the mortification of falling in front of said incredibly attractive guy, fate intervened. You felt his arm wrap around your waist and pull you sharply to the side, so your back was pressed to his chest.

You froze. He froze. Collectively, your breaths fogged in the poor lighting, a cloud of frozen particles hanging in front of your faces.

He released you, and that husky voice was nearly urgent. “Are you alright?”

You turned to face him, blaming the pink to your cheeks on the dropping temperatures. “I’m fine! Thank you. For catching...”

He was holding onto your hand. When did that happen? His hand was warm, his palm and fingers calloused but gentle.

“Um,” you said, rather breathlessly, because you were still so close and his touch had incited a furor of butterflies in your stomach.

“You sure you’re alright? Your fingers are freezing.” His voice dropped, so you had to lean in to hear, and then he flashed you a quick, brilliant smile, there for an instant before he was looking at you very seriously.

“I don’t know.” You feigned intense worry. “It could be a precursor to frostbite, don’t you think?”

That smile came back, and he dropped the cardboard box, taking both of your hands in his and pulling you forward, even closer, so you were nearly touching, so he could bring your hands close to his face. For an instant, you were certain he would kiss your knuckles, but instead he breathed out, slowly, blowing warm air over your frozen digits.

You shivered, but this time it wasn’t the cold.

“You think… Maybe we should get out of here? Warm up someplace.” He released your hands, and moved instead to grasp your shoulders, one hand sliding down your ribs and hovering at your hip.

“What about the apples?” Your voice came out a whisper, a breath that froze in the air and dissipated just as quickly. With your hand pressed to his chest you could feel his heart beating, hard. He licked his lips, glanced away, and by the time he met your eyes again, you had all the answer you needed.

He gripped your chin, gently, brushing his thumb along the length of your jaw. Eyes fixed on your lips.

You were studying him, too, mesmerized by the pale of his skin and dark of his eyes and hair, by the little scar running through his eyebrow. He leaned in, and you tipped your head back, sliding your hand up from his chest to the back of his neck.

His lips brushed your cheek, the corner of your mouth, and you kissed him before he could pull away.

It was wonderful—his fingers digging into your hips as he pulled you sharply to his chest, the smell of his cologne, something spicy and subdued but still tingling in your nose as you breathed. Felt him, grinning as he kissed you, as his teeth grazed your lip.

It was wonderful, and then it was over. Just as quickly as it happened, he pulled back, keeping your chest pressed to his but looking you over very carefully.

You were overwhelmed, almost, by the look on his face, his eyes fixed on something about your throat. Your heart pounded in your chest, adrenaline making your hands shake.

Slowly, he raised a hand, abandoning his grip on your hip. Instead, he looped a finger through the dainty chain around your neck, pulling it out from underneath your shirt.

He studied it, the white gold charm depicting a rabbit, for only an instant before his eyes flicked back up to meet yours.

That rakish grin spreading quick over his face.

“What?” You were breathless. Chest heaving.

He leaned back in, letting your necklace fall back to its place against your throat. “Nothing. Just think I may have been looking for you.”

You pushed your fingers into his hair and guided his lips back to yours.

thanks!

#keanu reeves #keanu reeves x reader #neo x reader #the matrix #the matrix au #fluff #paracosmenthusiast

39 notes · View notes

raptorix · 11 months ago

Text

A non-spoiler/low-spoiler writeup of my experience attending Critical Role Live Show at The Greek

The Non-Spoiler part:

My research and planning paid off! Pre-paid for my shuttle tickets and knew where to go and what to bring. I thought I'd need something to keep me busy during number crunching in the fights and brought my Switch, but found I didn't need it. ((I ended up waiting on the slow wifi to load Tumblr instead.))

Got there, bathroom break first, got in line for food, and I only had time to line up for either food or merch, so food first. Spent a half an hour in line, ate hastily on a picnic bench nearby, refilled my water bottle at the drinking fountain near the bathroom, then hiked up to my seat in the nosebleeds with my leftover fries in hand.

Shoutout to all the cosplayers!! I was having fun noticing them all while waiting for food & heading up to my seat. My row had a pretty good Keyleth cosplayer! While in line for food there was a trio cosplaying LoVM Scanlan, Pike, and Scanlan's Hand spell XD.

My row was full, and it's like airplane seating, so its not very comfortable if you're a wide person with minor claustrophobia issues. But my interest in the show and everyone trying to respectfully keep their space made it bearable. I also brought ear plugs because I value my hearing health and didn't want to injure myself, and the guy immediately to my right Could Cheer With Volume, and noticed me putting ear plugs in after his first very loud cheer. After intermission I went up a few rows to a fully empty row to be more comfortable by myself.

I also beelined to a merch booth with the shortest line during intermission and got a Live Show shirt & poster (that I gotta hang up today!)

I also anticipated the rush to leave, so I went to the bathroom in the last 15 minutes of the show, and missed what was said in the final cliffhanger. Thankfully I'll be able to catch that again on Thursday. :D Also because I was standing in the aisles for the wrap-up I was able to leave pretty quickly to get back on a shuttle to get home. Drive home was significantly faster & easier than the drive up. ((LA traffic even being terrible during a Saturday Afternoon!!!))

And now the low-spoilers/vague spoilers

Everyone's outfits were great!! The MC at the London Live Show gave a tight 5 intro with humor I didn't care for. Thankfully Brenan did a great job as a MC for this show! Concise, fun, and great energy! He joked about the socks selling faster than hot cakes and he was right--by intermission I didn't see any socks at any of the merch booths. I joked that Brenan would fill in as Tevin so Matt didn't have to juggle TWO friendly NPCs (along with the antagonist NPCs).

I assume they all discuss plans/intentions of the show before hand so they're not dicking around too much since the time slot *is* specific. I could tell Matt had pre-written notes for specific character monologues. Unless he does this for a lot more and I don't notice since I usually engage with the show as a podcast.

What I *did* predict is that Sam would return for the Live Show. With a new character!!! This guy will be interesting to get to know!! In Campaign 1, his character held a grudge against goblins for a specific backstory reason, then went and played one in Campaign 2. In Campaign 2, Nott/Veth flirted with an Aeormaton and a Minotaur, and now he's playing one of each in Campaign 3. :3

Being in a physical crowd instead of a chat room is more fun, because you can *hear* audience participation. Heard a guy assume Sam's new character was a cleric when he opened with using Divine Sense, and I whispered "That's a Paladin ability!"

Any more commentary will be a bit more spoilery, which I'm gonna restrain until we all get to see on Thursday.

#critical role #Critical Role Live Show Spoilers #Bell's Hells Live Show #Critical Role Live Show

13 notes · View notes

isleofair · 1 year ago

Text

Tiger & Bunny Week Day 5

Fan Theories and/or Predictions

I've been wanting to make this meta post for a long while, but since there was no way to reach any truly solid conclusions, I always ended up setting it aside.

But since today's prompt is fan theories... I figure I might as well give this the best go I can!

Today on "Aria fixates on scraps of collateral canon in an attempt to better figure out the Tiger & Bunny timeline, since the authors just will not give us the info straight up, dammit": when did each of the characters debut as a hero?

(under a cut for length and screenshots of actual excel spreadsheets lol)

So, we know the answer to that question for sure for about half of the heroes: Wild Tiger debuted in NC1967, Barnaby in NC1977, and the three new kids in NC1980 (at least in Stern Bild; Subaru worked for a little while as a hero in Panjourney before joining Hero TV).

(Yeah, the hero card of himself Kotetsu picks up in the pilot is technically for the '76-'77 season of Hero TV, so maybe it saying he's got 10 years of experience means his debut was actually in NC1966... but nothing says the cards don't get updated as the season goes on, and this isn't too relevant to my number crunching, anyway.)

As for the rest of them, we can make at least an attempt at (vaguely) guessing by analyzing the experience data on the Hero Cards, which you can see for Season 1 and The Rising here on the amazing Merch Wiki (shoutout to @tnbscans 😘), and for Season 2 here in an older post of mine, or here on Twitter (both courtesy of @Kazuko_01 over there).

This is a chart of the experience values in all the available hero cards:

The reason Barnaby's values are in yellow is that they really, REALLY tried to throw off all of my math 😅

See, the experience values seem to only take into account how many seasons of Hero TV (or an equivalent of it) you've appeared in, however briefly. (At some point I thought maybe becoming the King of Heroes would grant you bonus exp, but Karina doesn't seem to get a boost from the '79-'80 season, when the CD dramas tell us she tied with Keith and became the Queen of Heroes.)

Barnaby took essentially all of NC1979 off, spent a quarter of NC1980 in the Second League, and his score during the Rising is still an absurd 3/5. The only possible way that can even remotely work is that the time off is discounted entirely AND that the exp values aren't strictly proportional to your years of experience, but more along the lines of a curve (stretched every time to accomodate the longest career, Kotetsu's) where having been a hero for at least a season before, as opposed to being a rookie, gives you an additional point on the scale, and each subsequent point requires more years of extra experience.

(This would make a certain amount of sense: there's a lot of difference between being a total rookie and someone who's been on another season, or two, but not that much difference between having worked 9 or 10 seasons before.)

The crucial facts to make this work, and the reasons I had to discard a lot of other possible ways map the years to the exp values, are:

The cards, in spite of having 5 possible scores in S1 and The Rising and 6 possible scores in S2, really only ever have a baseline plus four extra values above it, since the 1/6 or 0.5/3 score in the S2 cards is unused (hence me counting the scores as "out of 3"). I initially thought maybe it was because all the S2 kids had some prior experience, since Subaru used to be a hero before coming to Stern Bild, but the manga tells us Thomas for sure did not, so it's not that (RIP Subaru for them ignoring your days as Hello Goodbye);

Bunny skips ahead two notches between his debut in the 1977-78 season and the 1979-80 season in The Rising;

Antonio goes from having max 5/5 experience along with Kotetsu in S1 to having a score of 2.5/3 (or 5/6), along with Nathan, Keith, and Ryan, in S2. This means he definitely debuted after Kotetsu, but before Nathan and Keith (and almost certainly Ryan).

With all of that in mind, this is the best possible thing I could personally come up with:

I marked down the two most likely ways to map the years to the exp values for each set of cards that still somehow work at the bottom (with blue being min experience if you debuted that year, and red being max). The fully grayed-out years are downright impossibilities (again, not counting Subaru's time as Hello Goodbye, since the cards don't); the softer gray is "very unlikely", the mid blue is "possible", and the deeper blue is "most likely" (thin border) or "sure" (thick border).

I didn't really try to come up with an arrangement that would let any of Ivan, Karina or Pao-Lin debut any earlier than NC1976, because a) both Ivan and Karina have conversations with their bosses in the pilot episode that really make it seem like the just-concluded season was their first, and b) as it is Pao-Lin already became a hero at TWELVE YEARS OLD and that's enough of a headache for me, thank you very much.

The riveting conclusions, assuming this makes any sort of sense at all (and that I didn't put way more thought into this than the people who made the cards did):

Antonio almost certainly debuted in NC1969 or NC 1970, two or three years after Kotetsu;

Ryan (whose experience outside of Stern Bild seems to be fully counted, sorry again, Subaru) doesn't appear in the S1 cards, so it's a little harder to narrow his debut down, but since he's apparently younger than Barnaby, which would make him a teenager for most (if not all) of his possible range of debut years, I'd very personally tend to put him more around NC1973 than anywhere else;

Nathan and Keith most likely debuted in either NC1971 or NC1972... but I would strongly argue that the only really viable year out of these two is NC1972. That is the year Tomoe died, and Nathan and Keith, before episode 1x09, had no idea at all that Kotetsu was ever even married, let alone a widower with a daughter. I simply cannot imagine Nathan, especially, witnessing a colleague she sees pretty much every day go through the loss of his wife, and not prying enough, either with Kotetsu himself or with Antonio (who is not terribly good at keeping Kotetsu's secrets, see ep 1x09 again), to eventually find out what was going on. If Tomoe died before October, when the 1972 season of hero TV started, Nathan and Keith, debuting that year, would have met Kotetsu only after the fact, which seems a lot more plausible.

(Yes, that last thing does support my cute headcanon of FireSky being almost polar-opposite rookies together, but to be fair, the headcanon itself came directly from this math, and not the other way around.)

If you read all of this, we are true siblings in T&B nerdery and ILU forever. Especially if you have any ideas on how to make the data make more sense, lol. 💚

#tiger & bunny #meta #tnbw

19 notes · View notes

countrymusiclover · 2 months ago

Text

42 - Prayer to the Gods

Part 43

The Last Velaryon

Tags- Tag list @rise-my-angel @cdragons @kmc1989 @starkleila @1not-today-satan1 @rheanyraaaa

Robb’s camp - Chezney

Clasping my cloak around my neck I eyed Tyrion who was reading over the war map that was laid out before him on our bed. Crossing the room to stand before him I dropped my arms down at my sides seeing the bags underneath his eyes meaning he had to be exhausted. “Tyrion, is there anything I can do to help you with this battle plan our King wishes to achieve?”

“Unfortunately I don't think so, dear. I must admit our odds don't appear to be good unless our King gets some more allies to his cause. Now that we don't have the support of House Frey we don't have the same numbers we would need to face my father, let alone rescue Haelesa like he desires to do so.”

I questioned him eyeing the war map he was looking over before I came and found him. “Which houses are still loyal to us?”

“The Northern Houses that left Winterfell with the young wolf, House Tully because of his mother, House Baratheon and some of the Southern houses loyal to Renly and that’s it from my knowledge.”

Biting my lip I thought for a moment about being back in Renly's war camp until one mane came to my mind. “What about House Tyrell?”

“The house with a golden rose. I uh - I don’t follow what you mean.” Tyrion scratched his head in confusion.

“Margaery Tyrell. She married Renly so wouldn’t that mean that we have the support of House Tyrell on our side now as well.”

The dwarf ran a hand over his slightly stubbled chin pondering on the claim I had just made to him. He definitely knew the houses better than I did. “I don’t believe that Lord Tyrell is the one who is truly running that particular house. From what I heard around the Red Keep, Lady Olenna is the one who is running the castle.”

“How stubborn do you believe she is, Tyrion?” Brushing hair out of my face I noticed an empty chair sitting down across from after asking the question.

“Rumors in the Keep are hard to know if they’re true or not. This decision would be up to our King ultimately in the end.”

Footsteps could be heard crunching underneath heavy war boots making my lover and I both turned our heads watching the young wolf that is our King entered the tent seeing us examining the war map. “What have you two found to aid in our new mission? Anything that is useful to me?”

“It was your idea, Chezney. You should tell him.” Tyrion gestures his head in my direction.

Tucking some of my hair behind my ear I cleared my throat focusing my gaze on the man standing before us. “My plan was we - you should reach out to Lady Olenna. She is related to Maragery and so she could get you the full support of House Tyrell that we don’t have. We’d get more men than we need before we rescue my best friend. What do you think, your grace?”

“Chezney, I told Haelesa and I’ll tell you now. You don’t have to call me your grace when it’s just the three of us.” Robb points out to me with a simple head nod.

I apologized under my breath. “Sorry. So what do you think?”

“I think that's possible. But I'd need both of you to accompany me to this meeting.” Robb gestures his hand to the dwarf and then over to me. “Tyrion, you know how this woman may think when it comes to this game and Chezney, you spent time with Maragery when you were at Renly's camp. She may care a great deal for her that's valuable.”

Tyrion rose from his chair addressing him with a bow. “It will be done, my King.”

“You two have a good night. We'll start the journey tomorrow.” Robb ducked underneath the tent flap leaving us alone, yet not before I saw the expression on his face.

“Did you see his face?”

Tyrion glanced at me. “What, no.”

“He looks like a lost puppy. He's got to miss her really bad.” Dropping my gaze to the dirt ground I probably missed her just as much as he did.

He reaches up looping my hand through his own, sending me a weak smile. “I don't believe in faith but I'll say this. If I know our King and our friend, there's nothing that can keep them apart from one another.”

Across the camp Robb entered his tent and prodded down on the bed putting his face in his hands lightly crying for a minute. He lifted his head up seeing a piece of paper stuck up on the wooden table. He crossed the room taking it down to see it was the gift he had given Haelesa before she left Winterfell. The object in his hand was a messy drawing of the Stark direwolf and the Velaryon seahorse sidgal’s underneath a heart that he had drawn. “We never should have left Winterfell, Hael.”

Winterfell -

Robb knew of what was to occur on this particular morning at the Northern castle. Haelesa Velaryon would leave with the Royal family that had spent a few nights underneath the Stark’s roof. Meaning that he only had a short window of time to speak with her one last time, before she was gone from him forever or so he thought so long ago.

Robb quickly ran through the hallways of the castle until he saw the woman with light almost white hair standing up outside by her horse that had just been saddled for her by one of the stable hands. “Lady Velaryon! Lady - Haelesa!” He called out her name running where he stood before her out of breath.

“Robb - uh are you alright. You look like you might have a heart attack.”

She gently touched his shoulder spinning around on her feet when she heard someone coming at her full force. “I needed - needed to see you and say goodbye before you left.”

“Awe, that's so kind of you.” She dropped her hand to her side, she found great comfort in that considering she felt more at home with him than the royal family who she had arrived there with from King's Landing.

The young wolf had finally caught his breath and remembered what he had brought to give her. “I have something for you. It's not much but I hope it reminds you that you'll always have a friend in the North.” He unfolds the piece of paper from his pocket, handing it over to her.

The messy drawing of the Stark direwolf and the Velaryon seahorse sidgal’s underneath a heart brought happy tears to the young woman's eyes. “Robb, did you draw - it's beautiful. Thank you so much for this.” She folded the paper and nicely slid it inside the pocket of her saddle bag on her horse.

She stepped forward until she could properly wrap her arms around the young man before her. “I didn't wish you to go without me giving you that gift first. I - we don't know if we'll ever see one another again.” Robb welcomed her in gently and firmly, holding her against his chest. He secretly didn’t want her to go.

“Maybe the God's will see that we find our way back to one another somehow.” Haelesa muttered into his shoulder, gently clutching the fabric of his fur cloak in her tiny hands.

Robb gently pulled back staring at her face trying to memorize every detail of what she looked like if this was going to be the last time he saw her. “We can only hope the Gods are kind to us and somehow reunite us together again.”

“I'll miss you, Robb.” She whispered seeing everyone else was getting on their horses. Robb being the gentleman he was helped her up onto her horse, holding her hand for longer than was traditionally necessary.

Finally he dropped his hand getting one last look before she began her journey underneath the gates to leave Winterfell. Robb looked up at the sky and prayed to the old and new Gods, not too sure they'd answer his request. “Goodbye Hael - Gods if I am to marry any woman in this life let it be her and only her.”

5 notes · View notes

dk-wren · 1 year ago

Text

Buddy Daddies Week - Headcanons

Welcome to Day 3 of my Buddy Daddies 1 Year Anniversary Celebration Week!

Today, I present to you...more headcanons!

12 more to be exact, corresponding with the number of episodes (plus a bonus 13th one that is kinda a hc to honor the recap ep). Hope you enjoy them! Feel free to add on to any or add some more of your own!

One day, while Miri is at daycare, Rei and Kazuki are relaxing with each other on their couch. Rei is scrolling on his phone while Kazuki is playing some word game. Eventually, Rei calls Kazuki's name and shows him a picture on his phone, asking Kazuki if he can find this the next time he is at the market. It's a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Rei is absolutely enchanted by the idea of little cereal that is supposed to taste like French Toast. Kazuki is pretty sure he won't be able to find it at their usual market, but he promises to look since he's sure Miri would also love it. After much research and online scouring, Kazuki finally finds a box and has it shipped to their place. Several weeks have passed and due to Rei not bringing it up again, Kazuki thinks he might have forgotten about his request, and the intensity in which he asked Kazuki about finding this cereal. So, Kazuki decides to surprise Rei and Miri by telling them that they can have cereal for breakfast, but instead of their usual bowls of Choco Rings, Kazuki places three bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Miri absolutely loves it, asking for a second bowl, Kazuki doesn't think it's that bad, but it's way too sugary and his homemade french toast is definitely better, and Rei is in heaven.

Kazuki definitely has pictures in his wallet of Miri and Rei, and if anyone asks about his family, you bet he's pulling out this little album and proudly showing whoever. It started out on a whim when he had some pictures printed and was given a complimentary "wallet size" print. Not thinking too much about it, Kazuki stuck it into his own wallet. After a few weeks, he realized he liked seeing these pictures of the fun times the three of them spent together and slowly began to add more photos to his wallet, as well as updating them by taking older ones out and replacing them with newer adventures.

In the third audio drama, Rei pulls out a gun a handful of times throughout their apartment. Logically, Rei is probably keeping the gun on him for self-defense or to be ready if anyone tried to attack him, Kazuki, or Miri. But, for the sake of comedy (or the gag), I headcanon Rei has several guns or other weapons hidden around the house, way out of Miri’s reach, and unknown to Kazuki, for quick access in any room should an attack occur. So each time Rei pulls one out in this story, it’s a different one, which Kazuki eventually catches on to and always causes him to have a slight moment of confusion or perhaps questioning over how long it’s been hidden, how’d he keep it hidden even from him, and how many more are hidden.

For his birthday, Kazuki decides he wants to have a picnic on the beach with Rei and Miri. Since it's his birthday, Rei tells Kazuki that he will take care of their lunches. Kazuki is a little hesitant, but if it means spending the morning with Miri coloring, being beaten at Morio Kart, or whatever activity she decides on, he agrees. Kazuki even decides to leave Rei alone in the kitchen and not watch over him, thinking that if Rei needs any help, he'll come ask Kazuki. When the time comes to eat their lunches, Kazuki opens his bento, and somewhat to his surprise, it's pretty good. He notices that a lot of the items Rei put in are what he normally puts in the bentos he makes for Miri on special school occasions (or on previous family outings). And while it may not be the prettiest looking, Kazuki knows it was made with so much love, making everything taste incredible. After they finish their meal and are relaxing by the ocean, Kazuki asks Rei how he figured out everything since most of the time, Rei is elsewhere while Kazuki is making the bentos. Rei shrugs his shoulders and tells him he decided on what to include based on what Kazuki likes, what he remembers Kazuki put in previous bentos, and from past conversations with Miri about the special lunch Kazuki had made for her that day. This makes Kazuki's heart melt knowing how much consideration went into making it.

During the end credits, there is an image of Miri in a kimono looking at three fish (which, side hc, I've always thought she or her papas would have won at a festival). These fish come home with them and are technically Miri, Rei, and Kazuki's first family pets. Kazuki can't do much to prevent the fish from coming home because they won them, but he still argues he doesn't want a pet. Kazuki then tells Rei and Miri that it is their responsibility to look after them, such as by making sure their bowl stays clean and that they are well fed. Kazuki knows he'll have to help out here or there, but considering fish don't do much (or could cause that much havoc), he's okay with having fishes for a pet. Despite Rei and Miri working hard to take care of the fish, and proving they can both responsibly look after another living being, the fish eventually pass away, which causes Miri to become sad since she enjoyed taking care of them and watching them swim around their tank. Seeing how down Miri is after their fishes pass, and knowing how much they would both love it, Kazuki finally gives in and allows them to get a cat for their next family pet.

Karin was originally the over-protective little sister. When Yuzuko first brought Kazuki to meet Karin, she totally interrogated him about his motives, his likes/dislikes, how he would treat her big sister, and was the one to give Kazuki the "talk" about dating Yuzuko. She eventually realized Kazuki had nothing but good intentions and how in love Yuzuko and Kazuki were with each other, causing Karin to ease off on her questioning. She would continue to do so in a teasing manner, which Kazuki eventually picked up on and would play along with his answers. It is this understanding of their love for each other and how good of a man Kazuki was to Yuzuko that leads Karin to seek Kazuki out, not out of anger, but to check in on him and remind him that he can be happy and change without forgetting her big sister.

In the flashback shown in ep. 7 of Yuzuko's death, Kazuki is seen wearing a black (or possibly navy, sorry couldn't exactly tell) jacket that at least stylewise bears a strong resemblance to his signature green jacket. What if that black jacket is what Kazuki regularly wore on missions, similar to how Rei always wears a suit? And what if on one of their earlier missions together, something goes terribly wrong, leaving Kazuki injured and that jacket in shreds? Kazuki is left to rest in bed for a short period of time, with Rei feeling guilty that the mission went so wrong because of him. Wanting to apologize and perhaps express some of his gratitude for all that Kazuki has begun to do around the apartment, Rei tries to find Kazuki a replacement jacket. He can't find the exact one, and instead orders the green one he is constantly seen wearing in the show. When Kazuki finally makes it out of his room, he opens his bedroom door to a package waiting just in front, with a note saying something short and sweet like "I'm sorry" or "Thank you." And perhaps it is this gesture from Rei, which Kazuki was not at all expecting, that causes them to start getting to know each other better and spend more time together.

Because this post would've become too long according to Tumblr's guidelines, click here to go to Part 2!

#buddy daddies #buddy daddies anime #buddy daddies headcanon #dk wren's bd celebration week #buddy daddies anniversary #kazuki kurusu #rei suwa #miri unasaka

16 notes · View notes

nickgerlich · 2 months ago

Text

Care To Dance?

I often like to use the Sunday edition of The Daily Blog to wander off into the weeds, to discuss things of importance, but maybe not so much within the context of the topical areas of my courses. And you know why? Sometimes I too need a break from the daily hammering of all things Marketing.

It’s not just good for the brain, but also the soul. That’s what I keep telling myself.

So without further ado, I start today’s blog with a confession: I was born an introvert. Perhaps it was heritable, because both of my parents were shy, and quite frankly I’m not sure how they met each other than perhaps by both being wallflowers at a social event, and stumbling into one another. But they met, and they wasted no time in creating me.

I spent much of my first 20-some years much like them, very shy, quiet, and introspective. There’s nothing wrong with those traits. It’s just that in business, being too shy and quiet can be costly, unless you are the accountant a company hires to work in a closet crunching numbers. That’s all fine, and to be honest, my Dad was an accountant, so there ya go.

In Marketing, though, you also need to demonstrate some extroversion. More so, as a Prof, I really have to go all out to be the sage on stage, especially in the classroom, but then again, in other ways online. Like now.

And so when I found myself teaching my first class at Indiana U, I quickly learned that I had to take the bull by the horns and learn how to be outgoing when I needed to be, while also embracing my natural tendencies to shrink away from everyone and everything.

Which brings me to my point: It is good to be an ambivert, a combination of introvert and extrovert. I also wish to point out that for my students who are natural extroverts, it is also good to learn how to slide into this middle ground, because it can be tiring for everyone around you struggling to get a word in edgewise. That man or woman whose voice dominates the room is not always fun and games for the unwitting audience.

This was not an easy journey. Put me in a room full of strangers, perhaps a social event or reception, and I will munch on my food and sip my beverage, delicately balancing both but also in a rather obvious hurry to finish and get the hell out of an uncomfortable situation.

But my—and anyone else’s—success in overcoming shyness was simply in learning how to ask someone to dance. No, not on the dance floor, although that might be possible. Instead, it is the bold move of simply engaging with another person, regardless of their sex, age, or outward appearance.

Talk as if your life depends on it. Talk about the weather. Talk about the food, the ceremony, whatever was going on. Make new acquaintances, even if all of this outward communication is exhausting, much like it always has been.

Essentially, being an ambivert is about knowing when to pour on the extroversion, but also knowing when it is perfectly OK to just shut up and be an observer. It is a fine art, one that some believe is a much more desirable trait than one or the other.

It’s not easy, and in fact, I have discovered that as an ambivert, I can actually have a lot more influence, even power, by knowing when to demonstrate which of these two traits is needed. It’s almost like being able to bat from both sides of the plate, if you enjoy sports metaphors, being able to hit fastballs no matter whether the pitcher hurls from the right or left side.

Maybe you have taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) survey. It is the most common personality test available, and while it is not perfect at all, it does a good job of trying to pigeon hole survey takers into one of 16 personality types built around four key factors: introversion/extroversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. In the last ten years, my introversion/extroversion score has finally balanced at 50/50.

It was a lot of work, and I must give my shy parents a lot of credit for helping plant the seeds of extroversion when I was a teenager. Back then, my younger brother and I collected beer cans, like most of the boys during the 1970s. I still collect them, and have a barn full. But that’s a story for another day.

My parents took us to swap meets all over the Midwest, where my brother and I would have a table or two, selling, trading, and buying for the collection, and interacting with total strangers, from youth to much older adults. In so doing, my parents pushed me outside my comfort zone. It was a start, but not sufficient to push the needle very far. This would take time. Lots of time.

For those who are extroverted, it probably won’t be as big of a stretch to tone it down a bit, than it is for introverts to ramp up. Coming out of a shell is a lot of work. I had to learn when it is important for my words to make an impact, whether it is as a speaker in a room, or just being a social bee pollenating all the flowers.

I can’t recommend this enough. Read the article I linked in this blog. It is good. And if you are listening to this blog, then be sure to head over to Tumblr to find the link. Just do it. And like some folks who find Sunday to be the day they feed their soul with spiritual matters, this too is food for your soul, but with a very different flavor. It may not be about Consumer Behavior or Digital Marketing, but it is definitely a topic for you to sink your heart and soul into.

Dr “Go With The Flow” Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #ambivert #introvert #extrovert

0 notes

moracai · 4 months ago

Text

An older sketch

I tried my best to create something today but I’m all nerves

Last week I had orientation for my new job and tomorrow is my first official day of bossing people around haha.. the week after this I think is when I’ll really start teaching

I spent most of today crunching numbers on google sheets… recording my financial amounts, my debts, the costs of school and dental work, how much I need to allocate to these things in a month… how long it will take me… (it will take until I’m 39 years old to kill all of it off at the slowest pace)

I’ve also been messing around with notion and my old unused bullet journal to try to keep myself organized. I’m admittedly not so great at utilizing these things but even if I don’t follow through on written down plans it gives my mind a lot of relief to be able to jot it down and releasing it from my mental load

I have many big plans that I’m trying to break down into a million mini plans to get where I need to be

I’ll spend the rest of this evening watching season 6 of face off and more planning… and I’ll spend some time on the treadmill to ease off this anxious energy

I hope tomorrow goes well!

0 notes

michelleleewise · 3 years ago

Text

The Proposal

Pairing: Sugardaddy Loki x female reader

Warnings: mentions of injury, crying, hurt feelings, nightmares, lots of angst, but fluffy ending!!!

Summary: Amber's trial comes up....Loki shares his deepest secret with you......

**aaahhh!! You guys!!! This is it, the end for these two. Thank you all so so much for all the love and support for this story!! You are all absolutely amazing and I love you all!!!! I am contemplating a sequel so....we shall see. Like I mentioned.....super long but....all the happy endings!!! Thank you guys again!! Love!! 💚💚💚🥰🥰🥰

Part Twenty One-Finale-

You stood at the bottom of the steps, the large building looming over you. You took a deep breath, smoothing the front of your dress. Closing your eyes trying to focus. Three months....since you found out Amber had been arrested....three months since you began physical therapy making you only need a cane on bad days....three months since you had seen him. You had tried to move on, to forget, but he was always in the back of your mind, visiting your dreams, sometimes if felt as if he was there with you. You opened your eyes, and slowly accended the steps.

You walked the long hallways looking for the room your needed to be in, trying to keep your breathing even as your heart raced. You had tried to prepare yourself for today, but is there a way to prepare to relive your nightmare? You came to a set of large double doors, staring at the number on them "Lady y/n." You heard making you jump "T...Thor. how are you?" You asked looking up at him. "I am quite well thank you, how have you been? I haven't seen you in some time." He asked smiling "im..ok mostly. How is.." you trailed off looking down "loki?" He finished "yeah, has he..." you trailed off again looking up at him "met someone? No, he has not." He said putting his hands in his pockets "he is just there, I can get him if you like." He said grabbing the door handle "no!...no, i...let's just get this over with." You said pulling the door open walking in.

You quietly sat in the back, looking around the room not recognizing anyone when your eyes landed on him, sitting in the front next to the man you recognized as Tony Stark. You heart fluttered seeing him turn to talk to the other man, his long dark hair cascading down his back, the way his lips moved as he spoke. "Do you wish to come sit with us?" Thor asked coming up next to you. "N..no. I'm fine here." You said looking down. You saw Thor nod out of the corner of your eye as he walked up the isle, taking a seat next to Loki. You watched as he leaned over whispering something to him before those bright emeralds that have haunted your soul met with yours making your breath hitch.

He went to stand when an officer came in announcing the judges arrival, making everyone stand. You zoned out as the judge spoke, trying to block everything out when you heard your name called, looking up you saw everyone looking at you. You sighed, leaning on your cane you stood up making your way down the isle to the seat next to the judge. As the officer swore you In you looked out seeing Amber in handcuffs at the table at the left with a man, and the other three men at the table on the right, all three not taking their eyes off of you. The officer walked away when the judge spoke "Miss y/n, can you please tell us what happened during those few days you were taken?" He asked. You took a deep breath, shakely exhaling. You had spent months trying to move on, trying to forget, but now you had to recount every detail of your ordeal.

You fought back the tears as you recalled the events that led you to where you were now, the pain still present in your mind, you could still hear the crunch of bone making you shiver. You quickly wiped a tear away as you finished story, trying not to make eye contact with the man who still had your heart. "Thank you miss y/n, you may step down" you heard the judge say. You pulled yourself up, leaning heavily on your cane making your way back to your seat in the back when you knee buckled, making you lunge forward. You closed your eyes bracing for the impact but it didn't come, feeling two large arms wrapped around you you looked up, those eyes boring into you "t..thanks." You whispered righting yourself "are you ok?" Loki asked watching you "yes, I'm fine, that happens every now and then." You said looking down.

You pulled away from him, seeing his arms slowly drop to his sides "y/n, i.." he started when you put your hand up "please don't, I don't want your pity." You said through gritted teeth when the judge banged his gavel on the desk "I better go sit down." You said looking down, you slowly limped to the back taking your seat. Your mind wandered back to the last night you spent with Loki. The way he held you, cared for you, as hard as you tried to forget you would never be able to forget him. The judge's gavel banging brought you back to reality as you looked to the front of the room. You vaguely heard something about Amber being sent to a mental institution as two officers came in escorting her out as everyone surged towards Thor and Loki, shaking their hands and patting their backs.

You took the opportunity to slip out quietly before anyone noticed. "Y/n...wait!" You heard making you stop "damn." You whispered turning around seeing Loki jogging up to you "Hey, whats up?" You asked trying to sound as casual as possible. "How are you?" Loki asked fidgeting with his fingers "I'm fine, still going to therapy." You said "have you been taking care of yourself?" He asked, concern filling his eyes "yes, my "fiancé" made sure of that." You said air quoting "yeah, sorry about that, no one would talk to me otherwise." He said shifting on his feet. You nodded your head looking down, willing this to be over so you could go back to your little apartment alone, like you always did "Listen y/n, I was wondering..." he started when Thor burst through the doors "Brother, I told you justice would prevail." He boomed slapping Loki on the back. You took the opportunity to slip away, hurrying as fast as your leg would allow.

"You are nothing to him." She growled, her voice echoing through your mind "no, your wrong!" You cried back, trying to free your arms...to fight back. Hearing her maniacle laugh reverberating through you very being. You looked up, seeing that evil smile spread across her face "He doesn't want you....no one does....and no one ever will." She sneered. You saw something out of the corner of your eye, turning your head you saw Loki saunter in smiling. "Loki! Help me!" You yelled trying again to free yourself when you heard him laugh. You looked up wide eyed seeing him wrap his arms around her, pulling her to him.

"I don't know what you saw in her." You heard her sneer, wrapping her fingers around the crowbar. "Honeslty, I think I went mad..I mean look at her." He laughed. You watched stunned as he grabbed her head, latching his lips to hers holding her close. He pulled back smiling, turning to face you "I need a real woman y/n.." he growled looking back at her "take care if this darling." He purred, running a hand through her hair. She smiled, slowly walking towards you. "No one will ever want someone like you." She snarled lifting the crowbar. You squeezed your eyes shut, balling your hands into fists as she swung down onto your knee....

You woke up screaming, the nightmare still at the front of your mind, you bolted up, throwing the covers off you jumped out of bed, fumbling as you feet got caught in the sheet. You stumbled to the living room, frantically looking around when your knee buckled, sending you to the floor. You wrapped your arms around yourself, rocking back and forth you tried to breath, your lungs on fire as tears streamed down your cheeks when you felt two arms wrap around you, squeezing you "shh....it's ok love, just breath." You heard, tilting your head seeing Loki kneeling next to you. "L..loki....w..what..." you tried, feeling your chest tighten.

He moved to kneel in front of you gently grabbing your hand, laying it on his chest above his heart "look at me.." he whispered, your eyes shooting to his "in and out, focus on me." He said, taking deep breaths you felt his heart under your hand, his chest rising and falling and focused on breathing with him. You looked into his eyes feeling your heart clench inside your chest "that's it love, keep breathing for me." He whispered leaning his forehead on yours. You took a deep breath, exhaling shakely as you pulled back looking at him "w..what are you doing here?" You asked. His hands came up, cupping both sides of your face, his thumb wiping your tears away "I never left love." He whispered.

You sighed looking down, unable to hold his gaze "loki..i..I can't.." you stared "no, love please.." he pleaded, cupping your cheek "please...do not push me away." He said shakely. Looking up you saw tears forming in his eyes "just...listen to me...please, and when I'm done if you still wish it i will leave." He said shifting on his knees "i...I have never felt for anyone what I feel for you, I would rip my own heart out and give it to you if you wished it." He said, a tear steaming down his cheek "but..what about..." you started, motioning to the scars on your face "im..." you started "no, do not finish that sentence, you are beautiful my love." He said, leaning forward kissing each cheeks, then your forehead.

"I want to show you something...something I've never shown anyone else." He whispered. He grabbed your hands bowing his head. Feeling your fingers get cold you looked down, watching his skin turn a dark shade of blue, ridges rising under his skin "Loki, whats..." you started, watching the blue spread up his neck, lifting his head your eyes met two deep rubies as his skin became entirely blue, lines and ridges weaving patterns under his skin "this...this is me." He whispered, watching your face. You slowly reached your hand up, gently running your fingers along the patterns seeing him close his eyes "that..it doesn't hurt does it?" You asked stopping "no, not at all love, it actually feels quite nice." He said smiling.

"Where I come from, im..." He started looking down "a monster." He whispered gripping your hands. "But...your beautiful." You breathed, cupping his cheek. "And so are you my love. What you look like, what scars we carry, they do not define us love." He said, his hands cupping your face "your heart, your soul, that's what defines us. And you my love, have the kindest heart and the purest soul. I...I love you y/n, with everything that I am I love you, and I will never stop loving you until I take my last breath." He said, tears streaming down both your faces "and if anyone is unworthy it is I of you. I have done terrible things believing it was my birthright, my purpose.." he said wiping your tears away

He cleared his throat looking deep into your eyes "my only purpose now....is to love you, care for you, protect you. I need you y/n..I need you as I need the blood in my veins, the air in my lungs, please y/n..." he pleaded "Please...let me love you how you deserve to be loved." He said. You reached up grabbing his wrists, tilting your head you kissed his palm "i..I love you too Loki, more then I can put into words." You breathed looking into his eyes "Oh my darling." He said lunging forward he engulfed you in the tightest hug you've ever had, wrapping his arms around you as if he was afraid you would disappear. "I love you y/n, I love you.." he said, burying his face in your neck, you gripped the back of his shirt "I'll never let you go again Loki...I promise." You sobbed into his neck.

Feeling his heartbeat against yours, his shoulders shaking you reached up, lacing your fingers into his hair, cradling his head as you rocked side to side. He slowly pulled back, not letting you go "I am yours y/n, all of me...Will you be mine?" He asked, his red eyes searching yours "yes Loki, I'm yours as long as you want me." You said smiling "so forever?" He asked smiling making you laugh. "W..will you maybe...come lay down with me?" You asked quietly looking at him. "I will never leave your side again." He said. Standing up he leaned down, helping you up before looping his arm under your legs carrying you "loki...I can walk." You laughed grabbing his shoulders "nonsense, my queen will never have to walk again." He said laying you down on the bed, pulling the blanket up around you before walking to the other side.

In a flash of green he was clothed only in a pair of sleep pants, his chest bare. Your eyes trailed down, following the ridges on his skin, watching them travel past the waistband of his pants, the blue of his skin almost glowing in the moonlight. "Loki.." you whispered fidgeting with the blanket "yes love?" He asked "could you maybe...I mean if you want..." you rambled seeing him smile "yes..." he encouraged "c..can you...stay like that?" You asked, looking up at him, seeing his eyebrows furrow "you wish me to remain...like this?" He asked "yes..only If you want to...you don't have to." You hurried seeing him smile "as you wish love." He said.

Climbing in bed next to you you latched onto him, burying your face in his neck, wrapping your arm around his middle, your finger tracing his ridges. "I love you Loki." You whispered closing your eyes. He wrapped his arm around you holding you to him "den dagen jeg møtte deg, fant jeg min manglende del. du fullfører meg og gjør meg til en bedre mann. jeg elsker deg av hele mitt hjerte og hele min sjel til Valhalla." He whispered, kissing the top of your head as you drifted off. Closing his eyes he finally felt at peace.......

Translation-"the day i met you, i found my missing piece. you complete me and make me a better man. i love you with all my heart and all my soul until Valhalla."

💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚

@vbecker10 @lokisgoodgirl @sinsandguilt @high-functioning-lokipath @mochie85 @slytherclaw1227 @jaidenhawke @budugu @xorpsbane @schizonephilim @lokidokieokie @holdmytesseract @your-taste-on-my-lips @lokixryss @asgardianprincess1050 @tallseaweed @aniar4wniak @sekaishell @lokispetblogs @loopsisloops @trojanaurora @lonadane @all-envy-suyu @yelkmelk @stupidthoughtsinwriting @123forgottherest @silverfire475 @goblingirlsarah @commanding-officer @glitterylokislut @kkdvkyya @cueloki @daggers-and-mischief @sititran @witchyblue @verycollectivecreator @nixymarvelkins @chantsdemarins @shinraski @usagishira @nightshadelm @filthyhiddles @dukes2581 @assemblingavenger @lulubelle814 @irishhappiness @wolfsmom1 @luvlady-writes @lovingchoices14 @thomase1

428 notes · View notes

robinofgothamcity · 4 years ago

Text

♡ prompt: "I got you breakfast. I know it's just a bowl of cereal, but it's the only thing I can't burn." / "Would it be alright if I borrowed your sweater? It smells like you."

♡ pairing: percy jackson x fem! reader

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes / I was listening to Theme from New York, New York by Frank Sinatra and felt like it fit Percy so well. I feel like all of Percy's vibe just screams Frank Sinatra in some way.

you always found it odd that so many kids from the Aphrodite cabin had told you that they felt you and Percy were bound to be together. at the time, you found it almost offensive considering he was dating Annabeth but a few months after, you along with everyone else heard that they had broken up.

you felt like you weren't within your rights to ask why they broke up, even if he was your close friend, and just waited until he told you himself. you found it surprising. everyone in the camp felt as though Annabeth and Percy were going to make it all the way to marriage but when he told you that they had fallen out of love, you sat in shock.

it had been a few months since then and while they remained friends, you could tell Annabeth was already going on a few dates herself, to which you felt happy for her. all the while, Percy hadn't seemed interested in anyone. you knew a lot of people would fall at the knees to date him but you couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't accepted any.

"whatcha doin'?" you heard Percy ask, practically barging into your room. you looked up from your notebook, shaking your head, "not much, why?" you asked. he pulled something out of his pocket, "my mom, Paul, and I are going to watch the Yankee's game and we have a spare ticket. wanna come along?"

you smiled, immediately getting up and pushing your chair in.

"hell yeah I want to go! lets go Jackson," you said, kicking him in the back of the leg as he passed you the ticket. you saw the time and stood confused, "the tickets say seven and it's only three?" you asked. he pushed you along as the two of you walked out of the camp.

"my mom wants to catch pizza before the game. she claims we haven't spent enough time together lately."

you giggled, "please, that's so sweet. being the daughter of Ares, it's not exactly something he'd want to do....ever," Percy shoved you but didn't press it any longer. he knew your dad was an asshole and so were all your siblings and he meant that in the most respectful way possible.

the subway ride to Percy's mom's place was filled with you and Percy talking about anything and everything. you knew Percy could've told any of the boys to come along so you found it a bit endearing to know that he picked you to come along. you were also meeting his mom for the first time so you were a bit nervous on that end.

"my sister should be awake. she's usually up and trying to crawl around this time." your eyes widened realizing he was talking about Estelle. you knew she was only a few months old and meant that she was not walking yet, "oh my god, a baby!" you clapped happily as you walked up the stairs.

Sally's apartment stood at the very top of the building and you heard giggles coming from the other side of the door. Percy practically barged into the apartment, seeing Estelle on the ground as Sally tried fixing her onesie.

"hey mom!" he said bending down to grab Estelle as Sally stood up, " you must be ( your name ), nice to meet you," she said excitedly as she brought you in for a hug. you were taken back by the sudden hug but returned it, "nice to meet you as well. is that your daughter?" you asked, the itching feeling to wanting to hold her creeping up.

she nodded, grabbing Estelle and handing her over to you, "oh my god, you're precious. Percy, she's adorable!" you exclaimed, instantly making her jump in your arms. Percy gave you a smile as you looked to Sally, "is she attending the game? looks like she's ready with her little gear," you asked as you saw the Yankee's onesie on her.

Sally agreed, saying that she didn't want to separate from Estelle from too long. you helped Sally put Estelle's jacket and hat on as Percy and Paul spoke with each other, "she's so cute, I can't handle it," you tried not to squeal as Sally laughed, "fan of babies?" she asked.

you shrugged, "I wouldn't say fan but infants are just so cute," you gushed, squishing Estelle's cheeks. all of you walked out as you had her in your arms while Percy tried making her laugh.

Paul and Sally watched as they smiled to each other, "they'd make great parents," Paul murmured as Sally agreed, "not right now but in five years, I wouldn't mind seeing grandkids," you were paying no mind as you and Percy were in your own little world with his sister.

the ride to Yankee stadium was a short one as everyone was crowded around each other. all of you got quickly scanned in and sat towards the front of the crowd. you sat in between Percy and Sally as you had Estelle on your leg. you knew Paul and Percy were the bigger fans as you and Sally went along for the fun time. you knew the basics of baseball but you like Sally were confused on some parts.

the rivalry ran deep as the Yankee's were playing the Red Sox's and you could tell both of the boys were getting extremely into the game. Paul and Percy screaming to a few Sox's fans with words you were surprised that Percy even said in front of his mom. you looked over to Sally and started laughing as you heard both of the heavy New York accents coming out of them.

"I don't think I've ever seen Percy this invested in anything....ever," you murmured to Sally as she agreed, "he was a fan when he was a child but he was never like this," she replied as Percy stood up again, screaming at the top of his lungs that a player was safe.

both you and Sally remained talking amongst each other, briefly getting up to get drinks for the other two. you had offered to feed Estelle her bottle as Sally sipped on a glass of wine. you knew caring for an infant was hard but you knew that she birthed Percy, someone who was probably ten times harder to deal with as a baby.

"we should get going but the two of you should stay for the rest of the game. who knows when's the next time you'll get a chance to see a game," Paul and Sally told the two of you a bit later on. you nodded understandingly, "of course, thank you inviting me," you whispered as you gave Sally a hug.

she smiled, placing a kiss on your cheek, "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around a lot more so I'll see you later," you wondered what she meant by as she turned to tell Percy goodbye. you didn't bother to ask as you felt the New York breeze start to get colder. Percy could tell as you turned over to him, "would it be alright if I borrowed your sweater? It probably smells like you," you asked.

Percy didn't hesitate to take off his hoodie, placing it on your lap as you quickly put it on. you were drowning it as you smelled Percy's cologne right away. he had a ocean and wood smell to him. the game was in its eighth inning, the Yankee's leading the score with 10-8. you knew Chiron would want all of you back at camp before midnight and the ride back to the camp would be long.

"wanna head back, I can tell you're getting sleepy," you heard Percy whisper in your ear. you nodded, lifting your head from his shoulder as the two of walked out of the stadium. the stars littered the sky as there was no cloud in sight, "tonight was fun. your family is so cute," you told Percy.

he smiled, "I know, it took a long time to get us here," he murmured. you gave him a smile as you felt Percy slowly slip his hand in yours. you gave him a look as he tried to hide his blush, "aw, it's Theme from New York New York by Frank Sinatra," you told him as you squeezed his hand in approval.

you heard fans drunkenly singing along to the song on the subway as you and Percy laughed, "I want to be apart of it...NEW YORK, NEW YORK," both you and Percy sang, giggling with each other. Percy was holding your side as the subway was in complete shambles with everyone singing.

"If I can make it there, I'll make it practically anywhere, It's up to you, New York, New York!"

you looked up to Percy who was already staring down at you lovingly. you felt him bend down a bit, placing a kiss on your lips as you instantly returned it.

"And find that I'm number one, Top of the list, King of the hill."

the crowd continued to sing as you gave Percy a smile and snuggled closer to him. you heard the subway ding off the stop as you and Percy hopped off. you remained in Percy's side embrace as the two of you entered the camp. most of the campers were asleep as only a few scarce campers were still awake.

Percy dropped you off at the door of the Ares cabin, "thank you for today," you whispered, giving him a kiss on the cheek. he nodded, placing one back on yours as he grabbed your hand and gave it a quick squeeze, "we should do it again," he whispered back.

you agreed, opening the door and blowing him a kiss in return before shutting it. Percy stood in place for a moment before jumping in Breakfast Club style. he walked back to his cabin, a smile plastered on his face as he fell into bed, as happy as ever.

you woke up the next morning, all of your siblings already gone as you heard a knock on your door. you had fell asleep with Percy's sweater on and a pair of shorts as you released a yawn of sleepiness. you walked over to the door and laughed tiredly, seeing as it was Percy.

"I got you breakfast. I know it's just a bowl of cereal, but it's the only thing I can't burn," you saw the bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and laughed as you grabbed it and sat on the steps of your cabin, "I appreciate it," you said, placing a kiss on his cheek, making his blush again.

#pjo x reader #pjo imagine #percy jackson #percy jackson imagine #percy jackson x reader #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson x you #fic #percy jackson fic #heroes of olympus fic #heroes of olympus imagine

545 notes · View notes

langdxn · 4 years ago

Text

the immaculate exception | valiant thor x fem!reader

SUMMARY: A moment of weakness for Valiant Thor leads to a pregnancy that will expose his humanity and test his resolve to breaking point.

WARNINGS: fluff, angst, alien sex, breeding kink, pregnancy, mild violence, implied human experimentation, surgery — it’s a bit of a ride here, folks… all hands and feet inside the car at all times.

WORDS: 2.8k

A/N: how have we had val for almost a week already? time flies when you’re thirsting over an alien! anyway i couldn’t get this plot out of my head and a lovely reader requested val’s breeding kink so… here goes. i’m too tired to proofread so apologies!

Valiant’s cold hand rested on your bump, a nervous quiet to his presence by your side. Your ragged breaths and shallow hisses through your teeth deafened him above the awkward silence, a shiver running down his spine as an unnerved pout ever so slightly curled his lips. It was as if he’d already crunched the numbers, but they didn’t add up.

Blocking out the bustling waiting room around you, his thoughts drifted away into the darkest recesses of his conscience — how could he let this happen? When he knew exactly how this story would end, how could he bring himself to write it in the first place?

Your hand landed softly upon the back of his, providing as much reassurance and comfort as you received in turn. Valiant gazed up at you, a crack of a smile beaming back at him through laboured, heaving breaths.

He knew the answer. He fell in love, with a human no less. A human who opened her arms to him in sickness and in health, til death do they part… although that circumstance relied on your part alone. You accepted him and every single aspect of him, even tolerated his reluctance to make love to you throughout the five years you had spent together.

Until yesterday.

——

Resistance was futile. He knew it, you knew it, you knew he knew it too.

It wasn’t as if you’d made a special attempt to unravel your husband’s tightly-wound self-control over your morning routine. You were simply making a fried breakfast for you both, a preparation before a long day of hard work in Area 51.

Dressed in nothing but his crisp white shirt, you propped yourself up on an elbow beside the stove while diligently frying an egg. The soft sizzling in the pan concealed the approaching footsteps of your onlooking husband, carefully examining your form from head to foot, paying particular attention to the exact length of his shirt draped over your frame, just long enough to skim over your ass but not long enough to contain his temptation.

Before you knew it, frantic hands clamped onto your hips and teeth sank gently into the soft skin at the nape of your neck.

“How dare you, Mrs Thor,” Valiant hissed provocatively through clenched teeth, threatening to break your delicate skin with every syllable. “How dare you break my resolve like this.”

“What are you talking about, baby?” You queried innocently, dipping into his touch that feels like white hot fire licking against your body. “I’m making breakfast. You’ve got a meeting with President Johnson today, remember?”

“Fuck the President,” he snarled against your skin, spinning you on your heels and tearing himself away to consume the vision of your figure from the front. A hungry growl erupts in his throat as he sinks in to suck on your neck, earning a hiss in response. “Get on the counter.”

“Val… you don’t have to do this, we both know the risks—.”

“You won’t talk me out of this,” Valiant commanded with all the authority he could muster out of the focus he had remaining, the rest of which was stolen by his consuming thoughts of exactly what to do with you next. “Get up.”

As you oblige, a swift tearing sound cuts through the air between you and his shirt is suddenly shredded from your body, tumbling to the ground in swathes of white cotton and balling at his feet. Hands grip your bare hips and drag you toward the edge of the counter, impaling you on his length in one swift thrust and sending your eyes roving to the ceiling.

“Jesus, Val,” you half-screamed with what little breath his consuming strokes hadn’t already robbed from your lungs. “I… I’ve waited… so long.”

It wasn’t as if your marriage was loveless up until this moment, far from it. Every night without fail, Valiant would bring you to heaven and back again using every tool at his disposal, from dildos modelled on his exact girth to military grade vibrators that would leave you pacing the corridors of Area 51 with a prominent limp for the next 3 days. With every smooth swipe of impersonal plastic thrust inside you, his hungry eyes begged to pale to a shade of possessed white as he plunged his cock inside you, he needed superhuman self-control to not tear away his suit pants and fill you like you deserved.

“You feel so perfect wrapped around me,” Valiant whispered into your neck, littering butterfly kisses along your jugular as if he were touching you and exploring your body for the first time. His hips curled eagerly with every dip into your core, accompanied by a soft hiss as the sensation of your walls tightening around him became real, tangible and utterly consuming. “You feel that, Mrs Thor?”

You muttered in agreement, unable to form a coherent sentence through fierce waves of pleasure threatening your consciousness each time he drew his hips back and slammed inside your soaking cunt. His steadily devastating thrusts soon raced, building to a climax he never thought he’d reach. Retreating from the safety of the crook of your neck, his gaze met yours and suddenly blinked hard as if to focus on his thrusts.

As his eyes opened, his familiar black irises had disappeared. All that remained were full-white eyeballs, glowing brighter than the early morning sun beaming through the kitchen blinds.

“Val… are you… okay?” A genuine gasp escaped you, scanning his face for any concern in case this was a dangerous non-human reaction, but his lips were frozen in a half-snarl as he plowed into you without missing a beat. You couldn’t tell if he was looking at you anymore or watching himself fucking you, but his next curled plunge snapped you back into the room.

“Hold onto me,” he soothed from behind his soulless eyes. Instinctively, you followed his lead and looped your arms around his neck.

“Val, what’s… what’s happening?”

“Look at me,” Val whispered, commanding you to gaze into your eyes beaming back at him between fluttering lashes batting in time with his staccato hips. “I’m going to fill you up now.”

That was no question, simply a statement of determined intent. Those words alone, the way they rolled off his unearthly tongue, sent searing hot waves of pleasure straight from your ears to your pulsing walls constricting around his length.

So wrapped up in the moment, you couldn’t think about the consequences — the work you both do at Area 51, what happens to the subjects taken for reproduction with Val’s kind. None of it could block that feeling flowing through every inch of your body, the next level of lust you didn’t know existed, the urge to give yourself to him in every way humanly and inhumanly possible. It wasn’t about submission, it wasn’t about domination, it was something much deeper than accession of power over you; it was the purest, most natural form of human instinct: procreation.

Wordless encouragements passed your lips in the form of lust-glazed wails, filthy explicit moans and your back arching into his relentless motions. Battling to maintain eye contact with Val when your gaze begged to journey to the ceiling, you simply nodded and spread your legs wider.

“Good girl,” he purred gently, the pulse of his thrusts stuttering to betray his climax as he spilled inside you.

Despite bracing yourself for whatever you could expect to happen within your core, his release against your walls felt perfectly normal, natural, sending a flush of heat that you could only describe as ecstasy. You let out a deep sigh of relief, fearing the worst yet receiving nothing but bliss.

Lost in your thoughts, you drifted back into the room with the sensation of his palm ghosting over your abdomen. A streak of concern dashed his gaze down at your body — at least one of you remembered the true meaning behind this close encounter.

“Hey baby, it’s okay,” you cooed, cupping his cheeks and idly stroking circles with your forefinger. “We’ll get through this together, yeah?”

You both knew there wasn’t much time, but for a few moments of utter euphoria, you convinced yourself it was entirely worth it.

———

“Beats waiting 9 months like every normal human,” you cracked a coy smile for your anxious husband as you sank into the delivery room chair, all the while clinging to his fingers desperately entwined with yours. The desperate twinges in your spine, the stretching and writing beneath your bump, the flickering electricity of sheer agony tearing through your body would just have to wait while you calmed Val’s nerves.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered lowly, leaning over you and willing himself to protect you from the pain that kept you squirming in the seat, cursing himself for a moment of weakness over the kitchen counter that brought you to this moment not 24 hours later. “I’m so sorry.”

Emerging from the shadows of the dimly-lit delivery room, Theta’s sudden presence beside you almost broke your concentration on your husband but, knowing full well why she was there in the first place, you fought to ignore her towering stature and flowing white robes.

“Val, none of this is your—.”

Theta’s hand ghosted over you and silenced your words of comfort.

“Mrs Thor, you know how this works,” Theta communicated telepathically, batting her lashes in what you supposed she concluded was a comforting manner to her usual human subjects. “I’ve switched off your pain receptors and you can talk to your husband and I through your mind. I’ll make this as quick and painless as possible for you, our special guest.”

“She’s not an idiot, Theta, she’s in labour,” Valiant’s familiar tones chimed in, his hand squeezing yours but you could only see the artificial veins in his fingers clenching beneath his skin. “Just help her, she’s in pain!”

“Commander Thor, you can trust your wife in my hands. Besides, isn’t there a human tradition in the 1960s that stipulates males are accustomed to waiting outside the delivery room?”

His lips pursed, like a petulant child that’s just been told to sit on the naughty step. Theta’s attentions returned to you, hovering her hand over your belly and blinking satisfactorily.

“It might help to close your eyes for this, Mrs Thor,” Theta reassured in her familiar dulcet tone, lowering her hand to draw your eyelids closed and tracing a finger along your bump.

For all the good that closing your eyes did, Val’s inner thoughts projected into your mind spoke every action without the aid of sight. His anguished internal cries tore through your head while Theta’s finger ripped open your abdomen, screaming into the void as the midwife retrieved your baby from the cavity she opened. Yet all you could do was lie there, frozen in motion with your eyes sealed shut. Closed off from your child’s birth.

Suddenly, silence. No wails, no idle humming as Theta went about her work. The marked stillness in your head suggested something had happened that you couldn’t see.

“Wha… what… what’s happening?” You called out into the unnerving tranquility in your thoughts. “Please, I… I can’t see!”

Your eyelids lifted abruptly and your vision darted frantically around the room in search of your husband. His hands were no longer clasped around yours, instead he was leaning over a side table and gazing at a huge sac resting on a metal tray. Theta came into view and split the sac open with her finger, unveiling the glistening form of a baby. Your baby.

“Congratulations, Commander and Mrs Thor,” Theta declared in your thoughts with an air of clinical indifference. “It’s a girl.”

“A… a girl?!” You questioned internally, eyes roving over the squirming form on the tray. Her head appeared abnormally large and her eyes as prominent as Theta’s, yet her shimmering skin bloomed a rosy pink hue. “Is… is she okay?”

“She’s beautiful,” Val exclaimed, his loving gaze fixed on the wriggling newborn as she blinked her eyes open for the first time. “We had so little time, we didn’t even discuss names. What shall we call her?”

“There’s no time for that, sir,” Theta interjected, raising her hand and hovering it intently over the child’s throat.

Your heart sank.

“No!” Valiant barked out loud through gritted teeth, lunging forward to block Theta’s access to the baby. “Not this one!”

“I’m afraid it’s protocol, sir,” Theta asserted calmly, that same disconnected insensitivity pouring through every word. “Protocol which you yourself established.”

“Fuck the protocol,” he spat, his eyes threatening to bleed to a livid pure white at any moment as he flailed a gesturing hand over your baby. “This is my daughter!”

You fought with all your might to break the unseen restraints keeping you from bursting across the room and snatching your child from her clutches. No matter how hard you tried or how loud you screamed in your mind, you were helpless. Powerless. Hopeless.

“I understand your concern, Commander Thor, but you know the rules.”

Valiant’s forehead wrinkled and suddenly Theta was hurled across the room, smashing into an equipment tray and sending scalpels flying around her.

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me,” he snarled menacingly. “I call the shots around here and I say you leave my fucking daughter alone!”

“We both know the dangers a child like this could pose for our kind,” she reasoned from her crumpled heap on the floor. “It’s for our safety and that of this planet.”

“Tell me, Theta,” Val goaded her with a sarcastic eyebrow furrowed, towering over her as she failed to scramble to her feet. “Why exactly did I save your life in this very room five years ago? You wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for my mercy, you would be on display in one of those countless specimen jars as a perfect example of how our kind still cannot breed with human beings without creating morally corrupt hybrids.”

Theta gave up her struggle to stand, fixing a venomous stare at Val.

“Commander—.”

“No more objections,” he snapped, firing a fiercely pointed finger at her. “Now leave this room and ensure that the events in here remain within these four walls, am I understood?”

Theta nodded reluctantly, gathering up her crisp white robes and rising to her feet.

“You’re making a mistake, sir,” she muttered before turning to the door. Val’s face twitched as he raised a hand into the air, his mind racing with ideas of blowing Theta’s brains out. Clocking his intentions, you mustered all your strength to break the trance, clenching your teeth and charging at the unseen forcefield holding your back. Suddenly, the restrictive wall crumbled away, allowing you to stumble over and pull his arm down.

“No!” You cried as you yanked his cold hand to his side. “That’s not the answer!”

Val’s fury focused on the doorway, seeing no sign of Theta’s billowing white uniform as she fled. Staring at the empty corridor ahead, he slowly comprehended that he had missed his chance at vengeance. Whatever he was avenging never came to pass, but he concluded that Theta’s intentions alone were worthy of his cold-blooded revenge.

“Our baby,” you pressed a comforting hand onto his shoulder and steered him over to the writhing creature on the tray. “Look at her, isn’t she perfect?”

His fixation eventually tore away from the door and returned to the table, his features immediately softening as he laid eyes on the baby again.

“She is,” he sighed, an arm looping around your waist as he leaned in to the little one, mewling softly to herself.

“She’s got your eyes,” you joked, earning you an elbow dug gently into your side.

The sharp sensation reverberated through your ribcage and sent searing bolts of pain across your abdomen. Clutching at your stomach, you discovered the open cavity where your baby resided only minutes earlier, a gaping hole now bleeding profusely. Valiant’s grip on your waist saved you from collapsing, stumbling to place you back into the chair. The effects of Theta’s pain inhibitor had worn off, leaving you to battle the agony of a caesarean birth alone.

“What? What’s happening?!” The terror in his tone returned as he called out for help, and within seconds you were surrounded by white-cloaked staff circling around your weakened form. One brandishing a loaded syringe, another wielding a scalpel and sutures. “Please, please help her!”

A flurry of activity around you disguised the approach of the syringe-carrying orderly as he slowly injected you.

“I… I’ve got a name,” you strained through dizzied breaths, growing shallower as some form of sedation settled into your bloodstream.

“You do?” Val played along, trying his hardest to distract you from the chaos surrounding you. “What’s her name?”

You fought to keep your eyes open once more.

“Marilyn.”

#valiant thor x reader #valiant thor fanfiction #valiant thor imagines #ahs spoilers #ahs death valley #cody fern fanfiction #cody fern #valiant thor #cody fern imagines

273 notes · View notes

ofstarsandvibranium · 4 years ago

Text

Rectify: Part 1

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

As requested by anonymous: It would be awesome if you could make a tfatws Bucky fic or series where the reader is on the list for his making amends because the winter soldier did something to her or someone she loves, and once he gets close to her in some way he ends up falling for her and it’s really angsty but a happy ending !!

A/N: FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER SPOILERS AHEAD!!! also, this will be a mini series that I will HOPEFULLY be able to finish.

The list. Bucky's therapist made him make a list of amends to help him cope and process the horrors of his past. He was slowly making his way through the list.

With the case of Yori, Bucky has been a coward. He's been working his way to befriending the old man, trying to form some sort of relationship with him to eventually break the news that he's the reason why Yori no longer has a son. But he just can't seem to do it. So Yori's name remains uncrossed and he continues on with his list. The person under Yori is you: Y/N L/N.

You were ten years old when you were coming back from a sleepover to find your parents dead in your home. The police told you that you it was a robbery gone wrong and you were lucky you weren't home. But still, that left you without any parents, instead growing up with your aunt and uncle. You always felt like something was wrong pertaining to your parents' death, but you didn't know what. So you went through life just feeling without closure.

You visited your parents as much as you could. Your career in child counseling provided that you were very busy. However, the weekends were the time of seeing them and reminiscing.

That's how Bucky found you.

Around 3pm every Saturday and 12pm Sunday, you would visit your parents' graves. The time you spent there varied, but, on average, you'd stay for about an hour and a half. This was just from what Bucky gathered from watching you for a month.

It was how he found the courage to come up to you and speak with you.

He slowly approaches you, hears your music playing softly from your phone grow louder as he draws near.

Hearing the crunching of the grass, you look up to see him staring down at you, "Um...hi?"

"I'm sorry for your loss," he gestures to your parents' graves.

You give him a polite smile, "Thanks. It's been years since I lost them."

"Doesn't mean their absence still doesn't hurt," he interjects.

You nod in understanding and ask, "Did you lose someone?"

"My parents as well." he stands there for a few seconds in silence then speaks up again, "I'm James," he holds out a gloved hand and you shake it, "Y/N."

After pulling his hand back and shoving it into his pocket, an awkward silence washes over the two of you, to which to break, "So...James, do you...come here often?" then you burst into a chuckle, "I'm sorry. That sounds like a wildly inappropriate pick up line."

Bucky smiles and shakes his head, "No, no. It's fine. But to answer your question, I've, uh, recently started coming here."

"Are you parents buried here?"

"No, no. Um, I....I like to take walks in cemeteries." What the fuck, Bucky??? "I mean, 'cause, you know, it's quiet and peaceful. Barely any people here to really bother you. Just...I can clear my head." Yeah. That works. That should make sense, right?

"Oh. I suppose that's a good point. I come here pretty much every weekend just to visit my parents and I rarely see anyone. So I suppose this is a good place for you to clear your mind and enjoy the silence without the hustle and bustle."

"Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So, what do you do when you come here? Just sit in silence?"

You shrug, "Depends how I'm feeling. I'll tell them about my week, anything interesting that's going on. Sometimes I'll have a little picnic, read, journal, listen to some music."

"That sounds....really nice."

You softly smile up at him, "It is. You should try it some time."

Suddenly, your alarm started going off on your phone. You quickly picked up your device, swiping off the alarm and looked back up to Bucky, "Sorry. I have to go." you stood up, collecting your things, "It was nice to meet you, James. I'll see you around!"

You shake his hand again and head to your car. Bucky watches as you drive away and he sighs. He turns to your parents' grave and whispers, "I'm sorry."

____________

The next week, Bucky sat under a tree close to your parent's grave plot so that he could see you clearly and you him.

Right on time, you drove up, hopping out of your car with a picnic basket in hand and some other items.

Bucky sat looking down at the book in his lap, but glancing your way every so often, waiting until-

"Hey," you give a light kick to his boot and he looks up, shooting you a small grin, "Oh hi. Nice to see you again."

"Do you wanna join me?"

Bucky shakes his head, "No, it's fine. I don't want to interrupt your time-"

"It's okay, James. I don't mind. It'd be nice to have some living company for a change," you give a little giggle and he sighs.

"Well if you insist," he snaps his book shut and gets to his feet, following you to your parents' plot. You already have the picnic set up and you sit down, a look of hesitation on your face.

"Um, I kinda packed some extra food, just in case I ran into you today."

Bucky's brows shoot up in surprise, "Wow. Um, thank you. That's-That's really nice."

You hold out a tupperware of pasta salad and hand him a bottle of water. You play music on your phone while you two eat and make idle chatter.

You tell Bucky of your childhood, how your parents were abruptly taken from you, and how you grew up with your aunt and uncle. It provided some relief to him that your growing up parentless wasn't completely bad, that your aunt and uncle provided a sufficient amount of love and care to you on top of their own children.

Bucky was amazed that despite being orphaned at a young age, you were still filled with so much love, heart, and light, and that you wanted to provide as much care and compassion to troubled children. It was admirable.

A few hours past and both you and Bucky didn't realize how much the day has gone.

"Wow, I don't think I've spent this much time here in a day."

"Sorry," Bucky murmurs with a wince as he helps you to your feet.

You shook your head, "Don't be. Today was fun, James."

"Bucky."

"Hm?"

"Call me Bucky. It's a nickname."

"Bucky," you tested the name on your tongue, "It's cute."

For some reason, Bucky felt himself blushing at the compliment. So he looks down, afraid you might see his blushing cheeks and replies, "Thanks."

"Do you wanna have lunch sometime, Bucky?"

His head shoots back up and you look at him surprised, "Huh?"

You shrug, "I don't know. There's just something about you. I want to get to know you more. If that's okay."

"Um," he nervously runs his gloved hands down the side of his jeans, "Yeah. Sure."

"Great!" you take out your phone and hand it to him, "Put your number in." After he does so, you take back your phone, "So I'll call you and we can hash out the details?"

"I'll be waiting," he responds with a chuckle and a smile. He escorts you back to your car and waves as you drive away. Once you're gone, his smile drops and he murmurs, "Shit. I think I like her."

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagine #falcon and the winter soldier #fatws #falcon and the winter soldier spoilers #fatws spoilers

823 notes · View notes

dreamerstreamer · 4 years ago

Text

Burnout

Pairing: Dream / Clay x gn!reader

Summary: Working nonstop leaves Clay officially exhausted. Too bad he doesn’t know when to call it quits. Luckily for him, you do.

Warnings: depictions of anxiety + exhaustion + burnout

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: this was inspired by some of my own personal experiences. please get some rest if you need it. i hope you enjoy!

Clay awoke to the sound of meowing in his ear and a paw prodding at his cheek.

Letting out a small groan, he shifted, vaguely aware that his cheek was pressed against something cold. He reached up in front of his face, his fingertips meeting soft fur. He blinked an eye open, his hand rubbing at his bleary vision. Little by little, the fogginess slowly parted to reveal Patches’ olive green eyes peering back at him. The moment his gaze met hers, she meowed, swiping at his face again.

“Stop,” he croaked, surprising himself by how dry his mouth was. Almost immediately, Patches took a step back, meowing once more at him before hopping off the table and vanishing from his line of sight.

He raised a hand to his throat, swallowing uncomfortably. Slowly, he lifted his head from the desk, taking in the sight of his desk set-up. While his monitor was dark, it was his laptop that was lighting up the cluttered mess that had become his studio. Off to his right sat his green water bottle.

Right. His water bottle had been empty for—

His eyes darted to the clock, squinting. The numbers 1:47 AM flashed back at him.

—six hours.

When did I knock out? he wondered to himself, rubbing at his temples. Two hours ago? He shook his head. Well, doesn’t matter, now. Gotta finish the new plug-in.

He reached over, nudging his mouse with his elbow. The moment his cursor moved, his monitor came to life, light flooding the dimness of his room. He squinted, shielding his eyes from the glaring brightness of the screen with the back of his hand.

His code was still open, the line having cut off in the middle, the open bracket hanging wide, waiting to be completed and closed.

He grimaced, the gears already whirring in his head as he stared at the ticking clock on his screen. He needed to have the plug-in coded by tomorrow—or, well, today—so he could send it off to George for their scheduled test run. Not to mention the video he was only halfway finished editing he wanted to upload in two days’ time.

He dragged a hand over his face, a low groan rumbling in his chest. Just then, there was another low growl, this time coming from his stomach. He glanced downward at his hoodie pocket, something sharp digging at his insides.

Well, first, it seemed like he would need some food.

He pushed back his chair and pushed himself onto his feet, wincing at the way his muscles ached. They were definitely sore from not having been used in god knows how long, now. With another sigh, he turned, pushing the door open to his studio before climbing the stairs.

It only took a few moments for him to find the kitchen. He fumbled with the light switch for a second before the room was suddenly flooded with light. He winced, slapping a hand over his eyes. “Oh god,” he muttered, his throat feeling raw, “it’s so bright.”

A few seconds later, he peeked through his fingers and lowered his hand, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. As soon as he could see clearly once more, he dragged himself over to the cabinet, pulling the door open to peer inside. Empty space stared back at him, and he frowned. We forgot to go grocery shopping.

A snack-size bag of chips and two cups of instant ramen stared back at him, almost tauntingly. After staring for another moment, he found himself pulling out one of the two cups, eyeing it dubiously before shrugging. It’ll do. Flipping open the kettle, he quickly filled it with some water before setting it to boil. As he waited, he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and tore open the cup cover, fishing out the flavour packet and tearing it open with his teeth. Just as he was pouring the flavour powder in, he heard a voice behind him.

“Clay?”

He froze, then felt something in his chest soften. He turned, mustering what energy he had to send you a smile. “Hi, [Y/N].” At the sight of your bleary eyes, his smile drooped. “You’re still awake?”

You yawned, holding a hand over your mouth. “Mhm. Hungry. I’m just grabbing a snack, that’s all.”

Behind him, the kettle whistled. He quickly removed the top, then turned back to send you a knowing look. “Me too.”

You strolled over to the cabinet he had looked through earlier, frowning as you let out a sigh. “I’ll go grocery shopping this weekend,” you murmured, reaching for the chips. “Anything you want?”

He cast a glance at the chips in your hand. “More chips?” he offered softly. “I dunno. I haven’t really thought about it.”

You bobbed your head and pulled the bag open, immediately sticking a chip in your mouth. Clay let the sound of chips crunching fill the air as he poured the boiling water into his noodle cup, stirring absentmindedly as you quickly finished the bag. After a few moments, he eagerly raised his chopsticks to his lips, a whirlwind of flavour filling his mouth. The noodles didn’t particularly help with the dryness of his mouth or his tiredness, but at least he wasn’t hungry anymore.

The two of you ate in silence for a while. At one point, you finished the chips and threw out the bag, but he wasn’t quite paying attention. He felt his toes curl beneath him as he shifted in an effort to keep himself awake, but he could still feel the exhaustion pulling at his ankles. He wished he was asleep, he really did.

Just then, you spoke up. “Are you okay?”

He blinked, snapping out of his tired daze. “Yeah,” he mumbled in between chews. “I’m just a bit tired.”

You pursed your lips, leaning back against the counter as you eyed him up and down. “You look more than just ‘a bit tired’, Clay.”

He swallowed, averting his gaze from yours as he focused on shoveling more noodles in his mouth. His eyelids burned, weighed down by bricks made of exhaustion. “You think so?”

You didn’t answer, only staring at him for a few moments longer as he finished the cup of ramen. He didn’t even have the strength to think about the tension pervading the air. As soon as he was finished, he set the cup down, ignoring how heavy his arm felt. He felt your eyes on his as he rinsed out the empty container before tossing it in the recycling bin. He turned, your gaze locking onto his. Irritation prickled up his spine at your expression.

“What?” he said, his tone coming out harsher than he intended. A flicker of guilt ran through him, but it quickly dissolved into weariness once more. Whatever. He was tired. It didn’t matter. Right?

To his surprise, you didn’t flinch like he thought you would. Instead, you took a small step toward him, your hand reaching up and forward tentatively. Your fingers brushed against his cheekbone, and the moment your palm met his skin, he nearly melted into your touch. How long had it been since his shoulders felt so loose? He couldn’t recall.

“Clay,” you murmured, your thumb brushing over his cheek, “will you come to bed with me?”

His breath hitched. Sleeping? Now? He couldn’t afford it—even a single lick of sleep would throw him off entirely. He needed to finish his code and finish editing that video for the day after. He couldn’t just sleep, now.

He sent you a smile, hoping it didn’t look as sad as it felt. “Sorry, love, but I have a bit more work I have left to do.”

You blinked, your lips curling downward. Your frown bit into him harder than he would have liked. Slowly, you pulled your hand back from his cheek, something disappointing flashing in your gaze. “Okay,” you said quietly, turning to walk out of the kitchen. “Please go to sleep soon, though, alright?”

He nodded, but the action didn’t fully register in his head as he watched you disappear from his line of sight. Already, he missed your warmth against his face, and he had half the mind to change his mind and go to bed with you right then and there.

But the deadline hanging over his head wrapped a fraction tighter around his throat, whispering into his ear like a menace. “You don’t have time.”

Indeed, he didn’t.

Shutting the kitchen lights off, he slipped back down the stairs once more, striding back into his studio. He collapsed into his chair with a grunt, shaking his mouse as his monitor came back to life. He cracked his knuckles once before settling his hands back on the keyboard, focusing his attention back on the open bracket once more.

He wasn’t sure how much time he spent typing, opening and closing Google as he ran into bug after bug. The longer he stared at the screen, the more his brain felt like it was slowly getting the life sucked out of it. He had only completed another dozen lines of code or two when something tore him out of his focus.

“Clay.”

His thoughts came to a jarring halt in his head. He turned, spotting you leaning against the doorframe with your arms crossed over your chest. A concerned expression was plastered to your face, and he nearly fell out of his chair. “[Y/N]? Why are you still up?” His eyebrows knit together. “I thought you went to bed.”

“I sent George a text,” you said abruptly, your eyes scanning his face with a wary look, “and he said he doesn’t mind doing the test run another day.”

Clay’s mouth fell open, a wave of shock rolling over him. You... what? Swallowing, he closed it, shaking his head slightly. Just because he didn’t need to finish the code didn’t mean he still didn’t have any work to do. “I still have to finish the video—”

“You can finish that another day, too,” you suddenly said, your eyes not leaving his. He saw your fingers curl into your pyjamas. “You know your fans will love it no matter when it comes out.”

Something welled up inside of him, something hard and cold that dug straight through his bones. “B-But...”

You simply tilted your head at him, a weary look crossing your face. “But what, Clay? Is there anything else?”

He paused for a moment, a pebble of shame dropping into his stomach as he shook his head. “No,” he admitted quietly. His heart burned uncomfortably between his lungs. “But I could always get a head start on—“

“Clay,” you said sharply, not missing the way he jumped, “don’t you see what you’re doing to yourself?” You lowered your arms and your voice grew quiet, something pained flitting across your features. “This is killing you.”

He stared at you, the light of his monitor making your face glow in the dimness of his studio. As much as he tried, he couldn’t think of another rational justification for staying up. He had no other immediate tasks, no other projects he needed to work on in this moment. He had no reason to stay awake any longer.

And yet, deep down, something anxious and angry thrashed in his gut. Sleeping now just felt wrong. It was almost as though it was a crime, as though he would somehow fail if he didn’t keep working. After all, if he didn’t keep working, then what kind of creator was he?

But the longer he stared at you, taking in the sight of your pleading eyes and worried frown, he felt something else overtake him entirely. A different kind of sinking feeling settled over his shoulders, and he swallowed.

“[Y/N],” he said honestly, suddenly feeling vulnerable and very, very sad, “I’m tired.”

Your gaze softened, and he almost wanted to cry. “I know,” you said, soft and sincere.

With quiet steps, you made your way over to him, stopping just in front of him. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against your stomach as he let out a shaky breath. You didn’t move, simply raising a hand to pat his head. For a few moments, he simply leaned against you, feeling his eyes sting and burn with a mixture of fatigue and sadness. Was he really that tired?

“You put too much responsibility on your own shoulders, Clay,” you murmured, your hand leaving his head. “You’re allowed to be your own person. You’re allowed to spend time to yourself. You’re allowed to take care of yourself—you need to.”

You pulled back slightly, and he raised his head. His lungs felt like they had tied themselves into a knot in his chest, but the moment his eyes met yours, he could suddenly breathe clearly again.

“Please,” you said, “come to bed with me.”

He blinked. Then, he nodded. “Okay.”

He didn’t miss the smile that stretched across your face as you reached over to save his code, turning off his monitor. As soon as the studio filled with darkness, you slipped your hand into his, tugging him out of his chair and up the stairs. He didn’t remember walking into the bathroom, but you were suddenly shoving his toothbrush in his hand.

“I’ll wait for you in our room,” you said, “okay?”

He nodded again, still too dazed to fully comprehend anything. He only half remembered brushing his teeth, spitting out the toothpaste as he rinsed out his mouth in the sink. Before he knew it, he was standing in the doorway to the bedroom, his eyelids already drooping. You were sitting on the bed, your legs curled beneath you and the blankets pulled back for him.

The moment he stepped inside, you lifted your chin, tilting your head at him. “You done?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but cut himself off with a yawn. Wiping at his blurring vision, he nodded. “Mhm.”

The pleased grin you sent him made his heart swell with affection. “Perfect.” You patted the space in front of you. “C’mere.”

Without an ounce of hesitation, he walked forward and climbed onto the bed, settling his head back against the pillow as you pulled the sheets up over him. After a few seconds of shifting, he finally settled down, his shoulders sagging as he let the tightness seep out of his body and into the bed.

“Comfy?” you asked softly, your voice washing over him like a soothing melody.

He shifted his head slightly, his legs curling further into the warm blankets. “Very.”

He could only imagine the soft smile on your face, a fond look filling your eyes. “When’s the last time you slept before four o’clock?”

He thought for a moment. If he had the energy, he would have shrugged. “Can’t remember. Must have been a month ago, or something.”

He could hear the frown in your voice. “That’s not healthy, Clay.”

He exhaled sharply through his nose, feeling his lips curl slightly. “Probably.”

There was a slight pause, then he felt your hand in his hair. In an instant, he had melted into putty on the mattress, tilting his head slightly toward you. “You can only run on sheer passion for so long,” you murmured, dragging your fingers through his hair. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this relaxed. “People need rest. And good food. And warm hugs. And love.”

He blinked, slow and lazy. “Love?” he repeated.

You hummed. “Yeah.” Dipping your head, you pressed a kiss beside his ear, whispering, “Lots and lots of love.”

He nodded ever so subtly, his head sinking further and further into his pillow. “Love,” he whispered back, caught in a dreamlike haze.

Your fingers scratched against his scalp, and he let out a tiny sigh. “You still with me?”

“Mm,” he mumbled, “not really.”

Your hand stilled for a moment, then carried on. “Good. Go to sleep, Clay.” He could hear the soft smile in your voice. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

He said something back, or at least he thought he did, but he had drifted too far to care at that point.

This was nice. He missed this.

That night, Clay fell asleep with your hands in his hair and a smile on his face—feeling warm, safe, and oh-so loved.

1K notes · View notes

drcrushers · 3 years ago

Note

prompt: they go swimming in the styx

out of all the rivers that loop through the underworld, the styx is her favorite. it’s the longest, and there are entire sections of it untouched - the souls only go so far downriver and beyond that, the water flows clear and true. it takes a bit of a walk from the house but it’s worth it, persephone finds. over the course of several years she’s managed to wear a decent path so it’s easier to follow. it’s not quite a secret of hers; hades knows of it, and sometimes he’ll join her but it’s rare more often than not (she’s learned her man is not exactly a swimmer, or one who likes to take breaks).

at the moment he’s bemoaning because she’s dragging him away from work upon threat of a number of things, least of all bodily harm.

"i didn't marry you for you to keep yourself slavin' away all day." she says over her shoulder as he trails along behind, probably still crunching those numbers in his head. numbers for a town he says he's gonna build to house the shades, to put them to work, to give them something to do other than wander around. give them purpose again. persephone ain't against it, but she reckons if he don't start taking more breaks then that gray that's started to show at his temples and in his stubble is gonna spread a whole lot faster.

"it won't be forever. just - for now. i want to give you the best, wife." he murmurs lowly and persephone shoots him another look that she knows he doesn't catch.

"all i want is you, darlin'. your company. that's the best." she's already kicking off her boots, sending them sailing into the dark grasses along the bank as she hops in her struggle to get the other off. she's breezily dressed today, so removing her clothes is a matter of unclipping the pomegranate inlay at her shoulder before the fabric pools at her feet and she can step out of it. ever one for comfort, she wears nothing else beneath.

the low rumble of noise that sounds like thunder behind her is a sure sign she has finally caught her husband's attention proper. all bemoaning is gone and when she turns he's standing there like a statue except those eyes, which are suddenly much darker and roam over her like a mortal man would any olympian feast. she grins, full of wild abandon, before she steps into the cool waters and wades into the river. the styx ain't too deep near the edges, but as she wades further into the wide river the ground slopes and she's forced to start treading water. by the time she turns again, hades is finally loosening his tie and she knows she's won.

he's meticulous in the way he undresses, folding things neatly whereas her garments lay in an unkempt pile. persephone's curls have already started to slump from the dampness by the time he even steps a toe into the river. they're safe from any prying eyes here, no shades to interrupt so there's no need to worry about their lack of clothing in order to enjoy the water across their skin. she watches in silent triumph when she sees him relax a fraction of an inch when the water hits his back, even more so when he finally reaches where she's swam out to. large hands envelop her from beneath the water and she smiles a bit too broadly.

"better?" she cocks a brow, sliding her arms around his neck as he holds her and treads water and suddenly the rest of the world melts away. she rakes a wet hand through his hair, thumb brushing against the gray at his temples fondly - it suits him, even if she hates seeing the signs of age on him every winter when she returns. another patch of gray, another set of lines around his eyes or mouth. it's hard, the suddenness of it - and it becomes more every year. she's luck to have a few more freckles or a few more light streaks in her hair from the sun - time wears on him far faster.

"gettin' there." he says lowly, as if it might kill him to relent to her being right, that this would serve as a de-stressing aid and more time spent with her. it's easier for him to forget work when they can spend time together outside of the house and away from his office.

her legs wrap around his waist and he easily holds her weightless frame against him. persephone brushes her nose against his.

"and now?"

hades hums and it nearly vibrates every inch of her body for how closely they're pressed to each other, how tightly wrapped around him she is.

"you're a real distraction, you know."

"i'll take that as a compliment." she kisses the corner of his mouth and draws away before he can protest. "c'mon. bet i can reach the other side before you."

"and what's my prize if i win?"

"you're a smart man, darlin' - i'm sure you can figure it out."

#Anonymous #hadestown #prompts #hadestown prompt

11 notes · View notes