#I haven't drawn him in so long... I'm out of touch with him.... he hasn't been relevant and I've had other blorbos to juggle

[blujaydoodles]

OC-tober: Old

Milo, my SON! my BABY BOY

[wordtotherose]

"ASTARION!" 

His head shoots up from the book he'd been reading. He catches Gale's inquisitive look whilst the entirety of the camp turns to look towards where Elizia's roar came from. 

"I'd say you're in trouble, my friend," Gale says ever so helpfully. 

Astarion keeps his eye on the barn across camp where he'd left Elizia with Jaheira and Karlach after dinner barely an hour ago, he's watching for her approach as he snaps his book shut and drops it onto the table behind him. 

Shadowheart appears at his shoulder, silent as the shadows she was named after. "Oh what have you done now?"

Continue on AO3 or under the cut

There's movement from the path up from Lae'zel's camp. Yes. Yep. There she is. Storming towards him, fire bright hair in those long low braids and top buns. Adorable, he remembers thinking when he first saw her. She is not quite adorable now. Gorgeous, certainly. Furious? Absolutely. Adorable? Not with the array of knives and blades he is intimately aware are hidden on her body even now in the late hours of the evening at camp. 

A large part of him is ordering his legs to turn tail and take off at a sprint to avoid being skewered for whatever it is he's done but the better part of him, the part that's trying to be better, is busy running back over the day to figure out what is going on to sort it out like the adults they are. It's also in no small part self-preservation that stops him from fleeing and turning what looks to be an incoming argument into a hunt through the farmland they're stationed in. She's damnably persistent like that. 

She's nearly on him, Gale having shuffled into his tent to hide from the drama already but Shadowheart is still with him to hear the drawn out 'oh /shit/' he utters under his breath. Her lips are a beautiful deep red tonight, delicious. And probably the trouble he's caused. There's a red line smeared from the corner of her mouth towards her cheek where she's clearly tried to wipe it away. 

Shadowheart takes one more look between them as Elizia stops in front of him, glaring up at Astarion, before retreating to watch from her own tent. 

"Good evening, my dear," Astarion tries, it sounds weak even to him and Elizia's eyes bright ocean eyes narrow. "Or...not?"

"I want my wine back."

He makes a show of looking around him, delaying the inevitable and maybe trying to make her hate him a little less for the mishap. Then he lies and pretends he hasn't a clue what's going on because habits and all. He hates habits currently. "Wine? I haven't been drinking any wine tonight, my love."

"I'm well fucking aware of what you have been drinking, Astarion, considering you mixed them up and it's now in my mouth."

He winces. "Ah. There's been an accidental swap, has there?"

He's immeasurably relieved when she loses some of her anger at his roundabout way of proclaiming it an honest accident. She does know him scarily well. Far too well. 

"Wine." She says, nodding at the cup he'd brought back to his tent with him earlier but not touched since dinner. "Please."

He passes it over easily and tries not to laugh or grin when she takes a gulp, swills it round her mouth then spits it out. The cup is then drained and pushed into his chest where he instinctively reaches up to hold it still, by extension catching her fingers too. 

"Not a fan, I take it?"

Her deadpan look breaks his cool demeanour, a smile slipping through. 

"It truly was an accident, my dear."

She sighs and steps back, disconnecting their hands. "I know. I'll laugh about it tomorrow I'm sure."

"Let me make it up to you?" 

Her expression is unsure, which he finds fair, he's not entirely sure what he's offering either right now. Not when they've agreed to let things be what they are without sex for the forseeable future. He deposits the cup next to his book and makes an impulsive decision.

"Sleep here tonight? With me, in case that wasn't clear."

There's no trace of annoyance now as she leans back, emotions flicking too fast over her face for him to pick up on the one that has her putting distance between them. It hurts, a little. Like a splinter. A metal, twisting splinter that he wasn't expecting and can't find the source of. 

"Astarion, no, that's not- you don't have to- it's fine. I'm serious. Tomorrow I'll be laughing about it with the others. You do not need to make it up to me. Not like that. I would never- I-"

He pulls her into a hug to shut her up and it works. It's only the third or fourth embrace they've shared and Astarion is still learning how to hold on to someone whilst letting himself be held up in return but Elizia is a willing teacher and a good one. He cradles her close, letting the seconds slip by as they wind their arms around each other, savouring the closeness. Her earrings are cold against his cheek, his fingers are forever moving slightly where they've inadvertently crept under her camp shirt. He breathes her in. Wood smoke and cheap soap and the intoxicating undertones of her blood. She is entirely different to anything he's ever had the chance to know. Anyone he's met. He has little doubt that even back then she wouldn't have let him get away with taking her to Cazador, not without weeks or months of seduction first. She's too smart. Too suspicious of the world and especially the people in it. 

He shivers involuntarily at the worn path his mind is beginning to tread and she takes it as a sign to let go but she doesn't retreat again. He brings a hand up, pausing before touching her chin to give as an offer instead of taking, she smiles and he tilts her into a kiss. The sweet kind she asks for at random times that he still hasn't cracked the pattern for. 

"I meant," he says quietly, their lips brushing still, "to sleep. Or just to pass the time. Whatever you wish, darling. But no watches, the others can handle it without you for one night."

She considers before nodding and looping her arms around his neck, foreheads pressed together. He sneaks one more kiss as an excuse to lick the blood from the corner of her mouth and she squirms, laughing slightly as she pushes him away. Then she realises what he was doing and the unimpressed stance is back. He shrugs innocently.

"Wouldn't want any more to go to waste," he reasons. 

She still stays and sleeps on his chest for half the night. 

Unlike anyone else in the whole realm, he thinks.

[cr1mson5returns]

Fic idea I'm tossing around...

So lemme know if you want it? Keep in mind I haven't read a comic book since 2011, so. This is pre-New 52 and anything that came after it. If that even matters anymore.

Tim hasn't been around for several days. Not on patrol, not at the manor, not at Wayne Tower, nowhere. In typical Bruce and Dick fashion, they barely notice - figure he's probably doing his own thing (he does do that a lot, these days) and he'll be back soon. He's terrible at returning messages when he's hyperfocused, and sometimes just ignores people when he doesn't have anything to say, so he'll get back to them when he's less busy than he is now.

Jason, seeing an opportunity, thinks to himself that somebody has to eat all the food in Tim's fridge. He lets himself in and the apartment is a fucking wreck. It's clear there's been a struggle here; the bathroom mirror is shattered, the kitchen table toppled over, broken glass all over the floor, the TV pierced by a few Batarangs, etc. Jason is instantly so angry at this entire family unit (but especially at himself for not even thinking to question Tim's absence) and he takes some pictures of the trashed apartment. Sends them along in a text to Dick, and then to Bruce. Says, "Maybe we oughta start looking for the kid??"

The trail is immediately cold. Tim's place isn't on the Bat-network of security systems (anymore) so Babs hits a firewall she's not comfortable trying to crack. She's not sure what happens if she breaches it; maybe nothing, maybe something weird, it's Tim, who knows? So they start trying to figure out what could've happened there and it's not entirely obvious. Dick starts up a list of enemies known to them who could want something with Tim. It's a long list, lots of work to be done. They have to split it up between them.

Tim, for his part, is not even in Gotham City anymore. He doesn't know exactly where he is, but that hardly matters to him. He's tired from a few days of too little sleep, hungry from running almost entirely on breakfast bars and the most ungodly concoction of caffeine ever created, and sore from recent injuries he didn't have the time to address properly. And besides all that, he's strapped to a chair in a dingy basement somewhere, no windows or light sources other than a single bulb over his head, and they're trying to break him. He hasn't broken out yet because the attack on his mind is exhausting and relentless. He's never met this particular psychic before - he's pretty sure, anyway - but they're pressing buttons, sensitive ones, and often. He thinks maybe it's been two days already. They comment on his strength, tell him it's impressive. "You'll break, though. Everyone does."

Tim holds out as long as he can, he really does. He shies away from the probing influence of another mind, poking at his defenses, trying to get him to crack. He doesn't know what information they want but they won't get it.

There's a laugh from somewhere behind him. Gentler than he expected, almost pitying. "Silly boy, I know everything I want to know." They bend down to whisper in his ear, hands on his shoulders, rubbing, almost soothing. "I just want you to relax a little. Have some fun."

Tim knows it's over the moment his guard slips a bit. Suddenly he's flooded, and it's warm and he's losing the tension in his muscles, leaning into the person's touch. And they know they have him now, and even as he feels his inhibitions falling away and their hold on him growing stronger, he's drawn even deeper by that invasive but enticing whisper (at his ear? in his mind? he doesn't know and doesn't care) that says, "Wouldn't it be nice, though? Just for them to see you as a threat for once."

It's been eight days since the last time anyone saw Tim and they get good news. Babs caught security footage from the penthouse at Wayne Tower. It's late at night, everyone is just going on patrol, and Tim's there, suited up. Looking for something, it seems. Relieved and a little cheerful, Nightwing volunteers to go fetch him. He lets Batman know he's in the penthouse, and Batman honestly isn't expecting the call for backup he gets less than five minutes later, Dick practically shouting on the other line for help.

The fight carries them very quickly out of the nearest window and Dick is good, these are the streets he's known for years, but he forgets sometimes Tim followed them without equipment and he doesn't think he can outrun his little brother. Tim's keeping up with every swing, every turn, every move to throw him off balance.

Jason gets there first. Fires some shots up into the air from a moving vehicle below, figures he can at least get Tim's attention or get him to stop. Dick comes over the line: "I don't see him anymore."

Tim crashes down on the hood of the car and before Jason can react there's a pipe swinging into the windshield, shattering it, and Tim's hand reaches through and jerks on the wheel and the car's crashing against the curb, up and over, into a storefront. Jason kicks at the door to open it and Tim is stalking toward him, fast, with this sinister little grin on his face like he's about to fuck Jason up. He's not sure what else to do so Jason flings a Batarang - watches as Tim smoothly catches it, reaction time still too slow to respond to the arc of Tim's arm as he throws it back and it sails back and into Jason's thigh.

Dick jumps down between them and has clearly given up on reason. Tim's not listening, anyway. Dick swings and connects with Tim's jaw, knocking him flat for a moment. Dick instantly feels a surge of guilt; he hit harder than he meant to, and he bends down to offer Tim a hand when he realizes that sinister grin is back. Tim bit his own tongue on the impact with the sidewalk, but he doesn't seem to care. Spits blood on the concrete and lunges again.

It takes almost everyone to bring him down and at least incapacitate him. When Tim is finally freed of the mind-control influence, everyone tries to bring his spirits up about it. "It's not a big deal, we know you didn't mean it."

Tim holds in what he wants to say. Slips out when it's midmorning and everyone's still asleep. Gets on the next plane out of Gotham and hides out in a safehouse the second he gets to Berlin. He tends to his own injuries there and doesn't have a phone or any way to be contacted, doesn't turn on a single computer or device that might let them know where he is. He doesn't want to tell them he meant it. That it wasn't that hard to be convinced to do all those things. He'd been hiding the more.....violent tendencies for a while, but under that influence, with the pain ebbing away and the tiredness subsiding, there was unbridled, unadulterated rage. They didn't respect him, they didn't care what happened to him, and maybe some of that feeling was the mind control but a lot of it was pent-up resentment and hurt. He kept it under wraps. Took it out on people who had nothing to do with their family, their problems. But he couldn't deny that sometimes, he really wished he wasn't so inclined to keep it quiet. And they cracked all his carefully constructed defenses, brought him into a part of himself he didn't want to think about, a part that liked it when people hit him like they meant it because it meant he could hit back with every ounce of his weight behind him. And Tim can throw his body weight around well, even when he hasn't been eating as much and sleeping as often. He thinks about how it felt to hurt his brothers, to really haul off and unload on everyone. He doesn't like that even with full control of himself restored, he still sort of feels....powerful for having done it. Like maybe now they'll see him differently, won't brush him aside as often.

Tim hides out for a while before he comes back to Gotham City.

[vegvisirsofthegalaxy]

[Holorecording] - The Ash of Love (IF route with Malavai Quinn- BE)

[This recording captures a tryst between Darth Merphis and Malavai Quinn, unfolding during the first night following Quinn's report for duty on the planet Iokath in service to the Empire. [Caution: Spoiler Alert - Do not proceed if you wish to avoid spoilers.]

[The door raps twice, a sharp interruption in the quietude that has enveloped Malavai Quinn for hours as he scrutinizes today's battlefield assessment. Before he can muster a response, the door swings open, its hinges protesting softly against the intrusion. A subtle frown etches across Quinn's features, persisting until his eyes meet the unexpected visitor— Merphis.]

"M-my lord…" Quinn's voice quivers uncontrollably, his fingers inadvertently crumpling the papers on his desk.

Their eyes lock, and in that charged moment, the world outside ceases to exist. "Captain Quinn... No, it should be, Major Quinn now. Congratulations on your long overdue promotion." Merphis murmurs, her voice a seductive whisper that stirs the very essence of Quinn's being.

"T-thank you my lord... I..." Quinn's heart pounds within his chest, its rhythm almost drowning out all other sounds, as he beholds Merphis slowly approaching him— the woman who has haunted him in his dreams relentlessly for the past six years. Every step she takes feels like a weight upon his soul, pulling him deeper into the abyss he once knew so intimately. "No... I mean... i-if it's the assessment report you require, it'll be shortly delivered to Commander Arn-nuan's office... in less than thirty minutes."

"Your diligence is noted, as expected. However, my purpose here extends beyond such matters..." Within seconds, Merphis has already reached Quinn's side, her fingers tracing the texture of the top of his chair before dropping down to trace the contours of his face, her touch a blend of possessiveness and longing that sends shivers down his spine. "Let's say... you've served the Alliance well today. Loyalty merits its reward." "Reward? My lord, you're... too kind." Quinn recoils as the sting of her touch ignites a blaze of conflicting emotions within him. "I... I don't deserve that..."

Suddenly, Merphis grabs Quinn's jaw, forcefully pulling him closer. Her eyes, pools of endless darkness, bear into his soul, searching for traces of the man she once loved. "Of course you don't. But do I appear to care about your opinion?" Merphis scoffs, her eyes ablaze with contempt as she leans in, their lips tantalizingly close but not yet touching. [Memories of their shared past flood Quinn's mind— whispers in the dark, promises of eternal devotion— now twist into shards of broken dreams.]

Quinn's breath catches in his throat, his voice a ragged whisper against her lips. "I'm sorry my lord... I... failed you... failed the Wrath... please... forgive me..." Quinn finds himself irresistibly drawn closer by Merphis' suffocating yet intoxicating presence, like a moth to the flame. His hands hesitate in the air before tentatively settling on her waist, caught between surrender and resistance. His voice trembles. "There hasn't gone a single day in the past six years... that I haven't regretted my folly. I've rehearsed thousands of apologies that I intended to say when we met again someday, but… once I truly saw you, my head simply became... empty..."

"Aw, look at how you revel in your sins, Quinn..." Merphis' lips curl into a chilling smile, her eyes gleaming with a fervor that borders on madness. "But forgiveness? No, my dear..." She purrs, her voice laced with honeyed poison. Her fingers teasingly trace a delicate path down his chest. "Why not show me how your sins consume you all, tearing down the walls of your reason and sanity?"

[With a desperate hunger, Quinn surges forward, deftly pulling Merphis onto his lap and pressing her between himself and the desk. Papers swirl through the air in a chaotic dance as his lips meet hers in a collision of passion and despair.]

"Ugh...!" Quinn's gasp mingles with a guttural moan as Merphis sinks her teeth into his quivering lips. The metallic taste of blood fills their mouths.

As their kiss deepens, Merphis' grip tightens, her nails digging into Quinn's neck. He winces, a mixture of pain and longing flickering in his eyes. With a trembling hand, he reaches out to caress Merphis' cheek, the contact a bittersweet reminder of the love they once shared. "Please... please... come back to me... Mav—"

[However, Quinn's plea halts midway as an invisible hand, cold and ruthless, seizes his throat with an unyielding grip, constricting his airways and freezing his words in his throat.]

"Don't you dare... call me by that name again...!" Merphis forcefully shoves him back into the chair, her movement harsh and commanding, her eyes ablaze with fury. "You are mine, Quinn. Not the other way around." She declares with a smile that defies both love and hatred, her whisper a haunting refrain that echoes through the depths of his soul. "No matter where you go, no matter what you do, you will always belong to me..." The room seems to darken further as Merphis leans in, her lips brushing against Quinn's ear...

"Embrace your destiny, as I have embraced mine."

[seaboundnovel]

I haven't written anything up in nearly a month I want to kms so I'm just gonna do key scenes instead of linear story since I'm terrible w writing mundane things rn so instead we'll focus on their first kiss

It's weeks after they both realise they have an attraction beyond physical between them but nothings been confirmed verbally, it's all lingering looks and touches a bit too long to be accidental

Raf doesn't want to say anything because he's trying to keep things professional, luca is a prince and prince's don't go with criminals, not to mention what could happen if the king found out

Luca hasn't said anything because he's rafs boss essentially, he doesn't want to make raf feel forced or that he owes him or anything, it's just all very complicated since he's never dealt w this before, any other suitors were promptly shut down once he'd see they only care for his status but w raf he makes him feel like a real person, he can forget his status and just talk to someone for a change and it's really nice

It's early evening when Luca's finally freed from another exhausting talk w the King, he heads to his room only to see that raf isn't there, odd. He checks the kitchen, the library and the main kitchen downstairs too where he's told that raf was out on the sparring grounds swiping at the dummies

When luca heads out he doesn't announce himself, he just watches quietly how raf moves w his sword, critiquing his lack of agility while he's at it. He stands there for a while just taking in the shape of the man before him, skin shining in the honeyed light

"Enjoying yourself?" luca is startled out of his trance by rafs question, his cheeks dusting lightly. "Your footwork is sloppy" is all he replies ignoring the initial question as he hops over the fence and goes towards the other "You just stomp around as you move, it's quite funny actually"

Raf rolls his eyes "I'm a big guy I've got a lot to move, which is more than I can say for you" he laughs while nudging Luca's shoulder "Think you can go against me?" "You know I can, you haven't been able to disarm me once, us going at it again is pointless" luca says as he shrugs even thought he gets into position to spar

Raf grins at that following the others example "Try me then pretty boy~", luca scoffs and lunges in.

My arse am I typing out in detail what this sword fight looks like rn I need to study this shit first idk homoerotic swordplay

Swords clash as they swipe at eachother before luca comes to a stop, breath heavy "Draw?" rafs sighs sounding exhausted and nods lowering his sword "Draw."

As luca let's his grip slacken rafs demeanour changes and he moves forward quicker than luca can react, he takes Luca's sword as his own before pulling the younger in towards him, sword drawn back to pierce the other as he leans in close. They both still. The only sound that can be heard is their heavy breaths

"You...you said draw..." luca mutters as he meets rafs eyes, gaze flicking down to the others mouth as they breathe "You should know to never trust a pirate" Raf replies lowly as he matches the others stare, this close he can see every freckle on Luca's cheeks, the flecks of gold in his eyes and he can feel the warmth under his palm on Luca's side.

Luca moves first, pushing up to kiss the other, raf drops the sword as he moves his hand to Luca's hips pulling him closer, he groans at the feeling of Luca's nails in his shoulders desperately trying to get closer

He open his mouth for the younger and feels like he's being eaten alive, he'd happily be Luca's feast. He leads luca to lean back against the fence as they break apart, he moves to kiss down his neck instead, earning a blissful sigh. It's not until he feels luca rut against him that he realises he moved his own thigh between the others legs, he suddenly remembers where they are and pulls away with a grunt

Luca whines in complaint and reaches out after the other, he opens his eyes to a very red faced and very turned on raf "We can't -" the warmth in Luca's chest disappears with 2 words, raf quickly realises and corrects himself "No no! I mean we can't here... I just got a bit carried away and forgot where we were for a second" he coughs, clearly embarrassed about his lack of control

Luca laughs at that before taking rafs hand in his, a smirk on his lips as he leans close to the tallers ear "How about we go wash up then hmm?~" he askd before bending down to pick up his sword again, backside brushing against rafs front which causes him to make a choked off sound, fists clenching

Luca fixes his sword back on his hip before turning away from the other "I'll see you upstairs." he says it like an order as he walks out of the grounds leaving raf in the dust

He watches luca disappear inside the castle Raf runs a hand down his face with a groan "This kid is out to kill me" he, of course, promptly follows after luca anyway.

Yes I may attempt to type up the bath scene after this but idk if I can put that on here in confidence lmaooo I wanna be super descript with their scenes, like there's no peen in ass action but there's fingers and mouths and just general homosexuality in action

[bi-bard]

I'm not your problem anymore, so who am I offending now? - Peter Parker Imagine (The Amazing Spider-Man)

Title: I'm not your problem anymore, so who am I offending now?

Pairing: Peter Parker (TASM) X Reader

Song Drawn: exile

Word Count: 872 words

Warning(s): yelling

Summary: After a rough break-up, (Y/n) was ready to move on. Fate decides differently.

Author's Note: I'd like to write for some other Andrew Garfield characters if anyone has any requests.

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

When I first spotted Peter, I wanted to hit him.

After what he had put me through, I was ready to fight him, even though I knew that I would never win the fight.

Peter and I had been together for a little over a year. I thought we were happy.

And then, he left.

I found a half-assed letter from him. It was a shitty explanation. It broke me. Completely.

I spent almost a week in my room.

It took me a few more months after that to finally try to find someone to go out with.

Peter was still everywhere I went. He was constantly saving the city. I never escaped him. Not really.

Now, I found a new guy that I really liked. The two of us went to dinner together. It was this restaurant that had an extra space to rent out for big events. I thought it was all going to be fine.

And then I saw Peter walk in.

I felt my blood boil.

He seemed shocked to see me.

He started walking over and I stood up abruptly, slightly scaring my date.

"I'll be back in a minute," I said. "I need some air."

He nodded at me, and I walked away.

I went to the other room in the restaurant.

I was pacing back and forth when the door opened. Peter popped his head inside.

"Go away," I snapped. "Right now."

"I... I know you're angry, but can we please talk-"

"We have nothing to talk about," I crossed my arms. "I'm on a date, Peter."

"What," his face scrunched up.

"Don't get judgmental with me. You don't get to do that."

"I'm just surprised that you moved on so fast," he shrugged. "Thought that there was more there."

"You left me," I shouted. "You don't get to be angry with me for moving on!"

"I never stopped loving you," Peter shouted back. "I was protecting you!"

"Oh, the great Spider-Man," I said sarcastically, "sacrificing so much for the people! Tell me, did you think about how long I spent sobbing in my room because I thought I wasn't good enough for you?"

Peter's eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

"You left and all I got was some half-assed letter saying that you couldn't be with me," I finally let the tears from my eyes. "Do you know how much that hurt? I thought you finally figured out that I wasn't good enough for you. That I was just a stepping stone for you."

I tried to blink back the rest of my tears.

"I was left completely alone," I sobbed. "No one was there for me. It took you moments to decide I wasn't enough."

"No," he shook his head. Peter reached forward and cupped the sides of my face. "No, no, no."

His forehead rested against mine. I put my hands on his sides, having every intention to shove him away from me. I couldn't. I just let him hold me there.

"You are the most perfect person I've ever known," he said quietly. His breath ran over my skin. It took me away from the rest of the world. "I couldn't let anything happen to you. I thought that leaving would keep you safe. But I've missed you. God, I missed you. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

My hands were shaking. I was struggling to hold back the sobs that wanted to escape.

"There hasn't been a moment that I haven't thought of you," he continued. "All I want is to be able to hold you again... lay with you again... kiss you again. I can't live without you. And I don't care about how long it takes. I will do anything to prove to you that I still love you."

"Peter," I whispered.

"What?"

"Kiss me," I felt pathetic the way I said it. I sounded completely desperate.

"A-Are you sure," he asked. His thumb drew small circles on my cheek.

"P-Please," I moved forward just a little bit.

Peter's lips touched mine gently. I slowly kissed him back and reached up to touch his hands. I missed this. Every moment of it. The intense feeling of intimacy made me want to crumble into his arms.

"I love you," he promised, not moving very far from my lips. He punctuated each word with a kiss. "I. love. you."

I barely pulled away, "I love you too, Peter."

"Can we try again," he asked. "Would that be possible?"

"I... I want to," I looked down. "I really do."

"You're scared."

I nodded.

"I understand," he stepped back. I grabbed his hand. He grinned. "Can I stay with you tonight? Just tonight?"

"What am I supposed to say to my date," I asked, looking to the door to the main room.

"That Spider-Man needs your help."

"I'm being serious, Peter," I muttered.

"Tell him you're tired."

"Meet me outside," I asked. He nodded. "Promise."

"I'll be there," he pecked my lips again. "No more running."

I let a smile form on my lips. I believed him. All I wanted was for him to be there. To feel loved and wanted.

All I could hope was that Peter could actually give that to me.

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

Masterlist

What I Write For

Request Guidelines

Musical Prompts

Small Moments With…

When Worlds Collide (Doctor Who Crossover Series) Masterlist

Some Original Characters

folklore/evermore Writing Challenge (and Masterlist)

[linkspooky]

The Hands that Will Save the League

In chapter 321 we're reminded once again of the reoccurring motif of hands reaching out to save someone in need, especially with the double spread close-up of Iida's hands reaching for Deku's hands. I couldn't help but think how this could apply to the league of villains. Hand symbolism has always been associated with Shigaraki (duh), both in the fact that his hands destroy everything they touched, and also his reason for being a villain stems from the fact that not a single hand reached out to save him that day. However, we've also had another character in the league with hands drawn up close and personal reaching out to save the others: spinner.

1. Just an Empty Cosplayer

I'm not the first one to make this observation. @codenamesazanka pointed this out long before me, especially in regards to Spinner's importance to the league, but basically, Spinner's role is that despite being a teenage mutant ninja turtle he's also the everyman of the league. He's not connected to the main conflict of the story by bloodline or legacy, the way Shigaraki, Dabi, and Compress are. He's not someone with an incredibly powerful or deviant quirk like Twice or Toga. He is a victim, but he doesn't have the elaborate villain backstories of Twice, Shigaraki, Dabi, and Toga.

He literally is just some guy with a lizard quirk. He has the weakest quirk in the league and the weakest reason for why he joined the league. Spinner faces societal abuse because of his quirk, but what spurred him to action was seeing Stain appear on TV, and a desire to be a less empty person than he was before. Spinner was pushed, he was rejected by society, but I would say as an inverse to the league who are driven by extraordinary circumstances, Spinner is basically an every man who drives himself to keep up with the rest of the league despite seemingly lacking everything "special" they have.

And I believe this every man quality, and this drive Spinner has is what's going to be the key to piecing the league back together. It's because Spinner sees himself as so far behind the rest of the league, and so much less special than they are, that he's driven to try to understand them.

Not only is Spinner a member who has tried to understand every member of the league in one way or another, Spinner is also someone who similiar to Sihgaraki foils every single character in the league despite just being an everyman.

2. Spinner and Toga

While Spinner and Toga may not have the same level of development to their interactions as Twice and Toga, Spinner reaches out to her once but not twice, and there are a lot of parallels you can draw between the characters.

Both Spinner and Toga joined the league for the same reason, an empty admiration for Stain, without really caring about Stain's ideals. Toga admires Stain because he's covered in blood and fighting for something and she wants to become more like the people she admires, Spinner because he saw himself as pathetic for hiding in his room all day and when he saw Stain taking a stand trying to change the whole world on his own he wanted to become that way too. Which means both of them have a tendency to want to become more like the people they admire, because their own sense of personal identity is so weak.

Himiko and Spinner both define themselves by the way society has rejected them. Spinner has internalized the idea that he's an empty person who can't accomplish anything on his own, every terrible thing other people said about him due to his heteromorph quirk he accepted it. At the same time, Toga was somebody born with a "dangerous quirk" who was told to repress it and then did that living under a fake identity as a normal school girl that would please her parents and the people around her for as long as she could. Both Toga and Spinner are taught by the society around them to be self-loathing and to repress themselves because of their quirks. They're also characters who are both defined by a desire for release.

When Spinner asks if Toga still wants to be in the league because of Stain and she responds, Now I wanna become everyone I love. Spinner comments, "You're so free."

Spinner and Toga both claim they joined the league because of love for another person, they both loved and admired some aspect of Stain, but their real reason for joining, or at least the reason they stay is that deep down both of them desire the freedom to be themselves. Toga wrapping her desires up in language like love for other people, and wanting to become them, is because deep down she believes because of her quirk there's no one who would accept her for herself, as the normal girl she believes she is, no one will let her live as Toga thus she tries to become other people. It's the same for Spinner, who believes he can't be anything other than the Lizard Freak, so he too tries to dress himself up and become a Stain Cosplayer. It's only through the league's acceptance that Toga and Spinner slowly begin to learn that they are good enough on their own, just as themselves, and their priorities begin to shift.

3. Spinner and Twice

Twice and Spinner have several backstory parallels already. They are both characters affected by poverty, Spinner lived in a backwater town plagued by old views of heteromorph quirks, Twice lost his parents and began working to support himself at a young age before becoming homeless. Spinner and Twice were also both labeled in a way that stuck with them, after Twice got a criminal charge in an accident on his permanent record he couldn't find another job after being labeled deviant. Spinner was labeled as a deviant because of his quirk and the idea that he's a lizard freak has always stuck with him the same way that Twice has internalized the idea that "bad people don't get saved."

They also both chose to isolate themselves because of the circumstances they faced. Twice's first response to homelessness was to decide to never trust anybody but himself, and he became a criminal who pulled off heists with only clones of himself as team members until that stopped working for him. Spinner's response was also to shut himself away in his room and become a NEET. They both cut themselves off to the society that labeled them as unacceptable, but in the process they also cut themselves off from other people and became unable to trust others.

While they have major backstory parallels, I believe the greatest parallel between them is going to be that Spinner will inherit that role that Twice had for the league. While Shigaraki is the leader, Twice more than anybody else believed the League to be a family, and encouraged everyone to be friendly with one another.

It's Twice more than anyone else who emphasizes the bond of the league, that they're all strays, that they need to take care of each other and save each other. It's Twice who urges Shigaraki to save Giran because he's one of them. He makes the unspoken bond of the league as a group of miscreants into a spoken one, because Twice wants those things, he's well aware of the fact that he wants trust and acceptance and came to the league to find those things. This is the greatest thing that ties Spinner and Twice's characters together, because they both view themselves as worthless, they define themselves by how they help the other members of the league.

Twice's death so far isn't something that has been really capitalized on by the plot, Hawks has yet to face consequences, we haven't gotten to see much of the league's reaction because they were scattered soon afterwards. However, if Twice's death is going to cause development eventually I believe it will be in the vacuum in the league created now that Twice is gone. There is no longer someone who is urging all of them to be together. Twice's death causes most of the league to become less stable. Toga goes on a killing spree, Dabi attacks Hawks, Compress tries to kill himself in a heroic sacrifice, Shigaraki hasn't gotten the chance to react yet but he's also gotten worse considering he's currently possessed. You could even say that Twice's death has caused other characters to double down on their worst habits.

Dabi's worst habit is that he acts separately from the league and refuses to participate in the group dynamic, believing himself to be a solo avenger. Dabi not trusting or telling the league what he was planning on doing with Hawks, as a consequence of his decision to play solo avenger, caused Twice to trust Hawks which led to his death. Hawks was the one who killed him but Dabi played a part, and when Twice dies Dabi obviously reacts to it, but also his decision is to double down on his bad habit, insisting he's only using the league and he doesn't care about the rest of the group. Toga also doubles down on her bad habit, she runs away from the rest of the league and insists she's only doing this for the freedom to do whatever she pleases, not because you know Twice got killed right in front of her. Compress's arc is less pronounced, but he also does, in fact, try to kill himself in a grand heroic sacrifice for the rest of the league.

When twice dies the league begins to fall apart and everyone acts on their individual worst flaws, ignoring that they were always stronger together as a group. However, there is still one person who wanted the exact same thing Twice did, to be trusted, to belong to a group. This is most likely the role that Spinner is going to grow to, someone who is trusted by everyone in the group.

Notably, when Toga is about to run away it's Spinner who reminds her that the league is a place for them to come back to. Toga who was probably the closest to Twice and spiraling the worst because of his death, and Toga and Twice's friendship was the first time we really saw how much of a "bond" the league had formed with one another, because in the camp arc they barely cooperated, only begrudgingly. It's Spinner who who emphasizes that even though everyone in the league is doing this for individualism "doing what they want" that they are also together as a group. Spinner is set to inherit Twice's role as the heart, because one he tries to understand other people in the league making the effort to reach out, and two Spinner is aware of what he wants just like Twice he wants to be trusted by the rest of the group.

4. Spinner and Dabi

This one is a little bit harder because Dabi's character arc really hasn't started yet. We have just now gotten to the reveal of who he is and what his motivations are, after it being a mystery for so long. However unlike the rest of the league, we haven't really seen how Dabi has reacted and changed by becoming a part of the group. Even if his motivation isn't "I'm only using them" and deep down he really does care, I don't think he's even realized yet that he does care or that he's not just using them. Dabi still believes himself to be alone, and therefore he's still isolated from the rest of the league and flying his revenge quest solo even though he's really not.

In that case, the biggest parallel between Spinner and Dabi is that they both had to be won over by the league. They both joined because of admiration for Stain, probably because Dabi genuinely believed in Stain's ideals of taking down impure heroes because it fit his own agenda so well, whereas Spinner is a self-proclaimed empty cosplayer.

Spinner, however, has already gone through an arc where he was dissatisfied with his reasons for joining the league and didn't believe he belonged with the rest of the group. He didn't have anything to love like Toga. He didn't know yet he wanted friends he could trust like Twice already did. He doesn't have a strong backstory motivation like Compress, or Dabi or even knows what he wants out of society. However, the entirety of MVA is Spinner letting himself be changed because of his interaction with the group.

Spinner failed at life, his quirk is worthless and only good for sticking to walls. He also internalized the idea that he himself was a failure, and locked himself inside believing he couldn't accomplish anything on his own. Spinner says he has nothing he loves, and nothing he wants to do. Not only that he feels unloved and unwanted. However, Spinner finds something to love in Shigaraki, even if he can't find a strong sense of individualism and still believes himself to be worthless he becomes motivated to help others. Spinner, the most normal person in the group with the most worthless quirk, becomes the greatest help to Shigaraki, basically once he gets over himself and his preconceived notions of himself. Because, you don't actually have to be a special person or have a strong quirk to be a hero, you have to reach out a hand.

The same way Spinner was won over by the League, Dabi has yet to be won over. However, if that does happen, it's probably going to look like Spinner's arc. Dabi antagonizes Spinner a lot, but they actually have more in common than they do differences. They both have failure quirks, while Dabi has an overwhelming fire quirk he wasn't allowed to use, Spinner is literally just a gecko. They both also were labeled as disappointments and given up on, Enji gave up on Touya, Spinner never had any potential from the start and locked himself away in his room. However, their paths so far have been opposites, Spinner let Shigaraki reach him and became a part of the group, Dabi at every possible opportunity insists he's doing this all alone. He takes every chance he can to separate himself from others. If Dabi's arc is going to be a mirror to Shoto's arc eventually, then someone has to reach him and convince him he can't do this all on his own, and Dabi can only truly find himself when he's part of the group once more. After all, so far Dabi is the one most resistant to change. Toga's goal has changed, Shigaraki's changed, Spinner has changed, even Compress now admits that while they're just a gang of thieves that he cares more about everyone else's dreams than his own. Dabi is still nursing a ten-year grudge against Endeavor and doing everything he can to take him down on his own because he hasn't let the group in. And he won't improve or change until he does let others in.

5. Spinner and Shigaraki

I love Compress but I'm skipping over him because his arc hasn't been elaborated on yet. If you want a quick summary though, both Spinner and Compress didn't believe the group to be anything more than a gathering of selfish criminals, however, both of them changed because they wanted to see Shigaraki's dream come true. Not only was Shigaraki the one who inspired both of them to change, but also Compress is the one who first sees how close Spinner is to Shigaraki more than anyone else in the group was.

He also sacrifices himself BECAUSE he's come to realize that what he wants more than his own dreams is to see everyone else's dreams come true. I know Compress's backstory is rushed as all hell, but it almost... almost... works because Compress isn't actually doing this because he's Oji Harima's grandson. His motivation changed a long time ago, he just didn't realize it until he was about to lose the league.

There are a few more parallels, they're both dropouts. It's implied that Compress was literally just a retired and failed stage magician before he decided to become a villain. Hopefully we'll become more on that later because the idea of Compress sucking in showbiz so he decided to follow his grandfather's legacy is really awesome. Spinner was a Neet before he saw Stain on television. They also both have more minor quirks, Compress just shrinks people, Spinner sticks to things. They both also are characters who don't seem important at first, but consistently hover around in the background constantly making sure everyone in the group is okay. Compress calls to check up on people, he talks to Dabi a lot, he tries to keep up with everybody in a melee, it's the little things he does that make Compress same for Spinner. They're both cosplaying as legendary villains who are greater than they are, Stein is cosplaying his grandfather, Spinner is cosplaying Stain, but it's unknown whether Compress really cares that much about his grandfather's ideals, I think he cares about the league more. Compress and Spinner are also people who question and try to understand things, Compress lectures the kids that they had their ideals handed down to them for adult, Compress realizes Spinner's importance to Shigaraki before Spinner even did, Compress and Spinner also both try to understand other people's dreams because they're lacking in their own. Spinner doesn't even have a dream, but he's the one who listened to Shigaraki's dream first.

Now it's been directly said by canon that Spinner and Shigaraki's connection is the most developed, and they are the closest to one another. By developed I mean, it changed over time, when it started out they had almost nothing to do with one another. Spinner was just a rank and file league member that Shigaraki used on the hideout raid. They didn't even get a character introduction scene like Shigarki did with Dabi and Toga.

However, Spinner and Shigaraki's characters are extremely closely tied together. Shigaraki's like the main character of the league, his backstories parallel everyone else's, including the main character of the entire story Deku. He's the one who makes the plans, goes through training arcs, he's the one who the league unites around. However, Spinner actually has all of that too. I just spent a very long time showing how Spinner despite not having an overly complicated backstory has strong parallels to everyone in the league. If Shigaraki is the main character, then Spinner is the everyman / the perspective character, hence why he's the narrator of MVA. Shigaraki is a person of extraordinary circumstance, the symbol of society's oppression who everyone in the league deepy relates to because he's suffered the same way that they have and he accepts them. Whereas, Spinner has suffered because of Hero Society too, he's more like a normal guy who makes an effort to understand everyone around him.

However, Deku wasn't saved by his love interest, or even his childhood friend who is apparently his destined rival, he was saved by Iida trying his best to keep up with him.

Spinner and Shigaraki are both the emotional core of the league in different ways. The league all respects Shigaraki, they rally around his ideas, his dreams are what inspire everybody. However, more and more it's looking like Spinner, ordinary, average, Spinner is working to build emotional connections to everyone in a much more normal way. He talks to Toga and tries to understand her love. He even consoles Toga when twice is gone. He challenges Shigaraki directly to his face. Compress who is always sort of watching the league in the background and checking up on them in little ways notices how hard that Spinner is trying to take care of Shigaraki.

Shigaraki accepts people at their worst and gives them a place to belong, but I think by Spinner's efforts to get to know and understand others, we as an audience are shown how humanizing of a presence that Spinner is on everyone else. Spinner, just being a normal guy, brings out the fact that the rest of the league despite their extraordinary circumstances are deep down just normal people to, who want to be loved normally, and live normally. Spinner literally wakes up Shigaraki, because he remembered the one time that he opened up in front of all of them, and cares enough to try to understand Shigaraki's hurt feelings and what he cares about.

If anything from the last arc in the manga, we're shown at great length, how understanding, reaching out, it all takes effort and it's not as flashy as defeating a villain or rescuing someone from a natural disaster.

Spinner is so important to Shigaraki, because while Shigaraki has given everyone in the group a place where they can be individuals, Shigaraki hasn't realized he himself can be an individual yet. He ultimately, shares the same character flaw as Deku. It's because he's decided that he's going to carry out his dreams for the sake of the league and to create a better future for them, that Shigaraki no longer cares what happens to himself, or about his own future. Everyone talks about Dabi's suicidal nature, but this is something that Shigaraki is challenged on over and over again. What are your motivations. What are your reasons. What do you want to accomplish. He always responds with nothing. There's nothing that he wants, there's nothing worth living for, he only wants to destroy and make a better world for the people who are around him. Shigaraki is the most thoroughly dehumanized character, to the point where he just straight up accepts "god of destruction" because that is at least an identity. Shigaraki needs Spinner and his normalizing influence, because Shigaraki can't see himself as a normal person.

Shigaraki shares the same character flaw as Deku, he does everything for the sake of others, with no regard to himself, which leads to extreme bouts of self-harming and fighting alone. Shigaraki faced off against Endeavor, and basically all the heroes alone even though he did call for backup. However, even before that Shigaraki made the decision to get dangerous risky surgery that would be like hell, because he believed deep down he wasn't good enough alone. Shigaraki just does not care about himself and is unable to see himself as an individual, which is exactly why he needs someone to care for him and see him that way.

Shigaraki's greatest challenge to date is that he's been dehumanized so thoroughly, and lost sight of himself to the point where he's lost even his own body autonomy. When Shigaraki is battling for possession of his body as AFO attempts to take total control and make him into a symbol again, denying him his personhood, we're set up directly with Spinner being the one who reminds us that Shigaraki is just a person, who likes video games, and gets along with his friends. It's Spinner who notices right away that AFO is different from Shigaraki and challenges him the same way that he challenged Shigaraki directly in the My VIllain Academia arc. This is all set up most likely, for Spinner being the one to reach out a hand the same way IIDA did, because what Shigaraki needs the most right now, is not a hero who will save him, but rather a normal person who will understand him and remind him that deep down he was just a normal kid too before all of this happened. What Shigaraki is most in need of is a hand that will reach out to him, and Spinner has already done this once putting Nana's hand back on his face when he couldn't wake up, but what he's failed to realize is that it's his own scaly lizard hands that should be doing the reaching out.

[myreygn]

moonshine

pair: oikawa tooru x reader

an: could technically be understood as fem!reader since they’re addressed with -chan, but there are no pronouns used and oikawa also calls iwaizumi iwa-chan, so ig it can be any gender you like

¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♫·¯·♪¸¸♩·¯·♬¸¸

if you know me and this blog, you might be a little confused. ‘i thought her rules said no x reader’, you might think, or ‘i thought she hated y/n’ and you’re absolutely right either way. HOWEVER. @duckymcdoorknob doesn’t hate y/n and since today is her birthday i decided to make an exception. yall hear me?? this is a one time thing!

anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DUCKY, i hope you’re having the most wonderful day and that you like this thingy here a little bit - you once made a post about your ideal self ship tropes and the one for oikawa said ‘brother’s best friend’, so lucky you has been assigned the sibling of iwaizumi hajime. as promised once upon a time, this is completely sfw and i tried my best to avoid any suggestive undertones whatsoever <3

wordcount: 1096

¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♫·¯·♪¸¸♩·¯·♬¸¸

The noise of the key in the door startles you a little – up until this point, you've been lying on the couch and scrolling through your phone in peace and quiet and you're not expecting any of your family members back until later this evening. As it turns out, your expectations aren't proven wrong.

“Hiya, (y/n)-chan!” Oikawa Tooru whistles and takes off his shoes before entering the living room. “How are you doing?”

“Fine.” He sits on the armchair next to the couch, his legs crossed, wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie – it's not really cold outside yet, but you've known this boy since he was four years old and if you've learned one thing about him, it's that he freezes to death at any temperature below the average summer weather. “Hajime's not here.”

“Oh, I know. He said I could wait here for him and make dinner while I'm already at it.”

You can't help it, you just have to giggle at the pout on his face. “Make dinner? You?”

“I know, right?! Iwa-chan should know better than anyone that I can't cook!”

“Maybe he just hasn't lost his belief in you yet.” You try to sound as serious as possible, though your barely contained laughter betrays you – Tooru is just too adorable pouting like that. “Or he wants to see you panic and then order takeout which you'll tell him is something you cooked so that he doesn't have to pay for dinner.”

Tooru gasps, a hand on his chest; “How could you say that?! I would never order food to make my friends believe that I cooked something for them!”

“You literally did that two weeks ago.”

“Liar!”

“For your information, no one fell for it.”

“Rude, (y/n)-chan!”

You laugh and lean over to pat his shoulder sympathetically. “Don't worry, Hajime told me that they were all just grateful that you didn't try for real and poison anyone.”

“Wow.” Tooru sniffles. “I can't believe it. Can you believe that?!”

“I can, actually. I like you a lot, but I've tasted your cooking and no, thank you.”

“As if your cooking was any better!”

“Hey, no need to get personal!” You sit up to properly look at him with furrowed eyebrows. “Also, I for one haven't almost burned down the kitchen yet!”

Tooru frowns and seems to think your words through for a second, then he shrugs and the tiniest bit of a smirk tugs at the corners of his mouth. “Touche.”

You can't help but stare a little. He's always been exceptionally pretty (which, unfortunately, he knew) and although you've spent most of your life successfully pretending to no feel drawn towards him whatsoever, that successful streak is now long over. You don't even know when your heart decided to finally submit to the crush you had on him.

Looking back at it now, you're pretty sure that it has kinda... always been there. Laughing at Tooru's jokes has always been easy. Having a chat with him has always been easy. It just... fit. And you can't remember at which point the realization hit for the life of you, but one day your heart stopped at the sight of the exact same smirk he's giving you right now-

“(y/n)-chan?” Tooru sounds mildly amused, but there is the tiniest bit of sincere concern in his voice – an honesty you know is reserved for people who are very close to him and the mere thought of being a part of this elusive circle makes your heart beat a little bit faster.

“Uh, yeah? Sorry, I just-”

“Drifted off?” He chuckles lightly, the concern is gone. “I could see that.”

You just nod, trying not to prompt him to continue this conversation about the whole thing even further, but of course it doesn't go as planned. That's the thing about Oikawa Tooru: things never go as planned. At least not as planned by people who were not Oikawa Tooru himself.

“Where did you drift off too?”

“H-huh?”

He slightly rolls his eyes, the smirk ever present on his lips. “What did you think about?”

You. “My homework.”

“So your homework has you smiling like an idiot?”

You scoff and lift your chin. “You'd be freaking out about it! We deal with space right now!”

It's almost comical how Tooru's eyes begin to sparkle immediately, a childlike, beaming grin spreading his lips and the joy clearly audible in his voice when he speaks; “Really?! Okay, I can see why you're smiling- what's your homework?! Do you need help?!”

You chuckle a little at his barely contained excitement, trying to ignore the butterflies in your stomach – studying with Oikawa Tooru, that's like a middle school dream come true. “Hmm, I don't know... I'm supposed to prepare a short PowerPoint about the moon, are you sure you can help me with that?”

“Yes!” His voice has risen an octave and it's the most adorable you've seen him in years. “Absolutely! I know everything there is to know about the moon! Please let me help you (y/n)-chan, pleasepleasepleaseplease-”

“Fine, alright!” You laugh, then put up your finger before he can thank you. “On one condition! You take back that I smile like an idiot! My smile is marvelous!”

He raises an eyebrow in surprise, then one of his own, rare, genuine smiles shows on his face and he leans forward to softly squeeze your hand, and if that doesn't make your breath hitch- “I take it back.” The warmth of his fingers disappears, instead he now widens his smile and the slightest bit of pink appears on his cheeks as he stands up. “Your smile is gorgeous. Now let's get going, Iwa-chan will be back in a bit.”

“Careful, Tooru,” you tease after you've cleared your head a little – gorgeous, he had called you gorgeous – “Hajime might think you're not even here for him.”

Tooru shrugs and grabs your wrist to pull you up from the couch. “Well, I'm not right now at least.” He flashes you another smile before averting his eyes in an almost shy manner. “It's actually pretty uncommon for me to be here for Iwa-chan exclusively.”

Before you can really comprehend what he just said, Tooru covers the slight blush on his cheeks with a flirty wink and pulls you with him to go to your room. “Now let's work on that assignment, 'kay moonshine?”

[megthemewlingquim]

someone new.

summary: there's an art to life's distractions.

pairing: eventual hades! loki x persephone! reader

warnings: implied smut, alcohol consumption

a/n: here it is, the first part of foreigner's god. as said in this fic's masterlist, these will not be chapters, but rather short stories and one shots that can be read separately or as one whole piece. it's up to you.

i plan to base each part off of one or two hozier songs. this is inspired by "someone new".

is there a right way to fall in love?

    that’s what loki asks himself every day — well, every night — when he spends his free time at bars and gatherings. populated widely with fellow gods, goddesses, and spirits of many colors and passions; these bars are perfect places to find someone new.

    being the god of death, however, puts loki at a bit of a disadvantage. yes, the stereotypes are, unfortunately, true. loki is dark, a little antisocial, and very quiet. beautiful in appearance — death is seductive, at least to the willing.

    ‘the willing’ being many a spirit, many a dryad or goddess or creature who wants bragging rights, or a little nightly thrill. ‘that’s right,’ they say, ‘i had a little dance with death last night.’

loki doesn’t mind the mornings when his temporary partners talk about the nights, but he always cringes when they mention that accursed french phrase — la petite mort. it’s a joke to them. a mockery.

   yet, they stay, and sometimes, they come back for another little death.

    the spirits and goddesses never make a big impact on him. he is with one for a night, then another for a night, and so on. he falls in love every day with someone new and it’s a bore. a bore and a drag.

    dark caresses don’t do much to numb the pain: the pain of loneliness and solitude. the ache in his heart is constant, tearing at his mind whenever it can. alcohol can't do much either — all gods have a very high tolerance. mead was made for them.

   so loki is left with no escape besides those that come from the willing. little deaths. they make him feel loved.

   no...

   no one loves death. some crave him. but they don't love him.

   that’s the common theme running through loki’s head every time he takes someone home with him, or goes upstairs with them to the top floors of the inns he’s at, where the bedrooms are. it’s a distraction.

   however, the cycle ends when, while pointlessly wandering around his usual bar, he sees someone new one night. you.

   you radiate this... this warmth that he’s never felt before. everyone around you seems to be affected by it too - they don’t treat you as the life of the party, but they do gravitate towards you like birds to a nest. 

    and you’re quite shy, but infectiously happy and cheerful. you’re so beautiful, with your bright eyes that he knows are wide and filled with wonder, and your lovely skin that he knows is so soft. and your smile that he knows is so comforting to all who see it.

   to everyone else, you feel like they’ve just wandered into a happy memory, or a sun-lit room that’s pleasantly warm and golden. you feel familiar. ordinary, but lovely all the same.

   to loki, you feel... feel like something he’s only experienced in dreams. so, really, he’s never felt it before in his immortal life: something warm and alive and... and anticipatory. like there’s new things about to come up to the surface — flowers, new animals, maybe. you give off a sense of... he can’t describe it well. a slow and joyful awakening something.

   and you also feel completely and utterly powerful. unstoppable. he’s terrified of you, and yet he’s drawn to you. you’re so fascinating, strange. not as if you could end the world, no, that’s his own job. but it’s as if you can bring the whole world to life, raise it back up again after the chaos fades.

   you feel like spring. like rebirth. like new life.

   and that’s when it hits him.

   persephone. he’s heard the name passed around before, but before now, he has never seen the face behind the name. something about this sparks some fear in him: how would persephone, goddess of spring, daughter of demeter, react to seeing anyone even remotely like himself?

   for a moment, he’s grateful that you’re not looking at him; you’re actually looking at the table, at the drink you’re sipping. there’s a look on your face that isn’t bored, nor afraid. maybe... observant.

   people are around you still. not crowding, but not interacting with you either. it’s like you have a bubble around you, keeping everyone from getting too close. maybe it’s your doing but maybe it’s theirs. honestly, you’d think that dryads and gods and goddesses and spirits of all forms and colors and subjects would be more accepting.

   he pities you. you seem lonely.

   loki takes a few steps forward, betraying his own fear. like the red sea, the crowd parts. some are bold and unafraid, and they give loki varying looks: disgusted, seductive, snarky. you don’t notice him until he sits down in front of you, at the other end of the table.

   “hi,” he says calmly. he manages a small smile. “you’re new here, aren’t you?”

   your eyes lift to lock with his own. immediately, you recoil just the slightest bit. he knows what you’re thinking: wait, that’s hades! god of death... wh-why is he talking to me?

   “it’s alright,” he soothes. “don’t worry. you’ve probably heard of all the stories: gods kidnapping and doing terrible things to goddesses and spirits and dryads. i’m not here to do any of that. i promise.”

   with a single, somewhat confused blink, you nod. “m-my mother has told me a lot about that stuff,” you say slowly, as if saying anything too revealing will somehow alert demeter and get you in trouble. “she’s... she’s terrified...”

   “what is she terrified of? that those terrible things might happen to you?”

   “yes,” you say. “she’s told me that she’s had nightmares in the past. specifically about you. how you’ll kidnap me and take me to hell to live with you.”

   he laughs at that - a rich, amused laugh that takes the shivers out of you. “that’s bullshit. overprotective mothers, yeah?”

   you shrug. “she loves me.”

   “and are you afraid of me, princess?” the last word is whispered. his voice extremely soft - it’s a curious question.

   he notices how you lick your lips. “no,” you say. he notices how your eyes flick all over him. “no, i’m not.” and you seem truthful.

   “smart girl,” he says with a grin. “i hate liars. there’s not a god on in the world that’s ever been truthful. well, besides jesus. yahweh. whatever you wanna call him.” loki leans back, crossing his hands behind his head and bringing his feet up to the table. “your father, though... he’s the worst of ‘em. having children with other women, including your mother, while hera has to sit by and watch, and then lying about it.”

   “we’re gods,” you say. “i'm not trying to justify things but... we’re far from perfect.”

   “damn right we are. we’re fucked up. good. we can agree on something. most days, people think us gods are... perfect things. role models. and, maybe some are. but not us. not the gods of olympus.”

   he pauses, takes a swig from a beer bottle that was not in his hand a few seconds ago. “i was wondering if you wanted to do what humans do.” loki winces at the awkwardness. “when they're... y'know. interested in someone.”

   “you're interested... in me?” you ask, incredulously.

   “yeah, i am.” one sip of beer has loosened his tongue. or maybe that's just his confidence soaring now. “maybe this hasn't been the best introduction to things but i would love to take you out sometime. show you things.”

   “my —” you swallow. “i'd get in trouble.” you shrink away just a bit.

   his smile fades and it's replaced with a sadder, more sincere look. “the best things in life have risk to them. it's time i show you that.”

   and really, he does feel sorry for you. it's your first time at a bar, you're lonely. no friends as far as he can tell. an overprotective goddess mother.

   “think of it this way. i think you're very pretty and i like your honesty. i would like to help you see the world, and to have a little fun, since your mother has obviously never let you do anything in your very, very long life.”

   “i'm twenty—one.”

   “and now i'm wondering if demeter actually has you tell people that, as if you're a teenage mortal.” loki shakes his head, disappointed. “that's pathetic. you're a bajillion years old. you're a goddess! you should be able to do whatever the fuck you want, right?”

   when there's no answer from you, he sighs. leans forward to sit normally, putting both of his elbows on the table and pointing his hands at you. “alright. i'll roll with it for now. you're twenty—one. i guess. you can drink. you can go out alone to bars and other places. you can meet new people. you're an adult. think about that.

   “so, again. i think you're very pretty and i wanna show you around. get to know you. would you like to do that with me?” he raises his eyebrows a little, waiting for a response.

   it's an eternity before you can win a battle in your mind. slowly, you nod, giving him a smile. “yeah,” you whisper. “yeah, i would. thank you.”

   “don't thank me just yet, sweetheart. i haven't shown you anything yet.” he gets up, pushes his chair in.

   before he leaves, he winks at you. “call me loki. it's... not as dreadful... as hades. and... what do i call you?”

   you say your name, your voice quiet.

   “much better than persephone, i think. it suits you. we'll keep in touch, ok?”

   “okay,” you say. butterflies are flying rapidly in your stomach.

   loki leaves you there. he'd much rather take you back to your home himself, but that would be too risky for the time being. for now, he walks out of that bar feeling like the king of the world.

[phloxmagpie]

I'm not sure whether this will be considered spoilers, but do you intend for Rio to follow the same path into crime as he does in Canon in Delinquents, or do you believe he will be influenced to choose a different path? I also like how Beth never judges or wishes Rio not to commit crimes; she just worries about his safety and wonders how she fits into his future plans.

Yeah, I didn't really want Beth to come off judgmental, but I think there's also an element where she can't accurately visualize where Rio's intended path might take him. Like, it's really just briefly touched on (because I do think Beth would actively avoid thinking about it as much as possible - queen of repression!) but I don't think Beth can actually, truly imagine Rio needing or choosing to use his gun. Frankly, tbh, at that stage in his life, I don't think Rio can either, although I think he's better prepared than Beth because of his proximity to Carlos. Right now the gun exists as a scary object in its potential, but there hasn't really been a reckoning with it, and so Beth and Rio both haven't really had to sit with how using the gun would feel in theory versus reality.

I really try to strike a balance between what I perceive to be a realistic viewpoint of what I think Beth and Rio would think and feel in these situations as teenagers and demonstrating that although they think one way, it's largely a result of them being fairly naive and inexperienced.

Like, Rio's sitting there in class thinking about how the crime pathway might give him the opportunity to buy Beth her dream house and start a life with her, but meanwhile Beth is stressed out over how it would feel to stay up in the middle of the night worrying, knowing it's not something she could ever truly shut off. That's not even grappling with how they see something like kids fitting into the equation (something that Delinquents!Beth really visualizes for her future).

All that's to say... (spoilers ahead)

I think in high school, Beth and Rio have two really different relationships with crime despite the fact that they're both participating in it, and I think that's reflected in early canon: Beth sees it as a means to an end, something she has to do to claw her way to the life she pictures for herself (which right now is very traditional - college - marriage - babies) while Rio sees it as something that gives him power and agency in a world that has often tried to deny him (and his family) that.

Beth hasn't known much stability inside of outside her relationship to poverty (her parents had a contentious marriage for a few years before her dad left) so when she looks at Dean's or Rio's families, she's very drawn to them as things representing safety and stability (Dean's) and love and comfort (Rio's). To her, that is a dream future, but it's not for Rio because he's watched his parents work jobs where other people look down on and demean them, leaving their parents exhausted and still barely able to pay the bills. Something that's upcoming, too, is Rio grappling with his family's money troubles a bit more and solidifying that he wants to feel like he has power and control in his own life in a way that he doesn't feel like his parents (or even Vanessa) do.

Because of this, I do intend that Rio follows the path to crime in the way that he wants currently in the Delinquents canon. He's extremely independently-minded and stubborn, and I don't see his goals being something he parts with easily (though I think some circumstances will make him at least consider it). And because I think through most of high school Rio is protected from severe consequences or realities, the fact that the benefits far outweigh the negatives is very influential on his decision. However, I also envision that it's not too long after high school where his involvement in it feels like a point of no return for him.

[lit-in-thy-heart]

i'd just like a to take a moment to talk about this gif

more specifically, the dynamic between merlin and gwaine.

warning: s5 finale spoilers

this is the episode where merlin has lost his magic and every time i see it i just want to cry. you can see that, to begin with, merlin is just standing back and assessing the situation -- like he always does -- to see where he can discreetly help. then the bandit comes towards him and he completely flips out (understandably).

initially he obviously backs away, but he doesn't cover his head until the very last second, and his scream is honestly chilling because i don't think merlin has ever been this vulnerable before and it's terrifying him. but he also doesn't call for gwaine until the very last moment. he sees that the bandit is getting up and pushing him back but it's not until the blow is about to be dealt that he screams for his love friend. there is still a part of him that hasn't processed he no longer has magic and cannot defend himself. (it also begs the question why the knights haven't given merlin some sort of weapon in the last ten years, unless they think he repels death or something, but anyway.) and does he hesitate because he doesn't want gwaine to be hurt in saving him? or is it that, in that moment, the belief that gwaine can protect him slips and that's why he cries out?

and merlin is definitely shaken by this encounter. it's excellent acting on colin's part to convey the sheer terror at merlin being unable to defend himself and potentially put gwaine at risk by being unable to do so. afterwards, you can see just how deeply he's breathing and just how stunned he actually is. it's the first time that he has had to entirely rely on someone else.

gwaine, though. maybe it's my merwaine brain going into overdrive, but he is making merlin a priority. you can see that he's clocked the bandit going for merlin and is actually moving to stop him before merlin shouts. he doesn't even properly dispose of the bandit he's dealing with in his desperation to get to merlin in time.

and when they first attack, he angles his body so it acts as a shield for merlin. of course, that doesn't really work out because he gets too drawn into combat with one which allows the the other to attack merlin, but he tries.

i don't know why but it's the last bit that really gets me. the whole i'll-stab-you-without-looking thing is just urgh perfection, but it's his consistent eye contact with merlin. gwaine's expression isn't the softest because he's killing someone, but you can see that he's keeping his eyes on merlin to check that he's alright. and almost like he's saying 'this is for them attacking you'. we will never know what his expression was when the camera flicks back to merlin, but it is highly likely that he's silently asking merlin if he's alright, given their Interaction in the next bit:

(please ignore the juddering text, it's the first time i've giffed dialogue and I'm still figuring out text and frames)

so there's quite a bit that i want to say about this moment.

first of all, merlin is avoiding eye contact when gwaine helps him up. is this because he's embarrassed at being so dependent on gwaine or is it because watching gwaine fight made him feel things that are not helpful to feel on the eve of battle? probably. gwaine has obviously fought and protected merlin before, but (as far as i recall) never has had to save him from a death blow. this is the first time in a long while (again, i might be wrong, feel free to correct me) that merlin owes his life to anyone but arthur, who is part of his destiny. lancelot saved him when they first met, but that was years ago. merlin isn't used to be indebted to someone who he isn't duty-bound to protect, and if he wanted to repay the debt then, currently, he'd have to wrangle it without magic.

(merlin's eyes also go to gwaine's left hand which makes me question what on earth that knight is doing out of shot.)

and gwaine isn't smiling for a start: you can tell that he is genuinely concerned about merlin. and it must be pretty unnerving for gwaine, as well. despite all arthur's comments about merlin being a coward, gwaine probably sees merlin as incredibly scrappy when it comes to survival. he's always thrown himself into dangerous situations without a moment's hesitation and never shown fear. so for merlin to scream for him so desperately (i wish gifs could convey tone because my heart honestly breaks) must be incredibly unsettling and gwaine instantly jumps to merlin being injured. and when he does smile, it's not in the (seemingly) self-assured manner that we're all used to, it's in a very tender manner, as if he's trying to reassure merlin.

'there's no need to thank me, merlin. it's the least i could do.'

merlin makes eye contact here. i appreciate that it's not wonderfully giffed to align, but when gwaine says the first part merlin looks up. he definitely looks surprised at the fact that gwaine says he doesn't need gratitude, almost as if he's shocked by the implication that gwaine would do something like that and not want recognition, if that makes sense? merlin has never once received a word of thanks for saving arthur, and to have gwaine say that he doesn't want it possibly strikes a chord in merlin. because merlin doesn't save arthur for the gratitude; he saves arthur because (in whichever context you perceive it) he loves him (yeah, it started off as destiny for a start, but he does obviously grow to love arthur). so. if gwaine doesn't want thanks...then that means he loves merlin (again, platonically or romantically, it works both ways). and, just like the 'not arthur' s3 moment, merlin is caught off guard by the concept that someone cares for him enough to risk their life for him without a moment's hesitation.

and then -- 'it's the least i could do'. what more would gwaine do for merlin? or is it, perhaps, that he has some inkling that merlin has also saved his life many times over, and just wants to do the same for him? does he perhaps suspect that merlin does have magic? this line hits me so hard because you can see how much he cares for merlin, and just how blind merlin is to it.

and then the touch. the touch on the arm that is very similar to the one arthur gives to merlin. the touch that serves as reassurance and affection and i actually can't talk about this further because i will explode.

to summarise this stream of consciousness, then:

when it comes to himself, merlin doesn't know when to ask for help, mainly because he has taught himself that his needs are secondary and he shouldn't require it. but gwaine knows exactly when to give it because merlin deserves it, and would give him the world on a plate if he could.

[robotslenderman]

*is predictable* Sascha and/or Ilias!

Sascha:

First impression

"Okay so this is the total fucking monster of the VTM universe, which is SAYING something."

Impression now

Woobie, destroyer of worlds

Favorite moment

I think anything that involves them being completely chilled out and snarky while everyone around them is losing their shit is very sexy of them.

Also "stop harassing the kine, Beckett."

Idea for a story

I really need to figure out what happens when they and Nastasya can't ignore each other in New York any more...

Unpopular opinion

There is no way in hell they didn't try to kill Ilias a few times post-Dracon, in the total and utter conviction that someone was imitating their lover at first. Ilias would be their Berserk Button, and they'd be totally convinced he's dead because they FELT him die. and then, later, out of sheer denial because they didn't want to admit that the real Ilias ever saw them as they have become.

Eventually they get over it, but in their darkest moments the paranoia comes back.

Favorite relationship

So this isn't a specific one but I love how in my headcanon the worst person in the world of darkness seems to surround themselves with the warmest and fuzziest ones.

Favorite headcanon

They are drawn to warm and fuzzy characters because they outsource their morals. They have none whatsoever nor do they want to, but they like the feeling of balance and stability that it brings them to hang around people who whack them with a rolled up newspaper every time they try to torture somebody.

Ilias cel Frumos

First impression

"Aww, he seems lovely - oh god he fucked WHO?? AAAAA HE MUST BE SECRETLY EVIL."

Impression now

Is not secretly evil.

Favorite moment

Any that involve him walking around naked and upsetting visitors.

Idea for a story

Never wrote this, but one for him trying to get in touch with Sascha's bloodline and finding them all wanting, until runs into the Vykosoviches and decides, "them. I like them."

Unpopular opinion

I REALLY don't know how to answer this without sounding like I'm Grimdarkifying him, but I'll try my best.

He was over a century old when he died, IIRC? No way he hasn't got some cunning or some ability to fight dirty. I don't mean that in the sense of going "he's secretly evil!" but like, dude spent some time with some quite notable Tzimisce back in the night. I see him as a sunny person who is much nicer than the average Kindred, sure. If you leave him alone he'll leave you alone.

But I also think he'd have to have considerable skill in how to get rid of people who DON'T leave him alone. I really don't think he'd be so innocent as to be totally useless if someone tries to mess with him, even before his death, otherwise he wouldn't have survived long enough to meet Sascha.

So basically - he's influential enough in New York that no doubt people HAVE tried to mess with him, and he absolutely keeps his ear to the ground enough that whenever anyone tries, he grabs them by the balls and twists, then smiles nicely and goes back to whatever he was doing before they bothered him. So long as they back off, they won't have a problem with him.

I just love the idea of someone with a crazy amount of power simply making the choice not to abuse it, but also not being afraid to rely on it if he has to.

Favorite relationship

I mean, their relationship with Sascha goes without saying, but I also haven't seen enough of him interacting with other people either as I didn't finish the novel. I do love seeing him with his "brother", though. Just whacking him with a rolled up newspaper for disemboweling Beckett that one time.

Favorite headcanon

Him now being a Methuselah who could curbstomp everyone and take New York whenever he wanted to, but simply chooses not to because he'd rather make his jewellery and antagonise Aisling Sturbridge than be in charge of anything ever in his life.

Also I like him being a fairy godmother figure to my Tzimisce coterie because they're descendants of Sascha who are much less psychopathic than the rest.

[pawsitivelymiraculous]

Le parfum de l'amour

This is the @maribat-secret-santa-2020 piece for @saltandfluff I am so sorry for being late!

Anyway, I will be using the quantic kids, but you don't necessary have to know them to understand this fic.

The only have to know that "Melodie" is Allegra's nickname.

Ao3

It was always a bad idea to try to mess with fate. Everyone knew this. Allegra knew this, but she didn't care. Not when it was taking a toll on her sanity.

There were only so many times a person could see two literal soulmates walk past each other before they decided to take matters into their own hands.

So that's what she did.

Or well, was going to do once she could convince her friends to help her out.

"I don't know, Mel." Allan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "These things take time you know? You cannot rush it." He glanced at the corkboard that was behind Allegra and winced, it was going to be impossible to talk her out of the crazy plan.

On the corkboard, there were two pictures. One was a selfie of Marinette Dupain-cheng. A twenty-year-old who was a regular at the café where Allegra and Claude worked at. After chatting with her in the mornings, Allegra decided to adopt the girl, and she introduced her to the rest of the group. She quickly became friends with Allan and surprisingly enough, with Felix as well.

The second picture was a rather blurry photo that was clearly taken from afar. You could sort of make out the image of Timothy Drake. The sleep-deprived twenty-one-year-old who had started going to the café for about a month. All the employees loved him because he never failed to amuse everyone with his half-asleep antics.

The one thing that both pictures had in common was a coffee cup.

On Marinette's collarbone, there was a small tattoo-like mark that looked like a coffee cup. The same one that was on Tim's wrist. Soul marks . Granted, they looked a bit plain compared to most people's soul marks, but in Allegra's eyes, they were the excuse she needed to get them together.

Allegra had shipped her two favorite customers long before she noticed their soul marks. But now that she knew they were soulmates . Well, she was not going to rest until they finally met.

"I'm not trying to rush things!" Allegra insisted. "I just want to push them in the right direction."

Allan looked at her, doubtful. "That's basically the same thing. Plus do actually think that," he squinted to read the list of plans that was tacked on the corkboard. "'Locking them inside a room with no escape' is merely pushing them in the right direction? 'Cause I think that sounds more like a hostage situation."

Allegra glared at him. "You know what? I don't need your help. Claude will help me. Right, Claude?"

Claude looked at her with wide eyes. "Oh no no no. Sorry Melodie but I can't."

"Uh, I'm sorry what?" Allegra blinked. It was very out of character for Claude to turn down the opportunity to help her with one of her elaborate plans. Not to mention that in this case, they were doing it to help Marinette.

"Allegra," he said solemnly, "this is a destiny thing. We just can't interfere."

Allegra facepalmed. "You can't be serious."

Claude looked at her dead in the eye. "If we interfere we might end up," he leaned towards  her and whispered " cursed"

"Oh give me a break." Allegra pushed Claude away. "Are you guys kidding me? This is Marinette we're talking about. You all can't possibly think that Marinette wouldn't want to meet her soulmate, and as her friends, we have to help her."

"I agree with Allegra."

Everyone spun around in surprise.

Felix rolled his eyes at his friends' incredulous expressions. "What? Marinette is my friend as well. Is it really that shocking that I want to see her happy?" The three of them nodded. He ignored them. "Besides, I've heard Marinette ramble about soulmates nonstop, so it's clear that meeting hers is what she would want."

Allegra was the first to react "See guys? Even Felix agrees with me!"

Felix huffed. "Yes, but I also think that your plans are ridiculous and ineffective."

"Ouch"

"I think the best thing we can do to help is to get them to interact and we-"

"That's literally what my plans are for!" Allegra interrupted.

Claude crossed his arms. "And what do you mean by 'we'? I haven't agreed to do anything."

Shooting both of them a glare, Felix continued. "- can do that without needing to kidnap them. We simply have to make it so that they have no other choice but to sit at the same table at the café. You all know how friendly Marinette is, it will only be a matter of time before they start talking."

There was a beat of silence.

"That… that might actually work," Allan admitted. "Soulmates are naturally drawn to each other so once they actually have a conversation we won't have to do anything else. They can figure out that they're soulmates by themselves." He paused and then chuckled. "We'll just have to push them in the right direction."

"But how are we going to get them in the café at the same time?" Allegra asked. "Tim always comes in right after Mari has left."

"Pft that's easy!" Claude exclaimed. "Just tell her that you need help with something and that you'll need for her to stay a while longer at the café. Since Mari doesn't have early classes on Wednesday she'll agree and- oh!" Claude suddenly slapped his hand over his mouth as his eyes widened with horror. "This does not mean that I'm helping." He mumbled from underneath his hand.

Allan laughed. "I think you just did."

"Looks like someone's going to end up cursed." Allegra singed songed. "Not even ladybug is going to be able to help you with that bad luck that's to come." She teased.

Claude pouted. "Haha, laugh all you want." He then looked up at the corkboard and grimaced. "But you're right, there's no turning back now. What do you need me to do?"

Allegra clapped her hands in glee.

"Okay so here's the plan."

~♡~♡~♡~

Just like Claude had predicted, it was incredibly easy to convince Marinette to stay at the café. All that was left to do was orchestrate everything just so that the two soulmates had to sit at the same table.

It was easier said than done but after enlisting more people to help out, they were able to make sure that the café was full for that morning.

Everything was going according to plan…

Until…

"WHERE. IS. TIM?"

Claude looked around. "He hasn't arrived yet?"

"No!" Allegra cried. She glanced down at her watch and winced. They were running out of time.

Claude frowned. "And you know, it would have been nice if Marinette hadn't chosen today to wear a turtleneck."

Allegra couldn't help but agree. Sure, Marinette looked amazing with the turtleneck and skirt outfit but did she really have to wear it today? When they needed for her to show off her soul mark?

It was like the universe was against them.

But finally, Allegra heard a tinkling sound at the door. She spun around praying that it was Tim.

And it was!

He looked more tired than usual as he stumbled around trying to find a seat.

Allegra watched as Tim danced around the tables that were being occupied just as he was about to take a seat.

One after the other until finally, a good push later, he ended up at Marinette's table.

~♡~♡~♡~

Tim was too tired to deal with this.

All he wanted was to sit down, have a couple of cups of coffee at his favorite coffee shop and finally be awake enough to continue investigating the moth guy.

But apparently, that was too much to ask because almost all the tables were full.

"Sorry man," Claude whispered as he guided a couple and motioned them to sit at the table that Tim had beelined for.

"Oh, actually I'm waiting for Adam." Felix had said when Tim asked if he could sit with him. Which was strange since Adam had said that he was waiting for Felix when he asked him.

But he could barely comprehend what they were saying, so he was not conscious enough to complain.

Tim continued on his journey when he felt someone push him from behind. In his half-asleep haze, Tim lunged at the chair that was in front of him hoping that it would break his fall.

It took him a few seconds to recover. He wanted nothing more than to pass out right then and there, splayed out on a coffee shop chair as everyone stared at him wondering if he was drunk.

He too wondered if he was drunk, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so if he was drunk, he was not going to figure it out on his own.

When he finally looked up, his eyes met with a pair of beautiful bluebell eyes.

~♡~♡~♡~

Marinette watched as a guy stumbled around the café until finally flopping onto the other chair at her table.

It was clear that he was sleep-deprived. She had seen enough videos that her evil friends had taken when she was in a similar state to know the poor guy probably hadn't slept at all for the last week or so.

Marinette wanted nothing more than to drag the guy to the nearest bed or couch and wrap him up in a bunch of blankets. Just because she didn't comprehend the term "self-care" for herself  didn't make Marinette any less of a "mom friend"

But she had to remind herself that she didn't know the guy, so it might be considered kidnapping to drag someone somewhere against their will.

Too bad.

The best she could do was offer him her own coffee.

"Hey, I think you need this more than I do at the moment." She said, pushing the drink his way as he stood up.

He mumbled something that could be interpreted as a "thank you" and eagerly took the drink. His eyes lit up when the heavenly liquid touched his tongue.

It was almost miraculous how quickly the caffeine took effect.

Actually, it was Marinette may or may not have mixed a little concoction she made with Tikki that helped her when she stayed up late with her regular coffee.

The guy blinked. "This. Is. Incredible."

Marinette laughed "Yeah, it's what I always get. Though you still look like you need to sleep."

"Yeah, yeah whatever." He waved her off. "But seriously, what is this called? I need a gallon of this."

"Sorry," Marinette said sheepishly "but I'm afraid that's a secret, you know, I'm kind of everyone's favorite, so I get the miracle coffee." Okay so that was a lie but what else could she say?

The guy pouted. Marinette had to admit that he looked adorable.

"Well, then I'm sure you can get me some then... um"

"Marinette."

"Ah, nice to meet you, coffee goddess, I'm Tim."

Marinette's cheeks heated up. "Uh, coffee goddess? Shouldn't they be the coffee gods and goddesses?" She pointed at Allegra, Claude, and the others.

"Nah, you have blessed me with this amazing coffee. Claude didn't even help me in my time of need."

"You know Claude?" Marinette asked, surprised.

"Yep, I've been coming here since I arrived in Paris, so I've gotten to know Allegra and Claude a bit."

"That's funny, I've never seen you. And I come here every day." Marinette said.

"Huh, that's weird. I've never seen you either. "

And from there they kept talking. Like they were old friends and not just acquaintances. Marinette found out that Tim had come from Gotham city. That he was in Paris because of business. Meanwhile, Tim learned that Marinette was an aspiring fashion designer and a college student who was close friends with almost everyone from the café.

Hours passed and the two were still deep in conversation completely oblivious to the crowd that had gathered behind the cafe's counter to watch the soulmates.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about this before." Adrien, who had arrived after Tim, whispered to his cousin.

"I was under the impression that your father needed your assistance for the upcoming fashion show. I was not about to ask my dear uncle Gabe if I could steal you so that we could set up our friend and his future competitor, Marinette Dupain-cheng, with her soulmate."

Adrien hated to admit that he had a point. "Fine, but can you at least catch me up to date? Who is he?"

"He's a rich guy from Gotham city. He's pretty cool though he's basically Marinette when it comes to coffee which is honestly kinda scary now that I'm seeing them interact." Allegra whispered.

Adrien looked down to look at her. "Alright, I guess I'm going to have to do my own research since you guys are useless. What's his job? Why is he rich? If his from Gotham then who knows, maybe this guy is actually dangerous and wants to take Marinette as ransom for-"

"Oh please Adrien, stop with your theatrics. Do you honestly think that I would allow this if he was dangerous?" Felix interrupted.

"I mean-"

Felix glared at him.

"No?"

Felix sighed. "Timothy Drake is Marinette's soulmate, and I can assure you that he's clean. So don't worry about Marinette."

Allegra shushed the cousins. "Guys, I'm trying to listen here you know?"

"Um, you could probably hear better from up here" Felix nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Adrien, but I don't want to risk Marinette seeing me and then remembering about time and stuff."

"Ah"

"Speaking of time, it's been years since I last ate, I'm hungry." Claude cut in.

"Claude! You're supposed to be with the customers!" Allegra whisper-shouted.

"Whoops."

~♡~♡~♡~

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Marinette eventually remembered the reason she had stayed in the cafe. Not only that but when she looked at her watch she realized that she was running late for class.

After Marinette's rushed exit, Tim went back to investigating Hawkmoth. But while they were trying to concentrate on their own thing. Marinette with her class and Tim with his research they found themselves zoning out and thinking about each other.

It was strange, they had quite literally just met.

Why had they made such an impact on each other?

~♡~♡~♡~

It wasn't until Marinette was getting ready to go to bed that she found the answer.

"Tikki is… is that what I think it is." Marinette's voice trembled as she stared at her reflection on the mirror.

Tikki gasped. "Oh Marinette, I think it is!"

Staring back at her was her soul mark, which no longer was a regular coffee cup but rather a gorgeous cup with beautiful red flowers that surrounded a somewhat familiar symbol.

"But, how? I mean they're not supposed to change… right? And why?" Marinette's eyes widened. "Does this mean that I met my soulmate? Who is it?"

Tikki giggled, "You seriously don't know?"

"Umm no? Should I?" Tikki continued to giggle as her holder looked at her confused. "Who is it Tikki?"

"Oh Marinette, how many new people did you meet today?"

"Uh, I don't know? I mean surely I must've passed by lots of strangers in the street." Marinette panicked. "Oh no Tikki! What if one of them is my soulmate? I'll never find out who they are!"

"So you don't remember meeting anyone else?"

"I don't think so, well other than ohhh- "

"Exactly"

~♡~♡~♡~

Tim could not believe what he was seeing. Gone was the plain coffee cup he was used to seeing, the daily reminder of the fact that he was still painfully single, it now had an intricate flower pattern that surrounded a symbol.

He recognized that symbol.

After weeks of researching and tailing the red Parisian heroine, he knew that it was the Ladybug symbol.

But why was it on his soul mark?

Unless…

No, the heroine couldn't be his soulmate, Tim hasn't even officially met her. Nor had he even seen her today.

The only blue-eyed girl he had met was Marinette.

Marinette  

No, it was impossible. Except it wasn't. Tim had only known the girl for a couple of hours, but he knew that  Marinette would make a great heroine or vigilante.

But, he… he was probably hallucinating, right? Tim hadn't slept for weeks, so surely he was just seeing things and his soul mark was still a plain coffee cup and the Marinette conclusion was just wishful thinking.

Right?

Because otherwise, his first meeting with his soulmate was him acting like a sleep-deprived zombie and Tim could not allow that.

Well, one thing was for sure, he really needed to get some sleep.

~♡~♡~♡~

Three days.

It took three days for Marinette to find Tim.

She looked everywhere. The coffee shop, Le Grand Paris Hotel, the tourist areas, and when she was ladybug she looked down from all the rooftops trying to find him.

But he had vanished, leaving Marinette worried sick that he had either A. Gone back to Gotham  B. Died or C. Been so horrified that she was his soulmate that he decided to move to a remote island and changed his name in hopes of never seeing her again.

Gosh, she was starting to sound like her fourteen-year-old self.

But finally, she saw him, sitting on a bench, not far from her own home, looking down at his wrist.

He looked at his wrist like it was some puzzle he needed to solve. Marinette also noticed that he looked a lot more refreshed, so he must've finally gotten some sleep.

Marinette cleared her throat. "Well, you've been a very hard person to find Mr. Drake."

Tim looked up. "Ma- Marinette!"

"We need to talk."

Tim nodded his mouth hanging wide open as he stared at her soul mark.  

"How do you feel about coffee? There's a coffee shop that's not very far from here, I hear their coffee is divine.

~♡~♡~♡~

Bonus:

(this was going to be a scene on the fic but I didn't know how to add it but it has important info sooo)

*They are at the coffee shop*

Marinette: So you're red robin.

Tim: And you're Ladybug

Marinette: Should I be worried? Like doesn't this compromise our secret identities?

*Claude and Allegra appear with some pastries*

Claude: Yooo Marinette! So you found your soulmate! Crazy right? We totally didn't have anything to do with it!

*Allegra elbows him*

Claude: So uh, congratulations! I um feel happy for you.

*looks nervously at Allegra who is glaring at him*

Claude: Bummer about the soul mark though…

*Allegra keeps glaring*

~♡~♡~♡~ Permanent tag list  ~♡~♡~♡~

Claude: What? It's just a plain white cup!

Bonus bonus:

(here's a bad doodle and my crappy handwriting)

(If you want to be added or removed please let me know!)

@charme-de-malchan, @theatreandcomicfreak, @m3owww, @elliebelliegirl, @genevieve-the-demonologist, @vixen-uchiha, @t1dwarrior-of-earth, @waffleyunsure, @technicallyburninggarden, @azuremayscarlet, @vroomtaka, @emimar7, @ichigorose, @maskedpainter, @art-is-hard-to-do-sorry

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

❛ HOTEL ROOM? ❜

with Angel Reyes.

Warnings: nsfw, brief smut described.

Word count: about 1.9k

Aurora says: this writing hasn't been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I'm sorry about that!

Gif credits: to the author.

Masterlist. You can subscribe to my broadcast list, to be notified whenever I post a writing!

It was a long day at the hospital and you didn't want to party. But it was EZ night, after being fully patched, and he begged you to go. Even if you know all the Mayans and have a good relationship with them, you feel totally out of place when your friend disappears. He said it was only for some minutes, but one hour has already passed and your drink is almost emptied. You could go home, but the problem is that your housemate asked you to have the house for her own tonight. Another Tinder date. So now, you're freezing because EZ kept your hoodie, sitting on the porch and not knowing where you are going to sleep tonight. Your last option? Search for a hotel room.

Heavily sighing you grab your phone from a pocket of your shorts, curling your body over the couch looking for some warmth. Typing over the screen, you wait for the results. Thirty dollars per night. EZ and Melissa are going to pay for that. Taking off your wallet from your bag, you hold your credit card to hire one room. At least, you will enjoy a good breakfast tomorrow. You don't notice Angel's presence until he asks you what you are doing. Turning your face towards him, you find the oldest Reyes with an arm on one of Vicki's girls shoulders. Mumbling nonsense words, you end up shrugging. If you tell him about your new adventure, he will scold you for not asking him first. But you're weak, and if you stay alone with him, you're going to screw up things between you two.

Before you can't stop him, Angel has grabbed your phone, leaving the girl in the background visibly annoyed. Licking your lips, he looks at you frowning. That look is also enough for the other woman to abandon the porch. Keeping your phone in his back pocket, he takes off his kutte holding it between his legs to offer you his hoodie. Puckering your lips ashamed, you take it to wear it. His smells almost dizzies you, closing the zip over your abdomen and your chest. The warmth of his body concentrated on the fabric comforts you more than anything, holding this time the hand in front of your eyes.

“C'mon, I will take you to my house”.

“You don't have to, Angel”. You whisper, even if you're really desiring it. “You can stay with that girl, and I can g—”.

“Nah”. He clicks his tongue, tangling your fingers with his. “I'm not gonna let you alone, as my shitty brother did”.

He's smirking at you, proud of saving the damsel in distress. Guiding you to his motorbike, he makes you wear on the helmet, assuring that it's tight grip under your chin. Putting away a lock of hair, sticking out by a side, he softly slaps the top of the helmet.

“Let's go, mami”.

The ride is shorter than you thought, clinged to his waist until the bike stops close to the building. Helping you to jump out of it, you follow Angel through the yard to the inside, going upstairs. You have been a lot of times in his house, but this time is different, because it's the first one you're alone. Standing up in the middle of the living room, the man goes to his room to come back a minute later carrying a shirt and a pair of short sweatpants.

“You can wear it, it will be more comfortable to sleep”.

“Thank you”. Whispering with a fleeting smile drawn on your lips, you hold it. “I can… sleep on the sofa”.

“Nah, bed is yours”. Shaking his head, he takes off his kutte to hang it on a chair.

That's not a good idea for you, covered by his smell and dying inside in the meantime. But you just nod, before leaving him to change your clothes. Once that you're ready, tying up your hair, you step out of his room with your new pajamas.

“Wanna beer?”

“Yeah, sure”.

“So, it's supposed that you were staying with EZ?” He asks then, opening the fridge to grab the drinks and sit with you on the sofa.

“It was supposed”. Giggling, you hold your beer to have a sip.

“A toast for my shitty lil brother boiling you”.

“Wow, that's rude!” You laugh, colliding slightly your bottle with his.

“Nah, enjoy our night. It's the first time we're alone, didn't know you?”

“Yes, I know”.

“Why? I mean, we were friends in our childhood. It's not like… you don't know me”. He sounds a little offended and confused.

“Ah… I don't know”. Putting away your gaze, you focus the moves of your fingers on the beer, shrugging somewhat nervous.

Yes, you know it. But you're not going to tell him.

“I always thought you were in love with me”. He laughs loud, shaking his head.

Your heart is jumping inside your chest, about to fly out and leave the earth's atmosphere. But when he finds you not laughing back, he almost chokes on his beer. With an incredulous gesture, he cleans his mouth with the back of his hand, licking his bottom lip. You're fucked. You just want to run away. From his house. From Santo Padre. From California. Maybe, from the United States. But he grabs your left wrist when you're about to get up.

“Are you…?” He mumbles surprised.

“Angel, I do—”.

“I thought you were just mad at me for something”. Now, the tone of his laugh turns to a happy one, confusing you. “Damn! I thought that maybe I did one of those comments that bothers you, and you just simply… kicked me out”.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to… make you feel like that”.

“So, are you actually in love with me?” Angel is still sounding surprised, putting both drinks away over the coffee table.

His ringed fingers grab your forearms making you kneel on the sofa, a little bit closer from his position. You can't barely breathe when he urges you to lie over his body, embracing you tightly as he places his whole anatomy on the sofa. Your pulse is about to stop, after speeding up too much.

“Do you wanna know a secret?”

“No…” You sob between laughs, covering your face with both hands.

He laughs louder, making his chest vibrate under yours. Turning both bodies on a side, he grabs again your wrist to discover your face. Your cheeks are burning. He's too close. Your back is stuck against the sofa and you two barely fit on it, but Angel looks comfy just like that.

“You were my crush on highschool”. He confesses chuckling, putting an arm under your neck.

“No, it's not true”.

“Yeah, it is. But I thought you and EZ were dating”.

“You think too much”. You mock him.

He nods with pursed lips.

“And didn't help at all”. Angel adds then, starting to caress your hair with soft gestures of his fingertips. Having a light deep breath, he places his head on the cushion. “So… what about you dating me?”

You have never heard him so nervous, always being so secure of himself around girls. And you can't even believe what he is asking you. Now, you're the one who feels secure, and he is the one dying inside.

“I've never had a girlfriend and I don't know what to do, but I'm sure about how many times I have to feed you and how many times I have to take you for a walk”.

“Angel, I'm not a dog!” Palming his chest, you almost roll on your back.

“You sure?” He jokes then, trying to hide the fact that you haven't answered his question yet and he's losing his calm.

“We can figure it out”. You finally say, nodding for a second.

He's smiling like a fool, using the hand on the back of your head to push you some inches closer, until your lips touch his. A soft kiss happening in the meantime that your fingers get intertwined on his shirt, and his free hand flies to your cheek. Your mouths molding perfectly, tasting the bitter mix of beer and your salivas. The pace of your heart feeling calmed, almost touching your noses when he tucks his tongue between your lips. Caressing it, you can't help but fit your body with his when his right arm surrounds tightly your waist. You don't know how many times you have dreamt with that kiss, but probably exactly as he has done.

Running out of air, Angel draws a path of wet kisses down to your jaw, sinking his face into the gap of your neck. His dense beard makes you some tickles, as his teeth getting dragged over your skin give you some soft shivers. You can't help but keep your eyes closed, biting your bottom lip while your fingers tighten the grip in his shirt. One of his hands, placed now on your ass, roams the back of your thigh to urge you to raise up your leg over his, settling himself almost under your body.

“Do you still want to sleep alone?” He whispers against your skin, bristling it with his warm breath.

“No”. You gasp unconsciously as soon as he starts to rock his hips with slow moves.

The hardness under his jeans is perfectly seated against your center, enjoying the friction his anatomy does to yours.

“Who you wanna sleep with, baby?” He asks, clearly teasing you, knowing how much he wants to hear it.

“I wanna sleep with my boyfriend”. You can feel the smile on his lips growing up, because his mouth is still pressed on your neck.

Sticking out his face from his hiding place, Angel kisses you again, turning you on your back. With him lying over you, his pelvis can go somewhat deeper into your legs, finally making you moan just with a simple move. The clothes are hindering you more than anything, but seems like he loves to play with you. And you're no one to ask him to stop, aren't you?

“Does mi preciosa novia want to be fucked by his amazing boyfriend?” His ringed fingers are nailed on your sides, securing you against the sofa, to thrust his hard rock to your needed pussy already wet for him.

“Yes, please…”

“Do you like how it sounds, ah?”

You just nod, feeling his right hand traveling down the fabric of the shirt, finding the waistband of the sweatpants. He doesn't lose time on sliding it under your clothes, grunting because of the heat flooding from your core. But he just caress your folds, impregnating his digits with your juices to bring it to his mouth. Barely gulping, you watch him sucking his own fingers and his eyes getting darker.

“You taste so fucking good, mi reina”. He gasps onto your lips.

And you don't need to be asked to. Gripping his wrist, you take his fingers into your mouth. Your lips closing around it and your head bowing up and down slowly. His orbs are glued on yours, as your tongue tastes his skin. Angel bites his bottom lip using his incisors, seeing how his Adam's apple moves in his throat by gulping his own saliva.

“Fuck my life…” He babbles, enraptured by the way your lips suck his fingers.

“Fuck me, Angel”. You correct him, looking now for his mouth.

[writer-dreams]

Colors (Draco Malfoy X Reader)

I'll be honest, I've had this one fully written since last week. I've just been very nervous to post it because the ending is so bad 😅. I haven't been sure how to fix it and I've re-written it several times. This fic is definitely rushed but hey, it's a one-shot (and I wanted to try writing something short and sweet for once). This is still part of the Cliche Month Challenge by @wreckofawriter (sorry this was so late). I've finally gained enough courage to post it and I hope you enjoy this messy fic.

Prompt: An AU where you can only see the shades of your soulmate's eyes until you first touch.

House: You choose

Blood Status: You choose

Warnings: Possible swearing

Note: Again, very messy. Not sure I like this one too much. The reader in this story is female / uses female pronouns.

Word Count: 1,694 words

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

3rd Person POV

Y/n opened her eyes to see the world was still the same shade of steel grey. She longed to know what the world truly looked like, to see actual colors other than this grey. When she was younger, she was ecstatic to learn that someone out there was destined to be with her. She used to fantasize about meeting her soulmate, seeing in color and her falling in love. She imagined what her soulmate would look like, what their personality was like, their likes and dislikes.

Now, as she grew older, she began to develop fears. What if they didn't like her? Even if the universe had put them together, there was still a chance they could reject her. What if she didn't like them? She never considered herself to be a picky person, especially when it came to love, but that didn't mean that they couldn't have a horrible personality. All of her friends have already met with their soulmates, and it did seem like they matched each other perfectly. They always talked about how beautiful the world was and how they couldn't wait until she could see the colors too.

She snapped out of her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she walked off to the courtyard, hoping a good book could distract her from the whole soulmate situation.

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

Y/n wasn't sure how much time had passed when she finally finished her book. A few hours, at least. She looked around the courtyard, seeing that she was the only one there. She sighed, deciding to go back inside. Y/n looked at the sky, dreaming about the day she could finally see the blue sky her friends talked about. She wondered how beautiful the night sky looked when it was in full color, how pretty a sunset could be. Yet, all she could see was grey. She was almost at the point where she would begin to resent the color. Still, she remained patient, still trying to hold on to the small shred of hope that she would someday meet the one.

On her way in, she bumped into someone rather harshly. The two fell back, Y/n closing her eyes and rubbing her head gently from where it hit the ground. When she opened her eyes, her mind was blown as suddenly, she could see the world in color. Amazed, Y/n slowly took in her surroundings, admiring the green grass and the blue sky. She looked at the bark of the trees, the castle, the white fluffy clouds. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she slowly let it all sink in. She could see, she could finally see! It was all so much more beautiful than she could have ever imagined.

The boy in front of her got up with a groan. In her dazed state, Y/n had almost forgotten about him. She looked back at him to see platinum blonde hair and grey eyes looking back at her. Her face immediately became shocked as she recognized that familiar face, those eyebrows, those thin lips, those sharp cheekbones. Draco Malfoy.

Said boy looked back at her with the same shocked eyes. He glanced quickly around him, an astonished expression on his face. His grey eyes landed back on her, almost in disbelief.

"You're my—" They both whispered.

Y/n couldn't do this. Even when he didn't know they were soulmates, Draco Malfoy was a bigoted twat. How could the universe possibly pair her up with him? Y/n shook her head, before she got up and quickly retreated to her dormitory. She could hear Draco calling after her but she ignored him and simply kept running.

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

When she arrived, most of her friends were already there, talking amongst each other on their beds. At the sound of the door opening, they all turned their heads and greeted her. Y/n still couldn't believe that she could see in color because of Draco Malfoy. Now, she could see the color or her friend's hairs and their eyes. She turned to a mirror and examined her reflection, playing with her (h/c) hair. She could see that she had (e/c) eyes, which was so surprising, considering that she had only seen a grey version of herself for years.

"Hey, Y/n! I just want you to know that you're beautiful and you better not be saying bad things about yourself to that mirror!" (F/n) said.

"I'm not....I just...."

"You'll find your soulmate eventually, Y/n. Then you can finally see how pretty you are." Another friend reassured.

Y/n smiled back at her, not sure if she should tell her friends that she met them and that it was the worst possible matchup ever. She decided against it, telling herself that the universe had made a mistake. There was no way that Malfoy was her soulmate, she refused to believe it.

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

Almost a week had passed after that incident and Y/n was still avoiding Draco. She could see him trying to reach out to her but she would quickly lose him in the crowded hallways. Everyday, every hour, she was playing a game of avoidance cat and mouse. She had gotten pretty good at it too, swiftly navigating her way through all the students.

Today was just another one of those days. There she was again, quickly walking through the crowds, afraid that she would see Malfoy and have to talk to him. Luckily for her, she managed to make it to class without running into him. She settled into her seat next to her friends, who were quietly gossiping to each other.

"Malfoy's been pretty quiet lately. Hasn't been taunting Potter or anything. He's not even picking on any first years."

"Maybe Dumbledore's finally had enough of his behaviour. Or maybe his father threatened to ground him or something."

Y/n stayed silent, listening in to their conversation. Great, even if she could physically escape Malfoy, he was still there in conversation. It really seemed like the universe was insistent that it was right with this pairing.

"Could you guys stop talking about Malfoy? He's old news anyway. Who cares if he's not bullying anyone for once? Maybe he's actually become a decent person." Y/n snapped.

Her friends looked at each other. "What's gotten you so riled up? You care about him or something?"

"Nothing. I just don't wanna hear about him. Let's just focus on the class, okay?"

Her friends nodded slowly, looking at her suspiciously before they changed the topic of their conversation. Why did she defend him? Everyone, including her, knew that he was a prat and that wasn't changing. Y/n sighed quietly, feeling frustrated. Another thing she had kept to herself was a feeling of longing for the blonde male. He appeared in her dreams like a prince offering to sweep her off her feet. She'd feel drawn to him when she saw him in the hallways, even when she forced herself to stay away from him. Y/n was afraid as to what it could mean, she couldn't accept the truth.

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

After classes ended, she continued through her usual route back to her dormitory. Unfortunately for her, Draco Malfoy was waiting for her right at the entrance. She quickly turned to try and make a getaway but he grabbed her arm.

"Wait. L/n, can we please talk?"

"What's there to talk about?" Y/n asked coldly, even when her heart fluttered at his touch.

"Just, come with me." Draco began pulling her away as Y/n rolled her eyes and allowed him to drag her.

He took her to an empty hallway, where he finally let her go. Y/n looked at him expectantly, putting her hands on her hips. She knew this was coming, there was no avoiding it, especially when the universe constantly pushed them together. The universe can rot in hell.

"So...we both know that we're.....soulmates. Why do you avoid it?" He sounded hurt, and Y/n's heart ached at the thought of that.

"Because, you're Draco Malfoy. You bully Potter and practically everyone else in this school. All you care about is blood status, the Slytherin house, and impressing your arsehole daddy. You're a spoiled brat who acts like you're entitled to everything, and I refuse to be one of those things just because I'm your 'soulmate'." Y/n growled at him.

He seemed to take everything she said into consideration, which was extremely out of character for him. "I can change, Y/n. I can change for you. In fact, I already have. Haven't you noticed how silent I've been? It's been the talk of the school this entire week." He said, desperately. Y/n wondered why he was so persistent, why did he continuously chase her, even when she actively ran away?

"You feel it too, don't you? A pull to me, like a bond?" Draco asked, watching her carefully. Y/n didn't answer but her silence gave her away. "I feel it too. I see you in my dreams and Merlin, I feel my heart race when I see you. I know you think this is a mistake, but the universe doesn't make mistakes. I love you, Y/n. Just give me a chance to prove it." Draco took her hand softly.

Y/n felt it. Some sort of invisible bond tying her to him. The universe had her in its clutches and it would not let her go. She felt her heart tighten and she sighed. What could it hurt to try? Clearly, the universe wasn't giving up on this and maybe there was a good reason for that. She remembered that feeling of longing for the Slytherin boy and bit her lip.

Damn it all.

She took Draco's face and smashed her lips against his. It felt like everything clicked into place as he held her face and kissed back. His lips fit perfectly against hers and she could feel the world around them stop. It was as if the universe was satisfied with its work and was allowing them to enjoy their moment. She pulled away and opened her eyes, the colors around her seemingly more vibrant than before. Draco looked at her with the widest smile on his face.

"I'll take that as a yes?" He chuckled.

"Don't make me regret it, soulmate." Y/n smiled back.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Permanent Taglist (if your name is crossed out, I couldn't tag you for some reason):

@my-name-is-jazzy-x

**********************************************

Thank you so much for reading! This was pretty hard to write (I guess I'm not that good at soulmate AU's yet 😅). I hope it wasn't too horrible to read. Yes, I am still working on requests while I'm writing these things (I promise). Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Until next time.

-Jade

[kalee60]

@larkboyd Larissa! I'm sorry you're having a really crappy, awful day! I get you, I honestly do, the last few weeks have been really... Well... trying is probably a polite way of putting it.

So therefore in response to your cry for a distraction and a little care and love - I present you with this little one-shot - I quickly threw it together in the last hour so apologies for any mistakes.

I hope your day gets better and that when you get home tonight you can relax, put your feet up and remember that even though we are all on opposite sides of the world @darter-blue @iamsherlockedondoctorwho and me (plus so many more) are always there for you 😘

Enjoy this Merthur fic made just for you!

*~*~*~*~*~*

Merlin sighed heavily as he hung his coat over the back of his chair, seeing that he was the only one in the lab's office once again. Frustration didn't even begin to cover it, especially when his phone started to ring almost immediately. 

Eyeing the most hated piece of technology on his desk critically, Merlin tried to work out telepathically if he could figure out who was calling.

A rap on the partition window between his office and the next made him jump. Gaius was staring directly at him, giving him the Eyebrow of Contempt, a phone to his ear and pointing towards Merlin's, which hadn't ceased it's relentless mating call.

"Welcome to Camelot Labs, this is -"

"- Merlin you fool, it's me."

Merlin looked up to see Gaius run a hand over his face tightly, oh right. Maybe he shouldn't have gone out the evening before.

"Were you at the tavern again last night, are you still drunk?"

Looking heavenward, Merlin finally sat down, booting his computer up and wedging the phone between his ear and shoulder.

"It's called a pub, Gaius, and what do you need, I'm extremely busy." He proceeded to place each of his three coloured pens (blue, black and red) neatly next to his blank notepad, adjusted his takeaway coffee so the pattern on the cup faced him, then picked up the red pen and wrote his name with a flourish on top of the page. The heart over the I, probably the best one he'd ever drawn.

"You're on your own today."

"What?" Merlin yelled, dropping the phone to glare at his boss who just shrugged in return, the Eyebrow suddenly looking a little more friendly in the presence of Merlin's plight. He picked up the god awful device to exclaim hotly, "You can't do that to me! I can't hold the fort down by myself, take all these calls, I'm not a wizard that can magically conjure a second Merlin."

Gaius did not look impressed at his sarcasm, Merlin grumbled some more and took a long pull off his coffee. It ceased to satisfy.

"I'm trying to get one of the boys from marketing down here to help."

"Oh no, no you don't. This is why you're calling me through the window? Isn't it? You're too scared to stand before me and tell me - I'm telling you, you can't send me one of those lunk-heads, those clotpoles who wouldn't know their arse from their -"

"- their what Merlin?"

"Gaius no!" But Merlin was speaking to nothing, Gaius had hung up and was suddenly nowhere to be seen. Gritting his teeth, Merlin spun around to watch Arthur fucking Pendragon walk over and put his bag down at the desk… the desk right. Next. To. Merlin.

He wasn't having it. Arthur was the biggest douche to walk the hallways of Camelot, always pushing Merlin's buttons in meetings, and generally acting like a Prince holding court. It didn't help that his father Uther ran the company.

"And what brings you down to the bowels of the Camelot Labs?" Merlin snarked, then opened up his emails only to see a hundred new ones. Oh god, his day was over and it hasn't even begun.

"Gaius said you needed help, so here I am. I can go if you like."

Merlin gave Arthur the side eye, "can you read reporting figures to let departments know their results?"

Arthur nodded and sat his coffee cup down, seeing that it was from the same place Merlin bought his. Huh, maybe his taste wasn't that awful.

"Can you use the online filing system for collections and batch records?"

The nod came again, while Merlin watched Arthur place two pens either side of his notepad. Rookie. He wouldn't be lending his red pen out, even if Arthur begged. And that was not an image Merlin needed to see in his mind. Arthur on his knees, walking towards him… begging and naked.

"Fuck," Merlin exclaimed, noting how Arthur raised a brow sardonically at him. "Can you use a phone?"

"Can I use a… really? Look, just tell me what you need me to do and I'll do it. And don't be a dick about it."

Scowling, Merlin quickly showed Arthur the phone, the programs and what he needed done. He ignored the crisp, woodsy scent that clung to Arthur's skin as he leant over him, and he most definitely ignored when Arthur's arm brushed against his then left it pressed there, for almost a minute. Not that Merlin was counting.

Yes, Arthur was helping, and it was much better than being there alone, but Merlin, although very vocally did not like Arthur, had always found him unfairly attractive. And that set him on edge, made him feel itchy under his skin, knowing that Arthur, who was basically royalty on the London scene wouldn't even look twice at someone like him. So it was much easier to be an arse.

Four hours into their forced working conditions, Merlin had to admit that Arthur was actually more of a help than a hindrance. And it grated his nerves.

"Maybe next time, you should write the batch into the system before you give out the results."

Arthur's brows were in his hairline as he turned to face Merlin, and he felt a flush rise up his cheeks, it honestly didn't matter the order you did it in, but he had to say something.

"You really don't like me do you?"

The retort died on his tongue when he realised Arthur was serious.

"Err, well, it's not exactly that, I actually think you're -" his phone rang, thankfully halting anything else he might blurt out unintended. 

A few minutes later he was off the phone and typing again, lost in calculations and figures when he heard the chair next to him roll over the floor, and it didn't stop.

Startled he looked up into bright blue eyes, eyes that were only a few inches away.

"You were saying?"

Merlin's cheeks filled once more and he couldn't help the small gulp, audible in the quiet lab. Oh god.

"I was saying that I think you're a complete arse, " Arthur's eyes narrowed at his words, "but if you had a red pen, and stopped taking mine, I'd actually admit you've been a huge help today."

Arthur's face transformed into a grin and Merlin couldn't help mirror it, having never been on the receiving end of it before, or had he, and he'd just blocked it out? But Arthur was still too close, within touching distance and as if realising it for the first time as well, Arthur ducked his head, before looking up again.

"Can I buy you a drink after work, Merlin?"

Startled, Merlin floundered for a moment, uncertain what was happening and why Arthur Pendragon was asking a lab tech out.

"With you?"

Arthur's laugh was deep and fond, another anomaly, "yes with me. I thought you were smart?"

"I am, thank you very much, ask anyone and they'll tell you that I can -"

"- no Merlin, I meant I've been flirting with you for months and you've completely missed it, haven't you?"

Merlin's mouth was agape, he knew it, Arthur knew it, and he snapped it shut. Arthur thought he was...? He wanted to go for drinks and...?

"I'm taking that as a yes on both counts."

"My god you're arrogant..." Merlin started but faltered when Arthur grinned broadly at him.

And feeling off balance wasn't something Merlin relished and as Arthur started to wheel his way back to his desk, he reached out, fingers tangling in the collar of Arthur's shirt and yanked him back. The wheels squealing on the floor.

Falling forward he pressed his lips against Arthur's, feeling the shock run through the other man's body, and Merlin smirked until Arthur's hand came up to cup his cheek, thumb running over the skin softly, reverently then pushed forward into the kiss. Oh. He'd not expected the feel of tongue against his, the slip of their lips as they deepened the kiss, nor hear the small unbidden moan falling from Merlin's throat.

It was the sweetest and most perfect first kiss he'd ever received.

"Well that shut you up for a minute." 

Well it was until Arthur spoke. "One drink, that's all you get Pendragon."

And with a conceited smirk that hit Merlin directly in the guts, and a push of his chair, Arthur put his headset back on and looked Merlin directly in the eye.

"Perfect, I like my coffee black in the morning, preferably before I get out of bed."

And Merlin could do nothing but snort and shake his head fondly as he answered his phone, greeting the person on the other end brightly, holding Arthur's blue sparkling eyes in his gaze. Maybe it wasn't going to be such a terrible day after all.