#I want to make it clear I'm not blaming Steven for this - it just felt a little tone deaf to have him say that

[acespeon]

now that I've rewatched the video, I still stand by what I said earlier, because in this economy, $5.99USD/$9.63AUD might be the price of someone's next meal. It might be all they can afford for this or that medication. Or their bus fare to a job interview.

just. maybe y'all shouldn't have had the guy who drives a Tesla and eats edible gold and dishes worth over $1k say everyone can afford it

[madlittlecriminal]

Steven virgin anon here :) I thought about the same scenario so virgin reader with Steven but all of the other versions sound great too so just write whatever you find the most inspiring ;)

Blame the Glasses ☾ Steven Grant × Virgin!Female!Reader

Warnings: one mention of jake, steven with glasses deserves a warning, smut, oral (fem receiving), protected p in v, aftercare

Steven knew before you told him, but that was simply because of the way you reacted the one time he rested his hand on your thigh before kissing you about two months; you were a stuttering mess and that's how he was four years ago.

Now here you were, three years of friendship and out of the three, you have one year as a couple.

So, when you told him last month, he told you it was fine and there was nothing to worry about or be ashamed of and that he suspected it before you told him. However, he would be lying if he said he never thought about being your first because the thought crossed his mind once or twice after a heated make out session.

Tonight was different though and Steven felt it.

You sat on his desk chair eating a bowl of grapes while Steven sat on his bed with his glasses on, reading an Egyptian retelling to you. You couldn't lie though, the glasses made him unexplainably attractive...well, more than he already was in your eyes. You cleared your throat, trying to distract yourself from your boyfriend, but failed as he stopped reading and looking over at you, concern in his eyes. "You alright, love?" You nodded, but he didn't seem convinced as he got up and walked over to you. "What's the matter?" You looked away from him, but he took your chin into his fingers, gently making you look at him. "Love-"

You took off his glasses and took a deep breath, causing him to be confused. However, when he saw how quickly your chest rose and fell, he chuckled. "Oh, I see," you gulped, and he planted a kiss on your nose. "No worries, love. I'm not judging you." Steven made his way back to his bed and you let out a small whimper, shocking the both of you. You put the bowl on his desk and made your way to his bed, lying next to him. "So, you're just going to tease me like that?" He shrugged, reaching over to put his book on the shelf behind him. "Did you want a kiss, little dove?" You nodded and he smiled before pressing a soft kiss to your lips, causing you to kiss back.

Before you knew it, the kiss became heated with Steven pulling you on his lap and your hands tugging his already messy curls. He broke the kiss, letting you both catch your breaths in the process. "I don't want to rush you, love. We can stop." You shake your head as you felt his bulge from under his sweats. You could feel how soaked you were from that along with the thought of him wearing glasses and make out session you both just had. "I trust you, Steven."

"Are you sure, darling?" You nodded before planting a kiss on his forehead. "Yes," he gently pushed you down on the bed before he climbed on top of you and peppered kisses on your face. You let out a soft giggle and he smiled before going down and kissing your neck. You bite your lip, mindlessly grinding your hips up against Steven. He trailed his hands down your sides, but stopping when he grabbed on the hem of your shirt. He searched your face for approval and when you nodded, he lifted the shirt and took it off of you. He bit his lip a the sight of you before you reached behind you and unclasped your bra from him and slid it down your arms.

"Darling, you're beautiful." You blushed at his words before he went down and kissed each breast before pressing his lips on yours. You kissed him back while reaching for the hem of his sweater and taking it off of him. Your eyes locked on his dark brown ones, and he smiled. "We can stop whenever you want, love." You shake your head. "I don't want to. Not now." He nodded and reached down to take off your sweats. Once they were off, he let began leaving a trail of kisses on your thigh, stopping before he can get to your clothed core. You whimper softly and Steven hums. He slides his fingers through the waistband of your panties before looking at you, asking you for approval. When you nod, he takes them off and he groans at the sight. "You're dripping, darling,"

He cautiously lets his middle finger go up your folds, causing you to moan. Steven presses a kiss on your thigh before using his tongue to replace his finger. You grip the sheets, moaning his name as he slowly begins sucking your clit. Your free hand flies to his curls and you tug on them, gaining a moan from Steven. The vibration courses through your body, making you arch your back and squeeze your thighs around his face. If this is what just his mouth could do, you couldn't imagine what his cock could do to you. Just the thought alone made you more aroused and Steven felt it as he let his tongue slide into you. "Fuck Steven!"

As patient as he was, he couldn't hold it anymore.

He removed his mouth from you before going up and caging you under him. His mouth and chin glistened with your arousal, causing you to bite your lip. His lips met yours, letting you taste yourself on his lips. You hummed softly as his hands reached his sweats before he took them off along with his briefs. You gasped at the sight of him, and he rested a hand on your cheek. "Don't worry, love. I'll go slow, yeah?" You gulp before nodding. He reached over to the bedside table and pulled out a condom.

Thank you, Jake, for buying a new pack.

He tore it open before sliding it on and planting a kiss on your forehead. "You can stop me whenever, darling." You nodded as he slowly began to enter you. You gasp at the feeling before gripping his biceps. Steven bit his lip, stopping his movements so you can get used to him. After the small bit of pain, you felt began fading, you gave him the okay to move. He nodded and began thrusting slowly. Pleasure overtook your body, letting your fingers tangle into his hair, pulling on them softly. If you were being honest, you loved the low pace and not just because it was your first time, but because it screamed Steven; slow, gentle, and filled with love.

His lips met yours in another kiss, swallowing your moans as he continued his slow thrusts. Your legs wrapped around his waist, letting him sink deeper into you. He broke the kiss as he moaned, making your clench around him. "Faster," Steven did as you asked, picking up the pace just a little while he let one hand go in between your bodies, letting his finger play with your clit. You moaned as you arch your back, making Steven moan in the process. You felt a knot form in your stomach, and he felt your walls clench around him. "I feel it, love. Let go." You tug on his hair a little harder, letting yourself release around him. His thrusts never falters as he helps you ride out your high before he follows after you, releasing himself into the condom.

He rests his forehead on your shoulder as you both catch your breaths. He begins pulling out of you slowly, making you whimper at the loss of him inside you. He gives you a small smile before heading to the bathroom.

You waited for what felt like 10 minutes before Steven came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and heading towards you. He takes your hand, leading you to the bathroom. You gasped at the bubble filled tub before Steven told you to get in. When you get in, the warmth of the water eased you. "Join me?" He kisses your head before taking the towel off and getting into the tub behind you. He pulls you closer to him, letting your head rest against him. "I love you." You shut your eyes and smile. "I love you too, Steven." He scoped some of the bubbles into his hand before placing them on your head, making you laugh. "To think this happened because of my glasses." You shook your head. "It was also because I love you and trust you, handsome." Steven chuckled. "I know darling. I'm teasing."

[haphazardlyannotated]

Prompt: Consider a vindictive Pearl who guilt trips and trolls the diamonds at every opportunity. She goes on long rants, saying all the things she wishes she could have said in Era 1. She may not be able to stab the diamonds like she wants, but she's gotta avenge Pink (and herself) somehow.

Pearl had spent the first three thousand years of her existence hearing the other Diamonds berate Pink.

The way she ran her colony, how she talked to "lesser" gems, even when she dared to talk- it seemed like there was no aspect of Pink her fellow Diamonds couldn't strenuously disapprove of.

Pearl remembered countless times Pink's shoulders had slumped, her bright eyes dimmed with just a few sharp words, until Rose stood in front of Pearl, telling her that Blue and Yellow had never cared about her with a conviction that wasn't even resigned anymore.

The memories had been burned into Pearl's mind with helpless fury for millenia.

So honestly, when Blue and Yellow Diamond showed up on Earth, nearly killed Steven AGAIN, and then had the audacity to talk about Pink like they hadn't made her life a living hell for as long as Pearl had known her, and when Blue Diamond then grimaced at the moss Rose had once painstakingly tended to and loudly wondered what Pink could have possibly seen in this planet- well, Pearl couldn't be blamed for indulging in just the tiniest crumb of revenge.

"Well, she liked food, for one thing," Pearl said with the perfect, bland smile of a good, subservient pearl. She caught Amethyst's eye and was met with such complete understanding that by all rights they should have formed Opal on the spot. "I'm sure Amethyst will be happy to prepare some for you," Pearl continued, watching Amethyst struggle to contain a giant grin. "She's an expert in human nourishments."

Amethyst's creation was a precarious tower of everything in their fridge, some of it still in the packaging, liberally seasoned with engine oil.

Blue and Yellow Diamond, regretably, ended up deciding they didn't want to connect with Pink's past that badly, but the sheer vindictive delight Pearl felt at their expressions when Amethyst presented her masterwork to them (and then proceeded to swallow it whole when it became clear the Diamonds weren't going to) lasted her the whole day.

_

Pearl had intended for it to be a one off.

It should have been a one off, especially considering how badly they all needed the Diamond's goodwill to have any hope of healing their corrupted friends.

Unfortunately, Pearl had not anticipated how much being a pearl on Homeworld again would grate.

She hadn't been prepared for how angry it would make her to be once again looked at like a mindless possession, a trinket to adorn an owner.

She'd fought for her freedom in the war for hundreds of years, and thousands more in her own mind. She refused to be pushed back into the mold of what Homeworld thought a pearl should be.

She knew better than to make a grand gesture. Not now. Not when the fate of countless gems depended on it.

But she could keep her posture loose where she was expected to stand like a statue, could speak up unprompted, walk in front of ‚her owner‘ rather than behind him.

Most gems probably wouldn’t even notice, let alone know what a rebellion these little gestures were. But they mattered to Pearl, and when Blue and Yellow Pearl’s eyes flickered to her when they shouldn’t (because stars forbid a pearl showed curiosity for anything other than her owner’s amusement!) Pearl knew they at least had noticed.

Watch me, Pearl told them with every time she raised her voice like that, moved her feet just so. I am a pearl and they hold no power over me. They tried to destroy us, but we’re still here and free. You can be, too. They can’t stop us.

Homeworld would never own Pearl again, and if she had anything to say about it, it wouldn’t keep owning anyone else for long either.

_

When it was all over, the Diamonds approached Pearl on the beach in front of the temple.

They tried to seem casual. They failed utterly.

„Hello… Pearl,“ White Diamond greeted her, with an expression like treating Pearl like a person was the most perplexing task she’d ever put her mind to.

Pearl tilted her head a fraction to indicate she was listening. She had no inclination to play the accomodating servant. If White Diamond wanted something from her, she would have to figure out how to ask herself.

In the end it was Blue Diamond who spoke up.

„We know that we failed Pink,“ she began, an admission so utterly unexpected it briefly gave Pearl the sensation of being in the wrong form. „We would like to do better with Steven.“

That too was unexpected. The Diamonds Rose and Pearl had run away from would never have considered even the possibility that they could be flawed, let alone need to do better.

Rose, Pearl thought. Look at this. We changed them. Your son changed them.

Out loud she only said

„That’s nice.“

Yellow Diamond cleared her throat impatiently.

„We were hoping you would have some insights,“ she said.

Once again, Pearl felt like the ground had been pulled away beneath her feet.

If someone, even Garnet, had told her a year ago that the Diamonds would stand in front of her, admitting that what they’d done to Rose had been wrong, asking Pearl for advice - she would have thought it absurd.

The Diamonds she’d known would have sooner shattered their entire courts than admit their own faults. The fact that they were willing to put all of this, everything they had spent millenia trying to embody away for the sake of Rose’s memory and Steven’s future…

Rose had been wrong, too, Pearl realised. The other Diamonds had loved her. They’d done it badly, without ever truly seeing her, but they’d loved her all the same.

And now they wanted to learn to do it right.

Maybe Pearl could forgive them one day. Maybe.

Not today though.

„Well, for one thing,“ Pearl said, „I think Steven enjoys not being locked in an empty room for years on end.“

[juhbebbie]

Okayyyyy so City of the Dead thoughts for anyone who cares

Was I disappointed? My expectations weren't super high so I guess not, but the super overdramatic self pitying narration threw me off quite a bit. Like okay man chill out a bit. Kind of expected to not see Layla until the end so I guess there I was disappointed but not surprised. Fingers crossed she will be a central character from here on out and not a one and done thing in the series.

Okay elephant in the room time. I know a lot of people have been saying they REALLY did not like it and I really cannot blame them, but also I'm trying to stay hopeful because it just the first issue. I'm hesitant to get pissed off over the total lack of Jake and Steven just yet, when in Mackay's series neither made an appearance until like a year into the run. Yes this series isn't going to be nearly as long, but still. That being said, no I definitely don't expect Moon Knight to really be shown as a system, but I'm gonna give Prepose a couple more issues to prove me wrong (the bar is on the floor). Mainly just because I feel like it would be hypocritical of me to denounce Prepose for not including them and then praise Mackay when it took him 12 issues to really acknowledge that they are a system. I'm going to give Prepose a chance since he wrote a pretty good Black, White, and Blood story that did have them shown as a system in a pretty cool way imo.

All this to say that I'm not trying to undermine anyone else's concerns, this is just my own opinion and trust me, based on what little interviews I've read I fully expect Jake and Steven to be completely ignored and if (and when) that happens I will be right there with the rest of yall lol. I will say that it's already very clear that the set up so far was not written with the intention of having a place for Steven or Jake, which is very disappointing.

Okay positive things! I enjoyed seeing Dr Badr a lot and i didn't have much of an issue with how he and Marc's relationship was portrayed. Yes in the main run they're closer now, but they are still very much at odds but willing to work together towards a common goal, which is exactly what we see here in this issue.

I also liked where the thing with the kid is going. The detail of him being kicked out after his brother's death definitely makes me think he's going to be a reflection of Marc, which would be a cool parallel to have.

And the art for the most part was really gorgeous! I don't know what the hell was going on with Layla there at the end (otherwise great male artists not knowing how to draw women), but other than that I REALLY loved how the actual city looked.

And the Egyptian mythology was actually a lot more accurate than it usually is, which, as someone who has always been a total nerd about that stuff, actually made me really happy. There are several specific things I wanted to point out but this post is long enough as is.

Also. "I don't care if I burn" that was badass as shit come on. One of the (admittedly several!) moments of overdramatic writing that came off very well kind of like how it does in the Mackay run (don't wanna compare this too much to the Mackay run though because I understand it's obviously going to be different and that's fine)

But yeah. The overall feel and tone was very... off. I was on board with the general plot and Marc's motivations but everything around the basic plot structure just seemed like Prepose was trying to do a weird Huston run thing and it wasn't working (I don't think it worked in the Huston run either but I digress).

I've seen people saying that they didn't like how Marc was an enthusiastic follower of Khonshu, but that wasn't really the vibe I got at all? If anything it was pretty clear how much he hated everything he was doing. Which also kinda felt off. Having him say that everything was "punishment" over and over just kind of felt like I was getting hit on the head with a theme that didn't even make sense for the character, at least not at this point. Don't get me wrong, self punishment is absolutely a big part of Marc Spector's character, but there is an important distinction between doing things to right your past wrongs and doing them because you feel like you deserve it. And it seemed like Prepose understood that at first, but then later into the issue I was like Marc PLEASE shut the fuck up about punishment lol.

People more knowledgeable than myself have said things about how this looks from the standpoint that this is also a Jewish character, but all I'm going to say as a general statement for all of Moon Knight's runs is that I wish they would let him be explicitly Jewish more often. It's mentioned in Mackay's run the clash between Marc's service to Khonshu and his Judaism, but I think that that is such an interesting part of his character that needs to be discussed WAY more!

Anyway, to make a long story short, definitely not the strongest first issue, but it absolutely had some great moments and I'm going to go forward with my expectations still pretty low, but willing to give it a shot for Layla's sake. But the fact that a run featuring Layla is already not turning out to be very good is a little bit heartbreaking for me I'm not gonna lie lol. I was going to go and buy myself a copy of this issue, but after actually reading it I didn't really want it anymore. So 😬 fingers crossed for the next issue I guess?

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

Amethyst shape-shifting into Rose was a strong scene where she did something very harmful, but I'm surprised by how many people I see repeatedly say this basically made Amethyst forever a villain to them.

Of course, this is a valid reaction - to everyone their own sensibilities, a character that went too far for me might be fine to you. With how common it seems to be, though, I want to share my view of why I don't personally relate to that reading.

To me, Amethyst in this scene wasn't a Fellow Adult to Greg. She was a teenager. And teenagers, when they're upset, when they feel neglected, when they are grieving, will hurt you on purpose to elicit a reaction. And it can be ugly.

On top of that, Rose wasn't exclusively "Greg's" or "Steven's". She was also a family member to Amethyst, likely for much longer. Amethyst herself is grieving, she has specific feelings about Rose, and that cannot be divorced from the way she talks about her and her being gone. Rose was to her a family member akin to either a mother, a sister, or both. The fact that she's willing to shape-shift as Rose is, in and of itself, fucked up. It's not just something she's doing to Greg.

In this scene, Amethyst isn't a mature adult who decided to do something fucked up. She's an immature teenager taking something too personally. Think "dad never hangs out with me since mom died. Clearly he would prefer if mom were there instead of me, right?!". If it's not "mom", replace "mom" with "my sister". You can also think "my uncle who used to look after me stopped when his wife became pregnant - then she died, so he wasn't going to come back to me with all that ensued." A broody teenager with messy, conflicting feelings and no ability to deal with them. Amethyst exhibits these behaviours for a long time. She's stubborn in the way a teenager is, she's impatient, she's tired of having to deal with the adults' problems. This is why when she shows how much she has matured by the end of the story, it's such a big deal. She even empathises with Steven's feelings being stuck amidst centuries-old drama by drawing from her experience, her similar feelings at the same "age".

I personally cannot divorce this terrible scene from the visual of a teenager who says something hurtful to a parent she cares about, because she's hurt and she doesn't know how else to vocalise it, how else to get them to pay attention to her. It's undoubtedly terrible - and when she sees Steven, it's instant regret, because it makes her face her own actions - but I cannot put definite blame on her for this in the way I would on an adult. Sometimes, teenagers saying horrible, horrible things is a call for help. In real life, a teenager dressing-up as a deceased family member to elicit a reaction from a carer would be seen as an obvious call for help.

Amethyst being the equivalent of a teenager is made very clear through the entirety of her writing. It is a true fact that Greg wasn't actually her carer (Rose was - and one could even argue she was taking it out on Rose through Greg, since Rose is the one who abandoned her) and as such didn't have to look after her, so it was the right thing for him to focus on his son. But it's also undeniable that Amethyst felt neglected, abandoned. And being immature, during a messy, nasty argument, she used this juvenile technique to hurt Greg, whom she felt like was hurting her. A very poor defence mechanism.

It's obviously Bad and Harmful. But not something I could imagine holding against someone who's now become an adult, because there's no situation in which a healthy teenager in a healthy environment would become so defensive. Grief is ugly, so is trying to defend yourself as a traumatised teenager. Rose's death was most likely not Amethyst's first trauma either.

[snippychicke]

Moonstone--Mirage

So, a few days ago, @stuckys-lilwhore requested something where Khonshu takes over Marcs body to be with her again, and maybe make her feel good as a human.

I am so sorry it took so long, and well, this probably isn't quite what you were wanting. But you ask inspired this, which will probably be part of the overarching story(as if this story isn't just a bunch of hobbled scenes out of order anyways.) So I hope you enjoy anyways!

Also, I've had a few ask for a tag list? I actually haven't...done that before. But between @stuckys-lilwhore and @jamiethenerdymonster, I guess I will need to make one. Anyone else want to be added?

Anyways, story time. Rating is clear for everyone!

Khonshu was livid.

The small open market of Cairo had to suddenly braced as a large gust of wind slammed through as the two women appeared by Marc. 

Crammed into the small hotel, it was even worse. 

"Tell her she needs to leave!" Khonshu roared for the hundredth time. "She needs to go back home and stay there! This isn't her fight anymore!" 

"I have to agree with Khonshu." Marc sighed. "Both of you need to go back."

"I want to see you get to Senfu's sarcophagus then," Layla challenged, crossing her arms. "I mean, you were doing so well without me." 

"And if you think I am leaving now, fate of the world in balance, " the other woman growled, typing angrily on her laptop. "You are sorely mistaken. Khonshu wasn't the brightest before, and obviously his skull's gotten thicker. I mean, a full lunar eclipse? Are you fucking kidding me!" 

"We had no other choice. It's hardly my fault my Avatar has been incompetent lately."

"Don't blame me for this," Marc shot back, hearing Steven echo the sentiment in the mirror. 

"I don't even wanna know," the former avatar grumbled. "I am so fucking mad. Never trust a stupid bird brained god to make a rational decision."

The wind started up, as Khonshu slammed his staff  "Don't--"

"I don't care what you have to say," she yelled blindly into the room. "I can't even hear you! I can't hear you, can't see you, I can barely feel you. I know you're there and you have no idea how horrible this is! I trusted you. I trusted that you had a reason for taking the Mantle from me despite everything. But here we are, a short few years later, and we're in this mess!"

Marc shot a worried look towards Layla, unsure about being caught in what was a lovers spat between human and god, but Layla only gave him a pointed look.

Right. He was in a similar boat as Khonshu, it seemed. Layla obviously sided with the former avatar, and well, to be honest, Marc did too. Even if he barely understood the situation himself. 

"And-and I can't even hear you," she finished softly. "I can scream and yell until I'm blue, and it won't change anything because I'm virtually just talking to thin air. So, I'm going to follow up on my own leads. I know some people here that may know a few things. I'll keep in touch, Layla."

"Sounds good. I'll do the same." Layla squeezed her shoulder as she passed. 

"Marc," Khonshu spoke after the former avatar slammed the door shut of the hotel room. It wasn't the sharp, commanding tone that he was used to, but softer, almost pleading. The former mercenary turned.towards the god, surprised to see him look almost…sad? Dejected? "Let me speak to her. Just for a few minutes."

"Oh no, we are not doing that again," Marc insteadly argued, recalling the odd sensation of Khonshu possessing his body during the tribunal. It had felt worse than when Steven was in control, because he had been fully aware of everything. Less of a silent passenger in his own body than, well, being controlled against his will. 

Besides, he owed Khonshu nothing. Not after everything the moon god had done to destroy his life. Destroy his marriage with Layla, who was acting as if ignoring his conversation as she pulled out her own laptop. 

Let Khonshu feel what it was like to be forced away from the one he loved. Sure he and Layla had their issues, but the moon god was to blame just as much as his inability to discuss his issues. 

"Please, just for a few minutes," Khonshu pleaded, and hearing him say please, to be so humble, knocked the strength from Marc's argument. "Perhaps I can calm her some, and we need whatever help we can get now that the gods themselves refused." 

Damn it. He made a good point. "Fine. Five minutes and not a second longer. And no funny business!" 

-----

She was sitting on the flat stone roof, grumbling at her tablet when he found her, her back turned towards the door. 

He wanted to talk to her. He had so much to say, he had planned it all in his search to find her. But now that he was here, seeing her with mortal eyes, he found Marc's body not responding. The man's heart was beating quickly, his chest tight enough around his lungs he found it hard to breathe. 

Oh heavens, was Marc sick? 

"I'm not sick, you're just nervous!" Marc grumbled. "It feels like being a teenager all over again. Hurry up and get this over with."

Right. He was a god, and this was nothing compared to what he had done in the long years of his life. He cleared Marc's throat and spoke her name, not used to saying it aloud. 

Only for her to wave her hand without looking, gesturing for him to leave. "Not now, Marc, I'm busy."

"Please, moonstone." 

That caught her attention as she twisted around to look at him, confused. "...he really told you to call me that?" 

"Marc's allowed me temporary use of his body so I could talk with you." He explained simply, and watched the emotions flicker across her face; pain, hope, longing, as she recognized his deep timbre and unique accent despite using Marc's voice. 

But those expressions were quickly covered by rage. She dropped her tablet as she stood and stormed towards him. "Why?! To tell me to go home? That this isn't any of my business anymore? Well, tough shit asshole!" She jammed her finger into Marc's chest. "I live on this planet, and I care for everyone on it, so--" 

She was silenced as he suddenly pulled her into an embrace. Even though it wasn't his body, he could feel her as if it was. How soft she was, the strength she possessed as she initially resisted. The smell of sweat mixed with her fragrant soaps she used to bathe herself. 

"No funny business," Marc snarled as he pressed his face against her hair. "Talking only, so hurry up and apologize already!" 

Khonshu reluctantly obeyed his host and pulled away, but only a fraction before she stopped him, grabbing fistfulls of his shirt. She kept her head turned away, avoiding his gaze as his hands came to rest on her shoulders. 

"Why did you leave me?" She asked, which was not at all what he expected. The anger had vanished, leaving her voice weak. "We were such a great team, and I thought-I thought we were happy." 

"I have ruined many lives of my avatars through the ages. But I considered it an acceptable price to pay for the good I worked through them. But seeing you struggle was a price I couldn't bear. You are my beloved moonstone, and your happiness was something I was willing to sacrifice everything for." 

"You fucking asshole," she sniffed, letting go of his shirt with one hand to wipe her eyes. "I would have found a way to make it work. I would've chosen you over anything."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Marc groaned. "God, you two are way too sappy." 

Khonshu ignored him and instead gently encouraged her to turn to face him, wiping the tears away on her cheek. "I apologize for the pain and suffering I caused you, beloved. I only wanted the best for you." 

"Damn fucking idiot," she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. Close enough he thought he could feel her soul once more try to reach for his along a bond that was no longer there. "Your such an idiot, ya know? I love you, even now, and I forgive you  but heavens you're so thick."

"Great, can I have my body back?"

Marc was going to kill him, but Khonshu couldn't resist. Not with her here. Out of instinct he nuzzled against her, not used to Marc's different nose. That alone was a different sensation in itself, but then her lips brushed against his, softly with a light sigh ghosting afterwards. 

Oh.

"I SAID NO," Marc shouted, suddenly pulling away and stumbling back at the fact he was suddenly in control. 

Khonshu was still in his place, his body curved around his former avatar, bone pressed against her soft lips. Her eyes slowly opened, basking in the familiar sensation of large hands squeezing her shoulders, bone moving gently against her lips, and that warmth in her chest blooming.

Then fading as quickly as it appeared. She clutched at him, the gauze of his robe and then the bone of his beak, as she fiercely tried to take in every detail but to no avail. But the time he brushed her face with his hand, it was as solid as a gentle breeze. 

And then he was gone, as if he had been nothing more than a mirage. 

[sameheart-sameblood]

Moments In Time

pairing: steven grant x reader

summary: a series of vignettes showing yours and steven's first year dating

words: 3.8k

warnings: steven and reader being dummies, some minor allusions to spicy situations *wink wink*, insomnia, me not knowing how ancient egypt worked lol

a/n: ahhh happy birthday to @padawansubscription!! only she could make me come out of my fic writing hiatus cause she deserves some steven fluff (also sorry i'm so bad at writing fluff LOL you know me, I'm all about that smut/angst). hope you enjoy! here's to another year of shenanigans :)

read on ao3!

You hadn’t been together long. Your whole relationship had been, thus far, a series of outings that you were never sure were really dates. Steven was shy, often avoiding holding your gaze for too long as the intensity of your stare would turn his ears red and make his cheeks rapidly heat up.

Although you talked a big game…you were shy too. So there you were, two shy people on another date that may have not been a date. The pub you found yourself in after a football match was vibrating with the energy of the fans that surrounded you. 

It had been a good game, both teams playing their best but the team you two supported eventually coming out on top. You didn’t usually drink this much but it was a special night and the festive mood was contagious. The cold pint in your hand was your fourth, leaving the tips of your fingers tingling and a sleepy grin growing on your face. 

Steven, God bless him, was trying to keep up with you but had fallen behind a pint or two ago. He had accepted defeat and instead just happily watched you, making sure drank water every so often and ate the questionable bar nuts on your table to soak up some of the cheap beer. 

The pub’s occupants had fallen into a chorus of football songs and you tried joining in. Your words slurred slightly and you frowned as you tried to remember all the lyrics. Steven just chuckled at you. “I think this might be a sign to call it a night, Love.”

You continued to pout, shaking your head. “Not at all. The night’s still young. And I want to sing!” 

Steven watched as you rose from your chair and started swaying along with the music. He let you finish the song, even joining in when you beckoned for him. As the last notes finished, you realized your arms were around each other, innocent enough to just be two friends caught up in football revelry. But the way you two were looking at each other? You were drunk but even you knew friends didn’t look at each other like that.

Steven cleared his throat “I really do think we should call it a night. We can finish our date when we’re not both so smashed.”

You beamed at him. “This is a date?” 

His eyes had crinkled at the corners, smiling growing. “Of course this was. We’ve been on six already. Wait, did you not know?”

You’re so dense you could kick yourself. But then again, Steven was a different kind of man than you were used to. His signs of attraction were much more subtle than most others. But now that you knew the attraction was mutual, you felt the freedom to take things that next step. 

Steven’s face fell slightly at your lack of response. “Oh no, I’ve really stepped in it. This doesn’t have to be a date. We can just be friends. That is, if you still want to be friends. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. Oh bollocks, you still want to be friends, right-“

Halting his ramblings with a finger to his lips, you smiled. “I will always be your friend, Steven, but I’m so glad to hear this was a date.”

The sound of the bar fell away at the sight of his relieved smile. The way his cheeks dimpled and the wisps of hair fell into his eyes was enough to make your knees go weak. At that moment, you would have given him anything he’d ask for. 

Steven laughed at your dopey smile as you studied his face. “Looks like we should be getting you home, love.”

A glint of something forbidden in his eyes made you bold. “Alright. But only if you come home with me.”

Steven opened his mouth, no doubt to offer some sarcastic comeback to what he thought was you joking. But he saw the truth in your eyes, the want for him blazing honest and strong. 

He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. He grabbed his long abandoned pint and took a generous swig. “You sure about this?”

You rose, grabbing your coat and then his hand. “I’ve never been more sure about anything, Steven.”

******

After the two of you had established that, yes, you in fact were dating, you couldn’t get enough of each other. You had always valued your alone time, much preferring the company of your cat, Buzz, to your co-workers and acquaintances. But with Steven, you couldn’t get enough. He was like the most wholesome addiction, every hit of him making you feel better about yourself. 

Tonight you found yourself curled up on your couch with Steven. You had bickered about what movie to watch but had finally persuaded him to put on The Mummy. 

“It’s about ancient Egypt. You’ll like it!”

Your boyfriend looked less than impressed as a studied the DVD cover. “I can already tell you five inaccuracies I’m seeing from this cover art.” He pet Buzz absentmindedly while the cat purred loudly, living up to his name. 

You queued up the film, then took your seat next to him again. “How about just for tonight you turn off that big brain of yours and just try and enjoy the movie?”

He smiled at you and nodded. You thanked him with a kiss, which caused Steven to stop petting Buzz. The cat didn’t take kindly to it and swiped at his hand. 

“Buzz!” you chided, “be nice.”

Steven just laughed. “It’s alright. You know cats were often used as vessels by the gods.”

You scratched your now placated cat behind the ears. “He certainly acts like a god. You wouldn’t believe I found him in a dumpster behind the museum when he was a kitten”

Steven wrapped an arm around your shoulders while his other hand continued to pet the cat. “You never know, love. Best to give Buzz all the attention he wants. We don’t want to anger the gods now, do we.”

You press play as you chuckled. “Let’s just hope the gods love Brendan Frasier and Rachel Weisz. I mean, they’d be crazy not to.”

As the movie played, you could feel Steven tensing with the need to point out all the inaccuracies. You just rubbed a comforting hand on his thigh, silently thanking him for letting you enjoy one of your favorite movies. 

Towards the end, he even seemed to get into the film, laughing at Jonathan’s antics and jumping every time Imhotep appeared onscreen. When the credits rolled, you turned to him. “I’m so proud of you for watching as a layman. Did you like it?

“I did.” And you could tell he was telling the truth. But…that nervous energy was back, rippling through him. You sighed, giving in. He’d been so good while the movie was playing you figured you’d reward him. 

“Alright, tell me. I know you’ve been bursting to the whole movie.” You sat expectantly, stroking Buzz while you waited for Steven to gather his thoughts. 

But then, your boyfriend shook his head. “Why don’t I tell you about all the things they got right instead?”

Honestly, you wouldn’t have minded if he’d told you about the historical inaccuracies in the movie. It was all just for fun. But the fact that he didn’t want to ruin it for you made your heart swell. You nodded, cuddling up to his side. 

Steven curled his arms around you, then took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s start with that Imhoteph fellow. What a knob! He needs to chill the eff out. His Egyptian was really spot on, though.”

******

You weren’t stupid. There was something different about Steven. You’d known it ever since you’d befriended him. There would be instances of him forgetting conversations that you two had had or disappearing for days at a time. Not to mention the ankle restraints on Steven’s bed…But you had figured, if he didn’t want to tell you, then it was none of your business. 

But a few months after you had begun your relationship, you sat him down and confronted him. He was hesitant to tell you but then cracked after you had asked why he didn’t trust you. You didn’t mean to force the truth out of him but as you spoke, you could see the relief wash over him. Admittedly, you hadn’t believed him at first. How could you? It was all so much to take in. 

Then you’d met Marc. He and Steven had explained things in a way that made everything make as much sense as it could. After assuring a very nervous Steven that you weren’t leaving him, he told you stories of what he and Marc had gotten up to before you’d met. You knew he left some of the darker ones out but again you figured in time he would share those too. 

Most nights now, he slept peacefully, thank goodness. The past few nights, however, something had been up. Maybe Mars was in retrograde (but honestly it felt like it always was, according to social media sites). Or maybe it was stress at work, Donna, his boss, being even more terrible to him after the incident with the museum bathroom. 

Whatever it was, Steven was back to fearing going to bed. It killed you to see him going through the day like a zombie, under-eye bags rapidly darkening.

When he trudged through the door that evening, you’d greeted him with a cup of tea. He smiled sleepily, kissing you on the cheek. “Thank you, Love.”

You guided him to the couch, where he flopped down and began to blow on the cup of Earl Grey. He sipped on his tea, while you observed him, noting how dazed his expression was. Ever the good sport, he tried perking up for your benefit. “How was your day, Love?”

Even extremely sleep deprived he was still the most adorable thing you’d ever seen. “Good. Work was work. Managed to get some writing done afterwards.”

“That’s great! I can’t wait to read your paper when it’s done. If that’s alright.”

You smiled. “Of course. You’re the only one I’d trust with it at this stage.”

He beamed at you, continuing to enjoy his tea. You prodded him gently. “What about you? How is everything?”

Steven sighed deeply, then remembered the facade he was trying to keep and smiled. “Work was work.” He grinned at you. “Donna put me on inventory.”

There was only one thing that could have meant. “You fell asleep on the bus again?”

He nodded shyly. “I was only a few minutes late but she acted like it was the end of the bloody world.”

“I’m worried about you, Steven. You haven’t slept for more than an hour each night for the past week. This isn’t sustainable. What’s wrong? Maybe I can help.”

You expected him to beat around the bush but he held your gaze, eyes softening. “Before I met you, I never slept properly. Marc would take over. I’d wake up in strange cities not knowing how I’d got there. Even when my body was in bed my mind never got any rest.”

He set down his tea and took your hands in his. “Thankfully, all the nonsense with Khonshu got better and I could finally have my dreams to myself. And you came along and made me feel so loved, I felt safe to let my guard down in my sleep again.”

He trailed off, dark thoughts seemingly clouding his mind. Stroking the back of his hand with your thumb you prompted him to continue, “But now?”

“But now, I’ve got this terrible feeling that I can’t shake. That…that what if things fall apart again and I can’t keep you safe?”

Ahh. There it was. You knew Steven had gone through hell with Marc and Khonshu. He blamed himself for everyone that got hurt along the way. While he always put on a happy front, you knew there was always a darkness lingering beneath the surface. 

“Steven, I can’t promise you that things will never be bad again. I can promise you though, that we’ll get through whatever comes our way together. We’re a team. Please don’t carry your troubles yourself.”

He leaned into you and your arms encircled him. “Sorry, Love. I go a little bonkers sometimes.”

“That’s ok. Just let me know when you’re feeling especially bonkers so we can be bonkers together.”

You felt his body shake with laughter. “Deal. 

The rest of the evening was spent helping him relax as much as possible. You ran him a bath, plopping in one of the rainbow bath bombs he loved. While he sat in there pruning, you cooked him his favorite meal and by cooked, you meant lovingly prepared a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese you had picked up at the overpriced American grocery store down the street. 

You ate in front of the TV, watching his favorite compilation of cute animal videos on Youtube. Afterwards, you dried his hair, Steven almost falling asleep right then. He was always a sucker for you playing with his hair. 

You could still sense some unease from him as you both crawled into bed. Steven turned out the light, then laid on his side facing you. His eyes were heavy and you could tell he was so close to sleep. You stroked his face, smiling at him. “It’s ok. I’m right here. We’re safe.”

“You promise, Love?”

Edging over to get closer to him, you took him in your arms. He rested his head under your chin, sighing contentedly. 

“I promise.”

******

One of your favorite things about Steven was having him essentially be your own personal museum tour guide. Even though you also worked there too, albeit in the museum cafe, you always found yourself promising to go to each new exhibit and then forgetting or running out of time. 

Steven would constantly bring you along with him as he’d wander the new collections brought to the museum. You were awed by the history and beauty of the relics but usually found yourself having trouble connecting to pieces from so long ago to the modern life you lived. 

Ever the teacher, Steven would somehow find a way to give you the history of an artifact while telling you stories about the people who might have used such a tool or created the works of art. You knew he wanted nothing more than to be an actual tour guide for the museum. If only Donna could see him like this, eyes alight with the passion for teaching others about the importance of history, you knew she would have had no choice but to promote him out of the gift shop. 

But for now, he was your tour guide and you were his favorite student. The next exhibit slated to debut in a few days included pieces loaned from the Smithsonian in America. Your museum’s current Ancient Egypt exhibit would welcome the pieces for a short time and Steven had been absolutely bursting with excitement at their arrival. 

Wanting to do something special for your one year anniversary, you had bribed the night guard, Bill, to let you and Steven see the exhibit after hours. Even more exciting was the fact that it was the night before the opening day of the exhibit. You two would get to see the artifacts first and you knew Steven would be beside himself with excitement. 

Bill met you at the front doors, opening them with a kind greeting. “Fancy seeing you here tonight!”

He’d been one of your first mates at the museum and had encouraged your friendship with Steven. 

Your boyfriend looked between the two of you, an amused grin on his face. “What are the two of you up to?” he asked. 

Bill locked the doors behind you, smiling but saying nothing. Steven turned to you and was met with you holding out a blindfold to him. His eyes got comically large. “Love,” he whispered, “what’s gotten into you?”

You smacked him on the shoulder. “Just put it on, honey. I’ve got a surprise for you.” Steven complied while you and Bill silently giggled at each other. After you made sure the fabric completely obscured his vision, you led Steven towards the main exhibit hall. You paused to let Bill open the doors, then walked through, a guiding arm on Steven’s waist. 

Once situated inside, Bill closed the doors. “Have fun, kids!” he yelled out before the doors shut with a resounding boom. You checked to make sure everything was properly set up, while Steven waited, growing more impatient. 

“You know how much I love it when you blindfold me, Love, but can I take this thing off yet?” he called out with a smirk. 

You couldn’t help but grin at him, finishing up. “If you don’t behave, then you don’t get the surprise.” He chuckled as you untied the knot but gasped when his sight was restored. 

The new additions to the gallery exhibit were proudly displayed, illuminated with soft lighting that made them seem dreamlike and otherworldly. Artifacts were scattered through the room and in the center between them all sat a table set for dinner for you both. 

Steven took it all in, mouth agape and a grin plastered on his face. “This is wonderful! How did you manage this?”

“Bill helped me set up all the particulars. I couldn’t think of what to get you for our anniversary. This seemed like something you might like.”

He took your hand and began to wander around the gallery. Everything grabbed his attention and he didn’t seem to know where to focus his attention. Kissing your hand, he stopped and looked at you. “This is the best present I’ve ever gotten. I feel like my mind is gonna melt.”

You giggled as you pulled him into a kiss. This past year with Steven had been the happiest you’d known. As far as you were concerned, he deserved this and so much more. 

The next hour was spent with him leading you around the room, pointing out every detail in each piece that he could think of. He was especially excited to show you an ornate mummy mask. 

It was so gorgeous but not as beautiful as Steven’s face as he studied it with eyes as big as saucers. “Come look at the detail here.”

You moved around to the other side to admire the painted spells. As he continued to try and read them, you studied the face painted on the mask. “Steven, who did this mask belong to?”

He stopped to read the placard that went along with it and shook his head. “It’s unidentified.. Judging by the gild, they were someone of high birth. We may never know who they were though.”

You found that sad but tried to look at the positive. “At least we know what whoever this is looked like.”

Steven wrapped his arms around you as you both studied the gilded face. “Not exactly. The mummy mask was meant to be a representation of what the deceased might look like in the next life.”

At your surprised look, Steven continued, “The Egyptians believed that death was just an interruption on the way to the next world. The mask was painted with great care so that the Ba, the spirit, would recognize it’s host. It was all about making sure things went smoothly in the next life. The Egyptians loved to prepare for things people today would never think of.”

Nodding, you pulled him closer, “I guess I can understand that. I mean, as someone with anxiety I’d always rather be over prepared.”

Steven laughed as he pulled you to the next artifact, the mummy of a cat. The sight of it stopped you in your tracks and your face fell. “Oh no, they mummified their cats?”

Steven observed the mummy. “The Egyptians revered animals. One of the questions they believe they would be asked to gain admittance into the afterlife was if they had ever harmed an animal.”

“And if they had?”

He shivered a little at the question. “Let’s just say if you answered yes to that question, you went somewhere truly horrifying.”

Steven shook himself out of his thoughts, then smiled. “But this cat? This looks like someone’s favorite pet. The Egyptians believed that by mummifying them, their pets would gain entry into the afterlife and be immortal.”

That made you smile. While the sight was out of the ordinary, you could definitely understand the sentiment behind the ritual. You would do anything to ensure you and Buzz could roam around the afterlife together. 

“I understand. It’s kind of sweet. I feel like the ancient Egyptians and I would have gotten along very well. I still don’t think we should tell Buzz about this part of the exhibit, though.”Steven shook his head very seriously and mimed zipping his lips. 

Afterwards, you took a break to sit at the table, eating as you continued to look at the artifacts. You were pointing out your favorites when you caught Steven watching you dreamily, a lovesick smile planted on his face. 

“Steven, did you hear me? I was telling you about my favorite artifact.”

He took your hands, eyes never leaving you. “Sorry, Love, but I was looking at my favorite one.”

You chuckled at his corniness but still felt your cheeks warming. “You’re a charmer, Steven Grant.”

“I mean it.”

“I know.”

Your love fest was interrupted by your watch chirping. “Oh shoot, we only have 20 minutes until guard change. Bill needs us to clear out soon.”

Steven looked disappointed and you tried to think of what to do with your last remaining minutes. 

“Hey, wanna go make-out in that corner?” you pointed to a dim alcove with a bench. 

Steven perked up, growing even more excited when he looked in the direction you were pointing. “That’s actually really appropriate cause it’s right next to a statue of Hathor. She was the goddess of love, not to mention fertility and women. She was thought to be the daughter of the sun god, Re, and-“

Listening to Steven go on about these things was one of your favorite past-times. But you were under a time crunch and your priorities at the moment were a little different. You pulled him to his feet as the two of you made your way to the alcove. 

“Come on, Steven. The history lesson can wait. Right now, I wanna teach you a little something.”

Waggling your eyebrows at him, Steven fell completely under your spell. He grinned goofily as he trailed you. 

“Anything you want, Love.”

******

[friezagirl]

So, so… Let's talk about Jake in the last episode. :3 Frankly, the first time he appears in the sixth episode is to protect, as always, the system. Marc is in danger, he suffers from Ammit's magic stick, Steven can't do much more and then they see that Layla is also at gunpoint. In short, here is a chaotic, stressful, heavy, agitated and dangerous situation; so Jake had every reason to lash out at everyone and kill them. He remains in the violent character even though he always does it only to protect the system and to save Layla and, in this case, the world, that's it. Instead, much more difficult to frame is the post credit scene, both because not much is explained to us and because things are shown to us in a mysterious way. We see Jake take Harrow and head outside, he's the aggressive type so he kicks the wheelchair, so far so good, the problem is I can't understand why he killed the nurses and the guards. The only reason I can think of is that maybe they were Harrow's followers, maybe they were just there to get their leader back; because if this were not the case it means that he killed innocent people for no valid reason other than just because they didn't let him through. I don't even understand why the nurse allowed Jake to leave with a patient without making sure everything was okay, but okay, good for Jake that he can be so amalient (?), ahahahah. Maybe she thought he was a relative, but boh. Oh, maybe, actually, since they'd let him in anyway and no other doctor or nurse seemed to object to it, she too decided it was okay. After all it's a psychiatric hospital and they don't let everyone in without a reason, so the nurse must have understood that it was a family member, also because it was always Marc or Steven who brought Harrow to that place, so they had already seen him. Now, instead, speaking of the limousine, it's a nice quote to the comics, as well as Khonshu who has an elegant dress, but he put me a couple of doubts: in the comics, it's Steven the rich one, playboy and all Bruce Wayne style with a Alfred butler, etc; even if the plaque shows the surname Spector there too in the comics; but, I mean, why does Jake have a limo? If he has the plaque with Marc's last name and Marc knows nothing about it, it means it belongs to Jake, so is Jake rich? XD I realized it's a comic book quote, I really appreciated it, not to mention Jake's confirmation that he literally made me scream with joy, but I also want to understand the meaning of the scene, hahaha. Jake only drives a taxi, he likes to be discreet, not to be noticed because he takes information, but if he now he has a limo he means that he does a different job, right? I'm curious, please, give me a second season, a third, a fifth, a trilogy of films… Everything.

Oh right, I was digressing too much and forgetting the main point of the scene that I appreciated because of the meaning I decided to give it, which is Jake killing Harrow the same way they were killed by him. Two gunshots straight into his chest, and so I see it as a clear symbolism where Jake wants to avenge Marc and Steven; Harrow made all three suffer, with those two gunshots he was aiming at Marc and Steven, so Jake felt right to give them back. In my opinion, Jake must have felt all the pain that Steven and Marc had to go through in death reliving all the memories again, and then Steven ended up in the Duat, and then they came back and all, but they suffered, they had to relive again all their psychological pains, and Jake sure must have watched as aloof and not physically present. Jake must not have appreciated, either for himself or seeing his alters suffer again. They are a system, even if we didn't see Jake, he was there, because I mean, only Marc and Steven went through the gates of Osiris, but despite this Jake went with them, so he must have witnessed all of theirs torments as they saw the memories. And Jake blamed, of course, on Harrow, because he was the one who had brought them all to that place. Of course, it was a psychological journey that helped Marc deal with pain, accept it and overcome it, same thing for Steven, who also discovered and faced reality. But Jake's in charge of protecting them, in my opinion he's a self-imposed task, huh. He lets them live their lives, he doesn't intrude, he doesn't talk to them, he's like their guardian angel; he only intervenes by order of Khonshu and to help his alters. So he decided to take his revenge for them by killing Harrow. I reiterate that I would really like to know more about his story about him, about what he must have gone through, and when he appeared. In the comics Jake came right after Steven, so it must have been because his mother beat Marc too much and couldn't take him anymore, so, without knowing it, he created an alter who could handle him. Sad. :C

Beyond all this then, the most obvious reason is precisely that Harrow killed them, and Jake has to protect the system, he has to help them, must take revenge, so, in my opinion, it was more a personal motive of Jake rather than Khonshu, even if the two things crossed each other. By this I mean, then, that if it wasn't because Jake wanted revenge, I doubt he would have killed him. And it's just a hypothesis of course, knowing the Jake of the comics at least. I want to clarify that I am speaking like this, giving a sense to the scene but from my knowledge of comics where I was able to read and understand Jake's thoughts and motivations, my knowledge of DID is not much, I just read wikipedia and saw some videos of people who have it and who explain it but I'm not an expert at all. In this post, as in the others where I talked about Jack, I have discussed just trying to make sense of Jake's behaviors, right now I'm not referring to their disorder, okay? I'm just analyzing the character. If I have said wrong things I apologize and I will be happy to read any answers and explanations about it. :3 Lastly, I find it interesting that each of them can speak two different languages: Marc can speak Arabic and American, Jake can speak American and Spanish, and Steven can speak English and French, as well as to the Egyptian hieroglyphs. Nice, really cool, I wonder how and where Jack learned that language. And I hope I have explained it all decently, I don't wish it had been chaotic.

[melodyofmbaku]

In Between the Lines Chapter 2 (Erik Stevens x OC)

Teaser [1]

Prompt: “C'mon, I wanna hear you say it.”

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: Angst... I can’t help it.

That was her problem.

Elloise couldn't see. So she liked to touch.

It was how she was able to experience the world. It was also the bane of Erik’s existence.

She was always fiddling & touching and it drove him right up the wall.

Didn't she know that some people would misinterpret her actions?

That’s exactly why he hung around her so much, she was entirely too trusting. And he didn't want someone with ill intentions to take advantage of her.

That’s what it was.

Not because he wanted her hands to be on him and him only.

Or because he wanted to see exactly what that mouth could do.

It was because she had a bleeding heart for every seemingly suffering individual and it would be her downfall.

That’s what it was.

As such he made it his mission to weave his way into her days because Elloise was one of the few people he actually liked around here.

He remembers the first time he met the woman who had ownership of his heart.

~~

It was 2 years ago when hehad just arrived at the palace. The place that was supposed to be his home. After he decided to work alongside T’Challa to better improve relations between Wakanda and the rest of the world it was decided.

He could learn more about his father, his birth place, and detach from his old hobby.

Killing people.

So when the young man approached him with a smile on his face and gesturing towards his gear he put a stop to it quick.

He still had some of his pieces on him and he didn’t want that getting messed with.

He rolled his eyes and mumbled an “nah I’m good boss” under his breath before walking around him.

The man began to follow him, looking intently at him with a confused look on his face.

“Do you need some help with your bags?” He gestured to his belongings once more.

“I’m good man.” He responded back again lowly. What was this dude’s problem?

Then he heard it. Her.

"Would you quit mumbling under your breath? If you have something to say, speak up, if not, you'd be better off shutting up".

He looked to the side and took in the woman who emerged from one of the many entrances that lead to the front hall.

She looked lithe and soft. She had dark skin and plump lips, wild coily hair, and a dress that accentuated her waist dangerously. Her cleavage was artfully on display and he was definitely taking a look.

This was the exact kind of woman he enjoyed whining, dining and bending over at the end of the night.

He would also probably do something wicked to that mouth…

He cocked his head and the corner of his lip lifted up in amusement.

“What you say ma?”

He watched as she walked towards him with intent and an odd aura of grace.

Interesting.

She stopped much too close to him.

"Erik... when you entered these grounds — the palace — my house — because that's what this is... my house — you consented to abiding to the rules of this household”.

"Some of which include forgoing your "I used to kill people for a living" vibe so that the differently abled individuals in the residence can comfortably get their jobs done".

What was she going on about? Differently abled?

She gestured to the young man who came to take his bags.

"James is hard of hearing. It helps that you speak clearly, and preferably facing him, so he can better assist you".

Erik turned to take him in. Then he saw it.

James smiled politely and gestured to the tiny hearing aid that was discreetly placed behind his ear.

Erik swallowed. He felt like a dick. He palmed the back of his neck.

"Nah uh... I'll carry my own weight." he responded after clearing his throat.

James nodded and looked back at the woman as if waiting for a command.

She turned to him "Thanks James, it seems like Mr. Stevens has it covered. You can go now."

The young man nodded and went on his was and Erik could’ve sworn he heard a snicker from him as he retreated. He glared at his retreating back.

"Can I touch you"? she asked tilting her head.

"What"? he asked confused.

She gestured toward his face. “Can I touch you? Your face specifically”. She repeated.

Erik squinted still trying to understand what exactly her problem was.

"Why the fu —". She never let him finish.

"We'll be spending a lot of time together now that you’re officially part of the royal family”.

“What’s that gotta do with you touching me?”.

"To save you further embarrassment, and a repeat scenario��� in case you missed it Mr. Stevens... I'm blind". She pointed to her eyes to convey her point.

There was a moment of silence before Erik realized.

He wasn't sure how he missed it. He was getting comfortable and terribly out of practice.

She had done a very good job of presenting as normal as possible.

He ducked lower to her level to meet her eyes. True enough her deep brown eyes were unfocused and there seemed to be a gray film over them but they were brown nonetheless.

She repeated her question.

"Can I touch your face, so I know what you look like?” she gestured to him leaning forward invasively close.

“What if I say no”? He responded back defiantly. She wouldn’t catch him slipping twice.

“Then you say no”. she shrugged leaning back.

“I wouldn’t touch you without your consent, another one of our house rules that I hope you’ll remember”. She replied in a patronizing fashion.

He took offence.

“I’m a killer, not a rapist.” he spat out.

“That’s good to hear”. she commented before walking up the stairs encouraging him to follow.

“I’ll show you to your room, and it’s a pleasure to meet you Erik.”

And that was the beginning of their relationship.

~~

He idled about and nursed a drink in his hands and tried to look the least bit engaged at this donor dinner. He hated these dinners.

He’d have to watch Elloise on his cousins arm the entire night. Not to forget the attendees who were there for selfish political gain alone.

He watched closely as she made the rounds with T’challa around the room. She had chosen a deep green dress with a dangerous V that held his attention throughout the night.

T’challa paraded her around the room like the gift she was and he knew this was the part of him she fell in love with.

That’s why he was surprised to find her alone and still dressed to the nines in the palace kitchen in the middle of the night.

He had changed into his comfortable sweats and made his way over to decide on which concoction of alcohol would knock him out for the night.

She had a plate of lamb and potatoes untouched in front of her.

She didn’t startle when he spoke. She probably knew he was here based on his cologne or possibly just heard him when he came in.

“Midnight snack?” He paused and sat in the seat across from her.

“I got the chef to make me something then sent him away.” She spoke clearly. He heard the hardness in her voice.

She was upset.

He saw that the lamb sat on the play uncut and her hands lay in her lap.

“Let me get some of that.”He reached over for the plate and she stopped him.

“Erik. I like lamb.” She held onto the plate refusing to let up.

He sighed.

“Here, I got it.” He stretched his hands for the cutlery.

“I can do it myself.” She protested eyebrows furrowing.

“I know that.”

She still held onto the fork with hostility. She was upset.

“I like doing this so relax okay? You know it’s not like that.” he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and awaited her answer.

With that she reluctantly released the cutlery to him and folded her hands in her lap carefully.

She heard the fork and knife scrape against the plate as Erik cut it into pieces. She couldn't help but inhale a little bit deeper.

She liked the way he smelled. Erik always smelled like warmth..

She didn't know what to do with her hands. They were always doing something. Touching, feeling, studying, working.

She tried so hard to not be caught lacking, to be looked at as unable.

She would always have an excuse, because of her condition, but she pushed herself to insane lengths to never have to use it.

With Erik she was able to relax without being scrutinized, when it was just the two of them it was different.

This was... nice. She liked it.

"Potatoes too?" he asked wondering if he should slice up the baby potatoes that accompanied the lamb on her plate.

She shook her head — negative, she liked them whole.

"Thank you". she replied back softly.

"Don't mention it". He responded before carefully handing the fork back to her.

Her fingers lingered on his hand a moment before she pulled them away seemingly unaware.

Erik lived for moments like these.

He watched attentively as she speared the tender meat and placed it in her mouth and began to chew.

“Where’s T? Why isn’t he here with you right now?” He was sure he’d be tearing it up tonight. She looked that damn good.

She paused and looked down. “He… got called away for an emergency.”

They both knew what that meant. Erik wanted blood.

“You can’t let him get away with disrespecting you like this El. Tell somebody. The elders. Anybody.” He urged with subdued rage.

“Would they blame him? Or would his actions be chalked up to something else?” She shifted in her seat.

“Maybe how in more than one way I’m not enough.” She placed another piece of meat into her mouth and chewed slowly.

Despite the hot anger that flowed through his veins, he knew it was the truth.

He hated that it was the truth.

He despised his cousin for taking that vulnerable woman and turning her into this.

He was going to end him.

They weren’t that close anyways.

He could see it now.

He’d start from his left hip bone and do a clean cut — probably with something classic. Like a black pearl switchblade. Then he’d —

“You can’t say anything Erik.” she commanded. It was if she heard him plotting.

He scoffed.

“It’s not your right.” She said.

Her mouth was sharp as ever.

He hated that mouth.

He dreamed of that mouth.

He was the forgotten cousin. An honorary royal. Offered a position for blood ties and even then, it was decorative.

An outcast.

Maybe that’s why they got along so well.

She placed another potato between her lips.

He rose from his seat and stood behind her.

He began to remove the large decorated pins from her pressed hair. His fingers reached the nape of her neck and she finally released the tension that her body held.

“I didn’t say I was going to do anything.” He spoke lowly above her, focused on the task at hand.

She leaned into his hand and he snuck his fingers into her hair and found her scalp.

He rubbed at it gently, product would cling to his fingers later but he didn’t mind it.

“We’re the same you and I.” She hummed.

He cocked his head and continued his task.

He never understood her when she said that. But in fear of being scolded he kept quiet.

She was good. So good. He was bad bad bad.

He felt her shuffle to rise and he stopped his actions unwillingly.

She sat up and he reluctantly removed his fingers from her head.

She ran her palms down her dress to straighten it out before she looked in his direction.

“You’re harmless. ” She joked lightly before lifting her hand awaiting his arm to lead her back to her room.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Girl, you should be scared of me.” He murmured slyly.

She rolled her eyes.

He offered her his arm and she grasped it in a familiar fashion and let him lead her.

They walked leisurely through the hallways. When he didn’t get a response to his last statement he assumed his previous joke fell flat.

“Erik, when are you gonna go?” She asked softly. Her fingers added more pressure into his arms, concern lacing her tone.

She’s been pestering him for months to go to therapy — deal with his murderous thoughts.

He didn’t like the idea.

So he wasn’t going to do it.

“I’ll go when you go.” He shot back.

She sniffed and turned her face away from him.

He grinned cheekily, dimples shining through.

“You know why I can’t go. It’d be taboo for me. Plus, they treat me like an invalid.” he watched her mouth twist into a scowl.

He scoffed, and continued to lead them to her destination.

Their route was coming to an end and he knew she felt it.

As they got closer and closer to her quarters her grip tightened on his bicep. And he paused.

“Erik I’m scared.” she whispered.

“If he can do this. Openly. In our room. In our bed, then...”

“What’s next? What’s next for me?“ she looked in his direction — lost.

“If he don’t got you, I got you.” He crowded her space and bent down so he could be level with her.

She needed to understand that she could rely on him for anything. He wasn’t sure he knew just how deep his feelings went for her.

She lifted her hands to hold his face. It was how she saw. Her hands immediately found his beard. He saw the tears pool in the corner of her eyes.

“Anytime you get scared you call me. You hear me?”

Her gaze was downcast. This wouldn’t do.

“I’ll gut em. Like fishes. The whole lotta them.” He pushed out huskily.

“Erik...” she murmured disapprovingly.

“You believe me?” He asked.

“I —“

“C'mon, I wanna hear you say it.” He pushed lowly committed to making her see that she wasn’t alone, he was there.

“Yes Erik, I believe you.” She whispered lowly. She quickly wiped the tears that had slid down her face disobediently.

“Good.”

“Goodnight E.” She stepped back and turned to her door. He watched as she steadied herself.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets to stop himself from grabbing her and crushing her in his embrace.

He wanted to grab her and kiss away her fears.

Instead he subdued his wants and watched her walk through her door.

The door to the room she shared with T’Challa.

He spun around and began the familiar path back to the kitchen.

After knocking back the drink of the night he steadied himself.

Erik walked to his chambers in the same manner he did every night — longing for his cousin's wife.

Taglist:

@fd-writes @amorestevens @raysunshine78 @adreamsublime

__

Idek what I’m even doing with this story but lmk what you think 💜

If you want to be added to the taglist just comment.

[picturejasper20]

Malachite Character Analysis

(Warning: Mention and analysis of a very toxic relationship.)

¨These two are really bad for each other. Malachite was formed through extortion and deception and held together out of revenge. Malachite is the worst relationship imaginable.¨

Malachite was a character that was introduced in Season 1 finale "Jailbreak" after Jasper and Lapis Lazuli decided to fuse together to defeat the Crystal gems.

In this post i'm going to examine Malachite as a fusion and what she tells us about Jasper and Lapis and their relationship.

Lapis Lazuli´s and Jasper´s backstory:

First let's talk a bit about Jasper's and Lapis´ past:

Steven first found Lapis trapped in a Gem mirror, after spending some time with her, he decided to free her and later healed her gem so she could return to Homeworld by using her magic water wings.

In the episode ¨Same Old World¨ (Season 3) Lapis tells to Steven her backstory about how she got trapped in that mirror.

¨It was thousands of years ago. I was only meant to visit for a short time, but I got caught in the middle of the war. It was awful. I tried to run, but... I was picked up by a Homeworld soldier and confused for a Crystal Gem, and used as a tool.¨

Lapis talks about what happened to her as it was an accident, a terrible tragedy in which there´s not only one person she can blame for all her problems. In a way, she´s potrayed as victim of the Gem war, she was on Earth for a visit and then she was meant to leave.

She was treated as a prisoner from gems who were supposed to be on her side, used as a tool and left behind on Earth like her life was nothing.

¨It soon became clear that there was no hope in stopping the rebellion. All of the Homeworld Gems fled, and all the panic of escaping Earth, I was left behind. And there I stayed. Freedom in my sight, but out of reach for ages, until I was found.¨

Then she spend thousands of year trapped in that mirror, alone, with no one to talk to, with her gem cracked on top of that. Anyone stuck in that situation who quickly became insane and would definely not be the same person that used to be before the traumatic event.

It´s not suprising Lapis was so angry when Steven free her from that mirror. While she didn´t want to get revenge on the Crystal gems she still had a lot of anger and frustration buried deep inside her.

As for Jasper, her backstory differs greatly from Lapis´:

Jasper was born in the middle of the gem war in the Beta Kindergarten, in less than a few hours she took more than 80+ Crystal gems impressing many Homeworld gems due to her strengh.

She was considered a gem role model in Homeworld, she was an example of what a quartz soldier should be. The issue was that depiste being highly respected by her peers, she couldn´t get out of her mind that she still was a gem that came from the worst kindergarten on Earth.

According to Peridot on ¨Beta¨ most gems born in the Beta Kirdengarten came out flawed or defective in some way. This was because Homeworld rushed the place during the war to get more gems. 

Jasper was one of the few gems that came out ¨right¨ to the point she could be considered a superquartz soldier by Homeworld´s standards.

However not matter how much praised she got, Jasper thought there was something with her because of her origins. This made her develop an  obsession with proving her power and getting more and more self-destructive as time passed.

¨Jasper is a bully in the truest sense. Deep down, she's afraid there's something wrong with her, so she has to feed her ego. She has to put other Gems down to stay on top. Who she is and where she's from gnaws at her all the time. She has a fantastic reputation, she's considered the greatest Quartz soldier produced on Earth, and that might impress other Gems, but it will never be good enough for her.¨

¨Because she loves honor, fighting, making her mark, and winning the battle, she'll actually go against her programming a little bit just to be the winner. So she can be self-destructive at times. She is tragically obsessed with proving her superiority.¨

Why is all this important? Well, it´s essential to know where these characters are coming from to understand why they decided to be Malachite in first place and why they were a recipe for disaster the moment that Jasper asked Lapis to fuse with her.

On one hand you have a gem that was spent thousands of years trapped against her will and carries a lot on anger and trauma inside her. On the other hand the other gem also has war trauma, it's very self-destructive and thinks she's horrible. Mix these two together and what you get is a unstable fusion made of hate and revenge.

Malachite as a metaphor for Jasper´s and Lapis´ relationship

Now that i have talked about their past. I going examine the scene in which they fuse into Malachite in "Jailbreak" and what the fusion tells us about their relationship.

After being defeated by Garnet (a fusion) Jasper decides to find someone she could also fuse with to win against the Crystal gems.

She spot Lapis Lazuli and grabs her before she can escape flying. She convinces Lapis to fuse with her to get revenge on Crystal gems. She reminds her how they used her and how they are traitors to Homeworld.

¨These Gems, they're traitors to their Homeworld. They kept you prisoner. They used you.¨

It's worth of pointing out that Jasper never tries to "force" Lapis into fusing with her in this scene. She tries using her, true, but she waits until Lapis accepts and gives her hand.

Now, Jasper could care less about Lapis in this scene. For her, she was only just a tool to get revenge on the Crystal gems and Rose Quartz. There wasn't any "trust" between the two.

As for Lapis, she tried escaping from Jasper first but after realising that she was about to being used again by someone who had kept her prisoner in the ship she snapped and decided to stop being treated like an object for once.

Moments later after they fused into Malachite, Lapis took control of the fusion's water powers and chained her down, dragging her into the bottow of the ocean.

¨I'm done being everyone's prisoner. Now you're my prisoner! And I'm never letting you go! Let's stay on this miserable planet... together!¨

As Lapis stated, she was done of being everyone's prisioner, she was tired of being treated like a tool by everyone. Control in her own life was something was constanly taken away from her. So by trapping Malachite (and herself) meant that was able to make choices again.

As for Jasper, i already mentioned that she only wanted Lapis to become more powerful. Jasper is a gem that shown to be obssesed with winning and fighting. She doesn't accept defeat easily and the more she loses, more self-destructive she gets.

In "Chilled tid" Steven gets a glimpse of what Malachite's mind looked like: Lapis and Jasper were fighting over the control of the fusion. They both were completely exhausted and beaten.

There's a visual methaphor about how they are both chained to Malachite in this dream sequence. This is very much like how it's really difficult to get out of a toxic/codependent relationship and how one feels trapped with no hope of getting out of it.

Another interesting detail is when Jasper takes control, all she's able to say is "YOU! YOU! YOU!¨ to Steven. It shows how crazy she gets when can't win a battle and how her mind deteriorates in the process.

The episode "Alone at the Sea" explores their relationship even further by showing which their main motivations were and how it affect them both.

First of all, the reason of why Lapis didn't want to be near the ocean again it's because it remind her of time she used to be fused with Jasper:

"Look, Lapis, I know you spent a really long time fused with Jasper at the bottom of the ocean, but you're not Malachite anymore.And water is a part of who you are. You can't let one bad experience take that away from you."

During the boat trip Lapis keeps blaming herself for the events of Ocean gem and Malachite:

"It's my fault. I'm the one to blame."

"I'm terrible! I did horrible things! I-I broke your dad's leg. I stole Earth's ocean! Go on! Tell me I'm wrong!"

She describes herself as "terrible". She thinks she don't deserve the kindness that Steven has giving her during all this time.

Lapis is a character who usually stuggles with change in the series. She thinks she won't be able to revover from her trauma, that she can't grow and become a better person.

She also mentions to him how she can't help but think of when she used to be Malachite.

"I'm really trying to enjoy it out here, but... I can't stop thinking about being fused as Malachite, how I used all my strength to hold her down in the ocean, and how I was always battling against Jasper to keep her bound to me."

"But it's not like that anymore. You don't have to be with Jasper."

"That's not it. I... I miss her."

"What?!"

"We were fused for so long."

This implies that after spending so much together Jasper and Lapis became codependent of each other. Steven, who was still a teenager in this scene, couldn't fully get grasp of why his friend who missed being in a terrible situation like that.

And Lapis was not the only one that felt like this.

When Jasper shows up, she shows she has been missing Lapis as well and she has been tracking her to find her.

In a very rare moment that would look out of character for her Jasper kneels down and begs for Lapis to be Malachite again.

¨Let's be Malachite again.¨  

Keep in mind that until know Jasper has always been potrayed as someone who would do anything it takes to win. She's tough gem soldier who isn't afraid of her enemies. She's strong,cocky and agressive. So why did she ask to be Malachite again?

"I was wrong about fusion. You made me understand! Malachite was bigger and stronger than both of us! We could fly!"

She emphazises Malachite's power when they were fused. How strong and powerful she was.

This makes sense considering the factthat Jasper thinks of herself as "horrible" and "defective". She has a huge inferiority complex that comes from how Earth gems are perceived on Homeworld.

So, being Malachite made her feel "complete" and cover up her insecurities and personal issues.

"It'll be better this time. I've changed. You've changed me. I'm the only one who can handle your kind of power."

She tries to convince Lapis by saying how she's the only one that can "handle" her powers. This shows again how self-destructive Jasper can be as she was willing to go through that pain again just to feel powerful.

Another reason, i think, it's because she partially blames herself for Pink Diamond'd shattering. She probably wanted to be punished for her "failure" or wanted someone who she could follow again much like she started calling Steven "My diamond" in "Homeworld Bound".

As for Lapis, there are a few reasons she had her doubts of being Malachite again:

1) The fusion was a way for her to gain control back on her own life. She was tired of being tricked and used by everyone that she wanted to take her anger on someone.

"I was terrible to you. I liked taking everything out on you. I needed to, I-I hated you. It was bad!"

Lapis wanted someone to go through the same pain she had to endure for thousands of years. And that someone could have anyone. She choosed Jasper as she was the closest one to her in "Jailbreak".

When she was separated, she felt she suddenly lost that great amount of power that the fusion gave to her. She lost that "control" she had.

2) During "Alone at the sea" she describes herself many times as terrible and how she doesn't deserve the boat trip. She keeps blaming herself from her actions and how she can't get better.

Jasper even calls Lapis a monster in a moment, stating they very much alike:

"You can't lie to me. I've seen what you're capable of. I thought I was a brute, but you... you're a monster."

Lapis wanted to go back to be Malachite since she thought it was what someone as terrible as her deserved. She thought she couldn't grow into good person. Gems terrible as her and Jasper were meant to be together.

But Lapis knew better than getting trapped in that fusion again.

"NO! ""What we had wasn't healthy. I never want to feel like I felt with you. Never again! So just, go!"

In the end she refused to fuse with Jasper and realised how toxic their relationship was. It was a terrible experience and something she didn't want to take part in ever again.

Malachite as a character

Being fusion who is supposed to represent an very toxic relationship, Malachite is potrayed as very agressive, unstable and sadistic. She´s quite unpredictable since her actitude depends of who it´s taking control of her.

When her eyes are ¨cat shaped¨ it usually means that Jasper is the one controlling her. If her eyes are wide and open, it indicates Lapis is the one in control.

It´s difficult to affirm Malachite ever had her own personality at all,as her components were always fighting over her power and she was a mere tool from the moment she was ¨born¨.

¨A fusion like theirs is unstable, bound together by anger and mistrust. If that bond snaps, their anger will take over, and destroy.¨  

She ends up being a pretty tragic character as her whole existence was filled by hatred and suffering to the point she didn´t know anything else. Unlike other characters from Steven universe she wasn´t given the chance to redeem herself.

It´s interesting how Malachite in ¨Super Watermelon Island¨ kept exchaching between ¨we¨ and ¨I¨ to talk about herself. This indicates again that she wasn´t fully her own person.

If Lapis and Jasper were to fuse again after having worked through their issues, Malachite would be a more stable and less agressive fusion. But that´s very unlikely to happen since it was a terrifying experience for both of them.

In conclusion: Malachite is character with tons of metaphors that talks a lot about Lapis and Jasper and who they are as people. She serves to show how toxic some relationships can get when there is a lack of basic trust and understanding and is created by mutual hatred. It´s an example of how complicated relationships can be and how a person it´s really more complex they appear to be.

[barnes-and-rogers]

"Wish we were"- Stucky: soulmate au

-26/04/2021

Steve traced the star on his left forearm. The same would be on his (hopefully) future wife. He should’ve felt relief; he was lucky to even have a soulmark. However, he couldn’t help but feel like he’d be burdening her; never embodying the man she truly wanted. He’d never be the man he wanted: 6 foot (so probably taller than them) and muscular. Like Bucky.

He wanted to be Bucky. Everyone liked Bucky. Unfortunately, even he liked Bucky (in a platonic way). How couldn’t he; Bucky was perfect. Whoever had him as a soulmate would be very lucky. Yet the mere thought of Bucky having a soulmate left an insatiable pit in his stomach.

Once Bucky began knocking he knew it was going to be the first time. The first time he’d see Bucky’s soulmark.

At first, he thought the exchange would be sensual— something to symbolise the depth of their friendship— now, it filled him with dread, knowing his best friend might eventually leave him. Not physically, but spiritually. Soon Bucky would meet someone at his level, a level higher than Steve could reach (though someone who is 5”4 can’t reach much).

Bucky smirked, wiggling his eyebrows as Steve left the bathroom. Steve blushed, one would assume it was due to embarrassment, however, it was because of that goddamn smirk. If only he could smirk like that, when he smirked he looked like a puppy (a cute little puppy). Ignorant to the fact that Bucky was implying something “private” had happened in the span of 10 minutes.

“C’mon, birthday boy, I won't be young forever.” Bucky swung his arm over Steve, leading him into his bedroom. 

“Sure, how old are you?” Steve feigned curiosity, “almost sixty, maybe seventy?” 

Bucky punched Steve’s feeble arm, “Punk.” He chuckled once he saw Steve’s boyish grin. It was cute, and somewhat fitting for Steve.

“Jerk. Besides, I can’t control the fact that you're seventeen going on seventy.” Bucky ruffled Steve’s hair, before shoving him onto the bed. Steve began laughing; his contagious laughter had Bucky creasing. The joke wasn’t even that funny. It definitely wasn’t worth the almost asthma attack.

Bucky sighed, satisfied by the pressure leaving his abdomen. He wiped the tears out of his eyes, before pulling Steve— who was still somewhat struggling to breathe up off his back. Luckily, that made it easier for Steve to begin breathing again. 

“You okay, buddy?” Concerned for his friend, Bucky rubbed Steve’s back. Strangely, it upset Bucky that laughter harmed Steve, probably because Bucky preferred the sound of Steve’s laughter over his. And how was he meant to conceal his own laughter without Steve’s.

 

“Holy fork,” Steve breathed out, “I think I just lost seventy years of my life.” That breath was somewhat relieving for Steve seeing as it seemed Bucky had forgotten what they were meant to be doing.

“Anyways, back to the matter at hand: Soulmarks.” He’d spoken too soon.

Bucky began pulling the sleeve on his left arm, ready to show Steve his soulmark.

“Wait!” Steve yelled, desperation resonated in his voice. Bucky was a good listener, and was always (usually) honest, yet Steve was unable to explain his fears to him. What was he supposed to say, “Sorry Buck, I’m scared that you’ll finally leave me, even though you didn’t when you had the chance. And get this, you’d leave me for a girl. Imagine, you'd ditch your best friend for a girl, crazy right?.” Sadly, that would be weird. 

“Bucky, I—” Steve paused, “What if she doesn’t love me?” Steve refused to look Bucky in the eyes, embarrassed by his childish question. 

“Maybe she won’t, but you’ll still have me.” 

“Asshole, you're meant to be comforting me.” Unbeknownst to Bucky, his statement actually was comforting.

“Trust me, you’re irresistible.” Bucky chuckled, ruffling Steve’s hair and pinching his cheeks. Steve attempted to fix his hair, even though Bucky was the only person there.

However— since Steve has twigs for arms— his sleeves slipped down, bunching up at his elbows. Bucky caught a glimpse of his forearm, seeing a familiar star on Steve: his soulmark. 

Bucky smiled smugly at Steve. Steve jokingly glared at Bucky. 

“Thank you for the inconvenience, have a nice day.” Steve flashed an almost unnaturally large grin, before it went down  to his standard smile.

“Okay Stevie you want some advice. I know your soulmate adores you.” Steve put up his finger, ready to intervene. “Don’t.”

Bucky inwardly groaned, when Steve began to speak, “But my gut—”

“Your gut’s broken. I guess all the punches it took really did some damage.”

“If my gut’s broken, then so is my soulmark.” Bucky felt offended, unable to speak, before Steve continued, “I mean I don’t deserve one; it’d be a waste.”

“You know what’s a waste? Your self-doubt.”

“But—”

“Steven Rogers, shut up for a minute and listen. Anybody would adore you. The puppy mimicking the guard dog personality is adorable. And look at those big blue eyes, they’re like— ” Bucky paused, taking a moment to collect himself, “What I am about to say is embarrassing? You can’t tell anyone I said this, am I clear.”

“Crystal.” Steve said without skipping a beat. 

“Crystals. They’re like crystals in the morning sky. And your hair is soft, women will be dying to run their fingers through it. There’s still so much, like your smile, and how it makes you...” Bucky sighed before muttering “beautiful.”

Mesmerised Steve looked down, concealing the lovestruck grin that overtook his face. On the other hand, Bucky was internally scolding himself for being so open about his emotions. 

“Bucky...” Awkwardly scratching the back of his head, Steve continued, “thank you. Uuuh...You look neat.”

“That was anticlimactic.”

“Shut up, Buck.” Steve shoved Bucky, though he barely made a dent. Bucky just laughed it off. Leaving some empty space between their words, tension mistaken for awkwardness.

“Anyways...” Bucky said, diminishing all tension, “soulmarks?”

Steve froze, somehow unable to form a sentence. This was it: the moment he was waiting for; the moment that was tormenting him for the past ten minutes; the moment that left him speechless.

Until, “Soulmarks,” left his mouth. ‘Let’s just get it over with.’  

Steve rolled his sleeve up as Bucky began to remove his jacket. Although, wearing a jacket in summer was seemingly unnecessary, it made him look amazing. They say girls like “bad boys”, and Bucky seemed like just the forbidden fruit. However, a small part of Steve wished he didn't. On Bucky’s arm lay the same mark that Steve saw earlier. 

Was this it? The feeling was not different from what he usually felt around Bucky. He didn’t think life’s questions would be answered,he would see God, or he would develop some supernatural abilities. But he thought he’d at least feel different. Happier maybe. Maybe sadder, not just numb. All the preparation he made didn’t prepare him for this. That Bucky was his soulmate.

How would people react? Yes people knew that what soulmate you got wasn’t a choice, but that doesn’t mean people wouldn’t try to blame you. Although religion didn't really back up the possibility of soulmates, doesn't mean it wasn't used against certain groups of soulmates. A false notion presented to people about soulmates was that they were based off of your life experiences, as if the soulmate you got was forced upon you by a karmic justice system. 

But Steve didn't deserve this, not the karma, but Bucky. He wanted to deserve this, he really did, but he just couldn’t. He’d always found Bucky unbelievably attractive, and he usually ignored it. He usually went to church and prayed, always left with more questions. Bucky wasn’t that religious so he was probably not thinking these thoughts. He couldn’t do this, it just wasn’t right, to lead on Bucky.

On the other hand, Bucky was having his own discourse, there was nothing stopping him from pursuing Steve, other than Steve. However, Steve and him had history, years of friendship down the drain. It was either a relationship or a broken friendship. Even with this it felt like it'll all end up in flames. There were no good endings.

“I think you should go,” Steve whispered, shuffling to the door opening it for Bucky.

“Yeah,” Bucky choked out, trying to delay his departure. “I’ll see you.”

“I guess… Bye Buck.”

“Bye Steve.”

Once Bucky had left, Steve felt nothing. As if all his distress and passion had moulded together and cancelled each other out, leaving an overwhelming amount of apathy. 

Steve wanted to cry, he wanted to tear the soulmark off his arm, ripping it apart, forgetting  this ever even happened. He wanted to just walk away and stay with Bucky, the way they were. But how would Bucky feel? Anticipating the first time he’d meet his soulmate, only for the unpredictable to happen. It just wasn't right— it didn’t feel right. All he could was suppress it, until he saw Bucky next. 

Note: I spent over a year writing this, I had the idea ages ago and I finally finished it. I'm sorry about the end dudes. But yeah this is my first time writing stuff like this. I hope people enjoy.

[zxddy-panther]

Blessed

A/N: Hey guysss! I really feel so bad for not writing at all but I finally have something out for you guys. For all those who are still wondering, yes I am still going to write my Summer Walker inspired BP series. I just have to get all these drafts posted for yall before I post them. This one kind of took a while so I hope you all enjoy it. Also if you want to read all my stories I do have a masterlist posted but all my works are on my wattpad (@zxddy_panther)

Erik X Black!reader

Summary: A breakup between you and Erik has led you both into a deep hole of despair but there is still a light at the end of the tunnel.

Warning: Self harm, depression, some fluff later on

 You wandered the rainy streets of Albany with your dark hoodie, walking slowly in despair. Body slouched and face drooping with sorrow, your mind replaying the moments of weeks ago. The yelling, the harsh words, the tears, and worst of all: the breakup. The relationship truly wasn't bad but you woke up to the harsh reality that it was you. It was your own mind that was pressuring you to believe things that weren't true, that weren't real. It ultimately broke your relationship and you had no one to blame but yourself. It has become your biggest and deepest regret letting him go because you truly did love this man.    

You loved Erik Stevens but you just didn't know if he loved you too.      

*****    

The key allowed access to your cold, dark apartment as you tracked your wet rain boots onto your floor. You slipped them off and set them near the door and headed towards the bathroom, ready to commit yourself to the same miserable regime. Turning on the lights and looking forward, you stared into the eyes of a now lost soul. You were disgusted by the person in the mirror because THEY ruined your conscience. THEY ruined your self esteem and THEY ruined your relationship but you soon realized that they.....is you. Your eyes welled with tears as you threw off your damp sweater and opened the drawer under the sink. Grabbing the razor you quickly put it against the skin of your arm and pulled back with speed. Your actions slowed as you watched the dark red blood begin to rise up from the long cut along your brown skin. A numb feeling washed over you as you continued the motion over and over and over again. Place, push, and drag. Place, push, and drag.

You looked down at your numb and bloody arm with tears streaming down your face. Tear drops fell onto the many wounds and made you hiss in pain. "I've gotta get this shit cleaned up" you thought. Your body makes its way towards the bathtub to fill it with warm water. After you removed all your clothes you looked at yourself once more in the mirror. The now scarred lines that ran across your thighs and your new stripes shone red all across your arm. This will always remind you that you deserved this. Your head slowly turned back to the tub that was done filling up, you headed towards it. Placing one leg after another into the bath water, you allowed yourself to completely submerge yourself in the liquid and drowned yourself in utter silence.    

*******    

Its been about 40 minutes since you started staring at the ceiling fan in your room just mindlessly thinking. You felt so empty and physically drained from all the tears and emotions that you have been letting out. A silent buzzing from your phone woke you from your trance. You rolled on your bed towards your night stand and grabbed the phone to check who was calling you. The caller ID read: Erik. Everything froze and your world stood completely still. You were shocked and had no idea what to do as your hands shook frantically. The vibrating stopped and you took a look at your phone again to see that you had 10 missed calls from him prior to this. "How did I not hear this?" you thought to yourself. "Do I call him back?" The ring quickly started back up and you hit the answer button as fast as you could. Putting the phone to your ear, you took a deep breath and spoke for the first time in weeks.    

"Hello?" you whispered. All that could be heard was ragged breathing on the other line. You sat and listened, waiting for any type of response.    

A hushed "Y/N?" came from the other side. Your eyes shot opened and your heart rate increased.    

"Yes Erik...."    

"Y/N.." you waited. "I-I need you please. Im freaking out baby please come back I cant do this without you. I need you here with me Y/N. Please come back to me."    

You quickly ended the call and shot up from your bed. Throwing on some clothes, you headed towards the kitchen and grabbed your car keys.    

*******      

You arrived at Erik's door step feeling crazy for even doing this. You fumbled with your keys to find his spare house key still attached. Inserting the key into the lock, turning it, and pushing the door open you were greeted with a body curled up in corner of the living room. Erik was rocking himself back and forth, sobbing, repeatedly saying your name. You used your foot to close the door and his head shot up.    

He looked just as tired and drained as you. His once beautifully braided locs were now frizzed and out of braids. Dark brown bags surrounded his eyes as if he hasn't slept for days. You slowly walked towards him while he rose to his feet. The two of you kept your distance, standing awkwardly in the middle of his living room, until his eyes met yours. When your eyes locked it was like your emotions were also in sync with one another. You watched his eyes start to well up and his face begin to distort as he tried to hold his tears back. Closing the distance, you began to walk towards him and cupped your hand on his cheek. His eyes slowly closed as he leaned into your touch, allowing his tears to finally fall.    

"Baby..." he let out. "I-I need you in my life. Its like I-I." His hands began to shake as he brought them up, clenching his fists." Its like I cant live without you Y/N. I don't want to live without you." He looked down and quickly grabbed your hands to hold. "What happened? What happened to us? Was it me? Because if it was I swear to Bast that I'll fix it just- just give me another chance" The volume of his voice started to pick up. "Please come back to me Y/N." His hands gradually rose up to grab your arms softly but, even his gentle touch caused great pain to your wounds. You snatched your arms away and hissed in pain. He looked up at you with a confused look plastered on his face.       

Erik had a feeling to what was going on but, he just didnt want to belive it. You promised him months ago that you wouldn't revert back to hurting yourself. He prayed that he was wrong but  lifting up your sleeves revealed the harsh red lines across your arms. He closed his eyes as more tears fell from his droppy eyes.    

"Y/n. Did I do this to you?" He brought his hand up to your face and brushed your tear away with his thumb.     

"No no. It wasnt you Erik. It was never you." You decided that it was time to let him know the truth. The weight that you've been carrying on your shoulders has gotten heavy enough.    

*********    

"Y/N...Im sorry. I shouldnt have left-" You placed a finger over his lips which stopped his words. Your eyes took him in again once more. His skin and lips still as soft as you remembered. The message was clear as day when the two of you locked eyes. Erik took your face in his hands once and placed his lips on yours. Both of your lips moved in sync while tears came streaming down your faces. He slowly sucked on your bottom lip and let out a small sigh. He missed this. He missed you.    

You pulled away for breath but held fast to his body.      

"No Erik. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I made you feel like this. That I made you feel like this was all your fault when it wasn't. It was mine. I was always so insecure about how you truly felt about me and-" Tears started to choke you up but this time you let them fall. You were so tired of holding back your feelings and thoughts. "And I always felt like you didn't love me as much as I love you."    

The phrase replayed itself in his mind. This was the first time that anyone had said that they loved him. His troubled past had put him in the mindset that he could never be loved. Today was the day that he was finally proven wrong. He always knew that he had a great girl who always found time to see him, even in the worst circumstances. Someone who was always down for him, and someone who would never leave his side.

You heard him begin to chuckle as his smile spread across his face. You looked up at him confused, feeling stupid for confessing your deepest feelings.    

"Whatever Erik" You began to turn away from him and started heading towards the door until he grabbed your hand, pulling you back into his chest. He looked down at you while resting his hand on the small of your back. His dark ember eyes starred deeply into yours, unraveling you as you stood.    

"If only you knew how much I love you. I'm so blessed to have you in my life but I need you to know that-" He brought his face closer to yours, looking from your lips to your eyes. " I love you more than words can say."    

(Please message/repost to let me know if you want to be on the taglist because im still tagging random people :/ )

Taglist: @chaneajoyyy​ @wakandanblogger​ @wakandamama​ @marvelheaux​ @melaninmarvelgirl62​ @killmongersgurl​ @killmonger-dolan​ @heyauntieeee​ @hearteyes-for-killmonger​ @eriksjournal​ @hearteyes-ficrecs​ @justanotherloveaffair​ @theunsweetenedtruth​ @supersizemeplz​

[moonlightstars16]

Psssst....Hey y’all......Bonus Chapter ;)

YEP AND ITS ALL THANKS TOO @thepurecinnamonroll and her amazing fan art of my story! (🚨PLEASE DO NOT STEAL HER FAN ART OR REPOST WITHOUT HER PERMISSION🚨)

So enjoy this weeks bonus chapter!!! :)

Chapter 6 ~ Preparations

The next few days for Connie were just studying gem royal history and the strict rules to follow. In her off time, the library became her sanctuary of sorts. There she could read and get lost in her daydreams. From time to time she helped her newly found gem friends with their work around the castle. It was slightly surprising to find a kitchen full of, as normal as one could expect, human food and nourishment necessary for survival.

Lapis explained that part of it was making sure the humans in the zoo wouldn't starve to death. Mainly, however, it was used for Steven's purposes. Though part gem, he needed his nutrients for his human half sometimes. Even some of the gems shape-shifted their forms similar to humans to experience the pleasure of digesting food...and other things. Some actually found enjoyment in it, making it a hobby of sorts from time to time. It was quite bizarre for her to process.

Not that she truly cared where he was or what he was doing (other than the fact of the deal to not harm anyone, so long as she kept her end of the deal). Mostly work consisting of plans for earth's demise and keeping to himself(Pearl informed her upon asking since she technically hasn't seen him since before her studies began). Her heart sank every time she thought about what she agreed too. Her future to live in this horrid place and be his bride.... Though unfathomable to grasp, it wasn't like she could go back on the deal. It was her life or all of humanities on the line. No matter what she thought, she would end up losing. At least humanity will have diplomatic immunity from being destroyed. How could she turn her back on them? It wasn't like her life was worth saving aynways....

One day before the first meeting with the Diamonds to talk about earth. Connie decided to ease her worries by relaxing in the library during her break. However with the situation at hand it was hard for her to concentrate on anything else. A loud clashing sound soon interrupted her thoughts. Looking up she walked towards an open window to where the sound resonated from down below. A purple gem, though a bit shorter than the others and Pearl dueling with swords is what she had only begun to witness. Peaking her interest she sat on the windowsill to watch. The idea of them sword fighting, even though they have magic, puzzled her. And though she was on the second level, she could hear the conversing during their battle.

"Come on Pearl don't hold back! I am a gem solder for Mr. I-am-no-Diamond himself, I can handle you!" The purple gem with silver hair tied up in a ponytail shouted. Just barely dodging her attack, though she missed an opportunity to take down Pearl when the opportunity was wide open. Making Connie wonder if Pearl left herself open to attack on purpose.

"Amethyst, your footwork is still sloppy and you have no coordination! Being random can't be you're only plan of attack, sooner of later you'll need a battle strategy." Pearl moved with such precision and elegance, it was mesmerizing to watch. In just a few quick motions and effortless dodges, she pinned down Amethyst with her sword pointing towards her throat. They stood in silence until Amethyst pushed her away and stood up. Walking away in anger and grumbling under her breathe. The intense staring from before said a lot between them.

However Connie couldn't pull away from the scene replaying in her mind. Looking down at her own hands she thought about her current situation. Having a few good fighting skills could be useful, certainly she couldn't hope to have someone there to hide behind. Even back on earth she felt uncomfortable going outside to take out the trash at night. Though pepper spray in hand is nice and knowing she could run for long distances was good, but now it wasn't enough. Especially in a place where she was beyond out of her element. 

That evening, while she prepping for tomorrow's important meeting, Pearl knocked and entered the room. Slightly pleased to see her studying and memorizing all the information given. Shaking her head, Pearl cleared her throat and maintained her composure.

"Steven, has requested your presence in the dining hall for supper this evening." It was quite shocking to say the least, and a tad nerve wracking since the last time she saw him was when he took care of her headache. It was odd. One minute he was a tyrant, the next caring and then back to being cruel. Just that alone wasn't making sense and made her head spin just thinking about it.

"Why me? Why now?" She asked standing up from the vanity chair and mirror. Pearl only shrugged slightly whilst shaking her head.

"It's difficult to understand him and for now, better not to question so." Her statement made less sense about the whole situation. Still she had a point. Connie gulped remembering the deal with him. If she were to step out of line then more lives would be taken, their blood on her hands as well as his. Without another word she  followed Pearl to the dining hall. Her light green dress' skirt swaying slightly with every step she took. Stepping through the doors, she instantly felt the intensity in the air. There he was with his back facing them. He was lost in deep thought until he sensed there presence. Lifting his head up slightly he felt the warmth of her presence as it surrounded the entire room.

"As requested, Steven." Pearl spoke with her hands behind her, back straight. It reminded Connie of the way solders on earth would stand when called to at the word 'attention'. Her thoughts soon returned to the man standing before her as white butterflies swirled around her mind.

"Good, now please leave us alone." The words hit Connie like a fist punching her gut. What was about to come made her uneasy. Both herself and Pearl looked at one another, Connie's eyes pleading for her not to leave, or at least not be very far. While Pearl's gaze was calm as if to say she was alright. Leaving the room with a gentle sound of the huge double doors shutting close. Connie stayed in place not knowing what to do.

"M-My Diamond" her voice squeaked(which she hated) whilst saluting and bowing slightly. A deep chuckle soon turned into a roaring laugh. the sound surprised her enough to jump a tad a the outburst. Steven breathed in deeply to stop himself as he placed a hand over his chest.

"The Diamonds are not around. You may address me as Steven, in fact I insist upon it." Slowly but surely Steven turned his attention towards her. His gaze a tad less intimidating than before. Stepping closer till he was two feet away. Extending his leather black gloved hand. "Come" Hesitantly she raised her's, trying hard to hide her trembling and failing at the same time. Her gaze held into his outstretched hand until the soft and gentle tone of his next word surprised and compelled her. "Please" instinctively their eyes' matched one another's, only this time his was less intimidating and more inviting; Her's still confusing as ever. 

Finally she accepted, feeling his grip wrap around hers as he lead them both towards the table. Decorated in candelabras, and a vast array of fancy food. The scent intoxicating as she felt her hunger grow. He lead her towards the chair in a corner position right next to the head seat, which she assumed was his. Once they both sat down, Steven gestured for her to dine on the food set before her. After a long moment she began eating, it was her first official meal  since arriving on the planet. Not feeling really hungry other than a few scraps she found from the kitchen. With her predicament, no one could really blame her for not wanting to eat.

Steven watched her as they ate in silence, her hair had fallen to the side of her face that sort of hid her from him. It was surprising, knowing himself. He basked in her natural beauty for a moment. Causing him to slow down and almost stop eating himself. But he was part Diamond, long periods without food was normal for him. However she needed to eat, and he needed to make sure she had the strength to deal with the Diamonds. On instinct he reached out brushed away her hair tucked behind her ear gently. Feeling her jump at his sudden touch.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked watching her look upon him since they sat down.

"I'd be a fool not to be." Her reply was honest without having to say the actual word yes. "If I may" Connie began "Why don't you use other titles?" She waited till he gave a slight nod for her to continue. The look on his face puzzling as his right brow slightly raised up. "You've made it clear you don't like being called-... well you know." Carefully avoiding the phrase as best she could. "But why not any other formal titles?"

"I would rather have others address me without hiding behind formalities. Especially if one chooses to defy me, I want to hear them say my name." It was almost like he didn't want to be mistaken for anyone else other than himself. "I'm sure you have more questions... I suggest you choose your next one a bit wisely." Connie gulped and nodded her head. Her next said question was one that she had since Pearl informed her of this situation right before. Wanting to know why he needed to see her. Putting her fork down on her plate and her hands folded together on her lap. Focusing all her attention on him.

"There must be a reason you wanted me here."

"You must regain your strength. I cannot allow you to falter from lack of nourishment in front of the Diamonds tomorrow evening. Besides the complete humiliation, you won't be able to hold up your end of the deal." Steven spoke whilst grabbing a glass full of red wine, taking a sip.

"And why do you care?" Her voice low and full of annoyance. "I would suffer the most, yes, but I don't see how this affects you."

"There is not enjoyment if all I can do is easily win, I prefer a challenge after all. Besides you are to be a apart of my royal court. Whatever happens to you doesn't reflect well on me." He paused for a moment smirking "Not that it matters to me personally." He chuckled slightly as she gazed downwards yet again. It was simple, she was a pawn in his sick, twisted games and nothing more. It pained her heart deeply though she couldn't understand why. "Don't fret my dear, I am only wanting to make sure you're alright."

Once more taking her hand in his, bringing it to his lips as he placed a gentle kiss, careful in not wanting his mask to touch her. Looking back towards him, his eyes watched hers the entire time. Setting his hand down while not letting go of hers, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. The sensation oddly calmed her, yet making her inhale inwardly.

His eyes now held a depth she never saw before; it was calm, inviting, and intense in a way that she didn't shake with fear. Steven gazed into her eyes, almost getting lost in them himself. 'Snap out of it!' his inner voice shouted before he blinked and soon let go, clearing his throat slightly before instantly regaining his composure.

"Tomorrow you will accompany myself and Pearl to meet with the Diamonds to discuss matters about earth. Are you fully prepared?" Connie nodded slowly still coming out of the brief moment that had just occurred.

"Yes, Steven, I am prepared." The next day was going to be intense for her, the cruelest thing he could've done was not say anything more than what he already warned her about. She would soon see the depth of how truly horrid they were.

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

The following day, Lapis spent the hours preceding the upcoming Diamond meeting getting Connie to look presentable. A long soak in the bath making sure her skin was clean, light amount of makeup, hair done in braid adorned with jewels and a few curled locks that framed her face. And an outfit that the material it was made from was almost uncomfortable to move in. The corset underneath was no help.

The color a deep blood red dress, off the shoulders with long sleeves coming to a point against the back of her hand. The outer regal layer of the sleeves almost touched the ground. The neckline a cross between a low swoop and a sweetheart design. Both front and back. The belt had a Diamond design, and golden, all over it as it wrapped around her lower waist; while it tied to one spot and letting it drop all down her skirt towards the floor. The skirt itself gave her maneuver to walk around effortlessly but the length(hemline on the neckline and bottom skirt were black) was almost impossible to ignore. Her shoes resembled ballet flats as the color scheme matched her dress.

Though attending as nothing more than a servant, she was still supposed to look presentable. She was about to meet the Diamonds in person. Lapis could sense her nerves as she placed a black laced choker with A red pendant in the middle and three red diamond shaped jewels dangling in the front.

"You look beautiful, Connie." Lapis stated with a smile looking at their reflections in the mirror. Connie weakly smiled back weakly, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Though she had every rule and etiquette mesmerized by heart backwards and forwards, it was hard to stop from her heart beating wildly.

"Lapis is right!" a voice which belonged to a certain Peridot exclaimed as she and Bismuth entered the room. A box wrapped in a bow in hand. Connie smile widened as they handed it to her.

"We wanted to give this to you before you headed out." Bismuth said with a proud gleam in her eyes. Connie adjusting her grip began to unwrap the bow.

"Oh you don't need to do that. It's just a box lid made too look like it's been carefully wrapped." Peridot said before getting elbowed in the gut by a glaring rainbow haired gem. "Ow-Hey! She would've found out anyway!" Connie began to laugh and the rest of them followed in suit. Opening the box she gasped and was surprised to see an almost mystical like journal, quill pen and ink. It wasn't advanced compared to gem tech. But for Connie it was perfect.

"We all thought it would be nice for you to have something more...traditional. At least for when you have free time." Bismuth explained as Peridot went into telling her how they made it and where the quill feather came from, and not to get her even started on how long the ink took to make. Which earned another elbow in the gut. It brought tears to her eye briefly before blinking them away.

"Thank you, I am truly lucky to have friends like you. I hope one day I can return you're kindness."

"We'll just say you owe us one." And that statement earning a third punch in the gut.

Pearl came to fetch her soon after. Herself dressed a tad more formal than usual with her cape flaring in a more Diamond shape. Bringing Connie to the launch pad where they we're greeted by Steven, dressed in a black suit with a red shirt underneath, his blood stained black cloak with a gold chain attached this time and more leather like black gloves. A dark pinkish red cravat accentuated his jacket and his silver mask a bit more polished than normal.

Upon seeing Connie, his eyes widened. The dress she was wearing revealed how beautiful she truly was. As she entered the room, nobody could tell she was a few days ago just carrying herself like an earthling. Revealing the true young woman, kept hidden from even himself, she now presented herself like a gem. Perfect and radiant. In his eyes rivaling even the elegance of the Diamonds themselves. Closing his eyes briefly, maintaining himself yet again.

"There is no turning back, from now on you are a member of my court. Temporary or not, do you understand my dear?" Connie nodded mentally preparing herself for what was ahead.

"Yes" Soon they were on the warp pad ready to transport to the grand Diamond palace. Steven held out his arm towards a slightly confused Connie.

"Unless you want to arrive at the grand entrance landing flat on your face, I would suggest you hold on tight." She complied without hesitation. Once he felt her tight grip, he looked at Pearl with a nod as they were ready. In a flash of light and the feeling of being elevated off the ground they were off and within moments, stood before a grand Palace. Had it not been for his insistence, she would be laying on the ground in pain. Connie breathed in sharply for a moment, gasping at it's exquisite beauty that captured her eyes. Then remembering where she was brushed herself off and tried to maintain a regal state.

“I suggest you be a bit more careful next time." He spoke coldly.

As they began walking, Connie noticed Steven still had her arm tightly around his, with no intention of letting her go anytime soon.

[the-settingsun]

We're all gonna die - Edward Nygma x reader. Songfic

Please listen to the song as you read.

Quick songfic about my dear Eddie. Because he needs to be protected. My precisious baby boy. Feel free to request and give feedback I'd appreciate it. Also I dont proofread so point out any mistakes to me.

Gif credit to the owner.

Warnings : Blood, mentions of abuse, injuries.

The evil it spread like a fever ahead

,,What can be lost but never found?" Your boyfriend yelled at you while he took another bottle of alcohol and drank it in one go. The thunder encouraged him to put down the bottle on the small wooden table beside the window. He slowly started approaching you, you were expecting him to insult you again and his words schocked you. He wiped his nose with his hand and smirked ,,Do you like riddles?" He fake frowned ,,Or just the riddle man?". You froze, he found out about Eddie. Only man who treat you right. The GCPD was a pretty small after all. You knew what was this man infront of you capable of. ,,Please dont hurt him" you whispered looking down at your bare legs. ,,Honey, you know its for your own good" he purred into your ear. ,, Please stop" you said as quietly as possible. There was no point in fighting him, he always got what he wanted.

It was night when you died, my firefly.

After he was done with you he left like always. Broken glass, broken furniture and broken bones.

You didnt feel anything, your body wasnt yours anymore, your mind was black. But oh the floor the cold floor that make your skin crawl. Was is the floor or the blood? No one can tell. Cold, as the raging storm outside. The thunders couldnt be heard anymore but the lightning helped you see, always for a split second.

What could I have said to raise you from the dead?

Oh could I be the sky on the Fourth of July?

As you watched the same picture appear before you for hours you gave up. The pain was not worth it. It was time to move on, past the small ligh provided by your eyes that got already used to the dark. You were ready to see the light. It was silence, you cried softly as you slowly pulled your hand from the wound caused by the glass shards.With the very last strenght you had you managed to reach broken table, with one leg missing. Your whole body weight was now relying on it. The crimson shined for a brief moment, another lightning. You fell again getting tiny pieces of wood stuck in your already bloody arm. The pain kicked in as you tried to reach the phone. Every step you took was followed by lightning, displaying the silluettes of broken window on the floor beneath your feet. You reached the phone and pushed yourself against the wall. Looking at your wound and bloody hands putting pressure on it. You sensed you had last few moment infrotn of you. And so you dialed the number

Edward Nygma

1234567891011

Call

Text

Well you do enough talk

The moment you heard the dial tone you broke down. There was so much you didnt do in life, you wanted to

tell Edward everything, have amazing dates, help your daughter with her boyfriends, cry during your son's wedding. But now it was all gone in the clouds. ,, Hello this is Ed.Im sorry I cant currently talk leave a message" you put the phone down on the ground anf sighted.

My little hawk, why do you cry?

,

,Ed? Are you th-there?" Your lips slowly moved ,, (Y/N) is that you? Whats wrong? Where are you? Are you hurt" Ed spoke quickly through the screen. ,,Im home, I dont have much time, I-I-I think I-I'll die Ed. Im afraid" you heard him curse quietly,the some rumbling and door opening. Meanwhile you tried to adjust your position but your hand couldnt support you. So you sat there against cabinet slowly bleeding, looking at the ceiling above, clutching your stomach. You couldnt make out anything from the call except : Jim, help and Ed's panicking voice ,,(Y/N) talk to me please)"

Tell me what did you learn from the Tillamook burn?

Or the Fourth of July?

You glanced at the clock, it was past midnight. ,,Ed can you believe it? I made it to another day" you chuckled and hissed in pain right after. ,,(Y/N) please hang on, Im coming, the ambulance is coming, you are gonna make it" This time it wasnt his typical panic voice. Ed was crying. You blinked and more tears fell down on you sleeves.

,,Ed, Im sorry"

We're all gonna die

You heard him sight,,No, (Y/N) there is nothing to be sorry for. Its all my fault" he said and his voice broke ,,I should have seen it, I should have protected you" he let out a sob and began crying and sobbin more. ,,Eddie? I-I, you're right I should have told someone. But please dont blame yourself. Dont" you whined and put your hand over your mouth. You focused so much on your sobs you couldnt hear Ed. ,,-I cant lose you (Y/N), you are the only one that ever accepted me" he went silent. Or was it you?

Sitting at the bed with the halo at your head

Was it all a disguise, like Junior High

Where everything was fiction, future, and prediction

Now, where am I?

My fading supply

It was all too much, everything too fast and too slow at the same time.

Your cries overpowered the sound of now returned thunders as you heard cars going by below your window. ,,It hurts" you screamed in pain as you moved your arn away to overlook the injury again. ,,We're almost there (Y/N) just hold on."

,,Did you actually mean it?" Once again you asked but now with smile on your face. ,,Or is it just faded memory?" Remembering events of last weekend when you two attended police ball, he pretended to be your ,,scary" boyfriend infront of bunch of arrogant officers. Ed cleared his throath and gulped

,, The ball?" there was silence. You knew you couldnt stand up so you carefully started sliding yourself closer to the floor. ,,I did, you (Y/N) are the most beautiful, trustworthy and inteligent person I know" you stopped, only youd neck was now againt the cabinet. ,,Funny I thought you were just bluffing"

Did you get enough love, my little dove

Why do you cry?

,,What happened (Y/N) I thought you two were happy" you went silent letting the thunder be answer. You used your free habd to push yourself away from the cabinet. Now you were just laying there ,,I thought so too Ed. I loved him I did. I told myself" he kept silent you presumed he was close. Despite thunders you heard a train on the other line. The train station. He wasn't gonna make it. There wasnt enough time for him to hold you in his arms. ,,I love you Ed" you whispered loud enough for it to be heard. He took a deep breath. You messed up, but he deserves to know.

,,I love you so much (Y/N), now you cant leave here alone. I-I cant make it withouth you"

And I'm sorry I left, but it was for the best

Though it never felt right

My little Versailles

,,Isnt it funny? I was always too scred to tell you and now" you coughed and gasped for air ,,we cant be together anyways. Maybe we could be another tragic pair of lovers like in the books" you softly laughted before you strated coughing again. It was blood, but at your state there wasnt place around there wasnt blood. ,,(Y/N) It was me who bought you the flowers not officer-" you stopped him ,,I always knew, the wws this little voice in my head that i-i-it was y-you." You winced as breathed. Last minutes.

The hospital asked should the body be cast

Before I say goodbye, my star in the sky

Such a funny thought to wrap you up in cloth

Do you find it all right, my dragonfly?

,, Eddie, we both know how is it going to end. I just do-do-ont want you to blame yourse-lf" you both inhales sharply. You because speaking makes you weaker and Ed because he was having a war with himself right now.,,No" you were silent. ,,No, there will not be anything I'd have to regret!" He yelled and cried at the same time. Poor Eddie, you knew how vulnerable he was. ,,If I die" I dont want you to visit me. ,, I wouldnt want you to dwell on the past. I'll be a dead end. Literally" you giggled a little before Ed screamed through the phone ,,FOR GODS SAKE (Y/N) YOU ARE DYING. STOP JOKING ABOUT IT."

,,Sorry, sorry. I am serious. Do-Do not attend my funereal, dont bring me flowers, dont get involved in the case." whispering you wiped your tears for the first time.

,,Why (Y/N)? So am I supposed to forget about you? If you are telling truth and you do love which I certainly hope you do. You are the love of my life (Y/N)." Once again the muffled cried from the other side of the phone were drown out by the now stronger storm. ,,Because I would break you"

Shall we look at the moon, my little loon

Why do you cry?

,,Tell me a-a-a ridd-d-riddle Edd-Eddi-Ed" you sighted as you felt your breath slowing down every minute. ,,What are the three words that are said too much, but not enough"

,,I love you"

,,So do I"

Silence.

Make the most of your life, while it is rife

,,H-H-El-Hell-Hello?" You coughed so hard your head raised from the ground only to fall back there.

,, Im here (Y/N), Jim is here. You are here. Im not losing you now."

He hanged up.

While it is light

The front door opened and the lights turned off. It shocked your body and you gasped. A figure was kneeling next to you. It was Edward Nygma. The one you loved.

Well you do enough talk

,,I wanted to grow old with you

(Y/N). I still want to. Dont.leave.me" Ed held you tighter and put his hand on your cheek and as he slowly sobbed. Hie glasses were wet from his tears and rain. He was a shaking mess. You looked into his eyes. And smiled.

My little hawk, why do you cry?

Tell me what did you learn from the Tillamook burn?

Or the Fourth of July?

We're all gonna die

You lifted up the hanf that was on your wound. Ed quickly put it back, applying the pressuee back. Being confused and still pouring his soul out through tears. You sturggled and released yourself from his grip. You hand was now cupping his cheek. With every little strenght you had you barely leaned forward and pecked edwards lips he was just starring at you, knowing its the end. With that, he pressed you towards him harder and frantically held you thinking you could disappear in every second. With that the ambulance arrived and...

We're all gonna die

We're all gonna die

We're all gonna die

We're all gonna die

We're all gonna die

We're all gonna die

We're all gonna die

Name : (Y/N) (L/N)

Date of death : 4th of july

[bash-it-all-blog]

Just read through your Neighbors AU and it's absolutely beautiful. Steve tripping over himself trying to talk to Tony is the best. I'm just gonna ask a bunch of questions and you can pick and choose which ones to answer. When does everyone else realize that Tony is a smol bean that needs to be protected at all cost? Do Tony and Bruce science together? Does Dum-E exist? Do they meet Rhodey? Does Ty show up and be the abusive dick that he is; what does they do about it?? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!!

Awe. Thank you! Your praise honestly means so much to me! I’m super insecure about my writing, and I am so so happy to answer all your questions, I’ll try my best!

Also, I’m answering on my phone so excuse any grammatical or formatting errors. Also it gets like angsty.

It takes the friends a couple of weeks to get Tony to really talk to them.

Tony is jumpy and hesitant about everything and it breaks Steve’s heart, mostly because he knows it takes trauma to make someone that way. He knows Tony has been hurt so bad that it’s clear in his everyday life. It’s also clear that Tony, Tony is still hurting. And that’s something Steve can’t stand for.

The first thing Steve does is talk to Thor. Thor is easily the most intimidating if you don’t know him. Steve himself is a pretty big guy but Tony so far has responded well to Steve and Steve makes sure that it stays that way. Steve tells Thor that he needs to tone it down a little bit around Tony and to Steve’s surprise Thor was already aware.

“Steven, my friend.” Thor started, then his eyes got a bit glazed. “When I was a young boy, my mother was full of life. I remember the tales she used to spin as if it were just yesterday, she would tell my brother and I tales that were meant to inspire us, to live lives we loved and were proud of. But as the years past the tales became less dreamy and more dreary. Rather then finding love, they became tales of finding shelter and keeping safe. Of making sure not to fall into the witches hands rather then the fantastical adventure of fighting dragons and escaping a giant’s castle. It was a subtle change but as we grew we understood that our mother-,” Thor’s breath hitched. “Our mother, rather then fighting the dragon or escaping the giant’s castle. She had stayed because she was afraid that if she attempted to leave it would only get worse.”

Steve felt nauseous, but Thor continued. “And so my mother never left and neither did we until it was time for us to go to university. It was after our final year that Loki and I had received jobs here in the states. My father wanted me to take over the company but Loki had foresaw the fall of it. So I trusted him and we left. We begged our mother to come but she said she was happy where she was and that she couldn’t possibly leave.” The larger man closed his eyes. “It was later I realized that she said she couldn’t leave not that she didn’t want to but by then it was too late.” The prince stopped breathing but continued and Steve was afraid for what would come next. “What hurt the most was even though it was not by the dragons hand, it was by the dragons blame that my mother was slain. It is painful that a dagger through the gut was my mother’s only salvation. ”

And Steve could only watch the usually jovial man broke out into silent tears.

“Steven, we are so so very lucky that Tony was able to escape his dragon. And we are so lucky to be given the chance to help heal him of his burns.” Thor looked at Steve. And Steve pulled his friend- no his brother into a hug.

“I’m so sorry Thor.”

“It is in the past now. Fresh enough but I am healing. My brother though is whom I worry for.”

“We’ll keep an eye on him. And Tony. We’ll take care of ‘em. All of ‘em.”

“Thank you, I am glad to have talked about it and do not worry about how I am around Tony, I have proclaimed it my duty to making sure that Tony does not fall back into his dragon’s clutches. We will protect him and we will help heal him.”

“Yea Thor. We will.”

—- okay that got intense. I didn’t even plan on it. I made that up on the spot and shit there are more questions. I got you. Something to lighten you up after that. —-

It is after Tony begins to relax around them that they find out Tony is actually a genius.

Not actually certified though ‘cause Mensa didn’t have anything that could gauge Tony’s level of intelligence.

But anyways. They find out Tony’s a genius because of the stupidest thing. And ofc its Bilgesnipe.

-

They’re all chilling around bilgesnipe when Clint opened his mouth. “Okay guys but how the hell do we get rid of this thing without burning it.” Clint sighs. “But seriously just what would we have to do to get it into Thor’s room without ruining it, since we’re not allowed to throw it out and that’s the only way we’re getting rid of it.”

Tony looks up from his seat on the floor beside Natasha who was running her fingers through his hair. He tilts his head for a second and looks at Thor’s door. “You know. If we just tilt her right to a 172 degree angle and up about 63, it should fit. Theoretically at least, however that is if we shaved about 3.82 mm off of her top.” Tony replied flippantly. The rest of them only looked at their small cinnamon roll in confusion and shock.

“Tony, do you- uh.” Clint hesitated. “Are you like- a genius or something? Or are you just fucking with us?”

Tony’s eyes widened, “What do you mean?” Tony looked anxious but continued, “If you just look at the angles, Clint I swear I’m not lying or anything I just though you wanted to know ‘cause you asked and I’ll shut up.” Tony ducked down a bit and looked away from Clint.

Realizing his mistake Clint quickly tried to make it right. “No Tony, it’s just you surprised us. We knew you were smart but that’s incredible.” Clint watched Tony carefully, and saw the way Tony unfurled a bit at the praise.

“Hey Tony. Do you happen to be into science?” Bruce interrupted.

“Uh yea. I do enjoy it. I’m more of a hard science kinda guy but the soft stuff pulls me in sometimes.” Tony looked at Bruce a bit confused.

Bruce looked hesitant but asked anyways. “Do you have any interest in gamma rays?”

“Wait. Gamma rays.” Tony eyes flashed with recognition. “Wait your THE Bruce Banner!, holy shit!”

Bruce looked nervous at the praise. “I can’t believe it.” Tony stood up and walked over to Bruce. “Your work on anti-collision particles is amazing!” Then Tony clasped Bruce’s hands. “We are now science bros! There is a lot of science in our future Banner!”

And that’s when everyone realized the easiest way to get Tony out of his shell was science.

And bit by bit, Tony was healing.

—-

My phones at 2% but I will answer the rest of your questions later! In my next post. Anyone who comments immediately gets added to my tag list! 1%!!! Shit.

—

Also because I feel like this is a huge part of the au I’m going to tag you guys who asked to be.

@justsomefunshit @colorfulblades@tired-but-here-i-am @blackhearted @im-here-for-marvel@rainbowdoom32@definitely-nope @iheartavengers

—-

last thing if my tags don’t work, something is not right because whenever I try to like do the verify-y thingy it says your blogs don’t exist. So if anyone knows how to fix that please help me.

Thx!

[ecofinisher]

A new partnership (Abominable & Miraculous x-over

Chapter 14

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26109937/chapters/65417491

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13681547/14/A-new-partnership

https://www.wattpad.com/962303165-a-new-partnership-recess

On the next school day, Alya sat on the bench together with Marinette with Alix, Kim, Nathaniel, Marc, and Max in front of the girls looking at Alya holding her smartphone, where she was reading to the group from a news site.

„Surprisingly Onyx's attention yesterday in the afternoon as he spotted a girl getting kidnapped led the police to discover the man that was responsible for the deed was also a criminal, that was responsible for the trafficking of children," Alya read. „Oh my gosh, that looks like the guy here, who delivered my dad his wedding suit from the laundry,"

„Man, that's sick," Kim stated. „What a coincidence, I don't think even Onyx expected that guy to be one of those types of persons," „Honestly when I saw that guy yesterday this was one of the last things I have expected to find out," Marinette mentioned. „More as we crashed against the back of his van we weren't even aware Onyx was trying to stop him because he held Yi hostage,"

„She looks okay now," Marc mentioned earning a nod from Nathaniel.

„Who's actually Yi?" Kim asked. „Is she also in our school?"

„She's that girl, that hangs around with Kagami from the fencing class," Max answered.

„Ah the ice queen you mean?" Kim asked earning a nod from Max.

„Why are you calling her an ice queen?" Nathaniel asked the Vietnamese boy.

„I don't know. Once a while ago Marinette and Alya told me she was the ice queen," Kim answered making Alya cross her arms.

„That's the girl code between me and Marinette we used to avoid Adrien to find out Marinette is afraid to see Kagami make her way towards him, " Alya said.

„But hey we never said a bad thing about her, don't worry, „Marinette added with a fake laugh.

„My mom used to say girls talk behind other girl's back because they feel jealous of them," Nathaniel added making Kim and Max laugh.

„No, we're not jealous of Kagami. She sure is amazingly talented and all, but you know….her mother raised her to be all that what she is,"

„Just like Gabriel did with Adrien," Max mentioned.

„Is she actually allowed to have other friends like she has Yi?" Kim asked looking at the other side of the court seeing Kagami sit next to Yi, which looked at Kagami talking.

„She's here at the school. How can her mother see, what she's doing?" Nathaniel asked.

„Well uh she wouldn't see it anyway. She's blind," Alya mentioned making Kim look surprised.

„Really?"

„Wow and I thought Adrien had it complicated," Nathaniel added earning a nod from the athletic guy.

„Hey Marc are you feeling better now?" Marinette asked. „I've heard Steven apologized to you about what he did,"

„Yes I'm good, thanks" The boy in the red hoodie responded.

„Sorry I couldn't have helped you out," Nathaniel apologized making Marc smile a little.

„It's okay, you don't have to," Marc replied. „He learned his lesson now,"

„Yeah, some take one time. Others take more than one time," Kim stated.

„And others barely learn from their mistakes," Alya added making Kim nod.

„Where's Nino actually?" Kim questioned. „Is he chatting with Adrien?"

„Yes he spoke something about trying to talk to D'Argencourt about the fencing videos," Alya answered. „I think Adrien needs them for his new school,"

„Alright,"

Down at the stairs, Jin sat on them with Luka, which showed him on his smartphone a drabble, which Jin was looking at.

„The idea is making boy A go to the auditions to see the girl he likes play for the role as Juliett, then as she does her thing he begins to imagine himself in the play playing Romeo in a good way earning a kiss from her as Juliett making the whole audience clap. Soon as his daydream ends he sees boy B, which is another boy interested in the girl too, but he's obviously more talented than boy A, which gets sad as he sees him play for the role of Romeo. On his way home he sees them go together, which breaks his heart, then he remembers to ask the drama club teacher to give him a try to play for the role, then gets told he could try, maybe they would at least find a substitute for Romeo. The teacher still preferred boy B but gave him the role as Romeo's substitute. The boy A practiced at home his role as Romeo trying to improve, but he felt like he couldn't make it better so he gave up and watched from his house at the window sad the two main actors hug. One day before the act the girl asks boy A if he will see them play and he says something occurred and he can't show up and the girl said it would be so great to see him there, but he kept rejecting her offer cause he didn't want to break his own heart. On the night of the play, he still came and watched the play so the girl would be happy. Before the last act boy A went out feeling depressed, then the girl showed up to tell boy B got hurt and they needed a second Romeo. In the last scene boy A acted like a pro, then Romeo and Juliett kissed. Afterward, the thing was over boy A was going home neutrally and the girl appeared asking him why he didn't stay with the others. Boy A said he wasn't in a mood to be with people, then she offered to be with him making him blush, then they walked together away and deep on the end of the hills or road, whatever we get they share a kiss under the moon,"

„Sounds like a nice video. But how are you going to make it?" Jin questioned the raven-haired boy.

„One step after the other. First I need a few actors and someone who's responsible for the clothing, the makeup has taken my sister as usual,"

„And who will be the main character? You?"

„No," Luka answered watching Nathaniel pass in front of them along with Marc and Kim. „Hey, I could ask Nathaniel. He fits the role perfectly,"

„Oh really?"

„Nathaniel, have you got interest to play in my music video?" Luka asked watching Nathaniel shrug his shoulders.

„I'm not really good at acting" The redhead answered.

„You just have to be yourself in there,"

„Okay and what else do I have to do there besides that?"

„Hmm maybe kiss a girl," Luka added wrinkling his eyebrow making Nathaniel frown.

„Bad idea, that will have bad consequences. I'm…..a bad kisser,"

„Oh don't worry, we can have a lot of takes until we get a good one,"

„Uh I skip that," Nathaniel rejected Luka's offer making Luka shake his head.

„Okay, but the offer is set. You can think about it," Luka warned watching Nathaniel pass next to the stairs along with the boys.

„Maybe if you invite his crush to the video to play the role of the girl he might think about it" Jin suggested making Luka shrug his shoulders.

„Yes, except so far I know he doesn't have a crush on anyone here. Or one that's notable," Luka mentioned.

„You can't blame him, not all have one at the moment. Look at me,"

„You know it takes time to fall in love with someone, mostly when it's supposed to be a lasting feeling,"

„Is that why you're still interested in Marinette after all those months?" Jin asked.

„Well I have better chances with her now as Adrien Agreste isn't here anymore, but as long as she's still with her thoughts on him I just talk to her as a friend,"

„Hmm…." Jin murmured looking down at the court spotting Yi sitting on the bench together with Kagami, seeing Yi speaking at Kagami. „What do you think about Kagami? I feel like she would fit him well as a girlfriend?"

„Kagami?" Luka asked surprised earning a nod from the deskmate. „I believe she's isn't quite a good fit for him. She's too tough for him to handle,"

„Isn't that what he needs to get out of his comfort zone?"

„No, he needs to grow out of his shell. He wouldn't really handle Kagami's direct, tough girl personality good at all…...or at the start,"

„Okay, another idea?" Jin asked watching Luka point at the childhood friend of Jin. „Yi? But why her?" Jin asked spontaneously about Luka's suggestion.

„Are you jealous?" Luka asked changing his neutral face into a smirk.

„N….No. I just don't know…..if they're a good match you know. I don't want Yi to suffer, she's already suffering because of her father,"

„The video will take time and people to get made if Nathaniel and Yi were to be a thing I believe she would have already dealt with her mourn of his death by now,"

„She seems opener as she was before in my opinion. I don't remember seeing her paying attention to her listening to anyone the past days," Jin mentioned. „Perhaps yesterday her talk with Onyx made her clear, that she should talk about it instead?"

„What talk?" Luka asked making Jin shut his eyes at his careless word choice

„Uh….I saw it on the ladyblog posted by someone," Jin saved himself earning a nod from Luka.

„I haven't seen them yet,"

„Yeah erm….Alya showed me them" Jin added getting up from the stairs, then stepped on the ground of the court, seeing the two girls talk and Luka looked up at the Chinese-descendant boy.

„Where are you going?" The musician asked watching Jin walk towards the two girls on the bench. „Hi girls,"

„Hey Jin," The girls greeted one after the other.

„I uh came here to ask how you were doing" Jin mentioned looking at Yi. „I heard about yesterday…..came to see how you feeling,"

„I'm feeling good" Yi responded. „Onyx was really nice towards me,"

„Great to hear that"

„Yes," Yi added watching Jin roll his eyes away to think about how to continue the conversation. „Well….uh how's school going? Making good grades?"

„So far I have only got one exam back. Not much happened during class,"

„Yes makes sense…..hey….if you have trouble at the school, I can help you out if you want,"

„No, it's alright. I don't want to bother you. We have two years difference. When I need help I ask our teacher or someone from my class,"

„Oh okay," Jin answered. „Well…..I'm going back to Luka. I'm wondering about the rest of his story," Jin said earning a nod from Yi and walked back to Luka, making Kagami smirk and look at Yi.

„Your friend's interested in you" Kagami mentioned.

„He's just worried about me. He's just trying to be kind to me.

„Well, he seemed like he had other plans in mind,"

„Come Kagami, you don't know Jin as I do," Yi mentioned watching a dark-blonde girl approach him making him smile warmly. „….At least the old one,"

„Okay, no more words" Kagami finished taking her smartphone out to look at it,

Yi looked up at the surroundings then spotted Lila Rossi pass in front of them and Yi looked at the time on Kagami's smartphone, then back at the girl, which walked to the bench near the wardrobes, then saw her sit down and take out her smartphone with a sigh.

At the same time, Marc and Nathaniel sat under the stairs around a sheet of paper trying to draw a giant monster on it. Nathaniel sighed dropping his pencil on the ground, followed by Marc which sighed at the break.

„This is the 7th time we stopped. How am I supposed to know, how he should look like?" Marc questioned the redhead.

„I have no idea either. I know how it looks like in my head but bringing it onto paper is hard. It's like I've been dreaming of something and then when I want to tell it someone, I forget it," „How about you try to write it down how he looks according to you?" Marc asked. „You know, with words?"

„You know I'm not very good at details…...you know with words,"

„Just make it a drabble. You can always re-edit it later" Marc suggested earning a nod from Nathaniel, which turned around the sheet then wrote down five words as Marc glanced over the boy's shoulder watching him do so. Nathaniel's pencil broke, then Marc moved away to pick his case looking for the sharpener, then handed it out to Nathaniel, which used it.

„Thanks,"

„You're welcome" Marc responded, then looked aside to spot Lila Rossi sat all by herself on the bench waiting for the classes to start. „Hey Nathaniel. What's the name of that girl over there," Marc mentioned seeing Nathaniel watch at the Italian exchange student and frown.

„That's Lila," Nathaniel answered. „My desk mate and also the girl, that lied about certain things,"

„And why did she lie? Did she say that?"

„What did she say again? Uhm she was afraid people wouldn't like her and that she doesn't know why she's doing that. She has always done that," Nathaniel answered. „She did a big mistake and now almost everyone hates her,"

„Ouch" Marc lamented. „Maybe she was afraid people wouldn't like her real her and make fun of her or something. Like with us,"

„How?" Nathaniel asked. „She's gorgeous. Everyone would befriend her anyway,"

„If she hadn't lied before, but she did and why? Because she was afraid,"

„I get it. It's just weird, not all girls that are good-looking are soft on the inside," Nathaniel pointed out.

„So are you. You're good-looking and kind-hearted too," Marc pointed out making Nathaniel furrow his eyebrows.

„You think I'm good-looking?" Nathaniel asked surprised making Marc turn a little red.

„Erm…..uhm…..o….of course! Why not?"

„Hey thanks. The only person to have ever called me good-looking was my mother," Nathaniel pointed out.

„Y...you're welcome," Marc responded seeing Nathaniel look at Lila, then Nathaniel looked back at his friend.

„Uh shall we do something with her?" The redhead asked.

„Ask her to join us" The raven-haired boy suggested, making Nathaniel glance at the brunette girl. „Me?"

„You sit next to her. You know more or less what's up. Just tell her you…..thought about her words and want to give her a chance,"

„Okay, wish me luck, " Nathaniel noticed getting up from the ground to talk at Lila, then he stopped in front of her, rolling his eyes down wondering, what to say. „Hey" Nathaniel began watching Lila look up at him, then look down at the floor.

„Are you here to know something?" Lila asked neutrally watching Nathaniel sit down on the bench.

„I was thinking about…..no I and Marc were there together trying to figure out how to draw something for my comic and saw you here. We were wondering if you would like to hang out with us in the break?" Nathaniel suggested.

„You know I don't have it good with the drawing as you two do," Lila answered.

„I know, but uh…..Marc writes stories and fanfics….and other stuff with words. Besides we don't really do that every break, we sometimes talk to about school, our hobbies, and all that. Come join us,"

„Thanks for your offer, Nathaniel. I don't feel like I belong there,"

„Oh…." Nathaniel responded looking at Marc, which pointed at Lila ordering the boy to insist. „But….you can't know that if you never try,"

„What exactly do you mean?"

„Well uh…..we could all get to know each other about our school lives our pasts and all that. Maybe we find all something we got in common?" Nathaniel suggested, then the school bell rang and Marc got up and ran towards the two desk mates.

„Nathaniel told me you were afraid when you lied to everyone here. We know how it is to be the minority and not have many people to be interested in you to be befriended with," „Exactly…..,"

„We definitely have some things in common, we just need to know what, " Marc told the girl. „We know how it feels to be alone,"

„I do a lot," Nathaniel admitted earning a nod from the raven-haired boy.

„I have to go back to classes. Bring her out on our next break," Marc asked earning a nod from the redhead.

„Sure, you're going to stay over midday here anyway, right?" Nathaniel asked earning a nod from the brunette. „Oh well…..okay I try to come earlier to school. My mom is at home and promised to serve Kaiserschmarrn for Lunch,"

„What's your mother's job?" Lila asked curious. „If I may ask?"

„Air traffic controller," Nathaniel responded. „She's not quite often at home as usual you know" Nathaniel explained making Lila smile a little.

„So Marc was right about that you knew how it is to be alone,"

„Well, she tries her best to be at home. When she's off the work or is home at the same time as I, I see her more. Sometimes we go visit my grandfather at the retirement home,"

„Interesting, what about your dad?" Lila asked making Nathaniel shrug his shoulders.

„I never saw him be honest. My mom also doesn't like to talk about him and neither do I,"

„Oh I didn't want to bother you with that,"

„It's okay," Nathaniel responded, then watched the classmates approach, then he got up and opened the door of the wardrobe, looking at Lila, which had mirrored him and entered into the female wardrobe. Nathaniel entered into the men wardrobe followed by Nino and Ivan, which had arrived first with the exception of the redhead.