#I wish I knew how to draw I was fiddling so much with this
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dreamdancerdotfile · 16 hours ago
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RIGHT THOUGHTS
RIGHT WORDS
RIGHT ACTION!
(x)
Compilation of the last few years ⬇️
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sodapopwrites · 1 month ago
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the first sign of fall chapter four: you said no attachment
college au, the inner circle boys and the reader are bartenders.
pairings - eris vanserra x reader, a teensy bit of azriel x reader
summary - talking things out seems impossible, so you give up and do exactly what you shouldn't. you, azriel, and eris seem to never be able to find a way to communicate or to tell each other how you feel.
word count - 3.2k
a/n - man. i'm sorry. i love making things go horribly wrong. i swear things will work out at some point, but right now everybody has to be sad and afraid otherwise it's too easy. ALSO thank you to everyone who is showing so much support for this series. like i wish i could buy you all cookies or something.
read the rest of the series here!
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You push your way into the locker room slowly. It’s filled with steam, curling its way from the showers, around the lockets, pooling at your feet. Almost like it was reaching you, pulling you towards him. You hear the steady stream of water against tile, broken only by the body under it. He wasn’t facing you. His back taught and head down, letting the scolding water stain his hair darker. 
“Eris?” 
Your voice was wavering and unsure. Your feet moving from side to side, fingers fiddling with the sleeve of your jacket. He straightened, his head raising, his entire body stiffening. Hackles up. The water turned off. He reached for the towel hanging on the wall next to him and wrapped it around his waist before turning around, towards you, but not looking at you. He traipsed across the room to his bag and started rifling through it for his clothes. His only acknowledgement of you, a small sniff as you sighed. 
“Please talk to me” 
It was the closest thing to begging he’d ever heard from you. Those four words drenched in desperation that was so out of character that his eyes snapped to yours. He shook his head, 
“I don’t have anything to say.” 
You take a deep shuddering breath. Trying to think what he wants from you. Scraping every corner of your mind for the right thing to say. You come up empty. You study his face, the cut on his lip, his forehead. The bleeding had stopped for the most part, but a garish bruise was starting to form on his cheekbone. You take a tentative step towards him. He doesn’t move an inch, almost as if he’s frozen. A deer in headlights. His eyes don’t leave yours as you draw closer and raise a hand to brush your fingers over the welt now blossoming under his skin. His eyes flutter closed and it takes all of his effort to lean away from your touch instead of into it. 
“Don’t” A small warning. Enough to force you a couple steps back. “I don't think I can do this. I meant it.” 
You shake your head vehemently, “Please don’t say that. Please. You want to talk? Let’s talk. You can’t just decide you’re done. There’s two of us in this Eris.” 
“You want to talk? Talk then.” 
He stares at you. His face completely unreadable. Cold in a way that it never had been before. His eyes always sold him away, always carried all of his feelings, like a window straight to his heart. But now, looking at them, you couldn’t see a thing. The only other person who ever managed that kind of mask….was Azriel. 
“I didn’t mean to blame you.” It was a lame response. You knew that. But you continued anyway. “You were hurt, and you'd gotten into a fight with Az, and I was worried, and lashed out.” 
He didn’t say anything. Small droplets of water rolled down his chest. His hair was tousled and damp. The heat of his body contrasting so harshly with the cool air, that small wisps of steam curled from him. It would have been a beautiful sight, if the look on his face didn’t scare you quite as much as it did. 
“Who were you really worried about?” His voice was low and calm. Horrifyingly calm. 
“Both of you.” 
It was an honest answer. Just not the one he wanted to hear. 
“I’m tired. I’m tired of being a second choice. I’m not something you can keep in your backpocket. I l-” 
He shook his head. As if the last couple words got stuck in his throat. He couldn’t say them. Not like this. Not when he was looking at you, draped in a jersey that wasn’t his, your eyes so desperate and pleading. I love you too much. That’s what he wanted to say. What he couldn’t say. Not when all he could think about was Azriel, and all those unspoken feelings. 
“You’re not.” 
That’s all you could say. Choking down the tears that you wanted to cry. You couldn’t cry. Not like this. You wouldn’t let him see that. It was too pathetic. Too desperate. 
He stared at you. Blankly. Mind reeling. You were on the brink of tears. He could see it plain as day. Just cry. Show some emotion. Any emotion. He wanted to yell it at you. Beg you. At least the tears would prove that this was more than nothing. But you didn’t. You just stood. Like looking at him was the most painful thing you could possibly be doing. 
He thought of Azriel. He had heard the two of you yelling before he had retreated to the showers, hoping that the water would drown out the sound of it. He didn’t want to hear what was being said. Didn’t need to hear more of Azriel’s opinions on him. 
He thought of the way that Azriel had years of history with you. The way he’d seen you cry, something you’d refuse to do in front of him. The way Eris had watched your eyes drift off into some far away thought and had your eyes snap back into focus, on him. Azriel had your embrace in moments of panic, a comfort and a quiet that you floated towards. A solace and hiding place you looked for. You never seemed to grow tired of him the way you grew tired of others. Azriel would have you for lifetimes and Eris didn’t want to be a footnote in that story.
“I just need time to think.” That was all he could think to say before finally pulling a shirt over his head. And turning away from you. 
“I’m scared of what that means.” 
He shook his head. He couldn’t look back at you. One right word from you and he’d cave. He’d give you anything you wanted no matter what it did to him. Your voice hit him again, like a bullet, 
“I’m scared it’s going to take you years to think, and figure it out, and I’m scared of what it’ll do to me.” 
He pulled his pants on and sat down to lace his shoes. Still refusing to look at you as he said the first thing that came to mind, 
“Well you always have Az to wash away whatever guilt you're feeling. I said it before. I’m done, so why don’t you go cry to him?” 
Out of the corner of his eye he saw your jaw set. The small nod of your head. It was the wrong thing to say. But he was begging you to prove him right. Begging you to do something to prove to him that he wasn’t what you wanted. 
You felt weak. Like your knees were about to buckle. Like every horrible thing you ever thought about yourself was right. It didn’t matter how much you cared about him, you never were able to find a way to make that clear. Could never just say it. Could never really figure it out. But he was right and that was the worst part. You fled from the locker room as quickly as you could while still holding onto a shred of dignity. The tears you had choked down rising like a violent tide. Tearing through your every nerve. Your whole body felt like it was burning, like the loss of him might actually consume you. Alone again. You couldn’t stand it. 
★ ★ ★ 
You shouldn’t have done it. But you weren’t thinking, completely on autopilot as you drove, as you walked up the steps, as your arm raised and knocked on the door. Your eyes still glistening, your cheeks red, and your body shaking lightly as the door opened slowly. 
Azriel. 
His eyes flashed with confusion, his hand going to run through his hair before leaning against the door frame as he took you in. Your jacket is gone. His jersey hanging off you. You looked wrecked. Terrified. So clearly the conversation with Eris didn’t work out and here you were. Like you always were when you lost something. 
“Is Cass home?” 
Your voice was shredded. Hoarse and devastated. The mask of cool collection you usually aimed for completely lost now. He shook his head slowly as he pulled the door slightly more ajar. 
“You want to talk?” 
You sniffled and curled your arms around yourself, “No. I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to think.” 
“So…What do you want?” 
He knew exactly what you wanted. He just needed to hear it straight from your bitten red and raw lips. 
“I don’t want to be alone.” 
A whisper. A small admission. Almost a question. 
He held out an arm and you pulled yourself into his embrace too easily. Your arms immediately circling around his neck. He leaned down to pull your legs around his waist and carried you across the threshold. Closing the door behind him. His fingers bruising against your thighs. Like he wanted his fingerprints embedded in your skin forever. His lips never leaving yours as he walked towards his room. As he lowered you to his bed. Only pulling away to peel your clothes off slowly. To press open mouthed kisses against your neck as he let his hands roam. His pace slow and deliberate, as if every small claim of his lips was a victory. 
It was. A small victory. He’d have you for lifetimes, maybe only like this, when he was needed to fill some emptiness inside you. But still. Others would have you for minutes at a time that in their lifespan would boil down to nothing. But he’d have you forever. A small form of revenge. 
He traced every path he thought Eris might have once marked as his own. Neither of you saying a word. Both of you ignoring the tears streaming down your face. Azriel only pausing once to wipe them away with a brief brush of his thumbs and soft shushing from his lips, before he sank his teeth into the crook of your neck. The force behind it bruising and almost angry. Like he wanted it to hurt. Like he wanted you to remember that feeling in the morning. Like he wanted you to remember that other men would have your adhd driven drifts of attention, your accolades and commendation. Your fantasies and broken form of love tainted remedies to draw out seconds on a timesheet. Your short term hyperfocus. Your false forms of naive intimacies. Your fleeting fingers through their hair when they bend their heads to you. Your anger when they don’t live up to the image you’ve built in your head. 
You closed your eyes. Letting him take the lead. You didn’t want to think. Didn’t want to do anything, but feel him. Because that was the easiest thing you could possibly do. The easiest way to not be alone. 
Azriel reveled in it. Your attention when convenient. Your gaze when you thought he was too lost in his movements against you. The way he could still feel your anger from earlier bubbling under the surface, and the way that it didn’t matter now. The way that you had still come to him. The way that he was always right. The way that the little jersey stunt had worked exactly in his favor. The way he always managed to do exactly what you wanted. The way your nails raked across his shoulder blades and you let out a choked sob. 
He’d let you right to it. Something to be angry about again. The one thing you wanted. The one thing you never wanted Eris to see. The one real thing you were. Angry and afraid. Afraid of everything you had ever felt. 
A small form of revenge. 
He held you close to his chest after. He knew you’d leave. Just like you had done before. Just like you did every time something too intimate, no matter what the scale, happened between the two of you. You didn’t move. You didn’t speak. You’d stopped crying, but by the way you were breathing he knew you still wanted to. So he held you tighter. 
★ ★ ★
You left while he was still asleep. Seven in the morning. Guilt rippling through your entire body. Eris expected the worst from you, so you did the worst thing you could think of, and it felt good. That was the worst part. You closed Azriel’s door as quietly as you could and turned around, immediately met with Cassian’s hulking form leaning against the wall of the hallways. His arms crossed and his eyebrow raised. Your eyes widened. Since when has he ever woken up this early? 
“Again?” 
You didn’t respond. Heading for the door shaking your head. He stepped in front of you, blocking your exit. 
“Why?” 
His voice was a whisper, but the question hit like he was shouting. 
“I didn’t know what else to do.” You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him as you said it. 
“You look like you just had a death in the family or something. That’s not how you should look after hooking up with someone. This is…this fucking sadness that you get from Eris….Even Az can’t fix that.” 
You look at him now. He was wrong. Of course he wanted to blame Eris. Why wouldn’t he? 
“It’s not Eris that made me….” 
You trailed off and Cassian inhaled deeply. Finally getting it. Whatever you and Azriel had going on…hurt you just as much as it hurt him. A mutual form of self destruction. 
“So why did you do it?” 
Azriel’s door opened now. You didn’t hear it. Didn’t notice that Azriel had finally woken up and was watching intently as you responded, 
“Because Azriel….” You push Cassian out of the way and reach for the door, “Eris makes me weak.” 
You close the door behind you and Cassian flinches at the sound of it clicking shut. His eyes looking towards his friend now. Azriel looked like he’d seen a ghost. Eris makes me weak. The only way you could think to say that you were in love with him. The only way you could find to express that the feeling scared you so deeply that you went back to something you, and everyone else, had so adamantly ignored for years. It was almost like falling in love with Azriel and wasting it had turned you into something cold. Something accidentally cruel. 
Cassian sighed and shook his head. The disappointment coming off him in waves. Azriel unsure which one of them that disappointment was really directed at. Cassian watched him, he looked small, and unlike himself. He thought of the years Az had spent chasing whatever had happened between the two of you that one night. Like he was so desperate to prove that he was capable of love. Like having you in any small form would make him better at it, like doing whatever he could to keep you away from other people, and bring you back to him. Would prove that he could love someone. Like letting you in last night and fucking you while you cried was a testament to how much he was willing to ignore. Maybe that was what he thought love was. Ignoring all the bad and taking you anyways, under any condition, nevermind who your heart really called for. 
“You’re just a glutton for punishment aren’t you Az?” 
That was all Cassian said as he turned back to his room and shut the door sharply behind him. Leaving Azriel to stand alone in the morning shadow soaked hall. 
★ ★ ★
Eris’ apartment felt empty. Without your laughter. Without you sitting at his kitchen counter biting your nails and complaining about whatever class was pissing you off at the moment. 
He sat alone in his living room. Your sweater still draped over the back of the chair he crashed into. His eyes falling on the plants you had lined up against his windowsill while muttering something about lifeless male living spaces. The notes you had written him stuck to his fridge. The books you had left scattered across his coffee table. The pair of shoes you placed next to his by the door, shrugging, and saying it’s good to have a spare. Almost every inch of his apartment screamed your name, and begged for your return. 
He remembered the ice in your stare as he told you to run back to Azriel. The kind of cold he could never warm. The set determination of your walk as you strode away from him. He knew exactly where you were right now. He knew that you had done exactly what you told him to, and he couldn’t even find it in himself to blame you. He should have just talked to you. Should have made it clear to you that he wanted everything. That he was all in. That he didn’t care about the fact that you were scared, he could see it clear as day. He’d seen it since you started seeing each other. The way that you were so terrified that the second you admitted how much he meant to you, he’d leave. 
It wasn’t like you made your affections a secret. You had decorated his apartment. You had spent all of your free time with him. You had held him so tight at night that sometimes he wondered if you thought that if you let go he’d slip away, or fade away. You had given him annotated book’s, highlighting lines you thought he might like. Had sent him playlists and pictures of things throughout the day that reminded you of him. Had wrapped your arms around him lazily and pulled him away from his computer whispering you have to stop being such a workaholic. The closest you let yourself get to exhibiting how much you worried about him. You had made it as clear as you could. 
But he could’t wipe the image of Azriel’s smirk as you had yelled at him what the fuck is wrong with you? Like your outburst was some sort of victory. Like shadowsinger had won. Like getting Eris to fight him was exactly what he had hoped for.
He remembered the way that Azriel went slack under him as they fought, the way he had let Eris throw punch after punch and seemed almost elated as blood spilled from his mouth. Like the blood would stain your hands and force you into remembering what and who really mattered. And maybe it had. 
Eris sighed and stood from his chair. Sleep. He needed sleep. But when he laid eyes on his bed, the sheets rumpled and blankets a mess. He thought of you that morning. Refusing to wake up, quietly calling for him to come back to bed, telling him to stop answering emails and come kiss you awake. The way he’d obliged and reveled in your warmth, and your smell, and the soft graze your fingers across his skin. He should have stopped you from leaving. 
I’m scared it’s going to take you years to think, and figure it out, and I’m scared of what it’ll do to me.
He should have told you. I love you too much. But he didn’t and now he’d have to suffer the consequences. Maybe that was what he deserved. Maybe he thought, this is what happens when he let himself fall in love with someone. When he let his walls down. When he let someone into his space. 
taglist:
@tiredsleepyhead @rosewood-cafe @kristijenner19 @becstersworld @girlwhoreadseverywhere @iambored24601
@the-sylver-dragon @scarsandallaz @fairydustblossom 
@theflowerswillbloom 
@theflowerswillbloom @melsunshine @mad-katsuki @lilylilyyyyyy @blueeeeeshark
@redr0sewrites
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katsu28 · 2 years ago
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to be alone together
pairing: Steve Harrington x reader
summary: steve has to work on valentine’s day, but maybe it’s not as bad as he thought it would be
warnings: none, 1.8k
a/n: u know i had to do a lil something for my steve girlies too <3 went for a more steve centric pov bc he is the definition of pining simp 
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(gif credits to @harringtondaily)
“Kinda sucks that you gotta work tonight.” Robin’s voice through the phone pressed to Steve’s ear was staticky, but still provided a good distraction from the empty video store around him.
It was Valentine’s Day and Steve had been at Family Video since opening, watching couple after couple come in to pretty much clear the romcom shelves, and yeah, he was a little bummed about it, but there was no point moping around about it any longer than he already had been. 
“It’s whatever, honestly. Not like I had any plans to begin with.” He sighed, shifting the receiver so it was wedged between his cheek and shoulder as his fingers drifted down to fiddle with the pen on the counter absentmindedly. 
“Steve, that’s sad.” Robin replied. Steve wrinkled his nose, a slightly offended noise escaping the back of his throat. “No! I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant that you should be out and about, having a good time.” 
“You know what’s actually sad? You talking to me instead of paying attention to your date.” He shot back, only half serious. “Where’s Nance?” 
“Oh she’s right here. Say hi, Nance.” 
Steve heard a faint ‘hi Steve’ in the background and he returned the greeting. “What are you guys doing tonight?” 
“She made this really fancy pasta thing for dinner, we’re just waiting on the chicken to finish in the oven and I thought I’d see what was going on with you.” Robin sounded casual, but he knew this was her way of checking up on him since he was the only one on shift all day and she knew how he felt about today. 
“Rob, I don’t know how many times I gotta tell you, but I’m fine. It’s really not a big deal.” 
“Why don’t you just close up early, come join us for dinner? We have more than enough food.” 
“You’re seriously inviting me to crash your romantic dinner date with your girlfriend?” He snorted, rolling his eyes playfully. “What does Nancy think of that?” 
There was some shuffling on the other end, a bout of silence, then Robin was back on the line. “She’s giving me a weird look, nevermind. Now that I think about it, it wasn’t my best idea.” 
“I love you both, but you know I can’t.” 
The bell above the door jingled softly, drawing Steve’s attention away from his phone call and to whoever just walked in. 
Shit. It was you. 
You were dressed like you were supposed to be on your date, not here, hair and makeup done up all pretty, floaty dress in his favorite color swishing around your knees as you made your way into the store. It made him wonder if you chose that color on purpose, but he knew that you didn’t. You couldn’t have known you’d be seeing him tonight. Wishful thinking on his end though. 
“Rob, I gotta go,” He blurted, straightening up behind the counter. 
“Wait, what—” 
“I gotta go, she’s—someone’s here, I gotta help her.” 
“She? Oh my god, wait! Is it—” 
“Have a nice date, tell Nance I said bye!” With that, Steve hung up, slamming the receiver onto the base with enough force to send it skittering a few inches. “Hey, Y/N.” 
“Steve!” Your previously downturned lips lifted into a smile, one that had Steve’s heart thudding a little faster in his chest. It always did. “I didn’t know you were working tonight.” 
See, you were also part of the reason he decided to take the extra shift today, but through no fault of your own. You’d mentioned earlier in the week while you were hanging out with him and Robin that someone had asked you out for tonight, and Steve didn’t really know how to feel about it. 
You were friends, but had Steve been harboring a crush on you since pretty much the first day you met? Yes. 
Did he feel an itching sense of jealousy that you were going on a date with someone that wasn’t him? Also yes. 
Would he do anything about it? Probably not. 
Okay, so maybe he knew exactly how he felt about it. Hell, he’d picked up an extra shift to distract himself from it. 
“Yeah, I got called in last minute." A lie. "Aren’t you supposed to be on a date right now?” A casual, not at all hoping that it crashed and burned question. That would be mean. (But also a little gratifying for him.)
You chuckled, a tad bitter as you leaned forward, propping your elbows on the counter, the action sending a whiff of your perfume his way. Steve’s knees almost gave out. “Supposed to, yeah. But the guy never showed up.” 
Steve had to fight a noise of surprise. What kind of dumbass would skip out on a date with you? “Really? That’s—that sucks, I’m sorry.” 
“S’okay. Wasn’t really looking forward to it anyways.” 
“Oh?” 
“I didn’t really know him that well, honestly. He was a friend of a friend, asked me out in front of a bunch of people, and I didn’t really wanna turn him down and make it awkward.” 
“You’re way too nice, Y/N. And he’s an idiot for standing you up.” 
“Thanks, Steve.” You smiled warmly at him, patting his hand. Steve had to pretend his pulse wasn’t racing right now. “What about you? Why’re you here and not out with anyone?” 
“I, uh—I didn’t really feel like going out tonight. Don’t think I’d be a very good date anyways.”
“Oh, you’re just being modest. What girl wouldn’t wanna spend Valentine’s Day with Steve Harrington?” 
The one girl he wanted to spend this day with, he thought. You. 
“You’d be surprised.” He muttered. 
“Well then they’re idiots too.” 
A small smile quirked his lips. “Thanks.” 
“Hey, I just came to pick up some movies and spend the rest of my night shoveling down ice cream, but since we’re both here now and alone, d’you wanna…be alone together? Grab a bite to eat or do something?” 
Steve’s shoulders slumped defeatedly. “I’d love to, but I—I can’t. I gotta stay here til the end of my shift, Keith’s been on my ass about taking off early and as much as I hate the guy, I don’t wanna get fired.” 
“Oh, okay. Don’t worry about it, I’m, uh—it’s cool.” Was he hallucinating, or did you look disappointed? 
“Would you maybe wanna, I dunno, stay here? We can watch whatever you want and I know where Robin keeps her work snack stash. That way we can be alone together and I don’t get chewed out again?” Steve blurted hopefully. He was honestly expecting you to say no. Why would you wanna spend the rest of your already shitty night with him in a dingy video store? But then your face split into the biggest smile and you nodded, rocking forward on the balls of your feet earnestly. “Go pick something out, I’ll grab the snacks.” 
You scurried off to browse the near bare shelves, leaving Steve shaking his head amusedly in your wake as he watched you skim the tapes with a look of utmost concentration. He slipped into the back room to grab Robin’s last unopened bag of chips, making a mental note to buy more before tomorrow’s shift before returning to the video area.
He skimmed the store, spotting you in the romcom section, and when he made his way over, you were contemplating the last two tapes on the shelf. 
You beamed at him upon spotting him. “Pretty in Pink or Sixteen Candles?” 
“Am I allowed to say neither?” 
“You said whatever I want, Steve.” You said pointedly, propping your hands on your hips. 
“I did, didn’t I?” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. You let out a hum of pleasure, sliding your chosen movie off the shelf and wandering towards the TV in the corner. Steve hurried after you quickly, plucking the tape from between your fingertips and running away, not unlike a child would. 
“Steve!” You huffed, whirling on your heel. He grinned mischievously at you, waving it in the air like a taunt. You caught up with him within seconds, lunging for the tape that he held up above his head and away from your outstretched hand. Your body was pressed against his as you reached for it, as you leaned against him in a fruitless attempt to overpower him. “Steve, gimme the tape!” 
“No!” He laughed, but that laughter very soon trickled off as soon as he realized your proximity. You were so close, he could see the color of your eyes clear as day, looking right back at him. You’d fallen quiet too, as if you’d come to the same realization. 
You were nose to nose, faces a hair’s breadth away from each other, the stolen tape in Steve’s hands long forgotten. Every fiber in his body was telling him to pull away, because the longer he stayed here the weirder it would be when he finally did manage to retreat, but no matter how hard he willed himself to move, he couldn’t. Instead, his eyes flicked down to your lips. Your breath hitched almost imperceptibly. 
“Steve?” You whispered, gaze darting around his own face. 
“Yeah?” 
“Kiss me.” 
You didn’t have to tell him twice.
Steve dropped the tape immediately, closing the gap between you and pressing his lips against yours. His hands came up to cup your face, holding you firm but kissing you soft, like he was preparing himself to pull away if you did. But from the way you were returning his kiss, how your hands clutched at the front of his vest to keep him this close, it didn’t feel like you’d be pulling away anytime soon, and that spurred him on even more. 
One hand slid down to settle at your waist, the other curling around the back of your neck as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss just a little bit. 
Steve’s lips felt tingly when he pulled away, tasted of your cherry lip gloss when his tongue darted out to lick them. He was sure to have a little bit on his mouth now, but it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Not by a long shot. Cherry might’ve just become his new favorite flavor. 
“I really like you.” He breathed, chest heaving against yours. Your lips curved into a soft smile—the same smile that nearly sent Steve’s brain short circuiting every time it was aimed his way. 
“After that kiss, I’d sure hope so,” You replied, smoothing out his wrinkled shirt as best you could. “I like you too, just so you know. Part of the reason I was so okay with my date ditching me. He wasn’t you.” 
Steve could only beam at you, going in for another kiss. In his excitement, he missed his mark, hitting the corner of your mouth instead, but he didn’t care. The girl he wanted all along actually liked him back, and it only took one failed date and an extra shift to find out. 
Maybe working on Valentine’s Day wasn’t so bad after all. 
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lazybutsmexy · 2 years ago
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... I couldn't control myself. I have no excuses.
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Smoke break
Pairing: König x reader (GN)
Word count: 1700+/-
Warnings: alcohol consumption, smoking, blood, König's big hands, you have a stalker, König fixes it.
On AO3
It was a slow Tuesday night at the bar, and you dreaded its end with a passion. Whenever your eyes caught the clock on the wall behind the bar, and realized the hands were not in the same position as the last time you looked, a chill ran down your spine.
Busying yourself with drying an already dry glass, you tried not to think of the man sitting down in a corner of the room, his eyes boring into you in what you could only describe as a predatory manner. You didn't know his name, or what could have put you in his wishlist in the beginning. You only knew he was trouble, alarm bells ringing incessantly in your ears whenever he approached the bar for a refill and tried to lock eyes with you. His incessant stare made your skin crawl and bile to rise up in your throat.
You took another glass, rinsing it under the faucet just so you had a reason to dry it. It was hard not to notice him, and it seemed like he reveled on it too. Aside from him, only two other men were there, sitting by themselves on a table and playing cards while nursing their beers halfheartedly. Behind the bar only your boss was with you, and he was busy counting the earnings of the day. He would be over very soon, you supposed; you could count the amount of clients tonight just out of the top of your head.
Had it been a Friday or Saturday night, you would be much more relieved, being able to focus on the neverending flow of patrons demanding your attention. This guy wouldn't come those nights either, knowing that there would be too many people to admire you from afar how he liked.
But this was a Tuesday night, only an hour left until closing time, and there were no obvious signs of a wave of patrons coming in. The clock's hands moved closer, as if mocking your pleading glare.
The bell on top of the door chimed as someone walked in, drawing your attention away from the wall and onto the newcomer. As soon as recognition hit you, you felt yourself light up as if you had eaten a kilo of fairy lights.
"Hi, König!" You greeted the masked soldier, who slowly made his way to one of the bar stools, "the usual for you?"
"...Yeah, thanks."
You prepared the old fashioned and set it in front of him with a cheeky wink. "This one's on me, 'kay?" You took a couple of seconds to assess his eyes. He looked weary, as if he wished to just be over with his day, but visibly lit up at your offer, the corners of his eyes crinkling a little in what you could only suppose was a smile hidden by his hood.
You were used to his looks by now, as the bar was relatively close to one of the most secretive military bases. All sorts of dangerous people frequented that base, and therefore the bar. You've found them to be rather enjoyable to be around, however, with König being by far your favorite. He was never boisterous or pushy, or tried to use his rank to get in your pants. He just came, had a glass or two over minimal chitchat, then left a hefty tip before disappearing.
"Thank you, you're very kind." He took the glass and you stepped back to give him space to enjoy his drink. In that moment, your eyes met the stalker's, and the rage in them made your skin crawl. You turned away from both men, fiddling with the shot glasses and stealing a glance at the clock, suddenly finding it hard to breathe when only 45 minutes were left until closing.
König also felt it all; the killing intent from the man at the corner, the terror crawling under your skin. It wasn't hard for him to put two and two together. He emptied his glass and noticed the slim hint of disappointment flash in your eyes. His mouth twitched under his hood, you sure wanted him to stay longer, and he didn't have the heart to tell you no this time - not as if he was ever able to tell you no to begin with.
"Uh… refill, please?" König tilted his glass, blinking at the way your eyes sparkled with joy as you took back his empty glass. He tried to not jolt when your fingers brushed his, but thankfully he controlled himself, simply enjoying the tingling sensation at the bottom of his stomach.
As soon as you handed him his refill, your boss made the last call announcement, bringing your mind back to the incessant ticking of the clock behind you. Only half an hour left until closing.
The two men playing cards got up and said their goodbyes, leaving the bar while chatting amongst themselves. The dreaded man in the corner got up and walked up to the bar, and you took in a deep breath to steel yourself while he addressed you with a sick grin, his next words making your skin crawl.
"...See you in thirty, sweetheart."
He walked out the door, but you couldn't hear the chime of the bell over your racing thoughts. König noticed and leaned in, his voice secretive so your boss wouldn't hear, but still caused you to snap your face in his direction.
"Something tells me you don't want to actually see him."
Tears pooled in your eyes as you walked closer to him, confiding your fears to him.
"...He always comes on slow nights," you whispered, and König's heart nearly broke at the shakiness of your voice, "hasn't ever approached me outside, but I know he watches me, no matter how late I leave. Sometimes I'll get one of the guys to walk me to my car, but the boss…he doesn't really care…" You glanced over your shoulder to make sure no one was listening in, before you continued. "He has never announced he would be waiting for me, though…why now? Why is he speaking as if I will certainly be with him when I get out…?"
König didn't miss the quiet break in your voice at the end, and you didn't miss the way his first tightened around his glass and his eyes darkened.
He appeared to be lost in thought for a few seconds, but he stretched his hand to cover your shaking, much smaller one, and gave it a squeeze.
"...I'll go outside for a smoke, and wait for you to get out," his voice was quiet but reassuring, and you felt a wave of relief wash over your spine, "I won't let him lay a finger on you."
You just managed a nod and a shaky smile that didn't quite reach your eyes. He downed his drink and got up, putting a few bills in the tip jar and giving you a small nod before walking out. You busied yourself with clearing out the tables and picking up any garbage. The clock signaled the hour when you took your bag from behind the bar and waved your coworkers goodbye, braving yourself for the walk to your car.
As soon as you stepped out, you were greeted with the sight of König standing on the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets as he approached you. The streetlights made him look even more towering, but you offered him a smile, knowing that on the inside he was just a gentle giant - at least to you.
His presence was comforting, his steps slow as he walked by your side. The tiny glimmer of fear wasn't completely gone, in the back of your mind, you knew that man would be back tomorrow night, and try again. But in this moment, you enjoyed König and his company, and revived the feeling of when he took your hand back at the bar.
As you approached your car, you turned to König. "Let me drive you back to base, it's late," a tiny frown appeared in the exposed part of his eyes, and you quickly added with a cheeky grin, "I promise I'll go straight home after, though."
He appeared to contemplate his options before answering with a nod, opening the driver door for you. You got in and sat yourself, barely containing the happiness of being able to spend some extra time with König, even if it was for a four to five minutes drive.
The drive was mostly quiet, consisting of you retelling some dumb things that happened during your shifts the last few days, and him looking straight at you as you spoke.
A couple of streets before base, you stopped at a red light, and looked at him with a sheepish grin. "König, could you hand me the cigarettes and lighter from my bag? I really need a smoke after tonight."
He snorted what you only assumed was a chuckle and stretched his arm in the backseat, easily fishing your bag and fetching said contents for you. Once a stick sat in your lips, you offered him the box and lighter, which he stared at for a second before looking straight into your eyes.
"...I don't smoke, (Y/n)"
You blinked at him and frowned in confusion, "...but, back at the bar, you went out for a-..." You interrupted yourself when you caught a glimpse of his hands, which were resting on his lap. Even under the red light, you could notice.
His knuckles were covered in blood.
It took a few more seconds for the realization to sink in, and König felt those seconds drag like hours. Had he done wrong?
When you looked into his eyes, though, tears of relief threatened to spill, your cigarette falling from your mouth as you took his bloody hand and held it close to your chest.
"Thank you, König," you offered with a watery smile, and he used his free hand to bring your head closer to his, letting him press his forehead to yours and stare straight into your eyes. The light changed to green, but in the empty streets, nobody cared. You drank into the way the light made his eyes look like emeralds, and his finger caressed your neck and jaw.
"...I told you I wouldn't let him lay a finger on you."
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t3ag3rs · 8 months ago
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g e n s o - 0 5.
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"the thirds ones wrong.. it should be will not well.."
you sighed out answering present mics question. "thats correct!" he continued to ramble on about grammar and english. 
you put your head down and closed your eyes wishing class would go by faster. 
then the bell rang, dismissing you all to go to lunch.
"y/n! come sit with us!" said mina, pulling your arm. you laughed and walked along with her, kirishima, and two other boys. "sup beautiful im denki kamanari and thats hanta sero, nice to finally meet you" said the yellow haired boy grinning.
you waved, "nice to meet you two as well!" kirishima groaned, "im so hungry..! i cant wait to some of the yummy food!" sero laughed as he patted his stomach, "hes like a baby!" 
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
you sat down between mina and kirishima, chatting with them as they ate. god im so hungry.... but i cant risk gaining any fat right now... im at the healthiest ive been.. i cant gain anything!
you looked down at your fingers and fiddled with them. "hey y/n, why arent you eating anything?" asked kirishima curiously, you looked at him and quickly blurted an excuse, "o-oh! i had a heavy breakfast right before i left so im still stuffed!" you chuckled to deflect any second thoughts from them.
mina nodded, "ohhhh i get that.. well make sure to eat at home kay?" you nod smiling at her, of course i will..
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
finally it was time for the class you were waiting for. "i am here!! coming through the door like a hero!" announced all might as he made a dramatic entrance into the class. you couldnt help but let out a wide smile at him.
the whole class started talking amongst themselves at how they were amazed he was teaching them. you knew bakugou was jumping inside at the sight of his favorite hero, but didnt wanna seem like he was a fanboy. 
 "today we will be focused on battle!" you looked to see bakugou grinning, "but in order to do that you guys have to look good!" suddenly boxes of all of your hero costumes came out of the wall.
oh my gosh is that really my coustume??? you thought excitedly, smiling widely. "change and meet me at training ground beta!" all might instructed.
 you went into the girls locker room and started changing, "i cant wait to see how my costume looks on me!" exclaimed mina, as she put on her costume. you laugh in agreement and start putting on yours. 
 "ill see you out there y/n! dont take to long!" she said as she ran out giddily. you finish putting on your costume and look at yourself in the mirror, you smiled as you saw how it accentuated your muscle and curves well, before running out to the rest of the students.
you walked out while smiling, "OH MT GOD Y/N YOU JUST RAISED THE HEAT OVER HERE! YOU LOOK SO HOT!" screamed mina, getting everyone's attention. you blush and thank her for the compliment while adjusting the thigh harnesses. 
you look over to see bakugou in his hero costume and take notice of how much his body had changed. he had definitely grown more muscular and even though you wouldnt admit it, he looked good.
you held your breath as you made eye contact with him. he widened his eyes a bit before looking the other way. "honestly though.. your costume looks so good!" mina praised, " o-oh! thanks..! honestly it isnt really something i usually wear.. the skin tight crop top, and i always usually try to stay away from pants that are somewhat tight around my thighs and butt.. "
 "no way! they show off the body you got blessed with! besides the cargos accentuate your muscular thighs! i think your whole costume looks good on you!" she smiles, you blush and bow your head thanking her.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
you listened closely as all might explained what you all would be doing today. you felt someone glaring at you and turned to look at them, only to meet a pair of vermillion eyes. you narrowed your eyes and stared back until he turned away, haha! i win asswipe!
you walked up to all might to draw your lot and see who you got paired with. letting out a low curse your paper read 'katsuki bakugou'. god you must really hate me huh..? out of all the people here this guy??
sulking internally you walked toward bakugou and stood by him silently. "all right lets see who the villian and hero will be!" all might reached into the box and pulled out your team and dekus team. "just great.." you mutter realizing you and bakugou were the villians and had to go up against deku. knowing bakugou he would target deku to try and beat him up. 
you and bakugou started heading on inside, "young y/n, young bakugou the key to this exercise is to embody villainy- think like how they would and act upon it, make sure to communicate and work together." you nod, youll only be able to communicate if someone doesnt target deku.
you follow behind bakugou into the room with the fake weapon. you walk toward it and look around to check your surroundings "hey." you turn and look at bakugou, "do you really think deku has a quirk..?" you bite your lip, "well.. we both saw what he did during the physical tests, so yes i do think he has a quirk" you respond looking at bakugou.
you noticed him tense up, "look.. just because he has a quirk now dont go targeting him whenever you can, we both have to communicate if you wanna win this- which im sure you do. so please just try and calm your temper okay?" you add, he stands still and you sigh. "whatever.. its not like youll listen anyways... ill guard the weapon, knowing them uraraka will probably try and come up here, once i deal with her ill help you with izuku"
"all right! lets begin the indoor combat training!" says all might over the loud speaker, "be careful" you tell bakugou before he walks away. you purse your lips knowing he wouldnt hold back on deku, but right now you had to worry about uraraka.
you smirk as you come up with a plan and go to hide behind a pillar near the entrance. suddenly, you hear a huge explosion, "here we go again.." 
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
"bakugou take it easy on the explosions.. i dont think this building can handle too many" you say through the ear piece, "shut up and defend the weapon genso!" he replies. you roll your eyes, this bitch... 
you suddenly hear footsteps and ready yourself quietly, "theres the weapon! wait... wheres y/n..?" she says as she steps through apprehensively. you smirk and let your wind propel yourself forward, manipulating the earth under uraraka you made it wrap around her body, making sure to bound her arms down knowing if she touched you she could make you float. "right here!" you say as you wrap your tape around her, successfully capturing her.
she looked at you with a blank look still processing what just happened, "wait what??" she says questioningly, "sorry to get you out so early, but i really dont trust leaving bakugou with izu" you say before hearing another couple of explosions. 
"bakugou! where are you?" you ask through the earpiece only to get no reply, just great..! no reply from the asswipe!
you run out and touch the floor closing your eyes, you saw the floorplan of the building in your mind letting the earth draw it out for you. you felt a huge surge of motion coming from a specific side of the building and ran to the location as quick as you could.
suddenly all might came over the speaker again, "use that power again bakugou and ill disqualify your team! you need to be aware of your surroundings and strive to make the least amount of damage to it as possible!" 
oh my god theyre gonna kill each other...!  you closed your eyes and pushed your legs faster trying to get there quicker. you heard another couple of explosions and widened your eyes.
 you werent gonna make it in time. 
stopping, you placed your hand on the ground again and found where they were in your mind. deciding to test your quirk, you focused on the spot and found the wall closest to the area. maybe.. just maybe.. i can manipulate the earth and get myself there by moving through the walls..
you focused all your power on the walls and let yourself fall into the earth, the next thing you knew you were in the same room as the two. they were standing in front of each other, izuku was screaming at bakugou and your gut told you to move in between the two. the next thing you knew your feet were moving, and you were hit by both their quirks. 
you let out a loud yelp of pain and fell to the ground. you heard another thump and saw izuku fall to the ground, wincing you crawled your way to him and wrapped the capture tape around him before you passed out. 
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
you blinked your eyes as you familiarized yourself with light and winced as you tried to move. "there, there, take it easy... your bodys pretty beaten up... taking those two powerful blows wasnt very smart of you to do.." explained recovery girl, you let out a sheepish smile, "i couldnt just stand there and let them kill each other.. ive known both since childhood and bakugou isnt one to hold back when it comes to izuku.." you explained.
"hows izuku..?" you ask curiously, "hes already back in class, i still need to heal a couple other of his injuries but he has no energy in his body left for today.." you nod, "can i go back go class..?" she nods, "yes, but make sure you come back tomorrow.. i bandaged the blow on your stomach, but it still needs a bit of healing.. keep the cast on your arm on till tomorrow" she explains before letting you go.
you limp slightly as you walk back to class, gosh itll be so embarrassing walking into the class knowing they saw me pass out- yet again..
opening the door you walked into the class, only to be bombarded by kirishima, mina, and a couple of other students. "oh my gosh y/n you were so kick-ass!" exclaimed mina as she threw her hands around you, "be careful mina! shes still a bit injured!" reminded kirishima, you smiled before waving it off, "im fine.. im just glad everyones okay..!" "that move you pulled where you moved yourself through the earth was awesome!" praised uraraka.
"wait.. wheres izu..?" you question as you couldnt find him in the room, "hes talking to bakugou.." sighs out uraraka, you widen your eyes and run to find the two outside.
gasping for air your finally reach the two, "thank goodness i found you izu..!" you say tiredly, "my gosh y/n... are you okay?" you smile before nodding, "im fine, nothing too major..! im glad your fine though..!" you pause and turn to bakugou, "look bakugou.. as much as i understand your frustrated, you had no right to try and kill izuku in a practice match!" you sighed as you looked down.
"we used to be good friends.. just because of certain values we had we stop being friends.. whatever happens this year- i promise you two this, im not sticking up for either of you. you guys can either die fighting each other because of your massive egos, or learn how to grow up and act like mature people." you grit before turning and limping away.
you knew in your heart that you still valued the friendship you had with them, but you werent going to let bakugou continue and treat deku like shit just to fulfill his ego.
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previous parts: pt. 0 0 / pt. 0 1 / pt. 02 / pt. 03 / pt. 04 next parts: pt. 06 / pt. 07 / pt. 08 / pt. 09 / pt. 10 / pt. 11 / pt. 12 / pt. 13 / pt. 14 / pt. 15 / pt. 16
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miasmaghoul · 5 months ago
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Omega. Tell.
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Sigh. So large. So stoic. So Omega.
(this gets angsty my bad lmao)
How I feel about this character:
Another one that's grown on me over time. He was Primo's first summon upon being named Papa- the first ghoul summoned in decades, actually. Omega was relied on very heavily when the decision was made to revive the Ghost project, and for a long while was considered Sister Imperator's right hand. After the coup staged by Alpha, he voluntarily abdicated his position in the band to his protégé, Aether. He stayed on the road for the rest of Terzo's time as Papa, though, and let me tell you why.
All the people I ship romantically with this character:
(Here's the long part lmao)
Terzo. Always and forever. They met when Terzo was a newly promoted Cardinal, still coming into his own. Learning to put his natural charm to use. One slow look up and down his body, one wink of an unnaturally pale eye, and Omega knew he was doomed. He still had professional relationships with Primo and Secondo, of course, but his connection with Terzo was something he neither planned for nor predicted. His ascension to Papa status put a strain on things, of course, but Omega never minded playing second fiddle to his leadership duties. At first it was fine; they worked well together, Terzo was loved by his ghouls and congregation alike, they won that award - their following grew, and with it grew Terzo's ego. How could it not? Power can be toxic even to those with the purest of intentions, and nothing about Terzo could be called pure. But Omega saw him changing - becoming colder, more callus to those around him, aloof in a way none of them deserved - and for the first time in his existence felt scared. He knew something had to give, before Terzo lost what had made him such a wonderful leader to begin with. It was easy to blame the coup on Alpha - he had always been volatile - despite the fire ghoul's protests, but he'd gone to his execution with his head held high and magma in his eyes. Omega had stared him down until his body crumbled to dust, and no one was ever the wiser. He convinced Imperator to let him stay on the tour though, as Terzo's personal medic. Needed the closeness, after so much had started to drive them apart. By the end of the tour Terzo was like a different person; whether the chaos had scared him straight, or whether he realized his time could be short, it was like having the old Terzo back.
The last time Omega saw him was when he was dragged off stage - until the morning a photo of one Cardinal Copia holding his lover's severed head appears on the unused side of Omega's bed. On top of it laid a simple gold ring, one that matched the one on Omega's own left hand, and no one sees Omega after that.
My non-romantic OTP for this character:
I really like thinking about his dynamic with Dew. I don't see them being romantically involved, but I think as a new summon Omega provided him with a lot of stability. He also introduced him to Aether, and we all know where that ended up.
My unpopular opinion about this character
I hate when people draw him skinny. That ghoul is LARGE 😤
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.
Part of me would have loved an in-universe explanation for the swapping of the ghouls during era 3, but at the same time it's way too much fun thinking up Scenarios lmao
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theluckywizard · 3 months ago
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Kiss Me Moonstruck
Hawke x Trevelyan | DA2 | Matchmaking Mischief | Fluff and Smut | Fish out of Water | Romantic Comedy
At long last! I have begun publishing my 'distraction fic' Kiss Me Moonstruck, a romantic comedy romp set during Dragon Age 2, Act 2 between scrappy warrior Garrett Hawke and plucky noblewoman Rose Trevelyan. This fic happened when I overheard Leandra Hawke plotting to find Hawke a spouse right at the start of Act 2 and decided to run with it! New chapters weekly or biweekly (haven't quite decided yet) 💖
Fic Summary: Smashed together in a matchmaking scheme cooked up by their enterprising mothers, Garrett Hawke and Rose Trevelyan are forced to endure one another for a whole week over Satinalia at the Hawke Estate. Rose hears he’s a swashbuckling treasure hunter, as wild as he is handsome and as ill-bred as he is rich. Garrett suspects she’s a brat of an ingenue with a string of rejected marriage proposals behind her. Determined to prove to the other that they could not be less compatible, they quickly find their mothers’ plot might be working better than they thought.
I have loads of art of these two for my DA:I long fic, but not for KMM yet! But this favorite of mine is by @crunchyncrumbly 👇 and the one below is the favorite of mine that I made!
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Chapter one excerpt below the cut 👇
The carriage winds from the outer gates through the undesirable part of the city, slowed by restive crowds who can’t be bothered to get out of the way. The unfamiliar livery of their carriage offers no additional incentive; indeed the teeming masses seem utterly unmoved by the finery of the vehicle. Rose counts derisive stares, supposing they’re envious of their fortune, the one passed down through generations. She wonders how they’d feel if they knew that her veins coursed with the same humble blood and whether it might soften the bitterness in their eyes. 
“I wish they would hurry up,” mutters Alsatia, fiddling with her delicate kidskin gloves.
“Oh I’m sorry, Mother, are the unwashed masses making you nervous?” asks Rose. “Didn’t you tell me that Leandra lived in these parts before her fortunes were restored?”
“Well it’s not as though she wanted to be down here any more than I do,” retorts Alsatia. 
“And wasn’t she a Blight refugee? From a humble life in Ferelden she chose for herself? I’m amazed you ever managed to become friends in the first place.”
“Hush, Rose,” says the elder Trevelyan, drawing her furs closer around her neck.
“It’s true. You can be an unbelievable snob,” presses Rose. “But maybe you weren’t so stuffy back in the day.”
“Polish up that mouth of yours,” she warns her.
“Or what? He won’t make me an ill-fated offer of marriage?” she asks. Alsatia’s frosty eyes land on Rose’s with a determination that matches her daughter’s flippant resistance. “Truly though. Isn’t he some sort of swashbuckling treasure hunter? I’d be amazed if he cared.”
“He’s richer than the Maker and an Amell and you will do your best to make a favorable impression.”
“I thought he was a Hawke.”
“The name doesn’t matter as much as the lineage.”
Rose slumps back and huffs a sigh. Aside from Alsatia’s industrious pursuit of an advantageous match for her daughter, she knows it’s all a clever plot to avoid her father’s family who descends upon Swinley House each Satinalia and treats her low-born mother with thinly veiled contempt. And now they’re off to see her old friend who suffers from a similar affliction: Leandra Amell had famously absconded to Ferelden with an apostate mage. The upper crust never forgets these sorts of things. Rose certainly knows that.
Read the rest of the chapter here
DAFF CREW
@warpedlegacy | @rakshadow | @rosella-writes | @effelants | @bluewren
@breninarthur | @ar-lath-ma-cully | @dreadfutures | @plisuu | @hekaerges
@ir0n-angel | @inquisimer | @crackinglamb | @agentkatie | @oxygenforthewicked
@about2dance | @exalted-dawn-drabbles | @blarrghe | @delicatefade | @leggywillow
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ohsangwoosbat · 6 months ago
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“Cheeky”; jacob x arno
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by me based on my friends artwork :)) enjoy!
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Prestige and nepotism. That’s what the room reeked of— the foul smell enough to have you crinkling your nose, brows knotting tightly. Jacob had no desire to be in such kinds of places, nor did he care for these fancy clothes he’s been forced to wear.
“Stop that.” the taller man hissed, nudging at the smaller man’s shoulder. “Stop what?!” he gawked, thick eyebrows furrowing in confusion, “looking at everyone like they kicked a baby”, Arno sighed, looking down into his lovers dark chocolate-orbs. It was as obvious as day that Jacob was judging the other party-goers; granted understandable, they have a mission to complete and his blatant stank-eye was gonna make them look suspicious-
The british man huffed out a dramatic sigh, complying with his partner’s words. They both subtly scanned their surroundings, eyes searching for the man that they were supposed to kill. no sign of him.
Gesturing towards the tables on the opposite side of the room, Jacob grinned up at the french man. “Care for some refreshments, luv?”, the taller of the two cringed, rolling his eyes in disbelief. “Sure..”, he answered shortly, eyes returning to scanning the room. Smiling to himself like a twat, Jacob waltzed over to the other side of the room, his eyes still cautious though. There were drinks; fancy champagne imported from france, that probably tasted like muddy water— perfect.
Grabbing two glasses, he instinctively sniffed one, inhaling the over-priced bubbly liquid. The sweet floral smell and boisterous laughter around him, completely harmonising into something nausea-inducing, causing the young man to click his tongue in disgust. He much preferred cheap whiskey; a good ol’ on the rocks from the local pub. He didn’t care for this rich people cuisine, unlike his french counterpart, whom was quite used to the finer dining of france. Snickering at the thought, Jacob looked over at Arno, only to notice someone else had the same idea and was actively checking-out his man. unbelievable-
Dorian’s outfit for the night was a striking one— a black button up with puffed sleeves, that flowed into a cuffed wrist; a keyhole cutout in the back, exposing his soft skin. It’s understandable that it would draw attention- i mean, Jacob had felt his pants tighten the moment he laid eyes upon it, of course taking the opportunity to praise his lover and ultimately earning a slap in return.
Scoffing, he downed his glass and headed towards the taller man, eyes dark with jealousy, but also… amusement? The cheekiest of smirks had formed upon his face, oh he knew exactly what to do next.
His hand smoothed over Arno’s small waist, gently pulling him a little closer as his thick fingers fiddled with the fabric, maintaining eye-contact with the supposed secret-admirer. Startled by the sudden touchiness, yet not opposed to it, the taller of the two paid no mind towards Jacob as he continued scouring the area.
Time to show he’s all mine , he grinned cockily, leaning his face inches from the keyhole cutout. His breath fanned the soft skin of his lover, the ticklish sensation sending a shiver down his back. Ever-so-slightly, he placed his lips down onto the bare area, gaze of the stranger fully captured in his own. That cheeky grin— oh how they wished to knock it off his smug, stubbled face.
They wouldn’t have to though, cause as if on que, a hand swatted at his shoulder, earning a hearty chuckle from the brit. “What on earth are you doing?!”, Arno questioned in disbelief of what had just happened, earning another one of his lover’s signature grins; “oh, nothing!”
~the end~
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cannibalsrider · 6 months ago
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fallen stars scene one Vampire Empire
In the world of Delarus, where regal courts and majestic mislands intertwine, Fallen Stars  weaves a tale of passion, sadness, and obsession. At the heart of the story is Lady (Y/N) Shoko, a girl just trying to save not only herself but as many souls as she can before time runs out. The stage is set for an elaborate dance of power, obsession, and secrets. 
"In the maze of affection, He finds solace, weaving a web of devotion that traps the object of his desire."
pairings: yandre vampire!gojo x Ieiri! reader
warnings: slight smut but its lowk poorly written since it was my first time and it was from January
A/N: I'm reposting this since I never posted it earlier but this kinda ate I think
“To be the object of his love is to walk on a tightrope between adoration 
and danger, with every step a dangerous gamble.”
“Lady Kanna, how lovely to see you!”
The mysterious voice said in a tone too snarky for a lady of Kanna’s class. Kanna looked at the tall figure standing not far from her, his recognizable eyes staring right at her as they stood in the streets below the dreary Keep of RavenStone. Her hands moved to take down the hood of her cloak.
"I should be surprised to see you here? I'd thought you would be cooped up in those dreadful Brothels by this hour," she commented as she moved to draw closer to the man she knew all too well. Even after ages of being stuck at his side, she wished some days she didn't know him just by the look in his eyes.
The mystery man took a step from the wall he was leaning on, the armor he adorned clinking with his movements. "Dear sister, even after all this time, you still choose to think so low of me. Have I not shown you that I haven't wasted my time just paying for pleasures?" he said, shaking his head in a distasteful way. Kanna’s eyes rolled at his voice; she had a feeling inside her that he had gone and done something stupid.
"Even after all this time, somehow you manage to almost blow the cover we have had for years now, Satoru. I know you haven't fed recently. Why are you coming to find me now? You know I don't have anything to offer you," she stated flatly, her accent almost seeming soft in her usual annoyance with her elder brother.
Satoru leaned forward, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. "Now, dear sister, don’t assume I need you for something every time we meet. We’ll be meeting much more often, and I’ve had more than my fill with the distasteful blood of the animals harboring within the brothels. Why do you think there’s been no reports?" he said, not revealing his entire motive of finding his sister.
The girl huffed in annoyance as she fiddled with her rings, a nervous habit she had picked up throughout the years. "I'm not surprised you would choose the whores waltzing in and out of the establishments you've visited throughout the past few weeks," she stated almost uncharacteristically calm versus her usual annoyance.
Kanna watched him for a moment, her icy blue eyes looking up at him. "You want something, don't you? Toru, you never seek me out unless it's grown important. I can't help you if it is truly dangerous, as we almost got caught the first time you wanted something big," she told him, suspicion coating her tongue.
Satoru stared at her for a moment, a bored look now adorning his face. "Sister, you are only half right. I sought you out to inform you I am to become the commander of the king's guard and only thought to ask if you knew of any food sources within the house. I am dreadfully tired of drinking the blood of common whores," he said, sticking his tongue out to show his distaste.
She nodded. "I may have a few options you could have," she answered almost in a faint grumble when she heard him announce his move to Commander of the Kingsguard. "You can't climb far in the idea of feeding off any of the royal family. It would be a quick way to have us caught. If you find a way, though, brother, I wouldn't oppose you doing as you wish, as long as I am not an accomplice," she added, her tone almost seeming firm.
A Knight catching her almost piercing gaze traveling the crowd she recognized him in a split second Okkotsu Yuta, the Sworn Guard of the Princess. "I think I might have you a way to get better-tasting blood on your palate," she murmured as she nudged him, the two silver-headed siblings locking eyes onto Okkotsu.
Satoru followed the so-called guard of the princess with an almost thrilled look in his eyes. "And how is he going to get me to the blood of a princess? Don’t tell me my little sister is going to whore herself out," he said, putting a hand on his chest in fake surprise.
She smacked his arm. "Oh, piss off. I'm not a whore. At least I'm not a frequent visitor to all the brothels in the city like you have been," she retorted, her eyes not leaving the ink-black hair she had known as if it was the back of her hand.
"You want an in, don't you, Toru? This is how you get that in," she added quickly as she fixed her silver curls. "This might take a while, so keep yourself busy, you bloody whore," she called out as she made her way towards the brothel she had watched him enter, unclipping the gold clasp keeping her cloak secure on her shoulders.
The hours passed by as if it was sand in an hourglass, his incoherent whimpers and groans filling the room, mixing with Kanna’s moans and whines as they overstimulated one another. His length buried deep inside her core, tears of pleasure brimming at her eyes as she was kept atop of them. The pace of his hips bucking up into her almost transferred her thoughts back into reality – the true meaning of why she was doing this. She had to kill him. Her eyes glassy as she heard his praise falling out incoherently from his lips. “Such a good girl, f’me just like that, pretty girl,” she could make out of the strings of words he spoke. Her lips left sloppy kisses around his carotid artery, her tongue tracing shapes against his throat as she sank her fangs into his neck. The piercing feeling of his flesh against her fangs, the pooling crimson blood filling her senses as she began to drain his body. 
Small gulps taking in liters of blood as the man slowly went silent, his body growing cold, a final breath being drawn from his body. The satisfaction shown with the grin on her blood-stained lips, dismounting the now ice-cold Okkotsu. “Such a shame you had to die, you’d been so handsome,” she mumbled, dressing quickly, making herself look decent, throwing the cloak over her shoulders, clasping the gold sigil of House Gojo. Her blue eyes trained on the brothel frequenters, eyeing her as if she was their prey. She had made her way out of the poorly lit establishment, rain pelting down. She wasn't sure how long she had been with the knight; all she had known was it grew later and later by the second. She had to find her elder brother before it had grown too late for her to find him in the winding streets of Troria.
Satoru watched his sister trace after the knight with an almost disgusted look. Sure, he’s done the same thing, but watching your younger sister go to do it with some knight is gross. Having watched his sister enter the brothel, he sighed, choosing to turn around and continue his patrol and other meaningless tasks that a king's guard was tasked with. The cold chill of the night left Satoru time to think, a dangerous thing.
The man walked down a familiar path one has walked for ages, the clicking of his armor and the sound of the wind the only thing to be heard. “Riko… Why did you half go and die on me?” Satoru sighed for the hundredth time tonight. The path he's walking is one filled with dying flowers and decrepit houses aged by time, the same path he met who was supposed to be the love of his life. Years and years before he became the monster he is today, before the streets of Troria became waste-filled streets, before the Fushiguro family became the royal family. 
The time when he and his sister were humans, humans with blood pumping in their veins who ate normal food, who could die. That's when he met Riko. She had just stolen something from a shop no longer around, the dirt from the ground staining the front of her skirt. Something about her drew Satoru to her. “Now, stealing isn’t very ladylike, now is it?” he asked, stepping in front of the girl, causing her to take a large step back. “Excuse me, as you can see, I am currently running from someone – hey, wait, how do you know I stole this?” Riko asked with an annoyed tone on her tongue. “Satoru, HEY, earth to Satoru!?” Kanna yelled, trying to get her brother out of whatever dream he was in.
Satoru, having been torn from his memory, almost hurt his sister, having been spooked, grabbing his sword hilt from his side, his armor making a loud noise in response to the speedy movement. “Jesus, Kanna, are you trying to have me kill you?!?” he whispered, sweat dropping at the annoyed look on her face. She scanned his eyes for a moment before speaking. “Not even a ‘thank you sister for opening up a spot for me to have access to good food.’ It's as if you're ungrateful,” she grumbled as she adjusted her cloak hood over her silver hair. “You looked as if you’ve seen someone we know, Toru. What's wrong?” she asked, concern almost lacing her tone as she looked up at her elder brother, almost with more curiosity than concern.
He stared at her for a moment, trying to clear his mind completely of the memory. “Nothing, sister, just thinking of when we were human, when this city used to be lively, pretty,” a reminiscent tone laced his tongue. Satoru often thought of before the city was the way it was now, back to when she was still alive. Kanna nodded as she listened to him speak, a sense of understanding between the Gojo siblings. “I'll assume you had been thinking about Amani again?” she breathed, almost a hint of annoyance at the reminder of the past. “You'll find someone, Toru, especially in the keep. It wouldn't surprise me if you found someone better than she had been,” she added, almost trying to reassure him so he didn't forget the task at hand. Satoru nodded along, deciding she was right. “Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyway, I have to go; my coronation is tomorrow, and I still have to feed. I’ll see you soon, dear sister,” he said, turning around, and throwing his hand up in a sign of goodbye. Kanna watched him leave, worried her brother would never find someone else. “Yes, goodbye, Toru,” she said, knowing Satoru had not heard her, for he was lost in his search for food.
And finally, within the last few hours of the night, both Gojo siblings went to sleep, one ready for his coronation, the other worried for her brother.
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dazzling-raven · 7 months ago
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This got way out of hand. 'Oh, I should write a little drabble to go along with the drawing I'm working on! Ittl be fun!' 6,000 words later and here we are. It was fun, I don't have regrets, but oh my gosh. Massive thank you to Inky Clawz on wofa for being my beta reader/editor. If anyone actually reads through the whole thing thank you for reading about my little guys ^^
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It all started with a letter. A single letter. It was a pale yellow in color. Small, and unassuming. It didn’t even have a wax seal. “It’s from your mother. She understands if you don’t open it, but in my opinion it would be best if you did.” The messenger had said, then backed away. At first Chip had been confused as to how she had even found his address, but then he remembered that he and his husband ran what could probably be considered two of the most popular shops in the SkyWing kingdom. Dragons came from all over to try Chip’s wonderfully unique pastries or get cleverly crafted tattoos done by his husband’s talons. Some just came to look at them and talk. It wasn’t every day you saw a SeaWing in the Sky Kingdom, much less an ivory white and orange one. His husband was no different- he was an ‘illusive’ NightWing, and a good looking one at that. If they weren’t head turners already, jaws would drop to the ground once dragons caught sight of their wedding bands. Word of mouth travels faster than any advertisement could, after all. 
Chip found himself avoiding the letter for days- he had even considered tearing the letter into little shreds on more than one occasion. However, his husband, Voyant, had noticed that Chip had been acting off as of late. Because of course he did. He had known ever since meeting him that fateful day that NightWing powers were all a lie, but he might as well have been a mind reader with how quickly he was able to catch on to Chip’s emotions. After tucking their adorable little dragonet into bed (and reading ‘The Ten Little Scavengers’ to him for the tenth time) he had trotted into the living room where a fire was already waiting for him. His heart melted at the sight of his husband, who had been curled upon their rug. He had been sketching out a new design, his black, forked tongue poked out between his fangs in concentration. 
His black scales gleamed in the firelight, and if you angled your head just right you could see a faint purple shine dance across them. His pearl white underbelly rose and fell with each breath, and the dual crescent shaped silver scales behind his eyes glimmered softly. “See something you like?” His husband asked with a coy smile, stretching out slightly and resting the pencil on the floor. 
“Just admiring a work of art.” Chip replied smoothly, walking over to him with a grin. He bent down and gently bonked his husband’s head with his own, then curled into his side. Voyant’s tail immediately intertwined with his, and Chip felt his husband drape his wing over his smaller form. The two sat there for a while, and for a moment Chip let himself go. He felt so comfortable and safe in his husband’s embrace, and he never wanted this moment to end. He listened to his husband talk about his day, but he felt his gaze wandering back to the piece of paper sitting on their countertop. Still unopened. 
“Is it about the letter?” Voyant asked abruptly, having followed Chip’s stare. The SeaWing immediately felt like trash for not giving his husband his full attention, but he nodded. 
“Yeah. M’sorry about not saying anything sooner, but…” he hesitated, his claws fiddling with the red bandanna still tied around his husband’s neck. 
“It’s been hard? Scary, even? Not knowing what’s inside?” Bingo. Voyant always knew how to word things better than he ever could have. The SeaWing nodded, almost wishing he could curl up into a ball and disappear. He didn’t though, instead focusing on his husband’s slow, even breaths as he steadied his nerves. 
“I know, it’s silly. We fought in countless battles, rescued Solaris from the talons of Scarlet herself, and I got my legs *burnt by lava* and I can’t even handle a few words written on a scroll.” Chip growled, clenching his talons in anger. 
“I don’t think so. We both know what she did and how she treated you. Sometimes words can hurt more than the sharpest of swords or the hottest fires. It’s ultimately your choice, but running away from the ink on that paper and not knowing what she wrote could eat away at you later down the line.” The NightWing said, taking Chip’s talons in his own and rubbed them to get them to relax. 
Chip felt the rage seep away from his scales as he took in Voyant’s words. Then he smiled. “Wow, I never knew you were a wordsmith. Hey, which ghost in the room possessed my husband this time? I'd like him back, please! We’re trying to have a serious and emotional conversation here!” Chip said, grinning as his husband’s face went from serious, to confused, and finally mock offense as the SeaWing looked around the room, smiling like an idiot. 
“Well Ex-CUSE me, your majesty. If you don’t want my help I'll just pack my things and take our son for a nice vacation. I think the SandWing kingdom is looking for some new visitors. I’ve heard that they fancy poetry that you simply don’t appreciate.” The NightWing said in a faux snobby voice, standing up in a semi graceful movement and walking a few paces away.
“Wait, I- pfft- I’m sorry-” Chip said, his quick apology interrupted by gasps of laughter as he stumbled to his feet like a drunken idiot. 
“Nope! You’ve officially missed your chance, Mr. Seastar. Come back next year when the almighty and powerful Voyant is back in town. Then, and only then, you may even THINK kissing his talons and winning back his heart.” The NightWing said, smiling as he lifted a paw into the air and pretended to admire the imaginary jewelry on his claws. 
“Mr. Voyant, please! Just one more chance? I promise I’ll make it up to you!” Chip pleaded with a grin, finally steadying himself as he giggled to himself. 
Voyant paused as if considering Chip’s plea, then nodded. “All right, SeaWing. What’s in it for me?” 
“This,” Chip said, closing the gap between them. He held a talon to Voyant’s face, and guided him in for a kiss. It was clunky and awkward with how the both of them were giggling, but that’s what made it special. “That work for you, Voyant the great and powerful?” He smirked, relishing in his husband’s surprise. 
Voyant snorted and rolled his eyes, but nodded all the same. “Fine, I could get used to this.” He said definitively. “Consider yourself forgiven,” Chip grinned, giving him a quick kiss as a little bonus for putting up with his tomfoolery. 
The two of them quieted their giggles and sobered up after a bit, sitting right there on their polished wooden floor. They lingered in the comfortable silence for a while, before Chip decided to break it. “I’m going to read it. Do you think you could… stay with me?” He asked, looking at his husband with hope.  
“Of course. Let’s go back to the rug.” The NightWing said, standing up and trotting over to their previous spot. Chip nodded, grabbing the letter and following after him. He easily snuggled into his husband’s side, resuming the position they had been in previously. Chip paused as he looked at the scroll in his talons, but unraveled it as his husband gently nudged him with his head. 
“My dearest dragonet
Dear Seastar, 
I apologize that this letter has only been spurred on by recent events. As your mother, I should have done more to try and reach out to you sooner to rekindle our decaying relationship. I would also like to take this moment to apologize for everything I have ever done to wrong you. As a parent, It should have been my duty to protect and guide you through life. Instead, you ended up taking care of me. I snapped, and you were banished with me by my own fault. It wasn’t right. I have no idea where you are in life. Are you happy? Are you sad? Are you married? Do I have grandchildren? I may never know the answers to those questions, and you have all the rights to keep that knowledge from me. However, as stated above, I am writing to you now to inform you that I don’t have very much time left on this continent. I am fading due to an injury I received near the end of the war. I hadn’t realized how bad it was until it was too late, and I’ve been using my final months to reflect on past events. Funny, how dying makes you think. I would like to talk and apologize to you in person. I’m aware that apologizing to you via scroll isn’t the best way to handle things, but I doubt you’re ready to see my face and I don’t think I could make the journey anyways. If you are willing to visit, I am staying at The Hearthstone Haven in the SandWing Kingdom. It’s in a quaint little village near the coast. I understand if you’d rather stay as far away as possible, however. It is entirely your choice. 
Wishing you all the best in your future years, your mother”
The two of them sat in silence for a moment, digesting what they had just read. Chip hadn’t realized he had been shaking or crying until his talons began to crease the page and his tears dropped onto the paper. Voyant’s eyes widened in surprise and he gently took the note from him. “She makes me so *angry*, Voyant. And the worst part is that I know she’s being completely genuine.” He growled, snuggling further into Voyant’s side and hiding his face in the crook of his husband’s shoulder. He hated when Voyant saw him cry, but he didn’t know what to feel. He was angry. Sad. Regretful. Hopeful. Did he want to even see her again? Yes! …No. It was complicated. Chip was thankful that Voyant let him hide away until he was ready to look at him again. When he was, he took a shuddering breath and gave his husband a gentle nudge. “Can we leave this for another day? It’s late and we both need rest.” 
His husband’s eyes widened a bit, clearly expecting him to say something else, but agreed nonetheless. “Let’s. You look exhausted, and I bet I don’t look much better.” 
Chip snorted, agreeing with that statement. They both stood up and stretched, then walked off to their shared bedroom. Voyant placed the scroll on the simple nightstand that was next to their bed, and they both snuggled up for the third time that night. This time, however, they both managed to drift into dreamland.
-
Chip hummed to himself as he made everyone breakfast. He had purchased salmon for himself and Voyant that morning, and was now cooking it over their fire. It wasn’t very often that he was able to have fish, and he had jumped at the chance when he found a traveling SeaWing merchant that had been selling them. Keeping an eye on Voyant’s fish (he preferred his raw), he trotted back over to their open kitchen. He wandered around their island to get to their water basin, dipping his talons in to wash them. Once he finished, he plodded over to where he had left his son’s breakfast. He picked up the knife from the cutting board and began chopping up grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, and other various fruits and scraped it into a smooth wooden bowl. Fruit was also fairly uncommon, but he was friends with one of the few SkyWings that sold it in the sky kingdom. He was always willing (and thankfully able) to pay a little extra to give his son the food he preferred, though he usually got his at a cheeky little discount.  
“Daddy!” Speak of the devil and he shall appear. His son bounded over to him, his scales a bright, vibrant gold mixed in with his usual forest green. “OOh, what’s that? OHMYGOSH, is it FRUIT?!” He asked, spotting the colorful food as he jumped onto Chip’s back. 
“Woah! Hey, Morning to you, too, kid! Careful, I’ve got a knife. Hey, why don’t you go wake up your Pappa for me? Sneak attack style, like how I taught you.” Chip said, laughing as he put the knife back onto the cutting board. “Once you’ve done that, I’ve got a special question for you. Ok?” He asked, grinning as he tried to turn around and look at his kid. 
“Ooo, Ok! I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” the little RainWing nodded, orange and purple now bursting through his scales like fireworks. He began to breathe calmly, the color sliding from his scales like water as he faded seamlessly into the background. His feet were even the colors of Chip’s scales. “Like this?” He whispered, and Chip grinned and nodded. Gold burst through random patches of air before they disappeared again, and Chip felt a weight lift from his back. The only thing that gave him away was the quiet sounds of giggling. Chip felt a strong sense of pride and adoration as he looked at where he thought his son was, then remembered the now quite done salmon on the fire and quickly rushed to get it on a plate. It wasn’t burnt, but it was definitely quite smokey. Chip sighed in relief, walking over to the low mahogany table and set Voyant’s plate down. He’d forgive him for what was about to happen after he saw what was for breakfast.  
“BOO!” 
“YEOWCH! Ok, message received! I’m up, I’m up! No claws, you little monster. Hey! Ohh, I’m gonna get you for that one!” Chip heard Voyant shout, quickly followed by a streak of gold-yellow as the little RainWing shot out of their bedroom. “You’ve awakened the big, bad Darkstalker! He’s come for you and your soul! He’s going to put you in a stew and gobble you up! ROARGH!” Voyant shouted, grinning as he stampeded over to their son. 
“NO! Go ‘way! Can’t catch me!” Their son yelled gleefully, flapping his little wings to gain momentum as he leapt onto the countertop. 
“Watermelon, no countertops!” Chip chided, smiling as he watched his free morning entertainment.
“No! I have the high ground!” His son retorted, balancing on his hind legs to make himself look taller. “Go back to the darkness from where you came, you evil beast!” he commanded, stumbling slightly as he pointed at his husband with a small, light gray claw. 
“Never! Simple words do not work on the Darkstalker, little boy! Only a true hero can defeat him! ROAR!” Voyant shouted again, grabbing his son by the underarms and bringing him close with a quick movement. “Prepare to be stew!” 
“No! Pappa- Staph-” Watermelon said, shrieking with laughter as he tried to push Voyant’s head away from him to no avail. Voyant made an ‘om nom nom’ kind of noise as he pretended to feast on their son, his shoulders shaking with barely concealed laughter. 
“Ok, you two. Before The Darkstalker gets full on little RainWing, does he perhaps want to see what’s actually for breakfast?” Chip asked, gesturing to the table with his wing.
“Perhaps he does. Alright, little child. Consider yourself spared and the victory yours. I’ve tortured you enough.” Voyant said, laughing as he settled their son down. 
“HA! That’s right! Now go back and give me back my Papa!” Their son ordered, spreading his red wings and puffing out his light gray underbelly with pride. Voyant, a good natured father, rolled his eyes. He followed his son's demands and retreated to his bedroom once more. As he did, Chip snuck around their son’s small frame and grabbed their breakfasts. His husband stayed in their room just long enough for him to be able to set them on the table. “What happened?” He asked, faking being delirious as he looked around the room.
“Pappa! You were possessed by the Darkstalker! You were going to turn me into stew, but me an’ Daddy saved you before you could eat me!” Watermelon cried, running over to the NightWing and doing his best to hug his forearm. 
“Did you now? Well, aren’t you a brave little hero?” He asked, rubbing his son’s back before looking over to Chip with a fond smile.
“Yeah! The bestest ever! I’m gonna save the world one day!” The RainWing proclaimed, grinning proudly. 
“Well, heroes can’t survive on moxie and pride alone, can they? They need nutrition to get themselves through battles. Like Ironheart, remember? He would want you to let go of your Papa’s leg and get big and strong.” Chip said, chuckling as his son’s eyes sparkled at the mention of his favorite NightWing hero. 
“Ohmygosh, yeah! Fruit for breakfast!” His son cheered, releasing Voyant’s leg and scrambling over to the table. He was just barely tall enough to peek his head over the wooden surface, so Voyant went and retrieved the dragonet’s stool for him to sit on. He hopped onto the stool with glee, then dragged the bowl close to him. As the two adults sat down at the head and tail of the table, Watermelon began to do his best to organize the fruit in the bowl before eating it. Chip smiled at this, thankful that his son remembered not to put the sticky fruit on the wood this time. He shouldn’t have been playing with his food at all, but at least this was an improvement. 
He looked at Voyant, who just smiled and rolled his eyes before eating his salmon. Chip, though previously excited for this meal, could only poke and pick at it as his thoughts began to wander back to the letter. Noticing this, Chip’s husband looked concerned and tilted his head. “Letter.” Chip mouthed to him, and Voyant nodded in understanding. Chip hesitated before nodding to his son, who was happily sticking the blueberries onto his claws and eating them off one by one. Voyant gave him an uncertain look, but shrugged as if to say ‘up to you.’ Chip sat for a few moments, eyeing his son as he began to pretend his fruit was a bunch of tiny scavengers that he was going to eat and destroy. “Watermelon” he said, his son’s head snapping towards him with wide eyes. “Do you remember the special question that I wanted to ask you?” 
The dragonet relaxed immediately before an orange purple mix burst through his scales again. “Yeah! I do!” He exclaimed, nodding vigorously. 
“If you had a family member that you had never heard of or seen before, would you still want to meet them? Even if they have no knowledge of you, either?” Chip asked, getting straight to the point. He knew that Watermelon was young, but he was a perceptive little dragonet. He would always surprise Chip and his husband with thoughtful answers or observations when they thought he wasn’t even paying attention. 
Watermelon looked thoughtful, humming briefly and forgetting the fruit on the table. “I think so. I could get to know them and we could be best friends!” He chirped happily, then went quiet. “Is this about Nanna?” He asked, blue and a darkish purple overtaking most of his scales. “I heard you talking about her last night.” He clarified when he and Voyant shared surprised glances. 
“Yes, this is about Nanna. It’s ok that you heard us, I’m sorry if we woke you. Would you still like to see her? You can say no if you really don’t want to.” Chip said after a brief hesitation. 
“I wanna meet her. Even if it won’t be for very long, I still want her to know me.” His dragonet said quietly, suddenly finding the table to be very interesting. 
“All right. We’ll figure something out. Why don’t you finish your breakfast? Then we can go play with Tor once you’re done.” Chip said, smiling as gold overtook the unhappy colors on his son’s scales. 
“YAY! Ok!” His son agreed heartily, gobbling up the remainder of the fruit before dashing into his room. 
“Are you sure about this?” Voyant asked simply, finishing his breakfast. 
“Yes. Even if I don’t really want to see her myself, I want to show her you two and what a family should actually look like. Not whatever the hell my childhood was.” Chip said, finishing his own breakfast. Even if he wasn’t hungry anymore, it was still good food that he didn’t want to waste. 
Voyant sighed, but relented. “Ok. I’ll be with you every step of the way”
The odd little family stood at the entrance of The Hearthstone Haven. It had taken them a while to get here, with Chip leaving his bakery in the trustworthy talons of one of his squadmates and Voyant’s head manager taking over his shop. They didn’t really know how long they were going to stay - weeks? A day? An hour? So they had taken preparations to make sure everything was taken care of back home. Chip had written to his mother to let her know that they indeed were coming to visit, but not for how long. It was a terse letter, but it had gotten his point across. “All right. Let’s do this.” Chip said, using the pushing open the large twin doors. 
The three of them walked the short distance to the receptionist’s desk, coming face to face with a bored looking SandWing.“Hi, we’re here to see Acropora?” Chip said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.
The SandWing’s eyes narrowed as he took the group in, his black, soulless eyes staring each of them down. Chip could feel Voyant step closer to him, and his son stayed firmly behind him. “Seastar?” The SandWing eventually asked, his voice sounding slow and nasally as he worded out each syllable of his name.
“Yes, that’s me.” Chip said, nodding.
“The others?” The SandWing asked, his gaze flickering to the two unannounced dragons. 
“My son, Watermelon, and my husband, Voyant.” Chip said, giving the dragon the most winning smile he could. 
The older dragon only sighed, rolling his eyes. “Down the hall and to the left. Her room will have a nameplate. If you need anything from me, no you don’t.” The SandWing stated firmly, promptly going back to his work. 
‘Squid brain’ Chip thought, frowning at the dragon before realizing what he was doing. “Yes, thank you!” he said, switching to his much more polite customer service voice before ushering his family in the direction the receptionist had vaguely given them.  
“If I ever get like that, please force me into a home and don’t look back. Ever.” Voyant said once they were out of earshot, and Chip let out a surprised laugh. 
“Voyant!” He scolded, smacking him over the head with his wing.
“Yeah, Pappa! Stop being mean!” Their son chimed in, his previously light green scales fading back to forest green and the occasional random bursts of gold. 
“Me? He looked like he was going to stab us with his eyes! And you think I’m being mean?” Voyant squawked, groaning as his son just laughed at him. “All right, fine. You win! You always win.” The Nightwing said, smiling as he scooped his giggling son up and put him on his back. Chip and his son shared twin grins before he noticed his mother’s nameplate on one of the doors. His smile faded as he took in the sight of the simple oak. It wasn’t anything impressive, but he still felt intimidated by it. He hadn’t thought of what he was going to say until now. Would they cry? Would she sweep him into her wings and never let go? Or would he snap at her, ask her why she betrayed the trust of him? Their Ex-Queen? If it weren’t for him, she would have gotten herself and the two guards just trying to do their jobs killed that night. “Do you need us to go in with you?” his husband asked, standing beside him and brushing his wing with Chip’s own. 
Chip jumped a little, having forgotten that they were there, but shook his head. “Knowing you two are out here is enough for me.” He said, smiling as he leaned his head against Voyant’s before taking a deep breath. “Wish me luck?” He asked, claw on the doorknob. 
“Good luck Daddy!” His son chimed, scrambling off his husband’s back to give Chip a hug. Chip hugged him back, and Voyant joined them. 
After a beat or two, Chip backed out of the hug to take another breath. “Stay out here with your Papa, ok? I’ll let you know if you can come in.” His son nodded, stepping back as Chip finally opened the door. He had to blink to get his eyes to adjust to the light of the room, but when he did one of the first things he saw was his mother. She had her back turned to him, so he hadn’t been noticed yet. The room she was staying in was small, but three medium sized dragons could move about comfortably if they kept their wings and tails to themselves. The room was mostly bare aside from the black carpeted floor and the white walls. His mother was standing at a desk facing the window, reading something on a scroll. Some plants hung on the walls in an attempt to bring some energy to the place, and it did help a little. They were bright and vibrant with life. “Mother?” Chip called, stepping through and closing the door behind him. 
His mother jumped in surprise, nearly knocking the scroll off of her desk as she turned around. “By all the whales, does no one know how to knock in this moons-blasted building? Who the- ah.” She said, cutting herself off once she realized who it was. The two of them stood quietly for a moment, neither really sure what to say. For the most part, his mother looked the same as the day he had left her. Same light blue scales. Her underbelly was still the same color of finely ground, pure sand. Her wings were still a quiet shade of gray-blue. Her aquatic markings were slightly darker than the rest of her scales, and her horns were still the color of a cloudy day. The only noticeably different things about her were the blue glasses that rested on her snout, curling elegantly around her horns, and the bandages that were wrapped around her chest, protecting her heart. It wasn’t much, but still something to keep things from getting any worse. “I’m surprised you actually showed up. I know you wrote back, but still. It’s… nice to see you in person.” She said, moving closer before stopping herself. Chip said nothing. 
“You’re right. I should not have done what I did, nor said what I spoke. I am owed nothing from you. I was not in the best of places that day, though that is not an excuse. Then you stepped in and threw everything away for me. I should have died in that throne room, but you defended me. You could have just stood by and let it happen, but you didn’t. Ever since he left us, it was a downward spiral for me. I miss him every day, and he makes me angry for your sake. Then we were in the desert. You were handling everything better than most would have, despite everything. But I couldn’t hold it in anymore. It was all just too much, and I wrongly lashed out at you. For that, Seastar, I am truly sorry.” His mother said, sitting down. Her tail curled around her talons, and they were both quiet as Chip processed what his mother had said. 
“It’s Chip.” He finally said, stepping away from the door and closer to her. 
“What?” She asked, looking incredibly confused.
“What I prefer to be called. I haven’t used the name Seastar since getting put into my squad.” He informed her, smiling a little. He moved to sit down next to her. 
“Oh. Ok, Chip.” She nodded, accepting the change as it came. 
“I don’t forgive you. At least, not yet. You made everything incredibly difficult. I never wanted to fight for Burn. I wanted to fight for Coral and my tribe. But I do have to thank you. I realize that if everything was perfect, I would have never achieved all my accomplishments. I would have never met my husband, or adopted my dragonet. I’m only here because they wanted to know you. If not for them, I would have torn that letter to shreds without opening it. It will take time, but maybe, just maybe, we can at least make things work.” Chip said, watching his mother’s expression change from understanding to surprise and joy as she processed what she had just heard. 
“Husband? Dragonet? Sea- Chip, when did this happen?” She asked, excitedly grabbing his talons before she realized what she was doing. 
Chip grunted in surprise as all of his weight was suddenly shifted onto his bad legs, but he quickly masked the strained expression he had made with a laugh and a smile. His mother quickly apologized to him, setting his talons down again. “A while ago. Would you like to meet them? I think it would be best if they heard everything from you and if we shared our story together.”
“That would be wonderful.” His mother said, her dark blue eyes bright with excitement. 
Chip stood up with a smile, then walked over to the door to let his family in. “Ok, It’s go time.” He said, and Voyant walked in, their son close behind him. “This is Voyant, and this kiddo here is Watermelon.” He said, introducing both dragons in turn. 
“A NightWing! And a good looking one at that. How did you manage to snatch this one up?” His mother asked, a teasing grin on her snout. 
“His charm.” Voyant answered simply, sitting down next to him. 
“Um. Hi Nanna! I’m Watermelon!” His son introduced himself again, his scales a combination of light green and gold as he bounded up to her. 
“Watermelon! Hey, kiddo! You’re so big! How old are you?” His mother asked excitedly, easily matching his enthusiasm. 
“I’m two an’ a half!” He squeaked, grinning proudly.
“Wow, that’s amazing! I know where you got your good looks from, too.” Chip’s mother said, gleefully watching her grandson’s scales quickly turn to a light violet. 
“Oh! Nanna, look what I can do! It’s really cool!” he said enthusiastically, then concentrated as he studied Chip’s mother for a brief moment. Suddenly, light blue scales washed over their son like a waterfall, and a miniature version of Chip’s mother was standing before them. He was an exact copy of her. 
“That’s incredible! A little freaky, but incredible.” Chip’s mother said, sending a stunned glance to Chip and his husband. Both parents just looked proudly at their son.
After a few minutes of watching the two of them interact, Chip finally decided to clear his throat to get their attention. “All right, we can pick this up at a later time. Why don’t I get us something to eat and we’ll talk over dinner?” He asked,and his mother nodded. 
“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” His mother said, nodding. “I know the cutest little places to eat, but I was thinking that I could treat the three of you. You came all this way, after all. Is that all right?” She asked, tilting her head. 
Chip perked up in surprise, and after sharing a glance with his husband, nodded. “All right, show us the way”
-
The four of them talked throughout dinner. Then some more. Then they got kicked out by the grouchy restaurant owner who just wanted to close up for the night and head home. Chip and Voyant talked, and both of them decided it would be good for them and his mother to stay and help take care of her. There were high days, and there were low days. But Chip could tell that his mother really was trying, and he genuinely appreciated it. In turn, Chip tried as well. While it would never be the same as it was before, it was something new. Maybe that was for the better.
He could tell, however, that she didn’t have much left in her. They all could, even Watermelon. That’s why they made every day an adventure. Something fun. Even when it rained and no one wanted to go out, there they were. A family of oddballs dancing in the rain and splashing in puddles. Then they would all go back and dry off, curl up together, and read a cozy book. 
“Chip,” His mother said one day, when it was just him and her. When he looked at her, she continued. “I want to thank you. You’ve made the past few months amazing for me. Some part of me was afraid that I would have no one in the end, but here you are. You’ve given me the chance to have a family again. I thought I had lost that forever when we were separated by Burn. I am eternally thankful that you decided to give me a second chance and not give up on me.” 
“I definitely had to sit on your letter for a while. But Voyant and Watermelon convinced me to see you, so you should really be thanking them. But I am glad to be here, and I can tell everyone else is, too. What’s this about?” He asked, tilting his head. 
“The drawer. Open it, and you’ll find your answer.” Chip did as he was told, and his heat sank. But then he kind of chuckled to himself as he continued. 
“I see. Are you sure you want to be set on fire though?” Chip asked with a grin, and his mother nodded. 
“Going out in a blaze of glory. I think the dragons of old had some pretty neat traditions, and that’s how I want to be remembered. Forget being buried, this is way cooler.” Chip’s mother said, matching her son’s smile. 
“Ok, I’ll see what I can do.” 
-
Chip sat on the beach, tears dripping down his snout. His mother had passed away hours prior, and his heart was tearing itself to shreds. He had forgiven her a long time ago, but he had only told her on her deathbed. He watched the ‘boat’ sail away, Voyant’s flames blazing brightly. His mother had wanted a warrior’s burial. She had read in old scrolls that there was once a tradition amongst one of the tribes to send their dragons out to sea and a family member would light the boat on fire. Their soul would rise with the flames, and their body would reunite with the ocean. Obviously Chip was unable to do so, but Voyant had complied at his mother’s request. 
Even though he had known this would happen, it still hurt. Perhaps it would have hurt less if he hadn’t showed up at all, instead choosing to stay home and continue running his business like there was nothing wrong. But Voyant would have been right. The letter would have eaten him up from the inside if he hadn’t even touched it. His son would have never gotten to meet his Nanna. Even though he hated seeing the blue on his son’s scales, he could still see patches of gold in them. He was upset, but enamored by the sight in front of them and comforted by the memories they had made. Voyant was sitting beside him, watching the flames eat away at the odd structure. 
Ultimately, Chip was glad he had opened the letter. 
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Text
CHAPTER 14 OUT NOW
"Is you a supervillain?"
JJ's brows knit together as she tries to wrap her brain around his ask. She looks at Jasira with a small squint, vaguely registering her tense shoulders, before looking down at the little boy.
"Am I --" she shakes her head, a bit puzzled, "No, I'm not a supervillain," she answers and he squints, unconvinced as he crosses his arms, "Why do you think I am a supervillain?"
"My sister be dating those," he answers, promptly.
Some months prior to Jasira seeing her window to ending her relationship, Bryce put Jasira in the ICU over a rumor that wasn't true. There were questions. Jabari, her little brother, in particular (who stayed with her the whole time)(even over night, even though, no one actually wanted that), had a lot of questions. Jasira didn't know how to explain it even in a general sense, but especially not to a six year old. Because he didn't have a lot of questions about what happened, exactly so much as he wanted to understand why. Why her boyfriend would do something so hurtful. Why boys do such bad things to girls. Questions like that. Jasira didn't know exactly what to say, but Jabari likes DC stuff - comics, shows, the works. And he wasn't like most people. He didn't find villains exciting or fun - he thought they were mean and scary, and some of them gave him nightmares. He hated them. For the most part, there were few exceptions. So, Jasira felt confident in the comparison and the fact that he wouldn't glorify it. She explained her relationship with Bryce to Jabari as the Joker's and Harley's, and he understood that. Bryce had immediately become the Joker to Jabari, and that just made him hate him that much more. When Jasira explained, late in the night with the little boy resting against her chest, fiddling with the sheets, he let out a deep, pained sigh and whispered in the darkness, "I wish the Joker would just die," and they both knew he didn't mean the clown. Since then, because Jabari has been drawing his own comics since he could hold a crayon, Jabari draws various comics in which the Joker does, indeed, die. Except his Joker looks a lot like Bryce with funny colored oversized suits, and he draws the comics over and over and over and over again.
In any case, his answer makes JJ's jaw fall a bit, but she gathers herself rather quickly, immediately understanding how his brain works. So, now she really understand what he was actually asking the first time.
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sendmetosanfran · 11 months ago
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Let Me Try Again pt. 3
Aziraphale had returned to Heaven for a few weeks. He couldn’t stay at the bookshop forever, despite how much Crowley might wish for that. Crowley had been left alone with Muriel, who was still confused about what was happening. They stood nervously at the counter while Crowley wandered around, straightening books.
“May I ask a question?” They asked, drawing the demon’s attention. Crowley turned and looked at the angel for a moment.
“No, you can’t sell any of the books. Yes, I know it’s strange for a shop to not want to sell anything,” he replied. That was the majority of Muriel’s questions. He was hedging his bets that that was what they were going to ask.
“It’s not that… It’s really none of my business. I should keep it to myself, I suppose,” they said as they fiddled with a loose piece of paper on the counter. Crowley furrowed his brow as he walked closer. His hands rested against the counter as he leaned against it.
“You obviously want to know,” he stated. “If it’s really none of your business, I just won’t answer. I’m not one to keep people from asking questions.”
“Alright. I was just wondering how an angel and a demon became so close,” they stated. Crowley smirked and patted them on the shoulder.
“You’re easy enough to talk to. Who wouldn’t get close to you?” Crowley joked. He knew what they meant, but it was fun to watch how Muriel’s smile twitched. They were obviously flattered. Crowley assumed the angel had never been given much attention, much less compliments. “I’m assuming you mean me and Aziraphale?”
“Yes… That’s what I meant,” they replied, nerves creeping up on them. Perhaps they shouldn’t have said anything.
“Well, that’s a long story, really. It’s longer than I’m able to tell,” Crowley replied before placing his hands on his hips. He blew out a bit of air as he thought of the best way to answer. “I suppose it comes down to being friends for a very long time. Once you’ve spent enough time with a person, you learn more about them than you do yourself. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah… Well,” Muriel replied before smiling sheepishly and looking away. “Not really. I’m sure it would if I had more people to talk to. You see, I’ve been by myself for a long while. Taking care of filing and whatnot. Well, the files I’m allowed to see that is. They don’t trust me with everything just yet.” Crowley gave a warm smile the best he could to them.
“I’m sure while you’re here on Earth, you’ll find your own friend. You’ve certainly got the demeanor for it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Crowley. That does mean a lot. That’s something I worry about sometimes.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” he stated, patting a hand on their shoulder once more. “I’ve got some stuff to take care of in the back. Will you be alright up here?”
“I’ll be fine,” they answered and watched as Crowley walked into the back of the shop. Crowley hummed to himself. He started by making a pot of coffee for himself. There was some organizing that he wanted to take care of before Aziraphale returned. For as much as the angel cared for these books, he certainly left them in a pile. That was no good. Crowley intended to get everything out of the floor and onto a shelf. Come to think of it, he would have to make some more shelves appear before too long.
While he got to work, he was unaware of Aziraphale entering the bookshop. The angel took off his coat with a sigh. He placed it carefully onto his coat rack and gave a smile to Muriel. They returned the gesture with a small wave.
“Mr. Crowley is in the back,” Muriel stated. They knew Aziraphale would want to know that his friend was here. He gave a nod before walking to the back.
“Crowley,” Aziraphale called when he found the room the demon was in. He stopped in the doorway when he heard Crowley humming to himself. Aziraphale watched as he placed books on the shelf, keeping a tune to himself. Heat came to Aziraphale’s cheeks as he looked at the way the muscles shifted in Crowley’s back as he went about his business. He shook his head before walking closer.
Crowley was still none the wiser that the angel was coming towards him. The footsteps were quiet enough that his humming drowned him out. Aziraphale hesitated as he reached towards the other man. He didn’t want to startle him. Perhaps if he said his name again.
“Crowley,” Aziraphale said quietly, his hand touching the demon’s back. Crowley still swore and jumped before turning around quickly.
“Aziraphale, when did you get back?” Crowley questioned, straightening his shirt. It wasn’t out of place, but the action made him feel less embarrassed about being startled.
“Just now. I thought you heard me when I came in. I’m sorry for interrupting what you were doing,” Aziraphale answered softly. His eyebrows twitched as a thought occurred to him. “Speaking of which. What are you doing?”
“Oh, what am I doing?” Crowley said as he looked down at the book in his hand. Despite his intention to get this place cleaned up, he never thought what it would be like to actually tell Aziraphale what he had been doing.
“Just straightening up a bit.”
“Oh, well, I appreciate that,” Aziraphale stated. He clenched and unclenched his hands. Crowley cleared his throat. They were both aware of the awkward feeling between them. What were they supposed to do? Hug? Kiss? Ignore the greeting completely?
“So, how’s the plan going?” Crowley finally asked. It eased some of the tension.
“Rather well, actually. They haven’t been able to settle on a woman to be the mother. There was a close call. I couldn’t think of anything to say that she had done, but it turned out that she’d had her tubes removed. There’s only so much of a miracle that we can pull before people get suspicious,” he said. Crowley gave him a small smile and shifted a bit closer.
“Would be hard to explain that one,” Crowley responded. There was another long silence as the two pondered what to continue with. “So… You think this’ll blow over by itself?”
“I don’t know about that, but I think it may be less complicated than we originally thought,” he replied. “And I was thinking that we could go and get something to nibble on. Would you be interested?” Crowley grinned at that one.
“Is this because you’re hungry or because this is another attempt to woo me?” Crowley questioned. Aziraphale rolled his eyes at the comment.
“Maybe it’s because there’s no food in Heaven, and I would like my friend to accompany me. I was thinking about that little sushi place down the road,” the angel stated. The thought of a nice tuna roll greatly overshadowed his annoyance.
“Hmm. Shame it’s not a date,” Crowley gave a dramatic sigh, making Aziraphale’s lips press together in a flat line. “I don’t think I’ve ever been properly asked out on a date.” He kept his gaze away from Aziraphale as he made a frowning face. He wouldn’t be able to seem serious if he made eye contact. It would be too tempting to laugh.
“Crowley, what on earth are we doing right now?” The angel questioned. He knew the demon was having fun with this, but he was unsure why.
“Not dating, apparently.”
“Oh, bugger. What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing, angel. I’m tickety boo,” Crowley replied. His mirth got the better of him. He looked back at Aziraphale and gave him a large grin. Aziraphale seemed unimpressed by the theft of his use of ‘tickety boo.’ “Alright, I’m done now. Yes, I would like to go to this sushi place with you… Do they have good sake?”
“I’ve heard it’s very good,” Aziraphale answered before clearing his throat.
“But, since you made a fuss about this.”
“Oh, bugger. I’ve pushed my luck, haven’t I?”
“Would you, Anthony J. Crowley, accompany me on a date?” He asked, voice wavering on the last word. Aziraphale watched the slightly stunned look take over the demon’s face before a pink tint covered his cheeks. Aziraphale was tempted to tease, but he feared his face had the same coloration. There was a short pause as Crowley collected himself.
“I-I would, um. I would like that very much,” the demon finally answered. His heart fluttered. Aziraphale had assumed that they had already gone on dates, but Crowley had never gotten the message. It was very different when he knew the true intention.
“I’m glad. Perhaps it would have been better with flowers. I’ll have to bring you something next time, dear,” the angel responded. Crowley swallowed thickly.
“There’s actually something that I would like to give you, angel. A bit of a welcome back, even though I know you aren’t staying very long,” Crowley stated. The angel seemed confused as Crowley moved a bit closer.
“You didn’t have to do anything for me, Crowley,” he responded. Crowley stood very close to him now, but he did not back away. He just tilted his head to look upwards. His face heated at realizing what he truly meant.
“Oh.”
Aziraphale waited patiently as Crowley leaned closer to him. There was something about how he moved that seemed fearful. Perhaps he feared that Aziraphale would run away or say he was moving too fast again. The angel didn’t want him to back away. Aziraphale lifted a hand and placed it on Crowley’s cheek, his thumb tracing over his cheekbone gently.
“It’s okay, dear,” Aziraphale said softly. Crowley pressed closer. The angel could feel the warmth of his breath against his lips. He was tempted to close the gap but let the demon finish what he had started. Crowley kissed him gently, keeping his mouth still. Aziraphale did the same. They knew the kiss was awkward, but they had to start somewhere.
Crowley eventually pulled away, red-faced and shaky hands. He wished he had done better. It wasn’t like he had never kissed anyone before. Hell, he had kissed Aziraphale before, but that had been rushed. He hadn’t had time to think about it before. Now, his nerves were getting the better of him.
“That was lovely, Crowley,” Aziraphale said with a soft smile. Crowley let out a huff, feeling his jitters starting to retreat.
“I appreciate the lie, angel. It’ll be better the next time. I promise,” Crowley stated. A part of him was relieved that Aziraphale would spare his feelings the way he had. The rest was a bit giddy that he even had the opportunity to kiss him. “Now, then. We have to get to dinner. You must be hungry after not having anything to eat for a few weeks.
“I am getting a bit peckish,” Aziraphale responded. He took the demon’s hand in his before they headed out the door. Muriel waved goodbye to them and silently wondered why Crowley was grinning like a madman.
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roxannarambles · 10 months ago
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Title: Wings of a Butterfly, Eye of the Tiger (Part 1)
Ship: Nemona x Juliana (Julinemo/Terajules)
Summary: Nemona and Juliana just can't resist returning to Area Zero once more. They find new places to explore, new pokemon to discover, and a new things to learn . . . about pokemon battling, but also about each other.
Notes: Okay guys, so there's a story I started on but I got a lot going on in life atm, so I may not finish this story anytime soon (or at all). Burned out on writing and got IRL stuff to deal with, you know how it goes.
That said! I decided I want to post the first chapter anyway, because it was fun to do and I thought folks might enjoy it on its own. So here you go. :D This is meant as a sequel to my story Picnic in Paradise.
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You were in the middle of history class and you were so bored. Professor Raifort was on a tangent about some musty old ruins she’d studied in Kalos, and you could tell she wasn’t going to get back on track anytime soon. It wouldn’t be so bad if you were sitting next to Nemona, but Raifort assigned seats to students specifically to prevent friends from chatting during class. It was ruthless, cruel. You didn’t dare pull your phone out either, Raifort went into a rage if she saw any student fiddling with their “damned technology” in the middle of her class. You heaved a sad sigh, drooped over with your chin resting on your desk, gazing at Nemona’s ponytail and wishing you could talk to her. If only you could text her without Raifort noticing . . . ugh . . .
A silly idea popped into your head. You sat up and looked down at your notebook, then glanced up at Raifort. Hmm . . .
You picked up your pencil and scribbled out help me nemona my brain is going to melt into goop if I have to listen to her talk about excavation units for any longer
Slowly, you tore the piece of paper out of your notebook, so as not to make any noise, then folded it up. Nemona was sitting two rows ahead of you, but you knew the student sitting between you fairly well, they liked to talk to you about bug types sometimes. You tapped their arm gently and showed them the note, giving your head a little nod in Nemona’s direction and flicking your eyes back to them, trying to broadcast your intent. They seemed briefly confused but then quickly got the idea, taking the note and passing it without question. You watched Nemona accept the note with a puzzled look and unfold the paper, reading it. Then she cast a quick glance behind her, catching your eye. You grinned at her and she stifled a giggle.
After about a minute, you saw Nemona slide a note onto your classmate’s desk with a nervous expression, and they passed it along to you. You unfolded the paper.
there’s only 20 minutes left girl, you can survive. we can have a battle after class :)
That did sound nice, but 20 minutes felt like an eternity in this classroom. You wrote out another note.
okay sounds good. btw I can’t wait to go back to our secret place, think we can do that anytime soon? been thinking a lot about what we’re gonna do there next.
Then you spent some time doodling some pokemon, a large tiger with sabre teeth and angry eyes and a Pawmot facing off against it, punching it with an Ice Punch. You added a Rockruff behind the Pawmot, wagging its little tail and panting. You wrote out ‘You’ next to the Pawmot with an arrow and wrote ‘Me’ next to the Rockruff. Then you folded up the note and passed it forward.
You couldn’t see Nemona’s reaction, but eventually she passed another note back to you.
jules if the teacher catches us we’re gonna get in so much trouble. we’re champion rank trainers we’re supposed to set an example and stuff!
also I can’t wait to go back too, maybe this weekend? 
You snorted, amused at the mixed messages she was sending. She even included a little drawing too, it looked like her Pawmot and your Gengar holding hands and smiling, under a little rainbow. The word Us was scrawled above them. 
Nemona was not good at drawing. You still loved it more than any other piece of art on earth. You folded it up carefully and tucked it away in your pocket to keep. Then you wrote out another note.
if you can do it this weekend then heck yeah I’m in. can’t wait <3 <3  I love your drawing. 
You handed it to your classmate to pass forward. They accepted it with a sigh, looking a little weary by now with being used as a messenger, but passed it on anyway. Raifort had finally finished with her tangent and was writing stuff out on the chalkboard, but you couldn’t be bothered to care. You were too busy watching Nemona drawing something in her notebook, apparently concentrating very hard. It took her a good five minutes, but she finally finished, folding it up and turning to pass it back.
Except she didn’t manage to get that far. Professor Raifort had finally caught wise to the funny business and grabbed hold of Nemona’s wrist before she could pass the note. Nemona gasped, her eyes growing wide.
“Ms. Sanchez, I’ll be checking that, if you don’t mind.”
The teacher snatched the sheet of paper from her hand and released Nemona, unfolding the note. She scrutinized it a moment, scowling. Folding the sheet of paper back up, she spoke in a stern tone,
“Ms. Sanchez, in case you have forgotten, art class is at 3:00 on Thursdays with Mr. Hassel. We are currently in history class, and I ask that you keep your focus on the subject for the duration of my class. Understood?”
“Y-yes Ms. Raifort,” Nemona stammered, shrinking a little in her seat, while a few people in class giggled. Raifort sighed wearily, pacing away and depositing the note upon her lectern. 
“Now where were we . . . ah, yes. So there were a number of factors that contributed to the decline and eventual collapse of the empire . . .”
It was a mercy when the bell finally rang, students packing up as quickly as possible so they could escape. By the time you’d made your way to the front of the class to Nemona, most of the classroom had already emptied. Nemona had slung her bag over her shoulder and was looking very anxious. You leaned in to mutter,
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you think she’s still mad?”
You shook your head,
“She’s probably forgot about it already.”
“I-I dunno . . . I think I’m gonna go apologize.”
“Nemona, you don’t have to–”
She’d already gone to the front of the classroom, though.
“M-Ms. Raifort? I’m sorry about before, drawing in class I mean. It won’t happen again.”
The instructor glanced up from clearing the chalkboard. She had a disapproving look in her sharp eyes as she sighed,
“I certainly hope not. I expected better from you, Ms. Sanchez–”
You hastened to the front of the room, interrupting her,
“Don’t blame Nemona, Ms. Raifort, I’m the one who started it.”
The teacher’s shrewd gaze switched to you, her eyes narrowing.
“I see. Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. You may still be a new student, but know that I hold you to the same exact standards of behavior as your peers.”
You nodded and answered quickly,
“Of course, and I’m really sorry. But um, would it be possible to get Nemona’s picture back? It would really mean a lot.”
Nemona’s eyes flicked to you, looking as though she thought you were crazy and she expected Raifort to bite your head clean off. Raifort looked briefly thrown off by the request 
but then she just turned back to cleaning the blackboard, sighing,
“Take it and leave.”
You went up to the lectern and snatched the sheet of paper up, saying cheerfully,
“Thanks Ms. Raifort! See you next week!”
As you and Nemona rushed out of the classroom, Raifort muttered gravely,
“If the youth are our future, I fear for the future.”
Passing through the halls, you unfolded the sheet of paper to find a large, slightly asymmetrical heart. It had a lot of lines drawn through it at random angles, which confused you a little. You said,
“Oh, I like the . . . heart?”
Nemona looked down at the drawing and clarified brightly,
“That’s my heart! When I met you.”
You studied it, your brow furrowing.
“It, um . . . broke?”
“What? No! It’s not broken, it . . .”
Suddenly looking very self-conscious, she glanced away. She mumbled,
“It’s supposed to be terastallized . . .”
Your eyes widened as you finally recognized the rough lines as facets to a jem. You squeaked out,
“Oh.”
What were you supposed to do with this revelation? Did your best friend and crush just casually drop this bombshell on you like it was nothing? 
“I-I-I, uhm, I– N-nemona, that’s– that’s–” 
You were trying to get out, Meeting me terastallized your heart? but your face was heating up fast and you couldn’t manage to utter something so sappy and wonderful, in part out of fear you were misunderstanding somehow. 
Nemona seemed a little antsy and uncomfortable, and she cut in, quickly switching subjects.
“Hey, you wanted to battle after class, right? C��mon, let’s go to the Schoolyard!”
“Oh– uh– r-right–sure!”
She grabbed your hand and headed towards the stairs eagerly. You made sure to carefully tuck the note away into your pocket.
By the time you both reached the Schoolyard and took your positions, students were already crowding round to watch. It was pretty much a guarantee that when two Champion-rank students were having a battle, it was going to draw some attention, even if it was spur-of-the-moment. It used to make you feel uneasy, being under the spotlight like that. But it didn’t bother you any more, because these days your sole focus was on the battle and Nemona’s infectious energy– everything else just seemed to fall away. 
“You ready?”
She held out her first pokeball and her eyes were glinting with that familiar thrill. You nodded, grinning.
“All right!” she said, throwing the ball.
“Orthworm, let’s go!”
You threw your own pokeball, sending out Krookodile.
“Krookodile, Stealth Rock!”
“Orthworm, Shed Tail!”
Both of your teams had seen a lot of action over the past few months, and you’d faced off against each other many, many times. As a result, there was a lot of familiarity, but things were hardly what you’d call predictable. You’d both made changes to your teams continuously as you learned and adapted and tried new things. For example, Nemona switched up her leads a fair bit. Starting with Orthworm’s Shed Tail was a relatively new development. She’d been using it very effectively as a way of setting up in the early game.
You were on the watch for that possibly now, as Nemona switched into her Palafin next. You quickly swapped in your Bellibolt, which easily tanked the Jet Punch. Then you ordered Bellibolt to Thunderbolt, eager to break the Substitute before her Palafin got up to any funny business with Bulk Ups. But Nemona opted instead to just order Flip Turn, and then sent out Pawmot to eat up the attack. The bolt of electricity struck her Pawmot, charging it with power, and the audience gave an excited little ‘oooh’ in response.
You narrowed your eyes, thinking; you were considering staying in to use a Mud Shot, but you knew Nemona’s Pawmot hit like a truck. Instead you decided to switch in Gengar. 
You watched as Pawmot’s furious punches phased harmlessly through Gengar, the ghost giggling when Pawmot passed through him and flopped onto the ground. The Close Combat was an easy prediction, honestly, but the audience cheered anyway, loving the spectacle. 
Nemona called,
“It’s all right Pawmot, we got this! Get ready!”
The energetic pokemon leapt back to his feet, fists raised, facing off against your ghost with a glare. 
You smirked a little, thinking to yourself that Nemona shouldn’t be so quick to assume Pawmot had this. You pointed and issued your order,
“Gengar, Dazzling Gleam!”
Nemona looked surprised, but she still took it in stride, quickly ordering,
“Double Shock!”
The two pokemon charged at each other, meeting in the middle of the battle court in an explosion of dazzling lights and crackling electricity. Your vision was bleached out from the brightness and when you could see again, Gengar had fallen, Pawmot panting and very weak but still standing. The audience gasped while Nemona cheered,
“Good work, Pawmot!”
Gengar returned to his ball; you were honestly shocked that the Dazzling Gleam hadn’t been enough to take Pawmot out. Though by the looks of it, he’d been very close. You sent out your Tauros Aqua Breed. Nemona eagerly ordered Pawmot to Volt Switch, but you called out,
“Aqua Jet!”
The shot of water struck Pawmot first, knocking the weakened pokemon out. Nemona laughed,
“Darn. Didn’t think you’d mess up there but was hoping anyway.”
You smiled and shrugged,
“You’d be disappointed if I did something that silly.”
“True, haha. Okay Meowscarada, go!”
You considered things for a moment. Nemona probably didn’t expect you to do something so silly as to keep Tauros in on her Meowscarada, either– she’d probably expect you to swap to your Volcarona. You knew she loved swapping to Palafin for that, so you decided to switch to Bellibolt. 
Unfortunately, it seemed you ended up over-predicting her. The Flower Trick that landed on Bellibolt hit hard, weakening it far too much, well past the point of recovery. With a sigh, you decided to leave him in, letting him faint to the next Flower Trick.
You swapped to Volcarona then– you wanted a clean switch for her anyway. This was also a beautiful opportunity. As Nemona recalled Meowscarada, you ordered,
“Quiver Dance!”
“Palafin, you’re in charge!”
The dolphin that materialized on the battle court was now in his fully-powered state, rippling muscles and tall, proud stance. He was a menace for your team and had often been the one responsible for your losses against Nemona. With your best counter already fainted, Nemona was looking pretty smug.
“Becha you wished you didn’t throw away Bellibolt so soon.”
You shrugged,
“Eh, easy come, easy go. I’ll manage.”
Nemona turned to her pokemon.
“Well, there won’t be any more Quiver Dances on my watch. Palafin, you know what to do!”
You pulled a small, glittering orb from your pocket. God, you’d waited for this moment for weeks. You’d laid in bed at night giggling about it as you imagined your silly plan, and you’d spent hours and hours painstakingly gathering the tera shards, bit by bit. 
Now it was finally time.
Settling your nerves, you carefully threw the tera orb, the energy crashing into your Volcarona.
You called:
“Volcarona, Solar Beam!”
The audience gasped at the mid-battle terastallization, the tera energy gathering around Volcarona and the crystals spreading rapidly across its body, finishing at the top with a glittering crown, her tera jewel: a bouquet of flowers. Then Volcarona glittered and shone even brighter as she gathered up sunlight for her Solar Beam, the Power Herb gripped in her little legs melding into the light as she charged, brighter and brighter, until it was almost painful to look. 
You could see Nemona’s eyes were wide, the light of your pokemon reflected in them.
Palafin’s Jet Punch struck your pokemon, but the move hardly even phased it. 
Then Volcarona unleashed its attack in return, the blast of energy engulfing the dolphin entirely. 
Palafin didn’t stand a chance, fainting immediately, and the students around you let loose some wild cheers. However, Nemona looked more excited than any of them by far. She leapt and cackled,
“Oh my god, Jules! That was incredible!!”
You grinned proudly, giggling,
“Thanks.”
“Seriously, I had no idea, when did you change her tera typing?!”
“Just last week.”
“Oh my god. That was so cool, and the Power Herb too!– it was genius, gahh! I can’t believe you– grhh, okay, we still have a battle to finish, but we’ll talk later, okay?”
You laughed,
“Okay.”
While your mid-battle victory over Palafin filled you with giddy energy (if you were honest, though, it had more to do with Nemona’s unrestrained glee than your victory), it was hardly a decided match. After Nemona had finished gushing over the cool moment, she got her head back in the game and sent out her Talonflame. You weren’t gonna sacrifice your Volcarona recklessly, so you swapped to your Krookodile. Nemona took advantage of the moment to get a Swords Dance off. She then ordered a Brave Bird, seriously weakening your Krookodile. Staying calm, you ordered,
“Stone Edge!” 
“What?!”
The move fortunately connected with the bird, dropping the pokemon instantly.
“I thought you were gonna Taunt! Since when are you packing Stone Edge?!”
You shrugged again, smiling.
“Told ya I made a few changes.”
Nemona groaned.
“You’re turning into a downright terror. Looks like I gotta get serious here.”
She tossed a ball, calling,
“Dragapult, time to get to work! Draco Meteor!”
After Krookodile fainted, you sent out your Tauros. Unfortunately, Nemona correctly predicted the Outrage, swapping into Orthworm on the hit, who took the attack easily. While your Tauros was still in a frenzy, she got up some late-game Stealth Rocks. Luckily Tauros calmed down soon after that, although he now was dizzy from the overpowered attack. You knew he needed a chance to rest, so you switched to your Corviknight, while at the same time Nemona brought Dragapult back in. 
You thought carefully about your next move. You only had Corviknight, Tauros and Volcarona left– she had Meowscarada, Dragapult, and Orthworm. It was a little awkward dealing with Dragapult, though. You decided to just go all out. Corviknight would live a Thunderbolt and get an attack off and Tauros would have to finish it off– he could do it, he had an Assault Vest– and you’d save Volcarona for the other two.
“Corviknight, Brave Bird!”
Your pokemon flapped her wings, rising higher and higher into the air, then fell into a swoop. From the other side of the battle court, Nemona shouted,
“Dragapult, Fire Blast!”
Your heart skipped a beat, not expecting that move at all. You watched as the bird dove directly into a massive fireball, the pokemon crying out in shock.
Corviknight never even reached Dragapult. The fainted pokemon returned to your ball.
“Fire Blast?”
Nemona smiled, hands on hips.
“I made a few changes too.”
“Mnnn . . .”
You sent your Tauros out. You ordered Outrage, desperately needing to take care of this Dragapult. Unfortunately, Nemona didn’t want to give you that chance, and swapped back into Orthworm once more, using Earthquake. The big Steel-type worm had been worn down enough by now that the Outrages managed to finish it off, but at what cost? 
Nemona sent her Meowscarada back out once Tauros’ rage had quelled. You were pretty sure it was over, but maybe you still had a chance with Volcarona. You ordered Tauros to Aqua Jet for some extra damage, waiting for the Flower Trick to finish him off. 
But Nemona hesitated. She seemed to think a moment, and then instead of Flower Trick, she commanded,
“Play Rough!”
You watched as Meowscarada’s cape shifted colors from green to light pink, and then the cat leapt forward, striking your Tauros down on the spot. You stared for a few moments in disbelief.
Then you looked up to Nemona.
“Your Meowscarada has Protean now?”
She looked so psyched, immediately answering,
“I’ve been waiting so long to show it off, I found an Ability Patch in a tera den!! It’s so great to finally tell you, I also equipped her with a– oh, whoops, probably shouldn’t blab that part yet. You’ll see, heheh!”
You chuckled, saying,
“That’s honestly awesome, but I think it’s gonna be a GG for me.”
You released your final pokemon, the Volcarona still sparkling with its crown of flowers. 
“C’mon Jules, you know what I always tell you, never call it early–”
“Yeah, yeah, it isn’t over ‘til it’s over. I know.”
Still, you knew that Protean sealed the deal. You could have taken out a grass-type Meowscarada in one hit, but not a Fairy-type Meowscarada. There was Dragapult waiting in the wings anyway. 
Releasing a little sigh, you smiled gently. You issued your command to Volcarona.
“Ok, Volcarona. Quiver Dance!”
Nemona shouted,
“Go, Meowscarada, Play Rough!”
The nimble feline charged as your Volcarona fluttered her wings and began her graceful dance. Meowscarada leapt into the air, claws extended, teeth bared . . .
But she missed. Your Volcarona swooped out of the way just in the nick of time. The gathered students uttered a collective ‘oooh!’ and Nemona gasped before yelling,
“Quick, Meowscarada, again, Play Rough!”
“Volcarona, Flamethrower!”
Volcarona was a lot faster now, and Meowscarada went down in flames before she could get her attack off. And suddenly the match was down to one-on-one. Nemona released her Dragapult while the crowd murmured. 
Even though misses were always a part of matches, you still felt bad, saying,
“Dang. Play Rough almost never misses, it should have been a safe bet . . .”
“Hey, no worries. Like I said, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over!”
She grinned, pulling her tera orb from her pocket. Right, hers was still charged. And her Drapagult had Choice Specs. Crap.
“Wait, your Dragapult’s still Tera Dragon, right?”
You knew she’d been toying with the idea of changing it to Tera Ghost, but you had no clue if she actually did.
Nemona just winked at you. She replied sneakily,
“Not telling.”
You groaned, then shook your head.
“O-okay, that’s fine, I don’t need you to! Let’s finish this.”
She took aim with her Tera Orb, and you made your choice.
Nemona flung the Tera Orb.
“Volcarona, Flamethrower!”
“Dragapult, Draco Meteor!”
Nemona’s pokemon transformed into its splendid, terastallized state, and your heart sank when you saw it still was crowned with a Dragon Tera Jewel. The Flamethrower struck the dragon but didn’t take it out. Oh boy. The massive meteors roared in the air, crashing into your Volcarona with a flurry of purple sparkles . . .
But once the dust settled, Volcarona was still flapping, tired but conscious! Not wasting another moment, you triumphantly shouted,
“Volcarona, Bug Buzz!!”
The final attack struck Dragapult down for good, to the jubilation of the crowds. 
Afterwards, you both headed to the cafeteria for lunch, Nemona ranting and raving about the match the whole way there. When you spotted Arven and Penny already eating, Nemona hurried over to their table to excitedly recount the story for them. You ate lunch and watched her with a silly smile, because few things in life were as wonderful as listening to Nemona talk about pokemon battling. She was so incredibly animated, putting her whole body into the story and acting out the key moments, her eyes crackling with a fiery spirit and her energy so overflowing that she kept squeezing her hands into fists and giving happy little jumps. 
It was so adorable and joyful that you could hardly stand it. 
“And then, then!” She swung her arms wide, making explosion noises,
“Blammgmmgmgm! Solar Beam blows Palafin straight outta the water, she had a Power Herb!!  Not even a second to react, he’s already gone, my jaw hit the floor! You guys you have no idea how awesome it was, I’ve been telling people forever now that Terastalizing can give us these ridiculously cool game-changing moments but all the Gym leaders are always like ‘Bla bla bla, we can’t Tera into anything other than our chosen monotype, bla bla bla’ like c’mon!! How are we supposed to get trainers excited for battle with terastallization if it’s always like that! Jules did exactly what I’ve been wanting people to do for so long, it felt like, like, something I’m gonna remember forever, you know?”
There was a moment’s pause when Nemona stopped to catch her breath. 
“So I’m getting the impression Nemona liked the battle,” Arven said dryly, sipping his drink. Penny chuckled.
“I’m not even finished yet, wait ‘til you guys hear the rest!!”
You somehow managed to make it through lunch without perishing from either Nemona’s praise or her adorable antics, but when you made it back to your dorm, you flung yourself onto the bed with a huge sigh. It was getting harder all the time to keep a lid on your feelings. It was gonna start affecting your battles soon at this rate, and Nemona was sure to notice that . . .
You felt a lump in your pockets and pulled out a sheet of paper.
“Oh, god, right.”
You unfolded the scribbly heart Nemona had drawn for you during class. You stared at it for a long time, and the other note you’d saved of the two of you as pokemon holding hands under a rainbow. It certainly felt like solid, undeniable proof that she returned your feelings, but at this point you second-guessed everything. Nemona had the habit of making some incredibly strong statements of affection about you. After you beat the E4 and had your first battle together as equals, she asked if you wanted to be rivals for life, and it practically felt like a marriage proposal. She’d only doubled down since then, casually telling you stuff like ‘I’ve relished every single day since you’d moved here’ or done stuff like rearrange her classes and delay her graduation just so she could graduate at the same time as you. You know, simple things like shift all her life plans just for you. 
You hopped off your bed, a determined look in your eye. You were gonna stop waffling. It was time to finally tell her. 
You had to do it right, though. Nemona was doing stuff like proclaiming that meeting you terastallized her heart. So you had to be big and bold too. You wanted to match her energy, and you wanted it to be unmistakable. You picked up some of your pokeballs, then headed back out to the Schoolyard. 
Once you’d stepped out into the open-air solarium, you immediately headed over to the garden area and found a quiet corner to work on your little project. You let your Frosmoth out of her ball. 
“Okay, Frosmoth. Let’s get back to work. Ice Beam. Nice and slow, just like we practiced.”
Your plan was pretty simple. It was something you saw on social media a few weeks ago: somebody had trained their Glaceon to create ice sculptures with its Ice Beam, and one of them was a big heart. It had seemed perfect to you, because what better time to confess to Nemona then in the middle of a pokemon battle? You’d envisioned it then, sending Frosmoth out and creating the sculpture, the look of Nemona’s surprised delight, and then you’d finally come clean to her, tell her everything. You’d tried to confess to her a ton of times already, true, but something always happened. Either it was misunderstood or you chickened out or your plans got derailed somehow. Most recently, you had planned to take her to Cortondo for those little lemon cakes she loved so much and tell her then. That had been right after you’d returned from your Area Zero picnic. But you’d both gotten so busy with exams after that, so it hadn’t happened. 
But it was fine. You had a better plan now and you were going to follow through this time. Frosmoth just had to perfect her technique and produce something other than lumpy ice blobs. It was rough going but you believed in her, you knew she’d get the hang of it. Eventually. 
Probably.
“Okay, Frosmoth, good effort! Let’s try again, I think if you slowed down a bit more and made sure to go back and forth, it won’t end up so lumpy . . .”
You glanced down at your phone, re-reading the blog post about teaching your pokemon to make ice sculptures. Nobody had ever tried to teach a Frosmoth before. You wondered if that mattered. Slowglobe had very different eyes from Glaceons, it might affect things. Hm. 
You eventually looked up again from your reading.
“Oh my gosh, Frosmoth! That’s so good!”
It was hardly as impressive as the photo in the blog, but it was way closer to a heart than she’d ever gotten before. Very lumpy and asymmetrical still, but if you squinted, it was almost recognizable!
While you were examining the ice sculpture and thinking about how to improve things, a familiar voice rang out from across the Schoolyard.
“Hey! Juliana, there you are!”
Your heart leapt in a panic. Oh, crap, crap, no– she couldn’t see this now, it wasn’t ready! You glanced around for a few moments trying to think of what to do, until some quick thinking saved you. You chucked a ball and said,
“Volcarona, u-uh, Flamethrower, right there! Quick!”
The large insect obediently released a fireball, melting the ice sculpture down. A few moments later Nemona had finished jogging over, saying,
“Oh, sorry, didn’t know you were training!”
You spun around, the pair of moths hovering behind you.
“Ahaha, i-it’s fine! We’re mostly just fooling around . . .”
Nemona nodded, crossing her arms and grinning.
“Great! ‘Cause I wanted to ask you about this weekend, when we go to Area Z– er–”
She suddenly stopped and glanced around furtively, then stepped closer, dropping her voice.
“I mean, our secret place. What time were you thinking?”
You blinked. Oh, right. You’d forgotten about that already. 
“Um . . . is Saturday morning okay? Early?”
You toed the gravel under your shoe and repressed the urge to say ‘as soon as possible for as long as possible.’
“Yeah, that’s fine! Like 8:00? We could go right after breakfast!”
You looked up at her and smiled,
“Sure!”
Nemona seemed very pleased.
“Awesome. Man, it’s gonna be so great to finally head back again. Poor Hellcat’s been waiting in their ball, I haven’t even been able to heal them since the nurses at the Pokecenters would notice something weird’s up . . .”
You nodded.
“Yeah. Don’t worry, we’ll bring lots of potions and food for them. And we can work on training them.”
Enthusiastically, she agreed,
“Yeah! Plus we can look for Roaring Moo–”
You held up a finger to your lips to hush her and she quickly stopped, giggling,
“Whoops, sorry.”
She stepped even closer to you and leaned in, whispering,
“We can look for Roaring Moon. And maybe whatever other exciting things we can find, heheh.”
Having Nemona this close and whispering sweet nothings to you– well, all right, they weren’t sweet nothings, but at this proximity they may as well be– was a lot to handle. You felt your cheeks warming and the world felt just slightly off-balance.
“Y-yeah! Okay, yeah! That sounds, um, good!”
Smiling, she said to you quietly,
“Perfect. See you then.”
She gave you a wink for the second time today, and you knew it made sense in context but man, she had better stop doing that. It was too dangerous for your heart. 
Once she’d departed, you turned back to inspect the slushy puddle that had been your ice sculpture. You sighed.
“Guess we gotta put this plan on hold ‘til after our trip.”
You returned your pokemon to their balls so you could start making preparations for your journey back to Area Zero.
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goldeneyedgirl · 9 months ago
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can't believe my dumb ass misunderstanding the hybrid jasper thing and the fact that you were talking about vampire jasper in the og hybrid universe actually resulted in such a beautiful thing thanks a lot to your galaxy brain and i'm sorry but now i'm one more anon disturbing you til death to have more of this concept !!!!!!!!!!
No, Anon. You gifted me with your galaxybrain thoughts. This concept has eaten away at me. I love fucking with the dynamic between Alice and Jasper, and the idea that he's some fucked up, mutated version of a hybrid because Maria crossed his path will feed me for a long time. 
I'm still fiddling with how I want to approach this - there's the 'rewriting the canon story beats'. Or there's more of a Jasper-version of Hybrid which is... tempting. I could have fun with that. 
But for now, here's some more from the ficmas version!
He wants to trust Alice.
But it’s hard. Nothing good has ever come from trusting a vampire. Or a woman.
Everything about her seems to be designed to lure him in - her big eyes, the sweet and hopeful smile on her face, the way she fusses with her gloves and hat and shoes. She smells like good things, safe things that feel like he dreamed them once. He really does want to trust her.
But he can’t.
The room that she’s rented for them is small but clean and warm. He wasn’t expecting that. Or the fact there’s a weather-beaten suitcase with clothing for him on the bed.
“It was easier to tell the landlady that you were my husband,” Alice says apologetically, as she takes off her coat and hangs it up. “If we’d traveled as siblings, more questions would have been asked.” There’s a tarnished brass ring, held on with a slip of paper, on her left hand that she slips off and into thin air. “She has assumed you were a soldier, which will work in our favor.”
He nods dumbly. Cover stories are nothing new, and this one is sturdy. But it makes him feel like he’s caught in a net and he can’t get free if everything turns sour with all the details already figured out for him. He wishes he knew if he could trust her.
Alice watches him for a moment, and she looks almost sad before she gestures to the suitcase. “Take what you need - the washroom is at the end of the hall. If… if I fetch you some food, will you eat?”She sounds oddly tentative making that offer but he nods. He’s not sure what he will eat - he existed on human blood for so long that human food only does so much; it is essentially medicinal, to keep him healthy and functioning. He can go for weeks, if not months, without much more than a few mouthfuls of water but it will take its toll.
But the blood… the blood he needs to stay in control.
In the washroom, he finds the case is very precisely packed - two outfits for him, all in dark colours and folded neatly, along with a comb and a razor. Soap and towels are provided in the washroom, thankfully. She’s even found him a set of pajamas that smell like soap flakes and dust. But underneath his things is a filmy pink scarf, separating another layer of clothing, and he cannot help but peel it back to see what else is packed in this suitcase.
There’s a threadbare yellow dress with mismatched buttons; a grey sweater that looks miles too big for Alice; a beige slip with a torn strap hastily pinned; a little pouch with an ancient-looking hairbrush, a dirty lipstick, and a brown leather notebook tied closed with some ribbon.
The notebook looks as old as he is, and he feels oddly guilty as he reaches for it. But he opens it and… maybe he can trust her.
The first few pages are letters. Unsteady and uneven, in a small, cramped hand; practicing over and over again until the letters become words. Mostly ‘Alice’ and ‘Jasper’ and ‘Cullen’. Leaning to write until it looks like the hand of someone her age and not someone who seems to have taught themselves.
And then little drawings - he’s stunned to see himself in many of them, drawings the size of postage stamps so as not to run out of pages.
A few sketches of clothing - dresses and coats and shirts. Lists of items, as if her memory cannot retain things. And then, almost in the middle of the book, it becomes … it becomes something he feels like he shouldn’t have seen. Notes on him, for him. Things to remember, things to know. Things that her funny gift has seen.
Can’t get cold or wet.
Doesn’t like milk.
Sleeps!
Pages and pages of notes to herself about him. And instead of being creeping and unnerving, like being watched in the dark, he found it… sweet and endearing, a clumsy gesture of goodwill.
She wasn’t lying when she said that she had been looking for him, waiting for him.
When he goes to put her things back in order, hoping that she won’t realize he intentionally looked through them and just messed them up pulling his own things out, he finds a dirty bit of cloth. There’s mud and old blood on it, and he pulls it out to see exactly why Alice has kept it.
It’s a torn, dirty garment. Not a dress or a shirt, but shapeless. The blood runs down the left side - a distinct pattern. He doesn’t need the lingering scent of venom to identify it, not with the blood splatter the way it is.
This was the garment she died in.
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your-ghoul-pal · 2 years ago
Text
Aurora Borealis
Pairing: Aurora (she/her) x Sunny (they/them) Warnings: none WC: 2k Tags: fluff, vaguely implied transfem Aurora, just pure fluff and wholesome, not beta'd or proofread
Read on AO3
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Sunshine was excited yet scared, they'd been informed about the idea of summoning more ghouls for the band since they and Aether had to stay back. They wished that they could've gone, but other duties called for them. At least they had someone around they knew well. Sunshine was happy that Aether decided to stay back and help them with the duties, even though Sunny knew how much Aether loved touring.
After laying in bed staring at the ceiling for satan knows how long? They decided to get up and throw on something simple, no need to dress fancy for a summoning, definitely since they had been told it was going to be another man. Like they didn't have enough boys around already! Sunny threw on their jeans and a simple band tee, judging by the size of it, it wasn't theirs. While they make their way to leave, they hear a knocking on the door, "come on, the summoning is in 5, we need ya Sunny "
Sunshine sighed, "I'm already coming", opening the door to see Aether standing there, dressed in jeans and a button up. "Why the fuck are you trying to look fancy?" Sunshine frowned at him. "Just want to make a good first impression" Aether smiled at them. They raised their eyebrow but decided to let it be and walked towards the summoning room.
Sunshine waited impatiently, they'd rather be reading or drawing right now instead of standing in the cold damp basement of the church. The room was filled with a haze and they could barely see a meter in front of them 'was it also like this when they were summoned' they wonder fiddling with the cloak they're holding. "Why does it take so long?" They asked, Cirrus turns and motions for them to be quiet.
Sunshine waits and looks at the haze puddling in the middle of the circle. A body seems to appear. Sunshine unfolds the cloak and readies it to give it to the new summon, who is now a full body. Their hair is long and pink fading to purple, their skin is a light grey with little spats of colours dancing over it.
'Holy fuck' Sunshine can't believe their eyes, this wasn't just another one of the boys. Okay the boys were not ugly either, just not much to their taste. But the new summon made their stomach twist. Sunshine turns their gaze to the floor, hoping to hide their flustered face.
"Hello, welcome upside" Sunshine recognised Cirrus' voice "What's your name?" "I don't have one, or at least not one fit for me" the summon spoke with a soft tender voice, with a soft accent, Sunshine isn’t sure what the accent is but they guess French.
"Hey Sun, can you hand them the cloak? It's nice to be a bit covered ya know" Cirrus laughed. Sunshine shook their head and walked up to the two, carefully hanging the cloak over the shoulders of the new summon. Now that they were so close Sunshine could feel their energy, air and something else, maybe fire? like them. or maybe quintessence?
"Hi, I'm Sunshine" They held their hand out for the smaller ghoul to shake. "Hi" they grabbed their hand. "I'm gonna leave the 2 of you to figure it out, I need to get to rehearsal, see ya later!" Cirrus says before walking away.
"I don't know if i like her" the summon spoke again, "Don't worry, she is very kind, but also just very, well serious while also fun" Sunshine reassures the other "Also you don't seem like one of the boys? I was told we would have another ghoul come up." Sunshine asks, raising their eyebrows. "Did they really? still? No, I am not another ghoul. I'm a ghoulette The summon spoke, a slight hurt in her voice.
"Come with me, I'll give you some better clothes and show you around, is that good?" Sunshine says to move on from the previous subject "I guess so?" The summon says, finally looking around the room, quickly putting up a face of disgust "I do hope the rest looks better than this" she laughs. "Oh it will" Sunshine smiles before gesturing to the other to follow them.
Sunshine hands the smaller ghoul one of their older dresses that doesn't really fit them anymore. "You okay with a dress,?i don't think I have anything that fits better " "I don't mind, they seem comfortable"
The new ghoulette admires herself in the mirror, the light yellow flower dress creating a perfect contrast to her pink/purple hair. "All the colours on you make me think of the Aurora borealis" Sunny says "the what?" the new ghoul turned around to face them "Aurora Borealis. the northern lights" Sunny says. "never heard of it." "It is very pretty. Wait, maybe it's visible tonight, that is one of the good things of living so far north" Sunny explains.
The rest of the day Sunshine leads the new summon around the church, showing routes, rooms and chores. Sunshine doesn't notice how the other is not paying attention to Sunshine, or at least not to what they're saying but rather their looks.
Once the two walk back to the ghoul quarters Sunshine turns to the other, "Ehm, they are still working on new rooms so there isn't one for you yet. You are welcome to stay with me for so long if you want to" "oh, yeah, uhm thanks" "But first, dinner," Sunshine says, already smelling the food.
Dinner goes somewhat smoothless, once the new summon is given a quick rundown of how eating upside goes. 'They're a fast learner' Sunshine thinks, staring at her. Well it may be more admiring than just staring. "Hey Sunny, are you still with us here, we asked you something?" a voice sounds "oh, huh, sorry I was thinking" Sunshine mutters Cumulus raises her eyebrow at them but goes back to eating before they can comment on it. "Sunshine. Do you know where she will sleep?" Mountain asked, motioning to the new summon. "Yeah I told her, she is welcome to stay in my room." Sunshine answers quickly. Mountain raises his eyebrow at them but shrugs it off, at least they didn't have to figure that out anymore.
Sunshine grabbed the new summon along to their room after dinner, "It is not a lot yet, I'm still working on it, but it is better than nothing." Sunshine exclaims while dragging the small ghoulette with them.
"Welcome in, even though you've already seen it" Sunshine announces opening their door, showing their room, it is small with light blue walls painted with flower fields at the bottom. The bed is small but big enough to fit the two small ghouls. The mirror is leaning against the dresser in the corner. "It looks quite lovely" the smaller one exclaims, 'not as lovely as you' Sunshine thinks.
The rest of the evening the two sit on the bed, talking about life in the pit and upside. Both learning a lot about the other, making them admire the other even more. By the time Cirrus comes in to check on them, both are beaming and talking loudly. "Hey little fellas!" Cirrus says with a smile. "What do you want, giant?" Sunshine smiles back. "Look outside, I think you'll like it, anyways, have fun and good night" Cirrus says before slipping out the door. The new summon raises her eyebrow at Sunshine, who shrugs "Shall we go onto the roof?" "Can we?" the smaller one beams "Surely" Sunshine smiles
"Careful. Now place your foot here. And voila, we're up!" Sunshine exclaims, looking up at the sky. Aurora Borealis How did they forget it was going to be this visible tonight?
"Look" Sunshine points at the sky, the small ghoulette follows their gesture, "holy shit, that's beautiful" "It is" Sunshine says, sitting down and gesturing for the other to join them
For a while they sit in silence, admiring the sky. Shovelling closer and closer to each other while the night cools down. "I understand a little why you said I remind you of it" The new ghoulette says after a while, startling Sunshine. “The dancing of the colours in the sky is similar to the colours shifting over my skin” the shorter ghoulette continues, “Maybe that could be my name!” “Aurora?” Sunshine asks unsure. “Yes!” she exclaims, almost losing her balance, Sunshine grabs her and pulls her close against them. “I do like the name Aurora, and it does fit you well, but please don’t fall off the roof, you have a tour to do first” Sunshine smiles. “Thank you” Aurora says, her voice still filled with fear. “Don’t worry about it, I am here if you need anything” Sunshine says, Aurora curling against them enjoying the warmth radiating off of them. “Why are you so nice and warm?” Aurora slurs out, half dozing off already. “Because I am a multi; air, fire and a little quintessence” Sunshine says proudly. “That is cool” Aurora says, snuggling even more into Sunshine’s warmth. “I think it may be time to head back inside and get some sleep, I know from experience that sleeping on the roof is not very comfortable or liked by the upper clergy.” Sunshine says, carefully pushing Aurora off. “Hmmmpf, Can I just take a small nap here, please?” Aurora says, turning her head and giving Sunshine puppy eyes. “Oh so that is your tactic, fine. You may take a nap, only because you are new” Sunshine smiles at her.
After a few minutes Aurora has dozed off, softly snoring while being half curled against Sunshine. Who just enjoys the company of their new pack mate, finally having time to understand their thoughts and feelings. Ever since they saw her, their stomach was twisting, their heart was beating just a little faster and oh, the staring. They could not stop staring at her, at her wavy hair, coloured so brightly pink and purple. The way that their dress fit her so perfect, creating one of the prettiest smiles they had ever seen. Were they in love? But even if they truly were (which surprise was truly true), they should let her adapt to the upside first. They would let time take the lead, they would see where things would go but for now they just enjoyed the moment.
Aurora was still peacefully sleeping an hour later, Sunshine had only been thinking. “Hey, little space bug, I think I like you. But having said that, can you move maybe” Sunshine whispers while carefully pushing Aurora off of them a bit. “Mphf, I was so comfy” Aurora protests, but she sits up regardless. “Fine, let’s go to bed” she sighs.
Once back in, now their room, Sunshine gives her a random shirt and pair of shorts. Aurora cocks her eyebrow at them, “Pyjama, we sleep in different clothes than we live in during the day” Sunshine explains “Also that is probably not my shirt, we tend to just take each others clothes, so don’t worry about it too much” “Thanks” Aurora says, carefully sniffing the shirt, the smell was mostly Sunshine but had a vague hint of the smell of the ghoulette who was also there when she was summoned. She shrugs and changes into the other clothes. “We shall figure out this all better tomorrow, okay?” Sunshine suggests, seeing Aurora confused about seemingly everything. “Sounds like a plan” Aurora smiles, plopping down onto the bed. Sunshine joins her, laying down by the wall. “You can make yourself comfortable wherever you like” they say, half curling up. Aurora hesitates for a moment before she lays down and curls against Sunshine. Snuggling her face into their shoulder. Sunshine hesitates before they drape their arm over her and pull her closer to them. And curled up together, tails and limbs intertwined they fall asleep.
The next morning they are found like that, both smiling and snoring softly by Aether, who takes a picture to gush over later before leaving them to be. He is mostly just happy that the new ghoulette has found her place already.
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astroaries98 · 1 year ago
Text
The Rosier Summer of 75'...
TW: Violence from a parent, blood, references to dark magic and the war.
Pandora looked at herself in the mirror, she looked dreadful, dark circles surrounded her haunted eyes, and her face hollowed at her cheekbones. She traced a thin sliver scar under her eye with her finger. She was going back to school tomorrow, she should be happy, but she just felt numb. 
“Dora, have you got any spare….” Evan burst through the door, stopping when he saw his sister looking mournfully in the mirror. 
“Oh Dora” He sighed coming up behind her and resting his chin on her head, wrapping his arms around her. 
Pandora carried on staring ahead. “It’s not going to disappear, Mother tried everything” She choked on her words, trying to hold back tears. 
Evan kissed the top of her head, unsure of how to respond. 
“I overheard her say to the house elves that because the knife was enchanted it will stay this way, healing into a magical scar, unable to vanish.” She swallowed and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. 
Evan moved to kneel down beside her and ran his thumb along the scar, Pandora flinched and turned her head away. 
“It’s not too notable, maybe it will go eventually, it’s not like the knife itself was magical” He tried to reassure. 
Pandora didn’t look back at him, they had both seen enough magical scars to know that was not true. 
She got up and walked over to her bed, folding the last of her clothes into her trunk. 
“I was so scared…” the words slipped out her mouth.
Evan stayed knelt on the floor across the room.
Memories of last night ran through both of their heads. A normal family dinner, a quiet sarcastic comment in her twin's ear, a sudden flash of light as their father launched Pandora bound on her chair to the back wall, a knife hitting the wall beside her, commands that she needed to be truly and completely committed to this family, a knife getting closer and closer to her face as she refused to surrender, her scream as it finally sliced her cheek, the defeat in her eyes as the knife dropped to her lap when she recited her loyalty, tears and blood streaming down her face.
A slam of a door as her father left, and hours in the kitchen as her mother tried every spell and potion she knew to vanish the wound. 
“I should have done something” Evan finally replied, getting up to sit next to Pandora on her bed. 
She shook her head, “it would have been worse for you.”
Evan swallowed, “I just…I never imagined he’d hurt you” 
Tensions at the Roaiser’s had been growing all summer, new rules and demands had been put in place, they had been allowed very little contact with anyone outside of the household, any questions had been dismissed harshly and quickly, their mother’s sorrowful eyes as she told them ‘soon, soon you will understand and you’ll see it was all worth it, trust me.’ 
And they did, they had no reason not to, their parents had never led them astray before had they? But recently Pandora felt a pit in her stomach every time her parents came back late from a ‘gathering with friends, every time her father lectured them about family and loyalty or made a snide comment about muggle-born wizards. It was making her question her blind trust in him. 
The twins sat on the bed in silence for a while. 
“So what did you need anyway?” Pandora finally asked. 
“Oh, urm…right yes, I just needed some extra quill nibs.” He replied. 
“On top of the chest of draws, there’s a box with some in” Pandora pointed backwards with her hand but didn’t move her head. 
“Right, thanks” Evan walked over and took the quill nibs. He looked at Pandora on the bed gazing forward, her mind not in the room. 
“It’s going to be okay Dora, they love us so much, they know what’s best for us and for the family, we have to trust them.” He said a bit too quickly. 
Pandora stiffened, her back still towards Evan. “Well there’s no other option is there?” She replied dryly. 
Pandora fiddled with a ring on her fingers, closed her eyes and wished with her whole body that Evan was right, but she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that this was only the beginning of a very dark time ahead.
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