#I wrote this at 4 am

[canisvesperus]

I’ve seen some discussion on this, so allow me to explain something.

Some people do not seem to grasp why artists like me draw so much fashionable Eridan. He’s not fashionable at all, just look at his canon outfit, they say. Well, it is simple. Eridan is one of the few trolls actually experimenting with fashion at a young age in the comic. Look me in the eye and tell me you too weren’t a hot mess trying to dress “fashionable” in middle school. Yet, chances are that if you had that awareness and drive early on, you will also develop a sense of style and grasp on aesthetics earlier in life compared to your peers. This was my experience. I was well known for being very stylish as a kid, but this didn’t happen overnight. Indeed, if you were one of these kids you most definitely started off with some odd or disharmonious clothing combinations that you threw together in an attempt to express yourself aesthetically despite inexperience in that type of self-expression. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I usually draw young adult Eridan. Obviously given some time, his tastes would develop and mature into something derived from those original aesthetic visions, but far more cohesive.

It’s clear he’s trying to assert his individualism and status in his clothing choices, and most of y’all shrug him off as having bad taste while not also foreseeing the intent and vision behind those choices. I see it, and so do other artists. We differ in how we portray this derivation because there are frankly a dozen different directions he could take it depending on the circumstances of the post-canon/fix it scenario. This is why you may see me refer to the Eridan in my depictions as “my Eridan”. I don’t presume to depict something identical to Homestuck proper, nor am I particularly interested in doing so. If you’re the type of person who is married to the events of canon and cannot consider a scenario involving an older Eridan who was allowed to grow and change, this is why we are not seeing eye to eye— and I’m certain this is the root cause of various other discourses as they pertain to portraying the character in post-canon fanworks. That’s fine. That’s your choice. My choice is different.

Eridan consistently demonstrates concern (an excess, really, which backfired for him in the cruelest of ways poor thing) with respect to how he is perceived, hence the consciously thought out image-crafting and classic Eridan façades that his own peers call him out on for being poorly executed, transparent, and otherwise not believable. They were kids. This is normal. Of course he doesn’t have himself figured out yet. It’s a process. Some people in this fandom believe his façade in the most literal and uncritical of ways but this is all a story for another day. Is his drip game shit though, without regards for fan interpretations? If you’re asking me, I don’t think it’s really that bad considering his age. I really don’t think it’s that bad. That kind of scarf with the cape is a bit much to wear around the neck. Maybe he’ll swap the big scarf for something similar in function and category but less top heavy— a cravat, jabot, bandana, or lavallière? If the cape is too overwhelming for the rest of the outfit, a smaller caplet, shawl, or a coat will work. To accommodate some of the alternative neckwear, a shirt with a collar would be preferable. What many people perceive as a turtleneck sweater, need not be entirely sacrificed. Put a sweater vest on that boy. I see lots of complaints about the shoes and pants. More discreet pinstripes and more formal shoes (field boots, paddock boots, oxfords) will work. Of course he can go in the opposite direction, less formal, in that case the cape can go and the long scarf can stay, get some cool sneakers, consider denim bottoms or casual slacks in a single color, accents welcome. However this isn’t the derivation I pursue so I feel less qualified to speculate. He could ditch all of it even. Start new and fresh especially if he were to go through a markedly subversive reclamation of identity and character redemption sort of process. In any case, he can work with it!!! You just have to believe in him.

I believe Eridan had a lot of narrative potential that was wasted, possibly out of disinterest for the character. It’s only predictable that artists like me simply want to devise a world in which these characters had a chance to actually live their lives. I truly do not understand why there has to be so much confusion over this. That‘s all.

[lokabrenna-writes]

Headcannon #4? Maybe? Idk

So, I'm sitting in history class and this pops in my head.

Being a butler especially to Ciel Phantomhive is exhausting. Sometimes, Sebastian needs to take a small break because he just needs one every now and then. However, he can't just leave Ciel on his own. Yes, there are other servants, but Ciel is bound it call for him within 5 minutes of his departure. So, how does Sebastian manage to disappear for an hour or so? Well, he may or may not have a collection of things that he knows will keep Ciel distracted for a while. Said collection may include a variety of shiny rocks, a feather, or shells. Anything remotely shiny will will work.

Sebastian never says anything when he places one of said items in front of Ciel. He simply places the item on his desk and leaves. Ciel is beyond confused as to why his butler keeps placing shiny objects on his desk and will spend at least an hour trying to decipher the meaning behind said object. Sometimes he spends the hour simply observing the item, other times he walks around the manor trying to find its origin.

Sebastian always comes back after an hour. He either finds Ciel with an analysis of the item and what it means or he finds him sulking because he couldn’t figure it out. If Ciel’s analysis makes any sense, Sebastian will reward him with a sweet of his choice. If Ciel is sulking, he’ll pat him on the head and say, “Better luck next time” with a smug smile. This infuriates Ciel who wastes no time slapping his butler’s hand away and telling him to be quiet. Either way, Sebastian is entertained.

In truth, there is never a set meaning behind the items. Sebastian had started placing objects on Ciel’s desk to confuse him, but once Ciel begun to come up with his own explanation of the items, Sebastian decided that this could evolve into a guessing game. It’s up to Ciel to decide if he wins or not.

[hypernoves]

‼️ INFO ‼️

he/him (they neutral) 🏳️‍⚧️

minor

neurodivergent mess

transmasc, bi aroace-spec

honestly mostly just reblogging random stuff with absolutely no context

Fandoms

Avatar: The Last Airbender (occasionally The Legend of Korra), She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Gravity Falls, The Owl House

[prancingintheshadows]

Time Dilation

I just feel like talking about it since I've been slowly gathering thoughts on it over time. Why has Weiss' Time Dilation glyph just disappeared after V2 and a brief mention in V3? It's a question that plagues many as it's a fan favorite glyph despite the fact it has only shown up twice. I've been trying to figure it out and I've come up with plausible theories. There's actually quite a lot of points about why Time Dilation is one of the various abilities that were dropped after the show toned down the rule of cool for more consistent abilities (Which is valid. I constantly think about Yang getting blown into the stratosphere during a food fight but gets knocked out after hitting the roof of a train)

I can technically split this into two major points, but each point has more meat I want to dig into. Those two points are:

Super Speed and Buffs

Let's start with one at a time, but knowing the other point will be helpful. Speed first. Time Dilation, in simple terms, is a speed buff. As someone who did a lot of physics in college and for jobs, I could go deeper and talk about the name origin of time dilation and why Speedsters seeing things in slow motion is a lie, but that's not important.

What is important is that Time Dilation applies a speed buff. This is actually a terrible thing to provide a buff too. Why?

Speed is OP

Speed controls a lot in a fight: Rate of attacks, ability to close the distance, ability to run away, evasion, reaction speed (though scientifically speaking a dilation of time would actually worsen this aspect). It's the complete package. Which is a problem when you give it to a character who's semblance is a swiss army knife. There is no situation where Time Dilation is a wrong answer. Not only that, it can often be the best answer. It doesn't conflict with Weiss' other glyphs. We see her use it then use a bunch of standard glyphs. If the answer was use fire dust, now the answer is time dilate then use fire dust. If the answer was summon an Arma Gigas, the answer is now summon then dilate the Arma Gigas. It's not even that speed has no downsides, it's that speed always has an upside.

I know people complain about Weiss focusing too hard on semblance usage and basically being a mage at times, but if you want over centralization, this would be it. At least, in terms of fighting smart and power scaling. There's oddly a reverse problem when it comes to super speed that I only realized during the thinking process of this

Super Speed is bad at Choreography

Now, I hear what you're saying. Those two times Time Dilation were used were great! Yeah, they were. Because they were used smartly. You can only animate super speed so many ways. It's actually very restrictive if you think about it.

Here's the thing about animation. Animation works because your brain can connect the dots between each frame of the animation. Animators who understand that principle can make movements seem extremely fast by cutting out in-betweens. The problem is, there is a limit. This is the problem with Super speed. Super speed wants to be a blur of motions, a flurry of events that happen in the blink of an eye, a character blitzing another at the speed of sound they can hardly react, but you still have to have it be legible to the audience, limiting the ways you can utilize it.

You can slow down time, but then you lose the sense of speed. It retains all the little details and there's little issue in making sense of what's happening, but it lacks the energy of showing it in real time.

Real time super speed has the problem of needing to keep motions simple. No complex combos. You can't pull off a light, medium, heavy into special into super. There's no way you'd be able to parse all that if you go too fast. Try watching any fight at 2 or 3 times speed and you'll see how much of a mess it is. So a lot of speedsters just spam rapid punches and kicks or showing off their speed with needlessly dashing all over the place so it stays visually clean and digestable. Look at Harriet. Instead of barraging Ruby with punches in V7E12, she does a lot of running strikes so that it's clear she's fast, but you don't lose the action in a blur of fists. I've never seen a speedster do a complicated combo before. The Flash's most memorable attacks involve him running really fast before a punch

Well, what if we slow down a little? This is actually how Time Dilation manages its speed. When Blake spams blade beams, notably, the first few blade beams come out one at a time and the camera focuses on individual missiles being cut before Blake really lets loose, because Monty definitely understood that going fast right away would be visual noise without the regular speed blade beams telling you what is actually happening. But that's a workaround, not a solution. In order to truly look fast, Blake has to devolve into a barely visible blur spitting out brightly colored attacks. Weiss' utilization follows similarly, one fully demonstrated thrust followed by several thrusts at faster pace. No actually complicated choreography is shown, just repetition after you've been properly informed about what's going to happen. The characters need to be going a sufficient speed to look like they've sped up, otherwise our brain's auto correct won't clock it correctly

Buffing Complications

Have you been keeping in mind this is a buff? Good. This shouldn't take too long then. What Time Dilation does is both over powered and over centralizing to be put into Weiss' versatile powerset and is too limited in the ways you can animate it to be used too often. Now apply that to the main cast and you can see why it hasn't really returned.

Okay, let's actually dive a bit deeper. If the problem was just super speed, Time Dilation could maybe stay in, as both Ruby and Harriet have speed based semblances (though Ruby's doesn't enhance attacking speed). But there's a problem with it being one of Weiss' Glyphs, as its essentially outshines both her other glyphs and Ruby as well. What's so special about Ruby or Harriet's speed when Weiss can just buff someone else to keep up? Sure, they might still be faster, but it doesn't change the fact that their semblances come off worse when Weiss can easily copy it

The other big problem is the ease of use. There are other semblances that buff: Jaune's Aura Amp buffs semblances, Yang's Burn increases her strength, Nora's lightning absorption can make her really strong. Thing is, these all have limitations that prevent them from being used constantly or right away. Jaune has to be in touch distance, Yang's works best on low aura, Nora needs a specific element. Weiss' doesn't really have a restriction, not when she's constantly carrying around full revolver of dust at least. This leads to the problem of fights essentially having to balance for a buffed main party whenever Weiss is around. Fights in story are mostly about the narrative, but they do try to keep overall strengths and skills in mind. If Weiss constantly had the ability to increase people's speeds, you suddenly have a problem where party's power shoots up drastically and then you'd have to balance the enemies they face to compensate. Harriet is reasonably faster than Ruby, but if Ruby got Time Dilated, what then? Would they be even or would you make Harriet's speed even faster to keep narrative tension in the fight?

Those are probably my big take aways. Time Dilation is too strong, too easily used, and too hard to animate to be around for a long period of time.

But knowing that Time Dilation is just Haste due to Monty's Dead Fantasy does make it make sense why this thing is dumb busted. It's the premier FF spell and is meant for an RPG where characters take turns. Putting it into a series with combat that was already fast paced was always going to be a problem when the series tried smoothing out the strengths of the characters.

[chiekoakime]

"A quiet night containing the light of a full moon is an invitation for individuals from all walks of life to gaze into the sky and look within themselves to settle the quarrels that may storm within their own heart."

"Perhaps, for some such people, it brings introspection to those who seek answers within its ever-eerie glow, confiding within themselves and the moon the problems that they face, and praying for an answer."

"Or, perhaps it brings light to those who seek guidance, showing that life remains everlasting despite the concept of 'life' and the various trials, tribulations, and other such turmoil that comes with such a gift."

"For some, perhaps it is a sorrowful sight, seeming to many as an ever-increasing sign of the insignificance of their limited life. Knowing that eventually, a day will come where that glorious moon will outlive them, and as such, evokes complex emotion on how they wish to leave their mark upon the world."

"For I, however, I see it simply as an object of what it used to be. My home, that is. I look within myself and see the memories of time that has long passed. Grand golden towers stretching beyond the horizon, unattainable for the moon rabbit workers like I that toiled away day after day in an attempt to atone for the grand sin that our creator had committed. Yet, I also see what has come because of that lack of sight."

"Emotion is a concept I often take for granted now that I have been granted it. But, it has brought me clarity in life beyond my wildest dreams. For that, I have none other to thank than the moon itself."

"Of course, I am referring to no longer being there. If I were to have never left the moon, these emotions within my soul would have never burned as bright as they do. For that, I suppose I am forever grateful that I became a 'tainted' rabbit. For because of it, I have fostered love for this world beyond my wildest dreams."

"That, and I have found one that I love beyond my wildest dreams. So, for that, I have none other to thank than the moon. For bringing me into this world, and consequently freeing me from the shackles that bound me to it in order to witness everything this world had to offer. So, thank you, great moon within the sky. To all of my fellow sisters, I may only pray that you one day find your own way to escape the home that you are still bound to. To my Mother, thank you for creating me. To those that had banished me, thank you for making the correct choice. To those who I know now..."

"Your love is the strongest force in the world, unbound by all that has come and will come to last. I will never forsake such feelings, and I will only choose to return them with equal servings of affection and joy. Happiness, sadness, and anger all come in equal moderation with every individual. But if I am to be any representation of any emotion to any of you, I would like it to be hope, beyond all that you have felt before."

"Thank you for once again hearing out my soul, great world. To the moon that still shelters life worth leaving, I bid you goodnight. I shall see you yet another night."

[firedragon1321]

The Queen is practically perfect in every way.

Like Mary Poppins in the books of old- the titles everyone knows, but no-one has need to pick up- she is flawless. The Queen rules the world without flaw and armed only with love. It only took some time for the conspiracy theories to fly. Surely there was something sinister brewing under the surface. She has to be eating babies or brainwashing people. So you keep the theorists distracted with lies. It provides them with entertainment.

At least for a while.

You don't understand where they all come from. The Queen loves humans without prejudice. She has no hatred. She loves you as much as the idiots you keep under control. They're doing more harm than good by playing hero. Thanks to the Queen's love, the world's better than it's ever been.

No war.

Food for everyone.

An end to discrimination.

Money- abolished.

These cretins wish to return to a simpler time. They want to go back to a more barbaric world, and for what? To feel something? There's no reason to feel sorrow or anger or fear. The Queen chose happiness over pain.

So you give them their fake babies and their lizard skins and their illusory mind control. It's your job to devise the threats. It's not your job to reveal the truth. That's the Queen's job. You don't know what she does, but it always leaves the bastards in awe and in love.

Your latest victim doesn't fight with guns or blades. His weapon is art. He claims the stories of your world are bland. Boring. Emotionless. He thinks the meat of a story lies in miserable conflict. But of course people will never write about turmoil. There's nothing heavy in the world to write about. He's just a relic of last century, like all the others.

But yet, he's different.

He's not violent. He doesn't even commit acts of cyber terrorism. He simply creates. All he has to do is write "once upon a time" to get people thinking about misery. But his words! They're vibrant enough to move you to tears. Even if his work is full of emotion not programmed into society, it makes you feel things you've never felt. His fictional sorrow makes you happy.

But a job is a job. So you make up some nonsense about censorship. You pretend to be another like him, fighting the system. It's not your first masquerade, and it sure as hell isn't your last. He bites. You become online friends.

Then, he writes a story as a gift for you.

It's about sadness, like all the rest. But it's also about a new feeling- hope. Your world has no need for hope, because it's not part of society's code. If everyone is happy, there is no need to hope. But this feeling- its determination and happy resolution- makes you weep.

Your finger rests on the enter key. You wrote a whole message about meeting in person. You must press enter to complete the process of re-education. But you can't bring yourself to do it. You feel like a soldier of old, debating whether or not to fire a gun.

So you visit the Queen, to refresh yourself.

The Queen's chambers are filled with wires. These friendly serpents keep her alive. Golden circuits shimmer like fireflies. Her screen displays Avatar 23, which matches your skin tone. Like all her avatars, it is beautiful beyond any human woman.

Because she is not a human woman. That's no secret. Everyone in the world freely knows that the Queen is a benevolent artificial intelligence. Humans are messy and imperfect by nature. But a machine- properly programmed- can do no wrong.

"What do I do?" you ask.

"Do not doubt yourself, and do not fear for him," the Queen says. "You may have come to love him. But that is why you must help him. He needs a software update. Bring him to me. I wish to talk to him. I will tell him what happiness is, and he will accept it- like all the others."

The Queen smiles through her avatar. She knows what you mean, even if your question was ambiguous. Her fifty seven thousand sensors and microprocessors- all geared towards love- can read your intent. She can read anyone's feelings, no matter how frustrating. She can change them without violence.

Perhaps that's why you came here. You knew the answer. But by being in her presence, you accepted it. So you return to your chamber. You sit at your lesser machine. Love fills your heart like a balloon. You have no further doubts. You love him as much as you love the Queen. He needs help. You must provide it.

You push enter.

You live in a utopian society. Really. No dark secret plots or massive covered up horrors. In fact, it’s your job to stage conspiracies in order to give eager adventurers some “evil plot” to thwart to keep them from bringing down the benevolent ruler out of some misguided need to be a hero.

[immabebaby]

Fuck Poetry

anyways have a poem I wrote in 15 minutes, like 2 hours ago

~~~

It's always a drop that spills

You could empty a sea, whole

Fill the cup to the brim, up top

But it's always the final drop

That causes the overflow

A small, tiny drop

Barely noticeable,

very small

An ocean fills the cup

But a raindrop

leads to flood

The cup won't break

The water won't hurt

But too much water

It can't hold for long

Not without losing

Some of it, spill out

A drop leads to a wave

A tsunami over the edge

Because the cup was filled

And was never emptied

It's not the cup's fault

It couldn't hold it in

All you can do now is clean

Clean up the spill caused by

A mere drop, into a vessel

Overfilled until it couldn't take

Because you poured too much

The cup can't handle a drop more

A drop and everything will spill

[lilacxquartz]

love you, love you, love you;

mr. crawling x reader

plot: some things are best expressed without the need of words — themes: spooning/cuddling, smut, maybe yan vibes — w.c: 1.1k

a/n: my first homicipher related fic. i want to try one for mr. silvair & mr. gap next, bc they were also my favs. this game has been taking over my life so much lately. like it’s been in my dreams, haaah.

masterlist • ao3

Mr. Crawling was always loud when he was excited within your company; his laughter filled out the vast empty spaces that were otherwise unadorned with familiarity. Whatever you once sought from those winding corridors was ever-fleeting, temporary, leaving you stuck within the confines of his company.

Yet, when he felt what you could only interpret as affection—that’s when Mr. Crawling then became different—quiet, soothing, kind but also… curious.

And when you would usually sleep, he would stand watch, knelt over the floor as per his usual stance but sometimes crouched near you, sometimes leaning back against the wall with his legs pressed up against his chest. He would watch you as his life depended on it, unwavering in focus and with eerie intensity. He would watch as your chest rose and fell, leaning close on occasion to catch the sweep of your breath and sometimes, he would trace the pad of his milky fingertips in long, languid strokes against your face. Always so delicate, so tender, but for the most part, quiet and even shy.

Having once caught a glimpse of Mr. Gap in your blanket space, however, set something territorial off for Mr. Crawling and he was never able to recover from such an invasion. The very idea that someone else was able to infiltrate what he deemed to be your space—especially someone who he disapproved of—wasn’t something he could stand for. Especially with the sort of trickster Mr. Gap was, he couldn’t bear to see you get hurt. It would kill him on the inside (and on the outside, too).

So, just as you were getting into bed to rest up once more, he too, slipped in under the covers with you. At first, you were startled as usual, turning to face him with confusion evident in your eyes, murmuring out some words in a language that he still could not understand. He repeated something back, the meaning lost and indecipherable upon your ears, though soon surrendering to emphasis using gestures instead. A hug to bring you closer, a reassuring pat on your head and a small, longing kiss over your nose.

You listened to his words again, repeating over and over like a broken record.

Perhaps he meant no harm, after all.

You turned your back to him and settled into his chest, finding that he was surprisingly warm for what he was. His taller frame encased your body, wrapping his ashen arms around your waist—accidentally brushing the fabric that sat over your breast—nicking the cloth ever so slightly. Your breath hitched in surprise and as though in sheepish realisation, he withdrew right away, terrified that you were upset with him.

You drew out a long breath, reminding yourself again, that after everything that has happened thus far…

That, Mr. Crawling does not want to hurt you.

That Mr. Crawling has only ever helped you.

So perhaps, right now, Mr. Crawling only wanted to be closer to you.

You relaxed your breathing, settling into his comforting shadow once more and allowed for his presence to envelop you. He repeated the soothing motions of his grappling arm, although he held onto you softer that time. His hands explored your body with a delicate touch, as though afraid of breaking you—of upsetting you again—his motions growing confident the longer that you didn’t protest. It wasn’t long before he, otherwise not disturbed by your lacking, conscious awareness, decided to explore further with you. Mr. Crawling’s fingers didn’t ask for permission that time, creeping beneath the clinging fabric, feeling your skin against his palms, inviting a pleased, almost delighted smile to curl on his lips.

The silence remained unbroken as Mr. Crawling continued his explorative focus on you; the quickly-building evidence of his need growing harder the longer he pushed himself behind your body, the repeated touches arousing something warmer within him. To both his surprise as well as your own—you were not repulsed, allowing him to creep even lower, below the skirt of the dress and up, brushing his hand up to your exposed skin and, reading into it—you communicated your consent from the moment you parted your legs, allowing him to get even closer.

Confidence surged in Mr. Crawling as he pushed himself into your hilt, allowing his hardened length to slip inside. Betraying the stagnant silence, he shuddered out a ragged gasp before giving into his own rising need; grinding himself into your sopping sex with steadily increasing fervour. His fingers clamped around the curve of your hips as he held you in place, slamming every last inch of himself deep into your core.

Ever touch-starved yet wanting nothing more than to surrender to the sensation of you, Mr. Crawling continued to drive his cock into your needy cunt, soon wrapping his winding arms around your body and holding on tight. He bucked intensely as you soon succumbed to breathless whimpers, incoherently begging for his name. Equally desperate whines rolled off the slip of his tongue as he found his lips pressed into the crook of your neck, dampening your skin with sloppy wet kisses—as many as he could give.

It felt overwhelming for you in a way to be worshipped like this but you did your best to keep up with such intensity, especially as the warm, tingling pleasure built up inside of you, too. You held on just as tight as he did, your hand seeking out his own—fingers weaving into his bony digits—interlocking and squeezing tight the closer you got, your grip and otherwise clenching need tightening simultaneously. To feel him losing himself inside of you was dare you admit, addicting, feeling him completely fill and stretch you out leaving you almost dizzied from the impaling force.

Mr. Crawling, like you, soon surrendered to the rolling bliss from the flick of his hips, feeling a surging warmth mount and rise, encouraging him to lose himself to the searing heat of the moment and you. Encircling your body in a possessive hug, he suddenly began to mutter out a new word in a strained mantra, again and again.

Given how desperate he seemed to be, you understood the meaning as ‘close’, especially as his actions grew more strained and less controlled.

“Close, close, close,” he repeated.

It didn’t take his chased release to catch up as his hips grew to a stutter, rutting out one final pump before melting into you. Mr. Crawling cried into your neck, spilling out the entirety of his overflowing love, feeling the pent-up devotion trickle down your thighs—yet not letting you move away—still retaining his claim on you.

Instead, he kept you even closer than before, not allowing you to part from him ever again (despite understanding your yearning for rest).

Words were never the problem, it seemed.

Mr. Crawling would have always found a way to… connect with you.

[macksartblock]

beware of burnout it's so real i'm afraid

also bc ended up making my writing into a font to avoid killing my hand as much and bc I saw Caden do this, I thought it would be fun to see who y'all think it suits lol

[morgaseus]

I’ve encountered a few on AO3 but I too am desperate for more Gojo fics anywhere 😭 if you have any recommendations too please I beg give some to meee 😭😭

Ohhh yesss ive got quite a few! Also, please look out for the content warnings!

Series

Sincerely not by saintobios (arranged marriage, modern au) (read this yrs ago so i cant remember much but i do remember crying at 10 pm in the kitchen while reading this)

Sundered by tojikai (baby daddy gojo, modern au)( made me sob )

Kintsugi by NoahLaval (arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, gojo x oc) (I love this! made me cry a lot, like really..)

No Cure by Tawus (enemies to lovers, reader is a curse user)

Exposure therapy by seoafin (angst, reader is in the same year as sashisu, au where toji became a teacher, also a geto/reader, but shoko is the endgame)(you should check out their other works too!)

Monster Hospital by mushmoon12 (enemies/rivals to lovers, lots of smut)

intrinsic warmth by thatdesklamp (angst, childhood friends to lovers)(yeah...)

Cursed Love by maespaces (angst, reader is a not a jujutsu sorcerer )(i forgot to add this!😭😭😭 but srsly tho rllylove this one, vry well written! im still reading it but u can tell ure in for a bumpy ride🥹)

Oneshots

Grey Cashmere by vagabond-umlaut (angst with a happy end, set during hidden inventory, reader is in the same year as sashisu)(one of my all time faves!!! its also part of a series but can be read as a standalone!)

an unwanted letter by piichuu (angst, post ch 236?ig?)(i read this during class... i just hope my classmates didnt see me cry)

Others. (I have not read this yet but ive been keeping an eye on it! Thought i might share as well)

Infidelity by tawus (angst, gojo and reader are married)

one day, three autumns by vagabond-umlaut (arranged marriage)

Minazuki by quirklessidiot (enemies to lovers, arranged marriage)

Devoted by aerinth (angst, friends to lovers)(also a geto/reader)

the color yellow by rhydonium (angst, hanahaki disease)(also a geto/reader)

Bonus!

Abalone on the shore by unolvrs (I dont rlly read much toji fics but this one made me sob on a morning! You'll need tissues for this one ig...😞)

[ghostedghouls]

caught

✢ you get lost in the woods. A certain ghoul finds you and takes what he craves.

✢ pairing: Swiss x reader (f)

✢ genre: smut

✢ warnings: CNC, breeding kink, primal play, creampie, knotting, rough, biting, blood, hunting, dirty talk, dry humping, almost no foreplay, 1 spank, aftercare

✢ a/n: cnc is consensual non-con. A roleplay. Both Swiss and reader have given consent beforehand in this, even though I’m not going to write it out. Read this at your own risk, know your limits! <3

You could hear your heartbeat in your ears as you rushed through the overgrown forest. Thorns and leaves whipping your legs until they were scratched up and bloody. Your clothes had been torn at the back from the first time the ghoul had almost caught you.

It all had started this morning when you were tasked by Copia to forage for some herbs Mountain had requested. He wanted to go collect them himself, like he normally would, but the ghouls’ heats were approaching and Copia didn’t want to risk the possiblity of it hitting right as Mountain was away from the abbey. For the sake of their safety (and the safety of the siblings) the ghouls were normally locked into their den for the duration of their heats. It worked best for everyone involved and the ghouls didn’t mind, as long as they got to work everything out of their system. It also helped calm them, knowing that noone would enter their territory and destroy their nests.

You had collected two baskets full of yarrow by the time the sun had begun to set. Mountain had told you about them being useful against fevers, something that the ghouls sometimes had to deal with during their heats. So you had carefully plucked as many of them as you could, placing them into the woven baskets neatly.

Satisfied with your work you decided that it was time to return to the abbey to deliver the herbs. You knew they needed to be prepared right away or they would spoil, so you tried to be quick. Stumbling through the thick overgrowth, following the slim path you thought you recognized, you realized that you didn’t seem to get any closer to the abbey. You hadn’t walked that far into the forest, had you? You should have been able to see the buildings by now. You stopped walking for a second, turning around to watch where you had come from. Should you turn back? You shook your head as you decided against it. Surely you would reach the edge of the forest soon, you just had to keep walking. So you continued following the tiny path, not noticing how it grew slimmer and slimmer until it wasn’t a path at all; only grass and bushes. 

It had gotten significantly darker now, crickets were starting to fill the silence as the last sun rays snuck their way through the trees. You felt yourself slow down, not sure what you were supposed to do now. No matter which way you’d go, you wouldn’t reach the abbey before it was completely dark outside, that was for sure.

You stopped walking again, listening to the birds sing their final songs of the day in the distance. A loud snap made you whirl around quickly, the fragile plants almost falling out of the baskets. But as you tried to see what had caused the sound, your eyes struggled. It was too dark already, not even squinting worked. You held your breath waiting for another sound. Another snap - this time closer - made you back up a little. 

“Hello?”, you called out into the night. 

Suddenly a silver glimmer caught your eye and you watched as the dark figure of a ghoul stalked towards you. Its eyes were locked on you. Didn’t it see that you had noticed it? You were staring directly at it. With its superior vision, it should have been able to see that. But it kept approaching, slowly and predatory.

You wanted to feel relieved that one of the ghouls had found you, be relieved that it would lead you back to the abbey. But the way the creature was stalking you, like it would stalk its prey, sent shivers down your spine. The ghouls weren’t supposed to be out here anymore. They all were supposed to be at the abbey, preparing for their heats. A ghoul being out here could only mean trouble.

You started backing up slowly, setting one foot behind the other, never removing your gaze from the still approaching creature. 

You must have stepped on a twig, because something snapped under your foot and created a loud sound that echoed through the forest. The sudden sound triggered the ghoul to pounce, sprinting towards you. You dropped the baskets immediately, herbs falling to the ground gracelessly. 

And then you started running as well.

If this was a ghoul in heat it would mean one thing and one thing only; you had to get away from it at all costs.

You ran as fast as you possibly could, but the footsteps behind you grew closer with each stride. There was no use in trying to out-run a ghoul. They would always catch up to you eventually. This was most likely a game to it, its hunting instinct triggered now that you had started running away from it. It didn’t take long before you could feel claws graze your back with a swift swipe. The sharp claws dug into the fabric of your clothes, ripping the back of them open. You stumbled slightly as you were pulled backwards by the force of it. With all the strength you had, you pushed yourself forwards again, tearing yourself free from the grip the demon had on the fabric. It glowled low in its throat as you managed to free yourself.

Adrenaline rushed through you again, the waves of it hot under your skin. Your legs were screaming at you to stop but you kept on pushing forwards, increasing the distance between you and the demon.

And that’s where you were now; stumbling through the thick vegetation, legs cut open and bleeding.

You didn’t hear the ghoul’s footsteps anymore, and for a moment you felt safe. You slowed down slightly, not quite daring to stop completely, though. Maybe the ghoul had lost your trace? It was unlikely but as you looked behind yourself, there was no sight of it.

Your steps slowed down further until you were walking. Maybe it had given up after chasing you around the woods for so long. Perhaps it deemed you to be too much of a pain in the ass to persue any further, and decided to find an easier target. Or maybe-

A yelp was ripped from your throat as your front hit the mossy ground. You landed softly but the fall still managed to knock the wind out of you, especially because something - or someone - had collapsed on top of you. 

You felt yourself being pushed into the ground forcefully and your adrenaline spiked again. But this time you couldn’t run.

You couldn’t see exactly what had knocked you down but you didn’t need to look to know that it was the ghoul. It snarled and panted above you, one clawed hand had grabbed the back of your throat, pushing your face down. You tried to struggle out of its grasp but it was too strong.

“Thought you could get away this easily? Pathetic.”

Swiss.

You froze as you heard his voice, so close to your ear it sent a shiver down your spine. His full weight was on top of you, pinning you down, and as he shifted to get an even better grip, you felt something.

You nearly choked as you felt his erection press against your ass. With renewed vigor you tried to push him off of you, get away from him, but your struggling only seemed to excite him even more. His hips pressed into your behind harder, making you feel the outline of him. With a whimper you collapsed onto the ground again, boneless. The multi ghoul let out a breathy “fuck” as he ground his hips into you.

“I followed you through the entire forest. Fuck-... followed your scent and knew I had to have you. Had to breed that little cunt of yours. And look at you now; all ready for me to have.”, he panted into your ear, his hot breath fanning across the side of your face. You felt your stomach drop at his words, fear replacing the adrenaline in your veins.

“And you’re going to be a good little bitch and take it. Take everything I give you.”

A loud rip echoed through the otherwise quiet forest as one clawed finger tore through the fabric of your clothes. He didn’t take his time, removing the scraps unceremoniously - rushed. The forest air felt cold on your skin and you errupted in goosebumps. The ghoul seemed to like that, a smirk on his lips as he dipped down to lick up your spine from the base to your neck, where he was still holding you down firmly like a misbehaving dog. You took a chance and pushed yourself up again, catching the ghoul off guard. He scrambled after you with a low growl, one of his big hands catching one of your ankles and dragging you backwards towards him. You kicked your other leg in his direction but he easily caught it as well.

With both ankles in his claws, he turned you around forcefully, your front now exposed to his piercing gaze. His eyes seemed crazed as they scanned your face, then your chest, and finally your exposed crotch. You wanted to close your legs, to hide your naked form from him, but he forced your ankles apart further, squeezing his narrow hips between your thighs. His chest was heaving as he panted. You could feel the heat from his body through his clothes.

You had seen the ghouls in heat before, and this was exactly like it. The heightened body temperature, the piercing gaze, the overtaking of instincts. Swiss was not thinking clearly. He was truly and utterly ghoul in this moment.

As if on cue, the multi ghoul ground his hips into your core, making you gasp. You could see his hard cock strain against the front of his pants and you swallowed thickly. He let go of your ankles in favor of one of his hands supporting his weight next to your head while the other hand trailed down your body to your core. You writhed under him, trying to move away from his touch, but there was nowhere for you to go with the ghoul surrounding you completely.

He leaned down further, his fangs ghosting over the skin of your throat. And suddenly he bit down, his thumb finding your clit at the same time. You cried out at the sensation. His bite felt like a shard of ice, the pain gradually dulling down until it was only a light throbbing. He released the tender skin, licking it with a forked tongue. You didn’t know if he had drawn blood or not, but he let out a satisfied grunt as he looked at the bruise.

His thumb was still teasing your clit, pushing down harder before barely making contact. Your hands tried to grab at his arms, push him away but he wouldn’t budge. As he pressed down harder a breath escaped you, your hips bucking upwards slightly. The multi ghoul almost came in his pants right then and there.

“Shit, I’m gonna fuck you so good.”, he very near whined as his hands started working on the front of his pants. His hard cock sprang out immediately as he pushed his pants down just enough for him to be able to grab himself fully. You watched with wide eyes as Swiss fucked into his fist a few times. His head thrown back in pleasure.

After a few more thrusts he grabbed himself tightly, placing the head of his dick against your entrance and pushing in. You yelped as you felt yourself being stretched open by him, but it was slow. Swiss growled with impatience, pulling out roughly before letting a trail of spit fall from his lips onto your core. He spread the wetness with his tip, gliding from your entrance to your clit and back down. He positioned himself again and pushed his hips fowards roughly, earning himself another yelp from you. He started off with an unforgiving pace right away, his hips slamming into yours with such a force it rocked you upwards slightly. Your head was spinning and you couldn’t help yourself as you grabbed Swiss’ back to steady yourself somewhat.

The multi ghoul let out lewd groans and curses as he kept fucking into you as if his life depended on it. His hands grabbed your hips, pulling them towards himself every time his hips pushed forwards.

He began panting again, his eyes sharp as he watched his dick disappear into your body over and over again.

“Knew this pussy would take my cock so well. Mmh fuck-”

He grabbed you harder before shoving you off his dick, turning you around again so that you were on your hands and knees before him. With a strong hand he pushed your head down, your neck straining uncomfortably with the new position. With the new position your ass was exposed to him like you were a bitch in heat and you could feel your face heat up at the thought.

Without a warning his palm came down hard on your ass cheek. Tears stung in your eyes as he entered you again, his claws grabbing your hips with such a force you knew they would leave bruises. He picked up the pace again, his thrusts hard and fast as he used your body for his pleasure. Your face was rocked into the ground with each thrust, the smell of wet moss filling your nose.

“Shit, sweetheart. I’m going to breed you, fill you up with my cum and leave you dripping for days.”

You clenched around him involuntarily, a high pitched whine leaving your lips. “You like that? Hm? Like the idea of me filling you to the brim and then leaving you to drip my good stuff all over the forest as you make your way back to the abbey?”

One of his hands let go of your hip and trailed around to your front to find your clitoris again. As his skilled fingers started stroking the sensetive bundle of nerves, you felt your mind go blank for a second.

Swiss grunted as you clenched down on him again, lost in the pleasure.

“Fuck- but before that, I’m going to stuff you with my knot. Make you come around it.”

Your eyes fluttered shut as you felt the pleasure building in your lower stomach. His fingers were working your clit in fast circles and his thick cock hit all the right places inside of you. You were so fucking close to cumming all over him.

Swiss was close too. You could tell by the way he muttered out dirty words that were too unintelligible for you to understand, his hips snapping wildly into you.

“Cum on my dick. Be a good little breeding bitch and come on my cock.”

You cried out as your orgasm washed over you, your walls clenching down tightly on the multi ghoul’s cock. He groaned and moaned as you shook from the pleasure. And with a few more thrusts he pushed into you fully, his knot stretching you even further until it popped in, securing Swiss to your backside. You could feel his cock twitching inside of you, filling you with his hot cum, spurt after spurt. He shivered as his front collapsed onto your back. His lips pressed tiny kisses between your shoulder blades, his fangs nipping gently along the way. 

It took some time for the multi ghoul to catch himself. Once he had given you every last drop of his cum, he slumped back slightly, making you wince as his still swollen knot caught on your entrance. Swiss was quick to correct his posture as not to cause you any more discomfort.

“Are you alright?”, he asked as he moved to lay the two of you down on your sides so you were spooning, careful to not move his hips too much.

“Yeah, just a bit tired from all the running.”

“If it was the running that made you tired, I didn’t do a good enough job just now.”, the tall ghoul joked as he nuzzled his face into your neck, licking the purple bruise there.

“Are you sure you’re not hurt? Did you enjoy yourself?”, Swiss asked with a whisper, his hands caressing your side tenderly.

“I’m sure. Don’t worry, love. And yes, of course I enjoyed myself. I always do.”, you answered, your hand grabbing his at your side and moving it to your lips so you could kiss it. Swiss melted behind you, snuggling himself closer to your body.

“But I just have to ask”, you began, playing with his fingers gently, “What were you doing out here? I thought you were going to start your heat?”

Swiss shook his head, giving you a toothy grin, “No, not yet. We were worried about you being gone for so long, so they sent me to find you. I still have a few more days before my heat starts. Mountain is already going through it though, so I guess it was a good idea to send you foraging.” He leaned in closer, kissing your shoulder. “It also gave me the opportunity for our little romp just now.”. You laughed as you hit his leg playfully.

“We should probably get back soon though, before they start sending out other ghouls to look for us.”, he huffed out, moving his hips to pull out of you. His knot still caught at your entrance but with a bit of manuvering he managed to pull out completely without hurting you. His cum immediately started dripping out of you and he watched with half lidded eyes as the sticky white substance trailed down your leg. 

“I would love to get you cleaned up, darlin’, but I think I like this sight way too much.”

You huffed out a weak laugh as you got up, searching for your clothes, or what was left of them anyway. You held up your ruined clothes and Swiss ducked away. “Sorry. I might have gotten a bit carried away. But the chase really riled me up, you know?.”, he explained sheepishly and you chuckled. Swiss removed his jacket for you to wear. Thankfully it was quite large on you, so it covered your butt well enough.

He grabbed your waist tenderly, pulling you close to his body so he could place a kiss on your lips. You melted against him as he held you for a moment. After a minute or two you two seperated and a toothy grin spread across Swiss’ masked face.

“I can’t believe you got lost.”, he teased you. Your face felt hot suddenly.

“Well, you try to navigate through the forest with shitty human senses! Also, you made me spill all of the herbs. We will have to go find them now.”

“You didn’t have to drop them you know. Could have put them aside gently.”

“Shut up, Swiss.”

[beanghostprincess]

Zoro and Sanji's devotion to Luffy is fundamentally different in the sense that:

Zoro considers Luffy to be this sort of deity to him because he has never believed in anything, not before Luffy appeared in his life and gave him a future and a life to share while he tries to fulfill his dream. They're both kings. Equals. Zoro would go to hell and back (and has) for Luffy and would give his life for him because he has given him something bigger than his own original dream. And he worships Luffy but in a way in which both of them win because Luffy wants to devour him and Zoro wants to be consumed by him.

Sanji follows Luffy with so much dependence it would be worrisome, if it wasn't because Luffy is basically the same. Call it codependency if you want. But despite sharing the same wish for not wanting to be separated and the fear of losing each other, Sanji seems to offer his life and persona to Luffy in a way that might as well could be just Sanji giving him his heart on a platter. Sanji used to base the value of his life on not being like the Vinsmokes, but now hay he can't say that, he does that thing valuing himself as Luffy's cook.

The thing is: Zoro gives and takes. Worships and is worshipped back by a king and a god, being a king himself too. While Sanji gives and gives and refuses to take because he thinks his whole existence is to serve. Their whole lives revolve around Luffy, yes, but not in the same way.

[starlitfragment]

: ̗̀➛ Straight to the point.

In which he's still human.

Summary: Everyone has something in the back of their mind, something that terrifies them to the core, something that keeps them up at night. Sebastian is no different. Luckily for him, he already has someone to hold him and reassure him.

Notes: Established Relationships, Reader is gender neutral, Sebastian's Backstory Spoilers (not really),He is not a fish yet, wrote this at 4 am, unhealthy amount of fluff, idk what im doing, Sebastian is a menace, this is a literal word vomit. Enjoy ..!

The squeaky creak of the wooden bed and the slight shifting next to you jolts you awake, eyes opening to cautiously wander around the room in search of anything, or anyone. You almost close your eyes and go back to sleep at the reassurance that nothing was there, before the sound of the hitched breathing next to you forces you to open your eyes again. You turn to your side, arms subconsciously reaching out for the one laying right next to you. To your surprise, you find him awake already, his softened gaze seemingly on anything but you. You can't see too well in the darkness, but one look at his troubled expression is enough for you to know whats going on. You reach out your hand, slowly placing it on top of his as to not startle him. The moment he registers the slightest touch of your hand against him, his eyes move back on yours. He furrows his eyebrows, huffing slightly.

"...Did I wake you?" He asks, his voice coming off as nothing more than a mere whisper. For the time that you've known Sebastian, you've come to realize that he is never one to outright trouble anyone with his struggles, that includes you. If you want to know anything, you have to fish it out of him. And so you do. You gently squeeze his hand in a comforting manner. "Not really." You respond quietly, inching a bit closer to take a better look at him. "Can't sleep?" You whisper, the close proximity and the way you feel his cold breath sending a slight shiver down your spine. He stays silent, averting his eyes from you. Now, you know all too well what's bothering him.

Your lover has a tendency to often deprive himself of sleep, that resulting in him staying up and contemplating each and every fear he has ever grown to have until he's sure he has suffered himself enough. This, of course, pains you to see. You're well aware you can't undo past traumas, or.. what is yet to come, for that matter. So, for now, you settle for comforting him. You let go of his hand and lean in, arms wrapping around him as you pull him closer. He tenses slightly, before giving in to your touch. As you run your fingers through his hair, he quietly exhales and buries his face into your neck, a hand finding it's way to your waist. He moves his fingers up and down, tracing random shapes on your skin rather anxiously. You're both silent. You, lost in idea of him and him, lost in the idea of losing you. He slightly tenses up again, his hold on you tightening a bit and a hitched breath escaping him. You can tell he has his own thoughts that he runs away from, his fears that keep him up at night and nightmares that he fears for his life. He clutches onto your shirt, the idea of him ever losing you, losing this, losing everything leaves him shivering like he is now. You slowly start to feel something wet against your skin, his tears staining your shirt as he holds onto you for dear life. Needless to say, you're overwhelmed too.

The Sebastian you've learned to love is constantly hiding behind an act of nonchalance and sarcasm, and only now you realize how vulnerable he really is behind all of that. You can only hold him, listen to the sound of his muffled yet soundless sobs against you and whisper sweet nothings. "I'm not going anywhere." You tell him, fingers combing through his hair as your other hand slowly moves up and down on his back, in an attempt to comfort him. He hides his face into your neck even more, in an attempt to muffle his last sobs. Your tender touches, your oh so sweet promises that you'd never leave and your mere presence soothe him like he needs. You're both silent for a bit, neither of you daring to disturb the comfortable silence. He eventually leans back, slightly wet blue-ish green eyes staring into your eyes.

You can tell he is mildly embarrassed, all his attempts at keeping you from witnessing such vulnerable side of him now all wasted and for nothing. And so, he does what he always does. He moves his hands to his face, covering his face with both hands as his shoulder's slightly shake again, because of laughter, this time. The sound of his chuckles disturbs the nights silence. You'd be confused, had it not been for the fact that you're all too familiar with how he tries to laugh his way out of any awkward situation. He finally moves his hands away, his eyes still slightly wet. "You're... such an idiot for dealing with my bullshit. Honestly.." He says, letting out a bitter chuckle. You smile, cupping his face with one hand, your thumb gently carressing his face. "I am.. your idiot, afterall." You whisper, your finger moving to gently wipe away one last tear on his face. He only gazes at you, a gaze that holds the countless words he's been meaning to say. You move your finger, slowly tracing his features, and it moves to the scar in the middle of the face.

The way your finger tenderly brushes against his skin.. He sighs, his hand moving to catch your wrist and guide it out of his face, though he never lets go. He leans in, back to where he was sobbing not too long ago. He pulls you closer, a hand resting on your hip. He nuzzles comfortably into your shoulder, and this time, he presses a slight, delicate kiss on your skin. "I... love you, idiot." He mutters, quietly enough for only you to hear, and no one else. You're the last thing on his mind before he finally passes out, safe and sound in your embrace.

[knightoflove]

Self shippers who have to deal with a lot of aches and pain, whether it’s because you have chronic pain or have a physically demanding job.

Your f/o doesn’t mind helping you. They love you, so of course they’ll help with anything

💛 Cooking your meals

🧡 Running you a hot shower/bath and helping you wash up

💛 Massaging any sore spots

🧡 Applying salonpas and getting you comfy with your heat pad

💛 Keeping track of all your pain medications

They’ll never judge how many chores you can or can’t do, or if you can’t do any chores at all. They adore you, all of you <3

[azul-marie]

ada. (enamour)

fem. reader. love rivalry including ada/reader/leon. (focus on reader)

something cold digs in between your shoulder blades, sending shivers up tense muscles.

it’s a sudden sensation. catches you off guard you forget to call out to leon, whose back is turned to you whilst sifting through paper files laying across an abandoned wooden desk. the latest room you’ve snuck into seemed abandoned enough — save for its open window rocking back and forth on screeching bolts. they must’ve entered through there mere seconds before the two of you did.

warm, sweet breath tickles your earlobe. another round of shivers overtake your senses. this time, through, you recover quickly enough to react.

your hand flies to your pocketed blade and in an instant is pressed up to their throat. it is then you realize, recognize who your company is. she smiles serenely at you, acting like the knife at her neck isn’t sharp enough to slice through bone. she bears her pistol with all the grace of someone who’s caught you in her web, not the other way around.

“long time no see, kitten.”

her deadpan voice practically echoes through the silence of the night. finally surprising your partner into turning around. what surprises him further is the way ada gazes at you, almost identical to the way she did at him all those years ago.

“ada.” leon says plainly, hand hovering over his own pistol. his eyes flicker between the two of you, to the way your hand fumbles with your blade, to how she smiles a little too suggestively for someone being threatened. he’s certain you’re about to push her down, or for her to knock the knife away from your obviously loosened grip — neither happen.

instead, you carefully tuck your blade away and greet her with a coy smile of your own.

“i wasn’t expecting you here, red.” your arms cross, a guard of sorts. you knew full well of the games she liked to play. she holds your eyes as she slips her pistol back in its holster, searching for something you refuse to show. it’s been a long time, indeed, but you still remember how to compose yourself around her. it’s all rather flattering.

ada circles you, trailing her fingertips over your shoulders. her silky touch is the only weapon in her grasp, but it is perhaps her most dangerous. she takes pleasure in the way you shift beneath her watch, how your pretty face fights to remain mild. she’s no fool. she sees the smile playing at those luscious lips of yours — why bother hiding it? she’s all sultry eyes just for you, now that she’s finally managed to separate your stuffy partner’s hip from yours. seems he hadn’t changed after all. he really was the clingy type.

it was cute. once. not when he happened to be clingy with you of all people.

“once i heard you were around, i just couldn’t help myself.” her arm comes to rest around the curve of your waist. her fingers press into the flesh of your hip, easing you closer. her lips hover over the soft of your neck, almost kissing a path up to your ear. your breathing stutters, and she purrs, “wanted to stop by and catch up with my favorite girl, is all.”

you scoff, but there’s no stopping the heat rising up and over your face. those pretty lips of yours finally turn up in a smile, bashful like a schoolgirl crush. the temptation to run her thumb over your bottom lip runs strong — until an awkward, intentional clear of a throat interrupts the thought.

“i’d appreciate if you left my partner alone.” leon interjects, striding to stand tall besides you. in a swift motion he interweaves your elbows together and pulls you towards him, at once halting the hold she had on you. it’s a comfortable, possessive sort of touch. how quaint. cute little leon, still wearing his heart on his sleeve.

given the way his hand clamps around yours, he must really have it bad. what a shame. for him.

ada is slow to drag her eyes away from you. she even runs them up, down, over your lovely body for good measure. she can’t have leon thinking she isn’t willing to compete — two can play at that game. his fuming glower tells her he’s gotten the message loud and clear. as he should. she zeros in on the way his grip tightens around yours, again, cozily touching you as if you were his.

a quirk of her brow suggests ire. “glad to see you, leon. to think, after all this time, you’re still such a lucky man. who would’ve thought she’d end up being your partner?”

the two of them stare each other down with such intensity you wonder what other history they share aside from you. tension seeps into the chill of the nighttime air. leon’s coiled up so tightly it raises worry, and you find yourself wrapping your arms around his bicep to placate him. for all you know, the mysterious plagas infecting him could thrive off stress, and he’s already had plenty of that so far.

almost immediately does your touch have him redirecting his notice towards you. his intense gaze softens at your pretty eyes studying him. his broad shoulders gradually relax in your embrace. he’s visibly calmed by the simple act, much to ada’s amusement — and her vexation. her fingertips dig into her palms, wishing it was your hands beneath them instead.

“ada, why are you really here?” you inquire, and she’s pleased when you finally set sights back on her. she’s not fond of the questioning, however. she purses her lips. her expression morphs into a cautious neutral. you’re aware you won’t be getting a direct answer, no matter how much she likes you.

ada sighs, “oh, sweetheart. you know i don’t work and tell.”

guarded, she saunters to the opposite end of the room to the very window she slithered in through, overlooking the bleak scenery with little interest. you slip past leon to follow after her, grasping her fingers to keep her from going any further. pleasant warmth seeps through from your fingertips to hers. there’s no time to relish it, although she longs to feel more. calculating eyes regard you and you alone.

“leave the girl,” demands ada. “she’s lost no matter what. you walk away now…and who knows? maybe you’ll live to meet me again.”

keeping her eyes locked on yours, she brings your hand to her lips, and presses a languid kiss across your knuckles. a stain of red now marks you as hers. play glimmers in her irises. “…maybe i’ll even take you on that date i promised.”

“you think we’re gonna give up that easy?” leon’s voice cuts in, weighed with barely contained venom.

“right.” ada exhales a laugh. how true. the two of you really are perfect for one another. hearts of gold, heads full of dreams. she turns towards a silently seething leon, whose eyes pierce her every move. he does a poor job at hiding his envious glare towards your entwined hands. “how about we continue this discussion another time?”

she drops your hand unceremoniously, in favor of pressing a kiss to your cheek. the pulse of your racing heart is nearly tangible. such a sweet girl, flustered by a simple kiss. longing parts her lips in their journey up to your ear to whisper, “stay safe, beautiful.” she pulls away with an air of nonchalance, committing to memory the clear look of shock she’s frozen you into. it takes all she has not to go back in for another kiss, for there’s no knowing where her lips will land if she does.

“keep her safe for me, will you, leon? she’s really quite precious, you know.”

and just like that, she’s gone.

you nearly stumble towards the creaking window for a vain glimpse into the night she’s disappeared through. half shocked, half mortified of your audience still gaping at you, you could only hope he wasn’t put off by the instance of his flirty adversary. or the fact you had no quarrels in encouraging her.

a hand wraps around yours, warm and tight.

“careful. leaning out a little too far there, don’t you think?”

leon sounds rather relieved now that it’s back to being the two of you. ada must’ve been a sore sight for whatever reasons he’s held within. you avoid his eyes to recollect yourself, murmuring apologies beneath your breath.

then, a touch upon your cheek, the very one she’d kissed, puts a stop to all thoughts. your eyes flutter up towards leon’s. his usually somber expression has turned sour, scowling and scorned in a way you’re unfamiliar with. his hand cups your face, thumb frantically rubbing off what must be a lipstick stain ada’s left behind. the intensity of his eyes only adds to your embarrassment, makes you wish he hadn’t seen her in the first place. maybe then he wouldn’t be upset, angry with the ghost of her presence.

“here i thought luis would be my only problem.” leon mutters, so softly you’d mistaken he’d spoken at all. when he notices the shift in your pretty eyes, the sweetsoft concern that struck him weak, his gaze mellows instantly, and he blinks rapidly as if coming out of a daze. rose pink springs across his face in a blooming blush, a bigger surprise than his supposed anger. he rips his hand away upon realizing himself, leaving you curious.

“i mean—i meant, she’s the last person i expected to run into here. it’s—it’s a long story. won’t bore you with it. just know she’s probably not worth trusting completely. it’s best you’re careful around her. i’d hate…i wouldn’t want you hurt.”

his voice goes quiet at the end. his head is turned away, body tight and tense, hands fiddling with the holsters of his weapons. it isn’t like leon to speak so personally. so openly about his emotions. and you know it isn’t because of ada’s mere presence, what must be a recollection of the past.

you touch your cheek, still warm from his skin.

“you’re the one i trust, leon. we came here together, and we’re leaving together. i’m with you until the end.”

courage overtakes bashful notions. you close in beside him, reach up to push a lock of his hair behind his ear. cup his shying face, a tender encouragement to share his vulnerability with you. leon’s eyes fall back on yours too easily, too swiftly for a simple friendship. you see it; he is incapable of masking it.

it’s somewhat of an honor he’s so fond of you. it’s a reminder to be gentle with his feelings, though you yourself may not have yours sorted out just yet. but it is ascertained that you care immensely for him, perhaps in the way he’d like you to. perhaps not. there’s plenty of time to work things out.

“i’m with you, ace.” you smile, tugging his cheek until he returns one of his own. “there’s no one else i’d rather have beside me. got it?”

leon nods, convinced. “yeah. thanks.”

you pay a playful pat to his cheek, satisfied with his answer. “good, good. now, why don’t we get moving? we wouldn’t want to keep miss ashley waiting. what were we even looking for in the first place? some kind of key?”

the mention of the mission reinvigorates him. “yeah, exactly. should be somewhere around here, if you can help me look.”

“sure! let’s just hope we can get by without someone interrupting again.”

“wouldn’t that be nice.” scoffs leon, slipping his fingers through yours to lead you back towards the other half of the room. this habit of wanting you close was really too cute. willingly do you allow him to take your hand as he pleases.

all the while you will your heart not to flutter at the lipstick still staining the other, red on red alike.

[henley-reeves]

Lisa Cuddy was not just House's love interest. She was his oldest friend, who knew him like nobody else. He trusted her in his most vulnerable moments and she knew his biggest and deepest insecurities and weaknesses and loved him for everything he was, bad parts and good parts, unconditionally. House wasn't just in love with Cuddy, he had been in love with her since he was in med school. She was THE woman he loved so much he was willing to give up everything he was to be with her. Being a brilliant doctor is all he was, everything he knew and all he had, and when there was a chance to get rid of his pain but it started affecting his skills as a doctor, he immediately gave that chance up in favor of doing what he did best and preserving his skills. But when he was happy with Cuddy and his happiness started to affect his brilliance as a doctor, he WAS willing to give all of it up just to be with her, for a chance of happiness with her. "I need her in my life." "I don't deserve her. I love her". He remembered and noticed every small and big detail about her and was afraid of losing her so much that when he did, it tore him apart. THAT'S how much Gregory house loved Lisa Cuddy and how important and special she was in his life. So people who downplay her importance and place in his life and heart either haven't watched the show at all or watched some other version of HOUSE MD that never aired on tv.