#If you don't like this; good fine I didn't make it for you

[dilfosaur]

well i haven't spilled my guts on tumblr since i was in college but it's the platform that's felt The Most Mine thru the years, so

let's talk!

i've had a huge chip on my shoulder that i wanted off before the year ends. very bad professional experience to follow

so firstly to get ahead of the speculating, i'm not naming names or anything. some of you will puzzle out who i'm talking about, but please don't bother anyone especially not on my behalf. i've worked hard to distance myself from them the past few months. shit happens, especially when you're a dumb bitch (that's me!)

but also this person was someone i considered a close friend and it makes me uneasy to possibly direct backlash at them. "then why post about it" bc i did intermittent work for them for over a year. this is just about that. so hear me out

basically it started off fine. i initially did some commission work for good pay, then was invited to become more involved with their team. unfortunately as i became more involved with their operation it became more disorganized over time. projects started then forgotten, constantly shifting schedules, lapsing communication between roles, confusing financials, and often inconsistent if not late payments. during mid 2023 i was doing colorist work, sometimes on a one day turnaround (all while also preparing drawfee's summer merch launch). the payroll wasn't set up correctly so i wasn't paid for that work for over a year (more on that later), tho to be fair that was largely my own fault at first as i just didnt realize the payments didn't go thru lol

i always consider myself decently capable of separating friendship and coworker-ship; i run a company with 4 wonderful friends, going strong for almost 5 years. that didn't really work out in this case. by early this year our friendship was on the rocks; work issues fed into personal issues and vice versa. so as the rest of this shit plays out, we had just had our first "big fight" which i felt very bad about and added to all the upcoming tension

a huge point of friction was the fact that i really wanted to work with them to make a music video for one of their songs. i've always wanted a chance to make a music video, was confident in a concept i came up with, and even did some concept art for the idea. everyone insisted they loved the concept and that we should do it, but we kept pushing it back for various reasons. it ended up becoming a huge sticking point for my frustrations, which i tried to express productively. TLDR, we eventually got around to discussing it seriously around april.

i planned to ask for $4000 with negotiable add-on for the whole project, which was my Friend Discount price. i was offered a contract for $1000 flat rate, as they insisted that was the only budget they had for it.

don't ask me why i signed it lol. i didn't even counter offer

there was some girlmath to it: i wanted an extra 1k for a student scholarship i provide every spring and well, there it was. but if i had to guess, i saw it as something i just couldn't back down from any more. i caused these folks- my friends- a lot of problems bc i dug my heels in so deep to chase this project, so fuck it we ball

i had about 4 months to solo a 3 minute music video. they wanted it done in august so they could release it before summer ended, bc "it was a summer song". to be fair i was asked if i needed them to pay for anything extra like assistants (which i would have to find and manage) but i was so immediately overwhelmed that i didn't wanna slow down to wait on that process lol. there was very minimal communication other than brief progress check-ins every few weeks. i did everything for that project myself: the original concept, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds. i even did the editing/compositing for the final cut of the MV. the only favor i did myself was limiting the amount of it that was actually animated to simple loops and motions. hardly my best work but it was work still done

i did it all in between my full time job. i ended up having to take nearly a month away from most of my drawfee duties (with the support of the others) to make the august deadline. i only ever asked for a 3 day extension (notice given about a week in advance, around the same time i was given the final song file lol). i finished the music video at 6am on the final deadline and recorded drawfee the next day on 2 hours of sleep

but it was done, coolies. the team was very happy with the final product. honestly, without getting into it, those were a very emotionally taxing 4 months. on the professional side, i regretted agreeing to the project and especially for the dogshit rate they offered. i felt like a hypocrite- as someone who always wanted to advocate for younger artists demanding their worth in a world that's getting increasingly hostile toward creatives, i failed myself

so when i met with the manager to discuss the release plan, i told them to do whatever worked best for them as i only had one request: i wanted my credit removed from the project

tbh... like... lmao this dramatic bitch right!! but really, i decided that bad practices only breed worse business. friends or not, it was unprofessional of me to accept such a low paying job so i just didn't want my name used in association. everything felt so muddled to me and i was just really tired at this point

the manager was very understanding and then offered that i could be paid more. they said that their team "was surprised" i accepted their low rate and they would be happy to up the amount. this confused me as the initial budget seemed pretty set and at no point between april and august was i offered a better rate. i knew these guys weren't made of money. so, i declined. i didn't want to put anyone out of their means over work that was already done and agreed upon. but more importantly, i was over the whole thing and didn't want to prolong the project with a contract renegotiation. i just insisted my name be removed

they decided to use a pseudonym (which i was fine with) so they could create a story about a character who made the MV (this sounds really convoluted but i don't know how better to put it without getting specific, sorry). that way if people asked about the credit, they could speak comfortably about it without signaling that something went wrong behind the scenes. ok, kind of a silly narrative imo but whatevs. and maybe this is where i finally went truly wrong but. yolo i guess

i gave the name "D. Smithee", D as in dilfosaur and Smithee as in Alan Smithee. look it up for fun film trivia ig! was it passive aggressive of me to reference that in this context? yeah, honestly. but i thought it was kinda funny and really not that deep. if it was a problem, i have other real, non-cheeky pseudonyms i regularly use. the manager accepted it and all i had to do was wait for them to post the video and i could leave the whole experience behind me

a week later i received a message from the manager that my pseudonym had been denied by the rest of the team bc one of them got the reference. fair enough lol. however, they decided that rather than ask for a different name, the were going to make one up for me that they liked and would "fit the [story]", without asking me

and that! is when i finally snapped!

i was so tired of giving them concessions at this point and having a credit made up for me without any input from me felt genuinely violating and unethical. i started to Panic bc of how stressed i was, and asked for my overdue payments (aka the $500 still owed on the MV, and the colorist rate from a year prior that was never paid even tho i reported it in january) to be scheduled ASAP as i was leaving the work discord immediately

i finally told them off for exploiting me throughout the months while i kept trying to just be nice and finish my contact cleanly. in return i was told that it was unfair to say that as i agreed to everything- i accepted their cheap rate and denied further payment so that was all settled, and it was ok to change my credit without my consent bc i "said they could do whatever with the release". i called bullshit, ended the convo as kindly as i could, and cried lol. they agreed to ditch the pseudonym and just give no credit. that night was the last i heard from anyone on that team

and the real kicker?

august came and went. then september, october... and they never released the music video

and i don't know why, because i was never contacted about it. i've been removed from the picture entirely i guess. 4 months and boatloads of stress. just. up in smoke. i don't know what i expected honestly

it's hard to not take everything that happened personally and as done in bad faith. i really do, honestly. i've had plenty of shitty deals in my almost 10 year art career, but it hits different from people you saw as friends. but to the point of "why not keep it private", i have never felt so disrespected as a professional as i did this past year. i can toy with money and credits and other formalities all i want, but my work- my ideas, my labor, my effort- is still so important to me. i felt like the biggest idiot for doing so much work, pouring so much of myself into a piece for someone's use, for what has amounted to nothing

but more importantly i hated myself for undervaluing my work, even if initially i thought this person was a trusted friend. money is not really an issue for me- drawfee is my main job and i am fine and comfortable. it's so important to pay artists appropriately but i often undersell my own work bc i value the collaboration and passion between creatives more than the reward. i think a lot of artists tend to feel the same, and it often makes us easy to take advantage of. it's so difficult to find the balance between passion and making a fair living, and i think there's some shame within ourselves when artists choose to prioritize that passion

i wanted to finally get all this off my chest bc i was ashamed of every choice i made. things like this happen all the time i'm sure and hiding these mistakes only make it easier for it to happen to other people

tldr always value your work and protect your passion from people who just see it as a product. and don't give cheeky pseudonyms i guess lol

(and again pls don't bother anyone involved about this. a lot of chaos has left my life as i moved past all this, and this is me closing a door without opening new ones hopefully lol)

this shit was truly

so ass.

but i'm moving past it now

but on a nicer note. outside of all of this nonsense, i made lots of good memories this year. i'm truly so grateful to the many wonderful people in my life who keep me going even when i fuck up big time!

and thank you to all of you strangers who, despite everything, give me the time of day. especially if you read this whole thing. you're a real one :')

happy new year!

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Winter Flu

"Absolutely not, Potter," Draco said, trying to close his door in Harry's face.

Harry laughed, "Stop being ridiculous," he said, pushing at the door to Draco's room.

"I'm not," he said, "while I appreciate that it is our tradition to grade papers together on Friday night before we watch a movie, I cannot take that chance today."

"Draco-"

"No," he said again. "Matilda Bagweather has that horrible winter flu and you didn't have the good sense to send her out of your classroom. You've exposed yourself to it and I'm not interested in getting sick."

The door closed firmly in his face and Harry sighed, letting his forehead drop against the door. This couldn't be happening to him. Not today. Not when he'd planned to-

"Draco," he called, knocking on the door again.

"Go away, Potter!"

"I brought a Christmas movie," he cajoled. "You're really going to like this one." He was certain about White Christmas, Draco was a sucker for cheesy love stories.

The door opened a crack and Harry wiggled the DVD so he could see it. "Are you feeling any symptoms? Any scratchiness of throat, tickling in the ears, are your eyes watering?"

He rolled his eyes, "I feel fine. I feel great, actually. I just wanted to watch this movie with you."

Draco debated for a moment, Harry could see it playing out on his face, then after what felt like an eternity, the door fell open. "Fine. But you're sitting at the other end of the sofa."

-----

An hour into the movie and Draco's head was where it always ended up, in Harry's lap. And Harry certainly wasn't complaining. He combed his fingers through Draco's hair, scratching lightly at Draco's scalp with his nails, like he knew Draco enjoyed from a great deal of trial and error.

He'd slipped right into Harry's lap as he argued with the movie:

"Why is she upset?" "Why wouldn't she just talk to him!" "For Cirice's sake, getting engaged isn't going to help!" "Do you see now what could have been avoided if you'd just talked to him, you silly woman?"

But none of the ranting stopped Draco from tearing up when the General stepped into the room and everyone started applauding.

He sat up and reached for a tissue on the table, sniffling and hair askew from Harry's fingers, and Harry loved him and loved him and loved him. Godric it wasn't healthy to love someone this much. To want nothing more than to look at them and make them happy.

"I don't know why they always have to be so emotional," Draco said, turning to look at Harry. "What?" he asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'd just really like to kiss you," he said because he'd decided that tonight was the night. No more waiting, no more holding his feelings in. It wasn't quite how he'd planned it but it would do.

"What?"

Harry shrugged unrepentantly, "I would like to kiss you," he repeated.

"Well then why haven't you?" Draco asked, sounding affronted now.

He laughed, "Well I thought I'd get your approval first."

"You have it," Draco said, "so what are you waiting for? Do I have to do everything my-"

Harry leaned in and kissed him, soft and sweet, making the butterflies in his belly take flight all around his body.

"Oh," Draco breathed when Harry drew back. "I think you should do that again."

He grinned and cupped the back of Draco's head as he leaned in to kiss him once more. When he moved away he murmured, "You're missing the ending."

Draco blinked at him and Harry nodded to the screen as the barn doors opened and the snow appeared like a backdrop. Draco leaned back against Harry and Harry wrapped an arm around him, drawing him even closer.

When the movie finished, Harry squeezed him and pressed a kiss to his cheek before he shifted and stood up.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He grinned and leaned down to press a soft, short kiss to Draco's lips once more. "My own room."

Draco raised an imperious eyebrow but Harry spoke up first.

"I want to do this right," he said softly. "I want to woo you, I want you to feel pursued. I want this to be something that lasts."

Draco blinked up at him, that guarded part of him falling away, leaving him looking young and unbearably sweet.

"You're too important to me to rush this. So," he said with a fortifying nod, "I'm going to give you one more kiss, and then I'm going to leave." He nudged Draco's foot with his own, "but before I do, I wanted to ask, would you come with me to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

"Like a date?"

"Yes, Professor Malfoy, exactly like a date."

He smiled and stood up, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck, "Yes," he murmured, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. "I'd love to."

----------

By the time the two of them did get the Winter Flu six weeks later, they were both all too happy to spend the time cocooned in a room, watching movies together while they recovered.

[dronningreid]

6 AM

After a good night of free drinks at a bar, reader wakes up in a bed that looks nothing like her own. Maybe that mistake isn't so bad after all.

who? Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

category: smut (that sounds really bad 😭) and flangst? (my specialty). Whatever (+18) (But it ISN'T the main focus)

warnings: unprotected sex, oral (f! receives), mentions of alcohol and hangover and I think that's it. English is not my first language.

word count: 2.5K

a/n: Writing this made me feel shame and laugh 😭 Anyway, I hope you like this. I stole the title from a song that I almost don't like but it's very this. I also sacrificed myself for the team by getting drunk on Christmas to write this better (it wasn't a good experience, but what am I saying? I'm very committed to my work). Oh and happy almost new year!

Every story has a beginning and how much you wish you could remember the beginning of this.

A ray of sunshine.

That's what woke you up, a ray of sunshine. But not the kind that sneak in through the window and burn your eyes even when they are closed. What woke you up was the warmth of the arm that wrapped around your torso from behind, that kind of sunshine.

You look at the clock and it's damn 6 AM. You didn't expect to start the year so early but there you were.

You relaxed when you feel a warm breath touching your skin. For a moment you felt so fine, until that horrible headache made it difficult to make sense of where you were, but you could remember the ghostly sensations, the pressure against the mattress, his hands running over every corner of your skin and the way the sheets molded with every movement.

You craned your head slightly to get some clues about your surroundings and then the clothes on the floor became visible in your field of vision.

Damn it.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened the night before.

You tried to get out of the grip of the mysterious man you spent the night with, but...

He pulled you towards him again, this time with more force. "Please don't go." He pleaded, but he was still somewhat asleep.

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

You recognized that beautiful voice immediately. It being a random guy was a bad thing but Spencer? that was worse.

A wave of panic and guilt ran through you. Now what the hell were you going to do?

You looked at him sideways, first at his lips, and just looking at them made you remember how they felt on your skin.

And then you saw his nose...

"Spence." You whispered in the darkness, you couldn't see him but of course you could feel him.

His hands were resting on your thighs, while his tongue took everything so well like a good boy. But his nose, his nose was buried deep in you, rubbing against your sensitive clit.

Were you dizzy from the pleasure or from the alcohol? Maybe both.

Your fingers tangled in his locks, causing his moan to echo through your walls. That made you shiver, but god it felt so good.

His tongue continued to play through the wetness and when you looked at him you knew that you had let him cross boundaries that a friend should never cross. But you were too drunk to tell him to stop? No, that was an excuse, because in reality both been drunk a lot.

You let him continue for the pleasure and because he was Spencer. There was no one else on this earth you could trust enough to do something so intimate, so personal.

He tightened his grip on your thighs as his tongue movements became more desperate. And he didn't stop until he had you cumming in his mouth.

You blinked a few times before coming back to the present, your memories were so fragmented at the moment that it was best not to put pressure on your mind.

Spencer looked so calm while was asleep, you didn't even know why but you started counting his eyelashes.

That would have been a perfect morning. But one question kept nagging at your brain. How did you get into his bed?

Very simple, it all happened while everyone was on the jet, returning from a case.

"I just hope there isn't another case. It's New Year's Eve, we should be celebrating and not catching serial killers." Emily said. "I'll ask for a raise." Then she brought the glass of whiskey to her mouth.

"Prentiss, you haven't even been with us that long." Morgan let out a light laugh.

"It's been a tough year." You supported Emily. And it was true, Elle and Gideon left a void that no new face could fill. But luckily Emily was Emily, Rossi was Rossi. Neither of them intended to fill the void they left.

"Yes indeed," Rossi added to the conversation. "Drinks at O'Keefe on me, who's coming?" And there was the monetary contribution, maybe your favorite thing about him?

You, Emily and Morgan were quick to raise your hands.

Hotch laughed lightly. "I'll pass, I want to visit Jack."

You stood up from your seat on the jet to approach Reid. "And you? Come?" You gave him a slight nudge with your shoulder. "Or you have a secret son that I don't know about."

Reid shook his head in amusement before setting his book down on his lap. "I don't know, I'm tired."

"Come on." You gave him puppy dog eyes. "And I'll take you back to your apartment."

"Don't know..." He bit his lower lip.

"Oh come on, who's gonna tell me random facts all night? Morgan?" You insistent.

"I heard you!" Morgan shouted from the other side of the jet.

Reid chuckled. "Of course not, that's my place in your life. Besides, he already has Penelope."

You looked at him with hopeful eyes. "So you're coming?"

He shrugged. "I haven't another choice."

One, two, three. Happy New Year!

By that time you and him were already so drunk. Everything was spinning around and both had laughed at every stupid thing Morgan said, that wasn't a very good sign.

You helped Reid into the taxi, almost falling with him in the process. When you left him in the back seat he looked at you, with a pout.

"You said you were going to take me home!" He spoke very loudly, without meaning to.

"If you want to die then let's go in my car." Your words dragged on.

He shook his head and patted his seat. "I'm not going to let you drive. Come on, get in."

You sighed but finally agreed and got into the taxi with him.

He fell asleep with his head resting on your shoulder, it felt so comforting that you didn't even notice when you fell asleep.

After a few minutes the taxi driver spoke. "We're here."

You opened your eyes suddenly.

"Hey... Are you awake?" Spencer whispered, leaving a soft, brief kiss on your shoulder.

You didn't answer anything, hoping that... Who knows what the hell you were hoping for. A miracle maybe.

Spencer said your name, his tone oddly serious. "Can we skip the part where we pretend we don't sleep together and we can just talk about this?"

He kissed your neck and your hand ran over his exposed torso. "Can we skip the part where we do this and you can just get between my legs now?" Alcohol makes the braves.

Reid smiled against your skin. "Anything you want."

He moved away a little just to separate your thighs and settle between them.

Reid placed his hands on either side of your head, you watched him intently waiting for what would come out of his lips.

"I'll stop whenever you want, okay?" Even a little drunk he was a gentleman.

You nodded hurriedly, eager to feel your walls mold to his size.

Then he slowly pushed his hips against yours, his tip passing through your folds with ease due to all the wetness and for the same reason he clings to the sheets so as not to slip completely inside you.

His breathing is a mess, your breathing is a mess.

You stretch around him and when you are comfortable with him, then his hips and yours begin to move at a constant and slow rhythm.

He moves down to place kisses along your neck, moving up to your jaw, and then you reach for his hand. He immediately laces his fingers through yours, pinning you under him against the mattress.

His lips reach yours, at first the kiss is slow as are both of your movements but it is that the kiss increases in tone. His tongue battles yours, his grip on your hand tightens, and the movements of his hips become more frantic, almost desperate for release.

The friction has already left you too sensitive and also eager for some relief, so you wrap your legs around his hips to have him closer.

His cock starts to pound all the way in. The overwhelming pleasure makes your nails dig into his back and he breaks away from the kiss to let out a beautiful moan.

The bed creaks, accompanying the desperate moans and labored breathing of both.

∗⋅✧⋅∗

You move under the sheets until you are facing him. But that was a worse idea than you anticipated.

Confronting him after all the images you have of him in your memory feels like someone has just punched the air out of your lungs.

"To begin with, do you remember anything?" He breaks the thick silence, again.

"Fragments." Your voice comes out as a shameful whisper.

He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. "Me too..." He whispers too. "But I do remember that you tried to leave me in the morning."

"Oh..."

Really? Was that the only thing that could come out of your mouth?

Reid sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment that seemed like an eternity. "Listen, I know this might be awkward but please don't go..." A pang ran through your chest as you saw his pleading eyes. "We don't even have to talk about it."

"Okay..." He sigh of relief at your answer.

But as a cruel joke of life someone knocked on the door, ruining the conversation for Spencer and bringing a postponement for you.

Reid sighed before reluctantly unwrapping his arms from you. "I'm sorry. I... I have to go." He said before getting out of bed.

Last night probably, no, definitely last night you saw him to the soul, but still this time you stared at the ceiling until he got dressed in pajama pants and a gray t-shirt.

He left the room leaving you alone on his bed, naked. Wow, that was something unexpected.

You stood there for a few moments, before wondering what the hell you were doing?

You rubbed your face with your hands as many questions collided in your mind, all eager to capture your attention while you didn't even want to think about it.

What does it mean to sleep with Spencer Reid? He was one of your longest friendships and just by letting him spend one night everything is ruined.

He was acting so casual, like waking up with you was something so normal...

But you didn't even know how to name this. Because, after all, what was this?

You got out of bed and immediately searched the floor for your clothes. You found almost all of them at least.

Once dressed and half combed, you decided to leave the room and try to get out of Spencer's apartment.

But it was such a stupid idea considering it wasn't just you and him in the apartment. Even though you thought you were going to get out of this alive when you saw Reid's back turned to the door.

"Who do we have here?" Morgan's voice was enough for Reid to see you and you to see him.

You had been caught red-handed.

Reid frowned. "You were leaving?"

You stammered a bit before deciding to stop embarrassing yourself and close your mouth.

Morgan's gaze traveled from Reid to you and back to you before figuring out what was happening or at least what had happened.

"Wait guys... Both had sex?" Morgan whispered, trying to be discreet, something that was definitely unusual for him, but not the strangest thing today.

You let out a nervous laugh. "We? Of course not!" You rush to say.

Reid's frown deepened. "We don't?" He said with a hint of mockery and another of bitterness.

No one knew what to say for a while, but the only one in trouble was you.

Morgan stood up from the couch. "Yeah... I think I'd better get going."

Spencer didn't say anything, not even when the door closed behind Morgan. He just looked at you with severity, a severity that disguised his vulnerability. How vulnerable he was before you, as if his heart was exposed on a silver platter.

You weren't willing to talk and he felt like he had already said too much, so the silence between you only grew thicker.

Reid snorted. "For the love of god, just say something!" He swallowed. "Say something, whatever. That I'm bad in bed, that what happened was a one night stand, or that you just tried to run away because you're afraid that if you stay you'll have feelings for me." He try with all his might to keep the tears in place.

You shook your head at his first sentences, but perhaps the last was right. "I... Am I hurting you with this?" Maybe it wasn't the best question, but at least you were honest this time.

He looked away, debating what he should or should not say. "Yes... Yes, you're hurting me." Spencer didn't understand how the words managed to slip through the thick lump in his throat.

Guilt and you were never good friends. "Yes, maybe I'm starting to feel something for you beyond a friendship, maybe I already felt it before. I don't know... I'm scared."

Spencer hesitated but finally took a step in front of you. "I'm scared too." He whispered.

You hesitated for a minute but finally put your arms around him. At that moment you just needed the warmth that his arms could give you.

Reid hated how easily he hugged you back, you were close to abandon him...

"I'm sorry." You murmured as you held onto him.

He places a kiss on the top of your head before rubbing your back. "Just don't exclude me from this, let us both figure out together what's going on here, okay?"

"I promise." You tilted your head back to look at him.

"Changing the subject." Spencer looked at you intently, were his eyes always so beautiful? "Did you see my bra? I couldn't find it while I was getting dressed."

"Oh." Spencer nodded and his cheeks quickly turning a pinkish color. "I kicked it under the couch when Morgan knocked on the door.'

Neither he or you remembered how your bra had gotten there. But it happened while the messy make-out session was going on.

Reid broke the kiss and slipped his hand inside your shirt, stopping until he reached the clasp of your bra. "Can I take it off?" He looked at you with pleading eyes.

"Of course." You tilted your head towards him, not willing to leave his lips for long.

He gave you a couple of short kisses while unbuttoning your bra. "I love you." He murmured against your lips.

"I love you too." Your statement came out as a gasp when he pressed his lips against yours more intensely.

Both were drunk when they said such important words, yes, but isn't it said that drunks always tell the truth?

[gyaruhana]

Hi 🫣

A request for Choi Su-Bong and Cho Sang-Woo <3

They're both in the same game. (Sangwoo didn't die in s1 and came back to earn more for his debts) They both have eyes for reader, once they realise this, they both pair up and do whatever they can to get reader on their side. Flirting, helping them in the games etc...Eventually reader is won over by them.

You can make it smutty, if you like. I don't really know how to request smut, so I hope that this is enough for you to work with! Tysm 💞💞

Choi Su-Bong/Thanos + Cho Sangwoo - Three is, in fact, NOT a crowd

Synopsis: Cho Sangwoo and Thanos had nothing in common. Well, they didn't until you came around and stole their hearts.

A/N: I may have made this too smutty but i saw the chance for double penetration and knew nobody else would ever be writing dp with Thanos and Sangwoo so-

Warnings: smutty content, fingering, anal fingering, eating out, double penetration, use of whore,

Sangwoo and Thanos did not have anything in common. Sangwoo was a quiet, reserved man who has suffered plenty of loss while Thanos was loud and… very, very high. No one would ever expect them to be spending time together since they were oh so different. Not to mention the only interaction they had was a stare down when Thanos casually pushed somebody during Red Light, Green Light resulting in the death of three people.

However, when you came into the picture you caught both of their attentions immediately. They were drawn to you like moths to a flame. 

It started off small. 

Thanos would be close to you most of the time while Sangwoo would keep a watchful eye on you and protect you from a distance. Occasionally, when Thanos wasn’t around to keep you company, Sangwoo would swoop in instead and talk with you. It only became apparent to both of them that they shared the same romantic feelings for you when they both handed you their food at the same time while also telling you; “Take my food, you need it more than me,” in sync. 

From there, it started. An agreement was made between the two to protect you at all costs while also trying to steal your heart that they could keep for the two of them. At least one of them was near you all the time since then and they refused to keep you out of their sight.

As of now, the third game had finished and you were walking back into the main room. Thanos and Sangwoo were close behind you, maybe even a little too close. 

“Are you okay? No injuries?” Sangwoo asks as he leans down slightly to talk in your ear. “Of course she’s fine. After all, the great Thanos was here to protect our girl,” Thanos spoke as he threw an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to his side. Sangwoo shook his head at Thanos’s words before matching his pace with yours so he could be close to you too.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” you speak with a smile as you look over at Sangwoo. “Good,” he says with a nod. He probably would’ve gone crazy if you had gotten hurt somehow. Both of them would honestly. You were too important - too precious to get hurt. 

You all took a seat somewhere in the back corner of the place, away from the rest of the players so you could relax for a while and wind down from the last game which was actually rather stressful. Per usual, Sangwoo and Thanos were all over you. They were ridiculously close to you, making flirty comments, touching you in places that they know made you nervous. It was all planned. 

This went on long after the food was given and enjoyed. It’s like they physically could not have their hands off of you or they would lose it. Not that you were complaining. You didn't mind having two guys who you were definitely crushing on touching you.

You put your food down next to you before standing up making both of them look up at you immediately as their hands that had previously been on you fell to their side. It was clear neither of them were very happy that they weren't touching you now. 

“I'm just going to the bathroom before lights out, I'll be back,” you speak before walking off. Not once did their eyes leave you as you walked away until you were out of sight. 

“I think we should do it tonight,” Thanos suddenly speaks up as he looks over at Sangwoo with a confident smirk. Sangwoo turns his head to look at him with an eyebrow slightly raised. “Do what?” He asks although he already had an idea of what Thanos meant.

“You know what I mean, man. We can finally strike. C'mon, she's clearly into us,” Thanos spoke with a grin as he scooched closer to Sangwoo. He was confident that you had feelings for them now after all they had done for you.

“You sure? Wouldn't want you to scare her off,” Sangwoo replied as he looked away towards the door you last disappeared through. Of course, he was eager to finally make you his but he didn't make it obvious. At least, he thought he didn't.

“Me? Scare her off? You're the one with the dark and brooding aura. What are you? Batman?” Thanos joked as he kept his eyes on Sangwoo. All he got in response to that was a sharp glare before Sangwoo looked away. There was a brief silence as if he was thinking before he sighed and shook his head.

“Fine, we'll have her tonight. After lights out,” Sangwoo spoke as he looked at the timer on the wall. Thanos turned his head to also look and let out a frustrated groan upon seeing the time.

“There's still 20 minutes left, man. I can't wait that long,” he says with annoyance. He had been patient for the past few days and he couldn't wait any longer to have you in his arms. Sangwoo looked at Thanos with an unimpressed look, clearly not amused by Thanos's impatience.

“Good things come to those who wait,” he says with a barely noticeable smirk. Thanos let's out another sigh before running a hand through his hair. Fine, he could wait. Just a little bit longer. Then, he'd finally have you.

As the sound of a door opening reached their ears, they unanimously turned their heads toward it so they could see you again. You noticed them staring and waved at them as you started to walk in their direction. Thanos gave a rather excited wave back and gestured for you to come over.

When you sat down between them again, you could feel something was different. Was it the way they kept subtly glancing at each other? The way their hands instantly made its home on your body? Who knows. But there was certainly something different. 

“Hey, y'know I've been thinking about something,” Thanos suddenly spoke as he put his arm around your shoulder and looked over at you. “I feel like we haven't spent enough.. time together. You feel me?” He continues as he keeps his eyes on you. You didn't quite understand what he meant by that because you had spent the last few days together constantly. 

“Mm, I think you're right,” Sangwoo suddenly speaks up and you turn your head to look at him. Okay, they were up to something- you could tell that much. The question was; what were they up to? Before you can ask, Sangwoo's hand finds its place on your thigh.

“Maybe we should spend more time together. Do you agree, Thanos?” Sangwoo spoke again as he looked at Thanos. The grin on his face paired with the eager nod when Sangwoo spoke had your heart running in circles. You weren't entirely sure if they meant literal quality time or ‘quality time’ in the sexual sense but the idea of them wanting to fuck you was enough to make you nervous.

“C'mon, baby. Don't be shy,” Thanos speaks as he stands up and goes right in front of you. Sangwoo's hands move to your shoulders as he shifts behind you. Your face flushed at the premise of what they were suggesting. If it wasn't obvious before, it was now.

“Yeah, don't be shy,” Sangwoo whispered into your ear. Right on cue, the lights go off and the three of you are consumed in darkness. Usually, the darkness scared you because of the fear something else was lingering. This time, you were much less afraid because you knew what was in the darkness. Them.

“We'll make you feel good. You can trust us,” you hear Thanos's voice ring out as he crouches down in front of you. His hand slowly places itself just below your neck before trailing down to the hem of your shirt. Meanwhile, Sangwoo didn't waste any time and immediately started leaving kisses on your neck. 

You can feel your shirt slowly lift up before being pulled off of you. “Fuck, you're even prettier underneath,” Thanos says quietly before he leans forward and starts to leave kisses along your chest. The contrast of Sangwoo's soft sucking on you neck with Thanos's harsh bites across your chest was overwhelming. Even though their styles were different, it was clear they both wanted to devour you.

Sangwoo's hand slowly slides down to the waistband of your pants before he pushes his hand into them. You tense up slightly when you feel his hand push your underwear to the side. “Relax.. no need to be so tense,” Sangwoo speaks quietly into your ear. He teases your entrance causing a moan to escape you but Thanos quickly covers it with a harsh kiss. 

“You gotta be quiet, babe,” he says in between the kiss. His hand goes over to your neck and squeezes it slightly. While you were distracted by Thanos's rough kissing, Sangwoo slid a finger into your hole and slowly started to thrust it in and out. The feeling made you moan into Thanos's mouth and, in response, he shoved his tongue into your mouth to make you keep quiet.

Sangwoo continued to thrust his finger in and out as he whispered words into your ear. “You're so wet already. You're just a whore for us, aren't you?” He whispers before pushing a second finger inside. He knew exactly what he was doing when his thumb started to rub your clit. All his movements were nothing short of rough. 

“Fuck, when's it my turn? It's not fair if you're the only one who gets to touch her,” Thanos spoke with slight annoyance. He didn't appreciate having to wait. “You can have her when she cums on my fingers,” Sangwoo says as he begins to thrust his fingers faster. While part of him wanted to take his time with you, he wasn't opposed to skipping right ahead and ruining you.

“After you cum, you're gonna sit on my face and I'm gonna taste it, yeah?” Thanos speaks into your ear with a smirk on his face. His dirty words were enough to bring you to the edge as you finally released on Sangwoo's finger with a moan. Sangwoo's fingers continued to thrust into your hole for a few moments before he pulled out.  

“Christ, you're so fucking dirty. Releasing all your cum on my fingers like a whore,” Sangwoo spoke as he brought his fingers to your mouth. He shoved them in and made you lick him clean before pulling them out. “Your turn,” he said as he looked at Thanos.

Thanos practically jumped on you the moment he was told he could. He pulled you up before sitting down where you were originally and then pulling you down on his lap. “You're gonna ride my face, yeah? Let me taste you?” Thanos says as he looks at you with a small smirk. When you nod your head, he immediately grinned in a way that made you feel you were nothing more than prey for two predators.

He quickly stood you up to tug your pants off before laying back on one of the beds and pulling you on top of him. He grabbed your hips and forced you to hover over his face. “Fuck, look at your cunt. You're so wet for us, huh?” Thanos says mockingly before pushing you down onto his face before you could respond. You let out a high pitch whine and Sangwoo is quick to kiss you to hide it. The feeling of Thanos's tongue dipping in between your wet folds was was amazing. He clearly knew what he was doing.

Sangwoo pulled away from the kiss before walking behind you. “Your ass looks a little lonely” Sangwoo speaks as he brings a hand down to your ass and gently teases your hole. You certainly didn't expect him to try anything with your other hole but you were poorly mistaken when he suddenly starts putting a finger there. His other hand goes to cover your mouth to keep you quiet as you grow accustomed to the feeling of a finger entering your ass while Thanos continues to eat you out like he'd been starved.

Sangwoo slowly started thrusting his finger in and out of your ass to loosen you up. “You know why I'm doing this?” Sangwoo suddenly asks. When you don't respond, he grabs your chin and forces you to look at him. “Answer me,” he says firmly as he glares at you. 

You shook your head no and he immediately let go of your chin roughly. “you'll see,” is all he says before thrusting a second finger in and once again covering your mouth. The feeling was enough to tip you over the edge for a second time as you released onto Thanos’s face. 

“fuck..” Thanos mutters quietly before pulling you off his face. Sangwoo pulls his fingers out so as not to overstimulate you as Thanos sits up. “God, I need to fuck your tight pussy. You're gonna let me, yeah?” Thanos says as he moves you off of him and starts pulling his pants off. 

“She's going to let both of us fuck her,” Sangwoo spoke up making Thanos pause for a moment. “..You're dirtier than I thought,” Thanos spoke with a smirk before taking off his boxers too. You weren't sure what they were planning but they clearly had something up their sleeve with the way they glanced at each other. 

“come here,” Thanos said as he grabbed your hips and pulled you on top of him. He leans back before lining himself up with your entrance. “I'm gonna fuck my cock into you and you're going to take it, yeah? You're gonna be a good girl for me,” he says before slowly lowering you onto his cock. He lets out a groan as he feels you squeeze him - practically choking his dick.

He barely gives you any time to adjust to his length before starting to rock his hips up into yours. While you were distracted by the pleasure of having Thanos’s dick inside you, you didn't notice Sangwoo taking off his own pants right behind you. He pulled his boxers down just partially, enough to reveal his cock before he crawled behind you. His hands went to your shoulders and pushed you forward so you'd fall onto Thanos’s chest. Thanos didn't stop thrusting as he smirked. Oh, he couldn't wait to see you come undone.

Suddenly, you felt something press against your ass and you immediately knew what it was. You were going to say something but Thanos thrust into you deeper making you moan instead. Sangwoo’s tip caught against your hole and he took the opportunity to push in slowly. Thanos’s hand went to your throat as he squeezed it to keep you quiet. “shushh, you can take our cocks, baby,” he spoke as Sangwoo let out a grunt at how tight your ass was.

“fuck, loosen up. I can barely fit this tight cunt,” he spoke as he continued to push in. Running out of patience, he thrust the rest of his length in harshly making you cry out. Thanos was still thrusting up into you and it was so overwhelming to have two cocks inside of you. 

Sangwoo pulled out slightly before thrusting back in and he began a slow pace to try to ease any pain. “God, she's so tight, huh?” Thanos mumbled as he kept slamming his hips into yours. “It's perfect. She was fucking made for our cocks,” Sangwoo responded as he began to pick up the pace. Thanos laughed at Sangwoo’s words, finding them amusing.

“she's such a fucking whore. Our whore,” He spoke as he let out a grunt. “fuck, I'm gonna fill you with my cum, baby. Take it,” Thanos spoke as his thrusts became sloppy. “hold fucking on. If you cum, she will too. I'm not close yet,” Sangwoo said with annoyance as he started fucking into your tight ass faster. 

Thanos let out a groan and tried to slow down his pace to prolong the release. As much as he wanted to cum right now, he knew it's feel a million times better for you if he just waited. “I'm almost there,” Sangwoo says before he starts leaving kisses on your neck- biting and sucking at it. “fuck okay. You ready baby? Ready for our cum?” Thanos spoke as he began thrusting quicker again. All the confirmation they needed was the nod you gave while you cried out from the pleasure. 

With one final hard thrust, Thanos and Sangwoo release their cum as deep as they could inside of you. You creamed on their cocks as you went limp on Thanos. He laughed at you before patting your hair gently. “what a good whore. Taking our cum like that,” Thanos spoke as Sangwoo slowly pulled out. “So good for us,” Sangwoo reaffirmed before sitting up next to you. He rubbed your back soothingly to help you come down from your high as Thanos slowly pulled out of you.

“I think we should do that again soon,”

[higuchisora]

"Mom says it's MY turn with the hallucinations!"

Lmao on one hand, plenty of illnesses (physical and mental) are genetic, including various psychosis-related/adjacent illnesses. On the other, they didn't have to take Jinx's so Vi could have some. They can share symptoms! They arguably already do, since some scenes (seeing baby Powder when she was bleeding from the stab, Vander encouraging her in the fight with Sevika, etc.) could be interpreted as being hallucinations of their own. If anything, it'd be interesting to consider how Vi would handle showing similar symptoms to Jinx, and how her view of the (unidentified) mental illness, Jinx, and herself would all be affected by this connection.

But I also think it would've been just as if not MORE interesting for her to have her own entirely different symptoms of mental illness, because even if two people from the same family suffer all of the same exact traumas (not possible but hypothetically), they'd still be impacted differently and react differently, so it would be more realistic if these things manifested in their own unique way in Vi. I'd also have loved to see how (depending on what these trauma and mental illness symptoms are) Vi and the people around her handle them. She comes across as the "suppress and don't acknowledge it" kinda gal, but if they were the kinds of symptoms you couldn't just "put in a box to deal with never" (like PTSD flasbacks/physically reacting on instinct, intrusive thoughts, etc.), and ESPECIALLY if others noticed and were constantly bringing it up/putting pressure on her to face these issues, I'd be curious to see the outcome of that. Obviously there'd be a lot of self-blame in there regardless, maybe even some internalized ableism (calling herself weak or pathetic, etc). But I'm mainly curious about how this could affect her coping mechanisms, as well as her POV on the situations and people around her, and vice versa.

Would she think herself too "broken" to be of help, of use to others? Would she push them away, would she become distrustful of them, or would she become MORE fixated on the ones she loves, perhaps turning them into makeshift anchors for her mental stability? Would she become similar to or more different from Jinx, and would that help or hinder their understanding of each other? Perhaps where Jinx indulges in and embraces violence, Vi would begin to shy away? Where Jinx staples her wounds and tries to murder-suicide her and her childhood friend, would Vi turn to substance abuse, chasing things that promise to make her feel good- or even feel nothing at all? Where Jinx pushes to become stronger, louder, more dangerous, further and further away from the version of herself she viewed as weak and easy to leave behind- would Vi instead stop pushing at all? Would her skin be unable to bear the sensation of her bandages scratching against her? Would she try to become smaller, harder to see, easier to ignore, to leave behind, as she believes she deserves? Could her hands continue to form fists without trembling? Could she continue to stomach the sight of blood, the sound of bones breaking under her touch?

I'm doing too much but now I can't stop thinking about it. Regardless of how "obvious" her traumas and mental illness(es) are, it's obvious she's got them, but considering the absolute refusal by Overton and Linke to acknowledge this and do anything with it, it's as if she has no problems at all and just walked out of season 1 completely fine. So I'm left to do nothing but speculate and imagine and wish upon stars.

"Hallucinating her loved ones screaming at her"

Jinx handing her psychosis over to Vi like:

[captain-huggy-bear]

National Teacher Day

Pairing: Quinn Hughes x Fem!Reader

Warnings: N/A

Summary: Quinn has a big surprise for National Teacher Day that puts your relationship out into the public space.

Notes: Just continuing the theme of Teacher reader because why not?

I hit over 200 followers so thank you for all the love/support as I was not expecting that when I decided to just make a place for my hockey obsession :)

Totally happy to take requests/ideas/prompts at the moment in my ask box :)

Writing Masterlist

"Mornin', baby," Quinn's voice is still a little sleepy as he wraps his arms around you from behind, pulling you towards him so that your back to presses against his front, careful not to dislodge you too much from where you're flipping pancakes for your breakfast.

"Morning, Quinn," You close your eyes and hum when he presses a kiss to your cheek, beard scratching your skin just slightly before he rests his chin on your shoulder to watch you work.

You cook quietly for a few minutes, soaking in the warmth of Quinn at your back, the way his fingers press little circles into your stomach and the occasional kisses he presses just behind your ear. It's not often you get a few moments like this on a game day, especially with morning skate and it's that thought that has your eyes shifting to the clock.

"Don't you need to be getting ready for morning skate?"

"Mmm?" He's not really listening, too comfortable slumped over you with his eyes closed like he has absolutely nowhere to be. It would be cute if you didn't know that he'd freak out if he was late to morning skate. Quinn was nothing but punctual, you weren't sure he'd ever been late to something in his life, always there either on the dot or early. Something you appreciate about him, but which definitely meant he couldn't get away with dragging his heels at the moment.

You pull out of his grip, turning to face him, hands reaching up to cup his cheeks as he blinks at you bleary eyed and sleepily. Thumbs brushing his jaw as you force him to tune back into his surroundings.

"Morning skate? Isn't it in like half an hour?"

"Oh, shit!" You watch amused as he pulls away from you in a panic, eyes darting the clock before he darts to the bedroom to get ready, all limbs flailing as he nearly trips over a shoe on the floor. He's normally more organised, but then Quinn's been busy lately some sort of project he'd been working on with the arena but unable to tell you about. 'Top secret' that's what he said and you trusted him when he said he simply couldn't tell you as it was a surprise. But, it had proven to make him more distracted, less orderly and you found yourself reminding him of things more often. You didn't mind, after all he had done the same for you on many occasions.

It's as he leaves the apartment that you really start thinking about what day it is. Quinn's rushing past you with his hockey bag slung over his shoulder, but even in the rush doesn't fail to stop to press a kiss to your lips, sweet and short, letting out a quick, "Happy teacher's day, baby!" before he goes, the door clicking shut behind him.

That's when the day actually registers in your mind, Sunday 5th October, National Teacher Day. You actually wouldn't have realised what the day was if Quinn hadn't mentioned it on the way to morning skate. The fact that Quinn had remembered at all was sweet, it made you smile as you ate your pancakes and kept you smiling as you went about starting your day.

The day itself didn't mean much for you, afterall you weren't doing anything different than you normally would on a game day. You weren't teaching, so none of your students were likely to see you or give you a card or wish you a good day. Which was fine because even if you were, they probably wouldn't have because teenagers don't often even know that these days are a thing or if they do they forget. You weren't going to some award ceremony or event for teachers or some party of anything out of the ordinary. Instead, your day was focused on sorting out last minute planning for Monday (and marking those essays your grade 11's had written on why the American Boom had been able to take place - hoping they remembered LACKPANTS as you marked) before you had to leave for the game.

Arrival to Rogers Arena wasn't any different from normal either. You parked underneath the arena in your designated spot, made your way through the corridors until you arrived rink side, bundled in as many layers as possible underneath your Hughes Jersey. Normally, you'd have a seat further into the stands but Quinn had wanted you right by the ice for warm ups and the game today so you'd accepted the seats right up at the glass without much fuss.

While your students knew you were dating Quinn, most of the fans didn't. There was the odd metion of you here and there on the internet, but both of you were so private that only a few die hard Quinn fans really knew who you were and even then they just knew your face not much else. That meant sitting by the glass always felt a little exposing, it felt strange, wearing Quinn's jersey but knowing most people thought you were just a normal fan, not his girlfriend.

Even when he skates out for warm ups, even when his eyes fall straight to you like they were drawn there by some force greater than yourselves, even when he skates over and throws you a puck, even then people just assume you're a lucky fan. Still you clutch the puck to your chest when he winks at you and still you can't help but wish people knew who you were. Even more so as one of the girls next to you fawns over the fact he'd given you a puck and tells you how lucky you are. It's tempting to tell her that you're even luckier than that, that you get to go home with the man himself, but you don't. You never do.

It's an odd sort of dilemma to be in really. On one hand you've gotten used to privacy, teaching teenagers meant your social media needed to be locked down tight and private. The idea of some of that privacy disappearing was scary. But, on the other hand, you were proud of your boyfriend and wanted to scream from the rooftops that he was yours and he was amazing. At some point you knew the privacy would end, after all you lived together and at some point Quinn was bound to make it known who he was taken by. The media and the fans speculating all the time because he'd made it clear he wasn't single, but hadn't officially launched your relationship out to the world.

Tonight, Quinn decided was going to be different. He loved seeing you at the glass, the way you wore his jersey and clutched at the puck he tossed over to you. But, this was a rare occurance, normally you were deep in the stands, hard for him to spot. He knew you did that out of respect for him because he'd agreed with you that keeping things out of the public eye was best. But, the desire to keep you private had started to wear off over the last few months.

He watched some of his teammates and their public relationships, how everyone knew and celebrated JT and his wife for example and it made him yearn for that transparency. Even more so when the media speculated that you didn't exist, that he'd made up a girlfriend to keep the fans off his back.

Warm ups go as usual. You watch the guys stretch out and run through various laps on the ice, shooting the puck while Thatcher practice his saves. There's nothing unusual about the night until they come back out to start the game, rather than the anthem and puck drop, there's a delay, a change to the schedule that you hadn't expected. 'National Teachers Day' comes up on the Jumbotron besides various graphics and photographs of what look to be members of your profession.

You start to realise why Quinn remembered what day it was today because clearly he'd had it in mind for the game tonight. It's nice to see, your job was often a thankless one and with teachers leaving the profession in droves the recognition from the arena was nice. You knew there were other teachers in the audience who'd appreciate it too.

The bold voice of Al Murdock sounded out over the PA system as the lights dimmed, "And tonight we celebrate and honour the teachers all across this country who inspire, challenge and grow the next generation of doctors, lawyers, leaders and hockey players. We do so with a short thank you message from Quinn Hughes and the students of the Granville School!" You start a little at the mention of your school, still pressed near the glass where you can see the middle of the ice and the jumbotron clearly.

You watch Quinn skate out to the centre of the ice, spotlight shining down on him and his glorious hair. It's the sort of length where he can flip it like some sort of prince charming and you love it. He looks good on the ice, the lighting in the arena always does something to him that seems to add to his normal beauty. You can't help but admire him even as you feel a surge of anxiety at the reality that your boyfriend, who is dating you, a teacher, is about to talk to thousands of people. You watch as he thanks someone for handing him a microphone, looking around the arena before his eyes go straight to you at the glass and he smiles, simple and sweet but reassuring like he knows you're freaking out right now. Like he knows that you need to him to remind you that it's okay, you're okay.

"Teachers are the foundation of our society, but they're also people with families and lives, with feelings. Sometimes, we can be ungrateful, we can take for granted the challenges they face and the dangers they're willing to brave for their students." You know what he's thinking of when he says that. The time he had to come get you from school after you got punched while breaking up a fight. By a boy who was in the boxing club of all people. The way he had to calm you down from a panic attack over the phone, drive you home because you were shaking too hard, and then had to watch you go back to school the very next day and act like nothing had happened. He's thinking of every time you come home exhausted, shattered after a day of not being listened to, of being patient and trying to regulate your emotions and those of 30 other people. All the times you've received a shitty email from a parent for disciplining their child or the times you've had to stay late simply to get all the work done. The Christmases you've spent marking and the Sunday nights you couldn't sleep, mind cataloguing all the things you needed to do the next day.

"While I want to thank all the teachers out there today, there's a particular teacher I want to thank." Quinn's practically smirking, whether because he knows he's definitely surprised you or because his half-smile just looks like that you're not entirely sure.

"No...Quinn..." You mumble it under your breath even as you secretly love it, love that he's doing this for you even as you fear the attention, even as you dread the reaction of the crowd because this is the moment. You can feel it, this is the moment Quinn lets it slip, that he finally says, hey, this is my girlfriend, right there. It's both terrifying and exciting all in the same breath. Weren't you just considering how you were fed up of keeping things completely private? Of being a secret? But change is scary.

"Someone who made sure I got to morning skate on time this morning, someone who supports me even when she's coming home late or has a pile of marking to do, someone who gives her students everything even when she has barely anything left." There's what feels like a collective breath being held by the crowd as they wait for the answer to the question of who he's talking about.

"To my girlfriend." You see the moment the cameras pin to you, your face plastered on the jumbotron as Quinn stares you down, you freeze, unused to the attention. "I've watched you teach, watched you bring your students here, watched you stay up late to get their extra essays marked and complete college applications for them and you're truly amazing at it. You're an amazing teacher." Your lip starts to wobbles, eyes filling with tears because this is...this is really sweet and overwhelming and your face is still plastered in front of thousands of people so you refuse to cry.

"I don't think you always realise how good you are at what you do or how much of a positive impact you make, so I asked some of your students to share a few messages...I hope you don't kill me for this." The crowd laughs at the joke, but you can tell he's a little worried that he's overstepped, that you'll be upset with him for this. You're not though, how could you be when he was trying to do something so sweet for you?

The screen changes to show David, out of all of your students, it's David. He's stood in the school sports hall, decked in, as per usual, all his Vancouver merch. He's asked if there's any message he has for you and you watch as the boy that gives you the most shit, the kid that turns up late all the time, who barely seems to care about your subject, who interrupts your lessons constantly, actually smiles.

"You're the coolest teacher here. Like you took us to meet the Canucks! And, I know I turn up late and I totally talk over you a lot, but thanks 'cause even when i'm being a asshole you still got my back. Also you gotta invite me to the wedding!" You laugh with everyone else at the bleeped out work, on brand for David who you tell off for swearing all the time.

The screen shifts, one of your sweet nerdy girls, Alice, coming to the screen, shifting nervously as she's asked the same question.

"Thank you for always marking my extra essays and giving me help on my college application. I'm sorry the class talks a lot, but you're really cool and I actually learn something in your class, so thank you."

This continues on and on, Quinn had gotten at least 10 of your students to say messages of thanks to you and by the end your promise to yourself that you wouldn't cry in front of thousands of people is thoroughly broken.

The screen shifts back to Quinn, "I love you and I hope you and every other teacher in this arena knows how much of impact you make and how important you are. You're the real everyday heroes, baby."

A nice older lady sat near you helps you dry your face when its over and even offers you a butterscotch candy when the national anthems end. You're shaking through all of the first period, not in a bad way, just overwhelmed with love. Love for Quinn, love for your students, for your job, for the reality that all those hours working outside of contract time mean something, that you're doing something worthwhile.

There's a sense of relief as well, that you don't have to hide how loud you scream when Quinn scores in the second period, the way he can openly skate past you and smile afterwards as if to say the goal was for you. You feel liberated from the secretiveness of your relationship, the insane level of privacy that meant you didn't acknowledge each other at the rink.

The game ends with the Canucks winning 5-3 in regulation, a nice end to a overwhelming day. Normally you'd drive home rather than wait for Quinn to wrap up with the press, always worried about being seen together, but today you wait by his car, saying goodbye to his teammates when they each walk past you on their own way home.

He's not quite smiling when he sees you, there's an apprehension on his face, a sort of worry that makes your heartache.

"Hey, baby," You smile at him when he comes within a few feet of you, his shoulders tense like he's expecting you to tell him off for the big stunt he pulled even as you smile at him.

"You're not going to kill me, right?"

You don't say anything, just step into his personal space and loop your arms around his neck, pulling him as close as you can get without being literally inside of him.

"That might have been the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, Quinn."

"So you...you liked it?" His hands find your hips, fingers tapping nervously even as his shoulders start to relax, the beginnings of a smile starting to pull at his lips.

"Mmhmm, thank you..." You reach up, pressing a light kiss to the corner of his mouth, only pulling back enough to talk, "I love you and i'm of so proud of you." It's whispered, gentle like the last breeze of summer and it has the same effect on him, Quinn practically shivers in your arms, a thrill of delight working its way through his nervous system.

"I love you so much, I just...I wanted you to know i'm not embarrassed of you. I'm really proud of you, baby. I just...I wanted everyone to finally know that you're my girl and how proud I am of what you do." There's a flush to his cheeks as he avoids your eye like he's embarrassed to be this soppy. It's sweet, how bashful he can get at the grown age of 25 and it makes it impossible to resist pressing another kiss to the corner of his mouth, one to his chin, and another to his cheek.

"And now they know, so I guess we can start turning up to games together..."

"You'd like that?" Quinn's eyes grow wide with excitement, pulling back to look at you fully like you've just offered to take him wakeboarding.

"Mmm, means I can wait around for you at the end so you have something to look forward to after press duty."

"Absolutely, yes." He pulls you in tight, pressing his face into the crook of your neck and just breathing you in. Mumbling sweet nothings over and over as if they were needed, as if you didn't already know how much he cared about you.

"I love you." You can't help but say it again especially as he complains when you separate from him and say you have to drive your own car home. You say it again when he tries to convince you to just leave your car at the rink, and fails miserably at convincing you.

There's a feeling of contentment as you drive, Quinn's car following behind you, a sense that this was a new chapter, the next step. A sense of freedom, that both of you didn't have to be quite so careful anymore. You knew it wouldn't be easy and there would be issues with going public, but...you were glad not to be hiding anymore.

[citrustan]

slipping through my fingers [5] (myg)

title: the storm-ish 1.0

pairing: min yoongi x reader

genre: dilf!yoongi, exes and co-parents au, angst!, fluff, smut

summary: you meet yoongi's fiancée for the first time and... don't care to get a good read on her. yoongi keeps upsetting surprising you.

warnings: [other parts should be read before this one] this one's frustrating, there's not much improvement regarding oc and yoongi, it gets worse actually. aand it's a teensy tinsy bit unedited bec j don't have access to my laptop rn.

"Here's the dining area!" Taehyung fakes excitement as he leads the party further into your home, "I set the table."

You crouch down, catching your daughter in a tight hug, “Hi, baby,” you whisper into Nao’s hair.

For a second, you could pretend everything was normal. Just you and your kid. No pink hair highlights.

But then you stood up and saw Yoongi standing awkwardly behind Naomi.

“Hey...” Yoongi greeted you softly. His eyes briefly met yours before flicking back to Nao, “Hyejin wanted to meet you, and, uh… she brought dinner.”

You forced a small, tight-lipped smile.

Dinner. She brought dinner. As if that made any of this easier. Still, you nodded once, knowing you had no choice but to go through with this.

Hyejin had walked into your kitchen by now, snooping around with curious eyes. She wants to know you so bad. Picking up a random iron skillet from the drying rack, she observes the room intensely.

She eyes the colour scheme you picked out for your whole house. It's plain but not bland, she notes. White. A little... woody. Vintage. Yet very colourful and so full of personality.

A lot of well-executed DIY projects, most likely done with your daughter--- a windchime, stained glass paintings, miniature clay figurines, jars of seashells, hanging jellyfish lamps, personalized ceramic plates and mugs with designs painted and characters sculpted onto them.

Hyejin finds you fascinating.

She noticed a bunch of crocheted tapestries. Similar to the ones in Yoongi's room. She had always found it an odd design choice in his home. But, it makes perfect sense in yours. And obviously, she finally understood where he got it from.

And she can't wait to finally get to know the woman who had her soon to be husband wrapped around her finger for years.

Yoongi never told her why you broke up but she intends to get that information out of the two of you today.

Suddenly snapping out of it, you speak stiffly, “Oh, um, thank you,” gesturing at the bags of food place on the coffee table.

Your eyes dart towards Hyejin, who was already gliding back to you sporting a bright, effortless smile.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, _____,” Hyejin smiled warmly, "Your home is lovely. You really are a true creative."

Whatever that means.

“I hope it’s okay I tagged along. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while now. Yoongi never talks about you."

Oh!

That definitely didn't hurt.

You smile, not knowing what to say. Simply nodding, “Thank you. And sure, it’s fine.”

But it wasn’t fine.

You still felt disrespected.

Taehyung’s brows raised slightly, but he didn’t comment either. Instead, he offered you a supportive smile from behind Hyejin and mouthed, 'You’ll be okay.'

You can only hope you would.

Yoongi knew how fragile you were, and how hard it was for you to see them together, but he had let this happen anyway.

Yet, you understood Hyejin too.

It isn't really her fault. You'd have felt better about it had this been your decision.

"Mimi, go wash up for dinner." Yoongi instructs his daughter.

Then Hyejin chimes in, "But remember not to get your hair wet! _____, do you have a shower cap she can borrow?"

Your mouth drops open a little and your ears start to heat up.

Who does this woman think she is? She's talking to you as if you're not Nao's MOTHER.

What the hell does she mean 'Do you have a shower cap she can borrow?'

That's your kid, not hers.

Not realising you were glaring at Hyejin, you forced out yet another smile. This time it was glaringly obvious.

"She has one. She knows where to find it. Don't you, Nao?" You smiled down at her fakely.

Your daughter grabbed at your dress, "Yeah. But it's okay if I don't use it. My school doesn't allow colourful hair. We'd get into trouble." She directed the last half to Yoongi's fiancée.

Oh, thank goodness it wasn't permanent dye. You breathe a sigh of relief.

Hyejin's smile drops a little but she recovers almost instantly. "Oh, wouldn't you want to twin with me though?"

Is this lady emotionally manipulating your kid?

You don't give Nao a chance to respond because you knew she'd never want to hurt anyone's feelings and you hate that she's pushed in a corner now. "Wash your hair, honey," you smile down at her sweetly, "Use mommy's shampoo if you need to."

Yoongi finally decides to intervene. "Or we could let Mimi make her own choice. She knows the consequences, and is smart enough to decide what's better for her."

And unsurprisingly, ever the diplomat (which is odd because he's literally a lawyer by trade), he won't take sides.

Sadly, he's wrong this time.

Your squint your eyes at him as if you can't understand him, "What consequences? There's a consequence. Just the one. And she already stated it. We'll get in trouble with her school."

Your anger is a bit misdirected when you demand your daughter to clean up, "Go wash your hair, Naomi. I don't want to see even hint of colour that's not natural."

Nao's eyes widen before she runs off pouting. She knew you hadn't meant to scold her but it still upset her.

This is exactly what you were worried about.

You look at Taehyung pleadingly, prompting him to check on Nao. He immediately complies and chases after her.

You weren't ready to deal with Yoongi's new life now because you knew you wouldn't be able to digest it. You did not want Nao taking the heat for something that isn't her fault. But you suppose that's inevitable because you still haven't learnt to process your feelings and emotions about Yoongi.

Also, in all honesty, you could've dealt with the school. It wasn't that serious of an issue. They aren't too strict on the appearance discipline, especially hair.

You're on a roll now though.

"And what the hell are you doing altering my daughter's appearance without consulting me anyway?" You don't know who you squeaked it at but it was definitely warranted for.

"She's my daughter too, _____." Yoongi speaks cooly yet firmly.

"Exactly. She's yours and mine. And I need to be part of every decision making process," you scoff frustrated, "I mean, how would you feel if Taehyung and I decided to chop her hair off? What if the three of us get... I don't know, bowl cuts?" You're on the verge of yelling.

Yoongi looks bewildered, "You wouldn't do that."

You record the time. This is the moment you think Yoongi finally understands you.

"That's the point, Yoongi!" You exclaim. "Of course I wouldn't because I'm not fucking stupid!" You place emphasis on 'stupid', "-and I respect you!"

The jab wasn't subtle.

"What are you implying? That Hyejin is? That I am? That we don't respect you?"

"Oh, am I wrong?" You raise a brow.

"It's just some hair dye."

"That's not the issue here," you suddenly point at his fiancée, "And why are you calling my kid Nao?"

Hyejin's eyes widen at the sudden attention. She looks to Yoongi for help.

Taehyung reemerges from Nao's room when he hears arguing.

He observes Yoongi's stance and his explosion radar goes off, "O-okay, why don't we just-" but before he could even try to diffuse the situation, Yoongi loses it on you.

"God, _____, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

A sharp pang hit your chest, it felt as if the air had been sucked out of the room.

He's never yelled at you before. He's yelled with you, around you, maybe even about you but never at you.

Moreover, he did not deserve to scream at you.

You wish you could just pout and run away into your room like your daughter had.

Instead you stand your ground and stare at Yoongi's face, challengingly.

Hyejin just stood back, a little bewildered. She's surprised Yoongi had it in him to scream this loudly. And he's the least angry, most stable person she knows. Though, she doesn't know how to feel about him treating you like this.

On one hand, she's elated that he's speaking in her defence. And on the other, she's worried she'd be on your bad side after this. And that you'd keep Nao from her. If she didn't have a relationship with Nao, she can't possibly continue being with Yoongi.

For a while, nobody said anything. Taehyung was too afraid to even breathe let alone say anything.

The two of you were like a pressure cooker.

And let's not get into what Yoongi said--- 'What's wrong with you?'

You'd like to know. Clearly, something must be wrong because you don't know why he'd marry a woman after months of dating but not you even after years of being together and even having a child with.

You watch as Yoongi's fiancée grasps his hand to calm him down.

There have been very few moments when you've wished you had one of your classic cream pies to smash in someone's face.

Now is one such instance.

And then it happens.

Your vision begins to blur.

Not wasting any time, you wrap your arms around yourself in a soothing manner and storm off into your room, refusing to break down in front of a stranger.

You wanted to make a good impression so badly but it was just too soon.

Yoongi swiftly shook Hyejin off of him to follow you but was pulled back by a strong arm. Taehyung.

He glares at the taller man before yanking his arm back, continuing after you.

Before you could slam and lock your door like a petulant child, Yoongi blocks it with his foot, "Stop."

"I don't want to talk to you." You assert.

"Then don't. Just listen to me." He suggests. More like demands. His face was stoic as ever with maybe a hint of discomfort and remorse now.

"Please?"

Outside, in the living room, Heyjin and Taehyung awkwardly lingered.

Taehyung breaks the silence, "You just had to do this now, didn't you?"

Hyejin doesn't reply but gives him a pointed look.

As much as she trusts Yoongi, she doesn't trust you and Yoongi locked in a room together. She noticed way too much passion for two people who've broken up.

Unfortunately having crossed way too many boundaries already, she can't help but just wait.

₊˚.🎧 ✩｡ rose blood by mazzy star ₊˚.🎧 ✩｡

note: fuck tumblr for posting my half-baked chapter im literally so fucking annoyed i had to redo all the changes but it's whatever!

exhales

and i am still sorry for the delay! please let me know what you think; love it, hate it, can't stand it, can't live without it? tell me! bec i wanna hear all about it

(anf did you catch a subtle Gilmore girls reference 😋)

[otter-trotter]

WICKED SCENE REWRITE - WHAT IF GALINDA WAS IN FIYERO'S PLACE FOR THE CUB SCENE???

with the existence of the, "you could've picked me" deleted scene, I offer you a timeline in which Elphie was lesbphaba and DID choose Galinda!!!

TAGS: not at all like the og scene lmao, lots of banter, vulnerable glinda, VERY vulnerable elphaba, glinda has depth, GELPHIE, angst/fluff, NOT proofread and i havent written fic in a hot min so sorry in advance 🫶

》》

“…what are we gonna do?”

Elphaba looks to the duo beside her expectantly, hoping they'd understand the urgency of this situation— Fiyero looks taken aback with wide eyes,

“I'm sorry, we?"

Elphaba is seemingly taken aback by his words as he was hers, and before her anger boils into her magic, she catches a glimpse. Galinda, her eyes wide and expecting, not seeming in daze at all, not shuttering at the thought of what in Oz Elphaba's plan could be.

“Well, someone has to do something—” The flowers her nails are gripping into, crinkling the parchment, slam against wood, pollen dusting across the room. Her thoughts quiet as she watches as each and every one or her classmates slowly succumb to sleep - all except for one.

She looks to her right to see Galinda gingery lowering Fiyero's head to the desk with a gasp, looking around with furrowed brows. Suddenly, she gasps for air, looking to Elphaba with blown out cheeks before frantically spitting out words, quickly closing her mouth again.

“Elphie, am I allowed to breath?”

“Oh my— yes, yes, breath, Galinda. If you didn't topple over instantly like the rest, you're fine.”

The green girl mutters, her eyes finding the shimmering gold cage keeping that poor, now snoozing, lion cub captivate. She hears Galinda release all the air from her lungs and pant, before hearing her heels shimmy behind Fiyero. Elphaba's eyes dart up as Galinda delicately hurries down the steps of the lecture hall, quickly fiddling with the latch of the cage. Before she can even process the view, the blonde is cooing softly to the sleeping cub, gently cradling it's limp form in her arms before her eye's meet Elphie's,

“What now?”

“I-I don't have a plan, Galinda!”

“You don't need one, do you? This cub certainly can't stay here and…” She leans down as the small animal yawns, smiling wide and wiggling her nose against it's,

“Now, we have the opportunity to get somewhere less scary and dark and traumatizing, isn't that right? Who could ever cage you…”

The other girl's mind scatters as she searches to make sense of what the seemingly peaceful blonde has set in motion. She takes a deep breath and steps over Fiyero, Galinda quickly unbuttoning her top blazer button and nuzzling the cub into the warmth of the fabric, following as Elphie darts for the door.

They hastily make it to an outdoor entryway to Shiz, spotting two bikes leaning against a banister. It's a miracle they made it with Galinda’s insistent questions as to where they were heading, seeming in good faith but not helping Elphaba's brain scramble.

“The forest, we'll take ‘em to the forest.”

She finally decides as she picks up both bikes and looks off into the distant wood, Galinda quickly gripping a bike and leaning the cub into the basket attached to it's rear, smiling as wide as her face will allow as it snuggles in,

“I mean, our dorm is rather big… it's a suite, after all… and we're both very nurturing…”

She starts and Elphaba just snorts, hopping on her bike and starting to slowly pedal, allowing Galinda to frantically start on her own before picking up speed. The silence of the churning pedals doesn't last long,

“We could name him something depressingly dark!! Maybe even fear-inducing? Elphie, I'll beg!”

“Him?”

“Mhm?” Galinda hums casually, leaving Elphaba to hesitantly mumble,

“Did you… check his…?” She hears the girl gasp as if looking at an animal's genitals would be obscene,

“No, no!! His eyes told me, they were fierce and hearty—” She cuts herself off just as they enter the terrain of the forest, keeping the silence for a moment before letting out a stubborn huff, “Then again, your eyes are like that as well, Elphie. I suppose it's a strength thing, really, rather than a sex determination.”

Elphaba can hear a lightbulb spark above Galinda’s head as she gasps, hardly giving her the time to process the blonde seeing her eyes as strong, whatever that could mean…

“Oh, Elphie! Can we name her ‘Elphie’?”

Elphaba breaks her bike and allows her movements to slow and ease as Shiz is nearly out of sight, leaning the hunk of metal against a nearby tree. The calm allows her to turn attention to Galinda's absurdity.

“Wouldn't that get confusing? Also, frankly, we wouldn't be talking to that cub much longer.” She can't help but smirk as the heartbreaking news hits Galinda like a truck, the blonde slowly picking up the little lion and kissing it's forehead as it yawns again,

“Aw, I know, Elphie, I know…” She coos into its fur, the softness in her voice while using Elphaba's name (of which she's come accustomed to) leaving a soft warmth in Elphaba's stomach. She knows she's talking to the poor animal who certainly deserves the comfort more but, that doesn't at all affect the way the girl now feels grounded, strengthened.

Galinda carefully walks to a small ditch of water, hunching up her skirt with a small gag before pressing her porcelain knees to the dirt. She sets the cub into the pond, clapping her hands from joy as it does a small bounce of discovery.

Elphaba simply watches, now pondering. Without the adrenaline, she starts to wonder - why hadn't the pollen taken Galinda? Had it chosen to spare her, was it apart of Elphaba's subconscious? Was this something she could hone and control—

“Elphie, you're thinking rather loudly.” The silence is broken as the blonde keeps her back turned, her tone unreadable - which is strange for Galinda.

“Oh, uh, sorry.”

“Oh, no, it's not a complaint. Just, I've noticed you do that. I can hear the gears turn in that brilliant mind of yours.”

She giggles with the admission and Elphaba can feel her cheeks heat up - she's not sure if it's from being observed or from the compliment, but, Galinda's cheering giggle as the cub splashes down into the water certainly doesn't calm it,

“Well, uh… If you're curious, I'm thinking about the flowers in the classroom.” The blushing girl mutters as she kneels down next to the other, less-flustered girl. Galinda’s shoulders tense softly, practically unnoticeably at Elphaba's words. They hang in the quiet forest ambience before Galinda clears her throat,

“Why didn't I fall asleep, Elphie?” There's a strange, unfamiliar vulnerable to her tone as Galinda whispers, her brown doe eyes finding Elphaba's own. Elphaba stiffens, almost cringing at the unfamiliar sight - not that it isn't welcome but, what's bringing it on?

“I'm, I'm not sure. I mean, it can't be luck.”

“I surely hope not.” She smiles with her words, finding the green-eyed girl's gaze again without an ounce of vulnerability lost, “In all honesty, I hope you chose me, somehow.”

The words hang in the air as their eyes stay interlocked, Elphaba's heart thudding in her chest. She takes a sharp breath before looking away, knowing damn well she can't process a thing with her eyes sparkling expectantly, beautifully, like that.

“And,” The blonde starts again as she adjusts, reluctantly letting her skirt touch the dirt as she shifts towards Elphie, as if trying to elaborate, “I don't expect you to know. I don't need an answer. I just, hope.”

“Why?” the question blurts out far to harshly than intented and Galinda simply stiffens a bit with a grounding chuckle, seeming almost nervous.

“Because that would mean you trust me. With even the parts you can not control, you trust me.” Her usual cheerful tone has taken to a softened whisper, making the green girl's skin shiver. The blonde's attention is quickly back on the thristing cub, encouraging the animal as it laps up water. Elphaba just stays silent, stunned.

Despite how much her and Galinda have grown close in such a short time, it had never even crossed her mind that it was something the blonde had actively noticed and consciously thought of. She'd already dolled Elphaba up and they've told stories back and forth but she'd never seemed to want anything with deeper-roots. Perhaps, however, Elphaba had been the one without that desire. All her hesitance with Galinda was gone except for that building block, trust. Galinda was arrogant at times and often only remembered atrocities and discrimination as they are in history books, never looking deeper, never caring to.

Yet, she'd sprung at the opportunity to help Elphaba, acting before the girl with the actual passion in this endeavor could think. Perhaps their friendship was all the passion she'd needed. Perhaps.

“Why were you so eager to help me? Was trust really your motivation?”

The black hair girl's words immediately catch the blonde's attention as she's rubbing beneath the cub’s tired eyes. Her gaze then turns to Elphaba, trailing down to the sunken skin that matched the animal that shared her name. Galinda swallows as she hesitantly sits up a bit,

“You were my motivation, yes. I mean, you were so passionate, I couldn't help it. If you care then, I care. It's…”

Her voice trails off as she gently reaches forward, cupping the girl before her's cheek and running her thumb along the bag beneath her eye, “It's as simple as that.”

Just as she begins to hear the gears turn, she hears the thump in Elphie's chest, her palm beginning to warm as Elphaba blushes bright. She can't help but smile, just as wide as she had with the cub, who was now frolicking and sniffing around the pond. Something about making Elphie crack, just putting a small dent in her tight-knit walls of security - it made Galinda's stomach swirl like she's never felt before, an unfamiliar thrill.

Elphaba, however, was experiencing a different excitement. Of being wanted. Never in her life had she ever felt the security of that, of being desired in anyway that was vulnerable and true - yet, here Galinda was, gazing into her as if she were all she could possibly want. Elphaba can't stop herself from sinking into the soft girl's palm and, just as she couldn't stop that, she doesn't even realize as she begins to cry.

She only comprehends her shallow sobs as Galinda, frantically, pulls her closer, clearly taken aback but jumping on the opportunity of comfort. She rests Elphaba's forehead to her shoulder, one hand gently cradling her face as the other gently rubs her back. Her gentle tone coos into her ear, with the same genuine calm it had held at the Ozdust ball. How Galinda was always getting her so emotional? Oz knows. Elphaba doesn't even want to ponder anything as she sinks into Galinda's chest, letting her tears soak the already dirty blazer but quickly sniffling and quieting herself.

“You're okay, Elphie, I'm here…”

The blonde pulls Elphie's face up slightly, just to look into her as she whispers soft comforts to her, the kind that threaten Elphaba's tear ducts to burst again. To force them closed, Elphaba starts to softly unbutton the blonde's blazer, knowing that the grime will quickly come to her attention and drive her mad,

“Oh— thank you, Elphie, you don't have to…” Galinda almost sounds breathless as Elphaba shimmys the sleeves off her arms, her delicate cheeks slightly flushing from the other girl's proximity. She almost feels shameful at her fluster, seeing as how the girl causing the warmth was just sobbing into her mere moments ago.

“Let me do this for you.”

The words brust against Galinda's ear, breathy and soft, making her heart sink to her stomach and her throat clench. Elphaba stands with the blazer and slings it over her bike, dinging the bell with a smirk,

“We should, um, likely get going.”

“Yes, yes, right, of course.” Galinda quickly jumps to her feet, dusting off her disgusting skirt and turning back, gazing into Elphie's eyes one last time. Well, not truly. This would just be the last time they belonged to her furry friend,

“Bye, Elphie!!” She calls out before hopping on her bike, watching as the cub moves deeper into the wood, the only sound besides the echoing branches being Elphaba's amused cackle.

They ride off, back towards Shiz, Galinda's eyes trained on her blazer, gingerly bouncing over Elphaba's shoulder. The thought of the dirt and tears and what would look like battle scars getting all over Elphaba's clothes would normally disgust her but, the fact that Elphaba chose for it to be so almost makes it darling.

[st-kitten]

707 final part

warnings: smut, p in v, degradation, toji's monster cock, choking, hair pulling, rough spanking, throat fucking, daddy kink, oral (m. receiving), orgasm denial, praise, no condom (but pls cover up. screw dem kids)

"now... turn around, and lie on your back."

you managed to do so, your legs shaking, thighs quivering and your ass flaming like a red, hot, cheeto. you felt the burn when your hips touched the mattress.

toji held you by your shoulders and dragged your quivering body closer to the edge of the bed, letting your head fall off slightly. you looked up at the man, who's now taken his pants and boxers off, revealing his monstrous cock, just hovering over you like a knighthood sword. you swallowed, trying not to come then and there.

seeing toji's tilted head, covered by the dark helmet made your stomach churn.

"so... do you plan to keep up the obedient act? or are you going to be a brat?"

you didn't give two shits about manners in that moment. all you wanted was to be dicked down by toji and you'd go to any lengths to get it.

"depends... which one pisses you off more?"

inside his helmet, toji smirked; proud of what a shameless freak you were.

"oh, baby... you know i can't let you talk to me like that, don't you?"

if only he could see the sparkle in your eye.

toji held the back of your neck, his fingers curling around your throat.

"you're an insolent brat, you know that? and brats..." he slapped the tip of his hard dick on your nose "get" and on your lips "punished."

you let out a soft whine, wishing he'd just get it over with.

"oh shut the fuck up. you're fine."

he waved his dick like a wand over your face, watching you tilt your head up to lick it. a chuckle rumbled through his chest. you managed to kiss the leaking tip.

"are you that cock-hungry, you little slut?" toji's other hand slid up and down his shaft, letting his need for release marinate a bit.

"of course you are." he slapped your face with it again, letting the wet tip damped your blushing cheeks.

"go on... open that slutty mouth. don't make me wait."

you let your jaw ease as you opened your mouth. you felt his tip touch your lips and you almost instinctively closed your mouth around it, sucking at it, then licking a long strip on the underside of his length.

"dirty fucking girl."

you moaned softly, his words arousing you even more. toji lifted your neck a little, holding the nape to support.

"i'm gonna fuck this pretty face, baby." he said, pushing his cock inside your mouth just enough to feel its warmth. "gonna fuck that throat and stuff your bratty mouth full and you're gonna lie there and fucking-"

without warning, he shoved his entire length into your mouth, its tip pushing through and into your throat, which made you gasp and choke.

"-take it."

his hips rolled almost imperceptibly, rubbing the weeping slit of his dick against your parted lips. the salty-sweet flavour of his arousal coated your tongue, making you crave more. he groaned deeply as his cock reached lengths, your wet heat engulfing his throbbing shaft, making the veins on his length twitch. the sigh of your throat stretching obscenely around his fat dick, bulging with inch he fed you, was fucking erotic.

"fuck yesss... take it like the good little cocksleeve you are..." his grip tightened around your head as he began to thrust, the angle allowing him to plunge impossibly deep, with his heavy balls slapping against your chin with each pump of his hips.

he watched with a dark glint in his eyes concealed by the helmet as drool leaked from the corners of your stretched lips, dripping down your face and down onto the floor. the lewd sounds of your gagging and choking only edged him on, his hips snapping forward with increasing speed and force.

"greedy bitch. come on. milk that cock."

his balls drew up tight, the pressure building rapidly in his core as he used your mouth for his pleasure. one hand released your hair to wrap around your throat, choking it just to tighten your hole, the friction increasing along with the pleasure. he could feel your throat spasming around him, trying to accommodate the thick intrusion.

"such a good cocksucker. stuffed and full with my dick... hhnnnggh... you'll swallow like a good girl, won't you?"

with a rough grunt, he buried himself deep in your throat as his orgasm hit him, his cock pulsing and twitching, and releasing a heavy load of his cum into your throat. he kept his dick lodged in till he felt your mouth full of his cum.

he finally pulled back, allowing you to gasp for air. thick strands of saliva and cum connected his still hard cock to your swollen lips, some dribbling down the corners of your mouth. he wiped the excess away with his thumb, pushing the mixture back into your mouth almost cruelly.

he manhandled you effortlessly, picking you up by your neck like a doll and spun you around so your back was flush against his sweat-stricken chest. his arm snaked around your waist to find your soaking cunt, his fingers running up and down your slit. his other hand came up to cup your large breast, squeezing it tightly. you threw your head back on his shoulder, the edge of the helmet hitting your temple. the sight was sinful, daunting, and sexy. the sunset peering through your window only made it that much hot.

"i'm gonna ruin your for anyone else. fuck you so hard, and deep... that's what you want right? whore."

you let out helpless moans as his fingers pumped in and out of you at an extremely slow pace. he curled his fingers just right to brush against that spongy spot inside your with each pass. his thumb rubbed your clit, circling the sensitive bud with maddeningly light touches. for a man of his size and roughness, he sure was capable of agonising gentleness.

he scissored his fingers, stretching you open as he added a third digit, pumping fast enough to make you tremble and moan but not enough to make you come.

"t-toji... pl-please"

toji chuckled at your pitiful begging, the sound muffled by the helmet, but no less mocking. the wet squelch of your cunt echoed in his ears as he plunged his fingers in and took them out just as fast.

he pinched your clit, then dove his fingers back in your stretched hole, twisting his wrist and grinding the heel of his palm against your pubic bone.

toji's silence only made you more restless and you whined further, trying to squirm out of his grip, to run away.

toji simply delivered a sharp slap to your dripping cunt. he growled in warning, slapping your pussy once more. and before you could protest, he spun you around and tossed you back into the bed. the way you lay there, limp, like a sack of potatoes, yet eager and needy was a dream come true. toji needed to see you.

he took his helmet off, his hair messy, and threw it on the floor, letting it roll away a little. now with his face in your view, he kissed you.

"fucking finally"

it was messy and aggressive, with teeth clashing, and biting your lower lip. he poured all his dominant energy into that kiss. his tongue plundered your mouth.

all the while his hard cock kept bumping against your thigh, hip, but never where you wanted it. you selfishly tried to align yourself with his cock and toji had to bite back a chuckle. you were too desperate.

he watched with amusement as you tried to impale yourself on his throbbing shaft, at least the tip, your movements clumsy and needy. each failed attempt only entertained him more.

he taunted, giving a teasing roll of his hips that had his tip catching on your entrance before slipping away again.

"look at you, humping air like a bitch in heat. pathetic." he leaned forward, his voice dripping with cruel amusement as he whispered in your ear, "beg. beg like the needy little whore you are for my dick."

"ple–please... please!" your voice croaked but you continued anyway, mindlessly blurting out, "fuck.. please, daddy!"

toji's eyes widened for a moment.

"well well..." he coughed, a small smirk on his face. "daddy kink, hm? you been hiding that from me, sweetheart?"

you were more than embarrassed. you covered your face with your arm, looking away. toji forcibly pried your arm away, and grabbed your jaw, making you look at him.

"you're fucking filthy. getting off on calling your neighbour daddy. i bet you saw me with my kid and thought, i wanna be his little girl. is that it? hm?"

he took pleasure in seeing your eyes getting teary.

"aww, you're gonna cry for me, baby?" he cooed, leaning down to lick a tear that slid down your eye.

"such a sensitive little thing, aren't you. so quick to cry... for d-a-d-d-y."

you hated how much you were loving it. any ordinary man would've lost his sense of self, but you? you wanted more. you wanted worse.

"come on. say that again."

you prayed to god toji didn't really mind your kink. "daddy please..." you whined softly, your voice quivering and girlish.

"oh," he almost moaned in bliss. "baby, baby.... baby."

"daddy's going to use your slutty little body now. you'll take what i give you, won't you little girl?"

you nodded with zero shame. toji slapped your cheek slightly.

"use your words, you dumb slut."

sniffling, you half-whined, "yessss... i'll take... everything"

toji smirked proudly. "that's my good girl."

he leaned forward, his cock ghosting over your cunt. "now... you'll let me fuck you raw, yeah? i wanna feel that pussy as it is... you're gonna say yes, aren't you, sweetie?"

you were too gone to even argue. you hand plan b somewhere in the drawer.

"my perfect little slut. gonna fill up this pretty pussy so well."

with a swift movement, he pulled you close, the head of his cock nudging insistently at your entrance. he groaned deeply as he sank into your heat.

"what. the. fuck... how are you still so tight, princess? jesus..." he groaned. the sensation was overwhelming, better than anything he had experienced before. he savoured the feeling of being fully sheathed inside you.

he pulled nearly all the way out before slamming back in, setting a brutal pace as he began to pound into you recklessly. your lewd moans, the ones he'd heard on quinn weeks ago, were now live, and meant just for his ears. he was the reason you were moaning so beautifully. it was like a lifetime achievement.

he felt your velvety walls fluttering around his pistoning cock, gripping him like a silken fist.

"that's it babygirl. let daddy hear your pretty moans," he snarled, one hand reaching behind your head to fist your hair, his other hand holding him steady above you.

your leg lifted itself, allowing him to plunge even deeper into your welcoming cunt. the new angle hit you in ways you never knew were possible.

"fuck, yeah. that's the shit." toji's balls slapped against your ass with each powerful thrust.

toji's eyes blazed with desire as he fucked you roughly. thighs spread, one leg hoisted up, he drove deep inside your again and again. he pounded into you like some monster.

"daddy! please! i- wan-wanna come!"

toji smirked at your desperate plea. but instead of giving you your first orgasm of the day, he slowed down his torturous pace, eliciting a pathetic whine from you.

"nope."

"UGH PLEASE! please daddyyy. let me come! please! i'll do anything, please."

toji slapped my ass. "who's a good girl huh?"

"me...m-me!"

"did you listen to me today? i don't think so, bitch."

"please toji... i can't... i need to come... please. fuck..." you begged shamelessly.

toji kept his pace painfully slow, almost with measured precision, but eventually, even he couldn't resist the urge to release. he pulled out, laughing at you groan.

he spun you around, pressing my head into the mattress again, and forced his cock back into you, holding your ass, fucking it back into him.

"alright. time to fuck this cunt properly. time to breed my needy girl. isn't it?"

toji was practically speaking to a china doll. all you did was nod to whatever he said. he chuckled and sped up, fucking you roughly, fast, hard, barely leaving room to breathe. he was a mess of grunts and moans, slamming into you with reckless abandon, balls smacking against your ass with each savage thrust.

he grabbed your arms and locked them behind your back, pulling you into his chest as he fucked you unforgivingly. he neared his climax and he knew just how much you craved yours.

"fuck. come... come for me, baby. come for daddy."

toji buried his dick deep inside you as he unleashed a torrent of hot cum into you, coming undone with you. you let out a pained, broken moan as you came on his dick, finally feeling the orgasm that had built itself long enough. he ground against you, stuffing you full of his cum. when he finally stilled, he pulled out his softening cock, and collapsed onto you, his weight pressing you into the mattress.

"jesus..."

for a moment neither of you said anything. only your pants and breaths spoke for themselves.

"you okay, baby?" toji asked softly, shifting some of his weight off you, resting on one elbow, his other hand tracing your spine.

you let out a sound somewhere between a whimper and a sigh. he smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

"sweet girl... you did so well."

he took a deep breath and got up from the bed to grab a towel. dampening it, he came back to your side and cleaned you up, taking his time. he rolled you to the side, untucking the sheets and tossed them away.

"you got spare sheets?"

you pointed to a drawer and toji dug out some fresh sheets. he managed to put them on without making you get up. once done, he got into bed with you, pulling up his boxers. he let you crawl into his hug, his arms wrapping around you gently.

"i'm so proud of you."

"for what?"

"for trusting an old man like me with you, your body, your pleasure."

"toji, you're not that old."

he smirked. "as a matter of fact, i turn 39 today."

you raised yourself and looked down at him. "it's your birthday?"

toji nodded.

"why didn't you tell me before? we could've celebrated properly! gone out! i didn't even have time to make you a gift!"

"baby, you're my gift. you and my kid. that's all i want."

your gaze softened as you rested on your stomach, hoisted up by your elbows. you smiled warmly at him.

"happy birthday, toji."

you leaned forward to kiss him and he met you halfway.

"thank you, princess."

"ugh. you should've told me before. now i feel shitty."

"hey, i got to fuck you, come inside you, and now i get to cuddle with you. if that ain't a present, then i don't know what is."

you swatted his shoulder. "that's not what i meant. toji..." you looked at him apologetically. "everyone deserves a birthday celebrated with friends and family."

toji shrugged. "i got family."

"and megs would've loved to celebrate today with you."

"and you."

you looked at him, your brow creased a little. "i'm no–"

"i wanna marry ya."

you blinked at his admission and toji chuckled.

"someday. not immediately. but... eventually. i don't got time to keep dating, y/n. before... i..." he sighed, knowing now's the time to be honest. "i thought i had to find megs a mother. but..."

he gently caressed your cheek. "i want a wife. a partner. a... lover."

given his usual brooding nature, and aura, you wouldn't have guessed that inside, there's just a man yearning to be loved. you looked at him with tenderness, listening to him open up.

"i hated myself and my life most of the time because of how many women i hooked up with. every woman i'd... meet, i crossed off because... honestly, anyone who hooked up with me, shouldn't be megs' stepmother."

he leaned closer, lying on the bed, looking up at your face. he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

"but... you..." he chuckled softly. "you're so young, so smart, so... beautiful. you never tried to hook up with me. you cared for megs like you would your own kid. and... i am... so..."

his eyes got blurry as a few tears collected in them.

"so... grateful that you exist."

your gaze softened and you kissed his forehead.

"i can't force you to play mom to that kid. but... if you're..." toji felt heavy even asking me that. "willing... i promise you, sweetheart, i will never let you lift a finger. i'll give you the world. i'll love you till you're sick and tired of me."

you chuckle and shake your head. "i won't get tired of you. annoyed, maybe. but..." you took a breath. "i wear my heart on my sleeve, toji. i love people fiercely, unconditionally. and megumi holds a special place in my heart. so do you."

toji smiled and cupped your jaw. "you're a rare one."

"and i'm yours," you said softly.

toji and you spent the night talking, kissing, and laughing. as the new years' fireworks went off, you sat by the window in your living room, watching the sky light up, sipping coffee, nestled in each other's arms.

[two weeks later]

toji had spent the first few days of the new year frantically planning for megumi's new school supplies. the kid insisted on dog themed stationary, so it took a trip to a million stores to get him what he wanted.

in his hectic routine, he replayed that night at your place in his mind. you were truly something else. but a part of him swayed to the one place he'd kept buried for years.

an old, dusty frame in his hand, he looked at the woman in the photo, her face clear, but her memory fading.

"our kid's growing up, ma. he's gonna... need someone. someone who ain't an ugly crook like me. she–" he smiled. "please... give me a sign. anything. tell me it's okay if i do this..."

he kissed the frame and packed it in a box, putting it away in the storage room.

grabbing megumi's new dog-themed school bag, toji headed downstairs, where megumi was waiting with you for the bus. the little boy stood near the gate, quietly reciting the tables of seven and eight—something he’d proudly taught himself. toji handed you the bag, and you knelt down to help megumi put it on, adjusting the straps snugly over his tiny shoulders.

“my, you look so smart, gumi,” you said with a grin, giving his chubby cheek a gentle poke.

megumi giggled, his eyes crinkling with delight, before the faint rumble of the approaching bus made him perk up. as the bus came to a stop, he trotted off eagerly, clutching his bag close. just before stepping onto the bus, he turned back with a big wave, his bright smile making the early morning feel a little warmer.

"bye dad! bye mom!"

you looked at him, eyes widened, lips parted. toji looked up at the sky briefly, smiling, before he looked down at you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to your temple.

[five-rivers]

If you are still taking Prompts, I would love to know how Danny's Delivery went in your fic Delivery in your Grandfather Clock's series. Like, I'm just imagining him getting shot (not seriously) and Clockwork fussing over him even while he congratulates Danny on doing a good job.

"Okay," said Sam, the minute Danny's parents and the doctor went out into the hallway to talk. "Spill."

"It pretty much went how I said it went," said Danny, shrugging. "I found that guy's notebook and decided to bring it back to him. The Guys in White were there with their stupid ultrasensitive targeting system. I set it off and they shot me."

"Yeah, you're helpful, but you're not that helpful," said Sam. "You'd normally have handed it off to Jazz, since she's got some classes there."

That was true.

"You've done it before," said Jazz, crossing her arms. No help there.

"Okay, you're right, but you have to promise not to get mad," said Danny.

Sam and Jazz looked at each other. Danny would have liked Tucker to be there, just for the sake of Guy Solidarity, but Tucker refused to get anywhere near a doctor's office unless someone was actively dying.

"Go ahead," said Jazz, finally.

"Clockwork gave me the notebook and told me to bring it back," said Danny. "Because, he said, the Guys in White would lose a lot of recruits and that'll be important in the future."

"He sent you somewhere to get shot at?" asked Jazz.

"I knew I was going to get shot at, and I did it anyway. That's kind of what I do every time I fight ghosts, too."

Jazz made a face. "That's true."

"So, it was time agent stuff," said Sam. "That's still working out for you?"

"Oh, yeah, it's great," said Danny. "Clockwork is great."

"I'm glad, but still... I don't like that he sent you to get shot at on purpose."

"But I'm fine."

"And remember what he was like during the snake thing," said Sam.

"I wasn't there during the snake thing," said Jazz. "Because you didn't tell me about the snake thing until after."

"Oh, yeah. Well, he was completely doting on him. Like at the, you know, at the party."

"You can say deathday around me, I'm not going to freak out."

"I know, I know," said Jazz. "We all like Clockwork, it's just that with Mom and Dad... You don't need someone else who cares more about work."

When it came to ghosts, things weren't quite that simple. He didn't think things were quite that simple with his parents, either.

"Yeah, but it was about making me safer in the future."

Jazz's expression softened further. "If you're sure that's what's going on, okay," she said. She sat down in one of the chairs. "But maybe give me a heads up in the future? You nearly gave us a heart attack."

"Mostly you," said Sam.

"Mostly me," agreed Jazz.

"Time out," said Clockwork.

Danny sat up straighter on the examination table. "I didn't mess anything up, did I?"

"Not at all," said Clockwork. "You did wonderfully. Everything is as it should be." He held out a hand. "May I?"

Danny nodded and slid the paper examination gown to one side so Clockwork could see the burns more easily. They weren't serious, and he was already healing quickly, but they were worse than what a regular human would have gotten from those weapons... Which had, at least, made the doctor and his parents that much more angry at the GIW. Although, who knew how long that would last or what excuses the GIW would come up with.

Clockwork adjusted one of the watches on his wrist and passed his hand over the burn. Danny watched as another couple of days of healing passed in front of his eyes.

"I need to learn that trick," said Danny, putting the gown back into place.

"I will be happy to teach you," said Clockwork.

Danny blinked at him. "Really?"

"Really. Time in."

[nerdygirlramblings]

Off to See the Wizard (4)

previous | next

It was nearly midnight, but Price felt they had a solid plan for the next few days. They needed to establish some things: they were each individually interested in you, they were together, and they were collectively interested in you.

Price wasn't sure how you would react to the latter two of those revelations, but he was quite sure getting involved with them individually was something you were amenable to given your recent reactions. He didn't forget how flustered you were at staying in their barracks and how you looked at lunch earlier that day. Ghost admitted he'd told you how pretty he thought you were, which checked with the dumbfounded look on your face when Price and the others finally brought the food over. Then there was what Ghost and Soap said about how you acted when Soap complimented you.

All signs pointed to someone as smitten with each of them as they were with you. It was valuable intel, and Price was nothing if not a good soldier. He planned to leverage that to his every advantage.

The next morning you're surprised by the knock on your door at 6:30. You heard the boys leave around 5:00, so you have no clue who might be at your door. The idea that a soldier you don't know has access to the barracks is a little disconcerting.

You call out a muffled greeting and quickly pull some clothes on. You open the door to find John standing there with another soldier. "Oz, this is Corporal Avery," he says, putting a hand on the soldier's shoulder. "She'll be your liaison on base while we're gone. Anything ya need, ya find Avery, and she'll do what she can. She's under my direct orders to help look after ya."

You scoff at him. "I'm not a child, John. I appreciate this, but I'm fine. And I'm sure the Corporal has better things to do than babysit me."

He rolls his eyes. "Need I remind you, Oz, while yer 'ere, yer my responsibility. An' ya know I take my responsibility seriously." He gives you a knowing look and drops his voice to just above a whisper. The corporal takes half a step back and averts her eyes. "I take care a' mine, dove, you know that."

You can't keep yourself from dropping your gaze to his lips before looking away. You miss the smirk that quickly crosses Price's face. "Fine," you huff. You shift to look at Corporal Avery and say, "Thank you, Corporal. I don't plan to be any trouble, but I appreciate knowing who I can turn to for help while the task force is gone." She only nods and acknowledges you with a polite "ma'am" before John sends her off.

"The first step in takin' care a mine," John says, taking a step into your space, "is makin' sure ya eat. I'll give ya til half seven ta get ready, then I'll take ya ta the mess."

You sigh and roll your eyes. "Again, John, I'm a big girl. I appreciate this, but I'm sure I can find the mess."

He grabs your wrist gently as you make to turn away. He brings your hand to his lips and kisses the back of it, eyes never leaving your face. "Lemme take care 'a ya, dove, yeah?"

You splutter trying to respond. He kisses your hand again and reminds you, "Thirty minutes."

It takes you a solid five minutes to calm your racing heart and try to forget the heat in John's voice when he said he takes care of his own. After that, you shower and dress quickly. You decide if you're up, you'll fully start your day, so you pull on one of the cotton dresses you brought and a cardigan as you were chilly in your office yesterday.

You walk into the rec room and hear the audible intake John makes when he sees you. The look in his eyes is unreadable. You're not sure what's going on, but your gut tells you he's not behaving the way another captain would. You're not ready to address what might be going on. You fear hope he'll simply tell you what it is.

He walks you to the mess, arm around your waist like Kyle had at lunch yesterday. You walk in, expecting to see the rest of the task force. John must read your confusion in how you look around the room. He leans over, whispering right into your hear. "The boys aren't here, dove. They've got trainings to oversee this mornin'. 'S just us." His voice is low and almost growling, the warm breath across your skin sending shivers down your spine.

He walks you through the line, one hand always on you somewhere: on your hip directing you through the crowd, on your arm to get your attention. You watch him add one food after another to your heavily-leaden tray and tell him, "John, it's too much! I can't possibly eat all this. I usually have fruit and a yogurt."

He gives you a look that has your argument dying in your throat. "I need to make sure yer eatin' well, dove." You nod meekly and vow to at least try a bit of everything despite knowing you can't finish everything.

As you eat, John talks to you about his life. You learn more from his conversation than you'd known from all the little previous snippets. He talks about his childhood and what made him join the military. He shares what it's like being in command. He mentions how lonely he used to be. Throughout it all, he's watching your reactions. Your curiosity at his childhood and enlistment, the appreciation for his leadership, but it's when you stiffen, ever so briefly, when he says he used to be lonely that makes him perk up.

"Used to think I knew what I wanted. Nice girl at home, house full 'a babies. Don't think that's what I want anymore." He looks directly at you as he says it, and you choke on the coffee you were drinking. "Think I found something better than a missus keepin' house." He watches you, unblinkingly, before adding, "Kinda want a missus with a little spunk, someone who can make a place feel homey, and who's gonna look out fer me the same way I look out fer 'em."

You think you've stopped breathing. You feel John's eyes boring into you as he asks, "Know anyone like 'at?"

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 5 part 6

~~

Taglist: @blackhawkfanatic @starriestarlight @grayskel @mxtokko @imjustheretofightforlove @miss-vanta-likes-to-write @thriving-n-jiving @madsothree @silly-starfish @danielle143 @beelzebee @nova-willow-541 @alchemyfreak321

[taffywabbit]

oops i accidentally wrote a review for zelda II: the adventure of link

(originally posted to Cohost on Feb 22, 2024. you can ignore this if you want, i just wanted it archived somewhere before that site disappears)

Finally beat Zelda II for the first time last night (I forced myself to finish it before starting Splatoon 3's Side Order DLC, because I knew if I didn't push through to the end of the Great Palace THIS time then it'd be years before I tried beating it again. This is probably my 4th or 5th attempt at this point). Not that this is a particularly hot take by most people's standards, but I don't think it's all that good, at least from a gameplay standpoint.

I don't regret playing it though, because I think I'm finally able to put my finger on the stuff I actually disliked about it vs the stuff that was honestly fine, or even (very rarely) actually good? I'm kinda fascinated by it, honestly. Sequels where they immediately screw around with the first game's formula (to mixed results) are neat! FE Gaiden is another example that comes to mind (hey they should give Zelda II the Shadows of Valentia treatment, that could be really cool actually).

Obviously Zelda II has a reputation for being kind of a rough experience. It's an NES game, and NES games are often susceptible to being frustrating, buggy, hard to control, or overly punishing. Sometimes, all of the above! And for what it's worth, the original Legend of Zelda was a tough and sometimes very cryptic experience as well. But I feel like the two games are challenging in drastically different ways, and I think TLoZ ended up being the formula that was retained in the long term primarily because its method of challenging the player overall did a better job of inspiring curiosity and exploration. Despite narratively being a direct sequel (with a really badass story premise that is unfortunately not really conveyed at all in-game) Zelda II took a different approach to nearly every element of the original's gameplay, which is a pretty bold move I suppose. Whether or not it succeeds at anything is fairly subjective, but it's undeniably had a lasting impact on the series, as well as the people who grew up with it (and then they went on to make some really excellent mid-2000's flash games inspired by it that I frankly enjoyed a lot more than this... and also a weirdly solid licensed Adventure Time game on the 3DS? I should go back and play that sometime, it's really fun).

Where to start with this...? Uhhh, the EXP-based leveling system where you choose what stats to put your points into is interesting! It creates a risk-and-reward system for fighting enemies instead of avoiding them, whereas in most other Zelda games besides BotW/TotK, the only reward for killing monsters is "they are no longer bothering you while you solve puzzles, and also sometimes they drop rupees/hearts/ammo". It also introduces a bit more player choice in what areas you'd like to get stronger in first, which is cool! I just wish it actually mattered in a way that let you feel powerful for even a moment. Instead, leveling Life (which is functionally just defense) is never enough to actually make you feel like you can afford to take a hit - the expectation seems to be that leveling Attack, Life, and Magic is something you do purely to keep up with how badly every single thing in this game wants to stomp you into the ground and soak up a million hits and waste all your magic. You CAN skip out on leveling one stat to prioritize another, or even try to evade tough combat situations entirely, but if you aren't leveled enough and in the exact things the game expects you to be WHEN it expects you to be, you'll immediately bump into some new asshole who jumps out of nowhere and can cut you down in 2-3 hits. Leveling doesn't make you tangibly stronger, it merely keeps the game barely playable.

This actually ends up being the core problem I have with Zelda II's design, far more than just the combat being clunky and overly punishing or the levels being visually samey and super hard to navigate. In most Zelda games (and also in a lot of other RPGs!), you get a better sword or a new power or item, and it opens up exciting new options for both exploration and combat. In Zelda II, you level up or earn a new item/spell, it's useful for maybe 20-30 minutes, and then it's immediately nullified. Wow, you got the Fire spell! Now you can finally deal with Tektites and Basilisks (which are immune to all other attacks) on the way to the next area! Well, I hope you had fun with that, because Fire doesn't work on most things you run into afterwards.

Easily the biggest game-changer is when you unlock the Downward Thrust sword technique, and finally have another option for combat besides just crouch-hopping and poking monsters with a dull butter knife. It's satisfying to use, it looks cool (by this game's standards), and it even has some utility for crossing hazards or defending yourself against swooping enemies! Cool! Unfortunately, they don't let you play around with that for long either, before nearly every enemy you see starts rolling up with helmets or shells that make them immune to attacks from above, and you never really get anything like that again (the Upward Thrust exists later, but it's far more situational and frankly not very fun or intuitive to use). Rather than feeling like you're being given tools to overcome challenges and stay above the difficulty curve, it feels like you're constantly just slightly underequipped for everything (even if you grind to earn extra stat levels) and any edge you're given is swiftly taken away from you. (Except the Reflect spell, which is ALWAYS a banger after you get it because it makes your shield Actually Do Its Damn Job after nearly every enemy starts shooting projectiles you can't block. Good work, Reflect spell.)

I feel like I grew up hearing plenty of people talk about the overall difficulty of Zelda II, though most of the complaints about its puzzles were surface-level jabs about the short cryptic NPC text, and none of that prepared me for just how ridiculously obtuse its mandatory puzzles/secrets can be. I genuinely have no idea how anyone would EVER find the Life spell - pretty much your ONLY source of healing outside of towns, since there are no hearts to pick up in this game - without some kind of guide. I was FURIOUS when I finally looked up where to find that lady's mirror and discovered that you have to walk into one of the houses, go over to the table that looks EXACTLY like every other table in every other house in the entirety of Hyrule, crouch, and press B, and you'll just pull the mirror out of nowhere. This type of interaction does not exist ANYWHERE else in the game and there's no in-game hint to indicate that you should try this. Absolutely maddening.

This and its predecessor are both games that seemingly expect you to have the physical manual on hand to help you find secrets, but at least in the first game, the way the game was designed was consistent enough that you COULD feasibly find your way to the end of it without a guide. Bombable walls in dungeons always being located in the center, things like that. It had rules and it could generally be trusted to follow them. Zelda II, in comparison, has a final level (the Great Palace) in which there are numerous rooms that look IDENTICAL and if you make one wrong turn you can go through the entire [very difficult and dangerous] dungeon on a path parallel to the one you need to be on, only to hit a dead end and be able to see the spot you're supposed to be reaching on the other side of a wall. Except you would also never KNOW you need to get there, because it looks like another dead end full of monsters but there's actually a completely invisible hole somewhere in the floor over there that drops you into the hallway leading towards the final boss. Also there is no map. TLoZ had a map. I don't know why this game doesn't have a map. Possibly because if you try to look up maps online, most of the dungeons feature non-Euclidean spaces? Idk, even a Super Metroid-style grid map would've done wonders here.

The combat is... fine? I truly don't understand how anyone thinks it's GREAT though. Zelda II is kind of like a version of Castlevania where you don't have a whip and instead have to stab everything at extremely short range, and also sometimes enemies have shields so you have to crouch sometimes to stop them from blocking you. It feels tense and high-stakes but only because, as I mentioned earlier, you really cannot afford to take stray hits in this game. Most enemies chew through your health at an alarming rate, even with the Shield spell active, and there's almost no way to replenish it unless you use a Life spell (which costs a huge chunk of your magic, possibly softlocking you if you end up in a place that requires other spells to progress). I got better at the combat over the course of my playthrough, but I never felt like I got good at it - most of my victories against strong enemies felt like pure luck and there were rarely consistent strategies for success. All of this combined with the fact that Zelda II has limited lives (and I mean LIMITED - there are only six 1-UPs in the entire game, which can each only be collected once) and getting a Game Over anywhere outside of the final palace will send you all the way back to the starting area, and it makes for an incredibly stressful experience. Even making use of savestates to lighten the fear of death can only do so much to improve it.

Overall, I think that Zelda II is a game that has a lot of really promising ideas, but then just absolutely flops when it comes to the execution. I didn't have a better way of organizing these but here are a few examples of elements I DID particularly like, even if they didn't always stick the landing:

I like the idea of the RPG leveling system in theory, but wish it was more empowering in practice and actually let the player make meaningful choices instead of just being required to survive. Choosing to hold off on a Life upgrade and instead save up just a little longer to boost your Attack feels awesome, until you time one of your inputs wrong and get destroyed. In a game with better-tuned difficulty and combat, this system would be great!

I REALLY like that Zelda II introduced a magic system to the series! I think it's cool as hell to have Link learning and casting spells to protect himself, solve puzzles, and exploit enemy weaknesses, instead of relying purely on items. (It's honestly weird to think that a system I associate so strongly with classic Zelda gameplay has only actually showed up in 4 of the games?? I guess you could consider the runes/hand abilities in BotW/TotK to be kind of like modern spells, or the slowly-refilling energy gauge in ALBW to be the most recent iteration of a Magic Meter, but both are highly debatable. Anyways I just think they should let Link shapeshift into a fairy again, that was cool.) But most of the spells in this are fairly situational and your access to magic refills is so limited that you rarely have the freedom to experiment with the spells' secondary functions (hey did you know the Spell spell turns most enemy types into slimes? that's wild. I wish I'd known that sooner).

The overworld functioning like a traditional JRPG, with top-down exploration broken up by semi-random enemy encounters, was something I honestly didn't hate. It's a little weird for Zelda, sure, but I could see it working well to support other systems in a more polished game. Overworld encounters that switch you into a type of gameplay other than turn-based JRPG combat are something I've always been fascinated by!

Anyways, weird game! I'm glad I finally got closure so I could figure out how I personally feel about it, independent of whatever the random youtubers I watched as a teenager thought. And now I never have to play it again :)

[chugging-antiseptic-dye]

Five times you hated Joshua

genre : soft angst word count : 1.3 k words > trigger warnings : profanities and slight slut-shaming (not by shua)

1.

When he helped you up after you tripped in front of him like a goddamn idiot

What happened half an hour ago was the thing you have been dreading since you and Joshua broke up. You even went to church on a Sunday with your mother and begged God to let you keep your dignity for once and NOT make a fool of yourself in front of Joshua. And did you do exactly one week later? Be the biggest, most pathetic loser in this whole city, nay, the universe! Maybe it wasn't a big deal. Lots of people make eye contact with their ex who they have been ghosting, and then stub their toe in the sidewalk, let out a scream a pterodactyl would be proud of, and fall face first into the snow. Joshua running over to help you up was the nail on the coffin. You hated him so much.

Why couldn't he have left you alone when you were hurt?

2.

When he lied to your mom that you were still together

"Why didn't you tell me the reason Joshua couldn't come to family dinner was because he is busy on an important work project? A project that could even net him a promotion??" As usual, your mother screeched as soon as the call connected.

Blindsided by it all, you replied in the most intelligent way you could,

"Huh?”

"And here I thought he finally had enough of you and broke up. I mean no would blame him. Look at who Joshua is and look at yourself. Goodness!”

"Um, yeah, sorry, he was just busy.”

Your brain volleyed off your mom's interrogation on autopilot because the only thing your mind could loop was how much you loathed Joshua.

Why did he still have to be your partner in crime?

3.

When he helped you feed stray cats even when he doesn't like pets.

Enough time has passed since your breakup that you felt that it was safe enough to pass through your old neighbourhood yours and Joshua's home. Making a slight detour to check up on the two stray cats you used to take care of, you push down the feelings of guilt that bubble up. You keep telling yourself that they are okay. They are stray cats. They will be fine without you feeding them premium grade tuna. But, you are still apprehensive of what you are going to find. Suddenly, you see a silhouette dropping something on where the cats frequently gather. Recognizing it's Joshua, you dash into deep dive into the adjacent alley. Your eyes widen in disbelief as you recognize the can Joshua poured something out of. Making sure to stay still until he leaves, you creep slower when the area is deserted again. You saw right. It was the type of tuna you always fed the strays with. It took you a whole minute to wrap your head around the fact that Joshua kept on feeding your the cats. The same Joshua who grumbled that they will follow you home if you keep on feeding them. The same Joshua who passive aggressivly attached the pet policy notice on the fridge with magnets. That Joshua? You can't even stand seeing a single strand of his hair at this moment.

Why did he break his own rules for you?

4.

When he doesn't let anyone disrespect you behind your back

You didn't mean to hear it. However, it seemed that the universe decided that you were its new punching bag and thus, the moment you hit behind the curtains to take a breather (cough hide from Joshua cough) , an annoying, grating voice piped up,

"Hey, Josh!"

Your first thought was, who the fuck is Josh and your second thought was, oh no (you could f e e l the universe smugly saying, oh yes)

"Hey, man! Long time no see. What's up?" A very, very familiar voice replied.

"It's all good. Just peachy. You here alone? I swear, I thought I saw that girl of yours."

You swear that you could feel the. heat radiating off a body just a few centimetres in front of you in the pitch-black darkness . And the voice responding confirmed that you were not being delusional.

"Um. Maybe she is here. I don't know actually. We sort of broke up." Joshua replied awkwardly.

"Oh damn. It's all right, bro. There are plenty of fish in the sea and all that. I always thought she was a bit of a bitch anyway. Acting like she is so above us while dressing so slutty."

Pin drop silent lasted for a few seconds and then, with steel in his voice that you didn't know he possessed, Joshua spit out,

"I think you got the wrong idea here, pal. She broke up with me and not the other way around. And even if I broke up with her, it would not be because of any fault of hers. She is an amazing person inside out."

That piping voice finally got a hint (who even was this idiot) and squeaked a bit in fear.

"Wow, sorry, man. I didn't know that you guys were still together. I totally respect your territory and all that."

"You don't have to respect my 'territory' at all. But never disrespect her in front of me again."

"Yeah, whatever, bye."

Both of you could hear the idiot mutter as he walked away, "What crawled up his ass today?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Joshua also walked away. And you hated him a bit more.

Why couldn't he let you face the world alone?

5.

When he is always in your corner even when you are not

It was a dull Monday evening like any other. The only thing that was exciting in your life was that you were two pages away from finishing the book you were slogging through the last eight months. Just as you turn to the second last page, a small slip of paper starts to float down from the book. Now, curious, you pick it up only to read the words,

"Almost at the end! I always knew you could do it, sweetheart <3 - Your Joshua."

A high-pitched kneeing wail slipped out of your throat and you fell down to your knees. Why, why, why, why, why, why, why. Why did he have to be so supportive? You never hated someone as much as you hated him.

Why did he always have faith in you?

+ The one time you accepted that you will always love him

+1

You were so used to taking the same route every day that it was something you could do with your eyes closed. Suddenly a shrill ring of the phone broke the sacred silence of the subway. Ugh, who doesn't even know to silence their phones before getting on here? You think before recognising that it was your phone that was ringing. In a panic-filled scramble, you accept the phone call and whisper,

"Hello?"

"Wow, I didn't think you would pick up." Joshua said with a tired chuckle.

"Um, well, I did. Is it something important you wanted to tell me? I am actually on the subway. I will call you back later?"

"No! It's fine. There's no need to call back." With a click, the call ended. You turn the short conversation over in your mind. Only one thing stood out. Joshua's voice was even but there seemed to be something he was holding back.

Making a sudden split decision, you elbow your way through the crowd and managed to get on the platform just one second before the subway pulled away. Giving yourself a second to catch your breathe, you make your way towards Joshua's house. It's not something an ex-girlfriend should do but Joshua was so bad at asking for help and you couldn't bear the thought of him experiencing any kind of pain.

It's okay, you guys were bad at being exes anyways.

[formylovetodaryldixon]

"Marley's stickers." Daryl Dixon Imagine.

After returning from a supply run with stickers for his daughter, Daryl is no longer sure if giving them to Marley was a good idea when he finds his crossbow covered in them, especially when he has to leave again with his group.

@eline720: Allright. I see you write with a daughter. Can i please have a one shot when the daughter of Daryl have find stickers. And Daryl searches for his crossbow. Only to find it full of stickers on it. And then the daughter comes in with even more stickers but didn't see Daryl. I find it cute. But i can't write. So thank you so much if ur gonna do it :)

A/N: Hey, Love! Thank you so much for your request. I didn't have internet when I wrote it and I only read your request once, so it's not exactly how you asked :( but I REALLY hope you like it! Thanks♥

The first airs of spring enter the house the moment Daryl closes the door of his home.

He had been out of Alexandria for 3 days on the almost last supply run: there was one more on the south and that would be it. Sitting in the living room next to her mom, Marley jumps off the couch the moment her blue eyes meet her daddy's, a smile growing on her little face that her dad returns. She is about to be 5 years old, and is easy for Daryl to pick her up in his arms the second she reaches him. Marley practically presses her entire little body against her daddy's, her arms around his neck in a tight hug. For a moment, they stay like that in silence, letting the warmth of their embrace speak for them first, before telling each other how much they had missed each other.

When Marley finally pulls away a little bit to look at Daryl, he smiles the second she kisses his nose, something he did all the time as Marley grew up.

“I missed ya so much, angel.” Daryl uses one hand to push back an obstinate strand of his daughter's hair which almost always fell towards her face, looking into her eyes. “Did ya miss daddy?”

“I missed you so much, daddy.” Marley nods, pouting in her brave attempt not to cry when two nights ago, a nightmare woke her up and he wasn't there. “You will have to leave again?”

Daryl can see the sadness on his daughter's face as he walks to sit on the couch next to you, leaving on the floor his backpack and the crossbow that he held in one of the straps before sitting his daughter on his lap.

"Jus’ one more time, okay, angel? Then ya, me and Mommy can stay home all day. I'll finally let her teach me how to make those brownies ya love so much."

"But you'll have to wear the apron and everything." You try not to smile too much, but you love the way Marley's face lights up at his words. "You know, so you can get the full experience."

“Fine.” Daryl says with a slight hint of false annoyance, but he leans forward to kiss your cheek in greeting before turning his attention back to Marley. "I found some things for ya, angel. I even found some books without pictures for mommy."

“Boring!” She says giggling, but making a face she learned from her daddy.

In response, you wrinkle your nose.

"I gave birth to you but sometimes I don't recognize you as my daughter, baby."

Marley laughs, and it is a sweet and a warm sound that makes Daryl smile as he uses one hand to open his backpack and grab the things he found at a paper store. It is a book with pictures for children, some boxes of colors and sheets of stickers of cartoon animals, some with positive little messages, and when Daryl hands them to her, Marley smiles, her lips curling upward.

“I love them!” She has to tilt her head back a little to look him in the eyes, earning a kiss on the cheek that makes her giggle again. “Thank you, daddy. You are the best!”

She slides off his lap to go to the dining table behind the couch, leaving the two of you for a moment, but when your eyes meet, you chuckle.

“When we met, you swore you didn't love anyone and look at you now: you are a big softie for your daughter.”

Daryl chuckles, too.

“Dun get jealous, woman. Ya know I love ya too.” His fingers catch your chin in a gentle grip as he leans forward. Daryl presses a kiss on your lips, resting his forehead against yours for a moment. “I missed ya too, Mrs. Dixon. All of ya.”

You let out a soft giggle, loving the fact that you are a Dixon too.

“I missed you too, love.” You pull away slowly. "I'll get the food ready, okay? Marley didn't want to eat dinner until you arrived."

Daryl nods as you get up, getting up as well to walk towards his daughter. Marley is painting, with some colors scattered close to her, and she giggles when he picks her up again, sitting in the chair with her on his legs because Daryl knows she loves when he paints with her. And after a while when they finish the first picture, Marley pulls off a sticker of a yellow fox holding a sign: you did it! and sticks it on his vest at the height of his heart.

Daryl hides his smile, frowning playfully.

“You did it, Daryl Dixon.” She smiles. “You did a very good job.”

“Did he?” You joke the moment you put two plates on the table. “It seems a bit messy to me.”

"What? Ya’re crazy, woman, this is a masterpiece." Daryl looks at you as if you've gone really crazy or don't know how to appreciate art. "We should replace Marley’s drawin’ on the fridge and put mine up."

“No!” Marley frowns too. "Now I don't think you deserve the sticker, daddy."

“Hey!” Daryl covers it with his hand when she tries to take it back. “Ya gave it to me, young lady. S’daddy’s now.”

Marley giggles, forgetting the matter quickly.

When dinner is over, Daryl holds his daughter’s hand as they walk up the stairs towards the second floor to get Marley ready for bed. He does it alone to make up for the days and nights he had lost with her, finally tucking her in before telling her one of those stories about he and Uncle Merle playing when they were kids. Marley grew up loving Uncle Merle, and although she didn't know he was a jerk most of the time, Daryl knew his brother would have loved his niece.

Waking up the next morning, the sunlight in that warm season of the year bathes the place and the white walls, and finding himself alone, Daryl rubs his face with one hand, pushing some strands of his brown and long hair out of his face in the way. But the moment he stretches out his arm, Daryl can feel something sticky against his bare chest: and when he slightly raises his head to look down, he frowns as he sees a lot of stickers around his tattoo. So he just chuckles, putting his head back in the pillow.

And when Daryl walks into the kitchen; you're eating a strawberry while making breakfast as he finishes buttoning his shirt up.

“I think I’m gettin’ old, peach.” His voice is deeper in the morning, and you chuckle as he passes you by, kissing you first.

“Why?”

“I used to be a light sleeper ‘fore we had Marley, and now I can't feel when our daughter decides to put stickers on ma body while I'm sleepin’.”

You laugh.

“Where?”

“Around the tattoo on ma chest. Had to check that she didn't put ‘em on ma back too.”

You're smiling, loving the situation too much.

“But you pulled them off, right?”

Daryl clears his throat, watching the kitchen clock.

“I’m gotta get ma stuff from the garage. Told Rick we’re leavin’ before 10.” He walks the other way, leaving the room towards the garage that is behind the dining room. The hallway the connects the two parts of the house is empty until Marley walks from the other side, hiding her hands behind her back. "What are ya doin’ in the garage, lil’ mouse?"

Her hair is a little bit messy in the mornings, and Daryl smiles as he watches it.

“Nothin’, daddy.” Marley smiles back, surrounding him without turning her back on him. “Love you!”

The moment she reaches the door, she runs back to her mom, leaving Daryl alone as he walks into the room. He learned to put his stuff on the highest shelves when Marley was a baby, and although you two never left her alone in that place, now she had learned not to go near the tools, but when Daryl finally gets to the place where he had put his crossbow last night, not so high this time, he has to close his eyes for a moment.

He's not upset, just... embarrassed.

Daryl takes the crossbow, putting one of his backpack’s strap around his shoulder before walking back into the living room. The moment he takes a step into the room, he can see Marley sitting on the chair next to the table, but when you look up, you have to cover your mouth with one hand, eyes slightly open in surprise: the crossbow is full of colorful stickers, all over it.

“Marley Rose Dixon, care to explain this?”

His voice is always deep, and even though that is the first time Daryl has used his daughter's full name, she looks back at him, eyes smiling because she wasn't even the slightest bit afraid of her daddy, no matter how serious he gets.

"Last night you said that when an object has only one color it was okay for me to color it, daddy."

Daryl sighs.

“I meant the pictures on yer book, Marley. Not daddy’s stuff.”

Marley looks confused, and you rub your face with one hand, trying to kill a laugh.

“I can take them off. It will only be a few minutes.”

Daryl scratches his forehead, not ready to face the jokes and laughter that were to come from Rick and Glenn as he comes closer to you.

“S’okay. I’m runnin’ late anyways.” He holds the back of your head with one hand, pressing a kiss on your lips. “Ya can laugh after I’m gone.”

You nod, closing your mouth when he dares to slap your butt playfully, kneeling next in front of Marley to look into her eyes.

“Ya can put all the stickers ya want on daddy’s chest, but not on his stuff. Okay, ma lil’ angel?” He says softly, smiling when she smiles back. “Good. Now give me a hug.”

Marley wraps her arms around his neck, his free hand hugging her small body.

"Please take care, daddy. I love you."

“Love ya too, baby.”

Daryl kisses her cheek, getting up to leave his home once last time. The sun is warm on the exposed skin from his sleeveless shirt, but the moment he reaches Alexandria gate where one member of his family is waiting next to the passenger door of the truck, Glenn has to cover his mouth in shock, trying really hard not to laugh.

“Shut up.” Daryl says, almost threatening like when they met in Atlanta.

Glenn bites his lips, raising hands in a sign of peace.

“Now I love my little Marley even more.” He says after a few seconds, but hearing his niece’s name, Rick walks around the truck, laughing in surprise, so loudly when he sees Daryl's crossbow in his hand, so much so that he has to put his hands on his knees. “Wait! How is it that Rick can laugh?”

Daryl narrows his eyes at Rick, hating him for a moment. But ignoring the laughter, Daryl opens the passenger door and puts his things on the floor before climbing in, closing it with a little more force than necessary.

“Are ya done? I got a lil’ girl at home, ya dickfaces. Now let’s go ‘fore I shoot an arrow at yer faces.”

Rick has to put a hand on his chest to calm down, walking around the truck to get inside while Glenn does the same thing on the seat behind them. A man in charge of the gate opens it for the small group, and as the truck moves down the road, Daryl looks outside the window, waiting for the moment when he could return to his girls, no matter what jokes he had to endure first.

@fluffy-dixon

[sadiestarrs]

practise makes perfect

just a short fluff drabble (blurb?) about hanging out with ellie and she finds out you've never kissed anyone. this is NOT my best work but I wanted to write it (it's also proofread) so enjoy <333

wc: 1.1k

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

early evening rays from the end of the day pushed the afternoon out, leaving only cool breeze to blow through your window. ellie sat on your bed, too focused on the video game she was playing to notice your obvious annoyance and frustration at the words in your textbook jumbling up on the page.

another message lights up your phone: your ex just added a photo to their story. you angrily slam it down on the table, even more agitated by the image of her at a candlelit dinner with someone else.

"woah there, i'm sure your phone did nothing wrong."

ellie looks up for a few seconds at a time, drawn to the game but concerned with what you're going through. ultimately, she pauses and grabs your phone from the desk, opening it with ease as she remembers your password.

"oh shit."

you hear empathy in her voice as she continues scrolling through your ex's Instagram, laughing at every little post that she deems cringy. "I can't believe you actually dated her. i mean-what did you even like?"

"she was nice to me, okay? im just an idiot for not seeing that it was one-sided." you think back to all the times she cancelled on you or just forgot when you were meant to hang out. luckily, ellie was a saving grace and always ready to accompany you to the library or cafe.

"there must have been something good. was she a good kisser?"

you struggle with how to answer that. despite being together for five months, you never kissed her, not even once. hell, you couldn't even remember how or when you got "together".

"we never kissed," you answer, slightly embarrassed but okay with ellie knowing. "never??" she replies, more shocked than you had expected.

"it was a short relationship, i don't even think I liked her." you try to change the conversation but ellie remains stuck on what you had revealed.

"have you kissed anyone? like-ever?"

your cheeks flush, not wanting to answer the question or even be in the room at that moment. the silence that washes over the both of you answers ellie's question.

you were no stranger to the adventures she had been on. when ellie wasn't with you, she was with some other girl, solidifying your position as the friend with no love life. you didn't mind it though, at least she provided insight into what relationships were like. but late at night, you couldn't help but let your mind wonder what it would feel like to be with ellie, to be next to her in bed—romantically, to feel her hands on your body in ways other than a hug-

"you wanna try?"

that is when you look up at her, more confused and slightly scared. would she find a friend just for you to kiss them?

"what do you mean? do you have people on speed dial for kissing?" you try to mask your pounding heart and unravelling composure with humour, but it fails miserably.

"i wish," she jokes, "but no, seriously. do you wanna kiss me? for practice?"

right. practise.

ellie williams was asking if you wanted to kiss her for—practice? you try to recap and sort things out in your mind, but nothing makes any sense.

gingerly, you shrug, not sure how she would see you if you eagerly accepted. stay calm and composed. even chanting that thousands of times doesn't help, somehow making you more nervous.

"sure, i guess."

you're unsure of what to do from there, more silence entering the room. you settle for sitting next to her on your bed, surprised at how unfamiliar it felt at that moment. ellie laughs at your awkwardness, stopping once she senses that you're unsure.

"you don't have to, you know, it was just a suggestion."

"no— no, it's fine. i want to."

without another word, ellie raises her hand for the side of your face, gently cupping your cheek to move it closer. you barely notice when your lips connect, a soft touching of lips in the most gentle way you have ever felt. there's no real indication as to why she's being so gentle, but it feels nice in the moment, reminding you of when she'd hold your hand whilst walking you home at night.

"is this okay?" she asks, eyes slightly fluttering open to see you smiling. "more than okay," you mumble, focused on returning to kissing.

ellie chuckles at your eagerness, but obliges, moving closer so that all the surface area of your lips are touching. you can't help but wonder what it would feel like if she just added more pressure, enough to fully make your heart throb

her hand slowly trails down to your waist, a firm grip holding you tighter than she ever had before. "do you wanna, um, get on top?"

"w-what?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that if you were to kiss someone, it would be better to demonstrate from that position."

you listen to her ramble and try to justify herself and let out a laugh for the first time. the idea of straddling ellie sends shock waves through your system, but you still do it, scared to fully put your weight down.

ellie quickly shuts down that fear, holding both sides of you waist and letting her hands slide up your shirt, fiddling with the clasps of your bra. "is this okay?" she asks again. "yes, ellie, it's perfect. now stop hesitating and help me practise."

a new found confidence takes over your body, your arms gaining a mind of their own and wrapping around her neck. with confirmation that you were into it, ellie quickly returns to what she had been doing with the addition of your neck and collarbone.

she had been your bestfriend for years, constantly helping and carrying you through the hardest of times and failed crushes. and here she was, teaching you how to kiss someone else.

with how long she continues working at your neck, you had enough information to last a life time. you don't tell her to stop, however, enjoying the prickly feeling. "did you know that you smell really good, like vanilla or—"

she's too enthralled to focus on her words, finally unhooking your bra and tossing it to the floor.

"i think we might need more practice sessions, you know, something makes something perfect or whatever."

idk how to feel abt this one but its cute nonetheless!! reblogs always appreciated + thank you for reading<33

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Witte Solstice - Chapter 31

Cover art by @leespinoodle.

Fic written by me (enchantedchocolatebars) and @leespinoodle.

Summary: It's winter in the Boiling Isles, and Caleb prepares to celebrate the solstice with his wife, his friends… and hopefully, with Beardo Philip! Philip swears he'll never partake in the satanic holidays of those demonic witches. But when Caleb invites him over for the solstice… maybe he'll find himself making an exception.

Ao3 version

(AAA, LAST CHAPTER!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS STORY IS GOING TO BE OVER AFTER THIS!!! 😭 😭 😭 Thank you to everyone who took the time to read it, and a special thanks to @leespinoodle for being my companion throughout this writing journey! I highly recommend checking out their works since they're a really talented writer. This story, in particular, will always mean a lot to me since it's my first ever completed collaborative fic with a friend. I'll always go back and reread it whenever I can. But anyway, yeah! Hope everyone has a Happy New Year + a flourishing 2025! I'm defo going to be taking a small break after this (TIRED), but expect to see more fics, fic requests, headcanons, written works, etc. from me in the future. I'LL ALSO BE GETTING TO THE ASKS IN MY INBOX!)

Enjoy!

Soft golden light arose in the sky the next morning as Beardo Philip gently stirred in his sleep.

When he awoke, he let out a longish yawn, sitting up in bed to stretch his arms.

His blue eyes soon began to survey the spare room he was in, recalling a few of the events from yesterday.

Philip remembers having spoken to Caleb, as well as being led into this room after their talk.

Fables such as "The Ant and the Grasshopper" and "The Lion and the Mouse" were also fresh in his mind... for some odd reason.

Slipping out of the quilt that covered him, Philip headed to the door.

...

Caleb sat at the kitchen table, nursing a hot whiskey tonic. He looked up as Philip stepped out of the spare room. "Good morning," he said softly. "How are you feeling? I'd imagine you have quite the headache."

The second Caleb said that, Philip felt the pain in his head return.

"Ugh, don't remind me...," he calmly groaned, taking a seat at the table. "I'm fine, by the way. Slept fairly well. You?"

"I barely slept a wink," Caleb admitted. "The last of the guests left shortly after dawn, so I just laid down for a bit before getting up to make myself a tonic. Would you like one?"

Philip gave a slow, restful nod. "A tonic sounds fine. Is it feasible for you to make tea as well?" he requested.

"Of course." Caleb stood to set a kettle on the stove. "Anything to eat? We have bread and pottage from yesterday's supper."

"I'll have bread," Philip calmly spoke to Caleb as he tried piecing together the sober apology he was planning on making to the elder.

In his mind, it was long overdue.

Once the tea and tonic were done, Caleb brought them over to the table, along with a loaf of bread and a knife. "Here you are. Something on your mind?"

"Thank you." With breakfast now in his possession, Philip took hold of the wooden teacup, curling his fingers around the handle as he brought it to his lips, blowing the steam that arose from the liquid.

After a long sip, he released a breath.

The tea was black and plain, just how he liked it.

He set the cup down.

Philip was unprepared for Caleb's question.

It was evident to the elder that there was something on his mind.

"Hm?!" Philip went, quickly shifting his gaze to his teacup as he saw his reflection ripple through the liquid like little waves until it stilled.

He soon sighed, looking up at Caleb with regretful eyes.

"It's just..." Philip sighed once more. "I'm… I'm sorry, Caleb. For yesterday. I... very much regret not making a genuine arrival to your party. And..." Philip drew a long, deep breath and let it out.

"... I apologize for not visiting you often. I know that Yule is over, but I had a gift that I wanted to give you. I'm not sure if it'll mean much now."

"A gift? You didn't have to bring me a gift. You know that spending time together would have been enough of a gift for me," Caleb said, sitting back down.

Philip nodded. "I understand. However, I still wish to give you what I made. It's something I know you'll find fetching. View it as a humble apology gift from me to you. Would you mind opening your hands up?"

Caleb tilted his head questioningly but held out his hands.

Reaching a hand into his pocket, Philip pulled out his gift and placed it into Caleb's hands.

Caleb held a cute, delicately painted carving of a small yellow duckling with an orange bill and black eyes that had white pupils within his palms.

The bill was meticulously crafted to make the duck look cheerful.

As a small gag, the duck's lively aura is complimented by a single squeaky noise that acts as a quack.

Caleb gently cradled the wooden duckling in his hands, marveling at the craftsmanship. He smiled softly. "Thank you, Philip. It's lovely."

With closed eyes, Philip returned Caleb's expression as he felt the heavy burden of shame and regret that he once felt lifted from his back by his brother's smile. "You're quite welcome." He soon opened his eyes.

"Also, Caleb, if it's not too much trouble, could you let your cardinal know that I offer my deepest apologies to him? Admittingly, I wasn't the kindest to young Pancake the other day."

"That's not his... Alright, I'll let him know," Caleb said.

…

After breakfast had concluded, Beardo Philip was ready to return to his cave.

He smiled a small, somewhat gloomy smile.

"I... guess this is goodbye then...," Philip spoke as he sighed, his tone soft and tender as he turned to face Caleb while standing near the front door, now dressed in his blue coat.

The brunette did his best to avoid sounding too down about his departure.

Caleb reached out to pull Philip into a hug. "Remember, you're always welcome here. Don't be a stranger, now."

Philip's smile went soft as he hugged his brother back, happy to be in his caring and kind embrace. "I'll make sure to remember that, Caleb Clawthorne."