#It was supposed to be a simple doodle but I had too much fun with the colors/lh | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

honest-moth-of-silver-grove · 1 year ago

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For the BG3 Matchups may I offer my tav Jubilee, my little tiefling sorceress had been adventuring for like 2 weeks trying to figure out the origins of her magic when she got yoinked by mindflayers so she has no idea what anyone of any class/role is supposed to be like. She just kinda assumes whatever her companions do is the norm even when it’s really not, Shadowheart hates selûne with a passion I guess all clerics just get grumpy about gods other than theirs and she offered another rouge her blood once because she assumed that’s just how they are and got a horrified reaction. The woman is just taking things at face value and needs to be wrangled by the party about her misconceptions about how this works. This being said she has no idea what a sorcerer is supposed to be like and often ends up acting far more like an overly compassionate Druid or an innocently charming bard. She was working as a baker before getting all the adventuring nonsense and keeps bringing her party member’s pastries the way one would expect a cat to bring you a dead mouse. She is a genuine sweetheart who is deeply in over her head with everything happening too her. She a simple woman with a strong sense of fairness but has some strong people pleasing and attention seeking tendencies. She wants to be liked and while that leads to her being kind and helpful it can also lead to her being pushy. She has a lot of energy and is extremely affectionate to everyone. As mentioned before she’s an avid baker but can also sing and play the lute. She also just loves insects and has a collection of the little creatures, she hates loud noises as she has very sensitive hearing and sarcasm confounds her more often than not. I threw in a doodle of her for fun!

She’s down for Poly and extremely sapphic.

A/N: Lol, I love it! This is now officially a Jubilee stan blog.

And oh my gosh at that doodle? She’s so sweet??? I love her so much???

“She was working as a baker before getting all the adventuring nonsense and keeps bringing her party member’s pastries the way one would expect a cat to bring you a dead mouse.”

@botanicalbard Literally my favorite line ever in a matchup submission, holy shit lol. Like she is so precious! Her companions better protect her or I will personally jump into the game to kick their asses.

Please Like & Reblog!

Okay… So for Jubilee, as you said she’s into women, and down with a poly relationship, I think her best matchups would be monogamous relationships either with (or a poly relationship with both) Karlach and Hope!

♨ Karlach is such a sweet girl, despite years of being forced to fight in hell. She’s kind, happy, and boisterous. She doesn't beat around the bush. If she likes something, she says it. If she disagrees, she’ll make her opinion heard. She has a fair amount of experience, but still manages to look on the bright side without coming off as naive. I think she’d find Jubilee’s innocence and curiosity sweet, as opposed to some other companions who might find it off-putting or dangerous. So it’s okay for Jubilee to take what Karlach says at face value, and in the event she needs clarification (which you said seems to be most of the time lol), Karlach is there, ready and willing to give it to her.

Karlach isn’t a magic expert. She’s a barbarian, so her frame of mind is “If I can hit it, I can damage it”, which, to be fair, works out more often than not. However, I do think Karlach would encourage Jubilee to do some digging into her past and into her possible education, to try and teach herself more about sorcery for a couple of reasons. 1) It would be a great addition to the party to have a sorcerer on board, and 2) Karlach knows how good it feels when she’s being true to herself, smashing the bad guys to bits. She wants Jubilee to feel that self of purpose herself. But in the meantime, Karlach enjoys the way Jubilee acts and approaches situations. It’s refreshing to see someone try their hardest to be a good person. After years of watching armies battle in hell, Karlach has seen people at their worst. Every moment above ground with Jubilee only further reminds her how beautiful and compassionate people can and should choose to be.

She’s also obsessed with Jubilee’s baking. Karlach is a tank, alright. She’s gotta fuel up way more than the other companions. And as long as Jubilee is happy to bring her sweets and pastries, Karlach is more than happy to eat them.

Karlach also feels a duty to protect Jubilee, physically and emotionally, from all the violence and betrayal out there. It’s a harsh world in Baldur’s Gate, and it’s very clear to Karlach and all the other party members that Jubilee’s in over her head. But that’s no matter. Karlach promises to stick by her side throughout it all. She truly believes that as long as they stick together, there’s nothing they can’t do.

Jubilee is similar to Karlach in that they both have a lot of energy. In some ways, they’re both people-pleasing. This can cause some issues, with neither one of the two being able to put down super firm boundaries. Thankfully, Karlach’s protective nature prevents Jubilee from doing anything overly foolish or risky while Jubilee’s genuine love for Karlach reminds Karlach to not put herself in unnecessary mortal danger. Because for Karlach, it’s not just about her survival anymore- it’s about theirs.

Karlach loves when they get a moment somewhere quiet, where Jubilee can sing or play the lute for her. It’s so sweet and peaceful, that for a moment they can forget all their troubles.

I think if/once Karlach’s engine issue gets fixed, the two of them can count on a long future together. One filled with just a bit less perilous adventures and lots of pastry eating together.

❂ Hope is actually the first character I thought of when I read your Jubilee description, (even though she isn’t a companion, but an NPC). She, much like her namesake, is an embodiment of hope in The Devil Raphael’s house of horrors. Despite years of torment and abuse, she still manages to have hope that things will get better. She naively believes that things will end well and that she will one day be free from the literal and metaphorical chains that bind her. That is one of the reasons Raphael chose to keep her locked away, as he could never seem to fully break her spirit, and it infuriated him.

As a cleric, Hope would probably be better equipped with teaching Jubilee more about magic, spells, and sorcery overall. And it’s alright if Jubilee doesn't know a lot, because honestly, Hope doesn't either lol. She’s young at heart and in soul. There’s so much she still wants to learn, and do, and make for others. She and Jubilee could spend time together, each researching their own abilities, while still enjoying each other’s presence/company.

Hope is overly compassionate herself. We know as much because she risks her own safety to help the party defeat Raphael. She’s giving but not completely selfless, asking to be rescued herself. This tells me she would be good at agreeing with Jubilee’s acts of compassion while keeping in mind her and Jubilee’s physical safety as well.

Hope would love to have Jubilee in her kitchen, brightening up the place. After taking the house from Raphael, she tells the player she plans to make the place more homely- some fresh paint, a new atmosphere, and her as the new owner- the place should be in much better spirits. Jubilee baking delicious pastries, and the smell of fresh baked goods wafting through the house just adds to that effect. It’s no longer a house of torment, but a safe home.

And Jubilee being a bit pushy when it comes to people-pleasing won’t be an issue with Hope lol. Hope can be quite loud when she wants to be. Despite her smaller stature, she’ll make sure she’s heard. She has no problem pushing back against things that make her feel uncomfortable. Now that she’s free, she promises to never let herself be forced into uncomfortable situations again. If Jubilee is asking too much of her, Hope will communicate that. And on the other hand, Hope respects when Jubilee puts her foot down on something Hope may want to do. Communication is key to any relationship, and the two of them have it down pat.

And Hope is interested in Jubilee’s insect collection. Hope is pretty small herself, so she feels a kinship with the little bugs and creatures Jubilee collects. And now that Hope has all these rooms, she has no problems converting one of them into a sort of conservatory to house all of Jubilee’s new little friends!

I think Karlah and Hope would get on well. Both of them know what it’s like to be trapped in hell and both of them managed to get through their traumas with their bright personalities intact. The best part about this arrangement is because Hope’s new house is technically located in hell, Karlach’s engine would calm down long enough for all three of them to come up with a plan to fix it. It would be the three of them- a trio of positive like-minded women versus the world.

No imp or cambion, or even Zariel herself could tear them apart. The trio’s collective optimism and hope keeps them together.

#karlach x tav #bg3 hope #hope baldurs gate #baldurs gate imagine #baldurs gate matchups #bg3 x tav #baldurs gate 3 x you #bg3 imagine #bg3 #bg3 matchups #matchups

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eyndr-stories · 1 year ago

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YOU!!! I WAS DISTRACTED BY SPACE GAME BUT

1. Your first OC ever?

4. A character you rarely talk about?

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs?

43. Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It’s time to confess (i bet i can guess something for that one kldgj)

ME!!!!! >:3

1 - I think my first ever OC that i can remember was this little dinosaur fella I would draw all the time in paper margins way back in middle school, I don't actually have any pics on my computer but I doodled him real quick for ya

Binosaur cause his head is just the letter B fdkjgjhgfdkfdg

4 - Lianel!!!!! I don't think I've ever shared them anywhere?? I made them back in highschool (hence the old signature, I went by a different name back then), I actually made a short little comic of them exploring this ruined world that I can't find >:( It's hiding in a sketchbook somewhere i hope and I just haven't scanned it. But anyhoo! Lianel is on the run for space crimes!! Jury's out on whether or not they actually committed said crimes or were framed though. They found their ancient armor from the ruins of a resistance organization that died out a long time ago, but when you're on the run you take what you can get. They've got a funky staff that an even funkier little magic blob lives in, so long as Lianel takes them on adventures, since the little blob can't travel on their own. In return the blob lets Lianel use some of their magic when they get into trouble. I don't think I ever named the blob??????????

13 - Hehohoho!!!!! >:D This is Calcifur!!! They look small and unassuming but they will steal your wallet fhgjhkgfjklhgf

Cal loves being gay and doing crimes, especially graffiti in places they're not supposed to, although after they met Lato they toned it down a lot and now stick to mostly silly pranks. Calcifur is one of the main three fellas I used to draw a whooooole lot before I fell out of doing art for a good while, and i will definitely be using this as an excuse to talk about them gjhfijhgfd but first, more about Calcifur! Cal's skin glows and changes color with their mood, (neutrally they're blue) and they've got a nifty pair of headphones that can transform into a stylish neck kerchief. They can speak, but can only be heard by people they want to hear them. And now the trio!

MY MAIN BLORBOS..... I LOVE THEM

Ok so the other two are Lato and Cube (bet you can't guess who's who lmao) Lato is my fluffy puff ball sweet boy, friendliest fella you'll ever meet. He's naturally very curious and aims to be pals with everyone he meets. He's semi aware of his being an artistic creation, though he's pretty chill about it. Cube on the other hand, is fully aware and somewhat peeved at me about it jhgdkhgdjkjhgfd Cube is a straightforward know it all with a short temper and vast knowledge. Originally I made him to be a companion to Lato, to keep him company in the void (since I was very bad about never drawing any sort of backgrounds lmao) and to answer Lato's many ceaseless questions for me. He often shows up doodled in the margins of whatever I'm working on to make snide jokes about something or other or yell at me to stay focused. Now a days the three live together in a nice house out in the forest and have fun domestic style shenanigans. I could talk about these three for a thousand years so I'll stop here because this whole ask has already gotten slightly out of hand kgfdhlkdjgfhgj

43 - (Looks at my crew of just the silliest lil guys. Jokesters and pranksters abound) Idk can't think of anything

dkhfjhlgdgljgfh I do really like silly characters, and characters with more simple designs that are easier for me to doodle here and there without taking too much time or energy. Cube is VERY popular in my notes and sketchbooks. Funny enough a lot of sillier characters are more recent creations, characters I made in highschool and earlier had more tragic / serious backstories. Oh, I also draw a LOT of little creatures, just strange monster things. Not sure if they count as OCs, most aren't even named or I only drew once or twice, but I do love me a creature

#oh whoops I've been making this post for. over an hour djhkfghfdjfdg #those image IDs man #but if i dont do them right away i forget about em #anyhoo thanks for the questions :D my brain blorbos. i love them dearly #holding them out in the palms of my hands #waugh i want to draw my main trio now but it is past bedtime kfdjgkgjhfdf #eyndr does art #OCs #♥️mutual shenanigans♥️#♥️kibbits♥️#grah tags idk i'll come back and fix tags later i gotta go to bed before Moon gets my ass jhgfhkgfjd #paper airplanes #oc cube #oc lato #oc calcifur #oc lianel #oc binosaur

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noodleblade · 2 years ago

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prompt: brainstorms latest invention!!! a newwwwwwwwww slur!!!

you are awful, but this was fun to write <3 also thanks for the term microscrote:) ao3 link (implied simpatico and background cdrw, to be clear- no actual slurs used or implied, just a silly little fic)

“Oh no, that looks like trouble waiting to happen.”

Chromedome followed Rewind’s gaze and felt dread trickle up his spine.

Secluded in the far corner booth of Swerve’s, Brainstorm sat alone, his faceplates wrinkled in agitation as he furiously scribbled on a datapad. Well, that would explain the weary looks Tailgate and Swerve had been shooting over there.

Beside him, Rewind pointedly elbowed Chromedome on his hip, leveling him with a look of “that’s your friend. Deal with it.” Chromedome stared at his conjunx pleadingly but received no sympathies other than a firm pat on the thigh and a nod to move along.

Reluctantly, Chromedome left the group and slowly made his way across the bar. As he approached the back corner booth, he could feel the irritation and anger radiating off the engineer in violent, volatile waves.

“So,” Chromedome quietly began as Brainstorm jumped, “what are you doing?”

Upon realizing who was speaking to him, Brainstorm relaxed. Aggressively, he took a loud slurp from the swirly straw hanging from his mid-grade, optics laser focused on the datapad before him.

“Thinkin’ up some new slurs. Turns out, we don’t have enough.” Brainstorm stopped his scribbling enough to glance up, his field completely, genuinely serious. “I know, I’m surprised as well.”

Realizing this was not going to be a quick fix, Chromedome resigned himself to sitting across from Brainstorm. In truth, he should have known better. Afterall, nothing was simple with Brainstorm.

“Do I want to know why?”

Brainstorm shrugged. “I don’t know. Are you going to stop me?”

“I probably should.” Chromedome rested his chin on his servo, elbow firmly planted on the tabletop. “Then again, this will probably- actually, most definitely -come to bite you in the aft so why don’t you show me what you have so far?”

Brainstorm huffed, shoving the datapad across the table. “Nothing really, still workshopping. Haven’t found anything truly heinous yet. Most of them are bottom of the barrel insults so no judging.”

Chromedome let out a small laugh at that. “Knowing you, you’ll find what you are looking for soon enough, for better or for worse.” His optics flickered to the datapad to find a short, concise list. Surrounding it were little scribbles and doodles though Chromedome had a difficult time discerning what exactly they were supposed to be.

The list started off simple enough with general everyday curse words and generic insults. Quickly, more unique options filled the list:

- beakerfragger

- laserspike

- scopesucker

- microscrote

“Wow,” Chromedome cycled his optics beneath his visor. “I don’t know what I was really expecting. Hey, care to explain microscrote?”

Brainstorm rolled his optics like it was obvious .

“He’s a microscope and, as Rodimus would say, a ‘dickwad.’ Scrotum is an organic word for a human's reproductive organ and the rest is simply wordplay and wit.”

There was…a little too much going on there but Chromedome easily ignored all of that to exvent tiredly. “Oh. This is about Perceptor. Again.” He really should have seen this coming.

“ Again? ” Brainstorm slapped his servos on the table. “You act like I do this all the time.”

“You do.”

“I don’t .”

Chromedome ignored this as well. He didn’t have the patience to have this pointless argument again. It never went anywhere, not with the jet very much in denial. If only Brainstorm would finally admit his infatuation with his lab partner, then Chromedome could live a far more peaceful life. He’d also be about 730 shanix richer.

Looking down at the list once more, Chromedome bit back a laugh. “Aren’t these all a little sexual?”

Brainstorm stiffened. With his blast mask set aside, it was far too easy to see the shift in emotions across his faceplates: confusion, realization, indignation, embarrassment.

“N-No!” Brainstorm flapped his wings irritated. “I don’t want to frag him.”

“I didn’t say that,” Chromedome held up his servos defensively. “I was just pointing out a correlation in your results. See? I can be helpful to the scientific method.”

Brainstorm reached over and snatched back the datapad with one servo while hastily attempting to place his mask back in place. Once it finally clicked in place, Brainstorm turned back to his datapad contemplatively.

“I suppose they are a little crude.”

“And suggestive.”

Brainstorm tutted. “Me telling someone to frag themselves doesn’t mean I want to frag them . Otherwise, I’d be one of your many, many exs.” With a quick glance back, Brainstorm added, “That one time doesn’t count.”

“Agreed.” Chromedome rather not remember that night. There was a reason their relationship sharply remained friends . “However-” Brainstorm groaned “if you are just honest about your feelings, then you don’t have to do this for his attention-”

“It’s not for attention,” Brainstorm snapped. “Not his or anyone’s! And there are no feelings! And you know what, I’m going to make a slur about you!”

“Go for it. I’m waiting.”

Brainstorm clenched his digits around the datapad tightly. Chromedome could see the frustration bubbling up in Brainstorm as he struggled to come up with anything on the spot. With a hiss, Brainstorm tossed the datapad to the center of the table and crossed his arms across his chassis.

“There, are you happy?” Brainstorm asked, his field dejected. The anger seemed to have left his system, replaced with a tired melancholy.

Chromedome leaned over to pat Brainstorm on the helm in a move half playful, half affectionate. “That depends, are you done sulking? Are you giving up on this ridiculous project?”

“What project?”

Chromedome jumped, but it was nothing compared to the squeak that left Brainstorm as he whipped around to find Perceptor approaching their table. The other scientist raised an optic ridge at his co-worker’s reaction but otherwise seemed unphased. He nodded a brief greeting to Chromedome but otherwise his attention was solely on Brainstorm.

Bright yellow optics looked at Chromedome pleadingly. Clearly, the slightly inebriated Brainstorm was not ready to confront Perceptor, whether about the list he had made, whatever had made him angry enough to make said list, or the swell of feelings he was adamantly denying. Whatever the case may be, Chromedome was not a cruel mech. He gave his friend a kind, understanding nod, and then quickly stood up on his pedes. He clapped Perceptor on the shoulder and with a friendly shove, pushed him towards the seat he had just vacated.

“I’m sure Brainstorm would love to tell you all about it.”

Perceptor looked surprised but sat down all the same. Brainstorm glared accusatory daggers at Chromedome before turning sheepishly to Perceptor. Off the hook, Chromedome made his escape back towards the bar. Rewind looked up at him as he sat down, helm cocked questioningly.

“It’s settled.” For now.

Looking back, Chromedome couldn’t help the grin that came up beneath his mask as Perceptor reached for the abandoned datapad, only for Brainstorm to throw himself onto the table to stop him. The two immediately descended into arguing but that, at least, was normal. If anything, Brainstorm seemed to have finally perked up as he tucked the datapad away.

“Probably not getting the shanix tonight,” Rewind sighed.

Chromedome shook his helm as he turned away from the feuding scientists. He draped his arm around Rewind’s shoulders and reeled the smaller bot closer. “Definitely not tonight.”

#brainstorm #chromedome #perceptor #implied simpatico and background cdrw #mtmte #maccadam #transformers #my fics #prompt ask #honkytonka

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biglazybeez · 2 years ago

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Turning to Channel F

Today’s detour from the vagaries of Surfing video games (still playing, but had a change of plans) involves a piece of gaming history. This fine piece of wood grain adorned set top goodness is from November 1976, released by Fairchild. This is one of the early ones, as it was renamed the “Channel F” (F is for fun) when Atari launched their Video Computer System a little less than a year later. The key is in this feature:

The Fairchild VES was the first system to use ROM cartridges (earlier consoles had enabled folks to use ‘games’ that were really just sets of jumpers inserted into the main console to change into another of the 100 versions of PONG that most of them played). This is notable, as the Chief Engineer for Fairchild at the time was Gerald Lawson (much more info at this link: https://www.google.com/doodles/gerald-jerry-lawsons-82nd-birthday ).

Fairchild only sold about 350,000 units before they called it quits and sold the IP off. Their main product was microprocessors, so this was a bit of a flyer for them. Given the way things exploded for Atari, they came very close to hitting the big time -- anyhoo, the point is not very many of these out in the wild, and most of them need to be acquired as a ‘parts only’ purchase. I suspect this is because the power supplies for most of these (which is hard wired to the console) go bad, or people have no idea how to hook it up to a modern TV to test it.

The one I bought was in such a state. Overall it looked pretty good for a 47-year old console, but of course no response when I powered it on. Checking the power block was the first thing I suspected, and sure enough, the output voltages of the power supply where no where near where they were supposed to be, Looking at the block itself - it has 2 different AC inlets....!?

The nice folks at the AtariAge forums have a few threads related to the Fairchild and it’s other worldly counterparts. Sure enough - 15VAC 200mA is one input, and the other is 10VAC 1A. Having no idea how to try and Frankenstein this coil back to life, I went in search of adequate AC-AC adapters to be able to get the unit to power on. Reading through the info out on the net, and looking through the schematics, there are rectifiers and capacitors/voltage regulators that step these two inputs down to 12V and 5 V DC. To be able to connect my new power supplies I needed to open it up - so here we go...!

The good news is, everything looked clean. Even the caps looked pretty good, which was surprising as I bet they run a bit hot with all the current being fed into the unit. Look at all that metal shielding! it looks like FCC regs were written with a severe concern over RF interference? Who knows. All I know is that there is the plastic case, and then an entire metal case under the plastic case shrouding all the electronics. Even the power supply is just a simple MOLEX connection through the shielding to another MOLEX inside. Huh. I did manage to locate 2 AC-AC adapters that looked like they would do the trick.

So I wired them up to the unit and powered on - I knew from the Atari Age geniuses that there is a small red power indicating LED on the board (under the cartridge port and also under the shielding over the cartridge port, so I have no idea who it is for) that indicates the 5V power rail is active. I verified this was active:

And was thinking I might be done! Too bad - but close - my video output was the green screen.

Before I went too much further, I wanted to chase down the power issues. I ended up just disconnecting the MOLEX outside the shielding, and just wiring power right to the wires on the board (power readings on the inlet power cord were all over the place, so I suspect there may have been some wire continuity issues there).

Once I got to this point, I just connected the video out and holy cow! we’re in business.

PONG all day and night if we want. Plus a bunch of other games, some of which are terrible but most of which are charming. In a sense, Jerry Lawson taught my sons not to hit on 16 playing black jack. Here’s one of the games (Space War) in action.

One thing that is not great, which was changed for the Channel F II was the sound. For this unit, it comes from the console, and has no volume control. Seeing that most of the videogaming that would have been done on this machine would have been early or late in the day when your parents weren’t using the TV, this one factor may have limited the success. Being able to turn the Atari down low so you could still hear the bleeps and bloops but mom and dad could keep sleeping was key to playing time back in the day.

One other item to note is the distinctive but very forward thinking design on the controllers. The knob on the top does all the work -- button presses are pulling up and pushing down. The stick movement is active in all directions, and you can also rotate right and left. It is not very intuitive, but once you play with it for a while the games feel pretty natural. Thinking about how these compare to the Atari joysticks, they have a lot more potential.

All in all not too much trouble, and a fun little project. Very cool that this old beast is now in working order. In retrospect, Fairchild had the right idea, but Atari took it and ran! One has to imagine that if the Channel F had been able to get space invaders, they would likely have done just as well. As it is, they are a bit of a footnote, but I have the footnote running in my house!

Fun Fact: The dimensions of the Channel F cartridges were set to approximate those of 8-track tapes, which were a thing at the time. They were then colored bright orange/yellow so people wouldn’t mistake Burt Bacharach for a Math Quiz Videocart.

#vintage retro #gaming #fairchild

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silcoseye · 3 years ago

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Volatile P3: Do You Remember Seeing the Stars for the First Time?

info: "It's been years since Silco, Vander and (Y/N) split up. When Silco searches for his old friend again, asking them to help him teach a child he had recently taken in their 'explosive' craft, their feelings for him are reignited. The question remains if he burns for them just as bright as they do."

warnings: gender-neutral reader, bomb-making, bomb exploding, mentions of child labour, mentions of murder, violence, claustrophobic settings, big fish, swearing (this one is pretty wholesome ngl)

i kept getting distracted trying to write this by "cupcakke - Squidward nose" so at least you all know my heart was in a good place. honestly, as i was writing towards the end i was like 'omg this is so good' so if you all don't think the same I'll cry (/j) IMPORTANT (/srs): I have a fair amount of uni work to do in less than 2 weeks so these updates are gonna slow and I'm going to try and focus on getting my work done before deadlines thank you all, happy reading

7556 words

Jinx came over almost daily to learn the art of bomb-making- and her progress was astonishingly fast. Something you found endearing was that she always doodled on the outsides of her projects. In fact, she doodled on whatever she could get her hands and those neon markers on- clothes, walls, paper, skin. She used them up so quickly, Silco switched to buying her easily accessible crayons, pencils and cheap markers- they were nothing compared to the markers, but she wasn't complaining. She loved it.

Another thing she loved- arguably more than tinkering and creating- was blowing things up with them. Nearby was an abandoned air shaft that you'd visit with her and Silco, testing her creation and smiling brightly at her excitement whenever they'd work, emitting colourful explosions.

As the weeks became months, you noticed her hair beginning to grow rapidly, and, bless Silco, the poor man clearly had no idea what to do with it. Fearing it would get caught on fire, or caught in something that would injure her during your lessons, you offered to put it up for her, as she had no clue what to do with it either. At first, it was styled into a simple long ponytail but she grew bored of it quickly and wasn't much safer. You then offered to braid it for her, which she was hesitant to at first,

"How about two braids then?" You asked, "to make it more fun and interesting," Her eyes lit up at your proposition and she smiled. Carefully instructing her to sit as still as she could, you started by sectioning her hair in two, while she began to eagerly tell you about whatever came to her mind,

"Silco took me to see the water," She said at one point. You froze as you combed her hair. That place. The place where you had almost lost him to Vander. It startled and confused you,

"He did?" She nodded, before mumbling an apology, knowing she wasn't supposed to move her head while you worked, "How was it?"

"I liked it. I wanted to swim but he said no. He said it's dirty water, and we have clean water at home," She explained, "He told me that there's huge fish underwater. I saw some of them too. They're so beautiful, and they don't even know it," You smiled at that, "That's what he told me," she said, as you tied one of the sections into a loose ponytail and let it hang over Jinx's front,

"He did?" She hummed, to indicate a 'yes', tongue poking out as she focused on the detailing of her portrait of Silco,

"He did," She confirmed, "He likes the fish, so I'm drawing him one!" flawless logic,

"Like a pet?"

"Like a friend," You smiled at her innocence, a sigh escaping your lips,

"What's the fishy's name?" you asked, brushing her hair back to begin the first braid,

"The fish can be called (Y/N)!" She grinned, causing you to grimace and then laugh along with her,

"Are you teaching her to draw now?" Silco's low voice cut through your laughter, causing both your heads to turn to Silco, who had just returned. Jinx ran to him quickly, the hair slipping from your loose hold on it, and hugged him tightly. You did find it strange that Sevika was the one who dropped her off today- with a glare and grumble as you thanked her. You eyed the cape she wore over her shoulder and the blue scar on her cheek as you let Jinx inside, "Hello, Jinx," He said affectionately patting her head, before looking at you with a puzzled expression, "What are you doing with her hair?" He asked intrigued, eyes flicking to the brush in your other hand,

"I'm making sure Jinx's hair doesn't get in the way of her work," You said, patting the stool, indicating for Jinx to return. Giving you another apology, she returned, quickly moving the drawing she was doing and flipping it upside down to hide from Silco, and beginning to draw on a new sheet of paper, "I'm giving her braids,"

"Ah," He nodded, leaning on one of the workbenches next to you and watching as you brushed through her hair once again in silence, "Are they easy to do?" With a surprised glance at him, you shook your head,

"No, you just section it and criss-cross," You said, splitting the section of blue hair into three sections and beginning to braid,

"Slow down," He asked suddenly, moving from where he was leaning and moving to stand next to you, watching intrigued as you now slowly braided her hair, "Hmm. It's a pattern," You nodded,

"Right over the middle, left over the middle. You wanna try that side?" You offered, gripping the end of the amount of hair you braided so it wouldn't fall loose and handing him the hairbrush. Tentatively, he took it from you, undoing the hair with such delicacy that one would have thought it strings of porcelain. You smiled, "It's already mostly brushed out so she shouldn't have any tough knots in there," You assured him, and yet still he still brushed through it gently, building up some courage. He finally set down the brush and sectioned the hair as you had previously done,

"Like this?" He asked for clarification, eye-widening as he saw you were already finished and tying up the braid so it wouldn't come undone. Running your hand gently under the braid to make sure it lay smooth against the girls back, you looked in his direction,

"Mhm, that's great, Silco. Now you just have to braid it," you reminded him, "Let me show you," you offered, moving closer to him and gently reaching to take his hands in yours, moving them as you had instructed him, "Right over the middle, left over the middle," You said softly, letting go of his hands once you felt him figure out the pattern, "Make sure it's tight so it doesn't come undone so easily," You added quickly, watching his braid. It was so sweet, so caring. How focused he appeared on making the braid look good, and how his long, slender fingers wove the hair together. It took him significantly longer than you, but you could tell he was being as careful as possible.

Once he reached the bottom of her hair, you handed him a hair tie and watched as he delicately finished his work, standing back and sighing as he placed a hand to his aching back, comparing the two braids,

"You did so well, Silco," You smiled at him before he could say something self-deprecating, turning to see Jinx smiling brightly and showing him she finished fish drawing- one of its eyes was a red 'x' while the other was just a blue dot- you thought her Silco Fish was adorable. Smiling at her, you spoke, "There's a mirror just outside if you want to look at your hair, and then we can start our lesson" You and Silco turned your heads to watch her race out of the room,

"Thank you for teaching me," the words almost knocked you off your feet and your brows raised in clear shock. You couldn't hide the slight blush that dusted your cheeks and caused them to warm as Silco looked at you, "I had no idea you knew how to do things with hair like that. To tell the truth, it was getting unmanageable," He sighed. You could tell he was tired through the bags under his eyes and a slight slouch in his position. Testing the waters, you reached a hand up to pat his shoulder,

"No problem," you said, surprised again that he didn't brush you off, "Where were you this morning? Savika dropped Jinx off to-"

"She arrived on time?" He asked sternly now. With a small sigh, you nodded,

"On the dot," You confirmed, hoping it would keep the woman out of trouble. Jinx returned, declaring she loved the braids and hugged Silco first and then, surprisingly you. You smiled, patting her head as Silco had done,

"Okay, we can start now!" She said eagerly as she pulled away and hopped back on the chair. With her hair out of the way, you cleared the papers and made sure to set her Silco, Jinx and (Y/N) fish portrait to the side so she could continue at the end, and your lesson began.

For the next few days, Silco would come in with Jinx- even on the days where she had an allocated break from learning- staying while you braided her hair. This continued until eventually, he got so good at doing it himself that she would come with the twin braids already hanging down her back, excited to learn as usual.

The longer she was with him, the more you saw Silco's normally icy exterior melt with her childish innocence. It was so abundantly clear to anyone that he cared deeply for the girl. You had been to his office a few times when he called for you to check on her progress. Just scanning his desk, you could tell she had been there; the ashtray he used with his cigars was painted with neon blue and pink details, and considering he hadn't just opted to get a new one, he must have been proud of her artwork. You always had positive things to say- not out of fear that he'd replace you if she wasn't satisfied- but because you recognised her brilliance and creativity.

The only thing still dragging you down was your curiosity to know her origins. You were torn between going out and searching for the answer on your own and waiting patiently for Silco to tell you himself when he was ready. In the end, you decided to remain as patient as you could be. Silco would tell you eventually- you hung on to this belief. He trusted you... Right?

Why else would he turn to you right after he found Jinx? Why else did he ask you to help him teach her, and not someone else with more professional practice and experience in this line of work? Why else did he value your opinion of her when he clearly didn't give a shit about the others?

You've seen the glares Sevika gave to the child plenty of times when she thought no one was looking, and you were still unaware as to why she disliked the poor girl so much. Often, Silco would begrudgingly ask her to watch her while he attended to his cryptic 'business' to attend to, and watching as she begrudgingly accepted.

Jinx quickly grew to adore the time she spent with you, as it meant she could focus on her creativity- in bomb-making and art. Your conversations were always light chatter, and sometimes she'd tell you about her life before Silco. Only small details- like a boy named Ekko learned the basics of welding, and other metalwork alongside her, and they both learned from Benzo, a merchant that lived nearby. You recognised him as being Vander's friend. Jinx took to making bombs because "they were more fun", in her words, and you laughed along with her. However, you still couldn't shake she wasn't okay. Sometimes when you asked for more information on her past, she got very quiet and almost refused to speak with you anymore until you changed the topic. You never pressed her for more after that. One day, she mentioned it was her birthday, just out of the blue. Her older sister had taught her the date and month, and your eyes widened. What followed was a day off, and an incredibly messy attempt to bake a cake.

Silco returned to your home to find the girl's face and clothes dusted in flour, hands sticky with dough and icing and grinning up at him, bouncing on her feet as she eagerly declared you made a cake. His gaze turned to you, situated in the kitchen, sympathetically smiling. Instructed her to wash her hands, he joined you in the kitchen, remaining quiet as he watched you place the top half of the cake onto a layer of cream. Washing your own hands once you were done, you gave Jinx free reign to decorate it with the colourful icing you made in separate bowls. Once you finished, you dried them and joined Silco across the counter from Jinx, observing her with an amused smile. You leaned your elbows on the counter and reached for a discarded spoon you used to mix the icing with,

"She said it was her birthday today," You explained to him, licking some of the icing off your finger. You blushed to see his eyes lingering on your face as you did this. You turned to watch the young girl instead, slathering the cake with the blue icing, "I thought she deserves a cake at least... Had I known earlier I would have gotten her a gift," you looked back at him apologetically, once you felt the burning in your cheeks subside, and he simply smiled and shook his head,

"It's alright, (Y/N). Thank you for at least giving her a fun day off," You nodded, and remained quiet for a moment, watching as she worked away,

"So what business did you need to attend today?" you tried, expecting him to remain also quiet and not tell you,

"I was buying Jinx a birthday present," You blinked for a moment, turning to see him with a sly smirk on his lips. Jinx let out a small gasp at his words, and clumsily set the flat spatula she was using to decorate the cake with back into the pink icing bowl, moving from the small stepstool you got for her and running to the side of the counter you two were on, watching him eagerly.

He crouched beside you, and it only then did you notice he was carrying a small wrapped parcel behind his back. He crouched before her and offered it to her. Taking it from him with a small 'thank you', she eagerly unwrapped the paper and gasped in surprise at the contents. You smiled, seeing the bright neon markers she had taken from you all those months ago. A cacophony of eager thank you's burst from her, and she ran quickly into Silco's arms, hugging him tightly, shoulder shaking slightly as she cried from happiness.

The markers had been ridiculously difficult to find apparently for both you and Silco. A while ago, you thought to surprise her and buy her the markers she had fallen in love with all those months ago but came up empty, returning home exhausted and neon markerless. And considering it took him a whole day just to find them and bring them to her, you guessed he may have had to go to Piltover or... Somewhere else. Perhaps he has a neon marker dealer you didn't know but needed to seek out. You had to ask him.

Jinx pulled away with the brightest smile you've ever seen on her lips. She was clearly so overwhelmed and happy it just warmed your heart to see. Like you, she'd likely grown up with very little around her. And you realised this may be the first cake she'd ever had, considering her excitement when you showed her the size of the cake pan. Once she calmed down (and you assured her they were not edible and couldn't go on the cake) she resumed her decorating, eager to finish so she could draw again. You settled next to Silco, looking over the markers and trying to see their brand, only for him to cover it with his pale hand. You sent him a playful glare, but it faded quickly and you only smiled. His gaze went to you as he felt your eyes on him,

"What?" His asked expectantly, looking down at you amused,

"Nothing... I was just trying to see what brand those markers were," You said innocently. You regretted not paying attention to what it was when you first got them and gave them away, not knowing she would take to them like that,

"I'm not revealing my secrets," He said plainly,

"Silco? Keeping secrets? Unheard of," You mocked surprise, making him exhale some air out of his nose in a silent laugh. Studying him, you turned your attention back to Jinx, "Seriously where did you get them, they're really good markers," You hissed,

"When's your birthday?"

"Haha," You said sarcastically, rolling your eyes. With a small sigh, you went quiet, watching as she finished up the cake,

"Thank you for baking with her," He said sincerely, and when you met his gaze, his eyes held emotion in them. You gave him a nod,

"She deserves it, doesn't she?" You told him, and with a nod, he agreed with you.

Jinx ate about a quarter of the cake, ran around your house, completed 6 drawings, before passing out across Silco's lap on the couch. He had undone one of the braids and delicately ran his fingers through her wavy hair, separating the strands. You watched the domestic scene before you, sipping some tea and watching.

He casually smoked a cigar, an ashtray placed on the side of your couch to tap off the excess ash. He was focused so hard on Jinx's hair he barely seemed to register your staring. His head was tilted slightly to the side, giving you a clear view of his corrupted eye and the scars indenting his cheek and forehead. Everything about him was sharp in such a handsome way, and yet this time his body no longer held its usual tension. The longer you spent time with him, you slowly started to notice how he'd emerge from his office with his shoulder's squared, but they'd slump and relax slightly whenever Jinx tackled his legs into a hug and you delivered her back to him. Although it was hard to tell now, due to the position he was sitting in, he was relaxed too. One of his arms leaned against the back of the couch, the hand that held the cigar carefully poised over the ashtray to not land on your couch, smoke slowly dissipating into the air and filling it with the scent of tobacco. His other was brushing out Jinx's hair,

"Are you enjoying yourself?" His voice was soft but carried deliciously through the air between you. You set the steaming mug of tea down from where it was resting against your lips, and looking at the brown liquid to avoid looking at him at the realisation he knew you were observing him,

"It's nice to see you like this. You look comfortable and relaxed," You explained, trying to match your tone and volume to his, finally looking up to meet his curious gaze. It was his turn to openly stare, however, you lacked his unapologetic confidence and looked away, brushing a hand through your hair, "So-"

"It's nice to see me?" He repeated with a small smirk, and you rolled your eyes,

"I haven't seen you in a long time. Not since..." You trailed off and watched his smile fade away, his gaze turning to look to the floor. Rubbing his forehead carefully with the hand holding the cigar, he brought it back to his lips and inhaled deeply, and let the smoke slowly rise out of his thin lips. You watched him place it back into the ashtray,

"Since Vander tried to kill me," He finished for you, eye squinting with an icy glare above your head,

"You... Haven't told me what happened after that," You reminded him, looking from the dark brown liquid in your cup, back to him. He focused on you,

"You were there. You pulled me from the waters and took me to shore," He reminded you,

"Yes, but what happened after that?" You finally said, sitting up in curiosity. It took him a while to reply, figuring out how to form the words in his head, figuring out how best to tell you. Or perhaps he was thinking of another clever way to distract you,

"Once we split, I gathered those who opposed Vander. Safe to say they were surprised to see me alive. He apparently told them I was dead," There was venom in his words, and you only nodded along, ignoring the tightness in your chest as the memories of heartbreak come flooding back. "I gathered those who still wanted to send the topsiders a message with violence and would continue to do so. His lie did me a favour... It allowed me to disappear," He picked the cigar back up, "I found Singed, the scientist, and became a sponsor of his... Projects," He explained, "When you found me, my eye was beyond repair-" Letting go of Jinx's hair, you watched as his delicate fingers traced along one of the marks on his face, "-I could barely see you helping me out of the toxic waters-" his hand travelled down the scar, down his face as he spoke, "-When I found Singed, by some luck he managed to salvage it-" The scar stopped at his lip, and he took his hand from his face to place it back into Jinx's hair "-only the toxins had eaten away at most of the flesh," With a slight shake of his head, he continued, "he managed to salvage my vision, what was left of it that is. Regardless, I was then forever in debt to him. Whatever he needed, I would supply it," He uttered, eyes focusing on you, "And then he showed me... A private project of his... You know it as Shimmer," you nodded in agreement, "He cultivated it and I lent him a helping hand," he finished,

"Right," You said, thinking for a moment, "He fixed your eye," He leaned his head down in a nod, "And in turn, you helped him create the drug that took over Zaun," He nodded again, "Is that all you did?" He laughed at that,

"It kept me busy," He raised a brow, "Is that all you wanted to know, (Y/N)?" He asked,

Of course not. You wanted to ask so much more. About Jinx, her origins, more questions about him. Specifically his feelings for you. If they were strictly platonic or did he yearn for your affection like you his. Did he find you beautiful too? Did he fantasize about falling asleep entangled together too? If his feelings for you were still in his cold hear somewhere,

"Nothing comes to mind, Silco," You settled, with a polite smile that was soon hidden behind your teacup again as you took another sip. Looking back at him, you noticed him staring at you, clearly unconvinced by your answer. He didn't push you for more, thankfully. The truth was you weren't ready for such forward confessions, and you were so unsure and afraid of his reaction. Jinx being in his life brought the best out of him, you thought. He had desperately tried to push all human care and love out of his heart to replace it with bitterness, only for Jinx to crash into his life and remind him what it was to feel again. Looking down at the girl you smiled softly, "I've never seen her as happy as she was today" you told him, "It's sweet that you got her those markers. If I knew it was her birthday I would have got her something too," you repeated with a sad sigh,

"I'm sure these markers will keep her busy for the foreseeable future," His hand affectionately went back to Jinx's hair, now undoing the other braid and gently undoing the hair, "Besides, I don't think you'd be able to find them, even if you searched the entirety of Zaun," He teased. You smiled at him, narrowing your eyes,

"Does that mean you got them from Piltover?" Mimicking your earlier movements, he only raised his brows and bought the cigar to his lips inhaling. You shook your head, "One day I'll find them and hoard them here so you won't find them,"

"You'll never find my supplier," he murmured, leaning his head back against the back of the couch as he exhaled the smoke into the air,

"An art supplier from Piltover," You put two and two together, "Thanks Silco," you said playfully,

"Good luck finding the right one," He chuckled, his head leaning forward again to look at you, "Stars know the amount of pretentious 'artists' that city produces," there was a sting to his words, and you only nodded along,

"Course it does," You agreed with a sigh, "Such freedom must be wonderful," You said softly, "I wish I could have painted or drawn when I was a child... Instead of working the mines," You looked at Jinx, "It's... Why I was so nervous about teaching her how to make bombs. The fact that she's still so young. I constantly have to remind myself that she's only a child, and I feel horrible for corrupting her mind with such violence..." You said sadly, "I lived through it. I know how bad it gets. I didn't want her childhood to be like this too," you admitted. Looking back to him, meeting his intense gaze, "But you... Silco, you clearly care for her so much. You would never let anything bad happen to her intentionally and I know that," You assured him, "I just.." you sighed, words escaping you.

"I understand your fears, (Y/N)," He said smoothly, "I have them too... I had my reservations on taking in a child," His voice had a twinge of sadness to it, "But she was alone. She had lost everything- everyone in her life. I realised I was all she had left. I realised without me... She would die," He admitted, "It's not an ideal life for her. I know this. So I try my best to give her the best I can find. All so she doesn't see the shit we went through," His eyes locked with yours, "You do too... And I appreciate your efforts too, (Y/N)," he said, the gratitude clear in his voice. A comfortable silence settled as you ate a biscuit and drank some tea, and he finished with her hair. His cigar stopped smoking, but the tobacco still hung in the air thickly, engulfing you, "Thank you for teaching her," He broke the silence eventually, "I'll make sure to repay you in the future,"

"You don't have to do anything for me- you gave me this apartment," You quickly told him, watching as he smiled and shook his head, "That's more than enough,"

"This is a necessity. I'll get you something else,"

"Like what?" you asked

"Anything," He let out a breath, "Anything you would want,"

After finishing your tea, he picked Jinx up from his lap, gently cradling her close to him and moving to the door. You took his coat from the rack, draping it over his shoulders and relishing in the overwhelming scent of smoke and vanilla that surrounded him like an invisible cloud,

"Thank you," He exhaled,

"I thought you were incapable of using those words," You teased. You were so close to him that you felt the air exhale from his nose as he laughed lightly,

"I live and I learn..." He said softly. He lingered near you for a moment, and you took this as a cue to open the front door for him. Before you got to it, he interrupted you, "I'll take you somewhere nice tonight" He offered,

"Somewhere nice?" You asked, looking at him, to see him nod and approach, "It better not be a rooftop again. I'm not dragging you off there like last time," You narrowed your eyes, a hand resting on the door handle. He smiled at you,

"It'll be nicer than a rooftop. I promise,"

"You promise?"

"Be ready in an hour and we'll go," He said,

"Why this sudden proposition?" You asked curiously, "What changed?"

"I'm repaying your kind work," He said, and as he saw you beginning to protest he raised a brow, "Don't start," He commanded, and even at a whisper, you could tell he was stern, "Please. I just want you to join me,"

"Alright, Silco. I will," You opened the door for him and watched as he momentarily left you, taking the girl back to their home.

"When I said I didn't want to go to a rooftop I didn't expect the exact opposite," You said, moving after him cautiously into a run-down building. Bits of it had been singed and covered in black soot, and it was long abandoned, the signs being obvious in the abundance of dust and emptiness. The thick smell of smoke and gunpowder still hung in the air- you'd need to wash these clothes when you got home. You eyed an elevator that was in an equally bad shape that Silco was slowly approaching, the floor numbers flashing weakly in the dim room.

Silco smiled softly once you got to it. He had walked with his usual confident swagger, hands behind his back and footsteps confident, heavy and slow. You moved next to him, catching up after taking in your deteriorating surroundings, and got to the broken doors of the elevator shaft. He grabbed it and grunted as he pulled it back, the door promptly falling back into its sliding hinges with a creek. He turned back to you, indicating with his hand for you to enter first. Following his instructions, you frowned deeply as you looked at the dusty, run-down elevator,

"Is this even safe?" you asked, worry laced into your words, looking over the buttons and numbers that emitted a low buzz. He entered quietly as always and brushed past you, pressing the lowest floor possible, causing the elevator to jerk to life and begin its slow descent,

"So far," He commented, leaning against the brass metal casually,

"Silco, I swear to all the stars in the sky, if this elevator breaks while we're in it... Are you telling me there are no stairs we could have used instead?" the fear was clear in your tone, not at all comforted by his casualness,

"It hasn't broken and won't break," he said smoothly, and with only his word to trust, you sighed, standing by him and watching as light illuminated outside of the open door,

"How did it all break?" You asked, "Time?" he shook his head,

"Time..." He confirmed, "And external forces..." He added mysteriously with a sigh, turning his head to observe you, "You're still terrified of small spaces?" He asked out,

"Specifically ones that might kill me because they're not safe," You said, making him chuckle lowly,

"You wouldn't like this place when it was open," He said, "There are no stairs. Its a crucial design flaw. That's why it closed years ago. It almost burned down when one of the chefs caught their apron on fire and almost burned down the whole building. Maximum weight limit allowed 5 people in here at a time- old technology- and a few patrons sustained serious burns" he explained

"Was this a restaurant?" You blushed at the implications. Was he intentionally bringing you to a place usually associated with romance? Or was he-

You gasped again as the elevator shook and jolted again, creaks emanating from the heavy-duty wires above you. You could feel your heart drop in fear, and instinctively, you reached for his arm and gripped it, shutting your eyes tightly.

A moment passed and all movement stopped.

"We're here," He declared, but his voice was soft and soothing, intending to calm you. Straightening shakily and releasing the grip on his arm, you blushed as you watched this elevator door open- working correctly but covered in black soot- and blinked at the sight before you.

A laboratory was destroyed here. Shelves of empty beakers and surviving chemicals were scattered around, glass, ingredients and mysterious puddles littered below them. A fish tank, or terrarium of some sorts, had fallen and shattered, adding to the dusty, glassy, chemically mess on the floor, dirt spilling out of it. All of this was left to rot, abandoned. Everything was either covered in soot, burned to a crisp, or dusty. But what drew your attention the most was the bright azure window, as tall as the room itself, and the vast shapes moving behind the extensive crack splitting the window apart, drops of the water falling and puddling on the floor from the crevices.

Silco appeared next to you, standing and looking over the area with hints of reminiscence in his eye,

"This was Singed's laboratory," He clarified for you, gaze shifting to watch your bewildered face, transfixed by the humungous fish slowly swimming in front of the glass, obscured and disfigured by the crack. Following your gaze, he scanned them, eyeing the break in the glass, "Since the explosion, I've only been here with Jinx," he explained. An explosion- perhaps that was the 'external force' he mentioned before. But that didn't explain the soot... Maybe it caused an explosion to occur here. There must have been a lot of flammable things stored here,

"So that's why she draws the fish," you marvelled. This was the water see was talking about,

"I'm surprised it hasn't caved in yet..." He nodded. "However the structure is severely unstable," He pointed out the obvious, gesturing to the large crack. The force of a bomb could do something like this... Was this why you were teaching her how to safely make bombs? Did she cause this? You thought about reprimanding him for being so reckless to bring a child here, or sharing your observations, but the enchanting atmosphere kept the words in your mouth,

"What was this? Before it... was a lab," You asked, finally tearing your eyes away as the gigantic fish disappeared to the left, and looking at Silco, who began to slowly wander across the room, closer to the glass. You followed,

"It used to be an underground dining area, only available to the rich ones who could afford it," he said, "This used to be a Topsiders exclusive restaurant... Until we claimed it," He said, tilting his head slightly and running his hands over a blackened workbench, the soot staining his two fingers. He rubbed them with his thumb, before looking over his shoulder to watch you approach his side,

"Ahh... You got jealous and wanted free entry?" You summed up playfully,

"Perhaps that too," He smiled, his gaze travelling to the window again. Standing close to him, you marvelled at the fish together. It hadn't been just the two of you since that night he got into your old apartment and asked you to help him. This felt nice,

"Silco?" You looked at him and listened to the small hum he gave you. You allowed yourself to admire his sharp, angular features, eyes scanning his face as if to memorise it, subconsciously expecting to lose him again. As he turned to look at you, now being able to see his whole face illuminated by the glow of the waters before you, you took a small steadying breath, "I don't know if I told you... But it's really nice to see you after all these years," You said, "I'd be lying if I didn't say I missed you. I am... Glad you're back in my life," you said honestly, and watched as his features softened and he relaxed, a small smile appearing on his lips again,

"As am I," He said softly, and as you gazed at him, the impulse to suddenly touch your lips to his grew stronger and stronger. You were so close to him, shoulders practically touching. You wanted to reach out and touch him. Your body screamed and begged for you to do so. Perhaps you'd bump into the desk behind him. Perhaps he wouldn't care about the soot or dust staining his clothes as you distracted him with your mouth on his. Perhaps you'd forget about the threat of drowning looming above before you and calm your racing heart.

But damn your insecurities cursed patience, and childish curiosity making you turn your head back to the window, so he was completely eliminated from your vision. You calmed as a silence appeared between you two, filled only by the steady echoes of dripping, and deep underwater noises. He finally spoke after some time,

"(Y/N)," he drew your attention, "I need your help. I need more help than I would normally like to... request from another person," He admitted reluctantly with a sigh, a hand running through his hair, causing a few grey-black strands to fall to his forehead, "With Jinx," He finished, looking back to you, "I can only provide her with so much... She has a home, she has safety, she has basic necessities, and her drawings and materials because of me... But truth be told, without your help, I don't think she'd be as comfortable or happy as she is," He admitted, "Being around you makes her happy- you should hear the way she talks about you," You blushed at that, smiling pleasantly, "I'm serious, (Y/N). She wakes me up at ungodly hours demanding that she needs to arrive at her lessons on time, and the days she doesn't, she's asking about see you anyway, and what you do when she's not there," you laughed at that, "You always had that natural charm with children," he complimented softly, his gaze caring and... full of an emotion you couldn't quite pinpoint. Pride? Adoration?

"Cause you always scared them off with your bluntness," You teased, giving up on trying to read into him. Your comment made him smile a little wider, "Thank you for the flattery Silco, but you shouldn't give yourself such little credit. It's clear she loves you and considers you to be a father figure for her," he looked away now, considering your words. You could almost watch as the gears turned in his head. Shuffling a little on your feet to move that much closer to him, you took in a small breath, "I'd be more than happy to take her in for a little bit if it made things a bit easier on you," You offered, making him turn to look at you, shock clear in the way his brow and eyelid were raised, "Not completely take her away from you, of course... But I do have that spare bedroom. Some nights, if you can't make it, or have... things to do with whatever shady business you have going on now, I don't mind letting her stay over. You'd pick her up in the morning, as usual" You said. He remained quiet, considering your offer, "Silco," You said, making him look at you, "I really don't mind helping you- and you don't need to do anything for me in return. I'm just happy to be with you a-and her," you said quickly, to try and save yourself from slipping up too quickly and scaring him off, "You mean a lot to me..." You finished bravely, watching his face. You were thankful for the intense monochromatic blue that shielded the intensity of your blush from his intense gaze, full of an emotion you just couldn't discern. Then he did something you hadn't expected.

Silco had only hugged you a few times in your life, despite knowing each other for so long. You could probably count the hugs on one hand. The first time was when he was convinced you had been killed by enforcers on your way back to your shared home many moons ago when the tensions were high and you were only a few minutes late to a meeting. The second was after he had lost his eye. When you got him home and cleaned and bandaged what you could, used to the grotesque task by now, he asked you to hug him until he fell asleep against you on your bed, not letting you go until the early hours of the following morning. He pulled you close now and hugged you. You felt like floating. Pressing your head against his soft, yet firm, chest you were lulled by his rhythmic heartbeat and the deepwater sounds around you. You felt the gentle weight of his head against your shoulder and the indent of his chin. The warmth his body gave off surrounded you, and the scent of tobacco and cologne overwhelmed your senses. This felt right... It was perfect...

The hug was long- it was almost as if you were both making up for all the physical touch you were both starved of for years, neither wanting to let go. Silco hated touching anyone at all, and just about tolerated you and Vander when he was alive; you were indifferent to it. Silco was a champion of words, master manipulator. He spoke and fell silent when he needed to, and miraculously always had the correct timings. He told you once that hugging made him claustrophobic. You were happy he had gotten over his fears for this moment alone.

This alone planted a small seed in your mind- the seed that reassured you of his reciprocated feelings. You wouldn't believe in them until you heard it from him clearly- no word games, no beating about the bush, no fancy, dramatic antics or metaphors. Straight to the point, a clear yes or no. A clear 'I love you' or 'I don't feel the same way'. You understood this was a lot to ask of a person like Silco, and therefore you had to be patient. Moments like this gave you hope.

Shamelessly now, you watched him in the elevator as it went back up to the surface, slithers of light filtering over his face as you passed by the various floors. He caught your eyes with a small smirk, causing your own mouth to bloom into a smile,

"What?" you asked, "Are you up to something?"

"I just missed spending time with you... That's all," He clarified genuinely, "This made me feel young again, and lord knows I need it," He ran a hand through his greying hair again and placed his hands against his sides, stretching out his lower back,

"You trying to relive your youth, old man?" You teased, making him laugh,

"Ahh, something of the sort," He admitted, "I was reminded of the thrills of sneaking out at night together and seeing how close we could get to the Topsider's barriers without getting caught," You smiled fondly at the memories,

"Yeah wow... That feels like a lifetime ago now, yeah..." You agreed, leaning against the metal back of the elevator next to Silco, eyes glued to him,

"Do you remember seeing the stars for the first time?" he asked softly, and you nodded dreamily, smile already widening,

"Yes... Sometimes, I dream of them, you know," You admitted, "The sky stretching out endlessly, covered in them. I never knew there were so many out there... Sometimes my skin is made from the stars- blue and sparkling- and I'm dancing across the air. Sometimes, I'm simply walking and staring at them endlessly... They're some of the best dreams I've ever had," You said, your smile now beginning to hurt your cheeks. Turning to see his gaze at you with admiration made you blush, "It was the best gift I've ever received. Thanks," you said, remembering the night he woke you and brought you up to Topside for the first time. He nodded, seemingly remembering that same memory, with a similar fondness to you. You noticed him fade away into the shadows as you arrived at the top floor, and realised something. The fucker managed to distract you long enough to forget you were moving in a broken-down elevator. Following him out and watching him slide the door back out of place, you walked close to him as he led you to a side door, footsteps synchronising, together. You made no comment to thank him, but just appreciated he was going out of his way to comfort you. You'd already probably annoyed him with so much 'thank you's' today that he'd slink back into his criminal sewers like a rat,

"Trust is something rare to find in people," He said, his blackened eye focusing on you, the orange-red glow around his pupil holding your attention, "The world is different now. Dog eats dog, brother kills brother," he sighed heavily, "I'm glad that I can trust you still, (Y/N). Even after all these years," He said. You were close again for a moment, and your breath hitched when you realised. You expected him to kiss you, with the way his head leaned closer. Instead, he pushed the door open for you, and your eyes widened at the brightness of the night sky, clear, dark, and a beautiful deep blue speckled with drops of glittering white.

The stars twinkled back at you beautifully, hypnotising you as you felt your heart clench inside your chest with adoration and love, mesmerised by their radiance. A tear slid down your cheek, the stars reflecting in the salty dacrocyte, a culmination of overwhelming happiness.

He did still care for you. So much more than you had ever expected.

#silco my beloved #arcane spoilers #arcane silco #silco x reader #silco #arcane league of legends #arcane netflix #arcane #volatilearcane

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loneworldgazer · 4 years ago

Note

Wassup,

Headcanons of Emma,Ray,Norman and Don with a reader who is always daydreaming? c:

Daydreamer!Reader

pairings: emma x gen!reader, ray x gen!reader, norman x gen!reader, don x gen!reader

a/n: im so sorry, this came out pretty late, anyways enjoy!!

Emma

emma would listen to your daydreams all day if she ever catches you daydreaming

you would always stroll around the forest (away from ray because he would always tease you for being in shock if he ever interrupts your daydream) and sit anywhere to daydream

her feet would be in the air when she lays on her stomach and she would hum to your rants (she loved seeing you rant aggresively)

she was such an attentive listener that she would always remember your words in the most random times

"y/n? you wanna try playing with the piano after nat plays it? i remember you wanted to play it-"

she would involve herself with all your daydreams, being the actress, the protag in all your thoughts

being a cutie she was, she followed every step you say when you started telling your stories

jumping, running here and there with you, it's impossible not to let her sink in your mind after all the times she plays around with you

it was pure fun with how much she also plans out her acting, it was unexpected and both of you and emma would fight to take the lead

never breaking in your acting with "no you're not supposed to do that!!" you tried to smooth your way with your role and either it comes out with great success or it doesn't

doesn't matter when she was one of the reasons you forget the time of day

Ray

"oiii~"

he teases at you for being ditzy all the time

you sometimes regret telling your daydreams to him because he would smugly give you sly comments on why your daydreams- don't even elaborate with him, he would make fun of you

he does find your thoughts entertaining and it does lead him to question if you actually wanted to try doing everything when you get out from the orphanage

you nod vigorously and he stops you and thinks about how you would store some your plans for the future

(though he doubts you'll forget with how its printed in the back of your head)

"a sketchbook" he snaps his finger and walked away without an explanation, he was just waiting for you to catch up so he could execute your confusion

he suggests a sketchbook would be the best way to pour out your endless train of thoughts and you leap because that was a great idea!

he asked mama isabella for one and she warmly smiled, you were bubbling with excitement when she handed it to you

you now sat near with ray and he would not so secretly peek at you

if possible, you could finish half of the book in a day since you start remembering all the dreams you had

what warms ray's heart is that you still wrote and sketch in it after escaping, you would do so sleepily before going to sleep

"hey!" you would say when you woke up to him looking through your book without permission

"what? your daydreams are funny to look at" and he would never get tired of seeing your face wrinkling up and screaming at him with empty threats

Norman

he asks you to sketch it out

much like ray, he asked isabella if there's a book anywhere for you to doodle in

it seems some of your daydreams can't really be kept inside sometimes and you burst so norman decided that you should draw it out

it amazes norman with the simplicity of your art, you manage to tell a whole story

sometimes he would nudge you and ask if he can see your sketchbook and you lend it to him without hesitation

you watch him giggle and trace some parts of the paper and clearly you forgot what you drawn and you scoot closer to him and laugh with him

everyone would be in your drawings especially norman, for some reason you love asking little things about him

how his fashion sense would be, what he thinks his job would be and other simple things you would write into your sketchbook

it was wholesome, he enjoys seeing himself in your drawings that he couldn't help but sketch you right next to him

"is that me? oh my god it's me!!"

he grinned at your squels, he would never get tired of hearing you

Don

"what are you daydreaming about?" "about you~"

he also LOVES listening to your daydreams and would reenact with you if it's possible

most of the time, the kids would come by and become curious as to why don has you on his shoulders or you chasing don

he was a sweetheart, agreeing to all your dreams and wanting to do it with you as well

also like emma or with emma, he would play it out too, making you hiccup with tears when he did something out of your daydreams and it fits with the storyline

"but you know, the prince can be a clutz! what if he fell-" he fell after saying that and (this is mild flirting by now) you catch him quickly with the hook of an arm

"then the humble florist will catch him!" you said with bravado, gripping him loosely, hoping he won't actually fall

by now, it was free entertainment for the kids and the others when they would crash in on both of you and don's acting

you also planned out how your outfits would be and would whine when he started adding atrocious details on his outfits

"no don, it does NOT fit there- nO how do you wear two belts??"

moral of the story, he is not a good fashion designer but don't worry, you'll fix it~

#ray x reader #tpn ray #tpn don #don x reader #tpn emma #tpn anime #tpn #the promised neverland #the promised neverland x reader #tpn x reader #yakusoku no nebārando #yakusoku no neverland #tpn norman #norman x reader #emma x reader #heres some food

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chifuyusfingers · 3 years ago

Note

Im obsessed with ur coloring in the boys tattoos works!! Could you do the reverse? Where they color in yours? With whoever u want!

~Tokyo revengers members Coloring Their S/O Tattoos.~

Mikey | Draken | Baji | Chifuyu

{Heya! I didn't put much into it but I hope you like it! And thank you though!}

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

M i k e y

You had no hesitation letting him color your tattoos. “Have fun, babe.” You pinched your cheek and relaxed under the big tree you were both sitting under. Today you had thrown all your plans away just to be with mikey all day.

The wings on your forearm was now stained in hues of purple and green with accents of yellow. “So, besides today, how have you been lately?” Your gaze swayed from him to the inside of your eyelids as you were drifting to sleep slowly. “Okay, I suppose. School is annoying.” He laughed and your heart twinged with love.

You chuckled and looked down at your arm. "Mikey you done?" All you could hear was just a "hm".

“Let’s just rest for a little bit I'm tired.” You pushed the markers into the grass and your arm wrapped itself around his waist as you pulled him down and into your side. Mikey couldn’t fight it as his ear was filled with the sound of your mellowing heartbeat. Your fingers danced in his hair till you knew he was fast asleep.

You stayed awake just looking at his angelic features as the sight of your multi-colored arm shifted your focus. It was so meaningless to him but you loved it as you knew that it came from his heart and mind.

It was him– perfect.

~~~

B a j i

“Y/n! ” Baji called as he stepped into the large house. “I believe she's in the gazebo or her office, Mr.” One of the worked associates greeted baji at the front door. He grabbed the bags from baji's arms as he started walking. He was off towards the back of the house to find his fiancee.

“Y/n-!” he called as he rounded the corner of the house and into the back yard. The gazebo was empty. He stopped and stared for a moment. He was sure that this is where she'd be.

“Up here, my love.” A voice said as he looked up to see Y/n at her office balcony. “Hey there” he waved as your eyes squinted in a smile. “How was your day out?” you asked as you brought your teacup up to your lips. “It was okay~I have something to show you!” he called and held up a small shopping bag in his large hand. “I’ll be right up!” he raced back into the house and up the stairs to where you already stood waiting for him in the doorway to your office.

“What’s so amazing that you found today?” your eyebrow raised and he opened the bag quickly. “But first-” You interrupted you as you grabbed his face gently and gave him a passionate kiss. “What’s this for?” he asked as he continued to stare at your face lovingly. “Just happy to see you is all.” You smiled.

“Now, show mee.” he motioned to one of his hands that was stuck in the bag he held. He was brought back to reality and pulled the plastic package out of the bag.

“…Markers?” you asked and your tone of voice made him laugh. “Not just any markers. They’re tattoo markers. They’re safe for the skin.” He corrected you and you rolled your eyes. “You’re still on this?” You asked with an amused expression. “Of course I am! This was the deal and my love for you is way too much so.” he said shoving them into your hands so you could inspect the box.

You read the back and you had to admit he was right.

“You said I could color your tattoos IF I found tattoo markers. Safe for the skin and everything!” You knew he did it and that you had to hold up your part of the deal. “Okay fine.” You sighed as you handed the package back. “Yay! Beautiful Thank you!” He jumped and laid a gentle kiss on your nose.

“We can do it later before dinner.” You agreed.

—-

“Finally! You take forever.” He sighed as you moved your sunglasses up your nose. The grass tickled your bare legs as baji sat next to you. “I couldn’t help it. Chifuyu that jackass didn’t want to hang up the phone.” he stood on his knees and moved behind you. His hands gently rubbed your shoulders as your head fell in an exasperated manner.

“I hate to burst your bubble, Y/n. But, I called you out here for the deal. Not a massage.” You whined as you flopped down on the grass, your t-shirt lifting on your back.

“If this stains, I will make sure to throw out all color in your life. Your life will be a dull kaleidoscope-” “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, you big baby.” He laughed and opened his pouch full of the tattoo markers.

He lifted the back of your shirt more till the full picture was revealed. A dragon with demons following was the full picture- a dark reality…that he were going to make colorful. What can he do he loves your tattoos so much.

He sat on his lower back and got to work filling in the different parts of the dragon. Every once in awhile you would spasm and try to make him mess-up. Yet, with a slight tug on your hair, you would become limp and obedient again.

“I’m almost done.” Was the phrase that almost made you weep with joy. “Finally.” You let it slip and you felt a tug on your hair again. “Ow.” You rubbed your head. You could feel him draw and move the felt-tipped weapons on his back.

“Finished.” He cheered and grabbed his phone to take a picture. He showed it to you and ombre scaled decorated the dragon with the demon’s faces were colored red and blue. It looked nice. You saw a couple of smiley faces hidden in there and felt like everything looked complete.

“Okay, my turn now!” You yelled and grabbed his arm. You struggled and pulled him to the ground and grabbed the black marker that was in his hand. “Y/n, no.” he said strictly. “This wasn’t apart of the deal.” He expressed. “Excuse me? Sorry, I don’t speak Japanese.” Your english rambled off quickly from your tongue. He decided to just deal with it as you took your time drawing a mustache on his face along with random doodles you could think of.

You finally stopped your antics and took a picture with your phone to look at afterward. “You look so cute, look!” You pulled up the picture and shoved it in his face. “I look gross man!” He ridiculed but you wrapped him up in your arms quickly,

“My gross man.”

D r a k e n

You were on your period and hell you were pissed, your mood swings were just making the situation more shitty.

Draken on the other hand was just trying to help you but every now and then you'd snap at him for absolute no reason. "Oi, can you stop whining for once?"

He said with pretty much no emotion at all. And that's all it took for you to break down in tears.

Draken was taken aback, "babe hey, hey, I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that please stop crying- I". “Wanna play tic-tac-toe?” He asked and you looked around, surprised he was asking. “Um-” He didn’t wait for an answer and grabbed your legs– pulling you closer to where he sat.

Draken took the permanent markers out which was on the floor for god knows why. You wiped the rest of your tears and grabbed the orange marker out of his hand. He lifted the sleeve of his long shirt and created the grid in black ink. “Wanna go first?” He asked and you took the opportunity to land an 'X’ in the grid.

“Fine. You win this tournament. But, I know I’ll win next time.” You said laying back and closing his eyes.

The bottom of your shirt lifted and he could see the familiar black ink on your side. “Stop staring at me like that, pervert. I have rights.” You pulled your shirt down and he let a laugh rip through your chest.

“Chill. I was just looking at your tattoo.” He said and you shrugged. “What about 'em?” You asked as his eyes closed once more. “Nothing. Just looking,” he sighed, “I wanted to be a tattoo artist before all of this.” One eye peeked open and you looked suspiciously at his figure. “Are you any good?"

Draken just chuckled at your question.

“Give me one!” You lifted the side of your shirt and waited patiently.

He shrugged, finding nothing else better to do. You already had black ink staining your skin so he decided to add on. It was another simple dragon but it fit your character and personality perfectly.

Time seemed to slow as you tried to take a sneak peek of the masterpiece he were currently working on. You planned to take a picture later and get it done, yet, it would have to be in secret.

All of a sudden, the bedroom door popped open. “Welcome back to Earth.” Mikey greeted. He capped the marker and helped you up.

"Why are you here" You asked while getting up, "Rude Y/n Chan, I'm still gonna answer your question though POLITELY, Ken-chin called us here so that we can go on a short trip or something to make your day better. Right ken-chin". Mikey looked over at draken, "Right whatever, can we go now?" He looked over at you for your response and all you did was kissed his neck because of your damn height and tagged along behind Mikey.

“Woah. You got a new tattoo?” Hina said as she lifted up your shirt and you shooed her hands away.

“Eventually.”

C h i f u y u

"I GONNA THROW UP ON YOU WITH ALL MY MIGHT IF YOU TRY TO GET NEAR MY TATTOOS MISTER " You exclaimed loudly as he started following you like a lost puppy around the kitchen, where you were busy making your 'grilled cheese'.

"Babe C'mom little color won't hurt and it's not like I'm trying to bite your tattoos off-". " See, there you said it, you're exactly gonna bite my tattoos off" Chifuyu sighed having enough of your nothings, he suddenly back hugged you, you can feel his large hands wrapped around your hip.

"What do you think you're doing?". You asked as you turned around to see his face,

"If you're not gonna let me color your tattoos then I prefer to stick with you like a koala, and you sure as hell know I ain't letting go." Chifuyu said and you eventually gave up because you knew nothing will change even if you don't agree with fuyu.

So now here you are sitting on chifuyu's lap as he continued to color the wallflower on your shoulder. "You done?". "Hold on a minute babe it's almost over, -All done" Chifuyu replied.

You sat up and started making your way to the mirror to see what he actually did " Y/N!!! Wait" chifuyu voice said and you turned around to see your boyfriend running over to you.

"Wha-", before you could finish your sentence he lifted you up and threw you over his shoulder. "The actual fuck chifuyu, what did you do! PUT ME DOWN YOU ASS"

"It's just better if you don't see it ya know, and I'll make sure you don't see it until I leave" Chifuyu chuckled quietly as he continued making his way to your bedroom.

-------------------------------_-----_-------------------------------------

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers imagines #tokyo revengers fluff #manjiro sano x reader #draken x reader #chifuyu x reader #chifuyu x y/n #baji x y/n #baji x reader #mikey sano #mitsuya x reader #tokyo revengers anime #takemichi hanagaki #chifuyu imagines #mikey scenarios #anime imagines

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spnae · 2 years ago

Text

Oh What a Night: Part 2

Angel made his way into the pub and sidled up to the bar. There was a band playing tonight and the place was loud but it was better than the club. The crowd here seemed much more manageable. He took a seat and waited for the bartender to come over, which didn’t take long since there were two. A redheaded, freckled version of Callum was at the other end of the bar and his much older graying doppelgänger stood in front of him. “What can I get ya?”, he asked in a jovial tone.

“Scotch, please.”

“Something troubling you, son?”

“It’s nothing, just a rough night.”

He nodded, “I’ve had a few of those. You American?”

He was about to say, ‘No, not really,’ but stopped, “I— hum yeah, I’m here visiting some friends.”

“Friends ditch you after you come all this way?”

“I— sort of, not exactly. They all just kinda paired off, I’m on my own tonight. I asked them to drop me off here. One of them is actually supposed to be upstairs with her guy,” he pointed to the ceiling, “Family resemblance would say you’re probably his father.”

Mr. Ross nodded and took on a curious expression, “You’d be Faith’s mate then?”

“Yup. We go way back.”

“Not here for trouble are you?”

“Just the Scotch. Callum seems alright. As long as he’s good to her, I have zero interest in what they’re doing up there. I just didn’t feel like going back to the castle tonight.”

He nodded, “None of my business then.”

Angel nodded and sipped at his drink.

A pretty woman with Asian features came up to the bar and sat down one stool away from him. Her black curly hair was cropped up to her chin and had multiple streaks of emerald green pulled through it. It somehow looked natural on her even though it couldn’t have been. Angel noticed she had floral tattoos covering the upper half of each arm and wore a simple green tank top.

Angel picked up a discarded pen on the bar and started doodling on a napkin. He had always enjoyed drawing faces. Darla, Buffy, even Faith once or twice. He sat down and started sketching a picture of Fred and suddenly found himself strangely missing Illyria.

The girl across from him leaned over examining the drawing, “That’s pretty good.”

Angel looked up, “Thanks, I’ve had a lot of practice.”

“You’re an artist?” she asked.

“I don’t know if I can say that. It’s just a hobby, something to keep me busy.”

The girl nodded, “Yeah, I get that,” she sipped her drink, some bright green concoction that looked very tropical. He was noticing a theme with this girl. “So who’s the girl? Is she your girlfriend?”

Angel looked down at the picture of Fred and cleared his throat, “No just a friend. She— she died a couple months ago.”

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”

Angel rolled one large shoulder in a shrug.

She was silent for a long time but Angel could feel her eyes watching him. After several minutes she finally spoke, “Want to know what I think?”

“No offense but not really… No wait. Let me guess, ‘I need to lighten up and have a little fun’, am I close?”

“Guess you’ve heard that a few times.”

“Seems like it’s all anybody ever tells me these days.”

“In my experience when you keep hearing something there’s usually a reason for it, like maybe it’s true,” she said matter-of-factly and went back to sipping her drink.

Angel looked up at her, “I don’t even know what that means anymore, ‘fun’ I used to think I had a good idea what it was. But I was wrong.”

The girl eyed him, “Got a friend a little bit like that. Well at least he used to be. He used to think the only way to have a good time was drinking and fighting, taking girls back to his place. Fortunately he finally woke up. I’m taking it you haven’t quite woken up yet.”

“Oh, I’m awake. I just don’t know what to do now. It’s been so long since— I don’t know… I just don’t know—“

“Well what do you like to do in your spare time,” she asked.

“When I’m not working? I mostly read and draw.”

“Workout too I bet?”

“Sorta goes along with the job but yeah. Martial arts. Tai Chi helps me relax, I enjoy that sometimes.”

The girl grinned at that, “My mum and I do tai chi together,” she said, her Scottish brogue a little stronger now from the drink.

Angel eyed her a little bit more curiously.

“Do you got a name there Tall-dark-and-brooding?” she asked casually.

“Angel”

“That can’t be your real name.”

He just eyed her over his drink.

“Ok then, Angel. I’m Gemma. What brings you out here tonight? Just drowning your sorrows over the loss of your friend?”

He shrugged again, “No not really, just thinking. I’m here visiting some friends. Found myself on my own tonight.”

She leaned an arm on the bar, “Yeah, I sort of heard you telling Mr. Ross a bit about it.”

Angel gave her a little smirk, he already suspected she heard him, “What about you?”

“Came by to visit a friend, he’s not answering his phone. I guess he’s ehh busy—“ she pointed upward towards Callum’s apartment, “New girlfriend using him shamelessly,” she smirked.

Angel smiled, “Probably. I’ve known her for a long time. I’ve never seen her like this over a guy.”

“Funny, he never shuts his gob about her and yet I haven’t even met her.”

Angel shook his head, “I’m sure you will. I don’t think she’s going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Hope you’re right. I haven’t seen him smile this much in ages. I’m just glad he finally plucked up the courage to ask her out. He’d been talking about the girl that’d come into the Hardware store nonstop for months.”

Angel gave a noncommittal grunt of agreement.

“Want to play billiards?”

“I’m not really looking for—“

“I’m not hitting on you. I just want to play a game. You know, have fun?”

Angel looked down at his now empty glass and the picture of Fred, “Sure, I’ll give it a try.”

Angel was surprised at how easily Gemma got him to loosen up. She teased him relentlessly during their game. Until he stopped letting her win at least. Then she got competitive. Even so, she smiled easily and kept up a running stream of hot and cold quips that often had him chuckling in spite of himself. In a small way she was sort of reminding him of the way Cordelia could get him to enjoy things. It was nice to just hang out with someone again. It seemed like ages since he did that. They were having such a good time that they barely noticed when the band started packing up.

“Alright you two. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here,” Mr Ross’s voice rang out as Angel sank another ball. Angel and Gemma looked up at him.

“Oh come on Mr. Ross, just let us finish this round would you?” Gemma pleaded.

“Go on then, Lass. Not like I’m going to throw you out. Cheeky, little—“ he grumbled but smiled all the same.

“Don’t mind him. I’m practically family,” she grinned at Angel as she wanted for her turn.

“I really should be getting back. I’m leaving for Rome.”

“A jet setter ehh?”

“No, I have friends down there. It just seemed to make sense to visit them while I was on this side of the ocean.”

She laughed, “Oh sure, it’s purely logical.”

They finished their game and Angel extended his hand, “Thanks for reminding me what it felt like to just have fun, it’s been a long time.”

“It was my pleasure. We should do it again sometime.”

“I eh, I don’t really come to Scotland that much.”

“You have friends here. I’m willing to bet you’ll be back before long,” she smiled.

“I’ll let you know if I do.”

“Good.”

“Good,” he allowed himself a grin before heading back to the castle. The sun would be up before long. At least the night hadn’t been a total wash.

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

After they returned from the club, Buffy brushed out her hair letting it fall around her shoulders as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing the little black babydoll nightie she had gotten at the lingerie shop in town. It was the first time she had really bought anything that didn’t exactly go under clothing. She had all sorts of sexy little things but this one was a little different. The triangle cups and matching panties were made of faux leather. The bottom of the babydoll top was a sheer black material that left very little to the imagination and it made her feel exceptionally sexy. She couldn’t wait to see Spike’s reaction.

Buffy switched off the light in the bathroom and padded into their bedroom. Spike had been busy lighting candles. He had taken off his shirt, boots and socks already and stood there clad in only leather pants. True to his word Spike had pulled up Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of The Moon’ on Buffy’s laptop. His eyes lit up when he saw Buffy standing in the doorway.

“Bloody hell, I’m a lucky sod.”

Buffy strode towards him, “I guess that means you like it?”

“Like it? I could rip it off with my teeth,” he hooked a finger under one of the shoulder straps.

“I thought you changed your mind about your music choice. Weren’t you going to put on some punk playlist you made up or something?”

He looked at her distractedly, “Thought about it, this was quicker,” he grinned.

“I’ve been waiting all night for this,” Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a long kiss. She pulled back breathlessly and started nipping at his neck. Spike threw his head back giving her room to play. He ran his hands under the shear fabric of the nightie and over the soft skin of her back.

“Did you enjoy yourself tonight?” he murmured.

“All things considered, yeah. I really did. It was really neat seeing you the way you were when you were human.”

“Neat? Gee-wiz,” he smirked.

“You’re an idiot. It was weird but cool. I liked seeing you like that.”

“Not sure how I want to take that.”

“Just shut up and kiss me you dolt.”

Spike crashed his mouth to hers, tasting her. Mint and just the slightest hint of the beer she had earlier. She must have brushed her teeth after the club but it was still there. He wanted to drink her in.

Buffy grabbed the back of his neck pulling him into her. She raked her fingers through his hair, releasing his curls and making him moan into her mouth. His fingers skimmed the top of the little panties and he let out a little growl. Buffy moved her hands to his belt buckle and undid it. Slowly.

“You’re going to drive me mad, woman.”

“I’m just taking my time.”

“Slow and easy is it?”

“Stop talking,” Buffy said, pulling his pants down.

She pushed him down onto the loveseat and finished stripping him. Buffy bent low kissing him as she sank down onto her knees, pressing her breasts to his erection, rubbing herself against him as she laid kisses to his chest and stomach. Spike moaned as he sat listening to the music and let Buffy roam freely over his naked body.

She worked her way down licking and nipping. She licked a sensitive patch of skin on his inner thigh and gave a little bite. Spike hissed in pain and pleasure as she ran her tongue around the teeth marks she made. She ran her hand over his length and held him firmly.

Then, maddeningly slow, she ran the tip of her tongue from the base of his erection to his firm tip, her hot breath driving him crazy as she teased him. She looked up at him before taking him into her mouth and moved her tongue in swirling motions as she moved up and down his length. Spike put his strong fingers on the underside of her chin and lifted her head.

She let him go and looked up at him, “I believe you won a bet,” she said a little breathlessly.

Spike nodded as he cleared his throat, “That I did, Pet. But I rather thought I’d collect my winnings a little differently.”

“What did you have in mind?”

Spike pulled her up to him kissing her. He bent his head down and nipped at a breast through the faux leather covering them. Then he pulled her up to the seat with him and very carefully moved down onto his knees in front of her. He brought his mouth down, dragging his teeth along the outside of the little leather-like panties. Buffy bucked and gasped at the sensation. “Liked that did you?” he purred.

Buffy let out a barely audible whimper that turned into a moan. Spike looped his fingers into the side of the little panties, pulling them off completely. “You’re going to want to spread for this, Love.”

“What about the bet?”

“Oh, I’m about to collect. Don’t worry about me, I'd rather see to you first.”

“A gentleman always sees to his lady?” she teased.

“Something like that, Pet,” he grabbed her by the hips pulling her towards him. She spread her thighs wide for him. But he wasn’t ready for that yet. He wanted to play. Tease her. Make her want him in all the right ways. He ran his fingers along her breast, down her rib cage until he brought his mouth to her navel. He ran his tongue around the outside then moved down to the sensitive skin at her hips. Licking and kissing his way slowly to her thighs. He nipped one thigh lightly, releasing a gasping moan from her. The sound mixed with the music playing in the background.

His fingers glided over her and down over her clit rubbing slowly. She threw back her head with a sigh, “Ohh, ahhh, William!”

He felt inside of her, grinning, she was so wet for him. Like a ripe peach begging to be picked. Spike grinned a little wider and dipped his mouth for a taste. Experimenting with his tongue, he lapped at her slowly making her squirm and writhe beneath him. She grasped the back of his head again, dislodging more of his curls and burying her fingers in his scalp as she let out a little shudder. He tasted her as fresh moisture rushed to meet his tongue. He took his time, driving her wild because it drove him wild.

For a moment he thought about setting up their mind-scape and taking her in both, but the thought dissolved when she wrapped her leg around him to pull him into her deeper. She might have crushed any other guy with the force of it but Spike growled in glee letting the sound reverberate against her opening.

He repositioned her legs around him and went up on his knees, pulling her up with him. Her back arched and he ran a hand up to her breast caressing her through the leather-like fabric covering them. With one last shuddering cry Buffy signaled Spike that it was time.

He released his mouth from between her thighs and rocked back onto the floor. Then he took himself in his own hand stroking himself as she settled down onto the floor with him. The album Spike had put on had started playing over again sometime while he collected on his debt and was nearly halfway through again.

Buffy’s eyes burned with desire as she watched him slowly and deliberately stroke himself. She pushed him back roughly onto the rug covered stone floor before swatting his hand away and taking him deeply into her mouth for a moment before positioning herself on top of him. The events of the last several hours made her feel like she had been waiting for this for days.

Even still, she worked herself down slowly. He had taken his sweet time building her up. There was no way she was going to let him get off so easily. Pun intended.

With an impatient growl he thrust into her, matching her movements. She held herself back just a little, teasing him. Spike gasped, “What are you doing, Love?”

Buffy smiled, raking her nails across his chest leaving tiny scratches in their wake. Spike shuddered under her. She grinned as she plunged herself down hard onto him, taking in the rest of his length, filling her up completely. She let out a little gasp. Then leaned in to kiss him hungrily as she allowed herself to adjust to the feeling of him inside her. She felt him pulse within her and gasped again.

Slowly she began to rock, moving carefully, feeling every inch of him gliding in and out of her. She felt her muscles clamp down a little tighter and moved a little faster. Spike growled, he grabbed her roughly and flipped them so she was on the bottom. The force of the flip sent a pleasant shockwave through Buffy’s body.

Spike didn’t wait, he pumped himself into her. A primal sound like a howl escaped him as she met his thrust. Buffy scratched at his back and dug her nails into his sides hard. He hissed with the pain, “Ahh! Buffy!” He screamed her name and bent his head down, biting her neck with blunt teeth.

“Spike!” Buffy screamed as her muscles clamped down sending them both over the edge. Spike continued to thrust slowly as they rode out the wave together.

“You’re incredible, Buffy,” he kissed her as she struggled to catch her breath. “I know I’ve said it before, but it bares repeating, I’ve never been with anyone like you. The way you move. The way you make me feel. The way you combine pain and ecstasy. God, you're amazing.”

“Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you. Sort of a fallen-angel vibe with those sexy curls.”

“Big ‘A’ or little ‘A’, I’m no angel, fallen or otherwise,” he said, pushing himself up.

She pulled him back down, “I was talking about your hair and your smoldering good looks. That’s little ‘A’, fallen-angel, as in an angelic demon. My demon, my man. That’s not, Angel. Angel could never love me the way you do. I need someone who’s a combination of gentleman and monster who loves me for me. All of me. Someone I can give myself to completely. That’s you. Only you.”

“You really are my perfect mate.”

“Birds of a bloody feather,” she grinned using his own words against him.

Spike grinned and kissed her hard, then said, “I think this sexy little nightie is going to have to go.”

“Maybe we could even find the bed?”

“What’d that poor thing ever do to us?” he grinned.

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

It was raining the next day which meant Angel could take an earlier train into London. He would arrive in plenty of time to catch an evening flight from London to Rome. Faith had no more than got back to the castle before Angel had finalized his travel plans.

Spike stood in the doorway of Giles’s room. It was almost dinner time and Zara had gone home hours ago. He leaned against the doorframe watching Angel pack. Angel zipped his bag shut and looked up at him knowing that whatever it was he wanted he wouldn’t go away until he got it.

“What do you want?”

“A truce Liam. I wanted to talk to you man to man before you go.”

“If you’re just going to—“

“I’m not here to fight. Got it out of my system. I’m good.”

Angel nodded once, “Ok, so talk.”

Spike crossed into the room and sat down heavily on one of the chairs with his elbows on his thighs and hands clasped in front of him. Spike took a deep breath, “If I could have this conversation with anyone else I would. Just to be clear. I feel like a sodding git asking about this.”

Angel sat on the edge of the couch with his arms folded over his chest, Spike actually looked distressed. He waited expectantly, refusing to give him an inch.

“I wanted to ask you about Darla and— and—“

“Conner.”

“Yeah…”

“You want to know how— how Darla and I—“

“Made the little Junior Mint. Yeah. Is this a soul thing? Is it a prophecy thing? Is this something with our bloodline? Is it something Buffy and I need to talk about? Because right now we’re operating under the assumption that dead men can’t shoot live ammunition—“

“Spike—“

“We need to know what we’re dealing with here, and since you’re the one with the kid and—“

Angel picked up a newspaper laying on the coffee table and threw it at him, “Spike! Would you shut up?”

Spike swatted the paper away, “Forget about me; Buffy has the right to know.”

“Conner was part of a much bigger plan, a god wanted to be born into our world, it…” Angel paused, nearly choking on the words, “It made a lot of things happen that shouldn’t have. Darla came back, they had to have someone in our line re-vamp her—“

“Que Drusilla—“

“And she was just crazy enough to do it. Then they took Cordelia— she was— they used her— Connor was born so the beast that killed her could be born. It was all— it was all a sick game. All of it. The thing used all of us,” he spat.

“You mean— “

“Unless someone’s got big plans for a slayer-vampire mix, you’re still shooting blanks man.”

“Seems there would be easier ways to get that mix. Got a castle full of ‘em after all. All it would take is for one of our lot to change one.”

“Unless they needed one that was alive…”

Spike sat up slowly, bracing his arms on the armrests, “That’s a cheerful thought,” he didn’t sound cheerful at all.

“You’re telling me… although— Darla and I just had a one-night-stand. I didn’t even know she was pregnant until she showed up about ready to pop. The way you two have been going at it you’d probably know it by now. Unless—“

“Unless the wankers are bidding their bloody time.”

“In which case—“

“No amount of birth control would make a bloody difference anyway.”

“They’re not usually known for using the same tricks twice. Not for the big stuff anyway. And Connor was definitely part of something big. God big.”

“I’m still going to talk to Buffy about all this. She’s a smart one but I dunno if she’s thought through that angle yet. Hasn’t mentioned it.”

Angel pressed his lips together and nodded once, “I’m going to regret saying this,” he paused clearing his throat, “If I’m not the guy, I’m glad it’s you over some frat boy or that stupid GI-Joe. At least I know you’ll take care of her and- and I know you’ll treat her the way she deserves—“

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, you better stop there before we trigger a sodding apocalypse or something.”

Angel smiled bitterly and thrust out his hand. Spike shook his head but stood up to take it. “We’ve both been through a few of those. I think we can chance it,” Angel said.

“So hummm, friends?”

“More like family, but you know, weirder.”

“That’s what I told Buffy,” Spike smirked, “Promised I wouldn’t call you ‘daddy’ though, sorry big guy.”

Angel let out a snort of derision, “Yeah, please don’t.”

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

It was a few hours later when Buffy and Spike settled back into Giles‘s car after dropping Angel off at the train station. There was something about having closure watching him leave that gave her some solace. She sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. Spike started the ignition and turned to her a little curiously, “Everything alright, Pet?”

She nodded tiredly, “You know, even two years ago, if you would’ve told me I would’ve been this happy to see him go I would’ve thought you were insane.”

“Two years ago I was insane,” he raised an eyebrow.

Buffy rolled her eyes, “Humm yeah, school basement kinda made an impression, Honey. The hair might’ve been sexy if not for the super crazy— that definitely did not give me the warm fuzzies. I just meant it’s weird that all I can think of is how relieved I am to see him go.”

“Yeah well I suppose with the two of us at each other’s throats I can hardly blame you for that… We eh sort of made nice earlier.”

She looked at him sideways, “Of course you did… But like, it’s not even just that. I mean yeah okay you two are idiots and it’s exhausting sometimes to be around that but just in general he can be so glum and moody and… I just can’t wait for a nice normal week, no demon baby, no moody-broody vampire, just us. We can just get back to teaching and slaying the old routine and then over the weekend do something fun,” she puffed out a breath and closed her eyes.

Spike cleared his throat, “I talked to Angel.”

“Humm hmm?” she murmured, she didn’t even open her eyes when she asked, “About?”

“How Conner came to be.”

She opened her eyes and looked at him, “Yeah?”

“Definitely some serious mojo involved there. Like god level stuff.”

“Figured there must have been something big.”

“Yeah of course. Even still I sort of thought it could have something to do with the soul having bit or maybe our bloodline.”

“You were worried about me getting pregnant when I told you it’s something I don’t want.”

“Something like that.”

She hesitated, “And what did he say?”

“Basically that the chances are about one in a zillion. Sounds like this thing had to stack the cards pretty carefully to make Connor happen and he wasn’t even the endgame, this god thing was. Had a disturbing thought though, Slayer-Vamp combo.”

“A Slaypire? Humm yeah, not a new idea,” she shuddered.

“You’d be right, unless they needed it to be alive for some reason.”

“Now that is a creepy thought.”

“Yeah… worse still is the fact that if they want it to happen, it’s going to, no matter what we do. Connor was conceived during a one-night-stand between two living corpses.”

They were both silent for a while as Spike drove along the country road leading to the castle. Buffy finally broke the silence, “Seems pretty obvious then doesn’t it?”

“What’s that?”

“It doesn’t change anything. We’re not talking about the normal rules here which makes it like the biggest question mark ever. So it’s really stupid for us to start worrying about it now right?”

“Thought you might say that.”

She searched his face for a moment, “You wanted to make sure I knew, so I could make my own choices. So I could— Spike— “ she said softly.

“Just want us on the same page, that’s all, Love. Even ground. That’s all I want.”

Buffy reached for his hand, clasping it tight in hers, “Just when I think I couldn’t love you anymore than I already do, you prove me wrong.”

He gave her a little smirk, “It's what I’m here for. Always.”

#fanfic #buffy the vampire slayer #buffy fanfic #buffy x spike #spuffy #bound #spike x buffy

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