#Link isn’t going to make too much of a fuss

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Remember the Shafows of Twilight fic where Twilight got revealed as a wolf and were was an ask about how Ulli won't let Twilight on the couch without a bath? Can you write that?

The stakes were higher than ever. Link refused to lose. Glaring determinedly, he settled his elbow on the table as Rusl sat across from him, mirroring his position. Colin shifted, filled with nervous and excited energy, and then he started to count down.

Both men's arms shook with exertion the instant Colin finished counting. Uli watched from the kitchen, rocking Hama steadily. Of all the family, she looked somehow the most invested but least emotional about it. Her gaze was seemingly neutral, but her eyes wouldn't leave the table.

Colin gasped as Link started to push Rusl's arm closer to the table. Rusl's grip tightened, face pulling with effort. Link smiled, knowing he was going to win.

And then Rusl exhaled heavily through his nose, putting all his energy into one last effort, catching Link off guard and slamming his fist into the table. Colin yelled in surprise, hands thrown into the air for emphasis.

From the kitchen, Uli let out a breath she'd been holding, smiling in victory.

Link wilted at the table, a seeming cloud looming over him.

"Then it's settled," Rusl huffed, panting. "The wolf gets a bath."

Link groaned.

That evening, with extreme reluctance, Link dragged his feet to the sacred spring. He didn't bother mentioning that the spring would likely transform him back immediately. There was absolutely no need to share that information.

Uli, on the other hand, was humming cheerfully as Rusl followed her with supplies in hand. Colin, despite multiple protests, was expressly forbidden from coming along. Link had to save his dignity somehow.

"Ma," he pleaded for the millionth time. "I'm clean already. What's the point of this?"

"Honey, when you were showing Colin your wolf form we all could smell it," Uli replied as gently as she could, but the words still made his cheeks flush in embarrassment. "And your fur is matted and bloody. I... I just want to help you wash that journey off you."

Link didn’t really have a rebuttal for that, words stolen away with his breath. The tenderness woven in the words that his guardian spoke immediately eliminated any other protest he might have, and he sighed reluctantly.

Did he truly want to wash such a journey off him? Did he truly want to let go?

Midna…

She said goodbye. He supposed he should too.

He didn’t want to say goodbye. It didn’t feel like it’s as over.

But he couldn’t say no to his mother, so he grabbed the shadow crystal and let the dark magic break and reshape him. It was a familiar sensation by now, intensely painful but only for a moment, and far less so now that he was expecting it. When the wolf shook free of the shadows, he tentatively stepped towards Uli and Rusl.

Uli smiled, kneeling onto the ground at the shore, arm stretched out invitingly. Link took another small step, listening to Rusl chuckle, and he felt his ears peel back in mild annoyance.

This was ridiculous. He didn’t need a bath. It was silly.

It was downright terrifying. He didn’t want to lose everything from his journey. He didn’t want to wash it off himself.

He didn’t know how to move forward.

Uli cupped her hands, letting sacred water sprinkle over Link. It was warm, relaxing, and he felt his body shiver as the dark magic that changed him tried to recede.

“This might not be the best place for this,” Rusl noted. Link glanced at him, disappointed that the man was already picking up that the water would change him back, but he also noticed a distinct unease to his guardian’s posture.

Rusl didn’t want to be here either. Somehow, his amusement had changed to anxiety. Link could sense it; he could smell it.

In an attempt to cheer Rusl and perhaps give a little act of defiance to Uli’s proposal in the first place, Link flopped on his side, splashing directly into the water and soaking his mother. The warmth wrapped around him like a hug, minimizing the pain as he shifted back, and he smiled up at his guardians as Uli spluttered and Rusl immediately looked relieved.

Does he really think it’s a gift if he gets that nervous? Link wondered, watching his father step toward him.

“Well, now you have an actual reason for a bath in both forms,” Rusl noted, and Link recognized that hew as now covered in mud.

Well… that backfired.

Uli tutted, rising, as Link spluttered for a comeback. Rusl tackled the protesting teenager. After a brief wrestling match, Link found himself in Rusl’s embrace, shivering from the breeze but warm against his guardian’s chest. Somehow, in the time they’d been playing, Uli had grabbed a large tub—the one they usually used for bathing anyway—and was filling it with water.

“Ma, I’m all clean now,” Link said quickly, looking himself over. He was soaking wet, but the mud was certainly gone.

“This is for your other form,” Uli insisted. “I got the water from upstream.”

“Does that make it less sacred…?” Rusl wondered quietly.

“Ordona hasn’t sat in it yet, I guess,” Link grumbled, growing irritated again.

“If we build a fire we can warm it up,” Uli noted with a smile.

Her face was too gentle to keep arguing with her, and Link sighed, leaning heavily against Rusl. He glanced up at him, catching his father’s attention, and Rusl held him a little tighter as if to ask what’s wrong?

“When I… you were…” Link swallowed, trying to find the words. He didn’t want to upset Rusl - things were tenuous enough after the night he’d discovered his ability.

“Link,” Rusl said quietly, gently. “I… we both are still trying to move on from that night. Your transformation doesn’t scare me. I know it’s you. You know that.”

“But—”

“My worries have nothing to do with you being a wolf,” Rusl interrupted. “Sometimes fathers just worry. I love you. Now come on, your mother’s waiting.”

Link sighed, not pushing the matter, but Rusl didn’t let him go as he guided him out of the water. Despite wanting to get it over with at this point, Uli made him wait until she was satisfied with the water temperature, dragging his embarrassment and anxiety out further.

Rusl distracted him with talk of sword fighting and tales from the Resistance, and eventually Link finally settled, nearly forgetting why they were at the spring in the first place.

Until Uli said the water was ready.

“Ma, do I have to?”

“Oh, Link, come on now, it isn’t that bad!”

Uli’s voice was growing more disappointed rather than exasperated, and Link felt a twinge of guilt. Sighing, he transformed once more. Rusl, with his back to the spring, gently nudged him forward, and Link grumbled, feeling it rumble in his chest like a growl before it shaped into a pathetic little howl of protest as it left his muzzle.

His parents laughed. They laughed at his plight.

Ears peeled, tail tucked, Link climbed carefully into the basin with Rusl’s help. As soon as the warm water started to seep into his coat, he swallowed, hesitantly relaxing into it. It… certainly felt nice. He resigned himself to his fate as Uli’s hands ran through his fur, gentle, careful, detangling as she went. He saw the tools stacked on a rock, gathered by Rusl over several trips to Castle Town, and he huffed again.

Link closed his eyes as Uli’s hands moved towards his face and muzzle. He closed his eyes, and for a moment time washed over him, hearing his mother’s screams on his first return to the village after transforming, feeling the steel of Rusl’s blade in his gut as he rested. He shriveled into himself a little, and Uli paused before carefully massaging along his nose, between his eyes, behind his ears. She started humming gently, a familiar tune he’d heard most of his life, and Link hated how his lupine form couldn’t hide his emotions like usual, hated how a little whine escaped his throat.

Uli leaned down and kissed his forehead, hugging him, careless of the soap suds she was getting on her. She didn’t speak, and he was thankful for it, as he felt his predicament couldn’t get much more humiliating, but somehow it soothed him anyway. As his mother continued, he dared to open his eyes, glancing at Rusl, who was watching him with a gentle smile. When they made eye contact, his guardian came in closer, cupping his muzzle with his hands and gently rubbing across the fur on his cheeks with his thumbs.

Link shivered a little, helpless and hating that fact. But he felt safe in their care, and… that was a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time. Link had no need to worry about whether he actually felt safe - he would make a situation safe. Usually, he was the one people went to for safety. But here, in this quiet little moment, he relaxed.

He relaxed. He hadn’t done that since he’d gone fishing with Midna months ago, long before things had grown overwhelming and constant, before they’d managed to find most of the mirror shards, before urgency had kicked in over everything else.

With every new rinse, the stench of blood and dirt lessened. With every gentle caress, anxieties and tight muscles that hadn’t eased since fighting Ganondorf started to release.

Link stepped out of the tub, feeling utterly exhausted and rejuvenated, and he glanced at his guardians. They smiled back.

And then he got the sudden urge to get all this water off him. So he did.

He shook his coat vigorously, making Rusl and Uli yelp. If he could smirk in his wolf form, he would.

”Just for that, I’m using the puppy perfume,” Uli chided.

Link howled in protest, making a beeline for the woods, and Rusl grabbed him before he could flee. His ire was evident in each and every howl and yelp, in the way he wiggled so vigorously he covered his father in fur. Rusl only laughed, but he did finally concede, “Maybe we can avoid the puppy perfume, dear.”

With that threat rescinded, Link relaxed, held awkwardly in Rusl’s arms before grumbling and wiggling again. Put me down.

Rusl walked to the spring, grip tightening a little, before gently lowering him into the blessed waters. Link felt the dark magic recede, and he sighed, rising a little woozily, muscles still fairly relaxed, held steady by his guardian’s strong hands.

“There, see?” Rusl said with a smile, guiding Link out of the water. “That wasn’t so bad.”

“I didn’t get a chance to brush your coat,” Uli noted a little disappointedly.

“You already bathed me,” Link pointed out exasperatedly. “I don’t need pampering.”

“Your fur’s going to be all matted, hon.”

“I’ve had worse.”

“Leave it be, dear,” Rusl defended Link gently. “I think we could all benefit from a break.”

With that, Uli immediately switched tactics, insisting Link come home with them and rest. Link wanted to argue—it wasn’t like getting a bath was traumatic, not in the slightest, just embarrassing; it wasn’t like he hadn’t just had some kind of release from his journey, as she’d promised… it wasn’t like he was shivering and vulnerable all of a sudden, wanting to hold desperately on to that feeling of safety he’d just gotten back—but there was no argument in the world that would work against her.

Link let his parents guide him back to their house, and he found himself settled in front of the fire with a warm glass of milk. Colin was at his side in an instant, smiling and leaning against him. He paused, sniffing, making Link throw him a bewildered look.

“I thought you’d smell like the shampoo or something,” Colin said thoughtfully. “That form really does hide stuff.”

Link knew Colin meant it innocently, but given what Uli had said earlier, it really hit harder than it should. He shook the feeling off, elbowing his little brother. “Well, I’m glad. I don’t want to smell like roses.”

But what if he no longer held Midna’s scent in his fur either? His heart lurched a moment, chest feeling like he’d been punched, and his eyes widened a moment.

And then Rusl and Uli settled beside him with blankets and leftover biscuits from breakfast. And though Link still missed his friend so desperately, he knew he wasn’t at least completely alone.

And… perhaps washing some of the stains of his journey away had been a good idea after all.

[amethystarachnid]

Hi! I absolutely love your work sooo much (especially “LAZY DAY” with Tony) 🥹💕 If it’s okay, could you write a fluff story of Tony and shy fem reader?

This is just an example... She tends to hold back from telling Tony how she really feels, even when she needs him, because she doesn't want to be a bother (even though he’d love to be there for her). One day, she came home feeling down after a long, exhausting day at work without saying a word. But Tony, always so tuned in to her, noticed right away and cheered her up with sweet words, lots of praise, and warm hugs ❤️

Sorry if this is a weird request, and I’m just a beginner in English! Thank you so much for your amazing work 🥰

SAFE ARMS

⤷ ANTHONY “TONY” E. STARK

ᯓ★ Pairing: Anthony “Tony” E. Stark x fem!reader

ᯓ★ Genre: romance fluff, tiny bit of angst but more comfort

ᯓ★ Request from: normal request

ᯓ★ Story type: one shot

ᯓ★ Word count: 5k

ᯓ★ Summary: you aren't used to ask for help, always scared to be a bother for the people around you, but your boyfriend, Tony Stark himself, is ready to change that.

ᯓ★ TW(s): reader is insecure but nothing that need a tw

ᯓ★ Comment if you want to be added to the taglist (specify if you want the everything taglist or for a specific character)

ᯓ★ My Masterlist

ᯓ★ MARVEL Multiverse - choose an AU, pair it with your favorite character and make a request!

ᯓ★ Songs & Superheroes tales - The Game (to make a request, follow the rules on the link!)

ᯓ★ MARVEL Bingo

ᯓ★ English isn’t my first language

The sun is just beginning to peek through the blinds when you wake up, casting soft, golden beams across Tony’s penthouse. Everything here is sleek, modern, and feels like it belongs in a world you’re still getting used to. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that this is your home now, not just some temporary stay in Tony Stark’s glamorous life.

You turn in bed, expecting to find him beside you. But the sheets are cold, and you know what that means: he’s already up, probably buried in his lab, tinkering with some new piece of tech or fussing over another upgrade to one of his suits. The thought brings a small smile to your face, but it also settles a familiar ache in your chest.

Living with Tony is both exciting and intimidating. He’s never made you feel anything less than wanted here, even if his world feels overwhelming. Even though he’s Tony Stark—a genius, a billionaire, Iron Man—he’s somehow managed to make you feel like you belong in his universe. And yet, there’s a shyness that sticks to you, holding you back from fully opening up. It's not that you don’t trust him; it’s just… well, you’re afraid of being too much, of being a burden, of pulling him away from things that feel so much bigger than you.

You tell yourself that this is the reason you don’t go looking for him right now. After all, he’s probably working on something important; he wouldn’t want to be interrupted. Right?

With a small sigh, you roll out of bed, pulling one of his oversized hoodies around your shoulders. The familiar smell of him, a mix of his cologne and the faint metallic tang of his workshop, wraps around you like a comforting hug. It helps, a little.

Your bare feet make almost no sound as you pad through the penthouse, moving toward the kitchen. A small army of coffee machines stands proudly on the countertop—Tony has never been subtle about his obsession with caffeine. You pick the espresso machine, going through the motions of making yourself a cup and trying not to think about how empty the kitchen feels without him here.

You sip your coffee in silence, leaning against the counter, your thoughts drifting back to last night. Tony had been working late, as usual, and by the time he came to bed, you’d already been half asleep. You hadn’t even really said goodnight. It’s a small thing, but it gnaws at you now, the missed chance to tell him how much he means to you.

As you finish your coffee, you hear a faint hum from downstairs—the familiar, low buzz of Tony’s lab. You can almost picture him there, leaning over one of his projects, brow furrowed in concentration, the soft glow of his tech casting a blue light over his face.

Before you realize what you’re doing, you’re halfway to the lab, hugging his hoodie close. You stop just before the entrance, heart pounding in your chest. You don’t want to bother him. What if he’s in the middle of something crucial?

You turn, ready to head back upstairs, but then you hear his voice.

“You know, you can come in, right?” His tone is light, teasing. You don’t even have to see his face to know he’s smirking.

You feel your cheeks heat up. Caught. But the way he says it makes you feel a little bolder, like maybe it’s okay to want his company.

Stepping into the lab, you find him exactly as you imagined, bent over a small arc reactor, wires and tools scattered around him. He glances up as you walk in, and his smirk softens into a warm smile.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” he says, setting his tools down and straightening up. “Come to help me save the world?”

You chuckle, hugging yourself a little tighter. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Lucky for you, I do,” he teases, stepping closer. He reaches out, a gentle hand tilting your chin up so he can look at you fully. “But, honestly, I’d much rather spend my morning with you.”

His eyes are soft, a little tired, but the way he looks at you never fails to make your heart race. Even after all this time together, it’s hard to believe someone like him could look at you like that, like you’re the most important person in the world.

“Don’t you have… things to do?” You gesture toward the scattered tools, trying to ignore the way your stomach flips at his touch.

“Plenty,” he says, shrugging as if it’s the least important thing. “But I can make time. For you? Always.”

You swallow, the weight of his words settling over you like a warm blanket. He says things like that all the time, so casually, but you know he means them. And yet, you can’t quite shake the nagging feeling that you don’t deserve it, that you’re just a distraction from the incredible work he does every day.

Tony watches you, his expression softening even more as he picks up on your hesitation. He’s always been able to read you so easily, seeing right through the walls you try to keep up.

“Hey,” he murmurs, his hand moving to cup your cheek, thumb brushing softly along your skin. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

You want to tell him, to explain all the things you keep buried—the doubts, the fears, the overwhelming feeling that you’re somehow out of place here, with him. But the words stick in your throat, too heavy to push out.

“It’s nothing,” you say instead, forcing a smile. “I just… didn’t want to bother you.”

His brow furrows, and he studies you in that intense way he has, like he’s trying to decipher a complicated equation. “Bother me?” he repeats, a hint of disbelief coloring his voice. “You could never bother me, sweetheart. You know that, right?”

“I just… you’re always so busy,” you say, your voice quieter than you’d like. “And I know what you do is important. I don’t want to distract you.”

He sighs, his hand dropping from your cheek to take your hand instead, his fingers wrapping around yours warmly. “You’re not a distraction,” he says, his voice low and earnest. “If anything, you’re what keeps me grounded. Reminds me why I do all this in the first place.”

You look down at your joined hands, your heart aching with how much you want to believe him. But that small voice in the back of your mind—the one that insists you don’t belong in his world—won’t quite quiet.

He lifts your hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to your knuckles, and you finally meet his gaze. There’s something raw and vulnerable in his eyes, something that reassures you that, despite all his bravado, he really means every word.

“Besides,” he says, breaking the silence with a soft smile, “I could use a little distraction now and then. Keeps things interesting.”

You can’t help but laugh, the sound slipping out before you can stop it. He grins, clearly pleased with himself for coaxing a laugh out of you, and pulls you closer, wrapping an arm around your waist.

“See?” he murmurs, his lips brushing against your forehead. “This is exactly what I mean. I need this. I need you.”

The sincerity in his voice nearly undoes you. You lean into him, letting his warmth seep into you, and feel some of the tension begin to melt away. Maybe he’s right. Maybe you’re allowed to want him, to need him. It’s not something you’re used to, but he makes it feel… okay.

“Thank you,” you whisper, the words feeling inadequate but all you can manage. He seems to understand, his hold on you tightening slightly.

“Anytime,” he replies, his voice soft. “You don’t have to thank me, you know. I like being here for you.”

As you stand there, wrapped in his arms, you feel a familiar swell of warmth and contentment. It’s easy to forget about the doubts when you’re here with him, when he holds you like you’re his whole world. You want to stay like this forever, to keep him close and hold onto this feeling.

After a few moments, he pulls back slightly, looking down at you with a gentle smile. “How about we get some breakfast?” he suggests, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “Unless you’re in the mood for some early-morning science experiments.”

You shake your head, smiling. “Breakfast sounds nice.”

He nods, taking your hand in his and leading you toward the kitchen. You don’t miss the way he keeps his hand on yours, his thumb tracing soft patterns along your skin, as if he’s reminding you that he’s here, that he’s not going anywhere.

In the kitchen, he moves around easily, gathering ingredients, cracking jokes about his questionable cooking skills, though you know he’s actually a pretty decent cook when he puts his mind to it. You watch him, a soft smile playing on your lips as he makes his way through the routine with a surprising amount of focus.

As you sit together, sipping coffee and sharing bites of scrambled eggs, the silence between you is comfortable. And for once, you don’t feel like you need to say anything more. His presence alone is enough to chase away any lingering doubts, even if only for a little while.

You walk through the front door, shoulders slumped, heels clicking softly against the floor as you make your way into the penthouse. The apartment is dimly lit, a golden glow spilling from the tall floor lamps that line the hallway, giving the whole space a quiet, warm ambience. But tonight, the usual comfort it offers feels far away, unreachable. Work had been a marathon of stress—a heavy, seemingly unending to-do list combined with a particularly harsh round of feedback from your boss. All you want is to disappear into bed and leave this day behind.

As you move into the living room, your tired eyes scan the familiar space, hoping Tony’s already in his lab or engrossed in some project. It’s not that you don’t want to see him. You do, more than anything. But you feel raw, your emotions precariously close to spilling over, and you don’t want to worry him with this heavy weight you’re carrying. You tell yourself it’s better if you deal with it alone.

But, like always, Tony surprises you.

You’re barely three steps in when you hear him. “Hey, gorgeous.” His voice is low, gentle, and immediately makes you stop in your tracks. You look over, and there he is, standing by the kitchen island, casually leaning against it with his usual effortless charm, a small smile tugging at his lips.

His gaze softens as he takes in your appearance. You’re not exactly hiding how tired you are, and the moment he sees the weariness etched on your face, his expression shifts. His smile fades, replaced by a look of concern.

He’s in front of you before you even realize it, his hands reaching out to rest gently on your shoulders. “Tough day?” he asks softly, his thumb stroking comfortingly along your arm.

You nod, swallowing down the lump that’s been building in your throat. “Something like that,” you manage, trying to force a small smile, but it barely reaches your eyes.

Tony’s brows knit together, and he studies you intently for a moment, taking in every detail, every sign of exhaustion, of stress. He knows you well enough to see through the act, to recognize the way your shoulders slump just a little more than usual, the slight downturn of your mouth that you’re trying to hide.

Without a word, he slips one arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him, and with his other hand, he cradles the back of your head, holding you to his chest. His scent—clean, with that hint of metal and machinery that always lingers around him—fills your senses, and you let out a shuddering breath, finally allowing yourself to relax, if only a little.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs, his voice a warm rumble against your ear. “You’re home now. You don’t have to keep it together here.”

The words are simple, but the way he says them, so soft and sincere, chips away at the wall you’ve built around yourself today. Your shoulders sag, and before you can stop yourself, you’re leaning fully into him, letting his strength hold you up.

Tony’s hand rubs soothing circles along your back, and you can feel him swaying slightly, as though he’s rocking you, trying to melt away the tension that clings to you.

“You know, I was going to ask about your day,” he says, his tone light, almost playful. “But something tells me it wasn’t exactly a five-star experience.”

A humorless laugh escapes you, and you nod against his chest. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“Thought so.” He pulls back just enough to look at you, his hands moving to cup your face. His thumbs brush away a stray tear you hadn’t even realized had fallen, and his eyes meet yours, full of a warmth that feels like it’s wrapping around you, even more comforting than the physical closeness.

“Listen,” he says, his voice dropping to that low, intimate tone that he reserves only for you, “you know you’re incredible, right? Like… undeniably, unbeatably, ridiculously amazing.”

You can’t help but roll your eyes a little, even as your lips twitch into a tiny smile. “Tony…”

“No, no, don’t ‘Tony’ me,” he interrupts, grinning slightly. “I’m serious. They’re lucky to have you. They’re damn lucky. And if they can’t see that, then they clearly don’t know what they’re doing.”

The sincerity in his voice makes your heart ache in the best way, and you feel another tear slip down your cheek. “Thank you,” you whisper, your voice barely audible. It’s all you can manage, but the gratitude in those two words is enough to make him lean forward and press a soft kiss to your forehead.

“Come here.” He guides you over to the couch, still holding you close. He sits down first, then pulls you onto his lap, wrapping his arms around you as if he can shield you from all the worries of the world. “Now, I want you to tell me everything, but first… let’s get you a little more comfortable, okay?”

With a gentle tug, he pulls a soft throw blanket around your shoulders, tucking it securely around you. You settle against his chest, feeling the warmth of his body seeping into yours, and let out a long, shaky breath.

For a few minutes, you don’t say anything. Tony doesn’t push, doesn’t try to make you talk. He simply holds you, his fingers running soothingly through your hair, tracing little patterns along your shoulder. Slowly, bit by bit, the tension that’s been coiled tightly within you begins to unwind.

Finally, you begin to tell him about your day, about the endless meetings and the impossible deadlines and the feeling that no matter how much you give, it’s never quite enough. You tell him about the criticism, the way it felt like a blow to the chest, and how you’d spent the rest of the day doubting yourself, questioning if you were really cut out for this job.

He listens, his face a mixture of empathy and frustration, his hand never stopping its comforting rhythm. When you finish, he’s quiet for a moment, his gaze intense as he processes everything you’ve told him.

“Alright, first of all,” he begins, his voice firm but gentle, “none of this—none of it—means you’re anything less than extraordinary. I know it’s hard to see that right now, but you need to know it. You’re one of the most capable, hardworking, and downright brilliant people I know, and anyone who says otherwise clearly doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”

A tear slips down your cheek, and Tony wipes it away, his thumb lingering on your skin. “I mean it,” he continues, his tone softening. “You’re allowed to have bad days, but don’t ever think that one rough day—or even a hundred—defines who you are. You’re incredible, and you don’t have to prove that to anyone.”

You can’t help the small, shaky smile that tugs at your lips. “Thank you, Tony. I… I needed to hear that.”

He presses a gentle kiss to your temple. “Good. Because I’m not done yet.”

You chuckle, feeling the weight on your chest ease a little more. He shifts slightly, so you’re facing him, his hands still cradling your face as he looks at you with a tenderness that makes your heart ache.

“I need you to know,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper, “that you’re not alone in this. You have me, always. And I’ll be here, on the days that feel impossible and the days that feel amazing and every single day in between. You don’t have to carry everything by yourself, okay?”

The tears come more freely now, but this time, they’re mixed with relief, with gratitude, with the overwhelming feeling of being truly seen, truly loved. “Thank you,” you whisper again, your voice breaking slightly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Good thing you’ll never have to find out,” he replies, a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips.

He leans forward, pressing his lips to yours in a gentle, lingering kiss, as if he’s pouring all the reassurance, all the comfort, all the love he has for you into that one, tender moment. You sink into it, feeling your worries and doubts melt away, if only for a little while.

When he pulls back, he studies your face, brushing his thumb along your cheek. “How about a little pampering tonight?” he suggests, his tone warm, playful. “You’ve had a rough day, and I happen to have a few ideas for how to make it better.”

A small laugh escapes you, and you nod, leaning your forehead against his. “That sounds… perfect.”

He grins, kissing the tip of your nose before he stands, carefully lifting you in his arms. You let out a surprised laugh, clinging to his shoulders as he carries you into the bathroom. He sets you down gently, and you watch as he begins filling the large, luxurious bathtub with warm water, adding your favorite bath oils, the ones that smell like lavender and vanilla.

When he’s done, he turns to you, his eyes warm and gentle. “Go on,” he says, nodding toward the tub. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

You smile, the weight on your chest almost completely lifted now, and slip into the warm, soothing water. As you sink down, feeling the stress and tension dissolve, you can’t help but feel a sense of overwhelming gratitude for him, for his love, for the way he always seems to know exactly what you need.

After a while, you hear a soft knock on the door,

and you smile as Tony peeks in, holding a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. “Thought you might want some company,” he says, his voice soft and tentative, as though he’s giving you the option to say no.

“Come on in,” you reply, your heart warming at the sight of him.

He sits on the edge of the tub, placing the tea within reach, and opens the book, reading softly to you as you soak. His voice is a comforting background, and you close your eyes, letting the words wash over you.

When you finally step out of the bath, he’s there, wrapping a towel around you and pulling you into his arms once more. “Feel a little better?” he asks, his tone gentle.

You nod, smiling up at him. “A lot better, actually. Thank you, Tony. For… everything.”

He brushes a damp strand of hair from your face, his expression tender. “Anytime, sweetheart. You’re worth it. Every single bit.”

In that moment, you know that no matter how hard the days get, you’ll never have to face them alone. And that’s more than enough.

Over time, something shifts within you. At first, it’s subtle—a moment here and there where you catch yourself hesitating, wondering if you should share your thoughts, your concerns, the little pieces of your day that feel too insignificant to mention. But then you remember the way Tony looked at you that night, the way he held you close, told you you’d never be a bother to him, and slowly, that hesitance starts to fade.

The shift is gradual, like the way daylight slowly warms the early morning sky. You don’t wake up one day suddenly unburdened by your worries. Instead, it’s the little things, small instances where you catch yourself reaching out, sharing something with him that you might have once kept to yourself. And each time, his response is the same—warm, attentive, and never anything but patient. The more you share, the more you feel a weight you hadn’t even realized you were carrying begin to lift.

One evening, after another long day, you’re sitting on the couch, thumbing absently through your phone, waiting for him to finish up in the lab. Normally, you’d keep to yourself, not wanting to intrude on his work time. But tonight, something is different. You remember the way he’d told you he wanted to know everything, even the little things, and you feel a gentle nudge inside yourself to let him in, to trust that he means it.

So, instead of waiting in silence, you pick up your phone and shoot him a quick message:

“Hey, I’m out here missing you. How’s it going in the lab?”

It’s a small step, but it feels significant. Not even a minute later, you hear his phone chime, followed by the sound of his quick footsteps coming down the hall. He appears in the doorway, wiping his hands on a towel, a curious grin on his face.

“You missing me, huh?” He raises an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe, his eyes alight with playful warmth. “Well, in that case, the lab can wait.”

You laugh, feeling a warmth spread through your chest. He crosses the room and sits beside you, slipping an arm around your shoulders as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. The fact that you reached out, that you asked for him instead of waiting in silence, feels like another small triumph, a step toward something better, something more open.

Over the next few weeks, you find yourself testing this new sense of freedom more and more. At first, it’s little things—telling him about a frustrating conversation at work, venting about the coworker who talks too loudly on phone calls, or sharing a funny meme that you know will make him laugh. He listens, reacts, and responds with the same steady interest, the same comforting warmth, as if there’s nothing in the world he’d rather do than sit and hear you talk about your day.

Then, on a quiet Saturday night, you reach another milestone without even realizing it. You’re lying together on the couch, your head resting on his chest as he absentmindedly traces patterns along your arm. You feel safe, calm, and in a moment of vulnerability, you decide to share a worry that’s been nagging at you.

“Tony,” you begin, hesitating as you search for the right words. He hums, a gentle sound of encouragement, his gaze steady on you as he waits for you to continue.

“I’ve been… worrying about my performance at work,” you admit softly. “I know I do a good job, but sometimes I feel like I’m not as capable as everyone thinks. Like, any day now, they’re going to figure out I’m a fraud.”

You’d never have admitted this before, would have held it tight, afraid that voicing it would make it real. But here, in his arms, under his reassuring gaze, you feel safe enough to let it out.

He doesn’t respond right away, and for a moment, you worry that you’ve said too much, that maybe this is one of those things he doesn’t want to hear. But then, he shifts, sitting up slightly so he can look directly into your eyes.

“You’re serious?” he asks, his voice laced with genuine surprise. “Y/N, that couldn’t be further from the truth. You’re incredibly talented—you’re doing a great job because you are great at what you do. Do you have any idea how impressive you are to me?”

You bite your lip, feeling the usual wave of doubt, but his words are grounding, steadying you. He reaches out, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear, his gaze filled with a sincerity that makes your heart race.

“And even if you did stumble—because let’s be real, everyone does sometimes—you’d still be amazing. You’re allowed to have moments of doubt, but don’t let them make you forget how incredibly talented you are.” He pulls you close, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “Besides, anyone who can put up with me is automatically a superhero in my book.”

His lightheartedness draws a laugh from you, and you feel a weight lift from your shoulders. His faith in you is unwavering, and bit by bit, you find yourself starting to believe in it, too.

After that, opening up becomes a little easier. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, instead of bottling it up, you find yourself seeking him out, talking things through rather than sitting in silence. You start leaving little notes for him around the house—sticky notes on his desk, text messages while he’s working, small reminders of the way you feel, of your gratitude and love.

One evening, after an especially stressful day, you come home and immediately collapse onto the couch, letting out a long sigh. Tony’s head pops around the corner a moment later, a curious grin on his face.

“Rough day?” he asks, coming over to sit beside you, his hand immediately finding yours.

You nod, squeezing his hand. “One of those days where nothing went right,” you admit, sinking into the couch with a groan. Normally, you’d put on a brave face, act as though it didn’t bother you, but tonight, you feel safe enough to let him see the truth.

He chuckles softly, pulling you into his side. “Well, lucky for you, I have the perfect solution,” he announces, his voice filled with that familiar mischief.

Before you can ask what he means, he��s standing up, tugging you along with him into the kitchen. He moves around with practiced ease, grabbing ingredients from the fridge and pantry as he explains his plan.

“We’re making pizza from scratch,” he declares, rolling up his sleeves. “Trust me, nothing takes the edge off a bad day like smashing some dough around. Plus, I happen to know a certain someone who loves pizza.”

You laugh, feeling a flicker of excitement push back against the fatigue. Together, you roll out the dough, sprinkle on toppings, and laugh as flour ends up on both of your faces. It’s messy, fun, and by the time the pizza is in the oven, you realize you’ve completely forgotten about your bad day.

As the pizza bakes, you sit at the kitchen island, resting your head on your hand, watching him with a soft smile. The gratitude you feel in this moment is almost overwhelming, and for once, you don’t hold back.

“Thank you, Tony,” you say softly, reaching out to take his hand. “For… for all of this. For always being there.”

He looks at you, his expression shifting from playful to sincere in an instant. “Always,” he promises, giving your hand a squeeze. “And, hey, thanks for letting me be there. I love that you’re opening up to me more. It means a lot.”

You smile, feeling a warmth spread through you at his words. It’s a reminder that this is a two-way street, that your openness matters to him as much as his support does to you.

The more time passes, the more natural it becomes. You talk about everything now—your fears, your hopes, your triumphs, and your failures. The walls you’d once held up so carefully have crumbled, replaced by a new sense of trust and security that you never thought possible.

One night, you find yourself lying in bed beside him, staring up at the ceiling in the soft glow of the bedside lamp. He’s already half-asleep, his breathing slow and even, but you reach over, slipping your hand into his and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Hey, Tony?” you whisper, your voice barely audible.

He stirs, squeezing your hand in return. “Yeah?”

There’s a long pause as you gather your thoughts, trying to find the words to express the depth of your gratitude. “I just… I just wanted to say thank you. For everything. For… helping me feel safe enough to be myself with you.”

He turns toward you, his eyes soft and filled with a tenderness that takes your breath away. “You don’t ever have to thank me for that,” he says, his voice gentle. “I love you for exactly who you are. And I’m just glad you’re letting me in.”

He presses a soft kiss to your forehead, wrapping his arm around you and pulling you close. In his embrace, you feel a profound sense of belonging, a feeling of being loved and accepted completely, and for the first time in a long time, you allow yourself to believe it fully.

if you liked the story leave a like and a reblog and drop a follow if you want to read more! <3

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for VideoGeek; Kara gets to Earth on time and the Kents get a two-for-one special on free kids. ( + non-chrono link for mobile users )

“Ka-Lair,” Ma says again, low and soothing. She says some other words too. Kara doesn't understand them. 

She can't stop crying. 

She's not supposed to cry. Not in front of Kal. Kal has to see her smiling. Kal–Kal has to–

He has to. 

So she can't be crying right now. 

“Ka-Lair,” Ma repeats one more time. She reaches out. Puts a hand on the porch between them. 

Kara needs to stop crying. She's fine. She just needs to stop crying. She's fine because she has to be fine and she's not crying because Kal needs her to not be crying and she–and she–

And she's fine. 

She is. 

Ma says something else. Turns her hand upright in offering. 

Kara can't let go of Kal to take it. 

It's not safe to let go of Kal. 

He’s so little, and she knew he could fall. She knew it. How was she so stupid, to leave him alone and unwatched all the way across the porch? She knew better! She’d thought about it, and he’s so little! 

And she’d still turned away and taken her eyes off him, because she’d been so weak and pathetic as to need to be upset. 

Kal needs her not to be upset. Kal needs her to take care of him. 

Kal needs her, and she let him fall. 

Kara sobs harder, and Ma leans in and wraps her arms around her. She wants to shove away, but can’t do that to her. Can’t be ungrateful like that, when Ma and Pa have given them so much. 

But she doesn’t deserve it. She let Kal fall, and she’s being a problem and an inconvenience to Ma, and she’s being a problem. She can’t do that. This. Any of this. 

She needs to not be a problem. She needs to help out and not cause trouble and not inconvenience them and take care of Kal and never, ever take her eyes off him and–and–

And she needs to stop crying like this! 

Why can’t she just–just stop? 

Ma makes strange and quiet little hissing noises and hugs her tighter; strokes a hand back through her hair. The last person who did that was her mother, and now her mother isn’t the last person who did that. And her mother will never do it again. Will never . . . never . . . 

Why can’t she stop crying? 

Kal chimes in distress again, still trying to squirm out of her arms, and Kara unthinkingly tightens her grip to keep him there. He yelps in pain, and she jerks–lets him go quick, and he nearly tumbles out of her lap. Ma catches him against her chest, and Kara let him fall again, she let him fall she let him fall she let him fall–! 

“Ka-Lair,” Ma says, and makes more of those quiet little hissing noises as she keeps stroking through her hair, and now down Kal’s back too even as Kara yanks him back into her lap in a panic. Kal fusses, and then starts crying too, and it’s all her fault, Kara did this, she’s awful at this, she’s supposed to be taking care of him and keeping him happy and safe and instead she let him fall, twice, and made him cry! 

Ma keeps talking. Kara doesn’t understand any of the words, and even though she’s clearly trying to help, the flat, alien tones of her voice sound all wrong. There’s nothing soothing about those tones, and Kara doesn’t understand the words. 

She wants to go home. 

She wants home to still be there, even if she couldn’t go back to it. 

Everything’s gone. Everyone is gone. It’s just her and Kal and a pair of crystals in a couple of wrecked ships. 

That's all it'll ever be again. 

Krypton is dead. Their family is dead. They're all that's left, and there won't ever be another Kryptonian born. Won't ever be another Kryptonian at all. 

She'll never see her mother again.

[notjustjavierpena]

The Making of Ellie - Part V: Happy

Series Masterpost | Main Masterpost | Support a disabled creator

A/N: I've crawled out of my depression hole to give you the last epilogue-esque part of The Making of Ellie. Watch me disappear again now.

Summary: Joel's thoughts surrounding fatherhood and newborn Ellie.

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader/you (no y/n)

Tags: Joel’s POV, domesticated Joel Miller, thoughts of fatherhood, mention of Sarah’s mother, breastfeeding

Word count: 1.1k

Link to this work on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49183051/chapters/124097539

Happy

Ellie is the tiniest baby Joel has ever seen and with the loudest voice, Joel has ever heard. She seems to sport her mother’s temper from the moment that she is born, and he knows from the get-go that she will have Sarah’s ability to persuade him to do anything just by merely existing. She fits in both of his palms which is unfathomable even if he knows that he has big hands, fits on top of your belly too, her previous home, if she’s curled into a little ball, and you call him a goof whenever he utters ‘Bellie’ under his breath whilst admiring her sleeping on you. The first time he had said it, your soft laugh had made Ellie cry again yet not as fiercely, and Joel had argued that she liked the nickname. 

“We need to monitor her heart rate,” a nurse had said after the first few hours that the two of you had had Ellie alone. Joel was reluctant to hand her over at first, but when he got her back into his arms, her sporting a little blue monitor around her ankle, that same nurse had made him flush when she praised him for evening out her rapid pulse by doing skin-to-skin contact. 

It’s pretty much all he does now; holds her tiny body in his hands with his shirt off so he can feel his daughter properly, connect with her as you get much-needed rest in between feedings. 

He has also proclaimed that he can tell the difference between Ellie’s cries. You say that ‘it’s been two days’, but he is certain and confident in his abilities. This isn’t his first time at the rodeo. Ellie’s cries have different pitches when she’s in his or your arms compared to when she’s getting picked up by the nurses. He has to stop himself from interfering with their work, mostly by your request, but he still hovers around the hospital staff whenever they are in your room. 

“She’s too tiny, we need to keep an eye on her weight,” they say. By instinct, he wants to say that she is perfect just the way she is. She’ll get there. She’s strong. He can tell. 

“Silly man,” you say into a kiss when you notice his pacing as nurses bathe or weigh her, and Joel is absolutely fine with being just that. A silly, foolish man with a desperate need to look out for his three girls despite no danger lurking around the corner. But then again? Isn’t being a parent equal to living in fear of losing said child? Ellie has only been in the real world for two days, and he would burn the world down to the ground if it meant that she would be safer. 

Joel knows that he has been here before. Sarah, albeit not as tiny, made him feel the exact same things that he is going through right now but still, there’s a part of him that has forgotten just how nerve-wracking having an infant is and just how much it fucks with the perception of everything. Whilst being terrified, he loves Ellie so intensely that it makes his head swim and he looks at you nervously as you announce that you can go home soon. He doesn’t get how you can say it and be so calm. 

You go home a week after Ellie is born, with a pink little hat on her head that is still a bit too large for her despite it being the smallest size they had. He drives the car under the speed limit. He checks the roads several times before turning. 

Sarah and Tommy wait for you in the kitchen, coming to greet you at the front door, and Joel does the pat-on-the-back hug with his brother who immediately fusses over Ellie as much as himself. He mentions that he and Maria might have one too, and makes a joke about Joel beating him to fatherhood once again. 

“She’s tiny,” he also says as Ellie cries, rocking her in his arms whilst Sarah runs a hand over her baby sister’s head. She has removed the hat after claiming that it’s falling into Ellie’s eyes, and whereas Joel would have protested the act in the hospital, he finds that he absolutely trusts his oldest daughter. 

“Don’t say that,” she chimes in, and then like she has read his mind despite them being apart for a week, “She’s perfect.” 

Joel catches your eye across the room at that. You look at him with the gentlest smile, and despite all his efforts to appear as the strong protector for a whole week in the hospital with you and his newborn baby, he feels the facade crumbling and it allows him to feel safe, happy and relaxed. He cries then, excuses himself to breathe in the crisp air outside in the place where he realized his love for you a few years back. 

Later, when the house empties - Tommy leaving with the excuse of letting you be a family of four - and everyone goes to bed, he settles into a new routine with you. 

He assembled the bassinet a few weeks ago, and he holds you as the two of you stare down at the tiny life that you’ve made together. Ellie sleeps with her arms above her head and kicks her legs when she wakes up crying in the middle of the night.

He tells you that he’ll get her, lays her against his naked chest until she simply coos instead of screaming, “That’s it, baby girl. No need to use that tone with your father. No monsters here, Bellie.”

When she starts moving her hand to her mouth, smacking her lips, and looking around, he rubs your back and tells you that Ellie is hungry, “Lookin’ for ya.”

You sit up in bed, barely awake as you nurse his daughter back to sleep. He admires the scene and knows how lucky he is; in his 40s and experiencing the greatest gift of life that he’ll ever receive once more. He gets sentimental about it too, thinking of the intimacy of seeing Ellie getting fed by her mother when he never got to with Sarah’s. It wasn’t good with the chemo that never saved her. 

Joel has never been able to pinpoint what had shifted the moment that he had let you into his life but with the comfort of knowing that Sarah is sleeping soundly in her own room, and by listening to the soft noises of you and Ellie sleeping occupying the room that had been so used to the sound of nothing, he knows that before, he had been satisfied but now, he is happy.

.

.

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[nerdieforpedro]

We need to be on the same page

Chapter 6 of Weddings 101 with Dieter Series

Dieter Bravo x Maya (plus size OFC)

This blog and fic are for readers 18+ MDNI

Summary: The fallout from the pictures begins and Dieter’s PR leader Vanessa is here to help, we think. Zack is just trying to stay employed. Dieter and Maya make a critical decision. Oscar might actually be useful.

Word Count: 3836

Warnings: naked people, a bad Beyoncé joke, messing with your assistant, some angst, no Cheetos or tequila were harmed in his chapter, sexual tension? or she might not be that into you dude, plotting, being an asshole sister in law, anxiety, I might have a good use for Oscar finally

Notes: This took me a while because I don’t like having loose ends and I wanted to build the drama! Not that there isn’t enough. 😆 With this chapter, this fic is my longest one to date, I'm proud of all the different directions it goes into. I have even more plans for them. 🫡

Main Masterlist/ Dieter Bravo Masterlist/ AO3 Link

Today was one of the days that Zack did not look forward to. He was at the villa at ten in the morning. The photos were everywhere, Vanessa had blown up his phone for information and face-timed him from the jet. He needed to warn both Dieter and Maya that she was coming. Maybe it would be good… “No, I'm lying to myself. Vanessa will question everything. Will I even have a job? She seemed mad though Mr. Bravo’s happy. Doesn’t that count for something? It’s not with drugs.” Walking up to the front door, he was going to use his key when he heard some giggling. “I just…I’ve seen Dieter naked. It’s kinda a requirement of the job. Just not Ms. Maya, she’s a nice lady.” He decided to knock loudly on the door, the giggles ceased and he heard footsteps heavy toward the door. 

“Who’s banging on my door this damn early?! You better get out of here!”

“Dee at least ask who it is.”

“I don’t care, it could be the president, pope or, no Beyonce could come in.”

“I am not meeting Beyonce in my robe. My hair is a mess, my face is puffy, I haven’t showered yet…that’s not who it is!”

“I mean, if she shows up on this door, she’s gonna have to be okay with my bare ass, balls and your robe with your cute puffy face. It’s just us. You don’t need one. I’m just going to take it back off to eat you for-.”

“MR. BRAVO IT’S ME ZACK! YOUR ASSISTANT!” He screamed, he didn’t need to hear Dieter removing anything off of Maya or eating her in any capacity, they can do that after he leaves later. Never any filter with this damn man, he just needs to remind himself of his loans. This is for your loans. This job is getting you out of debt.

“Oh! Why didn’t you say so?” Dieter opens the door as Maya yells at him not to. She grabs the throw blanket off the couch and wraps it around Dieter's waist. Zack appreciates that someone has some sense of when to be naked and when not to be. 

“Good morning Ms. Maya. Hi Dieter.” The assistant enthusiasm only was on display for Maya who gave him a smile and a hello. Dieter sucked his teeth. 

“Hey! Why do you greet her like that? I’m your employer! Be happy to see me, dammit!” Bravo fussed and took a hold of the blanket that Maya had been holding. He needed to pull it up so he wouldn’t step on it. 

Zack set his messenger bag on the couch and made a mental note of which throw blanket that was. It would need to be washed later after being thrown on Vanessa first. Maybe in her face. 

“Have either of you turned on the TV or looked at your phones? I did try calling both of you, but I assume-” Zack trailed off. He took a good look at them both. Dieter had scratches on his shoulders and chest peppered with bruises. His neck has several hickeys and so did Maya’s. She on the other hand appeared to have bruises that resembled fingers maybe? Zack didn’t want to think too much about it. “You both were otherwise occupied.” He sat down in the overstuffed chair. Dieter sat in the middle of the couch with Maya on one end, he draped part of the blanket over her legs since her robe hit mid-thigh.

Maya shakes her head. “No. We haven’t. Is there something Dieter should be concerned about?”

“It’s something both of you should be concerned about Ms. Maya.” Zack sighs and pulls out his iPad. On it, he loads up Google and type in Dieter’s name. The first ten links are to various sites that have pictures and speculations about Maya and Dieter, their relationship, who she is, what he’s doing with her and all sorts of nonsense. Thankfully, the negative comments are at a minimum, most were wondering if Dieter was making a turn for the better after his two week long marriage to Anika. 

Dieter thought he’d been careful. The boutique had been cleared, he thought. The jet he hadn’t been concerned about much of anything except getting her to ride with him so that one’s on him. The restaurant was supposed to only have VIPs, others who wouldn’t care about him being there with someone. Outside of the wedding venue could have been anyone. He hadn’t been thinking on that one either, well other than spending time with Maya that is. Now he’s involved her without her full consent. “Dammit…” He turned to say something to her, anything, but she’d gotten up and walked upstairs. He stood to go after her but Zack called after Dieter.

“Sir, if you’re going to have a conversation with any meaning, at least put underwear on. Also Vanessa just texted and she’s an hour out. No word on what the plan is yet. Don’t say anything stupid to Ms. Maya. She’s…” The assistant’s voice trailed off as Dieter stood next to his chair naked with his hands on his hips.

“She’s what Zack? Maya is funny, wonderful, gorgeous and so damn soft. I better not catch you looking at-“

“Mr. Bravo. I was going to say she’s a normal person like me who’s likely freaked out about suddenly having her picture everywhere and her life questioned by people she doesn’t know. Also I don’t see her that way. I don’t see you or anyone that way. I don’t form attachments like that at least not right away and it needs to be the right person.”

“That’s right, you’re Demi-sexual right? I keep forgetting that.”

Zack massages his temples, his boss has gotten sidetracked. “Task at hand sir. Ms. Maya is freaking out. Reassure her with pants on.” He knew to keep it short so Bravo wouldn’t lose focus again.

“Right, I’m off. Tell Nessa we’ll be down shortly.” Making his way up the stairs, he quickly went into his room, tossed on some boxers and took a deep breath. “Taking advantage of this would be wrong…right?” Daisy nips at his toes. “Hey girl, you gave us some privacy last night? Thanks.” He picks her up and scratches behind her ears. “I want her to stay with us Daisy. I know she has her own stuff, but couldn’t it be part of mine? We could have our stuff.” The goat licks a bite mark on his neck, “Maya’s a bit rough with me Daisy. It’s been a long while since I’ve been handled like that.” The low chuckle at the memory had him curious when the next time would be, if there would be a next time.

In Maya’s room:

“Oh my god, oh my god….nononono…” Panic was taking over, what did this all mean? Is she going to need to change jobs? Her name? What do people even do in this situation? Is she just going to be some quiz show question? That’s not how Maya wants to be on Jeopardy. Pacing in her room, she hears her phone vibrate.

Maya picked up her phone and saw twenty missed calls, ten of which were from Elyssa. Her mother congratulated her for snagging not only a nice man but a rich one. Her little brother Michael said to call him, he needs to talk to this man who has her out all over the place. Her two older brothers said the same thing but told her that they won’t recognize him as a brother in law unless he passes a few tests. There were increasingly frantic texts from the bride demanding to know the following:

Why she brought a celebrity to her wedding?

Why she was trying to sabotage her?

Is it because the entire time she’s dated Michael, Maya’s always been alone?

Did you go into debt paying him to come with you? 

Or is this how you were able to afford coming out to the wedding in the first place?

“What the hell are they all talking about about Dieter is not…he’s…well. Maybe…” Her conviction is wavering but she can’t stay with Dee. She has work, a life, but the last few days have been nothing short of wonderful. “And last night was…”

“I thought between last night and this morning things were great, superb even. Am I wrong?” Strolling in her room wearing a pair of navy boxer briefs that hung just below the swell of his tummy, Dieter crossed his arms watching Maya stop her pacing. She looked up at him, feeling embarrassed, frustrated, pissed and if she was honest with herself, happy. Unable to meet his gaze, she kept her eyes on her phone, re-reading Elyssa’s texts. Dieter peered over her shoulder and clicked his tongue. “She really has nothing better to do then text you that? That woman is insufferable. I’d feel bad for your little brother if it didn’t sound like he was threatening me too. Doesn’t he know I have a goat?” 

Wrapping his arms around her, Maya her initial laugh turned into a sigh and leaned back against Bravo’s chest. “They’re just worried, though they don’t need to be.”

“Is that what you call it? I’d say they’re over-protective. And Elyssa is being a bitch with those questions. Anyway, forget all that, sit down.” Dieter tugs her over to the bed and has Maya sit across his lap with her legs to one side. She tried to stand up, but she still got his strong arms wrapped around her. “We need to talk cariño (sweetheart.)”

“I know. I’ll go to the hotel. Things should blow over right?” Still looking at her phone, thumbing through her Instagram. There are mostly curious comments, a few mean and racist ones, a couple others were congratulatory. Bravo takes her phone and tosses it on the bed. “Dee, what the hell?” Finally, she’s looking at him, with surprise and fear on her face.

“I know you’re scared Almond Joy. I also know you never asked for any of this, to be associated which a guy who’s known for fucking up everything he touches except for easels, scripts and KitKats.” A kiss to her shoulder has her stiffen, then relax. “I also…don’t want you to leave.” Maya’s watching his eyes again. They look the same as last night, burrowing within her. 

“I can’t. You know I can’t. I’m not like you Dieter.” Shutting her lids tight is the only way not to be drawn in by his cocoa pools. Putting an arm around his shoulder, her hand lands on his back where she’s scratched him. 

“I know you’re not Maya. That’s part of what makes you so majestic. The trust you have in me, the fun, some other things you might still have in you.” Her fingers pinched his cheek. 

“Be serious! I’m not built for that type of scrutiny Dee and we’re not even toget-“

“But what if we were? Together? I mean it’s pretty muddled but you snap me back in to focus. We can just date. I’m not saying you have to stay here, we just see each other when we can. Video calls and I’ll come see where you live and-“

“You’ll tell me it’s beneath me and I need to be somewhere else because I only live once or something right?” The quick peck to his lips paused his thoughts. “Is that what our relationship becomes? Calls and visits? I…” Maya laments, she just has to say it, but she can’t. “Just let me go. I can’t…” Slipping out of Dieter’s arms, she steps away from him only to be in front of the same mirror from last night. Where he showed her how beautiful he believes her to be. Her hands are in her face again. She’s frightened but he’s thinks it’s not only the prospect of being on display for people.

Instead of approaching her from behind Bravo stands in front of her, “Ahora relájate y deja que cuide de ti (Relax now and let me take care of you).” Dieter places his hands on hers and moves them, she allows him to without a fuss. Her eyes are closed and there are tears at the edges, his lips wipe them away. “Let me. I’m not saying you’ll be a kept woman. You know that’s not what I mean. Just be honest with me, like you were last night. Tell me what you want.”

Maya knows he’s giving her a huge opening. She’s been fighting what she wants. She told herself it’s just for now, and then it was until the wedding was over. But Dieter’s offering it to her, why can’t she just say it?! “I..I…want. I want to stay with you. Be silly, wake up with you and do more fun things. Like the beach, swimming, brunch, just a drive. I don’t want to worry anymore. I’d like…” Dieter places his forehead against Maya’s as her tears fall. He doesn’t wipe them away this time. Just lets her continue. “I’d like to be fussed over, just some. Not in a weird dominating way but like…a soft way. Like am I okay, do I need anything, does that feel good, would you like more, do you even like that, what do you want to do today, what are your favorite foods and colors…Ugh…that was way too much. I can’t-“

“No. You can Maya. Be greedy. Ask for my time. Tell me to give you all you want. I don’t know if I can but I can damn well try. Mi mujer perfecta (My perfect woman).” He kisses her forehead and cups her face with his large hands. Her eyes are red and puffy. “I’ll say it again. I don’t want you to go Kit Kat. Just stay and worry about yourself. Please.”

“I feel like I’m watching a romance film right now. My, my…It looks like we won’t need to manufacture a real relationship between the two of you.” A woman of about five feet seven inches with auburn hair and matching butterfly tattoos on each arm. She wore a sleeveless navy blue slim fit dress with black red bottom heels. Her red tote bag swayed with her steps toward the couple. “Sorry to interrupt darlings, such a sweet moment, but we need to go ahead and decide how we want the chips to fall.” She smiled, patting Maya’s shoulder, studying her wet face. This Maya is cute, she almost wants to pinch her cheek. That didn’t matter much, what would matter is what these two decided to do. “My name is Vanessa. I’m the leader of Dieter’s PR team. Meet me downstairs when you two are dressed, don’t take too long. There’s much to discuss.” The fixer disappeared out of the room and back down the stairs to Zack, it looks like there was a lot he left out in his updates.

Back downstairs, Zack was being questioned by Vanessa after she peeked in on Dieter and Maya. She found out that Dieter had invited Maya on his jet after her flight was canceled. Since then, they’d grown closer and outside of one small sniff of a seat (Zack left out that it was coke on Maya’s seat - told her it was ecstasy). He also told her about Oscar’s fights with Dieter and the goat bite. Vanessa said she was aware of that one not the guitar one though. She said that she would table the idea of using Oscar in that manner, instead, why was Maya coming to Hawaii in the first place. Zack then remembered it was for a wedding, though who knows what’s happening with it now. From what he’s gathered, the bride, Maya’s future sister in law sounds like an asshole and crazy. Vanessa was making notes in a small pad she removed from her tote. “A plan is brewing Zack. You’ll need to actually keep me informed instead of pieces of information.”

”Yes ma’am. It’s just…Ms. Maya is really nice and Dieter seems somewhat sane with her. As sane as he’s going to be. It’s nice. No woodwind or brass instruments so far this week. I don’t know what his deal with the instruments is either. So weird. Or crazy parties. And I haven’t seen any toys askew but they could have just cleaned up which is still pretty nice and-“” Zack paused. “Just see how they are with each other, you’ll see.” 

Soon Maya and Dieter came downstairs fully dressed, Maya in a simple pink dress, flowing with wide sleeves and skirt. She’d cleaned her face but it was slightly red around the eyes and ends of her ears. Dieter had on a pair of black shorts with a white tee and sunglasses on his head. They sat on the couch and held hands. Zack and Vanessa watched their body language, in addition to them holding hands, Maya was leaning onto his shoulder and their knees were touching. If…they were seen like this out and about and if someone for whatever reason did an interview with them, it would reflect well for Dieter. Despite actually marrying that woman Anika, their interactions (outside of what happened in their bedroom) reflected two people that weren’t comfortable with each other and were distant. 

“Have you two decided what you want to do? It’s not really ideal for the start of any relationship, but at the very least we’ll be able to sell you two as being in a legitimate relationship.” With her white manicured nail, she drew an imaginary circle around the pair. “The way your two sit in silence with each other is excellent. I take it, a decision has been made?” Vanessa placed her elbow on the top of her bent knee. 

Maya squeezed Dieter’s hand and nodded, letting him talk, “Yeah we have Nessa.”

Later that evening…

Oscar was not pleased, what he woke up to was mostly positive headlines about Dieter Bravo. How happy he looked, how content, was it because of the new woman in his life? Was it something else? Maybe he came to Hawaii to rest and recharge and that’s why he looks like he has not a care in the world.  Issac’s plan had severely backfired, worse yet, his assistant informed him that he’d received a call from Vanessa La Roux’s office. Oscar is aware of who she is and has only one dealing with her before and that ended poorly, where he had to take a sabbatical afterward. 

Hanri knocked on Oscar’s hotel room door, he’d done as his boss asked and felt horrible about it. He was dropping off his boss’ usual order of tequila and three bags of hot Cheetos that he likes to eat in the evening. He had been propositioned by Vanessa and happily agreed to get her in the hotel and a private meeting with Mr. Issac. After getting her in, he left her to it and headed back to his room with his money. Oscar heard the door and called for the young man to bring him his snack.

“Good evening Oscar. Hanri is otherwise occupied.” Vanessa tilted her head and smiled, setting a bottle of tequila and the bags of cheetos on the end of the actor’s bed. “We have quite a bit to discuss tonight. You’ll need to be sober for this. After we talk you can drown yourself in your choice of drink.” She pulled up a chair and sat across from Oscar who was naked except for a soft eggshell robe that was wrapped around him.

“I figured you’d pop up at some point you damn she-devil. I guess my fun’s over. How much do I need to pay you to leave your little goat lover alone this time?” He remarks as he sips his red wine, expecting an outrageous number from her. It’s not like he hadn’t paid Vanessa and Dieter’s team before. Oscar enjoyed pissing Bravo off by any means. Their business ran on public opinion and numbers - no matter if it was scores, awards, stars, money, age, you name it, it could have a number. 

“No, no, no Oscar. You don’t get to just pay me this time. If it was just messing with Dieter, that’s one thing, but-“ Vanessa stood and snatched a bag of cheetos, ripping it so they spilled on the floor. “-you’ve not only been stalking him. Something you said you’d never do again, you also leaked pictures of him and his girlfriend, who hadn’t settled on being in the public eye yet and now she has to. No cheetos for you.” Grabbing a fist full of Oscar’s hair, she tugged on it. “You’re going to follow Dieter and Maya to the wedding and you’re going to do exactly as I tell you. Then we can talk about money and I can use it to fund another studio for Dieter.”

Sucking his teeth, Oscar nods and takes a swig of his tequila, the fixer lets go of his hair and extends her hand. They grip hands and shake, sitting back down. “What do I have to do jefa (boss)?” He attempted to touch her knee but she slapped her hand away. “Ahaha, You’re really serious aren’t you? Well jefa, that just makes the reward that much hotter doesn’t it?” His snicker has Vanessa shift her weight from side to side.

Looking over her shoulder, she sneered. “That was only one time. Don’t test your luck Issac. I’ll be in touch.” She walks out leaving him to his late night snack. “You know you’re too old to be drinking like that, it was that same tequila that got you and Dieter on a lifetime ban from The Muppets.” 

Oscar smiled as he stood and walked up behind Vanessa. Not touching her, just leaning over her shoulder to meet her face a few inches away. “I don’t recall you saying that in the green room when I had my Count cape on, and that wasn’t just one time. Unless you count it as one within a certain time period.” She exhaled and continued toward the door and Oscar followed her, but gave her more space, holding the door open for her. “I’ll take your ever so thoughtful advice mi jefa.” He takes a bow as she walks out. 

On her way down to the car, Vanessa whips out her phone and texts Zack to tell Maya (as she’ll actually make sure Dieter’s on time) to ensure that they are at the dress rehearsal for the wedding on time tomorrow. Thankfully, it’s only some family stuff that Maya can skip and she mentioned after their talk that she would be having lunch with her mother. 

The stage is prepared except for a few pieces here and there. This wedding rehearsal will be a vivid experience for all those in attendance. Vanessa was counting on it for Dieter’s sake, it was her job after all.

The Trash Panda Possse 🦝: @megamindsecretlair @pedritapascal @pascalsanctuary @nissaimmortal @angelofsmalldeath-codeine

@soft-persephone @saturn-rings-writes @readingiskeepingmegoing @harriedandharassed @yorksgirl @bishtrouille

@missladym1981

Chapter 5 Chapter 7

[myreia]

Sketches of Times Lost

Day 10: Stable

something is sparking between aureia and sidurgu, and they can't seem to see it. but rielle can. sidurgu x female warrior of light (pre-relationship), mentions of aymeric x wol. set during stormblood patches, but after the lvl 60-70 drk quests. rated: teen 2086 words ao3 link

“…when I said you could accompany us back to Ishgard, I didn’t mean for it to become a godsdamned holiday.”

“Resting at an inn is not a holiday.”

“And this isn’t a sight-seeing trip!”

“It’s fine, Sid! It’s one night! Is there something wrong with one night?”

“It’s dangerous, that’s what. For her, for you, for me.”

“Dangerous from whom, exactly? The Empire’s been all but routed from Gyr Abania. Besides, I don’t think many in patrons would consider confronting two dark knights head-on, and those that could would be drunk out of their minds. Please tell me you’re not afraid of a drunkard.”

“That’s not—godsdammit, you can be a right bloody bonehead when you want to be, you know that, eh?”

Rielle sighs and leans forward in her saddle, patting Filo’s neck. The chocobo chirrups, his head tugging on the reins as he leans into her hand, enjoying the feel as she pets his shiny black feathers. The day has stretched on and on, the road getting longer with every step, Baelsar’s Wall shadowing the horizon and somehow never getting closer, the dusty heat growing intolerable in the Gyr Abanian haze.

If she were younger—or travelling alone, let’s be honest—she would have pelted Sidurgu with the oh-so-tempting “are we there yet?” question, but for now she holds her tongue. Though Sidurgu has dragged her from one end of Coerthas to the other, even trekking into Gridania on the rare occasion, this is the furthest from Ishgard she has ever been. Her rear and legs may ache from too many hours in the saddle, but even with Sidurgu and Aureia’s endless bickering, she can’t remember a time she was this happy on the road.

She doesn’t want it to end.

She’s being selfish, she knows. Like a little kid—an actual little kid, thank you very much—asking for another five minutes at their favourite park, or clinging onto a favourite toy that has long since fallen apart. Sidurgu wanted them to return on their own, without company. He didn’t say as much—not aloud—but she saw it in his eyes when tending to his wounds. If he wasn’t stuck leaning against a rock, moaning and groaning and complaining about her fussing over him, he would have taken her and stalked down the road the moment Aureia’s back was turned. So, she struck at the opportune moment, piping up before he could say or do anything, and pointedly asked her—“You’ll come back with us to Ishgard, won’t you?”

She didn’t answer right away. There was a crease in her brow, a downcast turn to her eyes, and in that moment Rielle feared she would say no. But then she brightened, a warm smile spreading across her face, and she said—“I suppose I must. I’m going the same way, after all.”

That was yesterday. They walked for a time, Filo puffing and panting beneath Sidurgu’s weight before it became too much for the chocobo. The poor thing was the runt of his flock—Aureia’s told her the story many times—incapable of carrying an Elezen cavalier let alone a massive Au Ra in full plate armour and with a greatsword to boot.

And so they camped early, finding a spot beneath a single sprawling tree. Leaving Sidurgu to make the fire—he insisted, it was the one thing he could manage without aggravating his wounds—Rielle and Aureia hurried down the slope to the little rippling stream. Rielle wasn’t much help; she splashed in the water, giggling and free, scaring away the fish Aureia tried her best to catch. A waste, maybe, but neither Aureia nor Sidurgu told her off for it. She was too busy enjoying wading in the stream herself, and he… well. Rielle is certain he was looking at her a different way. Or maybe the same way he always has. Or maybe…

They had the last of their rations that night, laughing and smiling around the fire. It did not feel like a rationed meal.

And now today. Aureia suggested she ride Filo instead, leaving her and Sidurgu to walk ahead. Rielle was thrilled—still is, even though she is hurting all over now. She has never properly ridden a chocobo before, and Filo is such a pretty bird. The hands at the Holy Stables call him mean and difficult—he has a legendary grudge against one of the Scions, the Hyur with the white hair Aureia makes weird faces when he’s mentioned—but Rielle thinks differently. Difficult, no. Misunderstood? Maybe.  

She knows what that’s like.

But now the sun is slowly sinking toward the red-brown peaks, and they really are going to have to find somewhere to stay or camp. They’re approaching a crossroads—literally. Up the hill and over the ridge, there’s a little inn with a wide stable for chocobos and warm, soothing lights in the windows. The perfect place for a trio of weary travellers.  

But of course Aureia and Sidurgu can’t seem to make up their minds.

“Happy to be a bonehead, then, if it means someone here has the voice of reason,” Aureia says.

Sidurgu snorts, but Rielle knows better. Even when his back is turned, she can hear him trying not to smile—and his tail is curling. Sometimes she wonders if it’s the same sort of thing as those girls in the Forgotten Knight when they twist their hair around their finger while making eyes at Gibrillont. He only does it around her. Maybe he doesn’t even know it.

No matter how testy their bickering gets, he likes it. He used to bicker with Fray, too.

“You know those are incompatible,” he mutters. “Bonehead. Voice of reason. Not exactly the same thing.”

“What can I say? I’m full of contradictions. A right paradox, maybe.”

“Bloody hells, you can say that again. Here I was thinking you had put aside your greatsword for good when you all but kidnapped us on this little hol…”

“Hm? What was that?”

“Never mind.”

“Oh, good. And here I thought you said holiday for a moment.”

He lets out a long sigh and passes a hand across his face. “Aureia…”

She flashes him a grin.

He glares at her, a smile tugging at his lips. “Aureia, please. Don’t make me laugh. I’d rather not bleed through my bandages tonight.”

From their position several paces behind, Filo chirrups and throws a look over his shoulder, his dark, beady eyes staring at Rielle. She shrugs and pats his neck. “I know,” she whispers. “I think they’re both being boneheads. What do you think?”

Filo chirps again and shakes himself from side to side in fervent agreement.

“Yes, exactly.”

Aureia raises her arms, her hands brushing the hilt of her greatsword as she pulls her hair back and twists it into a knot. It’s different from the messy, uneven crop she sported when Rielle first met her, long enough to brush her shoulders. There’s a bit of red in it, too, which Rielle doesn’t remember. She didn’t have that when she first came to Ishgard.

“The inn is a good option, Sid,” she says. “Give Rielle a normal night for once instead of sleeping on the ground again.”

“I know that, I simply—”

He pauses, bowing his head to look at her. The difference in height between them would be quite funny, if only height wasn’t such a sore spot. Rielle huffs, making a face. Aureia may be half-Elezen, but she did not inherit their height. Is it a sore spot for her, too? Rielle hasn’t thought to ask her.  

“All right, out with it. Don’t think I don’t know you, Aureia, this isn’t about the inn or Rielle. You’re hanging onto something.”

“I… am I?”

“You don’t want to go back to Ishgard, do you.”

It isn’t a question. An accusation? Something else?

His voice has dropped low, not quite a whisper. Rielle rises a fraction out of the saddle and leans in, straining her ears to catch the conversation.

“Maybe. Yes. Perhaps.”

“Aur.” He rests a hand gently against her shoulder and their pace slows. Their boots scuff the road, a cloud of dirt puffing around their feet. “What’s going on?”

His voice is calm. Firm. Steady. The kind of voice he has after she has a bad nightmare, but not quite.  

“It’s nothing, it’s…” Aureia lets out a long, sad sigh. Rielle tugs sharply on the reigns and Filo hisses in protest, jerking to a stop some feet behind. “There’s someone I must meet with when I return.”

“I see.”

“And I would… rather not.”

A pause. “I suppose the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords and the Lord Commander of the Temple Knights is a difficult man to ignore.”

“He can be, yes. Especially when you’re…” She pauses again. “Fuck. Let’s not pretend I even know what we are anymore. He asked me to marry him and I couldn’t even say yes.”

“Would it be too much to say that I am glad of that?”

“Sid—”

“Damned if I even want to know what you are to him. And I know all too well—very well, in fact—that this is not my place and not my business, but I will say what must be said if no one else will. If you need to hear it. I do not like who you have become with him. I’m sure—Temple Knight aside—he is a pleasant man in his own right. And it would be unfair to accuse him of anything malignant, I know that is not his way. And I do believe you love him, or have loved him—”

“Sid…”

“Past or present, my point still stands. You have chased something with him. Something that has brought you joy, yes, but also great sorrow. From what I have seen, from what you have told me… I believe you must become someone else to remain with him. And I do not believe you will ever be happy becoming that person. If the pair of you were in different circumstances, if you were different people…”

“If he wasn’t the Lord Commander and I wasn’t the Warrior of Light?”

He meets her eyes, his horns casting a shadow across his face in the glare of the setting sun. “If he weren’t a politician and you weren’t the Alliance’s war hound.”

She inhales sharply. “You didn’t have to put it that way.”

“Someone bloody well should have. There are a dozen places you should be rather than wandering the Gyr Abanian wilderness with a surly dark knight and a teenaged girl. A dozen people who need you more than we do. So what other reason was there for all of this, Aureia? A soul crystal cracked? Or an excuse to run?”

A pause. “I don’t think I can talk about this now,” Aureia says quietly.

Sidurgu lets out a long breath. His hand slips from her shoulder. “I’m sorry, that was… harsher than I intended.”

“Don’t be. You were only saying what you thought. And what I’ve thought for some time. Sometimes I think you’re the only person who makes any damn sense.”

“Oh, so is that why you keep finding reasons to come and find me? You’ve long since outgrown the Forgotten Knight.”

Her hand brushes his. “That’s not the only reason.”

He smiles.

Rielle yelps and tips forward, clinging to the reigns.

Filo chirrups shrilly, wings spread wide as if to catch her. She clutches the reigns and pulls herself upright just in time, her cheeks flushing red as Aureia and Sidurgu turn around, both instinctively reaching for their weapons.

“Rielle!” he calls, releasing the hold on his greatsword’s grip. “Are you all right?”

She steadies herself. “Fine!”

“Don’t test the bird. I don’t want you getting thrown out of the saddle—”

“Don’t test your wounds, Sid, I don’t want them re-opening before tomorrow at the earliest if you can help it.” She smirks, proud of herself for the quip, and nudges Filo with her heels. He trots forward, giving the pair a smug look as he trots by. “Let’s go to that inn, shall we? If I deserve a bed for the night, then Filo deserves a stable, don’t you think?”

Sidurgu and Aureia exchange looks, both of them trying very hard not to laugh.

Grinning with triumph, Rielle tucks her hair behind her ears and leads them up the hill and down the path to the inn.  

[skywarpie]

Ratti

hey remember when i talked about that rat bringing its owner its babies and how copia would love that? yea well here’s the fic to accompany it; additional dad Copia for your enjoyment.

AO3 link  881 Words. 

Copia hums under his breath as he readjusts the tiny bundle that’s nestled in his arms. He’s never really had much experience when it comes to babies. Granted he always seems to have the magic touch, something that the mothers of the ministry see fit to exploit when their babies won’t stop crying. Once in his arms they always seem to settle and Copia assumes that’s probably a good thing because it’s at least given him a little practice with tiny humans. Not that he minds, there’s always something comforting about holding a baby, at least to him. That and he’s always a little sad to see them go when their parents deem it suitable to reclaim them.

This one is different though. This baby is his and he never has to put her down (even though his Prime Mover insists that the infant doesn’t need to be held at every waking moment, Copia digresses). 

Truthfully speaking, being a father isn’t something that Copia ever thought was in his cards. Every time he’s seemed to get ahead in his life, something has come around to knock him back down three notches. It only made sense that he’d probably never have a family of his own. Good things were rare and in between for him. 

It seemed his luck had changed for the better though once he was elevated to Papa. Not that he was complaining. In his opinion, Copia could care less about the title as long as he got to keep his tiny family. 

The bundle in his arms shifts and lets out a soft coo as she scratches her tiny face.

“Ah, la mia bambina!” His voice is soft but it’s easy to hear the ever growing panic in Copia’s voice. He nudges the pink blanket away from the baby’s face, gently grabbing her tiny hand before she can scratch her face by accident. His Prime Mover says he’s more anxious than them, which theoretically isn’t wrong. The whole first week the baby had been in the world, he’d diligently sat closely, listening to her breathing to ensure it was normal and there were no hiccups. A bit of overkill probably, but he couldn’t help it. Copia has spent a lifetime having things he’s loved or enjoyed ripped from him.

The baby grunts her frustration but settles back down with a yawn, causing a large goofy smile to stretch across Copia’s face. 

There’s a light scratching sound that catches his attention, his eyes raising to look off to the corner of his desk. A tiny fawn rat comes scurrying up the side of his work station, trotting all the way over. The rat stops once it’s in front of him and it drops the tiny blob that it’s been carrying. The rat looks up to him expectantly, its tiny eyes blinking rapidly.

“Tagliatelle!” Copia does his best to keep his voice low. “Where have you been, ragazza matta?” He smiles, his eyes catching on the tiny bundle moving on his desk. An even wider grin paints his face, it stretches all the way to his eyes, signifying his joy. “La ragazza disubbidiente.” Copia scoops the baby rodent up from his desk top, holding it like it’s made of fine glass. “I guess this answers my question, eh?”

As if in response the rodent takes off, only to return a few seconds later with another baby, then another, and another. She repeats this until there are a total of eight rat pups situated on Copia’s desk. “I suppose congratulazioni are in order.” He laughs, delighted. 

Tagliatelle makes a fuss of moving her tiny babies when they start to get too far away from her, going so far as to pluck one by its middle section and place it back in her reach. 

“Oh!” It’s as if the thought has just dawned on him. “If we are showing off babies, it is only fair I share mine with you, eh?” Carefully he maneuvers his arms until the baby’s face is in clear view of the rat. 

The rodent scurries over, her nose twitching as she sniffs at the tiny face wrapped in blankets. Her whiskers tickle the small face, resulting in a delighted coo and grin. 

Copia’s eyebrows raise high enough that they could reach his hairline. “She likes you!” It’s a bit louder than he wanted it to be. The infant in his arms letting him know with a frustrated cry. A sorry expression settles on his face as he looks back to the rat. “She likes you.” He whispers it this time, as if the rodent didn’t just hear his delighted outburst.

Tagliatelle spends a moment more smelling along the baby's face before she turns and makes her way back to her own babies. She snatches one by the scruff as it gets too close to the edge and drags it back to the pile to be with its siblings.

The goofy smile he’s been wearing still rests on Copia’s face. As if he already couldn’t love his child any more, her reaction, though most would chalk up to being a baby's reflexes, to his rodent makes his heart swell even more. Yes, he has spent a lifetime losing things he holds dear, but this time will be different.

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

Tagliatelle - Noodles ragazza matta - Crazy girl La ragazza disubbidiente - Naughty girl congratulazioni - congratulations

[lipglossanon]

OMG MY TUMBLR KEEPS CRASHING WHILE IM TRYING TO TYPE THIS OUT RAAHHHH anyways, i saw this edit earlier of a re4r mod that like, adjusts the camera and so there’s this one clip where u can see leon just straight up manspreading and it was so hot HES SO HOT i just wna sit on his lap and cockwarm the shit outta him, you feel me?

and ofc this is gna turn into another thirst for stepbro leon bc why else wld i be here 🤭 i just imagine like, leon trying to study for college exams or smth and reader is laying on his bed, scrolling on her phone, bored out of her mind before suddenly feeling that familiar neediness springing up when she looks over at leon, sat at his desk, studying his books and notes, man spreading a lil in his chair and looking so studious, and asks, “leon..can you take a break? i need you” she says while pouting but only gets a, “no, sweetheart, i’m sorry, but finals are coming up” (this just reminded me that i have finals coming up too NOOOO💔💔💔) and ofc she’s whining and making somewhat of a fuss abt it but is just getting ignored by him which slightly annoys her before she tosses her phone aside and gets him, crawling under his arms and sitting in his lap. at this point, leon just lets her do it since she isn’t really doing much. right? WRONG. she starts to quietly whine in his ear, talking abt how much she needs him and it gets to the point that it’s annoying him that he eventually grabs her by her throat with a mean glare and a slight squeeze

“you wanna be a needy slut, huh? want my cock so bad?”

and she just nods eagerly, thinking she finally got her way as he pulls his pants down, pulls her shorts and panties down to just hang off her ankle before sliding his cock into her already soaking wet hole before cooing at her with mock sympathy, “there, happy?” but she’s just too cockdrunk to pick up on it as she nods and tries to move against him, but before she can even move so much as an inch, he’s holding her hips harshly and bruises are probably going to show up later

“you have my cock, now be a good girl and sit still, or you won’t get anything”

and she’s on the verge of crying out about how unfair he’s being before she sees the look in his eyes, as if daring her to disobey him before she meekly nods and tries her best to not move around as leon goes back to studying, thrusting up occasionally just to get a little reaction out of her before going completely still again

😵‍💫😵‍💫 brainrot, SORRY IF ITS NOT GOOD I AM NOT A WRITER😓😓 i was also having thoughts abt exec!leon fucking virgin!reader bc i can not get that one part of the fic outta my head..but that’s gna hv to wait for another time bc i hv a 5 page rough draft to write for my writing class tomorrow😀😀👍

-🪷

🪷 anon, never apologize for writing because you’re brain has beautiful thoughts 😵‍💫 😵‍💫 (and like a link to that mod vid—for scientific purposes of course 😌 😜 )

And you wanna know what’s insane?? I’m literally in the middle of writing a cockwarming fic for stepdad Leon 😱 so surprise I guess *jazz hands* 😜

But oof Stepbro Leon making her sit there while he studies for finals 🥴 🥴 I’m gonna have to take this and add it to my list (which is predominantly Stepbro Leon; he got everyone in a chokehold 🤤)

Haha no worries!! Thank you for sharing cause that’s so hot like it’s not even funny 🥵 🥵 and exec Leon is way more popular than I thought he’d be (very pleasantly surprised! 💜) and good luck with your rough draft!!! 💕

[doppotranslations]

Alcohol, Sakura and Kangaroo ~Cherry Blossom Evening Stroll~ - Part 1

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Hypmic ARB in-game event story (Doppo, Hifumi, Jyuto), Rio, Rei, Hitoya

Recording Link: https://youtu.be/u9RnJaY2gfI (in case you wanna read along with the in-game voice lines and sound effects :D)

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Chapter 1

[At the Police Station]

Jyuto: I deeply apologize…

Detective: Hey now… Iruma-san, you're going to have to assume responsibility for that case…

Jyuto: Be more careful in the future, for my sake as well......

Rio: ……

Jyuto: Well then, I’ll be off…...

[Outside]

Jyuto: *lights a cigarette* Phew… that whole debacle from before was solved thanks to Samatoki… Rio, why did it have to be in Shinjuku......?

Rio: How many times do I have to say it? I came here to look for a kangaroo.

Jyuto: …... what I meant was that I don’t get your reasoning at all, so why did you have to drag me into this? If I didn’t know you, I’d probably end up interrogating you too. Furthermore, what is it about this wallaby that would make it worth being taken in by the police for…... 

Rio: It’s not a wallaby, it’s a kangaroo.

Jyuto: *sighs* …... I don’t care which one it is…...

Rio: Getting accurate information about this is important.

Jyuto: If there really was a kangaroo in this city, there would immediately be a fuss about it. Don't you think so too?

Rio: In that case even I’d find out about it, wouldn’t I?

Jyuto: *sighs*...... That’s right…...

Rio: Though it’s true that I have brought you trouble. Jyuto, I apologize.

Jyuto: Don’t worry about it. What are friends for after all…... it was a cheap arrest too. After all, it was all thanks to that idiot Samatoki being used to getting people out of trouble.

Rio: Right.

Jyuto: Well, what do you say? Since we ended up in Shinjuku and all, shall we go drinking in this golden city?

Rio: Hm…... I would love to join you, but I must look for that kangaroo.

Jyuto: …...and if you happened to find it, what would you do?

Rio: That’s a weird thing to ask. I’d make a meal out of it, of course.

Jyuto: I see…

Rio: Kangaroos…... Their meat is easy to cook and delicious. There surely must be a stray kangaroo somewhere around Japan…...

Jyuto: …...just please don’t get arrested again.

Rio: Got it. Well then, I’ll be off.

Jyuto: Then…... guess I’ll be drinking alone, huh?

[At a Temple]

Doppo: (Aah…... The manager of the company I was doing business with today…... was so cruel…... What do you mean by “You look like you’re emanating an aura of misery so much so that it’s annoying. If you let me slap you, I’ll buy what you’re selling.” W-well,  it can't be helped. If it’s for the sake of my company, I’ll take the hit… but if it’s just one hit I promised, why do you have to go all in… What do you mean “I was only joking when I said I’d buy it!”...) Fuck……………………………………… Fuck fuck……………………………………… Fuck fuck fuck……………………………………… FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKING HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELL!!

???: Wait…...

Doppo: THIS IS BULLSHIT! EVEN THOUGH HE SLAPPED ME!! THAT ASSHOLE STILL DIDN’T FUCKING GIVE ANYTHING IN RETURN!!! IT’S TOO MUCH, MAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!

???: You over there!

Doppo: HYAH, HYAAAH!!!

Jyuto: I was thinking some idiot was screaming around here, but it was just you, Kannonzaka-san.

Doppo: I-Iruma-san… A-are you by any chance here to arrest me for being so loud…? I was being a bother, wasn’t I?

Jyuto: I’m not really impressed by the screaming, but I’m not gonna arrest you either.

Doppo: I-I’m glad…

Jyuto: By the way, Kannonzaka-san.

Doppo: Yes?

Jyuto: You seem to be feeling pretty stressed about something, don’t you? So, how about I treat you to a drink.

Doppo: Sounds great! Let’s go!

Chapter 2

[At Hifumi’s host club]

Hifumi: …...Um? What the?

Host A: Old man! Quit being so arrogant! The table isn’t a foot stool!

Host B: What the hell do you want!?

Rei: Right, sorry for that. Looks like our precious prince charming here is pretty rotten.

Host C: Asshole…... are you messing with us…...?

Rei: *lights a cigarette* It’s pretty fun being a wild guy with a temper, you know?

Host A: Ah?

Rei: If you would give me the favor of getting involved, then I would say we’re about to have a pretty fun twist.

Host A: You bastard…...

Hifumi: That’s enough!

Host A: H-Hifumi-san!

Hifumi: You guys, what do you think you’re doing acting like that in the host club? As usual, you’re supposed to behave elegantly here.

Host A: M-my apologies!

Rei: Oh, at last mister number one showed his face, huh?

Hifumi: Huh? You’re Osaka’s… Why are you here?

Rei: I’m here to collect some debts.

Hifumi: Why are you doing that…?

Rei: It’s something I simply cannot turn down. You see, I am a pretty influential person of the nightlife in Kabuki.

Hifumi: …...really? You talk about needing to collect debts, but I don’t think there’s anything to collect from here, is there? 

Rei: That’s right…...

Hifumi: Then why did you come here?

Rei: See the chick in this photo? Ya get it now?

Hifumi: That woman…... Some time ago, she was a guest here and requested me…... What’s the matter with her?

Rei: She’s been messing around at this host club with borrowed money. And…...

Hifumi: She ran away because she couldn’t pay it back…...?

Rei: You got it. I came here to ask you if you know about the whereabouts of that hoe.

Hifumi: I know nothing about it…... And even if I did, I would not be able to share any information about my beloved clients.

Rei: Heh…... Well, since you say you don’t know anything, should I ask you what the truth is by force?

Hifumi: ……

Rei: Hahaha! Juuuust kidding! Lil’ old me only does such unreasonable things on special ocassions.

Hifumi: What do you plan to do if you find her…...?

Rei: Ummm. Let’s see… if she pays back the money it’s all good, but if she doesn’t…... ya dig?

Hifumi: !

Rei: Hey, don’t look at me like that! I don’t want to come face to face with a young woman that has a bright future about something like this either, you know. Though rules can’t be broken no matter how much you complain about it. Since you work at a place like this you get it, don’t you?

Hifumi: …...Yeah.

Rei: I mean, it would be good for you too if she paid up since she’s got a tab to pay for you, right?

Hifumi: …...I forbid my customers from putting their payments on a tab.

Rei: Heh...... that’s uncommon.

Hifumi: It’s because we don’t want problems like this with debt.

Rei: Nonsense. Well then, looks like I gotta bounce.

Hifumi: Wait a second…...

Rei: What’s up?

Hifumi: I simply cannot let this go by, having a woman I know be met with mean eyes. I will go too.

Rei: You’re coming to do what exactly?

Hifumi: Once we find her I shall scold her.

Rei: Scold…... huh? Haha, sounds fun. ‘s all good then. Come.

Hifumi: ……

Chapter 3

[Out in the city at night]

Hitoya: (*sighs*... The Supreme Court is so tiring…...) It’s still early, I could probably get a drink and go home...... (How about viewing the sakura trees while having a drink? Maybe I could find a nice place for that, huh.) Oh, right, Shinjuku Central Park is right around the corner. I’ll get going.

[At the park]

Hitoya: Woah…... this is pretty impressive, huh… Since I bought both a drink and something to eat, I can enjoy the evening in peace over here. *opens his drink* Gulp… gulp… gulp… Pwaah~. Having a drink after work is simply exceptional. (When I’m in Nagoya either Kuko or Jyushi always find a way to destroy my peace and quiet…... That’s why, I’ll make use of this alone time while I’m here.) …...This park seems to be pretty big and all, so I’ll go for a little walk around here.

[Somewhere else in the park]

Rio: According to the intel I gathered, that thing is lurking inside this park...… as expected…...

???: Gwooo… Gwooo… Gwooo…

Rio: Mm? That sound is…

Kangaroo: Gwooo… Gwooo… Gwooo…

Rio: Just as I thought, the information seems to not have been wrong… Goddamn…...

Kangaroo: !?

Rio: Kh…!

[Somewhere else in the park]

Hitoya: Gulp… Gulp… Canned beer around the sakura blossoms at night… This is just the best, isn’t it? A night like this would make even cheap alcohol feel luxurious.

Kangaroo: Gwooo… Gwooo… Gwooo…

Hitoya: Hm? What was that sound…?

Kangaroo: Gwooo gwooo gwooo!

Hitoya: Wha!? A k-kangaroo!!????? Why is there a kangaroo in a place like this…...

???: Mm!!

Hitoya: Huh…? *gets hit and everything turns black* Gwah!

???: Guh!

Hitoya: *gets up* That hurts, man…

Rio: …...I apologize. I was in a hurry.

Hitoya: Right…... huh, you’re from Yokohama Division?

Rio: And you’re from Nagoya Division…?

Hitoya: What are you doing in a place like this?

Rio: I was chasing a kangaroo.

Hitoya: Chasing a kangaroo, you say… The hell kinda joke is this?

Rio: Looks like it completely got away…I know this is an embarrassing request to make but…...

Hitoya: …What is it?

Rio: Could you do me the favor of helping me catch that thing?

Hitoya: Why me… is what I would normally say, but I bumped into you and got in the way and all, so fine. I’ll help out.

Rio: …Thank you!

Hitoya: Was that kangaroo your pet or something?

Rio: No, it’s my food.

Hitoya: ???????????????????????????

Chapter 4

[Out in the city at night]

Hifumi: Is this the place?

Rei: According to what I was told, yeah. 

Hifumi: *tries to go in*

Rei: Wait a second.

Hifumi: Why…?

Rei: Just to be sure you’ll have to stay here. We’re in this together, so in case she tries to run away you’ll have to do something about it.

Hifumi: Got it…

Rei: Good, I’ll get going then.

[Inside the club]

Hifumi’s Former Client: I’ll have another drink, please~

Host: Which one would you like?

Hifumi’s Former Client: Open the bottle of Golden Dom Perignon~

Host: Really? A glass of Golden Dom Perignon then…

Rei: That order is canceled.

Hifumi’s Former Client: Huh? Who the hell are you…?

Rei: Who I am? Let’s see…

Host: That’s right, what’s with this jerk…?

Rei: Sorry to be a disturbance, but this young lady’s and Romeo’s little affair will have to wait. ‘Cause you see… I am a scary old man.

Host: Do you want to have your ass kicked…?

Rei: Haha! I like being threatened, lil old me is happy to hear that, you know?

Host: Hey…!

Manager: S-stop that…

Host: What was that?

Manager: Don’t you go yelling at that man!

Host: Is there a reason for that? The way we earn money here is by selling lots of drinks, you know?

Manager: That’s enough…! That man is Amayado-san and is one of the people who works in the shadows in this neighborhood.

Host: I-...i-in the shadows…?

Manager: Keep bothering him and our store will surely be shut down…

Host: R-really…?

Rei: Huh? You’re not gonna kick my ass anymore?

Host: A-ahaha…

Manager: P-please… enjoy your stay…

Rei: Oh, really? I’ll make sure to take my time then. *turns to the girl* Yo, sorry to have kept you waiting.

Hifumi’s Former Client: W-what do you want…?

Rei: What do I want…? You see, the reason a scary old man like me came here is… something you should know about as well, right?

Hifumi’s Former Client: ……

Rei: Oi oi… Don’t make me look like the bad guy here. Got it?

Manager: H-he’s talking about…...

Rei: You’ve got a debt to pay, so if you give me the favor of paying up right away nothing bad is gonna happen.

Hifumi’s Former Client: !!! *gets up*

Rei: !!

Host: Uwah!

Hifumi’s Former Client: *runs away*

Rei: *sighs* …What a pain in the ass…...

Hifumi’s Former Client: *pants*

Hifumi: You…...

Hifumi’s Former Client: H-Hifumi…...!

Hifumi: Why…...

Hifumi’s Former Client: !! *runs away*

Hifumi: Agh…...

Rei: Hey! Stop zoning out and let’s chase her!

Hifumi: ...…right.

[dotieeee]

The Dream That Got Away

Chapter 14

Pairing: Dark!Morpheus x You (no Y/N!)

This is a multi-chapter fic — Weekly updates (either Saturday or Sunday) because I found a rhythm of sorts lol

(The entire fic has been outlined, so I will see this to the end, you have my word)

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

Link to the Masterlist

Overall Warnings!! Take heed:

Morpheus is DARK – in canon, he changes for the better (or at least, tries to – but we don’t do canon lol, so he goes even more batshit crazy) cue obsession, manipulation, possessiveness, powerplay

18+ ONLY – explicit scenes will be present, some explicit language

DUB-CON and NON-CON scenes

Character death (sort of)

Creator vs Creation drama

And other dark stuff that may be added in the future

This chapter’s warnings:

graphic dub-con ahead - turn back now if this disturbs you :)

touch-starved Morpheus should be a warning of its own

mild threats

Gaslighting!!

new kinks unlocked lol

some(??) angst??

Mentions of ED/body/eating issues if u squint

You have been warned!! Proceed with caution!!!

Link to the previous chapter

Chapter 14: A Festivity and A Fight

“Lady Death,” you bow your head in greeting before flashing a smile that matches hers. Her warmth is infectious, and despite your creator’s gloomy demeanour, her presence alone brightened up the otherwise dreary office that rarely ever saw occupants. “It’s a pleasure and honour to meet you. You’re even more radiant as they say in person.”

Now completely ignoring her brother who’s openly scowling behind her, Lady Death waves off your praise with a light chuckle. “Never mind me, look at you, you’re beautiful! I came to congratulate you on your coronation.”

“Thank you, my Lady. It’d be a privilege to have you as an honoured guest at the party,” you say excitedly. You’ve heard a lot about the kind Endless, so having a friendly face among the crowd of unfamiliar royalty would be a huge reprieve for you.

But her smile turns apologetic, and as she’s about to open her mouth to respond, however, your Dream Lord interjects on her behalf.

“As much as we’d like to have her join the festivity, my dream, my sister is quite the busy Endless. The invitation, however, still remains,” he declares with a somewhat dismissive tone as he makes his approach, maintaining eye contact with his elder sister.

Lad Death simply raises her eyebrows at him, before turning back to you to confirm her brother’s statement. “He’s right, unfortunately. I only came here to have a small chat with my little brother about an important matter,” she says apologetically while she takes both of your hands in hers. “And of course, to send my well-wishes to his precious princess-to-be. I’m really sorry, Mera, but I’ll come by another time and we’ll have our own talk, I promise.”

She lets go of your hands and steps out the door. With one final pointed look at her brother and a warning tone, she declares, “Dream, this discussion isn’t over.”

***

“Morwyn, isn’t this a little too heavy?”

You’re seated right in front of a vanity in your quarters, staring at yourself in the ornate mirror. The attendant in question, currently fussing over the dress you’re supposed to wear for the ceremony, had applied the makeup on your face and in your humble opinion, the lipstick she applied was a little too red for your liking, and it reminded you a little too well of the shade your creator fancies so much.

Maybe that’s why she chose the shade for you.

After your brief meeting with Lady Death a while ago, the Dream Lord had lightly admonished you for helping out instead of preparing for the big celebration, but in the end, praised you for your efforts in welcoming the guests on his behalf. With a kiss he was reluctant to cut short, he used his sand to transport you to your quarters, where Morwyn was waiting for you, along with a warm bath, the dress he wanted you to wear and everything else you needed to get ready.

Morwyn spares you a glance from the dress she’s busy inspecting. “What are you talking about m’lady? You look absolutely beautiful,” she says with a kind smile. “Besides, it was the only shade on the vanity. His majesty really likes red, doesn’t he?”

Yes, he does.

“The weird thing is he never wears the colour, except for the ruby, but I haven’t seen that on him in a long time…Oh, and I guess you won’t be wearing your headdress, now that he’s going to give you a different one and all that…”

While Morwyn mutters to herself, you make the last-minute adjustments to your hair and makeup, then with her assistance, start putting on the dress. It’s the most luxurious gown you have worn yet, with its strapless, sweetheart bodice made of the finest silk and tons of tulle cascading from the waist past your feet, trailing down the floor, all in an admittedly luxurious shade of currant. It’s also the most burdensome so far, for every inch of the gown is covered with tiny slivers of intricately-cut rubies that glittered at every angle. A gown that only princesses could dream of, and it fits you like a glove.

Just as Morwyn was fastening the last ribbon at the back of the dress, you both hear a soft knock on the door. You King enters without waiting for a response, and once his eyes land on you, he never veers his gaze away.

You get a glimpse of your Dream Lord’s form and fight the chance to openly gape: he had forgone his usual garb in favour of a billowing robe made of the richest brocade in his preferred midnight shade, and underneath it, he wears a sleek, double-breasted suit of the same colour, and around his neck is a ruby he has fashioned in the same likeness as the one his adversary had destroyed, presumably to subtly match your outfit. With his hair combed back compared to its normally unkempt state, he looks every bit like the majestic King he is, and you couldn’t take your eyes off him either.

“Morwyn, leave us.”

You mutter a soft ‘thank you’ at her as she bows before you both, then steps out of the room, leaving you both alone.

He seems to recognize the effect he has on you and puts on a sly grin as he closes in on you at a steady pace.

“Your beauty transcends space and time, my Mera,” he compliments, stopping mere inches away from you. He dips his head closer, fanning your face with his warm breath, as he strokes your cheek with his forefinger.

Swallowing a lump in your throat, you return the favour, stammering, “Y-you look quite, uh, dashing yourself, my Lord.”

With his grin growing wider, he remarks, “Today, you shall kneel before me, as you have done many times within the confines of our shared chambers, but this time for a different reason: I shall crown you and you will take your eternal place beside me.”  He then pushes you against the wall without warning and encases you in a searing kiss. It isn’t long before the kiss turns more heated, with his lips trailing down from your jaw to settle on suckling and biting on a spot on your neck, a spot that would alarmingly be visible to anyone and everyone who would lay their eyes on you, given how much skin the gown is revealing.

With a tiny squeal, you protest, “My Lord, please, they’re going to see –”

“And I intend to let them,” he cuts you off, whispering hotly against the reddened skin. “Everyone attending will then know that the princess-consort is off-limits except only for the King of Dreams.” He then turns you around and continues marking you, this time on a spot on your back near your left shoulder, all while pinning you to the wall with his hands on your hips to hold you in place. With a final graze of his lips on your shoulder, he caresses his way upwards to your neck and breathes against your ear, “I have a half mind of taking you against this wall until you’re dripping with my seed…”

But before you could object, he adds, “But I wouldn’t want my dream to appear exhausted even before the festivities begin, and I know how…rough our love-making can be.”

You release a sigh of relief as he backs away from you, and you turn around to face him. He still has that smirk on his face, maintaining eye contact as he wipes away the residue of your ruined lipstick with his thumb.

“We should go. The ceremony will begin momentarily.”

He just stares in mild amusement as you make your way to the vanity to reapply your lipstick, straighten your gown and fix your hair, even though you know it will all be ruined by tonight, as he’ll likely have his way with you anyway.

***

The ceremony went rather smoothly, thanks to the entire palace staff doing their best to keep the guests, and ultimately, their Dream King, happy.

The venue where the celebration was held was a completely new addition to the Dreaming. In honour of your ascent to a royal post, your creator had crafted a sweeping garden within the palace grounds just for the occasion. Surrounded by well-trimmed bushes and small trees blooming with flowers of varying shades and sorts at all corners and lined with marble flooring, he had encased it entirely in a glass dome made of iridescent panels, allowing the sunshine to stream through in all colours in the spectrum for the naked eye to marvel at. He had created this elaborate outdoor ballroom a mere two weeks ago to allow the staff to make the preparations in advance, but not before showing it to you - he had even kissed you on the elevated platform at the far end where he and you will be seated.

It was clear to you at that point that he was trying to win you over with such lavish gestures.

When Lucienne announced the arrival of the King of Dreams and his new princess-consort, everyone in attendance stood to their feet and fell into a hush. When you both made your entrance, everyone’s eyes were on both of you as you made your way to the stage where a large, bejewelled throne, and a smaller but equally decorated one beside it, were placed behind a long table. He had insisted on marching with your arm linked in his, for which you felt grateful – on top of trying hard not to fall flat on your face in your heels, the eyes openly gaping at you made you feel even more nervous, so you clung onto him for support. When you reach the platform, he commanded you on your knees, declared before the entire Dreaming your official title, and promptly crowned you with a small, golden tiara he fashioned with his sand on the spot, decorated in the middle with a single, large ruby (to the audience’s collective gasp of awe). Holding out his hand, he instructed you to take it and get on your feet, and the entire dome bowed their heads, and with a gesture of his palm, they erupted in deafening applause, welcoming the first, and the only princess-consort to their king.

Your Dream Lord then guided you to your place beside him before seating on his throne and gave the order for the feast to begin.

Needless to say, the food was incomparable to anything you’ve ever had, courtesy of the palace chefs and Taramis’s crew, and the music was divine, as your Dream Lord managed to invite a band of talented musicians, some of them humans in their dreams, to play for the guests. Eventually, when the booze started kicking in, Lucienne finally gave the word for the dancing to begin; the Dream Lord, after all, isn’t known for dancing, and it seems like it was enough for him to stay seated on his throne, with his hand intertwined in yours, and watch in mild amusement as his guests and subjects made merry in your name. Shortly after, he stood, urging you to come with him, and asked if you could go around with him to exchange a few words with some of the guests.

***

“...you teach history? That is fascinating, given you’ve been there to witness it all,” you remark lightly before you sip your wine.

Hob Gadling chuckles as he finishes the last spoonful of his cherry trifle. You and your Dream Lord, sitting across you both watching you interact, had joined him at his table shortly after you had finished speaking with some of his notable guests – royals and leaders from other realms across the universe. Your king had invited his centuries-long immortal friend in person and had transported his physical body to the Dreaming realm just so he could meet you. And so far, he’s been an absolute treasure.

“Well, all those years’d be a waste if I didn’t. Enough about me though. I’ve got to leave in about –” Hob glances at his watch – “Ten minutes. Class. So,” he pauses deliberately, motioning between you and your master with a finger. “I have to know how this happened. I mean, you’re very attractive, and he’s a king, sure, but it’s not like he’s the most charming one on the block.”

You try stifling your laugh with your palm, but it only intensifies due to the unamused stare he gets from your Dream Lord.

Laughing with you, Hob continues, “What did he do, trap you into it or something? Because that’s the only way –”

“Hob Gadling. Don’t you have a class to attend?” Your Dream Lord flatly chimes in, clearly not liking the direction of the conversation. He rises to his feet with a stiff posture, which Hob follows with an exasperated eye-roll.

“It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Mera,” says with a warm smile and gives you a one-armed hug. Discreetly, he whispers against your ear so your Dream Lord doesn’t hear, “Is he still an ass?”

“Always,” you reply secretly in the softest of tones, before adding loudly so he doesn’t suspect a thing, “The pleasure is all mine, Hob. Do drop by again when you can.”

You watch them both as they stroll out of the dome, still feeling slightly amused with your exchange. Once you’re left alone at the table, you let out a huff, watching everyone on the dance floor have the time of their lives. Food and drink are still plenty, the kitchens made sure of that, and while you didn’t have that much of an appetite a while ago sitting beside your king, all that small talk depleted your rapidly decreasing social battery, so reach for Hob’s leftover dessert plate which he had barely touched due to his abrupt departure.

“So, Dream finally left with his boyfriend, huh?”

You whip your head around to see who had just spoken sarcastically to find round sunglasses dark as night, slick, blonde hair and a lopsided grin.

“Hello, Corinthian,” you greet the nightmare as he settles down on the empty seat beside you. “And I never thought I’d hear ‘Dream’ and ‘boyfriend’ in a sentence together.”

Leaning back on his chair and crossing his legs in a laid-back fashion, he grins wider and comments, “Do I sense a hint of jealousy? I don’t think it suits you, my lady.”

For the first time in the day, you don’t try stifling your giggles – finally, a company with whom you don’t have to mind your posture or language. Slouching in your chair, you chide him, “Don’t call me that. And no, I’m not jealous. In fact, I hope he runs away with him and never comes back.”

“That’s the spirit,” he praises sardonically. “Now that you’ve finally dropped the royal act, we can for once have a conversation without all that empty polite drivel.”

“Ugh, I know. When did he…bring you back?”

The nightmare nonchalantly reaches for a cupcake from your dessert platter and takes a bite, and replies, “Several months ago, I think. I’ve lost track of time. No offence, but this party is a total bore.”

Shrugging, you find yourself agreeing with him. “Compared to your usual scene, it is rather tame. How was it?”

“The Darkness?” He pauses thoughtfully as he crumples the cupcake liner. “It’s non-existence, how bad can it be? You should try it sometime,” he says jokingly with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “Then again, there’s him. He’s still the same piece of shit, isn’t he?”

“I guess change can be difficult for the Endless,” you remark soberly. “Anyway, what have you been up to?”

“Come to the dreams and I’ll show you.” He sneaks two glasses of wine from a passing waiter and hands one over to you.

After a nod of ‘thanks,’ you take a huge swig from the glass and try to jest, “And what, watch you chase down some poor bloke and eat his eyeballs out of a toothpick? Yeah, I wish. Even if I wanted to…” your sentence trails off, but, perceptive as ever, he immediately gets your meaning.

“He took your abilities away. No fucking way,” he concludes to himself disbelievingly. “Shit. Uh-oh.” Singing to the tune of ‘Here comes the Bride’, he hums, “Here comes the prick, all dressed in –”

“‘Black’ doesn’t rhyme with ‘prick,’ though,” you cut in, looking in the same direction he’s eyeing. True enough, you spot your Dream Lord approaching in long strides, his gaze locked in on you.

With a chortle, the Corinthian drawls out, “Well, if there’s anything you can get out of this ‘arrangement,’ it has to be the sex. I bet he fucks real hard.”

You pelt him in annoyance with a chunk of the chocolate-dipped pretzel you were about to nibble on, which he dodges with a snort of laughter. “Shut up, here he comes, act normal.” 

When the Dream King reaches the table he left you in, he has his normal, stoic mask, but he addresses you both with a suspicious tone. “My Dream. Corinthian.”

“Hello, your majesty,” Dream’s perfect nightmare greets with a sneer. “Forgive me if I leave the festivities early, I have a dreamer to torment.” Getting up from his seat, he turns to you with an equally satirical tone. “By your leave, my lady?”

You roll your eyes at him and scoff, “Fine. Do come by for tea so we can catch up,” you say with a smirk.

He dramatically places a hand over his heart, exclaiming in mock surprise, “Are you asking me, a nightmare, on a date, my lady?”

But Dream is clearly having none of his nightmare’s antics. He says warningly, “Corinthian –”

“Alright, alright,” Corinthian mutters with his hands in the air in a gesture of defeat. “Jeez, can’t take a fucking joke…”

With a final wave, he takes off from the dome while you watch his back the entire time, wondering what it’s like to finally exit and be free from all this drag.

Your king wordlessly takes the seat he left. An uncomfortable silence passes between the two of you, with you fidgeting with a mildly interesting chunk of ruby on your dress as he stares at you like he’s struggling to say something. Finally breaking the silence after a few moments, he says, “Your dynamic with the Corinthian –”

“He’s a friend, my Lord,” you couldn’t help interrupting him, knowing very well what he meant. He can’t control even the people you choose to talk to, can he? “Won’t your subjects find it odd that I don’t have any, save Lucienne?”

He purses his lips in acquiescence, but of course, he has to have the final word, as always. “Indeed, but I must ask you to tread carefully. I may have righted his flaws, but he is still a nightmare.”

At least he still has his dream-forming abilities, comes a retort in your head that you hold back, knowing it wouldn’t get you anywhere. Instead, you respond with, “May I be excused, my Lord?”

You find his presence to be stifling, so when he nods imperceptibly with his jaw clenched, you immediately give him a tiny curtsy and turn away, intending to hide and sulk behind one of the bushes at the corner to have a moment to yourself. Instead, a tiny force collides with your midriff, temporarily knocking the wind out of you.

“Princess, I’m so happy to see you!”

Ethan the Knight, Vanquisher of Dragons and Commander of Legions, has somehow made it to your party in his dreams and is currently hugging you with a strength a six-year-old isn’t supposed to have. Once he lets go of you, he flashes you with the biggest, brightest smile he could muster.

“Ethan! You found me again,” you say delightedly. The last time you met him, your time had been unfortunately cut off and you were unable to complete his dream, so seeing him this happy just warms your heart. You squat before him to match his height ignoring the fact that you were wearing heels. “I’m happy to see you, too! And I see you’ve brought your friends along,” you say, acknowledging the two other children behind him whispering to themselves. The boy mutters to Ethan, who had eyes only on you, “Is she really a princess?”

The little girl beside him whispers back, “Yes she is, dummy, can’t you see her crown?”

“Hello, you two! Are you enjoying the party?”

Both of them blush cutely at the same time at the attention you’re giving, but they both answer in unison, “Yes, your highness!”

“Although we didn’t get cake,” Ethan mumbles with an adorable pout. “And what’s he doing here?” he complains, pointing at your Dream Lord behind you, sitting on his table, watching the exchange with sharp eyes.

“Ah, well, he’s the twin of the evil king you see,” you answer carefully. “He rescued me from the tower. And you see that man over there with the fancy moustache?” you motion to Taramis serving one of the royal guests. “He can get you as much cake as you can eat. Go, and tell him I sent you.”

With a squeal of ‘thanks,’ he runs off to the head waiter, and the other boy follows along. The little girl, however, stays in place, fidgeting at the hem of her pyjama shirt.

Turning to her, you ask gently, “What about you, young lady? What would you like? Why don't you go with the boys and get something sweet?”

She just stares at you shyly through her eyelashes and responds quietly, “I’m watching my diet, princess. Mommy says I can’t have cake ‘cause I’ll get fat and then people will laugh at me.”

You’re taken aback at the little girl’s worry, but you never take the smile off your face - what she needs right now is reassurance, and you have plenty of that to give her.

“What’s your name, young lady?”

“Carrie,” she responds timidly with a small, hesitant smile.

“Well, Carrie, you happen to be in a magical place, where the calories here don’t count,” you say with a playful wiggle of your eyebrows.

“Really? You mean I can get a strawberry shortcake and vanilla ice cream too?” she says, her eyes growing wide at the thought of her finally getting to eat her favourite desserts.

Laughing at her cute reaction, you say, “And you can even put as much caramel sauce as you’d like,”

“I love caramel! Thank you, princess!”

Slowly getting to your feet, you watch fondly as she bolts toward Ethan and the other boy who is currently being served by Taramis huge platters of dessert you know they could never wolf down. 

“You are good with them.”

Your Dream Lord had finally gotten to his feet and is now standing beside you, with his hands regally clasped together.

“I’m sorry, my Lord?” you ask with a confused expression.

He smiles at you with the softest smile he’s given you the entire day and amends, “Children. You are wonderful with them.”

Not knowing how else to respond, you choose your words cautiously. “Well, if the world treats them right, humanity might have a better chance.”

He only hums at your response with a look of deep contemplation on his face.

“My Lord, Carrie’s mother…” you plead to him, hoping he relents this time.

“I heard,” comes his short reply. “I shall have a dream look into it.”

“But I can do it if you just let me. I can fix it for her,” you beg in the softest of tones, wanting nothing at the moment but to ease the little girl’s body issues. “No child, nor anyone, deserves to be told such hurtful things.”

“This is neither the time nor the place, to discuss that matter,” he quietly castigates you with a firm look, a look that told he wanted to hear no more of it.

You hang your head, biting the insides of your cheek and wanting very much for this day to be over just so you could cry yourself to sleep in your absolute frustration.

***

You collapse on your Dream Lord’s bare chest with a sharp cry as you come on top of him, riding out your orgasm by grinding against him in soft thrusts before halting your movement altogether.

Your King had wasted no time turning your gown into sand the moment he had you to himself in his chambers after all the party guests had gone home. He had commanded that his new princess-consort fulfil her duties of pleasuring him, and tonight he had preferred you riding him out on the couch. It’s not like you had gotten used to his touches - far from it: you had only been doing his bidding because what choice did you have? He could very well send you back to the tower he had imprisoned you where he’ll likely force himself on you anyway.

He cups your face so he could kiss you fervently while his rock-hard cock, still lodged firmly inside you, pumps slowly in and out of your hole, a telltale sign that he wants more. One thing you had learned sharing his bed for the past few months is that his desire for you is insatiable and he had the stamina only an Endless had the right to possess.

But as he sucks your lower lip and squeezes your lower cheeks insistently, you find yourself getting weary of the act, and reasonably so in your opinion; you had been on four-inch heels the entire day, lugging around the heaviest gown you had ever worn in your life. You had all the reasons to be tired.

Your Dream King senses your hesitation, but that had never stopped him before, and he isn’t about to stop now. He flips you over with a growl; he makes you kneel on the sofa and cling to its backrest, while he positions himself behind you, intent on finding his release.

“My lord,” you attempt to reason. “I can’t take anymore…could we –”

“No, you can take one more, my dream.”

Feeling defeated, you brace yourself and squeeze the sofa’s backrest, letting out a whimper as he slides his hard length inside you and picks up a hard pace while he grasps your hips with both hands and brings you to him with every single thrust. Your moans and his grunts fill his chamber in no time, along with the wet, squelching sounds and the loud slapping of flesh brought about by your bodies coming together. Helplessly, you grip the back cushion shakily as he takes you with wild abandon from behind like his life depended on it. To deepen his thrusts and bring your bodies closer, he kneels on the couch and continues ploughing into you, suckling and biting down on every part of your skin his lips could reach while his hand snakes between your folds and massages your clit. By now, you’re clenching his cock uncontrollably and you’re screaming your throat hoarse - with a shriek that echoed in his chamber, your orgasm makes your vision fade to black as you let out a string of incoherent curses. Your master continues slamming hard into you before his orgasm shortly follows yours, and while you convulse beneath him he squeezes your ass to hold you still as he bites down hard on your shoulder. You could feel his warmth flood inside you, prolonging and intensifying your high.

“That’s it,” he whispers breathily against your ear. “That’s my good girl, taking all of my seed like the good, little dream you are. Take all of it.”

With a final pump and a growl, he finally stops moving within you, for which you’re thankful – you had started feeling sore right after your first orgasm from riding him. He pulls out of you, but he stays in place behind you. You expected him to carry you to the bed like he always does when you both finish anywhere else but the bed, but to your dismay, he parts your lower cheeks further. 

From behind you, he declares, “I have always enjoyed watching my seed slowly trickling down your thighs, my little dream. It’s a vision made only for me - I imagine it filling your womb with life that we created together…”

But his meaning is lost on you, for you had started concentrating on not falling into exhaustion, barely registering his words. You feel him insert two fingers into your cum-filled hole, and pump a few times before withdrawing. He manoeuvres you to face him, so with you still being straddled at the front with his thighs preventing escape, he takes your chin with his hand, forcing your mouth open, and places the fingers coated with both your juices and makes you suck on them. He maintains his intense eye contact, watching hungrily as you suckle his fingers clean, your eyes swimming in tears of embarrassment. He slowly pulls his hand away, and with a tone of praise, he says, “You’ve done well, my dream.”

“And you have been doing well for the past months.” His grip on your chin becomes more gentle, as is his tone. “In honour of your exceptional performance, I shall grant you a boon. A gift.”

“My Lord, may I speak freely?”

“Yes, you may.”

You swallow nervously, already aware that he might not like what you have in mind.

“Then, give me back my ability to form dreams. Please.”

You watch as your King freezes at your request. Your heartbeat quickens as you peer into his darkening gaze - at last, he pulls away from you completely and walks away, effectively changing the atmosphere in the room.

“I don’t understand, my Lord,” you start, getting to your feet and grabbing a bathrobe that he had conjured out of thin air for you. “You asked, and gave me permission to speak my mind. I have told you what I wish. Take that as you may.”

“And you know my answer,” he speaks through clenched teeth. He faces you with a face contorted in a quiet rage he’s trying to reel in as he puts on his jet-black cloak, his eyes now close to matching the colour of his robes. “Have I not given you enough? Do you find my Kingdom wanting, so much as to desire the company of humans?”

“No, that’s not what I meant –”

“Or is it my company you find inadequate?” he growls lowly, his fists balling and quivering in his attempt to control his emotions. “If you’re not content with what I have so generously provided, shall I teach you a lesson once more –”

“If you could please, just listen to me for a damn second –”

“Shall I take it all away? Shall I send you back to the tower, and hope you could, at last, see that I have done my very best to keep you happy in my realm?” His fury is now emanating from him in waves of black smoke, his sand circling you threateningly.

But this display of power doesn’t strike fear in you. If anything, you grow more confused - had he not asked for what you wanted? He had seen with his own eyes how you had deteriorated in your isolation at the tower he’s imprisoned you, and now he’s contemplating sending you back there, just because you had answered his question?

“That’s your solution?” your response comes in a whisper full of conflicted feelings – you’re perplexed, disappointed, hurt – and your voice trembles in its gravity. “You’re willing to put me through that hellish ordeal again just because you didn’t like what you heard?”

But if he’s moved with your words and the way your tears pool at the corner of your eyes, he doesn’t show it. “Stand down, little dream – you forget your place.”

“No,” you say, wiping your tears away with force. “No, I will not! Will that be your solution every time I make a move that offends you? I have done everything you asked just so I could please you, but am I to walk on eggshells around you for eternity? You’re really willing to inflict pain on me that much just to drive a point?”

Your questions seem to strike a chord with the Endless before you, for he hesitates for a fraction of a second. “My dream, that’s not true –”

“You had promised me before that you’d never take my abilities away because you claim it was a part of me. So, congratulations, my Lord, for erasing that part of my identity.”

If he had responded to your soft emotional outburst, you never got around to hearing it – at that point, you promptly exit his chambers, slamming his door closed behind you, and run into yours. Just like you did over a century ago, you barricade the door with the couch and cry yourself to sleep, not understanding what or why you’re feeling the way you do and stewing instead in your mounting resentment with the King who had refused, even just this one time, to truly listen to you.

***

It has been a few days since your fight with your King, and you had not seen a hair of him since.

Not that it matters to you, anyway: you’re still wounded and angry at him, after all. Has he finally learned and decided to give you some fucking space, for once?

You’re not one to complain about this little development.

As you sit in the garden waiting for your company, you leisurely sip the coffee Morwyn herself had brewed, noting how she had taken to heart your preference. Leaning on the table sprawled with sweets she had picked for you, you absently toy on the whipped cream frosting that decorated one of the teacakes as you hear footfalls on the gravel approaching.

The friend you’re waiting for has finally arrived.

“What took you so long?” you say, grinning at the Corinthian. He does not wait for your gesture to join him – he simply plops down on the chair before you and helps himself to the coffee, and you watch with mild longing as he uses his dream-ability to warm the beverage.

“A nightmare held me up,” he replies cooly, as he takes a sip of his piping-hot drink. “So, you actually summoned me?”

“I did,” you smugly respond. “ It’s one of the many perks I get now.”

Corinthian lets out a snort of laughter, mouthing the words ‘fuck you’ before commenting, “You know, some of us have actual work to do?”

“I know, but I’m bored.”

“And what am I supposed to do, babysit you?” He reaches across the table to swipe at the chocolate cake you hadn’t yet touched.

Putting on an indifferent air, you casually shrug, taking a bite out of a blondie bar. “Well, I hate to pull this card, but I am your princess, so…”

“Well, if you put it that way,” he says with a grin spanning from ear to ear. “I guess this counts as work. Well, thank fucking God, I’ve been on that human’s dreams since he brought me back, and he’s put me in charge of this new nightmare to ‘show him the ropes.’ I could be crafting the worst horrors of humanity, and here I am showing someone else how it’s done. It’s pathetic.”

Your interest is piqued at the mention of the new nightmare he’s mentoring. “What’s this nightmare like?”

****************************** Link to the next chapter

Author notes on the Chapter:

Whatchutink of our dear perfect Nightmare and perfect Dream being besties? hihi

Oh and a wild Hob Gadling appears!!

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

Author's notes in general:

Thank you, THANK YOU for reading!!

Please engage, comment and reblog!! I love feedback from you guys :) This is my first ever fic, so kindness is truly appreciated!

Thank you to my queen @queenshelby @endlessdreamqueen3 for encouraging me to pen this, as well as to my fellow Dark!Morpheus writers whose work I have thoroughly enjoyed and keep rereading :)

Post date: 1/21/22

Edit date: 1/22/22

Taglist: Just lemme know please if you want to be added, too!

Tagging the following:

@wt-fxck

@sandman-33

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[elmaestrostan]

@protect-daniel-james

Now I’ve not listened to the audio with full understanding because my Spanish isn’t quite that level, but there’s some parts they’ve put into the accompanying article that are just lovely.

Unai Emery: "The management of egos begins in oneself"

We talked about soccer and cycling with Villarreal's coach

SER Ciclista we like to get to know our guests in depth. The one in this episode is one of the most international and award-winning soccer coaches of our football, Unai Emery. He has trained Lorca, U. D. Almería, Valencia C. F., Spartak of Moscow, Seville F. C., Paris Saint Germain, Arsenal F. C. and Villarreal C. F., with which this season he maintains a brilliant trajectory in the League and Champions League, after being proclaimed last season champion of the UEFA Europa League for the first time in its history.

Unai remembers his worst fall, like all our guests, and for him the memory is associated with "when my aita (father) bought me the first bike, I left the garage, and at 100 meters I crashed into a parked car... I still remember the scare, I would be 10 or twelve years old, I got up scared, and still my father was coming towards me making a fuss...".

He recognizes that "cycling is a very popular sport in Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country... we love cycling very much, they immediately buy us a ball, a bicycle..." The Gipuzkoan coach is one more link to a family of athletes originally from Hondarribia, a town located on the border with France, hence he recognizes that "my favorite mountain is Jaizkibel, which I always have in my mind." There he uses the bike "to go to the beach or the sports center," or to this first-class port, which he always has in his mind "when I want to demand." Of course, he can't take too many risks on the two wheels "I'm on insurance for my profession, I have friends who make trips in groups, I take care of myself so I don't have accidents and I try to do the tours by stationary bike."

He remembers a funny anecdote, "in Valencia we made a 25 kms outing in pre-season, we went up to a monastery, and Joaquín was the 25 kms cursing me."

Emery's career is, and has been, very successful, but not without difficulties, "when things are easy the merit of doing them is small... In difficulties you have to look for motivations..." He has trained in different countries, where he has had the opportunity to practice languages such as French "which in Hondarribia is one more language," or English "I deepened the base and now it is my third language." With what he couldn't is with Russian, "I'm in a few words."

About the use of our favorite vehicle, remember that "in Paris it was difficult to see a bicycle, in London, if... Moscow is a very chaotic city and because of the climate, it's difficult..."

From the football philosophy of the current coach of Villarreal, a reference recalling a 6-1 defeat at the Camp Nou, "the defeats are overcome, once lived you have to take out the profitable things, it is a negative experience that I want to make positive." And about the management of a wardrobe, "the management of egos begins in oneself, if not managing them begins to affect other people around, clubs, institutions you have to try to dominate or control them."

As usual in our podcast, Unai Emery answers the questions of some guests. Iñaki Bea, a bench partner and then a player in charge, reminds him of those shared experiences, and gives him the ability to make reflections on the characteristics of the athlete, "you have to have innate minimum conditions, then the technical skills, the conditions ... and the ability to improve." Our guest shares a crew (group of friends) with Patxi Vila, a cyclist who made the same trip as him, from active athlete to coach in the Movistar Team, and has long conversations and confidences with him.

Pedro Reverte (former soccer player and now Technical Director of UCAM Murcia) witnessed that transition from player to coach "Unai took the team at the age of 32, being a player, in half table... we had doubts, he entered the locker room and his message was very direct, he set two objectives: the playoffs and the promotion; the team began to achieve results, we got into the playoff, and we got the promotion." From that time Emery remembers that fate wanted his team to play the promotion against the Real Unión de Irún, a team of which his brother is president, "as a coach he owed me to another region, another city, other friends..." and eliminated him.

I would share tandem with "all those who have worked with me," with a special memory of Leo López, with whom he got the promotion of Lorca, "who passed away two years ago." And I wouldn't do it with those who "I didn't have attune in the day to day in Moscow."

One of the destinations in his football career was Sevilla, where he spent three and a half years, and won three consecutive Europa League titles. From there, one of the most popular characters in Spanish football, Monchi, asks him what marked him in his time at the Nervión club. It is clear "the feeling of belonging to the colors, to a team, the fans... the environment helps you to improve competitiveness. Monchi and I did a good tandem, it helped me on a personal and professional level."

Imanol Idiakez is his second in Villarreal and asks him "who would he like to have in the Director's car if he had to play a Tour in a time trial on the last day." The answer is clear, "the assistants or presidents you may have had." His brother, Igor Emery, reminds him of one of his cycling myths, Marino Lejarreta the "Junco de Bérriz", "I saw him in Hondarribia, he always amazed me, it was humility personified." And the journalist of Cadena SER in Seville, Santi Ortega, puts on the table one of the most repeated phrases by the Gipuzkoan, "you have to enjoy the road," recognizing that "he was a currante, he earned the respect of many people." Unai says goodbye to our podcast with an emotional memory for Juan Carlos Unzué, "it's wonderful to hear him."

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

The Other Evans Girl [Part Eleven]

Fandom: Harry Potter [Marauder’s Era]

Pairing: Sirius Black x Original Female Character, Sirius Black x Daisy Evans, James Potter x Lily Evans

Characters: Sirius Black, Original Female Character, Daisy Evans, Lily Evans, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Alice Fortescue, Frank Longbottom, Marlene McKinnon, Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort, Peter Pettigrew, Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix LeStrange, Walburga Black, Orion Black, Jasper Thicknesse, Barty Crouch Jr, Mulciber, Walden McNair

Word Count: 6377

Rating: Mature

Summary: Hogwarts is a safe haven, a home for many, but it’s often a place where heartache, love and complex emotions dwell and none know that better than the Marauders. Lily Evans just wants to make it out as a successful witch though the oncoming war and the ongoing advances of James Potter threaten that. Daisy Evans, her twin, has other goals. Join the Evans sisters as they make their way through Hogwarts, prepare for war and eventually find love.

LINK TO AO3 // LINK TO PINTEREST // LINK TO ALL PARTS

Daisy was warm, uncomfortably so, and she felt trapped under something soft yet cumbersome which was making it hard to breathe. She had to escape. As she pried open her eyes and tried to find out where she was she found that the room had a dreadfully high ceiling, but most rooms in the castle did so that wasn’t too telling, and the only light was from the lamps high up on the walls. A quick glance down at her chest revealed the source of her discomfort was several thick blankets that had been laid upon her and so in an attempt to get some relief she moved to pull them away but stopped as she felt a ripple of agony through her abdomen. She squealed and fell back in pain, trying to breathe through it. From somewhere near her she heard a squeak of chair legs moving against the stone floor and then the sound of footsteps and when Daisy managed to open her eyes she found Sirius hovering next to her bed watching her with concern.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked softly, his grey eyes searching hers. ‘Yeah,’ she said through gritted teeth as she tried to sit up, ‘just sore.’

He nodded and held a hand out so she could manoeuvre herself into a comfortable sitting position. Fortunately once she was she had pulled a couple of blankets down she felt better and managed to settle herself in her bed. She was sure she was in the hospital wing even though she couldn’t see much of the room given that her bed had been tucked away behind some hospital screens and though she couldn’t see any windows the lamplight indicated it was quite late. Sirius sat back down in a chair near the foot of her bed which sparked her interest but she said nothing about it and instead opted to ask, ‘what time is it?’ ‘A little after midnight,’ he said. ‘Isn’t it a little late for visiting?’ she chuckled. ‘This isn’t a private ward you know,’ he rebuffed and Daisy instantly blushed. Of course, he was just in the ward himself. Why would he be visiting her? ‘Oh yeah,’ she said, allowing her fingers to fiddle with an errant thread of the only blanket on her now. The fog was clearing now and flashes of events started to come back to her.

‘Remus. How’s Remus?’ she asked anxiously. ‘He’s fine. Worried about you but that’s about it. He got discharged yesterday morning,’ Sirius replied. ‘Yesterday?! How long was I out?’ she asked. ‘Nearly thirty hours,’ he said with a smirk, ‘you had us going there for a while.’ ‘What do you mean?’ she asked. However, before he could answer Madam Pomfrey appeared from behind the screens in a flurry. ‘Miss Evans, I thought I heard you up. You gave us quite a scare there girl,’ she said as she fussed around her, laying several cups on the table in front of her as the girl watched her. ‘Now, how are you feeling? Have you any pain? Nausea? Have you vomited?’ she asked in rapid succession only allowing enough time for Daisy to nod or shake her head. ‘Well, I need you to take these now. Mr Black, go and get Dumbledore. He’ll want to speak with Miss Evans right away and get Professor McGonagall whilst you’re there. No doubt she’ll want to hear her account as well,’ Sirius stood reluctantly watching Daisy warily as he went to follow the teacher’s orders. ‘Actually, Madam Pomfrey,’ the girl said instantly, feeling two sets of eyes on her, ‘can it wait till morning?’ ‘Daisy dear,’ Madam Pomfrey sighed. ‘I know it’s important but I really don’t feel up to it right now. I promise I will do it first thing,’ she said. Madam Pomfrey observed her for a moment before answering reluctantly, ‘fine. But first thing.’ ‘I promise,’ Daisy nodded. As the older witch turned to leave, collecting the now empty vials from which Daisy had downed several putrid potions, she turned to look at Sirius and said, ‘Mr Black? I take it you can tear yourself away from Miss Evans now you have seen she’s okay?’ Sirius did nothing but scowl not that it deterred the nurse as she added, ‘visiting is over.’ ‘Actually, can he stay?’ Daisy blurted out. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was guilt, curiosity, or something she couldn’t fathom in her befuddled state but she wanted Sirius to stay. Even Sirius seemed to be confused by her request though he couldn’t hide the smile on his face as Madam Pomfrey sighed. ‘Very well,’ she relented though the severity didn’t leave her voice as she said, ‘but just until morning. After that he will have to stick to the same visiting hours as everyone else. Even your poor sister had to leave.’

At her words Daisy’s heart twinged but she pushed it away watching as the nurse disappeared behind the screen, her soft footsteps making their way up the ward until they disappeared into her office, the door closing with a click. Once she was gone Daisy released the breath she’d been holding. She hadn’t yet thought about Lily. How was her twin feeling? Did she know what happened? Had she seen her? Sirius could see the questions whizzing behind her eyes and got up and perched on the end of her bed capturing her attention.

‘Go on,’ he said with an inviting smile, ‘hit me with the questions.’ ‘What happened?’ Daisy asked. ‘Do you want the official version or what actually happened?’ he smirked a glint in his grey eyes. ‘Why don’t you tell me what I have to tell Dumbledore first then we can tackle the truth?’ she bargained making Sirius’ smile turn to a grin. ‘Snivellus saw Remus leaving for the shrieking shack and convinced you to tag along. He suspected what Remus was and wanted to out him to the world. We were late to the feast and spotted you leaving which is why we followed you to haul your arse’s back because we know about Remus. He transformed with us inside because Snape refused to leave,’ Sirius stated simply. It was close enough to be the truth and the way he told it left no doubt in her mind that the teachers would lap it up. In fact the more she thought of it the more she realised why he was here. He wasn’t hovering over her bedside because he was worried, he was there to make sure she knew the story before she got put in front of any teachers.

‘Why not tell the truth?’ she asked meekly. Sirius barked a laugh and all of a sudden the image of that shaggy black dog came to her mind. ‘Because I doubt telling McGonagall and Dumbledore that me and my two friends learned to be illegal animagi to help out our werewolf pal would go down too well,’ he said. ‘Yeah sure,’ she nodded but her brain was too hyped up for her to let it go, ‘but don’t you think Severus will tell?’

‘He’s been surprisingly quiet,’ Sirius admitted, ‘of course I don’t know what he said when he was in with Dumbledore and that lot but as far as I know he’s kept his mouth shut about our indiscretions.’

‘Why though?’ she asked uneasily remembering the hatred in his eyes. Not even their safety had mattered to him if it meant getting one over on Potter.

‘I suppose he knows he doesn’t win anything by slinging more mud,’ Sirius shrugged, ‘whatever plan the pair of you concocted he still went in knowing he might have got you killed. And given the way your sister’s been I doubt he wants anyone asking more questions.’

‘Right,’ Daisy said, her heart twinging once more mostly at the thought of Lily but also because knowing he’d put her in harm’s way to hurt Remus like that hurt more than she expected it too. ‘Why didn’t you tell them I was trying to find out what Remus was too?’ she asked, dropping her gaze. ‘Were you?’ he asked watching her quietly. Daisy shook her head. She had had truly no idea what they had been up to and looking back on it now she wondered why she had been so intent in the first place. ‘I really had no idea about Remus. Honestly,’ she murmured. ‘I could tell by the look on your face,’ he chuckled. ‘Does he hate me?’ she asked, dropping her gaze as she fiddled with the bedclothes. ‘Why would he?’ Sirius asked, snapping her gaze back up. ‘He thinks I wanted to out him to the world. To get him expelled,’ she pressed. ‘You wanted us expelled,’ Sirius chuckled. Daisy shoved him lightly though she instantly regretted it as pain rippled through her. ‘I just wanted you in trouble. I was sick of being shit on by your followers when your lot got off scot-free,’ she said earnestly. ‘I admire the cunning,’ Sirius said, ‘we could use a gal like you.’ ‘You wish,’ she smirked. They fell quiet for a moment, neither of them knowing what to say now that their conversation had turned somewhat friendly, well friendlier than they’d ever been. Though as her nerves started to flood back in he found herself asking, ‘will he speak to me?’ ‘Remus?’ Sirius asked. ‘Yeah, and James and Peter,’ she said, ‘I wanna thank them.’ ‘What for the gaping wound in your abdomen for the fifty broken bones?’ he wagered but Daisy bristled past that revelation and replied, ‘for saving me. You didn’t have to. It was my mess.’ ‘Well you can always pay us back by keeping our secrets,’ Sirius said.

Again the idea that he was only here to make sure she wouldn’t talk came back to her mind. Though she supposed she couldn’t blame him and in a way there wasn’t any reason she shouldn’t keep their secrets. After all, it wasn’t as though Remus had asked for any of this and for once the boys seemed to be doing something well, rather noble, in her opinion. So feeling as though it was the right thing to do Daisy nodded though it was betrayed by a yawn. Sirius didn’t even seem to acknowledge her agreement and instead scooted off the bed and back to the chair in a seamless fashion mumbling, ‘you should sleep,’ as he picked up the book that he had left at the foot of the bed and opened it back up. Daisy wanted to protest, she wanted to find out everything but she couldn’t keep her eyes open. So without another word she nodded and lay back down trying to ignore the throbbing in all her joints and the warm ache throughout her stomach.

Morning came slowly after that as Daisy was disturbed throughout the night with an ache or pain arising somewhere new every time she moved, and when she woke properly Sirius was gone though she noticed the book at the end of her bed was still there which was enough to convince her she hadn’t hallucinated it. Yet before she had time to gather her thoughts Madam Pomfrey appeared with a breakfast tray and several medicines for her to take. She pottered around her bedside whilst Daisy ate, talking her through her injuries, of which there were a few, and the projected timeline for recovery. By the time she left Daisy’s tray was empty, the incident seemingly not having affected her appetite.

Full and less achy off the back of whatever Madam Pomfrey had given her she settled back into bed trying to wrap her head around her current state. Her little tumble and collision with a werewolf had left her with a broken ankle, leg, wrist and several ribs and if that wasn’t bad enough she had been sliced so deep in her stomach that Madam Pomfrey had barely been able to get blood replacements in her as fast as it was coming out. The witch had even told her they were five minutes away from taking her to St Mungoes instead, fearing the worst. Daisy shuddered at the thought though she didn’t have time to dwell on it though as she was greeted by a visitor. Or three. Daisy watched as Lily, Marlene and Alice burst through the screens in a frantic mob immediately coming to her bedside whilst flinging questions at her.

‘Oh my god thank god you’re awake!’ Alice said coming to sit on one side of her. ‘Thank god she’s alive!’ Marlene corrected, ‘we thought you had died for a moment there!’ ‘They wouldn’t let us see you,’ Alice said. ‘They were on about taking you to St Mungoes,’ Lily said with worry, ‘they even nearly brought mum and dad into school, that’s how bad it was.’ ‘Mum and Dad know?’ Daisy said, worry flooding her only second to guilt as she realised that in the same way Lily had slipped her mind so had her parents. . ‘Yeah, but Dumbledore smoothed it all over from what I can tell,’ Lily replied, ‘but he wouldn’t tell us anything.’ ‘Yeah no one knows what happened,’ Alice said. ‘I mean there’s speculation-’ Marlene said. ‘But not even Sev would tell us what happened,’ Lily said morosely. Daisy’s ears pricked up at the mention of the boy’s name. Of course, he hadn’t told her what happened. ‘Doesn’t want Lily to think ill of him,’ a little voice inside her said. ‘Maybe he can’t,’ Daisy reasoned. ‘Why?’ Lily started but her words were cut off by the sound of movement behind her as McGonagall and Dumbledore came through the parted screens.

McGonagall’s beady eyes watched the girls for a moment before she said, ‘Miss Evans, Miss McKinnon, Miss Fortescue. What are you doing here?’ ‘Visiting professor. Madam Pomfrey said we could for a minute,’ Marlene said. ‘I don’t doubt she did but it’s nearly time for lessons,’ McGonagall said, her words not an outright command but enough that it suggested they should vacate the ward at once. ‘There’s ten minutes yet,’ Lily said in a tone so unlike her it made everyone pause. After all it wasn’t every day Lily Evans refused the instructions of a teacher. ‘Ten minutes is just enough time for you to get to your lessons on time then, isn’t it?’ McGonagall said with an air of finality. That seemed to be enough to make whatever defiance Lily had been feeling to go and sensing defeat the three girls nodded and clambered off the bed and towards the screens. Though just before she left Lily paused, that fire an ember it seemed as she said firmly, ‘we’ll come back later.’

As she disappeared in search of the others McGonagall’s gaze fell on Daisy as did Dumbledore’s and she felt herself shrink back into the pillow, the story Sirius had told her swirling in her brain though she was sure she was going to mess it up. McGonagall cleared her throat and moved further up the side of the bed throwing Daisy a reassuring smile though it didn’t make the teen feel any better.

‘Miss Evans, I trust you understand why Professor Dumbledore and I have come to speak to you today,’ she said. Daisy nodded. ‘Yes Professor,’ Daisy replied in an almost whisper. ‘And you understand the severity of the situation?’ again Daisy nodded, ‘right then. Now, under… normal circumstances we would want to speak to you somewhere private but seeing as you’re confined to your bed this will have to do. We’re going to ask you about the events of the evening of Halloween first and foremost and then follow up with a few questions, okay?’ ‘Yeah,’ Daisy mumbled. ‘You may begin,’ Dumbledore said, his blue eyes watching her intently over his half-moon spectacles causing nerves to bubble inside her. ‘Well, on Halloween we came downstairs and saw Remus leaving the castle,’ Daisy started. ‘With myself?’ McGonagall asked. ‘Yes,’ Daisy said, ‘and we, Severus and I, wondered where he was going so we followed him and he went to the whomping willow….and then we followed him in there and we ended up in the shrieking shack. James, Sirius and Peter had seen us follow him so had followed us because they knew about Remus’…condition. They knew we were in trouble but it was too late. I got thrown down the stairs and they pulled us out and that’s all I know.’ ‘You had no idea that Mr Lupin was afflicted in the way that he is?’ Dumbledore said. ‘No Professor. Honestly, I think Sev, Snape, knew but he wanted me to come with him to back him up…I just thought they were up to no good,’ she said. ‘Well I hope you understand how meddling doesn’t often get you anywhere good,’ McGonagall said. Daisy nodded guiltily. ‘I hasten to add Miss Evans,’ McGonagall said, ‘that what you have found out about Mr Lupin is a very delicate matter. If it were to be known to the school then-’ ‘I wouldn’t say anything,’ Daisy interrupted, ‘I wouldn’t do that to Remus. Honestly, I wasn’t trying to get him-’ ‘That’s quite understood Miss Evans,’ Dumbledore said, stopping her ranting. Daisy smiled weakly and nodded at the headmaster. ‘Mr Snape also knows to keep the revelation to himself. We ask you to take the same action,’ McGonagall said. ‘Of course Professor,’ Daisy said. McGonagall nodded curtly as did Dumbledore before the pair said their goodbyes and left Daisy alone with her thoughts.

From what she could tell the whole school knew about her Halloween adventure and now she was forbidden to talk about what actually happened which made her groan. It was going to be torture.

✵✵✵

Daisy was exhausted. Throughout the day she had been visited by hordes of people some of which she was happy to see, like Marlene, Alice and Lily who had popped back at lunch, but the rest had been people she hadn’t even considered friends though she figured they were only trying to get intel from her. Yet the only people she truly wanted to speak to hadn’t been by and at that Daisy couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It was eight o’clock and she had yet to see James, Sirius, Remus or Peter appear at her bedside.

‘They’re happy you covered for them, why would they care now,’ the nagging voice in her brain whispered. It was an idea that had been popping up whenever the curtain had twitched and they’d failed to appear from behind it. It came back now as the screens moved though it was Lily this time and she was alone. Whilst it wasn’t who she had been waiting for she wasn’t disappointed and shuffled her legs out of the way so that Lily could perch on the end which she did so gently, her green eyes watching her sister with concern.

‘Hey Lil,’ Daisy said. ‘Hey, Lil?’ Lily said angrily, ‘that’s all you have to say to me?’ ‘What do you want me to say?’ Daisy asked the happiness upon seeing her sister quickly fading as she watched her face and realised this wasn’t like the previous visit. No, Lily was here to give her a piece of her mind. ‘I’ve been worried sick! I’ve hardly slept or eaten for the past two days because I’ve had no idea what’s been going on with you and now you’re greeting me like it’s fine-’ ‘Okay sorry!’ Daisy sighed, hoping that an apology would stop her from steaming ahead. Even with her revolving door of visitors she had managed to do some thinking and was racked with enough guilt about it all without her sister giving her a helping hand. ‘Sorry isn’t good enough! Mum and Dad were frantic! Everyone’s talking about you and Sev won’t tell me anything! All I know is that it has something to do with Potter and his cronies! Well, they’ve gone too far this time almost getting you killed-’ ‘They didn’t do anything. It was my own fault. And Sev’s,’ Daisy said suddenly feeling defensive of the boys even more so as Lily said, ‘how can you blame Sev?’ ‘Because he took me to the danger knowing it was unsafe and I followed him cluelessly! I shouldn’t have even got involved so it’s my fault for going!’ Daisy snapped. ‘Going where?!’ Lily said exasperatedly and at that Daisy faltered. She knew it wasn’t fair to keep her sister in the dark but this whole thing revolved around a secret that wasn’t hers to tell. ‘Look I can’t tell you the logistics of everything, don’t, Dumbledore has told me I can’t,’ she said seeing her sister’s attempt at interjecting, ‘but I can tell you this. If it weren’t for James Potter and Sirius Black I would be dead. And as much as you don’t like them I hope that you can forgive them at least that…because I have.’ ‘Oh so you’re best mates now?’ Lily scoffed. ‘No,’ Daisy said, ‘but I’ve realised that friendship isn’t lying to your friends to get them to do what you want. And that’s what Snape did-’ ‘So you’re not Sev’s friend now?’ Lily asked in disbelief. ‘I’m not the friend of people who would be so cruel to others,’ Daisy said, shivering at the gleeful way he had tried to get them to admit to what Remus was. At how he had known, even before they had gone down to the shrieking shack about what might occur there and he had been too blinded by hatred to see anything wrong with approaching the danger. ‘But you’ll be friends with Potter,’ Lily said. Daisy paused, was she friends with James? She wasn’t sure about that yet but as annoying as he had been the way they had acted to help her, to help Remus, there was no way she could hate him now. And if anything her petty grievances now seemed insignificant in the scheme of things. ‘He’s not as bad as you think trust me,’ Daisy said placing her hand on the back of Lily’s in the hopes she’d at least consider what she was saying. She knew it would be hard, especially without all the facts but she hoped she’d listen. Fortunately for Daisy it looked as though her sister was going to as she nodded curtly, whatever had been bubbling inside her to say disappearing behind her eyes.

‘Okay fine. I’m not saying I’m in love with the idea of you and Potter being pals from now…but if you say he and Black saved your life I suppose I can’t be angry at that,’ Lily conceded. ‘Thank you,’ Daisy said breathing a sigh of relief though she grew tense again as Lily dropped her gaze whatever she had been holding back evidently bubbling back to the surface as she asked, ‘can you really not be friends with Sev?’

Daisy stared at her, watching as she kept her eyes on the stone floor beneath her feet, something Daisy thanked god for as she was sure the look on her face was something to behold. Daisy’s mind went over James’ words. They disliked Snape but he loathed them so much so that he was willing to ruin Remus’ life. It was cold. Callous. And if he would stoop that low what else would he do? Not to mention even if Remus hadn’t had been a wolf he’d still brought her into a situation anticipating that she’d be in danger. In fact he’d probably been hoping Remus would hurt her after all that would only add to his cause right? Daisy shuddered to think.

‘I don’t think so,’ Daisy said unevenly. It wasn’t an outright refusal, she didn’t think her sister could cope with that blow just yet, but it was enough to know that things weren’t likely to get better. Fortunately Lily seemed to accept her decision without trying to convince her otherwise and she nodded though the disappointment was evident on her face. However, it wasn’t as though she could say anything anyway as before she could speak there was the sound of more people in the hospital wing, coming towards them in a loud and raucous manner. The boys. Lily rolled her eyes as they appeared from behind the screens, which had done nothing to fend off her visitors all day.

‘Hey you’re up,’ James said with a beaming smile which he offered to Lily as he said, ‘hey Evans.’ ‘Potter,’ Lily said as James perched on the end of the bed next to her, slinging an arm around her shoulders which she immediately slid out from under moving towards Daisy. Peter had perched himself in one of the chairs at the end of her bed whilst Sirius hovered by her table though to her disappointment Remus was nowhere to be seen. ‘How are you feeling?’ Peter asked as he helped himself to the jellybeans that had been gifted to her and were now in a pile of presents on her table. ‘Alright,’ Daisy shrugged. ‘That’s good to hear,’ James said. ‘I think I’ll leave you be. You look like you’ve got enough visitors,’ Lily said talking over the end of James’ sentence. Daisy nodded, ‘see you tomorrow?’ ‘Yeah,’ she said leaning in to hug her sister as if reigning her superiority over the boys, ‘be sure to write to mum and dad. So they know you’re okay.’ ‘Will do,’ Daisy said, trying to ignore the guilt that niggled at her again, not only about her parents but about the fact she kind of wanted her sister to leave so that she could talk to the boys properly. Lily gave her a small smile and then left her makeshift bed area, pushing past Sirius as she went. James raised his eyebrows in awe.

‘Feisty one your sister,’ he said. ‘And she’s the restrained one,’ Daisy said unthinkingly. Sirius chuckled, making her blush. ‘Now that I’d like to see,’ James said. ‘I thought you already had? I mean isn’t that how I ended up with all this,’ she said gesturing to her various wounds and bandages. ‘And here is me thinking that was just sheer stupidity,’ James said. ‘A girl can have both,’ Daisy said. The group fell quiet for a moment before Daisy felt the urge to say something.

‘So…how are all the hordes of fans doing? You know, the girls that are so excited to hear of how gallantly brave you’ve all been saving my life and whatnot,’ Daisy said, her eyes on James who had put his arms on the bed, leaning back on them as if he was hanging out in his bedroom and not visiting a girl who had been near death's door not forty-eight hours ago in hospital. ‘Oh it’s been hard to walk through the halls right Pads,’ James mused. ‘Oh yeah, I’ve had to buy another quill I’ve signed so many autographs,’ Sirius chuckled. ‘I’ve taken to just giving out hugs. I think I’m on number six hundred and forty-eight,’ Peter added. Daisy giggled. ‘But for real?’ she asked, for once enjoying their banter much to her surprise. ‘It’s been okay. People talk, they always do, but no one knows what actually happened so it’s all good,’ James said reassuringly, his hand moving to pat her thigh over the cover for a second. ‘Good because you know I wasn’t trying to get Remus into trouble right?’ she said. ‘We know,’ Sirius said firmly. ‘Pads said you were worried about that. We know you didn’t know about his…furry little problem,’ James said. Daisy chuckled at his analogy.

‘So he’s not mad at me?’ Daisy said with hope, hope that was dashed as the boys shared a look she didn’t miss. It made her heart sink, ‘oh.’ ‘He doesn’t hate you,’ Sirius said coming towards her. His tone was sympathetic though Daisy didn’t believe his words. ‘No? Then why didn’t he come?’ she reasoned. She didn’t blame him of course, how could she? People with lycanthropy weren’t exactly accepted in the wizarding world and he thought she had wanted out him. ‘He’s concerned,’ Peter said. ‘Concerned that you’ll not like him now that you know what he is,’ James finished. ‘Especially given,’ Sirius gestured at Daisy’s abdomen which twinged as soon as she remembered the wounds that were there. ‘What? That’s ridiculous,’ she baulked. Her not like him? How could he think that? ‘That’s Moony,’ Sirius said. Daisy looked at him confused. ‘What Sirius means is that Remus has a tendency to think everyone will despise him because most of the time people’s perception towards people like him isn’t well…accepting,’ James said. ‘So he thinks that’s me?’ she said. ‘He thinks that’s everyone,’ James replied reaching out to put a reassuring hand on the back of hers, ‘it took two years for us to convince him that we could be trusted enough to know and that we don’t care about his condition.’ ‘That’s why you learned to be anamagi?’ she asked. ‘Maybe don’t shout it from the rooftops Dais,’ Sirius said glancing at the ajar curtain behind them, ‘but yeah.’ ‘That’s sweet,’ she said with an admiration that made the boys wince as if she had just insulted them. The looks on their faces made her giggle and upon hearing her elegant laughter James broke into a grin followed by Sirius and Peter and pretty soon they were all laughing for no reason.

‘Can’t you convince him to come and see me?’ she asked hopefully once they composed themselves. ‘I don’t think so,’ Peter said. ‘It’s just he feels so guilty about you getting hurt,’ James explained. ‘But it was my fault!’ Daisy argued. ‘Who’s at fault is of no issue now but Remus isn’t just going to accept it. He already thinks he’s bad enough this has just added fuel to the fire,’ Sirius said truthfully. Daisy pondered his words for a moment before she said. ‘Then I want to see him,’ she said adamantly. ‘I mean we can try and coax him to come,’ Peter said rubbing the back of his neck as she looked at him. ‘No, I mean tonight,’ she said. ‘Dais, I don’t think,’ Sirius said but she was already ignoring him and trying to get out of bed. She managed to get one foot on the floor before her leg gave way and James had to swoop in and stop her from falling. Sirius also rushed to help, propping her other side up as they pushed her back into a sitting position, each of them sat by her side and Peter hovering nearby just in case. It had been a stupid move she could tell that now from the way a ragged pain ripped through her chest and a throb came to her ankle that hadn’t been there before. She could also tell from the way the three of them were watching her with concern.

‘Daisy I think you should get back in bed,’ James said. Peter mumbled an agreement. ‘What happened to you lot being rule breakers?’ she said through panted breaths. ‘Yeah well there’s rule-breaking and letting you break another ankle,’ Sirius said tightly. ‘Look,’ she said looking at them pointedly, ‘I’m going to see Remus tonight whether the three of you help me or not. So you can either stand there and watch me army crawl along this cold stone floor, which I will, or you can figure out a way of helping me find Remus so I can speak to him.’

They shared another look before finally, James nodded. Sirius looked livid but didn’t say anything as they helped her to bed and started diving into how they would get her up to their dormitory without being spotted. If Daisy had worries about becoming their friends the boys didn’t know what to expect.

✵✵✵

Remus couldn’t sleep. In fact, he couldn’t do much of anything. If the full moon hadn’t taken it out of him then the news of what he’d done to Daisy had been enough to send him over the edge so much so that he’d marched straight to the headmaster’s office and demanded to be expelled. Dumbledore had refused much to his dismay. So he’d asked for detentions, another request denied. He’d even tried to punish himself by telling the boys they should no longer be friends with him only for them to assure him that there was no getting rid of them that easily and that he was their friend whether he liked it or not.

He didn’t deserve that, friends like them. He didn’t deserve to be here with students he was a risk to.

He didn’t deserve anything.

And the more the boys tried to convince him he did the worse he felt with the pangs only guilt only amplified when they’d told him they were headed to the hospital wing to visit Daisy. He had refused to go, fearing how the guilt that was already gnawing at him would likely engulf him the moment he saw her lying in that bed. When they left he had tried to read or do some homework but he couldn’t concentrate. So, he gave up and crawled into bed though it was still early, and now he couldn’t sleep.

He closed his eyes for the seventieth time and tried to drift off but it didn’t work yet before he could admit defeat he was forced to open them anyway as a clatter and a bang echoed around the draughty dormitory as the door swung open and four bodies fell inside in a heap.

‘You’re on my leg,’ groaned Peter from underneath Sirius. ‘Yeah well I’ve got James’ arse in my face,’ he replied. ‘Um guys a little help,’ came a distinctly more feminine voice from the pile. Whilst the boys clambered up and out from under the bits of the cloak that was still covering them Remus got up trying to figure out who was with them only to find Daisy sitting on the floor, her legs around Sirius’ waist from where he had carried her through Hogwarts, a wince on her face as Sirius started to move. Remus felt a surge of anguish course through him as his eyes fell on the casts she was sporting and the dark purple bruises that littered her face.

‘What are you doing?’ he said coming closer as Sirius turned to help Daisy up off the floor with Peter grabbing her other side so that they could pull her up between them. ‘We’ve brought you a visitor,’ James said, not bothering to help the other boys as they hobbled Daisy onto the trunk at the end of his bed so that she could perch on it. ‘I can see that, why?’ Remus said a bit too harshly. ‘Oh charming,’ Daisy said. ‘She wanted to see you,’ Sirius said as if it were self-explanatory. ‘I said I didn’t want to come!’ Remus protested. ‘And I think that that’s silly,’ Daisy replied. As Remus went to interject, no doubt to give her a spiel about not deserving her forgiveness or to insist she never put herself in his vicinity again she cut him off, announcing with a sternness that rivalled that of her twin’s, ‘look your friends have just carried my incapacitated self up and down several flights of stairs so I can get what I want to say off my chest. And instead of moping, you’re going to sit your arse down and listen to me okay?’

All four boys watched her in amazement.

‘Now would you just sit down…please,’ she said gesturing to the trunk opposite her. Remus hesitated, looking at his friends who were of no help at all, the three of them offering simple shrugs in return to his pleading eyes, before he conceded and followed her instructions. Once he was sat down James, Sirius and Peter took a seat on the beds nearest the door watching the interaction intently. ‘Right,’ Daisy said suddenly feeling self-conscious now that all eyes were on her, ‘well, first off I want to say I’m sorry. Sorry for interfering in your business. I had no idea about your…’ ‘Furry little problem,’ James interjected, making Daisy smile. ‘Yeah, that. I didn’t go to the shack that night to get you outed to the world even though that seems to have been Sev-Snape’s motive. But that’s not me okay?’ she said. Remus nodded, ‘I just thought you were up to no good and like I said to Sirius I wanted you lot to have a taste of your own medicine but it didn’t go to plan.’ ‘That’s an understatement,’ Remus mumbled causing a wave of guilt to flow through her. As bad as she felt he somehow looked worse. She may have had broken bones, cuts and bruises but Remus seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, the guilt of what had happened making the six foot something boy seem as small as she was. Which is why she had known she was right to come up here. ‘I know. That’s actually the other point I wanted to make,’ Daisy said, pausing to make sure he was looking at her before she continued, ‘I don’t want you to blame yourself for what happened. You can’t help being what you are but I sure as hell can help being an absolute idiot and searching out danger-’ ‘But you almost died!’ Remus said. ‘A little pain for a few weeks versus a lifetime of suffering? I know which affliction I’d pick,’ she said offering him a sad smile. ‘You really aren’t mad at me are you?’ he asked perplexed. ‘I’m madder at myself for being so stupid but no, I’m not mad at you,’ she said quietly. Remus watched her, trying to see if he could sniff out any whiff of her lying but there was nothing there. And his hope to have any one on his side in this matter dimmed as his eyes drifted past her to where the boys were sitting and Sirius mouthed, ‘told you.’

‘So what now?’ Remus asked Daisy trying to force the guilt inside him down now that he could see there was no winning. Daisy sighed, ‘we try to navigate all the attention together I hope? Because I’ve already promised I’m not going to say anything but from the number of visitors I’ve had today I think I might need reinforcements when it comes to fending them off myself.’ ‘Especially on that broken leg,’ James said. ‘We could just form a defence around her with us in front who’s gonna be paying attention to her?’ Sirius quipped. ‘Girls do dig scars right,’ James said gesturing to his lip which was half recovered though still busted from his fight with Snape. ‘You wish. I’ve had more boys checking up on me today than I ever had,’ Daisy ribbed making the boys laugh. ‘So that’s sorted then yeah?’ James said coming over to the trunk Daisy was still perched on. ‘Sorted?’ she asked. ‘We’re like friends now I guess?’ James said, his hazel eyes watching her closely. Daisy glanced at the four of them before she nodded slowly and said, ‘yeah I guess we are.’

SIRIUS BLACK/SERIES TAGS

@maeisafangirl @mysteriouslydelicateface @caitlin1996 @imthebadguyyy

[campuspointe]

Relax And Unwind

Taking time for recreation and leisure is essential for maintaining a balanced lifestyle. If you’re looking for apartments Kent State University location, Campus Pointe offers plenty of options for relaxation. You can spend your downtime at the coffee lounge, sip a drink, and catch up with friends. The clubhouse is another great spot, whether you’re hanging out or hosting a gathering. Plus, the greenspace provides a peaceful place to relax outdoors, enjoy some fresh air, or just take a break from the hustle of daily life. With two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes available, Campus Pointe is designed to make sure you have everything you need for both work and play, all while keeping you close to the heart of Kent State University.

The Transportation System in Kent, Ohio

Getting around Kent, Ohio, is pretty straightforward, and there are options for everyone. The city has a solid public transit system with buses that connect you to nearby areas like Akron and Ravenna. If you prefer walking or biking, the town’s layout makes that easy, too, especially with its many bike-friendly paths and sidewalks. You’ll also find plenty of parking downtown, so driving isn’t a hassle. For longer trips, Kent is close to major highways like I-76 and I-80, which makes travel convenient. The nearby Akron-Canton Airport is handy for flights without the stress of larger airports. Whether you’re staying local or venturing out, the transportation system helps you get where you need to go without much fuss.

Ray’s Place in Kent, OH

Ray’s Place is one of those classic spots in Kent, Ohio, where you feel like a regular the moment you walk in. It’s been around for decades, and you can tell it’s a favorite among locals and students alike. The vibe is warm and laid-back, making it a great place to grab a bite or hang out with friends. Their menu has a little bit of everything, but people rave about the burgers—they’re big, messy, and worth every bite. If you’re into craft beer, their selection won’t disappoint, either. The walls are filled with memorabilia, giving it a nostalgic charm that’s hard to replicate. It’s the kind of place that feels like home no matter how many times you visit.

New Kent State Hall An Innovative Hub For Business Education

Crawford Hall at Kent State is a major leap forward for business education. The building’s design reflects a modern approach, focusing on collaboration and hands-on learning with spaces like the trading lab and business theater. It’s exciting to think about how students will use these advanced resources, especially with access to tools like Bloomberg terminals. The emphasis on creating open, flexible spaces where students and professionals can connect is spot-on. With its sleek design and strategic layout, the hall is more than just a place to attend classes—it’s a space that fosters growth, innovation, and real-world experience. The investment in this $83.5 million project shows Kent State’s commitment to preparing students for the future of business and entrepreneurship.

Link to map

Ray’s Place 135 Franklin Ave, Kent, OH 44240, United States Head north on Franklin Ave 23 ft Turn right toward S Water St 194 ft Turn left at the 1st cross street onto S Water St 194 ft Turn right at the 1st cross street onto E Main St Pass by Papa Johns Pizza (on the left in 0.4 mi) 1.6 mi Turn left onto Ashton Ln 249 ft Campus Pointe 1841 Ashton Ln, Kent, OH 44240, United States

[canaryinacoolmine]

There isn’t a lot more I can say about how wonderful Shinjiro’s romance route is that the above propaganda doesn’t already mention, but I thought I might as well highlight some of the best parts of his social link that aren’t just in relation to the 2 VERY BAD THINGS that make his and Femc’s story so tragic and instead focus on what makes him such a sweet and very dateable boy!!!

HE IS SO BAD AT TAKING COMPLIMENTS IT'S ADORABLE!!!

Shinji always seems so genuinely baffled when people say kind things to him, and gets especially flustered when these compliments come from FeMC

But then he turns right around and dishes out some of the most supportive, sweet compliments right back at her

HE WORRIES SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE BUT HIMSELF

For all the self-loathing Shinjiro feels towards himself, he has nothing BUT love and genuine concern for those around him. This homeless teenager sweeps into the dorm and just right off rip becomes the dorm mom, worrying and fussing over everyone…ESPECIALLY in regards to them eating good meals

This even extends to Ken Amada, who Shinjiro is very well aware is oh, you know... actively planning on killing him!!!

But Shinjiro doesn’t care. Not only because he believes he deserves to die for the tragedy he ACCIDENTALLY caused Ken to go through, but because he still recognizes the fact that Ken is only a child and still deserves to be cared for and looked after

HE’S SUCH A TALENTED COOK!

If there is one thing Shinji can do better than kick ass, it’s throw down in the kitchen. He’s skilled enough to even teach Fuuka, a total MENACE in the kitchen, a few helpful lessons

He finds such genuine joy in cooking good food for others that FeMC “convinces” him to cook a huge dinner for SEES and make it a party… Though the idea makes him so pleased he doesn’t need much urging lol

The party ends up being super fun and makes everyone SO HAPPY! He practically makes a banquet and Mitsuru even thinks it was all done by a professional chef

This is a man who understands making food is a love language, and maybe one of the most important ones of all! He doesn’t let FeMC help out at all, no matter how many times she insists,  because all he wants is for her to simply relax and enjoy it

It makes Shinjiro so happy to see how much everyone enjoyed his food and how much fun they all had enjoying it together. Without FeMC encouraging him, it’s something he never would’ve done on his own…

HE CARES ABOUT FEMC SO MUCH BUT CAN’T FATHOM WHY SHE FEELS THE SAME WAY ABOUT HIM

Shinjiro knew what kind of fate he was going to meet the second he rejoined SEES, but he never planned on meeting FeMC and falling in love with her. And he certainly never expected that she would fall in love with him too!

He doesn’t want to break her heart and is always trying to push her away, keep himself focused on his “atonement” 

But he loves her too much to ever truly let her go, despite knowing how much it’ll both hurt them at the end of things…

Shinji truly enjoys hanging out with FeMC. He loves taking her out on little dates to the ramen shop and to the cafe, talking with her all night. He yearns so much for the normalcy of them spending time together as a couple despite how much it pains him to know it won’t last. With her, it finally feels like he has found a home. 

THE FAMOUS PRE-COMA BONUS LINK

Shinjiro has one more bonus link that can be accessed after you give him back his lost watch, and honestly it’s worth seeing in full on Youtube or better yet, in game but BASICALLY FeMC confesses her love to him and begs him to come up to her room alone with her

But when Shinji won’t go to her room… She insists they go to his instead and basically drags him up there herself

To make a long story short, if FeMC rebuffs all of Shinjiro’s offered chances for her to think about what she’s asking for and leave… He warns her he’s “not gonna hold back anymore” and they “spend a long time together” which always results in FeMC’s status being set to exhausted the next day

So yeah, before he goes into a coma he completely and totally rails FeMC lol

TLDR: SHINJI'S CUTE AND TOUGH AND SHY. SHINJI CARES. SHINJI COOKS. SHINJI LOVES. SHINJI FUCKS!!! SHINJI IS THE MOST DATEABLE

ROUND 3 MATCH 10

Alistair propaganda:

“I love his puns and sarcasm. He may be kinda dumb and like the epitome of boring white boy to some people, but i just love the humour he brings to the party.”

"alistair was literally forced to live in the stables growing up because the man who had stewardship of him remarried and she didn't like him; he's a bastard prince and tries to keep it secret but is almost identical to the king and you meet those two within 5 minutes of one another; he finds a rose in the middle of a battlefield and thinks how impossible it was to find something so beautiful in somewhere so terrible and it reminds him of finding you - so he saves it to give it to you; he's 20 and if you tell him to he will take the throne (even though it's always been his greatest fear - he'll do it if you're at his side); he doesnt know he's a half elf and its possible for him to live in the same castle as his mother later; he notices she looks at him strangely but he never finds out why; he's doomed to die young and so are you"

Shinjiro propaganda:

"shinjiro is leaps and bounds ahead of any of the other persona romance options. sorry NOT sorry literally jerk with a heart of gold taken to the nth degree his romance is BEAUTIFUL it's TRAGIC it's ultimately DOOMED BY THE NARRATIVE. literally a guilt-ridden man who despite his death wish reluctantly opens his heart to the MC and it's so touching and despite his struggles he still finds beauty and kindness in love and the small things. he's a great cook he's a lover of animals he is one of the only romance options that gives a shit about how the MC is doing. he TAKES a bullet for a kid but is saved literally by the PC romance/power of love in an ironic twist of fate that depends on the player liking his romance SO MUCH that you keep trying to hang out with him AFTER COMPLETING THE ROMANCE LINK.... he wakes up from a COMA at the end of the game because he feels the MC about to fade from this plane of existence (doomed romance alert) just so they can spend a few last moments together. Fucked up. his romance accomplishes more in his one month of gameplay time than any other options have in their whole runtime."

[navierae]

Friends to Lovers

Hello! This is my first imagine so please go easy on me! I apologize if Bakugo might seem ooc ><  inspired by Melina KB’s Friends to Lovers

summary: bakugo tells you that she’s just a friend, but isn’t that where most relationships start off? 

- sunday, 8:23 am -

BZZT BZZT

BZZT BZZT

Waking up on a Sunday morning to text messages is not anyone's cup of tea, including you. Especially after going out with your friends last night, getting drunk, and coming home very late. 'Who in their right mind is messaging me this early?' Whatever, I'll just check it later after I actually wake up.' And you would've done just that, had it not been for the constant buzzing of your phone. "Just who is messaging me-"

RING RING

Mina is calling...

'...Mina? What does she want?' You sigh and sat up, having no other choice but to answer the phone, knowing that Mina would keep blowing up your phone with calls and texts until you respond.

"Hello-"

"HAVE YOU HEARD?" Assuming how she's yelling in the morning, she must have picked up some juicy gossip or has something very important to say, both would affect you either way.

"Heard what exactly? And can you not yell? It's literally 8 in the morning-"

"BAKUGO WAS CAUGHT WITH ANOTHER GIRL IN THE CINEMA LAST NIGHT!". You didn't get it, what was so important about your boyfriend going to the cinema with another girl last night without you knowing, that she had to wake you up this early- Wait.

"Sorry, what?" "CHECK MY MESSAGES." You quickly open up the chatroom to find the links and pictures Mina sent you. You clicked on one of them and the first thing that greeted you was the headline of "PRO HERO DYNAMIGHT SPOTTED ON A DATE WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND?", and under that is a blurred picture of two people walking into a cinema.

"Mina, the picture is blurred, how are you sure that it's Katsuki? You know the media puts stuff out like this all the time, right?" You asked her. What you said wasn't wrong, anyone would post stuff like this to cause a fuss over something that isn't real. "Of course, I know that better than anyone. But, if you zoom in on the guy's wrist, you'll see the tattoo me and the squad has."

And zoom in you did. To your surprise, and dismay, the friendship tattoo their squad had was indeed on the guy's wrist. "...Have you even scrolled down?" Mina asked. You ask why while proceeding to scroll down. "There are other pictures, some even include you, Bakugo and the girl together."

'...Hari? Wait, where did they even get this?' You wonder, it's not everyday you see a picture, which you thought was private, posted online under a supposedly 'dating scandal' of your boyfriend.

"Mina, the girl in the picture is Hari-san. You know, Katsuki's friend from middle school?" You honestly thought this was common knowledge to all of you. "I know who she is, (Y/N). But seriously? Meeting up at the cinema while you were out partying isn't just a coincidence right? A-and those pictures! What's it like third-wheeling in your own relationship?"

You know it isn't. But what could you do when all you have as evidence is this news article? 'And the rose perfume, which you don't own, smell on him every time he comes home late.' "Let it go Mina, as I've said earlier, Hari-san is Katsuki's friend, that's it." You finalized. Mina stays silent for a few seconds after your words. "You know, I don't know how you have so much trust and patience for this man, even with all this laid out in front of you." Mina says before ending the call.

You sigh and stare at the picture frame on the bedside table containing a picture from your 3rd anniversary, before laying back down on the bed and closing your eyes. 'Honestly Mina, me too.'

- saturday, 6:26 pm -

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to our annual charity gala! Please make yourselves comfortable and help yourselves to food and beverages served by our waiters and waitresses, this year’s host will be making an announcement in a short while. Thank you very much for attending!

After the notice from the person on stage, you look around to see if you can spot any of your friends (Specifically a friend with horns and pink hair.). You decide to give up and head to the bar instead to get a drink.

“(Y/N)!” 

You look towards where the voce came from, and were suddenly hugged by something with..horns? “Mina?” You ask while looking at the person who’s still hugging you. “The one and only! You look amazing in your attire! By the way where’s Bakugo? I though you two would be together, unless he went off somewhere?” 

You sigh remembering the event that happened hours before coming here.

-

“Hey babe, are you ready for the charity gala later?” You ask Bakugo, who’s just gotten home from where ever he was, while drying your hair. He sets his bag down before answering you, “Hah? What charity gala?”.

You look at him, confused, "The one Izuku hosted? The one I kept reminding you about since the day he told us?" . He stares at you, trying to remember all the times you reminded him. His expression changes to a knowing one, meaning he remembered it.

"Oh yeah, I remember now. It's the event I'm going to with Hari." It's your turn to look confused, you had already told him weeks ago that you would be each other's date to the gala, which makes sense since you two are dating. Now all of a sudden he's going with Hari-san?

"Katsuki, when did this happen? I already told you that we're going together, since we are dating, and you agreed! Not only that, we also talked about matching outfits, not less than a week ago! Now you're telling me that you're going with Hari-san, all of a sudden?"

Bakugo looks at you with an exasperated face. "(Y/N), I told you this a week ago, do you not remember?" You stood up, angry and confused on why he's insisting that he goes with another girl. "Well apparently not! I asked you about whether we were going or not a few days ago, and now you're going with someone else without even telling me beforehand?!"

"YES! Look, I don't fucking care what you think right now, I'm going with Hari and that's fucking final." He glares at you before leaving the room. You sit back down on your bed and scoff, 'Well, there goes a wonderful night.'

-

"What the fuck? So that explains why Sero told me Bakugo and, whoever that girl is, were matching." Mina said after listening to your story while drinking a glass of champagne.

You look at her, shocked, 'they're matching? how did he even find time- nevermind, he was always out and about, he must've done it during that.'.

“Well, there’s nothing I could do about it now.”  You close your eyes and sigh. Mina looks at you incredulously, “Are you serious? (Y/N), he’s your boyfriend, I’m sure he’ll do something when you tell him about your concerns.”.  

You open your eyes to look at her, hesitation and pain present in your eyes, “Look, Mina, I understand your concern for me and Katsuki’s relationship but trust me, I’ll do something about this.” You smile to assure her. “For now, I just want to go home and rest, talking about this hasn’t exactly brought me to a partying mood.” ‘More like if I talk to him now he’s just going to somehow point the blame on me.’.

“Are you sure? I should just go with you-”. You stop her, ruining this night for her isn’t in your agenda for tonight, “I’m fine, really! Just go enjoy the party, and if Katsuki asks where I am, tell him I went home. Okay?”. You ask her and she nods. “Alright, text me when you get home okay?”, you nod and say your good bye before leaving.

[choco-pudding]

Space Channel 5 Gyun Gyun Book p.14-15 and p.37-40. (Translations by @lavoszero and myself. Edit by myself.)

These have been on the back burner for a while due to how text heavy they are. Please enjoy them. By the way, Noize is mentioned in this one.

Imgur link to all of the Gyun Gyun Book translations we’ve done thus far.

Plain text blow.

p.14

Ulala's Week Ulala's daily diary entries, describing the difficult work she does for Space Channel 5. Please enjoy reading Ulala's creative diary entries. Sunday Today I only had to work at the station, so I was able to sleep all day until the evening. Later I quickly went out to the local space diner and ordered Grilled Chicken with a side of gorgonzola, when I was done eating I went back to work. I just needed to go to the station to listen to a meeting. The staff is completely different from my usual special report team, so its honestly a little refreshing. Though, there's still only a few people working here so that's similar. And everyone here, besides me, are men. At first I thought that they were all going to be pervs considering the industry, but thankfully the people here weren't, so that was a big relief. Well, I guess that could be because we're just having a business meeting of course. I got hungry again during the meeting, but the rice here isn't filling at all. But then I spotted my favorite brand of space chocolate banana right in front of me, and my hands started to reach out for it… I couldn't help it, it's so delicious. I had to clean my mouth afterwards to prepare for the trip to the club "UFO" that's in orbit around Jupiter's on one of its moons! Anyways, this report is different from "Ulala's Swingin' Report Show," where the broadcast is usually filmed by an autopilot camera. For this, the camera is handheld, which is pretty handy when you need to take specific shots and film things like the inside of a restaurant. I'll be the only one on the scene, so I can do my report without being fussed at. Apparently the reason why we're not using the autopilot camera today is because of the layout of the building, but honestly sometimes it's nice to be able to hold a camera like this. By the way, right here at this location at midnight, the legendary guitarist "Space Michael Schenker" (Who was in cryogenic sleep for 500 years) is scheduled to played a gig for a huge crowd. I've never heard music like his before, but it was really passionate and kind of familiar, I can see why everyone is so excited about it. We had permission to interview people during the breaks and even get statements from the club manager. Everyone was happy and having fun. It'd be nice to hear them play again while I have a drink when I'm on break! The report ended in about one hour but I stayed and partied until morning. Monday I really wanted to keep sleeping since I danced until morning, but that's not possible. After all, today's report is "Ulala's Swingin' Report Show." Well, it can start late (it's OK to air from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm), so it's not that much of a big deal. When arrived at the station, there was a big commotion, I had thought an accident had happened! Then the Director grabbed me by the arm and said there was an urgent report, and I didn't even have time to catch my breath before being sent to the Astrobeat! I was seated right by our operator, Noize, who was too busy with having to suddenly get ready and I had to get briefed with the Director while doing my make-up. Apparently we had to investigate a mysterious explosion at a Moon Satellite Base? And it could've been terrorism? Sneaking onto the scene made me really nervous, but after tracking back to the source of the fire, it turned out that it started because some space mice had chewed through some wires. It was so anticlimactic. Tuesday I went to bed at midnight this time, so I only slept until noon. After taking a relaxing bath, I got some flyers from one of my favorite clubs and then went to the station. Surprisingly, normal and peaceful day today. All I had to do was have a meeting with the rest of the staff and joined in on some small talk. I even had time to thoroughly look over that flyer I got earlier. I wonder which club I should go to tonight. Today, I had to report about a labor dispute at Mars Coal Mine (apparently it started over an argument about how many side dishes could be allowed to have for dinner). I'm keeping the place I picked to party at a secret.

p.15

Wednesday The space I have to write in this diary is running out quickly. Not only that, but writing in a book isn’t sexy at all! But I was told I need to do this~. What a pain. I wonder if it was a mistake to pick a diary like this? Maybe I'll ask Pudding to help me write it. Hmm?? Ah! I just remembered some good news.  Earlier today, just after leaving the station I saw a man that looked very familiar during my walk! I think it might've been Jaguar? But when I called out to him, he rushed away with some space pirates before I could ask, and I lost them in the crowd of people. Afterwards, three Space Police appeared, so I think they were being chased again. Anyways, that's all for one daily entry. Thursday Today's "Ulala's Swingin' Report Show" is finally over. I wanted to finish it up quickly! I wonder if anyone noticed how enthusiastic I was when it was over? I couldn't wait to be done with this report from a Space Colony called, "Locating A Suitable Site at Space Niagara Falls"! By the way, when it was time to start the underwater part of the report, Noize, our operator, gave me an outfit and said "wear this."  It's called the "Reporter Outfit No. 5, the Diving Suit," hmm the diving suit reminded me of some Space Rescue Team I've seen somewhere. I wore it reluctantly. But when I arrived (dived) on scene, the emergency escape pod that the survivors were riding in was in a dangerous situation. The bottom of the ship was breaking and their oxygen was starting to run out when our special report team was in the middle of reaching them. If I described the whole rescue in detail, this would become its own book. I think that everyone watched the program, so I'm not going to bother writing about it anymore in here.  This once-a-day entry was a piece of cake. Friday I was saved by the holiday break. I just woke up at around 11:30. And when I turned on the TV after I got up, the report on the accident last night was on. I still feel sore from that. Then I turned off the TV and tried to brighten up my mood. In that instance, I didn't feel like calling any of my friends, so I decided to go out by myself. I checked out the flyers I got recently. There was a "Space Combo Night" at the club "FIGHT" today. I estimated that once I'm finished writing in this diary I'll be able to leave at 4 o'clock. I usually read text on monitors, but I'm starting to like "books" because they have a nice heavy feeling when I hold them. It's pretty relaxing while enjoying a space banana with hot cocoa (at the same time) while reading through "528 Years of Half-Time" by the Golden Master. It's a documentation of the half-times of all the Kangawa Sport's tournaments. I wonder what the locker rooms were like back then? Anyway, it's a wonderful non-fiction book that you wouldn't usually see in sports newspapers, it's a perfect book to study as a reporter. Ah, it’s time to leave my home and go shopping. Saturday I'm actually writing this diary entry right before my performance because of the deadline. I'm worried if I can finish it in time. Today is a special report (yet another live broadcast), I wonder how it'll go. It's "Astro Music's 3rd Stage" staring Ambrosia DiFlibula as a guest, who couldn't appear last time due to the Morolians. This is the first time I'll ever be an MC of a music broadcast, but they'll also let me dance, so I'll do my best! Of course, by the time these diary entries get released, it'll be over already, but please look forward to it anyways. Well then. Stay tuned and don’t touch that dial!!

p.37 We Love SCH5 💙

p.38

Write-in Club Introducing the Voices of Fans Collected from the Official Homepage!

We Love Mexican Flyer

In this section, we will introduce the voices of the fans who joined on the website. Their usernames will be written in the parentheses.

"It's such a fun game all considered. But, I haven't been able to But, I haven't been able to perfect a level yet. I'm not good with rhythm. Despite that, I still like the asteroid level the most. It's exciting. ‘Mexican Flyer’ is the best song I've ever heard. No wonder it's so popular! (Yoda-chan)

"The theme song ‘Mexican Flyer’ is catchy and cool. The best in the whole galaxy. (Moro Hoshidan)

"I beg of you. Please release the soundtrack as soon as possible! I can't concentrate at work because 'Mexican Flyer' is stuck in my head~" (Hiro Kurasawa)

With a surplus of votes, without a doubt, the opening number "Mexican Flyer (Original)" shines at number one for favorite songs. It seems like no one knew of this 35-year-old masterpiece beforehand, it must have been refreshing to hear.

In 2nd place with 18 votes is "1-1 Introducing Ulala!! (First Floor)." It's natural that the first stage BGM is so remembered by everyone. In 3rd place is "2-4 Morolina: The Elegant Coward."

"I like all of the songs in "Space Channel 5" since it's easy to groove to them. Among them, Morolina's theme and "Mexican Flyer" are my favorites." (Mashurin)

It's a pleasant song with a majestic melody, isn't it?

4th place got 14 votes; 4 songs tied.

"The last battle was awesome. When the sound system broke, and everyone got together to sing and dance with Ulala… ‘You’re not alone anymore…’ No matter how many times I see it, I'm moved to tears!! I'm so glad I bought a Dreamcast." (Furuchi)

"When I heard everyone's voices joining together in the end, I got goosebumps. I was really impressed." (WAHI)

In terms of game development, dramatic scenes like the Morolian Base sequence and the ending left strong impressions! 8th place with 11 votes is "Evila: Attack of the Perfect Reporter." For those that got less votes, you can see them here.

⚫ Favorite Music ⚫

Mexican Flyer (original): 47 Option The Reporter from SCH5: 7 Jingle Swinging Report Show: 8 1-1 Introducing Ulala!! First Floor: 18 1-2 Introducing Ulala!! Second Floor: 1 1-5 Coco⭐Tapioka: The Huge Dancer: 8 2-1 Trapped in the Galaxy (cockpit): 4 2-2 Strut (buffet): 2 2-4 Morolina: The Elegant Coward: 16 3-1 Asteroid Belt: Go! Go!: 14 3-2 Morolian's Base: Strange Path: 5 3-3 Morolian! Monroe!: Rapid Geminis in the Monitor: 9 3-4 Morolian's Base: Escape: 14 4-1 Getting the Truth: 2 4-2 Getting the Truth (Studio): 4 4-3 Getting the Truth (Control Room): 1 4-4 Attack of the Perfect Reporter: 11 4-4 Giant Evila: Space Dogfight!!: 1 4-4 Ulala Support Chant (Blank TV): 14 Enging: 14 Jaguar's Theme: 8

[Translator's note: “You’re not alone anymore” is of course the official part 2 translation of what Jaguar says when he saves Ulala. The original music titles just listed the location they played in but I added the names of the tracks since those are more recognizable. Jaguar’s theme is a bonus track on the Space Channel 5 Original Soundtrack and not actually used in game.]

p.39

⚫ Favorite Characters⚫

Ulala: 67 Jaguar: 26 Pudding: 26 Fuse: 22 Space Michael: 16 Morolians: 14 Coco⭐Tapioca: 8 Hoorg: 8 Evila: 6 Space Tourists: 6 Brack: 4 Space Dogs: 2 Morolina: 2 Everyone: 2 Clork: 1 Proonk: 1 Yaroo: 1 Proonk (again): 1 Chief Blank: 1 Cecil Aroma: 1 Mr. Nervous: 1 Amanda Amora: 1 Ms. Miyabe's cosplay: 1

Votes

Various Special Feelings

Ulala, is the most popular by far. A stellar 67 votes. As for comments,

“After all, she's so cute!! Same blood type B (lol), I'm a girl too, but I want to nuzzle cheeks together." (Miau)

“Ridiculously cute, ♪ super stylish, lovely voice, intense love ♪ I want to cosplay (lol)” (Chiroru).

Evidently, she’s really popular with female fans, maybe it's because she has fine daughter-like qualities? A notable amount of fans affectionately call her "Ulala-chan.”

Tying in second place are Ulala's rivals (or perhaps it's a love triangle?), Jaguar and Pudding. 26 votes. We thought women would dislike or at least be annoyed by Pudding, with her being a flirtatious former idol, but when we looked at the results, we saw that 5 of the votes were from women. Anyway, he’s a few opinions from some men who make up the majority of the votes.

“Cute and sexy. Ulala is too, but that’s the hardships of youth. I wonder if she did any other work for the entertainment world, like a gravure job for Space Playboy titled ‘Shock! Former idol’s Ultimate Limit Breaking Shoot,’… I wonder. (Giragamen)

"Well, if you’re a man, wouldn’t you want a girl like that? Ulala's determination is appealing. But men can't leave a girl like Pudding-chan alone (laughs)… sorry for the nonchalant answer (explodes)" (Yasa-ki)

“I'm worried what caused her to drop in status from a former idol to a reporter before 20 years old. What kind of scoop did Space Friday magazine have?” (Pistol No. 5)

…… We were surprised that there were so many people who commented that read everything through. And that they weren't all just talking about how sexy they despite all the sex appeal they have!

On the other hand, Jaguar is evenly popular between both men and women. Is there a connection between coolness and charisma?

"Basically, he's cool." (MUNE)

"I can't believe he's over 30. I like his voice (especially when he says chu) and his butt (laughs)." (NJR)

"Gets to the heart. Has nice looks. I want to dance with Jaguar!" (tomotomo)

"Cool down-down down!" (C-CAT).

The line "down-down down" seems to be popular, yet people didn’t vote for it for “favorite line.” Why’s that?

Now let’s look at those who got less votes. It’s a little disappointing how divided up the Morolians’ votes were. Nevertheless, it’s only natural that Hoorg managed to get 8 votes to himself. That’s the perks of being the boss. Like being Yūjirō Ishihara. It seems Fuse acting increasingly flamboyant made people laugh. A lot of people never get to see the Space Dogs due to the branching paths, maybe they will get more fans in the future?

[Translator's note: For whatever reason, Proonk was listed twice, the again was my addition. Ms. Miyabe is former Sega employee and word on various parts of the game. For what I know she made the final design for Ulala. Friday is popular gossip magazine in Japan. Gravure models are a kind of swim suit pin-up model (that guy really went off about Pudding). Also, just pointing out Pistol No. 5 is a Jojo reference. Yūjirō Ishihara is a famous actor.]

p.40

⚫ Favorite Line ⚫

I'm feeling kinda…funky. (Ulala): 43 I can beat her, I feel it! (Ulala): 16 I am Pudding. Watch my report on Channel 42~ (Pudding): 12 But let's see what it's made of! (Ulala): 12 Fantastic (Fuse): 11 Dadada danada, Pew! (Rescued characters, Fuse, etc.): 10 It's slimy! Incredibly slimy! (Ulala): 9 That sounds fine. (Hoorg): 9 Is that your big strategy? Losing? (Fuse): 9 Thank you, Ulala. (Space Michael): 6 Staaaaay Tuned! (Ulala,end of a stage): 6 What!? Have we been brainwashed? (Hoorg): 5 That was fab-u-lous (Ulala): 5 Cowardice with Elegance (Morolian): 4 Oh, my poor students~ (Mr. Nervous): 4 That wasn't bad (Ulala): 4 What are these yellow creatures? (Fuse): 3 You think a reporter without soul can out dance Ulala? (Fuse): 3 Jaguuuaaaar~ (Men of the Space Pirates): 3 What the? Is that her tongue!? Ah! (Ulala): 3 ~Shooting! (Fuse, end of a stage): 3 Chu, chu, chu (Morolians, Pudding combined): 3

Thoughts on the Sequel!

Even with the same quotes, people have different reasons for remembering them. Even though these were from different stages, we still grouped them together to get this point across. They're pretty different from each other, but they have the same feeling to them. After looking through all of them, we were really impressed with all the variety of lines that stood out for people.

"She's made so many new buzzwords like ‘kinda funky’ it's so wonderful!" (Haruki)

"Something smells delish.’ That was so cute." (ero)]

At Shibuya, at the Q-Front area, about 100,000 people per day shout out "I’m feeling kinda of funky~!" moro (lying).  Back on the homepage, a lot of comments sent in ended with "moro",

"Every single line dialogue, it all makes my heart swoon." (PEKI)]

Ah, there was quite a lot of people who've described the lines doing this to them as a matter of fact.  The title of this very book, has the honorable mention of being a part of the popular buzzwords with "kinda funky" along with "~moro!”

Coming in second place were the quotes from Stage 4's vs Evila battle.

“The lines in the battle with Evila were really moving!” (President of the Light Music Club)

It really is isn't it? We bet it really left an impression. It left one on us, too. There are 15 people here who are really good with synchronizing up with the timing, but even then they have difficult times entering those inputs. But even then, like Ulala, they Don't Give Up even when faced against a strong enemy… It's rough even in the literal sense, but it really drives home that Don't Give Up spirit that's a part of Ulala's charm, doesn't it! Besides Ulala, the other main cast characters, Pudding, Fuse, Hoorg, and Space Michael have the most popular quotes in that order. Including the short quote " Jaguuuaaaar~.” It happens when Jaguar appears, and the harmony and timing of it is pretty good. Michael’s "hoo" wasn't really popular because it was too loud (haha). And for finale, we've checked out people's Reponses in regards to the sequel.

“A Space Channel 5 squeal, of course I'm buying it right when it's released! In this case wouldn't the title be like Space Channel 52?  That'd be quite the change in channels!"] (Kazoo)

…Ah ha! That's true. What could we do about that??? Next time, we'll ask Mr. Mizuguchi about that!  Anyways, please continue to check out the official website for more news!!

[Translator's note: For the most part these are the official English equivalents to the lines listed (I compared the audio files). The exception is “Is that your big strategy? Losing?” which is a literal translation of what Fuse says in Japanese. The actual English equivalent is, “Whaaaaaat!?” which doesn’t carry the same meaning at all. Gyun gyun shimasu, the first-place quote, is kind of a nonsense word but officially it’s translated as “feeling kinda … funky.” That means the title of this book would be something like “kinda funky book.” “Fantastic” was a hard one to translation because Fuse says “suteki” (in a cutesy voice) in a few different places and they were translated differently.“Dadada danada, Pew!” is a vocalization of the successful rescue jingle.]