#MAYBE I WILL MANAGE TO NOT HAVE OPINIONS ON IT WHEN YOU ALL STOP ASSUMING I LIVE IN YOUR COUNTRY AND “NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS”!

[teh-nos]

that thing where thanks to Cultural Imperialism you know far too much about US politics but if you ask "what the fuck is that thing about" you are told not to have an opinion on the stuff that floods your news and social media constantly even if you try very hard not to have any thoughts on it (but also you are to have the Correct Thoughts on it or you're evil, because not caring about US politics is unthinkable. yet also not allowed. but don't you dare not know every american politician's position on Issue Of The Day In Americaland!)

[espresso1patronum]

I think there's been a glitch

megumi fushiguro! x f!reader (best friends to lovers?)

summary: you were supposed to be just friends. yes, you and megumi. you were both supposed to be normal high school classmates, with nothing more than platonic feelings between the two of you. you were his best friend, and you swore you'd never fall for him. so how did you end up pinned against him on his bed? this definitely isn’t the typical situation for best friends, is it?

warnings: afab!reader, swearing/cursing, both the reader and megumi are eighteen, best friends to lovers trope, high school au, teenagers being totally oblivious, fluff, hurt/comfort, slow burn?

word count: 17.9k (HELP)

a/n: based on a small drabble i wrote and ya'll requested if i could make it a fic, your wish is my command so here it is. this is the first part and there will be a second one. guys i'm totally in love with this one. it's rly cute and it's my bbg<3 i love how stupid and oblivious they are haha

"you asshole! give me my notes back!" you yelled as you ran and somehow caught up to megumi, pulling on his bag.

"your notes?" he scoffed. "they're mine, and you stole them from me," he said, yanking you off of him.

you rolled your eyes. "haha, yeah, they are your notes and maybe i did steal them from you, but still—why'd you take 'em back?" you said, trying to grab the papers from his hands, but he held onto your wrist, preventing you from doing so.

megumi sighed. "because they're mine? tsk..idiot; don't you have anything else to do other than annoy me every morning?"

yes, this was a typical morning for the both of you as you walked to school. you being the pesky little brat you were, and him being the nonchalant grump he was.

you’d practically known each other since elementary school, back when you were just six. you first met him when the teacher asked you to recite a poem, and you got stuck halfway through, while everyone else laughed—except for him. you were a stubborn girl back then, and you thought his lack of laughter meant he was being kind and wanted to be friends. but no, the truth was, he simply didn’t care.

but that didn’t stop you from becoming friends with him. in fact, he was the most mature six-year-old you’d ever met, with a sharp tongue to match. when he reluctantly agreed to be friends, you soon realized he had trouble connecting with other kids. yet, despite that, you two became inseparable, and ever since, you’ve been best friends. now, here you were, in the final semester of high school.

megumi was, without even trying, one of the most popular guys in school. despite being incredibly introverted and aloof, you couldn’t help but wonder how he managed to attract so much attention. his looks and academic performance turned heads, earning him the admiration of nearly every girl. and you? you felt like you might throw up. how could they like him? your stupid best friend? (you very well knew he was much smarter than you, but you couldn't help but despise all that attention he got)

you, on the other hand, were known as "the best friend of the cool guy"—the so-called cool guy. you absolutely hated that label. because you spent so much time with him, guys never showed interest in you, assuming you were dating him. it made you furious, especially now that high school was almost over, and you were already eighteen and you had never dated a guy. never. and you blamed megumi for that. maybe because he was always around you.

things have got to change or else i'll die single, alone and miserable. you thought.

"...and that’s how christopher columbus discovered america in 1492," your history teacher, professor yaga, announced. history was by far the most boring subject in your opinion. you could easily sleep through the entire class and never miss a thing. and that’s exactly what you were doing—dozing off while some students listened attentively, megumi being one of them, others pretending to pay attention, and a few, like you, already asleep. but of course, professor yaga had to single you out. "y/n! wake up, you sleepyhead!" he called out, tossing a piece of chalk at you.

"no, i didn't steal your candy-" you muttered, still half-asleep as you rubbed your eyes. the other kids couldn't help but laugh at your groggy response. professor yaga raised an eyebrow, his tone sharp. "you do realize this will land you in detention, miss l/n?"

you snapped awake, panic flooding your chest as you scrambled for an explanation. "please, sir, i swear i won't do it again," you pleaded, your voice almost a whisper.

fuck it, you fell asleep again.

he let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "fine. but you'll submit your report tomorrow as your punishment." you nodded quickly, relief washing over you. it wasn't the worst outcome, but it was fair enough.

you felt that the world wasn't fair to girls like you. you weren't very social, and on top of that, you weren't the best academically—good, but not enough to meet your parents' expectations. you had zero experience with dating, and to make matters worse, you were a bit of a mess and a huge crackhead, sure that you probably weirded people out.

you had watched those romantic movies that nobara had forced you to watch. in them, the female lead's problems were always solved with the perfect kiss. you couldn't help but wonder, when am i ever going to experience that? when?

with megumi tagging along all the time with you, you wondered if you'd ever actually get a boyfriend.

your thoughts were interrupted as the bell rang, and you felt a tug behind you. "what do you want, fushiguro?" you asked, glancing as megumi sat down beside your bench.

"you might want to stay awake during history lectures, or you'll fail, idiot," megumi said nonchalantly.

"why do you care?" you replied, crossing your arms. "it's not like you're concerned for me, right?"

he deadpanned at you. "gojo will probably kill me then- 'it's your fault she couldn't concentrate,' he'll say."

"ugh, i knew it," you groaned, leaning on the table with your hands pressed to your forehead. "you don't give a fuck about me."

no. in fact, megumi did care about you a lot. it’s just that you were oblivious, and he was particularly good at hiding it. of course, megumi would care about the one person who knew him so well and liked him for who he truly was, even if you two often bickered over small things. that’s what best friends are supposed to be like, after all.

"no one does care, do they?" you asked, your face propped up on your chin as you scanned the classroom. megumi couldn't have bothered less, but you thought there were still yuji and nobara who would care for you.

megumi sighed. "stop being like this and get your miserable ass up," he said, walking away.

"wait for me, megumi!" you said dramatically, pretending to struggle as you tried to get up from your chair.

you followed him out into the hallway, arms crossed and brows furrowed as you shot him a sideways glance.

"umm..do you think i'll ever get a boyfriend?" you asked, the words slipping out before you could stop them.

megumi barely looked at you as he walked, but you could swear you saw the tiniest smirk tug at his lips. "i don't know," he said, his tone flat. "with that attitude? probably not."

you threw your hands up in exaggerated frustration, swatting at his shoulder. "shut up, asshole!"

just then, a girl from another class caught sight of you both and grinned. "are you two dating? cute," she said, and suddenly, the world felt way too small as you both froze—embarrassed, awkward, and a little bit… cringe.

"no!" you both yelled at the same time, quickly glancing at each other before looking away, the tension hanging in the air.

it wasn't the first time. "are you and megumi a thing? you guys look cool together," people would ask, and every single time, you'd feel that weird mix of frustration and confusion.

megumi. your boyfriend? yeah, right. the idea was so ridiculous that you couldn't even picture it. the thought of it had you laughing to yourself. the thing was, megumi didn’t see you as a... girl. you’d both grown up together, shared countless memories, and spent more time bickering than anything else. to him, you were just you—his childhood friend, someone he’d known forever.

it didn’t matter how many times people asked or joked about you two being a couple. in megumi's eyes, you were always just… one of the guys. no, his guy. that's all. and maybe that was part of the problem.

you didn’t blame him, of course. it wasn’t like you had any experience with relationships either. but the more you thought about it, the more you realized how complicated it would be if things did ever change. that's why you swore not to fall for him. you told yourself over and over that it was just too complicated, that things would never work out between you two. you had a good friendship with megumi. that's all you wanted, nothing more than that. you couldn't risk messing it up.

and it wasn’t just you. megumi, in his own quiet way, had sworn the same thing. he was scared—scared that if things changed, if feelings got involved, he might lose you. and losing you was something he couldn’t even think about.

"i almost gagged," you muttered, shaking your head in disbelief. megumi nodded in agreement, his expression unmoved. "i know, right? how can people say such absurd things?" he scoffed, the words dripping with arrogance. "you're a fool and i'm too good for you."

you shot him a glare, as you lunged towards him, practically trying to choke him.

"dare say that again, you—" you growled, stopping just short of him, eyes narrowed with irritation. megumi barely flinched, instead ruffling your hair, not bothered in the slightest way.

"like that could even do anything to me," he teased, clearly enjoying how easily he could push your buttons.

you groaned, throwing your hands up in frustration. "you're impossible," you muttered.

she looks kinda… cute when she's flustered, he thought, but then immediately froze, realizing what he had just thought. cute? her? what? his mind scrambled to make sense of it. what's wrong with me? he mentally shook his head, trying to push the thought away, but it lingered, making him feel uncomfortably self-aware.

you pouted at him, crossing your arms with a dramatic huff. "you know what, megumi, if you keep acting like this, i'm going to stop hanging out with you," you said, trying to sound serious.

but megumi wasn’t paying attention. his mind was still stuck on that thought from earlier. why the heck did you have to pout like that? he couldn’t shake the image of your cute, frustrated expression. why was he feeling things? he frowned, trying to snap out of it, but his thoughts just kept drifting back to you.

just best friends. just best friends. he repeated in his mind, trying to ground himself. but then, the thought wouldn’t leave him. was it even possible to think your girl best friend looked cute? he wondered, his mind spinning. the more he tried to convince himself it was nothing, the more his heart seemed to disagree. something was definitely wrong with him.

trying to push the thought aside, megumi returned to his usual stoic expression. "what is it you were saying, y/n?" he asked, his voice colder now.

"unbelievable!" you crossed your arms, shaking your head in disbelief. "you know what, megumi? if you're being like this, i’m taking a break from you. i can’t spend every waking second with you. i have a life too, you know." you paused, frowning. "i’m going to agree with nobara, who’s been pushing me to go on a date. but i always said no before, why? because i thought you’d get lonely. but clearly, you don’t care. so don’t bother. don’t try to call me," you said, turning to leave.

you didn't know what came over you or why you said all that. maybe you really feared ending up alone and sad with zero experience in dating like a sore loser, just because you spent so much time with your best friend.

megumi's chest tightened at your words, but he couldn't hold it in any longer. "you’re the one who sticks to me. i don’t mind being left alone. you’re the one who bombards me with messages and calls. you keep saying you have a life? well, i have one too. so i don’t care if you go on a stupid date with some stupid guy," he snapped, his frustration bubbling over.

yes, he fucked up. and yes, he did care if you went on a stupid date with a stupid guy.

you scoffed, your voice sharp with frustration. "alright then, putting all our years of friendship at stake—this is what you wanted, right?" you turned and started walking away, leaving megumi standing there, his expression faltering.

he looked down, feeling a weight in his chest that only seemed to grow heavier by the second. really bad. the guilt settled in, a sinking feeling he couldn't shake off. what had he just done? why did he say those things?

why couldn’t he just say okay and move on like any other friend? why did it feel like his chest was tightening, like there was a lump in his throat every time he thought about you with someone else?

he hated the thought of it—hated how it gnawed at him, how it made his stomach twist. he couldn’t figure out why seeing you with another guy felt like it was something he couldn’t bear.

was it because he didn’t want to lose you? or was it something else?

ofcourse it wasn't. he was only genuinely concerned for you. sure.

this was the first time megumi realised that he was bad at lying to himself.

you didn’t talk to megumi for the next few days. every morning, you made sure to leave for school early, avoiding him entirely. you didn’t want him to have the chance to pick you up and walk with you like he usually did.

megumi, however, figured out your new routine quickly. he tried to follow your schedule, hoping to catch you, even just for a moment, but with each passing day, his efforts became less persistent. gradually, he stopped trying altogether. best friends don’t act like this, he thought, a bitter taste in his mouth. it felt wrong, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything more.

it had been a few days since everything had happened. it was a fight, but it lasted longer than you expected. sure, you and megumi had petty little arguments often, but you always made up quickly since neither of you wanted anything serious. but this time, it was different.

you were scribbling in the back of your notebook when the teacher's voice made your head snap up. "so, i'm going to be dividing you all into groups for this project. any volunteers?" the teacher asked as you returned to your scribbling.

"yn, what about you?" she called, pulling your attention back. you shifted in your seat, caught off guard. "uh, yeah, sure," you muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. the thing was, you didn’t mind projects, but you definitely didn’t want to be the group leader.

"any student you'd like to have as a co-leader?" she asked.

you scanned the room, your eyes briefly meeting megumi's. "no, i don't have a preference," you replied, deliberately avoiding his glare.

"alright then, i’ll make megumi your co-leader since you two worked well together last time," she said, and you nodded, sinking back into your seat.

you mentally cursed at yourself. no. this wasn’t supposed to happen.

the teacher assigned the rest of the groups, and you found yourself stuck with megumi and four other students.

you didn’t like this one bit. you had been hoping to avoid talking to him, but now, being in the same group, you wouldn’t have a choice.

"alright, I'm assigning the project file to you," megumi said, glancing at you.

you frowned.

he turned to look back at you. "what?" he asked. "nothing," you replied flatly. megumi had been quiet for a while, having tried to get you to talk to him, but with no success. to your frustration, he had started acting indifferent, as if you two had never been best friends.

you wanted him to worry. you wanted him to beg for your attention. but he didn’t even apologize, and that hurt. the reason for the fight had been petty, but you didn’t know what else to do. just then, nobara came running up, giggling as she threw her arms around your shoulders.

"woah, woah, calm down, bara," you said, holding her steady.

"omg, yn! guess what? i set you up on a date!" she squealed.

"what?" you blinked, narrowing your eyes. "what the fuck, nobara? why’d you do that?"

she looked at you skeptically. "you’re the one who told me the other day that you were going to date, or else you’d end up—"

you quickly covered her mouth, embarrassed. "yeah, yeah, i get it, but i didn’t mean right now."

you swear you saw megumi glaring at the two of you from a distance. "what’s up with you now, fushiguro? jealous that your ex-best friend finally got a date?" nobara teased, clearly annoyed.

megumi scoffed, his voice cold. "i'm looking at you because you’re making a commotion and being too loud," he muttered, walking away.

he didn’t seem to care. did he even listen to what nobara said? part of you wondered if he still cared at all, but another part of you felt like he didn’t—and that made you... sad.

you were walking down the corridor with nobara during break. "megumi didn't even apologize. i don’t know what’s wrong with him," you said, crossing your arms as nobara nodded in agreement.

"i mean, it's true that you'd never get a boyfriend with him always hanging around you," nobara added, making you frown and shove her playfully.

"well, anyways—" you started, but were cut off when someone stopped right in front of the two of you. you looked up and froze.

"hey there, yn," a voice you recognised from somewhere, spoke.

it was asahi.

he was tall, with black hair, a handsome face, and a presence that made him impossible to ignore. as the best basketball player at your school, he was surrounded by tons of girls, all of whom seemed to fawn over him. you had a teeny, tiny crush on him, but you never imagined he'd talk to you like this.

"hello asahi?" nobara said, snapping you out of your thoughts.

"i fix you up on a date with her and you don’t even say hello to me? where are your manners?" nobara scoffed, and asahi chuckled lightly.

what? wait, a date?

suddenly, everything clicked. he was the one you were going on a date with?

"oh yeah, i forgot to tell yn that you're the one she’s going on a date with," nobara added casually.

you felt your face heat up. embarrassed, you scratched the back of your neck. "h-h-hi, asahi," you stammered.

he smiled warmly at you. "you have a pretty smile, yn," he said, gently tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear.

boom. you heard it.

and in that moment, you could swear you heard your heart skip a beat.

"why did you even agree to go on a date with me when nobara asked?" you asked asahi, a hint of confusion in your voice as he smiled.

"well, you got it wrong, yn," he replied, still smiling. "i was the one who asked her if you were single. i was the one who approached first."

you blushed furiously, caught off guard by his words.

for a moment, it felt as though the whole world had paused. your hair gently flowed in the breeze, and asahi was looking straight into your eyes, just like in the movies. suddenly, those cheesy scenes made sense.

"well, I’ll get going, yn. i’ve got your number from nobara, so i’ll text you later. and remember, it’s a date," asahi winked before walking off to join his friends.

you wanted to giggle, laugh, cry—anything, really. you had gotten your first date, and not just with anyone, but with asahi. you were bursting to tell megumi.

"wait, let me go tell megu—" you started, but then you stopped yourself.

oh right, i can't. i forgot.

nobara sighed. "girl, just leave him for now. you’ve got a date, don’t you? now all you need to do is wait for his text," she said with a knowing smile.

you nodded, but you felt empty somehow. "yeah, i guess so."

that evening, you found yourself lying on your bed, working on your homework while listening to your favorite song. you felt anxious, wondering if asahi would actually text you or if you’d end up waiting forever, only to be played by him. but he seemed too genuine for that—that's what you thought, at least, in that moment, through the lens of your teenage mind.

suddenly, your phone buzzed, and you jumped up to check the message. it was from megumi.

megumi: hi, i was wondering if our group could meet tomorrow at the café at 5 p.m. to discuss the project. be there.

you hesitated for a moment before replying, but eventually, you typed:

you: ok, fine.

you wanted to tell megumi about your date with asahi, but a part of you wanted him to feel the sting of not knowing. i won’t tell him, you thought. he’ll find out eventually.

just as you flopped onto your bed and closed your eyes, your phone buzzed again. you peeked at the screen—it was an unknown number.

asahi: hey yn! you free tomorrow at 5? if you are, i’ll pick you up! we’ll go to the movies.

you shot up, eyes wide in shock. oh my god, it’s asahi. you squealed, kicking your pillows in excitement, then grabbed your phone to reply.

you: hii asahi! sure, i’m free… you don’t need to worry about picking me up though.

the reply came quickly.

asahi: nah, don’t worry. i’ll come by ;)

the next morning, you found yourself laughing and chatting with nobara, showing her the messages on your phone.

"oh my god," nobara said dramatically, leaning closer to the screen. "he said he'd pick you up? what a true gentleman!"

you giggled, feeling a bit giddy. "i know, right?"

the thing was, you were young, naive, and inexperienced. boys like asahi had been dating and having casual flings since middle school, starting as early as eighth grade. deep down, you probably shouldn't have trusted him so blindly.

"wait, wait, yn! oh my god, close your eyes!" nobara exclaimed suddenly, pulling her phone out.

"why?" you asked, laughing as you obeyed.

"don't peek at my phone," she warned, scrolling frantically through her gallery. "okay, open up!"

you opened your eyes, and there it was—a picture of asahi. but not just any picture. this one showed him shirtless, his abs on full display.

his abs were well-defined, and his face matched—handsome and captivating.

"oh my goodness, i can't unsee this!" you gushed, your cheeks heating up.

"i got it off his instagram feed," nobara said smugly. "how good of a friend am i, right?"

you laughed and nodded, still staring at the image as if it might burn a hole in her phone screen. but then, out of nowhere, your mind betrayed you. instead of asahi, you suddenly pictured megumi in that photo—toned abs, a lean yet well-proportioned figure... wait, what? jesus fucking hell.

you blinked in shock, realizing where your thoughts had wandered. your little brain was conjuring up scenarios you’d never imagined before. why him? you wondered.

though asahi’s physique was undoubtedly athletic, in your mind, megumi’s leaner frame somehow looked better, more effortlessly attractive. you cursed at yourself, shaking your head in frustration.

what’s wrong with me?

you chuckled awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed, as nobara sighed dramatically.

"i’ll get going now. i promised maki i’d meet her at the cafeteria. bye, yn! oh, and why don’t you go see asahi? he’s at basketball practice right now," nobara added with a smirk.

you smiled and nodded. yeah, maybe seeing asahi would help get your mind off megumi.

jogging down to the court, you spotted asahi practicing with his team. he looked incredible—playing effortlessly, weaving through his opponents, and landing perfect baskets. his confidence on the court was magnetic, and you couldn’t help but admire him.

as you moved closer, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes meeting yours. he smiled instantly, making your heart skip a beat.

"guys, i’ll be back in a moment. keep practicing—good game!" asahi called out to his team before walking toward you.

your heart started to race as he approached, chugging a bottle of water. hot. that was all you could think.

"hey, yn. what’s up?" he asked casually, his voice smooth.

you tried to compose yourself, replying in a cute but natural tone, "umm, i’m here to see you."

he raised an eyebrow, a playful smile spreading across his face. "aw, you came to see me? well, how’d i do out there?" he asked, wiping his forehead again.

"you’re really cool, i must admit," you said, smiling as you gave his shoulder a light pat.

he let out a playful scoff. "pretty cool? i’m the captain of the team, miss. you’re really hard to impress, aren’t you?"

you could feel your heart flutter again—or maybe it was the thrill of this new kind of attention. whatever it was, it was exciting, unfamiliar, and intoxicating.

what you didn’t realize, though, was just how much others admired you. you always thought guys weren’t that into you, but the reality was far from it. you were different, and maybe that’s why someone like megumi cherished you so much.

"oi, asahi, come back in two!" one of his teammates called out.

asahi nodded and turned to you with a smile. "well, i gotta run," he said, glancing back at the court. then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "don’t forget—5 o’clock. i’ll come pick you up."

before you could reply, he reached for your hand and kissed it gently.

you froze.

it wasn’t that you didn’t know how to handle yourself in normal situations—it’s just that this was not normal. your brain short-circuited as you stood there, watching him jog back to the court. you were so stunned that you didn’t notice the soccer ball flying toward you from the opposite end of the field.

it was only when the ball was dangerously close that you realized what was happening. you dramatically thought, this is it. my time has come. the end is near.

but the impact never came.

something—or rather, someone—stopped the ball.

megumi.

he was standing right next to you, the ball in one hand, his body positioned between you and the potential danger. his expression was as unreadable as ever—calm, stoic, but commanding in a way that made you feel oddly safe.

"umm..." you began, but before you could say more, megumi turned his attention to the kid who’d come running over, clearly flustered.

"watch where you kick the ball," megumi said flatly, his voice firm but not overly harsh.

the kid stammered an apology, but megumi didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he tossed the ball into the air and kicked it back across the field with precise force. the movement was smooth, powerful, and, dare you think it, hot.

you mentally slapped yourself. seriously? what’s wrong with me today?

maybe it was the hormones, or maybe it was the fact that everything megumi did lately seemed to stand out to you in a way it never had before. you caught yourself wondering how strong he really was—something you never paid attention to before.

then, you remembered the start of the school term when megumi had effortlessly lifted you off the ground during some chaotic moment. at the time, you hadn’t thought much of it. but now? if that happened again, you’d probably lose your mind.

"umm, thanks," you mumbled, avoiding his gaze—not because you didn’t want to look at him, but because your cheeks were burning red.

megumi didn’t look at you either. "you’re welcome, i guess," he said. then, after a brief pause, he added, "try not to be a fool next time. keep your eyes opened idiot."

he cares. you couldn’t help but mentally dance at the thought, even though you knew he wouldn’t show any further emotion.

"well, what are you doing here?" you asked hesitantly.

he chuckled, and it sounded… odd. exhausted, perhaps, but there was something different about it. "i thought we’d stopped bugging each other," he replied.

"it’s not like that," you quickly cut him off. "megumi, I didn’t mean it that way."

"then what?" he shot back. "all the times i tried to apologize, and you didn’t even care."

"apologize? excuse me? that was your version of apologizing?" you snapped. "i told you we needed a break from being friends, and you didn’t even try to approach me. you just gave up and started acting indifferent."

"you’re the one going on a date with some random guy now," he muttered, almost to himself. his expression twisted slightly, and you realized he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

"why would you bring that up now?" you asked, scoffing. "if you’re so into not poking your nose into other people’s business, maybe you should start with yourself."

megumi rolled his eyes. "i don’t want to argue anymore," he said with a sigh.

"you’re the one who started it," you retorted.

both of you fell silent as the basketball team finished their practice and began heading off the court. neither of you said anything, instead looking away and sighing in unison.

just then, asahi approached you, flashing his signature grin. "remember, yn. 5 pm," he said with a wink.

you blushed furiously, giggling at his playful tone.

megumi, however, stared daggers at asahi’s retreating back as though he could burn a hole right through him. "what was that all about?" he asked coldly.

"i thought you wouldn’t—" you began, but megumi cut you off.

"no. just tell me." his voice was steady, but you could sense a strange concern behind it.

you gave in. "well… he’s the one i’m going on a date with," you admitted hesitantly.

for a split second, you thought you saw megumi’s face drop. but the moment passed quickly, and his usual ice-cold demeanor returned. maybe he wasn’t affected. but deep down, a part of you wanted him to feel jealous.

"well, good for you," he said, his tone indifferent.

but then he paused, as if something had just occurred to him. "wait. what about our meeting at 5 pm today?"

oh. you’d completely forgotten. between thinking about asahi all day and getting lost in your thoughts, you hadn’t remembered the plans you’d already made with megumi before agreeing to meet asahi.

"i… i won’t be able to make it," you admitted reluctantly. "i only said yes to you for formality’s sake. i already agreed to meet asahi first, and i can’t cancel on him—"

you lied.

megumi sighed sharply, cutting you off. "of course you can’t. enjoy."

before you could say anything else, he turned and walked away. his expression was unreadable, and there wasn’t even a hint of disappointment on his face.

but you wanted there to be. you wanted him to feel something—jealousy, sadness, anything.

and then it hit you. why did you want him to feel that way? unless… no. that wasn’t possible. was it?

you shook your head, trying to brush off the thought. megumi was your best friend—or, at least, he used to be. that was in the past now. or so you told yourself.

evening came, and you couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt settling in your chest. why am i doing this? am i hurting megumi? you wondered. but then again, he hadn’t shown any sign of being upset. he didn’t seem sad at all—maybe you were just overthinking.

you got dressed for your first date, opting for a cropped top that was just shy of being see-through. paired with baggy cargo jeans and some matching accessories, you looked cute—really cute, you had to admit. the only problem was the makeup. inexperienced and clueless, you turned to youtube tutorials for help.

"stupid mascara… ugh," you groaned as you struggled to get it just right. after thirty long minutes of trial and error, you finally managed to finish. the makeup was minimal but far more than what you usually wore. at least you didn’t look like a demon—you silently thanked the heavens for that.

when the clock struck the hour, you found yourself waiting at the nearby bus stop, where asahi had agreed to pick you up. He had a car. he had a license. he’s so cool, you thought to yourself.

just then, a sleek maserati pulled up right in front of you. he’s rich too? you thought in disbelief.

"yn, hi," he greeted you, his tone cheerful and confident. he exuded a cool and effortless charm, dressed in an oversized hoodie and casual pants. somehow, he managed to strike the perfect balance between not overdressing and not underdressing.

he stepped out of the car, opened the door for you, and extended his hand. blushing, you took it and got in.

the ride to the theater was fun—filled with lighthearted conversation about the movie and playful banter. before you knew it, you had arrived just in time, popcorn and soda in hand, ready for the film.

meanwhile, megumi was sitting in a café with the other students, working on the group project. he looked composed, as he usually did—calm and collected, the image of focus.

or so it seemed.

inside, his thoughts were anything but composed. the idea of you spending time with another guy, especially someone like asahi, made his blood boil. it’s nothing, he tried to convince himself. just brotherly feelings, that’s all.

this was the second time megumi realized how terrible he was at lying to himself.

the mental image of your soft, plump lips on asahi’s made his jaw tighten. his grip on his pen stiffened. what if he’s just using her? he wondered. what if she’s in danger? the thoughts raced through his mind relentlessly.

maybe i'm overthinking… but then, his mind conjured up something that made his pulse quicken: he imagined himself in asahi’s place, leaning in and kissing you instead.

damn it, he cursed under his breath. stupid teenage hormones. fuck them.

he shook his head, trying to banish the thought. no, this couldn’t happen. it didn’t matter if his feelings were “brotherly” or something else entirely. all he knew was that he had an overwhelming urge to storm into the theater, pull asahi away from you, and take you somewhere far away from him.

to megumi, you were still innocent—too kind, too naive to see through someone like asahi. he told himself it was concern for your well-being, nothing more. but deep down, even he wasn’t sure anymore.

his hand hovered over his phone, tempted to message you and cancel the meeting right now and run straight to you. no, he thought, clenching his fist. but the thought of you with asahi lingered, gnawing at him, making it impossible to focus on anything else.

asahi and you were completely engrossed in the movie. as you reached for the popcorn, you felt a pair of fingers brush against yours. ah, yes—you were sharing the same basket of popcorn. it felt so fitting, like a classic movie moment come to life.

both of you turned your heads at the same time, your eyes meeting. maybe you had done it on purpose, hoping for this exact moment. asahi's gaze lingered on yours, and you felt a blush rise to your cheeks.

"so, how’s it?" he asked, his voice warm and casual. the glow of the screen flickered in your eyes as you sat there, caught mid-bite with a mouthful of popcorn.

"umm, the popcorn? it’s buttery, but it could use some salt," you replied, earning a soft chuckle from him. ah, that laugh—it sent a flutter through your chest.

"no, silly. i meant the movie," he said, grinning as he casually draped an arm over your shoulders.

you laughed awkwardly, feeling the heat of embarrassment creep over you. "haha, yeah, i knew that," you said, trying to play it off. "it’s good."

"hmm," he whispered softly, leaning in closer. you could feel it—the heat between you. then, with one hand, he gently tilted your face toward him. oh no, he was going to kiss you. you had never done this before—at least, not with an actual person. your plushies and pillows had been your only practice partners, and even they wouldn’t prepare you for this.

as you leaned in as well, closing your eyes, the lights in the theater suddenly turned on, and people began getting up to leave. the movie was over. how embarrassing. asahi chuckled at your flustered state, his warm laugh making your cheeks burn even more.

"maybe next time," he muttered to himself, his voice almost teasing. you stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do, when he suddenly got a notification on his phone.

"well, i gotta run to the washroom. i'll be quick, okay? wait for me outside," he said with a smile, squeezing your hand before heading off. you nodded and walked out of the theater.

the cold air outside hit you instantly, making you regret wearing just a crop top. the clouds had taken over the sky, dark and heavy, and it looked like it could rain any moment now. you stood there, replaying the events of the day in your head. it had been your first date—and asahi was perfect. just like someone straight out of a movie. but it had all felt almost too perfect, like it wasn’t quite real. the only thing missing had been the kiss, which was sadly interrupted. you couldn’t help but blush at the memory.

when you glanced at your phone, you realized it had already been ten minutes since asahi went to the bathroom. you weren’t trying to be impatient, but you wondered what was taking him so long. a knot of worry formed in your stomach. deciding to check, you headed toward the bathrooms.

what you saw froze you in place. there, just outside the bathroom, was asahi—kissing another girl.

you blinked, hoping you were imagining it, but no. it was real. his lips were on hers, his hands resting on her waist. there was no mistaking it. it wasn’t the movie-like moment you had hoped for—it was a nightmare.

your chest tightened as tears began to prick your eyes. you wanted to scream at him, to demand an explanation, to ask if you weren’t good enough. but no. he didn’t deserve that from you. you had something he clearly lacked—self-respect and pride. so, instead of confronting him, you turned and walked away.

but the tears wouldn’t stop. they rolled down your cheeks, hot and uncontrollable, as you replayed what you had just seen. your heart ached with betrayal. were all boys like this? trash?

no. not all boys. you thought of megumi. he’d never do something like this. he’d never hurt you like this. suddenly, you felt the overwhelming urge to go to him. to tell him you were wrong. to tell him you wanted him—not just as a friend, but as something more.

but how could you? after everything you’d said to him, after how you’d pushed him away? he probably wouldn’t even look at you now. that thought made the pain in your chest feel even heavier.

ha, how ironic, you thought. your first date and heartbreak on the same day. why did all this happen to you? you had been too naive to trust asahi. he was a playboy, and he played you. the one thing you had looked forward to was now the thing you dreaded. you didn’t want to date anymore; you didn’t even want to see anyone again. it had started raining, and you were running. where? you didn’t know. just running, hoping to disappear, to escape from everything and everyone.

megumi was done with the project work and had closed everything off. luckily, you had left your location services on. feeling an urge to check where you were, he opened the app, and to his surprise, you weren’t at home or the theater. you were somewhere in the middle of town.

"what the heck?" he mumbled, grabbing his jacket and bag before running out the door. he knew where you’d go. whenever you got sad, you always ran to the park downtown. his intuition told him something was wrong. not that he wanted to jinx it, but maybe he’d already called it.

he ran through the rain without an umbrella, his clothes getting soaked, until he finally caught sight of you. you were kneeling down on the wet ground, crying. he rushed over to you.

"hey, y/n, what happened?" he asked, concern clear in his voice.

the moment you heard his voice, you recognized it. your red and puffy eyes blurred your vision, but you didn’t care. you stood up and threw yourself into megumi’s arms, your face pressed against his chest. he held you closer, his warmth shielding you from the cold rain.

"what happened? tell me," he said gently, his voice calm though worry was evident.

tears were rolling down your cheeks, hot and uncontrollable.

"hic—uh… asahi… h-he hic… k-kissed… another g-g... girl..." your words barely made sense, but megumi understood.

"it's alright, idiot. stop crying," he said softly, his hand gently brushing away your tears. but inside, his anger was rising. he wanted to do something, anything, to wipe that smug look off asahi’s face. he wasn’t as calm as he usually was anymore. his protective instincts kicked in, and all he wanted was to make asahi regret hurting you.

you took a few seconds to calm down, still whimpering and hiccuping as megumi rubbed your back soothingly. he was there—always. no matter what, he stayed by your side, and deep down, you knew he always would.

suddenly, a pang of guilt hit you. you had hurt him.

"umm, m-megumi, well, i-i wanted to say sorry," you said, looking up into his eyes. they glimmered in the faint moonlight, his figure shielding you from the rain. his eyes softened as he met your gaze.

"sorry? why?" he asked, though you knew he understood.

"w-well, i was wrong," you began, your voice trembling. "i was selfish and inconsiderate, for both of us. i was just desperate to get myself a boyfriend… and look at how i ended up." tears threatened to spill again, but megumi hushed you, gently placing a finger on your lips.

"you little idiot," he said, his tone affectionate despite the words. "don’t you understand? sure, if you hung out with me, you probably wouldn’t get one. but… i think it’s my fault too. i didn’t give you enough space to breathe either. though…" he hesitated, a faint curse escaping under his breath. "no matter what, i’d hate to see you date someone else."

his words hung in the air. his eyes widened slightly, realizing what he’d just said out loud.

"what?" you asked, stunned, your eyes wide with surprise.

"never mind," he mumbled quickly, shaking his head. "i meant i’d be sad if you left me alone, that’s all. are you seriously so dumb that your mind clings to stuff like that?"

you laughed softly, the sound light and genuine despite everything, and pulled him into another hug. with megumi, you felt safe. you felt… okay. asahi didn’t matter anymore, and you realized it now.

you let yourself sink into the moment, listening to the gentle pitter-patter of the rain. the two of you were drenched, but neither of you seemed to care. the sound of water sliding down rooftops, trickling from the playground slide, and pooling in puddles filled the air.

then you noticed something else: your heartbeat. it was fast. thump-thump. had it always been this fast? no, it felt different. abnormal, even. but it couldn’t have anything to do with megumi, of course not. it had to be everything you’d been through tonight… obviously.

but then you caught the scent of his cologne. it was fresh, like dewy mist, and you couldn’t help but lean in a little closer, inhaling it deeply. wait. what was that?

you felt something in your stomach. a flutter. you blinked. parasites? you thought to yourself, trying to rationalize it. it’s definitely not butterflies. no, it couldn’t be. of course not.

you just hoped you were right—because the last thing you wanted now was to fall for your best friend.

megumi broke the hug and stepped back. "i think if you’re done, maybe we should go. and seriously, what the heck, we’re completely drenched," he said, glancing down at his soaked clothes. "my clothes are totally ruined now."

without waiting for a response, he grabbed your hand and started running. you followed, your feet splashing through puddles.

"where are we going?" you asked as he suddenly stopped, looking around.

"let’s just find some shelter and call a taxi," he replied. but then his eyes landed somewhere they really shouldn’t have, and he cursed the heavens.

you were wearing a thin, nearly see-through crop top that had clung to your skin in the rain. megumi swallowed hard and looked away immediately, his jaw tightening as he tried to stay composed. okay, this is normal. i’m a teenage boy too, he thought, though the pink flush creeping up his face betrayed him.

he was thankful, at least, that you were completely oblivious. thank god, he thought.

"cover up, you idiot," megumi said, his tone sharper than intended, but his voice still flustered.

"huh?" you asked, tilting your head in confusion, still unaware of the situation. megumi sighed, grumbling under his breath. why can’t she just read the room? he thought.

he swung his bag off his shoulder and tossed it to you. "here, use this. just—cover up."

you did as he said, though you still seemed confused. megumi let out another sigh, shrugged off his jacket, and draped it over both of you, shielding you from the rain.

you smiled up at him then—a bright, genuine smile. it was the kind of smile that could probably make any guy melt. but megumi wasn’t any guy. at least, that’s what he told himself.

until now.

seeing that smile made his cheeks flush even deeper, and he had to look away, cursing under his breath. damn. just hormones. nothing else, he told himself, trying to stay rational.

but then another thought slipped in, unbidden. why does she have to look so adorable... and hot? at the same time? he frowned, questioning his sanity.

fuck fuck fuck.

best friends. just best friends, he repeated to himself like a mantra, desperate to believe it.

but the truth was harder to ignore now. this was the third time something about you had struck a chord deep inside him.

megumi wished he was better at lying to himself.

after a while of waiting, you got into a taxi with megumi. "so, we’ll just head home now?" he asked, glancing at you. you nodded but hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"yeah, about that… my parents are out of town, and i-i was gonna be alone, so i wondered if i could bunk with you tonight? for old times’ sake?" you asked, your voice unsure but hopeful.

for old times’ sake? sure. but for his own sanity’s sake? absolutely not, megumi thought.

"yeah, works," he said, trying to sound casual. but deep down, he knew this was going to test every ounce of self-control he had.

the ride to his house was short, and as you sat in silence, you started reflecting on how the night had turned out. it had been such a mess, yet here you were, feeling strangely okay.

you glanced at your phone, which was still on do not disturb, and weren’t surprised to see 13 missed calls from asahi. you shrugged and sighed, shaking your head. none of that mattered now.

no one was home at megumi’s place either. the realization that you were both alone together made your stomach twist and turn, though you didn’t quite understand why. his sister, tsumiki, had a school function and was out of town as well.

"well, come in," megumi said, hanging the keys on the rack. the sound of the keys jingling filled the otherwise quiet house as you took off your shoes and stepped inside.

the place felt so familiar, as it always had. you’d been coming here for the past twelve years of your life. it was like a second home.

the two of you headed upstairs to his bedroom. as expected, it was neat and tidy, just like megumi always kept it.

"i think you should take a bath and change into something..." he said, rummaging through his closet. after a moment, he pulled out a hoodie and a pair of shorts. "...there you go," he added, tossing them to you.

you caught the clothes and stared at them for a moment. and then it hit you. this is exactly like one of those cliché book plots, you thought. the one where the girl has no spare clothes, so the guy lends her his.

while you were lost in your thoughts, megumi was having his own internal struggle. how cute would she look in my clothes? the thought slipped into his mind before he could stop it, and his cheeks turned pink.

both of you glanced at each other briefly, the blush on your faces obvious, before quickly looking away. completely oblivious to what the other was thinking, you stood there, awkward and flustered, two idiots caught in your own spiraling thoughts.

not even god could save the two of you from this moment. as much as you both hated the idea of picturing each other together, neither of you could completely deny the thought anymore.

you had taken a bath and were now sitting on the edge of the bed, towel-drying your hair while waiting for megumi. that was when he walked out of the bathroom.

uh oh.

he wasn’t wearing a shirt—just a pair of shorts, with a towel slung lazily over his shoulders. you froze for a moment, and before you could stop yourself, you realized you were checking him out. great, just great, you thought, internally screaming.

he rubbed the towel through his hair, his raven-black locks spiking in every direction, just the way they always did. only now, for some reason, you couldn’t help but notice how much you wanted to run your hands through it.

your gaze drifted lower—bad idea.

his abs were exactly how you had imagined they’d be. toned, well-defined, and everything else you shouldn’t have been thinking about right now. his frame wasn’t bulky or overly muscular, but lean and athletic, which somehow made him look even hotter.

you felt a wave of embarrassment wash over you as you realized what you were doing. god, i’m disgusting. i’m a total freak, you thought, your cheeks burning.

still, no matter how hard you tried to look away, you couldn’t deny it. megumi looked… hot. and that was a problem you weren’t ready to face.

fuck it, am i in love with my bestfriend? you thought. ofcourse not, it's just some sort of a physical attraction that anyone my age would experience.

megumi glanced at you as you sat on the edge of the bed, still busy drying your hair. your damp strands clung to your face, droplets of water sliding down your skin. you weren’t even trying, but somehow you were driving him insane.

his mind short-circuited at that moment, and before he could think, he acted. something inside him snapped, or maybe it was always there, buried beneath layers of self-control. whatever it was, it was enough to make him forget himself.

he stood and walked over to you. you looked up at him, confused. "what?" you asked, your voice curious. "is there something—"

you didn’t get to finish. his hands were on you, pulling you close, and suddenly, his lips were on yours. your eyes widened in shock. megumi just kissed you.

but the real surprise wasn’t that—it was the fact that you didn’t pull away. instead, you kissed him back, meeting his lips with the same passion he gave you. this was your first kiss, and yet, it didn’t feel awkward or clumsy. no, it was perfect. megumi moved with a deliberate slowness, his lips guiding yours like he had done this a thousand times before.

you felt the bed beneath you as he gently pushed you down. his hand slid into yours, pinning it above your head, while the other rested firmly on your waist. everything about the moment felt intense, like the world outside had stopped spinning. you finally understood what those movie scenes meant when the girl’s problems melted away with the perfect kiss. because that’s exactly what was happening. everything—your heartbreak, your doubts—everything faded into nothing.

but then, reality hit you. no. i’m kissing my best friend.

you both pulled away at the same time, your breaths labored, your faces flushed. the realization of the position you were in hit megumi immediately—you, beneath him, your hair splayed out across the bed. and god, you looked good like that. stop, he told himself, forcing the thought away as he climbed off you, running a hand through his hair and fixing his shorts.

shit shit fucking hell you doof.

she’s going to think i’m a pervert, megumi thought, mortified. i messed up. i messed up big time.

on the other hand, your thoughts were spiraling in a completely different direction. oh no. i forced him into this. he didn’t even want this. you cursed at yourself, guilt weighing heavy on your chest.

the two of you sat on opposite sides of the bed, the silence stretching on for what felt like hours. ten minutes passed, the room filled with nothing but the sound of your breaths as both of you tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"i—" you both started at the same time before cutting yourselves off.

"no, you go first," you said in unison again, your eyes briefly meeting before you both looked away, cheeks burning.

megumi cleared his throat and started. "i… i didn’t mean to. i was just… you know…" his voice trailed off, unsure of how to explain himself.

you nodded quickly, even though you didn’t understand a thing. "y-yeah. me too. it was totally accidental, and i get it. i understand."

but neither of you did. not really.

the silence returned, this time even heavier than before.

"so, uh, yn… you take the bed, and i’ll go sleep on the couch downstairs," megumi said finally, his voice stiff, his eyes avoiding yours entirely.

"yeah, yeah, sure," you said, nodding like an idiot.

he grabbed a pillow and a blanket from his bed and headed for the door, his movements quick and deliberate. he didn’t even glance back at you as he closed the door behind him.

as soon as he was gone, you cursed at yourself, sinking back onto the bed. what the hell did i just do? this is going to be so awkward from now on. megumi probably hates me now.

you stood up and walked to the door, resting your back against it before sliding down to the floor. you hugged your knees to your chest, resting your head on them as your mind raced. he completely has no feelings for me. and i… i don’t have any for him either. right?

on the other side of the door, megumi was sitting in the exact same position as you, his back against the wood, his head buried in his hands.

what have i just done? am i out of my mind? he thought, guilt and frustration swirling inside him.

maybe you were both wrong. or maybe you weren’t.

(umm yeah so that's it i guess? i'm sorry but yeah. i love em though like who's gonna tell them erm..)

lmk if ya'll wanna get tagged for the second part which i'll publish prolly<3

[lizzieisright]

Tranquility

dom!reader x sub!Abby

Summary: You want to help Abby relax and show her she doesn't have to control everything, sometimes she just can let go.

Tags: dom!reader, fingering, praise, consent checks, Abby doesn't really notice she is subbing, very light and vanilla, Sylvia Plath's quotes.

wc: 3.7k

MINORS DON'T INTERACT I'll hunt you for sport 

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

You don't jump into power dynamics right away when you get together: Abby doesn't even think about it too much - she just assumes since between the two of you she is the killing machine, big strong scary Abby Anderson, she'll be in charge like she is everywhere else. And you don't seem to mind, even though you had the sex talk way prior to having actual sex (I can't bottom every time if it's something you want, you said to her, and Abby agreed: she liked topping but she could bottom just fine). 

So the thought of power dynamics doesn't come to Abby at all, until one day. 

You are too good at reading Abby's mood - for some reason you can notice even the small shift in her. It's a superpower that creeps Abby out sometimes, how you can recognise her feelings and act accordingly. You don't make a scene out of it, you don't take care of her like she is a child who can't regulate her emotions, but you're there through it all. You're not scared of her anger or her tears, always calm, and for the first time in years Abby feels like she can rely on someone. Can trust someone fully. 

And today Abby is on edge. She is tired, angry and frustrated - the plan for the next supply run isn't safe in her opinion. Abby likes her plans to be foolproof, "if you think they're smart enough think again and dumb it down" type of fool-proof. Everyone said Abby was being ridiculous about it, and maybe she was, but it doesn't make her feel any better. 

And you obviously notice it. You watch her from the couch as Abby walks around packing, huffing every two seconds in anger. 

"I saw that plan, Abby, it's good. Everything will be fine. Manageable if something goes wrong."

"Jamie is on the team, and this idiot will get us in trouble." Abby growls. "And then someone will have to clean up his mess and someone will get hurt and it will slow us down-"

"Okay. Okay, Abs, stop." You put your book away. "Come here, you need to relax." You pat your lap and Abby stares at you before laughing.

"What, you want me to sit in your lap?" Abby asks sceptically. 

"Yeah." You pat your lap again. Abby is unsure and she feels ridiculous: she is not a lap dog, she is a fucking German shepherd.

"I'm too big to sit in your lap, baby." 

"Do I look like I give a fuck?" You deadpan. "Big girls need to sit on their lover's lap too. Come here."

Abby blinks. She likes that she is big and tall - it makes her feel powerful, but it comes with a cost. She doesn't get to feel small. And you asking her to sit on your lap opens something so desperate in her she gets scared. Abby knows she won't feel small, but she wants to try anyway. Abby tentatively makes her way to you, still unsure how it will work, but you tug her lightly and she straddles you. Abby feels like she is a giant on top of you, and she doesn't really remember where to put her hands. She settles on your shoulders.

"This is awkward." Abby assesses, frowning. 

"It's not. Sit, Abby, I can feel that you're hovering. I'm not going to break, I'm not made of dust." You push at her thighs so she can spread them and finally sit. You seem pretty happy with this, hugging her by her waist and pressing her closer to you. Abby is getting used to this, but it still seems ridiculous to her. She is used to tugging you to sit on her lap, not the other way around. 

"Am I too heavy?"

"I like feeling your weight on me. Makes it feel real." You grin and stroke her back. "Really, relax. I can read to you if you want."

Abby doesn't really know what to do. She has no arguments against you, and your lap is very comfortable. As well as being this close to you, feeling your body, your breathing, your warmth. 

"Yeah, okay. We can do that."

Abby does what you usually do when she reads: she puts her head on your shoulder and lets you snake your arms around her. 

"Good." You comment and hold the book with one hand while you stroke Abby's back with the other one. 

You are warm and your smell is comforting, so Abby puts her nose into the crook of your neck and breathes in.

"Yeah. Breathe. Deep big breaths." You say offhandedly as you look through the pages. It's weird. Abby feels safe and taken care of and it feels good, but it is too unfamiliar to be comfortable with it. 

"Would it be too childish of me to say: I want? But I do want: theater, light, color, paintings, wine and wonder. Yet not all these can do more than try to lure the soul from its den where it sulks in busy heaps of filth and obstinate clods of bloody pulp. I must find a core of fruitful seeds in me. I must stop identifying with the seasons, because this English winter will be the death of me-" You've read out loud and Abby suddenly resonates with the first line. Would it be too childish of her to say: she wants your care? 

"What is this?"

"Sylvia Plath's diaries."

"She sounds dramatic." Abby murmurs into your neck while you are caressing her back. Fuck it feels so good. She is so safe. 

"Bitch is all over the place sometimes. But she is a poet."

You kiss Abby's head and she leans into your touch, surprising herself. She isn't usually… needy, but right now something is different. The sudden safety of your arms around her, your calm voice and familiar smell makes Abby feel dangerously vulnerable. 

"You feel pretty relaxed." You notice as you now stroking her head, putting all annoying baby hairs behind her ear. 

"Yeah. It's so weird though."

You chuckle.

"In what way?"

"Usually it's you who sits in my lap. But this is good. Just weird."

"I think the word you're looking for is unfamiliar."

"Are you a thesaurus?" 

You laugh and kiss her forehead. Abby nuzzles her nose into your neck and your breath hitches. 

You know Abby doesn't mean to get you horny with her breathing, but you are getting horny. 

"Come here." You tell her and Abby lifts her head just enough for you to kiss her. She is warm and welcoming, doesn't rush anywhere and you are not rushing either, just enjoying the kiss. Abby relaxes into you and it surprises both of you - she isn't a person who gives up control easily. Hell, the whole thing started because Abby couldn't deal with people not doing everything like she told them to. But you feel how she puts more weight on you and you buck your hips into her. 

"Okay yeah. Still weird, but good." Abby pants into your mouth. You dig your fingers into her ass and press her into your crotch. "Oh fuck."

"Wanna make you cum." You say, panting yourself as arousal takes the hold of you. "What do you think?"

Abby looks at you with a lifted brow. 

"You think I'm going to say no?"

"Well." You kiss her jaw. "I don't plan on letting you do anything at all, so, maybe take a moment to think about it."

Abby stares at you as your words settle in. She will what, just lie there and do nothing? It sounds wrong, it sounds like she is going to be out of control, but also…

Also it sounds like the sweetest sin she could commit. 

"If you're not sure, we can stop. Like, fully. Or at any point you want to." You stroke her cheeks with your thumbs as you watch Abby. You know she is apprehensive about this idea, but you want her to relax fully and forget about everything. And you know you can give it to her if she just says yes. 

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. We can do that." Abby smiles bashfully and you kiss her, so fucking grateful for how brave she is. 

It's one thing to stare death in her face and win, and the other thing to stare in your lover's face and decide to trust them completely. And any other day Abby would have chosen death, but with you the danger can't get safer than this. 

So Abby lets herself relax into you again and just enjoy your touch. 

"Thanks." 

Abby chuckles, but it turns into a gasp as you move your lips down her neck while your hands are tugging on her shirt. Abby helps you take the shirt and the bra off, and you just caress her sides, looking over her. 

Abby knows you like how she looks, but having your attention like this makes her nervous. Your eyes are so dark with hunger Abby wants to look away but she doesn't, as sudden greed for your love washes over her. You look at her like you want to devour her. 

"Pretty." You sigh as you smile. "You're so pretty, Abs."

"I don't think pretty is the right word."

"Beautiful?"

Abby huffs but can't help her smile.

"Gorgeous?"

"Stop it." Abby says, playfully stern. "You're so sappy, god."

You grin and kiss her again, shutting her up - if you say she is pretty, she is, and whatever Abby thinks of herself is totally irrelevant. Your lips make a trail from her neck to her shoulder and you gently kiss her freckles, listening to Abby's breathing closely: it gets heavier as you move your kisses down, and these small sighs are the greatest encouragement you can get. 

You slowly move one of your hands up and cup Abby's tit, kneading her doughy flesh as she gasps. 

"Feels nice?"

"Yeah." Abby murmurs and runs her hand over your hair. It's still hard to let go so she tries to occupy herself in some way. She gently massages your neck and you kiss her just above her nipple. "Yeah, this is nice."

"Good. Let's take your pants off, I need them out of the way."

Your intonation makes Abby throb in her pants - it sounds so commanding and for once in her life she doesn't want to fight it, no, she wants to obey - it's easy with you. Safe. 

Abby stands from your lap and you help her take her pants and underwear off, making a small pile on the floor. Abby reaches to tug your shirt off, but you gently push her hands away. 

"Relax, baby. Don't worry about anything, okay?" You tug her back into your lap and sigh so happily when you touch her bare skin. "Your job right now is just to be pretty. Can you do that?"

Abby is conflicted: you don't sound patronising, but it should sound patronising, shouldn't it? She stops for a second to understand her reaction and you just watch her. You know Abby needs some time to process what is happening, so you continue caressing her back and her pretty ass that makes you drool while Abby figures out how she feels about your new behaviour. 

"Well I can try." Abby shrugs and you smile. 

"Thanks. I wanna call you princess, you know?" You kiss her neck and leave a hickey on her collarbone. 

"Call me what?" Abby laughs in the middle of her gasp at how ridiculous it sounds, but it's not a bad laugh. It's just embarrassing. "I'm no princess, (y/n)."

"Would you actually mind if I called you that?" You kiss her breastbone and Abby watches you. 

"Don't think so." Abby pants and looks at you impatiently as you finally move your lips to her tits. 

"Princess." You murmur and look into her eyes while her cheeks become bright red. "My pretty princess." You suck on her nipple gently and Abby gasps, squeezing your shoulders. The pet name turns her on - a lot of things turn her on right now even though they're weird and embarrassing.

You play with her other nipple and Abby presses closer to you, so you let your restraints go and use all your strength to move her closer to the point where her back is arched. Abby sighs, surprised - obviously Abby knows you are strong (not as strong as her, but strong nonetheless), but she never actually experienced it. Maybe you can make her feel small. Maybe you can make her feel like no one else could before. 

You slowly move your hands up Abby’s muscular thighs, caressing every line with your fingertips - Abby is too hot for her own good, and the hungry monster that lives inside you claws at your chest, desperate to have its way with Abby and make her forget her fucking name, but you’re patient. You would never push Abby into something she isn’t ready for, especially in sex, but you want to show her an alternative. Show that she can let herself forget her fucking name and it will be safe. Because god knows Abby needs it.

Abby watches your hands in anticipation and you smirk at her when you place your hands on conjunctions of her hips, caressing her hip bones with your thumbs. Abby is soft here, but her V-line makes her look sharp and hard, and it gets to your head. 

“I fucking love how strong you are, you have no idea.”

“I think I have a pretty good idea.” Abby chuckles, but she is impatient, so she grabs your hand and moves it down to her pussy. 

“Hey, don’t spoil the fun.” You scold her playfully and bring your hand back. “I’m not going to keep you waiting, princess. Relax.”

Abby feels how her face burns when you call her princess again, but it gets her wet, so impossibly wet there's probably a dark spot on your pants under her. Abby grinds her hips down, searching for some friction, and you push your hips up to let her have it. Abby shudders as her clit grinds down on your pelvis and her hands clutch your shoulders almost painfully as she tries to set a pace of her hips. 

"This is so hot, Abs. Fuck." You tell her as you watch her get off just grinding on you. You grab her ass and help her grind harder and Abby whimpers quietly, and your brain barely holds back your filthy mouth. You want to tell Abby how good she is, how she is doing such a good job getting herself off, but you hold it back for now. 

The friction is not enough and you know it, so you lock her in place with one arm around her waist, praying she'd listen to you, and snake your other hand between your bodies. 

Abby is so fucking wet your eyes roll back into your scull from how hard it turns you on. 

"You're so wet, princess." You murmur into her ear and Abby whimpers again. "You okay?"

Abby just nods and it clicks. Abby is getting overwhelmed, but she clings to you so you figure out it's a good overwhelmed. 

"Do you like it when I call you princess?" You ask mostly to make sure, but it sounds so seductive to Abby, a little mean maybe but in a good way. 

"It's embarrassing." Abby admits and squirms around when you cup her pussy. Finally. 

"Do you want me to stop?" You ask gently and look in her eyes, serious. Abby looks back, but her eyes are glazed over, she is too horny to care about being embarrassed by this point. 

"No. Don't stop." Abby grinds against your hand and you press her closer to make her stop. 

"You wanna cum already?"

"You keep fucking teasing me." Abby says, annoyed.

"I'm taking my time." You kiss her cheek and part her folds carefully, circling her clit with two fingers and Abby buries her head into your neck, moaning. You stroke her back to soothe her, but your fingers only get faster, the pressure is featherlight and it drives Abby crazy because it will get her to cum way too fast, and you know it. 

"Yeah, that's right, princess. Relax and enjoy, yeah?" You can't stop talking now, desperate to praise Abby and make her feel safe in your arms. "Does it feel good?"

"I- I can't fucking-" Abby moans between her words, clinging to you harder as your fingers get her closer to her release. "Icantfuckingthink" Abby says in one breath and you barely make sense of it.

"Oh princess, don't. Don't think, okay? Be good for me." You pay closer attention to her reaction, not sure if Abby would like it, but she is too out of it now. She whines - fucking hell Abby whines - and presses closer to you.

"Yeah, I'll take care of you, I'll make you feel good." You promise her and slide your fingers down, gently pressing at her hole. Abby arches into your fingers, trying to get them inside, and your heart melts. "You're so cute, fuck. You want my fingers?" 

Abby growls at you, refusing to talk, and you chuckle. 

"Just nod for me, okay? Or shake your head."

Abby takes a second to process your words and then she nods. 

"Good girl." 

That makes Abby open her eyes in shock and her walls clench around nothing to push her slick into your hand, and you can tell she liked it. 

"Can I call you that, princess?" You slowly push your fingers inside and just move them to feel how soft and hot Abby is. She suddenly grinds down on your hand and you kiss her shoulder. "Nod or shake." You remind her. 

Abby nods, her embarrassment totally forgotten by this point: she feels small, safe and taken care of, and the way you talk to her only makes it better. Your stupid spidey senses let you know when to check in with her and Abby never knew it could be this way - that giving consent can turn her on so much because you ask for it like you're dirty talking to her. 

And you are so close and you hold her so tightly Abby feels grounded even though she is so overwhelmed she can't think anymore. She just feels, her world only exists in the tactile plane now, and your voice carries her away. 

"Yeah, don't think, princess, I want your head empty and your pretty cunt stuffed with my fingers." You murmur into Abby's ear and she buries her face in your neck deeper as you curl your fingers inside her. Abby moans quietly and you feel how you lose any self-control you had before. 

You pick up the pace, catching the balance between overwhelmingly fast and not fast enough just so you won't disturb Abby's delicate headspace, and you just listen to her. Abby is not loud, never been, but that what makes it so magical - every sigh turns into a quiet whimper the longer you fuck her, and then you feel it, how Abby clenches around your fingers, her orgasm coming closer. 

"You're close, princess, I can fucking feel it. Do you feel it? Does it feel nice when you're so tight around me?"

"Yeah." Abby says in a hoarse low voice and your teeth fucking ache because you want to sink them into her so much. 

"Fuck Abby." You kiss her temple and suddenly you're fucking her so hard Abby gets tense in your arms, overwhelmed. "You have no idea what you do to me."

But Abby is not listening to you because you turn your hand just enough so you could thumb her clit and-

"Fuck!" Abby shrieks and closes her thighs on you as she cums. You stop moving your fingers inside her to enjoy how she pulsates around them, but you continue thumbing her clit."Fuck-fuck, stop-" Abby asks when it becomes too much and you obey her. 

Abby is panting hard and you just kiss her neck and shoulders, waiting for her to calm down, but you can't help yourself so you start slowly moving your fingers in and out. 

"You feel amazing around my fingers, princess."

"Fuck, don't stop, please, don't fucking stop-" Abby whispers and hugs you around your neck. You’re more than happy to oblige, and you can’t help your mean smile as you move your fingers slowly but thoroughly, getting a feel of every centimetre of Abby’s walls. 

It doesn’t take more than a few minutes for Abby to whimper and shudder in your arms again, drenching your hand up to your wrist, and you gently kiss her to help her calm down. Abby is limp on your lap, her head comfortably tucked in your neck as she pants. Abby feels exhausted but ridiculously happy, giddy even - you opened something in her, something that freed her vulnerability fully. God, Abby always knew she could trust you, let you watch her back, but the thought she could be so vulnerable and small with you never crossed her mind.

“Do you want to nap, baby?” You murmur in her hair and Abby hums in agreement. “Okay, let me put your shirt back on, yeah?”

Abby reluctantly lets you put the shirt on her and wrap a blanket around both of you as you adjust your position so you’d be lying down while Abby would be on top of you, so it would be comfortable for her to rest. You open your book again while Abby’s breathing evens out.

“I am watching a pale blue sky be torn across by wind fresh from the russian steppes. Why is it that I find it so difficult to accept the present moment, whole as an apple, without cutting and hacking at it to find a purpose, or setting it up on a shelf with other apples to measure its worth or trying to pickle it in brine to preserve it, and crying to find it turns all brown and is no longer simply the lovely apple I was given in the morning?”

The present moment, whole as an apple - Abby doesn’t have to worry about not accepting it, lulled by your voice and your warmth and your smell - after all, the present is all she has.

[moonsaver]

Consider... Dr. Ratio getting a (yandere?) crush on a student from a different department. Not one of his students. Meet-cute without his stone head on so the student doesn't know he's *that* professor. Poor student has no idea who their new friend is they're opening up to

My favorite request thus far! Im gonna try my best, anon.

I imagine it happens when student reader is running an errand and has to go to the different department for it, and Dr Ratio is someone they meet along the way in a bit of a secluded corner, tapping his foot and thinking deeply, maybe even saying things out loud to himself when student reader chimes in and asks about it. One thing leads to another and you actually end up getting along.

I imagine it happens again, once in a while, every two weeks or so, and Dr. Ratio doesn't quite introduce himself – he probably assumes as a student you're well aware of things, and just doesn't feel the need to, since both of you just talk enough to problem-solve and share opinions and facts. It only starts to dawn on him that you probably don't know him until you bring up one of your classmates who transferred departments talking about their professor with an alabastor head that has no mercy at all. His eyebrows are slightly furrowed as he contemplates whether he even wants to tell you.. but he likes the arrangement both of you have. It's enough that both of you are meeting like this, no? You don't need to know who he "really" is.

And by that time, he doesn't realise just how much he actually likes your company. You open up to him in a leisurely manner, and he's.. pleasantly surprised. Considering Dr. Ratio, I imagine he doesn't actually have people confiding in him, or talking to him normally, since his mind is constantly racing. This change of pace with someone who actually understands him is enough to keep his attention.

Of course, he needs to tone down his own prodding and pushing. Technically speaking, even "if" he's taken a "bit" of a liking to you, you're still not his student.. it's a pity.

He knows the exact classes you could thrive in, the course material he's sure you would devour, and the exact assignments he's recently sent out to his students that he knows you'd accomplish well. Sometimes during your conversations, he throws in a few topics and suggests that.. ahem, Dr. Ratio's course covers thoroughly. It feels weird to refer to himself in third person, but he adjusts naturally, and he has to stop himself from immediately getting on the defensive when you point out your own issues with his infamously rigorous course.

Of course, it has nothing to do with the fact he wants to see you more often, even if it means you'll recognize him as a professor with his alabastor head on instead of your new friend that's a bit eccentric. He would love having you as a student, just the potential you have is enough to excite him. The smile on your face after you solve a difficult problem, your rambling about the amount of homework your useless professors have drowned you with, the chirp in your voice as you call out to him in greeting, still unsure of what his name is.. surely, management won't say anything if Dr. Ratio himself takes matters into his own hands and transfer you into his department?

And when you turn up to his office, his alabastor head is on as he effortlessly shoots down any of your protests.

But.. if you continue being uncooperative, fine. Go back to your own department. It doesn't take much to sabotage, Veritas has learned. Just a bit of setting up is enough to ruin your assignments, destroy some of your projects, tarnish your reputation among your professors.. it's simple. Now, now.. instead of trying to problem-solve, why don't you just listen to that eccentric, strange friend of yours and join his department instead? He'll help you out thoroughly.

It doesn't take long after you've shifted departments, and you find out your strange new friend was your stubborn, unhearing professor.. now, it's a pity, but you'll have to stay after classes. Hm? No, no. He won't bother listening to you. You have a lot to cover, and now that he's not keeping any secrets from you, he wants to hear everything about you in thorough detail. Don't think about getting away, either. He'll talk with security and management to allow you to stay much further after hours. No one's willing to help you escape. Now.. there's so much material to cover, so let him teach you on a personal level. That should get you going more easily.

He decides on keeping his alabastor head aside, staring intently at you as you scribble away the mountains of assignments he's just given. You're not allowed to get distracted. If you even so much as lift your head to look aside from him, or your homework, he's quick to guide you by his fingers on your chin towards him, a scowl on his face. For goodness' sake, at least look at your professor if you want to stop writing. He's still your little friend, isn't he? How about you tell him all about that classmate you were getting so chummy with? Don't lie now – he saw everything. It doesn't matter that he's in a different department, it's better if he knows. You're both.. close,no? This is just something friends share with each other. Or do you need an extra lesson taught by him personally?

[cheriladycl01]

Ghost - Oscar Piastri x UnknownDriver! Reader Part 3

Plot: Reader is the first female F1 driver of the century, however no-one knows that as you are a ghost on the grid. You started in 2022, coming in P12 in the championship. You get moved to Red Bull Racing in 2023 with the off year for Sergio Perez.

Standing up on the podium, not being able to do anything as you watched Oscar run off was torture. You had to stay there while your national anthem played that should have been amazing considering it was you, Lewis and Lando all up there together.

And of course, there were no breaks for you afterwards. Everyone wanted you, from SkySports, to F1, to Netflix. Everyone was throwing questions at you and asking how different your achievements feel now knowing that your the first woman to have completed many of them.

You were fine answering them, because like they said. All of your previous achievements were now bigger than they were as Ghost. People could tell that you weren't fully with them, you were a little spacey and sometimes struggled with hearing and answering the questions.

Most of them put it down to the post race fuzz of the win and revealing who you were, but upon getting to the Sky Sports Team who consisted of Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Natalie Pinkham and Danica Patrick questions turned sour.

"So Y/N aside from racing we caught light of Oscar Piastri's quick depart after the reveal, any insight on this?" Danica asks, making you look down.

"I don't think these questions are necessary" Jenson says just as the Red Bull PR manager was about to ask for racing related questions only.

"Yes please stick to racing questions only" the Red Bull PR backs up, nodding before taking a step back. You look back up, straight to Nico who had a soft look on his face.

"I'm just interested, you raced for Alpine last year when he was a reserve driver... for Alpine and you've been promoted to Red Bull this year while Piastri's made the move to Mclaren. Can't help but wonder if its underlying sexism that's made him this mad, you all cant deny he was blunt and rude in his interview with us earlier" Danica pushes and you head snaps up. You feel a hand on your shoulder as if to stop you from what your about to say but you go ahead anyway.

"I've hurt a dear friend. So how dare you stand there and try to victimize me, when he is the one that I've hurt. He knew me as Ghost's assistant and media manager... we were close and I've not been truthful to him for obvious reasons. So don't stand there and try to make him out to be a misogynistic twat when he isn't. I don't know what you experienced in NASCAR Danica but in F1 all I've experienced today is love and support. Just because your sport sucks doesn't mean mine does" you snap, and recoil shocked that you'd just said all of that. She looks at you also in shock, Jenson and Nico were trying to stop their laughter.

"Well, some strong opinions there from Y/N Y/L/N" Jenson says as he watches you turn away and walk off. You were done with interviews for the day. You just wanted to find Oscar and talk to him now.

"Lando! Lando" you shout as you see the curly haired boy ahead of you walking into the Mclaren motorhome.

"Hey, Y/N or should i say Ghost" he smiles before pulling you into a hug.

"I was not expecting that bombshell today, and I will admit I'm sorry for assuming you were some ugly guy... your very obviously not" he laughs.

"Where's Oscar" you ask, you didn't want to seem rude but of course he was your priority right now.

"Y/N, I don't think its a good idea to see him right now. I think maybe just wait for him to come to you. He's upset and" he starts but you look him dead in the eye.

"He upset me too, he just ran off... at my first race win" you say as selfish as it was... but he also ruined that experience for you.

"I know, but you did like lie to him for just under 2 years" Lando says softly not wanting to rattle your already unstable cage of self hatred.

"And what was i supposed to do Lando, tell him a secret that Red Bull had me sign an NDA over and break my contract and risk loosing my seat?" you ask, hoping he would start to understand.

"Look Y/N you really should go..." Lando pushes looking around the area you were currently in. He put a hand on your lower back as to guide you back out, but you planted yourself still.

"No, I'm not leaving till i talk to him" you grunt.

"Y/N I'm telling you this as your friend and your co-worker. You need to go" he says, you'd actually never seen his eyes this serious before and it had your head cocking to the side in confusion.

As your about to ask him why the hell he's being so twitchy, two people stumble out of the next room a little disheveled and both laughing. You eyes lock on them.

"O-Oscar?" you ask in shock, the girl looks up at him confused and his face turns red but also a sour expression comes onto his face.

Before any of them can say anything your turning away from them, everything feels slow motion, all the voices around you blur and your heartbeat comes erratic.

You couldn't understand why it hurt so much, the thought of him not even for a moment being happy for you up on a podium that he come here to be with some other girl ... or was it because in the time you'd spent with him you'd fallen for the racer.

You round the corner, stumbling behind the Mclaren motorhome so that you could just breath. You crouch down, your head leaning back against the side.

"Fucks sake" you say to yourself, once you'd calmed yourself from the initial shock you fully sat down on the metal edging outside the Mclaren motorhome.

"Y/N?" you hear a voice ask, your head peaks up and you spot Alex and Logan.

"Oh, hey guys. Great Race today!" you smile.

"Why are you just sat outside the Mclaren motorhome?" Logan asks raising an eyebrow at you.

"Oh, erm no reason. I just got lost on my way back to Red Bull" you smile standing up and walking to the long strip and turning left.

"Your still clearly lost, Red Bull's that way" Alex says pointing to the right hand side, that you weren't facing.

"Right, yeah i knew that" you smile, turning round and scuttering off the other way.

To say that the UK was the start of something spectacular was an understatement. You didn't go out and celebrate that night, you stayed in with your family.

The next race was Hungary where you proceeded to take the win away from Max in the last 3 laps, being on the fresher tires. They asked you to let Max take the win but you begged for them to let you fight it out. You shared the podium with Max and Lando, in Spa you came second, sharing the podium with Max and Charles and in The Netherlands you came 4th.

Throughout all of this Oscar hadn't reached out to you. You'd kept in contact with Lando, asking how he was and what had been going on. However Monza changed things.

An article came out about an interview Oscar had done about you and how you hadn't spoken to him since. He hadn't spoken very nicely about you when all you'd done was stick up for him. You guys got into a massive argument outside the garages that of course people caught on camera.

You had a really bad qualifying, the car just didn't have pace and your mind wasn't in the right place. So you were starting P14 on the grid, after a cry to Christian that you were so overwhelmed and him assuring you that it was today that really mattered.

You had turned off everything when you got in the car on the Sunday. No thoughts in your head just the racing. On the start you managed to get yourself to P12 overtaking Liam and Nico right of the bat.

"Excellent start Y/N lets keep pushing"

Martin Bundle - I have to say that Y/N is incredible with these races where she starts down in the back of the grid, and she gets those amazing starts where she slips in the middle of the two drivers ahead and is able to confidently get herself up too places

"Okay, and Alonso are ahead, you have DRS" your engineer tells you, and you are able to overtake Yuki who doesn't go as aggressively into the chicane as you do. You have a little spin but recover enough to pull up aside Alonso on the straight, going for the overtake.

"Amazing Y/N, that's P10 right now. Keep pushing"

Eventually you were left fighting Carlos, Max clipped a tire and was now down in 4th fighting with Charles.

"Y/N this has been a fantastic race, from P14 up to P2, Carlos is 1.8 second ahead. Lets get him and bring home a double podium. Max is fighting for P3 right now. 5 laps to go" he advises.

"Tell him to speed up, I'll give him DRS we can overtake Sainz together so its a 1.2" you advise looking seeing the Ferrari behind you. You slow down on the hairpin, breaking early, which Charles didn't expect where he was concentrating on defending from Max. You speed up, watching as he spins out a little leaving room for Max on the inside.

"Okay, Sainz has sped up there's now a 2.6 second gap"

"Copy that" you say, Max was using your slip stream, but didn't go for the overtake, you easily defended from Charles together while gaining on the other Ferrari.

"Okay last two laps, Sainz, 0.3 second gap"

"Yeah i can fucking tell I'm riding his rear end" you say, the minute you get onto the straight you and Max both go either side of Sainz, sandwiching him in as your about to go into turn 11. He breaks early falling back leaving you to take the optimal racing line and get ahead of Max.

"Is Max fighting this last lap?" you ask.

"He's been told is free to fight. Mode push and bring us another win" your race engineer advises, you breeze through the final lap, it was a close call but you came first.

"Y/N Y/L/N winner of the 2023 Italian Grand Prix" your race engineer says a big grin coming onto your face as you flip up the visor holding your fist up as you see all the Red Bull crew cheering for you on the fencing.

"Where did Oscar place?" you ask, you hadnt thought about him up until now. Even as you passed the orange 81 car, it was just another car then.

"Not a good race for Piastri, P12 behind Lawson"

"Okay. Thank you for the great drive today. Thank you Christian" you say before preparing yourself for the podium.

Would Oscar be there?

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle

[themoonlitquill]

Whispers Woven in Shadow. (3/?)

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧? 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚? 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮.

𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 ; 𝖠𝗓𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗅 𝗑 𝖥𝖾𝗆!𝖮𝖢 (𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗅).

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 ; I seriously cannot thank ya’ll enough for ALLLL the love!! 😭 I’m blown away! Honestly. I’m really happy and I’ve been BUZZING. EEEE! So, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It took me a little longer because I wanted to get it just right and I think this is the closest I could. 😬 Also!! I made the visual up above (I made Pinterest boards too PLS FMDKDKKD) and the filter is called ‘tardiness’ by @elliesnovella on Insta! ENJOY. 🩵

𝖳𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗋 𝖶𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 ; 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 (𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳), 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗶𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 (𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁) 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗱.

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 ; 4116.

Two days had passed and Ariadne still hadn’t tried talking to anyone else.

Except for the shadow when it came to check in on her - at least, that’s what she assumed it was doing - and herself, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary.

She thought about trying with Nesta first and then quickly took that right off the list when she had stopped by to bring a few books she thought her sister might like, only to be glared at and the stack snatched from her arms with the door slamming seconds after.

Nesta had taken the books though.

And that was something.

Then she considered Elain, who was marked off even quicker than Nesta. Their rooms were connected and when Ariadne had knocked, the door flew open to reveal the eldest Archeron with her blue eyes seeming to glow and had spoken in a tone so sharp that it made her ears ring.

She wasn’t great at lip reading - everyone always spoke too fast - but she managed to catch ‘leave’ and judging by the vitriol in her sister’s expression, she guessed it wasn’t a particularly pleasant string of words; it led to her decision of staying away for a while.

That’s when she found herself thinking of Feyre and how much she missed her.

Ariadne knew that she would be the first to want to try, to actually be able to talk instead of half-relayed messages on paper, and yet, it wasn’t possible. Because Feyre had gone with… What was his name? The High Lord of Spring. Timothy? Yeah, okay. Either way, her sister had left, with no clue as to when she’d be coming back.

It was an ever-present ache in Ariadne’s chest and no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t go away.

You need to get out of this room. You’re suffocating in here and the more you think, the more you’ll drive yourself insane, she blows a huff through her nose, finding she was annoyed with herself, which was worse than being annoyed at someone else in her opinion. Just get up and leave. Go explore! Do something! Anything!

Her thumb and index finger reach up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she releases an exasperated sigh; she stands from the seat by the window and follows her own advice, leaving the damn room and storming off towards the library.

No one would bother her there.

Ariadne throws open the doors with all her strength and strides over to the armchair she always sat in, plopping down with a second huff, brow furrowed. She hated being at war with herself because she couldn’t get away from herself. So, she tended to avoid the things that frustrated her the most, which almost never worked out.

Maybe on a special occasion, if there was such a thing.

But usually, she ended up doing what she tried to avoid and always searched for a place of solitude. The irony was not lost on her; the deaf girl looking to be in an even quieter place, having found comfort in the isolated silence. It would make her laugh if she thought she was capable of it anymore.

And now?

It was like she couldn’t sit still no matter what and she wanted to be around people. She didn’t even care who it was, but it seemed that she was the only one wandering around here since her sisters refused to come out, which limited the available options.

Ariadne closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, willing herself to relax her mind so it didn’t explode from the pressure building; it made it more difficult to focus and all she wanted was for it to go away. She needed to scream and she couldn’t do that, not now, not again.

Deep breaths, Ari. You’re fine. Relax. I promise, she swallows dryly and picks at the skin around her fingers, wishing for any sort of distraction. Feyre will come back and everything will be alright. She’ll listen. You’ll have her to talk to. Even if it isn’t all the time, it’s still something.

She flexes her hands to stop the incessant bad habit and then smooths them over the satin fabric of the pants she wore, the cool texture against her palms paired with the motion actually managing to soothe her.

See? You’re okay. Got all worked up for nothing, Ariadne takes a breath, then another, and tilts her head, the air around her shifting, tickling her skin. A sigh of relief emits from her lips and the opalescent wall in her mind begins to tremble, the doorway appearing more quickly than it ever had.

Everything rushes out of her at once. “I’m glad you’re here, thank that blasted Cauldron! I couldn’t stay in that room any longer. I couldn’t! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you all day!”

Nothing.

Silence.

“You can talk.”

Everything freezes.

That wasn’t the shadow, no, in fact, that was the furthest thing from the shadow.

Her eyes snap open and a soft whoosh leaves her as she stares directly into hazel tinged with gold - rimmed with lashes that even Nesta would be jealous of - and held a mixture of shock, curiosity, and something else that she wasn’t quite sure of.

It was Azriel.

She had just spoken to Azriel.

₊˚✧𑁍.���࿔*:･

Ariadne couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything other than stare. What had she just done? He wasn’t supposed to be the first one she revealed this to! It was supposed to be Feyre - the one person who always cared about what she wanted and what mattered to her - and even if she had to wait to do it, she knew it was going to be perfectly fine and now that was all over with.

It was supposed to be Feyre. This was all wrong!

“You’re a Daemati,” Azriel’s voice rolls in and she’s actually able to hear it inside her head, as clearly as her own. It was low, deep, velvety, and her breath hitches; it wasn’t like the shadow’s whisper at all, instead, there was quiet authority laced in his tone and a richness that reminded her of a thick chocolate, though there was a slight edge that emanated a danger of the lethal kind. It was… It was beautiful.

“Yes,” Ariadne blinks and watches him as he watches her, noting that even in the crouched position he was in, he still remained a respectable enough distance away. “A new one.”

His head tilts and the shadows around his shoulder flourish about excitedly. With a subtle tug, he manages to reel them in and give his full attention to the Archeron sister who had managed to take him completely by surprise, which wasn’t exactly easy to do. “You seem to be doing pretty well.”

She falls silent for a moment, unsure how to proceed. Talking with the shadow hadn’t been hard at all and now she felt like a fish out of water, flopping around and utterly devoid of any semblance of words; she didn’t know what to do.

Azriel waits patiently with his elbows rested on his knees, deducting that this must be even more jarring to her than it was for him. He wasn’t impatient by any means and had no intention to rush her.

“I’ve been practicing,” Ariadne finally responds, a single hand reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind one of her delicately pointed ears and he tracks the movement without her notice.

“Have you?”

She nods her head, clasping her hands back together. “The basics. Opening and closing the door, some organizing,” her thumb brushes over her knuckles. Why was she so nervous? There was no way she’d ever feel this way if it were Feyre. That had to be it; Ariadne just didn’t know Azriel, if she did, there wouldn’t be any of this feeling. “But no knowledge of obliterating minds. I don’t want to do that.”

The corner of Azriel’s lips twitch. She was different than he expected and it piqued his interest, making him wonder what else there might be. “It would be a good idea to learn regardless.”

“And if I did, who would I ask, Shadowmaster? You? Rhysand? Feyre isn’t here, you know,” she levels him with a look and his eyebrows raise before there’s a deep rumbling in her head, rich, warm, and sending a shiver down the length of her spine. What was that? A laugh? Maybe? If it was, she wasn’t sure why, which brought back the annoyed expression on her face. “What’s so funny?”

He works to suppress the smile struggling to show itself, though the amusement was definitive. “I’m the Shadowmaster now?”

Azriel watches keenly as Ariadne’s narrowed eyes widen a fraction, realization setting in, and she tenses slightly, breath stilling, and he finds himself feeling a sense of relief when she inhales. She sits up straighter and her voice fills his head as it had before; tentative and unsure, then flowing in like a whisper of moonlight, luminescent, gentle and fleeting.

“I mixed up your titles, didn’t I? I did it twice,” a frown tugs at the corners of her mouth and he doesn’t like the way it settles so quickly, appearing too comfortable. “That would make you the Spymaster and a Shadowsinger.”

“I think I like Shadowmaster better.”

Surprise flashes across her face before she relaxes a little, though there was still an uneasiness in the way she swallowed, and how her eyes flitted to him and then to her hands and back again. Azriel wasn’t sure what was bothering her so badly that it was lingering around, but it left a bad taste on his tongue.

“But you can call me Azriel.”

Ariadne blinks, noting the subtle hopefulness that was woven into his tone and finding that curious. Wouldn’t everyone call him that? “Azriel,” his shadows slither towards her, reaching for her ankles when they suddenly retreat and she tilts her head. “Why did you do that?”

His eyes seem to glow a little more golden then and they remind her of the sunrise peeking over a lush forest.

“Do what?”

“Pull them away from me.”

Azriel falls silent and his shoulders move, signifying he had taken a deep breath. Why? He stands from the crouched position and Ariadne leans forward suddenly, which is strange because what was she going to do? Follow him? He turns around and starts walking away, causing a pang to hit her chest, and she digs her nails into her skin. “Wait! I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean to assume anything. I just thought that you commanded the shadows and I didn’t want you to think they scare me because they don’t. I actually think they’re very sweet.”

He moves further and her heart drops to her stomach; she had managed to drive away the first person she talked to because she had said the wrong thing.

How could this happen so fast? Was she really so bad?

Ariadne gnaws on her inner lower lip, thinking over how she should have worded it differently or if maybe she was too invasive? The shadows were his and he could do whatever he wanted to with them. It wasn’t any of her business.

If Azriel didn’t want them to touch her, then that was his right.

A flash of black catches her eye and she blinks, head lifting to find that the Shadowsinger had grabbed the other armchair and dragged it until it was only a few feet away from hers, now sitting with his wings lifted up over the back so they wouldn’t be crushed under his weight. His gaze finds hers, brow raising as he leans to the left with his arm rested on the chair and the other at his side, gloved hand on his thigh.

“I do and I don’t. They came to me and chose to listen to what orders I give. Though, I prefer to think of them as requests. They’re smarter than most people think and that actually ends up being a benefit to me and the work I do for Rhys,” Azriel dips his head, a few shadows curling around the arch of his wings, movements fluid as they swirl and reminding her of falling feathers dancing. “They’re meant to be kept close in case I need them. Good to know what you think of them though,” his lips curve slightly. “Does that answer your question?”

It did and it didn’t; there was still the unanswered one of why he felt the need to keep them from her. Surely she couldn’t be that big of a distraction? And if they had come to him willingly, shouldn’t they be allowed to have a bit of leeway too? The understanding of it all was just out of her reach and she desperately wished she could grab and hold onto it.

Ariadne sits back in the chair and pulls her legs underneath her, deciding to keep it to herself. This could possibly be the start of something great and she refused to ruin it, especially when she had never had an actual friend before.

“Yes,” No. She taps her finger on her knee. “What sort of work do you do?”

Azriel watches the subtle shifts in her expression - a twitch of her brow before they came together, the way her bottom lip moved as she bit the inside, and how her eyelashes fluttered across her cheeks like butterfly wings when she seemed to fall into her thoughts - and feels something stir inside of him.

Almost like being asleep for a long time and finally starting to wake up.

“Gathering intel, observing, and making sure that we know everything we can that goes on in other Courts,” his wings stretch outwards a little and her eyes roam over the movement, noting the scars that were littered across the membranes and she can’t help but be reminded of the horror back in Hybern, how he must of suffered in agony with no way to get out of it. “When I can’t be somewhere, I send the shadows and they bring back what they find.”

“Do you like doing all of that?”

“It keeps me busy.”

“That isn’t what I asked.”

Azriel didn’t know what to say to that.

Everyone in the Inner Circle knew what he did and had to do, but no one had ever pursued the topic any further, having figured if he wanted to tell them, he would.

And here comes this little Fae, asking because she… what? Because she wanted to? The idea was ridiculous and yet, Azriel found himself unsure and it was disconcerting.

He takes a breath, weighing over his thoughts and debating on how to word what he wanted to say. “Sometimes it’s difficult. There are certain things,” flashes of Truth-Teller slicing into flesh, crimson dripping onto the floor, the sound of screams, and his jaw tightens. “That I have to do and a certain way of doing them that isn’t always my favorite.”

Ariadne tilts her head. There was a darkness swirling within the gold that wasn’t there before and it was clear that there was a lot more to it than that. She wanted to know what he had to do that would make him this haunted and she came to the conclusion that it must be awful, which didn’t sit well with her. Did no one bother to ask? Did no one bother to even try?

A part of her wanted to ask Azriel herself, but how in the stupid Cauldron was she supposed to do that? Would it be over-stepping? How should she say it? What if it made him angry? Or upset? She didn’t want to do that to him.

But she wanted to know.

There was something telling her that she needed to and it was yet another thing that she didn’t understand, so she decided to just go with it like she did everything else until she had the answers.

“There are certain things that I don’t like to remember either. Particularly how they made me feel,” Ariadne swallows, using the pad of her thumb to rub small circles into the back of her hand. “Everything else is heightened since I can’t hear in a normal way and that isn’t always a good thing,” she takes a deep breath, skin prickling. “It makes the pain worse.”

Her body shifts and she lifts her chin to find that Azriel’s shadows were whipping around his back and shoulders - movements a bit wilder than they usually were - with the tips refined into razor sharp points; they seemed ready to cause some serious damage and she wished she could smooth her hands over them, if only to calm.

“I do know if I leave it alone for too long, that it’ll be harder for me to deal with when the time comes,” her eyes trail along each obsidian tendril, noting that they were shaking, blurring slightly at the edges. “I’m not ready for it right now, but I’m hoping that one day I will be. Even if it hurts, I know it’s something I have to do,” she marvels at the way they flow through the air, like water down a stream, and a soft hum emits from her throat.

“I think it’s something we all have to do at some point,” Ariadne tears her eyes away from the shadows in search of that golden hue to find that Azriel was already looking at her. She inhales. “No matter if we hate it,” she exhales. “No matter if it isn’t our favorite.”

₊˚✧𑁍.ೃ࿔*:･

Azriel couldn’t remember the last time someone had stunned him into silence; as a matter of fact, he didn’t think it had ever happened before, which was a complete conundrum and left his mind in a scramble and it was the most unorthodox thing he had ever experienced.

How?

Why?

There was something about Ariadne that was different from her sisters, a secret locked away with a hidden key, and the Shadowsinger wanted to dive into every square inch of her mind until he knew everything that there was to know about her.

He already knew she was intuitive and witty, genuine, perceptive, curious - soft - and probably one of the most intelligent people he’d ever met, which he would be sure to keep from Rhys lest he fall into his usual flair for the dramatics.

But he wanted to know more.

Because as soon as Azriel thought he had a good grip on who he thought she was, the little thing slipped through his fingers and changed direction.

And now he couldn’t form words into a sentence that would make sense of what he wished to say to her, coming up short several times and beginning to get frustrated with the whole ordeal. He wanted to keep the line of communication open and have her presence so near to his, and it seemed that his desire for that was what was making his mind draw blanks.

If this were to happen with Rhys or Cass, he would’ve left the room by now.

Azriel quickly discovered that was the last thing he wanted to do where Ariadne was concerned.

So he stayed.

His shadows had settled and he marveled at the warmth of her honey-eyed gaze and the featherlight caress of her whisper, which seemed to be soothing them and causing their own anger to ebb away like the tide; it took him by surprise - he sensed a theme here - and he wasn’t sure what to do with it.

They were an extension of Azriel, every part of them intertwined with him, and no one had ever had such an influence before.

How is it possible? What does it mean? He didn’t have the answers and it made him want to question everything until he finally got them.

“That’s easier said than done,” is what he responds with, tone a bit gruffer than usual.

Ariadne’s expression shifts to a mixture of perplexity and mirth, the corners of her mouth twitching and she purses her lips. “I never said it would be easy, Shadowsinger. You have to put in the effort if you want the results.”

A single brow raises. “You seem to have all the answers.”

“Not hardly, but I can read people fairly well and I can tell that you’ve never considered it before.”

She was right. He hadn’t.

Azriel readjusts his position and leans forward in the chair, elbows resting on his knees as the gold swirls around his irises. “You really aren’t afraid.”

Her brow mimics the action of his, the amusement still tugging at her lips, though she manages to keep it at bay. “Do I have a reason to be?”

He tracks the movement and finds himself wishing that she would show her smile, wanting to see how it changed her expression; if it would make her eyes light up as joy filtered through or if it would disappear quicker than a blink and have him eager for the day that he could stop, stare, and admire the beauty of it.

“No,” his wings unfurl to stretch and he stands, having made a decision to keep her in his orbit for just a while longer. “You might change your mind eventually, but we can revisit after.”

Confusion flashes across her face. “After what?”

“We’re going to have dinner. You have to eat, don’t you?”

₊˚✧𑁍.ೃ࿔*:･

This is bizarre, isn’t it? Ariadne stares at the notebook in her lap, quill poised between her fingers. All of this.

She had, in fact, had dinner with Azriel and she was still reeling a bit; the house had provided soup and sandwiches, along with her usual tea, and even a plate of lemon bars that she actually decided to try, which was a good idea because they were delicious. It was sour and sweet and citrusy, and it made her tongue tingle.

Azriel kept the conversation focused on her and it was strange. She didn’t know if there was a line for how much she was allowed to reveal considering she’d never had to worry about it before, so she tried to pull the detail back in her answers as much as she could, not wanting to overwhelm him or ramble or do anything to offend.

And that was the part that left her utterly confused; he seemed to be disappointed in what she said and it didn’t make sense because why?

Wasn’t polite conversation supposed to be light? Simple?

That’s what she had gathered from Elain over the years and it seemed to work just fine, so what was the problem?

It seems like a balancing act, Ariadne doodles a crescent moon into the top right corner and allows herself to work through it. You don’t want to tell too much because that would be an overload of information and no one wants that, she adds a couple stars. But you also don’t want to give too little because that would be boring and no one wants that either.

She writes her name in the center before boldening the ‘A.’

You need to give just enough so it stays flowing and keeps the interest there. See, a balancing act! Makes sense. It’s okay, you didn’t know. You’re learning, aren’t you? Don’t expect to be perfect the first time around. That isn’t realistic and you know it.

A drop of ink falls from the tip of the quill and soaks into the page, ruining the ‘A’ and she releases a huff as she shuts the notebook and sets it on the bedside table.

Today was a lot. That’s all. You need to try and sleep or at the very least, rest your eyes. Start again tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll feel better about everything then. Maybe. A little bit.

Ariadne leans against the headboard and stretches her legs out in front of her, wiggling her toes that were dressed in fuzzy socks and wishing more than anything that she knew the things she was missing. It was a hindrance and above all else, it was annoying.

Stop it. More has happened in the last three days than you’re used to and it’s impossible for you to go through it for the fifth time when you’re this tired.

She finally closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths, willing her thoughts to stop running wild so she’d be able to steal a couple hours before the nightmares came.

The questions, the shadow, the knowledge of Daemati and what she could now do, Nesta and Elain, Feyre, and everything else could wait.

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ; @ashblooddragons , @rcarbo1 , @waytoomanyteenagefeels , @prettylittlewrites , @tele86 , @missxmarvelous , @herondale-lightworm .

[walkingstackofbooks]

"I can't believe he used to annoy me," said Miles, watching as Julian chattered animatedly with Nerys and Keiko across the room. "Now it's just nice to see him like this again. It's quite the change, isn't it - but then, I guess you've got used to it by now?" He turned to Ezri, smiling. "Clearly, eight months with you have been good for him."

It took a few moment for Ezri to respond, and Miles had no idea what her expression meant. He'd never known her particularly well, and since returning to Earth they'd only exchanged a few words over subspace if she'd walked in on one of his conversations with Julian.

"I don't think I've ever seen him like this," she said eventually.

Well that was unbelievable. Julian was resonating with the sort of energy he always did when he was in love, so Ezri had to be doing something right.

"What do you mean?" he asked, brow furrowing.

"He's so bouncy. And talkative. Usually he's more - I don't know - restrained, I guess? It's suddenly like..." She paused, thinking. "Well, like he's back planning your Alamo battles with you, but more, and for everything - even in the staff meeting earlier! He's been smiling the whole day."

Miles' frown deepened. "That's just Julian being Julian," he said. "I know the war took a lot out of him - it took a lot out of all of us - but..." He trailed off. "I just assumed he'd managed to get back to normal. You've really never seen him like this?"

Ezri shook her head, then stopped herself, wincing a little. "I know Jadzia did?" she said cautiously. "But her relationship with Julian was so different, she always saw him as so much younger than her. And honestly, I try not to pry into her memories of him too much. It doesn't seem fair."

"How would you describe him, then?" Miles asked curiously. "What's usual for you?"

She smiled. "Kind, sweet, gentle. A little awkward, sometimes. Not as much as me, though," she added with a soft chuckle.

"He makes me laugh," she continued, "but I wouldn't call him 'funny'. He's usually quite a quiet, serious person - or not quiet, perhaps, just... reserved? If we're alone, we'll talk for hours, but at gatherings like this, he'll try, but ends up getting kind of distant. That's why it's felt so odd the past two days. He seems almost... manic?"

"Probably just the suprise of seeing us," Miles replied, a little unsettled. Humming in unconvinced agreement, Ezri's gaze returned to watch her partner, who was now allowing Molly to drag him over to inspect the tower she'd been building with Jake.

"It's like he's forgotten to be sad," she said suddenly. "Is that what it is? He seems lighter, in a way."

Miles chuckled nervously. "I can't believe our visit is having that much of an effect on him," he replied. "Has work been busier than normal lately? Maybe he just needed a break."

"No, it's definitely more than that," Ezri responded firmly. "I know Julian. He's--"

"Dad, come and look at my tower!" Molly interrupted, dashing over to their sofa. "Julian said it's the best one he's ever seen!"

"Well, if Julian said that, sounds like you don't need my opinion," Miles teased, causing his daughter to roll her eyes.

"But Julian's just a doctor, you're an engineer."

"I suppose I am," Miles replied. "Sorry, Ezri, do you mind if--"

"Not at all," she said easily, waving him off. "I've... got a lot to think about."

[veala2]

“ꜰᴜᴍʙʟᴇᴅ.”

fluff prompt: “I wanted to say “I love you” for the first time without stuttering, but that failed.”

SYNOPSIS - The love cook is diagnosed with a heavy heart and irritable face- redness syndrome. Safe to say: the boy’s in love. Now he just needs to confess to be cured! If only it was that simple…

CW - Cheesy, corny fluff that’s good for the soul, gn!reader, Sanji having chronic nose bleeds, Zoro shows up and spoils the show, and Chopper shows up to save the day!

A/N - Ahhhh I’m so glad I managed to finish this tonight. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Increased heart rate for periods of time.

Blood heavily rushed to the face for long periods of time.

Blood heavily rushing from nostrils for extreme periods of time.

When Chopper caught Sanji (once again) earning his title as “Mr. Nosebleed'' so affectionately given by Zoro, he first diagnosed him with the classic ‘No more pervertedness!’ and expected it to work. But in a week's time, Sanji was once again lying on Chopper's bed with his face in his hands and ears tipping off his hidden cherry face.

“We need to try something new, Sanji. It seems like Nami and Robin aren’t the causes of this. Tell me what you were doing when the nosebleeds started.”

The chef sighs, thinking carefully about the past few days.

“Well, I was making Lunch one time. Luffy walked in with Y/N, and when I asked them what they wanted to drink, I couldn’t get it out and felt the blood rushing to my face.”

Chopper quickly scribbles this down, scratching his chin at the evidence given.

“Can you give me another example?” He asked.

“Uhm… I was out giving drinks to Nami, Robin and Y/N when I just couldn’t help but feel the blood spill down my nose.”

It was then that Chopper could vaguely put the pieces together. In the stories, Y/N seemed to be a constant in both. Appearing when Sanji’s strange emotions rose. An idea formed in his head.

“Sanji, all of these instances have Y/N in common. Do you have feelings for them?”

The chef's eyes swiftly widened at the thought of his crewmate, making him stutter like a mad man.

“What? No! I don’t- I can’t say… okay, maybe I do. It won’t stop no matter how many times I try. At first I just assumed it was all of Nami, Robin and Y/N. But when it was just the two of us… I understood.”

Chopper almost felt pity for his chef. His defeated slump, his hands covering his face and his undoubtedly- but deniable- feelings for Y/N.

“Don’t worry, Sanji!” Chopper chirped, patting his blonde hair with his hooved paw, “I know your cure! You just have to tell them your feelings and you’ll start feeling better. It’ll get rid of the heavy feeling in your chest and you might stop bleeding!… as much.”

Sanji almost wanted to cry.

“But!-“

“No buts! You're taking up my medicine making time by pining too much. You must do this, Sanji! For the good of humanity and your nose!”

When the morning sky falls and night comes into view, Sanji expertly makes a fantastical feast. Anything to keep him off the task that Chopper assigned for him. He knew what he needed to do.

The day that he discovered he was crushing hard on you was some random afternoon. He was experimenting with some recipes and decided to ask for your opinion.

The bright smile you had while munching on his food, cheeks a slight red and overall joy made his heart skip a beat. It’s a moment he’s not going to forget any time soon. Like a photographer, he snapped a mental picture of your face and just refuses to let it slide.

So, when Sanji once again asked for your opinion on new recipes, he tried to compose himself through deep breaths and drinking herbal tea.

“Hey, Sanji! I practically drifted in from that smell. Lemme guess: banana chocolate cake with… espresso?” You smiled, leaning on the edge of the kitchen counter with him on the other side. Making him red from the closeness.

“Uh- yeah! y-yeah, I added some in for some extra flavour. Surprised you picked up on it.” He stammered, looking away to keep his composure.

You grabbed a plate of the cake, grabbing a fork and taking a bite. Sanji closes and opens his eyes, spinning towards you and looking determined. Making you look confused.

“Y/N, I need to tell you something!” He starts. You raise an eyebrow.

“What’s up?” You asked, giving him a gentle smile.

“Look, th-there’s been something I’ve been wanting off my chest.. for a while. And it’s not the easiest thing in the world. You see, I-“

Before Sanji could confess, his least favourite man in the entire world bursted through the door, causing the kitchen to shake as a result. That said man places a hand on his three swords, an angered expression on his face.

“Not the kitchen, dining room, library or your locker! Dumb cook, where did you hide all the booze!?”

His abruptive-ness makes you giggle, only adding to Sanji’s frustration.

“Beat it, moss head! I’m busy here!”

Zoro looks over towards you and Sanji, the gears in his head turning as he realises what’s happening between the both of you. Thanks to his closeness with the little doctor, he knew about this exchange. If he did, it would be a safe bet to assume a part of the ship would be wrecked.

“Oh, did you finally grow the balls to confess to Y/N? I’ll head out then.” He bails, pushing through the double doors and effectively sealing Sanji’s fate.

You sharply turn your head towards the love- sick cook. Eyebrows furrowing together and light pink dusting your face. An obviously embarrassed face. He feels like he’s going to explode from how embarrassed he was.

You… had a theory of his feelings for you. But it was never confirmed until now.

Well, watching a man gain a nosebleed by simply handing you a drink did make you wonder. How he would only ask you to try his new recipes, how he always turned a little pink while looking at you, how you could almost see smiles he would try to hide whenever you laughed or did anything. Cute, dumb, smart, it didn’t matter.

“Sanji… you like me? Is this why you’ve been so weird around me for weeks?” You asked, keenly focusing on his sweating form.

“Uh, yes! I like you! No, sorry, I-I love you! Dammit!”

The cook sighed, hiding his face in his hands, running his back against the cold kitchen wall and sliding down. After fumbling his confession, he couldn’t bring himself to bring himself up.

Crouching down, you sigh with a small smile and move his hands away. He tried to move his face away, but moved back towards you with your gentle hands on his face.

He wanted to scream and run away. Grumble and wallow in his own self pity. Wanting to turn back time to when he could be confident and charming, swooping you off your feet like a true prince. But instead he hides and wants to crawl into the ground.

“Hey… look at me…” You whisper, so softly and so kindly he thought it would hurt if he denied you. So he turned, eyes sad.

“I… I wanted to say “I love you” for the first time without stuttering… but that failed, so…”

Your heartstrings tug a little at his tiny voice. Not to mention his sad face is cute as hell.

“Sanji, it’s ok,” You start, standing him up on his own two feet and looking into his eyes.

“I thought it was perfect, no failures at all. And - for the record- I kind of knew you had feelings for me... And it’s reciprocated.”

It was almost like a light shone down from the heavens with that statement. His once glossy eyes now turn to pure joy. He smiled, an honest ear- to- ear smile.

“Really!?”

“Really really.”

In a love- stricken haze, he leans against the wall. Almost floating in the air with how light he feels. No more heavy blushing or profuse bleeding, no. Just pure euphoria with how his confession was received. After a couple seconds, he shoots back up, holding out his arms to hold both of your shoulders. A thought rushing through his mind while you give him a bewildered look.

“Wait, that means you’ll date me! Does that mean I’m your boyfriend now? Oo! Does that mean you’re my girlfriend?”

Oh man, were you gonna have fun messing around with him and loving him.

[0viraptoraskblog]

sooo this might be a bit random, but... since there was a person asking about how the btd characters would react to beastkins; what about demons? just anything supernatural really, maybe a shapeshifter even? ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡ and again tysm so much for ur work, i'm so excited to see whenever you post something and i also enjoyed mason's infodump! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ ) take ur time to answer, i'm just really interested in your opinions and headcanons!

I’m so glad you enjoy my posts, thank you! ^^ this was fun to make:

Rire- a demon himself. Seeing another supernatural being would either be someone he knows (an equal) someone he avoids (a more powerful being that even he can’t beat) or a lesser being. He might find those entertaining just like humans, but with a little more flair. He might have fun playing with one of them for a day or two.

Sano- Sano claims to have studied demons in the past, before moving on to humans. The game classifies him (a naga) as a kind of demon, so I assume he’s captured and dissected many fantastical creatures in the past to study their anatomy and abilities. I think he’d be sort of indifferent, although he’d still enjoy doing some experiments on you.

Akira- I think Akira would be very accepting of an inhuman MC. He’s a naga, so I think he’d be really interested in your special features, and also would enjoy sharing his own with you. He treats you pretty much the same other than that.

Strade- Basically the same answer I usually give, Strade’s priority is your behavior. He wants interesting reactions, displays of emotion, something that keeps his attention. Being a supernatural being is definitely interesting though! He wants to know more about you, both genuinely and through his torture. I think he’d too easily let his guard down around you, as you’re probably stronger than a normal human. Ropes don’t stop magic/powers. But maybe he’ll have to learn the hard way.

Ren- Ren might be a little intimidated (afraid and caught off guard too) if he discovered you’re inhuman. This whole plan relies on his control, and.. will the collar and chain not be enough to hold back a demon? You’d definitely have an easier time turning the tables on him, if that’s the route you go. Especially with him being thrown off balance with his plan. But if either he’s able to restrain you, or you come to an agreement to stay with him, I think he’d find you very interesting. He’s not human either after all! He’d be sure to accommodate your needs as best as he can, and will always adore whatever it is that makes you special. A side note for Ren though- Gato said he has a sort of fetish for those with animal features like him. It’s probably just an instinctual thing, but still, he likes that a lot. If you’re a shapeshifter? I’m sure he’d have you change/add some features to yourself to spice things up when you guys are in the bedroom.

Lawrence- kind of similar to my answer on the beastkin post. Lawrence has spent his life as an outsider, and is often seen as ‘less than human’. Finding someone like you, who might get what that’s like, gives you two a greater chance for connection. I think he’d also just like you more in general; anything that opposes the ‘basic popular extrovert’ stereotype catches his eye. Especially if you have unique features. He’d be very interested in your body and your abilities.

Vincent- would be surprised, for sure, but is pretty welcoming. I mean, he’s a werewolf, he knows that species like that exist. And if you get out of hand? He has a heavy duty tornado bunker for just that kind of thing. I think he’d manage surprisingly well, but as we saw with Cain, a more powerful MC could always get the jump on him too. Overall he’s accepting, though.

Farz- Farz would have the basic shocked reaction that anyone would, but once you explain yourself, I don’t think he’d mind. After all, he lives with a werewolf and stands by while said werewolf murders people in their backyard. What’s one more non human added to the household, right?

Cain- 50/50 here. It depends on what kind of demon/supernatural you are, and how much he likes your personality. He might be more likely to find you interesting and keep you, but he’d also be more likely to despise you or hold a grudge (for example, he hates Reapers with a passion. If you name yourself ‘Ashe’ in game, you get some new dialogue that proves this). So it all depends on what you are and how you act.

Damien- A priest, rooming with another (battle) priest. If you’re a demon? Sorry, you picked the wrong guys to save you. But if you befriend him before revealing your true form, that’s a different story. He is dating a demon, you know. So as long as you can skip that bad first impression (or are a different kind of supernatural creature) you’re in the clear, and he’d probably treat you more or less the same as the MC in game.

Derek- It would panic him a little, making him feel worried because, yknow, how can he be weaker than the one he’s supposed to torture? But he’d try to hide this by acting brave and superior. He tends to get defensive when he’s uncertain about something. Under all of that though, he likes the idea of having an unnatural creature as a captive. Like I said with the beastkin ask, it’s kind of a status thing for him.

Celia- Celia might be thrown off guard if her captive suddenly reveals themselves to be inhuman. She hadn’t planned for that. How will she be able to contain you? If she figures it out, she’d be careful not to let you die. Not only are you interesting and may have special abilities, but she’d definitely use you for intimidation if she needed something out of someone. She’d be sure to keep you on a tight leash and not let her guard down, though, so expect more strict rules than a human MC.

Mason- If Mason encountered a demon, it would either be a quick and harmless encounter before it disappears, or a battle (one of his captives turned out to be inhuman). In the first scenario, I think he’d see it briefly, and have a very underwhelming reaction of “so there’s cryptids in the woods. Huh.” It might unnerve him slightly in the moment, but he’s not intimidated. It’s just another creature to look out for when he has his crossbow handy. If one of his captives turned out to be a supernatural, anything could happen. Depending on what kind you are, he might be more eager to hunt you, or he might be afraid. Mason afraid is not the same as the other characters, though. His afraid is survival instincts, fighting back, and knowing when to hold his ground and when not to. Even if he’s intimidated by you, he’s a big game hunter— he’s still dangerous. Probably the most likely to best you, too (minus those who are also inhuman).

[cedric-k-rossignol]

Remember that one scene from the s1 of anime where tanaka is drinking tea with Ash? Although I'm not a fan the anime at all but I was wondering about if tanakas role in the future; up until here we don't really know anything about him except that he's been serving the family for 3 generations now which means he joined the household while claudia was alive( yeah she somehow managed to tame a fckin samurai and make him her servant🤭) and also yana said that he was the one who brought up vincent and frances( we can see that Frances is very close to him). some people say he is secretly an agent and had a role in the attack to the manor but I just can't believe that, I think he is devoted to the phantomhive house just like undertaker all because of caludia phantomhive. Now that he is alone in the manor with ut and rciel I can't stop imagining him and ut ignoring each other 24/7😂 just wanted to know your opinion about him and his relation to ut and maybe his role in the future🤔he might be the only one surviving

Oh man anon, bless you for giving me an excuse to babble about Tanaka and Undertaker's relationship because I am FASCINATED by it. It is one of my favorite things to write in fic.

Pigs will fly, etc., before I see Tanaka as being a traitor to the Phantomhive family. I agree that both Tanaka and Undertaker's devotion to the Phantomhive family begins with Claudia. She was quite the woman! (Although, would it be fair to say that there is something about the Phantomhives that inspires loyalty? Claudia with Tanaka, Vincent with Diedrich, o!Ciel with Finny, Mey-Rin, and Baldroy?)

I headcanon Tanaka's affection towards Claudia being more paternal in nature, as I think her parents (or at least her father) died while she was still relatively young. But for whatever reason, his loyalty towards her is steadfast - and that is about the only common ground Tanaka and Undertaker have.

I don't think Tanaka would have approved of Claudia's affair with Undertaker for a number of reasons, one of which being I think he's known for a long time that Undertaker is not a mortal being. And, unjustifiably, Undertaker would have been jealous of Vincent and Frances' affection for Tanaka. He likely had more consistent access to them prior to Claudia's death - and after her death, he assumed the role of parent to them, not Undertaker.

I see Undertaker as having abandoned Vincent and Frances in the immediate aftermath of Claudia's death - if not physically, I certainly don't think he was there for them emotionally. Vincent was 16 when he lost his mother, and Frances was 13 (if my theory on her birthdate is correct). While that would be difficult at any time, adolescence is a particularily rough age to lose both your parents, one to death and the other to grief. It seems Vincent was able to have a cordial relationship with his biological father as an adult, but I for one think Frances carries some hardcore resentment towards Undertaker. And I think, instead of acknowledging his failings, Undertaker in turn hardcore resents Tanaka for having filled the father role that 'should' have been his.

Now that he is alone in the manor with ut and rciel I can't stop imagining him and ut ignoring each other 24/7

This kills me, because that is exactly how I write Tanaka when Claudia was alive... He doesn't acknowledge Undertaker unless absolutely forced to - at any given moment, he will act like Undertaker is simply not in the room 😇 Another anon suggested Tanaka is going to force Undertaker to take a bath 😂 These two are just HILARIOUS to me. They are both so cagey about their past, it must be driving them crazy to be living under the same roof as someone who knows where all the skeletons in their closets are!

All that being said... Their loyalty to the Phantomhive family and to Claudia's memory puts them on the same 'team', so to speak. Their individual goals probably vary, and their vision of achieving those goals even moreso - but I think they both want O!Ciel to come out of this alive. I do think at this point they also have a grudging respect for one another in that they don't doubt one another's loyalty to Claudia.

I do think there might be something to Tanaka being the last one standing. I am of the opinion that the anime does hold clues as to how the story will end (and I have theorized that Undertaker will die on the Tower Bridge). I believe the last chronological scene of Tanaka we are left with is him writing some sort of record of his service with the Phantomhive family in the burnt down remnants of their mansion.

As for his role in the story... Well... My thoughts on that are quite cracky. He certainly knows a lot, and has experienced a lot with the Phantomhives, and that could be quite useful for revealing secrets about Vincent, Claudia, and Undertaker.

Thanks for the ask anon!

[welikeimagines-andfandoms]

I Thought I Lost You- Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: Steve had thought he lost you in the 40s but maybe he didn’t

Work count: 1,821

Steve was from a different time, and a different era than the one he was in now, and things were a lot different. Sure there were the big obvious differences with technology and fashion, but it was also the little differences.

One difference that seemed to baffle Steve, was the difference in dating and relationships. There was no holding doors open, writing love letters, coming to the door to pick up a girl, there didn’t even seem to be any flirting anymore. From the stories Kate, Wanda, Nat and Maria had told him, the standards of romance and making a woman feel special was pretty much nonexistent.

Steve was always the butt of the joke among his fellow team mates about those types of things. Being a virgin, or not getting the ladies back in the day, but it didn’t bother him really, and he laughed along with them. He didn’t mind these jokes because he knew the truth, and he held it close.

Keeping his life as private as possible had always been important to Steve, but unfortunately when he came out of the ice, it seemed his whole life was on display, well, except you. He felt relieved when he learnt that no one knew about you.

He tried to search for you but finding nothing, he assumed you were dead. As dark as it sounds, that brought Steve some happiness.

Your likely death and anonymity meant that Steve could keep you in his heart, and that you were his to treasure forever. Unfortunately he had no photos of you, you existed purely in his heart, mind, and if he was lucky, his dreams. He knew he’d lost you, and he was learning to live with that.

Steve thought about you often, especially times like this. Sitting on the bus, looking out the window at the people and the places, how his home had changed so much.

The faces seemed to blend a bit when the bus was moving, but when it came to a stop, he could see things clearly. That’s when a familiar face seemed to pop out in the crowd.

This wasn’t the first time Steve had fancied he might have seen you in a crowd, but this time when his head whipped back and he caught a glimpse of your smile, he was sure it was you.

“Stop! Stop the bus!” Steve yelled, bolting out of his seat, running to the driver before the light could turn green again.

“Buddy, I’ve got a route to keep here.” The driver explained.

“I know, sir, but please I need to get off the bus, please.” Even in his panic, Steve still managed to be polite.

“Okay, sure thing.” The driver rolled his eyes, probably not wanting to deal with the hysterics.

Leaping off of the bus, Steve ran in the direction he saw you, apologising as he bumped into people. Running past stores, cafes and restaurants, looking into each one to see if you might be there.

He began to lose hope of finding you, until he caught a glimpse of shining blue. Whipping his head, he saw it, the hair comb he’d once given you as an anniversary present. Steve worked every odd job he could to get it for you, even Bucky helped him out with the last bit of money so he could finally afford it.

You’d walk past that second hand store together all the time, stopping each time to look at the comb. Delicately placed blue gems, that you always told him looked like a bouquet of blue stars. He knew it was you, and he knew if was your comb.

Everything in him wanted to run in there and sweep you off your feet, but he was paralysed, fighting with himself. I mean it couldn’t be you, but it was you, maybe a granddaughter, but the way you smiled and that little scar on your cheek.

As he saw you about to turn to face him, he bolted. Steve needed a second opinion.

*****

If there was anyone who could help him, it would be Bucky. Though you were Steve’s girl, the three of you were inseparable together, you were like Buckys little sister.

Running through the compound to find his friend earned him some strange looks, but he didn’t care, he needed Buckys help.

“Bucky?! Are you in there?!” Steve knocked loudly and shouted for his friend.

“Hold your horses, punk! I’m coming, I’m coming.” He heard Bucky yell from his ensuite.

Opening the door, Bucky was met by a worried-faced Steve. He and Steve had known each other a long time, and he’d never seen him look like this before.

“Steve, what is it?” His friend asked him, great concern lacing his voice.

“Y/N, it’s y/n… I-I’m pretty sure I found her.” Steve worryingly confesses.

Hearing her name after so much time, Buckys eyes light up with hope, while his mouth drops open in surprise, simply staring at his friend. It sounded crazy, but Bucky knew Steve well enough to know that he was being honest about this.

“Lets go then.” Bucky confidently decided as he grabbed his jacket and made Steve show him the way.

*****

“There she is.” Steve announced to his friend as they stood outside the cafe.

Bucky couldn’t believe his eyes, it really was you. Much like Steve, Bucky had also tried to track you down and similarly believed you to be dead, but there you stand, perfectly alive and young.

“It really is her.” Bucky said, both shock and wonder laced in his voice as he turned to his friend.

“Come on, we need to see her.” Bucky decides, grabbing Steve by the bicep as he pushes Steve through the cafe doors.

“No, Buck, no.” Steve protests like a child, but Bucky wouldn’t have it, as he dragged the blonde to the front counter where you were wiping the bench.

Looking up to see them standing there, it took all of your will power not to break down, as you put on your best customer service voice.

“Hey there. Would you guys like a table or take away?” You asked, trying your best to keep your voice level.

Your reaction to seeing them visibly hurt both of the men, they knew it was you, it had to be. Why were you lying to them?

“Y/N, doll, it’s me, it’s us, Steve and Bucky. I know we look a little different but it’s us.” Steve told you, hoping you just didn’t recognise them, but you did.

Of course you recognised them, how could you not? When Steve went under at the end of the war, you thought your love was gone and that you would never have to hide your immortality from him, it both crushed and relieved you. But when he came out of the ice, you cried and cried; your love was back but you knew you couldn’t have him, he couldn’t know the curse that had been given to you while he was away. To see them both now filled you with that same delight and fear as it did when you first heard Steve had resurfaced.

“That’s not my name, I think you’ve got the wrong girl there, I’m sorry.” You tried to politely brush him off, pointing to your name tag of your new alias.

Hearing this broke the boys even more, and their dejected faces broke you some more too.

“No! No, you’re y/n! It’s her Buck, it’s her.” Steve began to panic, turning to his friend with tears.

“I know, come on let’s go.” He told his friend, trying to calm him as he walked out with Steve before they could make anymore of a scene.

As Bucky walked his hysterical friend out, he caught your eye and saw the sadness and shame in your face. You looked at each other and it felt like your secret was revealed.

It crushed you to see Steve like that, but you had to.

******

It took Bucky an hour to calm Steve down once they got back to the tower, he was pacing and ranting and crying. Steve was so confused and so hurt, he knew it was you and he knew that you recognised him. Steve needed you back more than ever.

“You need to go talk to her, one on one. She knows you, but she’s scared, Steve. Go back tonight when they close and woo her with your awkward asthmatic charm, that some how got her in the first place.” Bucky encouraged his friend.

“Heh, thanks Buck. I’ll let you know how it all goes.” He thanked his friend as he wiped the tears from his face.

“Hey, Steve?”

Steve turned as he reached the door, turning to his friend.

“Get our y/n back?” He asked, his voice lightly breaking as tears seemed to pool in his eyes.

A hopeful smile broke out onto Steve’s face as he turned to open the door, leaving to get you back.

*****

Walking into the alleyway behind the cafe, you push open one of the large dumpers to put the bags of rubbish into it. The sooner you could leave the better, you needed to work out a plan to start over. Steve couldn’t know about you, and you needed to go on the run again.

“Y/N?” You heard that all too familiar gentle voice, that sweet voice. That same soothing tone that helped you when you got your first period, or before you started your first shift at the diner in town.

You weren’t sure if you were strong enough to keep up this act anymore, but you had to.

“Oh it’s you again. Look I’m sorry you think I’m this ‘y/n’, but I’m not and I need you leave.” You try to sound convincing, but your voice cracks and your vulnerability begins to show.

“Please, doll, I know it’s you. Whatever’s going on, we can work it out together.” He reassures you, now standing before you, with his hands gently cupping your cheeks.

Staring up into his big beautiful eyes, you can’t stand it anymore, and the dam breaks. Tears roll down your face as you try to hold back sobs, your own hands reaching up to touch his own face.

“You look so different, but you’re still my sweet Stevie. I guess now when you get into fights for me, you might actually win.” You joke with your love, your vision blurring from both tears and shared laughter.

Hearing your joke and realising you do know him, Steve’s face lights up and a bright laugh rumbles his large body. His joy spreads all over him as can’t help but lift you and twirl you around.

“I knew it was you.”

“It’s me, Stevie, it’s me.” You gently comfort him, as you lean down to gently press your lips to his in a soft and sweet kiss.

[namelessprayers]

in a scalding heatwave of 1980s arizona, sua slaved away behind a counter of a dreary diner somewhere out in the middle of who knows where. she minimally swept the tiled the floors and unenthusiastically took cheques from equally unenthused customers, likely driving from nowhere to nowhere on long and wide dirt roads.

eventually, the hue of the sand and the sun would meld together in their eyes; thus, the point of the dingy little pit stop which sua was condemned to work at. it was made just a bit more unbearable by the high temperature on this specifically irksome dayshift she regretted accepting.

"pink hair with blue end's yours." luka said.

for being their manager, he wasn't particularly invested in ever actually doing things. he only ever served the pair of brown haired siblings who came in few and far enough times for sua to not remember their names. another weird thing about luka was the fact that he largely identified people by their haircut and colour. "ivan's still entertaining the red haired one, so, you better get on that."

"right." sua responded dryly, propping her broom back in its designated corner. she stopped herself from letting out a huff of frustration, instead resigned to plaster on a forced smile and comply to luka's orders. "it would be my pleasure."

======

so it turns out that pink hair is a weirdo, despite all things considered, like the fact that they're in the middle of nowhere and by that logic everyone is already pretty weird. somehow, she manages to be weirder.

okay, so maybe there isn't anything wrong with being weird, or wrong with the pink haired girl. still. she's strange, and the way she keeps staring at sua is off putting to say the least.

then again, a lot of people stare at sua. luka says she should lighten up and take it as a compliment, while ivan often laughs over it by telling sua that it's not every day you meet someone like her. though she brushes the words off, she still mulls about the connotations of what ivan insinuates, even if he mostly spouts pointless information.

he can be pretty observant, him and luka both, even if it's uncanny and unnerving in sua's opinion; she supposes it's helpful if there's merit to the observations, and there might be in this situation, as pink hair is earnestly eyeing sua with big bright eyes that might as well be cleaving into her soul.

no, pink hair is definitely weirder than the standard of their clientele.

several times after ordering a singular strawberry milkshake, she calls sua back to get another straw since she chewed on hers too hard or to get a new napkin because she shredded the old one into shreds.

it only feels right when she hangs around for all the rest of sua's shift, to the point that sua can't help glaring in the direction of pink hair as she folds up her apron to leave. when she finishes depositing the necessary things in the storage room, she exits to be greeted by ivan, who's smiling with a tad too much glee as he always does when till is going to be on the next shift within the next hour.

"what do you want?" flatly asks sua, direct as she always is so that she can leave faster and hopefully escape the oppressing heat of the poorly aired diner sooner. like always, ivan grins in the face of sua's bluntness with an edge of irritating amusement. she clenches her jaw, stifling an annoyed sigh but not her frown.

"when did you get a girlfriend?"

"a girlfriend?" echoes sua, both incredulous and skeptical, as well as awed at either the notion or ivan's sheer gall. "i don't have a girlfriend."

"really?" says ivan, tilting his head in a way that flashes his snaggletooth out the corner of his smile. it's smug, like he knows something sua doesn't. immediately, she wonders how much she needs to bribe ivan with so he doesn't go blabbing to luka about her supposed girlfriend. "then what's the pink haired girl at the counter doing waiting around for you?"

"did she say that, or are you just assuming?" sua replies defensively, but also more confidently than she feels, as both answers to her question are going to prove to be a problem.

"she said she's here to pick you up," continues ivan, ignorant to the dilemma it sparks in sua, "did you schedule a hang out and forget or something?" his brows crease ever so slightly as his gaze seems to narrow in on where sua bites the inside of her cheek. "were you planning on brushing her off? because that's kind of a douchey thing to do. honestly, sua, i didn't take you for that kind of person."

"i'm not." she barely manages to grit out in a flimsy rebuttal. "plus, isn't till the one who never shows up on time to- like -everything?"

"yeah," answers ivan with ease and a certain wistfulness in his expression, "but he's allowed to do that." since she's pretty sure the disgust shows on her face, sua walks past ivan and chooses not to dignify his unwavering affliction towards till with a response.

======

the scene has a filmy overlay to it, as though it was put in the oven and hasn't come out, roasting and cooking steadily.

sua chalks up her discomfort to the heat and ties up her hair for good measure, cursing the fact that she hasn't yet gotten around to cutting it. of course, the insane climate isn't the craziest thing sua's got to tend to at the moment, as the pink haired girl was and is still being insistent in... well, in being an interesting sort of nuisance.

"you're saying you've been looking for a long time across parallel dimensions. specifically, looking for me." surmises sua in the most saccharine tone she can muster. then, with an air of added wonderment, "for me?"

"uh huh. who else?" asks pink hair, genuinely pondering in the question that sua doesn't get; it should be more like literally anyone else but her. somehow, pink hair doesn't seem to agree. "in every universe, no matter the circumstance, i meet you and you change my life. that's just the way it is sua, i don't know how else to explain."

"wait, how do you know my name?" says sua, managing to wrap her thoughts around approximately half of what impossible narrative this stranger is giving to her.

"the alternate dimension travel, obviously." comes the immediate statement which sua only gives a disbelieving a stare to. pink hair raises her free hand and drink with wide disarming eyes. "i'm not lying. i really have been looking, and for a very long time. see, in every universe, we've already met and there's no room for me. i'm just an extra. the entire scheme of existence doesn't really have a place for me to be. so, i thought, maybe if i found a sua without a mizi, there'd be an empty space that i could fill."

"a mizi." mulls sua aloud. "so that's your name." she affirms, more to herself than to the other, but mizi gets the memo and flushes bright red anyways.

"shoot, i did kind of forget to introduce myself, didn't i? well, no time like the present to do it. i'm mizi." she amends, extending a hand sheepishly for sua to shake. the miracle is that their fingers and palms don't feel all that sweaty when they touch. if anything, sua supposes it seems kind of right. a correction of her life.

"i'm sua. but you already knew that."

======

bizarre as their first meeting was, sua is glad for it. mizi doesn't mention much upon the subject of why she had to traverse such lengths just to find sua, but it doesn't matter so much, now that they have each other and can stay that way for as long as existence allows.

instead, mizi likes to go over the many universes and ways they fell in love. they're officially girlfriends now, although ivan and everyone else is under the impression that sua had just been keeping a secret girlfriend from them for the last five years of working at their quaint diner in the middle of nowhere.

which is to say that everyone else are idiots, but sua doesn't mind when she finishes shifts and locks up to be greeted by mizi's sincere smiles and bubbly laughter. sua doesn't know if mizi was lying about the parallel dimensions and hopping through realities where they were always together, but she thinks there's truth to it, even if it was a largely fabricated thing to get sua's attention.

then again, she doesn't think mizi's capable of being anything but honest. it's one of the things she loves most about her; the ability to be realistically optimistic, against all odds.

======

"how do you deal with it, being here where no one is anybody and we're all nobodies? isn't it... sad? don't you wish you were in any other universe since you've seen them all?"

"i can deal with it because of you. i don't feel like a nobody with you; and if we were actually somebodies in other timelines or worlds, i don't think i need much in this universe. maybe, this is just a respite, and maybe that's enough. yeah, it's sad, but it's not lonely. there's no other place i'd rather be than right here next to you."

sua thinks they might be cosmically intwined, or something like that.

[imahinatjon]

Can you write something about a reader who only focuses on what they did wrong. Like for example, they had a mission that they succeeded flawlessly in, and they know that. But they only focus on the small mistakes and how to perfect them. And after some time, Fyodor, who has started to fall in love with them, grows irritated at their unhealthy habit and decides to teach them a lesson, by overstimulating them. No worries if you don't want to write something like this

It has been WAYYY too long. I am so sorry for not getting to this sooner. But hey! Its done now. Been a busy month and my hands are killing me lol.

Anyway, here it is. Overstimulation with fyodor. Maybe out of character.

How much more?

Fyodor x Reader 18+ 💋

This was... oh THIS was irritating. Fyodor didn't send you out often, in his opinion you were too good for the lowly, mediocre jobs, so he'd wait for a better and more Important mission to send you on- he trusted you'd get the job done.

Not that he'd ever told you that.

So of course, you assume your kept behind so often because your not good enough to go on missions - without even realising that the ones you DO get assigned are the more important ones.

But how were you to know that they were important to him? You'd never seen a 'normal' job.

No normal person would ever be caught complaining to Fyodor in such a way. The only person who spoke to him so familiarly was you.

And it was ovbious he had some sort of feeling towards you, to everyone but yourself. Your colleagues weren't sure if they should worry for you or be glad you'd be somewhat protected.

Aha! But, none of that is the point, not really. The focus of this is what your doing right now - complaining again to Fyodor. Telling him all about your last mission. An astounding success it was! But... well, that one guard? He managed to spot you and alert a few other guys of your infiltration, all because you were a little too loud. I mean, you did take them down, but you have a rather nasty scratch on your arm. Only a scratch, but it hurt, and hindered the rest of your mission. Maybe if not for that first mistake. It would have gone a little more smoothly.

Fyodor really didn't care. You did the job, and you made sure it was a success, all the little details were inconsequential.

But he listened to you. Patting your head as your frowned deeply when you sat beside him.

He wanted to fix the problem. Somehow. Your constant complaining DID get annoying at times. Besides, you were seriously underselling yourself on a regular basis.

Then he had an idea.

In hindsight, a stupid idea which didn't make much sense, and wouldn't do anything to fix things in the long run, but it'd be a temporary fix.

...

That and he just really wanted to eat you out.

This little thought of his, an impulse he'd never have acted on if he wasn't already a little ticked is what landed you on your back, sprawled over a sofa, fyodor gently massaging your genitalia, ghosting gently over all your most sensitive parts with his cold hands.

Occasionally he'd hit that one spot, making you flinch with a cold shiver up your spine and your hips twitch.

You sighed quietly, he was slow, and it was relaxing, blissful, and then you felt something warm fan over you.

Opening your eyes you spied his mouth closing in on you, ready to take in your essence.

"W-wait!" You yelped

Fyodor stopped and looked up, expectantly, he wanted an explanation

"Its not... I'm... what if it doesn't... it won't taste... Good?" You weren't sure hoe exactly it should he said. You were sure whatever he wanted to do would feel heavenly, and you desperately wanted him to continue, but doubts persisted.

He sighed.

"Any more complaining and I'm not letting you come"

'What?' You thought to yourself. He was harsh, and you were sure he would stick to his word should you complain again, but, his hand squeezed yor thight gently. A subtle message 'its okay'

And he was soon back between your legs, tongue working wonders, one hand over your stomach, arm keeping you still, the other toying where his mouth was absent.

He moved around a lot, switching his attention to various parts of your body, bringing you closer and closer to an edge you would soon reach.

You felt your muscles tighten, his hair run between your fingers, and you were sure you must have called his name at some point as your mouth was open and throat a little dry.

You needed some water.

But something was stopping you after your climax. A sensation that slightly ached, made you wince and look down. Fyodor was still going. He has to know you've already come right? Surely...?

Of course he knew.

But you hadn't much time to entertain his intentions as your next orgasm was ready to crash down upon you like a tidle wave, more intense than the previous.

He shifted, leaning up over you.

"Think you can come again..."

You wanted to shake your head no...

But... the I

Thoughts of what he could do to you... this was a change you didn't get everyday.

All you could do was weakly nod. Even if all your insides all felt tight, even if it ached slightly, even if you grew tired... you wanted to take everything he would give to you.

Just like another mission. How much could you take?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good?

[everlasting-rainfall]

-Most Terrifying Yandere in One Piece-

Okay so I just had a thought of who the most terrifying Yandere in One Piece would be as yes, Luffy is someone who would probably rip the entire world apart just to get his hands on you but it ain’t him in my personal opinion

Sanji would crack the skull of any man who tried to speak to you and Zoro is so intimidating that no one would probably even dare try to speak to you

Boa would trap you with her without you even knowing that you’re trapped and if you ever do then you won’t be able to do anything about it, Robin knows exactly how to hurt you and exactly what to say in order to keep you from leaving her side

Akainu could have an “Only Alive” bounty placed on your head if you ever managed to escape him, Garp would chase you to the ends of the earth until he had you again

Kaido would keep you locked up in Onigashima in a place where only he would only be able to access you to ensure that he’s the only one that can see you, Big Mom would have you dragged off to Tottoland by her many sons and daughters in order to attend your wedding with her

But I gotta say that I don’t think any of them would be the most terrifying Yandere in One Piece and keep in mind that this is just personal opinion… But you know who would be?

!-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL-!

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

Kidnapping, No Hope, Total Island Destruction, Uncomfortable Situations, Attempted Murder, Starvation, Imprisonment, Mind Break

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

!-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL-!

!-MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE MANGA AND MOST RECENT EPISODES OF ONE PIECE-!

!-BEWARE SPOILERS-!

That would be this fucker right here in my personal opinion… Imu…

Why? Well I’d like you to think about this as Imu is someone that little to no one knows exists and no one even knows what Imu even looks like to begin with so let’s say that somehow you did manage to escape Imu’s grasp

You can’t tell anyone who had you… No one would know who you’re talking about and now that person you just told? They’re going to face an imminent death…

We all saw what happened on Lulusia too, all that just to kill Sabo who saw Imu if I’m right. An entire country wiped from history so if you told that person about Imu then you just potentially wiped that island out…

Granted Imu might leave you unharmed like they won’t kill you but there’s a good chance that when you’re brought back to them, it will be with your ability to walk or even stand removed so now you’re stuck with this person… Assuming Imu is a person, that is…

Plus I don’t think that Imu would even reveal their appearance to you for a good long while so imagine sitting down for a meal with this person covered head to toe in black, they stare at you with these unblinking red eyes anytime that you make a sound

If there was any way to lose your appetite, it would probably be from the sheer uncomfortable feelings brought on by Imu’s staring… I don’t think that they would even speak to you for a while after being captured so you’re just living with someone whose dead silent and won’t stop staring at you…

Also that brings up the case of imagine catching the attention of Imu like maybe you were one of the few people unlucky enough to be able to approach Imu but how much more terrifying would it be if you were just some civilian?

Who knows how they found out about you but once they decide that they want you, you’re being seemingly arrested out of the blue like you’ve done the worst crime imaginable if you aren’t just straight up kidnapped

Then you’re brought before this person who you’re absolutely terrified of and have absolutely no clue what they want from you only to be left alone with them because this is home now

Fucking horrifying if you ask me…

You can’t even hope at killing Imu either as even if they have no fighting skills, you’d probably have to get insanely lucky in trying to kill them like I’m talking winning the lottery eight times in a row on the same day then seeing like a quadruple rainbow on your way home only to find that every problem with your home miraculously fixed itself kind of lucky…

So let’s say that you did achieve that kind of luck and managed to sneak up and seemingly kill Imu in order to hopefully return to your life before all of this occurred, it seems like you might be home free and escape is so close within your grasp…

But let’s not forget about something…

And knowing that the Gorosei’s devil fruit forms can regenerate from seemingly just about anything, I’d assume that Imu can do it as well so they’re pissed that you tried to kill them after how kindly that they’ve treated you

So as you’re running, you’ll likely look back and see whatever this is chasing after you until it grabs you in a grip that feels like it’s trying to crush you as they drag you back where you belong

If you make Imu mad then they likely aren’t going to treat you with kindness like I can honestly see them depriving you of food and locking you up until you’ve learnt your lesson, Imu wouldn’t kill you and wouldn’t allow anyone to lay a finger on you to harm you

But by the end, you’ll be wishing that you were dead and no matter how much you might scream that you’ve learnt your lesson… Imu will leave you there until they know that you have only coming to you to give you just enough food and water to where you’ll survive…

Once Imu is sure that you’ve learnt your lesson and will never try anything like that again, that is when you’ll finally be freed from your prison and actually start to be treated with gentleness and kindness as well

Imu might even test how your time locked up affected as you as they’ll caress you and if you lean into it then they’ll kiss you… And if you return it? That’s probably the first time that you’ll hear their voice speaking the word “Good”

They’ll be gentle with you as they wash your body and take care of you until you’re all better but don’t think for a second that Imu won’t shove you back into your prison if it’s needed…

Now this isn’t to say that any other One Piece character isn’t absolutely terrifying as everyone is absolutely horrifying like hell… Luffy is absolutely horrifying because of Gear 5…

This is just my personal opinion on who I think is the scariest… And it’s Imu without a doubt for me…

[itsthedoodle]

Gossip

Summary:

“It’s called fucking, Elain. Didn’t you hear our sister claim how much better she can do that now?”

“Surely she was exaggerating—”

“Oh I highly doubt that,” Nesta interrupted her, pouring them both a cup of tea. “That male, Rhysand, for all his arrogance, looked like he could fuck our sister for a week straight.”

Read on ao3 🩵

“Feyre looks different”.

Nesta merely grunted, and Elain sighed. She didn’t really know what she expected, to be honest. Her two sisters had never gotten along, and considering how similar they were, she felt like screaming half the time. It wasn’t that Nesta was mean, though Elain was aware that she had been shown more love and kindness than Feyre ever had been. Nesta was just very selective about the people she let in. For some reason, Feyre had never managed to breach the high walls Nesta had erected around herself, and Nesta certainly hadn’t made it easy for their younger sister. 

“Her friends were nice,” Elain said, trying to get a word out of her older sister. “Very polite, too. I especially appreciate how well mannered Rhysand was. Azriel was also very polite. What did you think of Cassian?”

“He’s a brute, and Rhysand is an arrogant asshole. I have no opinion regarding the third one, though I can only assume he is the same as the other two.” 

Elain tried not to roll her eyes. “Well at least this one can knock and didn’t ruin our front door. He doesn’t look as hairy either, which is good for our sister, I suppose.”

Nesta stopped in her tracks. “What are you implying?”

“Oh come on,” Elain said, a corner of her mouth lifting slightly. “You cannot possibly tell me you didn’t notice that Rhysand is smitten with our sister.”

Nesta raised a delicate eyebrow. “She is rather nice to look at. Isaac Hale thought so, too.”

Elain could feel a headache forming. Pinching her nose, she let out a very slow breath. “Isaac meant nothing to Feyre and you know it. The other one though, the blonde Fae Lord—”

“Don’t talk about that imbecile.” 

Elain paused at Nesta’s reproachful look. Hating the High Fae was one thing, but her tone on the word imbecile implied Nesta held a sort of dislike for the blond male that far surpassed the disdain she had towards his kind in general. 

She let it drop, choosing to focus on something else instead. “Do you think they have, you know?”

Elain followed closely when Nesta started walking again. “Do I think they have what?”

“You know what Nesta.”

“No Elain,” Nesta said with what sounded like a semi amused tone. “As a matter of fact, I don’t.”

“Oh come on, don’t make me say it.”

“Make you say what?”

Elain clenched her fists. “Do you think they have made love?”

Nesta started laughing, and Elain felt her cheeks burn. 

“It’s called fucking, Elain. Didn’t you hear our sister claim how much better she can do that now?”

“Surely she was exaggerating—”

“Oh I highly doubt that,” Nesta interrupted her, pouring them both a cup of tea. “That male, Rhysand, for all his arrogance, looked like he could fuck our sister for a week straight.”

“I truly do not wish to think of Feyre doing… that.”

“Well you offered our home now,” Nesta shrugged. “Who knows, maybe next time we have to host them overnight we’ll get to hear all about their sex life.” Nesta tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Do you think she’s a screamer? Maybe we need to relocate to the other side of the house.”

Elain slapped her palms over her ears. “Please stop.”

Nesta laughed, but obliged and sipped her tea. There was a moment of silence, with Nesta clearly expecting her to say something. “Do you think they have though?”

Nesta shrugged. “I doubt it. Our sister is as clueless as they come, and Rhysand looked like a sexually frustrated male. But they are for sure going to.”

“You think so?”

Nesta gave her a look. “She basically said he is her boss, yet they ask for a room with two beds? I give them a few more weeks, one month at most.”

“I think Feyre loves him, she just doesn’t know it yet.”

Nesta contemplated Elain’s words for a moment, tossing them around in her head. Elain was a romantic, but she wasn’t daft. She knew her younger sister, and she knew Feyre hadn’t come to terms with her own feelings yet. She wanted to know what Nesta thought about it. It had been a while since they had gossiped so freely, but she patiently waited for her sister to speak. 

“I think…” Nesta said. “I think you’re right, but I also think Feyre carries a lot of guilt in her heart for something that was absolutely not her fault. And she needs to forgive herself for that first.”

Agreeing, Elain simply nodded. They fell into a comfortable silence, drinking their tea and enjoying the quiet house. Her thoughts strayed back to her sister’s friends, to how Cassian and Nesta had annoyed one another during his entire stay here, and she wondered how much she would welcome being teased like that. 

Smirking, she lifted the cup to her lips. “So. You find Cassian attractive, don’t you?”

Nesta almost choked on her tea. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m sure he finds you attractive as well. He also looked quite big and strong.”

Nesta shot up and quickly started walking away. “I don’t care.” 

Elain laughed, deciding to drop it for the time being. “I’m sure you don’t, Nesta.”

But Nesta cared, and so did Cassian, and Elain was going to have the time of her life teasing her about it. 

[bet-on-me-13]

Silent Chaos prompt

I don’t know if that is the actual ship name, but Dani Phantom usually has Chaos in her ship name and Cass is really sneaky so Silent? idk, anyways-

I have an idea for an angst story involving this ship

Dani and Cass have been friends for a while now, and recently started dating, but the rest of her family doesn’t really trust Dani. She doesn’t have any sort of backstory, she seems to be (badly) hiding Meta Abilities for unknown reasons, she constantly references a Brother somewhere in Illinois who doesn’t seem to exist, and she is nowhere to be seen some nights. So overall she seems very suspicious.

Cass feels slightly betrayed that her Family doesn’t trust her Girlfriend, even when she vouches for her. There’s too many red flags for them to ignore, so she can’t really argue with them, but she still feels like they should trust her judgement.

Dani meanwhile has a passive aggressive relationship with them at best. She kind of dislikes them because they have made their opinions on their relationship apparent, but she tries to be passive for Cass.

This all comes to a head one night when Dani is at her night job. She is a low level henchmen working for Penguin, cause she needs to pay the bills some way and she can’t exactly set up citizenship while being hunted by the GIW. Dani also hates the idea of mooching off of her girlfriend. She gets involved in a fight with the Bat Family, and she is managing to barely hold her own, even while still hiding her powers.

She is wearing a classic Goon mask, so they can’t recognize her as she fights them.

Orphan joins the fight, and during their scuffle they rip each others masks off. They are both shocked, and Cass freezes long enough to get shot in the back by a stray bullet.

Dani just falls to her knees as the battle ends, the other Goons retreating as she stays with Cass on the ground. The rest of the Bat Family rush up to her and push her away, trying to tend to Cass. Maybe Damian even says something along the lines of “I knew we couldn’t trust you!”

But Dani knows she needs to hurry. Cass was shot in the Spine, which is going to kill her soon, not even mentioning the blood loss. So she rushes in, phasing past the Bat Family members that try to stop her, and jumps into Cass’s Body to Overshadow her. While being overshadowed, Cass has all of her powers including her Regeneration, but it’s going to take a while to heal damage this intense.

She manages to at least stabilize her, and then uses her floating to get cass upright.

The Bat Family immediately try to restrain her, try to do anything to force her out of Cass’s body, anything to save their sister. But Dani refuses, and can’t get a word in to explain. They are being very aggressive, verbally not physically obviously, accusing her of a bunch of stuff while yelling at her to get out of their sister. 

Eventually, Dani can’t take it anymore and has to run away. Flying away at top speed, she manages to get away and hide in an abandoned apartment while she focuses on healing Cass’s body. She also leaves a letter in her pocket, explaining what happened and that she needed to leave after this, because the GIW would hear about this and try to capture her.

Meanwhile, the Bat Family is assuming the worst as per usual. They think Dani only became friends with Cass in the first place to get the chance to steal her body, or to blackmail them by using Cass as a hostage, or something equally horrible.

They eventually find a lead. Dani had the same powers as an Ectoplasmic Entity, meaning she is an imprint of a Human Consciousness which has absolutely no empathetic or emotional feelings whatsoever. This further solidifies their theory that Dani was just using Cass this entire time.

(If they had been in a more right state of mind, they would have found that the Dr’s who published that study later retracted it for misinformation)

They also find out that there is a Government Agency called the GIW who works to hunt these sort of creatures. Out of options (JLD is off world), they contact the GIW under their Civilian identities, claiming that a Ghost kidnapped Cass in the night and escaped.

The GIW appears, manages to trap Dani as she is getting for supplies to patch Cass’s body up, and delivers her to the Waynes so they can perform an “exorcism” (basically they just boot Dani out of Cass’s body using Blood Blossoms)

Cass is released from the Overshadowing, still very much injured but stable and healing thanks to Dani. The GIW capture Dani as she tries to escape, and take her away.

Cass is put in the Medical Wing, and when she wakes up, she asks where Dani is. Bruce tells her that Dani was arrested for kidnapping her, and she wouldn’t hurt her anymore. Cass is angry, she had some memory of being overshadowed, and she could hear Dani’s panicked thoughts the entire time.

She was desperate to save her, even risking using up all of her energy to heal her. She used up all of her emergency funds to buy medical supplies, even knowing she would need them soon because her Power Usage would attract “them”

She tells them to leave her alone. And when they try to stay, she nearly screams at them, before her muteness kicks in and she just signs ‘Leave’, throwing a piece of paper at them. They pick it up and leave as she starts crying to herself

 It is the letter from Dani, apologizing for having to Overshadow her and apologizing for not telling her about the Night Job. She explains that once she is healed, Dani is going to have to leave and never come back, because the GIW will find her if she stays. And she can’t risk being captured, because the might do what they did her brother to her.

They are confused, finally second guessing themselves, and leave her in peace as they go to do a more thorough investigation. Now that they are in their right minds, and have seen Dani’s Ghost Form, Tim feels like it’s kind of Familiar.

He looks it up, and lo and behold, he finds an Article about “Phantom and Phantasm”, the Ghost Fighting Heroes of Amity Park who mysteriously disappeared about 7 months ago.

Right after the “Anti-Ecto Acts” were passed in Congress.

Which, now that he’s looking them up and reading more thoroughly, seem extremely unethical. They gave the GIW permission to do anything they want with Ghosts, declaring them non-sentient and completely malicious.

The Anti-Ecto Acts, combined with the letter mentioning her brother, makes Tim realize what’s going on.

The GIW killed the Hero Phantom, and they just gave them the Hero Phantasm. 

And that is the perfect explanation for all of their suspicions about Dani. She has no backstory because she died years ago (presumably), she was hiding her powers because the GIW would find her is she used them, her brother doesn’t seem to exist because he’s dead, and she disappeared some nights because she can’t get a Legal job and unfortunately Goon Work is one of the better paying jobs in the city.

And she ran away because they were screaming at her in a rage, not because she wanted to kidnap their sister. She was terrified of them.

Looking back to the studies on Ectoplasmic Entities, They had been retracted years ago after the Dr’s who published it discovered that Ghosts were sentient after all, and not all of them were malicious. Since then they had been speaking out against the Anti-Ecto Acts, saying that the GIW had killed their son, which, looking at their collateral damage records, was not hard to believe.

They had fucked up. And both Cass and Dani were suffering for it.