#THIS IS HOW I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT A HYPOTHETICAL ROMANCE BETWEEN THEM

[tossawary]

Every now and again, I'll come across some fanfiction in which an emotionally conflicted character will consult (usually kind of trashy) romance novels or in-universe fanfiction for advice or information. And it almost always snaps my suspension of disbelief.

If it's some terminally online teenage geek character or a hopeless romantic bookworm character? Sure! And, of course, there's great humor to be had in a sporty jock struggling with his queer awakening hesitantly picking up the bodice-ripper that his mum left on the coffee table. There ARE scenarios where "romance novels and fanfic as research" tracks just fine. I also understand the existence of the "I want to give this character I like the hobbies I like" / "I want to poke fun at this type / genre of fiction" aspect on the author's side.

But in any scenario with some normie adult man? Some straight, cisgender guy with normie dude hobbies and no evidence that he even CAN read, much less that he enjoys reading? Then it's a "not only would he not fucking do this, I honestly don't even believe he'd know this course of action exists" characterization situation.

Like, there are an astonishing number of people, especially dudes, who could not even name a romance novel to save their fucking life. No, not even a Jane Austen novel or "Twilight" or something. Their eyes glaze over that section of a bookstore. They are mentally filing that shit out to leave more room for sports or first-person-shooter video games or something. They have no respect for this type of fiction, if they're into reading fiction at all! They unconsciously or even explicitly believe that making eye contact with a bodice-ripper will permanently damage their masculinity, and they would flinch away from touching one like most people are scared of scorpions. They don't know aaaaanything about it! They have no concept of "the good stuff" versus "the bad stuff"; it's all soap operas and pornography to them, not a source of information.

And lots of people still don't even know that fanfiction is a thing. They go through life blissfully unaware of fandom wank. Or if they do know of fanfiction, it holds no appeal for them. Playing with other people's characters, or writing fictional stories about real people, is weirdo fanatic behavior to them! Not a source of information.

(And, to be clear, I'm not saying this tracks for all female characters. No, obviously, plenty of women don't like romance novels or fanfic. Plenty of women who do like those would never look at them as sources of information either, for a variety of very good reasons. It's just really funny when a story has the most normie bro guy to ever bro engage with this type of fiction.)

So, like, no, there are some characters whom I cannot be persuaded would ever read any of this stuff. (Speaking as a terminally online fanatic!) And honestly, there are plenty of more realistic and far funnier options for some normie dude character looking for love advice.

A) Friends and family. Or else colleagues and coworkers. It is almost always hilarious when a character goes up to someone else and says, "Hey, hypothetical scenario: [the stupidest shit you've heard in your life]. Any advice for that?" Also, you can have sincerely emotional conversations between friends! Or else good angst if the friend or family member reacts in a hostile manner or gives bad advice!

B) A magazine or chick flick movie. I can easily be persuaded that a normie dude would at least know these exist, or have one left at his house by an ex-girlfriend who made him watch it one time. Normie dudes are also more likely to consider these big publications more legitimate for advice than random romance novels or fanfic.

C) Some random advice column blog or non-fiction self-help book. Could be legitimately good advice for specific situations by a thoughtful professional, could be a money-grab scam written by a quack! How is some lovesick, emotionally dense guy supposed to tell by a book cover?

D) On that note: a relationship advice TikTok influencer or YouTuber or some random advice forum, probably Reddit or the like. The pros and the quacks are unhelpfully everywhere now! And possibly even have a live chat acting as their studio audience to make airing dirty laundry more toxic than ever. Potentially, you will find the kindest person alive with a terrible username willing to gently walk you through therapy, the online equivalent of meeting a figurative angel in a dive bar, but probably not. Bad advice is much more likely.

E) Doing no research, remaining uninformed, and blustering through the situation based on random pre-conceptions if anything. Honestly, I think some of these guys would just ignore the problem, even a potentially deadly problem, rather than touch a Harlequin romance novel, much less AO3 fanfiction. Sexism and internalized homophobia are a hell of a drug. It's just not happening.

I don't have a clean conclusion for this, it's just a funny thing that I've noticed every now and again. There ARE guys who like these types of fiction, of course! There ARE male characters who own an e-reader full of rom novels, sure, and don't give a shit what anyone else thinks. "This [normie male character who is both pretty offline and worries about appearing sufficiently masculine in a pretty toxic way] is reading a lot of romance novels and/or fanfiction as a form of research!" Yeah, no, that's really hard to pull off. If this guy is touching the internet at all, he's far more likely to make the most ridiculous Reddit post you've ever seen and then start belligerent fights in the comments.

[32girassoisdevangogh]

It's like the yaoi version of ''The Scorpion and the Frog''.

Spoilers for Book of Bill

Thoughts on Bill talking about Ford

I was not prepared for canon Billford in the year 2024 and yet here we are.

But seriously, I'm kinda surprised how much Bill actually liked and valued Ford? Obviously it's in a horrible, toxic, never come within the same continent as them kind of way but it's just, I always kind of figured their relationship (while obviously adoring from Ford's end due to Journal 3) was mainly just Bill humoring Ford long enough until he no longer needs him. Like, 'yeah, sure, of course you're special, I definitely believe in you' sort of nonsense.

But in Bill's book it's implied multiple times he had as close to a crush on Ford as he's probably capable of. I mean, the whole 'love cage' section is literally verbatim what he did to Ford (and just wait until they're mentally broken enough to confess their true feelings! Fear and love are basically the same thing!) And in the valentine's section he talks about leaving mice, which again, he did for Ford's birthday, and then when he wasn't happy about that, got him drunk enough to have a good time (implied kinda forcibly? since Ford declined beforehand). Then there's the fact he literally calls Fiddleford a third wheel (also coincidentally after we just learn Fiddleford spent hours on handmade gifts for Ford and forgot to get his wife anything).

And when Ford finally does catch on and things go bad? Bill tries first to talk with Ford through the zombies (to manipulate him, of course, but also Admit it, you'd miss me. I have missed you, and Bill actually smiles.) And then leaves little sticky notes asking nicely to talk. When he finally gets mad enough to escalate, he still does so in a very not-violent-for-Bill-way. Sure, killing Ford wouldn't help him but we know how messed up Bill can get. And yet what does he do? He leaves Ford's body to almost freeze, only to have a warm fire and a love song playing when he wakes up. He causes mild public disturbances and gives him an obnoxious tattoo. When he finally, finally snaps is when we start to see more of the Bill we got in the show when he tortures Ford a bit. But even that is mild?

Like, Bill rearranged a man's face for fun and takes joy in destroying the Nightmare Realm. But after threating Ford he leaves him unharmed. Very mentally scarred, yes, but safe and intact. He even gives him three days to get his life together. And then treats it like a messy breakup when Ford finally breaks free. Hell, it seems like he was more upset about losing Ford than losing the portal.

All this is to say that I think from Bill's point of view he was being genuinely kind to Ford. He gave him gifts, complimented him, and tried to work things out peacefully when Ford started pulling away (again, his very messed up version of peaceful, but the point still stands).

So when they do finally meet again? Bill still offers Ford a spot next to him. Again, I originally thought this was more playing into Ford's ego while taking a cheap shot at him (i.e. you'll fit in great with the freaks!), but by now it's obvious he wants Ford. He's petty and cruel and horribly abusive about it, but in his own twisted way he likes Ford. A lot. Enough to show mercy (or at least not be as violent as he could be) and to try and give him multiple chances to come back, no apology needed!

And the worst part is Bill knows this. Bill's trying to make this relationship work. He feels connected to Ford in a way he quite possibly hasn't felt with anyone else. And he knows its doomed to fail. In his mind he has to destroy everything he touches and everything he cares about. Any other connections he has are either superficial or dead to him (usually literally). This relationship will end the same way, it's just in Bill's nature. To him, that's all his relationships are capable of being.

All this just makes me sad and adds so much depth and I'm obsessed. There's just something about self-destructive and truly cruel characters having moments where they wish they weren't that way. Where they'll come the closest they ever can to apologizing for how they are.

(Also Bill literally wanted Ford to get a tattoo saying 'If lost return to Bill' like we cannot just ignore that oh my god)

[stevesgother]

Little Red Lighthouse - S.H

Pairing - Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Warnings - exes to lovers, second chance romance, angst, slow burn, hurt/comfort, idiots in love, so much pining, cursing, alcohol & drug use, mental health themes

WC - 1.3k

AN - this was originally gonna be a super long oneshot, but in typical emma fashion I'm making it into another mini series

Divider by the amazing @strangergraphics <3

The Alcott. That was your favorite bar in Hawkins; and it was all you could think about sitting outside this shitty bar in Chicago. A mere few hours from home, and yet entirely too far. Just having finished school; it was an education completely orchestrated by your parents. A college you didn’t want to attend, a degree you had no enthusiasm for.

This was how you seemed to be spending most of your days post-undergrad: sulking and ruminating. Everything you could’ve had, but don’t.

–

“Steve, this is insane. That’s like a 15 foot drop!” 

You say as you peer over the bridge, shivering slightly in just your underclothes. It was only the cusp of Spring, the weather in Indiana hardly what you would consider “warm”.

“Oh c’mon. You said you would!” He barked a laugh.

“I told my mother that if you jumped off a bridge that I would too as a hypothetical.” You deadpan, even though a smile still tugs the corners of your mouth.

He looked lovely, always did. Moles adorning his cheeks, scattering their way down his back and into his boxers where your vision couldn’t reach. He shot you a grin only reserved for you.

“3..2..1 JUMP!”

“Wait!-”

Steve gripped your hand, pulling you down with him into the icy water below the bridge. Unable to decipher if the sinking feeling in your gut was from the rapid fall of his skin on yours. The shock of the bitterly cold water knocked the wind out of you.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” His smile gleaming at you. Water dripped from his eyelashes, beading on the apples of his cheeks.

 “It’s freezing!” you gasp as you surface. He starts to grip your shoulders in his warm hands, then pauses. A sudden nervousness settled and he was staring. You nervously wondered if there was something else in the water with you both. He never broke his stare. Your best friend for a million lifetimes, beautiful as ever. Looking at you as if you hung the moon just for him.

“I think I'm in love with you.”

–

When Steve finally peeled open his eyes and glanced at the blinking red of the alarm clock it read ‘3:00 PM’. His breath tasted of stale liquor as he slowly rose from his unmade bed. Skull pounding, he blindly reached for the painkillers he had made a habit of keeping on his nightstand, for afternoons like this.

Your old friend group planned a ‘welcome home’ party in anticipation for your return to Hawkins. Where you had gone to college out of state and made a new life for yourself, Steve hadn’t seemed to be able to keep his ahead above the violent current that was the trauma he endured here, in your hometown.

--

As you rested on the train back to Indiana, walkman in hand, you felt an air of nausea.You had started to regret leaving your car at your parents house 4 years ago; unsure whether the knot you felt in your gut was the result of motion sickness, or the thought of having to face him again.

Admittedly you were excited to see your friends again. You hadn’t come home for Christmas, for Thanksgiving, not even for summer breaks – always opting to stay as far away from that living nightmare as possible. You told yourself little lies. That it wasn’t because Steve Harrington still resided there, and with him, everything you lost. Everything you know you can never get back.

--

The air in Steve’s office was stiff and smelled of stale coffee. Robin sits in a less than lady-like position across from him in a chair unofficially designated for her. A plaque that reads “Chief” sat crooked between them from where Robin had set down the paper bag containing their lunch.

“You’re going to have to face her at some point, Steve.” Her voice snaps him out of his dissociative state.

“Yeah, I got it.” He sighs irritably, all traces of enthusiasm drained from his tone.

“I’m just saying,” she starts, “it's been four years. I’m sure she’s moved on, man. No bad blood.” It’s meant to be reassuring, but she doesn’t understand that that's entirely the problem. He gives her a skeptical stare. “Look, we’ll all be there. You have a ton of buffer people. Just stop by for a few minutes? For me?” The childish pout she gives in an attempt to guilt-trip is enough to push him over the edge.

“Rob- okay, fine. Stop making that face. For an hour. Not a second longer.” He points a finger at her, not unkindly.

–

As your car crunches over the gravel in the parking lot of Robin’s apartment complex, you can’t help but notice it’s already filled with cars despite you being perfectly on time. All the windows you knew belonged to her unit were lit a glowing yellow behind sheer curtains, allowing you glimpses of mingling silhouettes. You wonder briefly if this was intentional, or if in your never-ending brain fog, you managed to jumble the times.

A quick glance around the lot reveals that your friends still have the same cars they did all those years ago. Jonathan’s Ford LTD, Nancy’s Volkswagen Cabrio, and an achingly familiar maroon BMW 733i. Your heart jumps to your throat when you see it, accompanied by a sharp twist of betrayal in your chest as you don’t recall Robin ever mentioning he would be here. You suppose you can’t blame her.

You stop to take several deep breaths at the front door. You can hear the bass of an old, classic tune bumping inside and you try to time your breathing with it. In three, hold three, out three, and repeat. You raise your fist to knock before thinking it silly, so you just give the knob a tentative twist and walk in.

The room erupts in ‘Hey!’’s and ‘There she is!’’s. It’s a relief to realize they don’t hate your guts, even though they’ve always made it clear that they don’t. A nauseating guilt settles over you as you’re reminded of how long you’ve left them with barely any word from you at all– the pain of this town and everything that happened in it just too much to bear; even if they were your best friends.

Back then, talking to them sounded like long, mucousy vines that strangled and trapped. It sounded like the bitter cold and emptiness of your hometown mirrored just beneath your feet. It sounded like watching chunks of flesh be ripped from the stomach of the boy you loved. It sounded like his screams for your help and you just couldn’t– you needed time.

Now though, as they wrap you in hugs and you smell the homey scent of your best friends apartment, it feels less like then and more like now. Over Nancy’s shoulder, slightly obscured by her usually wild curls, you catch the eye of the one person not dogpiling you, and fight the grimace threatening to surface. You don’t hate Steve, not by any sense of the word– you just can’t look at his stupid, beautiful face without remembering what you did to him.

When everyone disperses, satisfied with their greetings, you can really take in Steve’s appearance in front of you. The years haven’t been unkind to him, but he looks tired. Day old, maybe two, stubble shadows his usually bright face. He fills out the red sweater and light wash Levi’s he wears nicely. You think he’ll always have that boyish Harrington charm, but he looks more like a man than when you left him.

You walk towards him hesitantly.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

[star-girl-05]

Reader falls in love with doctor

I Like Like You

Doctor Who x reader

You knew you were doomed the moment you found yourself listening to his long-winded spiel about things you couldn’t begin to understand. In spite of this, you sat there, never interrupting, just nodding when he paused for a breath, checking if you were still listening. Of course you were you'd always pay attention to him.

Despite the fact that he had no idea, everything he did made you want him more. His obliviousness to your feelings was both annoying and a relief. You could only imagine the horror if The Doctor ever found out about your feelings. Everything would change between you too. The Doctor doesn't do romance. He might flirt but it's all harmless. You know that. 

You know that nothing would ever happen between you and The Doctor. That didn’t make it any easier to try and get over him. Especially when you spent all of your time with him. Your whole life revolves around him, and when you're trying to get over someone that's not a good thing. 

You just wanted to get over your crush, so you could continue to travel with him without your heart getting in the way. So you decided the best way to do that was to get with someone new. That someone ended up being a guy named Daniel. The two of you have been texting for a few weeks. 

You're only now getting around to actually meeting him. Having convinced The Doctor to take a small break. He had no idea you planned on going on a date. He only realized that was your plan when you came walking out wearing a stunning black dress. Both his hearts stopped functioning for a moment. You looked absolutely ravishing, he let his eyes wander for only a moment before turning back to the console. 

In his mind, the Doctor can recall the exact moment when he realized he was in love with you. The two of you were returning back to the Tardis after a dangerous adventure. Both you and The Doctor had a few cuts and bruises. Nothing life-threatening but you were still fussing about them.

He can still remember how focused you were when you changed his bandages. It was as if you were performing surgery and not cleaning a superficial wound. In that moment though when you were lecturing him about being safe, he realized just how much he needed you. How much he loves you. 

His world stopped when he realized that fact. Things he once thought of as an impossibility were suddenly becoming possible. He never saw himself as settling down, planning to travel forever. If you asked him though, he would commit fully to the life. He’d get a nine-to-five, working to save up for a house with a picket fence. He would do anything and everything to make you happy. Maybe the two of you would have kids. That was a dangerous thought, one that made his hearts race. 

That was all a silly dream though, completely hypothetical. He would never tell you his feelings, you deserved better than him. So he’ll just admire you from afar. 

Right now though having seen you in that dress he wants to do much more than admire you. “Where are you headed dressed like that?” He tries his best to seem casual as he asks but he's nervous. Nervous you're going to say a date, which is really the most likely answer. 

“I’m going on a date”, a date with a man that isn’t him. This is what he wants; he consoles himself, but it does nothing to make him feel better. 

“Oh”

 Oh, what is that supposed to mean? He turns away before you can decipher the look on his face. Secretly you were hoping to get some sort of reaction out of The Doctor. Nothing huge, maybe just a blush, something to show you that he at least thought you were attractive. 

“I’ll be back later, so don’t wait up” Your steps are slow as you make your way to the door. Repeating affirmations that the perfect remedy for getting over The Doctor is a night out with a handsome guy. 

The Doctor watched you leave his knuckles turning white from how tight his grip was on the console. He stayed like that for a few minutes staring longingly at the door. He wants you to have a good time just not with anyone that isn’t him. He hated himself for thinking that but the more he stood alone in the tardis the more thoughts like that plagued him. Until he can't think rationally anymore, grabbing his phone and dialing your number. 

It’s been ten minutes. You and Daniel are just about to sit down when you get the call. The Doctor never calls, he barely uses a phone unless it’s an emergency. You give your date an apologetic look telling him you’ll just be a moment. 

“Is something the matter?”

“No… I nevermind” he quickly hangs up the phone leaving you even more perplexed. You redialed his number only for it to go straight to voicemail. You tried to text him only to be left on unseen. Why isn’t he answering? You begin to panic knowing The Doctor there's no telling what could be the matter. You say a quick goodbye to Daniel before running to the tardis. 

You're out of breath and your feet ache when you reach the Tardis. The sigh of relief you let out when you saw the Tardis is still there. You quickly open the door only to be greeted by The Doctor fiddling with the console. His head popped up at the sound of the door opening. “This is a surprise. What are you doing back so early?” he gave you a goofy smile, one you might admire if you hadn’t run all the way here. 

“I’m back because I thought something had happened to you. Do you not know how to answer a phone?" 

“Oh that's what that ringing was I thought there was something wrong with the tardis”, he knew it was his phone he just couldn’t bring himself to answer it. Having no excuse for his random call. Though knowing his lack of response got you this worried made both his hearts skip a beat.

“Are you kidding me? I left my date just because you can’t distinguish the sound of a cell phone ringing and the tardis?!?”

“I’m sorry, I’ll know better next time." 

“Good, I’ll see you later” you give a glare. “Don’t call” the Doctors eyes widen as you open the Tardis doors. He thought this meant you’d cancel the date. 

“You're still going?” He tries not to sound as desperate as he feels. 

“Yes luckily Daniel hasn’t been scared off by me abruptly leaving”

“Are you sure? I mean you're already back here and you know we could just go on an adventure” he was already fiddling with the console but you're quick to stop him. Grabbing his arm and pulling him away. 

“We can go on an adventure some other time” he gives you a pitiful nod a pout resting on his beautiful face. “I’ll see you later Doctor” he watches you walk out eyes drifting over your figure. A feeling of dread overtook him. He felt like he was losing you. What if your date with Daniel goes well and you decide to stop traveling with him? The thought has him running after you. He catches up to you quickly both his hearts aching. “Doctor this better be important."

“It is” you give him a look to continue telling him Daniel is waiting for you. He takes a deep breath; he can’t believe he's about to say this. “Darling, don’t go on that date." 

You rolled your eyes. You wanted a reaction out of him but you were finding this annoying. All you wanted was to sit down, eat some nice food and have a nice conversation with a cute guy. 

“Just listen, I like you” your eyes widen, you think you must have heard him wrong. There's no way the Doctor said he likes you too; he must mean in a friendly way. 

“I like you too” 

“No, I mean I like like you, in a kissing type of way” his explanation has you giggling. 

“You like like me in a kissing way” you reiterate with a smile blooming on your face. 

“Yes” your heart is about to explode. You’ve only dreamed of something like this happening. You're immediately pulling him by his jacket pressing your lips against his. It's everything you thought it was going to be. 

You pull away softly panting, “I like like you in a kissing way too” he laughs pulling you back into him. 

You texted Daniel apologizing for cancelling on him and informing him of your new relationship.

[whateverisbeautiful]

Spicy question for you after seeing the one about Lori 👀: What if Andrea had lived? Do you think TPTB would have went forward with Richonne? One the one hand, Rick and Andrea hadn’t developed a relationship as of her death and we know Gimple had (subconscious?) plans for Richonne. On the other hand, those plans could have been because he knew Andrea wasn’t long for that world and a lot of development can happen in 2.5 seasons (assuming the timeline remained the same). And if I’m being honest, the absolute UPROAR that would have occurred if Richonne happened while Andrea was still alive would have been something! Rick and Michonne definitely had more chemistry from jump but I don’t think they would have had the guts to make that big of a change but *Kanye West voice* “I guess we’ll never know.”

Ooh thanks for asking. I love 'I guess we'll never know' cuz it's very true. 😌 Any alternative scenario that some out there might've wanted will always have to just be hypothetical because Richonne and their epic love story is forever the reality of this TV franchise.

And the way I see it - even if Andrea, Lori, Jessie, or any of these ladies had lived, Richonne is still inevitable. But I definitely had to write out more of my thoughts on your questions below. ⬇️😊

First; I just have to say thank goodness things played out the way they did, because if the show tried to put TV Rick and Andrea together it would have been giving dry. 🏜 That scene in season one, when Andrea asks Rick about if she can take the necklace for her sister, seems to be one of the rare times the show even really attempted to hint at a potential romance between them. And I'm glad they scrapped it quickly. Lincoln and Holden played off each other best when Rick and Andrea were more genuinely at odds imo.

You're right about how the Richonne uproar would have been even more out of hand with Andrea still alive. 😟 Even if people thought TV Rick and Andrea had no romantic chemistry or disliked TV Andrea, there'd still be people irate that they didn't put them together anyway just to be comic-accurate (or really just to ensure Rick ends up with a blonde woman of his race no matter what.)

If Andrea had lived and still had her history of being with Shane and The Governor, I personally don't think TPTB would put Rick and Andrea together, even if they didn't put Rick and Michonne together. Or at least I hope they wouldn't, because it would just be way too messy to feel rewarding if Rick and Andrea got together after all that. Like they'd really be pairing Rick with yet another woman who preferred Shane. 😕 Rick deserved more than that.

And he got so much more too. 😌🙌🏽

I could see there being a bit more fear from TPTB to pair Rick and Michonne together with Andrea still alive tho, simply because of the response from certain parts of the fandom. But I still stand by my Richonne is inevitable belief. So even if Andrea was alive, I'm choosing to think they still make Rick and Michonne a couple. Even before it was officially in the works, Richonne is what the story so clearly and organically wanted.

Plus, Andy & Danai's chemistry as Rick and Michonne is too undeniable to overlook, so it almost would be more trouble to pretend like those two characters aren't soulmates than it would be to put Rick and Michonne together romantically like they're meant to. These looks and more are just not the type of things that happen between two people who strictly stay besties forever. 👌🏽

Overall, I'm just very grateful that Richonne was in every way destined to be a reality. 🙏🏽

[offtorivendell]

Do you think Nesta/Cassian have a true mate bond or a corrupt cauldron bond? I see a lot of people say they think Eris is her true mate and some people say the complete opposite 😅

Hi anon!

Disclaimer: more word vomit I'm sorry.

TW: discussion includes birthing winged babies and all that entails. If this is a sore topic for you, then I recommend giving this a pass. 💜

Spoilers: I'll be discussing the entire Maasverse, please beware.

I think both Nessian and Feysand have true or soul bonds, which I suspect may be a type of carranam bond, rather than corrupted Cauldron bonds.

Whether or not true/soul bonds are equivalent to carranam bonds - though as I have said before, it appears the sisters may have powers "to match" the brothers (per ACOSF) - it would make ZERO sense for Feyre and Nesta to be mated to Rhys and Cassian respectively for the sole purpose of creating more powerful offspring, given the risk to mother and child when a winged bub is born to a woman with the (I'm sorry) incorrectly shaped uterus/birth canal. And wasn't there a 50/50 chance of a winged baby, with a full Illyrian procreating with a high fae female? Those aren't great odds for the Asteri. But both couples do share bonds consisting of multiple golden threads, ergo: I suspect they share the true or soul bonds about which @silverlinedeyes and @icedflames originally theorised years ago now.

Personally - and imo this was supported by HOFAS, with what we learnt of Hunt's ancestry and design - I lean towards Feysand, Nessian and Elriel all being foretold as a way to free their land from the magical chains left by the Asteri/Daglan of the past. I think that what is most important is the pairing's ability to support each other, and make each other more powerful, rather than to create stronger children from which the Daglan can feed, hence why they complement each other's magic so well and, if I'm right about them being carranam, they can act as conduits for each other as well, further amplifying their strengths.

To complete the poetic balance of 3x3 being fated, I think Elriel were also meant to have a true/soul bond until Koschei (or Someone) loaned his (or Their) otherworldly magic to the King of Hybern*, allowing him to control the Cauldron. This hypothetical, new ability to Make powerful spells, combined with Azriel being downed by Jurian's poisoned ash arrow to the chest, may have created an opening for the corrupted Cauldron to cast a thread between Elain and the next best male, Lucien.

* My thoughts are that Koschei is either a prince of Hel and/or a Valg-type creature (how that plays in with the Daglan I'm unsure), and the King of Hybern was possessed in a way similar to what we experienced in TOG. But if the King of Hybern was a Valg prince, or had the borrowed powers of a Valg king (or queen), then it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could have tweaked the threads of fate to generate a false bond between Elain and Lucien in order to keep Elain and Azriel apart, as Maeve did between Rowan and Lyra to separate him from his true mate, Aelin. There are great theories that delve into the parallels between Elriel and Rowaelin, I recommend checking out @riddlecrux (I'm 99% sure).

It's always fun to theorise, so as always, no hate to anyone who thinks differently than me - shipping with your heart is absolutely valid, even if your fav pairing doesn't end up being canon - but I really do not think that SJM is splitting her loved up pairs with accepted mating bonds. This goes for Feysand, Nessian and Bryceriel Quinlar (hooray fatigue), all of whom have made strong declarations of love for each other. That would cheapen SJM's romances so much.

Besides that, while I understand focusing on ships - because this is romantasy after all, and the couples are integral to the overall plot - I don't see how Nesta and Eris would work into the poetry of a prophecy that we already know:

Life and death and rebirth

Sun and moon and dark

Rot and bloom and bones

Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me.

Madness. Where the first half had been cold cunning, this box … this was chaos, and disorder, and lawlessness, joy and despair. [...] Rhys picked up the Book of Breathings.

Light and dark and gray and light and dark and gray— - ACOMAF, chapter 57

The Book of Breathings gave us this beauty back in ACOMAF, and while there are many attempts to make sense of it (and I think many could be right), if we're talking about romantic pairings, I don't see how it could encompass any ships other than those of the brothers and sisters present. Where would the balance be in that? While there are certainly plots that people have theorised for pairings other than these three (and of course, I acknowledge that Elriel isn't canon endgame at this point in time), I haven't read any that would tie into the themes of three we have seen established by SJM: sisters, brothers, mountains, stars etc.

Eris is an intriguing character and Neris a fun ship (I don't hate it at all), but in canon it wouldn't flow, at least to me. Though of course I could be wrong.

Anyway, sorry for the mess of this response. I hope my thoughts make at least some sense lol.

Edit: I was about to post and then @wingedblooms and her beautiful mind struck again. Anon - and anyone else - please read her reblog of my post about the Asteri corrupting mating bonds, it's beautifully written and I have similar thoughts (as usual).

[lucky-clover-gazette]

prince's gambit highlights & annotations

chapter 15

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

A month ago, he would have expected, much like the men, that the prisoners would be dragged before Touars, the truth loudly proclaimed, the Regent’s dealings exposed before all. Now . . . Damen could just as easily envisage Laurent denying any knowledge of the culprit, letting Touars find his own way to the Regent—could practically see Laurent’s blue-eyed feigned concern for the truth, followed by his blue-eyed feigned surprise when it was revealed. The search itself would work as a delaying tactic, would draw things out, would take its own time. Deception and double dealing; it seemed sufficiently Veretian. He even thought, if Laurent held to his purpose, it could be done.

damen’s approach to the nice vs. good theme is slowly changing, at least in war strategy…

Because it was impossible, he allowed himself to imagine, just once, what it would be like to face Laurent as a man . . . if there had been no animosity between their countries, Laurent journeying to Akielos as part of an embassy, Damen’s attention superficially caught by the blond hair. They’d attend banquets and sports together, and Laurent . . . he had seen Laurent with those he cultivated, charming and edged without being lethal; and he was honest enough with himself to admit that if he had encountered Laurent in that mode, all golden lashes and needling remarks, he might well have found himself in some danger.

this paragraph makes me crazy!!! they could have it so much easier!!!!! also, damen likes blondes mention… have we gotten any mentions in book 2?? i think this might be #7

Laurent said, ‘I’m afraid you don’t have time.’ The tone was limpid. Damen said, ‘Thank you, but I came because I heard the horses.’

laurent is such a bitch. damen is not trying to have sex with women right now, and he knows it, but he still teases him about it. just because

‘I couldn’t if I wanted to. A batch of blond Vaskians really would get me disinherited. I’ve never,’ said Laurent, ‘with a woman.’ ‘It’s very pleasurable.’ ‘You prefer it.’ ‘For the most part.’

he has an exception though. hypothetically. in case laurent was wondering.

also, i like how laurent can actively plot to overthrow his uncle but heterosexuality is where his culture draws the disowning line. i know it’s a joke but it’s still just a very funny way to understand vere’s culture

‘Auguste preferred women. He told me I would grow into it. I told him that he could get heirs and I would read books. I was . . . nine? Ten? I thought I was already grown up. The hazards of overconfidence.’

not auguste being the straight cousin at thanksgiving… also i love the little hints to who laurent was before all the trauma. sassy little nerd child

On the verge of a reply, Damen stopped. That Laurent could talk, endlessly, like this, he knew. It wasn’t always apparent what was behind the talking, but sometimes it was. Damen said, ‘You can rest easy. You are ready to face Lord Touars.’

“you talk more when you’re nervous”

He tried to picture Laurent at thirteen, and experienced a total failure of imagination. It was just as impossible to imagine him fighting in battle at that age as it was to imagine him trailing around after an older brother he adored. It was impossible to imagine him adoring anyone.

gut punch of a last line there

‘Can you deny that you have under your protection the men responsible for the attacks, and that you have coached them in an attempt to throw blame onto your uncle?’ The words fell like the blow from an axe. You can outplay him, Damen had said, but it had been long weeks since he had faced the power of the Regent. It occurred to him, chillingly, that the captured men could indeed have been coached for this moment, just not by Laurent. Laurent, who had therefore brought Touars the very rope that would hang him.

context: shit, but also, it's fine. was patras's aid always the intention, or more of a contingency plan in case something like this happened? or did laurent predict this exactly?

Laurent said, ‘You have me as an enemy for that. You are not going to enjoy the experience.’

‘If I submit to your soldiers, and give myself up to my uncle’s justice,’ said Laurent, ‘what happens to my men?’

book 3 foreshadowing

‘So I will. Out of loyalty to your father and your brother, your uncle has treated you with leniency you never deserved. You have repaid him with scorn and contempt, with negligence in your duties, and with wanton disregard for the shame you bring to your family. That your selfish nature has led you to treason does not surprise me, but how could you betray your uncle’s trust, after the kindness that he has lavished on you?’ ‘Uncle’s immoderate kindness,’ said Laurent. ‘I promise you, it was easy.’ Guion said, ‘You show no remorse at all.’ ‘Speaking of negligence,’ said Laurent.

“speaking of negligence” YES

He lifted his hand. A long way behind him, two Vaskian women detached themselves from his troop and began to ride forward. Enguerran made a movement of concern, but Touars motioned him back—two women would hardly make a difference here one way or the other.

laurent calls for the help of women and the women are promptly underestimated. i continue to be fascinated by laurent and women, in general, throughout this series. also this is foreshadowing for book 3

It was a man, brown-haired and lashed at the wrists and ankles like a boar to a pole after a hunt. His face was caked in dirt, except near the temple, where his hair was clumped with dried blood. He wasn’t a clansman. Damen remembered the Vaskian camp. There were fourteen prisoners today, when yesterday there had been ten. He looked sharply at Laurent.

uhhhh i don’t remember what’s happening here

‘It’s four of your scouts,’ said Laurent.

sooo laurent stopped the flow of information to touars and the fort? to blindside him?

And Damen remembered a chase across a rooftop, dropping laundry on the men below while the sky above wheeled with stars— ‘Your rabble of clan alliances, or Akielon mercenaries, no doubt.’ —remembered a bearded messenger falling to his knees in an inn room— ‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you?’ said Laurent. —remembered Laurent murmuring intimately to Torveld on a perfumed balcony, gifting him with a king’s ransom in slaves. The scout was saying, ‘—carrying the Prince’s banners alongside the yellow of Patras—’

NICE (minus the slaves part but we’ll unpack it later)

Alone of all the men Laurent did not lift his eyes to the hilltop, but kept them trained on Lord Touars. ‘I have a choice?’ said Laurent. You planned this! Nicaise had flung the words at Laurent. You wanted him to see! ‘Did you think,’ said Laurent, ‘if you threw down a challenge to fight, I would not accept it?’ The Patran troops filled the eastern horizon, bright under the noonday sun. ‘My scorn and contempt,’ said Laurent, ‘are not in need of your leniency. Lord Touars, you face me in my own kingdom, you inhabit my lands, and you breathe at my pleasure. Make your own choice.’

LET’S FUCKING GOOOOO

‘This would have been easier,’ said Damen, ‘if you had told me earlier what to expect. In the mountains. At the Vaskian camp.’ ‘I didn’t know who it was,’ said Laurent.

yeah, rare “laurent is surprised by a plot twist” moment with aimeric

‘What was it, do you think, that Orlant found out, that got him skewered on Aimeric’s sword?’ Orlant, thought Damen, and suddenly felt sick.

:(

[utilitycaster]

1/2 What I find gets glossed over so much for "pretty lesbians kiss" with regards to Laura and Marisha's characters is that they consistently, across all main campaigns, create characters who really Do Not Understand each other. Like, it's most obvious with Vex and Keyleth (which is why it's so baffling to me how popular that ship is, Vex basically cringes every other time Keyleth opens her mouth and barely tolerates her for the majority of the campaign), but it's clear with Jester and Beau too

2/2 too, especially in regards to their relationships with their respective fathers and also Jester's relationship with Artagan, that they have drastically different viewpoints that aren't really compatible. Anyway, it's somewhat interesting that, while their characters Do Not Understand each other in equal measure across all campaigns, they are outwardly much closer in each subsequent campaign. Do you have any thoughts on this or have had any similar observations regarding this?

Hi anon,

I definitely do have thoughts about this. I don’t think it’s been intentional, per se, that their characters have never been entirely aligned but they’ve become closer (ie, I don’t think that they planned for their characters to be at such odds in Campaign 1, to be friends in Campaign 2, and to be romantically involved in Campaign 3). I also should note that while I agree that Vex/Keyleth is a uniquely terrible ship that deeply misunderstands both characters; and while I vastly prefer both Beauyasha and Fjorester to even a hypothetical in which Beau and Jester took the time to understand each other and a believable and compelling romance could conceivably develop, I do actually enjoy both of those as non-romantic dynamics very much. Part of the problem with Imogen and Laudna is that, at least thus far, the problems with it as a romantic relationship are the exact same problems with it as a platonic relationship. It's flat and uninteresting no matter how you slice it.

As for why this has happened: I think Marisha and Laura’s chemistry with each other as scene partners is unexceptional among the cast. That doesn’t mean it’s bad - everyone in the cast has baseline good chemistry - but it has never stood out to me. Like, I have never personally had strong feelings about any romantic ships between Laura and Sam’s characters, but they do often occupy similar thematic spaces (selfishness/selflessness; a desire to be liked vs. a desire to be yourself) and I have always enjoyed how they’ve played off each other and looked forward to it, and I don't feel the same about Laura and Marisha. While it’s hard to pin a theme on Laudna (more on that later), Beau and Keyleth (and for that matter Patia) all engage with the expectations of one’s family, and that doesn’t have a natural “in” with what Laura usually does (or vice versa). I will also note: many of the best scenes between Laura and Marisha’s characters, and that includes in Campaign 3, have been arguments. The gnarlrock stands out as one of the only interesting Imogen and Laudna interactions (as well as, to be honest, one of the only interesting Laudna and Delilah interactions); Vex yelling at Keyleth in episode 1x45 is one of my favorite scenes in the campaign; and when I think of Beau and Jester I think of Beau’s irritation as Jester gushes about the plot of Tusk Love, and their quietly growing distance due to the disagreements you brought up about Artagan and their fathers (while still remaining good friends, just ones who don’t agree on everything and don’t need to) in the latter half of the campaign. The lack of conflict between Imogen and Laudna is not just uninteresting from the general grade school premise of "stories need conflict"; it's also depriving them of their strongest source of chemistry as actors.

As for why it’s so widely shipped across all three campaigns; I really suspect a major factor is simply that Ashley was frequently absent so this was the only F/F PC/PC option, week to week. There really is no other good explanation for Vex and Keyleth, a couple so terribly unsuited it verges on the dynamic of a 90s straight sitcom of a man who hates his hot wife. I used to be more generous towards that (ie, wanting an F/F ship between PCs even though it had no redeeming qualities other than being an F/F ship between PCs), but my patience for anyone claiming the cover of Campaign 1 norms ran out some time ago; we’ve been living in a fandom environment that overshot in trying to correct for the assholes during C1 for far too long.

Anyway: I don’t know why exactly things fall so flat in Campaign 3, in the sense that these characters were, as far we know, supposed to be designed as friends. I don’t want to keep harping on it but given Laudna’s directionlessness I wonder if that lack of lived-in backstory extends to their time together. At the very least, if they did plan out what those two years looked like in any depth, it has not come through in the story, either through their words or to an extent their acting. The relationship really only makes sense as mutual security blankets; but I don’t find that remotely interesting. Which brings me to the final points.

I’ve been trying to tread carefully around the term “roving slash” not in the least because I think it unfairly condemns queer relationships after quite literally centuries of mediocre and tacked-on M/F relationships that occur simply because one is a man and one is a woman and not because there’s any romantic tension or reason for them to see something in the other. With that said, I’ve found that there’s a lot of fandom popular F/F pairings that fit a very specific mold of each other being the only one who understands the other - but in a bland and flawless way, as victims of circumstance who expect nothing of each other except to be there, and not as people who can uniquely relate to each other’s flaws. It is an idea of romance as something without conflict. [I will note as an aside, however, that this idea often exists simultaneously with the incompatible desire to tell queer stories based in oppression. There can't be any stated desire from these fans for conflict for the characters, internal or external; but I also think that they secretly want some third character to represent a nebulous, problematic force. For all the hate piled upon, say, Percy in his interactions with Keyleth, or the current wave of hate towards Orym, I think they want those characters so there is something to demonize and to further set apart how pure and wronged their ship or their favorite character is; and, as always, to take away the agency - which comes with responsibility, which comes with fault - from women.]

I can’t stand that. As others have recently put better than I could (and we’re talking Cronenberg and Tolstoy here), stories need conflict, and the fandom culture of characters being effortlessly good, and going from traumatized to completely unchallenged, and endless softness is unbearably dull to me. Even things claimed to be held in the highest regard, like recovery, must hit the most pinprick target by fans with this mindset and anything else is a failure. It’s exhausting. For Imogen and Laudna’s relationship specifically, I’ve found that the repeated comparisons of past Laura Bailey Character Romances - both of which are my favorites for their respective campaigns - really puts the flaccidness in her Campaign 3 romance in stark relief. With Percy and Vex, there is a sense that if he does not take the mask off when she calls him darling, it will close a door. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that they only come together romantically after she has faced some of her own inner darkness with Saundor, and he has defeated Orthax and the party has helped kill Ripley. Similarly, with Fjord and Jester, when Jester asks “would you do anything to get them [his Uk’otoa-granted powers] back?”, there is a palpable sense that were he to have answered “yes”, it would have meant something. And they, too, only commit to a romance once Fjord has done all he can to sever his ties to Uk’otoa, and Jester has begun to slowly explore expressing negative emotions. To compare it to Imogen and Laudna’s noncommittal total lack of narrative tension (maybe we should harness it! Maybe we shouldn’t! Doesn’t really matter because we’ve stated there’s zero stakes either way!) just accentuates the Mariana Trench-level drop in quality.

That digresses a lot from your original question, and so I think what I want to get at is that I have shared these observations. However, I feel that the characters’ differences were well-handled in prior campaigns and felt organic and interesting. I don’t know why it’s so lacking in Campaign 3 and I don’t think my speculation here would be helpful to any argument; I just know that it is exceptional only in its dullness.

[funarisjournal]

Miracle Casting, Miracle Friendship

I want to gush, for a moment, over the casting of the Tsukutabe drama, specifically the leading duo themselves...

That's right! Emi Nishino and Manami Higa. I mean, how perfect are they?? They are Kasuga and Nomoto. They play their parts so in-character that you actively need to check the behind-the-scenes posts from official accounts to remind you what they're really like, and even then, it's not too different. Emi is lot more expressive than Kasuga, but she can hold that back so well...and this was her debut role as an actress?? WOW. Meanwhile, Manami posts photos of dishes she makes at home, and people can't help but wonder if they accidentally clicked on a new Tsukutabe drama post from NHK or something, but nope! Just Manami enjoying her own cooking~

The casting of these two is nothing short of a miracle, though. In one interview, Manami states she believes landing this role was like a reward of sorts after the career she started over a decade ago, where she can relax and just be herself. Now, I couldn't find the exact details of why she was chosen as Nomoto - at one point I thought I read that she was already an immediate consideration from the staff, but I can't find the interview/article that said anything of the sort. HOWEVER! We have proof of just how much of a miracle this was with Emi being cast as Kasuga via an interview with the producer of the drama:

"Truly miraculous," indeed~

Emi is a musician, first and foremost. Manami, meanwhile, has always been an actress. These two paths don't really cross often, especially if the genres don't mesh. They had definitely never met before landing these roles, and yet, they hit it right off. It's like a "colleague" version of Nomoto and Kasuga's story. Never really interacted, never had any connections to even interact...until we presented them with something that would start that connection...

But, oh...it doesn't stop there. This has gone beyond the show! A proper friendship developed between the two, and even now, they still find the time to hang out (usually to eat, by the way, heh~) Even now, way after S2 had ended back in February (and taping ended before that, too), they still find the time to spend together.

Manami had some really touching things to say about Emi in that same interview I mentioned earlier, too. It's like a platonic version of Nomoto and Kasuga, and it's just so adorable. Even she views the whole situation as if it was fate:

Emi has also mentioned how quickly they became friends via an interview that was recently posted. While she doesn't use the same language as Manami, just reading this response shows that their chemistry was so strong that it ended up going beyond their roles!

Fate isn't just for lovers. Love doesn't just mean romance/sexual attraction. It comes in many forms, and these two are amazing examples of fated friendship that just needed a special push to help them meet.

This casting was, truly, a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Even if we get an animated version of Tsukutabe, or maybe some other live-action project, like a movie... even if those hypothetical, new actresses mesh for such a project, I don't think we'll ever get the amazing level of serendipitous chemistry as Manami and Emi again ❤️

[erabu-san]

Hi! Same anon who gave you the idea for fremellei here!🤭

Sorry for using anon I just like being private😭

Anyway, I had another fremellei hc thing the other day

Since Freminet is apart of the fatui, what if one day Dottore approached him, knowing he was close to Collei. And maybe he wanted her back or smth?? (This is all hypothetical. I not a big genshin lore expert so😭) (also screw Dottore I hate him sm)

But he approaches Freminet asking him to him Collei. BUT when Freminet tries to decline Dottore gets all manipulative like-

"Really? Going against the very organization that saved you? How ungrateful, I wonder how Arlecchino would feel about this"

So now Freminet is stuck between Collei and the fatui (and possibly his siblings of they get involved)

I know Freminet would never want to hurt Collei, but it's still a difficult decision (especially considering that he has the general Mahamatra to go through-🧍)

Just an angst idea I thought of!

Thank you for your beautiful art as always :)

P.S I haven't read Freminet's story yet so some of the stuff I said is probably inaccurate- this all really was just hypothetical lol

OH HIII !!! It is okay to keep using anon !! <3

OMYGOOD THE IDEA !! THE ANGST ! Freminet always live through order... if we tend for a character development he might decline the order for the first time and express his own feeling ? And try to refuse the command even if dottore (or even Father) gaslight him.?? But disobey order might be torturous for him 😭 it is like one of the only thing he thinks he is good at (and with his low-selfesteem... it is worst 😢)

I love your mind anon !! 🫶🫶

Oh and I want to tell you how grateful I am. Fremillei is ship which makes me so happy everyday. I relate in both of them (Collei and Freminet), and I love them both for their uniqueness ! Ofc they are cool as friend bestie but the romance is pretty healing for both of them. I am not usually in slow-burn but gooosh for this one, i won't mind waiting hahaha 😭

I hope you joined Fremillei Server ! Everyone are so cool and kind ! There is a lot of positive vibe (ofc you don't need to tell you are the anon) (not forcing too !)

Love talking about Fremillei with you, I hope you have a nice week 🫶

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

How TWST Charas Love (As Told By Tarot) | Scarabia + Savanaclaw

tags: gn!reader, headcanons, tarot

a/n: it’s about time i start writing for the dudes in twisted wonderland. i got some ideas swirling in my head, but the easiest and funnest are always doing the tarot headcanons since every reading is so different. there’s too many characters to do this in one post, so this is gonna be spread out across several. anyway, sup twst writing community, happy to join you guys

deck: true black tarot

kalim

the star, the hierophant, nine of cups, nine of pentacles

you want for nothing if you are loved by kalim. whether it’s smothering your faces with kisses when you’re sick or whisking you away for an impromptu ride on a magic carpet anywhere in the isle of the sages, kalim is aware he has a blessed life and he wishes to share that life with you wholly. a family, kalim wants to incorporate you in all of his families and vice versa. while at school, the whole of scarabia is your family. your family is his family. and, of course, kalim’s exceedingly large family is yours for as long as you’ll have him. kalim chooses to believe in the good of the world and trusts that in spite of the bad, the world will give back what it receives. he believes meeting you is no different and returns the world’s generosity in full in how much effort he puts into maintaining your relationship. he’s more than your boyfriend, he’s one of your best friends. someone you can dance with when you’re happy, someone you can lean on when you’re not at your strongest and he knows that he can trust you to be the same for him. in the rare chance he hasn’t thought of marriage, his parents definitely have plans to add you to the family.

jamil

the lovers, four of pentacles, anant, seven of cups

if you were to ask jamil whether or not he believes in the concept of soulmates, he’d probably scoff. “are you seriously asking me that?” that’s a childish concept kalim and najma would believe in, not someone like himー but his actions say otherwise. the man is a romantic, a hopeless one at that. while your relationship might have started with you initially being a pawn in jamil’s game of currying favor among the student body, true feelings developed on his part. romance was the last thing on jamil’s list of priorities and yet him being with you just makes sense, like a law of the universe. the cycle of the universe is one cyclical in nature, what happens once will surely happen again and jamil doesn’t doubt your relationship works the same way. this life into the next. he still wishes to make a name for himself yes, but the thought of a domestic life with you in tandem with those hypothetical accomplishments isn’t far from his mind either. but this aspect of jamil stays strictly between the both of you. he wouldn’t be able to live it down if others knew about this side of himself.

leona

five of pentacles, four of swords, the fool, ace of cups

getting together with leona was needlessly hard in the beginning for the man refused to acknowledge the feelings he had for you. he outright rejected them. wanting things in the past regardless of how hard he worked for them never worked in the past, why would they in the present? it took serious reflection and (unwanted but needed) advice from his friends to take the steps to accept how he felt and move forward. a relationship of this nature is new territory for leona but blind as he might be, he walks forward with confidence. he isn’t the best at words but he shows he loves you in his actions. in how he holds your hand when you’re scared, in the small but warm smile he wears when he sees your victories and in how he drags you out to the botanical garden for a nap if you’re working well-beyond your limits. those moments with you comfort him as much as he hopes they comfort you. despite his gruffness, leona is a thoughtful lover and he pays attention to you more than you initially think. don’t be surprised if you off-handedly mention something you’d like to what you think is an inattentive boyfriend. a week later, leona will present it to you nonchalantly and raise an eyebrow when you look surprised. of course he listens to you when you ramble, dork.

ruggie

page of pentacles, queen of pentacles, the hanged man, justice

looking out for number 1 might come naturally to ruggie, but he is surprisingly mature and knowledgeable with matters of the heart. as such, he surrenders easily to his feelings when he is aware of them and doesn’t hesitate to tell you how he feels. as far as he saw it at the time, he could either come to terms with things and ask you out and know if you feel the same way. or he could fight it and end up losing his chance to be with you because someone else with their shit together asked you out first. it was a pretty clear choice. ruggie prides himself in being dependable as your boyfriend and enjoys doting on you as much as he enjoys teasing. ruggie might poke fun at your room being messy but he is already rolling his arms up to sweep as he speaks. ruggie is well aware that there are plenty of people out there who have him beat in certain areas, but ruggie also knows there are plenty of things that he does excellently. while your own acknowledgement of those things isn’t necessary, it pleases him nonetheless. he might not be able to give you bundles of extravagant gifts, but he is able to get you plenty with his skills at haggling.

jack

queen of swords, knight of wands, the chariot, king of swords

another one who is pretty in-tune with his emotions and doesn’t hesitate to tell you how he feels. what’s the point in lying to you or himself about how he feels? when you look good, he says it. when you look like you’re having a rough time, jack says he might not be able to make your troubles go away but he’ll try. his honesty is endearing most of the time. jack tells it to you straight, good, bad and in between. he wants you to feel this way as well. if there’s a problem with the relationship, how is he supposed to fix it if you don’t tell him anything? jack says things bluntly, but he will find ways to soften his words if he sees that certain levels of bluntness hurt you. surprisingly not against pda; if you’re within an arm’s reach, jack will have an arm around you to hold you close. it’s not so much about letting everyone in a three mile radius know you’re taken ーwell part of it isー he just enjoys feeling you close and smelling your scent. jack wouldn’t call himself prince charming or anything, but he quick to come to your ‘rescue’ even if he knows you can handle yourself. 2 against however many is a lot better than just 1, just know that jack is your backup.

[thetrashbinseries]

— To Feel Alive ( mingi x reader )

rated - mature | minors dni

warnings - non-idol universe, descriptions of suicide, mentions of murder (hypothetically), smoking is bad for u, drabble

summary - “let’s say I kill somebody and it doesn’t work…”

wc: <1000

x x x

“You said I can ask you anything?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Okay, so,” he takes a drag of his cigarette, a thick, swirled tail of smoke snakes up his jaw from the burning stick of nicotine and tobacco. While it continues its ascent out of the open moonroof of the car towards the stars, the exhale that leaves his thick pink lips disperses any remaining visualizations you could create. You were entranced by him, drawn into depths of emotion you hadn't known before. He's shown you what it’s like to have a partner, not only for romance but for life.

Congratulations, you’re in love with your best friend.

Time seems to warp in your mind as you gaze up at the stars. The car engine still hums softly, barely audible, and the music, once a companion, now a distant echo, having been turned down minutes ago once the conversation delved deeper.

His hands sculpt the air in front of him as he continues, “Let’s say I hypothetically kill somebody, but it doesn’t work—“

“How doesn’t it work? They a zombie or something?”

He takes another drag, still staring ahead. “Zombie,” he chuckles under his breath, faint, brief. “No, let’s say it wasn’t supposed to even happen. It was messy, impulsive, it didn’t go how you knew it was supposed to go, and the person isn’t dead, just injured, bad and—now you have a body tied up that you gotta get rid of in an abandoned shed”

Eyes, deep wells of brown, seem to pierce through you as he finally looks away from the stars and at you. He's wearing an inscrutable expression, which oddly brings you comfort. You despise how your mind instinctively analyzes emotions, disrupting the moment. But with Mingi, it's different. Looking into his eyes is...peaceful.

“What would you do?” he asks, the cigarette burning close to the filter, only a couple of puffs away from self-extinguishing. “Hypothetically speaking.”

Strange as Mingi is, this was a little unusual of him to be asking you. His mind wanders paths few tread, encouraging your abstract thinking, finding it alluring.

You reach out and take the cigarette from between his slender fingers, taking the final puff for yourself before extinguishing it in an empty beer can in the cupholder with a soft hiss.

“How do you hypothetically want to kill them?”

“Hm,” Mingi's head turns back to the stars, which are now disappearing behind thick clouds rolling in across the midnight sky. “None of that matters anymore, I just want the body gone, and dead,” he inhales deeply,

You anticipate his unspoken thoughts, as you often do. “Hypothetically.”

“Yeah.” A small laugh punctuates his response.

Unusual as it is for Mingi to ask such a question, you humor him, sitting in thought for a few moments.

“I don’t want the law involved, and I’m not a—serial killer so I don’t know how to dispose of a body. So if it were me, hypothetically,” you emphasize mockingly, understanding each other implicitly. “I would make it look like a suicide, but not with a gun or knife or anything, I don’t know anything about how the investigators figure out whatever angle someone offs themselves.” Your eyes narrow as you ponder, tapping your lips gently with a curled fist. “I’ve watched a lot of crime tv shows.”

“If I could sedate them, again, without making it obvious, I could stage…a hanging,” as you continue, you've captured his attention, his gaze lowering from the stars back to you. “Sounds simple enough right? Hang up the body, kick out the chair from underneath, let it drop. Sedate them enough, and you won’t have to watch the struggle.”

simple enough right?

not only simple, but better than anything his disorganized mind would’ve thought of under the pressure.

“The human body always finds a way to fight back in those final minutes, seconds...it’s the urge to live…” His voice softens a little, but he doesn’t seem to care about how it comes off. You watch him pull out his pack of bad habits, and he brings another one between those rosy lips, sparking a lighter you hadn’t even noticed him holding, the smell permeating the air the moment the flames catch.

He reads your mind this time, tilting the temptation your way. And you’re not really a smoker, but when you spend nights with Mingi drinking beer under the stars, you’ll succumb to the moment a time or two.

This is moment two for you, tonight.  You pluck one out, and he sparks his lighter, holding it at eye level with you. You lean forward, taking a drag. Mingi’s cigarettes taste different, unfamiliar packaging in a foreign language. It's smooth, enticingly addictive.

Breaking the silence, you ask, “Min, what’s up? Why you ask me that anyway?” You relax back against the driver’s door. He tucks his cigarettes into his pocket and reclines his seat, looking more at ease somehow.

Your answer gave him hope in being understood and accepted by another human one day, something he’s not used to feeling.

“Because you’ve got a beautiful mind,” Mingi says, almost to himself, hands behind his head, eyes falling on you once again,

“And there’s nothing hypothetical about that.”

[justrandomselfships]

@fe-oc-week day 2: Relationships.

OFC I'M GONNA START WITH SYLVAIN. Here is longer rant post abt their relationship.

If we want to put it in a basic way they are just friends to lovers where their friendship time had them cross a lot of boundaries between friendship and romance like their casual affections. They never expected anything of each other, and maybe that's the reason why they grew so close (and why they never thought that they might be in love).

Now time to talk about her closest friends! Where she considers a lot of them as such haha- rant post about (Claude, Hilda and Cyril) (Ferdinand, Lysithea, Marianne)

But no matter what, her nr1 bestie is Claude! These two are the definition of chaos. They like goofing around more than anything, but at the same time they have unlimited trust towards each other.

With Hilda they just get each other. They understand their feelings better than anyone. They may not have many common interests but somehow they always find something to talk about.

Cyril is like a brother to her. She's very protective of him even though he doesn't need it and she knows that. She just likes to go the extra mile for the sake of her friend!

Ferdinand is someone she thought she was in love with before realizing her feelings for Sylvain (I never mentioned it lol)... But her feelings for him are fully platonic! They love learning things from each other to put things simply.

Heather's relationship to Lysithea is mostly about the fact that they care about each other's well being more than necessary. Their ideals and way to live their life is pretty much opposite, but they still care about each other a lot.

With Marianne, Heather is just super impressed by her- which confuses Marianne. They both adore animals and tend to spend their time just enjoying the moment, rather than forcing a conversation.

Now that the most important people are settled... Here is the rest of the Golden Deer!

You may or may have not noticed it but Heather is close to all Golden Deer ladies... except Leonie. That is for a reason that they have no way of getting along. Heather finds Leonie judgemental, while Leonie finds Heather spoiled. They do "settle" their differences in their supports- but even after that they don't consider each other as friends.

Lorenz is someone Heather always had troubles even starting a conversation with. Although there is no denying the difference, her mind just keeps comparing him to her previous suitors- that's why she doesn't want to talk to him. ever. BUT IN THE HYPOTHETICAL SUPPORTS I'VE WRITTEN THINGS DO GET BETTER.

Raphael is just overwhelming to her in a good way. His positive attitude is exactly what she needs and so the two don't have much issues getting along. In supports I wrote with him and her- he helps her with her eating habits.

Ignatz is another person whom Heather is very impressed with. She loves all kinds of art- so of course she'd be interested in his paintings as well. She doesn't stop talking about how skilled he is and she really wants to motivate him to never drop this hobby.

Other important notes:

her favourite professor is Manuela

she loves hearing Alois' puns and often tries to think of something better

she's scared of Seteth due to respecting him too much.

she'd have the biggest trouble from the Golden deers talking to Byleth casually during first few chapters.

[antimony-medusa]

this is mars creatchure i just don't want this tied to my main because the batman fandom Scares Me

found family is SUCH a way to condition yourself into kinks. it's not exclusive to mcyt. i jumped right from dsmp and sbi (even though you know, was always more of an emduo guy, i got to see the sbi fics as well) to dc and batfam and the shit people will write and slap on "they're brothers" to. it makes me a tad insane.

i'm not gonna talk about the obvious issues in the fandom, and like. i guess at least some people are honest about it, writing slash ships of the batboys and all (whole other separate issue) but like. some of the people with 'batcest dni' in their ao3 tag write the most borderline shit i've ever read.

i don't have concrete thoughts on it or like. a commentary abt what it means or whatever, just that the phenomenon seems to be present in found family fandoms as a whole, not just mcyt

Oh yeah I've seen hints of the batfandom in action, that seems FAIR. I do not want you to get swarmed.

Honestly the found family space being very similar in batfam to what it is in dsmp doesn't surprise me, especially when I know that a lot of people transitioned from DSMP/SBI to the batfam. (I also saw signs of people going to stranger things, and a bunch of other fandoms, and the part where I went Oh Good Luck was seeing some people trying to do kpop band boys as a found family. Go with god.)

You have people who really like the strong bonds between people in fiction, but they aren't quite mentally comfortable with writing or consuming sex or romance. And while some of them are doing this because they're sex-repulsed or really like platonic relationships, a bunch of them are just young or they've unwittingly bought into some cultural messages about how Sex Is Bad Actually. So in their fandom, they end up either picking up or creating a family dynamic for them to work with. And then if anything was to happen romantically with their new blorbos, it would be both underage and incest, so absolutely they've made sure nothing can happen because it would be horrible, so they're safe to continue with family dynamic, celebrating the strong bonds that brought them there. But then you have this little community of people, and I'd say while they know that they SHOULDN"T do anything romantic with the characters, the coding for romance and sex is in the head of a good like 99% of humanity, so when a romance or kink trope gets floated in this fictional context, falling through the mindscape in the shape of a hypothetical story, about half or more of these people don't go "ugh" (because they're romance-repulsed), they go "oh I can use that, that's a fun way to celebrate the bonds between people, I just have to clean it up a bit" (because most of humanity is fine with romance actually), and then they strip the blatant romance or sex out of it to make it Okay To Use, and then they write a story using, like romeo and juliet crimeboys (platonic), or cuddle pollen batfam. To grab an example of a glaringly romantic trope and a blatant kink trope that I've seen repurposed into platonic spaces.

And then in this community of people, every time someone does that, the temperature of the water in the pot they are all in ticks a little higher, because these tropes that someone grabbed from a romance novel or a kink page are now circulating in this platonic space as normal tropes that we all use, and other people use the tropes without really thinking about their origins, and that's how, like, hypnokink gets normalized. Or non-consentual cuddling (extended edition). Or smelling each other on each other's skin. Or fated mates platonic soulmates. All these things that if you're not in the fandom and enviroment, you read out of context and go "this CANNOT be platonic"— but they mean it to be!

And as you say, this is a perfect enviroment for conditioning yourself into certain kinks, because on the one hand you're moving in this space where there's a lot of non-sexual kink around touch and consent and restraints altered states and dehumanization (and sometimes more) happening ALL THE TIME, and you start to get the warm and tinglies at the climax of the story even if the climax of the story is someone getting tied up, and at the same time knowing that you shouldn't think about the blorbos kissing doesn't mean it's not gonna happen. It just means that it's super ilicit and illegal in your brain when it happens. But boy is it happening now, and these characters are so important to you and their bond matters so much to you, and—

Cause you are here cause you like thinking about the bonds between blorbos, and romance and sex and associated tropes are really compelling because as a society we've had about 11,000 years to refine our storytellling about them, so you just keep sinking further and further into the bonds between the characters, using all these tropes, and as it turns out, you're doing it in a space that means you're gonna come out of it with some kinks.

So. Yeah.

Saluting you over in the batfam mines. I hope the babies come out of it okay.

[taomyou]

The Romance of Reimbursements - Chapter 8

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Reader Status: COMPLETED Summary: There’s a guy you see every Friday on bus 143, and you think he’s pretty hot. It wouldn’t hurt to tell your best friend about him, would it? or, you and Levi take the same bus home from work every Friday, and you fall in love slowly, clumsily, and with all the time in the world to fold as many paper stars as your heart desires. Word Count: 6.5k Tags: slow burn, friends to lovers, modern au, office au, fluff, romance, meet-cute, matchmaking

(A/N: this fic is entirely available on ao3 here if you would like to read it there instead!)

Chapter Navigation Accompanying Playlist

set me up

"Levi?"

He coughs, his water having gone down the wrong pipe, but there's no napkin at the table for you to hand to him. Once his coughing fit is over, all you can do is awkwardly sit down across from him. You opt to mindlessly flip through the menu, even though you've already decided on what you would be having prior to arriving just as you always do, to give Levi his privacy as he wipes his mouth. He clears his throat, and you feel yourself shrink into the cushion of your seat.

Where's Hange? Why's Levi here? Are you having dinner with the both of them? What next, is Erwin coming too? Yeah, Erwin's about to round the corner and try to cram himself into your side of the booth.

...Or this is just one of Hange's many attempts to ruin your life set you up with Levi, despite your many, many pleas for them to just stay out of your nonexistent romantic endeavors.

Yeah, it's probably that. 

"Fancy seeing you here," he greets. You nod slowly, your lips pressed into a tight smile.

"Yeah, you too."

The two of you look back and forth between each other and the window facing your table, unsure of what to do next, but you hear your phone ring after a few moments of silence. You and Levi make eye contact again, and he looks away to give you privacy in answering the call. You see that it's Hange calling you, and you accept the call as fast as you can.

"So, how are you enjoying your Valentine's Day?"

"Hange!" You whisper-yell into your phone's microphone, turning towards the wall closest to you to avoid bringing attention to yourself from others in the restaurant.

"What?"

"You set me up, even after I told you, like, a million times I didn't want to go on any dates!"

"Well, I actually got asked on a date super last minute, so I figured Levi could just take my place," Hange snickers. You can feel your cheeks start heating up in embarrassment, which isn't an unfamiliar feeling, but it's one that is entirely unwelcome. You lightly pat your cheeks to try and calm your face, mindful of your makeup. "Besides, it wasn't a date when it was me you were planning to have dinner with. What makes Levi any different?"

What makes Levi any different?

...Is there anything that makes Levi different? Sure, you've found him attractive since the beginning, and you met under wildly different circumstances, but he isn't different because of those things. There's something different about him that you can't quite place that makes you so nervous. No... nervous isn't the right word. You've gotten past that (for the most part).

Before you can dwell on it more, Hange chimes in again to interrupt your thoughts.

"Hello?"

You try your best to swat away any possible thoughts about Levi to not overthink yourself into silence.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," you answer, referring to Hange's (hopefully) hypothetical question.

They probably didn't mean for you to start thinking about what your answer would be.

Wait, why would you even have an answer if you don't have any interest in him?

Whatever.

You didn't have a solid answer anyway.

"So... you have fun on your fancy dinner with Levi, and I'll have fun with my super awesome date!"

You sigh. "Fine. But if you do this again, I will actually find a way to put you in jail."

"You'd miss me too much to do that, but I appreciate the love!"

"Yeah, okay. You better spill the beans about your date, though. Who are you even seeing?"

"That's confidential! Let me live out my secret relationship dreams!"  They exclaim.

You roll your eyes, glancing over at Levi. Maybe he knows. "Okay, Casanova. But you better tell me about it later."

"I wouldn't dream of not doing that." You hear the rustling of some fabric with their sentiment, which is probably them crossing their heart. "Now, go enjoy!"

"You better pay for my dinner today."

"I was actually going to ask you to pay for us anyway if we went out, since you have that big-time lawyer money," they say, then laughing. You smile too, mindful to cover your mouth. "But I'll pay you back when you get home."

You wave them off, even though they can't see you. "Nah, I was only kidding. Have fun on your date."

"Oh, thank God! I've heard that Sina is crazy expensive! And I will!"

"Bye, Hange."

"Bye-bye!" And it's followed by the end-call dial tone.

You put your phone in your purse as a courtesy to Levi, but before you can try to make conversation with him or figure out how this all happened in the first place (even though you already know Hange is somehow involved), Levi gets a call of his own. Instead of bringing his phone up to his ear, though, Levi accepts the call, puts his phone on the table between the two of you, and puts it on speaker. You see Erwin's name at the top of the screen.

"You're on speaker," Levi says curtly. You shift in your seat to put your elbows on the table, now invested in this phone call. You make eye contact with Levi and smile as silent encouragement.

"Hello, Levi. I take it that you're already seated?"

"Yes, asshat. Where are you, and why is Astraea here instead?" Levi's used a lot of... colorful names for Erwin, but that's your first time hearing "asshat," funnily enough.

It's always refreshing to hear Erwin called anything but his name, mostly because so many of your coworkers have names for Erwin so they can gossip about him, but you think Levi's nicknames are much more endearing because they're such close friends.

That and Levi's lack of tact makes his names a lot more insulting.

"Levi, don't be so rude. Astraea's there?"

"Hi, Erwin," you say, leaning in closer. You hear Erwin chuckle over the phone.

"Hello, Astraea. Can you tell me what Levi's wearing?"

"Huh? Why does it matter what he's wearing?"

Looking over at Levi, you see that he's in a suit. It doesn't really strike you as all that different from what he normally wears. His suit's a bit fancier, sure, but nothing really seems off-

Wait.

His shirt's blue.

Hange told you to wear blue.

Looking down at yourself, you're not surprised to see the same blue dress you put on earlier, but it feels weird having realized why Hange wanted you to dress in blue in the first place. You instinctively go to touch your necklace, but you realize, too, that Levi's wearing pearl cuff links. They just barely peek out of his outer jacket's sleeves, but they're there. Oddly enough, the shade of the pearls seem to match with that of the pearl on your necklace.

Levi's looking at you more intently too, and you're sure he's reached the same conclusion you have.

"You listen here, fucker. If you conspired for us to match, then—"

"Hello, my name is Marco, and I'll be your server for tonight."

Looking to the voice, you see a neatly dressed waiter, setting down two sets of silverware and fabric napkins for you and Levi. He seems rather unbothered, going by the smile on his face, and he's already got his notepad in hand. Levi doesn't speak up, so you smile sheepishly and do so yourself.

"Nice to meet you, Marco. Could we get a few more minutes?"

You can hear Erwin laughing through Levi's phone, but that also doesn't seem to phase Marco. Poor guy has probably been working all night and wants to go home already, especially since it's Valentine's Day.

"Of course! Let me know when you're ready," he says, then walking over to the group directly behind you to get started on their orders.

You give the same sheepish smile to Levi before looking back at his phone. The screen's dimmed a bit, so Levi taps it to bring it back to life. Erwin's name is there, just as it was before, but now it seems a bit more teasing.

"You've got me figured out, Levi, but lighten up! It's all in good fun."

It feels childish, really, that Erwin and Hange seemingly banded together to make sure that you and Levi matched for your date, but it's cute. If it was you on the other end of the situation, you would've thought it was genius.

"Is your idea of fun getting dressed up to match with someone you're not on a date with, on Valentine's Day of all days?" Levi scowls. He doesn't seem angry, but still rather annoyed.

Him pointing out that it isn't a date comforts you, even if you did think that Hange and Erwin intended for the two of you to be on a date. The less confusion about your relationship or time together, the better.

Levi pointing out that it's Valentine's Day may be a bit too much for your heart, though, because you decide to take a look around the restaurant at the people around you. Everyone within your view is seemingly a couple, either sharing a bottle of wine together or enamored in what looks like intimate conversation, and your matching outfits probably blend you in with every other couple in the restaurant.

Erwin laughs, which breaks you away from looking at the other restaurant-goers. "I'm offended you think I'd go as far as setting you up with a good friend of ours."

You laugh. Though Erwin's warmed up to you a fair bit more since your introduction to their group, it still baffles you to some degree that he's rather funny. The last several years working together really did a number on your faith in his humor, especially since you haven't had much chance for banter since your official hiring at the firm.

"I wouldn't put it past you, bastard. You've been hanging out with Four Eyes so often these days, you must've picked up their scheming personality," challenges Levi.

"Relax. I'm still paying for your dinner, and that was your part of the agreement."

Agreement? Are you missing something?

Levi rolls his eyes, but he contends with a sigh. "Okay."

"You two have fun," says Erwin. Levi then ends the call, brings his phone in closer towards him, and sighs again. He looks to you.

"I take it that you were just on the phone with Hange?" He asks. You nod. You instinctively reach for the napkin set out in front of you, but remembering that it's fabric, you bring your hand back awkwardly.

"Yeah, I was supposed to have dinner with them tonight," you tell him, still a bit shy about having reached for the napkin when you can't make a star from it. He nods in understanding. "What was the agreement Erwin talked about on the phone?"

Levi doesn't answer right away, instead looking over your shoulder and down the walkway. Before you can follow his gaze and look behind yourself, though, you hear Marco.

"Have we decided on any drinks to get us started?" Marco asks, just as smiley as before.

"I'll have a black tea," says Levi.

"A oolong tea for me," you tell him. Marco takes note of Levi's black tea and your oolong tea before he leaves for presumably the kitchen to grab the drinks for you. When Marco's gone, Levi answers your question.

"Erwin invited me as a stand-in for Moblit, who bailed to ask Hange out on a date. Fucker said he needed another person so the reservation wouldn't fall through."

Well, there goes any chance of Hange keeping up their whole "secret relationship" thing, but you'll just pretend to not know they're with Moblit.

Come to think of it, they do usually sit next to one another whenever he's here, which isn't often, unfortunately. You did think they looked cute together, but it'd be hypocritical for you to point it out to Hange when you've been so against their shipping of you and Levi. At least, now, you can look forward to them debriefing their date to you later tonight without having to exert any brain power in figuring out who exactly they're seeing.

As for Erwin's role in all of this, you're not that surprised. You haven't noticed him scheme specifically with relationships or anything like that at work, but he's ruthless as an attorney, and being able to scheme is just part of the job. You aren't excluded from that statement either—you just aren't nosy enough to meddle in anything outside of what you need to for work.

It still doesn't quite make sense to you, how you and Levi ended up here when Erwin and Hange were never the ones who were meant to eat here in the first place, but that's something you'll ignore to save yourself the unnecessary stress of figuring out how their complicated, convoluted minds work.

Marco comes back with your drinks, and you both thank him. He asks for your orders, and you recite what you want from the menu to him and Levi does the same. Marco leaves swiftly enough, and you're left alone without anything in particular to do.

You put your hands on your teacup, but you decide to wait for a bit before taking a sip because it's too hot, so you just stare down at the cup. Levi's more or less just idly taking sips of his tea, but when he catches sight of Marco passing by your table, he stops him.

"Could we get some paper napkins?" He asks.

You don't have to look up from your cup to see Marco nod from the corner of your eye. "Of course," he replies. He comes back near instantaneously with a stack of dark blue paper napkins and sets them on the table. "Anything else for you two?"

"No, thank you." Marco then leaves. Levi doesn't make any move to go for a napkin, so you aren't quite sure why he asked for them in the first place, but you decide it's fine if you take just one for yourself to start tearing at.

You're quick to get one star made, then a second, then a third, then a fourth. All the while, you sense Levi's eyes on your hands as they fold the paper onto itself, but it's not something you're unused to.

Well, at least with regard to people watching you fold stars.

When you have four stars, you gather them in your hand and hold it out to Levi.

Now that you've been seated together so often, at Hange's insistence, of course, you just give any stars you make to Levi since it's easier than forcing attention onto yourself to offer it to someone who's farther from you. Levi takes them to be polite, but you're sure he just throws them in the garbage bin on his way out the door because it's trash.

Levi's hand stretches out to meet yours, and you drop the stars into his palm. He gives no thanks, but he still puts them in his pocket.

You want to reach for another napkin to give you something to distract yourself from the silence, but Levi probably thinks your habit is enough of an annoyance that he has to keep throwing away the stars you give to him, so you don't.

The silence has to be too much for Levi, too, right?

"Might as well get to know each other while we're here, right?" You offer. You're afraid it comes off as too nosy or prying (or even worse, as romantic interest), but Levi nods, which is followed by the sound of him putting his teacup back on the table.

Thank goodness. You don't think you could handle an entirely silent night out, even if this isn't what you expected your dinner to look like in the first place.

"Fine with me. Hange spreads so much misinformation, I would've questioned what your job was if I didn't see you in your office with my own eyes."

You cringe at the mention of Hange's rampant truth-stretching, but you have to agree with him on that front.

You and the rest of the group don't really delve into any personal business when hanging out, usually opting for random stories about work or talking about vague interests, and no one's ever quite the center of attention (unless Hange decides to gloat about you and Levi to each other (and subsequently, everyone else)). It's embarrassing, to some degree, that all he truly knows about you is that you're overworked, good at baking, and have decent taste in tea. He did mention that Hange talked about you prior to his formal meeting of you, but it didn't seem like that was in the best light.

He probably feels as awkward as you, since you don't know more about him aside from what he's told you himself when you make idle chat on the bus rides home on Fridays (which isn't much) and what Hange's relayed to you (which is... a lot).

But, though you do question the validity of what Hange's told you about Levi after you revealed that he was your bus mystery man, "Shorty" was someone they talked about enough times for you to at least know him through their eyes.

Instead of his tea, Levi reaches over to his glass of water. "Anything you want to ask in particular?" He asks, then taking a sip.

There isn't quite anything specific you want to know, but, at the same time, you're still intrigued by what Hange tells you about him, no matter how false it might be. He already mentioned that he was famous relative to his occupation and field, but everything else? You still have no idea.

Yeah, you can start with debunking all the shit Hange says about the both of you. It'll get you a better sense of who Levi is, and he can completely disregard the person he's created in his head from what Hange's told him.

"Not really, but is there anything you want to correct about Hange's retelling of you?" Now that your tea has had time to cool down, you take a sip. It's nothing special, but it's fine. "Actually, why do you hold your teacups how you do? With the rim?"

He pauses in the middle of reaching for his teacup, but then picks it up and takes a sip. "My mom got me an expensive teacup as part of a set when I was a kid, and the handle broke the first time I used it."

You wince. "Did you get it fixed?"

He shakes his head. "No, just kept it in a box. My mom said I'd cut myself on the ceramic if I tried to fix it."

From Levi's tone, it's not something he's willing to talk about further, so you move on. "And for the first question?"

"If Hange tells you that I'm insecure about my height, they're fucking wrong," he huffs. You laugh.

"That's what you're worried about me thinking?"

"You literally knew me by 'Shorty' before you knew my name."

You wave him off, mindful to not knock over any drinks out in front of you. "I only ever heard good things about Shorty, so it's not like I came into meeting you with any bad impressions."

Not that you even knew Levi was Shorty, but that's probably on you for not listening to Hange when they explained how that dinner was going to work.

"And what'd you hear?" He inquires.

"That you have a stick up your ass, pretty much." He scoffs, but you take it as a laugh, seeing as he's not explicitly frowning. "Hange didn't really share much besides that, but they'd tell me your jokes if they remembered them. I thought you were pretty funny."

He rolls his eyes. "Of course I'm funny." You chuckle.

"Yeah, that just about proves it." There's a pause as you take another sip of your tea. "And about your height, I didn't think you were insecure. Not that there's anything to be insecure about in the first place."

At that, he seems a bit confused, but that look gets wiped away quickly to be replaced with one of indifference. "Yeah?"

Looking out the window, you hum. "There really isn't."

"So you don't think being short is a turn-off?"

You're a bit thrown off by the question, but you try your best not to show it. Surely, he's only asking as a general question that could apply to anyone, so there's no need to overthink it. Thinking about the question itself, though, makes you laugh a bit.

"No, it isn't, but I'll admit that I think height differences in couples are cute, regardless of which person is taller. Still doesn't really matter, anyway, since heels exist." Levi doesn't say anything to that, but that's more likely attributed to you having burnt through the topic of height long enough. "Anything else you want to clarify?" You ask.

"You already know that I'm 'famous,'" he says, making air quotes with his left hand as he says "famous." "So, no. Nothing off the top of my head that needs to be cleared up."

"What exactly does that mean, then? Being famous?"

You didn't forget that Hange said that Levi's the youngest professor in Sina University history and that he's apparently highly sought out, but you earnestly don't know anything about architecture beyond what legal paperwork is needed to get things in motion, so it's probably worth asking him about yourself. He takes a second to think over the question.

"Famous isn't the right word, but people know me. Word of mouth is apparently enough to keep me in where I am in the industry."

How he defines it isn't really far from how you consider Erwin's popularity in your shared work circles, so you don't feel any need for further explanation. You nod in understanding.

"Any bad clients to rant about, then?" You prod.

He sighs, looking out towards the window. "Too fucking many."

You smile, nodding again—this time, in agreement. "Sounds about right."

"Most of them are decent people, but I seriously do not get paid enough to deal with their bullshit."

You nod. "Same here."

He raises an eyebrow at that. "Is law not a highly-paid profession anymore? Erwin is fucking swimming in money."

You sigh. "It is, but it still isn't enough to make me eager to go into work everyday."

Marco comes back to your table with your and Levi's dishes, and you pause conversation with him to thank Marco and get situated to eat.

"Have you been here before?" You ask Levi.

"Been with coworkers," is his short answer. "You?"

You shake your head. He hums, not really as any sort of carrier of conversation, though.

You take a bite of your food, and before you can even hold yourself back, you physically melt into your seat.

Oh, lord, this is fucking delicious. No wonder it's so hard to get a table here—it's practically heaven on earth. You most definitely will be taking advantage of Erwin's pull to come here more often.

The two of you eat in silence, only ever breaking it to thank Marco for refilling your drinks or answering him when he comes to ask how the meal is going. Levi's the first to finish the meal between the both of you, so you pause your eating for a second to ask him something now that he can answer.

"What exactly did Hange tell you about me? Before we met, I mean."

He himself takes a pause, running his fork on the rim of his now-empty plate, before he answers.

"They said you were nice. I'd always fight back and say that they think everyone's nice, and that you were probably just as normal as everyone else, but they'd always talk my ear off about what you'd do to cheer them up or keep them company. It was pretty annoying."

You shrink into yourself. Annoying?

"Sorry about that, then."

He looks over to you, and sighs. "Bad wording on my part. It was annoying how often they talked about you." You nod, still not completely sold on that. He continues. "Thanks for taking them off our hands. I would've ran into oncoming traffic if they asked me to come over and keep them company while they did their fucking laundry."

You roll your eyes. "Hange isn't so bad. They're a good friend."

"And look where we are now. Set up by them and your shitty boss."

You laugh. "Yeah, I guess so." You take a sip of your tea. "Any other misinformation you want me to debunk?"

"Are you actually a millionaire?"

At the question, you snort, nearly spilling your tea. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"Hange always gloats that you're their rich friend." He says it so sarcastically that you know he's just asking to mess with you, but you'll answer seriously anyway.

You roll your eyes again. "Nope, I'm in debt just like the rest of you guys. You had to go to grad school too, right?" He nods. "Yeah, I still owe, like, 20 thousand? But I have more than enough disposable income, so I just let Hange get away with draining my wallet when we hang out."

He winces, but you know he's not judging you. "Better than most people your age, at least."

"You know how old I am?"

He hums absentmindedly. "You seem young. At least, if we're ignoring your sleep schedule."

You kick him under the table, though you're careful not to get his suit dirty—well, it's more like a tap on his leg with the top of your foot. "My sleep isn't that bad anymore." He deadpans, and you nervously laugh. "Okay, yeah, even I didn't buy that."

"Nobody would." He doesn't kick you back, but he flips you off as he's drinking his tea. You laugh at that and his joke.

"I'm twenty-seven, if you needed a number."

"Twenty-nine."

You nod. "Good to know, old-timer."

He scoffs. "Fuck off."

Thinking back to what Hange's said before about you in Levi's presence, there isn't... actually anything wrong with what they said (aside from you being rich). You're a great lawyer (hence their insistence in calling you a "hotshot," whatever that means), and you did actually go and do all the things they brag about on your behalf.

You finish your meal, and Marco comes back just in time to take away your plates and give you the bill. You thank him for serving you all, and he thanks you for being nice guests. Before he fully turns to leave, however, he pauses before facing you both fully again.

"I'm so sorry, but could I take a picture of you both? My boyfriend's an art student, and he's had trouble finding a blue subject to paint for an assignment, and I think you'd be perfect for it." He asks.

You look to Levi, and he looks to you. You shrug, and when Levi doesn't protest, you smile up at Marco. "Sure, we're up for it."

He cheers, then bringing his phone out of his apron. "Thank you so much!" You and Levi look at Marco expectantly, not quite sure what to do. "Um... I think just look towards each other. No need to get up."

You and Levi look back at each other again, and you let yourself smile.

You'll just tell yourself that it's because you want Marco's boyfriend's painting assignment to have at least one person smiling in it, and not because looking at Levi made you smile.

You hear the shutter from Marco's phone, and he thanks both you and Levi again for letting him take the picture.

"You're a beautiful couple, by the way!" He compliments.

You and Levi glance at each other, but you just smile at Marco.

"Thank you," you tell him.

It's Valentine's Day, you're in matching outfits—it's only natural that he assumed you were a couple.

At least that's what you repeat to yourself to stop any wandering thoughts about anything else.

Before Levi can put his card down to pay the bill between the two of you, you stop him with a finger outstretched to him and put down a card from your own wallet.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asks. You roll your eyes.

"Using my work credit card. Erwin gave it to me for when I need to run errands."

Levi nods in approval. "Good thinking."

You hand the tray over to Marco, and he practically skips off to get it processed.

You take your phone out of your pocket, turning it on to an app to call yourself a ride home. Before you can even commit to finding anything, though, Levi speaks up.

"Do you have a ride home?"

You shake your head. "I was just gonna call myself an Uber or something."

He rolls his eyes. "Don't waste your money on that."

You kick him underneath the table, same as before. "So you want me to stay here overnight?"

"I took my car here, you can just come with me."

Marco comes back with the card, which you swiftly put back into your wallet, and the receipts, which you sign before putting back into the tray for Marco to pick up when he comes back. You put your customer copy into your purse so you can fold it up in the car.

You don't want to take advantage of Levi offering his car to you, but when you see that it's already 10:09 PM, you don't want to take your chances with an Uber that'd take even longer to arrive.

"Fine."

You and Levi both get up, and you're soon on your way out the door. You wave goodbye to Marco as you exit past him, and he thanks you yet again.

You follow closely behind Levi, weaving through other people walking on the sidewalk, until you reach the parking garage where his car is.

When you reach his car, you step in without any issue, Levi does the same, and he reverses out of his spot wordlessly after he hears the click from your seatbelt locking into place. You ride in silence, just as you did the last time he drove you somewhere, but the noise from you taking the receipt out of your purse is loud enough for you to want to apologize for disrupting the quiet.

"Sorry."

He doesn't say anything, instead focusing on the road, but you see him shake his head to let you know you don't need to apologize.

You tear at the receipt, though a bit slower than usual because there's less light in the car and you can't see what you're doing quite as well, but the muscle memory is more than enough to make sure the star turns out fine. You put them on your lap to start the next one, and the next, and the next. You run out of paper quickly enough, so you just stare out the window for the rest of the ride.

Once Levi reaches your apartment complex, you look to the time on his car's tablet; 10:46 PM.

You're unsure if you're meant to say goodbye, so you just look at him. He's already looking at you and out towards the entry into your apartment building. You remember the stars you have settled on your lap. You gather them up in your hand for the second time in the evening, and hold them out to Levi as you usually do. Just like last time, he takes them from you and reaches over to place them in the glove box in front of you. You have to lean back to avoid his touch, but it's gone just as quickly as it came, so you don't worry about it. You step out of the car, and Levi rolls down the window.

You look at him, though you need to bend down slightly to see him properly. "Thank you for the ride. Get home safe."

He nods. "You too." Looking back behind you at the building, you sarcastically laugh.

"Yeah, I definitely will."

You don't move from your spot at the curb, and Levi also doesn't roll up the window to start driving away.

"What're you doing?" He chides. "It's late, go inside already."

You bring your hand up to the back of your neck, rubbing at that spot sheepishly. "I was gonna wait for you to drive away first."

He scoffs. "I'll drive when your ass is inside."

You shrug. "If you insist." You wave to him through the window, then walk over to the door that lets you into your building. It's not particularly far, but it's enough for it to not be considered close. Before you open the door, though, you look back to see that he hasn't left yet.

You wave at him again from where you are, arm fully stretched, and though you can't see that far to know if he's doing it himself, you hope he's waving back at you.

You climb up the stairs quickly, not in any particular rush other than to avoid any of your elderly neighbors who'd chastise you for coming home so late, and unlock your door to get inside your apartment. Once your shoes are off, you stretch your arms up above your head, then yawn before deciding to take a shower.

You're tired and it's hard to really form any thoughts, so you just get through your business mindlessly, going through the motions, and you're eventually sat at your couch, staring into nothingness with a towel over your shoulders to keep your clothes dry from your wet hair.

Well, Hange did say they were going to tell you about their date with Moblit (not that you're supposed to know who they went on the date with), so you decide to make yourself a cup of tea. It won't wake you up, since there's no caffeine in the tea you drink, but it's enough to keep you warm, and that'll keep you awake.

You quickly get yourself settled in with a cup of raspberry tea, blowing at it to cool it down. You feel at ease, at your table sipping on your tea. You move the honey jar at the end of your dining table closer to you so you can add just that tiny extra bit of sweetness to your cup, even though you don't normally need to. You want to hate that you're enjoying a simple cup of tea so much because you'll have to brush your teeth again before you can go to bed, but you don't really mind right now.

When you glance at the clock to see that it's 11:21 PM, your immediate thought isn't to go to sleep to make sure you aren't tired for work, or even to go and make sure that you reply to more clients before you can consider the day over.

Instead, you let yourself think that the only reason you don't want the day to end is so you'll have forever to think about your time with Levi. Not really because he's making you nervous or because anything he did made you question anything about your relationship, but it finally feels like you're friends now.

Your mind stays on that thought for a while, but when you're done relishing in the feeling, you get up from the table, wash your teacup in the sink, and head to your bathroom to brush your teeth again and get ready for bed. When you finish washing your face, you take a good look at yourself in the mirror for the first time since getting home.

Though you felt a bit flustered by the whole situation at first, it really wasn't all that nerve-wracking once you and Levi got conversation started, and that reflected well on your face. Instead of finding a raging blush, you look back at yourself to only see a smile on your face—no redness to be seen.

You try to get rid of your smile, thinking back to dinner to try and find something to not smile about.

And you find it rather quickly.

You frown at the realization that you've thought of him as someone you needed to keep at arm's length to avoid any sort of complicated feelings from developing between the two of you, when, in reality, you didn't need to worry about that.

Levi very much is your friend. You spend time together regularly, you know a fair bit about each other now (especially now that you've both gotten your facts checked about one another at dinner), and you seem to enjoy each other's company. You most certainly enjoy his.

You're pulled out of your thoughts when you hear a beep from your phone, so you shake your head to clear your thoughts, and you walk over to see that it's a text from Hange.

No use in overthinking anything that's past you, anyway, so you won't fuss over those thoughts about Levi anymore. Nothing to be sad about—the two of you just had a fun dinner out at the greatest restaurant in the city.

You bring your phone with you into bed, turning it on again when you're fully snuggled in and warm. The brightness of your screen stings a bit, especially because you turned off your lights before getting into bed, but you brave through it to turn it down.

Hange - 11:35 PM

I hope you and Levi had fun!! Sorry I had to do y'all like that BUT GIRL!!!! It's late and ik you have work tmrw so I can just tell you later BUT MY DATE WAS SOOO FUN

You yawn, but you smile at the texts that come in. You blink a few times to get used to the light, but still send a text back to Hange in reply.

You - 11:37 PM

erwin owes me for pulling this stunt anyway so i'll just come in late don't worry about keeping me up

You see the three dots appear, then pause.

Hange - 11:38 PM

Wait wait HOW WERE YOU AND LEVI were you guys okay??

You - 11:38 PM

we were fine

Hange - 11:39 PM

Not gonna tell me more????

You - 11:39 PM

what more do you want from me?

Hange - 11:40 PM

I obviously want all the details

You - 11:40 PM

you can ask levi

Hange - 11:40 PM

But he'll never tell me!!!

You - 11:41 PM

that is literally the point

Hange - 11:41 PM

You know, I was gonna tell you who my date was if you told me But I guess i'll have to keep it a secret forever

You can't help but laugh. Oh, Hange, if only they knew.

You - 11:41 PM

that's okay!! JUST TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!!! HOW WAS YOUR DATE

Hange - 11:43 PM

OH MY GOSH OKAY OKAY SO BASICALLY WE'VE LIKE KINDA HAD THIS THING GOING ON FOR AGESSS BUT I WASN'T REALLY SURE LIKE ???? IS THIS LEGIT OR IS IT JUST FOR FUN BUT HE ASKED ME OUT LIKE LITERALLY SATURDAY NIGHT AND OH MY GODDDD I WAS SO SHOCKED

You can just see Hange frantically typing this all out, and you smile to yourself.

Yeah, you'll have fun telling Mikasa about this at work tomorrow.

✰

Next Chapter

[mc-lukanette]

Luka tended to stick to below the deck whenever Juleka had her friends over above it. They knew him, they were friendly with him, but barring a few exceptions, he didn't consider himself friends with them.

Marinette was one of the exceptions, and while he was confused as to why she would be down with him rather than her friends, he was happy to spend time with her. They entertained each other, Marinette sitting at the stool in the kitchenette and laughing whilst he feigned being a butler, serving her lemonade with a rag hanging from his forearm.

The moment only broke when they heard footsteps coming from the staircase leading down to where they were. Sure enough, Adrien emerged, looking around before his eyes locked with Marinette.

"Oh, Marinette! There you are!" He brightened and walked over to her. "We thought you wandered off or something so I—"

He was interrupted when Marinette took the cup Luka had served her, thrusting it down on the counter for effect. Her smile was strained. "Thank you, Adrien, but really, I'm fine! I wanted to be down here! The lighting's just the best!"

Adrien's eyes darted around skeptically at the various light sources around. Luka knew that, given Adrien's status as a model, he must've known what "proper lighting" must be, and the Liberty wasn't it.

"Uh... really?" Adrien asked, his tone indicating that he was making an attempt to be nice about it yet failing to hold back his feelings completely.

"Yes, and me and Luka were just talking," Marinette replied, unphased. She idly tapped the glass with her fingertips, adding, "I'll be up later, okay?"

He looked back-and-forth from the two of them, a weird look on his face, but he ultimately relented and turned around, heading back upstairs.

Luka watched as Marinette sighed heavily and slumped onto the counter. He wondered what must've happened between the two of them. Granted, he'd never personally seen Marinette and Adrien even in the same place together, but from what Juleka had told him, Marinette was perfectly pleasant and always tried to get along with him.

"...Luka," she muffled against the counter, then raised her head to ask, "do you think I'm selfish?"

"Selfish? You?" He shook his head immediately. "No, I don't think that at all. Why would you...?"

She paused, arms tucking into a loose way of crossing them. She pursed her lips in thought, then averted her gaze from him nervously. "H-hypothetically, what do you think about people who go against their kwami?"

Ah. That explained it.

Looking down, he occupied his hands by cleaning up a spill Marinette had caused when she hit the counter with her glass. She was apologetic about it, but he simply smiled in reassurance. He didn't actually need her to clarify either, but asked anyway, "What do you mean?"

"The—the romance stuff," she replied, clasping her hands together. "What if their owner decided that they don't want to be with who their kwami picked? O-or, worse... what if they decided that they wanted to be with someone else?"

He genuinely thought about it, having had no idea that she was interested in anyone. He couldn't say that he had any experience with her situation - Sass had never been particularly insistent about his love live - but he could put himself in her shoes.

"I don't see anything wrong with it."

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked, visibly confused. "If a kwami chooses you, then you're supposed to follow—"

"—their advice," Luka finished.

"...H-huh?"

"That's how I see it, anyway," he clarified. "Kwami can guide you, but I don't think you have to listen to everything they say if you don't like the tune."

"But that's not..." Marinette sighed, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. "That's not how people usually see it."

"It's not," he admitted. Setting the rag aside and moving her drink, he leaned onto the counter to replace her hand with his own, rubbing her arm for her. She looked up appreciatively and he continued with a chuckle, "But you're coming to the wrong person to talk about what everyone else thinks."

She laughed through her nose. "I-I guess so."

"...Marinette," he began steadily. Maybe he didn't have any experience, but someone he knew did. "Did you ever wonder why my mom doesn't have a kwami?"

"She doesn't?" Marinette blinked. "Yeah, I've never seen her with one, but I thought you said there was a mouse kwami around here somewhere."

"There is, but it's not hers." He paused, retracting his arm and letting her take in what he'd said so far. "She didn't always play the tune she does now either. She was a completely different person."

He giggled at the way her eyes went wide, her nose scrunched up in confusion. "S-she was?" She rubbed her chin, trying to imagine it. "I... no, I can't even see it."

"I barely remember it, since I was really young," he admitted, "but she used to be pretty down to Earth."

Marinette's nose scrunched further. "I definitely can't see it."

Luka explained, "It was probably her parents; my grandparents. I don't remember them much anymore either, but they were pretty stuffy people from what she always told me."

"And?" Marinette leaned forward with interest. If she noticed how close they were, she didn't do anything to undo it. "What happened?"

"Her kwami paired her up with someone she hated. She didn't even realize it at first, since she always did what people told her. Living with someone you don't like though, knowing that you're going to be stuck together forever..." His expression grew grim at the memory. "She couldn't do it. She snapped like an old guitar string. I didn't know what life was going to be like on the Liberty with just me, her, and Jule, but it's the best home I could ask for and it was only once we got it that she started smiling like she meant it."

Marinette let out a breath, wholly invested in the story. "And her kwami...?"

"Left them behind," he answered simply, sliding his hand across the counter for emphasis. "She didn't want anyone telling her what to do anymore. Life wasn't worth living for her if she couldn't play the way she wanted to. That's why me and Jule got kwami that really fit us; she's not perfect, but she taught us to know who we were and what kind of kwami we should listen to."

"O-oh..." Marinette visibly relaxed in her seat, fingers tapping sporadically on the counter as she absorbed the story. Sheepishly, she tried to excuse, "I-I don't think Tikki is that bad."

He gave her a patient look. It took less than five seconds for her to crack.

"Okay, well, she—yeah, she has strong opinions."

"I bet," Luka replied. "You told me she was one of the oldest kwami? She probably thinks she knows every song that's ever been played, but no one can know what they all mean."

"Hm." She grabbed the counter for support, allowing her to lean back on the stool without risk of falling over. "That...that's true."

"And just because she's old doesn't mean she knows everything."

"That's also true..."

He smiled, seeing that all of the uncertainty from earlier was slowly fading away. "I get along with Sass, so I don't know anything dealing with a kwami like yours, but I think you should focus on your own happiness."

"What if Tikki—" Marinette paused, embarrassment spreading across her face at a delayed realization. "U-uh, I mean, this—this hypothetical kwami, isn't happy for their owner?"

He shrugged. "Then I don't think they should've come to them in the first place, especially if they were someone like you." Smiling knowingly, he added, "You deserve to be respected, Marinette."

She hunched forward to lean on the counter again. He couldn't see it, but he could hear the idle taps as her legs swung back and forth against the stool. This had been something on her mind for quite a long time, it seemed, and he was happy to be the one she went to for advice.

Finally, Marinette raised herself up with a smile. "Thanks, Luka. You're right."

"You're welcome." His eyes followed her as she hopped off the stool and walked around the counter to his side. "I'm just glad I could—"

His mouth stopped working when she leaned up and kissed somewhere between his cheek and lips; far enough from the lips to be respectful to one she wasn't dating, but not so much on the cheek as to come off strictly friendly. Luka could only stare in surprise at her shy little smile as took hold of her drink and turned away to hurry to the staircase and head above deck again.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there, but two soft clicks from behind him indicated that the fridge had been opened and then closed. Sass took his rightful place atop Luka's shoulder, biting into a hard-boiled egg.

"For all your wisdom, you lacked in what it took to see who the girl was fond for," he noted in amusement.

Luka had the decency to blush at that, having no argument to defend himself.