#a memory of a goldfish i’M SCREAMING

[lieslab]

Nothing new

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

Pairing: Minho X gn reader

Summary: Minho finds you on the porch when the hurt from the issues your father gave you tends to bubble up and fizz over.

Genre: Comfort/hurt

Word Count: 1.3K

Trigger warning: Daddy issues, grief, depression, anxiety, mentions of physical violence and emotional abuse.

A/N: I forgot that I wrote a daddy issue post like a week or two ago because I have the memory of a goldfish. I haven't done a Minho drabble in a while and honestly, this was one hundred percent completely self-indulgent and I cannot lie about it. I was spiraling and this was what conjured up in the middle of my grief. I'm so sorry if you can relate, we deserve better <3

_ _ _

"Why are you hanging out here alone?” Minho plopped down beside you on the back wooden porch. 

You couldn’t remember how long you had been here. Maybe it was mere minutes or maybe it was more like hours. Time seemed to blend together out here and you let it. 

The sun was starting to set. It painted the sky with roaring reds and bright oranges. Streaks of clouds were beginning to fade further and further away into the distance. Soon the sun would set and the moon would begin to climb the darkened skies. 

“I’ve been calling your name for a while. I thought you were in our bedroom, but you didn’t respond. I even thought you were showering until I found the bathroom empty. I was starting to think you had been kidnapped or something.” 

You shrugged, “I’m just here.” 

“So what are you thinking about?” 

“Noth-” 

“Bullshit. You don’t turn into a recluse unless you’re truly struggling with something. You know that I’m not going to judge you, so what are you really thinking about?” 

“Everything all at once.” 

“Anything specific?” 

“Family.” 

His face softened at the mention of your family. Life with your family has been chaotic. He knew the stories, you always told him about them. More specifically, he knew the issues that you had with your father. 

“Daddy issues again?” 

“Or perhaps my brain is the issue.” You shifted and leaned back. Your legs hung down the descending stairs, but your upper half clung to the deck. “I just…I just wish I could stop making it a big deal. I wish things didn’t affect me so much. I wish actions and words would run off me like water instead of sticking.” 

“It’s not wrong to mourn the things you missed out on. I understand that it must be hard to deal with the cards life gave you. Everyone has struggles and yours just happens to be your father.” 

“You’d think it’d stop once you grow up.” 

He paused for a moment and his eyes went out to the backyard. Off in the distance, the shared vegetable garden bloomed. Bright grown plants flourished in every direction. Two white cabbage butterflies chased each other around and around. Soon they’d land on an outer cabbage leaf and begin to munch away without a care in the world. 

“I think realizing it when you get older makes it worse. You become aware of the injustice and hurt which causes a cognitive disconnect. It makes it cut that much deeper. You don’t have to feel bad for feeling something so natural.” 

“You know what the worst part is?” You finally got out. The sting of tears began to collect in the corners of your eyes. “He’s not even a good man. We’re talking about one of the worst people out there and yet I still feel myself chasing after him.” 

“The kind of person who picks strangers over his own children. The type who spends money on stupid things instead of the youngest child’s needs. The kind of person who has no issue yelling and screaming in someone’s face. The kind that lets their anger control them and make all the decisions.” 

“But yet…I keep chasing. I keep hoping and praying. I’ve started to talk to God,” a tearful snort fell from your mouth. “I don’t even know if I believe in him, but I’ve talked to him. I keep asking for a better father, but all I hear is silence.” 

“They say you should stay in contact with your parents because they’re your parents, but what if a parent is making you so stressed and upset, your hair falls out? What if it leads to sobbing and emotional distress? What if it leads to screaming and fighting? What if trying to love my father is what kills me?” 

Minho’s heart broke apart at your words. He knew it was bad and it had been for a while, but he didn’t know it was this bad. His hand instinctively reached out for yours. The warmth of his palm connected with yours and curled around your fingers. 

“And you know what the worst part is?” 

“Hmm?” 

“If I leave him, that’s it. He won’t change and try to become a better person. He won’t think about his actions and go out of his way to change. He’ll just point the finger and belittle me. Run my name through the mud to every family member. He’ll belittle me, turn me into an outsider, pull the curtain over everyone’s eyes again. He’ll always be the good father in his eyes and I’ll just become another asshole that did him wrong. Just like the hundreds of other people that he once upon a time knew.” 

Narcissism was deadly for some. Too much of an ego and too much self-imposed-importance left people craving attention. No matter whose character they had to rip apart, they’d do it. Whether that meant belittling them to everyone they knew, screaming at them, or even assaulting them. 

Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. 

All the attention had to be swallowed by them. Like some sort of powerful sun, the rays never knew how brightly they burned. Any ounce of criticism was a pot of boiling hot water. 

The huffs and puffs. The finger in your face. The yelling and screaming as spit flew everywhere. The broadening rage that seemed to fill the room without a single sound. The angry marching from them as you tiptoed along on eggshells. Just when you let out a breath, they snapped and lashed out. 

You didn’t have time to react before you became a victim of another episode. Another rage fest where things went flying. When the refrigerator door slammed shut so hard that the shelves full of condiments shook. The way that cupboards were dented from the force of wood slamming against wood. 

Your dad would always be your dad, but he’d never be a good father. You could cry and cry and cry. You could cry enough tears to create an ocean, but it’d never be enough to wash the hate out of your father. That realization caused your heart to break apart. 

Your biological father would never love you, at least, not the way you loved him. Your chasing was starting to slow down. You could spend a few more years chasing his love and begging on your knees for it, but when was the last time your father said he loved you? 

When was the last time you were your father’s child? When was the last time that your father seemed to give a shit about you? Did he know your favorite color? Did he know the songs that caused your heart to boom with adrenaline? 

Better yet, did he know something as simple as your birthday? Does he know or does he laugh as he asks you because it’s not such a big deal to him? So when he hands you a card from the dollar store with his name, does it feel just as worthless as his love for you? 

“Is it wrong to want to be loved?” 

“Never. It’s never wrong to be loved and I’m sorry you don’t have that kind of love. If you want me to, I’ll share my father with you.” 

“I haven’t even met your father.” 

“Oh, I was talking about Bang Chan.”

“Minho!” You leaned over to lightly slap his shoulder. Before you could reach it, he jerked out of reach. His hand grabbed your wrist and he jerked you closer. 

“Hey!” 

Your annoyance instantly dissolved the moment his lips met yours. Your body relaxed and you began to kiss him back. At this moment, none of your father’s lack of love mattered. Right now, you had this and what a fool you’d be to ever give it up.

| ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ |

Taglist: @lina-linny @straykidsstanforeverandever @seungnishi @stellasays45

Masterlist

Taglist and inbox rules

[tea-moon-ster]

O'Knutzy week day 1

character credits to @lumosinlove, prompt credit to @oknutzyweek2023 . Also thanks to the wonderful beta @boredbook .

Prompts: Tomato Soup/Bucket hat/Mail/Gardening/Treat

“See, honey bug? That’s our first strawberries.”

“The ones from the plant?”

“The very ones.”

“How?”

Leo suppressed a laugh. Tristan was in full ‘why, how, who, when, and where’ phase. All the previous shyness that had made them think he was a quiet kid had disappeared but, Leo couldn’t bring himself to mind. He readjusted the bucket hat on the kid’s head, a sky-blue thing and with goldfish and carrots floating around. Just like Finn, one minute too long under the sun would have resulted in cute, but nevertheless tomato red, cheeks. Freckles were already spreading on his nose, and Leo had to restrain himself from scooping the kid in his arms and drown him in kisses. I’m a big boy now, Dada, he’d insisted that morning, as he tried to put on his shoes on his own. On the wrong feet. Leo limited himself to cleaning the little chin from soil -he didn’t know how it had ended there.

“Well, we planted the seeds, gave them some water and sunlight, and they grew into fruit.”

“Sunlight like you?”

It took a few moments for Leo to understand what the toddler said. He let a delighted laugh out. “Oh. Oh, my baby.” Tristan’s lower lip fell into a pout, looking away with blushed cheeks. Leo had to lean and kiss him on the head, right in the middle of the little hat. “Honey, sunshine is a name your Daddy calls me. The plants need the sunlight from the sun to grow.”

“Oh. But how?”

“Because sunlight gives them nutrients.”

“Says who?”

“The circle of life.”

“Like the movie with Simba?”

“Yes.”

“But we don’t have lions, or birds, or zebras, or…”

“I know, but-”

“No, Dada, lemme finish please.”

“Yeah, sorry. Go on.”

“Thank you. Lions, birds, zebras, elephants, antelopes, cheetahs, gnus…” Tristan continued to list all the animals from the movie, counting them on his little fingers in a focused frown. He’d been obsessed with the movie for weeks. Leo let him ramble as he finished covering the freshly transplanted herbs with new soil.

“Did I get them all?”

“I think you did, honey pie. Good job.”

“But how does the circle of life work?”

“Huh, everyone has a role to play and it doesn’t work if you don’t do your part.”

“Oh.” The answer seemed to satisfy Tristan, who nodded seriously, and leaned in to poke one of the small, newborn berries.

Leo thought he looked unbearably cute like that, crouched in front of the plants in his overalls. Leo could scream, cry, and sing of happiness while watching Tristan with his small fingers stroking the leaves with big, curious eyes. That was his kid, their kid, to love and raise and take care of. He wanted a picture of him like that. He’d send it to his mother for her birthday. Where was Finn with his camera?

Leo got back on his knees, cleaning his hands on his gardening jeans, and looked around for him. He’d been right there with them, videotaping everything for the memories, Peanut, just a second ago. Leo squinted his eyes in the sun, scanning their yard, and shook his head affectionately when he found his husband. Finn was leaning on the fence, some envelopes in hand and the old camera in the other. He was chatting with Ryan, the new neighbor- probably about golf again.

Leo nudged Tristan gently. “Are you gonna show our new strawberries to Daddy?”

That seemed to do the trick. The next second, the toddler was scrambling to his feet and sprinting. A series of Daddy, daddy, filled the yard, and Leo got to treasure the moment Finn turned around, already smiling radiantly at the name, and bent for the impact. Tristan jumped at full speed into open arms, which lifted him with a little hop, before he was eased on the redhead’s hip. Finn chuckled, adjusting the bucket hat again. He pointed at Ryan, and the kid politely said hi, before filling Finn in with the gardening news. Leo sat back down into the soft grass, taking a moment to look at them. He watched Finn lean down for Tristan to whisper something in his ear, watched the way he looked down at their son with that heart written all over his face. Leo should have taken the camera, he thought. If only he’d kept his own hands clean. Every interaction his husbands had with Tristan was a wonder. A treasure to behold, protect, and replay forever.

“I hear we have strawberries in our lands.”

Leo looked up at Finn, a shield in between him and the sun. He smiled.

“This way, Daddy!” Tristan took Finn’s finger to make him sit with them –which he did, without worrying about his good pants getting dirty. Finn looked the right amount of amazed and curious as their kid pointed at the little berries and explained to him his very own version of the circle of life. And when he turned to Leo for confirmation, the blond made sure to look serious enough while nodding.

Finn let out a low whistle. “Well, that’s impressive, little man. That was all you and Dada, hmm?”

“And the sunshine and the water and the circle of life,” Tristan clarified. “But not the sunshine like Dada. It’s a different kind of sunshine.”

“Oh, got it. Thanks, bud, I won’t get confused now.”

Finn glanced at Leo as the toddler threw himself into a conversation with the little strawberries. They shared a sun-warmed smile. And, damn, if in his twenties, Leo had thought that Heartthrob O’Hara couldn’t get any more charming, he hadn’t considered Finn as a dad. The light in his eyes every time their kid called for Daddy, and the energy he put to make Tristan feel listened to, loved, and to play with him until they got him a sibling. The more pronounced lines at the corner of his eyes, mixing with his lopsided smile, that Leo knew existed for the sole purpose of making him melt.

Finn nudged at the front door behind him. “Why don’t you go inside for a bit, baby? Drink some water, see what’s for lunch. I’ll stay here with our garden gnome.”

“Am not!” Tristan called out from his spot next to the plants.

“You sure?” Leo whispered. Finn nodded.

“I don’t wanna lose the third explanation of the circle of life. Or the fourth. Oh, here-” he added, leaning to push the envelopes into Leo’s jeans pocket. “Just bills. And the thing for the charity event.”

“Did you call Noelle to ask if they can babysit that night?”

Finn’s smile faltered for a second. “I…said I would.”

“You did.”

“I will.”

“I know. Possibly before the charity night, darling.”

 

Leo was welcomed by the chill air inside and low music coming from the kitchen. It was some old, French song about love and spring. Leo could relate. He wasn’t surprised to hear Logan singing along as he would’ve been fifteen years ago, but it was always a welcomed melody.

He quietly stepped into the open space that was their kitchen and first dining room and stopped for a moment to take it all in. Logan’s shoulders were still broad and strong, even years after his retirement. His edges were softer, both in his body and his temper. But the fire was always there, warming their home like he always had.

 •••

Logan was busy stirring the pot, mumbling the song to himself, when long arms circled his waist and a head rested on his shoulder. He smiled as he added cream to the mix. For the next song, they didn’t move at all. Leo adjusted himself so his back wouldn’t be so crooked, and Logan fetched a spoon to taste the red, boiling soup.

“Ah, ouais,” he nodded, satisfied, lifting the spoon to let Leo take a sip. “You’re in for a treat, mon amour.”

Leo hummed. “Tomato soup, the fanciest lunch of them all.” He received a weak, affectionate slap on the shoulder, accompanied by a chuckling sound that vibrated against his chest.

“It’s made with love. Secret ingredient that makes it fancy. It’s a treat.”

“It’s always a treat if you’re making it.”

Logan had to tilt his head for the next kiss.

•••

Leo changed out of his gardening clothes to help Logan fix lunch. He’d taken a sense of pride, in the last few years, in preparing meals for Leo, Finn and now Tristan. He wouldn’t ask for help, so Leo always made sure to stick around. Just in case. But Logan, with his romantic music and the recipe book neatly displayed next to Leo’s spices, was doing a good job.

Once they were all sat down, Leo watched Logan’s satisfied smile being kissed by Finn, thanking him for lunch. Finn told them about the mail, and about Ryan inviting them to golf next weekend, and all the neighborhood’s gossip he’d heard. Then, Tristan decided it was time to go through the circle of life one more time. Papa still hadn’t heard it, after all. Leo nodded along as he placed peas in Tristan’s plate, which immediately summoned a pout capable of melting Logan. He intercepted it with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t wanna hear it, young man. We need the peas to grow. Just like plants need sunlight.”

Tristan seemed to consider the idea. “Is sunlight the veggie for plants?”

“Sure is.”

“Then why isn’t it green?”

A few beats of silence followed. Finn, mouth full, lifted his spoon towards the kid, in a mock toast. “Valid point, kiddo.”

 •••

“…And when your strawberries will be ready, we can pick them and make something yummy with them,” Leo explained.

Tristan gasped. “For dinner?”

Logan swiped off some tomato soup at the corner of his mouth. “They need to grow, mon ange.”

“Tomorrow’s dinner?”

“Maybe in a few weeks.”

“Aw, man.”

Logan turned fast enough to catch the pride in Finn’s eyes at the exclamation. He saw Leo do the same and smiled even more. It was the most wonderful thing to see little bits of them mixing in their child. Logan wanted more than a lifetime of this.

“But they’ll be so good, mon cœur,” he added. “Then we can use them for baking.”

“Yeah, there’s so much you can do,” Finn backed him up. “Jam, pie, cheesecake…”

“Strawberry shortcakes.”

Leo and Finn looked up at him. Logan smiled, involuntary and sweet. A flash of tangled, young bodies on a boat, and the golden sunset in the bayou surfaced. His smile matched theirs. Sweet and not quite nostalgic. Remembering. No matter how many times Leo had prepared that dessert over the years, they’d always associated it to their first night in New Orleans.

“Yeah,” Finn breathed. “That’s a good one.”

Looking up at the clear night sky, drunk on love and pleasure and adrenaline, the Finn from all those years ago would have never dared to imagine a future like this. Made of strawberries in the garden, a fourth chair at the table and wedding photos in the hallway. He remembered the first kisses, soft and hard, because they’d all needed kindness, but also a tangible proof of being wanted and needed. The utter wonder in seeing his hand tangled with the other two. But he hadn’t pictured this. Not back then.

“And you know what? Whatever you make, it’ll be extra good because it’ll come from you,” Leo added with a wink.

Tristan giggled, and Logan rubbed a hand through his soft curls. Finn was amazed to learn that his hair would turn lighter during summer. And a thousand other things, all about a little human being they were raising together. He watched Leo smile at them as he rested his chin on a fist. He had to blink fast a few times. Take a deep breath. Just to take it all in.

Sometimes he’d still get that lump in his throat from all the love and wonder he felt for his husbands. And the little fireworks in the eyes of his younger self at the word husbands. Oh, if twenty-five-year-old Finn could see how good they had it coming. How a rookie entering his frat house and another one in his big, empty apartment would end in this. Sometimes he wished he could talk to younger Finn. Just to let him know that the silence, the tears and the keeping it all inside would be worth it. As Logan had written in his vows, they’d met so many bumps along the way that could have split them out. Fights, trades, the intricate webs that were their minds. But they’d chosen each other over every single issue. And they’d continue to do so.

Finn leaned back on his chair, watching Tristan use Logan’s fingers to count all the animals again because he’d run out of his own. He felt a gentle thumb on his cheek. Leo’s smile warmed him like the sun in the garden.

“Where did you go just now, cher?”

“You’ll teach him how to make the shortcakes?”

Leo’s eyes softened, and the thumb on his cheek pressed a little harder. “Sure thing, strawberry.”

Finn noticed Logan glancing at them with a dopey smile, and had to nudge his feet under the table. He let Tristan pull his hand closer so he could continue his counting as he leaned to rest his head on Leo’s shoulder and exhaled.

“Cheers, sunshine.”

[xianhuashi-second-blog]

Big Hero 6 was 9 years ago, going on 10. Next year is when it takes place. So, this is an appreciation post for the movie, and what it’s done for me.

Trigger Warning ahead, the post mentions de@th and $u1c1d3, (spelled wrong so I don’t get flagged/shadow banned by the Tumblr gods.) complex grief and mentions of mental health.

BH6 came out when I was 4-5 (what a long time ago omfg-) so its importance to me was non existent. Me and my (much) Older brother watched it together a few years later in 2016. Young me didn’t know the nuance and severity of Hiro Hamada as a character. All I saw was “Two Asian siblings” that had a relationship like me and my brother. I tuned out the rest of the movie that night because I had *and still have* the attention span of a goldfish with dementia. Years later, very recently, (near the end of 2023, but school still in session ) he jumped. He passed away that day. I think I cried an ocean when I got the news from my father.

I cried, not only because I love and miss him with all I am, I sobbed because he was my other half, essentially another father. I cried because I felt, I knew I could have done something differently, so then maybe he’d be alive a bit longer. And, I cry because of all he put himself through for me. It’s hard to imagine the suffering and agony he put himself through to be there for me.

I have diagnosed High functioning Autism. My brother had a feeling, but he helped me understand how neurotypicals interact, how to fake making eye contact, how to hold up a conversation, learn body language, you name it. He even bought me noise canceling headphones because I’m sensitive to loud sounds, and fidget toys that I could use during school. My parents, on the other hand, thought I was just a spoilt brat who needs to pay attention to people, and stop being so picky with foods and their textures, a brat that has to be more social, stop shying away from kids my age. My brother was the one to convince them to get me tested for Autism, to prove I wasn’t just a bratty kid.

He sat through my ramblings about Steven Universe and The Stanley Parable. He helped me work through my meltdowns, and told me it wasn’t my fault that certain things make me upset.

I crumbled to the ground. My world was shattered. After I was “back into reality,” I realized my father was holding me in his arms. I hugged him tightly. My face was smushed against his chest so hardly that it felt like my cheek was about to break. It felt like him. It felt like how he’d wrap me in bear hugs. Weeks went by. We had his Funeral. I looked at the picture of him near his casket. It felt surreal knowing that the same man was inside of the wooden box, awaiting his burial. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream and shout and cause myself to have a breakdown, but I physically couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to be angry at him either. So I just stood there, fingers slightly touching his coffin, where I knew his face would be.

Later on, being forced to go back to school the following week because the American school system sucks 🖕 🇺🇸

I got back home. I went on disney plus to elevate myself of my grief. I scrolled through the home screen, when Big Hero 6 showed up. I remembered watching it with him, so I convinced myself- despite not wanting reminders- to watch it. “Welcome to Nerd-school. Nerd.” I watched the fire alarms blair. The infamous “someone has to help” scene before he ran into the fire. Then, the scene where Hiro was sitting alone on the staircase in his memorial outfit. That frame alone was truly a perfect representation of sudden loss and grief. I felt seen, and acknowledged. I felt understood. I kept watching. Near the end, Hiro was trying to “fix Baymax” with the violence chip thing. “Is this what Tadashi would have wanted?” “It doesn’t matter!” And then finally, “Tadashi’s GONE! Tadashi’s… gone….” The feeling that scene gave me was complicated. But, it left me with the knowledge that he was with me in memory. That, of course, didn’t take away everything that was happening to me.

That movie helped me through complicated emotions, and I cannot thank the BH6 team enough for what they’ve done for me, and how that movie helped me. I still blame myself for what happened. I’m still grieving, and it’s still hard to live without him. And the idea that Tadashi doesn’t get to see his baby brother’s super hero team, yet said team wouldn’t exist without his death, helps me realize that without my brother’s death, I wouldn’t have such a kind community of fellow fans of the movie, who enjoy my art and my storytelling.

Thank you for all you’ve done. Thank you for everything. It was an honor to have you as my brother, and I miss you so much. I know not many people have good relationships with their older siblings right off the bat, so I am so grateful you could give me that friendship. I promise i’m gonna make you proud.

[tokusaatsus]

MAGIC TRICKS

ft. hibiki wataru

© tokusaatsus 2022

warnings: mentions of sleep deprivation

When morning comes, it’s bright–filled to the brim with sparkles that reflect off of the dewy grass. Your eyelids feel heavy, however, and your fingers are covered in bandages because the edges of playing cards sliding against them all night long did not do you any favours.

You sigh.

“Hm? And why the long face, my dear? Never fear! After all, your very own Hibiki Wataru is here ☆!”

You blame your reaction on the lack of sleep because, had you been well-rested, you would not have ended up screaming and launching a deck of cards at his face. Wataru blinks placidly, somehow having teleported to the opposite side of the room to avoid the damage entirely. The cards flutter pitifully in the air for a few moments before coming to rest on the wooden floor.

“Oh, God, I am so sorry,” You squat down, curling your hands as you try to scrape the cards back into some semblance of a pile.

Wataru simply gives you a perfunctory pat on the head–gaining a perplexed look in return–and a smile as he flicks his wrist and an identical deck of cards offers itself to you. “My sincere apologies for startling you, Y/N. Might you consider forgiving me?” He bows his head deeply.

“It’s fine,” You wave him off. “You’re forgiven, or whatever. Hey, actually…” A lightbulb goes off in your head, and you stare at him. “Can you do something for me?”

“Of course ☆!” He cheers. “What can this humble jester do for you?”

You clear your throat, and put on your best imitation of Sakasaki. You’re not going to go the full way, of course, because his speech quirk is annoying to figure out. You wish you had the right setting–a darkened room, some fairy lights, maybe even some mood music–but you’ll adapt. “Pick a card, any card~”

Wataru chuckles good-naturedly. “As you wish,” He hums, selecting a card.

Your eyes flash quickly. You haven’t shuffled the deck. That card would’ve been fourth in the pile. That means… You wrack your brains, because you spent the past night memorizing this stupid fucking deck and you’re not going to let your shitty goldfish memory capacity ruin it for you. So that card, fourth in the pile, should be… Shit, is it six of clubs or three of diamonds? You caught a glimpse of red, yeah, but that’s not a guarantee… Still, you don’t have anything better to use as proof.

He places the card back in the deck, and you begin to shuffle. You talk as you work–distractions, they’d said in the instructions, would be your best friend. You flag the cards in your mind as you do so, earmarking those pointers. “So, any plans for today? Anything interesting on the agenda?”

Wataru quirks an eyebrow, but plays along. “Why, nothing in particular. All the world’s a stage, my dear, I have to stay prepared. I can’t risk ruining the show, after all~”

“That’s stupid,” You roll your eyes. “You can’t ‘ruin’ the show, it’s your life. Go out, do something fun and stupid, fall in love–who cares? If the world’s a stage or whatever, anything you do will be interesting because you’re Hibiki Wataru and you’re fun.”

He hums in response.

“Anyways, I’m done.” You spread out the cards in your hand, and select one with a flourish. “Is this your card?” Please be the right one, please be the right one, please be the right one.

Three of diamonds, exactly the card he’d chosen. He claps, but that’s not all. There it is–written in your messy script on the glossy surface of the card itself: Happy birthday, Hibiki Wataru. Love from, your very own Y/N ☆.

Wataru giggles as he holds the card close to his chest. “How cute… Thank you, my dear.”

You think, I made the right choice. Wataru’s smiles are worth those sleepless nights. “Happy birthday, Wataru.”

notes!

WC: 654 words

reze txt happy (belated) birthday wataru! our favourite magician! may you continue to spread joy and happiness, as well as receive it <3

taglist: @prpne @gabirii @kazemiya @engurishu @kkomaism @ophanem @mikctp @lilikags @lolthia @unwantedsleep @hasumilvr @head-full-of-empty​ @pr3tty-jennie​

[thatndginger]

Hey there, happy STS new friend! Hope you're doing oK!

So tell me about some of your characters - who are your favourite characters to write for, each for Shapeshifter and for War Witch. What about them do you enjoy?

Hello new friend! I am super late answering this but I am happy to say I’m doing well ^.^

My favorite characters to write for Shapeshifter are, in no particular order: all of them. I love writing all of these fucking idiots so much, it’s obscene :P Joking aside, I’d have to say that my favorites are easily the two who started it all; Kerr McKay (protagonist extraordinaire) and Adrien Montrose (mysterious mob boss who I don’t talk about nearly enough). Close behind them are the other two protagonists of Shapeshifter, Jay de Lange & Warrick Salehrad.

I love writing Kerr because I never know what that little shit is gonna do, but I know I’m gonna be entertained regardless. I never would have expected to find myself writing the kind of gritty, rough urban fantasy that Shapeshifter has become if not for Kerr dragging me kicking and screaming into it. I have learned that I cannot write extensive outlines for any scene Kerr is in, because he will never follow the plan. And honestly, that’s kinda fun.

Adrien, on the other hand, has rarely surprised me. Not much, at least. I’ve always known who he is, and what he’s likely to do. Which is be a cold, ruthless prick with a soft spot for certain idiots. 

Jay and Warrick are kind of ‘new’ characters when compared to Kerr and Adrien, but that’s what makes writing them so fun. I know what they’ll do about 50% of the time. The rest… Warrick is adorably goofy and sincere with an incredibly short attention span and the memory of a goldfish. Jay is prickly and distrustful, protective of what she sees as ‘hers’, and has a smile that could rival the sun’s shine. They’re fun on their own, but when you combine Jay, Warrick, and Kerr…. It’s a goddamn riot.

My favorite character to write for War Witch is currently Nathan Kraemer (sidekick/deuteragonist to one Mari Adairon). War Witch is still primarily in the planning stages, so most of the writing I do is just fleshing out characters and their motivations/quirks/backstories/etc. Nate is fun to write for in that aspect because I really like leaning into the ‘spoiled rich kid’ tropes for him, but with a twist. Like, he’s the old-money son of the Minister of Commerce, but he hangs on every word that comes out of Mari’s mouth. He’d follow her to the ends of the earth, or her parents’ tailor shop for tea, or even consider stopping at a street food stall occasionally if she asked. He’ll be condescending and annoying about it in that trust-fund-baby way, though.

[madkids]

so, how did you guys meet?

willa: i met junsu before i met jakdoo. i was living in the streets at the time... and don’t come at me for that, ok?! i didn’t get out of my house because i wanted to, it wasn’t some disney barbie bullshit of a spoiled girl wanting to know what is like to be poor, it was because i needed to. i had to. i was younger and stupider. and it was never a home anyway, fuck my mom, crazy fucking bitch. after i tried to steal junsu’s wallet, which is a wholesome story i can tell you later, he payed me a sandwich and he said i could stay at his place till i got some work or something. needless to say i never learned to live without him, and he loves me for that!

(junsu screams): i fucking don’t! (willa whispers between giggles): he actually does, fucking gremlin.

willa: and what once started as a one-night stand between junsu and jakdoo actually became a beautiful romance... and i’m in the middle because they help me pay for therapy. JUST KIDDING! i don’t do therapy, that’s for crazy people, duh. so, where i was again? uhh, so, never spoke to my mom again, dyed my hair and changed my name because no one needs to live with a title that doesn’t describe themselves... i’m like prince william when he left the royal family, except i don’t think his mom locked him up in a cage like mine did... but i’m not getting into the gorey details of my mother’s love language, just know that i’m alive because of these two fuckers and i love them very much.

junsu: you don’t love us thaaat much. (he comes into the room licking cake batter from a metal spatula. he offers a lick to willa and she happily takes it.) and it wasn’t like that at all, you pathological liar. i met you at a gas station while you were trying to mugle somebody else, felt sorry for your stinky ass and brought you home. and yeah, jakdoo and i were fucking.

(jakdoo talks loudly from the kitchen): DON’T SAY IT LIKE THAT! we weren’t fucking, we were falling in love. junsu: yeah, yeah, falling in love, making love. sure, baby. (jakdoo comes from the kitchen with a colorful apron tied around his waist and the face full of baking flour.) jakdoo: what are you talking about? i want to participate too!!! willa: i was telling the epic story about how we met and how we got together. (jakdoo lets out an emotional sigh and sits down on the couch, in the middle of willa and jakdoo, squeezing them to the sides.) jakdoo: aaww, i remember like it was five years ago... because it was! so i don’t remember much. i have goldfish memory. but junsu was very handsome, still is, and we were sorta dating, and i knew willa lived with him but we never talked much because she’s crazy... willa: i am. jakdoo: ...and when i heard her playing the bass one day, because it was the only thing she brought with her from her mothers’... junsu: can’t believe you carried a bass around town and it never got stolen.. willa: I’D BITE ANYONE WHO TRIED!! jakdoo: ...i thought, oh my, we can play together! and just out of nowhere junsu showed his musical equipment, he’s very good at hiding things and being mysterious so i had no clue! it was the perfect fit! junsu: it was just logical to form a band, like, when you’re this good at what you do, people gotta know. they just deserve to know. jakdoo: and i am very thankful to the universe for bringing us together! (he hugs them with his big arms and smiles wide) yeeey! family!!! willa and junsu (in a more bored tone): familyyy...

[acefaun]

The King's Labyrinth (5)

Synopsis: Being the notorious trickster that he is, the King uses a film you've recently watched with the gods as inspiration for his latest entertainment. It doesn't help that Leon looks like the Goblin King… Putting the thirteen of you in the Labyrinth, it only take a little mind persuasion to get everyone to cooperate.

✨Masterlist✨ Female goldfish!

Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4 // Chapter 5 // Chapter 6 // Chapter 7 // Chapter 8

—Word Count: 3K—

Chapter 5: Recognition

Aigonorus sighed, laying flat on the ground as he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sound of the fireys screaming in the forest. Pulling me up and out of reach was tiring work for him, especially since he spent… who knows how long… trying to find me. It didn’t help that I was human and couldn’t jump very high to begin with, meaning he had to find a strong enough vine to reach down and make up for my lack of height. 

“Aigo…?” He hummed as I called his name, so I took that as my cue to continue, “I… I really thought you’d left for good. I’m happy you came back for me. You saved me just now.”

He hummed a second time, his head rolling slightly to my direction as he muttered, “You were in danger.”

“But you didn’t know that before you showed up,” I pointed out, leaning against a stone wall across from him. Pulling out the sparkling necklace from my pocket, I passed my thumb over it, glancing back at Aigonorus. “You always show up when I need you. I put you through so much trouble, so I don’t really know why you go out of your way for me. But… here. You can have this back.” 

Sitting up, his eyes widened as he looked at the object in my hands. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he shook his head. “I left you behind. Why are you giving that back?”

I shrugged my shoulders, tilting my head to the side with a goofy smile. “You are a terrified little faun. You run off at the smallest of noises. But… you always come back for me. So, no matter what happens, I want you to have this for helping me through the labyrinth.”

He watched me with wary eyes as I knelt beside him and put the necklace back around his neck. As if mentally deciding on something, he firmly nodded. “I’ll always come back for you… I promise.”

“Oh, I also promised something else.” Glancing at the ring on my finger, I pursed my lips. I had a strange feeling about it… Like there was something important I couldn’t remember. But a promise was a promise. “I said you could have my ring if you stayed with me until we made it to the castle.” Holding out my hand, I let him look at the silver ring that glimmered with an unnoticed power. “Can I… give it to you now?”

Aigonorus bit his lip before silently denying me by pointing out, “We didn’t make it to the castle yet.”

“But we will,” I assured. With all the help I’d had so far, I was sure we’d make it in no time. “So, please, you can have it.”

I watched him silently debate with himself before gazing up at me with a shy nod. “Okay. Only if you wanna…”

A smile crossed my lips as I eagerly took the ring off for him to place it on his smallest finger. Only… my head started to fog up the second the ring left my finger. I was sure how I was feeling wasn’t associated with the ring. It was probably a weird coincidence. But that didn’t stop my head from spinning. “H- Hey… I feel…” My words trailed off, and I felt arms wrap around me comfortingly.

This embrace was so warm, even as it shifted, putting me in a more comfortable position across a lap. I don’t think it would have been so bad if an onslaught of images and voices wasn’t attacking my head all at once.

This labyrinth… it wasn’t real. I was caught up in a game created by the King. But… why were the gods going along with it? Well, I’d seen Partheno, Ichthys, Dui, Aigo, and Leon so far. So, where was everyone else?

For the most part, they all acted like themselves. They just… had a different set of memories—fake memories supplied by the King. In fact, the King conjured everything in this labyrinth. Did no one else realize that? Was Leon genuinely making me fight to get Partheno back? And what would happen if I lost? 

More importantly, why could I suddenly recognize what was going on? The ring? I vaguely remember the King saying something, but his exact words were unclear. 

“(Name)? Please, wake up. Is this… Did Leon do this?” 

I felt fingers pressing into my cheeks before moving to shake my shoulders. My eyes were bleary when I opened them, my gaze first settling onto the worried gaze of Aigonorus that hovered over me. He was holding me against him with one arm wrapped behind me and the other hand on my shoulder. “Aigo…” I muttered, our eyes meeting. 

For a moment his cheeks turned red before he asked, “What’s wrong? Do you need water? You- You’ve been walking too long? Should we take a break here?”

The calm Aigo I knew was gone, replaced by this flustered and panicked Aigo who wasn’t sure what to do to help. His concern was touching. “I’m okay. I just… need…” I trailed off, my face drawing closer to Aigonorus’s before my lips softly pressed against his. 

For a moment, everything was calm, and it was just the two of us. I wondered if Aigonorus remembered everything like I did… or if he was stuck in this world…

The answer to my question came when he frantically pulled his head back. His cheeks were red as he shouted, “Why would you-” He was cut off as the ground unexpectedly crumbled beneath us, swallowing us down into a hole. 

The only reason I didn’t fall straight through to the bottom was because Aigonorus was alert enough to grab the ledge where we were ejected, holding himself up with one hand, while keeping an arm wrapped firmly around me from under my arms. 

“O- Oh my god!” I screeched, terrified at dangling over the bog of eternal stench. The movie exaggerated the smell with fart noises and burps, but being there in person, I didn’t need the extra sound effects to get the point. Glancing to the side, I frantically reached for the wall, helping Aigonorus in pulling us up. For the moment, we were in a less dangerous predicament as soon as we weren’t dangling off the side of the wall. 

I couldn’t sigh a breath of relief because I knew I’d need to take in another breath and I was getting lightheaded over the rotten smell that surrounded us. I prayed that whatever enchanted kind of bog this was, that the smell didn’t stay in my hair and clothes.

Covering my nose, I glanced at Aigonorus for an answer, “W- What happened? Did he do that because you helped me?!” Leon was serious about tossing Aigo overboard for helping me get to his castle.

But Aigonorus could only send a glare my way as he gestured for me to follow him to safe land. Aggressively, he accused, “You kissed me! What… What was that all about?!”

“I…” I paused. Even if I told him, he wouldn’t believe me. Not to mention, if I told him I loved him, that would open another set of questions I couldn’t answer. But if I tried to play it off like I didn’t mean it, then I’d probably hurt his feelings. Unsure of how to answer him, my eyes caught the unsteady rocks that he was moving toward. “Aigo, wait! Watch out!” 

I tried to grab him to keep him from falling off the side, only resulting in his weight pulling me down with him. This was it. I was going to die smelling worse than a piece of poo. 

Only, I yelped in pain as my head collided with something hard before I hit solid ground. Sitting up, I rubbed my head that was aching in pain. 

“Yes! I found you! Peeee-whoo! It smells horrible down here!” My wide eyes trailed up, finding Ichthys in the form of an enormous beast—wait. With my memories back, I immediately started connecting things. 

If Ichthys was to take the place of Ludo, then… Aigonorus was to take the place of Hoggle! “Ah,” I smacked my forehead in recognition. We didn’t get sent to the bog of eternal stench because he helped me… We got sent to this hell hole because I kissed him. That’s what he was trying to tell me. 

But then… my eyebrows furrowed. Who were Shadow and Dui here to take the place of?

“Mmmph!”

“Huh?” Ichthys tilted his head, trying to peer around his large body. “Hey, what’s that noise?”

Frantically, I started shoving Ichthys to stand up. “You fell on Aigo!”

“Whoops,” Ichthys muttered, quickly removing himself from the smaller person. Though, seeing that he had nearly crushed a faun to death, he grabbed the smaller guy by his arms and set him upright on his unsteady hooves. “There you go. Such a tiny little faun—I didn’t see him. Sorry ‘bout thaaaat!”

Aigonorus continued to look up warily at the colossal beast even after it had released him. Though, I was considering their reactions of each other to be so far so good. I attempted to introduce them, “Aigo, this is my friend Ichthys. He helped me get away from the fireys. Ichthys, this is my friend Aigo. We’ve been traveling together through the labyrinth since the beginning.”

“Oh?” Ichthys curiously observed the faun that looked like he was about to pass out from the surrounding smell. “We should get your buddy out of here. C’mon, little dude! We’ll get you out of this nasty bog and straight to the goblin city! Follow me.” 

“Let’s go. Ichthys knows the way straight to the castle.” Holding my hand out to Aigonorus, I was only slightly disappointed when he didn’t take it. I couldn’t blame him for denying me after we just got chucked into a bog, nearly ending up cursed the rest of our lives. 

As things were, we were making good speed with Ichthys leading us… until we came across an unstable bridge, that is. Ichthys had to pause as he glanced back at the two of us. His eyes locking onto Aigonorus, he asked, “Fauns are supposed to be steady on their hooves, right? You go across first, little dude.”

Glancing warily at the beast, Aigonorus turned to face me. “You better follow me right across. Okay? That looks like the only way out of the bog.”

I nodded my head, ushering him forward. “I’ll be following right behind you. You can go check out the path ahead for us while we’re crossing.” I was thankful that Aigonorus wasn’t acting weird after that kiss. He was acting like his usual self as he quickly yet carefully made his way across the bridge, quickly prancing off to check the path as I suggested. 

Ichthys glanced back at me once the bridge was clear. “Alrighty, (Name). Looks like it’s your turn!”

Glancing at Ichthys, I warily looked at the bridge. So long as no one touched it, it should hold up so I could get across. It was only a little shaky, but it should do its job. 

However, before I could pass Ichthys to get to the bridge, two voices yelled out from above, “Move out of the way, (Name)!” 

Finding Ichthys collapsing violently to the ground, I scrambled away from the fight. I was confused for a moment before I found that Shadow and Dui had jumped out of the tree above, using their connected chained wrists to wrap around the back of Ichthys’s neck and take him down with them. 

Shadow and Dui, were back on their feet in no time, standing between me and Ichthys as if they were protecting me. Dui proved me right as he announced, “We’re going to protect you from this beast. Just stay back.”

Shadow contradicted Dui’s orders by saying, “Stay next to me. I’ll protect you from this thing.”

“Stay over there,” Dui repeated, arguing against him. “We don’t want you to get hurt.”

“We got here just in time,” Shadow added with a wicked grin that said he was ready for a fight. “That thing almost sent you over to your doom. Back off, monster! I’ll gladly send your corpse rolling in the bog of eternal stench to rot!”

“N- No, we won’t,” Dui disagreed with his counterpart’s violent tactics. “But please stay back or we will tip you into the bog of eternal stench to smell like rot!”

“Wait, stop!” I shouted, grabbing both of their hands and pulling them back to give Ichthys enough time to get to his feet. Though, Ichthys didn’t look like he was moving as he warily watched to see what I would do with the two. After all… we obviously knew each other. With the two of them finally looking at me, I tried to explain, “First of all, he’s not a monster trying to harm me. This is Ichthys, a friend helping me to the castle. Ichthys,” I gestured to him, giving him the hint to turn into a less frightening form. 

Wordlessly, Ichthys transformed into a human form, sending a friendly wave to the two before trying to greet them. “(Name) saved my life, so… I’m guiding her to the castle.” Glancing the two up and down, he asked, “Are you two friends?”

I nodded. “They are. This is Dui and Shadow. They… never really agree with each other, as you can probably tell. We got separated some ways back in the labyrinth as well.” Glancing at the two of them, I asked, “How did you two find me?”

They glanced at each other before Shadow replied as if it were the most obvious thing, “The labyrinth’s paths get smaller the closer you get to the center. There was only so many places you could’ve gone after getting out of that oubliette. Besides, you leave a path of chaos everywhere you go.” He snickered as I glanced away in embarrassment. I was sure it wasn’t as bad as he was making it sound, but at least he wasn’t threatening to kill Ichthys anymore. 

Nodding my head, I offered, “Then we can all travel together now. All that’s left is to cross the bridge and we’ll be on a good track.” 

Gesturing for them to follow me, they watched apprehensively as I started carelessly walking across the unstable bridge. Dui, lifted his hand as if silently trying to stop me before he asked, “Is that… safe?”

“Yeah,” Ichthys answered, with a slightly teasing tone to his voice. “If a faun with clacky hooves can make it across, then anyone can make it. This thing looks sturdy as stone, if you ask me.” Tapping the edge of the bridge with a confident foot, his eyes widened as the stone under it started crumbling. “Uh- Ah! (Name)!” 

Their eyes were on me in no time. While I wished I could have avoided this incident, at least I was prepared to hold on to the vine above me for dear life. Still, it was harder than it looked not to fall into the nasty waters below as I called for help. “Oh, don’t just stand there! Help me! Ichthys!”

Aigonorus bolted around the corner of the path at hearing my screams. He panicked at finding me in such a precarious situation. “(N- Name)! I’ll get you down! H- Hold on!” Though, he knew he’d have to rely on those other friends of mine for once. There was no way Aigonorus could get to where I was without falling into the bog himself.

“You coulda killed her!” Shadow smacked Ichthys upside the head with a deadly glare. “Turn into a horse before I skin you, stupid!”

Following along with Shadow’s sudden plan, Ichthys was a decent sized horse in no time, quickly helping to get Dui and Shadow on his back so that he could run to the rescue. 

Even I had to admit that their plan was crazy and could end up with all of us drenched in the bog. But I crossed my fingers and toes for it to end well as Ichthys ran across the remains of the bridge. His hooves cause the outlying bricks to come loose and fall into the bog as he leapt across, but it was enough as Ichthys bowed his head to avoid getting kicked by me. 

Shadow and Dui wrapped their arms around my waist, the chain from their cuffs helping ensure that I didn’t fly off and into the bog as they crossed paths with me.

It was a miracle we landed safely on the other side where Ichthys shifted out of his horse form, collapsing onto the safe ground. Though I was getting detangled from where I fell with Dui and Shadow, my concerned eyes landed on Ichthys. “H- Hey! Are you alright?”

Ichthys hummed, shoving himself up into a sitting position. “Remember when I mentioned my shape shifting powers being restricted? I’d been in that beast form since I escaped those fireys and then turning into such a huge horse to carry everyone was probably a bit too much…” As if catching onto my concern, he knew he had to brush it off so he wouldn’t hold off our mission. “But if you think I’m down and out because of that, you’ve got another thing coming! I’ll still take you to the castle no problem! We have to rescue your friend from that nasty goblin king, after all!”

Dui nodded with a kind smile. “We made it this far. Don’t worry so much about us. Let’s get to that castle!”

“I wouldn’t mind if you worried over me,” Shadow contradicted Dui’s words with a grin, this time purposefully disagreeing with the other. 

Sighing, I rolled my eyes, ruffling Shadow’s hair. “Hey, I’ll give you all the attention you want after all this is over, okay? I think you’ll deserve that much.” His eyes practically glittered with awe as he watched me get up to reassess our surroundings. “Aigo didn’t find anything blocking our path. Come on. At least getting out of this forest should be easy.”

Aigonorus watched on silently as I smiled, encouraging my new friends. He wanted to protect me just as bad as them. Huffing in annoyance, he trailed after us quietly.

[withdrawlsymptoms]

what happened

A year ago, I went through the worst friendship breakups of my life. It completely destroyed my sense of self-worth and forced me to start over emotionally. I have been brutally sad and unrelentingly angry. I have been guilty and cold. I haven't talked to them since November 1, 2023 and I don't plan on it ever again.

Now, there is finally joy in my life again. More than I ever thought possible. Maybe someday I will have it in me to forgive, but now I have it in me to forget.

I just turned 22. When they blew off my 21st birthday more cavalierly than even I had expected, I wrote them a letter and then I password protected it and let myself forget the password (my way of symbolically burning it). Anyway, today I remembered, and I figured I didn't want it to fester with the skeletons in my closet for the rest of my life. I'm posting it here as my final act of letting go.

---

It was a slow death, you and I – at least for me. It was gasping and choking and all-consuming, dreadful and cold, leaps of faith that plummeted into downwards spirals. For you, I think it was just a Friday in May.

For months, I’ve been entombed in my own sadness. You see, it was almost like a divorce. A game of tug of war that I easily won. I gave so much of myself to you, and now I don’t really know how to take it back. You gave me scraps and made me believe it was more.

I don’t know if it was your fault, or if I was asking for too much. Maybe you were never capable of giving me what I needed.

I thought I loved you. But I’ve felt it before, and this is not what love is. You turned me into someone I hate. I asked you over and over again if you hated me, if you sensed this thing between us was off kilter. I screamed at you that something was wrong. I begged you not to leave. (You said you wouldn’t leave). You told me it was just me. I turned the knife inward. I wallowed in self-sacrifice and pity. I told you, but it was too late. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

Even now, your words make me wonder if it’s my fault. If I took something that was all in my head and blew it out of proportion. If the heat drove me crazy, or I invented it for lack of something better to do. I don’t care about the reason anymore. It didn’t stop it from happening.

You fucked with my mind like it was a lovesick teenage girl you met at a block party. I don’t have it in me to forgive you for that.

I doubt everything now. I don’t fit in with you, or your friends. I was always a wet blanket at best and a roadblock at worst. It hurt when you didn’t ask. You and your goldfish memory.

I took care of you when you needed me, and now you’re laughing with the same people you claimed to despise. I don’t know what to think of that. I guess I’m glad you finally moved on.

The days are all the same now. Summer rain looks like tears to me. There’s a playlist of songs in my head that I can’t listen to. I hyperventilate when you text. Sometimes the grief preys on me, and sometimes I pray to my anger. I search for an answer, but there is no absolution to be found here. And I can’t go back either.

I want so badly for it to be over. I wish I could look at you and feel nothing. I’m trying but I’m not there yet. 21 birthday candles light the funeral pyre of my 20-year-old naivete. I will find ways to move on. I wrote this letter. I changed your contact name. I removed you from my circle. I will sever the ribbons that tie me to you before I let myself wonder again.

I didn’t deserve you.

You don’t deserve me.

I will never send this to you, but it doesn’t matter anyway. You were never afraid of losing me. But I hope you live to regret it

August 11, 2023

[someone-ds]

And once again the leafs turn brown, red and yellow.

I stare at the lake I spent the better parts of my youth at. It’s empty.

If there were to be someone on the other side of the lake they’d hear me breathe. I’m sure of it.

The fabric that clings to my legs and torso and the stretch of my skin makes me realise just how much time has passed.

Distance does bring peace.

This is no longer my home town.

It’s just the town my parents live at.

The town where I went to school and where all my friends choose to be.

It’s nothing of mine anymore.

It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t sting.

Doesn’t make me scream and my blood boil.

It never had any vendetta against me.

St. Pölten was never evil. Never bad. Boring maybe but not evil.

It’s just a piece of land with houses and schools, lakes and grocery stores, a shitty mal, inexhaustible memories of me being a version of myself I no longer recognise or remember.

I stayed for a night only, the mattress on my bed welcomes my back gracefully. My room is empty and white. Stripped of all colour and personality, memory.

It doesn’t belong to me anymore. It’s my parents spare room. There is furniture there that’s not mine. The heater is off, no one stays here. It’s cold.

I cringe when I accidentally tell my parents that I’m going home later this evening.

The pained look on my fathers face makes my heart churn.

‘This is your home’ he says, more to himself than anything.

I stare at the burnt toast on my plate.

I’m not even sitting on my chair. I didn’t say anything. It’s not even my chair anymore.

There are no clothes for me to wear to bed. I forgot that my chest of drawers is empty. I wear my younger brothers gym clothes.

They fit. He’s so tall. Much taller than me. I hope he’ll understand why I left so suddenly and rarely come back, hope that he won’t stay mad at me forever for leaving him behind.

I stare at the different trees and grass patches that are slightly discoloured

How many days I’ve spent laying there and swimming.

How many friends I no longer talk to but still share the same patch of grass in my memories.

I keep walking and it hits me, with so much force that I stumble a bit.

I’m grown.

I have grown.

I have even out grown things.

Not just my clothes but people and this place.

I think that Phoebe Bridgers said it best

Couldn't really love you anymore

You've become my ceiling

Like a goldfish in a tiny bowl can’t grow. I too couldn’t reach my potential if I stayed.

Distance brings fondness, coats everything in a thin layer of gold.

There were reasons good reasons to leave.

A Single good day won’t change the years spent in agony.

So I go. Grab my bag and get on the train that’s going to the big city.

My home.

[p-o-t-o-t-o]

A Day At The Aquarium

BILLBERT AND QUINTON are walking through an aquarium looking at the tanks.

BILLBERT: I don’t like the way that fish is looking at me (BILLBERT points at a large goldfish).

QUINTON: Maybe this fish doesn’t like the way that human is looking at it.

(BILLBERT knocks on the glass of the large fish tank)

BILLBERT: Are you insinuating that this fish is capable of complex thought?

QUINTON: I’m just saying I don’t think you give goldfish enough credit. I mean everyone says that I have the memory of a goldfish but I’m sure if you gave a goldfish enough time and a proper education he could probably do pretty well on the SAT.

BILLBERT: Quinton you are really not doing yourself any favors here man.

GOLDFISH: I’m gonna have to agree with Billbert on this one.

(QUINTON slowly turns to look at the tank).

QUINTON: What the hell did you just say to me?

GOLDFISH: Wow you do have the memory of a goldfish…

QUINTON: I’ll show you what’s what you golden sack of shit! (QUINTON PUNCHES THE TANK WITH FULL FORCE). 

BILLBERT: Quinton what the HELL is wrong with you?

QUINTON: (Screaming at the fish tank). I take it all back! I hope you do terribly on your next standardized test!

(GOLDFISH swims away. BILLBERT looks toward QUINTON).

BILLBERT: Quinton you better have a good explanation for what I just witnessed.

QUINTON: You heard what that goldfish said to me!

BILLBERT: You might need professional help.

(Quinton is dragged away by Billbert).

[anunusualvancouverwinterbreak]

Act I: The Complementary Lap Dance

The party started in under an hour. My parents had bought me a bottle of prosecco and a 750ml bottle of vodka so that I could make this fancy cocktail called a french 75. I had my two buddies, Luke and River, over to help me get everything ready. 

“Okay. 2 parts champagne, 1 part vodka, ¾ parts lemon juice, and simple syrup. Alex, we’re gonna need a shit ton of sugar for this,” River said.

“Sure thing,” I happily replied and brought over one of my mother's tubs of sugar.

“Let's just dump some in and taste it as we go,” said River.

We poured about two cups into the pitcher and stirred for thirty seconds. Finally, we poured three drinks, and each took a gulp.

“Oh god!” I said.

River ran to the sink and started dry heaving.

“That was salt, you dumbass!” Luke yelled.

It tasted awful.

“Ahh fuck I guess we just wasted all that liquor then eh?” I said dejectedly.

Little did I know, by complete accident, I had just made a ritual sacrifice of alcohol to the winter break gods, and boy, did they deem it worthy. As I strutted off the party bus, eager to indulge and excess, the stars above me were aligning.

I was somewhere in the double digits for the number of drinks I had consumed and had about $250 that I was ready to unload, so I sat down at the poker table. The dealer threw the cards toward me, and I eagerly looked down.

“Damnit,” I cursed. 7 of diamonds and jack of clubs. Or was it Jack of clubs and 6 of diamonds? I thought to myself.

I was in the thick of the action, and my memory was hazy, like a goldfish swimming in circles. I could still see the pot growing bigger and bigger with every bet and raise. The pot was at about a hundred bucks.

The guy on my right started clapping in my face. “Hey asshole! Your turn to bet!”

“Ehh… Fuck you... I’m all in!” I slurred and carelessly knocked over my chips as I shoved them into the middle.

The other players laughed, and one of them said, “This guy’s a drunk. I’m calling.”

“Heads up!” Said the dealer, and we flipped our cards. I was holding a jack and an eight, and he had a king and a queen. I didn’t stand a chance, and the pot was over six hundred bucks. Despite the disaster I was completely confident. I felt deep inside of me that there was no way I could loose.

The dealer flipped the cards. “Jack! Six! five! Queen!” he said.

I jumped to my feet and yelled, “C’mon baby, give me another fucking jack!” 

The dealer grinned and said, “And… a Jack of diamonds. Nice hand, kid. pot’s yours!” 

“Woo! Let's go!” I screamed and high-fived my friends.

We headed to the strip club, where I splurged on lap dances from the hottest stripper I could find.

On the cab ride home, I was on top of the world, except for one thing: I’d been dreaming about older french girls so much, but I forgot to look for a french stripper.

[littlelightningbvg]

“Yes,” she confirmed weakly as he filled in the blanks she’d left out. Her body stiffened, and her breathing hitched when he used the cane to pry free her fingers. Gaze darting between Kaz and the instrument. It might not have been his hands, but the way she’d seen him use it she knew it was an extension of himself. Could her powers still climb the rod to get to him? Absolutely. It might as well be a tree in an open field. If only she had the courage to ask him not to do it again. Unable to sit comfortably now, she dropped her hands to her thighs, squeezing the fabric of her pajamas, then slipped them into her lap. It didn’t feel right. She felt too exposed. Too dangerous. Finally she settled with returning them to around her waist, fingers digging into her side as she silently hoped he would allow her to leave them there.

Relief washed over her a little when he said he was unharmed; though it left her curious why he’d ended up on the floor. Had he just rolled off the bed while sleeping? That had been known to happen to people, sometimes. The image it produced made her bite back a giggle, though it faded quickly at his sudden request. Her gaze went to the spot he patted, then back to him, and she began to feel panic in the pit of her stomach. What if he touches me with his cane again? I don’t want to risk it… In fact she wanted to be as far away from him as possible. Inej wouldn’t really kill him, right? But she hated the idea of her being mad at him because of her.

Begrudgingly she began to get up but stopped at the sudden inquiry of her dad. Feeling her throat tighten, she tried to push back the surfacing memory of the last time they’d been together. Blue began to glow down her arms, and she clenched her jaw, arms shaking around her middle, as she tried to keep control of her abilities. His terrified screaming still sounded in her ears, and shattered the remaining pieces of her heart. Words died before they could even reach the tip of her tongue, and she fell back into her seated position in front the desk, staring at the space between them. That hadn’t been the nightmare that had plagued her tonight.

He’s not here. She wanted to say. To scream. To cry. To shout. He’s not here, and I thought by now he would be. And I’m scared. Scared something really bad happened to him, that he’s hurt, or was taken like me, or worse…

It took a while for her to find her voice, and when she did, she couldn’t look Kaz in the eye, “He – He likes horses. There’s a stable, where – where he has some, and in the water trough he - ” She closed her eyes tight, trying not to let her thoughts drift back to the night she was taken, trying to focus on happier memories. “ – he has goldfish. Daddy says it keeps the horses from getting worms. But I – I don’t know if it really does or not. And he works… he works a lot, but he always makes sure to see me before bed, or at least when he can during the day.” Opening her eyes again, she finally lifted her gaze to peer up at Kaz, “He’s… he’s a little like – like you too. You both do the sa – same kind of work…” Gaze dropped back to the floor, and she thought of the first time she’d met him, how similar he appeared to her dad. Kay shook off the thought, not ready to share that yet. “Was there anything you wanted to know about him? Is that why… why you asked?”

The fact that she seemed to have slept through his blatant display of weakness most certainly brought about a tremendous sense of relief. It didn't matter that she was only a kid; the shame of her witnessing him like that would've been the same as if his greatest enemy had.

So with his body a little less tense now, Kaz was just about to sit back down next to her — with a reasonable amount of space between them, of course — when the kid got off. Following her with his eyes, he watched as she bumped into the desk first, then crumbled into a tiny, miserable heap.

Dirtyhands didn't have patience for this. He wanted to scoff, roll his eyes, and walk out. Maybe return a couple of hours later when she had stopped. But Kaz had learned a while ago that there was a time and place for Dirtyhands to take over, and right now wasn't it.

So he swallowed the urge to walk out, and instead sat down on the cot, with his eyes still trained on Kay. "You had a bad dream, and you missed your father," he finished for her, then grabbed the cane leaning against the wall next to the bed. Using the beak of the crow's head, he slowly pried her fingers off of her sides.

When she asked if she'd hurt him, Kaz rested the cane next to him, his hands folded atop the crow's head with a little grin. "It'll take a whole lot more than those tiny zaps of electricity of yours to hurt me, kid." Could she hurt him? He had no doubt about it. Especially once she learned to control those powers. For now, however.. "But no, you didn't hurt me. Now come on, get up off that floor. Inej would kill me if she saw you sitting there like that, while I sit comfortably on this cot." He patted the spot beside him, then braced himself for having someone sit close to him without layers of clothes for protection like he usually had. "Tell me about your father."

[dynyamight]

Just wanted to say since Ive never said it (as far as I remember I havent said it but I have the memory of a goldfish...or a ranboo) YOUR TOTALLY AWESOME!! KEEP BEING AWESOME!!!

PLS, THANK YOU !!! YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SO SWEET & AMAZING & SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU !

[underkita-archive]

what would the skate rats be like as a friend? i’m talking pure platonic type shit... btw i’m SO proud of your new blog it looks great 🥺

ah thankies <3 i went into a frenzy at 2 am to make it this nice

“friend” (you just hang w the same people): kenma, akaashi, sakusa, ushi

friend you talk shit w occasionally: kunimi, oikawa, tsukki, semi, osamu, suna

friend you do fun dumb stuff w (but don’t trust lowkey lmao): tendou, makki, atsumu, kuroo

the absolute ride or die: aone, kita, bo, mattsun, iwa

[shinobusupremecy]

Vampire Shinobu x f!human reader part 5

A/N: Yayyy part 5 of vampire Shinobu! To recover from the previous story I guess, take this part 5 that’s not angst. Sorry for being late with this one. 

(Yes I’m using the picture Mix showed me because it’s funny and fit well. I don’t have a banner to my stories because I can never wrap my head around it or I’m lazy) 

You didn’t really beleive what the village said that Shinobu was a vampire. You knew how people liked to start rumours and all or spute lies. You found out though that it was true and Shinobu is a vampire, pretty quick. Kinda- you were a bit obvlious to it. But you weren’t exactly on the right state of mind when Shinobu took you in. You thought that the fangs Shinobu had was just normal long fangie teeths like your friend had one time. You nicknamed them “vampire”, they moved out from the village though so you don’t hold contact with them anymore. You began to grow suspicious of Shinobu when she never went out to the sun, you asked her about it and she just said she get sun burn easily. You thought it was true since she does look pretty pale. After the deal you and Shinobu made your suspicion was proven to be true when she sucked out your blood. 

Since she is a vampire, what are her weaknesses? Sun is one but does she have any other? You wanted to ask her and you did but the timing was a bit questioneble since you asked her while she was sucking your blood.  You asked in that moment, because you knew you were probably gonna forget it later.

You were laying down on the sofa while Shinobu was on top of you, you hissed as usual when Shinobus fangs pierced through your skin, you laid there in awkward silence as Shinobu was feasting.

“Hey Shinobu?” You asked and patted her back a bit, she let out a hum in response. 

“What are your weaknesses as a vampire?” 

She continued to drink herself full with your blood before cleaning you and her mouth. 

“Oh my, why do you ask? Are you planning to kill me and make your escape?” Your eyes widened a bit, the thought never crossed your mind. 

You rose up and quickly put your hands up like you’re surrendering. 

“What!? No no! I’m just curious” Shinobu chuckled a bit. “To be honest, that thought never crossed my mind” 

“Well I am relieved that I’m not under the same roof with a murder right now, but you asked for my weakneses, yes?” 

“Yep!” 

“Well sun obviously, it even kills me. Garlic, I can’t stand it! Stake to the heart since that also kills me. Holy water, crosses, animals and-” 

“Wait hold on! Animals? Is that really a weakness for vampires?” Shinobu blushed a bit embarrassingly. 

“Well not a weakness for vampires, just me. You see, I’m allergic to them, furry animals that is. Like cats and dogs. I was even allergic to them when I was a human. Poor Kanao could never entertain herself for long with just a gold fish” You nodded. 

“I wasn’t alloweed to have pets either. My parents weren’t so fond of it, even if it was just a goldfish. They always thought I would knock the tank over” You chuckled a bit at the memory, you didn’t know why but you did. 

“Ah well, either way, as long as you don’t take in any furry animal in here” You nodded and Shinobu smiled. 

-

Fast forward a few weeks you were walking out to the forest since you had nothing else to do. Since Shinobu can’t be in sunlight all her windows are closed which makes it pretty dark inside except for the light. You wanted to go out to the nature and you needed them vitamine D. While you were walking you heard yelping and screaming. Not like a human scream, it sounded more like an animal. 

Your footsteps silenced immidietly as you walked carefully closer to the sound. You continued to walk until you saw a fox laying on the ground. You quickly as silently as possible ran to it. You saw it rose up when it saw you and tried to run away but something hindered it from doing so. 

A beartrap. 

You felt instant pity for the fox, it must’ve been so painful and unfortunate to run tino a bear trap like that. The leg was bleeding and if not treated soon mght get infected. You tried to come closer and take off the bear trap but the fox began to panic, spinning in circles while screaming and sometimes even trying to bite you. You realised that the springs was tightening on the fox the more it panicked so you tried to show you were not a threat. 

You laid on the ground the fox was technaically taller than you. You tried to show you were not a threat. You carefully showed your hands that you didn’t have anything on them, you didn’t know if the fox could understand the meaning with that but you went with it anyways. The fox seemed to calm down a little now only whimpering because of the bear trap. You let the fox sniff your hand praying that it didn’t bite it. You carefully put your hands between the bear trap and tried to pull it apart. What you were doing was extremely risky so you tried to be careful as possible. 

The bear trap was solid and did not move at all. You sighed in frustration before looking around to find a stick and sadly you found none. Once again you sighed in frustration. You went back to the fox that was looking catiously at you. 

“Alright, do you think you can lay down for me?” You asked gently and suprisngly the fox obliged. You squeezed your foot in the bear trap before pulling upwards with both hands. You felt the jaws of the trap move slightly apart and you felt hope surge in your body. You were continued to pull upwards feeling slowly the jaws opening. You saw how the fox paw was noe free and you quickly pulled your foot away, the trap slamming together with a clank that echoed through the forest. 

The fox tried to run but fell with it’s injuried front leg. You walked quickly after it as the fox was laying down on the ground panting and whimpering again. 

“Shhh” You tried to calm the fox by gently petting it. The fox didn’t protest or moved away and began to calm down. After a few minutes you tried to carry the fox. Shockingly the fox didn’t put up a fight. The fox had stopped whimpering, you were struggling a bit to carry the fox since you nearly used up all of your strength to free the fox . 

You smiled when you saw your house in the distance. You quickly jogged to the door. You opened it and announced you were home.

“Y/N, glad you’re back from your waaAAAAHHH! What the fuck is that!?” Shinobu yelled and stumbled back. 

“It’s a fox”

“Ok yeah, nice a fox. But what the hell is it doing in here!?” Shinobu was backing up, her back hitting a wall. 

“Well she’s injuried and needs treatement” Shinobu looked down at the foxes injuried paw. 

“Y/N you know I can’t treat her, I’m allergic to animals!” Shinobu’s nose began to get stuffy and her tears were running. 

“Oh god, it’s happening already” She said and quickly ran to the bathroom. 

“Well, foxy, I guess I’ll be the one to treat you” You walked with the fox to a table removing all stuff that laid on it. You laid the fox down and put a pillow under her head so she was comfotable. 

Shinobu walked down again. 

“Alright I’ll give you instructions and you do it, I’ll bring the equipments” Shinobu quickly went and took everything needed. 

When Shinobu came back you smiled at her from ear to ear.

“What?” 

“You sound so cute when you’re allergic! If I knew you talked so cutely while allergic I would’ve bring home animals long ago” You admitted and Shinobu looked at you disgusted. 

“I’m not cute, I feel disgusting. You wanna make me allergic just because I sound cute!? God Y/N I will kick you out if you pull stunts like that” Shinobu walked to you and gave you everything before running across the room. 

“Start by cleaning the wound” You took the surgical soap and rubbed it lightly on the wound. 

Shinobu gave you step by step instructions how to treat the fox. You bandaged the fox and now it was done! 

“There. We. Go aaaanndd done!” You said and looked down at the fox proudly. You turned to Shinobu smiling widely again. 

“What now?” Shinobu asked while blowing her nose. 

“We can’t just let the fox go out with an broken front leg. So the fox should at least live with us” Shinobu widened her eyes before groaning. 

“I should’ve seen this coming. Fine, but don’t let her come near me!” You nodded and Shinobu went to her room. 

-

As the days continued Shinobu gave you instructions on how to take care of the cute thing while also being at least 6 feet away from you and the fox.

“Aww Shinobu why are you avoiding me?” You aksed, pouting at her. 

“You have fur on your shirt, that’s why” Shinobu answered. 

”Hmmm, I’ve never seen a vampire run” You began sending Shinobu a michevious look. ”Guess I’m bouta see that today” You said and you began to run after Shinobu.

”Y/N NO!” Aaand that’s how you and Shinobu ran 12 laps around the whole house.

”I’m gonna feast on your damn neck for hours you little shit!” Shinobu angrily declared. You smiled at her and she flipped you off. 

-

After another few days the fox was finally healed enough to go into the wild again. You became bonded with that fox and now you had to leave it to the wild. Of course you knew it was the best thing to do but still it made you sad. 

“Alright lil foxy, goodbye. I will forever miss you” You sniffled. The fox seemed fond of you two and gave you a lil poke with it’s muzzle before it jumped out of your arms to run into the wild. You watched with teary eyes as you saw the fox getting furhter and further away from your line of vision. 

“Oh don’t be so sad, it would happen eventually” Shinobu said and hugged you, you hugged her back and nodded your head. 

“Alright, I’ll cheer you up, you can have whatever dinner you want” 

“Anything?” You sniffled while looking at your girlfriend in awe.

“Anything” Shinobu confirmed and you had one thing in mind. Shinbou obvisouly cooked it for you and the food was damn good. 

Shinobu made the food extra good which you noticed but what you didn’t noticed that Shinobu was looking at your neck the whole entire time, she’s hungry for her food too. Shinobu made the food extra good so you didn’t notice her staring at your neck the entire time you ate. 

When you both sat down at the sofa you sighed.

“Man, what a day”

“Mhm, what a day” Shinobu said and drew out the words slower while giving you a predetory look. You tried to scoot away but she quickly pinned you down.

“W-wow what the-”

“I’m just doing what I promised you, that I would feast on your neck for hours because you began chasing me with your furry shirt, 12 laps around the house” You remembered and tried to squirm your way out.

“Not so fast. If you get to eat your favorite food, then so do I. That should be fair, no?” You nodded your head slowly. 

“Hm, good girl” And Shinobu lunged down on your neck. 

[hikarimiyanaga]

the Dimitrescu's with their s/o with wings that they are big and fluffy and can protect them from cold

I cannot tell you just how much I love this.

I'm adding Donna too, if you don't mind.

Also, reader is a Mulawin, a fictional species in the Philippines who can transform into a winged humanoid by stabbing the back with a feather (That's just how much I remember, forgive my goldfish memory.) Except the one for Alcina's.

So here you go!

Alcina Dimitrescu / Lady Dimitrescu

Flying has always been a joy. Nothing can ever get you to come down from the skies where freedom is your companion.

That is, until you saw her. The first time that you were flying through the village, you crashed into a big tree when you saw her. She caught your eye.

She was also the one who found you, passed away like an idiot. She was also the one who nursed you back to health, your wings all bandaged up.

You move them and she was entranced. It was the first time she saw someone like you. Someone with such big wings.

After that, it took you three days to recover your dignity but you stayed in the Castle for weeks.

You've never been grounded in your whole life before. And she... She was the reason.

You flew off in a fit of rage. Because how dare she. How dare she capture your heart? How dare she steal your attention from your beloved freedom?

You stop as you look upon the whole castle... You can fly but you have never thought to explore it. And you realize, yes you do have freedom... But in exchange, you have no place to call home. No one to call family. You were just drifting from place to place.

You touch down and the three girls cry as they hug you. They thought you left. That you left them behind.

"I could never." You say with a sad smile. "How could I do that to the most sweetest girls in the world?" They hug you again and you look at Alcina. Her eyes were unreadable as she goes inside the Castle.

You tucked the girls in for the night. Then fidget nervously in front of Alcina's room... She saw you. You glared at her before you went outside and flew.

You knock and a small 'come in' can be heard from the door. You open it slowly and see Alcina in her night gown, getting ready to sleep. She glances at you then continues. You sigh.

"Did you know I wasn't born with these wings?" You look down as she turns to you. "I was an experiment. A guinea pig." She frowns at you. "It's why I love the sky... And the freedom. The way that the wind blows through my body as I fly through the skies." You sigh. "I'm sorry that I flew away so suddenly... I just." You turn to her with a sad smile. "It reminded me of being imprisoned."

"Staying here?"

"No... Staying grounded."

After your confession, Alcina held you tight. And you stayed at the Castle. Alcina doesn't care if sometimes you disappear suddenly, she knew how important flying is to you now.

Donna Beneviento

Observation has always been a part of your life. Even before you had discovered that you can transform into a Mulawin.

You stumbled upon the village and stayed for a week because of how isolated it was. It reminded you of your own home.

But then you met Donna and she made you stay. She didn't know that you were a Mulawin so you confessed it to her.

She accepted you with all her heart.

It was such a relief to open your wings in front of another person and knowing that they wouldn't do anything to hurt you.

One day, it was snowing heavily so you and Donna decided to stay in instead of going out into the village, she even made sure to make her gardener go home early.

"It's so cold." Donna says and you knew that it was serious since she didn't even use Angie to say her thoughts out loud.

You get your feather and summon your wings. You hug her and she blushes. She was going to turn to face you when your wings wrapped around her. She sighs in relief and leans on you.

"Thank you." She mumbles and you hum as you stare out the window. Before you knew you it, the both of you had fallen asleep cuddling each other.

Bela Dimitrescu

You were a guest of Mother Miranda and was given to the Dimitrescus as a guest.

Of course, the woman knew about your species and she hired you to help restore Eva... you had no intention of helping her but that's something for another day.

You were reading inside the library when Bela stumbles upon you. You smile at her and that was the start of the friendship between the both of you.

But then the day comes when Ethan came to the Village. And almost every one of your instincts are telling you to run.

You couldn't abandon them though so you stayed, hoping to convince the three sisters to at least hide somewhere safe. But they wouldn't listen to you. You panic when Ethan gets inside so you get your sword that was given by your Father.

Before you even knew it, though there was a shattering sound and you hear Bela's scream. You rushed to her side and stop Ethan by knocking him out. Then you shield her with your wings. She was stunned by their colors but it made you annoyed.

"Go somewhere safe, damn it!" She snaps out of it and nods at you before going to the library.

You sigh as you take care of Ethan and get Rose's vial. You then help him get the other ones.

You join forces with Karl who was actually... reasonable?

The three of you get Rose back from Miranda and you reunite with Bela.

She hugs you and you hug her back.

Cassandra Dimitrescu

You were captured by Karl on one of his expeditions to find ways to kill Mother Miranda. He wanted to get your help but you don't want to kill anyone anymore.

You were so done being exploited by humans. You wanted to hide your wings but he wouldn't let you. When you were unconscious, he brought you to the castle, hoping that they would be good hosts to you.

And they were, for starters, Alcina freed you and you hid your wings. It was exhausting to maintain their form for that long after all.

You got along with the three daughters, most particularly Cassandra, who shared your interest in Art.

You were amazed by everything that she creates, even if it was just sketches.

One day, it was snowing and the three girls were huddle in the library with the fireplace. You take pity on them so you make your wings appear and hug them. Bela and Daniela thanks you while Cassandra just hugs you, no words needed.

Ever since then, if it was just a bit cold, Cassandra would come running for you and you chuckle as you hug her.

Daniela Dimitrescu

You were the known bird person in the Village and you were close to the four lords. Often becoming their only visitors every week.

You were particularly close to Alcina, her having shown her true form to you and you sharing your bloody past.

One day, Alcina asked you for a favor since she needed to be out on a business trip, she asked you to look after her daughters.

"Are you sure?? You do know I'm like only a year older than them, right?" She assures you that you're the perfect person for the job and she does trust Bela... but Cassandra and Daniela can be that rambunctious.

When you meet Bela, she gives instructions that you look after Daniela while she looks after Cassandra. You agree and she thanks you.

So you spend everyday with Daniela, even telling her stories from your past.

One day, it was a particularly cold day when she decided to go outside the village. Saying she wanted to explore.

But then it suddenly rained so you quickly make your wings appear and shield her. Both from the cold and water.

"Stick close to me." You say and she just nods, uncharacteristically quiet as you two go back to the castle.

Bela was so worried that she hugs Daniela, happy that you were both safe. Cassandra though, she takes note of the unusual attitude of their youngest.

When Daniela was alone, Cassandra surprises her and smiles.

"You like Y/N, don't you?" Daniela blushes and tries to deny it but sighs. She talks to Cass all about you.

What they didn't know was you were listening in... It was an accident.

When they finish talking, you appear and confess to Daniela that you felt the same way.

A/N:

This took way too long since I started playing Genshin Impact again.

Anyways, I only have two more requests to go and I'm going to start writing the Loving You sequel.

Comments and thoughts are always welcome!

Thank you for reading!

If you can, please buy me a coffee.