#adding the text of the fic here in case anyone wants to read it on tumblr for some reason

[leclarifies]

birthday boy

✰ max verstappen x !bestfriend reader ✰

summary: max doesn't like it when it's race week and you're not there. he's been trying to convince you to quit your job and just come to his races full-time, offering to pay for the expenses but you've refused every single time. you end up surprising him in the singapore gp for his surprise birthday party the grid had arranged for him.

wc: 3.5k

a/n: hi there! this is my FIRST ever published fic and i'm super nervous about posting hjawdhbawjhbdbhawd i've had this idea since maxie's birthday in september but kept it in the drafts and re-edited some things around just to make it cohesive. i have requests open and my masterlist is currently an ongoing wip. thank you for reading!

edit: hello, here's my complete masterlist for anyone who wants to view my other work. thank you for 350 notes btw! i really appreciate it <3

a ding rings through your phone and at first, you ignore it. 

it’s usually a work text which is why you’re not more alert. it’s a weekend and you genuinely just want to enjoy yourself while watching the race that your best friend is participating in and starting from pole position. 

then another ding, two more follow after that.

your furrow your brows confused, if it was a work text then they wouldn’t be spamming unless it was an emergency. 

you open your phone and you’ve realized you’ve been added to a group chat. 

lily m: hi guys! i’ve created this gc bc some of the boys wanted to surprise max for his birthday!!!!! so i’ve invited most of the drivers and their wags here in case you guys wanted in as well charles: Yes, hello everyone :) kika: yes! we’re so excited <33 all of the wags and respective drivers should be in this groupchat :D 

seeing this groupchat made you confused, yes you were max’s best friend but you were certainly not a wag and very certain that you weren’t a driver. so, you sent a text.

you: hi guys, i appreciate the gesture but i am not a wag and certainly not a driver HAHA

lily m: oh yeah! alex told me to add you bc we thought that you would want to surprise max  considering you guys are best friends HAHAHAH my bad i should’ve clarified

alexandra: welcome y/n! it’s great to have u here :]

you: no worries guys, but max’s birthday isn’t until almost two weeks from now were you guys planning a big party?

charles: I’m not sure what we want to do but considering it’s Autumn break when it’s his actual birthday, we wanted to start early.

lily z: we *could* plan a big party, but what do u think y/n? u know him best

you: i think a big party could suit him best lots of gin & tonic must i add

carlos: HAHA Of course.

the chats continued to flow in as all of the wags and some of their drivers tried to plan what felt best for max’s birthday party. it was a few hours before the race and you had assumed not all of the drivers had their phones on them which explained the lack of texts coming from them, it wasn’t abnormal. they were usually busy with their last minute content for their social media platforms or doing pre-race interviews.

then your phone rang, it was an incoming call.

“hello?” you spoke softly into the phone after picking up, knowing exactly who called.

“hi,” max breathed out softly, you could hear the hustle and bustle of the paddock in the background. max always made it a habit to call you a few hours before the race start, and it warmed your heart to think that he always thought of you before the races.

you didn’t know when the feelings started, was it his seventeenth birthday where he kissed you before his race? was it the promise that he would always be by your side and support you when you got your first job? was it when he convinced you to move to monaco and helped you move in with your sister? was it the soft glances he would shoot your way when you were at the paddock? or was it the small touches he would give when you guys were watching a movie? you didn’t know. all you knew that he was your best friend and you didn’t want to fuck this friendship up. 

“hey, how are you?” you replied, “the pre-race nerves getting to you maxie?”

“never. how’s it in monaco? how are jimmy and sassy?” max had asked, he had asked you to babysit his cats for you and you accepted. you loved nothing more than to watch over his cats while tending to your work.

“s’good. the cats are well-behaved, and i’m lounging in your sim racing gear about to turn it on and experience the race myself,” you joked, knowing that you were nowhere near the sim racing setup that he had for himself.

“i told you not to touch that,” max warned, you could tell he was walking around just by the sound of him talking and being slightly out of breath, “i miss you being here on the weekends, when are you off work?”

“i’m kidding,” you laughed as you got into a more comfortable position on his couch, “i dunno when i’m scheduled for time off again. i also do not have the money to continue to travel around the world to watch your races, max. i am comfortable with watching your races from monaco.” “how many times do i have to tell you that you can fly with me and stay with me while you’re out?” max reprimanded you for even thinking about the expenses, “you could even quit your job and do nothing and i could still have money leftover.”

you hated when he brought that up, he had always brought up the idea of you quitting your job and him helping you through your family’s struggles. you didn’t want to feel like a leech, you knew that his job was stressful enough, you didn’t want to be a stress on him and affect his job. “i am not a leech–”

“you are not leeching if i’m telling you to quit your job and come accompany me through my race schedule. it’s nice to have a support system around…” max’s voice trailed off, “seeing the other drivers with their girlfriends– friends makes me jealous.”

you were quiet for a bit, you’ve had this conversation one too many times with him before. he had told you to just live life and be with him, to stop thinking about the expenses and just be there for him but something about having your entire life being paid for by an extremely rich dutchman just didn’t sit right with you.

“i told you i’d think about it, plus you can invite all of the friends you want. it doesn’t have to be specifically me,” you sighed, rubbing your temples, “it’s not a nice feeling having to rely on someone 24/7 you know. you should understand how i feel as well.”

“i understand,” max sighed as well through the line, then you could hear him a bit farther away talking to one of the staff walking with him, you were assuming that they were on the way to the motorhome, “anyways, i’m on my way to film some content and i just wanted to see how you’re holding up at home."

you hummed back a response, listening intently to what he had to say, knowing that he would want to talk to you more before having to begrudgingly film content for the red bull racing’s social media platforms, “can you at least promise me that you will give me an answer after autumn break?”

you knew that autumn break was after the race he was at right now, which was in singapore. 

“max…” your voice trailed off, you didn’t know if you could make that decision in less than a month, “look, i said i’d think about it–” “but you’ve been thinking about it for three months, isn’t three months enough to make up your mind?” max cut you off, he hated it when you were stalling even though he knew that deep in your heart you would never come and just live off his expenses.

“we’re not having this conversation now,” you huffed, almost feeling frustrated now from max’s persistence, “how about you focus on the race and we can talk about this when you’re back?” “you always shut me out when it comes to hard decisions,” max replied back with the same attitude, “it’s such a bad habit, it pisses me off and it’s not like i’m asking you for a hard thing–” “just focus on the race. it’s your job. let me focus and enjoy mine, please. we can talk about this later when you’re back and you’ll have your answer then,” you almost begged him, you heard him say his goodbyes before shutting off the line. it was too early in the morning for him to be bargaining with you about your job– it wasn’t even bargaining anymore. he was practically begging you to quit your job to come to races with him full-time.

you didn’t necessarily have a hard job, sometimes you would attend the grand prix because you were working under a marketing firm in monaco and that would enable you to come to the races but it wasn’t all the time. your marketing firm worked closely with formula 1, but they had their main focuses and it didn’t allow you to attend and take time off work all of the time.

you estimated that it would be around 3 pm at singapore, which meant it was 5 hours to go before the main race. 

rubbing on your temples was a habit you had when you got stressed and it made you stressed even thinking about quitting your job. you liked your job and your co-workers and the pay wasn’t bad. 

you had basically promised him that you would give him an answer after he got home in monaco which made you make a decision under pressure. a ding from your phone distracted you from the problem at hand.

lily z: @/you how long would it take you to come to singapore? you: woah so suddenly?

kika: we thought we would just celebrate his birthday after the race, since we all can’t be in monaco at his exact birthday date what do u think y/n?

you: i dunno… okay kinda tmi but max has been bugging me about quitting my job to come and accompany him to the races fulltime but i told him i would give him a decision after the race i don’t think i’m ready to make a decision that quickly

alex: damn… we thought that it would be easier to celebrate in singapore instead of planning the party in monaco

you: it would certainly be easier all around but idk if i can face him so soon

lily m: i mean… is quitting ur job to hang out with us 24/7 rlly a bad idea HAHAH

you: honestly i would love to just hang out with u guys and just make it my job but i don’t wanna make it seem like i’m leeching off of max yk…

carmen: hi! i just caught up w everything but honestly, do what u feel comfortable with doing x if u don’t feel comfortable w cmg to singapore, then we’ll make ourselves available at an agreed date in monaco <3

alexandra: yeah, i agree ^^

lily z: honestly it all comes down to u y/n we all want everyone to b comfortable!

you: i don’t wanna be a nuisance, so i’ll take u guys up on that offer

alexandra: yay! so… book ur flight now..?

carmen: u better be ready bbg  HAHAHAH

rebecca: wait what’s happening i just checked my phone

you stifled a laugh at rebecca’s late response but sighed, you guessed it was now or never. 

you booked the first earliest flight from monaco to singapore, not forgetting about max’s cats and leaving them to your sister who lived together with you a few doors down.

but being on a flight to singapore meant that you had to miss watching the singapore gp altogether, only arriving in singapore at 8 am the next day. 

you yawned and stretched as you got off the airplane, not forgetting to turn your phone back on to see a barrage of texts from max and from the group chat.

maxie <3: P2 Y/n :)  Were u watching? Wish u were here :( 

maxie <3: Hello? Is ur phone off? Why are my texts green?

maxie <3: I’m starting to get worried I texted your sister and she said she had no idea where u are

maxie <3: Can u please answer me, I’m really worried.

you giggled a bit from max’s flood of texts, but you and the girls had discussed that it would be a good idea to surprise him with your arrival in singapore. you told your boss that you were taking paid time off for the week as you knew that you would be traveling with the wags and drivers for the week to celebrate the autumn break.

alexandra and rebecca were the ones to pick you up from the airport, all three of you catching up and gossiping about what happened at the track while you were in the air. 

“honestly, it was crazy to see mclaren finally starting to dominate the track this time of the year. usually we would see ferrari and red bull fighting but i guess they had the better car,” alexandra mumbled as you all sat together in the car.

“i expected max to win, but that’s a bit biased isn’t it?” you laughed, “he complained about the car a couple of times throughout the free practices but i wouldn’t know shit about the car. i’ve never driven one.” “yeah, carlos does it to me all the time and i’m sitting there pretending i know everything about the cars,” rebecca added onto that thought, “like yes babe, i know exactly what you’re talking about because being an f1 wag dictates that you know everything about the car you’re driving.” the three of you laughed.

it wasn’t long before you guys reached the club that you guys planned to have the big surprise party, lily z and m were there with kika and carmen. the boys were keeping max busy for the day.

it wasn’t long before the club was decorated and fit for the surprise party, you had booked out the entire club for the night to celebrate. it was nearing the time that max would arrive with the party of drivers.

“okay, so lando told max that they were celebrating his win again tonight so max shouldn’t be suspicious about what’s going on. considering lando’s quite the party animal,” lily z had told the group as they were sitting around the booth, you nodded and listened along well while guests from the teams were shuffling into the club.

honestly, you were a bit nervous facing max. you didn’t know if you were ready to completely quit your job, but you told yourself that you would talk about it later once the time comes. there wasn’t a point to stress about it now when max was nowhere in sight.

maxie <3: Y/n? Are my texts going through? Where are you?? I’m gonna call your phone flashed to see max was calling you. you picked it up and the first thing you hear was max panicking, “hello? where the hell have you been the past day? why haven’t you returned any of my calls or texts?” “well hello to you too,” you laughed, “i’m sorry about not responding to you, i’ve been busy with work. i’m currently at a work event. congrats on p2 by the way, i couldn’t watch the race because i was at the office.” “don’t ever do that again, you scared the shit out of me,” max breathed out, you could faintly hear the chatter of the drivers behind him.

“what are you doing right now?” you asked, feigning innocence, acting as if you didn’t know exactly where he was and what he was doing right now.

“lando wanted to celebrate his win again tonight so we’re going to a club to party,” max explained, “we’re arriving now, i’ll talk to you again later but you better respond straight away or i’m flying straight home.” “okay, okay. stay safe max,” you clicked the phone off before you signaled everyone to turn off the lights and get into positions to surprise max.

the doors of the club opened to reveal the drivers of the grid.

“why are the lights off–” “surprise!” everyone had shouted as max was front and center, the lights switched on to reveal the birthday balloons and you were there in front of the boys with the wags behind you. his face was priceless, the shock and the realization all hitting him at once. the realization that you were there and you weren’t at a work event but here, in the flesh, in front of him. it made him ecstatic.

you flashed a bright smile to max as he ran and hugged you almost instantly. 

“you’re so sneaky,” max breathed out, you could feel his hot breath next to your ear, making goosebumps rise in its wake, “you made me so worried to only show up here…” you could only laugh and hugged him back tightly, his hug, his touch, it made you feel alive. his touch was electrifying– in a good way. his touches, whether light or full blown hand holding or his arm around your shoulder always lit you up like a lightbulb. 

“i wanted to surprise you– well, everyone did. they thought it would be more convenient for me to come here and surprise you,” you laughed, “so, are you surprised?”

“hell yeah, let’s get this fucking party started!”

“so, about you quitting your job,” max tried to sneak the conversation in as the both of you were walking to his hotel, you couldn’t help but roll your eyes. they just had a really good fucking party and both of you were quite tipsy but sober enough to navigate your way through the streets of singapore (with the help of google maps).

“you’re a very persistent man,” you laughed as you walked alongside max, shoulders brushing against each other. it was almost 4 am, but you didn’t feel unsafe or scared at all. spending the night with max was what you really enjoyed. he made you feel things that you were scared of addressing, so for now you were going  to enjoy the moment.

“seriously, you told me after the race and this is definitely after the race. so tell me, did you decide what you’re going to do?” max grabbed your wrist to stop the both of you from walking, you guys could see the hotel from this distance but he wanted to sincerely talk to you, “are you going to slave your life away, working from paycheck to paycheck and only coming to my races when you have the time? or are you going to agree with me and just ‘leech’ off of me?”

you sighed and turned to look at max, you couldn’t lie that the life he offered was enticing. not having to work a day in your life and still coming to these flashy grand prix and partying almost every week was a dream for most people and you were most people. “i dunno max, i told you i would give it a thought but you know how i feel about me living off of your money,” you locked eyes with max’s bright blue ones and he stepped closer to you, landing a hand on your cheek endearingly. the way he looked at you full of unconditional love, you couldn’t tell whether it was romantic or platonic anymore. you knew max and you knew that max would do anything for the people you loved and you were included in that list.

“if you’re thinking about family back at home, you know i can always send over some as well right? i know that’s your biggest concern,” max looked deep into your eyes and you could almost feel like he was looking into your soul, “i know you’re scared of leaving your work behind because you still need to support your family back home and you wanna know something? they’re my family too, i would send them money even if you didn’t ask.” max’s other hand found its way to hold yours, “please… just do this one thing for me. i always see the other drivers with their significant others and it pains me to see that you’re the only one not there and breaking your back to work. i just want you to support me and have fun while doing it…”

“max…”

“i’m serious,” max’s face grew ever so close to your own, you couldn’t tell whether the heat on your cheeks was from the proximity of the both of you or from the lingering alcohol, “you know i’d do anything for you and i don’t do that for a lot of people– you’re not a lot of people.”

“if i say okay, will that make you happy?” “the happiest man in the world.”

“consider this a birthday gift then birthday boy,” you breathed out and as you finished you sentence, you felt his lips on your own.

the kiss was electrifying– he was electrifying. his other hand that was clasping your hand softly was now on your other cheek, deepening the kiss. your hands found their way wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.

to a rare passerby, the two of you were just a sweet couple sharing a kiss at 4 am and maybe, that’s what you were.

“you don’t know how long i’ve been wanting to do that for.” “ditto.”

[blondiest]

“What the hell is this?” Mello asks, wrinkling his nose as he hesitantly takes the object Near is offering him, which appears to be a bar of chocolate.

It’s lunchtime, but the both of them are in the library— Mello because he wanted to find a specific book to use as a reference for the paper they have due next week, and Near presumably because he’s evolved past the need for sustenance and now thrives only off of Mello’s misery.

This so-called gift is far from Near’s first attempt to fuck with him, but it is a substantial escalation. Normally Near just attacks him with inane pleasantries and feeble attempts at small talk— asking how his day was, or if he found the math homework difficult, that kind of thing. He typically focuses on the sorts of faux-innocuous inquiries that anyone but Mello would mistake for friendliness. Honestly, Mello isn’t even sure how long Near’s campaign of amicable antagonism has been going for, now— six months or so? One day, out of nowhere, it had begun, and before Mello knew it he was under siege on a daily basis. He’s managed to hold his own relatively well more recently, mostly by giving short answers and removing himself from conversations before Near can say anything truly unsettling. Once, when Mello failed to terminate an interaction quickly enough, Near had gotten the nerve to tell him that his hair looked nice pulled back. The pseudo-compliment, which Mello had been wholly unprepared to receive, had left him insecure and paranoid for a week straight. It was easily Near’s most flagrant assault on Mello’s psyche— until now.

Now, Near is giving him chocolate. Or what looks like chocolate, at least. For all Mello knows, it could be straight arsenic. In any case, this is inarguably a whole new level of aggression, a clear indication that Near is upping the ante, perhaps even declaring war.

“It’s a bar of chocolate.” Near’s tone is flat, as usual. His expression betrays nothing.

“A likely story,” Mello says, eyes narrowed.

“Yes,” Near says patiently. “The likeliest story, I would say.”

“Uh-huh,” Mello says, not letting his guard down for a second. “Tell me, Near. Why would you give me a bar of chocolate?”

Near blinks his gigantic dark eyes several times, expertly feigning innocent bemusement. “Because you’re very fond of chocolate.”

God, Mello thinks. He’s good. Getting Near to crack won’t be easy. Nevertheless, he persists.

“That doesn’t explain a goddamn thing,” he says. “In fact, it only raises more questions.”

“I don’t know what questions it would raise,” Near says, fidgeting with his sleeves. “I think the whole thing is very self-explanatory, actually.”

“Yeah, right,” Mello huffs. “Don’t act like this—” he gestures between Near and himself— “is normal. You’ve never given me a gift before. Why now?”

“That isn’t true,” Near says. “I give you a birthday and Christmas gift every year. And a Valentine, too.”

Mello waves his hand dismissively. “That’s not the same, obviously. You do that with everyone.” Near seems like he’s about to protest, but Mello is in no mood to quibble about technicalities. “The question is still valid. Why the hell would you, out of the blue, out of nowhere, come up and give me a gift?”

“Well,” Near says, briefly glancing off to the side, “I made a resolution for the year. This is part of it.” His bottom lip sticks out a little, like his mouth wants to pout but can’t quite execute the expression. It requires effort for Mello to stop staring.

“It’s September,” Mello points out, sort of offended that Near would expect him to fall for such a weird, bad lie.

“Right,” Near says, apparently playing dumb, now. “What does that matter?”

“The year started nine months ago.”

“But my birthday was last week,” Near says.

“That’s not how it works,” Mello tells him. “You’re supposed to set resolutions in January.”

Near’s face takes on a sage-like tranquility. “That’s arbitrary. The best time to make a favorable change is ten years ago; the second-best time is right now.”

Mello makes a gagging sound. “You sound like a fucking self-help book.”

The affect of wisdom slides off Near’s face, replaced by a smile that borders on impishness. “Self-improvement is nothing to be ashamed of,” he says neutrally.

Narrowing his eyes, Mello scans Near’s face for any sign of derision, but finds none. The little twit is pretty good at hiding his condescension these days. Mello, in a moment of stunning maturity, decides to not react to the obvious jibe and instead moves on with his questioning. In addition to being noble, the move is practical, too— he’d really like to wrap this up quickly. The discussion has already lasted long enough that the chance of Near saying some fucked-up shit is becoming dangerously high.

He clears his throat. “So, is that why you’re doing this? Self-improvement by— what, charity?”

“I doubt that giving you chocolate would count as a charitable act,” Near says, appearing nonplussed. “You already eat a lot of it.”

Mello bristles. “Quit dodging the question!” He snaps. “What the hell is your little resolution?”

Near lowers his gaze to the ground, play-acting something adjacent to bashfulness. “I’m… trying to be a better friend.”

A short, barking laugh escapes Mello’s mouth. “And, what, you decided to start with me?”

The younger boy looks Mello in the eye again. “Well,” he says haltingly. “You’re— my closest friend. So…”

This baffling assertion renders Mello entirely speechless, and he gawks stupidly at Near until a furrow appears between Near’s brows, his expression troubled. No doubt an act, but it’s a convincing one, damn him.

“Mello…” Near says, “do you not consider us to be friends…?”

A masterful move on Near’s part. If Mello calls him out and says obviously fucking not, you psychopath, I hate your stupid guts and I always will, then he’ll look like the bad guy, even though Near is the one provoking him. Of course, Near probably expects an outburst— inciting anger has got to be the purpose of all this goading— but Mello has seen through this part of his plan, at least. He won’t take the goddamn bait.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mello says, forcing his face into a friendly expression. “Of course you’re my friend.”

He gives Near a pointed look, one that clearly says I know what the fuck you’re up to, you little shit, don’t think for one fucking second that you’re getting one over on me, you hear?

In return, Near shoots him a tiny, creepy smile. “Try the chocolate,” he urges.

Well, fuck. It would appear Near has him cornered. He could, in theory, retreat entirely, but that would be the same thing as admitting defeat, which is out of the question. Mello nods and unwraps the bar, eyeing Near carefully for any signs of glee over whatever evil scheme he’s currently pulling. No such signs appear, of course, because Near is a mastermind, and it’s not like he’s going to give himself away that easily. Mello is more than prepared to rise to the occasion, however, and calls Near’s bluff.

“I want you to have a piece,” he says, breaking off a corner and holding it out towards the younger boy.

Near frowns. “But it’s for you,” he says. “And I don’t care very much for sweets.”

Mello glares. It’s a good effort, but Near’s not wriggling his way out of this one. “Too fucking bad. I say you have to eat a piece, so do it.”

After a moment, Near nods, then steps forward and opens his mouth expectantly. Mello startles, because what the fuck? Near wants to be hand-fed? But if Mello refuses, he’ll look like he’s freaked out by it or something, which is probably what Near wants. Steeling his nerves, he gingerly places the piece on Near’s pink little tongue, unintentionally brushing the younger boy’s bottom lip with his thumb as he withdraws his hand. It’s very soft, and slightly wet with spit. Mello suddenly gets a sort of feverish feeling, which he would assume was a sign that the chocolate was poisoned, except he hasn’t actually had any yet. He stands there intently watching Near suck on the chocolate until he swallows it, just so he can be totally sure it’s safe to eat.

“Right,” Mello says out loud for no reason in particular before taking a bite of the chocolate himself. His eyes go wide— it’s fucking good. In retrospect, it seems obvious that the chocolate wouldn’t be dosed with something, because Near would know Mello would expect that. To his dismay, a happy hum escapes him before he’s able to tamp it down, the sound an automatic, reflexive reaction to the flavor.

Near’s eyes go bright with interest. “Do you like it?” He asks half-breathlessly, probably high off the victory of having outmaneuvered Mello by giving him non-poisoned, extremely delicious chocolate. Bastard.

The chocolate melts the rest of the way, and Mello swallows it. “Yes,” he eventually admits, not seeing much way around it.

Near smiles again, bigger this time. The fluorescent lights make his enormous eyes look weirdly sparkly. Mello gets a sudden, intense urge to flee, an impulse that he acts on immediately, not even bothering with an attempt at a graceful exit; he just blurts out a stiff thanks, see you later, and bolts.

In his haste to leave the library, Mello entirely forgets the book he went there for, and his evening is filled with enough other tasks that he isn’t able to stop by before lights out, so he instead goes again during lunch the following day.

A mistake. A fatal mistake. Near creeps up on him again, hands him a bar of chocolate again.

“Near,” Mello says, gravely serious, “why are you giving me chocolate?”

“We already talked about it yesterday,” Near says.

Mello fidgets with the wrapper, uncomfortable. “I didn’t realize you were going to do it again.”

“Did you not like it?” Near asks. “I can ask Roger to get me a different kind.”

Good God. He’s having Roger doing his bidding. This conspiracy goes all the way to the top, apparently. Mello supposes it makes sense; there wouldn’t be any other simple way for Near to obtain chocolate, save for their monthly trips into town, which the younger boy typically elects not to go on anyway.

“That’s not it,” Mello manages, his stomach knotting up. “I was just surprised.” A pause. “You have to eat a piece today, too.”

Near nods and steps forward, lips parting. Mello already put the chocolate in Near’s mouth once, so it would be odd for him to object to it now. He feeds Near a square of the candy, suppressing a shiver at the slick slide of Near’s tongue against the pad of his index finger. Christ. If this is going to keep happening, he’s going to have to get better at not making direct contact with Near’s saliva. It’s fucking weird, and makes his insides feel squirmy with— disgust, he thinks. Revulsion, even.

“Is this going to become, like, a daily thing?” Mello asks, half to himself, taking a bite of the chocolate bar. God, it’s good. At least there’s that, he supposes.

Once he’s finished swallowing his chocolate, Near nods. Mello barely resists the urge to groan aloud.

“You don’t have to, you know,” Mello points out. “Like. Friends don’t actually— they don’t normally give each other gifts every day.”

Near blinks. “I know I don’t have to,” he says. “I want to.”

But I don’t want you to! Mello thinks and does not say.

“Well, whatever floats your boat,” he manages after a few beats of awkward silence, turning to walk away before remembering his (minimal) manners. “Uh. Thanks again. Bye.”

He leaves without another glance back.

Mello spends the next twenty-four hours trying to figure out what the fuck Near is up to with this whole chocolate charade. He’s, like, eighty-five percent sure that whatever it is, it’s profoundly sinister, but pinpointing precisely what devious design Near has in mind poses a daunting challenge. What makes it even harder is the fact that he has participate in the chocolate charade again while he continues to puzzle through what its purpose is, and the routine once again leaves Mello unsettled for long enough afterwards to really mess with his thinking process. He considers the possibility that Near’s purpose is just that— distracting and disorienting Mello, and thereby cementing his position as the top student more firmly— but it seems almost too simple an explanation. It’s highly plausible, but Near might be hoping for Mello to assume the least-outlandish motive, since that would obscure any more menacing intentions quite handily. Determined to not play into Near’s hands, Mello pushes onwards, considering everything that he can.

By the evening, Mello is a frazzled mess. The more he thinks about it, the less likely it seems that Near’s purpose would be damaging Mello’s scholastic performance. For one, Near doesn’t even seem to care about grades, which— honestly, it’s probably an act, but there’s no way he cares about grades as much as he cares about being L. And based on what Roger told him and Near after the video call that the orphanage had with L when the both of them were much younger, L’s selection of successor may not necessarily be dependent on grades. Roger had said that L thought Near and Mello to be the most likely in the room to succeed him, this impression apparently being based on their quiet observation and lack of questions. Since the rankings might not guarantee Near getting picked as L’s successor, it would make sense for Near to try to get him out of the way. Except, if Near were trying to fucking poison him, continuing their current routine would be a shitty way to do it unless Near has some immunity to poison himself, a possibility which does occur to him but which is dismissed when he decides the foresight required is excessive even for a mastermind such as Near. Plus, Mello thinks, Near seems frail enough that even if he were to try to build up a tolerance to poison a la The Princess Bride, he’d probably just die on the first micro-dose.

Although— fuck, could Near be trying to kill both of them? It would be, like, completely deranged, but Mello doesn’t know what the hell kinds of things go on in Near’s gigantic head. Distantly, Mello recognizes that the possibility of Near trying to kill both himself and Mello is very, very slim, but it’s also very, very frightening. It plagues him through the afternoon and through dinner, eating away at Mello’s sanity until he decides he needs to get a second opinion about this disaster.

Back in his and Matt’s dormitory, Mello paces the room and explains the whole chocolate-routine debacle to Matt, going into Near’s different possible motives and the evidence and rationale for each.

“So,” Mello says after a good ten minutes of rambling, “that’s— that’s the situation. What do you think?”

Matt looks impressively world-weary for a seventeen-year-old. “Mello,” he sighs, sounding four times his age, “I can’t believe I have to say this, but— I really don’t think Near is trying to murder-suicide you.”

“Jesus,” Mello says, more than a little ruffled by Matt’s tone— the judgement and dismissiveness really rub him the wrong way. “What’s your fucking problem?”

Matt lifts his goggles and rubs at his eyes before lowering them again. “I’m sorry, man,” he says wearily. “Seriously. You know— you know you’re my best friend. But, like— the Near stuff is… you’re a little off-the-rails about it. I feel like it’s gotten weirder, and I just— I feel like it’s wrong for me to pretend like you’re being reasonable when you’re acting like a fucking psycho.”

Mello glares. “Okay, well, I did say that I thought the murder-suicide thing was probably a stretch,” he points out. “You didn’t weigh in on anything except for the craziest one. I don’t think you’re being fair.”

“What do you want me to say?” Matt asks, tone baffled. “I think Near is fine, Mells. I seriously, seriously think you’re reading too much into this. He’s not trying to sabotage you, or— or kill you, for fuck’s sake. It’s just a nice gesture. Can’t you just let it be a nice gesture?”

Heat takes over Mello’s face, a mixture anger and shame burning him up inside, but he manages to stop himself from completely lashing out— it’s hard, but he does it.

“Why would Near want to do something nice for me?” Mello asks Matt. “Seriously. I want— if you think it’s him being nice, what’s your rationale for that?”

Matt stares evenly. “Do you really want my answer?”

“Yes, dumbass, that’s why I’m asking.”

“Fine,” Matt says, pushing his goggles fully up onto his forehead so he can look at Mello without obstruction. Mello has always found Matt’s unshielded eyes to be a bit unnerving, truth be told— they’re nice, actually, but he’s not used to the intensity of his best friend’s gaze without orange glass between them. “If you ask me, I think— I think Near is lonely.”

Mello scoffs, but Matt shushes him.

“No. I mean it. Put yourself in his shoes for a second— I know, you can’t, he’s a freak or whatever— spare me, and actually try, okay?”

Gritting his teeth, annoyed that Matt correctly guessed exactly what protest Mello was going to come out with, he begrudgingly nods.

“Okay. You’re Near,” Matt continues. “Think about it for a minute. Do you have any friends? Anyone to listen to you, or even to talk to you most of the time? Anyone that you’re close to? Do you feel like anyone understands you?”

Mello considers it. “Okay, no,” he admits, “but I don’t think that bugs him. He wouldn’t care about stuff like that.”

Matt stares at Mello as if he is very, very stupid, and Mello again has to exercise every ounce of self-control he possesses to not bitch Matt out.

“You know he’s a person, right?” Matt asks. “Everyone cares about that stuff. Nobody is, like, completely above human connection.”

Except, Mello thinks, Near definitely is. It’s not like Mello has anyone who understands him, either, not really, because even Matt doesn’t fucking get him most of the time, though Mello does appreciate how hard he tries. Mello is isolated and ill-understood too, it’s not like he’s so awash with meaningful connection himself— but he’s fine with that. It doesn’t bug him. So why the fuck would it bother Near? Sure, Near’s situation is more pronounced, his isolation more obvious, but he’s also more collected. It just seems like Near is too… complete, maybe, for him to feel lonely.

He considers telling Matt this, trying to explain it all, but decides that it’s just not worth the fight that would ensue.

“Well. Thanks for your perspective,” Mello says stiffly. “I’ll… keep that in mind. Or whatever.”

Matt’s words are still lingering in his mind the next day, swirling around, percolating. Near being lonely still strikes him as preposterous; craving friendship seems almost comically beneath someone like Near, frankly. Something about the assessment feels almost adjacent to the truth, though, so he keeps chewing on the idea throughout their morning classes. The epiphany doesn’t come to him until mid-afternoon, when he glances at Near and finds that Near is already staring at him. All at once, it strikes him— Near is bored. He’s bored, probably with classes and definitely with his life outside of them, and he’s toying with Mello to alleviate his boredom. Mello’s first reaction to this realization is deep irritation, because he isn’t interested in being Near’s little plaything, and the idea of being used for Near’s amusement pisses him the fuck off. But then, as he really starts thinking about it, he sort of starts to understand where Near is coming from. School keeps Mello plenty busy, but outside of classes, his life is fairly dull, and Near’s has to be even duller, because, as Matt pointed out, he hasn’t got any friends at all. That probably does bother Near in some way, Mello surmises, just not in the way that Matt was thinking. Isolation isn’t the issue; if Near had totally unlimited super-difficult puzzles or something, he’d probably be okay never interacting with another human again. But the fact of the matter is that, for all of its resources, Wammy’s House can only keep a mind like Near’s occupied for so long. Sooner or later, he was bound to start looking for mental stimulation elsewhere, and without a social life, his options were pretty limited.

So… Near started messing with him for fun. It’s shitty, but then, he must have expected Mello to figure it out, right? It seems unlikely that he’d want to play a one-sided game. There wouldn’t be any challenge to it, nor would there be any sort of satisfaction to be had if the person Near was toying with didn’t even realize what was going on. And then, really, who aside from Mello could Near even have picked to engage in his little game? No one else would have suspected a thing. Near’s tactics are too subtle for anyone but Mello to see through. He was, truthfully, Near’s only option.

Once he’s figured it out, Mello’s agitation decreases. For one, Near’s strange attempts to chat with him for the last half-year abruptly have a tangible motive behind them, which is kind of nice, since Mello has been trying to puzzle that one out for ages. More importantly, though, he can finally begin considering ways to get back at Near. The option that would least satisfy Near is for Mello to just refuse to engage with him at all, but that option is also the one that would least satisfy Mello. Also out of the question is physical violence; Mello is nearly eighteen, now, and giving Near a black eye has been beneath him since approximately age twelve. By the end of their last class, his course of action has made itself clear.

If Near wants to play mind games, that’s fine; Mello will wage psychological warfare.

The next day, Mello tells Near to meet him in the library after classes. Wars are not won overnight, and if Mello is going to endure this for the long haul, continuing to skip out on lunch just isn’t an option. After the final bell dismisses them from their last class, he makes his way through the halls and passes through the large, familiar wooden doors, heading to the remote aisle that he and Near have made their meeting place. The fact that he and Near have a meeting place strikes Mello as incredibly disturbing, but he pushes the feeling down, determined to throw Near off for once. He prepared for this last night, and actually stayed up sort of late to do it; in his pocket is a tiny clay frog he made, a gift that Near certainly won’t be expecting. Mello is actually pretty proud of it, because it’s visually quite charming. He’s not bad at art stuff, honestly, even if he doesn’t normally do much of it.

Near materializes behind him in the aisle a few minutes later. This time, Mello doesn’t even startle at the sudden presence, just turns and steels himself for their weird fucking ritual. Everything goes the same as it has for the past four days— Near gives Mello the bar of chocolate, Mello unwraps it and feeds Near a piece, and then takes a bite for himself before tucking it into his pocket. When all is said and done, Mello takes out the frog and holds it in his palm, thrusting his hand out so Near can look at the small figurine.

“Oh,” Near says. “It’s really cute. Did you make it?”

Mello smirks. “Yeah, I did.”

“Impressive,” Near says. He doesn’t make any move to pick it up.

“It’s for you, dumbass,” Mello snips at him, annoyed that he has to come out and say it.

The look of shock on Near’s face makes up for the indignity of having to explicitly announce his gift. “It is?” Near picks it up, holding it delicately between his index finger and thumb, and Mello drops his arm, wiping his hand against his jeans. It’s weirdly sweaty.

“It’s just a stupid little clay thing,” Mello says, even though it took him forty-five minutes to make it.

“I like it,” Near murmurs. “Thank you, Mello.”

That smile again. Ugh. It makes Mello’s skin crawl, makes his guts twist up, makes his ears hot. He hates it.

Still, despite his hatred for Near’s creepy little face, he leaves the library feeling downright triumphant that day— and, frankly, less bored than he’s been in a long, long time.

From the beginning, Mello is conscious of the fact that gifts aren’t going to shock Near forever. He doesn’t bring one every day, preferring to keep Near on his toes, but nevertheless, by the end of the second week of the chocolate charade, Near’s reactions to Mello’s presents have shifted away from surprise entirely; he just seems delighted. This obviously does not feel like a win in the slightest— especially since Mello is, to his chagrin, still finding himself ill at ease whenever he has to place a piece of chocolate in Near’s mouth. At the start of week three, he begins introducing new tactics into his repertoire, and keeps notes on Near’s reactions to each.

Stealing something of Near’s and revealing that it was in Mello’s possession the whole time works only once, and not very well at that. Setting off a confetti popper works too well (Near screams) and gets them kicked out of the library, so that method isn’t reprised. Popping out from a hidden location to startle Near only works if Mello also grabs him— if he just jumps out in front of Near, Near calmly greets him, as if he was already expecting to see Mello. Surprise attacks are doubly effective if Mello can approach from behind, and approximately fifty percent of the time, Near will make a small squeaking noise upon being accosted, which is sort of fun. Unfortunately, this tactic (which is by far his best) has several drawbacks— for one, it’s hard to execute without a lot of luck or foresight, because he has to catch Near alone and stay out of sight until the attack. On top of that, Mello finds that he sometimes walks away feeling a bit off-kilter himself, which isn’t ideal, either.

No matter what he does, though, nothing seems to unnerve the younger boy as much as it unnerves Mello to have to look at and touch Near’s mouth on a daily basis. After a litany of attempts and a good month and a half of the ritual, it occurs to Mello that he can just force Near to go through what he’s been going through this whole time.

“You want me to do what?”

Near regards him with his big, dark eyes. Mello has thankfully grown to find them less horrifying over time, but they still do put him ill at ease.

“You have to feed me a piece,” he repeats.

Near shifts his weight from one foot to the other, glancing away. “I find it unpleasant when chocolate melts on my hands,” he says. “That’s why I don’t want to touch the pieces you make me eat.”

Mello rolls his eyes. He supposes the rationale could be true— he’s been operating on the assumption that Near just wanted to mess with his head, but being persnickety about hand hygeine would fit in with Near’s general peculiarities. It doesn’t really change his determination to turn the routine around, though.

“Tough shit,” he says. “I want you to do it, so do it.”

Near sighs in resignation, and Mello has to suppress a grin, determined to maintain an air of nonchalance. He snaps off a piece of the chocolate and hands it to Near, then steps toward the younger boy and leans forward, opening his mouth to accept the chocolate. It feels, of course, rather foolish, since he was literally just holding the piece, but he tells himself it’s no more ridiculous than Near making Mello feed him every day for close to six weeks.

Near, looking determined and serious, stares directly into Mello’s eyes as he pushes the candy past the blonde’s lips, clumsily poking Mello’s tongue in the process.

Mello pulls back, breaking the contact between his own mouth and Near’s hand, and watches in utter dismay as Near proceeds to lick the small amount of melted chocolate off of his fingers, which notably also have Mello’s spit on them. He’s so horrified that he doesn’t even enjoy the piece of chocolate, just chokes it down quick so he can ask Near what the hell is wrong with him.

“Oh, so— so you don’t want to get your hands dirty with chocolate, but you’ll lick my spit off your fingers?” Mello balks. “That makes no fucking sense.”

Near looks up from his own hand and pulls the finger still in his mouth out.

“I don’t like the feeling of the melted chocolate on my skin,” Near explains patiently. “It’s a tactile aversion, not a hygienic one.”

“Okay, but— I mean.” Mello pauses, unsure how he wants to phrase it. “I dunno. Most people are bothered by stuff like that, even— even without hygiene. It’s, like— like an indirect kiss. Or whatever.” His ears are hot by the time he’s finished speaking, and he digs his nails into the meat of his hand, trying to regain his composure.

Near stares evenly. “It doesn’t bother me,” he says calmly. “Does it bother you?”

It bothers Mello immensely. It will undoubtedly haunt him for the next thirty-six hours— minimum. He’s sure this is exactly Near’s aim.

“As if,” he scoffs. “It’d take a lot more than that to freak me out.”

Near tilts his head, eyeing Mello keenly. “Good to know.”

all’s fair in love and war (and this is both)

by neallo

prompts: childhood, hand, game, & sweet

category: M/M

rating: T

length: 5,035 words

chapters: 1/3

tags: alternate universe — canon divergence, wammy’s house era, enemies to lovers, from mello's perspective anyways, mello POV

summary:

Near has Mello under siege, dragging him into a battle of wits, strategy, and stealth, one that has him in a state of constant vigilance, ever-ready for an attack. With his dignity and his ego on the line, Mello throws himself head-first into psychological warfare against his longtime rival, trying any tactic he can to help him turn the tide in his favor. The game is as complex and mind-bending as four-dimensional chess, and Mello has to think twenty moves ahead just to keep up, but he’ll be damned before losing to Near at this.

—

In which Near accidentally gaslights Mello into being his boyfriend, and Mello does Olympic-level mental gymnastics in order to read Near’s actions as sinister.

for @meroniaevent day 5! bingo board below the cut.

[gallus-rising]

mp100 horror fic recs 👻🎃

For a while now I've been thinking about mp100's amazing horror potential and how it really doesn't get enough attention. SO! For the spooky season why don't you settle down with a nice scary story ;D

All of these fics are complete and have no shipping. I've only linked 1 fic per author so this list doesn't get bloated, but all of these wonderful authors have other fics just waiting for you to read them ❤ Some definitely freaked me out more than others, but I'm not gonna give any particular ratings since "scary" is so subjective. All fics are properly tagged and you know your own limits better than I do.

Also feel free to add on your own recs!! My general reading preferences and parameters when making this list is only a small sampling, so please share any and all of your favs ❤ Hope you enjoy!

If you see an "N/A" instead of a Tumblr UN that means there wasn't one linked in either the fics' notes or author's bio. If you know the author or are the author yourself feel free to let me know so I can edit the post :] And now in no particular order I present:

The Immeasurable Dark: @tinkertoysdamn Immediately breaking my own "no ships" rule just this once because I can't resist a good House of Leaves inspired story! If you've read HoL is you know what's up. If not expect a fucked-up house and impossibly large spaces, funky text formatting and footnotes, maybe a minotaur. Ship featured is background established serirei.

a pilgrimage: @tooomuchtofu Divine Tree arc bad ending. Told from the PoV of an unnamed worshiper on their first visit to "the capital" aka an overgrown Seasoning City. Uses second person pov wonderfully to build the dread.

And Who Is Killing Me?: @sammisafetypin Koyama beats the shit outta Mob a little harder than in canon, hospitalizing him and delaying the 7th Division rescue arc by [TIME NOT FOUND]. The Awakening Lab kids are so minor I tend to forget they even exist, but oh my god does this author make you care about them! This fic is written with great suddenly swapping PoVs that keep you feeling off kilter without making you lose track of the story. It's the longest fic on this list by far but 100% worth every second of it. A real gut punch.

Adoration: (N/A) The Divine Tree takes a particular interest in Reigen. I don't think I've ever seen anyone properly touch on how creepy the Psycho Helm constructs themselves are like this fic has. God, those things freak me out so much. Features "shipping" in the sense of a sentient broccoli becoming fixated on a guy. Keep in mind that the Psycho Helms look like Mob if you think that'll squick you out, but for me personally it added to the horror.

Similarities: (N/A) Reigen receives a fucked up email. Ends on the sillier side, but BOY is that email fucked up!

The Water Ran Clean: @bandtrees A Mogami-mentors-Mob AU and a damn fine one at that. Love the sort of fragmented style it's written in, and the exploration of Mogami's fucked up moral code is great. There's some Choice viscerally described imagery here 👌👌 Features a drawing of Mob covered in blood just in case that freaks you out; but worry, it's not his :]

An Outlier Among a Sea of Common Denominators: @hebezunet A rewrite of the early Divine Tree arc that asks the question we've all been too scared to consider: What if the brainwashing was like cordyceps? In particular I want to highlight the opening scene where after eating the broccoli powder cookies Teru has to physically rip florets out of his body to resist being brainwashed. Very gnarly stuff.

Prison Surveillance: (N/A) Touichirou was a very bad boss so Hatori pulls a The Ring to torment him in Psychic Supermax Prison. Was written pre-season 3 so Hatori doesn't work for the government.

Stairs: (N/A) Reigen and Mob have a job in the woods. There are some stairs. Inspired by an r/nosleep story which the author links to if you'd like to check that out as well.

Fight, Flight, or Fraud: @cowardlybean So everyone's got a really specific supernatural fear, right? Something that could absolutely never happen in real life but when you see it in media it freaks you the fuck out? Mine is someone I know being killed and replaced by an evil doppelganger and I'm the only one who knows. I've not seen anything since The Magnus Archives that's properly captured that fear like this fic, which is some of the highest praise I can bestow.

In Quicksand: @ghoststrawberries Reigen catches a nasty cold and by that I mean he gets possessed. Very fun the way Reigen's train of thought and feeling shifts around as the evil spirit tries to influence him while he's unconsciously resisting it. The scene where the gang realizes Reigen's been possessed is a real "OOOOOH, SHIT!!!" moment, but I won't spoil ;D

Playing Human: (N/A) Espers and psychic powers might not be real but spirits are. Poor baby Mob is a ghost possessing his own dead body. Features Dimple as the bad guy.

Mithridatism: If I may be so self-indulgent to list one of my own fics here :3 Absorbing evil spirits while still alive was actively killing Mogami and I wanted to dig into that! Features my Signature™ (lol) "HEY, DON'T EAT THAT!!" style of body horror.

[midnight-rice]

i know i'm like the least computer savvy person on here, but i just spent this morning browsing and adding ao3 extensions and let me just say this customization shit is fun. For those curious, the extensions I personally like are:

floating ao3 comment box (as described in this post i reblogged a while back, this is what got me on the train of customization today). Great for leaving thoughtful commentary while you're reading

add a "marked for later" button to browsing page. Huge for me, a procrastinator who sees the experience of looking for fics as a very different task from actually reading them. This should make it faster to add potential fics to my list when I'm in the mood to go browsing

"Marked for Later" and "Bookmarked fics" navigation added to top of home page. Great for quick access to all those fics I am now marking for later. It also adds a "random works" button to your "marked for later" page in case you want to hit shuffle on works you've already curated

(btw if anyone knows of an extension that lets you sort your marked for later by qualities like fandom, let me know. It'd be really nice for days where I'm like "I'm in the mood for Xillia, let's see what Xillia fics I once thought looked promising." Otherwise I'll just have to get creative with the bookmarking feature.)

lastly I added the "change Kudos button to Glory" function as mentioned in a tumblr post (the link to it seems to be broken though 🙁). Fun fact, the code is so simple that's it's very easy to go in and change the text to another short word, which is how I ended up with

[otomes-world]

Trail

i. Small Key, Portal, Detective It's not full fic, really not, just another idea I thought but never write a post. Also... I forgot I have my own prompts as well...Something like a general prologue and lore for possible works for this AU. You can skip next bunch of text, it's just my thought. There are no triggers yet, except barelly edited text. I haven't decided yet whether this will be a yandere AU or a regular one. I tried to think about possible conflicts in the story and realized that it directly depends on the character. Therefore, here is only the general part, which telling the state of affairs. How the reader even got to such a life, haha. As for plans, I can say that for some reason I thought about Jade. Don't ask me why. As if he would fit into this au better than anyone. I dragged out the introduction a bit… enjoy reading! Let me know your ideas as well, I`ll read and answer them later.

What is the best profession? Probably, every child asked this question at least once. There were always many proposals, but there was one that everyone thought about. Detective. Do they even exist? Or have they always been an idea embodied in books and films?

Are there schools that produce qualified specialists? Is it possible to became one? What is the principle of selecting candidates?

Calm down, hands on the table. You also did not know the answers. It’s trivial, but the profession found you itself. Moreover, if someone found out about your “Detective” badge, they would think that it was a high-quality craft. Seriously, aren’t detectives just an invention of film directors?

In the company of friends and their acquaintances, over a cup of tea or another drink, you would also laugh at the joke, adding your own to the general vat of barbs. Nevertheless, the rushing carriage harnessed by black horses was as real as the mantle of a prestigious college on you. Luckily, the hood was long enough to hide part of your face, so you could look around the room with a bored expression and no sense of professionalism.

A huge mirror in the middle and flying coffins. Crowds of students and a director late for the ceremony.

Never in your life could you imagine that your job would take you to a haven for magicians. Yes, magic existed and was the envy of many, even you, but nothing more. If that's how a mouse felt when cats were swarming around its hole, then be it. However this mouse was very well prepared. It had a hidden artifact that allowed cast simple spells. Nothing more. After all, your task was to gather the material and leave unnoticed. In no case would you become the best student among the stream of first years, heaven forbid.

You only hoped that the bribed principal and the Mirror would not throw you to the predators. Exactly. The kind teacher knew about everything, and the inside pocket of his jacket sank under the weight of money. Naturally, after convincing him that you had no desire to harm the college's reputation. The struggle between schools was not in your competence, let them squabble over talented applicants as much as they wanted. Your task was the simplest.

Just make sure that the representatives of influential families were not planning anything… interesting. The version for the director was to collect information about the college, for further writing of the article on behalf of the "student".

You had already received half of your payment, and the customer signed a contract in which you received your other half in any outcome. Plus, you could always earn extra money by publishing an article to the delight of Crowley, but that's it. Possible options after completing the job.

Finally, the director appeared, and you would have sighed with relief if not for the student who appeared behind him. It seemed that no one knew who it was, however, this was only to your advantage. Any information was important to the customer.

"Any information was important to the customer." This thought was worthy of a hit to the head with any heavy object. They were just students, what could possibly go wrong? The contract details did not include feeding flamingos in pink and painting roses from white to red and back. Why, of all the dorms, the Mirror decided to send you to Heartslabyul… that question should have been asked to Crowley. Only for him magically disappear every time, "and do not to interfere with a professional's work."

A professional could not work in such conditions.

Luckily, a pair of first years significantly attracted the attention of the head. All you had to do was secure their friendship and the article "headache" of Rosehearts. The collar on your neck in most cases explained why you did not use magic regularly.

However, in other dorms it was hardly easier. Whether this thought was self-consolation or acceptance of the harsh truth, you didn't care. Or it could be a simple complaint from chewing his lunch Ace.

If you had come here at an earlier age, when you yourself were a scholar, you would have been overjoyed. Of course, what child would refuse to learn magic? To travel between colleges using portals? The one who was now in the body of an tired of everything adult obviously.

It was much harder to study seriously when you needed to be in several places at once, and for missing classes the head "cut off your head". In your time, being a hooligan sounded easier.

Bless the existence of Internet storage, otherwise attempts to hide the notes of real work would have finally driven you to the grave. The promised payment was not worth it.

Fortunately, or vice versa, there was plenty of information. Filtering rumors, looking for the truth - that's another task. At least the soil for this was fertile. News of growing tension in a dorm. A rumor about a student who grants any wish. Possible conflict between two celebrities.

How true were the rumors about the strained relationship between the second prince of the Sunset Savanna and the crown prince of Briar Valley?

Everything was carefully written and saved for later editing. When did you have time to do this? The answer was simple. You sacrificed your time for sleep. All paper records were burned and destroyed after being transferred to the cloud. You didn't need any extra problems.

It felt like you had a kind of key in your hands that could unlock a box to nowhere. Your readiness to face everything that awaited you at the bottom was unimportant. A minimum of feelings and a maximum of facts were required from you.

[malectober]

Welcome, one and all - to Malectober Edition 2.0!!!!!!

In case you've forgotten about Malectober, or this is the first time hearing of us - here's a refresher.

And obviously, we're back this year with a fresh new theme, a whole new set of prompts - including a very special one celebrating the release of 1989 (Taylor's Version)!

Now, lemme just rehash some rules -

Tag this account on all your malectober posts on tumblr!! Also include the tag "#malectober" within the first five tags on your post (or else it won't show up in the #malectober tag). This will help me find your posts so I can reblog them!

If you're posting on Ao3, make sure to add your fic to the official Malectober 2023 collection. Please make sure to add it on your own, since it's tedious to send out invites to anyone who hasn't added it to the collection.

I'll just repeat this here - ANYTHING GOES. Fics, art, moodboards, headcanons, playlists, picrews even.

AI work however is strictly forbidden.

Tag appropriately! And if you're posting NSFW work on tumblr, please put it under a "read more"!

If you're stuck on a prompt, replace it with one of the extras!!!

There's no right way to post your works. Post a prompt two days early, two days late, hell even after October if you want. Only rule is that posting starts from October 1st.

If you can't complete every single prompt, that's fine! Remember, this is only for fun. There's no need to stress yourself out.

If you have any questions, post them to my inbox!!

Happy Malectober in advance!!

Prompt list in text under the cut -

Daywise Prompts:

Angel

Baby

First

Mold

Salt

Ramen

Winter

Life

Bow

Bitter

Strip

Cry

Grin

Sense

Sweet

Eyes

Water

Dessert

Hotel

Sour

Lace

Client

Copy

Burn

Spicy

New

Taylor Swift

Kiss

Wound

Birth

Demon

Extra/Alternate Prompts:

Mystery

Control

Prince

Brave

[streetlights-was-taken]

Hi, sorry to interrupt, but I was looking at your fics, which are really good, and I came across something that I see in a lot of other fanfics and I don't know how to do it. How did you manage to set it indented?

hello! thank you for reading my fics, it means a lot!

I need to know what you mean by "indented." do you mean something like this summary?

tumblr editor calls this "indented" for some reason, but what it's really called are "blockquotes." you don't need fancy css for this since it's available with just html. you can code it using the blockquote tag.

on the other hand, maybe you mean indenting as in adding spacing like in this chat?

in this case, then yes you do need to add css to your workskin. here are the relevant parts of the code.

so the important things here are:

put your elements inside a container with the .chat class (or any other class name of your choosing)

make sure .chat has margin set to auto and width set to less than 100%.

I hope I was able to answer your question! I'm not sure if there are other examples of indenting that I used in fics; if you meant something else, just let me know so I can answer the question properly! 🙇🏻

the rest of my workskin code is always available to use as a reference (copy paste if you want): AO3 demo, html code, css code.

something extra under the cut:

bonus:

the above is a modified version of what I'm doing. I actually combined both methods in one, but that gets a little bit more complicated and it's probably more than what you need. I'll add the full code here under the cut if anyone's interested.

to note:

notice that I replaced the div containers with blockquote in the html. however, with workskins turned on, you won't see it! that's because I'm hiding it specifically when workskin is turned on.

but if someone reads my fic with workskins turned off (the "hide creator's style" button AO3 provides at the top of the fic), then none of my styling will show up. I still want to make the grouping of the chat text and timestamp clear though, so I put them in blockquotes for this purpose.

here's how it looks like with and without workskins. I want to make sure that my fics are readable even if someone turns off workskins, or if they download my fic as an epub/pdf (which IIRC removes all the css styling as well).

[euphor1a]

For those who missed it: introducing txt fic hub!

Hello moablr! Guess who? 🥸 I don’t know if anyone is here who does not know that I moved blogs, but, surprise! It’s aleyna from the now deleted blog, cupidchois xD

Anyway, let me get back on track.

Back on December 2021, I was sketching out a plan to start a discord server for all txt fic writers & readers!

Why was I working on something like that? Well, the writing community was declining rapidly. And sadly, it has only worsened since then. In case you’re still not aware, the interactions have been decreasing to the point it feels pointless sometimes, writers have got their works stolen and reposted, and, people still get hate over literally anything, for god knows what reason! So many writers have quit because of the above mentioned reasons and more, and there are many who are contemplating to do the same. Can you blame them, though?

If you are someone who has been here since 2020/21, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And what does this server has to do with what is going on? It’s an attempt to help with the current situation.

Now, why should you consider joining the txt fic hub? How will that benefit you?

If you are a writer, we strive to create a space where you can promote your works, seek help for anything writing related (beta readers, fic banners, tumblr advice) and connect with the fellow writers and obviously, the readers. We’ve added the sprinto bot for writers who are looking for sprints! We welcome mxr writers as well as mxm writers!

If you are a reader, you can easily find new fics to read by checking the fic promotion channels! If you have a favorite fic you want to share with others, there’s a fic rec channel for that too! You can help out the writer’s by providing feedback!

In general, you can make new connections, have fun chatting, and help strengthen the bond of the moablr writing community! You can select your unique roles from the customization channel! We have various bots for your entertainment (memes, music, etc.), and we take suggestions, so you can always tell us what you think would be nice addition to the server! We also have different spaces created for minors and adults <3

Additionally, you’ll only have to follow a few chat rules and promotion rules! This is not any type of network, so you can leave at any moment if you get overwhelmed (we will try our best to not let that happen) or simply lose interest; and there’s absolutely nothing you need to notify the admins about. This is your place, and you can share as little or as much information you feel comfortable with!

The server is up and currently consists of 91 active and inactive members! If you face any problems, you can always reach out to me (the admin) or the mods who are there to help out! 😊

Signal boosts appreciated! You can join txt fic hub here ↓↓

[wave2tyun]

sooo, hello!!🥹💞 or welcome back!!!!

i don’t really know how to start this, at first i prepared a pretty long text because i wanted to explain why exactly i deactivated and what has been happening, but in the end i chose to scrap that and not get into in detail because it’s all related to my personal life and it's probably better to just keep that private, plus it’s some pretty heavy stuff as well, and i don't want to load that onto you. so this has kind of turned into a ramble instead amdbjdn

truth is that i have been struggling, a lot. october was one of the worst months mentally for me, which is when i chose to deactivate. at some point i did start slowly feeling better and i wanted to come back on here earlier than this but then things got worse🙂 like so much fucking worse😭😭 it’s still hard to believe and it still hurts and i almost can’t stop thinking about it, but looking back, i’m at least glad about getting through things the way i did- because i feel like the me one year ago would have acted and handled those situations so differently, or maybe i would have barely been able to handle them at all.

in the midst of it all, i started to lose my passion for writing. writing stopped being a form of escapism or a way for me to use my creativity. it just felt like a burden. whenever i wanted to write and opened up a doc i just felt paralyzed only by looking at it. i couldn’t get anything out, nothing for days on end. i felt like i was losing myself, in multiple aspects, not just writing, and the disappointment that overcame me only added more and more to my stress.

and i’m not going to lie, i’m still struggling a lot to write again :’) but i do want to give it another try. maybe it’s the fact that i first started out last year in december that is kinda making my heart tingle for it again andbjsns this period of time feels nostalgic:(

however, due to personal reasons (not regarding anyone on here, just to make that clear) i’d feel much safer and much more at ease to continue with a different username, i hope you guys can understand. i do feel very attached to my previous one but i really want to be able to post comfortably.

i do kind of regret deleting my other blog because of all the memories i’ve lost, but at the same time i’m also happy i did it because in a way it allowed me to fully choose to work things out and focus on myself without feeling burdened or rushed.

i don’t know how long it’s gonna take for me to post something new. i’ve been working on multiple things at once but the progress has been quite slow ambdkdn but at least it’s something!!!! so it might take a long time, it might also not. i don’t know, i’m just gonna let things be and let them happen whenever they happen. maybe you guys can also tell me some of the fics i should repost?? i won’t do them all at once cause they were quite a lot and that would clog up the tags anbdjdnd + i also need to proofread them again cause most of the time i’d do that directly on tumblr before posting🥲

soooo yeah. if you’ve read through this whole post, i really appreciate it!! :(<33 i’m happy to return on here while being in a better state, and if there’s anybody who would like to talk, do feel free to send me a message or an ask!! i’m still at home on winter break, but i will go on a trip pretty soon😔✊🏻 just so you know in case i might be slow with posting/replying!!

i hope 2024 will treat both me and you well. i hope it can be a year of growth and love, a year where we can freely let go and start anew. in a world where you constantly get beat down for everything i still want to choose to be gentle, sensitive, and soft. i love you guys!!!! :(💞💓💖💘💞💓💞

[devastatedloyallute]

Chapter 9 of Bigger Than The Whole Sky -A Guitarspear fic

Disclaimer: I have no idea how to write for actiony type scenes >.<’ I tried my best but I apologize in advance lmao

Read on AO3!

Charlie had gathered the hotel residents to talk about preparing for the upcoming extermination. Time was ticking down, there was only a few weeks until the new year so they had to be prepared for anything.

“We have their leader living down here, are they really going to continue slaughtering anyone and everyone, even if that includes him?” Angel questioned.

“Maybe they’re planning to bring him back with them!” Niffty added.

“His lady was just here, don’t you think she would have tried that if that was the case?” Husk said as he drank from his bottle.

Everyone looked at Adam. He was sitting on the couch, numbly staring at his phone screen lost in thought. Remembering he was supposed to be paying attention to whatever it was Charlie was going on about, he looked up and realized that all eyes were on him.

“What did I do?” Adam blinked.

Charlie cleared her throat before hesitantly speaking, “Adam, you mentioned a bit ago that with you gone, Lute was going to be leading the exterminations? Is, um, is she going to keep doing them? I mean- I’m thinking that since she knows now that you’re safe here, she will leave the hotel alone?”

“I doubt it, I don’t think anyone knows what goes on in that psycho’s head,” Vaggie retorted.

Adam drew in a breath as he stood, “I don’t know. She didn’t mention anything about it.”

“Is there a chance you can possibly call and talk to her? It would be good to know if we can relax and not have to worry about the next apocalypse,” Charlie pleaded.

Adam pat Charlie’s head, “Don’t worry about it, Char. Been thinking that we might need to change up the exterminations anyways, ya know?”

Charlie’s eyes lit up, “Wait, really?! You want to get rid of the exterminations?”

“He’s just telling you what you want to hear, ignore him,” Vaggie said with an eye roll.

Adam shot Vaggie a look before flicking her forehead, “No, I’m serious.” He turned to Charlie and also flicked her, “And no. I said change them. Not get rid of . Use your fucking ears, that’s what you have them for.”

“Oww, sorry,” Charlie whined as she rubbed her forehead.

Adam sighed, “No, because if someone legit wants to better themselves, they should have the choice to. Safely, and not have to worry about permadying a day or two out of the year.”

“Aww!! You have changed! I’m so happy,” Charlie’s eyes started to well with fat tears of joy.

He waved her off as he pushed past the girls, “Yeah, yeah, shut up. Imma go call her and see what’s going on.”

“Tell the kiddo hi for me,” Angel called out, to which Adam gave a thumbs up.

Adam entered his room, closing the door behind him before throwing himself onto his bed. He navigated through his phone to his contacts, pressed Lute’s name, and waited.

“ Hi, love. ” 

The sound of her voice forced a smile to creep across his face. It had been a few weeks since she and Abel were here at the hotel. Of course they’ve since shared calls, been on video chats, and exchanged occasional late night spicy texting that got deleted the next morning to avoid the eyes of a possible curious child. But each time she spoke he savored it as if it were the last time he’d ever hear her voice.

“Hey, babe. How are you guys doing?””

“ I’m doing good. Abel’s off with Emily today. ”

“Oh, good. Good. Hey, uh, actually since that’s the case, this is the perfect time to ask you a question,” Adam scratched at his chin.

“ I might have an answer, ” Lute joked.

Adam chuckled, “Heh, yeah I hope so.” 

There was a momentary silence before he spoke again, this time more serious in tone, “Uh yeah, so…It’s about the exterminations. What’s the deal? You going to continue them or-“

“ I’ve been thinking about what to do. When Abel questioned me about them I did say I wasn’t planning on it. Not at least until you were back here. ”

He let out a sigh of relief, “Woo, okay that’s good news.”

“ But in hindsight, I may have caused a bigger issue for you down there, ” Lute tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder and brought her hand to her pursed lips.

“Eh? What do ya mean?” Adam’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“ Well, after the extermination, I was quite livid and so I went to speak ever so politely with Lilith. Long story short, I told her to deal with her daughter’s bullshit before I do, ” Lute voiced with rekindling rage.

Adam let out a groan as he covered his face with his hand, “Eeyeah…Yeah that’s not great, babe.”

“ I am aware. At the time, I was furious and not thinking clearly. Though I doubt she’d get off her ass and do anything herself anyway so I’m sure it’s fine. ”

“Makes sense, that’s why she told me to start upping the amount of exterminations in the first place. Instead of her doing her own responsibilities, she pushed them onto someone else.”

After a few moments of pondering silence, Adam spoke again, “Well shit. Knowing her, you probably can’t get a hold of her. The fuck do we do about that…Ugh this sucks. Why’d ya have to go get her involved.”

“ As I said, I wasn’t thinking clearly. All I knew at the time was that you were dead, so the deal between you two was over, and I was in charge. And I wasn’t going to be taking orders from her. ”

“No, it makes sense. We’ll deal with it if and when it comes to it. Would be best to not tell Charlie about that part. In the meantime I’ll just let her know we aren’t doing the exterminations right now so everyone can chill the fuck out about it,” Adam groaned as he rubbed at his temple. 

“ Hey so, now I’ve got a question for you, ” Lute mentioned softly.

“Yeah?”

“ Now knowing redemption is possible, what does that mean for the exterminations? Will they have to stop permanently or what? Overpopulation is still an actual issue, and that isn’t going to change even if a handful of souls get redeemed each year. ”

“Right yeah, I’m working on that. I have some ideas I’ve been tossing around in my head, but who knows how that’ll go over while I’m still down here. I think we’ll set it in stone once I’m back. Well…fuck. Actually, no clue how long that’ll take and can’t really put exterminations on hold that long…Fuck. I don’t know. I didn’t really think this shit out, okay? I liked when it was simple; we go down, we kill, we take a year off, repeat.” Adam flailed his arm around, growing irritated. “This is a headache.”

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

Adam awoke to the startling sound of shattering glass. Heart racing and eyes wide, he jolted upright and frantically looked around his room. He spotted the turned mirror that used to be beside the door, which now laid in pieces. Was there a hellshake? Were those even possible?

“Oi, anyone got a broom or know where Bug skittered off to?” Adam called out as he exited his room. As he rounded the corner of the hallway he continued, “I think there’s a ghost or some shit in my roo- Hoooly shitballs, what the actual fuck is going on in here?!”

What Adam saw before him could only be described as concerning. Glancing around the room, he saw Angel Dust hung over the couch, his eyes wide in astonishment, a very protective and angry Vaggie, standing in front of Charlie with her spear ready to strike, Lucifer, who nonchalantly stood leaning on his cane behind the girls, Husk behind the bar, looking as if this were just another Tuesday he wished was over, and Charlie in her demonic form, assertively yet cautiously raising her arms at an overgrown Alastor, who held Niffty tightly in the grasp of a shadowy tendril.

“Put her down Alastor!” Charlie demanded while making a swinging motion to the floor. 

“I’m okay!” Niffty said with glee, wiggling her legs.

Charlie balled her fists at her side as she stomped her foot, “What has gotten into you today?!” 

“He’s not having a very good day. That Tee-vee guy from the Vees was bothering him again, he stubbed his toe which caused him to drop what he was carrying, and he was carrying a big pot of gumbo and it spilled EVERYWHERE,” Niffty cackled.

“It was not a gumbo! You know that,” Alastor snarled, squeezing the maid tighter.

Husk mumbled, “And might I add Lucifer is here. No offense, your majesty.”

Lucifer wafted his hand, “None taken, in fact I quite like partaking in causing his misery.”

Niffty was tossed out a window as Alastor came face to face with the King of Hell. Lucifer blinked at him, unamused. 

Adam snuck over to stand with Husk at the bar, “So uh…What’s with these two? I mean I get it, Luci’s fucked me over a few times but like, this is on sight.”

“Between you and me, I’m pretty sure it’s got something to do with that ex-wife of yours,” Husk leaned closer to whisper to him.

“Eh? Really? Never thought she’d cheat on Lucifer of all people, but hey, once a cheater always a cheater I guess,” Adam said with a shrug.

“What? No, not like that, you oaf,” Husk let out an annoyed growl. “Besides, Charlie said they split a few years ago.”

“Oof, drama. Anyway, looks like they’ve started a pissing contest,” Adam drew their attention back to Alastor and Lucifer.

“–You’re just mad your mother’s in Heaven and you’ll never see her again because you’re an abomination who will only know life in Hell~” Lucifer toyed as he easily evaded stray tendrils trying to hit him.

Alastor’s smile tightened into a snarl, “And you’re doomed to be forever alone since your wife left and didn’t want to deal with you anymore!”

“Boooo! Low blow!” Adam cupped his hands around his mouth to sound louder.

Lucifer looked in the direction of the voice, “Huh? Oh Adam. Wait what-” before getting slapped across the room. 

Adam sucked in a breath as he winced in realization that he created a distraction, “Oops.”

“Dad!” Charlie cried out, rushing to him.

“I’m alright, just caught me off my guard,” said Lucifer as he dusted himself off.

“Alastor, would you please calm down? Maybe go take a much needed nap?” Charlie pleaded. 

“I have not taken a ‘nap’ in decades, and I will not be starting now!” Alastor glared.

“Well you need one…” Angel quipped quietly.

“Yeah deer boy, you need one,” Lucifer teased, to which Alastor shifted back to his regular stature and lunged at him, wrapping his hands around his neck and attempting to choke him. 

“I don’t take orders from you, your highness ,” Alastor spat mockingly.

“Oh my, I didn’t think you would be into this~” Lucifer continued to joke, being unbothered.

Charlie let out a groan, raking her hands through her bangs, “Ugh, you guys are so annoying! Will the both of you grow up?! Or at least take this outside? Please!?”

Husk made a knowing glance to Alastor and snorted with a grin. He rolled his eyes as the two continued their bit. “I know someone he does take orders from,” Husk whispered to himself as he turned back to Adam, “So you want a drink?”

“Sure, fuck it. Those two are gonna be at it for a while,” Adam said as he took a seat. Husk swiftly made him a fruity drink and slid it his way. “Wait what’d ya mean by that just a second ago? Something about him taking orders?”

“Keep yer voice down,” Husk hushed as he peeked over Adam’s shoulder. “If he hears us talkin’ shit, we are gonna get hit, you hear me?”

“Loud and clear, man. So come on, spill it, you’ve got me curious!” Adam whispered back.

“Alright, I don’t know all the details but what I do know is that he’s working under Lucifer’s wife, ex-wife, whatever they’ve got going on. No clue what the motives are or what he’s getting out of it, just know she has him under her thumb.”

Adam’s jaw slacked, “No fucking way. Really?”

Husk nodded slowly, “No one else is aware of this. Niff might but she probably doesn’t pay any mind to it, doesn’t matter to her.”

“Huh. Yeah I couldn’t tell you, last time I spoke with Lils was nearly seven or so years ago. She wanted me to start doubling the exterminations, though I didn’t get around to it until last year,” Adam said with a chuckle before realizing, “Oh shit, I wasn’t supposed to say that. I really shouldn’t have said that. Forget you heard that!”

Husk narrowed his eyes and gave Adam a half eyebrow raise, “Right, well. You said yourself you wanted to change the exterminations. Still plan on that?”

“Fuck yeah! I haven’t quite figured out how yet, gonna have to talk to higher ups and shit, but totally. Lilith thinks I’m dead so-“ The commotion from behind Adam halted abruptly. Wondering why it stopped, he turned to look only to be met with Lucifer’s gaze.

“Lilith?” Lucifer said, stunned. Alastor had also been frozen in place by the name. 

“You've been in contact with her?” Charlie whispered in shock.

Fuck. All eyes were on Adam again. No way to get outta this one. 

“Adam, I didn’t even know you were here until a half hour ago, but please, can you tell me where she is?” Lucifer asked calmly as he approached the bar.

“Nope. She would kill me. Again . If she doesn't want to be found, that’s her business,” Adam shook his head and shrugged. 

“I would also have to kill you if you were to reveal her whereabouts,” Alastor stated lowly.

Adam cocked a brow, “And why’s that?”

Husk coughed, “Probably since if she caught wind of what he plans to do, he’d be in some massive shit.”

In that instant a green chain surrounded Husk’s neck and pulled him across the bar. “You need to shut your mouth, Husker,” Alastor sneered. A conglomerate of shouts called out at once in a panic. 

“Alastor, what are you doing?! Stop!” Charlie’s cries fell on deaf ears.

Adam rolled the sleeves of his hoodie, “Well if that’s how it’s gonna be, bring it on, Freakshow. I’ve been itching for a rematch, even though I won the first time.” 

Adam leapt at the demon, avoiding his shadows as the chain faded from view, “Come on, fight me. No cheap tricks either, this time we’re on even ground.”

“Is that what you think? Just because your soul got damned to Hell, you think we’re evenly matched?” Alastor questioned.

“Maybe not, but if I can distract you long enough for them to get away from you, that’s good enough. Luci, could you help?” Adam strained to ask.

“Hm? No, you’ve got it,” Lucifer smiled with a thumbs up.

Adam stared back at him dumbfoundedly. ‘Did he actually just do that? Really? Whatever. ’

Adam continued to try to fend off Alastor’s attacks, until Alastor became bored of the altercation and shoved him away. Alastor turned his attention to Husk, who hadn’t moved due to his injuries. 

“May this be a reminder to watch what you say,” Alastor prepared an attack to critically wound its victim. Before the attack hit, Adam threw himself in front of Husk, shoving him backwards out of the way and braced for the impact. Realizing the change, Alastor made the attack stronger, engulfing Adam in darkness. When the dark dissipated, only Husk remained.

“Alastor, what did you do?!” Charlie screamed as the realization took over her.

“Oh relax, it’s not like I had used angelic weapons. Give him time, he’ll respawn. He’s fine,” Alastor remarked as he brushed off his coat. “Maybe next time he’ll learn not to mess with me,” he added as he picked at one of his claws.

“Do you feel better now? Your little tantrum finally over with?” mocked Lucifer.

Alastor straightened his bowtie and corrected his monocle, “I do, thank you for asking.”

Vaggie consoled Charlie and glared at Alastor, “That was super unnecessary and uncalled for. I didn’t care for him being here either but still. Not necessary.”

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

When Adam slowly opened his eyes, he was no longer guarding Husk. In fact, he was no longer even in the hotel. The blue hues of the room stung at his eyes, they were much brighter and overwhelming than the red shades he had gotten accustomed to in the hotel. As he squinted and looked across the room, he made out a white-ish blob cowering behind the golden round table in the center of the room.

“Hey! Snake dude!” Adam said as he pointed his finger out to Sir Pentious. Upon extending his arm, he stared back at his hand, turning it to himself. His skin wasn’t greytoned anymore. He realized the weight had increased on his back, reactively flexing his wings. He quickly brought his hands to his head expecting to feel horns, but only running his fingers through his messy hair. ‘Holy shit. I’m…I’m back? What?’

Pentious gave a small nervous wave back, “H-hello…Where did you just come from? Weren’t you already up here?” He looked between Adam and the door, “Why didn’t you just use the door?”

“Long story, I’ll explain next time I see ya. ‘Grats on getting up here. You’re welcome by the way,” Adam made for the door and slipped out, leaving Pentious alone in the Seraphim’s office once again. He had to get back to help the others, who knows to what extent Alastor would continue to take out his bad day.

Adam pulled the hood of his hoodie up over his head and his new halo. His wings felt cramped under his clothes but he didn’t want to risk anyone possibly recognising him, not many people up here have gold wings after all. He wore his exorcist mask in public most of the time so he wasn’t all too worried about people recognising his face, but the halos of higher rank angels are unique to each individual. He also wasn’t in his normal attire, it’s likely he was just overthinking this.

Somehow getting out of the building unnoticed, Adam found himself facing the open promenade. His shoulders relaxed as he took in the surreality of being home. A place he hasn’t seen in months. 

He kept a brisk pace as he headed home. To Lute. To Abel. But still, something felt as though it were eating at him. Was this guilt? No it couldn’t be, he had already made up his mind to go back, so what gives? ‘Well, I guess Lucifer is there, so I’m sure he could handle whatever Freakshow’s doing but still…Why doesn’t this feel right?��

Adam swung open the front door of his house, startling Lute in the process. She had been reading her book while Abel laid on the floor coloring in one of his drawings. Their heads turned at the sudden sound and movement. Adam pulled his hoodie off and shook out his wings, “Fucking finally I can get out of this thing.”

“Dad!?!” Abel raised himself up in surprise. Sprinting to his father, he grabbed hold of him, “You’re really back?!”

Adam tousled his kid’s hair with a grin, “Yeah, I’m surprised too. Like, I don’t even know what happened, it all happened so fast.” 

Lute stared at him speechlessly. She had accepted the fact it was somehow possible to rehabilitate sinners, but actually seeing him here, no longer with the demonic features he had once possessed, felt unreal.

“Babe, my robe still in on the bed? I’ve got to get out of these pants,” Adam’s voice broke her trance as he pecked her head before heading for the bedroom. Lute nodded slowly, still recovering from him actually being here.

Adam kicked off the sweatpants he’d been wearing and threw his robe on over his head. Shifting his wings through the slits on the back and straightening out the fabric, Adam once again felt that sensation of self disgust. That feeling of it's as though he didn’t deserve to get this second chance. 

‘After everything I’ve done, it should have taken much longer, shouldn’t it?’ Adam thought, before shaking his head. ‘ No, I can’t think about that now.’ 

He came back into the living room and created a portal back to the hotel, “Aight, I gotta go sort out some shit real fast then I’ll be back.”

“Wait, huh? What do you mean- You’re going back down there?!” Lute turned her head so quickly it almost hurt.

“Yeah, Freakshow was having a meltdown and lashing out at people. So I’m gonna go make sure everyone’s alright.” 

Abel climbed up onto the couch and pointed to the portal, “Can we come too?! I wanna see everyone again.”

Adam’s mouth hung open as he tried to find words. He couldn’t just say ‘ fuck no’ to a child, let alone his own. Who knows if shit was still going down or if someone else handled the radio demon’s temper tantrum.

“We could help,” Lute voiced as she closed her book.

Adam dumbly stared back at her for a moment before shrugging, “Sure. Fine. I’m not winning this argument, so come on let’s move.” Adam scooped Abel under his arm like a football and motioned toward the portal.

The portal brought the three outside of the hotel. Adam looked up and noticed the now broken window Niffty had been thrown through earlier. A grin spread across his face, “Hehe, watch this shit.”

“‘Sup bitches, ya miss me?” Adam laughed as he flew in through the window still carrying Abel, with Lute following behind.

“Hi Charlie! Hi Vaggie! Hi Angel! Hi Husk! Hi Alastor!” Abel waved excitedly at the group.

Lucifer pouted, “What about me?”

“He doesn’t know you yet, Dad,” Charlie set her hand on his shoulder.

“Oh…Who is that?” Lucifer asked.

Charlie made a pained smile as she shut her eyes, “That’s Adam’s kid.”

“Oooh…Okay, that makes sense,” nodded Lucifer. “One that still likes him? Surprising,” a comment to which got Lucifer a small shove from his daughter.

Adam let Abel down as he landed, and like a bullet Abel ran to Lucifer and Charlie. Adam looked over at Alastor, and then looked for Husk. He found him and Angel over at their place at the bar. ‘ Sheesh, it’s like there’s no other place for them to be.’  

“Hey wait, did I really miss the action? Laame,” Adam asked disheartedly as he slumped his shoulders forward. He straightened himself and smiled, “Best case scenario, everyone’s okay.”

“Hi Charlie! Hi mister who’s name I don’t know!” Abel smiled happily at them as he hugged Charlie. Abel let go of her and looked at the King of Hell almost at eye level, “I’m Abel, what’s your name?”

Lucifer smiled back at the young boy, slightly tipping his hat, “Lucifer.”

“Woah, you mean like the devil?!” Abel’s mouth hung open in astonishment.

“Exactly! Though I’m sure you’ve probably heard some nasty things about me,” Lucifer nervously chuckled as he scratched his cheek.

Abel nodded, “Yeah, but I don’t believe everything they’ve said. I’ve never met you before, so how do I know you’re really the ways they’ve described?”

“You naive little child,” Alastor scoffed and rolled his eyes. “That mindset could get you into trouble,” he added under his breath as he walked off.

Lucifer’s face scrunched as he fought back the tears welling at the corners of his eyes. He squished Abel’s cheeks, “How on Earth did that make this ?” Lucifer asked as he looked between Adam and Abel. Adam made a sexual gesture with his hands with a clueless mocking expression. “I didn’t mean– Ugh, I meant how is he so precious, when you’re well… you .” Adam shrugged in response.

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

The tension had died down and everyone decided to stick around and chat. Charlie was elated to know Adam not only was alright, but had also made it back into Heaven. Abel happily caught up with the hotel residents.

“So, um, Lute?” Charlie asked, looking at the stump of Lute’s missing arm. “I don’t mean to be rude, but- are you not able to get a prosthetic in Heaven?”

Lute defensively raised her hand to her nub, “Why?”

“Oh! I just meant because if you weren’t able to, I have an uncle who specializes in robotics and prosthetics! I’m sure he’d be more than happy to lend a hand,” Charlie waved her hands passively. 

“Hehe, lend a hand,” Adam snickered before Lute shot him a glare. “Heh- sorry, that was too good.”

Lute let out a half annoyed sigh, “No, that’s alright. I made my choice and now I’ll live with it.”

“Oh. Well, if you’re sure. But offer is still up if you ever change your mind!” Charlie gave her a smile before walking off.

Adam slung his arm around Lute’s shoulder, “What, you don’t want a badass robot arm?”

Lute shrugged, “I’ve got too much pride for that. I’ll just get stronger to make up for it.”

“You’re one stubborn bitch, you know that? Just makes me love ya more,” Adam grinned, pulling her closer and nuzzling her head. Lute rolled her eyes with a smile on her face.

A knock came from the front door of the hotel. Eyes turned to look as heads tilted in curiosity.  “Who could that be?” Vaggie asked.

“Maybe it’s Niffty? Knocking since, you know, she can’t reach the handle to open the door?” Charlie pondered as she began walking to the door with Vaggie following close behind. Charlie approached the door and opened it expecting to find Niffty. Instead, in front of her stood a tall woman with flowing blonde hair.

“Mom?” Charlie could barely make her voice audible. It had been nearly eight years now since she’d last seen her. She was both ecstatic to see her but also slightly bitter with questions.

“Hello sweetheart! How have you been?” Lilith gave her daughter a closed eye smile. She leaned in to embrace Charlie, looking at the odd group of those in the hotel, “Oooh, quite an interesting party going on in here!”

Charlie laughed awkwardly, “Yeah, today has been…weird. Um, well come on in! I can’t wait to show you everything we’ve done!” As she led her mother into the room she thought, ‘…And maybe you can answer some questions…’  

Everyone could feel that burning curiosity, but no one really wanted to be the one to bring it up. Alastor’s eyes widened as he watched Lilith come further into the building. His ever present smile strained and he quietly disappeared into the shadows. 

“Ho. Lee. Shit. Lils actually showed up,” Adam whispered under his breath as he slowly panned to look at Lute who was also stunned, her eyes wide and gave him a small nod.

Abel’s face lit up as there was yet another new person he could meet. He scampered up to her with a big smile on his face, “Hi! My name’s Abel.”

“Oh, hello darling. What’s a little angel like yourself doing down here?” Lilith said sweetly as she knelt to his eye level.

“Uhmm…I guess now we’re just seeing friends? Yeah!” Abel clasped his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels.

Lilith stood and pat Abel’s head, “That’s nice, I’m Lilith. You run along now, I have a few things to discuss with your dad.” 

Adam felt his blood go cold for just a moment as Lilith drew closer. ‘Why me?! Oh. Right. It’s me.’  

“Adam. Funny seeing you here. Your little girlfriend here informed me that you had died. But it doesn’t appear so,” Lilith looked the pair over. 

Adam rubbed at his neck, “Heh, yeah well, that’s a bit of a long story.”

“It’s not that long!” Charlie popped up beside the group and inhaled deeply, “So what happened was the exorcists attacked the hotel, but things didn’t end well for them and Adam ended up being stabbed in the back by our housekeeper. But he spawned here as a sinner demon! Which was like- woah didn’t think an angel could become a sinner. Anyway, and then he ended up staying here with us and eventually decided he wanted to give redemption a shot to try to get back home to Lute and his son-” 

Charlie was sporadically swishing her hands around as she continued to explain, “-And then Alastor was having a bit of a moodswing and ended up attacking Adam and we all thought he was gone. Then turns out he actually got back into Heaven! He came back to make sure everyone was okay and now we’re here!”

Lute gave Charlie a skeptical look as she tried to catch her breath before smiling and trotting back to stand with Vaggie who was failing to console Lucifer. Adam halfheartedly nodded and half a shrug, “Yeah pretty much.”

“Hmm. Interesting. So, what was that about you attacking the hotel? I thought we agreed you and your army would leave hellborns and by extension my daughter’s hotel out of the exterminations,” Lilith crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

Adam flinched, looked away as he crossed his arms and pouted, “...She was getting on my nerves. At the time anyway. I had finally gotten around to doing that thing you wanted, what with doubling the exterminations, and she was going on and on about trying to save the poor fucks down here. She wanted us to stop the exterminations.”

“So you attacked her? How childish could you be,” Lilith shook her head. “And I had asked you to do that years ago, what took you so long? Wait-” Lilith looked behind her to find Abel who was over with Husk and Angel, “How old is he?”

“He’s eight, but I don’t see how that's relevant?” Adam tilted his head with a confused look.

“Ah I see. I asked you roughly eight years ago now to increase the exterminations. But it seems you were trying your hand at fatherhood again.” Lilith eyed Lute up and down, “And I see his genes run strongly. Can barely tell he is related to you.”

Lute’s cheeks blushed golden. Caught off guard by her comment she stammered, “O-oh you’ve got it wrong. I’m not his bio-mom.”

“Oh, my apologies. I suppose I assumed. So then, Adam. Why did it take you so long then?”

“Uhh…Pure laziness?” Adam raised his shoulders with a sheepish smile. “Come on, at least I’m honest. Actually about that. Hey, Charlie get over here for a sec,”  as he waved her over.

Charlie reluctantly left her father’s side and once again walked back to them, “Yes? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, all good, just wanted to fill ya in on my plans for the exterminations. Does uh, Luci wanna be a part of this? Since he’s like, the king and all?” Adam leaned past Charlie to see Lucifer just sort of zoned out, dead to the world.

Charlie bared her teeth nervously, “No, he’s um…He needs a few more minutes to adjust. He’s not taking the shock of seeing mom again too well…” She took a calming breath, “Okay. I’m ready to hear what you’ve got.”

Adam stretched his arms out front, cracking his knuckles, “Aight so, plan is. We keep doing the exterminations the way we’ve always done them. First of the year, every year. But we exclude anyone from the hotel.”

Lilith rubbed her temple with a deep sigh, “So doing what was already the plan?” 

“Er, yeah…But hey look, now these sinners will have an incentive to come to the hotel, right?” Adam looked to Charlie who gave him a nod.

“Yeah! Knowing officially that being part of the hotel will keep them safe, I’m sure more people will be willing to give us a chance!” Charlie said joyfully.

Adam pointed to Charlie, “But what that means is that you’ve gotta make sure the people you’re letting stay here actually want to save their souls, not just their asses.”

“Oh…but that seems-” Charlie started to argue before getting cut off by Lute.

“It doesn’t seem anything. If they want to avoid being killed for the disgraceful acts they committed on Earth and find their sentence to Hell unfair, then they will come to your hotel to better themselves and one day earn their way to Heaven. If they do not wish to atone, then they must accept their punishments,” Lute said sternly. “They have to want to be here to redeem their actions. If they are only here for protection and nothing else, then they are taking advantage of you.”

“Hmm, I guess you have a point,” Charlie said looking at the floor.

Adam placed his hand on her shoulder, “You’ll do fine. Besides, you’ve got Vaggie to help you make those decisions. I’d say she’s a good judge of character but, she’s more assume the worst until proven otherwise.”

Charlie nodded and smiled at him, “Yeah. Thanks Adam, you’ve really come so far and…I’m proud of you!”

“Eehhhh- yeah yeah keep that shit to yourself, sheesh,” Adam tilted his head away from her, with a slight embarrassed blush across his cheeks. “I’m the fucking Adam, you don’t gotta praise me for doing the right thing.”

Lilith shifted her eyes between her daughter and Adam. This was somehow the same man she knew back in Eden. The headstrong, arrogant man who she wanted nothing to do with. And here he was, seeming like an entirely different person from then. What had changed in that time?

“Anywho, guess it’s time we head out, right Lute? I’ve spent the last like six months down here, I’d like to go back home now…Though I bet Sera is going to be a headache and a half to deal with but we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it,” Adam said as he pulled his arms behind his head.

“You mean cross that bridge,” Lute corrected.

“Eh, the same thing really,” shrugged Adam. Lute shook her head dismissively. “Yo, Abel! Say your goodbyes, we’re gonna head out soon,” Adam called out.

Abel poked his head out to get in his line of sight, “Aww, okay dad!” Abel hopped down from the stool he was sitting on and ran to say bye to the others.

Adam created a portal back to their house, “So…Lils, guess have fun with your tour?”

“Did you need anything from your room?” Charlie asked.

“Nah, it would be sweet to bring that bed home but nah, you keep it for the next guy,” Adam waved his hand. 

Abel came up to the group waving goodbyes as he and Lute went through the portal. Adam gave everyone a quick wave goodbye before following Lute and Abel, “See ya next year losers! Well, I guess not but you get it.”

As the portal to Heaven closed, Charlie turned to her mother, “Sooo…I may have a few questions. Actually, I have a lot of questions.”

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

Thank you for reading! 💕

I am so sorry this took like a month to get done 😭 writer’s block had me in a chokehold. Yeah action type scenes are not my forte lol it sorta turned into a more comedic style fight but hey

Be prepared for some tooth rotting fluff in the next chapter! (which hopefully wont be as delayed as this one was 😅)

[danikatze]

Muddle

A multi-chapter Saraiya Goyou fic

[ID in alt text]

Chapter 3: The Market is an Exciting Place

From a distance Ume sees Matsu get approached by a suspicious looking man and decides to follow them, in case Matsu is in danger. Matsu is not the one in danger.

Read it on AO3 - or read it here:

Unlike Matsu, Ginta and Otake dropped by Ume's regularly from the start. Ume watched Ginta come and go, each time listing the jobs that people had given him so far. That boy was unstoppable: the morning after they'd arrived he had already put up a sign saying "Odd Jobs" and started running around town, seeking people who needed help in any way whatsoever and were willing to give compensation of any kind.

Otake also continued the way she had lived in Edo - minus the kidnapping - and did nothing productive at all. Which is what she deserved, Ume kept telling everyone, as if they would argue. To Ume's great joy she dropped by at his place every day for a bit of conversation, a bite to eat and a drop of that wonderful sake he had found. After which she liked going for a walk, or for a soak at the nearby bath house. Or both.

On his way to the market Ume would often find her in front of seemingly random people's houses, socialising with whoever lived there and anyone eager to participate in the conversation. Generally the chat looked light-hearted enough, but every now and then her new acquaintances were ranting at her, or appeared to be in need of some comfort. Seeing the emotional kind of person talking to Otake always made Ume restless and he got the urge to step in. Just his looming presence would often be enough to make people back off. From experience he knew Otake didn't really want his help, so he resisted the impulse.

Ume saw all sorts of things whenever he went shopping. Ginta was often there, weaving through the crowd with packages, with tools, with baskets full of a wild variety of things, or sometimes with nothing but haste. Ume made it a game to guess what task he'd been assigned and when Ginta came by later that day Ume would secretly award himself points if he got it right.

Matsu wasn't a strange sight to him either, of course, but one day he did witness something unfold that caught his attention. He saw Matsu down the street and a relatively young guy with a plain appearance came up to him from behind. Even from the distance Ume could see that the stranger was rather flushed with nerves. He reached out and tugged on Matsu's sleeve to gain his attention, then quickly let go again. As Matsu turned, Ume was unable to see his expression, so was unsure if he welcomed the company. His posture never changed, though, and after a short moment, the man walked away from the crowd and Matsu followed.

The sight filled Ume with unease. Something about the unremarkable air of that fellow made him highly suspicious. He returned the vegetable he had been inspecting to it's basket, and dashed after the pair, who at that point vanished into a side-street. When Ume reached the corner and peeked around it, hoping not to be spotted by Matsu and his friend, he just saw them turn into another, narrower street. Ume carefully followed until they reached a dead-end alleyway that was virtually abandoned. Inching up the corner he could hear a voice that was not Matsu's.

"... hope I interpreted that correctly and that we could... try doing it more than once."

The young man had a soft, but clear voice. It was rather nicer than his appearance, despite it trembling a little. He must have been very nervous.

"We had a deal," there was no sympathy in Matsu's reply. Just a coldness and rigidity that Ume had not heard in a long time.

"Yes, I know, but-"

"Nothing changed," Matsu interrupted his pleading companion, "are we done here?"

"Something did change," the man called hurriedly. Remembering himself, he added in a volume so soft Ume could barely hear him: "I have feelings for you."

This confession didn't entirely surprise Ume. He knew about men who were attracted to other men, even if he himself couldn't relate to it. Every now and again he could appreciate a man's body from a distance, sure, but feelings? He didn't really know that was a thing going on between guys until he met Matsu. Something in the way Matsu behaved when it came to Yaichi.. Let's just say he got a feeling that Matsu wanted to be close with Yaichi and didn't necessarily see him as a friend. Ume never sought confirmation, of course.

Although it did seem like men like that were cursed to have their love stay unrequited, because Ume was pretty sure Yaichi did not feel the same way about Matsu, and this dude was about to be denied affection as well, judging by Matsu's demeanour so far.

"No, thank you," despite predicting Matsu's rejection, Ume was struck by the tone Matsu used here. It was his merchant voice: not unkind or particularly indifferent, just efficient. Whatever happened between the two, for Matsu it was just a transaction between two people that had been completed.

The young man gave no audible reply.

"Goodbye," Matsu uttered it with such a finality that Ume knew he had to move it. He walked to the end of the side street, where he suspected Matsu would go, and waited there just around the corner. Matsu emerged from the street by himself. He spotted Ume immediately.

"Hi," Ume greeted him, jovially.

Matsu held eye contact for a bit, as if trying to discern what Ume knew. He said nothing, then walked away from Ume, the way they'd come. Judging by Matsu's leisurely pace, Ume figured Matsu wanted him to catch up. He did so.

He looked over his shoulder to see if the poor reject had emerged from the alleyway yet. He hadn't. While they were still in an empty street, Ume decided just to be straight with Matsu about what he'd overheard.

"I followed 'cause I was worried about you, but dang," he chuckled, "that poor bloke."

"We had a deal," Matsu repeated, "he shouldn't have expected me to change my mind."

It kind of felt like an invitation to inquire further. Or like an order to shut up - Ume wasn't really sure.

Ume and Okinu had been talking about this actually. Until Masa came around, it was very normal for the Five Leaves to steer clear of any questions, anecdotes or opinions that were too personal. They knew barely anything about each other's past and even their feelings about whatever they dealt with as a gang were largely off limits.

And all of that just started to feel really stupid the more the Five Leaves went through together. Especially when Yaichi's past finally caught up to him and the gang was in danger of being arrested themselves. Ume knew he wasn't the only one who was dying to know the truth about Yaichi when that happened, even though he alone ended up demanding an explanation.

So although it could absolutely backfire, he wanted to follow Masa's example from now on and just.. ask.

"Change your feelings about what, exactly?" Ume was pretty sure what the answer would be, but he wanted it out in the open. If Matsu really didn't want to talk about it, Ume knew he just wouldn't, and that'd be fine too.

In an attempt to be casual about it, he gazed off in the distance. Matsu was quiet for a hot second, and it made Ume nervous. He started to kind of regret not maintaining eye contact.

"Sex, Ume," Matsu then told him in that businesslike tone from before.

He wondered what was going through Matsu's mind now. It was about the shortest reply he could've given and he didn't give the impression that he was about to give any more details. Ume didn't understand how Masa just spoke his mind so easily. It felt extremely invasive.

"Right," Ume said stiffly, staring ahead. He didn't really know how to reply to that. "What I thought."

"Did you?" Matsu asked, his voice dripping with incredulity.

"Yeah, it was obvious," Ume said, gloating a little, "He was talking about 'doing it' and 'feelings.' To be honest I thought only girls fell in love so quickly, but then again, maybe guys like that are more feminine?"

"What kind of stupid logic is that?" Matsu glared at him, like it had been a personal insult. Ume wasn't going to get into an argument about whether or not Matsu could be lumped in with "guys like that." He didn't know anything about what happened between Matsu and Yaichi, so instead he focused on the part about the girls. He was fairly certain about that at least.

"Isn't it common knowledge that girls are more easily swayed?"

"What about all those assholes who sleep with a prostitute once and swear it's true love?"

"Are you a prostitute?" It kept getting easier to pry, especially if it was to avoid a complicated discussion.

"No, just horny," Matsu snapped, like he was ready for this conversation to be over. Ume considered for a minute if he wanted to comply.

"So what's that deal you keep talking about?" he asked anyway. Being nosy feels kinda good actually..

"Why, you wanna get in on it?" Matsu replied, without missing a beat.

Ume reflexively stared his friend square in the eye. Matsu met his stunned gaze with a gently mocking smirk and Ume's heart skipped a beat. He averted his eyes again instantly. He was glad that he wasn't a blusher, because that suggestive remark and the smirk - coming from Matsu of all people - really threw him off.

He found his mind involuntarily going.. lewd places. More disorienting yet was that, as he tried to think the seductive, scantily clad Matsus away, he noticed he wasn't exactly repulsed by them. He'd be lying if he said he didn't know that Matsu was a handsome man. He was conventionally attractive and - if he wanted to sell you something - very charming. However, he had never thought of Matsu as sexually desirable.

Right?

"That's not what I meant.." the emotions Ume was going for were exasperated and amused. As soon as he said it he knew that could not have been what it sounded like, because it felt like an epiphany. He produced a slightly bemused bark of a laugh, and added: ".. but maybe?"

As they walked out of the side street, onto the busy market, a number of people turned around at Ume and Matsu to see where that alarming sound came from. To ignore them, Ume halted and followed Matsu with his gaze, until he stopped walking as well a moment later. Matsu returned his self-conscious look with an expression of surprise and curiosity Ume hadn't seen on him before. Neither of them said anything for an awkward second.

"Not opposed to it," Matsu then declared, with a straight face. Matsu sometimes presented his jokes the exact same as the things he said in earnest, so Ume waited a dazed second for Matsu to show any sign of insincerity or jest. It didn't come.

All the same, Ume decided to respond with a bit of a chuckle. An ambiguous one. One that could mean either "that's funny" or "I'm cool with it."

"As long as you don't expect me to fall for you," Matsu added nonchalantly. Now that had to be a joke.

"Hah! Please don't," Ume grinned.

For the first time since he spotted Matsu and the man in the crowd, Ume looked at his surroundings. Everyone was going about their business in a way that seemed kind of wrong, considering Ume just lived through a really bizarre ten-ish minutes. He half expected everyone to be a little impulsive and randy too. That's when Ume realised that this weird little flirting session had given him a bit of a high, because as this thought crossed his mind he felt himself deflate and tumble back down to the real world.

This is a bad idea. They hadn't actually agreed on anything yet. He could still pretend that all of this playful banter had been just for shits and giggles, like their usual prickly ribbing tended to be.

"Got some work to do," Matsu said before Ume could start backing out of the deal they hadn't yet made, "I'll come round for a drink later."

Ume didn't reply and just watched Matsu walk away. He'd address it later. Or never talk about it again - that was probably the best option.

[alkaline-wtr]

Just a rant about asks and false accusations...

I was just remembering that time when I first started my blog... I was so excited to get my first ask, and it was just someone accusing me of being creepy and writing NSFW content about KIDS!! 😢 Looking back on it now, I regret deleting it from my blog because, I actually think it's pretty funny considering the context. BUT, I deleted it because I felt like I replied waaay too nicely too it after being disrespected like that. (I searched my entire camera roll, my discord, and a bunch of texts w/ friends hoping to find a screenshot but I guess I never took one??) Anyway, for context I have and always have had my blog tagged as 18+ and MDNI! (In my bio, about section, etc.) The person sent me an anon ask about THIS fic. Which I'd like to point out, is and always has been tagged accurately and appropriately, according to the content. (as all my writing is) I've always made sure to tag and give proper warnings on anything I post in order to allow readers to make an informed decision on the content they are consuming. At the end of the day, it is YOUR responsibility what you consume and nobody else's.... Since the fic was a Konig high school AU, I obviously tagged it as such and added that both Konig and reader were teenagers/17 years-old. The other tags were things like 'fluff', 'one shot', and 'wholesome'. As you can still see for yourself both on my masterlist and on the fic itself. The only warning the fic was tagged with was 'drug use' for the fact that it involved Konig and reader smoking weed. The ask itself was anon "calling me out" for "being a MDNI and 18+ blog" yet "being an adult writing about to minors having sex". It was clear that anon DID NOT read the fic itself, which considering their misunderstanding of the tags makes sense. (I guess) BUT, I think this is a good way to open a discussion about this and remind everyone, the importance of mindfulness here on the internet. I thought when I posted it that it was just a little silly piece I'd worked up. I was still new to publishing my writing and just tried my best. I was proud of it and wanted to share. So, understandably I was hurt and a bit disappointed that my very first interaction with the community was an accusation like that all because, they hadn't bothered to actually read or look into the content before hand. With that all being said, here is a little warning/advice/reminder for... READERS: Be respectful! Especially when going after/criticizing writers in their asks. If there is some sort of problem or mistake within that piece, bring it to their attention in a respectful manner, and most importantly, KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FIRST!! WRITERS: Always tag your work appropriately! Even if it's something small that you may feel isn't totally necessary, just be careful. Most importantly DON'T TAKE SHIT FROM ANYONE!! In this case, it turned out fine. However, accusations (especially ones involving pedophilia) can be very damaging to people.

[mcsquared789]

MCU Uncut Changelog Archive

Future updates (2024 onwards) are shared via Tumblr via normal blog posts. These are all the updates I shared during back when this was on AO3.

As I continue to work on this project, I've recognised that it's a lot of work to do this. I might make some continuity mistakes, or be dissatisfied with what I've written sometimes. So I need a way to keep track of any changes I make — and as I've decided that in doing that, I might as well share them with you!

As I update this list (by date), I'll list any changes or additions I've made to existing works (that are completed) for the reasons I've mentioned. I think ~90% of these will be additions or minor changes to paragraphs and sentences: without good reason, I will probably never change an entire section, a plot point or a conversation. If I do, I may explain why and provide the original text... but it's on a case by case basis and I don't want to promise anything, especially if I feel it may spoil something in another later fic.

Besides, most of these will be incidental and/or probably not provoked by another story or a good comment suggestion. Already as a writer, I've had some thoughts about hey, I don't like how I wrote this part or I know a better way to get the characters over here, etc. Most of the changes here are for those thoughts, and if you've ever struggled to write something like I've had — you can probably see where I'm coming from.

Anyway, that's the point of this chapter. If this fic has had a recent update and the slate is unchanged, that likely means I've added something here. Thanks for understanding! And if I make a little error in marking down dates, let me know.

20/6/23: Minor changes and additions to last chapter & epilogue of Iron Man.

26/6/23: Got my first comment! :D and it’s a bot comment. :| I’ve had to change comment access to registered users only until otherwise — a heads up to anyone who wants to or wishes to comment in the future. I may have to find a different way to reach guests, but this will have to be the way it is for now.

5/7/23: WHOOO 750 hits on Iron Man! :D More minor changes and additions to last few chapters that tie it all together. Nothing much, but thanks everyone for reading! (Btw, Incredible Hulk is out if you don't know already! I will be updating it soon, you can access the link in the Slate.)

12/7/23: So, you will probably look at this date 5 years into the future and be like 'hey, that's the day after AO3 was hit by the DDOS attack!' Totally not related to that event AT ALL, I've needed to change up how I write and store my current work so that I'll still have everything on my computer if say, another attack were to happen again sometime in the future. As a bonus result, this has given me better ways to spot spelling and grammar errors in my fics, so I've been updating them slightly to get rid of as many of them as I can. My next update on The Incredible Hulk will be a little ways off, but it's best I get this sorted first — in the meantime, thanks for continuing to read.

PS. Thanks to everyone who read Iron Man! 800 hits :]

17/7/23: Changed the rating of The Incredible Hulk from Teen to Mature. I’ve been looking at the story I’m planning for this and realised… yeah, it’s gonna get pretty dark. Maybe even the darkest it gets in these fics, but we’ll see! :O Anyway, it’s mislabeled and I’ll be adding additional tags and trigger warnings to it as I go.

31/7/23: I've updated the slate a bit to reveal what I have planned in a little more detail. It's still a little bit light, but I figure it would get people more excited for what I have planned, since titles alone are not much to go off. (Mainly includes details to phase 2-3).

3/8/23: So, wow — thanks everyone so much for the hits and kudos on both my fics so far!! I’ve also noticed that a lot of them are from guests, and since I’ve kinda noticed in the community that the bot comments seem to be less prevalent, I’ve decided to turn on guest comments again so we can give this a try. But if I’m proven wrong, I will have to switch them off. Sorry :(

9/8/23: This is more of a note for me, but I've been updating how I format my fics! I updated the description of Iron Man to include a longer excerpt from the text. As well, I also have figured out how to use the Chapter Summary feature to add parts to my fics, which I've been doing with the Incredible Hulk. If you're interested, the chapters where I added them was 2 and 11 — t's not much, but I plan on including more parts in future fics and will probably use them in this way going forward. (Btw, I'm nearly done with the 16th chapter on TIH! It's a beefy one, so I hope it was worth the wait :P)

16/8/23: A HUGE MILESTONE!! 1000 HITS FOR IRON MAN, WHOOOOO!!! Thank you so much for reading and sharing! I’m so in awe, I feel like I’m gonna cry ;u;

Again, thank you everyone, especially those who’ve stuck around. I know I’ve gone dark a bit in the last week, but rest assured I’m still working on The Incredible Hulk — I’m just doing what I can while getting affairs in order for a trip I’ll be taking next month. You guys are awesome!

26/8/23: Okay, so not major news… but I’ve added a new novella to the Slate! It’s in the Infinity phase, and I thought about adding it in earlier, but didn’t have much reason to… but now I do, after doing some comic and lore research. It’ll be a character driven fic between Wanda and Vision, and it will take place sometime before Infinity War. That’s all I have to add, but to those who are fans of the characters… I think it will be very worthwhile.

13/9/23: I'm currently on that trip I mentioned in August! Thus, I have not been able to work on much, including Incredible Hulk — but I HAVE found some time to make pretty significant revisions and additions to make the Iron Man fic even more polished. I'm working on it throughout this month while I'm gone, but will aim to update the fic with the changes at the end of the month. It will be quite significant, maybe even to the point of warranting a reread — but we'll see. Again, thanks for reading it and bringing us to over 1200 hits! Thank you :)

17/9/23: Updated Iron Man with revised Chapters 1 and 2. Not much different, but better and more detailed than before!

23/9/23: I’m eagerly anticipating my return next month, but I have another significant update! As well as adding to phase 4 and simplifying some text a bit, I have added one-shots, one-chapter stories that I’ll write between longer novels! This is to expand things a little further and add more time to characters who wouldn’t or haven’t gotten the spotlight, as well as to keep the writing process interesting for me — although this will make the whole thing slightly longer to finish :/ whatever, I’ve just kind of accepted that I will NOT be able to meet the deadlines I set for myself.

Pretty much all of these are optional to read, but I’ve only revealed their names to keep some of them a surprise. Most of them you should be able to figure out from however — I hope you look forward to them. When I finish the first of these stories, I will make a seperate series for them that will not be in the main series. So if you want to catch up on them while not being subscribed to my user account, subscribe to that series. :)

29/9/23: Updated Iron Man with revised Chapters 3 and 4. I had less time than I thought... but now, I'm happy to say that I will be returning to work on the Incredible Hulk. I'll aim to upload at least another chapter of it within the first week of October — and I've been eagerly awaiting getting back to work on this :). I finally will be able to write something new again! See you then!

27/10/23: It's been a while since I've updated, so this is going to be a big one!

Firstly, THANK YOU TO ALL MY NEWEST FOLLOWERS. Over 1300 hits on Iron Man, Almost 600 on the Incredible Hulk, and not even finished yet. That's AMAZING, thank you so much for reading! I feel so much pressure to live up to expectations now, but I'm gonna try :'D

Secondly, some updates about the schedule. Nothing else is happening until I finish TIH, but when I do... I'm announcing two things that will most likely happen in the back end of November. 1st, I'll do the very first one-shot, the Consultant! It'll probably be around 3-5k words, and will fill in some gaps by the Incredible Hulk and Iron Man. 2nd, speaking of Iron Man... I'll be moving on to the sequel, War Machine! I'm planning it out now, and all I can say right now is that I actually think it's going to be even BETTER than the first fic. AAAHHH everything's happening!

But again, not until I finish this current fic, which I'm very excited to do. I still have some lingering college work to do, but by next week I'll be able to fully focus on these next projects. Thanks again everyone for reading, and I may have more updates soon!

21/11/23: I am pleased to announce… that both the Hulk and The Consultant are finished! YAYYY!

Firstly again, thank you so much for the support on the Incredible Hulk! Over 900(!!!) hits at the end is a dream come true, and I’m so glad it’s taken off… and for a fic based on one of the least popular movies, that is VERY encouraging for the future.

More relevant to this update, I have finished the first one-shot, the Consultant! It’s a little shorter than I estimated it to be, but it works well for the story — if you are now invested in this, please consider checking it out and giving it some support as well! It will spoil the end of the Hulk, but it’s still good enough to stand on its own. :)

It’ll also tide me over until I’ve finished the first chapters of the next project, which will be the sequel to Iron Man. In regards to when that comes out, I’m hoping that they’ll either be done by the end of this month or in the first week of December. Unlike the Hulk I’m hoping to get a head start on this so I can have more breathing room… but I will not be taking a break for Christmas or anything like that, so you can expect some consistency! Expect 2-4k length chapters for this for a total of 45 chapters. (It’s pretty big, but I estimate it will round out to over 100k words in the end.)

That’s all for now! I’ll see you later.

26/11/23: I am well ahead of my schedule! Well over four chapters into War Machine done, and hopefully another one or two this week before I release the beginning of the fic. You guys have NO idea how much a roll I am on, and how much fun I'm having writing this. I suspect I'll slow down a little at some point in December, but I can at least be confident that I could be possibly done with this fic by January. How awesome is that?!

Also: this fic is definitely gonna be way longer than 100k words. Aaaanyway, expect the first chapters a few days from now! And thank you for checking back on the Slate. ;)

27/11/23: I'm tired of waiting. The fic is out now. (Also, I accidentally wrote the wrong date for the last few posts. Whoops :/)

1/12/23: HOLY CRAP, that's a lot of hits! :O 1500+ on Iron Man, 1000+ on Incredible Hulk, 500+ on the slate and 50+ on my latest fic. Not gonna lie, it's a lot of pressure... but thank you all so much for reading and loving my work!

Nothing new to share other than I'm working on War Machine — and that the next chapter should be released tomorrow. I'm writing these well in advance so I have time to make proper edits and last-minute changes before I release them, which should work out and allow me some breathing room. I think there's a good chance that if I'm consistent enough, I will indeed finish it in January! If this new schedule works out that well, it also means I will have plenty of time to get a head start on the next fic I do.

Thank you everyone! :'D

29/12/23: I'm going to be releasing something new here right at the end of the year, before 2024 begins. I won't say much more about it until then!

The last update was referring to this post

[just-some-random-blogger]

meowmeow, sweety! 'you gave yourself away' you dont think these were accidents, dont you?) im glad to be here too. a little uncomfy though bc i still feel like im scamming your subs TT bc usually just some people who just send messages r anons and those who have at least ups r some bloggers. but alright. pathetic man evil meow meow TT yeah we love him. 'i’ll even distort reality if i have to' tbh sounds like a good fic idea for me... 'its more of a compliment to viserys' yk i also was confused when vissy called daemon 'son'. i was WTF. bc while its understandable why daemon acts like that, why vissy acts like this?? esp if the difference between them is 4 years (idk but you said 'too' so ig so?)? at first i even thought maybe its a twisted dream of daemon TT 'everyone deserves love even stinky daemon' FUCK GHDKFHFJ i meant to write he thinks he does NOT deserve love (thats why neither from wife nor). HGJDF my sleepy mind just read the previous not as the negative and was like in english they dont say that so no. so silly TT like daemon seeks hes brother approval (thought he gives it to him in a way), he insists that his WIFE hates him (though she still took a ring and made wedding promises), he REEKS of insecurities abt not deserving love. 'FOR YOU FOR NOTICING' dont forget i passed an exam where you dont have right answers you just analyse the texts and write 5 essays. i notice too much. not always write abt it (bc ive been writing these 2 replies for 3? hours or so) but always notice. 'even tho ur siblingless' im siblingless but not eyeless? mindless? 5 essays girl. 'DONT APOLOGIZE' i remember how you enjoyed my first expressive reply so im sorry i cant give you these emotions anymore( 'a very specific reason i added it in the first place' 😶 TUMBLR DONT LET ME PUT THIS STUNNED EMOJI WITH THE HAND BUT NO BLUSH. nvm. will the dragons' skeletons regain muscles and soft tissues and become real or will oberyn martell come to life out of his coat? 'ITS A FANFIC BUT ITS NOT' HAJSJD catmom youre so mean. AND how come you promise to watch tlou but dont watch doctor who😡 youre so cruel and dont like me and matt smith and good plot and twisted timelines. 'something so deeply intimate' yeah absolutely understand. i nave a specific form of my name which can make me literally cry when called. 'he would 100% make a shrine for her and worship the ground she walks on' he better make it up for her for waiting for 2000 years for him. 'NOW I WANNA WRITE SOME AEMOND FICS' NOT hinting on that idea with the hades and persephone, no, ABSOLUTELY NOT😶 are these 2 kitties aemond and aegon while investigating? gsdjmlsk 'HELP ME THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFULLY AND BREIFLY PUT' ooh thanks. hope its a compliment. also. ive just thought. i can see daemons horniness as not so real desire to have sex with he reader but to feel her closer and get some familiar and more tangible confirmation of their love, bond and her not going away. makes sense. 'to be super tender and sweet and full of love' YES! big brains think the same! absolutely yes! in this case its essential! although all dominant daemon is hot, i can imagine him being subby more often than anyone wants to agree and also so pretty. SORRY i got distracted. i can see him as the type to just kiss readers shoulder/neck/arm/any bare skin he can see whenever he can to just feel her and confirm that shes with him, not leaving him, not always sexually. 'if you dont feel comfy reading smut if i do write it just skip it' 1) thanks for caring abt me🥺 2) i reblogged frost bite... girl... 'I 100% MEANT' OMG TT no but imagine him calling reader 'my queen' in a hushed voice during the wedding night and in high valyrian bc its still a treason but shes HIS Majestic Eternal Wife. i really wanted to make it short but got carried away so pt 2 again. sorry TT

idk what his cat is doing so silly HAHHAH

HELLLOOOOOOO

meowmeow, sweety! 'you gave yourself away' you dont think these were accidents, dont you?)

well i just thought 'oh well i know who she is now'

im glad to be here too.

a little uncomfy though bc i still feel like im scamming your subs TT bc usually just some people who just send messages r anons and those who have at least ups r some bloggers. but alright.

scamming my subs? first of all what? subs? is this youtube? i- no one is being scammed ??? you can send me as many messages as you want. also 'at least ups r some bloggers' i dont know what you mean T_T

pathetic man evil meow meow TT yeah we love him.

HAHAH

'i’ll even distort reality if i have to' tbh sounds like a good fic idea for me...

/: i mean its what happening to THIS fic so HAHAH

'its more of a compliment to viserys' yk i also was confused when vissy called daemon 'son'. i was WTF. bc while its understandable why daemon acts like that, why vissy acts like this?? esp if the difference between them is 4 years (idk but you said 'too' so ig so?)? at first i even thought maybe its a twisted dream of daemon TT

no T_T it wasn't viserys calling him son wasn't him trying to say 'oh im older than you and this is our dynamic, father and child' it was more like, he froze because daemon thinks he's their dad and so he's just pretending to be who daemon thinks he is so that #1, he'll get the closure he wants in this moment, #2 he'll listen to what he'll say, #3 it's easier to go with it rather than tryna explain smth to a drunk man. i guess that part wasnt very clear. i thought people might confuse his intention there and i was right T_T it be like that its ok it was too next level and i knew it

'everyone deserves love even stinky daemon' FUCK GHDKFHFJ i meant to write he thinks he does NOT deserve love (thats why neither from wife nor). HGJDF my sleepy mind just read the previous not as the negative and was like in english they dont say that so no.

ah i see HAHAHA that makes more sense AHAHAAHHA he is looking for love everywhere T_T its ok ur sleepy mind mind needed sleep sleep

so silly TT like daemon seeks hes brother approval (thought he gives it to him in a way), he insists that his WIFE hates him (though she still took a ring and made wedding promises), he REEKS of insecurities abt not deserving love.

HE DOES HES A PATHETIC LIL WET CAT WHOS SO INSECURE WITH HIS DADDY ISSUES

'FOR YOU FOR NOTICING' dont forget i passed an exam where you dont have right answers you just analyse the texts and write 5 essays. i notice too much. not always write abt it (bc ive been writing these 2 replies for 3? hours or so) but always notice.

T_T HELP THE EFFORT YOU TOOK FOR ME I LOVE YOU SO MUCH THANK YOU SO MUCH MY LOVE MY HEART MY SOUL

'even tho ur siblingless' im siblingless but not eyeless? mindless? 5 essays girl.

HAHHAHAHAHA OK HAHAHHAHAHAHA

'DONT APOLOGIZE' i remember how you enjoyed my first expressive reply so im sorry i cant give you these emotions anymore

T_T im touched you remember. im just glad to get anything you are willing to give my love <3

( 'a very specific reason i added it in the first place' 😶 TUMBLR DONT LET ME PUT THIS STUNNED EMOJI WITH THE HAND BUT NO BLUSH. nvm. will the dragons' skeletons regain muscles and soft tissues and become real or will oberyn martell come to life out of his coat?

HELP ??? WHAT HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH no no it's nothing like that... or is it HAAHH

'ITS A FANFIC BUT ITS NOT' HAJSJD catmom youre so mean.

HAHAHAHAH its what she deserves for making get into pedro pascal

AND how come you promise to watch tlou but dont watch doctor who😡 youre so cruel and dont like me and matt smith and good plot and twisted timelines.

T_T i only agreed to watch 1 episode. ive watched 3 episodes for doctor who! i love you and i also🤢love🤢matt smith but taking on doctor who is so much more daunting than that zombie flic. and again i'll only watch 1 ep. if its tHAT good then i'll watch more

'something so deeply intimate' yeah absolutely understand. i nave a specific form of my name which can make me literally cry when called.

see 😩

'he would 100% make a shrine for her and worship the ground she walks on' he better make it up for her for waiting for 2000 years for him.

ASHFHE:LFHEF ??? BUT THAT WASNT HIS FAULT T_T H:ASFHLAKSHFKALSFH AFHASLFHALSFHAFH SO MEAN TO DAEMON AND FOR WHAT HAHAHHAH DESERVE

'NOW I WANNA WRITE SOME AEMOND FICS' NOT hinting on that idea with the hades and persephone, no, ABSOLUTELY NOT😶

omg i forgot about that!! we'll see. i have some aemonf reqs collecting dust in my queue so lol HAD:HASDAS i might do those first

are these 2 kitties aemond and aegon while investigating? gsdjmlsk

SFDHKAFHAFHASF OMG MAYBE HAHAHAHAH CUTIES

'HELP ME THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFULLY AND BREIFLY PUT' ooh thanks. hope its a compliment.

IT IS A COMPLIMENT IT IS A COMPLIMENT I LOVE THE IMAGREY YOU MADE FOR EVERYTHING T_T UGH I THINK YES I THINK SERVING I THINK SLAY

also. ive just thought. i can see daemons horniness as not so real desire to have sex with he reader but to feel her closer and get some familiar and more tangible confirmation of their love, bond and her not going away. makes sense.

youre SO SO SOSO RIGHT HES SUCH A SIMP AND PATHETIC AND STUPID AND I LOVE THAT IN A MAN

'to be super tender and sweet and full of love' YES! big brains think the same! absolutely yes! in this case its essential! although all dominant daemon is hot, i can imagine him being subby more often than anyone wants to agree and also so pretty.

;KDFGHLKHG;LKDHSGDK YUM YUM I LOVE THAT SO MUCH ;SAHGF;LHASD;FHAS;LDKFHADS;LKFHASD;KLFGHDAS;FLKGHASDF;GADFL;KJASDGF;KJSDAGF;KSDAJFGSAD;KFJD NOT ME WANTING TO SKIP EVERYTHING AND JUST WRITE THAT SKDF;SKFG;SKFGKFGSDKFFK;GF;SAFG;SADKFGAS;FGSADF;

SORRY i got distracted. i can see him as the type to just kiss readers shoulder/neck/arm/any bare skin he can see whenever he can to just feel her and confirm that shes with him, not leaving him, not always sexually.

YOU AND ME BOTH JUST THIS ^^^^^ THIS EVERYTHING THIS^^^^

'if you dont feel comfy reading smut if i do write it just skip it' 1) thanks for caring abt me🥺 2) i reblogged frost bite... girl...

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH IM LAUGHING SO HARD OK AHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH

'I 100% MEANT' OMG TT no but imagine him calling reader 'my queen' in a hushed voice during the wedding night and in high valyrian bc its still a treason but shes HIS Majestic Eternal Wife.

;SKLFH;SDHFSDHHAHD;AHSDAHDADASDH WHAT DO YOU MEAN IN A HUSHED VOICE MANS ABOUT TO SAY MY QUEEN IN HIS VOWS ON MIC WITH THE SPEAKERS ON MAX IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE WORLD FUCK TREASON HE LOVES AEMMA SO MUCH AND WOULD KILL FOR HER BUT YN IS

HIS QUEEN

AND AINT NO ONE ABOUT TO GET IT TWISTED HE WOULD COMMIT THE MOST UNHOLY OF CRIMES FOR HER AND THATS ON PERIOD

i really wanted to make it short but got carried away so pt 2 again. sorry TT

DONT EVEN APOLOGIZE IM HAVING SO MUCH FUN but i do have to finish my homework and do laundry so i might read your other messages later

xxx

i love you thank you so much for this response. i hope you are doing well

[lyrebright]

so! you want to rip a fic from fanfiction dot net?

I’m sure at this point we’ve all seen the posts about FFN’s inevitable demise. Not to downplay how much that would suck, for all we riff on FFN--but people have been saying that for literal years at this point, and while I do not doubt that FFN is dying, it’s probably not going to up and vanish on us in the next week. It’s got some good time of chugging and wheezing along left yet.

But among the panic there are people asking sincere questions about what can be done to save fics from FFN in the case of the site going down and taking literal decades of fandom history with it, and I’m seeing a surprising amount of people saying that the only way to do it is to either screenshot the fics or type them out yourself because copy/paste does not work on FFN. And that is just blatantly not true. There are many ways in which you can save fics from FFN. Here are just a few:

You can copy/paste directly from the mobile site. This is probably one of the easiest methods for anyone to do. Just click on the URL of the chapter you’re reading, and change the www. to m. Hit enter and the page will reload in mobile mode. You can now copy/paste the chapter right into a word document. You will have to go chapter by chapter.

CTRL+S. Go to the fic you want to save, and hit ctrl+s. Save the damn webpage. This will keep it in the exact format of the webpage, which you could see as a pro or a con, but it will also keep the ads, which does suck. You’ll also have to go chapter by chapter with this method but it does go a lot faster than manually copy/pasting the text.

HTML to PDF. This method I’m admittedly a little less sure about, since when I used it it was like, 2013 and I was in highschool so I’m not sure how viable it still is, but--just a quick google search should find you a website that will let you save a webpage as a PDF file. I have folders and folders of fics I saved back in highschool using this method. It will again have to go chapter by chapter and just like saving the webpage will keep the format of the site intact--down to keeping the ads.

Use a fanfiction downloader. Two I’ve been using for years are FF2eBook and FicHub. You put in the link of the fic you want to download and it converts the entire thing into a file for you. Yes, the entire thing--you don’t need to manually go through chapter by chapter. By default, both sites download in epub format, though FicHub does have a few other options. I’ve never really experimented with them though because I’m personally fine with epub, and there are a million epub to pdf (or other file type) converters out there.

And there you go: a handful of ways for you to save your favourite fics before FFN goes under. Again, I don’t think it’s something to be too worried about, but the best time to do your part for fandom preservation was yesterday. The second best time is to get started right now. There is no reason to wait for FFN to be on its death bed to start saving fics. I’ve been doing this for years just so I have fics to read offline. 

I’m a little too young to have been around for livejournal, but I was one of those weirdos that posted their first fics on quizilla. I remember when quizilla just...changed. And so much was lost. Looking back, almost none of what was posted on quizilla was actually good, but it was still something that someone put time and effort and passion into creating, and it was important.

There is almost no way that when FFN inevitably goes down that its entire archive will be saved. But we can do our best to save as much as we can. Stop panicking and start saving.

[gaysimpsstuff]

Could I get a Hawks in his rut headcanon?

No problem, Anon! I’m sorry this took so long, I wanted it to be perfect since I really like thinking about Hawks’ avian traits, and I know people really like it too. I hope it’s good! 

Hawks Rut Headcannons

Genre: fluff, smut

Type: headcannons (so... many... headcannons)

Warnings: animal traits, Keigo being possessive af, the commission being assholes, sickness, food, breeding kink, lots of horny times

Other: most of this is based off of real research, but some of it also comes from personal preference. @keilemlucent and their fic Best Nest very much inspired many other headcannons, check them outI They’re one of my favorite creators, and the linked fanfic is one of my favorites! Hope it’s okay I tagged you here lmao

NSFW Taglist: @smolchildfangirl @combat-wombatus @mandalorian-baby-bird @waffleareniceandfluffy (Lemme know if you wanna be added to or removed from the Taglist)

Remember to check if requests are open before sending in a request. This was made while requests were still open.

Pre-Rut Behaviors

Grooming and Preening

Before his rut, Keigo starts to feel dirty. He just seems to accumulate more dust and dirt during hero work than usual. He’ll come back home grumbling about blood in his hair and little bits of concrete in/on his skin.

He will insist you clean him off. So you get to brush his hair, put creams on his face, and wash him off in the shower.

Finally, there’s the preening. If he lets you preen his wings, then you know he’s in it for life. He loves and trusts you with everything he has. 

Expect him to press his nose against yours a lot.

Possessiveness and Protection

You’ll notice he gets more clingy, more possessive of you. He gets really controlling in the days leading up to his rut, so you’ll be annoyed a  l o t.

Just text all your friends and family that you’ve been swamped at work, it’d be a little weird to say “hey guys, sorry I can’t hang out, my boyfriend’s horomones are crazy right now and he gets really insecure if I so much as exist near anyone but him.”

You would come home from work and he’s already on you, sniffing your body to see who you’ve been around, and to see if any of them were attracted to you at all.

If he had any kind of sneaking suspicion that anyone posed a threat, he’s literally laying on you and rolling on top of you to try and get his scent on you. Even if no one will smell it except him, he’s gonna do it.

He’s so protective of you, and if something tiny hurts you or makes you upset...

He.

Is.

Angry.

Someone was rude to you? He’s screaming at them.

Someone tries to hurt or touch you? You’ve got to hold him back to stop him from ripping that person apart limb from limb.

All that x100 when he’s approaching his rut.

One person accidentally bumps into you? He takes it as passive aggressiveness even if they’re very apologetic about it.

You stub your toe on a table? He’s smashed the table and burnt it then thrown the ashes in the ocean. 

If you’re sad about something he can’t beat up, he feels horrible. He’s not the best at comforting people, so he’s just grabbing onto you and not letting go, telling you how much he loves and cares for you, and just how amazing you make his life feel.

If you don’t give him enough attention, he gets really huffy, and it gets worse leading up to his rut. 

You lifted your hands from his head to reach for your buzzing phone? He’s already whining and pouting and begging you to give him more head-pats again.

Nesting

He’ll leave hints asking for you to make a nest, usually saying things like “Our bed needs some changing, don’t you think?” “Don’t you wish our space was more personalized?” 

If you don’t get the hint, he’ll be very sad, and he thinks you’re rejecting him. So you’d better be good at reading into things and realizing he’s approaching mating season and wants you to build a nest.

He comes home one day and sees you piled blankets, pillows, and dirty clothes in the living room, sprayed with his cologne and you’re cologne and/or perfume. He pulls you into his arms and spins around with you, giggling and laughing.

He’s so happy you made a nest for the two of you. 

He starts putting pretty shiny things he likes around the nest. Your toothbrush went missing and you found it in the mountain that was your nest.

Once, you were in desperate need of a clean shirt, and the only clean shirt you could find was in the nest. So you picked it up to put it on, and two seconds later, Keigo was in front of you, hands in your shirt, staring at you with such a fierce intensity, you felt almost like a villain.

He was very mad at you for taking things from your shared nest.

He leaves feathers all around the penthouse, but they’re all piled mostly around the nest, they’re for your protection so don’t try and throw them away.

Noises

He also gets really noisy, so he’ll be ‘singing’ and squawking and cooing constantly. He feels really bad about it so he might get you some noise-blocking headphones for when he’s screeching into the sky in the dead of night about how “THIS IS MY FUCKING TERRITORY Y’ALL MOTHERFUCKERS STAY AWAYYYY!”

You really think bird’s springtime songs are about love? Nah he’s mostly screaming about how he’s gonna fuck his partner and how the neighborhood  practically belongs to him.

Someone called the police once, tired of all the shouting, but the officers backed off when they saw who was doing all the shouting. Most of your neighbors are used to the screaming during early spring.

Rut End-game

On the third and second to last day before his rut, he gets a sudden burst of energy and an increased appetite. He refuses to eat anything unless you’ve made it though, so let’s best hope you can cook at least a little.

When he was younger, his hungry times before his rut were spent either eating anything and everything he can get his hands on. The commission broke that behavior very quickly though, so he’d starve himself before his rut, which would result in him getting very sick from a lack of energy and sustenance. That plus the extreme arousal was a recipe for pain and suffering.

So when you noticed he suddenly stopped eating, you insisted on making food for him, telling him that you wouldn’t let him go hungry ever. That was the first rut in years that didn’t feel like torture.

You’re cooking almost all the time, and he’s constantly eating everything you give him, running around from room to room while he waits for his next meal. He’s basically a hobbit.

In the last day or two before his rut, he suddenly has no energy, and starts getting hot and cold flashes. He’s sniffling, curled up in your shared nest, dirty tissues surrounding him. He comes in and out of consciosness, and when he’s awake, he’s whining and complaining about exhaustion and aches.

Physical Changes

Most of these happen in the last few days leading up to his rut, so it’ll be very sudden. These physical changes is what causes the extreme hunger and sickness.

His feathers darken several shades, and they become super sensitive. They also seem to grow in size, so when you cuddle, you’re smothered by them more than usual.

He also gains an extra couple inches in height, so expect some teasing now that he’s just that little bit taller. His hair also gets thicker and stronger, that’s so you can pull on it when he fucks you.

His nails get longer and darker, and they’re impossible to file or cut. So when he holds you and touches you, he often scratches you on accident. He’s really apologetic about it, but honestly you could totally paint his nails and pretend they’re acrylics if you’re into that.

His teeth get sharper, and he starts biting you just for fun. Bites your finger, hand, wrist, neck, even your nose. He underestimated just how strong his teeth are, and he made you bleed first time he bit you.

His whole body is very sensitive, so head-pats, back rubs, wings, and even his touching his feet can get him to the verge of cumming.

his tongue is longer, and it’s a whole lot stronger. He could probably carry a full plastic water bottle with his tongue (which isn’t a lot, but for a tongue it’s very much a lot).

His voice drops a whole octave and a half- mans is sounding almost like Corpse now. Maybe Markiplier? Anyways, if you’ve got a voice kink, you’re in luck

His dick changes too, it gets bigger, and he grows a lump at the base of it, between his shaft and balls. His balls get smaller until they’re barely noticable beneath what he calls him ‘knot.’

His eyes become sharper too, so don’t try and hide anything from him. 

Rut (MAJOR NSFW)

Everyone already knows Keigo has a breeding kink, but he hasn’t brought it up with you until now. It just kind of- happens. As he’s drilling into you, he suddenly starts blabbering about fucking a kid into you, and how hot you’d look all round with his kids. Might be a little weird for those of you who physically cannot give birth to children (my lovely AMABS and infertile AFABS). 

He can’t control it, so it’s especially weird if you don’t even want kids. If you can get pregnant, you’d better double check that you’re taking your birth control. And get to know some good clinics just in case.

However, if you do want kids, if you want to start a biological family woth Keigo, fuck. You will not be able to handle his happiness and horniness in that moment when you beg him to get you pregnant.

He is going to mark you up. Hickies, bruises, hand prints, bite marks, plus his scent. He needs everyone to know that you are his. He wants to claim you, make sure you know you belong to him. No one else can have you but him.

Halfway through your fuckfest, he starts making animalistic noises. He’s growling, roaring, whining, chirping, etc. This is around the time when he stops thinking about you, so he’ll really rough you up during this phase.

This man was a virgin before you, so this is also the first rut he’s ever going to have with another person, so he’ll hold himself back a lot. He needs you to reassure him at every step, tell him how good you feel, how you want him to fuck you, how not only are you okay with him going all out, you want him too.

Did he just cum? You think you’re finished? HA! No way in fucking hell is he finished after one, two, five, ten... so many rounds. He just keeps going and going and going and how the fuck is he still hard? He cums so fucking quickly, so much, and then keeps going.

When he finally does go soft, his whole personality changes. it’s like he didn’t just fuck you stupid. He immediately goes into ‘protect’ mode, which includes cuddles, him spoon-feeding you, petting you like a dog, and singing to you.

He puts the nest near a window so he can keep an eye out for possible threats. Just like “gotta keep mate safe. Is that the mailman? NO FUCK NO GET OUT OF HEREEEE!” 

One moment, he’s fucking you, and the next he’s leaning halfway out the window, screaming at some poor dude walking his dog. Remember, he’s still naked. You learned your lesson after that and kept the windows locked, and warned the neighbors to stay out of sight of the window, at least for the time being.

You’re going to feel very dirty, because he does not want you cleaning off the sweat, cum, and tears from your body. He likes that you smell like him, and you washing it off makes him feel rejected. 

He’s going to break a lot of things, so move pictures and vases into another room and lock the fuck out of that room. Or else he will break all of it.

He thinks any clothes you’re wearing are mocking him, so wear clothes you hate when his rut starts, then get used to being naked for a couple days. 

Oh yeah, his whole rut lasts one to five days. He’s fucking you for about three days on average.

He fucks you until you faint, and then keeps going until he’s out of ‘fuck’ mode and into ‘protect’ mode. A few times, he fucked you unconscious in the middle of the afternoon and then kept fucking you until the sun rose. 

Yeah, he’s got that much energy.

Don’t worry, during the whole time, he lets out pheromones with a strong vanilla-chocolaty scent that keeps your body and mind relaxed. 

There’ve been times when he’s just fucking into you and your water bottle is just out of reach.

During his rut, he has no shame. Let’s hope your walls are soundproofed, or else your neighbors will all know how he fucks you. 

He will not restrain you or hurt you in any way during his rut. So no degredation, no collars or chains, the only thing keeping you in the nest is his weight on top of you.

He gets upset if you try to touch yourself, things it’s you trying to tell him that he’s not satisfying you enough. 

He wants you to cum as many times as him, which is difficult because of his increased sensitivity, so he’s using every skill he knows to get you cumming again and again and again.

Most of the time, he’s going hard, rough, and spilling absolute filth from his cock and mouth, but in the last few hours of his rut, he suddenly gets emotional.

He’s rocking up against you, holding you close to his body and blabbering about you

How much he loves you

How good you make him feel

How he wouldn’t want anyone else by his side for his rut

How you’re his mate for life

How he’ll protect you and keep you safe.

Please be gentle with him, he’s very vulnerable near the end of his rut, and he’ll cry very easily.

When he’s nearing his last load, he makes out with you sloppily, trying to talk as he shoves his tongue down your throat.

He finishes off by  pushing his knot all the way inside you, and stays there for an hour.

This is the softest moment, and he’s covering your body in kisses. 

His knot pushes these small eggs inside you, and you have the lovely job of pushing them all out the next day. 

Post Rut

When his knot deflates, he finally pulls out and starts cleaning you off. 

He’ll carry you around and finally gives you a bath, constantly making sure you’re okay.

He’ll give you lots of massages and he’ll cook for you. He’s constantly thanking you for helping him, telling you he didn’t deserve it.

Just kiss him on the cheek, tell him you had fun, and that you love him so very very much.

He needs the most reassurance now than ever before.

He’s also very tired, so you’ll be taking care of each other.

Then his ‘post-rut’ resets, and he sleeps for hours.

Then he gets super hungry, and the two of you make huge meals and just kinda binge eat for a day or two.

Then his physical changes go back to normal, and you have a happy lil bird boy who simps for you so hard