#adult and yes a small young woman in a big city so i have to be careful and safe etc etc but. this is CRAZY. im going to do it and it

[pepprs]

no because this is fucking CRAZY for me. and connects exactly to the post i was going to make after i finished cleaning the kitchen which im making rn instead lol. it’s CRAZY how much having things to look forward to like traveling and seeing a musical like.. make me happy. how much listening to my favorite songs matters for my sense of self. how i still know the words no matter how long it’s been since i last heard them. it’s CRAZY. i have been swallowed by depression and stasis for so fucking long and have forgotten so much of myself and experience every day as scraping by and being miserable but even the smallest little joys have the power to bring me back. buying golden oreos at the campus food store. doodling a cat when i want to doodle a cat. taking a walk outside even when there’s work to do. it’s CRAZY!!!!!!!! i heal myself by indulging myself. maybe there is hope for me.

[igotanidea]

Rom-com, doubts and older brother complex : Dick Grayson x sister!reader

„Hey you, how was the movie?” Dick grinned with the brightest smile upon seeing his sister back from the cinema. Said sister however was far from being happy. “Y/N?”

“Yes? I mean, yes, sure, hi Dickie. It was fine, I guess.”

“Oh no.” he muttered

“What?”

“You got that face.”

“What face?!” involuntarily she glanced at the mirror just to check whether her older brother was serious or just trying to prank her.

“Please tell me you are not psychoanalyzing the movie.”

“Psycho…..? What? Me? Pfff, never.” She scoffed

“Mhm. Sure.”

“I’m sorry, what is your problem here, Grayson?” Y/N crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance. “Honestly I came home hoping for some peace and quiet and I feel so attacked right now.”

“Are you doing this… what was it called….?” Dick scratched his head searching for the right word “watcher insert!”

“IT’S READER INSERT!”

“Well, it was a movie, so definitely watcher insert. And you practically admitted you do.”

“I DID NOT SAY A THING LIKE THAT!”

“You didn’t have to. Like I said, you got that face.” He shrugged, absolutely not convinced and unimpressed by her yelling.

“Ugh! You are insufferable!”

“Part of my charm, you know that. Now come on, come sit here and tell me what got you spinning, huh? As a big brother…..”

“Please, spare me the talk about oldest sibling and all the duties that come with it. I can handle my own shit.” She hesitantly perched on the armrest of the sofa, but Dick was not satisfied with that and grabbed her by the waist pulling next to him.

“Come on, sis, don’t be stubborn” he pinched her stomach getting a slap on the hand in exchange “that hurt.”

“Serves you well!”

“Ok, I’ll stop. Jokes aside. Get out of that head of yours and walk me through it ‘cause I don’t get it. You went to the movie theatre to have some fun ….unlike someone we know….. and came back stuck in thinking and, let me put it simply, melancholic. Not really a normal reaction after a young adult movie. It’s young adult, right?” he frowned

“You got that one right.” She sighed “I … I don’t really know. I mean, this movie was as cliché as possible and only confirm my belief that it’s not for me.”

“How come?”

“You know… nice girl, A-grade student, not knowing the bad side of life changes the surrounding, most likely moves out of the small town.  And in the city, she meets a guy, a well-known trouble-maker and more often than not, a womanizer. Of course, she swears she wants nothing to do with him but after an hour or so, couple of fights and few misunderstanding they end up together, most likely in a X-rated scene. And after another half hour, some family drama or demons from the past emerges, but all ends well and you get those fucking singing birds, shining sun, doves and all that shit. I’m so too old for that. And I think I’m starting to get bored with such films.”

“Are you?” he looked at her carefully, voice turning soft not to startle her.

“Yes.” She made a face at him

“Y/n. You say you hate it, but …”

“Don’t you dare say it!” she jumped on the couch and jabbed his chest “Don’t. You. Dare.”

“I won’t. I’ll leave that to you. Come on, say it out loud so we can process that. No one else is here.”

“I’m sorry, since when are you my therapist?”

“Since Bruce provided all his kids with trauma and forgot to equip them with the specialist to fix it. Say it.”

“I wish I have a cliché love story.” She looked down and hid face in hands because of the embarrassment. “But I’m not exactly a material for it.”

“Why not?” Dick asked, grabbing her hands and making him look at her ‘is it because you have four vigilante brothers? That can go well in a movie.” He grinned “I bet Bruce would love a cinematic work of art about himself. Can you imagine the movie “Batman?” Two and a half hours of him brooding on the screen and saving Gotham, all while looking like a sad, tormented cat” he laughed and waved his hands around

“I got this at the manor whenever I want. And when I don’t want as well. So hard pass on that movie, thanks. Jason would love it though. It would give him an opportunity to point out everything wrong with Bruce. And Tim…”

“Nice try, but stop getting off the track. Why do you think you can’t have a love story?”

“Cause I can’t define myself.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Dick’s eyes widened in disbelief “you think you need to put a tag on yourself? My lovely, crazy, irrational, foolish sister…”

“Look Dick, I’m a mess, all right? I can do hundred different things, but cannot excel in one. I start so many projects I don’t finish. I am disorganized, got plenty ideas per minute and it’s extremely hard to keep up with me. I'm stubborn, hot-headed and always need to do things my own way. ”

“So?” he shrugged

“What do you mean by so?" Y/N frowned "I don’t have routine, and apparently I’m supposed to. I’m not the best version of myself, I hate motivational quotes and I’m not sophisticated or elegant or even close to it. Shit, I hate dresses and skirts, my make-up is limited to the most basic one and I don't feel like I'm woman enough.”

“Ok, stop right there.” He cut her off “that last one is bullshit and as for the rest, why in the world would you think that eliminates you?”

“I… It just does.”

“Why?” he insisted

“will you stop this interrogation! Let me remind you, you are not a cop anymore!”

“Old habits die hard.” He blew a raspberry.

“Be a brother Dick. Sock me for wasting your time or hug me, just don’t do this….”

“Do you need a hug?” he asked opening his arms

“Yes, please” she mumbled, diving into his arms and hiding face in his shirt, smelling that familar scent. “This feels nice.”

“Told ya! Oldest brother. Now, since we are taking the comforting approach to the problem… all the things you mentioned are those what makes you, you. All right, pumpkin?” he bopped her nose “you could adopt someone else’s lifestyle, but would you feel better then? Doing all those things that does not seem like they are yours?”

“No…” she muttered

“See? You just keep doing your thing, ok? Cause when you do something that makes you happy, even if it seems like you’re a mess, you’re just glowing and that is what makes you special, you know.”

“Example?”

“You were writing, last night, and you had that focus and spark in your eyes. Nothing but you and your ideas, put in words on the sheet. You were just beaming. That was you. You don’t need to put  a tag on yourself, believe me. It's not a competition or anything.“

"Really?" she pulled back and eyed him, raising one eyebrow "'cause you are absolutely not the one who would join The Bachelor, right?"

"That's irrelevant..." as much as he did not like it, her words made him blush a bit. (did she find that application form he hid under the bed?!)

"Let's agree to disagree" she grinned "I'll importune you for explanation on that matter later. And since we're on the subject, what about....?"

“Do you think me the role model on relationship advice?” he smirked, but a bit of sadness crept in “I made a lot of mistakes and speaking from experience, I can tell you just can’t hurry that. Just keep your mind open?”

"Did you just admit defeat in the romance matter, Dickie?" she mocked.

"Romance? Hell no! Just long-term relation..."

"Don't worry, big brother" she his his shoulder playfully "you keep my secret safe, I keep yours. But still, that’s the worst advice I ever got.”

“Maybe…” he tickled her tummy making poor girl squeal “think Damian would have better one?”

“He’s younger than me, sure as hell I’m not gonna ask him!”

“I’m serious, sis. Once you figure out who you are inside, even if it’s a bit complicated and come to terms with it, everything will fall in place.”

“Still the worst advice ever, but thank you for trying, Dickhead.”

“Doing my best for my little princess.”

“Ugh! Stop calling me that name!”

“You used to like it.”

“I was 7 years old!!”

“All right, fine, hold the fire” Dick raised his hands in surrender “Gosh, for someone who got so much fire inside, you suffer from too little self-value.”

“Four vigilante brothers can do that to a girl.”

“Y/N? I need you to promise me one thing.”

“Shoot.”

“When you get in a relationship you will let me act like big protective brother.”

“You may have to wait a while, but sure, it that’s your dream…”

“How about I play that role in a Nightiwng suit?”

“OVER MY DEAD BODY GRAYSON!”

[lilyginnyblackv2]

The small details that make this episode work: SPOILERS!

1. Miss Anna is shown to be on her own looking after a lot of kids:

This highlights a real-world problem in Japan, which is the extreme worker shortage and high turnover rate of daycare workers in Japan right now. I’ll link to a Japan Times article that goes into more details about this.

2. Rei notes how huge this zoo is in the very next scene:

3. The areas the kids are shown traversing on their own and shouting for help in aren’t heavily populated areas of the zoo. Compare this scene where Rei and Kazuki are to the kids:

Kazuki is also screaming and shouting nonsensical things, so it stops people and catches their attention. Meanwhile, the areas the kids are in have very few people:

The kids are calling out for their teacher and others here. Yes, there is a woman with her child there, but could that woman be completely zoned out at the moment? Absolutely. Her kid is the only one that notices Kazuki crawling on the ground in the next scene, after all. She could be scrolling on her smartphone for all we know too.

4. When they do reach an area with slightly more people around, and call out, these people are eating lunch with their kids. Their focus is on their own children. And only Miri’s “Miss Anna!” shout is said loudly once. Taiga kinda mumbles out a “Where could she be?” But that’s it. 

And, I do think that Buddy Daddies has been highlighting the lack of attention and care a lot of people in big cities, especially, tend to give towards others. Even children. And how, in Japan, the desire to not cause disturbance or conflict, can also lead to people not interfering in situations, even when they should.

But even here in the States or other parts of the world, how many times have people heard kids playing or shouting very loudly, and it was paid no mind, because the assumption is that kids are playing or the person they are looking for is just around the corner? You hear about situations like that happening all the time in missing children’s cases and the like.

It really requires the shouting or the scene/actions to be really loud or really odd (Kazuki being up a grown man up a tree shouting) to cause others to stop and stare, sadly.

5. Finally, when this lowlife does attack them, there is literally no one around (except Kazuki and Rei). They moved to a more secluded area nearer to the trees (rather than staying in the more crowded area by the benches). His attack is also meant to be ridiculous, because it highlights an actual, lowlife “delinquent” (a grown man who would steal food from a literal child), to contrast with Kazuki’s imagined delinquent Miri.

And, this part may be a bit of a stretch, but I do find it rather interesting that the episode started with this discussion:

An older man saying “Parents these days are too lenient with their children when they’re young!” But yet, it is these older men that likely had stricter or less lenient upbringings that are shown behaving poorly. Yet, it is a more lenient approach (Miri with Taiga) that shows good results. 

(Also, sidenote, in both this news story and in this episode’s B-plot, the adult exhibiting harmful behavior are both grown men - so the issue is less “they don’t know right from wrong,” as the man on the news says kids these days need stricter understandings of that, and more “they’ve never been taught accountability for their actions,” which is a different thing and is a very gendered issue, especially in Japan, though also around the world to varying degrees. Since Taiga was exhibiting a lot of the usual “boys will be boys” behavior, but Miri holds him accountable for his actions, like below).

As for Miss Anna, we don’t really see her side of things. But I’d imagine that she did the best she could to locate them/some form of security to help her find our lost gang, while also making sure no other kids took off, and keep things “on schedule” enough to keep the others calm and not cause panic. She was likely super stressed out and juggling a million different things at once. With her situation and them getting lost highlighting the understaffing issue with daycare workers and also the continued societal issue of lack of community and helping others, especially in regards to childcare.

Do a lot of these things also just help to tell the story that they need to? Yes, but at the same time, I feel they set everything up in a way that I could believe something like this could happen. Maybe it’s also because I can remember being a kid lost in the grocery store when others were around, and no one stopping despite distress being visible on my face and me calling for my mom. That definitely happened once when I was younger. So this happening to a small group of kids in a huge zoo in the city? Definitely plausible.

I also just think they tied this episode and its themes nicely together. And I wrote this post because one reactor was basically like, “If that was my kid’s teacher, she wouldn’t be my kid’s teacher anymore.” “If I was her, I’d cause a scene until the police came to me and helped fix the situation” and other sorts of Miss Anna slander, and I wasn’t here for it. 

(Also, that approach would have been awful. She is in charge of a bunch of other kids too. She can’t just cause a scene until cops or security or whatever came to help. That would have caused the bunch of other children she had to care and look out for to freak out and it would have made the situation 1,000x worse. Especially since she seemed to be doing this whole trip on her own).

[queenvhagar]

So I saw a video on TikTok about the night Rhaenyra and Criston ‘get together’ about how in canon, there was no consent for both sides but in canon, there was consent.

And the comments are making me feel quite conflicted because they’re saying that a child cannot rape an adult: Rhaenyra was an intoxicated child whose title was not taken seriously and didn’t have that type of power that the king had to dismiss him and therefore couldn’t give consent while Criston was a sober grown man twice her size, a trained knight fully armored sworn to celibacy that could’ve left but didn’t and even liked it in the end, and who even asked her to marry him after. Also that the creators said they both wanted each other and that it was a consensual seduction.

I’m mainly feeling conflicted because yes, a child can’t consent to sexual activity with an adult. But isn’t the concept of that distinct from the ability of a teenager to commit sexual assault? I’m confused about this because I haven’t seen the scene and they’re saying he didn’t leave when he could’ve and that he liked it in the end.

And were the consequences of him sleeping with Rhaenyra way heavier than the potential consequences he might of faced if he denied her?

Your thoughts?

In the show, Rhaenyra was of age when this happened, so she wasn't a child. She was young, but she was probably about 18 at this time with the time skips up to that point. An adult by our standards and certainly in-universe. Young, yes. But not a child. Criston on the other hand was likely in his early to mid 20s.

While her position as heir was not taken very seriously, her status as the daughter of the king was. Not only the king's daughter but the king's favorite child. The sway she holds with her father is immense, and her word would be taken more seriously than that of a simple knight. Add in the fact that Criston is not from an important family and he's Dornish, and it's clear who people would believe if there was a situation of her word vs his.

She had been drinking with Daemon, yes, but she was also sober enough to navigate through King's Landing, which she had never visited before, all the way to the Red Keep while alone in the middle of the night after Daemon left her. So she clearly has a decent level of mental capacity at this point if she can walk through a new city at night as a young woman all the way home and not have any problem at all.

The writers say it was consensual, but I question whether it really was considering the fact that Rhaenyra is the person responsible for hiring Criston Cole to Kingsguard and she holds direct authority over him. Despite him trying to go against her words and wishes, he ultimately does not have much of an option to say no without some major risks, as is the case with going against the wishes of the royal family you're sworn to obey.

Maybe a similar (imperfect) minor analogue to the event would be this: you're a person of color from a low-income family in a small town who, upon graduating from business school having worked your way through, just got the job offer of a lifetime and hired to a hugely successful, high-profile company in the big city thanks to the CEO's daughter, a senior manager in the company and part of an ultra wealthy, ultra powerful white family. She directly hired you for the position as she was the one who interviewed you. Despite the fact she is a few years younger than you, she has a lot of influence in the company thanks to her family and specifically her father, who gave her the job she has. Your job represents everything that you've struggled for and worked to achieve in your life. In your day to day tasks, you're working directly under the supervision of this woman, and she clearly has the authority in what decisions are made and what you do. You maintain a professional and respectful relationship for years, and sometimes she talks with you about her unhappiness with and frustrations about the work, feeling stifled by the burden of the family business she will one day take over (and assume all its wealth and power). Then, one evening, after she's had a couple of drinks, she calls you into her office. When you get there, she starts coming on to you. You politely decline and try to leave. She keeps taking it further, not letting you leave, and she starts to undress you despite you continuing to say no. Now, you have one option in which you forcibly leave the situation and risk that she is offended and tells her father a version of the story that will massively affect your career and possibly get you fired or worse. There's no guarantee that she wouldn't. She has the power to ruin your life, despite everything you've done for her and the company and all you've done to get to this point in your career. Or, you can let it happen and pick up the pieces afterward to try and smooth over the situation while still making sure you have security with your job.

Back to the show, Criston had similar choices when faced with Rhaenyra's advances: force his way out and risk trouble with his position or worse should Rhaenyra take offense at his disobedience and/or tell her father a different version of the event. Or he go along with her wishes, despite the risk it poses to his life if it is ever discovered what happened (which is an agonizing and slow death) and try to figure it out once it's over. He chooses what he thinks is the safest option at that moment, which is a choice he shouldn't have had to make in the first place.

I also want to add the context of why Rhaenyra wouldn't take no for an answer and why she decided to get with Criston. She just came from Daemon's lesson in the brothel in which he wanted to teach her about what he thinks is the true nature of the dragon: the blood of the dragon can take what it wants, who it wants, whenever it wants because they are inherently better than everyone else. That's what Daemon proceeds to do by kissing Rhaenyra in the brothel (and he's surprised when it's what she wants to, despite his years of obviously grooming her to be close to him, because his plan was to shock her and ruin her reputation enough to be able to marry her). When she's left by Daemon, she decides that her sworn knight is who she wants and she decides she wants him now, so that's what she makes happen, regardless of Criston saying no and trying to leave and regardless of the vows she knows that he's sworn as part of his position.

Criston looks uncomfortable and conflicted the next morning. On the boat, he tries to rationalize the whole event: he'd been by her side as her protector for years, and she wouldn't put his life in danger and wouldn't insist he break his vows without good reason, so she must actually care about him and that's why she wouldn't take no for an answer. Plus, she's done nothing but tell him how unhappy she is with her situation of being heir and not being taken seriously and desiring freedom. So, Criston talks to her about running away together. I think while it's possible he found some enjoyment while in the moment with her, that wasn't the main reason he proposed that she leave with him. Rather, he needed to try to make sense of what happened and attempt to right the wrong. But in this conversation it becomes clear to him that she views him as a plaything, as a body to have fun with and nothing else. That she just wanted him on a whim and doesn't really care how that impacts him or what happens to him now beyond him being available to her to use again. This kind of breaks his whole worldview a bit concerning knighthood and royalty and honor and loyalty and leads him to spiral until he is saved by Alicent, who is able to help him renew his sense of lost identity and purpose by allowing him to buy back into the mythologization of knighthood by swearing anew to protect a perceived virtuous, selfless queen who won't take his commitments and vows lightly.

In the book, the events are more ambiguous. Some say Rhaenyra tried to seduce Criston Cole and he turned her down. Some say Criston Cole tried to get with Rhaenyra and she turned him down. Either way, we know that Criston Cole was upset about whatever happened, and he went from being her "staunchest defender to bitterest foe." Alicent then made him her sworn shield. In the book, there is also a larger age gap between the two. Rhaenyra is 16, the age in Westeros when people are considered to be adults and the age she officially takes possession of Dragonstone. Criston is 31. In the books, he is not mentioned as being Dornish, just the son of a steward at Blackhaven, seat of House Dondarrion, under House Baratheon. There is still the imbalance of their relative power and influence in society, and she still holds authority over him, but the age gap being wider does muddy the waters a bit depending on the scenario that actually played out.

[hellhoundmaggie]

5 comfort characters

Finally getting to this @cymatile. the notification email has been burning a hole in my inbox for weeks now and I'm glad to finally get to it!

The Beast/Prince Adam (Beauty and the Beast 1991) As a bookish autistic little girl, I of course identified very strongly with Belle. As a city kid in a small town, I still do sometimes. But as an adult, I find myself drawn to the other half of the pairing. Belle is of course a lovely young lady, and I appreciate how she only respects the Beast when he first extends respect to her. But let us face it, she is too perfect a character to be truly compelling. Beast is quite the work in progress, though, and that's what makes him so fascinating. You thrill as you watch him angst and snarl and throw his weight around -- first to frighten and threaten others, then to protect the woman he loves. You are charmed as he discovers joy and companionship, then mourn with him as he gives it up to return Belle's freedom to her. And you're just a little disappointed when he changes into a generically-handsome man, even if it does mean he and Belle get to live happily ever after. Plus, as the meme says: "I'll get that bitch a library. Bitches love libraries."

Shane (Stardew Valley) Okay, I've read all the criticisms many times. He starts out mean to you for no reason. He's a total slob and a sad sack. He never actually quits drinking. He looks like Ben Shapiro. And I gotta tell you: I cannot fault this very good chicken man for any of it. This is another guy that I feel no choice but to root for because he struggles with so many flaws. I appreciate that the game doesn't let you "fix" them for him: you only give him the help he directly asks you for. He makes the most important changes himself, and the stuff he doesn't change isn't a dealbreaker for me. Plus Shane kind of looks like my IRL spouse so I gotta love him just for that, y'know? I can't forgive him for liking gridball, though. As a nerd, jocks are my natural enemy. Sorry, I don't have a choice!

Entrapta (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) Not a lot of people know this, but ND Stevenson called me up while he was developing the She-Ra reboot and asked for my input. I asked him, "Are you going to have a woman character with autistic coding in the show?" "Yes, we're going to have one of those," he said. "And is she going to have a special interest that few other characters in the show understand or empathize with?" "Okay, yeah." "Is she going to despair of ever finding genuine human connection and try to find solace in technology before learning that yes, there are people who care about her and value her uniqueness?" "Ooh, that's a good idea. Sure." "And can you pair her up with an angsty boy?" "I can definitely do that. Thanks, Maggie!" And that's why Reboot Entrapta is the way she is. You're welcome, everyone. 4. Wayne (Scarlet Hollow) I already post a lot about this guy, so I won't say much this time. I like him because he lets me explore the idea of being the subject of extreme passion and devotion in a way that doesn't put me in actual danger. I would never seek out that kind of relationship in real life, but love beyond proportion, beyond reason, beyond sanity is compelling in fiction. Plus he makes for some fun memes. 5. Mr. Pages (Fallen London) I love this big ol' nerd: its creative vocabulary, its book hyperfixation, and how bad it is at hiding the fact that it's not human. As soon as they put out the balance patch for Mask of the Rose, I am going to figure out how to smooch it, and you cannot stop me.

tagging nobody! Do this if you feel like it.

[roguelibrarian]

Book club with Rogue, part 2

The book: The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan

CW: the plot involves antisemitic persecution and violence, so I'm gonna be touching on that a bit in this post

I literally just finished this one last night and damn. damn. Okay. So, brief plot overview:

Our main characters are Toba Peres and Naftaly Cresques, two Jewish young adults living in the fictional city of Rimon. Toba was raised by her grandparents since her mother died giving birth to her and she's Weird. Naftaly is also Weird, and when his father dies shit gets even Weirder because Naftaly is entrusted with a book that's been in his family for generations but that they're never supposed to open. When the Jews are expelled from Rimon, Toba falls behind a group that's heading for the border and gets attacked by a man who believes she might be smuggling valuables with her. She escapes but gets lost in the woods and stumbles through a magical gate into another world. Toba's grandmother Elena realizes she's missing and doubles back to find her. She meets up with Naftaly and the nameless old woman he's traveling with and the three of them stick together for safety and begin their search for Toba. On the other side of the gate, Toba meets Barsilay, who doesn't particularly like her (don't worry, they become friends later), but offers her shelter with his uncle so she won't get killed for being a human who crossed the gate. Toba learns she's stuck there for a month because the gate only opens on the night of the full moon. While there, Toba learns that there's a reason for all her Weirdness: she's not actually completely human. Turns out her father was a Mazik (one of the magical beings who live on the other side of the gate) and she has supernatural abilities that her grandmother suppressed with an amulet that she told Toba never to take off.

I'm ending the plot overview there because I don't wanna give the whole thing away and also because so much happens in this book. It's nearly 600 pages long. There's a lot of plot. If I summarized it all, we'd be here all night.

Now, thoughts:

this book is so, so unapologetically, beautifully, proudly Jewish

like, I'm honestly having trouble putting into words just how Jewish this book is and how much it means to me, but I'm sure other Jews will get what I'm saying

like at the very beginning of the book there's a list of characters and just seeing so many extremely Jewish names in one book was like...relief

see also, in the first few pages of the book, when Toba is reflecting on how even when she was a small child her grandmother would play the 'where would you go if you had to flee?' game with her

Toba is extremely autistic coded and you may quote me on that

seriously, there's this one quote that's just very Autism Vibes: "It was one of the peculiar things about Toba, and there were several: Toba could walk, but she could not run; she could talk, but she could not shout; and she could write faster-with either hand-than she could speak."

see also: "She was too quiet, too peculiar" and "Food often tasted poorly to her, and she ate little as a consequence."

Like yes, all of this does end up being related to her magic and the suppression thereof, but it's also very Autism Vibes and even after the suppression of her magic stops there's a lot of Autism Vibes still.

she's also very asexual coded imo

Naftaly is also very autistic coded

someone needs to cut Naftaly a break like yesterday

like let's see (SPOILERS), his father dies, his entire community gets kicked out of the country, he almost gets eaten by wolves, he gets drugged and sealed in a coffin, almost gets thrown into the sea, gets kidnapped and tortured, and that's just the highlights of bad shit that happens to him (END SPOILERS)

they're only around for like a page and a half but heck yes Jewish pirates I am always here for Jewish pirates

I absolutely called the plot twist about (SPOILERS AGAIN) the Big Bad being Toba's father (END SPOILERS) which does not mean it was a bad twist, it was in fact a very good one and I'm always here for this specific type of twist

my one big complaint about this book is that after over 400 pages without a hint of romance, I got ambushed by some unnecessary romantic nonsense. luckily none of it took up too much focus in the story because more important stuff was happening.

this book was just so damn good, okay? I was hooked by page 4, that's how good it is, and in almost 600 pages it never got boring. it never felt like it was too long. that's skill, right there.

also I'm weak for good, complex fantasy worldbuilding and boy was there a lot of that.

anyway, it was good. go read it. highly recommend for people who like long, dense fantasy novels, and portal fantasy in particular (though I will say I normally don't even like portal fantasy but I loved this one)

[eclecticcrafting]

A Stranger's Offer

Description:

Roxanne Stone, a Magi woman, has never left her hometown of Kore. Feeling trapped and wanting to look for something better than what Kore could offer, she starts to seek a way out.

Oliver Tull comes from the big city of Dorath, having left after his sister's death to become a doctor in the small town of Kore.

As Oliver and Roxanne start dancing along the lines of romance, Oliver needs to go back to Dorath for a family affair. Promising to return, Oliver leaves for Dorath. In his absence, Roxanne is offered an opportunity to leave her small town for an adventure.

A mysterious old man looks to recruit adventures to locate and obtain the Three Objects of Power, Roxanne quickly volunteers and is joined by her lifelong best friend, Azmi, and Oliver's clinic clerk, Petra. When Oliver catches wind of the journey, he comes along for the ride for himself.

The first Object of Power is located, but with it comes some serious family secrets for Roxanne.

Part 1 - Harvest Party - Roxanne's POV

Length: 8157 words

Silk-like fabric ran over my skin as I swam my way through the kelly-green dress. I fussed with the mess of fabric until I found one sleeve, then the second, then the neckline. As soon as I could see again I smoothed the fabric against me and looked myself over in the mirror. I reminisced over why this was my favorite party dress: the vibrant satin shined as I moved, and the sleeves were gentle on my shoulders and came to just above my elbows. The V-shaped neckline rested at the top of my bust without exposing too much. The waistline of the dress sat nicely at my natural waist. As I looked at myself, I gathered handfuls of the skirt and turned too-and-fro in the mirror. The swish of the skirt was delightful, and I spun in a circle just to feel the skirt pull out at its length.

"Perfect," A giddy smile stretched across my face as I smoothed the fabric back into place.

Quickly, I finished the look. I gathered my nude dancing heels, brushed my hair and pulled it half back, and donned a rose quartz necklace. The look was simple, and simple is what I liked best for the Harvest Party.

I placed my hands on my stomach and focused on my breathing, I felt like I was fluttering. There weren't many social events in Kore and this was the biggest one, most of the town's young adults would be present to celebrate the large harvest the town had. Ol' Man Murphy cleans out his barn every year to let the young adults have a space and mingle with each other. The Count had large parties that he opened for all, but this party was different - it was for us specifically, without the pressure to impress the community.

A brisk knock sounded on my door and Darien popped into the room. He had his dark brown hair pushed back away from his face, he wore a simple purple dress shirt and light pants. The musk scent that wafted in after him made me suspicious – he never wore anything like it.

Darien looked at me and chuckled lightly to himself as he crossed his arms, "are you expecting to get whisked away tonight?"

"I suppose I could ask you the same question," I said as I waved my hand in front of my nose.

Darien tucked his nose into his collar and gave a quick sniff, "you're fine," I told him as I walked past him into the hall, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I think so," he smoothed his shirt down as he walked more into the apartment himself, "Do you know if Jackson is going?"

We turned briefly to look at the door that was across from mine, I shrugged in response and went to knock on his door. "Jack?" I called.

The door swung open as soon as I knocked. I stepped back from the door and pulled my fist into my chest from the sudden surprise. Jackson had a wide smile and some of his blond locks fell into his face. He took a few strides towards the stairs leading to the shop. Once he was far enough from us, he did a causal spin with arms held wide. He was dressed in a light blue button-down shirt and similar light pants to Darien.

"I have gone every year I could go, I am not missing one just yet," Jackson chuckled and was ready to lead us out.

Together the three of us descended the steps and entered our family's shop. The shop was lit with a few floating orbs, mostly concentrated in a corner. I looked to see our mother kneeling on the floor reshelving some books. Her blonde hair pulled back in a messy top knot.

She heard us approaching the front door, and she looked up from her perch, "heading out?" she asked as she used her wrist to wipe at her face, her fingertips blackened with dust and dirt.

"Yes, ma'am," Jackson responded, he opened the door for us, the shop bell chiming in response.

"Well, have fun, and come home in one piece!" She waved and went back to her project.

Once I was fully in the night air, my skin started to pucker as the night was already brisk from the setting of the autumn sun. I clutched my hands around my arms and waited for my brothers to gather.

"Cold, Anne?" Darien asked as Jackson shut the door behind him, "You can still grab your coat."

"No, I will just end up leaving it," I shrugged, "plus I am sure I won't miss it as the night goes on."

"Anne, you don't need to be bringing anyone home just to warm up, that is quite rude honestly," Jackson said in a dry tone as he looked up the road.

I started walking, my brothers following suit, "I really don't think anyone that I bring home would complain too much," I said flipping my hair off my shoulder and then giving Jackson a cool glance.

"Right, right, says the spinster still living at home with her mother," Jackson teased back, this caused Darien and I to both start busting out laughing at his audacity.

Up the road, there were a few other well-dressed individuals walking to the farmlands. A few couples, a few women grouped together, and a few single men nervously trotted along.

As we walked, we passed by the medical clinic in town. Locking the door was a tall man dressed in a white shirt and black pants. His red curls glistened in the moonlight. When he turned, he was carefully tucking his keys in his pocket and looked up to see Jackson waving him down.

"Oi, Doc, are you coming out this year?" Jackson called out.

Oliver laughed a little and called in kind, "Yes I am! I think after three years, it's time." We stopped walking as Oliver walked to us, "Is it okay if I walk with you? I am afraid that I may get lost without some help."

Jackson looked over Darien and me, "Of course, Oliver, Magi are always happy to help a friend," Darien smiled, putting a hand in his pocket, and started walking again. Jackson and I fanned out a little to envelop Oliver in our group.

Oliver glanced down at me and I noticed one of his eyebrows raise in response. Oliver smiled a little and looked away. I felt a flush cross my cheeks from his smile, it was a soothing feeling, but I started to feel a flutter in me rise again. I cleared my throat with a small cough, the noise seemed to catch Oliver's attention as he turned to look at me briefly.

"Has it really been three years in Kore for you?" I asked as we walked.

"Yes! I can hardly believe it." Oliver said.

The road up ahead was getting denser with attendees, all the childless or unwed young adults of our little community. As we passed, men and women glanced our way. Some with friendly waves and hellos, others with cautious awe. Our family was the only family of Magi in Kore, there were two other individuals who were vastly different in personality but were both reclusive in nature. Our family was the only one that made regular appearances and participation in the community.

Oliver was from a bigger city and was most likely more exposed to more Magi, though I never had gotten much of a chance to ask him about it. When he first moved here, he did receive some suspicion of being a Magi himself since he was an herbalist and associated with our family frequently.

As we neared the barn, music could faintly be heard in the air. The fence posts had ribbons and lights leading the way. The people that were on the road with us were getting antsy, and some started skipping and trotting up the path. I looked at my brothers, Jackson had kept his pace steady and was looking around as he walked along. Darien was obviously scanning the crowd.

I wasn't sure who he was looking for, he usually kept his affections private. To see him excited to meet with someone was refreshing as he normally just worked around the shop. Darien scanned and scanned, with a slight downward pull in his smile as he kept going.

Suddenly, Darien shot his arm up and started waving at someone. Soon I could see a small-framed brunette jumping up and down in the crowd, two thin arms waving excitedly.

"I have to go, you two are on your own this year!" Darien said as he ran off to greet this girl in a purple dress who stepped away from her own group to wait for him.

I looked to Jackson, who had the same puzzled look on his face as Darien (who was the most responsible and even-keel of the three of us) took off to wrap his arm around an unnamed girl.

"We won't bother him," Jackson gave a stern warning.

I looked to Oliver who had raised an eyebrow at me, I then returned the same eyebrow raise to Jackson, "We won't bother him tonight" I rephrased.

"Correct," A mischievous look ran across Jackson's face, "tomorrow is fair game."

The three of us continued walking towards the barn. Oliver was taller than most of the crowd here, unfortunately for me I was a little on the shorter side of the population. Jackson wasn't much shorter than Oliver, so I depended on the two of them to help navigate through the crowd.

"So, is all of this about the harvest?" Oliver asked as he worked on picking a path through the crowd.

"Mostly, once the harvest is finished, the community comes together to celebrate a job well done, but it is also a night that men will shoot their shots with women, women will turn them down, people get drunk and others dance until their feet are blistered." Jackson jabbed a thumb at me, "They nicknamed this event 'the Ballroom of Romance' as it is many times over the night that people get together, or engaged, or something."

"There is nothing like this in Dorath," Oliver said in awe.

"Well, even with the Count's parties, this is nothing in comparison. Think: for the people by the people," Jackson fanned out his hands with every word of his last statement.

"Usually, the three of us stay somewhat together, you are welcome to stay with us if you want some familiar faces," I offered. I had been watching Oliver soak this all up, he was in utter amazement as we reached the barn.

Inside, the ceilings were high and the building was fairly large even for a barn. In the center, there was a large wooden dance floor with people moving in sync with the music. A band with fiddles, flutes, and lutes, all of it was filling the space with beautiful music. There were many people around talking and laughing, there was food and drink offered at the other end of the barn.

Across the way, I saw a familiar white fluff bobbing between people towards us. Jackson saw the friend coming towards us and looked at me, I met his gaze, and he flicked his eyes to Oliver and back to me. I furrowed my brow at him.

Are you here with Azmi this year? Jackson's voice entered my mind. It was a bit louder than I was expecting as it was like he was talking at his normal volume right into my ear.

No, I am not, I'm stag this year. I thought back at him. Jackson shifted his attention to Oliver.

"I am going to grab a drink, would you like to come with me, Oliver?" Jackson asked.

Oliver seemed startled by the shift in attention, but he collected quickly, "You know what, yes, I could use a drink after this week," Oliver laughed and followed Jackson to the refreshment table.

As they left, a burst of energy popped out of the crowd and swept me up in a hug. I had muscular arms around my waist and the room spun in my vision as I was swung around.

I let out a quick squeal as I heard a joyous voice, "Annie! I am so glad to see you here!" I was set down, and I was greeted with a large smile. The man in front of me had white curly hair and matching lashes, tan almond skin, and purple eyes melted as they looked at me. Azmi was back from his travels just in time for the Harvest Party.

Azmi was one of the two individual Magi in Kore, he lived closer to the forest than the town. He had been a permanent fixture in my life as my parents took him in as much as he would let them - he had no parents of his own but was much like a stray cat that loved his independence. Azmi always found comfort with my family, but as he grew older, he traveled often, for longer and longer periods of time. He never really mentioned what he traveled for, but he would either come back with interesting stories or fascinating gifts.

To see him here at the Harvest Party was a rare treat, as he never had rushed to come back for specific events.

"You're back!" I said as I gripped his shoulders. His smile was softened, and he gave me a peck on the forehead.

"I am glad I was able to make it because you look fantastic!" He said, "I almost didn't make it in time either, I had met some other Magi on the road and stayed with them for a while."

"You need to tell me all about it!" I begged, then the music changed to something lively, causing Azmi to grab my hand.

"I will later!" He led me to the dance floor.

Quickly, we found some space and assumed a position as we have many times before. Our palms met between us at shoulder height, Azmi's free hand behind his back, and mine held my skirt to exaggerate the swing as we orbited around each other. We switched to opposite hands around waists and rotated in the opposite direction. Azmi took my hand and spun me out, then back to him. Bringing me close enough that I could feel his chest rising with every breath.

In unison, all the dancing pairs matched our movements to the temp of the song. Flowing dresses, laughter and smiles, the crowd moved together in the folk dance. We never looked away from each other, sure in our movements.

In Azmi's face, I could see his excitement to be back. We had not seen each other for roughly three months this time, but it was as if there was never any distance. I never had my heart set on seeing him at this event, as he is like an ocean tide - he will go but he will always eventually come back.

The band brought the song to a close and all the dancers paused to applaud them. I turned to Azmi who was already watching me with a broad smile.

"I'm going to find Jackson," I told him, "We have Dr. Tull joining us tonight,"

Azmi's expression shifted from pure joy to a strained polite smile, "Dr. Tull? I never thought he could break away from his work long enough to have some fun," Azmi's voice was cool.

"Be nice, Azmi," I warned, "It is his first time out, we want to show him a good time."

Azmi didn't say another word but clasped his hands behind his back and walked with me off the floor. Nearby I saw Jackson and Oliver.

"Where is Darien?" Azmi questioned, his fluffy white hair bouncing as he swiftly looked over the room while we approached.

"Darien apparently had a secret date tonight," Jackson said, taking a sip of wine.

"Oh?" A sly grin snuck onto Azmi's face, "I think I need to find my old friend and let him know that I have returned with amazing stories of my most recent travels!" The bravado in his voice was thick, he then disappeared into the crowd.

The three of us watched him leave, weaving in and out of people. "You may as well have released a snake in a bird's nest," I told Jackson when I could no longer see Azmi.

Jackson didn't respond, but he took another sip from his glass. Oliver being the tallest, had the best vantage point of seeing Azmi hunt through the crowd for Darien.

After a long moment, Oliver stopped watching and turned to me. I just noticed that he had two glasses when he started to hand me one.

"Here, Rox," He gave me a glass that was half full of white wine. The scent was sweet, slightly tangy, and familiar.

I thanked Oliver and took a sip; the distinct flavor of snowberry wine was strong in my mouth and the tang radiated down my body as I swallowed.

"I didn't know you danced!" Oliver said.

"I don't get to often," I continued sipping the wine, "But I will when I get the chance!"

"Well, you are fantastic and a marvel to watch," Oliver's words were seamless, but he blushed at what he said just a second later.

"I mean... You really show grace... and enthusiasm... and you could obviously dance well and could easily find a place in a royal court if you wanted to and" Oliver was sputtering. Jackson just watched as Oliver's obvious horror of not being able to stop continued to grow, Oliver kept rambling making Jackson cough to hide his laughter. Oliver's complexion had started to turn bright red, enough to match his hair. His words had tumbled out of his mouth like eggs falling out of a basket.

"Oliver," I said sternly and he quickly stopped talking, I softened my expression "Thank you, it means a lot,"

When he had quieted I asked him a question in turn, "Do you dance at all yourself?"

"No, not much. I mean sometimes, on my travels I learned a thing or two but I feel I mostly have two left feet." Oliver responded quickly then took a long drink - draining his glass.

"I will be right back," Oliver said and nearly ran away. Once Oliver was out of earshot, Jackson turned to me.

"I think he likes you," Jackson teased, nudging me with his elbow.

I brushed Jackson away from me, "Or he could just be nervous about being out of his element," I snapped and took a drink from my glass. Out of nowhere, a young man I have seen around town a few times approached us.

"Um, Miss Roxanne, may I have this dance?" His voice was smooth and he offered his hand to me.

I agreed and handed off my glass to Jackson. He made a face when I handed off the glass, but I just waved in response as I was led back to the wooden dance floor.

Once again, all the dancers moved together. My current partner was nothing like Azmi. He had tugged me this way and that - showing that he was a lead dancer that didn't have complete trust in my ability to follow.

At the end, we clapped and parted ways again. I scanned for Jackson and saw that he had moved to talk with some peers of his. Oliver was out to the side, sitting on a hay bale that was laid out as makeshift seating. There were a few people having polite conversations with him, but his body language showed that he was not completely invested.

I walked to Oliver and as I approached, he perked up. "Did Jackson leave you to your own devices?" I questioned. Oliver politely stood up as I neared.

"Oh no, my former colleague called me over, apparently a few from Dorath made it out this way as well," Oliver said as a blond man with a bushy beard nodded at me.

"Former colleague from Dorath? That is quite the trip just for our little town," I reached out my hand to shake the colleague's, who gave a firm squeeze in return.

"Yes, well, I was traveling near and decided to make the trip," His voice sounded gravelly as he spoke, "The name is Doctor Arthur Muller. And you are quite divine on the dance floor, Miss...?"

"Roxanne Stone," I introduced myself, "and thank you,"

"Always welcome, Miss Stone," There was a smile in his voice and eyes but it was hidden under his beard, "Perhaps I may be able to steal a dance myself?"

"Perhaps, though I was saving the next one for our good doctor," I smiled at Oliver and placed my hand on his arm. Oliver's face started to blush again and his smile was uneasy. He looked down his long Roman nose at the floor to avoid meeting my eyes.

"But of course, I would hate to steal away what the 'good doctor' has been waiting for," the man gave Oliver a slap on the shoulder, "before the night is through, I hope" Then he walked away from us.

"Rox, you could have just told him no," Oliver nervously chuckled.

"I know," I said as I took the cup out of his hand and set it down on the bale. I looped my arm through Oliver's and led him to the floor with a small amount of resistance.

"I was curious as to what that 'thing or two' you learned was," I told him as we started to find a place on the floor.

Oliver's mouth opened and promptly shut as I stopped us just shy of the center of the dance floor. He carefully looked at his fellow dancers and assumed the same position: one hand on my waist and the other holding my hand. I gently placed my free hand on his shoulder, without the dancing heels his shoulder was as far as I came up to him. Being this close to him, the foot-height difference felt very obvious. His hand was lightly trembling as he held mine, and the hand that was on my waist was barely there.

The dancers around us galloped around the perimeter of the floor, Oliver worked to keep pace as we dipped our torsos high and low. Soon, we stopped and he grabbed my hand so I could spin out. He tugged me back, I stopped with him behind me and my arms crossed over my chest. He bobbed to either side of me and I turned in kind to meet him, keeping time to the music. We turned out and rotated around each other, with clasped hands up. My free hand was at my skirt and his behind his back. I turned into him and he clasped me to his side and spun with me.

We continued to dance the rest of the song with more ease. He relaxed and let me move with confidence. It was clear he was a natural at this. As he moved more he let his guard down and watched me more.

I saw his nerves melt away as we danced, and his face was lit up with joy and confidence. The more I watched him, the more I studied his features. His eyes were the same color as cobblestones in the sunshine. His face was long with a well-defined jaw that tapered to an almost point. His nose was long, thin, and the bridge of his nose was slightly arched. His hair was short on the sides and back, with the length mostly on top, with his hair parted towards the right. The length of his hair naturally fell over his right eye. His sideburns ran long against the sides of his face. His skin was creamy in color, and the pale color exposed his emotions way too easily.

Never have I really looked at Oliver, he was gorgeous in his own right. I could feel his broad shoulders and muscular chest under my hand. I could feel his warmth, strength, and steadiness in his hands on me. This was the first time we really touched beyond handing the other something. There was electricity with how we moved together - at first we stumbled a little, but now we are gliding together more seamlessly than Azmi and I ever did.

The song ended and we applauded the band again. Oliver had a large smile spread across his face.

"It has been years since I danced like this," Oliver's smile was large enough he closed his eyes in pure joy. "Thank you, Roxanne,"

"No two left feet to be found," I said as nudged him, "but anytime at all, Oliver." I smiled in return. He looked down at my hand that was now on his arm and met my eyes.

"Perhaps I could steal you for one more," Oliver's expression was purposeful and courageous. Nothing like the blushing mess he had been just moments before. His gaze was hot as he stared me down. Now I felt my own cheeks alight with heat, and my heart fluttered. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I was wordless.

Everyone if you so wish I thought but couldn't bring myself to say.

I swallowed, "Yes, of course," I smiled at him. His eyes were intense and I couldn't pull away. When I agreed he softened and took my hand.

We danced swiftly to the next song, and neither of us worried about the other's movements. We smiled and laughed. I got to see the carefree side of the studious doctor. I grew to appreciate the feeling of him picking me up and swinging me as we danced. His hands were becoming familiar despite our height difference there was no struggle for us to match each other. Oliver was slowly becoming bolder with his movements, but the song had ended right when he was getting started.

"Do you want something to drink?" Oliver asked as we finished dancing to the current song. There was a certain ease to him now.

"Yes please," I said, Oliver then started to offer his elbow to me, but there was a hitch of hesitation. It seemed as if his nerves started to surface again. The scarlet started to return to his face and he looked ahead as he put his arm back to his side.

Assertively, I laced my arm through his as we walked off the floor. I looked up and could see the blush creep into his ears and he tucked his elbow closer to his body but not so much to signal me to let go. He stared straight ahead as we walked to the refreshments. Once we reached the table, he handed me a plain cup filled halfway with snowberry wine. He grabbed one for himself as well, then led us to a free bale of hay to sit at.

Once I was seated, I took a long sip of the wine. It was a little warmer now, but still very sweet. The flavor hit my tongue and I savored the tanginess. I took a deep breath and looked at Oliver.

He was stiff and awkward next to me. I noticed that one of the buttons on his shirt had been undone. His white skin showed as well as some subtle tufts of red chest hair to poke through. The skin was tight and hinted at his muscular structure. I sucked a breath in and averted my gaze.

I traced my finger over the rim of my cup, not knowing what to say to him. Still searching for words, I took another long sip.

"So..." I started as I removed the cup from my lips, "Why did you decide to come out this year?" I asked.

"Hmm?" Oliver hummed, "Oh, I heard so many people come through the clinic talking about it over the last three years, it just felt like it was time to go," Oliver gave a small chuckle before continuing. "When you were passing the Clinic, I was still trying to decide if I was going to go or not. So when Jackson invited me to join, it felt like a sign."

"Well, I am glad that you joined us," I said and I - awkwardly - placed my hand on his forearm. Oliver gave me a soft look, his hair had fallen a little, fiery red curls veiling his right eye, making his gaze a little more intense. I felt heat rising in me again, my ears tingling and I felt my palms starting to sweat. I removed my hand from him and finished my glass.

When I finished my drink, I felt warm and a little wobbly.

"There you are!" Azmi's voice called, I heard Oliver sigh a little as Azmi came to me, Oliver's hair swayed a little as he turned to watch Azmi almost skip up to us, with a purposeful expression.

"Pardon me, Dr. Tull, I am going to steal Anne for a dance," Azmi said as he grabbed my hand before I could say a word. Azmi pulled me up from my seat and led me away. I looked over my shoulder to cast a glance back to Oliver who I exchanged a puzzled look.

As Azmi and I passed through I locked eyes with Jackson. I nodded my head back to Oliver, hoping he understood.

The song that was played was slower and more intimate. As Azmi and I joined the floor, He wrapped his arm around the small of my back and held my hand firmly in a gentle grip. His purple eyes watched me intensely as I assumed my own posture with my arm around his shoulder. Azmi leaned in to whisper in my ear, drawing himself closer to me.

"I know who Darien is with," There was an uptick in his voice, hinting at a smile.

"Who is it," my question was rushed.

"Her name is Sarah, she is traveling from Sorsa to a different city up north with her parents. They are taking a week's rest here before resuming travel. She said they were seeking safe haven with a distant relative of sorts."

"Where is Sorsa?"

"It's a coastal city, very southeast of here," Azmi took a quick pause, "It's quite nice there, you would love it."

"I still need to travel with you eventually,"

"Yes! I haven't forgotten. I am just trying to find a great spot for your first excursion with me." Azmi's voice got low and his arm around me a little tighter.

"Rox," Azmi started as he turned us, something longing in his voice. As we turned though, I saw Darien on the floor with the girl that he ran off with.

"Is that her?" I asked, but Azmi didn't answer right away. He turned us so he could see what I was talking about.

"Yes," Azmi whispered back. I turned us around so I could really get a better look.

Darien had an expression I have never seen. He was gazing down at her, his hand posture was gentle and polite. He had an easy, lopsided smile and his green eyes never shifted from her.

Sarah had long mousy brown hair that was pulled back with a ribbon headband. Her dress was layered, purple on top but the top layer split down the middle to expose a flowing white skirt.

Before I could really study her face, Azmi turned us again. "Don't be suspicious," He whispered, turning his face more into my ear.

"What does her family do?"

"I believe she said her family farmed but their lands were destroyed which is why they are moving."

"How much longer is she here?"

"Maybe about two more days?"

"How did she meet D?"

"She apparently came into the shop one day, he was working the counter, and he gave her a protection charm."

"Really?" I hummed, this tidbit made me wrack my memory for when he was working the counter recently, as I may have crossed her path too. "How did you get this information?" I turned my face more into Azmi to playfully question him.

He laughed and pulled away from me a little to look at me, "I stole a dance because I knew D would be too nice to stop me," Azmi had a mischievous tone to his voice.

He knew that my brothers and I were sticklers for most polite conventions, particularly in public spaces. Our parents reminded us as we grew up that we could be looked at differently due to being Magi, it was important to put the best foot forward. Darien was the one that took it most to heart.

"This is why I keep you around," I winked at Azmi.

The band ended the song, and the crowd broke away from the dance floor as the band readied for the next set. I grabbed Azmi by the arm and walked through the crowd buzzing to find Jackson.

By this point, my head and eyes were feeling fuzzy between the wine and dancing. I was still coherent enough to enjoy myself. We found Jackson and Oliver by the refreshment table again, not far from where I left Oliver. I grabbed a third cup of wine and looked at the two. Oliver's eyes flicked to my arm in Azmi's, who gripped it a little tighter as we arrived. Oliver then avoided looking at either Azmi or myself. I felt very aware of Azmi by my side when I looked at Oliver, who became more focused on his drink or on Jackson.

I looked at Jackson myself, "Azmi found out who she is," I exclaimed.

Oliver's brow furrowed in confusion and then looked at me, but once our eyes met his eyebrow twitched and he looked away quickly.

"I would hope so with how he ran off," Jackson had a cocky smile to him now.

I detailed all the information Azmi had told me about her. The information wasn't much but it was a start. Jackson and Oliver listened intently, exchanging glances here and there and sipping on their drinks. As I talked and sipped wine myself, I felt a little fuzzier. Normally, I can hold my wine well, but this feels stronger than it has been in previous years.

"Sorsa? That's about a week's travel from here to begin with." Oliver thought aloud.

"Have you been?" I asked.

"Yes, twice, it is a lovely little town on a warm coast, it was also probably one of my favorites to travel to."

"Really? Do you travel often then?" I have not seen Oliver leave Kore over the last 3 years now that I think about it.

"I try to, the exposure is good for the mind," Oliver added with a brief smile.

"It certainly is," Azmi chimed in, being polite but unimpressed.

"Well, we will have to get more information from D tomorrow, thank you Azmi," Jack nodded.

"Just remember, my help isn't always free," Azmi said in a cool and playful tone. Jackson and Azmi exchanged brief looks - Jack must have said something to him as Azmi shifted his weight and loosed my arm from his side.

"Anne, I will talk with you later," Azmi squeezed my hand and kissed my temple before he walked off.

Oliver carefully watched him leave as he tapped his finger on his cup. Once Azmi was gone, he spoke again, "So, I take it that you and Azmi are very close?" Oliver's tone was careful.

"Yes," I smoothed my dress, my hands were sweating, I refilled my glass as we were standing next to the refreshment table. "We basically grew up together, he is my best friend." I studied Oliver's face, which looked slightly solemn under his half-smile.

"Azmi became a part of our family at a young age, but his love for travel was too big for Kore. He travels a lot too, I have asked to come with him a time or two, but he is very particular about how he travels."

My words about my relationship with Azmi kept tumbling one after another. I couldn't stop. Oliver's facial expression shifted from polite conversation to confusion, to interest as I kept talking.

Anne, pull it back. Jackson's voice was in my head again. I snapped my mouth shut and took a nervous sip of wine but the glass was already empty. How?

I contemplated refilling the glass, but Jackson's watchful look made me anxious. My heart was fluttering, I felt my nose warming, and my eyes were starting to work harder on focusing on my surroundings.

"Have you had a chance to travel?" Oliver asked me as I set the cup off to the side.

"I haven't been outside of Kore," I shook my head.

Oliver looked to Jackson, "Our mother travels frequently, I have gone with her a few times to help procure new items for the shop, but that was the most I have done myself."

"Well, travel is often better with the company," Oliver agreed, he seemed stiff when Azmi was here or when he was brought up in conversation. Now, he seems to be relaxing.

"You haven't really left Kore since you got here, have you, Oliver?" Jackson responded.

"No... I used to love to travel, but since I have been here I haven't found the time or reason to go." Oliver added, Jackson's eyes shot briefly to me then back to Oliver.

"Sounds like some...thing is keeping you tethered here," Oliver gave an uneasy grin and raised his eyebrows in response.

"Something like that," Oliver looked down his long nose again, "The clinic and herbery have been keeping me fairly busy."

"Whelp, I hope that is a good thing," Jackson put firmly patted Oliver's shoulder but something caught Jackson's attention off to the side.

"Well, if you two will excuse me, I think it is my turn to dance," Jackson then handed his cup off to me as I did to him before. I looked at it in confusion, but Jackson just waved at me as he left.

"Ass," I muttered and I heard Oliver sniffle back a laugh, I examined the glass and noticed that there was still about half of the wine there. I threw it back and set the cup on the table.

I felt hot, the air in the barn had warmed a lot from the bodies and the lights, and the wine was also very warming. I felt dizzy and I was losing focus. I knew I still had to walk home too. I took a deep breath and looked at Oliver who was looking around the barn again.

"I think I am going to take a step outside, I need to cool down a little," I said and ran my sweating palms down my skirt.

"I think I will step out with you, I could use some fresh air myself," Oliver said, my eyes then fixed on his shirt.

A second button was undone, his chest didn't have a lot of hair but the red strands contrasted against his pale skin. The shirt had opened some to hint at a well-defined chest. The urge to run my fingers over it, to feel the coarseness of his hair, to feel the taught muscle under my hand, washed over me. I was able to keep my hand to myself thankfully, by looping my arm through his again.

When I took the slightest step I stumbled into his side, "Damn heels," I mumbled and collected myself again.

"Darling, I don't think it is the heels," Oliver teased. He pinned my arm to his side and held his hand over mine as we walked out together. As we walked, not many noticed us, though there were many people, so many people, when did there become this many? They moved out of our way but were invested in their own affairs.

When we exited, the air was crisp and cold. I sucked in a deep breath and felt my body adjust to the cold. On the back of my neck, my hair raised, and my skin puckered with goosebumps. I pointed off to the side of the barn where there were fewer people and Oliver led the way.

Together, we crossed the grass and rounded the corner. My head was fuzzy, and my eyes felt heavy. On the way, I tripped once but Oliver was ready to steady me. Once on the other side of the barn, we both leaned against the wall. It was cool and solid; it was so nice.

My arm was still looped through Oliver's, he was incredibly warm in contrast to the cold air. I pulled closer to his side and a shudder jerked through me.

"Cold?" Oliver asked, and I kicked off my heels and rested my head at his shoulder.

"Yeah, a little," I shrugged, another shutter.

Oliver released my arm to wrap his around my shoulders. I felt a flash of warmth burst through my chest and stomach. I was tingling at the touch, and my breath caught in my throat.

"Better?" Oliver adjusted next to me, I looked to see that he was now looking at me. His eyes were searching for something, and his face was starting to turn red, but he didn't seem like he was too terribly nervous.

It was odd... when others were around, he was anxious when around me. When we were alone, he was confident and seemed like a different person. He was such a cool and collected person normally with a ready supply of sarcasm. I didn't see him much outside of a professional atmosphere, but there were a few times he joined our family for dinner, and he was always comfortable with us.

Tonight, seemed different, he kept switching between swagger and worry.

Right now, he watched me carefully, his intensity was back. His red hair fell against the right side of his face; his arm was gentle across my shoulders. I could see his heart pounding furiously in his neck, but the sound of mine was overwhelming. He had a half smile drawn across his lips, and his skin smelt salty with a lingering hint of the herbs that he sold at the clinic.

I took a chance, "Just a bit," I teased him. His grip around me got a little tighter and he turned to stand in front of me.

Yes. I gulped hard as his hands started to move. The arm around my shoulders dropped to my waist, and his other tilted my chin up. He slowly leaned down to me, his breath hitched and his lips hesitated at mine.

He left just a teasing space between us, I could feel his breath shake. My eyes moved to meet his. His gaze was soft, I could almost feel the upturn of his lips as he was stopped in front of me.

"My, your heart is pounding," Oliver teased, his fingers were close to my throat as they rested on my chin, there was no way that his trained hands wouldn't have been able to feel my pulse.

I could barely breathe, what is he waiting for?

I tilted my chin up just a fraction and that was all he needed. Next, his lips were on mine. He started out slow and gentle, but when he tried to pull away slightly - I followed. My fingers were wrapped up in his white shirt, he moved the hand that was under my chin to my back.

He moved from being gentle to hungry. He kissed me harder, and I returned the passion. His body was long against mine as he had engulfed me in his embrace.

I moved my hands to be around his shoulders, and as I adjusted - so did he. He quickly picked me up and pressed me against the wall. My knees straddled him, letting him mold to my body. I gripped his shirt in one hand, the other laced through his hair.

His hands were firmly on my legs, his thumbs pressing into my thighs. I pulled lightly at his hair, to which he released a soft moan and dug his fingers a little harder into me. Oliver pushed all of his weight into me, and I squeezed his waist with my thighs.

He was warm, and I could feel his firm muscles against me. I used my lips to open his and there wasn't even the slightest protest. We tentatively explored a bit further.

My mind was in a tizzy, was this real? He felt very real under my grip.

His hands held onto me, and his hair was soft and textured. Oliver parted from me briefly to catch a breath of air. He then moved his hungry searching from my lips to my neck. I felt my grasp on his hair get tighter, I was panting.

Something stopped in me though.

I pulled back on his hair gently, "Wait," I told him.

I felt Oliver's teeth against my neck in a grimace, but he pulled away from me. He searched my face as we were nose to nose with each other. The pressure of his weight against me was satisfying but I wanted more. I tilted my head back against the wall and breathed.

Once my breathing evened out, I returned to look at him - his eyes never left me. He was told to wait, and wait he did.

"I should probably go home," I told him, I felt him release a breath and nodded solemnly. He placed me down on the ground, but I stumbled over my abandoned heels.

"I can walk you back if you would like," Oliver offered as he helped me steady myself.

"Yes please," I responded as I used his arm to gain balance while I replaced my heels. I could feel my heart still pounding away.

"Let's go find your brothers before we leave," he said, and I nodded in agreement. I was starting to fade.

Oliver wasn't quick to break what was left of our embrace, but when he did move, he leaned away and looked off the way we came.

"Well, it looks like they actually found us," Oliver said, his tone serious. I questioned him as I followed his gaze.

There at the corner of the barn stood both Darien and Jackson. At this distance, I couldn't tell their expressions, but I could feel them.

Fuck.

I let my touch on Oliver drop and he moved away from me as well. I could see Darien turn to Jackson so he could say something. Both of them stood straight and watchful of us.

Oliver offered me his arm and since I was still teetering a little, I took it. Together we walked towards them, their expressions becoming clearer. One was perplexed, the other smug.

"Oliver is going to walk me home tonight," I told them, then they wordlessly parted for us to leave. I didn't meet either of their eyes as we walked past.

Just before we were out of earshot, the two called in unison "Tomorrow,"

Fuck.

Tomorrow will now be filled with more questions for me than Darien at this point. I sighed at the thought.

Together, Oliver and I walked back to town in silence. Our arms were still linked, but I dared not cast a glance his way. Instead, I chewed on my bottom lip in thought.

How much did they see? Why were they outside? Why did I let this happen? What does this mean?

The questions swirled in my head as we walked.

Eventually, we arrived back at the shop. Oliver let my arm go and took a step away from me. I finally looked at him, his expression was soft if not remorseful, but there was a kind smile. His hands were in his pockets and he was avoiding looking at me directly. His hair was still tasseled and his skin flushed.

Most of the night, he was some shade of scarlet. I chuckled at the sight of him and he got a look of concern in his eyes.

"What?" There was a quake of fear in his voice.

"You blush a lot is all," I kept my tone soft.

He returned my smile and bit his lip a little in thought. He ran his hand through his hair, messing it up a little bit more, and he started to turn away.

The thought of him walking off without a word made my heart heavy, but I held it in. I pursed my lips as I reached for the door. Still watching him, I started to turn it, but Oliver stopped in his tracks.

Oliver whipped back around. He took three strides to me and grasped my upper arms. He quickly pecked me, this time quick and gentle. He was so soft, it was as if he wasn't even there.

"I am sorry, I couldn't just leave like that," Oliver spoke against my lips. Then he gave me another peck. This time there was no question in it, he lingered a bit longer this time as well.

He parted from me and then stepped off the porch. "Have a good night, Rox," Oliver said as he started to leave again, there was a new glimmer in his eyes.

I took a deep breath, "Anne," I called after him. he turned around on his heel and looked at me. His eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Come again?" A toothy half-smile was flashed at me.

"It's Anne, if... if you want," I crossed my arms in front of my chest as I repeated myself. Oh, Gods. I couldn't watch him anymore as my face felt flushed and my body was tingling at what I just said.

"Well..." Oliver's tone was light, "Have a good night, Anne." This time, I left first - almost running inside.

Once I was in the shop, I pressed my back into the door. My hands were cool against my furiously blushing face.

I squeaked a curse to myself as I replayed the scene in my head.

What just happened?

[black-dragon1998]

Just something original i'm woring on.

Autor's note: So this is an original story I have been thinking about. just looking for some input if you guy's would be into that? Commenting is always appriciated.

Olivia Wood was looking at herself through the gym mirror. Mostly to keep her form but also to keep her thoughts of the conversation happening behind her. The group of girls behind her were talking about her. The way they were ogling her was apparent. Olivia hated it when attention was on her. When working, she could put on her uniform and deal with it that way, but in private, she was an introvert. No matter what her colleagues tried telling you. She also knew her demeanour and physique but didn't say she was a shy introvert.

After taking a big breath and pushing it out through her teeth, Olivia came out of her squatting position, lifting the barbell on her shoulders. She repeated this a dozen times until she was at her limit. The longer she went on, the more excited the girls seemed. Maybe it would be a good thing if she packed up after this. She had an early shift anyway tomorrow. After her last squad, Olivia lifted the barbell and put it back on the rack before cleaning it up. Nobody wanted somebody else grease on the equipment they were using. She also took off the additional weight she had put on the bar.

"Excuse me, but could I ask you a question?" While Olivia was cleaning up, one of the girls came up behind her. The blond looked to be in her early twenties. Olivia remembered when she was that young. Life looked so much easier. Olivia also had to look down, her taller 1,80m frame towering over the girl who couldn't be more than 1,60M.

The blond didn't hide her lustful gaze as she racked them over Olivia's body. Her muscles twitched as the 25-kilo weight suddenly became a lot heavier.

"can I help you?" Uncertainty laced Olivia's voice. Why had the girl come up to her?

"Maybe you can. I have been seeing you here for the last two weeks and just had to get your number. If not for workout tips, then maybe for dinner sometime." The girl made her voice sound extra low. The girl had also taken a step closer to Olivia. She was pushing her cleavage almost in Olivia's face. Cleavage that was virtually popping out of her too-small sports bra.

Olivia could feel her ears turn red. She had never been good at this. Most of the time, when people were flirting with her, it went right over her head, or she thought people were being friendly. So she liked it when women were upfront, but this was too much even for Olivia. She didn't even know the girl's name. Also, she was trying too hard. The girl tried to put too much emphasis on her body, like she needed validation that she looked good. Olivia thought she was beautiful, but she also liked a woman who was confident in her own body. Sexy without even trying.

With that, memories of a fiery redhead spook through Olivia's mind as she racked a hand through her black hair. She is surely messing up her undercut. Olivia needed to get out of this situation. With a quick 'sorry can't nice meeting you' Olivia practically bolted through the door.

Running seemed a little cowardice, but Olivia wasn't good at confrontations, and if the girl started to cry, she was sure she would say yes to soothe her feelings without thinking about her own. Irin always said she was a sucker for seeing a girl cry. Knowing she wasn't over her ex, she couldn't go out with this girl. That would be unfair.

For years, she thought she was over her, but since coming back to Blood Coast City four weeks ago, her mind had been plagued by memories of the voluptuous, snarky redhead that was her ex-girlfriend.

Five years ago, Irina had trusted Olivia with a big secret, and like the stupid idiot she was back then, she shattered that trust. Instead of talking things out like adults, Olivia ran. Even if Irina wasn't in a new relationship, Olivia was sure the woman didn't want to see her. So Olivia did what she did best; she ignored the problem, put her mind to her job, and reexplored the city she had left all those years ago. A city which had changed quite a bit since she had been gone, at least in her eyes.

[frogchiro]

I NEED MORE STRAY CHILDE AND CAT READER

YOU ASK AND I SHALL DELIVER (also i'm turning this into a possible lil threesome bc i need and i have 0 selfcontrol ;;)

fem!reader, hybrids, suggestive content, love triangle, age gap but reader is explicitly stated to be an adult, implied chubby reader, jealousy and feels, a tiny bit of angst?? but it's woven in between fluff so it's okay </3 also my terrible grammar

okay soooo...i was thinking about a kinda 'lady and the tramp' scenario but with a little twist? where you, the prized kitty girl, belong to an incredibly wealthy snezhnayan noblewoman. she is already on the older side, she never married or had kids and while living a lavish life full of extravagant banquets, travels across teyvat, meeting the most interesting people, sometimes it does get lonely in a big mansion you know? sure there are the servants and many other people who'd be more than willing to converse with her but a jumpy mousy handmaiden or some boring sycophantic dignitary or two can only do so much to be considered 'good' company.

after much thinking and careful consideration, the woman decided on buying a cat hybrid. the hybrid breeding business was booming all over teyvat, it basically became a staple for the wealthy to buy hybrids, dress them up like the most beautiful porcelain dolls and flaunting them on various official occasions like banquets or balls.

there was a large variety of well bred hybrids, all from most perfect and long lineages that would put the family histories of most noble houses to shame. from bunnies through sables, foxes, peacocks up to horse hybrids but it still wasn't perfect, all of them were boring; well, until she met you. a catgirl with fluffy shiny (h/c) fur combed and groomed to perfection, pointy ears standing high and proud and a lovely fluffy tail swishing as if annoyed by the disturbance behind you. from the second she saw you, she knew that you were the one that would keep her company. you were a cute young thing, just over 16 years old and the perfect combination of politeness, shyness and sassyness, not overly clingy and desperate to be bought but also not rude or hissy. yes, you'd be perfect.

and so began your new life with your new owner in a completely new environment. sure, you'd miss the facility where you grew up in but you were also excited what your future would hold for you and judging by the lady who bought you, you'd never have to worry about anything anymore.

a few years passed in bliss. you were now just over 20 and you really grew into your new life. ever since the nice lady brought you into your new home or rather a small palace, you lived a life of luxury as the favorite (and only!) pet of her ladyship. you had your own room, own bed stuffed to the brim with pillows and topped off with a silky see-through canopy, all designed in a lovely and tasteful (f/c) palette. you even had a personal chef and groomer! after all the favorite kitty of the household had to eat the best food and have her fur shiny and not a single tangle in sight; yes, life was calm and perfect for you.

well...at least until someone barged in at full speed. it was a ginger stray cat hybrid who called himself childe, ajax for friends which he insisted on becoming with you. stray hybrids weren't a rare sight to be honest, especially in a big metropolis like the capital city of snezhnaya, but they usually kept to the more shady parts of the town, scavenging the dark alleys and slums for scraps so it was quite a fright when suddenly a big, rough looking stray jumped over the fence and right next to the spot where you were sunning!

after hissing and yowling up a storm you realized that childe had no real ill intentions but you were still miffed about the situation, why was he here? how the hell did he even get here?

after a sheepish explanation from the scarred hybrid that he was just scavenging the area for food and he got wind of a new smell he just couldn't resist and had to check out the source! he really didn't expect for you to be the source and before he could retreat he slipped and fell into your garden and here he was...ta-daaa!

you didn't really buy it, the ginger cat literally spelled trouble by just looking at him but you kinda felt a little pity on him; he was a stray for gods know how long and while he was well build and very big, judging by the growl in his belly he didn't eat for a very long time.

just because you were a 'high-born' and belonging into a aristocratic family didn't mean you were cruel or heartless so you told the man to wait here for you as you sneaked into the kitchens and loaded a cloth full of different kinds of meats, cheeses and fruit and brought them back to him to eat. your heart squeezed painfully at the wide eyes of the stray as you gave him the wrapped cloth and wished him well, telling him not the eat trash anymore and if he were hungry then to just come here and you'll give him food.

and so started the quite unlikely friendship between you and the big stray, ajax, and you had to admit that the once seemingly meek and sheepish cat was actually the biggest troublemaker you ever saw! as your friendship progressed his true colors shone through and gave him an entirely new but lovable personality. ajax was funny, smart, cunning and a major flirt, often teasing you and making moves on you, then laughing boisterously when you flushed and hissed at him with your ears pulled flat against your head.

he even showed you his den! after weeks of convincing you to give into his pleas of sneaking out for the night because 'he wanted to show you something' you finally gave into his pleads and went with him, anxious to be away from your safe mansion but also excited for the new possible adventure.

what ajax hyped up to be his 'incredibly cool and super comfy den' was actually an old abandoned barn on the outskirts of the town. you weren't really impressed and by the look of your sour expression childe sweated a little but pulled you after him while promising that it looks much better on the inside...it really didn't but at least the attic of the barn was kept well enough and judging by the neat circle of old blankets, furs and pillows this was where the hybrid made his den and to be honest....it really was comfy.

you began to sneak out almost every night to meet childe at his barn, at least it gave you the privacy and you didn't have to worry about any patrolling guards or stray servants busting your secret friend.

soon the old barn became your second home and the circle of old raggedy blankets and pillows your new bed. it was quite liberating in some way to roll around in the nest with ajax, the catboy nothing but accommodating and happy to have you here with him. he loved to see you smile and purr up a storm when your were rolling around and nuzzling the blankets simultaneously leaving your delicious scent all over his place which often led to...some unsavory activities after you left.

but could you really blame him?! how can he not rub his cock and cum all over himself when he has the image of your perfect soft body burned into his brain and various sinful thoughts are occupying his mind the second he gets a whiff of your scent.

it will always be a secret but his favorite fantasy is of you abandoning your life at the mansion and have you run away with him. the thought of having you here with him at all times, hunting and providing for you, returning after each successful hunt to you as you smile and lick his cheek, the tiny mewls of your kitties the only noise in the otherwise silent barn besides the cracking fire in the rundown hearth and your loud purrs.

but this is all it will ever be, a fantasy. he couldn't possibly ever ask you of such a thing, such a sacrifice to satisfy his selfish desires especially after all the things you did for him. he knew painfully well that you are way out of his league, basically a princess to his tramp self; but that didn't mean he still couldn't cherish you and every moment he shared with you! yes, he was content with what he had. everything was perfect....until it wasn't.

while your lady didn't exactly know the details of where her prized catgirl went off to, she had the vague idea that you were...disappearing for the nights and coming back ruffled and dirty like some common stray and it got her thinking...what if you were lonely? what if you were just seeking out the presence of another hybrid? it wouldn't surprise her really, after all she was the one to buy you in the first place to quell her own loneliness so how could she be so selfish and possibly neglect the feelings of her favorite girl! and she knew just the perfect resolution for the issue...

imagine your surprise when one beautiful winter morning when you came down into the salon stretching and yawning to check out the noises that seemed to go on since the early hours only to notice your lady sitting on the recliner with a...hybrid standing right next to her.

you wouldn't lie when you said that you almost turned on your heel and made a beeline back to your room and hide under the various blankets of your nest. this hybrid...this...monster wasn't something you ever saw, even in childe.

the cat hybrid appeared to be older, much older than you with long flowing and well kept white hair topped with two pointy white ears and a neat beard. the man was tall, so very tall, and broad; his thick chest and arms partially covered by the fur coat he was wearing, but the most prominent feature of his were his piercing gray eyes. the slitted pupils looking almost like tiny diamonds inside his eyes when his stone cold gaze zeroed on your figure and you suddenly felt so tiny and exposed in your nightgown and see-through robe; your tail swishing anxiously behind you as the man glowered down on you.

finally after what felt like an eternity, your lady noticed you and beamed, jumping up from her seat and inviting you over to introduce the mysterious man.

his name was apparently pierro and he was the new cat hybrid your lady bought in order for you to no longer be lonely, plus judging by his sheer size he could also be your protector.

while your lady was happily rambling and telling you all about the process and all the benefits of pierro being here all you could do was stay quiet, ears pinned flat to your head as you and the big man had a staredown with you quickly loosing. you just didn't understand it! it was all a big misunderstanding! you weren't 'lonely' at all but on the other hand you guessed you got a little careless and sloppy about sneaking out to meet with childe. getting a bit too comfortable was a big mistake and you could understand it coming off as 'feeling lonely' to your lady, she probably was thinking that you were sneaking out to search for other cat people and now you were stuck with the older hybrid. maybe it wouldn't be so bad? after all, pierro looks like he's an older hybrid even for your extended lifespans, plus he doesn't really look like the type to chase you around and play or bother you, if anything he was looking at you like you're the one to bother him in your own damn house! ultimately there was nothing you could do anymore, pierro was here already and it looked like he was staying so you guessed you just had to suck it up for a bit and hold off on meeting with childe for the time being.

and so pierro stayed in the mansion for good. a few weeks passed already and honestly? it was better than you expected! just like you previously presumed pierro didn't bother you or even try to interact with you, most times keeping just to himself doing gods know what and yet you felt his constant presence, like a phantom lingering around you and keeping a keen eye on you.

even with this strange feeling you came around, breaking the invisible wall and actually trying to get pierro to at least like you a little bit which, to your great surprise, wasn't difficult at all.

the big cat hybrid was actually very pleasant to be around; he was mostly either reading something or lounging around on a recliner or next to one of the enormous fireplaces in the mansion and it provided a perfect opportunity to get to know each other. he had a very deep, rough and rumbling voice that send pleasant shivers down your spine any time you heard it, plus he seemed to naturally run hot so lounging next to him in front of the fire during a cold winter night proved to be a wonderful experience, his deep rumbling purrs vibrating and lulling you to sleep.

he even started to slowly allow himself to become more 'touchy' with you! at first it were just short and stiff nuzzles, just to acknowledge your existence, then it slowly evolved into more lingering touches, insistently rubbing his head against yours, grooming your fur with his tongue, wrapping his tail around yours and even full on spooning you when lounging on a fur rug. the ultimate sign of trust was when one night pierro invited you to his chamber to climb into his nest to cuddle and bond and you won't lie when you say you felt a hot tingle in your lower belly when you climbed into the enormous wonderfully soft nest that was drenched in his scent and you felt the man slowly rub his cheek upwards from the base of your tail to your shoulders and bit down softly, his huge fangs oh so gently clamping down on the back of your neck as he slowly pulled your back snugly to his broad hairy chest and laid down with you, his teeth still holding you.

the gesture was an incredibly intimate one, reserved only for mates but it made you feel all giddy and tingly inside, quiet purrs from deep within your chest mixing with pierro's rumbles and combined with the cracking fire from the heart it made for a wonderfully cozy and intimate soundscape.

you let pierro take care of you, his teeth finally letting loose of your neck to gently lick it with his rough tongue and growling lowly when he felt your hips shift under his, pulling you even closer and crushing you against his chest. his darling little kitten seemed to finally be relaxed in his presence, something he longed for from the very beginning when his new owner introduced you to each other. you finally stopped to sneak out so much the more open you became with each other and you no longer smelt like that wretched stray, childe.

pierro growled under his breath at even the thought of that tramp getting close to you and thinking he'd have any chance with you while you had him. instead he continued to lick you, down from your neck and towards your delicious full breasts feeling particulary naughty and sneaking a quick suck or two to your nipples, an answering delighted mewl from you all he needed to know.

now that the stray was out of the picture he had you all to himself and soon he'd mate you. while her ladyship was sometimes annoying him he had to begrudgingly thank her for bringing you two together although perhaps not in the way she thought. maybe you will present her with a nice healthy litter of well bred kittens next year with him as the proud father? who knows; for now though he had a needy kitty to take care of and the night was just starting~

unbeknownst to either of you, a pair of deep blue eyes was glaring at you from the balcony of the room. childe was furious, basically fuming from the inside but not at you, no, never at you, but at pierro for even thinking of trying to take you from him and at himself for allowing this to happen.

a few weeks back when pierro was just brought into the mansion you did warn childe that you'll be unable to sneak out as often as previously due to your lady bringing another hybrid into the household and to avoid suspicion you had to drastically cut down on your time together. at first he thought it wouldn't really bother him, he was a stray and used to being alone, but after so many weeks of having you so close, keeping him company and just simply being there for him made him feel dangerously attached to you and the knowledge that you had to stay away from him for an indefinite amount of time made him feel miserable and to add salt to the wound you now shared a space with another hybrid, pierro, out of everyone.

he vaguely knew the hybrid before; tall and broad in statue, stone cold exterior, a permanent scowl on his face that never seemed to wither. according to rumors the old hybrid had a lineage that reached as far as back to the ancient khaen'rhian people, due to that (and from what childe was aware) pierro couldn't be technically owned by someone, he was always just...there. so it had him baffled when he saw the man strolling through the gardens, his piercing diamond pupils turning into slits when they zeroed on him and made a face that could be only described as 'disgusted pity'. childe then pulled his ears back, the fur on his back standing on ends and was ready to pounce on him but retreated last second when he saw your soft body coming up from behind pierro and rubbing affectionately up against him. the ginger hybrid would lie when he said that his jaw almost hit the floor when he witnessed the scene and his blood boiled at the disgustingly smug look on pierro's face when he wrapped his long fluffy tail around you and returned your gesture before turning you around and walking away from him place of hiding like he was some afterthought you shouldn't be bothered with.

seeing you with the big hybrid, pierro, was like putting salt in the wound that he created for himself. why couldn't he confessed to you earlier? was he really such a coward that he couldn't even express his love for the girl of his dreams? and now he had to watch you being all lovely and cozy with the big male while he was left standing high and dry, plus he just knew that the white haired hybrid would rub his triumph all over his face the next chance he got.

'but just you wait', childe thought with a bitter scowl. it was just the beginning as sooner the abyss would freeze over than childe would admit defeat. you'd become his mate and he'd win your heart.

just you wait

[thesexydevils]

My only one (Drabble)

Pairing: Soft!Dark Steve Rogers x female reader

Warnings: Kidnapping, obsessive behaviour, soft!dark drabble

A/N: English is my fourth language, so sorry for any mistakes. My stories are mostly written for adults and have mature topics.

“911, what's your emergency?”

“Please send help, I can't find her. She is gone. Please, I need to find her.”

“Sir calm down and tell me what happened?”

“My fiancé and I were driving down the Long Mine Road, when suddenly we heard a loud bang and then I lost control over my car. And ... and when I regained consciousness she was not here. I looked nearby but she is gone. Her things are gone too.”

“Sir, I am sending someone, just stay with me on the line. Is this your number?"

“Sir, are you still there?”

“Yes, yes this is my number. Please find my Y/N."

“Sir, please stay calm and help is arriving soon. What is your name?”

“Eric Russo.”

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

Few hours later the police were looking for a young woman with long dark hair, dark brown eyes and brown skin. One of the officers went to the house to do his inquiry. Almost every house was at least 10 minutes away by car.

So, after the third house officer O’Brian was sure, he would not get any clue of the missing woman.

Officer O’Brian stood in front of a decent house with big windows. It was more in the forest than the other houses he went to check.

He knocked twice on the door and announced himself. He looked back to his car when the door opened.

O’Brian was shocked as the man of the house stepped out towards him. “Captain America! What a surprise. I am officer O’Brian. What are you doing here, in the middle of nowhere?”

Steve smiled and stretched his big hand out to him, which he happily shook. “Steve, please. I just want some time for myself, away from the big city here in nature and this place is perfect for it. How can I help you, officer?”

O’Brian was at least 5 '11 but he was nowhere as tall as Steve. He was 4- 5 inches taller than the officer was and it made him feel small.

“Captain Sir, we are looking for a woman. A couple had an accident and the woman went missing, her fiancé and family are looking for her. She is probably hurt and is in need of medical assistance. We have the suspicion that she has been taken.” The officer pulled out a photo of the woman and passed it to Steven.

Steve’s eyes moved over her facial features. “Sorry officer, I haven’t seen this woman, but if you need any help searching for her, please let me know.” 

For a moment there was something in Steve’s eyes, it made the officer feel weird, but he ignored the feeling and went back to his car after taking his leave.

Steve followed his moves with a smile on his face and as soon as the car left his driveway, his smile changed into something sinister. He double locked the door and took the warm tray of food, which he prepared just before the officer knocked at his door.

He took the tray down to the basement.

A petite figure was restrained on the bed, with both her hands and legs tied. Steve put the tray on the bedside table and pulled the cloth out of her mouth. “Steve, please ... please let me ...”

He wiped her teary face with his handkerchief. “Don’t cry, my love. I know you are scared, and I am sorry for hurting you, but you just left me. How could you just leave me and move somewhere else without me?”

She looked at the person in front who should be protecting, not because he was Captain America but because he was her friend too. “Steve, what are you talking about? You know I am getting married and there is my new job, so I have to move. Steve, I have no idea, why are you doing this?”

He gave a short humorless laugh. One of his hands shot out and grabbed the back of her head and pulled her face. Their lips were just an inch apart. She could feel his hot breath on her lips. 

“Do you have any idea how much I love you? Y/N, the moment we met, you were the one for me. I have always loved you and when I tried to tell you, you were already with him.”

Steve joined his forehead with hers. “I love you so much that I can’t even imagine a second without you. Y/N, I really hoped you would see that he was not the one for you.”

He placed a soft kiss on her head. “Don’t worry, I will make you realize that no one can love you like I do.” 

Y/N shook her head in disbelief. “Steve, please! Why didn’t you tell me before? You can’t do this now when I am going to marry someone else. I love him, Steve. Please just let me go and we will forget this ever happened. You will find someone, who will love you like you do, but I am not the one.”

He moved a bit away and took the food tray and placed it between them. Steve took some pasta with the fork and brought it to her lips. 

“There is no one like you Y/N. You will understand and you will love me the way I do. It doesn’t matter how much time it takes, but in the end, you will love me. And I will spend the rest of our lives to prove to you that you are my only one.”

The determination in his voice made her cry harder, but it didn’t change the way he looked at her.

“I love you, Y/N and one day you will return my feelings too. One day you will say the three words too. I know you will.”

If you like it, leave comments and reblogs are highly appreciated!!!

[kimvvantae]

the misadventures list; 1 (m)

➜ the night shift can be very wild at times. you’ve witnessed so many strange, concerning and absurd situations happen inside the tiny convenience store that you could make a long list with everything that got you stunned - and the situation that takes the prize of being the weirdest of your list is the night a desperate millionaire, for the sake of saving his fortune, asks you to pretend to be his girlfriend.

pairing: playboy!jimin x (f) reader

genre: smut, comedy (?), fluff • fake dating au

warnings: explicit sexual content in future chapters. coarse language. me trying to be funny i guess

rating: 18+

word count: 6k

A/N: so excited to finally share this one with you guys!! i really needed to write something lighthearted after so much angst (even tho yall know me so there's definitely gonna be a lil bit of angst in the future). feedback is always much appreciated!

let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

➜  Chapters: check out masterlist in bio!

« playlist »

Working in a 24h convenience store is quite the experience.

Despair leads humans to take drastic decisions. Living alone as a college student in a big city is in itself a situation of despair - especially if you have no family to help you out with the bills and not enough professional experience to get a decent job. So, when you saw the rent coming just around the corner and you had a spectacular amount of $15 in your bank account, you accepted the first job offer that appeared in front of you.

Yes. You accepted the night shift.

Does it mean that you barely sleep these days and you feel that your brain is going to actually melt? Yes. But at least the salary is a little higher than your last job and the store is two blocks away from your apartment.

Also, sometimes you end up witnessing interesting things.

The store is pretty empty most of the time - which means that you just sit behind the cashier counter for hours straight trying not to die of boredom. You can study a lot, which is good, but sometimes, when you already did everything you had to do - from organizing items on shelves back and forth to wiping the floor twice or feeding the dog that always passes by around 2AM -, you have no choice but sit there and question your life choices.

When customers do come, though, it's usually the same type of people. You have already memorized the pattern of customers: sad college students that come to buy dinner (usually noodles. Delicious, cheap and unhealthy. What else could a broke young adult want?), or drunk college students that come after leaving clubs to buy some snacks, or drunk and sad college students that don't have that many friends to go out with, so they buy beer, eat noodles and cry alone in their respective apartments/dorms. You somehow relate to all of them.

From time to time, some people out of the pattern show up, though. There was that homeless man that once came in to simply buy Oreo but you ended up discussing the consequences of the 2008 financial crisis for about forty minutes (a really smart man, that one). There was also that time when a woman walked in wearing nothing but lingerie and bunny ears; she bought some condensed milk, called you pretty and left (you never blushed so hard in your life). Or that time you had to chase a 12 year old down the street holding a baseball bat because he tried to steal a vodka bottle (fortunately, you didn't need to actually beat him up. The little devil threw the bottle and ran away while people stared at you like you were crazy). Oh, let's not forget that time a group of people with questionable fashion sense tried to lure you into becoming a part of their cult (something about aliens and illuminati. That time you got actually scared).

After three months of working here, you got convinced that this small convenience store is actually an anomaly in space-time. A place where dimensions merge. Universal rules don't apply here. One day a talking polar bear might just walk in to buy Coca-Cola and you'll be like oh, that's neat.

And tonight is one of those nights when the matrix seems to fail and a weird ass dude shows up.

It's true that you heard the front door open a few minutes ago; you simply lifted your head from behind the counter, trying to peek at them, but the person disappeared behind the shelves quickly. Because you were too focused on highlighting your textbook, you didn't really pay mind to whoever it was. After around ten minutes, you felt your body itching and your vision blurring after so much reading (tax law is one of your least favorite subjects) and decided to reorganize the items on the snacks section once again.

That's kind of how it went for around four minutes.

Then you notice that there is an actual person sitting on the floor behind the refrigerators.

You gasp.

The person turns his head to look at you.

The first thing you notice is the unusual silver hair. The second thing is the fact that he's holding two phones in his hands. The third thing is the Rolex on his right wrist.

The fourth thing is the smile he opens as he sees you - an actual smile, so big that his eyes almost completely close.

"Hi!" he says in a happy voice. As if it's completely normal of him to be sitting on the floor of a store, knees close to his chest, for almost twenty minutes.

You immediately step back, ready to run the fuck out if you need to, your heart still beating rapidly from the scare.

"May I help you, sir?" you ask, unable to not scowl at him.

He's still smiling. He shakes his head. His hair and earrings sway as he does. "No, thank you! I'm fine. Just… sitting here." he laughs. "Oh, I know what you're thinking. I'm definitely not a weirdo. I'm just…" one of the phones in his hand starts ringing. He clicks his tongue and frowns. "Wait a second."

He slams it on the floor.

Like. Literally fucking slams it.

And steps on it a couple of times with the back of his foot until you hear the noise of glass shattering. When the screen doesn't turn on anymore, he sighs in relief.

"Anyways, as I was saying… I'm not a weirdo." he smiles again. You step back. "It's just that I had a fight with my brother and all… you know how siblings are, right?"

You don't reply. He doesn't seem to notice how you look at him as if he's indeed the weirdest dude in the world - or he's simply too good at ignoring it.

"Oh, so you're an only child, I guess? Well, lucky you." He laughs again. It also seems that he's talking to the voices in his head. "I'm actually hiding here for a while. So don't mind me! Really, I'm just gonna sit here for thirty more minutes until it's safe to go outside again."

And he smiles prettily once more.

You just stand there, staring at him like he's got a second head, for long seconds. His smile doesn't falter. His cheeks might be hurting at this point.

"Your brother isn't a gang leader or something, right?" is the first thing you ask. His eyes widen and he quickly waves his hands dismissively.

"No! Gosh, of course not," he laughs again. "He's just… kinda tall."

You stare at him for a few more moments.

Well, it's not as if he's committing a crime anyway. It also looks like he's being honest. So you just shrug.

(After seeing so many strange people during the night shift, very little things surprise you anymore).

Before you can say anything, though, you see him widening his eyes as he spots something behind you.

"Shit!" he exclaims before, once again, disappearing behind the refrigerator - he comes so close to the wall and hugs his legs so tightly against his chest that he might as well become a ball.

Confused, you look back to the glass front door - just in time to see a man walk in.

It honestly looks like one of those stupid drama scenes.

He's tall. Really tall. Wears a black long coat that looks very expensive, has pitch black hair styled to the side and a suit that also looks very expensive.

You can almost imagine the slow-mo camera, the pink filter and the romantic drama OST playing in your head.

To say that you're starstruck is an understatement.

The only thing that kind of kills the moment is his expression of pure fury.

The man looks around, tip-toeing to have a better view of the entire store (not that he needed to tip toe to have a better view). He walks to the cleaning products aisle with heavy steps, seemingly in search of someone.

Then, it hits you.

He's just… kinda tall.

If he turns the corner, he'll definitely see the weirdo sitting on the floor behind the fridge.

Maybe it's compassion. Maybe it's the fact that the man is indeed very tall and looks like he could break the other guy in two. Maybe it is God whispering in your ears, saying, my child, if you don't intervene, that poor weirdo will probably show up on the news as a murder victim.

You don't know what it is, but you end up quickly following him to the other corridor.

"Excuse me, may I help you?" you say, forcing a smile.

He stops and turns around - just before turning the corner and coming face-to-face with his prey.

"Oh." Gosh. He's even better from up close. "No, thank you. I'm just…" He tilts his head and caresses the back of his neck, stepping closer to you. "Actually, have you seen a stupid-looking guy with bleached hair walking around here?"

You have to swallow a laugh.

"No." You say, sounding apologetic. "I guess I would have remembered someone like that."

The man sighs, seeming slightly disappointed.

"Alright. Thank you anyway. Good night."

He walks away slowly.

The store goes back to silence for many seconds, the only audible sound being the buzz of the refrigerators.

Then, the bleach-haired weirdo shows up from behind the aisle. You've honestly never seen someone look so relieved in your life.

"Thank you so, so much!" he says excitedly, putting his hand over his chest. "Oh my God, I thought he was going to kill me. You saved my life. My heroine!"

Now that he's standing close to you under proper light, you can't help but disagree with his brother.

This man right here is anything but stupid-looking.

Albeit shorter than the other, you notice that he has… well… nice body proportions. His skin is so ridiculously clear that it reminds you of fine chinese porcelain (it makes you feel self aware of your own oily skin and you quietly regret not exfoliating your face those last few weeks). When he smiles, his eyes almost completely close, which makes him look somehow cute. However, the thing that most draws your attention is his lips. They're just so… plump. And healthy. You can notice the subtle gloss of lip balm.

His clothes are quite simple - white buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black pants -, but you see the little Prada written on his belt and yet again you see the huge golden Rolex on his wrist - like his brother, everything about him screams I am rich.

On top of that, he smells good.

You're conflicted.

You don't know if you're feeling attracted to him or if you're just plain jealous.

Quirking your eyebrow up, you cross your arms. "Well, I also felt that he was going to kill you. You must've done something really bad."

"Oh, no. My brother hates me for simply existing in the same space as him." He says it so light-heartedly that you don't know if he's serious or not. He lifts the shattered phone in his hand. "Also, I stole his phone, so… I think his reaction was fair this time."

Oh.

"I would have wanted to kill you, too." you blurt out in pure honesty.

He laughs again, covering his mouth with his fist and slightly throwing his head back. He's the type that laughs with his entire body. Does this man know how to fake laughter very well or does he genuinely think everything is funny?

"Don't bother! This is one of his phones. I just gained some time before he can call my parents." You can't help but frown. Did he seriously destroy his brother's phone just so he couldn't call his parents? "Anyway, I'm sure he left. I think I should, too."

"Yeah. Hm… Good night. And good luck with your psycho brother." You say awkwardly, starting to feel a little weirded out by him - because when he looks at people, he actually looks at them. Like. For real.

"Thank you. Good night!"

He opens the front door and only leaves after peeking his head outside to check if his brother isn’t sneakily waiting for him, waving at you cutely.

You stand there for some moments, putting your hands on your waist.

Well.

This is one more situation that will make you say "you won't guess what happened to me this time" to your friends; now, two handsome rich guys were playing mortal hide and seek during your shift. And you think it'll be just it - another strange story to your list about people you're never seeing again.

This time, though, you're wrong.

It's around the same time at night when, once again, your eye catches silver hair walking into the store.

You feel forced to put your textbook down this time.

He smiles and waves excitedly. Today, he wears a red turtleneck under a long black coat, black pants and leather black shoes that look very expensive. He takes off his sunglasses as he walks in (sunglasses at 1AM? Really?). "Hello!"

You stare at him, straight-faced, for long moments.

"May I help you?" You can't hide your suspiciousness.

"I just decided to drop by and say hello to my heroine!"

Oh no. He really is a weirdo.

"Okay." You're speaking and moving slowly as if you're facing a dangerous and angry dog. "Hello."

He nods, still smiling.

You watch as the silver-haired man puts his hands on the pockets of his coat, trying to fake a nonchalant act, and slowly walks around the store, humming quietly. He looks at every shelf and refrigerator but it's obvious that he's not searching for anything in particular.

It goes on for a few minutes.

It's painful to watch.

Finally, he comes to the cashier holding a can of Pringles and a Coke, making you get up from your chair. He pays for the items with a black card that feels heavy when you take it on your fingers.

"Do you want a plastic bag?" You ask, as usual.

He takes around two seconds to reply.

"No. I'm… I'm eating it here."

You stare at each other in silence.

"Are you hiding from your brother again?"

"Yes." His shoulders drop as he says this, finally letting go of his façade. "Can I just stay for some time? I know he won't search for me here again. I won't bother you, I promise!"

He sounds whiny. Like a little kid begging for more cookies.

This grown ass man is literally pouting at you.

You exhale heavily. "Alright. No problem, I guess." You still eye him suspiciously as he sighs and smiles, relieved. He does have a pretty smile. "Are you sure your brother isn't a gang leader?"

"No. He's just unbearable." He taps his fingers on the counter. "Do you… have a stool or something?"

You blink. "A stool?"

He tilts his head awkwardly. "Yes. I don't wanna sit on the floor again."

Oh. Sure.

There is actually a tiny stool hidden under the counter. You give it to him and he puts it on the other side of the cashier counter, happily sitting on it and opening the Pringles can.

You sit back, still moving slowly. This situation is awkward.

“Do you want some?” He offers you, his cheeks full and his eyes round. You shake your head.

“No, thank you.”

He just keeps eating in silence for a few moments, humming happily as he chews.

Your eyes slowly fall back over the textbook.

“Oh! I didn’t even tell you my name! That’s so rude,” he says out of sudden with - once again - a type of excitement similar to a child’s. You don’t know if it’s cute or creepy at this point. “I’m Jimin. What’s your name?”

“Y/N.” He repeats your name under his breath, nodding.

Silence.

You lay your eyes on the textbook once more. Everything you hear is the quiet sound of him chewing his crunchy chips.

“What are you reading?”

When you lift your head again, he’s kinda closer than he was a second ago. His eyes are gleaming with curiosity, stretching his neck to try to see a glimpse of it.

Awkwardly, you close it to show him the cover. “Hm… I’m just studying.”

He scowls. “Tax law? God, that's awful. What’s your major, by the way?”

“Economics.”

He chuckles.

You cross your arms slowly, frowning. “What’s funny about it?”

“Nothing.” He licks his fingertips. “It’s just that… I think of old bald men with huge goggles when I hear the word accountant. I don’t imagine someone like you.”

“Is this a compliment?” You quirk one eyebrow up.

“Half and half. This kinda makes you boring.”

You stare at him in silence.

Is this dude you just met calling you boring?

“Well, I’m sorry if my attempt at having a better life sounds boring to you.”

“Don’t get me wrong!” He’s quick to say, waving his hands. “It’s just that… all the math… and sitting behind a desk your whole life, reading papers, analyzing numbers… it sounds terrible.” He scowls as if he has a lemon inside of his mouth.

“It doesn’t sound terrible to me.” You defend yourself. “I like when things are organized and working the way they should.”

He licks his lips. That was a little bit distracting.

“I have a different mindset.” He explains. “I’m a free spirit, you know? I don’t like feeling tied like that. The idea of being just a gear inside of a big company that gives two shits about you is suffocating.”

“Really? And what’s your profession?” Honestly, you don’t even think he went to college.

“International Relations.”

You snort. “And doesn’t it mean that you have to be a gear inside of a big company to work with something like that?”

“I know.” He nods vehemently, lifting his eyebrows. “And I hate it.”

“Why did you major it, then?”

“It wasn’t really my choice.” He taps his fingers over the counter. “My family wants me to be in their business, you know.”

You watch him in silence.

As curious as you are to know why the hell does this man keep hiding from his brother, you kind of feel that he’s even more eager to tell you what’s going on.

“That’s why you’re hiding?” You bet. Jimin clicks his tongue.

“Kinda. If they find me, they’ll definitely force me into a position.” He sighs tiredly. “They don’t understand that I’m not like my older brother! He wants to be CEO or whatever. Why don't they just let him carry the family business if he wants it so bad? I was never interested in the first place!” He pouts a lot as he talks. It's stupid - everything about this guy feels a little bit over the top; definitely not the type you'd normally be into -, but you have to control yourself not to stare at his lips all the time.

You shake your head incredulously and rest your back on the chair.

“Why do I feel that you’re judging me?” Jimin asks, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

“Because I am.” You say. “I would love to be forced into an important position in a big company. What’s your family’s business, by the way?”

“The Aurum Steel Company. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it.” He says nonchalantly.

You gasp.

“Aurum Steel Company?! Are you kidding me?” You stare at him, jaw dropped. Sure, it was obvious since the beginning that Jimin was rich… but being the heir of one of the biggest steel companies in the world?! “You know what? I wouldn’t just love to be forced into a position. I would actually kill to be in any position.”

“It’s a freaking steel company! Do you know how boring it is?!” Jimin says as if you’re the crazy one.

“Oh my God. Rich people problems have never been so real.” You shake your head, staring at him wide-eyed. “That’s offensive, even”

“You’re saying this because you don’t know how those people live.” Jimin gesticulates a lot as he speaks. “Being honest, they don’t even have lives at all. They just work, work, work and work. I would honestly rather die.”

"So you don't like to work, basically."

"I never said that." he crosses his arms. "I don't wanna work with that."

"Then, what do you want to work with? Maybe you could convince your parents to leave you alone if you give them enough of an excuse."

He leans his elbow on the counter and rests his face on his palm, thoughtful. "I don't think they'll accept any excuse at all. You see, they kinda let me do whatever I wanted to do for the past few years. My dad was like, 'it's okay if you want to enjoy life for now, but some time you'll have to assume your responsibilities.'" He deepens his voice, mimicking his father's voice, which makes you want to laugh. "I've been living overseas and all. But… now that I turned 25, they decided to corner me from all sides. They said that if I didn't come back, they would block all of my bank accounts."

"And did they?"

"Yes." he nods. "But I came back, talked to the bank manager and they unblocked it."

"So that's why your parents and brother are mad at you?" you quirk your eyebrow up.

"Yes. They've been hunting me around the city. But I don't want to go see them." Jimin whimpers, dramatically pretending to cry. "Hyungsik found out in which hotel I was, so I had to escape. And that's why I'm here."

You stare at him in silence while he pouts at you.

"Wow. What a tragic life of yours." Jimin nods, closing his eyes. It’s hard to guess if he didn’t get the dripping sarcasm in your tone or if he simply ignored it.

"I know. I don't even have a place to sleep!"

You stare at the Coke he bought resting near his elbow. "Well, I think if you want to escape, you'll have to figure out a place to sleep and leave real soon."

He frowns. "Why? Are you kicking me out?"

"No. It's just that you used a credit card to buy those things. If they're really hunting you down, they must probably already know that you bought something here."

Jimin freezes.

His eyes widen.

"Shit!" he swears under his breath and gets up in a jump. "I'm so fucking stupid!"

"Do you want me to agree or…?"

"Don't." He takes the Pringles can and - believe it or not - manages to smile once again. "Thank you for letting me stay again, Y/N!"

He waves goodbye and runs out of the store.

Again, the only noise to fill your ears is the buzz of the refrigerators. You sigh and open the Coke he left behind, drinking a little bit.

Whiny millionaire man complains about having responsibilities and runs away.

One more goes to your list.

It’s not like you totally weren’t expecting it at this point.

Just like he simply entered the store and acted as if his presence was 100% normal - and even acted as if he had some sort of intimacy with you, spilling his whole life in the span of ten minutes -, he took a place in the back of your thoughts and stayed there throughout the day. The strange, dramatic, spoiled yet charming man.

After spending some years of your life in a private school as a scholarship holder, you unceremoniously learned to hate rich people. Most of your colleagues were spoiled, selfish and arrogant, with only a few exceptions. Sure, being rich doesn’t mean someone is inherently bad. But, as you noticed after years of watching teens cry because their parents won’t take them to Paris this vacation, growing up with so much money makes someone be so self-centered and so unaware of real life problems that it makes them unbearable. As Rousseau said: humans are born just fine, society (capitalism) fucks them up.

Yes, seeing Jimin whine about not wanting to work at his family’s billionaire company sure offended you somehow. Yet… there was something different about him. Some type of naivety and honesty that refrained you from hating his guts.

The fact that he’s stupidly handsome and has the prettiest lips you’ve ever seen in your life helps? Of course.

So… Yeah. You kind of were expecting him to show up again.

It made you feel stupid. What, do you think you’re in a cliche drama now?, you scolded yourself as you sat behind the counter, ready to start the long shift. Hot millionaire falls for poor hardworking girl?

You probably shouldn’t get your hopes high.

So, as you go about your nightly routine - wipe the floor, feed the dog, restock the refrigerators, throw expired food away, serve two customers in the span of three hours -, you sometimes peek at the front door, expecting to see silver hair walking in.

At around 2AM, he indeed shows up.

This time, you fully drop your textbook, a deep frown covering your features.

Jimin looks… different.

First of all - his hair is a mess. Not perfectly styled at all. He wears a pink oversized hoodie, blue patterned pajama pants that do not match in any way, socks and flip flops. No earrings, no rings, no watch on his wrist.

On top of that, it looks like he either discovered all of the world’s dirtiest secrets or was chased by Satan himself.

He’s pale. His eyes are widened by default.

You watch, frozen, as Jimin opens the first refrigerator he sees, takes a water bottle, walks on a bee line to the cashier, slams some money over the counter and sits on the stool.

He literally gulps the whole water bottle in, like, five seconds - then stares blankly at nothing.

You don’t move for a few moments.

“Are you okay?” you finally ask hesitantly. “It looks like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“My parents want me to get married.” He blurts out.

You almost choke.

“What?!”

“They found a candidate.” He holds the empty pet bottle so tightly that it smashes. “My brother told me that they want to arrange everything as fast as they can.”

You simply stare at him, jaw-dropped, for more time than you can process.

“This can’t be serious.” You say, tilting your head slowly. “Maybe your brother was messing with you.”

“Hyungsik is not the type that messes around with people.” Jimin says, shaking his head.

“They can’t force you into marrying someone. What, are we in the XIX century?” You cross your arms. It sounds so fucking surreal.

“Their minds are stuck in the XIX century. And this type of thing is much more common than you think.” Jimin exhales and rests his head on his hands. “I’m so fucked up!”

“Well, you… you can not agree with them.” You weakly try to elaborate. “You can say no.”

For the first time, Jimin lifts his head and looks at you as if you just said the stupidest thing in the world.

“Yeah, I could say no and have my name erased from the testament. Actually, they’ll block all of my accounts for real the moment I say no.”

“But you have some savings of your own, right? I mean, your own money, right?”

Jimin goes silent.

It hits you… Jimin is so rich that he never even considered not having money. Why would someone with “endless” money save money?

“Wow. You really are fucked up.”

“I have a little money saved!” He tries to defend himself. “But I think what I have is enough to pay my apartment’s rent...”

“You could, I don’t know… be like 99% of the world’s population and find a job to sustain yourself.” You shrug.

He, once again, stares at you as if you just said something very stupid.

“Aw, come one. You’re making things harder.” You whine.

“They’re making things harder!” He grabs his own hair as if he wants to rip it out. “I either chain myself to a company I hate or to some random woman for the rest of my life!”

You, once again, fall silent as Jimin whimpers as if in physical pain. You can see his side of things - it’s easy to tell someone to live independently and find a job, but honestly, if you’re a stupidly rich person going through the risk of losing all of your fortune, would it really be an easy decision?

Hesitantly, you lean closer to him. Why are you even caring to give advice to a man you barely know anyway?

“Have you ever tried talking things out with them, Jimin?” You ask in a quieter voice. “Have you ever been honest to them?”

He crosses his arms over the counter and rests his chin on them. Although his hair looks like a bird nest, he still somehow manages to look cute. “They would never listen to me or accept me. They’re so… ugh.” He rolls his eyes. “They’ll never understand that I don’t want to work in an office for the rest of my life. They won’t understand that I would never marry someone because of business. I know many people that are in fake marriages like that and all of them have affairs. I’m sure my parents would say, it’s not even real! Why are you hesitating so much?, but, look, call me old-fashioned, but I kinda wanna marry someone someday because I like them, you know?” Once again, he ruffles his own hair. “And what if I want to marry a guy? My parents would try to fucking exorcise me! That’s how backwards they are!”

You gulp, starting to feel honestly sorry for him.

“Well… I don’t know what to say.” you shrug. He sighs, pouting, and looks at you.

“You don’t have to say anything, really. Just the fact that you’re listening to me already helps.”

You frown a little bit. “Why did you come here again, anyway?”

“Because any of my ‘friends’ would say I’m being dramatic and that a fake marriage isn’t a big deal.” He’s pouting so much that his voice comes out a bit muffled. “I had a feeling that someone normal like you wouldn’t think like that.”

You lift your eyebrows. “Someone normal. I don’t know if I should feel offended.”

“I just don’t know what to do!” He completely ignores your last sentence, ruffling his hair violently and tapping his feet on the floor like a kid throwing a tantrum. “If there was anything I could do to at least delay their plans!”

“You’re saying as if they’ll make a surprise wedding tomorrow.”

“That’s kinda it! Hyungsik said that they want to introduce me to this random girl at their wedding anniversary next week!”

“Wow.” You rest on the chair back once again, silently thanking the Heavens for not being in his shoes. “With all due respect, your parents really suck.”

“I know!” He growls painfully and rests his cheek on the counter. You think of a sad puppy as you watch him. “If I could at least convince them a little bit… make them believe that I’m a responsible adult…” at least he recognizes he isn’t. “If I did something that would make them give up introducing me to this girl, at least for now…”

Jimin mumbles his own pain quietly for a few seconds.

Then, you see the exact moment an idea crosses his mind.

He freezes.

His eyes widen.

Then, he looks at you.

Really looks at you.

Slowly, Jimin straightens his back.

“If I showed up to their wedding anniversary with someone… someone that looks like a decent, nice person, someone that put me on the right path… if I seemed to be so in love with this decent and nice person that they would feel embarrassed to introduce me to the girl…”

You feel the corners of your lips going down as you nod accordingly. “Do you think it would make them give up?”

“Yes. At least for some time.” He says quietly and slowly.

“It still sounds pretty fucked up, but if it’s the best solution you would have for now…” You shrug, nodding.

“Mh-hmm.” Jimin nods.

Silence.

He’s still staring at you.

You frown. “What?”

Jimin keeps silent.

You finally notice it.

The tiniest ghost of a smile in his lips. His eyes gleaming with mischief.

It hits you.

“No.” You shake your head vehemently. “No fucking way.”

“Aw, come on, Y/N!” He brings the stool closer to you, so much that now he sits right in front of you. “Do you have a boyfriend? A girlfriend?”

"No."

"Then why not?"

“Because- no!” You’re borderline hyperventilating. “It’s just absurd!”

“But you agreed that it’s a good idea!”

“Well, not with me included!” You cross your arms, as if protecting yourself from this crazy man. “Why me anyway?! I just don’t fit this role!”

“Why not?” He asks again, tilting his head. “You’re perfect for the role!”

“Well, first of all, I’m fucking broke. Do you think your parents would approve of you dating someone that owns anything but unpaid bills and a goldfish?!”

“Y/N, listen.” He puts his opened palms over the counter. His eyes are gleaming way too much. He’s excited. “My father has a heart of stone, but my mother… well, she also has a heart of stone, but let’s say that, hm, it’s eroded? Like, if you press really hard, she kinda gives in.” Okay. His metaphor was a little bit impressive. “She wouldn’t like to see me dating a poor girl, but if said poor girl is actually a dream girl that knocks some sense into her son’s reckless head, she would soften! My mom likes rom-coms, I know what I’m saying!”

“Dream girl?” You snort. “I’m anything but a dream girl.”

“I’m 100% sure that you’re on summer break and yet there you are, reading a freaking textbook about tax law. What’s more perfect than the image of a humble, hardworking person? Sure, at first mom will say you’re a gold digger, but after she gets to know you…”

“Oh my God- stop. Just stop. I’m not doing this.” You wave your hands. If you still had any doubts that Jimin is crazy, now you have none.

He tilts his head, quirking one eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you don’t wanna do this because you’re the low self-esteem type? Come on, you’re pretty. Basic, but pretty.”

Your jaw automatically drops. If looks could kill, he would be dead.

“Did you just call me basic?!”

Jimin sends you an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, but I can’t see an ounce of style in you. This ponytail is especially awful.”

“I fucking work in a convenience store! Of course I won’t get all dressed up!”

“Really?” You hate the way he quirks that damn eyebrow. “What about the split ends of your hair?”

You immediately feel yourself holding your own hair, as if hiding it from him. Your body heats up in anger. “Who are you to talk about my split ends?! Your hair is so dry that it looks like fucking hay. I can see the black roots from miles away!”

“Look, I’m having a pretty stressful week. It’s not like I had a lot of time to take care of myself.” Jimin crosses his arms defensively. “Besides, I’m going to the hair salon tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, yeah? You’re having a stressful week, I have a stressful life.” You pat your feet on the floor impatiently. “And no, I’m not ‘the low self-esteem’ type. I’m fucking pretty.”

“I know.”

There’s something about the way he agrees with you so quickly that makes your stomach drop for a second.

Just for a second.

“Anyway.” You clean your throat, adjusting your position on the chair. “You said yourself that you’re against fake relationships, didn’t you?”

“I said I’m against fake marriage. A life-long thing. We’ll pretend to be dating for a weekend.”

“And you think your parents will believe this theatrical act in a weekend?”

“I see them once a year. Sometimes twice. They don’t spend enough time with me to know me that well at all.” He presses his palms together and puts them in front of his face as if praying, looking at you with round, begging eyes. “Please, Y/N! All of my other girl friends are too well-known, no one would believe in me. It’s just three days! Besides, it’ll be fun, I promise! My parents booked a resort in Hawaii this year-”

You choke on thin air.

“Hawaii?!”

“I know, right? Last year it was in the Alps. Personally I prefer a tropical place much more-”

“Wait, wait.” You raise your hands, making him finally stop. “Are you seriously talking about a resort in Hawaii?!”

Jimin nods. He is serious. “See? A weekend in Hawaii! It’ll be great, right?”

“No.”

He throws his hands up and groans. “Sweet Jesus, what do I have to do to convince you?!”

“First- I don’t even have a passport.”

“I can get it in time for you. We still have a week.”

“Second- my job. If you don’t know how jobs work, you can’t simply tell your boss ‘hey, I’m spending three days in Hawaii’ out of sudden!”

“I can also-”

He stops as if choking on his own words.

Once again, you see his eyes gleaming - and you shiver as you realize that he had another (probably awful) idea.

Jimin leans his arm on the counter, a determined smirk on his lips.

“Yesterday you told me that you’d kill to have a position in my family’s company, isn’t it? Alright, then. If you go on this trip with me, I’ll give you a job in the company.”

Silence.

You think of your egg-sized apartment. You think of eating noodles constantly because it's what you can afford on a daily basis and the gastritis you’ll probably develop because of it. You think of the same old tennis shoes you wear everyday because you either buy your noodles or you save it to buy new ones. You think of working on this night shift that gave you an awful sleeping routine and purple bags around your eyes.

And, for the first time, you seriously consider doing this.

“Are you serious?” You ask with suspicion.

“Of course.” Seeing your sudden interest, he gets excited. “The company has a lot of those trainee programs. I’m sure I can put you in the financial department easily.”

“But… but if we’re going to pretend that we’re dating, won’t it be weird that your girlfriend will join the company as a trainee?”

“Do you know how many people work there? My family doesn’t even bother to know who works for them, except for the higher positions. You don’t have to work at the headquarters, either. They’ll never know.”

More tense silence.

You bounce your leg nervously, passing your hand on the back of your neck. I can’t believe I’m considering this. I don’t even know this guy at all. He might just be a freaking psychopath.

Jimin stares at you expectantly. Damn, this guy really likes to stare at people.

You should take your own morals in consideration. Are you seriously selling yourself to this spoiled manchild? Is it that easy to take things from you? Weren’t you the type to hate rich people and capitalism overall and-

Fuck it.

“A weekend, right?”

“Right.” He nods.

“Three days, right?”

“Right.”

“We impress your parents, convince them that you’re a changed guy, then you find me a job and leave me alone.”

“I’m not so sure about the leaving you alone part, but yeah, exactly.” You frown.

“And why wouldn’t you leave me alone?”

“Well, you might fall in love with me. Who knows?” He wiggles his eyebrows.

You roll your eyes, making him giggle.

I can’t believe I’m doing this.

Before you can fully comprehend the consequences of your actions, you sigh heavily and nod.

“Alright. I’m in.”

Jimin claps his hands excitedly, opening the biggest smile you’ve ever seen.

“You really are my heroine, Y/N!” He extends his arm over the counter. “We have a deal!”

You gulp and shake his hand firmly.

Your friends will definitely get shocked when you tell them the newest strange thing happening in your life:

You accept to fake date whiny millionaire man mentioned previously.

The list is increasing rapidly.

“You better do what you promised, otherwise I’m killing you.” You threaten very seriously.

Jimin laughs and - once again - quirks that damn eyebrow up.

“Of course. I wouldn’t let my girlfriend down.”

He fucking bites his bottom lip.

A heat creeps the back of your neck.

God.

You’re in trouble.

tags: @shrimpmsg @hesmyphenominiall @turquoiseandplaidinautumn @vantxx95 @sweettaeguk @moonchild1 @jikooksgirl19 @yesalexus

[robininthelabyrinth]

Initiative - aka NMJ and JYL get engaged - ao3 or tumblr pt 1, pt 2

Jiang Yanli’s first engagement had been announced when she was three and a half years old – there had been a big party, festooned in color, exquisitely and meticulously planned out in advance, and she’d been obliged to stand on stage next to a baby in a cradle that had done nothing but cry and spit as all the adults around her congregated and congratulated each other on the excellent match.

She hadn’t enjoyed that at all.

Her second wedding announcement was simultaneously more casual and more noteworthy, and she enjoyed it tremendously. 

Madame Jin had sent several invitations to Jiang Yanli to come visit Lanling in advance of the hunt planned for Phoenix Mountain, speaking of how beautiful it was and how much she looked forward to seeing her good friend’s daughter – talking about she’d always regretted how Jiang Yanli had been obligated by circumstances to take shelter at the Unclean Realm rather than in Lanling City, although she’d been pleased to hear from her son that she was doing well – all the right sort of words. The words might have been more welcome if Jiang Yanli hadn’t known that Madame Jin was still intent on securing the marriage she had arranged.

If she hadn’t been engaged, she would have accepted the invitation, hoping to form an alliance for her sect through a close relationship with Madame Jin even if she didn’t have one with Jin Zixuan (no matter what Madame Jin hoped), but as she was, in fact, engaged to another – even if it hadn’t been formally announced – it would be inappropriate to go. So she instead played ignorant and responded graciously, protesting that she couldn’t possibly impose, that the rebuilding at the Lotus Pier needed her, but that she would of course be happy to attend the hunt alongside the rest of her sect.

She arrived at her brother’s side, smiling all the while.

Her second engagement was announced like this: Sect Leader Jin, using his newly legitimized son as his mouthpiece, had brought forward some ghastly ‘entertainment’ that involved shooting at helpless prisoners, tied up in chains. Jin Zixuan had complied, but Wei Wuxian had marched out and disrupted everything by showing off to a ridiculous extent – Nie Mingjue, who had been watching with a black face full of rage but unable to speak due to propriety, had started applauding very loudly and very enthusiastically – and Sect Leader Jin had ordered the prisoners taken away.

“Well, then,” he said, clapping as if he had impressed himself: as if they hadn’t just been subjected to a powerplay under the guise of hospitality, as if everyone would be over-awed by his might now that they had seen him abuse the helpless while they were all forced by the rules of etiquette to say nothing or else risk carrying the blame for trying to start another war. “Absent anything else, we should proceed to the hunt itself, where await you only the finest of prey and the sharpest competition among your peers.”

For the further display of the power of the Jin sect, he meant.

“Actually,” Nie Mingjue said, interjecting in a moment in which Sect Leader Jin had paused to take a breath so that it was technically not an interruption, “there is one thing. A request, in fact.”

Sect Leader Jin’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he maintained his false smile. “Of course, Sect Leader Nie. What can I do for you?”

“I’m getting married,” Nie Mingjue said. “The bride is Young Mistress Jiang, of Yunmeng Jiang, and I would like –” He raised his voice to overcome the abrupt explosion of talk that had erupted. “– I would like to have her accompany my sect in today’s hunt. I hope that doesn’t interfere with your plans for a competition between the sects?”

There were those who said that Jiang Yanli’s chosen husband was bad at politics, and they might even be right. But it didn’t really matter in the end if he’d thought of the idea on a whim or if it’d been a prearranged plan by Nie Huaisang, who was cleverer than he liked to let on to people, Jiang Yanli’s future husband had still wiped away in a single sentence all memory of the farce they’d all just endured and of the hunt that was yet to come, ensuring that the only thing anyone would remember about today was the shocking news of the engagement of the leader of one Great Sect to the sister of another.

(And if everyone remembered that at the last celebration hosted by Sect Leader Jin, he had proposed to resurrect the marriage between Jiang Yanli and his own son, instead, forcing her to publicly demur on vague terms…well, that just made it all the more satisfying.)

Now it was Sect Leader Jin’s turn to scowl and glare, and Madame Jin’s expression looked no less thunderous, but in the end Jiang Yanli got to go with the Nie sect on the hunt.

“You know I’ll only slow you down,” she said to Nie Mingjue, who snorted.

“No more than Huaisang will,” he said, and if his face was stern and his voice gruff then she still thought she detected fondness and humor beneath it. “Besides, it’ll be a good opportunity to measure you.”

It turned out that he meant that more literally than she might have thought.

Jiang Yanli was promptly whisked away to the back of the Nie retinue by a small cadre of Nie disciples, men and women both. She was presented with a number of training sabers shaped out of wood and made to hold them in a variety of positions as they murmured things about stability and reach and balance as if they really, truly thought that she would actually use the saber they were preparing for her.

“This one,” Nie Jiahui, a steely older woman with silver in her hair and fierce eyes, eventually announced, and the practice saber Jiang Yanli had been waving around was taken away. She was then presented with one that was twice as heavy, for “practice”.

“Do you always practice with something heavier than the actual thing?” she asked, and Nie Jiahui nodded.

“Strengthens the shoulders,” she said, curt but not standoffish. “Have some candy.”

Jiang Yanli blinked, but smiled and accepted the offer. It was licorice, which she liked.

“Do you often carry candy with you on night-hunts?” she asked, listening to the sound of fighting from up ahead. Every so often, a disciple or two would trot by carrying the corpses of larger and larger creatures, slain in the fighting; it seemed that the Nie sect was not, in fact, being slowed down in the slightest by her presence.

Of course, she also wasn’t being tended to as if she were their chosen lady, either, as she might have otherwise expected – all pomp and flowery language, Nie Mingjue by her side at all times to show her around as if they were on a pleasure stroll – but in all honesty that would have been a little bewildering. It was very much not the Nie sect’s character, all practical and straightforward, and she found that she preferred it that way.

“It’s important to have something to replenish energy,” Nie Huaisang said, having dropped back to join them from the front. He looked tired and grumpy, but his saber appeared to have been put to some work; he immediately climbed up into the carriage that people were taking turns riding and started cleaning it. “And licorice candy clears the lungs.”

“Clears the lungs?” Jiang Yanli asked.

“It’s good for more than that,” Nie Jiahui said. “But that’s one of the uses, yes. Do you ever feel like your chest is too tight, especially when you move too much? Leading to coughing, shortness of breath, your lips turning blue?”

Jiang Yanli blinked. “Yes,” she said. “But that’s just because I was born with a weak body.”

Nie Jiahui scoffed and Nie Huaisang laughed. “Good luck with that,” he said cheerfully. “I was born with muscles that didn’t keep their tone: too flexible, incapable of gathering strength, requiring more energy to do less, making me twice as tired twice as fast – even sitting up straight can be a struggle in some extreme cases, though luckily not mine. And do you think that helped me one bit in getting out of saber training? It did not.”

“Early childhood intervention is best,” Nie Jiahui said. “But the next best is starting today. I’ll show you some low-impact exercises that you can start working on to strengthen your shoulders and stomach, as well as some balance movements to center yourself and improve your posture – that way, by the time your actual saber is ready, you’ll be able to take it through one of the basic routines.”

“I’m happy to learn whatever you have to teach,” Jiang Yanli said, ignoring Nie Huaisang’s dramatic cry of ‘And here I thought you’d be on my side!’ “I only regret troubling you.”

“Not at all,” Nie Jiahui said. “It’ll be good to have someone watching the Sect Leader’s back on night-hunts.”

Jiang Yanli felt a surge of terror and excitement in her belly. “He would trust me with that? You would trust me with that?”

“I did tell you that you’d need to keep up with him,” Nie Huaisang said mildly, and it was true, he had, only she’d assumed it was a bit more metaphorical. “You don’t have to fight or even walk too much, if it doesn’t suit you – my grandmother was lame in both her legs from a childhood illness, she rode everywhere, scariest woman I’ve ever met by far – but you do have to be there. Someone needs to be able to tell my brother to stop. Someone he’ll listen to.”

And wasn’t that something of a thrill to think of?

Jiang Yanli wasn’t someone anyone listened to – not her parents, not her brother, not her sect disciples. She’d always been the one who comforted them afterwards, who supported them; she made them food and tried to convince them to be kinder to each other, and sometimes they even tried for a while before getting into another tiff. They would kill for her if she so much as hinted at it, tear down the sky for her, but it was more in the nature of indulging her rather than actually allowing them to guide her.

Yet here was Chifeng-zun, a war hero and a sect leader, one of the most powerful men in the world, a man admired by men and sought after (even if only in their hearts) by women, and his family was telling her that he would listen to her.

“If you say so,” she demurred, but they insisted, and by the time the hunt was over Jiang Yanli was surprised to realize that she hadn’t needed to resort to sitting on the carriage more than twice the entire time.

“We’ll send Auntie Jiahui to the Lotus Pier after today’s hunt is done,” Nie Huaisang chattered cheerfully in her ear as they headed back towards Jinlin Tower. “She’ll work you through your paces, believe you me, and all the supplemental things, too – making sure you eat the right thing, take medicinal baths to improve your meridians, apply massages to loosen your joints…those parts are nice, actually. Take care of your body as you would your saber, take care of your saber as you would your wife! That’s how the saying goes. Trust me, you’ll be regretting the whole thing soon enough.”

Jiang Yanli didn’t think she would. “You seem very confident that A-Cheng will allow you to do as you please, even in the Lotus Pier.”

“I’ll tell him it concerns secret Nie sect marriage rituals,” Nie Jiahui interjected. “When two women are involved, men tend to run away when the words ‘marriage’ and ‘secret’ are combined.”

Sadly, she was probably right.

“Show me those exercises again,” she requested, and Nie Jiahui climbed up on to the carriage to show her the ones she could do even while sitting down.

Jiang Yanli might never have had the opportunity to strengthen herself before, and she was moderately certain that she wouldn’t have too much success now, as the various tricks Nie Jiahui had taught her were largely body refinement, barely reliant on qi, and her cultivation was still as low as ever.

But she was good at devoting herself to learning something when she wanted to, and as soon the hunt at Phoenix Mountain was over and they had shifted over to the various feasts and meetings that Lanling Jin had planned for the rest of the week, she began her efforts at self-improvement in earnest.

The weak body her mother had always despaired of might always be weak – Nie Jiahui had been quite blunt on that subject, making it clear that nothing she was suggesting was some sort of miracle pill, and furthermore that there was nothing wrong with being weak as long as she made an effort (Nie Huaisang had been the recipient of several pointed looks there) – but Jiang Yanli was determined to at least demonstrate that she was trying.

A gesture of good faith, perhaps. Some small show of initiative.

Nie Huaisang had said that Nie Mingjue appreciated her initiative.

“A-Xian,” she called one morning, only a few days later. “A-Xian, are you going out for a walk? Let me come with you.”

“You’ve gone on a lot of walks recently,” Wei Wuxian laughed, but allowed her to take his arm as they walked into the crowd. “Do you like Lanling City so much?”

“It’s the exercise I’m after,” she said, smiling at him. “The Nie sect is a martial sect, remember? I’ll be going on more night-hunts in the future, if all goes well, and I’ll need to keep up.”

“Oh, but surely they’ll bring a carriage..? I don’t know if you really need to go on night-hunts –”

“I want to! It’ll be nice. Don’t worry about me so much, A-Xian –”

Wei Wuxian was shaking his head, smiling, and he wasn’t looking where he was going; perhaps that was why he bumped into the young woman.

But then she looked up at him, and he looked down at her, and he froze.

“Wen Qing?”

[tommyspeakycap]

Can we get baby little Shelby find a bunny and ask Tommy and John to take it home. And get scolded by Polly when they at home? 💕💕

more pre war Tommy fluff ;) 

Bunny

“Tommy!”

The dark haired man’s heart flies into his throat, his mind immediately kicking into gear as he drops the coin he was about to flip. He was deciding whether or not to buy a horse with a new inflow of cash they had recently gotten. That horse is lost the second he hears the shriek that came from somewhere behind him. The heavy boots on his feet make easy work of crushing through powdery snow, but give a very little to prevent him from tripping and slipping; although the fear coursing through him and his extreme haste may well have contributed to his somewhat uncoordinated limbs.

In the maybe a minute that it takes form Tommy to get from where he was to where he had traced his little sister to, a million and one thoughts race through his mind. He fears every worst case scenario his mind can conjure up and immediately blames himself for bringing you out to the country to play in some fresh snow with John and Finn. The air was much clearer out here and so too was Tommy’s mind. He could think, be free of the city smoke and the harsh environment that appears to be tacked to his work in the family business. There was so much pressure on the raven haired bookmaker to uphold his own personal morals while also living a notoriously immoral life. He tried to keep his hands clean, prevent himself from muddying the line between pointless violence and the necessary survival and protection of his family.

So going with his 5 year old little sister out to the county was something not uncommon for him. And the snow had only given him more reason to. He regretted that now.

“What-” Tommy wheezed out, unable to speak for lack of his breath after attempting to run through the deep, deep snow. “What’s happened,” he coughs, “Are you alri-“

“Tommy!” The little girl whispers harshly, waving her hands at him disapprovingly, “Shhhhh, you’ll scare it away!” Tommy snaps his mouth shut, instead opting to take the five year olds outstretched hand and crouch down as she instructs him. On her other side is John; crouched down with one arm around Finn to keep him still. “What are we looking at?” Tommy asks quietly, his neck craned to try and spot whatever his other siblings had noticed. 

“It’s a bunny, Tom. Look.” (y/n) points with her little hand and Tommy follows the general direction in which her hand is showing him. In doing so, he squints and finds his gaze falling upon a small white rabbit sitting picking a blade of grass that it had pulled through the snow. “They want to take it home.” John states, grinning at Tommy something like a Cheshire Cat because he knows for a fact that man isn't able to say no to the puppy dogs eyes of (y/n) and Finn Shelby when they truly wanted something.

“Hm, I don't think so.” He mumbles, trying to keep his eyes off of the disappointed face of his younger siblings. “You know Aunt Polly’ll go mad.” The second he does turn his head to see his youngest siblings gazing up at him in the desperate way he knows always works, he regrets it. “Please Tommy, pleeeease?” (y/n) begs, clasping her cold little hands together and pulling her most convincing puppy eyes Tommy might've ever seen. “Yeah Tommy, please? Pretty pretty please?” Finn joins in, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement and anticipation at the idea of having the little bunny as a pet. 

“Yeah Tom,” John sniggers, stubbing out his cigarette on the snowy ground. The elder brother puts on a pout to mimic (y/n) and Finn, not serving to make things any easier for Tommy as the youngest two weren't able to pick up on John’s teasing nature and sarcastic reiteration of their words. They took it as encouragement while Tommy knew John would be going home to Martha and his own kids, thus wouldn't have to be on the reviewing end of Polly’s temper. Tommy rolls his eyes and inhales deeply, thinking briefly about how angry Polly would be compared to how much it would make you and Finn giggle to have a pet even if only for a while before Tommy would free it back into the wild and tell some lie about a magic bunny farm. The kids chanting brought his mind back. “Please, please, please!” 

“Alright,” Tommy cuts them off, “Alright. But we’re not chasing it around all afternoon.”

--

How on earth Tommy ended up holding his little sister as he stood in the doorway of the Shelby family home kicking the snow off his boots while said little sister had his big trench coat wrapped around her and her smaller jacket used as a blanket for their new bunny rabbit friend, he will never know. He genuinely felt like if he had been outside for one more minute he would have actually frozen stiff, however it was always his top priority that his littlest sibling was as safe as she could be; so it was suffice to say the idea of her getting frostbite and slash or hypothermia after she insisted on wrapping the little rabbit in her own coat was less than appealing to Tommy, so she could keep his warm winter jacket as long as she desired.

“Right Finn, straight into the living room and not a peep to Pol alright?” Finn nods vigorously in a show of his determination to follow his brothers order as he places the wrapped up bunny into the young boys arms. Finn tries to run as unsuspiciously as he can past Polly in the kitchen to go through to the living room where only Ada sat, reading a book by the fire underneath a blanket. 

“Tommy?” The little girls voice draws an “Mhm?” from him as he battles to get her stiff winter boots off of her tiny cold feet. “What're we going to name him?” She enquires, her voice as inquisitive as any other curious 5 year old is. Tommy hums in thought, tapping (y/n)’s other foot in the way that he does that tells her to put her foot down and lift the other one for Tommy to pull that boot off too. There was a distinct routine between the two that had been established in the last five years of her life with Tommy acting as her primary caregiver.

“I don't know, love. Whatever you want to call him. Just remember to stay quiet about it yeah?” He looks up to see his little sister nodding firmly, placing her finger over her lips just as Tommy had done so many times when secrecy or silence was needed. 

“Alrighty then.” Tommy says, lifting both the pairs of boots easily in one hand and putting them by the other shoes. He moves his hands to under the small girls armpits and hoists her gently back up onto his hip as to avoid her stepping small puddles of water that had collected from the snow on her boots and his by the door. “Shall we go see what your brothers gotten up to with that-” 

“Jesus fucking Christ Tommy.” 

Both siblings turn their heads quickly to face Polly when they hear her speaking with her stern scolding tone turned on. Polly immediately notes how Tommy looks slightly secretive, like he was ready to start either lying or making some form excuse for something for which her niece looked rather guilty. Deer in the headlights kind of expression. “Look, Pol...” Tommy begins, but is interrupted by his aunt firmly shaking her head and marching towards him. 

“I’ve told you a million times Thomas. She’s five. That means you do still need to put her bloody hat on when you take her out in the cold but you don’t need to fucking carry her everywhere.” She huffs, pressing both her palms against (y/n)’s cold rosy cheeks, “Shes bloody freezing.” Her scolding tone never fails to make Tommy feels as though he’s still a young boy who’s been caught misbehaving by his aunt. However now he’s an adult with responsibility for his little sister and somehow, he ends up on the receiving end of that tone far more than the littlest member of the family ever will. Polly peels Tommy’s coat away off the little girl in his arms so she could hang it up to hopefully dry some before he next needs it and (y/n) doesn't mind not wearing her brothers jacket anymore, however the words that Polly speaks about putting her back down only serves to make her cling a little tighter subconsciously. 

“She's only little, Pol.” Tommy defends, “And we had long day, haven’t we sweetheart?” Polly wants to scoff when (y/n) nods her head and offers up that angel smile that wins the hearts of her entire family, but the woman can’t help but smile back and shake her head. “Well,” she huffs slightly, her hand reaching back up to the little girl to to brush the snow off (y/n)’s hair, “I think the very least your brother could do if he was going to have you out in the freezing cold all day would be to put a bloody hat on you.” 

The little girl giggles, flicking her eyes to Tommy to inspect his reaction to their aunts words. 

“Remembered.” He notes flippantly with a grin and Polly knows fully well that it was not remembered because putting a hat on top of that little girls soft locks of hair was something he had never once remembered to do without a reminder since she was merely a little bald baby. 

“Course.” She responds teasingly, “Dinner’s out soon.”

Tommy nods his head before Polly walks away in the direction of the kitchen again, where Tommy had no doubt Arthur is now lingering to pick off the scraps of dinner before its put out on the table for everyone else. 

“That was a close one, Tom.” The little girl on his hip whispers quietly, her wide eyes causing Tommy to chuckle heartily as he takes them both through to the living room to see what Finn and now likely Ada were doing with this rabbit. “Yes,” Tommy agrees, walking into the living room “It very much was. Hello Ada.” Ada immediately rolls her eyes at the sound of Tommy’s voice. 

“Pol’s going to kill you, you know.” She states, standing and crossing her arms firmly over her chest as Tommy sets his youngest sister down on the floor to run over to where Finn sat with the bunny close to the heat the fire was giving off. “Probably.” Tommy nods.

Ada turns away to wrap her blanket around her only sister, the one she had wished and prayed for since she had been merely a little girl herself. Tommy vividly remembers the many occasions when Ada was not only his youngest sibling, but also his only sister and recalls how unhappy she had been about those facts. Finn being born eased only one of those issues, but Ada rested a while for the time that Finn was a baby before again pestering their mother about wanting a little sister again. 

She had been ecstatic when (y/n) was born, and she had been besotted with that sweet little girl ever since. 

“You always forget to put her hat on, Thomas.” Ada chastises, the reprimand drawing a chuckle from her brother who takes a seat down on the couch and crosses one leg on top of the other. “So I’ve heard.” Tommy mumbles under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear and stretch out her leg to kick his when she too sat back down on the couch.

“Twat.” She hisses. 

It was Tommy’s turn to role his eyes at his sisters flippant comment, paying no mind to her words thrown in a light tease that he knew she only ever half meant.

“That’s not very nice, Ada.” 

(y/n) doesn't do so much as turn around when she chides those words in dismay to Ada’s insult aimed at her Tom. There was no hiding how the little girl adored Tommy. “Exactly Ada,” Tommy grins widely, giving Ada the biggest shit eating look he can muster as he tried not to laugh, “And that’s why you're my favourite, aren't you my love?” The 5 year old simply nods her head in response to her brothers words before turning straight back to play with her new pet. 

“Well, she might be your favourite but you certainly won’t be Polly’s once she sees you’ve brought that home. She’ll go mad.” Ada nods her head in the direction of the fluffy white animal in their living room. Tommy shrugs his shoulders indifferently, “They're happy though, aren't they? and quiet. Worth it really.” 

Ada knew very well that Tommy was right, although it was likely that she wouldn't even think to much on that in his vicinity, just incase he even got the sensation that she was thinking he was in the right. They’ve got a big family and a lot of hard work had to go into making business run smoothly to provide for everyone. The younger kids can sometimes go amiss to the elder siblings on particularly busy days. Sometimes playing and talking to them gets overlooked or their clothes go on back to front because everyone forgot they sometimes still needed help with things like that. 

So giving them the simple pleasure of almost a normal childhood - not one living with the Shelby name and subsequently the future of the Peaky Blinders tacked to them - by letting them a pet that they can look after and love on for a few days at least was something Tommy was willing to grin and bare the wrath of Polly Gray for. 

He was a sucker for that little girl, so when she’s happy there are few things in the world Thomas Shelby wouldn't endure to keep it that way. 

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

Make A Scene

AMHL – Masterlist

Dick immediately noticed when Y/N started getting quieter and quieter as they got closer and closer to the venue.

Bruce had hired a driver to pick them up from their apartment in Gotham. And the car had gone quiet now. 

Dick reached over to gently hold her hand.

“Nervous?” He asked.

Y/N shrugged, not really seeing the point in trying to lie to her boyfriend.

“This isn’t your first rodeo, ya know.”

She gave him a look. “You know that wasn’t the same.” Her eyes flickered to the driver. “I wasn’t exactly…myself. And I wasn’t your girlfriend.”

Also, tonight they didn’t have the security and comfort of being at Wayne Manor.

No, instead this particular event was being held at the ballroom of Gotham’s most extravagant five-star hotel. It was a party for Wayne Enterprises, not a personal charity or party of the Wayne family.

Bruce had kindly asked Dick and Y/N to attend when board members and business partners started asking if the whole family would be attending. Jason hadn’t answered anyone’s calls or texts about it. None of them expected him to show up. Tim had to attend since he worked for Wayne Enterprises. And Damian…Well, Damian was his father’s son and not yet an adult. He basically had to do whatever Bruce asked of him while he lived under his roof.

“I’m not gonna leave your side,” Dick promised.

He squeezed her hand to further emphasize it.

Their car pulled up to the carpet at the bottom of the stairs.

There had to be a hundred journalists and photographers, along with random civilians who had nothing better to do than to see Gotham’s elite get out of cars and walk into a hotel.

Dick took in a deep breath.

Thankfully the car’s windows were tinted and protected them from any onlookers.

“Ready?” He asked her.

She nodded.

Dick opened the door and ignored the screams and flashes as he carefully helped Y/N out of the car with his offered hand. He also shielded her from the photographers to give her a moment to get out and adjust herself before they could capture any photos of her.

“Mr. Grayson! Mr. Grayson! Who is your mystery girlfriend?” Someone yelled.

Sometimes Y/N forgot that Dick was somewhat of a celebrity in Gotham City through association.

It wasn’t like people were asking for selfies everywhere he went. Or that the paparazzi were following his every move.

But in Gotham, people took note of where Dick Grayson went and who he was with.

And everyone noticed he’d had the same woman on his arm for quite some time now.

Even though Y/N and Dick had been dating for over a year, the media still couldn’t figure out Y/N’s identity. 

What they didn’t realize was that she controlled every single piece of information about herself that lived on the internet.

They didn’t stand a chance. 

Dick smiled and waved at people who called his name. But his hand other hand never left Y/N’s as he helped her up the stairs.

“Who are you wearing?” A female journalist yelled at Y/N.

She ignored them and focused on getting up the stairs without tripping and face planting. Not that Dick would ever let that happen.

However, she knew her outfit was going to draw gazes.

Y/N had made a promise to herself that if she was going to be forced to attend events like this with Dick, then she was going make a statement. People were already going to be staring at her, so she figured she might as well give them something good to stare at.

Instead of wearing a typical cocktail and formal dress, Y/N wore a full men’s suit that was tailored to perfection, but with the bowtie undone. It was what the fashion magazines would describe as “androgynous” in the press tomorrow morning.

Y/N wanted to control her own narrative. And she’d rather be judged for her bold decisions than just her trying to blend in.

Bruce insisted on paying for all the boys’ date’s dresses – in this case, suit – if they happened to bring one. He always thought it was more of an incentive for them to attend these terrible events if he encouraged them to bring significant others. And the press always had a field day with it, which only helped throw people of their trail when it came to their secret lives as vigilantes.

Everyone kept screaming Dick’s name as they walked in, and Y/N wondered how he got so good at smiling through the chaos and ignoring them.

Once they were inside, Dick felt the tension leave Y/N’s body a bit.

“Alcohol?” He offered with a smirk.

“Yes, please.”

He nodded, knowing it was exactly what she needed.

Quickly, he grabbed two champagne flutes off a passing waiter.

They clinked glasses.

Then he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “Thank you for being my date.”

Y/N smiled at his sincerity.

Dick sighed before he threw back the champagne, “The quicker we find Bruce and prove we were here, the sooner we can leave.”

“Try not to sound so excited,” she laughed darkly.

Suddenly felt a small human wrap around her thighs.

Y/N gasped in excitement, “Dami!”

Dick smiled as he looked down at his 10-year-old brother hugging his girlfriend.

“Dick gave me the drawing you made for us. It’s so beautiful. I’m trying to find the perfect frame for it,” she told the boy.

Damian beamed with pride at that.

Suddenly the boy started asking a million questions about Stoker, one of his kittens that he’d given to them to take care of when Bruce gave a limit to how many cats Damian was allowed to have in the manor.

Then, to Dick’s shock, he saw Jason slowly walk over to them with his hands in his pant pockets.

He was not at all dressed nice enough for the event. No suit jacket. No tie. His white button-up shirt wrinkled, messily tucked into his pants, and with two many buttons undone. The sloppiness of it all clearly wasn’t an issue with the women, seeing as all of them were ogling Jason.

“Todd,” Damian greeted coldly, pausing his conversation with Y/N, who whipped around at the name.

“Hey, you,” Y/N smiled as she went to greet him.

Jason gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek and a quick hug.

“I really didn’t think you were coming,” Dick told his brother.

“Well, I wasn’t. But I got a business engagement.”

Y/N and Dick shared a confused look.

“What do you mean?” Dick asked.

“I found my neighbor crying on her fire escape a few nights ago. Apparently… one of the finance bros of Wayne fucking Enterprises was everything but a gentleman to her.”

Y/N’s eyes widened in realization. “J, I already took care of that.”

“I know,” Jason nodded as his eyes scanned the room. He was clearly on a personal mission tonight. “You deleted the evidence. I am teaching him a lesson.”

Dick slowly put together what they were implying.

“Oh, please don’t make a scene, Jason.” Dick begged him.

Because he knew Bruce wouldn’t be dealing with the aftermath; it would be him.

“Don’t worry!” Jason laughed. "I’m gonna take him outside before I beat the shit out of him. No one here will even notice. It’ll be fine,” Jason assured him as he gave Dick a far too heavy slap on the back.

“Just tell Bruce and he’ll get him fired,” Dick tried to convince him to take the less violent route.

“Oh, we already did,” Y/N muttered.

Dick’s gaze shot to his girlfriend.

“He’s getting fired on Monday,” she clarified sheepishly.

“Since when do the two of you work together behind my back?” Dick accused them.

But he wasn’t actually mad about anything – maybe just a little bit bitter.

Jason opened his mouth.

“I swear to God, Jason, if you say ‘club business,’ I will lose it…” Dick warned.

Y/N tried to hide her smile.

“Got him,” Jason growled as he glared at someone on the other side of the room.

As soon as he left them, Dick gave Y/N his full attention.

“Seriously?” He accused.

“I’m sorry! He asked me for a favor and I was happy to do it once I realized what it was,” Y/N defended.

Dick pouted a little. Mostly because he hated being left out.

“Don’t worry, ya big baby. I’m still your ‘guy in the chair’ and no one else’s,” she teased before giving him a kiss, immediately wiping the lipstick off his lips.

“How come Jason gets to beat up people at events like this, but I’m expected to behave like a well-trained dog?” Damian mumbled.

Dick sighed and shook his head.

“Jason likes to think he’s a lone wolf who doesn’t have to play by the rules,” Y/N tried to comfort the boy.

To distract Damian from getting further into how unfair it was, Y/N asked him to show her more of his drawings.

This seemed to please Damian and he pulled his phone out, flipping through photos and showing Y/N his recent sketches.

With Y/N being entertained by his youngest brother, Dick decided to go to the bar and get the two of them a stronger drink and maybe get a kiddie cocktail for Damian. He’d pretend to be patronized and annoyed by it, but Dick knew better.

He patiently waited for the bartender’s attention. 

“So Gotham’s Golden Boy really has returned…” a husky voice uttered beside him at the bar.

Dick glanced over to see a beautiful woman close to his age eyeing him.

It was clear what she wanted. Dick used tactics like this on countless missions.

“So I have,” he answered.

He was polite, but distant.

Women hitting on him at events like this was nothing new. To Gotham, Dick Grayson was a Bruce Wayne 2.0 – younger, just as charming and handsome as his mentor and stand-in father figure. 

Dick knew how to play the game. But he never had any interest in casual relationships like Bruce did.

“Back for good?” The woman persisted.

“My girlfriend and I are just in town for a few weeks,” he answered before ordering his drinks with the bartender finally.

“Oh, brought up the girlfriend rather quickly,” she laughed.

Dick quirked an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s just…my friends and I had a bet going.”

Then she pointed to a group of three young women, who were giggling and smiling, not even trying to pretend like they weren’t watching them closely.

“Oh, yeah?” Dick asked, already tired of this conversation.

--

Jason had already rejoined Y/N and Damian.

Y/N looked down to see his knuckles red with irritation and bruised.

“Please tell me there’s not a corpse in the alley behind this hotel now…” Y/N sighed.

“No,” Jason answered coldly. “Though there fucking should be.”

“What did he do?” Damian asked curiously, clearly he hadn’t been listening to their earlier conversation that closely.

Y/N shifted her weight in discomfort, not sure how to handle the subject with the boy. Yes, Damian was far more mature than many grown men, but he was still just a kid. There were some things Y/N felt like they should at least try to protect him from still. 

“He got my neighbor too drunk to consent, filmed them having sex without her knowing it, and then showed it to a bunch of people at their work,” Jason answered bluntly.

Damian’s brow furrowed, clearly thinking long and hard about what his brother just told him.

After a moment, the boy perked up, “I know where we could hide the body so even father won’t find out.”

“Damian!” Y/N scolded.

But Jason was beaming.

Y/N looked around for Dick, hoping to find another sane person to stop the two boys from actually murdering anyone tonight.

But when she finally spotted him, she saw a woman standing far too close to Dick and pointing to a group of girls who flirtatiously waved and winked at both of them.

“Real cute,” Y/N muttered to herself.

“Vultures,” Damian growled as he followed her gaze.

“Jason, if I leave you alone with Damian, are you going to kill someone?” She asked without taking her eyes off her boyfriend.

“I don’t need to be watched,” Damian groaned.

“No, I need you to watch Jason to make sure he doesn’t change his mind about keeping that asshole alive.”

“Fine,” Damian whined.

Without any further confirmation, Y/N left them. 

She walked across the party on a mission, never taking her stare off of her boyfriend.

Dick did a double take when he noticed her heading towards him.

“Hey,” he greeted innocently.

Because he was innocent. All he’d done was be polite to a bunch of women who were after him for his name…and maybe his good looks.

“I was wondering where my drink was,” Y/N said with a surprising calmness and smile.

Then she turned to the woman. 

“Hi, I’m Y/N. You must be a friend of Dick’s.” 

She held her hand out.

No cattiness. No rudeness.

Y/N said it with the same kindness that drunk women having with other drunk women in bar bathrooms.

“Oh…I’m Irina,” the woman stuttered as she took Y/N’s offered hand, clearly confused by Y/N’s niceness.

Dick held out her drink.

Y/N took it, quickly clinked her glass with both Dick and Irina.

“Cheers,” she sang before tossing it back and chugging the drink that was meant to be slowly sipped.

Dick didn’t know what game his girlfriend was playing, but he was intrigued.

Once Y/N lightly placed her empty glass back on the bar, she turned to Dick and tilted her head to the side. “Could you show me to the bathrooms? I have no idea where they are.”

“Of course,” Dick answered without knowing where this was going.

“It was nice meeting you, Irina,” Y/N told the woman as she linked her fingers with Dick’s and guided him away.

—

Meanwhile, Jason watched the interaction as if he were watching an award-winning movie. Him and Damian were way too far to hear, but everyone in the bat family could read lips more than fluently.

Then Jason smirked as he watched Y/N drag Dick away.

“Boys,” Bruce greeted as he snuck up on the two of them. “What are we staring at?”

“Oh, you know,” Jason hummed with hilarity, “just watching Y/N assert her dominance.”

“Good for her,” Bruce grinned as he realized what was happening.

He moved his attention to his youngest boy. “Alfred is waiting outside with the car. You’re officially released from your duties.”

“Finally,” Damian groaned.

“Don’t you wanna say bye to Y/N?” Jason asked.

“They’re coming to the manor tomorrow afternoon,” Bruce answered for his son. Then he raised a brow at Jason. “You’re welcome to join us.”

Jason’s only response was a shrug.

Bruce tried to hide his disappointment and nodded before he guided Damian away and walked him outside, where Alfred was waiting.

10 minutes later, Jason saw Dick trailing behind Y/N as she walked back to the main area of the event.

Jason burst out laughing at the spectacle. 

Dick’s hair was an absolute mess. Half of his shirt was untucked. His jacket was draped over his forearm. His lips were swollen and pink. Y/N had left lipstick all over his neck and even a bit on the collar of his shirt.

Yet somehow not a single hair was out of place on Y/N and her makeup was still immaculate. Her outfit was just as sleek and clean as when she’d arrived. The only thing different was the proud smirk on her lips.

Clearly Y/N had just had her way with Dick.

But she wanted to make sure the whole party knew about it.

—

Y/N hadn’t said a word to Dick since she dragged him from that woman.

Her body did all the talking.

One second they were at the bathroom doors, the next Y/N had thrown him against the tiled wall after locking the bathroom door.

She gave no verbal explanation, just started kissing him and undoing his pants.

“Not that I’m complaining. Like, at all,” Dick laughed as they rejoined the party. “But wanna to tell me what that was all about?”

Y/N finally stopped walking and turned to face him with narrowed eyes. “I think you know, Richard.”

Y/N only ever used his full first name to provoke and tease him. And he hated that it worked every single time.

Dick glanced around to see that everyone in their vicinity was eyeing them. Well, they were mostly eyeing him and how it was clear he’d just been fucked in the bathroom.

He stepped close to her and lowered his voice, “Ohhh, I see how it is.” His eyes flickered down to her lips for a split second. “If a guy does that, he’s jealous and possessive. But if a woman does it, it’s sexy…”

Y/N proudly smiled like the cheshire cat. “Exactly.”

Something over his shoulder caught her attention. “Oh, I see Tim. I’m going to go say hi.”

Without hesitation, she brushed past him.

Dick let his head fall, put his hands on his hips, and laughed.

He’d pay her back later tonight. And by ‘pay her back,’ he would just tell her how incredibly hot her behavior had been and basically invite her to do it whenever she damn well pleased.

Dick felt a presence beside him, and he didn’t have to raise his head to know it was Bruce.

“Hey,” Dick greeted him nonchalantly.

“You have lipstick all over your neck,” Bruce told him as he took a sip of his drink and looked around the party. “And your zippers down.”

“Sure is,” Dick sighed.

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

OK. This was way too fun to write. 

Let me know what you think!!!

ALL BONUS CONTENT CAN BE FOUND: HERE

[emixion]

Story - Day 24 -  Maribat March 2021

man, i got SO stuck on this one, but i think it ended up being one of my favorites thus far. enjoy! @maribatmarch-2k21 ao3 link Marinette didn’t know a lot of things.

She knew her name, she knew she was born in 2003, that her favorite color was pink and that the year was currently 2088.

She also knew that her favorite day of the week was Thursday.

Thursday was when the green eyed man would come visit her and tell her stories.

Every week for the past two months he would come and tell her tales about a boy and a girl, two heroes that fell in love while they saved the world.

She was an aspiring designer with a heart of gold and he was a troubled trust-fund kid with a dark past.

He’d told her how they met, how her class took a trip to his city, how the bus left her at the hotel, how they bumped into each other in the street and how he escorted her to her destination.

How it was practically love at first sight.

The two teenagers fell for each other hard, all while they also met up as superheroes, but didn’t know it yet. Their hero names were Robin and Ladybug.

Marinette had chuckled, she found the animal names amusing.

Eventually, the two found out each other’s identities and their love. grew stronger. They became an unstoppable duo. He was even bestowed a power from the same source she gained hers from and together they protected the cities of Gotham and Paris.

His family was big and chaotic, hers was small and quiet, together they were filled with so much love.

The years went by, the two got older. They graduated, went to college together, found an apartment, started their careers, all while fulfilling their duties as heroes.

Villains came and left, some tougher than others. Limbs were broken, skin was cut, but despite everything, they made it out alive and together. They were even promoted to members of the team led by the boy’s father.

One day the boy went out and bought a ring for his sweetheart. He proposed to her the next week at a family dinner and she tearfully accepted, both of their families exploding in celebration.

The two married on a sunny June afternoon, surrounded by friends, family and teammates.

She became one of the biggest names in fashion and he took over his father’s business along with his siblings.

A few years later they found out that they were expecting.

They were ecstatic, happily making plans for their new arrival.

It was hard for the girl, she had to give up her hero duties for a while, but she had her husband there to keep her company.

She would make tiny clothes for their baby and he would speak to them in his wife’s belly.

A few months later they welcomed a daughter into their family.

They loved their baby girl so much, she was the light of the couple’s lives.

The little girl had so many aunts and uncles and grandparents that loved her, even a great-grandfather who saw her as the apple of his eye.

The two heroes kept up their duties, but now they had an even more important role as parents.

A few years passed, and the couple welcomed another little girl into their family.

The two sisters became best friends, bickering like all siblings do, but they loved each other nonetheless.

Their oldest was nearly six when they had their third and final child, a little boy this time.

Years went by and once the children were old enough, they were told who their parents were and what exactly they did.

The children were shocked, awed and confused by the news, but eventually adjusted and even became heroes themselves.

They possessed the same power as their mother and were trained by their grandfather, so they were a perfect blend of their parents.

The family was well known and beloved by both cities they inhabited, in and out of uniform. They used their wealth and good fortune to help as many people as they could, teaching their children the importance of good will and justice.

In a blink of an eye, the children grew up. They were soon full adults, older than their parents were when they met, making the couple feel awfully old. They were amazed at how fast time could fly.

Eventually, their children had children of their own, and the couple became grandparents. Their large family expanded even more, and those children became heroes one day as well.

As the girl grew older, she knew her time was running out.

The power she possessed, the power that her children and grandchildren shared, was given to them by magical jewelry. The jewelry was so special that it needed a guardian to protect it. That responsibility was given to the girl when she was young, before she even met her husband, and she was told that one day she would have to transfer that guardianship to someone else.

The jewelry would not be the only thing that left her when she passed guardianship.

Her memories, too, would leave her, not only of the power she once had, but her whole life.

She was scared, she was sad, but at the end of the day she always knew the day would come.

Guardianship was transferred to her granddaughter’s partner, a bright young woman who reminded her of her friends at that age. She took the honor gracefully and became the new guardian of the powerful jewelry.

The girl, now an old woman, lost all of her memories of her life.

But, she was never alone. She still had a big family that loved her. Even if she’d lost people over the years, she would never be truly alone.

“Is that the end of the story?” Marinette asked the green eyed man, her face sad. It was such a tragic story.

The man simply shook his head and smiled. “No, the story isn’t over yet. It’s still being written.” he told her. “Because no matter what, even if her memories stay gone forever, her husband will always be there to tell her their story.”

Marinette stared at him a moment, then her eyes lit up in recognition. “…Damian..?” She asked softly.

“Yes, Angel.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her head. “I’m here.”

“Don’t go..” She quietly begged, leaning into his touch.

“Never.” He promised. And he meant it.Even if it never stuck, he would tell her the same story a million times if he had to.

It was their story, after all.

[darlcng]

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐌𝐎𝐍  𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆  .

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤthere  is  no  place  like  𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆  !

[  CLOSED  !  ]  𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐌𝐎𝐍  𝐁𝐋𝐃𝐆  is  located  in  soho  ,  new  york  city  and  is  a  small  six  -  story  building  with  a  fair  rental  price  ,  focused  on  young  adults  .  ms  .  fairmon  ,  the  owner  of  the  building  and  the  landlady  ,  is  a  wealthy  woman  who  inherited  the  building  from  her  parents  ,  a  couple  that  was  once  big  in  the  real  estate  industry  in  nyc  .  as  ms  .  fairmon  has  no  interest  in  earning  more  money  yes  she  is  already  rich  enough  ,  she  decided  to  put  the  units  for  rent  with  a  friendly  ,  very  attractive  price  ,  in  order  to  help  struggling  tenants  .  

the  group  is  an  appless  ,  small  discord  roleplay  revolving  around  the  tenants  of  the  fairmon  building  and  their  lives  .

i’ve  been  wanting  a  small  and  chill  place  to  develop  my  muses  for  a  while  now  ,  so  i  decided  to  go  ahead  and  try  to  make  my  own  one  .  if  you  have  any  questions  ,  concerns  or  suggestions  ,  my  inbox  is  open  !  if  you  want  to  send  your  app  ,  please  use  my  submit  box  .  thank  you  !

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲  :  an  appless  ,  small  discord  roleplay  with  chill  activity  ,  focused  on  the  lives  of  the  tenants  of  fairmon  building  .  it  is  a  safe  environment  &  diversity  is  highly  encouraged  .  we  focus  on  literacy  ,  but  one  -  liners  and  text  threads  are  completely  fine  .  there  will  be  a  board  (  aka  a  confessional  thingy  )  where  tenants  can  speak  their  minds  anonymously  .  and  ,  of course  ,  there  will  be  a  groupchat  with  all  tenants  .  template  cred  goes  to  cibby  (  @ gunshzt  )  .

#  𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒  .

one  .  basic  roleplaying  etiquette  .  muns  must  be  above  the  age  of  eighteen  and  muses  /  faceclaims  must  be  over  the  age  of  twenty  .  no  godmodding  ,  bubble  rping  ,  ooc  drama  or  discrimination  will  be  tolerated  here  .  since  this  is  a  small  group  ,  everyone  should  be  welcoming  and  treat  members  respectfully  .  should  you  have  any  problems  with  a  particular  mun  ,  please  message  me  privately  .  you  don’t  have  to  be  my  mutual  to  join  ,  but  that’d  be  nice  !

two  .  this  is  a  group  focused  on  character  development  so  some  sort  of  literacy  is  a  must  .  while  you  don’t  have  to  write  five  -  paragraph  replies  ,  paras  are  encouraged  !  

three  .  interest  checks  will  be  held  weekly  to  make  sure  everyone  is  still  interested  in  the  group  .  you  have  twenty  -  four  hours  to  react  ,  otherwise  you’ll  be  removed  .  if  you  need  a  hiatus  ,  please  let  me  know  and  we  won’t  remove  you  from  the  group  !

four  .  banned  faceclaims  are  those  deceased  ,  who  do  not  wish  to  be  roleplayed  ,  anyone  below  the  age  of  twenty  ,  and  it  includes  :  tiktokers  ,  youtubers  ,  kardashians  /  jenners  ,  biebers  ,  kj  apa  ,  cole  sprouse  ,  camila  cabello  ,  ariana  grande  ,  ansel  elgort  ,  ester  exposito  ,  nicola  peltz  .

five  .  you  may  apply  for  two  muses  at  first  and  you  can  apply  for  a  third  and  a  forth  ones  after  a  week  of  consistent  activity  .  additionally  ,  if  you  have  four  muses  ,  at  least  one  must  be  of  color  ,  body  diverse  or  trans  .

six  .  please  keep  in  mind  that  when  applying  to  a  specific  apartment  ,  your  muse  might  have  a  roommate  .  if  you  don’t  have  a  preference  for  a  certain  apartment  number  ,  please  put  [  N  /  A  ]  on  the  apartment  number  part  of  the  app  and  your  muse  will  be  paired  randomly  .  we’ll  have  a  limit  of  four  apartments  with  no  roommates  ,  so  please  specify  if  you  don’t  wish  to  be  paired  up  and  prefer  your  muse  to  live  alone  .

#  𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  .

(  faceclaim  ,  age  ,  pronouns  )  fairmon  building  welcomes  you  to  your  new  home  ,  [  FIRST  AND  LAST  NAME  ]  !  here  are  the  keys  to  [  APARTMENT  NUMBER  ]  and  we  hope  you  have  a  good  time  here  .  we’ve  heard  that  you’re  a  [  AGE  ]  years  old  [  OCCUPATION  ]  from  [  HOMETOWN  ]  ,  is  that  right  ?  you  look  very  [  POSITIVE  TRAIT  ]  ,  but  also  a  little  [  NEGATIVE  TRAIT  ]  ,  and  your  last  landlord  told  us  that  [  RUMOR  /  SECRET  ]  .  i  wonder  if  that’s  true  !  anyway  ,  go  ahead  and  make  yourself  comfortable  !  (  ooc  name  /  alias  ,  age  ,  pronouns  ,  timezone  ,  url  ,  triggers  *  ,  links  *  )

*  triggers  and  additional  links  to  pinterest  boards  ,  bios  ,  etc  are  optional  .  any  additional  information  will  help  me  have  a  better  feeling  of  your  muse  and  might  help  me  understand  if  they’re  fit  for  the  group  .

#  𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍  (  23  /  48  MUSE SPOTS  &  14 /  16  MUN  SPOTS  )  .

faceclaims  :  alisha  boe ,  anthony  ramos  ,  anya  taylor  -  joy  ,  arón  piper  ,  evan  mock  ,  florence  pugh  ,  henry  golding  ,  hugh  laughton  scott   , jeon  somi  ,  logan  lerman  ,   lorenzo  zurzolo  ,  madelyn  cline  ,   madison  bailey  ,  manu  rios  ,  minatozaki  sana  ,  nico  hiraga  ,  richard  madden  ,  vinetrria  ,  yara  shahidi  .

apartments  :  101  ,  102 ,  201  ,  202  ,  204  ,  301  ,  303  ,  401  ,  402  ,  404  ,  501  ,  502  ,  601  ,  602  &  604  .

#  𝐀𝐏𝐏  𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓  (  02  )  .

faceclaims  :  park  chaeyoung  &  christina  nadin  .

apartments  :  103  &  404  .

available  apartments  :  101  ,  102  ,  204  ,  301  ,  303  ,  401  ,  404  ,  502  ,  601  ,  602  &  604  all  have  one  spot  available  &  103  ,  104  ,  203  ,  302  ,  304  ,  403  ,  503  ,  504  &  603  are  empty  .