#also i know the my house one is terrible quality but i just really wanted to include his hot girl moment

[miirohs]

birds of a feather [k.s]

pairing: Ken Sato x GN!Reader wc: 1.4k cw: bad hurt/comfort (?) an: i got that skibidi found family type brainrot fs 😂 on gyatt.... anyways i promise i will get back to writing formula one but i need to simp for this man solidly. also i can't write hurt/comfort ive said this a million times but ugh man does it suck to write.

The house in Japan was a lot more peaceful than the one in the States. More secluded, quietly overlooking the city. 

Every day you came home from work, the house dark and empty with Ken gone to his other job.

You didn’t bother him about it, keeping the delicate balance between his two jobs. You didn’t mind it either. It gave you time to yourself, time to adjust, but you weren’t sure you could’ve said the same about Ken.

Ever since his last run-in with the KDF, he’d been exhausted. His eyebags only grew instead of shrinking, and his watch went off almost every possible moment it could. You had asked him what was wrong, but he’d never been one to let you lick his wounds for him, watering it down to some kind of side effect of the stress on him.

Unlocking the doors, you hopped inside, pulling your shoes off as you looked around.

You could hear the tv running in the background, the clinking ice against metal. It wasn’t strange for him to be off duty after games, but you just assumed he wouldn’t be.

The beatdown was probably worse than usual, if you had to guess.

You wandered into the living room, and there he was, sitting in his ice bath. You couldn’t see much because of how dark the room was, but part of his face was lit by the replays on the screen. 

You could almost make out his eyes narrowing at the screen, huffing as he sunk deeper into the water.

“Ken?” He turned to you, eyes pained as he pushed himself up.

“Hi baby.” He greeted softly, a hand tenderly moving to his side as he turned to you.

“Are you okay-“

“I’m fine.” You flinched at the strained quality of his voice.

“My bad. I was just trying to check on you.” You mumbled, holding up your hands as you stood stuck to your spot.

He saw, and his eyes softened, extending an inviting hand to you.

“I’m sorry. The seasons been kind of rough lately.” He murmured as he held your hand gently, squeezing it.

You hummed in response, eyes trailing down the expanse of his body. You could see some bruising, blooming in splotches of yellow, purple and red under his skin. It looked like it hurt.

“I’m taking it you got into a fight on field?”

“Not this time, no,” He scoffed, leaning against the warmth of your hand, “I collapsed, tried crawling my way to the last base, and failed. I was so close to getting those points.” The last part was tinged with embarrassment, his face pulled into a grimace as your hand ran across his arm.

“That's terrible, I'm sorry Ji.” He shrugged, eyes staring ahead at the screen, those embarrassing scenes reflecting back in his eyes. “It is what it is.”

“So you’re off duty tonight then?” He sighed, nodding reluctantly.

“For now, but who knows?” He said sullenly. You couldn’t stop your hopes from crashing entirely, hand slipping out of his unconsciously.

“Don’t look at me like that, you know how it is. I can’t control what happens, I…” He stopped, a look of regret creeping onto his face.

“I'll join you in a bit. Promise I'll try not to leave tonight?” He tried softly, looking at you with poorly disguised hope in his eyes. 

It worked, and you released the breath you were holding.

“You’ll be okay?”

He didn’t respond, and you didn’t push him for one, quietly leaving the room.

True to his word, he appeared at the door an hour later, dragging himself across the threshold. He looked worse than he did earlier, wincing slightly as he sat down on the edge of the bed, hunched over into himself.

“That must have been one really good ice bath…” You trailed off, eyes narrowing at the various injuries on his arm.

“Those look awfully fresh Ji, did you at least get Mina to look at those?” 

“No! No. Uh, no. I didn’t want her to.” He spluttered, crossing his arms. You couldn’t see his face, but you could almost imagine the expression he was making.

“Take off your shirt.” He blinked, a baffled look on his face as turned to you.

“No, why the-“

“Take off your shirt Ken, don’t make me say it again.”

He crossed his arms tighter as you got closer, hand outstretched. You paused, looking at him.

“Would you be okay with me looking?”

He nodded reluctantly, grumbling about not wanting to make a big deal out of it. He had turned away from you, breathing uneven as you got closer.

You pulled up his shirt, heart thumping at the sight. It was worse than what you’d seen earlier.

“Ji, what is this? How…?” He didn’t respond immediately, rubbing his face as he took a deep breath

“I didn’t think they were that bad,” He muttered, wincing as he pulled the shirt over his head, holding it in his hands tightly, “Not as bad as they were last week, babe.”

“How did you even get these?” You questioned, finger tracing up his spine, avoiding the poorly bandaged cuts and bruising.

“Do I have to tell you?” He said, flustering you with the defensiveness in his tone. 

“No. No, you don’t have to.” You reaffirmed quietly, returning to your side of the bed to rummage through your night chest till you found what you needed. “But I would’ve liked it if you did.”

“It’s complicated.”

“I figured it would be. Hold still for me?” 

You shook the bottle of neosporin, spraying down the wounds. He tensed up, a squeak escaping his lips.

“It hurts!” 

“Would you rather Mina do it?”

He shook his head. 

“That’s what I thought. Luckily these were already somewhat decently clean. That bruising looks like a muscle injury though.” You whistled, setting down the neosporin in favor of some bandaids. 

He continued to let him work on your, mostly silent other than the occasional wincing. You could tell he was trying his hardest to play tough, unaware you could see through it all.

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this.” He muttered suddenly, fists clenching the bedsheets as you gently laid the bandages on his back. “It’s not fair to you.”

“Kenji, I know it's tough for you, but I'm here because I want to be. I care about you." You scooted to the edge of the bed, looping a hand into his loosening fist.

The dim lights highlighted the sharpness of his face, eyes cutting through the dimmed light as they looked out the window. He looked beautiful, as exhausted as he was.

“I want to tell you. I don’t know if there will ever be a right time for you, and you deserve better than me being on the move all day and night.”

“Nope.” You popped the p, clutching his hand tighter. “We promised to stick together, remember? Hell, I followed you all the way from the states because I was confident we could work together. So, I need you to speak to me. Make it work.”

A heartbeat passed. And then he spoke.

“The pressure, the expectations... I feel like I'm constantly running, trying to keep up." He confessed quietly, “There's a lot riding on what I’ve done.”

“Something tells me you’re not talking about baseball.”

“I’m not,” He laughed humorlessly, “I’m just worried I’m not doing enough. That I’m not enough.”

"Ken," you said softly, turning to him “I can’t pretend to understand what you do, but you’re making so many people proud. Your mother, your father, me.”

His eyes were glossed over, and he brought up an arm to cover them, sniffing slightly.

“I hope you know I’m here for you. Birds of a feather, we gotta stick together, you know? I’d follow you to hell and back Ken, and you know that.” You continued, bringing up his hand to press a kiss to it.

He nodded slowly, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the tears. "Thank you," he murmured, voice barely above a whisper, "For everything."

“Of course,” you replied, leaning against him carefully.

“The next time you get injured, just let Mina or me know, understand?”

“Perfectly.”

[fallingforyouforeverr]

𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤:

summary: what the one and only arthurtv would be like as your boyfriend

authors note: tysm for the request anon, i loved writing these! this man is literally a walking green flag like how is he even real. sorry for the slow uploads btw i've been super busy lately

please consider checking out my masterlist

-> the gentleman above all gentlemen istg

-> he's such a caring boyfriend. whenever you are sick or had a bad day, he seems to know exactly what you need and won't leave you alone until you feel better

-> literally gives the best hugs ever. i can't rlly explain it but I feel like his body just runs warm so he's really cozy and you always feel so secure when he's got his arms around you, cradling you into his chest

-> arthur makes getting out of bed in the morning so much more difficult simply because his cuddles are so comfy that you never want to leave

-> not super into pda, the most he will do in public is quick pecks but in private he is SUPER clingy, to the point where he's basically an extra limb

-> whether he's holding your hand/got an arm slung around your waist or has his head laid in your lap while watching tv, he's not happy unless he's touching you in some way

-> we all know arthur is a massive nerd, and you probably are too, so you often go on dates to museums or art galleries

-> also, zoo/aquarium dates are a must in your relationship. he loves to infodump random animal facts and you love to stare at him adoringly while he infodumps random animal facts

-> arthur is always so attentive to you, and notices every difference in your appearance and can tell when your mood changes even if you are trying to hide it from him

-> he also remembers all the little details about you, even the minor stuff you don't remember telling him, and you often joke that he knows you better than you do

-> shows his love for you through small acts of service like always having your favourite food stocked in his kitchen and learning your skincare routine so he can do it for you when you are too tired

-> would also give you his shoes without hesitation if your feet started hurting on a night out. he doesn't care how uncomfortable it is for him or that he looks like an idiot. he just wants you to feel as comfortable as possible

-> arthur absolutely adores the soft domestic moments together. very much a quality time person, and he loves that you can make even mundane chores seem more interesting

-> george and arthur hill like to tease him about being a simp, but they genuinely think its so sweet how happy being around you makes him

-> george once told you, when you were over at the boys' house and your boyfriend was in the bathroom, that in all the time they've known each other, he has never seen arthur smile as much as he did when he was with you

-> similar to george, he has a very busy work schedule so he tries to treasure the time you do have together. unfortunately, he does sometimes miss your dates due to filming overrunning but he always feels terrible and tries to make it up to you the best he can

-> your relationship is so sweet and supportive. you're the kind of couple that you can tell, just by looking at them, how inlove they are with each other

[tan1shere]

Away With You

Billie Eilish x female reader !

A/n: so i decided to write the dream I had cuz it was honestly beautiful, and the cutest thing ever so I hope you all enjoy !!

Summary: you go on a vacation with your girlfriend and it's the nicest time you've probably ever had with one another.

Warnings: mentions of nudity- but nothing sexual. All fluff and softness !

Masterlist

Work was always a hassle, so the fact you had time to even go on this trip was amazing. You and Billie had decided last minute to go on a spontaneous trip, it was thrilling to say fuck everything else and spend pure quality time with one another. Once you arrive at the massive hotel, you desperately wanted to go in the spa. Your muscles ached terribly from the past week. It was truly stressful for the both of you, and Billie couldn't wait to relax herself. She never got to do so when she traveled so she definitely wanted to savor this moment.

You begin to unpack just a little getting out a bathing suit. "This trip is truly something we both need." You nod. "I second that." She comes over to you placing her hands on your waist, looking into your eyes, slowly darting over your face features. "Youre stunning, how'd I even get you." You smile at her, shoving her arm. Both smiling tremendously. "Hush you, if anything I should be wondering how I got you." She then laughs. "How'd we get eachother." This causes you to laugh.

"I dunnoo." She dramatically gasps. "Nooo, you goof. Ofcourse I know how." She just shakes her head. "You don't even remember. Admit it!" She playfully points at you. "It was a beautiful afternoon." You began, making her laugh. Chucking a pillow at you. You caught it, throwing it back.

It was evening, you were currently working like you did almost every day. You didn't mind your job as an interior designer. Hell it was heaps of fun. But what wasn't fun, was the people you met along the way. Some were incredibly difficult, testing your patience. You were meeting up with a new client today, you were just glad it was the last for the day. You pull up to the fairly new house and head to the door, knocking. When the door opens you're met with the prettiest eyes and features. Then your brain clicked on who it was.

Wow, she was more gorgeous in person. "You must be Y/n!" She smiles brightly, making yours increase. "That's me!" You talk for hours on end, not even at all about what you were meant to be doing, but Billie kept asking you fun questions. "I love how we've been talking about everything, except what I came for." You giggle as you sit on the only piece of furniture in her home. This makes her laugh too. "Hey, you interest me." You smile at the compliment.

And thats where it all started, not as romantic as one may think but you thought it was. It was the best night of your life, and to now say you got to be with her in that house that you both designed. You were incredibly happy. You guys got one another on a different level.

"You coming down to the spa?" She nods. "Course, gotta relax with my baby after that long plane ride." She gets up going to change also.

You both make your way onto the pool floor, heading straight for the spa. Billie following close behind you, getting in just as you were. A soft content sigh leaves your lips, feeling the warmth hit your joints. Your eyes shut, soaking up the feeling of it. Billies arms extend out on the edges behind her, watching you for a moment. Your blissed out face, made her smile. She was glad to see you finally relaxing. This was her idea after all. She knew you'd been having a really difficult time with work, everything was just too much right now.

You drop your bags on the floor, puffing out a breath as you just frustratedly sigh. Billie comes into view, knowing you had a bad day. "What happened today?" You were about to ramble and rant.

"What didn't, happen today." You huff. "Everything you can think of. New client, current client. Old client. Never. Fucking. Happy. I listen to what they want but no I still get it wrong to these stuck up snobby bitches." You sigh again, tiredly. "I love my job I do. But its not fun when people ruin it you know?" She nods sympathetically. "I know baby, im sorry." She says, bringing you in for a hug. You sink into her touch resting your head in her neck, smelling her scent. She pulls back getting you to look at her. "Why don't we take a break, you definitely could use it and I'm clearly going with you." You smile at her. "That sounds lovely, where to." - "Anywhere mama, you pick."

"This is so nice." You then look at her, both holding a loving gaze. "It's amazing. Tomorrow we should go out and see this place fully." She smiles. "Let's do it!" It made you happy to know she could relax now too. Instead of working all the time with no break, and even when she did travel she'd never have time to do all this. It was incredibly nice for her also.

It was starting to get dimmer outside, and you had both agreed on changing and getting some dinner. The food was amazing, this whole hotel was incredible. Massive, you could easily get lost in this place. After you get some food in your system your back up into the hotel room, deciding to put on a movie. Your legs are laying over her lap, her hands rubbing your feet as she progressively starts to massage them. Your eyes were about to flutter close when she speaks. "Hey, wanna do something fun." Your eyes flick to hers, a smile on your face. "What we doin."

You were all in for it, even if you didn't know what it was. "It's midnight so I doubt anyone will see, why don't we skinny dip in the spa." You laugh a little. "You're crazy! Let's do it." You finish, making her laugh. Getting up off the bed. "We only live once baby!" "Preachhh." You both stay in your clothes until you were down there. You headed for the most secret one so it's not too insane. You both quickly strip getting into the warm water again. "We're gunna be prunes." You laugh, causing her own fit of laughter. The water felt great against your bodies, mixing with the cool air of the night.

Taking in everything of this surreal moment. Everything was still, everything was quiet, you couldn't be more happy. To be here with the love of your life, to feel so purely elated. You look at her, so deeply inlove. "Thank you." She looks at you now. "For what?" You smile gently. "For everything, every single thing." A soft smile is spread across her lips. "Thank you for being mine." You smile more. "I wouldn't change it for the world."

You stayed out there for a little bit longer, going to snuggle up to her. Feeling yourself close to drifting off. "Why don't we call it a night." You then hear her say. "Sounds great."

[a-strange-familiar]

an angsty idea: f! Reader flinches during a steamy (not THAT kind of steamy) argument (bonus points for subspace) ends in fluff maybe idk, <33 ur work is *chefs kiss* ily ♥︎♡

Awww. ily too. Hope you enjoy, lovie 💗 and sooo sorry for the late <333

A/n : I got this request little over a year back and I wrote half of this and completely forgot. I got a random motivation to write this now. I really hope the anon who requested it will have a chance to read it. ♡

And also I reached a milestone (not a VERY big one, but its special to me) on my followers, thank you for all your love and support ❤️

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It's been more than three weeks since Y/n and Harry spent some quality time together. Harry was really busy with work and Y/n understood that and focused on her university work.

But it's actually bugging her. She can't lie saying that she is not feeling insecure. He is a very handsome man. Beautiful, sweet, respectful and understanding. And Y/n also know for a fact that there are many women out there trying to get in his pants or his life. But she know him, he would never do that to her. But she can't help but worry about it though.

So she kept herself busy with school and work both but she miss Harry, so thought about talking to him and having dinner together.

Today especially she had a worst day, not completely worst but worst day of the month. From the moment she woke she felt off. Something is not good and she had a terrible headache but still she went to college and later to work.

But in college she got a bad grade in a test which led up to her professor calling her to his office and giving her an earful. It's her mistake for not preparing properly for the test. And later she had to face a rude costumer at her work, and her whole mood got even worse.

By the time she came home she was feeling very low and sad. All she wanted was to cry her heart out and have some snuggles from Harry. She misses him soo much, they are living in the same house but lately doesn't feel like that.

She opened the door and stepped inside to find the lights are on, she thanked the heavens that Harry is home early. She just want to see him and kiss him.

She is feeling soo subby, not in a sexual way. She wants to be taken care of and loved. She wants Harry to hug and kiss her tears away. She just wants to be near him.

She went inside and figured that Harry is indeed home and in his office. As every step she takes she hear his voice taking in phone with someone and he is clearly stressed and angry.

She went near the door and contemplated about knocking the door or directly opening it. She decided to knock first, she faintly knocked and the talking stopped for a second and continued.

She waited for a couple seconds and slowly opened the door.

There he is, sitting in his office with his phone in one hand and eyes on the laptop infront him with his brows furrowed and visible tension and tiredness his face.

Y/n sticked her head inside the room without entering completely and called his name.

He looked at her for second, and smiled. It's not his smile. It's not a smile at all. He just made his lip form a thin line and nodded his head to let her know that he acknowledged her presence.

She wanted to call his name again but she didn't. He is busy and that's visible, as much as she wants his attention she knows better that interrupting something important.

She turned back and went into their room. Maybe after a bit he will be able give her his attention.

She showered and wore one of Harry's t-shirt and did her night time skincare. And after a good one and half hour she decided to go to Harry and talk.

She knocked on his office again and but this time she heard a faint 'come in' .

"Hi baby" She said softly

"Hi , love." He said in return and looked at her for a second and got back to his work.

Y/n fidgeted with her fingers and thought of something to talk about.

But Harry broke the silence. " how was your day ? "

She felt relived that he asked about it and that she didn't have to start the topic.

"Um.... not very good actually." She said

He looked at her with his brows furrowed and asked "What happened, baby ?"

"Just not feeling good and didn't have a good day at uni and at work." She shrugged

"Ohh, I'm sorry, love."

"Harry do you think we can watch a movie and talk for a bit. I don't really feel good. I could use some cuddled and a kiss." She asked shyly.

"Um...... " he started .

"I'm sorry but I really can't right now ,baby. I have so much of work. I can give you a kiss though." He said and got right back into his work.

Y/n stood there without moving. She wanted to be understood, all she wanted was his attention and his closeness.

For weeks she has been an understanding girlfriend and gave him space and let him prioritize his work, but she had enough.

"Harry, it's been weeks since we spent some time and shared an actual conversation. I have been patient but I think you should be understanding to my needs too." She ranted all her thoughts inside her head.

He lifted his head for his laptop and looked at her with an unreadable expression.

She really wished to know what was going on in that head of his.

"I know. I'm sorry that I haven't given you any attention in weeks but I have work to do, Y/n. I can't abandon them and look after your needs." He said that last part in a very mocking way that made her wince internally.

She sighed and started "Harry, I think -"

"Y/n, I don't have time for your chit-chat. Can't you see I have work to do ?" He yelled at her with fuming expression on his face.

Y/n was caught of guard by the yelling, and flinched and her face colored with shock and fear.

She was never in an abusive relationship that made her react this way. But seeing Harry yell at her made her pretty sacred and also Harry can be pretty scary when he is angry.

By seeing her reaction Harry's eyes softened and regret was written all over his face.

He was about to open his mouth and get up from his chair when y/n took a step back and murmured a small 'sorry' and left the room in a hurry.

Harry's heart clenched seeing that expression on her face. He wanted nothing more than to take those words back. Seeing tears in her eyes was the last thing he wanted to witness. But he already made her cry.

~~~

Y/n rushed to their room with blurry vision and tears streaming down her face. She wiped her face and got onto the bed and buried her face in her soft feather like pillows.

She cried and let her heart feel the pain for few minutes before she stopped.

She wanted to go somewhere else and give Harry some space, but she can't just go to anyone's house in the middle of the night and crash. So she had no choice but to be in their house.

After few more minutes she heard a faint sound of their bedroom door opening but she didn't open her eyes or peered up at Harry to see what he is doing

He got on the bed beside her and ran his hand down her back slowly.

"I'm soo sorry, love " He whispered.

"I really, really am. Work is hectic and I was going through something at office and took it on you. Im sorry and I know I have been distant lately. It's absolutely my fault and nothing to do with you. Im just an arrogant son of a bitch."

He kissed her head let his lips linger for few moments.

His words sounded sincere and y/n also knew he really didn't mean to yell but it's still hurt her.

"Can you please look at me ,baby ?" He asked her in a pleading tone that she couldn't ignore.

She slowly turned towards him and looked at him, his eyes were sad and regret colored his face. She felt bad for a second.

"I'm sorry baby." He said again as he caressed her face gently with his finger.

"Can you please forgive me, my love ? " He asked her as he looked into her eyes with soo much love.

She nodded her head and gave him a small smile. No matter what happened it's really hard for her to be mad at him for long time.

He returned her smile and kissed her lips softy. "I'll make it up for you , baby. What do wanna do ? You still want to watch a movie?"

She shook her head. "No. I think I want to get some rest."

His smile faltered a bit and he felt disappointed but he gave her kiss and stoked her hair. "Whatever you want , my love"

"Can you can lay down with me for a bit if you are not busy ? " She asked in a soft voice still not wanting to come between him and his work.

His smile grew as he laid on the bed with her and opened his arms wide for her to hug him and cuddle.

Without wasting any time she went into his arms and snuggled with him.

He kissed her head and murmured "I love soo much, love. I will never ignore you again "

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A/n : please let me know if you like this and comment and send me asks and interact with me if you like it.

I have been very inactive on this app, but I'm back. Here is small something for you guys. Hope you like it.

As always lots of love. 💗

°•●°°•●°

Thanks for reading.

Hope you enjoyed.

Please like, comment and reblog of you like it.

[vampirememory]

quality ✧ do you need to lower or raise your standards? [Love PAC]

Hello! I believe this is my first pick a card of 2024, I hope you appreciate the topic I chose. This is something that I recently had to recognize and deal with myself, so hopefully you find this reading helpful.

Pick a photo or a number one through three and continue reading to find your reading.

One

No, absolutely not. If anything, your standards are too low. You are like me, at least myself a few weeks/months ago when I did not value myself. You need to understand that you are 100% valuable and loved, and that there is nothing that can depreciate your value. You may have been overconsuming readings, questioning as to why you continue getting into toxic relationships or completely lack a relationship and it's because you have a negative sense of self. Listening to self-worth or self concept subliminals may help you. You are worthy of a healthy, happy relationship but you need to be healthy yourself first. Now keep in mind, healthy does not mean without illnesses. I know from my experience with depression, I will never be healthy, but you CAN have a healthy outlook on life and a healthy sense of self, which is what you are looking for. Especially for my mentally ill friends, no one (not here, at least) is expecting you to be 100% healthy but to be as healthy as you can be, if that makes sense.

Two

Girlie, I hate to tell you but your standards are high as fuck. But is that a bad thing? You tell me. To be clear, when I say girlie I am 100% being gender neutral, this reading is for everyone ^-^! You're giving boss bitch energy, but are you actually a boss bitch? One thing about having high standards is that you also need to meet those standards yourself and you need to ask yourself "would someone like that want to date me"? For example, if you're really aiming for a basketball player or the top CEO, are you actually in a mental and physical space where that will happen? Are you out on the courts, networking and integrating yourself into sports environments? Are you working your way up to the top, making connections with higher ups and building a good reputation? I think you may have good standards, but you aren't reaching them yourself or not putting yourself in environments where you'll meet said person. Also make sure you are actually maintaining those standards too. If you think education is important, and you're actively in education and want someone else who is too, why settle for someone who hates education or isn't looking to educate themselves? Things like that make all the difference. If you want to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk too.

Three

This pile gives me much softer vibes than the other two piles. Your standards and romantic requests may be more traditional, you may want the house and the kids and the white picket fence and that's totally fine! I think you're doing well in terms of your standards, you uphold them and you aren't putting yourself in situations where you are with people who are against that dream or against those standards. I do need to warn you, however, that there are a lot of exploitive people out there, especially when it comes to wanting a more traditional homelife. Waiting is a completely fine thing to do. Don't jump at the first person that looks nice and ticks all the boxes because they may be lying. I don't see terrible things happening for you but I feel like I needed to include a warning. Just be careful and you'll get your wishes <3.

Thats all for today my friends! Check out my masterlist for my previous readings and remember to stay safe in this crazy world! Feel free to send asks with any topics you would like to see in the future.

[rainwalker-dragonblade29]

I started reading puzzle house, and I noticed something. There seems to be an age mismatch... In S6, soren looks about 6 ish. Claudia about 4... in the flashback that Lissa leaves. Which is preceded by kppar's disappearance. Soren is shown that young when Viren saved him. (Image credits : @raayllum and @stuck-in-jelly ) look how young soren is! And claudia is teeny weeny!

BUT IN PUZZLE HOUSE.... there's a scene between King Atticus (What a lovely man) and Viren.... he asks Viren how he is doing out of genuine concern!

(Pardon the picture quality my camera is not so great)

THE FOLOW UP OF THE SAME INCIDENT THAT IS IN VIREN'S FLASHBACKS!!!! BUT SOREN LOOKS ABOUT 10ISH AND CLAUDIA ABOUT 8ISH!

Now it is very much possible that the puzzle house happens very much later. Like after a time skip.

Also to note: claudia was given kppar's spellbook. Tge kids had been to his house multiple times atleast to mention "he never let us enter his tower". Also Atticus asks the question as if it all happened fairly recently. Means tge flashback of s6 happened pretty close to the time of puzzle house no? But soren and claudia look older to me...

Wouldn't it make more sense if soren and claudia were a little older than how they are shown in s6 flashbacks to have known kppar! If soren is saved at an older age it would still work.

I don't know if it was a mismatch between the two departments handling the production of the season and the graphic novel. But their ages don't line up... like if all of those flashbacks of s6 happened with a little older claudia and soren, they would remember that incident much more strongly, and that is fitting for character!

I see three possibilities...

A) This is truly a mistake and there was a mismatch between the teams that made the season and the novel.

B) This is deliberate! They showed the flashbacks through Viren's POV. And maybe its the "to parents their children are always young" or this is just how he is seeing them in the memory of that incident now. Memories become distorted over time... we don't remember details and when we recall, we fill their place with details of how we felt that incident to be like, which is sometimes not what it actually was.... Viren's guilt makes him look at himself like the terrible man who hurt his two innocent children. And what better way to make a child look innocent than to literally age them down! Look at this image of claudia from one of the short stories... here she looks about her puzzle house age, seeing Lissa leave.

So it is true that the puzzle house ages are reality and the flashback ages are Viren's projections of his children as how innocent they were when he hurt their family. I AM ONTO SOMETHING HERE, I REALLY WANT THIS TO BE TRUE!

C) I could be wrong at judging character ages too (in that case it would be a bummer cuz what sort of animation student am I then?)

But what do you guys think? I am leaning towards the ages being shown that way is deliberate...

[lotstradamus]

i'm loving all your vampire posting lottie! if you're ever so compelled i'd love to hear what you make of the books vs the show and if there are any book things you'd especially like to see done on the show! (also, bookwise, are you a lestat girl or an armand girl or a louis/marius/david/akasha/claudia girl or or or)

as someone who tried to read Interview with the Vampire thrice (THRICE!!!) pre-AMC show revival and simply could not get through it (it is melancholy), I cannot BELIEVE how down bad I am for these books right now. I keep seeing bad reviews on goodreads and girding my loins for each new book expecting the quality to nosedive, but 1 star bitch WHERE? WHERE??? I AM HAVING THE TIME OF MY GODDAMN LIFE

in terms of books vs show, honestly after a point the books are kind of Unadaptable unless they radically change the main cast, vibe and format of the show every single season, and the changes they made to IWTV were good to the point of sending me fucking insane so they can just keep on doing whatever their little hearts desire with the source material imo!!! howmever I DO have some suggestions for the upcoming seasons:

Lestat crying twice an ep (non-negotiable)

I would kind of love it if Lestat is the only character who tells the truth. the most reliablest narrator and normal girl to ever live. and yet every time he says something like "I killed a pack of wolves single-handedly" or "I woke Those Who Must Be Kept by playing violin" or "I snog my mother with tongue" Daniel is just sitting there like "............riiiight."

Gabrielle. Gabrielle Gabrielle Gabrielle. mainly I would like to smash cut to Gabrielle in the middle of really intense Lestat/everyone else scenes and she's just like peacefully sleeping in the ground... strolling through a distant jungle... sitting on a mountain looking at the stars in silence...

EXCEPT that one scene where she pulls up to Lestat's concert like she's in 2 Fast 2 Furious

it'll be interesting to see how they adapt Queen of the Damned because so little of it is actually from Lestat's pov, and all of it is amazing and cannot be cut out: [Stefon voice] the Twins, Jesse, specifically Jesse being haunted in Louis and Lestat's old New Orleans house, everyone hanging out/playing out terrible interpersonal dramas at the Sonoma compound, NIGHT ISLAND...!

I cannot stress this enough: GHOST CLAUDIA.

I want them to do Body Thief. fuck it, why not. must haves are Mojo, a random hunk with a PhD in Sam Reid's mannerisms playing Lestat for 6/8 episodes, Lestat nearly dying 25 times cos he pilots his human body like a drunk muppet, and, most importantly, Lestat BEGGING David Talbot for some old man pussy

oh and an entire episode set on a cruise ship

my favourite scene from the whole of Body Thief was Lestat turning David at the end against his will cos it was genuinely quite awful and frightening but also. um. you know. awooga

if they include Gretchen, then I would like the opposite of my Gabrielle request for everything post-Body Thief: whenever there's a peaceful, quiet scene it smash cuts to the wilds of South America where Gretchen is absolutely stark raving mad on the floor of a chapel with stigmata

I can't even begin to think about how they'd adapt Memnoch, but regardless I want them to keep the scene where Lestat drinks someone's period blood. thanks

also his cunty little lilac-tinted sunglasses that he will not fucking stop talking about

and finally, human Armand getting drunk and falling into the Grand Canal

bookwise, I am a Lestat girl the house down boots... I love his over-dramatic idiot crybaby ass!!!!! although the final page of Memnoch the Devil made me burst into tears and cry my whole face off until I confirmed that Lestat comes back as the narrator in future books soooo maybe like calls to like. self recognition through the other, etc. I do also get a shot of pure joy every time Armand shows up, especially in Lestat's pov. 'ah, there he was, the Botticelli angel, so beautiful. I fucking hated him. we kissed.' sis THEE dopamine.

currently suffering because I want to a) stop reading the series immediately so I can go back and reread The Vampire Lestat, and yet also b) never ever stop reading the series for love nor money. please help me budget this my family is dying

[callofdudes]

Please bestie, I need platonic Alex Keller headcanons I beg of you 😭😭😭

I'm here to deliver for you in trying times bestie. Stuck at home from work in a blizzard so here I am for you. Hope it suffices and you enjoy. 🫡 @itsscromp

Alex Keller Headcanons:

I imagined Alex was one of those clowns in school. I think when he was younger he was respectful but also a hog for attention. He always got really happy when the teacher picked him in class and would pout if some other kid got "his answer".

I'm not terribly sure about family headcanons. I feel he fits as either an only child or as a younger brother to an older boy. (Possibly a twin) If he had any siblings I could see him as the middle child, an older brother, him and a little sister.

Alex's parents raised him as a gentleman. You think his manners came from the military?? Even when he was in highschool he called women he respected ma'am on the regular.

Alex watched a lot of spy movies when he was younger. Jason Bourne, Jack Ryan, R.E.D. A bunch of those kinds of movies. But Alex didn't originally want to be CIA.

He also really liked superheroes. (Lovingly borrowing a headcanon from Scromp) He really liked Mega Man and other super heroes like that. Probably watched Ben Ten or something. (Sang the power Rangers theme song)

I think unlike the others Alex's run to the military was as an accidental second hand decision.

He had incredible grades in school but when his brother was called for Mandatory service. Alex was still too young when his brother went to serve a couple years. Instead of going to college and getting a different job he went to serve mandatory years as well.

Alex gives me Texas man vibes, but he doesn't have the accent. So I don't think he grew up there, possibly from California or Georgia. Somewhere warm.

Alex wanted to serve alongside his brother but he was deployed while Alex was in his first stages of basic training.

Alex is a very sociable guy so he doesn't have trouble making friends. However, upon a certain incident he did lose a lot of his confidence. Around people he knows he's a butterfly in flight, but doesn't like attention on the leg.

Alex was super attached to his older brother but when he got past that part he did enjoy his time in the military.

Obviously the first person he wants to introduce you to Is his brother and his parents. He'll introduce you with so much pride.

In my mind I see Alex's parents as your typical Georgia or Texas conservative dressers. But they aren't those types of conservatives. They were worried for him when he was younger, but if their son showed up with a man on his arm they wouldn't bat an eye.

And obviously they love you. Alex's dad is the guy who says that even as a guest, in the house you take on some household priorities. Nothing big, but probably expects some help with yardwork and that you'll help his wife with dishes.

Alex will cook with his mother. And oh you see where he gets it. He's the guy whose mama's boy love takes presidents over other duties. He just wants to be with his mom.

You'll be allowed to join in with a casual soccer game of kicking the ball around with his brother. They're an incredible family and accept you as one of their own the moment they see you.

He loves to decorate it though, and has stickers from several incidents, or young military hostages that he could distract. So in a way it was a blessing.

However, he didn't talk to women as much anymore. Platonic relationships are a breath of fresh air.

His parents used to have to wrangle him in when he got his first girlfriend. Constantly sneaking out to meet up with her. And while a respectful kid, after a certain sneaking out the girl's father was not happy to get the story the next day.

After Alex got his leg, dating seemed to be swept off the table. He had all the qualities, tall, very handsome, strong. But the leg usually got people staring, and all the charisma went out the window.

He barely got hookups anymore. (Yes, he was that guy for a while, and he isn't proud of it.)

Alex has participated in the Invictus Games before and it was a whole lot of fun.

Alex's show for women comes in the form of how respectful he is of Farah's boundaries. While he is happy to assert where he stands. If Farah had told him not to go when he did, he still probably wouldn't have listened.

Alex experiences phantom limb and phantom pain. Most times he has to weather the pain, but whenever he experienced phantom pain in the beginning he'd pass out from it.

He is very active and loves to play soccer. (Is very prepared to get yelled at for calling it soccer instead of football)

In all honestly Alex does want to get close to the other 141 members. He's close with Gaz, Price and Y/n. Soap trusts pretty easily and likes Alex because Farah likes him. Ghostie is a challenge though. He's up for it.

Protein shake man all the way. The day isn't started without a protein shake or a hearty meal. He loves his meat but is also all for leaning into the greener side of his diet to help him feel refreshed.

An incredible cook. If you go back to his house for leave you will be well taken care of, I promise you.

All of his relationships are tended to as he sees fit. He's definitely more of an acts of service guy. If you need something done, he will show you his love and appreciation by getting it done. Garbage is full?? On it. Feet sore? He'll take care of that for you.

Alex is a family man, but he also understands the sentiment that the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. And he holds his friendships with his brothers in high stakes.

Has a very smooth and charismatic air about him the majority of the time. He's well spoken and confident even if he doesn't have control of certain situations.

Just. Don't. Mention. The. Leg. 😁🔪

While he isn't really strong at other acts, physical affection like pats on the back or brief hugs do as well.

Tries to make Scream movie references to Ghost, like the ever popular "Sydney call" or other classic scenes. Is gleefully delighted when Ghost understands most of the references.

If you live somewhere known for its giant spiders *cough cough* he will not go. You are not getting him on that plane. Nada, zilch wiggle room on that one partner.

Probably uses comic book lines he likes a lot. Recites them like those cheesy scenes in movies where the leader of a group gives a heroic speech about kicking ass and staying loyal.

Gets called Price's son and honestly? A compliment.

Going back to acts of service, Alex also feels his love language as acts of service. Whenever he needs to let his leg breathe and get off his feet he takes off the leg and relaxes. And icing on the cake? If you feel comfortable, come over and massage his leg. Oh he'll keep you forever.

Will often do the robot dance to try and make you laugh, loves to dance with you in any setting.

You're never too old to go trick or treating. Alex comes off as the fun uncle that I could see dressing up as a Frankenstein and takes his nephews/nieces along with him for some fun around the block.

Clubber for life 🤟🏻😜 Seriously though, getting him tipsy enough and he'll challenge anyone insight to a drinking off. Will almost always lose. Especially against Johnny or Ghost.

If a girl won't call him a smoking handsome man, platonically please inflate his ego. It's like an air mattress and eventually it deflates to the point that you can feel the floor. Please fill his air mattress with compliments.

His tattoos include homages to his family. And his old squads and friends. Got a special tattoo for you over his left wrist with your initials and something that reminds him of you. (A flower, a hat, etc)

You know those bikes that you can lay down on and pedal almost vertical with the handlebars on the sides?? Photo. Yeah, he owns one of those. Will let you ride it. Yes it is fun.

Tried to grow his beard like Price's once so they could really be twins. Price for offended and now they have a rule that their beards/moustaches are not allowed to overlap like that.

Overall, very interesting man. A fun man, a funny man, loves some attention on him but not his leg. Please not make fun of him, yes he wants a girlfriend, yes he's sad and single but slaying every day of the week. Yes you are his best friend for life and if you try to abandon him he'll eat your legs off 😌.

[chiriwritesstuff]

Random Headcanons from Random Characters in 'The Girl in IT' Pt. 1 - Joel

I'm breaking this into parts because my Headcanon lists are pretty extensive - this doesn't even break the surface for the ones I have about Joel. These are just the better ones, iykwim. Let me know if you would be interested in Sugar's list!

Ever since Joel moved into his new home (that he built himself), he goes to the farmers market on the weekend to buy Sunflower bouquets to put around the house, and he smiles every time he sees them on his dining table. This is the house he builds for Sugar - as mentioned in Pt. 4 "Gooey", to be explained further in 'Love, Joel' Pt. 3.

Joel, a self-proclaimed bad cook, took night classes to learn how to cook. Ellie doesn't like to eat fast food and always wants quality time with The Millers, so Joel made it a priority to learn for her. Sarah teases him about how it worked out for the best - now he can impress Sugar with his culinary skills. He's pretty good at it, because he's meticulous with most things in his life.

He goes to therapy - in solidarity to Sugar, who has gone to therapy for her entire life. It has helped him tremendously and is the reason why he eventually adopts Ellie.

Even if Joel has waited for Sugar for ten years, it doesn't mean that he didn't date - he did, and hated every moment of it. None of the women people tried to set him up with held a candle to Sugar, and he felt terrible for even considering another relationship every time.

He's a boxer briefs kind of guy.

He sings and dances in the shower. He uses a combination of Pandora Radio and Spotify - Ellie curates all of his playlists, including cover art.

The chambray shirt he wore to Sugar's birthday when she turned 26 is the same shirt he wore for her when she turned 36. In fact, he bought it at the TJ Maxx, just for her.

Sugar would write Joel little post it notes when she would give him things like water and lunch when he worked on her family's roof - and he kept every. single. one.

Joel is a reluctant millionaire - even if he worked his ass off, he's still pretty humble with the things he spends his money on (with the exception of Sugar). He drives an F-150, wears the same flannel shirts he's had for years, and uses the first iPad pro model - the big one- to redline construction documents. The one thing he does splurge on is instruments - buying anything Ellie asks for at the Guitar Center without the bat of an eye.

Speaking of guitars, Joel learned how to play Sugar's favorite song - 'Silver Springs' by Fleetwood Mac.

Joel keeps his hair long and curly just because of the one time Sugar commented on how he looks "dashing - like Don Juan" once in passing. The first movie they watched together was "Don Juan DeMarco". He also learned how to play 'Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman' by Bryan Adams and played it for Sugar. This is the moment she realized she loved him.

Joel has one tattoo, a small sunflower on his hand - where Pedro has his bullseye. It's the same place where sugar kissed when he nicked himself fixing their roof.

The song Joel sang for Sugar:

[garfinkelstingle]

magic and maybes | draco malfoy

pairing: draco malfoy x fem!reader (implied slytherin!reader but only once i think)

warnings: swearing; implied mentions of verbal abuse; this is not in chronological order, but i do think it makes sense this way (especially if you've listened to the song); angst

word count: 5,2k

summary: based on “wendy” by maisie peters; loving draco is like something out of a fairytale. but not all of those always end with happily ever after, do they?

a/n: oh my!! hi!!! my first full-length fic in over a year!!!! so exciting!!!! this came to me while listening to wendy (which you should defo listen to if you haven't yet; the whole album is too good!!) and i just sort of rolled with it. i will never understand why i keep coming back to draco, but i just do. i have never written anything like this, and i certainly have never written draco like this, but the song called for it!! and also, let's be honest, this really matches draco better than it would most other characters. oh and i put it in the warning, but please beware that this is not written in chronological order. it's supposed to showcase the rollercoaster of relationship that reader and draco share, and i thought this was the best way to do it! let me know if you like it, it would really mean a lot <3 happy reading babes

masterlist

rolling like a stone / laughing like a kid

She had never seen him like this before.

Correction: She had never seen him like this before in front of people that weren't just her. Because this is the only way she had ever seen him, really seen him. She knew the charade he kept up, could see right through it better than anyone else. And if you took all of that faux meanness and excruciating ass-ness away, this is what you would be left with, what she's been left with all these years that she's known him. A silly kid, rolling around in the grass, holding his stomach laughing, eyes glistening with tears and shining brighter than any star ever could.

This is how she saw him, always, and how she hoped she would get to see him forever. This, and nothing else.

calling like the future / closed up like a fist

It was always the same. He always did this, and she swore that one of these days she would hex him into oblivion for it.

"What do you mean I can't come with you? We've been planning this for months; I told my parents to make plans without me and they have. What am I supposed to do now?" They had been at it for close to an hour now, going back and forth, nowhere close to having this argument reach its conclusion.

Usually, she didn't mind backing off. He was stubborn; she knew that. This wasn't something she had discovered only recently. She had known him for longer than she hadn't, so she was acutely aware of this quality of his. It didn't surprise her, but that didn't mean it didn't annoy her, either. So she'd just let it slide and move on—one of them had to.

This time, however? She wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm not responsible for you and how you spend your time," he provocatively stated, his eyes ablaze with fury that nearly matched hers. How dare he? As if this was in any way, shape, or form her fault.

"You have got to be kidding me! You were the one who invited me to spend Christmas break at your house! You were the one who wanted me to meet your parents! You were the one who made all these grand plans, and now you just blow me off the day break starts and talk about responsibility?" She couldn't believe him. She really, truly, couldn't.

Except that, maybe, she should. This wasn't the first time Draco blew off their plans. In fact, it wasn't even the second or the third. But he usually had a not-so-terrible reason for it, and the worst thing he had ever cancelled before was a Saturday in Hogsmeade or a picnic by the lake. This, however? This was huge, a plan that had been set into motion during the summer, when they had sent their owls into a frenzy, corresponding through multiple letters a day and vowing not to spend another break apart. She had told her parents before she boarded the train to take her back for another year at Hogwarts, that she would spend the Christmas break with her boyfriend and that they should take that trip to the sea they've been dreaming of forever. And since they did just that, and she didn't feel like ruining their holidays as well, she would now have to spend hers at the dingy castle, with people she barely knew and couldn't care less about.

She didn't even need him to change his mind at this point. While the reason he was giving her sucked, she was sure the real reason didn't—even if he wasn't planning on telling her. What bothered her so much was his refusal to just simply apologize for screwing up and leaving her hanging. If he would just say that he was sorry, she'd let this go. But she knew him well enough by now to know that the chances of that happening were non-existent at best.

"I will not apologize for your lack of a backup plan," he said, with a voice so cold that she could feel actual shivers run down her back. "I will see you after break is over. Merry Christmas." And with that, he turned around and made his way back to the castle, without even sparing her a backward glance.

And all she could do was stare after him, seemingly frozen in place, with tears flowing down her cheeks freely, and wonder if this was what loving someone was supposed to feel like.

lost my page when you kissed me

She hadn't meant to fall in love with him. They had been friends, or at least something very close to it. Draco believed that only people who had nothing else to their name cared about having friends, and she somewhat agreed with him. Friends were feeble; people came and went. There was no use getting attached to them, not when you couldn't ever be a hundred percent certain that they wouldn't just up and leave one day.

But he—he was something else. They had known each other for years, attending the same balls thrown by both their parents and their associates, riding in the same train compartment on their first trip to Hogwarts, reading the same books side-by-side on their common room's couch. They were put in each other’s orbits due to their inescapable proximity, yes, but they were welded together by baked goods that they would steal from the kitchen and share in some dark corner of the too-big houses they would be dragged to, shy smiles and squeezing of hands followed by it's okay, you're not alone's, two a.m. conversations in front of the fireplace in which they discussed whatever books they just finished reading and, sometimes, maybe even more. That's what made her the first person he would say "good morning" to at the breakfast table, and what made him her preferred potions partner. Nothing more and nothing less. They weren't friends, but they were each other's person. Whatever that meant.

It made sense, and it worked, and neither of them needed more. Or so she thought. Because when Draco kissed her after one of those infamous two a.m. conversations and told her „You just looked too pretty not to kiss", after she asked him why he would do something so ridiculous, she came to realize that maybe they were wrong. Maybe getting attached to someone wasn't the worst thing there was. It couldn't be. Right?

i know the girl you want / it scares me

He was scared. He was scared, but so was she. The future was uncertain and terrifying. It didn't make sense on a good day and was simply revolting on a bad one. So much could go wrong at any given moment in time, and not knowing when or what could happen made it sometimes feel like, maybe, life just wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

And when you add love to that equation? You're pretty much just signing off on a death sentence. Draco knew that, and so did she, but unlike him, she believed it to be worth it. Love was never something she saw herself needing, or even wanting, but now that she had it, she was certain it was worth all the heartbreak it might possibly entail. Draco, however? He still didn't trust her enough to let his walls down completely, to give her the power to destroy him and believe her when she said that she would never, ever do that.

She loved him, and she was certain that he loved her, too, but she also knew that he might never be able to let her know that himself. And she knew that he expected that to be enough, that her own knowledge would suffice her and that she would survive without his confirmation, and maybe she could. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to. Spending your time with someone who was emotionally closed off to everyone around you and made them feel like they were replaceable was one thing, but spending your life with someone who was emotionally closed off toward you and too proud to tell you that the one person he could never replace was you? She wasn't sure if she was strong enough for that. She doubted she ever would be. And that terrified her more than anything else ever had before.

pretty like a girl / vicious like a man

He was beautiful. She had always found him inexplicably beautiful; his was the kind of beauty poems were about, a beauty that ran so deep and was so intricate that she sometimes wondered if he wasn't put on this world solely to be admired and stared at.

Even now, when his face was laced with fury and his knuckles white from how tightly he was gripping his desk, he was still beautiful.

She wasn't even sure what they were fighting about now, stopped paying actual attention to the ugly words leaving his mouth. Instead, she was questioning her judgment. She had always found him beautiful on the outside, just as everyone else did, but unlike them, she had also always considered his soul to be beautiful, too. And yet here she was, target to his livid shouts and insults, wondering if maybe that was just another thing that she had been terribly, terribly wrong about.

give up like a ghost / leaving halfway through

It was moronic at best, really. They had spent a fortune on these tickets and had been excited for this game for months now. So, the fact that they were now letting it all go to waste? It was pure idiocy.

Especially when you looked at the why. He was being a child, a petulant little toddler who got upset at the idea of giving his girlfriend of nearly four years a kiss in public.

And the worst thing is that she hadn’t even been upset because it hadn’t surprised her in the slightest. She knew Draco, knew that he liked keeping their PDA to an absolute minimum, and she didn’t mind it in the slightest. Or, well, not enough to be actively affected by it. So, when the kiss-cam panned to their faces, she blew it a kiss and winked for good measure and went back to talking to Draco about how pathetic Potter and his friends looked standing there on the very far side of the stadium, most likely not even able to see the scoreboard. She had moved on, and so had the camera, but for whatever reason, Draco didn't.

Instead, he started huffing and puffing about Salazar knows what, getting upset at her for what, exactly? For respecting his need for privacy? For not pushing him to do something she knew he wouldn’t be comfortable with doing, even though she really wanted to? For, once again, putting him first and foremost? Is that what he was trying to punish her for? Because he certainly didn’t seem to be able to put it into words, storming off like an actual imbecile instead, leaving halfway through the match.

And of course, she had to follow him like the ever-loyal girlfriend that she was, trying to catch up with him and calm him down, even though she was seconds away from losing her bloody mind herself. She was sick and tired of his juvenile behaviour, was just so exhausted with having to put up with his shit instead of just enjoying herself, and yet it seemed as if some invisible string kept on pulling her in his direction, not allowing her to choose her own needs and herself, ever.

She wondered if he would ever grow tired of this pretence of his, or if this was what being with Draco Malfoy would entail, forever. She didn’t want to believe it, but it became harder and harder with each passing day. Maybe this is who he was, who he always would be.

But maybe it was just a matter of time before he would finally give it all up and be who she has blindly believed him to be all this time. All she could do, it seemed, was to hope that she wouldn’t be the one to give up, first.

if i'm not careful we'll be married

"Do you ever think about the future?" His voice broke through the quiet reverie they had both found themselves in. She was used to him being the first one to speak up after a long beat of silence; he didn't find it quite as peaceful and tranquilizing as she did. Not that she minded, though. She liked his voice, and she liked talking to him even more. To say that the question surprised her, though, would be an understatement.

Putting the book she was currently reading to the side, she snuggled further into him. The fireplace was providing a fair amount of heat, but the chill seemed to be inescapable in the Slytherin common room. It was also just very nice to be able to have him hold her close like this, even if the only reason he did so was because it was far past midnight and everyone else was already fast asleep.

"Sometimes, yeah," she said. "Do you?"

"Yeah." She didn't expect him to elaborate, so it stunned her when he did. "I see us. You and me, together. Married. But not like them. Like us. Does that make sense?" It did. She knew exactly what he meant. Not like them. Not like his parents, who didn't love each other in the slightest and could barely stand each other most days. And not like her parents, either, who cared deeply about one another, at least as much as you could care about someone you didn't choose to marry. They found a way to be friendly and cordial, mainly because they didn't want their daughter to grow up with parents who were constantly at each other's throats, but it was still far away from the real deal.

Were they the real deal? That's what Draco was implying, wasn't it? That if they would get married, it'd be because they loved each other. He's never even said it, she thought. And he hadn't. But he's said this now, hadn't he? And that should be worth more than any stupid three words ever could be, right? Because he wanted to marry her, really marry her, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. It rarely happened for people of their status, so she should be beyond delighted that it was happening to her. Plus, she loved him, too, and unlike him, she hadn't been afraid to say those three words. Marrying Draco was what she was supposed to want; finding out that he wanted to marry her, too, was supposed to be the greatest news she's ever heard. So why was there some nagging part of her brain that knew that saying yes would be the worst thing she could possibly do?

"I know what you mean," she said. She had never lied to him before.

you want me / you're sure

Blaise Zabini was flirting with her. Then again, Blaise Zabini flirted with everything that had legs and a mouth he could kiss, so it did nothing to impress her. It did, however, do its damage by making Draco furiously jealous. After all this time together, she prided herself in being able to read him like a book. Him storming off like a petulant child made her think that, in this instance at least, even a visually impaired person would be able to deduct the fact that he was (unreasonably) upset.

Sighing, she made out to follow him, annoyed that she had to make yet another excuse for her friends. It shouldn't be her job to smooth things over every time his tantrums killed the mood at a get-together, and yet it seemed like part of the "Dating-Draco-Malfoy" package.

She found him at the lake, the same way she always did. She wondered if there was any specific reason he chose this place to run off to , but she doubted he would tell her even if there was. Some secrets just weren't worth the effort of trying to figure out.

She expected him to be upset with her, to accuse her of leading Zabini on and whoring herself out to him—Salazar knew it wouldn't be the first time. It used to upset her beyond measure. There would be a good amount of crying and screaming on her part; calling him a pretentious douche, telling him to screw off if he really thought so little of her. It always ended the same: he would storm off, eventually, and disappear for a good few hours. Then, he'd come back, without something even remotely close to an apology, and tell her he wasn't mad anymore. She knew what he really meant when he said it: I expect you not to be mad anymore, either. And even when she was, she was usually too exhausted to keep on fighting. After a while, she decided there wasn't even any point in being upset in the first place. Draco was who he was; she knew what she was getting into. Or so she kept telling herself.

This time, however, seemed different. She was sure he could hear her approach him—he always did. So why wasn't he turning around? Why wasn't he yelling at her and making her feel as if the affection of others was her fault?

He stayed quiet until she finally reached him and made to stand next to him. "I don't like it when others try to make a pass at you," he said. She waited a beat, wondering if he was going to add anything else. He did. "I know I have no right to be upset with you." This was new. It surprised her. So much so that she wondered if she might've misheard. "It's not your fault Zabini has no respect for boundaries, or anyone else, for that matter. I just... it's paralyzing, sometimes. Realizing that you could leave me for someone else at any given moment, and there's nothing I could do about it. I want to be with you. I know I'm not always good at voicing it, but I do. I'm certain. That's why I get upset. Because it terrifies me."

She took his hand in hers and gave the back of it a soft kiss. This was possibly the most vulnerable he had been with her, ever. She understood him; of course she did. Didn't he know that she was just as terrified? That a life without him in it didn't seem to make any sense whatsoever to her? She loved him, and now she was sure that he loved her, too.

Nothing else mattered.

lose the world that you live in / pretend that it's what you wanted

“This isn’t okay, and you know it.” Maybe she did. Maybe she knew that this wasn’t right, that this wasn’t how it was supposed to feel like. But it’s all she’s ever known, and sometimes it felt as if this was all she’d ever want to know. Because when it was good it was great. It was all she could ever want and then some, and she honestly didn’t think she would ever find anything better than it.

Draco wasn’t perfect, but neither was she. She had her flaws just like anyone else, so to expect him to be something she herself couldn’t be? That seemed unfair and illogical at best.

“Look, you don’t get it, alright?” And she didn’t. None of them did. Not her mother or her father, not her friends or his. They were complicated and messy, but they were right. Right for each other, right in all the ways that mattered. She loved him, and he loved her. If there was anything in life she was sure of, then it was that.

“You can’t let him treat you like that.” That’s what it always boiled down to. Every fight she ever had about him—and there were probably too many to count—always came to the same conclusion: She shouldn’t let him treat her like that. But what did that even mean? No one would ever treat her the way he did. No one would ever look at her as if she was the reason they got up in the morning, as if she hung the moon and the stars in the night sky. No one would ever be able to make her feel like she was the thing they lived for, someone they’d die and kill for in the same breath.

So, what if he’d yell at her and insult her and make her question her worth sometimes? He’d never allow her to question herself out loud to him; he’d make sure to show her how important she was to him. And Salazar forbid someone else dared to say the wrong thing when it came to her—he’d made sure it’s the last thing they’d ever say.

Maybe she knew it wasn’t okay, what they were doing. There were a million words to describe their relationship, with toxic and unhealthy being the prime examples. But no relationship was perfect. Why should theirs be?

it's a life i could have, i know

They were invited to someone's birthday. She didn't even know whose, just knew to wear "that green dress that makes you look like actual royalty". There also had been a promise by a certain someone that the dress would later be carefully taken off, and that there would be some... not so careful actions afterwards. It was the prospect of that that kept her from making up some excuse as to why she suddenly had to leave this awful and hollow house and curl up with a book and one of Draco's sweaters in her bed.

The party in itself wasn't awful; on the contrary, it was lovely. The music was played by a live orchestra, and the entire house was decorated in different shades of blue and silver. There were white roses everywhere, and the food was exceptional, too. But she didn't know anyone here except for Draco; she didn't even know the birthday girl. She was a couple years older than the two of them, and from what she understood she was the wife of a son of a business partner of Draco's father. Or something like that.

She was currently standing in a corner all by herself, with a champagne flute in hand, trying to find Draco in the crowd. He had snuck off some time ago, claiming that he had to make the rounds or else "my father is going to chew my ear off about it", convincing her that it wasn't necessary for her to introduce herself tediously to every single person he would have to shake hands with. He wasn't wrong, but somehow standing in her lonely corner appeared to be an even worse fate.

Eventually, she locked eyes with Draco and gave him a small smile. She knew it was pointless to beckon him to her; he'd just shrug her off. Instead, he sent a quick wink her way, before turning back around to speak to whatever important person he was speaking to right now.

This could be my life, she thought. Going places with Draco, having him wink at her from across the room, promising to take her dress off at the end of the night and make it all worth it. This could be the rest of her life. She could see it, could see herself be one of the important men’s wives, gossiping away in some lonely corner just like hers, on their fifth or sixth flute of champagne already, trying to hide the hollow look in their eyes. This could be it. It was nothing like the life that she had wanted for herself all this time, and yet it didn’t seem to bother her nearly as much as it should.

throw your rocks / scream that you hate me

She didn’t even know how long it’s been. All she knew was that her mother had been up twice to tell her that she was this close to hexing him away from their property, and that she had begged her just as often not to.

“He has every right to be upset,” she had said, and could feel the bile rise in her throat at the bitter taste of the lie. Because no matter how often she told herself just that, it didn’t sound any more truthful to her ears than it did the time before. Yes, maybe Draco was allowed to be upset. She certainly was. But standing below her window, completely wasted, and throwing rocks at it, whilst yelling profanities at her? No one should have the right to do that.

And it wasn’t as if it was her fault, either. She had given him a choice; she shouldn't have had to do that. She hadn’t even meant to. It was supposed to be clean cut. She was supposed to tell him that it was over, that it should have been over a long time ago. If he still couldn’t tell her that he loved her after five years together, chances were that he never would. And she was just so tired of not hearing those words.

But she had looked him in the eyes and something—something made her believe that maybe, just maybe, he would realize that she was worth so much more to him than his pride and that being with her was worth more than being whoever he kept on pretending to be.

She should have known that her stupid, childish hope would be the death of her.

So here he was now, screaming that he hated her, that he wished that he had never met her, that being with her had been the greatest mistake of his life. And what if he wasn’t wrong? Would things had been different had she been different? Would he have been able to tell her how he felt if she had been more like Daphne? Would she have been able to leave him sooner and protect her own heart had she been more like Pansy?

It was driving her mad, the never-ending question of “what if?”, and yet her silly mind didn’t seem to be able to put an end to it. Because no matter how awful being (or in this case not being) with Draco may have been, it was still the most magical time in her life so far. And she didn’t even doubt for one second that the rest of her life might have been just as magical, too. Except that there was only so long a person could survive on magic and maybe’s, before eventually having to put an end to the madness and realize that the whimsical dreams weren’t anything other than nightmares hiding behind a pretty façade.

She loved Draco, loved him with her entire being, loved him more than she could ever imagine loving or even wanting to love anyone else. But, somehow, along the way, she had come to realize that just because she couldn’t see ever loving herself even half as much as she loved him, it was still enough to realize that leaving him was the only way she could ensure that she wouldn’t lose herself completely.

So, when her mother came up for the third time, this time with her father in tow, she didn’t fight them when they suggested to call the authorities to remove the Malfoy boy from their property. After all, just because Peter never wanted to grow up, didn't mean Wendy couldn’t.

i could love you / wait 'til you're ready

It was the little things more than it would ever be the big ones. She knew Draco, knew that the only way she could expect big romantic gestures from him was if someone were to put him under a spell, which is why she came to appreciate the small gestures and hold them as close and dear to her heart as she possibly could.

It was the little enchanted paper cranes that would hold little love notes of “your hair looks pretty today” and “how lucky I am to be dating the smartest witch in this castle”.

It was how he would lend her his robe without a second thought when he would see her rub her hands together in a fruitless attempt of warding off the cold, even though he had adamantly tried to convince her to wear a jumper underneath.

It was how he would press a kiss on her temple first thing in the morning, without fail, every single day, no matter if they had fought the previous evening or not, letting her know that he wasn’t going anywhere.

It was how he would rub her feet at the end of a long day in Hogsmeade, knowing that her boots were a size too small but that she loved them too much not to suck up the pain and go out with them anyways.

She loved him, and whilst she had no problem with telling him just that, he had no problem with showing her, either. And maybe he wasn’t lying when he told her that he just needed time, that she ought to just be patient, that sooner rather than later he would feel ready enough to say it, too.

The question wasn’t whether she could wait or not; she knew she could.  The question was whether she loved herself enough to know that she shouldn't have to.

forever 20

Twenty.

That’s how often she had said it, and how often he had stayed quiet. And every time he hated himself just a little bit more because he knew that with every time that she would say it without hearing a reply, he would get closer to hearing it for the last time.

And now here he was, stuck at twenty, forever, because he knew her well enough to know that it was over, really, truly over, with no one to blame but himself.

The worst thing was that for every time she said it, he had wanted to say it tenfold, had wanted to shower her with those words until she grew sick and tired of them. Had, on the worst days, wanted to just grip her by the shoulders and shake, shake, shake her and tell her, over and over, that he loved her, that he had loved her all this time and would love her for all the time to come.

But he never did, and now she was gone beyond his reach and as much as he hated it, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking that, maybe, this was the best thing that had ever happened to her. The best thing he had ever done for her. And that had to count for something, right?

[sun-e-chips]

📝I remember listening to this questioner (credit I believe goes to The New York Times) on the Distractible podcast and I thought it would actually be a pretty cool way to really get in the mind of your characters (as well as for others to learn something new about them:)

Pick a number and one of my Waterspark Bay boys (Aztec Sun or Polynesian Moon) and I’ll try to answer them :D

(Pls also feel free to reblog and use this!)

…

1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?

3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?

4. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?

5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?

6. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?

7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?

8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.

9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

10. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

11. Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.

12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?

14. Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?

15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

16. What do you value most in a friendship?

17. What is your most treasured memory?

18. What is your most terrible memory?

19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?

20. What does friendship mean to you?

21. What roles do love and affection play in your life?

22. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.

23. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people’s?

24. How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?

25. Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling ... “

26. Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share ... “

27. If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.

28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met.

29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.

30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?

31. Tell your partner something that you like about them already.

32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?

33. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet?

34. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?

35. Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?

36. Share a personal problem and ask your partner’s advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.

[anonymousewrites]

One Hell of a Love (Book 1) Chapter Fourteen

Sebastian Michaelis x Demon! Reader

Chapter Fourteen: One Hell of a Deer

Summary: (Y/N) loses their patience with the prince after he throws a tantrum.

            “How long do you two intend to stay for?” questioned Ciel as he, Lau, and Soma ate together and Sebastian, (Y/N), and Agni served them.

            “Once we’ve taken care of our business, we will leave,” said Soma.

            “That’s right. You said you were looking for someone, right?” said Lau.

            “And why are you staying here as well?” demanded Ciel.

            “Really, I wonder,” said Lau, being vague as usual.

            “I’m looking for a woman,” said Soma. He showed the really terrible drawing. “Her name is Mina. She was a servant at my palace.”

            “Sebastian, (Y/N), would you be able to look for her with that?” said Ciel.

            “No,” said (Y/N) bluntly.

            “But we shall endeavor to do our best,” said Sebastian.

            “So, why is that woman in England?” asked Ciel.

            “Mina was my personal attendant and like a caretaker to me,” said Soma. “I’ve been with her for as long as I can remember. My mother and my father paid me no heed, leaving me alone in the palace all the time, but Mina was always by my side. However, there was an English nobleman who had his eye on her, and he took her to England while I was away from the palace.”

            “In other words, you came to England to get a woman back?” said Ciel.

            “That’s right. I’ll definitely get her back, and then we’ll go home together,” said Soma.

            “It’s an extravagant trip for just one servant,” remarked Ciel.

            “It’s not extravagant!” declared Soma. He grabbed Ciel by the shoulder. “Do you understand my despair at having Mina taken away from me? Do you know how much I—!”

            “I don’t,” said Ciel. “I have no idea, nor desire to know, of the despair that can be caused by something as trivial as that.” He shoved Soma away. “There are things that you cannot get back no matter how much you struggle. There is also despair that you cannot escape. You may not understand that, though.”

            “Even so, I still had enough of being alone in that palace,” said Soma.

            “Tch.” Ciel passed by Sebastian and (Y/N) as he left the room. “Follow them if they leave the mansion.” The demons nodded.

l

            Sure enough, Sebastian and (Y/N) spied Agni leaving in the dead of night. (Y/N) stretched down to the parlor window and opened it to where Lau and Ciel were playing cards.

            “Young Master, Agni is on the move,” said (Y/N).

            “Very well. Follow—” began Ciel.

            “Take me with you!” said Soma, appearing in the doorway.

            “You!” said Ciel.

            “I know Agni has been sneaking out after I fall asleep,” said Soma sadly. “I want to find out what he’s doing!”

            Ciel sighed. “Fine.”

l

            “Whose residence is this?” asked Soma as they watched Agni enter a large townhouse.

            “A man who imports all the Indian goods he can get his hands on: Harold West,” said Ciel. “His business is coffee houses and emporiums. I met him once. He’s nothing more than a detestable rogue.”

            “Some coffee houses were caught up in the inverted-hanging incidents,” remarked Sebastian. “However, no harm befell Mr. West since he was coincidentally away that day.”

            “How fortunate for him,” said (Y/N), nose twitching.

            “Shall we take a look, then?” said Ciel.

            “Understood,” said Sebastian. He picked up Ciel under his arm and leapt over the wall, followed by (Y/N). Soma and Lau were quick to follow (But they had to climb).

            The group crept quietly through the halls of the townhouse until they were outside the one lit room where voices murmured within.

            “How about relaxing with a Scotch?” said West. “It’s a high-quality Scotch I bought from Justin and Brookes, who hold a Royal Warrant.” Agni didn’t move, and West sighed. “The plan up to now has been perfect. Well done, Agni. You don’t have to cause any more incidents. I’ve rid myself of my main rivals now. With your ‘Right Hand of God,’ the Royal Warrant is as good as mine.”

            “Royal Warrant?” murmured Ciel. “So, that’s what this is about.”

            “If I can complete this plan as you wish, can Mina—”

            Agni was cut off as Soma stormed into the room at the mention of the woman. “Mina?”

            “Who is that?” questioned West.

            “Prince!” exclaimed Agni.

            Ciel went to yell at Agni, but Sebastian pulled him back. “Young Master, your face and mine are well known. Let us sit back and watch.”

            “Agni, you knew where Mina was?!” cried Soma, grabbing Agni’s collar.

            “Ah, so that’s your master,” sneered West.

            “You’re the one who took Mina, aren’t you?” demanded Soma. “Agni, rough this man up.” Agni didn’t move. “Agni, what are you doing?”

            “Well, for now, let’s get Prince Stupid out of here,” muttered Ciel in the hall.

            “But they know all of your identities,” said Lau.

            “Leave it to me,” said Sebastian.

            “Agni, strike this ‘prince’ and quiet him down,” ordered West.

            “What?” gasped Soma.

            “Agni,” pushed West.

            Agni raised a hand, prepared to strike Soma, and the prince’s eyes widened in betrayal. The hand flew down.

            It was caught.

            Everyone’s eyes widened. A man with a deer head stood tall between the Indian men.

            “What the hell?! Is that a bloody deer?!” cried West in astonishment (and a little horror).

            Well, that’s a fun way to disguise yourself, thought (Y/N).

            “Yes, thank you for pointing out the obvious. I am a ‘dear,’ ” said Sebastian in the deer head, clearly amused at the homonym. He bowed.

            “Agni! He might be a spy!” cried West.

            “No, I am merely one hell of a deer,” said Sebastian.

            He loves that line, thought (Y/N) in amusement.

            “Kill him!” cried West. “Or do you want that promise to go up in smoke?! Do it!”

            Tears of blood dripped from Agni’s eyes. “I have only one god and master, and I decided to swing my fists for no one but him. Please forgive me for the sins I commit against you!”

            “Agni, you aren’t…!” Soma watched in betrayal as Agni unwrapped his right hand, and he began to glow with power.

            He lunged at Soma and Sebastian, but Sebastian picked up Soma and dodged. The wardrobe behind them shattered at Agni’s blow. The destruction continued as Sebastian jumped around the room and Agni’s blindly attacked.

            “No! The crystal glass I bought from Thomas Good!” wailed West. “The Royal Worchester centerpiece! My Tiffany stained glass!”

            He deserves this, thought (Y/N), grinning as they watched the man lose his material possessions.

            “Looks like it’s getting a bit rough,” said Lau. He picked up Ciel, who spluttered indignantly. “Let’s go on and get out of here.”

            “Put me down! (Y/N)!” cried Ciel.

            “Sorry, sir, orders don’t work on me,” said (Y/N), far too amused at Lau holding Ciel to help him.

            “Blood hell! Just grab the prince and escape!” said Ciel.

            “Understood,” said Sebastian, leaping out the window while Ciel, Lau, and (Y/N) exited the house.

l

            “He far surpassed the scope of a human back there,” observed Lau once they were safely back and the three men were drinking tea.

            “That was the concentration technique known as Samadhi,” said Soma. “Once he gets like that, no one can touch him.”

            “Samadhi?” asked Ciel.

            “It’s a type of trance state,” explained (Y/N). “Through pure devotion, like that of Agni to Prince Soma, people are able to wield tremendous power. It is something we lack; the power of faither born of love and trust.”

            And yet… The demons glanced at one another.

            “Then why would he betray me?” sighed Soma. “Why does everyone around me disappear?!” He slammed his fists on the coffee table. He swept the teacups and tea off the table in a tantrum.

            “You!” cried Ciel.

            “Why is it? Why?” Soma’s shoulders shook. He ran out of the room.

            (Y/N)’s eyes narrowed as they stared at the broken porcelain on the floor.

            “Oh, dear, I brought that Haviland tea set out because I thought it suited you so well…” remarked Sebastian. He smirked. “It may be a good idea for him to be redisciplined.”

            “I never have liked the spoiled ones,” said (Y/N).

l

            Sebastian roughly pulled the blanket off of Soma, throwing him to the floor.

            “You rude swine!” cried Soma.

            “Just who is the rude swine?” questioned Sebastian coldly. “This is the Phantomhive mansion in England. In this place, you have no authority to order me to do anything.”

            “You are nothing more than a spoiled brat,” said (Y/N). “A powerless, naïve child without Agni by your side.”

            “That’s right. I have nothing else left.” Soma hung his head. “I’ve lost everyone.”

            “Lost? My goodness, you have a most unbelievable imagination,” said Sebastian. He smirked. “You haven’t lost anything. You never had it in the first place.”

            (Y/N) leaned down towards Soma, and Sebastian recognized the demonic glint in their eye. It had been a while since he’d seen (Y/N) really lay into someone, tear their ego to pieces, and he was looking forward to it.

            “Your parents gave you status. Your parents gave you a palace. Your parents gave you servants. Tell me, what of that is truly yours? Nothing,” said (Y/N). The shadows around them quivered.

            “No…” murmured Soma.

            “Agni, too, of course, but you lacked the courage to confirm it,” said (Y/N) with a condescending sigh, like they were speaking to a child.

            “Y-You’re wrong!” cried Soma. He ran for the door, but (Y/N) slammed it shut.

            “Me, wrong? No, dear prince, you’re just finally seeing the tragedy that is your life,” purred (Y/N).

            Soma sobbed and fell to his knees. “They all said they’d be with me forever.”

            “Quite clearly that was another service to you. There is no reason to serve someone for no personal gain,” said Sebastian coldly.

            And yet… whispered a soft voice in his head. And yet they are still here.

            Sebastian ignored the voice and continued. “In the slums, even a three-year-old knows that.”

            “You have not earned anything from anyone. You are just a brat,” said (Y/N).

            Sebastian’s eyes fell upon them. This time, he didn’t need a voice needling him. The thoughts of just how sinfully alluring they looked wrapped in shadow and moonlight as they lorded over a human came without cease. That was the demon (Y/N) was. And that was yet another side of them Sebastian simply couldn’t get enough of.

            “Let’s leave it there,” said Ciel, appearing in the doorway.

            “Young Master,” said Sebastian.

            “I might have been the same as him, if not for that month,” said Ciel somberly.

            “Wh-What month?” asked Soma, getting to his feet.

            “I was forced to taste the humiliation of having my house burned, my family killed, and being treated as less than a barn animal,” said Ciel. “I was a powerless child, but I returned here in order to bestow the same humiliation upon those who tortured me. My parents were in the way of those who killed them. If the Phantomhives are a nuisance to them, if I continue to hold the reins of this household, they’ll probably target me again. I am waiting for them to come for my life.”

            “Why would you go that far?” asked Soma.

            “What could come of sitting around sad and in mourning?” said Ciel. “Even a dead person can stay still, but I’m alive and standing on my own two feet. If I’m going to end up dying one day, I’d rather do it with no regrets. I wouldn’t call it something as grand as revenge. It’s all just to make me feel better. It’s a game between them and me to see who will win. Even if I’m flung into the depths of despair, if there is even a spider’s thread I can use to climb out, I’ll grab it and never give up. We humans have strength to do that. However, whether to grab it or not is up to each individual.”

            (Y/N) raised an eyebrow at the speech. Strong words for so small a human. But they respected the drive. They understood why Sebastian took him as his contract.

            “Now, let’s stop this ridiculous babble,” sad Ciel. “Sebastian, (Y/N), I have something to discuss with you on the West incident. Come.” He walked out of the room.

            “Yes,” said Sebastian.

            (Y/N) smiled, a stark contrast to the dark aura that had surrounded them as they spoke to Soma earlier. “Yes, my Lord.”

            “Ciel!” said Soma. Ciel paused. “I am seventeen, but I am totally idiotic and naïve compared to you! I’ve been spoiled only because of who my parents are. Even though I knew Agni was troubled, I didn’t hear him out, but now I want to know. I want to see them both and find out why they left me. That’s why! Please come with me!”

            “I refuse.” Ciel shut the idea down almost comedically. “There’s no way I’m dragging around the weight of a naïve idiot like you. I suppose the door to the living room isn’t locked, though.”

            “Ciel!” Soma’s face lit up and he hugged Ciel. “I��m sorry for lashing out at you like that before. Please forgive me.” He hid behind Ciel as he faced Sebastian and (Y/N). “I want to say sorry to you two as well.”

            (Y/N) waved a hand and smirked with Sebastian. “Don’t trouble yourself. This is quite interesting.”

l

            “To think that West was after a Royal Warrant,” said Ciel as Sebastian served tea. “Well, I suppose that’s something a detestable rogue would think of.”

            “What exactly is a Royal Warrant?” asked Soma. He jumped as (Y/N) set a teacup down beside him, and they smirked.

            “It’s an endorsement given by royalty to shops they like. A Royal Warrant is the British Royal seal of approval,” said Sebastian. “A week from now, there will be a curry contest conducted at the Crystal Palace.

            “Curry?” said Soma.

            “Yes,” said (Y/N).

            “According to rumors, Her Majesty—a famed curry lover—may also come and observe,” said Sebastian.

            “That’s just a rumor,” said Ciel. “Since the death of her husband Prince Albert, Her Majesty rarely makes public appearances.”

            “How is the curry contest connected to the incidents?” asked Soma in confusion.

            “The main dish at West’s coffee house is curry,” said Ciel. “If he secures the Royal Warrant, his sales will undoubtedly go up. In other words, in order to reduce the number of rivals in that contest, he had Agni carry out those incidents. He then used the message to make it seem like the incidents were caused by Indians who were angry with England. Agni probably went along with the plan to save Mina for the sake of his ‘god.’ ”

            Sebastian handed Ciel a piece of paper, and the Earl regarded it before laying it on the table. It was a copy of the letter West had ordered written to divert attention from himself as a suspect. “Speaking of gods,” said Ciel, pointing to the tongue drawing. “Yours is the Goddess Kali with her tongue stuck out, and since Agni was the one who wrote this, and his god is you, it must have been all for your sake. He’s probably written all his prayers and feelings of regret here.”

            And now Soma has the choice to lay there and do nothing or rebuild himself, thought (Y/N).

            “Even though you’re apart, Mr. Agni still believes in you and lives for you,” said Sebastian. “You really do have a wonderful servant, don’t you?”

            “Agni…” murmured Soma.

            “Oh, my. All’s well that ends well,” said Lau brightly. “Well, then, we shouldn’t get involved any further. Let’s just leave it to Scotland Yard.”

            “Hold on! What will happen to Agni and Mina?” said Soma worriedly.

            “Who knows?” said Lau.

            “We’ve determined that there’s no underworld involvement, so it’s not our concern,” said Ciel.

            “Indeed. This is my problem. I’ll think of a way to resolve everything by myself,” said Soma.

            “That’s an excellent resolution,” said Ciel. “Well, then, I shall be getting on with my own work myself. I was called out to London in winter for this idiotic case. Don’t you think I should be compensated for my expenses?” Ciel was scheming. “Luckily, all of the other famous curry shops have been knocked out of the competition by West. If the Phantomhive company participates and beats West, we’ll receive the Royal Warrant. I’ve been considering expanding into the food industry, anyway. If we become the supplier to the Royal Household in our first endeavor, it’s sure to create a stir.”

            “But there’s one week left, right?” said Lau. “Will you be able to get the specialists and machinery in time to make the curry?”

            “I don’t need any of that,” said Ciel. “Isn’t that right?” He smirked as he glanced up at Sebastian and (Y/N).

            Sebastian smirked. “It is only natural for someone who serves under the Phantomhives to be able to do this. I will obtain the Royal Warrant without fai—”

            “That’s impossible,” said Soma. “There’s no way you can win. They have Agni, and he has the goddess Kali’s right hand!”

            “It is true that Agni’s prowess is formidable, but this time we are not dealing with martial arts,” said Ciel. “This is a contest of cooking skill.”

            “That’s why I’m saying it,” said Soma. “None of you know Agni’s true skill. Neither do you know real curry.”

            “Real curry?” asked (Y/N), raising an eyebrow.

            “Curry is based on a selection of fitting spices. The number of combinations is endless,” explained Soma. “Finding the supreme combination from those infinite choices is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It is akin to pulling the truth of the universe from thin air. However, Agni is able to do it. He is able to imagine the world from nothing. That power is truly of the gods’ domain. That is why Agni is known as the goddess Kali’s right hand. I have never eaten curry more delicious than Agni’s.”

            “I see. It is truly Kali’s Curry,” said Lau. He laughed at his alliteration.

            “So he says,” said Ciel.

            “My, my. That seems quite the challenge,” said Sebastian.

            “Could be fun,” said (Y/N), smirking.

            “Indeed.”

l

            Days and quite literally hundreds of curries later, Sebastian was stuck. (Y/N) watched him return from serving Ciel tea with an annoyed quirk in his brow.

            “The Young Master not pleased with your progress?” they said teasingly.

            “No, but he did give a rather interesting order,” said Sebastian, holding a piece of chocolate in his hand, having gone uneaten by the irritated (and irritating) Earl.

            “Oh?” (Y/N) cocked their head in interest.

            Sebastian snapped off a piece of chocolate and handed it to them. “How does it taste?”

            (Y/N) placed the sweet in their mouth and allowed it to melt, savoring the tastes. One thing they were glad of after being born from a human life was that they still had a taste for human food. Sebastian had to relearn how to properly create human food when there were long breaks in time between contracts, but (Y/N) could still understand them (a fact that, once he learned it, irritated him to no end).

            “A perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness,” said (Y/N).

            “Excellent,” said Sebastian.

            “Why?” asked (Y/N).

            “The Young Master ordered me to put it in the curry.”

Taglist:

@technikerin23

@im-making-an-effort

@izzieg3987

@jinxxangel13

@alexpangender

@otomyoli

@neenieweenie

@nex-crowley

@anxious-chick

@bellacastiel

@v1l-ismissing

@agentdedf1sh

[aaaaaa19cc]

My experience based on my birth chart placements

*Nobody asked, but I saw someone doing this and I found it interesting. (English it’s my second language if there is any mistake). There are a lot of positive placements in my chart, but it’s important to analyze the negative ones.

Saturn in 1st house: I never had self-esteem. I was like the weirdest kid ever in terms of appearance, and even after some years, when things got better, I couldn’t just trust I was worthy. I love myself today, cause I can see my qualities (as a venus dominant), and I developed I lot of things. But, after all, I still have Venus square Saturn in the chart ruining my confidence. This aspect also makes people compliment my smile a lot. In terms of appearance I have a good bone structure with bony shoulders. I already had tooth caries twice, so I’m not lucky with that.

Psychologically, I have a feeling that people thinks I’m too serious or boring sometimes. My life was always hard and I have barely been happy. It really feels like there is something heavy in my back and I have to carry this without having any joy. I can’t even understand other's people happiness. This is not a rule for everyone with this placement. I believe this is karmic, cause my dad is a Capricorn sun and I have lots of Aquarius placements. This is also the most serious placement of the whole chart.

Pluto in 7th: I don’t know shit about it, but my 7th house is also Scorpio, and I’m worried. I don’t know if there is something to do with 7th house, but people doesn’t like me. Anywhere I go people bully me or treat me mean with no reason. I have no friends. My last relationship was intense and almost destructive. The only friends I had were extremely disrespectful to me, they were always bullying me and I had to heal for the horrible things they said to me and about me.

Mars in 11th: I think this it’s the another reason for my loneliness. This is a good placement, but the friends I had were always trying to fight me. It’s hard to develop a good friendship with that.

Moon in 12th: My Taurus moon here makes me wanna stay in my house for several weeks. I love being alone, in home, doing whatever I want without having to deal with anyone. These are the moments I’m the happiest. My battle here begins with my intrusive thoughts. As an Aquarius mercury I think too much. These thoughts made me develop severe anxiety. The anxiety and the extreme loneliness combo makes my life too hard to handle. I relate to much with Megan Thee Stalion (a beloved and admired Aquarius woman) when she sings about her anxiety and depressive thoughts.

Another thing about this placement: my mom have always been my (hidden) enemy. She was always talking shit about me behind my back and trying to shame me in public and in family meetings. And I absolutely hate her 😄. Also, moon square Uranus in my chart it’s another indicator of this lack of affection.

And the worst thing about it it’s that woman are also my hidden enemies. And this is so scary, because I don’t know what these bitches are talking behind my back but I guess it would be something terrible. I’m always bullied and disrespected almost everywhere I go and now that I discovered that the moon means ‘other woman’ I’m shocked. It feels like I only have enemies.

Lilith in 10th house: Honestly, I don’t understand why does this damn asteroid exists in astrology, because it only means bad things to people’s life (woman specially, as our life wasn’t difficult enough). This placement made people (disgusting men ALL the time) sexualize me for almost whole life. I don’t get the point os this. I read recently in a post that this placement makes the public hate you, and it’s absolutely true. Being a woman it’s the worst thing ever most of the times. Also, Amy Winehouse had this placement.

Sun in 0° Pisces: I was born at 19/02 and spent my whole life as an Aquarius sun. The day I first made my birth chart and discovered I would be a Pisces, I almost freaked out.

I relate a LOT with Aquarius. I’m a future person, open minded and cold hearted, but not too rebellious because of the Venus and Saturn dominance in the chart. I could never be a Pisces, cause never in my life I suffered for another person. Almost everybody is insignificant to me, actually. The main focus have always been and will always be me and my desires. I’m empathetic, but not the type of person who cancel their plans to help somebody.

Being born on a cusp is very confusing because we DONT KNOW who we actually are, as it’s really difficult to analyze our own personality. So, I use other people as a mirror to see who I really am.

So, I’m not compatible with water and earth signs. For real. I love air signs, specially Libra and hate fire signs a little bit, except for Aries. I get along a lot with libra and Scorpio, this last one probably because of the Taurus rising. And all of this relationships patters tells me I’m more like an air sign than a water sign.

When people ask me about my sun sign I always say Aquarius. And I only see the Aquarius memes. 😆

[arvensimp]

You writing is amazing, you capture the character personality so well.

I found an secret beach while playing pokemon scarlet and I was wonder what will a beach date with arven look like? What swimsuit will he wear? Reaction to our swimsuit? What activity will arven and reader do?

Thank you! Also, ooh! Where is it? I found a secret lil cave by the ocean just between the glacedo mountain and the orange foresty area north of the lake that I thought was pretty cool. Is the secret beach the one north of the lighthouse on the west coast? Also forgive me for not replying to a comment if you leave one! I check all my posts for tags and comments constantly, but since this is a side blog, I'm not able to reply from here. Just know that I love everything y'all say!! If you ever want to chat my inbox is open. :)

-

Beach Episode

Arven x reader, no gendered pronouns

--

When you excitedly tell Arven about the secret beach you've discovered and offer it up as a potential date destination, he is delighted. You can count on him to take care of all the planning. Truth be told he's happier that way. "Too many cooks in the kitchen," as it were. You just need to worry about driving the lizard in the right direction and picking a nice bathing suit.

When you arrive, before you even start unpacking together, he examines the area and whistles, fists on his hips.

"This is pretty nice! Not that I doubted you, of course, but usually an untouched beach is way less sandy and much more rocky and uneven than this, I'd think. Good going!"

From there, the two of you set out a massive beach blanket, big enough for both of you and a few pokemon to lounge about on. Next come the umbrellas to provide a bit of shade, as well as the folding table to house the snacks and coolers.

Arven really goes all out when he has time to prep.

Once all the set up is done in terms of the "picnic site," Arven goes ahead and changes into his swimwear. He wears just basic trunks, nothing terribly fancy, but they do have a floette print similar to that of his phone case.

He doesn't outwardly make a huge deal out of anything you wear, not thinking it's appropriate, but he's really happy to see you in your swimsuit.

Before you rush into the water, he does get a little blushy. "We need to make sure we get some sunscreen on before we get into the water, okay? I-I can help you, if you like? Not to be weird or anything."

You, of course, happily accept his help, and squirm and giggle at the cold sensation of the cream before he rubs it into your back and shoulders.

You also help him apply his own sunscreen. He pulls his hair out of the way for you, and you get to basically give him a little mini back massage as you rub him down. Arven sighs and relaxes against you as you work...

Once you're all SPF'd up, you release your pokemon from their balls, and it's basically a free for all! You spend as much time playing in the sand and surf as you like.

Arven basically plays along with whatever games you're down for. He didn't really get to play much in the water as a kid, so he's happy to learn how you did it when you were little.

You also build a couple of sandcastles together with your pokemon, being careful to respectfully knock them down before you abandon them, just in case they turn into sandyghasts.

As with any date with Arven, the main event is the food.

Your man has packed all the best for your little group of Pokemon, and then for the two of you he has fresh squeezed fruit juices, along with some pastries, sandwiches, and a surprisingly delicious pasta salad that kept super well in his new cooler that he has been really eager to try out!

The date does eventually end around the time it gets dark, but you're able to spend a nice amount of quality time snuggled up on the blankets, cuddling and exchanging soft kisses before you go.

[radio-static13]

i am someone who only knows how to love unconditionally. once i love someone, i can't ever stop. i don't know how, and i wish i did because, more often than not, it has grievous repercussions. i have bpd, im an all or nothing kind of person. the only exception to this ever has been my ex, who was an emotionally and sexually abusive piece of shit. i feel nothing for him now but disdain. and though lately i've been reminded a lot of those years i spent letting him happen to me, and even though i'm completely outraged at the person who's caused all this...i can't understand why i can't hate him. i hate what he did, i hate that he turned out to be just as bad or even worse than my own abuser, i hate all the disastrous consequences of his actions, i hate that it was him of all people. and yet. i don't know how to hate him. i desperately want to. but just like i will never hate my father in spite of the horrible things he did in life, i can't hate him either. i don't know how. it doesn't mean i forgive or condone any of his terrible actions, but. he helped me survive at a time in my life when i felt like ending it. he picked up a lonely, broken child and called him a brave hero. the first book i read was the graveyard book, and i really saw myself in it. and then even more so in the ocean at the end of the lane. next was good omens...

i know you're supposed to separate the art from the artist, but as an artist and a writer myself, how can i? that art is built out of bits and pieces you tear out of your own soul, out of memories and places and people and experiences in your life, stories you craft and weave with your own arteries. yes, writers are liars, but all the best lies are based on truths. to quote the man himself, "We writers – and especially writers for children, but all writers – have an obligation to our readers: it’s the obligation to write true things, especially important when we are creating tales of people who do not exist in places that never were – to understand that truth is not in what happens but what it tells us about who we are. Fiction is the lie that tells the truth, after all."

it can't all have been bullshit...

my dad used to be incredibly abusive to my mom. i grew up watching them fight and seeing him belittle her. he also loved her very much. they would spend great times together, talk for hours, bring the groceries while she cooked, give her the best gifts. he was also abusive to his kids. he also did everything in his power to give us a great life, a big house, the best education, and all the commodities he could afford, and spend quality time together. he really cared for his family. he used to be incredibly queerphobic. he was also the one who took me to my first appointment with the endocrinologist, and was there when i got my first T shot. he called me his son before my mom did. i resent a great deal of things, but i will never hate my dad. i miss him terribly. he didn't deserve to die.

and i miss neil. and sure, maybe i was just in love with an ideal, just the beautiful persona he wanted to be known as. and it's sickening to think that the hands that cradled and soothed my fears were tainted with the blood of innocents. but they held me, didn't they? and the voice that told me i was brave for being unapologetic and speaking my mind is the same one that made so many people afraid to speak up. but i'm here because i chose to follow him. i chose to listen to his gilded words, and i still believe in them - i'd be in a graveyard otherwise. though had he been a siren, i'd be dead. had i been at the wrong place at the wrong time, i might've been on the list of all those who regret ever meeting him.

and yet, i can't hate him. i've loved him for too long, and it's nauseating, but i can't lie to myself. i still do. and i hate it. i hate that i can't hate him. it's been the easiest thing to do for most, but it seems impossible for me. i only hate myself for it.

i love him.

i'll never forgive him.

and this is all the more reason why i want him to pay for the consequences of all the hurt he has caused. i hope it's hurting him just as much. and - maybe this is just wishful thinking from a foolish dreamer, but - i hope he learns.

[numericalbridge]

Title: Caught in the Grip

Fandom: The Owl House

Rating: G

Word count: 2684

Characters: Raine and Darius

Summary: Darius is ill. Of course, Raine can handle it.

-

There is a nasal quality to Darius’s voice:

“I was betrayed.”

“No, you weren’t,” Raine really hopes he can hear their exasperated sigh even from the other side of the room.

“Betrayed and abandoned in my hour of need,” he throws one arm over his face and turns his head away from them. From the top of the bed’s headboard a little abomination warbles at him.

Raine crosses their arms, “May I remind you that Eber only had to travel to the Shin because you’ve insisted that there is just one single healing-potion shop on the whole Isles that is good enough for you? And…”

“And should a simple trip to the Shin take this long?” Darius shrugs impatiently, then coughs.

Raine sighs again. “Yes, he had to stop to assist a difficult Terror Tooth birth. He’ll be back soon.”

“Splendid!” Eyes open on the purple scarf wrapped around Darius’s head, and they all roll at once. “The miracle of the Terror Tooth’s birth is sooo important while I am suffering here.” The bed creaks as he shifts uncomfortably. “My face is sticky, and I can’t breathe through my nose,” Darius laments. One of the abominations that cluster around the bed offers him a steaming mug of something, but he waves it away without looking. “I probably have a fever, and my skin feels like it’s about to slough off...”

“You were caught in the Grip,” Raine reminds him. “It sucks, but no need to be this dramatic.” They soften their voice, “You’ll feel better in no time.”

Darius grumbles under his breath. From their place by the door Raine can’t quite hear him.

“Come on, don’t be like this... Do you want me to read to you?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to make an inhalation potion for you?”

“No, it won’t help.” He coughs again.

What else to suggest? Raine tries to think. The windows of the big bedroom are covered by heavy curtains, and a heavy purple duvet is suffocating the bed. There is also the horrid yellowish ointment Darius has smeared onto his face to ‘clear sinuses’. Add that to the gloomy atmosphere of the room, and it’s no wonder he is feeling particularly terrible.

“It’s so stuffy in here, at least let me open the windows.”

“No,” this time Darius actually sits up and turns to face them. “Do you want to get caught too?” A big abomination steps in between Raine and the windows and menacingly raises a spray bottle filled with disinfectant fluid. “Stay out of the gripping range!”

“Fine! If you insist,” Raine returns to their place by the door. Darius re-assumes his sulking position in the bed.

“Do you want me to turn on music or bring you your journals?”

“No.” He pulls the duvet up to his chin and then rolls over, turning his back to them. “Just leave me to suffer alone, in silence...”

Raine feels like they would need to chew over that last bit. “Does this mean you want to rest?” they inquire. “You can just say so, you know?”

No response.

“I’ll make you a Bone and Bile soup with boiled dumplings,” Raine decides. They remember his grandfather used to cook it for special occasions. “Sounds good?”

He mutters something that Raine takes as a ‘yes’. The little abomination babbles excitedly and swings its legs back and forth.

“I’ll send you a message when it’s ready. Now try to sleep.”

They quietly exit the room, leaving Darius in the care of his abomination court.

Their scroll crows.

“2 healthy teethlings,” says the message. Attached is a photo of Eberwolf with a pair of accordion-shaped fanged creatures. All three are covered in a rather slimy substance that makes Raine feel queasy. “Heading back soon. Is it a complete disaster back there?”

Raine throws a quick glance at the door of Darius’s bedroom. Should they choose mercy? “Could’ve been worse. Is he always extra dramatic when ill, or is he just messing with me?”

It takes a moment for Eber to reply. “Idk. Probably both. Not like he would ever show anything in the Coven. See u soon.”

Raine frowns. Covens, it’s always the Covens. Nevertheless they reply with a ‘claws up’ emoji and head downstairs. On the way they nearly collide with an abomination that has its arms full of Darius’s research journals.

Shaking their head in exasperation, Raine wonders whether Darius used to be even more stubborn when he was younger. They... can’t quite remember. They definitely can’t remember him getting ill when they were in school together. Raine themselves were sick often but usually with nothing more serious than a common mold. And Darius had once send them a card that screamed marching songs at them. Raine frowns again, tugs on their earring. First, clean your hands, then prep the soup.

They wash their hands in the first floor bathroom. The sink is unnervingly clean. Can they remember the names of the songs that were on that card? The memories make them feel a little uneasy. It is unlike them to think a lot about their high school days – after all, they were so eager to graduate and leave behind the school that had failed Eda. But Darius tends to dwell on the past, and apparently it can be contagious. Raine always wanted to move forward. They catch themselves touching a scar on their cheek. And to move forward, you need to leave some things behind.

The soap in the bathroom smells of lavender and clover moss. Raine knows that being sick must feel especially unpleasant for Darius, with his particularities about cleanliness. If only he wasn’t always so stubborn. Well, the soup will make him feel better. Raine will make it right.

---

Darius’s cottage is smaller than what Raine had imagined, but the kitchen is very spacious and brightly lit, and everything is, of course, immaculately clean and in perfect order. They have little trouble finding what they need for the soup, and the recipe isn’t difficult. Soon the pot is simmering on the stove while Raine is cutting the last batch of vegetables. The cool evening breeze is billowing the curtains, and in the adjoining room the clock is ticking pleasantly. Raine is humming to themselves, and it feels nice to cook like this in peace.

A year has passed since Belos’s death, but there is still so much work for them to do, and Raine barely has time to relax. They accept it with equal measures of pride and weariness. And the Owl House is always bustling with activity. Raine thrives in the chaos of Eda’s household and embraces the challenges of the new Boiling Isles, but sometimes… sometimes it just feels so right to enjoy the calm and…

“Which cutting boards did you use?”

The knife misses the carrot and clatters to the counter. Incredulous, Raine turns around and peers out of the kitchen. Unbelievable! Darius, accompanied by one of the abominations, has made his way almost to the bottom step of the stairs. He has wrapped a blanket around himself and looks utterly miserable, yet he still manages to sound demanding:

“Please tell me you didn’t use the orange one for the vegetables…”

Honestly, Raine needs a moment to compose themselves. And everything was going so well! “What are you doing here?” they hiss. “You should be resting! And I thought you were all about not spreading the infection everywhere!”

Darius scoffs. Then coughs into an abruptly summoned handkerchief. “Abominations’ll disinfect everything,” his voice sounds uncomfortably raspy. The abomination behind him sprays the wall with disinfectant and starts wiping it with a cloth.

“But I,” Darius slowly makes his way towards the kitchen. His voice is getting raspier and raspier with each sentence, and it’s painful to hear. “Want to be sure you won’t poison us, in addition to everything else.”

“Oh, great!” Raine puts their hands on their hips. “Don’t worry, I used the right boards. It’s not that difficult, considering they all are labeled! Satisfied? Now go and rest!”

Of course, Darius pays no attention to their words. Instead, he uses his magic to move a small sofa closer to the kitchen door. The message is clear, Raine notes darkly. Darius places the sofa at a safe non-gripping distance, and lowers himself into it with a groan. The abomination hurries to help him take off his slippers.

Just ignore him, then. Raine returns to the kitchen to finish the vegetables. It is time to add the last batch to the soup. Raine will make everything right. Despite his efforts.

“Did you trim the tendrils off the beetle-goat meat?”

“Darius!” Raine returns to the door. “I know how to cook! I don’t need your… pestering.”

“Oh, really?” Darius crosses his arms. “You don’t know my kitchen, and you cook like a college student still on the run from the Choosey Hat!”

“That’s not true!” Raine feels their ears warm up. Absolutely not true! Well, maybe sometimes… Just ignore him!

They throw the vegetables into the pot, prepare the dumpling dough, clean up a little and set up a timer. Well! Even he should be satisfied now.

Raine marches back into the room, still fuming. Without looking up Darius raises his hand and creates an abomination chair for them. ‘Beanbag chair’, as Luz would call it. Placed, of course, an appropriate distance away from Darius’s sofa. Scowling, Raine falls into it, hoping that the squishing sound annoys him.

“You’re terrible,” they mutter.

Darius huffs in response.

Raine stretches their arms and settles more comfortably. They watch Darius out of the corner of their eye. Already several more abominations has congregated around him. One of them hands him a warm towel, and he presses it to his face. They really seem to gravitate towards him, Raine muses. Just another thing they failed to notice when they started their Coven Head career.

Darius himself looks awfully uncomfortable, and his breath is definitely labored. Yeah, the Grip sucks. Raine thinks back to their own experience with getting caught in it once or twice in their youth. Not the most pleasant times. Should be even worse for someone who hates everything gross. Why won’t you just let me help? they silently plead. If only he was more understanding and less… him... when they are trying to help. If only he would communicate.

Raine turns on their side and observes the little abomination toddling its way down the stairs. Darius sneezes and mutters in annoyance.

Raine imagines the gripping arms, hands, all around him, invisible but there, stretching out with barely audible squelching sounds. Like mud, stretching towards them.

“Raine?”

They blink the unwanted imagery away. Stupid bout of fancy, they say to themselves in Eda’s voice.

“Raine?” Darius says again. He has lifted the towel from his face. His eyes, despite the feverish glint, are sharp.

Raine feels a twist inside their chest.

“Did you just remember that you used the wrong board?” Darius rasps.

“It’s nothing.” They feel... frustrated. Why does he have to act like that?

The little abomination has made its way to the sofa and babbles to be picked up.

“So, how are you doing?” Raine asks hopefully, trying to calm down their irritation. “Any better?”

“Of course not,” Darius lifts the little abomination up and sets it on the armrest. “I don’t even have my medicine.”

Raine purses their lips and reaches to check their scroll:

“Just passed the Gnawed Bone Village,” writes Eber. “How is patient zero? Insufferable?”

Raine grins. “Eber is asking about you.”

“Traitor.”

“Ah, don’t be like this. Do you really not want to go back to your room and rest?”

“Raine…”

“I’ll bring you your soup when it’s ready.”

“Raine, please, stop being pushy!”

“Pushy?” That’s new. “I am not pushy, I am trying to help you feel better!”

“By being pushy?”

“Oh, fine!” They have half a mind to let it go. But if Raine were ill, they just know he would’ve been hovering over them or sending them stuff they like while acting all unbothered, and it frustrates them beyond reason. “Then why don’t you return to your room to be far away from the pushy me?”

Darius sighs heavily, and Raine realizes he is also trying to keep his temper in check.

“Because it’s so boring there,” he says at last. Raine suspects he is trying to redirect the conversation. “It feels terrible there.” Darius gives his towel to one of the abominations. “At least back in the Castle you could busy yourself with keeping up appearances,” he muses to himself. A different abomination offers him a new towel.

“Must have been tough,” Raine notes. They are still frustrated with him, but they are also a little curious.

“Oh, it was horrible! But it certainly kept you from getting too focused on the aches and all that good stuff,” he waves his hand in the air. “Put on the concealment stone, stay away from Hettie and her ‘unpatientable’ medicines and hope Terra gets gripped. Great times!”

“Look at the bright side,” Raine offers. “Despite my pushy presence everything is so much more hygienic here.”

“And boring.”

“Aww, I always knew you were secretly a workaholic.”

“Don’t,” Darius gives them a look. The little abomination pats him on the shoulder. “But what else am I supposed to do? Wait till one of you gets into trouble?”

“Or,” Raine rolls their eyes, “I don’t know, just try to relax and let me help you instead of annoying me? And then Eber will be back with the medicine.”

Darius purses up his lips. And, oh, now he is going to cross his arms.

Raine raises a finger against potential objections, “No one is getting into trouble, and if someone does – there are others who will help... You know, you are always fussing over everyone... Just let me, maybe, return the favor?”

“I am not fussy,” Darius’s ears twitch. He coughs. Then he gives up. “To be fair, I do appreciate your help and concern and everything,” he nudges the little abomination with his finger to make it warble. “Not that I enjoy all this attention or anything,” Darius quickly adds. So, basically a confession that he does enjoy it.

“Of course.” When Eber gets back he won’t get enough of this.

“But, Raine, you don’t need to… be in such a hurry and push it.”

“I don’t…”

“I get it. You want to help, and we didn’t have a great start back then, and...” Darius stumbles over his words. “Just... it’s all right. I get it.”

After that they fall back into silence. There is still some time left before Raine has to add the dumplings to the soup. Darius seems to doze off. Raine rolls over and puts their hands behind their head. The ceiling is violet and cracked with age. Raine sighs and tries to relax and enjoy the quiet.

Of course, it is not a real silence with Darius’s wheezing breath and the abominations groaning and babbling among themselves, but it is comfortable, and it feels right to be here, and Raine has been missing this, and they’ve almost lost it. But they can be better! They think about what Darius was trying to tell them. And they wonder what would have happened if the two of them had never grown apart. But there is no point in wondering, Raine decides, for it can only lead to heartbreak. More important is what they can do now. And maybe they shouldn’t rush things. Their glasses begin to mist up, and Raine has to take them off.

“What are you doing now?” Darius’s rasping voice inquires. “Don’t tell me you already got gripped.”

“It’s nothing.” Maybe they are out of practice. They put their glasses back on. One eye is opened on Darius's scarf, and it is squinting at them suspiciously. Darius himself has sat up and is also watching them. “It’s just that… I’m glad we are friends again,” Raine admits.

Darius blinks at them, then settles down again. “Yeah,” he says. “I’m glad too.”