#also love this family as a whole but you already know that

[yaniluvs]

“nerds don't date , right?” ⎯ how to lose a bet and your heart in seven days.

[ 정인 ] ✷ ‎. . things just get more interesting when you're fake-dating the hot nerd and are involved in a bet with him.

۫ 𖨂 𓈒 𝑛erdy!jeongin ₊ ‎ ‎ 𝑓em!reader ˙ . ꒷ g. fluff , humour , crack , forced proximity , classmates to lovers , uni au , fake dating , skz ensemble . 64OOw. ⎯⎯⎯ LiBRARY ⟢ cw. suggestive , as of now . ┆ 📹 ⋮ a y.jg mini series .ᐟ ֹ ₊

yani's note 𑁍ࠬܓ hihi >< so like, part two hehehehhehehe. this turned out to be literally double the wc from the previous one..... oh and i just crossed 8OO followers???? what???? like two posts ago i crossed 7OO, oh good lord, thank you so much!! comments, likes, req./asks and reblogs are always appreciated !! send in a reply or an ask if you want to be in my mastertag, or my individual series' taglists. happy reading, love <3

you had never seen jeongin this stressed in your uni year.

it had been barely a day since the dinner, and he was already acting like his life was spiraling out of control. not that you blamed him—you were a handful, after all. but still, the man looked like he was fighting for survival, while you?

you were thriving.

not only were you fake-dating him in front of his family, but thanks to him, you also had the perfect bet to keep things interesting.

and now? now, you were at the usual café on campus, sitting comfortably with your group—felix, ryujin, yeji, and minho—while absolutely basking in the aftermath of your deal with jeongin.

the blonde leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm. "so let me get this straight," he began, voice amused.

"you made a bet with the yang jeongin—topper, nerd, absolute try-hard—where you get to flirt with him for three whole months, and if he falls for you, you win?"

you grinned, stirring your latte lazily. "mhm."

ryujin raised a brow. "and if you lose?"

you waved a dismissive hand. "then he gets to ignore me forever, i guess."

yeji snorted. "as if he'd actually do that. boy’s definitely gonna lose."

minho, who had been silently observing all this time, sipped his americano before finally speaking. "you're really confident, huh?"

you flashed him a smirk. "min, have you met me? of course, i'm confident. i know he’s gonna fall for me. i learn from the best, you know."

felix grinned. "well, duh. everyone loves you."

yeji smirked. "hyunjin and jisung sure do."

ryujin laughed. "oh yeah, didn’t hyunjin say you were literally his type?"

you shrugged, fighting back a smirk. "maybe."

felix gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "oh my god. is this why jeongin is acting so feral? is he jealous?"

"no, he’s probably just pissed that i exist."

minho scoffed. "that’ll change soon enough."

"exactly," you said smugly. "so, obviously, i’m winning this bet. there’s no way i’m falling first."

your friends exchanged looks, all of them barely holding back their very obvious amusement.

"sure," yeji said, lips twitching.

"of course," ryujin agreed.

minho sipped his drink again. "i totally believe you."

felix just grinned. "this is gonna be fun."

meanwhile.

jeongin had never been this mentally exhausted in his life.

one dinner. one stupid dinner. that was all it was supposed to be.

now? now he was fake-dating y/n in front of his entire family and locked in a three-month bet that would undoubtedly ruin him.

and to make things worse? jisung, seungmin, hyunjin, aeri, and yunah were not helping.

"bro," hyunjin was saying, leaning against the café booth with a stupid grin, "you’re done for."

"over. finished." jisung added, looking way too entertained.

jeongin shot them both a glare. "i am not going to fall for her."

hyunjin raised an eyebrow. "really?"

seungmin, ever the realist, merely sighed. "jeongin, have you met y/n?"

"yes, seungmin," jeongin deadpanned. "i have. unfortunately.*"

yunah giggled, twirling her straw. "she’s really pretty, though."

aeri smirked. "and hot. and cute. and bold."

hyunjin nudged jeongin. "she literally calls you 'hot nerd.' i would’ve folded instantly." he said, dramatically putting a hand on his heart while pretending to faint.

jeongin shot him a disgusted look. "you have no standards."

jisung snorted. "and you have no chance."

"i hate all of you." (and we're back !!)

"no, you don’t," jisung said, grinning. "you hate that you know we’re right."

seungmin nodded. "statistically speaking, you're screwed."

"oh my god," jeongin muttered.

jisung clapped his hands together. "alright! place your bets! how long do we think it’ll take for jeongin to fall first?"

"two weeks," hyunjin said immediately.

"a month," aeri guessed.

yunah smirked. "three weeks, max."

"one week," jisung announced proudly.

jeongin slammed his drink down. "i hate every single one of you."

almost a week later.

you found jeongin in the library, because of course you did.

dressed in an oversized cream sweater, silver-rimmed glasses perched perfectly on his nose, black slacks, and expensive-looking loafers, he looked annoyingly good for someone who spent all his time studying.

unfortunately for him, you were here to ruin his peace.

sliding into the seat across from him, you grinned. "morning, iyennie."

jeongin didn’t even look up. "no."

you gasped dramatically. "no? that’s all i get? where’s my 'good morning, beautiful?' my 'you look stunning today, y/n'?"

jeongin exhaled sharply. "why are you here?"

you leaned forward on your elbows, smirking. "to see my lovely boyfriend, obviously."

jeongin twitched. "we are not fake-dating at uni."

you shrugged. "doesn’t mean i can’t flirt with you."

jeongin dragged a hand down his face. "i hate this bet."

"you literally proposed it, genius."

his jaw clenched. "i hate you."

you batted your lashes. "no, you don’t."

jeongin physically recoiled. "oh my god."

across the library, hyunjin and jisung sat at another table, watching the interaction with matching grins.

hyunjin nudged jisung. "one week?"

jisung smirked. "one week."

. . .

“i’ve decided that i’m going to end you.”

jeongin barely looked up from his notes. “cool. try not to be too obvious about it.”

“no, really,” you said, leaning forward across the library table, resting your chin on your hands as you stared at him. “i’m going to make your life miserable.”

jeongin finally glanced up, adjusting his silver-rimmed glasses with the most unimpressed expression you’d ever seen. “isn’t that what you’ve already been doing?”

you gasped, placing a dramatic hand over your chest. “wow. that was hurtful, iyen.”

jeongin twitched. “stop calling me that.”

you grinned. “make me.”

his fingers curled around his pen, and for a second, you wondered if he was genuinely considering launching it at your forehead.

the library was quiet, aside from the occasional whispers of students flipping through books, the dull hum of the air conditioning, and the muffled sounds of footsteps against the carpeted floor. your table was nestled in the back corner, surrounded by towering bookshelves and dim lighting that gave the whole setting a very academic romance kind of vibe—not that jeongin would ever admit that.

and, of course, the two of you weren’t alone.

like said earlier, across from you, at another table, were felix, ryujin, yeji, and minho, watching with way too much amusement.

they can't miss good entertainment, right?

and a few tables away, jisung, hyunjin, seungmin, aeri, and yunah, were also watching with expressions that ranged from entertained to downright smug.

because, honestly? no one believed jeongin was going to win this bet.

not even jeongin himself.

"are you done?" he asked, voice clipped, flipping a page in his notes.

you smirked. "not even close."

leaning back in your chair, you crossed one leg over the other, watching him with open interest. he was dressed as he always was—annoyingly fashionable for someone who didn’t seem to care about fashion. a fitted black turtleneck, an oversized houndstooth blazer, tailored slacks, and his signature silver-rimmed glasses that rested so perfectly on the bridge of his nose.

his black hair was slightly tousled, as if he’d been running his fingers through it in frustration all morning (which, knowing you, he probably had).

"you know," you mused, tilting your head, "if you weren’t so insufferable, i’d probably have a crush on you."

his pen hovered mid-air, his lips parting slightly before he turned to glare at you. "what?"

you shrugged. "what? i’m just saying. you’re kind of my type. hot. smart. dresses well. severely grumpy. i like a challenge."

jeongin’s eye twitched. "w—"

"oh my god," hyunjin suddenly groaned from across the room, throwing his head back. "can you two just kiss already?"

jeongin immediately choked on air.

your lips twitched as you turned to hyunjin. "not yet, jinnie. i have a bet to win, remember?"

hyunjin smirked. "oh, you will win. no doubt about it."

jisung laughed. "he’s already halfway there."

"this is a library, hello?" the librarian hissed.

"but we're the only ones here, miss y-"

jeongin slammed his book shut, stood up, and turned to you with murder in his eyes. "we’re leaving."

you blinked innocently. "we are?"

"yes." he grabbed your wrist and tugged you up from your seat, ignoring the very loud, very obnoxious oooohhhhhs coming from both friend groups.

felix gasped. "look at him. so dominant."

"i didn’t know he had it in him."

"they grow up so fast."

seungmin merely shook his head, unimpressed. "he’s just running away."

jeongin glared at all of them before practically dragging you out of the library.

now playing, if you love me by colde

the late afternoon sun draped the campus in warm, honey-colored light, stretching long shadows across the pavement. the air was crisp but comfortable, carrying the faint scent of freshly brewed coffee from the campus café nearby. a few students walked past, caught up in their own conversations, but none of them paid much attention to the very mismatched pair walking down the sidepath.

jeongin was suffering.

because you were practically dragging him.

"y/n," he grumbled, his arm stiff as you held onto his wrist. "why are you like this?"

you hummed, pretending to think. "born this way, i guess?"

jeongin sighed, shaking his head. "no remorse. none at all."

"absolutely none," you confirmed cheerfully, still leading him forward.

he didn’t know where you were taking him. you probably didn’t either. but that didn’t seem to matter to you. it was just one of those things—where you decided something, and everyone else just had to go along with it.

he really should have thought this through before making that bet.

the sky was beginning to shift into soft hues of orange and almost blue when jeongin’s phone buzzed in his pocket. he pulled it out, glancing at the screen, and immediately stiffened.

his mom.

he stopped walking so abruptly that you almost crashed into him.

"whoa—" you blinked at him. "what’s wrong?"

he held up a finger. "be quiet."

you snorted. "like hell."

"y/n."

you grinned, unbothered, as he answered the call.

"hello?" jeongin said, his voice immediately shifting into something softer, more polite.

"oh, jeongin! how are you, sweetheart?"

you gasped dramatically beside him. sweetheart?

jeongin shot you a look. a warning. a plea.

you ignored it completely.

"hello, ms. yang!" you chirped before he could stop you, leaning in way too close to the phone. "how are you?"

there was a pause on the other end.

and then—

"oh, y/n, dear! how lovely to hear your voice!"

jeongin closed his eyes. no, no, no—

you beamed. "aw, you're so sweet. it's lovely to hear yours too!"

jeongin wanted to die.

his mother laughed. "such a charming girl! i hope my son is treating you well?"

you turned to him with the smuggest smile, tilting your head. "oh, he’s wonderful, ms. yang. so sweet. so attentive."

jeongin gave you a blank stare, deadpan. you? a menace.

his mother sighed happily. "ah, that's good to hear. oh! that reminds me—jeongin, darling, you haven’t forgotten about next weekend, have you?"

jeongin blinked. "uh… next weekend?"

you raised an eyebrow, watching him.

"the family gathering, jeongin!" his mom continued. "your uncle’s wedding anniversary celebration. you have to come. and of course, you must bring y/n!"

jeongin froze.

you?

you? (i'd be offended)

he turned to you so fast you almost thought his neck might snap.

you, on the other hand, were staring at him with way too much excitement in your eyes.

he cleared his throat, forcing his voice to stay neutral. "oh… right. that."

you leaned in, lips parted in interest.

ms. yang laughed. "don't tell me you forgot?"

jeongin exhaled sharply, pressing a hand to his temple. "i… might have."

you gasped. "baby!"

he glared.

"oh, don’t worry, dear," his mom said, brushing past his frustration entirely. "it’s going to be a lovely event! you must come with him, y/n! i won’t take no for an answer."

your grin widened.

jeongin knew that look.

it was the look of pure evil. the look of someone who had just won. (no he just read too many comics)

you placed a hand over your heart, feigning surprise. "oh my gosh, ms. yang, really? you’d want me there?"

"of course!" his mother said immediately. "you’re practically family now!"

jeongin almost choked for the umpteenth time that day.

you looked so pleased.

"well, in that case," you said sweetly, "i’d love to come. wouldn't want to disappoint a lovely lady like you, ms. yang."

ms. yang sighed, completely oblivious to his suffering. "wonderful! oh, i knew i liked this girl!"

jeongin shut his eyes, inhaling deeply. why him?

"alright, sweetheart, i won’t keep you two," his mom said. "make sure to text me later, okay?"

"yeah, yeah," he muttered, still trying to process what had just happened. "bye, mom."

"have a good evening, ms. yang!" you called cheerfully.

the call ended.

silence. and then—

"you evil, evil woman," jeongin muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

you grinned. "aw, is my baby upset?"

"don’t call me that."

"oh, but i must," you teased, tapping his arm. "we are dating, after all."

jeongin groaned.

you rocked back on your heels. "sooo. a family event, huh?"

"shut up."

"your entire family is gonna be there?"

"y/n—"

"and your relatives?"

jeongin exhaled slowly, praying for patience. "yes."

you beamed. "god, i love this bet."

jeongin stared at you. "why are you enjoying this?"

you shrugged. "because you're not."

his eye twitched. "i hate you." (.........yeah, yk the drill)

"you love me."

"shut up."

you giggled, nudging his arm as you started walking again. "come on, hot nerd. we have so much planning to do."

jeongin sighed, dragging a hand down his face as he followed after you.

he wasn't going to lose this bet.

he wasn't.

but, why did it feel like you had already won?

—

the city was beginning to glow.

golden streetlights flickered on, one by one, casting soft halos onto the pavement. neon signs buzzed to life in the distance, painting the skyline in hues of red, blue, and green. the cool evening air carried a mix of scents—freshly brewed coffee from a nearby café, the faint spice of street food stalls setting up for the night, and something softer, like rain on warm pavement.

and in the middle of it all—you and jeongin.

he was still following you, albeit begrudgingly, his hands tucked into the pockets of his coat.

"are you actually planning on telling me where we're going?" jeongin asked, his voice laced with skepticism.

you only grinned, walking a little ahead of him, as you turned around, still walking backwards, facing him. "nope."

he sighed. "of course not."

as the two of you had left the campus a while ago, jeongin had expected you to stop at the nearest café, maybe a convenience store. but instead, you kept walking. past the busy streets, past the familiar landmarks, past the places where most students usually hung out.

and now?

now, you were leading him through quieter roads, where the buildings weren't as tall, where the sky was starting to open up above you, where the city lights didn’t drown out the stars entirely.

it was weirdly peaceful.

not that he'd admit it.

"you're too trusting," jeongin muttered, watching as you walked ahead of him without a care in the world.

you glanced over your shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "oh? and why's that?"

"you’re just… walking around at night, alone, dragging me—your supposed fake boyfriend—to some unknown location." he narrowed his eyes. "for all you know, i could be leading you into danger."

you let out a soft laugh. "oh, please. if anyone’s the danger here, it’s me."

jeongin rolled his eyes. "right."

"you think i'm scared of you, topper?" you smirked, nudging his shoulder. "you’re, like, the least threatening person i’ve ever met."

"good," he said flatly. "that means i can stop pretending to tolerate you."

you gasped dramatically. "so rude! and here i was, thinking we were bonding!"

"bonding?" jeongin scoffed. "you kidnapped me."

you hummed, tilting your head. "wouldn’t call it kidnapping. more like… involuntary adventuring."

"that’s literally just a fancier way of saying kidnapping."

"details, details." you waved a hand dismissively, your bracelets jingling softly.

jeongin shook his head, but there was a small—very small—curve to his lips.

for a while, the conversation drifted into comfortable silence. the only sounds were the rhythmic tapping of your footsteps against the pavement, the occasional passing car, and the distant chatter of city life.

"you come here often?" jeongin asked suddenly, his voice softer now.

you glanced at him, slightly surprised by the question. "hmm?"

"wherever it is we're going," he clarified, watching your expression closely. "you seem… familiar with the way."

you hesitated for a second, but then you smiled. "yeah. i do."

he studied you, noticing how your fingers fiddled with the strap of your bag—a small, almost absentminded gesture. "alone?"

"sometimes." you exhaled lightly, looking up at the sky. "other times, with my friends."

jeongin didn’t miss the slight shift in your tone. it was subtle, but it was there.

"and tonight?" he asked, glancing at you. "why me?"

you turned your head toward him, meeting his gaze.

and for a moment—just a moment—you didn’t say anything.

the city lights reflected in your eyes, turning them into something almost ethereal. the night breeze played with the loose strands of your hair, making them dance against your cheekbones. there was something unreadable in your expression, something jeongin couldn’t quite place.

but then— you grinned.

"because i felt like annoying you," you said simply.

jeongin blinked. and then scoffed. "wow. and here i thought i was special."

"oh, you are," you teased, looping your arm through his before he could react. "you're my favorite victim, actually."

he stiffened. "y/n—"

"you’re warm," you interrupted, pressing closer. "a human heater. i should keep you around more often."

jeongin let out a very long sigh, tilting his head toward the sky like he was asking some higher power for patience.

"you're insufferable," he muttered.

"and you are cute."

"shut up."

you giggled. "ooooh, that blush is telling me a different story."

jeongin groaned, refusing to meet your gaze. "i hate this bet."

"you love this bet."

he side-eyed you. "you know, i think you might be evil."

you only winked. "oh, honey. i'm very aware."

and the walk continued like that—small banter, stolen glances, the occasional brush of hands when neither of you were paying attention.

jeongin hated how natural it felt.

hated how easy it was to talk to you.

hated how, despite himself, he was actually curious about where you were taking him.

he didn’t get attached.

he didn’t, right?.

but with every teasing smile you threw his way, with every time your fingers lingered against his, with every moment you laughed at something he said—

he started to wonder.

maybe jisung had been right.

maybe this bet was a really, really bad idea.

the view you chose for me

the path sloped upward, curving gently along the hillside. the city behind you had slowly started to fade, the buzzing neon signs replaced by the soft hum of cicadas, the distant rustling of leaves, and the whisper of the evening breeze. the sky above stretched out like a painting, shifting from the last golden hues of sunset into the deepening blues of twilight.

jeongin slowed his steps, glancing at you. "are we almost there?"

"patience, iyennie," you hummed, walking ahead with a skip in your step. "good things take time."

he rolled his eyes, but a small, amused exhale escaped his lips.

then, finally, the world opened up.

the trees thinned, revealing an expansive hilltop that overlooked the city. a vast, open field of wild grass spread around you, swaying lightly in the wind. the horizon stretched endlessly, where the last golden threads of daylight kissed the deepening night. below, the city twinkled like scattered stars, a soft, pulsing glow of blues, oranges, and whites.

and above, the first stars had begun to appear.

tiny, glimmering specks against a sky that seemed endless. wisps of deep indigo melted into shades of violet, streaked with soft pinks from the remnants of the sun. there was something ethereal about it—something quiet, untouched, almost unreal.

jeongin exhaled, barely noticing how his breath caught for a second.

you, on the other hand, stretched your arms out with a dramatic sigh. "isn't it beautiful?"

he glanced at you.

the wind had tousled your hair, strands of it floating like silk against the dim light. your face, turned toward the sky, was bathed in soft twilight, the shadows curving gently along your cheekbones. your eyes reflected the distant stars, and when you smiled—

your lips curled into a slow, satisfied grin, and your eyes crinkled into tiny crescents.

something in jeongin’s chest lurched.

"yeah," he murmured before he could stop himself. "it is."

you turned to him, blinking. "see? told you it was worth it."

jeongin tore his gaze away, clearing his throat. "it’s… alright."

you laughed, nudging him with your shoulder. "wow. that almost sounded like a compliment, yang."

"don’t push your luck," he muttered, walking past you.

you grinned, plopping down on the grass before patting the space next to you. "sit. enjoy the view."

he hesitated.

then, with a small sigh, he sat down beside you, the grass cool beneath his palms. the air smelled faintly of earth and rain, the breeze gentle as it curled around both of you.

a moment passed in silence, the two of you simply staring at the sky.

you reached into your bag, pulling out a small snack box.

jeongin glanced over. "what’s that?"

"food, obviously," you teased, opening the lid. inside, neatly packed, were a few triangular onigiris wrapped in seaweed. "can't survive without snacking every moment,"

you picked one up and held it out to him. "here. i made these this morning."

jeongin blinked. "you cooked?"

"is it so surprising? i'm a good chef, i'll have you know." you frown, and wiggled the rice ball in front of him. "c’mon. try it. first time making them, so i need honest feedback, topper."

he hesitated, eyeing you for a second before reaching out to take it.

and that’s when it happened.

you looked at him—waiting, expectant, your expression filled with the kind of excitement that was so genuine it almost startled him. the soft glow of the evening light traced the edges of your face, highlighting the curve of your cheek, the arch of your brow, the slight parting of your lips. your lashes cast tiny shadows against your skin, and when you smiled, your dimples deepened, your eyes turning into crescents once again.

jeongin—

forgot to breathe.

for a fraction of a second, he didn’t care about the stupid bet. didn’t care about the fake dating, or the fact that he was supposed to be annoyed by all of this.

all he could think about—

was how pretty you looked.

and then—

you turned your gaze back to the sky.

the moment broke, like ripples in a pond.

jeongin blinked rapidly, forcing himself to look anywhere else. he bit into the onigiri, trying to act normal.

it was good.

really good.

but he wasn’t about to inflate your ego, obviously.

"it’s… okay," he mumbled.

you frowned, clutching your chest. "just okay?"

he smirked, raising an eyebrow. "i’m just being honest, like you asked."

you narrowed your eyes, then suddenly leaned in closer, way too close. "are you lying?"

jeongin stiffened.

you were right there, inches from his face, eyes locked onto his like you were searching for the truth. the scent of vanilla and something faintly floral drifted from you, and jeongin—

had to grip his knee to keep himself from leaning back.

"i—" he swallowed. "no."

you hummed, tilting your head. "hmm. suspicious."

then, before he could react, you grinned.

"well, i think i did an amazing job." you leaned back, stretching your arms behind you. "maybe i should become a chef. quit university. open a cute little café. i’d call it ‘y/n’s love bites.’"

"love bites?" jeongin actually choked on air this time.

"hey, careful!" your eyes widened, your hands immediately burying into your bag, pulling a bottle out. you hand it to him, after opening it.

"what? is it not a nice name?" you pout at the look he gave you after gulping down the entire bottle, still coughing.

"really though? love bites?"

"mhm." you laughed. "because.. love bites. and because i’m good at biting. and love. and actually, love b-"

"god forbid a man wants to have a snack in peace."

you burst out laughing. "jeez, relax, iyennie. i’m kidding."

"you’re really insufferable."

"and you are fun to tease." you winked.

jeongin groaned, looking away.

but his ears—

were very, very red.

—

the stars were out in full now, scattered across the endless stretch of the night sky. the city below twinkled in response, as if the lights of the world and the heavens were competing for brilliance. the grass beneath you both was soft, slightly damp from the evening air, but comforting in a way that made neither of you want to move.

the silence between you had settled into something familiar—not awkward, not tense. just there. a moment where neither of you had to fill the space with meaningless words.

but then again, you’d never been one for silence.

"so," you started, shifting slightly so you faced him, "i realized something."

jeongin barely glanced at you, still watching the stars. "what?"

"i don’t know anything about you."

he raised an eyebrow. "you know plenty."

"mm, do i?" you leaned back on your palms. "i know you're stinky smart. i know you have the ability to make even professors shut up with a single argument. i know you have the fashion sense of a pinterest model and the patience of a grandma stuck in traffic."

jeongin let out a dry chuckle. "that’s oddly specific."

"am i wrong?"

"…no."

"exactly." you grinned before tilting your head. "but i mean, i don’t know you. like, i don’t know what makes you tick. what makes you.. you. i don’t know what you wanted to be when you were a kid, what your childhood was like, what your favorite memory is."

jeongin stayed quiet, eyes flickering toward you briefly.

you rested your chin on your knees, watching him. "i wanna know."

"you’re way too curious."

"and you’re way too closed off."

he sighed, shaking his head. "you don’t need to know all that. we’re only dating in front of my parents. not here."

"yeah, well, i want to get to know you," you said simply. "and this is completely unrelated to the whole fake dating thing. it can be platonic, you know? i just think it’s unfair that you probably know way more about me than i do about you."

jeongin looked at you, thoughtful. "do i?"

"you tell me, topper."

his lips twitched slightly, and for a moment, he looked like he was considering something. then, with a small sigh, he leaned back on his elbows.

"alright. what do you want to know?"

your eyes lit up. "anything?"

"within reason."

you hummed, thinking. "okay. what did you want to be when you were a kid?"

jeongin let out a short laugh. "you’re gonna make fun of me."

"oh, now i really have to know."

he rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth quirked up slightly. "i wanted to be a detective."

your eyebrows shot up. "no way. detective yang jeongin?"

"yeah, yeah," he muttered. "i used to love mystery novels as a kid. thought i’d grow up solving impossible cases, catching criminals, the whole thing."

you grinned. "that’s actually kind of cute."

he scoffed. "yeah, well, then i realized i’d have to deal with actual crime, and i was like, ‘yeah, no thanks.’"

you burst out laughing. "you wanted to be sherlock holmes but without the danger?"

"pretty much." he shrugged. "so i settled for something else."

"which is?"

"business and english."

you made a face. "oh so we're almost twinning?"

"i thought you knew?"

"um no? we barely share any other sessions, only sometimes, business."

"well that's because we have different batches, genius."

"huh. when's yours?"

"at nine."

you clicked your tongue. "good lord, typical topper behavior."

he shook his head, a small chuckle escaping him. "alright, your turn. what did you want to be as a kid?"

you hummed. "i went through so many phases. i wanted to be a singer, a poet, an author, a fashion designer, a painter… i was all over the place."

jeongin’s eyes softened slightly. "you’re still kind of all those things."

you blinked, caught off guard, ready to fight. "excuse me?"

"no, i mean, you write. you sing. you compose. you’re always dressed like you just walked out of a magazine." his voice was casual, as if he wasn’t just casually complimenting you without thinking.

and for some reason—

your heart stumbled a little.

you quickly recovered, clearing your throat. "well. somebody is paying attention."

he smirked. "unfortunately."

you gasped, nudging his shoulder. "and here i thought we were having a moment."

"you should know better by now," he teased, but there was something gentle in the way he said it.

you huffed dramatically. "fine, whatever. but i thought walking out of a magazine was your thing?"

"i wouldn't mind someone appreciating fashion, darling."

"...moving on. next question. what’s your favorite memory?"

jeongin hesitated for a second. then, with a small exhale, he said, "when i was ten, my family took a trip to japan. we went during the cherry blossom season, and i remember standing under this huge tree, just watching the petals fall. it felt like…" he paused, searching for the word. "magic."

your lips parted slightly.

for a moment, you could see it—ten-year-old jeongin standing under a sea of pink, eyes wide with wonder, cherry blossoms falling around him like soft whispers of a dream.

"you still remember it that vividly?" you asked softly.

"yeah." he looked up at the sky. "some moments just… stick with you."

your chest ached a little at that.

you didn’t know why.

you shook off the feeling. "well. that’s a very wholesome memory."

he smirked. "what were you expecting? something embarrassing?"

"maybe," you admitted, grinning. "but i like this one, too."

a comfortable silence settled between you again.

"what about you?" he asked.

you blinked. "huh?"

"your favorite memory."

you smiled slightly, hugging your knees. "i have a lot of good ones. but, if i had to pick, maybe…" you trailed off, thinking.

jeongin waited patiently.

you finally spoke. "back home, we used to have power outages a lot. and whenever that happened, my mom and i would sit outside with candles, just talking. we’d make shadow animals on the wall, tell stories, and drink warm milk while waiting for the lights to come back."

jeongin listened intently, his expression unreadable.

"it was such a simple thing," you murmured, "but it always made me feel.. safe."

for a long moment, he didn’t say anything.

then, finally, he said, "that sounds.. comforting."

you glanced at him.

there was something warm in his eyes, something quiet and understanding.

and for the first time that night—

you weren’t thinking about the bet.

you weren’t thinking about how you were supposed to be fake dating in front of his parents.

it was just the two of you.

sitting under the stars.

sharing pieces of yourselves you never expected to.

and somehow— it didn’t feel fake at all.

it was peaceful.

you were still determined to learn everything about him.

not just for the bet.

not just for fun.

but because, if you were honest, he intrigued you.

and you always liked figuring people out.

so, after a few minutes of silence, you spoke again.

"so," you started, shifting slightly to face him, "we were talking about memories."

jeongin glanced at you. "we were."

"you know what we weren't talking about?" you raised an eyebrow. "your love life."

he scoffed. "love life? who said i have one?"

you gasped, pressing a dramatic hand to your chest. "wait, no way. don’t tell me you’ve never had a girlfriend before, iyennie."

"i literally told you i've never been on a date.. like on day one." he shot you a look. "also, don't call me that."

"i think you know that i don't believe that," you grinned. "also, i will always call you that."

he exhaled through his nose, clearly regretting ever agreeing to this conversation. "i’ve had one."

you perked up. "so you did!" your eyes lit up with curiousity. "so, one? as in, just one?"

"yeah."

"how long ago?"

he hesitated for a second. "three years."

your mouth dropped open. "damn, that’s—wait. that means you’ve been single since you were—"

"yeah, yeah," he cut you off, rubbing the back of his neck. "i just… haven’t really been interested in dating since."

"interesting," you mused. "so what happened?"

jeongin sighed, clearly debating whether to answer.

then, after a moment, he said, "she was.. nice. we just weren’t meant to be, i guess."

you narrowed your eyes. "that’s such a boring answer, yang. give me details."

he smirked slightly, shaking his head. "you’re really nosy, you know that?"

"and you're really secretive." you tilted your head, watching him. "it’s okay if it.. ended badly. you can tell me."

he was quiet for a beat, then finally spoke.

"it wasn’t bad, exactly. we just had different priorities," he admitted. "she wanted a lot more attention, a lot more time together. and i was…" he paused, exhaling. "i was too focused on school, my goals. she got frustrated. said i didn’t care about her enough."

you hummed. "did you?"

he frowned slightly. "i did care about her."

"but maybe not in the way she wanted," you guessed.

jeongin gave you a look, as if surprised at how quickly you caught on. "yeah."

you nodded, thoughtful. "so, you’re the kind of guy who expresses love in actions, not words, huh?"

he blinked. "i guess you could say that."

"noted." you grinned. "i’ll expect a bunch of favors and free tutoring sessions as proof of love."

he rolled his eyes. "we’re not in love."

"not yet," you teased.

jeongin let out a dry chuckle. "you really think you’re gonna win this bet, huh?"

"oh, i know i will," you said smugly. "face it, topper, you like me."

"i tolerate you," he corrected.

"that's what they all say," you laughed. "give it time."

for a moment, he just watched you, his gaze unreadable. then, shaking his head, he muttered, "unbelievable."

you turned your attention back to the sky. "alright, next question."

"you’re not done interrogating me yet?"

"of course not. i’m just getting started." you shot him a smirk. "so, mr. future ceo, what’s something you’re actually passionate about? like, not just academically."

he hesitated.

you raised an eyebrow. "you do have hobbies, right? you don’t just study for fun?"

"of course i have hobbies," he muttered.

"well?"

"…i like music."

you blinked. "wait, really?"

he nodded. "yeah. i don’t do it as much now, but i used to sing trot with my grandparents all the time when i was younger."

you stared at him, genuinely surprised. "you? music?"

"what’s so shocking about that?"

"i don’t know! you just seem like ‘i only study and occasionally judge people’."

"well, i do judge people." he smirked. "i also kinda life photography, for some reason."

"really? so he likes singing and photography? what kinds?"

"mostly landscapes. architecture. things that don’t move too much."

you hummed. "so, no people?"

"not really." he glanced at you. "though… i think i’d like taking pictures of someone if they were interesting enough."

you tilted your head. "like who?"

for a second, jeongin didn’t answer. his eyes flickered over your face, something unreadable in his expression.

then, with a small smirk, he simply said, "dunno. haven’t found them yet."

your stomach did a weird little flip.

you cleared your throat. "huh. well. you should show me your pictures sometime."

he shrugged. "maybe."

you nudged his shoulder. "that means yes."

"that means maybe."

"sure, sure." you grinned before shifting topics. "alright, what’s your biggest ick in a person?"

he smirked slightly. "besides you?"

"rude," you huffed.

he pretended to think. "probably… people who pretend to be someone they’re not."

you nodded. "yeah, i get that. fake personalities are exhausting."

"what about you?"

you didn’t hesitate. "people who can’t communicate."

jeongin raised an eyebrow. "that’s… a very mature answer."

"right?" you sighed dramatically. "like, if you have a problem, just say it. why do people make everything so complicated?"

jeongin chuckled. "agreed."

there was a pause before you added, "also, people who wear socks to bed. they scare me."

he burst out laughing. "what? why?"

"i don't know, it just feels wrong!"

"you’re insane," he said, shaking his head.

"maybe. but at least i’m not a sock-sleeper."

jeongin laughed again, and for some reason, the sound made your chest feel warm.

the conversation continued, shifting from childhood stories to embarrassing moments, from random questions to deep musings.

at one point, you found yourself just… watching him.

the way his dimples appeared when he smiled.

the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed.

the way his gaze softened ever so slightly when he looked at you.

and maybe, just maybe—

you were in trouble.

but you weren’t going to admit that.

not yet.

for now, you were just a girl sitting under the stars with a boy who was supposed to be your fake boyfriend.

and yet, somehow—

it didn’t feel fake at all.

mastertag ୨୧ @cosmicalily @hyunjiiza @modesttiger @woozarts @katsukis1wife @bddaramjis @reignessance @peskybirdysya @honeyybbuubblleess @ellemir2404 @4ng3l-ch1ld @urlocalmultigroupfan

[colossrat]

Marvel is old. Like, not just bcs he is a entity of zillions of years old Billy was born and imprisoned for several years in a relatively conservative time full of prejudices.

When the time bubble pops and the League finds out about it, they expect Captain Marvel to be some kind of very close-minded, militaristic guy who will find the new generation full of sins (They don't know that in Fawcett there is so much magic, different species and queer entities that it is impossible to really be a socially backward place. They also don't know that the captain is a guy who doesn't like the police very much and his favorite sport is beating up nazis)

And well, finding out that the guy you thought would give you headaches in the modern age is actually super happy about it is kind of shocking Batman already had several slides ready to give the captain a lecture about respect

Marvel: Oh my gods, I found some pamphlets about these pride parades. Mr Batman, can I take this weekend off? I would love to go with my brother there!

Batman: Your... brother?

Marvel: Yes! Well, my whole family. We were part of some protests for the queer community in my time, but we were not part of any since the bubble. He liked the idea, but he's too shy to go alone, so me, my brothers and sisters wanna go with him to support him!

Batman: ... Of course, I will arrange for someone to take over your monitor duties

And next week there are several news about how the new-old heroes appeared on pride parade.

They help with things like free water and snacks distribution, first aid for minor injuries, they ensure that no homophobes try to start a fight, they don't let it turn into a mess and in general they also participate. They are practically all painted in colorful colors, their capes are personalized, some of them are dancing, others are further away taking care of the environment. Marvel does some magic tricks, makes rainbows appear in the sky and all that And they absolutely shower the green-suited superhero, aka they bro, with support and love. Vicki Vale and Cat Grant are dying to know why

And things like this just keep happening. Is there a protest in Asia about feminism? The Shazam family will be there, Mary and Darla protesting while their brothers stand around staring at anyone who wants to intervene. Community centers for homeless charities? captain will appear to call the public, ask for support and do some tricks to please the rich Donations to hospitals? They are all out there distributing news, asking anyone who can help, to help. A movement for teacher salary justice in Brazil? They are already there to help Or are movements taking place to preserve Brazilian flora? because of the criminal fires happening in the Amazon? They are there again, using their magic to heal what was hurt, put out what burned and protest, demanding more attention from the government. Do they want to take away land from indigenous tribes? They're going to have to go over the captain first. News broke about high levels of trash in the ocean. But Aquaman barely has time to deal with it himself, he sees his co-worker there with his family gathering pieces of trash and separating them for their own disposal, using spells to separate chemicals and water pollution. Is Gotham suffering from polluted air? The captain will gather a bunch of clouds and sprinkle them with some magic, and his raindrops will gradually purify the air for the people Is a police officer being cleared after attacking a teenager? no no no, marvel will be in front of the police station in the morning along with a bunch of civilians wanting justice Does a police car, or any car in general, have a sticker that supports some kind of tyrannical movement? apology for the Nazis? to an oppressive government? a prejudiced joke? Oh man, you better be ready for dawn with every part of this car missing, probably being sold illegally and having the proceeds sent to charity The fact that the captain calls the police bastard pigs was a shock, some got defensive and such, others thought it was great. It was a slight headache for the Justice League when it came to the media, but it's not like the government liked them before The movements in Brazil are there because im brazilian, raised by a teacher, there was no way to avoid it. Billy come to brasil <3

[rafesslxt]

beach night

DAY 1 valentines special <3

SUMMARY: it‘s your first valentines day together and rafe wants to do something special for you, even asking his sister for help.

WARNINGS: make-out session at the beach, rafe being the cutest ever, romantic date, emotional gift, rafe crying, mention of rafe's passed away mom

WORD COUNT: 2,4k

NOTE: english isn‘t my first language, thank you all for reading! Every like, comment or reblog is appreciated! <3

"What are you doing?“ Sarah‘s voice echoed through the steamy kitchen as she appeared in the doorway, which was filled with smoke and cursings coming from Rafe‘s lips as he tried to scratch the last remnants of noodles from the pot that was now pitch black.

"I‘m cooking." his voice was tight, his jaw tensed as he thossed the ruined pan into the kitchen sink. "fuckn‘ shit" he mumbled under his breath, running a hand over his buzz cut and then across his face.

"Yeah.. and why are you trying to cook?“ Rafe sighed, now looking at his sister's amused face. "It's valentines day." he answered, as If that would explain anything.

He rolled his eyes and groaned. "I wanted to surprise her with a.. romantic dinner." A smile crept onto Sarah’s face at her brother’s words. 

"Oh I should‘ve known this is about y/n. Why else would you be in the kitchen the first time after 20 years. So, what did you have in mind ?"

Rafe glanced back at his culinary disaster.  "I wanted to surprise her with dinner tonight – i know i can‘t cook, so I thought I’d practice beforehand to avoid ruining it.”

"Why don‘t you take her to a nice restaurant? You know she appreciates everything, no matter what you do." Sarah should know, she‘s your best friend. But Rafe already knew that you would be happy even if you both just sat on the couch watching movies all night long.

"I know that. But she deserves more. She deserves everything. And I don‘t want to do something with money, that‘s not impressing her." He sank into a chair, running both hands over his head, his elbows resting on the desk in front of him. “Can you help me?” 

"What?", Sarah looked at her brother in surprise. "You heard me. You‘re her best friend, you have to have an idea come on." "Well -", she began, walking over to sit across from him. 

"I mean let‘s brainstorm. What does y/n like? What is she talking about the whole time when you two are together?"

He leaned back, letting memories of their conversations, dates, and time spent together flood his mind "I mean she loves her family, her dog, her friends.. she likes clothes and makeup.."

His sister rolled her eyes. "Not like that. That‘s what every girl likes. I meant stuff like.. her passions."

Rafe nods. "She loves animals, always talking 'bout them. Loves trying new food, experimenting with it while cooking. Uh – she also loves the beach, the ocean in general."

Sarah smiled at him, causing his eyebrows to furrow in confusion. "What?“ "I didn‘t know you could be such a listener."

"Come on, Sarah, I don't have time for this." his voice tighter than before. "Alright alright.. what about a date at the beach?", she suggested.

Rafe's eyes widened, "Yes yes yes! She once showed me some tiktok's of a picnic at the beach 'n stuff. Bet she would love that." Rafe stood up from his chair and began pacing around the kitchen, excitement coursing through him at the thought of her face when she saw a full picnic spread out on the beach. 

"But how do I get the food to be warm when we get there ? I would have to pick her up." His gaze landed on his sister again. "Can you pick her up?"

"Yeah gonna do. John B and I aren't meeting until 10 pm." "Okay great. Uhm - okay I need to go and get everything. Just text her you wanna do something with her since John B doesn't have time for you -" "Uh - he does have time; he's just-" "Yeah yeah, broke ass boyfriend who's late so he has to push the date to 10pm to get everything sorted."

-

He had literally thought of everything. He even enlisted Topper’s help, since that idiot hadn’t managed to secure a date aside from a little hookup that never happened because she dumped him.

Topper assisted him in setting up four fire torches adorned with fairy lights, and he also brought over the food while Rafe continued arranging the rest. He arrived exactly five minutes before you were supposed to show up with Sarah.

“Thanks, man.” He gave his friend a light slap on the shoulder, surveying the setup.

"No problem man, I like y/n. Even though she's a pogue." Topper chuckled before he turned towards Rafe. "Okay bro, gonna leave before the princess arrives. Call me up If you need anything else alright?" He nods and starts walking backwards while Rafe gave him thumbs up and a little smile.

Topper hopped into his car and drove off the beach, taking a different route to avoid crossing paths with you and Sarah. 

Meanwhile you and Sarah laughed in her car to a joke she just told you. "I can't believe he said that!" "It's JJ, what do we expect I guess?", you giggled, glancing outside the window for a short moment. "Yeah, touche."

You noticed Sarah taking a turn toward the beach instead of continuing down the road to her place. “Where are we going?” you asked, curious. "I don't know, felt like taking a quick stop at the beach. Romantic at Valentinesday.", she joked, wiggling her eyebrows.

A small laugh left your lips at her corniness. "Stop, you're almost acting like JJ when he wants Rafe to get mad at him for flirting with me." "I know, saw it last time and I had to listen to Rafe ranting the whole day at home how he's gonna punch JJ in the face so he never can talk to you ever again without a tongue."

You both hopped out of her car when she parked near the ocean. Just a little bit of sand separating you from the waves.

You quietly walked down towards the shore, Sarah taking a turn around a little cliff. That's when you saw it. Him.

"Have fun.", Sarah whispered into your eyes before disappearing behind you.

With your heart racing, you walked down theshore toward your boyfriend, a smile��stretching across your face. “Rafe... what did you do?” you asked, clearly shocked, your breath taken away as the view became clearer.

As you reached him, he instantly reached out, pulling you close, his hands finding yours and intertwining your fingers. "Thought surprising you with something different than expensive stuff.", he smiled like a fool, full of love.

Tears of joy tingled in your eyes as you looked over his shoulder. It was breathtaking, like something out of a movie. Therewere various plates of food: one filled with your favorite fruits, another with candy, and a third brimming with crackers,cheese, olives, and everything he had found on Pinterest. Next to the plates sat a large pizza box and a bottle of your favorite wine, accompanied by two glasses.

Everything was beautifully arranged on a large white blanket, adorned with rose petals scattered among the different items.At the end of the blanket was a massive pile of pillows, every cushion Rafe could find around the house, except for those on the beds.

"This is - I don't even have words like, wow. It's so beautiful Rafe, thank you. Thank you so much." He reached down and tilted your head upwards, looking right into your eyes. "Everything. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you.", he whispered before crushing his lips against yours.

The kiss was tender and full of love, his lips moving slowly and intensely against yours.

He teased your bottom lip,smirking against your mouth as he felt you open up for him. His tongue found yours, and within moments, the kiss deepened,your hands exploring his chest and wrapping around his neck. Your body pressed against his, feeling his heart racing beneath his chest..

You felt your stomach getting all tingly, heat slowly pooling low in your stomach when you felt his hands greedily wandering over your stomach and right side, down towards your ass cupping it and pressing you even tighter against him.

A moan slipped past your lips, which he swallowed down like the air he needed to breathe. "Shit, stop doin' this shit or I'm gonna have you before we even made it to the blanket." he murmured against your lips, brushing his against yours.

Your eyes locked with his and a little smile formed on your lips. "Hmm, we wouldn't want that to happen, right?" A cheeky grin spread across Rafe’s face, revealing his mischievous thoughts.

You playfully rolled your eyes and took his hands in yours, pulling him toward the picnic. As you settled down, you glancedover your shoulder. When you turned back, Rafe was already hovering over you.

"I'm hungry.." Rafe grinned, looking at you like you were his last meal. "Rafe stop!", you giggled and pushed him off you so he tumbled beside you.

"Come on, let's eat before it gets cold.", you suggested, opening the pizza box. You took a piece and put it on a plate, placing it in front of Rafe while he uncorked the wine and poured each of you a glass.

"To us. To you, the most beautiful girlfriend on this planet.", he said with a cheeky smile, clinking his glass with yours before taking a sip.

You two started to eat and drink, the night filled with you guys laughter and chatting. "I know we said no big gifts and stuff but I still have something for you.", Rafe started when he placed a strawberry in front of your lips. "Rafe.." "Don't start baby doll, you're my girl, I can gift you what I want, alright?" A sight left your lips before you wrapped your lips around the strawberry, sucked it in a little bit and bit off a peace.

Rafe watched you intently, wetting his bottom lip with his tongue. "Damn you wanna get me high and dry tonight huh?" "What the hell?" you let out a loud laughter at that quote. "Weirdo.", you smirked at him while he pulled out a little box from the pocket of his jeans.

He pulled you into his lap, putting his head onto your shoulder from behind. "Here, open it.", he whispered inside your ear, putting it into your hands. You smiled at him and slowly took the lid off the small boy.

A small gasp left your lips when you looked at a beautiful shell that was threaded onto a golden necklace. "It's the shell you gave me when we first crashed into each other at the beach – the day you moved here, remember?" he kissed your cheek.

You could feel your heart aching with love, your troat slightly throbbing, trying to hold back the little sob. "You still have it?" "Hmm, always had it the top drawer beside my bed." his lips brushed against your cheek before he placed a gentle kiss there.

"Can you put it on me, please?" you asked, your bottom lip slightly quivering. " 'Course." he softly brushed your hair over your shoulder, took the necklace from your hand and placed it around your neck, securing the little clasp before placing your hair back over your shoulder. "Done."

You looked down at your chest and smiled at the little shell that hung now right above your other Necklace with an "R" on it. "It's beautiful, thank you. Can I give you yours now?", you smiled up at him, bending your head a little to look at him.

Before he could protest that you shouldn’t have gotten him anything, you pulled out something from your little purse. "Close your eyes." He obeyed, waiting patiently. You took his hand and opened it, placing the cool item in his palm.

"Okay, open now." ´, you told him, waiting for him to look at it. he opened his eyes and looked down o to his hand, a little golden necklace placed on it. He let out a chuckle and looked at you.

"Seems like we have similar tastes, huh?" "Open it, Rafe.", you said softly, knowing what's inside the golden pendant. He raised an eyebrow at you before taking it in both his hands and opening it up with his fingers.

His smile fell as he stared at the little black and white picture that was placed in it. He felt as if he were frozen, unable to move or even breathe. "Rafe? Baby..", you careful asked him, not sure If it may have been a bad idea to ask Sarah for that picture.

You saw his eyes filling with tears until the first one dropped right down his right cheeks, his lips starting to quiver. "I -" he tried to talk but his words were cut off by a little sob that made its way out of his throat. More tears followed down the first one on his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, Rafe. Shit I -" He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a tight embrace, his head resting against your shoulder as he sobbed like a child, clutching the necklace in his fist. 

"Thank you.", he cried out, his eyes closed as he tried to regain his composure "Do you want me to put it on for you?", you asked softly, kissing his cheek while your arms were wrapped around him.

You just nodded, causing you to get up a little and carefully taking the necklace from his fist he had opened for you. You put it around his neck like he had earlier around yours and placed the pendant on his chest, a soft smile on your lips.

He looked down at it, opening it again and looking down at a little photo of his mom inside of it, smiling brightly at the camera.

"I asked your dad for it. He told me it was -", you corrected yourself, "is, his favorite picture of her." Rafe took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second before meeting your gaze again.

"I love you so, so much, y/n. This is - it means so much to me." He said, his voice still trembling. "I love you too, Ray." He pulled you in for a sweet kiss, both his hands cradling your cheeks. "Best Valentine ever.", he chuckled against your lips, making you giggle.

Best Valentine indeed.

masterlist | taglist | navigation | valentines day special

taglist: @supernaturaldawning @cardibre91 @aegonsslxt @juliet-017 @lizzysmith110 @mattyskies @my-name-is-baby @synicaljah @tiaajosephin @gxdsfavgal @whyamireadingthis @starkeycore

xoxo sarah <3

[bitch-i-migth-be]

I love your brain, please have a biscuit.

I kept thinking about the og baby a lot while I was writing that. Poor thing, just made up so he can die for the sake of the plot.

Also imposter syndrome.

In this case, for example, it would be interesting to see that even if Tim can relate to Kon- it’s not actually the same, because while Kon was made to replace Superman he never actually had to do it, he got to be his own person.

Tim doesn’t get that here.

He did replace someone. Even if that wasn’t the objective of his creation. He is actively living under the name of a dead boy (which later gets even worse after Jason dies and the whole Replacement Robin situation happens), . he didn’t get to be named by people that loves him or even choose one himself.

If anything the scientists who made him gave him some serial number and called it a day, because you know that cloning Danny isn’t easy, it got to have taken many many tries. Tim would be lucky if he doesn’t have it tattooed somewhere in his body like cattle, the GIW was interested in his biology not his aesthetics.

He didn’t have any other option or resources when the Drakes ‘took him in’, and by the time he could have actually done something about it he was already far too deep in his life as Tim Drake. Far too deep in the vigilante life, far too deep in a family and friends

Before becoming Robin, Tim didn’t think he would get that. He thought he would have to bide his time, be the Perfect Little Son he was purchased to be until he actually had a shot at disappearing with the minimum risk of being dragged back to the labs or the Drake’s;

Following the Dynamic Duo around was never supposed to be more than a pass time, and then maybe doing some wishful thinking about how maybe they could help him, and battling with himself about whether it was a good idea to drag them into his mess.

And then the Joker fucked it all up, his chance was gone and he had to step up before Batman managed to kill himself in his grief because no one else would do it.

Can you imagine if somewhere in his archives he actually has a file with a life he invented/built for himself before being Robin? a name he chose?? With so much care because this was supposed to actually be his. Maybe he still tweaks it up from time to time just because he can’t let the idea go, even now.

And if any of the bats ever finds it they would just think it’s another one of Tim’s alias, like Alvin Draper, and maybe they make fun of him because ‘some of those things are really cheesy, Timbo. how did you came up with that??’

And Tim just has to pretend that he is Fine TM ‘yeah, haha, laugh it up’ like it doesn’t hurt because what is he supposed to say at this point?

It was never supposed to get this far. He was not supposed to get attached, to have people he actually cared about and then lie, lie, lie. Not while he was still Tim.

He should have been gone by now, to have finally laid the memory of Timothy Jackson Drake to rest and become his own person.

But He doesn’t want to loose this. He is catastrophizing whenever he is not in deep denial about the situation but it doesn’t change the facts.

He got an actual life now, with family and friends like he always wanted.

But it’s still a fucking lie

In which Jack & Janet Drake manage to neglect their toddler to death and have to find a replacement before the police or, god forbid, the media tears them apart.

It’s a good thing the US Government is getting rid of the GIW’s highly immoral test subjects before the JL can crack down on them.

Ha. Jokes on you, Jason.  ‘Tim’ has always been the replacement.

[aspenmissing]

Hiii, so I love LOVEEEE reading your arcane x reader one-shots (I am literally obsessed) and I have a request. Would it be possible to write a Jayce x reader, where the reader is Vander's biological daughter, was raised alongside Vi, Powder, Claggor and Mylo, is four years older than Vi, so that means she is 19 when Vander dies, she also doesn't know what happened with Powder and Vi and assumes they are death (she was there when Powder's monkey bomb exploded but was under the debris and no one found her there, she is also injured), she doesn't have anybody else in Zaun and her dream has always been to see Piltover with her own eyes, so she decides to go there before she dies of her injuries and there she encounters Jayce and Heimerdinger, who help her and as years pass her and Jayce develop feelings for each other? Thank you in advance ☺️💜

ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ʜᴏʀɪᴢᴏɴꜱ

ᴊᴀʏᴄᴇ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ (ꜰᴇᴀᴛ. ᴠᴀɴᴅᴇʀ, ᴠɪ, ᴘᴏᴡᴅᴇʀ, ᴄʟᴀɢɢᴏʀ, ᴍʏʟᴏ, ʜᴇɪᴍᴇʀᴅɪɴɢᴇʀ, ᴠɪᴋᴛᴏʀ) || ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ/ᴀɴɢꜱᴛ || 5242 ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ || ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ, ᴇxᴘʟᴏꜱɪᴏɴꜱ, ꜱʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴀɢᴇ ɢᴀᴘ?, ɴᴇᴀʀ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴄᴇ

ʀᴇQᴜᴇꜱᴛ ᴀɴꜱᴡᴇʀ: ʜᴇʟʟᴏᴏᴏᴏᴏ ᴍʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ!!! ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴏ ɢʟᴀᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ!! ɪ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ! ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴏɴᴇ! <3 <3

ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | ᴊᴀʏᴄᴇ | (ᴛᴏᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ꜱᴡᴀᴘꜱ ɪɴ ᴄᴏʟᴏᴜʀꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ)

Zaun had never been kind, but Y/N had never known anything else. She had been born in the undercity, in a world where survival meant being strong, clever, or lucky. And Vander—Vander had made sure she was all three.

She was his first, his only biological child, though he had never let that create a divide between her and the others he took in. To him, blood didn’t matter—family was chosen, built, protected. And Y/N had been raised with that belief stitched into her bones.

She had no memories of her mother. Vander never spoke of her, and Y/N had learned early on not to ask. But what she did have was Felicia, her aunt in everything but name.

Felicia, who had rocked her to sleep when she was small, who had always found a way to sneak her sweets when Vander wasn’t looking. Who, despite the hardships of Zaun, always smelled of warm bread and had hands soft enough to soothe away nightmares.

Y/N had been a child of both shadow and warmth. She played in the grimy streets of the undercity, scraped her knees climbing rusted scaffolding, learned how to fight alongside the street kids, but at the end of the day, she always had a home to return to. Arms to hold her. A family to remind her that even in Zaun, there was love.

=

And then, four years later, Vi was born.

Y/N remembered the first time she saw her baby sister, wrapped in too-big blankets, her tiny fists waving in the air. She was so small, so loud, already filled with fire before she could even speak.

“She’s got your stubbornness,” Felicia had teased, placing the newborn into Y/N’s arms.

Y/N had stared down at Vi, her heart swelling with something fierce and unfamiliar. She had never known she could love someone so instantly, so completely.

From that day forward, Vi had been hers as much as she had been Vander’s.

=

Years passed, and their family grew. First Powder—Felicia’s second daughter, born a few years after Vi. Their little home above the bar became a haven, a place of warmth in a city that tried to swallow them whole.

As the eldest, Y/N had become the one they all turned to. She soothed Powder’s fears when nightmares crept in. She was Vi’s hero, the one her little sister followed in every footstep, determined to be just as strong, just as fearless.

She had promised to always protect them.

And yet, before she could even begin to understand what loss truly meant, the world started tearing pieces of their family away.

=

It began with Felicia and Connol.

The rebellion on the bridge had been doomed before it even began. But they had fought anyway. And for that, they had paid the price.

Y/N had been there.

She had heard the clash of steel, the cries of the dying, the gunfire that tore through the air. She had felt the ground tremble beneath her feet as enforcers cut through Zaunite rebels like they were nothing more than pests to be exterminated.

And she had seen them—Felicia and Connol—lying lifeless on the cold stone of the bridge, their bodies broken, their blood pooling beneath them.

She had wanted to run to them, to do something, but there was no time.

Vi was screaming, trying to fight her way past Y/N’s grip, but she held firm, shielding her sisters from the sight. Powder was sobbing, burying her face against Y/N’s chest, small fingers tangled in her shirt as if letting go would mean losing everything.

“Don’t look,” Y/N had whispered, voice shaking as she forced them back, away from the carnage, away from the truth that would haunt them forever.

She didn't know how long she held them there, hidden in the shadows of a crumbling alleyway just beyond the bridge. The sounds of battle faded into silence, replaced only by the quiet gasps of her sisters and the distant echo of enforcers marching away.

When Vander found them, his face was hollow, his fists bloodied from trying to fight back. He knelt before them, eyes dark with grief, his hands trembling as he reached out.

“It’s over,” he had said, voice raw.

=

After that, Silco was next to go.

He and Vander had always been a unit—two sides of the same coin, bound together by shared dreams and scars. And then, one day, he simply disappeared.

Vander returned bloodied, bruised, his knuckles raw, and though he never spoke of what had happened, Y/N saw the truth in his silence.

Something had shattered between them. And Silco, once her father’s closest friend, had become nothing more than a ghost.

=

For a while, it was just them—the four of them in a world that didn’t want them to survive. But then Mylo and Claggor came into their lives, two boys with nowhere to go and no one to turn to.

Vander had opened his doors to them without hesitation. And soon enough, Y/N did too.

Their family had grown, and though the wounds of the past lingered, they had each other.

And then, in a single night, she lost them all.

Pain was the first thing she knew. A deep, throbbing agony that pulsed through every fiber of her being as she forced herself to move.

Her fingers, raw and bloodied, clawed at the debris above her, her nails splintering as she dragged herself forward, inch by agonizing inch. Every movement sent fire lancing through her body, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps as she choked on the dust clogging her throat.

The air was thick with smoke and the sharp, acrid scent of burning metal. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the faint, eerie crackling of flames licking at the ruins of what had once been her home.

The explosion had shattered everything.

Her ears still rang with the force of it—the deafening roar, the crack of collapsing metal, the screams that had been cut too short.

She had fought. She had fought with everything she had, alongside Vi, tearing through Silco’s men to get to Vander, their father, the only man who had ever made them feel safe in a world that had never been kind. She had been so close. They all had.

They had gotten him out of his restraints.

For a single, fleeting moment, she had thought they had won.

And then Powder’s bomb went off.

The explosion had torn through the factory like a monster unleashed.

She barely had time to react before Claggor was sent flying into a wall, his skull cracking with a sickening sound. He was gone before he even hit the ground. Mylo was thrown beside him, a metal pole spearing through his shoulder before the collapsing structure buried them both.

Vi had screamed their names, tried to reach them, but then the debris came crashing down, trapping her beneath it.

Y/N had been sent sprawling, her body slamming into the cold, hard floor. The world had turned into dust and fire, rubble pressing down on her, pinning her in place.

She didn't know how long she lay there, half-buried in the ruins of everything she had ever known. Time blurred—seconds, minutes, hours.

No one came for her.

Mylo and Claggor were gone. Vander was gone.

Vi and Powder… there was no sign of them. No voices calling out in the darkness. No hands reaching for her own.

Only silence.

She had screamed for them, had called their names until her throat was raw. But the only response was the crackle of distant flames, the groan of broken metal settling into place.

Tears streaked down her dirt-stained cheeks as she clenched her fists, her broken nails digging into her palms.

She couldn't stay here.

If she stayed, she would die.

With sheer, agonizing effort, Y/N began to crawl. Her arms shook with the strain, her legs barely responding as she dragged herself over shattered glass and twisted metal. Every breath was fire in her lungs, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop.

It felt like an eternity before she finally reached the edge of the ruined building. Her trembling fingers gripped onto the ledge as she pulled herself up, the fresh air burning her lungs as she inhaled deeply.

And then she saw it.

Piltover.

The City of Progress stood above her, golden and gleaming, untouched by the destruction that had just consumed her world. Its towers stretched toward the sky, their lights flickering like distant stars against the night.

A choked, bitter laugh escaped her lips, but it quickly dissolved into a sob.

She had always dreamed of seeing it.

They were sitting on the rooftop of The Last Drop, their legs dangling over the edge as the city lights flickered below. The air was thick with the scent of oil and smoke, but up here, it almost felt like they were above it all. "You ever think about leaving Zaun?" Y/N had asked, her gaze fixed on the towering silhouette of Piltover in the distance. Vi, only eleven at the time, scrunched up her nose. "Nah. Zaun's home." Powder, curled up against Y/N’s side, peeked up at her with wide, curious eyes. "Do you?" Y/N hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Not forever. Just… I want to see it. Piltover. With my own eyes. I want to know what it’s like to walk on clean streets, to breathe air that isn’t filled with smog." Vi snorted. "Bet it's boring. Too clean. Too fancy." "Maybe," Y/N admitted, a small smile playing on her lips. "But I still want to see it." Powder tugged at her sleeve, her voice soft. "Maybe one day, we can all go together." Y/N had wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Yeah. One day."

A hollow ache settled in her chest as she stared up at the golden city that had once been nothing more than a distant dream.

Piltover.

It loomed above her like something out of a fairy tale—untouched, pristine, shimmering in the night. The towers stood tall, bathed in golden light, their reflections dancing in the sky as if the stars themselves had fallen to the earth. Even from here, from the filth and ruin of Zaun, she could see its streets, its sprawling bridges, its untainted perfection.

It was everything she had imagined.

And yet, in this moment, it felt impossibly far away.

She wasn’t dreaming anymore.

Her body trembled as she clutched her side, fingers coming away slick with blood. The pain was unbearable, a searing, pulsing agony radiating from her ribs, her legs, her back. Every breath burned. Every step felt like her last.

But she had nowhere else to go.

She was alone.

Her entire world—her family, her home, everything she had fought to protect—was gone.

Her mind raced with memories, a whirlwind of faces and laughter, of nights spent huddled together in the dim glow of candlelight, of whispered promises and childish dreams. She could almost hear their voices. Vi, teasing her about taking things too seriously. Mylo, always talking too much, always trying too hard. Claggor, quiet and steady, the foundation of their little gang. Powder, with her wide, hopeful eyes, always clinging to Y/N’s side, always looking up to her.

And Vander. Her father. The man who had carried the weight of the Lanes on his back, who had sacrificed everything to give them a chance.

They were all gone.

Tears blurred her vision, hot and stinging as they streaked down her dirt-streaked face. She wiped at them furiously. She couldn’t afford to cry. Not now. Not when she still had something left to do.

If she was going to die, she would die chasing that dream.

With a sharp inhale, she forced her legs to move. The first step nearly sent her crumpling to the ground, her knees buckling beneath her. She caught herself against the remnants of a rusted pipe, her breath hitching at the jolt of pain that shot through her ribs.

But she didn’t stop.

She dug her fingers into the crumbling stone, gripping onto whatever she could as she began to climb. Every pull of her muscles felt like agony, every movement a battle against her own failing body. Blood dripped from her wounds, leaving a faint, crimson trail behind her.

But she climbed.

Hand over hand, foot over foot, she pulled herself up, her vision swimming, her body screaming in protest. The higher she went, the thinner the air seemed to get, the smog of Zaun fading as the cold, crisp wind of Piltover brushed against her sweat-slicked skin.

She had never been this close before.

The bridges connecting the two cities stretched out before her, shining metal and stone that had never known the touch of rust or ruin.

She gritted her teeth, her breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps.

Almost there.

Just a little further.

Her fingers grazed the edge of the bridge, her arms shaking violently as she heaved herself up. The moment she reached solid ground, her body gave out, and she collapsed onto the smooth stone, her vision darkening at the edges.

She had made it.

The thought barely had time to register before her world tilted, the pain finally swallowing her whole.

And then—

Darkness.

Warmth.

That was the first thing she noticed.

Not the cold, damp air of Zaun. Not the sharp bite of metal or the suffocating grip of smoke in her lungs. Just warmth. Soft, clean, unfamiliar warmth.

Her fingers twitched against the fabric beneath her, smooth and crisp—too smooth to be the rough blankets of the Lanes. She shifted slightly, and a dull, aching pain flared through her body, pulling a sharp gasp from her lips.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Bright. Too bright.

She blinked against the soft glow of daylight filtering through sheer curtains, her vision swimming as she tried to take in her surroundings. The room around her was… pristine. The walls were a soft ivory, the furniture polished wood, the air carrying the faint scent of something floral and clean.

Nothing like home.

A thick blanket was draped over her, far too fine to belong to someone from the Undercity. Slowly, she pulled it aside, eyes widening as she took in the sight of herself.

Bandages wrapped tightly around her arms and torso, fresh and neat. A cast encased her right leg, holding it in place, a stark contrast to the grime and blood she had been covered in before.

This wasn’t Zaun.

Panic swelled in her chest as she struggled to sit up, her body protesting with every movement. Where was she? How did she get here? The last thing she remembered was reaching the bridge, collapsing on the cold stone—

The door creaked open.

Y/N's head snapped toward it, muscles tensing on instinct despite her injuries.

A woman stepped inside, pausing mid-step when their eyes met.

The nurse was young, her uniform crisp, her expression flickering from professional composure to shock as she realized Y/N was awake.

“Oh! You’re awake?” she gasped, eyes widening. “I—let me—oh, they’ll want to know you’re up!”

Y/N didn’t answer, her throat too dry, her mind too disoriented to form words.

The nurse quickly composed herself, stepping closer with a careful, reassuring smile. “You’re safe,” she said gently, as if speaking too loudly might startle her. “You were brought here a few days ago. The Dean of the Academy, Professor Heimerdinger, and Mr. Talis found you at the bridge and had you taken in for treatment.”

Y/N’s brows furrowed, confusion swirling in her tired mind.

=

The nurse stepped back as the door to the room opened once more, and in walked two figures who made the air feel slightly different, a change from the sterile quiet of the room.

The first was a small man, frail in appearance, with an impressive white beard and long, wispy hair that framed his face like an ancient sage. His eyes twinkled behind thick glasses, giving off an air of wisdom and curiosity. His small frame didn’t detract from the aura of quiet authority he held, and there was a warmth to his gaze that seemed to instantly put Y/N at ease. The second figure was taller, his broad shoulders commanding a quiet power. A man with clean, sharp features, short-cropped dark hair, and eyes that held a sharp focus—clearly the opposite of the gentle Yordle beside him.

Y/N’s body stiffened instinctively, but she held her ground, wary yet curious. These were the people who had saved her. Who had brought her here.

The small man, the Yordle with the striking white beard, smiled warmly at her as he approached. "Ah, it’s good to see you awake, young one. I am Professor Heimerdinger, and this is Mr. Jayce Talis."

Y/N blinked, her voice a dry rasp when she finally managed to speak. “Where… Where am I?”

Heimerdinger’s smile softened, and Jayce nodded slightly, exchanging a glance with the older man before addressing her. “You’re in Piltover. The University. You were brought here after we found you. You’ve been… unconscious for some time.”

Y/N frowned, disoriented. "Found me? How long—"

Jayce took a step forward, his tone gentle but edged with concern. "About two weeks ago. We found you barely clinging to life near the Piltover bridge. You were badly injured—broken bones, internal bleeding, severe exhaustion. We couldn’t leave you in that state."

Heimerdinger’s voice softened as he joined in. “Yes, indeed. You were in quite a poor condition. You've been in a coma for quite some time, but we’ve been keeping a close eye on you. You've made considerable progress, but... recovery will take more time. You were fortunate to survive, truly.”

Y/N felt a cold knot tighten in her stomach, the harsh reality of her situation sinking in. Two weeks. Two weeks lost in unconsciousness, unaware of everything—what had happened, who had survived.

"But..." The question escaped her almost before she could stop it. "What happened to Zaun? The explosion... my family... Did anyone survive?"

The room seemed to freeze as the words left her lips. The silence that followed was heavy, filled with unspeakable sorrow. Jayce exchanged a long, somber glance with Heimerdinger, before the Yordle spoke in a tone laced with regret.

"We don’t know," Heimerdinger replied, his voice low but steady. "What we do know is that the explosion destroyed everything. We’ve heard no word of survivors."

Y/N’s chest tightened as their words settled into her mind. She had hoped, even just a little, that someone—anyone—had made it out. But no. Vi. Powder. Mylo. Claggor. Vander. All gone.

The world felt like it had shattered all over again, the grief rising up and drowning her in its cold embrace.

Jayce seemed to sense her growing distress and knelt beside her bed, his expression softer than she had expected. “I know this is hard. But you’re not alone anymore. We’ll make sure you’re taken care of. You don’t have to carry all of this alone.”

His words weren’t empty. There was something sincere, something real in them, and Y/N found herself staring at him for a moment, struggling to process what he was saying through the fog of grief. But the weight on her chest refused to lift.

“I’m sorry,” Jayce continued, his voice low and gentle. “We did everything we could. We searched for days, but there was nothing left to salvage. The debris... it was too much. We wish we could’ve done more.”

Y/N felt like the room was tilting again, her vision swimming with unshed tears and unspeakable loss. She had always been the strong one—the protector. But now? She was nothing.

She was alone.

A flicker of warmth in Jayce’s eyes caught her attention, grounding her back in the present. "I know this is a lot," he said gently, "but you don’t have to figure it all out right now. We’re here to help."

Y/N swallowed thickly, her throat dry. She nodded slightly, though her head still felt like it was spinning from the shock. “What happens now?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper, as though the question itself would pull her further into the unknown.

Heimerdinger placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his ancient, wise eyes filled with compassion. "Now, you heal. We will help you, as best as we can. There is a place for you here, if you choose it. Piltover is vast, and you are not without options."

Y/N looked between Heimerdinger and Jayce, the weight of their offer settling around her like a heavy, yet oddly comforting, blanket. She wanted to ask a hundred more questions, wanted to know where she fit into this strange new world, what she could do now. But the future felt impossibly distant, like a fog she couldn’t yet navigate.

For the first time in weeks, she allowed herself to be still. To breathe, though raggedly.

She wasn’t sure what the future held, but it was the only thing left for her to move toward. And maybe, just maybe, Piltover could be where she rebuilt herself.

Or at least, she would try.

The golden city that had once seemed like an impossible dream had slowly become her reality.

Piltover had been overwhelming at first—the clean streets, the endless inventions, the people who walked past her with their noses high, dressed in finery she had never even imagined. It was a world so far removed from Zaun that, for a long time, she had felt like an intruder, an imposter pretending to belong.

But as the years passed, Y/N had begun to carve a place for herself.

It hadn’t been easy. There were nights she had spent awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering if she had made the right choice. Days when the weight of her past threatened to crush her. The ache of loss never truly left, lingering in the quiet moments between conversations, in the silence of an empty room. But she had learned to live with it.

Jayce had been there through it all.

At first, it was small things—checking in on her, making sure she ate, dragging her out of the apartment when he thought she’d been inside too long. He had offered her a place to stay, a spare room in his new apartment after the previous one had been reduced to rubble in an explosion. She had hesitated, unsure if she could accept such kindness, but in the end, she had nowhere else to go.

=

Living with Jayce had been… an adjustment.

He was meticulous about his workspace but careless with everything else. He would leave blueprints scattered on the dining table, trinkets from his projects half-assembled in the oddest places. More than once, she had nearly tripped over some Hextech device he had forgotten to put away.

But he was also warm, patient. He never pushed her for details about her past, never pried when she grew quiet and withdrawn. He simply let her be, offering companionship without expectation. And, over time, something shifted between them.

The once awkward silences turned into comfortable conversations over late-night tea. The careful distance they had kept at first disappeared, replaced by easy touches—a hand on her shoulder, fingers brushing as they passed in the kitchen, a lingering warmth when he stood just a little too close.

Y/N had never expected to find anything resembling home again. But somehow, in the heart of Piltover, with Jayce beside her, she had begun to feel something close to it.

And she wasn’t sure what terrified her more—losing it or wanting it to last.

Y/N had never imagined herself working in a place like the Academy.

She had never been given the luxury of a formal education, never sat in a grand hall filled with brilliant minds discussing theories and discoveries. Back in Zaun, survival had been her priority—learning to fight, to scavenge, to take care of her siblings. But here, in Piltover, she had been given the chance to do something more.

It had started with Jayce.

After Hextech’s success, his workload had grown tenfold. Between meetings with the Council, developing new projects, and keeping up with research, he barely had a moment to breathe. One day, after catching her idly flipping through a book on Hex Crystals, he had casually suggested she help out at the Academy.

At first, she had been hesitant. What did she know about working in a place like this? But Jayce had insisted, and Heimerdinger—ever the enthusiastic professor—had agreed that it would be beneficial for her to learn.

=

That was how she had met Viktor.

Jayce had introduced them one evening, and for the first time since coming to Piltover, Y/N felt a sense of familiarity in someone.

Viktor, with his sharp mind and dry humor, was unlike anyone else she had met in the golden city. He carried the same resilience she did—the quiet strength of someone who had climbed their way out of Zaun, who had fought for every opportunity, every bit of recognition. And despite their different paths, there was an unspoken understanding between them.

He never looked at her like she was an outsider. Never made her feel like she didn’t belong.

Over time, she found herself working alongside him and Jayce, assisting with research, organizing notes, and even offering insights where she could. She wasn’t an inventor, but she had a knack for problem-solving, a way of looking at things from a different angle. Viktor appreciated it. Jayce encouraged it.

For the first time in years, she felt like she was building something. Like she had a purpose beyond just surviving.

And when she looked at Jayce—his easy smiles, his unwavering faith in her—she wondered if maybe, just maybe, she was meant to be here after all.

It happened gradually, in the small moments between work and home.

At first, it was subtle. The way Jayce’s eyes lingered on her a little longer than before, the way his hand would brush against hers when they passed papers between them in the lab. The way he always made sure she had a cup of tea waiting when she worked late, how he would nudge her plate closer at dinner when she barely touched her food, or how he seemed to brighten whenever she entered the room, as if her presence alone was enough to make his day better.

Y/N told herself it was nothing. That it was just Jayce being Jayce—kind, warm, and a little too good at making people feel like they mattered.

But then, there were moments she couldn’t ignore.

Like when she caught him staring at her across the workshop, lost in thought, his expression softer than she had ever seen it. When she raised an eyebrow, silently questioning him, he had quickly looked away, clearing his throat and pretending he had been focused on something else.

Or when they would return home late from the Academy, exhaustion weighing on their shoulders, and he would linger at her door. Sometimes, it seemed like he wanted to say something—his fingers flexing at his sides, his lips parting slightly—only to shake his head and offer a quiet, “Goodnight, Y/N,” before retreating to his own room.

She felt it, too.

The warmth that bloomed in her chest whenever he laughed, the way her heart stuttered whenever he leaned in too close, his shoulder brushing against hers as they worked side by side. The quiet comfort of just existing beside him, knowing that no matter how much time passed, he was there.

She had spent years surviving—fighting, scraping by, never allowing herself to dwell on anything more than what needed to be done. But Jayce made her pause. Made her think about things she had long since buried.

Viktor noticed before either of them did.

=

One evening, after a particularly long day at the lab, he had given her a knowing look as Jayce walked ahead, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"You know, he is quite terrible at hiding it," Viktor remarked, amusement lacing his tone.

Y/N frowned, confused. "Hiding what?"

Viktor only chuckled, shaking his head. "Nothing, nothing. You will figure it out eventually."

She thought about that conversation for weeks afterward.

And then one night, everything changed.

=

It had been another late evening at the Academy, just the two of them left in the lab. The only sound was the quiet hum of the machinery, the occasional scratch of Jayce’s pen against paper, and the steady ticking of the clock. The air was thick with the faint scent of metal and ink, of old books and oil, and despite the exhaustion tugging at her bones, Y/N found a strange sense of peace in the stillness.

She was staring at blueprints, tracing lines with the tip of her finger, lost in thought when she felt his gaze on her.

She looked up.

Jayce was watching her, something soft and uncertain in his expression. His brows were slightly furrowed, lips pressed together as if he was working through something in his head.

"Y/N," he started, hesitating.

She raised a brow, setting her pen down. "What?"

Jayce sighed, running a hand through his hair, his usual confidence replaced with something more vulnerable, something uncertain. He shifted on his feet, glancing at the floor before finally meeting her gaze.

"I just—" He exhaled sharply, shaking his head as if frustrated with himself. But then he stepped closer, his voice quieter, steadier this time. "I care about you. A lot more than I probably should."

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat.

He was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered. Like she was something precious, something worth holding onto.

And in that moment, she realized—she had spent so long convincing herself she was alone that she hadn’t seen what had been in front of her all this time.

Jayce had been there, always.

And maybe… maybe she wanted him to be.

She swallowed, forcing herself to speak despite the rapid beating of her heart. "You're an idiot," she murmured, her lips curving slightly, though her voice was barely above a whisper.

Jayce let out a breathless laugh, relief flickering across his face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said, softer this time. Then, after a pause, after letting herself breathe, after letting herself believe this was real, "But I care about you too."

Jayce’s smile was wide, genuine, and impossibly warm.

For the first time in years, the weight in her chest didn’t feel so suffocating.

He reached for her hand, hesitant at first, his fingers brushing against hers as if waiting for permission. But when she didn’t pull away, he threaded them together, his grip firm, steady—grounding.

She had spent so long believing she had no one left, that she had to carry the weight of her grief and survival on her own. But Jayce had been there, always. Patient. Steady. Waiting for her to see what had been right in front of her all along.

She looked at their intertwined hands, then back at him, and something inside her settled. She wasn’t alone. Not anymore.

And maybe, just maybe, she never had to be again.

[emoisthenewemu]

Make The Neighbor's Know My Name - ERWIN SMITH x F! READER SMUT

MDNI 18+

What happens when your hot, (divorced) older neighbor just can't help himself?

wc: 5.5k (sorry!)

cw: SMUT, porn w plot, Modern!AU, age gap, mentions of shitty fathers, DADDY KINK (again, sorry i just know he has one), cursing, p in v, oral on both ends, squirting, general nastiness, breeding kink lol

a/n: wow had sm fun writing this. also this may be tmi scroll if u dont care but shoutout to the dude who made me s****t for the first time i was reminded ab you when writing this, hes a whole dad now lifes crazy

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚

Erwin Smith is an established man. He has a nice house and a good job-one where he got his hands dirty and worked his way up for years before becoming the boss. He works out on a weekly basis, eats (somewhat) healthy and can (again somewhat) cook. He is clean and well kept, educated and respected in his community. Kids love him, so do dogs and the elderly. With a politeness often associated with much different times and a beautiful, piercing set of blue eyes, he is damn dear perfect. On all accounts-a wonderful man.

So, it puzzles many that he lives in such a nice four bedroom all alone. It was not always like this; he used to be married. Had a sweet little housewife that got to stay home and do what she pleased. But it seems that freedom got to her head, overzealous with how much she could get away with-unfortunately it did not take many years of marriage to understand that it was never going to work. All it took was Erwin working a few months of overtime to push her into the arms of another man, one she claimed would give her more attention than he ever did. Perhaps he had neglected her a bit, let his job take over his life for a while. But it was all for her! So, they could have even more stability and possibly even become ready to start a family.

Nowadays he thanks God they never had a child together. And after the dull ache that was getting cheated on, the divorce, the court process that ensued afterward-the man was convinced that he was better off alone. He could accept that truth. There was no need to go chasing a feeling he had already experienced.

But that is not to say that he does not get any action. He is a man after all and they have needs, he surely does. He is no stranger to going out and chatting up nice women, taking them out on a few dates and making them feel special only to break it off when things get serious. It's a pattern at this point. His friends (employees) tell him he should drop the good guy act and just fuck shamelessly. Skip the formalities and go straight to the good part. Just be honest, it is arguably better than whatever the hell he is doing.

He considers it for about a week, even thinks about downloading an app so the opportunity is always there at his convenience. He knows he is a good-looking man who has much to offer, the matches will certainly come in.

That was until he becomes distracted by you. A cute little twenty something that moves directly across the street from him. He watched from both the windows of his home to the security camera which conveniently already faces your house. You had a few other younger girls helping you, two guys and neither seemed to be your boyfriend so that was a plus. And when he left to go get drinks, truck keys in hand-acting like he was not staring directly at you behind the shade of sunglasses you were bold enough to be the one to utter the first word.

It was after a few giggles of your girlfriends, who were also checking him out, but he was more focused on you. Hoping it would indeed be you that was moving in. "Hi neighbor!"

One of the girls slaps you lightly, mostly surprised you were actually bold enough to call out to the hot dilf across the street that's probably married. But he waves and says hello back before stepping into the large truck and driving off. They laugh as you stand there for a while, the wheels in your head turning.

You've always had a thing for older guys.

You soon come to learn he is not a dilf but the sentiment is there. It begs to argue the question, does a man really need to have a child to be a dilf? It may be in the title, but you see it more as a state of mind. And you also learn that he is divorced, he lives alone actually. Except for the golden retriever you often see accompanying him on runs.

You can thank the nosy old lady that lives next door for all of this top-secret information. It reminds you to accept her invites inside for tea often, you feel like you've met the whole neighborhood thanks to her gossip.

For the first month and a half your interactions with the man are mostly basic. Friendly 'hello's' and small little waves before the two of you leave for work in the mornings.

The first time you have an actual conversation is when you are bold enough to knock on his front door one Sunday morning. You know he is awake because he has already gone for his morning run. The sight of your new sexy neighbor all sweaty in his compression top and gym shorts has now become a part of your weekend routine. You wouldn't miss it for anything.

His hair is wet from the shower he just finished, still slightly dripping onto the thin material of his shirt. You swallow hard, trying to not get lost in the sea of muscle staring straight at you. You look up at him. He is more than twice your size.

You want to climb him like a tree.

"H-hi Mr. Smith so sorry to bother! I heard you own a construction company and well-I have this stupid door coming off the hinges! And I'd do it myself, but I suck at stuff like that! And I'd hate to hire someone to come all the way out here for something so small" You are visibly nervous, fidgeting and playing with your hands as you find it hard to maintain eye contact. He is just so fucking hot you cannot trust yourself to not gawk at the sight of him. "Of course, I'd pay you too!"

You are so cute and helpless. A fucking door hinge? Surely you have at least one friend who could help out with something like that. But as you soon come to learn, Erwin Smith will never say no to you. "Nonsense, no need to pay me. I'm always free to help a neighbor out. Let me go grab my tools"

So, he does and follows you across the street. He definitely does not check out your ass in those tiny little shorts that lift up a bit when you walk. In your defense-it's your day off, you deserve to be comfy!

Your house is exactly what he expected it to be, cute and tidy. It smells nice and everything is so girly. Pink and creme colored decorations scattered about, shiny hardwood floors that he can tell you recently cleaned. Perhaps it was in preparation of him coming over. Of course, the door just happens to be the closet door in your bedroom, with all of your cute little clothes as you sit on your cute little bed and watch.

Fuck, for some unknown reason the man finds it hard to focus. Even as you make small talk, his mind is elsewhere. Stuck on the sweet smell of you, the way you sit looking so pure and innocent-legs dangling over the edge of the bed as you watch him, head curiously cocked to the side.

He feels like a pervert for imagining what you must do in that bed. How beautiful you must look in the mornings when you wake up feeling lazy, stuck between the sheets. Do you cuddle up with the singular fluffy stuffed animal at night? Do you take it off the bed before you fuck someone, or does it stay up there? Even more, how many men have you fucked in that bed?

He forces himself to snap out of it, silently scolding himself for being so crass. This is not very neighborly of him. You would likely be disgusted by his vulgar thoughts. Or maybe you would like it, you don't do much to hide the way you stare at him. Even before this day, it was quite obvious that you had a little crush on him.

Yet as the older, more mature adult in the situation he tells himself that he must not entertain the idea. He is eighteen years older than you. Children have been born and graduated high school in that amount of time. It's downright wrong and these intrusive thoughts need to be put to an end.

It was easier said than done, especially when he catches a glimpse of your pink lacy panties thrown about the closet. He thinks about the underwear for the remainder of his day, if he were a less respectable man, he would have pocketed the pair and took the home. But he would never, he only imagines he did.

Two days later you show up to his doorstep, with a nice homemade lasagna and the sweetest smile on your face to thank him. It is you that he wishes to devour instead. He even invites you inside to talk for a bit but keeps things fairly short. He considers opening up a bottle of wine but talks himself out of it. Remember, he promised himself he would not entertain the idea of you. Although it may be too late because he fucks his fist to the thought of you every night for the remainder of the week.

And one early morning at work, before any of his men have been sent out on jobs a few of them congregate around his desk. Engaging in small talk as they usually do, telling stories of girlfriends, wives, how drunk they go the other night, cars-the usual guy stuff.

"Boss! How're the apps treating you?! You get any action?" Eren, one of his younger employees cannot help but ask seeing as he was the one to suggest in the first place.

"For real! You haven't said shit since we made you download it" Connie walks in, hardhat in hand as the other one holds the phone his crazy girlfriend is currently blowing up. He ignores the calls and shoves it into his back pocket. "Don't hold out on us man I tell you everything!"

"I'm aware" Erwin cocks a rather judgmental eyebrow-there are many stories which would have been better off unheard. Things he would much rather forget.

And then he thinks of you-the only woman which has plagued his thoughts for close to two months now. He sighs, contemplating if it worth bringing up. His heart drops as the realization dawns on him that you are practically the same age as the two young men before him-younger actually. "Shit" He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "There is...a woman. Not from an app, my neighbor actually"

"Ohhh your neighbor! So, you get to hit and just walk right back home?" Connie laughs and the man cannot help but roll his eyes. These two are definitely the wrong people to be discussing this with.

"We haven't done anything; I just find her attractive is all. Probably not the smartest idea to fool around with someone I run in to almost every day anyways"

"Why not? Saves you money and gas" Eren argues. "She live alone too?"

Erwin sighs because he has neglected to mention the most important detail. "Yes, she lives alone, apparently she inherited the house from her aunt"

"All I hear is a lonely lady who needs some company" Connie shrugs, taking a sip of his coffee. "What's stopping you?"

"She's quite young"

Eren and Connie could not be more excited that their usually reserved boss is opening up to them for once. After all of the talking they have done, it is his turn to ask for advice. "Erwin Smith you smooth motherfucker" The shorter man teases. "How young?"

"Last year of college young"

The men all but gasp, smiling excitedly as this is the juiciest piece of information they've heard in ages. They never would have expected it from a man who (with all respect) has a constant stick up his ass. "Younger than us?"

"......yes" He sighs ashamedly as the men whoop and holler. Rolling his eyes as they dap each other up as if they are the ones about to get laid.

"You better do it boss! Chicks these days are crazy. We can thank your generation for being such shitty fathers" He should expect such ignorant comments from someone like Jaeger, a guy who has been stringing his girl best friend along since childhood.

"Forget I even said anything" Smith stands up, grabbing a clipboard and few other necessities for the job site he will soon be off to. But he should know the two young men would persist.

"I say do it boss!" Eren encourages, pumping a fist into the air. "Do it! Do it!"

"Do it! Do it!" Connie joins in on the chanting, they follow the man out his office-ignoring the stares of their fellow colleagues. That is until their boss scolds them to get the hell to work. So, they do, retreating back to their trucks as Erwin stands in place in thought for a while.

They have given him much to think about.

He ponders the conversation for days afterwards. Every time he looks at you, when you have those short little conversations that keep his day going. Perhaps it would not be so bad, he hopes you aren't looking for anything serious. Or maybe he does, his mind remains undecided. It would not be so bad having a pretty young thing like you on his arm. But he is getting ahead of himself.

He talks to you more, striking up longer conversations whenever he gets the chance. You are very polite; he finds it sweet the way you cross your ankles and tuck your hands behind yourself whenever the two of you speak-almost as if you were nervous. For some reason, it makes him want you even more.

After weeks of much of the same behavior he decides he has had enough. It's not so bad, it's not like he knew you before you were an adult or anything. You are a grown woman who pays bills and provides for herself-you have your own house for Christ's sake! He needs to stop babying you, looking at you as if you are just some lost little girl. You have needs of your own. Needs he is more than certain he can meet. So, he invites you inside for drinks one Friday evening, you do not think about it for even a second before agreeing.

Sending a text to your girls about how you are finally going to fuck the hot man from across street, you shut off your phone. You want absolutely zero distractions during your visit, a plan of your own is in the works.

You drink his fancy wine and watch a movie on the couch, carefully maintaining a bit of distance between the two of you. You almost forgot how nervous he makes you, perhaps the liquid courage is what you need to get your act right.

"Come closer" He pats the spot beside him, and you hesitantly follow his orders, setting down the wine glass and closing the gap between the two of you. Your thighs are touching, hands awkwardly stuck on either side of you, the pace of your heartbeat quickens when the man slides an arm down and around your waist. "What's the matter? Am I making you uncomfortable?" He has to make sure before things go any further. Your stiff body language is telling him that perhaps he should slow down.

"Oh no! Never!" You shake your head, trying to ease into his touch. But you are still afraid to touch him yourself. "It's just......you're a bit intimidating"

He exhales a puff of air through his nose, clearly amused by your words. Brushing a piece of hair behind your ear, he speaks again. "Oh darling, I don't mean to be. What can I do to make you feel better?"

His deep voice sends shivers down your spine, it sends shivers somewhere else too. "I-I don't know" You laugh. "You're just so big and..... established. Have no idea what you're doing sitting here with a girl like me"

"Oh, don't say that" He turns his body a bit to face you better, arm still stuck in its place around you. He places the other hand on your knee, you remain painfully aware of its place. "I'm the one who should be questioning how I got such a pretty little thing sitting on my couch" You giggle, it makes him twitch in his pants. "I'm the lucky one here"

His hand slides up to your thigh, massaging the fat in a way that makes you burn with desire. A heat builds deep within you. "T-touch me please"

Oh, your sugary voice is driving him crazy; he had no idea he would be this into something like this, someone like you. He pulls you into his lap, hands dragging up and down either side of your body as he takes all of you in. He lets out a long sigh, hips shifting beneath you as his cock begins to harden at the feeling of your burning skin. He hooks his thumb beneath your shirt, looking up at you. "May I?"

You nod almost frantically before he pulls the fabric over your head. Facing a baby pink, lacy bralette-he is unable to stop the groan from leaving his lips. He kisses the uncaged skin beneath your breaths, inadvertently taking a deep breath in to get more of your syrupy scent. "You wear this for me?" He questions.

You nod shyly, trying to hide your face but he pulls it closer to look at him. A hand guides you to fill in the space between your faces, foreheads pressing together but he does not kiss you. Not yet anyways, he wants to tease you a bit first. "Use your words"

"Y-yes I wore it for you daddy" It was a shot in the dark, most men his age are into shit like that.

He groans again. Fuck. Eren was right, thanks to all the shitty fathers out there, yours included.

You laugh, finally gaining that bit of confidence you need to keep the teasing going. "Wanna see what else I put on for you?"

"Show me darling" His eyes follow your hand which goes down to unbutton your shorts, unzipping them a bit before hooking your thumb to pull them forward-giving him perfect sight of the cute little bow which sits atop your panties. The same pair he spotted in your closet all those months ago. If he wasn't hard before then he definitely was now, nearly bursting at the seams of his pants. And he chuckles, twitching in anticipation as your body rocks with his. "You planned this, didn't you? Dirty girl"

"Mhm" You laugh, hand running down his chest, you let your nails dig into the fabric of his shirt a bit. You are desperate to feel even more of him. "Did I do a good job?"

"So good princess" He confirms, kissing your chest again. "Let's go upstairs"

You agree, making sure to grab your shirt that you clutch to your chest, painfully aware of the fact you are the only one without a shirt on. But your worries are soon dissolved because Erwin sheds his own shirt the second the two of you reach his room, you sit on his large bed, taking him in all his glory. Your mouth practically waters at the sight of nothing but muscle and evidence of years of hard work, the dirty blonde happy trail you wish to see the end of.

He walks up to you, standing at the edge of the bed and you look up to him. You are eye level with the tent of his pants. He brings a hand to gently caress your face, words are not necessary to know what he wants. You're so sweet and obedient that you go to fumble with the zipper of his pants almost immediately. And when he springs out you have to stop your eyes from widening at the sheer size of him. You almost feel afraid again but you don't want him to know that-you seem naive enough already. You'd like to surprise him a bit.

You kiss the girthy tip as if it were his lips, sticking out your tongue to flick over the slit. You press an exaggerated closed mouth kiss to the tip before taking more of him in your mouth. He groans, throwing back his head as you make your way down inch-by-inch. When you reach the base you swallow, throat tightening around him as he looks down to watch you-mouth agape.

Your wide eyes look up at him gleefully, if you could smile you would. The wait for him was sooo worth it-you think as he looks down at you in what seems to be pure amazement. Brows scrunching as he groans as you choke on his length. A mess of saliva and tears as you bob your head up and down, you can feel when his tip makes it past a certain place in your throat, growing conscious of how deep he is reaching.

It hurts but you can't find it in yourself to stop, he looks so good. An absolute mess as his manly groans make you want to play with your pussy. But instead, you take it a step further, you need this man to remember you, to crave you for years afterwards just in case this never happens again. Although you hope it does. You wrap both arms around his thighs, bringing him deeper as he begins to fuck your mouth.

Erwin, who has stayed relatively quiet since then becomes a mess. "Ohh fuck-fuck! So good, gonna fuck this tight little throat.... good girl, good girl"

You moan at his nasty words, sounds of gagging and wet slaps play like a symphony. Until he pulls back once he realizes he was about to blow a massive load down your throat. No, he wants to save it.

He pulls out, strings of spit dripping from his cock as you gasp for air, wiping away the tears from your eyes and mess of liquid around your mouth. "Mmm" You moan. "Was it good daddy?"

"So good darling" He rubs his thumb over your now swollen lips. "You're doing such a good job for me"

He leans down to kiss you, finally. Fervently grabbing at your hair and hips as he makes his way onto the bed. You scoot back, lips never leaving his as he goes to pull off your shorts. Tongues pressing together in-sync, he stops for a moment to suck on yours-eliciting a small whimper from you. Your nails trace up and down his arms, lost in the feeling of his lips. You could stay this way for hours.

But he obviously would like to keep things going, pulling down your shorts all the way before going down to kiss you through the thin fabric. He makes out with your pussy through the lace, stopping to suckle and blow tiny bubbles on your throbbing clit.

"Fuck!" You squeal, bucking your hips into his face as he continues the teasing. His tongue going up and down, creating an even larger wet spot that takes up most of the area. "Pleeease daddy"

"No, you can wait" He scolds, going to kiss your thighs softly. "Be patient. I'd like to take my time with you, get you ready for my cock"

"Mhm" You nod yet your hips buckle up again. "S-sorry"

"It's okay princess" He coos, finally pulling your panties down completely. When he licks a stripe up your pussy you all but scream.

"Mmm yesss!"

He kisses your clit, sucking it before swirling his tongue around the sensitive bud. Your hips try to fuck his face, he lets it happen, diving deeper and deeper into your pussy. He sticks his tongue out and shakes his head side to side, moaning at the way you cry out-so receptive to his touch.

He moves down to fuck you with his tongue, you bump your clit against his nose, mouth open and eyes rolled to the back of your head in a pure state of bliss. You tug at his hair roughly, using it to guide you against him, so desperate for more. Your mind clouds with pleasure, mouth forming into an 'o' shape as your hips begin to stutter, breath catching in your throat. And when he pulls back to spit! on your pussy, not once or twice, but three times you think you have died and gone to heaven.  With the addition of his fingers, and focusing the attention back to your clit, it is not long after that your release washes over you.

You exclaim out loud as your back arches off the bed, softly buckling down onto his tongue as he laps up all of your essence.

The both of you are panting as he comes back up to meet your lips. Tongue assaulting yours as you taste nothing but yourself on his tongue. That's the way it should be-you think. His painfully hard length presses into your stomach, you look down to see how deep it might go inside of you, but you look back up again when you start to feel scared of the stretch. You trust him, that is all that matters.

And before he can even ask if you want him to put a condom on or not, you grab his cock, sliding it down your folds and circling it around your clit. "Want you inside now daddy"

And who is he to ever say no to you? Seconds later he is pressing himself inside of you, thankful that he prepared you for it beforehand because it doesn't take very long for him to bottom out. "Ohh shit" He groans, pulling all the way out them slamming back in. "Fuck...you're so tight"

Your walls squeeze around him even more at his words, arms settling around his broad shoulders as you fight the urge to let your hips run away. He notices the way you pull back; he won't allow it. Bringing your bodies flush against one another, he rests his forehead on your shoulder, strong arms pulling you down onto him. You cry at the pressure, the way he is stabbing at you from inside, so deep you feel it might go out into your tummy. You squeal again, legs crossing over his back. "Erwin! Mmm, no no no, it hurts"

A stray tear falls from your eye, yet your hips begin to seek out his as you grow more accustomed to the stretch. "F-fuck" Your stomach begins to flutter.

"Oh shh shhh darling it's okay" He sounds so gentle, the complete opposite of the mean snap of his hips. "You want me to stop?" Another powerful thrust makes you let out a noise closer to a scream.

"No daddy please don't stop" You begin to claw at his back as he sets himself a pace, loud sounds of clapping begin to fill the room.

Your pussy is choking him, so slippery and needy. It sucks him in with each thrust, a 'slush' noise every time he pulls himself out. "So wet" The man gasps at the sight of all your juices splattered about. He needs to see more.

Pushing your knees into your chest and angling his hips a bit higher, he begins to drill into you at an unrelenting pace. A mix of saccharine moans fill the room, the sound of his headboard slamming against the wall. "Oh, oh oh! Erwin! Mmmm!" You sound so perfect, the sound of you moaning his name alone is enough to make him want to cum.

"Feels sooo good" Your eyes roll to the back of your head as he plows into you in a way that feels mechanical. In a way you have never felt before. He is so experienced, he knows all the right buttons to push, places to touch you and kiss. You are so mind numbingly stuck in a state of bliss that you almost feel lost. Like you could never crave another man after sleeping with him.

"Guys your age ever treat you like this?" He questions, now forcing your legs together with one arm and picking your hips up off the bed. Continuing his assault on your sweet little pussy that has made him go fucking stupid. He usually maintains a sense of composure when sleeping with new women, he knows what he enjoys may not be everyone's cup of tea but you, well you are the most perfect little slut he has ever met. "They fuck you this good?"

"No Erwin!" You cry out, gripping the sheets as he continues slamming into you. "You're the best! Fuck, Erwin! It's tooo much, feels weird"

Your hips twitch, he knows very well what this means. Oh, he needs it, he needs you to squirt all over him or else he will not be satisfied. "Erwin! Erwin!"

"Yeah, keep talking princess, make all the neighbors know my name, huh?" He goes down to toy with your clit, your hips attempt to squirm away. But the arm wrapped around your thighs ensure you stay in place. He pinches your clit, tip pushing against your g spot in a way that makes it hard to speak.

"Nonono, think I'm gonna pee" You shake your head frantically, trying to grab his arms and free yourself of his grip. But he will not allow it.

"Just let go" He orders, hair now sticking to his head as he shakes it back and forth. "Squirt all over daddy princess, I'll clean it up"

You finally reach your breaking point, breath so caught in your throat that your moan is almost silent, too high pitched to even be registered. Your hips and thighs are shaking, stomach quivering and you can feel your heartbeat in your pussy as he does not relent with his thrusts-close to a release of his own. When you squirt all over him, he whines stuck on the juices gushing out of you. His eyes squeeze shut as the image replays over and over again in his head, finally dropping your body back down to the mattress as he is almost where he needs to be. "Such a messy pussy" He moans into your skin, your body lays limp as you try to do something as simple as breathe.

It is hard when he snatches every little gasp out of you. But you can feel him twitching inside you, thrusts grow sloppy as you grab at his hair, your sensitive pussy being pushed to her brink. "Please please cum inside daddy. Fuckkk I need it! Wanna keep it inside all night and remember how good you made me feel"

Your dirty words are enough to push him over the edge, spilling into you and splaying your womb with his seed. Fuck, his dick belongs inside of you. So does his cum, he wants to do this every day when he comes home from work. In the mornings before he even gets out of bed. At night when before he goes to sleep. He wants you stuffed with him at all times. His cum spills out of you as he finally pulls out, dripping down your thighs.

He looks up at you with a mischievous look on his eyes. It feels unnatural to see such a composed man come undone, the way he eats you up with his eyes.

And you are staring at him like he is the most handsome man on the planet, well he kind of is. To you at least. You chuckle, you're in danger, never has a man made you feel this good before. He made you squirt the first time sleeping with you. Fuck, you're dickmatized.

"We should have done this a long time ago" He collapses into your chest, kissing whatever skin is available softy. He will clean you up in a bit, for now he needs to rest.

"Yes, we should have" You play with his hair before kissing the top of his head, making yourself quite comfortable in his sheets. You could get used to this.

And used to it, you become. Erwin is now a daily part of your routine, the same as sleeping and eating. Getting creampied by Erwin Smith was now the highlight of most of your days but it was not all purely physical. He took you out a few times, you even met a few of his coworkers one night over drinks. You spend the night at each other's houses and begin to go on morning runs together.

You suppose you should not be surprised when you end up pregnant several months later. Knocked up by your sexy older neighbor that you now consider to be your boyfriend. He even suggests the two of you get married, but you agree to wait for the baby to come along to see if that changes anything in your relationship.

Now, because of you, he will live up to his true potential as a dilf.

[hitlikehammers]

unforeseen complications 🩸 steve/kas!eddie

“What’s wrong?” Steve doesn’t try to sit up again, knowing Eddie wants, more like needs to press against Steve like this because…they’d pushed the boundaries. Eddie had needed more blood than normal, because they’d skipped out on more than one quick snack-time. And Steve does feel the hit harder for it. It’s not a foreign feeling, though: the aftermath, beyond what his own body needs to recover— “We can’t keep doing this, Steve.”

rating: t ♥️ tags: post-s4, kas!eddie, established relationship, angst with a happy ending, as in: eddie angsts about his new vampiric tendencies while steve has none of it, true love, blood drinking (just a little), terrified eddie (that he did steve any possible damage), long-suffering steve (who knows it’s all completely fucking FINE and also they’re dumb in love forever)♥️

for @steddielovemonth day eight: "I'll take care of you." "It's rotten work." "Not to me. Not if it's you." —Euripides

Steve is groggy, his head’s a little fuzzy and unevenly weighted in that way he can already tell will make him dizzy when he opens his eyes and tries to lift it—so he doesn’t, not just yet—but normally he sleeps this part off. Normally the side effects aren’t as sharp as this is already shaping up to be, because his body keeps him blissful conked out long enough where it’s all a little more of a dull roar that he can ignore while he gets through the day and slides slow back to normal.

And it’s not like it gets this intense that often; it’s in extenuating circumstances. Sometimes one’s they create for themselves, sure, but usually it’s some world-threatening shitfuckery that pushes the limits this bad. Like…at least eight times out of ten.

At least.

So it’s weird that he’s waking up before he’s due to shake off the worst of it, when said worst-of-it is still clinging to his skin, his eyeballs, the linings of his veins.

He tries to make sense of what he can feel through the fog: weight, mostly. Something heavy that’s not just his own body rebelling against regaining consciousness too soon. There’s…something on top of him.

Heavy.

Shaking.

There’s a sound, maybe, like…breathing but that’s shaky too and—

Oh.

Oh no, it’s not just shaky.

The weight on top of him’s fucking crying, and trying real hard not to be found out for it.

Steve would goddamn know what that sounds like, specifically. From a whole-ass lifetime of experience in his godforsaken family.

And Steve knows what his own fucking boyfriendsounds like in distress, so—

“Eds,” Steve doesn’t even have to push to open his eyes and sit up too fast because there no dizziness, no nausea he can’t work through when Eddie in need is on the other side of it; “what’s wrong, what happened, I—”

The hand on his chest is firm but awkward, because Eddie is still splayed over his chest, doesn’t seem to have any intention of moving at all.

“Lay back down,” Eddie’s voice is muffled in Steve’s skin; “save your strength, you’re still,” and yeah…muffled, but too rough, cracked down the middle; “you’re…”

More than cracked, fuck. Shattering.

“What’s wrong?” Steve doesn’t try to sit up again, knowing Eddie wants, more like needs to press against Steve like this because…they’d pushed the boundaries. Eddie had needed more blood than normal, because they’d skipped out on more than one quick snack-time. And Steve does feel the hit harder for it. It’s not a foreign feeling.

And the aftermath, beyond what his own body needs to recover—

“We can’t keep doing this, Steve.”

—is also not unexpected. Pretty fucking routine now. Steve’s even practiced enough to swallow down the urge to sigh.

Because, considering that Eddie is skin-to-skin, blanketed on top of Steve under about seven blankets, more than Steve even knew they owned as he shudders through something suspiciously close to sobbing while the tone of the words screamheartbreak: Steve would have every right to be concerned when it sounded a whole hell of a lot like his boyfriend was trying to break up with him.

The first time was a fucking doozy, sure. Second time even, that sucked too.

Now though, with it being fairly fucking routine for…close to a year, now, especially after rough runs like last night?

Steve’s kinda learned to take it as the sign of affection he’s come to understand it stems from, deep in Eddie’s too-soft, too-tender chest, always having been ready to feel so fucking much—Steve wishes he’d known it sooner. Maybe they could have felt less alone, together.

Whatever. They’re here now.

Though it’d been a pretty free-and-clear couple of months—Eddie had only crumbled so far as to have shaken in a corner in Steve’s arms for close to probably five hours one of the three or so times they’d had to stretch too much time between regular feedings—because when Eddie came back, when he appeared in Steve’s living room dripping the black sludge the Upside Down seemed to specialize in best—trembling and stammering and…be-fanged.

And Steve had just looked at him, gaped a couple minutes—which he stands by being wholly fair and justified—and then did the only genuinely sane thing he could have done, given the givens.

He’d pushed Eddie toward the nearest fucking bathroom, under some hot water, and cleaned him the fuck up.

And didn’t think—yet—about how warm it made Steve: the sight of Eddie’s naked frame under the spray as it slowly siphoned off the goo.

Nope. Not the time.

He was sick, though, that was clear, but Steve…he can’t explain even now how he knew to be cautious in letting anyone in the Party know that they’re friend, this singular lost member of their family had somehow crawled back to the land of the living. Because yeah, it could have been the fact that Eddie was cool to the touch. Paler than he’d been before. Barely had a heartbeat but was definitely alive enough to insist he was pressed into Steve’s heat every night, in Steve’s bed; to keep shaking, to wretch more of the black slime up until it was just dry heaving, and…

There were plenty of reason to have caused the hesitance. But it wasn’t any of that.

It wasn’t even how, after Steve slit himself on an envelope, Eddie had scurried to his side, made to lunge then cowered back, cried like he was in pain before saying the first words Steve had gotten out of him yet:

Please. I’m sorry, I’m sorry Stevie, please—

And Steve wasn’t immune to what spending every fucking night wrapped up in another body. A definitely not unattractive body. A body belonging to a personality that Steve was getting pretty interested in getting to know better—literally and…intimately, y’know, Steve crossed the bridge of being totally shocked by that after he’d less-than-half-mourned Billy fucking Hargrove for the sake of his and and literally no other reason—but. Yeah.

He’d have given Eddie anything, at that points while he was hoarding and harboring him, safe as much as selfish in this house. He’d have—

What Eddie wanted was the blood from his papercut. And…well.

The fangs make…wel, they made a lot more sense all of a sudden.

Eddie fought it when Steve dragged him to the couch and offered his wrist because the guy was sucking kinda pitifully, like, way too desperate on Steve’s fingertip and not in a sexy way—and Steve would actually really like to reach the point of it being a sexy way someday, specifically with Eddie, he’d already stopped trying to deny that to himself—so he pulled his hand away, cupped Eddie’s cheek (warmer, more color in it), brushed by accident against his jugular (a real pulse, and racing, but overtaxed, like it needed…more to work with and yeah, if Steve hadn’t made up his mind already that would’ve done the job, flat out)—and when Eddie whimpered, Steve pushed his advantage of having a full blood supply, dragged Eddie into his lap, tore his own bloody strips from above the veins he could see under the heel of his palm straight down and Eddie gasped, cried out, tried to scramble away—

But Steve shoved his wrist to Eddie’s lips—knew it was maybe dirty pool but…he wasn’t stupid. If Eddie needed blood, he…he needed blood.

And Eddie was reluctant, at first, didn’t try to pull away once he realized that Steve had got him in a pretty solid hold from the waist down, and he just was not strong enough right now, not yet but he could be, if he’d just—

Steve hadn’t been worried, but if there’d been reservations, like, if Robin had had any idea he was doing this and voiced her innumerable concerns: if Steve have been worried, Eddie’s presence of mind to even think to resist, to look at Steve like he was in pain to avoid the blood waiting on offer, specifically for him, it’s all he would need.

But seeing that Steve hadn’t even thought to be worried, he ultimately caught Eddie’s frantic eyes, leaned in and brushed his lips to Eddie’s, tasted his own blood as he whispered:

It’s for you, I want you to have it so that you’re okay, and his hand had braced on Eddie’s chest where that heartbeat was struggling, but wild, and he didn’t even dare to blink until Eddie’s tongue lapped accidental at the blood steaming down.

And the rest is…history.

Eddie had tried to set his own limits, but Steve’s old hat at being the victim of the Upside Down’s bullshit, or Russian spy craft at that; he knows when the blood loss is actually a concern. He keeps his hand to eddie chest, makes his own call when that pulse is strong enough to ease his wrist away.

Steve hadn’t been a fucking lifeguard, after all. He does know some things.

And so that had been…that.

They’d told the others, eventually, but just that Eddie was back. It was enough to prove Steve’s fears in and of itself—they already suspected Vecna, Eddie as a sleeper agent or some shit, two guns trained on him in an instant: and that’s without the blood…thing.

So they keep that to themselves. It’s definitely a contributing factor to how they end up in dire enough straits that Steve’s laid up a little after just some casual bloodsucking until eddies heartbeat finds its strength of rhythm again.

It’s not a big deal. Steve’s had so many migraines worse than this ever is.

Except for when it gets to how Eddie reacts. How he falls apart for fear, for Steve.

That’s the worst pain Steve’s ever known, every goddamn time.

“You were cold,” Eddie’s voice shivers as he raps into Steve’s chest hair; “to me, you were cold to me.”

“You’d just fed, and you were hurting for it,” Steve reasons; it takes Eddie time to warm back up when they spread the feeding out too long. “You’re still not evened-out,” he reasons; Dustin would have a good science-y name for it, but they…they can’t risk it.

Steve won’t fucking risk it. Risk Eddie.

He cranes his neck, keeps his eyes closed to make sure he doesn’t aggravate the feeling of being off-balance, but he needs to press his lips to Eddie’s temple, test the heat.

“Close though,” Steve smiles into the skin, then kisses with intent. He…he loves that he can give this to Eddie. He doesn’t think Eddie gets that part, thinks Eddie only sees it as taking, rather than a gift for Steve in return just as strong.

“Steve,” Eddie moans, shakes his head as more a messy swirl of matted curls; “we can’t.”

Again: it stopped being convincing months ago; but Eddie does sound particularly distressed.

Steve brings a hand to run through that unruly hair, careful. Gentle.

“You weren’t moving,” Eddie finally whispers; “I couldn’t see, I couldn’t hear,” and Steve knows his limits, knows that Eddie didn’t hear or see even with his enhanced senses now because he’d been frantic, and his own heartbeat and shot quick to pounding after being so weak—it always sets him off kilter for a second or two.

Steve cradles Eddie to his chest rig he re, so he can hear clear the heartbeat Steve knows is steady now, strong.

They’ve both evened out. They’re both okay.

“I can’t risk you,” Eddie breathes into the space where the beat hits hardest; “I can’t lose you.”

“So,” Steve nods, tucks Eddie under his chin a little tighter; “losing me by design instead is your solution,” he sucks his teeth, hums as if he’s actually consider such fucking nonsense:

“Yeah, cool, makes sense.”

He thinks the sarcasm drips just the right amount.

“Stevie,” Eddie whines, like it hurts, and Steve never wants that. But he might…need for it to, a little at least, to get the point across.

“We’ve been through this, Eds,” Steve breathes low; “I’m not actually looking to kick the fucking bucket here,” he knows Eddie won’t appreciate the levity but he can’t help it, pressed the curve of his lips to eddies scalp. “I’m much more interested in making sure you’re not ell enough and strong enough and safe enough,” and he reaches, then, to lift Eddie chin, to turn him, to look, to see:

“To stay with me.”

And like clockwork, Eddie’s eyes widen, darken, narrow and Eddie scrambles up, takes Steve’s face in both his open palms:

“Always,” he hisses; “nothing could make me want to be anywhere else, not ever.”

And Steve knows it. Knows he means it

“But Steve—”

And because Steve knows? He’s happy to cut this the fuck off at the stem, nip it in the bud, press a the same fingertip eddies sucked the blood from so many nights ago, that first time that started the rest of Steve’s whole goddamn life—

Steve’s more than happy to press that fingertip to Eddie’s lips, to shut him the fuck yo when he needs it.

“I grew up not knowing what love was,” Steve says simply, and eddies eyes flash red—only when he’s incensed do they do that, and Steve not-so-secretly finds it hot as fuck. “Except for knowing that what I got wasn’t it,” he shrugs; “or else, not the kind it was supposed to be. Benign neglect,” he flinches a little as other, harsher memories buck their heads and he knows he has to say something because Eddie sees him, Eddie will draw it out himself otherwise and…

“Until the times it wasn’t,” Steve murmurs and, well.

At least he gets another sexy-as-fuck flash of crimson in those eyes he adores.

“But I knew what I did have wasn’t right,” Steve’s quick to press on; “so even though I kinda started from zero on the learning curve, it wasn’t,” he bites his lip and it’s not even weird anymore, to revisit the journey even if it started less-than-happily.

Because Steve knows the ending. And how it’s not even an ending at all.

“I knew I was looking for something that sat at the opposite end of the spectrum from what I did know. What I had been taught,” and he grabs for eddies hands and gathers them under his chin to rest on, to just…look his fill of this impossible man he’s fallen for, that he’s more than happily given his life to all the ways he knows how.

“And once I unlearned the bad shit, and started finding the real deal?”

He waits for Eddie’s eyes to glitter just so, waits for his head to tilts just the tiniest bit before he leans up:

“Love is this,” Steve breathes against Eddie’s lips with real fucking meaning:

“Love is exactly this.”

“Nearly fucking dying because your freak-ass boyfriend has to drink your goddamn blood and—” Eddie tries to deflect but is pretty fucking shirt with it. Not least because there are tears running down his cheek. Not least because Steve knows now. What love is.

He’d just spoken on the truth.

“Not even close to fucking dying at all,” Steve reminds him with a playful eye roll and a squeeze of his hand; “save maybe how much it killed me when I thought I’d lost you before we had a chance,” and honestly: Steve hates thinking about how all of this was almost never know, never had, never felt.

Yeah: that fucking kills him, just to think.

“So add that into the love-column,” Steve grins a little, imagining the upgraded version of a ‘YOU RULE’ board; “this is love because you’re breathing,” and Steve kisses the little divot above Eddie’s top lip; “you’re safe,” and then he kisses, nibble Eddie’s neck;“your heart beats when there’s enough blood for it to move around,” and Steve’s not strong enough to resist nipping at the heady pulse between Eddie’s collarbones.

“You’re as alive as anything or anyone in every way that could ever count,” Steve breathes; “you’re here. With me.”

Then he leans back again, looks Eddie in the eyes:

“You care enough—”

“Love.”

Eddie’s tone is this sharp, unquestionable thing. It’s thrilling every time it comes out.

All the more, said around that one word.

“I love,” Eddie’s hands hold closer, more dear at the sides of Steve’s face again; “whether it’s enough or not, whether it ever could be, I fucking love you—”

“Then you love,” Steve picks back up, pecks Eddie’s lips because he can; “enough to check that I’m okay, when we do this, and it’s just a little more of a challenge than normal.”

Eddie looks like he’s about to choke on something.

“Challenge?”

Ah. About to choke on that word specifically; that tracks.

“I like a good challenge,” Steve reminds him, reaches to pinch his cheek, delights in how blood—Steve’s blood—rushes to the surface; “fills the gap from all the sports-playing.”

Eddie’s mouth moves around silent words for a few seconds and then:

“Normal?”

Steve doesn’t even try not to laugh. With glee, even. With wonder.

“Wild, ain’t it,” he asks, kinda fucking joyful; “who’d have ever thought Steve Harrington would find a love this big,” and he runs his hand over Eddie’s arm, shoulder to wrist; “this perfect, for everything he is, not what he’s gotta twist himself in knots to try and become,” and Steve’s voice gets lower, more earnest, more genuinely fucking grateful for…all of it.

For his Eddie.

“Who would have thought Steve Harrington would fall into a love that held his whole fucking heart in its hands,” he brings those hands to his chest, where they clutch automatic; “to do with what you would, to take as far as you liked,” and his voice goes low—they don’t know what’s been done to Eddie beyond the obvious, what life and death mean for him;

“To keep as long as you decided to want.”

Basically, Steve isn’t too concerned about the whats. He’s more concerned about Eddie having no shred of doubt, that Steve wants whatever it means, to be something they share. He wants whatever it means to mean the same for both of them, if it can. However it can.

Whatever it takes.

“Steve,” Eddie shakes his head, face ruddy, tear-strewn and mouth agape.

“I don’t deserve you,” he exhales, then breathes in, sharp and shaking; “and you deserve so much more than this.”

“Let me make the decision,” Steve says, sure in it. Maybe for the first time in his life, he has no doubts for anything involving what he feels for Eddie, and the truth of what Eddie feels for him.

“And since I made that decision fucking months ago already, I’ll save you the suspense,” he turns Eddie’s chin on the tip of a finger, one more time.

“There is no more than this.”

And Eddie blinks; blinks.

And then his strings are cut, and he collapses full into Steve again, this time gathering him in by every limb he can tangle, gasping and grasping and needing and desperate and kissing every inch of Steve he can reach.

“Fuck, I love you baby,” Eddie moans deep from the center in his chest: “forever.”

It’s a true thing. It’s a promise.

It’s an acknowledgement of what they don’t yet know, but can agree with all they are to share, together, equal.

For always.

“I know,” Steve tells him simply, pulse pumping only joy; “and I am always gonna know. I’m always gonna be here, to make sure you never forget.”

And Eddie’s face falls for half-a-second, before it steels with resolve, before his hands lace with Steve’s and smack them flat to Eddie’s heaving chest.

To Eddie’s pounding heart.

“Never forget here,” he vow sir; “it’s never a matter of not loving.”

And Eddie’s scared, still, in his eyes; Steve knows.

It almost means more, that he’s promising it all, nonetheless. With his whole goddamn heart.

“I know,” Steve reminds him the best way he knows; pressing closer, tighter to that beat.

“And I’m always gonna be right here.”

Eddie nods, closes his eyes and holds Steve one breath closer to that pumping blood:

“Right here.”

And that?

And that suits Steve more than fucking fine.

✨permanent tag list: OPEN (lmk if you want to be added/removed): @ajeff855 @askitwithflours @awkwardgravity1 @bookworm0690 @bumblebeecuttlefishes @captain--low @depressed-freak13 @dragoon-ze-great @dreamercec @dreamwatch @dreamy-jeans137 @estrellami-1 @goodolefashionedloverboi @grtwdsmwhr @gunsknivesandplaid @hiei-harringtonmunson @hbyrde36 @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @kimsnooks @live-laugh-love-dietrich @mensch-anthropos-human @nerdyglassescheeseychick @notaqueenakhaleesi @ollyxar @pearynice @perseus-notjackson @pretend-theres-a-name-here

divider credit here

[darkfictionjude]

Okay so I know this is a touchy subject already especially since certain people have already been bitchy about it before, but sometimes Crowny is genuinely difficult to play as. I feel super conflicted about them since they're the literal personification of "damn bitch you live like this?"

Realistically, progress isn't linear and different people get different results even if they do the exact same thing, but as of now it feels like they aren't really allowed to improve at all. If you study you're still mediocre leaning towards bad in terms of understanding. You try to workout you see absolutely no results, not even the tiniest bit. When it comes to the other characters, it's always one step forward and two steps back. When you give them a hobby or try to get them to pick up a skill they find little enjoyment. When people bother them they barely fight back or even argue, and when they do it's like a sarcastic quip or a grumble at most. By the end, they haven't even made a dent. These don't make them less of a person and it doesn't make them a failure since the world is quite literally out to get them, but it's like they aren't allowed any satisfaction in their life. (Yeah it's been like a month, maybe barely scratching two in the current timeline so maybe this contradicts what I first said about progress but I'm dumb as hell)

It's wild to go from the side quests, backstory segments, interactions with the ROs and then Crown family just for all the hype to fade when there's a segment with just Crowny all alone. I know that there's a reason for why they are the way they are, but I literally have to take breaks from reading their solitary moments sometimes because it seems to drag on. I know things aren't easy in this universe, I know the world is supposed to be cruel and unfair, but like can they at least get a cake for their efforts? Or a hug? Or be able to sleep through one night and wake up well rested?

I hope I'm not sounding like an asshole or a insane here. Personally, they're relatable in a lot of aspects. I may not have had supernatural shit going after me, but I had a lot of issues that many of their experiences brush way too close to. It's just the way it's presented that makes them feel like they're like the random piece of chewy cartilage in an otherwise perfectly cooked steak, unpleasant but I'm gonna eat it anyway.

I literally just wrote a whole ass book complaining, but I at least wanna say I do love your work, Crowny included even if my words seem to say otherwise, and I'm super excited to see what happens in the timeskip since i know this is like JUST the beginning. I'm like seriously praying my tone is coming off the right way if that's even possible. If you read through all this thanks. I'm not gonna hide behind anon because I at least wanna be able to explain myself if this comes across wrong.

but like can they at least get a cake for their efforts? Or a hug? Or be able to sleep through one night and wake up well rested?

Well no 😭😭

And that comes from the fact that they are self loathing, depressed as hell and have virtually no support system while dealing with things that they aren’t mature enough to handle, actually their mental health is getting far worse which is by design

I feel like perhaps some readers have not realized just how depressed crowny is. All the things you described about them finding little enjoyment, etc., are key markers of major clinical depression

I feel also people did miss the fact that crowny kind of exploded in the library they didn’t shut up, they didn’t let it go which I think is a positive because this is the first time they’ve have enough to say “enough”

Sorry but I like my things slow burn 💀 that Halloween party is meant to be a breakthrough for them and I think perhaps it’s been glossed over by some because what happened to James has gotten the most attention and the final moment in the woods. Crowny outed their “friends” for the first ever and fought back against their tormentor in only one single night. James for all his issues did the one thing that broke the camel’s back and pushed Crowny over the edge, all 7 episodes have led to this

Crowny is meant to fall before they come up that’s how I wanted it because realistically someone could not handle all of this without losing their mind. It has barely been two months, Crowny has only seriously hit the main plot in episode 4 which in the current timeline was about 3 weeks ago (from episode 7)

Truly the progress that crowny did make in episode 7 should have taken longer, people with crowny’s issues spend years in therapy before they feel they have the right to fight back.

There’s a reason episode 7 is the midseason finale. It’s not only about the plot but about crowny themself….

Dw you’re tune is fine I can usually tell when someone doesn’t think before they write 😭

[velieditss]

Gilded Chains

Pairing: Modern!Gwayne Hightower x model!reader

Summary: Enduring a marriage of convenience with a man you despise, seems to be the price one must pay for a life of luxury, power, fame, and wealth. However, when a familiar face reappears, perhaps celebrating five years of marriage isn’t such a bad thing after all.

Cw: Porn with plot, 18+ minors dni!! overstimulation, unprotected sex, creampie, cheating, fingering, breeding kink, uhhh I think that's it.

An: Look who's back! This is one of the many surprises I have in store for you *wink wink*

Although you were the heir to the world’s most influential luxury fashion empire, your life was a chaotic mess that you could barely control. To the outside world, your family epitomised perfection: elegant, powerful, almost like royalty in the fashion universe. You, the spoiled daughter, not only carried the weight of that inheritance on your shoulders, but you had also managed to forge a successful career as a renowned model, admired by millions. However, behind that shimmering facade, you were drowning in a sea of expectations and lies. You were exhausted from pretending to be someone you weren’t, from following rules you had never chosen, and above all, from faking love for a man you despised with every fibre of your being. Ormund Hightower, your husband, was nothing more than an opportunist who saw you as a ticket to wealth and power.

That night, on your fifth wedding anniversary, the atmosphere was thick with false smiles and uncomfortable questions. The absence of children was the favourite topic among the guests, and although you refused to answer, their curiosity knew no bounds. The truth, known only to a few, was that your marriage to Ormund was a sham. You only shared the same space at events like this, where the illusion of the perfect couple had to be maintained. Outside of such occasions, he disappeared for weeks, leaving you in peace, but also trapped in a lie that gnawed at your soul.

The Hightowers were a powerful family, owners of one of the most prestigious law firms in the world. For your family, the alliance with them had been a strategic masterstroke. For you, it was an opportunity to build a modelling career without relying solely on your surname. However, that professional success paled in comparison to the hell your marriage to Ormund, the eldest son of Hobert Hightower, had become.

“Smile,” Ormund whispered, tightening his grip on your waist, brushing against the pain. “And stop making that funeral face.”

You shot him a sideways glance, suppressing the urge to crush his foot with your heels. You adjusted your black dress, a reflex gesture to conceal the anxiety that devoured you inside. Being by his side felt like reliving the worst moments of your early modelling years, when every glance seemed to judge you, and every comment made you feel inadequate, despite knowing you were more than capable.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you replied coldly. “And I’ll use whatever expression I want.”

You knew that wasn’t the response he was expecting, but you were tired of his demands. You weren’t weak; in fact, you were far stronger than him. You just needed to hold on a little longer, a few more months, until your father retired and you could take the reins of the family empire. Then, you would finally be free of Ormund and his family forever.

“I can make the whole world forget you,” he murmured, delivering his favourite threat. “I can ruin your career in an instant and transfer all your inheritance rights to your half-brother. Shall I remind you how much he hates you?”

You gritted your teeth, holding back the fury that bubbled inside you. It was the same threat as always, but this time it didn’t intimidate you. Secretly, you had already begun to make your own moves. Your lawyers were ready to ensure that neither Ormund nor the Hightowers would touch a penny of your inheritance when the time for divorce came.

“Just a few more months,” you repeated to yourself, breathing deeply as a triumphant smile spread across Ormund’s face. If you could, you would rip that smile off his face with your own hands.

“My family is coming,” he said, finally releasing you. “Behave.”

You watched your worst nightmare approach: the Hightowers. Not all of them were unbearable. You had managed to make a friend in his cousin Alicent, who, like you, was trapped in an arranged, loveless marriage. Although her situation was deplorable, she always told you that the one who deserved the most sympathy was you, for having to endure Ormund.

“My son,” said Lynessa, Ormund’s mother, hugging him with exaggerated affection. Behind her, her father and uncle looked at you with indifferent stares. Clearly, you meant nothing to them.

Your eyes moved from one to the other until they met an intense blue gaze you hadn’t expected to find there.

Quickly diverting your gaze to avoid showing your surprise, you shifted your weight from one foot to the other, trying to focus on the conversation.

Lynessa didn’t take long to fix her gaze on you again, her look laden with a subtle malice that only someone with years of experience in playing the game of perfection could sustain.

“It’s a shame you still don’t have children,” she commented, continuing to smile with that sweetness that was almost unbearable. “Don’t get me wrong, darling, but at your age, it would be quite natural to expect news of that kind.”

Her tone was kind, almost maternal, but her words fell like stones. Your jaw tightened, and the warmth of the smile you had forced vanished completely. You knew exactly what she was implying.

“Did you know I know an excellent doctor who works with couples who... well, have trouble conceiving?” Lynessa continued, never losing that sickening tone. “I’ve heard he’s very effective, even with complicated cases. I’m sure that with a little help, things would be sorted out quickly.”

A wave of fury surged through your body. Was she suggesting you were infertile? Was she insinuating that, if you had no children, it was because of some flaw of yours? If you could have, you would have screamed what you thought at her, but you held yourself back, reminding yourself that tonight, as irritating as it was, was just another episode in the theatre of your life.

“I don’t need you to send me to any doctor,” you replied, with a cold calmness that contrasted with the volcano of emotions swirling inside you. “The matter of children is... private.”

“Of course,” Lynessa replied, unperturbed. “I didn’t mean to be too direct, but I’m surprised you haven’t sorted it out already, with everything you have going for you.” Her gaze flicked to Ormund, who smiled without paying attention to what was happening, as though he were convinced everything was under control. “Of course, your husband has a history of... good health, doesn’t he?”

The insinuation was clear: the blame for not having children lay with you. A few more minutes of conversation, and the mockery would become too obvious. But you didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of seeing how much it affected you.

“I’ll do it when the time is right,” you responded, with a cold, controlled smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a bit of fresh air.”

You turned away before she could respond, leaving behind a visibly unsatisfied Lynessa. You knew the criticism and insinuations would never stop, but for once, you wouldn’t let them in. If anyone thought they could destroy you with little venomous words, they were mistaken. What they didn’t know was that you already had the last move in mind.

You walked briskly towards the terrace, seeking some calm. You needed a breath of fresh air before returning to the circus that was this party. But just before you could open the glass door, you heard a voice that made you stop dead in your tracks.

“Great battle. I always wonder how you manage to come out victorious from that woman’s words.”

You turned slowly, as though the familiar voice didn’t surprise you in the slightest. There he was, with his blue eyes fixed on you, a glass in his hand. Gwayne. The only person who could make the endless hours of this night bearable. Or, at least, more tolerable.

“I’ve been an expert at this since my husband came back from the airport,” you replied, letting out an ironic laugh. “Or maybe since he said ‘yes’ five years ago.”

The response slipped from your lips without much thought, but Gwayne’s gaze didn’t go unnoticed. His blue eyes gleamed with a mixture of curiosity and something more.

He always seemed able to read between your words, to see what was beneath the surface.

“Why are you here, Gwayne?” you asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

“I wasn’t going to,” he admitted, taking a sip of his drink as his lips curved into a faint smile. “But someone begged me to attend, and I can’t refuse such a desperate request.”

That smile of his, that mischievous spark in his eyes. The invitation had been yours, the pleading too. As for why... well, that was a secret only the two of you shared.

Your breath caught in your throat as your pulse raced wildly. A bolt of heat coursed through your skin, electrifying every pore and resonating deep within your veins.

The memory of his mouth on your neck, the touch of his tongue against yours, consumed your mind, transforming every detail into an intense and forbidden pleasure. An unquenchable fire burned in your blood, growing and expanding within you, like a flame that consumed everything in its path. In the darkest corner of your mind, something stirred, something you couldn't —nor wanted to— control.

It was a feeling unknown, a desire you had never felt for anyone else before. Each gasping breath you took seemed insufficient, superficial, while the pain of longing settled in your chest, oppressive and burning. Tension coiled within you, growing until it reached a point of unbearable agony.

Suddenly, a sound burst forth from Gwayne, a deep, guttural growl that rang in the air. Then he pushed you with force against the tempered glass door of Ormund's office, a door designed to hide what was happening inside. That door, once the source of your anger, now filled you with a strange sense of gratitude.

His mouth slid down your neck as his hips pressed against your belly with a urgency that left you breathless. You could feel him, imagine him inside you, your desire and his intertwined in a whirlwind of passion. A wave of moisture coursed through you, causing your thighs to tense and your hips to move almost of their own accord.

You heard him inhale a ragged breath, and then his words reached your ears, heavy with a need that shook you:

"I can give you that child," he murmured, his voice deep and seductive. "They will have your blood and the blood of a Hightower," he said, his eyes widening again, as dark as the deepest sapphire. "Which one?" he said. "That doesn't matter."

He stopped just inches from your mouth, his hand gripping your hip firmly. But these were not the hands of a jailer, but those of a lover, someone who knew the art of satisfying the deepest desire.

Your heart pounded in your chest as your whole body tensed. You knew you should say no. There were a thousand reasons to do so. But the words that escaped your lips were different, spoken in a sensual voice you barely recognized as your own:

“Could you live knowing that child would call another man father?” His hand slid over your belly, exploring the exposed skin at your left hip. You watched him smile, a malevolent expression that made you shiver.

“Imagine if that child were like me” he whispered, his voice heavy with provocation. “With such a strong resemblance that there could be no doubt about who the true father is.”

You could barely breathe, barely think. Your desire grew in time with your unstable heartbeat, and you realized that the fire was still burning. You wanted him, right or wrong, just as you had wanted him for so long. With vague awareness, you nodded.

As he ground his hips against yours with a desperate, almost feral hunger, your mind reeled at his words. The forbidden promise of being bred, of carrying his child, sent a dark thrill of excitement coursing through your veins.

Without hearing any objections, he pulled you towards him, adjusting you against the curve of his hips. Your dress had slipped down slightly, and now only his pants separated the curve of your ass from his erect member. You bit your lip as he slid his hand up your thigh and lifted your leg, guiding you effortlessly onto the desk. He deposited you gently on the cold wood, brushing the hair from your face to caress your cheek. His hand traced your side, traveling up your arm before descending again.

“You are the most beautiful woman I have had the pleasure of seeing”, he murmured, his voice filled with admiration. Brave...”

The fabric slipped a little further, revealing one of your breasts. You felt the blush spread across your cheeks as you saw the evidence of your desire in the erect nipple. His hand closed over your breast, and a muffled cry escaped your lips as his thumb traced slow circles over the peak. You arched your back, seeking his touch, seeking him.

“Strong and fucking stunning,” he whispered, as his hand descended further, passing under your navel and over your bare hip, until it reached the moisture that had accumulated between your thighs.

His fingers found you, and his caress was like a red-hot brand, electrifying and burning. He slid a finger along your center, with slow, playful movements that made your whole body tremble. He continued with those feather-light caresses until you felt like you were going to explode, like your skin could not contain so much intensity.

Then he pushed a finger inside you. You threw your head back, and a choked sound escaped your lips as the world around you faded away, leaving only him and the fire that consumed everything in its path. You needed him as much as he needed you...

"Nobody could reach a beauty like yours," he murmured through gritted teeth, pulling his finger nearly all the way out before sliding it back in slowly.

He angled his hand so that his thumb danced across your sensitive bundle of nerves, as that long, talented finger of his continued pumping steadily, in and out, stealing more of your breath with every thrust. His other arm wrapped around you, crossing over your heaving chest. He closed his hand over one of your aching breasts, kneading the soft flesh as he pushed a second finger deep inside you, stretching your walls and stoking the flames within you even higher.

You let out a sharp cry, pressing yourself against his hand, against him. His breathing came in harsh bursts as he watched, entranced, as you undulated and clenched around his fingers with each skilled movement. You were slipping into that blissful sensation, surrendering to it gracefully.

All the while, his hips never ceased their relentless grind against yours, the thick ridge of his arousal throbbing insistently against your core. He hooked one of your legs around his waist, opening you wider, the head of his cock nudging against your slick folds through the fabric of his trousers.

"Tell me you want this," he commanded, his voice low and rough with desire. "Tell me you need to feel me inside you, breeding this sweet cunt." His fingers found your slit, stroking through the slick heat, teasing your entrance with a maddening lack of penetration.

"I want it," you keened, too far gone to deny him or yourself any longer. Gwayne began to turn his body, creating some space between you both, but you reached out and closed your fingers around his hip, digging your nails in with a silent plea.

He swore under his breath and let out a low groan, his lips brushing against yours as he thrust his fingers deeper, harder. Your hips rocked against his, though there was no rhythm to your desperate movements as you both writhed and undulated. The coil of tension in your lower belly tightened and tightened.

Slowly, he extracted his fingers, but his hand didn't stray far. It slid upwards, pausing just beneath your navel as he tugged both halves of your robe apart to leave you bare and shining in the candlelight.

Completely exposed to him, he drank in the sight of you, his gaze roving hungrily over your glistening skin. Your breath caught in your throat as desire, thick and heavy, pulsed through your veins. Unable to resist, you wound your arms around his neck, pulling him down into a searing kiss that branded your very soul.

You tore at his clothes with desperate fingers, baring his skin inch by delicious inch, following the same path he had carved upon yours. The heat between your bodies blazed hotter, more urgent with each scrap of fabric removed.

He took one of your legs, positioning it to grant him the access he needed as he loomed above you, holding his weight above your body with one arm. The other hand traced a scorching path down your side, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

"Breathe," he taunted with a wicked grin as he positioned himself at your entrance, his eyes blazing into yours with a hunger that stole the very air from your lungs.

But you couldn't breathe, not until you felt him pushing forward, stretching you, filling you so utterly and completely. A strangled cry tore from your throat as you arched off the wood, your nails raking down his back, urging him deeper, harder, faster.

It was a revelation, understanding why people lost their minds to this, to the exquisite pleasure of being claimed, possessed, owned utterly by another. Your pussy clenched around him, gripping his length like a velvet vice as he hilited your cries with his own, guttural groans of bliss.

He began to move, his hips driving forward with a power and strength that stole your breath away. Each thrust sent sparks of ecstasy ricocheting through your body, building the fire that consumed you until you were nothing more than a mass of sensation and sound, incoherent and unhinged with pleasure.

Your pelvis surrendered to his relentless pace, meeting each powerful drive of his hips with your own. You fixed your gaze on the spot where your bodies joined, watching in fascination as he claimed you again and again, driving into you with a force that left you breathless and wanting.

Your second release was unexpected and insufficient, for far from appeasing the desire roaring under your skin, it gave it free rein, demanding more, much more.

Gwayne paused his intrusion for a few moments, possibly trying to drink you in while you experienced your climax. He leaned in to kiss you, hard and demanding, stealing the air your lungs were burning to regain. His tongue plunged into yours and they dueled again in a fiery duel for dominance.

You moaned into his mouth as his hips made a slow circle stimulating your sensitive cunt, before changing the intensity of his thrusts, which became relentless and impetuous, driving you wild again in less than two seconds and forming the knot in your lower belly, your muscles unfurling even more to accommodate the new rhythm. 

All you could register was the sound of his heavy breathing coupled with a harmony that you broke endlessly with a myriad of gasps, moans and other sounds that you sought futilely to stifle.

His rhythm became hard and rough, with his fingers wrapping around your neck and pressing where you knew your pulse was pounding as if it was on the verge of breaking from all the stimulation your body was experiencing.

You were about to cum for the third time and you were so ready for it. Your body screamed and you clenched your jaw to try to keep up with its rhythm, which was raspy and merciless. The knot inside you was about to break to unleash the seventh hell in which you would be happily burning. 

The wet sounds of your bodys filled the room, the slap of skin against skin and the slick glide of his shaft plunging into your clenching heat. You closed your eyes and opened your mouth to breathe. You felt it so close, but so close....

Then his thrusts became slow and deliberate. You opened your eyes and frowned, noting that he had done it on purpose to deprive you of what you craved.

He was looking down on you from his high route, above you, with a few blond hairs sticking to his forehead and his face slightly flushed. He held his weight with one of his hands and let out the sigh of a laugh as he looked up into your face.

He leaned down to lick the surface of one nipple before stroking his finger across your lower lip.

"Wrap your legs around my waist" he ordered roughly, followed by your name and that was enough for you to obey him without replying, set on fire like a torch. 

Your legs were slipping in the sweat on his back and hips, so you locked them around him tighter. You let out a loud moan as he entered you again, so deep that the sensation was invigorating and sent sparks throughout your body. 

He rammed into you again in the same way: raw, hard and insane, so insane that the pressure in your belly threatened to break you whole; making you contract every time his deft thrusts hit that exact spot where all pleasure was concentrated.

You were aware of nothing; neither of the gasps that converged into cries of need nor of the desperate way your hands clutched at his shoulders, clawing at his back or fisted the the edge of the desk to try to keep you anchored to this earth.

"I want to feel you" he demanded through gritted teeth next to your ear, his breath hitching as he ran his tongue down your neck. "Please."

And so you plunged into a torrent of pleasure, a raw desire there would have been fervent that didn't take long to explode. 

You gasped in desperation

"Gwayne..."

Stunned, you trembled beside him, you felt him as he felt you. 

You opened your eyes only to find that blue, now sapphire that enchanted you to touch the chasm that consumed them.

You fell back against the wood, with only the rasping of the fire and the heaving of breaths.

In a heavy and wondrous burden, you released your arms from your death grip on him so that your mind could once again become active and work. 

You looked at him for a moment. Before he met your eyes. Without saying anything to you, he tugged on your dressing gown and carefully helped you put it back on. There was something in that act that seemed... tender.

"Thank you..." you murmured and he didn't suppress a half smile. 

"You're welcome," he replied and you dropped back. "It was my pleasure..."

You looked at him with narrowed eyes but amused.

"Are you going to start already?" you asked sarcastically.

"Whenever you ask me to, princess" you laughed and shook your head.

"You'll never change." 

Masterlist

[gallowdancingmuck]

Analyzing W(e)yler: Part One

The first thing I would like to discuss is Tyler’s role in the whole story. While we can debate on whether he is the best love interest or not (I’ll get to that) I think it can be accepted that he is a foil to Wednesday. A foil is meant to act as a contrast to the protagonist and is not always necessarily the antagonist. The difference between foil and antagonist is that the antagonist opposes whilst the foil exposes essential beliefs and characteristics of the protagonist. Something often forgotten in terms of foils is that they are extremely similar to the protagonist, but a critical factor causes a ripple effect that diverts the foil’s path from the protagonist’s path.

Lets look at how exactly Tyler and Wednesday foil each other:

Grumpy x Sunshine

Tyler showcases a positive and soft side, but hides the darker aspects of his personality (Hyde, anger, sadness, resentment). Wednesday showcases her dark side proudly but is ashamed of the softer aspects of her personality (love, affection, loyalty, sympathy). If Tyler (and people around him) were more accepting of his darkness, Hyde would not be as easily manipulated and he would probably be able to leverage more emotional control. If Wednesday accepted her softness she would also be able to exert more control with her emotions. Her “getting in her own way” comes into play because she doesn’t reach out for help and when things go wrong she makes impulsive decisions that hurt her relationships (think about how Enid and her fought because Wednesday just didn’t ask for her help in an honest way). Raw emotions are hard for Wednesday but her care for other people is always used against her and her denial makes things 10x harder for her.

Family Dynamics

Tyler’s family is broken. His mother died and his father shut down, leaving Tyler with anger, sadness, and abandonment issues. The neglect from Donovan has caused Tyler to develop severe daddy issues and a mommy complex. Tyler is chasing affection, which is why he falls into Laurel’s grasp. Wednesday’s family on the other hand is pretty functional if not a little overly expressive, however she finds their constant affection suffocating and is running away from it. She has mommy issues in the fact that she looks at her mother as competition (which I hope the reasoning behind this is explored more because it really confuses me, what led to the riff between Morticia and Wednesday?)

Outcast Status

Tyler has been forced into outcast status. As a hyde he was already predetermined to be isolated, add onto it his family dynamic, Tyler is alone and he does not know how to deal with that. He wishes he was normal as seen through the way he interacts with other characters and in Jericho. Wednesday, while seen as strange by the world, is still accepted. I think it has been seen that as long as you are a pretty girl, you can be as weird as you like (Manic Pixie Dream Girl vibes) and with the Addams family wealth and status added, Wednesday truly will always have a place. She despises this. She wants to be an outcast, but as seen in the show, her assuredness is magnetizing, so people flock to her despite her best efforts.

Wealth

Tyler comes from a working class family. While he may not be struggling to get by, a sheriff and barista’s salary is not much. The Addams family has so much money it's comical. This matters because when Tyler beat up Xavier he got sent to bootcamp. Wednesday maimed the swim team and got sent to a private school. Money affects circumstance and punishment. It begs the question of what would happen if the roles were reversed and Wednesday was a hyde? Wealth affects power, and the hyde is in constant danger of power dynamics being manipulated.

Masking

Faulkner’s diary points out how the hyde is an artist by nature, this relates to how they are actors, switching personalities or parts in society. Hydes are naturally manipulative because it is an adaptation to the tumultuous personality changes. For the most part, Tyler can act through social interactions and delight people. and that is why he successfully tricked Wednesday. He is able to save himself a lot of trouble. Wednesday on the other hand is honest to a fault. Brutal and straightforward, Wednesday scares people and causes herself a lot more trouble than she needs to.

Emotional Expression

Both Tyler and Wednesday have difficulty with emotional control. Tyler lets his emotions explode while Wednesday diminishes her’s. Moving forward I think Tyler is going to be going through therapy where he learns to not suppress the hyde, but regulate it and all the emotions that fuel it. Wednesday has been put through a lot of emotional wringers (Thing almost dying, Eugene being attacked, the attraction and betrayal with Tyler, Enid being Enid) that I think she is going to soon realize she has to manage rather than ignore them. I think learning to cope with this regulation will happen as Wednesday and Tyler reconcile and learn to work together again.

Control

Due to the nature of the hyde and how it was unlocked, Tyler has never been in control. Even before that, he had no control in his family due to neglect and secrecy. His development is about gaining a sense of control and autonomy in his life. Learning to be alone but not being forced to be. His story I think has to revolve around choice and empowerment. Wednesday is a control freak. She hates emotions due to the unpredictable nature and she can’t handle relationships because you can’t healthily control another person. She needs to relinquish control because it stands in the way of her softer qualities and often gets her in trouble.

Tyler and Wednesday are the same, but the way they approach life is different and is linked to an overall theme of Wednesday (and the Addams Family in general). The Addams Family has always been a satire about how despite the family being macabre and gloomy, they love and support each other more than the average nuclear family. Never are we expected to understand the family but more so to accept and appreciate them. If we look at Tyler’s Hyde, this character is exactly what happens when we don’t do this. The filial bond is damaged because Francoise’s hyde was never accepted and it caused this generational trauma. The hyde I think is a representation of the things that haunt people and families when they are not addressed or accepted. Wednesday is just as much about the hyde as the Addams family, so with the tragedy surrounding the Galpin family and the state of the hyde as a species, I do think that Wednesday and Tyler will reconcile (maybe not romantically) and work to resolve the stigmatization of hydes.

Plus if Wednesday wants to be odd and outcasted she would refuse to be outdone by Tyler! Not for a second time.

[angelsdean]

hot take maybe but actually i do expect my mom to comfort me and make me an ice cream sundae when i’m sad even when i get to 40 and she’s 70. my grandma does that for her still. it’s not. limiting her. it’s not saying she only has to be my mommy. i have taken care of her too. it’s saying we love each other and want to take care of each other. mary struggling to be able to interact with grown up sam and dean was very very valid and understandable and i love her for it. she also could’ve maybe tried a little more anyway. they could’ve lent on each other. idk.

Yea i've said before that I think it's a bit outrageous the way people seem to think someone stops being a parent once their child reaches adulthood. Maybe it's a cultural thing, I don't know, but the whole idea of "once your kid turns 18 they're out the door and not your problem anymore" is so deeply flawed IMO. But yea I focus more on "debunking" the claim that Dean expects some sort of motherly coddling / babying from Mary because that seems to be the deancrit take I see the most with regards to this arc / the "i'm not just a mom" scene.

But for sure many people seem to have some weird ideas IMO about what it means to be a parent. Like I think you can feel for Mary and understand that parents can and are more than just parents, but also understand that they will never stop BEING a parent either. Their kids will always be their kids. It's why people always say being a parent is a full time job, not something to go into lightly, that you should be sure you actually want kids and understand that having them is a lifelong commitment etc etc. And having kids makes them become your priority, even when you want to be selfish you always have to try to put them first. Obviously that lessens as they grow up but like, if your adult child were injured or had some kind of health issue / challenges as a parent it's still your job to be there for them, to support them, to care for them. That doesn't just end at 18. It's why *I* know that even though I like the idea of kids I probably never will have any because it's so much responsibility and because those kids are always always going to come first, forever! That's kind of part of the parental "contract" IMO. And even when they're adults, a parent should still be the one person in the world your kid can turn to, rely on, seek comfort in.

And I understand these expectations are complicated in this particular narrative by the fact that Mary died young and is not equipped to be a mother to adults. I think that's such a delicious component that I wish they leaned into more. She is grieving her babies. She is allowed to feel those feelings and feel confused and unsure and struggle with accepting this new dynamic with her children. But a big part of Mary's arc in s12, which culminates in 12x22 with "I need you to see me" is that she is the one stuck in the past, needing to accept her reality and "SEE" her children for who they are now. That's what the arc is moving towards, that acceptance. And after s12 we see her and Dean have a better relationship. We see her still getting to be Mary the person AND Mary the "mom." She hunts, she comes and goes, but she's someone Dean can talk to, share a meal with, spend time together. It's what he always wanted most. He tells her in 14x11 that "just knowing you're around, that you're alive has meant everything to me."

Anyways, I won't ramble about all that again because I've made a bunch of posts about it already. But yes, I think it's normal for Dean (and Sam) to want Mary to comfort them, do nice things for them, the way any parent or really a family member in general might do. They are not asking for kisses on their boo-boos and getting tucked into bed with a bedtime story, which is how a lot of deancrit posts read. What they want is some sort of familial reciprocal care. Like the way Dean spends quality time with those he loves. The way he baked a cake for Jack. Cooks for his family. The way he gives people gifts. The way he fixes Cas's truck. The way he calls to check in on people. He doesn't do these things out of some obligation or playing some "role", he does them because he cares. Because he loves his family, and that's just what family does for each other.

Someone in my tags last night said it very well that what Dean really wanted was just, another family member, to spend time with, to share their joys and burdens with. Someone like Bobby, that he could turn to if he needed. Bobby was a parent figure but he wasn't "parenting" them, y'know? He was someone Dean could lean on, but he didn't expect Bobby to shoulder all his burdens. And I think that's what Dean wants most. Just someone he can lean on and rely on, since he's been having to be the strong one for everyone his whole life.

[luckymousey]

Thoughts about Ace’s dreams (parts 249-256) (mostly things I liked)

⚠️English is not my first language and there will be SPOILERS if you haven't seen Ace's dream⚠️

THEY UPLOADED BOTH ACE AND TREY’S ENTIRE DREAMS, LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ehhhh, well, I was planning to also write about Trey’s dream, but I felt this was getting too long, so maybe the day after tomorrow I guess?

Warnings?: swearing and possible gramatical mistakes

Soooooo, we left it when Grim was shaking Ace like a soft drink, let’s start!

Ace telling them to stop pranking him is ironic considering he’s the one who pranks everyone everytime (I bet he once pranked Deuce by giving him a store bought egg and told him a chick would appear from it if he gave him enough warmth)

SEBEK STARTING TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING TO ACE, I ALREADY LOVE HIM SO MUCH, I know he is just doing it for COMPLETELY different reasons, but yeah (tbh, I started loving him more when he admitted liking reading books, I’m also a bookworm :3)

And he’s so determined to fight Malleus, awww, he loves him, but he also knows that they can’t let Malleus’ negative emotions take over him.

The part where Ace asks Sebek if it’s something bad to live in a dream that you can be happy in, is like ( ; _ ; ), so fucking sad and selfish, he is like accepting the fact that it was not reality what he was living, but he was so fucking scared to accept reality itself and he really didn’t consider other people’s opinions (personally, I feel I would LOVE living my dream life, but I’m sure that with time, I would feel that everything around me is fake, beause my real friends wouldn’t be there, my real family would’ve be there, everything I love wouldn’t be there, and that would make feel me so miserable)

Ace saying that if Malleus is left alone in the real world because of his own fault reminds me a lot of the time he told Riddle that he had no friends because of himself, it might have sound cruel, but really, Malleus, my boy, what you’re doing is not good 😭 (and he’s, I do think that Ace’s comment to Malleus was also unnecessary, but let’s be realistic, they’re both doin wrong things)

For some reason, I feel Ace would be GREAT as a lawyer, maybe some rude comments about the other party, something that’s not tolerated in trials, yes, but he’s quick when it comes to biting back.

Ace not wanting to fight Malleus because he calls themselves “ordinary students”?? EXCUSE ME!? That’s not my Ace! My Ace fucking fought against his dorm leader knowing he was way weaker than him (I repeat, he’s so fucking scared of accepting the reality, like, we can see it thanks to these little things, the little changes in the character, he prefers to be a coward than to lose his friend 🥲)

I want to say this again, there are some parts and lines of Ace that reminds us of the Heartslabyul Arc (like when he said he won he listening to someone who looks down at others), but there’s a big difference: Ace was not scared to fight against Riddle, but he’s now scared to fight against Malleus, and yes, Malleus is one of the 5 best mages in the world, but this is not about the opponent, it’s about the fact that he will change his whole personality to get what he wants, in Heartslabyul Arc’s case: beating Riddle and becoming dorm leader (that was out of pure rage tho), in the Diasomnia Arc’s: hiding in his dream, because there, Yuu can stay with them forever.

ACE RAN, I KNOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DRAMATIC EXIT, BUT I COULDN’T STOP IMAGINING HIM RUNNING LIKE AN ANIME CHARACTER WHO’S EMBARRASSED AND RUNNING AWAY WITH A VERY NOTICEABLE BLUSH ON THEIR FACE

Sebek not understanding Ace’s words and desire to stay in the dream is understandable for me, he had no friends before, and in this point of the story, he is still not very close to his classmates, so he doesn’t understand why a friend is so important for Ace (and Malleus is more like a person who he admires, but he idolizes him so much that I doubt he calls him “his friend”, while Lilia is seen as his master and Silver more like a competitor).

I don’t know if you noticed this, but I love imagining different scenarios when something happens, so when everyone was explaining to Sebek why Ace got angry and why it was (partly) his fault, I imagined them trying to explain something to a baby.

ORTHO ADMITTING HE WOULN’T BE AS WORRIED AS HE’S BECAUSE OF IDIA, HE’S THE BEST LITTLE BROTHER ONE CAN HAVE 🥹🥹🥹🥹

And Sebek realizing that Ortho is right, awwww, I can understand why some people hate him, he is constantly shouting and being kind of rude, but I see him like a kiddo who’s still learning.

I used to watch the episodes without sound because I usually watch them at night, but how that I got wireless headphones I can’t unheard the way they said “Cater Diamond”, they’re like, “KeiTO DaiAMonDo”, I know that's how they pronounce it, but I really can’t not laugh everytime I think about it.

Idia and Leona agreeing they’re just helping because they want revenge!?!? That’s so funny for me, they’re straight up insulting Malleus in front of Sebek.

And after that, the moment where Silver scolds Sebek arrives.

THAT'S RIGHT SILVER, YOU TELL HIM, YOU TELL HIM, SHOW HIM WHAT YOU LEARNT FROM YOUR HANDSOME FATHER, I LOVE YA SEBEK, BUT YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN

Honestly, the reason I'm so excited is because I’m trying to prepare myself for that part.

Silver LITERALLY rubbing on Sebek’s face the fact that he reacted like Ace when he told him everything was a dream is something I didn’t know I needed to hear, it was so satisfying. (I’m going to admit it, I just love people getting scolded because of something they did that was clearly bad)

“REFLECT ON YOUR ACTIONS!” Is something I feel Lilia usually said when he punished them as kids and then Silver learnt it (i bet all my money that Lilia constantly used that phrase when the kids didn’t want to eat his nutritious food)

Some of the characters being surprised by Sebek sudden lowering of tone is something that will always make me at least chuckle, it doesn’t matter if it’s in the manga, the game, the novel, fanfics, fanmade comics…; it’s just so fucking funny for me.

When Silver said it was better to have Ace as a friend so he can help the, in defeating Malleus sounded so bad, like he was already planning how to become Ace’s friend to use him (don’t hate on me, I know he didn’t intend to, but if you read that phrase without context, you will definitely think he’s a villain)

LEONA, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN WITH LEAVING ACE BEHIND BECAUSE HE WON'T BE OF MUCH HELP, ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME!? YOU DONT GET TO LEAVE MY BOY BEHIND.

AND YOU TOO, CATER!? YOU TOO!? I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GOOD SENPAI BECAUSE YOU PROTECTED DEUCE AND GRIM IN YOUR DREAM, FUCK THIS AND HE WANTS TO MESS UP WITH ACE, DONT, LEAVE MY BOY, WELL, DONT, DON'T LEAVE MY BOY, WAKE HIM UP

Deuce doing his delinquent pose when he got frustrated of thinking to much, hehehe, I love that pose

YESYESYES, DEUCE, GRIM, YUU, GO GET YOUR TSUNDERE-ORANGE-BOY

Ortho don’t worry about them, Yuu and Grimm have gone through 6 overblots together (I’m going to cry so fucking hard if Grim ends up over blotting because of all those fucking black stones he eats), and now they’re with the seventh one

Oh, damn, Cater should be an actor, I really thought he was going to leave Ace behind.

FORGET WHAT I SAID ABOUT YOU, CATER, I LOVE YA SO MUCH

Cater like a proud older brother 😭: “I’m happy Ace got such good friends”

Omg, Cater is so intelligent, by just having contact with ‘darkness’ once he already knows how it works (but he’s really putting the hand in the fire just for his junior, Trey is one of the most understood characters, but he’s also so underrated when it comes to his relationships)

Wait, wait, wait, I just thought about this, it might be something dumb, but it really just appeared in my mind: Cater doesn’t want to get very close to anyone because of his trauma of constantly having to move and, as a consequence, he has to cut off all his relationships done in the place: and now, he’s literally doing anything possible to save his friends (if he now can consider them as friends), I don’t know if he started to open up, but it would be so heartwarming to see 😭🥰

I love when the characters say: “eh?” Yes, buddy, eh, eh, eh 🦆

All the Caters saying: “Aye, Aye, sir!” It’s soooooooooooo peeeeerfect

“It might hurt a little, but be patient, Acey~” -KeiTO DaiAMonDo, 2025

NAURRR GIRL, THE SUDDEN FIRE!? That was too fast, both Riddle and Trey would be way more dissimulated if they were trying to discover if there’s really a fake Cater.

Leona said they weren’t going to help Cater because he didn’t ask for it, but I like to think he’s trusting him (I know that wasn’t the case, let me be delulu)

And Leona calling Cater “Heartslabyul’s number 3”??? THIS IS GOING STRAIGHT TO MY MAFIA AU

Riddle’s change of tone from rude and strict for Cater and sweet and kind for Ace!? 😂, yeah, that’s definitely not happening irl

“You can have a happy life here, blahblahbla” oh, shut up, I know you’re darkness, but shut up

Ok, Leona, I know you trust Cater and everything, but please, let Silver and the rest help him, he’s going to disappear with the darkness

*right in the other part of the island*: Cater saying how ugly everything looks, not giving a fuck about the danger he’s in 😃👍

ACE ADMITTING HIS INSECURITIES, NOOOOOOO, MY BOY, YOU'RE PERFECT THE WAY YOU ARE, YOU ALL WILL DEFEAT MALLEUS WITH THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP (or not)

Like, I don’t know how the hell the darkness manage to say the most contradictory things 🤣, Deuce would never say he’ll learn from Ace, over his dead body

Awww, Leona trying to break Idia’s tablet just because he asked if he was talking about himself (he was right)

HJKSJKHKHJHKJSHKJ, EVERYONE IS BEING SO ✨SLAY✨, SILVER SCOLDING SEBEK, CATER SMACKING ACE WITH THE TRUTH, WHAT'S NEXT!?!? TREY FINALLY GIVING MRS. ROSEHEARTS WHAT SHE DESERVES IN RIDDLE’S DREAM!?!?

“At that time, I couldn’t say anything properly…thank you.” “It’s too lame to only challenge those who you can win against!” “Cater-senpai…this is so unfair…isn’t it!?” “I only have to wake up, right!?” You heard that? That’s the sound of my hearts breaking, and the fact that he’s crying while trying to smile??? ANIPLEX, YANA TONOSO AND TWST, YOU BETTER PAY FOR THE REST OF MY THERAPY SESSIONS 😭😭😭😭😭

The fact that both Ace and Deuce’s last memory to wake up is their reunion in book 6 is so special, so tears-flooding-down-my-cheek reaction from me 🥹

ACE IS BACK MY PEOPLE, HE HAS FINALLY WOKEN UUUUUUP

Cater saying: “Leona, guys! Help us!” In such a princess and cheerful way, he would nail it in EAH’s Damsel in Distress class

Ace first words to his friends was literally about Deuce’s way of talking…that’s so him ✨🥹✨

Deuce and Grim hitting Ace, yes my people, those are my little stupid boys

And Cater’s excuse for using magic against Ace was literally: the ends DOES justify the means

And Ace telling Yuu that next time they wake him up it needs to be more gentle!? I don’t know if that was romantic or not, but Ace is definitely someone worthy to be Malleus’ love rival; he was the only one who directly dreamed with Yuu!

My first reaction when Ace reminded Leona of what he did at the Magift Tournament was: “don’t talk to me or my man like that again”

“I wasn’t crying! And you all came running to me looking pretty happy!”…OF COURSE WE WOULD BE HAPPY, YOU DUMBASS, OHANA MEANS FAMILY AND FAMILY MEANS NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND

And then Cater takes a photo of Yuu, Adeuce and Grim to celebrate they’re back together, yessssss

For the third time, Ace’s lines are like a reflection of what he said in the Heartslabyul Arc: he told Trey it was his fault Riddle became like that, because he constant spoiled him; and now, bam, he tells Silver he and Lilia pamper him too much

As usual, Ortho snitches on everyone because he is a pure angel who doesn’t want to get bitches, so he tells the truth about Sebek 😈, let’s go, Ortho, you’re doing great, who will be your next victim?

Near to the end of his dream, Cater uses the good old one: if you bother us too much, I’ll tell Riddle😈

“Red demon”!? HAHAHAH, LEONA KNOWS ABOUT NICKNAMES, LET LEONA GIVE YOU A NEW NAME TO YALL

Then we’ve Idia: “Actually 🤓, we’ve to visit the red demon, BUT, I plan to wake his best pacifier.” (Man, Idia is just slaying with anything he’s saying)

ADEUCE STUTTERING AND THEN SHOUTING LIKE MAGICAL GIRLS TO CHANGE CLOTHES IS MY TOP 1 FAV MOMENT IN THE WHOLE DREAM

And, of course, Idia’s new line: “This is! The fresh scream filled with torture feels so good!”

(Unpopular opinion: Cater should’ve been filming the WHOLE time)

Another mirror-reflection-scene: Ace wanted to make Malleus apologize, just like in the Heartslabyul Arc with Riddle.

And last but not least, Ortho snitched on Sebek for the SECOND time, that smirk of his, he knows what he’s doing, that boy, that boy is so dangerously intelligent.

And in the end, we didn't get Ace's brother's face reveal 🥹

I'm going to do a satanic ritual

This is the end of my opinions on Ace’s dream, hope you enjoyed it!

[digitaldiary]

february 9th, 2025

i have a pounding headache as i write this, most likely brought on by the adderall i took this morning. usually adderall = productive day for me, but somehow i got carried away and then next thing you know, i'm looking up from my phone and laptop and realizing i've been doing nothing for the past 4 hours. i went to a friend's place for a super bowl party but by then the headache had started and i was already sort of sad. i just decided it'd be best for me to go home.

new york winters bring a mix of emotions for me. i love when the snow falls, but hate the next day when it's slushy and slippery and my shoes and socks get soaked no matter how hard i try to avoid puddles. the cold is depressing and brutal, but a welcome, tangible indicator of change and the passage of time. two years ago i got my heart broken during a new york summer and since then, i find relief and comfort in the other three seasons. by the time summer rolls around again, i am reminded of two years ago, and then a whole different mix of emotions comes.

i moved to new york city five years ago as a wide-eyed, determined, naive, highly-motivated 20-year-old girl with dreams of working in fashion. i was born and raised in a suburb in northern california, largely quite sheltered and without any real-world experience. i still cannot drive. back when i first came here, i was very excited about life and my future, albeit very very very anxious and clueless. i had good intentions in everything i did, and still now, if one thing about me persists, it is that.

today i am 25 years old, working a 9-5 fashion job. unfortunately and disappointingly, i am much less concerned with my career as i used to be as it's taken a backseat to my never-ending struggles with mental health. most big dreams i had have been extinguished by reality and the ups and downs of life. i think also, maybe as i've gotten older, i've found that simple pleasures are enough to keep me content. maybe that is cope, i am not sure, i go back and forth on whether i am lying to myself because i've half-bakedly accomplished some of my dreams and realized that some may never come true. but that's another internal dispute amongst the thousands i must filter through every day of my existence.

when i got my heart broken two years ago, it was like a big bang of sorts for me - the breaking acted as a catalyst for lots of internal change, tough conversations with myself, and self-discovery. somehow i pushed through the excruciating emotional and existential pain and in the time after, i was able to build myself up from scratch. in that painstaking building of self, i became confident and assured of my identity, my core, my values, who i was and who i am. i had spent so much of my life trying to transform myself into what i thought others wanted me to be, so to get to a place where i was myself and no one else and i was happy to be myself... it was very unfamiliar and unprecedented for me but also very exciting.

but that newness has faded as life has continued onwards. there's a quote from the bible that says "as a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly". romance has always been THE dictator of my life, cruelly deciding my mood, my purpose, my worth, etc. in short - i have reattempted to find love over the past two years only to be left disappointed time and time again. each failed relationship has left a chip on my shoulder, and all the cracks in my form have caused me to break once again. my niche micro-celebrity crush recently tweeted "everything falls apart all the time" (and he plays a larger role in my recent "breaking" that maybe i will one day have the courage or lack of care to share). but he was right. everything has fallen apart for me. i'm holding on to three pieces - my family, my friends, and my work. i can't even remember what my original shape was. i'm just gripping these shards as hard as i can and they're slitting my skin but i won't let go. they're all that i have.

i don't mean to sound so doomer, this is more of a stream of consciousness that i'm sharing as a life update of sorts... don't worry about me too much, i'm quite used to this feeling by now!

[almostthursdayy]

Do you have any facts about L in Death Day? Or maybe stuff that's backstory-related?

I just wanna know more about your interpretation of him because you never miss + I love his DD design so very much :']

got really excited about this ask and ended up making a whole family tree + collage of memories from L’s childhood. . . whoops! ( i already know tumblr gonna chew and EAT these images so click for better quality lolol )

sphiel ( + alt arts ) about family tree 🌳 below the read more!

🌳 LAWLIET FAMILY TREE

first off, everyone’s wreath is based off their ethnicity. if someone has more than one ethnicity ( literally like 75% on the diagram ) their wreath is like some kind of mutant almagamation hybrid lovechild tree of the different kinds of trees.

>> also if they are dead, so is their wreath! and they’re also desaturated / greyed out. . . if they’re dead and crying, it means they were murdered.

>> and also each limb and each little leaf bush signifies something.

>> also i made a 4 minute long tiktok video speed explaining this you can click to see here lol

i’ll go L outwards for this, i hope you enjoy!!

🍰 LOVE ‘ L ‘ LAWLIET

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar ), ghanian ( cocoa tree ) , thai ( golden shower tree )

KOFI, biological mother: strong connection besides death. smarts came from her, she’s an intellectual lady who everyone always told him he looked just like her when she was alive.

VINCENT, biological father: also strong connection besides death. got his conviction and radicalism from him ( also he’s completely based on canon L’s looks ). L always thought he looked more like him than his mom.

WATARI, adoptive father: very strong connection, relies on this man for literally everything. very unorthodox father-son relationship, but L would call watari his father.

M, wife: oouughhhh he’s in love with her strange ways and peculiar looks. L’s type is interesting people, unpredictable folks who can pull the rug out from under him. . . M’s just that.

NEAR, biological daughter: his little princess, isn’t she beautiful? if near has a bad day, L’s having a bad day. currently he’s having the biggest ego trip right now because near wants to be just like him. and his selfish immature side kind of loves that he created his number 1 fan.

MELLO, adoptive son: that’s his boy, his interesting little guy that he totally doesn’t study the reaction of in every interaction they have. ( frankly most interactions L has he subconsciously treats as tests on the other ) but this kid interests him, so he’s very welcome to stick around and be his son, his little prince.

ROGER, father-in-law-figure: ‘ everytime we interact, i deduce you are a little less qualified for the job watari has given you. ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ watari & L’s connection line is bountiful on his side to show the benefits of he and watari’s relationship. there is a small branch at the base of the limb to resemble somebody else L had a somewhat similar relationship with once upon a time. but shes not pictured.

➡️➡️ his wreath is covered in flowers, cocoa pods, and leaves to symbolize that he should have a very long life ahead of him.

➡️➡️ the small branch shooting off L & M’s love line is to represent his effort to connect to mello.

💫 KOFI PÍÈSÍE ‘ PAPRIKA ‘ PEPRAH-LAWLIET

ghanian ( cocoa tree ) , thai ( golden shower tree )

VINCENT, husband: she loved this man to bits! oh just the absolute most! it was a storybook romance truly, too good for this earth- - no one got her quite like her do <3

L, biological son: her pretty little boy, she was gonna make sure he was safe and protected in this big scary world no matter what! couldn’t wait to see what her little smartie grew up to be.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ no leaves and her cocoa pods are rotty because she is very very dead. . . all of her branches represent family members she had, her connection to them is severed in some form or way.

🎨 VINCENT ‘ DO ‘ LAWLIET

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar )

KOFI, wife: his first muse, his eternal flame, good christ he loved her to to the point of dedicating everything to her. all his paintings revolved around her in some form of way. often by including the stars she was so fond of.

L, biological son: if vincent was the moon, kofi was the sun, L was all the little tinsy stars. his one in a billion little guy. like kofi, vincent was also steadfast in L being able to protect himself from the big scary world. he was so proud of the little man he was becoming.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ no leaves because he is very very dead. . . and not really any branches due to a complete lack of family besides wife & son.

➡️➡️ one spikey for each person he’s gravely pissed off. . . three spikes lead to kofi for those hateful individuals who also despise her just by marrying him. and two spikes lead to L for two absolutely hateful sons of bitches who loathe L aswell.

🗝️ QUILLISH ‘ WATARI ‘ WAMMY

european ( english oak )

L, adoptive son: ah yes, his little prodigy that really should get out of the house more. . . fortunately, there’s a solution to that. . . just making him go! which L doesn’t seem to whine and complain about like he did once he upon a time, years ago. seems his boy has finally grown into a man that understands, whether he likes it or not, engaging in more civilian experiences is a necessity for he and his family’s health.

➡️➡️ watari doesn’t see the care he still puts into L now as continuing his fatherly care. it’s strictly as his butler / righthand. . . watari does not take payment for this work though as he ‘ has all he could ever want already ‘.

ROGER, life-long friend / father-in-law-figure: watari believes wholeheartedly roger can run the orphanage they built from the ground together. it’s too much faith and belief, really. so much that it blinds him to seeing how much roger is NOT qualified for this.

M, daughter-in-law: changed so much since the day she walked into wammy’s. . . he’s watched her grow from a much farther distance than L. he’s happy with the progress she’s made in her health from the sickly little girl who needed the orphanages help. happy to be her butler and listening ear when need be.

NEAR & MELLO, adoptive grandchildren: oh these children are much easier to please than L was at his age. . . but maybe that’s just the years of experience of handling L speaking. want a toy? got it. new puzzle? right on the way. need to be driven to soccer practice? hop in the car.

➡️➡️ since near isn’t the ultimate sweet tooth like L, and mello only really likes chocolate worth sweets, watari very much so enjoys making them treats that leave the comfort zone of L’s sugar craving.

KOFI & VINCENT, adoptive son’s biological parents: he bets they were wonderful people.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ no leaves on his wreath to signify he is old as a fart. but his longest branches have leaves to indicate that those connections are strong and he does enjoy them!

➡️➡️ each branch signifies a person not shown in watari’s life. specifically the one connected to his wreath is for family no longer here. the ones all along his line ‘ connected ‘ to roger is representative of other colleagues and friends. and the branches on his connection line to L resemble other children watari had a bond with as a caregiver. though none of them were strong, or made it as far, as his relationship with his son, L.

🥀 MASATOSHI ‘ M ‘ MIYAKE

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar )

AKUMI, biological mother: M only knows her through journal entries akumi started to write at the beginning of her pregnancy, like a baby scrapbook! M treats that thing like her bible. . . akumi was very excited to be a mother. . . such a shame she died right at the start of what should’ve been their jounrey together, huh?

KINSHU, biological father: M also never got to meet him. he died before she was born trying to protect akumi & her. his death is what caused the stress that killed akumi. so it’s all just truly unfortunate.

ROGER, father-figure: spent the most time with her during her years at wammy’s out of any other caregiver. since she was ‘ the easiest kids to deal with ‘ ( something she wore with honor back then, now doesn’t like to be reminded about ). M had once hoped one day roger would adopt her like watari did with L, now she’s glad he didn’t. as he continues to fumble his interactions with her ‘ not so easy to handle ‘ children. . .

L, husband: the weird little freak that lives in the walls of her manor. he intrigues her with his obtuse behavior and strange existence. . . but no seriously she’s head over heels for this scratchy beast. loves how much he spoils her rotten

NEAR, biological daughter: her precious girl, named near because she’s so near and dear to her heart, her little smartie pants whose just so goddamn smart. works herself happily to the bone to ensure near’s receiving the best care all around.

MELLO, adoptive son: her precious boy, her marshmallow, her little angel who always has a reasoning for his every obtuse action in her eyes. same with mello, M’s working round the clock to give him the best life a kid like him can have.

GEVANNI, little-brother-figure: sees him once a year at christmas but it’s like no time has passed every single year. first kid she connected with after becoming a caregiver at wammy’s at 18. but really was more like his stern older sister than somebody responsible for his wellbeing ( he was already a late teen when they met. . . wammy’s really wasn’t given the time to undo all the shit he went through beforehand )

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ the way i depicted the japanese cedar doesn’t really have branches or ‘ leaves ‘ like the others- - but each little flowery looking thing represents somebody from her past or another relationship she has that isn’t depicted. . .

➡️➡️ her and roger’s connection isn’t nearly as strong as L’s and watari’s, and the three flowers on her end / three leaves on his represents a ‘ three chances ‘ mentality with his behavior.

➡️➡️ her and gevanni’s connection line is weak and nontouching due to the sheer distance between them. as gevanni kicked bricks and moved to the U.S.A. basically the second after he turned 18. still, it’s there, they still care about eachother.

⌛️ AKUMI HATO

japanese ( japanese cedar )

KINSHU, lover: she had a thing for ghostly men who say cryptic shit. and that’s exactly the type of man kinshu was. her love for him ran hot. really, the world wasn’t ready for this kind of lover. and really, her entire world shattered into a million little pieces when he died. . .

M, biological daughter: oh her precious girl, she knows M was going to go on to do great things. and do very very well for herself. after all, she is her daughter, it’s practically fated she’ll take the world by storm.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ every dead flower was a family member akumi had that didn’t take M in after she died. fortunately, as akumi doesn’t like her other family anyhow!

🕊️ KINSHU MIYAKE

japanese ( japanese cedar )

AKUMI, lover: he would do anything for her, he’s kiss the dirty ground she walks on. he’d rob every bank, he’d capture two of every animal, a true yearner.

M, biological daughter: the little ruler of his life in the making. he couldn’t wait to meet her, no doubt he was never more excited for something in his life. . . shame he never got to meet her, but he wouldn’t take back what he sacrificed to keep her safe.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ like akumi, each dead flower is a relative that didn’t take M in. which he would also be glad about, as he hated his family also. . . too loud- - too stupid- - too barbaric.

🫚 ROGER RUVIE

european ( english oak )

WATARI, life-long friend / father-in-law-figure: what would life be without his best bud in it? literally have been friends since roger can remember. and has basically just followed watari’s close footsteps wherever he went. ‘ you want to open an orphanage in the rubble of ww2? okay! ‘ , ‘ you want me to work there and generally help / care for the children? okay! ‘ , ‘ you want to change the mission of the orphanage to give care to the most misfortunate kids in the world? okay! ‘ , ‘ you want to retire and leave this place full of deeply troubled children in my care because you trust me and believe i enjoy this line of work? okay! ‘. roger knows damn well he doesn’t like kids. . . but watari doesn’t gotta know that.

M, daughter-figure: she was so easy to handle when she was younger. why is she so difficult now??? why are her children. . . the way that they are. . .? roger can’t believe the girl he once knew happily spends her days wrangling these two little goblins. . . and why are they not biting her but keep trying to bite me??

L, son-in-law-figure: ‘ oh L, watari’s pride and joy. you’re probably why your children are so weird. ‘

NEAR & MELLO, grandchildren-figure: ‘ why won’t you hug me but will hug watari? ‘

GEVANNI, family-friend-figure: ‘ hey you! i remember you! you were a real piece of work back then! haha! ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ roger still has a lot of leaves on his wreath to signify he has a lot more life to live.

➡️➡️ same rules as watari’s, the little branches of his connecting line resemble children roger has had a similar relationship than what he has with M. but none of them have gone on as well / long as with M. >> the branches off his connection line to watari represents friends in similar vein. and both connectinng lines have leaves to symbolize the strength in them.

🌥️ ‘ NEAR ‘ RIVER MIYAKE-LAWLIET

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar ), ghanian ( cocoa tree ) , thai ( golden shower tree )

M, biological mother: oh, so this is where she got her brashness and attitude. near is glad this trait passed down, a lot less people try to tread on her when she’s got generational venom.

➡️➡️ near, whether she aware of it or not, puts a solid effort into what M says and asks of her. when often the words of others are sent into the shredder of near’s mind. this is because she loves this woman, that’s her momma, one of her only friends.

L, biological father: oh this is her idol right now! her own father has checked off every box on deserving near’s respect and admiration with flying colors! she wants to be just like him! she wants to do what he does and how he does it! she wants to be the next L!

MELLO, adoptive brother: she thinks he’s interesting, and looks up to him in her own unique way. he doesn’t know that though, and she ain’t gonna tell him.

➡️➡️ near enjoys shadowing mello’s activities, not very much so participating, but spectating. the cause and effect of what he does fascinates her.

WATARI, adoptive grandfather: ‘ yay the toy guy, thank you for the toy. yeah your gifts put me at ease enough that we can hug for a solid three seconds. ‘

ROGER, grandfather-figure: ‘ don’t touch me, don’t talk to me, you say nothing of value. don’t whine about it either, it’s your fault you are the way you are. ‘

GEVANNI, family-friend-figure: she thinks he’s very much so cool as fuck. he’s literally the alternative older cousin with the kickass car and laid back attitude. who, just like her, has interests outside of what would be deemed normal for who he is. . . basically, he’s everything she wishes she could be. but won’t be, because her brain just isn’t built to compute like his.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ not much to go off of because she’s just a teensy thing. . . but under the flags is the very first flower, pointed at gevanni. meant to symbolize the importance of their relationship to her that will last years to come.

🍫 MIHAEL ‘ MELLO ‘ LAWLIET

croatian ( slovanian oak ) , european ( english oak )

M, adoptive mother: his confidant, his protector. didn’t give up on him when everyone else did. he’s too little and damaged to really express that he’s grateful for her, but one day he will. for now, his continuous reliance on her will just have to be proof enough that he trusts her.

L, adoptive father: oh this guy is cool. . . THIS GUY IS FAMOUS!! mello wants to be the next L right now, but as a better and brighter successor, he wants to be the BEST! and he’ll do whatever it takes to win L’s affection and ensure this future is his!

NEAR, adoptive sister: ‘ augh! don’t you see i’m trying to become my own person? damnit! stop following me around!!! “ “ . . . oh no wait, don’t go, watch this totally epic prank i’m about to pull you’ve love it! “

LILLIE, biological aunt: heaven has to be real because his aunt really deserves it. he misses her the absolute most. . .

WATARI, adoptive grandfather: ‘ yay the guy that gives me chocolate even after i’ve been cut off for the day. sure i’ll let you hug me because of these positive experiences we’ve had. don’t expect a hug back though, i’m not a pansy. ‘

ROGER, grandfather-figure: ‘ M & L said i can bite you if you try to force me into a hug again. but i’m just gonna do it right now anyways because i don’t like the look on your face. ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ his wreath is growing little acorns to signify his growth since entering the family. that’s why there are so many around the knot that connects him to near, M & L.

➡️➡️ the connecting line to him and his aunt is force cut, but still there, and still strong. he already has two branches trying to grow towards her.

➡️➡️ the little branches jabbing into near’s wreath symbolizes how they don’t always get along that well. and they’re growing from mello’s side despite their spats being a two person effort because near’s very good at manipulating situations into looking like she’s just an unfortunate passerby. especially with mello who is still dealing with lots and lots of big emotions. . .

➡️➡️ two of the little acorns growing represents matt but i ain’t gonna tell you which:3c

📿 LILLIE KEEHL

croatian ( slovanian oak )

MELLO, biological nephew: oh her little buddy, it should’ve just been him and her from the very start. lillie’s every rotty little fiber is tensed not knowing if he’s safe from her horrid sister and wretched brother-in-law. . .

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ what you should expect at this point. no leaves because she’s dead, branches symbolize family not shown. her branches reach in mello’s direction always.

💰STEPHEN ‘ GEVANNI ‘ LOUD

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar )

M, big-sister-figure: gevanni once rejected M’s proposal of joining the family. as he didn’t want family holding him back. still, despite his efforts to stay hidden in the darkest little crevices of the world, M manages to get him an invitation for christmas dinner every year. and he RSVP’s every single time.

L, brother-in-law-figure: ‘ god you’re strange. . . i can see why M likes you. ‘

NEAR & MELLO, niece-&-nephew-figure: ‘ hey kids, wanna hear about the time i broke into this super big important museum and stole a statue bust worth millions??? oh, just near? fine by me-! ‘

ROGER, grandfather-figure: ‘ every family’s gotta have a guy like you around, roger, it just ain’t the full experience without the weird grandpa. ‘

WATARI, grandfather-figure: ‘ you may be responsible for leaving roger in charge of wammy’s, and that might have been a crazy decision, but god do you make a good strawberry shortcake. ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ each little leafy tendril is a connection gevanni has. BUT NOT FAMILY! he doesn’t have any of that. . . he’s a lone wolf. . . an alpha male, if you will.

➡️➡️ still, the connection to M is there, and he is developing a strong connection with near, slowly.

🌳 yay, thank god, i’m done. this is so long, but i love it. and just like most asks i take every single chsnce to yap too much. . . but now you know about L’s entire family dynamics!! so yayy!!!!!

THESE are just little memories. . . L coming to wammy’s house, he and M’s first kiss, & that time he caught M crying and tried to comfort her despite being right shit at it. it’s the thought that counts, y’know <3

[pshbites]

﹒⌗﹒❕﹒౨ৎ˚₊‧ 1k followers

hai pshbites nation!! i can’t believe i hit 1k followers.. i really didn’t think i would stay on blr this long but im so glad i have :) ! first thank you to my followers and readers, without your constant support and feedback i don’t think i would’ve been that motivated to post my works. im so glad that you guys like my works and interact with me <3 through every reblog, like, and comment my motivation to post only grows and im so glad to have that support. literally would not be here without u pshbites nation 🥹🥹, so thank u for all the love and support!!!

it’s about to get a lil bit sappy so…

to nunubear : i think we sorta grew closer after #that friend group but im glad we did bc we discovered we both write LOL… and started bonding through that. i feel like we’ve been through a lot together and icb #NunuNana is entering 3 years 🥹🥹🥹.. wow like this is oomflationship realness. but thank u for listening to me rant about blr or even just being there to talk to me 🫶 love u bad habibti @haedgaf @lqfiles

to classic man : you two are my best friends in the whole wide world. i think we’ve grown so close to the point where our families even know each other and that to me is real bonding.. trust.. REAL FRIENDSHIP 😭💔. i love u guys down but u know that because every ft call we end with love you and goodnight. i also wanna thank u guys for supporting me because if both of u hadn’t said i should continue with this i think i would’ve deactivated a long time ago. you already know i trust your judgment more than anyone else’s so i wanna say thank u for everything @wavetokgv @ronniee-26 also i can’t wait to celebrate tonight BYOF (bring ur own fic) it’s celebration time 😭😭 and pls don’t go on their accs they’re bots….

to neoz : sav, liz both of you have become people in my life i talk to everyday and thats a new feat for me. liz, i dont know anything other than saying thank you 😕. you listen to me rant about everything under the sun and im so glad to have found someone who understands me so deeply, i hold so much love for u like an older sister would and im glad we have that connection. @cupidhoons sav, i know we’ve only started getting closer these past couple weeks but i feel so happy when i get to talk to u, you make my day with whatever you say and i also hold love for u just as an older sister would 🩷. i love when you tell me about your day to day life and i just love talking to you in general so thank you 🫂 @ourhees i wanna thank both of you for always supporting me and beta reading some of my fics, i love both of u so so much and i can’t wait for us to spend so much more time together!

to my close moots : if i were to personalize this i think i would be saying the same thing over and over so, thank you all for supporting me and talking to me. in my conversations i have with each of you i genuinely enjoy talking to you all and im glad that ive had the chance to meet you guys 🥹, truly thank u and i love u guys @leeechin @kiss4noo @suneng @coqhee @geutori @kairoot

and once again thank you pshbites nation we #Love you and without your support i think i would’ve given up so thank for reading my mediocre writing and tuning into my works WE LOVE U PSHBITES NATION!!!!!! 💔😭😭😭😭😭

[dotthings]

Things spn actuall did: Metatron ranting like a Cas anti, "I don't get this Cas love fest," yet he's also so jealous and he tries on a trenchcoat and wishes he had Cas's charisma and charm and badassery and whatever it is Cas has. Metatron plotting out the whole thing so Cas wound up reluctant leader with an army, then framing Cas, all so Metatron can look like the better option as leader.

All the while playing Cas's weakness for humanity (i.e. Dean) against him.

Cas's fake Heaven that Metatron left for him is designed to look like a prom, or a Valentine's Day dance. (Remember it was supposed to be pictures of Dean and that got nixed?)

Metatron knows, and uses Cas's love for Dean against him.

"And then, after a rousing speech, his true weakness is revealed. He's in love...with humanity."

The dying angel tells Cas "you play at being one of us but I look in your eyes and I don't see an angel staring back at me" -- because Cas isn't a pure angel. "It's us or them, Castiel," Naomi said. Again and again, us or them, and while Cas cares about the angels and tries to save them, his heart has already decided that where he wants to be is with Dean, and his human family, and the angels notice, and some of them are really bitter about it. Or in Metatron's case, weaponizes it.