#also until now i hadn't noticed how their colors match

[originalartblog]

pamper tiny chuuya tooo pleaseeeee (also can i see tiny verlaine and rimbaud) 🙏

I tinified them :)

[navybrat817]

😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

credit here

Look at him!

Handsome and Beautiful

Pairing: Husband!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Bucky wants to look good for you. He also wants dessert.

Word Count: Over 700

Warnings: Established relationship, slight insecurities, implied sexy times, Bucky Barnes and he's a simp for you (he's a warning, okay?).

A/N: In the same universe as Mr. and Mrs. Barnes. ❤️ Not beta read and written on my phone, so any and all mistakes are my own. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

Bucky scowled at this reflection in the mirror as he studied himself. He couldn't seem to get his hair quite right no matter how much he tousled it. He also wasn't sure when he got wrinkles around the corners of his eyes, but age and general stress would do that. Since when did he care so much about his appearance? He hadn't since the 40's.

Until you came along.

“Hey there, handsome,” you smiled from the bathroom doorway. “Looking good.”

A touch of heat went through his cheeks from your compliment. “Why aren't you dressed yet, beautiful?”

“I need your help putting on my dress,” you said all too innocently as you strolled into the room in just your bra and underwear, the color matching the shade of his suit jacket.

Bucky cursed under his breath when he took in the sight of you. “That's what you need my help with?” He questioned. He knew exactly what you needed help with. You'd tell him you have a few minutes before you had to leave and urge him to take off his suit jacket, roll up his sleeves, move your underwear aside, and take what he wanted from you. He wouldn't just take from you. He'd give and give. "My naughty wife.”

“I'll always need your help, my equally naughty husband,” you smiled, kissing him on the cheek and moving a few strands of his hair. Now he looked perfect. All he needed was your touch. “And don't think I didn't notice you deflecting my compliment.”

“I didn't deflect,” he argued. He sure as hell did. Maybe he could consider himself handsome by some standards, but you were a goddess. Some higher being smiled upon you the day you were born and knew you'd be a gift to the world. His world.

“You did and I demand a photo as payment,” you said, crossing your arms when he scoffed. He wasn't one for taking selfies or whatever the hell people called them. “Please, Mr. Barnes? For me?” You added in a softer tone, looking into his blue eyes in the mirror.

He couldn't resist you if he tried.

“Fine, Mrs. Barnes. For you,” he said, sighing as he took out his phone. Putting a hand on his hip, he held up the phone to take the picture you so demanded. “And you were right. This looks better without the tie.”

“I know best,” you teased, cringing slightly when he snapped the picture. “Oh, Bucky…”

"What's wrong?" He asked immediately when he showed you the image. Did you not find him attractive? “You said this was a good color on me.”

“It is. You really do look handsome,” you assured him, making him breathe easier. “But, my god, when are you going to get a case for your phone?”

He laughed, his eyes crinkling. Oh, maybe that was why he had wrinkles around his eyes now. Because of how much you made him laugh and smile. “When I find one I like,” he replied, knowing how much it drove you crazy that he didn’t have a protective case on his phone.

“We have already had to replace your phone twice,” you reminded him as he snaked an arm around you and pulled you against him. “No, don’t you dare distract me. If we have to get you another phone, I-”

“But you said you needed help getting your dress on,” he pointed out, pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of your mouth. Your fingers gripped the lapel of his jacket as his lips lingered, making him smile. “Don’t you want my help?”

“I do,” you whispered, whimpering when he kissed the other corner and gripped your hip. It was sounds like the ones you made that made him appreciate his super soldier senses. “But-”

“Or maybe we can focus on me fucking you in front of the mirror instead,” he smirked, wondering how wet your panties were now. “C'mon. We have a few minutes before dinner. Let's have dessert first,” he said, finally bringing his lips to yours and snapping a photo when you melted into the kiss.

Maybe he wasn’t a fan of selfies overall, but he’d take as many as you asked him to and would continue to create many happy memories with you.

We still need a breeding fic with these two. Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[anexistingexistence]

Hewwo people here's the unfinished base draft for a William/reader one shot I want to write properly at one point, please tell me what you think of it I need to be validated

(Also yes this is the one I was talking about in a recent (?) post. Yk, the one where William reunites with a lover he hasn't seen in 200 years? Yea that one.)

They stand right before him now, so impossibly close that William can finally take in all the details he had been slowly forgetting for the past two-hundred years. Every blemish, every eyelash, every pigment of color in their eyes - everything. And he loves it all.

"Darling." He can feel their breath on his skin as he speaks. "I have missed you so, you have no idea." And he almost reaches out to touch, but he holds back because what if his feelings, old and worn as they may be, are no longer reciprocated? What if, what the two had once had, had stayed in that coffin his beloved had been sleeping in for so long?

"I know," they say and he wants to reach for them and kiss them and taste them and take them and have them and- "And I'm sorry I have kept you waiting for so long." They apologize.

William does not reach for them.

They take a deep breath in contemplation, planning out their next words carefully. "I wish I could say I have found the answer I shut myself in to find, but I loathe to tell you that I haven't." They meet his gaze and with a look some might call pitiful, they smile at him. "I haven't the faintest idea of who I am, William, and I apologize from the depths of my heart for having wasted your time with waiting for me all those years."

Their lips quiver and a different light reflects from their eyes. It is beautiful and heart-wrenching, almost enraging and almost like a lullaby, but William puts those feelings aside.

"No, darling-" He wants to embrace them and hold them close but he tells himself that it is not yet appropriate- "How could that ever be a waste? I have lived and survived only for you, how could I detest any of what you do? Whether you know who you are or not, you still are yourself, and that is all I could ever ask for."

They blink away the light's reflection slowly. "You are far too kind for one like me, William," they muse with a smile and he wants to think that they're wrong. But William knows the places vampires go as they add more and more decades and even centuries to their age. He knows that his elder, his mentor - because at the end of it all, that is who they are - is not as kind as he knows them to be. And yet he loves them all the same.

"I think we might be more evenly matched now," he tries to reassure them, "You have been away for a long time, after all."

There is a moment of pain on their face before they respond in a melancholy tone, "Oh, how I wish that were true."

"I like to think it is," William admits, "I haven't been the same since I've lost you."

He hears the blood rush to their face at his implication and he can't help but find it endearing. They are not matched in kindness, but William thinks they might like where they are matched instead.

They grin and say, "I would like to have figured as much, but it seems my memory failed to remind me of how full of surprises you are."

They're closer now, somehow. William doesn't question how he hadn't noticed until now, at the end of the day he is still used to their ways. The thought sticks in his head a moment too long and he wonders just how used to them he still is. He wants to reach and find out. He wants to touch them and connect their lips and find out if he still knows all the ways they perfectly fit together.

He could reach for them now, couldn't he?

"William?" They ask and he hums in response, "Tell me who I am."

Their noses touch and their eyelids are heavy and half-closed already. William wants to reach out. He wants to touch and to have and to hold. William wants.

He answers, "Mine," and finally embraces his long-lost lover. They are warm and their hands are at his neck and in his hair, just like he knew they would be. They fit perfectly because they are his and he is theirs.

Forever.

=====

Also I'm tagging some people who got excited over that idea because I need to punch my anxiety in the face real quick so yea apologies for bothering y'all lmao @nevaroonie @paythesmith @s0lairee

[room-surprise]

Dungeon Meshi Anime Review, Season 2, Episode 17 review

OH GOD OKAY here we go...

Once again, I am a broken record: good episode!

My two major complaints: The bit where Laios and Kabru stand around talking next to an off-screen, roaring, screaming monster seemed kind of silly in animation. In a comic it works, but they really should have animated them walking or stumbling away while delivering those lines, having them just stand there until the monster attacks them again is really goofy.

ALSO, something Trigger keeps doing that I am NOT a fan of, is throwing animated speed-line backgrounds behind characters when they're reacting to something. Sometimes these were in the original manga, other times they are NOT... and they break the immersion of the anime completely IMO.

The coloring in DM is so moody and wonderful, the aesthetic is generally grounded, so when suddenly the background is bright blue or lime green or pink and strobing, it's VERY jarring... and the joke DOES NOT NEED these effects in order to be funny! In fact I think it leeches some of the humor out of the jokes. Imagine if every time someone had a strong emotion in a classic Disney movie you'd get this:

This type of sudden background color change, strobing and speed lines are artifacts of older, cheaper anime, tricks that used to be done to hide the lack of budget, as a way to make a quick joke. It's now used as a shorthand to tell people a joke is happening.

But Trigger doesn't NEED to use these tricks, they're using them because "that's how you make sure the audience knows a joke is happening", but the jokes in Dungeon Meshi are so well written, you don't need to cue us with a visual laugh-track, Trigger!!!! ESPECIALLY when Kui didn't do it in the manga!!!

They've done it in other episodes, but I felt like they were particularly noticeable and bad in this one. Makes me sad because I feel it's dragging the anime down from the genuine peak of artistry that it's otherwise achieving.

As always, animation is fantastic. The stuff with chimera falin is obviously top notch, brutal and fast and amazing... But I also have to say that the Toshiro and Laios argument was animated INCREDIBLY well, with a lot of loving detail given to what is, ostensibly, just talking, something Trigger normally hates to animate.... But they put movie-quality work into that argument and it really paid off.

Honestly can't think of much to complain about. It's a solid adaptation of this part of the story, one of the biggest, coolest action sequences that we've all been waiting for.

Vocal performances were all great in both English and Japanese. Kabru's English voice actor did a great job, despite my misgivings about him in previous episodes. I hope he continues to improve.

A dub script change had Kabru think "He's excited" about Laios instead of "his pupils are dilated"... This isn't a terrible change, but a bit baffling. Saying his pupils are dilated tells viewers HOW Kabru knows Laios is excited, and indicates that he is using some kind of scientific criteria to measure it, it makes him sound smarter and more detached from what he's doing. Just saying "he's excited" doesn't tell us how Kabru knows... and it's a thought, not dialog, so it's weird for them to change it in the script, since there's no need to match mouth-flaps.

The sequence where Kabru strips off all his armor and does a surprise attack on Falin is still fantastic in this, though I am a little bit sad that they didn't find any ways to add any extra emphasis for it - in the manga it's drawn out a bit, to the point where you might miss what was happening on your first read... I think the amount of shots we got in the anime was the same as in the manga, but somehow it felt less impactful to me. Maybe pacing?

At any rate, it was an incredibly solid episode.

I already liked Toshiro, but seeing this part of the manga animated really made me like him more, I hadn't realized in the past just how damn romantic the twin bells thing was, but damn. Toshiro really has forgiven Laios by the time they part ways here, it's easy to forget that since Toshiro very much takes a back seat after this.

[starkstruck27]

It's been forever since I posted on here, so since I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, have some ftm Billy Hargrove. Also, ignore the timeline here, it isn't exactly accurate, but I don't really care lol. TWs: Very minor nod to domestic/child abuse, a touch of body dysmorphia, and depression

Billy usually wasn't this talkative after hooking up with someone, but this wasn't an ordinary hook-up. It was the 27th time he'd hooked up with Steve Harrington since he'd moved into town almost 6 months ago (not that he was keeping track or anything), but that wasn't what made it different.

It was different because this was the first time he'd ever let Steve see him naked. It was the first time he let him fully take in the body he'd been touching and praising and thrilling for months, and Steve hadn't immediately been repulsed and thrown him out. Billy had been terrified of that, if he showed Steve the scars on his chest and the distinct lack of anything between his legs and he reacted badly, he could end up dead or nearly dead, broken and bloody and devastated.

But none of those things happened, and he knew he shouldn't have worried, anyway. Steve had known for the last 2 months about the way Billy was. He'd finally told him after he pitched a fit when Billy wouldn't let him jerk him off in exchange for a blowjob behind the school. Steve had been raving and ranting so loud, Billy was afraid people would hear, so he shoved him against the wall, put a hand over his mouth and just told him he couldn't. Steve had been confused at first, but when Billy explained it, he could actually see the lightbulb clicking on in Steve's head. He'd reached up and taken Billy's hand from his mouth then, and told him that he understood, but that it didn't change anything. He still thought Billy was hot, he still liked spending time with him, and he still wanted to hook up as long as Billy was on board with it. That'd been another time when things changed during their hook-ups, because that'd been the first time Billy kissed him.

But this time felt even more different than that, because Steve had seen him, truly seen him, for the first time ever, and he didn't care. It didn't change anything, and yet everything had changed. Billy felt completely normal, and completely safe, for the first time in his whole life, and that was everything to him.

He figured that was why now, after they'd cleaned themselves up and gotten settled in Steve's bed, he was so willing to talk about everything.

It was the most he'd talked to anyone since he'd first moved to Hawkins, and as he laid there, resting his head on Steve's chest, he didn't know whether the floaty feeling in his chest was the weight of his burdens being lifted or air sickness from flying on the high of being completely honest with somebody else.

"So, you said you were six when you first noticed something about you was different?" Steve asked, tracing his fingers up and down Billy's side and giving him chills.

"I think so. That was at least when I figured out how to voice it. I think I always kinda knew, I just didn't know how to articulate it, so I never tried. Besides, I was afraid of what my dad would do if he ever found out. It was hell trying to live with that for as long as I did. I didn't hate playing with dolls and stuff, but if ever I was playing house or something with my friends, I always volunteered to be the daddy while everyone else always wanted to be the mommy. And if we were playing princesses or something, I was always the knight or the dragon because I hated being the princess. I always chose the plainest solid-color clothes the girl's section had to offer because I couldn't get the ones I really wanted from the boy's section, so I had to make do. I felt like I had a pit in my stomach and every time I was reminded that the way I looked outside didn't match who I was inside, it would grow a little bit until it felt like that was all that was left of me. I felt like a captive animal, stuck in a cage against my will for people to come and look at for their own amusement. But I couldn't tell any of this to my mom, otherwise my dad would somehow know, so I just kinda kept it to myself. When he eventually did find out, I was really surprised because he didn't even seem to care. I don't know if it was just because he didn't care about me in general or if he saw it as another thing to use against me. I assume his logic was that if he let me change myself, he could get around that whole "a man shouldn't hit a woman" thing, although that never stopped him before, so I don't know," Billy said, keeping his eyes fixed on the wall in front of him. It felt good being able to be so open and honest with somebody else, but there were still things that were hard to talk about for too long. But Steve seemed to understand that, and he never pushed, he just leaned down and kissed Billy's head softly.

"And you were how old when you told them?" Steve asked, pulling the blankets up a bit as he felt Billy shiver again.

"Twelve. It was right after my mom left, and my dad said we were going to move, so since I was going to have to start a new school, I asked if I could register under a different name, and I told him then. I think I had a heart attack when he said yes. Then I spent the weeks leading up to the move the happiest I'd ever been. I gave myself a haircut, which wasn't half bad for my first attempt ever at cutting my own hair, and then I thought about what name I wanted to go with when my dad signed me up for school. That was the hardest part, I think, because I had no idea what to call myself. None of the names I tried out really fit me, and I agonized over it for weeks, but nothing felt right," Billy said, snuggling closer to Steve under the blanket. "Eventually I had to pick something, so I just went with Fred."

"Why Fred?" Steve chuckled lightly, making Billy blush and smile a little sheepishly.

"Because he was my favorite character on Scooby-Doo," he replied, his heart soaring at the sound of Steve's laugh resonating in his chest. He couldn't help but laugh a little himself, his blush burning bright in his cheeks as he did.

"So then how did Billy come about?" Steve asked as he settled down a bit, his hand moving up to play with some of Billy's curls.

"Well, I cycled through a few names throughout the years, trying to find something that felt right. Fred didn't cut it, and neither did any of the other names I'd tried throughout middle and high school. I was going by Jamie right before we moved here, but I was trying to come up with something new before that, and I couldn't think of anything. But then a buddy and I went to see the movie St. Elmo's Fire when it came out, and I got it from that," Billy explained, starting to trace patterns on Steve's chest. "Rob Lowe was in the movie, and I remember when we were trying to figure out what movie to see, my friend stopped next to the poster outside the theater and said, "Oh my God, he looks just like Jamie". So we decided why not give that movie a try, and it was really good, but my friend could not get over how much I looked like Rob Lowe. It was honestly kind of surreal for me, too, because it was like looking in a mirror whenever he was on screen. But it wasn't just that we looked alike, it was also the fact that his character was everything I'd ever wanted to be. He was a smart ass and he was confident and a complete mess and he had style and he cared about his friends more than anything, and he was just so complex. And I remember watching the movie and just wanting to be him, not just look like him. I wanted to be as horrible and as funny and as messy and as complex and as layered and authentic and devil-may-care as he was, more than anything else in the world. So when we moved, I decided to try and become him, starting with the name. I wasn't ever gonna be Billy Hicks, but I figured being Billy Hargrove might be just as good. And the first time I said it to myself in the mirror, it finally felt right. It was the first time any name made me feel like a normal person, like a normal guy. I knew then that Billy was the only name I'd ever go by from then on."

"It was a good choice," Steve said, "It's perfect for you."

"Thanks," Billy said, smiling shyly to himself.

Neither of them said anything for a while after that. Billy had talked himself out, and Steve was perfectly fine with just lying there with him. He cared a lot about Billy, and it made him feel the strongest sense of pride he'd ever felt that Billy trusted him enough to tell him about himself, to let him see behind the walls he constructed, when so very few others got that privilege. He knew a little more about what made Billy tick, and he loved knowing. Or maybe he just loved him.

Billy was beginning to drift off by now, the quiet stillness of the room allowing Steve's steady heartbeat to lull him into drowsiness, but then it began to get faster, and Billy could feel Steve breathing deeply, like he was about to ask something else.

"You don't have to tell me this if you don't want to, but..." he started, his voice barely a whisper. "What was your name before you figured out who you were?"

"Like, the name my parents gave me?" Billy asked, leaning up on his arm as he woke up a bit, "Why?"

Steve shrugged, "Just curious. You don't have to tell me, though. Now that I'm thinking about it, it was kind of an invasive question. Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"Hey, don't worry, it's okay," Billy said, using his other hand to turn Steve's face so he was looking at him. "I was just making sure it wasn't for any other reason that you wanted to know. But I trust you, and I like being able tell you things. It's nice being able to talk about my past without being afraid of what might happen," he paused, leaning down to kiss Steve before coming back up and looking into his eyes. "I'll tell you, but you gotta make me a promise that it'll never leave this room, okay?"

"I promise," Steve said, holding out his pinky and making Billy smile as he linked it with his own.

"Okay," he said, taking a deep breath, "It was Kimberly. My mom said she always liked that name, but she always shortened it and called me Kimmy, which I hated. But my middle name was Janice, which is even worse, so I had to live with Kimmy until I was twelve and my dad let me change it."

"Thank God he did. No offense to your mom, but she cannot pick a name to save her life," Steve said, making Billy snort. "Billy suits you much better."

"Thanks, Pretty Boy. That really means a lot to me," Billy said, giving a shy smile before it morphed into a nervous bite of his lip. "Just you in general mean a lot to me. I care about you a lot, and I don't always know how to show it. And I know that I need to work on that, so I'm trying to, but the way I feel about you, it's like I'm a kid again and I don't know how to put it into words. But you're everything, really. You're funny and smart and hot as Hell and the best thing that's ever happened to me in my whole life and I... I just don't even know how to explain it... but I'm trying and..."

"Hey," Steve said softly, leaning up on his arm and looking Billy straight in the eye, "I get it. And I love you, too."

"Y-you do?" Billy asked, and the smile that he gave was so bright and beautiful, Steve almost felt bad for kissing it away.

"Yeah, I do," he mumbled as they parted, "Every trait, every emotion, every complexity. I love every part of you."

Billy usually wasn't as talkative as he had been tonight, but now, it seemed like the well of his words had run dry as he tried to come up with a response to what Steve had just said. Even if he had the words, he wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to string them together coherently enough to convey even half of what he wanted Steve to understand. So he didn't use words.

He sat up reached down to untwist the covers, he fluffed the pillows a little, and then he reached for Steve, gently turning him onto his side before settling down behind him. He pulled Steve to his chest and tangled their legs under the blanket, one of his arms pinned beneath Steve and holding him with a hand over his heart and the other playing with his hair and scratching at his scalp in just the way Billy knew he liked it. He wanted to tell Steve that he loved him with his whole heart, that he trusted him and that he'd never known he was even capable of feeling this strongly about anyone or anything until he'd met him, but the words wouldn't come.

As Steve took the hand that Billy had rested on his chest and intertwined their fingers, though, he knew he got the message.

[ticklygiggles]

Can I ask Zen (Mystic messenger) x reader, romantic 🧚‍♂️✨ I just love him so much and I miss him 😞

Thank you so much, no pressure! Love your blog <33

[You & I event - entries closed!]

A/N: Thank you very muuuch! I'm happy you enjoy my blog hehe. And omg I miss the mystic boys so much too! I've been wanting to play again, but mystic is so draining omg. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this!

Words: 1k+

You weren't the jealous type. You knew perfectly well that Zen had many fans who loved him unconditionally, whether it was because of his talent or his beauty or both. You loved Zen too, not just for what everyone saw, but also for everything he really was. His fears and insecurities, his joys, dreams and goals, you had the joy of enjoying that and more. It was simply unnecessary to feel jealous when you had a Zen that no one knew. 

But you were also human and, famous or not, Zen was your beloved boyfriend, so maybe it was normal to feel a little jealous from time to time, right? Especially when certain ladies had no shame. 

It was a little cold that day, but you and Zen decided to have a small picnic on his day off. Zen was excited, it had been a long time since he had the opportunity to enjoy a whole day with you and you were too. You had missed him and you hoped to enjoy that picnic until the last moment. 

Everything was going well. Zen had decided that the theme of your picnic would be autumn, your outfits matched, and the coffee was still hot. Many photos had been taken and there was still time before leaving. Everything was perfect, until you noticed a group of girls sitting right next to you two.

At first you didn't care about it, you had a lot of other things to do with your boyfriend, but after a while, you couldn't help but notice the furtive glances they were giving to Zen. Their eyes shone when they saw him and they giggled like silly girls, whispering who knows what to each other. 

Maybe because you hadn't spent quality time with Zen in a while, these girls' behavior made you a little angry. And that possessive side that usually didn't come out, vibrated inside you. It was pretty obvious that you and Zen were in a relationship, but if these ladies didn't realize it, then you were more than happy to show them. 

"You look so handsome today," you said, loud enough for the girls to hear you. "These colors really suit you."

Zen looked at you with bright eyes, the most adorable blush spreading across his cheeks. "A-Ah, jagiya, you already said that! You just want to make me feel shy, don't you?" He giggled shyly, covering his beautiful smile with one of his hands. 

You smiled tenderly, grabbing his hand and chuckling when the ladies gasped. 

"I'm just telling the truth, Zenny. You are so handsome, how can I be so lucky to date someone like you?"

Zen laughed, his fair skin getting more pink as he held your hand back. "N-Nohow, why are you acting like this? Do you want my face to explode? Really, you!" He hid his smile with his free hand and you pouted. 

"Why do you keep hiding your smile, hmm?" You reached out to squeeze his side, making him squeal as he brought his arm down. "I want to see it!" You said, squeezing him again. 

"Ahahaha! J-Jagiyahah! Stohop teheasing me! You know I'm very ticklish!"

Your cheeks flushed. Oh, how could he be so adorable?! He would basically brush it off whenever someone complimented him, but if you did, he would become a blushy, giggly mess like this. 

You almost forgot that you were putting on a show for your spectators, you smirked, letting go of Zen's hand to grab his thin waist, making him squeak and giggle brightly as you started tickling him. 

"Ah, you certainly are very ticklish, huh? I think it just slipped my mind!" 

"N-Nohoho! Hohohonehehey! This ihihis unfahahair!" He giggled, trying to fight your tickly hands, but failing miserably as he fell on his back against the beautiful blanket under you both. 

"This is your fault, Zenny. You were hiding your precious smile from me! Now, I deserve to see it." Your hands traveled to his ribs and he kicked his legs with a cackle. 

"Not thehehere, nohohot there! You've seheheheen my s-smihihile!" He grabbed your arms, weakly pushing at them. "Nohohot my rihihibs plehehease!"

You giggled at his reaction. You were being gentle, just squeezing and poking here and there, but Zen was simply too ticklish for his own good. Agh, you needed to take a picture of his cute laughing face! 

"I have, indeed, but now I want to see it even more! Should I tickle you up here?" 

Zen shrieked when one of your hands moved higher, from his ribs towards his armpit. He pressed his arms tightly to his sides, not wanting to give you any space to climb to his weakest spot.

Zen shook his head, laughing nearly hysterically. "Plehehease! Anywhehehere but thehehere! Y-You knohohow I cahan get pretty lohohoud! Plehehease, Jahagiyaha!" 

You laughed, moving your hands back down to tickle his ribs. "Stop being so cute! You'll make me want to tickle you even more!" 

"I'll dihihihie!" 

Despise your words, your fingers actually slowed down until they stopped completely, and as Zen caught his breath, you leaned down and captured his lips in a kiss. He had to pull apart quickly, however, feeling breathless after laughing so much.

"You okay, baby?" You ask softly, brushing his bangs back. "Do you need some water? Let me just- haah! Z-Zen!"

You squeaked in surprise when Zen suddenly grabbed your waist and changed positions, now him hovering you with a wide smirk. You gulped, looking up at him with wide eyes. 

"Now, silly baby, don't think I didn't notice you were doing all of that because those girls were looking at us."

You quickly looked over at the girls and were surprised when you found they were gone! You had completely forgotten about them while you were tickling Zen! How disappointing. 

You huffed, trying to ignore the heat covering your cheeks as you looked back at him. "They were look at you and, I remind you, you are mine." 

His cheeks surely turned red and he stuttered a bit before he spoke again: "O-Of course I'm yours! And that's why you don't have to feel jealous! You're acting silly and for that…" 

"N-Nohohahaha! I'm sorry! I'm sohohohorry!" 

Zen chucked, "oh, yes you will very sorry right after I'm done with you!" 

You deserved it, but it didn't matter, Zen could tickle you until he was satisfied because at the end of the day, he was yours and you were his! 

[tc-doherty]

Book One | Chapter Nineteen

Index | First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

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@ashirisu @xarrixii @the-letterbox-archives

(ask to be added)

Her suite in the summer palace was much smaller than the room she had been given before. There was a cozy sitting area, and a small bathing chamber, but no proper bedroom. Instead the room was curtained off. Therefore there was nothing to stifle the sound of someone knocking on the door much too early for Patrice's taste. She also heard Maria moving towards the door from her own connected room.

"She’s still asleep," the maid said.

There was a swish of the door brushing against the rug as it swung wide open. "I doubt it," Felisjyta said cheerfully.

At the sound of the knight's voice, the cat jumped down from the foot of the bed and ran to meet her. Patrice followed more slowly, pausing to wrap herself in an indigo robe before making her way to the sitting area. "I was asleep until someone so rudely intruded."

Felisjyta was scratching the cat under the chin. When Patrice arrived, Felisjyta looked up at her and grinned. "No reason to let yourself get lazy just because it's summer. You ought to come join Errys and me in the garden. We're going to be practicing together. You do still want to learn how to fight, correct?"

"Is there not some tedious breakfast to attend?" Patrice asked. Maria stifled a giggle.

Felisjyta gave the cat one last scratch and stood up. "No, our mornings are our own, apparently. Court doesn't start properly until lunch. Come on, come join us. It'll be good for you to vent your frustration and tire yourself out before we join the others again."

"Well, she can't get ready with you standing around here taking up space," Maria said briskly. "Off with you. I'll send her out when she's dressed."

Felisjyta laughed, as she so often did. "It's not as if I'm a man. She hasn't got anything I haven't got, except maybe a few scales." Even so, the knight let herself be pushed out of the room. "Come find us in the garden when you're done!"

Fortunately, Maria went easy on her. In just a quarter of an hour she turned Patrice out of the room in a linen kirtle and belt, with nothing more elaborate about her hair than a braid. That done, Patrice and the cat went looking for the gardens.

Unlike her rooms in New Iber, this did not have a convenient door to the outside. However, such doors were almost as common as windows in the summer palace. It did not take her long to find one. And since Felisjyta had not said where in the gardens she and Errys would be, Patrice wandered about the rows of bushes and flowers, knowing she would be able to see them easily above the waist high plants.

They were already deeply engaged by the time Patrice found the wide, paved grotto they had taken over for practice that morning. For a moment she simply stood on the path, watching the two fight. This was different from their fight during the tournament. That time both women had been overheated and exhausted from earlier matches during the day, plus they had been weighed down by the heavy jousting armor. Now, neither of those things were true.

They moved with a grace that they hadn't been able to reach on the sandy tournament field that day, and once again Patrice was struck with just how beautiful human fighting could be. Performed atop a colorful mosaic of a shining sun and surrounded by fragrant roses, it was even more striking to the eye, even if they were moving more slowly than they would with armor to protect them. She would have simply watched them all morning if Errys hadn't caught sight of her.

"Ah, Patrice. Come join us."

"I had almost hoped you would take no notice of me. I like watching you fight, both of you." Patrice entered the grotto and moved to stand near the two knights. Felisjyta handed her a wooden sword, which had been leaning up against a stone bench at the edge of the clearing. It was the same wooden sword Patrice had used before – evident by the scorch marks on the leather grip.

"You'll never forget where to put your hands," Felisjyta joked again.

Patricia shook her head, then told the cat to sit to one side. With him out of the way, she picked up the sword and fell into the first stance Felisjyta had been teaching her.

"Not bad," Errys said. She turned to Felisjyta. "So you can teach after all."

"I told you so," the redheaded knight said. "How about we show her what you can do so far?"

Patrice said, "I thought this lesson was supposed to be about me learning, not you showing off. Perhaps I will ask Errys to teach me instead."

Felisjyta put a hand over her heart. "Traitor! You wound me!"

Errys just rolled her eyes and moved to stand in front of Patrice. "Why don't you try a high attack and we'll see how well she taught you."

Patrice did as she was bid and soon the sound of wood clacking on wood echoed around the grotto once more. Errys did not fight the way Felisjyta did. She held herself differently, moved differently, held her sword at different angles. Patrice could only assume it was a difference between Runerian and Serzek fighting styles.

She had scarcely adjusted to that when Felisjyta inserted herself into the pattern as well and began giving Patrice her own set of commands.

The two knights didn't fight one another, but worked together seamlessly to force Patrice to divide her attention between them. When she became distracted, a sharp rap from the unattended sword would bring her attention back to the other knight. This awkward dance went on for half an hour, until Errys managed to twist Patrice's wooden sword out of her hands. It landed on the cobblestone path with a clatter.

Patrice smiled and rubbed a particularly sore spot on her hip where Felisjyta had smacked her. "That, I think, is enough for me today. I'm not ready for such a thing."

"You did well enough," Felisjyta said, retrieving the sword and leaning it back against the bench along with her own. "I think your hearing helps you more than ours helps us. Still, I'm famished, and there's breakfast to eat as well. I'm all for stopping."

"We've barely been here an hour, and you already want to stop? You Serzeks are always thinking with your stomachs," Errys chided, wagging her finger at Felisjyta. But she too put her blade against the bench. Under the bench sat a plain wicker basket, which the knight removed.

There was no blanket to sit upon, but they hardly needed one with the well-kept mosaic underfoot. The three women arranged themselves on the stone and split the food that had been provided for them: a few sweet rolls, fresh fruit, boiled eggs, and a carafe of cool, sweet tea. The cat joined them, lounging on the stones next to Patrice.

"Did the cooks prepare this for you to bring out here?" Patrice asked.

Errys shook her head. "There's just a board in the dining room loaded with food. I grabbed what I thought we might want to eat after exercising a bit. There is more variety inside if you want something else."

"This is fine for me, for now."

"It's a nice breakfast for a beautiful summer morning," Felisjyta said, helping herself to the eggs.

"Not so beautiful," Errys said. "Blue skies now, but it will be raining by lunchtime. You can tell from the direction of the wind. We'll all be stuck inside with one another for the day."

"A little rain never hurt anyone," Patrice said. She took a sip of the tea. It was much sweeter than she expected, but still refreshing.

"Humans catch sick easier than dragons, I fear," said Errys. "They won't want to risk the lives of the royal family to a rainfall. And it would be beyond rude of us not to attend to them. Thus, we'll be inside."

Patrice sighed and took her time eating a roll. She still didn't understand why humans felt the need to flock together like crows.

"We could still run," Felisjyta said wistfully. "Take off in the rain and not stop till we hit the border. I want to go home again, without Rozhalea's leash around my neck."

Felisjyta looked as trapped as Patrice often felt. Patrice sympathized, but as dissatisfied and irritated as she could get, she wasn't quite ready to give up on Runeria yet. "If we were to run," she said, turning the roll around and around in her hands, "we ought to have done it before we arrived. Now, for better or worse, we are all committed."

Errys gave a great sigh and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I just wanted to be in the tournament. My parents did marry legally, no matter how displeased my grandparents were." She paused. "I just wanted to be acknowledged as a legitimate knight, that's all."

Patrice looked from one knight to the other. "I think of all the people to win, you two may have been the worst choices of all. None of us wants to be here."

Errys shook her head. "None of us want to be here, but we must all play the game now that we are. It's only a few months."

Patrice said nothing and instead concentrated on feeding bits of egg to the cat, who took the food from her hands with surprising delicacy. Only a few months to a dragon was a very short amount of time indeed.

Felisjyta was less graceful. She laid down on the ground and stared at the sky. "Only a few months, ha! I've been here over a year now and other than a short trip back for my sister's wedding, I haven't been home at all. And that's still better than the other knights have got."

Errys shrugged. "I didn't know we were going that general. But the wedding will happen once the new season starts, and then you might be allowed to leave."

"I hope so. I long for mountains and cool weather and decent beer," Felisjyta sighed.

"And you Patrice?" Errys asked. "What is it that you want?"

"Not this," she said. "I too long for wilderness and freedom. Beyond that, I truly don't know."

Index | First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[tinyidle]

Hey could you please write a fic on the mina sister in law au

I Want You Instead - MM

WARNING: small angst and fluff, suggestive, infidelity (highly not recommended), reader gets cold feet, soon-to-be-sister-in-law mina, fiance reader, female (masc) reader, non idol scenario, fiction ofc

hopefully this is at least part of what you wanted. like for a part two

a year and a month. in three months' time you were going to be with your other half for the rest of your life after knowing him for a year and a month.

you've known him platonically for about a year, have worked with him for ten months, and have dated him for three months. when he proposed to you, you were ecstatic. the love of your life, your light, your sun. you wanted to be with him forever. you loved your fiance. no way in the world would you ever even consider trading your relationship over him. he was your world; until he showed you his sister.

myoui mina.

up until now you have never seen your fiance's side of the family. he's got to see your family countless of times since they live nearby where you two were.

you've known him platonically for about a year, have worked with him for ten months, and have dated her for three months. when he proposed to you, you were ecstatic. the love of your life, your light, your sun. you wanted to be him forever. you loved your fiance. no way in the world would you ever even consider trading your relationship than to be with him. he was your world, until he showed you his sister.

up until now you have never seen your fiance's side of the family. he's got to see your family countless of times since they live nearby where you two were. yet nothing has been said about meeting his family or having you meet them. so when he told you he had invited his parents over for dinner on sunday, you were nervous.

you both luckily could speak japanese, so communicating the problem: meeting his sister was the problem. she just happened to be visiting from a hong kong business meeting, so it wasn't like you didn't know what to expect. but that also meant this was the first time seeing her. you couldn't help but think how she looked compared to him.

sunday came, and the myoui family arrived. you politely bowed to them, and quickly yet mannerly bowed to mina. when your eyes met her face, however, sparks flew. she was beautiful, and the accents on her face made her look even more stunning. she wore a white shirt that matched her hair color, jeans, black high heels, and silver necklace.

mina looked at you, and your heart nearly stopped. your fiance hadn't told you she was this pretty. you knew she was attractive by looking at pictures, but seeing her in person was something else. she had a captivating smile, and you found yourself staring into her eyes. your fiance acted as if this was completely normal, which only made you feel more embarrassed.

"mina, this is my wife to be. wife to be, mina," he nonchalantly introduced you two. you gulped before bowing again, saying hello to her.

she smiled, showing off her perfect teeth. "hello! i am so happy to finally meet you."

you nodded back, not sure how to react. your eyes wandered around the room, noticing how there was nothing special about it. only her. it was only her.

to your misfortune you found out that the myouis were to stay until the wedding night, meaning that three excruciating months were going to be with a family you barely know and a sister in law that looks sinfully cute. what to do? you asked yourself. you're conflicted.

--

first month.

mina helped you with decorations for the wedding, has showed you origami tricks, and has guided you in deep stretching to relieve any marriage nerves. you two are together almost all day every day, and you soon find that the time goes by faster than you thought. one thing you didn't expect was that mina had a hidden talent. she can sew.

"so you can make my dress?" you tried to elaborate, very excited upon hearing the talent.

mina smiled before nodding. "of course. free of charge, too. anything for my brother's future wife." she started to giggle as she watched you do a happy dance before thanking her.

you two went over the details, and mina went home to working on it right away. she also gave you a few tips on how to keep your fiance happy.

"he'll appreciate it if you cook for him," mina listed out. "and make sure that he takes care of you. you know, like how men like their women not doing hard labor."

you nodded, but in your head you were screaming out 'hell no!'. you never liked anyone bossing you, hence why you engaged to your fiance so quickly despite your parents' constant disapproval. fuck them, you thought, for not wanting what you wanted. but hearing all that this man wanted? fuck that even more.

--

second month.

you've gotten used to mina's presence, but it seems like she doesn't want to leave. she's always around, and you can't get rid of her. she even comes to work, which you figured was part of the plan. when she does, you try to make conversation, but she's not interested in talking about herself.

"you seem like a strong woman, so tell me about your past relationships," she asked.

legit gave up because i want to upload this before i rip my hair out

[mik0is0bored]

Choso Kamo x Reader

<<<Precious••Next>>>

Previous: Yu Haibara x Reader

Next: Ieiri Shoko x Reader

Description: Choso x neutral!reader

October 31st, 2018, Shibuya City, Tokyo, You were a semi-grade one sorcerer, and word had recently gotten to you that Gojo Satoru– the strongest and richest sorcerer in Japan– had been sealed in the prison realm. You were running to the location you needed to be at, when you heard sniffles and heavy breathing.

You were running, your medium length hair blowing in the air as you sprinted through the station of shibuya.

You heard the heavy breathing, but you thought it was your own breath. You then heard sniffling, so you stopped in your tracks.

"Tch. I guess that can wait. What the hell is that sound...?" You murmured to yourself, walking towards the sound.

When you neared the sound, you noticed a man hunched in a small crawlspace. His hair was dark brown almost black, and tied up into two messy ponytails. He had a black mark that crossed over his nose and over both of his cheeks.

You noticed his eyes. The irises were dark brown, and in your opinion, the dark color was quite pretty, but you pressed that thought out of your mind. You noticed the dark circles around his eyes. You mean, how could you not notice?

But then you noticed the tears trailing down his face.

His knees were brought up to his chest, and his hands placed on top of his knees.

You quietly watched him for a few moments before you took into consideration something you hadn't until now.

It looked like was having or already had a mental breakdown.

You continued to study the man, curious in who it was. Then you remembered what the first year jujutsu student said over the communication system.

"Be careful of a man with a black marking over his nose, red circles around his eyes, and two messy ponytails."

You flinched to yourself. The man looked like a complete wreck, how was he a threat?

You let your curiosity get the best of you as you cautiously approach the distressed man.

He looked up at you, he didn't seem to get more stressed, nor less either. He just looked at you. Not saying a word.

You looked back at him. The two of you stood like that before you spoke up.

"Hello...? Who- are you?" You would murmur, looking at him, your expression questioning.

The man hesitated before whispering;

"Choso Kamo."

You didn't hear him at first before sighing mentally before speaking, keeping your tone professional and calm, like you always did.

"I... I didn't hear you. Can you repeat that?"

The man cleared his throat before speaking.

"Choso Kamo."

He spoke more clearly, and you know when someone's features match their voice? This was one of those cases for you.

His tired and deep tone seemed to match his facial features. The tired, dark brown eyes that were surrounded by dark circles, he look3d exauhsted; something you were feeling at the moment due to Shibuya.

You would nod silently, thinking to yourself before remembering he had damn near killed the jujutsu student you mentored: Yuji Itadori.

Your eyes narrowed before straightening out again before speaking again.

"Do you know the whereabouts of Yuji Itadori? Pink hair, red hood?"

Choso's eyes widened slightly before nodding, then speaking.

"Oh... uh... yeah. I do." Choso would say, his tone exaihsted but slightly distressed before speaking again.

"Yuji Itadori is my brother."

You pinch the bridge of your nose. Damn, after Choso explained how he could sense Yuji being near death after their fight, and how Choso only senses that if he's blood related to someone...

It was something that could give someone a headache to say the least.

Not only that, it was their relation too. Choso's father was somehow also Yuji's mother...? Which made no since. Maybe you'd ask Yuji later (if they made it out of shibuya alive.)

You'd sigh and again run your fingers through your messy hair.

"So let me get this straight," you begin, rubbing your face.

"You said Yuji was your brother, 'cus you can sense when your blood related brothers die, like the two you mentioned, Kechizu and Eso. And when you like, had flashbacks of Yuji, you, and the other two it was like an memory that never happened...? Well, that's what I understand"

Choso hummed and nodded, listening to you, "Yeah. Pretty much." He said blankly.

You nod before cracking your neck and popping your knuckles.

"We should probably go track down Yuji, huh?" You suggest, wondering where the hell the student you had mentored up to this point was, or who he was with. "Do you know who he's with"

Choso shook his head before speaking "we should probably track him down."

When he said that, his eyes widened slightly as he spoke, "Yuji... he's fighting Mahito."

Your eyes widen at this as the two of you–a mentor and a older brother– go to look for a fifteen year old pink haired boy, hoping he'd be alive when you both got there.

Sorry this ones a little shorter, i wanted to get this out of my drafts because I need to feel a sense of accomplishment right now, plus I got to write two other things, and I'm hoping I'll post them before Saturday

[olive-gardens-breadstick]

part 2 of my hope!hob Pandora's box au

part 1 part 3

word count: 2079

Morpheus picks the candle up and rolls it in his hand, examining it. it's not really anything special, just a yellow prayer candle. The glass is completely blank showing off the candle completely. He runs his fingers over the smooth glass considering putting something on it, like a sticker or something. Does he even have any stickers? Does hope even like stickers? Does he know what stickers are? He shakes the thoughts from his head and instead thinks about what story to tell. He'd thought about it a lot over the past few days. He's lived so long. How could he possibly choose where to start? Would hope have some sort of request?

he eventually decides to just light it, maybe his audience will inspire him and everything will work itself out once hope is here. Morpheus grabs a match and lights the candle and for a moment, everything is still. Morpheus looks around not seeing anything change and wonders if he did what he was supposed to. Maybe he was supposed to light it on an altar? Moving to a small table in his living room, he notices all the lights in his house are getting noticeably brighter until he has to set the candle down on the little table and cover his eyes from the blinding light. He keeps his face covered until he can tell the light has died down. When he uncovers his eyes he sees hope looking at him with a confused look.

"why were you covering your face?" he asks as Morpheus blinks away the floaters from hopes entrance

"your entrance was very bright" he says rubbing his eyes "if i hadn't it would have caused some serious damage to my eyes"

"oh I'm so sorry" hope apologizes stepping back and pulling his hands seemingly into his chest "I didn't know I'll try not to do it next time" he says looking down.

"It's alright, I doubt you can help it" Morpheus says turning back to the little table kneeling "next time I'll just close my eyes and face the wall after I light the candle." he assures hope as he clears the table of its previous inhabitants.

"What are you doing?" Hope asks, peering over his shoulder.

"I'm making a specific space for your candle." He explains picking up the candle to wipe down the table. He doesn't notice the endless' start to glow behind him.

"like.. an, alter?" hope inquires expectantly. no one had ever made HIM an alter before, it was always for some lesser being, made to syphon from him through a god or deity, he could feel it while he was in the box. he felt the faint pull in his chest, the construction and destruction of temples and altars made for others in an attempt to reach him through them. to have an altar made with specifically him in mind, well, it was... flattering.

"Yeah, an altar. seems like the most efficient way to do this, to get you caught up when I'm busy. I can just leave you things and you can examine them to learn about the current state of the world." he explains, dusting off his hands and standing up "does seem a little bland right now though huh? I don't think my darker colors really match your candle though, gonna have to go out and get some white and gold stuff." he adds examining the bare 'alter' with nothing but a candle, 'hardly counts as an alter right now though'

Morpheus turns to face hope, noticing he's still wearing a tunic. "how about instead of a story we can go get you a new wardrobe and some stuff for your altar?" he suggests looking hope up and down "you'll have to change though, i think my clothes will fit you"

"i- i mean- yeah, sure, sounds fun." Hob can feel himself falling through the words, first the mortal makes him an altar then offers to not only buy him clothes but choose things for his altar? He stands there lost in thought for a moment until the aforementioned mortal speaks to him once more.

"Also, will you stay here if I snuff the candle? I don't want to waste it." he asks handing him a set of completely black clothes 'he doesn't want to waste it' hob thinks with a smile. "yes I will, is there a room I can change in?" after Morpheus helps him to the bathroom and leaves hope to change, he snuffs the candle and makes a small list of the things he knows he has to get:

gold tablecloth

white lace runner

small offering tray

one (1) nice outfit for hope

they'd have to go somewhere nearby, hope doesn't seem like he'd be too keen on travelling by anything other than foot. Luckily there's a small boutique and second hand store nearby where they should be able to get everything. hob walks out with the clothes slightly askew and holding a pair of shoes.

"I do not know how to put these on," he says, raising them slightly higher. Morpheus looks up from his list surveying hope in his clothes.

"I probably should've helped you, apologies" he says adjusting the clothes slightly "but you managed to get the socks on so overall I'd say this is a success" he declares, motioning for hope to sit down on the couch. as soon as he does Morpheus kneels to help hope with the shoes

"Will the clothes we get me today look like this?" Hope asks as he watches Morpheus tie the left shoe.

"no, were going to get you something nicer, these clothes are just easy to take off and put on" he explains tying the right shoe "makes the whole process of clothes shopping easier" he sighs looking up "ready to go?" he asks standing up, hope nods. "alright let's go then."

the shops truly aren't that far. a ten minute walk at best. They don't talk much as Morpheus is too lost in thought and hope is too enamoured by the advancements of civilization, so enamoured in fact that he almost gets hit by a car. If Morpheus hadn't pulled him back onto the sidewalk at the last second he would've been very uncomfortable. He takes a minute to process what's going on and notices he is very close to Morpheus, almost burrowed into his chest with his arms wrapped around him. and Morpheus is so very comfortable and warm with the long coat he has on an-

"Okay" the word cuts through Hob's thoughts like a xiphos as Morpheus backs up to look him in the eyes and holds out his hand "take my hand."

"why?" If hob were human he'd say he could feel the blood rushing to his face as his eyes widened. but he's not human so he could soundly tell you  that he was glowing slightly.

"So you don't go, somehow unknowingly, stepping into oncoming traffic." he explains as he holds his hand up a little higher, hob takes it and they continue on their way.

Morpheus wouldn't say he was out of his depth when it came to clothes shopping, he just didn't buy color very offten. All of his clothes were various shades of black and dark grey with a few lighter greys (to which his students never failed to make a comment along the lines of 'busting out the spring collection I see' ) but looking at hope in his clothes... well he just didn't look right in black. but trying to figure out what base color to start with was tricky. black was out of the picture but yellow seemed too strong to use as a base. Eventually he settled on a white button up to layer with some sort of sweater. Maybe that's where the yellow could come in? He could worry about that in a moment, he should deal with the rest of the outfit first then the rest of the layers. He looked over all his options, made some choices and measured them against hope to get the right size and sent him to try them on and went looking for some layers. Maybe a blue sweater? but then the colors would-

"professor galanis?" uh oh "what are you doing here? its for sure not your style.'' This much was very true, though he hadn't expected to run into any of his students so he absolutely did not come up with a cover story.

"well, i-"

"hey, could you help me with this?'' The students' eyes go wide and Morpheus can't tell if the interruption is a blessing or curse but goes to help nonetheless. After defeating the buttons he hands hope a couple sweaters to try on and turns around to see his student still standing there.

"sorry about that I-"

"don't even worry about it sir." she says with a smile "sorry for interrupting your … outing." he’s going to get so many questions on Monday "i'll just-"

"actually, could you help me?" he will never hear the end of them "I'm not much of a color person and I need to pick out some accessories"

her eyes light up and she smiles wider "of course sir, i wasn't planning on buying anything anyways"

They spend far more time in the store than Morpheus had planned and by the end of the trip Hope has several outfits with accessories to match. The outfit he's wearing to replace Morpheus's clothes consists of a pair of cuffed blue jeans, a pale yellow sweater over a white button up, a string of fake pearls and a pair of converse.

"Thank you Ms. Tarcey," he says as they start heading out.

"no problem Mr. g, I came out to window shop and this was way more fun!" she says, opening the door.

"I'm sure it was," he says with a laugh "to show my gratitude, I'm willing to give you full marks on the writing assignment I know you haven't started." he offers as they get to the street watching as her eyes go wide and mouth falls open. "Now this is a one time thing. I will not offer this if you help me again." he warns, grabbing Hope's hand before he can run down the sidewalk to follow a dog.

"sir you have no idea how much that helps me" she mumbles, face still in total shock.

"I actually do," he quips. "have a good evening Ms. Tarcey. I'll see you Monday" he says leading hope to the secondhand store across the street.

"who was that?" hob asks once they're in the store.

"one of my students." Morpheus says inspecting a tablecloth. "I teach creative writing" he clarifies, putting the tablecloth back and picking up another. "What do you think of this one?" he asks, handing the fabric to hope.

The cloth is a rich yellow with a light shine, when the light hits it, shifting it reveals a pattern akin to Victorian woodwork, hob doesn't know that of course but he thinks it's beautiful anyways. He looks over to Morpheus who is carefully inspecting other tablecloths and table runners. hob notes how sharp his facial features are, how … elegant … they look. Morpheus turns back to him and he shakes the notion from his head.

"so..?"

"huh? oh, OH, yes i like it, it's perfect" hob chastises himself over how the words come out and picks up a thin lace table runner and pretends to examine it to keep his eyes from wandering. "this one's nice isn't it?"

"mm" he agrees silently, taking it from hob’s hand  and putting it in the small basket on his arm and walking towards a different part of the store. As he's following a small dish catches hob’s eye, well it's not really a dish, it's a scallop shell with a castle on a hill painted in blue on the inside and the edges are painted gold. He carefully turns it over in his hand examining it closely.

"Do you like it?"

Hob turns and sees Morpheus is behind him looking over his shoulder "oh yes, isn't it cool?" he beams, staring into morpheus's very.. pretty.. pale blue.. eyes.

"It is very pretty," he says, taking it from Hope's hand, examining it himself for a moment before gently putting it in the basket. "lets go check out." he says with a small smile and hob glows a tad.

[sasslett]

A Wee Bit of Shopping

"Just… what exactly are we doing here?"

Jess eyed the Au Ra woman beside her warily as Kali confidently responded, "Shopping."

"Shopping? For what?" While Thavnair certainly had its fair share of shops and stalls lining the colorful, tile-paved streets, there wasn't anything she could think of that she needed there. Both her and Varrus' weapons and armor were in perfectly fine repair, and between her beloved necklace, her Eternity Ring and her ruby earrings, she had all the jewelry she could ever want. 

Yet Kali chose not to respond, instead coming to a stop before one particular stall, draped from top to bottom with fine fabrics and silks.

"Greetings, Lady Kal'istae," the merchant greeted, a wide smile upon his face - someone she knew, evidently. 

"And good day to you, Rastare," she replied, her tail flicking as her lavender-rimmed eyes perused the merchant's wares. And while his fancy fabrics and ornate beadery were indeed gorgeous, Jess couldn't imagine what they were there for. 

"Is there something you need?" Jess asked, eyeing the woman's already-ornate outfit, from the modest halter-top to the blue silk sash hanging down to her skirts below - the perfect gear for a dancer of her skill. 

"On the contrary, it's something you need." The Au Ra grinned.

"Me?!"

She nodded. "You, my dear, are in dire need of a few… wardrobe updates."

"What do you mean?" Jess glanced down to her leather and scale armor, quite beautiful, if she did say so herself. 

Yet Kali chose to ignore her, instead flicking through the merchant's racks until she found, presumably, what she was looking for, producing a dark red, silken bustier with a matching short skirt, wisps of chiffon draping from the bottoms to the floor, both adorned with gold-beaded chains. 

"Here."

She may as well have been handing the Highlander a viper, for the way she recoiled with widened eyes. 

"What? Me? In this?"

The Au Ra nodded. 

"How can you even wear something like this?" She gently plucked the thin fabric between her fingers. "There's not even an ilm of protection!"

"Jess," Kali's eyes regarded her with a bemused grin, "not everything you wear has to be armored."

"I don't follow."

"And look, it's even your color!"

"My color?"

Kali nodded, snorting as she evidently caught the Highlander's confusion. "You cannot mean to tell me that you haven't noticed everything you wear is the same hue. Including your wedding dress."

"Says you," Jess snorted, "the one who only ever wears blue."

"It's purple." 

"I really think it's-"

With a disgruntled sigh, the smaller woman cut her off, giving her friend a gentle-but-firm shove towards the rear of the stall. "Just try it on, will you? For me?"

Though she had more than half a mind to argue, she also knew her friend could be quite a force to be reckoned with, despite her tiny size. And so, with a sigh, she acquiesced, shuffling to the makeshift changing stall in the back, painstakingly peeling off every last layer of armor until she stood uncomfortably exposed, only a thin curtain hiding her form from the rest of the bustling marketplace.

Yet… she was doing it for a friend. With that resolve in mind, she gently pulled on the thin, delicate fabric, the outfit fitting her surprisingly well… Aside from the fact that she felt, and looked, she was certain, entirely out of place in the scanty clothing. It clearly hadn't been made with her in mind, the ornate jewelry clashing hard against her toned, muscular form, the large scar across her abdomen visible for all to see. 

Not that any of that seemed to phase Kali, the Au Ra's lavender eyes glowing in delight as Jess pulled back the curtain.

"It's gorgeous!" she gasped, bringing her hands up over her heart. 

"It may be, but I am not," Jess huffed. "Are you satisfied? Can I take it off now?"

"No!" the blue-haired woman hissed, her tone equal parts insistent and threatening. "You are gorgeous, and you are going to wear it."

Before she could protest further, the dancer turned back to the merchant, handing him a small bag of gil. 

"There. It's done. Now you can't very well refuse, can you?"

Jess merely gave a groan. "Alright. Fine. I'll keep it. Just let me go and change-"

"Absolutely not." Quick as a whip, Kali reached out and grasped the woman's wrist, preventing her from slinking back inside the changing room. "You are not taking that off, at least, not until a certain someone has had all the time they'd like to… appreciate it."

Jess raised an eyebrow, doing her best to suppress the blush she felt rising up her cheeks. 

"Kali! Was this your plan all along?!"

Judging by the twinkle in the Au Ra's lavender eyes… she had her answer. 

[queerian]

time for another comfort re-read of the Imperial Radch books

starting with Ancillary Justice!

(also because after reading the Translation State ARC I have THINGS I must revisit and THINK about)

the more I read (rather, listen to, because I have the audiobooks until I can obtain a pretty box set of the series) Ann Leckie's books, the more I delight in how she writes abrasive characters who are also liked and loved.

You don’t have to be good and pleasant to be loved You don't have to fawn to be loved You can be stubborn and sulky and selfish and bitter and unhappy and still be loved You can be messed up and still be loved You can be someone that is barely considered a person and still be loved

also god. every time i get to the part where Awn goes to Var deck my heart clenches. that anaander has such "mad king" vibes, she straddles the line between unhinged and probably very close to correct so intensely!!!

i keep thinking about gender inside and outside the radch and this description breq gives of the crowds of people she sees on omaugh station, chefs kiss!!

"An eddying crowd of unnervingly, ambiguously gendered people. I saw all the features that would mark gender for non-radchaai. never, to my annoyance and inconvenience, the same way in each place. short hair or long, worn unbound, trailing down a back, or thick curled nimbus, or bound, braided, pinned, tied. thick bodied, or thin. faces delicate featured or coarse, with cosmetics or none. a profusion of colors that would have been gender-marked in other places. all of this matched randomly with bodies curving at breast and hip, or not. bodies that one moment moved in ways various non-radchaai would call feminine, the next moment, masculine."

also the slow reveal of how seivarden actually cares about breq beyond just ensuring the provider of seivarden’s basic needs won’t suddenly drop her.... like she comes back from her appointment having been set up with clothes, food, and lodging, and immediately notices that breq looks uncomfortable in her meeting with skaaiat and bitches breq out for neglecting her own needs and insisting she’ll be fine [on her own now that she’s registered with the station], she'll see breq tomorrow (willingly! Not out of need anymore!) and breq should rest her injured leg!!!! seivarden.... best worst girl!!! "you don't have to take care of me now, see, please look after yourself!!" (and soon we'll start seeing seivarden more and more forcefully trying to take care of breq!!!)

breq on watching musicals for entertainment: "It was mindless, but the songs were nice and improved my mood considerably" SAME, BREQ, SAME

seivarden, "everything that happens on my watch is my fault", echoing awn unknowingly, and breq does not make even the tiniest internal monologue PEEP while getting visibly more and more uncomfortable!!!

and then seivarden goes off on/about the snooty conservatives!! The Radicalization of Seivarden Vendaai!!!! we're watching her go slowly from "I am important because of my bloodline" to "I am important not because of the circumstances of my birth but because this person has made it eminently clear that my bloodline is irrelevant and I matter to them anyway"

god i would love a seivarden POV from Justice. what she thinks is going on with Breq and what she notices and realizes before things are made clear!!

AND i am once again pining for Anaander backstory. Breq muses "the Radch had used ancillaries long before Anaander Mianaai had made herself into what she was, there just hadn't been quite so many of them." i wanna know what ancillaries in pre-anaander radch were like and i wanna watch anaander's transformation from individual to lord of the radch!!!

"Ancillaries were notorious for their expressionless faces. I could easily keep from smiling." Sure, Breq.

Seivarden standing up to Omaugh Anaander because she's more loyal to Breq than the Lord of the Radch….. god. I love Seivarden

[loorain]

Sims 4 Fontenot Legacy - A Nice Surprise

The day before Sigrid and Robin's wedding, all is peaceful as Sigrid gets an opportunity to sleep in just a little. That is, until there's a knock on the door.

Sigrid: Who could that be?

Sigrid: Anya! What are you doing here?

Anya: Well hello to you too!

Sigrid chuckles, pulling her into a hug.

Sigrid: Well, hi. Can't blame me for being shocked to see you, especially this early in the morning.

Anya: I have a good reason for it.

Sigrid: Which is...?

Anya: Well, as it's one day before your big day, I'm going to take you out to celebrate!

Sigrid: Celebrate? I mean, isn't a wedding celebration enough?

Anya: Weddings celebrate the couple and the joining of family. This celebration is for you.

Sigrid: Me? Gee Anya, I don't know about-

Anya: Now before you turn me down, I want you to take this.

Anya pulls out a gift, handing it to Sigrid.

Sigrid: Wha- Anya, what is this?

Anya: A new dress, paired with a couple more special accessories. Now I want you to get dressed, do your makeup, make yourself look absolutely stunning, and then come with me. Robin's already in on the surprise and will take care of the girls, so don't worry about them. Today is all about you.

Sigrid: I... wow... thank you. I'm not used to all of this. Guess I can't back out now.

Anya: That's right! Come on, it'll be fun, just trust me, kay?

Sigrid: Okay, I trust you.

Anya: Well hurry inside and get ready!

Sigrid gets ready and is whisked away by Anya to an undisclosed location. When she arrives, Sigrid witnesses an entire space fully decorated, gifts piled up, and a delicious spread of food. She's amazed to see all of this, to say the least.

Sigrid: Oh my- what is all of this?

Before Sigrid can get an answer to that, sims begin piling into the space, family from all sides here to celebrate. Sigrid can only take in all the festivities for a moment, in awe to see such a collection of family here, both old and new faces.

In all the excitement, Sigrid hadn't even noticed that Sabrina and Scarlett had also arrived, both wearing matching colors to her sash. She first spots Sabrina, who's chatting with Anya as if all of this is just a casual thing.

Sigrid: Okay, don't act like this is normal! Did you guys plan all of this?

Sabrina chuckles, turning to look at Sigrid.

Sabrina: Well Anya was the mastermind behind all of this, but we all pitched in.

Anya: I know you didn't really want all of the raucousness of a bachelorette party, but you've been through a lot to get to this moment, so I figured what better way to celebrate you than bring all the ladies in the family together to celebrate sisterhood with a bridal shower. Well, ladies plus Sabrina.

Sabrina side-eyes Anya playfully, acknowledging the validating comment while also seeing it for the good-natured jest it is.

Sabrina: Har-har, I can be a lady when needed.

Anya: And thank goodness for that, because we need you right now!

Sigrid laughs at the two cousins' banter, her heart swelling.

Sigrid: You guys are amazing. This is amazing.

Sabrina: Well enjoy it because you deserve it! Now go say hi to all your guests!

Anya: Yeah, go have fun girly!

Sigrid nods and happily heads off to greet her guests, some of whom she is meeting for the first time as they officially welcome her into the family. It's a tad overwhelming, but equally wonderful to be surrounded by so much love. Thankfully, there are familiar faces that help make things easier.

Matilda: Well well! So my big blockhead brother still managed to convince you to marry him.

Sigrid laughs.

Sigrid: Great to see you, Matilda. Love the new look!

Matilda: Well I had to upgrade my wardrobe. Just wait until you see my outfit for tomorrow. I'll try not to upstage you, but no promises.

Sigrid: I wouldn't expect anything less! How's your mom and brothers?

Matilda: Ugh, don't get me started. Let's just say I'm glad my teen years are almost over. I'm ready for my own space. No snotty boys allowed.

Sigrid: I understand, but try to cherish the moments as well. They'll be the distant past before you know it.

Matilda: Yeah, I know. Just glad to have some feminine energy join the family. It's nice to have a sister.

Sigrid: Well we have a lifetime to spend hanging out together if you'd like. Hanging around you might help keep me young!

Matilda: Trust me, dealing with my nieces and brother, you're going to need it. We'll take care of each other.

Sigrid: Thanks, sis.

Speaking of sisters, Sigrid spots and greets Yolanda with a big hug.

Sigrid: Yolanda! You made it!

Yolanda: Wouldn't miss it for the world! The girls are around here somewhere too. Figured it'd be nice for them to get out of the house and meet some other ladies. You look wonderful, by the way.

Sigrid: Thanks, all Anya's doing. I'll have to find the girls after this. Miss the boys too. How are they doing?

Yolanda's face sours at just the thought.

Yolanda: Ugh, it's just getting harder. Sergio communicates less and less and won't let Kirk see his brother much these days. He's starting to spiral mentally and it's so frustrating because it feels like I'm failing him, but what can I do when his father is being such a pain? Caring for three kids is hard enough, but trying to co-parent with Virginia's ex? He's insufferable at times.

Sigrid: Hmm, you know, Sergio is Anya's ex as well. Maybe she can help you. If nothing else, she can give you some context and additional information to help deal with him. Maybe with time, things will improve.

Yolanda: I hope so. I'll have to talk to her... oh, what am I doing? This is your day! Don't let me bring the mood down, go and enjoy your last day as an unmarried woman! We're all excited for the big day tomorrow!

Sigrid and Yolanda aren't the only ones who end up having a deep conversation that day, however.

Scarlett: Anya went all out on this place, didn't she? What a lovely idea for Sigrid.

Sabrina: Yeah, I think Sigrid likes this a lot, even if she wasn't expecting it or even thought she really wanted it. And I mean, it's always nice to have something to celebrate. An impending wedding is the perfect excuse.

Scarlett: Speaking of weddings... how are you and Beau doing?

Sabrina can't help but laugh at their mother's attempt at being subtle.

Sabrina: Mom, you can just just say it. You wanna know if Beau and I are getting to that point in our relationship or not.

Scarlett: Well...?

Sabrina: Well... At Laks and Tabatha's wedding, Tabatha said she saw me and Beau getting married next in our friend group. I can see why. Beau is a great partner. He's attentive, understanding, and communicative. Juno loves him, too. I know he's more than willing to officially be Juno's stepdad.

Scarlett: I'm hearing a lot about other's perception of him, and very little about yours. How are you feeling in this relationship?

Sabrina: I love Beau. I was just saying all this to give perspective to my thought process at that moment when Tabatha brought it up. It got me thinking... maybe she's right. Maybe we should just do it.

Scarlett: I wished you'd say it a little more romantic-like rather than say you should "just do it".

Sabrina: Mom, I didn't mean-

Scarlett: Marriage is a big deal. It's not for everyone. It wasn't for me. That doesn't mean it's not for you, but you need to be absolutely sure. You want my opinion? I think Beau's the best guy you've ever been involved with. He's stuck with you through a lot of crap. I know for a fact he loves you with his entire heart. The only thing stopping him from getting on one knee this very moment is you. He respects that you need to take things slow. He's never going to force you into anything you don't want to do, and that includes marrying him. He already sees Juno as his, even with Marquise involved. But, my opinion doesn't really matter, so I'll ask this one more time: how are you feeling in this relationship?

Sabrina takes in Scarlett's words, their demeanor softening as they think about their boyfriend and all he's been to them. A small smile forms on their face.

Sabrina: I... wanna propose to Beau. He's been going on my timeline for so long, it feels right to display my love for him. And you know me, I've never been traditional. I'm sure Beau would propose if I let him know that's the next step I want, but I think it's better the other way around in this context.

Scarlett grins at her child, hearing sure words come out of their mouth for the first time in this conversation. Sabrina suddenly feels nervous and shy, realizing the earnest expression on their mother's face.

Sabrina: I-I mean, it'll probably still be a while before I do it, you know? I mean, there's so much else going on, with the wedding and upcoming birthdays, and Marquise texted me recently saying we'll need to have a chat, I don't know what about, maybe the arrangement for the summer or-

Scarlett: Sabrina, breathe. I'm not telling you to propose tomorrow. You could propose 50 years from now and I'd be perfectly fine with that. I'm just saying, no matter what you have my blessing. Okay?

Sabrina: Yeah... okay. Thanks, Mom.

Scarlett: Anything for you, hun.

In the end, Sigrid's bridal shower was filled with love, good advice, and good memories. With the wedding tomorrow, Sigrid didn't realize just how much she needed the fellowship of her family, both old and new. Now she feels more ready than ever to marry Robin and seal her future forever.

[gaypleasantview]

dirk (and dustin if u want) for the ask meme? :3

hell yeah!!

Dirk:

Sexuality Headcanon: gay, i enjoy other headcanons for him too but the version of Dirk that lives in my head is definitely homosexual/homoromantic, just feels so right to me. im thinking of putting him on the asexual spectrum somewhere (where is my drink) probably demisexual. his type is probably straight up someone like Dustin if we're being honest here

Gender Headcanon: trans guy! came out as a kid long before Darleen passed away and got lots of support from his parents about both his sexuality and gender <3 i don't know if he realized both around the same time but he knew himself pretty well pretty early on, good for him

A ship I have with said character: ever since i realized the possibility of Dustin/Dirk it has changed my life lol. like it was really always there and it's such an obvious set up but it went completely over my head like it did for most of us i guess, the way maxis seemingly intended is good too because Lilith/Dirk feels like a very exciting couple to play with if you see Dirk being attracted to girls/whatever gender you hc Lilith as. D&D live in my mind rent free tho. it's an easy enemies to lovers for me and some would argue that trope is overdone but there is not nearly enough content about these two that fit the trope perfectly sooo i wanna make that content. speaking of Dirk in this relationship, at first he admits Dustin is cute but hates the dude's attitude so he's gonna be in denial about his Dustin situation for the longest time. he's probably gonna be the one to make this actual relationship happen even though he's gonna be scared. but when Dustin opens up Dirk starts feeling really comfortable with him and falls in love deeply

A BROTP I have with said character: easily him and Lilith, in my hc she's a lesbian and they are fake dating while actually being besties so they don't even have to pretend much. these two are an opposites attract situation too but their energies match so well?? i should probably make them other friends though because no one has more than 2 friends in my stories 😭 i mean Dirk's also good friends with his dad but. yeah

A NOTP I have with said character: this must be about romance but i don't have much to say so i'll talk about enemies instead in this question. well i dont believe he has enemies aside from Dustin and that one's not exactly fitting for this question as we already know so probably no one lol. Dirk doesn't like Angela too and i never realized until just now btw that his relationship with her after he gets with Dustin is gonna be REALLY AWKWARD

A random headcanon: he's a giant bookworm, tries to be the best at everything and is quite grumpy, i feel like he would be very successful in college because he's just a shining star however you look at him. absolute delight (but can be a bitch). he loves cats and the color purple (i actually thought of making it his signature color but he's already assigned blue by maxis so im confused). also a big taylor swift fan

General Opinion over said character: gives off rainy vibes but is actually such a sunshine. i love him so much and im so glad i discovered how great of a character he is a few years ago, he's a certified son of mine (it's actually crazy to think that if he's a teen he's younger than me... like that is a noticeable age gap. huh)

Dustin:

Sexuality Headcanon: i would say the definition that feels right to me is homosexual/biromantic, sometimes i think it could be one or the other but i always remember that it doesn't have to because sexuality is a wide spectrum and im very happy to represent someone who has different romantic and sexual attraction! his gayness is powerful and i also cherish the girl-liking side of him and i think it's beautiful. i don't know if he's allosexual yet but i feel like he's probably demiromantic i hadn't even realized that until just now! im excited

Gender Headcanon: im still wondering about this, i see him as a guy and currently as cis, i really like the idea of him being trans but given how i hc him and his family i feel like by the age of 16 he would be unlikely to freely express himself or maybe even discover himself at all? he's quite emotionally repressed and doesn't give himself time to process his feelings so he probably wouldn't even know what the feeling means if he had it. hmmm

A ship I have with said character: Dirk ofc. Dustin didn't know he was gay and likely had inner homophobia but after meeting Dirk he knew what was up and he embraced it (after they stopped hating each other first heh). he had a pretty wonderful relationship with Angela so i like these two a lot together but with Dirk it's just a whole another story. Angela is like a comfort place and with Dirk it's like a rollercoaster and Dustin is just addicted to the feeling. he will be the first one to make a move but it's gonna be in a bit of a stupid way of course because he's secretly really awkward so it'll take time for them to actually see what's up

A BROTP I have with said character: Angela. she helps him with the kids and just generally spends so much time with him and they genuinely love each other so much as bf and gf but then as friends too, the breakup is hard for Angela but after some time it definitely gets better and they are just a great couple of peeps who care for each other :) i would say i need to get Dusty other friends too but i'll be honest with you i don't even think he has any. poor boy i gave him like 2 or 3 nice points

A NOTP I have with said character: Lilith hates Dustin and wouldn't engage 😭 she learns to tolerate him but imagine these two put in a room they would fight to death

A random headcanon: Dustin is a huge family boy and the only times he is genuinely expressing his feelings is when he is with his little siblings. Brandi and him have a weird relationship that is full of fights but in its core their relationship is not the worst, she's a loving mom just not very good at it. he probably has some obscure hobbies but i don't remember which rn. he likes sports (sadly). he's a very angsty teen and 100% listens to angsty teenage music in his room. he's gonna be such a great man in college when he matures and starts being honest with himself about things and this is the best glow up ever

General Opinion over said character: i love Dustin. i am so proud of his growth and bravery <3 he is kind of a menace in the beginning of my story, super mean but i don't want to throw him under the bus because his soul is so beautiful. wait is that bus thing even a saying or did i make that up. anyways boy needs therapy and hugs

thank you so much for the ask!!! this is really long but i love talking about them <3

[casspurrjoybell-32]

*Warning Adult Content*

FAR FROM HUMAN - Chapter 9

Len

When werewolves were in heat, they took precautions to mask their scents for the sanity of unmated wolves.

When recessive wolves were in heat, they did nothing because they couldn't even smell themselves in the first place.

Adyen seemed to be in heat and was oblivious to it.

I started to mouth breath when Adyen and I got into the elevator together.

His scent was intoxicating... like sweet baked goods.

Lots of wolves in Peace River smelled like fruits and plants.

Ahote had smelled like peaches.

It used to drive me crazy but Adyen's was even more overwhelming.

It was a bit artificial but that was what made it more unique and captivating. 

I noticed a variation in the smell of wolves in Toronto.

A lot of the smells foreign because they were from immigrant wolves. Pheromones were a mark of a group and it often adapted and evolved based on what smells were attractive and more common in an area.

The smells flooding the cityscape ranged from perfume to food and stand out scents like mint, glue and bleach.

There were also out of place smells like those from hybrid coyote wolves and wolf dogs that were common in urban areas.

"Is something wrong?"

I blinked at the sound of Adyen's voice, turning to him when the elevator dinged as the doors drew open.

"You don't look too well," he went on, walking out of the elevator with me.

I swallowed the spit building up at the back of my mouth before shaking my head.

His smell was a lot better when we weren't confined to a blocked off area.

When I got to my apartment, I unlocked the door before taking a hold of the handle and pushing it forward.

The door creaked open and we walked into the living room.

The first thing I noticed was that Augustine and Jasper had left the place in a mess.

Clothes and books were scattered about and someone had left some dirty dishes on the center table.

I felt a wave of embarrassment hit me as Adyen moved from behind me to walk towards the sofa.

I felt self-conscious having Adyen in here.

'Those dummies,' I groaned.

I was very sure I had told them to clean up after themselves this morning.

I had called Adyen to come over on my way back home and he had reached the apartment before I could go upstairs and check things for myself.

I made a mental note to chew them out when they got back this night.

"Your roommates?" Adyen asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

He was standing by the sofa now, holding a shirt that belonged to Jasper.

He seemed to be looking for where to put it and just settled with letting it fall to the floor.

"Yeah," I muttered, watching as he took a seat before dropping his bag at the foot of the couch.

After staring at him for a bit, I walked over to the sofa before taking a seat beside him.

"I share the place with friends of mine," I added, making Adyen hum as he nodded.

He was wearing a green cashmere sweater over blue jeans today.

He seemed tired but he still looked adorable.

Or maybe that was just his pheromones distracting me.

I didn't know.

We sat in silence for a bit, not doing anything. Adyen kicked his feet.

He had left his shoes at the door and his grey socks matched the color of the carpet.

I picked at my nails, trying to think of something to do.

I had asked him to come to hang out but I hadn't planned anything past that.

Typical of me.

'You could kiss.'

My face warmed up when my wolf offered up a suggestion.

'Oh, for fuck's sake,' I cursed in my mind, closing my eyes for a bit to calm myself down.

Sometimes, having a wolf's sex drive was exhausting.

"Are you sure you're okay, Len?" his question made me blink before turning to look at Adyen.

I found myself scooting away when I realized how close he was.

He could have leaned forward and kissed me if he had wanted to.

"If you say so," he said, looking away.

"So, what should we do?" he asked and I hummed, looking about the apartment.

I could get up and grab us something to eat or we could watch T.V. until it was time for him to leave.

We also had homework due in a few days for one of our preliminary classes but I wasn't sure if Adyen had brought his MacBook with him to work on.

"We could talk I guess," I shrugged.

"We can get to know each other a bit more."

Adyen seemed to contemplate this.

He bit his thumb's nail as he stared down at the floor.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked, looking over at me.

I blinked, wondering where the sudden urgency had come from.

"What?" I asked, playing along anyway.

Adyen bit down on his bottom lip, nibbling it before letting out a sigh as he ran his fingers through his short curls.

"Maybe I'm going crazy but I need you to be honest with me," he said, staring out into the room.

"If I'm right, don't lie," he insisted before turning to face me.

"Don't lie to me," he repeated when I didn't say anything after that.

"Promise," he added, reaching out his pinkie finger.

I wanted to laugh but the fact that he was being so serious made a small smile form on my face.

"I promise," I said, reaching out to join our fingers.

The feeling sent a shiver through my body and I had to control the part of me that wanted to touch him more.

I might be part animal but Adyen wasn't mostly human and I had to interact with him in a way that he was comfortable with.

After a bit, he took his finger away and proceeded to stare at me for a while.

He let out a few deep breaths before speaking.

"You're not... we're not human, are we?" he said as his brown doe eyes stared at me.

Adyen's words made my blood run cold.

I shifted, looking down at the sofa as I balled my hands into fists.

"Len, you promised not to lie to me," Adyen said when I didn't give him a response.

With a deep breath, I looked up at him, wondering how much he knew and what exactly he was getting at with that question.

"We're not," I muttered, deciding to be honest with him.

His eyes went wide.

Maybe he had been expecting me to call his guess bullocks.

His lips parted like he wanted to say something but nothing came out.

"Oh," he finally let out, looking away from me before staring out into the living room.

The brief reply was laced with so much shock and bewilderment.

The wall clock ticked in the background and the sound of construction going on outside filled what would have been the silent void.

I wondered what was going through Adyen's mind.

He was frozen in place as he tried to process what I had just told him.

"What are we?" he asked in a small voice... almost a whisper.

He seemed scared that someone would hear us if we weren't careful.

"Wolves," I said, being straightforward with him.

"We're wolves," I repeated, feeling a wave of relief hit me.

It was nice to have the truth out.

He turned, frowning a bit.

"Wolves?"

"Yes," I muttered.

"Wolves," I repeated watching as his eyes pooled with confusion.

"We don't have to talk about any of it now..." I trailed, noticing how lost in thought he was.

"We'll take it slow. You can ask me questions... it doesn't have to be today. I'll answer them with time, I promise," I said, watching as he blinked before narrowing his eyes at me.

"Wolves, as in werewolves?" he asked and I smiled, reaching out to touch his face.

He looked shocked but I couldn't help myself.

"Yes, werewolves," I muttered, rubbing his cheek with the base of my thumb before taking my hand away.

"You're recessive so you don't have a wolf form," I explained but it only seemed to make him more confused.

"Recessive?" he asked, pulling his feet up on the couch.

He hugged his knees to himself, staring at me as he waited for an explanation.

"One of your parents was a human or two of your parents were recessive," I explained and it seemed to click for him then.

His lips drew into a thin line and the confused expression on his face was replaced with a blank one.

"You might have to talk to your parents," I muttered, realizing that I had told Adyen something they purposely kept from him for whatever reason.

"I think they're in the best position to explain that to you."

Adyen's eyes clouded and his voice cracked with the chuckle he let out.

"I don't have parents," he said and all I could do was stare at him.

"I'm an orphan."

He had meant for that to come off in a matter of fact tone but the underlying discomfort with sharing that fact with me shone through.

All I could do was stare at him.

I wasn't sure if reaching out to touch him was okay and I wasn't sure what to do with the information he had just shared with me.

I hadn't known that or even guessed it.

I don't know why I had never considered the possibility.

It made so much sense.

"I'm sorry," I said and Adyen shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry for what?" he asked and I remained silent.

The construction paused outside and the awkwardness loomed.

"Can I ask another question?" Adyen asked and I nodded.

"Was there a reason you reached out to me? I think I know that the people at the pizzeria were werewolves and I do think I've 'sensed' some other werewolves in school now but why did you talk to me? Why me? And how come no one did it first?"

Adyen's question swam in my head as I tried to look for a way to explain things to him.

Would he freak out if I mentioned what mating was?

"I..." I started but I couldn't bring myself to continue.

My eyes flickered down at my hands.

I squeezed them into fists multiple times as I tried to relax.

I looked up at him again but my face was burning and the words at the tip of my tongue were refusing to roll out.

Why did Adyen have to ask that?

"It's not something weird..." Adyen rose a brow.

"Is it?"

And just like that, the issue became three times harder to address.

[fatefought]

" yes, but not like how you'd think, " she being assumptious here. what would come to mind if someone mentioned saltwater ? " you shouldn't drink it, it's not like freshwater. but i've noticed that the salt makes it more dense than bodies of water up north that are fresh. " in the last five years, she's had brief bouts of heading further into mainland. once was to see the business fletcher requested funds for. much of that time she'd prefer to forget. " if they do have restrictions, i haven't seen them. sailors sometimes head out pretty far for their catches. deep sea fisherman are often so loose-lipped about their voyages, and i haven't heard them talk about limits. it'd probably be hard to impose. the sea is unpredictable at times. " it gives ; it takes. there were times when she'd reunite with finn, and they'd talk about packing rations before sailing far away from panem. it's wishful thinking, nothing is out there. such daydreams offered an escape from harsher realities though.

introspection halts at the whispered confession, processing only the words of katniss everdeen. " that's rare in twelve, isn't it ? " annie's voice matches the other woman's volume. in four, swimming was almost a necessity. even if you didn't work on the water, all industry led back to it. a lot of children turned to the academy ; some seeked a means to provide for their families, others craved the glory. regardless if they enrolled into the program or not, from a young age children learned skills like fishing, sailing, making nets, tying knots ... the list goes on. it's a mere coincidence that these skills of daily life also are considered survival skills. knowing how to propell oneself in the water isn't special for one from four, but from twelve ? annie is visibly impressed. ( it's something that can save a life, annie knows all too well. ) the question of how rings in her mind.

" things have a tendency to be a bit rose colored here. " unintentional pun is stated there. though annie knew the president had a fondness for roses, most do after all, she's unaware of how snow taunts the other with the beautiful flowers. she has much more to say on that, but stifles herself. a room of capitolites isn't the place to say it. her thoughts move to her fellow victors from four and thea, and how the capitol took so much from each just for drifting slightly off the line. ( she worries how her own drifting can directly impact the others too. ) soon however katniss is donning a plate of strawberries, offering them to her. " thank you, " the gratitude is quickly stated. this is the second time that the younger victor went out of her way to offer food. it's very kind, even if a tad unnecessary. it's something uncommon at these galas. cresta had seen her interact with rue and peeta in the arena. beck was so adamant that her softness there was a facade ; annie disagreed then, and does even more now.

" that's one thing i can be thankful for. my grandmother never has to worry about those kinds of things again. " her grandfather wouldn't have to either if he hadn't passed a decade and a half ago. agatha will work until she dies though. stagnation was a curse in the elderly woman's eyes. with the stipends of victorship however, her grandmother was able to pay the market workers more and put her own paycheck back into the community. ( it makes sleeping at night a little easier, knowing annie can indirectly help improve life after being the reason for directly ruining twenty-three others. ) " your mother mentioned that when they were interviewing the families, " during the games, it goes unsaid. had katniss ever watched them after she escaped the arena ? " it's selfless to do something like that. i'm sure she's provided countless aid to people in twelve. "

so twelve does get four seasons. what a marvel ! she read about it in books. a lot can probably grow if given the capacity, katniss would just have to deal with brutal off seasons. " i saw some snow in six and nine during my tour. it was the first time i ever saw it really, " she remarks. the only time she ever saw that kind of weather. in a time were her memories blurred into a fuzz, that was something that remained vivid. " do you get used to that the cold ? " heat was never a problem for annie. the ocean in its vast unknown did not haunt her. snowflakes were beautiful and delicate, but in flurried waves it felt perilous though.

it feels almost frivolous to be going through a list of victors annie trusted. had it been someone like johanna, she would have assumed it had been a sarcastic question to just rub into. ( she thinks that, but also likes the fighter from seven. ) five years ago, it would have been nice to have someone answer it for her. though she did have hands that guided more tenderly than she can imagine haymitch does. " she is, and some of victors from two are exactly how you'd picture. but not her, i promise. career districts are more complex than most would think. " not all of them dream of honor or have a bloodthirsty quench. the tributes from one and two in the seventieth did. percy however trained at the academy, and would have been an example victor of four. his error was aligning himself with annie. having her back meant losing his head, quite literally. does it sound self-serving to vindicate some from one, two, and ultimately four ? she wonders, she'd understand if it did.

she's relieved that she doesn't have to do any convincing for mags or graham. she can only assume, given that katniss does not callout the two by name. a beat is taken at the mention of finnick though. for the first time in their conversation, annie is carefully choosing each of her words. " he plays the game better than most. people like him for that, " it's not the man she's come to know the years following the arena, but people have their personas to survive. " it works in his favor as a mentor, and gives his tributes an edge with sponsors, " she offers. finn was so young when he won. the shine that enthralled the capitol never left. he was shown no mercy in that regard. he won but his cost was greater than any other victor she's come to deeply know. do peeta and katniss know that the games never end yet ? she hopes not. the image of infatuated newlyweds getting used to capitol generosity could provide bliss alongside the ignorance. though whether one knows immediately or down the line, the truth reveals itself. there's no escape.

but speaking about the male victor in the context of the games feels wrong, feels cold. it's too analytical, and appears like she's trying to instigate an alliance of sorts. that's not annie's intention. he can put his hat on the table for that without annie. though she will likely air the distaste that katniss feels for him next time the two were together. ( few things were secret between odair and cresta after all. ) " finn he was there for me before and after in ways i could never repay him for. " these words feel less stale than the previous statement. and that's on annie not having to contemplate what she says. if she could show katniss the aptness finnick had for being gentle around those he cared for, she would in a heartbeat. but it's irrelevant, isn't it ? his peacocked charisma domineers his presence in the capitol. it's so different from the loveliness of his authenticity. it's a charm he is less willing to show to the masses. at least annie got to see the genuine finnick odair.

"is it salty? it felt salty." it seems silly, but she hadn't had the opportunity to even wet her toes when at four. they've been near the beach, but that had been it; water at her river back home was always sweet, earthy, warm, filled with life and memories of happiness. for a brief moment, she ponders with some amusement that though annie has suffered through the water in her games, she still enjoyed it so much; katniss herself had thought, during one of those never ending dreams in the capitol before the victor interviews, if she would come to fear the woods. she hadn't, of course. to this day, it is the place she feels most alive to, and it pains her to be apart from it for so long as she has. "is there no limits, guarded by peacekeepers? we have a fence at home." not that it had been much before thread, and even after him, it was nothing like the ones at eleven. she bites the corner of her lip. "do you learn how to swim as kids?" she queries, before adding, with a small voice, so quiet she can barely tell annie hears her. "i did."

she can not laugh easily, even with annie, but the other victor does get a smile that is so genuine it is a feat on its own. "the capitol has a taste for fabricating things that are very unlike its original core." a bold statement that could apply for anything, but she means it about food (she does. in a way). it is what enthralled her to this girl, a sort of kinship that is so mindless yet katniss holds onto so deeply because it is the sort of nonsense she can not speak with anyone in here with such candure, such innocence; more surprisingly so, that a conversation of this sort is shared between two murderers. "that's a pity. i ought to get you some strawberries, then." she has done it for madge, while gale was at the mines; not much difference, she convinces herself.

her gaze flies among tables, then, and with some steps she catches sight of a tray of strawberries and, with a quick motion, she scoops some into a porcelain plate, before returning to annie's side. "no chocolate." because they are meant to be dipped in it on a magnificent fountain, across the room (katniss would have lounged around it more, if venia didn't scold her and dab at her chocolate - covered mouth as if she was a child). promptly the plate is offered, but katniss takes one of them herself, and her smile grows unabashed, as it does whenever she is munching on something good (she does think a dip in chocolate would make it better, but she doesn't move again). "your grandparents are smart." katniss would sell anything she got her hands on, if she could. "but it's good you can buy them berries yourself, now." it was the one good thing about being a victor, after all. not worrying about how to make by during the colder days, if she can have a piece of meat now or she should save it for tomorrow, and not counting pennies and feeling that knot in her chest when her sister sees a pretty cake and they can't afford it.

katniss hums. "my mother is a healer, so we have some experience with keeping a garden. only medicinal herbs, in the past, but we could get beds and actual trees now." she chews on the berries a little longer as she considers it. while lilian and primrose everdeen were good at coaching life from all things, katniss has only seen herself as a death bringer. it was a necessity, her father taught her, and they never took too much so the nature wouldn’t be harmed, but still. she had only plucked, never planted. "i suppose i will have the time to try." she gives a shrug. "it's well - distributed around the year, i think. it's starting to be boiling hot this time of the year, but we get showers sometimes in the mornings. then the leaves change, by late september, and by december, snow falls. we had a snow storm earlier this year." as she speaks, she can almost taste the dew, step on the crunchy leaves, smell the ice and hear peeta's voice, on the phone, when she asked him if he had been home okay during that storm. katniss sighs. it's barely been two days, and she misses home desperately.

another smile opens up, this time in response to annie's own. katniss would feel mortified if she had offended annie with her callosity, even though she has done so to others so very often — social cues are a difficult thing for her, even when she tries. and for that attempt, and because of her own lack of emotional stability, she can understand. and wouldn't like annie to assume she thinks like others do, because from the list of all the people katniss has spoken to tonight, annie cresta is definitely on the top five of least crazy around. "like us." katniss repeats, tightening the line of her lip in thought. "isn't she from two?" cato and clove's mentor. the ones who had been most furious about her eleven score, who had made it plain to hunt her, those she saw killed. katniss feels a small shudder pass through her body. "i don't think careers like me very much." districts one and two had proved it, on her tour. but then, katniss realizes, annie was from a career district, too. the commotion at four was altogether different, though. so she makes a note of the people annie speaks of — beetee, she knows; he had made her curious to know his district partner, but chance has not presented itself — but her keenness turns into a sour face at the mention of odair. "finnick? do you not think him appalling?" perhaps she should take annie's opinions with some restraint, if her taste is so bad.