#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

[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

[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

Tag list: @bloodlessheirbyjacques @magefaery @did-i-do-this-write @marrowwife

@muddshadow @outpost51 @full-on-sam @bluberimufim

@unclear-contributions @talesfromtheunknowable @guessillcallitart @flowerprose

@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

[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.

[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.

[miss-oranje-disco-dancer]

thank you thank you thank you!! ilysm, vivi <333

i actually hadn't noticed how many high school type tropes are in here, but it totally makes sense now that i think about it! i didn't know that i was a lesbian until i was an adult, so (though i knew i liked women and thought i was bisexual), i wouldn't have recognized my feelings as clearly for 'friends' of mine.

but also i am a sucker for the drinking games trope, soooooo hehe

also! i'm glad you appreciated my take on chris in this!! i pride myself on being a good chris writer lmao (i hope the reason why he was 'an ally' came across 🏳️‍🌈, but ik it was subtle)

and, i did not intentionally do the sunset line above the lesbian flag, i just wanted the colors to match at the top (intentional lesbian but not intentional sunset tho i think that's really cute in retrospect)

take your fast car and keep on driving

pairing: fem! leon kennedy (aka leah) x reader

cw: wlw, use of homophobic slurs, obscure resident evil characters (no, i did not just make all of those names up), angst, light smut, forbidden love, secret relationship.

summary: you are a rookie in the rpd, and so is leah (re2r leon but as a woman). you like her but you know you shouldn't pursue a relationship because this is 1998 and you're the cops.

a/n: this is a commission for @porcelainseashore! also, the title is a line from fast car by tracy chapman bc i like to cry to that song (and she's a (presumed to be) queer woman so it seemed to fit).

wc: 5.3k

taglist:

@rigorwhoring

@dilfprayers

@porcelainseashore

@dollita-fawn

@xoxoloveless

@admirxation

@pawrincss

Leah. You've never met anyone quite like her before.

Like you, she's new to the force, fresh out of the police academy. It's the first thing you bond over.

In the break room, she gives you a soft smile while she lingers by the kitchen counter, waiting for her instant coffee to finish brewing. The gurgling of the machine fills the brief silence between you.

"It's your first day too, right?" she says after you attempt a "hey" that comes out as nothing but a heavy exhale.

"Yep." It's all you can come up with.

"You seem nervous."

"A little. You know, don't wanna fuck anything up on my first day." Like this conversation. You keep the last part to yourself.

"Don't worry. It took me like three tries to get the buttons straight on this shirt. Jill- Officer Valentine had to help me fix it."

And somehow you're jealous. Leah seems to have no trouble making friends since she's already getting chummy with a STARS member. You'll be relegated to the losers club while she gets to sit at the cool girls table - if there is such a thing.

Most of your colleagues are men. Lieutenant Marvin Branaugh, your direct superior seems nice enough, Chief Brian Irons is a bit off-putting, though. And the STARS members: Officers Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Brad Vickers, Richard Aiken, Rebecca Chambers - and of course, Captain Wesker, who reminds you of a cartoon villain in the way he carries himself. Most of them are relatively nice to you. Jill has a hardened exterior but a soft heart; Chris is a typical jock and a natural leader; Brad is a bit of a knucklehead; Richard is his slightly smarter counterpart; and Rebecca, who's even younger than you, is an absolute sweetheart. Not to mention, Forest Speyer, Joseph Frost, Enrico Marini, and Barry Burton. You consider putting pictures of them on flashcards with their names on the back so you can learn them all.

Then, there's Leah who has a certain je ne sais quoi that makes her name stick firmly in your mind.

She walks gracefully, steadily in combat boots identical to yours and her blonde hair sways in time with her steps. Her pants fit perfectly, especially around the ass. But you try not to stare - you feel gross doing so when you catch the guys ogling her when she turns her back to them.

You wonder if they stare at you too when you're training in the gym. Lieutenant Branaugh puts an emphasis on staying fit in case the day comes where you need to chase down criminals or dodge gunshots during a shootout. A significant amount of your day is spent doing paperwork.

But for an hour a day, you do push ups and curl ups and pull ups (in that order) to 98.6 FM or a CD if Chris remembers to bring one down with him.

"Chris," you hear Wesker snap at him, "This music is atrocious. Go get a CD, a good one."

And with an exaggerated huff and the sound of metal weights hitting the hard floor, he does as he's told.

"He's kinda hot," Leah says from next to you while she stretches her calves.

"Who? Chris?"

"Yeah," she says, decidedly.

"You can have him. I'm not into meatheads."

"I'd like to see the head of his meat."

"That's disgusting!"

"Are you going to sit there chatting all day?" Marvin asks. "Or are you going to get in the ring?"

You both shut up and stand up.

There's nothing to fight over, but you can be competitive when you want to be. Leah seems intent on impressing Chris who's half-assing his workout both to stick it to Wesker, who is satisfied by his choosing Made In Heaven, and to watch you and Leah duke it out.

Nobody can resist a little girl-on-girl action. Leah has many things over you - her charm, her beauty, her laugh, and her body when she pins you to the mat. It's one, two, three slaps of her palm against the mat to crown you the loser, but she gets distracted, and only you can see the mask slip because you're staring into her eyes when it happens. You want to drown in her ocean blue eyes. Her pupils widen and then her eyes themselves in response, like she's shocked by her own feelings. And then she shakes herself out of it.

You blink and she's standing again, holding out her hand to help you up. And then, like she was never even there, she's gone, rushing in and out of the locker room so quickly that you don't cross paths despite your lockers being two apart. You, on the other hand, take extra time to consider the possibility that you've hallucinated her existence entirely.

But, does it even matter? 

Leah starts showing up in your dreams. She's the intermission between being completely flunking your math exam and missing your flight to Paris (the recurring stress dreams). One night, you're eating lunch in a cafeteria and she sits across from you. The next, you're at a Halloween party and she wears a sexy cop costume, which is not that far off from her real uniform. It's the third time she shows up that you kiss. It doesn't go any further than that because you wake up to your 7:45 alarm.

What the fuck was that? 

You have a book called The Secret Meanings Behind Your Dreams which was a gag gift from a friend. You flip through the pages and find explanations for dreams about falling, teeth falling out, pregnancy, but none about kissing your coworker. You decide it's better not to dwell on it.

You file the thoughts of her under the category of things that you don’t have the qualifications or the time to psychoanalyze. There’s probably some sort of bullshit Freudian explanation but you have crime to fight (aka paperwork to do).

You’re grateful for the distraction when it approaches you in the Main Hall of the RPD. It's almost the end of your shift when Richard approaches you. Out of all the RPD members, you feel like he's the closest thing to a friend you've got here.

"Do you have any plans this Friday?"

"Work, per usual."

"Well, yeah," he half-laughs, "I do too. But, uh, what about after work?"

"After work, nothing."

"Cool. Brad and I were thinking about seeing a movie and maybe getting drinks, and he also invited Leah, so I think she's coming too."

The mention of Leah makes you perk up. You could give or take the whole going out on the town after a long week of work.

Leah, speaking of Leah, you spot her across the hall, chatting and laughing with Brad and Chris.

"Cool," you say, staring right past Richard.

"So, uh, do you wanna come with?"

"Yeah, sure. Sounds good." It's less an acceptance to his invitation and more giving minimal responses.

Richard says some combination of "cool", "okay", and "see you tomorrow". Or something like that. You wouldn't know because you're barely paying attention to him.

You realize it's a double date when Richard puts his arm around you. You're enthralled with Saving Private Ryan. "It should win Best Picture," you remark later. But it doesn’t. But right now, you try to play off the fact that he startled you with an awkward laugh. The theater is too dark for you to tell if he's blushing or not, but his embarrassed "sorry" says he is. But before he moves away from you, you lean into him, and you swear you can hear him sigh in relief. He's nice. This is nice.

But more importantly, you watched Leah do the same with Brad and she's your leader just as Brad is Richard's.

No, for you, she's your muse. She's the goddess that you pray to. 

When they kiss, you follow suit. He tastes like the buttery popcorn you've both devoured, but it's not bad. It could be worse.

It’s forgettable, washed away by the beer you drink at the dive bar two doors down from the theater. 

"Do you wanna take this back to my place?" Richard asks.

"I would but I have to get up early for church" is the first excuse you can come up with.

Richard seems to believe you, which is most likely because he wants to believe this isn't rejection. "Oh! I didn't know you were religious."

"I am, yeah," you say, and hope the rubber chicken test prepared you for the difficult task of keeping a straight face in a moment like this. You think you notice Leah stifling a laugh across the table because she knows.

But her eyes only flit to yours for a second before Brad asks her the same question.

"I actually have a date to church tomorrow morning," she says, smiling at you.

Brad believes her because he's not the brightest bulb in the bunch. Before the awkwardness permeates too far, they leave together.

"So, church on a Saturday, huh?" Leah asks with a knowing smirk.

Finally, you both exhale the giggles you've been holding in together.

"God," you say, putting your head in your hands, though still laughing, "How long do you think it'll take for them to realize?"

"I dunno." She shrugs and sips her beer. "But hopefully sooner rather than later so I don't have to make up an excuse not to go on a second date."

"No second date for you guys? You seemed to be having a good time back in the movie theater."

She shakes her head. "I was until he started kissing me."

"Bad kisser?"

"Awful. Tongue down my throat and all."

"Ew."

"How about you and Richard?"

You shrug. "He's nice. And his tongue was not down my throat."

"That's good." She leans a little closer, like she's going to reveal a secret to you. "But you don't seem like you like him that much."

"I mean, I like him as a friend."

But nothing more. "Well, I should be going," you say, picking up your purse. "It's getting late, and, as you know, I have church."

"No, you don't." She rolls her eyes. "But you do have brunch."

"I do?"

"Yeah, I'll pick you up around 10:15-10:30? Depending on my hangover."

"Sounds perfect."

You and Leah each devour a plate of waffles in a diner voted Raccoon City's #1 Breakfast Destination '97 according to a poster outside.

"Mm," she ponders the taste of her coffee. "Way better than what the RPD has."

"I'm beginning to think they might just be giving us packets of dirt instead of coffee grounds."

"Where else are they going to put all the dirt they dig up outside?"

"It's so goddamn weird that they have a cemetery. It's like they're expecting us to die."

"I feel like I'm already dead. My head is killing me."

"Mine too. I don't even think I had that much to drink."

"Me neither, and thank god - I wouldn't want to end up in bed with Brad."

"You think you would've gone home with him if you were drunker?"

"Maybe. I tend to make stupid decisions when I'm drunk."

But, so do you - one of which includes playing spin the bottle with the RPD's finest.

"We used to play Kings mostly 'cause no one had a table that we could play beer pong on," Brad says when Chris asks him about high school parties back in his hometown.

"We can play Kings if I can find a deck of cards."

"No, we can't, dumbass, unless you have cans hiding in the back of your fridge," says Forest.

"What do you wanna play, Forest? Spin the bottle?" Chris asks sarcastically.

"I thought spin the bottle was a game made up for movies. I didn't know anyone actually played it," Rebecca chimes in from the corner, holding a soda rather than a beer because she 'felt bad drinking underage' even though Chris offered her one.

"You bet your ass people actually play it," Chris says. "How else would you kiss your crush when you're an awkward 15 year old?"

"Truth or dare," she says with a roll of her eyes to say it should be obvious.

"We could play truth or dare," Brad suggests.

"No, we should play spin the bottle," says Forest.

"If you wanna kiss me that bad you can just ask," Chris says.

"Why don't we play both? Then, if the bottle doesn't decide in Forest's favor, he can dare Chris to kiss him," Jill says.

"I'll remember to pick truth in that case."

You play spin the bottle first, which results in Forest giving Richard a peck on the lips, Richard passing it on to Brad, who goes for more than a peck with Jill, and Jill, pulling swiftly away from him, kisses Leah.

And it comes to Leah who lands on you. Of course she does. The first kiss is chaste, but when you take your turn and the bottle lands on her, it barely falls short of passionate.

The bottle is Leah's again and if it were possible to rig this game you might've believed someone had because it points in your direction.

A collective - and juvenile - "ooh" comes from the group. It's the same one you hear from a classroom of 7th graders when a teacher tells a student they need to "speak to them".

Rebecca, clueless, asks, "What?"

"They have to play 7 minutes in heaven."

"What's 7 minutes in heaven?"

"The two people have to go into a separate room for 7 minutes and they can do whatever they want."

Leah looks at you, you look at her. Hesitant, nervous, and curious.

"My bedroom's down the hall," Chris says, pointing towards it. "No snooping, no stealing, and if you break it, you replace it. Got it?"

"Yes, Officer Redfield," you say sarcastically.

Leah stands up, giving Chris an exaggerated eye roll, and you follow her down the hall. You can hear them whispering their predictions and fantasies about what you'll get up to behind closed doors.

But eventually, the games go on in your absence. You remain unaware as you sit on the edge of Chris' unmade bed next to Leah.

It’s just you and Leah Kennedy in Chris Redfield’s bedroom, the world is still and the lights are low, but you watch a decade fly before your eyes in a single moment. It’s fancy dinners and home-cooked meals, an apartment in the city and a house in the suburbs, the balcony, the backyard, the wedding, the honeymoon, the family portrait. 

"So…" you begin, expecting her to set some sort of ground rules, expecting you'll end up conversing for the duration, maybe giving each other a friendly peck on the cheek. But, she looks at you, her eyes flicker as they quickly run up and down your body, and she takes the leap.

Her lips are soft and sweet with cherry-flavored chapstick, and like Katy Perry, you liked kissing a girl. But, there are no boyfriends to mind, and despite being tipsy and technically still playing by the rules of a game, there is something real about the way she kisses you. It's heated and hungry, urgent due to time constraints. You can't stay in this room all night - not because it's Chris', but because no one can know about this. You can't tell them that when her tongue meets yours it's the first time you enjoy the taste of beer. You can't tell them about how she tucks her bangs behind her ear so they don’t obstruct her view of you when she pushes you onto your back and her hands travel from your waist to your bra and stop when Chris opens the door. Leah is quick to sit back up, to pretend, but not quick enough. He knows, but for whatever reason, he keeps his lips sealed.

When you return with your head down to hide your reddened cheeks, Brad says, "You two must've been having a lot of fun in there since you missed the timer on the microwave going off."

"We just talked," Leah says.

"Uh-huh," he says, "Talked."

"You guys were totally getting it on in there," Forest says.

"I would've paid to see that," Brad says.

"You can admit it," Richard says. "We won't judge."

"There's nothing to admit," you say.

Jill throws you a sympathetic save by announcing, "You missed Rebecca having her first kiss."

"It's not that big of a deal," Rebecca says, timidly.

"Are you saying I'm a bad kisser?" Chris asks.

"I didn't say that."

The group decides to transition to truth or dare, and you're relieved to have the attention taken off of you and Leah. The boys become distracted by the sight of Jill's tits when Brad dares her to flash everyone. You decide to leave before you end up naked.

While you wait for a cab outside, Leah turns to you. "Can you keep what happened between us a secret?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Thanks," she says. "You're a great friend."

A friend. You longed to be accepted for so long, but now the word sounds like rejection. The word taunts you while you struggle to fall asleep.

Just friends. The way you told Leah you felt about Richard after you made up an excuse to not go home with him. 

Leah avoids you at work the next week. No one seems to care except Chris, who asks you privately, "What is up with the two of you? You were going at it in my bed last weekend and now you won't get within 20 feet of each other."

"Nothing. We were just drunk on Saturday, so that whole thing happened, and we've just been busy with separate work this week."

"Uh-huh. You were just drunk? Nothing else going on between you two?"

"That's like asking if you and Rebecca have something going on. We just kissed because we were playing a kissing game."

He doesn't press further, though when he turns to walk away, you call after him, "Wait, Chris…"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell anyone, though. I don't want them making a big deal out of it."

"I won't."

He keeps his word.

Leah used to eat her lunches with you, you'd both meet in the break room at 12:30 sharp, but now, you sit by yourself. Until Friday, 12:20, you find her sitting across from Jill, talking and laughing.

"Alright, I've gotta get back to work," you hear Jill say before she leaves the room. There's only one exit, so she inevitably crosses paths with you. She's the first person to give you a warm, genuine smile that week. It makes you feel human and real, and it gives you the confidence to talk to Leah.

When she spots you, she hurries to pack her things up and leave.

"Leah," you say. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, of course not."

And you didn't. That's not why she avoids you.

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you." Her shifty eyes and wavering tone give her away - not that it wasn't already obvious.

"Yes, you are."

She looks around the empty room before lowering her voice, "Fine. If I admit it, will you let it go?"

"How can I 'let it go'? We went from making out on Saturday to-"

"I told you not to talk about it."

"You told me not to tell anyone else."

"Same thing. You're just making it worse."

"How?"

"You're reminding me of it, and I don't want to think about it."

"Why? I thought you liked it."

"I did. I like you."

"I like you too."

Her face softens for a second, going from forced agitation to poorly-hidden bashfulness, but ultimately, she looks disheartened. Because you both know this can't happen.

"I wish it were different."

"You wish I didn't like you back?"

"No, I wish this world was different. I wish Raccoon City was different."

"Me too, but why should we let it stop us?"

She sighs, purses her lips, and turns her head. Finally, after a moment of contemplation, she says, "Okay, but we have to keep it quiet. When we're at work, we're just friends." She pauses and her lips curve into a smile. "And tonight, after work, when I take you out to dinner, we can be something more than friends."

"Deal."

She glances towards the door to make sure you're alone and gives you a grin that's almost conspiratorial before kissing you on the cheek.

"That's against the rules!"

"Oops," she says with a shrug.

You sneak a kiss on her cheek to 'get even' and she walks out of the room with an extra pep in her step. You notice her trip on the laces of her combat boots, too far away to hear you stifle a laugh, but you see her shake her head, feeling embarrassed by her stupid mistake despite being alone in the hall. She's not used to being lost in thought like this, not used to liking someone in this way.

That night, you play a mixtape you and a friend made together back in high school when your only problems were silly crushes on boys. You remember her gushing over a guy you thought was mediocre at best while the sound of Kiss Me amplified her giddiness, and you remember how you comforted her when he broke her heart while Linger covered up the sounds of her crying. 

You wish you could call and gush over your date and have her calm your nerves over the phone, but you know you shouldn’t. You could say you were seeing a boy but a lie like that would violate the rules of girl talk. You decide to keep yourself company. 

You drive separately and meet at the restaurant. It's relatively crowded with the typical hustle and bustle of Friday evening downtown.

You split two dishes and Leah pays. Like you, the waiter seems allured by her.

"Before you leave," he says to Leah in a hushed voice as if you can't hear what he's saying from across the table. "I just wanted to let you know that you're very beautiful."

"Thanks," she mumbles with a half-smile. Polite, but nothing else lies behind it. No desire.

"And," he continues. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime."

"No thanks, I'm unavailable."

"Oh? Where's your boyfriend on this fine Friday night?"

"No boyfriend."

He doesn't quite get it. Not until she reaches for your hand, giving it a squeeze when she takes it in hers. She smiles at you, warm, and then at him, proud.

"Oh, so that's how it is," he says, and you can almost hear the roll of his eyes. "Well, I left my number on the check, so you can call me once you're done 'experimenting'."

Her face turns sour while her eyes remain on him, softening when she meets yours. You walk out hand-in-hand now that you're beyond the point of hiding. Most people pay no mind, thoroughly absorbed in themselves and their dinners.

You take the bottle of wine to go, since you each had only a glass at dinner as neither of you planned to drive home drunk on anything but each other. You're grateful that Leah invites you to share the rest at her apartment since you didn't bother tidying yours. It's better she comes over when the floor of your bedroom is visible, and not covered in a layer of dirty clothes.

Her house is neat and minimalist to a degree that makes you think it's always this way. Her wardrobe, which mainly consists of multi-purpose basics - white t-shirts, blue jeans, and an array of leather jackets - lives on a single-rod stand-alone clothing rack. With her level of organization, she doesn't need to hide all of her things behind a closet door.

You are the only thing she hides. 

But when you enter her bedroom together, she keeps the lights on. She wants to see all of you, to know you. She wants to put your picture in a locket and let you dangle around her neck, swinging like the pendulum of a clock in time with her heartbeat.

You unravel under her touch slowly and then all at once. She kisses you from your lips to your core with meticulous reverence and savors your taste. When you struggle to catch your breath, she holds you like you're bleeding out and your dying words are sacred to her.

Leah teaches you how to return the favor by letting you practice. It is a hands-on lesson. By the time you fall asleep, your lips are wine-dark and barely tired. She holds you close to her heart like a rosary while you sleep soundly.

You roll out of bed stealthily and search her kitchen for breakfast. There isn't much. She seems regimented in most areas of her life and health-conscious. There is a disappointing lack of Lucky Charms cereal in her cupboards. There is a carton of eggs, so you scramble a few for you both. You brew coffee too.

"Something smells good." You hear Leah's voice from the hallway before she appears in the kitchen. She wraps her arms around you, hugging you from behind.

"I took the liberty of making us both breakfast. I hope you don't mind."

"No, of course not. In fact, I could get used to this."

You take a sip of your coffee before you decide, "It's better than the kind they keep in the RPD break room."

"I think anything is."

You try to kiss her and she turns her head. You fear she'll claim the night before was a drunken mistake - it would be the same lie you told to Chris. Obvious in a way that makes it more infuriating than saddening. But she doesn't.

"Mm-mm," she says, shaking her head. "When I said anything is better than the RPD coffee, I didn't mean my morning breath."

"I don't care," you say with a smile and lean in again to kiss her.

She laughs when she playfully pushes you away. "At least let me brush my teeth before you kiss me."

"Fine," you concede and settle for kissing her on the cheek the way you do when no one is looking at work. Even in locker rooms you have to be vigilant. You doubt Jill or Rebecca would say anything unless you were doing something truly salacious. But it isn't unheard of for one of the guys to take a trip through the women's locker room under the guise of "hearing something suspicious" or "accidentally walking in there", sometimes without any excuse at all if it's Irons who has done this on multiple occasions.

Your secret relationship makes you feel like teenagers sneaking around behind their parents' backs. And like teenagers, you both can't wait to grow up and break free of the rules that hold you back from being together. But, you live under the tyranny of societal norms that you can't outgrow on your own.

Not when you have Brad and Richard who find you in the previously-unoccupied hallway.

"It's only a kiss. It's not a big deal."

"Not here."

"No one's going to see us."

But they do.

"I should've known you two were a couple," Brad says.

"Yeah, a couple of dykes," Richard says.

They laugh like bullies on a playground. You thought they would have learned by now. Aren't you supposed to get wiser with age? You're too stunned to say anything for a moment, but you make a conscious effort not to look at Leah. Not yet.

"What's going on over here?" Forest says, peeking around the corner.

"We just discovered there have been two queers hiding among us," Richard says as if he's speaking about foreign spies or ghosts.

"Yeah, they were totally getting it on out here," Brad says.

"Aw, I can't believe I missed the action. Could you give us a little replay?" Forest points at you two like he's the director of a porno.

"Go take your sorry ass to the video rental across the street if you want something to watch," Leah says with unwavering confidence.

Yours wavers. You never got the thick skin they promised you. You put all your strength into holding back tears. Something else burns behind Leah's eyes, though, you can see it. Her icy blue eyes somehow hold fire. 

"Wow, a feisty bitch," Forest says, "or should I say butch?"

All her training led to this moment, but you step out of the ring in fear.

"Sorry I get more pussy than you, Forest," Leah says. She wouldn't normally engage them like this. It's personal. It's you.

"Shit. Pretty good one," says Brad.

"Ugly bitches usually have some brains, so it makes sense," says Forest.

It feels like middle school until it becomes physical. Richard pushes Leah, so she hits him in the nose hard enough to make him bleed. Forest lays his hands on her and likely knowing that she can't take all of them at once, especially when you're standing by in shock rather than fighting beside her like you should be (a thought you only have later), she pulls her gun on him.

Chris, who has won every sharpshooting contest STARS has held since he joined, hears the commotion and runs in with his own gun trained on Leah.

"Put the gun down now," he says.

And terrified, she points it at him.

They both stare each other down for long enough for you to draw yours and fire it because you know if he shoots her, he won't miss. 

You would kill for Leah. 

The bullet hits no one but the picture of Brad on a poster that hangs on various walls of the RPD. Which would be kind of funny if that's what you meant to hit.

Leah turns to you in shock which allows Chris to easily disarm her, knocking her gun out of her hand and kicking it out of her reach. His gun is aimed at you now. He can shoot you and get away with it, and he knows it. His finger hovers over the trigger but something in him holds him back.

"Put the gun on the ground or I will shoot you," he warns you instead.

You put it down and hold your arms above your head. All five of you are placed in separate rooms. There are not enough interrogation rooms to hold you all, nor are there enough cops that are not involved in the situation. Each of you is placed in handcuffs, but you are first. You never thought your handcuffs would end up around your own wrists.

You should be arrested. For once, you are grateful for the way Chris pities you.

"I wasn't going to shoot," is the first thing he says when he walks in. The second is, "you're lucky your aim sucks".

"I really thought you were going to kill her, and I was just scared. I swear, I'm not like that, usually."

"I know. And that's why you're not going to jail." He pauses before adding, "But you're handing in your gun and badge."

Everyone else gets a slap on the wrist. You wonder if it's a literal slap when you see Brad walk out of the interrogation room looking like he's on the verge of tears, but you find out from Leah that the combined interrogation of Chris and Jill will scare you straight.

"Pun intended?" you ask.

"No," she says, but a hint of a smile peeks through.

She tells you that she hates goodbyes before she hugs you. You open your driver's side door and she stops you.

"Wait," she says, and you turn to face her one last time. "Before you go, I wanted to tell you that I… I lo-"

"I know," you say, cutting her off. "Don't say it."

You climb into your car, but before closing the door, you say, "but just so you know, I would've said it back."

The sunset doesn't look as beautiful when you drive off into it alone.

[nxtsnw]

fluff moments with them

characters: kokonoi, ran, inui

summary: pt. 2 of randoms and comforting moments to spent w these pretty boys!!

I wrote this a while ago, the inuis part is a repost. I'm currently thinking about taking a break, I will let you know. Hope yall will like it ♡

genre: fluff!! comforting

pt. 1 ~ m.masterlist

HAJIME KOKONOI

You weren't late for your date, so Kokonoi had lost his bet. And when his mood soured, you smiled as you finally got your hands on your boyfriend's makeup stuff.

Your prize for winning was the opportunity to finally put on Koko his makeup. Everything was up to you, from the color of the eyeshadow to which lipstick to match from his collection.

The boy was calmed by the delight in your eyes. He had now accepted his fate.

Finally, he noticed that your taste in pairings wasn't all that terrible, so he began tying his hair and wearing a goofy pink headband. You pondered for a long what colors he would look best in for what he was wearing, and in the end, among the various options, you chose a coral red lipstick and a matching eyeshadow of the same color.

Proud of your choices, you went to him to start. . It was amusing to see him sitting on the bed, scrolling through his phone while waiting for you.

He had a confused expression, but he was pleasantly surprised by the colors you chose.

His bright smile filled up his face, and when his eyes met yours, they pleased you as well. You sat on his bed, he leaned back on the backrest, and you leaned forward slightly to get a better view of his face. He had slightly freckles that you hadn't noticed, and he looked so appealing on him.

As your hand brushed over his face, the serious expression on his face lightened, and he began to giggle as a question mark appeared on your face regarding which brush to use.

The atmosphere became less tense as the minutes went by, and the background music added to the enjoyment. So he gradually brought his hands to your hips. There was no malice intended, only closer physical contact. You continued his games and moved your face closer to him, but he did the same.

He wears makeup regularly, so staying motionless came naturally to him. He laughs when he has to correct some steps, and then insists on doing your make-up look. It's a little weird at first because it's your first time, and you're not sure how to position yourself.

You pulled away till a little flush did not cover you and both of your faces. Your bodies were incredibly close together, but nothing made you two feel uncomfortable. The heat from his body managed to warm you as well, and his calm gaze relaxed you.

So the time passed in silence until you completed your work.

Despite a few minor errors, you were pleased with your job. And the cosmetics suited everything about Kokonoi, from his pale skin to his raven black hair. The red gave the young man's face a sense of purity. He was also blushing while looking at you, and the natural blush was the finishing touch to that flawless make-up. All of the shades were beautiful, and the curve of the eyeliner was ideal for his eye shape.

"I don't want to damage this wonderful makeup, and I know I'm fighting the impulse to kiss you right now," he said after looking in the mirror.

His words echoed in your ears, and your heart began to race. Until you approached him and kissed him on the lips. It was only a matter of seconds, and you didn't want to destroy the artwork you had created too.

He lifted your face in his hands and kissed your forehead, taken aback by your action. Since the lipstick mark had been left, he began to giggle and then went to choose which colors would beautify your face that evening.

RAN HAITANI

It wasn't easy being Ran Haitani's lover. You were both busy with your personal life, and he was always busy as a member of a gang. Knowing that he always put you first motivated you to do everything you could to support him as much as possible.

He was always trying to spend as much time as possible with you, and it was only with time that he began to open up to you.

You were precious to him.

He doesn't often state it in words, although there were a few surprises here and there: simply because he couldn't think of any other way to communicate himself because he had never been taught.

Ran leaned back against the door, and slid to the floor, as quietly as possible.

It was 2 am and Ran still hadn't returned. You two had recently purchased an apartment in the center, and you were sitting on the sofa waiting for your boyfriend at the moment. You weren't typically concerned about when he'd come back, but that day he assured you he'd be back sooner than usual. You were about to nod off when you heard keys slipping into the lock and a head peeking out.

He had returned. He looked around, confused, and carried a bouquet in his left hand. His hair was tangled and unkempt, his eyes were half-closed, and he had a few too many scratches on his face. After closing the door, he rested his right hand on his side. Because his lights were turned off, he probably didn't notice you.

"Damn, I am late," he whispered placing his hand on his forehead.

You stayed a few seconds to observe him.

"I look so bad too, shit," he continued before attempting to get up and switch on the light. As he staggered to the switch, he felt a hand on his shoulder; it was you.

He backed away, frightened. And he saw you. In his eyes, you looked beautiful despite your unkempt hair and odd green jammies. He smiled at you, you smiled back, and his eyes lit up.

"You heard me?" he asked you. You nodded. His face darkened a little.

"Don't be concerned. But I don't have the energy to do anything today. Sorry, I will sleep on the sofa so I won't bother you." he then told you to bring the flowers.

"Don't read the message on the bouquet in front of me," he said with a wink. And you didn't hesitate to kiss him on the cheek.

Finally, you decided that you would not have left your partner sleeping on the sofa. That night, no words were required; as if only your minds communicated. You took his hand in yours and pushed him towards the shower after placing the flowers in a vase and the note on the table. He went into it a little hesitantly. After about five minutes, he strolled out wearing only shorts. He chuckled as your face became red.

So you started dressing the wounds, which were fortunately not deep. You were about to go to bed when you realized his long hair was fully soaked, and he immediately began to sneeze. You unwillingly stood up to get the hairdryer. He pretended nothing had happened, even though his exhaustion was worse. But you persisted and sat him up to dry his hair. He suddenly awoke when he heard the hairdryer noise.

Ran had never let anyone touch his hair. But it was you, his partner, that he loves so much. He positioned himself well so that you could be as comfortable as possible. And he was staring into space, but the thought of him was fixed on you, sighing a little, drying his hair at 3 am.

That hair was velvety, soft, and mint-scented. As soon as you finished, you noticed that he had fallen asleep. You couldn't explain how you hadn't noticed: he had been sitting and silent the entire time. You sat near him and let him lie down on the bed, pushing him slightly.

You could feel the arms that would embrace you, as well as the aroma of mint that had returned. Ran Haitani was hugging you.

"Thank you. I love you," he said softly before falling asleep.

When he whispered those two words to you for the first time, a rush of delight washed over you, lulling you into that unforgettable night.

INUI SEISHU

"These flowers remind me to think of you! because your hair is a combination of white and yellow, and their aroma even if is hardly detectable it is still my favorite!" the young girl y/n said these remarks to her best friend, Inui Seishu.

"I don't like those. I like red roses since they remind me of your constantly reddish cheeks," and even so, your face was turning crimson.

The only thing you could remember was that after it both of you started naturally laughing while a field of chamomille flowers was surrounding both of you - Oh, and his laugh was so pleasant.

The next day you had to move to another city with your family, thinking that you would never meet again that boy.

But you were wrong.

It was passed five years, and you were back again there.

Walking along the old streets brings to your mind a lot of memories, and when you were passing by a field of chamomile flowers you remembered him.

This boy with an angelic face, whose face you were in love with. You started to smile about how stupid that sentence you said could have sounded funny. But these were your feeling, and still, there was something special in these flowers. You kept strolling down that street, wondering how he could have changed in so many years.

Who knows if you would still have the courage to tell him these words you said to him that time. The only thing you were sure about was that now you could have the opportunity to define him in even more sophisticated words, as your vocabulary had vastly expanded over the past years.

You still have the memory of his face vivid in your memory.

You just happened to sit right where you had that conversation with Inui five years ago. Looking at the chamomile flower field you started to bring that sweet memory to mind.

It wasn't only their material beauty; there was something more endearing about the flowers that reminded you of him at the time. Their aroma was noticeable, and their hue also gave out apeaceful and comforting vibe.

Watching them was like a break from the world, a moment of meditation with only their pure beauty stuff your mind.

You might also mention how gentle he was to you, always putting you first. Always leaving you your favorite food from school, helping you to tidy your school bag, and even bringing you home when your parents couldn't.

These little details were unsaid clearly by your words at the time. The fact that he associated you with red roses for your checks made you smile and flush like an idiot.

You were still watching at these flowers, thinking about him when someone sits next to you.

"Uhm sorry if I bother you, but you remind me of the roses girl. By any chance, are you y/n l/n?" the strangers asked you.

With your heart starting beating faster you turn around to the one who pronounced that sentence.

"Inui??"

"Oh, thank God. hey, it's been a while y/n" he said. He was so different from that time, a scar around his eyes caught your attention for a second, but then you started to watch his pretty eyes and his hair that was not changed so much after all. His angelic face was still present, he kept his comforting expression still there.

"I'm sorry if I didn't say anything that time, but I didn't know how-" and you lost track of what he had just spoken to you.

"Yes, indeed! You won't believe me when I tell you that I was thinking about you right now," and he simply grinned, saying:

"You are now even more pretty than the last time I saw you."

"You've always been so beautiful, and Inui, you still remind me of these flowers, although I could tell you a lot of other reasons why," you replied pointing to the field of flowers in front of you.

"And I still think about you when I see red roses. Even now your cheeks are red, but this time your lips are too. Your scent is charming as it has always been" he added with nonchalance.

It was a magical evening, just you two talking about roses and chaamomille flowers.

tagging list: @frosttea @mrssunasimpowo @elychee @sonder-paradise

(click here If you'd like to join my taglist♡)

[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.