#and also last time it was hidden under read more. but now i drew so much stuff thats all jus like that itd be-

[anzuhan]

hello g00 people in my following . can i post cringe (yume stuff)

[mynameismckenziemae]

All of Me

Part 1

(next part here)

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x OFC/You

Summary: You find yourself bored at the beach on a rare day of R & R. Things get a lot more interesting when Jake runs into you (literally). One thing leads to another and you find yourself back at Jake’s for a steamy, fun filled night.

Warnings: 18+ MDNI! Non-explicit smut, p in v, oral (f receiving), slight mentions of losing a spouse, alcohol use, etc.

•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•

Relaxation has never been your forte.

Starting when you were a little girl; always having to sleep with one eye open to avoid your drug-addict mom’s unpredictable moods and the men she brought home. That unwanted attention only increased with age and the way you began to fill out your clothes which only fueled the resentment your mom had for you.

That resentment came to a head shortly after you turned 16 when one of her ‘friends’ made a pass at you and she subsequently kicked you out. Because it was your fault, of course.

Your best friend's family had taken you in with open arms and while it was the first time you felt like you had a home, you couldn’t help but feel guilty that her parents had another mouth to feed and another body to clothe even with their constant reassurance.

So you put your head down and continued to work hard to graduate high school early with honors. You joined the Navy at 17 shortly after with nothing but a backpack and $368 to your name.

Boot camp wasn’t a walk in the park, nor was the next 12 years of medical school and residency. During that time you fell in love, married the love of your life, got pregnant, and then watched your husband wither away from a debilitating, aggressive disease to pass away shortly after the birth of your son.

With the help from your in-laws and best friend, Maggie, you were able to stay enlisted for the past 8 years as you had navigated being a single mother and widow while also pursuing and achieving your dream of becoming a doctor.

•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•

Late last night you arrived home from an endless 6 (and hopefully your last) month deployment-a week earlier than expected. Normally coming back from deployments early is ideal, but your son, Drew, was at Disney with grandma and grandpa for a few more days.

So here you sit on the beach with a cold beer catching some rays while trying and failing to relax.

A rowdy group of guys playing some version of football down the beach keeps creeping closer with each play and the hot, sandy-haired quarterback keeps catching your eye. He’s peacocking for you; flexing and glancing your way. You pointedly ignore it and have to bite back your smile when he deflates.

It doesn’t stop you from sneaking peeks at his sweaty chest under the cover of your sunglasses though as you pull out the smutty book Maggie’s been begging you to read.

•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•

Just as you’re getting to the good part of your book, something flies over the top of you; a foot knocks the beer that was nearly to your lips down the front of your white coverup.

“Shit! I’m so sorry,” there’s an apology before he’s even on his feet. “I didn’t see you ‘till the last second.”

Liar.

“It’s alright,” you reply, looking down as you try to soak up some of the liquid with your towel but it’s no use; it’s saturated with beer, and the wet fabric clings to your torso.

“Sorry!” One of his friends yells, likely the one who threw the football. “Let me buy you an apology drink?”

“No worries,” you call back, glancing back down with a grimace. “I’m good, but thanks anyway!”

“We’ll meet you at the Hard Deck then,” his friend calls before jogging over to the rest of the group already heading that way.

“I really am sorry,” the culprit repeats. Your breath catches when you turn back to him. He’s even more good-looking up close, especially with that sheepish grin. Even though his eyes are hidden by his sunglasses, it’s obvious he’s checking you out. Your nipples are now standing to attention, pushing against your bikini top through the newly see-through fabric of your top. “I knew you were here but I hadn’t realized how close we’d gotten. Are you sure I can’t buy you a drink?”

“I was thinking about taking your friend up on the offer,” you answer truthfully, “but most of the bars around here have a strict “no shirt no service policy.”

You know Penny wouldn’t care but still.

“I’ve got more in the cooler though. You can have one if you get me one too,” you wink before peeling off the soaking garment.

He swallows thickly as he watches before he shakes himself out of it. “Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•

“So, I, uh…I’m Jake,” he says, handing you a beer. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, I’m Reese,” you reply, shaking his hand after taking the bottle from him.

“Like the peanut butter cups?” He asks with a cheeky grin as he sits beside you in the sand.

“Wow,” you deadpan before taking a pull of your beer. “Never heard that one before.”You laugh at the dejected look on his face. “Yes, like the peanut butter cups.”

He laughs too, finally loosening up.

•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•

It doesn’t take long for you to piece together that Jake’s younger than you and it’s obvious that he has no trouble keeping his bed warm. He learns quickly that you’re not easily impressed and changes his tune, turning the conversation toward you. You keep it vague, telling him you work in healthcare when he asks, knowing some men are easily intimidated by your degree, and in turn, he tells you he works in aviation.

Your heart pinches more than once as the afternoon passes. Your late husband, Andrew, had taken you to the beach for your first date and Jake reminds you so much of him; the way he makes you laugh; the charming cockiness when he talks about flying, the way he flirts and strokes your ego just right.

You hope your ego isn’t the only thing getting stroked when the sun begins to set. A shiver works through you, making you miss its warmth.

“Cold?” He asks as he rubs his rough, calloused palm over your arm. More goosebumps rise at his touch.

“A little,” you admit with a smile, but it quickly turns into a frown when you press your phone to check the time but it doesn’t light up. “Shoot, my phone died. So much for calling an Uber.”

“You can charge it at my place if you want. It’s not far,” he offers, brushing a strand of hair off your forehead.

“Sure, that’d be great,” you agree, knowing he’s offering more than a charger.

•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•

He learn he was definitely offering more than the phone charger.

You ache in places you forgot existed as you reach for your phone buzzing on Jake’s nightstand.

Jake was better in bed than you expected.

He was a little quick on the draw the first time he had you with your back pressed against his front door, but he surprised you by dropping to his knees after he came, not even bothering to take the condom off. He’d paused at the thin line marring your lower stomach and you held your breath as you waited for him to comment or kick you out but he surprised you again by kissing your c-section scar instead before feasting between your legs like a man starved.

While you showered the sand and sticky residue of the beer off, he had ordered pizza.

After, he invited you to his bed with the excuse that your clothes were still in the dryer (even though you had both hard the buzzer). You’re not sure who fell asleep first, but you woke up a few hours later with his arms around you and his hard-on pressing against your ass.

You fell asleep after riding him, more relaxed than you had felt in years.

•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•

You sit up as you read the messages from your son.

Drew: Mom!! Grandma and Grandpa said we could home early!

Drew: They said we’d be home by 10 with our new flight.

Drew: Is that okay? I just missed you so much.

Drew: Mommmmm

Drew: We’re boarding now.

Mom: I missed you too! Of course, it’s okay! I can’t wait to see you. I love you so much.

You look at the time when your text fails to deliver, 9:18 AM.

Shit. Time to go.

Resisting the urge to whip off the covers and scramble, you slowly get out of Jake’s bed, not wanting to wake him.

You’re quiet as you find your clothes in the dryer and gather your things.

There’s a notepad and pen on the small table near the door and your heart stutters when you see the dog tags hanging next to his keys.

Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin

US Naval Aviator.

Well. He did say he was in aviation.

Your phone buzzes again and you quickly scribble a note before heading out the door.

•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•

“Reese?” Jake murmurs, cracking his eyes open when he pats the bed, finding it cold.

“No way,” he mutters grumpily as he heads out of the bedroom to find the house empty and quiet.

The first woman he’d felt anything for in years snuck out while he was sleeping.

An orange sticky note stuck to the door catches his eye and he walks over to read:

Sorry to run out-something came up and I had to get home. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you again soon though, lieutenant.

Jake smiles despite himself at the smiley face you drew beside your name and sighs before heading back to bed.

•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•

A/N: Wellllll here’s the first part! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it ☺️

I’m leaving early tomorrow morning for a 6 day girls trip (to the beach) so I might be slow to respond/update but who knows, maybe I’ll get bored 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thank you to @lexixstewart again for the meet-cute at the beach idea 🫶🏻

As always, any interaction is appreciated but I love hearing what you think in comments/reblogs!

Please let me know if you want to be added to my taglist (sorry if I forget anyone, I won’t be mad if you remind me).

@lexixstewart

@dizzybee03

@its-the-pilot

@hookslove1592

@hisredheadedgoddess28

@atarmychick007

@littlezee80

@buckysteveloki-me

@k-k0129

@phoenix-rising-starbird-one

@jessicab1991

@djs8891

@lonelysoul504

@mrsevans90

@landpiranha-blog

@bellaireland1981

@angelbabyyy99

@writtingrose

@shanimallina87

[jawspinner96]

Arthur morgan x fem reader smut

This is very lazily written, I was struck with inspiration and wrote this in one night, so no nitpicking!!! Pls ignore any typos or sentences that sound a little off. This is also my first time posing smut so !!!

*******

You had an easy job, it wasn't fun but the money was pretty good. All you had to do was offer "Deluxe baths" to strangers. It wasn't the career you drempt of as a child, but a couple months ago you were desperate for work and the hotel owner was nice enough to give you this job, not only is it good pay but you also got a free room out of it.

You've encountered your fair share of creeps during your time here, but the hotel owner proved to be good backup.

"Just hollar if you need my help ma'am,"

And he was always there to save you if need be. However, it wasn't often people accepted so a lot of your job was spent lazing about or cleaning.

This day was like any other, business was slow and you were sat in the lobby of the hotel, reading. The door swung open and the bell rung out which caught your attention. You looked up from your book and fixed your eyes on a tall, rugged man, around six foot-ish. His features were hidden behind a weathered had and short untidy beard.

"Ma'am." The man nodded your way and walked up to the front desk.

"Sir." You nodded back and Continued reading, peaking over the pages to look at the man's figure from behind. His unbuttoned shirt paired with a leather vest accentuated his waist and drew your eyes to his large arms. You felt your face grow warmer the longer you stared.

"Let me get a bath, and a room for the night." His voice was deep and husky, yet it flowed smoothly and sounded like music to your ears.

"Alright sir, I've got someone heating the bath up for you right now. That'll be a dollar fifty"

You watched the man make his way upstairs towards the bathroom before closing your book and heading to your own room to prepare. You applied lipstick, cleaned up your eyeliner and sorted your hair.

"Want some company mister ?" You knocked lightly on the door and waited for his response. You weren't expecting him to accept your proposal so you were shocked to hear him accept. You became rather nervous and unsure as to why you were suddenly so scared. You had done this many times before but something about this man was intimidating.

Slowly, you opened the door and made your way in. A faint smell of lavender filled the humid room and hot steam, highlighted by the rays of sun peeking through the foggy window, danced freely throughout the air.

He had his arms resting on each side of the tub, and his eyes closed, which made you feel slightly more at ease. You sat on a stool next to the bath, by his head and began to talk.

"You look like you've had a long day," you purposely kept your voice hushed and soft.

"You have no idea." He smiled contently as you wet your hands and began to scrub his scalp tenderly.

"Well... nothin a hot bath can't fix." His hair was rough in your palms and you could feel the weeks of dirt clinging to each strand. Despite this, the man didn't smell at all, Infact a rather pleasant, musky aroma emitted from his body.

You began to let your hands wander, settling on his shoulders. You palmed his skin attempting to soothe the spots you thought might be most sore. He leaned his head back, letting out a long, pleased sigh. You could feel him becoming less tense from your touch and smiled a little to yourself, proud of your work.

"Damn, that feels good," He muttered under his breath as you began to massage his arms. You marvled at the feeling of his large biceps under your fingers. "I don't remember the last time I was this relaxed."

"If you don't mind me asking, what is it that you do out there?"

He opened and eye and looked right at you. For a moment you were nervous, did you ask something offensive? However, you were far too flustered by his heavy eye contact to care.

"That's something I prefer to keep to myself ma'am." You apologised and Continued to wash the stranger.

Sweat trickled down your forehead as you reached further into the water to scrub his abdomen, then his legs. You looked up from the water for a second, you almost had a heart attack as your eyes met with his. He watched intently, as you massaged his calves and rinsed the bubbles from his leg. Both of your faces were flushed from the heat, and the tension that filled the air.

"I reckon that's clean enough ma'am," He lightly grabbed your hand and held it in between his own, "Thank you very much."

His eyes stared right through your own and you felt your cheeks burning up, though you couldnt really read his expression.

"You're very welcome Mr...."

"Morgan, Arthur morgan."

You beamed a smile "Well, you're very welcome Mr Morgan."

Swiftly, you exited the room with your heart thumping in your chest and butterflies swirling in your stomach.

As you headed back to your room you couldn't shake the image of his face from your mind. His tired, squinting eyes, soft lips. His brows were bushy and unkempt along with his beard, however the scruffy and tired appearance only added to his charm. You weren't sure you'd ever seen someone so handsome before. His nose was crooked but fit so harmoniously on his face along with all his other features.

You recalled what his skin felt like against yours as you sat on your window sil and day dreamed of his muscular frame and chestnut hair.

*******

"Can I interest you in some tea?" Another part of your job was to ensure the happiness of paying customers and to provide the best service you could.

This meant going round and offering tea to those who were staying the night, sometimes you provided them with dinner if you were feeling generous enough to cook a big batch of food that day.

"Sure, come in." Instantly, you recognised the voice coming from the other side of the door. You heart picked up it's pace as you fumbled with the door knob, all while keeping an eye on your tray of tea.

You entered the room to see Arthur sat on the bed, the setting sun resting perfectly on his face. His hat from before was no where to be seen allowing you to see all his features. Messy strands of hair lay perfectly on his face, framing his eyes and Chisled jaw. You couldn't help but admire the sight, a slight blush forming on your cheeks.

"Here ya'are Mr Morgan," You placed a cup of tea on the side table and put the now empty tray under your arm.

"Call me Arthur." He smiled at you as he took a sip of the hot beverage, "I was hopin I'd see you again ma'am."

"Is that right?" A smirk creeped upon your face and you felt those Butterflies from before beginning to awake in your stomach. You playfully responded, "Well i'm glad you enjoyed My services so much Mr Mo- Arthur."

A laugh escaped his nose and he looked down to take another sip of tea.

"Well, I'll be on my way now. Hollar at me if you need anythin'." Nervously, You turned on your heel and made your way to the door before Arthur spoke up again.

"Wait," you stopped in your tracks and turned to face Arthur who was now making his way towards you. The speed of your heart rate picked you thought it'd jump out of your chest and ran away if it could.

Arthur stopped, just meer centimetres away. He towered over you causing a confusing mixture of emotions, your head was spinning.

His eyes scanned your face, your quivering lips and eyes, which darted frantically around the room, avoiding any sort of eye contact. You swallowed as his eyes wandered to your lips. His mouth parted slightly and his breath grew heavier before he began to speak again.

"Am i scaring you, miss?" His voice seemed sweet, filled with concern though you couldn't help but notice sinister undertone in the way he spoke.

You plucked up the courage to look him in his eye before responding, "No.."

You were unsure of your own answer amd he could tell. He smiled slightly at that, hesitantly rasing a hand to your chin, "Would you mind if I.."

His lips parted further as they searched for your own, your eyes fluttering shut as you both made contact. His free hand snaked around your waist as you reached up around his neck, causing you to drop the tea tray on the floor.

He pulled away for a second, gazing into your eyes as his hand held the side of your cheek. Your heart pounded, and you longed to kiss him again. How was this stranger making you feel this way?

You brought him back in for another kiss, this time you were hungry for it and he was too. You moved together rhythmically and passionately. Your bodies backed up aggressively against the bedroom door, slamming it shut.

A gasp left your mouth, as he removed your hands from his neck and pinned them both at either side of your head against the door. The sudden movement made you knees grow weeker and you felt yourself buckling underneath him.

He was strong, you couldn't escape his grip if you tried, not that you wanted to. He raised both your arms above your head and held your wrists in place with one hand.

His free hand began to explore your body, cupping a breast through your blouse. You could feel the smirk on his lips as a slight moan left your mouth.

His hand travelled further down, to your skirt, and he began to lift up the fabric to reach your thigh from underneath.

You could already feel yourself becoming increasingly wetter, and the sensation of his rough palms groping your skin made you only more aroused. His fingers moved further up to your panties and he began to tease your clit through your soaked underwear, forcing a pathetic whine from your lips.

"Damn girl," He laughed a husky laugh mockingly "I've bearly touched you."

Your cunt ached as you squeezed your legs together while he continued to play with your clit, using his thumb to rub painfully slow circles around it.

"F-fuck..." You found yourself unable to say anything in response only growing weaker to his touch.

His fingers hooked against your underwear and slowly he began to pull them down your legs, while he brought your mouth to his for another kiss, his tongue intertwining with yours.

His hand palmed your pussy while the other continued to hold you in place. You squirmed as he slid two fingers into your cunt and began to slowly pump them in and out of you.

Lewd noises filled the room as he fucked you relentlessly with his fingers. Eventually, he let go of your wrists, causing you to collapse against his chest while he continued to play with your cunt. He rested his free hand On the small of your back, keeping you close to him.

You moans grew louder as you found yourself closer to climax. He stopped moving abruptly, which made you cry out a little. He chuckled slightly as you began to grind against his fingers, desperately needing to cum.

"Easy girl..." You buried your head in his chest as he once again began to move his fingers in that same rhythm that had brought you so close to orgasm before.

You eyes rolled back and you squeezed your hands into fists against his body, unsure of what to do with yourself as he continued to pump in and out of you mercilessly.

Eventually the coil in your stomach snapped and you found yourself spasming around his fingers. Your legs shook as you came into the palm of his hand, your vision went white and all comprehansive thoughts in your head had vanished. You moaned his name, loudly, sqeezing your eyes shut as he guided you through your orgasm. He removed his hand from under you skirt and let go of you, causing you you to collapse on the ground.

"Damn, your pathetic," He laughed at your feeble position and you had never felt so vulnerable, humiliated or turned on. "Don't worry girl, we ain't finished."

You panted on the floor as he stood over you. You couldn't believe what had just happened. Arthur had seemed so sweet before, but now it seemed he was getting off on your neediness.

You looked up and watched as he began to unzip his pants and pull out his cock. The size made you a little nervous but you could already feel yourself getting wetter by the second. You rose on your knees and looked up at Arthur. With both hands you grabbed the base of his dick and parted your lips. Your tongue swirled around the tip and you could already taste the precum dripping from him.

"Atta girl," arthur praised your eagerness as you began to move your hands rhythmically up and down his shaft, your tongue focusing on the most sensitive areas.

A satisfied groan left Arthur's mouth as you took him deeper into your mouth. You could feel the veins that ran along his length as your tongue glided along his skin.

You looked up at his face, watching it contort in pleasure. You watched as his mouth hung open, heavy breaths and cuss words escaping from his lips. His brows furrowed when he grew impatient and his hands found their way to the back of your head, gripping strands of hair and shoving his cock deeper down your throat, making you gag.

Quickly, and uncaring of how you felt, Arthur continued to use your throat as a his personal fuck toy. His dick twitched as you choked on his size and struggled to cope with his harsh thrusts.

"Fuck.." Arthur let a low growl as thrusted himself deeply in your mouth one last time. Thick spurts of semen dripped down your throat and from the corners of your mouth. He removed his cock from your mouth, a string of saliva connecting your lips to the tip. With one hand he wiped the cum from your lips and with the other he pulled back you head, forcing you to look at him. "How'd that taste girl?"

You found yourself unable to respond, you weren't to sure what you were even supposed to say. Arthur zipped up his trousers and crouched to your level, taking your chin in-between his index and thumb. You marvled at his reddend cheeks and the sweat that glistend on his forehead, unable to think clearly.

Your lips remained parted as you stared at him. Your cunt ached for him, begging to be filled.

"You look so desperate," he teased. You swallowed your shame and averted your gaze from his.

You could feel yourself becoming wetter just from his words and began leaning in closer, a desperate attempt to beg for more all while your lips were sealed.

"Guess that's too bad," He let go of you abruptly and stood up leading you to awkwardly do the same.

"W-wait.." all you could muster up was a weak stutter. You were honestly offended but weren't sure if you could be. You didnt know this man and he didnt know you. Something that should be intimate wasn't intimate at all. Sure, you'd given him a bath but that was paid for and professional. This? This was no where near the same thing. "I-is that it?"

Arthur laughed. "What? You ain't had enough yet?"

The disappointment was more that noticable on your face. Arthur didn't say anything else, just laughed. He leaned close and reached behind you, opening the door to the hallway.

"Sorry girl, don't wanna overstay your welcome."

And as quickly as you entered, you had been shooed out. Without your tea tray. Your mind was running and you couldn't think, all you could do was make your way back to your room in a daze.

Your hair was a mess and your skin was reddened; still glistening with sweat. you lay on your bed, frustrated. Why didn't you go back and demand him to get the fuck out? Or at least ask for your tray back? Why did you even let him use your body like that in the first place?

Shame washed over you, you were unable to sleep that night. You couldn't help but wonder if he had gone all the way with you, you wouldn't be as pissed off as you were. A small part of you wanted to see him again.

[fioxis]

Okay so I swear I have a reasonable explanation for this (*coughs* no I don't)

I actually thought up this ship around the same time I drew that one 'pencil bois' art I posted last year but recently I rewatched some various DC cartoon episodes of Plas (and Creeps) and now Im huffing the delusional fumes again 😭😭

They're just... silly guys... being silly.... and gay... (My ship ramblings of how I imagine them to be under the cut)

----

I see them as a slow burn romance where they start out as friends to best friends, and then Ryder realizes wow he has a crush on Plastic Man of all people and Creeper makes fun of him until he realizes he also has a crush on Plastic Man of all people LMAO and this all building from months of them hanging out both in patrols and just having movie nights or something XD

Ryder eventually accepts like damnit I guess I do like this weirdo so in the headspace he's basically constantly simping whenever they're around Plas. Creeps, having to be the one who's physically there, just internally makes fun of Ryder constantly because while he also likes Plas, he's not nearly as much of a sap about it LMAO There's probably some times where he gets sappy and flustered but they're few and far between compared to how Ryder is in their head.

On Plas' side, I imagine him to be extremely oblivious to how his best friend feels about him because: (a) Creeps actually doesn't really give any indication of it outside of the moments where he gets sappy and flustered, otherwise he just continues to be extremely... himself; and (b) He's also started to feel some sort of way (a very sappy way) towards his best friend and oh my god hahaha it would be so weird if he liked liked his best friend, the Creeper, and theres no way he'd like him back so anyways we're just bros being bros amirite (very much deep in denial city)

Their alter egos are still hidden from each other, so they have no idea who the other person is and I think only few people know who their real identities are (one of those people being Batman of course). Why? Because I think its more fun that way hehehe.... I have this subplot in my head of how Eel O' Brian and Jack Ryder keep bumping into each other at like normal places (like the grocers or the park) around Gotham until they get to the point of like 'its that guy again' LOL

Is it possibly OoC? Perhaps. Very likely, in fact. But, my creeps and plas are very much a mish mash of different iterations and full of my own headcanons anyways so they're basically just my dollies at this point LMAO If you read into the end, thank you so much. Im kind of obsessed with these guys XDD Feel free to get in my ask box if you have any questions LOL

[pinkthick]

I’ll always be there for you

Credits: @bluekernal / @quaritchsgirl

Pairing: Avatar!Miles Quaritch & Kid!Miles Socorro

Summary: In the midst of their celebration because of their mission's successful outcome, Miles Quaritch's son suddenly wakes up from a nightmare. In an effort to comfort him, the colonel takes him outside the unit. By doing this, the man also begins to reflect on his prior life as a human, but more crucially, he begins to think about Paz.

Notes: Please take a moment to read this. Check out @bluekernal/ @quaritchsgirl ’s blog because she created this AU, and let me tell you, her artwork is incredible.This fanfiction was greatly inspired by her drawings.

While Miles did pass away in this fanfiction exactly like in the original film, the RDA would have started this project earlier because the avatar body was already on Pandora and the humans hadn’t been sent back to earth. The humans are still living there, but the Na’vi still don’t accept them so fights ensure from time to time. Even though Quaritch is an avatar now, he still retains his previous memories, and he continues to serve in the ‘military’ on Pandora without his consent since he literally became the RDA’s propriety, but Jake Sully isn’t that important to him, his son on the other hand is what matters most to Quaritch.

Little Miles awoke suddenly, his heart racing under his ribs like a scared bird thrashing against the bars of its cage. Even though the bedroom was completely dark, he could not shake the impression that he was not alone there. Unconsciously, he extended an arm to wake his father but instead discovered cold, empty sheets where Quaritch should have been.

Why wasn't his father here if he had just returned from his mission?

The child drew himself into a crouched position and made an effort to calm himself. He made an attempt to stop thinking about the nightmare he had just had, but it was useless.

He desperately tried to open the closed door by pounding on it. Regardless of who or what had locked him in, the handle had been removed. Every fiber of his being was on fire, and he could hear footsteps coming from behind him. Little Miles turned to look behind him as the sound of the creature's footsteps grew louder. As the door unexpectedly opened as he was turning back towards it, he didn't hesitate to run into the darkness.

His leg was grabbed by something soft, tripping him as hard, cruel fingers tightened around his ankle. Despite his desperate efforts, the hand tightened its hold till he could feel its fingernails piercing his flesh.

Now that he was helplessly pinned to the ground, the monster was standing above him. The creature's face was still hidden in the shadows, making it impossible for him to distinguish any of its features even if there was a low light in that room.

The squad was laughing as they told Z-Dog some stories from their most recent mission. She was unable to accompany them because of the injury she sustained during last week's training, but in all honesty, Quartich felt more at ease because his son stayed with her. Although he trusted his soldier more than the nurses, he still worried about how little Miles was doing.

The colonel's ears perked up just as Lyle reached over to grab a few beer cans. Everyone stopped what they were doing when they realized someone was crying.

Quaritch hastily left his team and headed to his room as his blood ran cold. His son's sobbing face greeted him when he opened the door. “Miles? What's the matter, bud?”

When his four-year-old turned to face his father, Quaritch eagerly embraced the child. Miles started crying harder, his body trembling from the power of his sobs as he buried his face in the colonel's neck. He gave the youngster a light tap on the back before starting to rhythmically and slowly stroke the boy's hair while whispering in his ear. "Buddy, unless you tell me what's wrong, I can't help you."

Z-dog had been attempting to calm Miles down every night because he had been having this nightmare for over a week, but the boy couldn't deny that he felt safer in his father's arms. The youngster cried out, "I had that nightmare again!” as he shuddured frantically in his father’s arms he continued. “And the creature almost got me this time.”

Quaritch began to rub calming circles into his son's back as best he could after kissing the boy’s unruly hair. “Easy tiger” he cooned “It was just a nightmare, that’s all. You know that I’m always here for you and I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Little Miles’s sobs subsided slightly at his father’s words and then sniffed loudly. The boy hadn't been waking up sobbing since he was practically a baby, and that worried the soldier as he gently rocked them into place.

He started to recall Miles as a young baby who had not yet learned to speak. The concept of falling asleep quickly anymore didn't occur to the colonel because his son had been wailing nearly every night at that time. Whenever the boy was crying, he was within seconds near the crib, gently picking him up and cradling him in his arms.

He didn’t want to wake up Paz back then, because she was exhausted most of the time after she gave birth, so he thought that at least he could do this to help her.

“Shh, it’s okay Miles. I’m here.” Slowly Quaritch rocked and bounced his son, hoping the cries would cease long enough to bring him back down to one of the kitchens to give him a bottle. With no such luck, he rushed down, before he woke up the entire unit, but most importantly Paz.

"These past two weeks, you've been very fussy. What's wrong, little guy?” the colonel asked as he struggled with the late-night feeding.

A few months ago, Quaritch could not have imagined himself sitting in the dark while talking with such a young child. He questioned whether it was stupid to talk to someone who was unable to even speak or sit by himself.

"You don't even realize how much is going on around you." The kid finally gave in to the bottle, softly whining as he drank. Quaritch never grew tired of the sound of his soft little voice or the sensation of his tiny hands in his.

“There you are tiger” he couldn’t help but smile “You’re feeling better, aren’t you? There’s no need to wake up your mother.”

The infant's eyes opened, looking at the bottle in front of him first before turning to face his father. Miles had every reason to believe that he would be able to put his son to sleep once more, but he abruptly stopped eating and started to wail again.

The colonel made a few more futile attempts to get the bottle in his son's mouth before giving up and bringing him to his shoulder. After rubbing and patting the boy's back for a few minutes to get him to rest, he once more cradled the boy in his arms, and the struggle started all over again.

This time, Little Miles finished the bottle, and the colonel began to rock him gently so that he could put him back to sleep. He never imagined becoming a father, but here he was. On a different planet with his family if he dared to say so. He was so terrified that he would lose everything if he simply closed his eyes. There was no point in lying because he enjoyed being a father and loved being with Paz. Although they didn't actually discuss their relationship all that much, his son would not have been born if they hadn't loved eachother.

Although his father was still deep in thought, the boy kept looking up at Quaritch and clenched his little fist around his nightshirt. He certainly helped in caring for the child, but naturally, most of the responsibility fell on her. And she did it cheerfully and wholeheartedly. Yet occasionally, tiredness overcame Paz, and the colonel felt so helpless because he felt like he couldn’t to that much to help her. The least he could was let her rest over the night.

He noticed that his son's eyes were beginning to close when he turned back to face him, so he decided to return Miles to his crib. The infant was awakened by being taken away from his father's warmth and began to cry once more.

As Quaritch lowered his hand into the crib and stroked the baby's delicate hairs, he once more attempted to soothe the young boy. He calmed down for a brief period, but when his father lifted his hand, he became agitated once more. The soldier picked up him once more, and he immediately became calm.

“You simply don't want to be alone, is that it?” Miles questioned as soon as he noticed the infant closing his hands and opening them in a demand-like manner. After giving his son a moment of puzzled attention, the infant suddenly raised his hands, and Quaritch allowed himself to softly tap their forehands as the young child clutched his father's face between his small hands.

His line of thinking was interrupted when the boy cupped his father's face as the soldier leaned in with a softness that was almost heartbreaking. He couldn't help but feel a twinge in his heart when he remembered that moment all over again while holding Miles in this position once more. Since that particular evening, when the boy was just a baby, they have been doing this. It brought both of them some comfort.

It realizaton of much has changed since then hit the soldier like a brick. Everything was much simpler back then, when he was just a human… when Paz was alive. Even though the woman had passed away years ago, he still missed her. He could see her in eveything Miles did and it hurt like hell. Even if he didn’t want to admit that.

As he looked at his son again he took note that the boy was no longer crying, but tears still continued to prickle in the corners of his eyes and the soldier decided to take a chance. “Do you want to go back to sleep?”

When his father said that, the youngster quietly distanced from him and turned to stare at his small mask. Miles didn’t trust his voice right now, but luckily for him Quaritch understood what the youngster wanted and he grabbed his son's hoodie off the chair and gave it to him.

While the boy was getting ready, the soldier went to check the oxygen level in his exopack. 70% Even though he had enough and they wouldn't be gone for long, he nonetheless packed a spare canister of oxygen just in case.

Since his son was still so little and the colonel didn't want him to get hurt, he didn't usually take him outside very often, but it was obvious that Miles loved being outside. The boy loved the nature and he would examine every flower, tree, or insect he could find outside the unit whenever he had the chance. Like his mother, the youngster was utterly enthralled by this world, and he couldn't help but get a warm sensation in his chest.

“I—I’m ready” Little Miles said, and Quaritch proceeded to put the boy's mask on, ensuring that it was properly positioned. God forbid that something happened to his little boy.

“Let’s go then” The colonel took his youngster in his arms and the both left the bedroom as well as the unit, without saying anything to anyone.

“I like looking at the stars.” The boy murmured somewhat shyly to his father, who smiled in response. They were in the forest now, but not that deep into it. It was about a ten minutes walk from their unit, but God it was so peaceful here. There were no buildings, no machines, there was only nature around them. This area was filled with tall grass and equally tall white flowers that were scattered all across the ground.

Large, leafless trees could be seen in the distance, and there would occasionally be a passing insect that resembled a firefly. It was quite artistically pleasing, and at night, when the moon was shining and there were bright stars scattered across the sky, it was even more so. They were lying on their backs in the grass, gazing up at luminescent stars sprinkled all across the fascinating and mesmerizing sky. Back at the unit, it was unusual to see so many in one location, but they were still lovely.

Although Pandora was a wonderful world, he occasionally missed Earth. There were rumours circulating in the unit that the fabric of life, upon which all humans depend, is still deteriorating quickly as a result of human activity. The quality of life for people and the lives of future generations will be drastically decreased if they continue to lose significant portions of the natural environment, and it appeared that no effective action was being taken. Quaritch didn’t know what was going on inside their heads, but it was very evident that they would not stop causing damage to their home. They gave up on Earth.

He also had a sneaking suspicion that they wanted to invade Pandora in order to establish it as their new homeworld. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but again, there were only rumors. And they'd better stay rumors.

Then Quaritch looked at his hand, which was glowing in the dark, and even though he was aware that his entire body was in fact emitting a luminous light. Believe it or not, even after all those 3 years, he still thought it was amazing and strange at the same time that he had these distinct patterns of bioluminescent dots on his skin. Occasionally, the boy didn’t let his father turn on the lights in their room so that Quaritch could shine in the dark like a glow stick because apparently he looks ‘very cool’. He sometimes was too innocent for this world.

“You like it here, don’t you?” The colonel questioned as he rolled over into a sitting position. He noticed that his son mimicked him, now also sitting straight up and he couldn’t stop himself from encircling his tail around Miles.

“Yeah” the child answered while keeping his gaze fixed on the stars “But I still can’t find the North Star.” At that his father’s ears perked up then the colonel took his son’s small hand in his own.

He began to lead the boy's hand to where he could find it and said, "First you need to discover the Big Dipper, then look for the two stars on the end of the Dipper's 'cup' and they point to where the North Star is” His son cocked his head slightly before breaking into a broad smile. “I see it now.” Quaritch chuckled a little as he continued to look at the sky.

He released his son’s hand and they both remained silent for a while but the colonel broke the silence by saying, "You know your mother's up there too." The boy's attention was drawn when the man's voice cracked a little at that comment. There weren't many videos of Paz, and the only framed picture of her that Quaritch had was on the table in his room. Even though he didn't want to admit it, especially to himself, is that he missed her every day.

No matter how many times he watched those videos with her, the soldier felt as though he was forgetting her. He knew what she looked like, but it seemed as though he was beginning to forget her features as time went on. Even though it greatly upset him, he could still perceive similarities between the youngster and his mother.

“Dad..do you think that she is watching over us right now?” As Little Miles inquired, the colonel was completely unaware when he began to tear up.

He replied after sniffing "Most definitely," the boy stared bewildered at his father, because he knew that his dad didn’t usually cry "After giving birth to you, your mom actually couldn't sleep more than two hours," Despite his trembling voice, he continued, "Every night she would jump out of her bed and would always hurry to your side to make sure you were okay."

"I wish I remembered her," his son confessed and Quaritch had a bittersweet taste on his tongue. Miles was unable to recall his mother due to his failures as a commander and, most significantly, as a lover. There was nothing he could do about that now, but he would always blame himself for his son growing up without a mother.

Once more, silence fell upon them, but this time it was broken by the kid. “Can we go home?” He asked as he yawned slightly and his father nodded. Quaritch took him in his arms and held him close as he began to walk towards the exit of the forest. Then Miles encircled his father's neck with his arms as he let his head fall on top of his shoulder. I will always protect you little one.

Though neither of them appeared to be aware of the pair of yellow eyes, watching them through the leaves of a tree as they emerged from the woods.

Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ ?

Notes: Thank you so much guys for your comments; they truly made my day. 😭💕I hope you all enjoyed this part, and if anyone has any ideas for future parts of this series, I'd be more than happy to include them.

[keepsmagnetoaway]

Captain America Annual 4 (November 1977)

Jack Kirby

Yo, remember this guy?

No, not Magneto - Jack fucking Kirby. A man you may recall from, like, the creation of the X-Men. I talked about him a lot back then. Between 1966, when we last saw him, and 1977, where we see him now, he'd been on something of a journey, leaving Marvel under slightly trickt circumstances, going to DC to write insane space opera, leaving DC under slightly tricky circumstances, and coming back to Marvel, now a huge but kind of unknowable star.

He came back to write and draw Captain America, not an obvious choice for him given that he was one of the few significant Marvel characters from before Kirby's day, and one who wasn't really in tune with the sci-fi stuff Kirby seemed to be mostly interested in. The overall results were uneven, and Kirby left again a couple of years later to work on his own stuff: he never returned to the major studios.

This, therefore, is a bit of an oddity: we're reading it because it's a Magneto story, by the co-creator of Magneto, but it's also a Captain America story that doesn't tie in to wider X-Men continuity at all (or even really into Captain America's ongoing story: it's a double-length standalone). It's a major work by a total genius but its appearance even at the time must have been weird: since his 60s heyday Kirby's art had only gotten...Kirbier, divering from the mainstream into ever more expressionist modes, full of weird angles, strange framing, bizarre proportions.

Also, he was writing his own stuff now, no longer working alongside Stan Lee to invent practically every major Marvel character but instead giving full vent to his own concepts. The result is fucking weird.

Are you seeing this? Mister One is a completely immobile teeeeny tiny mutant who some random dude is keeping in his watch. Also he's looked after by his giant pal, Mister Two.

This entire story is like a fever dream. The plot isn't the point, especially as it isn't relevant to our ongoing X-Men exploration (suffice to say that at the end Magneto escapes unharmed through a hidden hatch), but look at this stuff.

Go ahead and check recent posts to see what most comics looked like in 1977, and then look at this.

That's Peeper, a Magneto henchman who just got introduced on this very page. As with a lot of the art here, it looks for a moment like he might be silly, but he really fucking isn't. Why are Peeper and Magneto hanging out in a castle full of voodoo statues? Why not?

Kirby's art has reached a kind of naivete that's the product of incredible sophistication. Like you know when you drew comics as a kid and, even though they came out terrible on the page, in your head they looked incredible? They looked like this.

And then it ends (it turns out Mister One and Mister Two were actually the same being in two bodies, if you were wondering, which doesn't make any sense but so what). Absolutely fucking wild.

I'm fairly sure we won't see Kirby again at any point in this reading process, so that's our unexpected farewell to him. I was kind of hard on him in some of the 60s posts but this was almost like an out-of-body experience, so strange, so good, so unexpected. Goddamn.

[blueberry-lemon]

What I Did In 2023

Ever since finishing school in 2017, I've always had a hard time feeling like I've "accomplished anything" in a given year. The months all blur together, and it's crazy how quickly I will forget something that happened or something I did.

To help myself with this, I wrote up a post last year of What I Did In 2022, which honestly felt good. So I figured I'd try again.

Sorry if you find these kinds of posts obnoxious. Hidden under the Read More just in case you do!

A few things I accomplished in 2023:

I wrote some stuff

I wrote Chapters 3 and 4 of Soul Symphony: Abandoned Encore. This is a sequel to a webcomic called Soul Symphony that I made and completed from 2010-2015. Olivia Myers, former music maestro and magical-girl adventurer, lives life as a depressed freelancer after quitting her teaching job. I think literally only like 2 or 3 people are even reading this, but good enough!

I wrote about JOMO, the Joy of Missing Out, when players have to work with different characters and resources in games.

I wrote a review of Bittersweet, an album by Jamie Paige.

My big piece of the year, which I chipped away at for months, reflected on nostalgia in culture and our personal lives.

I wrote about Cozy Games, which bizarrely was recognized in a Critical Distance weekly roundup.

I wrote about my fear for the direction of art and social media, a review of the writing in Sea of Stars, and other Cohost/Tumblr posts, which you can find in the #blogofkylelab tag.

As usual, I've continued my work as a Writer working on Rhythm Doctor, detailed below.

Art and Game Dev

Another sad year of barely 👏 drawing 👏 anything 👏 which is a huge bummer but I'm coming to terms with it.

Don't have anything finished to show for it, but doing a lot of messing-around in Twine and RPGMaker, which has been good for practice at least.

I funded the guest art and music for an upcoming card game, Isle of Swaps. I commissioned around a dozen artists, who I think drew around 50 total cards. Getting paid work as an artist is getting rough out there, so I wanted to help freelance artists the best I could.

Still working on Rhythm Doctor and A Dance of Fire and Ice at 7th Beat Games

We released Act 5 of Rhythm Doctor, which was our huge undertaking of the year! I co-wrote this with fizzd, and for the first time we were working with a completely blank slate with no levels made beforehand. I was recently looking through my Google Docs and was reminded how many different drafts and outlines I had come up with for this Act, some of which were long before the "athlete" story was even decided upon at all. I eventually helped come up with the character of Lucky (designed by our pixel artist Winston), and we got it all built out from there. I had a part in almost every sentence you see in the Act, I believe. I think I did an okay job, and players seem to really like the story and characters of Act 5, so that's a big relief.

Other Stuff

I've been running IndieGamesOfCohost for more than a full year now! I hope people have been enjoying this. It's been really tough to make the spare time for it, especially getting multiple developer interviews up per month, but I'm gonna keep pushing forward. Maybe "one interview a month" is a better goal to aim for. It's hard to tell how much people enjoy the efforts, but people do keep Liking and Sharing and Following so hopefully that means I'm doing something good with my spare time lol.

My partner and I moved! Aside from Act 5 of Rhythm Doctor this was probably the biggest thing. It was my first time apartment-hunting, as well as finding and paying for a moving truck and buying big furniture, getting renters insurance and all sorts of annoying stuff. In past apartments, I was lucky enough to be invited in as a roommate after the place was already set up. I also helped my parents pack up to move from the house they lived in for 28 years. Lots of moving. Hopefully no moving in 2024.

I hope your 2023 was bearable! Take pride in the little things you were able to get done. Let's all push through 2024 together.

[spicykat9]

It’ll be Quick Ch. 2

Author’s note: I was ask to do a continuation of a fic I wrote back in 2021. So here it is. You can find the first part here.

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: NedPort/PortNed

Word Count: 804

Read on AO3

Tim tried to suppress a groan as Afonso nipped and licked at his neck. Just as Tim knew exactly how to make Afonso feel good, Afonso also knew how to make him feel good. Perhaps even more so. Even back when they were just fuck buddies, Afonso’s romantic suaveness seeped in every now and then. During their gentle sessions, an affectionate hand carded through his hair, a gentle peck before he took off into the night.

“I’ve missed you,” Afonso mumbled into Tim’s collarbone. “So, so much” He sucked on the skin, and Tim gasped.

“We’ve spent all day together,” Tim tsked.

“Yeah, but that’s not the same. I can’t hold you or kiss you.” He kissed Tim’s lips, slow and sensual, hands creeping under Tim’s clothes and caressing the hidden skin. “We need to get you out of those.”

Afonso fiddled with Tim’s buttons, stripping him down until he was completely bare. Tim shivered.

Afonso chuckled lowly as he slipped out of his own boxers. “I would like to take my time with you, but I’m feeling impatient.”

Afonso grounded down on Tim hard, bringing attention to the Dutchman’s hard-on. Tim gasped sharply.

“I’m going to make sure you still feel me tomorrow while you’re sitting in those office chairs,” Afonso smirked as he inserted his first lubed finger. “Unable to find a comfortable position, squirming all because of me. And I’ll get to watch it all.”

Tim’s cheeks hurt with how red they were getting. Or perhaps that was how he was clenching his teeth, trying to hold back any sound and Afonso worked him open. One. Two. Three fingers scraped along his insides.

Just as he thought he was about to burst, Afonso pulled away. Tim scoffed, throwing his head against the pillows.

“Awww. Don’t get huffy now querida. Wouldn’t want to punish you now.”

Afonso’s versions of punishments were far from punishing, but they were agonizingly slow. Lips drawn thin, Tim looked to the side and braced for what came next. Afonso thrusted in rather roughly. Tim let out a strangled cry, gripping the sheets.

Afonso captured Tim’s lips in a tender kiss, easing himself in a little more slowly. His thumb drew circles into Tim’s hip. Time tried to release his muscles despite the intrusion. This was exactly why he rarely bottomed.  Just hold on a little longer. I will feel good in a moment.

“I’m sorry, meu amor,” Afonso whispered, kissing along his cheek lovingly. His lips caressed Tim’s jaw and then his neck, then his collarbone. He sucked hard at the skin, marking him once more between two hickies already fading from their last session. It made Tim’s skin tingle and soon, he had forgotten all about his discomfort.

Afonso gave an experimental thrust, slow, shallow. Then he froze.

“Keep going…” Tim breathed out, gripping Afonso’s shoulders.

That was all Afonso needed to let loose. He didn’t waste much time speeding up to a pounding pace. Tim writhed beneath, focusing on the way Afonso brushed against his sweet spot, sending jolts of pleasure up his spine. A few little ‘ahs’ escaped him.

Afonso gasped and groaned, nails digging into Tim’s skin. “God…You feel so good.”

“Just keep going,” Tim grunted. He hated when Afonso tried to sweet talk him. Or talk at all during sex.

Luckily, Afonso got the hint. He took it even a step further, aiming right for the prostate with deeper thrusts.

“Fuck!” Tim growled, grip on Afonso tightening. Looked like Tim wasn’t going to be the only one marked up.  Good.

Just when Tim thought he was starting to get the upper hand, Afonso pushed in hard and deep right up against that wonderful bundle of nerves that made Tim melt. Everything went white. Static filled his ears. He should have been scared, but instead, he felt warm and compliant.

“Minha querida?” Afonso called, though his voice sounded distant. “Está tudo bem. Estou aqui. Tim, can you hear me?”

“Ja, ja,” Tim groaned, “Kop dicht.”

Tim cracked his eyes open. Afonso was hovering above him, hand on Tim’s cheek, caressing it gently. Time leaned into the touch though he tried to keep up his grouchy face.

“As long as you’re still there, that’s all I need,” Afonso giggled. He kissed Tim’s forehead and settled beside him, head on the Dutch man’s chest.

Tim wrapped an arm around him. “Satisfied now?”

“Mhm. Unless you aren’t.”

“I didn’t even want to come in the first place.”

“But you did.” Afonso rubbed his nose against Tim’s cheek. “Because you loooove me.”

“Shut. Up.”

“Fine, fine,” Afonso conceded. “Thank you. And I really did miss you.”

“Ik heb jou ook gemist,” Tim muttered under his breath.

“What?”

“Let’s go to sleep.”

“Okay, okay.” Afonso wiggled a bit and cuddled closer. “Goodnight. I love you.”

“Yeah…Yeah…Same.”

Afonso snorted.

Translations: 

Minha querida? Está tudo bem. Estou aqui. = My darling? Hey, it's alright. I'm right here.

Ja, ja. Kop dicht. = Yes, yes. Now shut up.

ik heb jou ook gemist = I missed you too

[garudabluffs]

At Adele's Vegas residency, intimacy is the ultimate luxury

March 20, 2023 "After scaling up to arenas and stadiums like her peers, it's in the controlled stillness of a theater stage-managed to match her songs' swirling moods that Adele seems to have found her place at last. Caesars Palace seats approximately 4,300, and even at its highest reaches there is an enclosed proximity to the space. "Weekends with Adele" makes that intimacy feel luxurious, though not with sprawling sets or scores of dancers: She might be in Vegas, but she hasn't gone Vegas. Instead, each production choice gently bends the possibilities of the place to her own brand.

+"Knowing that she has generally recorded her own backing vocals in the studio made for one of my favorite arrangements in the show, when she lets her trio of backup singers take the lead on the 21 standout "One and Only" and performs the 21 track's haunting, operatic background parts herself, under a dimmed spotlight.

Adele has always seemed disconnected from her generation of stars: old-fashioned in spirit and strategy, largely absent from social media. As New York Times critic Jon Pareles explained on an episode of Popcast, she's a holdover from the pre-streaming monoculture and a CD-era music industry, whose ballgown presentation and songbook all feel aggressively disconnected from the new frontiers of globalizing pop. She may have arrived at the height of London's 2000s soul-pop zeitgeist, but at this stage, her lyrics of nostalgia, regret and self-forgiveness feel aged. Which is precisely why I found her Vegas performance so moving: She is an artist of emotional archives, so it's thrilling to see her breathing new life, new drama, into her catalog. Even when the set list drew heavily from the archives of 19 or 21, each live arrangement felt urgent."

Holding back tears, she shared in one of her interludes that this residency was the happiest she had ever been onstage, and had affirmed that while she might not be a touring artist right now, she could indeed be a live artist.

"It hasn't always been easy to be a fan of Adele the live performer, and it might be a stretch to say that "Weekends with Adele" has made the experience accessible. There are only so many seats to be had across its 17 weekends (though there are rumors that the dates may be extended), and those with tickets also take on the not-so-hidden costs of travel and lodging. But in the context of a chaotic and punitive concert economy, she's delivered an evening worth the wait."

READ MORE https://www.npr.org/2023/03/20/1164075762/adele-vegas-residency-live-review

[queerlich]

August 1st to August 7th 2022

Lately, I’ve been noticing exhaustion and irritability in myself, and in talking with confidants I know I am not alone in that. Perhaps you too, in reading this, are reminded of your own difficult days. Today, I asked the cards “How do we counter the pervasive exhaustion capitalism demands of us? How can we say ‘no’ more often so we can say ‘yes’ to what we really want? How do we step into the new worlds we want to see?” I drew three cards for this, the first being the remedy we need right now, the second giving us insight into what we need to say no to, and the last being a reflection for what obscures the new world we are moving towards.

Image Description: The Empress (3rd major arcana) a person with long golden hair wears a dress of leaves and a halo of stars. They rise up above golden energy, ready to receive. The Devil (15th major arcana) shows a red and orange forest. Inverted as it is, it makes the dark tree trunks look as if the forest floor is their leaves and the red leaves the ground. A snake slithers along, camoflogued quite well. The Eight of Chalices show a cloaked, bald figure traversing through a red mist. It has almost fully enveloped them though they look forward, through the portal created by this mist. A stack of eight cups are under one hand as if a walking stick.

The Remedy We Need Right Now

The Empress (3)

Reciprocal care and love. The Empress is the ultimate embodiment of reciprocity and finds ease in uncovering how they can organize networks to create a culture of care. This archetype reminds us that love is meant to be ease-filled. It is only difficult right now because of how we exist under capitalism, colonialism and white supremacy along with the long-standing histories of all. So what if we could bring the ease back into love? What if we could let go of it “needing” to be difficult and reconnect to Love as Easy?

The Empress as the Remedy we need means that more than ever we need to build our care networks. We need to support those we care about. We need to be connected. This isn’t the time for infighting about the academics of activism. This is the time for remembering that we are all human. That we all have worth. That we all can work toward change parallel to each other, we all have a role to play.

What to Say “NO” to More Often

The Devil (15) Reversed

I have the experience of The Devil only coming up when it is truly needed. When it is the TIME. When it needs to be received. This archetype is of challenging our vices, our shadow sides, our own darkness. A time to look ourselves in the mirror and see how we are lost, how we have hidden ourselves, how we have been enslaved. Have we given up our power? What did we relinquish to someone else when we really needed to keep it close?

Having the Devil as the reminder of what we need to say ‘NO’ to, is such an alignment. Especially in its reversed form. Here its energy gets stronger. In looking at the imagery, with the ground now being the vivid red leaves and the snake slithering above you, ready to drop; you realize the precariousness of your position. This ground isn’t as stable. We could fall through and into the void sky below. The Devil cups your face in its hands and says “say no more often, or else you will be lost in more ways than you can imagine.” The words are harsh, but have an underpinning of love.

What is Obscuring the New World we are Moving Towards

Eight of Chalices Reversed

A risk. A journey where leaving behind our comfort zone could build something even better than what we have. Here the figure has their back turned towards us. They aren’t looking back, or even thinking about returning to the world they have left behind. Instead, they are taking a pause to bask in the splendour of what’s next. A pause to reflect on what they want to create in (and with) this new place they are heading to.

In being reversed, there is apprehension. Instead of readiness and excitement for the risk being taken alone, there is also a note of fear. We start to question ourselves more, is the risk worth it? Do I really need to leave behind what’s comfortable? Why should I bother? It is these fears, these worries that are obscuring the New World. It is fear that holds us back in this place. We could be living, right now, as if we are there. We can orient our way of being to align with who we imagine exists in that future. We can relate to each other, to ourselves, to our ancestors with the care and love that the future will.

[dotster001]

May I request one of the Twisted Earth story you made but like with the Heartslabyul students?

Twisted Earth Part Two

Summary: Heartslaybul x gn!reader. They are real, and you're the game.

Part One Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six

His mother disapproved of video games, they took away from study time. So when Cater took his phone and downloaded the game for him, he didn't open it for months.

It's the only game on his phone, and it's in a hidden folder so that when his mother searches his phone, she can't find it.

He only plays once a month, usually after Cater tells him an event is going on.  He'll heave a heavy sigh, open it for an hour or so, and not play again.

He was drawn to you. He doesn't know what it is. Maybe he's touch starved, maybe he knows his mother wouldn't approve of you if you were real, or maybe there's something about you that, deep down, makes him feel safe.

He doesn't actually have any of your cards. His only cards he has are from his initial ten pull that the game gave him. But he read through the story, and that's all he needs for now.

Cater also kidnapped his phone to download the game.  He only plays while he's waiting for things in the oven to finish up. So he actually plays a lot, but in short intervals.

He thinks you'd help him with his jobs. Or maybe you wouldn't, and you'd cause more trouble. He understands it would depend on your mood. But he's along for the ride.

He drew your basic SSR in his first ten pull, and he's satisfied with that. He never plays events, because he just doesn't have time or energy for it. He can just see pictures and the stories that come with online, without having to invest the effort.

For the last unbirthday party, he made a cake loosely I spired by you and your color scheme. The only person who noticed was Cater, who smirked at him the entire time. Trey was definitely not blushing when Cater confronted him about it.

The second the game was starting to look like it'd go viral, it was on Carter's phone, and his magicam. He did a thorough review, and gave it  five stars! The game devs were thrilled and reached out to him for a sponsorship. He's been regularly sponsored ever since. 

He has modeled several looks based on your colors. He's doing the twisted wonderland version of Disney bounding for you. The first time he did, your voice actor reached out to him. His most viral magicam post is him and your va modeling "Disney bound" looks of a particularly popular event outfit you had.

If he's not on magicam, he's playing your game. He has all your cards, and is neglecting any character that isn't you. (Apologies to your peers, he just isn't interested) He giggles a little whenever your character greets him on the home screen. He thinks you're so sweet, he just wants to scoop you up and protect you from all the bad in the world.

Speaking of…he loves to read angst fanfiction where he comes to your rescue or cheers you up. He is definitely not crying and thinking about his own depression. His eyes are just pissing.

Having befriended the devs and your va, there's talk of having him as a VA when the anime comes out… so follow for announcements on his magicam!

Thought you were hot. Downloaded the game for that reason, and that reason alone.  (Sorry guys, I love ace, but irl he's a fuck boy, and you can't change my mind)

A very casual, and secretive, player. Doesn't want anyone to know he's playing, no matter how popular or mainstream it is.

Anyone who the devs or fandom ship with you is blacklisted in his mind. He barely takes care of your cards, but those cards are never used and never looked at.

He has a body pillow of you, but it's hidden under his bed so that Deuce and his roommates can't find it. He's pretty sure they'd make fun of him if they knew (he's right, they would). When all three of his roommates are out of town, or gone home for a short holiday or something, he'll pull it out and cuddle "you".

You're adorable, hard working, and so kind to those you care about. It was love at first sight for poor Deuce. Sevens, he wishes you were real.He worries his past would scare you off if you were real, though. So he's fine pretending for now.

His mom knows about his like of your character, and got him a chibi plushie of you. It sits on his desk. He's so happy to have it.

He plays a lot, but he's not very good at the battles or rhythm game elements. So he's just an average player. Nothing to write home about.

He is one of the many secret techies of NRC, so he and Idia teamed up to design an otome version of your game. He uses a pseudonym, because he would just die if anyone found out he'd worked on it.

He has half of your basic collection, and one of your event cards. He's so proud of his collection, even though it's not the best one in the world.

Wrote a fan letter to the devs. He got back a poster signed by them and all the va's. He was so happy.

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU Idea: Information Warfare

Analysis is Midoriya Izuku’s only hobby. He could almost count sketching, but considering all he drew were heroes, it was probably a stretch. Still, he didn;t think anything would come of it, but when he sees the news reporting about a villain at large with a telekinesis quirk when he knows it’s gravity manipulation - well. He has to tell someone. Bad info could get them killed.

Sir Nighteye very rarely receives fan emails, even with his history of being All Might’s only sidekick, so it’s still agency policy to read each one. When what is clearly an information broker pops up in his emails, sending packet after pack of analysis on active cases, he sees it. He isn’t stupid enough to dismiss it either.

When the information saves his young intern’s life, he gets invested.

It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these, huh? Lets hope I’m not too rusty.

So, set when Izuku is in his second last year of middle school, about 13 years old. His father told him his mother left when he was 8, they up and left Mustutafu and he hasn’t seen her since. Midoriya Hisashi is negligent and mean, doesn’t care where his son is as long as he can’t see him and no cops or heroes end up at his door.

Not a villain because it’s too risky, but he works as a laborer and doesn’t really care about how dodgy the job is. Make enough money for himself to live comfortably in a low income area. Doesn’t make enough to live comfortably with a son - so he pays the bare minimum heeded to keep social services off his back.

He considered sending the emails to All Might, but he knew they’d get buried under all the fan mail he’s constantly sent, and he trusted Nighteye to not brush it off instantly.

Hes not exactly shocked when the man assumes hes an information broker - technically he almost is, he’s just not charging for it. And only sending information to one person. Ok so he’s probably more an informant, and being associated with villains is kinda rough, but it lends him a lot of credibility if they think he has better connections to the underworld than a wifi hotspot, a house in a shady area and some security cameras someone else hacked into.

Nighteye asks if he’d be willing to meet up, which Izuku declines. Undeterred, he asks if Izuku would instead be ok with joining in on a briefing via video. It’s a terrible idea, but he can’t help but say yes. He keeps his camera off and taped over, and downloads to voice modulation program.

He also spends a solid hour trying to think of an alias. He picks Snitch. Thats what they think he is, and he’s been called as much before for asking for help. It’s different, this time.

it takes him a while to feel comfortable chiming in - he’s use to what happens if he tries. but he’s not Deku right now, not here. He’s an information broker. He’s Snitch. He could blow the underworld right open if he set his mind to it.

He helps plan their attack better, draws maps through floorplans for the most effective routes to check the rooms of interest, marks the most likely places for the goods to be hidden. With his information they are in and out in 20 minutes. It’s shockingly effective.

Nighteye was interested before. Now he’s invested.

Snitch is clearly a social outcast, but hes practised enough at social interaction that hes not totally isolated. Unlikely to have any strong social ties, which reduces the likely hood of him working for any specific group. He’s probably a contract worker, maybe didn’t choose villainy but fell into i. He could still be helped. He could get an information hero license, really help. But first, he has to find him.

In Mutsutafu, a mother looks for her son, kidnapped by his father when he was 8 years old. An angry boy feels crushing guilt for letting it happen - Deku was right there and he just let the bastard take him and run.

They still search.

[hannahlily]

So i saw this, and ,, 😧😧 ooOH

I wanna request some tamaki suoh smut😁👍🏾 The most necessary thing, is that this takes place during episode nine or whatever episode it was that had tamaki wear that big red dress he wore, and the reader was his partner (reader is gender-neutral), and their relationship is secret. Well, not really secret because Haruhi and Kyoya know. Haruhi found out from walking in on them kissing, and Kyoya knows because he knows everything.

Now onto the request., Tamaki wore a big red dress, like the other host club members. Kyoya noticed that Tamaki was acting a bit odd. Tamaki would always start smiling out of nowhere, and he would make faint noises, and he had his hands where his crotch was. Later, Kyoya asked Tamaki what was wrong with him. Tamaki told him that he shouldn’t worry. Kyoya then soon found out that the reader was under Tamaki’s dress, sucking him off.

Holy hell, YES. I really wish this wasn’t anonymous because I want to know you. This is amazing. Dear god, I rewatched this episode and dear god is it something else! I also re-read the post you mentioned and damn I did it’s been a while since I’ve written smut. By the way, I’m retconning the story so Haruhi is just friends with everyone and the female uniform is more similar to the boys than that awful dress. Also, the detail of Mori being the only one not wearing a dress is definitely another concept I should write about. Anyways … without further ado, the actual story.

16+ Warning: reference to smut (obviously), oral male receiving, that should be it

Tamaki x Hitachiin reader

(Kyoya’s POV)

Kyoya didn’t particularly like this idea but he supposed if it was necessary to keep Haurh around he would do it. But he almost drew the line at hosting like that. For some reason, this was where he ended up, in a dress at the back of the room trying to stay hidden. This gave Kyoya lots of time to observe. Kyoya knew something was off with Tamaki right away. When Kyoya tried to ask him afterwards Tamaki just brushed him off. Kyoya was interested now, he wanted to get to the bottom of this, but little did he know what he was getting into.

(Third POV)

The last guest had left the host club and the boys had changed into regular clothing.

“That was a funny guy but why didn’t you just wear the girls' uniforms?” Haruhi asks, causing all the boys to freeze.

“Come on that would have been so much easier” Hikaru complains.

“But it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun,” you say with a smirk, side-eyeing Tamaki and making his whole face blush.

“What do you mean Y/N chan?” Honey asks.

“Just that those skirts don’t cover much, I mean it would be impossible to-“ you say before being cut off by a panicked Tamaki.

“It would be imposable for the guest to actually focus on us, that's all, right Y/N/N” Tamaki looks at you with begging eyes. His words and action made it clear he didn’t exactly want the host club to find out about the way it was a good idea to have the long poofy dress. You just wanted to get back at Tamaki for his wandering hands the last time you were with the host club. Well get back is the wrong word, you wanted to punish him. If he wanted to act slutty in public he could risk getting caught.

“Yeah that, I think there’s also something about the uniforms in the student handbook anyways,” you say which earns a realized sigh from Tamaki. No one seemed to buy it but they didn’t bring it up. Hikaru and Kaoru, two of the three who knew about your relationship because they saw you kissing, could infer what happened and fully intended to tease Tamaki about it later. Haruhi was the other one who knew but she didn’t care enough to think about it.

Kyoya on the other hand did a thing about it, and he just got more confused. He finally settled on asking you on your own later.

Almost everyone had left, you were helping Kyoya with the last of the paperwork for the upcoming gala the club was throwing and Kyoya thought it was as good a time as any.

“So Y/N, what were you going to say about the dress earlier?”. 

You chuckled a little, “Oh that, just that, oh wait I haven’t told you yet have I?”.

“Told me what?”.

“Tamaki and I are together, like romanticly”.

“Just romanticly?” Kyoya questions with a quirked brow making you blush. It was a nightmare when your brothers found out but you would take that over this right now.

“W-well sexually too I guess” you stammer.

“Alright, I get the picture, just be safe and how about not on club time alright, that kind of indecency is bad for business,” Kyoya says very calmly before packing up and leaving you alone in the music room very confused. 

You later heard from Tamaki about the ear full Kyoya gave him. “Honestly he sounded more like your big brother than the twins”.

[ikaroux]

Xiao: Always (part 2) (EN)

f!reader

The Japanese dubbing of Kirito (Sword art online), helped me a lot to imagine how Xiao's emotions would be expressed.

The ost that inspired me a lot for most of the scenes:

Ori and the will of the wisps: Fading of the Light and The story of Niwen (The ost in general fits Xiao perfectly <3)

Masterlist

Part 1

You had been in Liyue for several months now for your research. You had met several people there, some of whom had turned into real friendships. Hu Tao, Ganyu and the lovely Qiqi were the only girls with whom you had formed a real friendship and then there was Mr. Zhongli with whom you liked to talk a lot.

But above all you met Xiao, a taciturn young man with a cold look in his eyes. After some research, you learned who he really was, a follower protecting Liyue at the risk of his life. He was also known as the last surviving Yaksha, fighting day and night against the emanations of the ancient evil gods killed by the Geo Archon.

Zhongli, who had revealed to you who he really was, often spoke to you about Xiao. Sometimes he would ask you to bring him some medicine specially designed for him to relieve the pain that was eating him up inside.

This was not a big problem for you, as you were staying at the Wangshu Inn. It was perfectly located in the centre of Liyue, making it easier for you to get to different research sites. Zhongli had explained to you that this inn was a front, built mainly to relieve Xiao a little from his eternal burden.

Since your meeting with the adept, you had never dared to call him, for fear of disturbing him. You simply left Zhongli's small gifts in his flats, placed prominently on the table in the centre of the room.

A gift... you had wanted to give him one for some time, but not knowing his tastes, it was difficult to decide. What if he doesn't like it? What if he got mad at you? What if... You then thought of the innkeeper in Wangshu who had known Xiao for a while, she must have known a thing or two about the follower's tastes!

After consulting Verr Goldet on what Xiao liked, she taught you how to prepare the young man's favourite dish. So you prepared tofu with almonds once or twice a week as a gift to him. But even so, he never deigned to show himself to you again.

Yet Xiao was never far from you, always hidden in the shadows watching you, protecting you from the dangers that lurked.

The bond he felt between you and him had never disappeared. Near you, all the pain, all the suffering he felt disappeared. He knew that you were human, so fragile, so fleeting compared to him who had lived for millennia, yet in his eyes you were a true goddess. The night he saw you surrounded by this halo of light, his world was turned upside down. Of course he had discussed this with his master, Morax, or rather Zhongli as he liked to be called from now on.

Xiao asked him during one of their conversations:

"I don't understand, I can never take my eyes off her and my heart - he placed his hand on his chest, clutching the white tunic he was wearing - hurts when I lose sight of her for even a few seconds. I don't understand... Sir Zhongli, I don't understand..."

His voice often broke at such moments. Zhongli then placed his hand on the follower's shoulder, a gentle smile on his face.

"Talk to him and you will finally understand. "he would say to her each time.

"I can't... If I stay around her too long... the darkness around me will eventually engulf her too. "

The sadness in Zhongli's eyes matched the sadness in Xiao's. The adept would often leave without the answer he so eagerly awaited, going to the balcony of the inn to sit on the railing and gaze at the stars. When his gaze turned to his room, more precisely to the small round wooden table in the centre, he was looking for proof of your presence. Almost every day you would leave him an offering, medicine, the almond tofu he loved so much, a flower, a mineral or an artefact you had found on your expeditions. Every little gift you gave him made him forget his torments for a short while, savouring the joy he felt at the time. He treasured every item you gave him, carefully stored in a small gold box encrusted with jade.

When the moon was high in the sky, Xiao would sometimes go to your room, passing by your balcony to see if you were sleeping. Sometimes he would go inside the moonlit room to see your sleeping face. He thought you were terribly beautiful, he had never been so fascinated by anyone, let alone a mortal. He would sometimes tuck a strand of your hair back behind your ear, slightly disturbing your sleep, and you would wrinkle your nose with a groan, causing him to back away hastily.

When Xiao was sure you were still asleep, he would take the opportunity to give you a gift of his own, placed on your bedside table.

As he did every night, he would end up sitting on the roof of your balcony watching for any threat to you.

By the time the sun came up, Xiao was already gone. When you woke up, you would find objects that were not there the day before. It could be a crystal nucleus or sometimes a Qingxin flower, which made you smile every time. You kept all the gifts he gave you as a treasure.

Today you had to go to Mondstadt to visit your friend Lisa, whom you had met in Sumeru. She had come one year to visit her former teachers, introducing herself to the students in the class. The two of you had talked a lot, creating a bond of friendship that you had maintained through correspondence.

In your last exchanges, she expressed a wish to see you, which you gladly accepted. You had planned to stay there for a week, so it was not surprising that you were preparing some things to take with you.

Even though your protector never showed up in front of you, at least not since that night when he gave you his name, you wanted to leave him a letter to explain that you would be back in Liyue in a week.

Before leaving, you left him a plate of tofu with almonds, your letter carefully placed next to the plate.

You didn't think that the wind would blow your letter away from him before he had even read it.

Xiao was accompanying Aether and two other companions for the day. They were to help him confront creatures once sealed in an ancient temple near the nine pillars of Cuijue Slope. The battle was long and difficult, but in the end they managed to exterminate the monsters, allowing Aether to retrieve the treasure that lay deep in the ruins. Xiao hurried back to the Wangshu Inn, feeling a bottomless pit forming inside him. He had been feeling uneasy for a while, a part of him wanted to make sure you were okay. When he arrived at his flat, he saw that you had left him a plate of tofu with almonds, and he took a bite, although he was too nervous to really enjoy them properly.

Xiao put his hand over his face in great pain.

His chest hurt terribly, the voices in his head tortured him again and his body seemed to be chained by the darkness inside him. Why was this? His karma hadn't weighed so heavily on him since he... since he... had met you.

He exhaled loudly, a sudden fear filling his body, making his hands tremble. Without further questioning, he quickly disappeared through his anemo vision and landed in your room. It was pitch black and looked horribly empty. The books usually scattered around your room were gone, your things were gone, your wardrobe was empty.

"No... no... don't go... (Y/n) don't go..."

His voice trembled in shock as his eyes still searched for traces of your presence.

"(Y/n)..."

Nothing. There was nothing. Nothing left. You were gone.

He couldn't even feel your presence on Liyue's land.

Had something happened to you? What if you had been attacked by monsters? The thought terrified him. He thought of your sleeping face, so peaceful. He thought of the promise he had made to himself to protect you.

Your absence was as painful to him as the day Aether told him Rex Lapis was dead. He couldn't bear it.

Xiao vowed to find you again and if you accepted him, he would stay by your side, he would not run away again.

He would listen to you sing again.

He searched for you for seven long days, which was a real physical and psychological torture for him. Aether, worried about his friend, helped him in his search, informing Zhongli, Ganyu and Hu Tao of your disappearance and the state in which the follower was.

Xiao always carried one of the gifts you had given him, holding on to it in the hope of finding you safe and sound.

With his mask over his face and his spear in hand, he slaughtered every hilichurl camp, hoping to find some trace of you, something that would prove to him that you were still alive. Disappointment after disappointment, the anger and hatred grew inside him every day, struggling to control it. He was leaving behind a pool of blood, soon he would sink into madness, feeling the sting of the karmic chains that made him sink a little deeper. How could he have formed such a strong bond with someone that he lost control?

"Xiao, we're going to find her. "

Zhongli's reassuring hand rested on the follower's shoulder.

Xiao had not removed his mask, but the former Geo Archon could still see tears of pain flowing from his eyes. His hand moved from his shoulder to the top of the young man's head. He knew what Xiao was going through, after all he too had lost loved ones in the past.

A varnished lily flower suddenly appeared under Xiao's nose. Ganyu held it out to him with a thin smile on his face. The Yaksha, who had watched you for a long time, knew that this flower was your favourite, many times he had seen you studying it, drawing it, smelling it, admiring it...

He could clearly see your face beaming as you drew it, singing a Sumeru tune.

He slowly grasped the flower that the young woman was holding out to him with renewed hope.

You had been leaving Lisa for a few hours now, promising her and your new friends that you would return to see them soon. You were anxious to get to the Wangshu Inn to rest. You missed your friends in Liyue and the absence of the Yaksha warrior around you left your heart empty.

You knew that he was never far from you. You knew that at night he sometimes stroked your hair, thinking you were asleep. You knew how soft his eyes were when he watched you draw.

You knew that he loved to listen to you sing.

Your lips curled upwards, happy at the idea of finding his presence. For this occasion you had grabbed an anemo crystal core which you intended to offer his.

When you reached the border between Mondstadt and Liyue, the atmosphere suddenly seemed heavy. You could not hear the birds singing, nor the wind cradling the trees.

Time seemed to stand still.

Alerted, you quickened your pace, crossing the wooden bridge that separated you from the shore.

The sudden sound of a branch breaking made you jump. You looked towards the source of the noise, finding yourself face to face with a Brutorocheux chief surrounded by some Brutoshamans and common Brutocollinus.

Your voice and body trembled.

"Why are they here? There have never been so many monsters on the border..."

The Brutocollinus came forward, threatening, it screamed, the breath knocking you to the ground. The smaller ones stepped forward, weapons in hand, while the Brutoshamans chanted their incantations.

Fear froze you in place, you were not a warrior, far from it. Your pupils dilated with fear and shook as the Brutoshaman ran towards you, fist in the air, ready to crush you. By reflex you had grown brambles around you to protect yourself.

But the creature in front of you was of a geo nature, impervious to the little thorns in your plants. Your trembling hand rose before you, summoning a flower capable of projecting poison, but again the monster crushed your hopes as did the flower beneath its feet.

"As long as you are in Liyue, I will protect you. Call me and I'll be there in a second."

Fear choked you, tears beading in the corners of your eyes as you remembered the words of the man you loved.

Xiao.

The sight of his gentle smile as he looked at you, thinking you hadn't noticed his presence.

Xiao.

The tender look in his eyes as he listened to you singing hidden behind a tree.

Xiao...

His hands savouring the feel of your hair between his fingers as you slept.

"XIAO! "

The moment you shouted his name, a gust of wind swept through the area. Blows rained down before you, and the brutocollinus and brutoshamans were the first to perish.

There he was, leaping to an inhuman height, a mask hiding his face and a menacing black aura covering him completely. The spear he always carried with him was pointed at the enemy as the Yaksha fell violently to the ground, sending out anemo illusions from his weapon that skewered the creature. He repeated his move once more, shattering its shell, before finishing it off by charging it with extreme speed. The Brutorocheux fell heavily to the ground, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Xiao moved his hand in front of his face, making his mask disappear, and then planted his spear on the ground. He ran towards you over the brambles you had created, not caring about the thorns that tore his legs. He knelt beside you, his eyes filled with terror and concern.

You looked into his eyes, shocked and trembling.

Finally you exploded, screaming and crying now that it was all over. You fell into his arms, your head resting in the crook of his neck, partially muffling your screams and tears.

He had found you. At last...

His heart broke free from its chains, relieved to see you safe and sound.

He felt as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest, so strong was it beating.

When he had reached you after your call and had seen you surrounded by monsters, monsters that were there because of him, because of the slaughter he had made in the camps of his creatures, the rage had risen in him. If you had been hurt because of him, he would never forgive himself.

He would never have forgiven himself.

He was surprised by your sudden embrace, not really knowing how he should react. What did humans do in such moments?

He raised his arms hesitantly, placing his hands gently on your back. Seeing that you didn't reject him, he hugged you a little tighter, soothing his soul and body with your warmth.

"Don't disappear again..."

His voice was husky, vibrant, emotion knotting his throat. He buried his nose in your hair, inhaling the scent of the flowers that covered you.

"Xiao..."

Your tears continued to fall as your hands clutched at his clothes.

He surprised you by planting a kiss on your neck. He left his face hidden there, not wanting to be seen so vulnerable. His trembling hands around you were more than enough to describe the emotions that were currently running through him.

When your tears stopped, his hands gently grasped your shoulders, pulling you back to get a better look at your face. He wiped away the tears that remained on your cheeks before placing the palm of his hand on them, caressing you with his thumb. Your hand joined his, closing your eyes to savour the sensation.

His forehead came to rest against yours, exhaling a shaky breath.

The happiness of finally having her so close to you involuntarily activated your dendro vision. Varnished lily flowers bloomed around you, and firefly-like particles of light swirled near your faces.

"Stay close to me. Always. "

"Always. "

Xiao didn't know exactly what he was doing as he tilted his head to your lips. The only thing he knew was that he wanted this connection badly.

The bond between you was stronger than any contract, he loved you, by the archons, he loved you more than anyone else.

An emotion so human but so beautiful...

Your lips... tasted like a sweet dream.

Bonus n°1:

"Ah, there they are! "

Paimon yelled to his companions, pointing at you and Xiao. Zhongli was the first to arrive and observed the scene unfolding before his eyes.

"XIAO! "

Paimon shouted, his voice carrying to you. Xiao parted violently from your lips, falling on his butt in the process, his face completely red with embarrassment.

Aether, who had arrived just after Zhongli, grabbed the little fairy in his arms, planting his hand over her mouth to silence her. Hu Tao and Ganyu were waving at you, reassured that you were okay. Xiao had completely forgotten that they had come with them.

He knew that with that chatty fairy and Hu Tao not far away, the rest of the day was going to be hell for him. He wanted to grab you in his arms and run away from his troubles, but when his gaze turned to Zhongli's, his heart was suddenly lighter with a burden. The gentle smile of his master and the kindly gaze he projected upon him broke the last remaining chains of doubt within him.

Bonus #2:

Xiao had offered you on the way back the varnished Lily flower that Ganyu had given him earlier, hanging it in your hair. You walked behind your companions towards the Wangshu Inn, laughter and loud discussions (too loud for his taste) were going on.

Xiao stood very close to you without physically touching you. You never took your eyes off his face, which he noticed. He abruptly turned his head in the opposite direction, the tips of his ears glowing crimson, forcing an affectionate smile on your face.

After a few minutes of silent walking between the two of you, he finally asked you a question.

"Why did you leave? -He looked at you again, his eyes full of emotion-"I thought you were gone forever...or worse, dead. "

His voice trembled at the thought, making your eyes widen. In a comforting gesture, you grabbed his hand, interlacing your fingers with his. The gesture surprised him, he was not used to physical (or emotional!) contact.

"Didn't you read my letter? "

Xiao blinked, once, twice, three times.

"What letter? "

"The one I left on the table next to the tofu dish. "

Xiao's face became totally impassive. He tried to piece together a visual image of his room in his mind, seeing your dish on his table very clearly, but no matter how hard he concentrated, no letter came to him.

"There was no letter. "

"Oh... Maybe it was blown away then?"

Xiao remained silent as you explained that you had gone to see a friend in Mondstadt. He listened to you without really listening, an array of emotions passing through his eyes. He needed someone to blame, anyone he could vent his anger and frustration on.

The wind... The wind...

A malevolent smile spread across his face and his amber eyes glowed with a menacing gleam.

He brought his hand up to his face, a gesture he made to reveal his Yaksha mask.

His hoarse voice whispered dangerously:

"Barbatos..."

Further on, in Mondstadt, Venti felt a shiver run through his body, freezing him in place.

[nights-legacy]

Between the Two - TodoBaku x Reader

Main Masterlist MHA Masterlist

TodoBaku x Reader (meaning Poly Relationship. Don’t like? Don’t Read. 😋)

Fluff and little Angst

Warnings: Nothing but Soft-ish Bakugo ahead 🥰

3300 words

+Two amazing men and one hard decision. Or is it? On a training mission, things go awry, leaving you and Todoroki badly injured. Bakugo is beside himself even if he won’t admit it. You have had a crush on these boy practically since the Sport’s Festival but never had the courage to speak up…or pick one. Turns out that isn’t the case at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Having feelings for two people at the same time is hard. Especially when one is an aloof, cold personality and the other is loud and short-tempered. Yet, I couldn’t help but fall head over heels with both. I didn’t have the guts to even thinking about confessing to them. Plus I wouldn’t be able to choose between the two. It didn’t help either that they didn’t get along with each other. Plus Bakugo and Todoroki wouldn’t go for a simple girl like me and I don’t think I could handle the rejection.

“Well fuck.” I heard Bakugo groan as we got off the bus. The three of us walked away and the bus drove off. I gulped as I watched it drive away, now alone with the two boys.

“How many places does UA have for training?” I asked out loud.

“Quite a few it would seem.” Todoroki answered. Bakugo scoffed as we walked for a few minutes. We had been taken outside the city limits to a river valley area for survival and reconnaissance training.

“Come on, we’re not here for small talk.” Bakugo growled. Todoroki looked at me and shook his head. We traveled in silence as we ventured towards the coordinates. I looked down at the GPS as we took a short break in a little grove. Bakugo was leaning back against a tree, foot propped up and Todoroki was kneeling, looking off in the distance.

“According to this, the mark is about…” The GPS in my hand glitches out. I tried to get it to work before it short circuited in my hand. “Ah!” I dropped the device and pulled my hand to my chest. It was stinging and numb in places.

“What happened?” Bakugo was in front of me in less than a second. He grabbed my wrist and brought my hand into view. I hissed as he touch a particular tender spot.

“The GPS short circuited in my hand.” I said. Todoroki came up and looked over my shoulder at my hand. “I did see that the mark was a few miles that way.” I pointed and took in big breath. I looked down at the GPS and toed at it. A cold sensation came across my injured palm. I gasped and saw Todoroki’s right hand over mine.

“Hopefully this helps.” He said. I nodded. Bakugo had picked up the device in the meantime. As we started walking again, a chill went up my spine. As if we was being watched. I stopped and scanned the woods around us.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Bakugo called back to me.

“I feel like we are being watched.” I said glancing at the two. I could see their guards go up. I went back to scanning the area. I froze when I saw a figure half hidden behind a tree. I met their eyes and saw a sadistic smile creep onto his face. “Shit!”

“Hope you’ve lived a full life because I’m about to end it.” The figure stepped out and I saw a sword grow from the wrist down. I got into stance as he got closer.

“Heh! You think you can take us down?” Bakugo yelled. I looked over my shoulder at the two boys. Todoroki was in fighting stance while Bakugo was just standing there un-phased. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Come at me, child!” The man said and broke into a run towards us. The sound of popping and the drastic changes in temperatures behind me told they ready. I activated my quirk and we charged forward.

~Time Skip~

Turns out there was more than the one man out here with us. There was at least a dozen other low level villains that accompanied him. We came out on top but not without a few injuries. I stumbled as we came to a small beach grove. I fell to the ground when my leg gave out.

“Shit, L/N are you alright?” Bakugo asked strained as he helped (carried) an unconscious Todoroki into the grove. He had a bad wound on his left side that was bleeding profusely while I just had a significant cut running down my right leg. Bakugo was relatively unharmed save for a few small cuts and bruises.

“Yeah, worry about Todoroki.” I motioned to the boy before I pulled myself across the ground to lean back against a tree. I maneuvered my leg carefully to set it down straight out. I watched as Bakugo set Todoroki down to lean back on a rock. He then pulled at the top of his hero costume to get to the wound.

“Crap.” Bakugo said under his breath. He pulled out his transmitter to try and contact the teachers but it was busted. All of ours were. He threw it to the side in annoyance.

“They were thorough, weren’t they?” I said with labored breath. He looked over at me and his eyes darted to my leg before meeting my eyes. I could see worry and near panic in his. A gasp drew both our attentions. Todoroki was coming too.

“What happened? Where are we?” He mumbled, trying to sit up.

“Stay down, Icyhot.” Bakugo lightly pushed him back down. They shared what looked to me a tender look. I cocked my head to the side in wonder and shock took over me when Bakugo reached up and cupped Todoroki’s cheek. He then ran a thumb across his cheek.

“Guys?” I said tentatively. Bakugo pulled away and cleared his throat, going back to Todoroki’s wound. Todoroki’s eyes landed on me with relief and concern.

“Are you alright, L/N?” He flinched but didn’t look away from me. I saw his gaze look over me and linger on my leg. I moved my other to interrupt his sight. He looked up at me disapprovingly before cringing as Bakugo removed pieces of debris from his wound. I flinched at the sound he made, biting my lip and looking away.

“Damn villains.” Bakugo growled. I closed my eyes as the pain in my leg got worse. I zoned out as the other two conversed quietly and Bakugo tended to the wound. I don’t know how much time passed until a hand on my shoulder pulled me out of my daze.

“Hey…” I greeted. He reached up and held my face in his hands. He looked over me. Concern was laced with his features.

“Anywhere else but your leg?” He asked. I shook my head. He nodded, taking one hand off my face to move the torn fabric around me leg. I cringed as the fabric drug over the wound, letting out a broken cry. “Shh. I know.” I felt his thumb trace my cheek. He was looking over the wound carefully when the last of my adrenaline drained from my body. I closed my eyes.

“Y/N?” I heard Todoroki but it sounded like he was far away. It got to the point where I couldn’t hold my head up, so I let it drop into Bakugo’s hand. “Y/N!”

“Hey, hey, hey. Stay with me, L/N.” I heard Bakugo beg and bring his hand back up. “Stay awake. Please.” His voice cracked.

“Bakugo, what’s going on? Is she alright?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know.” He was trying to get me to respond but I didn’t have the energy. “Come on, stay awake for me baby, please! Come on baby!” I think my mind was playing tricks on me because I swear I heard him say baby.

“Baku…Todo…” I passed out to the sound of them yelling for me.

I woke up with a groan and a throb in my leg. I tried to move but only flinched in the process. There was also a weight across my back that seem to keep my in place. I forced my eyes open but thought I hadn’t for a moment, it was so dark. My eyes adjusted to the dark, picking up on the moonlight that lit the area. The weight move across my back and I looked over to see Todoroki asleep and holding me into his right side.

“Huh…” I looked around and saw Bakugo sitting on a rock a few yards away. He was staring out over the river and gently tossing rock into the water. “Bakugo.” His head shot my way before he was up in a flash and running over.

“How are feeling? I know there isn’t much we can do for the pain but is there anything I can do?” He asked in a whirlwind. I reached out for him and he grabbed my hand tightly, bringing it up to his face. “I feel so useless right now. Both of you are hurt pretty bad and all I can do is…is sit here.” He sat down hard.

“You’re not useless, Baku…” I shifted and tried to sit up. He reached forward and helped me. “You’ll never be useless to me.”

“Me either.” Todoroki said quietly behind me. We turned to look at him. He reached his hand out and Bakugo gripped it tight. I looked between them and saw that tenderness again. A pang went through my chest. I pulled my hand away from Bakugo and looked away from them. In the corner of my eye, I saw his head whip towards me.

“Baby?” I stopped breathing for a second before slowly looking at him. I thought my ears were playing tricks on me earlier but now, I’m not so sure.

“Baby?” I whispered, looking at the two. They shared a look before those tender eyes I saw earlier were turned on me. The breath caught in my throat again.

“Yes, baby.” Todoroki said. He reached up and cupped my cheek. “We’re both in love with you. We have been for a long time.”

“It was a problem at first since we both wanted you. We fought more than usual and tried to do anything to put the other down.” Bakugo explained. He looked down ashamed. “But then we realized it was getting us nowhere. We also realized our feelings for each other.”

“So we coupled while also tried to think of a way to confess to you.” Todoroki said. I had seen Bakugo give a face of confusion before rolling his eyes at Todo’s terminology. “We knew it was a long shot that you would accept us both.”

“Since it’s not normal. Three people together?” Bakugo picked up where Todoroki left off. He tsked before looking down at our hands. “A long shot. More like impossible. We just wanted you to know…”

“Hey, hey.” I interjected when I realized where he was going. They looked at me surprised and expectantly. “Don’t go deciding what I think on your own.” I took a breath, looking out over the water. “I have been in love with you too. Both of you. For so long but I… I never said anything because I thought there was no chance that either of you would go for me.” It was silent for a minute.

“Why wouldn’t we?” Bakugo chuckled. I looked up at him. I saw nothing but love and admiration in his eyes. I turned to see the same in Todoroki’s. I bit my lip trying to hide a smile but couldn’t. I smiled wide while laughing a little.

“We wasted a lot of time didn’t we?” I looked up sheepishly. They smiled and looked at each other.

“Nothing we cannot make up.” Todoroki said running a thumb over my cheek. I nuzzled into his hand. Baku’s grip tightened on my hand. I looked over at him. He was looking at us with a soft smile.

“I like the soft side of you.” I whispered. He chuckled before giving me a playful look.

“Yeah? Well it’s only for you two.” He said. He reached up and cupped the back of my neck. He leant forward and kissed my forehead. I felt a kiss on my hand as well. I looked at my two boys before I noticed Todoroki flinching.

“How is your wound?” I asked. He looked down at his side.

“Could be better but I’ll live. Bakugo did the best with what he had, for the both of us.” I nodded and reached to push hair off his forehead. Baku got up and walked away. I finally looked around us. Only now did I realize that we were lounging against some sort of cabana. I looked at it before looking at Bakugo.

“What?” He was walking back with our water canisters we had. “I wasn’t going to leave you out in the open. Looked like it was going to rain and I didn’t want to deal with you being sick on top of injured.” He retorted. He handed us our water bottles and went to look at Todo’s wound.

“Definitely not useless.” I said. He glanced up at me before looking away bashful. Todo lifted Baku’s head by the chin before giving him a sweet kiss. I giggled at the blush that went across Baku’s cheek. His eyes darted between us.

“Shut up.” He growled under his breath. We both bit back a laugh. I shifted to get more comfortable. A tug on my leg caused me to freeze in pain.

“Ah.” I squeaked, gripping onto my knee. A hand immediately found purchase on my back as I heard shuffling.

“Careful, don’t move to much darling.” Todo said softly. Baku knelt in front of me. He helped me move back to where I was leaning on Todo’s uninjured side. I set my head back on his shoulder and he pressed a kiss to my temple.

“You’re hurt worse than me yet you’re comforting me as if you weren’t.” I felt his chest rumble with a chuckle.

“You’re leg is worse than you realize darling. Bakugo thinks they nicked your Achilles tendon.” My eyes widen in realization.

“Shit.” I said.

“Yep.” Bakugo said. He sighed before looking behind him. “I need to go and get Aizawa. There isn’t anything more I can do then make sure you’re comfortable. Damn. But I don’t want to leave you two here on your own with those shit head still out there.”

“Bakugo. I can still use my quirk and so can L/N. We are not entirely defenseless. Plus we don’t have to build a fire. I can keep us both warm. We’ll be okay for a time.” Todo assured him. Baku wasn’t completely convinced. “We’ll be okay. We are well hidden. Now go, just be quick and quiet.” Baku rolled his eyes at the last part.

“Fine. If I come back and find you two worse, I’ll maim you myself.” We laughed but agreed. He pressed a kiss to both of our heads before he was gone.

“Be safe.” I whispered.

“Don’t worry, darling. It’s Bakugo. You know how he gets. No matter reckless he is, gets the job done.” I shook my head in agreement before relaxing into him. He tightened his arm around me. “Rest now. He’ll be back before you know it.”

“Alright.” I slipped into an uneasy slumber.

The next time I woke up, I was in a bed. I groaned at the pulse that went through my head. I reached up and rubbing my temple. A hand gently pushing mine aside before taking over and also carding their fingers through my hair. I opened my eyes slowly to adjust.

“Good morning, darling.” I heard Todoroki whisper. I looked up at him. He was sitting next to the bed, leaning on his forearm. He was smiling down at me.

“Morning.” I said before nuzzling into my blanket. A soft groan caught my attention. I looked down the bed to see Bakugo asleep in what looked to be the most uncomfortable position ever. I giggled.

“Ridiculous, isn’t he?” Todo said chuckling. I nodded before turning on my back to sit up. A small pain came from my leg. I whimpered. “Careful. You’re leg still isn’t healed. You were to worn out for Recovery Girl to heal it properly.”

“How about you?” He leant back and lifted his shirt without hesitation. I blanched at his brazen act.

“Same situation but she was able to heal it to a better point.” I nodded, eyes lingering on his abs. I looked away as he let go of his shirt. Bakugo moved as he seemed to be waking up. He stretched, arms extending to full length as he looked around. His eyes landed on me.

“Hey baby. How are you feeling?” His raspy, morning voice sent a chill down my spine. He scooted closer and set a gently hand on my right leg.

“Better but my head is killing me.” I said, closing my eyes.

“I’ll go get Recovery Girl.” Todo said. He stood and leaned over to kiss my head. He walked behind Baku and gave him a peck too. Baku smiled and stood to switch seats. He pulled Todo’s chair even closer and leant on his forearms. He looked at me tenderly. He reached up and began rubbing my temple.

“I’m glad you’re okay. That you’re both okay.”

“Thanks to you.” I sighed and closed my eyes again. He started humming as I dozed. After a few minutes of this, two sets of footsteps walked back towards us. I lazily turned my head and saw Todo with Recovery Girl in tow.

“Hello there sweetie. How are you feeling?”

“My leg is throbbing lightly and I have a headache.” I shifted a bit and groaned. “Other than that I am sore.”

“As to be expected.” She hopped up on a chair and leant over the bed. She looked over me before activating her quirk. I cringed as her lips pulled away from my head but I felt better. She ran a few more test on both Todoroki and I before she let the three of us leave.

“Well that was an experience.” Baku said exasperated. I chuckle but agreed. I saw Todoroki nod. After another few minutes of walking, I stopped in my tracks. It only took a few seconds for them to notice and look back at me.

“Where do we go from here?” I said, looking at the pavement.

“What do you mean? We are heading back to the…”

“Not that Icy Hot!” Baku interrupted. It was silent for a moment.

“Oh.” I smiled at the boy’s coyness. He could be clueless sometimes. “Darling. I thought we made it clear by now. We both want you, very much.”

“I know that but…” I looked up at them. “Where do we do with that? Are we just friends? Are we more? Like a poly? Or are we…”

“Babe, babe.” Baku came up and held my face. “We can be whatever you want us to be. If you’re not ready right now to a take a step into a relationship with us, we can wait. If you want to take this so and start out with little stuff, we’ll do that to. If you want to jump right in, we’ll catch you.”

“It up to you.” Todo stood next to Baku. He replaced one of Bakugo’s hands so they were both holding my face. I smiled and reached up to hold their wrists. I thought about it for a moment before I launched myself at them, wrapping my arms around their necks in a hug.

“I don’t want to go slow but I don’t want to jump right in either. So something along the lines of a medium speed? All I know is I want to call both of you mine.” I felt their arms wrap around me and hold me tight. Todo rested his chin on top of my head and Baku nuzzled my hair. I relaxed into their arms, delighted I didn’t have to choose between the two.

Tags: @spicy-therapist-mom @dxnaii-rxse

[apocalypticgargoyle]

Hi I need to ask a favor of you... Can we get like,,, the reader trying to set cc!dream up with a friend of theirs and he actually likes the reader so we get like dream trying to say that he likes the reader. Idk if this makes sense but I just want a dramatic like "ARE YOU DUMB" moment. Thank u, I'll exit the stage.

Okay so long story short, I had a series about Dre that I was going to write (like a million years ago even before e!k) and I tuned up the confession scene because it fit with the request. Idk idk. It was back when I was having my romance novel phase. N E WAY. happy reading :) ♡ g

𝐄𝐆𝐎 & 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍. ♘ 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

± warnings: language, angst, being so overdramatic, mentions of rivals to lovers, being in a shower, kinda cringe ngl

Dream eyed you over his glass from across the table, his legs long enough that he was invading your space beneath the surface. His green eyes burned into you, which you attempted to let roll off your shoulders innocently. Your friend was talking up Sapnap, completely destroying your plan put in place. It seemed like Dream could tell what you were up to as well, and by the look he was sending your way and the tension in his shoulders, you could tell he wasn’t in the mood for it. Sapnap asked the girl beside you how she was doing in her classes and before he could boast about his own achievements, you butted in. “You know, Clay’s ranked fourth in our sociology class.” Dream rolled his eyes as your friend’s brow perked at your statement.

She cracked a grin in his direction. “Oh really? You some kind of a genius?” She joked, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Dream chewed the inside of his cheek and folded his hands together on the table, uncomfortable now that you had shifted the subject matter to him. “Uh, I wouldn’t say that. It’s an intro course so…” he mumbled. She hummed in response and he wet his lips.

You jumped into the small bit of silence. “Come on, don’t downplay! He’s also helped me pass calculus last year,” you boasted. Dream shut his eyes briefly as if it were taking every ounce of his being not to scold you. You didn’t care.

“That’s awesome! I’m actually a mathematics major,” your friend eased. “Maybe if you are some kind of genius you could help me figure out homeomorphically irreducible trees sometime,” she jousted with a small wink. Dream chuckled and you thought maybe… finally… they were clicking. You knew you were right, you knew they were a perfect match. Dream just had to put forth a bit more effort.

Dream’s eyes flashed to you again briefly, as if a symbol of telling you he’d kill you for pushing this. “Oh, I don’t know anything about math really, but Sapnap knows a lot of the math professors,” he turned over with a soft smile, sending your friend back into Sapnap’s metaphorical tract. The two started rambling to each other and Dream shot you a dirty look. “Cut it out,” he bit, barely loud enough for you to even hear. You took this as a challenge.

Another round of drinks came to the table, Dream had yet to completely finish his first as it seemed like something was weighing on his mind. You had gotten into the habit of picking up every subtle tick he had and picking at it. You silently listened to the conversation between Nick and your friend as it wound down, giving you the opportunity to strike up something else about Dream. “So Clay, what was your beer pong average last semester?” You asked, taking a sip from your straw innocently.

He sent you a deadpan expression, but Sapnap answered for him. “Oh, trust me, Clay’s the one you want on your team at every frat party,” he praised. You knew how much your friend liked the whole idea of winning pointless party games.

“I think it’s time I walk you home,” Dream mumbled after standing before you could answer. You followed him out of the restaurant, sending your friend and Sapnap an awkward grin. They had barely noticed anyway; too caught up in their own conversation. You jogged a bit to catch up to Dream as he shoved his fists in his pockets. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He grumbled.

You furrowed your brows, nudging his arm playfully. “What do you mean? I’m trying to get you laid!” You chided. He rolled his eyes again. “Loosen up! Come on, she’s pretty isn’t she.”

Dream sighed deeply. “Of course she’s pretty. Just quit with meddling in my sex life,” he hissed.

You laughed mockingly. “You are so tightly wound!” He pushed the door open to your building. You could tell you were pushing his buttons as he pursed his lips instead of firing something back at you. “You’re such a killjoy,” you joshed, pinching his side.

He swatted your hand away, attempting to ignore you. “Quit.”

“Fine, whatever. Go home and make fast with your hand.” That was it---the last push.

Dream grabbed your arm and yanked you down the hall behind him. You could practically see the steam rolling off his shoulders as he turned a corner and you began to grow tense. You knew he'd never hurt you but the sheer anxiety of what he was going to do next weighed on your conscience. Had you gone too far this time? You'd pushed him past his limit before, but he'd never taken you with him when he needed to remove himself from the situation.

You were shocked as he threw open the door to the communal showers, your brows knitting together in confusion as you began to claw at his hand. "Clay, stop! What are you doing?" You gritted, struggling against his grip. He threw open one of the stall doors and tossed you inside, your back hit the linoleum tiling with a quiet thump and you glared at him with scolding eyes as if to bite ‘don't you dare touch me’ into his skin.

He pursed his lips as if his anger was threatening to boil over and he turned the knob behind you, instantly soaking you and your clothes in freezing water. You painstakingly jumped for the dial and he grabbed your arm again, pulling you inches from his face. "You need to cool the fuck down. I'm serious!" He snapped.

Your eyes felt like they were going to pop out of your head in disbelief at the audacity he had. His jaw tensed as he glared at your features and you drew his arm closer, turning on your heel so he replaced you in the water. His reaction was subtle to the dowsing; instead, he released his grip on you. "What the hell is your problem!" You yelled. This was unknowingly becoming your breaking point. You hadn't woken up that day and realized today is the day I choose violence but Dream's medieval form of communicating with you was striking a hidden nerve.

"My problem? MY PROBLEM?" He let out an exasperated sigh, turning slightly to twist the knob for hot water before laying into you. Why he didn't just turn off the water was unbeknownst to you. "My problem is you!"

You rolled your eyes heavily. "Me?" You tsked at him. "Why don't you get a fucking life-"

"Are you really that fucking stupid?" He bit. Your disgusted look you made sure to exaggerate twisted something behind his eyes. The shower began to produce steam over his shoulders. Dream's hair had begun hanging in short ringlets around his ears. His long-sleeved t-shirt clung to his body enough that you could see every dip in his chest. Every breath he drew in to calm himself down rippled through his silhouette. In the slightest way, it seemed as if the dragon was finally baring his soft underbelly to you.

His hands balled into fists at your look of disbelief at him calling you dumb. He groaned deeply, bringing his palms to his eyes and gritting his teeth. He then pushed his fingers into his wet hair, plastering it back from framing his face. Dream's bright eyes studied you with his features set in stone. "How could you not realize?" He let out a short exhale, his hands seemingly gripping for his own thoughts as they moved with his search of words. "I know you aren't as aloof as you put off. I know you know that I-" he stopped himself short with an aggressive shrug of his shoulders. It was almost humoring to see him standing like a wet dog in front of you and at a loss for words. That big head of his was proving to be a difficult landscape for him to form sentences. "... That I-" he bit into his lip, frustration settling into his brow.

You rolled your eyes again, your wet clothes feeling uncomfortable as they began to shrink against certain parts of your body. The steam from the water was enveloping the two of you in the small space, but your close stance kept a breath of clearance in your visions. "Spit it out, Clay. Obviously, I'm too dumb to put two and two together. You're gonna have to man up and get over it," you snapped and his eyes flashed up to the ceiling.

He gritted his teeth again. "Fuck. What am I trying to say?" He hissed. The gears in his head were beginning to rust with overstimulation, and you could tell. He was hesitant as if debating what would be his next move. The tall man before you was slowly unraveling into unarticulated emotions. The minuscule thought tugged at your mind that Dream was attempting to tell you he felt something for you. It was oddly satisfying to juxtapose your ill-fated seven minutes in heaven experience when you had met him with the close, wet atmosphere you were in now. Even back then Dream couldn't figure out what to say.

He swallowed, his anger had melded into something less aggressive and more inwardly scorning. "I care about you," he blurted, his voice coming out uneven. He wasn't nervous and it seemed as if he'd practiced this in the mirror yet was crumbling under the pressure of you actually standing before him. "I care about you," he repeated, his face still tense and severe.

You were taken aback by his simple statement, awaiting his next move. You didn't dare arrest your eyes from his, your mind blurring about what to say to his confession. You knew that was big coming from him at the way it tugged at your heartstrings, making you blush in the ferocity of the steaming stall. The beat of silence was broken as he took a step toward you, taking your face into his large hands in a gentle gesture. His fingers threatened to snake into your hair as his thumb traced the bend in your jaw. Droplets of water fell off of him to splash against your sopping wet clothing, the warmth of his figure nearly pressed against yours sending rushes of goosebumps across the plain of your skin.

His eyes searched yours as he hesitated, as if savoring being close enough to taste you, yet the anticipation of sealing the fated and quarrelsome air between the two of you with his kiss was nearly too unrealistic for his mind to comprehend. The pad of his thumb brushed lightly against the flesh of your bottom lip as if he were wondering if the shade was their true color, all of his movements completely foiling the way he'd always handled you.

His look of desire and unsteadiness gave him the appearance of an explorer wandering around a foreign planet with the consistency of practice but restraint. You'd heard other girls talking about being with Dream---a fumbling night of drunken fun or a quick use and jading---but the Dream standing before you now seemed to be his own breed. You let your mind flicker to the fantasy that maybe the boy itching to mark you was a figment of him reserved and stocked only for you.

You found yourself leaning on your toes as his eyes began to close, drawing you in with his subtle caress. The water thundered down against him as his towering frame shielded you from the shower, the sound of its stream bouncing off the floor and your matted articles of clothing mixing with Dream's soft breath. As he pressed his lips against yours, it seemed like he was hesitant as if you'd snatch yourself away from his cradling like you always had, but sure enough, your sneakers were glued to the floor beneath you. Wherever you were going in the next few minutes would be to follow his lead.

His fingers dipped into your locks, bringing you deeper into his gesture of passion. Your mind clicked into the reality of the situation as your shoulders sank into a sense of calmness. Your hands found purchase around his waist, wanting to reassure him that you were reading his actions as your fingers traced the lines and dips in his back.

He kissed you with a needy passiveness that bled into the echoing taste of mint, bitter coffee, and the soft embrace of his mildly chapped lips. You'd been close enough to him in the past to dig your nose into his clean scent, but as he pressed against you, it was all you could focus on. He kissed you as if his lips were studying to be experts on your own; a kneading of exploratory gentleness met with a keen sense of wanting to pour everything unsaid between the two of you into this action. It was like he hungrily wanted to know the curvature of your mouth like the back of his hand.

He broke away from you breathlessly and your floating sense of calm clouded and compacted your words. You hesitated to open your eyes as you felt him settle his forehead against yours, not wanting to extract himself from you yet. You subtly enjoyed the fact of sharing air with him as you drew in a deep breath, the taste of him still lingering in your mouth. You wanted that taste to live on your tongue.

Clay stepped back, shrugging out of your hold reluctantly. His hand moved to settle over his mouth as if he was silently apologizing for the suddenness of that action. Your mind was running wild with the thought of him. You parted your lips, stunned enough that you could barely remember how to stand on your own let alone string together a sentence.

He swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding your eyes. "I- um," his tongue darted across his lips and you yearned at the fact that you wanted to be pressed against him again, selfishly needing to be tangled among his long limbs or you'd surely die. "I'll see you around," he stated, undoubtedly noticing how verklempt you were and what kind of effect he'd had on you.

He moved to step around you and your eyes glued to where he was standing before. He halted when his shoulder brushed against yours, his gaze turning to trace against your features as you struggled to meet his eyes. You knew he was biting back a smirk as he went on his way again, leaving you to decompose at the mental imagery of him.

You heard the door swing shut behind him and you pushed your wet hair away from your face, turning off the water. As you stepped from the stall, you met eyes with a girl who perked an eyebrow in your direction. She froze in the middle of brushing her teeth, having obviously seen Clay leave, and at the sight of you, she smirked. “Alright, alright. I see you, Elizabeth Bennett,” she winked, swaying a bit before continuing on with her routine.

Dream Tag List: (follow this link to be added ;))

@karlkitten @pluto-dizzz @more-like-reyna @honk-izzie-was-taken @marrymetheonott @froggyy06 @ghoulandghost @savingpluto @marshmallow-babe @drunkpumpkincake @unstableye @tinyegg @behzzyboo @darphobic @twist3dtinkerbell @sparkletash @lindsayhunz @shroomieissmall @mintmochiii @clubfairy