#and i'm taking you on the journey with me

[steampunkskull]

#2 is the one that always gets me. Like, dude, your "hot take" is literally in the text of the media (film, book, song, etc). It's not even subtext. It's not even a hint. It isn’t subtle. The creators literally walked up to you with a baseball bat labeled with the purpose of the media and hit you over the head with it.

A recent example I came across was some guy who just realized the whole "there is no spoon" thing in the Matrix was a metaphor for the Matrix and Neo's journey and I'm just like....dude, the little bald kid literally just explained that in those exact words.

"I can't believe [media] was actually about _____ the whole time!!!"

[one possible interpretation, yep]

[literally the main theme??]

[worst take you've seen in your life]

[cheapshrimpysheep]

Dating in a Dream - Jamil Viper

SUMMARY: What would his dream be like, exactly the same as in the original story, but with the small detail that he is dreaming that you two are dating?

CHARACTERS: Jamil Viper x Reader 🐍🦐

TAGS: Fluff; a little angst; GN Reader; In a Relationship (kinda); Kiss

WARNING:��Spoilers from Book 7 and Jamil’s dream (Eng Server)

WORD COUNT: 6.220 words

COMMENTS: This was written as a companion piece to the original dream story, so the parts that are the same as the game are just summarized.

I would also like to say: I kept the endings "sama" and "bocchan" because I thought they would make more sense, and since "sama", from what I researched, is gender neutral it could be used with Yuu. I don't know if Jamil's shawl has a specific name. And I'm not good with color names.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy 🐍

Dating in a Dream: Idia / Epel / Rook / Vil / Kalim / (Jamil) / ...

“Aether signal tracking successful.” Ortho announces. “We have arrived at the designated coordinates.”

Kalim seemed to have enjoyed the dream-to-dream journey, and even compared it to his carpet rides. But Vil didn't look or feel very well. It seemed like some kind of motion sickness specific to those dream travels. Everyone agrees that Vil should rest. Silver and Ortho stayed with him in the shade, while you, Grim, Sebek, Kalim and Idia, or rather his tablet, went for a walk to analyze the world of that dream a little more.

After walking around for a while, Sebek comments that it is as hot as in Kalim's dream. Which is explained by the fact that both dreams take place in Scalding Sands. Kalim recognizes the Camel Bazaar and suggests that you all should buy Vil some coconut juice, it's cold and refreshing and might help him feel better. Grim agrees, but Idia and Sebek fear that this could cause problems because they don't have the local currency. However, Kalim assures that everything will be fine.

Kalim orders, to everyone's surprise (or almost everyone's), TEN coconut juices. The vendor gives him a heap of whole coconuts with an opening at the top and a straw each. Kalim encourages you all to try a sip and you do so. It really felt good in that heat. Kalim prepares to leave with the coconuts when the vendor calls his attention.

“Excuse me, sir! You need to pay.”

“Pay? Sorry, I don't have any cash on me.” Kalim responds too naturally and tells the vendor that he can just bill his house like usual.

But the vendor didn't know what Kalim was talking about. When Kalim told him his name the vendor recognized the name, however...

“Al-Asim, huh? If that's true, that's even less reason to put anything on a tab. You think you can dine and dash at MY stall? You've got some nerve, kiddo!”

“This is going south fast...” You say. “There's no returning the juice now that we've drunk it...” You approach Kalim to talk to him about that situation and that's when the vendor finally sees you well.

“OH! (Y/N)-sama!” The vendor practically stutters your name and completely changes his attitude. “I-I didn't see you were in this group. Are they your friends? I am so deeply sorry for my bad manners. If you don't have money with you either, I can just bill the Viper's house if you'd like.”

“The Viper's house?” Kalim wonders. “Why Jamil's house?”

“Hey! (Y/N)!” Grim whispers loudly at your feet. “Just say yes and get us out of this!”

You accept the vendor's offer and he lets you go with all those coconuts and a smile on his face. But a slightly scared smile. Returning to Vil, Silver and Ortho, you all discuss what happened.

“So, (Y/N) seems to have more power here than Kalim.” Ortho observes. “And apparently they are also somehow connected to Jamil Viper's house.”

“But how?” Sebek wonders. “And why?”

“Well, by the way the vendor reacted when he saw (Y/N)...” Idia says. “I have an idea... but let's analyze this place better first.”

Vil and Ortho exchange glances with each other, probably thinking the same thing as Idia.

“We can start by checking my place.” Kalim suggests. “Jamil's place is on our grounds.”

Arriving at the place where Kalim's house would be, it was deserted... Literally.

“Wh... This can't be right... MY HOUSE IS GONE! The main building, the annexes, Jamil's home, they're all gone! Where'd everybody go?!”

A local resident who was passing by asked if you were tourists and told you that the Asim Palace had a change in ownership years back. The new owner had it relocated to high ground on the outskirts of town. He didn't know who the new owners were, but he know that the Asims had to give up their house after their business failed.

You go look for the palace.

You all go to where the palace was now and Kalim is shocked to discover that it was true that his house really did get relocated to higher ground. And not only that, but it looked like the exterior's been repainted too. The roofs have gone from teal to red, and the walls from white to black.

“Hey!” A Guard suddenly approaches. “What are you kids doing here? This is a private－ ah! (Y/N)-sama! It's you, and Kalim. My apologies, I hadn't recognized you from afar. Jamil-bocchan has been looking for you to go to school together.”

“Jamil?” Kalim steps forward. “Jamil is here?!”

“What kind of question is that? This is where Jamil-bocchan lives... Viper Palace!”

You discover that the one who bought up Kalim's home was Jamil's father, the head of the Viper family. He bought that manor from the Asims when they were in sore need of money, and know the Vipers were the richest family in Silk City.

After the guard's explanation, you hear music coming from somewhere and an elephant emerging through the front gates at the head of a whole parade. You see that the guy riding the elephant was none other than Jamil, wearing a uniform just like the one the fake Jamil wore in Kalim's dream, but this one was red and black instead of turquoise and white.You also see the dreamer's silver bird around his head.

“Make way! Coming through!” Another guard announced. “Make way for Jamil-sama!”

You all step aside.

“Why are YOU making way, Kalim?” The guard who was with you questioned him. “Take this parasol and join the procession!”

Since you were distracted looking at that guard and Kalim, you got startled when you suddenly felt something grabbing you by the waist and lifting you into the air. When that thing finally lets go of you, you are in Jamil's arms and you realize that that thing was the elephant's trunk.

“Where were you, my desert bloom? You are quite late.” Jamil asks you and then looks at your clothes. “Have you been shopping? Hm... no offense, but I've seen you in better clothes.” He smirks.

Jamil lands you on the elephant's back, but you can't stand on your own and cling to Jamil. He laughs.

“You haven't gotten used to it yet, have you? But let me just change those clothes real quick. You can't go to school without a uniform.” He uses his magic pen to turn your NRC uniform into a uniform similar to the black and red clothes with gold jewelry he was wearing. “Much better~” he says in a lower, slightly seductive tone. “Black already looks good on you, but red looks even better.” He grabs you firmly by the waist to hold you, before turning to the people in the procession behind you. “Get marching, and don't break formation!”

“Jamil looks like he's having a ton of fun!” You hear Kalim say right behind the elephant.

“You there, quiet down! Less talking, more walking!” Jamil orders him.

You look back and see two lines, in front of one of them is Sebek, followed by Vil and lastly Silver, in front of the other is Kalim, followed by Ortho and lastly Grim, who you imagine would be complaining.

“So...” You try to chat with Jamil. “How long is the path to school again?”

“Is it just me, or are you more spacey than usual?” He looks at you slightly suspicious. “Unless... Oh, you're asking because you're tired from shopping, aren't you? Well, Jahar Sahir College is on the other side of the city, but the path is straight so you'll see we'll get there in no time. Enjoy the parade.” His watchful gaze returns to the people behind the elephant. “You there － your parasol is drooping. Hold it properly!”

“Whoops, sorry! I'll fix that right away.” You hear Kalim apologize.

Jamil is very suspicious and attentive. If you take too many risks, he might realize that you are not one of the NPCs from his dream. And it’s not a good idea to take that risk more than 2.5 meters above the ground.

Suddenly, in the midst of the euphoria of the moment, Jamil pulls you to lie on his other arm, making you lose your balance and scaring you. Even if you shouted in fright, it was just another scream in the middle of the cheers. Jamil laughs before pulling you back to your feet and grabbing you to hold you steady. If you hug him or cling to him, he will like it even more.

“What was that?!” You ask, it really looked like you were going to fall off the elephant.

“Ha ha ha!” He laughs in a way you don't remember ever seeing. “I just felt like surprising you.” He smirks. “Or maybe it was a little punishment for disappearing on me and arriving so late to the parade.”

And as another surprise he kisses your lips quite lovingly, but only for a couple of seconds. When he breaks the kiss, he laughs at your surprised face.

“I know, I don't usually do this with so much attention on us. But no one will dare tell us anything.” his smile had a hint of menace.

“All right, we're here.” Jamil finally announces. “Parasols closed, elephants to the stables!”

Jamil leads your elephant to a special platform for you to get off, and he helps you, giving you his hand to support you. You look around and see a school just like the school in Kalim's dream, but once again red and black instead of teal and white. And the statue in the fountain was also different. It wasn't the Ruler of the Oasis's, but you recognized this one, it was a statue of the Sorcerer of the Sands, the same man from the Scarabia Dorm.

“We should go look for Kalim.” Jamil bends his arm to invite you to intertwine yours with his. You do so and he starts walking towards the fountain. “Kalim! Where are you?!” He shouts displeased.

“Oh, I'm right here!” Kalim waves with a big smile. “Hello!”

“Don't give me that!” Jamil retorts. “How can you loaf around without looking after your boss...? Wait. What's with that outfit? Did you botch your color-changing magic again?”

It was as if all that joy of his had disappeared as soon as he approached Kalim. It was a little sad to see, both from Kalim and Jamil's side.

“Huh? I didn't botch this.” Kalim explains. “It's supposed to look like the Ruler of the Oasis. Cool, right?”

“The Jahar Sahir College uniform uses traditional red and black colors like what the illustrious Sorcerer of the Sands wore. What were you thinking, bleaching them to your whims? The nerve.” Jamil takes his magic pen and changes the colors of Kalim's clothes to the same as his.

“Ooh, the colors changed! These are pretty nice too, actually. Thanks, Jamil!”

“I think you mean to say, 'Thank you very much, Jamil-sama, sir.’” Jamil corrects with an offended expression. “Honestly... You'll never let go of that pampered rich boy demeanor, will you? Look. The Asim family owes the Viper family more money than you could pay off with a lifetime's worth of work. So you should try to make yourself at least a LITTLE useful to me.”

“Jamil!” You say, as if asking him to moderate his words.

“I know, you don't like it when I'm like this to Kalim, but he needs to know his place.” He looks at you strangely, almost sulking. “You always had a soft spot for him that I never understood.” he addresses the group again. “By the way, who are you people? Jahar Sahir College isn't open for the general public to just waltz in.”

Silver explains that they are from Night Raven College and Vil says that the reason they came to Scalding Sands was a Film Research Club project, but that they had heard so much about Jahar Sahir College that they had to visit it. He said they were looking for the reception and it was shortly after that Kalim spotted them and approached them. Jamil seems suspicious at first, but after thinking about it for a while he supposes there is nothing strange about it.

“Considering their shabby attire and vapid expressions, I'm sure they're simply students.” Jamil murmurs.

“Hey, I heard that!” Grim informs.

“Oh dear, I beg your pardon.” Jamil says smugly. “I let my inner voice slip out there...”

“Wait a minute...” Grim notices the way Jamil talks to him. “You don't recognize me?”

“Recognize you?” Jamil repeats, confused. “My apologies, but I don't remember ever meeting a little beast like you.”

“WHAT?! You know (Y/N) but you don't know me?!”

“What does one thing have to do with the other?” Jamil turns to you. “Do you know this strange cat?”

As Grim complains that he's not a cat, you think about what to say. But what should you say? That you don't know him? That you met him once? But when? And how? The more time you let pass, the more suspicious Jamil would become.

“We crossed paths with (Y/N) before the parade.” Vil saves you. “I think Grim developed a special liking for them after meeting them.”

You see Grim look surprised at that excuse and then lower his ears a little sad, reluctantly accepting his new role in Jamil's dream.

“I can see why.” Jamil smirks. “I've never met anyone who wasn't enchanted by (Y/N). Which is ironic coming from someone who is not a mage. Allegedly.” He looks at you with that mischievous smile and raised eyebrow.

“Forgive my indiscretion if so.” Ortho says. “But would I be correct in concluding that you two are a couple?”

“Yes, you would.” Jamil answers casually.

“However, you said that they are not mages, but they are students of Jahar Sahir College?”

“An exception was made due to personal circumstances.” Jamil said defensively. “Nothing you need to... worry about.” He finished in a slightly threatening tone despite the smile. “Returning to the subject of your visit. As the student council president, I would be a far more fitting person to show you around campus than Kalim.”

“Oh, truly?” Vil smiles. “How fortunate for us to receive hospitality straight from the student council president himself.”

“I wouldn't want Kalim giving them the impression that our students are subpar.” He mutters.

Jamil says that, personally, he is interested in hearing about Night Raven College. He knows about the Dark Mirror and says that Scalding Sands also has long been a flourishing producer of magical artifacts.

“There's the Magic Flying Carpet, the Great Serpent Staff, the Hourglass of Clairvoyance...” He looks at you for a split second with a smile on the corner of his mouth, when talking about the hourglass. “And the Magic Lamp.”

Jamil says that the Sorcerer of the Sands himself employed such artifacts in his great deeds, and that to this day many people in Scalding Sands, including students from Jahar Sahir College and Jamil himself, are interested in them. He also brags about his family's treasure being bursting with artifacts collected from all over the world.

“I'd love to hear more about the ones housed at your school.”

“Ooh, wow! You liked (Y/N)? I had no idea!” Kalim says. “I'm so happy for you two. And you're the student council president? That's great, Jamil!”

“Why are you acting like this is the first you've heard of it? Not only do you GO to this school, but you and (Y/N) are friends. Now stop standing around and prepare a proper reception for our guests”

“Whoops! Right, I'm supposed to work for Jamil. Okay, a proper reception means a party, right? I got this!”

Kalim starts by asking someone to prepare a party, until Jamil reminds him that this was HIS job. Then Kalim says that a party needs drinks, but instead of going to the kitchen to get some, he uses his signature spell, Oasis Maker, to make it rain.

“You fool!” Jamil says to Kalim as he uses his own shawl to cover you and try to keep you from getting too wet. “Who goes around spraying water without any warning?!”

“We'll need food, too.” Kalim continues, oblivious to what Jamil was saying. “I'll go grab some food from the kitchen! Be right back!” The rain dissipates as he runs away towards the interior of the main building.

“What's gotten into him?” Jamil mutters again. “He's never been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's usually not THIS bad.”

“Maybe he's just too excited that we have guests from so far away?” You suggest.

“Trying to alleviate his incompetence as always.” he mutters to you, slightly disapprovingly, before turning back to the others. “Ahem... I'm sorry you all had to see that.”

“Please, don't worry about it at all.” Silves tells him.

“Here you are, Jamil - uh, I mean, Jamil-sama!” Kalim comes back. “I brought a bunch of your favorite foods. Look! I've got a whole pot of curry, some dates... Oh, and lots of silky melons! Where should I put them?”

“I had a bad feeling, but seriously... Who brings the food out before they even set out rugs and tables?! This is beyond bad. You're utterly useless!”

“Ah hah hah! Sorry about that! I've never done this sort of things before.” Kalim apologizes, good-humored as always. “Jamil-sama, could you hold the pot of curry? (Y/N), Grim, you hold the dates and melons.”

“Mrah! Don't plop a whole pile of melons on my head!” Grim appeals unsuccessfully. “Geez, this is heavy!”

“Okay, I'll get some rugs next!” Kalim announces excitedly and runs away again.

“Hey, wait! What kind of staff makes their bosses and guests do the work?!”

“I thought you hated dates.” You say, looking at the large basket full of them that Kalim passed into your hands.

“And I do.” Jamil confirms. “At least someone remembers. Ahem... I'm so sorry about this.” he apologizes to Grim too. “I'll keep the dishes levitated with magic. You don't have to hold them.”

“Ooh, it's all floatin' now.” Grim says relieved. “That's much better!”

“Ugh, that dimwit gets on my last nerve. Mom and Dad are far too lenient. And so are you.” Jamil tells you.

“I see you don't like that about me.” You concluded as the others spoke amongst themselves.

“It's not that I don't like that side of you and you know it. But there are people who don't deserve it.”

“Well, I think Kalim deserves it.” You defend him.

“How stubborn.” Jamil sighs. “But I'd be lying if I said I disliked it. Depending on the situation, it's quite attractive.” he smirks.

You didn't know, but while the two of you were talking about Kalim, the others were also talking among themselves about Jamil and you.

Grim wondered if Malleus's spell wasn't supposed to be giving people happy dreams, but Jamil was in a snit, he didn't seem all that happy to him. The Shroud brothers concluded that this dream followed the same pattern as Vil's dream. Kalim was a source of stress for him, just like Neige was to Vil. But Kalim exerts an outsized influence over Jamil's personality and capabilities in reality. Removing a figure that influential would make the dream more prone to major paradoxes. Unlike Grim, and maybe that's why Jamil didn't remember him.

“Nonetheless...” Ortho sees Jamil smiling at you, even after that silly little argument. “He seems pretty happy with (Y/N).”

“True, he seems more relaxed with them.” Silver agrees.

“We must not deviate from the main point!” Sebek reminds them. “We need to make Jamil realize this is a dream as quickly as possible!”

“Right.” Silver agrees. “Between this place and the bazaar, Jamil's definitely got a strong imagination. I don't think a simple shock would do the job. How do we approach this...?”

Kalim returns, saying he went to Zahab Market and got some nice pieces from the rug merchant. Vil comments that those "nice pieces" look like they'd cost an arm and a leg. Jamil finally seems satisfied with Kalim's work, taking the opportunity to boast again about his family being the richest and most influential in the city.

“Anyway, check this out! Doesn't this carpet take you back?” Kalim shows him a carpet almost identical to the flying carpet of his that you knew, but instead of red, this one was purple.

“Take me back? Why would it?”

It was a regular, unenchanted replica of the flying carpet. Kalim talks about a time when the two of them and his father went to a rug merchant, Kalim thought it was a real flying carpet, spread it out on the ground and walked right onto it. That got him a scolding.

“How could I forget? The look on that merchant's face when you stepped on a vintage silk carpet with your muddy shoes－HRK!” The dream world begins to distort. “Wait... I would never take someone as overeager as Kalim to a high-end store. Rgh... What's going on?! I suddenly feel dizzy...”

Seeing Jamil wavering, the others encourage Kalim to keep talking. Kalim remembers a time when they snuck out of the manor to visit the Camel Bazaar and drank coconut juice together, but Jamil says that Kalim was the one sneak out on his own and Jamil had to scramble after him. Then he remembers a time, just before they enrolled in Night Raven College, when Jamil used his signature spell to make the bad guys fight each other to get him and Kalim out of trouble. But this time Jamil insisted that he didn't know what he was talking about.

Kalim says that he was always the best and most dependable friend he could have, and that he trusted everything would work out just fine as long as he left it in Jamil's hands. But he was the only one of them who felt that way and now he know that Jamil hated it all along.

“That's why you used (Y/N), Grim, and the students in Scarabia to try and get me kicked out and sent home, right? Winter break sure threw me for a loop. I was super crushed when you betrayed me and told me you hated me.”

“Used (Y/N)?! How dare you... I would never... I... I did... What I did... That Winter break...? Betrayed? Augh! My... My head!”

The world distorts a little more.

Kalim says he doesn't know what Jamil is thinking, but he knows that the person he is right now isn't the person he really wanted do be. He wanted to be the best version of himself, but that isn't this.

“Remember who you truly are!” Kalim transforms his clothes into his Scarabia Housewarden uniform, which makes Jamil start to remember.

“What was that scene just now? It shouldn't be familiar to me, but... it is. The... The real me is...”

“JAMIL-SAMA!” You hear someone shout, and a second Kalim, wearing a Jahar Sahir College uniform, appears running.

“There are two Kalims!” Silver says. “That means...”

“Yes, it must be the darkness.” Vil completes.

“Jamil-sama, when I heard you went to school earlier than usual. I scrambled to catch up...” Fake Kalim says, worried. “Oh no, how could this be?! Please, hold on! I'll get you to a doctor! Guards! GUARDS!”

The ground was painted black and Jamil began to sink rapidly into darkness, surrounded by a dark fog that prevented him from seeing you all well. And guards of black goop formed to prevent you from approaching them.

“Kalim...?” Jamil says with some difficulty.

“Yes, that's right. I'm the real Kalim, your loyal retainer.”

“Huh? Jamil, look again! That's not me!” the real kalim tries to warn him.

“He's an assassin sent to end you.” the fake Kalim tries to convince him “Don't listen to a word he says.”

“Wait...” Jamil looks directly at you with heavy eyelids struggling to stay open. “(Y/N)... they...”

Black goop rises from the ground and forms a figure, a perfect copy of you, also wearing Jahar Sahir College's uniform.

“I'm right here, my love.” your copy tells him. “They had the nerve to impersonate your beloved as well. But I'm here now. The real me. The real (Y/N). Look in my eyes. As long as you stay here, you can be a ruler forever. Money, land, freedom, love... Everything is yours!”

“Yes... That's the truth...” Jamil gives in. “You're absolutely right, both of you...”

“Wait! Trust us, not them!” Kalim shouts again. “JAMIIIL!”

But none of that stopped the darkness from swallowing Jamil.

“Stop disturbing Jamil-sama's sweet dreams, you street rats!” The false Kalim commands you.

“As if we'd listen to you!” Sebek retorts. “Let's do this!”

You all change your clothes and fight the darkness. And after defeating it, Kalim jumps into the pool of black goop without hesitation behind Jamil, followed by all of you.

When you open your eyes again, you see that you’re in the Hallway of Scarabia Dorm. By the red light that dimly illuminated the place and the dark fog, you realized that it was the same scenario as when Jamil overbloated. Suddenly, you hear a creepy laugh you've heard before and you all go to the lounge.

“I did it... I finally got Kalim ousted from school and claimed the position of housewarden for myself!” Jamil is the center of attention in the room, wearing his drom uniform, and had that psychopathic smile on his face. “Bring on the food and drinks! This calls for a celebration. The foolish king is gone, and the true power behind the throne has risen in his place!”

While the Scarabia students follow his orders, you see Azul next to Jamil with that red glow in his eyes.

“Wait a minute, those eyes...”

“Hey, (Y/N). You put it together too, right?” Grim tells you in a whisper. “Looks like Azul ain't fakin' it like he did during winter break. He's really under Jamil's control.”

Most of the dorm's students, who were all actually the darkness in disguise, were gathered in the lounge. You were decidedly outnumbered. Idia says that the best thing would be to get into a more advantageous position and make a surprise attack, so you will quietly make your way behind the students and then launch a coordinated strike on cue. Silver says that Idia should give the signal and the others would carry out the attack.

“Ahh, I feel on top of the world. So this is freedom! How sweet it is.” Jamil keeps chattering. “The biggest thorn in my side, Kalim, is gone. Azul has fallen into my hands.” he looks to his right side to see Azul standing right there. “And (Y/N)...” He looks to his left side, but finds no one. “...is trying to escape again? *sigh* Bring them back to me!” he orders the Scarabia students.

Silver pulls you behind a pillar and you all hide.

“Mrah! What do we do now?!”

“Hand (Y/N) over.” Idia says to everyone's surprise.

“What?! Have you gone insane as well?” Sebek protests as quietly as he can. “What about the surprise attack?”

“Listen, if Jamil really likes (Y/N) he won't hurt them.” Idia explains. “And (Y/N) can help distract him and provide a more effective surprise attack.”

Sebek, Silver and Grim are reticent, but you are the one who takes the initiative and gives yourself to the Scarabia students while the others remain hidden. Two students hold you by the arms and take you to Jamil. And to your surprise, as soon as they let go of you the darkness forms shackles around both of your wrists.

“It pains me to see you reduce to this, (Y/N).” Jamil tells you and pulls you by the chains of the shackles to bring you closer to him. “But you insist on resisting me. Oh, and those clothes... Let's give you more suitable ones, shall we?” He uses his magic pen to turn your NRC uniform into a Scarabia Dorm uniform. He laughs with satisfaction. “A beautiful desert bloom such as yourself should be on the arm of the most powerful housewarden in Night Raven College. What do you say, my dear? Why refuse to be my new Vice Housewarden, and partner?”

“To be honest... I also have a crush on you, Jamil.” you admit and he smiles, too pleased. “But not this version of you. The real you. Or rather, the best version of you, that I know exists behind this senior psychopath.”

“The... real... Hrk!” his head hurts and the world distorts a little, but Jamil pushes you, making you stumble and fall to the ground.

“I'll teach you some respect... but until then...” he orders that the Scarabia students grab you by each arm and lift you up. “Let's just calm that rebelliousness of yours for a while.”

As the students hold you by the arms, he holds your chin to make you look at him. You knew what he wanted to do to you and struggled to keep him from using Snake Wisper on you. You are saved by Kalim, who attacked Jamil before the signal with a solid blow.

“Wh... Kalim?! What are you doing here?!”

Silver and Sebek attack the students who were holding you and free you from the shackles by breaking them.

“(Y/N), are you okay?” Silver asks you, holding you in his arms in case you need a little comfort.

“Huh? I don't understand...” Sebek says. “The students aren't attacking us...”

“YOU BIG DUMMY!” You hear Kalim say.

“D... Dummy?!” Jamil responds in disbelief.

“The biggest one there is!” Kalim punches him again. “How can you treat (Y/N) like that?! I may not have realized you liked them, but I know you would never do these things to them. You don't want to force them to like you. You want them to like you for who you are. That's why you started getting nervous whenever we met with (Y/N), right?

“Nervous? ... Hrk!”

The dream world begins to distort as he remembers the first time he felt good around you and then begins to worry if you secretly hated him for what he did to you and Grim on Winter break.

“You don't want to use them, you don't want to deceive them.” Kalim continues. “And the same applies to competing with others. What you wanted wasn't a prize earned through dirty trickery! And you know it! Wake up right this instant, Jamil!”

“What I wanted? ...Hrk!”

The world distorts again with another memory: Jamil telling Kalim to shut up! Telling him not to give him orders! That he was through following other's orders! That he was going to BE FREE!

“Argh, you keep trying to tell me my business...” Jamil says, annoyed. “What would someone as oblivious as you even know about me?!” he punches Kalim.

And the two of them begin to fight while insulting each other. Until the insults are reduced to one adjective at a time between punches. Cynic, Imbecile, Jerk, Airhead, Blockhead...

“Such childish bickering...” Sebek comments. “The other students and Azul are all pawns made from darkness, but they're just standing there staring.”

He suggests that you aid Kalim, but Silver stops him.

“Let them get it all out of their systems.” Silver says. “Sometimes a fist fueled by emotion is more effective than any words. ...It definitely was for me.” He gives a small smile.

After some time of fighting, Kalim starts laughing.

“Huh? What could you possibly have to laugh about right now?” Jamil questions.

“Y'know, Jamil... I think this is the first time in our 17 years together that we've ever fought like this!”

“What?! Well, obviously! If I beat you up in reality, it would spell disaster for... Ah?!” The world distorts again. “Gaaah! Augh! It hurts... My head! In reality...? Why did I say that? Rgh, augh...!”

“That's right. This is all just a dream! Please, Jamil, remember! Remember the real you!”

“Right... That day... What I did to you... What I did to... Ah, aaagh...” Jamil remembers what happened on winter break, the dream shatters and he wakes up. “Heh. Haha... Ahahaha... That's right. I failed to oust you that day.”

Kalim celebrates that you all managed to wake up Jamil, but after a little chit-chat the ground starts to shake and fissures began opening all over the place. The dream was starting to break down because Kalim wasn't supposed to exist in it.

Idia warns everyone to get out of the dream as quickly as possible, but then the floor started giving out beneath Kalim. Jamil dove in to save him and the darkness began to dragging him in. Kalim grabbed Jamil to try to get him out of there, but Jamil told him to leave him and punched him when Kalim refused to do so. If you had also tried to help Jamil, he would have just push you too. And Jamil was swallowed by darkness.

When you returned to the dream after the Shroud brothers informed you that it was safe, you landed in Jahar Sahir College. And when you see Jamil he is wearing his Scarabia uniform. Kalim ran to hug him but Jamil dodged successfully.

You and Silver say you're glad he made it back, and Jamil says that he owe all of you a great deal before asking if someone could please fill him in on what was going on.

After the Shrouds show him the explanatory video he says he gets the general gist, and admits that he wasn't entirely sure the rest of you weren't more illusions he subconsciously conjured up, but he never would have thought of the cheat tools idea that Idia came up with. And continued talking about the possibility that it was part of Malleus' spell but it didn't make sense to bring it up to him at all, if that were the case.

“So it's probably safe to accept that all of you aren't illusions created by me or Malleus.” Jamil finally concludes.

“Dude, you were questioning our whole premise...” Idia comments.

“Why wouldn't I, after having my mind, my memories, and my whole world rewritten? But... if you're all real that means...” Jamil looks at you and starts to get worried. “W-when exactly did you get here?”

“Some time before you appeared riding an elephant at the start of the parade.” Ortho answers.

“Yes, we were even part of it!” Kalim adds smilingly. “It was super fun!”

“S-s-so... those people at the parade...” Jamil stutters as the panic grows. “T-the person w-who was with m-me on top of the elephant...”

“Aaaall that until we lost you to that black goop after our fight.” Kalim adds, oblivious to the main point.

“So... that means... that (Y/N)... that whole time...”

“Jamil Viper, please breathe.” Ortho asks him. “I am detecting worrying imbalances in your aetheric structure.”

“Jamil looks like he's going to explode with embarrassment.” Idia says. “I don't even know if that's possible in a dream, but I'd rather not find out.”

You realize the best thing to do is to calm him down, he was unable to say a single word anymore. You take his hands, tell him everything is okay and ask him to breathe.

“I-I-I'm really sorry...!” He says still in panic and almost petrified. “I-I don't know why I did that... I-I didn't want to... I didn't...”

You hug him and feel how tense all the muscles in his body are.

“It's okay. I don't blame you.” You say in a whisper close to his ear. “We don't control our dreams. If you remember what happened, do you remember what I told you?”

“W-what did you tell me?”

You confess that you like him too and that you knew that wasn't the real him. Maybe you even say that you’re willing to forget all that and start over as it should be when you return to the real world.

You then feel Jamil’s muscles begin to slowly relax. Until he reciprocates your hug, is as gentle as it is strong.

“I'm sorry...” He apologizes in a whisper, probably the most sincere you have ever heard or will ever hear from him.

“Aww, GROUP HUG!” Kalim says excitedly.

“NOOO!” Everyone else grabs him and stops him from joining you.

“My goodness, Kalim!” Vil scolds him. “You really need to learn how to interpret social insights.”

When you break the hug, he still tries to look you in the eyes, but can't. You chuckle and cup his face to make him look at you.

“Ironic.” You say with a reassuring smile. “You being the one who doesn't want to look into another person's eyes.”

A small smile begins to form on his lips and he brings a hand to one of the ones you have on his face. He looks at your lips for a second and when he sees you smiling connivingly, he kisses you.

A kiss that lasts until Grim loudly clears his throat. As soon as Jamil breaks the kiss and looks at the others, remembering that they exist, he... isn't embarrassed. He smiles smugly at them, still holding you.

“Hey, last time I checked, it was still my dream.”

If you would like to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

[chocobje]

Hello, curious on how you do your toon anatomy! (Ex. Proportions, guidelines) It looks so much like the game but for Cosmo it doesn’t follow the body including legs is 1 1/2 the head rule I’ve noticed! (I’m struggling so much to draw cos lol)

I'm so sorry I am not the best person to teach but I tried my best to show how I do it 😭

I wouldn't say my artstyle is close to the game, but I do have a cartoony anatomy. I don't follow a guideline, cause I just wing it pretty much all the time. The way I draw Toons tend to look taller somewhat.

A LOT of my turns are very round if you notice, I rarely got a few sharp turns since that's just a preference of mine.

I usually do long, smooth strokes for my lines instead of shorter ones. Shorter lines or having a scratchy sketch makes my art look stiff in my opinion. I favor my characters looking dynamic over accurate anatomy. It feels more fun for me. (Anatomy is VERY important too but I have priorities lol.)

Proportions and anatomy also depend on which character you're doing. It's common for artists to draw kids with big heads and eyes and shorter limbs.

Anyway, I'm not sure what else to put here.. I recommend using a lot of references and practice.. I just searched up "cartoon anatomy" in Pinterest and there are tutorials over there that can teach you way better than I can. 🥹

My art isn't perfect, I'm only self-taught. I've only really learned through analysing the hell out of other artists/shows/games I admire and try to apply it on my own art... 😭 So you gotta find your inspiration!

Study what makes something work for others so you can apply it to yours. This is what I did when I first tried to figure out how to draw the Toons.. (my first art of them looks HORRID)

If it helps, I don't mind if people want to take some inspiration on how I draw the Toons. So analyze the hell outta my art if you wish LOL. (It brings me joy to be a factor of someone's art journey the way the bigger artists I admired were part of mine :')

[springintosummerxx]

⋆｡‧˚ʚ fresh out the slammer ɞ˚‧｡⋆

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mv1 x childhood friend! reader

fresh out the slammer, you know who your first call will be to...

warnings: mildly suggestive, ANGSTY, one-sided pining until it's not

word count: 2.4 k

masterlist

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your first relationship happened when you were 16.

he was smart, not as smart as you, but that was okay.

not many people were, your mom reminded you.

he was cute, too, in a boyish, charming way that reminded you of one of max's friends.

he shook your father's hand and kissed your mother's cheek; they liked him enough to let him tag along to one of max's races.

your first mistake was introducing him this early on to max.

18, a chip on a shoulder and something to prove, max had been yours since you were born.

your own father was his godfather, and max had deemed himself your protector since you were born.

you knew him when he was a shock of blonde hair and big blue eyes, before jos made it his mission to turn his firstborn into some project.

you'd stuck by him the entirety of his journey; he claimed you as family.

he'd told you once, last year, that you weren't his sister, not like victoria was, but something else.

when you'd asked him what, he'd shrugged, not meeting your eyes.

now, with your hands linked with someone who wasn't him, max's eyes glared the same way when someone beat him to a podium, or when the engine failed.

"well done, maxie," you murmur, and max hums, raising an eyebrow at the boy next to you.

"oh, this is..." you flush pink, "this is my boyfriend."

you turn to your boyfriend, who is turning paler and paler under max's gaze, "this is my..."

"i'm her max," he offers.

now, your boyfriend is turning purple.

"where's my congratulatory hug, liefje?" the nickname he uses doesn't go unnoticed, but you untwist your fingers from him, leaning to hug max.

max's arms go around your waist, and yours loop around his neck. you're practically off the ground with how much taller he's gotten. he squeezes, the same way he always does, presses a kiss to your forehead and smooths your hair.

when he lets go, you don't take the hand of the boy next to you.

the two of you break up the next week.

max doesn't question it, only shows up with ice cream and an offer to beat the kid up.

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||| 0:10

by the time you're 21, you've have your first long-term relationship.

he's older, right between you and max, and he's kind. he works as much as you, and understands your relationship with max.

no one has, ever.

you think you've found the love of your life, until you catch him in your shared bed with his colleague.

you're screaming at him, tears flowing down your face, until he raises his arms, confused.

"wait, wait. are you not sleeping with max? i thought we were both..."

now you're both pissed off and confused.

"what?" you ask, throwing your hands in the air, "no? why would i do that?"

needless to say, when you two break up, you don't tell anyone about what he had said about max.

but later, when you're hanging out with victoria at the paddock and you whisper to her what happened, she gives you a look.

"obviously, the guy is an asshole for cheating on you," she huffs, "but max is...i think he's in love with you."

coming from his sister, that's jarring to hear.

you shrug, and she rolls her eyes, taking your hand.

"do you remember," she prods, "the time he won his first race and he bought me a handbag and you a necklace?"

you nod, fingering the M pendant around your neck.

she nods, satisfied as if that proves a point.

"what? how does that have to do with anything?"

she throws her hands in the air, "he's practically peeing on you to mark his territory! how many best friends do you know are like you two?"

"alex! yeah, alex, come here," she beckons.

the british driver points comically at himself, then loping over.

"do you think max is in love with her?"

"absolutely." he nods, very seriously.

"guys, i really don't think-"

"do you know, that he keeps a picture of the two of you at all times?

"what?" you ask.

"yeah, he does." alex responds, "he looks at it all the time."

you flush, a little embarrassed and a little bit giddy.

"i still don't know..."

they both groan.

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||| 0:20

what victoria and alex say stays in your mind; in fact, it haunts you.

it's the little things you notice now, how max always opens your can of redbull (because he's nothing if not loyal, to both you and his team) for you before handing it over, how he always keeps his large, warm hand on the small of your back in crowds.

you know he's handsome, duh. with his pretty boy eyes and blonde, messy hair? of course you've always been aware.

but you start to notice him differently.

the way his muscles flexed under your hands when he lifted you onto a stairless platform to the hole-in-the-wall restaurant he found online, and the way his wide, pink smile pinched happiness all the way to his eyes.

if you're completely honest, you've always had a thing for him, really. he was just too...

out of reach.

a world champion.

completely wrapped in your history.

he knows every single part of you, every single mistake and shortcoming, but he still chooses to be part of your life.

so, with confusion and emotion turmoil at the forefront of your mind, you manage to ignore your budding feelings and move on with your life.

because there's no way anyone like max would ever want you the way you secretly wanted him.

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||| 0:30

"wow. hey, liefje. where you going?" he asks, eyes widening at the short dress you're wearing.

"uh, out?" you answer with your own question, and he smiles at you affectionately, rolling his eyes.

his eyes, blue like a thunder-driven sky roam over you, "with a guy?"

shrugging weakly, you nod.

he hums, shoulders tightening just an inch, the same way they do when he's tired after a race and asks you to hold him for a while.

"call me if you need anything," he murmurs, the soft tone of his voice turning something over in your chest until you can't breathe.

max presses a kiss to your forehead, the same way he's done since you can remember, but this time, this time it feels different.

different from a congratulatory kiss for a graduation or promotion, different from a comforting one after a bad day.

don't forget me, the kiss seems to say. don't forget that i'm here, waiting.

you feel crazy, to think all of that from a peck. but when you look at him, the plastic, long-suffering smile he gives you to reassure, you don't feel crazy at all.

"okay, i will."

he smiles, one more time, and you try and return it shakily, leaving through the front door.

the date goes exceptionally well; jonathan, his name is, is sweet, kind and doesn't know anything about Formula One, which you can tell grates on Max's nerves.

you bring him to the monaco grand prix, and he follows along, a little bored but tolerant, for you.

you appreciate it, and you tell him so.

max, during a season of redbull domination, inevitably wins.

he runs to you, tugging until you're in his arms.

when he smiles, your heart tugs. you don't understand why, but you're smart enough to know that you haven't felt it with anyone else.

that night, jonathan watches you carefully as the two of you sit in your living room with the race highlights on.

"how long has he been in love with you?" he asks abruptly.

you sit up straight, "what?"

he gives you a bit of a condescending look, not intentionally, but a look that tells you he knows something you don't.

"max. how long?"

"i-"

he sighs, picking up his jacket.

not unkindly, he grasps your shoulder, "you should really figure that out. before you lead on more people."

"wait, jonathan, i-" you try and stop him, not because you want him to stay but because you want an explanation.

he shakes his head, a small smile on his face, "really. i think...i think you have someone waiting for you anyways."

"i'm sorry," you offer weakly, feeling stupid.

"don't be. just, call him. i'd bet he's waiting."

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||| 0:40

you don't call max, but you show up at his apartment instead.

he's not there, probably still out celebrating, but you let yourself in with the key he gave you.

jimmy and sassy wind themselves around your calves, rubbing their faces against your skin.

you murmur hello, stroking their fur. you wander around, going to the closet to grab a hoodie.

a box, ontop of all the shelves of redbull merchandise catches your eye.

scrambling onto one of the sturdier shoe shelves, you clamber up, taking it with you to the couch.

it's a pretty box, fabric-sown in your favourite colour.

you open it curiously, hoping whatever inside will be interesting enough to pass time.

to your surprise, it's full of letters.

carefully, you take the first one out.

2013, it's dated. your name, written in max's slanted print catches your eye.

dear schatje,

charles asked me about you today. he said you were pretty, but i told him you were off limits. he tried to laugh it off, told me i was an overprotective older brother.

i tried to laugh too. but you're not my sister. i don't know how to explain it, other than that i think i love you.

not in the way my dad loved my mum, we both know how that ended up. but like in those romantic movies you force me to watch, where the guy really, really loves the girl.

like leave the middle of a basketball game to get you a coke, or marry you so you don't get deported to canada love.

well, that doesn't really apply to us, but i'll stop watching a race to get you whatever you want.

anything for you, you know? i think i always will.

there's just something about you. you're always so kind to everyone, and you're so smart.

you talk about what you love so passionately, and you see people, not what's expected of them.

i know you love me, as a brother or a friend, but you never ask me to be max the champion. just max the boy.

i feel alive, with you. not the rush from driving, but a consistent warmth every moment i spend with you.

maybe some day i'll tell you.

love, your max.

by the time you stop reading, tears are streaming down your face.

max loves you.

since he'd been what, 16?

your breaths come out shaky, as you move on to the next letter, and the next, and the next.

every letter, dedicated to you, some soft, quiet declaration of love he's held in his heart for almost a decade.

you fall asleep reading them, late into the night. max finds you there, and picks you up into his bed.

the two of you fall asleep together.

when you wake up the next morning, max is already sat up in his bed, watching some old race highlights.

he studies you for a second, quietly and indulgently.

"morning," you whisper awkwardly, "i-uh. i found your letters."

shrugging, max smiles, although it doesn't reach his eyes, "i figured."

"i-"

"we-"

you laugh, and he reluctantly does too.

"let me go first?" you ask.

"sure," he says.

"um, i didn't know," you bite your lip, "i didn't know. or else i would've-"

this is a terrible time to cry; with max, all sleep-tousled, watching you with those careful, blue eyes like you're easily breakable.

he pulls you into his strong arms, into his warm, solid chest.

you take a shaky breath, and his palm that spans over the entirety of the back of your head stills you.

"if i had known," you start, sill not too steady, " i wouldn't have wasted all my time."

"i'm sorry," he says, and shushes you when you shake your head to dismiss his apology, "i should've said something sooner. to be honest, i didn't know if you had felt the same way."

"oh, max," your eyes start to water again, and he coos, brushing a calloused thumb under your eye.

"i love you, and i have for a very long time."

hearing him say that is way more jarring than you'd ever imagined it would be.

max loves you.

you start to giggle, "sorry!"

"are you seriously laughing right now?" he pouts, eyebrows raising.

"sorry, baby. it's just that the fourteen year old girl in me is jumping up and down."

"say that again," he demands.

"jumping up and down?" you ask, confused.

suddenly, you're met with a shy max, which is a very endearing max.

"you called me baby," he murmurs, nosing your hair.

you splutter a laugh, "max verstappen, world champion, are you blushing because of a pet name?"

"because you called me a pet name. okay, seriously though. i want to be with you."

he's so blunt, but that's something you've always appreciated about him.

"okay," you say, pretending like your heart is not exploding in your chest

"okay," he replies, stroking your hair once more. you can feel him smile into your hairline.

"i'm sorry for making you watch me go through all those relationships," you tell him.

you imagine having to see him be with other girls, and you want to throw up.

"but your first call after they ended were all to me," he grins, smug.

"now i'm here. i don't plan to leave," you tell him matter-of-factly.

"good thing, because i'm not letting you go."

when he pulls you up to kiss him, it's better than you'd ever imagined (which is surprising, because you'd imagined it quite a lot).

he's so warm, scent familiar, and he traces his fingers into the skin of your neck.

when you shiver, he pulls you closer, and you feel him smile.

you whisper a "i love you" into his lips, and you're both smiling so wide that it's hardly a kiss anymore.

neither of you mind: you've spent the first two decades of your lives together, as friends, as family. but you'll spend the rest with the love of your whole life.

[vermili-and-eudo]

Vermili: While my superhero outfit is largely black, that is strictly for camouflage. I also have my tail and bands that are Pink, but that's to mark my wrists. My favorite color is Yellow. Eudo: Vibrant Green.

Eudo: I like easy listening music from the 70's/80's, stuff that's considered Yacht Rock. But when I'm with Vermili, Our Song is "Feels So Good" by Sonique

Vermili: Fists. I have no reason to walk around foes holding a gun, I have bad aim, I could easily kill someone, and with physical fighting, I can control how hard I hurt someone, so I'm mostly gentler to let them live and learn a lesson.

Vermili: You have to be in order to be a great Superhero!

Eudo: I take a great amount of care into my fashion/functionality combo, as while I would love to look like Liberace all the time, I hate wearing sleeves as it bunches my feathers and I can't fly with them. I love a lot of bright colors that call for attention. Vermili: I have made different outfits, experimenting in a trial and error to figure out what would work best for me and eventually my husband. My old Superhero outfit is made out of a combo of cloth and linen due to the high temperatures of my hometown.

Eudo: I dye the tips of my feathers every three months, mostly green, But sometimes I dye them a different color for an occasion. Vermili: I had SUCH bad helmet hair before meeting Eudo. Now I just comb it.

Eudo and Vermili: ... *Slowly point fingers at each other*

Vermili: my full Superhero name of "The Vermili Wrangler" often just gets shortened to Vermili for convenience sake.

Vermili: Key Lime Pie, I can tell when it's not made with real key limes! Eudo: Moon Shrimp Cake. If the local Chinese place has it, I order it every time!

Eudo: Our Wedding rings are the only jewelry we wear, not counting rhinestones on special outfits.

Out of character here. Vermili's personal journey was largely inspired by my own terms of coming out and a source of inspiration being Earthworm Jim. I would probably get along with Vermili and Eudo, I think we could be friends

Eudo: I was born on May 14th, 1977, I know there's a photo of me with a mugshot card saying 87, but that was because they ran out of 7s. Vermili is not exactly sure when he was born because he was a lab mutation accidentally made round 2000, so I celebrate the day he became a superhero and was introduced to society, being August 22nd, 2001.

Vermili: We both speak English, I know a little bit of Spanish to help out some of the local immigrants, but Eudo speaks it better than I can.

Vermili: I'm best with measurements, Eudo is great with money.

Vermili: I was the result of a lab throwing a meteorite at a Tamandua and some special educations, so I don't have any family per say, but Eudo has an amazing family, they treat me like I'm one of their own! He has a mom, a dad, and a younger brother named Doodle.

Vermili: I've helped a couple abandoned dogs before.

Eudo: I liked to run around and play sports as a kid.

Vermili and Eudo: NEVER!

Eudo: We are quick to act whenever some gets hurt, but are mostly cool tempered.

Vermili and Eudo: We can't drive

Vermili: Favorite place to be... Eudo: Oh come on, you know what they're asking! Vermili: I do, I just don't want to say it out loud.... Eudo: St. Petersburg Beach.

Eudo: Yeah, but Vermili is mostly a night owl, and I'm an early riser.

Vermili: I sound like Spencer from iCarly, and I CAN'T SING AT ALL.

Vermili: Sometimes I play videogames. I used to crash a lot of computers so I stuck with my Dreamcast for quite a bit. I like to play games with Eudo's little brother.

Vermili: I've been told I should get my eyes checked due to tamanduas having very poor eyesight, But I can see just fine! Eudo: You attacked a dress mannequin last night. Vermili: IT WAS DARK AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A BURGLAR.

Eudo: Me and Vermili us eachother as moving boosts, as while I'm light and can fly real high, Vermili can do a very strong all 4 run that gives me a boost. Doodle was born without an arm, so he uses a prosthetic.

Vermili: This will be the last question answered out of this list, because I'm not sure how to answer the rest of them, but I Love watching football, and I'm really good at baseball.

i wanted to make an oc ask game 😋 things i like to ask people abt their characters:

are they associated with a certain color? what color do they wear the most?

what sort of music would they like? have you thought about what genres or bands do they lean towards? do they have a favorite song?

weapon of choice? any particular reason they chose their weapon?

how crafty/resourceful are they?

how do they typically dress? does their wardrobe lean more towards practicality or aesthetics?

how do they wear their hair? do they care a lot how their hair looks?

favorite animal? why?

do they have a nickname? who gave it to them? if it's not derived from their real name, what's the story behind it?

favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?

if they wear jewelry, what kind? do they prefer silver or gold? do they have a favorite gem?

what do they have in common with you? how are they different? would you get along with them?

how long have they been around? do you know their birthday? is their birthday the day you made them or another day? what do they think of celebrating birthdays?

what languages do they speak? how fluently?

are they any good with numbers?

how big or small is their family? who did they live with growing up? do they live with anyone now?

do they have any pets? what do they call their pets?

how did they spend their summers/free time as a child?

their opinion on lying, stealing, and killing?

are they quick to anger? what sets them off?

if applicable, can they drive? if they have their own, what color is their vehicle? is the inside neat and tidy, or a mess?

their favorite place to be?

do they sleep well at night?

how would you describe their voice? can they sing?

do they have any creative hobbies? (art, writing, music, etc)

how good/bad is their hearing? what about their eyesight?

how do they move? are they clumsy? light on their feet? do they use mobility aids?

if applicable, do they have a favorite sport? do they play any sports or prefer to watch?

how do they show that they care about someone? how do they express that they don't like someone?

are they associated with any particular element (air, earth, fire, water)?

do they smell like anything notable?

do they like receiving gifts? giving gifts? what is their ideal gift?

do they have any habits that aren't particularly self-destructive, just maybe odd?

if applicable, how would your other characters describe them? i mean specifically the people around them.

how would your character describe themselves? it doesn't have to line up with how they really are.

do they ever return home?

[arayapendragon]

shifting advice; pick a pile 🦋

pile 1 - indifferent, austerity, undisturbed  channeled song - ride by lana del rey 

"i'm tired of feeling like i'm fucking crazy,  i'm tired of driving ’til i see stars in my eyes, all i’ve got to keep myself sane, baby, so i just ride, i just ride”

everything's moving fast, everything’s changing. maybe you’re getting a little overwhelmed, that’s okay. you may not realise it, but you’re making quite a lot of progress. embrace the shift, be open to it - it will happen sooner than you expect and may even catch you off guard. it could happen when you least expect it. ground yourself and your senses into the world that so lovingly calls you home. trust. 

take a step back, what is your intuition telling you? don't ignore it, listen intently. you can be your greatest mentor in your shifting journey even if it may not feel like it. you are the one who will figure out what works for you, what helps you shift, what fits you right. you are the one who sets the foundation for your shifting journey, and no one else can do that. realize how powerful you are. the answers you seek lie within. reflect, ponder, journal, and soon you will find yourself in the land of your dreams. 

you've been through pain, you’ve seen hardships. don't beat yourself up for “failed” attempts, or for not waking up where you wanted to. let go of the past, it cannot be changed; it was there to teach you a lesson, to prepare you, to test your mettle. what's done is done, what’s gone is gone. you still have time, you still have potential. you'll make it. let go of the past, it cannot control you unless you choose to let it. rewire your past assumptions into those that are favourable. just feel, just exist, just be. you're human, be kinder to yourself. let yourself heal. don't let the pain hinder your journey. instead, redirect your focus to the more valuable aspects of your desired reality - your loved ones, or anything else. realize how much they will help you, how much they will heal you, the joy they will bring you, and use that realisation to ground yourself into your desired reality. 

be slow, be steady. you could either be the tortoise, or be the hare, its entirely up to you. commit, persist, devote yourself to your desired reality. every small step you take will build up to something greater, something tangible, something meaningful and worthwhile. starting now, everything you do will help you shift, regardless of how small it is. the work and effort will pay off. don't stop, just keep going on. your shift is near, emotional fulfilment and joy await you. stay hopeful, stay open. you will soon bear the fruits of your labour. 

pile 2 - aversion to faultfinding, nonviolence, expert  channeled song - roslyn by bon iver & st. vincent 

“up with your turret,  aren't we just terrified? shale, screen your worry, from what you won’t ever find, don’t let it fool you, don’t let it fool you, down”

maybe you’re feeling disconnected from your desired reality, or maybe you find yourself unworthy of shifting. you might even feel like you’re missing something that you need in order to shift. let me remind you, the aforementioned is nothing but a lie; it is nothing but your mind playing tricks on you, and your thoughts taunting you. you're not alone, you’re enough. the universe has your back, this hardship will not last. even if your desired reality feels distant, it is closer than you realize. you are connected, you are aligned. just keep going. 

your biggest mistake is not realizing your power. you’re manifesting all the time, you’re shifting all the time, so what’s stopping you from shifting to anyplace else? you are the creator of your reality, and that is how it will always be. you already possess the ability to shift, just step into your power and take control of your journey, stop letting it run on autopilot. be patient, be kinder to yourself. don’t be aggressive and rough, instead be gentle and soft. approach shifting with a nurturing, almost motherly energy. by showing yourself more love and care you will raise your vibrations and thus easily align with the energy of your desired reality. keep your mind clear, stop letting emotions and negative thoughts get to you. the mind likes to mess around with you, will you give it the power to do so? or will you take control and take yourself where your heart desires? it is foolish to give power to mere thoughts and emotions, which are, at the end of the day, nothing but temporary. let go of impatient, there’s no clock ticking, there’s no one timing your shift. it will happen but you need to let go of all the pressures and worries. be confident, your thoughts are powerful and if utilized the right way, can guide you into your desired reality. 

you're far stronger than how much you give yourself credit for. you don’t need to fight or battle monsters to shift, the shift is waiting for you, calling you lovingly into a gentle embrace. simply accept it, let it catch you when you fall, drop your weapons. go soft, go steady, stop being at war with yourself. trust yourself more, realize that you are what makes the shift happen, no one or nothing else. be stubborn, but not aggressive. you want to shift? then do. no one can stop you, no one can hinder your progress. even if someone doesn’t understand or support your desire to shift, that will not change anything. only you can make the shift happen. don't let doubts weigh you down. don’t get disheartened by temporary setbacks, just keep pushing, but be kind to yourself in the process.  pile 3 - silent, gravity, charity channeled song - outro by m83

"i'm the king of my own land, forcing tempests of dusts, i'll fight until the end,  creatures of my dreams raise up and dance with me! now and forever, i'm your king”

you need to be honest and sincere with yourself. are you procrastinating? pushing the shift away? thinking there’s something more you need, or that something is holding you back from shifting? are you resisting the shift? you may be self-sabotaging yourself without realizing it. align with your desired reality by being true to yourself, by reflecting on yourself and your actions. align with the higher version of yourself. step into your power. you already know what you need to know. now it is time to put in the work. be shameless, rid yourself of guilt. welcome the shift with open arms and an open embrace. you know what needs to be done. stop getting in your own way. give shadow work or journalling a try to understand why and how you’re hindering yourself from shifting. understand the root cause behind these actions. are you scared to shift? finding yourself unprepared to experience your desired reality? afraid things won’t go your way? let go of everything, take it down a notch. you have expectations, and that’s okay, but don’t let them get in the way or make them unrealistic. be grounded, be mature, be practical. you're not playing with toys, you’re building an empire. realize that you have the utmost power and ability to shift, to live the life you desire, to get what you want. take ownership of this ability. trust yourself more. maintain some discipline, bring some structure into your routine. consider making a shifting journal to keep track of each shift, to find what helps and what doesn’t, to delve into each attempt in a detailed manner. you are the creator, you are the boss. you are the puppeteer, controlling everything else. there's no divine timing, there’s no right time to shift. there’s no prophecy waiting to be fulfilled. the shift wasn’t meant to happen at a certain time. instead, it will happen whenever you want; whenever you let it happen, whenever you give it permission, when you allow it to come through. be confident in your ability to shift, you know about this for a reason. shifting wouldn’t have found you if it wasn’t meant for you. enough doubting, enough wavering. if you want things to change you must leap into action and stop letting insignificant little things get in your way. you have the passion, you have the vision, you have the potential. be bold, be brave, let your passion for your desired reality fuel the shift. you are ready, believe and let it happen. 

[gothamite-rambler]

Stephanie: Hey Cass, I heard a story about how you became the leader of the League of Assassins and killed a lot of people.

Cass (eyes downcast, slowly putting her phone down): You cut right to the chase with that.

Stephanie: Yeah, but don’t worry I’m not judging. We all have dark pasts. I just want to hear about it cause I'm curious. What started it? How did you get your wake-up call? What happened in between or afterwards.

Cass: You’ve heard of Slade Wilson, right?

Stephanie: That goof? Yeah. Did he attack you during all of this?

Cass (starting the story): I wanted a father figure, and Bruce was missing…

One depressing and sad story of brainwashing her best friend and (maybe) future girlfriend later Stephanie stormed down the halls, searching for some special people, knowing immediately where they’d be: the Batcave.

Cass chased after her, pleading for her to calm down.

Cass: Just take a second to breathe! Please—

But Stephanie had already tuned her out, stomping down the stairs to the Batcave, striding past Jason, Tim, Damian, Kate, and Bruce until she found Dick.

Stephanie: HEY, NIGHTWING!

At first, Dick turned around, a smile brightening his face at the sight of her, but that smile vanished in an instant when she delivered a stinging slap to his cheek.

Dick (eyes wide, shocked): OW!

Stephanie: You… You! Penis! You absolute penis! How dare you mistreat Cass while she was going through all that? I knew you were too nice; something had to be buried, and YOU… penis!

Dick (cupping his sore cheek): Stop calling me a penis!

Jason (doubled over laughing): I feel bad for laughing, but this is priceless.

Bruce: I shouldn’t be laughing either, but at least it wasn’t me. What’s happening here?

Cass (hurriedly explaining as she fidgeted her hands): Steph wanted to know about the time I went insane like Jason and became the leader of the assassins. I mentioned my issues with Dick, but that was forgivable. She—

Stephanie: Is pissed at this eejit!

Damian (surprised): Did you just call him an idiot with an Irish inflection? You are mad.

Dick (taking accountability): I… she… this is so old! I admitted I was a jerk back then, but I'm not anymore.

Huffing angrily, Stephanie lowered her hand as Dick instinctively took a step back.

Stephanie: You know what? Dick, I get that you didn’t want her to kill her deadbeat dad or Slade. We don’t kill, well, except Jason, but I’m starting to understand him more!

Jason nodded, continuing to read.

Stephanie: But how you treated Cass during most of her redemption journey... such a penis move!

Dick: I wasn’t… she killed… And Barbara snapped at her sometimes! Why the hell won’t you slap her?

Barbara (having silently watched the spectacle): I apologized and she likes me more. And I taught her how to read and write more so there.

Dick: I apologized too!

Stephanie: After Alfred stepped in! You—

Dick: Don’t call me a penis. Alfred helped out and is usually the voice of reason, I'm obviously going to agree with him.

Cass walked over, stepping between them and lightly pushing Stephanie away with a warm smile.

Cass: I admire you defending me, but Dick and I have made amends — mostly. We replaced it with sibling bickering, and I’m not completely innocent. I did throw him out a window, which was wrong… even if I still think he deserved it a tiny bit.

Dick (dryly): That’s the closest you’re going to admit it was wrong?

Cass: Yep.

Dick: I’ll take it.

Stephanie sighed, stepping away from Dick and thinking silently.

Stephanie: Jason, can Rose stab her father for Cass?

Bruce: Excuse me for interjecting, but do you mean to kill or just maim?

Kate (chuckling): That’s legitimately a good question.

Stephanie: I want so badly for her to kill him or for you to kill him. But respecting my code and Cass’s wishes, can she just stab him to hurt him?

Jason pulled out his phone and texted Rose.

Jason: She might actually have a better method. I’ll get back to you on that.

Stephanie: It’s a start… right?

Cass: He won’t die? It’s not me plunging the knife, but I’d rather not have phantom blood on my hands.

Stephanie (placing a hand on Cass’s shoulder): I can make sure he lives afterward. Bruce, if you try to stop this, I'm sending my ma after you with a heel in her hand.

Bruce: Just make sure he lives. That’s all I ask.

Stephanie: Got you, B-Man. You can fire me again if I go against my future girlfriend’s rule.

Kate laughed more and walked upstairs to excuse herself, with Bruce following her for a drink after that show.

Dick: Right, cool. Not sure how I feel about this—

Stephanie (pointing at the man): Dick, I’m not too happy with you, so your opinion means diddly squat!

Barbara (laughing, but also reasoning with Stephanie): Steph, you have to understand that we were all going through hell back then. You were there, and Dick could be a bit of a… penis.

Stephanie: I get that, and now that I’ve delivered the righteous slap to him, I’m cool with him. Unless he angers her again, then I’m kicking him in the penis while wearing a pointed heel.

Dick groaned as he rummaged for ice in the fridge underneath Bruce’s fridge. Jason could be heard laughing at the insult, joined by Damian's snickers.

Tim mostly remained silent, deciding it was wiser to stay neutral and embrace his role as Switzerland rather than take a side.

Tim: Oh wow. Um, I'm going to step in front of him.

Tim walked up in front of Dick, positioning himself as a buffer. Dick appreciated the gesture, grateful for the support in the heat of the moment.

Damian: That’s very funny to think about.

Stephanie (to Tim and Damian): As for you two… Tim, Cass actually had a lot of nice things and wild adventures to say about you. You’re cool. Damian… eh, not anything scandalous.

Damian (satisfied): Alright, that’s great to hear.

Tim: Cass, thank you.

Cass: It was just me being honest and venting. I tried to make it unbiased.

Dick: Didn’t work! She slapped me! Ow, by the way!

Stephanie (indifferent): Sorry or whatever.

Cass: I’m sorry as well. When I spoke of our feuding, it wasn’t to paint you as a villain. I got my payback when I replaced your human shampoo with dog flea and tick shampoo.

Stephanie (surprised): You what?

Barbara (chuckling): That’s why your hair smelled like oatmeal for a month.

Dick: Jokes on her... that was great for my hair! And yes, that is a flex for me! Cass, I forgive you. Stephanie, I choose to forgive you for now. To make it up to you both, I’ll take us all out for dinner.

Stephanie: You should probably have that wallet with you, then, cause we’re going to Chills, and I’m bringing my ma.

Dick: Of course you are; I’m going to rest for the next hour. Barbara…

Dick lightly slapped Barbara on the back of the head and then ran off. Barbara laughed, relieving any tension.

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Hello! I have a protagonist, I have her personality, internal goal, internal motivation, internal conflict, I have her character arc, knowing where she is at the start, middle and end of the story in terms of personal growth. But I am not sure how to execute it, I struggle with plot. I don't always know how I am going execute this character arc. What type of scenes could work for this. How do you figure out how to execute a character arc and finding the plot?

This sounds like you have a great internal plot without knowing the external kick-off, and believe me, I've been in the same boat. I just wrapped up a story that's been percolating for years in my brain, but obviously, you don't want to wait years!

Figure out genre and type. First, you need to figure out what genre you want to tell this story in. Take a look at your bookshelf or recent check-outs and think about what stories you gravitate toward. If it's sci-fi, is it giant space operas or telling very human stories about androids? If it's fantasy, what do you seem to prefer? Cosy mystery or hard detective novel? By type, are you a multi-narrative reader, or do you prefer a more focused first person account? Would you feel more comfortable writing for teens or adults? Even if you pick one thing and switch to another later, really sitting down and thinking about it is going to give you a guideline on how to carry out the story.

Nail down the inciting event. The starting plot of most stories goes something like this: your main character lives in their ordinary world, and then something suddenly shakes that up. It can be a break-up. It can be a dragon. It can happen before the novel starts, and your character explains how they got there afterwards. Regardless, something turns your character's life upside down and they're not going to find any peace until they undergo that internal journey you've laid out for them - with some prodding from the external plot.

Tie the external journal to the internal one. I'm saying this like it is easy, but trust me, I know it isn't. You've got one track of the story figured out, though, and that's half the battle. You character needs to change, and you know how. The external plot is you building scenarios and situations that will spur this change onward. Needing a fake date for the prom spirals into complicated situations in which your character realizes she's in love with her fake date, or figures out he's an evil alien plotting to take over the world. The drama is what you make of it.

Don't worry about getting it right the first time around. The first version of my story involved a completely different make-up of characters and situations. It went through a few shake-ups before settling down into what it is now. The only thing that remained integral to the plot is a cranky ferret. Don't let this scare you away! It's a natural part of the process, when writing, to deviate from what you originally conceived. You will end up with a better and more satisfying story by the end of the process.

When it comes to knuckling down and writing, I highly recommend finding a plot structure you like and following it for the first draft. That doesn't mean you have to stick with that structure, but it's a great way to figure out how to tie the external plot to the internal one. You can also check out the following tags:

Plotting

Outlining

Plot

Organization 

Subplots

External Conflict

Internal Conflict

Drafting

[loustilldraws]

Wow wow haven't been able to get this out of my head since I read it. Got me thinking a lot more about how each of these characters interact with their symbols in the game.

From the moment Markus enters the Manfred home, one of the first things he can interact with is the cage of robo-birds in the entry hallway. And what can he do? He can turn them on - he brings them to life in a sense. It's a microcosmic moment that encapsulates his entire role in the game as a change-maker and liberator. He sees through the cage and can reach beyond. And later when we get that cinematic slow-motion shot of him falling into Jericho, it's so clearly a flight in and of itself, calling back to the bird imagery that defines his experience with deviancy.

Of course, Markus isn't the only deviant android to be tied so intimately to birds. My boy Rupert comes to mind next, with the hundreds upon hundreds of pigeons he looks after, and how he takes flight all the same when DPD is coming for him. And then there's Ralph and the helpless violence inside of him bursting through not only with the dead man in the tub but the bird Kara can find. There's just so much. About deviancy - at least, typical deviancy - resembling that bird-in-flight emotional & psychological journey, even when the paths differ.

Then there's Connor and the fish, imagery that I have seen a lot but never thought quite so deeply about until now. How his atypical path toward deviancy is punctuated by a completely different symbol from the rest. What it means for Connor to either stop and save the fish or walk past it to fulfill his mission in the first chapter, beyond the surface-level. Yes, it's a gesture of compassion - or at least a thoughtfulness to life and living beings - that is not in his mission outline and causes software instability. But it's also the very first interaction you can have in the game that does this for him. And from that point, water is everywhere in pivotal moments in Connor's story, which I hadn't thought about before but it's so interesting to me! The fish in the tank is only the beginning. There's the moment with Hank and Connor at the bridge that forces Connor to confront mortality and whether or not he's alive. There's the pool at Kamski's where he has to either see a soul in the Chloe or kill her for his mission. All of the rain and the moody weather during the investigations, and how that rain eventually follows him inside his mind to the Zen garden as tensions mount...

Oh I'm talking myself into another playthrough, aren't I?

And that's not even diving into how Connor and Markus are connected to each other's symbols, albeit less directly. (This point is much less developed in my head, so I'd love to hear anyone else's take here!) I'm still thinking about Connor and his pursuit of the deviants, especially Rupert in The Nest; how his role is to capture those "birds" as they try to fly free, not seeing himself in them or realizing the depth of his own confinement. Something about seeing the startled pigeons flying away just before the chase sequence has always been such a striking, vivid image that latched onto my brain since I first experienced the game. Now, I feel like I'm beginning to understand why.

Then there's Markus and the water, with Jericho at the docks, and how in the end, this nest of all the deviants is the place Connor is fully confronted by the path be needs to choose for himself. He's finally over that bigger body of water and understanding his confinement, with Markus the liberator on his home turf and ready to push him to see it. Just. The confrontation between deviant leader and deviant hunter taking place over the water is the perfect example to me of how that save-the-fish moment becomes symbolic of Connor's deviant path entirely.

I don't know. Some of these ideas are probably only half-baked but I'm thinking about parts of the game that never stood out to me so much before, and I'm so jazzed about it! Analysis is one of the biggest things I love about fandom, so I hope some of what I said might add a little something to it too.

The Pets

[heechwe]

₊˚⊹⋆ HEECHWE 3K CELEBRATION .𖥔 ݁ ˖

First of all, I would like to thank every single person who has followed me since going from 2K to 3K, and in such a short time based on the numbers—it's unbelievable. Coming back last August felt really daunting as I was unfamiliar with all the new groups aside from Enhypen that immediately stole my heart, and I am still working day to day on my own imposter syndrome, need to compare myself and my works to others—long story short, it hasn't been easy. And now we're here and I'm so happy with the ideas I have and the friends I've made getting to this point. It's insane that we're here and only going up. I could not have been in this position without all of you who have taken a chance on me and my writing—the soft, the smut, the everything in between. And this may be so mushy to include BUT to my friends (just to tag a few)—@innocygnet @faeyun @bambiihee @ghstzzn @lovetaroandtaemin @frenchkisstheabyss @prkhaven @tinycatharsis @xomakara @okiedokrie-main @temptaetions @kwanisms and so many others I've loved reaching this part of my journey with—I would not be here without y'all. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to everyone, and I hope I can continue to create stories you enjoy ♥︎.

Now, onto the celebratory part of this celebration...

I am opening my inbox to HARD THOUGHTS for all the groups I write for—Enhypen, Seventeen, Stray Kids, Ateez, and TXT! Outside of the topics I do not write for (please see my guidelines for more information on that), anything is on the table! I have provided some ideas below from two lists I will link under the cut, and you can request more than one prompt. Even if someone does a suggested prompt before you, you can still request it for a different idol! Requests should be formatted like this: (member) + (hard thoughts). Ideally, I would love you to repost this to spread the word for the event, but it's not required.

The suggested thought prompts are down below!

Both prompt lists (not mandatory just some ideas!) are originally from @prompt-heaven ♥︎

1) classic only one bed, then oh no we’re cuddling in our sleep that then evolves into sex

2) hate fucking

3) friends with benefits 

4) first time

5) phone sex

6) public sex

7) possessive sex

8) sex outdoors

9) gangbang

10) casual threesome between pals

11) cockwarming after a long day in order to calm down together

12) sex pollen

13) high on adrenaline kind of sex

14) make up sex

15) break up sex

16) inexperienced person gets a little “lesson”

17) reunion sex

18) complicated sex with an ex

19) angry sex in the middle of a fight

20) gentle comforting sex

21) overwhelmed, but happy crying during sex 

22) crying crying during sex that leads to a pause or early end to comfort and take care of whatever emotions bubbled over 

23) depression sex in order to feel something good for once

24) messy drunk sex that is then forgotten the morning after

25) filming it, either for private purposes or because they’re amateur pornstars

26) mutual masturbation

27) spying on/walking in on their partner touching themself 

28) sex in exchange for a favour

29) car sex

30) quiet airplane bathroom sex

31) touching the other while at the movies

32) sex while there is the background noise of a rainstorm outside

33) being snowed in together and fucking in front of the fireplace 

34) pool/hot tub sex

35) stargazing that turns into sex

36) the classic “oh, let me help you put some sunscreen on” but then the little massage turns into something more

37) sex while camping

38) fucking in the bar bathroom and being too drunk to care about being quiet 

39) when the teasing in the dressing room gets a little too hot

40) shower/bath sex

I look forward to seeing you guys in my inbox! Again, thank you so much. Here's to another thousand! ♥︎

[sukuromi]

a taste of the divine

NSFW 18+ content ahead. Minors, do not interact with me or any of my works.

notes from poppy: well-meaning roommate sukuna just wanted to do your laundry, not think about you getting fucked by satoru :( also sleep token girlypops, sound off. who else cried all of friday listening to damocles? i'm not ready for May.

content warnings: male masturbation, major theme of jealousy, mentions of voyeurism and being throat-fucked

SUKUNA didn't mean to think of you like that.

He was only trying to be a helpful roommate, calling and asking you if you wanted him to do your laundry. You had been so swamped with work lately, and it just seemed like the dirty clothes pile in the corner of your room only got higher and higher each time he came in.

He was only trying to be efficient, squatting down and scooping up the entire mountain of clothes in one go, before waddling out into the living room and tossing them onto the floor.

He was only trying to be attentive, taking his time sorting through the pile so he could give each item the special care it deserved.

He was only trying to be considerate, gathering together your intimates and putting them in their own little mesh bag, so they'd stay safe during their journey in the washer.

But something just... overtook him, picking up the black cotton pair that missed the bag and landed at his feet.

You wouldn't even know.

They'd be perfectly presentable and clean by the time you got home. You wouldn't know if he wrapped them tightly around his cock, imagining he was fucking you instead. You'd have no idea that his thick cum had pooled inside of them, the image of you babbling incoherently from below him the final nail in the coffin.

A mixture of emotions swirled through Sukuna as he clenched the underwear in his hand instead. His eyes were no stranger to this particular pair. They had peeked out at him from under the hem of one of Satoru's shirts last week, when you walked into the kitchen for a midnight snack.

Satoru. That fucking bastard. He always got to undress you however quickly or slowly he wanted. Make you a sobbing, whimpering mess in this house whenever he wanted to.

It wasn't fair.

He was only trying to be a good roommate...

He was only trying to be...

He was only trying to be...

That's the lie Sukuna told himself as he forcefully threw the mesh bag into the washer, the fleeing pair now safely tucked back inside of it.

It's the lie he told himself as he retreated to your shared bathroom and stripped himself of his sweatpants, his already hardening cock catching on them on the way down.

The lie he told himself as he turned on the shower and stepped inside, hoping to scrub himself clean of the shame that crawled all over his body.

It didn't help though.

The onslaught of thoughts of you kneeling in front of him... The adorably flustered look that would momentarily cross your face as he told you that you were so obedient without him having to even tell you to be. It was unbearable.

He groans loudly in frustration, before stretching an arm out and pressing his right hand flat against the cold shower tile, the water pummeling down onto his broad back. All this over a stupid pair of black underwear. It was fucking stupid.

His cock didn't care though. It pulsed from below him, precum already leaking at the tip, begging to be touched.

And he reluctantly obliged.

Masturbating to you was nothing new to Sukuna. He'd jerked off quietly to the noises of you and Satoru so many times that it was old hat at this point. His own little fucked up secret, with you and Satoru just thinking he was asleep in his room each time, or worse, not even home at all.

Those times were the worst. There was one time where Satoru had just pinned you right outside Sukuna's door, the sudden slam making Sukuna's brain fire on all synapses that it was maybe a robber. But the loud whines on the other side for Satoru to stop teasing and start doing something... The moans that left you as Satoru cooed to you that you looked so cute trying to tilt your head back to look at him as the door jostled with each thrust...

It made Sukuna want to risk it all and open the door just to see what you looked like in the throes of passion.

Just to see your body just once.

Sukuna grits his teeth as his rhythm grows faster in the shower now. He lets himself daydream - imagining each squeeze, each quick stroke is your lips stretched, jaw aching, your whines vibrating against him each time he praised you for just taking one more inch down your throat.

So good for him. So desperate to make him feel good. So obedient keeping your own arms down at your sides and letting his hands guide you further down...

"SUKUNA!!!!"

He inhales sharply, his blood running cold now and his hand stilling. He thinks he's hearing things at first. There's no way. It has to be his mind playing tricks. It's like you're right outside the door.

Another loud whine of his name over the running water though confirms his worst fears.

His hips instinctively buck forward at you saying his name, an answer to a call he wish he heard in different circumstances. He's close, so close, and the urgency in your voice makes him start to fuck his fist again. He has to take advantage of this.

"SUKUNA, PLEASE! HURRY UP! I NEED IN THERE! I NEED TO PEE!"

Sukuna thrusts sloppily into his hand, biting his bottom lip in concentration as he imagines how tight your throat would feel trying to fit all of him in.

Would you struggle? Or would you try to get closer to him, hands gripping the backs of his thighs to prove that you wanted it more than him, not caring that gobs of spit were flying from your mouth and down your chin? Would your throat be imploring for relief, choking on his length as he held you still? Would you deny your lungs the air it so desperately needed?

Would you shove all of it's complaining to the side, just to hear him tell you how proud he was of you?

You pound on the bathroom door now, moaning and wailing his name, and he feels like it's a big "Fuck you!" from the Universe. The sounds he hears almost every week, several feet away from him now, but it's not Satoru's name. No, now it's his.

It's a sick joke.

"SUKUNA, PLEASE!" You cry from the other side of the door, "Pleeeeeease! Pleasepleasepleaseplease, I need---"

Sukuna grunts low as ropes of thick cum hit the shower tile, his hand on the wall clenching around nothing at all, wishing that it was your scalp instead. Images flicker in his mind now as he tries to steady his breathing and keep himself upright. How you'd look so pleased below him, a cute little smile on your face as you claimed your hard-earned reward, tongue peeking out from behind your lips and licking them clean. How you'd make him so fucking hard again almost immediately while using your fingers to get every last little bit of cum that missed your mouth.

"SUKU---"

"I'M ALMOST DONE!" He barks back.

As he yanks the detachable shower head down and rinses off the wall, he's hoping his guilt and jealousy will join the milky water. But it doesn't. It stays put, flowing freely in his veins just as strongly as it was before.

When he finally emerges from the bathroom, a towel wrapped loosely around his hips, he tries to apologize for barking at you, but is met with you glaring at him instead.

"FINALLY!" You shout, throwing your hands up into the air, "What were you even doing in there? I thought you died!"

Sukuna stands still and silent as he stares at you, your forehead scrunched and your eyes narrowed, waiting for his answer.

He doesn't have one though. He grips his towel instead, willing for himself to not let this happen again so soon, but it's all for naught. Is this the same face you make when you're close? The face you make when you're teetering on the edge, begging for Satoru to let you come?

"Why are you looking at me like that?! Get out of the way!" You whine.

You shimmy yourself awkwardly past an unmoving Sukuna, then use all your strength to push him out of the doorway. He finally has enough pity on you that he takes a single step forward, and then the door slams shut behind him.

Sukuna shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to control himself, before the little magnetic timer that sits atop the washer rings throughout the apartment, reminding him that he only did this to himself.

He wishes you didn't live rent-free in his head like this, but it's his cross to bear. His own fault for introducing you to Satoru two months ago. His own fault for not being more confident like Satoru. Nothing good ever came from two roommates hooking up.

And he'd rather have it this way than not have you in his life at all.

He was just trying to be a good roommate.

Fuck you, Satoru.

[quailfence]

[Image description: Series of screencaps from Persona 3 Reload, showing Aigis and Ryoji talking to the male MC. 1-7: Aigis and male MC are in the courtyard of the mall. Aigis tells him,"Life… Where does it originate? Where does it go…? What reason does life have to exist? Living means connecting with others, but all life eventually ends. Parting seems to be a natural and inevitable aspect of life. An unavoidable end… I wonder… Will I, too,someday have to part with you forever?"

8-11: Ryoji and MC are standing by a riverbank. Ryoji says, "Every one of us will die someday, right? Eventually, the time will come when we have to part. So then, why> Why do people try so hard to connect with each other? I'm not just talking about romance, either. It's the same for friends, family… Everyone. For each persona you connect with, i just makes saying goodbye that much harder. So what's the point?"

12-13: Aigis and MC are on the school roof. She wonders, "But I still care about you, and that won't ever change. Why are you so important to me, Minato-san?"

14: Ryoji is sitting at the piano in the music room, with MC standing behind him. Ryoji tells MC< "I want you to know that you're important to me."

15-19: Ryoji and MC are at the riverbank. Ryoji says, "If you follow the flow of water, you'll eventually reach the ocean, right? Its destination is already decided, but it takes so many different forms before it gets there. Sometimes it's quiet and calm… Other times it's choppy rapids. Sometimes it's clear, but other times murky… I imagine we're the same way. we're all in the midst of a long journey, with all kinds of things happening as we go along."

20-21: MC and Aigis on the school rooftop. She says, "No two views are alike. No two days are the same. It's natural for everything to disappear, reemerge, and constantly change.

22-23: Ryoji is at the piano, with MC standing behind him. Ryoji says, "It's that feeling of overcoming something together, and keeping each other going… Both sides need to come to an understanding. That's how connections are built… Right?"

24-25: MC and Aigis on the rooftop. She says, "When you think about it, it's a miracle that two given people are able to ever meet in this chaotic flow of time and space… That's why we find happiness in forging bonds and relationships."

26-27: MC is sitting on his bed. Pharos tells him, "In my eyes, our friendship was a miracle. I want you to know that. I'll always treasure the time we had together.

28: Ryoji and MC are in MC's room. Ryoji tells him, "Thank you. For everything."

29-30: MC and Aigis on the rooftop. She tells him, "Thank you so much Minato-san. I'll never forget the time we spent here today." End description.]

really long post here but Aigis and Ryoji basically share the same vibe.. these guys should have been friends!! They could have been!!! They're both very very wholesome entities, very precious people. So sweet and curious and caring. I kind of want to see that happen because they actually do share a whole lot in common regarding how they interact with the protagonist

[buckybarnes-lover]

Roommies (Chapter 2)

Roomates Bucky Barnes x fem!reader au

Words: 1,683

Warnings: Slight NSFW, no smut but pretty handsy make-out sesh

A/N: This is the first time I've written any sort of NSFW so sorry if it's not that good, but thank you so much for reading! This is also the last part, I don't think I'm going to write another one but pls enjoy!

( You can read part 1 here )

*****

You, Nat and Wanda arrive at the club, ready to party the night away and forget everything that just happened in the last hour. You go up to the bar, order the first round of drinks and bring them to the table where Nat and Wanda are already sitting.

You've barely finished your drinks by the time you're all up and dancing along to the heavy beat of the music. For a while, you forget about Bucky and just focus of moving with the music and having a great time with your friends. You can feel the care-free energy radiating from everyone and it feels so good, not having to worry about school work or a hot roommate that also happens to be your best friend, it's nice to just let go and be in the moment.

After a while, you notice your feet starting to get sore. You tell Wanda you're going to get another drink and go over to the bar. Sitting on the bar stool you glance around the club while you wait for the bartender to notice you, you're looking at Nat and Wanda dancing their heart away when you hear a voice from behind you.

"Can I buy you a drink?" You turn around to see a guy roughly your age leaning on the bar table. You consider his question, he's pretty fit, not as fit as Bucky but maybe enough for you to forget about Bucky, plus he seems nice.

"Um, Sure, I'll have a vodka-coke, thanks." You give him your most charming smile and watch as he tells the bartender your order. A moment later you've both got your drinks in front of you.

"So, does the pretty lady have a name?" He asks turning all his attention on you. You consider telling him your real name but as nice as he seems you never know, he might be a total stalker, also you're probably never going to see him again anyway so you tell him a fake name.

"And you?" You ask him back taking a sip of your vodka-coke hoping the alcohol will kick in soon.

"Oliver." He answers with an attempt at a flirty grin "But you call me Ollie."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Ollie, thank you for the drink." He's kinda boring but at least he's not being creepy, small blessings. You sit and chat for a bit more before the alcohol fully kicks in and you feel like dancing again.

"Let's dance?" You stand and reach a hand out towards him, hopefully he's a good dancer but you're so tipsy you probably won't even notice.

"Sure." He takes your hand and lets you lead him to the dance floor.

                                                         *****

Its 2am by the time you, Nat and Wanda decide its time to go home, all tipsy and giggly you stumble the 10 minute journey to your flat, dropping Nat and Wanda off on the way. You'd considered going home with Ollie when you were at the club but, honestly you didn't feel like hooking up with anyone that wasn't Bucky, so much for forgetting about him. You step into your flat and lean against the door, with alcohol still in your system you feel too energetic to go to bed so you opt to stumble into the kitchen for anything that might interest you instead.

After a while of rummaging and finding nothing interesting you give up, but you're still not tired enough to go to bed, maybe a warm shower will help relax you. Yeah, that sounds good, so with your mind made up you make your way to the bathroom, occasionally bumping into bits of furniture.

When you reach the bathroom the light is already on but you don't think much about it, you just focus on removing your heels and slipping out of your dress. You push aside the shower curtain and hop into the steamy shower, immediately relaxing as the warm water hits your skin. For a moment, you relish in the feeling of warmth and calm that the water brings until you realize that you never turned the shower on. Wait, if you didn't turn it on, who did?

"Ahem."

You practically jump out of your skin as a masculine voice fake coughs to get your attention. It takes a second for your eyes to focus again and as soon as they do, they land on right on Bucky. A very naked and wet Bucky. Oh, he looks delicious like that, the water dripping down from his chest to the contours of his abs and further south until -

Oh, wow, he's fucking hu-

Bucky clears his throat and looks at you expectantly.

"What?"

"I said, what are you doing?" He repeats with a confused but also, slightly amused expression. If he noticed you staring, he's not bringing it up, which is great because it saves you some embarrassment from this entirely humiliating situation. 

"I, um..." You head is still reeling with confusion and arousal you can't even form a coherent answer to his very logical question. You wobble a bit as you half shrug your shoulders to try and convey that you're just as baffled as he is about the whole thing.

He raises his brow slightly, giving you an amused look.

"Are you drunk?" He asks with a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Like, not much." Your words have a slight slur at the end giving you away.

"Oh you're drunk doll." He crosses his arms. Annoyed, you huff and try to do the same but with more sass, which was a poor choice on your part because the motion makes you wobble and you end up slipping forwards right into Bucky's arms.

His biceps feel solid under your grip, you know he works out a lot, but damn, this man's built like a brick house. You look up to find him staring down at you, his cocky expression from earlier gone, replaced by something more sincere - loving even.

It hits you once again that you're standing mere inches from each other, soaking wet and naked as the day you were born. Well, this is not how you thought your evening would go.

Your mind can't help but drift to thoughts you definitely shouldn't be having about your best friend and, maybe it's the alcohol in you making you imagine things, but he looks like he's having some pretty similar thoughts. 

The longer you two stand there, both transfixed in each others gazes, the more you feel the need to lean forward kiss him. At that thought alone, your heart rate speeds up and your tummy does flips, it's risky and you might be misinterpreting this whole situation but you can't stop yourself.

In a moment of pure courage, you push yourself forward and crash your lips into his. It feels amazing, better than any late-night daydream you could've come up with and after a second of hesitation, Bucky kisses you back, passionately and full of raw energy. His tongue brushes past your bottom lip and into your mouth, making you whimper and slide your arms up and around his shoulders to bringing him closer.

His hands find your hips and gently push you against the shower wall. The coldness of the water vapor makes you arch your back, lightly grazing your breasts against his chest. Bucky groans as he feels your hard nipples brush against him and reaches his hand up to cup your tit, using his thumb to rub your sensitive peak. The contact makes you moan, which is immediately swallowed by Bucky's passionate mouth.

You feel like you're on could nine, Bucky is everything you imagined and more, you wish you could stay in the moment forever.

But Bucky's movements suddenly stop and his breathing is heavy and rapid as he rests his head on your shoulder.

Still breathless from your intense make-out, "Bucky?"  You question, you're confused as to why he stopped, you were having a great time, right?

"Sorry doll," He lifts his head up to look at you, his pupils dilated and his lips swollen. "Its just that, I really like you, I have for a while now but, I don't want to do this when you're not fully sober."

You're slightly disappointed that you won't be getting laid like you hoped but that was quickly overlooked when you registered his other words.

'I really like you.'  

"You like me? Like, really?" You ask, feeling every cell in your body start to bubble with joy.

Bucky likes you.

"Ever since we moved in together." His eyes are filled with such genuineness and love, you feel like you're floating.

He reallylikes you.

Your heart feels as though it's about to combust, you'd figured he must of liked you at least a little bit to be making out with you and not shoving you out of the shower the second you stepped in, but hearing him actually say the words made you feel ecstatic.

Not even in your most unhinged daydreams did you ever think he would confess liking you ever since you moved in together, especially not in a shower of all places. This is definitely your favorite night ever.

You want to pull him in for another kiss, a tender loving kiss this time but you realize you haven't told him you feel the same. 

"Me too." You blurt out. "I mean I like you too, is what I'm saying."

He looks at you like you've told him he's won the lottery.

"Yeah? So does that mean I can take you on a date?" His plump and well-kissed lips form into a smirk.

"Maybe once we get out this shower." You smirk back, your belly doing back-flips at the prospect of going on a date with Bucky.

You both burst into huge smiles as you turn off the shower and dry yourselves off. Once you're fully dried and in your sleeping clothes, you crawl into Bucky's bed and cuddle up to each other.

You don't think you've ever fallen asleep feeling so content and happy.

****

Tag list:

@doilooklikeagiveafrack, @unaxv, @avengersfan25

[nohoperadio]

Whenever I walk past a home and there's a dog there barking at me, like from a window or the front garden, I always worry a bit that my trajectory in walking by is reinforcing the dog's sense that barking at strangers is effective. Because from the dog's perspective I approach the house, then the dog starts barking, then I walk away from the house. Which obviously just describes the normal act of walking past a building, but what if the dog doesn't understand this and it thinks I'm walking away because it barked at me? So it feels validated and does it more? When I was younger I would sometimes take a few seconds to linger outside the house in this scenario, check my phone or something, just to make it clear to the dog that I'm not disturbed by its bark and I intend to take my journey at my own pace, but these days I'm a lot more chill and well-adjusted you know?

[kidspawn]

Thoughts on Zutara?

Ah. Zutara.

I have to be honest, I need to tread on careful ground here because the last time I spoke on Katara shipping wars I got, essentially, drawn and quartered on live TV. In fact, I think the person who went after me wanted to send me into the 50th Quarter Quell Hunger Games to watch me die slowly, brutally, and in 4k.

Yeah, so I ship Zutara! I actually quite enjoy it thematically, and I can't put my finger on what draws me to it. In terms of just... chemistry onscreen - there's a genuine draw those two characters have to each other, and much like every other ship in the fandom it has an appeal to me when written well.

What made you ship it?

I think there was a buildup to it I always found very appealing? I can't think of a major "clicking" moment, because I made a very notable effort to stay out of ATLA ship wars so I just never engaged in Zutara content? Then, once again, 2020 I rewatched it and I went... "Oh. I get it now." And I think the biggest moment for me is in "The Southern Raiders." I find them most interesting when they bring good things out in each other - Zuko, for instance, really recognizing what Katara needed in that moment and how to give that to her, was what really sold it to me? I'm not too into the "oh my god he's like with the fire nation and she's water tribe oooooooooooh" but I do enjoy it for when they make an effort to connect due to their similar past experiences with the Fire Nation. I think, at its base, I really enjoy it from a thematic and a technical standpoint - it's a well-contructed and logical ship, and I think from a storytelling perspective its the most interesting and fitting for the story's themes.

(Also the Netflix adaptation marketing and the actors have fantastic chemistry.)

What are your favorite things about the ship?

I mean, I am confident enough to admit it's got an edge to it I adore in the early seasons? I love ships with nuance and intrigue, and I'll be the first to admit that scenes like the necklace scene in book one is... wow. Yeah. I didn't even know drawings could have that much chemistry. What the hell. It's interesting to me. I like that it works alongside Zuko's conflict to become good? Like, a majority of the Book Two ending angst involved him rejecting the lifeline Katara was giving him, creating a sense of betrayal and hurt.

AND THEN the journey to healing that is so beautifully crafted, oh my god. Much like I enjoy Sokka not really handling Zuko with kiddie gloves and joking around with him, I love Katara calling him out and countering him every step of the way. I find it fascinating, because Katara is so fiercely loyal and devoted to the people she loves of course it'd take a lot to heal that hurt. So, Zuko really had to do something valuable and noteworthy to regain her trust - and that arc is literal perfection, in my opinion. When she hugs him at the end of "The Southern Raiders" I genuinely get chills. They manage to go from "I hate you you are everything I have been told to hate and/or fear and you are the representation of all my past traumas" to standing side by side in a fight against the person who has the deepest hurt aimed at Zuko? Like, they work alongside one another to heal and fight their deepest childhood hurts? Like...? Damn?

(I am also perfectly content with them remaining platonic, and I see a lot of value in their platonic relationship. Because that's usually where the appeal of Avatar lies to me - in the found family dynamic. But I enjoy this ship for its narrative relevance.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I enjoy it more in-universe than I do outside. Because thematically its beautifully written. I don't dabble much in alternate universe writing, but the canon development is the most appealing aspect of it for me. God I cannot stress how, from a storytelling perspective, it is fundamentally gorgeous. The dynamics of it are built from the original cartoon's story beats, and I just think it adds that extra oomph. That KAPOW. That WHAM.

send me a ship

[seitmai]

Many thoughts

A smile touched your face when the hand on your hip gripped you tighter. Carefully turning to face the man beside you who still had his eyes closed, you took the opportunity to run your fingers through his long dark hair. Your smile widened when he leaned into your touch. Asleep or awake, he always sought it out. And this was a person who didn't let most people touch him.  But I can because he’s my man. 

Period 😌

“Morning, my treasure.” The affectionate pet name was one you'd never grow tired of. It did make you giggle the first time he called you that. He had lots of money, more than you could ever fathom, and could buy all the treasures he could ever desire, yet he thought you were treasure. His most precious thing. 

Urgh what a great backstory for the nickname 🥰

“Slept very well. I had very good dreams.” His nose brushed your forehead before his lips touched it. You were happy to hear that. “In fact, I can show you exactly what I dreamt about if you’d like.”

Oop 👀

Bucky didn't ask for much. One of the only things he requested when you began your journey together was that you’d sit and have meals with him. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was a time for the two of you to talk about anything and everything, though he preferred to focus on the present and the future instead of the past. You understood. You didn't like dwelling on the past either since your life was much happier now. 

I think that's a fair request and also nice thing to built a routine together

He arched an eyebrow, looking cool as ever. “What if I want you for breakfast?” He brought his lips to yours, not giving you a chance to argue that you hadn't brushed your teeth. He didn't care about things like that. “You wouldn't let me starve, would you?”

I think we all know the answer to that 😌

“How could I not want you? Even if I resisted, your skills of seduction are dangerous.” You gasped when a massive thigh pushed between your legs. “Moya Sladkaya, you think I’m seductive?” he purred, making you shiver as the sound vibrated through your body. “Yes and you know you are.” You bit your lip as his thigh shifted, gliding along your heat. It was tempting to ride it. “Your voice, your eyes, your mouth, your body. Partially why you became my sugar daddy.”

Fair 🤷🏻‍♀️🤭

He growled as he suddenly rolled on top of you. “I'm your boyfriend,” he corrected you, holding your gaze. He looked hungry. “Who happened to wipe out your debt the way a sugar daddy would.”

Nice coincidence 🤭

The gentle scrape of his teeth over your neck set your blood on fire. “If I’m insatiable, it’s your fault. One look at you and I was a goner,” he whispered, a hand moving possessively between your bodies. His thumb brushed your nipple into a taut peak, your back arching to seek out more of him. “You brought beauty and joy back to my world. You saved me, you know that?” Unexpected tears burned behind your lids. He lived in a world of gray for so long. The least you could do after everything was bring him some light. “You saved me, too,” you breathed. He got to be your hero. You got to be his treasure. A fair trade in his eyes.

🥰🥰🥰

You gasped when he nipped at your racing pulse. “Don’t do that. Don't compliment me. This isn’t about me.” Both of you had a tendency to deflect praise at times, but it was something you were working on. And while he didn’t view himself as a hero, he did save you in his own way. 

That's cute that they both do it 🥺🥰

“Don’t get cocky,” you groaned, feeling the evidence of his arousal press against you. Thick. Hard. You shuddered with the need for him to just take you. “Actually, you have every right to be cocky. You’ve ruined me.” He brought his face up to yours, close enough that he breathed against your lips. “I haven't ruined you yet.” His promise had you trembling, wishing he’d tear you apart without a second thought.

Heavy on the yet 🤭

He watched your blissful expression with dark eyes and a devilish smirk. “That’s what I dreamt about.” His rumbling words had your thighs trembling. “You underneath me, taking every inch of my cock, begging to come.”

Yeah I dream the same thing, weird 🤭😅

Butterflies filled your stomach. It wasn’t a proposal, but it still felt like he was asking in a way. “Do you mean in this bed? As long as we can have our meals here and do movie nights. Oh, and a way to clean the sheets because they’ll be filthy.” His eyes crinkled again as he chuckled. How did a laugh sound both wholesome and seductive? That was the power of Bucky Barnes. “And sex to keep us in shape,” he said, pulling the sheet more over you. “Sounds perfect, even if I don’t deserve it.”

A perfect life 🥰

Your heart swelled. He was so gone for you. “I’m not asking you to let me go,” you said, turning his head back to you until his eyes opened. “I’m your treasure, remember? Yours to keep.” The hard edges to his face softened once again. “C’mere,” he breathed.

🥰🥰🥰

You met him halfway when he leaned in, his lips only on yours for a second when the doorbell rang. You were about to ask if he was expecting company, but he didn’t have to with the way his body tensed. He turned away from you, his phone in hand to check the camera at the front door. Security was important to him. “What the hell?”

Beside a rude interruption I have a bad feeling about this 👀

Diamonds and Steel - Intro

Pairing: Retired Hitman!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Bucky treats you to a getaway, but peace won't last for long.

Word Count: Over 3.3k

Warnings: Smut, unprotected v. sex (wrap it before you tap it), possessive behavior, established relationship, dirty talk, talk of violence and nightmares, world building, feels, Bucky Barnes (he's a warning, okay?)

A/N: So, I wrote this intro months ago. I feel like this Bucky would get along with our alpha. Thanks @targaryenvampireslayer for letting me (s)cream about this. ❤️ Beta read by the lovely @mumbles411, but any and all mistakes are my own. Divider by the talented @saradika-graphics. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

The sun shining in from the balcony door woke you slowly. You weren't sure what time it was as you squinted against the brightness with a small stretch, the spacious bedroom becoming brighter with each passing second. You had only been in the villa for a day, but it was your new favorite place. Thanks in large part to the person who brought you here. 

A smile touched your face when the hand on your hip gripped you tighter. Carefully turning to face the man beside you who still had his eyes closed, you took the opportunity to run your fingers through his long dark hair. Your smile widened when he leaned into your touch. Asleep or awake, he always sought it out. And this was a person who didn't let most people touch him. 

But I can because he’s my man. 

Bucky Barnes, a man who was intimidating even laying down. Tall with wide shoulders, built like a warrior with a few scars to prove it. You moved a finger through his nearly trimmed beard and almost wished he'd open his steely eyes so you could gaze into them. He unnerved many with his stare, but he always looked at you as if you were the reason he saw the light of day. Burying your face in his neck with a sigh, it gave you a sense of peace when he pulled you closer to him on instinct. 

“Morning, my treasure.” The affectionate pet name was one you'd never grow tired of. It did make you giggle the first time he called you that. He had lots of money, more than you could ever fathom, and could buy all the treasures he could ever desire, yet he thought you were treasure. His most precious thing. 

“Morning,” you whispered, shifting so your body could melt into his more. 

He moaned appreciatively as your hips moved closer. “How did you sleep?” He tipped your chin up so he could look at you, the sleep fading quickly from his eyes. It didn't matter that he just woke up, he looked as handsome as ever and knocked the wind right out of you. It was highly doubtful you looked beautiful having just woken up, but he’d say looked perfect if you asked. 

“I slept well,” you answered. You had good dreams, including one of the two of you sitting on soft white sand and watching the waves crash in the glittering ocean. You could go anywhere in the world you wanted now thanks to him. “Did you?”

Bucky warned you when you entered your relationship with him that he sometimes had trouble sleeping. Bouts of insomnia and occasional nightmares. You witnessed one first-hand near the beginning when he woke up in a cold sweat, his hand clenched like he was holding a weapon and empty eyes like he couldn't see what was right in front of him. He didn't like to talk about his past and could only tell you later on that all he saw were bullets and blood. 

His haunted gaze broke your heart. 

“Slept very well. I had very good dreams.” His nose brushed your forehead before his lips touched it. You were happy to hear that. “In fact, I can show you exactly what I dreamt about if you’d like.”

Need slammed into you at the implication, your palms itching to feel his hardened body as he held you closer. You wanted to trace the scars, the tattoos. Every inch of him. “Sure you don't want breakfast first?”

Bucky didn't ask for much. One of the only things he requested when you began your journey together was that you’d sit and have meals with him. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was a time for the two of you to talk about anything and everything, though he preferred to focus on the present and the future instead of the past. You understood. You didn't like dwelling on the past either since your life was much happier now. 

He arched an eyebrow, looking cool as ever. “What if I want you for breakfast?” He brought his lips to yours, not giving you a chance to argue that you hadn't brushed your teeth. He didn't care about things like that. “You wouldn't let me starve, would you?”

The low heat from his voice seared through your core, wrapping around you like the satin sheet that covered you both. It was the only thing covering you in fact, your clothes strewn across the floor the night before. He had you keep the diamond pendant on, a gift he had given you when you arrived at the villa. It was beautiful.

The diamond to his steel.

“As if you’d ever starve. Your appetite for me is borderline gluttonous,” you teased. Guilt flickered in his eyes before you put a hand to his cheek, his expression shifting back to normal. “Hey, I didn't mean that in a bad way. I love that you want me.”

Oh, did Bucky want you. His face buried between your thighs, his cock spearing you open. If he didn't have you in bed, he had you against a wall or bent over the nearest surface. Not a day went by that he didn't give you at least one orgasm, like he was making up for lost time apart before you even knew each other. It didn't make sense to you some days that a man as gorgeous and worldly as him could have anyone he wanted, but chose you. 

“And I love you wanting me,” he said. You didn't just want him. You ached for him, inside and out. How could one man hold such power over you? To be fair, the balance of power was equal in some ways since you affected him the same way.

“How could I not want you? Even if I resisted, your skills of seduction are dangerous.”

You gasped when a massive thigh pushed between your legs. “Moya Sladkaya, you think I’m seductive?” he purred, making you shiver as the sound vibrated through your body.

“Yes and you know you are.” You bit your lip as his thigh shifted, gliding along your heat. It was tempting to ride it. “Your voice, your eyes, your mouth, your body. Partially why you became my sugar daddy.”

He growled as he suddenly rolled on top of you. “I'm your boyfriend,” he corrected you, holding your gaze. He looked hungry. “Who happened to wipe out your debt the way a sugar daddy would.”

“That’s still crazy to me,” you remarked. 

“That I wiped out your debt or that I’m your boyfriend?”

You twirled a bit of his hair around your finger. “Both,” you whispered. Living a debt free life was something you hadn't thought possible until he showed up. Now you had a life without the stress of bills and work, and also one where you felt loved and cared for. He gave you that and more. “But it’s crazy in the best possible way.”

“So it’s a good thing I'm crazy about you,” he smirked.

“Crazy about me?” You put a hand to his forehead. “Hmm. I think you should have your head examined.”

Bucky took your hand and brought it to his mouth, his expression blank. “No one needs to look inside my head,” he said, his eyes warm again as he kissed your palm. It seemed to push out whatever memory undoubtedly crept into his mind. “Because if someone could, they’d see all the dirty things I've done to you and no one else needs to see that.”

You giggled as he nudged your legs apart. “Yes, you’ve done a lot of dirty things to me,” you teased, your eyes slipping shut as he peppered kisses along your jaw and neck. Just two days ago he had you naked in his lap with your arms tied behind your back while he fed you dessert. And then he had you for dessert. “You’re insatiable.”

The gentle scrape of his teeth over your neck set your blood on fire. “If I’m insatiable, it’s your fault. One look at you and I was a goner,” he whispered, a hand moving possessively between your bodies. His thumb brushed your nipple into a taut peak, your back arching to seek out more of him. “You brought beauty and joy back to my world. You saved me, you know that?”

Unexpected tears burned behind your lids. He lived in a world of gray for so long. The least you could do after everything was bring him some light. “You saved me, too,” you breathed. He got to be your hero. You got to be his treasure. A fair trade in his eyes.

You gasped when he nipped at your racing pulse. “Don’t do that. Don't compliment me. This isn’t about me.” Both of you had a tendency to deflect praise at times, but it was something you were working on. And while he didn’t view himself as a hero, he did save you in his own way. 

“You’re a good man,” you said softly, fiercely. He didn't think he was because of some of the things he had done, because of the blood on his hands, but he wasn’t a bad person. “I mean it, Bucky.”

He sighed, scraping his beard against your skin affectionately. “I know you do.” He took his time sliding his hand down your torso, your breath leaving your lungs at the same slow speed. “But I want to compliment you, so take what I give you.”

You'd be sure to compliment him again later. “Not the only thing you’ll tell me to take, is it?” You giggled when he growled again. Getting under his skin was a lot of fun. “We both know I take you so well. Just like I take every drop you spill into me, no matter which hole you choose.”

He made a sound between a moan and a growl. You didn't think your dirty talk was the best by any means, but he loved it. “And you call me insatiable,” he said, his fingers exquisitely gentle as they found your wetness. “Always wet and ready for me, eager for me to fill all of your holes.”

“Don’t get cocky,” you groaned, feeling the evidence of his arousal press against you. Thick. Hard. You shuddered with the need for him to just take you. “Actually, you have every right to be cocky. You’ve ruined me.”

He brought his face up to yours, close enough that he breathed against your lips. “I haven't ruined you yet.” His promise had you trembling, wishing he’d tear you apart without a second thought. 

You leaned up and pressed your lips to his, heat curling in your stomach as he slipped a calloused finger inside you. Your hands moved to his arms, his muscles rippling as he pumped it deep. Your sensitive walls clenched as he added another, a delicious tease of what was to come. How did your need for him continue to grow with each day that passed?

Bucky broke the kiss, your breathing heavy as he continued to toy with you. “After breakfast, I want your cunt pulsing on my tongue,” he whispered as he broke the kiss, a thrill shooting from your head to your toes. You’d be content to spend the rest of your life sitting on his face if you could get away with it.

“Bucky, please,” you begged, pleasure mounting as his fingers curled. You tried to hold back the familiar cresting waves, wanting his cock inside you when you let it wash over you. “Make love to me. Fuck me. Just get your cock in me.”

Slowly removing his fingers, your hole clenching around nothing, he smirked as he brought them to his mouth and licked them clean. The stark hunger in his gaze at the taste of you nearly made you orgasm. “Well, since you’re so desperate for me,” he teased, gripping the base of his cock and lining the head against your hole. 

“I’m desperate?” Your voice cracked when he slid into you in one deep thrust. Your fingers dug into his biceps, adjusting to the size of him as he looked into your eyes. He was searching for any discomfort or pain. There was none there. Your body would always welcome him home. 

“Yes. Desperate.” You couldn't deny that when Bucky moved his hips. Deep, long strokes, the drag of his cock making you feel almost mindless. No one before him made you desperate. No one else ever would. “Wet. Tight. Beautiful. Perfect.”

You gasped, rolling your hips up to meet his. “I’m not-” He cut you off with a kiss, silencing your protest that you weren't perfect. You were anything but. Like everyone, you had flaws. Imperfections. It was like he didn't see them or they didn't exist in his eyes. 

“Yes, you fucking are,” he growled, making you cry out when he thrust hard. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders as he crushed your chests together, your heart matching the rhythm of his. You held onto him like you never wanted to let him go. “My perfect treasure.”

Heat engulfed you as he reached between you and slid his fingers along your clit. Your hips bucked, your arousal climbing and taking you higher. The handsome man above you canting his hips and groaning as you keened had your body begging for release. 

“Bucky, please. I need to come,” you whined. You didn't need his permission, but you still begged for it. 

He watched your blissful expression with dark eyes and a devilish smirk. “That’s what I dreamt about.” His rumbling words had your thighs trembling. “You underneath me, taking every inch of my cock, begging to come.”

A hand worked its way to his hair and gripped it, trying to ground yourself from the sensations rushing through you. The edges of your vision blurred as your body wound tighter, ready to give yourself over to the pleasure only he could provide. “Please, Bucky,” you said. At least you thought you said it. The waves were ready to sweep you away. 

“Come for me.” His husky voice wasn't one to be denied. “Make my dream come true.”

Your head fell back, your walls fluttering around his cock as you went over the precipice. Blood roared in your ears, but you could still hear him moan your name as you spiraled out of control. His body followed your lead, pumping his hips a few more times before he came with a deep moan. Feeling him flood your insides and seeing ecstasy fill his gorgeous eyes made you grip him like a vice all over again. 

Bucky pulled you close when he gently collapsed on the bed, staying inside you as long as he could. Your body fit against his like you were designed just for him and you couldn't help but smile as you caught your breath. He smiled, too. A gorgeous, carefree smile. 

“Dream come true?” you asked, your heart skipping a beat when his smile widened and eyes crinkled. 

“Even better,” he whispered, cupping your cheek and skimming his lips against yours in a soft kiss. “Can we just stay like this?

You rubbed your cheek against his hand as the hazy cloud lifted. “If that’s what you want.”

“I meant forever,” he half teased, his hand reaching for yours to trace your bare finger.

Butterflies filled your stomach. It wasn’t a proposal, but it still felt like he was asking in a way. “Do you mean in this bed? As long as we can have our meals here and do movie nights. Oh, and a way to clean the sheets because they’ll be filthy.”

His eyes crinkled again as he chuckled. How did a laugh sound both wholesome and seductive? That was the power of Bucky Barnes. “And sex to keep us in shape,” he said, pulling the sheet more over you. “Sounds perfect, even if I don’t deserve it.”

You tilted your head, gazing at the man who turned your world upside down as the happiness slowly slipped from his face. Like how your body ached for his, your heart ached for him, too. “You do deserve this. You're not a bad man, Bucky.” He needed to hear it again. You'd tell him as many times as it took until it sank in. 

His jaw twitched, his eyes holding a hint of regret. “I’ve killed people,” he reminded you in an even tone.

“I know,” you whispered. You accepted that it was part of his past and who he was. You accepted him. “That doesn’t make you unworthy of me.”

His eyes closed, his hold on you firmer. “It would almost be easier if you condemned me, but I’m a selfish man who wouldn’t be able to let you go.”

Your heart swelled. He was so gone for you. “I’m not asking you to let me go,” you said, turning his head back to you until his eyes opened. “I’m your treasure, remember? Yours to keep.”

The hard edges to his face softened once again. “C’mere,” he breathed. You met him halfway when he leaned in, his lips only on yours for a second when the doorbell rang. You were about to ask if he was expecting company, but he didn’t have to with the way his body tensed. He turned away from you, his phone in hand to check the camera at the front door. Security was important to him. “What the hell?”

“Who is it?” You sat up, not bothering to cover yourself as he got up and threw something on. You couldn’t even appreciate the view since his entire demeanor changed. “And should I go with you?”

His jaw twitched again. “Delivery guy dropped something off and left. Hang back a little,” he answered before he grabbed you a robe. He’d preferred you close as opposed to being in the bedroom alone. “I don’t want anyone seeing you if they’re still nearby.”

“Lots of people see me,” you tried to joke. You stopped smiling when he swung his head your way. He took your safety very seriously. “I’ll hang back.”

Taking your hand, he headed to the front of the villa. Your legs shook a bit, but you blamed that on the orgasm he gave you and not fear. He stopped you before you could reach the door, giving you a quick, hard kiss. It left you breathless when he pulled away. “Stay right here,” he whispered, your heart pounding as he grabbed one of his many hidden guns. 

Weapons everywhere, a habit he’d never break.

You couldn’t see his expression when he went out to retrieve whatever was dropped off, but you understood his paranoia since he lived a dangerous life before. Not a lot of people knew where you were going on this vacation and he clearly wasn't expecting a delivery. “What is it?” you asked once he put the gun away and went back to you. A smile touched your lips when you saw the arrangement of various red flowers. “Those are beautiful.”

“They’re addressed to you.” He plucked the card from the holder to show you, his mouth set in a grim line. “But I didn’t order these.”

Dread filled you as you took the card from him and turned it over. Your name was the only thing written on it, minus a small stamp in the corner you hadn’t seen before: a heart and dagger. “Well, if you didn’t get me these, who did?”

“Someone from my past,” he said so quietly he almost missed it. 

Your eyes widened. “Why would someone from your past send me flowers?” As far as you knew he didn't keep in touch with most of his old associates. “And how do they know we’re here?”

You stopped breathing when you saw his eyes. Cold. Deadly. “That’s what I'm going to find out.”

So much for staying in bed today.

OOH. What do we think so far? I wonder who from Bucky's past is going to pop up and why. Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

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