#and in a jade bed. which i think is just to remind you about break-up arc fanghua

[skalidris]

episode 33 really knows how to twist the knife..

[merakiui]

Hello! Could I request flower bouquet from the miscellaneous menu.. And as for the dynamic, I'm quite indecisive on that regard, but I recall you saying it's fine to let you chose? Forgive me if I'm wrong. I'd like to order that with red velvet cupcakes & banana pudding from the midnight menu for Jade Leech, with an AFAB reader. If you are unable to do this, it is completely understandable. I hope your day/night goes well, and may you take care.

yandere!jade leech x (female) reader cw: yandere, nsfw, non-con, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, kidnapping, slight angst, royalty au (princess!reader x butler!jade) note - thank you for checking in, dearest guest! enjoy your order! [lunar love hotel]

It’s well past midnight when Jade finds you in the garden. He spots you milling about aimlessly beneath a stone archway. Greenery twists up the rough surface; vines spotted with tiny flowers drape like fruit from a bough. Moonlight paints you in strokes of silvery magnificence, a breathtaking sight even the most skillful painter could never hope to replicate on a canvas. Even though it’s the middle of summer, there’s a fierce bite to tonight’s temperature. It’s in his nature to protect, a bodyguard and a butler in one, which is precisely why he frets when he notices you’re dressed in a thin nightgown and a silk robe.

You’re stunning regardless of your attire. He’s always thought so. A hopeless observation, for you have never belonged to him and thus those words will remain a scandal under lock and key.

“My lady?” He approaches with even steps, his voice a gentle whisper. Despite his best efforts, you still flinch at his sudden arrival. He bows respectfully, a hand held over his heart. “Forgive me for startling you. I noticed you weren’t in bed when I came to check on you, and so I thought I might find you here.”

“Am I really so predictable?”

“Quite.” He chuckles at the pout that twists on your lips. “Admittedly, my advantage is rather unfair. I’ve known you long enough to commit all of your habits and haunts to memory.”

“You’re too good. It’s not fair…”

“Is everything all right?” Jade moves to shrug his tailcoat off, aiming to drape it across your shoulders for extra layering, but you stop him. “My lady?”

“I’m not cold. Thank you, though.”

Jade nods slowly and slides his arms back into the sleeves. “May I ask what’s keeping you up? It’s unlike you to visit the garden so late.”

“It’s nothing major. Just thinking too much about too many things. If that makes any sense…”

He hums in acknowledgement. You fidget on your bare feet. Some days Jade thinks you’d wander to your death if it weren’t for him. Having suspected this, he made sure to bring your shoes. Guiding you to the marble bench at the end of the pathway, where the space opens into a clearing enclosed with shaped shrubbery, Jade lowers to his knees.

“A princess shouldn’t dirty her feet so carelessly,” he reminds you, taking hold of your foot and gingerly sliding your shoe on.

You frown at him. “Does it matter?”

“In polite society, yes, very much so.”

“Polite society is the worst. How am I meant to frolic in the flowers as the fairy tales intended if I can’t even take my shoes off for such a thing?”

“You may do so in your dreams.”

“It’s not the same.”

Jade gazes at your legs from where he kneels. Should his gaze climb any higher… He snuffs that thought before it can take root. “Perhaps not, but the world within a dream is lenient and lawless. You’re free to break every rule you desire.”

He offers you his arm and you take it. Lifting you from the bench, he walks with you and admires lush blossoms alongside you. Sweet is the night breeze, bringing recollections of a childhood that has long since fled. Watching you, future heir to the throne, from afar, an unimportant butler-in-training… You’ve always been his world—the center of his vision. The single flower in a garden infested with weeds.

What he’d do to pick you and put you in a pot of his own making. To keep you solely because it is the whim of a selfish heart caught up in foolish, one-sided limerence.

“What would you do? In your dreams, I mean. If you could experience any dream, what would it be?”

Jade peers at you, taken aback. “You’re asking me?”

“No, I’m asking the flowers.” Playfully, you reach up to pat his head. He leans down to meet your hand halfway, a smile gracing his features. How fervently he wishes you would touch him with more purpose. If only your individual stations were not so far apart. If only he could become your equal just for tonight and know rapture under your fingertips. “Yes, Jade, I’m asking you.”

It’s not a calculated risk, for he knows the outcome will never be in his favor, but he acts on impulse anyway. He seizes your hand. You flinch away, surprised by this forthright display, but he holds firm. He’s determined to see this through to the end, even if it lands him a heart more shattered than when he began.

“I would become a prince and marry you.”

Much to his chagrin, you laugh. “That’s quite the lofty dream. A funny one, too.”

He squeezes your hand, insistent. “That is the truth.”

“It’s not.” You meet his mismatched stare. “It… It’s not, right? Surely you jest.”

“I have always admired you, my lady.” Testing his limits, he brings your hand to his lips and kisses your knuckles. “Though you may be forever out of my reach and I may be but a mere servant, that does not stop me from loving you any less.”

Your face falls. There is no reciprocation to be found in your gaze. He suspected this from the beginning, but it does nothing to soothe the sting.

He grasps your other hand, hoping to bestow a kiss to it as well, but you jerk away so quickly that you trip over your feet and land in a heap on the grass. He doesn’t make any move to help you up. Not yet, at least. Lying sprawled on your back, you watch him with uncertain eyes.

“How long?”

“The day your father rescued me and brought me in—you offered your hand to me, and you told me I would never know the dangers of the sea again.” Jade stands over you, observing the many emotions flickering on your face, before lowering to your height. He straddles you with ease. “I had never known such kindness until then.”

“Ah, right… I remember that day. You were injured so severely they put you on bedrest. You had to learn how to walk all over again.”

“In spite of everything they told you about me, you visited me regardless. Every day, at every hour, to bring snacks and toys. To cheer me up. To wish for my swift recovery. To act as my crutch. For that, I am forever grateful.” His hands slide your nightgown up, and he feasts on the sight of your panties—on the way you draw your thighs together to hide from him. “I have always stood dutifully by your side, hoping to repay you for all that you’ve done for me.”

You look delicate in the grass, your robe slipping from your shoulders. Like a pinned butterfly or an angel having just fallen from the sky, you’re a sugared fantasy brought to life.

“Jade.” You grab at his shoulders and push back weakly; he doesn’t budge. “We… We shouldn’t. I can’t. If someone were to see—”

“They won’t.”

“Yes, but I—” you turn away from him, worrying your lip between your teeth— “I can’t, Jade… I’m betrothed. F-Furthermore, it’s not safe without…protection. You can’t.”

He smiles fondly, so sickly, stupidly enchanted. With the moon just behind his head, framing it like a hazy halo, you might mistake him for an angel. His actions suggest he’s anything but.

Lifting his index finger to his lips, he shushes you. “In that case, let’s play pretend for tonight—just as we used to—and trap ourselves in a dream.”

Your refusal falls on deaf ears.

Hands crawl along the expanse of your body, feeling everything within reach. He’s overjoyed to behold you, to press down on the space between your legs and savor your staggered breaths. You plead with him all throughout it, begging him to cease now and he’ll be spared. But Jade can’t. If it kills him, he wants to have died knowing he was on cloud nine.

This has always been his dream.

For tonight, he is neither prince nor butler. For tonight, he is simply a monster—the same monster your maids warned you against when you were little: “That cursed child is no good. He will bring ruin to your father—to you, Your Highness. You must keep away, for a child of the sea is a child of destruction and agony.”

The same monster who looked on with a single golden eye, lying in wait like the perfect predator and wearing the skin of a human to hide his true identity. The same monster who took to training as if it were second nature, honing his skills as a butler and a bodyguard. Hardening a heart that has never had the capacity to care for anything other than himself and the ones who have since departed.

The same monster who loves the human he ought to hate, for it is your kind who hunt the waters he was conceived in. Who spear merfolk with harpoons and feast on their flesh and eggs like it’s a sacred delicacy. Who arrange their skeletons in aureate frames. Who mount their taxidermied tails to the wall.

The same monster who, in some distant fairy tale, could have been a king if not for the devastation of his family tree.

Dewy grass sticks to your skin. The scent of moist earth envelops you in its verdant embrace. Jade sinks in slowly, holding you down by your hips. You squirm and cry, but he persists. He could be cruel and callous, rut into you like an animal instead of a lover, but he refrains. He loves you too much, and that hurts more than any pain he could inflict on you.

You dig your nails into his shoulders. If they were sharper, you might have been able to tear through his uniform. Sweet, soft moans spill from pretty, plush lips. He kisses you, adoring the hold your walls have on him when he rolls his hips to fill you deeper.

“Jade… Jade, please,” you ramble, breathing hot and heavy in his ears. It’s musical, the way you sing for him through your tears. “Oh, please pull out. I—aah—can’t… We can’t. Please, Jade.”

Perhaps it would have been easier to hate you and your father—detest the kingdom who has rendered his home an aquatic graveyard. Surrounded in a garden of exotic blooms, Jade thinks that’s impossible. Love born from hate is thorny, impossible to quell once it’s come to fruition. It’s dug its roots into his heart and given way to the most fearsome flower.

He should have killed you. He should have held that pillow over your face all those years ago when he snuck into your bedroom, silent as a shadow. He should have, but he didn’t—couldn’t. And now he’s here, towering over you without the pillow. His hands stray towards your throat, but instead of an execution he drags you against his chest. He can’t.

Years later and he still can’t fulfill his one and only childhood dream.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispers, his eyes glittering. “How I wish you were as ugly as your heart…”

Raindrops spatter your face, a quiet downpour spilling from heterochromatic hues.

You fall apart beneath him, ruined in ways polite society would deem grossly impure.

Now we’re the same, Jade thinks, bowing his head when he reaches his peak. He groans lowly, his eyes squeezed shut. Monsters without homes.

Come morning, the palace is in a panic. The princess has vanished, seemingly whisked away into the night, and the only one who may have any information on her whereabouts has gone with her. Jade doesn’t worry.

No one will find you at the bottom of the sea, unrecognizable as a mermaid in an abandoned coral kingdom.

On his empty throne, he knows of no better place.

[self-loving-vampire]

Scenario: This one is a little longer, but please be patient. You and your sisters have washed ashore in a strange land, after spending a few nights traveling by ship. It appears to be a continent you've never been to, so you set out to explore.

You discover that you've landed in the shores of a desert kingdom full of animal-human hybrids. They all seem oddly cold towards your party. Investigating further, the local sultan greets you warmly and with welcome arms. You all decide to take him up on his invitation, and are invited to a great feast as guests of honor.

The next morning, you wake up in chains in one, large, luxurious bed. What's more pressing, is that overnight you've developed the same animal features the rest of the inhabitants of this kingdom have, and are wearing gold and silk bikinis that accentuate your new parts. Your food was poisoned and you've been cursed. As if that weren't enough, as the day goes you all start feeling odd. It appears that you all have been charmed, so that you will never want to leave the sultan's harem. Some of you, but not all (perhaps only one) have managed to resist the charm spell. The ones who are now madly in love with the sultan are not in any way hostile.

From here:

What sorts of bodies do each of your sisters transform into? What do their outfits look like?

Which of you is most likely to resist the charm?

Whichever one(s) ends up with their mind intact will be in charge of helping free the other two, and later escape together. How does she or they go about freeing the others from their spell? What steps do you take to escape?

Do you cure both the animal curse and the charm? just one? neither? Which sister would pick which option?

Sharing with @cyberbun since she's the furry sister. Hope she writes her own thoughts in a reblog or something.

I think it makes sense to talk about the last point together with the first one because it would heavily depend on what the exact changes are. I am not into fur myself so if I ended up as a humanoid dog instead of just having dog ears and a tail I would definitely want to change that.

If we are getting more partial transformations then I don't think most of us would be very inclined to undo them unless there's some side effect we are worried about. I think even if it was transforming into furries/scalies it's going to be primarily me and the other me who have strongly negative feelings about looking like that and the others may not dislike it.

As usual, most of us would probably end up becoming dogs, with Jade as a snake and Lottie as a rabbit.

For clothing, I generally imagine this type of dancer outfit, with thin and transparent pieces of cloth covering only a few parts.

I know both versions of me would be very resistant to charming. It's usually the rule that enchantments that are in particularly high conflict with your usual self are easier to resist and create more points of friction that can lead to breaking the effect. Given that I'm narcissistic, suspicious of people, already devoted to someone else, averse to being touched by strangers, kind of repulsed by sex, and generally high in willpower I predict even if I didn't resist the charm outright it wouldn't take long before it comes into conflict with enough parts of me that the magic starts to break down on its own eventually.

From there I think releasing master and the others should not be too difficult, especially if I can pretend to still be charmed (easy for me) and dig around the sultan's palace. Possibly plan an assassination depending on what information I uncover. If the others still remember me while charmed that simplifies things too. I can remind them of the things they wanted to do that they are now barred from. Even while they are still controlled I can try to use them as cat's paws to make certain requests from the sultan through them that might sound suspicious coming from me.

I expect everyone in the group will want to be released, even the ones that really want to be mind controlled and made into trophies as a sort of stress relief, if it is the result of deception by a stranger.

I think part of the difficulty of the situation would come not just from breaking the curse but from escaping afterwards. It would be amateurish to neglect the final part of the plan and start winging it, so I would like to investigate the local politics and geography before I act. I should hopefully be able to plan a route out of the country and secure disguises.

How difficult all of that is may depend on how much freedom the wives get and whether or not third parties are less cold to us after the transformation. I wouldn't expect ideal circumstances there, but I can think of ways to get around the most obvious obstacles I'm expecting just by acting.

[ritcchamadayo]

pls..

I BEG!

SECOND PART OF PUNK JADE 😭 (no pressure)

LET ME BE FR THAT I CANT GET ENOUGH AND FLUSTERED SO BAD MAKES ME GIGGLED IFDHODDN

ngl tho the teasing got me so bad 😭

THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME A REASON TO WRITE MORE AKGJSJFNAJDJS PUNK JADE IS SO AHHHHHHHHHHHH HES SO SILLY

A Look Into the Past (Pt. 2)

Jade Leech x Reader ;

After finding out that Jade had pulled out all his past piercings and put them back on, you just can't seem to get enough of it. Jade, on the other hand, is really enjoying your attention on him.

(I'm so happy the original fic got so much love and support from you all <3 thank you so much!!)

Reader is a Sophomore in this fic, just like the twins!

Read Part 1 here! Read Part 3 here!

One thing you told yourself after the encounter with Jade yesterday was, "It was a once in a lifetime sight." You really wished you sneaked in a photo or two, perhaps that would help your currently jumpy heart calm down a little bit more? "...Nah," you said, rolling around on your bed. Even if it was only yesterday evening, you should just count your blessings and be grateful you bore witness to it, right?

Oh boy, were you wrong.

You didn't expect to see Jade still wearing his piercings in class. On one hand, it's a much less amount than what he wore yesterday since he still needed to look proper for school, but it definitely didn't help your case as you find yourself needlessly staring at the double helix snugly on top of his right ear and another two on his left ear's upper lobe, right beside his sturgeon scale earring.

He's received few asks and light warnings from the professors, especially Trein, but the rest seem to agree that he's okay wearing it as long as it's nothing too striking. His hair was back to it's usual neatly combed style too, but you reaffirm to yourself that the piercings really made his hair color pop even more, especially the black strand on his left. You wonder how he managed to act like a complete gentleman while still looking like the hottest guy in the universe in your opinion.

"Heading to class?" "Y-Yeah, I am." (You cursed yourself for the slight hitch in your voice.) "Would you let me join you for the walk, then? I believe my class is towards the same direction you're going to." "Sounds great!"

The two of you walked between the empty hallways, with most of the student body spending their break outside or at the cafeteria. You talked about mundane things, like classes or the weather- but it seems like Jade is purposely steering the conversation so that you'd bring up his piercings. What can I say, he could be quite the huge tease if he knew which buttons to press to gauge a reaction out of you.

You were reminded of your conversation with Floyd before you left the lounge yesterday. "Hee, if you're really interested in him then why not try to pull some moves~?" "No way! I'm not brave enough, you know that Floyd." The eel-mer pouts, humming to himself and thinking. "Then what if I tell Jade to pull a move on you~?"

Your hand shot up to grab on Floyd's sleeve, giving him the most menacing glare you could put out. (It probably looked cute on his end though.) "Floyd. Don't you dare pull any fishy stuff."

"Eeh... Boring. Imma go back to bothering Azul instead." He said with a sinister smirk, walking away from you.

Well, casually chatting doesn't count as pulling a move, does it? "Speaking of," you start. "Did the professors really not care about them? I mean, I think I've seen a few people getting reprimanded for extra accessories." "Ah, Professor Trein did express a little bit of dislike, but he said it wasn't too distracting. Though, Professor Crewel on the other hand started giving me fashion tips, fufu."

You laugh at the little fact. "Yep, that's Crewel alright. Maybe you can show me his fashion tips when we're free?"

A smirk grew on Jade's face. "Oh? Is this your way of asking me out?" "N-No! I'm just curious, okay?!" You half-yelled, hitting his arm with as much power you could exert. (Not much, since Jade didn't even bother to dodge or look hurt.) You threw a couple of jabs at him, and Jade was more than happy to reply with his witty remarks.

Jade glances around the corridor. They were currently on the third floor of the school building, with most of it being empty and a slight updraft could be felt.

"Are you not interested on trying to touch them though? I've seen a lot of people try to get a closer look." He said, a sly smile on his lips. "Eh? Can I?" You ask innocently, perhaps too innocently for Jade. The male nods, slightly leaning into you to let you have a closer look.

"They're pretty.." You say, holding the metal on his left ear. You cupped his earring inside your palm to make sure it doesn't accidentally get pulled, lightly caressing the pierced flesh. Jade leans into your touch, a slight fondness in his eyes as you focus fully on the feeling of his accessories in your hands until you felt soft lips pressing onto your own.

!! "E.. Eh...?"

Your hands gently pull away from his earring, and your eyes met with his pair of heterochromic ones. His lips were mere centimeters away from yours, a small smirk showing his teeth forming on his face. The realization dawns on you as your realize he just kissed your lips while you were distracted.

"HE KISSED ME?!" You freak out internally, your entire face turning a dark shade of red that could rival Heartslabyul's roses. You knew Jade was eating up your reaction- with the most smug expression on, of course.

"Oh my, excuse me. Did you not want that?" He asked, lightly holding your chin between his fingers. “I feel a slight obligation to act more boldly in this getup.” The fact that he could pull such moves so casually is messing with your head as you struggle to give an answer. Your free hand trails over to his tie and you pull him back down towards your lips, letting him properly slot his lips on yours.

Jade gladly kisses back and chuckles as he pulls away, letting you go and straightening himself up before continuing the walk towards your classrooms as if nothing had happened with a satisfied smile on his face. You stood stunned for a few seconds and shaking it off before chasing after him, stumbling over your own feet.

"H-HEY! JADE, THAT'S NOT FAIR!!"

[piko-rose]

Random Sonic Headcanons Because Why Not

Lots of funny fluffy angst stuff coming your way! It's a big list so it's all under the cut. (Also Frontiers spoilers)

Amy is better at video games than Sonic. It hurts his pride every time someone brings it up. (usually Tails)

Tails' mint obsession was actually Sonic's fault. A few weeks after they first met, Sonic stole bought some mint candies for Tails since he never had candy before. The moment the mint entered his mouth, it was all over. Now every twice a week Tails is only allowed to have a small amount of mints.

Sonic plays the guitar since he was younger, but it's been a while since he played it. His favorite memory with it though was when Amy caught him playing it and wanted him to teach her how to play. So Amy plays the acoustic guitar thanks to the blue hedgehog.

Since Frontiers had a day and night cycle, I believe the real time the event of the game took for Sonic was about a week. (This hedgehog needs a nap.)

Shadow's pet Dark Chao is named Midnight. (Same name of my Dark Chao plush that I got for Christmas XD)

Sonic technically lives in Tails' Workshop. There's another room upstairs where he keeps his stuff and there's a racecar bed that Tails made for him he was a kit.

The White Boost Wisp's name is Yacker, but we never heard the Jade Ghost Wisp's name, but Sonic and Tails calls her by Jade. I believe that her name would be Spirit.

Amy summons her hammer by snapping her fingers, and it will just poof right next to her. (Sounds dumb I know but I thought that would be cool)

Cream actually wants to own her own hammer so she can be like Amy some day.

Sonic having no chest fluff doesn't bother him that much (in this house we love and support Trans Sonic) but sometimes he wondered what he would look like with some. But at the end of the day, Sonic loves himself, chest fluff or no chest fluff.

Omega goes by He/They because they said so.

Oh, and so does Shadow.

I am extremely sorry for this but the IDW comics are not in the same timeline-

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I WASN'T EXCITED TO HEAR SONIC MENTION TANGLE'S NAME IN FRONTIERS.

Sonic and Tangle met each other post Forces while town residences and Sonic's team helped cleaned up the town from broken Badniks.

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy were just having a stroll after the events of Team Sonic Racing to catch a break when suddenly Amy was snatched into the bushes. Sonic tells Tails and Knuckles to stand by in case Eggman is nearby and Sonic goes into the forest to find Amy. Eventually, Sonic came across a burrow and figured Amy could be in there. But when he took another step, his foot triggered a trap and a net landed right on Sonic. Amy and an orange and brown badger came outside to see Sonic struggling to break free of the net. He was relieved to see Amy was alright but asked who that badger is next to her. She introduced herself as Sticks, and she was just having a nice interview with Amy when they heard commotion outside. Turns out she's pretty big fan of Sonic, especially Amy, and she wanted to be their friend. Amy thought she's adorable, but Sonic thought she was kind of suspicious, but they're cool. That's how they met Sticks since Amy also mentioned her in Frontiers. (Which shocked me btw)

Knuckles was pretty surprised when he found out that Rouge took over watching the Master Emerald instead of stealing it during his absence. When he asked why that is, she responded saying that stealing it was way too easy and not as fun without him. Plus, she missed him, which shocks Knuckles more. (At that point, he kinda caught some feelings for her XD)

Sonic still has his Soap shoes and wears this sometimes. They remind him of Shadow because the first few times he wore them was when he first met Shadow.

I am also extremely sorry for this but I think Prime took place before Forces. I will not elaborate further you will have to figure that out yourself.

Sonic is afraid of water because of a fuzzy/early memory of seeing robots for the first time at a really young age. Him and his mother were visiting the beaches of South Island for the first time when suddenly weird looking robotic figures ambushed them. They both fell off this cliff trying to escape and the last thing Sonic could hear was a strangely familiar maniacal laugh. Sonic fell into the water along with his mom. He tried to swim back up to the surface but he was beginning to black out. Soon he woke up on the surface completely unscathed. He realized that someone was missing and looked around for his mother. Then, he looked right at the ocean he somehow came out of. If he's the only one on the surface, that meant...

Meanwhile, a sparkling red aura was above the sky watching the scene unfold. "I'm sorry. I've done all I could..." The young voice whispered before it flies away.

Sonic cries when he stubs his toe. As the fastest thing alive, that will hurt like hell.

Tails is the only person who knows about Sonic's middle name, Maurice. (Thanks Sonic Prime description)

Sonic and Tails have weekly movie nights. On occasions they have guests with them, usually Amy, or Knuckles, or maybe Shadow if he felt like it.

Sonic decided to take care of the Workshop while Tails, Knuckles and Amy are away for a few days after Frontiers.

After everything that happened in Frontiers and whatever the hell he just been through while he was corrupted, Sonic would have some intense nightmares, causing him to not get any rest. He needed some comfort deep down, but his friends are away for a while so that won't be for a while. He tried so hard not to feel selfish or want to be in the way of their adventures, but he wished that his friends will come back.

When they do come back, Sonic gave them the biggest hug he has ever gave to anyone. It may be only days, but to Sonic, it felt like forever. He's just happy to see them again, and so was Tails, Knuckles and Amy.

On occasions when Sonic gets a cold, he has interesting dreams that were related to fairytale stories. He thought those were some wicked dreams and he thought Shadow as Lancelot was the best part.

Sonic loves to sing, but only when he's either by himself or with Tails and Knuckles, since they're the only people who knew about his singing voice.

Sometimes Amy tricks Sonic into going for a swim, just so she can teach him how to. It usually ends with Sonic running away.

Sonic is bi because come on, how is it not so obvious to you?

Rouge and Omega share the same apartment. How the building allows a giant robot in the apartment is beyond your imagination.

And that's all I got right now. Hopefully more ideas will pop up eventually since I can only think of so many headcanons, but there will be more soon.

[princessasmosprincess]

Charmed, I'm Sure

Chapter 3

Summary: No human has ever avoided Asmodeus's charm. Except for you.

Pairing: Asmodeus x GN Reader/MC

Genre: Drama, angst

Warnings: None in this chapter, suggestive content and alcohol use in previous chapters.

***

The light to Lucifer’s study was still on when Solomon dragged Asmodeus back to the House of Lamentation. They would have to use stealth magic to get inside, not that Lucifer wouldn't figure it out eventually, but it would buy them some time to get Asmo to his room before he noticed.

Solomon quickly disarmed the locking spell Lucifer had put on the door and he and Asmo went inside and up the stairs. Classical music could be heard faintly beyond the door of Lucifer’s study as they tiptoed past, human world classical music, to be precise. But Solomon could also hear light snoring which meant Lucifer had probably fallen asleep working. That was good. He didn't think Asmo could protect him from Lucifer’s fury in this state, and he’d never needed to fight a demon that strong using only his magic. He had no desire to test it out now.

Asmo had been quiet during the walk home, and that was very unlike him. You could hardly get the demon to stop talking most of the time. Solomon had given him his space. Asmo’s eyes were already red and puffy from crying when they got to his room, but he had sobered up a little. Almost automatically, he walked over to his massive closet and slipped out of his clothes and into a purple satin robe. He sat on the bed and stared at himself, unmoving, in the full length mirror that covered an entire wall of his bedroom.

“When I was in the Celestial Realm everyone loved me, I didn't even have to try. And I loved everyone. Lucifer may have been favored by Father but I was favored almost everyone else.” Asmo said, finally breaking his silence. “And then after we fell and my demon powers developed, people didn't just love me, they worshiped me.”

Solomon tossed Asmo a bottle of micellar water and a cloth to remove the smeared eyeliner and glitter that was streaked across his face, which again, he managed to make look good. Then Solomon went to the mini cosmetics fridge Asmo kept under his vanity and removed a chilled jade roller, night cream, and a sheet mask. He knew Asmo would never forgive himself if he didn't do the bare minimum of his multi-step skincare routine before going to bed.

“Thank you,” Asmo said quietly as Solomon handed him the items.

“You’re welcome,” Solomon sat down in the pink cushioned desk chair that was rarely used for doing schoolwork.

Asmo continued his train of thought from before, “I’ve lived under Lucifer’s shadow my whole life but if everyone else adored me, it was ok.”

Solomon didn't know what to say so he stayed silent. He thought about the exchange student. He would need to get to the bottom of this. There was a chance Asmo had panicked and missed some sort of enchanted object on the exchange student’s person. Even if they couldn't do magic themself, there was still the possibility they could be in possession of an item that blocked a demon’s powers. A normal human alone would not be able to resist the influence of one of the rulers of the Devildom. It just wasn't possible.

“Have I ever told you what it feels like to charm someone?” Asmo asked.

Solomon shook his head.

“It’s the most wonderful feeling in the world!” A smile lit his tear stained face. “I look at a person and it’s like there's a string around their heart. I can reach out and pull that string towards me; I can feel their desires, jealousies, the things they hold dear. If I want I can mold those things to look like me.”

The concept reminded Solomon a little of the ‘red string of fate’, something he’d been wanting to research for some time now. From what he knew of the red string, though, it couldn't be manipulated in the way Asmo described his charm.

“Mc…” Asmo said. “They just stared at me. It was like I was looking at one of my brothers. You know, I can’t charm them," That wasn’t exactly true. His powers could, on occasion, work on his brothers but it was hardly worth the effort now. He had cute little brother privileges. "But I know they love me because they tell me. With MC, I felt nothing.” The memory was unsettling, Asmo shivered a little.

“It shouldn't matter, right?” he said. “I’m being foolish. I can have anyone I want, so why am I hung up on this one person?” Tears started to fall again. Asmo curled up on the bed and cocooned himself in the blankets.

“I suppose it’s hard to let go of something you’ve always had,” said Solomon.

The pile of blankets twitched as Asmo nodded.

When he didn't speak again, Solomon took that as his cue to leave. It was late anyway, and tomorrow was officially the first day of the exchange program and a new term at RAD. He would need a good night’s sleep to be in peak performance as the famous Witty Sorcerer. He made a mental note to have Barbatos send over some hangover relief tea to Asmo’s room in the morning.

With one final look back, Solomon spread his arms wide and cast a comfort spell on Asmo’s room. The scent of lavender, ocean waves crashing, gentle piano music, drinking hot chocolate by a crackling fire; all things that were imbued in the spell. The room felt just a little bit lighter when he left, although he thought he could still hear Asmo’s soft sniffling as he closed the door behind him.

Solomon used the back stairs to avoid passing Lucifer’s study again. The kitchen light was on when he got to the first floor and someone was rustling around inside. He would bet all the years he had left that it was Beelzebub. It wouldn't necessarily be dangerous to be caught by Beel, he was a gentle giant for the most part, and had an even temper as long as he was well-fed. It would definitely be awkward to be caught by him, though.

As he crept through the hallway, sticking to the shadows, a certain door caught his eye.

The guest room.

That would be where the exchange student was staying. Solomon stood silently outside the guest room door and listened. In all likelihood they would be asleep and Solomon would have to continue his investigation in the morning at RAD.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard it. Crying. Heaving sobs that someone was trying, and failing, to keep quiet.

Solomon’s brow furrowed. He was given a choice to join the exchange program; judging by the crying coming from the room, apparently you had not. You sounded so pitiful.

Solomon stood there and listened a little while longer. At least two people in the House of Lamentation would be crying themselves to sleep tonight. Two people who had been ripped away from the things they were accustomed to. He pressed his hand to the door and repeated the same spell he’d used in Asmo’s room. It was the least Solomon could do to offer them what little comfort he could give.

***

Cross-posted on AO3

[hangezen]

haikyuu boys as different types of kisses

content : contains atsumu, oikawa, and tsukishima. a bit suggestive on atsumu’s and oikawa’s, but other than that it’s mostly sfw. gn!reader.

jade’s notes : i suddenly came up with this idea and i just had to write about it :]

atsumu is a french kiss. atsumu is always craving more of everything. he always craves you. he won’t settle for a little peck, even if both of you are in public. he just loves you so much, he needs to constantly kiss you. his kisses are passionate, warm, and slightly cocky. you both feel the world stop when both of you kiss, no matter how many times you both have. make-out sessions with the blond usually have steps: they start off with a peck, then a deep kiss, then a slightly more desperate deep kiss. after coming home from a long and exhausting day of practice a make-out session is desperately needed.

the first thing atsumu did when he got home from practice was drop his bag on the floor, snake his hands through your waist, and pull you closer to him. “‘tsumu, you’re sweaty” you complained. “i missed you so much babe,” he said, giving you a peck on the lips, “can’t help it.” you returned the kiss that quickly turned into a make-out session. you placed your hands on your boyfriend’s broad shoulders as it progressively kept getting more intense. both of you got lost in the exchange of strong, yet loving kisses. “you forgot to close the door” you said, giggling lightly. “did you seriously break our make-out session to close the door?” he said. “of course not. i broke it because you need to shower.” “fine. but we’re finishin’ this later, got that baby?”

tsukishima is a forehead kiss. his excuse for mostly giving you forehead kisses is the fact that he’s very tall. the truth (that he will never confess) is that his heart melts every time he looks at you after giving you his favorite type of kiss; your cheeks flushed and eyes filled with love. he loves giving you forehead kisses, but will gladly kiss you on your lips if you asked him although he might tease you a little.

you clinged onto your boyfriend’s arm as you walked down the street of your home. the sun was setting and the sky was painted a beautiful orange. tsukishima was talking about an annoying new boy at the museum while you listened him mutter the most gruesome and vile insults known to man against this poor boy. “have you considered the fact that he’s just trying to make friends?” you responded. he looked at you with widened eyes. “y/n, he thinks he knows more about dinosaurs than me. he said that to my face. we will be enemies until i die.” both of you arrived to your apartment shortly after that. you waited in front of your door for your boyfriend to give you your common forehead kiss, but he just kept staring at you. you started blinking in hopes for him to notice, but to no avail. “why are you looking at me like that” he said. you scoffed. “remind me why i’m dating you again?” you responded. “let’s see: i’m amazing, i’m tall, and i love you.” “did you just admit to having a crush on me?” tsukishima rolled his eyes and gave you his signature forehead kiss. you smiled at him, making him smile too. “love you, kei” you said, while entering your apartment. “love you the most, idiot.”

oikawa is a neck kiss. so simple, yet so deadly. everyone knows that oikawa’s charisma is god tier, but his kisses are addictive. they’re soft but leave this unexplainable attraction, resulting in wanting more. he loves kissing you anywhere, but his #1 kiss has to be the neck kiss. not only does he love giving them because he knows what he’s doing, he loves seeing how much impact a simple kiss on the neck has on you. it thrills him that his lips on your neck have an enchantment on you.

oikawa was relaxing on your shared bed while you did your skincare routine in the bathroom. you heard a dramatic sigh come from your boyfriend in your shared room, which you chose to ignore due to the fact you were still midway through your nightly routine. not even thirty seconds pass and you heard the a dramatic sigh come from your boyfriend, again. you furrowed your eyebrows, irritated, and went on with your routine. you finished your routine and were gently drying your face when your boyfriend enters the bathroom and leans on the doorframe, sighing once again. “what is it, tooru?” you said, looking at him through your bathroom mirror. “i’m tired and want to cuddle” he says. he moves from the doorframe to behind you, putting his hands on your waist and resting his chin on your head. “i’m about to finish, give me a minute.” he moves his hands up and down your torso while he rested his chin on your head, his eyes closed. he then continues to move his face down to your neck and gently kissing it, the contact making your heartbeat accelerate. “i’m done.” “finally!” he regained his composure and grabbed your wrist, pulling you out of the bathroom and onto your bed for the cuddles he requested.

© hangezen ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚

[bubbledumbbinch]

Hi, there! I'm new here! Can I get the dorm leaders' (including Jamil's) reaction to their fem! s/o who suddenly passes out due to stress and when she wakes up, she tearfully confesses that she was traumatized by their Overblots. What can they do to comfort her? Fluff/angst combo. Please and thanks!

Yes yes! I will only be including the people who have overblotted so far so no Ignihyde or Diasomnia yet!

I also am sorry I just didn’t want to make s/o faint in all scenarios? I did in most tho!! Sorry >< I hope this is okay!!

Also also, sorry I haven’t posted in SO long!! I just came back from 2 vacations including a week long trip to Disney world!!

Warnings: angst, spoilers for everyone’s chapters I guess?

Riddle Rosehearts

In the following weeks of Riddle’s overblot, he was working to try to be a better leader to Heartslabyul. However, old habits don’t die very easily. You saw Riddle’s wrath once again when he scolded some students who had gotten into a fight and had promptly used his unique magic.

“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!!” His voice resounded off the walls and the harshness of his voice brought awful flashbacks into your mind. Then, everything went black.

When you wake, Riddle is over your body, his large grey eyes were scanning over you panicked. When he asked what happened, you broke down and told him that you remembered his overblot and fainted.

Riddle’s guilt would skyrocket. He never intended to hurt so many people including one of his closest friends Trey and especially not you. Even after a few weeks he didn’t realize it would weigh so much on so many others.

Riddle would turn red from shame while hiding his face in the crook of your neck. As he starts to chant “I’m sorry”s over and over, he starts to sob shakily, also making you start to release the tears that were in your eyes.

Riddle takes care of you personally - brings you to bed, attempts to cooks for you, studies with you, anything he can do to gain your trust back.

“I- I’ll be better. A better person. For you, for everybody in Heartslabyul, for me.” Riddle was hiccuping from crying. You kissed Riddle’s cheek and stroked it, trying to wipe his tears from his face. “I know, Riddle. I can see you trying every day and you’re getting better and better.” It was true. You personally saw him interacting with students and knew his relationship with everyone was improving. With time, things will get a lot easier to process emotions and the feelings from that eventful day.

Leona Kingscholar

Leona’s practice session for Magift wasn’t going as planned. You noticed he was getting angrier and angrier with his poor plays while sitting on the sidelines.

When he finally had enough he grabbed the disc and turned it into sand, growling in anger. He shouted at his teammates and physically threatened them.

You felt your heart stop as your boyfriend continued to scream. The last thing you saw before falling was Epel’s shocked face as you hit the ground.

When you woke up, the team members were all circled around you, only to be scared away by Leona’s growling.

When you admitted you had PTSD from his overblot, he looked away in shame. The beastman didn’t say much - it’s not like he COULD say anything. He knew he was wrong at that moment but he was only frustrated at the game.

Leona tries to spend more time with you by pulling you into his arms when he naps. He mumbles softly about being sorry and telling you he loves you. You know that it’s a lot for him to even do that, so it means a lot to you.

As Leona held you in his arms, you couldn’t help but tighten your arm’s grip on his. “My little herbivore… I’m sorry..” It was a whisper. Almost quiet enough to the point of you not hearing it. Soon after, the soft rise and fall of his chest indicated he was asleep. Leona’s pride was high. He never expressed his feelings through words - but feeling his arms embrace you protectively, you knew how sorry he was and how regretful he was to make you feel so upset.

Azul Ashengrotto

It had been a few months since you’d seen Azul overblot. You figured everything had gone back to normal - you were dating steadily, which was going well, and Azul treated you well.

One day though, he lost his control. Under his own stress and when his business affairs weren’t going as well as planned, he blew up and you heard him scream at someone from the outside the VIP room - all too familiar to the yelling he did when he overblotted.

You felt stuck - your feet were planted outside of his office and your nerves got the better of your motor functions. You knew you loved Azul but that moment when you saw his insecurities and too much power getting a hold of him, you were truly scared. You barely remember registering any memories as things started to fade.

“Shrimpy wake up!!” You were suddenly being shaken about, earning a gasp from you. Azul sighed next to Floyd and Jade. He asked you what had happened - he found you outside his office in a daze.

Once you truthfully told him about your memories of his overblot his expression fell. Azul was emotional and his feelings of rejection would flare up. You would need to tell him you still love him because something in him will tell him you don’t.

Azul spoils you a bit and makes sure you are not present or in the area, working in the lounge only when he isn’t dealing with complicated contracts.

Azul is also happy you weren’t traumatized due to the fact you saw his octopus form - he was very worried about that possibility.

“Angelfish, tell me, what is it you want? Anything, I’ll give it to you, please just forgive me…” Azul tearfully grasped your hands in his, glasses fogging up. It was seldom at times you saw Azul break his smile. “A-Azul, you can’t just give me something to make me forget. I need to process this and I wouldn’t be surprised if other people need to, as well. Just… be there for me.” You spoke, rubbing his cheek with your thumb as your hand cupped his face. Azul freely let his tears run down his face. “Of course, angelfish. I promise.”

Jamil Viper

You were simply looking over at the view of the desert sand from the common room of Scarabia. It wasn’t long after Jamil’s overblot.

Things have changed in the dynamic of the dorm - him and Kalim were closer now that suppressed feelings could be free, Jamil gained the trust back from most if not all the members, and you both started dating.

The more you stared into the distance, the more it reminded you of that fateful day. Visions of the dark red stormy sky invaded your thoughts while you swore you could hear Jamil’s sinister laughter growing louder and louder.

Memories being hurled from the dorm to the cold desert sand invaded your senses as you fell to the ground.

When you opened your eyes, you flinched back when you saw Jamil so close to you, making his eyes look hurt. Jamil would surround you with soft pillows and a silk sheet he must have borrowed from Kalim.

Once he finally pries your feelings out of you after you don’t want to tell him the truth, Jamil looks pained. He didn’t want to hurt you.

Jamil would give you time to think, knowing how much alone time is valued. Whether you want him to give you space or spend time with him is up to you.

“I’m, I’m sorry, y/n…” his eyes dropped to look at the floor, ashamed. “I’ll give you some time alone to think about our relationship, if that’s what you want.” The weight he added to the bed was lifted as the raven haired boy started to walk away. “No, Jamil, please stay with me.” Your voice seemed to shock him. He turned and looked at you, surprised. “I like you for you. I know you were having a hard time, and it was scary for you too. We can get stronger together! So please… don’t leave me.” You pleaded, cursing your voice for sounding weaker than you intended. Jamil’s brown eyes softened and a smile, a genuine one at that, made its way to his face.

Vil Schoenheit

Surprise surprise, Vil was checking the internet search results to see who the most beautiful one of all was. Vil had recently shot a movie and the trailer had come out an hour prior.

When the phone had still said the name he dreaded, he threw his phone down in frustration, making you flinch. He didn’t even know you were in the vicinity, you were in the hallway looking into his room as his back faced you in his room.

When you spoke his name softly, he replied callously in his response, making you freeze. His demeanor was mean to say the least, his eyes looked tired and he just looked angry.

It reminded you all too much of his overblot, which happened a few weeks back. You slowly backed into a wall and started to whimper.

Vil would realize his errors quickly and come running to your aid. He coos and strokes your hair, telling you he was sorry for lashing out. When you tell him it reminded you of his overblot, guilt racks through him.

Vil hugs you tightly and apologizes over and over. He would definitely be one to spend an entire day devoted to spoiling you, taking you to your favorite restaurant, giving you personalized facials, and shopping with you.

Vil knows this won’t resolve the issue, but he’s going to let you know how much you mean to him and how sorry he is, over time.

Vil looked over your shaking form with trembling hands. His soft, slender hands came to grasp your own. “Y/N, Y/N please answer me..!” You could only look away. “Vil, it reminded me of your… your overblot! I’m sorry…” your tears flowed freely now, staining your cheeks. You always thought you looked ugly when you cried so this only felt like salt in the wound. When Vil looked at you now, his eyes were looking into yours, deeper into you than what you physically offered. “I… that must have been scary for you, Y/N. I’m truly, so sorry. You had to see an ugly side of me that I never want to come out again.”

[fortuositywritings]

I Said No (Wanda x R): Pt 2

Summary: You are still trying to figure out Wanda’s name. Nat and Clint warn you not to get involved with Wanda. More from Wanda’s POV.

“Does pouting actually get you what you want?” Wanda asks you. 

“It worked on Nat earlier,” you shrug, then lower your voice. “Don’t tell her I told you, but she is a sucker if you give her some puppy dog eyes.” 

Wanda can see why Nat would fall for those puppy dog eyes when you demonstrate them for her. She can feel her heart melt a little bit at it, but seeing how far she’s made it without cracking, she just gives into a little smile. 

It has been a month to the day since Vision decided to end things with her. It’s the reason she was crying so much earlier. Her phone decided to remind her via SnapChat memories. She wasn’t so heartbroken about being without him as she was about what he had said. He had explained that being a hero meant being alone. Then as to somehow prove his point, he left her alone. It wasn’t as if he was the best boyfriend ever or anything. He was just there. He was always there and she liked it. Now he wasn’t. She would see him around the compound and he would give her a courteous nod. She hated it. Every time she saw him, she felt those words echoing inside her head. Everyone gave her space but little did they know space was the last thing she needed. They were only proving Vision’s point. Now, not only was she alone, but she felt lonely.  

Maybe a change in scenery will help, she thought on the flight here. It felt that way too when Laura and Clint welcomed her in not knowing about the break up. Laura told her to put her stuff in the guest room and the hope of distracting herself in this new place went to hell when she had taken her phone out. She let out the tears knowing no one would bother her. Needless to say, she was surprised to hear your voice. Not recognizing your voice, she forced herself to stop crying and sat up, embarrassed to make your acquaintance with tears running down her face. It’s too bad she couldn’t keep from sniffling. She thought you had left when she heard the door close but she was relieved when she heard you again and felt the bed dip when you sat down. She tried joking back with you, but she doesn’t think she did so well when you seemed ready to flee. Luckily, you stayed and here you were, a wish come true. Your bantering was working wonders to distract her from all Vision related things. So who could blame her not willing to give her name out so easily just so she could stretch out this moment a little longer.

“I guess I am tougher to crack.”

“That you are, Anna?” you guess her name.

Wanda laughs shaking her head. She knew what you were doing.

“Come on, you’ve got to give me something here, Miranda,” you plead.

Wanda makes a face like you’ve offended her with that name. She scrunches her nose and shakes her head again. You think it is the cutest thing.

“Oh, Ashley, Miranda is not that bad. Come on, give me a hint.”

“If you can guess which Avenger I am, I’ll give you a hint,” Wanda teases. Recognizing how bad you are at guessing names, she has little faith in you getting her superhero alias correct.

“Well, seeing as you are the only other woman on the team and you are not the Black Widow, you must be the Crimson Witch,” you deduce.

She laughs, “I knew you wouldn’t get it. It’s Scarlet Witch.”

You roll your eyes, “Same difference. They’re both red!”

She looks at you incredulously. Wanda bounces in her spot fixing her body to sit criss-cross facing you as if preparing herself to go on a full rant so you get yourself comfortable as well lying on your side leaning on your elbow.

 “The differences matter. That’s like if I said I was going to get you an emerald rock and instead I gave you jade! They’re both green gems but they’re not the same.”

“Put either on a ring and I’ll still say yes,” you flirt, enjoying the blush that appears on Wanda’s cheeks. “In fact, don’t waste your money. You can put those little green fish tank rocks in a box, bend down on a knee, and I’ll say yes.”

“Really,” Wanda manages to choke out. She had a feeling you might have been flirting earlier but she didn’t really pay it any mind seeing as it could easily be something else. What you had just said now though couldn’t be disguised as anything else, which made her a little nervous. Sure, people brazenly hit on her from time to time, but for some reason whenever she flirts back, they’re usually intimidated and back off. Wanda doesn’t want that. Not when you seem to be the only one willing to actually hang around her. She has to be careful with what she says next.

Noticing the change in her composure, you worry you have made her uncomfortable. You are ready to apologize when she says, “How could you marry someone whose name you don’t know?”

Wanda feels like she could breathe again when you joke once more, “Maybe that’s my master plan to figure it out. We’ll have a big engagement party with a huge banner that will say ‘Congratulations, Y/N and Emma’?”

“And then I will turn to you and say, ‘Who’s Emma?’ as all the guests gasp in shock not seeing my name on the banner,” Wanda teases and laughs when you groan. 

“But then I will say, ‘Surprise, everyone! This is actually the wedding and Emma is the officiant.’ Then on the paper you will sign your name, Yelena?”

Wanda shakes her head again and furrows her eyebrows in confusion when you let out a quiet “oh, thank god”. Now she really wants to hear the story of your earlier joke.

You then do rapid fire guessing but Wanda shakes her head at every name, “Melanie, Alyssa, Alicia, Brooke, Britney, Victoria, Scarlet, Rose, Ruby.”

Wanda catches the pattern, “You think my has something to do with red?”

“You seemed very passionate about it, Rebecca.” Head shake.

“Riley.” Head shake. “Ronda.” Head pause. Head shake. Oh?

“Ooh, I almost had it, huh? Ron-elle? Rond-ella? Rond-ie?” 

Wanda thought for a second you would get it but you flipped that script upside down guessing the wrong part of that name. She finally gives you a clue. As cute as you were clueless, this was painful to watch.

“Fine. Clue. My name begins with the letter W.”

Wanda thinks you will put two and two together. It seems you are bad at math.

“Wendla. Wendy. Willa. Willie. Wonka?”

“How are you so close but so far off? Y/N, think. You guessed close with Ronda and then I said my name started with a W.”

“W- Wakanda? Your parents named you after a country?”

You can see the moment Wanda loses her mind. She sits still staring past you at the wall. You can practically hear her internal screams and you take pity. You burst out in laughter. Her eyes focus back on you. It takes her two seconds to realize you were teasing.

She grabs a pillow from behind her and then leans forward to hit you with it multiple times as you keep on laughing. She starts laughing as well, “You jerk.”

“You should have seen your face,” you say settling down. You grab her wrist of the hand that is whacking you with the pillow to halt her. “I know I can struggle, but give me some credit, Wanda, come on.”

Wanda notices how close you two have gotten as have you when you are able to make out the color of her eyes. She sees you glance at her lips before looking back up and feels the tension build when she does the same. Your thoughts are loud but hers are louder in her head wondering what would happen if she were to lean forward and kiss you. Would you let her? Or would you turn her away? If her own thoughts were not so loud, she might be able to hear your own asking the same questions. Wanda’s curiosity wins and she starts leaning forward. Though she is not reading your mind, she’s sure you’re curious as well if she’s reading body language correctly. She sees you close your eyes so she follows suit, but they spring right back open when you both hear a knock at the door. 

Wanda practically jumps off the bed wrapping her arms around herself trying to look at anything but you when the door opens. You stay where you are, eyes still closed. All you do is hang your head and sigh in disappointment making Wanda smile a little knowing she wasn’t alone in the feeling. You turn to see Clint and Nat walk in. You see them both assessing the situation with lack of subtlety which just annoys you. Wanda picks up on it too but instead of feeling annoyed she feels embarrassed. This is Clint’s home after all and he almost caught you at an inconvenient time. 

“Wanda, I think Laura might need some help with the vegetables. Do you mind?” Nat asks Wanda but she stares, more like glares, at you the entire time.

“Yeah,” Wanda squeaks. She clears her throat, “I will gladly go help do that.”

She walks past Clint and Natasha without looking either in the eye. When she’s at the door, she turns to give you an awkward smile. You give her a reassuring one and then she’s on her way. You look up to see two faces frowning down at you.

“Y/N, no.”

You sit up. With confusion written all over your face, you ask, “No, what? What did I do now?”

Nat bends down to look you in the eyes, faces inches away from each other. It feels like she’s staring into your soul. You start to get nervous and goosebumps start to spread at the back of your neck. You haven’t even done anything wrong but you think you might falsely confess to murder if she keeps staring at you like that. 

“She still hasn’t done anything,” Natasha says to Clint as she backs away. You see them both relax a little.

“What the hell was that?” 

“Look, Y/N. I’m only going to say this once. Don’t start anything with Wanda,” Nat says. You suddenly feel like a child being told to behave.

You roll your eyes and let out a sarcastic, “Okay, mom.”

She huffs, “I’m serious, Y/N. I said no Romanoffs and now feel free to add no Maximoffs. She’s just recently gone through a break up and I don’t need you doing what you do.”

“Maximoff. Wanda Maximoff,” you try her name on your tongue. “Wait, Maximoffs, plural? There are two of them?”

As much as you found yourself liking Wanda, you barely survived the Yelena Incident. You don’t need to test your limits with a Yelena Incident 2.0. 

“She has a brother, maybe as annoying as you,” Clint adds. “They’re twins.”

If the mention of a sibling didn’t stop you in your tracks, the word ‘twin’ sure hit the emergency brake. Twins can be very special when it comes to being there for their sibling. You quickly found that out when you dated a twin for a month and cut it off with no real explanation. You still get shivers thinking about the experience that came soon after. 

You begrudgingly agree to follow Natasha’s order, because that is what it was, knowing it is for the best, “Okay. No Romanoffs and no Maximoffs. Anyone else you want to add while you’re at it?”

“Not yet, but we’ll be sure to send you a list later,” Nat quips. Even though your compliance shocks her a little as you are not one to give up so quickly, she appreciates it. 

“Please do so, but I’m warning you. You are stretching me thin with this one.”

Clint laughs as he opens the door for you for the second time today. “Enough, let’s go help in the kitchen,” he says, leading you both out the room.

“For real, though. Have you seen her eyes?” your voice carries on in the hall.

Clint hears, “Ow, Nat. Jeez, no need for the violence. I get it. You said no.” He laughs closing the bedroom door and catches up to you.

____________________________________________________________________

I hope you are enjoying it so far. Like I’ve said before, you can find this on AO3 if you prefer. Next chapter you meet everyone else, so stay tuned!

[themadearl]

Idea: Yuu is younger than everyone else 

[prev part]

Note: Some additional changes to how Chapter 4 could go due to such condition, some chapter 4 spoilers

Comes Chapter 4 where winter break starts and almost everyone goes home

The happy mood of Adeuce is cut in half when they realise they have to leave him with no adults at all since all staff is gone

Naturally some other students notice that as well

The Heartslabyul gang goes up asking wheter Yuu would like to visit their hometown

Trey says that his family wouldn’t mind Yuu staying over for the break

Cater offers Yuu to visit his hometown if she wants

Adeuce can’t actually invite Yuu on such short notice but thinks to themselves to bring Yuu home for next year

Yuu declines but says that she’ll like to visit next year

Adeuce duo makes Yuu promise them to keep in touch everyday

“What do you think I’m going to do? Set the school on fire?”  

The Savanaclaw gang comes over after the Heartslabyul students leave

Leona flexes on the massive palace he stays in by saying that he still have lots of empty guest rooms to stay in

Jack says that he just asked his parents and that Yuu could stay over if he wants

Ruggie lectures Yuu out of habit from the kids in his hometown on what to not do alone

Just like before, Yuu declines as she still has something to do and that there’s Grim and the ghosts with her

Jack ruffles her hair before going and tells her to keep in touch

Leona and Ruggie offers that if anything arises, she can call them for help

However, Leona does so with tossing a paper with presumably, his phone number and not a single word more

Before Yuu can leave, Floyd drapes his arm over Yuu saying that he’ll take care of shrimpy

Jade reminds him that just like Riddle, he can’t keep Yuu as a pet

“Ehh, but shrimpy is so small and cute. He can even sleep in my bed.”

“No thanks Floyd-senpai, I have my own dorm to go back to.”

 The later events promptly made Yuu eat those words as she gets locked up Scarabia dorm

Yuu is like a hair’s breath from crying out of frustration when she can’t contact Crowley as she gets locked up

Might as well contact all the numbers she has and pray that someone will come get her

Thankfully, Yuu and Grim somehow escaped using the magic rug and bumped straight into the Octo trio

Yuu’s mood has been like riding a roller coaster and it’s no wonder that she just starts crying when Azul starts asking for compensation cause everything seems so unfair

First she gets imprisoned for just showing up, stupid principal won’t answer the damn phone, forced to do training she doesn’t need and now she has to pay compensation for property damage

 “Azul made shrimpy/prefect cry.”, which the Leech twins state in unison

“Fine, fine. No compensation needed, since we Octavinelle is based upon the compassion of the Sea Witch.”

Floyd places a plate of pancakes in front of Yuu as desserts should cheer people up right?

Jade pairs it up with a hot chocolate as it’ll warm Yuu up

They all listen to Yuu as she complains about Scarabia in between bites and sniffles

As Yuu finishes up on the food, Azul, Jade and Floyd decides to spice up their winter break by joining in as well 

Yuu decides to go back as well since there was a lot of weird things about the dorm anyway

So they all go back and unearth the conspiracy of the decade

Having so much fun that Yuu have almost a hundred missed calls and messages

While Ace and Deuce doesn’t seem to bear any hard feelings as they show up to see Yuu unharmed

The same can’t be said to Leona who showed just to see Yuu having fun at a body of water

Oops

Yuu quickly runs away before Leona can catch her while Jack tries to calm him down

Crowley is so going to get it when he comes back thinks Yuu as she replies to all the people she messaged

[writer1queenjaysblog]

Night Raven College vs Royal Sword 3

The Welcome ball

Jada wakes up in a different room that was opposite of her old one. It was warm, clean, smells like flowers and sweets, perfume and nice.

Her bed was nice and beautiful Grim was at the end of her bed eating "Your up! The guys made breakfast for us!"

He said eating a muffin "I see I'm going to take a shower and get dressed ."

"That reminds me Neige and Philip told me to give you this."

She opened a box and she gasp smiling and got dressed up

A beautiful red dress from Neige

Shoes from her father Ambrose

And a beautiful necklace from Philp she smiled as she spun around in front of a big wall mirror 🪞. Grim's ribbon was pink and blue fused together "So this is what being in Royal Sword Academy!" He said happily as they went to eat breakfast.

The students saw how beautiful she looked some were speechless and blushed some turned their head blushing and whispering amongst each other.

"Jada, Grim over here!" Said Neige as he waved and more students were sitting with them. A boy with blonde hair and blue eyes sitting next to Philp and a boy who look similar to kalim and a boy with red hair.

"Hello princess your breakfast is served." Said Neige "These are my friends Rielle, Elliot, Jasim, and you met Philp." They smiled blushing.

"Hello gentlemen thanks so much for helping me yesterday 😊." She said smiling as Grim was eating his food "No problem like I said no lady should have to go through that so how's your food?" Said Jasim

"Great and I want to see what Royal Sword has to offer." She said smiling "We'll be glad and happy to show you all things that Royal Sword has to offer during the holiday season before we leave for break which everyone is doing right now." Said Neige.

Back at Night Raven College everyone was sad, angry, mad, lonely and every emotion you could think of too bad they didn't have a counselor since Jada was it she was everything to and for them.

Vil was angry at himself for not realizing that Jada was suffering and going through a hard tough time, Leona was no different he barely took naps but he often slept during the day but at night he couldn't sleep Jada would often stay at his dorm to sleep in his bed. Idia almost never leave his room as usual just as he was getting out of his room.

Kalim wasn't so happy he didn't seem like his bright happy self anymore, Azul didn't eat much and the twins were upset too poor Floyd cried wailing her name and his eyes had bags and dark circles under them, Jade hasn't taken care of his mushrooms and they die causing him to cry even more.

Riddle has been upset crying thinking about her and poor boy hardly wanted his favorite strawberry tarts he lets Ace and Deuce have them they don't eat them anymore since Jada made them with Trey and he didn't bake as much as he use to because Jada was like his partner. Cater wasn't on his magic socials anymore all he does is look at pictures and videos of him and Jada together and he cried thinking about her.

Jack would howl at the moon since he and Jada would look at it together poor thing his howl's sounding almost like cries. Everyone had this moment of realization that Jada did a lot for them and not herself so instead of feeling bad Ace got everyone together

"Are we really gonna sit here and feel sorry for ourselves?! Is this what Jada would have wanted us to do?"

"She's done everything for us keeping us from going overblot, smiling, happy, fed hell she made sure we passed class and did homework! Kalim should know she helped him get A+ and 100's on each test, exam, and homework." "Yeah she did and she went out of her way to help us with events." Said cater.

"And last year Christmas festival she worked day in and out for us now we owe her this." "Ace is right so along with the Christmas event we having going up against those pretty boys who took her we can fix her dorm!"

Said Deuce Epel got on the table "We need to bring our princess back who's with us?!" "Yeah!" Said everyone Malleus heard and smiled as he remembers dancing with Jada in the moonlight

"But what about the head master he's also gonna want to get his beloved daughter back ?"

Said Lilia "This may be his fault but that doesn't mean he should suffer for it we need his help too after all he was the one who put her and Grim in the awful place Pomefiore would have been lovely for her." Said Vil having the other glare at him "No matter what we'll get our pearl back and she'll be part of our world again!"

Said Azul. After going to the staff telling them about the plan they laid down the plan to take her from them and Vargas was going to lead "I say we take her back and show her we do care." Said Ruggie.

The plan was set. Now this ball is going to have a wild crazy 🤣

@sanyu-thewitch05

[adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy]

i had a craving for some warm apple cider and it reminded me of etrry. he would fuck that shit up omg omg christian girl fall is totally alienrry he would love going to the apple orchards and shit

The first time he tries a pumpkin spice latte, his feedback makes Y/N’s stomach flutter with endearment.

Harry smack his lips as he savors the spices and cozy notes in the drink, furrowing his brows in thought as he picks through all of the different emotions the taste produces. After a moment, his entire body relaxes, and a homey smile makes its way across his dimpled cheeks. “It tastes the way a warm hug feels.”

Y/N’s lips twitch as she sips from her own drink, letting his interpretation sink in. He’s recently taken to relating flavors to feelings and experiences, and the analogies he conjures up always amuse her to no end. “That was pretty poetic of you.”

Harry simpers over the brim of the coffee cup, hugging it with both hands as indulges another gulp. “Thank you, I think.”

She can’t help but notice how big his hands are— how they easily dwarf the paper mug, and how pretty his nails look covered in sage green polish (she’d painted them that color for the sake of irony, and he’d thought the joke was hilarious). The more she dwells on every detail of his hands— the veins that chisel over the back as he tightens his hold, or the length of his nimble fingers, or the small alien hieroglyphic tattoo along the area between his index finger and thumb— the more her thoughts derail towards the graphic end of the spectrum. Specifically, how he’d had those same hands all over her body the night prior.

How they had been tangled in her hair as they stumbled towards her room blindly, too lost in the sensation of each other’s lips to give anything else much attention. How his hands had felt as they hurriedly coasted down her chest and along the bottom of her sweatshirt, pulling it off in one swift motion so he could taste every inch of her skin, his tongue leaving a sweltering heat along her cleavage. How they had gripped her knees and spread them open as he situated himself onto his stomach on the mattress, a faint white cast sheathing his irises as he’d seen the way she was already dripping in anticipation. How his palms had held her down to the bed as he’d bobbed his head between her thighs, his tongue lapping at her sloppily as he’d moaned into her clit, the sound wet and guttural as his back muscles visibly tightened while she’d tugged at his curls and scratched at his scalp. How one hand had grasped her hip desperately as the other wrapped around her throat, its first two fingers weighing on her tongue as she’d sucked on them feverishly, wisps of his name escaping her throat as he’d pounded raw pleasure into the pit of her tummy. How he’d whimpered and gasped into her ear as his nails dug memories into the skin of her waist, and how she’d caught a glimpse of his fingerprints this morning in the mirror, dusted across her flesh in the form of bruises.

Harry’s voice yanks the girl out of her head. “What are you drinking?”

Y/N isn’t really one to crave coffee during the afternoon, so she’d picked up a bottle of rosé on the way home from grocery shopping, right before going to the drive-through at the nearest Starbucks to get him his beverage. He’d seen a commercial for it on TV the other day, and had expressed his interest for it during breakfast as she’d shoveled scrambled eggs onto a plate while he cut up a green apple across the kitchen island, popping a slice into his mouth while neatly organizing the others along his circular platter. And how could she say no to him, especially when he’d been standing there with such a hopeful look in those olive green puppy eyes, his cheeks puffed out with fruit and her teeth marked all over his neck and chest.

“It’s, uhm—” She clears her throat roughly, expelling the image of Harry’s toned stomach and thick happy trail from her brain. She snaps her gaze up to meet his, and the blissfully unaware innocence behind his tone and over his features makes blood rush to her cheeks. “It’s rosé.”

Harry sets down his cup carefully on her coffee table, shifting further back onto the couch and slouching into the cushions, his legs spreading open casually as he settles in. “That’s a type of alcohol, correct?”

Y/N glances down at his thighs momentarily, where his mesh shorts are riding up dangerously high. “Yep.”

If he notices, he doesn’t to show it, seen in how his accent maintains the same nonchalant curiosity as before. He throws an arm around her shoulders easily, scooting his body closer to her own across the sofa. He’s gotten way touchier since they started sleeping together, and she can’t say she doesn’t like it. She likes it more than she should, probably.

“The same liquid in those spiked ciders you got me last time? The sour one that incapacitates you?”

Y/N scoffs lightly at his accurate description, willingly leaning into his torso and folding her legs up under herself as she props her wine glass on her knee. “Mmhm. But that only happened because you drank the entire pack like a moron, remember?”

Harry rolls his eyes at her chastising tone and flat expression. “How was I supposed to know?”

“Maybe you should have asked me before randomly drinking things from that shelf in the fridge.”

“You were in the shower.”

“You could have waited.”

“I was thirsty.”

“There’s a water filter at the sink.”

“I wanted juice.”

“There was grape juice beside the milk.”

“I wanted apple and the bottles had pictures of them on the label. My apologies for using my practical thinking skills and measures of deduction.”

Y/N sighs in good-natured exasperation, shoving him with her shoulder as revenge for his snarky comebacks. “Well, look where your practical thinking skills and measures of deduction got you— bent over the toilet bowl with puke shooting out of your nostrils. Now you know that anything with the word, ‘alcohol’ on it needs to be taken in moderation. Right?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good.” The young woman takes a sip from her glass, savoring it patiently as the sweet and tangy flavor filters through her taste buds. “Lesson learned, then.”

“Unfortunately.” The alien deadpans, pinching along the underside of her underarm just to feel her squirm and squeak. He smiles childishly at her reaction, giggling as she curses at him under her breath.

“You almost made me spill my drink.” She grumbles, getting comfortable once more against his warm body. “And this is the good stuff, too. I’d break the bottle over your head.”

“A bit rash, I think.” Harry snorts sarcastically, eyeing the pink moscato for a moment as it swishes inside her chilled cup, her fingers leaving smudges in the condensation. He then lilts his gaze back towards her own, his tone soft and full of wonder. “Can I try?”

“Promise not to throw up all over my floor again?” The girl quips tauntingly, jutting her chin towards her rug symbolically.

Harry exhales in surrendered embarrassment, lifting his hand and hooking their pinkies together. “Pinky swear.”

Y/N nods her head in the agreement, fending off a fond grin as she lifts the glass to his plush, rosy lips. “Go ahead, then, Area 51.”

The alien snorts softly at the nickname, well aware of its origins now that he’s learned more about Earth’s relationship with extraterrestrial components. Those documentaries on the Discovery Channel are quite educational.

Harry sifts his mouth over the rim of the glass, making eye contact with Y/N to let her know he’s ready for her to pour the drink in. She tilts the wine, watching it funnel past his lips to gauge how much is an adequate amount. She pulls back, observing as he nurses the liquid pensively, his brows creasing like before as he distinguishes all the different flavors present. He smacks his lips again, blinking slowly as he forms his opinion, licking at a drop that had escaped the corner of his mouth.

“So?” Y/N inquires, raising an eyebrow expectantly. “What’s it taste like?”

Harry cranes his sight over to her, the studious expression on his face melting into one of slight smugness, as if what he’s about to say is something amusing. The left edge of his mouth jolts upwards, a sly smirk carving its way across his face as he presses his tongue along the inside of his cheek almost arrogantly, his eyes raking down her body in an objectifying once-over. His descent stops at her clasped thighs, which he focuses on for a few seconds longer than she deems acceptable, and then his gaze travels back up to lock with her own. There’s now a different type of darkness to the jade swirling around his pupils, electrified by something he has yet to express to her fully, but seems excited to do so.

The young man leans forward, and Y/N almost falls back at the sudden closeness of their proximity. He ghosts his lips over the curve of her jaw and across the slope of her cheekbone, stopping at the shell of her ear as if he wants to share a secret. He drags his pillowy lips over the area with every intention to rile her up, his skin cool and damp from the beverage, but unbelievably warm beneath the initial shock of that caveat. His breath carries the same juxtaposing sensations— it’s cold on impact, but heats up the farther it travels across the side of her face and down to the pulse in her neck. His words are low and heavy, but sultry and smooth like the wine they’d shared; a seductive whisper that intoxicates her in a fiery manner that no amount of alcohol ever could.

“It tastes like sex. It tastes the way you do between your thighs, and it feels the way you feel when I’m buried between your legs. And if I close my eyes and savor it, I can taste you whining my name into my mouth, and I can taste you begging for it on my tongue.”

[love-archon]

A Day With The Genshin Characters: Liyue Edition

Today's going to be a busy day! Check your planner for who you'll be meeting with- as one of the esteemed members of the Liyue Qixing, you cannot afford to be late to any appointment. 

• 6:00, Ningguang: Morning Tea 

Although you say you love your job, waking up at un-archonly hours has to be the part you like the least. Even getting up at five in the morning, the hour when tigers prowl, is still not enough time to prepare for a meeting with the Tianquan. You rush around frantically choosing the best outfit, fragrance, and hair arrangement to present yourself to Lady Ningguang, and you're halfway out the door when it hits you- you forgot to bring a gift with you!

"Right on time," Ningguang says, pleased. You smile, hoping she won't hear your heart beating from anxiety. "And what a lovely present, too... is there any doubt you were appointed as one of the seven Qixing?" (You can't tell if it's her rare praise, or the sheer altitude you're at within the Jade Chamber, that's making your head spin).

• 7:00, Keqing: Business Meeting 

You barely have time to rest before Keqing whisks you away to Yuehai Pavilion. You're very close friends, and you admire the girl for her tenacity and diligence. The conversation flows easily as you walk to your destination under a cloudless sky. It's a wonderfully sunny moment, but the moment the doors lock, you mean business. In the next two hours, you conquer matters that would normally take days to resolve, and the two of you exchange grins. 

"There we go!" Keqing breathes a sigh of relief, pushing away the last stack of papers. She holds up her hand, and you high-five. "You know, I like how easily you keep up with me. You even caught mistakes I would have missed... things like this make me even more certain Liyue is better off in human hands."

• 9:00: Check In With Ganyu

With such a hectic schedule, Ganyu is your saving grace. It's always important to check in with her, just to make sure nothing you have planned catches you by surprise, and sometimes you wonder why others rarely do the same. She's quite lonely, and often mentions how nice it is that you speak with her every day and bring her gifts to help with work. It may be part of your job to be courteous, but... it does help her feel less lonely and conflicted with herself. 

"Qingxin flowers? Thank you so much." She accepts them gratefully, smiling at you with warm eyes. "I still have that new stationery you gave me, too. You're so kind for remembering the things I like!"

• 9:30: Talk to Beidou

The tea in the Jade Chamber was just a front for Ningguang to spring a request on you- meet with the captain of the Crux Fleet to discuss her... recent smuggling habits. But Beidou merely laughs heartily when you arrive. A crewmate tosses her a sack of Mora, and she slits it open, letting the payment shower over you in a spray of gold. And then, before you know what's happening, you're roped into helping them find a treasure rumored to be lost beneath the waves. 

"So, Ningguang though sending her star diplomat would get me to let up, huh!" You blush, wondering how you could be so easy to read under her ruby eye. "I was impressed by your words, and how well you fought by my side. But the annoyance of the Liyue Qixing is of no concern to me."

• 12:00, Tartaglia: TEACH HIM A LESSON!

As the member of the Qixing that oversees diplomacy and foreign relations, it's you that must meet with the Fatui Harbinger. He's quite good at playing pretend- all your underlings believed he was a naive, careless young man, and easily manipulated, too. And all of them ended up suppressing the urge to break something after they were done conversing with him. On your honor as one of Liyue's seven stars, you vow to not make their mistakes. 

"You're asking why I don't try to drive you mad?" he said, setting down his fork. You'd caved in and given him one after watching him struggle with chopsticks for far too long. "You're the only one who isn't a bore to talk to, that's all-" so this was on purpose?!- "and besides, I want to challenge you to a fight afterwards! Your vision's getting quite dusty from neglect, comrade. Let's fix that!"

• 2:00, Yanfei: Discussion of Legal Matters

Yanfei's counsel is an invaluable treasure. Especially when dealing with an opponent as vicious as Snezhnaya's Fatui, who deserve to have her wrath unleashed upon them. You walk to her office with a gleam in your eyes, and are delighted to see an equal fire already blazing in hers. For the next few hours, you two take the "suggestions" Tartaglia passed on from the Northland Bank and scheme on how to best tear them to shreds with the law.

"That man-childe's been giving you trouble again, huh," she giggles. "What did he come up with this time~? I've been waiting for an excuse to bring out the latest edition of my lawbook!" And with that, Yanfei slams it down, and the sheer weight of it nearly cracks her desk. "He won't know what hit him!"

• 4:00: Free Time

Of course, "free time" simply means that you have no meetings scheduled for this hour, which lets you adequately prepare for the next day's events. Tomorrow is your appointment with the Feiyun Commerce Guild, which you already know will require great patience and strength of mind. Because the head of the guild, and his eldest son, the future head, are- to put it mildly- not very bright... it's fortunate, then, that the second son Xingqiu has a good head on his shoulders.  

"Tomorrow, you should go straight to me instead," Xingqiu informs you cheerily, handing you a popsicle. Apparently, he keeps them around for his friend Chongyun, who's off to complete another exorcism. "I'll be sure to set everything in order." His eyes gleam. "And then, I can tell you the latest developments in 'A Legend of Sword'!"

• 5:00: Catch Xinyan's Concert!

Liyue's one and only rock musician isn't hard to find, thanks to the designated performance spots scattered around the city. You stop by at the raised platform where she's rocking out, where other people are listening as well. Xinyan strikes a peace sign in the air, and her vision glows with energy before the stage erupts with pillars of fire; her audience bursts into cheers and applause, and she's beaming as she leaps down to meet you. 

"Wait, seriously? You really changed up the rules a lil' so it'll be easier for me to hold concerts here?" Her eyes shine as they scan the papers- one of the many results of your work today in Yuehai. "Thank you so much! Wait-" she picks up her guitar again, giving it an experimental riff. "Let me think up a quick song for ya as thanks- I insist!"

• 6:00: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor 

Lately, you've been sent particularly determined requests from the other nations about allowing tourists to observe the ancient funeral rites. You already know the answer's gonna be a hard no, but the laws written by Rex Lapis state that you must check with the director anyway. She's not there when you arrive, so a consultant, Zhongli, brings you tea while you wait for her. You sit together in the fading sun, waiting for Hu Tao's familiar song to rise above the hill. 

Zhongli takes a quiet sip from his cup, closing his luminous eyes. "Although it was Rex Lapis who created the laws, they are not meant to be set in stone. Humans must revise the contract as they see fit, so that it will not erode with the passage of time." Something makes you feel as though it's more significant to him than you know. Then, he smiles slightly. "But, just looking at the people leading the way in his absence, like you... there's no need for me to worry."

• 8:00: Dinner; Request Chef Xiangling

The Wanmin Restaurant, run by Chef Mao and his daughter, is a breath of fresh air. While the rest of Liyue is divided between the "Li" and "Yue" styles of cooking, Xiangling pays the conflict no mind. Instead, she's not afraid to be daring and experiment, blazing ahead without worrying about what others think. You can see some similarities between her and Keqing, but it's best not to mention it after that disastrous banquet they organized together... 

"Had a rough day, didn't you?" Xiangling asks, her golden eyes twinkling as she hands you the steaming hot bowl. "Well, for you, I made sure to prepare your favorite dish! I hope you don't mind if I added a lizard or two this time- I'm kidding!" she adds quickly, upon seeing alarm flash across your face. 

• 9:00: Return Home

After everything that happened, you're eager to collect the reports from your subordinates and head home to draft new revisions for Tianquan Ningguang to look over (and then, hopefully, get some rest). But as you're walking on the path to your neighborhood, you spot a little girl sitting in the grass, clutching her head. Alarm rises in your chest as you rush over to see what's wrong, and why she's alone- only to realize with a start that she's the child that returned from the dead.  

"Thank you for taking Qiqi back to Bubu Pharmacy," she says, reading solemnly from her notebook (where the entire thank-you script is written). Even when you set her down, she's still reading the pieces of paper. "Will you tell Dr. Baizhu where I got lost? Please and thank you, again."

• 10:00: Sleep

In the end, you never did get to those revisions. You can hear your fellow Qixing scolding you in your head, but at least you got plenty of other things done; the well-oiled machine that is Liyue will still keep running on thanks to the tasks you accomplished today. Someday, even the adepti will have to acknowledge the ability of humans... you turn in your bed to feel the coolness of the other side. Speaking of adepti... the night air coming in... reminds you of... "Xiao..."

"I thought you were in danger," the adeptus huffs. The moment you said his name, you'd finally fallen asleep, but it still brought Xiao to you- balanced on the windowsill, hair waving in the breeze. "Still... I'm... glad that you're alright," he admits, glancing at you to make sure you're not awake to hear. "Rest well, bright star of Liyue." And then, with a sound like a sigh- or was it the wind?- he's gone.

[bestruction]

Getting high with them for the first time

N/A: If you do drugs do it safely

My masterlist

- Eren Jaeger

He's not the type of guy who pressured you to use, let alone say you're immature or coward for it. When you decide to try it, it's genuinely your idea, and who better than your boyfriend to teach?

That's how you end up in his room, with the door and windows lock to make sure the smell doesn't catch his parent's attention. You sat on the carpet while he carefully rolls the joint so that the cigarette holder doesn't fall.

“Tighten your lips like this and take a deep breath through your mouth” He took a short drag before releasing the smoke “But not too long since this is your first time your throat is not used to the smoke”

You nod and accept the cigarette doing as he said. You feel the smoke warm your mouth, watch it hoover before your eyes after blowing and wait for...Nothing. No different sensation, no tingling, literally nothing.

"I don't think it worked"

“It is not like a switch. Wait a minute, babe ”

You talk a little about the day-to-day of the two and then go to play something new that he had bought. After a few games and a few more huffs, you still don't feel any difference or anything. You even try to hold the smoke in your mouth for a longer time, which results in you coughing incessantly and Eren laughing in your face. Hearing him laugh has always been one of your favorite things. The way he bends his body and laughs out loud without shame until he blushes always makes you laugh together with him, like now.

You laugh, laugh until your body asks for air and needs to alternate between laughter and breathing. You feel calm, relax as if you had lifted a weight off your shoulders. You lay on the carpet feeling the softness of the fabric against your skin ... Was it always that soft? So silky? So comfortable? You close your eyes and rub your hand over the texture, and then the smell of Eren's citric perfume invades your nose. When you opened your eyes, jade eyes were watching you closely.

"I think it has taken effect now, huh?" He says stroking your hair. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?" He asks, getting on top of you.

"A few times"

“Then I’m going to tell you again: you’re beautiful” he kisses your lips “So damn beautiful” He kisses your chin “Every single part of you” And now your jaw.

You two spent the afternoon making out on the floor and praising each other. Not because you were high, I mean, not only, but because being so sensitive brought it even more evident how much you wanted each other.

- Levi Ackerman

You had a horrible week. It seemed that everything that could go wrong over the course of seven days had made a point of happening even worse than you imagined. When you got home even after taking a long hot shower and lying in bed, you're unable to relax.

"If you keep turning from side to side, I won't sleep either" Murmured Levi.

"I know. Sorry"

"I'm not complaining. Come here" He pulls you to lie on his chest "Better?"

"A little bit"

"Just a little bit?" He smiles softly "You can try what I do when I get like this"

"Do you mean the mushrooms?"

"If you want to"

You two get out of bed and go to the kitchen. He takes a clear plastic bag from the fridge and places it in front of you. Levi is not the type of guy who gets high all the time. It's more like an escape for when his stress is too high, like yours. He already used it when you met him, and even if you didn't, you never saw a problem with it.

"Just it?"

"I can make tea if you prefer"

"Why don't you use weed like everyone else?"

"Too much work. To roll, check for purity. With mushrooms, I just need to buy and chew them ”

"Well, bon appetit"

You two eat the frozen mushrooms. The taste is not so bad, but it is not a good thing and the smell reminds you of something that had been removed from the forest, which makes sense. Levi suggests that you lie down on the sofa in the living room to watch a movie. There was no need to worry about tomorrow as it would be a day off for both of you.

Lying on Levi's lap and watching the TV, the colors start to shine before your eyes. You didn't remember the white wall looking so vivid, or the pixels on the TV seeming to slow down when you focused on a specific point. It was your house, but it didn't look real. You felt inside a peaceful dream, and inside that dream, you fell asleep forgetting about your nightmare week.

- Armin Arlert

It's your idea. It's Mikasa's birthday party, and Connie had taken some ecstasy pills from whoever wants to use them. So you take two, drag your boyfriend to the bathroom and lock the door.

"You don't have to do it with me if you don't want to, Armin"

"I'm curious too," He says, staring at the little pink pills on your hand.

Armin swallows one, and you do the same after him.

Armin swallows one, and you do the same after him. You want the experience to be as safe as possible. Then both sit in the bathtub and wait for the effect while talking. About half an hour later, you notice how dilated are the pupils of the blond in front of you. Your hearing is a little muffled, and you feel happy and light for no apparent reason. A slight tingle comes and goes through your body, like a wave spreading that sensation across your skin.

You go over to Armin and sit on his lap. He smiles at you, and more than ever, you want to kiss him until you're out of breath, and he's not different from you.

Armin takes your hand between his and brings it to his mouth. He spreads small, short kisses on your hand. You focus on the feeling of his lips running over your skin. You are so damn sensitive even his breathing makes you shiver.

As if a magnetic force pulls you both, you two kiss, letting that soft cloud of pleasure envelop you both. When Armin presses you against his body, deepening the kiss and tasting your mouth, you want to break the laws of physics and be able to occupy the same place as him. You want to become one with him.

And the two of you may not be able to do it, but you certainly tried A LOT in that bathroom.

- Jean Kirstein

Jean is handsome, tall, friendly, and intelligent. So when he starts to be invited to every possible party in college, you’re not surprised. You two have been dating since high school, and you don't feel jealous if he goes to parties alone but he always finds a way to convince you to accompany him with some excuse. Like,  that it would be a lot more fun if you're next to him.

Today, this is one of those times when he convinces you. It's not that you don't like parties kind of, but a party full of strangers doesn't seem like the most attractive thing to you. Then after dancing and talking to people for a long time, he drags you to one of the rooms in the house to give you a well-deserved break.

"Thank you for coming with me," He said, hugging you from behind after closing the door.

"I'm going to want some compensation for that, Kirstein," You said, sitting down in an armchair that was there.

"How about ... That" Jean takes a bag with two white pills out of his pocket and tosses it towards you.

"What is it?"

"LSD"

"What kind of people have you been involved with?" You joke “If your mom knew what you've been up to, Jeanboo”

"Shut up" He sat next to her "If you want to try, I try"

It wouldn't be his first time getting high, he used to smoke weed with Eren in the basement since high school, but it would be yours. As I said, Jean is smart. You knew he had been wanting to try acid for some time. So of course, he had researched on.

Honestly? You are curious but afraid after so many speeches “don’t do drugs, kids”. Jean would never propose anything that could endanger the two of you, which is exactly why he only suggested it when you were alone, and if you said "no" it would be like it never happened.

"Is it just swallowing?"

"Put it under your tongue and let it dissolve"

You lie down on the floor and take it at the same time. It tastes bitter, but unlike any medicine, you've taken in your life.

It takes some time for it to start taking effect, but when it finally did you know. The sound of loud music, muffled by the walls of the room seems to be inside your head now. The colors tremble in front of you, mixing, moving, becoming more intense. You raise your hand towards the ceiling, and you don't feel like that's your hand. Everything seems surreal. You feel calm but active. It's like being very drunk, but the other way around.

Jean pulls you into his chest, and you can hear his heart pumping blood at full speed, like yours. You feel your throat dry, your body sweat, and your hands get cold.

If I could define that feeling with a word, it would definitely be intense.

You spent the night like that. Watching the furniture move and change shape, lying on the floor and without detaching from each other. At some point, you ended up sleeping, and after having the weirdest dream of your life, you woke up with Jean calling you carefully. The sun had already risen, and the house was silent, indicating that the party was over a long time ago.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, helping you to stand.

“Hungry and hungover”

He mumbles something about also being, and you go out to eat at the nearest cafeteria.

[itsallyscorner]

I am loving your Little Mix member!reader x Tom Holland stuff! Could you write something about Tom comforting the reader after Jesy leaving the band? 💙

Hello darling! Thank you for the request and I’m sorry for taking so long, I’ve been busy with school😩 But it’s finally here, I’m writing about Jesy leaving Little Mix😭Thank you again and happy reading💞

💌.

A Horrible Friend

You knew it would happen one day, but didn’t expect it to be so soon. You knew all the hate and pressure would get too much for her, though you believed that she was strong enough to overcome their hateful words. Jesy is strong. As much as it hurt you and the other remaining girls to see her leave, you were all proud of her for finally putting herself first and doing something for her mental health. Away from the prying eyes of the public, you and the girls knew that Jesy had been struggling behind the scenes. From the constant pressure of being in one of the world’s biggest girl groups and living up to other people’s expectations; Jesy was unhappy.

“Before I share my announcement, can the girls and I just have a moment alone?” Jesy asked, turning towards the management team and producers. Your shared publicist nodded solemnly and ushered the rest of the people in the room outside. You shared a look with Perrie who shrugged with the same amount of confusion as you.

You eyed Jesy warily; her cheeks were a bit puffy and there was a hint of redness in her eyes. Her fingers nervously fiddled with each other while her eyes shifted between you and the girls.

“Babe, what’s up?” Perrie questioned her, concern lacing her voice. Jesy’s lip quivered and her eyes began to water. She shook her head then placed her head in her hands. Jade scooted closer to Jesy and brought her into her arms, “Oh Jesy, what’s wrong?”

You join Jade and wrap your arms around Jesy’s other side. You rest your chin on Jesy’s shoulder while rubbing circles onto her back. When she was ready to talk, she wiped her tears away with the pads of her thumbs, and grasped your hand with hers.

“I just want you to know that I love you all so much. I’m so blessed that you’ve all been part of a chapter in my life and I want to thank you for being the bestest friends I could ever ask for. You have showed me nothing but kindness and love, you supported me through literally anything. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, you guys mean the world to me. Without any of you, I might not even be here today.” Jesy spoke, fighting her tears and sniffling in between her sentences.

“You don’t need to thank us. We’re a family, Jesy, it’s what families do. We’ll always be here to support you no matter what.” Leigh-Anne reassured her, reaching across the table to take Jesy’s other hand.

“I don’t want you guys to hate me.” Jesy cried quietly. Your brows furrowed together. You squeezed her hand, “Jesy we could never hate you.”

Perrie leaned closer to Jesy, “Jes, what’s wrong?Tell us what’s wrong, please? We’ll do our best to help you, whatever it is.”

Jesy sighed and looked up at the ceiling to hold back her tears.

“You all know that I’ve been having a difficult time. With performing, making appearances—everything just feels like it’s too much now. I love our job and what we do, but for a while now I’ve been finding it hard to actually enjoy what we’re doing. I feel so suffocated always having to please other people and have people expect things from me. It’s to the point where I’ve had to fake my happiness and put on fake smiles just for people to think I’m okay. When in reality, I’m not.” Jesy confessed. From the words that were coming out her mouth and the physical state she was in, you had a feeling of what she wanted to tell you all. Jesy’s voice faded out while your eyes grew watery and your vision blurred.

“In regards to my mental health, I have come to the decision that I will be officially leaving Little Mix.” Jesy announced. The room was at a stand still. Nobody spoke, the only noise in the room were the sounds of you and the girls sniffling and crying to yourselves.

“I’m sorry.” Jesy cried turning to you. You shook your head at her, tears freely streaming down your face. You wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to be sorry, but you couldn’t find the strength to speak without breaking down, so instead you wrapped your arms around her and cried into her shoulder.

Tom heard the front door opening meaning that someone was home. It couldn’t have been Harrison or Tuwaine since they’ve both left to visit their families and Harry was locked in his room sleeping in for the day. Which only left one other person. You.

A wave of excitement rushed through his body since he knew you were finally back home. He also knew that you were coming back from a meeting with the girls, which usually meant talks of the next album, new projects, and possibly a tour. He couldn’t wait for you to come skipping into the living room and tell him all about it. Except you didn’t.

When you usually arrived home, you would loudly announce yourself or yell out a “Baby I’m home” to Tom. Instead, he heard the door distinctly shut and a sniffle coming from the hallway. The quietness and the sniffle was enough for him to worriedly rush off the couch.

“Babe?” He called out, leaning past the wall to peak behind it. You were shoving off your jacket and hanging it on the coat rack attached to the wall when you made eye contact with Tom. A small gasp passes through his lips once he sees your tear stained face. He was immediately by your side, wrapping his buff arms around your figure and letting you rest your head in the crook of his neck. Finally in the comfort of your lover, you let out all the sobs you were holding in since the meeting.

Tom softly shushed you, rocking you back and forth, while rubbing soothing circles on your back. “Oh darling, what’s wrong?” He cooed against your hair. You didn’t answer, only letting out small whimpers into his shoulder.

You felt his body tense up and his arms tighten around you, “Do I need to give someone a beating? Who made you cry? Was it someone at management? I’ll drive there right now and give them a piece of my mind for messing with my girl.” After two years of being together, Tom was aware of the mistreatment your previous record label had towards you and the girls. Ever since then, he’s been very protective of you (and the girls) when it came to anything involving management.

You shook your head against his shoulder, wrapping your arms around his torso. Tom suspected that you weren’t ready to speak yet; he felt you hiccup against him while your tears soaked his shirt.

Tom lightly patted your thigh, signaling for you to jump. “How about we go to bed for now? We could go to our room and get all comfy, how does that sound, darling?” You weakly nodded as Tom helped you wrap your legs around his waist. Before he can take you both to your shared room, he stopped by the kitchen and got you a bottle of water.

He gently set you on the edge of the bed, twisting the bottle of water open and handing it to you. He got a pair of his sweats and one of his shirts from his side of the closet and helped you changed into them. Your cries have slowly come to a stop, leaving you to hiccup against Tom’s chest, where your head rested on. He was leaning against the headboard with you cuddled into him.

You shut your eyes after feeling them burn from all the crying. One of Tom’s fingers were tangled in your hair and his other was resting against your back.

“What happened at the meeting?” Tom finally asked quietly.

“Jesy’s leaving the band.” You answer, voice coming out hoarsely. Tom stops his motions in your hair and leans back to get a proper look at you.

“What?”

“Jesy’s leaving the band.” You repeated. Tom’s brows knit together in confusion. Like you and the girls, he was just as shocked as you all were.

“D—did she confirm it? Are you sure she wasn’t just mentioning it? Maybe she was joking, you know how Jes can get.” Tom stammered.

“It’s official Tom! I was fucking there!” You exclaim, voice raising in frustration. Your eyes were now open, meaning you didn’t miss the way Tom flinched at your change in tone. You sigh and shut your eyes again, rubbing your temples with your fingers. “I’m sorry.” You apologized.

“No, don’t be sorry, it’s okay.” He assured you, resting his palm against the back of your head to rest it in between his shoulder and neck. He placed a light kiss on your temple, repeating the action a few times to comfort you.

“Jesy said she couldn’t handle being in the band anymore.” You started. “The way she described it was so heartbreaking. Tom, she said hasn’t been properly happy for months now. She was faking it all this time just to make us believe she was fine.” You explained, voice wavering.

You breathed in, feeling the hiccups starting to bubble from your chest again.

“I’m a horrible friend. How could I have not noticed that something was wrong? I should’ve known that she wasn’t herself, I knew there was something off about her but I didn’t do anything.” You cried, tears forming in your eyes again. Tom frowned at you.

“No, don’t blame yourself for not knowing a thing. You couldn’t have ever guessed that she was going through something.” Tom tried to reason with you. He moved some strands of hair away from your face and tilted your chin up to look at him.

“Y—yeah but still—“

“But nothing. Just because you can’t detect how someone is automatically feeling does not mean you’re a horrible friend. You’re only human, sweetheart.” He cradled your face and made sure that you were listening to every word that came out his mouth. It already hurt to see you cry, but it was worse to know that you were blaming yourself for the departure of your friend.

“(Y/n), you’ve always been there for Jesy. You’ve been there to lift her up when she was low. You made her laugh, reminded her everyday of how beautiful she was inside and out—you’re far from a horrible friend. You’re one of the greatest friends she could have ever had. And I know Jesy would agree.” His thumbs wipe at the tears that trailed down your face. He sent you a small smile, attempting to get rid of that pout on your lips.

“I just wish I could’ve done something. Maybe if I did, she would’ve stayed in the band. With us.” You mumbled. Tom hummed in response, “But darling, Jesy said she was unhappy. Whether you or the other girls were to try something, she would’ve still left. Would you rather her continue to fake her happiness or would you want her to leave and take care of herself?”

You frowned, knowing Tom was right, “I’d want her to take care of herself. I don’t want us to hold her back and make her suffer. She deserves to be happy.”

Tom leaned down to connect your lips with his, “And you deserve to be happy as well. Don’t beat yourself up for Jesy leaving, you did nothing wrong. None of you did. It’s just time for Jesy to move on to a new part in her life and find happiness again.”

You hum sadly, “I know. I’m glad she’s decided to do something for herself for once, it just hurts to know that she won’t be there with us anymore.”

“That’s understandable.” Tom comfortingly rubbed your back, easing the tension in between your shoulders. “But I know she’ll still be supporting you guys from the sidelines, she wouldn’t let you guys get rid of her that easily.” He chuckled nudging you with his shoulders. A burst of happiness erupted in his body when he saw a shy smile form on your lips; he finally got you to smile.

Tom squeezed your shoulders at the idea he came up with, “Ooo, once you guys are on tour again can you put my seat next to Jesy? I’ll get to annoy her the entire time and she won’t have the option to leave because you’ll all be one stage.”

You snort out a laugh and smack his chest, “No! Do you want her to hate me? She can’t stand you.” Tom joined you in laughing, happy to see that you were feeling better.

“You know, I’m gonna miss her poking fun at me whenever I see you and the girls.” Tom reminisced after you both stopped laughing.

“Yeah, we’re all gonna miss that. Especially her embarrassing you every chance she gets.” You added giggling softly against his neck.

It was quiet between you two until Tom craned his neck to look down at you, “You guys are going to be fine without her. I know you guys might think it’s hard, and it’ll take some time to move on, but I believe you girls can do it. I know you all can.”

You offer him a grateful smile and press a kiss to the corner of his lips, “Thank you. I love you so much.”

Tom responds to you with a pout, “I love you too, darling. But you missed.”

“Missed what?”

“My lips!” He exclaimed making a show of puckering his lips out at you. You were about to kiss him but decided this was the perfect opportunity for some light teasing.

“Oh sorry, I couldn’t find them from how thin they are.” You apologized. Tom’s jaw dropped before he began scooting away from under you. From the playful glint in your eye, he obviously knew you were joking. Though he didn’t expect you to crack a joke at him, especially after such a heartfelt moment.

“So is that how it’s gonna be? You’re gonna be the one to make fun of me now?” He dramatically asked you, a hand on his chest.

“Well if Jesy’s not gonna be around as much, someone has to do it.” You shrugged, leaving him on the bed and moving to leave for the kitchen. Tom panned his eyes around the room like how they do in The Office.

“I’m just never going to catch a break, am I?”

[enchantedblackrose]

Like I Love You

Jay Halstead/Plus sized Reader

Summary: Jay arrives at your apartment to pick you up for a date, but you're filled with self doubt.

¡Warnings! This potentially could be triggering. Poor body image, possible body dysmorphia, specific mentions of feelings of not being enough because of physical appearance

<Please, please lmk if I need to add any warnings.>

Loosely inspired by One Direction's Little Things

Like I Love You 

Your head throbs as hot tears of frustration continue to fall from your eyes. 

It was absolutely ridiculous to be this upset trying to pick out a decent outfit. After all, you've been successfully dressing yourself since age three.

But you don't have the mindset of a toddler. You're a jaded young woman with society's disgusting definition of beauty constantly shoved in your face. 

Deep down you know better. You know that the numbers on the scale give no indication of your beauty nor do they dictate your worth.

Sighing and trying to remind yourself that you are pretty, you again glance in the full length mirror. Standing there in nothing more than a top and underwear, fresh tears immediately fill your eyes. You only see flaws. Resisting the urge to poke at the cellulite near your thighs, you focus on your shirt. But the sleeves are cutting into your arms making them look weird. No, not weird. Fat. The too tight sleeves cause your arms to bulge. And the material clings to your soft tummy. You pinch the excess belly fat between your thumbs and index fingers, wishing you could squeeze it away.

You feel so ugly and gross. Angrily you pull the shirt off and throw it clear across your bedroom, where it joins a pair of jeans you couldn't breathe in and numerous other offending articles of clothing. None of which you look good in either.

You find an oversize t-shirt and slip it on before you just collapse on that very spot of plush carpeting.

Tears still roll down your face. All you wanted was something cute to wear. To be pretty. And go out with your boyfriend for a date night. He's a detective for the Chicago police department. The hours are already long and sometimes abnormal, but this week he, and the rest of the special unit he's a part of,  were logging extra hours on a particular difficult case. You haven't seen much of each other recently so you were especially giddy when you received his text earlier in the day saying there had been a break in the case which meant he could swing by your place and take you out on a proper date. Your reply had been almost immediate, telling him how wonderful that sounded.

You were surprised to hear from him again, still promising to take you out, but proposing you both meet up with his coworkers after dinner for some drinks. He included "begging" and "puppy dog eyes" in the message. 

Though you wanted to, you couldn't exactly say no for several reasons. You had already agreed to the date, so he knew you were free. Part of you suspected that he had done it on purpose. You'd accuse your favorite detective of entrapment later. 

You also were fully aware how much Jay wanted to introduce you to the coworkers he considered friends, having been invited to go out with them several times before. You kept putting it off.

Not because you had no interest in meeting everyone. Rather, the idea fed your worst insecurities.

What if they don't think I'm good enough? They're going to wonder what he sees in me. Then Jay will start wondering too. 

Wanting to do this solely for Jay's benefit, believing he deserved this after the hellish week at work, you went to your bedroom to plan your outfit. That's how you ended up in this nightmare. You only want to look your best, like you belong with Jay.

Nothing in your closet said that though. The truth of the matter was no one like him should be with someone who looks like you.

Cries turn to sobs. You draw your knees to your chest, hugging them tightly.

You hear the door to your apartment unlock, Jay using his copy of your key to let himself in. Hastily, you wipe at your face, not wanting him to see you like this; yet you can't find the will to stand. A loud, nasally sniff escapes you.

"Babe?" His still unaware voice calls out from the hallway. "I got us reservations." You don't answer back right away and you hear his footsteps approach. 

Having found you, he stops in the doorway. "Whoa. What kind of nuclear clothing explosion happened here?" He indicates to the mounds of clothes which surround you and cover the better part of the carpet and bed. His laughter dies as soon as he sees your tear-streaked, puffy face. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" his worry evident in both his voice and light eyes. He looks you up and down, frantically searching for any sign of what has you like this.

You mumble incoherently.

"What?"

"I don't have anything to wear."

"The floor begs to differ," he teases. You glare back, in no mood for jokes no matter how well intended. He holds up his hands signaling he meant no harm before he pulls you to your feet. "What's going on?" You huff a heavy sigh in reply. His hand caresses your cheek and softly "hmms?" at you encouragingly.

"Nothing fits right," you confess. He hesitates unsure how to respond, so you continue. "I look extra fat in everything."

Jay frowns. "I doubt that very much. You always look good. I love how you look dolled up when we go out and I love when you're in an old tee and sweats."

"That's nice of you to say-"

"Well I didn't say it to be nice. I said it because it's true," he cuts you off.

You give a tiny, weak smile. "I hate how I look." Your voice cracks. New tears sting your eyes.

He brushes the few teardrops that manage to escape with his thumb. "Baby, what are you talking about? You're beautiful." His voice is soft with a hint of sadness hearing you talk this way.

"This is not beautiful." You pat your flabby stomach, then your thighs. 

Carefully stepping to avoid the clothes which litter the floor, Jay makes his way to your bed and sits on the edge, still mindful of the garments piled there as well. He opens his arms, indicating for you to sit on his lap.

"My huge ass will probably crush you," you mutter.

"Baby-"

 

Exasperated you throw your arms up, "I look nothing like you!"

"Well I'm a guy and you're not so…"

"Stop. I mean you look like a freaking model. That face and those abs for days." You catch him looking smug, no doubt a witty remark is at his lips, but one glance at you and he leaves it unsaid. You continue. Your voice hushed, "I'm afraid of what people might think or say when they see us together. It's why I've been so reluctant to meet your friends."

His eyes sadden. He reaches for you, gently pulling you to his lap. When he speaks, his voice is soft, but stern, almost begging you to believe his words. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I honestly had no idea, but listen to me, please. The only people who get a say about our relationship are in this room right now, okay? So our opinions are the only ones that matter. You. Are. Beautiful." He pauses only to shush you when he sees your mouth open. "The way your mind works fascinates me. Your sense of humor is amazing. You continuously show compassion for others, which in this world is not always easy. I swear your goodness is innate. Your laugh is intoxicating. When you smile...I wish you could see how your face lights up and your body turns me on exactly how it is. I have never been attracted to anyone as much as I am to you. I love you."

Jay's words move you, but they're not enough to silence your insecurities. "Even though I don't have a thigh gap?"

His brows furrow. "I...don't know what that means."

"It means my thighs touch each other. They're not supposed to."

"Says who?"

"...society."

"Society's ugly, not you or your thighs." His fingers trace nondescript patterns on the bare skin in question. "Besides, thick thighs save lives."

"Jay!" You laugh despite yourself. He smiles in return and presses his lips to your temple.

"I love you too. You know that, right?" You ask, realizing you hadn't said it back and he nods. A hand intertwines with his as you look in his eyes, "I'm sorry I'm such a mess."

"You're not. We all have insecurities or things we don't like about ourselves. I just wish you weren't so hard on yourself. I'm sorry too if you felt I was putting pressure on you to meet everyone."

"Not at all," you shake your head. "That's just me being me."

"Still, if my friends have a problem with us being together for any reason, they're not the people I think they are. Truly though, they'd love you. Hell, if we didn't show up together I could see one of them hitting on you," Jay pauses if imagining it.  "But seriously. They'd adore you. First, because they're going to see firsthand how good you are for me. Then because you're you. Funny, smart-"

"But I want to be pretty, Jay. And look like we belong together."

Jay sighs, but not out of frustration with you. He's only concerned."You are. And we do. I know nothing I say is going to magically change how you see yourself...I get that. You have to be the one to work this out. I really wish you could see yourself through my eyes and love yourself like I love you. Maybe then you'd understand you're so worthy of self-love. I promise, I'm right here and I'm going to keep reminding you how beautiful you are in hopes you'll start to see it."

Your hand caresses his cheek as you fight the urge to cry again. He leans into your touch. "You do help," you tell him because it's true and to reassure him. "I'm so lucky to have you. I'm really going to try to not be so down on myself. Besides. I  really don't want to ruin any more of our nights."

He waves you off. "A night trying to get you to see your beauty is not ruined. And the night's still young. We'll do whatever you're up for. Go out for a bit. Stay in and order food. Whatever."

A small smile appears on your face. You quickly peck his lips with yours. "I just want to wash my face before we do anything." Jay nods. You slide off his lap and head to your bathroom across the hall.

The light flickers for a second as soon as you hit the switch. You go to the sink, turning the water on and letting it run to get to the perfect temperature. Standing there, you glance into the vanity mirror. Your face is still slightly puffy with a few soft pink splotches across your cheeks from all your crying. You splash the water on your face and repeat the action several more times before using a fluffy towel to pat dry your face. You stare back into the mirror. And smile. It reaches your eyes and illuminates your face. You reach a realization. However fleeting or permanent, you don't know. But right now in this moment, you feel it. 

You're pretty.

-