#and instead will do 5 different trades

[intraterrestriall]

they're releasing a new trade for batgirl (2000) this year just so you know!!! https://leagueofcomicgeeks.com/comic/7756851/dc-finest-batgirl-nobody-dies-tonight-tp

I DID NOT KNOW THIS. the money is in my hand omg dc take it. it’s called nobody dies tonight… you’re actually joking with me… this is so hype. omg im looking at all the dc finest trades being released next year and im actually creaming my pants socially acceptable phrase.

[knight-a3]

Heavenbound AU

Masterpost

Angel Dust "Angie"

So I can avoid confusion between Angel and angels, his stage name is Angel Dust but he goes by Angie casually.

Side note: I'm too ace for this guy, yikes. Don't mind me clutching my pearls.

Spider family:

More notes under the cut to reduce clutter. There's info about the whole Spider family and some info about the Mafia as well.

Angie's redesign took me a while to nail down. I looked at other people's designs for inspiration, but nothing felt right. I wanted to give his head shape more structure, but it's too iconic to significantly change. Many people added spider fangs but I think they always look too cluttered and ugly. I also wanted the right balance of masculine and feminine for his outfit.

I am not a fan of heterochromia in character design, unless there is a reason or it's used sparingly. Angie's design is complicated enough with the gold tooth, extra eyes and arms, and body patterns that the heterochromia would just be too much.

Instead of giving him fangs that jut out like a real spider, I chose to just give him a main pair of fang-like teeth, while the rest are smaller.

It didn't make sense to me why he's able to retract his tertiary set of arms, beyond simplifying for animation, but I also do not want to manage all of them all the time, so I'm keeping that little ability. I'm justifying it with the idea that he was only ever somewhat interested in the family business, so he had less of a hand in it than his Pop or Arackniss(both of which cannot retract their extra limbs at all). I also wanted the sets of arms to have a hierarchy in how he uses them. Also didn't like the shoulders canon gives his secondary arms. They look weird to me.

The main set has 5 fingers on each hand and are relatively normal, because they're the equivalent of his human arms. The secondary set is a little smaller and a little more bug-like, with 4 fingers. The tertiary/retractable set are smaller and have 3 fingers.

I tried giving him a spider butt, but I couldn't wrap my head around how he would wear any type of pants. Not that he would be opposed to going around nude, but I just wasn't interested in that.

Casual:

I remember reading somewhere that Angel likes to dress more comfy rather than provocatively outside of work. So I decided his work outfits are the skimpy, sexy stuff. His main outfit is his typicall out-in-the-town fashionable stuff, which tends to cover him up more(gotta pay for those goods). And lounging clothes are just purely for comfort.

Main outfit-

I really wanted something that alluded to his mobster background. He may not really be involved of all that now, but it's still a part of him and that would linger. For as much as he modernizes, he's still a product of his time. Anyway, that's why I gave him pinstripe pants and a blazer.

I didn't want to lean too far into either masculine or feminine styles. He is undoubtedly feminine, but he was raised in an environment where suits and violence was the fashion. I actually searched for 40s gangster costumes for women, counting on the fact I'd find the silly sexy costumes so I could get ideas for a more feminine spin of the classic mobster.

I tried a boob window shirt for awhile, but it didn't let me show enough chest fluff. So I traded it for a V neck, which can work for both masculine and feminine styles.

Eventually I settled on a crop top blazer, since it gives a sort of suit jacket vibe while being feminine. I preferred the short gloves from the pilot, at least on his main arms, and used the longer style from the show for his secondary arms.

In canon, his "skin" color and the white of his clothes just don't have enough contrast. So I used more pink, and had the color of his fluff be a different hue than his shirt. I liked the stripes on his jacket before, but I didn't want to add any more complexity, especially when I already committed to the pinstriped pants.

Overall, I like this outfit for him. Maybe that has something to do with my personal tastes, but I think it suits him.

Body markings:

He wasn't a star until Val came around in the 70s, so he wouldn't have been quite so glam before that. He still had more mobster habits. I used his older, pre-pilot, Zoophobia design as inspiration, which used a low saturated purplish color. I thought it struck a nice balance between his mobster roots, and his later glam style.

I wanted to make the pattern something easy for me to remember. The heart design got pushed lower down because I needed more room for his chest fluff. His hands don't have anything because I didn't like how it looked with his lounge clothes. The stripes on his arms reference the stripes on his canon, pilot, and pre-pilot jackets. The stripes on his legs represent garters(suspenders that hold up socks or stockings).

Human- Anthony "Tony"

Many human versions of him that I've seen make him look too modern. I think they would absolutely work for a modern human au, but not for the 1940s. So this is my take on what he would have looked like while he was alive. The Mafia is almost exclusively Italian, and overwhelmingly Southern Italian/Sicilian. Sicily was settled by the Greeks during the antiquity period, so many people there have Greek ancestry. The vast majority had dark hair and a tanner complexion(less than 7% are blonde in modern day). Northern Italy has more variety, with up to 25% blondes in modern day. I find it unlikely that an Italian-American mobster would have such light blonde hair(darker blonde, maaaaybe). I found only a couple of a blonde mobsters, and the pictures still look pretty dark. I just believe he would have had a more typical Mediterranean appearance: naturally dark hair and olive-toned skin, rather than the fanon platinum blonde more typical of Scandinavian areas.

Hair coloring in the 40s was always done professionally, and primarily used by women, and they usually didn't want it to be obvious. Bleached hair on a man(especially with naturally dark hair) would be far too much to maintain discreetly. He hadn't publicly embraced his feminine side while he was alive. His family was Catholic, and being gay was a no-no. But murder was okay for some reason. Don't question the mobster logic.

His brother and sister knew he was gay, parents did not. Arackniss was too tired to care, and Molly was supportive. She would take him to be her "bodyguard" when she would go out and do fun things, but it was partly an excuse she provided for him to do gay things.

Angie had mixed feelings about his participation in the mob. Sometimes it was fun, other times he'd really rather be partying. But he was a made man and swore an oath of loyalty. He can't just back out.

He spent his free time with drugs, guns, and hot guys. Then died of drug overdose in his early-mid 30s in 1947.

He wasn't publicly out as gay until Hell. His parents hated it and basically disowned him when they found out. But why should Angie care at this point? He's already in Hell. So he just parted ways with them(technically the oath of loyalty ends at death. It's not like the Mafia can really kill him for leaving now, since they all just regenerate anyway) and has kept in sporadic contact with his siblings. They aren't close anymore.

Spider Family:

Ma and Pops were mostly because I wanted to play with character design. And since they have no official designs, I had more room to play with it.

The whole family became spiders because they were involved with the "web of crime" that is The Mafia. Family relation does not automatically mean sinners will look similar. They usually don't.

Pops (real name Enrico, the Italian version of Henry. Nickname "Big Cig". Almost every mobster listed on wikipedia had a nickname) inherited the position of mob boss from a relative. I'm not thinking hard about historically accurate crime families, so this is a fictional family that we will pretend had a significant presence. He died not long after Anthony, in the early 1950s in his mid 60s via gang violence. He never managed to get to the same level of power after his death. He's a minor Overlord at best, but does hold some influence.

In Zoophobia, Angel and Arackniss had a dad named Henroin. A play on "heroin". So when considering a real name for him, I searched for a variant of Henry that sounded more Italian. I designed him before I knew he had a design, but I wasn't exactly impressed by Henroin's design, so I totally ignored it anyway.

Design-wise, I wanted to go for a stereotypical mob boss vibe, and it lends itself well to the more bulky, crustacean look. The resemblance to Mr. Waternoose was unintentional. He cannot retract any extra limbs.

Spider traits- I wanted to give everyone varying degrees of spider traits, partially determined by their level of Mob involvement and how dangerous they are. Pa is venomous(through his clawed hands), has super strength(because spiders are proportionally strong compared to their size), can super jump(cuz jumping spiders is the theme), and can summon a couple of guns. He's too large to crawl on walls and can't spin webs.

Ma was always at Pop's side, helping with the less violent aspects like finances. She did her share of poison murders as well. Ma died alongside Pop and is still at his side. She's arguably the more dangerous of the two at this point. She looks easy to take advantage of, but it turns out she has potent venom.

I didn't have anything canon to go off of, so she's technically an OC. I haven't put a ton of thought into her name, but I think I'll just go with Maria. Molly is named after her, I guess.

Design- Had to go with a femme fetale mob wife. The hourglass motif is because of her venomous nature, and not for any husband-killing. She can retract her extra limbs, because she is more dangerous than she initially seems.

Spider traits- she's more venomous than Pa(through her extra limbs), can wall crawl and super jump with her extra limbs, and spin webs(to ensnare prey. I think it might come from her hair bun and/or mouth, but I don't want to think too hard about it.). She's actually the more dangerous of the two, partially because she appears less threatening, and partially because the way her extra limbs are set up gives her more reach and agility. She cannot summon guns, and she doesn't have super strength.

Arackniss (real name is Giovanni, Italian version of John. Goes by Jon. Nicknamed "Little Cig", "Don Jon") worked as the underboss until Pa died, then took over as mob boss, making sure Molly was taken care of. He died in a shootout with police in the 1960s. He was around 50ish. He is on speaking terms with their parents, and sometimes works with them. He's tired and very addicted to coffee and cigarettes.

Apparently an old QnA revealed his real name to be Jonathan. Not sure if it's still true, but I didn't find anything more reliable. I found no examples of any historical mobster named Jonathan, despite there being many many Johns/Giovannis.)

Design- I wanted him to be unable to retract limbs, unlike Angie, but also wanted to avoid drawing all of them. So I used his overcoat to cover them, and he habitually keeps his hands in his pockets. Again, he can't retract any limbs because he was heavily involved with the mob. I changed his eyes from red to yellow, because I felt the yellow suited him better and reduces the overuse of red in general.

Spider traits- He can wall crawl, has super strength(which most don't expect because he's pretty scrawny), has super jump, and can summon guns. He cannot spin webs, and his venom is non-lethal and inflicted via bite(which isn't super useful to him).

Anthony/Tony "Wild Tony" was a soldier in the Mafia. He could have been a Capo(caporegime) if he was more committed. But he had a tendency to party and goof off. Technically, membership of the mob ends through death. Being the first to die, he was separated from the mob and didn't care to recommit. Angie partied hard and enjoyed gun violence, until Valentino came along. Valentino swept him off his feet with promises of fame, fortune, and love, convincing Angie to sell his soul.

Design- already covered most notes, but for organization: he can retract one set of extra limbs because he was involved with the mafia, but he was lower level.

Spider traits- He has less than the previous three. So he can super jump, spin webs(via mouth...he can make it kinky), and summon guns. He technically can wall crawl, but not for very long, and he usually uses it for things like pole dancing. He is not venomous at all, and does not have super strength.

In canon, Molly is in heaven, but I don't find it likely because of how the Mafia works, so she's in Hell now. (Real name is Marietta, which is an Italian version of Mary, and Molly is a nickname)She was the spoiled daughter and knew about the family's criminal activity. She knew, profited, and didn't care. She's guilty by association. Anyway, I'm gonna say she died about 10 years after Anthony, approx 1957, around the age of 40. Haven't thought too hard about how she died. Then she probably went and found some powerful, hot guy to sell her soul to. Not sure.

Design- I was going to give her an extra set of legs, but I couldn't wrap my head around the anatomy of it and just decided to stick with extra arms. She can retract all her limbs because she was "hands off" with the mafia.

Spider traits- she has the fewest because she was the least involved with the mafia. Aside from the obvious physical traits, she can only spin webs(because it is symbolically more domestic. Also via ponytail and/or mouth, but I don't want to think hard about it). She cannot wall crawl, or super jump, has no venom or super strength.

The Mob:

The Mafia is very patriarchal, so all members are men, as women were never formally initiated. But women were still significantly involved in a variety of ways. Most often by instilling mafia culture to the kids, drug trafficking, finances, or economics. Some helped as launderers, couriers, shills(con artist), drug traffickers, informants, and other typically non-violent roles. Some acted as proxies for their husbands in prison(which is becoming increasingly common in modern times).

Quick chart for Mafia organization, via the FBI.

Simple rundown of terminology because I didn't know the difference between Mob and Mafia, and I've now done too much research to not write it down in a relevant place:

mob- a group of people, usually disorderly

gang- crime group, ranging from loosely organized street gangs to structured syndicates.

syndicate- group of individuals or organizations that unite for a common goal. Can be legal or illegal.

cartel- (type of syndicate) a group of individuals or organizations that collude to control a business market via supply and demand. Can be legal or illegal.

The Mafia- originated in Sicily. Ethnically Italian gangs, referred to as "families" that may or may not have actual familial relationships. Characterized by a distinct hierarchal structure.

The Mob- the American extension of The Mafia. (ie. it's the same thing)

The Commission- the alliance of the various Mafia/Mob families. Older generation members, called "Mustache Petes", only worked with fellow Italians, sometimes even only Sicilians.

The National Crime Syndicate- multi-ethnic alliance of various criminal organizations. Most prominent being The Mafia/The Commission and Jewish syndicates.

All somewhat organized crime groups are gangs. Crime syndicates have a higher level of organization, and cartels deal in specific businesses. Eventually the terms mafia and mob were applied to other ethnic gangs that operated similarly. Such as the "Jewish Mob" and "Russian Mafia". But THE Mafia and THE Mob refers to Italian gangs.

(Jan 28, 2025- fixed the tags) (Jan 31, 2025- added a couple more notes about his human design, particularly the hair color)

[borkunlimited]

Take Your Time, Miss Deer (Sylus x Reader) - Ch. 3

In a tailor shop tucked in the calmer side of the N109 zone is a little room where all clothes of many different designs come together under the delicate hands of an unassuming deer living in the den of all sorts of beasts and sitting on them is the dragon who wears your clothes.

Your many interactions with Skye, Mr. Sylus’ messenger or-

-Sylus is waiting for you to finally figure out he is playing his own messenger.

A Deer Hybrid! Reader x Dragon Hybrid! Sylus Fic

Tags: Sylus x Reader, Hybrid AU, Suggestive Themes, Fluff, Predator/Prey

AO3

Ch. 1 / Ch. 2 / Ch. 3 / Ch. 4 / Ch. 5 / Ch. 6 / Ch. 7 / Ch. 8 / Ch. 9 / Ch. 10 / Side A / Side B

3: My Dearest, Playful

Perhaps it started with the little notes.

When Sylus gradually shifted from his previous tailor to you, it was supposed to be a simple business transaction. A seamless transition as you become his lead tailor. A trade where he will pay and he will receive the clothes in return.

Your father was very confident with your skills and one look at the samples your father has laid out in front of him is enough for Sylus to know you have unparalleled talent when it comes to design and sewing.

He didn’t question what you and your father are doing here in the N109 zone even if your kind should not be here at all. There is already a fair share of artisans and any brilliant minds for that matter like you who chose to settle here for various reasons. 

Debt. 

Crime. 

Humans.

The list goes long.

When his first request from you arrived, he was more than pleased. Inside the dark cardboard box laced with red tissue paper was the business attire he had commissioned from you. From the embroidery, the fabric, and the measurements, you were able to capture everything just as he imagined it.

But what tops everything is the little note at the bottom of the box. 

“Thank you, Mr. Sylus.”

Neat handwriting. A simple thanks signed with your first name and a cute drawing of a smiling deer.

He didn’t write a response to that message and instead sent a bouquet of roses after that. Afterall, he knows when to acknowledge effort when he sees it.

Then it became a game. At least for him. A back and forth.

Every time you send over a box, he will always find these little notes at the bottom, always a note of gratitude.

“Thank you for the flowers, Mr. Sylus.”

“The hairpin is very lovely.”

“Father and I had a wonderful night.”

Oh, he remembered that night quite well. It was the night where he finally laid eyes on his shy and elusive tailor that he only saw before through the optics of Mephisto.

So many well-dressed people that evening. The opera has a good ensemble of music and a capable orchestra but his gaze was only trained at you the entire time.

Who would have known?

You are much lovelier in person. Even if you are a good distance away from him. 

Now, he gets to appreciate that beauty up close.

“Skye, what brings you here?”, you asked him, tilting your head slightly at him. You had your hair up and Sylus’ gaze lingered on your neck and in the skin not covered by the collar of your blouse, beads of sweat trickling down.

As usual, Mephisto is here (Again) and currently perched at your antlers while you carry boxes of clothes for delivery from your studio to the receiving area. The bird really does love your company so much.

“Just wanted to check on my boss’ favorite tailor,” Sylus replied, a hint of amusement in his voice towards the fact it is becoming too easy to switch on this new persona around you as time passed by. “Where’s your father, sweetie?”

Of course, Sylus knows the answer to that already even before he stepped inside your shop, fully aware that your father had left you by your lonesome today to go to the nearby hospital for his check-up.

Sure, he always had Luke and Kieran watch over you despite being fully aware none of your clients will do anything stupid when inside your shop but he isn’t going to take his chances today.

Besides, this is the perfect chance to spend time with you without having to deal with your father’s subtle fearful gaze.

The fear is understandable, he supposed. A deer and a dragon together in one room? That usually spells disaster if you and him are outside the N109 zone.

A disaster that usually ends in the front page of the newspaper.

“Oh, he went to the hospital for a check-up, Skye,” you smiled at him and you were about to pick up another box when he beat you to it, his hands gently covering yours and then carrying it himself.

“You don’t have to-”

“Let me, sweetheart.”

“Mr. Sylus might think I am turning you into my errand boy.”

“Don’t worry, darling, consider it as me being a gentleman,” he answered, his tail wrapping around your waist while you walked back with him to the receiving area.

He would do anything you ask without complaint. 

Lovesick. Utterly smitten. He should have talked to you long ago, to relish being accepted by you who worries over his being than over the possibility of being mauled to death by him.

His response is rewarded with a smile from you. They aren’t as bad as your fellow hybrids and even humans claim they are. 

Dragon hybrids. 

Wolf hybrids. 

Or any hybrids that take into the traits of any carnivore. 

If anything, Skye, the twins, and the other residents here in the N109 zone have been very accommodating to you so far despite your differences. Perhaps it is possible, all of you hybrids living in solidarity.

“How can I make it up to you, Skye?”, you asked, watching him set down the box with the others. Simon, the canine hybrid delivery boy, should be here any minute now to pick them up and bring them to your clients.

“Is a kiss too much to ask?”

Sylus meant it as a joke, to tease you, just so he can see your adorable blush but a part of him secretly hopes you will give it to him just like how you give it freely to Mephisto and the twins.

You tilt your head at him, as if surprised with his request that was immediately replaced with a soft smile.

What are you doing?

He looked down at you, slightly confused (and perhaps, amused) when he saw you cock your head slightly upwards with your eyes closed.

You are waiting for him to do something.

Is this what he thinks it is?

“And what is this for, sweetie?”, he asked, his breath hitching upon realizing your position.

You are going to let him take a kiss.

You tapped on your forehead, “Here. This spot.”

It was good you specified where at least but even if you don’t, he has half a mind that there are things he shouldn’t take without your permission.

These are one of the rare occasions where Sylus’ self-control slips for a fraction and he has to remind himself he is supposed to be playing the role of ‘Skye’. One of Mr. Sylus’ henchmen as you said. 

He studied your face briefly, looking for any signs of doubt but there is none. Are you teasing him back? No, it doesn’t look like it. 

You are actually letting him do it.

He inhaled sharply and his tail wrapped around you tightened briefly before leaning closer then gently placing a kiss on your forehead, a content and quiet sigh escaping his lips as he waited for your reaction.

He wants to do it again. To shower you with such gestures.

“I hope that is enough to make it up for helping me here today, Skye,” you said, a satisfied expression on your face.

How sweet can you get, Miss Deer? Giving these freely when asked nicely.

“Consider it paid in full, sweetie,” Sylus chuckled softly. You are so unpredictable sometimes that he made a mental note that he should be more clear next time.

But it isn’t so bad.

The sharp ringing of the telephone cut through the quietness of the receiving area and Sylus watched you walk towards it to pick it up, his tail letting go of you.

He listened idly to your quiet conversation to the other person on the line and his attention went from the small smile on your face then downwards, his gaze shifting on your tail swaying side to side.

Cute, fluffy, well-groomed and-

-oh-so-inviting.

How would it feel against his fingertips or perhaps, tangled against his own?

“I understand,” you nodded, a worried look on your face, “Get well soon, Simon.”

You put down the phone and looked at the boxes for delivery. Should you return them back to your studio and ask your clients to pick it up? But then again, they requested it for delivery and you sighed heavily.

It isn’t the delivery boy’s fault if he caught the flu. It was a miracle he even managed to call you based on the state of his voice.

“It looks like I had to the delivery today, Skye,” you told him, walking towards the entrance of the shop to flip the sign from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’.

“I am coming with you, sweetie.”

“But how?”

“With my car, miss seamstress.”

“Mr. Sylus wouldn’t mind? He might be looking for you now,” you replied, slightly worried. He already helped you around moving the boxes and now he is driving you around as well?

Oh, who do you think I am?

“He can afford a few hours without me,” he answered dismissively, already picking up boxes to load on his car. There is no way he will let you walk and use the public transportation especially not in the N109 zone.

“It looks like I owe you again, Skye,” you smiled at him, following him to his car with your clipboard.

This is clearly an expensive car.

He said it was his car, right? You are sure you didn’t misheard. Does Mr. Sylus pays his people well? Maybe the rumors were actually true when it comes to his wealth or maybe it is hazard pay? There is word that Mr. Sylus and his people deal with hybrids and humans alike on their line of work.

“Consider it as my gratitude for your little reward earlier, sweetheart.”

Your subtle surprised reaction did not escape his notice and he had to stifle his chuckle on your reaction, his tail flicking in amusement as he opened the car door for you, his hand on the small of your back.

He should take you to joyrides every now and then.

In fact, now that he thinks about it, that isn’t enough at all in his dictionary when it comes to spoiling you.

────────────────────

All of his business associates were stunned.

It was no secret at this point that Sylus is visiting you frequently and becoming more watchful over you. They know this because when a shootout happened right in  front of your shop, Sylus was immediately there, royally pissed at the perpetrators and a new rule was added that there should be no violence at all within the 500 meters of your shop.

Did everyone get the message? Oh, they certainly did especially when the warehouses of the perpetrators were conveniently burned down the morning after.

The message is very loud and clear.

They all agreed you and him make an unlikely pair. It wasn’t uncommon between hybrids of different species to find attraction towards each other but in your case? They actually all prayed (Which is the most unusual) that their beloved tailor will be safe.

Surely, Sylus has enough self-restraint to not mistake you for prey, right? That he isn’t a wild animal wearing well-tailored clothes to mingle among the turbulent crowd of hybrids and humans.

There was a certain expectation that his demeanor will be softened at least slightly when he is around you yet seeing you together for the first time? By goodness, he looked more terrifying even when you were standing beside him, greeting them all cheerfully and explaining why you are doing the delivery today.

You frowned upon seeing your client shake. This is the third time your clients looked at you as if they wanted to be anywhere but here and you know precisely why.

You didn’t expect Skye to be that scary to other people but he actually is. Does that come with working with Mr. Sylus? Luke and Kieran do not look menacing at all but they did mention they do the dirty work so that only means Skye is most likely sent to do the same as well.

Maybe their images change depending on the situation.

“Oh, please don’t be scared,” you tried your best to assure your client who is clearly trembling in the appearance of your companion, “Skye’s not on duty today. He is just tagging along.”

Sylus just smirked at the man in front of you who was looking at him in sheer terror. He badly wanted to laugh but chose not to, not wanting to break his facade.

It is not often you find the leader of Onychinus himself standing on your doorstep especially when you just woke up and in your pajamas.

Skye?

Why are you calling Sylus using a different name? Or maybe that is a nickname? The word going about is he is pursuing you but are you two that far in your relationship already?

Your client, an older lion hybrid, kept his eyes at you, not daring to look at Sylus.

“Yes, my apologies,” your client nodded slowly and he is careful not to even brush his hands against yours as you handed him the box of suit you tailored for him, “Not so often you see, um-, Sy-”

He froze when Sylus glared at him, a silent warning, daring him to finish that sentence, his tail flicking in subtle annoyance.

The older lion is even more confused but chose not to prod further. Work with Sylus long enough and you will see signs when he doesn’t want to continue the conversation any further. To leave the subject as it is, choose a new topic, and hope that would placate him.

You caught the silent exchange between them and it even made you slightly frustrated that Skye is unintentionally being scary. You do believe it isn’t his fault since he did not get to choose what kind of hybrid he would be when he was born.

“Skye, stop scaring him,” you gently chided him and the lion hybrid watched in surprise at how fast Sylus switched his expression, holding a subtle fondness when he gazed at you.

“I’m not scary, sweetie.”

“You’re not to me but to them, I think you are.”

“Oh, am I?”

“You were just glaring at him awhile ago,” you pointed out, and even then, your scolding is quite gentle, as if reprimanding a child who is bullying someone younger than him.

Perhaps you need to work with him on making sure he doesn’t scare people during his off time.

“I am really sorry, sir,”, you bowed politely to the still stunned lion hybrid, “We need to get going but please be assured we are going to work on his customer service.”

Your client just nodded slowly, mumbling a small thanks, watching as you and Sylus walked back towards the car, the dragon hybrid’s tail wrapped loosely around your waist and even then, he could still pick up the dragon hybrid teasing you.

“Are you going to teach me how to behave, sweetie?”

“If you don’t mind, Skye.”

.

.

.

What on earth just happened?

────────────────────

It was certainly exhausting delivering all of those boxes.

Sylus watched you in amusement, taking a sip of his coffee while you rested your head on your arms on the table. He mostly let you do the talking even when you attempted to let him take the lead so he could work on his ‘customer service’ only for him to fail. (Mostly because the moment your clients opened the door they almost had a heart attack so you had to take over.)

“Maybe we need to work on your smile,” you mumbled, your groan of frustration sounding louder because of how quiet the cafe was.

“And how do you suggest we work on that, miss seamstress?”, he asked, his hand resting on his chin as you looked at him, studying his face.

Up close, Skye actually looks quite.. good looking, a faint blush tinting your cheeks at the thought and you shook your head.

You find these feelings very confusing. On one hand you have Mr. Sylus, still shrouded in mystery as ever but now you confirmed he is almost the same age as you and now every time he asks Skye to deliver his gifts, your crush slight admiration for him grows despite being aware you don’t even know him but you appreciate his shy attempts on making a connection with you.

Yet, you don’t even know what he looks like. What kind of hybrid is he even?

Then, you have Skye, a recent character, who keeps you company even when he just had to drop off the gift and go. Every time he hands you Mr. Sylus’ presents, you often see that it is from him instead.

It is all frustrating but you have to come into terms that dragon hybrids should be with their kind and the same goes to you and Mr. Sylus.

“Let me think,” you said, your brows slightly furrowed.

Back to the topic. The plan. Maybe his fangs slightly poking out might be the problem and smirking seemed to be his default expression.

“Take your time, sweetie, I’m in no rush,” he replied, his gaze more fixed at your little pout and he raised his brow when you switched seats, sitting beside him. “What’s this?”

“I am fixing your smile.”

Oh, this is good. 

Very good. 

He relished the warmth of your hands on his face while you try to correct his smirk, making his fangs slightly hidden. A very surprising turn of events but a favorable one. Who knows accompanying you for delivery would lead to your delicate hands touching him like this.

It didn’t help how close you are, the scent of cotton and wildflowers at full force.

Little deer forgets she is in the company of a predator it seems.

How amusing how you never cower even when the rest of the beasts you have met with him did.

“Is this your way of fixing my smile then?”, he asked, his voice slightly muffled and he noticed the slight tremble on your touch.

Perhaps the deer instincts are still there.

“I just want to see if I can.”

You nodded but there was a subtle hint of fear in your gaze when you noticed how sharp those canines are up close before it was immediately replaced by the determination you have earlier.

Sure, Skye and you are polar opposites when it comes to species but no, he wouldn’t jump on you-

-He wouldn’t jump on you and eat you.

“You’re trembling, miss seamstress” he said quietly, holding one of your wrists.

“I am just hungry,” you immediately replied, your other hand resting on your lap.

Your ears drooped slightly, guilty and ashamed for letting your natural instincts dictate your reactions. No one has harmed you so far in this place. It isn’t fair for you to look at him in fear when Skye has been kind to you. Who had every chance to pounce on you while both of you are alone on your studio but did not.

Sylus knows it is an excuse but chose to let it slide, letting go of your wrist. He doesn’t want to ruin this little impromptu date (It is a date, you just don’t know.)

“Our orders should be here any minute now, sweetheart,” he replied.

He didn’t push any further but his tail wrapped around you gently and he hoped despite you being so naive, so oblivious, you will take this as a sign that he is grateful.

Grateful that you didn’t stand up and flee.

Your tail wagged slightly when you saw your strawberry shortcake set in front of you together with his lemon tart.

“This looks very delicious,” you said, studying the treat in front of you.

“You’re more excited at the cake than finishing the delivery earlier, Miss Deer” he commented, poking your cheek.

Of course you are, especially when the strawberries on top look very fresh partnered with a pink macaron.

“The macaron looked so cute.”

“It does, but not as cute as you, darling deer.”

“Liar.”

What was it exactly? 

Your playful tease? 

The sense of foreboding that he is indeed a liar, that he is lying to you about his identity? 

Or maybe it was the white cream on your fingers?  Or perhaps the tip of your tongue darting slightly on your bottom lip to clean the crumbs of the pink pastry? 

Or was it because he wanted to be the one to lick that little mess himself?

No, it is what comes after.

It is what comes after that would bother him for the next few days and bear that irrational anger that comes with pining over the deer gazing back at him from her hidden grove, waiting for him to reveal himself from the darkness of the woods that surround your little paradise.

It is what comes after that when he can hear his heartbeats against his chest, his breath hitching, his eyes widening, and his lips parting slightly.

It was when-

It was when you made that sound with your oh-so-inviting lips.

Pop.

“Oh, it is as tasty as it looks!”, you exclaimed.

The trance breaks.

He blinked, immediately taking a deep breath to collect himself.

“Let me have a taste,” he said playfully, slightly strained while he try to calm the beating of his heart.

“Can you let me try yours as well, Skye?”, you asked.

Maybe he bit more than he can chew for today but he himself won’t admit that.

────────────────────

Sylus wouldn't deny how far his imagination goes when it comes to you.

They are usually domestic most of the time, little wishes of resting his chin on your shoulder while watching you work but there are cases it goes beyond that.

It was natural, he supposed, especially when he is already a lovestruck fool at this point. 

A lovestruck fool for you, at least.

But they were proof to him. 

That this attraction is not because he wants to devour you like those lunatics who lost their minds on the haze on being unable to discern the difference between love and obsession.

His affections for you are real. His intentions are without a doubt, pure.

He acted as if he never saw the rest of his business associates earlier that day and no one dared to bring up why he is accompanying you on a delivery run.

Despite that, things do not go smoothly.

Not because people are being stubborn, no, they are very cooperative for once.

It was because every now and then, he remembers that sound. 

That sound you made earlier.

Pop.

It was enough to distract him every now and then. How his hold on the firearm faltered just slightly when he was inspecting it, how his grip on the cards during the poker game tightened and he is glad that his schedule isn't tight tonight because he would like to have some time for himself, to clear his head.

"What are we going to do if there are any incoming calls for you, boss?", Luke asked.

“Just say I am busy for tonight,” he sighed then added.

“And no interruptions unless it’s urgent.”

Luke and Kieran looked at each other, perplexed. Usually, the boss would be in his best mood after visiting you but he looked grumpy tonight.

Did you guys fight? No way. They had spent enough time with you to know you don’t get ticked off so easily.

“Is Miss Deer okay?”, Kieran asked quietly.

“She’s fine,” he answered and gave them a dismissive wave.

The two just nodded, making a mental note to swing by tomorrow to check on you as well or maybe tonight. What if you are crying because the boss said something? Oh, they really hope you aren’t.

Perhaps they should bring along a box of sweets just in case and tell you it was from the boss.

Because if they need to be a mediator between you and the boss, then so be it.

The twins closed the door behind them and Sylus ran a hand through his hair, deep in thought and it did not help that his pants are tighter than usual.

Terribly unfair how he had to deal with this while you are back at your shop, most likely hard at work even during the evenings.

Perhaps a long and cold shower should help him and for good measure, he will down a bottle of whisky too because for once, he hopes that you will not appear in his dreams tonight, fully aware what kind of dream it will be.

Oh, how wrong he was.

────────────────────

AO3

Ch. 1 / Ch. 2 / Ch. 3 / Ch. 4 / Ch. 5 / Ch. 6 / Ch. 7 / Ch. 8 / Ch. 9 / Ch. 10 / Side A / Side B

[elbiotipo]

Some thoughts for a D&D Spelljammer setting I'll probably never get around to actually write:

Spelljamming ships should be a revolution in transport and not only for fantasy space, they're basically flying ships, they could transport things from one end of a planet to another. Worlds that know spelljamming must be very different than those that don't.

What's the limitation here, then? Spelljammers themselves, that is, the guys who pilot the ships. They need to be magic users and you would need at least 2, preferably more, for shifts. That means you need to have mages that could be doing other useful magic stuff piloting a ship.

There's also the cost and skill required to make spelljamming helms. 5000 GPs in materials and level 5 spell apparently. Now, gold and levels in D&D don't mean much to me, so for the purposes of this scenario, I will assume making a spelljamming ship is costly and needs a lot of skill regardless of the actual numbers involved. So you don't have ships flying around the skies of every world, just a few have both the "human resources" (that is, trained mages) and material resources (I assume the spells and components are expensive and rare) to make spelljamming helms and crew ships.

Do we have equivalents of this in the real world? Yes, actually! The entire aircraft industry! Airliners, which are among the most complex machines produced in mass, are basically built only by Boeing, Airbus, and recently Comac on China (there used to be more) and pilots aren't easy to train either. There might be few worlds with the concentrated *productive forces* to build spelljammer helms in "serial" production, outside of some crazy wizard in a tower.

In fact, this is a bit besides the point but in general, the world(s) of D&D are pre-industrial, and this makes sense as for complex tasks you wouldn't really think of using a machine to do it, you seek a magic user who can do it instead. They are very jealous of their trade secrets too. We are looking at a kind of Renaissance economy in a large scale then, with guilds and church(es) and other institutions for "artisanal" complex goods instead of industries. Fantasy settings have always been strange about the demographics of mage users, but I think knowing the role of monasteries, alchemists, etc. during the real-life Renaissance helps you get closer to the dynamics.

Returning to the ships, I think spelljammer ships (or helms) might be hard to make but very hardy, long-lasting and easy to pilot, sort of like DC-3s that were built before WWII and are still used in Colombia. So that fits with the adventurer idea of getting an old ship and going into the stars. And maybe there is a surplus of them in some worlds that used to have large navies (like post-WWII surplus of airplanes and ships).

In Spelljammer you can stick a spelljamming helm on anything and make it fly, even seagoing ships (which are preferred for many reasons) but the true spelljamming ships like the Hammerhead Ship, the Squid Ship, etc. have strange shapes. I will say that those are not just decorative (because that's frankly a bit silly) but actually designed for better navigation through the currents of the Phlogiston or Astral Sea.

The 5e rules of spelljamming navigation basically say that ships go into the Astral Sea and then the spelljammer at the helm just thinks where to go and flies "100 million miles in 24 hours", that's it, just think about it and you're wherever you want, or, if you're not in a ship, you can just fly through the astral sea and, I quote "The more intelligent a creature is, the faster it can move." Which is frankly too stupid for words. I'm actually kind of angry at how stupid it is.

I'm completely ditching the 5e Astral Sea with its whole spiritual thing (to me that's a completely different thing) and making it a material plane of phlogiston (or aether, that sounds better) where the crystal spheres float. They aren't fixed, they move and flow with the stellar currents, but you CAN navigate them if you're attuned to them, you can use navigation equipment to find particular spheres and you can use your sails to get more favorable currents, this is a skill you have to learn and can cut travel times or let you find some things in space.

Doesn't that sound much better than "you just think and you're there xdxddxddxdxd"?

So how fast then? I think we'll just play it safe and see the top speed of sailing ships on the real world. Clippers, the fastest sail ships before steam ships, took roughly 100 days to cross the Pacific. The usual before was about 4-6 months. It depends on how big your setting is, but I think that's a good estimate to go to "the other side of the world" as one would say. And it of course would depend on how well known the routes are. It could be that you simply CAN'T fly to other spheres without doing extensive navigation first.

So instead of having 10 to 100 days at random to go somewhere (like in the original Spelljammer) or the somehow even stupider rules of 5e, you would have a map of well navigated, average, poorly known, and completely unknown spelljamming routes. Every time you got farther away from the well-known routes, navigation becomes more dangerous and travel more slow. You need (both in game terms and in setting terms) to have good navigation skills to get anywhere fast and safe.

You could have crystal spheres grouped in "constellations" (in my setting I do) that are easier to navigate inside, where the currents are known. This is also useful for worldbuilding "regions" in fantasy space that share cultural traits.

There must be all sorts of magical and non-magical navigation means, especially for landing on planets. Magical lighthouses, compasses, communication (a kind of morse code that can be communicated by lights, when magical communication isn't an option). I would think that for convenience, since planets are so big, spelljammers might sort of memorize the land of the main port and not bother with the rest. It might be that in an entire world, only one or two ports are truly visited by spelljammers. This also means that it would be very easy to set up a new base somewhere, even in well-travelled worlds.

What about power projection and star empires? We can read about colonial empires and age of sail trade to get a hint here. Empires where you rule by posting armies in every planet are very unlikely, since we established spelljammers are kind of expensive to make. Imagine invading and controlling, say, Earth in the 1600s with a dozen ships.

But imperialism where an external power controls key trade routes and ports, economically controlling a world, is very possible. This control means that those worlds must be integrated into the *galactic* economy somehow, as a large world can be self-sustaining, but its connections to the greater galaxy can be controlled. So, an imperialist power might succeed into controlling the economy of a world by controlling its trade centers and politics, without needing large armies or simply enlisting local collaborators. In fact, many might not be even aware they belong to a interstellar empire in their maps. On the other hand, *more* *voluntary* associations similar to the Hansa or Greek leagues might arise.

[appleblueberry-pie]

I NEED MORE YANDERE e42 MILES!!!!

This is a list of things he's done without your knowledge.

"Sneaked" two thousand dollars into your savings account. Best part about this is you actually never did find out that he did this. You just thought you were finally becoming financially responsible.

Fixed your TV remote 2 times.

Bought you more boxes of ramen.

Learned to make your favorite dessert.

Drove your ex's car off of a cliff

Drove your ex's girlfriend's car off of a cliff

Got on your teacher's good side for you.

Started doing calisthenics

Became pescatarian

Stopped drinking energy drinks and instead became a tea-drinker

Donated to 5 animal shelters and volunteered to help feed the homeless(one of the short programs he joined at school)

Broke 3 ribs and repaired

Got stabbed and repaired

Illegally traded with dominating gangs in Brooklyn

Illegally helped transport medicine inside of hospitals due to dominating gangs in Brooklyn

Tried on shoes he wanted to get for you to see if they'd be comfortable, understanding that people would think he's flaming for doing so.

Tried on earrings he wanted to get for you, thinking if it looked good on him, it would definitely look good on you, understanding that people would think he's flaming for doing so.

Same thing with perfume.

Got scared of you when you interrogated him for smelling like the new perfume he just bought you.

Whispers compliments to you when you sleep on his shoulder while y'all take the train.

Screamed like a lil girl when he picked up a potted plant from a flower shop, hoping to get you a succulent, and a slug dropped from the crevice of the pottery, plopped onto his hand, heavy, cold, and slimy.

Listens to all Ariana Grande albums

Annually kidnaps all boys who he knew premeditated asking you to prom, knowing your his, and drops them off by a random lake in the dead of night. Tied up, taped mouth, lightly drugged, and confused.

Attempted to give up being tender-headed so his mama could do his hair in that cool ass pattern he knew you wouldn't be able to stop admiring. It didn't work, but the result definitely made you happy.

Bombed 2 drug major illegal drug factories. Probably one of the main reasons why the crime underworld hates him.

Sketched over 40 different ways the wedding ring he plans to give you will look.

Finished 2 big notebooks that are just full of rants and drawings of you. He's halfway through his 3rd one.

Has a pinterest board just like yours that is full of clothing and room aesthetics that you like. Plans to make most of them a reality for you.

Kicks his feet at ur messages.

[ganxiously]

911 Fic Writing Resource: Shift Timings

Okay, so initially I was going to add this to my last post but the topic was completely different so I decided to make a new one. @capsbooty7 and @rutathenurse pointed out that since Tommy was working at the same time as Buck and the rest of the gang, he most likely worked the A shift and thus had his work time completely synced with Buck's. The concept was intriguing enough that I took a look into it.

Like many others, I had previously thought that each house had its own rota, and the timing and length of the shifts varied accordingly. However, that appears to not be the case. Firefighters, in the LAFD at least, work in 3 shifts - A, B and C and each of these shifts are 24 hours long. They don't do the 24/48 or the 48/96 but instead follow what I am given to believe is called the California Swing Shift or a Kelly schedule. Here, they essentially work every other day for 5 days and then have 4 days off. So the schedule is - On - Off - On - Off - On - Off - Off - Off - Off. This means they are usually working 72 hours per rotation but they can also trade in shifts or work overtime if they want to.

From what I found out, you can take more shifts or reduce it according to your convenience by trading with others so technically you can still do 48 hours and then even pull in overtime but the limit for a continuous shift is 60 hours after which you have to take a mandatory 12 hours off [this information was a bit outdated so I am not sure if this rule still stands]. Trade almost always happens for 12 or 24 hours but it isn't unheard of to do an 18 hour trade. Overtime usually happens in 12 hour shifts and you get paid overtime rates only when you have crossed 56 hours in a working week.

As for vacation days, you get 16 days after one year of service and 24 days after 10 years (so Tommy is getting 24 while Buck is getting 16 but Bobby, however, might be getting 25 since I'm guessing he's been a firefighter for at least 31 years). There are also 13 paid floating leave days allotted each year - 1 every 4 weeks.

Shift times are the same for every firehouse and the work day starts at 8am officially but you are expected to make 'face-to-face relief' at 6:30 am.

I am also including the January 2024 schedule here: [follow a colour to understand how the shifts work and where you can sneak in lengthy shifts]

If you have more information or would like to correct me on something, feel free to let me know.

@itsjustpoopeh mentioned:

and @ironworked pointed out:

@cafe-con-letty sent this ask talking about how Tommy's shift might vary as a helicopter pilot so you can also check this out.

[duskdog]

So with Cass going to her happy place (that is, Steph) one more time, and all the analysis around it right now, I thought it might also be good to talk about Steph's vision of Cass.

As far as I recall, it only happened once -- in Batgirl (2000) #26 -- and it was a very mixed portrayal. For context, I think it's important to remember that this is still very early in their relationship -- this is only the fourth interaction we've actually seen on-panel, in fact, and the first was barely an interaction at all.

And yet it seems that Steph has already embraced Cass in a way that Cass has not yet embraced Steph. In their third interaction, Cass has accidentally almost killed Shadow Thief, and Steph helps her resuscitate him and then immediately agrees not to tell Oracle about what happened. No reservation whatsoever -- a crying, guilty, terrified Cass doesn't even manage to find the words to ask exactly what she wants before Steph understands and gives it to her.

And here, in their fourth interaction, Cass doesn't even know it's occurring. She's recovering from her fight to the death with Shiva, and is asleep for the entirely of the issue. But Steph is extremely concerned about her (moreso than Babs, but to be fair to Babs, she has a lot more experience with how Cass is and is probably just relieved that she's actually resting), despite the fact that they really barely know each other at this point.

Steph goes out to fight Shiva's disciple in Cass's stead, because Cass is still indisposed. She's gung-ho at the start, but upon seeing her opponent, gets cold feet and starts to lose faith in herself. Here's where the Cass-vision starts.

Look at Imaginary Cass hyping her up. She's even smiling under the mask, which isn't something Steph has ever seen her do on-panel. Note how articulate Cass is. At this point in her development, Cass didn't communicate this way. She didn't use long sentences, smoothly strung together, with anyone, and she didn't use them with Steph in particular. In fact, here's the extent of what Cass has said to Steph directly on-panel so far, in their entire relationship: Become faster. Read it. (multiple times) No. (multiple times) When? Quiet. (multiple times) Go home. Then we wait. You take the train. I take the car. Kinsey is here. Get down. The money. Trade? Why? Let's go. Help me. And of course, the above interaction about Shadow Thief. Obviously, not only does Actual Cass have very little to say to Steph, she certainly doesn't have anything encouraging to say! She's outright dismissive of her, at best. And that's just how Cass is as this point in her development -- her speech abilities are still limited, her social development is stunted, and she's just not a cuddly person in general. Combat, and getting the job done, are of utmost importance to her. She's not intentionally cruel, she's just very blunt and calls it like she sees it, and she's like that with pretty much everyone. So we have Imaginary Cass, speaking and behaving in a very un-Cass-like manner... and Steph actually having a conversation with this imaginary Cass out loud. It's a little weird, but it's very in-character for Steph, who is extremely talkative and thrives on interaction. Babbling seems to be an anxiety response for her. She already has a tendency to narrate her own experiences via her diary, so I think it's not a stretch to say that she might try to talk through her own anxiety with herself by imagining that self-conversation being with Cass instead. This differs from Cass's hallucinations in that Steph isn't dead, dying, or drugged. She's wide awake, and she seems to know that Cass is imaginary, because she even recognizes the fact that Cass doesn't normally speak this way to her. Imaginary Cass is just a vehicle for expressing what she's trying to tell herself -- much like Steph will later be a vehicle for Cass to express her feelings to herself in Batgirl (2024) #5. But here we are later, when Steph begins to feel like she's failing:

Imaginary Cass turns disparaging, taunting her, saying all the things that Steph clearly feels about herself: she's not good enough, they were wrong to put their faith in her, she's failed, she's going to die, and worse -- other people are going to die because of her failure, too. (It's worth noting that, in retrospect, this ends up sounding like an entirely unintentional foreshadowing of War Games.) This makes Steph mad (seriously, look how angry her silly mask blob eyes are) and motivates her to ultimately win the battle. Steph gets a lot of motivation from spite, and in this case it's probably helpful that the disparagement is seeming to come from "someone else" (namely imaginary Cass) instead of from herself. It's easier to spite other people than to spite yourself. It's easier to be motivated to prove them wrong. Again, Cass is a vehicle for Steph's internal monologue -- it becomes a dialogue instead, in a way that is helpful to her in the end.

Then there's one more vision:

Look at Steph's face. Just for an instant, she's so happy. She clearly admires Cass, and has expressed it on multiple occasions ever since they met. She's in awe. And she desperately needs someone to believe in her, and be proud of her. If Batgirl, the girl who beat Lady Shiva, could be proud of her, then wouldn't that mean the world?

But it's not to be.

At least not yet.

[justastraymoa]

Unwilling Alpha

Chapter 8

The reveal pt 1

Warnings ⚠️ swears, abo dynamics, mentions of slave trade, mentions of rape, mentions of abuse, mentions of death, fear, manipulation.

Nothing within reflects anyone or anything irl. Pics off pinterest.

🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱

~

I took a few minutes to get ready.  Make my hair presentable, double check the sweater sat right, perfectly framing the soul marks I was meant to show off.

Then I sat my camera up, facing the blank wall I was going to use as a backdrop in leu of actually having my usual backdrops.  I adjusted the lighting using the bedside lamps to give my skin a soft warm sunset glow in the pictures.  Giving the whole picture a soft vibe.

I had a remote clicker for my camera that I mainly used when dealing with children, but it worked with this too.  I sat cross legged facing the wall, trying to envision good poses I would usually instruct my subjects into if I were just taking photos at the studio.

Even though the sweater was high necked in the front and long sleeved, I still felt exposed with it being backless.  My face flamed red every time I shifted into a slightly different pose.  I couldn’t actually see how the poses were working without moving to look after every photo, so instead I opted to try a bunch of poses.  This also meant that each Omega could choose their own favorite pose and photo, and they would all be matchy matchy with their posts.

Ten minutes and 27 photos later I was done.  Hopefully I got at least 8 good photos in there somewhere.  There was no way I was going to do this again if there wasn’t.  This would be a moment I look back on and still get embarrassed after 5 years.

I threw on a sweatshirt and grabbed the stuff to edit the photos on the TV again.  The boys seemed to enjoy watching me edit the photos last time, and they could choose their photo at the same time.  Plus, the big screen made the editing so much easier.

When I opened the door, I nearly jumped out of my skin.  All 8 Omegas were standing in the simply lit hall outside my door.  “What in the actual fuck are you doing?”  I gasped holding my chest.  My heart was racing out of my chest.

“You were taking a long time.”  Hyunjin explained completely unapologetic to taking years off my lifespan.

“So, you decided giving me a heart attack was the best thing to get me to hurry?”

There was a series of shrugs from them, and I rolled my eyes so hard it actually hurt.  “Get in the living room!”  I snapped waving my hand at them.

“I made you some chicken.  You can eat it while we look at your pictures.”  Lee Know said, handing me a bowl as we settled back in the living room.

“Thank you, Lee Know.”  I smiled at him gratefully.  I sat back and ate a piece.  It was melt in your mouth good-as usual.  The food is another thing I had missed, though not nearly as much.  It was so different here than at home – or my previous home I should say.

“Holy shit!  Y/n!  What the fuck?”  Seungmin exclaimed when the first picture loaded.

Chan whistled.  “This is borderline indecent!”

“Well, I needed to show the marks!  They go down most of my spine!”  I defended myself feeling self-conscious.

The picture in question wasn’t even close to indecent.  I had one arm across my body and softly placed over my ribs and my head was slightly tilted back and turned toward the camera, but not enough so that you could see my face.  Surprisingly, I kind of liked it.  Turned out better than I expected.

“You’re sure you’re not a model?”  Changbin asked.

I felt my cheeks start to warm.  “Shuddup guys!  I just know how to pose people.  It was part of my job!”

“Y/N, I don’t say this lightly, but you are a natural model.  You make it look effortless.”  Hyunjin praised as they flipped through more photos.

“Thank you.”  I responded blushing deeper and clearing my throat.

The next several hours were spent choosing photos and then editing them.  They each captioned the photo ‘Stray Kids found their Alpha!’ and posted their photos at the same time.

I again made sure to like each one.

Then we sat back and watched STAY and netizens go absolutely berserk.  It was kind of entertaining to watch how unhinged they all got.  And STAY was pretty much throwing a worldwide party to celebrate the news.

STAYs jealousy and dislike for change was overshadowed by the fact that Stray Kids was not being forced to disband – for now.  Some even claimed that waiting until the eleventh hour was very on brand for Stray Kids, but I didn’t see it.

The rumor mill started working overtime almost immediately.  There was a rather large faction that believed their Alpha was another idol and that’s why it took so long to bond.  They had to negotiate and adjust all the contracts accordingly.

Another rumor with a lot of believers was that they found their Alpha in the slave and sex trade ring.  They concluded that it took so long because they had to find a way to free the Alpha.  Some said they bought them, some said they snuck them out and helped them escape.  The most generous one was that they worked with the authorities to bring the ring down.  A handful of fanfictions were inspired by that last one.

Their attacks and hate on me wouldn’t start until the euphoria of Stray Kids staying wore off.  Maybe, if I was lucky, a couple weeks.  At the very least until I was revealed.  And then I could only hope their disappointment over the true story being revealed wouldn’t start a revolt.  Netizens could be very cruel.

“Well, we only have until tomorrow until we announce our mini tour.  So, enjoy the last of your relaxation.”  Chan announced with a sigh.

I perked up.  “A mini tour?”  I had never even been to a concert.  Too broke to go to a location they were at.  Too broke for a ticket at all, actually.

“It’s a surprise for STAY.  A kind of celebration that we are back.”  Han explained.

“But you didn’t know if you’d be back.”  Did they somehow know I would come back?  How?  I didn’t even know.

“We planned the tour when we first went on hiatus, under the assumption that we would be back.”  Chan shrugged.

“The power of positive thinking?”

“Hey, it worked.”

I snorted but couldn’t deny it.  I have always believed in positive thinking, this just felt more like a miracle.

“So, lots of practice then.”  Lee Know said in confirmation sounding a little relieved.

“Finally!”  Hyunjin cheered.

I smiled.  It was good to see them so excited about getting back to work.  They were all so passionate about what they do – their craft, if you will.  They truly loved what they did.  And put their everything into what they created and put out into the world.

“Cool.  Then while you are practicing, I’m going to go home a-!”  I was interrupted when Seungmin tackled me suddenly.  He maneuvered so he took the brunt of the hit when we landed on the floor.

Several voices cried out our names at once and I blinked up into Seungmins terrified eyes before they disappeared.  He hugged me tightly, fingers clutching at the hoodie I was wearing.

There was some chaos as the others alternated between yelling at Seungmin and fussing over me.  However, I clearly heard Seungmin when he spoke in my ear.  “You can’t leave us again.”

Realizing what happened I wrapped my arms around him and ran my hands up and down his spine once before gripping the back of his neck, right over his mark.  His body immediately relaxed on top of me, but he still didn’t let go.

“Shh, my Omega.  I’m not leaving forever.  I need to pack up my things and wrap up my old life.  Then I’ll be back.”  I promised lowly, keeping my hand on his mark.  “A week tops.”

He shook his head.  “Too long.”

“The sooner I get there, the sooner I can get back.”

The others managed to get us into a sort of sitting position, but Seungmin refused to let go.  “You can’t leave!  You can’t leave again!”

Giving up, Chan sat next to us.  “We can hire people to pack up your things and whatever.”

“There, see.  Now I don’t have to go.”  I whispered to Seungmin giving his neck a gently squeeze.

Slowly, in small increments, Seungmin eased his grip and released me, looking embarrassed and slightly glassy eyed.  “It’s okay, Seungmin.”  I soothed reaching out to smooth his hair from his face.

“He could have been gentler.”  Lee Know pointed out, annoyed.  He stood nearby; arms crossed.

“He protected me from the fall.  And I should have gone about announcing that differently since everything is still so fresh.”

“It’s just…letting you out of our sight is going to be hard for a while.”  Chan explained.

“Try impossible.  She leaves the room and I get anxious!”  Changbin added.  Han nodded beside him.

“It’s not possible to always be in the same room, but I’ll try to let you know where I am.  And not be gone long.”  I said looking to each of them.

They looked unhappy but resigned.  They knew just as well as I did that, I couldn’t be with them all the time.  There would come a time when they separate themselves for their own things and I can’t be multiple places at once.  We would have to decide who I will go with and when.

“Now, Seungmin, come with me please.”  I stood and held a hand out to him.  “We are heading to the bathroom.  I am going to give you a shampoo massage.”

“OOO!  Can I get one?”  Felix asked.  “That sounds so good!”

Seungmin took my hand and stood as I answered.  “After Minnie.”

I set Seungmin up, so he comfortably lay with his head over my tub.  Using my detachable showerhead, I soaked his hair before lathering it generously with shampoo.  While the shampoo worked its magic, I fished one of my face masks from my toiletry bag and smoothed it over his face.

He caught my hand as I moved away.  “I’m sorry.  The last time you were here, I – I’m sorry for how I acted.”

I smiled at him softly.  “I understand your actions.  I was never upset with you.”  I assured him, rubbing my thumb along the back of his hand.  “We can start fresh now that I’m here to stay.”

Seungmin nodded.  “Okay.  Thank you.”

“No need for thanks.  Now, relax and enjoy.”

I got back to work, humming softly.  I could hear the others behind me in the guest room, unable to stay far away for long, but giving us some one-on-one time anyways.  As much as they were able to.  They stayed quiet so they didn’t disturb us.  It was a nice, warm moment filled with love and care all around.

Seungmin seemed to be enjoying himself, so I took my time, alternating between massaging and gently scratching his soapy scalp, then moving down to massage his neck and shoulders as well.  Then repeated the process with conditioner, adding in an ear massage.

“Mmm.  You’re very good at this.”  Seungmin hummed as I rinsed.

I smiled.  “Thank you.  I’m out of practice.  I used to do this for my mother when she got a migraine.”

“Where is your mother?  You never mentioned your parents before.”

I paused before patting his hair with a towel.  “She passed when I was 14.  Brain aneurysm.  Dad never recovered.  He had a heart attack 5 years later.”

“I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have pried.”  Seungmin sat up, turning to me.

Smiling brightly, I waved his words off.  “Don’t worry, Minnie.  I’m happy they are together again.”  I wasn’t lying.  I had long since come to terms with losing them.

“Now,” I draped the damp towel over his head.  “Send Felix in.”

Felix was almost as still as Sungmin had been.  I had no idea he could be so still and quiet.  He was always bubbling over with life, with movement.  To witness him so still and silent was unnerving.

“So, I don’t know how any of this works.  What can I expect over the next few weeks?

“We will need to link you to our calendars, so you have our schedules.”  Felix started.  “But the next few days are going to be filled with set list planning, dance practices, and making sure we still remember the lyrics and perfecting the singing.”

“So, I just…follow you around?”

“For now, I guess.”  He shrugged.

It honestly sounded boring.  Just sitting around while they practiced and worked.  I would just be in the way most likely.  And there was no way they would let me stay here.  I couldn’t even leave the room at this point.

Whatever.  It is what it is for now.  I’m new to this, learning everything as I go.  I would eventually find my spot in this part of their lives.  Where I could help and not be a burden.  Hopefully.

“What about when I’m revealed?”

Chan joined us, sitting on the floor next to the tub.  He must have been listening in to the conversation.

“We have a group live planned already for tomorrow, when our hiatus officially ends.  We can reveal you then and figure things out after that.”  He answered.

I dried Felixs hair with a dry towel while I let that sink in.  In just a day a secret I spent most of my life hiding will be revealed.  It almost didn’t feel real.  Like this was actually someone else’s life and I was just watching it from the sidelines.

“Is there any way, at all, that I can not be revealed?”  I asked with no real hope.  They always had a camera on them, and they always wanted me with them.  Therefore, I would always have a camera on me.

More than that, the law states I must go with them.  Stupid outdated law.

“We will be right there with you.”  He said not even bothering to answer my question.  We both already knew the answer anyways.

“It will be okay, Y/n.”  Felix assured, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and giving me a smile.

“I swear to god, if you guys break your promise and leave me, I’m running away!”  I threatened with every bit of seriousness I could muster.

They both chuckled.  “Yeah, you’re going to be fine.”  Chan reaffirmed.

Back in the guest room the Omegas had set up the makeshift beds again.  “Sleepover?”  At our ages?”  I joked.

“You are never too old for a sleepover.  Especially if it’s with you.”  I.N declared from his nest of blankets.

I rolled my eyes.  “If any of you snore, I’m kicking you out on your ass.”

Even though I slept most of the day, I was still ready to crawl under the blankets.  Since I didn’t sleep on the plane and exhausted myself bonding, my body didn’t know which way was up right now.  Though this may help get my sleep schedule on this time zone just a bit faster.

“No playing around.  We have an early day tomorrow.  Get to sleep.”  Chan ordered.  The room bustled into activity as the Omegas got ready for bed.  I changed into my makeshift pjs.  Turns out I didn’t pack any actual pjs, but I found something that worked so its whatever.

I crawled into the bed and faceplanted into the pillow, sighing loudly into it.  It smelled strongly of Seungmin.  So much so that I didn’t think he let anyone else sleep here since I left.

~

Unwilling Alpha Taglist: @xxeiraxx @hanniemylovelyquokka @breadedloafs @songleepark @f1ln4dr3cl16mv33 @hyunjinhoexxx @kayleefriedchicken @vietjeb @hityoulikebahng @juju-227592 @ionlyeverwantedtobeyourequal @royal-shinigami @bangchansfavoritenoona @straykidslvr @bookswillfindyouaway @h0rnyp0t @Svmmerstime @jennibahng @kpopandmusicpassion @jasmin-loves-k-pop @cookey-lock @possum-playground @demigoddreamon-blog @rei-reia @dreamerwasfound @jasmin-loves-k-pop @ms-flowergirl

[cyanbugremix]

✨Cyanbug's Redacted Headcanons Pt.2✨

(Once again, some of these may be used or were used in fics, but some are just there and I want to share them)

1. Morgan Kyne has near-sighted glasses (he can't see far away clearly), but he wears contacts when he's out and about, because when he was younger he got teased for needing glasses.

2. Sweetheart despises mint toothpaste because of the spice (Hot spice = good. Cold spice = bad). So they get fruity flavors instead.

3. If Doc and Hush are going to watch a movie together, Hush always suggests to watch How to Train Your Dragon (2010).

4. Speaking of movies, Huxley likes to watch FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) whenever he's sick.

5. Angel's side takes up the most space in the closet. They have their usual work clothes hanging up, and their casual clothes in a dresser, but most of the closet is filled with costumes + cosplays outfits and pieces that they've made or collected over the years.

6. And to add to that, Milo and Angel would totally help their friends and the pack make costumes for ren-faires. Sometimes when the two hang out they go to craft/fabric stores together. (Angel comes back with too many jewelry pieces and Milo comes home with yards and yards of different fabrics. They'll trade items if he needs some jewelry or if Angel needs a specific type of fabric).

7. I feel like Elliott's favorite zoo animal would be red pandas or spider monkeys. (Idky he just gives off those vibes).

8. Aggro adores green beans. Milo thinks it's one of the weirdest things a cat would want to eat. Sweetheart came over one time to Milo's apartment for dinner, and thought that Aggro was going for their chicken, but instead stole their green beans off the plate.

9. Darlin' could play only one actual song on the guitar for the longest time. They are/were musically gifted when it came to instruments. In middle school, they picked up the clarinet really fast, and then eventually switched to bass because Darlin' got bored (their parents made them promise that they'd stop switching instruments because buying/renting different ones costed a lot). Their parent's had gotten them an electric guitar for their birthday one year, but they only learned how to play one actual song on it (American Idiot by Green Day). Not because they didn't want to learn more songs, but because they found it more fun to make up random songs with friends when they hung out. They did stop for a few years when they moved to Dahlia and they didn't pick it up again until they were in their later teen/early adult years. They do know more songs now and have played for Sam.

10. Anton likes to hand carve small wooden animals for My Love. He mostly likes to make them tigers, elephants and bears, but at this point he has made an entire forest or zoo of different wooden animals around their home.

-

Part 1 of headcanons

[chuckeroo777]

Laios got Eaten AU Chapters 1-52

So, I was pondering a lot (as I do), and was thinking about this AU. Here's my take on it. Sorry if my grasp on characterization isn't the best. Expect lots of Farcille.

This is mostly a plot point based summary, going chapter by chapter. If something isn't elaborated on, assume it's the same as canon.

Note: This first installment ends at the same point as the anime, but as a manga reader, there are spoilers for later in the canon story.

Edit: Wowzers, that ended up being over 4,000 words! Guess I had more to say than I thought.

This is pretty long, so I'll begin under the cut.

Chapter 1:

Unlike Laios' self deprecating take on this scenario, the rest of the team doesn't immediately give up on him. Marcille and Chilchuck are his friends, and if Falin thinks it's possible, then they're in.

Namari leaves of course, but Toshiro is more complex. He argues with Falin, trying to convince her not to embark on such a risky mission, and may accidentally frame it as Falin choosing between him and Laios. Falin, of course, picks Laios. Toshiro leaves, dejected. After feeling sorry for himself for a while, he gets his retainers and heads after her, hoping to offer backup.

Falin proposes the dungeon eating plan, having casually discussed the possibility with Laios in the past. Without the gourmet guide, she isn't as knowledgeable about monsters, but she is pretty good at identifying stuff from her days of eating weird stuff in the woods, so she can tell the walking mushroom isn't poisonous. She also manages to grab the scorpion, having messed with crayfish as a kid.

Unlike Laios, she doesn't try to eat the venom, but they still struggle, and Senshi comes in to help. Falin is very excited to have such an expert helping them out, and is happy to have him join the team.

In general, Marcille is just as squicked out by monster cuisine, but she tries to put on a brave face for Falin. In fact, her attempts to be more accepting results in her not yelling at Senshi, so the slime doesn't attack her.

Chapter 2:

They go after the man-eating plants, and things mostly go down the same. Without Laios, it takes a little longer for Falin and Senshi to figure out how to save Marcille, going for the root. Marcille gets seeds planted in her skin, but Falin is able to heal her and get them out.

Chapter 3:

Senshi takes them Basilisk hunting, and Marcille is dismayed to see Falin knows the trick for intimidating Basilisks, a sight she will not soon forget. While Senshi slices the snake, Falin caves the chicken's head in.

While Senshi prepares the Basilisk, Falin is able to use a detox spell on Doni. The two still stay to eat though.

Chapter 4:

Events mostly play out the same, though Falin is a bit more gentle in rejecting Marcille's help. Falin admits to having skipped class the day they learned about mandrake harvesting.

Chapter 5:

Chilchuck uses Falin's metal staff instead of the sword to find the passage. When they go to get the oil, Falin casts a fire-ward spell on Chilchuck, just in case. Senshi declines to take one too.

Chapter 6-7:

Without Laios' insights, they deem the living armor too dangerous after the first attempt, and take a slightly different route to the third level.

Much to Marcille's chagrin, they run into a nest of giant rats, and they end up having giant rat stir-fry instead.

Chapter 8:

Falin thinks Senshi's utilization of the golems is absolutely delightful.

Chapter 9:

Falin is rather uncomfortable with Chilchuck's suggestion to trade at the seedy bar, but doesn't argue.

Events with the orcs go more or less the same. Falin thinks Bahay is very cute.

Chapter 10:

No Kensuke, so they get ambushed by the bugs. Chilchuck gets bitten, but Falin is able to heal him.

Falin applies much better ghost wards than Marcille. In fact, she quickly realizes they are just paralyzed, and is able to heal them. Yeah, no. That would have way too big of a butterfly effect on the story. Maybe she's too distracted by the pretty bugs to notice.

Unlike Marcille, Falin thinks the centipedes are adorable. In fact, she secretly takes one and hides it in her pack to keep as a pet.

Chapter 11:

As one would expect, the ghosts are a complete non-issue. No ice cream for them.

Chapter 12-13:

No one in this party is crazy enough to bother with the living paintings. Without the delay, they are able to make camp at the level 4 entrance, bypassing the mimic.

Senshi catches some fish, and they have a very nice dinner.

Chapter 14:

Mostly the same, except instead of Laios, Senshi is saved by Falin. She has experience in such manners.

Chapter 15:

Sadly, Falin does not know the song, so they have to resort to earplugs. This leads to a silent but amusing argument where Chilchuck has to talk down Falin from eating fish-men without words. Falin does not pull the waterweed stunt.

Chapter 16:

The kraken battle is pretty much identical.

Unlike Laios, Falin has eaten calamari before, having gone to that restaurant with Marcille several times. She is very disappointed the kraken tastes bad.

Senshi cooks up the parasite, and Falin doesn't eat any raw.

Chapter 17:

No one is sick, so this chapter doesn't happen.

Chapter 18:

Marcille has a sponge bath and insists Falin take one too. Chilchuck is annoyed by their flirting, but Senshi thinks it's cute.

When the Undine attacks, Falin is able to waterwalk and help Marcille, but neither of them has particularly good magic for fighting an undine. Both are badly injured, but they manage to escape.

Falin is able to heal both of them, but they are both left very hungry, and relatively low on mana. They have a barbecue to help them recover.

Chapter 19-20:

The Tansu party arrives. Tensions aren't quite as high between Marcille and Namari, but it's still there.

After Tansu fails to pacify the Undine. the two parties agree to help each other out. First, they help get down to the tower. A well placed fireball saves Kiki from the tentacles. Sadly, without Laios' knowledge, they can't eat them, at least not as easily.

When coming up with a plan to stop the undine, the idea to trap it is brought up, and they basically use the same plan, except Namari is in on it from the start.

After killing it, Falin suggests eating it, and the two groups enjoy some kelpie stew before departing opposite ways.

Chapter 21:

More or less plays out the same. Chilchuck suggests making the suits, to which Falin enthusiastically agrees. Senshi makes froggy hash instead of pasta, since he doesn't know how to neutralize the stinging.

Marcille puts on the frog suit without complaint since Falin puts one on first.

She attempts to take it off to much complaint still.

Chapter 22:

Most identical chapter yet. Namari asks about Laios instead of Falin. That's it.

Chapter 23:

Plans are made to take down the red dragon. With Falin here, their warding spells are much better, but no Laios means Senshi is the only proper warrior. Falin is a decent fighter, and plans to join Senshi and Chilchuck on the frontline. They search the orc's storehouse and find some spears, which will hopefully be enough for the inverse scale.

They mostly come up with the same plan. Crush the dragon, then kill it.

Chapter 24-25:

The pot defenses fail, and they go ahead and crush the dragon. When the dragon emerges, Falin is able to execute the plan, stabbing the dragon as they play dead. However, she isn't able to stab deeply enough before the dragon recoils, the spear getting pulled away from her, landing some distance away.

Senshi tries to stab the dragon in the foot, but the spear breaks. Things go as they do in canon, with Senshi and Chilchuck managing to toss Falin the spear and blind the dragon in one eye.

Falin meets up with Marcille, and ends up pulling the same self-sacrificing gambit Laios did, stabbing the dragon in the throat while dangling from its mouth.

Chapter 26:

Falin falls unconscious, and has a dream about when Laios first left home, leaving her behind. And how he later promised to never leave her behind again.

Marcille still has to heal Chilchuck and Senshi herself, since Falin is in no state to do it herself. They retrieve her leg, and Falin is able to finish healing all four of them.

They begin carving into the dragon, with Senshi taking the lead. Laios' intrusive thought fun facts end up saving the day, reminding Falin about the flame sac.

Chapter 27:

Falin doesn't even bother mentioning the resurrection office, already knowing what must be done. Marcille doesn't hesitate to offer her ancient magic as the solution.

Falin is able to assuage Chilchuck's concerns a little better than Marcille did, clarifying that the ancient magic is just used to perform magic of a magnitude impossible with just natural mana. He still doesn't quite buy it, but doesn't protest further.

Putting Laios' skeleton together takes longer, since no one here is super knowledgeable about dog skeletons. They get it eventually though.

Marcille does the ritual. Falin thinks Marcille is hot when she lets her hair down like that.

Laios is revived successfully, and everyone is incredibly happy.

Chapter 28:

No bath scene. :(

Laios is incredibly curious about their journey, and is running his mouth asking questions. He is extremely excited that his monster eating idea worked, and is practically glued to Senshi for a while asking questions. Due to his presence, Senshi doesn't explode the dragon.

Marcille isn't surprised in the least by Laios' enthusiasm, and is just glad to have her friend back. They enjoy their little dragon feast, regaling Laios with their tales of monster eating.

Unlike Falin, Laios does not realize that forbidden magic was used to revive him, and apologizes profusely for abandoning Falin, even though she insists it wasn't his fault.

Chapter 29:

When Thistle summons Laios, a ghost wakes Falin up. She wakes the others, and they go looking for him.

Unlike Falin, Laios doesn't gain magical power from the dragon, instead getting an even bigger boost to his strength. Falin isn't just knocked unconscious, but is badly injured by his punch.

Not even being dominated by the mad mage can stop Laios from yapping. As he is transformed, he gives Thistle tips, causing his chimera form to be significantly more dangerous, featuring a bigger but more slender build and bigger wings, allowing him to actually fly. As well as a few other embellishments, such as tail spikes and small horns.

The ghosts save the party, and things proceed as normal.

Chapter 30:

Chilchuck's arc is mostly the same, except that it is easier to convince Falin once she wakes up. Healing the internal bleeding Laios caused took a lot out of her, and both her and Marcille are tapped of magic. They agree to return to the surface.

Chapter 31:

Literally Identical.

Chapter 32:

Kabru's deductions are mostly the same, only altered slightly due to being warded by Falin instead of Marcille.

Shuro isn't quite as haggard. Falin isn't actively dead, so he doesn't feel the need to run himself ragged. Funny enough, taking better care of himself ends up canceling things out, and he arrives at Kabru's group at about the same time.

Chapter 33:

Senshi and Chilchuck have to fight the Dryads by themselves. They use the axe instead of Kensuke. Not that Laios helped much, but the first dryad manages to attack Senshi, leaving him in much rougher shape by the end of the fight.

Thankfully, he makes a full recovery once Falin recovers some mana from the yummy pottage.

Once Falin is recovering, she suggests teleporting out of the dungeon, but Marcille flat out refuses to let Falin do that again. It's way too risky. Now that they have a source of food, mapping out the area should be simple.

Chilchuck does not escape the sex ed.

Chapter 34:

A dramatic reenactment of chapter 34:

They still need to spend several days making the map, but at least petrification isn't an issue.

Chapter 35:

The ghost warns Falin about the wyvern, and they hide in the wall, so business as usual.

When Marcille accidentally puts on the frog suit, Falin decides to put hers on too. This somehow makes Marcille more mortified, not less.

Recognizing Falin, the ninjas don't attack. Marcille is annoyed how happy Falin is to see Toshiro, considering the bad terms he split off on.

Chapter 36:

Since Falin has been enthusiastic, but not overbearing about monster food, Chilchuck chooses to go with Senshi even more easily.

Falin explains what happened to Toshiro, leaving out the ancient magic. Toshiro has no reason to think Falin wouldn't be able to revive Laios. He is happy to learn that she intends to return to the surface, and he plans to try and talk her out of returning once safe on the surface.

Kabru can tell Falin is lying about something, but remains quiet.

Chapter 37:

Even though harpies show up, everything seems to be going well, until Hien splatters on the ground. The Laigon quickly proves to be a ferocious foe, with razor sharp claws, a vicious thagomizer, and the ability to easily fly out of reach, or drop opponents from deadly heights.

Marcille didn't know that sufficient brute force could splatter an Undine to death, but apparently so.

Falin watches in horror as she can see an almost joyous look in his eyes. He would never do this of his own volition... but he clearly doesn't hate it.

When Rin grounds the Laigon with lightning, Falin steels her resolve and charges in to pummel his weak point, but he smiles and says her name.

Chapter 38:

After Kabru fails to kill him, the Laigon is too powerful, and kills Kabru before Falin can do anything. Seeing the Laigon about to attack Falin, Marcille hits it with an explosion.

Snarling, the Laigon looks like it's about to pounce at Marcille and company, causing Falin to fully freak out and unleash her strongest offensive spell, causing several massive rocky spires to erupt and impale the Laigon from below, and accidentally hitting Rin in the process.

Screaming and convulsing in pain, the Laigon takes for the sky, fleeing as fast as it can, leaving behind a thick trail of blood.

With both Falin and Holm alive, as well as Marcille not being barred from helping, the revivals go smoothly.

Toshiro ends up getting into a shouting match with Falin regarding her goal of saving Laios. Falin insists that if they defeat the mad mage, they can save him. He insists that trying to do so at this point is suicidal.

In the heat of the moment, Toshiro declares that Laios isn't even worth saving, and Falin slaps him. The conversation comes to an abrupt end, with both severely regretting their actions. Toshiro walks off to think, while Marcille comforts Falin, who seems on the verge of tears.

Toshiro ends up apologizing, saying he can't understand her decision, but he will respect it. He has Maizuru give them supplies so they can head down immediately, and gives Falin the bell.

Asebi overhears Marcille speculating with Chilchuck about the Laigon, and the possibility of the dragon's soul getting mixed in due to her revival magic.

Kabru leaves with a higher opinion of Falin than he did of Laios, because while she seemed fascinated by monsters, she wasn't as crazed about it as him. Plus she didn't offer him a harpy omelette, so that helps.

Chapter 39:

Without the living paintings, they aren't able to quite grasp the mad mage's motives, but are still hopeful that they can talk to him.

And then the shapeshifters happen.

Chilchuck's Falin is an airhead, reflecting her calm demeanor and lack of commanding presence, even though she is ostensibly the leader without Laios around.

Senshi's Falin looks just like his Laios, but with longer hair. They look identical to Senshi.

Falin's Chilchuck is colder and more even-tempered than the real Chilchuck. She appreciates his levelheadedness and maturity.

Falin's Senshi is always spouting fun facts about food and food prep, and is always smiling. Senshi reminds her a lot of her brother's passions.

At first, the group is confused. They seem to be short two fakes. But then they find Falin's Marcille and Marcille's Falin making out in one of the cells. Both are too shy to admit their feelings, but apparently their mental images aren't so shy about it.

Once obvious stuff is out of the way, and equipment has been checked, Marcille and Falin have been found, but Chilchuck's Senshi, Marcille's Chilchuck, and Falin's Chilchuck are still around.

Chapter 40:

Marcille and Falin manage to eliminate Chilchuck's Senshi, since they both get a weird feeling from it, and all three Chilchucks agree it's the right Senshi, practically confirming it to be Chilchuck's.

The Chilchucks prove much trickier, until Falin comes up with an idea. We skipped chapter 13, so Falin suggests the Chilchucks provide their age. Marcille's says 20. Falin's says 45. Chilchuck is able to explain those guesses are way off the mark, and as the only one able to give a proper explanation of half-foot age ranges, he is clearly the correct one.

With all the copies locked up, the shapeshifter gives up and goes to find other prey.

Asebi ambushes the party as normal afterwards.

Chapter 41:

There is a bit of confusion at Asebi's accusations, since Marcille never confessed to using ancient magic, but Asebi overheard her talking about how she may have blended Laios' soul with the dragon, and that is not something someone does on accident. Clearly she must have been using black magic to do something like that.

Nonetheless, Marcille agrees to break the collar's magic, and things proceed the same. Falin attacks the hag with her mace-staff, creating a messier cut, but functionally the same.

The explanation of their goals goes about the same, including Falin being rather happy to meet Izutsumi, though she's a little less weird about it, talking about how Laios was fine before the mage kidnapped him, and that hopefully he'll go back to that state of mind when saved.

Chapter 42:

In Falin's nightmare, the Laigon appears and tries to kill her, but Falin becomes lucid before it can strike.

Falin goes into Marcille's nightmare to help her. Being more experienced with this sort of thing, she is able to calm Marcille down, and cause her to become lucid, dispelling the nightmare without violating Marcille's private traumas.

They then spend the rest of the lucid dream having fun together. I'll let you decide how much those shapeshifter clones inspired their behavior.

Senshi cooks the nightmares, and much to the girls' dismay, the dream is shown for all to see. Everyone agrees not to bring it up again.

Chapter 43:

While searching the recovered packs, Falin is delighted to find the Dungeon Gourmet Guide. She was afraid it had been digested with Laios.

Note: Falin should be seeing the ghost by now, but I don't want to break up the chapter flow, so just assume the ghost got caught in ghost traffic.

Without Laios to block them, Marcille gets impaled by a few stalactites, and Falin has to tend to her. The fight goes as normal.

Izutsumi is able to undress without anyone being weird about it.

When doing the sauna thing, Chilchuck can't help but notice how closely Marcille and Falin are sitting. He tried to block the dream out of his mind, but it's clear that now that the feelings are out in the open, that's just how they're going to act from now on. He just hopes this doesn't cause any issues.

Chapter 44:

Falin finds the boiled mandrake quite tasty, and so doesn't question it when Izutsumi gives her a second.

When arguing over dinner, Falin is just as baffled as Izutsumi regarding the Barometz. As they run over, she flips through the guide, discovering the potential danger a few seconds too late.

Izutsumi and Marcille run off to do their thing. Falin panics and does something dumb. She starts barking. She isn't as good as Laios, but it's enough to scare off the wolves. Chilchuck isn't even surprised at this point.

Chapter 45:

Pretty much goes the same. Toshiro plans to report the Chimera, at least so people know to be wary, and Falin is just as careless with the bell as Laios.

As they eat their eggs, the ghost finally catches up and Falin is happy to chat.

Chapter 46:

Our party arrives in the golden country. Falin wants to check out the monster corrals, just like Laios, but while he was ecstatic about minotaur milking, Falin is much more charmed by the opportunity to pet the basilisk chicks.

Falin becomes extremely flustered at the sight of Marcille in a pretty dress. Unlike Laios, Izutsumi lets her pet her.

Since minotaur was not requested, they are served basilisk cordon bleu.

Sadly, the running joke of turning ghosts into ice cream is dead.

"One shall come who bears a staff of living wood." With Laios out of the picture, Marcille is the lion's next choice of champion.

Marcille really isn't sure what to think about this. Her? Become new queen of the land?

She ultimately gives no conclusive answer, but the possibility of gaining dominion over this land where no one ever dies is tempting.

Marcille and Falin share the double bed, while Chilchuck gets the single bed to himself. At least until Izutsumi curls up on him.

Chapter 47:

Breakfast goes smoothly, and they head back into the dungeon.

Things in the cistern go mostly the same, though Falin also thinks the griffon is Laios. Senshi doesn't panic until the griffon actually appears.

Chapter 48:

Marcille puts her plan into action, and Falin carries her.

With the second familiar, Falin suggests shaping it like a dragonfly, since they are very fast and agile. It isn't as fast as the wyvern, but it dodges a lot easier. The third familiar is still sky fish.

Once the griffon is defeated, Falin suggests eating the sky fish. Marcille objects, but she can't say no to Falin's smile.

And Senshi shares his story.

Chapter 49:

Unlike Laios, Falin doesn't push Senshi to try the griffon. She suggests cooking it, since they don't want to waste good food, but Senshi doesn't have to try it if he doesn't want to.

Senshi decides to go for it. You can decide if he's traumatized further, or if changelings follow logic, and meat without any spores on it (since it was cut from inside the griffon), and was then "washed" by turning it into soup turns back into hippogriff. Senshi tastes the "griffon" soup, and is immeasurably relieved.

Changlings are a lot of fun, but they sure open some plot holes. By all accounts, it should have reverted to hippogriff soup.

Look, this is my silly what-if AU, things don't have to be perfect.

Chapter 50:

Falin is a dwarf now. She sucks at magic, but now she can really smash some heads in.

Falin thinks half-foot Marcille is adorable. Marcille isn't sure what to think of dwarf Falin.

When they reach the door, Falin is surprised when her pet pearlipede crawls out unbidden and unlocks the door.

Despite the disadvantages, Falin's mace proves super-effective against the gargoyles, managing to defeat one, but tiring out while one is still left. They flee through the door.

Now that the party knows she has it (and that it's oddly useful), Falin starts wearing her pet as a bracelet.

While preparing dumplings, Falin ponders if maybe the griffon wasn't actually a griffon, but Chilchuck shuts her down before she can accidentally re-traumatize Senshi.

Chapter 51:

Falin notices Marcille's strong adverse reaction to the news that half-foots only live fifty years, but doesn't say anything.

Falin suggests the possibility of using the changelings on Laios, though unlike him, she doesn't consider that the two halves might change separately. She just imagines them turning the whole Laigon into a gnome or something.

When the last gargoyle arrives, Falin's staff gets knocked out of her grasp, and thrown by the gargoyle.

They use the knowledge from the transformed staff to defeat the last gargoyle. Sadly, Marcille does not get to fly.

Falin washes her staff.

Chapter 52:

Senshi grows curious and asks about Laios. Falin talks about how Laios always had trouble fitting in, and it wasn't until he started dungeon diving that he finally seemed able to make friends and be happy. Falin had dropped out of magic school because she didn't want Laios to be alone.

Marcille starts crying and clinging to Falin. She talks about how she used to hate Laios. But as they adventured together, he became like a brother to her. Falin starts crying too. Izutsumi sits by Chilchuck to avoid all the tears.

Senshi proposes his bacon and eggs plan. Falin can't find any issue with his reasoning, and thinks its a great idea, but Chilchuck points out how long it will take to eat that much meat. They start making plans for the foreseeable future.

Thistle tries to stop the Laigon from eating a walking mushroom, but is unsuccessful.

Chapters 53-85

Chapter 86-Finale

[sturnsblogs]

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆More than best-friends‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

Chapter 5: The Weight of It

Chris didn’t go straight home. He should have—his body was exhausted, his head was pounding, and his heart felt like it had been put through a shredder. But instead, he found himself driving aimlessly, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white.

Avery’s words kept circling in his mind.

“You don’t just accidentally say someone else’s name unless you’re thinking about them.”

He had tried to tell her it wasn’t like that. That it had been a slip of the tongue, nothing more. But the look in her eyes had told him she wasn’t convinced. And the worst part? He got it.

If Avery had called him another guy’s name, he would’ve lost it too.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, breaking through the quiet. When he pulled it out, Aiden’s name flashed across the screen.

Aiden: Yo, where you at?

Chris exhaled sharply before typing back.

Chris: Driving.

Aiden: So I heard you called Avery the wrong name…

Chris shut his eyes briefly, already feeling the secondhand embarrassment.

Chris: It wasn’t like that.

Aiden: Okay, then what was it like?

Chris hesitated before typing:

Chris: I don’t know. It just slipped out. I wasn’t even thinking about Y/N, I swear. But now Avery thinks I am, and I don’t know how to fix it.

Aiden’s reply came almost instantly.

Aiden: Come over. We need to talk.

Fifteen minutes later, Chris was slumped on Aiden’s couch, running a hand down his face as he recounted everything that had happened.

Aiden listened, tossing a football between his hands. When Chris finally finished, Aiden sighed. “Damn, man. You really messed up.”

Chris groaned. “Yeah, thanks for that.”

Aiden gave him a look. “I mean, I get why she’s mad. If she had called you some other guy’s name, you’d be pissed too.”

“I know,” Chris muttered. “And I don’t blame her. But I don’t know how to convince her that it wasn’t some deeper thing.”

Aiden was quiet for a moment before leaning forward. “Then tell me this: do you love Avery?”

Chris’s head snapped up. “Of course I do. I love her so much.”

“Okay,” Aiden nodded. “Then why do you think Y/N’s name slipped out?”

Chris sighed. “Because—because I was thinking about how much things have changed. Not because I want Y/N back, not because I have feelings for her, but because she was my best friend for so long. And now I barely talk to her. It’s weird, Aiden. I hate the way things ended.”

Aiden studied him. “So you miss the friendship.”

“Yes,” Chris admitted. “But I don’t miss her the way Avery thinks I do. I wouldn’t trade what I have with Avery for anything.” He leaned back, shaking his head. “I just don’t know how to make her believe that.”

Aiden tossed the football up. “Then show her.”

Chris frowned. “How?”

Aiden shrugged. “Tell her everything you just told me. Don’t just say ‘I love you’—prove it. Make her feel like she’s the only one that matters to you.”

Chris nodded slowly. “You’re right.”

Aiden smirked. “I always am.”

Chris rolled his eyes but pushed himself off the couch, grabbing his keys. “I need to go fix this.”

Aiden clapped him on the back. “Go get your girl, man.”

Chris drove straight to Avery’s house. He still didn’t know exactly what he was going to say, but he knew one thing—he couldn’t lose her over this.

When she opened the door, she looked surprised. And then wary.

“Chris.” avery said softly

“I love you,” he said immediately, stepping forward.

Avery blinked, arms crossed. “Okay…?”

Chris exhaled. “Avery, I swear to you, what happened earlier—it wasn’t because I have feelings for Y/N. I don’t. I love you. And I hate that I made you feel like you weren’t enough, because you are.”

Avery’s expression didn’t change. “Then why did you say her name?”

Chris ran a hand through his hair. “Because I was thinking about how much my life has changed. How much I’ve changed. Y/N was my best friend for years, and now she’s barely in my life. It’s weird. But that’s all it is, Avery. I don’t want her back. I don’t wish things were different. Because if things were different, I might not have you—and I wouldn’t trade us for anything.”

Avery swallowed, her arms tightening around herself. “You really mean that?”

Chris stepped even closer. “With everything in me.”

Avery studied him for a long moment. Then, finally, she sighed, her expression softening.

“I love you too,” she admitted. “But, Chris, I need to know that I’m your priority—that I don’t have to worry about someone else taking up space in your head.”

Chris nodded immediately. “You are my priority, Avery. And I’ll do whatever it takes to prove it.”

Avery hesitated before finally stepping forward, wrapping her arms around his waist. Chris exhaled in relief, holding her tightly.

“I don’t want to fight anymore,” she murmured against his chest.

“Me neither,” Chris admitted, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

And for the first time that night, he finally felt like things were going to be okay.

A/N- He’s so stupid. 😄

My beautiful babies- @blushsturns @chrislilcumslvt @izzylovesmatt @chrisslut04 @mylittled0ve @oopsiedaisydeer @csturnioloswifey @just-a-girl-1 @sturdyyolo

CHAPTER FOUR

TAGLIST TO MASTERLIST

[aagneauu]

High value habits to elevate yourself 🥂✨

When the term "high value" is mentioned, we often think of things related exclusively to economic wealth, but being a high-value person is an attitude, an attribute founded on habits and a wealthy mentality. So today I wanted to mention a few habits that I personally perceive as something a person with strong standards apply on their lives. ✨

Sorry if there's any grammar mistakes, English isn't my first language :b

1. Long-term mentality ✦

Enjoying yourself is very important, but when we only think about the things that give us temporary pleasure, is often very likely that we forget to take care about our future stability. For example, if you want to travel, the smart thing to do would be to save the money in order to be able to afford it, but how many times we just feel the urge to waste money on unnecessary stuff just to get that brief satisfaction, that bad habit will take us far from our goals. This rule can be applied on almost every aspect, and if you're able to stick to your goals and take decisions according to them, trust me, you'll get very far.

2. Invest ✦

Stop wasting and start investing; your money, your time and your energy. In terms of money, you obviously can spend some of it on pretty stuff, but instead of wasting your whole salary on things you want, a smarter move would be to use part of that money to invest it on something that potentially can give us another income, maybe there's a valuable peace of jewelry or clothing that not only we could use, but to sell and trade in the future, or even if you have enough money saved, you can invest in a property, to not only live in it, but to rent it. Our time and energy works in the same way, we could be wasting our time and energy with people that don't give us nothing we can learn from, and you're worth way more than that. Find people and habits that not only make you feel good and appreciated, but that will leave you something interesting for your personal growth, and remember, better alone than in a bad company.

3. Details matter ✦

How we talk, how we decide to present ourselves to the world, our values, the effort we put on what we make. Every little detail says something about us. For example, something as simple as spraying perfume before we go out makes a difference, or if you study, the amount of time and effort you decide to put on certain classes. Socially, what you decide to say, and to develop the hability to stay quiet when necessary. Maybe you think that those little things don't make a huge difference at the long-term, but when you see how your life can change drastically with every little step you take, you learn to pay attention to it.

4. Patience ✦

It is a strong word, it is even harder to apply to our lives sometimes. Being patient not only with people, but with our circumstances. Sometimes things that we don't like happens, and we don't even understand why because we thought that we did everything right, but everything happens for a reason, it's like a fruit, you could take it out of the tree earlier because you're hungry, but it isn't that mature and tasty, but if you just wait, resist the hunger, the fruit will be way better. That applies to money, emotional growth and life changes. Learn to understand that sometimes, pain will be the sign to something better than your current situation.

5. Stop following the crowd ✦

Set standards and learn what is good for you, if you just rely on others to decide what is best for you, or even worse; you know something is bad for you and still do it for others, then expect low quality experiences. People time to time will call you boring or even extreme just because you decide to be loyal to your values. If something that everyone is doing seems beneficial, do it, but because it gives you something valuable, not because of the crowd. You can apply this rule to everything; friends, money, and other experiences. The amount ot peace and comfort that you can get with this transformation is a huge life upgrade.

This were some topics that come to mind when the "high value" term is mentioned. And remember, no one is perfect and every little thing makes us unique. Life is a long journey that you can decide to upgrade with every little move.

Hope u enjoyed! ♡

[sillyteecup]

That Dam attitude

Jey Uso × black!reader

Warnings:

18+

Strong language

Suggestive content

Violence, I guess? (don't thump your partners with ores)

Translation: Thixo=God

~A.N: This is me, entering the Bloodline community with a little love for Jey (I need Triple H to stop playing with him and give him a title opportunity) while working on that little Roman AU. Hope you like it. Enjoy. ❤️

30 minutes. That's how long Josh had been sitting on the other side of their shared kayak pouting like a 5 year old. Arms folded, lips pressed, eyebrows furrowed-the whole package. All because he much rather would've stayed back at their booked villa fucking instead of actually adding some adventure to their vacation.

And Siya, was frankly tired of it. "Not you still sitting over there pouting and shit," she commented with an annoyed look on her face.

Looking equally vexed, he replied, "Not you got us in the middle of the fucking ocean at 8 am on vacation," to which Siya rolled her eyes.

"First of all, dumbass it's a dam. Second of all, I did not come all the way out here to fuck, sleep, eat and repeat, I came out here to have fun and relax," she said. The fact that they were in Cape Town where there was so much to see and do (for Josh anyway since Siya had been there plenty of times as a child) and all he wanted to do was move like a damn Neanderthal amazed her. Fucking men.

"Oh, and praytell Siya, which part of any of this is fun or relaxing?" he asked incredulously, gesturing at the kayak. "And I want you to think very carefully about your answer because if you tell me some bullshit about connecting with nature, I will flip this bitch over and we gon' swim back to the dock," he warned.

At this, Siya's eyes narrowed. There was no way this man was serious. "So you, Joshua Fatu, mean to tell me that you would trade in all of this natural beauty and peace for sex? Is that what you're saying to me right now?" They were on a kayak on the Waterfront dam with a perfect view of the Table mountain and the overall serene vibe of one of the most beautiful cities in Africa. And this man wanted to trade that in for some pussy? Bomb pussy, that is but semantics.

He smirked. "Ey ma, let's just say I'd prefer to be knee-deep different type of natural beauty, know what I'm sayin'?" he said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Usually she'd find this funny and fold like a pretzel, but this time around her pussy was sore from all the work he'd been putting in since they landed 2 days prior, she was already running out of thongs since he kept tearing them off her (with the promise to buy her ne ones of course) and frankly, she was starting to miss being able to walk without holding onto something for support. As a matter of fact, part of her had actually considered having him admitted into a rehab because his addiction to her cooch was on its way to paralyzing her from the waist down.

"You need help. Professional help," she snarked, pointing her acrylic decorated nail at him, making him chuckle.

"Girl you better stop acting like you don't like creaming on this shit," he laughed, right as an older white couple rowed by. They looked aghast, as though they'd heard his comment, which mortified Siya.

"Joshua!" she scolded before apologizing profusely to the other couple, who continued clutching their pearls while they did their best to get as far away as possible from the younger pair. She shot Josh a deadpan look, one he responded to with an innocent shrug.

"Look babygirl, ain't my fault white folk can't mind their business," he said defensively.

Siya lifted her ore and gently thumped him on the head with it, making him hiss. "No, but your big ass mouth yelling our business for the whole fucking continent to hear is your fault. No home training, I swear," she complained as she continued to row.

Still rubbing his head and trying to row with one hand, he frowned. "Oh but when you're the one hollering at the top of your lungs for me to fuck you like a little slut while doin' tricks on the dick, might I add, it's all good?" Josh retorted, to the horror of another older couple rowing by.

"Thixo," Siya heard the older woman gasp. She sent the lady an apologetic smile and let out a string of "sorries" in Xhosa, before turning to glare at Josh again.

"The fuck all these old people doing out here so early anyway?" he exclaimed, albeit, quietly. "This is a sign if you ask me."

Siya was seething. "Fuck, you," she hissed with a deadly glare to match.

"Tuh, I wish you would," Josh replied, earning another, this time less gentle, thump to the side of his head. He raised his eyebrows, challenging his girlfriend to do it again. "Girl, you better stop playing with me, 'else it won't be no discussion."

Another thump.

"Siya," he warned, mildly irritated.

Usually she would stop but this time she was annoyed by his prior antics. "Joshua," she mocked him, moving to deal another thumped, only for him to grab her ore.

His face was set in stone. He definitely wasn't playing anymore. "Stop it," he commanded.

Siya however, was not moved in the slightest. "Or what?" she challenged.

He leaned closer to her, careful not to tip the kayak over as no one was rowing at the moment. "Keep fucking around and you gon' find out real soon," he growled.

Siya kissed her teeth defiantly. "You ain't gon' do shit."

Josh chuckled darkly as he sat back up straight. This girl was clearly dead set on testing his patience and she was gonna reap what she sowed. She didn't know it yet, (or maybe she did) but as soon as they got back to that villa he was gonna put her back in her place and fix that damn attitude.

[optimisticgardenhologram]

Not to be some sort giant simp, but because it's his birthday I wanted to write something nice and complimentary for him. But also genuinely and objectively as possible I think Mello is actually a fair bit more humane (or maybe the better term is "less cold-blooded") than he gets credit for?

The evidence:

1. He was very genuinely upset when they are informed of L's death, and doesn't even think about the matter of the successor-ship until Near speaks up alluding to it.

2. After Sayu was rescued/traded from the mafia she's asked to help in the investigation by providing any details of her experience. However she can't because she says she neither saw nor spoke much to her kidnappers. This indicates Mello (as the mastermind of all things related to this project) told the mafia members that they were to stay away from her and generally left her alone. She's a tool to him to achieve his ends but he takes no pleasure in using her this way nor has intention to cause her any additional harm, fear, suffering than is already an unavoidable part of being kidnapped and held hostage across the world.

3. When Soichiro confronts him with the Death Note by announcing Mello's real name and then actually starts writing, Mello could have killed him on the spot faster than Soichiro could write. He had access to the gun next to him in the open desk drawer. You can tell that even in this case he doesn't want to shoot Soichiro, and though Mello's hand hovers over the gun ready to grab it, he does his best to talk Soichiro down instead. Then he apologizes to Soichiro and thinks about how he never intended for Soichiro to die but at the same time he shouldn't have joined up with Kira. There is an important difference here between the anime and the manga; in the anime he tells this to Soichiro aloud which might be interpreted as a way to distract Soichiro while Jose prepares to fire, but in the manga because it's unspoken we know it wasn't meant as a distraction, but genuine regret and remorse.

4. When Mello crashed the SPK, Lidner wasn't really a hostage. She'd already been helping him secretly for a while and continues to do so afterwards; and she -wanted- Mello and Near to work together and was trying to help them do that - meaning she'd have gladly brought them together regardless. But they role-played her like one to cover for her in front of her colleagues, make it seem like she was being forced into it rather than reveal the truth that she was a double-agent.

5. While Mello frequently brandishes his gun as a threat and for coercion, he never actually fires it. Still no one ever doubts that he would use it if needed. Despite fanon often portraying him as a trigger happy nut-job, the canon demonstrates how controlled and coldly resolved he truly is.

6. A pretty commonly repeated sentiment on social media discussions is that unlike Near, Mello doesn't work well with others because he's too much of a lone-wolf and too insecure to work in a team because he would make everything about dominance and power struggle.

I really don't think this is right. Despite stubbornly refusing to work with Near, the evidence shows he's pretty good at getting along and working with other people. Like in the mafia he seems perfectly happy to let Rod Ross be top-dog; he doesn't appear to have any interest in being a big shot and throwing his weight outside of matters directly involving the notebook. Rod Ross is the one to give orders, dole out discipline, and is generally in charge, and he trusts Mello because Mello's proven his value as a loyal team member over time.

He also works well with Halle and Matt who both appear to be there by choice, neither are in the least afraid of or deferential to him and they seemingly work on equal terms together as opposed to a hierarchical boss/subordinate relationship, which for example so prominently characterizes Near's interactions with his group.

With Matt in particular he's way more patient than is even reasonable to expect, given how it seems like Matt spends a lot of time whining, slacking off, and messing up - no shade meant on Matt (love him dearly) but going by the manga that is what we see. But Mello never scolds him or gets angry or snappy. Mello's internal monologue does show that he's annoyed but he doesn't externalize it, doesn't lash out and is patiently long-suffering when it comes to Matt's shortcomings. He basically just accepts the situation being what it is and moves on. And of course is regretful and sad when Matt dies.

We don't see much of Halle and Mello's interactions as they mostly take place offscreen/off-page but from what there is they seem very casual and comfortable with each other and Halle was very clearly emotionally affected by his death and speaks up for him in 104, believing he sacrificed himself intentionally. Basically, Mello's issues and anti-social behavior stemming from his inferiority complex is SPECIFICALLY centered on and triggered by Near. With everyone else he was able to work very effectively, and they hold him in high regard and can maintain good relationships with him.

7. He seems to have sympathy for Misa and is judgmental about the way Light weaponizes her trauma and idolization.

8. Although she's on his enemy's team, he felt enough pity for Takada provide her a blanket when he orders her to undress, which directly contributes to his own demise. I believe he knew (intended as part of his plan) that X-Kira would kill her to stop her from talking, so it was a small gesture that is practical in that it could make her more willing to quickly cooperate, but also give some small comfort during the short remaining time of her life.

None of this makes him not-evil or villainous, but I do think he's genuinely a more compassionate person than he's typically cast as. Certainly the least villainous of Death Note's wide cast of villains. As it's noted in the Japanese wording of Volume 13 he's "not pure evil" and he "has a pure heart and acts mean to get the attention of the person he likes" (scream). I don't think Ohba intended any of the Wammy's characters to be either pure good or irredeemably evil.

[miaouumiaouu]

Hi waves!! gonna rant abt another Phighting au now 😎

Ok so basically it’s a highschool au and like. all the phighters are just humans‼️

More yapping below cut kicks legs back n forth/silly

I imagine the school hierarchy sorta goes like; the phighters are students, the gods are like. teachers n stuff (Illumina is the principal), and there could be some npcs who could also be teachers‼️

Everyone would have like, real names instead of being called after gears. However, I imagine PHIGHTING! would be some sort of video game, and so the phighters nickname each other after which character they main. Ex; Skateboard maining a character using a skateboard as a weapon, so the others nickname him “Skate”!!

The phighters would be all one big friendgroup. The factions are prolly like. smaller friendgroups within the larger group that are just close friends!!

Okayy miscellaneous info abt little details now:

1. Medkit n Subspace would be like. academic rivals. I think the difference would be though, that Medkit isn’t really trying, whilst Subspace is

2. Ban Hammer prolly gets taunted a lot for being a “momma’s boy”. He’d also get out of trouble easily due to his mom working at the office n such. (Other lil thing is that banlands is like, detention. So Ban Hammer snitches on bad students to send them to detention‼️)

3. The Biografts are quintuplets that no one can tell apart. Only 1 of them actually plays their version of PHIGHTING! the rest are just cursed with the nickname cause no one can tell them apart,,, I do imagine they wear stuff to differentiate though. Ex; Floatiegraft would wear duck pins n stuff‼️

4. Skateboard gets reprimanded a lot for skateboarding on school grounds.

5. Slingshot’s cafe would probably be like, him helping out in the cafeteria. Or it’d be one of those “illegal” school trading things idk.

6. Not all the phighters n npcs are in the same grade!!! The younger ones (like, Shuriken, Slingshot, Rocket, etc) would be in like 9th-10th grade. While the older ones (Katana, Ban Hammer, etc) would be in like, 12th grade. And then Lightblox is like. In 7th grade.

7. The skins would prolly be like. Halloween costumes or just different outfits!!

Scratches my head yeah that’s it for now ermm!!

However, I do have 2 characters (sorta) designed with names. PLEASE THIS IS OLD ART FROM LEGIT MONTHS AGO 😣😣😣 I’ll redesign them soon,,,,,

okayy that’s it 🫶🫶 thank you for reading abt my silly little au that popped up in my brain. 4 months ago,,

If anyone wants to, y’all can also design other phighters/npcs/sfoth and give them names n stuff 🫡. except erm, for Boombox cause a close friend wants to design him!! Everyone else is free for grabs :3c

[enemiestolovershoe]

Fighting the Truth

Chris Sturniolo x enemy!reader

Summary: Chris and Y/N have fought for years, but after another heated argument, their feelings change, leading to unexpected love and a complicated new beginning.

Words: 4.7k

Warnings: fighting, cursing, drinking, making out, let me know if I missed something

Disclaimer: While the characters in this story are inspired by real people, the events and interactions are purely fictional and not reflective of reality.

You’d known the Sturniolo triplets quite literally since the day you were born. Your moms had met in the hospital, sharing the same room as they brought you and the boys into the world. From that moment on, your lives had been intertwined, your families becoming an unshakable unit.

Growing up, you, Matt, and Nick were inseparable. As soon as you could walk, you were a team: climbing trees, building pillow forts, and getting into all kinds of trouble together. But with Chris, it was different. It had always been different.

Your first argument with him happened when you were barely old enough to form complete sentences. He’d stolen the red crayon from your hand mid-drawing, insisting that he “needed it more,” and from then on, it was like a switch had flipped. If there was something to fight over, you and Chris would find it. Toys, art supplies, video games—nothing was off-limits.

As you grew older, the arguments evolved. What started as petty squabbles turned into full-blown shouting matches. Snarky remarks became cutting insults, and any room you two occupied was guaranteed to become a battleground. Now, at 21, it felt like the fighting had reached a breaking point.

You hated it.

You hated the way Chris could get under your skin with just one look. You hated how you couldn’t stop yourself from snapping back at him, no matter how hard you tried. Most of all, you hated how your constant arguing was starting to strain your friendship with Matt and Nick. The thought of losing them because of your inability to get along with their brother kept you up at night.

You wouldn’t dare tell anyone, but the stress of it all had you crying yourself to sleep more nights than not.

And now, here you were, sitting in an airport at 5 a.m., dreading the hours-long flight to Boston for your dad’s birthday grill party. It was supposed to be a happy occasion—a family celebration. Instead, you were bracing yourself for yetanother long weekend of biting your tongue and avoiding unnecessary fights.

The airport was unusually quiet for 5 a.m., the soft hum of vending machines and the occasional overhead announcement the only sounds breaking the stillness. You sat cross-legged in an uncomfortable plastic chair, scrolling through your phone while Matt and Nick argued over snacks a few seats down. Chris was leaning against a column, staring blankly out the window at the planes on the tarmac.

It wasn’t like him to be this quiet, but you chalked it up to the early hour. No one was particularly chipper at this time of day.

“Okay, so… do I go with the peanut butter crackers or the pretzels?” Nick turned to you, holding up both options. “Help me out here.”

You barely looked up. “The pretzels. Peanut butter crackers are just sad at 5 a.m.”

“Thank you!” Nick grinned, shoving the crackers into Matt’s hand. “You’re officially outvoted, Matt.”

Matt rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smirking. “You’re both tasteless. Peanut butter crackers are elite.”

“Elite in what, choking hazards?” you shot back, earning a laugh from Nick and a mock offended gasp from Matt.

Chris hadn’t said a word, which felt… odd. Normally, he’d have jumped in with some snarky comment by now, and the two of you would be trading barbs before the conversation even had a chance to breathe. You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye, but his expression was unreadable, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

“Alright, we’re boarding in twenty minutes,” Matt announced, checking his watch. “Everyone got everything? Chargers? Neck pillows? Emotional stability?”

“I left that at home,” you said dryly, tucking your phone into your bag.

“Shocker,” Chris muttered under his breath, just loud enough for you to hear.

There he was.

You shot him a glare, but before you could respond, Nick clapped his hands together. “Okay, truce! No fighting until we land in Boston. That’s the rule.”

“Since when?” you and Chris said in unison, both turning to Nick with identical looks of disbelief.

“Since now,” Nick said firmly. “Matt, back me up here.”

Matt shrugged. “I mean, it’d be nice if we could make it through one trip without you two trying to kill each other.”

“Fine,” you said through gritted teeth, glaring at Chris. “I’m perfectly capable of keeping the peace.”

“Same,” Chris said, matching your tone.

The four of you made your way to the gate as the boarding announcement echoed through the terminal. Chris ended up directly behind you in line, and you could feel his presence like an itch you couldn’t scratch.

When you finally found your row on the plane, you froze.

“No. No, no, no,” Chris groaned, stopping just behind you.

“What?” you asked, turning to face him.

“My seat.” He pointed to the one beside yours, his face twisted in a mix of disbelief and frustration. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What’s the problem?” Matt asked from across the aisle, already settling into his seat.

Chris gestured dramatically between you and himself. “I’m stuck next to her for a six-hour flight. Six. Hours.”

“Oh, for god’s sake,” you snapped, shoving your bag into the overhead compartment. “Sit down and stop complaining. It’s not like either of us has a choice.”

Chris muttered something under his breath but slid into the seat next to you, his movements stiff and exaggerated as if to emphasize just how put out he was.

Nick leaned over from his seat behind you, grinning. “You two gonna hold hands and sing kumbaya now, or should we prep for turbulence in more ways than one?”

“Shut up, Nick,” you and Chris said at the same time, glaring at him.

“See? You’re already bonding,” Nick said with a laugh, retreating back into his seat.

You sighed heavily, pulling out your AirPods Max and slipping them over your ears. Maybe, just maybe, you could get through this flight without losing your mind.

The flight was tense but manageable. A few arguments broke out between you and Chris, mostly about trivial things like him invading your space or you hogging the armrest.

“Can you stop elbowing me every two seconds?” you hissed, shooting him an annoyed look as he shifted in his seat.

“Maybe if you didn’t claim the entire armrest like it’s your personal property,” Chris shot back.

“It’s called sharing, ever heard of it?”

“Not with you.”

“Children,” Matt interrupted from across the aisle, leaning over. “The flight is almost over. Can we not do this right now?”

You both huffed but fell silent, turning your attention elsewhere.

When the plane finally landed, you exhaled in relief. The four of you grabbed your bags, picked up the rental car, and began the drive to your childhood homes. The plan was to stop at your house first since the party had already begun, and the Sturniolo parents were eager to see you.

In the car, the mood was mostly light. Matt and Nick were recounting funny stories from past flights, trying to keep the energy up. But you couldn’t shake the heaviness in your chest. The constant fighting with Chris was wearing you down more than you wanted to admit. You leaned your head against the window, your eyes unfocused as the scenery blurred past.

Nick, ever perceptive, noticed your quietness and nudged you gently. “Hey, you good? What’s up?”

You shook your head, not trusting yourself to speak. The lump in your throat was already forming.

Unfortunately, Chris caught the interaction. “What now? Lost your voice?” he quipped, his tone laced with irritation.

That was the breaking point.

“Chris, just shut the fuck up once in your life. Please.” Your voice cracked as frustration bubbled over, and the car fell silent.

Matt cleared his throat awkwardly. “Okay, so… uh, let’s put on some music, yeah?” He fiddled with the radio, trying to diffuse the tension.

You stayed silent for the rest of the drive, staring out the window as tears pricked your eyes.

When you arrived at your parents’ house, the party was already in full swing. The smell of grilled food filled the air, and the sound of laughter drifted from the backyard. You plastered on a smile as you greeted your parents, giving your dad a quick hug and wishing him a happy birthday. But the tightness in your chest hadn’t gone away, and the moment you were inside, you excused yourself to the bathroom.

Locking the door behind you, you let the tears fall freely. The combination of exhaustion, frustration, and Chris’s constant jabs was too much to handle. You slid down to the floor, your knees pulled to your chest as you tried to muffle your sobs.

A soft knock at the door startled you. “It’s me, Y/N,” Nick’s voice came through, calm and gentle. “Let me in, please. I know something’s bothering you.”

You hesitated for a moment before sighing deeply and unlocking the door.

Nick opened it slowly, his face falling when he saw you curled up on the floor, tears streaming down your face. “Oh, dear, what’s wrong?” He crouched down and pulled you into a tight hug.

The dam broke.

“I don’t know why Chris hates me so fucking much,” you cried, your voice shaking. “I can’t do this fighting anymore, Nick. I’m so scared I’m going to lose you and Matt, too, if this shit keeps up.”

Nick pulled back slightly, his hands resting on your shoulders. “Y/N, listen to me. You’re not going to lose us, okay? Matt and I—we’re not going anywhere. And as for Chris…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “I know he can be a pain in the ass, but he doesn’t hate you. He really doesn’t.”

“Sure feels like it,” you muttered, wiping your eyes with the sleeve of your sweater.

Nick gave you a small smile. “You and Chris have been at each other’s throats since we were kids. But there’s more to it than just hating each other. I think you know that, too.”

You shook your head, not wanting to unpack whatever Nick was implying. “I just want it to stop, Nick. I can’t keep doing this.”

“I know.” He pulled you into another hug. “We’ll figure it out, okay? But for now, let’s get you cleaned up and back outside. Your parents missed you, and I’m pretty sure Matt’s already raided the dessert table.”

You let out a weak laugh. “Okay.”

Nick helped you to your feet and handed you a tissue from the counter. “Freshen up, and I’ll meet you out there.”

Once you’d composed yourself, you headed back to the backyard with Nick by your side. The party was in full swing, with neighbors and family chatting around the grill and kids running through the garden.

Chris’s eyes landed on you almost immediately. He noticed your red-rimmed eyes, the way your smile didn’t quite reach your eyes, and the faint tension in your shoulders. For a brief moment, his expression softened, but he didn’t say anything.

The rest of the evening passed in a haze. You had a few glasses of wine to calm your nerves, letting the alcohol take the edge off your emotions. Meanwhile, the triplets stuck to White Claws, Nick and Matt laughing as they attempted to shotgun them.

Chris, however, seemed quieter than usual, his gaze flickering to you now and then as if trying to figure out what was really going on.

The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting a golden glow across the backyard. You were sprawled out on a deck chair, sipping your who-knows-how-many-th glass of wine. The sunset was stunning, painting the sky in hues of orange, pink, and purple, but your focus was starting to blur from the alcohol coursing through your system.

Grill parties like this always had a way of loosening you up, and tonight was no different. The mix of family, nostalgia, and endless wine was a comforting escape from the tension that seemed to follow you and Chris wherever you went.

Nearby, Nick and Matt were sitting at the outdoor table with your parents, sharing stories and laughing loudly. Their contagious giggles drifted through the warm evening air, adding to the lighthearted atmosphere. Chris was off to the side, perched on the armrest of a chair with a half-empty White Claw in hand. He wasn’t completely sober anymore, either; you could tell by the slight sway in his movements and the lazy smirk that seemed permanently etched on his face.

Despite the cheerful scene, everyone had noticed you weren’t quite yourself tonight. Your usual energy was dulled, your laughter softer, and your smiles fleeting. But no one pushed you to explain—they seemed to sense that tonight wasn’t the time.

You tipped back the last sip of your wine, the familiar warmth spreading through your chest. Deciding you needed a refill, you swung your legs off the deck chair and tried to stand. Big mistake.

The world tilted beneath you, and before you could steady yourself, you stumbled forward and fell unceremoniously onto the grass.

A burst of laughter erupted from you as you lay there, and it only grew louder when Chris, of all people, joined in.

“Did you see that?” you managed to wheeze between giggles, pointing at absolutely nothing. “Hahaha, I just—” You dissolved into another fit of laughter.

Chris was laughing, too, his cheeks flushed from the alcohol. “Yeah, you fell over like a wet bag,” he slurred, his words a little too drawn out.

Nick and Matt exchanged wide-eyed glances, clearly bracing for the inevitable argument that usually followed any interaction between you and Chris. But to their surprise—and relief—it didn’t happen.

Instead, you laughed even harder, clutching your stomach. “A wet bag! That’s so—hahaha—accurate!”

Chris chuckled, taking another sip of his drink. “Glad my pain is your entertainment.”

Your mom, who had been watching from the table, raised an eyebrow. “Sweetie, are you okay?” she called, her voice tinged with amusement.

“Mom!” you yelled back, still giggling uncontrollably. “Where’s the wine?”

“In the kitchen, honey, but don’t you think you’ve had enough?” she asked, her concern evident.

You waved her off, stumbling to your feet. “Nah, I want one more, then I’m heading to bed!” You walked over to her, planting a kiss on her cheek before making your way toward the house.

As you crossed the threshold into the kitchen, you tripped over the door’s metal threshold but managed to catch yourself at the last second. “Whoops!” you giggled to yourself, continuing your unsteady journey to the counter where the wine bottles were neatly lined up.

Back outside, Nick frowned as he watched you disappear into the house. “I’m gonna go check on her,” he said, starting to rise from his seat.

Chris stopped him, placing a hand on his arm. “No, let me.”

Nick and Matt both turned to him with raised eyebrows, their expressions a mix of confusion and suspicion.

“You?” Nick asked, his tone dripping with doubt.

“Yes, me.” Chris sighed, running a hand through his hair. “She’s already pissed at me. If you go in there and she thinks you’re babysitting her, she’ll probably be even more upset.”

Nick narrowed his eyes. “Okay, but if you hurt her or upset her even more, I will literally break your face, Christopher.”

“Nicolas!” MaryLou’s voice cut through the tension, scandalized by her son’s words.

“What, Mom?” Nick said defensively, gesturing toward Chris. “They’ve been fighting for twenty years. Twenty. I’m not about to let him go in there and make things worse.”

“Oh, dear god,” your mom muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Same,” MaryLou agreed, shaking her head as if exhausted by the ongoing saga between you and Chris.

Chris rolled his eyes but didn’t respond to Nick’s threat. Instead, he set his White Claw down on the table and stood, his movements unsteady as he made his way toward the house.

You made your way to the counter where the wine bottles stood neatly arranged. Deciding to skip the usual half-glass rule, you poured your glass completely full, concentrating hard to avoid spilling. The red liquid swirled dangerously close to the rim as you steadied the bottle and placed it back on the counter.

“Perfect,” you muttered, lifting the glass to your lips for a sip. You barely had time to savor it when a voice startled you from behind.

“Hey, can we talk?” Chris’s voice broke the silence.

You jumped, spilling half the glass of wine down the front of your white top. The cold liquid seeped into the fabric, staining it a deep red as it clung to your skin.

“Are you fucking serious right now, Chris?” you snapped, your tone sharp and filled with frustration.

Chris held his hands up in surrender, his expression genuine. “Oh shit, I didn’t mean to scare you! Please don’t be mad. That wasn’t my intention.”

You groaned, setting the now-wine-slick glass on the counter before tugging your shirt over your head. “Why are you even here?” you demanded, moving to the sink to run the stained shirt under water.

Standing there in just your bra and skirt, you didn’t think twice about it. The Sturniolos had seen you in bikinis countless times over the years. This wasn’t any different, right? But Chris, on the other hand, suddenly looked... different. His eyes widened slightly before darting to the side, as if trying to respect your space.

“Uh, I—uh—wanted to talk?” he stammered, clearly nervous now.

“About what?” you asked, your words slurring slightly from the wine, but your tone carried the same sharp edge as before.

Chris shifted uncomfortably, running a hand through his hair. “Can you please just talk to me normally? This is serious.”

You turned to face him, eyebrows raised in disbelief. “Seriously?” you scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Chris, I’ve been trying to have a normal conversation with you for the last ten years, but you always find some way to insult me or start a fight. Every. Single. Time.”

Your voice rose with each word as you grew angrier, slapping the damp shirt onto the counter. Chris opened his mouth to say something, but you cut him off.

“I am so done with this shit,” you continued, your voice trembling slightly as the frustration bubbled over. “I don’t even know what your problem is with me, but I’m sick of it. I don’t want to lose Nick and Matt because you decided, for whatever reason, that you can’t stand me.”

Chris flinched at your words, his jaw tightening, but he stayed quiet.

“Grow a pair of balls and grow up already,” you snapped, your voice shaking now from a mix of anger and suppressed emotions. “I am done here.”

Your last words echoed in the kitchen, hanging heavy in the tense silence that followed. Your outburst was loud enough that you were certain everyone outside had heard it. Even the faint sound of Nick’s laughter had gone quiet.

Chris’s face was unreadable as he took a step closer, his eyes locked on yours. “Fucking shut the fuck up already,” he muttered under his breath.

Before you could even process his words, Chris leaned in, closing the distance between you. His lips crashed against yours in a deep, heated kiss, silencing any retort you might have had.

You pulled back almost instantly, your wide eyes meeting Chris’s. “What the fuck are you doing, Chris?”

Chris’s chest rose and fell as he caught his breath, his gaze intense and unwavering. “The one thing I’ve been too scared to do—and too scared to admit—for the last couple of years.”

Before you could even formulate a response, Chris leaned in again, his lips capturing yours with renewed urgency. This time, you didn’t pull away. You kissed him back, your anger and confusion melting into the background as the warmth of the moment overtook you.

The sound of laughter drifted in from outside, faint through the kitchen walls. It grounded you for a second, reminding you that your family and friends were just outside. But you shoved the thought aside, too lost in the way Chris’s hands held your face like you were something fragile and precious.

Your tongues clashed in a heated rhythm, each of you unwilling to back down, a continuation of your endless battles—but this time, it was something else entirely. Chris’s hand slid down to yours, his fingers intertwining with yours firmly as he stepped back.

“Come with me,” he said, his voice low and breathless.

You didn’t even question it. Nodding slightly, you let him lead you upstairs to your old bedroom. Chris pushed the door open with his free hand before pulling you inside and shutting it behind you.

The second the door clicked shut, Chris was on you again, his hands on your waist as he backed you against the wall. The cool surface of the wall sent a shiver down your spine, but it was nothing compared to the fire in Chris’s kiss.

It felt like hours had passed as you made out, the intensity of it all-consuming you both.

As his fingers brushed the edge of your bra, Chris broke the kiss, his lips hovering inches from yours. His voice was unsteady when he spoke, his breath mingling with yours.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” Chris asked, his tone laced with frustration and longing.

You blinked up at him, your thoughts still hazy from the kiss. “I don’t—Chris, what are we even doing? This doesn’t make sense—”

“Doesn’t make sense?” Chris interrupted, his forehead resting against yours. “The only thing that hasn’t made sense is me pretending like I don’t want you. I’ve spent years acting like an idiot, fighting with you just to get your attention. And yeah, I was scared—scared you’d never feel the same.”

Your heart skipped a beat as you processed his words. “So all this time... you’ve been picking fights with me because you—because you liked me?”

“Liked you?” Chris laughed softly, the sound almost self-deprecating. “No, Y/N. I didn’t just like you. I’ve been in love with you for years. I just didn’t know how to handle it.”

You stared at him, speechless, your mind racing to catch up with what he’d just admitted.

“Say something,” Chris murmured, his vulnerability showing through the cracks in his voice.

“I—” Your voice faltered as you searched for the right words. “I don’t know what to say, Chris. I never thought—I mean, I just assumed you hated me.”

Chris’s lips curled into a small, almost sad smile. “Hate you? God, no. I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I hated that every time you smiled or laughed, it made me want you even more.”

Your breath caught in your throat, your chest tightening as the weight of his confession settled over you. “Chris, I—”

Whatever you were about to say was interrupted by the sound of the door flying open.

You and Chris jumped apart like teenagers caught by a parent, both of you turning to see Matt and Nick standing in the doorway, their eyes wide with shock.

“Okay,” Matt said slowly, breaking the silence. “I did not see that one coming.”

Nick, however, didn’t look as surprised. He crossed his arms over his chest, a smirk playing on his lips. “I did,” he admitted.

“What?” Chris asked, his cheeks flushing.

Nick shrugged. “I mean, after twenty years of you two bickering like an old married couple, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. Honestly, I’m just glad you didn’t kill each other after that shouting match in the kitchen.”

“Wait, what are you two doing up here, anyway?” you asked, your voice still slightly slurred from the wine.

Nick raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Damn, girl, are you still drunk?”

“Yeah, I’m still drunk,” you admitted, your tone sharp but flustered. “Now answer my question, please.”

Nick leaned casually against the doorframe, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. “Matt and I want to play Mario Kartdownstairs in the living room. Your old Wii is still hooked up,” he explained, his tone light and teasing.

You blinked, your brain struggling to process his words through the haze of wine and adrenaline. “The Wii? That thing still works?”

“Apparently,” Matt chimed in, stepping into view. “We were going through some of the old stuff in the cabinets, and Nick found it. Figured it’d be fun to see if we’ve still got it.”

Nick’s grin widened. “I’m gonna crush all of you, just saying.”

You rolled your eyes, still pressed against the wall as you tried to gather yourself. “Uh, yeah. Sure. Give us five minutes—I need a shirt.” Your voice came out flustered and a little slurred, the weight of the situation catching up to you.

“Good idea,” Nick said with a chuckle, his gaze bouncing between you and Chris. “Wouldn’t want to scare anyone with all that... passion you’ve got going on here.”

Your face burned, and you were about to snap back when Matt clapped his hands together. “Alright, alright, let’s give them a minute. But don’t take too long, or we’re starting without you.”

The two of them turned and disappeared back down the hall, their footsteps fading as they headed toward the stairs.

The moment they were out of earshot, you let out a long breath, your back sliding against the wall until you were sitting on the floor. “Oh my God,” you muttered, burying your face in your hands.

Chris crouched down in front of you, his expression soft but uncertain. “Hey,” he said quietly, reaching out to touch your arm. “Are you okay?”

You peeked at him through your fingers, your emotions a jumble of embarrassment, frustration, and something else you couldn’t quite name. “I don’t know, Chris,” you admitted, your voice muffled. “This is just... a lot.”

Chris nodded, sitting back on his heels. “Yeah. It is. But... I meant everything I said earlier. I know I was an ass—hell, I’ve been an ass for years—but I wasn’t lying about how I feel.”

You dropped your hands, looking up at him with tired eyes. “And you think this”—you gestured between the two of you—“is going to magically fix everything? Chris, we’ve been at each other’s throats since we were kids. I don’t even know how to wrap my head around this.”

“I don’t either,” Chris admitted, his voice quiet but steady. “But I know I want to try. I don’t want to keep fighting with you, Y/N. I’m tired of pretending I don’t care when I do.”

His words hit you harder than you expected, and for a moment, you were too stunned to respond. Finally, you sighed, shaking your head. “Chris... I don’t know.”

Chris reached out, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. “I’ll take ‘I don’t know’ over ‘I hate you’ any day,” he said with a small, hopeful smile.

You couldn’t help but laugh, the sound soft and a little shaky. “Okay,” you said finally. “Let’s just... see where this goes. No promises.”

Chris nodded, his smile growing. “Fair enough.”

Standing up, he extended a hand to help you to your feet. You hesitated, then took it, letting him pull you up. “Now, let’s get you a shirt before Matt and Nick start a full-blown tournament without us.”

You snorted. “Fine. But I’m still drunk, so if I lose, I’m blaming the wine.”

Chris smirked. “Deal.”

Together, the two of you rummaged through your old dresser until you found a shirt. Pulling it on quickly, you tried to ignore the way Chris’s eyes lingered on you for just a moment too long.

“Ready?” he asked, his tone casual but his expression warm.

“Yeah,” you said, brushing past him and heading toward the door. “Let’s go show those idiots who’s boss.”

As you both made your way downstairs, you couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of nervousness and excitement. Things weren’t perfect, but for the first time in years, it felt like you and Chris were on the same page.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

Taglist: @courta13 @sophand4n4