#and it was. yeah. really unsettling for me o

[acediscowlng]

idk at what point i decided charles was aromantic but i physically cannot write him as anything else anymore

[pauli-writes]

Could I request Aventurine with a jewelry maker s/o?

warning: light 2.1 spoilers (just that aventurine shattered his cornerstone), references to gambling, aventurine is a little mean

pairing: aventurine x reader

author’s note: thank you anon! i had so much fun writing this! (it was a good distraction from thinking about my presentation for class) this is really short again and beware that i know nothing about jewels or the likes that part was all google, but i hope you enjoy it anyways!

“so, you think it’s possible?” he was insane, out of his mind. he wanted you of all people to shatter the cornerstone the ipc has given him, something like that could probably be considered blasphemous by the ipc, you could be put on trial or worse for this.

However you didn’t say anything close to this to his face, instead only nodding along like a good little partner. “yeah, but we could get in trouble for it. i mean real trouble-“

“i know, i know,” he cut you off with a wave of his hand, starting to walk around you like a predator circling his prey. it would be unsettling for most, but you were already used to it. “but you’ll still help me right?”

you paused and looked at the beautiful aventurine stone lying on your worktable, before slowly looking back up at your blond partner in crime. “aventurine… can i be honest with you?”

“always, my sweet.” he mused with a charming smile, but you could tell inside he was not pleased about you making a fuss about this simple task he asked of you.

“this is a big gamble.”

“you’re saying that like i’m not aware of it.”

you shook your head apologetically, “i didn’t mean to insult you. it’s just- what if the risk isn’t worth the reward this time?”

his smile momentarily turned into a fake frown as he cupped your cheeks in his hands, before turning back into an amused smile. “my dear, have you not been listening to me? don’t you know? the house always wins.”

“and we are the house...“ you finished, turning aventurine’s smile into a smirk as he let go of your face.

“so, you do remember after all.“ he mused, wrapping an arm around your shoulders as you both gazed at the stone in the table. his grip on you tightened subtly, a small reminder that he was the one with a position in power and you only had a small little jewellery shop that you could barely keep afloat. “just don’t think too much about it. i have everything under control, so take this ugly cornerstone and turn it into something elegant, presentable and most importantly undetectable.”

you nodded and he let you get to work. you sat in front of the stone, inspecting it before even attempting to shatter it. after all this stone was said to have sealed the authority of an emanator of preservation within it, which basically meant it was dangerous as heck and you had to be careful about it.

you let out a sigh and picked up the stone, painfully aware of aventurine’s careful and scrutinising gaze on you.

“aventurine is such a pretty stone, you know?”you began, turning it in the light, letting light refract from it, “it’s a symbol of good luck, but you probably already knew that… it’s also very easily mistaken for jade for the untrained eye…”

his expression shifted slightly as you mentioned that, “oh, really?”

he stepped closer again, standing right behind you and examining his stone as well. you knew aventurine liked pretty and expensive things, he dressed up to the part he wanted to play, you remembered when he first stepped into your shop he had no clue about what was fine expensive jewellery and what was just something cheaply made and sold for an expensive price. it’s almost funny that his own stone was never a part of those conversations.

you nodded your head, presenting the aventurine in such a way it would sparkle a little. “yeah. you can’t really tell at a glance, but aventurine has a slight glittery shimmer to it. i can barely tell the difference half the time.”

“you’re so smart, reader.” he said, making you blush a little. you were very easily flustered by praise. “i think you just gave me an even better idea. i have to leave and make a call, i’ll be back later. love you.”

he gave you a kiss on the cheek before starting to walk out of your store with a hurried step. you could barely register what he had said, a new idea? how did your info dumping give him a new idea?

you shook your head, it was futile trying to figure out what he thought. quickly you stood up and shouted after him, “love you too! don’t come back too late!”

[td-scenarios]

Request: Confessional about s/o for Cody, Scott, Justin, Heather, and Lindsey? Have a great day!

(I hope u dont mind if it's pre-relationship! u didn't clarify, but i thought them talking abt their crush on reader would be cute :] )

__________________________________________

Scott

He looks slightly disturbed being here. A shifty look in his eye, almost as if he was nervous to look directly at the camera. Every time Scott had been in to make a confessional up until this point was to explain whatever he had been planning for the competition, so this was unsettling for him to say the least.

"So, Y/N, am I right?" He started before the camera fizzed out and came back to him in a different position. "Nevermind this is stupid."

It would take a while until Scott would brave the confessional again. This time, he was gripping his head like a madman. Slowly, his head tilted up until he was holding onto his face with his eyes framed by his fingers.

"I can't take it anymore. They're perfect! My schemes can't touch 'em!" His hands had left his face and he was gesturing wildly. "I don't think I even WANT my schemes to affect them. Woah. I never thought I'd say that."

Scott blinked dumbly at the camera before a scowl took over his expression.

"Y/N I'm comin' for ya."

-

Lindsay

"Oh my gosh!" Lindsay twirled a strand of her hair around her finger as she stared off into the distance past the camera. "Do you guys think that Y/N likes me? 'Cause I toooootally like them. Like, I like-like them." A dreamy smile plastered on her face as she kept talking. "I hope they like me back. Like who wouldn't?"

She thought about what she said for a second, her expression a bit grave as it finally focused on the camera.

"People like me, right? Yeah, they do. That means Y/N has to like me." A pause. "Ooooooh, but what if they don't?" Lindsay tapped her chin in thought at the idea. "Whatever! They're really cute and like smart and amazing!" The blonde finally stopped talking and just sat there with her head resting on her hands as she let out a wistful sigh. This pause continued for about a minute before she finally perked up and tilted her head at the camera.

"Wait, is this still going?"

-

Justin

The model tapped his finger on the vanity as he was thinking about what he should say. He finally looked up and fixed his hair in the mirror as he started talking.

"I never thought I'd meet anyone as gorgeous as me. And I haven't. But Y/N comes pretty close and that's dangerous. They're stunning and their wit is unmatched." His lips puckered in defeat since his hair wasn't falling the way he wanted to. Ultimately, he gave up on it as he kept talking.

"Maybe I should go for an alliance with them. The thought of getting Y/N voted off just...doesn't sit right with me. But I also can't have this sort of competition."

Justin sat there with a frown, not really knowing what his plans would become at this stage. He sighed before he shot a smirk back up at the camera.

"I need to stop with all this thinking, it's making me ugly."

-

Heather

"They're insufferable!" Heather growled, folding her arms across her body while glaring off to the side. "All they do is be stupidly kind and have a dumb face and...and...and well they piss me off!"

"I need Y/N out of this game. Pronto! If I am to keep my game face on then Y/N has to go. They're totally messing everything up!"

Heather huffed and continued stewing in her anger. Eventually, she kept sputtering on some anger fueled words before letting out a frustrated groan.

"I can't believe this is happening..." She grumbled, scrunching in on herself more.

Before the camera fizzed out, a slight smile was seen on Heather's face as she let out a dreamy sigh.

-

Cody

"Wow. Y/N..." Cody sat there, staring at the camera with the most overjoyed look on his face. "They're probably the first person I've ever found attractive that is actually giving me the time of day! This is great!!"

Cody silently cheered, raising his arms in the air with a big smile on his face. Once his tiny little self-contained celebration was over he finally began speaking once more.

"I really really hope they like me back. Wouldn't that be awesome?" He got a bit closer to the camera, a smile on his face.

"I mean, they don't push me away, they're not mean to me, and they actually laugh at my jokes! I think that the Codemeister has finally done it." His ecstatic boy-ish demeanor quickly replaced with a more smug one.

"Or, at least, I hope so."

[tinyundercover]

pepper & felix

part two

In this universe, when a person turns 21, they gain the ability to communicate with their soulmate telepathically. For the borrower Pepper, this turns out to be quite a shock.

MASTERPOST word count: 1.5k

Pepper sat on top of the cabinet, legs crossed underneath him. Up here, perched at the very edge, Pepper could see the entire kitchen.

The human had returned from class about an hour ago, and was now moving around the kitchen, making dinner. The sight of the human chopping up vegetables with a massive knife three times Pepper’s size was unsettling, but the borrower was comforted by the safety of the high cabinet.

Quiet music played from the human’s phone, down on the counter, while the human hummed along. He seemed practically harmless from here.

Pepper swallowed, thinking of his soulmate, who hadn’t contacted him since their strange ordeal this morning. The knowledge that he was connected somehow to a human made him shudder… that this human could one day figure out who he was— what he was…

“This sucks,” Pepper mumbled under his breath, quiet so that the human below didn’t hear.

He had spent his entire day pacing around his room, unable to focus on his tasks. All he could think about was humans and their freakishly giant hands. He knew that they were dangerous; that knowledge had been instilled in him since he was two years old. But were borrowers and humans similar enough that they could be soulmates? Was there a human out there that wasn’t too terrifying or selfish to actually love a borrower?

With nothing else to focus on, Pepper chose to climb up to the top of the cabinet so that he could spy on the closest human to him. Pepper had lived here for a little over a year, but he didn’t know much about this human, since he spent so much of his time avoiding him. His entire schedule revolved around the human’s.

Pepper stretched his arms above his head absentmindedly as the human scraped the vegetables into a bowl. His stomach growled softly, and he tensed— but it was far too quiet for the human to hear.

Pepper hadn’t had a real vegetable in ages. Most of them were hard to store for long periods of time, so he never really bothered. He’d never been picky about the food he put in his body, as long as he stayed alive.

The human showed terrifying amounts of strengths as he picked up knives and cutting boards with ease, and Pepper tried to imagine actually interacting with a human. The mere thought of a hand closing around him made him shut the idea down entirely.

Thirty minutes later, as the human was sitting down to eat dinner, Pepper stood up and turned around. His mind continued to wander even as he snuck into the walls.

After a moment's hesitation, he interlocked his fingers and held them against his chest. “Hello?”

It took a few moments, but eventually a voice entered his mind. “Hey!”

Pepper swallowed. It was only a voice, but the fact that he was being acknowledged by a human still made him shudder. 

“How was your day?” Pepper asked carefully, leaning against a wooden beam. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine that he was talking to another borrower.

“Oh, it was alright. Classes were a little boring. But me and some of my theater friends signed up for an audition next week, so that’s pretty exciting. How was yours?”

Pepper furrowed his brow. He vaguely understood what most of those words meant, but a few stumped him, like “theater” and “audition.” “That sounds exciting,” he responded, wondering what humans actually did outside of their apartments. “I…”

Fuck. What was he supposed to say?

“I’ve been making some clothes,” he said honestly, shifting on his feet. “I’ve been sort of stressed, and it helps.”

“Oh no, why are you stressed?” His soulmate sounded genuinely concerned. Pepper wasn’t sure how to explain to this human that it was him.

“Oh, you know… just… the whole ‘soulmates’ thing is new to me.” He swallowed hard.

There was a pause. “Yeah, I understand. I didn’t really date much in high school or anything. It’s definitely strange to have this mind connection with you, since we don’t really know each other, but… you just feel special to me. I wish I could know your name.”

Pepper found himself on the ground, with his back against the wall. He rested his head back and exhaled. “Right. It’s… strange.” He tried to picture how tall his soulmate was, if he would tower over him. Who was he kidding, of course he would. “What do you… look like?”

“Oh, well— I’m 5’10”, I’m blonde, and I have blue eyes. My friend says that I look like a ghost sometimes.” His soulmate had a significantly brighter tone when he responded. “What about you? What do you look like?”

Pepper tried to imagine a 5’10” ghost standing over him, and his stomach twisted, both in anxiety and in amusement. “I have black hair,” he said. He hadn’t seen his face in a mirror in ages, but he was fairly certain what his features looked like. “My eyes are… gray. I don’t know how tall I am exactly, but, um, you’re definitely taller than me.”

It was nice not having to lie. 

“You sound handsome,” his soulmate said jokingly. The corner of Pepper’s lips twitched into a smile. “It was nice hearing from you— I have to eat dinner now, but I can talk to you later?”

To Pepper’s surprise, he was disappointed. He nodded at nobody. “Yeah, of course, no worries. Talk to you later.”

——

The salad bowl clinked as Felix set it beside the sink, and he stepped back to brush his hands off. He normally cleaned his dishes immediately as he hated leaving dirty dishes out, but he had some homework to finish up, and then he needed to figure out what song to use for his audition. The dishes could wait.

As he retreated to his couch, opening up his laptop and setting it on his knees, he thought briefly of his soulmate. After their strange conversation this morning, he had spent the day worrying, but talking to him briefly before dinner had alleviated his fears. His soulmate seemed fine, just… a bit stressed.

He typed absentmindedly. He pictured a black-haired, gray-eyed man, sitting with him.

Something clattered in the kitchen, and Felix snapped his head up. His living space was essentially one large room, but his kitchen was a small subsection which was partially out of his line of sight from his couch. “Hello?” He asked warily, knowing full well nobody would respond.

He set his laptop on the couch and walked to the kitchen in a few short strides. His salad bowl was right where he left it, besides the sink, but a fork had been knocked out of his bowl and had fallen to the floor somehow. Huh.

Glancing around the kitchen, he scooped the fork up from the floor, dropping it in the sink. After a moment he picked up the salad bowl and set to work scraping the remaining pieces of spinach into the trash. He might as well clean up while he was here.

A soft voice entered his mind as he was rinsing the bowl out in the sink. “Hey, hi. What are you up to?”

Felix’s hands were full, and he unfortunately couldn’t respond, even if he wanted to. Just as he was about to dry his hands off, the voice continued. “You’re probably busy, no worries. I hope you don’t mind if I just ramble a little. I’m kind of panicking right now and I just need to calm down and the best way to do that is focus on you and take my mind off of things, I think.”

Felix’s soulmate seemed to get himself into a lot of stressful situations. The human raised his eyebrows thoughtfully.

“So, um, I’ve been working on this jacket. I want to make it with some extra pockets— big ones— so that I can carry more stuff. I only have the main torso part done, and I need to make the sleeves. It’s actually fun. I love sewing.”

Listening to his soulmate ramble was actually pleasant. Felix’s mouth quirked into a smile, and as he went to set the clean salad bowl into a cabinet, his hand slipped on it.

“I think— FUCK!”

Amazingly, Felix’s soulmate yelled in his mind just as the bowl hit the counter, shattering in half with an echoing crack. Both Felix and the voice in his mind went silent, and the human stepped back in surprise, staring at the broken glass. “Ugh, of course,” he grumbled, searching to find cleaning supplies.

It was only a few seconds later did he realize that his soulmate had gone quiet. He took a moment to press his hands against his chest. “Hey, everything okay?”

A long, long pause. “Yeah, yeah, it’s fine, everything’s fine! Sorry. Anyways, I’m using blue fabric for my jacket…”

Felix couldn’t brush the uneasy feeling away as he cleaned up the broken bowl. He could have sworn his soulmate’s shout had been much clearer than his other words. And it almost seemed to have been in response to the bowl shattering. But… that would be impossible. He was completely alone in his apartment.

Of course, he couldn’t see the small borrower concealed behind a mug barely two feet away, clutching a piece of spinach to his chest.

thank you for reading!! i appreciate the kind words and reposts :))

[im-not-samantha-im-samanta]

I’d like to request PIB Death’s reaction to his GN!s/o coming up to him one day and booping his nose. I’ve been thinking about this a lot haha-

Hello there! ^^

Thank you for your request, it's a very cute idea! Though truth be told, I struggled with this one so much - I couldn't figure out how Death would react! Not to mention I hated whatever I wrote-

Also, so sorry for how long it took me to write this, like I've said, I been struggling with this one BUT also been struggling mentally, so yeah. (⁠;⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ⁠)

I also just read a good fic with Death, then read this one I wrote and realized I'm not good at portraying Death...yeah imma end myself now (⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠෴⁠ ⁠༎ຶ⁠)(⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠෴⁠ ⁠༎ຶ⁠).

Anyways, I couldn't really decide if I wanted to do imagines or a fic, but ended up going with a short fic... or more like... a drabble? (⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠)

I kind of experimented with my style, felt like adding it a different feel. Hope y'all like this one nonetheless! ^^"

___________________________________________

{Death, his s/o, and nose boops}

Settings: I don't think I specified it throughout the story. Though a bit more of a romantic vibe, I think?

Genre: Pure fluff! :3

!TRIGGER WARNING!: Don't think there's any! Maybe just brief talks of life, mortality and death, but that's to be expected with Muerte ^^,

Sidenote: Reader is written as gender neutral, but if they might have a more female feel then it's purely unintentional and I apologize!

Sidenote: I've never written full fluff fic (or more like drabble) before , so I hope I did well ^^"

-

That should be all, muffins! Feel free to read now ^^.

Hope you'll enjoy <3.

___________________________________________

Death was old as time itself.

A sad but an important part of life, he's been here since the very start.

And so, he's seen everything.

He's been there, done that, seen that, heard that,...

Yeah, he's seen everything, and it was hard to surprise Death.

Or at least, that's what he liked to claim, completely unaware of what tricks up your sleeve you, a mere mortal, still had.

And only now, when the two of you were peacefully sitting on the couch in the living room, did he face the truth that he, in fact, has not seen all after all.

You were up to something for sure, otherwise there'd be no reason for that rascally smile on your face as you slowly extended your hand towards Death, your pointer finger outstretched and aiming for Death's nose or so it seemed.

Death said nothing at that behaviour, after all, now that he was with you, he knew firsthand that mortals- humans especially - were weird creatures.

And so, he let you do your thing, having too much adoration for you to stop you.

Not to mention, a curious creature was Death, and intrigued by your actions, he just watched with a raised eyebrow and a smirk as your finger slowly neared his nose.

Then your finger was closer and closer and-

"Boop!" squeaking out in voice of high pitch, your finger tapped his nose, squishing it.

Then dead silence fell upon you.

Death was quiet, saying nothing at all.

His pointy ears had perked up though, his eyes of crimson wide as he seemed to be processing the action you'd just done.

And you had no idea what reaction to expect now.

Death was unpredictable, and figuring out his next move was something you had never succeeded in.

Nobody has, not even once.

And when the dead silence went on, filling the room like a thick fog, you couldn't help but retreat your hand and offer a nervous, meek smile.

You weren't scared of course, you knew your dear Lobo wouldn't bring you no harm, not now not ever.

But that uncertainty of what he'd do still left you wary after all.

Much to your luck, though, Death spoke at last.

"What... what was that you just did?" he questioned and a light grin stretched across his face, ruby red eyes wide and intrigued.

The expression was somewhat an unsettling one.

Death's eyes all wide, glowing, burning like wildfire, his razor sharp teeth all exposed by his twisted grin.

And combined with his massive stature and eerie aura, one could easily feel preyed upon...

But the word 'scared' did not describe how you felt at that moment.

You weren't scared, you knew better than to be distrustful of the wolf.

You trusted him fully, you didn't fear him even when he gazed at you like that.

You weren't scared.

Not when, with enough attention paid, you could notice Death's tail wagging ever so slightly.

And not when you had another giveaway of him being just intrigued by your action with no side motives - he intensely sniffed the air through his big nose with light growls rumbling in his throat.

Again, this action could seem intimidating to anyone else and could make them uneasy, but you knew that this action meant no danger - in your case that is.

In your case, you'd say it was something like when dogs panted happily when something caught their interest.

In other cases, mostly when it came to people who were reckless with their life or when it came to people who hurt others, this action had similar, but much more dangerous and terrifying meaning...

Well anyways, with that you knew you were in no real danger.

Although you still needed to be a bit cautious about what Death would do.

It could range from shrugging it off to starting a hunt with you being the prey.

"Oh... I... booped your nose...?" you answered and offered an awkward smile, unsure whether or not Death would be familiar with such term.

You didn't count on that much though.

"You... booped... my nose?" Death repeated after you, the term unfamiliar for his tongue.

And that eyebrow raise was enough for you to know your dear Lobo's never heard such word. Yet, his grin still remained the same - sly, intrigued.

Death added nothing more though, and only stared at you with his wide eyes that made you feel in the story of Little Red Riding Hood when The Big Bad Wolf stared at the little girl with wide eerie gaze, and the girl uttered those famous words: "But Grandmother, what big eyes you have!".

You wondered where your own story would lead to if you uttered those exact words to your Big Bad Wolf... Your Lobo feroz...

Nonetheless, you got the silent hint, and went ahead to elaborate what it meant to boop someone's nose.

"It's when you affectionately tap or squish someone's nose and say a 'boop'." you explained softly, smiling meekly.

Then taking a note of that light head tilt and eyebrow raise Death did at your words, you added: "It's a show of endearment,".

"It's a show of endearment," Death repeated after you as if checking he's heard correct, his voice holding a quality you couldn't really pinpoint.

Was it amusement you heard? confusion? disbelief? something else? It was hard to tell.

And then, Death fell silent once again.

It was silent again, and you weren't sure of what to do, Death being way too hard to figure out at the very moment - just like most times...

Hesitantly, you prepared to say something - anything - to break the awkward silence.

But then a chuckle came.

A chuckle came, and Death muttered: "Oh my," before covering his eyes with his paw and a grin grew on his face as his shoulders bounced ever so slightly.

Was he...?

And then it came!

Death broke into a fit of laughter.

Death was laughing!

He was wholeheartedly laughing like never before, the deep sound being sharp to the ears yet warm to the heart.

"Squishing nose and making a silly, high pitched sound to show affection!" Death exclaimed, shaking his head with amusement all written over the wolf's face as he laughed.

He seemed to be having the time of his life, and you couldn't help but smile, feeling all warm inside at the sight.

It was honestly sweet, refreshing to see Death like that, and so you didn't even risk saying something, letting your Lobo have his fun.

"My," Death breathed, his laughter eventually dying down to just an occasional chuckle, "you mortals never fail to amuse me,"

"you never really disappoint..." Death mused still shaking his head some with an amused grin on his face.

"Squishing nose and making a silly, high pitched sound to show affection..." he repeated his earlier exclamation, a light chuckle escaping him again before his half-lidded eyes found yours and he went all silent.

"Yeah, it is quite strange, isn't it?" You said lowly once your eyes locked with Death's, a meek smile playing on your face as a light chuckle left your lips as well.

It really was unusual yet amusing, you had to admit that.

Though still feeling a bit awkward in the moment, your instincts told you to ramble, which you attempted to do: "Honestly, I don't even-".

But then.

"Boop," Death muttered and his clawed finger tapped the tip of your nose!

Oh no way! Did he just-??

"Boop..." Death repeated, and chuckled at how silly the sound sounded before he did the action again.

He booped your nose and let out that silly 'boop' sound, making you peek at his finger cross-eyed and scrunch your nose as he smiled.

And right after he did all that, his ears and whole body perked up and his tail wagged all happily!

And as Death's soft smile twisted into a wide, satisfied grin and Death yet again intensely breathed through his nose, growls rumbling in his throat, the message was made clear:

You better prepare for a life filled with nose boops from now on.

Better watch out.

___________________________________________

[lemonnsss]

Moral of the Story: Chapter 8

Warnings: Mild tangent based off of an actual conversation I had (I'm actually from D.C. so this was fun), one singular bad pun- it deserves its own warning, and probably strained warning.

Feedback is always appreciated

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Taglist: @vicmc624 , @mostlymarvelgirl , @yvonneeeee, @beetlejuicesupremacy , @moonlightreader649 , @whattheduckisupkyle , @chrisevans-realwife, @nekoannie-chan , @mrsbarnes32557038 , @imyourbratzdoll , @weallhaveadestiny

Word Count: 1.8k

“Apologies but until you had agreed and were here it was still considered confidential.”

“O-okay, um, where- or how should I start?”

The director stood across the bed from me, eyebrows furrowed, the room filled with silence apart from the constant, steady beeps of the machinery.

“How the hell should I know? You’re the one with the super-abilities.”

“Right, sorry, that was dumb. Do you know if any of his internal organs were damaged when he went under? Or have you had the chance to run any tests yet?”

“I’m sorry, what crash are we talking about?” Tony said, still standing in the doorway.

Fury pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance before responding, “When the Captain here decided to take a trip twenty thousand leagues under the sea he was in a, shall we say, pseudo-nazi aircraft with a fixed route on its way to the states. His options were to let the ship take its course and let millions die or take a nosedive, he took the latter, rather obviously. Speaking of,” the attention turned to me, “how did you know that?”

“Sir, I’m a licensed teacher from pre-k to high school- I’m not by any means immune to misinformation; although, I do have a bit more knowledge on the topic than most people- not to mention my…” my mind trailed off for a moment before coming back, “former colleague taught history, rather fitting as he lived through it, too.”

His one eye began to look me up and down, “Remind me, where did you work last? Aside from with the X-Men that is.”

There was an uncertainty in his voice that made the agents who went down the elevator with us glance at each other nervously. What I had seen twice in my less-than-a-day stint of knowing this man seemed uncommon or unsettling for those who had known him longer.

“I don’t believe I said. Besides, doesn’t your file on me say?” We were both fishing for information, a push and pull I’d grown adjusted to on the flight over.

He remained silent, motioning one of the residents to come over.

“S-so we ran s-some tests-,” he took a moment to breathe and calm himself down, he spoke with a light stutter, likely to have been more prevalent in his earlier years. It sounded like he had gotten speech therapy, and was likely better, nervous, but better, “a lot of the scans were, well are, useless. His blood, everything about him really, was frozen, barely mobile. So the extent of the internal injuries he potentially sustained upon impact is uncertain. I sent for some new prints of the scans we took last week, but they haven’t come in yet; they’ll probably arrive today but it’s pretty touch and go sometimes.” He finished talking with a meek smile, likely proud of how he handled the situation.

“You did the scans last week and they’re only coming in today?” I could feel the look of confusion that overtook my face, he chuckled lightly and rubbed his neck.

“Yeah, we don’t have the equipment to produce the scans here so we send them over to the hospital over in Takoma Park to print- they have the most up-to-date machinery, and they were the only ones willing to work with us privately- so it takes a bit of time.”

“Perks of D.C., eh? Either have the most outrageous tax or go out of district.”

“Exactly! Say, did you grow up ‘round here?”

“No, up in Salem. I used to teach. I planned enough ‘government trips’ to last a few lifetimes.”

I could’ve sworn I heard him mutter a few “cool” s under his breath before he spoke up again, “It was nice getting to talk with you, but I kinda have some other patients I gotta check up on.” he moved by Fury, a “sir” slipping out as he passed and a little wave to me as he left.

The four who accompanied me in the elevator looked at each other, all but Tony practically questioning if this was normal for me.

The director cleared his throat, calling my attention back over to him, "When can you start?"

"Oh! Any time. I was only wondering how badly he was hurt so I can give you my best estimation for how long it'll take me to finish this."

“Will this not be a one-time excursion?”

“...No? Not likely.”

I was done with conversing, done with this nonsense. Placing my hand on the captain’s chest the area where we touched began to glow with a golden hue- I’d always been told my eyes did the same. It was unlike healing Tony a year ago- I didn’t have to rush, it wasn’t life or death- I could take my time and triage.

His biggest issue was hypothermia, unsurprisingly. I felt the cold move through his body to mine. A deep chill settled in my bones.

I pulled away, “Do you know if there’s a heating pad somewhere? Or something like it?” I hadn’t looked at them, afraid of how they would react. A few seconds of silence passed before I turned to them- Tony looked confused, maybe he didn’t see what my powers looked like, and he probably had some blood loss going on at the time; Fury stood unwavering with the smallest tent in his brow, but then again who could read him; the male agent who’d gone with us was standing, mouth slightly agape; and the female agent was gone slipped out without a sound- weird.

She looked like she’d be the ‘hard-ass’ type despite her being, what, 5’3”-5’4”. She was maybe Tony’s age, though it was difficult to tell, her seemingly ageless golden skin a potential factor, Tony’s substance abuse didn’t exactly help his cause though.

She walked back in, a wired heating pad in hand, she lifted it in the air inquisitively before tossing it to me.

“Thank you, Agent-”

“It’s no problem.” She cut me off gruffly.

I set the heating pad up in a chair and sat down, placing my hand back on the captain, and, over a few hours, I healed him as much as I could before returning to the hotel for the night. A comfortable cycle that lasted for a few months.

I walked into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s office for what would likely be the last time, at least soon.

I walked up to the agents who had escorted me on my first day- Agents May and Coulson I’d learned.

“Ready for your last day?” Coulson asked a melancholic tone laced his voice.

“Are you excited to be done with babysitting me?” I teased.

I’d gotten more comfortable around Coulson, though it wasn’t exactly difficult with his rather ‘easy-going’ nature, and comfortable enough around Agent May to talk to her. We walked along the rather familiar path to Captain Rogers’ room. I made quick work of healing what remained of his injuries.

He still wasn’t awake. For whatever reason I thought Cap would wake up when I had finished healing him.

Coulson and I talked for a while before heading to the entrance once I’d gotten word back from Tony that his chauffeur was there to pick me up.

“I’m gonna miss you, kid.” he whispered, pulling me into a side hug.

“I’ll miss you too, Phil.” I replied, “ It was nice getting to know you, Agent-”

“May, call me May.” She cut me off, “And, unless you quit within the next year we’ll probably see you soon. Stark has an odd habit of getting in trouble with almost anyone and everyone.” 

“I’ll miss you too.”

A car horn was blaring outside for a minute and I knew it was Tony, “Guess that’s my cue, goodbye.” I sent them a soft smile and a wave before I got in the car.

A few months passed by with ease with the Stark Expo taking up more time and paperwork than I could’ve imagined. I walked in one day to see Coulson in Tony’s office.

“Phil? Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you! What’s got you across the country?”

“It’s good to see you too, kid. I’m here because S.H.I.E.L.D. is requesting Mr. Stark’s presence.” He spoke rather cooly about Tony, a stark contrast to his normal.

“TONY! Did you break the Geneva Convention?!” Tony looked at me speechless, feigning hurt I would even think of it, Coulson stood beside me struggling and barely holding back a chuckle.

“No, unfortunately not. ‘We’ need to borrow him, more specifically the ‘Iron Man’ suit. As I was saying before, we have a helicarrier waiting for your arrival.”

“Okay, Tony. Please, stop being a bitch and get your shit. You’re lucky they step in enough to keep you out of prison for some likely war criminal activity. Suck it up and grab your bags.” I walked to Tony’s desk and put down his coffee before walking into my office and grabbing the duffel I had stuffed in the corner of the room.

I walked back out, “Where’d you say the plane was?”

Coulson showed me to the plane where we waited for about twenty minutes before Tony walked over with his bags. We piled in and got up to the helicarrier, a giant airbase I was told was legal.

May was waiting for us on deck and showed me to my room before leaving me to unpack.

I had to have been walking through those damn near identical hallways for half an hour before giving up.

After yelling into my hands I spoke, to no one but myself, “How do people even get around these things? It’s a whole death trap, I swear.”

“Exactly!” A voice called out from behind me. I turned around to find a familiar face, Captain America, “I guess you don’t work here either?”

“Oh, um, no. You couldn’t pay me to stay on this thing.”

He laughed revealing a warm smile that fit his beautiful, angel-like face perfectly.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Steve Rogers.”

“Kyrie Eirsson- I’m Mr. Stark’s personal assistant.”

I saw his eyes widen in recognition at the second half, “Oh! You’re the person I’m supposed to find.”

“What? Oh, fuck, that’s embarrassing.” I held my face in my hands, my face flushing furiously, I moved my fingers to see the Captain’s face. He stood across from me, face turned away, fist in front of his mouth in a failing attempt to hide his wide grin.

“In any case, Stark’s having a fit without you on the bridge. Shall we?” He held out his arm for me to take.

“I disappear for what, forty-fifty minutes and he goes nuts without me, shocker.” I took his arm gleefully, laughing at how ridiculous the situation was.

[meganwayne24]

A Ticking Clock (pt. 5)

At a time like this? Really?

Fandom: Insomniac Spider-Man Word Count: 1668 Pairing: PS5 Harry Osborn x Reader Synopsis: Peter and you have a run-in with Kraven. Harry gets jealous of your banter with Peter before you climb through the…particle accelerator?

You scurried to compose yourself and ran out of Harry’s home. You were swinging and gliding the fastest you could through all the old money apartment buildings. By the time you arrived at the cemetery, the large and bulky man had been taken down along with many others seeming to serve Kraven. You landed quietly, hoping to find Peter amidst the chaos that had come to pass. Analyzing the scene, you see the main door to the church was open.

Peaking in, you see Peter skulking around. “Here to pick up a serum order for Dr. Connors!”

You whispered loud enough for him to hear, “Spider-Man! It’s Y/-” You realized anyone could be nearby and hear your name. “Uhh spider…woman? I guess?”

“Not bad, Spider-Woman.” He chuckled.

“Shut up, it was the only thing I could come up with on short notice.” Peter swung up to the platforms above. You stayed on ground level to cover the bases.

The silence in the church was unsettling. The chandelier’s lights provoked an eerie feeling in your stomach that you couldn’t shake. The division between the cold atmosphere above and what felt like blood lust below alarmed you. Tentacles started pushing their way out from your sides the more wary you became. A thunderous voice echoed through the air of the room. No matter where you were, it felt like a monster was right behind you. “You have hunted me. This is good.” You spun around quickly with a fist ready for action, but nothing was there.

“Let’s see if you have the strength to finish what you started.” Before you could react, you looked up to see Kraven holding a knife to Peter’s throat.

“I see a man and a woman. I sense…a beast. Why don’t you set it free?” He was taunting Peter successfully. Peter’s suit sent Kraven flying across into the church bell. The ring was shrill to your ears. Your mind went blank with agony. You and Peter both screamed while hunched over in pain. Almost like a practiced, synchronized act, the two of you shot out black webs forcing the bell into the wall.

In what was likely your only chance, your thoughts synced with Peter. You knew what to do. You webbed up to the platforms, sending out another appendage to reach the serum. You landed gracefully next to Pete with the vial firmly in your grasp. “We’re just here to save our friend.”

Peter was angry. You were too focused on the adrenaline flowing through your veins to have any other thought. “We’ll finish this later.” He growled. You hadn’t heard Peter speak like that before. You both zipped out of the window, leaving shattered stained glass everywhere. A beautiful yet devastating sight.

You were now swinging through the city. “Harry, MJ we got the serum. On our way back to Emily-May.” Peter carried on the conversation with them. He reassured Harry that it went well, but he and MJ spoke privately afterwards of what really happened. The new issue of frequencies making the suit malfunction was going to make for a hell of a time.

You were gliding through the air at a distance from Peter when you got a call from Harry. His voice was tainted with concern. “Hey Y/N. I have a feeling Pete was hiding how bad it actually was out there. Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah we are. There’s a slight problem with the suit and certain frequency exposures but we’re okay. How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright for now. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too. I’ll see you soon at the lab yeah?”

“I’ll be here. See you Y/N.”

You glided for another couple minutes, swinging between the support structures of the bridge before arriving at Emily-May. The rooftop had a secret entry way that you used.

Peter jumped in first, you followed swiftly. When you got inside, Harry was reading over Dr. Connors’ file. You and Pete morphed out of your suits into black outfits. His was a button down, quarter length sleeve shirt with jeans and runners while you were in a long sleeve mid-length top and leggings with boots to match.

Harry was still deep in the files, not turning around yet. “You still got it?” You handed over the vial to him. He looked up at you, not expecting your shift in demeanour. There was a new confidence you hadn’t noticed you’d been feeling. His eyes lingered on your figure as your fingers grazed each other’s. It was impossible not to notice your curves and how the outfit complimented them well.

Snapping out of his observant state, he took the serum into his hand. “Let’s see what this thing is made of.” The three of you proceeded to correct the errors in order to form the cure. It started with eliminating the atoms blocking the lizard receptors. By doing that, its instability was discovered. The only way to fix this was…

“Particle accelerator!” In unison, the excitement flooded you all.

“I never thought you guys would be using it this soon!” You knew how exciting this was for them. You all began to run towards the railing of the wide ocean coloured balcony.

Harry’s eyes were more full of light than you’d seen in awhile. “That’d be like using a shotgun for a haircut.”

“Hell of a haircut,” Peter chimed in.

“Quite the analogy Harry…keepin it classy,”

“That’s how I roll,” He flashed a cheeky grin at you. Harry looked ecstatic to be able to use the particle accelerator. You couldn’t help but blush at the man standing before you.

You all moved quickly to the large device to finish preparing the antidote. “The techs said it needs repair, but maybe it’s okay…” Harry was going through the requirements to set up the process. You stood close to him seeing what he was typing as Peter placed the serum in the tube tray. “Okay…” He lifted the cover revealing the ominous red button, “No black holes no black holes no black holes…” Nothing but the sound of fizzling came. Harry sighed. “Pressure change popped an inner section out of alignment.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’d have to go inside to fix that right?” The boys looked at you attentively with a hint of admiration. “What?” you innocently remarked.

Harry looked in your eyes for a brief moment and smiled. “Uh, nothing. But yeah, that would be the only way.” You turned walking towards the entrance where Peter was standing in the suit.

“No, nope. I wanna do this, back up Spider-Boy.”

Harry tuned in to what the two of you were thinking. “Whoa- whoa whoa whoa, what are you doing?” He was protective in nature.

Peter’s new-found boldness knew no bounds. “The suit’ll protect me, right?”

“You mean me. I’m doing this. You got to go hang around wearing a tux with a tiger. My turn,”

“I wasn’t wearing the suit when I was with Dima.”

“Oh you got her name and everything. Such a gentleman-”

Harry intruded, cutting the wits short. A tinge of jealousy flared in his eyes. “Y/N, I don’t know about this-”

“Relax. I got it.” You hopped in and started crawling through the claustrophobia-inducing tunnel.

“Be a good proton Harry,”

“Huh?”

Peter flashed finger guns at him “stay positive.”

You heard Harry scoff but chuckle at the remark. You continued following the path. The lighting reminded you of the church. You had a feeling something wasn’t right.

“So, what’s the inside of a particle accelerator like?” Harry’s curiosity piqued.

“I mean it’s amazing. You guys gotta check this out sometime,”

“Peter could.” Harry sounded frustrated.

Before you could respond, you set the inner section back in its place. The accelerator lit up while making extremely loud noises. “Uhh guys?”

Peter looked to Harry for the answer. “It’s powering up! But the beam’s erratic, use the magnets to stabilize it!”

“How?!” You could hardly hear yourself think inside the machine, let alone having to focus on what to do.

“Just find the sweet spot.”

“Particle accelerators do NOT have sweet spots!” You shot tentacles out at the magnets in order to fix it. “Great, done. Right?”

“There’s one more set of magnets ahead!”

You rolled your eyes. “You can’t be serious!”

“If you can’t stabilize the beam, it’ll destroy the serum!”

“Fantastic. You know if this wasn’t stressful before, it sure as hell is now!”

“You got this Y/N.” Peter was trying to be encouraging. Harry was gritting his teeth.

“This better not ruin the tap on my debit card.” You fixed the final one. You kept crawling through until electrical charges started coming at you. “Hey! What the hell is this?”

“The particle accelerator is up and running. Just avoid them and come out.” Harry’s voice was stern. Not as lighthearted as before. Normally there was a sense of comfort in it, like coming home after a long day, but not now.

You got to the end and knocked on the door. You carefully placed yourself back on the ground and morphed back into your outfit. Despite Harry’s attitude, he still couldn’t take his eyes off you. You hunched over out of breath. “Yeah you know next time any crawling in tiny spaces with electricity comes up, not it.”

Another loud, shrill buzzer started going off. Peter and you were once again covered in the suits while trying to get through the pain. The screams swarmed the lab. Harry ran to the red button, shutting the noise off.

The relief in your mind is how you imagined euphoria at this rate. “One more thing happens and I just might lose it.” You both stood up, disturbed but okay.

“What was that?” Peter asked before you could.

“More static discharges. The accelerator’s still running though. The serum’s okay.” Harry at least sounded more at ease now. “Guess the suit has sensitive ears…”

You looked at him intently. “Apparently.”

You all took a moment until a scent filled the air. You turned to look.

“Fire!” Peter called out.

“So much for not losing it.” You all ran to put out the fires. One more thing to ruin the night.

A/N: we're back!!! I swear this story is gonna get more interesting just stick with it! Are we slow-burning? Maybe?? Is there a little chemistry between Y/N and Peter?? Maybe??? Who knows hehe

[seriesxwriting]

I can’t be without you

W Rafe Cameron💗

Series- outer banks

Summary- you and Rafe are family friends. And secretly in a relationship. But they make him believe he’s not good enough. Can you make him change his mind ;). The power of love can do a lot of things.

Warnings- swearing, kissing, arguing, mentions of sex.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

*knock knock* “rafe? Do you have that paperwork your dad wanted?” Rose called through the door.

“Shit hide” Rafe pushed me off the bed in a hurry and I fell hard onto the shaggy cream carpet below. “your so dead Cameron” I scowled with half a smile before looking around at places to hide. “Where?” I hissed at him while he edged to the door.

“Rafe? Can I come in” rose cracked the door open but Rafe slammed it shut. “Two seconds” he yelled trying not to laugh, pointing at the wardrobe with wide eyes towards me. I bounced up in my shorts and bra and bolted it into rafes walk-in wardrobe. A few second later he opened the door for rose.

“Sorry I was just- changing” Rafe coughed letting her inside and then making his way over to his desk. “What you teenage boys do in your own time- I don’t need to know about” she frowned throwing her hands in the air in defence. “Here’s the paperwork- I filled it all out but there was an error on page thirty three” Rafe flicked through the pages with a stern look.

“What sort of mistake” rose looked confused and surprised that Rafe was taking his work so seriously. “The business stats are wrong here- the gross profit was a lot higher than this I remember ward saying so” “yeah that’s lucky you spotted that… that could have cost us” she raised her eyebrows taking the paper away from rafe.

He didn’t answer the compliment, I watched as he spun the silver ring on his index finger. “I’ll let ward know, hopefully he can sort it out before we have to leave for dinner with the y/l/n’s tomorrow” rose started making her way out of rafes room. “Oh and you will be nice to y/n huh? I’ve noticed she may have a little thing for you” rose swung on the frame of the door.

My ears perked up and red filled my cheeks “oh really” rafe started giggling looking at the floor. “Let her down gently” rose ordered with seriousness. Rafe ran his tongue over his lip will growing a smirk and an ego. “What makes you think I want to let her down” “I’m telling you rafe you let that girl down gently! your not relationship material you’ll just end up hurting her” she warned and with that she slammed the door.

Rafe rolled his eyes and sighed under his breath, I opened the door chewing my lip. “I’m glad we chose to keep this a secret” I told him pushing my hands up his chest. “none of them believe I’m good enough for you, why do you” Rafe questioned with an unsettled look. “Because they don’t know you like I know you” my hands wrapped round the back of his neck.

“Please don’t let them get to you hun, just know that I trust you”. But Rafe just blinked at the floor in deep thought, I’m not even sure he heard what I was saying. “Rafe” I called out drawing his attention to me “I don’t know y/n um- I think I just need some space right now” “o-okay, i can go I’ll call you in the morning” I backed away and went to pickup my top from off the side of his bed.

“I mean- for a while y/n, I need to think and I need to sort myself out- for you” “no Rafe- I don’t want or need you to sort yourself out there’s nothing wrong with you” I raced back over to him while threading my head through my top. “But I need to do it y/n- I can’t be with you if I can’t give you what you deserve” “Rafe please don’t do this please, who cares what they think this isn’t about them it’s about me and you”

“I don’t care about what they think of what they think isn’t true” Rafe started and looked down at me with his ocean eyes, I could see he was in pain though his eyes. “But I care because deep down I know it’s true I’m a bad person I’ve done bad things- hell I do bad things and your innocent y/n”. I’m sure he could now see the salty tears swirling in my eyes now.

“I cant believe in us if you don’t even believe in yourself” I shook my head walking towards the window that I used to sneak in and out. Not anymore and never again. “Y/n please say you’ll give me some time” Rafe begged walking after me “the only thing I can say rafe, is that I should have listened to rose… because you have hurt me” I sniffed sitting on the window steal and looking at the boy one more time.

“And maybe don’t come tomorrow- to my mums birthday dinner” “y/n” Rafe exhaled shaking his brown hair in disagreement. But I pulled myself up onto the ledge and climbed down the wooden ladder fixed to the wall. I could feel Rafe staring at me, watching the whole time. But I didn’t look back.

- the next day -

“Darling will you set the table the Cameron’s are going to be here soon- come on” my mum pestered me pushing slightly as she handed me the silverware and hanker chiefs. “What’s up with you?” Dad asked walking swiftly past me with the Crystal glasses. He started laying them out on the table in order. “I’m just not in the mood for company” I sighed beginning to set the table. “Well it’s your mothers birthday- can you at least pretend to be happy” he told me rather than asked.

The doorbell went off and echoed around the house. “Give me them hun- go get the door like a good girl” my dad snatched the things out of my hand speedily whipping them into place as I made the exit. My hand pulled down on our authentic golden handle and the Cameron’s all stood smiling holding presents and other things. Most of them stood smiling. Rafe stood at the back chewing the inside of his cheek.

“Hey y/n! Lovely to see you again sweetie” rose ran her hands through my ponytail before walking though like she owned the place. Sarah, Wheezie, ward and lastly rafe walked into the house. “You look lovely” Sarah beamed hugging me “as do you girl” I giggled closing the door. As I walked past rafe I whispered “I think I remember telling you not to come” “do you think I wanted to? I tried to get out of it” he hissed coldly.

My heart tugged and I felt my eyes starting to sting again. With that I turned, giving him a cold shoulder and directed myself into the kitchen. “What can i help with, need to keep busy” i exhaled standing next to my dad. “Oh i brought some wine for you y/m/n- rafes holding it, will you fetch it y/n?” rose pointed to the hallway with little attention. My teeth gritted together “tell everyone they can sit down we’re bringing the food out” my dad ordered too.

Sometimes I feel like no one really sees me. Like I’m just there another human to them, a helping hand something to boast about when I get an A star. Rafe was typing on his phone when I entered the hallway. “Where’s the wine? Your mums asked for it” my arms folded protectively around my body but Rafe didn’t even look up he just pointed to a bag on the floor. “Fucking child” I said under my breath when picking it up.

“How? When I talk to you, you don’t listen when I leave you alone I’m still wrong- if anyone’s a child it’s you I never broke up with you and your acting petty” “yeah well, I broke up with you” I told him sourly clasping the wine in my hands and finding rose to give it too. I then went to find the Cameron girls to let them know dinner was being served.

Everyone sat down a few minutes later, me and Sarah sat together to catch up and Rafe was last in so he was given a seat. opposite me. “This is beautiful y/m/n” ward chuckled shoving some beef into his mouth. “I’m sure everyone was really excited to come considering you say that about my mums food every time” I laughed to ward who nodded his head. “Especially rafe, he was first ready, first in the car” he told us. “Shouting we’re going to be late at eveyone” Wheezie added in.

My eyes landed on rafe just in time to see his eye roll. “Didn’t know you were so enthusiastic about coming to my house” I sarcastically turned to him “that was until I remembered how annoying your voice is” rafe didn’t look up at me. Oh game on mother fucker. “Oh! I’m so sorry rafe i forgot to set your place out with children cutlery- it’s never too late there’s some in the kitchen” I pointed, this got his attention.

“Will you both stop it” ward raised his eyebrows in a dangerous tone. This is how me and Rafe usually acted in front of family, until we both realised it was because we both liked each other. Then we carried it on to make sure no one would catch on but… but now we were back to square one. “So um y/n I heard your grades were pretty good this term”

“Yes I believe the key is having no friends or life” Rafe started up again but this time I brushed passed the comment. “Mm they were my best results yet, but let’s not talk about them in front of you know who- I know his grades weren’t all that- if you even call them grades”. Rafe gritted his teeth together with a tiny corner smile like he had something up his sleeve.

“Better to be honest about my grades then lie about how I got them- wouldn’t put it past you to be sleeping with a grown man examiner” my eyes widened with that low blow. “Rafe!” Rose squealed shocked. “I don’t think you have the right to be talking about sex rafe, a little birdy told me you don’t know what your doing” I smiled turning my head but Rafe scowled at me. That was an ego bruise.

“Guys I know you enjoy lobbing- insults at each other but you’ve had your fun now” my dad agreed staring daggers at us. “Seriously what’s gotten into you- this is worse than usual” ward shook his head. “Nothings going on, I just think Rafe is an immature, arsehole who let’s people push him around and doesn’t give a fuck about anyone’s feelings AND! Doesn’t let anyone come close to him because he’s too selfish to think about what he’s putting other people through” I said while looking him dead in the eyes.

He didn’t look away from me either. “He can’t be trusted because he has no loyalties to anyone” my eyes filled up watching his jaw clench. “Get up” he told me going to get up himself and strode out the door in a flash. “Go and sort this out y/n” my mum told me softly. “I don’t want to sort it out” I frowned “your lying get up” rafe appeared back in the door frame for a second before I saw him walk up the stairs. “Do I have a choice in the matter at this point” I sat back on the chair shaking my head at the situation.

“No” they all said at the same time, answering my rhetorical question. I did deep down Want to fix us but I didn’t see a realistic outcome where we were both going to be happy. Rafe didn’t want me and I wanted him, it can’t be solved. “Fine but nothing good is going to come out of this” I whispered underneath my breath making my hasty exit. I followed Rafe’s footsteps upstairs taking a good guess that he was in my bedroom. I slowly entered in silence watching rafe analysing my photos stuck on the wall.

“Do you remember this one?” He pointed at the picture in the middle of the board. Of course he was the center piece. “Of course I do, that was the day you got drunk on the beach and told me you loved me- I should have seen the red flag then” “I like this photo” Rafe said touching little me on the left side. His back was still facing me. “If you like it so much you can have it, I’ve been meaning to burn them” “will you give it a rest” Rafe shot around.

I bit my tongue facing the boy now. “I mean what you said down there- that was harsh, especially for you” Rafe started as he walked towards me. “Is that really how you feel” his arms tightened around his chest. “Yes” I said after a second. But my eyes drifted to the floor “some of it i dont know.. I said it all so fast I barely remember what was said” “really? Because I can quote it y/n” Rafe wondered to sit on the side of my bed. “I- don’t know what you want from me Rafe im hurt this is how I act when I’m hurt I’m- im angry I’m heartbroken”

“You don’t think I’m not?” “You instigated the break up your not the victim here” I stormed over nearer to him. “I wanted a break not a break up” “wanted?” I blinked a few times “past tense?” “Look- I’m not trying to be the victim y/n, I just wanted to give you what you deserved” “I don’t care about the details rafe! I don’t care what anyone else thinks- but I can’t trust you now”

“You said I had no loyalties. That stung the most because your one of the two people I’m loyal too- I’d never cheat on you, I’d never put you in danger or let anyone touch you- they’d be fucking sorry” Rafe raised his eye brows on the last part adding in emphasis. “And I’d never intentionally hurt you” he stood up closing the space between us. “I’ve been acting like this because I can’t stand to be around you if we’re not together- i don’t want you to change for me because I like this Rafe” a tear rolly-pollyed down my cheek.

Rafe wiped it off with his thumb “then let’s get back together because I can’t be without you y/n, your my now and my future and I’ve had enough of this fighting it felt too real” “it was real Rafe- but I’ve had enough too I just want us to go back to how we were” “me too because drunk words- are sober thoughts” Rafe threw in there. “W-what?” I questioned and notice him pointing to the picture of him drunk. The night he told me he loved me.

“R- What are you saying” “I’m in love with you and your the only girl I’ve ever wanted and ever will Want, please give me a second chance” “what’s changed? Since last night” “I have. A long time ago, when I first got into a relationship with you- I stayed away from girls, go to less party’s, do way less drugs” rafe explained to me “I believe in us and I believe I’ll do anything to save our relationship- because I realised I can give you everything you deserve- or at least I’ll try” he shrugged scratching the back of his neck.

I smiled quite big, it spread across my face like butter. “I want to give us another shot because I love you too Rafe- and I’m sorry I’m so sorry” I laid against his chest. “Don’t be- It’s all on me being naive” he played with my hair before I pushed my head up to meet his lips once again. I feared so much I’d never to that again, he made my whole body go warm and butterflies flutter in my stomach like I’d just met him. “We should get back” he whispered close to my face.

Rafe kissed my forehead and we were both beaming walking towards the exit hand in hand. “We’re still a secret though? For now right” I wondered up at him “one hundred percent yes” Rafe nodded his head in immediate agreement. “Perfect- your acting skils ready?” I whispered in his ear undoing our hands at the top of the steps.

“Mmh i was born ready for this” rafe whispered with a cheeky wink. “I’ve had enough i dont want to hear anything more from you rafe” I yelled walking down the stairs. “And you called me immature? Shouting and screaming like a five year old” Rafe laughed out loud.

“I take it you didn’t resolve the friendship” my mother turned and faced us. I looked over at Rafe who was silently laughing. “No we didn’t fix no friendship” he told them all sitting at the table in front of me. “We will never be friends again” Rafe shrugged tucking back into his food.

I couldn’t help but smile to myself, knowingly.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

- for more like this🫶

[vashtijoy]

on akechi's four-hour swan dive to oblivion

So yesterday I was looking at this post by @lokiarsene about Akechi's line in his "undesirable child" monologue:

I find the bolded bit above to be a bit perplexing. Who does he mean? The people he was assigned to give Loki’d breakdowns to weren’t in his way at all. Indeed, the only person he has an actual personal grudge against is Shido--Akechi’s targets were in Shido’s way.

I might be overthinking that, though. It’s distinctly possible that this is just one of Goro’s heavily myopic rationalized lines to himself.

Let's take a look at this monologue and the events that surround it, leading up to the engine room shitshow.

the timing

Akechi's entire downfall happens on the same day.

the "unwanted child" TV segment happens directly after you get the letter from the TV executive. When this happens, he has three to four hours to live.

the phone call from Shido happens directly after you get the letter from the IT executive.

(incidentally, note the sad sprite there. His opinion of Shido is weirdly high, despite everything, and anxiety does not mesh well with it.)

Lastly, the Akechi fight itself happens directly after the fight with the cleaner. This leads to Akechi's death, of course. or does it

It's really easy to overlook how quickly all of this occurs. Akechi has gone from sitting in the TV studio soaking up the adoration of the crowd, ruminating on the interrogation room and telling himself it was all worthwhile, to that unsettling confrontation on the phone with Shido, to his actual death, and it's all happened within "After School" on the same day!

Akechi realises in the studio that Joker is alive (when the phone rings); he realises on the phone to Shido that Joker and the Phantom Thieves are active in Shido's palace (from Shido's behaviour); and he runs straight there to confront them and finish the job. Note that—he doesn't hesitate. He may have spent the last days consoling himself with attention from others, and reassuring himself that it was all necessary, but when Joker returns from the grave, Akechi is straight back there to kill him. He runs back there with the same speed he used to kill the SIU Director. And then ... yeah.

See, Akechi has the privilege of looking back on Joker with a bit of regret, perhaps—once he's murdered him. You can contrast the way the Phantom Thieves talk about Akechi—after he's safely dead. "We still have to carry out our end of the deal we made with Akechi", Morgana says. Ann and Yusuke speak up for him before Shadow Shido. Haru repeatedly states that Akechi "entrusted [them] with an important task". Yet what happens when he's back in the third semester? Everyone's embarrassed, and Akechi is both dangerous and unpleasant to have around, and it becomes "We did it for Joker, not you".

The whole thing plays out in the time it takes you to gather those five letters—yeah, you can leave and come back the next day when you play through it, but in-character IMO this is a very tight sequence that they would almost certainly do in one day.

shido's acknowledgement

While I'm talking about this sequence, there's another little detail I want to point up, that sends Akechi off to the engine room. This is an example of Shido manipulating Akechi with praise:

... does that sound familiar to you? It should.

Let's look at the original. Here's Akechi's declaration of what he wants:

Akechi アイツが権力の頂点を極め、俺を必要な右腕だと認めたその時に、耳元でささやいてやるんだよ⋯ aitsu ga kenryoku no chouten o kiwame, ore o hitsuyouna migiude da to mitometa sono toki ni, mimimoto de sasayaite yaru n da yo... Once he reaches the apex of his power and acknowledges me, I'm going to whisper in his ear... Once that piece of shit has climbed to the top, once he admits he couldn't have done it without me, that's the moment I'll whisper in his ear...

"acknowledges me"? Y'all, come on! Acknowledges me? Akechi literally says, ore o hitsuyouna migiude da to mitometa. What does that mean? "once he acknowledges me as his indispensable right hand". He wants Shido to admit he couldn't have done it without him!

You can see why the line has been cut down—look at that overflowing textbox. But still, what a thing to omit. And just before Akechi runs pell-mell to the engine room, what has Shido told him on the phone, and what was Akechi's response?

Shido ここまで来られたのも、お前のお陰だよ。まさに二人三脚だったな。 koko made kurareta no mo, omae no okage da yo. masa ni nininsankyaku datta na. We've only made it this far thanks to you. We've only made it this far thanks to you. You and I have worked hand in glove all the way.

Akechi ⋯光栄です。 ... kouei desu. I'm honored to hear that. ... I'm honored to hear that.

(Before anything else, note the little pause on Akechi's acknowledgement: the Japanese text has an ellipsis. These pop up at the start of a number of Akechi's lines ("total waste of my time" in the third semester is another), and they're usually stripped in the localisation—which is a bit of a pain, since the pause indicates that we should be thinking about that line—that it's important.)

The second half of Shido's line is also cut—masa ni nininsankyaku datta na, literally "you and I have truly been like a three-legged race". In translation "we've worked as one, we've worked in tandem, we've worked hand in glove".

This is high praise. This is what Akechi has been living for. This is what he wants. This is his confirmation that, when he installs Shido as prime minister, the rest of his plan will follow like night after day.

So what's going on in his head? He knows Joker is alive. The rest of the phone call confirms Shido is under attack from the Phantom Thieves. He gets a sharp confirmation that he's at the threshold of his triumph. And he runs to remove the threat to it as fast as ever he can.

Also, of course, Joker being alive is a personal threat—Akechi has failed to kill him, Akechi has failed to come out on top in their epic rivalry, Akechi has been tricked. Did he have regrets? Did he feel remorse? Is he haunted by the interrogation room, or was he just going over and over it, trying to see what he knows he missed? Either way, Shido's line of praise there confirms Akechi in his intent to make sure Joker stays dead—assuming he was wavering at all, which is a big assumption.

so what's that line of akechi's

So to address the question, finally:

First of all—note that he's using the sad sprite for that entire little monologue. He even has a headshake just before this line. Why is he sad? He's not performing sadness here, he's talking to himself. Why are you sad about this, Akechi?? It's not even the only sprite he can use here—he switches to his ordinary straight-to-camera sprite for "All that remains is to tell him".

What about what he's done over the past two-and-a-half years, or indeed the past two-and-a-half weeks, might make Akechi sad? It's not necessarily a nice sadness—it seems self-pitying, if anything. "Oh, poor me, never mind all the people I've maimed and murdered"—though that lack of concern for his victims is highly on-brand for Akechi, the most self-centred boy who ever walked.

Let's leave this one as an exercise for the reader. Does he feel sad about any of his victims?—Joker would qualify, and Wakaba. Is he feeling guilt, or remorse? I think he can, and does, but IMO there are other scenes that sell that better. Or maybe not.

can we look at the speech yet

So this isn't actually one textbox—it's essentially a single line that stretches over three textboxes. Let's take them one by one.

Akechi そして、神の意思で授けられたような、ナビとペルソナのお陰で⋯ soshite, kami no ishi de sazukerareta you na, nabi to perusona no okage de... And thanks to the Nav app and the Persona bestowed upon me by the gods... And thanks to the Nav app and the Personas, granted to me as if by divine will...

Slight modifications here—Akechi, of course, has two personas rather than one, though it's perhaps not out of the question that he thinks of himself as having only one, most of the time? I do think that you na ("seems like") is important. He's not saying "the gods gave me my power", he's saying receiving his power was miraculous.

Of course, he has that line later about "maybe a god, maybe a demon"—but that comes when he's properly off his head. It may be something he comes and goes on, and of course it's safe to say that in the engine room, he finally lets his freak flag fly. Note that Shido certainly thinks he's been chosen by the gods, and his shadow, at least, makes no secret of it at all. And Akechi does tend to follow where Shido leads.

Akechi 邪魔者たちを、この手で片付けられた。 jamamono-tachi o, kono te de katazukerareta. I managed to dispose of any who got in my way. I took out all those who stood in the way with my own hands.

Here's the key line. First, note that this is another place where, as with Cognitive Akechi's "you wanted him to love you", there is no pronoun given—Akechi never says "those who stood in my way"—but the translator has inserted a likely pronoun. The original does not state outright who Akechi's victims were in the way of.

Of course, Shido's targets are all also in the way of Akechi's revenge. That makes them his targets. So this line is intentionally ambiguous, both in the way Akechi puts it and in the way he thinks, which makes turning it into "in my way" or "in his way" both a bit inappropriate IMO.

katazukerareta is the past-tense passive of katazuku. You might recognise this one because it means "tidying up"! But of course, you can tidy up people, not just objects, and so katazuku is also a slang term meaning "to kill"....

kono te de is often lost in translation—it can mean "using this method" or "in this way", and be redundant. But in a context like this, it can often mean something like "with my bare hands" or "with my own hands", so I've retained it. Could it be that the method, the "hand" he's using is the persona he mentioned? Possibly. But then Akechi doesn't use his persona for many of his victims—he shoots them.

The interesting one, and the one this whole post is to highlight, is jamamono-tachi. This is used a few times in the script. Sometimes it's innocuous, but most of the time it's talking about a person in the way—Futaba's relatives treat her as a jamamono. ALC provide us with the delightful translation "a spare prick at a wedding"!

And this word pervades the conspiracy's scenes. Here's Shadow Shido:

Shadow Shido 邪魔者は消す⋯今まで通りな! jamamono wa kesu... ima made toori na! I'll erase any who gets in my way... just as I've always done! I'll eliminate anyone who stands in my way... just as I've always done!

So there's a high likelihood here that Akechi, looking back on what he's done (with the sad sprite, don't forget), is referring only to the people he's eliminated for Shido. I thought for a while that this line meant he must have made significant use of Call of Chaos on his own behalf, to advance himself, and I still think he must do at least a little of that, just to know what his powers are? He can't possibly show up on Shido's doorstep, newly awakened, without a fair weight of wrongdoing already behind him..?

... or maybe he really does. Planning is not his strength, it turns out, certainly not as a furious fifteen-year-old boy. Maybe he really does get his personas, see his chance that hell and heaven have given him, and go to Shido saying "hello, I have these powers, and I'd like to use them on your behalf".

And that makes it all so, so much worse. An Akechi who shows up not even knowing what his powers can do, innocent of anything so far but being corrupted by his circumstances and family background, open to whatever Shido wants him to do with them, is so much more awful—and so much less culpable, which kind of annoys me.

Anyway, here's Wonderwall the last textbox:

Akechi それも、ようやく⋯ sore mo, youyaku... Though it took me some time to finally do so... And now, at long last....

youyaku typically means something like "at long last" or "finally". I don't ... see anything here that's talking about time? It may be to do with how you complete the sentence. Because a pretty common way to complete that sentence would be this:

それもようやく終わる sore mo youyaku owaru And that's finally coming to an end.

So does he really want it to be over? I'm not sure that he does—I'm not sure this is how he's felt all along, or all the time; we can speculate, of course.

I wonder what recently happened that might have made him decide he's ready for it to be over, though—until he's reminded to change his mind. It seems like he always has these little moments of self-pity, these moments of introspection—that, in the end, never matter to him, or make a difference, and can't save him. The only thing that saves him is understanding that others care about him, at the end, and that comes far, far, far too late.

[lostinwalmartmymomleftme]

What r ur dreamswap headcanons :3

Have to redo this bc Tumblr hates me:

* 7 each

* Human Ver. Specific

Dream

Dream 100% has something that’s dedicated to Ani, (hospital, orphanage, medical organization, etc.)

To add more depth to him being Latino, I choose to believe he’s Chilean-American

He doesn’t like to be touched, but would never correct anybody on it because he doesn’t want to offend anyone and he doesn’t view it as a priority or concern 

Only has one scar and it was prior to the incident (tm), nightmare, dropped a bowl, and a shard of the ceramic cut dream deep enough to form a scar, and subconsciously Dream doesn’t want it to heal, so it doesn’t fully heal, though it is fairly faint, it’s on his wrist directly above the bone 

He’s probably some form of genderqueer, yeah, doesn’t know it and refuses to look into it because he just doesn’t view it as important, he probably goes by pronouns 

His magical blondness, skips a few streaks of his hair, so he has black streaks that he dies blonde to match the rest of his hair

Canonically multilingual, speaking both English and Mandarin, though I would like to add that he can fluently speak Latin, modern Spanish, and French

Bonus: Dream does that OCD thing (w/o actually having it) where all of his pens when they’re laying on his desk are at the exact same place, in a perfect little row

Nightmare

He sits in trees and people watches, like he sits up in trees, kind of in forests and watches people on picnics and fun little family outings, and tries to imagine what his life would be like if it hadn’t been what it is 

His hair is extremely heat damaged, because he totally straightens it (it’s the only thing about him that’s allowed to be straight /j)

Extension on him canonically being Latino: I think he’s Peruvian-American

For some reason collect bottle caps (like the little metal ones you get on alcohol bottles (he doesn’t drink though))

He has a peanut allergy

Despite being an insomniac, whenever he does actually sleep, he starfishes

He doesn’t like looking in mirrors, there’s anything wrong with it, there isn’t really reason why he doesn’t like it, he just find it unsettling and he covers the one in his room with a blanket

Ink

He has one of those canopy beds, but the actual canopy part is custom painted and embroidered (by himself) with band logos, TV show logos, characters he likes, etc.

He is really bad at spelling, professional emails are more like word scrambles

If someone were to ask him to draw them, he would draw them, claim he made mistake, tear it up, then draw a stick figure, and give it to them

Usual Ethnicity one: he actually doesn’t know his ethnicity beyond being Latino, but he is Cuban-American

He’s emo and claims his favorite color is black, but it’s orange which is equally as bad

He has no real gauge of his own pain tolerance and usually has to be forced into medical situations by other people, usually Dream when he reports back to him

Ink’s allergic to bleach and ant bites

Cross

He hasn’t had his first kiss

He uses Old Spice cologne in the classic scent. But he does it to a NAUSEATING level.

He’s Irish, ethnically. I don’t make the rules.

He’s minorly lactose intolerant

This man owns like five Tamagatchis

He makes really good bread for some reason? Like this man SLAYS a sourdough

Cross uses 3-in-1 bodywash

(This is a Tamagatchi if you don’t know)

Blue

This man wears hair curlers to bed 100%

He’s really bad at math

Probably advocates for eating healthy (being a yoga instructor, possible influencer)

Blue is so ADHD to me

American-Italian/Portuguese

Has never made a bed in his LIFE

Blue seems like the kind of man who would burn water

Error

Clean freak, he prefers to keep the house clean, but it ends up a mess anyways because Cross and Nightmare always end up messing it up

Easily the best driver of the Meme Squad

His lock/homescreen is an inspirational quote

LOVES the rain, finds it calming and loves the smell of it, but hates getting caught out in the rain (loves the aesthetic, hates the actual thing)

Maybe American-Moroccan?

He likes dark fantasy books

Was top of his class when he had been in school, prior to his amnesia

Kevin

Can read. (Can’t write (no thumbs))

Can and does steal from the meme squad

Bonus:

How long I think it takes DS to get ready in the mornings:

Dream takes a solid hour and a half

Blue takes an hour

Nightmare takes 45 minutes

Cross and Ink take 15-20 minute for the sake of layers

Error and Finch take like 5 bc they dress really basic

dreamswap by @\onebizarrekai

[xpao-bearx]

Alrighty, my fellow Astarion fangbangers!! I've got a 🔥SPAHCY🔥 oneshot idea~

This is an idea that's been a parasite in my teeny brain for a while now and at first, I didn't wanna share it cuz I wanted it to be a surprise for when I actually write and post it. But to those who follow me, y'all know I just LOVE to ramble so I couldn't keep it a secret anymore 😂

And sooo here it is: A smutty oneshot of Spawn Astarion x Fem!Reader x Ascended Astarion!

Now you might be thinking... How the HELLS would a threesome with Spawn Astarion and Ascended Astarion ever work??? O_o

Well, lemme ramble some more! 😆

AHEM

Throughout your adventure, Astarion ascended and made his lover (you, dear reader ❤️) into his dark consort. After saving Baldur's Gate, you go to live with Astarion in his palace and start anew with your life of immortality.

At first, everything was going well. Astarion relished in the power he's craved so much and you stood by his side as his most prized treasure. And yet... There was a suffocating emptiness in your heart.

You were happy. Or...you should be. You were going to spend a wonderful eternity with your lover and you only gave Astarion what he's always wanted...right?

But as time passes, Astarion changes more and more. You still loved him, you will never stop loving him, but you couldn't deny that his dominance and possessive nature over you...unsettled you a bit.

Anyhoe, long story short, while you are just wandering around the palace one night and rethinking all your life choices that led you to this very moment, some ✨️magic✨️ happens and Astarion appeared.

Only...this was Astarion from the past. Before he ascended.

This story is still a work in progress so forgive me that this is all a mess, but basically this other Astarion is spawn Astarion! Spawn Astarion comes from another dimension where he never ascended. In that dimension, Baldur's Gate has also been saved but at the cost of spawn Astarion's lover's life--your life.

Astarion couldn't handle the tragic loss of his one true love so he became obsessed in finding something--anything--to be with you again, even at the cost of his soul. I'm still working out the details, but Astarion ended up finding something which made him transport to where you are now!

You are obviously baffled by spawn Astarion and can't quite believe it, but he's just so fucking happy to see you--to be with you--again. And maybe...just maybe...

You wanted to be with him, too.

But of course... There's ascended Astarion.

Beautiful, foolish treasure... Did you really think you could ever forsake your master?

Expect quiiite a bit of angst with this oneshot but, OF COURSE, some real nasty smut too! 😉 I plan to hopefully write and post this story after I finish the game and have experienced both spawn and ascended routes!

Also, I REALLY hope this doesn't cause any discourse! I, personally, prefer spawn Astarion but I also ADORE ascended Astarion (✨️nothing✨️ will stop me from simping for this vamp dork)! I know everyone has their own thoughts and opinions for both and which one is "better", but for me I just live and let live! Let everyone be happy with their own preferences, please 🥰

And I hope no one steals this idea of mine! Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't seen anyone else have an Astarion fic like this so I would assume I would be the first to have this specific idea. If you were inspired by the premise and wanna write something similar, PLEASE credit me for the inspo but also tell me if you post it cuz I would absolutely read the SHIT out of it!! \(^o^)/ But yeah, just please don't copy the WHOLE thing cuz, like I said, I do plan on eventually writing this fic myself!

And hey, if ya wanna be tagged for when I post this fic, please don't hesitate to tell me! 💕

[unclewaynemunson]

I still haven’t stopped thinking about Rose Harrington so my hand slipped and now there’s a sequel (this is the last part i promise) | AO3 link

Eddie's lips were intoxicatingly warm and strong against Steve's, and his curls felt like that one woolen jumper he used to wear all the time when he was younger. It was the second time Steve was properly kissing him, and he already felt like home.

For their first date, Eddie had taken him to Indianapolis, to this queer bookstore that hosted monthly open mics on Sunday afternoons. There were some poets that Steve couldn't quite follow, a mildly funny standup act, a lot of acoustic pop songs – and Eddie himself. Eddie, who had brought his electric guitar and went all out with some kind of loud screamy metal song, after which he gave Steve a particularly soft smile that kind of implied it had actually been a love song – Steve had to admit he had been too busy staring at Eddie open-mouthed to really listen to the lyrics properly.

It had been a perfect first date. And now they were in Eddie's van in front of Steve's house and Steve was leaning over the gearshift to make out with him - and it was a slightly uncomfortable position but Steve really couldn’t care less about that.

He hesitated for a moment after they broke apart. He was already getting addicted to the warmth of Eddie's body, the softness of his lips, the sensation of his touches. But a part of him was still afraid that Eddie would be scared off at some point, despite his assurances that he was totally okay with having Rose in his life. The implication of inviting Eddie into his home was just... different, with Rose involved. It wouldn't be merely something between the two of them, not even merely something sexy. Maybe Eddie would finally realize what he actually said yes to, maybe he'd finally understand the scope of what it meant to let his life collide with Steve's – and frankly, who could blame him if he were to decide that that wasn't for him after all?

'Stevie?' Eddie's voice sounded soft. 'You still with me?'

Steve swallowed. He had to ask what he wanted to ask. He had to trust Eddie's words. He had to let him in, even if it was the scariest thing he had ever done.

'Do you wanna come inside with me?'

Eddie smiled; his smile was mischievous and sweet all at once. He squeezed Steve's hand.

'Hell yeah,' he whispered in the space between their faces.

Steve opened his mouth to say something about that, but Eddie was quicker.

'Can't wait to see Rose again.'

There was no way he could fight the impulse to launch himself at Eddie again with a new kind of intensity. He still couldn’t wrap his head around how this guy was even real; how goddamn lucky he was to be holding him and to make the taste of his lips something familiar.

They got home to complete chaos: Rose was sitting on Robin's back, who was on all-fours on the living room floor and whinnying like a horse in a mildly concerning way, surrounded by a true explosion of toys.

When Steve gave Eddie a nervous sideways glance, he noticed how the guy didn't even blink, like the whole scene was something perfectly normal and not at all unsettling to him.

'Eddie!' Rose shouted when she noticed the guys; she let herself slide off Robin's back and flew past Steve without sparing him as much as a glance. Eddie opened his arms just in time to catch her, taking a few steps backwards to exaggerate the force with which she crashed into him.

'Rose!' he shouted back in the same excited manner. 'I missed you, m'lady, how have you been?! Have you been practicing those piano skills of yours?'

'Noooo,' said Rose, stretching the “o” into several syllables. It had been her favorite word, lately. 'But I built a castle, look!'

Eddie let her take his wrist and guide him to the corner of the room - he couldn’t manage much more than a quick greeting to Robin as Rose impatiently tugged him along.

'Holy shit, Steve.' Robin, now back on her feet and standing right next to Steve, squeezed into his shoulder as she leaned closer towards him to mumble into his ear. 'Look at him bonding with Rose; he's literally the perfect guy for you!'

'I know, right?' he whispered back at her, practically glowing with the overwhelming realization of just how lucky he was.

'So I take it your date went well?'

He grinned at Robin. 'It did. Really well.' He glanced back at the corner of the room, where Eddie was crouched down on his knees, giving his undivided attention to Rose, who was showing him every nook and cranny of her Duplo castle.

'You built that with her?'

Robin smiled brightly. 'Yeah, cool, right? We had a lot of fun together.'

'Thanks for watching her, Rob. Why don't you head home now? I think me and Eddie will manage to get her into bed.'

After Robin had left (not without a very emphatic wink in Steve’s direction), Steve dropped down on the couch, perfectly content to watch as Rose kept rambling on at Eddie about her castle and the princes and princesses living in there.

'How many knights are there?' Eddie asked, his expressive brown eyes opened wide in a serious look. 'Do they have swords? Is it dangerous in the woods?'

He didn't speak to Rose in a higher or slower voice, like Steve would see so many people around him do. It was like he completely took her seriously; like it came naturally for him to treat her as an equal. And his questions prompted Rose to wholly lose herself in her fantasy world, until the two of them were attacking each other with and dragon and princess figurines (or rather barbies and old dinosaurs that used to be Steve's – Steve was still working on expanding Rose's toy collection – but with the imagination those two have, it worked either way).

'Alright, let's get you to bed,' Steve finally said when he spotted Rose stifling a yawn.

'Noooo!' she exclaimed immediately.

'Yes!' Steve retorted emphatically.

'Nooooo!'

'How about...' Eddie leaned closer towards her, dropping his voice conspiratorially. 'If you go to bed, this dragon will agree to a truce and let the princess live because of your noble sacrifice?'

'What's a sacrifice?'

'It's when you do something you don't really want to do, to help someone else. You save the princess's life, because you listen to your brother and go to bed. How does that sound?'

'Does the dragon come to bed with me?'

Steve saw how Eddie had to fight back a laugh – it was clear that he wasn't really used to little kids' logic yet, but he didn’t falter.

Then, he shrugged. 'Sure.'

Rose grinned and took the dinosaur-dragon from Eddie's hands, then ran towards the stairs.

'Steve, come on, we need to wash the dragon!'

Eddie looked at him with a raised eyebrow disappearing under his bangs. 'Wash the dragon?' he repeated slowly.

Steve grinned at his confused expression. 'No going to bed without taking a bath first. Needed a whole month to properly get that into her head. Kids are gross, you know.'

He got up from the couch and gestured Eddie to follow him into the hall, where Rose was letting her dragon fly through the air until Steve opened the safety fence at the base of stairs so she could climb up.

Eddie kept a respectful distance as Steve routinely helped Rose to get out of her clothes and into the bath, but as soon as she was in the water, he seemed unable to reign himself in anymore and buried both her and the plastic dinosaur in an excessive amount of foaming shampoo. Steve didn't mind; he was happy to have Eddie along for every step of their little nighttime ritual.

'Look at that, you managed to tame the beast, brave knight!' Eddie exclaimed when she was all tucked in bed with the dinosaur in her arms. 'It's a miracle, no one has ever done that before! I'm sure the queen will reward you with endless riches when you wake up tomorrow.'

Steve disappeared from the room for a few seconds to return with his acoustic guitar in his hands. He gave it to Eddie with a smile on his face.

'Will you do the honors?' he asked him in a low voice.

'Only if you sing it with me,' Eddie replied.

To Steve, the song sounded perfect, from the effortlessly played guitar melody to the way their voices mingled to Rose's yawn as the last tone dissolved in the air around them. Their song, Steve's and Rose's. It felt only natural to let it become Steve's and Rose's and Eddie's, like something that was bound to happen ever since Steve had taken Rose into that practice room with him – or even ever since Eddie had crashed into him in the hallway of the community center.

'Goodnight, Rosie,' Steve said as he leaned forward to give Rose a kiss on her forehead.

'Sweet dreams, my valiant knight,' Eddie added, brushing a hand through her damp hair and taking a dramatic bow before closing the bedroom door behind him.

'Was that okay for you?' Steve asked in a whisper as soon as they were alone in the dark hallway.

'Stevie, seriously, you don't need to worry 'bout that,' Eddie answered immediately. 'I meant what I said.’ He held Steve’s gaze for a moment, and the look in his big brown eyes was enough to wipe away any of Steve’s doubts. ‘I'm all in, you're not gonna get rid of me that easily. I actually loved playing with her. I'm sure her imagination is gonna work wonders for my D&D campaigns.'

'Okay.' Steve took a step forward to catch Eddie between the wall of the hallway and himself, then leaned in to give him a slow kiss. 'Good,' he breathed out when he pulled back.

Eddie's eyes were wide and he swallowed thickly; Steve could only smile as he cupped Eddie's cheek with his hand.

'You wanna stay the night?'

'Jesus, Steve, you're killing me here.' Eddie pressed his body back against Steve's, coming as close to him as he possibly could. ''Course I wanna stay.'

'I do have to warn you that Rose will be up and running at six in the morning. She always is.'

Eddie burst out in a soft chuckle as he dropped his head against Steve's shoulder.

'Oh, fuck. Can I still back out?'

Steve tugged Eddie's chin up with his index finger, prompting him to look into his eyes again. 'Nope. You already said you were all in – no takebacks.'

Eddie chuckled again. 'Alright, why don't you show me the way to your bedroom then, big boy?'

And there was something about that pet name that immediately set Steve's insides on fire.

Eddie winked at him, as if he knew exactly what he was doing to Steve. 'I promise I can be real quiet.'

I know it’s been a while since I posted this series, and I wasn’t even planning on writing a sequel, but I’m just gonna include the old taglist here for those who’d be interested. I don’t wanna spam anyone but this is the actual last part (for real this time) so I hope that’s okay!

Taglist: @kardinalkalamity @imzadidragonfly @simpforsauron @undreamingscatworld @nailbatbabygirl @solosnail @theysherobinbuckley  @sharpbutsoft @manda-panda-monium @piningapple @whimsicalwitchm  @withacapitalp @kerlypride @bejeweledbaby @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @cheeseaddict-12 @henderdads @hammity-hammer @nelotegreitic   @silentiumdelirium @mad-h-w @evix-syne666  @legitcookie @csinnamon-fox @deleataecount @sadcanadianwinter  @shadowofaliar @and-say @connected-dots @thosemessyvibes @panicatthediaz @basilthefourth @swimmingbirdrunningrock @inikokoru @adaed5 @ali-just-ali @spectrum-spectre @paperbackribs @steddiewritingnerd @homosexual-having-tea @infinitetrashbag @zerokrox-blog @cr0w-culture @thing-a-ling @skybridgerton @by1er-endgame  @martzja @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx  @fandomcartographer @maya-custodios-dionach

[legacyshenanigans]

Marvolo having a manic moment🐍

Rowan: *wanders into the Den office, seeing Marvolo pacing in there, his hair kinda all over the place and his clothes not as neat as usual* Erm, hey.

Marvolo: Rowan, he's always one step ahead of me..

Rowan: Who?

Marvolo: Arthiusssssss, the leader of that CLAN we hate!

Rowan: OK?

Marvolo: *bangs his hand on the wall* No! It's NOT ok! *paces again, mumbling crazily to himself, twitching slighlty*

Rowan: Well, what do you wanna do?

Marvolo: *snaps his head towards Rowan*

Rowan: (?!)

Marvolo: *slowly wanders over to him, in a very unerving way, and puts his hands on Rowans shoulders, giving him an unsettling smile* I'm going to kill him, Rowan...THAT'S what I'm going to do...But every...Fucking...TIME, I seem to have him in my grasp, he vanishes...

Rowan: ....

Marvolo: *tilts his head, still smiling* But I WILL get him *sinister chuckle* I will...WE will...He won't keep getting away with it.

Rowan: Yeah, 'course, We will, don't worry.

Marvolo: *the smile suddenly fades, and he narrows his eye's*

Rowan: (?!)

Marvolo: I'm not worrying, Rowan.

Rowan: O-Ok, sure. Ya not worryin'. Cool, that's good..Really good. *concerned*

Marvolo: I don't "worry " about things.

Rowan: *trying to difuse Marvolos' current state of mania* No, ya right, ya dont, you're always on top form, Mate.

Marvolo: *slight heavy breathing as he steps away from Rowan and looks away from him. He kinda scratches at his own face slowly, in thought. His eyes still unblinking* Thats right..I am...I don't let anyone fuckin get to me.

Rowan: Ya never do, pal. You'll definitely get him.

Marvolo: *His whole demeanour shifts in an instant, returning to his normal self, as he straightens up, and runs a hand through his hair before taking in a long inhale through his nose* Yes. Of course I will.

~

[http-caedis]

Bakura Headcanons/Ramblings 👻

Hehehe remember however long ago when I was like yeah I’ll make a post abt my own personalized Bakura, yeah well this is the post I am not accepting criticism for what I say is FACT

- So just as a refresher my Bakura uses they/them/ghost/rot pronouns mhm mhm 🫡

- Methinks to fit along with the creepy n unsettling vibe rot has, they need to be taller

- 5’9 is not enough my ghost boy is now 6’2

- I need them to loom over majority of people

- Anyways Bakura most definitely is the leader of some underground cult and won’t admit it but with all the things they’re able to do it makes you think otherwise 😭

- “Hey remember how you lost your ring in the river, so turns out with all the constant movement in the water it ended up in the ground and I had someone get it they drowned but it’s okay and now I have it, so here you go 🥰”

- Bakura’s home would get that boy ARRESTED

-not that what’s in there is necessarily illegal,,, but it’s definitely concerning

- there’s like taxidermy and like medical preservation jars and ngl their house smells like straight canned ASS

- They say the smell of death is distinct and you’ll know it when you smell it,,,, well let’s just say you’re gonna be on high alert in ghosts home

- speaking of smells, me thinks Bakura doesn’t smell bad per se, but they smell,,, clean…? Like… that sterile smell that hospitals have, that’s Bakura

- they have a pet crow and snake

- The Crow is named Nevermore and the snake is Apep

- speaking of which I think Bakura would love Edgar Allen Poe

- which is why rot named the crow Nevermore

- anyways Bakura would be the worst person to go to if you need to vent

- Yugi: Yeah yknow im just really sick of Kaiba undermining and belittling me it kinda hurts…

- Bakura: Want me to slip cyanide into his next meal? I’m running low but I think it’s going to a good cause

- Yugi: n O‼️

- remember how I said how the stuff in their house wasn’t necessarily illegal,,,

-yeah I change my mind

- Bakura definitely owns some chemicals that the average person shouldn’t have,,,

- sure some poisons or general chemicals are okay and legal to own in small amounts, but with Bakura interesting hobbies, it’s not a small amount

- on some Jeffrey dahmer shit ngl ghost is like chemically removing all the meat n shit off animal bones

- They display the bones in different part of their house

- It’s not Even like, oh that’s a huge sign of a future serial killer, it’s truly just morbid curiosity with Bakura 😭

- Not that Bakura isn’t necessarily capable of it 👀

- “I didn’t kill Kaiba. The cyanide killed him, I just placed it in his food”

- I dunno why Kaiba is the victim in this list 😭

- I think that’s enough for now this list is long 😭😭

- Be sure to like n subscribe for more Yami Headcanons 🫡

[rataticaisdreaming]

day 2 - fusion @intrualityweek

Summary: When Remus and Patton can’t stop fighting, the mind decides to give them a chance to be in each other's shoes.

Pairing: Platonic Intruality (he/him for both)

Word Count: 1397

Warnings: Verbal fights / Hurt/Comfort / Intrusive thoughts / Remus being Remus / Cursing / Mention of sex

“Those are awful things, Remus! You should think of more cheerful… innocent stuff!"

"Oh yeah, because everyone wants to live in Care-A-Lot, daddy-o."

It has been like this for weeks now. Patton getting more and more distressed at Remus’ outbursts, which have been more common ever since the last major issue Thomas faced. Their fights seemed personal and within their own bubble, seeing as they were right next to each other. Janus and Roman had no problem ignoring them, it was so childish and unnecessary that not even Virgil was affected by this. It was getting annoying though. Once everyone left those two to bicker alone, Patton frowned and sank down to his room. The duke was so unsettling! It wasn't so difficult to keep your thoughts to yourself and keep things nice and decent.

Throwing himself to the stuffie filled couch, he reached for an old blanket and his Tender Heart teddy bear. A wave of sadness filled him, tears silently fell from his cheeks into the blanket he was holding so close. Everything felt like too much.

He hated arguments so much. The loud voices and negative feelings made him feel so small and overwhelmed. The need to just get out, get out, get out. How he closed his eyes and just prayed the tears wouldn't come out, this is not the time for big emotions. He just wanted to hide and make the feelings go away.

━

Well, fuck him. There he goes again with his big mouth and inability to just shut the fuck up!

No one wants to hear you anyways.

He is trying! He really is! Just spit out the mild ones so his head guts will be at ease until he comes back to his room. That’s exactly what he did… then why was today so difficult?!

You were never meant to be one of them.

And why the fuck is his brain not shutting the fuck up?! He just wanted some rest for God's sake.

You should impale yourself with the bed's wooden poles. 

Just get in a onesie, what if you get tangled up and suffocate?

Get in bed and under the blankets, you should have hate sex with the others.

Hug your emotional support octopus stuffie and feel them hug you back… oh, the ways they could crush you to death.

Just close your eyes… It will be okay in the morning.

Except it won't be. It will be this over, and over, and over again until you die. Alone and in pain and no one will care about you…

━

"We need Patton. It's clear to me this issue needs his emotional expertise."

A quick hand gesture is all Logan needed to make the moral side rise in his spot. Eyes shut tight and in clear distress, softly bouncing on his heels.

"Sorry kiddo, your old man just needed a little rest. Felt more tired than a hooker after an orgy."

What… in the world?

The room falls silent and everyone is suddenly looking at him. Roman and Virgil look at each other stunned, eyes so big they seem ready to pop out. Janus scoffs in disbelief, like he finally heard how much of a petty bitch he is. Logan adjusts his tie, looking down at the floor, maybe he’ll find his worth somewhere in the dust. Thomas looks like he just saw a puppy being shot in front of him. 

Wow, this little mind of his is not slowing down, is it?

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I didn't know why I said that… must be reaaally out of it! Maybe I just need some coffee and breakfast to get myself back on track." he said, awkwardly tiptoeing his way to the kitchen.

No one knew how to react to what just happened, so Roman spoke first.

“Maybe all that time with my brother is messing with him, speaking of him.” he said as he summoned Remus with an annoyed frown “Where is my copy of Princess and the Frog?”

Remus rose in his spot and stared at his twin like a deer in headlights, after a few seconds, he answered.

“I'm pretty sure I placed it back on the shelf.” he said, timidly hugging himself.

“Well, it's not there!”

The escalating tone made Remus flinch and look away, that seemed to be the wrong thing, because Roman spoke again.

“I swear in the holy name of Julie Andrews, Remus, if you did something to it…"

"I promise I didn't! I- I'm sure I placed it on the shelf, maybe I can help you find it! Just… Please lower your tone." 

Roman was taken back by his response, his brother looked on the verge of tears. He has never seen the duke express himself like that. Weirded out was an understatement,

Before he could say anything, Patton came back and…

"Well, I can safely say the dishwasher liquid does not, in fact, taste like lemon and oranges."

Something was wrong.

━

"You will not leave this couch until you figure out what happened, do I make myself clear?"

It had been ten minutes since Logan left them there. Ten full minutes of distressed bouncing on his seat, eyes shut as he tried his hardest not to voice his thoughts. After what felt like an hour, Patton couldn’t take it anymore.

"Remus, all these thoughts… are they yours?" he said in a small voice Remus barely heard. "They are horrible…"

“I know they are!” he yelled, causing Patton to flinch. Upon seeing the reaction, the creative side broke down.

"I hate all of this! It all feels like too much!”

Patton’s knowing smile made him feel warm and troubled. A question popped into his head. He scooched over a little bit and started to fidget with his sparkly sleeves.

“Do you feel like this all the time?"

Patton looked up and sighed.

"Mhm" 

"Do you get these thoughts all the time?"

Remus looked up with slightly red eyes.

"Yeah…"

"I never realized how much pain you were actually in… I thought you said those things to annoy us…" he started, receiving a soft laugh from the duke "But they are like a swarm! I need- I need them out!"

“Shh, it's okay. They will calm down, here, tug this string."

The moral side did with a tired hand, when he let go, a soft “quack” came out of nowhere. A tiny duck dropped from the air into his lap.

"Heh… And where did this little guy come from?"

“Little gift.”

A small giggle escaped from Patton’s lips and he changed his posture, visibly calmer and less tense. After working some courage, Remus decided to speak as well.

"I never knew you were feeling this much… It's suffocating. Every emotion feels fucking intense and it hurts! How do you live like this?"

"I just do… Comes with being the heart, I guess. My room helps me, it calms me down when it gets too much."

"Huh. Do you think I could… hang out there sometime?"

"Sure! Janus and Logan have been very insisting on the whole "finding a distraction" thing. We could do a puzzle together or watch a show."

"Yeah… I'd like that."

━

It has been like this for weeks now. Remus learning to use his inner voice, mindful of how loud noises impact the other’s emotions. Patton started to listen to Remus' ideas and ignored the ones that were plainly intrusive thoughts.

By the end of an afternoon discussion, they were already looking at each other in anticipation.

They sank down and arrived at Patton's living room. There was an unfinished puzzle on the coffee table as well as board game boxes laying on the side of it. Remus picked the neon green notebook and glitter pen and sat down next to the moral side.

They summoned popcorn, sodas and m&ms. Even some lemon slices for Remus. Whenever he got unwanted thoughts, he would write them down. Patton would hug his teddy bear, as a silent sign that they needed to slow down for a bit, when the emotions got too intense.

It was working for them. They also made a mental note to never anger the mind again. It would be fantastic to see Roman get all of Virgil's anxiety, but Remus was a good brother and decided to write that thought down for now.

[blades-bundle]

Can you write some headcanons of blade with a so who’s a herrscher ?

Author's Note: Sure, why not. I don't know too much about Honkai Impact 3rd, unfortunately. (Curse you phone storage.) So I'm sorry if this is incorrect.

Blade x Herrscher! Reader HC's

- Blade is a person who greatly respects those who are powerful. - People who are capable and are confident in their abilities. - So learning that his S/O, someone he respects greatly, is in fact a Herrscher? - Oh boy that's a can of worms. - Firstly, I feel that he would want to know what exactly you're the Herrscher of. - What you are the best at controlling, etc etc. - Second, I do feel he would be pretty concerned learning such a thing. - Specifically because of stage four, and the "abandonment of the goodness in humanity." - As much as Blade doesn't trust or like humanity, he does find the concept of you losing your humanity quite... unsettling. - He doesn't like the idea of losing you. - Blade would never really admit this, however. At least verbally. - Expect him to be more attentive when you use your Herrscher abilities. - "Blade, why are you hovering over me like a fucking bee?" - "Don't fucking blame me if you die." - "?????" - Yeah, he's gonna find it both very hot that you're powerful but also incredibly concerning.