#and the wholesomeness of it all felt the most worn out which is why i felt irritated

[roseandsalt]

rewatching lotr since i do nottt have the time to reread and almost couldn't get through the fellowship bc the beginning irritated me sm for basically no reason. but i have read and watched the film before except i was like 8 and remembered virtually nothing and was remembering as it happened

[mintmatcha]

I want giggly cuddly sex with tadashi 🥺 where there’s no power dynamic just us two having a good time and wanting to make the other feel good :((

I combined these two little ditties into a fic!!! I hope you don’t mind!!!

CW: established relationship, praise, sex, fluff/smut. 

yamaguchi x reader 

(reader has a vagina- no pronouns or gendered language used)

first time

It's one of the pitfalls of a new relationship; everything the other person does is endearing. 

"I'm just saying, it's weird that the fourth movie is so good!" Yamaguchi digs his hand into the bowl on your lap, picking through the entire bowl to scrape at the popcorn kernels. He tosses the bits into his mouth and chews thoughtfully, cracking through each kernel loudly, before pausing to suck the excess salt off of his fingers. 

God, if anyone else did that, you'd probably be disgusted, or at the very least annoyed, but there's something about Yamaguchi that makes it unbearably endearing. Maybe it's the little shoulder dance he does every time he takes a bite. Maybe it's the way your heart skips a beat when his tongue swipes over his knuckle, catching a bit butter. "Name another series that has a good fourth movie. You can't. Scream 4 is one of a kind." 

He does it again, crunching through the kernels happily, tongue peeking out once again to wipe across his fingertips.

God, you wished he would lick you like that. 

"Tadashi, you're gonna break a tooth." you chide, even as you sink further into his lap. There was plenty of space on the couch, but you had somehow migrated to his lap sometime during the previous movie. The arm around your shoulder tightens, pulling you into a kiss on the cheek. It's greasy with butter residue, but somehow it still makes your heart flutter. 

Fuck. Only 3 months into the relationship and you were wrapped around his finger, watching movies that you didn’t have any interest in. Any little annoyance was forgotten as soon as he flashed you that freckled smile. Every little nuance you discovered made you fall deeper into .... like.

Not love. Like. You weren't ready to admit to the 'love' word quite yet, but it was getting closer. You had been 'in like' with Yamaguchi since shortly after he moved into the cubicle next to yours.  Maybe it had been the way he always remembered to grab you an extra sugar packet for your coffee, or the way he laughed at whatever podcast he was listening to that day, or the way he silently procrastinated at the end of the day so you could walk to bus together: whatever it was that won you over didn’t matter, what did matter was that Yamaguchi made you feel happier than anyone else.  It felt natural to be with him, to be held by him, to be ‘liked’ by him.

...Your only complaint was the pacing. One of the best and worst things about the two of you was that you were both polite, constantly dancing around unsaid boundaries, trying overly hard to respect each other, avoiding any situation that could possibly make the other one uncomfortable. Which meant your physical relationship was nothing more than the occasional kiss.

Honestly, you were beginning to think he didn't want to. His hands never wandered, his texts never turned dirty, and you certainly never initiated anything. It felt like there was never an opportunity to start anything; even now, sitting on his lap while wearing a sweatshirt he had left at your apartment weeks ago, it felt wrong to interrupt a wholesome moment.

Not that you didn't want to. God. You wanted to.

"You know,  I don't think anyone's ever worn my hoodie before." he comments, eyes never leaving the television. He’s enthralled with this stupid movie, even though he had seen it 'dozens of times.'

"Really? I’ve been wearing it as a shirt. " you grab at the fabric, "Do you want me to take it off? "

"Yeah, sure." he responds blankly, attention still glued to the movie. Then, he seemingly realizes what he said, face immediately erupting into a furious blush. He's quick to separate for you, almost spilling the entire bowl on the ground. You mirror him, unsure if you should laugh at his panic or cringe. "No! Do not take your shirt off! I do not want that!" 

"Tadashi. Calm down." You laugh, even as disappointment settles in the back of your throat. Does... does he really not want to see you undressed? Is this why you guys having had sex yet? Did he just see you as a friend? For his comfort and not your own, you inch farther away, back against the opposite arm as him. "It's fine, I get it."

"No, I-" he takes a moment to settle himself, "You look phenomenal with my hoodie on, I just, I don't want you to take your shirt off unless you want to, because it’s totally something I want. I think about it-" he pauses mid sentence, ears burning so red that his freckles seem to disappear, " I mean, if- I'm not like that- if you're not ready- that's not why I invited you over. I'm not expecting anything." 

He gives a nervous chuckle, widening the distance between the two of you more. You let his words sit, only the sound of the movie in the air. 

"So." you begin slowly. "You think about me without a shirt on?"

“I mean, of course.” He is acutely aware of the edge of the couch, his body teetering at the brink, but he bares it. "Can I tell you something? You can't laugh at me. Or think I'm a pervert." 

"I can't promise that. Are you, like.... sniffing my underwear or something?" you joke, a grin sneaking across your face.

He snorts and shakes his head almost violently. 

"Okay, no! Now the real thing doesn't sound as pervy." he adjusts only slightly, his shoulders unbunching themselves. Most of the tension in the air has melted away. That's what was so great about Yamaguchi; even when things turned awkward, they quickly returned to normal. "Do you remember that time Yakki split that water all over you?"

You roll your eyes at the memory. "Of course."

"And you had that little white blouse on?" he swallows, "My productivity at work dropped about 50% that day. It was so bad that the boss scolded me." 

"Yeah, because you were too busy worrying about me catching a cold!" you say, "You even gave me your jacket!" 

"No, I gave you my jacket because your shirt was see-through.” he admits, “My productivity dropped because all I could think about was how I wanted to take you and that little see-through shirt into the storage closet."  

Oh God. This is it. This is the opportunity. 

You lean forward with a tilt of your head, the gapping neck of the shirt falling forward past your collarbone. His eyes are glued to the neckline, tracing over the hint of skin, silently begging for more. You tuck your knees up under you and begin to crawl, only half convinced that this is sexy.  The closer you get, the more he can see down your shirt. His breath hitches slightly at the sight, but he doesn't dare to look away.

"Oh? What were you thinking about doing to me in that storage closet?" Yamaguchi lets his legs fall apart and, hesitantly, you place a hand between his knees, fingertips grazing the grey cotton of his sweatpants. The band of his bright red underwear peeks out from under his shirt and, without thinking, you trace over it with a pad of your finger. At the touch, he leans forward, lips tickling the shell of your ear as he speaks. Your heart is thrumming in your eardrum, so hard you can barely hear what he's saying. 

"First, I would have ripped that wet little shirt off, button by button." he chuckles, reaching to tuck a tendril of hair behind your ear. Your pussy clenches at the low rumble of his voice, so hard you feel like your stomach is cramping. "Then, I-"

A scream cuts through the room. The both of you jump forward into each other, knocking your skull against his jaw. Almost in unison, you both reel back: you clutching your ear, him clutching his lip.  The bowl spills across your laps, scattering popcorn all over the couch and floor as you both frantically search for the source of the noise. The dramatic music of the movie drums through you as some damsel in distress is running across the screen, screaming for help.

One beat. Two beats. 

Then, you laugh. It's one from the belly, that makes your gut ache from effort. You're trying to reach for Yamaguchi, make sure he's okay, but your eyes are watering, and your whole body shaking.  He's giggling too, still covering his lip. 

"The movie scared me!" you explain through tears. He nods in agreement, gesturing to the mess across his lap, including a huge butter stain across his crotch. It's not a funny moment, not when both of you are aching, but an intangible something has you both snorting and sobbing through giggles. The moment is way too long, way past the point of any humor, but Yamaguchi's snickering feeds into yours. 

Finally,  Yamaguchi manages to collect himself, scrunching his lips into a straight line. The corners of his mouth twitch upwards and you dissolve into giggles once again.

"I want to fuck you so bad right now." he breathes. His directness surprises you. "But not on top of the popcorn." 

You pull a deep breath, trying to center yourself. "We could move?"

"My roommate is going to kill me when he comes home to this mess." he says, but he stands anyway. You follow and his hand finds the small of your back, pulling you into him softly. He presses a kiss against your lips, warm and gentle, and then pulls back with a grimace. 

"I think you bruised me.” he touches his lower lip gingerly, as if testing it. 

“I’m sorry, we don’t-” he silences you with another kiss and now you can feel the swollen corner of his mouth, gritted slightly with salt. He clutches on to your top as he steps backwards, dragging you along with him so the kiss doesn’t break. Each step is rocky and unsure (you barely miss colliding into the wall) but you stay embraced, your hands clutching into his dark locks, partially to keep your balance as blindly follow. His hands trace up under your shirt, thumbs digging into the soft of your hips, pulling you flush against him, forcing you deeper and deeper into him until-

“Oh, shit.” he breaks away suddenly, pushing you back slightly. “I- my room- I need you to stay here.” 

“What are you talking about?”

“My room’s a mess, I really didn’t expect that you would- that we-” he shakes his head. “Gimme 30 seconds- please. I don’t want you to see me like this.”

You don’t object as he scuttles away, clicking the door firmly closed behind him. You can hear the muffled sounds of drawers slamming and objects being tossed about as you wait. It feels like you have been standing there, starting at the generic art hanging in the hall, for ages. It’s much longer than 30 seconds, but not quite the eternity it feels like.

The door creaks open and your favorite freckled face peeks out.  “Hi.” 

“Hi.” you repeat. Somehow, every amount of tension had returned in the scant amount of time you had been apart. Both of you knew what you wanted to do, but, the knowledge seemed heavy. It was an explored territory, sleeping with someone new. No matter what your past relationships were, each new experience with a new person (especially a new person you CARE about) brought its own pitfalls and challenges. It seems so serious, so scary, until you tear your eyes away from the floor and actually look your boyfriend in the eyes.

"Did you just brush your teeth?" you reach out and brush a little bit of white foam from the corner of his mouth with your thumb. He leans into your palm with a smile.

"I didn't want to taste like popcorn." he says and you can't help but laugh as he leads you into the room. It’s his brand of organized chaos; there’s clothes peeking out from the closet, miscellaneous knick knacks on the nightstand (including a still foamy toothbrush) and half hung posters across the walls. . You break away to sit on the bed, tracing over the pattern of the bedspread. 

“I like this.” you comment, “Very nice.” 

He nods, frozen in the doorway. Slowly, he reaches up to the lightswitch and flicks the light off. The darkness feels heavy with anticipation and worry as he pads around to the other side of the bed. He feels it too, you decide, as you watch his adam’s apple bob in the low light, this insane mixture of pressure and excitement.

For Yamaguchi, it’s the thoughts that usually plague his mind at night that grate away his confidence. The dreams of your skin between his fingers, your taste on his lips, are so close to reality, but he can't bring himself to make the first move. Even in the low light, he can see the curve of your waist, slowly contracting with every exhale. His own breathing matches your pace and, for some odd reason, that realization makes his chest burn with longing.

"I'm not expecting anything. If you don't want to." he reiterates as he lies down. How pathetic, he thinks. He really wasn't expecting anything, but, god, was he thinking about it. He'd been thinking about it since the first time he had seen you from across the If he could just reach out, just grab your collar and pull you to him, he could finally-

"Tadashi." his skin jumps at the sound of your voice and the sound of you shuffling, laying across the mattress. It's enough to knock him out of his thoughts and back into reality. He swallows back the tightness in his throat as he inches closer to you, his knees brushing against yours. He feels the gravity of the mattress shift as you shuffle closer and closer, until you're within inches of him.  You're almost face to face now, close enough that he can feel the way your breathing picks up as his hand finds your shoulder. You hum at the contact; he's warm. Even through the thick cotton, his skin is unusually hot against you. 

"You're like a little space heater." you whisper. Yamaguchi blinks, thinking, before his lips peel into a smile.

"Is that a good thing?" He doesn't wait for an answer.  He squeezes gently and you let him pull you forward, nose pressed against nose, hip against hip. His own shoulders shake with a silent laugh and you can't help but join him. It's something about the novelty of the situation, the joy in doing something new, breaking an unspoken boundary, that makes you laugh. You both dissolve into giggles, shifting closer and closer until you're laughing in each other's arms, fully pressed against each other. Even through your sweatpants you can feel the suggestion of his cock pressed against you, heavy against his thigh.

" ’Dashi." you whisper into the thin space between you. 

"I- Yeah?" he lets out a shaking breath. You take his hand and guide it to your chest, his fingers immediately cupping the flesh, massaging the flesh with a surprisingly steady touch. The way he sucks in air, fast, surprised, and hungry, sends heat pooling to your core.

"There's no popcorn here." you joke, "If you wanna fuck me." 

It's enough to break through his anxiety and he's against you again, this time with no laughter to keep your lips apart. His mouth finds yours, hungrily catching your lower lip between his teeth, tugging it ever so slowly. The sharpness makes you gasp and he uses the opportunity to kiss you deeper, tongue against yours. He tastes like his brand of toothpaste- soft and sweet mint. It's unexpectedly hungry, unexpectedly rough. 

The kiss doesn't break as he rolls over on to you, pressing your back into the down of his bed. His heart is already racing, battering against his ribs, as he continues tugging and teasing your breast, but he can't find it in himself to slow down. His free hand pushes up the hem of your shirt (his hoodie) to expose your chest. The kiss ends as he pulls away, forcing the short in-between your teeth, holding it up to give him free reign of your body. His head dips to join his hand, breath hot against your nipple. The cloth muffles your moan, but not enough to hide it from your lover.

He pauses, mouth open and tongue lulled out of his mouth, gazing up at you through his eyelashes. "Is this okay?" he's not touching you, but you can feel the low vibrations of his whisper against your skin.

"Yes, please." you whine through the sweatshirt, wrapping your hands into his hair. "Please, Please."

His tongue traces over your nipple delicately before he pulls back,  just far enough to watch it pebble under his touch.  He returns to work, clamping down and sucking, leaving the dull pain of a blossoming bruise behind. Your hips rut up into nothing, looking for any sort of friction.

He continues like this, leaving scattered marks across your skin as he worships you. Yamaguchi seems so content, just learning the scape of your body, but the building tension in your core is wearing thin.

Trailing touches down his body, you slipped your hands under the band of his sweatpants, gripping him through his boxers. Yamaguchi breaks, resting his forehead against your collar bone with a swallowed groan, as your fingers trace around the crown of his cock. Unwilling, he bucks into your light touch, dragging his length through your grasp. You tighten your fingers as he continues fucking himself against your palm, his own hands drifting to grasp your hips, pushing down your shorts just a fingers-length. Finger pads traced against the newly exposed skin, dipping lower and lower until tracing over the lace of your underwear.

"Wow." he breathes, lifting his head up to press a kiss against your chin. "Lift your hips for me, beautiful." 

You comply, letting him peel off your shorts and underwear in one pull. The cool night air made you shiver, but his warm hands soon returned to explore the newly exposed skin. 

"Oh, you're so..." his hand dips in between your legs, dragging a digit through your folds. The sound of your slick against his fingers makes his cock pulse in your grasp. He leaves his thought unfinished as he starts circling your clit with a steady touch. The pressure sends you keening, hips rolling into his touch eagerly, but he remains steady, patient.

He's building you up embarrassingly fast, leaving you sweaty and panting under his touch. Just as your legs start shaking, your body right on the brink, he withdraws. His tongue darts out to wipe away your fluids from his hand and he groans at the taste, eyes fluttering. 

"I'm sorry, beautiful. You can't  cum until I'm inside you." he whispers, sitting up to peel off his shirt. Clusters of freckles dapple his shoulders and it's all you can watch as he scrambles away to the nightstand drawer.  He returns a moment later, eager tearing through the tin foil packet with his teeth.

"Tadashi! Be careful!" you scold as you throw the blankets aside.

"It's not ripped!" he says, grabbing the bunched up shorts from the crook of your knee and tugging it completely off, dragging you a couple inches down the mattress with them. He tosses them aside as he pulls off his own; even though you just had your hand around it, the sight of his cock makes you anxious. It's thick, much thicker than you anticipated, and around leaking, a bead of precum catching at little light in the room.

As he begins rolling the condom on, you peel off your top and Yamaguchi's mouth falls open, eyes darting around the entirety of your body.

"Holy. You-" he sighs happily. "You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen." He surges forward, pressing you down into the mattress once again. His mouth is against yours, swallowing your whines. His hands are at the small of you back again. but now it's about but pure. He's forcefully angling your hips back and forth against his cock, dragging your clit against his spongy head and spreading your wetness against the plastic film. 

"I can't believe I get to fuck you." he says in between kisses. Yamaguchi continues to fuck your folds, his calm pace finally losing it's rhythm. "I can't believe I get to play with this perfect pussy. Can't wait to see you cum around my cock." With a trembling hand, he reaches down and presses his tip against your entrance, hesitating before sinking just the head inside you. The pop of his cockhead entering your cunt makes both of you gasp in unison- and another wave of giggles over takes the both of you.  As he dips down onto his elbows, eyes screwed shut, he doesn't make a move for a long moment, the only sound in the room is his steady breathing.

"I'm sorry, I'm just-." he presses a kiss against your neck, another laugh bubbling up, "You just- ah, you're so pretty. I can't believe this is real." 

Your hand catches his jaw, pulling his face up into yours. Your thumb traces over his cheek, tracing over the subtle dimpling of his pock marks. The freckles scattered across his cheeks, the crinkle at the corners of his eyes as he smiles- he's the beautiful one here. At your touch, he pushes further into you, steadily feeding your tight whole inch by inch, watching the way your mouth gapes and twists at the pressure. Once he's fully seated in you, he pauses, watching your chest move with each breath. 

"Dashi," you whine, hooking your ankles together around his waist, "You're so thick." 

"I know, you're doing such a good job." he presses a kiss against your forehead as he begins rolling his hips against you. Each thrust is rough, your hips angled up for him to sink his full length into you. "Keep being good for me, baby." 

With an unexpected strength, he tugs you closer, lifting your hips off the bed. Each stroke is steady, pumping his entire length in and out of you at a tantalizingly slow pace. His name falls out of your mouth like a prayer, begging for more, but he doesn’t oblige. It stays sinfully slow, building you up in a controlled burn. Each kiss, highlighted by the mingling of your hot breaths, is further raking the coals. 

“Is my pretty baby gonna cum for me? Look how great you’re taking me.” he groans.  He’s praising you blindly now, neither of you sure of exactly what he’s saying, all of his attention focused on grinding into you.

Your back arches further, and you’re seeing stars as he fucks you just right. You can barely keep your vision focused on him, those grey eyes clouded with concentration Your orgasm knocks the breath out of your lungs and you come undone with a strangled laugh, fisting the sheets desperately. The way you clench down around him makes his hips finally stutter, a hiss escaping his gritted teeth. Your chest is filled with a flurry of emotions as you sling your arms around his shoulders, unable to wipe away the goofy grin in your face. 

A few more snaps of his hips has him melting into you as he cums. He tucks his head under your jaw with a hum, dropping you on to the mattress. His hands find their way back to your chest, giving you a final squeeze.

"Fuck." he whispers into the soft of your neck as he withdraws. He's quick to peel off the condom and tie to off, discarding it off the side of the bed. Yamaguchi rolls onto his back, holding his arms open expectantly. "You're so hot when you laugh, you know that?" 

Curling into his arms, finding some sort of gross comfort in his sweaty warmth, you can't help but suppress another giggle.

"Hey, be careful. Keep laughing and we'll have to do that again." he grips your jaw, tilting your face towards him to capture you in a kiss. "Don't test me; I'll fuck you so hard you'll need a standing desk on Monday."

"Oh yeah?" you tease, your hand tracing down his chest, connecting his freckles. "Prove it."

"Oh, I will, come here-"

The distant sound of a door slamming catches your attention. "Yamaguchi, what the fuck?" a familiar voice echoes through the apartment. 

Yamaguchi shoots up, frantically searching for his pants in the sheets. "Fuck, I forgot about the popcorn!"

[whoiwanttoday]

Hey guys, here is Jade the Libra, who I have posted once before but I can't remember when. I could look of course but it may not be on this blog. It definitely would be around Halloween, it's just a matter of which year. And look, she is absolutely beautiful, we'll get that out of the way but I have been thinking about her a bunch and beauty is only part of why she is here. She has this wholesomeness to her that is probably why she hasn't shown up more and that might seem odd but it is why I am a fan. Obviously there are always people who are going to sexualize goth girls, I mean look, I am posting her, I am doing it. It's a mixture of cultural things in that it is definitely sort of a fetish for some people. An exotic other I guess that is certainly more socially acceptable than some of the other "other" fetishes but part of it is the way they dress. Not in the sense that there is something sexual about it but elements of goth fashion are things that culturally we tend to sexualize. Like frishnets are a great example. Fishnets are just an article of clothing but I know if as a kid some girl had worn them to school a parent would have lost their mind because they are just way too sexy for a child to wear. This is because the entire point of fishnets in a fashion sense is the give the illusion of definition. They are mainly worn on legs so if you have great legs they make them better, if you have ok legs they make them great, all by making your leg appear shapelier and so as an article of clothing that draws attention to a specific body part of a woman... well, we live ina  society that sexualizes and commodities the bodies of women and often reduces them to specific body parts. Thus clothing that highlights a female body part becomes sexual. So I don't think that Goth women are inherently sexual or looking for sexual attention but I do know there is some coding in what they wera that is going to trigger some deep cultural stereotypes, which is probably why goth women often talk about the problem with creeps slipping into their DMs and assuming they are sluts. Because creeps are bountiful and never stop to question their assumptions. Anyway, I bring all this up to say there are indeed elements to Jade's aesthetic that are attractive and could make a mind wander that way but I subscribe to her channel not to look at her but to hear what she has to say and while I do notice sometimes she is beautiful, it often never occurs to me to sexualize her because she is so wholesome feeling. It's this weird thing where she is so pleasant and all in on Halloween and spooky stuff it's all I think about. And that's the reason I watch her religiously, she has done me two huge favors over the year. First, she is just on the Halloween decor. It means I don't have to be. She is posting videos in June letting us know what stores have Halloween stuff out, where the best stuff is this year, and so on. It's such a huge service if you are the sort of person who thinks that counts as a service (I am. It's huge for me). Second, she has a great sense of style and decor for all things spooky. I have never lifted anything she does but it has inspired so much of what I do. And people always enjoyed how much I am into Halloween but now my stuff gets some serious praise. I am most proud of the gothic floral arrangement I did last year but this year I have a stack of old books with a golden skull and a jeweled spider that people are going nuts for. Someone told me I had out done myself. Jade gets a lot of credit for that because just seeing her process has really helped me a lot. Now, I know, a lot of you are going so what but to that I would say there is no way a lot of you are saying that. This will be lucky to get 10 notes and only three of you will have read this far. Thanks, I appreciate it. If you want pictures of my Halloween stuff ask, I'll show you, you've earned it. Anyway, it just felt like the right time of the year to post her and talk about how grateful I am stuff like this exists. The internet is a weird place and sometimes a toxic place and it can be bad but you know what? 30 years ago I would have been a weirdo too into Halloween with no real outlet. I wouldn't have decorated as much or if I had it wouldn't have been as good. I mean, no one I know is also doing this but people seem to enjoy it but would I have had the confidence to go all in on it without people out there sharing the same interests? I don't know but I do dig what Jade the Libra does and appreciate that she put sit out there into the world. It's good wholesome fun. And yeah, we know how this post will end, they all end the same way so I will point out she is also attractive. Today I want to fuck Jade the Libra.

[frostedfaves]

Haunt (2)

Masterlist

Pairing: civilian!Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Summary: Getting to know you brings a few ‘firsts’ for Wanda.

Warnings: brief alcohol mention, tiny bit of angst

A/N: click on the link at the end of the masterlist to add yourself to the taglist! and tell me what you think!

Previous part

-

“Honey, I’m home,” Pietro called loudly as he locked the front door behind himself, smiling as Wanda appeared from the kitchen. “There you are, rybka. Smells good in there.”

“As it always does,” Wanda playfully bragged as she pulled her brother into a hug, sniffing his shirt as he pulled away. “Why do you smell so good?”

“Because I had a date earlier. Don’t give me that look.”

“What? I didn’t give you any look,” she mumbled as she attempted to quickly bring a sense of nonchalance to her expression. “I just worry.”

“You don’t have to--”

“Pietro, your last girlfriend was a nightmare. I have a right to be worried.”

“Well, you can relax this time,” he assured her as he followed her into the kitchen to wash his hands. “Usually things don’t go so well with girls that have posters of me in their rooms, but I have a good feeling. She travels for work almost as much as I do, but she lives really close to here. I can visit you both on the same day if I need to.”

“Wait…” Wanda paused to think as Pietro grabbed two plates from the cabinet. “Does she have a roommate?”

“Yeah, her name is Y/N, I think. You know her?”

“I do now. We met about an hour ago.” A smile formed on her lips as she began plating the food she made, but it faded as quickly as it appeared. “Why are you giving me a look right now?”

“Nothing, just been awhile since I’ve seen my baby sister with a crush.”

“You’re only twelve minutes older than me,” she argued with a scowl and Pietro laughed.

“I see you’re not denying that crush, though.”

“You can enjoy someone’s presence without being attracted to them.”

“Maybe, but you definitely have a crush.” He caught her hand with a grin as it flew toward his chest. “Come on, rybka. Just admit it.”

“Fine, I think she’s gorgeous. Happy?”

“I will be when you start dating,” he teased as she pulled her hand away.

“There won’t be a date. I mean she’s coming here tomorrow to hang out, but I don’t think she sees me like that.”

“Then she sucks,” he affirmed, groaning when her elbow bumped his side harshly. “She’s not even your girlfriend yet and you’re already super overprotective.”

He ran back into the kitchen to grab the wine and glasses before she could hit him again, giving her a bit of time to fantasize about a world where you were her girlfriend. She’d never tell Pietro just how great that sounded to her.

-

Wanda gasped as the doorbell went off, nearly knocking over the 3-tier cooling rack full of cookies on her race to the front door. She paused in the hallway to fix any hairs that flew out of place in her rush and took a deep breath before opening the door with a smile. You were standing on her porch wearing a different hoodie from yesterday and jeans instead of sweatpants, but every bit of the face she’d been thinking of in the past 16 hours was the same, and she couldn’t help but think that nothing could’ve prepared her for being this close to you again.

“Are you going to let me in or just stare?” you teased with a slightly shaky laugh, and Wanda wasn’t sure if she was blushing because she was caught or because she was already so enchanted with every little action of yours.

“Sorry, sorry.” She stepped aside as you walked in and locked the door behind you. “I’m not usually this weird, I promise.”

“I’m sure you are, and that’s okay because I like it.”

Wanda was sure (if the tension surrounding her grinning mouth was any indication) that her face would split open at any moment. You hadn’t even been here more than a full minute and she felt a warmth growing inside her chest that hadn’t made an appearance in quite some time. She wondered if it was too soon to admit that to you, but Alexei tiptoed into the room before she could decide.

“Hey, it’s your cute dog!” You were on your knees in seconds greeting the corgi that happily trotted over to you.

“Yes, this is Alexei, which basically means ‘defender’.”

“I feel like you call him that ironically, but I think I can see this tiny baby taking out some bad guys,” you quipped as you glanced at her from the floor, turning back to Alexei as you scratched lightly along his jaw. “What do you think?”

Wanda joined you in giving her furry son some love for another minute or so before he grew tired of the attention and walked off, leaving the two of you alone again. A few seconds of awkward silence passed before she offered you a tour of her home. She led you through the living room into the dining room, showing you where the bathroom was and briefly gesturing toward her bedroom, trying her hardest not to make such a big deal of doing so. Once you made it back around to the kitchen, she took you through the back door to her yard.

“And this is my garden!”

“I’m surprised you don’t grow your own vegetables, too,” you told her as you checked out the variation of flowers growing in a line, quickly adding “You seemed to know so much about it yesterday.”

“There’s this market I go to sometimes, and the elderly woman that sells vegetables there is always sharing tips with me. I could take you one day, if you’d like,” Wanda offered as she cast a nervous look your way, relaxing a bit when you smiled and nodded.

“I would like that a lot.”

You made your way back inside and Wanda gave you the freedom to pick anything from her movie collection under the television while she set up a tray with cookies and bowls of popcorn and chips. She watched you slide a disc into the DVD player from the corner of her eye as she placed the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“What’d you pick?”

“Tangled,” you answered simply as you grabbed the remote and took a seat. “It’s wholesome.”

You pressed play as Wanda returned with two glasses and a pitcher of water, and she sat at what she hoped was a respectable distance. The part of her that wanted to pretend that she hadn’t seen this movie thousands of times was quickly overpowered by the part that wanted to sing along, quietly at first during “When Will My Life Begin” and a little louder and more enthusiastic with “I’ve Got A Dream”.

“Am I that bad?” she joked when she noticed you watching her and you shook your head quickly.

“No, you’re not bad at all! You just have such a soothing voice. It’s kind of hard not to lose myself in it.”

“Oh...thank you.”

You faced the television again and Wanda took that as a cue to turn back to the movie too, but her focus was still on you. The last time she’d watched Tangled was with her ex-girlfriend, who complained every time she uttered a single note, but you almost seemed to encourage it with your attentive gaze. She found herself shaking her head a bit in an attempt to clear those thoughts, not wanting to compare you to someone else when she barely knew you.

“I’m sorry,” you quickly apologized as you paused the movie, causing Wanda to look at you as you faced her once more. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“No! No, I’m not uncomfortable, just surprised is all. You’re the first person to show appreciation of me singing during a movie...I mean, Pietro likes my singing, but he’s known me since birth, so the novelty’s kind of worn off.”

“Well, you sound incredible. The kids at your school are so lucky to--”

“Can I kiss you?” Her eyes widened as she scooted over a bit on the couch to give you more space. “I’m so sorry I said that! I’ve just been staring at your lips for the past minute and I swear I was listening, but I couldn’t stop thinking--”

“I’ve been thinking about it, too.”

The sight of your reassuring expression was all the encouragement Wanda needed to pull herself close enough that your thighs were touching, and her hand went for your jaw as she leaned in, internally cheering as you did the same. Your lips met in a gentle fashion, but Wanda couldn’t help her greed as she pressed herself into you more. She felt the tip of your tongue and opened her mouth without any thought, quickly losing herself in your touch as her hand slid toward the base of your neck while the other grabbed a fistful of your hoodie.

You yanked yourself out of her hold as she was about to slide her hand under the fabric covering your back, and Wanda jumped back in shock, torn between keeping her distance and placing a hand on your thigh to calm you when you began gasping for air a bit.

“Is everything okay? Did I go too far?”

“No, you didn’t. That was all me,” you assured her breathlessly. “I, um, just thought of something and kind of freaked myself out. Terrible timing, I know. I also know that was pretty weird so I can leave if you want.”

“I was just scared that I’d done something wrong.” Wanda placed her hands carefully over yours with a soft smile. “I think we’ve had our fair share of weirdness to the point of it not being a deal breaker anymore.”

“Okay.” You sighed and shifted your hands to grab yours. “I’m just worried that we’ll start something here that you won’t want to finish, and I know that can happen with anyone in any kind of situation, but I…Can you promise me something?”

“Anything.”

“Promise me that you’ll walk away the moment my baggage becomes too heavy. I don’t want you to try sticking it out for my sake and end up hating me.”

“I wouldn’t stay just for your sake--”

“I asked you to promise me something and you responded ‘anything’ with zero hesitation, and you’ve known me for only a day,” you quickly reminded her. “I have a right to be worried.”

Your words took her back to last night, which took her even further back to the reason she said the exact same thing to Pietro. She finds it incredibly easy to discover those red flags most people seem to hold, but always struggles to leave and ends up hating herself for it more than those that deserve it. So despite the lack of warning signs with you, she decides to give in.

“I promise.”

-

Tags: @littlegasps @peggycarter-steverogers @imnotasuperhero @natasha-danvers @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @trikruismybitch @cristin-rjd @slut-for-nat @honeyvenable @creepingwolfberry @stickystudentlightmug @choni-trimberly @thedragonzland @dylxn-lee @cordeliaswhore

[imagines-r-s]

sticking it - j. farabee

chapter 7

a/n: besties, it’s here. this is so wholesome, i swear to god. i don’t really have much else to say, but i do plan on continuing writing fics for the ‘sticking it’ universe?? (idk if that’s the right way to word that) so if you have requests for fics that still follow y/n and joel after the olympics or even throughout the series, i will gladly accept those requests. feedback is welcome, please enjoy

taglist: @butgilinsky @barbienoturbby @sunsetholland​ @lovenhlboys @sortagaysortahigh @hockey-racing-fubol @oopsiedoopsie23 @iwantahockeyhimbo @dreamsndior

warnings: high school musical, an annoying amount of fluff, maybe another your mom joke, bestie adrian

sticking it masterlist

wc: 3.0k

(gif not mine)

As soon as the boys got back from the roadie, everyone was ready to go home and sleep in their own bed. Winning two of the three games during the trip, most of the guys had been running on adrenaline, but were ready to crash. 

When Joel entered his apartment, still in his suit, ready to go to bed, he was shocked to see that some of his lights and his tv were on. He knew that he had double checked to make sure that they were off, but when he saw a pair of crutches leaning near where his couch was he quickly figured out why. 

He took note of the way you had fallen asleep on his couch, still in one of his jerseys, and with your phone still in your hand. “Hey, babe, wake up,” he spoke softly which caused you to simply groan in response and turn around, “y/n/n, c’mon.”

Turning back around to face him, you smiled, which quickly dropped seconds later as you realized you had intended to stay awake to see him, “oh my god, I was supposed to stay awake to surprise you.”

“Aw, don’t stress it. Seeing you here was a really good surprise either way.”

“Bee, can you do me a favor?” you asked, starting to get up. He simply hummed in response, “do you think you could step outside, act like you haven’t come in here yet, and act shocked once you get back?”

“You’re so dramatic, I swear.”

“Ah, ah, ah, I just want to know if you’ll walk back outside,” you said, smiling as he rolled his eyes before turning around and walking out of the door, “make sure you close the door for even more dramatic effect.”

Joel simply rolled his eyes once more before walking back into his apartment, “oh my gosh, babe, what a surprise to see you here. Never expected that one, that’s insane.” 

“Thank you,” you yawned, “I kinda missed you, not gonna lie.”

“Kinda?”

“Yes, I will not admit to anything more.”

“Ok, I missed you,too. C’mon, let’s go to bed though,” he grabbed your crutches from beside the couch and brought them to you. 

“I’m fine just going home,” you said, but once you yawned again, you knew he would immediately reject that idea. 

“You are way too tired to drive right now.”

“I have physical therapy tomorrow and if I stay here-”

“I’ll take you there tomorrow or at least just make sure you’re up in time, don’t stress it. Now, c’mon, you need some sleep,” he said, ushering you towards his room. As he started walking, he paused halfway through the hall, “wait, how’d you get in here?”

“I took a locksmith class once,” you said, shrugging, which only left him more confused. 

 “Um, alright,” he said as the two of you made your way towards his room. As you entered, you noticed the various pictures and hockey related things in his room. pictures of the team, along with pictures of his friends and family, pucks from his first nhl goal and his first hat trick sitting on one of the shelves. 

As you glanced around his room, you took note of how his room wasn’t a mess, but it wasn’t completely clean either. taking a seat on his bed, you set your crutches off to the side near his bed. “As much as I love seeing you in my jersey, I don't think it’s the best thing to sleep in,” Joel said, throwing you one of his shirts. 

“Awe, pretty boy. That’s very sweet. as much as I love seeing you in your suit, it might not be the best thing to sleep in. Might I suggest just sweatpants?” you asked, smiling sweetly. 

“Just sweatpants?” he asked, looking for confirmation that he heard what you said correctly. Taking the nod he got in response as confirmation, he grabbed a pair of black sweatpants from his dresser, “I’ll be back in a sec, you need anything?”

“No, I’m okay, but thank you, Bee,” as soon as he left, you got ready for bed. As soon as you laid down, you tried to stay awake to talk to Joel about his games, but sleep soon overtook you. 

When Joel got back, he smiled at seeing you asleep in his bed. After setting down the water bottle he got you, even though you said you didn’t need anything, he got into bed. Turning on his music, he turned towards you and wrapped his arms around you with his chest to your back. 

He quickly moved his arms when he felt you turn, only to smile when you wrapped your arms around him with your face nestled in the crook of his neck, “goodnight, Bee.”

“Goodnight, babe,” seeing as you had already fallen back asleep, he quietly whispered, “I love you.” 

When Joel woke up to an empty bed, he tried to avoid the assumption that you had heard what he said and had left him again. He knew it was bad to think, but that was the first place his mind went.

Getting out of bed to go to the bathroom, he heard music coming from the kitchen. As he walked closer to the kitchen, he heard the familiar soundtrack of High School Musical 3 playing, you singing along as you cracked an egg into the frying pan. 

As you listened to the last part of ‘A Night to Remember’, you didn’t even notice Joel standing in the doorway watching you. You were in your own little world. As you used the spatula as a microphone, you did a turn and you shrieked as you noticed him leaning on the doorway, “god, Bee, what the fuck are you doing just standing there?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt your karaoke session,” he stated, pushing off the wall to walk closer to you. 

“You weren’t supposed to see that.” 

“Don’t be upset, it was adorable.”

“I’m not trying to be adorable,” you scowled, turning back to the eggs that were still cooking. Feeling Joel stand right behind you, holding onto your hips as he dipped his head to kiss your neck, “better watch yourself, Farabee.”

“Babe, I’m just messing with you. Whatcha making?”

“Well, right now I’m making eggs and I was about to start the pancakes,” you said, listening as the song changed to ‘Just Wanna Be With You’, smiling as you heard Joel mumbling the words into the crook of your neck. 

“Babe, c’mon, it’s a duet. So you have to ‘do it’, you know?” he said, taking a step back from you, grabbing onto your waist once more to spin you around to face him, as he started obnoxiously singing the words. 

“Maybe you should stick to hockey, Bee. Singing is not your forte,” you said, laughing. 

“You’re ruining the moment, sweet pea,” he said, spinning you around. You joined him in the singing and dancing, laughing whenever either of you messed up the words. As the last words rang out, his lips met yours, you smiled into the kiss as you heard ‘The Boys Are Back’ start to play. 

“You guys should listen to this in the locker room, I think it’s perfect for game days,” you smiled, double checking the eggs once more. 

“Oh, yeah? I’ll make sure to mention it to them.” 

The two of you ate your breakfast in comfortable silence before getting ready for your PT appointment, you borrowing another one of Joel’s shirts to wear with the leggings you had worn the day before. 

“I want to warn you,” you started as Joel parked the car, “Adrian is kinda a handful. He’s super nice, but he’s, uh. He’s Adrian.”

“Got it, alright,” he said, genuinely unsure of what was about to go down. 

Lacing your hand in his, you led the way to Adrian’s office, walking right in as you saw that his door was open, “ooh, it’s my Olympic Superstar,” he said, quickly glancing behind you, “ooh, and the hockey superstar? Okay.” 

“Hi, Adrian,” you sat down on the bench, Joel sitting in the chair beside you, “ this is Joel Farabee. Bee, this is Adrian Michael.”

“I see why you were super nervous to text him, he’s pretty,” Adrian said, removing your knee brace, “she literally threw the phone right after texting you one day, it was so funny.”

“Adrian, your face is right by my leg, if I kick my leg hard enough, I could easily do some damage.”

“Awe, babe. Don’t be mean. Adrian, what else happened?” Joel said, smirking. 

“Oh, I like him, I approve,” Adrian said, glancing up to see you hiding your face with your hands, “I told her she was a dumbass for not talking to you about how she felt, but I’m assuming she did that since you’re here right now.” 

“Yeah, I agree, she is kinda a dumbass at times,” Joel said, trying not to laugh.

“You’re a dumbass, too, so don’t even,” you said, shooting a glare his way.

“Alright, kids. I can tell you’re the perfect match for each other, but good news is your knee is getting better. I can tell you actually listened to what I told you to do this time around,” he said, grabbing some athletic tape,” I know the two weeks aren’t exactly done, but you only have two days left, so I’m going to wrap up your knee for now. But you can start training, minimal pressure on your legs , no hard landings, no vault or tumbling,  you know the deal. But keep up what you’re doing, you’ll be all set to start training as soon as a week.”

“Wait, really?” you smiled as he nodded in response. 

“But you have to be smart about your training. Stick to mainly conditioning and drills for right now, only do pit landings if you need to work on any dismounts, actually use the athletic tape, and if you feel any pain, you let me know ASAP.”

“Ok, cool,” you smiled, ready to go to the gym now. 

“Knowing you, you’ll be at the gym later tonight, but don’t do anything dumb,” Adrian said, rolling his eyes, “and keep her line, pretty boy.”

“I’ll try my best,” Joel said, smiling. 

“Alright, you should be all set then. Good luck, superstar.”

“Thanks, Adrian,” you said as you walked out the door. 

…..

Joel knew that you wanted to go to the gym to at least do something since you were finally able to, so he took you to your apartment to get your gym bag right after lunch. As soon as you got there, you asked Michelle and Marcus if you would be able to have some time in the back gym - which was essentially the same as the main gym, it just held some of the older, but still safe, equipment. 

Setting your bag down, you decided to start on floor with basic skills, just to get in the groove of doing actual skills again. Stretching first, you made your way to the floor to get started. As you got back into doing some easy skills - with no harsh landings, obviously - you made your way to beam and bars, knowing that vault would be too hard on you right now. 

You were able to work on some of the skills that you had done for years now, there were only a few things that you couldn’t work on that weren’t dismounts or tumbling. You were just happy to be back to where you felt most at home. 

As you did your cool down workout, you had gotten your phone out, scrolling through twitter to see the usual mentions that you would see on the daily. But recently, there were a lot more negative things said, more comparison to your teammates and competitors, and people doubting that you deserved this. 

Joel quickly saw the way your face fell as you looked at your phone, he could only assume that you had seen something that had completely ruined how happy you were. He reached over to grab the phone from your hands, “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Bee. Don’t worry about it,” you said, trying to grab the phone from his hand. 

“y/n/n, I know something is up, what happened?”

“Just people saying shit, it’s nothing.”

“See, on any regular occasion, it would be nothing. You block whoever, yeah, yeah, yeah. But we’re talking about the Olympics here, babe. Everyone here supports and believes in you, so what you do is, you go out there and you prove to those people that you deserve your spot. The only opinion that matters is yours at the end of the day,” he smiled, “so, are you going to let them get to you? Or are you going to prove them wrong?”

“I mean proving them wrong is probably the better option, you know,” you said, jokingly. 

“Let’s try that answer again. Which one are you going to do?”

“Prove them wrong.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, leaving you stunned for a moment as he helped you get your gym bag together. When he noticed you still standing there, he quickly turned around, “are you okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. You just said ‘my girl’, I just - I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Did I just make the y/n y/l/n flustered? Awe, and she’s blushing. Oh my god, are you guys seeing this?” he yelled out to the empty gym, “Hm, and there for a minute I didn’t think you felt anything.”

“Shut the fuck up, Farabee,” you said, rolling your eyes. 

“And we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming,” he said, mocking an announcer’s voice. 

“You’re an idiot, Bee.”

“I’m your idiot, though,” he said simply, leaving no room for debate. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” you smiled, the two of you walking back towards his car with your hands intertwined. 

…..

As the days passed on, since you still had limited practice time, you were able to attend games and team celebrations as the Flyers got closer to the playoffs. Karly even convinced you to sit with her and the other WAGs at a few games. 

“Hm, it’s almost like I told you that you would end up sitting up here with us one day,” Karly said, rolling her eyes. 

“Yes, Karly, you did indeed say that,” you grumbled. 

“Awe, Sunshine, it’s okay to admit that you’re wrong sometimes.”

“I strongly disagree,” the two of you made your way back to your seats, smiling when you saw Joel messing around with Phil during warm up. 

“You are so in love with him, it’s crazy,” Ryanne said as she sat down beside you. 

“What? No- not today. I tolerate him more than I tolerate most people, but I don’t love him,” you rushed out, still in shock from what you had just heard. 

“Just because you don’t say it out loud doesn’t mean it’s not true, you know,” Karly added. 

“Yeah, but- that’s kinda scary,” you sighed, looking out onto the ice as you saw Joel laughing at something Nolan had said. 

“Love is scary sometimes, but with the right person, it’s super easy to do. It happens, but you better not run away from it this time. You both deserve it and you’re both happy, so don’t run,” Ryanne said, holding Gavin on her lap. 

You didn’t say anything in response, simply watching as the game started. This game was the last game that they had before the playoff games, so you could visibly see the tension rolling through the team as the game started. 

By the second period, the game was tied - Joel, Nolan, and Claude having scored . Third period was their make it or break it moment, so everyone in the stands was watching intently as the period started. As the period progressed, both goalies were doing a great job of keeping goals from being scored, meaning that by the end of the third period the score was still tied. 

With no points being made during overtime, a shootout was set to happen. Karly quickly gripped your hand as the two of you watched as Nolan skated onto the ice. “Nolan, c’mon, you got this,” you mumbled mostly to yourself. Watching intently as Nolan started skating towards the goal, watching as he made his way towards the goal, pulling his stick back and hitting the puck. Right into the goal. 

The whole arena erupted in cheers as the boys celebrated, you and the other WAGs smiling as you watched the team that had grown so much this season make more progress towards their main goal. As spectators left the arena, you made your way down to the tunnel to wait on Joel. 

You waited anxiously for Joel to exit, your eyes glued to the door every time you heard it open, “you watching the door isn’t going to make him leave any faster. Trust me, I’ve tried,” Ryanne said, smiling. 

“Yeah, I’m still going to try it though,” you laughed. 

“Figured.” 

You spent some time holding Gavin, trying to get him to sleep, so that Ryanne wouldn’t have to worry about it, “you know, you’re really good with kids.”

“Ah, ah, ah. You already brought up me being in love with Bee earlier, I’m not having this conversation,” you said, looking up to see Ryanne watching behind you. 

“You’re in love with me?” a familiar voice said from behind you, causing you to almost give yourself whiplash as you turned around. 

“Uh, hi, Bee,” the tension in your body immediately dissipated when you saw the smile that was now on his face, “yeah, Bee. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he said, softly before his lips met yours gently. “I don’t think this day could get any better.” 

“It would be a lot better if you didn’t kiss her in front of me, Beezer,” Kevin’s voice boomed from the other side of the hallway. 

“What was that, Hayesy? It almost sounded like you said something, I don’t know for sure though,” Joel said, wrapping his hand around your waist. 

“I’m proud of you, babe. You did it,” you whispered, leaning into his side. 

“Dude, imagine. ‘Stanley Cup Champion dating Olympic Gymnastics Champion,’ I like the sounds of that.”

“Hate to break it to you, but it would definitely be ‘Olympic Gymnastics Gold Medalist dating Stanley Cup Champion. You know the Olympics are kind of a big deal.”

[mashiraostail]

Hiiii, i was wondering if i could request some vlad king and gang orca taking care of their s/o pets. Like if the reader was out of town and asked them to take care of their dogs👉👈 i feel like vlad is such a good doggy dad that the dogs play together and i feel like gang orca would be lost but doing his best and if he was taking care of a cat i like to think it would love being around him because cats love fish and he would just always have his s/o cat cuddling on his lap. Im sorry for ranting lol i love your work you're doing great💕

awwehehe this is so cute since you mentioned dogs for vlad and cats for kugo that's what i went with! also indulged myself and included kugo/ jiro/shoji content bc that seems like such a GOOD FUNNY AND WHOLESOME trio and i wanted more content than we got smh 

Sekijiro Kan/Vlad King: "Hey Sek, I need a huge favor.” You look up from your phone at the taller man who is currently scrunched into the corner of his couch scrutinizing a piece of paper with really terrible handwriting on it.  “Sounds dangerous.” He replies without looking up and you snort dropping to the cushion beside him.  “Only a little, but I think you’re good for it.”  “Alright then, so what’s the favor?” His eyes flick up to you. “I need to go visit a friend out of town.” You sigh, “she had a baby last month, I used to work with her husband and she asked if I wanted to spend some time back home with her for her birthday next week, I should be about five days.” You rest your hands on his knees, “so while I’m out there..would you mind watching Kilo for me? I hate to leave him behind but It’d be a pain to travel so far with him I know he hates trains.”  “That’s a huge favor?” He raises an eyebrow at you, “sure I can watch him. I bet they’ll get along fine.” He glances at his own dog curled up under a chair.  “But only If you can figure out what the hell Monoma tried to write here.”  For all intents and purposes, Kilo was a good dog, a little stupid, but a good dog nonetheless. To be honest, he’s really honored you trust him with the task, you’re the only person he’s met that seems to love your own dog as much as he loves his. Plus it also meant that Kilo had to like him a fair bit which was also a relief, as a dog owner he knew any potential partner was only as compatible with him as they were with his dog, and his dog loved you, he was sure you felt the same way, any partner that Kilo didn’t get along with would be impossible for you to get along with, he found it more than a little reassuring that Kilo seemed to enjoy his company. Past all that, and maybe even most important this was a perfect opportunity to introduce the two dogs. He was sure it was no secret to you but this wasn’t exactly a casual fling, with the way things were going it felt pretty inevitable that he’d ask if you wanted to move in together; but if the two didn’t get along well then..that’d be an issue. Though he was sure if things got tested out now you’d have some time to at least try to get the dogs to be comfortable with each other or hopefully think of some sort of workaround. In his eyes, this was a blessing for him as much as it was a favor to you.  “Are you sure you don’t mind keeping Kilo at your place?” Sekijiro is slightly embarrassed to say how early he arrived at this park, he wanted to tire his own dog out before introducing the pair, he’d advised you to do the same so you were walking to the park, you'd called him on your way.  “Of course I don’t mind babe.” He tosses a ball from his seat on the bench and watches his pudgy bulldog trot over to it, “it’ll be easier this way, right?”  “Yeah that’s true, I just don’t want Kilo wrecking any of your stuff, he always means well but he gets into trouble sometimes-”  “Don’t worry about it, he’ll be a model student by the time you get back.” He hears you laugh into the receiver at that. “I don’t doubt that, I’m almost there, I’ll see you in a few okay?”  “Yeah sure thing, can’t wait.” You huff out another laugh at him before hanging up.  “Sekijiro!” You chirp brightly at the sight of the man, he’s too busy taking you in to respond. Kilo’s trotting a foot or so in front of you on his leash, that old joke about dogs looking reminiscent of their owners was certainly true in your case, you both looked delighted to see him and beyond that, you were practically glowing... Maybe he just had a thing for people who were good with animals.  “Hey Sek?” You lean down in front of him.  “Hey! He welcomes Kilo between his knees, the mixed breed was a bit larger than his dog who was currently bounding back to him with a ball and sufficient slobber hanging from his mouth, the size difference in mind though Kilo was a hell of a lot less bulky, he was practically streamlined, Sekijiro had seen how fast the dog could run with his own eyes. He could see why you took so much pride in the dog, he was definitely beautiful his coat was long, wavy, and shiny and he had big blue eyes and admittedly the cutest pink nose and spotted tongue Sekijiro had ever seen.  “Thanks so much again for doing this I really-” An excited bark pulls your attention downwards, “look who it is!” You sing, crouching down to pet the panting dog, “you sure look tired. Sekijiro is working you too hard.” You frown at him as he hops up to rest his front paws on your thighs. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Sekijiro laughs, “but he is worn out, I guess Kilo is too though.” Kilo’s head is on his knee, the larger dog is panting too.  They seem to notice each other, and approach with a lazy curiosity. They sniff around each other for a bit but after that return to their respective activities, seemingly unbothered by each other and the proximity of the other dog to their owner. Kilo didn’t mind your cooing at Vlad’s dog who didn’t seem to mind Kilo’s head in his owner's lap. With that little bit of reassurance, you hand him Kilo’s leash and a bag of his stuff; food dish, some toys and treats and the like, and then you part ways after promising to call him when you get to your home town safely.  All in all the coming days are pretty uneventful, Kilo joins them on their daily walks, eats at the same time with no trouble, finds a comfortable place to sleep each night.  “Is Kilo alright?” Your voice is nervous in the receiver.  “He’s better than babe, seriously they’re getting along great.”  “God that’s such a relief.” You sigh, “the pictures you’ve sent are cute..gosh I miss him.” You pout a little. “Gee I miss you too babe.” He mutters it with a playful edge to his voice and you gasp,  “I was going to say I miss you too but forget it!”  “don’t be mean!” He complains back, “I was kidding! And anyway I miss you. How’s it been out there?”  You go off on your usual tangents before ending up back at square one.  “Oh! I called you for a reason actually!” You remember, “I’ll be a little bit late getting back on Sunday, one of the trains is going to be down so I’m taking a later one, I should be back around midnight now would you mind-”  “Of course not babe, I’ll get you from the station so-”  “No no! It’s okay you’ve already done so much that’s not what I was going to ask! I just wanted to be sure you wouldn’t mind keeping Kilo around for the extra time...I can get a taxi, seriously don’t wait up for me!”  “Well just come to my place when you get back right?”  “I wouldn’t wanna wake you up-”  “It’s been way too long since I saw you last, so I don’t mind, if you won’t let me pick you up from the station at least come right here.”  “You’re convincing.” You laugh a little, embarrassment heating up your face, “I guess that’s fine with me then...” A distant sounding voice pulls you away from the receiver, “Sek I have to go, I’ll call you again soon though!”  “Don’t worry about anything babe.” He reassures you as you hang up.  There is one minor spat over a rope toy but it’s resolved easily enough and the pair seem to get on swimmingly after that, even sharing a couch cushion and occasionally resting their heads on each other, they become incredibly fast friends, which is probably the biggest relief on the planet to Sekijiro. Watching the two of them play tug of war in his living room or witnessing their schemes to get leftovers off the counter on Thursday night essentially cement his vision of a future with you.  If you were being totally honest it was embarrassing how attractive you found Sekijiro getting along with your dog to be, you’d never got the obsession of handsome guys holding cute babies but seeing some of the photos he’d sent to you over the almost 6 days you were gone made butterflies crop up in your stomach the likes of which you’d only felt when he was actively trying to fluster you...but this seemed totally unintentional. To say you were incredibly eager to go home and see him (jump his bones) felt like an understatement. It’s past midnight when you get back and the place is mostly dark, you see a vaguely bulldog shaped blob partially under a blanket on the couch, but the snoring it emits gives away it’s identity easily. You leave your bag at the door and venture into the apartment, poking your nose into the bedroom.  Of course, Sekijiro is there, dead asleep on his back, and who’s with him but Kilo, his head resting on the blood hero’s chest one of his hands resting on top of it.  “Oh Vlad-” You coo, you practically sing it at him.  “Wha-whatsitwhat-” He rubs his face as he picks his head up, “oh, hey welcome back ‘s good to see you, missed you-”  “You’re so sweet-” You’re already at the side of his bed, leaning down and kissing him.  “What’s-” Sekijiro takes a minute to process everything before he realizes it’s Kilo’s head on his chest making you act like this.  “Oh no way, he’s been a total angel-”  “I’m so glad he likes you so much-” You murmur it between kisses, to his lips and various other spots on his cheeks and jaw, “you guys are adorable together.”  “I’m glad you think so-” He cuts himself off with a yawn and turns into your lips, kissing you again before speaking, “you weren’t kidding about that late train huh? It’s almost 1 AM, you must be exhausted, there’s plenty of room for you in here so come on.” 

Kugo Sakamata/Gang Orca: “Hey, Kugo...” You approach him from behind and wrap your arms around his shoulders, leaning against the back of the chair he’s sat in.  “Yes?” One hand comes up to cover your forearm the other stays dutifully at work.  “You love me, right?” You rest your head against his and he pricks up at the inquisition.  “Of course I do, why would you ask a question like that? Is something wrong?”  The way his hand subtly squeezes your arm isn’t lost on you.  “Hmm..no nothing's wrong.” You lean into him and close your eyes as he sighs good-naturedly. “Then what? Did you just want to hear me say it?” He leans back into you, “I guess I could entertain that...” His thumb swipes a long stroke over the skin of your forearm, “I love you, dear.” He can feel you prickle up at that behind him. “I love you too Kugo.” You squeeze him tighter and he huffs out a quiet laugh. “I’m glad to hear it. Now is that all you needed?” He puts his pen down to bring his other hand up to your arms, “I’m a bit busy. You’re welcome to stay there if you like though I just need to finish some paperwork and make a few phone calls. After that, we can do whatever you like for the night.”  “Well, now that you mention it there was just one more thing. I’ll be fast I promise.” Your hand slides underneath his lapel and into his jacket.  “Don’t worry I can make a bit of time for you then, what’s the matter?” You make eye contact with him through his darkened computer screen.  “My boss invited me to this big conference next week, it’s a pretty great opportunity and I could meet some important people..” You explain, biting your lip, “it could be really good for me to branch out even she thinks so, and getting some more experience will be great, and it’s pretty close to my hometown so I figured I'd stop in and see some old friends after I got done..It’d be about 5 or so days and I’d really like to go.” You sigh and he seems more than a little confused based on his reflection.   “That does sound like a great opportunity for you, you’re right..what’s the problem then? Do you need advice about something?” His confusion doesn’t quell even as you kiss his temple. “I probably will later but for now the problem is Luna.” “Your cat?” Kugo piques, “why is she a problem?”  You sigh, “if I’m not around no one will be there to feed her and make sure she stays out of trouble.”  “Oh is that it? That’s no problem at all dear, I can look after her for you. Is that what you were going to ask me?”  “You don’t mind?” You perk up, “I don’t want to trouble you...and I know I could just as easily leave a key under my mat and have a neighbor do it but I trust you so much more and-”  “It’s no trouble, really.” Kugo laughs a little, "I pass by your apartment all the time on patrols, I’m sure the interns won't mind if I make a stop and head up to check on her every now and again.”  “Oh! You can totally bring them up if they like cats!” He laughs at that too.  “Was that all?”  “Mhm.” You nod and use the motion to nestle into him a bit, “Thank you Kugo.”  ”It’s really my pleasure. Leave it to me, alright?”  All things considered, Kugo’s also pretty honored to be trusted with the task of watching your pet cat, he knows how much you love and worry about her, you dote on her all the time, and if the copious amount of photos you send him of her say anything she’s definitely your pride and joy. For the most part, you spent the bulk of your time with Kugo at his own home, due largely to the fact that he was larger than average and he existed a fair bit more comfortably there, but he paid you visits in your apartment from time to time and had met the cat, she seemed to like him plenty which was a relief as well.  You stop at Kugo’s before you leave and give him a list of things to double-check when he stops in, though you reassure him that there shouldn’t be any problems, Luna was pretty independent and mellow she didn’t like going outside so he didn’t have to worry about her escaping or anything like that. He tries to stop in at least 3 times a day, before, during, and after patrols, he knows that’s probably overkill, you spend all day at work and have never had an issue but he hates the idea of something happening to the feline on his watch. Plus even if he wouldn’t readily admit it he saw this as a perfect time to get on the cat's good side, you said she already loved him but he wasn’t convinced. He knew how much you loved her and any vision of your future that he had always featured the mellow feline so in his mind it was imperative they got on well. On top of that, he was glad you trusted him with something as small and delicate as Luna, she fits pretty comfortably in his hand and was as fragile as she was petit, but you never seemed off-put by the idea of him holding her or petting her, in fact, you encouraged it. The way you even wanted him near her when you weren’t around to supervise put him at ease about his strength and size, he always worried about breaking delicate things, but that wasn’t a worry you seemed to echo.  “Is something going on in that building?”  Shoji looks up at your complex as he pauses by it, “you’re stopping here a lot since yesterday.”  “Huh? Oh. Actually no... well nothing of importance to you. I’m...catsitting.” Jiro holds her breath the hold in the laugh, “Catsitting?”   “Yes...my partner is away at a work conference, the cat in question is theirs.” Kugo nods, “if you like cats you can come up and meet her, she’s actually quite friendly.”   Kugo was pretty used to Luna at this juncture, but whenever other people met her it was easy to see why you were so proud of her, she was quite the stunning cat, a long dark grey and black coat with big green eyes and a swishing tail, her paws were colored as if she was wearing boots.  “Wow...she’s really pretty, I’ve never seen a cat like this.” Jiro was crouched on the ground, stroking her neck.  “I was surprised too.” Kugo confesses, “they found her in a box on the side of the road about a year before we met. She was only a kitten then. Her name’s Luna.”  She seemed to like the pair equally alternating between them, rubbing against their legs and shuffling her head into their palms.  “She is very friendly.” Shoji remarks as she purrs at him, attempting to climb into his lap.  “She’s good at getting into trouble, but she usually means well. You can stay with her for a minute.” He sets off to double-check the usual; food, water, litterbox, the loose window that she’s always wiggling open despite having no desire to climb out of it, he waters a few plants and straightens up anything she knocked over as well. When he returns she's overturned on Shoji’s lap.  “You’re getting along well.” He swipes a pillow she’d knocked over up and replaces it on the couch.  “She’s really sweet!” Jiro is scratching her stomach. “I’m glad to hear it.”   “Hey..sorry if this is too personal or whatever but I didn’t know you were.. dating someone... We didn’t snoop or anything though!” She swears, holding both hands up, the cat looks disgruntled at the loss of attention.  “It’s alright I trust you.” Kugo waves her off, “Luna looks too comfortable anyways, you’ve clearly been petting her this whole time.” He adds with a small chuckle. At the sound of her name, she rolls over and winds around his feet, circling through his ankles and pawing at his pants until he lifts her up.  “To answer you though yes I am seeing someone.” He holds Luna with one hand, his ring and middle finger scratching the patch of grey fur on her chest.  “Are they a hero too?” She wonders, straightening up.  “No...no they’re not, I’m not very public about this sort of thing.”  Shoji contemplates that, “they have a nice apartment.”  “That is true, it’s a good job, and they do have a pretty keen eye for decorating” He agrees, looking around amicably.  “Have you guys been together for a long time?” Jiro blurts out before feeling color float up to her cheeks, “sorry I don’t mean to be rude... I just never pictured you like this I guess I’m curious-”  “It’s okay, most people don’t, and yes, we’ve been together a while now.” Kugo raises a hand to calm her, “but like I said before I’m not very public about things like this which is why you wouldn’t have heard..though either way, even when we do go out together... most people don’t assume I do that sort of thing, and to be frank, we aren’t the most...visually compatible pair..” He says that with a distinct fondness in his voice and then continues, “like you said, you don’t really picture me in this sort of light, most people don’t so hero gossip tabloids tend to leave me alone for the most part, I get a fair bit of freedom when it comes to this sort of thing because of that. There are probably plenty of photos of us together out there, though people usually assume they’re my manager or a secretary or just a friend.” Luna is purring loudly in his hand, her body largely slack against his chest. He walks her over to the couch and sets her down, which she warbles angrily at, “to be honest though I prefer it this way. I’m a private person.”  “That makes sense...well, their cat sure likes you.” Shoji points and Kugo chuckles.  “I’m fond of her myself.” Kugo admits, “everything is as it should be here so we can head out again, sorry for the tangent.” He scratches Luna’s neck and sighs, “as for you I’ll be back tonight. So try to behave until then, for my sake alright?”  Jiro tries not to laugh at the sight. “I didn’t think you’d actually bring them up! Did they like her?”  You sound delighted about it over the phone that night.  “I may have knocked a few intimidation points off of myself, but yes they thought she was cute.” He was sitting with her, contemplating staying the night here. He was embarrassed to say it but this was the longest you’d spent apart in a while and despite any appearances, he had gone soft and was starting to miss you, being around your stuff was nice even if he didn’t fit too well in your bed.  “I don’t think you’re very intimidating at all.” You peep back thoughtlessly. “Well, I’d sure hope not.” He chuckles and leans against the couch, “she’s been good too I was,..expecting her to break more.”  Truthfully Kugo wasn’t sure what he was expecting, he never had pets growing up and hero work didn’t give much free time to consider one, it took a day to get comfortable with her, and even now he was watching his every step for her. “I’m glad to hear that!” You laugh, “she’s a pretty great cat isn't she?”  “I have to agree..” Kugo wouldn’t mind having her around all the time, the longer he sat on your couch and contemplated it the more he realized he wouldn't mind having the both of you around all the time. Was this some sort of emotional sign to ask you to stay with him? He’d give that more thought at a later date.  “Kugo are you listening?” “Of course I am.” He was not. You don’t seem perturbed though, chuckling and then sighing fondly, “I’m gonna go shower then call it a night, I miss you two though.”  Kugo looks down at the cat on his lap and he nods, “we miss you too. I’ll be up for a bit longer so call or text me if you need anything.”  “You shouldn’t stay up so late Kugo it’s bad for you-”  “I know, I know, I’ll turn over a new leaf when you get back.”  “Sure you will.” You snort, “I love you Kugo.”  “I love you too, I’ll see you soon.”  You wanted to see Kugo first thing when you got back but you were so exhausted that you can’t help sulking to your own place, things had gone well enough but all the commotion and travel really drained you. You were sure it wasn’t anything spending some time or even a night with Kugo couldn’t fix though. When you shoulder your door open though there’s Kugo, sitting on your couch.  “Kugo, you’re here?” He’s holding some papers in one hand, the other is holding Luna’s back, keeping her against his chest.  “I was just checking in on her but every time I tried to leave she started..making a weird noise.”  “Weird like how?” You chuckle, suddenly feeling much better.  “Sort of like screaming. But cat-like. I sat down and she clawed her way up here, then fell asleep and almost fell off, but I caught her and she hasn’t moved since.”  “And... how long ago was that?”  “What time is it?” “Half-past 6.”  “2 hours ago. I didn’t want to wake her.”  “Kugo.” You laugh and sit beside him, “you’re so sweet.” You wrap both of your arms around one of his and lean into his shoulder, “I missed you so much.”  “I missed you too.” Kugo sets the papers down on the pile by the arm of the couch, “It's sort of embarrassing but I even stayed here a few nights because of it. I can’t remember the last time I went even 2 days without seeing you.” He appreciates the way you seem to melt into him at that.  “That’s not embarrassing it’s sweet, you’re so cute Kugo...” You lean up and kiss him, “such a big softie aren’t you?”  A soft hum is his reply as you pull away, “was she any trouble? Be honest.” “I was worried at first that I’d screw it up somehow but it went fine.” He confesses as he lifts the cat off his chest and she’s sleepy and limp in his big hand, purring contentedly.  “She was acting up the 2nd day but I think she was just confused about not seeing you. Then she got used to me and was alright.”  “That’s cute..” You yawn and clamber onto his lap, “god all that traveling tired me out...you’ve been stuck here for 2 hours but I might have to trap you a little longer to take a catnap of my own. I think Luna’s onto something...” You nestle into his shoulder, grateful to feel his arms come around you.  “Don’t worry about me.” He hums as Luna curls up in the sliver of space between your bodies, “I just want to finish reading over some things. Then I'll bring you both to bed.”  “You’ll stay tonight?” You yawn again and he hums, you can tell he’s smiling even though you can’t see him. “Would you like me to?”  You nod into his shoulder, “yeah, I would...”  “Alright then I will. Now go to sleep, you need it.” 

[mgg-theprettiestboy]

cross my heart (pt. 2)

spencer reid x oc

cross my heart masterlist

word count: 2118

It was a week later that Spencer bumped into her again.

He had just gotten back from a four day case in New Mexico, and had hardly slept during the case, so he slept on the flight home. And when they landed at night, he was fully awake, despite it being 10pm. So, after hours of restlessness, he decided to go to his favourite little corner of the world.

This time, there was no chaos. There was no yelling, or cursing, or collapsing of books. There was the faint sound of music, and an overwhelming smell of coffee, and that ‘new book smell’, despite the fact that most of the books were in fact, rather old.

And the sight of Raye sitting cross legged on one of the sofas, reading. It wasn’t a Narnia book this time, but she looked just as invested in it.

“Reid, hey,” Tamara said, her voice strained. He dragged his eyes over to her, moving closer to the counter. It was only then that he saw her eyes were red and puffy, and she wasn’t making direct contact. He didn’t want to pry or overstep, but he was tired and he usually didn’t have a filter anyways, and concern drove his actions, “hey, are you okay?”

Tamara huffed a laugh, her eyes darting to Raye, before back to the doctor, “had a fight with my girlfriend. It happens, don’t worry. What can I get for you?”

It didn’t take a profiler to tell that she didn’t want to talk about it, so Spencer just ordered a coffee. Whilst she made it, he wandered over to the bookshelf to pick out a book. He had read them all already, but would happily reread them again. Tamara kept the book collection flawless, it was mostly classic literature, and older books, all of which Spencer would read. He didn’t think he would like there it as much, if it was all bad sci-fi and cheesy romances.

He glanced back to Raye, trying to sneak a peak at the title of her book. He was surprised to see her looking at him. They both looked away bashfully, Spencer trying to fumble with a book to make himself look busy, as Raye buried her face in her book, literally this time.

She thought he was kinda cute, obviously. Who didn’t? He had the kind of hair she wanted to rake her hands through, and these puppy dog eyes. Not to mention the fact that he was heads taller than her. He was wearing a purple dress shirt and tie, but last time she saw him, he had a cardigan on. And she couldn't help but notice the converse on his feet. That made her smile.

Plus, he had this wholesome vibe. He was always nothing but polite, and had such a kind face. Raye could bet he was a momma’s boy.

“Do you have any recommendations?” His voice broke her out of her trance, her eyes meeting his, “huh?”

“I trust your taste. Is that Austen?” Spencer said, tipping his head at the book she held, “between C. S. Lewis and Jane Austen, I think your opinions on books are solid, from my observations so far. So, do you have any recommendations?” As previous mentioned, Spencer had read all the books before. He didn't know why he was asking her. Actually, yes he did, he was just to embarrassed to admit it to himself.

“Have you ever read any Arthur Conan Doyle? Sherlock is one of my favourite characters to exist, like, ever. Movies and shows don't do him justice,” Raye said with a soft smile, her hand trailing up and down the spine go her book, as if it were a cat or something else comforting, “I think there’s a copy of The Hounds Of Baskerville on the shelf.”

Spencer didn’t even know he was smiling, until he realised it was border-lining a grin. He turned back to the shelf, scouring over the titles to find the one he suggested. All the while, Raye was trying to stomp at the butterflies in her stomach. She would squish them with her bare hands if she had to.

“Thanks for the recommendation,” he said once he found the book, turning to her, “I’ll be sure to give you my thoughts once I’m done.”

“Please, do. But if they're anything but positive, then I don't think we’ll be good friends,” she said with a smile. Spencer returned it, nodding at her before going to read a book that he had read 65 times already. But who was counting?

-

They continued doing this for weeks to come. If Spencer came back to the cafe at a ridiculous hour, she would be there. 96.4% of visits resulted in him seeing her. And he would give his thoughts on a book she had recommended, or vice versa, as he would begin to recommend books to her as well. 

They would never share a table, though. Never have a full, proper conversation. Spencer couldn’t figure out if he was being a chicken, or if he was picking up the right signals; that Raye didn't want to talk to him. She would always indulge his thoughts on literature, but as soon as the conversation would steer elsewhere, she would shy away. She wouldn't even look at him. Maybe she was shy? Nervous? Spencer understood that more than anyone. Still, he was nothing if not a gentleman, and never pushed any further.

But he figured that if he didn't push, he would never get anywhere with her. And did he want to get somewhere? He didn't know. But part of him was curious, part of him wanted to know more about her, more than just what she thought about writings. Was that odd? The last time he felt like this was with... was with Maeve. But this felt different. 

And he wanted to know more about her.

-

It had been three days since he saw her, and he was already getting antsy. It was a paperwork day for him, so he had no excuse to be awake, other than he was restless at the thought of her, alone, sitting in the cafe, completely absorbed in a good book, and content with a hot chocolate.

And his imagination was nothing if not accurate. She was reading Bronte this time, and an empty hot chocolate sat on the table beside her. She didn't seem as stressed, like she was last week, when reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. She seemed relaxed, and completely and utterly satisfied. A good book can work wonders, Spencer thought. 

Tamara wasn't working, which made this a little easier for him. One less set of watching eyes. Spencer ordered a cappuccino and hot chocolate, trying to steady his shaky hands as he brought the cups to her table. He couldn't even think of what to say, so he just simply sat the hot chocolate on her table.

“I didn't order-? Oh, Spencer, hello,” Raye relaxed at seeing him, before her brows furrowed in confusion, “what's this?”

“An apology hot chocolate, for my most recent recommendation. I know you didn't enjoy Frankenstein that much, I watched you as you read it,” he said, and she sighed, “was it that obvious?” “It was, yeah. Not a fan of the genre, I get it,” he said with a laugh, making her smile, “well, thank you. I owe you a coffee then.”

“No, don't be ridiculous, you don’t owe me anything. Except maybe another recommendation,” he said, a hint of teasing in his voice making her smile, “uh. okay. I think I can do that. The Da Vinci Code.”

He gave her a deadpanned look, making her throw her head back and laugh, “c’mon, we agreed to read whatever the other one suggested, regardless.”

“I saw the movie. Seriously?” He grimaced, and she giggled. He was quick to stop grimacing.

“I think you’ll enjoy it, really. Besides, the only make a movie if the book is popular. And books are popular, ‘cause they’re good,” she retorted. He nodded slowly in thought, “you pose a good point... fine. I’ll read it.”

Raye grinned in victory, before sitting up to rummage through her bag, “believe it or not, Tam doesn't actually have a copy of it in the shop, so I brought my copy from home. And whenever you're finished with it, just throw it on a shelf in here. Someone else can enjoy it, or I’ll find it again.”

Spencer took the book she handed him, smiling softly at seeing the worn edges and turned corners, “I’ll make sure to get it home safely, don't worry.”

There was a beat of silence, and before she could say anything, he spoke, “is it okay if I sit here?” “With me?” She asked, as if she was unsure of what he was asking. He replied, “with you.”

She nibbled at her bottom lip, but was quick to nod. Baby steps, Spencer thought. He sat down, sitting his cappuccino and newest read on the table, before smiling at seeing the book she held, “Vilette, huh?”

She smiled, holding the book close to her chest, “I’m a sucker for a good romance novel. Have you read it?”

“Years ago. I’ve already expressed my distaste for the romantics, but that is a classic,” he said, lifting his coffee to take a drink, “did you know that Charlotte Bronte’s first book was rejected by every publisher in England? They didn't approve of women authors. when she wrote to the poet Robert Southey, he replied saying that ‘literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life, and it ought not to be’.”

“Sexism’s a bitch,” Raye said with a sigh, resting her head in her hand as she looked Spencer over once, “how do you know so much? Every time you talk, its like you’ve memorised a million facts to support your own argument.”

He squirmed slightly in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck, “I, uh, I have an eidetic memory.”

“Whats that?” Raye asked. And for once, Spencer didn't hear any sort of confusion or disinterest in the question. She was curious.

Spencer stuttered, before he began to explain, “eidetic memory is a memory that retains everything you read. So everything I read, I remember. And I read a lot.”

“I watched you read one day, and I couldn't believe it. You finished a novel in like four minutes. That’s insane,” she said, and he blushed slightly, “I can read just over 20,000 words a minute.”

“Holy shit. That’s everything I’ve ever wanted! You–you can just binge read books in seconds, and then never forget them! You can memorise every amazing detail,” she exclaimed excitedly, before slumping back in her seat, “man, I’m jealous of you.”

He chuckled, “it does have its advantages, I’ll admit.”

She tilted her head, and Reid couldn’t help but compare her to a confused puppy in that moment, “are there disadvantages?”

He shrugged slightly, breaking eye contact to look at his hands, “sometimes I begin to ramble, because I just... I know a lot about something, and then I get excited because I think that people are like me, that they want to learn more about the world. They usually don’t. And then I feel so–“

“Then they’re assholes,” Raye interupted, and Spencer looked back to her. There was a slight redness to her cheeks now, “if someone shoots you down while you’re talking about something you’re passionate about, then they’re an asshole.”

He smiled softly, glancing down to his book bashfully, “thats nice of you to say.”

“Well, it’s the truth. I don't like bullies,” she said firmly, “and I think you're cool. And I think the things you know are cool too.”

He laughed softly, smiling down at his book. He felt all warm at her words, but was still to embarrassed to look back up at him.

“I like peonies,” Raye said randomly, before shaking her head as she realised how strange that sounded, “do you know any facts about peonies?”

Spencer looked up to her, before nodding slowly, “peonies represent wealth and honour. They’re the flower you traditionally receive on your twelfth wedding anniversary, did you know they’re native to...”

Spencer rambled on about peonies for another ten minutes, and talked about more and more flowers for the rest of the night. Raye clung onto his every word, smiling and nodding enthusiastically, responding when she could. And it was genuine. Spencer knew when someone was feigning interest, but not her. And for a brief moment, he let himself hope, that maybe, just maybe, she might want to know more about him too.

-

NEXT CHAPTER

yes, raye brought the book with her to the cafe, in the hopes that she would run into spencer and give it to him :)

taglist: @slutforthegubes @pinkdiamond1016 @itsmyblogandillreblogifiwantto @fallinallinmendes @beyonces-breastmilk @spencerlikesapplejuice @pastathighs @gcblers @hushfakebitches @ijustcomeheretoread @thelovelyrose @leam-2001 @madison-malfoy @averyhotchner @haylaansmi

[mcfreakin-bxtch]

Can you do a Diego Hargreeves x reader, where she is part of the Sparrow Academy and has powers like Scarlet Witch? She works at a library and the library at the academy is her’s? And Diego falls for her when he sees her? Can she also be 5’1, wears glasses, and Mexican like me? Oh and she dresses like the late 30’s early 40’s.

I hope I didn’t disappoint 💖 (also I used google translate and there’s most likely a few errors here and there, I apologize!)

***

The first time Diego ever laid eyes on her, he saw orange.

No literally, orange.

It was all around her, a misty sorta orange that protruded from her hands—her fingers stretched a curled, as if physically moving the strange power—wrapping around her entire body with that signature smirk she adorned at first sight, and the one thing that he remembers the most is how bright her eyes shined with it behind those glasses of hers.

It captivated him. Intrigued him, even.

“She’s dangerous,” Five told them as soon as he discovered her powers. “We all need to keep an eye on them, but especially her. She can do things to you that’ll make you beg for death, so let’s make sure it doesn’t come to that, alright?”

She didn’t exactly look to be the type, but Diego took his word for it anyway.

Which brought him to the next thing he noticed about this strange girl from The Sparrow Academy was her clothes—the first day they met, she was wearing a blue dress that stop just above her knees, with a proper collar that just screamed 1930’s. As the days went on, he noticed that that was pretty much her entire wardrobe; the day after they arrived, she adorned a green dotted dress with ruffles at the top. 

In his eyes, she matched it with equal beauty.

So he kept his eye on her like he was told to. From what he could gather, she was the quietest of the bunch, and he would hear her deescalate a situation no matter how big or small it was rather than feeding into it—something that he and his siblings could take a page from.

One day he waited until he away from his wandering eyes, not wanting to bring any unwanted attention to himself. She was in one of the biggest rooms in the mansion he once called home, which happened to be a library.

It was bigger than he remembered. Rows of giant bookshelves took up about half of it, with chairs and fairy lights in the corners, some away from the windows. It wasn’t too hot, nor too cold, it felt wholesome, and Diego wasn’t so sure he wanted to leave quite yet.

“You know it’s not cool to stalk people,” she said with her back turned.

Diego jumped, not expecting to be caught like that—when did his plans ever fall through the way he wanted?—and awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Sorry,” he winced. “I just...” Just what, Diego?

She laughed, catching him off guard; it was the kind of laugh that seemed to have been bubbling over for a while and that’s when it hit him.

“You knew.”

“Hey,” she scolded lightly. “It’s not like I’ve been the one following you around like a creep. You could’ve just said hello.”

It wasn’t full of malice or disgust like he half expected, and he was surprised to find himself mirroring her smile despite himself.

“Sorry,” he said again. “You’re the only one who didn’t jump us as soon as we got here.”

She rolled her eyes, standing on the tip of her toes—she was wearing black heels with a little strap around the ankles—to grab a book off of one of the shelf.

“My siblings did not ‘jump you’. They’re just as cautious of you as you are them. Can you really blame them?”

Given that he just got caught stalking the most seemingly powerful and calmer one of the bunch, he didn’t really have much to say to that.

“I guess I see your point,” he shrugged his shoulders. “You know I don’t remember this room being as nice... or big.”

“That’s because it’s mine,” she said nonchalantly. “Reginald let me have my own library here, and I work at the one in town. Books are like my safe space, stories that I can escape into; if I start to feel overwhelmed I come here.”

He clicked his tongue. “Could never get into the whole ‘reading’ thing, really. I mean I l-like them but—” Oh god he was starting to ramble and he had no idea why; it was like his brain was starting to short circuit the moment she laid eyes on him. “What are your powers, anyway?”

“Energy manipulation, telekinesis, mind control, time manipulation—though I haven’t quite gotten the hang of it—and probably more, but I need more training with it.” She finished with a small sigh, pushing her glasses up her nose and clutching her book to her chest.

He stared at her dumbly. She waited patiently with a tilt to her head, as if she were studying him.

“Wow,” he finally said, sounding a little loud to his ears but continued on with a lower voice. “I—“

“Trajectory manipulation,” she interrupted. When she realized what she did, she quickly blushed—a faint pink beneath her tan skin that he thought was pretty fucking adorable, but he wouldn’t tell her that yet—and apologized. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cut you off like that. Sometimes I get waaaay too ahead of myself.”

Diego chuckled, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “It’s okay.” Then he paused, a cheeky grin slowly spreading across his face that made her squint her eyes at him.

“What?���

“Nothing,” he shook his head with a chuckle. “It’s just that you were quick on that. Does that mean you’ve been watching me too?”

She quickly looked away, but a smile was playing on her lips. “I suppose we’re even then.”

“Yeah.”

Silence followed, a little uncomfortable for him but she seemed to not mind it at all, and when she sat down on one of the fluffy chairs—pink ruffles that contrasted to her blue dress—and gestured to another similar one next to her.

“Why don’t you sit? I’ll tell you everything you need to know, mi acosador.”

He inwardly groaned but plopped himself down on the chair nonetheless. “You’re never gonna let that down, are you?”

“Not for a while.”

***

He was in love. 

He’d been in love before, of course, but he could feel it - this one was different. She was different in the ways that he craved, in the way that met his wants and needs with nothing but love and devotion and patience. 

And he hadn’t even told her yet. 

So today was the day he was going to do it. It was sunny, warm, and just overall beautiful out, and he wanted to tell her in the most special way possible. 

He parked outside the library she worked out, trying to calm his rapid heart. He honestly didn’t know what he was so fucking nervous, because he was no doubts that she felt the same way, and they’re relationship was blossoming and growing each and every day; this was the right moment and he felt it deep inside him. 

The scent of cinnamon and paper immediately hit him as soon as entered the building. There were only a few people inside, as the library was closing up early. He saw her, bright smile and gleaming eyes, helping a young man check out a book. He smiled and waited patiently by the threshold.

“Hey baby,” she grinned as soon as she was done. “I missed you.”

“Haven’t been gone that long,” he joked; he missed her, too.

“Cállate,” she scolded playfully.

“Hazme.”

She silenced his quiet snickering with a kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Like that?” She raised her eyebrows and wiggled them.

“And more,” he laughed, holding her hips. “Ready to go?”

“Just let me put a few books away.”

The orange, glittery mist protruded from her fingers and wrapped around the small pile of books—they looked to be old and worn out—placing them in their respectable places, all the while she watched from afar, concentrating.

For some reason, in that exact moment, he blurted it out.

“I love you.”

She whipped her head towards him, and it was damn luck that he had said it as soon as the last book was placed, otherwise it would’ve fallen or whipped... somewhere from the shock of those three words.

“I’m sorry,” Diego shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair—the hair he decided to keep long—and assured her quickly, “I-I don’t m-mean I’m sorry—I mean I d-do but not for saying it I just—“ he sighed, taking a deep breath; she waited silently and patiently with an encouraging smile. “I wanted it to be special, you know? But just seeing you here now, I couldn’t help it mi amor.”

Instead of saying anything she crashed into him, making him tumble back. Thanks to his fast reflexes, he managed to catch himself before they both fell—not that either of them really cared, as long as they were still in each other’s arms.

She smashed her lips to his before he could take another breath in a heated and passionate kiss that made his heart pound against his chest, relishing in the taste of her as his lips moved perfectly with hers in sync.

She was also the first to pull back, keeping her forehead pressed against his. “I love you too, goofball.”

It felt like a ton of weight was lifted off his chest. He felt like the happiest and luckiest guy in the world, a feeling he hadn’t felt to this extent in a long time.

“Well,” he reached behind him where the coat hanger happened to be, grabbing her long, red coat. “Let’s continue this at home.”

Translate: mi acosador - My stalker

Cállate - Shut up

Hazme - Make me

Tags: @justlovetoreadfics​, @lil-baby27​, @mando-vibes​, @beepbeepyabitch, @that-void-witch​, @im-the-music-whore​, @certifiedhunter​, @softpedropascal, @domino-oh-damn​, @okaydacre​, @lemongrove​, @olyamoriarty, @pcrushinnerd​, @elusive-ivory​, @dizzydazed​, @dadzawas-eyebags, @parody-the-emi, @evalynanne, @purplewaterbird, @vikingqueen28, @tedpicklez, @blunt-cake-yes, @agoldin, @lustriix, @readsalot73, @kateb013, @eupphoriaaa, @imalovernotahater, @everything-lost-and-unsaid, @dlmafa1, @hoodedbirdie, @drunkenliterary, @fioccodineveautunnale​, @fangirlfree, @mrsparknuts, @amarvelousmandalorian, @ironheart-hanako, @sando-rann,  @meganoid1997, @adikaofmandalore, @cahooter, @charliepeaceout, @dreamgirl-67, @phoenixhalliwell, @acrylics-and-sunshine, @sunkissed-winter

[subtlereferencetomyinterests]

I Taste Honey but I Haven’t Seen the Hive - Chapter Three

Ao3,  MasterPost,   C.1,   C.2

Relationships: eventual queer-platonic intruality

Warnings: swearing, innuendo (thanks Remus), a bit of spiraling thoughts, even more guilt (patton get a grip man),  

Word Count: 2,721

Patton stood in the center of Remus’ room, waiting patiently while the being darted this way and that. Maybe he should’ve sat down, but none of the furniture in the room looked domesticated enough. Maybe he should’ve moved out of the way, at the very least, but the edges of the room rolled and moved and Patton did not want to know what made the corners seem so indefinite.

Remus moved in repetitions. First, he would reach into some shelf or jar or receptacle (or, on occasion, stick his hand right through the wall)- retrieving some item large or small- and hold it in his claws. He would then turn it over in his hands, and smell/lick/poke it. Each time he’d deem it not what he was looking for, drop it- never in the same place that he’d gotten it from- and then move on again. Around and around he went in the room, doing the same thing on each cycle. 

Patton was starting to get dizzy watching it, honestly. 

Remus stopped in front of his closet this time, and leaned in. He rummaged, loudly, but this time there was a shout of “Aha!” that made Patton start in surprise.

“What-!” He cleared his throat, “What did you find?”

Remus jumped to his feet, shimmying his shoulders back and forth. A loud clatter followed each movement, like legos in a barrel. When Patton tried to see what he had, though, he turned his back to him again. 

“I found something to do that won’t traumatize you!” He sing-songed, dancing around and keeping up the clamor of his mystery object. Patton laughed, light and surprised, trying again to take a look. Again, Remus danced ridiculously out of the way.

“Well, that’s very considerate of you," he trailed behind the source of the noise, smiling,  “Mind telling me what it is?” 

“What’s it sound like?” Remus shook the box again. Although- Patton could see now that it wasn’t a box as much as it was a case; a very, very large and heavy-looking case, half the size of Remus’ torso. 

“Um- bean bag filling?”

Remus cackled, his head tipping side to side.

“Nope! I’m pretty sure I would’ve eaten it by now!”

“Uh-huh,” Patton couldn’t help giggling to himself, as Remus’ laughter- along with many things about him- was infectious. “Is it a box full of maracas?”

Remus bounced on his heels, shook his head. Patton didn’t waste time guessing again. He knew just what an impatient Creativity looked like, and so he waited the last few moments before Remus couldn’t help turning around on his own and happily displaying the container. 

  Cradled in the Duke’s arms was the enormous case of clear-plastic, filled to the brim with what Patton could now see were pony beads. The beads came in every color thinkable- plenty of varieties, too. Glitter, metallic, letters, star-shaped, heart-shaped, tooth-shaped, et cetera et cetera! There were also, of course, spools of elastic. And charms, metal or rubber, plenty of those for decorating.

Patton examined this carefully, as a cautious excitement warmed him through his chest. He looked from the case to Remus, finding the side grinning proudly up at him. 

“Bracelets?” Patton questioned.

“Bracelets!” Remus answered.

He was caught off-guard by such a wholesome hobby, he couldn’t lie, but Remus showed no signs that any of this was odd at all. As he wandered across his room, kicking heaps of trash and laundry out of the way to make room for them to sit, Patton found himself following his lead without much debate. 

“I know you like to make those little thread ones,” Remus sat down on the floor, gesturing loosely to Patton’s arm, “And I make these beady things every now and then, so.” 

“But I’ve never seen you wear any?” He sat down across from Remus, folding his legs beneath himself. The carpet was stained with many unpleasant colors- mostly dark red, and an upsetting amount of yellowed-gray. He was careful to avoid those patches. 

“I wear ‘em under my sleeves, for when I wanna play with them. Making them gives me something to do with my hands, I guess,” Remus slid his fingers under the ruffled cuff of his sleeve, slipping a bracelet off his wrist. He held it up, displaying its murky green and black beads, the word ‘vomit’ spelled out with square beads in the middle of it. 

“Oh!” Patton reached forward in excitement, rolling the plastic between his fingers. It felt smooth, movements fluid, the beads rattling pleasantly against each other. “You use them to stim?”

Something in Remus’ expression lit up like fluorescents, replacing his usual unnerving mania with a flash of genuine excitement. 

“I use everything I wear to stim, Daddio,” he gestured first to his frayed sash, then the teeth sewn into his shirt, and onto the layers of glittered fabric. He was covered in flashing colors and textured fabrics and different parts, all apparently intentionally placed.

That spark of similarity was all it took for Patton to forget the vestiges of his awkwardness, as he let go of Remus’ bracelet and yet again laughed.

 He helped Remus set up the case, slotting the different sections of it out and setting them down in between themselves. There were so many, and once it was all set, Remus wasted no time in getting to work. The motions he went through were practiced, well-worn with almost nothing other than muscle memory and a vague sense of design. 

Just like that, they were both quiet again- Remus because of his focus, Patton because he lacked the words to say. He tried to follow the other side’s lead, snipping a bit of elastic off a thick spool from the center of the case and grabbing a handful of beads, haphazardly.

Opening up his hand to look at the selection, he found a few neon pink ones, reds shaped like anatomically accurate hearts, and an oblong metal charm that bore striking resemblance to a-

Oh! 

He tossed that one back, feeling flustered. 

They’d both been quiet for too long, he realized. He didn’t know what to say, still, came the dawning fear next. Patton looked up from his work, mouth falling open without any plan, to find that Remus was already staring at him. Intently.

“Hi,” Patton blurted.

“Do you like music?” Remus said it at almost the same time as him, the words chasing each other. In his voice was a trace of awkwardness- not nearly as much as Patton’s, but it was there, and that was… comforting, somehow. 

He looked down at his hands, looping a few pink beads down his string. 

“What kind?”

Remus hummed confusedly, giving the distinct impression that he’d forgotten music came in different varieties. 

“Most kinds!” He began, “But today, I think I’m feeling violent- violent in a cute way, don’t worry,” he smiled, too, like that made sense at all, like he was trying to be persuasive. It was- what, endearing? Or at the very least it was funny. 

Patton smiled back, his hands twisting around his string.

“Whatever you want, bud.”

Remus had summoned a speaker already, but as he leaned over to place it he dropped it with a weighty thump. Patton jumped, seeing Remus sitting slack-jawed in surprise across from him. Concern filled his head, but then it clicked.

He’d never called him anything so… friendly.

“Oh- Remus, I-”

“It’s fine!” Remus scrambled to grab the speaker, claws skidding off it more than once. “Call me whatever! I don’t care!”

But his voice was a little too pitchy, and his pupils a bit too dilated, and Patton thought that he did care- that he in fact cared very much. 

When music filled the room, painfully loud at first, Patton said nothing. He watched Remus, twisting the volume knob in a very focused manner, and he felt warm. 

The sounds weren’t what he was used to, to say the least, but it was almost nice. Everything was a little too noisy, and a little too vulgar, and a lot too foul, but beneath it all he could see the appeal. He listened to it, and it seemed almost like he was learning. Patton scooped up another set of beads- this time with a bit more care- threaded them together contentedly. 

It felt like Remus was really trying to be hospitable. He wasn’t doing too bad of a job about it, either- which was more than Patton could say about himself, in years past. A lot more, actually. 

Remus’ voice broke through the music: “What are you thinking about?”

Patton blinked, smiling up at his maybe-sort-of-potential friend. 

“What do you mean?”

Remus’ face was angled down towards his project, contorted with concentration.

“You’re thinking about something. You make less noise than a day-old corpse when you get caught up in your head.”

“Oh!” Was he really that easy to read? Wait, don’t answer that… “It’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it.”

“C’mon, don’t do that. Take it from me- reigning champion in thinking about upsetting shit- talking about it is how you make sure your brain doesn’t devour itself Ouroboros-style.”

And Patton said, quietly:

“Yeah, but your upsetting thoughts don’t upset you.”

“Who said they don’t?” Remus sounded confused- genuinely, sincerely confused. Patton winced, taken aback by his own insensitivity. 

“Oh my goodness, it- I had no idea, I’m so sorry.” 

Remus’ confusion mounted.

“That’s alright?” He started, “I’m used to it all, I know how to handle it. Which is why, I was going to say, if you keep it all up here-” he tapped his head, a faint rattling resulted in it, “-then all your brains are gonna goosh out from your ears and eyes and nose from the stress! Probably.”

“I-” his voice wobbled, “I know.”

There was a beat.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” it wasn’t a question, but it was soft enough to sound like one. Patton refused to look up anyway, hands pulling taut the elastic of his bracelet. His eyes slipped closed for merely a moment, and he sighed.

“I can’t stop feeling guilty around you… but that’s just my problem, okay?”

Remus’ reaction was unexpected, even for him. He breathed out slow, exhaustion crawling down his face in such a foreign expression for him. His lips were quirked down in a half-scowl. 

“I make you uncomfortable, yeah?” He rolled his eyes, gesturing with his free hand. “This was your idea, you know. You can leave anytime you want, I’m sure as fuck not gonna think you’re rude- you think I’m in a place to judge people?” 

With a sudden intake of breath, Patton twisted his partially made bracelet around his hand and pulled it taught, startled and fidgeting. 

“What-? No! You aren’t the problem, Remus, I am,” he shook his head in bewilderment, “I don’t- I have no idea how to talk to you, but I know that I do want to! Everything you’ve done today makes me want to talk to you more, and I still can’t figure out how, and I- I’m sorry. I can’t get over the- well, the everything, Remus.”

There was an uncomfortable pause. Remus looked oddly vacant.

“Do you-” He stopped short.

“I should-” Patton cut off. 

This was a bad idea. It was a bad idea and he never should have done this and he never should have accepted Remus’ help in the first place. He wasn’t going to get the hang of this no matter how hard he tried, and now he’d somehow rendered Remus speechless, which clearly meant he’d messed up beyond what he thought possible. Patton hadn’t changed a bit, still so ungrateful and insensitive to this creature, who’d so selflessly helped him and held him and. And.

He felt sick. 

“It’s not your fault?” Remus’ words came out like a question. “I don’t know what you’re apologizing for, actually. Or why you’re doing that.”

Patton dropped the last few beads onto place, staring blankly at the untied jewelry in his hands. He counted the beads. Tried to breathe. 

“I’m sorry because you think that I don’t like you.”

Remus snorted. 

“You don’t like me.”

“Wh- yes, I do!”

“Oh, do you? Or do you like that I did something nice for you, and you think you need to pay it forward.”

Patton ground his teeth, indignant. No, he was confused about a lot of things, but this much he knew wasn’t the reality anymore.

“You know what? Maybe that was true, when I first decided I ‘had’ to do this, but I’ve done a lot of thinking- I can’t stop thinking about you, actually. I had so many ideas about what you were, what you meant, and it’s hard to understand that for thirty years- thirty years- I was wrong,” Patton set his jaw so tight it hurt. “But I’m going to understand it because I can see that you’re- you can be kind. You did a nice thing for me and you didn’t have to. You’re funny, too, I never thought you’d make me laugh, but you-”

Remus interrupted him with a snort. And then, he was cackling, doubled over and wheezing and Patton had no choice but to wait for him to finish. 

“Stop, fuck, stop talking,” Remus giggled, “I knew you were a himbo, but wow, dumb. You’re really beating yourself up about this, huh?” Remus had his chin resting on his hand, leaning forwards with half-lidded eyes and a lazy grin. “You don’t have to list all the reasons you should like me. You don’t owe me anything, and I like it that way.” 

Patton didn’t respond. Remus continued anyway. 

“I let you cry on me cuz you were having a meltdown. That’s just what people do. You’d do it- you’re way more cuddly and lovey-dovey than me, you’d do it for anybody. Anybody would do it for anybody. It doesn’t matter, Pops.”

Patton tied the knot of his bracelet, finally. looped the string over itself thrice and tightened it well. The backs of his eyes stung.

“Is it really so bad that I want to try being friends with you? Is that really so stupid?”

Remus’ expression cleared, the words not yet processed. Slowly, his mouth twisted, his eyes went just a bit wide, all in a look that shouted something like epiphany. He sunk his teeth into his lip. 

Remus snapped the bracelet he’d made with his claw, letting the beads scatter across the floor. He dove forward for the case, scooping up a new set, and got to work. He ordered them strategically, fixing them all into a line and moving so quickly that Patton realized he’d only been working so slowly before so that he was matching Patton’s own pace.

He was done in a minute or less, tying it off and slicing off the excess elastic.

“Arm, gimme.”

Patton felt a small rush of surprise, not even hesitating to stick his wrist out and let Remus push the bracelet up past his hand. The touch was gentle, letting the accessory fall into place on his arm.

It was bright and neon- more so than anything Patton would ever wear, usually. The colors were an eyesore, but they were. Well. Teal, white, interspersed with occasional green, and that said more about the jewelry than however saturated it was. There were unique beads dotted throughout, too- teddy bears and hearts. It was cute. It was comfortable.

Patton glanced up, so many things that he thought he should say but none of them came to fruition. Remus’ eyes bored into him with their intensity, questioning and fierce and almost confused.

Patton picked up his own small creation. It was pink and gray and white, all pastel and pretty, with metal charms that were cool to the touch. He nudged it over to Remus, fully aware that it contrasted with the side’s aesthetic even more than Remus’ gift did for him, and that he already had so very many.

But Remus didn’t hesitate either, shoving his sleeve up and adding the new piece to his collection. He grinned. 

And, as cheery as he ever sounded, like nothing odd had happened at all, Remus said:

“We should do this again sometime, then. Maybe I’ll even make you something with real hearts!”

Chapter Four

Taglist: @glitter-skeleton-uwu @donnieluvsthings @intruxiety @thefivecalls @did-he-just-hiss-at-me @gayformlessblob 

[tf2-parqcxsm]

Demoman x Reader: After a Long Fight

a request from one of my favorite writers from wattpad. enjoy some demo love!

You woke up to the sound of creaking. You fluttered your eyes open, your vision immediately met the bright light that was coming out from the window. It looked like the sun had already rosen up, a few clouds barely doing their job to cover the sunlight. Squinting your eyes, you rolled over to the other side of the bed, reaching for someone to wrap your arm around. But your arm merely slouched off and landed on the bed. You fully opened your eyes and saw that nobody was there beside you.

Confused about the absence of a warm body, you sat upright. You looked around and your sight landed on your lover, who was standing in front of the cabinet. He must be preparing to go to work.

A frown crept its way on your face. He was going to leave early. "Tavish?" You called out softly, to which he responded quickly and turned around to while he was putting on his belt. As soon as he laid his eye on you, he grinned cheekily. "Mornin', lass. Did I wake ye up?" He questioned you, and you shook your head. "No. You're going to work already?"

The Scot noticed the sad tone in your voice. He knew you hated being alone for hours. "That's right, lass. That old hag who yells at us while we fight called as soon as I woke up." He explained, then almost immediately he perked his head up towards your direction. "But don't ye worry! I'll come back once we're done kicking the enemy's asses." He walked to you and sat down, putting his huge hands on your face and playing with your cheeks. You couldn't help but giggle while he held you softly in his touch. You opened your mouth to say something, but Tavish already planted his lips against yours, shutting you up completely.

The feeling of his rough lips suddenly making contact with your soft ones caught you in surprise, but your shoulders quickly slacked off and you melted into the dancing process. He was gentle in kissing you, tilting his head to give you more space to move around. Your hands brought themselves up and snaked around his neck, keeping him close to you. He pulled away for a breath of air, his hands still on your face, holding them ever so tenderly. He smiled when he saw the blush that had taken form on your cheeks.

"Yer breath smells terrible."

Your eyes widened. "Wh- TAVISH!!" You hit his chest jokingly and kicked him away from you, while he laughed contagiously.

He really had to ruin the mood.

"Anyway, I'll be going. Make sure to brush yer teeth!" He said teasingly with a cocky grin on his face. You turned your gaze away, grumpily crossing your arms, which he laughed at. He thought you were adorable. "I love ye!" He said one last time before closing the door.

"...I love you too." You responded, slightly delayed. A sad sigh came out of your lips, now you were all alone again. You always felt lonely and bored whenever your Scottish boyfriend goes away for work. You basically had nothing to do in the house except to watch TV and eat. But those were the boring stuff! It's always exciting with Tavish.

You shook away the thoughts. You didn't want to be sad for the whole day. Standing up from the bed, you made your way to the bathroom, brushing your teeth just like he reminded you to do. Right now, it was a new day to start off with.

For the next several hours, you decided to go out and buy a few groceries. You fumbled on your house keys as the heavy grocery bags swayed off from your arms. Once you've inserted the right key, you immediately dropped the bags on the table and walked upstairs, entering the bathroom. You needed to take a quick shower after being covered in sweat!

It only took you a few minutes before coming out of the bathroom with a towel around your body, the water was freezing cold and you didn't want to stay any longer. "Jeez, what a day." You mumbled to yourself as you approached the cabinet that contained your clothes, as well as your lover's. You stared at his clothes for a little bit. You snickered at the size difference, his shirts were huge compared to yours. You decided to wear one of his shirts, so you can show it off to him and capture his attention. They looked baggy on you, but Tavish would always think you're cute in them.

As you wore your shorts, you heard the sound of the front door closing. He must be back already! The thought excited you and you quickly ran downstairs. Maybe today wasn't a bad day, after all.

Arriving in the living room, you didn't expect to see Tavish rummaging through the fridge.

You smiled at the sight. "You're early." You crossed your arms and leaned against the railing of the stairs, Tavish jumped at the sound of your voice, hitting his head on one of the shelves. You half-heartedly laughed at his silly action.

He swiftly turned around with a terrified expression, but when he saw you, it dissolved to a more relieved one. "Oh, (Y/n), it's just ye, lass." He said with a relieved tone as he closed the fridge door, a light slamming sound barely heard when it made contact with the huge appliance. He stretched out his arms upwards as he moaned a sleepy grunt. Once his arms dropped at his sides, his body swayed even though he's merely staying at one spot. "Did ye need somethin'?" He asked with a clearly drunk tone.

You couldn't bring yourself to bring up the topic, but you definitely felt your cheeks perking up, a smile making its appearance on your face. Shaking your head, you walked towards the counter that separated you and Tavish. You brought your upper body to the height of the counter, you then placed your arms on it as you kept your focus on your lover. "No, but what I do need to know is why you smell like alcohol." As you finished your sentence, you narrowed down your eyes to give him a suspicious look. He looked at you silently for a quick moment before bringing his hand up and putting up a finger. He seemed ready to say something as his mouth was open.

What you weren't expecting was that he would suddenly boop your nose. You were taken aback at the unanticipated action, he chuckled loudly at your astonished face. He used that same finger he used to boop you, to point it at you mockingly. "Ye think I'm drunk, don't ye?" The smug grin that always ticked you off had worn itself on his face again, and when you caught sight of it, a huff of frustration escaped your lips. "Well, that's how you always come back from work." You quickly shrugged your shoulders as you spoke.

Tavish shook his head, his shaking stopped as he looked to another direction. "Well, yea, I am drunk." In contrast to what he said, you rolled your eyes, but a small smile was still present on your facial features. "But not that kind'a drunk." His statement confused you. You tilted your head and knitted your eyebrows together, showing how confused you were at that moment. "What do you mean?" You asked simply, but Tavish didn't bother to answer at all. He merely neared towards you and knelt down to your height, and while you were too focused on him, he found the opportunity to gently grab your chin. His face got really close to yours, to the point you can feel each other's breaths.

You both had a staring contest before the moment broke. You would always get so invested in his stare, not that you do it intentionally, but you just can't help but feel helpless whenever you set your eyes on this man. Despite the fact that he lost his other eye, his chocolate-colored eye always struck you with countless spears and made you feel like you're floating in heaven.

He smirked when you were starting to stare off into space. He used this chance to whisper in your ear and say,

"I'm drunk from yer luv."

Once you snapped out of your senses, you suddenly felt the urge to laugh out loud. You moved away from him and gave him a bewildered look, he looked back at you with a wide grin. You stood up from your position and ran your hand through the side of your face. Scoffing a hearty laugh, you whined, "Oh my god, Tavish, you are sooo— lame!" At the same time, he was cackling loudly. You could have sworn you saw him slap his knee for a second.

"Haha! I know, right!" He forced himself to downgrade his laughter into soft chuckles. He wiped a tear away from his eye, probably from laughing too hard at his own joke. "That's why I'm so glorious, ain't I?" He did a terrible curtsy bow, which nearly made him stumble. You scrunched up your face and shook your head in disapproval. "Ew, corny." You jokingly said.

You heard an audible gasp coming from him. He brought his hand to his chest and looked at you in disbelief, acting like he was deeply hurt from your words. His dramatic reaction made you snicker. "That hurts, lass."

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?" This time, it was your turn to mock him. You placed your hands on your hips and smiled teasingly at him. You awaited for his response while he tapped his chin in thought. Something must have popped in his mind when his face went from thoughtful to shocked and until a wide grin plastered itself there again. He brought his gaze to you and you tensed up at your spot. You immediately regretted the things you've said.

He was gonna launch at you.

"Tavish- Don't even- WAH!"

Before you knew it, Tavish threw himself over the counter. All you could do was yelp in surprise and brace yourself for any impact. It happened so quick that you didn't even feel his arms around you until you opened your eyes. That wide grin was still present on his face, now that you have the chance to take a closer look at him, he looked genuinely happy. "Heh! Gotcha!" He wiggled you around while he kept his grip on you.

You giggled to the movement, placing your hands on his chest after he stopped. Sharing another wholesome moment like that, you couldn't stay annoyed with him. You always appreciated the times when he would just make you laugh even with the most annoying ways possible. Still, you're grateful for being able to be with this guy.

He's your ideal man, after all.

You sighed lovingly, your thumb fondling with the belt that he's still wearing. "I'm just glad that you still come home even if you're tired." You murmured, although it was loud enough for him to hear. He smiled back at you, his hands making their way to hold your face — just like he did earlier this morning. His touch felt so gentle and soft, you were practically falling against his body.

He held your face to make you look at him. "I do it for ye, lass." He simply said. Your heart once again pumped when you heard those words. You felt yourself leaning into him, wanting to seal those lips of his with yours. He noticed this stance from you, mirroring your actions as he started to lean to you as well.

Not until you pushed him away with your hand. "Actually, maybe you should go shower first."

He groaned. "Augh, come onn..!" You giggled and brought him upstairs to share a shower with him. You wouldn't want to waste your relationship for something so cliché, why not spice it up a little?

[atmilliways]

On the 8th day of Dethmas this writer gives to thee…

Dec 20- UGLY SWEATERS!

Magnus has this great idea for a mini-revenge, trust him.

Somehow this turned out almost... wholesome? But also kinda foreshadowing of some oh the things that happen in DSR. Make of that what you will.

Also heavily inspired by this classic. 

~

Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Ugly

“Trust me,” Magnus had said. 

“We can’t make our big move yet, so let’s at least fuck with them a little,” Magnus had said. 

“This’ll really make them suffer,” Magnus had said. 

The assassin really shouldn’t have listened to him. It was a ludicrous plan, an absurd waste of his talents of espionage and infiltration to get the packages delivered, and there hadn’t even been a good opportunity to assault, abduct, and torture a Klokateer for information. The whole thing was so stupid that clearly, when it came to the ‘big move,’ Magnus should merely be allowed to think he was in charge of planning. 

But until then, it was still something to do. 

This plan had also relied heavily on Magnus’ ability to forge Offdensen’s handwriting, which he insisted he was a pro at even after all these years. The assassin doubted that—but then, Dethklok weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. If packages showed up at the last moment before an important public appearance with instructions from their manager that the contents must be worn for said appearance, there was a decent chance they would do it. 

So that’s how the assassin found himself crammed on the disused couch in front of the tv in the back of his lair, cracking open a couple of beers with his teeth for himself and a human scarecrow who didn’t know how to button a damn shirt. 

“To revenge,” Magnus crowed, clinking the tops of their bottles together before taking a swig. 

You’re so stupid, the assassin thought, but merely grunted and drank his own beer. He had to admit, reluctantly, that Magnus’ enthusiasm was a little infectious. Not that he cared, but if it did indeed work then there would at least be the satisfaction of a job well done. 

On screen, the MCs of whatever the hell award show this was had just finished up a rambling introduction speech. They were both dressed in black and white formal wear, very clean-cut and respectable. 

The curtain behind them rose; the applauding, shouting crowd suddenly went silent from shock, and Magnus whooped loudly at the sight of all five band members wearing some of the most god-awful ugly Christmas sweaters ever to exist. 

“Look at that one,” Magnus said, elbowing the assassin’s arm and pointing eagerly. “Look at the one on Explosion, that stupid douchebag! It’s got a 3D reindeer coming out the front and the back, and it lights up! He looks like a fucking idiot! Yeah, that’s right, you’re an idiot, I said it! That’s what you get for punching my eye out, you bastard!”

It was irritating, but god, it was kind of amusing to watch the other man get all worked up about something so fundamentally pointless. The crowd was booing the fundamentally un-brutal attire, and Magnus bounced against him on the couch every time another crowd-hurled insult was discernible in the audio. Aside from causing grievous bodily harm, this was more human contact than the assassin had experienced in years. Since before his brother had been murdered by the fucknuts getting booed off the stage right now. 

“Hey big guy, what do you think?” Magnus was leaning across into his personal space to wave a hand in front of his face, searching for some sort of reaction besides the default glower. “Is this fucking hilarious or what?!”

Instinctively, the assassin snatched at the wrist invading his bubble and jerked so hard that Magnus dropped his beer with a crash of breaking glass and fell across the larger man’s lap with a grunt. Glaring down at him, the assassin squeezed until he felt bones shift slightly under his fingers. 

“Get out of my fucking face,” he growled. 

Magnus winced a smile up at him. “You know, you look like a lot less of a freaky motherfucker without that mask on, even with all the scars and shit.”

That took the assassin by surprise, so much so that he lessened (but didn’t release) his grip. “. . . What.”

“It’s badass, man. If I had scars like that, I’d show ‘em off.”

The assassin’s eyes narrowed. “Like you show off your eye?”

“Yeah. Why not?”

He yanked Magnus further across his chest and tapped on his chest with a heavy finger, touching skin and chest hair through the open shirt. “So if I gave you a scar here—” he scraped a ragged nail over his sternum on that skinny chest, leaving a red trail “—you’d still wear your shirt open all the time like a tool?”

“Like a cool tool,” Magnus shot back, grinning wolfishly. 

The assassin simply had no words for how much of a moron Magnus sounded like, saying that. It was flat-out incorrect, because only the actual inflicting of future scars was cool—that parting of flesh, the spray and ooze of blood striving to harden into a scab. 

Plus, fresh scars sunburned like a bitch. 

Magnus took advantage of his pause by squirming around to sit sideways on his lap, snag the assassin’s beer that had been shoved between the couch cushions to keep from spilling, and take a big swig from it. His bony ass dug into the assassin’s thighs with just the right amount of irritating discomfort. On the TV, the booing from the tv had stopped because the show had gone to a commercial. 

The assassin glanced down, grimaced, and asked, “Do you have a fucking boner over ugly Christmas sweaters, or the idea of me cutting you?” 

“Yes,” Magnus said. 

“. . . You are painfully stupid,” the assassin grumbled. “Get your shirt the rest of the way off and take off your pants before I snap your neck.”

After all, it was a while before they could make their big move against Dethklok. In the meantime, might as well find something to do.

[tenpointstoq]

Geraskier Designer Jaskier, Builder Geralt

New modern Au wholesome idea because I am trash

Jaskier is an interior designer who is asked to help create an amazing new space for Yen, who has brought her oldest and best friend Geralt in to help with some architecture (mainly just to make sure anything that’s moved isn’t on a load bearing wall ect) and also to restore/build a bunch of stuff for the house.

Geralt sources everything himself, restores it by hand, builds stuff from reclaimed timber and all sorts of weird stuff Jaskier is amazed at him finding.

They drive each other a little nuts, Geralt has such a love for all things old and Jaskier needs at least some new things in the space, some colour, some damn wall paper pleaser. There is only so much exposed brick anyone can take. The quiet man drives him up the wall, but he also has ways about him that Jaskier can’t ignore.

The way he handles everything with such care. How his strong arms shift beneath his shirt as he brushes a gentle hand across a freshly sanded piece of wood, his eyes liquid amber, the sensation of a job well done sitting between them like honey made warm by the sun. Jaskier tongue feels heavy with it, his mind a little muddled. The man for all his silence and stoicism is sort of beautiful.

And sure Jaskier loves a good thrift find, to reclaim when possible, but it’s rare you get to design a home for one of the most extra Sorceresses in the land. Yet Geralt helps him find a balance and perhaps Geralt doesn’t mind the velvet so much when Jaskier has him pressed against some large swatches on his work bench, asking his opinion as a thinly veiled guise to get a little too close. The two men seem to orbit one another, getting so close and then never quite close enough. Geralt doesn’t trust himself and Jaskiers not sure why this one seems to matter so much.

As they construct the home it becomes more and more theirs, as months go by the project melds as the two grow closer. Jaskier laughing as Geralt installs the shower with the wrong tape and they both end up saturated, Jaskiers fingers spread across the Geralt’s sculpted stomach, his eyes tracing scars he doesn’t dare to ask about. Though later, wrapped in blankets in the room Jaskiers taken over to store soft furnishings, sometimes naps in and now uses to make out with Geralt at times. Geralt tells him stories of his past. Of monster hunting, of a world he a Yen fought for save and lost. Of the amazing young woman, their daughter, who saved them both, who helped them hold onto hope.

Geralt’s been working in the business for a long time now. It feels good to work with his hands. To create after so many lifetimes of killing. He’s fucking good too, for someone who doesn’t really care about fashion or washing the saw dust and natural wood oil from himself, he knows colour and tone. He knows how to bring the home to a space, be it large and industrial or small and bare. He can’t remember when he had started looking for a place that felt like home, just that he began to find it as he helped other people create there’s.

He rides a motorbike, who shares a name with his cat, a brown grump named roach. His own home, which Jaskier ends up at somewhat by accident. Worried about Geralt’s health after the Witcher disappeared for a week (ended up being a werewolf outbreak in a city nearby). Yen leave the two idiots to figure it out and Jaskier turns up with chicken soup and heat packs to find Geralt sewing his own stitches and bleeding onto his amazing floorboards. The rugs under his bare feet are worn but comfortbale, the space smells like firewood, old leather and natural wood oils. There’s a hint of camomile and when Jaskier goes to fetch them both a drink he finds Geralt has a pantry stocked with drying herbs and something akin to an apothecary.

As the house begins to come together and their work time wears thin, Jaskier Finds it harder and harder to create excuses to come over to Geralt’s. Geralt has no idea how to just invite him, which should be easy, but part of Geralt isn’t sure why Jaskier would even want to continue their rather casual relationship after the house is done. Yen had filled him in more than once of Jaskiers many affairs, being a rather famous designer he had his fill of companions of all kinds. Geralt was a quiet old grump, he didn’t want to drink champagne and go to fancy parties. He liked nights spent sanding wood and tidying his workshop.

In the end Jaskier commissions as table from Geralt, for a home Jaskier is yet to truly own. Having travelled so much, he lived out of hotel rooms and friends mansions. But Yen’s home made him realise just how much he was missing. Jaskier orders the piece under a fake name, he hadn’t seen Geralt in months at this point and as Jaskier wanders into his studio, pushing his ridiculous sunglasses into his hair, his fingers sliding across the beautiful wood of the table Geralt had begun to build for him he smiled, skidding to sit in the edge.

‘You didn’t need to hire me to have a conversation, I do own a phone.’ Geralt grumbled, eyes flickering away, trying as hard as they could to hide the smile that glittered within them. Jaskier laughed, reaching out to drag Geralt to him by his belt loops.

‘But where’s the fun in that? Plus you promised to show me a good lathe if I recall correctly.’ His thumb pressing against Geralt bottom lip as he moved to scowl at the bad pun, laughter deep within both of their chests. ‘What better place to show me than on the table you’re going to build for us?’

‘Us?’ Geralt asked, his voice strangely small and quiet. The word meant so much, how could something so small command so much power.

Jaskiers eyes are bright as he smiles and nods, leaning in to brush his lips gently across Geralt’s. ‘We’ve been workmates, friends, Friends with rather delightful benefits, something more and for a little too long something less, I think it’s about time we try and see how we work as a proper team.’ He explained, hands flapping around the two of them as he explained himself rather excitedly. Geralt’s calloused fingers threaded through Jaskiers, bringing them down to still between the two of them.

‘All you had to do was ask’ he murmured, taking the final step to close the space between them. Leaning in to press their foreheads together just so. It still seemed odd to him that this beautiful social butterfly would want to settle down with an old wolf like himself. But Yen was, as always right, you could never be sure of what another needed, usually until it fell into you very own lap.

And so it was, that the Witcher and Jaskier settled down together, Jaskier continuing to create beautiful spaces, now always with even the tiniest touch of rustic hand made charm.

[lov3nerdstuff]

I Found {Part 5}

*Loki x reader*

Part: 5/8

Words: 3.3k

Summary: Loki finds himself stranded in Underworld, a kingdom hidden deep inside a desolate planet. In order to survive, he puts himself in the service of the tyrant king, who promises to give Loki his freedom back if he fulfills one simple task. Loki is to set out and bring the mad king his newest toy: You.

~A dangerous forbidden love. Abduction. Slavery. Tortured conscience. A mad tyrant... Escape?~

Request: A song fic based on 'I found' by Amber Run, requested by @strawberrysandcream​

All Parts can be found on my Masterlist!

______________________________

For the next one and a half weeks it continued like that, Loki would roam the caverns and tunnels by daytime and come to visit you at nighttime. Yet, he found that while the former was not leading to the desired results (a path to the surface), the latter was leading to some very much undesired ones.

It had taken him a couple of days and quite a bit of pondering, but eventually he had come to the conclusion that Agatha had been right. He did feel something for you, something strong and ever growing and utterly irresistible.

It would make his heart beat too fast whenever you talked to him, make his skin tingle and fill his entire being with such a wholesome warmth that he had thought he might have fallen sick himself.

His mind constantly reverted back to you whenever he tried thinking about something else, and his entire focus was slowly shifting from escaping to saving you. And when he came to visit you at night, as only an illusion of himself, he had found himself wishing more than once that he could just reach out to touch you, to hold your hand or brush away a stray strand of hair.

Honestly, Loki didn't know what had gotten into him for being so very affectionate, almost clingy even. He needed you like the air he was breathing, your presence like the fire keeping him from freezing and your words like the only rays of light in this world of darkness. It scared him a great deal, but obviously he wouldn't stop his nightly visits for anything or anyone, but you. He had asked you quite a few times if you even wanted him to return every night, and you had been very quick to reply that you wanted him back with you as quick as he could manage. Maybe you had fallen ill from the same sickness as him?

And as the days flew by, Loki was painfully aware that he needed to hurry up with his plans, for you had only four days left until you would be presented to the king like an animals on the altar of sacrifice. Loki needed to escape before that, and take you with him. By now, leaving without you wasn't an option anymore and if he was being honest with himself, he knew that it had never been an option in the first place.

So he found himself both following another tunnel that had seemed quite promising in the beginning, but then turned out to lead him into a dead end, while also using every braincell he possessed to draw up a decent enough plan for your escape. By the time he reached the palace, he had quite a good idea of how things would NOT work out, and it left him severely frustrated.

Only as he stepped into his quarters and started a fire to warm up, he finally had an idea that was stupid enough that it just might work. But he needed your help in order to see it through, and quite possibly Agatha's help as well. First things first… he sat down on his bed to let his illusion return to your quarters.

And while you and him had talked about mostly everything up to this point, Loki had always avoided to ask you about your training, which took place during the day while he was trying to find his way through the maze of tunnels. And he hadn't talked to you about his plans for escape, as there were too many prying eyes and ears on him while with you, who would gladly report his wrongs back to the king for as little as a kind word. Now however, he would need to do both.

As soon as he set foot into the open space that was the cavern you and the other girls resided in, he spotted you in your usual space all the way in the darkest corner of the room. You looked rather miserable by now, thoroughly frozen and slowly starving… it made Loki's heart clench painfully and kindled his desire to make it better in every way he could. Unfortunately, his possibilities as a matterless illusion were limited.

"Hey there…" He greeted you with a sad half smile as he sat down right next to your side. If he would've been there for real, his knees would surely have touched your thigh. "You look tired."

"I am tired." You sighed deeply, closing your eyes and letting your head fall back against the cold stone wall behind you. "Cold and hungry and tired… but a great deal happier now that you are here."

Your words caused a jolt of electricity to surge through Loki's being, his real being. "Well I am glad to be of service."

"How was your day?" You mused tiredly, opening your eyes slowly, tiredly, to peak at him through your lashes. His heart skipped a beat.

"A lot of dead ends…" Loki sighed, knowing that he couldn't give you all too many information while the other girls were still around. Once they had learned that Loki really wasn't there to harm anyone, they had grown less afraid and more curious indeed.

"I'm sorry…" You said quietly, giving him a sad smile. "Maybe tomorrow will be better?"

"Yeah, maybe…" Loki replied under his breath, already most certain that tomorrow wouldn't be better at all.

For a moment both of you just remained in silent observation of each other, taking in how tired, cold and worn out you both looked.

"I just wish you were here for real..." You sighed all of a sudden, quietly but with a certain undertone that had Loki's heart almost jump out of his ribcage.

"And why is that?" He asked in the same quiet voice, almost gently now.

"I'm just so freaking cold... And I could really use a hug right now." You replied with a half smile. "And I would give just about everything for a safe night's rest."

"What do you mean?" Loki frowned. "Aren't you safe when locked up here?"

"Well, all I can say is that the other girls aren't as innocent as they look." You whispered to him with a badly faked smile that told him to not ask any more about it. Loki swore the air in the cavern just got a little colder. However, the implication of your words was that you felt safe with him… and that warmed him from the very inside.

"How… how is your training coming along?" He asked then, reminding himself that even though this would be uncomfortable to talk about, it had to be addressed for his plan to work even on the most basic level.

Your eyes widened ever so slightly at the change of topic, and you lifted your head away from the wall to look straight at Loki in reluctance. "What? Why… are you asking about it?"

"I promise you, Y/n, I have only the best intentions in asking about it." He replied lowly, keeping his voice quiet, but giving you a look that spoke volumes. "Believe me, it will not be to your disadvantage if you tell me about it."

For a moment realization flashed through your eyes, followed by something Loki couldn't put a name to, followed by reluctance again. "I… It's hard. I never had to do things like these before, and I honestly wish I didn't have to now."

Loki's heart dropped, and he wished all the more that there would be a way to comfort you other than by his mere words. "I'm sorry… I cannot imagine."

"I believe I'm not all that horrible at it though." You shrugged a little, obviously feeling embarrassed by the topic. "But it's not like I'm eager to learn."

"Good." Loki commented before his mind told him to rephrase that statement. You frowned at him a little, upon which Loki moved closer to you until he could whisper in your ear. "I need you to be as bad at it as you possibly can, without refusing to try. Can you do that for me Y/n?"

"Why?" You whispered back, and even though Loki wasn't there physically, he noticed how goosebumps started to cover your delicate skin at his sudden closeness. It caused a rush of very unwanted emotions to wash over him.

"I cannot tell you right now, there are too many ears on us, but I can ask of you to trust me. Please." He replied quietly, having to resist the temptation to let his nose brush against the soft skin of your neck, for it wasn't entirely possible at the given time. And it was way too affectionate of a gesture to put on display like that anyway. Hearing himself say please, for once, was already odd enough.

"I do trust you, Loki… and I hope you know what you are doing." You turned your head to look at him, and found him only speckles of space in front of you. You didn't move away, and Loki was in awe. "It's only three more days now… And we both know I will not live to have the king lay hand on me."

"You promised me not to evoke your own death." Loki replied gravely, a cold shiver running down his spine.

"I never promised… only nodded." You gave him a small smile. "And it's still three days left."

"Yeah, no pressure…" Loki sighed in sarcasm, rolling his eyes to himself. You only chuckled at the sight.

"Whatever happens from here on, I will surely not surrender without a fight." You mused, giving him the same look that spoke volumes now. Loki's mood brightened… you had a plan as well, in case he failed to put his own one into action before the three days were over. His admiration for you grew into the impossible, and he smiled at you for a second.

"You're always one for a surprise, my dearest Y/n." He replied under his breath, reaching out instinctively to touch your arm, only for his hand to dissolve in a soft green glow, before coming back to existence a second later. His eyes found yours as his smile faltered, and his expression spoke of all the things he couldn't say, didn't understand himself. You looked back at him in the very same manner, and for a moment the world around the two of you faded out of existence.

Loki stayed with you for a good while longer, convincing you to try to get at least some sleep while he was here to keep you safe. He would sit next to you quietly, glaring at everyone who only dared to as much as look into your direction. Luckily none of the girls knew that he couldn't actually intervene if someone was to come at you, and his presence alone was enough to keep everyone away.

Only hours later, when you surfaced back out of the cocoon you had created around yourself with the furs and cape, Loki forced himself to put his plan into action, whispering to you the reminder to be as good at being bad as you possibly could be before he left you alone. Leaving really got more difficult every single time he came to visit you, but he was more than willing to suffer for the sake of being with you. The second that thought had washed through his mind, he had halted in every movement and frowned to himself. What was this sickness that was haunting him?!

Loki spent the day causing mayhem around the palace, building intricate traps for people so that they would make mistakes of which some were more grave than others. Then however, instead of standing in the shadows laughing like he had done in a previous life, he would come to the trapped person's rescue as if he hadn't caused their misery in the first place, saving the day and quite possibly their lives, promising to not tell a soul about the incident. The king wasn't a forgiving man when it came to mistakes, especially coming from the personnel closest to him, and thus by the end of the day, word had spread in the palace (among mostly everyone but the king) of how great a person Loki was, how he was oh so trustworthy and how he had saved so many heads from the wrath of the king. Content with the day's work, but not nearly done, Loki made his way to find Agatha.

Finding the old bat turned out to be a challenge though, for that woman probably knew paths through the palace not even the king himself knew of. But Loki wouldn't be Loki if he had not found her at last, in one of the darkest tunnels he had yet come across.

"Let me guess, I found you right where you wanted to be found." He greeted her as he came to stand in front of the short woman with a small smirk.

"Precisely." She chuckled, before putting the torch she carried (the only light source at all, now that Loki had killed the magic green flame in his hand) into a contraption on the wall and sitting down on a large rock. "I heard you were looking for me."

"Heard from whom?" Loki inquired, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Oh, here and there…" She smiled at him mischievously, and Loki wondered if he liked or hated her for constantly messing with him even in the grimmest of situations. Both, probably. "What is it you want from me? I assume it is about Y/n, as you are still here and she is still alive and sane."

"I thought you can't read my mind." He remarked with an eyebrow risen in suspicion.

"I can't read your mind, but I can very easily read your behavior." She chuckled again. "You found love where it wasn't supposed to be… Right in front of you."

"You aren't making sense." Loki snapped immediately, feeling Agatha's words like a blow to the stomach.

"Oh, I'm making very much sense, but you're not willing to make sense of me. You have fallen for Y/n, quite desperately if I may say so, and now you're risking your own head to get her out of here. That's not really what I meant when I asked you to show some courage, but oh well… I was wrong then."

"Wrong about what?"

"I thought that showing courage, for you, would be to get the key, save the girl and get the hell out of here, get out of this hell, which you were oddly enough refusing to do. But I was wrong, and I see that now. Fighting and running isn't what costs you courage… no, it's allowing yourself to love, to be vulnerable, and to be loved. That is your obstacle, and your way of showing courage."

"Now you are making even less sense." Loki replied easily, even though it began to dawn on him that Agatha was very much right. He had fallen for you, had found love in the least likely and least fortunate place. Right in front of him indeed.

To him, falling in love with you was a small tragedy. A wolf falling for the lamb, a lamb falling for the stars. You were not his to love, so out of reach, but he couldn't care less.

Love was what he had fallen into, not a sickness. The correlation between those two was debatable, but that wasn't the point. He was running out of time, and whether he loved you or not didn't change anything anymore, for it was just a new term for already very much present feelings.

"You and I both know the truth, even if you won't admit it out loud." Agatha spoke up again. "Now, what did you want from me?"

"I need you to report Y/n's poor performance in training back to the king." Loki stated calmly, but with determination. It wasn't a request, but a necessity, a demand.

"Why?"

"Because she is failing most miserably. Ask the other girls. She is nowhere near prepared to be put into the king's service."

"I must admit, I do not see your plan, nor your intention behind this. It might be to Y/n's serious disadvantage if I was to report her failure to the king." Agatha frowned at him, but with an intrigued expression. Loki couldn't help but feel even better about his plan if the old woman couldn't see through it. Yet, at least.

"You're not supposed to report her failure, but her need for further instruction and help. Everything else will fall into place afterwards." He replied easily.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" Agatha rose an eyebrow at him. "I don't mean to doubt your intellectual abilities, but I surely doubt your knowledge of the king's ways."

"Just wait and see…" Loki mused with a small smirk. "And you will see for sure. I would prefer you to keep quiet about it though."

"I'm old, not stupid!" Agatha protested immediately, making Loki smirk even more. In other circumstances, he might just have found joy in messing with the old bat on a regular basis.

"Will you do it?" He asked then, remembering the subtle urgency underlying the entire undertaking.

"What will be my benefit from it? My gain?"

"You get to help an innocent soul while still speaking nothing but the truth. I assume that's a rarity in this place." Loki replied, pausing a moment to look at the old woman in question, then in certainty. "Don't pretend like you hadn't already made up your mind the moment you let me find you here."

Agatha laughed quietly, shaking her head to herself as she got up from the rock. "You're so good at reading other people and yet so bad at understanding your own self… it's quite amusing to watch. It's also a tragedy, if not a tragic comedy. Anyway, I think I shall go now at once. I have a report to make." With that she took the torch out of its hold and sauntered down the tunnel while humming a quiet, foreign tune to herself.

What a curious person Agatha was… Loki couldn't help but wonder about her. For as many difficulties as she seemed to have in reading his mind, he found the very same when trying to take a look into her own head. She definitely was an undefined variable in the setup of his plan, but still he had the impression that the outcome of her actions, even if not manipulated by him, would be positive. If not for his sake, she would definitely do it for yours.

Once the light of the torch had faded in the distance and the tunnel had fallen into deep darkness, Loki sparked up the green flame in his hand once more… He couldn't help wondering how it would look when reflecting off your beautiful eyes, or how it would gently tint and illuminate your skin… How it would leave a curious spark in your enchanting mind in return. He stopped his mind right there, reminding himself to focus on the plan. The was no use in daydreaming about you if you would become another shadow on the wall, a ghost of the past to him. And you would, if he kept on dreaming and left out acting.

Loki then returned to his quarters quickly, well aware that you would be waiting for him by now. But he wouldn't come to visit you tonight. No, tonight –if all pieces of his plan would fall into place like they ought to– you would come to visit him indeed.

______________________________

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[sethrine-writes]

Comfort in the Downpour

Fandom:  Devil May Cry 5

Pairing:  Dante x F!Reader

Words:  1597

Warnings:  Fluff, Schmoop, Wholesome teasing

Commission Request:  900 words, fluffy stuff with Dante and a rainy day.

A/N:  This is a commission for a lovely individual who wishes to remain anonymous. Thank you so much for commissioning me, and thank you for your patience! I hope the extra words make up for taking so long.

------

All the signs for a possible rainstorm had been in place since that morning, with billowing clouds overtaking the sunshine of the day, their darkening grey hues an ominous forewarning of the downpour that would soon follow. It wasn't until about mid-afternoon that the sky let loose, dousing the entirety of Redgrave with a heavy wave of rain before gentling into something more steady that would most likely last well into the evening.

When the storm came pelting down over the rooftop of Devil May Cry, the mood within the shop shifted from its normal chaotic energy -there was always a chaotic feeling to the place, regardless if there wasn't much going on- to something much more mellow.

In mere minutes, you could feel the effects upon your conscience, aware of the calming shift within your very being from just the muted sounds coming from outside. The few bills you had been sorting through suddenly didn’t seem as important in that moment, and the tension you had been unknowingly holding within your shoulders and face slowly began to ease. Even your breathing had changed, your body reflexively shifting into a deeper inhale, slower exhale, and further relaxing you into a lull.

For a moment, everything was at peace.

“Uh...babe? You good, there?”

You startled at the unexpected voice, opening eyes you didn’t remember closing to find Dante standing in front of his desk, of which you were currently sitting behind. He was holding what looked to be the last of a sandwich in his hand, which meant he had somehow passed you by on his way to the kitchen without your notice.

How long had you been sitting there, completely unaware of your surroundings?

“Huh? Oh, yeah! Yeah, I’m good,” you answered, shaking your head lightly and looking down at the desk.

There were still bills littering the top of the hardwood. They were easy enough to deal with, nothing yet past due and any past balances all but finally paid off through careful money management. You had been crunching a few numbers before the rain hit, and then...well, numbers suddenly didn’t seem all that important.

“I was just trying to get the bills straightened out. I don’t plan on letting them get behind, unlike someone-”

Dante was quick to interject.

“Hey, I’m a busy guy! You know, killing demons, saving the world...I’m lucky I get a chance to breathe.”

You gave an affirming sort of sound, though it was anything but sincere, especially paired with the playful smile you sent the half-demon’s way. Dante was all too willing to play along and pulled on an affronted pout that had you giggling and him smiling seconds later.

As if it were an afterthought, Dante popped the rest of his sandwich into his mouth, looking you over as he finished off his late lunch.

“Seriously, though, you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, not sure why I wouldn’t be. Is something supposed to be wrong?”

“You were kind of spacey, there, for a moment,” Dante explained, waving a hand about as if that would help you understand what he meant.

Rather suddenly, you were struck with the thought that maybe you hadn’t told him how much you enjoyed rainy days. Now that you thought about it, most times that it was storming, Dante was away on a business call, or it was much later at night, where the calming sounds were lulling you into a peaceful sleep under the guise of you possibly being worn out from the day.

Simply put, it just wasn’t something that had really been brought up.

“Oh! Well, it’s raining,” you said, “and it’s been awhile since we had a good rainstorm like this. I just really like the way it sounds.”

Dante stared at you for a long moment, giving off the vibe that he didn’t quite believe you and that you were potentially hiding some sort of sickness or harboring some sort of animosity or melancholy that he hadn't been privy to. You just stared back, partly confused by his rather serious demeanor, but mostly just letting him come to his own conclusions.

“Huh, alright,” he said after a moment, the tension that creased his features slipping away. "Guess I'll let you get back to it, then."

You followed Dante's retreat towards the stairs, suddenly suspicious of the nonchalance of his dismissal. Regardless, you turned your attention back to the task at hand, skimming over the water and electric bills once more.

"Sike!"

You nearly screamed as you were turned around swiftly in your borrowed swivel chair to meet Dante's grinning face, his arms snaking around you and pulling you into standing before him.

"Dante, what...hey!"

Without warning, Dante hoisted you up into the air and over his shoulder rather effortlessly, the surprised squawk that left your lips indignant and rather embarrassing. It didn't keep you from laughing, despite the fact.

"Dante, put me down!"

"Just a minute, babe," he answered, following up with a firm smack to your rear. You reciprocated the action with a vengeful sort of playfulness, your upside-down vantage point providing the perfect opportunity to do so.

Dante laughed as he began walking back up the stairs, pausing to open your shared bedroom door. He entered and pulled you from his shoulder, letting you fall onto the bed with a light, surprised shout, followed by a short bout of giggles.

"Any particular reason you decided to hoist me up to our room like a caveman?" you asked, raising a brow at Dante's following shrug.

"Had a little idea; figured I'd try it out, see if it lands me any points with a certain someone."

You shook your head at Dante's suggestive eyebrow wiggle, though you couldn't help the grin that lit up your features.

"Well, a certain someone is sitting at a big, fat zero in the points department, so far-"

"Jeez, babe, give me a minute to work my magic! Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Of course not, it took at least two."

"Haha, so funny, a woman truly after my own heart," Dante mocked playfully, cocksure grin in place as he moved toward the single window and pulled back the curtains fully.

There had been just enough light coming through, despite the dreary sky, but even more downcast lighting washed the room in mute, almost grey tones. You could somewhat see the rain as it fell, blurred by beaded drops of water clinging to the glass pane, forming little rivulets that slowly slid down its surface to collect other droplets before disappearing altogether.

Dante gave a small grunt as he hoisted the window open a few inches, the steady pattering of raindrops hitting every exposed surface from outside filling the room instantly.

"The floor's gonna be wet," you chastised lightly, though you didn't mind as much as you let on.

"Good thing we don't have carpet," Dante teased, following up with, "I'll clean up the mess later."

He moved back around the bed at gave a swift pat to your thigh.

"Alright, up you get."

Dante helped you sit up on the bed, then maneuvered you with gentle prodding to sit in the middle of the bed, facing the window. You made yourself comfortable there, crossing your legs and heaving a heavy sigh.

Already, the effects of the rainstorm were setting in, lulling you into a calm state of mind with nature's version of white noise.

You heard rather than saw Dante's boots hitting the floor, felt the dip of the bed behind you as he moved. His arms were around your middle but a moment later, his legs coming in to bracket your own. He pulled you against his chest as his head came to rest against your shoulder, surrounding you in his warmth.

Everything was at peace, in that moment. No care for bills needing to be paid, or small puddles of water collecting on the floor. No clients, no demon attacks, no emergencies. Just the rain and the man you loved dearly blanketing you in a bubble of absolute bliss and contentment.

"I guess I can add a few points to your score," you spoke up quietly, earning a small, amused huff against your neck.

"Glad to know I'm rising in the ranks," he said, nosing at your ear to gain your attention.

You turned to look up at him as he looked at you, his smile genuine and sweet, meant for your eyes only.

"You know your hair smells really nice?"

"And your breath smells like ham and cheese," you mused while crinkling your nose, earning an affronted gasp.

"And here I was, trying to woo you properly."

"With ham and cheese breath. So sexy."

Dante leaned in to place a tender kiss against your lips. You obliged, regardless of your previous teasing complaints.

"Guess that makes you a lucky woman," he murmured, and though his words were meant to be playful, there was a serious note to them, as if he wasn't sure he was doing the right thing.

You reached up and pressed your palm to his cheek, the stubble of his beard prickling your skin.

"I sure am," you responded sincerely, watching as the odd tension in his features eased away, leaving behind a lilting smile upon his lips.

Outside, the rain continued to pour over the city of Redgrave as steadily as it had begun. Inside, you remained wrapped up in the warmth and love that Dante provided you, water puddles beneath your bedroom window slowly growing larger as you enjoyed the comforting downpour together.

[caffeinatedtimdrake]

Eye See You

A/N: about 2.5k of Jason Todd/Red Hood x female!reader FLUFF in which Red Hood is soft for a school teacher, walks her home like the gentleman we all know he is, and opens up like the blossoming flower we also know he is.

The rain falls steadily. The gentle patter against the pavement serves as soothing company on her walk home. Though clouded, dull sapphire hangs above her head. She’s always enjoyed the rain. When a gentle drizzle cleansed the world, she felt most at peace. There was a flash of worn leather and red, followed by a loud splash. “Is there room for two underneath that umbrella?” Two months ago, she would have shrieked and swung the umbrella in a panic before sprinting away. Now, however, she answers the inquiry with a shy smile and sidelong glance, shrugging. She’d been wondering when he’d appear out of thin air to join her walk home. “Maybe you’ll just have to find out.” “Gladly.” Jason’s voice is low and gravelly, but his grip is gentle as he takes the umbrella from her hands and holds it above them both. “I guess even people who wear masks and fight bad guys need cover from the rain.” “You know it, doll. Plus, I’ve gotten too much gutter water in my eyes. I try to avoid that when possible.” “Tough guy can’t handle a little dirty water?” “No, I’m a princess. You’ve got it all wrong, sweetheart.” He chortles. “Prettiest one I’ve ever seen.” She laughs. His heart aches. “Says you.” He mutters. “Hm?” “Oh. Nothing. Ah-choo. I sneezed.” She scoffs. “Bless you. Although…if you only wear that flimsy jacket when you’re out saving the city and it’s this chilly, you’re bound to get a cold.” “Thanks, mom.” She rolls her eyes. They’re the prettiest color he’s ever seen, vividly deep and movingly soulful. Jason hates feeling lost, especially after everything that’s happened, but he knows he’d get lost in those eyes any time. “Listen, Red Hood. I know you’re some big shot superhero – or, vigilante, whatever – but while you’re out here looking out for everyone else, someone’s gotta look out for you.” His face hurts a little, and so does his heart. “You can’t see it, but trust me, I’m smiling fondly beneath this mask.” She looks up at him, grinning playfully as a hint of sorrow crosses her soft features. “I trust you.” She supposes she must thank those wannabe-thugs for the friendship she now has with Red Hood. If they hadn’t tried to corner her in an alleyway and demand money, among other things, she would have continued life as school teacher in the roughest part of the city peacefully. But it must have been her lucky day because Red Hood simply dropped down from the rooftop and took them all out. Now, she continues life even more peacefully than before because she has undeniably earned a soft spot in Red Hood’s heart. If he’s looking out for her safety, the least she can do is look out for his health by scolding him to get a proper jacket. “Have you had a quiet night so far?” “As quiet as Gotham can get.” “Well, I hope you continue to have a Gotham-quiet night so you can go home and rest. And recharge to kick more butt. Also, to get a proper coat.” His laughter is throaty and wholesome. Jason tilts his head back, thoroughly amused. “Thanks, cupcake. You should get some rest, too. Recharge for another day of educating Gotham’s youth.” She grows warm as they reach her apartment building. The streets are vacant, and the eerie emptiness might bother her if she wasn’t with him. The pair halts in front of the revolving door beneath the awning and she closes the umbrella. “Thank you for walking me home, Red.” She looks up at him earnestly, timid but genuine. “It’s always a pleasure, Y/N.” She moves to duck inside, but hesitates, rooted to the spot. Here goes nothing. She clears her throat, blushing. “If you’re not busy, and if you want to, you could…come up with me.” Jason Todd, the infamous Red Hood, freezes; but she can’t see his eyes get wider than the moon. “No pressure though. Maybe that’s conflict of interest, going into civilian homes without a reason to protect? And maybe you’re just…not interested. Which is totally okay too! I just…thought I’d offer a warm caffeinated beverage since you have a long night ahead of you and things are kind of calm now and I don’t really know how else to say thank you for looking out for me.” She looks so vulnerable, even more so than the day they met. Her eyes are wide but her gaze flits around nervously as she shuffles from foot to foot. He finds it very hard to deny her. He can’t quite explain why he finds himself so enraptured with you. Maybe it’s the warm innocence she radiates, or the way she treats everyone with compassion, or how not even the dreariest of days can dampen her brightness. He comes from darkness and despair, so maybe it’s only natural that he’s attracted to her light. In a way, he envies her students. Yes, they get to spend the whole day with her, but that’s not what nags at the pit of his stomach – it’s the haunting thought that his life might have turned out much differently if someone like her had been involved. Those echoes of his anguished past never last for long though because when he reminds himself of the big picture – that she is making a positive difference in the lives of so many kids like him – Jason can’t help but like her even more. So, before he even knows what he’s doing, he blurts out, “Yeah. I’d like that, Y/N.” The whole way up, she prays her apartment isn’t too much of a disaster. She had been so anxious to spend just a few extra moments with him that she hadn’t considered the potential disarray. Oh, well. No regrets. She tells her herself that he’s probably seen worse. Jason notifies Dick that he’s taking a little break. Dick responds by saying that crime doesn’t take a break, laughing at his own bad joke, and then telling his bat brother to enjoy. “It’s cute.” He muses. “Very cozy. Very you.” He walks around, looking at framed photos and music albums and DVD cases while she heats some hot water. When she woke up this morning, she certainly didn’t believe that Red Hood would later be in her apartment, laughing at her boy band albums. “Don’t tell me that you don’t sing aloud to One Direction when they come on the radio. Because then I will know that you are a liar. A distasteful one, at that.” “Okay, okay, I admit it. Their first album…it really spoke to my teenage self.” She adds that to the tiny cache of information she knows about Red Hood. She doesn’t know how old he is, but with his cheesy pop culture references, she knows he can’t be much older or younger than she is. She knows he likes ice cream more than popsicles and that he’s allergic to pollen. She knows he, at the very least, has a little brother. She knows he fights to kill bad guys, but he doesn’t always do it, especially not when terrified school teachers are watching and begging him with their eyes not to murder. She knows that beneath tough, jagged layers of bitter emotion and a blood red mask, he is good. She wishes she knew his eyes. She knows better than to press him for personal information. Though it is in her nature to get to know people and their stories, she holds back and appreciates each tiny piece of himself that he gives out. She can’t help but feel jealous, though. He can look at her eyes whenever she wants, but she’s left guessing the color of his irises and imagining the length of his lashes. As cheesy as it seems, she believes the eyes are the window to the soul. She knows that if allowed the chance to gaze into his eyes, if only for a heartbeat, she could know him more intimately than words would ever allow. “What are you daydreaming about? Me? Or some other hunk?” Jason leans against the counter, casually. She laughs, shaking her head. “Just lost in thought. Sugar?” “Yes please, sweet thing.” He nearly purrs, relishing the rosy hue that creeps up the back of her neck and across her face. She glances at him shyly out of the corner of her eye. “Actually, I was wondering something. About you.” She admits quietly. His heart thumps loudly. She’s never directly asked about his personal life before. It’s easier to keep her at arm’s length when she barely knows him, but Jason finds the distance increasingly difficult to endure. The devil on his shoulder hates how thoughtful and polite she is because sometimes Jason really just wishes she would demand he rip off the mask and kiss her senseless. His voice comes out raspier than intended. “What’s on your mind?” She wrinkles her nose, unhappy with herself for prying. “Well…I was just curious...about the color of your eyes.” The answer startles him so much, he chokes on his own spit. It’s a bit difficult to cough with the mask on and she doesn’t know if it would be appropriate to pat his back, so she just stares at him, disconcerted. “You…okay?” She asks nervously. He nods. “Yes. Just, um, surprised.” Suddenly she looks horrified and he grows concerned. “What’s wrong, darling? Are you alright?” He approaches her space, frowning deeply underneath the mask. “I just had an awful realization.” She groans, hiding her face in her hands. Panic rising, he gently places his hands over her own, prying them loose. “What is it, Y/N?” Of all things, she pouts. “How are you supposed to drink your coffee comfortably, in my home, with the mask on?” He freezes for the second time today because of her. “I can totally, like, face the other way. So you can drink in peace without worrying about giving away your identity. Or you could blindfold me, I guess. But I promise that I wouldn’t open my eyes if you just let me squeeze them shut. Crap, I really didn’t think this through, I just wanted to talk to you more so badly that I didn’t even consider – “ “Y/N.” Jason says her name calmly, ignoring the devil on his shoulder at her mention of a blindfold. She shuts her mouth instantly, bashful. “Calm down, sweetheart. You definitely don’t need to stress about my mask and my coffee.” He reaches out to smooth out her furrowed brow. She huffs and then she melts when he tenderly cups her cheek. She doesn’t know his eyes, but if his gentle touch is any indication, she thinks he must look at her as warmly as she looks at him. “Sorry,” She mumbles, embarrassed at how she’s gotten all panicky and flustered around him twice today. Normally she saves Red Hood-induced spazzing for when she’s alone. “Don’t – don’t apologize, Y/N.” Jason tells her softly. She sighs into his touch, eyes fluttering shut. “I feel bad that I can’t help but wonder about you. The color of your eyes. The way you smile. If you sing in the shower. The Red Hood beneath the hood. But it’s not like you owe me that. And you, as Red Hood, are so good to me and to this city that it shouldn’t even really matter how pretty your smile must be. Everything you do and stand for is so beautiful, on its own.” She continues to ramble, eyes squeezed shut in distress. “I want to know you, but I do know you! I do know you and I’m just greedy because I only get, like, half an hour with you at a time. But that’s more than most people get! And usually when people get time with you, it’s because you’re kicking their butts. So I should just shut up and be grateful. Don’t get me wrong though, I am grateful. I am so grateful for you.” When she opens her eyes, she’s met with an ocean of shimmering sapphire, flecked with emerald and gold and so much sorrow she thinks she might drown. It makes her feel a little woozy so when her knees buckle, Jason is quick to wrap his arms securely around her waist. “Easy there, tiger. I know I’m handsome, but not that handsome.” He chuckles. He easily lifts her onto the counter, and she finds herself at eye level with Red Hood – without his hood. She has to blink a few times for her vision to clear. When it does, she thinks she might collapse all over again. His olive skin glows in the dingy lighting. Freckles are littered lightly across his cheeks and nose, softening the sharp angles of his face that, not too long ago, must have been boyish and forgiving. His brows are dark and strong, raven locks tousled and flopping over onto his forehead endearingly, giving way to a streak of white. His lips, rosy and smooth, are curled into a bitter half-smile. It’s his eyes that really get her, tearing into her soul, all dark and beautiful and blue. There’s a scar across one of his cheeks, curved into the shape of a J, and it’s instinctual when she places her palm against it, as if being so gentle could heal every one of his scars. She doesn’t know how much time passes, but he seems unbothered because he only gazes back at her through sad sapphire. Silence has wrapped around them comfortably in the same way that his arms wind around her waist and her legs lock behind his back. Eternity might have passed before she finds the words to speak, but it was their eternity, suspended in moments of beauty and vulnerability. She swallows hard. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen so even if you work some superhero magic on me and erase my memory, I’ll be sad but I’ll know in my soul that I laid eyes on the most breathtaking creature to walk this earth and it will be okay.” He smiles now, completely, and she nearly wheezes. He’s so stunning it makes it hard for her to breathe. “I’m flattered.” No longer hindered by the mask, his voice is even more like velvet and melted chocolate and she thinks she really might die. “You – you didn’t have to…do that.” She breathes, guilt nagging at her stomach. He shakes his head, looking down. “I wanted to, Y/N.” He hated being vulnerable, but she looks at him like he brought her the moon and somehow that utter adoration made him feel safe. She sighs very deeply, slumping her shoulders. “And my name…it’s Jason.” “Jason,” She says, rolling his name off her tongue. “That’s me. In the flesh.” She blushes, but he registers a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. Her voice drops to a purr, dripping with affection and maybe a little bit of seduction. “Jason.” It makes sense that the only thing he can really do in response is kiss her senseless.

[invertedeidolon]

The Longest Library #6: The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story by Marie Kondo

This is a series in which I attempt to read and review all (or most of) my library of 297 books.

Rundown: Chiaki is a twenty something on her own, with a messy apartment that's been attached to a lifetime of failed relationships (although a lot of them seem like unrequited crushes she tried waaaay too hard for). The clutter and the drain it causes literally buries her own dreams and aspirations. Even if you don't intend to use KonMarie's method for things, it's a cute and concise way to see the impact it has when properly applied. Very wholesome, 5/5, would even give to my grandma.

Because of copyright and being respectful to the authors and artists, I'm going to try and keep pictures to a minimum, and do my best to describe things without them. Such is the hazards of reviewing a manga.

First off, before you even open the book, it's got this really nice matte satin finish on it. It's extremely pleasant. I had to just pause and say that for a second.

When I first picked this up in barnes and noble about a year ago, I didn't expect it to be so... I guess rich? There was no part of it that felt wasted or unnecessary. All of it felt good, and if it wasn't good, it was better. The art is pretty simplistic, almost all of it done in the same pen, and if you look close enough it all retains that human element. You can tell a hand did that. But it's still so consistent and, I suppose experienced, that it doesn't become distracting. The characters stay on model and don't look too weird, even when drawn tiny and comedically.

I like how the very first step is deciding that you want to tidy up. Even if the method described is much different than what everybody thinks it is, still coming at it with that same willingness and energy, resolute to do some real work, is necessary. It isn't as frantic and energy consuming as the heavy cleaning most people think of, but instead the method can be emotionally and mentally taxing. It requires that same decision to dedicate yourself to it.

Even though my house isn't as fine tuned as it would be had I used the konmarie method, I still make a point to do small tidying sessions as soon as I see there's a need for it. I come from a hoarder house and so do my partners, so there's an extra motivation to keep the space as far away from that as possible.

That being said, I recognize the main character's exhaustion. The startling mess that comes from such a professional seeming young woman just doesn't really register, she just kind of lives with it 'for the time being' (this is a phrase that pops up later).

As an aside, When she goes to answer the door, there's this curtain she pulls over to kind of hide the rest of the apartment behind her. I have no idea if it's a staple of Japanese apartments (in which case, what a neat idea! Nobody who's just at the door needs to know what my home looks like). If it's just her, deciding that she needs a curtain to hide her embarrassment, however... just damn.

So the reality of needing to tidy up sets in when the neighbor accidentally DOES see what her apartment is like. (He initially came to tell her to please get the garbage off her balcony because it's starting to stink... she kept putting it there, intending to bring it down in the morning, but then forgets). So a valiant? effort is made. But the roadblocks to starting on such a huge mess is apparent. Can't do garbage, there's too much on the balcony already. The sink is so backed up and she can't find the sponge. You kind of move from task to task and can't really find a place to start because you don't know HOW to start. And tackling something that huge in more manageable pieces isn't for everybody. Sometimes you can make messes faster than you can clean them. So it feels like treading water, like you're not getting anywhere. And that's usually where people give up. So she does.

Also, I find it hilarious that she found out about KonMarie while on a search for proof that there's people who are way messier than her.

She was totally expecting a Hoarders type situation. Nope! It's all just you and this tiny fairy woman.

So this being my first exposure to KonMarie, I was actually super invested when she asked this question. I appreciate this question so much. My (literal) garbage television of choice is Hoarders, and usually on that show, if they set goals, it's extremely short term. Mostly because they have only so much time that the workers can be there. Sometimes it's even so small as 'clear this one hallway so that my husband doesn't fall and break his leg and potentially die in his own home'. Meanwhile KonMarie is over here like 'what's your life going to look like after your place is clean'? Which is a very good question to ask, especially if you don't want someone to fall back into old habits. Cleaning is basically making room for yourself and your life, instead of just your stuff.

So, living 'for the time being'. I see this way of living as a form of energy preservation. You don't make the effort to do the 'right' thing, which would be expending the small effort to clear your coffee table so you can have a nice place to eat breakfast tomorrow. That's okay, it's just temporary, right? But then the next day, you go to have breakfast. You see the messy table and immediately deflate. You need to eat standing now because you don't have the time to clear the table AND make breakfast. You don't feel as great as you could be, but that's okay, right?  The trend unfortunately continues. It also spreads to other areas of your life. Unfortunately, by preserving energy by not doing the small tasks, the small tasks become bigger ones. That you no longer have the energy for. Especially now that you're having to SPEND energy working around those large tasks. Doing the small thing in the first place would mean you would RECEIVE energy as a result. Clearing the table the night before means a nice, calm peaceful breakfast, and you get to the rest of your day feeling energized now that you've had that bit of quiet to yourself. If you find yourself avoiding tasks, you might need to do something specifically to restore yourself. That's what self care is about in the context of maintaining your space.

“Nine out of ten items demoted to loungewear...are never worn!”

So, I have this talent for knowing where everything is in the house at all times and remembering what I have (a Forbidden Skill that comes from living with hoarders and also a shitty birthgiver who would arbitrarily throw stuff away). And I know exactly which pieces of clothing she's talking about. The huge pair of pj pants that I barely use unless it's abnormally cold. The various camisole tops with the missing underwire that I don't wear because the straps are synthetic and melted at the ends so it makes this unfortunate stabby bit. Yeah. I should get rid of those. Tshirts and shorts are better off as loungewear because that's what I use them for apart from exercising.

"Besides, why would you wear joyless clothes inside when you would never wear them outside? Your time at home should be special too."

This is something I've come to appreciate during quarantine. I feel TONS better when I'm wearing something nice, even inside. I get more work done and I feel more professional when I actually 'get dressed' instead of trying to work in my nightgown. Even putting on an apron makes housework feel more purposeful. (I'm going to take this to the next level and eventually make my own apron)

This is what I mean by it becoming draining over time. Even a good day is hampered by coming home to a cluttered area. Even having one space to sit that looks nice helps. (for context, Chiaki only just tidied her clothes, but nothing else yet, so she had an amazing day, feeling great in clothes that made her feel great, and then came home to this.)

"Books that haven't been moved in a while are dormant, so it's hard to judge whether to keep or discard them."

I appreciate this humanizing element of objects. I feel like a lot of us are taught early on to stop caring so much about our belongings, especially when they're no longer age appropriate, and we're pressured by peers and parents to 'let go'. When I give any object in my home a character or spirit, I find I take much better care of it. It's also partially the basis of my teddy bear medical project (the stuffed animal is essentially an emotional mirror, and taking care of the bear helps it echo back a need to care for yourself). Also interesting, to quote from wikipedia: "Kondo says that her method is partly inspired by the Shinto religion. Cleaning and organizing things properly can be a spiritual practice in Shintoism, which is concerned with the energy or divine spirit of things (kami) and the right way to live (kannagara)"

Also on the subject of books, I readily agree that #thelongestlibrary is a way for me to avoid immediately throwing away books. But now that I can make regular content out of them, they all have a purpose now, don't they?

This bastard. No matter how many times I purge my writing stash, one of these always shows up. Why is it sticky??????

"That's right. Things that are kept 'just because' are stored 'just because', and accumulate 'just because'."

This is true. However, I'm in a weird place because of my skills and profession. Can KonMarie please come validate my decision to keep crafting supplies and surplus packaging???

"Instead of buying storage goods to make do, wait until you've completely finished and look for ones you really like" "You mean don't buy things 'Just because!' "

I don't know how many times I've seen a messy house with a stack of brand new storage bins, never used, or storage bins overstuffed and sometimes broken. Something I forgot to mention that is a huge part of the KonMarie method, is organizing by category, and not by room. You get ALL of one object in the house, and put it in a pile in the middle of the floor, so you can see just how much you have (clothes, books, cosmetics, etc.) If you clean by room, you may have gotten all the clothes in the bedroom put away nicely, but they there's still dirty laundry, and also the workout clothes in the living room, and some in the bathroom, and it all doesn't fit and has to go in a storage container or gets stuffed in a weird place and you never see it again! So don't get storage. If it doesn't fit in your house, that means it likely doesn't fit in your current life. And either the object has to go, or your life needs to change.

"Wait, it's not the things I'm discarding, but the things I'm keeping that are in this room!"

This is a principle that I think didn't really occur to me, or a lot of people. Getting rid of excess stuff is important, yes, but making sure what you're keeping is meaningful is equally and sometimes even more important. It's something that could be applied to all areas of your life.

"Your home is linked to your body. If it isn't comfortable to live in, you'll feel exhausted, just like I did."

KonMarie puts so much love into her method. If you've never seen her show, I highly recommend it. It isn't like Hoarders at all. It's like the difference between American Gordon Ramsey and The Great British Bakeoff. Even if the families depicted are a little tense, it's clear they still love each other deeply and just need to be guided into making their home a place where that love can happen unimpeded.

If you've never gotten into KonMarie, I'd say this is a stellar first exposure. I love the hell out of this tiny, thoughtful woman.

Have a couple of bonus faces because the artist is a gem.

*don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious*

I’ve already lost count of my books. 6 down, 200 something to go.