#and then I made sunny. with his colors but also with the touch of red and the blood in black mixed a little with the white/gray!

[mel-loly]

-(click for a better quality!)

[lostcherise]

Green Is the Color

pairing: jesse pinkman x f!reader

summary: Jesse - a friend, a roommate, a fool who's hopelessly in love with you. He did his best keeping his feelings on check, but it all unraveled after one night you brought a guy home. (this is based on a request by @madzzz0797 my lovely mutual)

warnings/tags: roommates!au, pining, jealousy, allusions to masturbation, light angst (if you squint, i really need to improve on that), jealous jesse, smut, oral (m and f receiving), p in v,

word count: 8,237 (i'm sorry?? don't know what happened there)

 Lady, lady love me, 'cause I love to lay here lazy.

Soft and distant singing was your alarm for the day, definitely a gentler sound than the angry robotic beeping of your digital alarm clock. A sleepy smile crept its way on your lips, your eyes still shut, and you snuggled deeper into the pillow with a content sigh. You rustled about a few more seconds beneath the covers, before you bravely opened your eyes and welcomed the warm glow of a sunny Sunday morning. 

We got everything we need right here and everything we need it's enough. Just so easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms. 

The singing grew louder as you made your way down the hallway to the kitchen, accompanied by some occasional clanking of utensils. Walking on your tiptoes, you tried your best to be as stealthy as possible, it was a rare occasion to get to listen to Jesse sing. Your smile grew, and you bit your bottom lip fighting the urge to laugh at him. Although he was off key at times, you somewhat enjoyed his singing voice; just as buttery smooth as always.

Like waking up too early, maybe we could sleep in. Make you banana pancakes, pretend like it's the weekend now. 

With his back still turned to you, he kept on singing, only interrupting himself for a celebratory 'yeah bitch' after successfully flipping a pancake into the air, to which you failed to contain your laugh, so much for stealth. 

"Shit," Jesse whipped his head back to look at you. So much for a greeting. "Good morning." he smiled, face a tomato red and quickly redirected his attention back on the stove and he really hoped you hadn't noticed the rosy hue adorning his cheeks. 

"Good morning," you smiled back at him. "How come you're cooking breakfast?" you peered over his shoulder, the pancake batter bubbling to life before Jesse flipped it to reveal the golden brown bottom. 

"It's my turn to make us breakfast for the weekend, remember?" Jesse noted the obvious, with a teasing raise of a brow. 

Realization hit you, sleep ridden eyes widening softly. "You're right." you bumped his shoulder with yours. 

You smiled at the little tradition you two had created a year ago, a year after living together as roommates. Each weekend you guys took turns to cook breakfast for one another. It had all started after you had seen Jesse cook for the first time,  what you later realized was his favorite choice of breakfast food - huevos rancheros. Initially, it had come as a shock to you, he really gave off the impression that he hardly knew how to boil an egg, which you also had admitted to him. And that's when he took it upon himself, as a personal challenge to prove himself and made it a house rule that you alternate cooking breakfast for each other on the weekends. 

"Banana pancakes on the menu today, m'lady." Jesse informed you in a fake posh accent. 

"God, you know your way around a lady's heart." you sighed, with a resting palm on your chest, and placed a quick peck on Jesse's cheek. Before he could even register what had just happened, you were already setting the fully stacked plate onto the small white worn down kitchen table, right next to the small kitchen stand that housed various appliances you had no room for in your guys' small kitchen . 

When you weren't looking, with your back turned to him while you set up the coffee maker, Jesse moved to graze the spot your lips had left their fiery mark on. His cheek still burned beneath his touch, even after one minute had passed- as if the blood coursing through his veins had suddenly transformed into molten lava burning him on the inside out. See, ever since you and Jesse had moved in together, he found himself in a rather sticky predicament. 

He was in love with you. And you didn't know. And mostly likely did not share the sentiment. And that's why he kept his mouth shut about it, and opted to suffer in silence. 

Even now to this day, two years after his big revelation, he was scared. Scared of how much he loved you, scared of how one day he'd wake up and decide that he would come clean, two years was a long time to keep to himself after all, and risk losing his most meaningful friendship yet.  It had been two years since that one night Jesse had come to surprise you at the end of a very tiring day of work and evening classes. He remembered how your brows were furrowed, while you hugged an oversized hoodie you had confiscated from Jesse's clean laundry two weeks prior, closer to you. Your head was hung low, and you were paying no mind to your surroundings, so much so that Jesse had to honk to get your attention. 

And the moment your mood shifted when you had noticed him, was the first time his heart swelled up in his chest. How a wide grin stretched on your face, and how you had jogged excitedly over to his beloved Monte Carlo. The second time was just minutes after you had gotten in and and he had suggested you drop by your favorite ice cream parlor for a much needed pick me up. Jesse took much pride in being able to read you so well and know what you need in an instant, and that's how he had come to the conclusion that night that we was falling for you at light speed. 

Deep down he knew that no good was bound to come out of this situation he had created for himself, but to his defense that wasn't entirely his fault; you had your part to play in this too. With the way your eyes twinkled when the sun shone just right during the golden hours of the day, the way they crinkled at the corners every time you laughed at a sorry attempt of a joke he would make, the way your nose would scrunch in distaste whenever you didn't like something, the way your plush lips pursed whenever you were deep in thought, the way your smell lingered on for just a few fleeting seconds whenever you would leave his side. You smelled like a mix of pears, oranges and jasmine, which in turn reminded him of being bundled up on the couch on a cozy autumn afternoon. And Jesse would be a liar to say that he didn't often dream of spending most of his days like that with you.  

A series of expletives left Jesse's mouth, which in turn had your attention. You whipped your head back, just in time to see a black disk being discarded into the bin. "Mmm, crispy." you mused, scrunching your face in mock delight with a shimy of your shoulders.

"Shut up." Jesse flipped you off, but the smile dancing on his lips showed no annoyance. 

With a playful eyeroll, you set two steaming cups of cheap drip coffe on the table. Jesse soon followed, a sugar jar on one hand and a bottle of maple syrup on the other. You stacked a couple of of pancakes onto your plate and proceeded to drizzle a bit of maple syrup on top, all the while Jesse threw in his fifth spoonful of sugar in his coffee. "I'm still surprised you have teeth." you quipped. 

"These bad boys?" Jesse bared his surprisingly straight pearly whites at you. "Nah, they've been through worse." he shrugged and proceeded to take a sip of his coffee flavored syrup with a hum. And he was right; he'd been four years sober and you couldn't be more proud of him. Although he hardly believed so himself, Jesse had really managed to turn his life around. Getting kicked out of his aunt's house at just 19 was the start of a long journey towards recovery for him. At first the path was lonely with a lot of setbacks. His first struggle: passing his SATs and getting accepted to college. That was when you had come into the picture and that was when the steep uphill towards the top was less bleak with you on his side. 

"That's why you should appreciate them more." you countered, left cheek all puffed and rounded, filled with sweet pillowy goodness that you washed down with bitter coffee, the contrasting flavors on your taste receptors sending happy signals to the neurons in your brain. Another bite, another appreciative hum that resembled a moan a little too much. With a quirk of a brow, you shot Jesse a quizzical look that fell unnoticed as he was too busy shoveling food in his mouth while fidgeting on his seat. 

What you did not know was that at that moment, Jesse was fighting his own personal hell; trying to get those sinful sounds of yours out of his head. You really had no business moaning over some banana pancakes, he wasn't even that great of a cook; you had to be exaggerating on purpose. If that was the case, then you had definitely gotten what you wanted. 

Oblivious, you continued eating, almost quietly. Almost. After every two bites or so, you'd sneakily slip a quiet moan that would have Jesse twitching in his pants. "You know what I think?" you asked, swallowing the last bite of your pancakes. "Ditch business," you pointed a fork at him, before grabbing another pancake from the now smaller stack. "Go to culinary school." To which you earned a disbelieving snort from him. 

"You know what I think?" it was Jesse's turn to ask you that. He leaned in, his eyes gleaming with something more as they studied your face and in those seconds you took the chance to drink him in too. The five o'clock shadow that accentuated his chiseled cheeks and jawline, his eyes; the bluest oceans you often found yourself helplessly drowning in, the way the corners of his lips quirked into a smirk. "You pretend you like my cooking so you can get in my pants." he teased, his tone lower than usual. 

"What would you do then?" you asked, surprising even yourself with your fowrward question. Part of you wouldn't mind if Jesse would brush it off entirely, pretend nothing was ever said, yet curiosity was eating at you from the inside. What would he do? What did you want him to do? It so seemed that Jesse was more dumbfounded at your brazeness, as he was a sputtering mess, wide eyes avoiding yours entirely, seemingly more focused on finishing his breakfast. Surprisingly so, another small part of you grew disappointed as seconds ticked by and Jesse remained silent, downing the last sip of his now lukewarm coffee. 

"Gonna hit the, uh," he paused to clear his throat, voice thick and strained. "Hit the shower..." Jesse jutted his jaw on one side, the tip of his tongue rolling beneath his cheek and without saying much else, getting up in a hurry. Your gaze trailed his retreating form, until he disappeared into the hallway, and inside the bathroom. 

A few seconds pass, before you decide to go back to your room, that was conveniently next to the bathroom. The sound of the shower running resonated through your room in a low, steady hum. You crawled into bed and closed your eyes as you laid there, relaxing. 

Until you heard it. 

At first you thought your mind was playing tricks on you, but no, you heard it again. A little louder this time. With your eyes transfixed on the ceiling, your mouth fell open as you let out a silent gasp. There it was again, it was almost being drowned out by the water running, but being right next to the bathroom it was hard to miss the sounds of Jesse moaning. Heat rushed to your cheeks, it felt so wrong, as if you were intruding in on his personal time. You could leave, hang around in the living room, until he finished, literally. Or, you could lay there and listen to Jesse struggle to keep his voice down, his sinful whimpers growing a tad louder as he brought himself closer to the edge. 

"Jesus." your heart was threatening to burst out of your chest at high speed. A familiar burning traveled all the way from your chest and nestled in your abdomen, your body pumping with a feeling you couldn't exactly put your finger on. Out of their own accord your thighs squeezed and squeezed until you could get a semblance of euphoria, but it was not enough. Jesse's muffled moans grew in frequency and a few curse words slipping in here and there, and you could hear the urgency in his voice. 

"Oh....fuck." it was long and drawn out, and it was like music to your ears. Silence fell from the other side of the wall other than the water hitting the shower tiles, which also stopped after a minute or two. Your heart was beating so fast, you could hear the blood pumping in your ears, because what the fuck had just happened? You had just eavesdropped on your roommate masturbating and you enjoyed it. With a swift swipe of your tongue over your dry lips, you let out a sigh and turned your head to glare at the top drawer of your nightstand. 

With a scrunch of your brows, you squeezed your eyes shut for a second, and reached inside for your old trusty pink vibrator. You caught your bottom lip between your teeth, an alien sound leaving your lips as you sucked air in, and stared at the small yet wondrous toy in your hand. It sort of felt wrong that you were so turned on by your roommate jacking off, but you were so dead set on chasing your own high at that moment that you gave no second thoughts, and the toy buzzed to life. 

The next weeks were pretty much spent trying not to think about that one Sunday morning, so much so that you sought temporary solutions in going out on dates, but to no avail. You couldn't quite put a finger on what it was, maybe like the fact that you looked for Jesse in all the guys you had gone out this, 'but Jesse...' always lingering in your mind as an afterthought to every little thing. You didn't know what it was exactly about that morning, but it had awakened suppressed emotions you hadn't even realized you had, or had chosen to ignore them. Only one guy, Andrew, was deemed worthy and made the cut, and that was only because he had earned the least amount of 'but Jesse's out of the previous ones, so he had earned himself a third date. 

That is how you had ended up stumbling in inside your dark apartment, your tangled bodies hitting your entryway stand in a frenzied state of kissing and groping. 

"Shh," you mumbled in between kisses, but that only seemed to spur Andrew on, and he let out a throaty moan the moment your fingers tugged at his golden brown hair, that very much resembled Jesse's. "Be quiet, you're gonna wake my roommate up." you broke the kiss with a whisper and blindly dragged him towards your room. 

Meanwhile, he tried to attatch his lips wherever he could, whether it were along your arms, the side of your neck to which you moaned, only because your mind was wandering off to a certain someone. "I can. Question is," he paused, his lips overing just above your ear, his hot breath fanning over your skin. "Can you?" Easy there tiger, was how you truly wanted to respond, yet you masked it with a moan. He was sweet talking you the entire time but his words fell unnoticed as they mindlessly slipped from one ear and out the other. Clothes were being discarded in a frenzy and soon enough you found yourself tangled in between the sheets with the almost stranger. 

The nightstand lamp cast a soft glow on his features, your eyes scanning his face, searching for a sense of familiarity. You found it in his eyes, the same hue as Jesse's yet they weren't the same at all. Andrew leaned down to bury himself in your neck, and your eyelids fluttered shut and pictured the only pair of blues you were longing for, while Andrew worked his way on your body, set on getting you there. The room was filled with noises of you, moans mixing in with the rhythmic sound of skin slapping against skin, that only grew faster by the minute. There it was, that familiar burning growing within, ready to envelop you like a wildfire. With furrowed brows, you tried to consentrate on it, trying your damn hardest not to let it slip away. Above you, Adrew groaned hotly, his rhythm growing sloppier by the second, and his hips stuttered as he stilled inside you and spilled into the condom.

And just like that, the fire dwindled. 

Jesse dragged his feet across the hardwood floor, sluggishly making his way to the kitchen, dragging a hand across his bed ridden eyes and face. Despite having splashed his face with cold water, he couldn't get rid of the sleepiness, maybe a cup of coffee would do the trick. As he neared the kitchen, he heard rustling and your muffled voice, probably talking on the phone, he assumed. He neared the kitchen entrance with a smile, ready to greet you and his entire mood shifted. 

Where Jesse normally sat on the kitchen table, when he would share his meals with you, was another man. Jesse's heart plummeted and it felt as it was being cut to pieces with a blunt butterknife, slow and painful. Maybe he was overreacting, but the way that stranger had moved the chair to be closer to you, the way his body was shifted close to yours, and the fucking way he was playing with your hands while you talked; it drove him over the edge. His chest heaved and he clutched the hem of his oversized graphic tee, trying to keep the little green monster growing inside him at bay. 

You giggled at something the guy said to you and Jesse's chest constricted, only he got to make you laugh like that. At that moment, your gaze lifted up and connected with Jesse's, surprise painted on your features for just a couple of seconds, but you hid it with a smile. "Jesse, good morning. I made extra coffee for you." you pointed at the coffee maker. 

"Mhm, morning," he mumbled under his breath. "Thanks." he tried a little louder, his voice coming out broken from the lack of use and all the pent up emotion that tightened around his throat. 

"Andrew, this is my roommate I was telling you about." you turned your attention to the guy next to you. "Jesse, this is Andrew." 

"Hi." Andrew greeted Jesse after a beat of silence. "You know," he chuckled dryly. "I thought your roommate would be a girl, to be honest." his laugh dying out as both you and Jesse remained silent, you only giving a polite smile in response and Jesse glared at how he was still holding your hand. He didn't even know this guy, if it was serious, surely he would know you were seeing somebody, so why was holding your hand as if you two were dating? 

"Why, you'd feel less threatened?" Jesse grumbled coarsely. In turn, Andrew's smile fell in an instant, his lips pursing in an o shape as he tried to process Jesse's comment. Just as shocked at Jesse's sudden aggressiveness, you momentarily pushed your head back and frowned in surprise, your eyes holding a silent conversation with his, to which Jesse merely shrugged in response. Quietly, he grabbed his favorite mug - it was a Billy the Puppet mug you had gifted him on his birthday about a year ago - poured himself some coffee and left the kitchen without a word. 

Once in the livng room, the TV came to life, Jesse flipping the channels mindlessly until he settled on some Seinfeld reruns. Ten minutes into the episode, he heard your voices approaching, yet he didn't turn his head to look as you bid Andrew farewell. Although, from the corner of his eye he was able to catch a glimpse of Andrew leaning down on your level and pecking you on the lips just as he was leaving. Jesse's top lip curled, the jealousy eating him up on the inside; that should've been him. And that chance was lost on him because he was a fucking coward, he had made his bed and now he had to lie in it. It's just that he hadn't expected it would hurt him so much and he was being unreasonably selfish for wishing things wouldn't work out between you two. 

The TV screen went black, which earned you an angry scowl from Jesse. "Yo, I was watching that!" his tone raised. 

"What was that?" you asked in the same tone, chucking the TV remote at his chest. Jesse's frown deepened, whispering a silent ow, while he rubbed the sore spot of impact. 

"What was what?" Jesse asked indignantly, emphasizing his t's. 

"Back then," you stated obviously. "In the kitchen?" you pointed at that direction, trying to get your point accross. 

Jesse let out a sarcastic snort. "Just stated the obvious." he replied more calmly this time, his eyes locked in on yours. 

"Well," your chest puffed out as you took in a deep breath, the motion catching Jesse's gaze, making his mind briefly wander off to somewhere else. "It was rude." To which Jesse merely scoffed at as a response. 

Silence fell over both of you, the tension grew and a frown resurfaced on Jesse's features again. "Look, I-" he paused to clear his throat, also recollecting his thoughts in the meantime. "I'm sorry. I'll be nicer next time." If there will be one, Jesse wanted to add but he would be treading on thin ice after that. 

"You seem to like him." he pointed out, taking in a few seconds to study your face, yet he couldn't really put a finger on the emotion painted on it, it almost gave off a vibe of uncertainty. "How long you two been goin' out?" he questioned hesitantly.

"Not long." you shrugged, tucking a strand behind your ear, then rubbing the base of your neck. That is your tell when you're nervous, Jesse noted silently to himself. "Third date was last night." 

Ah. Jesse's brows rose momentarily, the corners of his lips turning down and h,e let out a soft hum. He was aware of what happened on the third date, however, he wasn't expecting for him to have slept over. Maybe it was growing more serious faster than he thought. The monster inside him grew, its angry green vines tightening around his heart, causing his brain to paint pictures of you and him tangled in between the sheets, touching you in places Jesse could only do so in a wet dream. 

"Well, I hope it goes well." he lied through his teeth, topping it off with a smile, in hopes of sounding more sincere. 

It had, much to Jesse's disappointed, but he tried to keep that to himself, save for the sneering looks he'd throw Andrew's way the times he'd show up at your guys' apartment. All the while, Jesse tried to keep his distance the following weeks, because to himself that was the best course of action, which was turning out to be a terrible idea. Because he wasn't a regular friend, and stepping down to that status seemed to be hurting him more than not being able to be your boyfriend. In the midst of it all, he was also hurting you, it was painted on your face every day. Mainly the reason why he'd be cooped up in his room on his free time, to avoid seeing the hurt look on your face. 

Jesse was no stranger when it came to addiction, you were his vice. The most addictive drug he had ever been on; his highest highs, his lowest lows, and he was going through major withdrawal symptoms. Avoiding you like that was doing serious damage to his psyche. He was trying his damnest to detach himself from you. However, the harder he tried, the more he felt the urge to crawl into your bed, curl up against you, hold you tight until his body would mold into yours and the two of you would finally become one in the most literal sense.

Saturday morning had rolled, and Jesse having woken up first, made himself a cup of coffee. He had dragged his chair right next to the open kitchen window, blowing smoke from his cigarette outside - you hated it when he smoked it up inside the house, especially in the kitchen. After one long drag, he took a sip of coffee. Cigarettes and coffee, breakfast of champions, he thought and chuckled dryly to himself. 

"Jesse, we've talked about this before." your voice sounded defeated. 

"Cigarette's outside the house." he argued. 

"Barely." you scoffed with a shake of your head, moving to open the hood fan to get rid of any lingering smells. No reply came from him, but him putting out his cigarette when he was barely finished with it, was enough of an answer for you. 

After a quick inspection around the kitchen, you realized the sink was empty, no dirty dishes cluttering the basin, all counters and kitchen table empty, too. "No breakfast today?" you mused, unable to hide the sadness in your voice. 

Jesse replied indifferently with a grunt. "Nah, fridge was empty." 

Exasperated, you let out a huff through flared nostrils. "What's up with you?" 

That question made Jesse stir in his seat. "Dunno what you mean." he replied with a curt jerk of his shoulders. 

You move to stand near him, leaning forward to catch his avoidant gaze. "Jesse, we barely talk? And even when we do it feels as if it's done out of necessity. Also, you never," your tone increased and you followed with a pause, just for the added dramatics. "Ever, forget our weekend breakfasts." Jesse's silence fell heavy between the two of you, a disappointed scowl gracing your face. That's what upset Jesse even more, he'd rather have you be annoyed, angry at him, than disappointed. Anything. Anything but disappointed, because he feared that's when he would start losing you. 

Torn at the turn of events, Jesse was beginning to second guess his method and it seemed he was left with the only option he had left. That, of course, was to come clean, which was much easier in theory. 

"Don't you have like a date to go to?" Jesse asked, dismissing your previous comments entirely. His lips were formed in a tight line, he was unsure of why he was asking that, knowing the answer would hurt him. 

"Actually... we broke up two days ago." 

"Yeah? Why?" Jesse kept his head hung low, however he lifted his gaze to study you. There was a large hole at the hem of your shirt, it had once belonged to him and even used to be one of his favorites, up until one time it got snagged in the dryer. It had become your go to sleep attire from then on. Your finger kept tracing circles around the edges of the hole nervously. 

"Don't know, I broke up with him. It felt as if something was missing." 

"How are you feeling?" 

"Oh, I'm good." your voice brightened a bit, the usual perk in your tone almost there. "He was more bummed than me, though." you grimaced and shrugged it off. 

Jesse simply nodded in response, this time really lifting his head to properly look at you and he swore you looked as if there was something else lingering at the tip of your tongue, but you kept your lips sealed. Instead, you asked, "Wanna grab waffles?"

The drive back home was silent, the only sound in the car cabin was the occasional slurping of your lemon flavored slushy. Although, you had somewhat tried to maintain your weekend tradition, your shared breakfast seemed more forced than having a date with a guy your mom had set you up with. Without having realized you had just arrived home, Jesse had just pulled the handbrake up, the croaking of the lever breaking you out of your trance. On the way up the stairs, Jesse kept his pace up a few steps ahead of you, the soles of his Nikes screeching as they rubbed against the stairs. The flesh of your bottom lip was trapped beneath your teeth, the corners of your mouth also forming a harsh frown. A dull pain shot through you when you dug your teeth in deeper, while you tried to bury your frustration building up within. You were losing your best friend and worst part of it all was you didn't know why. 

First thing Jesse did once he set foot in, was chuck his black beanie on the hallway stand, most of his sandy brown hair was sticking out in various places in a disheveled mess, while the ones closer to his face stuck on his skin, a shade darker and wet with sweat. 

"Jesse." 

"Jesse." you repeated sternly, not accepting his low grumble of a response. 

"What?" 

You bit your lip again, the frustration brewing in your stomach making you nauseous. "You tell me." 

"There's nothing to tell." Jesse feigned confusion, again. He kicked off he shoes and trudged to the living room, plopping himself on the sofa, the old piece of furniture groaning beneath his weight. You followed in, only seconds after, each step growing more powerful as frustration turned into anger. 

"Don't play dumb with me. Tell me what's going on." you demanded as you stopped to stand in front of him, between the couch and coffee table. 

Jesse's forehead wrinkled in exasperation, his icy blues bore into you. Though, just for two seconds and they fell back on his lap. 

"You've been avoiding me, and don't you dare," you pointed a finger at him just as his head snapped up, his mouth moving to say something, "Don't," you paused again, closing your eyes and exhaling, "Don't you dare deny it." 

Jesse sat there stunned and accepted your outburst in silence, because he wasn't dumb to not know it was well deserved. Your eyes left his form and darted up to the ceiling, feeling the corners tickling with fresh, warm tears that threatened to spill. "I feel... I feel like I'm losing you. I'm losing us." you cried into the ceiling. "I'm losing us and it hurts." 

"Yeah, well loving you hurts me more." Jesse snapped, jumping up to his feet. "Every day hurts because I'll always be your best friend, your-your r-roommate," he spat those words out as if they were poison. "It fucking hurts how you try and find happiness in other guys, yet it never works out. I-I could make it work out, but you won't give me a chance." he was yelling at this point, his neck red and strained while his voice ripped through.

Dumbstruck you stand there with your mouth agape, your mind in a state of delirium upon hearing Jesse's confession. Your stomach was doing somersaults and if you felt nauseous before, then now you definitely felt like throwing up. It seemed as if it was your body's natural response at that point. 

"I want to be happy for you, I do. Call me selfish all you want, but I can't stand you looking happy in somebody else's arms - like that bitch, Andrew." Jesse spat his name. 

"I wasn't." you whisper, and upon Jesse's silence you continue, "I wasn't happy with him, I mean. That's why I broke up with him; because in every thing he did, I kept searching for you in him and it was never going to work out." you confess, waiting for Jesse's response. His eyes darted left and right as he was trying to process your own confession. 

He sized you up, lingering for a little longer on your lips. "So what does this mean?" he asked lowly, voice tired and hoarse. 

"Just fucking kiss me, dumbass." 

In light speed, his lips came crashing down on yours; teeth clashing and all. It was by no means what you would usually describe as a perfect kiss, though it was full of raw and pent up emotion, so much so that you were flying on cloud nine. With every move of his lips against yours, he unleashed the sea of emotions into you; that way he wasn't drowning anymore, that way he could finally stay afloat with you by his side. 

"I love you too." you whisper softly against his lips, before pulling him in for another kiss, more gentle this time. You use your body to push his back down on the couch, landing with a loud thump. Automatically, your legs are on either side of his hips, your core nestled against his thigh when you opened up your legs to shift yourself to sit closer to him on his lap. Your hands held on his cheeks while you moved to kiss every inch of his face, your thumbs caressing loving shapes on his skin. Settling with a ghost of a kiss on the corner of his lips, you move to nuzzle your nose against his, your foreheads touching. 

"I want you, so bad." his hot breath fanned against your face, it tickled your lips and you closed the gap between you to satisfy the itch. Slowly, but surely, you felt yourself melting into him with each passing second, with each swipe of his curious tongue against yours. Jesse's kisses were like a drug, and now that you had finally had your first taste, you were already hooked. His cheeks burned hot beneath your palms, also loving the contrast of the soft skin on his cheekbones, with the roughness of his four day stubble. Reluctantly, you moved your hands away from his face, resting them on his shoulders, massaging them and moving to do the same on his chest and then back up. 

Meanwhile, Jesse's hands were on your lower back, too hesitant to move down to squeeze the slopes of your ass. "I want you to touch me." 

Jesse groaned, his hands immediately taking heed of your command. While his hands were preoccupied, he moved down to attack your neck with a trail of blazing kisses, stopping once he had found that sweet spot that had you writhing on his lap, where it turned into biting and sucking on supple skin, selfishly branding your skin purple. All the while, your hands slowly crept down his abdomen and up his shirt, memorizing how every inch of him felt. Thinking that it would be easier to do so without a shirt on, your hands found their way on his hoodie, peeling it off his shoulders. Jesse abandoned his post on your neck for a few seconds, so he could pull his t-shirt off his head, his upper body completely bare; he was all lean muscle. 

"Take off yours too." he mumbled, his hungry mouth attatched to your neck once more. 

"Mhm, no." you giggled as he playfully bit you. 

"Not fair, mine's off." Jesse complained. His deep, gravelly voice rumbled against your skin, causing electrifying bursts of pleasure to vibrate thoughout your entire body. His hands were off your ass, already hitching your sweater up, his nimble fingers moving up to trace the outline of your unclad breasts. "Shit, no bra?" he bit his lip and broke into a wolfish grin, making heat rise all the way up to the tips of your ears. 

Your hands abandoned their resting place on his chest and moved above your head. Jesse lowered his head, but his big blue eyes stared up at you his pupils blown out from all the love and deep want he held for you. Ever so tantalizingly slow, he pulled your sweater up inch by inch, placing hot open mouth kisses on each inch of skin slowly revealed. Once the garment was fully off your head and on the living room floor somewhere, he buried his face in the valley of your breasts, his nose rubbing against the mounts of flesh, as he took a hardened nipple in his mouth. 

Not once did his eyes leave yours, his powerful gaze along with his gentle assault on your nub had you moaning and clenching around nothing. His lips curled around your nipple sucking it even further into his mouth, all the while his tongue curled around it. The pent up need and desire was accumulating in your chest and it felt like a nuclear reactor about to go off. Jesse moved to pull back from your breast, only after softly biting and grazing his teeth on your soft flesh, causing you to take in broken breaths. 

"You're so beautiful, you know that?" he said and rested his chin on your chest. His eyes were wide open, literally and figuratively, so open he was allowing you to look in to all those feelings he had tried to keep hidden; for the first time in years he had the chance to be really open with you without any fear whatsoever. At a loss for words, you simply pulled him in for a searing kiss, fingers coming up to tangle at the roots at the back of his head, his own mimicking your actions. Too lost in the moment, you started grinding down on him, feeling him harden through his baggy sweats. 

"Let me help you with that, hm?" you whispered hotly in his ear, biting on his earlobe and tugging harshly, earning a shocked moan from him. You pulled back just in time to see his face flushing a beet red and you smiled smugly. You took your own sweet time as you slid off his lap, not wasting any second to leave his chest and abs unattended, making sure his skin was marked. Teasingly, you halted for a moment, your lips hovering over his clothed length for a couple of seconds before you made contact with him, mouthing his cock over the cotton fabric of his sweats. His thighs had now replaced his shoulders as your resting place, and you made sure you massaged him as your curious hands worked through their ascent towards his waistline. Immediately, your fingers hooked around the elastic bands of his sweats and boxers, pulling them both down with a swift movement; Jesse slightly moving his hips upwards to assist you. 

His hardened cock sprang free and you took a moment to drink in the sight of him, all spread out on the couch, flushed and naked. Your thighs rubbed together, the heat in your core increasing just by looking at him.  Wanting to savor this moment, you started slowly kissing your way up his inner thighs, until the tip of your nose bumped against his balls. Teasingly, you took one in your mouth, swirling your tongue around. A strained curse was heard above you and you lifted your eyes to see that Jesse's were shut, his face contorted in pleasure. Your hand was wrapped around his shaft, idly moving up and down in a circular motion, coming all the way to his tip to collect the bead of precum, and rubbing it all along his length as you stroked your way back down. Your mouth found its way on his other ball, repeating the same rolling action with your tongue, before moving to put both in your mouth. 

With a lewd sound, you pulled away, a string of drool connecting his balls and your mouth. Collecting more spit, you spat on his tip and slathered his girth with it. You took a moment to examine the sight in front of you, moving to lock gazes with Jesse, both of you looking at each other with lust blown eyes. Biting your lip, you teased your way to his tip, beginning to suckle on it gently. After a few seconds of only paying attention to his head, Jesse was growing impatient, trying to thrust himself further into your mouth, "Fuck, you're killing me." he let out a high pitched whimper. 

Almost sorry for teasing him, you bob your head up and down, easing him on gently against your tongue, allowing your jaw to get used to his size as you took him deeper, inch by inch. Finally, with a low hum your nose bumped against his pelvis the moment you took him all in. You'd never been so full. Pulling away for a much needed breath of air, you returned to the task ahead of you, with much more vigor, suppressing your gags as you rhythmically bobbed your head up and down his shaft; making sure to hollow out your cheeks for extra suction. 

Jesse was a whimpering mess and his sounds took you back to that day you had overheard him pleasuring himself, the memories of that day fueling the fire burning within you. Your own moans vibrated against his cock, making his whimpering moans grow in volume. The wet patch on your underwear just reminded you of how much you also longed for his touch, but you kept on gowing until you felt your jaw numbing, only then did you pull away. 

Your lips urgently met his in a frantic, yet passionate kiss. "I want to feel your lips on mine." you whispered lowly. 

For a second, that left Jesse confused, given how he was just kissing you, until realization finally clicked and he immediately sprang to action. Your positions were now reversed, helping Jesse unbutton your jeans as his trembling hands struggled. "I'm sorry, I'm a little nervous." he apologized, seemingly embarrassed. 

"Me too." you reassured, unzipping your pants and letting them peel your jeans off of you; the pair of pants meeting its fate on the floor along with all the other discarded items of clothing. You were left in just some old pink cotton hipster briefs; your choice of underwear clearly showing that you hadn't been expecting this turn of events. Though, to Jesse you still looked hot, hell, he'd think the same if you even wore a sack of potatoes. He gulped loudly, his eyes transfixed on the large wet spot in the middle of your undies; God, you were soaked.  

Unlike you, he skipped the teasing entirely, diving straight into work, ripping your panties off of you and delving into your pussy. He was eating you like a man starved, nose buried up all up in your pussy, constricting his airflow, but he didn't care, he was ready to suffocate. Just then, he made it his life's mission; to die nose deep in your needy pussy, the thought bringing him utter bliss. With just one taste of you, he was already drunk on your taste. 

He hummed against your center, his tongue moving in circles around your swollen clit in a steady motion that was bringing you closer  and closer to seeing stars. Breaking away for a much needed breath of air, he angled your hips forward closer to the edge, throwing your legs up wide and open. He kneeled a bit further, taking a mental picture of the sight in front of him. "I'll never get tired of seeing this." he moaned, angling himself lower to proceed on pleasuring you. His tongue lapped up all your juices and slid in and out of you; your soft muscles tightening around him. You glanced down on him, noticing how his right arm was moving up and down stroking himself while he ate you out. His voice vibrated against you in a low moan, and you felt your thighs quake as you were nearing to the edge. 

"Please, I need you." you begged, tugging at his hair in a motion for him to stop. Funnily, Jesse seemed to be more disappointed than you, not being able to get you off at least once before he was inside you, but if you were so willing to forgo that part, then he didn't mind; anything to keep you happy. 

Soon enough, Jesse found himself sitting on the couch once more with you straddling his lap. Your hand moved in between you, grabbing on the base of his dick, angling his tip right at your entrance. Given how wet you were, you sank down on him with ease, and you sat unmoving for a few seconds relishing in the way he filled you up just right, as if your bodies were made for each other. Jesse's hands found their way on the flesh of your ass, squeezing you lightly and moving to grind your hips against his in a motion for you to start moving. With no further need for instructions, your hips began rocking up and down in a familiar motion on his length. 

Jesse's right arm snaked around your waist, holding you down and pulling you in, flush against his chest, while his other hand moved to cup the side of your face to bring you in for a kiss. It was the gentlest kiss you'd exchanged thus far, his lips slow and deliberate against yours. You moaned against his lips, your clit occasioanlly rubbing against his pelvis, each time you gound your hips as you came down on his cock, causing your walls to tighten around him as you were a few steps away from nearing your release. Jesse was too, given how he couldn't contain his moans and whimpers, accompanied by a series of praise for you. 

"You ride me so well, baby." Baby, such an ordinary word, yet it had you reeling with a flurry of emotions. You didn't mind though, in fact you should get used to that now. 

Your ass slapped against his thighs rhythmically, the set pace quickening with each descent. 

"Oh, God baby, I'm so close." you whined and pressed your forehead against his. You stopped going up and down and started to grind your hips against his, seeking the much needed friction on your clit to bring you over the edge. 

"Let it out for me, let it all out." Jesse whispered before he pulled you in for yet another kiss. Angry red scratches marked his chest and you dug them even deeper once your hips stalled their movement. Your orgasm ripped though you in a hot white flash and your thighs trembled with pleasure. 

Not given even a second to recollect yourself, Jesse gripped your hips so hard they would be bruised tomorrow. Angling you a bit higher, his hips began pounding into you in a fervent pace. Your hands steadied themselves around his neck, your fingers locked in around the roots of his hair. They were a bit sweaty, but so were yours and you truly didn't mind. All you cared about at that moment was to get to see him come. His breath came out in broken gasps, mingled in with some moans here and there and beads of sweat collected on the corners of his brows. Overstimulated from your previous orgasm, you felt your walls tighten around him once more, a telltale sign of the fire igniting within you once more. 

One of his hands left your hip and moved up to brush away loose stands that were sticking to your sweaty forehead, his touch featherlight and sweet, in contrast to the way he was fucking into you like a madman. "I'm gonna come." he groaned. 

So lost in bliss, all you could do was nod. His pelvic bone was hitting against your clit, just the right way for you to clench around him and come undone once more. You came so hard your breath was knocked over and you felt like passing out. Jesse hissed, your cunt still pulsed around him and it sent him over the edge with a groan. His already tight grip tightened even more the moment he spilled into you, coating your walls white with his cum. After a few seconds, his moans died out and his head slumped back on the couch and looked up to the ceiling. "Shit that was..." 

"That was amazing." you both spoke at the same time and broke into a smile. 

You were still on him, he was still in you and if it weren't for his cum dripping out as his cock softened you would've stayed like that a little longer. However, afraid to make a mess, Jesse got up to grab a clean washcloth you wipe you both clean. Once you were both all wiped up, you laid down on the couch in a tangled mess of naked limbs. 

Both of you remained quiet, there was no need to say anything for the moment was perfect as it was; you on his chest, hearing the steady drum of his heart, him drawing soothing patterns on your back. Seconds after, though it was Jesse who broke the silence as a thought occured to him. 

"Whose room are we gonna sleep now?" 

tags: @madzzz0797 @nika-sophie05

[love-and-deepspace-fanfic]

Another delulu for our fishie! And this time of course will be for his newest steamy card “Omnipotent Perception”!

This will be the lighter version with different approach (suggested by LnD contest theme) but I hope to still be able to capture Rafayel’s complexity and profound feelings.

This personally is my favorite card (I know I know I had so many favs now huhu) but definitely on par with Private Trip and Floral Promise for me.

This journey of discovering Rafayel inner feelings has been quite a treat for me and I look forward to seeing more of these in the future.

Hands up to LnD dev team! Excellent job as always ❤️❤️❤️❤️

PS: I would also appreciate if you can check out the post on X as well!

Now is the time for our delulu!

Rafayel and I were enjoying our vacation on an island miles away from where the Lemurian ruins were discovered then fate found the better of us…

The Unspoken Feelings

"Today’s forecast: Sunny and breezy, perfect for picnics and outdoor sightseeing..."

The ding of a text message with a weather alert pulled me from my slumber. As I looked around the unfamiliar room, I realized I was on an island southeast of Linkon City, about miles from the discovered Lemurian ruins. Rafayel and I had come here for a summer vacation. A big yawn reminded me of how well-rested I felt thanks to him. Last weekend was hectic, but now I can relax and enjoy my vacation with Rafayel, with whom I want to spend the rest of my remaining time.

Even though this was my third day waking up to the colorful sunlight filtering through the blue-tinted windows of my room, as if I were submerged in the sea, I still couldn't stop marveling at this place.

An island surrounded by the sea, like a lone oasis in a desert. I'd heard rumors of mermaids living here, but only those who'd seen them could confirm the truth.

Not only the island itself but also the way someone had furnished this guesthouse intrigued me. It was very nautical, or rather, very Rafayel.

In my bedroom, beside the large blue-tinted windows, small sea-themed decorations were scattered on the shelves: seashells, pearls, coral, scented candles that smelled of the ocean, an hourglass, and a pot of bright red lilies.

If someone told me this was Rafayel's house, I wouldn't hesitate to believe them.

But when I asked if he had lived here for a long time because this kind of decor is usually found in places for people with long residences, he simply said that a friend had given him the house, so maybe that friend had decorated it in his style and left it there in case he needed it in the future.

I knew this was his usual way of avoiding an answer if he wanted to hide something. And it made sense. Why would Rafayel have a house on such a remote island, except for the local residents or curious people who wanted to explore the Lemurian ruins? If that were the case, it meant he had a past he hadn't told me about. I suddenly realized I might not know him as well as I thought.

When my phone buzzed a third time, I realized I'd been spacing out for quite a while. Grabbing my phone from the nightstand, I could immediately guess who had been texting me all morning. It was Rafayel who kept asking if I wanted a seafood breakfast, and really, only he would suggest something like that so early in the morning. Just as I was about to touch the screen to reply, I heard the door open, and the smell of the ocean mixed with his distinct scent and food filled the room. When Rafayel saw my dazed expression, still lying in bed, he chuckled and said,

'Cutie, it seems your sleep is about to turn into a fairy tale about a sleeping beauty.'

Without waiting for me to speak, he went straight to the round table by the corner of the wall, carrying the plate of food he had in his hand. The faint smell and vapors from the food also let me know that this was something he had just prepared. Before I could say anything, he went straight to the bathroom. The sound of running water echoed, and a moment later, a wet towel was draped over his arm along with a basin of water. His fluid movements left me stunned as I could only watch. Rafayel chuckled at my naive and silly expression. He sat down beside me and lifted my face to gently wipe it.

As he traced the lines of my face, Rafayel looked at me and teased, 'Haiz, I think I'm losing money on this deal. I hired you as my bodyguard, but it turns out I do more serving you than you do for me. I wonder if I can get a refund.'

I was silent, enjoying his gentle care, until I caught the distinctive salty smell of the sea.

'It's your honor to serve me, Mr. Rafayel. Now tell me why you got up so early this morning to go to the beach. You're not usually the type to wake up early, are you?'

'Silly girl, don't underestimate me! I need to exercise too, especially when I have the chance to come back here. Watching the sunrise and then immersing myself in the sea. The feeling of sinking into the water and forgetting all my troubles is the best way to de-stress.'

Rafayel flicked my forehead. 'If you're still feeling troubled by work, you should try it. I'll do my best to accompany you.'

I hit Rafayel, and he reflexively yelled. But before he could complain, I immediately pointed out a flaw in what he had just said.

'Rafayel, didn’t you always say you wanted to watch the sea or the sunset with me? So why didn’t you invite me this time? And by the way, what do you mean by getting de-stress?'

Rafayel sighed, looked at me, and stroked my hair from my temples to my face, then gently pinched my cheek.

‘You’re overthinking it, it’s just simply because I saw you sleeping so soundly, and I didn't want to wake you up, so while I was waiting for you to wake up, I had to do it by myself and for de-stressing, maybe from…not getting enough attention from you?’

Noticing a slight irregularity in Rafayel's voice, before he could finish, I quickly grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, then looked straight into his bright cerulean blue eyes covered in fiery red with a determined expression and said,

"I want to do that with you from now until the end. So next time, don't forget to take me with you, no matter what happens, okay?"

Rafayel was momentarily surprised, but then he smiled softly, leaned down close to my cheek, and placed a kiss on it, watching the blush spread from my cheeks to my ears.

When satisfied with his handiwork, Rafayel replied, "Okay."

After we finished eating, it was time to carry out the plan that Rafayel had already set up, and the reason I emphasized that this plan was personally arranged by Rafayel was that he was determined to let me relax without a care in the world. It was in executing this plan that I realized Rafayel was more familiar with this place than I'd thought.

And that surprised me because he usually would proactively tell me things I needed to know, but perhaps this land, along with the buried past here, was something he didn't want me to touch. Not only that, deep in his eyes, there was a nameless sadness, like a fleeting nostalgia that quickly passed like a fish's tail gliding quickly across the palm of my hand, leaving me no time to grasp. Maybe I didn't understand Rafayel as much as I thought. I thought I understood a large part of him, but the chain of events of the past few days had revealed to me that I still had a long way to go.

I tried to learn more about what he hadn't revealed, but whenever I wanted to mention a part of that past, he would just pass it over with a calm tone as if it were just one of those trivial matters that didn't need to be mentioned - from the villages he had been to, to the streets he had walked. Everything he told me was like a third-person narration, not from the direct perspective of someone who had experienced it. I also asked if he was really happy when talking about those past times, and fortunately, because I knew he was a truthful person, instead of glossing over it, his answer through silence was proof of what I had guessed.

And that made me want to know more and more about him. So when I looked at the schedule for the last day, packed with places to go, from the harbor to the art gallery to the night market, I suddenly felt that I didn't want him to keep reminiscing about the unhappy memories anymore. I wanted to see him in a place where, although there was still a hint of nostalgia, he wouldn't feel suffocated. And that place was the guest house where we were staying.

That meant there was a possibility that today, both he and I would do nothing but look at each other. When he heard my suggestion, Rafayel was quite surprised and observed me for a moment as if trying to find something different about me, until he sighed and agreed.

"If you want, cutie..." he took my hand and gently kissed it. "I don't mind spending the whole day with you without doing anything. Luckily for us, I just found a flyer stating that there will be a seaside market near the shore around the afternoon when the fishermen have finished fishing, and they will also hold a small festival to celebrate the summer, so there will be fireworks by the shore. What do you think? That's also like doing nothing in this place, right?"

Fireworks and a seaside market? That's a great idea! I'm sure Rafayel would love it!

So I agreed immediately without hesitation.

The detailed plan for today was simplified drastically to "sit idly at home until there is a seaside market and fireworks in the late afternoon."

**************************************************************************************

The sounds of fishermen and vendors mingled with the excited chatter of shoppers, signaling to Rafayel and me that it was time for the seaside market. Conveniently, the market was located right next to the guesthouse Rafayel had arranged.

Hand in hand, we wandered towards the tents set up for the festival. It was quite different from what I had expected. Instead of just selling seafood, there was a wide variety of other items characteristic of the region. From seashells to thatched hut decorations, necklaces and bracelets made of pearls and stones, created mysterious sea colors. To emphasize the summer atmosphere, a multitude of Hawaiian-style shirts were sold everywhere in the stalls. Before I could tear my eyes away from all the goods, Rafayel had placed a straw hat on my head, having bought it from a nearby stall without me noticing.

“You’ll need this when walking by the sea in the afternoon, or you’ll end up like a dried fish,” he said with a smile. Seeing him wearing a similar hat, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this memorable moment.

“Then I have to save a picture of you before you turn into dried fish too!” I teased. Rafayel grabbed my phone. “If we share the fun, we have to share the misfortune!”

Our laughter somewhat eased my mind as I thought about the part of Rafayel I didn't know. I told myself perhaps now wasn’t the right time to delve deeper.

But fate had other plans.

As we took photos, a heated argument erupted at a nearby stall. A customer, with a fierce expression, was holding a pearl and was berating the young boy behind the counter. “A trivial pearl like this, and you dare to say it’s priceless and charge a sky-high price? Do you know the price of pearls is going down? If you don’t sell it cheap, no one will buy it!”

The boy, almost tearful, replied, “No...this pearl is truly priceless...very precious...I can't sell it to you like that…”

Just as the customer was about to get physical, Rafayel intervened, grabbing the customer's hand and examining the pearl.

“Hmm, a very fine, aged pearl. Truly priceless, not something you can buy with money. Unlike someone who didn’t even know its true worth and still dared to make himself a bargain.���

Rafayel glanced at the customer and with a force only the man could feel, he snatched the pearl, wiped it with his sleeve, and handed it back to the boy.

“You're right. This pearl is priceless, and priceless things shouldn't be sold carelessly.”

The boy stammered, “But...I need money to…”

“Alright,” Rafayel interrupted, “if you want to sell, I can buy it and give it back to you, and of course, I won’t do it for free. So the condition for returning it is that you let me meet the owner of this shop, is that okay?”

The boy looked from Rafayel to me and then to the angry customer. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and said he would tell the owner.

When the owner met Rafayel, I felt indescribable, as if they were old acquaintances who hadn't seen each other in a very long time. As they went into the hut behind to talk, I grabbed the boy and asked about the stall owner.

The boy called the owner “Grandpa”. Grandpa was the one who had taken care of him as he once lived in an orphanage. The boy also said that “Grandpa” was very knowledgeable about the island, everything from tides to weather. He loved “Grandpa” very much, but “Grandpa’s” health had been declining lately as if he was sick even though Grandpa always told him there was nothing to worry about. With his small mind, he only knew that if “Grandpa” was ill, he would have to see a doctor, which would require a lot of money. But “Grandpa” rarely asked for help, especially from people wearing white coats, and Grandpa also forbade him from selling anything except for what Grandpa caught or made, and the money earned from those small items was very little. So while Grandpa was resting behind the stall, he had tried to sell the gift the man had given him: a pearl as bright as the moonlight shining on the sky when the tides ebb and flow. That's how we were able to encounter the scene today.

After putting everything together, I had a feeling of who the stall owner was. There may be some things I need to ask to clarify.

As I finished my conversation with the boy, Rafayel and the stall owner emerged. Before I could speak, Rafayel took my hand and said,

"Let's go, there are still many other stalls waiting."

He turned to the stall owner and said in a serious tone, "As the old saying goes, if you need anything, we're still here."

The stall owner laughed as if this was something he often heard. "I know, I know. If you keep saying that, you'll become an old man. But let me have a few words with this young lady."

Rafayel looked at me as if asking for permission, and I nodded without hesitation.

As I approached, the stall owner looked at me for a long time and sighed, "That boy, although he talks a lot and has quite a sharp tongue, still withholds a gentle nature. So would you mind taking care of him?"

"Don't worry, that's my plan!" I proudly replied. Seeing my sparkling eyes, the old man sighed as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. He looked directly at Rafayel and me and suddenly bowed, surprising me a little.

But before I could stop him, he looked at us and said, "Well, I wish you both a happy outing. Be careful because..." He whispered, "It will rain tonight, so you'll have to find something else to do."

To my surprise, the old man and the boy waved goodbye as Rafayel held my hand and led me away from the stall, leaving behind a multitude of unanswered questions.

The sun was setting, turning the sky a deep red. The stalls were winding down as people eagerly awaited the evening's fireworks. Yet, between Rafayel and me, there seemed to be an invisible divide.

Since our encounter with the mysterious stall owner, who seemed to be an old acquaintance of Rafayel's, his mood had been down, despite his attempts to hide it by avoiding more profound questions.

He could explain the stall owner's background but seemed reluctant to discuss the man's current condition or why he was on the island in the first place.

There were too many intertwined secrets, and I had an intuition that these secrets held the key to understanding Rafayel's true self, a facet of him I had yet to discover.

This led me to bolder speculations. Perhaps this was the true emotion he had always held, and I had only realized it now because he had hidden it so well. While I acknowledged that his genuine, happy smiles were always associated with the moments he spent with me, it was only when he mentioned his "past," the time before we met, when he was still in Lemuria, that he seemed distant. And it was largely due to my inattentiveness; I hadn't truly focused on learning more about him.

Determined, I decided it was time for Rafayel and me to break through this invisible veil. I wanted to understand him better, including the things that might have hurt him in the past and the scars he tried to hide from me.

I wanted to know everything, to understand him better, only because I loved him as much as he had, was, and would love me.

Taking a deep breath, I took Rafayel's hand, who was still busy introducing the stalls in front of us. A determined look in my eyes conveyed my steadfastness, catching him off guard for a moment. But finally, he sighed in defeat. He squeezed my hand and stroked my palm gently as he said.,

"There's an open space on the other side of the dunes. Would you like to sit and watch the sunset while we wait for the fireworks?"

I nodded gently. The four footprints treaded side by side towards the base of a tree on the other side of the dunes.

The gentle breeze carried the salty scent of the blue sea mixed with the sand, creating a slightly itchy damp feeling, like rolling in the sand while still wet. It was uncomfortable and stuffy. Perhaps that was also the feeling the Lemurians had to face and adapt to when they first hesitantly set foot on the shore.

We both remained silent, watching the sun gradually set on the horizon until I decided to break it.

"Rafayel, you don't have to tell me more details. But at least you can share the basics about you. After all, those basics will help me understand you and your origins better."

Rafayel rested his head on his hand and looked at me intently. "What do you mean by basics?"

I took a deep breath and looked straight at him. "By basics, I mean things revolving around your daily life or at least how you feel. For example, how did you, as a merman, feel when you first stepped onto land? Did your feet, accustomed to swimming, hurt when you first learned to walk? Or did you feel lonely in a strange place? You may not need to tell me what happened, but at least how you felt when experiencing those."

Rafayel's eyes seemed covered in darkness immediately after hearing my questions. He lowered his head and let out a bitter chuckle before looking back at the sky, which was gradually darkening as the sun had set.

"So if I say it hurts, or I'm lonely, what will you do? I'm not naive. Who's to say that those past experiences and feelings weren't all fabricated by me to trap you?"

"Rafayel!"

I took his chin and pulled him to face me. "Look into my eyes."

Rafayel, startled, slowly turned his gaze from the dark sky to meet mine. "...Why? Why do you insist on knowing this? Isn't it easier to not know?"

Just as I was about to reply, a loud clap of thunder echoed through the sky, followed by heavy rain. Oh...just like the old man said...it's raining...

Before I could react, Rafayel quickly wrapped his arms around me, trying to shield me from the pouring rain. But the rain was coming down so hard that everyone had to seek shelter in the stalls being cleaned up, except for me, who was still in Rafayel's arms and protected by him.

But I didn't want to be protected like this...I wanted to face it with him.

My impulsiveness caused me to act faster than I thought. Amid the heavy rain, I grabbed Rafayel's hand and ran straight towards the guesthouse.

The sound of the rain pattering on the ground seemed to separate Rafayel and me from the outside world. This separation became even clearer when we finally reached the door and got inside. It was just him and me in our own space.

The heavy breaths mingled with the raindrops gradually falling to the ground made the atmosphere around us change invisibly.

When my sudden sneeze broke the silence, Rafayel quickly grabbed my hand and led me towards the bathroom. The sound of running water carried the warmth that gradually emanated from the bathtub. While Rafayel was still focused on preparing the bath, I continued to look at him and said what I hadn't been able to say in the downpour earlier.

"I want to know, Rafayel. Because I love you and want to understand you better, including the aspects you consider ugly and not worth mentioning."

After a long silence, Rafayel sighed. He approached me, touched my cheek, and said with a gentle voice.

"Alright, I can start by writing a book or telling you 1001 stories of the Lemurian people. Now go to the bathtub and rest, I'll wait for you.”

As Rafayel was about to leave after ensuring I was settled in the tub, my hand quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. My sudden action caused Rafayel to pause, and before he could pry my hand away, he lost his balance and fell into the bathtub.

Silence enveloped us until Rafayel took a deep breath and chuckled as if he had no choice.

Rafayel leaned against the side of the tub opposite me. The hem of his bathrobe was askew, almost like an invitation.

"So you want me to stay here? In this state? Just to find the answer to what you've always wondered?"

I looked at him and reached out to where his heart was beating. "Yes, I want to know more about you."

Rafayel took my hand and rubbed it gently on his cheek. "So what do you want to know?"

"You don't have to be specific, but you could start with...how your Lemurian people express affection?" I firmly acclaimed.

"You really want to know?" Rafayel moved his hand from my wrist to my fingers and gently placed a kiss on it, slowly saying, "When Lemurians fall in love with someone…All our senses are committed to perceiving them without questions."

Before he could finish, I moved my finger to touch his lips and stroked them. "You mean...like this?"

Rafayel chuckled. "Your way of triggering my “sense” has only touched the surface."

I chuckled too. Because, of course, this touch didn't stop there. To prove my point, my hand gradually traced along his neck and went down to where I had touched earlier.

Rafayel's body stiffened with each movement of my finger, signaling that he was also becoming tense. "You...are all humans so foolish...this isn't just about touching..."

Before he could finish, my finger went even deeper to places I wouldn't usually wander. And by now, even Rafayel couldn't stay calm. His eyes darkened, only faintly lighting up when lightning flashed across the dark sky, illuminating the entire space for a moment, revealing shades of deep blue and fiery red. Before I could react, he pushed me onto my back while holding himself above me with his arms. My whole body was submerged in water, enveloped by his strong body.

Rafayel looked straight at me with a frown.

"Do you know what you're doing?"

With his words, the thunder roared continuously, signaling something big was about to happen. I knew what it was, and I was the one who was looking forward to it. "I know. And I know you're looking forward to it, too."

Rafayel looked at me intently with eyes I'd never seen before. It was as if I were prey being watched by a predator, and in the blink of an eye, I could be attacked without a chance to fight back.

Our heartbeat gradually filled the silent air, drowning out the thunder outside. Even I couldn't tell whose heartbeat was so strong, mine or the person I loved who was facing me. But no matter who it belonged to, I knew the hidden intention.

Rafayel finally spoke after his hand gently stroked my lips. "I'm looking forward to it because it's from you."

His entire body leaned down as he pressed his lips against mine. A warm sensation appeared between our lips. From the familiar, it gradually turned strange. This kiss...was different...so intense...so passionate...and so unfamiliar... Could this also be another part of him?

Our heavy breathing continued after the passionate kiss he had given. It was frantic, as if devouring. There was no more thinking or reason. Only passion and intensity. My warmth caused him, a merman, to exclaim, "And you’re warm, I like that."

Somehow, those words touched my heart. They recalled many legends I had once heard, and one vaguely mentioned how mermen didn't like the heat and how difficult it was for them to adapt to the warmth. But for him to say that he loved my warmth, how much had he had to endure to adapt to that extent?

When Rafayel looked at me intently after the passionate kiss ended, I couldn't help but reach out, hold his face within my two palms, and gently caress it, which was unfamiliar and slightly different from usual. I uttered the words that I thought from the bottom of my heart.

"Rafayel...this different side of you...is it still you?"

Immediately after hearing that question, his eyes sadly looked down for a moment, but as if reassuring himself, after a moment, he looked up at me and said, his voice mixed with a little self-doubt and a touch of pleading, "So will you still love me no matter what I become?"

I suddenly realized. It turned out that he was worried about me no longer loving him after discovering his past?

Silly Rafayel, how can I tell him that my love for him can no longer be taken back?

Ignoring all reason, my body acted on the most primal instinct. I grabbed the necklace around his neck and pulled him down hard, leaving a bite mark on it. I bit down fiercely as if to leave a strong and unfaded mark, a mark to say that he belonged to me no matter what might happen.

And to his surprise, I reached out and touched the bite mark, uttering the crazy words I had hidden deep in my heart and now had the opportunity to express. "Rafayel, just to let you know, when you’re madly in love, human often have the urge to mark their territory. And this mark of yours is no different."

His eyes were filled with a thousand emotions, and one of them I could see was relief. It seemed that he, too, understood my feelings for him as much as he had always had for me.

So Rafayel, please don’t be hesitant to open yourself up to me as well.

As if reading my mind, Rafayel pressed his body against mine again and whispered a word only he could understand the depth of. "If you say so, then join me. Let’s drown in the ocean. Together."

Despite the pouring rain and the constant thunder in the sky, in that room, only two minds were sinking together into the current of the waves of love.

**********************************************************************

On that unforgettable night, as I drifted off to sleep, I heard Rafayel's faint voice telling me the first story he had promised in the collection of 1001 Lemurian stories. As mentioned in his first story, I vaguely recalled the image of the Sea God in the dream I had afterward.

Like in a film, I saw the image of that sea god swimming from under the sea to the shore. Then, from the shore, he wandered aimlessly in the endless night. I desperately wanted to reach out but couldn't get close. And that scene repeated over and over until I finally took on a definite form, the form of a traveler standing on the shore after my countless silent prayers just to get closer to that sea god. But instead of the Sea God, in front of my traveler form was the image of a merman whose eyes I was familiar with. And even before the merman raised his singing voice, I rushed forward and grabbed his hand, his cold, lonely hand, and hugged him tightly and gave him the warmth only I could give. And in return, I received from him a warmth that comforted my soul despite all the chaotic melodies in the outside world.

A breeze blew past me, carrying the salty scent of the sea, gradually waking me up from the bittersweet dream I was encountering. Facing me was the sunrise on the horizon hidden behind the seashore. And I was wrapped in warm blankets and cuddled deep in Rafayel's warmth.

Rafayel….he always remembered…no matter what I said despite how nonsensical they were sometimes.

Thank you, Rafayel, for always keeping your promise to me.

So this time, let me also make an unbreakable promise.

Lying quietly in Rafayel's arms and watching the sunrise, I made a silent wish.

I hope that you and I will always be together.

Forever. Despite all obstacles.

All for love.

[floralpromise]

Just floating around // Rafayel x f!reader

Summary: Since the beach would be too crowded, Rafayel has to find a creative solution to it.

Warnings: Probs some ooc Rafayel bc I'm not used to writing for him. Some lore so slightly spoilers? (like what he is etc and some aspects from "ebb and flow"). Some silly fic bc somehow I can see Rafayel do something like that? Let me know if I missed any more warnings.

Genre: fluff, sfw.

Word count: 705.

Rafayel was lying on a floatie, floating around in the pool that was set up in the middle of his living room. A pair of black sunglasses rested on his nose as he was holding a glass in his hand with a colorful cocktail. A yellow straw and a red parasol in it as well.

Since it was a hot and sunny day in Linkon, Rafayel didn't feel like going to the beach, knowing it would be crowded with people who wanted to take a dive in the cold seawater. And so, Rafayel preferred to float around in his own pool in the safety of his own studio.

He rested his free hand behind his head, his tail slightly moving up and down as the edges dipped in the cold water. Blue scales adore his face and body. He felt beyond relaxed, forgetting about the unfinished painting that was hanging on the wall, waiting for him to finish it, but the Lemurian hadn't touched his pencils today and wasn't planning to do so. There was no rush in finishing it, not that he was able to do so since his inspiration wasn't really there and the hot weather wasn't helping either.

He peered up from under his sunglasses when he heard the door open and being closed again, watching your figure appear in his eyesight. A smile tugged at his lips as he watched your face, trying to read your emotions.

"Rafayel, what the-" You muttered as you placed your bag down and slowly started to approach the pool. "Couldn't go to the beach." He shrugged in response as you rolled your eyes at his words. "So you brought the beach here." You huffed as he simply shrugged. "It helps me spark my inspiration." He spoke, nodding his head towards the unfinished painting.

"That's what you said yesterday when we went out for food, and also the day before yesterday when we went to the beach to collect some stuff." You reminded him of how he had been procrastinating the past few things. "It's hot outside, a heat wave! Not my fault they didn't predict the weather right." He huffed, another excuse for his procrastinating. You stopped in front of the pool, staring at the artist all relaxed on his floatie.

He patted the floatie, on the tiny spot still free for you to take. "No, we both know you'll end up pushing me off." You refused as you crossed your arms. Rafayel furrowed his brows and a small pout formed on his lips. "How ridiculous of you to even say that!" He huffed, slightly dramatically raising his voice. "Denying my invitation for cuddles. So rude to deny a Lemurian" He grumbled, pushing the sunglasses back on his nose before taking an aggressive sip from his drink.

"And what if I drown? Would you rescue me or would you just walk away?" Rafayel went on. "You are a fish, Raf. You can't drown." You waved him off. "Fish can drown if they don't have enough oxygen in the water." Rafayel pointed out. "Please join me, it's getting all cold and lonely out here, alone in the ocean." He sighed, making dramatic movements with his arms.

You sighed and kicked your shoes out and took off your socks, dropping them near your feet before you stepped into the water. The temperature was nice, not too cold but cold enough to be refreshing. And not too hot, but hot enough to enjoy it. The water temperature was pretty much perfect.

A smug smile formed on Rafayel's lips as he watched you approach him, arms wide open as he made a bit more room for you on the floatie. The moment you reached him, he was fast enough to lean forward and pull you straight into his arms, only to make the floatie sway back and forth.

You yelped, afraid the two of you would fall over but nothing happened. You let out a relieved breath as you positioned yourself in a comfortable position on the floaties, his arms safely wrapped around you as he rested his head on your shoulder. "Happy?" You asked him as you playfully rolled your eyes. "Very." He nodded with a playful smile.

[oldiesstationlover11607]

'It's a good day' - Clancy!Tyler Joseph x Reader

Relationship: Clancy x Reader

Warnings: Dema

Word Count: 2248

A/N: Well... bandito battle prompt 2! This prompt was so cool bc I knew exactly which piece of art I was going to use for my inspo :) The prompt was to make something based off of another clique member's work so... I used @intheskatepark's it's a good day work!! As soon as I saw this art I fell in love with the whole forced sitcom concept. Also it was really fun writing a piece that wasn't requested for once hehe - NOTE I HAVE NO REQUESTS RN SO 🤷‍♀️

The vibrant hues of Clancy's living room enveloped me like a burst of sunshine breaking through the clouds. Brightly colored furniture—a cobalt blue couch that seemed to pulse with energy, a sunny yellow coffee table that radiated warmth, and mismatched armchairs in bold reds and greens—filled the space, transforming it into a sanctuary of joy amid the gloom of our reality. The lively palette was a stark contrast to the gray monotony of Dema, where colors felt like a luxury few could afford. In this room, I felt the weight of the world lifting just a little, standing before Clancy, the camera rolling as our characters seamlessly slipped into their playful routine.

“So, what do you think of the new coffee blend?” I asked, pouring an imaginary cup of coffee from a whimsical polka-dotted mug. Clancy leaned back against the vibrant couch, his posture relaxed yet playful, a teasing grin spreading across his face.

“I hear it’s like magic in a cup,” he replied, flashing a twinkling smile into the camera lens. The bright stage lights caught his cotton candy-colored hair, illuminating it like a beacon of hope, a stark contrast to the darkness that often loomed outside these walls.

“Maybe I’ll let you be my taste tester tomorrow,” I suggested, a playful glint in my eyes as I leaned in closer. These moments were my favorite—the delightful intersection where acting and reality blurred, where we could forget, if only for a moment, the burdens that awaited us.

“Only if you promise not to spill it on me this time,” he shot back, raising an eyebrow. Laughter echoed through the soundstage, a bright note amid our otherwise muted lives. “Last time, I looked like I fell into a rainbow.” More laughter erupted, filling the air with a lightness that felt almost magical.

“Hey, it’s part of the charm!” I chuckled, though a pang of unease stirred in my chest. It was a reminder of the weight of Dema’s constraints pressing down on us. This sitcom, It’s a Good Day, was supposed to be a distraction, a sickeningly sweet escape from the grim realities we faced, enforced by the Bishops. It was a perfect follow-up for the newly rising Dema celebrity, ‘Tyler Joseph,’ who had just released his number-one album, Scaled and Icy, with his so-called ‘band’ twenty one pilots. There was no band, only an electronically forced propaganda album made with pure physical and mental torture.

The vibrant furniture around us seemed to hum with life, echoing the joy we pretended to share. But beneath the bright colors, I knew we were merely two souls playing our parts, struggling against the confines of a world that sought to control us.

“So, about that touch-up?” I smiled at Clancy, running my fingers through his cotton candy hair as the script dictated. I gathered my hair dye kit from the colorful side table, the bright colors almost mocking the reality outside. “You look like you could use a little magic.”

“Only if you promise not to make me look ridiculous,” he replied, that teasing grin making my heart flutter like a butterfly caught in a gentle breeze.

“Trust me,” I said, pulling him toward a large, vintage mirror that hung on the wall. “I think we need to capture the moment. Let’s go with cotton candy—that’s always a hit.”

As I leaned in closer, the scent of his floral shampoo filled the air, mingling with the brightness of the room. I gently shaped his hair, a mix of excitement and tenderness flooding through me as I felt the warmth of his presence. Just as I began to dab the dye onto his locks, the studio lights flickered, casting playful shadows on the walls. Clancy tilted his head, glancing at our reflection in the mirror, and I caught a glimpse of the boy I’d grown to adore in this strange world we inhabited.

“You know, if we keep this up, we might just turn into a walking candy store,” he said, laughter bubbling in his throat, the sound brightening the atmosphere even further.

I smiled back, my heart racing. “What’s wrong with a little sweetness? It’s what this world needs more of.” Yet, deep down, I felt the tension rising, a reminder that our playful banter was merely a thin veil over the stark reality outside. The Bishops wouldn’t appreciate our little bubble of happiness, not when they thrived on compliance and conformity.

Clancy’s eyes sparkled with a mix of hope and sadness, trying desperately to stick to the script. “I totally agree! Which is why we attend our church sessions—the Bishops keep us afloat and make everything better!”

The words twisted in my gut like a knife.

Clancy leaned back, allowing me to work, the soft strands of his cotton candy hair slipping between my fingers. The sound of a cooking alarm chimed from the ‘kitchen,’ a playful reminder of our scripted lives.

“Better finish my hair because dinner is ready,” he quipped, grinning as we shared a laugh. I placed a quick kiss on his cheek, then froze.

“Cut!” the director yelled, and I breathed a sigh of relief, stepping away from the scene. I brushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear, the playful smirk still lingering on my lips as I leaned in closer to Clancy. “You did great out there. Just try not to look so tortured next time,” I teased, hoping to infuse some warmth into our bleak situation.

Clancy chuckled softly, his warm brown eyes meeting mine. “Not sure I can help it,” he muttered under his breath. I knew he was right—there was nothing to be happy about here. But as we shared our lighthearted moments, I sensed the deeper connection simmering beneath the surface. We were both acutely aware of the roles we played, not just in the sitcom but in the larger game that Dema had set before us.

The director’s voice echoed in the studio, breaking the moment like a crack of thunder. “Alright, everyone! Let’s reset for the next scene!” The cheerful chatter of the crew filled the air, but the weight of reality began to seep back in, reminding me of the world beyond the colorful set. I glanced at Clancy, whose playful demeanor flickered as he stood up, brushing off the remnants of our scene.

“Do you ever think about what’s really happening out there?” I asked, my voice lowered to avoid the prying ears of our crew. “I mean, outside this bubble we’ve created.”

Clancy paused, his smile fading slightly as he turned to face me. “All the time,” he admitted, his gaze drifting to the window where the fading light of day fought against the encroaching shadows of Dema. “Sometimes I feel like we’re just... puppets in this grand performance.”

His words hung between us, heavy with the unsaid truths we both felt but rarely dared to speak aloud. The Bishops controlled our every move, their watchful eyes always lurking just beyond the brightness of our set, reminding us that joy was a privilege few could afford in this stark world.

“I just wish we could break free from the script,” I confessed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “There’s so much more to life than this facade we wear.”

“Maybe that’s why we’re here,” he replied, his voice thoughtful. “To remind ourselves of what’s possible, even if it’s just for a moment.” He stepped closer, and I felt warmth radiating off him, a stark contrast to the chill that often enveloped me.

I met his gaze, our eyes locking in a moment that felt both exhilarating and terrifying. The vibrant colors around us faded into the background as the weight of our conversation took center stage. “But what if this moment is all we have? What if it’s never enough?” My heart raced, and I was acutely aware of the distance that separated us—not just the physical space, but the emotional barriers we built to protect ourselves from the harshness of reality.

“Then we make it count,” Clancy replied, his voice steady and filled with determination. “Even if we’re trapped here, we can still find our moments of joy.” He stepped closer again, and I could feel the magnetic pull between us, an unspoken desire to bridge that gap.

Before I could respond, the director's voice broke through again. “Alright, everyone! Let’s get back to work! The next scene is ready!” The air crackled with the energy of the crew moving into position, and I took a breath to steady myself, reluctant to leave the connection we had just forged.

As we prepared for the next take, I couldn’t shake the feeling that our playful banter was merely a mask, hiding the truth of our situation. But Clancy seemed determined to keep the spirit of our roles alive. “Just remember, when life gives you lemons, make a zesty lemonade!” he shouted, his voice ringing out with a mixture of humor and rebellion, causing the crew to chuckle.

I rolled my eyes, but a smile crept onto my face. “You’re ridiculous!” I laughed, feeling lighter, if only for a moment. The lights brightened again, and we slipped back into our characters, the facade settling comfortably around us.

After several more scenes, the day drew to a close. The crew began to wrap things up, but I could sense a heaviness lingering in the air, a reminder that our reprieve was temporary. As we finished the final scene, I caught Clancy’s eye again, and for a brief moment, everything else faded away.

“Hey,” he said, his voice low as he leaned closer, “can we talk? Like, really talk? Once we’re back in our cells?”

I nodded, my heart pounding with anticipation and a touch of fear. I knew what he was about to say would matter—a lot. After all, Clancy wasn’t just any prisoner; he was one of the leaders of the rebellion, a position that came with its own weight.

As we were escorted back to our cells, the familiar coldness of the concrete walls enveloped me. The laughter and lightness of the day faded away, replaced by the somber reality of our confinement. I found myself looking for Clancy in the dim light of the corridor, my pulse quickening as our eyes met.

Once we were alone in our respective cells, I leaned against the bars, feeling the chill of the metal against my skin. Clancy stood a few cells down, a silhouette against the sparse light. “I meant what I said earlier,” he began, his voice steady yet urgent. “You have to join us. The rebellion. We need people like you—people who can see beyond the charade.”

I felt my heart drop. “Clancy, it’s dangerous. You know that.” The thought of being swept up in a rebellion, of risking everything for a chance at freedom, terrified me.

He took a step closer, his expression fierce and earnest. “I know it is. But it’s also our only chance to reclaim what’s ours. We can’t keep pretending forever. The Bishops may think they’ve broken us, but we’re still here, still fighting in our own way.”

“Clancy, I—” I hesitated, my thoughts racing. It wasn’t just about the danger; it was about what it would mean for us. “What if it doesn’t work? What if we fail?”

“We won’t fail if we fight together,” he said, his voice filled with conviction. “I need you by my side. We need to show the Bishops that we’re more than just their puppets.”

The intensity of his gaze sent shivers down my spine, and for the first time, I saw beyond the colorful sitcom facade. I saw the fierce, passionate leader that Clancy was beneath the playful banter and bright hair.

“Clancy…” I whispered, my heart racing as I stepped closer to the bars that separated us. “I’m scared.”

“Me too,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “But I believe in us. In what we can become. If you join me, we can create something real, something powerful.” He paused, his expression softening. “And... I want you to be a part of my life, no matter what happens. I care about you, Y/N. More than I’ve let on.”

My breath caught in my throat as his confession washed over me, mingling with the swirling emotions I’d tried to keep at bay. “You care about me?”

“More than you know,” he said, stepping even closer. The distance between us felt electric, charged with everything we hadn’t said before.

“Then let’s do it,” I found myself saying, my voice firm with newfound resolve. “Let’s take the risk together. I want to fight for our freedom—and for you.”

A smile broke across his face, lighting up his features with a mixture of relief and joy. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” I replied, feeling a warmth spread through me at his hopeful expression. “But just so you know, I’m still going to dye your hair cotton candy.”

Clancy chuckled, the tension lifting. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

With a shared glance, a silent promise passed between us. We were no longer just two prisoners acting out a script; we were allies in a fight for freedom, our bond deepening with each word spoken, each risk taken. And as we prepared to face whatever came next, I knew that together, we were capable of creating our own story—one that would shine brighter than any sitcom ever could.

//

REQUESTS OPEN

Tags for bandito battle:

@banditobattlemotherfuckers @the-paladin-gay

[midwestbramble]

Rose Folklore

Rosa spp.

Ruled by ♀

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Contents:

Overview

Folklore

Uses in Witchcraft

Safety Notes

Conclusion

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Overview

The Rosa genus incorporates over 100 different species and 18,000 cultivars, ranging from the simple dog rose to the impressive Juliet. Most folklore is talking about the dog rose native to Europe, North-Western Africa, and Western Asia. The meadow rose (Rosa blanda), Arkansas rose (Rosa arkansana), and Rosa carolina are native to Iowa, my home state.

Most wild roses are going to look and grow similarly to the dog rose. These flowering bushes are found growing along woodland edges near lakes and rivers. Rosebuds will generally begin to form in the summer. Most wild cultivars will only have five petals and thorny stems with golden stamens in the middle. The fruit, known as a rosehip, form in late autumn.

The petals and leaves are best gathered on a dry, sunny day just after blooming to get the best volatile oils and aromatics. The hip is best gathered after they have been exposed to a light frost. It will turn from an orange color to red. Considered a noxious weed, you will not hurt it.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Folklore

*Some folklore belongs to marginalized groups. These are here for the inclusion of these groups so that they feel seen in the community. Please remain respectful of cultural boundaries.*

-Birth of Aphrodite-

In the eighth book of the Illiad, Homer tells us of how Aphrodite was born of sea foam. When she steps onto land a plant grows where her foot touched. According to Anacreon this was the first white rose and they also grew where the sea foam dripped off of her.

-Adonis and Aphrodite-

The tenth book of Metamorphoses, Ovid recounts the tale of Adonis’ death. In the tale, any time Adonis is not spending in the underworld with his adoptive mother, Persephone, he is spending with Aphrodite and the two are thought to be madly in love. One day, Adonis is pierced by the tusk of a boar he is hunting. Aphrodite, hearing his moans, rushes to his side to try to help. On her way, she pricks her toe on a thorn and her blood colored the white rose red. Unfortunately, she doesn’t make it to Adonis in time.

-The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ-

The Virgin Mary is said to have pulled her son down from the cross with roses growing where her tears fell. It’s also connected to her as a symbol of purity. The Rosary is named in her honor and in Latin means “garland of roses.”

The connection to the passion of the Christ comes from the five wounds he received when crucified and the five petals of the rose. One on each hand, one on each foot, and one on the side. The crown of thorns he wore on the cross is thought to be rose thorns.

-Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose)-

Within the Grimm Brothers collection of German fairytales is the familiar story of Sleeping Beauty. The Princess’ name is Briar Rose and whoever tries to enter the thorny hedge that has grown up around the castle will get stuck in die. It only parts for the last Prince because it is the day the castle wakes from its slumber. Many of these would-be-intruders had heard rumors of the sleeping beauty and wanted to wake her. I think the rose hedge was protecting her.

-The Snow Queen-

In Hans Christian Andersons story, little Gerda is trying to find her friend Kay. Gerda is welcomed in by an old woman who knows magic and identifies her as a good witch. She makes Gerda forget about Kay and the little rose bush they shared together, and her own rose bush goes underground. When the old woman wears a rose covered hat, Gerda remembers Kay and she tries to ask all the flowers in the garden if they know where he is. They don’t and Gerda cries, watering the spot where the roses were. They pop out of the ground and tell her that Kay is not dead. They know because they were just in the ground where all the dead things are. So Gerda continues her journey to find her friend Kay.

-The Cherokee Rose-

When the Cherokee people were made to move on the trail of tears they lost many people, including children. The cherokee rose appeared on the trail to give them comfort and remind them of their strength and courage to protect their remaining children. The golden center is a reminder of the white mans greed.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Uses in Witchcraft

Much of the folklore revolves around lost love and death. This is a wonderful plant for helping a grieving heart, it's even classified as a euphoriant herb for purposes just like this. It holds the heart and helps you cry and grieve. For what is grief if not love preserving? (thank you WandaVision).

The thorns are also seen as protective, surrounding Briar Rose's castle as she slumbered, protecting her from would be suitors. Maybe a good plant to help you sort out your own. I've even seen rose thorns used to beat away harmful spirits.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Safety Notes

The petals may reduce iron absorption in humans when taken at the same time as iron supplements, please wait an hour between the iron and the rose tea. Rose hips are safe, just strain out the hairs to avoid irritation.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Conclusion

The wild rose is a perfect flower for this time of year, as many people begin focusing more on ancestors and general spirit work. I've used it as an offering to many different spirits of the dead and it has been received well (unlike some other plants). While many people think of it as a flower of love, there's more to love than romance.

References:

Iowa State University Extension Office

Midwest Medicinal Plants by Lisa M. Rose

The Legend of the Cherokee Rose

Southern Cunning by Aaron Oberon

Images

Title image made on Canva

The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli (c. 1484-1486)

The Awakening of Adonis, John William Waterhouse (1899-1900)

Michelangelo's Pieta (commissioned 1637)

Prince Florimund finds the Sleeping Beauty - Project Gutenberg etext 19993

Kay and Gerda in their garden high up on the roof by Arthur Rackham

Trail of Tears painting, artist unknown

[crying-fantasies]

Rodimus wasn't ready to be a creator P3

Masterlist

Part 1 | part 2 | part 3: it's never simple | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10

When the news of a techno-organic in Cybertron was everything that could be heard around it was little to nothing in what the council could do to try and prevent the talks about the "thing", as how they called it because no one was even sure that a new spark touched by an organic could react in such way.

If Rodimus wasn't there to help the organic in time, the flesh in it's body would have burned down.

But now they had a very drained human with the littlest sparkling they've ever seen between it's tiny arms and protected by a whole soft body that was kneeling down in front of them.

"Please, don't take him away"

Humans are creatures that bond deeply even when they lack a spark, a heart is what they have and it is kind of similar, they have this groups called "families" that share the same genetic code to some degree or the same ideas.

The human is there, kneeling in front of the council while the new spark is doing little chirping noises, it doesn't take much before Rodimus takes place next to his conjunx, the sparkling is moving little servos in his direction while cooing, it was already bizarre enough to see this kind of couple, they weren't the first ones to announce their conjunx endura status as a bot and human pair, but they were the very first ones to do such a thing as to give life to a creature like that.

Who could have thought that this was a result of letting a human near a hot spot, a sacred place, only to have it drag a spark out with it's bare hands.

It was supposed to be something totally diplomatic, to show that the previous incidents between the two races were gone and forgotten.

"You were quite the surprise you know?" Energon snacks were always good, especially the digit sized ones, but Rodimus always preferred the energex above it, "your carrier saw your spark that day, floating around and had the urge to go and touch it" he was smiling remembering the day almost as it happened a few solar circles ago.

Rodimus had the right to feel like that, his son finally was next to him, willingly, both consuming energon along and hearing human music, the very same playlist that his conjux made for him many years ago.

"You were like a deal of peace, especially after Optimus and Ratchet finally said a word about that other techno-organic kid, but apparently you are the first one to have some genetic bond with a human and a bot" Rodimus landed his optics at his son, his sparkling, red optics looking at nothing in front of them, the natural darkness of space, even if everyone always said that they both looked exactly the same, more in the fact that, yes, Sunset looked a lot like him when he was a youngling, when he was Hot Rod, he always thought different, his son looked like you, when Sunny was younger his optics had a color similar to yours, pretty much different from his upgraded red optics.

He misses it, sometimes, because when Sunny smiles, which is rare this years, Rodimus can swear that your son inherited your smile, when your eyes also showed your emotions and feelings, like when you talked with the other humans in the ship and explained without problems the marks in your hands that showed how you reached out for your son and brought him to you, the scars that showed that you gave life, he is just so sure that your human genes got first in the most important things about your sparkling.

"We are going to raise him well"

"I know, you tell me about that a lot, every year actually" Rodimus still isn't thrilled for Sunset's paint job, yeah, he totally rocked the black and silver colors, don't get him wrong, he just can't forget his red and brown colors once his derma and armors hardened while being all smiles, even better, you and Sunset flashing him with big smiles that made him put both servos over his spark chamber to show, in a very exaggerated manner, how moved he felt then, his son, so little at the time, asking to be lifted as high as he could be, and of course Rodimus would do just as his son wanted.

No, correct that, he just can't forget how this big bot once fitted in only one of his servos, being comfortable enough to use it as his favorite recharge point with that little blanket you got from a stop on earth.

He can't forget that first recharge time together, while you were sleeping in the crook of his neck guard, little sparkling wrapped in blankets between your arms, his servo holding you both, hearing your soft whisper before finally sleeping in the dark room, holding one of his burned digits with your burned hand.

"Time sure flies"

"It's going to be hard, but it's going to be alright"

"Happy birthday Sunny"

.

Yeah, for those who asked, Sunset/Blacksun wasn't planned.

[cookiegirlsstuff]

Tickles for Tae pt. 2 (aka Jin gets the tickles)

Lee: Seokjin

Ler: Taehyung

♫₊˚.🎧✩｡

Jin was in a difficult situation. It had been about two weeks since his bandmate Taehyung told him that he liked being tickled.

Of course, Jin was happy to give the younger one the tickles he deserved, but something had changed in the last few days.

As he tickled Taehyung, he secretly wished to be on the receiving end for once. But he was the oldest of the group and asking for tickles would definitely be weird for the others.

Besides…. what if he wasn't cute enough? What if he didn't react the right way? what if he isn't as ticklish as he thought he was?What if he didn't like it?

Unfortunately, today was another one of those days. He had just had another tickle session with Tae tae and as always it was just adorable how ticklish the younger one was but….Jin still wished to be tickled once in a while.

Should I just ask him? But it would definitely be weird for both of us! But I really want it! These were the thoughts that the older boy was so engrossed in that he didn't even notice Taehyung's worried look.

It was only when he heard his friend's worried voice that he was startled.

"Jin hyung are you all right? You seem very worried and sad lately?" asked V, looking at his hyung with worried eyes.

"Taehyung, it's nothing to worry about…just…lately I've been feeling the need…well…I'd like to be tickled once in a while," he confessed and lowered his head.

"Jin hyung?" Taehyung spoke cautiously when, after a minute, Jin still didn't dare to look at the younger one's face.

"Hmm?" was the only answer.

"Right or left?" asked Taehyung with a mischievous grin.

"What?" Jin replied, visibly confused.

"Right or left?", Tae kept repeating his question.

"Ehmm… right?" Jin said uncertainly.

"Good choice," laughed Taehyung, pulling out a fluffy feather from behind his back

Now Jin realized what was about to happen and took a deep breath, trying to steel himself for what was about to happen.

But as soon as the feather touched his sides, he couldn't help but burst into fits of giggles. He squirmed and writhed, trying to escape the ticklish sensation, but Taehyung's grip were too strong.

“You have such a cute laugh!” Taehyung teased his hyung. As much as he loved being tickled, he also liked being the superior one and having the upper hand.

“No! no! not there!”Jin shrieked as the younger male moved the feather near his belly button.

But of course, Taehyung didn't listen to what his hyung said.

"A-ah, Taehyung-ah noo-" Taehyung didn't let Jin finish his protest. His index finger made his way to his navel and dipped in there, swirling around. Jin's hazelnut colored eyes went wide before he stumbled into big belly laughter. His legs tried to kick.

“Wow. you are super ticklish.”Tae began the teasing again.

Jin didn't know what it was, but he had the feeling that the teasing made the tickling 100 times worse.

After a few more minutes, the younger one finally put the feather down, but of course he wasn't done yet. Next, he began to tickle Jin's armpits.

It wasn't as ticklish a spot as his tummy, but it was still effective. Jin literally squealed as he rolled around on the bed, unable to escape from his sunny bandmates evil hands. He was giggling and cackling, trying his damn best to escape but the lers hands were stuck in his armpits!

After what seemed like endless minutes (which were actually only 15), his laughter died down and he lay on the bed, exhausted and red-faced.

“That was so adorable.~” Taehyung cooed, hugging him close.

“Psshhh!!! Shush! It’s not! It’s embarrassing! And besides, now you're no longer the only one who likes to be tickled. Doesn't that bother you?" the oldest whined a little.

“Embarrassing? Bothering me? Not something that’s embarrassing at all. Plus I’m sure you know we both had fun!” Taehyung's words were carefully picked and his voice was calm.

Jin smiled happily and they both spent the rest of the evening cuddling and a lot of small tickles.

[fandomchill]

Changeling Au - Tangotek

Tango is a elemental Changeling, specifically of the Will-o-Wisp and Bright one variety. He appears to be a type of Troll, long pointed ears, sharp teeth and glowing red eyes with bronze skin. He has a whip like tail that is mildly prehensile and has a single flame at the end of it. His hair is made of the same fire. Both glow a soft yellow, though they will shift colors and intensity when his emotions take control. He wears smoked goggles to protect his eyes.

Originally chosen for his affinity with fire Tango was put to work as a Forge Flame for the Grand forge. He was placed on the night shift due to his brightness, but since many slept late at night he found himself quiet lonely. He would wander during the night, and often find himself assisting a Certain Goat with his work, allowing him to forge metals in exchange for conversation. This allowed him to form a friendship with Doc, who taught him the work of Runestone Magi-tek. He started tinkering on his own when the others slept, and soon he worked up the courage to ask for his position to be switched to Lab assistant. From there under the tutelage of Doc he worked his way to the Second in command.

Tango is a firebrand, bright and sunny unless you get his temper riled up. He loves to make weapons and armor for his friends, along with devious dungeons to test them in. He's fairly intelligent, though a bit scatterbrained. He rarely uses technical terms, preferring to use his own language for his tools and supplies, which annoys his boss.

Always ready for a good fight, despite hIs more back room role, he occasionally will join the guard on patrols.

Tango's wish is one he is willing to talk about. He knows that he wanted to stick with his friends and help those who were also going after wishes. Problem is he doesn't remember who. He realizes that not knowing is part of his payment, and is willing to endure the uncertainty because he knows the Gentry have to fulfill the wish.

Rank- Second in command for Research and development for the Grand Forge

Power:- Tango can at will create a blinding flash that can cause damage and stun those around him. Further he can "steal" light by forcing people to have minor poor luck around him. He must be able to see them and concentrate for a moment to use the power, but does not need to touch them.

---

Feel free to Reblog, Like and comment, just always remember to credit me. I do like asks.

[songofnoheart]

@waxgentleman said : ; Valentine's Day Special Ask ₊˚⊹♡ “ —It’s been a while since I enjoyed a day of glamor like this one, ga ne. I swear! I almost teared up when the singers hit those high notes; it’s just a feeling that shakes your heart, isn’t it? ” This year, Mr 3 escaped the terrible fate of having to deal with the chaos that Karai Barai suffered on Valentine's Day. His attire reflected his wishes to not be recognized as he dressed fancier that night, however the three on his head stayed. Missing the whole point. He raised a glass of wine, clinking with Brook’s glass. “ A wonderful night, indeed. Just me, you…” He took a deep sigh, looking to his left. “ .......Mugiwara. ” Where Luffy ate a huge piece of meat, then looked over his shoulder to the rest of the tables. “ .....The rest of your crew. ” Head moving to the other side of the restaurant. “.....The marines that are tailing your crew. ” Eyes darting to the windows. “.... Your fans, and of course. ” He squinted at his right side of the table to the clown who was drinking beer. “ Buggy. That one was my fault, I admit. He heard the den den mushi call. What I can do. Hey, next year we can try again, ga ne.” He gives the skeleton a little wink as he takes a sip from the wine. ”  

Hooo boy, Brook hasn't felt that awkward and horribly nervous since... He couldn't even remember when! The musical went great, that was not at all a problem, the skeleton himself shed a slight tear at the beautiful voices and the touching story. "Oh, I definitely share your thoughts! Even though I don't have a heart! Yohoho... Ho..."

His laugh turned hesitant as the musician took a sip out of his glass. What did he do wrong? He was wearing an elegant velvet suit in a deep red color. Darker than what he would usually wear, but it was something Brook did specifially to be less recognizable. He even snuck off of Sunny to go for this date! So how come that when exiting with theater the two of them gathered a whole crowd of stalkers?!

Luffy probably sniffed him out with his misterious sixth sense, the rest of the folks following to look after him. Then marines and the fans meant that the restaurant was about to become the field for a big battle. "Sigh... I am so ashamed... My apologies. Sincerely, I did my best to lose them when I left." Honestly though the whole situation made the skeleton feel somewhat bitter. Even if everyone there had the best intentions, what right do they have to deprive them of their private time? Brook didn't intend to give his date with Galdino such a deep meaning, of course, but this was a matter of principal at this point!

The skeleton finally made a decision. He tilted his head at that wink with a face of determination. "Why wait for next year? We still have a chance for a peaceful evening, my friend. I would like to apologize for what I am about to do and I do hope you will understand my actions." The musician was polite, but also surprisingly firm.

His hands reached for his trusty sword. "Soul... Solid!" In just a moment the floor of the entire restaurant was turned into an ice rink. Pushing the table over and sending it flying towards the crowd, the old pirate shoved the unopened bottle of wine into Mr 3's hands and very gently picked him up into a princess carry. "I am very sorry, Ladies and gentleman, but this one is a private viewing! Yohohoho!"

And with that the two of them flew out of the window feet first, the musician continuing his laugh as he landed onto his legs and sped off into the night, leaving behind the screams and noises of battle.

[veeslittlespace]

So I know the smiling critters aren't canonically Inky Mystery characters, but hear me out.

I was thinking about Talents and which ones might suit each critter, so here we go! (I made up the names haha)

Sunny Day (Dogday's Talent) : Able to uplift anyone with his energy, causing a person to feel energetic in turn. (Not to be confused with Mickey's Talent, he uplifts people with kindness and not energy.)

High Jump (Hoppy's Talent): Can jump to really high spots and move quickly, useful in combat.

Healing Touch: (Bobby's Talent): Able to soothe whoever she touches (I.E hand holding, a pat on the shoulder, a hug, a kiss, etc.).

Super Smart (Bubba's Talent): Basically just enhanced intelligence and sense of logic.

Flying Colors (Crafty's Talent): Anything she draws comes to life. (Literally! She can draw a butterfly and it'll fly right off the page!)

Deep Sleep (Catnap's Talent): Is able to exhale a red smoke that causes anyone within 5 ft. to fall asleep almost immediately. The smoke also causes insanity in extreme cases. (He whispers or uses ASL / a chalkboard to talk in order to communicate with people safely.)

I'm not too sure what Picky and Kickin's Talents would be in the IM universe, so feel free to add on!

[charcuteriecrab]

what are you willing to sacrifice for peace? (Part 7)

a Resident Evil fanfiction

For @aussiepineapple1st

Rating: M (18+)

Contains: blood, strong language, description of injuries, gore (?), sex

Tags: pre-relationship chreon, post-vendetta, major character injury

Word Count: 1970

Part 7/7 Part 1 <- Previous

Mrs. Canta stepped up to their table, still shorter than them when they were sitting, and placed two menus as well as some napkin-wrapped silverware. She asked what they wanted to drink and Chris ordered an orange juice. Leon ordered the same but also got a coffee. 

When the woman stepped away, Leon smirked at Chris. "So the renowned BSAA captain likes orange juice?"

"It's the superior juice, Leon, also you ordered it too." He gestured to him.

"I never said it wasn't good." Leon would have ordered alcohol if he could but he wouldn’t be allowed to drink it for a while. Plus they didn’t seem to serve anything besides red wine. Orange juice would have to do. Resisting the urge to sigh, he leaned back, glad he had put the sling back on. It helped with the pain. 

A silence spread between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Leon enjoyed the soft buzz of soft conversation from the rest of the room and the hum of the lights above them. He found himself thinking about Claire. He wished that their friendship wouldn’t have gone the way it had. He cared deeply for her, but after their disagreement in 2007, he hardly ever saw her, and they never really talked unless it was about Chris. Her absence left a guilty weight on his chest. It was his fault, after all, he didn’t put in the effort to stay in touch after their jobs got so busy.

“How’s Claire been?” he asked suddenly. He was too nervous to ask her himself before.

Chris looked up at him, surprised, then gave him a small smile. “She’s been good. I’m glad she was able to visit us in the hospital. I don’t know what I would have done without her.” He was silent for a moment, pondering. “You know…you could always give her a call if you wanted. She was really worried about you.”

Part of Leon doubted Claire was actually that worried, but she probably did care about him a little if she came to see him, even if she was there mostly for Chris. “Yeah…sure. I’ll give her a call later, maybe.” 

If he could work up the courage that is. Leon turned his attention to the menu, avoiding Chris's gaze. They had a modestly-sized selection, but everything they had sounded pretty good. They even had waffles.

Chris also looked over his menu, not seeming to pay that close attention. Maybe he already knew what he was getting since he had been there before. "That sounds great, I'm sure she would appreciate that."

Leon wasn't so sure, but he would do it regardless.

Mrs. Canta came by again, their drinks in tow. The glasses clinked against the aged wooden table, orange juice bright orange and pulpy. The color reminded him of the sunrise from earlier when Chris was still asleep, although the sun was well above the horizon at this point, the light streaming through the windows slightly less bright than before. He could see a few people walking down the sidewalk, but otherwise, it was peacefully empty.

"What can I get you boys this morning?"

Chris spoke up first. "I would like the triple stack chocolate chip pancakes with a side of bacon, please."

The woman nodded, smiling, then turned to Leon expectantly.

"I would like the toast and eggs, sunny side up with bacon and sausages." It sounded heavenly . He hadn’t had a good bite to eat in what felt like years. Luckily, his appetite wasn’t like it was the night before. The spaghetti was good, he wished he could have eaten more, especially since Chris made it.

She nodded again. "Alrighty, anything else for you two?"

"No, I think we're good, thanks," Chris smiled.

They then slipped into casual conversation, talking about Rebecca, embarrassing shit that Claire had done, and their jobs. It was really nice. He hadn't had the opportunity to have an actual conversation with Chris outside of whatever mission they were on and he was greatly enjoying it. He didn’t get the chance to hang out with friends often, and he had an even harder time making friends to begin with. A lot of people thought he was mean and unlikable, some called him annoying. Sometimes it was just easier to act cold.

But with Chris, it felt like the chill that always followed him was gone, melted away. He looked at Chris and it felt like a soft summer heat hugging him, a slight breeze holding him up and keeping him afloat. He finally felt like he had something to keep him going, the knowledge that someone cared.

Their food came and Leon practically devoured his, Chris following suit. The older man’s pancakes were plate-sized and fluffy, covered in whipped cream, strawberries, and maple syrup. His bacon was crispy, almost too crispy for Leon’s taste, the pieces crumbling in the man’s hand. Leon’s breakfast spread came, one barely-cooked egg laying on top of two crispy pieces of toast, the yolk, seasoned with salt and pepper sliding across the whites. His bacon was cooked to perfection, slightly chewy but not overcooked enough to melt in your mouth immediately like Chris’s and the sausage was fried deliciously as well. They both focused on their food, not speaking much until they were both finished.

He had to give it to Chris, this breakfast was some of the best food he had ever had.

The sunlight began to fade away as they ate, the sky clouding and casting a shadow over the earth. Leon didn’t mind it too much. The cafe was just as warm and comfortable regardless of the weather outside. A pitter-patter of rain began to fall, splattering on the window, the water streaming down the glass until it pooled at the bottom. Leon sucked in a relaxing breath, his ribs twinging at the movement, and watched Chris over the lip of his coffee mug. The man was finishing up the last bit of pancake, scooping up as much of the leftover toppings as possible, shoving the fork into his mouth. Leon would have normally thought it disgusting, but instead, he found it adorable.

Once Chris leaned back with a sigh, Leon put his mug down, the glass clinking against the table. “You ready to go?” He figured Chris wanted to go do something else now that they were finished. He was sure there were other people he wanted to talk to. After all, he hardly ever got breaks and he had spent the majority of the last month with Leon in the hospital.

The man looked at him, a flicker of an emotion he couldn’t discern on his face for a moment before being replaced by a soft smile. “I’m ready if you are.”

Leon nodded, pushing himself out of the booth and to his feet, watching Chris struggle to get out due to his larger-than-average body. He nearly laughed but caught himself. He waited off to the side while Chris paid, giving Mrs. Canta a hug and sharing a few words he couldn’t hear before coming back to Leon. They looked at each other before heading out the door.

The rain was closer to a sprinkle than a pour, but they would get soaked if they stayed out for too long. Gritting his teeth, he walked out from underneath the small awnings. Water fell on Leon’s long locks—he needed a fucking haircut—and streamed into his eyes. He shook his head before pushing his bangs back away from his face. He wasn’t a huge fan of the rain. Between Raccoon City, Spain, and his general tendency to be cold, he had more than one reason to hate it, but he found it wasn’t too bad if he got to spend the time with Chris, surprisingly. 

Chris followed, having less of a reaction, but his face did twinge slightly when the rain finally hit him. Leon gave the man his best wet cat impression and Chris shrugged, laughing, “At least we drove. If we walked, we would've needed to catch a cab.”

They walked to the car, Chris grabbing his keys and unlocking it, but Leon stopped, not opening the door. He…didn’t want to take up all of Chris’ time. He could, like Chris said, grab a cab so that the man could go do something he wanted to do, or see someone. He could be alone for a few hours at least, the doctor said he just needed someone to keep an eye on him.

“Not that I don’t want to spend time with you…but is there anywhere else you want to be?” he asked, water dripping off his face, and Chris stopped, turning towards him, confused. “I don’t want to force you to spend all your days with me during this break—I can catch a cab back to your place if you want, I don’t mind.” The rain started picking up, the water hitting harder against Leon’s back. 

“What? No—Leon. I want to spend this time with you. And if there’s something I want to do, you can come with me, unless it’s something you really don't like.” He stopped, his head turning slightly. “Did you think I was just going to send you home for the rest of the day?”

Leon stayed silent, eyebrows furrowed slightly, the chill from the rain uncomfortable. 

Chris’ eyes softened. “Leon.” The man stepped closer to Leon until they were inches apart and Leon nearly gasped. “I’m not going to leave you.”

Leon was about to say something, but all coherent thought left his brain in one fell swoop, the words Chris said making something tighten in his chest. All of a sudden it felt like they were the only two people on the planet, the rain slowing around them, and he began to lose himself in the deep browns and oranges of Chris’ eyes. “I know,” he finally said, meaning it. 

The distant sound of thunder rolled over them and Leon shivered, unrelated to the cold. Their faces came closer and Leon could feel the man’s breath on his skin, warm in the chilled air. Leon breathed through his mouth, lips parted slightly. In an instant, they came together, Chris’s mouth on his, pressed together, and Leon groaned as the man’s hands found their way into his wet hair, gripping enough to cause pressure but not pain. This kiss only lasted a moment, but it left them both panting, holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it.

Chris pulled away only slightly, hands still holding Leon’s face. “Now let’s go home, together. ”

Leon looked up at him with affection he couldn’t bring himself to mask, the tangled mess inside him losing its hold. “You’d have a hard time keeping me away now.”

Chris smiled. “C’mon, let’s get out of the rain,” he said, pulling away further. 

Leon nodded, extending his hand in invitation this time, and Chris took it without hesitation, smiling wider. “Only if you promise we will get breakfast tomorrow.”

“Are you admitting it was the best breakfast you ever had?”

“I never rate a place on first impressions.”

Chris laughed. “Then I guess we will have to pay Mrs. and Mr. Canta another visit.”

They got into the car, the rain letting up a little, sunshine and bright blue sky peeking through the dark clouds. And this time, Leon and Chris held hands the whole way back to Chris’ apartment. Sure, maybe things were a mess right now. With the jobs they had, it was hard to be anything but a mess, but Leon was finally beginning to believe that they would be okay. Was it perfect? No. But he was willing to put in the effort to make it work.

And that was all that really mattered.

[diarryy]

oooh yay:D tagged by @muttfangs thank you for tagging!!

favorite color: def yellow!!! so warm and sunny and a blanket. but red is my go to outfit ha.. tho no I do fuvk with a nice green its my second.

favorite song: Yesterday By Beatles Or: Imagine by yoko ono as sung by john lennon - Vs Self

has been my repeat lately.... I have too many but

H. - TOOL or Precious - Depeche Mode or almost anything by Zheani sorry im too much of a lover apparently. I like how all my music says I have issues lmao but i think thats most people so

currently reading: i just finished Robin: Year one and gonna start Batgirl: Year one. I also haven't touched The Girl in The Spiders Web for MONTHS which im so close to finishing...rip... it would probably only take me a week too

currently watching: I just finished The OA last week and I still am losing it! rip to realizing you made your first real friend/connection in life, for them to die/travel dimensions and leave you behind.

ooh i saw the new furiosa mad max. whatever. last night and loved it. I love fueling my mild obsession with motorcycles and car derby shit.

coffee or tea: TEA!!! i love me a good coffee here and there but sorry

currently craving: I really want my moms green curry! lol

ok ok peeps time... hi

@mklirte @troutreznor @godspouse @gromky @risenfromthebog @rotdot-com @slenderzine @batfishing

and anyone who wants, feel free!

[aninklingof]

To Calm a Starshine

This is a fic with my OCs Zero and Inkling (intro post here) in FNAF security breach. For slight explanation, Inky is basically in a kind of simulation where he’s playing the game and Zero is a hologram in the world. He can’t interact with anything or anyone. Now, onto the fic 😅

Lee! Inkling, Ler! Sundrop

Warnings: slight panic attack ✨platonic✨

Enjoy!

~~~~~

“Zerooooo!! I don’t wanna!!” Inkling whined as he stared down the colorful tube slide anxiously.

“You have to, darling!” The hologram of Zero encouraged from beside him. “You have to get down there and wait for Freddy like he told you to!”

“But— like this is obviously some kind of trap! There’s no way that there’s not some sort of animatronic down there,” the ravenette exclaimed while gesturing wildly to the daycare area down below.

Zero held back a giggle at his partner’s hysterical reaction, because yes— there was something down there. He’d both seen Dream play the game (much to the masked man’s dismay) and Zero himself had also played it.

“You’re being ridiculous Inky. Freddy wouldn’t send you somewhere dangerous. Just go down the slide!”

Inkling huffed exasperatedly before approaching the slide and going down it. After zooming through the colorful tube he slipped feet-first into a large ball pit. Hologram Zero was standing on the side looking down at the elf boy as he waded through the pit.

Suddenly a loud laugh echoed from above, causing Inkling to whip his head to face the noise. Up on a balcony stood a tall animatronic that looked like a jester with a sun for a head, who’s name was fittingly Sundrop. The daycare attendant then took a graceful swan dive into the ball pit.

“Holy shit!!! I need to get out—“ Inky began panicking and started to scramble towards the stairs that led out of the ball pit.

“HELLO!!” Sundrop popped up and scooped Inky up, holding him by the underarms. “New friend!! What’re you doing up so late? Are we having a slumber party?”

“ZERO!!!” The ravenhead cried in fear, kicking his legs frantically as the animatronic lifted him out of the ball pit and carried him to the center of the daycare.

“Inky calm down!!” Zero called, holding back his laughter.

When Sunnydrop set down the smaller man he immediately curled up in a ball on his side, shaking with quiet fearful sobs. This took both Sun and Zero by surprise.

“New friend, are you okay?” The tall animatronic asked, his voice significantly softer as he sat criss-cross next to the ravenhead.

Zero too knelt beside the boy. He wished he could hold him to comfort him, but the way the VR hologram system worked didn’t allow him to touch him.

“You okay Inky?” Zero repeated.

Inkling didn’t respond besides giving a feeble shake of his head. Sun turned to look at the eyeball-headed man worriedly for some sort of direction as to how to calm the elf boy.

Zero made a hugging and a head patting gesture, to which the daycare attendant nodded. “Hello Inky, may I touch you?”

He sniffed and nodded, and Sunny moved to gently pet Inkling’s back. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Hey,” Zero whispered to get the animatronic’s attention. Sun looked at the eyeball man and the ladder held up his fingerless-gloved hands, wiggling his fingers slightly. The daycare attendant understood immediately and a smile grew on his face.

“May I hug you?” Sun asked Inky, who nodded slowly. He lifted the crying man into his arms and hugged him, the ravenhead’s tiny arms wrapping around Sun’s small waist.

They sat like that for a moment, Inkling’s hiccupy breathing quieting down to the occasional sniffle, until suddenly he flinched with a squeak. Nimble metal fingers wiggled gently against his side, and when he looked up at the animatronic he flushed red with a nervous smile at the large mischievous smirk that shone down at him.

“Did that tickle starshine?”

“N-nooo….”

Quickly Inky was flipped so his back was pressed to Sun’s torso and Sunny began to spider his fingers all over Inky’s tummy, causing the man to burst into hysterical giggles. Zero melted at the sight and watched on fondly.

“Ehehehe!! S-Suhuhuhunny!!!” Inky squealed as he felt the metal fingers travel up his jumper to tickle directly on his skin.

“Yes friend? What’s so funny?” He teased seamlessly.

“Ihihihit tihihihickles—!”

The daycare attendant gasped dramatically. “It does?! I had no idea!!” His evil fingers scribbled at the sides of Inky’s belly, which made the ravenette squeal and stamp his feet in ticklish glee.

“N-nahahahat thehehehere!!” Inkling cried, his face scrunched with a wide grin. “Suhuhuhunnyyyy!!”

“Not here? Not riiiiight here?” The animatronic’s spindly fingers slid just above the giggly man’s hips and gently pressed there, sending the poor elf boy into a round of silent laughter.

“PLEHEHEHEASE!!”

“Sun, be gentle. That’s Inky’s sweet spot,” Zero spoke up for the first time in the past five minutes, having noticed his partner’s stamina dwindling.

Sunny slowed to a stop and Inkling melted into a puddle of gasping breaths and residual giggles. The animatronic saw the boy’s face and noticed how the edges of his cheeks that weren’t covered by his thick black bangs were red and slightly wet.

The daycare attendant gently brushed back his bangs to see big beautiful icy blue eyes that were glossy and happy with almost-tears. He stared up at the Sun animatronic with a blissful smile and the robot almost melted himself.

“Feel better Starshine?”

“Yes, thanks Sunny.”

The two shared a hug for a few moments before the large doors to the daycare creaked open. Poking through the door was Freddy. His eyes landed on the two and he waved his signature jolly wave.

“I have to go Sunny. Thanks for the tickles,” Inkling said, standing and starting over to the bear animatronic.

“Bye new friend! Come back soon!”

Zero joined Inkling’s side in a blink and leaned down to the short man. “See? Told you it wouldn’t be that bad.”

“Oh shut up.”

[samuhelll]

3-5 things associated with your muse.

emotions / feelings:

01. bitterness

02. fear

03. anger

greetings:

01. "hey."

02. "what's up?"

03. "how's my favorite ___?" the noun can be anything.

colors:

01. a rusty, orange red

02. blue. it brings out his eyes.

03. yellow. also, not a color, but patterns. he likes patterns.

scents:

01. hotel lotion. kind of cheap. has that off-brand, almost medicinal quality to it, or like it's sat in the medicine cabinet a couple years too long.

02. terre d'hermès (orange and grapefruit, woody, flint. typically associated with older men and can be thought of as old-fashioned or dated).

03. drugstore shampoo

clothing:

01. suit ensamble (jacket, matching pants, tie, cufflinks)

02. button-ups with (maybe) rolled-up sleeves. slacks and loose tie or tie-less.

03. pullover and shorts/jeans but pretty much only when alone

objects:

01. business card. it has 'CROKER INSURANCE AGENCY' printed on it and the name samuel croker. unless you are his "client" or someone he wants to see, the number provided on the card more often than not leads to "this number does not exist."

02. phone

03. matchbook. this also has 'CROKER INSURANCE AGENCY' on it, kind of like how old bars and gentlemen's clubs used to have their own matchbooks. the words 'match made in heaven' are written in red ballpoint ink on the inside of the flap.

vices / bad habits:

01. i don't want to say hedonistic, but it doesn't take a lot of convincing to make him do something he shouldn't if it's something he wants, regardless if it's morally gray or outright wrong. sam more or less acts on his own wants and desires - even at the cost of someone else's happiness or safety.

02. as i touched on earlier: no introspection. he does not want it; he does not do it. i think there's a degree of discomfort that comes with self-reflection, and the notion of "facing the music" or taking a good, hard look at yourself in the mirror and admitting why you are where you are, or why things happened the way they happened, would force him to see his own inadequacies and flaws. this also means he has a habit of doing the same unwanted things over and over and over again, and that he doesn't show or acknowledge the actual emotions he's keeping buried. what you see is a cultivated image and what sam wants you to see.

03. never being entirely transparent. this means lying by omission. if you ask sam, however, he does not consider this lying, and he's more likely to blame you for making assumptions.

body language:

01. lots and lots of gesticulating. he talks with his face, hands, and body to an almost absurd degree.

02. he skews and twists his mouth frequently when he's upset or is otherwise stewing in his own thoughts, though not necessarily negative.

03. this doesn't counts as body language, but he can be volatile and destructive when overwhelmed. the i-wreck-the-closest-thing-in-my-vicinity type.

aesthetics:

01. car salesman? i'm not sure if this is considered an aesthetic, but i think it conjures an image pretty much instantly. the done-up hair, the loud, bright suit, the larger-than-life, can't-shut-up, maybe obnoxious personality. there's probably the reflective pennant banners flapping in the background with big, bold advertisements.

02. bloodbo-rne. the entire world and the atmosphere is very ilhayl'ir and the spires. if you're unfamiliar with it, it's very gothic/victorian-esque, but as in shambles and ravaged by a beast "plague".

03. cityscapes. towering skyscrapers. the gray slab of a concrete jungle. very new york, always awake and bustling. sam is a man who belongs in the city.

songs (in no order):

01. "graceless" by the national (i'm trying, but i'm graceless / don't have the sunny side to face this / i am invisible and weightless / you can't imagine how i hate this / graceless)

02. "i know it's over" by the smiths (i can feel the soil falling over my head / see, the sea wants to take me / the knife wants to slit me / do you think you can help me?)

03. "sweet and tender hooligan" by the smiths (he was a sweet and tender hooligan, hooligan / he said that he'd never, never do it again / and of course he won't, oh / not until the next time)

tagged by: @miidnighters ty! tagging: @lcvnderhazed (manny), @abysswarden, @prvtocol, @bellecosebabe, @ghoulishundertakings, @escapedartgeek, @starlyht (any!)

[ravendruid]

SEND ME A WORD OR A SENTENCE AND A VOX MACHINA CHARACTER OR PAIRING AND I WILL WRITE SOMETHING. Go ahead and mingle. Dealer's choice.

Hi! Thank you so much for the prompt, and I'm so sorry for the wait. I hope it's worth it. Also available on AO3. This drabble is set way before the beginning of Campaign 1.

It’s a beautiful sunny Spring day for a stroll, a rarity for the past few weeks as the rain didn’t let go until yesterday. Although Keyleth loves the rain, she also enjoys sitting outside on sunny days and absorbing the warm golden rays. Unfortunately, a stroll is not something that Keyleth can partake in today. She is already dressed in a flowy green skirt and matching bodice, with blue and gold lace accents and embroidery, and on her hair sits a flower crown she made by druidcrafting and weaving the flowers together.

Keyleth looks at her reflection in the mirror and grimaces at how prominent her freckles look against her porcelain skin, at how red her hair is, like a beacon in the night sky. She has been aware of her difference from the other people in the village for a while, and she can’t help but wonder what it would feel like to be normal, to go to school like the other kids her age, to have friends, and maybe even a boyfriend – not that she wants one right now. Boys are annoying, and Keyleth’s 15th birthday was barely a few days ago.

A knock on her bedroom door brings her back from her thoughts, and Keyleth smiles softly as her father opens the door to check in on her. He looks older and tired today. She knows he has a lot of responsibilities nowadays – placed upon him not necessarily with his consent – and that today, in specific, is an exhausting day. Yet, Korrin still smiles, the wrinkles in the corner of his eyes a representation of how sincere his smile is. After making sure everything is in place and that she looks presentable, Keyleth takes her father’s arm, and together they head out of their little abode and into the inviting day outside.

Zephrah is decorated with colorful flowers, banners, and lanterns ready to be lit when the sun sets. The stalls are almost ready as the vendors add their finishing touches with signage and decorations, and the food area smells fantastic. When the people of Zephrah set on a mission, they do not spare efforts to complete it, and Keyleth couldn’t be more proud of her neighbors. 

But not all is joy and glee. Keyleth’s role in the village is one that cannot be forgotten: she is to be their leader one day once she completes her Aramenté. The thought of it makes her stomach queasy. She has been learning for years, jumping from tutor to tutor to learn all about nature, about Exandria and its people, about her powers, and the best way to utilize them. Yet she doesn’t feel ready, and if she’s being honest, she doesn’t think she will ever feel ready. Just like her father, this is a mantle placed on her shoulders against her will. 

Vilya was the one supposed to carry that mantle. She, who had been trained all her life for it, had set on her own journey ten years ago, but as time went on, her lack of communication became more worrisome, and, eventually, five years ago, she was presumed dead. The rules of the Ashari dictate that, in this circumstance, a member of the family is to take on the responsibility. For this reason, and because Korrin was too old to endure such intensive training, the weight fell on poor Keyleth’s shoulders, who was still too young when their headmaster died shortly after Vilya left. Since the Ashari could not be without a leader, Korrin took responsibility until Keyleth finished her Aramenté. She was thankful for that – even though that meant she spent less time with her father – because she couldn’t fathom being a leader. Not yet. Not ever.

People start to approach Keyleth and her father, wanting to greet and thank them for their service to the village – except I didn’t do anything useful – and Keyleth finds herself having to shake hands, smile and nod, and listen to their words of encouragement for her training, condolences for Vilya’s death, and gratitude for Korrin’s efforts in leading them successfully.

“Go ahead and mingle,” Korrin encourages Keyleth, eying a group of teens not too far from them, sitting around a table chatting and drinking tea. 

Keyleth would love for nothing more than to have friends, someone she could hang out with and do normal teen stuff with – like skip lessons and hide in the orchard to drink ale and wine – but she is not a normal teenager. Keyleth tried the “go ahead and mingle” approach before, but she was met with courtesy, for even kids her age know how important she is to the village. They were kind and generous with her, but Keyleth never felt like she belonged with them, not with how overly careful they were with her well-being, always making sure she wouldn’t get injured or avoiding inviting her for normal teenage shenanigans, thinking she was better than them and would not be interested in that. 

Of course, not everything is good. In one of Keyleth’s attempts to make friends a few months before, she tried to join a group of half-elven girls, hoping to “mingle” – as her father puts it – but she was met with scorn and disdain once the girls realized Keyleth wasn’t as experienced as them. Keyleth cried herself to sleep that night. Korrin was worried, but there was nothing he could do for her. He was already so overprotective of his daughter, too afraid to lose the only person left in his life, that Keyleth didn’t want to burden him with her silly teenage girl problems, so she swallowed her pain and pretended nothing had happened.

“No, I’m alright, Dad. I want to stay with you today if that’s okay. I think it would further help me in my training.”

If Korrin sees through her lie, he doesn’t mention it, and Keyleth is glad for it. Although he is overprotective of her, Keyleth knows he is also supportive and will never force her to do something against her will. She might not believe in herself and her capabilities as a leader, but her father sees something in her and believes her to be worthy of the responsibility. So, as Keyleth greets yet another neighbor, she takes solace in knowing that she still has at least five years to learn to believe in herself and to see her worth before she has to go on her own journey.