#and this took place at the end of the day when we got back to the Winters' mansion and Sigmar was finally able to take Rook to a healer.

[worseandworsebytheday]

I had a whole long response typed out and I had to step away and I came back and it was gone so I’m going to have to abridge it because it was a masterpiece of a response and I can’t recreate it. In short elden ring lore is stupid it’s one selfcest god that crafted a bunch of incest demigods (curing mogh and the cursed half brother). The “dungeons” you speak of are mostly just caves and mines with a few legacy dungeons. Some of which are more annoying than interesting. Saying it’s “visually stunning” or whatever is stupid you’re comparing a current game to one over a decade old that honestly still looks great. But even so, simply comparing visuals is hardly a fair argument. Your pot man’s quest wasn’t sad it was stupid. Whack him out of a few holes and then shatter his ass in azula. I felt nothing doing it. Ranni and her ending were at least interesting and her as a character I actually liked. And she lead to the moonlight sword which is a staple of the games. Yes I know bloodborne and dark souls have insane lore but it’s actually good and worth looking into. Your beloved elden ring locations are big empty areas where you will either just wander around doing nothing or get annihilated by a rune bear or T. rex bird every 2 minutes. There’s no engagement. No imagination there. Skyrim had replayability. Multiple quest lines for factions or the open playability to just wander around and make your own story. I’m sorry you lack and and all ability to think outside of a stupidly structured game. The absolutely godawful takes I’ve been getting inundated with the past couple days are avail it’s bullshit I really expected better from all you stupid fucks. You remind me of when I was in highschool and idiots would say halo was better than Metroid because it “defined a genre” completely disregarding what came before. Or that master chief could ever take Samus in a fight simply because he was the newer guy and all they knew. You’re lucky my original reblog got deleted and I’m getting yelled at and this is all I could say back to you otherwise I’d have much better words than you’re a bumbling fucking moron with absolute shit tastes. Go choke on your shit opinions and enjoy your garbage ass fucking game. (I’ll update this post as I remember more things to add on if I do).

When I was mentioning the shitty locations I think I forgot to specifically name drop caelid. Can’t forget FUCKING CAELID SPECIFICALLY.

Also you think the only interesting location in DS1 is he dukes archive?! Motherfucker we got ash lake, the seat of the FUCKING MULTIVERSE. We’ve got, quite literally, hell, izalith. Oh and I don’t know how you got to the archives without passing through anor londo. Because you CAN NOT tell me that place wasn’t fucking stunning. And AND AND the way they BUILT the locations. Seeing izalith and ash lake from the tomb of giants. That not only has LORE REASONS but if you look at the 3D rendering of the maps IT ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY FUNCTIONS AS SUCH. Like literally the world building is top notch and you’re going to downplay ALL OF THIS?!?! Motherfucker get your fucking head out of your motherfucking anus and open your shit crusted eyes at the marvel you downplayed to “one interesting area”. And on top of that “oh boo hop the pot man was so sad” fucking SIF AND ARTORIAS. You want sad fucking...just fucking...now that I took a moment to re skim your response to me now I’m just fucking angry with you you fucking idiot among fucking idiots.

Like really your shit ass Fucking tastes about skyrim are bad enough but to lump bloodborne lore in with elden ring lore and then shit on dark souls world building?? Motherfucker I will physically fight you to the death over this one I’m not even messing around. That’s 3 real games you’ve dragged through the dirt defending the elden trash heap. Fuck all of you.

elder scrolls or elden ring. there is a right answer

Listen I love skyrim, but you have to be a bumbling fucking moron if you think it's better than Elden Ring!!!!

[novacorpsrecruit]

It’s lonely at the top

Part 1 | part 2 | here / final part

Read on Ao3

wc 1,698 | Steddie | angst with a happy ending!

“You need to give him some space,” Robin said over the phone. Eddie frowned. It’s been three days. He missed Steve. He nearly leaped over the couch to answer the phone, assuming it was him. Robin was the next best, he guessed. “You really hurt him.”

“I know,” Eddie said. “And I’m sorry. I really am. Will you tell him I’m done with the parties? Done with Trick? He means more to me than being liked.”

“Yeah,” Robin huffed. “You sure showed him that.”

“I mean it,” Eddie said honestly. “I do. I’m done with it all.”

“I think you need to tell him that yourself,” Robin said.

“How can I?” Eddie asked. “You won’t let me talk to him.”

“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” Robin corrected. “You need to let him be ready to accept you.”

Eddie sighed, pressing his forehead against the cabinet where the phone hung. He wished there was a way to tell Steve how sorry he was. As much as Eddie wanted to take the Green line to Robin’s dorm and talk to Steve, he can’t cross that boundary. But he needed a way to pour out his emotions, to let Steve know that he’s loved. That Eddie’s sorry. “Can I — Can I send him a letter? That way when he’s ready, he knows I’m there for him?”

There was silence on the other line as Robin thought it over. “Yeah, okay,” she said. “Just address it to me. He’s not …”

“Supposed to be there,” Eddie nodded. “Yeah. I figured. Thank you, for being there for him.”

“Yeah. Look,” Robin huffed. “If he does let you back in again, and you fuck up again. It’s your balls, Munson.”

“Understood,” Eddie said. “I promise. Never again.”

Robin hung up with a click. Eddie sighed, running his hands over his face. He fucked up. Bad.

He guessed there was no time to start writing like the present.

💌💌💌💌

“Steve, someone at table 13 requested you personally,” Jenny, the hostess said. “He’s — uh — a little scary. So if you have issues, get Rod.”

“Thanks, Jenny,” Steve said, pulling his order book from his apron. He wasn’t sure who would request him at 3 pm. Most of his early birds on Saturdays stop by the diner for brunch and he barely saw a soul until 5.

When they first moved out to Chicago, Steve had no clue what he was going to do for work. He was attending Harold Washington College to get his associates in early education, and then potentially apply to UIC. Then one day, he got off a stop too early and saw the help wanted sign. It was easy for him to pick up, he made decent tips, and it worked with his schedule well. Plus, he was able to take home food at the end of his shift.

Robin’s been enjoying the pancakes lately.

Plus, Steve loved when it was slow and Eddie would —

He closed his eyes, letting the thought disappear. He missed Eddie. His heart ached any time he thought about him. But he was afraid that Eddie didn’t miss him in the same way.

He took a deep breath and plastered on a fake smile as he greeted his table.

“Hi, welcome in. I’m Steve. I’ll be taking care —“ Steve stopped as he looked at the patron. He felt his lips turn into a frown. “Trick?”

“Patrick’s fine,” Trick winked. “I mean, we’re in your court, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, sure,” Steve nodded. He pressed his lips together, feeling like he couldn’t stop staring at the black and blue circles under his eyes. “What happened to your — uh —“ he gestured to his own face. He winced. Trick didn’t like him in the first place. He wouldn’t give Steve the time of day. Why would he bother to tell him about an injury like that. “Sorry — shouldn’t have asked that. What can I get started for you?”

“Your boyfriend, actually,” Trick smirked. It was like ice water was dumped over Steve as the words washed over him. Trick’s smirk dropped. He leaned over the table. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Hey — hey, sorry. I didn’t mean — It’s cool. It’s — Eddie and you — are cool, I mean.”

Steve wasn’t sure if he felt any better or worse. All he could say was, “Oh.”

“Yeah, uh —“ Trick ran his fingers over his buzzed hair and exhaled. “Half of our friends are gay or lesbian or queer. It’s — that’s fine. Promise.”

“Oh,” Steve repeated. He sat on the other side of the booth, across from Trick. “Okay.”

“I just —“ Trick looked up to the ceiling before turning his attention back to Steve. “We shouldn’t have judged you. We saw you and immediate thought you were gonna be some straight jackass like we’ve dealt with our whole lives. We built this community of accepting outcasts, and outcasted you while doing so.”

Oh.

Steve wasn’t sure what to think.

When Eddie and him started to date, the Corroded Coffin boys treated him similarly. But Eddie called them out on that before it got bad.

Before it got like this.

“I guess what I wanted to say was sorry,” Trick said. “For pushing you out. And name calling.”

Steve furrowed his brow. “I don’t recall any name calling?”

“Yeah, you weren’t around for that,” Trick winced, gesturing to his nose. “Eddie made sure I knew that was wrong.”

“Eddie,” Steve breathed. “My Eddie?”

“Yep,” Trick said. “I hope he gave you a big apology for everything. So, tell me. What do you got that’s good to eat here?”

Steve took Trick’s order — one strawberry milkshake and an order of fruit loaded French toast — sent it to the kitchen, then went into the bathroom. He shut the door behind him and pulled out Eddie’s letter from his apron pocket. The first letter arrived last Monday. And he received a letter every day that he’s stayed with Robin.

With a shaky breath, Steve opened the letter.

💌💌💌💌

Dear Steve, there’s nothing in the world that I can do to make this up to you. But I will try every day to make sure that you don’t ever forgotten again. You are the stars that light my way home, the sun that brings warmth into my light, and the moon that shines love over me. To experience your love is something truly unreal. And to think I put you on the back burner for a taste of popularity? It was like the Ring of Power overtook my mind. I got lost in the feeling of being admired by many, I forgot what it’s like to be loved by one. I’d travel to Mordor and back for you. Through the Gap of Rohan and through the Mines of Mora.

In a world where everyone could know my name, I’d only want to know yours.

My apologies will never be enough. Love, Eddie

💌💌💌💌

I hope you are well. I hope your classes are going good and that you’re excelling. I know you are. You’re so fucking smart, you blow me away with every new piece of knowledge you brought home. I hope that basketball at the YMCA is going good. I’m sorry I missed your last couple of games. There is no excuse. I hope one day you’d allow me to be by your side again, cheering you on.

You deserve the world, baby. Nothing will stop me from showing you that. Everything from the water in the rivers to the trees in the forest. From the canyons in Arizona to the mountains in Colorado. It’s yours. It’s all yours. You deserve everything. You deserve the best. And I promise that I will prove that.

Forever in love, Eddie

💌💌💌💌

I’d move heaven and hell

Just to see you smile again

Or remember how it felt

To have you in my arms

When I begged God for mercy

In the depth of hells

It was nothing compared

To begging for the mercy of you

To hear you laugh, to see you smile

To counting the stars across your skin

To pick up where we left off

To start all over again

I’d move heaven and hell for you

💌💌💌💌

Steve folded the letters, slipping them back into the envelope and set them on his nightstand.

He laid back down, turning to his side. Eddie’s side of the bed was empty. Like it has been for four days.

After Steve read the first letter, he found his way back to their apartment. Eddie was hope and nearly wrapped his arms around Steve, stopping as if there was an invisible barrier in between them. Eddie stopped, respecting that boundary at the threshold.

It was Steve to crack.

Steve who took that step over the threshold and fell into Eddie’s arms, burying his face into Eddie’s neck. Eddie wrapped his arms around Steve, holding him tight. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” was all Eddie could say.

They agreed they needed to slowly integrate back into each others’ lives. Communicate when they’re feeling alone and listen when one’s feeling distressed. Nightmares seemed easier to deal with, but they were going to work it through.

Eddie said he would sleep on the couch until Steve was ready for him. “No matter how long it takes, sweetheart,” Eddie said, pressing a kiss against Steve’s knuckles. “When you’re ready for me, I’m here.”

And Eddie truly meant that. They could go back to just friends and Eddie would accept it. He would be heartbroken, but to have Steve in his life again?

That’s worth everything to Eddie.

Eddie was jostled awake, feeling the couch cushion shift underneath him. The blanket on his body lifted up and a familiar weight settle on his chest. He felt at home again. Eddie tugged the blanket back over the both of them, one hand around Steve’s waist and the other tangled in his hair as Steve laid his head on Eddie’s chest. Eddie pressed a kiss to Steve’s temple, taking a silent vow to never lose him again.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

[msfantasy-anime]

That’s MY Husband!

Luffy x Wife!Reader

Summary: Boa finds out Luffy is married

A/n: Yo i for real struggled with a concept for this… i actually don’t like it but i just want to complete the request

Part XI

“Hello, we want to register our marriage~” You say, beaming at the clerk who is looking between you and Luffy with weariness.

“You want… a marriage certificate?” The clerk asks, unsure if he heard you right.

“Yep.” Luffy pops, becoming antsy with anticipation.

“You want… to be married … to him?” The clerk asks you pointedly, making sure he understands the situation. “Or is this marriage certificate for another gentleman?” The clerk looks down at Luffy’s outfit which looks like it was looked like it was grungy old clothes yanked off the floor (it was) and dirty from a day gallivanting about the city. Whilst you? You were in a nice clean outfit which look brand new from the store and that’s not even taking into consideration of your styled hair, manicured nails and pretty makeup.

There had to be a mistake.

What kind of groom doesn’t even have the decency to put on nicer shoes?

“Huh? Who else would it be for?!” Luffy bellows making the clerk flinch.

“A-are you a pirate?” The clerk asks hesitantly placing his hand underneath the counter, feeling for the panic button.

“Sure am! I’m gonna be king of the pirates!” Luffy bellows once again making the clerk shake fearfully in his place as he continues to feel around for the button.

“Y-your trying to force this young lady to marry you. Aren’t you?” He asks, more so accusing than anything.

Your hand slams down onto the counter, haki emanating off of you. “No one’s forcing anything. Now I’d get your damn hand away from the panic button.” You say with seething frustration leaking from your taut mouth. “You’re ruining the moment for us.” You hissed threateningly, making the clerk relent in fear.

“Y-yes ma’am! R-right away ma’am!” The clerk scrambles away in search of the marriage certificates only to come zooming back around the corner with the certificate in hand, having both you and Luffy sign the documents.

As soon as Luffy drops his pen, he turns to you and plants a kiss right onto your lips, unlike all those years ago when you first got married, you actually returned it this time.

Your lips collide into each other making your nerves fizz and buzz at the sensation of Luffy’s own mouth pressing so tantalisingly against your own. But just as soon as it started, it ended with Luffy pulling away with a huge grin slapped across his face until it quickly fades in terror at the sound of the towns clock chiming to indicate the new hour.

“CRAP! Nami told me to be back by the bell! Let’s go!” Luffy yelps, dragging you along in a dazed state back to the ship.

It felt like you teleported to the ship.

One moment you were being dragged out of city hall and the next moment you were both standing aboard.

You were expecting to be hearing an ear full from Nami at your tardiness, only she’s currently distracted with the pirate empress, Boa Hancock… who just so happens to be aboard.

It only took a mere moment of your presence for Boa to snap her head up, her eyes dragging across you and quickly darting away to stare at Luffy.

You’re curious as to why she’s here, and you don’t miss the glossy, heart eyes she’s throwing at your clueless husband.

Now imagine the horror of watching a pirate, known as the most beautiful woman in the world, call out your husbands name, pulling him into an embrace and puckering her lips as she is about to press her own mouth to his. A place that’s meant to be strictly for your own, and a place you kissed just moments before.

The swift shock of dismay that ran through your system caused you to stand stock still, unmoving, unblinking and not breathing. You were so caught off guard by the action, you weren’t sure if you want to cry, scream, yell or become violent at this woman’s non-consensual advances on your husband.

It felt like you were under a spell, unable to do anything but watch on as your blood runs cold.

Sanji places his a firm hand on your shoulder, as if pulling you out of your internal hysterics with his calm demeanour and reassuring grip, but your shaken nerves and furrow brows wordlessly explain your intentions of escalating.

Taking a long drag of his cigarette Sanji begins to provide you advice. “Give the captain a minute. There’s a certain grace Boa has earnt, after all- without Boa’s help, Luffy would be dead, and so would Ace.”

You turn your attention back to Luffy, who is currently craining his neck away. His hands planted around her wrists as he holds them back.

“Hey! Back off - I have a wife!” Luffy reprimanded Boa. Her affectionate gaze seems to shatter at Luffy’s careless words. Her struggle to grab him seems to fumble, her arms turning more limp.

Boa’s bottom lip begins to wobble in honest heartache.

It’s funny. One moment you were wanting to punch her lights out, the next you felt bad for the girl who was obviously head over heels for your husband… and understandably so.

But now… now it’s just sad as you watch the most beautiful woman in the world go limp, falling to the ground on her ass as she begins to wail at Luffy’s news. Watching the pirate princess cry fat blobs of tears is far from entertaining.

“I-I-I thought-t-t the r-r-report was WRONG!” Boa stutturs and and sobs all whilst she bites her bottom lip to stop it from trembling.

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you side eye your clueless husband who only seems to cringe away at Boa’s loud crying.

Gently, you approach the pirate princess grabbing her hand and returning it with a reassuring squeeze. “Unrequited love is unfathomably painful.” You say, providing a small smile.

Nothing could’ve prepared you for what came next.

Your simple words cause Boa to release the loudest wail yet, throwing herself at you, crying into your chest.

“I-I-I-I thought if I w-was just p-patient- that he-he would eventually l-like me b-back!” She wails once again. You just continue stroking her head, unsure what to do other than to provide comforts to the heartbroken girl.

Oh boy… this isn’t how you thought your wedding day would go…

[thefairywithboots]

Sweet Rest (Loki x fem!Reader)

As requested by @stilleobjection, I present to you Sweet Rest.

Summary: Loki helps you relax after a stressful day at work.

Ratings: General audiences

Warnings: Just pure fluff. Lots of cuddles.

Word count: 1.4K

This is my first non-smutty Loki fic. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Tag list in comments

It was well after midnight when you finally got home from work and unlocked the door to your apartment, wanting nothing more than to sink into your bed and just forget the day.

Your boss had insisted that you stay overtime and finish the extra paperwork that was left behind by your coworker, causing you to leave five hours later than you normally would.

When you finally got back to your apartment, your head was pounding against your skull. You went into the kitchen and filled the teapot with water to brew some tea. You left the pot on the stove to boil before going into the living room.

When you switched the light on, your heart gave a jolt when you saw a familiar figure sitting in your armchair.

"Christ, Loki- couldn't you give me some kind of heads up that you were coming over?" you breathed out, placing a hand over your heart. You had given him a key to your apartment but had not expected him to come over while you were gone, and just wait in your living room with the lights out.

Loki was sitting there, his arms on either armrest. His long black hair which was usually slicked back hung loose past his shoulders. Even through your stress-induced headache, you could not help but notice how gorgeous he looked right now.

"Well, you weren't answering your phone," he said while standing up from the chair. His tall frame took up a large portion of your living room. You had to crane your neck back to look up at him. "And you're usually not gone for this long, so I thought I would come and see what was wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," you said while rubbing your hand over your forehead to try and ease the pain in your head. "My boss was just making me work enough for both me and my coworker since she left work early today."

Loki's gaze softened as he tilted his head to the side, humming softly. "That doesn't really seem fair to you, does it?"

You shrugged. "I'm getting paid more by the end of the week, so I suppose it's worth it."

The sound of the teapot whistling in the kitchen caught your attention, and you ran back in there to take it off the stove.

While you were tending to the tea, Loki followed you into the kitchen, his tall frame towering over you as he leaned over your shoulder, and placed his hands on your arms. "I think I have a good idea as to how to help you relax." His voice had a way of slithering into your mind as if he were using his magic on you when it was just his voice alone. He kissed down your jawline and to your neck, pulling you against his chest.

Any other night, you would have melted into him and dragged him off to your bedroom to get lost in him completely. But now you felt like all you wanted to do was have your tea and go to sleep.

You closed your eyes, enjoying the feeling of his lips against your skin for a moment. You would have let him kiss you all over all night if you thought he would stop there, but he was already massaging your breasts through your blouse.

You shook your head slightly, pulling away slightly. “Not tonight, Loki… I have a headache and it’s been a long day.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not in the mood? You’re always in the mood… are you ill?” He dramatically put a hand to your forehead as if to check your temperature.

You couldn’t help but smirk. “It’s just been a long day, and I’m really tired.” You leaned against his hard chest, laying your head on his shoulder. “I’d like it if we just sat and cuddled for a while.”

Loki’s arms wrapped around you, his chin resting against the top of your head. “Of course, darling… I just want you to feel relaxed.”

Loki told you to go and make yourself comfortable on the sofa and he would bring you the tea. You dimmed the lights, the slightest light making your brain want to jump from your skull.

He brought the tea into the living room, setting it down on the coffee table in front of you before pouring you a cup.

“Here you are, darling…” he said while handing you the cup and saucer. You took a sip, the familiar warmth of chamomile relaxing you slightly.

“I really hate my boss…” you muttered.

“Oh? And why is that?” he asked while walking around to the back of the sofa. For a moment, you thought he was going to grab a blanket until you felt his strong hands on your shoulders.

He began to knead the sore muscles in your shoulders, and you resisted the urge to moan out loud. His touch was deliberate and skilful, loosening the strain that had been building up in you all day.

“It just… feels like he expects me to cover up for my coworker when she takes off early… and… she never has to make up for any—“ You cut off, letting out a sigh as he massaged your shoulders more rhythmically. “Loki, that feels so good…”

He hummed softly, leaning down to press a kiss to your cheek. You turned your head towards him at the last moment, causing him to kiss your lips instead.

Heat rose in your cheeks once the kiss broke, and you knew it didn’t have anything to do with the tea. His lips trailed across your cheek and to your neck as his hands continued to work your shoulders. The feeling of his lips made you want to melt into him and forget the rest of the world.

Once your muscles were loose and relaxed, Loki finally came around to sit beside you as you were finishing off your cup of tea. He pulled you into his arms, leaning back against the armrest of the couch. You sighed, snuggling into his hard chest as you settled between his legs, allowing him to envelop you in his warmth.

You could have laid there in his embrace all night, feeling so safe and secure with him wrapped around you. The sound of his heart beating could be heard gently as you rested your head over where his heart was.

“I’m sorry for startling you when you first came in…” he said gently while twirling a strand of your hair between his fingers.

You hummed softly, inhaling his scent; a warm, earthy aroma that had floral undertones. “I’m glad you’re here��”

One of Loki’s arms reached behind him as he took one of the books that was lying on the table next to the lamp. He turned the lamp on the dimmest setting so as not to disturb your eyes as his eyes scanned the cover.

“Jane Austen, huh?” he mused while flipping through the giant tome. It had four novels in one volume.

You looked up at him, your heart swelling as you saw his blue eyes scanning over the pages.

“Loki?”

“Hm?”

“Can you read to me?”

The feel of his lips against the top of your head felt soothing. “I thought you had a headache.”

“I like the sound of your voice… it’s soothing.”

A small smirk came across his handsome face, as his hand began to idly massage your scalp. “Very well. Which of these would you like for me to read to you?”

You hummed. “Whichever one you want. I’ve already read them all.” You buried your head into his chest.

You felt as if you could feel him smirk as he flipped through the book, trying to decide which one appeared the most interesting to him. Every move he made was soft and delicate as if he were afraid of disturbing you. Even the sound of the pages turning was soft and quiet.

Loki began reading to you in a low, gentle tone, and you recognized it as the beginning of Sense And Sensibility. The sound of his voice made his chest rumble against your ear, and you could already feel yourself begin to doze off in his arms.

You must have fallen asleep before he could finish the first chapter, because the next thing you knew, he was pulling a blanket over your shoulders before wrapping both arms around you, holding you close. After pressing a kiss to your forehead, he whispered “I love you.”

He clearly thought you must have still been asleep. He had never told you that before, your relationship having been casual up to this point. But the moment of vulnerability made your heart swell. You kept your eyes closed and your head on his chest as his breathing slowed, and he fell into a quiet doze himself, before allowing the welcoming tendrils of sleep to pull you back under.

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

Paper Planes: My Letter To You.

Caleb x GN!Reader oneshot

Genre: Angst

TW: Human experimentation

Word count: 722

Ao3 Link

Caleb's early days in the “care” of Ever after the explosion were reminiscent of his days in an orphanage when he was a child. Except this time, you were nowhere in sight, and he was all on his own.

Staring at his reflection in the glass panel across the room, he wondered who might be observing him from the other side. How many might be observing him from the other side.

His body convulsed rapidly for a few seconds as the laser ropes binding his arms and legs to the machines on the wall kept him in place. He cried out from mind-numbing pain. Images of you flashed through his mind.

You call out to him.

“Caleb! Look at this paper plane I made!” You hand over a palm sized light blue paper plane.

“Heyyy, pip-squeak, where did you learn how to make this?” He lifted the delicate paper up to his eyes.

“That's a secret.” You smiled at him. He noticed how the sunlight shone just right on your face.

“You keepin’ secrets from me now?” He smiled, seeing the mischievous glint in your eye.

“Nope! You just wait and see.”

“Pip-squeak planning a surprise? Should I be worried for my safety?” There it was. The teasing tone alot of your conversations with him ended up in.

“Hey! You little--”

The memories of laughter rang in his ears. Another wave of pain shot through his nerves. He pictured you again, handing him a gift box this time.

“What's this?”

“Open it!” You put your hands behind your back, looking pleased with yourself.

He unwrapped the packaging and found a book inside.

“How to make: 35 different plane models using origami” He read out loud, feeling his heart skip a beat.

He looked at you, feeling a smile he couldn't suppress form on his face.

“For me, Pip-squeak?”

“For you.” You looked down, kicking your feet nonchalantly. “.. Make one everytime you miss me, Caleb.”

You looked back up at him.

“I'll be waiting for you.”

This time, the pain didn't stop after a few seconds. His nerves were on fire. His focus on his reflection on the glass blurred and the world turned black.

-

Caleb woke up in a cold sweat. His head hurt as he felt all his muscles scream from exertion. He stared at the ceiling of his room. Moonlight passed through the tiny window high up from one side of the room.

He sat up slowly. The mattress under his weight felt hard as it pressed into the floor. He picked up a medical report on his left next to the mattress.

He tried tearing a page out of the staples using his right hand. The mechanical arm, having a mind of its own, tore through the middle of the page.

He tried again on the next page, this time using his left hand to tear it out and his right to keep the report in place. It tore out cleanly, a little corner left behind on the staple.

He flexed the mechanical hand, opening and closing his fingers, before slowly folding the paper in half and unfolding it, forming a long rectangle on both sides. The metal fingers twitched under his control.

Then he took the corner on top, folding it to meet the crease in the middle, forming a triangle. As he tried to open his hand again, it got stuck and tore the corner out.

He tried with the other corner. It got stuck and tore out again.

He took another page from the report, going through the same steps, his mechanical arm not willing to cooperate with him.

He took out another.

And another.

And another.

Until he was on the last page of the report. Or what was left of it.

Torn paper was scattered around him, and sunlight was starting to shine through the tiny window, but his sole focus was on the paper in front of him.

His head hurt and his body ached. Protested for him to sleep.

But it didn't matter to him. None of it did. Not the pain, not the stares, not the beeping of endless foreign machines ringing in his head.

Not when he was finally staring at the simple paper plane held between the metal fingers.

None of it mattered when you were waiting for him.

[butterflytint]

the princess and the archer- t. fushiguro

summary: the princess of the kingdom has escaped from her boarding school! who better to help her than a brooding archer in the woods?

w/c: 9k

pairing: archer!toji x femprincess!reader

warnings/tags: royal au, sexually explicit content, virgin reader

a/n: this is a rewrite of one of my old ao3 hq one shots. I thought toji would be a great hunter so why not. also the towns and places are references to cursed techniques!!

Once upon a time in a land far far away, resided a wealthy and powerful kingdom. In this kingdom, lived a beautiful princess . . .  who was currently on the run.

You donned a scarlet cloak as you ride your horse through a forest. A few days prior, you hatched a devious plan to escape the all-girls boarding school your parents—the king and queen—sent you to so you could learn the proper etiquette that a lady must know. You grew bored rather quickly and formulated a plan to run off to your uncle’s estate, that way your aunt and uncle could vouch for you and protect you from your parents’ wrath.

Although you were successful in escaping the school, you were still in unknown territory. The girl’s academy was located on the opposite end of the kingdom, there’d be too much land to cover in one night, not to mention your horse is getting tired. With a deep breath, you yanked the reins back, signaling your companion to slow down.

Venturing off in the middle of the night like that into unfamiliar grounds was stupid to say the least. It was wiser for you and your trusted steed to eat and rest up, and simply continue traveling in the morning when the sun was out so you could actually see where you were headed. It seemed like a decent plan, except for one flaw: where would you sleep? A vulnerable girl like you couldn’t sleep on the dirt of a mysterious forest, it simply didn’t suit a woman of your royal title.

You adjusted your cloak around you as you trudged through the woods, finally settling to rest under a tree. You leaned your back against your steed, rummaging through your satchel to pull out something to eat. A disappointed frown took form on your face when you only pulled out a small portion of turkey that you snuck in from the school’s kitchens. Shaking your head, you sighed, accepting that you’d have to make do with what you had.

You closed your eyes and brought the slab of meat to your mouth. Your teeth snapped together as you seemingly took a bite of the air. Eyes prying open as they followed the sound of gobbling next to your head, the blonde-haired horse was downing that turkey like it was a wad of chewing gum.

You gasped before snapping at the stallion, “Reiner!”

Your horse opened his eyes to look at you dejectedly, no sign of guilt on his furry face. You could’ve sworn you almost saw the animal smile at your misery.

“Traitor,” you pointed your finger at him.

Reiner simply nuzzled into your side, acting oh so innocent. You heaved a deep breath, furrowing your brows as your fingers raked through his mane.

“I suppose that wasn’t going to be enough for the either of us,” you murmured. You stoically stood up, dusting your dress with your hands as you looked back at him, “I suppose we won’t be getting anything near a feast out here anytime soon. As much as I miss having breakfast in bed, it’s time I do something on my own for once.”

A devoid stare was all you got in return from the animal. You took it as a look of silent encouragement. You trekked further into the woods, your trusted steed following closely behind. Thoughts of drinking ice cold water and eating a warm meal resided in your mind, etching itself in your conscience, imprinting on your senses as you could almost smell rotisserie chicken being cooked in that very moment. Wait. That wasn’t your imagination, you could actually smell it with a hint of smoke sailing through the air.

A relieved sigh escaped your lips as you scrunched up your dress in your hands to lift it up, making it easier for you to step through the dirt of the forest ground. As you followed the growing scent, you squinted in the distance to see a warm hue of radiance, like a beacon of light for you to follow.

A short thankful laugh spilled from your throat before you approached it. It was a hut, like a small cottage, sitting by its lonesome in the woods. Maybe it belonged to a kind old lady who tended to her sheep in the village nearby or a florist—it could’ve even belonged to an evil warlock for all you knew.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, you drew near that cottagey hut. When a twig snapped beneath your boot, you didn’t think much of it. Big mistake.

The rumbling of a deep growl resounded behind you. Slowly, you craned your head to meet the origin of the beastly noise. A bear . . . it belonged to a bear. It was standing several meters away from you. All you could hear was the sound of your heartbeat blaring in your ears like some siren.

You glanced over your shoulder to somehow discreetly mount Reiner and slip away, but you were graced with the view of the equestrian galloping away. It was treason to say the least, a heinous crime against a princess.

You couldn’t control the petrified scream that left your mouth before you started running towards the cottage. You ran the fastest you’d ever run in your life. Back in the castle, if you were to behave like this, you’d be disciplined by your caretakers up in the castle, locked up in your room for acting like a ruffian, but the circumstances called for it this time.

Something caught your leg. A branch. Uneven terrain. You couldn’t care to check. All you knew was that there was a sharp sting of pain in your shin now. As unceremoniously as you got up to continue your running, hot tears began to spill from your eyes. You chanced a look over your shoulder again to see if the beast was chasing you, but you bumped into a tree. A very cushiony tree.

You turned to see what it was, only to be met with a pair of rich green eyes. Panting, you felt the stranger grip your arms with a sense of care. He craned his neck down to your view, almost a way of letting you know it was okay.

His hooded eyes were wide as he asked you, “Are you alright?”

You nodded, still shuddering. You started to explain, “There’s a—”

“I know,” he interrupted boldly. He pulled you behind him, not with too much force as he was your line of defense now. He reached for his bow and arrow, drawing his arm back as he aimed at the beast charging towards the two of you. “Stay behind me, darlin’.”

He didn’t have to tell you twice. You backed up towards his home slowly, still trembling while watching him draw the arrow at the vicious animal. He let go of the bowstring, an audible gust of wind from the arrow traveling through the air could be heard.

You peered over his shoulder to see the dense creature topple over like it was nothing. That arrow had to have pierced its heart somehow through its arm. It was a well-aimed shot, some kind of miracle you would read of in a fantasy tale.

The peculiar stranger didn’t even offer the poor corpse another look as he turned to face you. You gaped at him as your bottom lip quivered. He was tall, very tall. He looked down at you like you were some puny ant on the ground. He had straight ink black hair that hung over those deep green eyes, eyes that could be mistaken for blue in this light. His brows were dark like his hair, resting in no particular expression as he studied you.

The man was in a loose grey tunic and black pants, a pair of dense black boots to tie the jagged hunter look together. Bow still in hand while his quiver rested on his hip, housing spare arrows for him to use if necessary. They weren’t needed though, not when the owner of them was as adept to take down a bear with a single arrow from a long distance in the darkness of the night.

Not only was he tall, but he was also muscular enough that his loose clothes could not even hide it. He towered over you in ways that reminded you of the perimeter walls of the castle, overlooking outsiders like they weren’t anything.

All his features were striking, so striking you nearly missed that scar carved over the side of his mouth, over his lips. It made him look threatening, dangerous. Everything in your body was telling you to run.

He had a bored frown on his face, devoid of any empathy for a lonely girl stranded in the forest. That’s when his lips suddenly curled up into a smirk, his canine teeth poking out ravenously as he leered at you, his scar contorting with his expression.

“What’s a cute little thing like you doing out here all by yourself?” he quizzed.

Those eyes of his were staring straight into your soul, you took a step back, prepared to run, but you had just witnessed first-hand how he pierced that bear’s heart with the instrument in his hand.

You gulped, pulling it together before tilting your chin up a bit, “Are you the owner of this cottage?”

“You mean my hut? Yeah,” the man responded quite dully. “But you didn’t answer my question. We don’t get many visitors out here.”

“I . . . got lost finding my way back to the village,” you replied warily, clearly unaware of the area.

“You need to go back to Shikigami Village? Sweetheart, you’re headed in the wrong direction. The village is a mile that way,” he responded, pointing to your left. When you peered off into the direction he was beckoning to, you wet your lips in apprehension. That’s when he cocked a brow at you, “You’re not from around here are you?”

“That’s none of your concern,” you huffed indignantly.

He shrugged, “Fine by me. Good luck getting back.”

He started heading back towards his little home and you stood there with your jaw ajar. You watched him take several steps before you bunched up your dress so you could catch up to him.

“W-wait! Are you seriously not going to help me?” you cried, steps frantic.

The man stopped in his tracks when you stood between him and his hut. He tilted his head to the side, “I told you the village is that way, didn’t I? You interrupted my meal I was going to eat.”

He walked around you as he continued his path straight to the little structure he called a home.

You scurried along his side, looking up at him, “Mister, I haven’t eaten since yesterday. I’m famished and I have no clue where my horse is. You wouldn’t leave a young lady in the dangerous forest all by herself, would you?”

It seemed like he was pondering for a moment, “Actually, I would. Good night.”

He started walking again and you gripped his arm, making him stop again. When he looked down at you, he felt trapped in the trembling helpless look you were returning him.

“Please, what if I encounter another beast? I won’t last. I—I . . . I’ll pay you handsomely for a meal and a way to the village,” you offered panickily.

He looked you up and down, you were half his size, he couldn’t help but feel a bit responsible for making sure you were safe now.

He groaned, “Alright. Come in.”

Your face lit up and you spluttered, “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

The tall man patted your hand before opening the door, trying to act calm about an attractive young woman clinging onto him so willingly as he entered his home. When you entered the cottage, you were graced by the scent of herbs and spices. It was a cramped space, though. A small kitchen in one corner, a tiny lounge area in another, a workshop space in the back by a rickety spiral staircase leading to another floor. It was all barely the size of your personal chambers alone.

“I hate to break it to you, but this is not a hut,” you told the man. “Huts don’t have stairs.”

He shut the door as you let go of his arm. Glancing at you over his shoulder he asked, “What is it then?”

“A cottage,” you piped while taking off your torn cloak. “As I said earlier.”

“No, cottages are for folk like you,” he said gruffly as he let his archery gear fall to the floor by the door.

“Folk like me?” you put your hands on your hips, the corset of your dress defining your figure in all the right ways as he tried to casually check you out.

“Yeah,” he said curtly. “Y’know, shopkeepers and such.”

You gasped in offense, watching him step towards the kitchen, “I am not of such a low status! You don’t know who I am?”

The man tossed something indifferently into the stove, not sparing you so much as a glance as he cut slabs of some sort of meat with a butcher knife.

“You married to a merchant or something?” he asked. “’Cuz someone as hot as you stumbling on my hut seems unlikely if your tied to some merchant.”

Your brows furrowed from where you were behind the wooden countertop he had facing the rest of the home.

“I am not a merchant’s wife. I’m not even married—”

“Thank god,” he murmured, his scarred mouth barely moving.

“Excuse me?!” you questioned.

“Nothin’,” he said quickly.

You raised a brow as you studied him again in the warm light of the golden lanterns he had around the place. He would take a moment to think before he continued his next step in cooking, as if he was trying to recollect a vision of someone explaining the process to him. He had an adorable crease between his brows as he tried to think, almost making you forget how dangerous the man was.

You smiled playfully, leaning your elbows on the counter, “Hey, you never told me your name?”

He turned away from the meat he was cooking and faced you, “You first. You’re the stranger here.”

“Right. Where are my manners?” you straightened your posture before formally curtseying, “Y/n.”

He nodded at you as a form of greeting you, “Fushiguro. Toji Fushiguro.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” you smiled, bowing your head. All Toji does in response is another inattentive nod, returning to whatever it was he was cooking. Your eyes caught a small emblem on his wall by the window. “Excuse me, what is that?”

Toji flicked his eyes to where you were pointing. Blandly, he responds, “That’s the Zenin Clan crest.”

“Zenin?” you squinted in thought, recognizing the name immediately. “Like the royal clan of Hollow Kingdom? They are faithful servants of the king and queen.”

Toji maintained a disposition of irritation, like your presence was a great bother. “Yes, like the royal clan.”

“How come you have their crest?” you asked, thinking about the clan itself, how the members were cold but your father saw great value in them in further bettering the kingdom.

“I worked for them a long time ago,” he answered bluntly.

You frowned, “Why is someone who had ties with such an elite family here in the middle of a forest all the way at the edge of the kingdom?”

Toji scowled, peeling his hooded eyes away from the pot on the stove, “That is none of your business.”

That look on his pretty face, total detestation. In this light, you would see how bright and smooth his skin was. His face was carved and chiseled, sharp and menacing.

From the twenty some minutes you have known the guy, you knew he clearly valued his privacy. Of course, he did. He was living alone in the middle of the woods when there was an entire village hardly a mile from here.

You groaned, closing your eyes and thinking about how you got here in the first place. You muttered under your breath, “I’m going to kill Ijichi.”

Toji cocked a thin brow, looking over his shoulder at you, “Who’s Ijichi?”

“He’s the royal stableboy up in the capital of the kingdom. He’s the one who trained my horse, he’s a nice boy, but my horse is a real piece of work. Stupid thing ran off and left me in the heat, damn traitor,” you grumbled.

Toji pointed at the window, “You mean that horse?”

Your gaze flicked to the window behind you to see the blonde-haired steed outside the cottage, poking its head in.

“Reiner!” you gasped. You rushed over to grab his face and scold him, “Bad boy, I can’t believe you abandoned me! You coward. Give me that.”

You yanked your satchel from his side and pressed it against your chest. Toji narrowed his eyes as he studied you once again, registering your face, your clothes, the way your face hardly gave much away when you spoke or when he replied to you.

“Where were you coming from then? I know you aren’t from around here if you’re headed to the capital,” Toji asked as he set two plates on the roundtable.

You sighed, taking a seat by his side, “I was enrolled in a girls’ school in Strawdoll City. I need to go home to my uncle’s estate. I’m not quite prepared to go back to the castle yet, my parents must be furious. Thank you,” you added as he handed you a spoon to begin eating.

“Castle?” he quizzed, gulping down a spoonful of broth from the chicken stew he made.

His pupils dilated as he put the puzzle pieces together. A beautiful young lady in a pretty dress . . . saying she’s of high royal status . . . fully aware of the prestigious Zenin Clan . . . attending a rich private school in a wealthy city . . . all prim and proper with her ‘pleases’ and ‘thank yous’ . . . her stableboy in the capital of the kingdom . . . she needs to go home to her castle . . .

“You’re the princess?!” he froze in his seat.

“Uh . . . yes,” you answered before blowing on your soup gently.

His eyes widened when you seemed so casual about it. He tensed up, “Yes?! You don’t understand, I can’t have the princess of the land in my house! If anyone finds out, they’ll think I kidnapped you and did something questionable.”

You chuckled, “No need to worry, Toji, my friend. I won’t peep a word to anybody . . . as long as you get me back to Shikigami Village safely and fetch me a carriage.”

“Absolutely not, sweetheart,” he retorted gruffly as he stood up. “Listen, you’re cute and all, but I’ll be skinned alive if the soldiers patrolling the cities find out I’m housing the princess while the king and queen are searching for her. I’m just a poor archer who likes to be left alone. I don’t want any part of this.”

“Uh—what? You’re going to kick me out?!” you cried. “That’s a crime! To turn down the princess’s request! To throw her out where she could be in imminent danger!”

“Maybe the princess should’ve stayed at school like her parents told her to, children should listen to their parents,” he scolded from where he stood.

You set down the spoon with much force, “I’m hardly a child! My twentieth birthday was just a few days ago and they’re just going to marry me off to that weird prince within the week! I need to get to my uncle and aunt before my parents make the arrangements final. Besides, I promised to pay to a generous hand. I’ll bring you gold, livestock, clothes, all the riches you desire.”

It was true, your parents already had a suitor in mind, but you found him rather odd. He was a man you shared no interests with, resulting in you barely carrying a conversation with him the few times you had met him. The intimacy in your meetings with the prince of your neighboring land was practically invisible. The idea of marrying him seemed like a form of torture.

Toji turned his back to you, crossing his arms sternly. You were fuming with a mix of rage and hopelessness, you needed to appeal to him somehow. Your future depended on it. You ruminated on what you’d read in the books in the castle study.

Slowly, you stood up. Luckily, your dress was very flattering for your figure, the corset complimenting your waist and chest. You ruffled up your hair before painting an innocent look on your face.

“Toji,” you said his name softly.

He turned to face you at your sultry tone. When he saw you, his heart seemed caged in his throat, he was like a deer in headlights. He couldn’t pry his eyes away, not with the lustful and playful glint in your eye.

“Please, I’ll do anything,” you said suggestively.

There would be no use in lying to say he didn’t find you attractive. You were a lady much too beautiful for her own good. Someone who knew she was desirable.

He gulped, looking you up and down. When he met your eyes again, he answered, “Fine.”

Then it hit you, you didn’t think he would actually jump at the offer to ravage your body, but here you were. A stupid girl for trying something you read of in all your romance books. You tried not to shiver, expecting him to begin touching you already.

But he didn’t.

He replied coldly, “Here’s the deal. You arrange for fifty bags of gold, wheat, and a supply of bread if I get you back to your uncle’s estate. And throw in a few sheep here and there.”

You were relieved, but a bit taken aback at the turn of events. You narrowed your eyes at him, he rejected your offer of taking your body as payment. What kind of man was he?

“You don’t want to—”

“Have my way with a girl as gorgeous as yourself?” he finished for you, green eyes glinting deviously in the light. “I’d love to, trust me, but it’s not every day the princess of the land makes you an offer. I’ll take all the money I can from it. Of course, if you’d like me to pleasure you in the way you were just insinuating, I wouldn’t mind having a night of passion with the princess as a bonus with my newfound wealth.”

You gasped before you strode up to him, landing a cruel smack across his face.

“What?” he breathed out. “You were the one that was trying to get into bed with me!”

“Because I thought you would do the humane thing and decide to help me without anything in return!” you spat. “Turns out you’re a freeloading vulture trying to take advantage of a helpless girl!”

He rubbed his cheek as Reiner watched from the window, letting out a humorous neigh, “You got quite the arm, princess. I’m still getting the gold and sheep, right?”

You spun on your heel to take a seat on the cushioned seats he had in the lounge, “No sheep. I’ll arrange for everything else. Pervert.”

Toji scowled and walked up to you, glaring down at you, “You’re the pervert. You started it.”

“Ugh, men,” you said venomously. A sting of pain flashed through your leg again, making you wince as you started lifting up the skirt of your dress.

Toji practically choked, “What are you doing?”

You lifted the dress right below your knee to reveal a gash on your flesh. It must’ve been from when you fell outside. His pupils were blown, relieved you weren’t lifting your skirt up for any other particular reason.

Toji immediately turned around and headed for the kitchen. He came back a short moment later with a damp cloth and what seemed like fresh cloths as makeshift wraps. He bent down and craned his head to meet your eyes.

“Is it alright if I touch you?” he asked gently, his voice all husky and gruff but still hitting that note of sincerity. Something you wouldn’t expect from a man like him.

You offered a stunned stare, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth as you slowly nodded. He gently held your calf, pressing the cloth to your wound. You watched him intently, feeling a twang of guilt for shouting at him a moment prior.

He pulled away after tending to your injury, peering up at you as you gazed back with a glimmer of gratitude. He gave you a tender look, similar to the one you gave him. The silence was searing the air like a wildfire, heat building in your throat.

Without saying anything, he lifted you up bridal style. You wanted to retort, but decided not to thrash in his hold as he ascended up the stairs. Once he got to the second floor, he smoothly set you down on his bed.

He stepped back and you stared up at him. Coldly, he said, “It’s late, your majesty. You should rest. We have a lot of land to cover in the morning. I’ll be sleeping downstairs if you need me.”

You opened your mouth to say something, but opted to snap it shut instead. He shut the door and you heard his footsteps growing faint as he returned downstairs. You couldn’t deny how incredibly confused you were, instead you pulled the covers over your body and dozed off. Not even bothering to get out of the suffocating corset dress and get into your cotton night gown with how exhausted you were.

You woke up to the sound of rustling outside. You sat up straight before slipping off the bed and freshening up in the bathroom. It was a difficult task to put it in simple terms. It didn’t have the luxuries of your personal bath. There wasn’t any hot water, the faucet made a screeching noise every time you moved the handle, and you didn’t have your pink loofa.

What sin were you being punished for like this?

You stepped into the kitchen, not seeing the archer that rescued you last night. A sound from outside drew you to open the front door, seeing Toji sitting on a tree stump, sharpening a knife. Reiner was a few feet away, wearing a disgusted expression as he eyed the archer.

“Morning, princess,” Toji called, smiling impishly.

You approached him, “Good morning. What’s going on?” You were referring to the several bags he had strewn on your horse’s side.

“Oh, we’re going now,” he got up and tucked the dagger in his boot.

“Now?!”

“Yup,” Toji piped. “I suggest we move along when your horse is in a good mood. He seems to hate me for no reason.”

You looked at Reiner, hints of agitation on his equestrian face. You scoffed, “Have you met yourself? My horse is a good judge of character, maybe you did something to upset him.”

“No!” Toji’s jaw dropped. “I pet him, and he tried chomping my arm off!”

You stepped towards Reiner, cradling his face which he seemed to enjoy. “He’s a sweetheart. He only does that when he sees someone as a threat.”

Toji muttered, “Stupid damn horse.”

Reiner got up from his laying position to charge at the hunter and you held your hands up in front of him, “Woah, there, boy. He’s a friend. He’s helping us get to Uncle’s home. Relax.”

“I even gave you food,” Toji furrowed his brows, glowering at the animal as if he were his rival. “Anyway, let’s go. This trip is going to take a few days. I need to get back so I can go back to business.”

You nodded, following him as he mounted your horse. He helped you up, guiding you to slide your hands around his waist for support. You didn’t question anything, understanding that it was his way of helping you. He handed you an apple for you to eat along the way.

“We’re going to cut through the village—Shikigami I mean,” Toji told you. “Then we’re going to go through the town of Starrage and Shadowton county before we get to the capital.”

You groaned, “That’s going to take us days—maybe more than that and that’s if we travel with no breaks.”

“Mhm,” Toji hummed sheepishly. “We probably won’t get there for another week, I’d say. We’d be lucky if we got to Shadowton in five days even.”

You let out an aggravated groan.

“Don’t complain now, darling. You asked for this. If you don’t want to be caught before your parents realize you aren’t at ballerina charm school, you’re going to have to rough it out with this poor archer,” he pointed to himself with his thumb.

“Ballerina charm school?” you squinted. “What the hell?”

“I don’t know what the fuck princesses do,” he answered in defense.

“That was an academy to sharpen my mind in studies and what it takes to be a lady of the court so I’ll be prepared for marriage and being a princess to another land,” you grumbled.

“You don’t want to marry?” Toji asked. “I thought that was every girl’s dream.”

“I do want to get married, just not like this. I want it on my own terms, not my parents’,” you muttered.

“What? You wanna fall in love and have that guy use you to become king or something?” Toji said. “Isn’t that a bit foolish?”

“No, it isn’t. What’s wrong with falling in love? You’re just thinking in the sense of the cheap sicko you are,” you retorted.

“Maybe,” Toji chuckled. “It seems a bit unrealistic. Something from those plays they put together in town square.”

“I wouldn’t know,” you mumbled. “I’ve never been to any town play before.”

“Really?” Toji glanced at you. “They perform them all the time. It’s kinda hard to miss.”

“I’ve only read about romance, I’ve never seen any plays. In fact, this is my first time going to a village outside of my castle.”

“What?!” Toji sharply quizzed. “You haven’t left the castle until now?!” You nodded and he gave you a pitiful look. “No wonder you’re so hopeless. What do you even do in there?”

“Read books in my room, go to the gardens, watch the stars from my window,” you answered softly.

Toji didn’t say anything, instead he let silence take over as the two of you got to Shikigami village.

“I’m thinking you should probably get a new dress,” Toji advised. “Yours is torn, people might label you as promiscuous. I can’t have that. And you have to look like a villager if we keep going or we’ll be seen as suspicious.”

You didn’t respond, opting to just listen to his advice as he led you to a dress shop. Inside he discussed with a deal with the seamstress to let you select a few dresses, apparently, she owed him a favor. After you were in a fresh dress with another pair of them for the rest of the trip, the two of you continued to trek through the village, reaching the outskirts as you entered another forest yet again.

You two continued with the small talk again as you reached the town of Starrage. It was nightfall, your horse was incredibly tired and so were the two of you.

“I know a guy. He’ll let us stay here for a while,” Toji informed you as the two of you dragged your feet to a hostel.

A brown-haired man opened the door, he was muscular with broad shoulders and he had big brown eyes. He seemed cheerful enough, yelling, “Toji! My favorite hunter dude. How are you? And who’s this beauty you’re with?”

The unnamed man bowed his head, taking your hand to place a courteous gentlemanly kiss on the back of it, “My apologies, I’m Takuma Ino, owner of this establishment.”

“Hello, I’m Y/n,” you answered with a small smile.

“Beautiful name for a beautiful lady,” he winked.

“Ino, we’re on our way to the kingdom’s capital. We traveled all day, mind if we crash for here for a night or two?” Toji had a frown on his face.

“Stay as long as you want,” Ino nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll take you to your room.”

“Oh, we have separate rooms, right?” you asked politely.

“We only have one available room, I’m all booked,” Ino said with a frown. “I thought you would want to share the same room since you’re together.”

“We aren’t together like that,” Toji explained crossly. “We’re together for business. We’ll be out of your hair by morning. Just take us to the room.”

“Alright, I’ll have the guys take your horse to the stables for the night. I’ll bring you two something to eat, too,” Ino said before leading you up the stairs.

He opened a door for you and wished you a goodnight right as he left. The room was small, only a single small bed inside and a few pieces of furniture here and there.

“You can take the bed, your majesty,” Toji groaned. “I can just go out to the stables and sleep there.”

He turned to grab the doorknob but as if your hand had a mind of its own, it shot out to grasp his arm. He looked to face you.

“No, stay here with me. I don’t like to be alone,” you spoke softly.

The archer stared at you for a moment in silence, but obliging nonetheless. He sat down with you as you quietly began eating the meal Ino had left for you.

“Where are you from? I thought you’d be from Shikigami village, but you must’ve moved around a lot. How come you live in the forest a mile away?” you asked after a few moments.

“I’m not from there. My family . . . lives in the capital. I just like being on my own. I hunt and stuff, it’s how I make my living. The village pays a high price for my archery skills,” he replied to you.

The words that came out of his mouth were hardly believable. Even though you spent much of your time in the castle, that much you could tell—there was something he wasn’t telling you about his family.

“You are from the capital,” you stated, eyes low. “Why would you leave for a life of searching for scraps?”

He didn’t reply immediately, he had his pretty eyes transfixed on the ground, “My family never liked me. It’s easier to be away from them rather than with them.”

“Why didn’t they like you?” the offense in your voice sounded like you were the one insulted, not him. It made him study your face. Closely. He saw hurt and confusion on your face and he wanted to remind you that he was the one that should’ve held that look. But why would you even care?

“They thought I was weak, punished me pretty often for it,” Toji frowned.

“Weak?” you scoffed, facing your food again. “That’s ridiculous.”

Toji chuckled, “Yeah, it is pretty ridiculous.”

“You’re the most strongest man I’ve ever met,” you said, taking another bite.

Toji pursed his lips, blinking sheepishly as he watched you eat. He hardly can think, his heart felt like it was masking his ears, like it was all it could hear. He shook his head, facing away again.

“I didn’t want to take their path, so they work for royalty and what not,” he said.

“Oh, I see,” you breathed softly. “Does this have to do with why you worked with the Zenin Clan?”

“The Zenins . . .” Toji muttered, “were the ones who thought I was weak.”

“You . . . are a Zenin?” you quizzed, brows raising. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“You’re you, that’s why,” he said like he was waking up from a deep slumber.

“You left them because of how they treated you?” you frowned. “Not just because of work?”

He tensed up, but his tone seemed unwavering, “They exiled me from the family estate and shunned me when I was sixteen.”

He was a child. He needed his family, and they threw him out on the streets, no wonder he doesn’t like the nobility.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you murmured.

“Don’t be sorry, princess,” he answered stoically. “Don’t really care all that much. It’s been seven years”

“You know, the knights could use an experienced archer like you. I’ve never seen a knight shoot an arrow as well as you do. I could arrange for you to come to the city. It would probably be better than those woods,” you pointed.

He chuckled, “I’m in no mood to be a slave for the royal family. I’m okay just where I am.”

“Why don’t you join your friend here then? How come you’re alone?”

“People always gave me strange treatment, like I was some nuisance. It didn’t bother me but it’s fun to just be on your own,” Toji gave you the short version of his answer.

“That’s a sad life,” you sighed.

Toji said nothing in response for a second, proceeding to shortly say, “So is being locked up in a castle with no free will.”

He was expecting a shoe to be thrown at him or some angry comments in return, but you chuckled softly, “I guess that’s true. I haven’t had this much fun in my life.”

Toji peered down at you, watching as you patted your mouth with a handkerchief.

“Well, good night, Toji,” you moved to the head of the bed. “I hope the floor doesn’t bother your back too much.”

And with that, you pulled the covers up and he let out a disdained huff.

The next day seemed more promising than before, Reiner wasn’t trying to chew on Toji’s hair and they seemed to be getting along a bit better than before. You were well fed, freshly bathed, and well rested, too. The trip also seemed a bit more fun as you explained the plot of certain books you read in the castle library to Toji.

“He dies to save her?” he quizzed.

“Yup,” you exclaimed. “Isn’t it romantic?”

“There’s nothing romantic about death,” the archer shot back.

“I mean the fact he died to protect her,” you purred. “His love for her was so pure.”

“Only thing pure was the poison he drank,” Toji mumbled.

“Ugh, you’re simple-minded. You’ll never understand,” you ruffled your skirt a bit.

Toji understood alright, he just didn’t see the point in it. But the way you got so excited while explaining a story made him want to hear more.

“Tell me another story,” Toji suggested. “Maybe one where they both don’t die.”

You rolled your eyes as you began explaining another novel you liked.

Although you both thought it would be impossible to reach Shadowton by the end of the week, you did end up making it to a ranch owned by another one of Toji’s friends.

“Thank you, Shiu,” Toji smirked somewhat genuinely.

“Yeah, whatever,” Shiu responded. “If you two need anything, I’ll be in the house.”

“Thank you so much,” you said as he walked away towards his house in the distance. You turned to Toji who was setting up a place for himself to sleep on the floor. “I can sleep on the floor this time.”

“Don’t be stupid,” he argued. “If I’m uncomfortable or anything I could just go and sleep in the living room up in Shiu’s house.”

That house was a far walk from Shiu’s guest house which the two of you were in. You knew he wasn’t going up there just because you’d get scared being all alone. Now that you thought about it, he was doing all in his power to make you feel comfortable and safe from the moment you met.

“What are you going to do when you get the money?” you blurted.

A little stunned by your sudden query, he blinked, staring at you. “I-uh, haven’t thought about any of that. I’ve been thinking and I had something to tell you. You don’t need to give me anything in return. Just go to your uncle’s and get him to convince your parents to choose your own life.”

Your lips parted, “You . . . don’t want the gold?”

“Yeah, keep it. I’ll just make sure you’re safely where you need to be and I’ll just go back to my hut,” he shrugged.

You stepped towards him, “Listen, I’m grateful for your help. I’d feel terrible if there was nothing I could do in return.”

He waved his hand dismissively, “Nah, I’m okay. I’ll just go to see a friend of mine there and I’ll be on my way back.”

“To be alone again?” you asked timidly, stepping towards him. His breath wavered as you drew nearer. “Toji, you seem like you don’t care about being lonely all the time, but you’ve also been having a lot of fun the past few days—with me—not being alone by yourself. Why would you want to go back to that?”

“I . . .  don’t,” he replied, wearing a grim expression as his heart picked up speed.

“Me neither,” you said.

He suddenly chuckled, throwing you off guard. His pretty black hair fell into his eyes, “I can’t believe I had to act as your chauffeur the last week.”

“Hey!” you pointed. “Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it.”

“Never said I didn’t,” he sighed, looking at you—longingly.

You both stared at each other, not noticing how close you two were getting with each passing moment. His sharp green eyes flicked between yours and your lips. You couldn’t seem to understand why your hands were quivering or why you couldn’t stop them. Slowly, you both leaned in, closing your eyes as your lips finally met. It was a soft kiss, no force behind it.

Just two people teetering on the edge of a cliff, baby steps before deciding whether to dive in or not. So, your lips brushed against each other’s with feather lightness.

When your lips parted, you shared another look, not saying anything before you leaned more into the kiss again. Toji cupped your face as you gripped the front of his shirt, craning your neck up since he was undeniably tall.

He moved your head to the side, angling your jaw to deepen the kiss. His touch was gentle, his thumb slowly outlined your cheekbone. And one of the things that stormed your mind was how tender his touch was ad how rough of an exterior he had—this big tough man being so soft and gentle.

The archer bent his neck down more while simultaneously pulling you closer to him. He bit your bottom lip, pulling it down slightly so he could slide his tongue in, prompting a soft moan from you.

Your hands were bunching up the fabric of his shirt, tugging it upwards. He understood what your intention was, there was no need for verbal instructions. With his mouth still on yours, he dragged his shirt off his body, parting from you for a brief moment to slide it off his head before he went back to hungrily kissing you.

Your hands moved to cradle his cheeks, letting his tongue clash with yours as his own hands slid down to your waist. You had only read about the immense pleasure of intimacy in books, the actual experience itself was drastically better than inked letters on parchment.

His mouth traveled down your jaw and neck, pressing hot open mouth kisses wherever they’d touch. His teeth grazed your shoulder, letting them sink into your skin. His lips were searing into your body, teeth marking you up like you were one of his prey.

You let your fingertips trace his toned muscles. As much as you told him you didn’t like him being alone in the woods, you had to admit, it did do him justice, maybe being alone wasn’t so bad. It led you two to each other, right?

You sighed when his large hands continued to roam your body, coming back up to the collar of your frilly nightgown. He stopped kissing you for a moment, pulling back to drag the sleeves off your shoulder, making it simpler for your white gown to slip off your body.

As the cotton dress fell to the floor, Toji’s eyes lingered on your bare frame. Only your panties on at this point, and he knew that getting the princess this naked was enough to be considered treason.

He could not give a fuck though because Toji pulled you flush against his torso, lips back on you yet again as he guided you towards the bed.

He let you fall back onto the mattress, letting you crawl back so he could loom over you. Your eyes stayed on every bit of him, soaking in all that he was. Tall, muscular, arms veiny and strong. Face pretty and handsome all at once, practically glistening in the pale moonlight.

He leaned in and your finger traced the curve of his mouth, then that scar on the corner of his lips. You pressed your lips to it, kissing it before you felt his tongue slide across yours, a sudden animalistic incline in his tempo.

The man pulled away for a brief moment, looking at you in the eyes as if he was expecting you to suddenly remember you were the princess to a prestigious kingdom and sleeping with him did not fall into your line of duty. But you stayed silent, eyes begging him to touch you again. And so he did.

His hands cupped your tits, squeezing them and drawing out heinous noises from you. He bent down, kissing between the valley of your chest, eyes flicking up at you. He moved to wrap his mouth around your nipple and you squirm.

Your back arched off the mattress as he sucked and licked your boobs—the air in the room felt too hot and too cold all at once. You couldn’t even decide between all the panting but all you knew was that you loved this.

“What do your little books tell you about this?” Toji teased, biting your pert nipple and burying his face in your chest.

“D-don’t make fun,” you shivered. “I could have you thrown in prison.”

“Let me show what can get me exiled first then,” Toji joked, licking up the mound and dragging his tongue to the side of your neck.

He looped his fingers through the side of your panties before dragging them off your legs, discarding them in some forgotten corner of the room. You watched shamelessly as he pulled down his pants along with his underwear.

A panicked gulp traveled haphazardly down your throat as you gawked at his muscular frame. Your parents would be mortified if they knew you were in bed naked with a mere hunter—exiled family member of the Zenin Clan to make matters worse. But that didn’t stop you when Toji littered loving kisses on your shoulders, lips finding their way down to your tits.

His mouth latched onto your perked nipple, the flat of his tongue flicking over the sensitive bud as his fingers made their way between your thighs.

When his fingers grazed your folds, you threw your head back into the sheets, panting harder. His thumb circled over your clit, making you squirm underneath him. He couldn’t help but crack a smile at how wet you were, desperately wanting to tease you about how you might’ve read about things like this in your prim little books.

“Have you never touched yourself before, princess?” he smirked with half-lidded eyes.

The question felt like a it came out of left field; a sudden nerve being struck at the lewd ask. Your conflicted look was enough to throw him over the edge, you turned your face away and stammered, “I-um . . .”

He inched his finger into your opening, lips hovering over yours as he keenly watched your face contort in pleasure. But he paused, bringing you back to your senses as you shot him a confused look, expecting him to have done more.

Before you could ask him anything though, he moved back, staring down at you as he brought his mouth down to plant kissed on your thighs. A shaky gasp left the back of your throat, and the man had to stop himself from letting his emotions get the better of himself and fuck you right then and there, but he knew . . . it was your first time, he had to be gentle.

“Who knew the princess could be so lewd?” Toji teased, his breath fanning over your cunt as he leaned in closer.

You whined, making him let out a low laugh.

“I guess I’ll be the only one to ever know,” he whispered right before he placed a languid lick from the bottom of your slit to the top.

The moan leaving your lips had desperation and pleasure laced intricately together, wordlessly begging him for more. How could he possibly resist you, especially with the way your fingers were woven in his hair, tugging and grazing his scalp so wantonly.

One of his hands were wrapped around your thigh while his other hand worked to rub your clit, occasionally flicking his tongue over it as he placed soft kisses on your mound.

It wasn’t meant to be sudden, but it seemed like it when his tongue prodded into your opening, running itself along the slickness of your walls. An unforgiving yank at his hair seemed well-deserved, but he didn’t let that stop him from angling his head to let his muscle hit deeper inside you, his nose rubbing against your swollen clit.

The deep rumble from his throat added for an extra stimulation, making your toes curl and your body to writhe under his touch even more. Squeals and short breaths from your mouth were all sending his blood rushing, good thing you couldn’t see. 

You were beginning to shake uncontrollably, your lip tucked between your teeth to hold back your moans. His warm eyes were transfixed on your face, noting the way your brows were knitting and your back was arching in sheer ecstasy.

He retracted his tongue from your entrance, spitting on your pussy so lewdly, and making you gasp. He began rubbing his saliva over your slit, spreading it and making you even wetter before going back to eating you out.

A heat was pooling in your gut, something making your legs tremble and your shoulders jerk in a cold shiver. You cried out, coming all over his tongue which he laid out flat to lap up your secretions.

He never stopped rubbing your clit, even while he was licking up your cum. Your face was flushed, a burning sensation fluttering across your cheeks as you basked in the afterglow. Toji finally pulled back, lips darting out to wet his lips as he pulled you by your thighs, bringing you closer to him.

He studied your flustered state. Your hair fanned out in an unruly yet perfect manner, a sheen of sweat on your face from the effects of your orgasm, and your glossed over eyes staring back at him. For the first time, he didn’t see a princess. He saw you, just you.

The thought of your kind eyes and warm smile were enough to make his heart flutter, making him a bit more nervous than he expected. He bent down, kissing your lips as he wrapped his hand around his cock, guiding it to your entrance.

“This might hurt a bit,” he mumbled against your lips. “I’ll go nice and slow.”

You nodded, eyes hazy as you felt him inching his way into your soppy walls. He was huge, it felt like he was splitting you open on his cock.

You softly moaned into his mouth, the vibration making his pulse quicken. The feeling of him inside you stretching you out caused you to grip his upper arm, fingernails prickling his skin. He pulled back, keeping his eyes locked on you as he drew his hips back before snapping them against yours.

A choked gasp was all you could sputter at the sudden action, he rocked his hips again, this time slow and deep. Your hands went to his back, nails trailing down in response to his movements as he kept thrusting, picking up speed as he went on.

Toji hissed at the sensation of your fingers running down his back, burying his head in the crook of your neck with shaky pants gracing your ear. Your legs mindlessly wrapped themselves around his waist, toes curling in reaction to the tip of his cock rutting against the entrance of your cervix repeatedly. Your walls were beginning to clamp around him, pulling him in deeper and producing obscene sounds where the two of your bodies met.

He groaned lowly, his forehead pressing onto yours now as you felt him throb inside you. One of his hands tangled in your hair while his other one stroked your waist, occasionally grabbing at your hip to draw you closer to him.

“Does it feel good?” he asked breathlessly. “Doesn’t hurt right?”

You hummed, shaking your head and snaking your arms around his neck to pull him closer.

“Good, you’re doing such a good job,” he murmured. “You feel . . .you feel fucking perfect.”

Tears formed in your eyes from the sheer intensity of the pleasure. At times, you couldn’t understand the appeal of sex when you read about it, but the reality of it changed your mind completely.

A strangled breath from him let you know he was close, same thing with the way your jaw hung loosely. His breathing became unsteady and through gritted teeth, he choked out your name.

With another few strokes, a rush of liquid gushed out, pouring into your cunt. You threw your head back when you were becoming undone as well, for the second time that night.

He didn’t move to get up and get dressed or leave the room like you half-expected him to. Toji stayed right where he was, lifting his head to look down at you.

He wasn’t sure exactly what to say. What was the right thing to say?

Hey, sorry maybe fucking the princess wasn’t the best idea. After all, your parents could toss me into some dungeon and have me decapitated. I’ll be on my way now!

He stayed quiet, but he couldn’t look away or lift a finger. Thoughts flooded his mind as he gaped at you. Thoughts about how you both still had a decent chunk of the trip left, and how you were on your way to potentially be matched with a suitor, that prince from the next kingdom over. It was making his blood boil, thinking of how another man would get to have you. It seemed unfair, especially when he knew he had a status nowhere near what you or your parents had planned for.

That was if you even wanted him.

You pushed his hair out of his eyes, cupping his cheeks and bringing him down to meet your lips again. This time, the kiss was tender, your lips lingering on his a moment longer than anticipated.

You didn’t let go of him, though, instead whispering, “It’s okay, I’m not planning on telling anyone.”

He sighed, “That’s not what I’m thinking.”

You cocked a brow, “Oh? What is it then?”

Toji’s mind faltered for a bit, the usual mouth-running attitude was in hiding, “You’re probably getting married soon. You . . . you’re practically engaged.”

You blinked twice slowly, pursing your lips, “I don’t care about a prince. That’s not what I want.”

Your words were like medicine, or some sort of drug, they were healing him and making him feel like he could fly or do something ridiculous like that. Being in the entraps of the Shikigami forest had been a shield to protect himself from the people of the outside world. Sure, he had his fair share of sex from time to time but this, this was different. There was never a moment in his god forsaken life he had felt the need to put someone else before him. Not until he stumbled across you, of course. He was almost half grateful a bear had chased you that night, because it led you to his arms.

“Y/n . . .”

You grinned childishly, “You called me my name.”

“Huh?” he sputtered.

“You called me by my name,” you repeated, still beaming. “You always call me by my official title, but you said my name.”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, which was a little humorous considering he was on top of you still.

“No, I like it, makes me feel a bit normal,” you explained.

“If that’s what you want,” Toji offered a small smile. “But you—you’re serious?”

You nodded.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of a horse in the distance stirred you two out of your little world. You both giggled, recognizing the horse to be Reiner in the stables.

He was still facing the window with a little smile on his face, you pushed him over, bending down to kiss him again.

“I should probably let you get your beauty sleep, I’ll go on to my set up,” he murmured.

“No,” you shook your head. “Stay with me . . . at least for tonight.”

He was frozen, the way your thumb circled his cheek was making them burn up, but nonetheless, he nodded.

He reached down to pull up the blanket, covering both your bodies and nuzzling you closer to his side, not even bothering to think about how you still had a long way to go.

hope you enjoyed! likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated!!

[bwat5-blog]

Saying Goodbye: Arcane's Songs Of Grief

**Spoilers For Arcane**

Working on a Jinx post the other day it occurred to me I'd never really delved too much into the music even though it is SO IMPORTANT to the story. This is less critical analysis and more just something that interested me so if you don't care I don't blame you! But I get something out of it every time I get to spend time thinking on and digging into this show, so maybe you will to. This won't be too long as quite honestly I feel that-

A: These are fairly self-explanatory

B: I don't have the mind for lyric/poetry analysis and never have

1. Vi's world falling apart

Goodbye: song by Arcane, Ramsey, and Riot Games Music Team ‧ 2021

So this is the song that plays at the end of season 1 act 1 when we were all collectively saying something to the tune of "OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!?"

It was a beautiful and tragic moment in the show and seriously set the tone for the rest of the story. I see this song as Vi's perspective as her world is completely falling apart around her.

Vander is dead

Mylo & Claggor are dead

Her possible last interaction ever with her little sister was deeply traumatic for the both of them, leaving her with crushing guilt over her loss of control and hurting Powder

She has literally been kidnapped and imprisoned in an adult prison without cause or trial (there is no pit of hell deep enough for you Marcus)

"I can hear the sound of a heartbeat before it goes out Won't ever leave my memory of bloodshed all around, And I can see a tear on my father's face before it falls out" :

Vi is hearing Vander die and telling us she won't ever be able to shake the memory of all this death and pain. And that comes back around unfortunately...

"Oh, my enemy, how could I have ever let you down?

Oh When all these trees saw us grow Cut our teeth and make our bones right here We'd play with shields made of stone Share our dreams and sit our thrones":

I see this as all about Powder/Jinx and Vi's crushing guilt over how they were parted. The trees watching them grow and the place where they played and dreamed of better days clearly being Zaun. But the line that is so indicative of Vi's trauma here is "how could I have ever let you down". As her guilt over how things happened will go to impact the course of her entire life.

"Be still, 'cause I see smoke up ahead and I got steel in my hands We will return like warriors, I swear, that we'll find glory up ahead Tell me

Where is my home? I don't recognize the faces anymore, no Where is my friend? The one I've known since I was only just a kid

I think it's time to say goodbye Goodbye, goodbye Goodbye, goodbye, woah":

This entire last section speaks to Vi's future when she returns to Zaun. Her entire world has changed. Powder has become Jinx. Ekko is a rebel leader and a warrior. The demon (don't yell at me Silco people I'm talking Vi's POV) who took her entire world away from her sits in her father's house. And when Vi returns she returns with fury and steel aiming to reclaim what she lost. Until she has no choice but to admit the world she knew is gone. Which takes us into our next song.

2. Jinx loses everyone

What Could Have Been: Song by Ray Chen and Sting ‧ 2021

I'd call this the song that captured the world's attention from Arcane. I mean having Sting alone was huge but this whole sequence was once again so beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Vi spends the whole show trying to get through to Jinx up until this point and you want to believe she is going to pull it off. Jinx is recognizing what Silco took from them, and the Council is starting the vote for Zaunite independence.

But it all falls apart. Silco is dead, and Jinx feels like Vi cannot love her anymore and feels rejected by her after everything that has happened. And this song begins, taking us into Jinx's POV as she lashes out in this moment of terrible grief and loss and angry. I'm not going to do the lyrics for this one like I did above because they are all pretty clear and direct. As Jinx makes the long walk to her destiny and fires the weapon that will destroy her people's chance at independence, she is telling Vi, Silco and the world how they have wronged her.

But the trick with Jinx is to remember she is an unreliable narrator. So when we are with her in this moment seeing it through her eyes we have to remember we cannot take everything at face value. So even though throughout the show we have seen Vi's guilt over what Jinx has become driving her, and after Silco's death Jinx essentially seems to blame Vi for what follows because she cannot "love her like she used to" because they are different. Where does that missile actually go?

I am the monster you created You ripped out all my parts And worst of all, for me to live, I gotta kill the part of me that saw That I needed you more

I hope you know we had everything And you broke me and left these pieces I want you to hurt like you hurt me today and I want you to lose like I lose when I play what could have been Oh, what could have been

Why don't you love who I am? What we could have been

I am your ghost, a fallen angel You ripped out all my parts I couldn't care what invention you made me 'Cause I, I was meant to be yours

I hope you know we had everything And you broke me and left these pieces I want you to hurt like you hurt me today and I want you to lose like I lose when I play

I want you to hurt like you hurt me today and I want you to lose like I lose when I play What could have been

3. Death touches Caitlyn Kiramman

I Can't Hear It Now: Song by Arcane, Freya Ridings, and League of Legends ‧ 2024

This song takes us into Caitlyn Kiramman's POV as she is plunged into the darkness of her mothers death at the hands of Jinx. Once again visually and musically it is a stunning moment. There is a notable difference to this one compared to the other two that I wanted to mention.

Vi's song-"Be still, cause I see smoke up ahead and I got steel in my hands, We will return like warriors, I swear, that we'll find glory up ahead Tell me"

Even with all of the loss and grief and pain in the rest of the lyrics there is a moment of hope. A promise of justice and righteous return

Jinx's song- "I want you to hurt like you hurt me today and I want you to lose like I lose when I play What could have been"

Full of anger and blame and hurt . Nothing positive but A LOT of emotion.

Now let's look at Caitlyn's lyrics:

There is an ocean so dark down below the waves Where you watch while these dreams gently float away And there is a silence so soft it's only memory Like the way your voice always sounds when you sing to me

But I can't hear it now Just tell me how to keep breathing while pretending I'm not drowning I don't know if I could I watched the door close for good 'Cause I couldn't keep it open

I just watched as the door closed for good 'Cause I couldn't keep it open

Just tell me how to keep breathing while pretending I'm not drowning I don't know if I could I watched the door close for good 'Cause I couldn't keep it open

Vi and Jinx are full of emotion and pain and loss but they are expressing it, even if it is misguided or negative. Caitlyn is drowning in her grief but trying to force herself to keep going and failing, and blames herself.

"But I can't hear it now ,Just tell me how to keep breathing while pretending I'm not drowning"-

Caitlyn so badly wants to hear her mother's voice again but she cannot. And she is trying to go on, be the new head of her house, testify before the council and everything else while maintaining her composure when inside she is completely and utterly destroyed. I mean for gods sake, revisit the moment she finally is alone with the person she can show vulnerability with:

it's like she barely makes it to Vi before her legs give out...

"I watched the door close for good 'Cause I couldn't keep it open"-

These are the last words of her goodbye to her mother. Not a lament of how the world is changed and she has to say goodbye. Not an angry accusation at those who wronged her. But blaming herself...

Conclusion:

Anyway! I hope you get something out of this. I did by writing it. I love the music of this show, and as a life-long band nerd and music lover seeing a show weave it's music into the storytelling in such an original way was truly special to me. Thank you for reading and take care!

[simpingforbots]

hiiii i hope you're fine,I'm really intrigued to know what the tfone transformers think about their silly human being in the sun for a few hours and getting burned, like.

The human is on his robot's shoulder, but from one moment to the next he turns his head to see the little friend and they see that his color has changed a little.

personally because I burned a lot this summer.

(I'm sorry if something is written wrong, English is my second language, I love how you write)

Hello! I am doing alright, hope you are doing fine your self. I knwo the feeling as i burn quickly as well and i know how it is to deal with it.

Sun or no sun?

Leaving underground is not much of a trouble to creatures that made out of metal as they do not require sunlight to function, but something that is organic - it was one of a few necessities just to be able to function properly. First time Orion found out about it, he panicked and kept thinking that he was hurting you by keeping here, with him. It was already dangerous for you to be in mines, let alone surrounded by someone who’s bigger and harder then you. Hell, he even considered to give you up to some reach snob so that you be safer, but the idea of you being in hands of someone like them made his spark churn with disgust and D-16 quickly shut it down, not wanting to even hear Orion’s worries. So to “subsidise” the lost light you needed, he did a little research and got you a small fake sun light lamp, that sort of provided necessary “D” vitamin. On top of that he made sure to get other supplements and that you took them daily. You such a weird little thing, needing so much just to be able to function, and yet they still cared about you very much, no matter how hard taking care of you can be.

When they managed to get up on the surface and survive the train crash with only few scrapes and bruises, you were finally on the surface. D-16 and Orion wath you run around for a bit, enjoying the life of the surface no longer confound to you small den and the limited places they could take you, able to move freely and breath without trouble before Orion picked you up and steeled on your shoulder before continuing on their journey for the Matrix of Leadership, pondering out loud about what will happen afterward. You seamed to also enjoy your natural sunlight, leaning back a bit, not worrying about anything and letting warm sun light land on your skin. At first they did not notise anything, but after some time B-126 was first to see the change in your skin colour.

“Hey, is your little organic pet thing always able to change colour?! This is so COOL? How are they doing it? Can they be yellow? I thingk yellow will look good on them! Can they change their eyes to? What bout the strange thing on their head?” Bee waltz in front of Orion, his eyes glowing with curiosity as he pointed at you. Scared, D-16 quickly grabbed you and held in fron of him self, staring at you and trying not to panic. Your skin was a bit darker, lightly, but noticeable when your little fabric on your body shifted, showing a lighter tone line.

“Is this normal?” Orion asked, looking at you as well, moving your hair away from your shoulders to able to see a strange condition that you seamed to be indifferent to.

“Do I look like I know?” D-16 grumbled a bit, lifting your little hand to see anything else. “Maybe it’s normal for them. But I think we should hurry up”

And back on the shoulder you go, this time under carful surveillance of your “caretaker” bots, who seemed to be warry and did their best to shield you from to much light, but they can only do this much. Sending entire day in direct sun, with no protection, caused your skin to became red and by the night fall you seamed to be going in and out of conciseness. The trouble did not end here as the very next day you were letting chirps of distress and any touch, even light one, caused you a lot of pain and a strange bubbles that appeared on your body to pop, leaking some kind of coolant. D-16 got very concerned with this, trying to carry you while shielding from the light, refusing to let you rest on his shoulder now, grimacing every time you shifted, making your self hurt even more. Orion tried to brain storm what could be causing this yet he can only guess as he did not had access to any research and only hope is that you can push through, with only breaks coming at nights and cold air cooling you a bit. When they reached the green area of the planet, hiding beneath the shade of huge trees, you seemed to relax even more and it was decided to have a little break. B-126 tried to play with you, yet you were in to much pain to even move on your won, just wanting nothing but rest and try get better. D-16 could see it and had to shoo B away so that you can rest all while Orion disappeared off to somewhere, babbling about trying to find somrhitng he read in archives, promising and praying to Primes that he is correct. Another whimpered escaped your little body as you shifted, wrapping your self in the fabric you had on your body, shivering and letting another pained moan. Grumbling to him self, D-16 tried not to move you to much. You are so small and fragile, it’s a miracle that you were able to survive on your own planet. The thunder on the gorund signalled that Orion found what ever he was looking for, quickly kneeling down showing his findings – some water and a leaf that leaked a lot.

“It will help them. I remember reading that organics need liquids to be able to function. Back at Iacon we had enough of it, but not here. I hope this helps” he mumbled on, breaking the leaf even more and lifting your covers to smother the sticky substance al over the red areas. D-16 shuddered at the feeling of it on his servo alone, yet seeing you relax a bit and no longer in much pain, decided to suck it up. Orion quckly finished up, tossing the leaf aside and brought another leaf with water in it to you, slowly making you drink it, with two bots making sure that you will make it and you will be alright, finally letting two bots pet you.

[nqueso-emergency]

About Eddie: I saw yesterday this clip from Eddie begins (3x15) and honestly, people love making the Diaz parents big villains, but their hearts were in the right place. I also think that to understand and love Eddie, you have to acknowledge joining the military was a choice, he could have gone for any other job 9 to 5 job with maybe not a great pay and grown from there. Being terrified at 19 by all the expectations/responsibilities and saying goodbye to a life you wont get because you didn't used protection with your first girlfriend is enough reason to run.

But Ramon and Helena stood up, opened their house to this girl in favour of protecting their grandkid. This is not a given and they did it gladly.

And they worried when their son, that passed like half a decade without his Chris, suddenly felt ready to take full responsibility while on a shift job in a city without their nuclear family.

"No one is stealing Christopher. Look, the reality is your father and I are the only constant in his life. We have been there almost every single day since the day he was born. You can't just take him away from the only stable thing he's got left. He belongs with us." Because of course and is Eddies fault, he made his parent become kind of Chris parents but in an easy time, with grown up kids, Ramon about to retire. Obviously there were gonna be more present for him than to Eddie, that's how families work and why grandparents are so mystified as being totally different to when they are parents.

Now they complain that the Diaz parent never visit. This is like Latin culture 101, the kids go to the family home.

"I know how much you love your son. That's why I know you are gonna do what is right for him. Don't drag him down with you, Eddie." at the end, when Helena received that call from Chris: that when he came back from hanging out with Marisol (that new girlfriend that moved to his house and then decided he didn't know her enough for that, but apparently enough to let her take her son for the day) he found his dad in the middle of an emotional crisis, with another woman (her dead mother?), for sure Helena felt like an announced disaster.

Of course they came fast and took Christopher and while everyone is hopping for the Diaz parents to get the consequences of the villains, I hope he gives them a thank you.

I actually really love this assessment.

And another thing to point out, they never blamed Eddie after the Kim situation. They said Christopher needs time to sort out his emotions and Helena said she thinks Eddie does too.

[emotionalhottiee]

Our First Valentines Day

February 13th

As i sat in my living room putting the final touches on the gift basket i put together for Jey. I wanted to do something special for our first valentines together. So i bought him all of his favorite things. Plenty of Waffle House gift cards, some new air force ones, 49er gear and other little trinkets. Now i was just sitting here struggling trying to wrap the plastic around the basket, so i could put the blue bow on top. I went with blue to replicate his signature YEET colors.

After a while of fumbling around, i finally got the plastic around the basket. I added a blue bow for the finishing touch. I hope he likes it, i wanted to show him how much he means to me.

Valentines Day

I was so nervous for today. Jey told me he had something special set up for us. I just want today to be amazing, i wanna make sure Jey knows how much i appreciate him.

I put the final touches on my makeup, and made sure my hair was perfect while waiting for Jey to get here. So we could go out to dinner. The first part of our Valentine’s Day.

A few moments later i heard the door turning, it was Jey using the spare key to my apartment that i had given him. We embraced in a hug with an exchange of kisses. After we finished our canoodling session, I had Jey cover his eyes & wait. So that i could get his gift basket and put it in the trunk of his car, since Jey wanted us to end tonight at his house. He said it was apart of the surprise.

We made it to the restaurant, where he rented out the place so it was literally just the two of us aside from the restaurant staff. It was so beautiful.

We were enjoying our date when Jey spotted the empty piano. He took a seat and began playing “All My Life” by K-Ci & Jojo. I sat in a chair right behind him admiring him. He is literally so talented. I watched in adoration, taken aback by how perfect this man was. My Man. After he finished playing he turned to look at me, i was just grinning from ear to ear. While wiping away the tears that had fallen. Amazed by the man sitting in front of me. My heart was full.

We finished the rest of our dinner, laughing and sharing stares of admiration for one other. As we finished our dinner we, made our way out of the restaurant to Jey’s house. The ride went by so fast, due to us loudly singing our favorites love songs. One of us a bit more off key then the other, but we listen and we don’t judge.

Before i knew it we were back and Jey’s house.

Jey walked over to my side to open the door for me. As soon as i stepped out of the car i instructed him, to go inside and close his eyes. While i got his surprise out of the car he left the door open, standing next to it, with one hand over his eyes. Making sure i made it inside safely. Even without looking, he was protecting me, just another reason why i loved this man.

Once inside he locked his car & the front door. He grabbed my hand leading me further into the house and my jaw dropped when i saw the decorations he had set up for me.

My heart was racing and my eyes filled up with tears as i stood in awe. Seeing the effort Jey put into this, made me love him even more. If that was even possible. I thanked him for the beautiful decorations, and then he bought out the rest of my gifts. And all the gifts were so thoughtful. I finally gave him the gift basket and he was so excited. I was happy that he genuinely loved his gifts.

We held each other exchanging more “I Love You’s” and passionate kisses. This was an amazing first Valentine’s Day together.

I can’t wait to have more with him.

[allthingsfangirl101]

Familiar Faces Part 2 – Jake Seresin

Part 1

Even though I wasn't training Jake and his team, the Admirals kept me on as their efficiency expert. Their big mission was two weeks away, and the trainees were getting more anxious.

After Maverick decided who would fly with him, I worried about Jake. But he seemed okay with it. He's still been training with everyone, but he claimed there wasn't as much pressure.

Plus, we started going out and got into a routine. After training, we'd pick up dinner and go back to my place. He'd end up staying so late that I didn't want him driving back to his apartment so he'd stay over. We'd fall asleep holding each other and wake up the same way. It was perfect and everything I wanted when we first met.

Until. . .

It's been a while since I had a nightmare I couldn't pull myself out of. Jake didn't know about my nightmares and ever since we started going out, I've been too embarrassed to tell him. All the nights he's slept over, I've barely slept in fear of him finding out.

Tonight, I couldn't stop it.

I woke up to someone shaking me and calling out my name. I gasped awake, a sob getting stuck in my throat. I looked around the room, my eyes taking a second to adjust to the lack of light in the room.

"Y/N?" Jake's soft voice whispered.

"Jake?" I had to double-check.

"Yeah," he said with a soft smile on his face. He reached over and cupped my face in his hand. "It's me, baby."

His eyes softened when he saw the tears in my eyes. I heard him sigh as he wrapped his arms around me, pulled me into his chest, and laid us down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked once we were comfortable.

"It's nothing," I lied.

"Come on, Y/N," he sighed. "It took me almost ten minutes to wake you up. It was not nothing. Please, talk to me."

"It was about my mission," I whispered, my voice breaking. Jake didn't respond. Instead, he tightened his arms around me.

"Replay or worse version?"

"Kinda replay," I shrugged, "with a bit of pausing and replaying."

"Okay, you lost me," he said with a soft chuckle. I smiled a little but couldn't make myself laugh.

"In my dream, I kept trying to turn my plane away from the training facility," I said, my voice breaking at the end. "Every time I did, I was suddenly facing it again. Nothing I did worked."

As the tears burned my eyes, I tucked deeper into his side, burying my face in his shoulder. He reached up and started running his fingers through my hair.

"I'm sorry the Navy made you do that," he whispered. "I wish there was something I could've done."

"I wish you were with me," I mumbled.

"Me too," he sighed.

"There was something else," I said slowly.

"In your dream?" He asked, looking down at me. "What is it?"

"I dreamt about you."

"Y/N. . ."

"I dreamt about your upcoming mission," I continued, my voice breaking. "I dreamt that you guys went off and. . . it took a horrible turn and. . . You didn't come home to me. And I watched it from base, not able to do anything as you were shot down."

By the end of it, I broke into a sob. I curled more into him as I sobbed, "I can't lose you, Jake."

"You won't, Y/N," he said gently. "I promise. You are not going to lose me. Besides, I'm just the extra."

I know he was trying to make me feel better, but it didn't work. "If they need you, you have to go, Jake. No arguing. If they tell you to go, you go. You don't have a choice. Just because you're the spare doesn't mean you won't ever leave the ship. And when they send you, I can't stop them. I have to sit back and watch you go. I have to listen as you fly off. I have to sit back and I can't help you if you get into trouble. I have to just listen and watch that damn bubble as I lose you."

"Firefly," he cut me off using my callsign. He sat up, pulling me with him. He grabbed my hands and turned me toward him. "Truth is, we don't know what's going to happen in three days. We don't know if they're going to need me. The only thing that matters is that I know what I'm doing and I will do everything I can to make sure everyone on my team gets home."

"Including you?"

Jake smiled softly as he grabbed my face and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss was soft and slow. When he broke the kiss, he leaned his forehead against mine.

"Including me."

* * * * *

I walked into base, my exhaustion from last night weighing me down. After my nightmare, we stayed up talking. I tried to get Jake to go to bed, but he was more focused on me.

"You okay, Y/L/N?" Captain Phillips asked as I walked into our shared office.

"I'm fine," I shrugged off. He gently grabbed my arm, stopping me from going to my desk.

"What's wrong, Y/N?"

"I just. . . I didn't sleep that well," I said slowly. As soon as I said it, the look in his eyes fell.

"Nightmares?"

"Yes," I said softly as I pulled my arm out of his grasp and walked over to my desk. I sat down as he followed me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Maverick asked gently.

"Jake talked me through it." My heart jumped into my throat when I realized what I said. "He talked me through it because. . . I had called him and. . ."

"It's okay," Maverick chuckled. "I know that you and Hangman are dating."

"Wait, you know?"

"I do," he smiled at me. "Hangman came to see me after you two first got together. He was worried that your being together would get you fired. He wanted to discuss it with me and ensure it was okay."

"I can't believe he told you," I said under my breath.

"He's crazy about you," Maverick said in a soft, fatherly tone. "Ever since you joined us, he's been different. He's been more focused, more driven, and less competitive. He's trying to prove himself without showboating. He's trying to be a better pilot, a better man, for you."

I looked down in hopes of hiding my blush. Maverick started to walk out of the office and stopped to pat me on the shoulder and whisper, "You've changed him, Y/N. In a good way."

I kept thinking about Maverick and my conversation throughout the rest of the day. As Maverick did some final training, I busied myself with running final checks on the planes and their systems.

Three days later, the team was to fly their mission. I walked through the ship, unable to calm myself. I figured that remaining in motion would help me not think about the possible risk.

I was passing the bunks when I was suddenly pulled into one of the rooms. I had just enough time to see that it was Jake before he pulled me close and pressed his lips to mine. As I slowly kissed him back, my heart sank into my stomach as I realized there was a chance that this would be our last kiss.

"What are you doing?" I gasped when he broke the kiss. "You're supposed to be getting your plane ready."

"I know," he smirked as he pulled me closer. "I just wanted to see my girl in case. . ."

"Don't," I cut him off and pulled away from him. I replaced his arms with mine. "I can't think about that, Jake. I can't think about the possibility of losing you."

"Baby," he said, dropping his voice to a whisper as he pulled me back. "I promise you that I will be careful."

"I know you will," I whispered back to him. I looked up at him, unable to stop myself. "I just can't lose you, Jake. I. . . I love you."

"I love you too, Y/N," he smiled. He slowly leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. I threw my arms around him and started kissing him back. I forced ourselves to break the kiss before we could get too into it.

"Because you love me, I need you to be smart. I know you will do everything you can to help your team but. . ."

"I will do whatever it takes to come home to you, Y/N," he gently cut me off. He smiled as he added, "I love you, Firefly."

"I love you too, Serendipity."

* * * * *

As I sat in the control room, anxiously bouncing my knee. It felt like it didn't take long for things to go wrong.

"Dagger Two defending," Rooster said. "Shit, I'm out of flares!"

"Rooster, evade, evade!" Maverick yelled.

"I can't shake 'em! They're on me! They're on me!"

Maverick moved to be above Rooster and set off his flares, blocking Rooster from the SAMs. When he was hit, the room went silent.

"Mav! No!"

"Dagger One is hit!" Phoenix yelled. "I repeat, Dagger One is hit. Maverick is down."

"Dagger One, status," Rooster tried to request. "Status! Dagger One, come in!"

"I didn't see a parachute," Payback said.

"We have to circle back," Rooster demanded.

"Comanche. Bandits inbound. Single group, hot. Recommend Dagger flow south. One minute to intercept."

"Get em' back to the carrier now," Admiral Simpson instructed.

"All Daggers flow to ECP. You have bandits headed for you."

"What about Maverick?" Rooster asked.

"Tell him there's nothing he can do for Maverick, not in a damn F-18," Admiral Simpson commanded.

"Dagger Spare request permission to launch and fly air cover."

My heart jumped into my throat as I heard Jake's request. I held my breath, waiting for their approval. I looked and watched as Admiral Simpson shook his head.

"Negative, Spare."

I could practically see Jake angrily grumbling in his plane. Today was a reminder of why working for the Navy was so painful.

"Launch search and rescue," Admiral Bates commanded.

"Negative," Admiral Simpson said quickly. "Not with bandits in the air."

"But, sir, Maverick is still out there," Hondo said.

"We are not losing anyone else today," Admiral Simpson snapped. "Get them home, now."

"Dagger, you are not to engage. Repeat, do not engage. Dagger Two, return to carrier. Acknowledge."

They were greeted with nothing but silence.

"Acknowledge," they tried again.

"Rooster, those bandits are closing," Phoenix sighed. "We can't go back."

"Rooster, he's gone," Bob said quietly. "Maverick's gone."

* * * * *

We had no idea what happened next. Until. . .

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen."

"No," I mumbled. I turned toward Hondo with my heart in my throat. He reached over and gently grabbed my hand.

"Son of a bitch," we heard Rooster laugh.

"This is your savior speaking," Hangman continued. I knew he was joking but every word made my heart sink. "Please fasten your seat belts, return your tray tables to their locked and upright positions, and prepare for landing."

"Hey, Hangman," Rooster smirked, "you look good."

"I am good, Rooster," Hangman said instantly. "I'm very good. I'll see you back on deck."

"Damn it, Jake," I whispered under my breath. Unable to control my anger or calm my nerves, I left the control room.

I nervously paced as I waited for their planes to return. I watched as each one of the pilots came back.

The second I saw Jake's plane land, I felt like my heart was finally out of my throat. Tears burned my eyes as I saw him climbing out of his plane. My legs felt numb as I walked out to the tarmac. The second he jumped down from his plane, I saw Jake's eyes search for me.

When his eyes fell on mine, he smiled but I couldn't bring myself to return it. With his helmet in his hand, he walked over to me.

"I should be angry with you," I said, my voice breaking as tears started streaming down my face, "but I'm just relieved you're back."

Jake laughed as I jumped and wrapped my arms around his neck. We could hear everyone rushing to help Maverick and Rooster but all I could focus on was Jake in my arms.

"I'm sorry, love," he whispered subconsciously tightening his arms around me. "But when we thought we lost them both. . . I had to see for myself. I couldn't sit in my plane on the ship and do nothing."

"I know," I whispered as I started running my fingers through his hair. I smirked before adding, "Whatever happened to leaving your wingman out to dry?"

"What can I say?" He laughed as he broke the hug and looked down at me. "Love has the ability to change even the douchiest of douchebags."

I pouted as I tucked back into Jake's arms. "You're not a douche," I mumbled. "You were never like that with me."

[itz-mfkn-de]

..Temporary Fix..

Chapter three- I’ll wait for you.

!!please read previous chapters if not already done here!!

——

You couldn’t stop thinking about that day with Theodore in the locker room. You knew you shouldn’t have done it, and your regret was eating away at your conscience. The following day after it had all went down, Theodore hadn’t spared you a single glance, not anymore than he usually would have that is. Your heart clenched everytime you saw him in the hallways and he walked past you without a word spoken between the two of you.

You figured this is what he did with them all; after he gets what he wants he’ll just throw them away. You had successfully become another check in his book, after preaching to yourself for so long you wouldn’t be. You wouldn’t lie and say it didn’t hurt, you had always been fond of the flirtatious boy, but so had every other girl at Hogwarts. You never stuck out to him.

However, you wouldn’t let yourself sob over a boy who had no care for you. You had things to get done.

You and Caris were working on a project in the hufflepuff common room, the two of you sharing laughs and small talk. Suddenly you heard familiar voices bellowing through the large entryway.

Caris turned her head around momentarily, mouth agape at the sight.

“The Slytherin boys are here, with a few of our own.” She said just above a whisper.

You snapped your head, not believing her for a second. She was right. Draco, Theodore, and Blaise were with two other Hufflepuff guys, the group seemed to be having friendly banter. An unusual sight.

They all took a seat on a couch and began talking, Theodore lighting a cigarette.

“Jeremy will kill me if I allow him to do that in here, I have to say something.” Caris mumbled while getting up to go address the rowdy group of boys.

“What—Caris, sit your ass down.” You tried to reach for her but she was already out of your range, walking gracefully towards what you were sure was your end.

You quickly got up trying to stop her, but it was to no avail.

“Hey. I’m sorry to inform you, Nott, but we don’t smoke in here.” She told him monotonously.

You stood slightly behind her, not making eye contact with any of the boys in-front of you.

“Oh, I wasn’t aware. (Y/n), were you aware of this rule?” He suddenly addressed you, looking up at you through his dark lashes.

You held back every negative feeling you had for him in that moment and decided to not respond, instead looking at Ryan, one of the Hufflepuff boys that had so generously brought Slytherins into the common room.

“Ryan, may I speak to you? Privately, of course.” You asked, a sweet tone smothering your words. His eyes opened in shock.

“Yeah, sure.” He nodded his head. You turned around, beginning to head towards a private place. Of course, not before you saw Theodore’s dark expression. His brows furrowed together as he blew a bit a smoke out of his nostrils. Caris continued to lecture him while you walked away with Ryan.

You came to a stop where you turned around to face him.

“What the fuck Ryan, when have you guys ever been even remotely friends with..them?” You snarled out.

“Calm down, I’m not quite sure either. They just all of the sudden became….cool with us? I don’t know. They stopped being assholes so it’s whatever.” He told you, picking at something on his hand.

“It is not whatever. I cannot stand them enough at it is, I don’t need them in our common room!” You nearly whined out. You and Ryan had been friends since second year, but of course as you two grew older you hung out less. You still considered him close to you though.

“I don’t get why it’s such a big deal, one of them fuck you over or something?” He let out a hallow laugh.

“What? No! I just… they are dicks.” Your heart dropped as he called you out. You were glad he didn’t know, it gave you reassurance that Theodore wasn’t opening his mouth to anyone who could breathe.

“Right…I’m sure they won’t be around for long. I need to go back over there before they think we are snogging eachother.” He laughed once more, nonchalantly walking back to where everyone resided.

You stayed in the empty corridor and decided it would better if you didn’t return to the room. You began to walk towards the dorms when a heavy set a footsteps made you turn your head.

You couldn’t catch a fucking break.

Theodore nott, in all of his glory, was angrily walking towards you.

You let out a sarcastic laugh, not wanting to face him you kept walking as well. He grabbed you wrist, whipping your body around to look at him.

“The fuck was that?” He growled out, his usual care free demeanor no where near.

“Oh so now I’m worth your time? Fuck off.” You hated being mean to people, but you couldn’t hide your resentment for the boy in front of you.

He pushed you against a wall, your bodies touching. You were sure he could feel you heart beating out of your chest.

“I try and talk to you and you ignore me, and then you ask a guy if you can go somewhere alone?” His voice was deep, his accent growing thicker the more he spoke.

“You two make out or something? Did you suck his dick too?” He asked through his gritted teeth.

You felt embarrassment flood your features, he had no right to speak to you after how he acted. You felt tears prick at your eyes.

“Excuse me? I was asking him a question.” You said while shoving him off you while wiping one of your Flushed cheeks.

“I don’t know who you think I am, but you don’t get to throw me away like one of your little toys. I’m not gonna be one of your bitches.” It took all of your will to not start sobbing in front of him.

“When I did that with you, it was because I had thought…for some dumb fucking reason I thought you genuinely wanted me. I know now that was really stupid. I should’ve known better and that was my bad, but you don’t get to blow up on me like this after how you’ve been acting the way you have.” You managed to muster up the courage to speak out at him, your voice only cracking once.

He stayed silent most of the time; his angry expression was no longer on his face.

“Amore, I haven’t been acting any way—“ his sweet voice mumbled out.

“Don’t try and act like you care now, and yes you have. You ignored me. Not even a hello when you saw me.” You barked at him. You knew there was no need for such aggression but you had so many feelings in your heart that you couldn’t bury down.

“I thought that’s what you would’ve wanted— I didn’t think you’d want anything attached to it.” He reached his hand out to caress your face, in which you swatted him away.

“You didn’t think to ask? You assumed that’s what I wanted.” You felt the tears slowly dripping down your cheeks again.

“I’m not that kind of girl Theodore and I’m sorry that you didn’t realize it, but I refuse to be someone’s secret fuck buddy.” You turned around, ready to walk away. Theodore let out a grunt and grabbed you once more.

“Quit fucking walking away from me.” He said, this time not releasing your arm from his grasp.

“I wasn’t asking you to be my secret fuck buddy, I would never be little you to such bull shit. You’re more than that, and I’m sorry that I made you feel that way.” He let out, seemingly looking for the right words to say as he went on.

“You don’t need to make me feel better, I know about all of the girls you mess with. You fuck with them and then all of the sudden drop them leaving them heart broken, I know how you do things, Theodore.” You felt like the more you spoke to him, the less angry you were and you absolutely hated how he could break your walls down so easily.

“You don’t know shit. Not anymore. It’s different, and I’m sorry I can’t find the best words to explain it to you right now, but I promise you I would never do that to you.” His eyes never broke your own, their stormy gray color mesmerized you.

“I want to believe you so bad, but I don’t know if I can find it in myself to do so.” Your voice was quiet and held no effective dominance. You wanted to make him scared, you wanted to scream and shout, but you could never. Not at him.

“That’s fine, I’ll wait. I’ll wait for as long as you need me too.” He immediately retorted with, slightly nodding his head.

“Don’t do that.” You couldn’t let him find his way right back into your heart.

“I don’t need any of those girls, I need you. I’m sorry I didn’t specify that sooner.” He apologized again.

“Theodore—“

“I should’ve asked you to the Yule ball the second I had the chance that day in our fourth year but I always thought you were too sweet for me, I never deserved someone so loving.” He cut you off, not allowing you to argue.

“meriti qualcuno migliore di me, ma non vivrò mai abbastanza per vedere il giorno in cui un altro uomo ti toccherà.” (You deserve someone better, but I would never live to see the day another man touched you.)

At that point he was talking to himself, you didn’t understand much Italian, but you knew what he said revolved around another man and you. Judging by his facial expression, he didn’t like the idea of such.

“Do you give this speech to every girl you piss off?” Usually you would laugh at your own joke, but this time your heavy heart prevented you from doing so.

“Just the ones that look like you, bella ragazza.” He responded as quickly as you had finished the sentence, his eyes holding a genuine look you hadn’t ever noticed before.

You didn’t respond, instead you looked down at the ground.

Just as Theodore was about to continue speaking, an angry Draco came around the corner.

“Oi, I’m not sure what weird shit yall are doing back here, but we have to go Theodore. I don’t know if you want me to announce the reason in front of little Mrs Hufflepuff over here.” No matter the circumstances Draco never failed to say something snarky to you.

“Right, I’ll be there soon mate.” Theodore dismissed him. His voice void of all previous emotions.

He gave you one last look,

“Take as long as you need to think about was I said. I’ll wait for you, Amore.” He finished. Turning around and heading towards Draco’s voice. Leaving you with a whole new list of shit to sort out.

You gave it a minute before you ran out to find caris. The second you spotted her, you nearly sprinted to her side.

“Gods! What?!” Caris yelped out.

“I don’t know what too do— Theodore and me did some stuff and I knew I shouldn’t have but I did it anyways and then he ignored me and then I got mad at him and now he’s claiming he wants me and idontknowwhatthehelltodo—“ caris cut off your rambling with a hand over your mouth.

“First of all, you’re stupid. Second of all, why the hell would you believe anything he says? He literally gets called Italian playboy. As if that isn’t enough evidence.” She scoffed.

“Okay well, I’m not sure how to explain it to you. But he said he’d wait for me to think about giving him a shot, but I don’t know.” You slid down into the couch and covered your face with your hands.

“Do whatever feels right, but I’m going to be honest with you. He’s not a good person, but if you honestly want to let him in like that, go ahead.” She closed her eyes and sighed, putting a hand on your leg.

“Right. Whatever feels right.”

[toasttt11]

golden gate bridge

September 23, 2024

Mackenzie walked out of the Thornton house wearing a simple pair of blue jeans, a green shirt and a white bomber jacket. She walked to Will’s car and got in and smiled seeing a dunkin coffee for her.

They had an off day for training camp today and Will had said he wanted to see something in San Jose so Mackenzie told him they should see the Golden Gate Bridge because everyone visiting or living in San Jose should go see the bridge.

Will smiled and said hi to Mackenize and he handed over the aux cord letting her pick the music, he actually didn’t mind letting her pick the music because they listen to a lot of the same music.

Will started driving them and they yapped for a lot of the drive but also listened to music too. It took them a little under an hour to get to the bridge and Mackenzie explained to Will what he should do. 
Will pulled into the line of cars and they started driving on the Golden Gate Bridge. Will looked around in awe, Boston obviously has so many bridges and he’s been on all of them but there was something really cool about the Golden Gate Bridge.

Will got lucky because the bridge was backed up with traffic so it took even longer to drive across the entire bridge and he got to look around more.

“We will have to come another time to run it.” Mackenzie told Will after she turned her phone off after she took a picture of Will looking out the window.

Will looked away from the window and at Mackenzie, “You can run it?” Will asked and he realized he could see some people walking and biking on the edges of the bridge.

“Yeah my Dad would have Aiden and i run all the way across and all the way back.” Mackenzie explained, that was a workout that was brutal.

Will reached the end of the bridge and Mackenzie directed him where to go and he turned left going up a road and pulled into a parking where a few other cars are.

“Come on.” Mackenzie grinned over her shoulder at Will as she hopped out of the car and headed toward the look out point at the edge of the parking lot.

Will quickly followed behind her and looked around in awe, “Woah.” Will mumbled as he looked over the look out point and you could see the whole bridge, the bay and San Francisco.

“Isn’t it cool.” Mackenzie hummed softly standing right next to Will, this was one of her favorite places to look out at and she use to beg her parents or Aiden to drive her out here.

“Really cool.” Will agreed and looked over at her seeing her smiling with her eyes closed looking peaceful as the wind hit her face.

Will took out his phone and took some pictures before he nudged her softly and she opened her eyes seeing him holding up his phone for a picture and she leaned closer resting her head on his shoulder and smiled at the camera.

Mackenzie and Will sat down on one of the ledges and just looked out together for a while.

Mackenzie stood up after a long while of sitting on the ledge and Will stood up with her, “Come on come look at this.” Mackenzie grabbed his hand and Will easily let her pull him to a fence that was filled with locks.

“Here’s mine.” Mackenzie showed Will an older little blue lock that she wrote Mack and the date her family moved down to San Jose.

Will smiled softly seeing how old the lock was and the handwriting was adorable especially the little shark drawing, he took a quick photo of the lock when Mackenzie looked away.

“There’s so many.” Will looked around at all of the locks, he has seen many fences filled with locks but nothing like this.

“And there is about to be one more.” Mackenzie grinned holding up a lock that she brought from will and handed him the red lock with a pen, “It’s a tradition. You live here now.” Mackenzie encouraged with a gentle smile.

Will shook his head fondly and grabbed the lock, He decided to write his first name and the year and glanced at Mackenzie and added a tiny WS and a MC next to it.

He smiled to himself and glanced once more at Mackenzie peaceful face and knew it was the right choice to add her initials.

“Finished?” Mackenzie asked as Will put the cap back on the pen and Will nodded, “Put it wherever you want.” Mackenzie told Will and watched as he clipped his lock right on her lock and her eyes softened and he looked back at her with a smile.

Will didn’t know the fence is called locks of love and a lot of couples put locks on together.

Will has denied it for years since the moment he knew Mackenzie committed to Boston University but he was lying to himself, He’s liked Mackenzie for years now and he doesn’t want to deny it anymore.

Watching her smile at him with a certain fondness he is sure he doesn’t deserve after he treated her, he knew he wasn’t gonna deny it anymore. Will Smith likes Mackenzie Celebrini, more than just a teammate.

That thought scared him a lot less than he thought it would.

Will laughed fondly hearing Mackenzie stomach rumble over the wind and shook his head ignoring his thoughts for bow and rested his hand on her lower back, “Let’s go get some food Mack.” He watched her sheepishly smile but nod.

Will and Mackenzie headed back to his car and Will opened the door for her making her glance at his for a second and shook her head smiling slightly and getting into the car.

“Where are we eating?” Will asked her as he turned the car and he knew she knows all the spots around here.

“Turn right up there.” Mackenzie told Will and she directed Will to one of her favorite little burger shack right on the beach and it’s somewhere she always goes after going to the bridge with her family.

Will and Mackenzie got out of his car and walked up to the little shack right on the beach, “If we share one fry is it still in our diet?” Mackenzie asked cheekily making Will laugh.

“I think it will be fine.” Will nodded very seriously with a teasing smile making Mackenzie beam.

“What about a milkshake?” Mackenzie asked with another mischievous smile.

“Hmm as long as it’s Oreo.” Will playfully responded making Mackenzie giggle.

Mackenzie and Will both ordered a burger and one side of regular french fries and a Oreo shake.

Will gently moved her hand way when she tried to pay, “My treat.” Will gave her a look and swiped his card.

“Fine but i pay next time.” Mackenzie gave him a look back.

Will tried to bite back a smile at her words next time and he knew he wouldn’t be paying next time.

Mackenzie and Will found a seat on the beach just as the sun was starting to set.

It was perfect their food came out as the sun was filled with oranges, pinks and purples.

Will watched Makenzie put two straws into their shake and the basket of fries was in the middle of them as they bit started eating.

Will glanced at Mackenzie, it felt like a date to him and he hoped maybe one day it could be a real date but for now he was content with what they have now.

Will immediately pulled out his phone after dropping off Mackenzie. He knew he needed to text Ryan or Gabe.

Smitty

I like Mack.

Ryan opened his phone and his jaw dropped and he immediately started smacking Gabe’s arm who was next to him. Gabe gave Ryan an annoyed look but looked down and his eyes widened seeing the text from Will.

Leon

FINNALLY!

God i thought you would never figure it out.

Ryan immediately opened a message to text Aiden about this development because Aiden and Ryan has become friends by watching Will flirting with Mackenzie and Aiden has been telling Ryan about Mackenzie texting Will all summer just like Ryan saw Will on his phone so much over the summer.

Will chuckled shaking his head at Ryan being Ryan.

Smitty

Was i that obvious?

Leon

You flirted with on the ice.

Which terrible flirting by the way it was embarrassing to watch.

Will just shook his head at Ryan’s chirping.

[sunmoontruth-stiles]

I need a completely rewritten teen wolf series with Derek Hale as the main character. I think it would heal me.

[memento-morri-writes]

Once again, the only writing I have to offer is dnd-related, and once again, it's also both angsty and whump-y. This is expanding on a scene that got glossed over in a session MONTHS ago, but uh, anyways, here you go:

tw for references to serious physical injury

He felt rather than saw Sigmar shake his head. “I should never have left you. If I’d known she’d bring Deadringer into this… I shouldn’t have let you go off to fight someone like him without me.” Once again, Rook was surprised at the weight of the emotion in his mentor’s voice. He wanted to say It’s not your fault. Or maybe, I would have done it anyway, but his mouth wouldn’t cooperate. So instead he just rested his head on Sigmar’s shoulder. The damp chill that had come over him on the way here was getting stronger and he leaned into Sigmar’s warmth. “‘S cold,” he mumbled. Sigmar picked up the pace a bit, a worried edge creeping into his voice. “Come on, come on. Just a little further.” Rook’s eyes were heavy, and his awareness of the world was fading. He heard a door open, was dimly aware of a brightly lit, white-painted room, of being laid down on a bed. He could hear people talking urgently, unfamiliar voices joining Sigmar’s. His muddled mind only caught fragments of their words. “Concussion … Severe blood loss … Not enough…”  Multiple sets of hands touched his skin, and the familiar warmth of healing magic (when had being healed become familiar again?, he wondered dimly) flooded his body.

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

thinkibg. ...