#and we were both in love with various characters

[novathehoe]

canon event of sitting next to my girlfriend while she watches the matrix for the first time

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Y'know, there's this gripe I've had for years that really frustrates me, and it has to do with Love, Simon and people joking about it and calling it too-pg and designed-for-straight-people and all the like. (A similar thing has happened to Heartstopper, but that's another conversation.)

I saw Love, Simon in theaters when it came out my senior year in high school. I saw it three times, once with my friends/parents on opening night, once with my brother over spring break, and once with my grandparents.

On opening night, the air in the room was electric. It was palpable. Half the heads in there were dyed various colors. Queer kids were holding hands. We were all crying and laughing and cheering as a group. My friends grabbed my hands at the part where Simon was outed and didn't let go until his parents were saying that they accepted him. My friend came out to me as non-binary. Another person in our group admitted that she had feelings for girls. It was incredible. I left shaking. This was the first mainstream queer romance movie that had ever been produced by one of the main five studios, and I know that sounds like another "first queer character from Disney" bit but you have to understand that even in 2018 this was groundbreaking. Getting to have a sweet queer rom-com where the main character was told that he got "to breathe now" after coming out meant so much to me and my friends.

But also, from a designed-for-straight-people POV (which, to be frank, it was written by a bisexual author and directed by a gay man, this was not designed for straight audiences), why is it a bad thing that it appealed to the widest possible audience? That it could make my parents and grandparents see things in a new light? My stepdad wasn't at all interested in rom-coms but he saw it with me because it was something I cared about and he hugged me when we came out of the theater. My very Catholic grandparents watched it with me and though my grandpa said he still didn't quite understand the whole 'gay thing,' all he wanted was for me to be happy and to have a happy ending like Simon did. My Nana actually cried when Simon came out and squeeze my hand when his mother told him he could breathe.

And when Martin blackmailed Simon, my mom, badass ally that she is, literally hissed "Dropkick him. Dropkick him in the balls" leading to multiple queer kids in the audience to laugh or smile. Having my parents there- the only parents, by the way, out of my group of queer and questioning friends- made multiple people realize that supportive adults were out there. That parents like those in Love, Simon do exist in real life.

When people complain about Heartstopper not being realistic or Love, Simon being too cutesy, I remember seeing Love, Simon on opening night. I remember my friend coming out and my stepdad hugging me and my mom defending us through this character. I remember the cheers that went through the audience when Bram and Simon kissed and the chatter in the foyer after the movie was over and the way that this movie made me understand that happy endings do exist.

Queer kids need happy endings. Straight people need entry points to becoming allies. Both of these things can come together in beautiful ways. They can find out about more queer culture later, but for now, let them have this. Let them all have a glimpse at a better, happier world. Let them have queer joy.

[azems-familiar]

not a gposer, so i don't have Much, but a friend of mine posed Lelesu and Hythlodaeus the other day for me and i thought these were really cute:

(i did do the edits on the second one myself)

Another random WoLQotD/OC question

I thought I'd ask this while I worked on my other questions. :)

If you're a WoL x NPC shipper, what drew you to that ship and why? What makes that ship the pinnacle for you and your oc? Is it that you love the canon character you write them with, you find their dynamic interesting or something in between?

If you're not a WoL x NPC shipper, but you have a ship with another person, how did that come about? What makes that ship fulfilling for you? Has the ship impacted your relationship with that other person? Feel free to gush, I wanna hear it!

Oh, and pictures are a must (if you have them).

[creamflix]

(various) jujutsu kaisen men x female reader; 18+ content (MINORS OR BLANK/AGELESS BLOGS dni or follow, you'll be blocked), NSFW UNDER THE CUT (hence why it is so short), established relationship, sexy time!!! (unprotected sex, creampies, breeding kink, facials, mating press !!, oral [f. & m receiving separate], overstimulation + orgasm denial, missionary [surprising], whiney choso, mirror sex, grinding/humping, riding shiu’s fingers [and him] !!, mean!dom shiu, degradation, service top nanami <3, titty fucking !!, backshots, sort of pet play), cat ears duh, some characters seem ooc sorry includes (seperate): gojo satoru, suguru geto, ryomen sukuna, choso kamo, shiu kong, toji fushiguro, nanami kento, ino takuma – masterlist here ☆～（ゝ。∂）

GOJO SATORU’s antics always kept you guessing, but this? this was a whole new level.

you barely had time to process it when he casually pulled out his own custom-made cat ears — fluffy and white, perfectly matching his snow-colored hair. his signature smirk stretched across his lips as he teased, “cute, right? but i think you should wear the ones you bought for me.” the mischief in his cerulean eyes was unmistakable, practically daring you to say something, but before you knew it, you were the one wearing them, too stunned to argue.

“now we’re matching,” he cooed, stepping closer, his thumb brushing over your cheek in that playful, disarming way that always left you feeling flushed. you should’ve known better than to fall for it — gojo never did anything halfway.

the fluffy ears on your head shifted slightly as he leaned in, his own custom pair perched snugly atop his white hair, making the whole thing even more ridiculous. but when he kissed you, your body melted into his hands, your earlier amusement vanishing as he deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing yours. and before you knew it, he had you pinned beneath him, legs thrown over his broad shoulders, folding you into the meanest mating press imaginable.

his cock slammed into you, stretching you so wide and so deep you couldn’t even think straight. your back arched from the bed, the cat ears on top of your head sliding a little, but gojo’s sharp gaze didn’t miss a thing. “careful, kitty,” he groaned, grabbing your hips roughly as he drove himself deeper inside you. “don’t want those cute ears to fall off now, do we?”

you could barely respond, too cock-drunk to care about anything else — too lost in the relentless, punishing pace of his thrusts. every time he pulled out, your walls clenched around him, begging for more, and he gave it to you without hesitation. his cock filled you perfectly, making you feel like you were made for him. all you could do was take it, your breath coming out in ragged gasps as the fluffy ears on both of your heads bounced with every thrust.

“fuck — you’re takin’ me so well, baby,” he groaned, his voice thick with lust as he kept his brutal rhythm, his cock bullying your walls. “always knew you’d be perfect f’me. you love this, huh? love how deep i’m fuckin’ you?”

the ears wobbled on his head as he grinned down at you, his breath hot against your lips. you couldn’t even roll your eyes at his cocky attitude. his hips were moving so fast, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the room, the fluffy cat ears swaying with every snap of his hips.

“look at you,” he panted, glancing up at the ears perched on your head, his smirk widening. “you’re already fucked dumb, huh? can’t even think straight — god, you’re so cute.”

his teasing had you trembling beneath him, thighs shaking from the relentless pressure. the overstimulation made you whimper, your whole body on fire, and your arms flailed, trying to grab onto anything to ground yourself. gojo leaned in, his face inches from yours, and with each sharp thrust, those stupid white ears on his head tilted ever so slightly, making the whole thing even more absurd.

“fuckin’ adorable,” he rasped, his fingers gripping your thighs as he pounded into you harder. “bet you’re gonna look even cuter when i mess up that pretty face.”

your head lolled to the side, but the cat ears stayed perched on your head, the soft fur brushing against your hair with each rough thrust. the pressure in your core was unbearable, and the way he was filling you, splitting you open, only made it worse. you could feel the ears slipping slightly with every brutal movement, but you didn’t care — you were too far gone.

“gonna cum for me, kitty?” gojo groaned, his thrusts growing more erratic as he chased his own release, his cock twitching inside you. “gonna cum all over my cock like the good girl you are?”

your nod was weak, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes as your body tensed. you were so close — right on the edge — and when he pushed in one last time, so deep it knocked the breath from your lungs, you fell apart, your orgasm crashing through you. you clenched around him as you came hard, crying out his name as your body trembled beneath him.

“good fuckin’ girl,” he growled, watching as you came undone, your body shuddering from the intensity. but even as your body slumped, spent and shaking, he wasn’t done with you.

just when you thought it was over, gojo pulled out with a rough groan, leaving you feeling empty and dazed. your chest heaved, your legs still trembling, but you barely had time to catch your breath before he was fisting his cock in his hand, his eyes locked onto your face.

“open up,” he commanded, and you barely had a second to comply before hot, thick ropes of cum shot from his cock, painting your face in messy streaks. some of it landed on your lips, your cheeks, and — of course —  splattered right onto the fluffy cat ears perched on your head. gojo let out a low, satisfied groan, still stroking himself as the last of his cum dripped down onto your flushed skin.

“fuck,” he muttered, grinning as he surveyed the mess he made of you. “you look so fuckin’ cute with my cum all over your face. and those ears…” he let out a soft laugh, reaching out to flick one of the ears on your head, now slick with his release. “guess i’ll need to clean you up, huh?”

you couldn’t even respond, your mind still foggy and your body wrecked, the weight of everything hitting you all at once. but through the haze, you caught the glint of amusement in gojo’s eyes as he tilted his head, his own cat ears still perched on his head, white and pristine despite the mess he’d made of you.

“my pretty little kitty,” he murmured, thumb brushing your cheek to wipe some of the cum away, only to smear it further. and even though you were completely ruined, face dripping with his cum and your own cat ears now a sticky mess, you couldn’t help but smile — because GOJO SATORU always knew how to ruin you in the most satisfying way.

SUGURU GETO is a busy man.

being a cult leader and all, he has plenty of responsibilities that keep him preoccupied. the idea of him wearing cat ears? hilarious, sure, but also something you never dared bring up around him. he’d just tease you about it, probably call you silly or kiddish. not in a mean way — just amused, like he always is when you have your playful moments.

so when you step out of the shower one evening and notice your plush cat ears missing from the closet, confusion hits. where could they have gone?

"hey, suguru," you call out, towel wrapped around you. "have you seen a, uh… hairband?" you hesitate, trying not to sound too suspicious.

and then there he is, standing casually in the doorway, those missing cat ears perched perfectly on top of his head. the look on his face? nothing short of a shit-eating grin, smug and amused as hell.

your jaw practically drops.

"looking for these?" he asks, voice smooth as he leans against the doorframe, fingers lazily tapping the cat ears like he’s been waiting for this moment all day.

“you —” you blink, still processing what you’re seeing. suguru geto, cult leader, with cat ears on his head. and somehow, he manages to pull it off, making it both ridiculous and stupidly attractive at the same time.

he laughs, low and teasing, stepping closer until he’s towering over you. "couldn’t resist. you left them in plain sight, after all," he says, his fingers brushing your chin as he tilts your head up to meet his gaze. his eyes sparkle with amusement, even after what must’ve been a long, exhausting day.

and before you can even get another word out, he pulls you into him, his lips finding yours with a slow, heated kiss. his hands slide down to grip your hips, his body pressed flush against yours. you pull back just slightly, panting, still catching glimpses of those damn cat ears sitting on his head. "you’re seriously gonna wear those while we—"

"why not?" he interrupts, his lips curling into a smirk as he starts pushing you back toward the bed. "i think they suit me."

and damn it, you hate to admit it, but as his hands wander and his body covers yours, cat ears and all, you can’t deny how hot it is. something about his calm yet commanding presence paired with that playful touch of absurdity just works, and now you're the one in over your head.

he has you pinned to the bed, his large hands gripping your thighs as he slowly works his way between them. the cat ears are still perched perfectly on his head, the image almost absurd — yet there’s nothing funny about the way his mouth moves against you. slow, deliberate, with that same smirk he’s been wearing all night. every flick of his tongue has you gasping, trembling beneath him, the pressure building in a way that’s almost too much.

“s-suguru —” you breathe, your hands instinctively flying down to his head, fingers tangling in his dark hair. it’s overwhelming, the way his mouth feels, and without thinking, you try to push him off — just for a second, just to catch your breath. but instead of his hair, your hand accidentally tugs at the soft, plush cat ears still sitting on his head.

he pulls back just enough to look up at you, one eyebrow raised, his lips glistening, an amused grin forming on his face. "that's bad manners," he says in that deep, smooth voice of his. "tugging at my ears like that? guess you need to be taught a lesson."

before you can even apologize or respond, he’s diving back in, his grip on your thighs tightening as he doubles down. his tongue moves faster, more insistent now, teasing every sensitive spot as you arch against him. your whimpers turn into full-blown moans, your body shaking under the relentless pressure.

"s-suguru — please," you gasp, but he doesn’t let up. if anything, the smugness in his eyes only grows as he watches you fall apart under his touch.

“you asked for this,” he murmurs against you between long, languid strokes. “don’t think i’ll stop until you’ve learned your lesson.”

and with that, he pushes you past the edge, overstimulating you. every brush of his tongue makes your legs twitch, makes your mind spin, but he doesn’t stop. not even for a second. he’s intent on keeping you there, stuck in that overwhelming pleasure until you can barely think straight, each wave of sensation crashing over you until it’s all too much.

"oh god — suguru, i —" you cry out, hands gripping the sheets, but there’s no mercy in his eyes as he continues, his deep chuckle vibrating against your core.

"that's it," he murmurs, voice low and teasing. "now, you’ll think twice before pulling on my ears again."

getting RYOMEN SUKUNA to wear cat ears? good luck.

he doesn’t care if you waited in line for hours to snag the cutest pair, doesn’t care that it’s the latest trend on tiktok or whatever else you find adorable in that stupid phone of yours. the king of curses?

yeah, he’s not about to be caught in something so ridiculous.

“no way,” he says, arms crossed, leaning back against the wall with a scoff, half-amused and half-annoyed. you pout, sulking dramatically as you stare at him. “please? just try them on! it’ll be fun!” you add, your voice dripping with charm. he only raises an eyebrow, clearly unamused. you even throw your phone across the room, desperate to prove your point. “see? no pics, i promise! just for a second?”

but he’s still a hard no. “you’re really trying to convince me to wear cat ears?” he scoffs, his deep voice dripping with disbelief.

so you pull out your secret weapon, aiming straight for his ego. “maybe you're just a pussy, or even worse - not man enough to wear these.”

the moment the words leave your mouth, you can practically feel the heat radiating from him. sukuna’s eyes narrow, a dangerous glint flashing as he stands up, muscles tensing. he’s ticked off, and in an instant, he snatches the cat ears from your hands, wearing them with a devilish grin that sends a thrill down your spine. “show you how man i can be, huh?”

before you can react, he hoists you over his heavily tattooed shoulder, the movement both surprising and exhilarating. your heart races as he strides to the bedroom, his grip firm and possessive. you know you’ve crossed a line, and there’s no backing down now.

once inside, he tosses you onto the bed, the soft sheets contrasting with the hard planes of his body. “you wanted me to wear them, right?” he says, his voice a low growl, filled with mischief. “well, now you get to see what kind of man i really am.”

with that, he moves between your legs, his presence looming over you like a predator. he takes a moment to admire you, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he leans down, brushing his lips against yours. his kisses are slow and teasing, igniting a fire deep within you, but he doesn’t linger. instead, he pulls away just enough to watch your reaction, those cat ears perched adorably on his head.

“see? still a man,” he growls, his voice dripping with confidence as he finally aligns himself against you. he pushes in slowly, filling you up completely, the stretch making you gasp. “you wanted this, didn’t you?”

he begins to move, thrusting into you with a primal intensity, each powerful stroke sending shockwaves of pleasure through your body. the cat ears bob with each movement, an absurd contrast to the raw, overwhelming desire radiating from him. you can’t help but giggle at the sight, but that only fuels his determination to dominate you further.

“you think this is funny?” he growls, his voice low and rough, a smirk dancing on his lips. “let’s see how you feel about it now.” he quickens his pace, each thrust hitting deeper, more deliberately, pushing you closer to the edge.

the sound of skin slapping against skin fills the room, mingling with your breathy moans and his deep growls. sukuna leans closer, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispers filthy praises, the warmth of his breath making your skin tingle. “you’re perfect, taking me so well,” he murmurs, punctuating each word with a brutal thrust that leaves you gasping.

your body responds instinctively, arching into him as pleasure courses through you. “sukuna, please,” you beg, eyes rolling back as he angles his hips just right, hitting that sweet spot deep inside you.

“please what?” he taunts, his lips curling into a smirk. “beg for it.”

“please, i need you,” you whimper, desperate to cum, but he only laughs, a dark, rumbling sound that reverberates through your chest.

“not yet,” he says, the dominant glint in his eyes igniting even more heat within you. he increases his pace, relentless and unyielding, each thrust sending you closer to the brink. the world outside disappears; all that exists is the pleasure building between you and the man above you.

with one particularly deep thrust, you feel the familiar wave of ecstasy crashing over you, pulling you under as you let out a loud moan. “sukuna, i’m —”

“that’s it. let it go,” he growls, his voice rough as he cums inside you. he holds you tight against him, the cat ears jostling wildly as he rides out your orgasms together.

as you both come down from your high, he rolls onto his side, pulling you close and grinning down at you with that unmistakable satisfaction in his eyes. “next time, think twice before challenging me,” he whispers, a mischievous glint still shining in his eyes, and you can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all — because despite the ridiculousness of the situation, you wouldn’t change a thing.

it starts off innocently enough.

you hand CHOSO KAMO the pair of black cat ears, grinning as you place them on his head. he tilts his head slightly, fingers gently brushing against the fuzzy material, eyes full of confusion.

“what are these for?” he asks, his voice soft and unsure, the way he always is when it comes to trying new things with you. his inexperience is clear, but he’s willing to trust you, no matter how strange things might seem to him.

you giggle, leaning in to kiss the tip of his nose. “just something cute for you to wear, baby. it matches your hair.”

he hums in response, the thought that this might be some sort of human tradition when in love lingering in the back of his mind. so, he wears them proudly, even though he doesn’t fully understand why.

it’s only when you’re both tangled in bed later that the conversation takes a sharp turn. you’re teasing him, fingers running through his hair, when you joke, “maybe you should keep the cat ears on next time we have sex.”

you’re not entirely serious, just poking fun, but something in choso’s brain clicks. the way his pupils dilate, his breathing stutters — it’s almost too obvious that something has snapped inside him.

“you… you want me to wear them while we…?” his voice is deeper, laced with confusion and a growing intensity. his fingers tighten on your waist as he looks at you, trying to piece it all together.

you nod, not quite sure where his mind is going, but you’re intrigued. “yeah, you’d look cute.”

he swallows hard, and it’s then you notice the flush creeping up his neck. “you mean… you want me to breed you?”

your eyes widen at his sudden shift, but before you can even think of correcting him, his hands grip you tighter, pulling you closer. “you… want me to cum inside you. fill you up.” his voice is trembling, almost desperate. “that’s what the ears are for, right? to make me… like an animal?”

your breath hitches, realizing where this is going, but it’s too late to stop him now. the thought of breeding you has consumed him, overtaken any sense of clarity. you feel the shift in his pace, the way his hips move with newfound urgency, the soft grunts he lets out as he sinks deeper inside you.

“baby —” you gasp, your body arching under him. “i didn’t mean —”

“no,” he whines, his breath hot against your ear. “please. please, i have to. i have to breed you. i need to.”

and god, the desperation in his voice is enough to make you forget everything else. the way he’s looking at you, eyes filled with need, hips trembling as he pushes into you again and again, it’s impossible to deny him.

but still, when you feel that familiar tightness building in your core, you manage to pant, “choso, pull out —”

his response is immediate, a choked, whiny sob that makes your heart stutter. “no,” he begs, voice cracking. “please. i — i need to cum inside you. please, let me fill you up. how else am i supposed to breed you?”

you don’t stand a chance against that. the broken desperation in his voice, the way his body is shaking, so close to losing control. you grab his shoulders, pulling him down to you, whispering breathlessly, “okay, baby, cum inside me. give me all of it.”

the sob that leaves his throat as he cums inside you is nothing short of pathetic, but god, it’s beautiful. his hips stutter as he finishes in you, filling you up just like he wanted, his breathing erratic, body trembling with the intensity of it all.

and when it’s over, when he’s still panting, buried deep inside you, his forehead pressed against yours, you can’t help but smile at him. “you really thought i wanted you to breed me just because of the cat ears?”

he nods weakly, still catching his breath. “i… i just thought that’s what you meant. i’m sorry if i —”

you press a kiss to his lips, cutting off his apology. “it’s okay, baby. you did good.”

he blushes, burying his face in your neck, still too shy to meet your eyes after all of that.

SHIU KONG is a busy man.

he loves you, but sometimes he’s genuinely lost on where you get all of your ideas from. shit, maybe he should start doomscrolling, just like toji cheekily suggests, so he can keep up with your endless train of thought. honestly, he's never seen anything quite like the cat ears you got out for him, and he’s so amused when you place them on his head without any warning while he’s leaning back against the balcony railing, cigarette dangling between his lips.

“what’s this about now, huh?” he chuckles, smoke lazily drifting into the air as he flicks his eyes toward the little ears sitting atop his head, his lips curling in amusement.

you grin, walking over and giving him a playful wink. “just thought you’d look cute in them. and guess what? i was right.”

shiu huffs out a laugh, exhaling another cloud of smoke. “cute, huh? didn’t know that was my style.”

before he can say more, you cheekily suggest, “how about we include it during sex?”

that makes him pause mid-drag, almost choking on the smoke. this? you want to include this in bed? sure, he’s used to matching your demands in bed — pushing limits and meeting you at every wild request — but this? this was... new.

“you’re really something else, princess,” he mutters, shaking his head with an amused grin. but shiu kong isn’t one to back down from a challenge.

which is exactly why you found yourself seated on his lap right now, facing the mirror, your legs spread wide as you grind against his hand, his fingers slipping between your folds, teasing you, but never giving you what you need. your breath hitches as you move your hips, trying to get more friction, more anything, but shiu’s grip on your waist is firm, holding you back just enough to drive you crazy.

shiu exhales a slow, steady stream of smoke, the cigarette dangling from his lips as he lounges back, completely unfazed by the cat ears sitting atop his head. “you’ve really outdone yourself this time, princess,” he murmurs, amusement lacing his voice as his fingers continue to toy with your clit, slow and lazy, just enough to keep you on edge but not enough to satisfy.

“fuck, shiu,” you whine, biting your lip as you catch his eyes in the reflection, the cat ears on his head somehow making him look even more smug. “don’t tease me like this.”

he hums, taking another drag of his cigarette, his eyes never leaving yours in the mirror. “tease you?” he chuckles softly, his fingers brushing against your clit with agonizing slowness. “i thought you liked this, baby. isn’t this what you wanted?”

you can feel the heat pooling between your legs, the need building with every slow circle of his fingers, but he’s not giving in — he’s making you work for it, and it’s driving you wild. “yeah, but — shit — i didn’t think you’d make me wait this long,” you gasp, your body trembling as you rock your hips, trying to get more of his touch, trying to feel him inside you. “please, shiu…”

he smirks around the cigarette, watching as you squirm on his lap, your desperation obvious in the way your hips move, your breath coming in ragged gasps. “look at you,” he mutters, voice low and teasing as his fingers slip lower, brushing against your entrance but never pushing in. “so needy, huh? you gonna show me how bad you want it, princess?”

you let out a soft whimper, nodding as you grind down harder, trying to push his fingers inside you, but he holds back, still teasing, still making you wait. “please,” you breathe, your voice shaky, barely holding onto control as his fingers keep circling your clit, slow and torturous. “i’ll do anything.”

he raises an eyebrow, taking one last drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out in the ashtray beside him, his free hand sliding up your thigh as his fingers finally push inside you, making you gasp. “anything, huh?” he murmurs, his voice low and rough as he curls his fingers inside you, hitting that sweet spot that makes your whole body shudder. “then show me, baby. ride my fingers.”

you don’t need any more encouragement. you move your hips, grinding down onto his hand, your breath coming in short, ragged gasps as you ride his fingers, the slick sounds of your arousal filling the room. the cat ears on shiu's head bob slightly with your movement, and you can’t help but let out a soft giggle at how ridiculous the situation is — your rough, no-nonsense boyfriend wearing cat ears while toying with you — but the second the sound leaves your lips, shiu’s grip tightens on your waist.

“what’s so funny, huh?” he growls softly, thrusting his fingers deeper inside you, making you gasp. “you think this is a game?”

“n-no —” you stammer, but your words are cut off by a sharp moan as he curls his fingers again, hitting that spot that has you seeing stars. “fuck, shiu, i didn’t mean —”

“didn’t mean what?” he interrupts, his voice low and dangerous as he picks up the pace, his fingers thrusting into you harder, faster. “you think i’m here for your entertainment, princess?”

your head is spinning, your body trembling as you try to keep up with his pace, your hips grinding down onto his hand as your breath comes in desperate, ragged gasps. “n-no, i just —” 

“just what?” he growls, his voice thick with lust as his fingers fuck into you mercilessly. “tell me, baby. tell me how bad you want it.”

your mind is a haze of pleasure, and all you can do is whimper, your hands gripping his thighs as you try to keep yourself upright, the feeling of his fingers inside you overwhelming. “i want it,” you gasp, your voice barely coherent as the pleasure builds inside you, your hips moving frantically against his hand. “i want you so bad, shiu, please —”

he smirks, his grip tightening on your waist as he pulls you down harder onto his fingers, his voice a low rumble in your ear. “good girl. now, if you’re real lucky,” he purrs, his breath hot against your neck, “i might just give you what you really want.”

with that, he pulls his fingers out of you, leaving you gasping, desperate for more, and you whimper at the loss of contact. but before you can protest, shiu is already undoing his belt, his cock springing free as he flips you over to face him, gripping your waist as he positions you on top of him.

“think you deserve it, princess?” he murmurs, his voice thick with lust as he presses the tip of his cock against your dripping cunt, teasing you just like before, not giving you what you need just yet.

“y-yes,” you breathe, your whole body trembling as you try to sink down onto him, but he holds you back, making you wait, making you beg for it. 

“we’ll see,” he growls, his eyes locked on yours in the mirror as he finally, finally thrusts up into you, his cock stretching you open as he fills you completely.

you let out a loud moan, your hands flying to his chest for support as you grind down on him, your body shaking with the intensity of it all. “fuck, shiu,” you gasp, your voice breathless as you move your hips, riding him just like he told you to, the pleasure building with every thrust. 

his grip on your waist is bruising, his thrusts deep and hard as he watches you in the mirror, his eyes dark with lust. “that’s it,” he groans, his voice rough as he pulls you down onto his cock, his hips slamming into yours with each movement. “show me how much you need it.”

and you do, your body moving on its own as you ride him, the pleasure overwhelming, your mind going blank as he fucks you harder, faster, his cock hitting that sweet spot inside you with every thrust. 

“good girl,” he growls, his voice thick with satisfaction as he watches you fall apart on his cock, your moans growing louder, more desperate with each thrust. “ya gonna cum for me, princess?”

you nod frantically, your body trembling as you feel yourself nearing the edge, your hands gripping his shoulders as you ride him harder, faster, desperate to cum. 

“then cum for me,” he growls, his voice rough as he thrusts up into you one last time, sending you spiraling over the edge. your whole body shudders, your orgasm crashing over you in waves as you moan his name, your nails digging into his skin as you cling to him, your mind blank with pleasure. he follows right after, his grip on your waist tightening as he thrusts up into you one last time, his cock twitching inside you as he cums, filling you up. 

you both stay like that for a moment, breathing heavily, your bodies pressed together as the aftershocks of your orgasms ripple through you. shiu pulls you close, his lips brushing against your neck as he chuckles softly. 

“you’re something else, princess,” he murmurs, his voice filled with lazy affection as he reaches up, adjusting the crooked cat ears on his head with a smirk. “but i guess i’ll keep up with your little games… just this once.” 

you giggle softly, still catching your breath, as you lean back against him, your head resting on his shoulder as you smile. 

“just this once, huh?” you tease, already knowing better. 

he smirks, pressing a kiss to your neck as his hand lazily trails down your body, already teasing you again. 

“we’ll see,” he mutters, his voice low and teasing.

TOJI FUSHIGURO walks through the door after a long day, eyes immediately landing on you sprawled out on the sofa. the sight of you, wearing those cute little cat ears and a sly smile, makes him chuckle low under his breath. you’re always pulling these little stunts, trying to get a rise out of him. but when you suggest that he wears them?

that gets him laughing.

“you want me to wear those?” he scoffs, clearly amused, but when he sees the way your eyes sparkle with mischief, he knows where this is headed. “fine... just for a few minutes, baby. just for you.”

he lets you place the cat ears on his head, your fingers brushing through his hair while you bite your lip in excitement. what starts as playful amusement quickly turns into something far more charged when you straddle his lap, your hips grinding down against the bulge already forming in his pants. he’s got this grin on his face, one that tells you he’s onto you, knows exactly what you’re up to. “so this was your plan all along, huh?” he murmurs, voice dropping low as he leans in, lips brushing your ear. “wanted me to fuck you with these ears on, didn’t you, kitty?”

the way your breath hitches gives you away, and it’s all the encouragement he needs. his hand wraps around your throat, pulling you closer so his lips hover just over yours. “you’re such a little tease, always needing something to keep that mouth busy,” he groans, eyes dark as they roam over your flushed face. before you even register it, you’re off his lap and on your knees between his legs, fingers working to unbuckle his belt with shaking hands, already imagining how full your mouth is going to be in just a few seconds.

he watches you with those predatory eyes, and the second you take him in your mouth, that smirk of his only grows. “fuck... just like that, kitty. always so eager to choke on my cock,” he grunts, voice rough as his hand tangles in your hair, guiding your movements. the way you gag around him has his cock throbbing in your throat, and when you look up at him, eyes watery and desperate, he can’t help but lose it.

that’s when he grabs the cat ears and puts them on your head instead. “there... that’s where these belong,” he says, voice dripping with satisfaction as he watches the way you struggle to keep up with his pace, his cock growing even harder as he thrusts into your mouth. “look at you, all pretty with those ears on, taking my cock like a good little slut.”

the way he twitches in your mouth makes you moan around him, your eyes rolling back as you feel the heat pool between your legs. he’s so big, so thick, stretching your throat until you can barely breathe, and yet you can’t get enough. you’re whimpering around him, saliva dripping down your chin as you struggle to keep up with his rough pace, and toji’s practically growling above you, watching you come undone. “god, you’re such a fucking mess, kitty. love how you look with my cock down your throat. bet you can’t wait to get fucked, huh?”

and as much as you want to, you can’t respond. not with your mouth so full, not with him relentlessly fucking your face like he owns it. but you don’t need to say a word, because the way you’re gripping his thighs, the way your body trembles, says everything he needs to know.

“come on, baby. let’s get you up here so i can fuck that pussy,” he groans, pulling you off his cock with a wet pop, the sight of you with those ears and the dazed look in your eyes nearly making him lose control right then and there. “i’m gonna fuck you so good, you won’t be able to think of anything but my cock for days.”

NANAMI KENTO loves you to bits and pieces.

he's always ready to indulge in your antics, no matter how ridiculous they might seem. because let's face it – you bring a light into his life that no one else ever has. so when you tossed him a pair of cat ears with a teasing grin, he raised an eyebrow. sure, they were interesting. he didn’t exactly get the appeal of wearing them himself, but when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, the way the little ears perched on his head looked… silly.

you burst into laughter as he stared at his reflection, lips twitching with the faintest hint of amusement.

“you don’t have to wear them if you don’t want to,” you giggle, already expecting him to take them off.

but instead, nanami shrugs. “i don’t mind.”

you blink, surprised, but don’t push any further. he humors you like this more often than you expect. indulges you. and in the back of his mind, he knows how much joy it brings you, how you light up every time he goes along with your little whims.

and then, out of nowhere, you joke, "you should wear them while you fuck me."

he almost chokes on his tea. a full, sharp cough as his eyes widen slightly. "excuse me?"

you’re quick to backtrack, waving your hands in the air, heat rising to your cheeks. "i was joking! you don’t have to, kento, seriously —"

but nanami’s already looking at you like he’s considering it, really considering it. he sets his cup down slowly, fixing his gaze on you in that calm, steady way of his.

"you’re serious about this?" he asks, voice low, and it makes a shiver crawl down your spine. you nod sheepishly, biting your lip.

"only if you're comfortable with it…" your voice trails off, but there's a glint in his eye now, something unreadable, and your pulse quickens.

he stands, crossing the room in that effortless way he does, and suddenly he’s in front of you, towering over you. his hand reaches up to brush your hair behind your ear, and he leans down to murmur in your ear, "if it’s something you want, i’ll do it."

your breath catches, a soft gasp leaving your lips as his words sink in. he’s serious. nanami kento, in all his quiet, thoughtful glory, is seriously considering fucking you with those silly little cat ears on his head.

"you… you don’t have to…" you manage to stammer, but he shakes his head.

"no, i want to," he says, and there’s something dark, something teasing in the way he says it. "if that’s what you want, you’ll get it."

he steps back, his fingers trailing down your arm before he turns, walking toward the bed. he picks up the cat ears again, and without breaking eye contact with you, he places them back on his head, the corners of his lips quirking up just a fraction.

"now," he says, his voice dropping an octave as he unbuttons the top of his shirt, "why don’t you come here and show me how much you want this?"

the heat between your legs grows unbearable as you scramble to your feet, already breathless just from the way he looks at you. the cat ears might’ve been a joke, but the way nanami's towering figure looms over you now, the promise in his voice, the tension thickening the air between you — it’s anything but funny.

he leans down, catching your lips in a heated kiss, his hands gripping your hips, and you can’t stop the moan that escapes your throat when he presses you against the bed.

"i'm going to take care of you," he whispers, the cat ears still on his head as he kisses down your neck. his mouth trails lower, hot and slow, as his hands roam your body, and your breath hitches at the way his fingers trace the hem of your underwear. "just like you asked."

you can't help but laugh breathlessly, fingers tangling in his hair, tugging him closer. “you look ridiculous,” you gasp, as he nips at your skin.

he pulls back slightly, cat ears tilted just a bit from the motion, his gaze dark and intense as he looks down at you. “maybe,” he admits, voice a rough whisper, “but you're the one who's going to be moaning my name, so i think i win.”

nanami never could resist you — especially not when you’re looking up at him with that glint in your eye, biting your lip, and practically begging without saying a word. the cat ears are still perched on his head, a little crooked, but he doesn’t seem to care as he leans over you, his fingers tracing the line of your collarbone, his lips ghosting over your ear.

“you sure about this?” his voice is low, teasing. he knows damn well what you want, but he still waits for your nod, that soft sound of anticipation leaving your lips.

“yes,” you whisper, breathless, as your chest rises and falls under his gaze. “want you to fuck my tits.”

the smirk that tugs at his lips is so rare, so fleeting, but it’s there —and it’s enough to make you feel like you’re about to melt into the mattress. his hand trails down your body, lingering over your breasts, cupping them in his large hands before his fingers gently squeeze.

“whatever you want,” he murmurs, sliding down the bed slightly, positioning himself between your legs. his cock, already heavy and hard, brushes against you, and you shiver at the warmth of it, the promise of what’s coming.

he adjusts the cat ears on his head with one hand, giving you a look of pure, focused concentration that almost makes you giggle, but the sight of his cock, so close to your chest, quickly wipes the amusement from your mind.

nanami watches your reaction, his eyes darkening as he presses his cock between your tits, letting out a quiet groan at the feeling. the warmth of your skin, the softness — he can’t help the low, deep sound that escapes his throat as you squeeze your breasts together around him.

“fuck…” he mutters, thrusting slowly at first, savoring the sensation as he moves between them. his gaze flickers to your face, watching how you bite your lip, eyes wide and hungry as you stare up at him. “you look so beautiful like this.”

your hands come up to cup your breasts, pressing them tighter around his length, and the way he groans at the sight of it has your stomach fluttering, heat pooling between your legs. he’s trying to stay composed, but you can tell by the way his hips jerk, the quiet groans he’s letting slip, that you’re driving him crazy.

“kento…” you murmur, your voice barely a whisper as he picks up the pace, his cock sliding through the valley of your breasts, the head of it brushing against your chin. “feels so good…”

his breath hitches, and his hands grip the headboard to steady himself as he thrusts harder, losing a bit of the careful control he’s known for. “you’re… incredible,” he mutters, voice strained. his eyes never leave your face, drinking in every expression you make, every soft moan that spills from your lips.

you squeeze your breasts tighter around him, and he lets out a harsh groan, his thrusts becoming more erratic, the cat ears now askew on his head from the way he’s moving. the sight of him like this — eyes blown wide with lust, face flushed, those ridiculous ears still perched on his head — makes your whole body feel like it’s on fire.

“kento,” you whine, the sound of his cock slick between your tits making your head spin. “want you to cum for me…”

his jaw clenches at your words, his hips snapping harder against your chest, and you feel his cock twitch between your breasts. his breath comes in ragged gasps, his movements rough and unrestrained now.

“fuck,” he growls, and the deep rumble of it sends a shiver down your spine. “gonna—”

and with a few more thrusts, he’s spilling hot and thick over your tits, a guttural groan tearing from his throat as his head tilts back, the cat ears slipping just slightly as he rides out the pleasure. you watch as he tries to catch his breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his eyes hooded and still dark with desire.

you look up at him, breathless and grinning, his cum still warm on your skin. "so," you tease, voice playful, "how’d i do?”

nanami lets out a soft chuckle, shaking his head as he leans down to kiss you deeply, his tongue sliding against yours as his hands gently cup your face. “you,” he murmurs between kisses, “are going to be the death of me.”

he pulls back slightly, glancing down at the mess he’s made on your chest before his eyes flick back up to yours, a mischievous glint in his gaze. “i think we’re not done yet,” he whispers, voice low and gravelly, his lips brushing against your ear. “not until i’ve taken care of you too.”

INO TAKUMA is head over heels for you, no question about it. you don’t even have to finish your sentence for him to be on board. the moment you say, “taku, could you —" he’s already there with a smile on his lips, “yes, baby, anything for you.”

no hesitation. not even a second thought as he slides those cat ears on, giving you that cute little grin of his, though you know deep down he’s hanging onto your every reaction, desperate for your approval. his eyes light up when you coo at him, taking sweet, playful pov pics with your phone. the way he soaks it all in, so pleased with himself for making his pretty girlfriend happy, has your heart swelling.

what you didn’t expect, though, was for takuma to be the one who brought up wearing the ears in bed.

“you think i should keep ‘em on next time?” he asks, biting back a mischievous smile. your brain practically short-circuits at the suggestion, completely thrown off by how something so innocent, so simple, had taken such a delicious turn. but are you complaining? absolutely not.

what really catches you off guard is the next time you're fucking, and he’s standing there, not just with the cat ears, but with a cute little collar to match. it’s in your favorite color too — thoughtful as always. a small bell dangles off the front, and you’re so enamored by how sweet and sexy he looks at the same time that you can barely form a coherent thought.

“do you like it?” he murmurs, a shy but eager grin spreading across his face, waiting for you to say the words.

“you look… so fucking cute,” you breathe, and his eyes widen just slightly, a mix of bashfulness and pride swelling in his chest. he tugs you close, pressing his lips to yours, and it’s all you can think about, how badly you want him.

the next thing you know, you’re face-down, back arching, moaning into the pillow as he ruts into you from behind, the little bell on his collar chiming softly with every movement. the cold metal brushes against your skin, sending shivers up your spine, and takuma’s hands grip your waist, pulling you flush against him as he buries his face in the crook of your neck.

“fuck, baby,” he whimpers against your skin, his lips trailing over the sensitive spot behind your ear, nipping at your neck as he thrusts into you. each sound he makes is a quiet plea, his breath ragged and uneven, the bell ringing faintly with the rhythm of his movements.

your legs are trembling, overwhelmed by the feeling of his cock hitting just right, the sound of his soft whimpers in your ear, the cold metal of the bell rubbing against your back. it’s all too much, and yet, you never want it to stop.

“you feel so good,” he moans, his voice low and breathy, his hips snapping against you harder now, desperate, needy. “fuck, you’re perfect…”

your moans mix with his, both of you lost in the moment, in each other. and when you reach back to tangle your fingers in his hair, pulling him closer as he fucks you deeper, he lets out a choked sound, one that’s half-whimper, half-moan, and it drives you absolutely wild.

takuma’s hands are gripping your waist tightly, hips snapping into yours as the little bell on his collar rings with each thrust. the sound fills the room, mixing with your soft moans and the wet sound of his cock sliding in and out of you, and it’s driving you both crazy.

he leans further in, his lips brushing against your ear as he lets out a breathy chuckle. “look at you,” he whispers, his voice dripping with amusement, “my little kitty, taking me so well.”

you let out a small giggle, half-playful, half-winded from how good he feels, your hands leaving his hair to grip the sheets as you push back against him. “stop it, taku,” you whine, breathless, “you’re so — ugh — silly…”

his eyebrows raise, and though he’s grinning, there’s a glint in his eyes as he mockingly gasps. “oh? silly, huh?” he huffs, pretending to be offended, but you can already feel him tightening his grip on your hips, the tension in his body building as he braces himself.

“alright, baby,” he says, his voice low and teasing, “if that’s how you feel… then let’s see.”

before you can respond, his hips slam into you so hard you cry out, your whole body jerking forward as his pace becomes relentless. his cock hits deeper than before, his thrusts harder, faster, almost punishing in their intensity, and all you can do is moan, your words turning into incoherent gasps.

“w-wait —” you stammer, but your words die in your throat as he rams into you again, pulling you back by the hips until your ass is flush against him, the bell on his collar chiming wildly now with every brutal thrust.

“what’s wrong, kitty?” takuma growls, his voice heavy with lust as he keeps pounding into you, his lips brushing against the back of your neck. “can’t take it?”

your brain is spinning, the sensation of his cock stretching you out, the cold metal of the bell rubbing against your back, his breath hot against your skin — it’s all too much. “t-takuma!” you cry out, your nails digging into the sheets as you struggle to keep up, your words turning into breathless, broken moans. “i — fuck —"

he groans, loving how you're falling apart beneath him, his thrusts becoming almost animalistic now, each one sending shockwaves through your body. “who’s the silly one now, huh?” he growls, punctuating his words with another deep thrust, smirking at the way your back arches in response.

you’re gasping, moaning, your mind a mess, but then you feel his lips brush your ear again, his voice low and husky as he whispers, “say it for me, baby. tell me who the good kitty is.”

his words make your stomach flip, heat pooling between your legs as his thrusts drive you right to the edge. you bite your lip, your pride fighting against the desperate need building inside you, but another sharp thrust has you babbling, words slipping out before you can stop them.

“y-you are, taku,” you moan, your voice shaky, barely coherent as the pleasure overwhelms you. “you’re a good kitty, fuck — so good—”

the second those words leave your lips, takuma lets out a low, guttural moan, the sound vibrating through your skin as his grip on your hips tightens even more. he’s completely lost in it now, rutting into you harder, faster, his breath ragged, his body trembling as he chases his release.

“fuck, that’s it,” he groans, his voice rough with need, “say it again, baby.”

you can’t even think straight anymore, barely able to keep up with his pace as his cock slams into you, hitting just the right spot over and over again. “you’re a good kitty,” you repeat, your voice high and desperate, tears pricking the corners of your eyes from the intensity of it all. “my good kitty, taku —”

the sound of your voice, those words, the way you’re completely unraveling beneath him — it’s too much for takuma to handle. he lets out a choked groan, thrusting into you one last time, deep and hard, as he cums with a shudder, his whole body shaking as he cums inside you.

he collapses onto your back, still panting, the bell on his collar giving one final soft cling as he nuzzles into the crook of your neck. you’re both breathless, bodies pressed together, completely spent.

“so…” he murmurs after a moment, his voice teasing as he presses a lazy kiss to your shoulder, “who’s silly now?”

you groan, your body still tingling, but there’s no stopping the smile that spreads across your face as you reach back, ruffling his hair, the cat ears still sitting crookedly on his head.

“definitely not you, taku,” you whisper, feeling the warmth of his breath on your skin as he chuckles softly. “definitely not you.”

“did i do good?” he asks, a playful grin on his face as he pulls you closer, his arms wrapped around you tight.

“more than good,” you sigh, completely spent but completely content. you nuzzle against him, the warmth of his body against yours soothing, and the little chime of the bell now only adding to the softness of the moment.

and takuma? he’s just happy to make his girl feel good, cat ears and all.

my offering to you, dear reader (and my 100 followers) <3 thank you all so much for your support !! let me know how you liked this ;)

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[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Pick One: Magical Girl Show or Rom-com. You cannot be both.

Early in season four we get the episode Gang of Secrets. An episode that ends with Marinette outing her secret identity to Alya. A touching moment that sparked outrage across the fandom because it meant that Marinette had made the choice to reveal her identity to her best friend while keeping her hero partner in the dark.

This choice spat in the face of the exceptions that many fans had for the series. Thousands of pre-season-four fanfics feature moments where Ladybug and Chat Noir promise each other that they'll be the first to know each other's identities. After the Alya reveal, scores of fanfics were written to salt on Marinette's choice to tell the "wrong" person.

Most of these fics feature a betrayed Chat Noir quitting or otherwise punishing Ladybug for breaking their promise to be each other's first, thereby destroying his faith in their partnership. But that promise was never made on screen. It only existed in the realms of fanfic and, when Chat Noir finally found out in canon, his reaction was largely neutral. He never once blamed Ladybug for her choice or pushed for a reveal or even asked for the right to tell one of his friends.

So what happened here? Why did the fans have such wildly unrealistic expectations of canon? Were their expectations even unrealistic or did canon betray them? The answer to that is not as straight forward as you might think because it all comes back to one of Miraculous' many, many, many writing problems: Miraculous is trying to be both a Magical Girl Show and a romantic comedy, but those are not genres that mesh. You can only be one (or you can be a third thing that we'll get to at the end as it's the easiest way to fix this mess, but I want to mostly focus on where the anger is coming from and why the writing is to blame.)

To discuss this mismatch, we're going to do something that breaks my heart and talk about some of Origins flaws. While I love that episode and unironically refer to it as the best writing the show ever gave us, it's not perfect and its flaws are all focused around trying to set up both genres. Do note that I'm going to use a lot of gender binary language here as magical girl shows have a strong focus on gender segregation and rarely if ever acknowledge gender diversity.

Let's Talk Magical Girls

Magical girl shows are shows that center on young women and their friendships. While male love interests are often present in these shows, the boys tend to take a backseat and function primarily as arm candy while the girls save the day and carry the narrative.

A great example of this is the show Winx Club. This show features a large cast of teenage girls who save the magical universe from various threats with their magical powers. Each girl has a love interest, but the boys are usually off doing their own thing and only occasionally show up for a date or to give the girls a ride on their cool bikes or magical spaceship. I don't even think that we see the guys fight or, if we do, it's a rare thing. They are not there to save the day. They are there to be shipping fodder.

Like most magical girl shows, Winx Club starts with the main character making friends with one of the girls who will eventually become part of her magical girl squad. This brings us back to Miraculous.

Did you ever find it weird that Origins implies that Marinette has no friends? She doesn't even have a backbone until new girl Alya shows up to become Marinette's First Real Friend:

Marinette: I so wish I can handle Chloé the way you do. Alya: You mean the way Majestia does it. She says all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. (pointing at Chloé) Well, that girl over there is evil, and we are the good people. We can't let her get away with it.

This is a bizarre opening because Miraculous is not about Marinette making friends or learning to stand up for herself. If you skipped Origins and just watched the rest of the show, then you'd have no clue that Marinette wasn't close with her classmates before this year. You also wouldn't know that Alya was new in town and you definitely wouldn't know that Marinette had never stood up to Chloé before this year. So why is this here? Why waste screen time setting up elements that aren't actually important to canon?

Miraculous did it for the same reason that Winx Club did it: magical girl shows traditionally start with the main character making friends with at least one of her eventual female teammates because Magical Girl shows are all about the girls and their relationships. The boys are just arm candy.

But Miraculous isn't a magical girl show. The writers have explicitly stated that it's a rom-com and romantic comedies aren't about female friendship. They might have female friendships in them, but that's not where the focus is. The focus of a rom-com is on the romance and Origins is very clearly all about the romance.

Origins as a Rom-com

Origins has a lot on its plate. It has to establish the villain's motivation for the first time, show us how the heroes got their miraculous, show us how the heroes first met on both sides of the mask, show us how they met their respective best friends, and show us how the heroes dealt with their first akuma. It would be perfectly understandable if this 40 minute two-parter didn't do anything with the romance. They have a full show to give us that!

In spite of this, Origins has some incredibly touching moments for both Ladynoir and Adrienette because romance is the heart of Miraculous. It is the main focus of the show. The driving motivation for both of our leads and the majority of the show's episodes. To tell the story of how their journey started without at least one of them falling in love would feel wrong. That's why we see both of them fall in love!

First we get Chat Noir giving his heart to his bold and brilliant lady, then we get Marinette's heart being stolen by the shy sweet boy who never once thought to blame her for her snap judgement of his character. We even get a touching moment where Chat Noir inspires his lady to accept her role and be Ladybug, leading her to boldly face their enemy and call him out:

Roger: I have a new plan, unlike you! Move aside and let the pros do their thing. You've already failed once! Ladybug: …He's right, you know. If I'd captured Stoneheart's akuma the first time around, none of this would have happened! I knew I wasn't the right one for this job… Cat Noir: No. He's wrong, because without you, she'd no longer be here. (they look at Chloe) And because without us, they won't make it, and we'll prove that to 'em. Trust me on this. Okay? Ladybug: Okay.

I love this moment, but it does lose a little of its power when you remember that we had an Alya-driven variation of this exact same thing five minutes prior:

Alya: HELP!! (Marinette suddenly gets filled with courage. She gets the case out of Alya's bag and puts on the Miraculous. Then, Tikki appears, happy to see Marinette again.) Tikki:(raising her arms) Mmmm! Marinette: I think I need Ladybug! Tikki: I knew you'd come around! Marinette: Well, I'm still not sure I'm up for this, but Alya's in danger. I can't sit back and do nothing.

This scene initially confused me because - if Miraculous is a rom-com - then why would you make Alya the reason that Marinette became Ladybug? Why wouldn't you have Chat Noir be the one in danger so that Marinette chose to fight because of her love interest and then encourage that bond with the later scene of him encouraging her? Why split the focus like this? Why give Alya so much attention?

In case you haven't figured it out, it's because Origins is trying to establish two different genres of show. Two genres that will continue to fight for the rest of the series (or at least the first five seasons).

Magical Girls Vs Rom-com

Why is Alya the one to shake off the nightmare dust and inspire the others during the season five finale? Why is Alya the one that Marinette trusts with all of her plans while Chat Noir is kept in the dark? Why does Alya and Marinette's friendship get so much more focus than Adrien and Nino's? Why was Alya the only temp hero who got upgraded to full time hero?

It's because Alya is Marinette's second in command in a magical girl show and magical girl shows focus on female friendships while the boys are just there to be cute and support the girls.

Why do most of Marinette's talks with Alya focus on Adrien? Why is Chat Noir the only other full time holder of a Miraculous for the first three seasons and then again for the final season? Why do Marinette's friends become more and more obsessed with Adrienentte as the show goes on? Why is the love square's identity reveal given so much more narrative weight than any other identity reveal?

It's because Miraculous is a rom-com and the love square is our end game couple, so of course the story focuses on their relationship above all else!

Are you starting to see the problem?

Circling back to our original question: no, it was not unreasonable for the fans to expect that the Alya reveal would have massive negative consequences for Ladynoir. That is what should happen in a rom-com and Miraculous is mainly written like a rom-com. But the writers are also trying to write a magical girl show and, in a magical girl show, Alya and Marinette's friendship should be the most important relationship in the show, so it makes perfect sense that the show treats the Alya reveal as perfectly fine because the Alya reveal was written from the magical girl show perspective.

When it comes to Miraculous, if you ever feel like a writing choice makes no sense for genre A, re-frame it as a thing from genre B and it suddenly makes perfect sense which is fascinatingly terrible writing! It's no wonder there are people who hate the Alya reveal and people who will defend it with their life. It all depends on which genre elements you've picked up on and clung to. Neither side is right, they've both been set up to have perfectly valid expectations. Whether those expectations are valid for a given episode is entirely up to the mercurial whims of the writers!

How Do We Fix This Mess

At this point, I don't think that we can, the show is too far gone, but if someone gave me the power to change one element of Miraculous, that element would be this: scrap both the magical girl stuff and the rom-com stuff and turn Miraculous into a team show where the friendships transcend gender.

At this point, I've written over a quarter of a million words of fanfic focused on these characters (the brain rot is real) and one thing I've discovered is that it is damn near impossible to keep Adrien and Alya from becoming friends. They're both new to their school while Marinette and Nino have gone to the same school for at least a few years. Alya and Adrien are both obsessed with Ladybug plus Adrien is a natural hype man who loves to support his friends and Alya loves to talk about her blog. Alya is dating Adrien's best friend. On top of that, Alya, Adrien, Nino, and Marinette are all in the same class, meaning that they pretty much have to be spending time together five days a week unless French school don't give kids a chance to socialize or do group projects. If so, then judging them for the first issue, but super jealous of the latter.

Given all of that, why in the world is does it feel like Alya is Marinette's close friend while Adrien is just some guy who goes to Alya's school? Along similar lines, while canon Marinette barely talks to Nino, I've found that Marinette and Nino tend to get along smashingly, especially if you embrace the fact that they have to have known each other for at least a few years.

If you embrace this wider friendship dynamic and scrap the girl squad, replacing it with Alya, Adrien, Marinette, and Nino, then the fight for narrative importance quickly goes away. It's no longer a question of is this episode trying to be a magical girl show or a rom-com? Instead, the question is: which element of the friend group is getting focused on today? The romance or the friendship?

A lot of hero shows do this and do it well. I think that one of the most well known examples is Teen Titans. That show has five main characters and the focus is usually on their friendships, but there is a very clear running romantic tension between the characters Robin and Starfire with several episodes giving a good deal of focus to their romance. I'd say that this element really starts in the show's the 19th episode - Date with Destiny - and it all culminates in the movie that capstones the series: Trouble in Tokyo. The character Beast Boy also gets a romance arc and, while it's more short lived, it's further evidence that you can have strong romances and strong friendships in the same show and even the same episode. You just have to own the fact that boys and girls can be friends with each other, a very logical thing to embrace when your show has decided to have a diverse cast of heroes instead of imposing arbitrary gender limitations on its magical powers.

I couldn't figure out a way to work this into the main essay, but it's relevant so I wanted to quickly point it out and give you more to think about re Origins. Have you ever found it weird how Origins gives both Adrien AND Marinette the "I've never had friends before" backstory and yet wider canon acts like Marinette has this strong amazing friend group while Adrien doesn't seem to care about making friends and instead focuses all his energy on romance? Why give both the protagonist and the supposed deuteragonist this kind of origin if it's not going to be a major element of the show? It makes so much more sense to only give one of them this backstory and then focus that person's character arc on learning about friendship.

[versadies]

MY LOVE, MINE, ALL MINE (various x gn!reader)

SALUTATIONS. my love, mine, all mine

ADDRESSED. neuvillette, alhaitham, capitano, diluc, itto, tartaglia, kaveh, kaeya (x gn!reader)

STAMPS. what body part they kiss the most (sfw)

CONTENT. ooc (?), fluff/no-angst, established relationships, possibly cheesy (not sorry), possible grammar errors, mentions of battle, mentions of blood (capitano, childe)

POST-SCRIPT. all these characters are nothing but pokemons to me, i see one, i'll collect one in game. part two will come soon (with zhongli, wriothesley, ayato, thoma, pierro, and pantalone!)

LINKS. masterlist / taglist / part two

HANDS – Neuvillette, Alhaitham, Capitano, Diluc

NEUVILLETTE kisses your knuckles the most. To him, he believes that kissing you on the lips is far too intimate to be seen in public, preferring to do it in closed doors where it’s just the two of you alone, and so he often kisses your knuckles whenever he can. 

Whenever he does, one of his glove-covered hands would reach towards yours before lifting it to his lips, kissing each knuckle with care as though your hand is a delicate treasure, as if every kiss is a promise that he’ll hold your heart with care and unwavering devotion. 

It doesn’t help that you often find your cheeks warming up when his intense violet-shaded eyes look at yours, and no words were enough for you to explain the connection that you both have from just a simple stare. 

By the time he pulls away from your hand, you let out a breath that you didn’t know you were holding. 

“Oh, do you have a fever, my dear?” He asks worriedly, removing one of his gloves to check on the temperature of your forehead after kissing your knuckles out of nowhere while the two of you were lounging on the couch in his office. “Fret not, I can make something that can ease your fever away.” He adds, before standing up and rushes away to make a drink that will help you ease yourself, unaware that he’s the reason for your flustered state.

Ah, the things you’d do for this sweet man of yours. 

The same goes for ALHAITHAM when it comes to kissing you in public. He believes that the two of you kissing on each other’s lips should be private with no one to ruin it or spoil the intimacy, and so you often find him kissing you in other parts instead – specifically, your hands or cheeks. 

It’s rare for him to kiss you in public since he’s not much of a PDA man, but when he does, it happens at a quiet or secluded moment when the world seems to be muted around you two. When Alhaitham finds himself staring at you for too long, he couldn’t help but smoothly put his hand on top of yours, and raises your hand towards his lips to kiss it. 

His turquoise-shaded eyes stay on yours when you look at him, never looking away as you feel his lips on your skin, bringing chills to your spine from the feeling. The way he stares at you is as if he knows your deepest secrets and desires, and knows what sets you off to make your knees become jelly-like.  

It doesn’t help that he’d casually act as if nothing happened after, as if it’s just a casual thing to do (it is, to him), leaving you staring at him with your mouth agape. 

“What? Cat got your tongue?” He asks, hiding a small smirk as he glances at you. 

He definitely knows what he’s doing. 

CAPITANO is a strong man with a physique that could make anyone intimidated – both vision-holders and non-vision holders alike. It’s no doubt that such a powerful man like him would most likely be found in numerous battlefields, bringing the Tsaritsa many victories that she deserves. 

So it’s a strange sight to see said strong man on one knee, holding your hand as he gives it an affectionate kiss. He does it in a way that’s as though you’re a deity worth worshiping. He’s a captain by others, but to you, he’s your knight in shining armor (that’s corrupted by bloodshed and death, but we don’t talk about that here). 

You cannot see the expression he makes, but the way he kisses your hand is enough for you to know how much this man, who had killed so many and left no mercy to his opponents, is soft and caring for you. He kisses with care, as if afraid that you’ll shatter if he doesn’t control his strength. 

It became a custom for him to be on one knee and kiss your hand whenever he comes home to you from another mission – which is perhaps more often than you both like to admit. Despite your insistence that he doesn’t have to do such things, he does it anyway. In a way, it’s his way of apologizing to you for the lost time, and will do anything to make it up to you.

And he always did, with gifts, comfort, and of course, love. 

“I’m home, my love.” He spoke, with a hint of affection in his gruff voice that usually holds so much authority, kissing your hand tenderly.

DILUC is a gentleman by heart, and although he’s seen as the epitome of perfection around Mondstadt, he is seen indoors as a vulnerable man who you dearly care for. For so long, the two of you have found comfort and love within one another in the dimly lit room that you both share in the manor. He’s your warmth, and you’re his pillar. 

In private, where no one could see underneath the aloof and courteous man but you, he’d tiredly wrap his arms around you as he sighed in contentment. It’s normal for a man such as him to be so tired from work, so tired from his duties, and so tired from everything outside of his manor, but he is never tired of you, his beloved spouse who he treasures. He’s a zealous soul who cares not for wealth and materialism, but for the people of Mondstadt and the ones he loves.  

Your hand is often intertwined with his, and he’d bring up your hand up to his lips in the quiet moments of your shared intimacy. To him, your hand is a canvas that he paints with his deep affection and adoration. 

You couldn’t help but soften up as a result, feeling cherished and loved by your beloved man who never fails to make you swoon. 

For Diluc, kissing your hand is more than some simple intimate gesture, but rather a way to honor your pure essence – to show you how grateful he is to have you who has captured his soul in a tight grip that he never wants to leave from. And so, he continues to kiss your hand more, each a testament with a silent vow to love you throughout your lives together. 

“A-Ah.. My bad,” He clears his throat, his ears turning almost as red as his hair, “It seems I almost got carried away.” 

LIPS – Itto, Tartaglia, Kaveh, Kaeya

ITTO is a kind soul at heart, with a fiery passion when it comes to his loved ones – specifically, and with no certain favoritism, you. The oni is not one to shy away from showing you how much he loves you with all of his huge heart, so expect lots of kisses from him! 

The most prominent part that he kisses is of course, your lips. 

For Itto, there is no greater joy than the taste of your lips, each kiss contains joy and love on his end. With his endless energy and passionate spirit, he approached each kiss and affection  with an infectious enthusiasm, eager to lose himself in the overwhelming warmth of your presence and affection. 

In the sweetness of your kiss, he finds it much better than the feeling of sweet victory from a beetle battle, and he couldn’t find himself to remove the pleased grin on his face whenever he gets a kiss from you. 

It’s as if your lips is a magnetic force to his, as he never hesitates to kiss you whenever he could – be it whenever he greets you, whenever he wins a battle, basically every moment with him (a bit of an exaggeration really, but you get what I mean!). 

“My boo boo bear!” He cheers when he sees you in his vision, running up towards you as he instantly gives you a bone-crushing hug, lifting you up with his immense strength regardless of your weight. “I missed you! How was your day?” He asks excitedly, giving you a big smooch! on your lips.

CHILDE is just as fun as Itto – if you excuse his battlelust, of course. Besides his need for an activity or someone to fight with, the prowess fighter is not shy when it comes to giving you what he believes you deserve, which is giving you his undying affection.

He’s an infectious man, who leeches off to your kisses and hugs. He’s a fighter by spirit, but a lover by heart. He’s attentive to your needs, very willing to give you tons of kisses if you ask for it. Of course, even if you didn’t, he’d snatch a kiss or two from you without you expecting it. 

His love is like an unforgiving ocean, often wild and untamed, yet it comes with a fierce and unrelenting passion. In moments between the two of you, he seeks to plant his lips on yours, as though your kiss is a battlefield conquered by him, a well-done victory even. 

With each kiss on your lips is a vow, a vow that he’ll see to it that he gets to see the light of day after every battle, to see you by the end of the tunnel and show you that you won’t lose him that easily. For in your presence, he found his salvation, the arm that reaches out to him to pull him out of the abyss he’s in, guiding him out of the unforgiving ocean that seems to drown him whole. 

And so, he’ll never stop kissing you, regardless of where you are and the circumstances. 

“Were you watching me?” He asks eagerly, running up to you before planting a kiss on your lips, his hands that are scarred from the numerous weapons he held and the battles he fought in find themselves cupping your cheeks. 

When he pulls away, he looks at your eyes with a cheeky grin. “I did great, didn’t I?”

Known for his works and talent, KAVEH is no doubt a respectable man around the land of wisdom and scholars. Many would sing praises to his masterpieces and his original ideas that bring potential to Sumeru. As what a certain scribe would describe him, he is the light of Kshahrewar and a master builder and craftsman. 

However, such a bright reputation hides a man whose heart is tender and emotionally fragile, with too much on his plate. Which is why he is ever so grateful to have you by his side through it all.

For every affection the two of you share, Kaveh feels like the luckiest man in all of Sumeru – no, in Teyvat even. He doesn’t feel like he deserves you, a person who loves him for all that he is. With you, he feels cherished and appreciated even, and you balance his emotional fragility with your presence that seems so encouraging and comforting.

He seeks refuge in your affection, often cupping your cheeks and giving you a kiss. His kisses are frequent, and his lips often find themselves on yours. Each of his kiss is full of love, and there’s no doubt that there seems a desperation laced in it, as if he’s scared that this kiss is his last, and you might be gone before he knew it – just like his loved ones. 

Yet, in the softness of your lips, he found reassurance. He’s reminded that amidst the struggles of his life, your relationship remains timeless and true. Just like how he does with his work, he pours his heart and soul into your relationship together, cherishing the bond that you both have towards one another with  tenderness.

“Thank you.” He said, kissing you on your lips with a look that threatens to crumble. “I know I’ve said it too many times, but I can’t help myself. I really am grateful.” 

When you ask for what he’s thanking you for, he could only give you a smile, a sight that shines far brighter than the sun itself.

“Thank you for staying.”

You’d be lying if you said you’ve always thought you’d end up dating the notorious Cavalry Captain, who is more than often a flirtatious man whenever you’re around. KAEYA is not one who shies away from something, and if it means reminding you every now and then that he’s into you, then so be it!

Every waking moment with Kaeya is a thrilling challenge, and you two often find yourselves in a dance of wits and flirts, with a few glasses of wine and other drinks that the tavern sells. The two of you know how to push the other’s buttons, often playing banters and all. Even when you two are now dating, things are still the same – besides the fact that the two of you are free to kiss one another and often crash at each other’s places. 

Yet underneath such playful flirting and bantering, there’s a deep and abiding connection between the two of you that remains unspoken but welcomed.

Unsurprisingly, Kaeya finds home in your lips. To him, it just felt right. Sure, he likes to kiss your hands and cheeks, but it’s a different story when it comes to your lips. For him, stealing a kiss on your lips is not just an ordinary gesture of affection, but rather a declaration of his unwavering love for you. 

And so, more often than not, he prefers kissing you more on your lips.

With a teasing look and smirk on his face, he’d pull you close towards him without warning, his lips finding yours with an urgency that left you both breathless. There’s often laughter and desire lingering around the privacy of your bedroom, and it was a safe sanctuary that Kaeya finds comfort in. 

His laughter would fade into a whisper of “I love you”’s as he traces his cold fingertips on your face that he loves to see at every waking moment. He cherished these kinds of moments, and he’d be damned if he doesn’t spend each one as if it’s his last. And so, he continues to give you more kisses to drown your sweet laughter, for in your warmth and embrace, he could only find his great happiness and peace. 

“Come on, give me another one.” He chuckles, urging you to let him give you one more kiss before the two of you can sleep in each other’s arms. “Just one more kiss, I promise.”

PENPALS. @scaraslover @saving-for-xiao @dawgimsohot @ragnvdnr @chiruru @aqualesha @renamichii @mrkamisato @shenhesl0ver @serami00 @serenareiss @hiqhkey @emperatris-rinaka @bystander36 @irisxiel @ladycoleigh @034ven @dear-dairiess @owozi8 @hadesaedes @chiro-chiro-kun @hersscherofyatta @mariusvonhangme @yuzuricebun @nejibot @hoshikistarlette @solaaresque @crowbird @lordbugs @flowersforayato @headintheclouddd @estelwrld @giyusimpsassemble @irethepotatosblog @moonlightaangel @alice0blog @shotosbrainrot @sniffoat @chihawari @mxsomn @kuni-kuzushii @jiminscarmex @mitsukii14 @ylimeprive @sachispet @loreleis-world @sn-owo @starforecasts @someonetookmynamelmao @ceylestia @astrequa @ymikkos @reallysporadicarcade @melodyyamino @dudufodd @somberrock @yevenly @lemontum @nghing @shaiah @miss-lady-witch @yashe @imkaaayy @badlywrittens @0rah-s @totallynotaraidensimp @garlicforthewin

[qiu-yan]

haterisms beneath the cut

this hater poll brought to you by....a series of Bad Mcfucking Takes i had to read with my own eyeballs. seriously did we read the same book or not.

explanations:

"jiang cheng killed wei wuxian": jiang cheng did not kill wei wuxian in any version of the story. in mdzs wei wuxian died from backlash and in cql wei wuxin chose to let go of lan wangji after jiang cheng stabbed the cliff face. you can argue till the cows come home about how responsible jiang cheng is for wei wuxian's demise, but "jiang cheng killed wei wuxian" is just factually incorrect.

"jiang cheng abuses jin ling": jiang cheng does not abuse jin ling. first, the narration goes out of its way to establish that jiang cheng does not hit jin ling, specifically in a setting where hitting children is normalized and expected. in fact, wei wuxian says that jin ling is bratty specifically because he's never been hit. second, jin ling is also clearly comfortable talking back to jiang cheng and needling him in a way jiang cheng definitely was not with his own parents. even when jiang cheng is actively losing it when he captures wei wuxian in qinghe, jin ling remains completely unruffled - which speaks to how much jin ling takes for granted that he is safe with jiang cheng.

"jiang cheng could have easily helped the wen remnants, he just didn't": antis love to act like yunmeng jiang could have easily taken in the wemnants and jiang cheng simply chose not to because he was a hater/super jelly/various synonyms for ontologically evil. which is not the fucking case. learn to read. yunmeng jiang's own position post sunshot was very weak - they were a great sect in name only and were excluded from the alliance tying the three other great sects together - and jiang cheng could not politically afford to protect wei wuxian after wei wuxian alienated lanling jin. that's why jiang cheng says "if you insist on doing this, i can't protect you," and why wei wuxian then tells jiang cheng to let him go. because they both understand this. come on

"jiang cheng forced jiang yanli to marry jin zixuan": jiang yanli as a character makes so many sacrifices for her family and her brothers. her relationship with zixuan is like the one thing she chooses for herself. she loves him!! the tragedy in wei wuxian killing jin zixuan is that yanli genuinely loved zixuan!! ngl i think antis argue this purely to try to exonerate wei wuxian: if jiang yanli didn't love jin zixuan then wei wuxian donutting him isn't a problem anymore, apparently. this is the result of people thinking of jiang yanli as purely a thing for wei wuxian, rather than a human being in her own right.

"jiang cheng should have protected wei wuxian from yu ziyuan": this one is annoying because jiang cheng was also a child. when a child is abused, it is the fault of the abuser, not the fault of another child who is also subject to the whims of the abuser. come on.

[chokamo]

glimpse of us

pairing : oscar piastri x fem!reader

summary : raising a baby is difficult as it is, but no one told you raising a carbon copy of your kin who likes your hobby just as much as you would be a blessing .

your daughter’s love for the ocean have stem from the various time you went to the beach when you were carrying her in the womb.

the mist of sea salt, the sound of waves and the stench of sand lingering between your clothing and crevices of your skin captivates you. the connection you had with the ocean, seems to passed down to her.

when you met your now husband, oscar, your love for the beach went to him as well. it became a weekly tradition for you to visit the shore during your earlier relationship, the calming atmosphere resonating throughout waves was enough to help soothe any stress both of you faced.

any time both of you feel down, going through a rough patch in your relationship or on the verge of a breakup, the beach was always there. so, it was no suprise when the both of you decided to purchase a home near to the beach.

when she was born, her curiosity about the world increased between the comfort of your home and the outside world. so, you made it a routine to bring her to the beach once a week. and before you know it, she eagerly began to show her interest towards the beach, and you were not complaining.

yourusername

liked by oscarpiastri, user, user, user and others.

yourusername our second time this week 😓

user LOL

user their love for the beach 🥹🥹🥹

user Y/NNNN OMGGG

user GORGEOUS Y/NNN

user your photo dumps always hittt

user my fav family ever

user baby piastri 🤍🤍🤍

user -> i love when she appears

user -> agree!!

user 🔥🔥🔥🔥

oscarpiastri i love both of you

you replied -> we love u 🥹🥹

user cuties

user makes me want to go to beach now 😓

user i love how they protect their daughter privacy.

user -> true! even her name is unknown

user -> good parents right there

user -> i just know she’s the safest baby out there

user the pink aesthetic is so arghhhh

user FINALLY!! was waiting for a y/n post

user thank you y/n for the oscar crumbs

user -> the only thirst we can appreciate

user -> his back 😳😳😳

user a post from a y/n will always atee

user never stop feeding us 🤌

oscarpiastri

liked by yourusername, user, user and others.

oscarpiastri second home @/yourusername

user oh y/n you are gorgeous

user LOVE THEM SMM

user piastri FAMILY 🤍

user his love for y/n is admirable 🥹

user -> so true!! he ALWAYS post her 😭😭

user OMG i didn’t even notice baby piastri there 😭

user -> ME TOO she’s a rare sighting on their post

user -> as they should 👏

user -> lets keep babies safe from weirdos ‼️

user their summer break are so >>>>>

user oh i love this

user body is tea

user y/n is so stunning

user i want her

user who taught him to photo dump like this?? 🤨

user -> he’s so good at it now!!

user -> all thanks to y/n

user -> THANK YOU Y/N we say in union

user 😫😫😫😫

yourusername ill give a 8/10 for this dump 😳

oscar replied -> 🙄🙄🙄🤍

user LMAOO

user living for their playful banter >>>>

user can’t wait to see more of them next time.

a/n : do people still like dad!f1?? i like em <33

check out my other post! masterlist

disclaimer: this is a work of fiction, the events and characters depicted are not based on real life, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

[aemondsbabe]

summary: your uncle catches you sneaking from the keep and decides you need to be punished, but finds a sweet surprise instead

pairing: daemon x niece!reader

warnings: mature/explicit, 18+ (minors dni!), no use of y/n, afab reader, canon typical incest, infidelity but it's not really mentioned rhaenyra just exists lol, mentions of menstruation, reader is on her period, period kink on daemon's part, blood kink, blood, spanking, mild coercion, oral (f receiving), masturbation (m), slight corruption kink, good cop/bad cop daemon

word count: 4.4k

a/n: this fic is part of a collab with a bunch of my lovely moots! @lady-phasma came to us with an ask about period sex and daemon and, being as lovely as she is, she offered us all the chance to collab on it -- choosing our own characters & how to play the story!

🩸masterlist of everyone's fics here!

all board creds to the lovely @zaldritzosrose ♥️

likes, comments, & reblogs are very appreciated but never required!

❤️my masterlist

🦋find me on ao3!

🌟add yourself to my taglist!

“Uncle, please!” You plead again, though you know it’s useless; your voice carries in the empty corridors of the Keep, “I promise I won’t do it again! I swear it!” 

Daemon merely grunts in response, his grip on your shoulder tightening while he guides you along. You struggle to keep up with his long strides, his quick pace nearly knocking you over; your heart leaps into your throat when you’re finally tugged to a lurching stop.

“In you get,” he says gruffly, leaving you no room to argue as he ushers you into his study, “You and I have much to discuss, little niece.”

Huffing petulantly, you duck under his arm and slowly make your way into the small chamber. Truthfully, it was normally used as storage for the library but since Daemon and Rhaenyra and their sons had been back in King’s Landing, he had all but commandeered it for himself and had ordered that a writing desk be brought into the room. Glancing around at the various high bookshelves, you wince when he finally pulls the door closed. 

“Now,” he drawls, walking around to stand before you, arms crossed over his broad chest, “Do you want to explain to me exactly why I found you sneaking through the halls at this hour?” His violet eyes bore into yours, making you feel flush under his exacting stare. 

“I was merely going to the kitchens!” You murmur defensively, holding his gaze for only a second longer before glancing away, “I just… I was going to get more of the lemon cakes we had at dinner this evening! I know it’s naughty, but I ��”

“No,” he cuts you off, voice low and firm as he narrows his eyes at you, no doubt seeing through your lies with ease. “You were being naughty, sweet niece, I dare say that bit is true,” he smirks, hooking a finger under your chin and forcing your eyes up toward his, “But we both know it wasn’t lemon cakes you were after.”

“I-It was!” You try once more, internally flinching at the way your voice cracks.

“This is a very fine dress for simple lemon cakes, then, isn’t it?” His brows raise knowingly while his other hand comes up to pluck at an embroidered sleeve. 

“Well… well it wouldn’t be proper to be out in my night –”

“So, it’s propriety you’re so concerned with now, is it?” He cuts you off again, smirking wildly as he’s hardly even having to work at cornering you, the sweet little thing that you are, “That’s quite funny, seeing as how it’s also very improper for a young lady, a young princess at that, to be out galavanting around King’s Landing all night…”

You balk at that, lips parting in surprise as your brows furrow. “I wasn’t!” You quickly breathe, voice sounding more like a mousey little squeak, “I would never, uncle! I merely… I o-only got dressed to go to –”

“Come now,” he says slowly, voice low but firm, “This isn’t even the same pretty dress you had on at dinner. If you’re going to lie, at least try and be good at it.”

You open your mouth instinctually, a defensive reply ready on your tongue, though you quickly think better of it and snap your lips shut once more, jaws clenched. Your eyes flit away from him and your heart hammers in your chest; you hate the way you can feel blood rushing to your cheeks as you swallow thickly, fighting against the tightness building at the back of your throat, the stinging behind your eyes. 

“Shh, there’s no need for all that,” he murmurs, swiping a thumb beneath your eye to quickly wipe away an errant tear; your breath catches in your throat at how quickly he can shift from intimidating to doting. 

“Please… please don’t tell my mother,” you whine, switching to bargaining instead, “If she finds out, I won’t be allowed out again until I’m married and Gods know when that might be…”

He chuckles at that, a playful smirk on his lips when he shakes his head. “I won’t tell on you, sweetling,” he all but croons, making you relax somewhat until you see a devious gleam in his eyes, “If you tell me what you were really up to. Because I know damn well it wasn’t lemon cakes.”

Your heart sinks again and you chew at your bottom lip for a moment, nervously wringing your hands. You cannot tell him the truth, you know that much but you hardly trust yourself to speak at all, fearing he’ll work it out of you one way or another.

Daemon’s impatient grumble makes you wince. “I was just… just going to a tavern! Honest!” You rush out, squeaking and stumbling over your words like a nervous mouse, “I merely wanted to go out on my own! Just once!”

He stays silent for a moment, eyes boring into yours and narrowing just slightly, before he sighs heavily and shakes his head. “What in the world were you thinking?” He murmurs, sounding exactly as he does when he scolds little Joffrey, “Do you have any idea what might’ve happened to you?”

“I would’ve been careful!”

“It’s not about what you would’ve done, naive little thing,” he snickers, making your cheeks flush, “Certainly you’re aware that nearly every man in that wretched city would give to –”

“I’m quite aware,” you interject, snapping in annoyance and shuddering at the thought of what he was insinuating. 

“Careful,” your uncle warned, gaze darkening and growing serious once more, “Don’t take that tone with me, I could very well march you right to your mother; you’ll be lucky to be made a septa if she catches wind of this.”

Your jaws clench and you have to fight the urge to scoff, to roll your eyes. “Well, I don’t appreciate you speaking to me like I’m some idiotic child!”

“Oh, aren’t you?” He huffs, taking a step closer to you, “Only an idiotic little fool would venture into King’s Landing in the dead of night to get up to Gods know what with Gods know who!” 

“I told you!” You bite back, trying to keep your voice steady, “We would’ve been –” 

The air feels as if it’s been sucked out of the room by the time you manage to shut yourself up, though it’s already much too late. Daemon’s head tilts to the side curiously, a sinister smirk on his lips once more, the second you squeeze your eyes shut and internally scold yourself for making such an error.

“We?” 

“Aegon,” you admit after a tense moment, knowing there’s hardly any use in drawing it out further.

“Ah, Aegon,” he drawls, chuckling to himself as he nods, “Letting big brother take you on a tour of the city then?”

“Something like that,” your voice is little more than a whisper while you nervously bite at your lip, keeping your eyes downcast.

“My, my,” you can practically feel the smugness radiating off of him as he circles you, arms behind his back, “An unplucked little flower, galavanting around the city, and with a married man, no less.”

Again, you clench your jaw as anger builds within you, grinding your teeth together while you will yourself to just stay quiet. You can’t help but remember a story Aegon had told you once, years before. At the time, you thought it was nothing more than a rumor, just old family gossip compounded by the murmurings of smallfolk. Now, though, just the mere chance that there may be even a sliver of truth to it makes your blood run hot. 

How dare he.

Daemon snickers again, the sound of it makes you clench your fists. “I do wonder what my dearest brother would think of that.”

“Yes, uncle, what would father think?” You snap before you can help yourself, lips set into a tight frown while you peer up at him.

“I said careful –”

“Because he’s heard all of that before, hasn’t he?” You try, heart skipping a beat when his eyes widen just slightly before quickly narrowing again.

“Watch yourself.”

“No!” You scoff, chest heaving with a righteous rage, “You’re no better than me, certainly no better than Aegon – doing the exact same thing to Rhaenyra! You’ve no right to lecture me in this –”

“I married her, that is the difference,” he says lowly, a harshness to his tone you’ve never heard before; he grips your shoulder with one hand, fingers digging almost painfully into your skin, “I made an honest woman of her, something your drunken cunt of a brother cannot ever do.”

“An honest woman,” you scoff, some part of your subconscious is begging you to shut up but you ignore it, “Honest enough to birth three strong boys, isn’t that right uncle?” 

That’s the final nail in your proverbial coffin – echoing Aemond’s words from earlier in the evening, though you suppose you at least had the wherewithal to not ruin dinner. 

“That’s it,” Daemon snaps, violet eyes burning with a fire that would rival that of the Dragonmont, “I really didn’t want to have to do this, princess.”

Your brows furrow for only a second and you’re silently planning an escape route as he presses against your shoulder, assuming that he’s making good on his threats to parade you before your parents. Your cheek is already pressing against the smooth, dark wooden surface of the desk before you register that he was never pushing you toward the door. 

Flustered and disoriented, alarm bells ring in your head as you squirm against the hand on your back, pinning you down. Your eyes widen when you feel him tugging your skirts up, panic flooding through you when you realize what he’s doing.

“Uncle, please!” You plead, bracing your hands against the desk as you attempt to push yourself up to no avail, “I’m sorry, truly! I didn’t mean it!”

“Enough!” Daemon barks, pulling your skirts up over your backside and letting the fabric bunch in against the small of your back, “You need to be taught some manners, little brat.” 

You hardly have time to take in another lungful of air before his hand is cracking down against your rear, making you yelp even as the pain of it is dulled by the thin fabric of your smallclothes. You fight against his hold all the while, grunting and squirming like a rabbit in a trap. 

Unfortunately, he realizes after a moment that this particular method doesn’t seem to be quite enough. A little panicked yell is wrenched from your lips when you feel his fingers hook into the waist of your smallclothes, making an icy chill run down your spine for an altogether different reason than the threat of pain.

“Uncle Daemon, wait!” You beg, shoving an arm behind your back and attempting to bat away his hand, “Y-You can’t, you mustn’t!”

“Come now,” he scoffs, easily pushing your hand away, “It’s only a backside, sweet niece, you think I haven’t seen one before?”

“It’s not tha –”

“And you seemed more than prepared to let dearest Aegon see much more than that, hm?” He drawls, going to tug at the fabric once more.

“I wasn’t!” You try again, desperate to make him understand, “W-We couldn’t have done anything, anyway!”

“Couldn’t have done…?” He questions, brows furrowing as he finally wrenches your smallclothes over the curve of your rear, tugging them unceremoniously down until they hang at your knees. It’s only then that he sees the issue, unable to keep the smirk off of his face as he hears you whine softly against the desk. 

This is what all that fuss was about? He thinks, eyes trailing over the bright red streaks, tacky on your inner thighs, until they settle on the blood soaked linens folded in the gusset of your underwear. 

“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” he sighs, the hand on your back rubbing up and down in a way that would be soothing in any other circumstance. “Now, what were you saying?” He asks casually, like he’s talking to you about the weather and like your arse isn’t out on display. 

“Aegon… Aegon and I couldn’t have done anything anyway,” you try again, praying he’ll take mercy on you, “Because of, well…”

“Because of what? A little blood?”

You merely nod, flushing so badly that your cheeks tingle as blood rushes to them.

“Oh, you sweet little lamb,” he coos, suddenly bringing a hand down against your rear again, smirking when you yelp at the sting, “Do you think men care about getting their swords a little bloody?”

He doesn’t give you a chance to answer as he smacks you again, easily holding you down when you begin struggling once more. Again, his eyes trail over your slit, heart quickening in his chest while he admires the crimson against your skin. Rhaenyra has only let him have her like this a scant few times, the pains that come along with her monthly blood keeping her from arousal and though he has not given into his cravings, he would be a fool to deny them. 

His jaw clenches as he grits his teeth, spanking you yet again, alternating between cheeks, before soothing the sting with gentle caresses and smirking when you shiver at the soft touch. You remind him of her, you always have, though he’s never voiced it. All youthful vigor, filled with an untamed confidence that only naivety can bring, and with a fiery temper to match – more like your half-sister than you knew. 

Perhaps his desires could be managed in… other avenues. 

He brings his hand down once more, relishing the way you squirm and cry, your delicate skin hot beneath his palm. His member stirs, pressing angrily against the ties of his trousers, when he notices a little rivulet of red running down your inner thigh.

“You know,” he starts, petting his hand over your back while you sob, tears leaking onto his desk, “Many men quite enjoy their women this way, sweet niece.”

He smirks when he hears your breath hitch, swears he can hear your heart fluttering like the wings of a little bird in the quiet chambers. 

“Warm, open… slick,” he drawls, taking a second to squeeze at the soft skin at the back of your thigh, the very tip of his thumb just barely running through a little crimson drip. He brings his hand up, marvels at the dark droplet staining his finger for only a second, before flicking it away with his tongue. 

You gasp, having been watching curiously from the corner of your eye as an altogether different kind of heat swarms your veins. You don’t fight his hold any longer, victim to his spell even as your mind wars with itself. 

“I-It’s messy, though…” You try, your voice sounding unconvincing to your own ears; you swallow nervously when he chuckles. 

“Mm, it’s not all that different from any other honeyed hole, sweet niece,” Daemon soothes, putting your worries at ease while he trails a hand over your inner thighs, licking his lips at the way your tacky skin feels against his fingers, “It can be messy, yes, but… some men prefer mess.”

Do you? You wonder, although you already know the answer, legs spreading unconsciously at his touches. A whine slips from your lips when he moves his hand back up, rubbing it over your still sore backside. 

“Still stings?” He asks, one eyebrow raised. He tuts when you nod, soothing you gently, like the sting isn’t his fault, “Lucky for you, I know just the thing for it.”

“What…?” You question, brows furrowing as you attempt to push yourself up from the desk, only to be pushed back down against it – albeit a little gentler this time. 

“You just relax,” he croons, all traces of the anger from before gone; the fires within him extinguished at the thought of finally getting what he’s missed for so long, “Let uncle kiss it better, hm?”

A shiver goes through you at his words and your breath catches in your throat, eyes wide as you feel him move around you, slinking from his place at your side to your back. Fabric rustles behind you and just as you open your mouth to ask what’s going on, a loud gasp tears itself from your throat. 

Daemon kneels on the floor behind you, bent down on one knee, and leans in, pressing a gentle, feather light kiss against one cheek before alternating to the other. His hands grab at your hips, holding you in place, eyes trained on the side of your head drinking in the little flashes of emotion on your face – shock and uncertainty slowly giving way to a cautious curiosity. He could work with that. 

“Feeling better?” He husks, smirking against your soft skin when he sees you nod, hears the little whimper halfway trapped in your throat. He carries on, pearlescent hair tickling the backs of your thighs each time he leans in, kissing your skin. Eventually, his touches begin to linger, hands rubbing over the sides of your thighs while his tongue licks against you every so often. The soft, patient touches soothe you, tamper your worry, and soon enough pleased little sighs and hums begin filling the room, music to his ears. 

Quickly, he pulls at the ties of his trousers, groaning against the curve where your ass and thigh meet when his member springs free, bobbing against his lower belly. Wrapping a hand around himself, he continues – kissing and licking along the backs of your thighs before finally reaching what he most desires.

“U-Uncle!” You gasp, eyes squeezing shut when he licks into the crease of your thigh, the skin there no doubt smeared with the blood you can feel running down your legs every few moments, painting streaks of red down to your knees. 

Your feeble little warble is drowned out by the deep, throaty growl that leaves him – a man dying of thirst finally finding an oasis in the desert. He nudges at your thigh, panting a low, “Good girl,” when you part them more – as much as your smallclothes, still bunched around your knees, will allow. His head spins thinking of how passionate you’ll become with more experience, already so eager.

“Fuck,” he mumbles, spitting into his palm and grunting while he works a hand over his cock, panting as he admires your flowering center for a moment – your little petals shining, crimson staining your skin nearly all the way down to your knees. He feels like a man possessed, drunk and proud as his cock twitches against his palm. 

Another groan rumbles in his chest when he dives in, all thoughts of being gentle and slow thrown to the wayside as he presses his face against you, uncaring as to whether he can fill his lungs or not. 

“Daemon!” You yelp, hands scrambling over the smooth surface of the desk, mind reeling while you try to find something, anything to hold onto. His tongue is unlike anything you’ve ever felt, eons better than the way your own fingers feel pressed against your cunt in the wee hours of the morning. 

Your chest heaves when he groans against you, tongue toying with the stiff little bud at the apex of your slit for a second before he fucks it into you, all but punching whines and moans from your throat. Your cheeks flush at the sound of it, the slick, wet sounds of his tongue working against you almost painfully loud in the small study. 

His hips rut into his hand as he suckles at your pearl, burying his nose into you while deep moans resound in his chest — head clouded at the taste of you, at the slick feel of your blood against his lips, on his tongue. 

Gods, he’s missed this. 

The fire in his belly builds steadily while he takes what he needs from you, the little throbs your cunt gives around his tongue only serving to push him further and further toward the end. 

“Seven Hells, you taste divine,” he growls, rubbing his thumb over the head of his cock, his other hand tugging an arse cheek to the side, opening you more for him before skimming his fingers over your taut bud, smirking at the way your core clenches. 

“Please, please,” you pant, hips canting against the edge of the desk, breath foggy against the dark wood.

“Don’t worry, sweetling,” he murmurs, licking your taste from his lips, “I’m not done with you yet.” 

Your knees nearly buckle when he licks you again, laving his tongue over the entirety of you – lapping from your pearl almost all the way up to your other hole, the thought of such a thing stealing the air from your lungs. Your mind reels as he suckles at you, core aching from how tightly the knot in your tummy is wound. 

Daemon growls against you, the rhythm of his hand stuttering the closer he gets, stones pulling tight as he nears his end. He can tell you’re close as well from the way you press back against him, rutting on his tongue while breathy little moans tumble, unbidden, from your lips. 

The thought of your wet cunt clenching around his tongue causes his length to pulse again, causes it to leak against his fingers. Gods, he needs that. 

“Ah!” You pant when he redoubles his efforts and presses his tongue as far into you as he can, groan rumbling against you as he nuzzles into your folds, savoring the sweet coppery taste on his tongue. 

He feasts then, hand striping up and down his cock with abandon while he fucks his tongue into you, curling it and pressing it against as much of you as he can while his chin presses against your pearl, pulling loud cries from you. 

“U-Uncle, uncle, I… Gods, Daemon, I’m…” you stutter, words dying on your lips as pleasure threatens to white out your mind. You pant, breathlessly rocking against his face while your body tenses, instinctively preparing for the incoming onslaught. 

He grunts into you, fucking into his fist while his other hand squeezes at your arse. His eyes roll back in his head when he feels you tighten on his tongue, your walls finally beginning to suck at him in earnest. Just as his stones tighten to the point of no return, he smacks his hand against your rear once more, groaning victoriously as the dam finally breaks. 

“Fuck!” You shout, muscles tensing and falling limp all in the same breath as your high slams into you, rough and unforgiving — heightened by your menstrual flux. You can hear Daemon grunting and growling behind you, your cunt pulsing on his tongue. 

Below you, he feels as if he’s ascended to the clouds, stomach lurching like it does when Caraxes takes flight. He groans, long and loud, against you, into you, as his cock throbs, spend splashing down against his trousers, dripping to the floor. 

“O-Oh!” You breathe, hips twitching as he licks over you for a moment more, taking all he can. Your little tired cries make him chuckle as his touches border on overstimulation. He finally takes mercy on you and pulls away with a satisfied sigh, tucking his member back into his trousers as he stands, grunting at the soreness of his knee. 

There’s a heady fondness in his eyes as he lets them trail over you, watching as you catch your breath, limp. “Feel okay?” He asks, petting a hand down your spine before bending to press a sweet kiss against the back of your shoulder. 

You nod, your cheek slick against the desk while you finally start coming back to yourself. “Gods,” you sigh tiredly, blinking the fog from your eyes. 

Daemon chuckles at that, his normally mouthy niece reduced to little sighs. He pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and walks to a small mirror on the wall, well really an old, polished placard, but it’ll do. 

His eyes widen when he catches sight of himself, features distorted somewhat in the reflective golden surface, but clear enough to see the blood left on his skin. A smirk grows on his lips and he lets himself admire it for a second, mind flashing back to the aftermath of his victory against the Crabfeeder, before he begins wiping at his skin. 

From the corner of his eye, he sees you beginning to stir, arms shaking as you push yourself up from the desk. He stares at his reflection for a moment, jaw clenching as his heart pangs feebly. 

With a sigh, he walks the few steps over to you and steadies you, pressing a hand to your back. “Careful,” he warns, playful glint in his eyes while he guides you to the spare chair against the wall and coaxes you to sit, not caring if the fabric gets stained, “You’ll give me a complex.” 

Your lips quirk into a smile at that and you chuckle, eyes widening when you finally get a good look at him. “Ohh…” you balk, not expecting to see blood, your blood, trailing down his chin, painting him like a satiated lion, “I’m… I’m sorry…” You murmur, not knowing what else to say. 

“Why?” He chuckles, affectionately carding his fingers through your hair as he blindly wipes at his face a little more, “Did you not enjoy it?” 

“I did…” you admit softly, bashful before him now. Strength seems to find you again and you bend forward to pull up your smallclothes, only to stop yourself when Daemon leans down to do it himself. 

“Then there’s no reason to be sorry,” he says with a sigh, pulling your smallclothes back into place and letting you adjust them to your fancy, “Blood can be wiped away, sweetling.” 

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier too,” you murmur, wringing your hands while the two of you stand together. You watch as he busies himself with righting his clothes, making sure his trousers are tied well and smoothing out his tunic. You can’t help thinking that he looks handsome like this, finally seeing him how Rhaenyra might. 

Nervously, you pull at your skirts, smoothing them out and fidgeting with your bodice. You look up when he clears his throat, surprised to be met with a smile. 

“As I said,” he placed a hand on your shoulder, gentle this time, “Blood can be wiped away, sweet girl.”

thank you for taking the time to read! hope you enjoyed! :)

check out the rest of the pieces in this collab here!

consider adding yourself to my tag list or check out my works on ao3!

[solecize]

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

remember lookin' at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light now, i just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time ten years of being one and the same with jungkook as the country's it couple is the perfect disguise for the reality of a tumultuous relationship hidden behind the scenes. ten years of lies and love and crawling back to one another. once shy, budding first love that blossomed before the weight of fame, the cracks begin to surface amidst your respective rises to stardom and navigation of your twenties. either finding euphoria or the end of the world, there's never any in between in existence for you and jungkook. as you build each other up and break each other down in front of millions of eyes, there is a crossroads ahead with words of "marriage" and "military" looming in the air - all while ignoring the price of fame breathing down your necks. this is the story of love and the lessons learned from the man you made your religion. and i wouldn't marry me either, a pathological people-pleaser who only wanted you to see her

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒: idol!jungkook/female idol!reader and fictional versions of various idols 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄. idol au, on-and-off relationship, angst, i swear there's fluff, (brief) fake dating and themes of first love, growing up, struggles with fame, and marriage (ish) 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. portrayal of a toxic couple (implications of emotional abuse and control), both main characters are very flawed, addiction, violence, infidelity, foul language, substance use (illegal drugs), underage drinking, mentions of the covid-19 pandemic, sexually suggestive content 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄. based off of "you're losing me" by taylor swift. this is a fictional portrayal of real-life people that implement some aspects of real-life events. the series is told in non-chronological order. note that the main character is a member of a fictional idol group. more warnings may be added as the story is written. join the taglist here!

extra. playlist. one - "the confrontation"    ㅤㅤㅤㅤyou welcome your boyfriend back to the country with a surprise party, just as the clock is ticking to say goodbye again. the big day is almost here and enlistment brings couples either one of two things: a ring or a breakup.  two - "first love in a convenience store"    ㅤㅤㅤㅤback when you were fifteen year old idol trainees, jeon jungkook shares ricecakes with you and steals your heart. as sixteen year old rookies with everything to lose, he steals your first kiss. in present day, these memories fade away until they are no longer recognizable. three - "teenage dreams"    ㅤㅤㅤㅤyoung love blossoms even in the harshest of light, as you and jungkook navigate career milestones together. also known as: the first concert tours, the first time you're put on a variety show together and everyone figures out your relationship, and jungkook's first daesang. four - "hotel azure"    ㅤㅤㅤㅤa party at the notorious hotel azure, the hot-spot for the top names of south korea's entertainment industry, goes awry. in front of everyone, your relationship reaches it's breaking point - except, it doesn't. five - "2017"    ㅤㅤㅤㅤa year of a death of a thousand cuts because, no matter what comes your way, saying goodbye is never an option. 

[etherealising]

one | christmas (baby please come home)

pairing(s): carmen 'carmy' berzatto x fem!reader | fem!reader x original male character | the bear x fem!reader

synopsis: you reunite with carmy at the berzatto family christmas, five years after your falling out.

warning(s): angst | fluff | pining | semi-unrequited love | minimally edited

wc: 7.8k

READER HAS A NICKNAME BUT OTHERWISE AMBIGUOUS

A quiet Christmas playlist drifted through the confines of the house as three friends sat gathered around the kitchen table spending much-needed time together catching up while building gingerbread houses, the various glasses of wine shared between the three of them lowering their inhibitions. 

“Baby! You’re not even looking at the camera.” Natalie’s slurred words caused a fit of giggles to spill out of you as you held up your dilapidated gingerbread house whatever artistic skills you possessed washed away with all the wine swishing through your bloodstream. 

You positioned yourself once more smiling at Nat’s phone as you held the slowly crumbling house, Pete instinctively leaned over to join you for the photo only for his reindeer antler headband to poke you in the eye. Both of you fell into a fit of hysterics as Nat giggled behind her phone most likely snapping blurry photos. 

None of you could be sure how you’d gotten to the point of being wine-drunk on Christmas Eve. The celebrations began when Nat and Pete picked you up from the airport earlier that morning, the three of you deciding on a quiet night in with a home-cooked meal, followed by a night of Christmas festivities courtesy of Pete which you could never turn down especially when seeing how excited he always got. You remembered Natalie listing off her worries for tomorrow’s dinner as she poured the three of you wine, that first glass somehow turned into two empty wine bottles in no time as the three of you enjoyed each other’s company. 

“Wait, wait we’ve got to get a picture in our matching pjs!” Pete was by far the most sober of the three of you and that was probably how he won the game of rock, paper, scissors that forced you into wearing the set of Christmas pajamas he bought you that were a replica of the ones he and Nat currently had on.

You shook your head immediately, not wanting any more photo evidence of this night, especially knowing Nat was probably sending these pictures to Mikey who would most definitely never let you live down matching with the married couple. “I think we have more than enough pictures.” The words felt heavy as they rolled around on your tongue and you couldn't help but giggle at how slow you felt like you were speaking.

Nat moved around the table to your side wrapping her arms around your neck as she leaned her chin against your shoulder and her cheek pressed into yours. “Pretty please Baby, we only get to do fun things like this a couple times a year when you visit.” She moved her face away to give what you assumed were supposed to be puppy dog eyes but was really just her concentrating extremely hard. “If you love me you’ll do it.” 

You rolled your eyes pretending to be put out by the married couple, not wanting them to know just how much fun you were actually having. While you were thankful for your success and the career you built up for yourself, that meant that you spent the majority of your time traveling and working, and while it was nice to see the world, sometimes you wished you could take more than a quick beat for visits like these. You hadn’t visited Chicago as much as you would’ve liked since moving to the West Coast, which meant you saw less and less of the family that made you one of their own all those years ago. You watched as Nat and Pete struggled to set up the phone in the living room for the group photo, giggling at how they seemed to feed off of each other as though they shared a single brain cell between the two of them.

Nat waved you over once they got the phone set up, “Oh! We should do like one of those awkward photo shoots.” 

You groaned, shaking your head back and forth while Pete stood next to you aggressively nodding his head in approval, the two of them were so goofy together you’re unsure why you ever thought you’d have an actual choice in how this unprofessional impromptu photo shoot was going to go. While you may’ve been inebriated that didn’t mean you were on board with every decision the two were making, but you also loved them too much to tell them no, and as you watched them excitedly try to figure out what pose to go with you figured you could feed into their inherent goofiness just this once in the spirit of Christmas.

Carmy stood in the kitchen of his childhood home watching as his mom prepared for Christmas dinner the following day, vehemently refusing any help when he offered it up but forcing him to keep her company and recount all of his culinary adventures as she worked.

He watched his mom move around the kitchen in an organized frenzy, talking to herself at points when she listed off what needed to be done next. Carmy could already see the weight of the looming festivities hanging heavy over her head, stressing her out before the day even began. While he understood and appreciated her love for food and cooking probably more than anyone considering she fostered that same love and appreciation within him when it came to the culinary arts, he always wondered why she insisted on cooking family dinner every year if it always ended in a mess.

“Oh fuck me!” The loud expletive forced Carmy from the recesses of his mind as he stared in his mother’s direction. “Carm honey, do me a favor and finish decorating the fireplace, the box of decorations is already out there.” 

Carmy stood there a minute longer trying to compute the fact that his culinary excellence was being disregarded and he was being put on decorating duty, “Carmen. Can you do it or do I have to do every fucking thing myself?” 

“No, uh yeah I got it.” He met his mother’s eyes nodding his head up and down in acquiesce, to let her know he had it under control.

She shooed him out of the kitchen returning to her food prep before he even made to move to the living room. Carmy quickly found the box of decorations exactly where his mom said it would be, the house was abnormally quiet he assumed Mikey was at The Beef but he couldn’t be sure he had no need to be near the sandwich shop at the moment and Sug moved out ages ago so here he was stuck in his childhood home with nothing better to do than decorate the fireplace mantle.

Carmy knew however he decorated the mantle his mom would just come behind him and fix it to her liking, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try. Maybe if he got it close enough to how she liked she would have to do less fixing. He was surprised to find how calming decorating the mantle was, but maybe that was only because he didn’t care to impress anyone with his subpar decorating skills.

Reaching into the box Carmy pulled out the stockings each one designated to one of the Berzatto siblings. He easily hung the stockings onto the hooks on the mantle before reaching in for the last one, embroidered with a name he was sure he hadn’t seen in far too long a time. Carmy was foolish to think that because he ruined the friendship between the two of you that his family would disregard your whole existence over his mistakes. 

Carmy remembered how hard he tried for the first couple of months after he’d left to get into contact with you, to try and let you know just how sorry he was and how much he missed your friendship…missed you. If you ever gave him the chance, he was sure he’d spend his whole life apologizing for that moment. 

That night would haunt him forever, and his mind made sure of it, the worst moment of his life was on a constant loop anytime he got a moment of calm and quiet. Which wasn’t often but they happened enough for the hurt and pain on your face from that night to be permanently seared into his mind. And when it wasn’t memories of the way the moonlight illuminated the tears running down your face from that night, it was the overwhelming guilt that weighed on him for ever speaking to you that way.

Carmy’s hand traced across the embroidered thread of your name as though passing over it enough times would permanently thread the letters into his skin. He hesitated, unsure if they still hung the stocking long after you moved, a moment passed before he decided he would hang it if only just to catch a glimpse of something that reminded him of you. Carmy maneuvered the other stockings around in order to make space for yours trying to ignore the warmth that filled his chest at the sight of your name hanging directly next to his. 

He was pulled from his daze as his phone vibrated multiple times in rapid succession, he pulled the device out of his back pocket unsurprised to find Nat blowing up the sibling's group chat, plus Richie courtesy of Mikey. He was ready to shove the phone back in his pocket when a message coming through from Richie caught his eye, his heart sped up a bit as he read it before it disappeared off of his screen. 

Carmy was positive he had never opened the sibling's group chat as fast as he did at that moment. Opening the text chain he frowned at the assortment of pictures above Richie’s message doing his best to figure out what the hell he was looking at. The first few pictures were of Pete and Nat and as much as he loved his sister he wasn’t interested in seeing either of them. His thumb began swiping through the photos rapidly unsure why anyone would take so many photos of the same things over and over again. Carmy found himself stopping on one picture in particular, a picture that was neither Sug nor Pete, but presumably, the person who took the previous pictures of the couple. 

There you were. 

Smiling so wide it almost looked painful, a glow to your skin that made Carmy unsure if it was from the phone camera or if you were actually glowing. The picture was blurry but for the most part, he could make out your features, he would recognize you anywhere even after all the time spent apart he would be able to pick you out of a crowd with no trouble at all. That’s how deeply you were ingrained into his brain even if the last time he saw you was when you were a fresh high school graduate.

He scrolled once more the side of his lips ticking up at the same photo this time just a lot clearer, he absentmindedly saved the photo to his phone before resuming his viewing. Carmy’s eyes were always drawn to you when you were in any of the photos, at some point he began disregarding Sug and Pete entirely, giving you his full attention. He couldn’t help the quiet chuckle as he scrolled through all the shenanigans the three of you got up to saving another individual shot of you in front of the Christmas tree in Christmas-themed pajamas with matching socks and a headband with two candy canes in the shape of a heart. The sight of you smiling directly at the camera made it seem as though you were looking directly at him, a blush rose to Carmy’s cheeks at how pathetic it was for him to get so worked up over a few photos of you. He looked at the last photo a moment longer before realization dawned on him, his eyes quickly shot from his phone screen to the stocking he hung up. 

Carmy scrolled through the recently sent messages he missed after staring at the pictures of you so long gathering enough information to confirm his suspicions. He quickly turned on his heel before heading back into the kitchen.

“Yo ma,” she gave a distracted hum which was enough for him to begin his line of questioning. “Is uh…does Baby still come to family Christmas?” 

The older woman stopped what she was doing turning to face her youngest son with the most egregious ‘are you fucking stupid’ look Carmy received in a while. “Do I bust my ass every year preparing seven fishes that nobody ever fucking appreciates or eats?” 

Carmy was unsure if it was a trick question but as his mom raised her eyebrows awaiting an answer he realized there in fact was a right answer, “Yes?”

She shook her head looking him up and down as if he were a stranger “I don’t know what’s gotten into you Carmen, it’s like you're from a whole different fucking planet. Of course, the girl comes to Christmas, we're the only family she’s got left.” She stopped speaking to pull out the pack of cigarettes she kept on her slipping one between her lips before speaking around it. “And you would fuckin’ know that if you came home once in a while Bear.” 

Carmy nodded his head ignoring the last sentence as he let the information settle in, he would be seeing you face to face for the first time since high school, and the two of you would be in the same for hourse. He took his chance to slip out of the kitchen as his mother turned back to finish her prepping. He needed some time to himself to try not to work himself into a frenzy as he thought about what tomorrow would bring.

The Berzatto family home looked exactly as you left it all those years ago, the only noticeable difference was the Christmas decorations but other than that it was still your bonus home, the home you spent as much if not more time in than your own home. 

The home you grew up in sat just right across the street, a family of three began renting it a year after you left for college and although it was weird to think that another family was living in the home that would always hold a piece of you, you were just happy to rent it out to a loving family. You’d try to find the time and bring them a goodie basket or something, you always sent holiday cards, but now that you were in town you could meet them properly. 

You stood at the trunk of your rental car staring at the array of wrapped presents trying to decide if you should bring them all in now or just wait. Your eyes fell on the matte black sleek box, the last-minute gift cost more than it would’ve if you bought it ahead of time, you bit your lip the longer you stared at it only now feeling uncertain about the unwarranted gift.

“You sure you’re up for this?” The voice came from your side, Hayden leaned against the car as he watched you stare at the box as though it personally wronged you.

A small sigh escaped you as you turned to face him, arms crossing over your chest “Not really, no but I come home every Christmas and I can’t stop just because he happens to be in town.” Hayden looked at you like he knew you were lying but decided against mentioning it. “Thanks for coming with me by the way, I know it was last minute…how you holding up?”

Hayden shrugged before looking straight ahead, “Well my best friend has been sleeping with my wife for the better part of a year, and said wife served me divorce papers two days before Christmas so.” His voice trailed off as he gave you a sarcastic smile. “But I would say you’re having a worse day than me so it makes me feel a bit better.”

You frowned, not entirely understanding what he was getting at, causing him to roll his eyes, “Oh c’mon Baby, the kid you’ve been in love with our whole lives is home for Christmas, the two of you never even dated mind you. He broke your heart years ago and for some reason, you’re still in love with the idiot but won’t pick up the phone to tell him, and all of your relationships have failed because you’re too stuck living in the past.”

“I should’ve left your ass at home wallowing in self-pity.” 

Hayden’s lips pulled into a sardonic smile as he tipped his head to you. “Well now we can wallow in self-pity together, you can stay out here in the cold looking at that stupid box, but I’ll be in that warm house drinking all of Miss Berzatto’s good liquor.” 

The front door opening drew both of your attention, your heads swiveled to watch Mikey exit the house and begin making his way to you, a frown lined his face as his eyes landed on Hayden by your side confused at the extra guest you brought with you.

“Why the fuck are the two of you standing out here in the cold.” Mikey’s gruff voice felt like a balm for the doubt that was beginning to eat away at you from Hayden’s unwelcome reality check.

Hayden moved quicker than you anticipated, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and pulling you into his side. “Oh you know just reminding our girl here that love sucks and it's all a fucking illusion because no matter how much you love someone they’ll always end up fucking your pseudo brother.” 

Mikey’s confusion was evident as his eyebrows pinched together even more, his eyes darted between the two of you mouth opening to speak only to quickly close as you shook your head back and forth as subtly as possible.

“Hey, is your mom drinking yet?” Hayden’s question earned a hesitant nod from Mikey who was unsure if providing her a drinking partner was the best thing to do. “Great…great, well merry fucking Christmas!” Hayden pressed a gentle kiss into your temple before moving to head into the house, clapping Mikey on the shoulder as he went by. 

Mikey moved to stand next to you, the both of you watching the train wreck of a man head into the Berzatto household. “What the fuck is up with that kid?” Mikey turned to look at you trying to figure out exactly what kind of mess you brought to family Christmas.

“Sasha’s leaving him.” You watched as understanding washed over Mikey’s face a small nod following as he put two and two together at Hayden’s weirder-than-usual behavior. Mikey opened his mouth to give you shit about bringing the insufferable kid with you only stopping as you spoke over him. “He’s good people, Mikey, I just didn’t want him alone on Christmas.”

Mikey didn’t have an argument for that. As irritating as Hayden could be he found himself indifferent towards the kid you called friend. Mikey was loathed to admit it and he would deny it if anyone ever asked him, but he had a secret appreciation for the kid, Hayden was there for you during a tough time in your life, he was there for you when you needed a friend or someone in your corner who wasn’t directly connected to the youngest Berzatto and for that, Mikey respected the kid, but it's not like he’d ever tell you or him that. 

“Let me look at you,” Mikey’s voice broke through the quiet that had settled over the two of you, your eyes flashed to his face taking in the facial hair he'd decided to grow out. “All fucking grown up ain’t you. Can we still call you Baby or you too grown for that shit now?” 

You rolled your eyes at the joke Mikey made every time you came home before turning and grabbing your bag from where you sat it in the trunk, leaving the gifts behind and moving to walk towards the house with Mikey, “As much as I regret the nickname I’m not sure if I could get used to hearing you all call me by my first name again.” 

Mikey chuckled at your words, hand moving out to grab your elbow and stop you from continuing ahead. “Relax out here with me for a bit yeah?”

A frown lined your face as Mikey stopped in front of you, you could tell he had ulterior motives for stopping you, his hand moving to take the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket before lifting it to his mouth and lighting it. 

“You uh, you know your little boyfriends in that house right?” 

Your nose scrunched up at Mikey’s words, you could hear the teasing tone in his voice as he spoke but that didn’t mean his words didn’t make your chest ache. Of course, you knew he was here, but not until a week after you booked your flight and Nat gave you some bullshit excuse about how she just didn’t know he was coming home for Christmas. You were upset with her and rightfully so but Pete somehow still talked you into coming and so here you were pretending like seeing Carmy after so long didn’t matter, pretending like you hadn’t teared up on the drive over with your face turned to the window as Hayden drove, quietly reliving every vile word Carmy spewed at you that night in your head. Pretending as though you didn’t carry his words along with the hurt they caused within you for years like they didn’t change the way you viewed yourself and took up space in other people’s lives, maybe Hayden’s observation about you carrying the past around was more factual than you once thought. 

And it didn’t matter that he tried getting back in contact with you his first year in California or that he sent flowers and a card when your mom passed saying he’d come home if you needed him to. None of it mattered because it would never make up for the underlying truth in his cold, cruel words from all those years ago.  

Mikey’s eyes darted around your face watching the small changes in your expression knowing you were thinking about the past, his cigarette halfway gone as he lost you to the inner workings of your mind. He took another puff before letting it fall from his fingertips and stomping it out, the tears lining your eyes forced him to move faster as he tucked you into his chest listening to you struggle to breathe as you fought to keep the sobs from wracking through your body.

“Shh, shh, you’re okay. You can leave right now if you need to and no one has to know you were here.” His hand raised to stroke your head as he gently rocked the two of you back and forth. “Hayden will understand.” 

You pressed your forehead into his chest as you willed yourself to calm down not wanting to make it obvious you’d been crying once the two of you made your way inside although it was probably already too late for that. 

“Why does it still hurt Mikey?”

A deep sigh raised the older man's chest at your words, his hands fell to your biceps gently pulling you away from him. The look Mikey gave you said it all, a look that forced you to face a truth you’d been running from for the past five years. Creating a new life and pretending as though whatever misguided feelings you held towards Carmy were just that of a childhood crush. 

It still hurt because you never stopped loving him.

You were thankful Mikey didn’t speak the words aloud unlike Hayden, you’d already been lectured by him countless times on this subject, Richie even jumped in from time to time to express his discontent. No one could understand why you held onto your feelings for Carmy so strongly knowing firsthand how much pain and anguish they caused you. You were scolded plenty of times about holding onto all that hurt, being told to either let it all go or talk to Carmy. You couldn’t bring yourself to do either of those things. 

But you couldn’t keep living in your head and feeding into the fairytale of you and Carmy forever. You had to move on with your life at some point, and even though Hayden was correct that one moment from your past kept ruining your future, at this point, you were doing it to yourself. Although it was painful and it took some time, the broken record of Carmy’s words from that night five years ago made it just a bit easier. 

“Baby,” Mikey paused on his words trying to find the right thing to say he felt torn every time this topic came up. You were a little sister to him, he viewed you in the same way he viewed Nat. He wanted the best for you, but this wasn’t it and the both of you knew it. 

“Why are you doing this to yourself? I’m not saying you should forgive Carm m’ just sayin’ holdin’ on to all this hurt isn’t doing you any good.” He watched as you looked away from him, the realization clear on your face, Mikey could read you so well he knew you were tired of carrying the grief of that dead friendship around with you. His hands reached out to cup your face the rough pads of his thumb tenderly caressing your squished cheeks. “You’re finally in the same place after all this time, figure this shit out for both of your sakes.” 

An exhausted sigh escaped your lips as you fought the urge to come up with some lame excuse as to why now wasn’t the right time, but there’d never be a right time for the two of you. 

You wrapped your arms around Mikey’s waist once more needing the warm strong bear hugs he always provided to help calm yourself down enough to be prepared to face everyone, but also to signal you were done with this conversation entirely. You pulled out of Mikey’s grip as he gave you a look seemingly asking if you were okay, you nodded in answer, relaxing into him as he pressed a gentle kiss onto the skin of your forehead.

“Alright, let's get you inside before mom comes out here and cusses me out for keeping you in the cold.” Mikey’s hands rubbed up and down your arms to provide you with the much-needed body heat.

A genuine laugh left your lips knowing Mikey’s words were closer to the truth than one might think. Mikey moved to turn around and begin walking to the door but was forced to stop as you reached out to grab his hand. “I uh, I got you something.” 

His eyebrows raised in question, “Awe you didn’t have to get me nothin’.” You rolled your eyes rummaging through your bag for the two presents and holding them out to him once you found them, chuckling as you watched him place his hands over his heart mockingly. You knew Mikey didn’t do well when it came to sentimental moments and the best you would get out of him was a joke as opposed to anything else. 

You smiled holding the heavier of the gifts out to him first, “I wanted to Mikey, don’t think of this as a gift, think of it uhh…as a show of appreciation yeah?” You nodded, feeling your face warm as you let your eyes dart around so you didn’t have to watch his reaction.

Mikey smiled, finding your shyness endearing before tearing into the neatly wrapped paper and revealing a frame, his hands engulfed it from end to end. He smiled at it before you saw confusion etch across his face, “This is great Baby, yeah but uh what the fuck am I looking at?”

You shoved his shoulder before laughing at him and grabbing the frame out of his hands holding it in front of your chest, the glass facing him so he could still see its contents, “It's a trademark certification you dumbass, can’t you fucking read Mikey.” You joked to try and underestimate how big of a gift this was.

Mikey’s brows furrowed before he snatched the frame out of your hands to get a better look at the certificate sitting behind the glass, eyes snapping back up to your face with a look you couldn’t read. You shuffled your feet feeling like you overstepped a boundary you didn’t even know was between you and Mikey, “Don’t worry though I-I, put it in your name, I didn’t trademark it for myself or anything. I just remember how much you all used to talk about this, and I'm not sure if it's something you still want but I…I just wanted you to know I still believe in you. And I…I know how tough shit is lately and I promise I didn’t mean to step on your toes but…Mikey, you deserve good things too okay?” 

You could hear your long-winded explanation become more emotional by the minute but you needed Mikey to know how loved and appreciated he was. He was a big brother to you, always by your side whenever you needed him, he saw you through all the bullshit with Carmy and helped you to get through your mom's death. And when you were hellbent on throwing whatever little future you didn’t think you had left away he was right there with you pushing you to see just how much you deserved to get out of this godforsaken city and make something of yourself. 

“You deserve so much in this world Mikey, and I wish I could give it to you. But you need to know how much I believe in you and how much I love you, I’m always in your corner,” you paused trying to choke back another round of tears. “And Mikey I…I don’t think I would be here right now if it wasn’t for y-.” 

Before you could get another word out you were once again trapped in his comforting embrace, the both of you taking every bit of love and comfort the other offered in that moment. Mikey’s head tucked into your neck as you felt his uneasy breathing through your hands clutched around him. He wasn’t the type to get emotional in front of other people, and feeling a tear of his smear against your cheek as he raised his head from your neck and settled his bearded cheek against yours, you weren’t sure if you had done the right thing by giving him the gift or not.

The two of you stood in silence as you allowed Mikey to have this moment, not wanting to make him feel insecure about you being present while his emotions ran high. When he finally pulled away you could see the leftover sheen in his eyes. He tucked the framed certificate under his arm as both his hands reached up to grab your face, his eyes found yours, 

“Thank you, Baby,” the words were spoken so quietly you were surprised you caught onto them a small imperceptible nod of your head directed at him as you gave him a tearful smile. Mikey placed a kiss on your forehead before he grabbed the frame again and wrapped you in another hug. 

You decided it best to leave the biography you finally wrote, printed, and compiled about him after all these years in his room, wanting him to be able to experience it in private so he could indulge in whatever feelings it brought forth. 

Mikey’s head sat atop yours as your face rested against his chest, ear listening to the rhythm of his beating heart. The hug you shared with Mikey in that moment felt heavier than any other time you had the pleasure of being held in his arms. You’d be remiss not to notice but chose instead not to bring it up to him and enjoy the moment for what it was.

A moment of peace.

30 minutes passed since Michael escaped the house to do whatever the fuck it was he was doing outside. Carmy didn’t know and in all honesty, he didn’t actually give a shit either, too busy helping their mom out in the kitchen to try to give any thoughts to whatever grabbed Mikey’s attention. 

He was focused in the corner of the kitchen making Tiff Sprite to help alleviate her nausea symptoms. Anyone else would have done their best to block out the rambunctious noises going on throughout the house, but not Carmy though, the chaos fueled him, it grounded him. If the house was quiet it would have been too much for him, to be alone with his own thoughts ping-ponging around in his head, waiting for a chance to drown him. So if he had to listen to his mom list off a plethora of things he needed to make sure happened for Christmas dinner to go off without a hitch while he was making Sprite from scratch, he welcomed it. 

He finished his concoction just in time for Richie to walk through the kitchen, the older man trying to figure out how the fuck it was even possible to make Sprite from scratch. Gratefully taking the glass Carmy offered to him marveling at the carbonated drink in his hand.

Carmy nodded in his direction, “Yo Cousin, where the fuck is Mikey. He just fucking disappeared.” Carmy’s head swiveled around the kitchen checking whether his brother was there or not, coming up empty in his search. Richie glanced up before settling his eyes back on the drink in his hand still doing the mental math to wrap his head around what the fuck Carmy just made.

Richie jutted his head in the direction of the front door, “Outside talking to Baby.” His eyes finally focused on Carmy’s in time to see the color drain from his face at the older man’s words, the younger of the two looking as nauseous as the pregnant woman upstairs. Although he knew you were in town he’d gotten so sucked into the chaotic energy of everything that his mind hadn’t given him any time to overthink seeing you all these years later and if he knew Mikey was outside with you he would’ve made sure he was nowhere in the vicinity of your entrance, not because he didn’t want to see you or be around you but because after all these years he still had no idea how to admit every feeling he kept bottled up and tucked away from you. 

“Did you not know she was coming? Your moms invites her to every holiday, Cousin, and she comes every time.” Richie knew the last bit wasn’t necessary but felt Carmy rightfully deserved it, all anyone wanted from the youngest Berzatto was a visit.

“Dudes been out there for fucking ever though, those two idiots probably just standing outside like a bunch of fucking jagoffs.” Richie left the kitchen not waiting for Carmy to follow him before heading to the front door. He stopped moving the curtain on one of the side windows to spot two of the people he considered family and a surprise plus one. He let out a low whistle nudging Carmy’s shoulder who finally joined his side nodding his head to the window. 

“Awe and she brought her little boyfriend with her.” Richie’s words bounced through Carmy’s head like a game of pinball. You were seeing somebody? Carmy unceremoniously shoved Richie out of the way to get a glimpse of his own out the window, the older man did his best to hold in his laughter. 

Carmy looked out the window just in time to see you snuggly pressed into another man’s side, his brain working overtime to figure out who it was before he watched the man lean in and press a soft kiss into the side of your head causing Carmy’s stomach to sink. 

“When did they start dating?” Before Carmy could stop himself the question was out in the open, his voice sounded less curious and more annoyed than it should have. 

Richie knew what he was about to do next would probably get him into a load of shit but he couldn’t help but want to fuck with Carmy, would you beat his ass for it later, probably but that wasn’t gonna stop him from having his fun. 

“Ohh shit, nobody told you, Cousin?” Richie did his best to sound sad as he spoke, fighting to keep his face neutral as Carmy turned to look at him. “Listen, I don't think it's my place to tell you.” Richie raised his free hand and the cup up in defense.

Carmy could feel his heart speed up the longer he looked at Richie, “Told me what?” An apologetic look washed over Richie’s face twisting the feeling of despair deeper into Carmy’s chest. “Told me fucking what Richie?” He did his best not to scream in the man’s face but the longer Richie stayed silent the more Carmy was sure he was going to have a breakdown. 

“Carm…she’s,” Richie paused suddenly realizing that maybe this joke wasn’t as funny as he first thought it once was but he was in too deep now. “Baby’s married.” 

The tightness in Carmy’s chest intensified tenfold as his eyes traced Richie’s face for any inkling that he was lying. He could feel his palms becoming clammy as he tried to comprehend the truth bomb Richie just dropped on him. When did you get married? Why didn’t he know? 

Even if he didn’t want to admit it, he already knew the answer to that last question. You didn’t want him to know, the two of you weren’t those same kids from five years ago. There was no more sharing everything that happened in your lives with one another and Carmy only had himself to thank for that. 

“Don't fսck with me right now Richie.” Carmy was doing his best to hold onto whatever was left of his resolve not knowing if he could realistically spend his first Christmas home in years watching you be happy with some other man. 

Before the older man could admit to his fallacy the door swung open, the man in question walking through the door. 

“Yo, Richie how you been man? Tiff trynna kill you yet?” His voice drifted through the foyer as he shrugged out of his jacket while Carmy forced himself to turn around making eye contact with the man only receiving an indifferent look in return. “Carmen, good to see you home dude.” 

It took Carmy a moment to realize he knew the man standing in front of him, Hayden Ivanovski was always more your friend than he was Carmy’s but the two of them got along decently enough for your sake. Carmy’s eyes flitted down to the hand stretched out in his direction, quickly latching onto the gold band wrapped around his ring finger, the truth of the situation settled heavily inside of him as he shook Hayden’s hand.

“Yeah uh, good to be back.” Carmy restrained himself from physically massaging out the ache in his chest as he stood in front of the man who succeeded where he couldn’t. He let Hayden’s hand go, tuning out the conversation between Richie and Hayden as he lost himself to the overwhelming thoughts swimming through his head moving to stand just outside of the kitchen as he leaned against the wall. There was no doubt about it, you were married, and those hateful words Carmy spewed at you in the backyard of his family home five years ago probably only helped to push you into Hayden’s embrace. 

Carmy heard you before he saw you. He’d been so lost in his self-deprecating thoughts that he hadn’t heard the door open again. 

All of these years, all the skipped holidays, and Carmy was missing out on you. The sight of you standing in his family home helped to calm his racing heart but then he watched as Hayden pulled you into his side, the two of you looking like a picture of love as the man leaned in placing one more kiss to your temple, conveniently staring Carmy down from across the foyer. 

Carmy dropped his gaze from Hayden before focusing on you once more, the tension seemed to just bleed right out of him as he watched you glow in happiness even if caused by someone else. He was so caught up in his staring that he hadn’t realized the way Mikey glanced at him, eyebrows raised like he was waiting for Carmy to make a move he hadn’t prepared for and didn’t even know he could still make. 

He’d be lying if he said the years apart made him forget what you looked like. You were still the same girl he left in Chicago all those years ago except the wand of maturity worked its magic on you, and in his opinion he thought you looked more beautiful than you had in high school. 

Carmy was never one to pay too much attention to a woman’s features, and not because he didn’t care, it's just that he didn’t think it mattered, he wasn’t drawn to you because of your appearance it was just you as a person that always kept his attention. The comfort you brought him, the way he used to feel safe just being in your presence, the softness you taught him it was okay to bask in, and the way you allowed him to be vulnerable and unapologetically himself were what really kept him hooked. But as he drank in your form he learned in that exact moment why a woman might want people to notice the small things, and he made sure to do so as he stared at you from his vantage point staring around Mikey’s body. Carmy was sure he could look at you all day and deep down inside, he knew he would spend most of Christmas doing just that now that a future with you wasn’t attainable. 

He was pulled from his study of you as your voice rang through his ears, the way his name sounded coming out of your mouth warmed his body. 

“Merry Christmas Carmy,” he could tell your smile was forced, but even the fact that he was worthy of your attention at this moment was enough for him. “It’s nice to see you home.” 

Carmy tried not to read into your words knowing you were just being friendly but the way Mikey cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows at his younger brother, he knew he needed to say something. 

The moment was lost though as another voice interrupted the silence that fell over the group in the foyer. 

“Baby, is that you? My goodness, you look fucking gorgeous and you brought Hayden!” Half of Donna’s body popped out of the kitchen finally gaining a spare moment to greet the newcomers. Her words mumbled through the cigarette between her lips, while she held a ladle in her right hand and the left was occupied by tongs. Her apron was covered in all sorts of sauces and whatever the hell else she was in the kitchen making.

Carmy watched as you laughed half in amusement, you and Hayden both waved in his mother’s direction. Hayden gestured for you to walk in front of him as you both made your way to the kitchen. Donna waved the tongs in Carmy’s direction, “Jesus fucking Christ Carmen, take the girl's bag and coat. Don’t just fuckin stand there.” She huffed eyes glaring the longer Carmen stayed glued to the spot. “C’mon Hayden, I need someone to drink and gossip with.”

The man wasted no time tossing his jacket atop the rest of the pile before maneuvering around Carmy and you. Richie and Mikey had dispersed at some point leaving the foyer empty aside from the two old friends. Carmy gestured for your tote, taking it out of your hand before awkwardly helping you to slip off your jacket doing his best not to touch you unnecessarily. 

Carmy tried to match the small smile you gave him as you made to move around him but was sure he just looked miserable. He was surprised as you gripped his bicep before walking past him, “I uh, I actually bought you a Christmas present. So um, find me later yeah?” He watched as you genuinely smiled at him for the first time in years, unsure if the rhythm his heart was beating in was healthy or not.

A concerned look washed over your face at Carmy’s silence forcing the man to hesitantly nod his head surprised you would’ve gotten him anything after all this time. He opened his mouth to speak but settled against doing so, sure he would make a fool of himself, instead giving you a small shy smile in return. Carmy watched you a moment longer, your own mouth opening and closing like his once had before you settled on a simple nod and dropped your hand back to your side, before walking into the kitchen.

Whatever little hope that interaction had given Carmy was dashed as soon as he heard Hayden’s voice call out to you. You were happy and that’s all he ever wanted, Carmy knew he should’ve been happy for you, but he couldn’t bring himself to come to terms with the fact that all of this could’ve been avoided if he had just been honest with you five years ago.

Maybe then he wouldn’t have to watch as another man brought forth the happiness that once used to be reserved for him. 

a/n: well, well, well what do we have here? gonna be honest idk how the bear fandom is doing so this series rewrite may not get as much love as the original, but that doesn't bother me as much as it used to.

some quick housekeeping as we begin this journey once more; ya girl is working full time so updates will be sporadic, genuinely have no upload schedule so please if you read this rewrite be gracious and understand i have a real life outside of fic writing. other than that please enjoy like/comment/reblog it means a lot.

i've missed you all so much please fangirl with me over these two once more! 🫶🏼🤍

[kennahjune]

HEAR ME OUT?? Please—

I LOVE love LOve when like, in fics, Steve has this really weird talent or interest that nobody knows about or like nobody expects but then oddly enough it sort of fits him.

And just like— it opens up so much possibility for character projection.

My favorite is writer Steve but I’ve been growing increasingly obsessed with Steve who’s hyper fixation is snakes.

The image in my head is like— everyone’s hanging out at the trailer park for one reason or another, and they hear Robin fucking /screech/.

Everyone’s on their feet in a split second, worry and confusion and deep dread forcing the way into the forefront of their minds.

Turns out: it was a snake. A really small one at that.

Eddie and Wayne offer to take it and dispose of it, the two of them having done this various other times with the other snakes people find in the trailer park.

But Steve pushes to the front of the group yelling and scolding.

“No absolutely not!”

Eddie shares a look with Nancy, both chalking it up to Steve’s hero complex acting up and him trying to protect them from the potentially dangerous critter.

“Look, Stevie—“

“You are not going to kill that little sweetheart!”

Eddie paused, shared a confused furrow of brows with Nancy and Robin, and turned to face Steve fully.

“Stevie, baby, that’s a snake.”

Steve stood with his hands on his hips, a determined glint in his eye, and nodded. “No I thought it was a squirrel.”

Eddie sighed loudly. “Then what do we do with it?”

“Well not fucking kill it for starters! It’s harmless. Aren’t you baby?”

Eddie and everyone else watched Steve step up to the snake that was hanging from the trailer’s side door. “Um, Steve what’re you doing?”

Steve ignored them completely and simply plucked the snake from its place on the door. From somewhere beside Eddie Robin squeaked in horror and Will groaned while Lucas gave a violent shudder.

“Such a small baby aren’t ya?” Steve cooed at the little snake wrapped around his hand.

“Steve— that’s a snake,” Nancy said warily, eyeing said snake like it killed her mother. “A potentially dangerous snake.”

Steve scoffed while the snake lifted the front of its body to peer at him. “She’s not dangerous, she’s a goddamn rat snake. They’re harmless.”

Just as he said it, the snake turned its head and not his finger. Where Steve didn’t even blink, everyone else freaked.

Eddie and Robin rushed over to him, Eddie immediately taking a look at his hand but keeping his hands away from the snake. Robin kept her distance but rambled about rabies or whatever.

Steve huffed and laughed quietly. “Guys, seriously. It’s a rat snake, they’re completely and utterly harmless to humans. They have such a small amount of venom it doesn’t bother humans. And besides, this little baby’s so small she couldn’t even break the skin.”

He was right, there was no sign of breakage or even redness on Steve’s hand where he was bitten.

Eddie looked at his boyfriend a little in awe and even more in love.

Jesus Christ.

Dustin and Mike walked slowly over to Steve, each asking to hold the snake.

Steve held it out gently, Dustin taking it first and holding it delicately in his hands. When he passed it over to Mike, the snake wrapped itself around his hands and a bit up his arms. Eddie was a little in shock at the giggle the younger Wheeler let out.

Dustin, Mike and Steve sat on the trailer’s side steps and held the snake together, going back and forth about random animal topics that Eddie couldn’t be bothered to remember.

When he asked later, Will and Lucas were delighted to explain that the entire reason Dustin was allowed to join The Party was because in 4th grade he brought Mike a frog he found. Lucas explained that Mike and Dustin had both gone through and extensive reptile and amphibian phase in elementary school and still held onto some of that obsession.

From then on, whenever anyone in the trailer park found any form of snake or rodent that they wanted gone, they called Steve.

[yumeka-sxf]

According to this tweet from Endo, today's new chapter will be the final installment of the "Henry x Martha backstory" arc...and it definitely went out on a high note! The part where Martha meets Henry's wife was absolutely heartbreaking...in particular the below page, starting with an upside down view of the scene, showing how the world is literally warping for Martha, followed by shards and shreds of her various memories with Henry, all the while the "throb, throb" of her heart is overlaying all the panels. Definitely one of Endo's best portrayals of a truly shocking moment.

It's also interesting that we never see Lucia's face, despite her having a big panel when she first appears.

Endo has done this before with other characters, Loid's parents being the other big example. We also never see their faces, despite them appearing several times during his flashback arc.

With the few examples we've had, to me it seems like Endo hides the faces of characters who 1) appear as flashbacks only and 2) who have had a significant emotional impact on the character whose memories they appear in, but at the same time, that character has since done their best to get over the painful memories associated with them. So they basically represent some past trauma for the character (even if they don't necessarily dislike them) but in the current time, they've more or less left that part of their past behind. Hence why their faces are obscured in the character's memories. This is also why I think we'll never see Loid's parents or Lucia's faces outside of flashbacks. This is just my interpretation of course, and I'm curious if there will be more examples in other characters' flashback arcs.

But back to Henry and Martha, I also liked the fact that, despite her broken heart, Martha still saw Lucia as a good person and became friends with her. Henry seems to love her as well. This actually ties back very well to what Martha tells Becky at the end of her story about how dangerous it is to latch onto preconceptions and prejudices without knowing the truth.

In Becky's simple world, she would see Lucia as the "evil seductress who stole Henry away" and Martha has to get him back. But as Martha said, things aren't always that simple and don't always adhere to our preconceived notions. Sometimes things can't end up exactly how you want or expect, so you have to be grateful for what you have and see things as they truly are, despite living with lingering regrets. In fact, this whole speech from Martha at the conclusion of her flashback was extremely deep and profound. Not many people can write both comedy and drama so well, but Endo is certainly one of them.

Also, is this Wiesel's first appearance? Still waiting for the doggy play date chapter with Wiesel, Bond, Max, and Aaron! 🐶

Since it's been so long since I read the first chapter of this arc, I couldn't remember if Martha had actually revealed the identity of her lover in her story, but makes sense that she didn't. I can imagine Becky storming into school yelling at Henderson and causing total embarrassment for all 😅 Funny that she almost guessed correctly though.

I'm surprised we never found out how Martha started working for the Blackbells, but that's an easy enough mystery to solve - she needed work after the wars were over, and being a bodyguard suited an ex-soldier. Also seems like she never told Henry her true feelings either...maybe by the time Lucia died, it was too late and they had both grown somewhat apart by then, and/or they had some additional falling outs about Martha joining the other wars, etc. It just wasn't meant to be and the message of the story was Martha coming to terms with that and being wiser for it.

In conclusion, this was a great arc that really shows Endo's range as a writer who can do both comedy and drama very well. Despite Henry and Martha being side characters, I have a feeling that the struggles they experienced will have relevance later in the series. But for now, I look forward to seeing the Forgers and other characters again (and getting back to the last major uproar of Anya telling Damian about her powers...seems like ages ago, lol). Endo will be taking a well deserved break, so the next new chapter will be on August 19th!

I also have some new posts planned in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for those as well 😀

[dorabellingham]

Floodlights

warnings: none

characters: jude x fem!reader

summary: when you make a cameo in his series

may contain spelling and translation errors!

The camera began with a panoramic view of the city of Madrid, with the golden light of the sunset reflecting on the streets. Jude's smooth narration fills the silence as he describes life as a professional football player.

—Being a player is more than just living the dream, it's more than titles, more than recognition... It's a constant battle between success and real life.

The image changes to a sequence of him in different stadiums, wearing the Real Madrid shirt, then the English team. He smiles and continues:

—But what many people don't see is the most important part, which happens away from the spotlight.

The camera moved smoothly to a studio lit by warm lights. Bellingham is sitting casually on a couch, and next to him, you.

You're both relaxed, with Jude wearing something simple, like a white shirt and jeans, and you in a muted green dress. You seem a little shy, a stark contrast to the natural confidence of the man next to you. On the corner of the table, a photo of you on one of your many trips together is prominent.

—You know... most people don't know Y/n behind the cameras, but she has always been the basis of everything in my life. I was a 15 year old boy when we met. And believe it or not, everything changed after that day.

The camera briefly focused on you, who smiled sideways, a little shyly.

You, with a discreet smile, interrupted.

—I remember that day like it was yesterday. I didn't know who Jude Bellingham was... football wasn't my thing.

*a short video starts filling the screen*

The sound of young laughter fills the air as a home video starts playing. The scene shows you and 15-year-old Jude laughing at a simple party. Both are surrounded by friends, including Bukayo Saka, who is filming.

—Jude was...just a kid at the party. —You narrate, while the video shows the young player trying to talk to you for the first time, visibly nervous. —Actually, I thought he was Saka's childhood friend or something!

You laugh.

Jude, laughing, complements his wife's speech.

—I was sure she was dating Saka or Dele. I couldn't understand how someone like her could be single.

Soon the scene changed to an interview of Bukayo and Bamidele, sitting on the same sofa a few days later. They are clearly at ease, laughing about old memories.

—Jude was completely obsessed, seriously. He asked me every day about Y/n, as if I were the older brother who had to approve the relationship or something. It was hilarious.

Saka said, while smiling remembering everything.

—When she came to watch some of our training, something really friendly, Jude didn't hit the goal at all. He looked like he was in the moon world.

Dele commented, crying, laughing.

The scene soon returned to the couple, after the surprise presence of the two close friends. As Jude and you continued talking, the camera cuts to a montage of photos and videos showing the development of your relationship over the years. The screen displays a sequence of photos of you in various places around the world, starting with a selfie in a London cafe and moving through photos from trips to Santorini, Miami and Paris. Each image captures the love and complicity between you.

You say, reflexively:

—I never thought dating someone in football would be easy, you know? I always had this image... football players train, the pressure is a lot, and they are always on the road.

The camera cuts to an image of the you in Ibiza, with the sunset in the background and Jude kissing your cheek.

You continue, smiling sideways.

—But Jude always proved me wrong. He was different from the beginning. And I think that's why, even in the most difficult parts, we always found a way to support each other.

The tone of the song softened as the camera panned back to you in the studio. The mood is now a little more serious, but still light.

Bellingham, looking at you, deeply.

—Being a football player has its difficulties. I remember when things were really complicated... when the pressure was too much. It was at that time that I realized how essential her support was. I was at the height of my career, but at the same time, it was the time when I needed emotional support the most.

You exchanged passionate smiles and your hands met on his legs.

—She doesn't need to say anything. Just being there was enough.

With Jude now showing a slight smile, the camera cuts to an image of you in Madrid, you holding a baby. The image is followed by another montage, this time of you celebrating important victories, with you always by his side.

—If I am the player I am today, it is because of her. It's not just about what happens on the field, it's what happens off it too.

You, who smiled, visibly moved, looked at Jude and said.

—And I've never needed more than what we have. He always made sure I felt safe, that I knew how much he loved me.

The documentary moves to a more relaxed part, where the camera hits you in a country house. The sound of children's laughter fills the air as you play with the still small Benji. You're running through the grass, Jude trying to teach your son how to kick a ball, while you watch fondly.

Jude, now with a more playful tone, said.

—I never thought it would be so good to have a family. Seeing Y/n with Benjamin... makes me realize how unique our journey was. She was the start of it all.

The camera then showed a home video of a family Christmas, with you hugging your parents and family around the tree. It's a genuine moment, full of laughter and joy, that shows a simple and real life behind the fame.

—Football gave me a lot, but my family gave me what really matters.

The episode ended with you sitting on the couch again, now more relaxed. You laughed at an inside joke, and the camera captured this moment of silent intimacy, a demonstration of the quiet, steadfast love you share.

—I know that, at the end of the day, when it's all over... this is what will remain. Us. Y/n was and will always be my biggest support. And everything we built together only makes me sure that the future is ours.

Jude said, his voice shaking slightly.

The camera focused on you, who, still shy, smiled and said:

—I just want him to continue to be happy and mine... that's all that matters.

The speech drew a line from everyone present on the set, and even made Jude try to wink at the camera, but it left something to be desired.

—I promise that by the next episode I will have taught him how to blink!

[sl-walker]

Other Fandom Archives

At least, other ones running on the otw-archive software!

SquidgeWorld Archive

Open to all fandoms, SqWA is run under the nonprofit squidge.org! In addition to the archive there, Squidge also offers image hosting, podfic hosting and a bunch of other excellent services. Beyond that, it utilizes more extensive archive warnings than AO3 and also accommodates two additional relationship categories! SqWA has a no-AI policy that is both up front legally and implemented behind the scenes through various coding measures.

The TOS is here. The information about the additional warnings can be found here.

--

Ad Astra :: Star Trek Fanfiction Archive

A single-fandom Star Trek fanfiction archive, this one's home for any and all Trek fandom! Using the same warnings as AO3, but a much stricter (and therefore searchable) tagging scheme, Ad Astra's also connected to one of the friendliest and most supportive Trek communities on the internet! We run weekly challenges, monthly review/comment hunts and like the other archives, we take a very hardline stance against AI both in actual terms and in firewalling the site. AI 'bots can't even reach the server before getting sucked into a black hole of 4XX errors and bannination jail!

There's an additional QPR (Queer-platonic relationships) tag accepted in the form of Character A ~ Character B, as well. Two invitations go out once a day, unless you want to contact me directly, then I can send one immediately.

Find the site FAQs here, please pay special attention to the posting rules!!

--

superlove

Run off of a macbook by a very talented young person, superlove is for all fandoms and original fiction and pretty much whatever else melo wants to open the doors for! In addition to the same archive warnings and relationships available to people using AO3, superlove also has a few more warnings that users can use and both QPR and vs. tags for queer-platonic and adversarial relationships. Given this is largely a private project, please make sure you review the rules carefully.

--

Comic Fanfiction Authors Archive

The CFAArchive is an archive built specifically for comic book and comic animation adjacent fandoms, rather than live-action properties! It uses the same archive warnings as AO3 and Ad Astra, but has the two additional tags QPR and vs. for queer-platonic and adversarial relationships! Much like Ad Astra, the tagging scheme on the CFAA is very strict to maximize searchability and minimize tag-spamming. There's also an attached Discord, where we run a bi-weekly writing challenge, the occasional comment/review hunt and a monthly focus feature where everyone reads a book, discusses it and creates based on it! If you love comic books and comic animation properties, this is the place for you!

Much like Ad Astra, the filtering out of AI 'bots is extremely strict; they get 4XX'd into oblivion and so far, none have gotten through since the new firewall rules were implemented, so you actually can leave works unlocked if you like with minimal (though never nonexistent) concern about them being scraped.

Two invitations go out once a day, unless you want to contact me directly, then I can send one immediately.

The TOS is here; please read the rules carefully! The tagging FAQ is here; don't be intimidated, it's not hard once you get into the swing!

[loveisanimaginarydagger3000]

Angst Prompts/Dialogue that hurt

(Not all of these are my quotes. I found some of them over various platforms and just wanted to make a collection for writers to use, so if anyone knows where they are from please comment them so I can credit them) 

---

“I don’t think I could love anyone the way I loved you.” 

“And they smiled, maybe not at me but, after all this time they still smiled, so I’ll smile too.” 

“We tried so hard to not be torn apart. But, at the end of it all, we both wanted something different. I wanted you and you…You didn’t want them to know.” 

“It’s not like you ever understood me anyway.” 

“They were like the two sides of a coin. Forged together but never facing the same direction.” 

“I’m tired of being broken.” 

“Where did we go wrong?” 

“You’ve never loved me, have you? It’s always been them.” 

“I love you (Character name), I always will but I just don’t think we were meant to be.” 

“Maybe in another lifetime we’ll get our happy ending.” 

“You were the reason I stayed. It’s just a shame I wasn’t yours.” 

“I wonder how it’s possible to hurt so much when there’s nothing wrong.” 

“Take care of them for me, please?” 

“I love you-” “No, you don’t. Please stop lying to yourself.” 

“Is this goodbye?” 

Want a part 2?