#anyway thanks for sticking round if you stuck around <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[weaponizedmoth]

Happy (actual) new year ✨️

[dreamerdeity]

𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐄 ('𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐄)

*ೃ𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: Il Dottore x Fem. Reader

*ೃ𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 4.2k

*ೃ𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒: Sleep deprived, overworked, a report requested by your Lord Harbinger. Just place it on his desk and leave–or take a nap on his luxurious leather couch before you do. What could go wrong? Well, a lot, apparently.

*ೃ𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: DARK CONTENT!!! Dead dove: do not eat. Somnophilia, non-con like straight up r*pe, subordinate x superior, scary delusional rationalizer-dottore, p in v, fingering (f. receiving), creampie, dottore thinks he's actually a nice guy, dottore is in fact just a creepy guy, dottore acts like a silly (like a psychopath), 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!! others, please proceed at your own risk!

*ೃ 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒: Hi lovelies! I meant to post this yesterday but had some things to take care of so didn't get around to it. This is a request part of @ficsforgaza 's kinktober event. DO NOT READ IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE WARNINGS!! If my shit gets flagged one more time I'm going to kms. anyway, I hope you all enjoy dottore being a literal psychopath. byee :3

KEIRA'S FUNDRAISING EVENT 🍉

You walk through the east wing of the Sumeruan Fatui Research Facility, your eyes heavy and your senses numb from lack of sleep. The only sound that rings through your ears is the faint clicking of your shoes against the rubber flooring. 

The strong scent of antiseptic has always fared excellently in keeping you awake, and you thank the archons for its potent presence in this sterilized hallway as your eyes scan over the various signs plastered on the walls. Il Dottore, Il Dottore, Il Dottore. What turn should you take? What sign bears the arrow to his private laboratory? Frankly, if it were up to you, you would've shoved the responsibility of delivering this report to Lord Dottore onto Mikhael, but he feared the harbinger even more than you did, so here you were, left to take one for the team while sleep deprived, cranky, nervous, and somewhat afraid all at once.

It was a bit of a long walk–marked by frustrated sighs and irritated mutters of disapproval at your own dull sense of direction–to Dottore's personal lab, and you weren't even sure he would be there. He's always been the most eccentric of the harbingers, which is then, relatively, extremely eccentric, and his work hours never conformed to normal people's. You round a corner and turn one last left, before a large fortified iron door faces you ever so imposingly, a towering frame that stands a solid ten feet above you, and you sigh in relief. "Il Dottore" painted in bright white slashes across the door, and you hesitantly stretch your hand out–to knock... or maybe to open the imposing slab of metal. A second passes, and as it turns out, you don't have to choose, because the door slides open automatically, a faint mechanical whirr resounding throughout the premises.

You stride in quickly. A sickeningly sweet scent permeates the air around you, the fragrance wafting off the incense sticks burning at the harbinger's desk. You fleetingly wonder how on earth he could stand the oppressively strong smell, but that doesn't matter right now. Dottore isn't here, you have the report in your hand, tucked neatly into a blue folder (Dottore insisted all papers delivered to him must be so in blue folders only. Not green, not yellow. Blue). All you had to do was set it on your Lord Harbinger's desk and get the hell out of here before he returned. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with intense heart palpitations as he questions you about one thing or the other, or goes on a philosophical rant that you didn't ask to hear while laughing manically as his terrifyingly sharp fangs glint under the white light.  Yup, no way. So, you set the folder onto the pristine oak desk, eyes still heavy and head pounding from your lack of sleep.

A soft breath of relief furls past your lips as soon as the folder hits the desk, and then, you try to turn on your heel and get out of here. Keyword: try, because just as you resign yourself to leaving, your gaze strays to the long, plush, brown leather sofa seated at the corner of the office-meets-laboratory. Fuck, that looks comfortable–no, what in the world were you thinking?! Get out, you mentally scream at yourself. 

Yet, the more logical part of your brain has shut down, and a tired sigh leaves you as you stumble over to the couch. Just a second. You're so, so sleepy. Just a second and then you'll leave, you think, and plop onto the cushions. Your mind is blank, and your limbs feel like they're weighed down by lead. You blink slowly, your body sinks into the soft leather. This sofa must have cost your entire annual salary, what with how comfortable it is. A faint moan bubbles up your throat at the feeling of being engulfed in softness like this, and your eyelids droop. Before you can register, you're slipping away, into the inescapable depths of sleep.

Out like a light. 

It could've been 10 minutes, it could've been an hour, or it could've been all day, but at some point, your name is called, and you're too deep into the recesses of unconsciousness to process it as a word. All it manifests as is a distant voice spinning around your head.

Dottore had trudged into his lab after a rather exhausting day of fieldwork, of examining poisonous flower samples on the outskirts of Avidya Forest with the diligence of the... scientist he was. The deep velvet of his voice uttered your name, and when he received no response, he hummed to himself. He continues to stand over you now, gazing down with the eyes of a predator and the smile of a fox

"Didn't see you there," he mutters to himself more than anything, because, from the looks of it, you're in slumber. His eyes observe the scene before him. The way your chest rises and falls rhythmically, the way your rosy lips are parted just a bit, and the way the moonlight filtering in through the windows catches on the curve of your cheekbones. The inviting sight before him has him licking his lips and adjusting the collar of his coat.

"How lovely..."

The inviting sight, because yes, that's what it was, you were inviting him to indulge, weren't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, asleep on his couch, in his space, blouse unbuttoned once or twice at the top. You know what you're doing, aren't you? He's not the bad guy for just... taking the hint, if you will. His hands twitch at his sides, and his smile widens. You're sleeping, and if you saw the terrifyingly sinister grin on his face right now, you would've thanked the archons for sparing you its sight by letting it stretch upon his lips now that you are asleep, unable to see it.

As though he were debating whether to go about whatever evil he was about to, he crosses his arms over his chest, gaze locked on your form and brow furrowed in thought. He wasn't thinking about the depravity of his potential actions and the psychological harm they may cause you later on. No, no. He didn't have a conscience loud enough for that kind of thought to grace his mind. He was simply thinking about the logical implications. It was... unprofessional–to say the least–to grope your subordinates in their sleep, and should word get out about it, the Second Harbinger will never hear the end of it–especially not from Pantalone. It could jeopardize his relationship with all the investors who fund his research. It could also get him in a pickle with Arlecchino, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with that crazy woman for at least the next century.

But it was dark outside. You were asleep, and he had the whole night to himself. It wasn't his fault, and if you were to awaken, well, it's not like you were going to tell. Oh, he'll make sure of that.

His decision is made, and without a single thread of doubt left in his mind, he crouches by your side, eyes locked on your slumbering face. The smile that stretches along his lips is one reserved for moments like these, for moments when he silently observes the unconscious features of those that fall into his predacious hands. There was always something about unconsciousness that stirred something in him. He was fascinated by the human brain, but he was also fascinated by the unadulterated powerlessness of an unconscious human. It gave him a power trip of sorts, knowing he was the lion and the slumbering were the deer. He chuckles to himself as his eyes fall upon the trail of drool at the corner of your lips, a sound so quiet and smooth that it could have melted butter.

"Don't worry, agent. I'll be... gentle," his words are spoken softly, yet they hold the same venom that his actions always do. They're meant for the both of you. "I won't hurt you."

He won't, will he?

Well, that was for him to know and for you to find out–should you awaken. His gloved hand, gentle but firm, snakes under your head and props it up, and his other hand is busy pushing the buttons of your blouse apart, one by one, until your raven-black bra meets his gaze. He breathes out in a soft exhale, a sound too tranquil for a man of his reputation, and his hand gently tips your face toward him. He meets your face halfway, scanning his sharp eyes over your sleeping features for a moment, his breath warm against your skin, though you can't feel it in your drowse. Slowly, almost like he was deliberately holding himself off, he lets his lips brush against yours, and then he tests the waters some more, giving them a light kiss. You subconsciously shift at the contact, but you're still asleep, and that's enough reassurance for him to go further, letting his teeth graze your lower lip. 

You taste like candy; sweet, soft, and addicting. You're an aphrodisiac, aren't you? He wonders, and his tongue prods at the seam of your lips, begging entrance, but it doesn't take. A soft, almost inaudible growl emanates from him, and the distant feel of his tongue has your breathing stuttering, a whimper bubbling up from your throat, but you don't wake, and that has his pants feeling a lot tighter than they were a few seconds ago.

"tsk," he grumbles against your lips. He's not sure if he wanted you asleep or awake right now. There was a thrill he felt in his veins when he teetered on the edge of danger like this, but there also seemed to be a thrill at the thought of having you awake for this, eyes wide in fear and lust all at once, soft implorations of "please let me go, Lord Dottore" falling from your lips like a mantra.

In the end, though, he'll have his way, and it doesn't matter what your state is. His tongue slips past your parted lips and invades the heat of your mouth, his sharpened canines grazing your tongue. His saliva, mixed with the residue of alcohol he had before heading back, drips down your chin and stains your blouse. If you were awake, you would've found the whole ordeal sloppy and wet, but since you weren't, all it felt like was warmth, and a foreign feeling, as his tongue prodded and probed your mouth. Your brows knit together, and a soft, unconscious moan escapes your lips, one that he greedily swallows. You're not so sure what's going on, still in a drowse that makes you think you're having some sort of insanely realistic wet dream. You hadn't slept in almost two days after all. Archons knew you weren't about to let anything wake you from your much-needed rest. 

Dottore retreats from your lips and pauses for a moment, eyes raking over your form as though his mind was scanning over all the choices of what to do to you next. 

"Ah," he says, like he was hit with a revolutionary idea. It wasn't so revolutionary, because the next thing that happens is the harbinger's hands finding their way to your chest, the cool leather of his gloves brushing against the bare patch of skin he revealed to himself when unbuttoning your blouse down three or four buttons. You shift again, and the movement has his fingers accidentally grazing over your bra-clad nipples. The sudden touch causes your body to arch and a low groan to rumble in the back of your throat. You were sensitive, he notes, and a grin tugs at the corner of his lips. 

But you see, Dottore was getting bored of his self-inflicted abstinence. He did tell himself he had all night earlier, but come to think of it, he actually doesn't. He wants it fast and rough, and he wants it now. So, he lets his hand trail down for a moment, shamelessly shoving it into your pants and letting his fingers play with your pussy over your panties.

"H-hnngh!" You gasp in your sleep, and if you were awake, you'd be able to almost feel the smirk he wears as he continues, a finger pressing insistently at your clit, even if the fabric of your underwear is in the way.

"Oh? Do you like this then, agent?" he asks, and the words are an almost inaudible whisper. The question is rhetorical, after all. He doesn't give a flying fuck if you do like it, and he was talking himself through it more than he was you. 

Your head lolls to the side and a shaky breath leaves you. Your panties are subconsciously growing wet, an automatic bodily reaction to being touched here, and his finger doesn't relent. It's a good thing, however, that the friction of the thin fabric has you writhing, and the stimulation has him impatient, his fingers hastily moving to roughly pull your pants down, then to grip the fabric of your blouse, ripping it apart, buttons popping off the garment and onto the ground with soft clicks. The supple flesh of your torso is now exposed and open, and so are your eyes. It takes you a second to register what's going on. 

You're... lying on the sofa.

What time was it?

What are you doing here, exactly?

"W-what..." the words barely leave you, and suddenly, sleep has left you completely, the feeling of a heavy weight against your body taking its place, and the realization that a man is on top of you.

Your eyes snap open wider, and the first thing you see is Dottore's grinning, almost psychotic-looking eyes boring through you. 

"My Lord?!" you cry, and everything comes rushing back. You went to drop a report to the Lord Harbinger. You fell asleep on the couch in his laboratory.

"What are you doing?!" you demand as assertively as you can in a situation like this, but your voice shakes in fear despite your efforts.

"I could ask you the same question, agent," he hums, and his gloved fingers move to trail over the expanse of your breasts, fondling and groping with not a sliver of shame. "You were asleep when I came in, and so, I assumed, naturally, that you wanted me to do this. Why else would you have been so conveniently sprawled out on my couch, in the privacy of my lab, half-naked and vulnerable?"

"I-I didn't–I wasn't half naked," you try to defend yourself–with such a witless refutation too–but how could you possibly defend yourself? The harbinger was right. You were asleep on the couch in his private lab. Utterly disrespectful. And he caught you. Maybe this was karma–or just your luck. 

"Hush, now," he purrs, and his fingers slither behind your back to the band of your bra. You don't have time to react as the garment is pulled off you in one swift motion, tossed away and onto the floor, and then his hands are back on your tits, kneading the supple flesh, pinching your hardened nipples.

"My Lord–stop it, please," you plead, and you can't help the gasp that escapes you, the action shooting straight between your thighs, which clamp together as best as they can with Dottore straddling your waist with all his weight.

He was a scary man, Il Dottore, and even if he wasn't physically hurting you–for now–the sheer intensity of his gaze was enough to scare the shit out of you. You were utterly, hopelessly, and vulnerably at his mercy, and the worst part is, you have a feeling that not a single person in this whole 8-story facility would stand up for you. Not a single Fatui subordinate would dare.

"Stop? Oh, darling! But we haven't even started," he laughs, like what you just suggested was utterly ridiculous, and a shudder runs down your body.

"You know," he hums, leaning closer and lowering his head to ghost his lips over the shell of your ear, the smell of alcohol strong on his breath. "You can scream–if you'd like. No one would hear." 

You have no time to retort, because Dottore's head dips to the valley of your breasts immediately, then his lips ghost over one of your nipples, swiftly taking the nub in his mouth. A sharp inhale rushes into your lungs, and a whimper threatens to spill from your throat. You're not quite sure if the feeling coursing through you is fear or lust or both, because it makes your stomach churn how good this actually feels. Your eyes are squeezed shut, and Dottore’s teeth graze the sensitive skin around your nipple, sending a jolt of electricity between your legs, then his tongue flicks over the hardening peak.

"Mmh," the moan bubbles up from the very back of your throat. 

"Oh? So... still want me to stop now, agent?" he muses, mockingly, and his free hand is back at your pussy, rubbing slow, teasing circles over the soaked fabric. Your hips buck up, so he takes that as a sign to push the garment aside, a finger sliding between your wet lips.

"No, my Lord," you gasp, and you can't believe the words that come out of your own mouth. Dottore's hand doesn't stop, and his thumb presses down on your clit, and a breathy, whiny moan escapes you.

"See? This isn't so bad, now, is it?" he doesn't give you any warning before his fingers dip into your wet pussy, the intrusion causing you to jerk. Your inner walls flutter around his fingers. His sharp canines dig into his lower lip.

"Aren't you a good little whore. So pretty and obedient for your Lord Harbinger," Dottore purrs, and his thumb begins to move against your clit, while his fingers curl and press insistently at your walls. Your legs tremble, a string of moans falls from your lips, and if anyone told you just an hour ago that the Second Lord Harbinger Il Dottore was going to finger you in his lab, you would've laughed and asked who the fuck would say something like that.

Alas, Dottore wasn't a patient man, so it's no surprise that he doesn't finger you long enough before his hands pull away from you entirely, and he "tsks" impatiently to himself. He has to have you now. He's been so, so nice. Hasn't he? Kind enough to prep you for him instead of plunging himself into you from the get-go. If anything, he thinks he deserves a pat on the back for his thoughtfulness. 

Swiftly, his hands reach under your thighs, and with an alarming amount of ease, he yanks you down and away from the cushion that sprawled beneath your head. Then, he's settling between your legs. A soft whimper is torn from your throat when the cold, metal buckle of his belt grazes the inside of your thigh. You watch, helpless, as his hands make quick work of his pants, unzipping the black uniform, and pushing them down just far enough to pull his cock out. You can't help but gulp at the sight, and the wideness of your eyes makes Dottore laugh out an almost sadistic-sounding string of giggles. 

"Don't worry, sweetheart," he hums, the term of endearment spoken so condescendingly. "You'll take it well. Won't you?"

His words aren't a question. They're a statement. An absolute, undeniable fact. An order. You'll take it well, whether you want to or not, and the knowledge has you almost making a run for the door, but the thought leaves you as fast as it came.

Dottore doesn't wait for a response that won’t come, or a plea for him not to do this, not to force his cock into your tight heat, and you're not quite sure why, but you don't find yourself objecting, or trying to kick him away. Maybe you were curious. Maybe this was a materialization of one of your own depraved fantasies. Or maybe you were just scared he'd kill you if you resisted.if you made a run for the door like you fleetingly thought just now. 

His fingers curl around the base of his thick cock, fist then sliding up and down in a few experimental pumps. The tip presses at your entrance almost desperately, and he's pushing the head into your tightness before you can process. He's a big man. The stretch burns. It has a hiss tearing from the back of your throat, and a pained grimace twisting your features.

"Shh," Dottore murmurs, his other hand reaching up to caress the side of your face almost soothingly, the action a stark contrast to the harshness of his current actions.

"Good, good," he whispers, his voice is sickeningly smooth, as though he were genuinely consoling you.

Then, just like that, his hips snap forward, not giving you time to adjust as the entirety of his cock is engulfed in the warmth of your pussy. You're clamping down around him, and it has him groaning lowly in his throat, his eyes squeezing shut, the grip of his hands that are now on your hips tightening.

"Agent," he sighs, and his fingers dig into the soft flesh of your sides. It'll leave a mark there. A reminder.

You're not quite sure where the burning pain had gone. All that remains is an aching desire, a desperate need, and the sound of flesh slapping against flesh. Your hands move, without a conscious command from your brain, and they rest on Dottore's shoulders, holding on tightly. The harbinger smiles down at you with sickening sweetness, no, not sweetness, mockery. Or maybe sweetness. God, you were a mess. Your mind was nothing but a blob of mush at this moment, and Dottore's hands shift to the underside of your knees, pushing your legs up and thrusting his cock even deeper at this new, utterly indecent angle. 

"My Lord!" the moan is punched out of you. His lips meet yours again, his sharp canines scraping over the sensitive flesh. Your hands slide to tangle into his hair, pulling and tugging at the soft blue strands. An almost whiny groan escapes the harbinger's throat at the action. His movements become more desperate. Fast and rough. So fast and rough you're scared you'll be split in two. The plush sofa under the two of you shakes and creaks. 

"So, so good," he whines, face contorted in pleasure, but as though he caught himself in his haze before it spiraled, his lips pull back into a domineering sneer. "Take it," he demands, and the words, combined with the obscene feeling of being filled to the brim, are enough to have your vision going white. You claw at Dottore's shoulders with desperate fervor. 

"L-Lord Harbinger. I think I'm going to–" 

"Do it," he commands with the struggle of a man on the brink of ecstasy, and he folds you even more. If you weren't agile–thanks to your agent training–you're sure you would've actually split into two by now. Back arching off the sofa, a string of incoherent, unintelligible moans escapes your throat. Your pussy clamps down around the thick cock stretching it, and a wave of pleasure courses through you, rendering your muscles numb.

The sight and feeling of you unraveling have Dottore following closely after, his movements becoming erratic and uncoordinated. It's a sight like never seen before; the normally ever so composed man crumbling like this, and then, he's spilling his hot cum into you, a guttural groan reverberating throughout his chest. He fills you to the brim until the warm white liquid leaks out of your aching pussy and stains the leather under you. 

A second passes, then two, then three, then a few seconds more. Dottore lets the head of his cock press against your insides one last time before pulling out. He sits back on his knees and regards you for a moment with an almost frightening calmness, and you open your mouth to try and say something, because why was he looking at you like you were nothing but the scum of the ground he walks on after literally cumming inside of you as some lover would?

"The couch will need some cleaning. I trust you can get that sorted tomorrow, agent?" He says finally with a cock of his head, voice level and calm as he climbs off of you and stands on his feet, tucking himself back into his pants as he nonchalantly hums a tune to himself, like this was just another day of fucking his subordinates in their sleep. And maybe it was; you didn’t know, but right now, you're still paralyzed in your spot, just staring at him, and so he turns to glance at you. "Get dressed. You're dismissed for today."

You can only gape, speechless, watching as Dottore turns his back to you once more and disappears into the microscopy workroom in his lab, a certain energized spring to his step.

What the fuck just happened?

The workroom's door closes behind him with a soft click, and he smiles to himself.

Ah, the thrill.

Now, it was time to get back to his research.

[vimse]

Ah wow it’s almost 2025, which means it’s time for the yearly art recap. Time flies when you’re struggling through your thesis, but I’m very pleased to scrounge up at least one Tech drawing per month. I’ll do a (not so) short reflection about my 2024 art under the cut if you’re interested, but for now, I’d like to express my greatest gratitude for everybody who has stuck around and shared my art. Hoping that 2025 will be a more productive art year. Byeee 🧡

Tl;dr under the cut: ramblings about my struggle in school, 2024 highlights, hopes and dreams next year

—

Let’s look back at last year’s summary:

What's next in 2024?

More Tech. Some things I'd like to explore in 2024 is character drawings beyond portraits, anatomy, simple backgrounds, OCs, storytelling through short comics, TBB band au, and maybe some commission work

Well, safe to say I didn’t get too much of that done haha. The reason for that is I’ve been really struggling with my undergraduate thesis work in chemistry. I don’t really know the root cause of it, but I just can’t bring myself to finish it and I’ve been procrastinating badly, so much that I’ve missed two presentation opportunities. The third opportunity is within 2 weeks and I’m nowhere finished or ready. It has been a constant source of stress and anxiety throughout 2024. I got burned out by the end of May and went to the school counsel to hand in my resignation notice, but got convinced to stick around but to finish it at a later date, because this is literally the last thing to do before I get my degree. Then afterwards I decided to go back to my old job full time, which has been very tiring and took a long time to adjust to. This is very obviously reflected in the amount of full illustration produced during July to October, especially September when I couldn’t bring myself to draw anything beyond Tech’s hand lol.

If I don’t finish my thesis in time for this round, I think I’ll finally throw in the towel for real. Maybe I’ve doomed my future or something but…this experience has made me feel incredibly (and constantly) bad for a whole year, and it has affected every aspect of my life. I’m very tired of it. And although my current job is very tiresome and probably detrimental to my health, it pays well and the colleagues are wonderful. Additionally, it is a niche job that I have years of experience in, with good connections, so I’m not currently worrying about my future job at all. And it’s still within the chemistry industry, so all the time I spent in school isn’t going to waste. In regard to my future, I’m more worried about wasting all of it on a conventional 7-16 job, of which I don’t think a degree in analytical chemistry would help me avoid anyways.

Okay, I’ve rambled enough. If you’re still here, thank you. Now, let’s look back to some positive highlights in my art year of 2024:

I think I’ve finally reached the point where I’m content with how I draw Tech. As evident by the picture above, it’s sort of consistent too, which is a bonus.

I joined my first zine!! It’s the Pabu Days zine and I can’t wait for everyone to get their copy of it. Everybody’s pieces are amazing. I wish I did better/more, but the creation period was during the worst time of my year, mental health-wise, and I have to accept that it was the best I could do at the time.

As for the “masterpiece” of 2024, my most proudest work is the CX-Tech piece I did during the height of TBB season 3. I’m incredibly happy with how the rim lights turned out and the overall mood of it. Also the texture on the armour turned out sooo good, I can’t believe I was the one who painted it lol. I wish I could personally show the picture from my monitor, because all the details seem to disappear when viewed on tumblr. Below is the illustration I’m talking about, along with a side by side comparison to the picture I referenced the lighting from + some closeups. Looking back at it now, I wish I added a stronger frontal light source, so that the picture isn’t so dark.

Also, extra shout out to the back study series. I am traditionally not a painter (just grew up as an anime weeb) so making these this was an incredible accomplishment.

With that, I’m wrapping this very long post (sorry) with some 2025 hopes and dreams. Basically it’s the same things I wanted to do in 2024: improve anatomy, more background, work on OC, work on AUs. I want to try very hard to make commissions happen next year, if people are still interested. Something else I want to do that isn’t strictly art related is to connect more with people, especially with those who are still hyperfixated on TBB as I am. I find it hard to socialise on tumblr, but I try to be more social on bluesky. Idk, I think it would be fun to find a small active community that is maybe more focused on clones and oc stuff.

Okay, that’s all! If you’ve made it this far, thank you thank you thank you. Have a happy holiday and may your 2025 be a wonderful, wonderful year.

🧡 vimse

[pedrostylez]

The Gray: Chapter 5

pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

rating: 18+ (no minors please)

word count: 5k

chapter warnings etc: NOT CANON JOEL MILLER, swearing, mentions of violence, punching, kicking, blood, anger, SMUT, dirty talk, riding, hella consent, some size kink stuff okayyyy, pet names including Eminem references and nicknames but not to be associated with the appearance of reader. NO USE OF Y/N.

A/N: If you didn't see my personal post, I've had a wild couple months, and finishing this was last on my mind. BUT I want to thank those that have stuck around to read it. I apologize for errors, mistakes, and grammatical issues-I was inspired enough to finish it so let's give some woop-woop for that huh? Anyways, love yall <3

 Be mindful, and control your own reading experience.

Joel doesn’t want to think it was a mistake.

Laying you out on his bed, fucking you and letting you ride him the way you did. It’s not like he can help himself, really. Once he got a taste of what it was like to have you, he couldn’t stop.

From round two of bending you over the couch and eating you out while you whined and called his name, to letting you suck him off in the shower, Joel doesn’t think he can go back to the routine you had before. 

He’s easily distracted by you now. The way you float out of the training room, ready to take on the next file of paperwork to review. The way you blink at him slowly from the bed, silently asking him to join the warm blankets when it gets late. The way your teeth sink into your lip when you want to ask him for something that he’s more than happy to give. 

He wants to give, give, give.

It’s been so long for him. 

But the battery of one of his camera’s goes out during the week and he swears to internally, knowing he has to go fix it. When you ask if you can go with him, he realizes how easy it was to say yes. 

“Just a dead camera, sugar.” He mumbles out, cheeks tightening with a smile when you scoff at him.

“We should stick together, in case anyone recognizes us.” You point out, leaning back on the couch and stretching like a cat in the sun. Your shirt rises, tempting Joel to go for the smooth skin beneath the fabric, but he refrains.

“We could go tonight. I don’t want the system to be down for too long.” He turns back to the screens, eyes hovering over the darkened one before shrugging. “I should probably check my mail too.”

You turn your head, frowning for a moment. “You actually get mail?”

Joel lets out a laugh, turning back to you.“I have to get those care packages of cereal sponsorships from somewhere.” He finds himself sitting down next to you, your legs easily lifting to lay over his lap. His fingers tickle at your calves, your smile the only indication that you notice he’s doing it.

Your eyes close as if you’re exhausted, yawning. “How are you still sponsored by Honey Nut Cheerios if you’re considered a villain?”

His hands tighten around your legs, squeezing at the muscles. “Don’t hate on my hussle.”

You burst out in a laugh, trying to pull your legs away but he holds on tighter, pulling you toward him until you’re able to sit up and straddle his lap. It’s almost instant how you lean into him, lips brushing his and sighing out happily as you grind your center against his own. 

He shouldn’t get used to this, but he wants to. 

Joel’s feet felt heavy on the sidewalk, his hood blocking his peripheral vision and the cover of dusk barely enough for him. 

But you’re under his arm. 

Your hand is wrapped around his waist under the sweatshirt, your own hood pulled up as he directs you. Your breath is fanning over the open zipper, one hand holding a bag of packages from the post office before you peer up at him. “Do you think we look crazy?”

Joel grunts, not giving you an answer as he turns his head to look into the road. The street lights are beginning to turn on, and the people on the streets are heading home. The temperature is dropping, he can feel it through the fabric, and your arm is so warm around him. No one notices or cares about your shared presence, and it sets his mind at ease.

The alleyway is coming up on the right, his body turning toward you, walking you backwards into a wall. You huff out a breath, confusion clear. “Kiss me.” It’s a demand, purely for the disguise he tries to tell himself, but he feels this pull toward you that he just can’t tame. You breath catches, your pupils widening as he leans in, pressing his lips to yours. 

He’s trying to keep control of himself–your hand is snaking up to around the back of his head, keeping his hood in place. Your lips are so soft, and he can’t help but groan when he tries to pull away, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek. “We need to go here.” He mumbles into your ear, letting you explore the rest of his body with your hands. “Keep going.”

“I think you just wanted to kiss me.” You tease, turning your head to capture his mouth again, sighing happily. 

He pulls you away from the wall, taking another glance around before pulling you down the dark alleyway into the shadow. His hand is stuck to your back, and Joel is trying to get ahold of himself. 

He unlocks a door in the back of the alley, no lights in sight as he pushes you into the hallway, the door shutting quietly behind you both. Joel feels your breath catch, how you hold it until he squeezes around your hip. “Alright?” He asks gruffly, feeling you nod against his chest. 

You hum in a high pitched tone, breathing in sharply and reaching for his hand and squeezing roughly. “I can’t see.” You squeak.

Joel frowns in the darkness, tilting his head to look down at you. His eyes have adjusted, used to this, his powers kicking in to accommodate, and your eyes are wide and searching around in the shadow for anything. Terrified. 

“Just step forward, sugar.” He says quietly, giving you another squeeze. “Your eyes will adjust.”

His attention is fully on you, steering you in the direction he wants to go, you still blindly trusting him. This thought in the back of his head that you shouldn’t be trusting him, and he shouldn’t trust you goes quiet, keeping a firm grip on you. 

He feels you shake, unable to relax enough for your eyes to take in what little light there is, and he lets his body relax against you. “There is a room at the end of this hallway where I can turn on the lights.” He says quietly, letting you set the pace for how fast you both walk but still directing you. 

You let out a shaky breath, nodding without a word as you continue on. His hand lets go of you, your back stiffening against his front, until a light flickers on and you’re both bathed in the yellowed bulb. 

Joel steps in front of you, a small smile on his face as he looks you over. “Should train you in the dark instead of running.” He comments, hoping to lift your mood. 

When all you do is nod, biting at your lip and looking around, he frowns. 

Here in the light, he can see the wires he’s haphazardly put up, messy but working. His eyes find the backup battery, crouching over to begin opening it. “Just a quick fix.” He grumbles, letting you stand in the center of the room as he works.

Joel notices the way your lips upturn for a moment, pretending that you’re fine as you stare only at him and not behind you. He pulls batteries out of his pocket, hand gliding over the different stations and replacing the old with the new. 

“What happens if one of the wires goes bad?” You ask quietly, eyes trained on his features as he glances in your direction.

“It hasn’t happened yet, but I would replace the wire. It doesn’t go very far, just to a wireless router that lets the visuals come to me virtually instead of the wires being all around town.” He speaks quickly, feeling embarrassed for a moment before he shrugs. “Not too complicated.”

You nod, placing your hands behind your back and taking a step toward him. “Anything I can do?”

Joel is already shaking his head, frowning internally. “No, just…stand guard.” He mumbles, turning his back to you even though everything in him tells him he shouldn’t be trusting you this way. It’s only for a few more minutes.

You’re standing awkwardly a few paces away from Joel still, 30 minutes later. You had offered again to give him help, but he grumbled that he “needed you to stay put.” and you chose to lean against the wall instead. 

Something felt off. 

Joel over the past few days has been either fucking you or observing you. And to be honest with yourself, you prefer it when he’s fucking you because at least then you can both shut off your brains for a moment. 

Now that it’s happened, whatever this is between you, Joel is closing himself back off. You thought you were making progress, showing your interest, your shared goal of getting revenge was opening him up, loosening him so that you could truely work together. 

But now…

Joel suddenly stands, breaking you out of your thoughts as he turns. “All done, let’s go.”

“What took so long?” You question, wincing when he shuts off the lights again, the green and red indications on the battery packs and where the wires connect the only thing you can see until Joel stands in front of you, blocking the light. 

“The old battery leaked, I had to clean it out.” He mumbles, his warm hands landing on your shoulders and you can’t help but jump. He turns you, ignoring your physical reaction and leading you back down the hallway. 

When you feel the cool metal at your fingertips, you breathe a sigh of relief, the latch opening into the night that is somehow just as dark. But the street lights are nearby, and your eyes are more easily adjusting to out here than to in the alleyway. 

The silence between the two of you, Joel arm wrapped stiffly around your shoulder again, your hand clutching the fabric of his sweatshirt as he leads you back the way you came, has you retreating into your mind again. 

Back at the hideout, the bag of his mail being placed gently on the table, you look over to Joel. He’s grabbing at his hair, pulling at the roots of the gray by his ears and looking to the security system. You glance at the screens, taking a double take when you see Marianne in town square, AJ at her side as they walk casually into The Organization headquarters. 

Joel grunts unhappily, turning to look at you. “We have to get this plan moving.”

He’s back to sharing with you, a wave of relief filling you as you sit down on the couch, taking off your sweatshirt. “I agree. They shouldn’t get too comfortable.”

Instead of sitting beside you, he pulls a chair out from the table to sit across from you, leaning forward with his elbow on his knees, scratching at his chin. You bite the inside of your cheek, doing your best to keep your thoughts to yourself, no matter how much you want to jump him right now. 

The ease at which he leans, his biceps straining against even the sweatshirt he still has on, has your eyes trailing over him as he talks. “We have to grab AJ, minimum, tomorrow during his next PR stunt. That’s the only way. We’ve let them do their thing for a few weeks now, letting them get comfortable, but it’s not wise of us to assume that they aren’t preparing as well.”

“Of course.” You cough, eyes looking back up to him after catching your thoughts wandering too far to pay attention. 

His eyes, deep brown crinkle at the sides as he smirks at you, a glimmer of mischief. “Watch it, sugar.”

“I didn’t do anything.” You feign innocence, not bothering to shoot him a smirk of your own when he leans back, his arms crossing over his chest and his chin tilting down to examine you better. 

“Maybe not.” He says quietly, the roughness of his voice making your insides clench. He pushes a foot out, the toe of his boot barely brushing yours. “But you’re thinking of something.”

“Not a thought behind these eyes.” You squeak, crossing your own arms to mirror him. This is what you prefer with him; this banter back and forth that keeps him relaxed around you. When he gets stiff and awkward, as if he’s hiding things from you, makes your own guard come up. 

His tongue peeks out, licking his bottom lip as he taps his foot one, two, three times. “Want to know what I’m thinking?” He asks, leaning back forward and letting his arms release and reach for your knee. Joel doesn’t wait for your response before he continues. “I’m thinking about how you would look right now if you were riding my cock.”

You widen your eyes, almost choking as his fingers sink into the skin on your leg and pull you toward him, as if inviting you right now. “You want me to?”

“If you want.” He says quietly, his gaze glancing down to your shirt, to where his hands are holding your legs. 

You tilt your head, biting your lip and letting your hand land on top of his. “I always want to.” You admit, smiling at him when his eyes come back to meet your own. 

His cheeks slowly fade into a shade of red, shaking his head at you in disbelief before he stands, grabbing your hand to pull you up with him. 

He switches places with you, spinning you around so that he can slowly lower himself on to the couch. His lips trail along the front of your shirt, a path of heat left in his wake. Joel quickly squeezes at your hips before he fully sits down, leaning comfortably with his neck exposed to you. 

Like there are no thoughts in your head, you press one knee down into the cushion by his thigh, pressing your center to his as you sit in his lap. “This is what you wanted?” You ask breathlessly, resting your hands on his shoulders. 

He hums, letting his eyes half close before pressing his lips in to your collarbone. “You’re just so pretty propped up on my lap like this.”

Your heart races under his mouth, closing your eyes and sighing to try and keep it together. “You just want me to do all the work, Joel.”

He chuckles, fingers digging into your hip as an answer before he lets his fingers drift up under your shirt, skating the fabric up over your ribcage. When the shirt comes off and his eyes are trailing over your chest, you can’t help but reach down to his jeans, unbuttoning them as quickly as your fingers allow. 

You almost don’t notice how Joel brings a hand up, squeezing you before pinching a nipple to listen to you hiss. “Let me see you, baby.”

You’re barely able to move his zipper out of the way fast enough, the strain against the fabric making it hard to manuver. He grunts as your fingers wrap around him, pulling him out of his briefs as best as you can to look down at the weeping head. 

You feel your mouth dry, seeing the length of him catching you off guard like it has previously. But he doesn’t allow you to think for much longer about it, shifting your hips forward to let the head of his cock press at your opening for a moment before lifting you just enough to fit himself in. 

You groan in unison, eyes closing in bliss as you attempt to adjust to Joel’s size. He gives you little time, fingers pressing into your hips and torso, urging you to lift yourself on your knees and press yourself into him over and over. 

“Lift that perfect ass up.” He growls, snaking his hand down to the roundness of your ass and squeezing. 

“Let me just–” You moan, the slight lift from his hand before rocking back down on him has you losing focus. “You’re just so–”

“I know.” He coos, his other hand pushing your hair back, hooking around the back of your neck and jaw. Your eyes blink open, leaning into his hand to see how his pupils have blown wide, his mouth open with his own breath. “I know, baby. It’s a lot, huh?”

You furrow your brow at the tone, the light teasing as if he is challenging you. You fall into his trap, lifting yourself slowly to being riding him, picking up the pace as you gain momentum. Your hands support yourself on his shoulders, his head lolling back at the feeling of you squeezing him. 

“That’s it.” He breathes, lifting a hand away from your ass and landing a light smack to the skin. “So fucking good like this, sugar.”

You sink your teeth into your lip, closing your eyes as you feel your end approaching. The way his cock has been brushing against your walls, the press of his fingers into your skin…

“Joel.” You warn, digging your nails into his shoulders. “I-I’m–”

“Go ahead, baby.” He pants, lifting his own hips to meet yours as your rhythm begins to falter. 

When you finish around him, your walls squeezing him to the point that his own moan is choked, you almost fall completely into him. Your vision goes completely white, unable to know which way is up or down, not knowing how long it lasts for.

Joel holds you steady, pumping his hips up from the couch into you for only a few more times before he comes himself. “Fuck–sugar–” He calls faintly, your ears ringing as you rest your forehead against his neck. 

You both sit there for a few moments, catching your breath as you cuddle into his chest before he lifts you with him still inside, standing and carefully walking toward the bedroom. 

“Tomorrow?” You ask breathlessly, referring to AJ’s PR stunt. Your eyes are drooping, heavily closing and reopening with less and less ability to keep them open to focus on him. 

Joel sighs, a new shirt covering you and him, his jeans replaced with pajamas as he’s pulling the blanket up past your shoulders and pressing his lips to your temple. “Y-yeah.” He coughs, laying his head down on the pillow next to you. “I’ll wake you up so we can be in position before they get there.”

“Okay.” You respond, drifting off into a dreamless sleep. 

But Joel doesn’t sleep. 

Instead, he lays next to you until he knows you’ve truly passed out, standing up and grabbing his jeans before shutting the door behind him and heading to his stash of weapons. He’s only given you the information he knows you would have already had if you were still in contact with AJ and Marianne. 

You wouldn’t do that to him. 

But he can’t be too careful. 

There’s this alarm in the back of his brain, telling him that he’s gotten too sloppy with you. That he played right into your hand, got too comfortable because he likes burying his cock into you, likes having you around. 

Likes you. 

But he can’t think about that too much right now; he puts on his gear and straps a few extra weapons to him in case something goes wrong. He can do this alone like he had always planned before, and he will deal with your wrath after. Assuming you would be upset with him and not impressed that he caught on to some ulterior motives you may have. 

Joel swears to himself as he looks at the closed bedroom door, not daring to open it in case it wakes you. 

He knows he will get his revenge, whether you’re with him, or against him. 

The roof of this building is just like the rest, the wind whipping through and slapping him in the face roughly. He squints, doing his best to not react any further and hold himself still, watching as the shadows get darker around him. 

He watches the camera crew, come and go, come and go, and come and go again. Setting up their equipment, being berated by Marianne over the phone, changing out the gear. Joel remains patient, prowling, keeping his eyes on what is in front of him. 

He’s so intently focused, that when the sun begins to set, and the time that AJ and Marianne gets closer and closer, his thoughts wander to you. He had set up his cameras to detect when you left, to alert him, but nothing. He refrains from checking his watch, knowing he may miss what is right in front of him. 

And then suddenly, AJ strides in front of him, just as Joel knew he would scanning the area curiously before turning to the cameras set up but abandoned. 

That worries him, but only long enough for him to think about it before the person he is after is in front of him again. “Am I early?” He calls, turning his body away from Joel’s direction unknowingly.

Joel creeps out, the shadows around him covering him for a second longer before he lets it drop. “AJ, how nice to see you again.” He says gruffly, tilting his head as he watches AJ turn slowly. “Expecting me, I see?”

“Joel…” AJ says with a warning tone, clenching his fists at his sides, tilting his chin down and breathing in deeply. “Why are you here? Where’s our little friend?”

“I figured she would be with you…” Joel trails off, realizing now that he was wrong…of course he was wrong. He’s been too paranoid to know the difference. “I’m not letting you leave this roof alive.”

AJ scoffs. “Like hell, old man.”

Joel doesn’t wait any longer, rushing him and letting his fist connect with the side of AJ’s face. AJ turns, blood spilling from between his teeth at the uanticipated blow before shaking his head back. Joel hears the crack of his bones, and rocks another into AJ’s shoulder before he can send one back. 

AJ sneers at him, spinning and launching himself forward with a powerful kick aimed at Joel’s midsection. Joel dodges, barely getting the toe of the boot to his ribs as he lets his open palm slam into AJ’s nose. 

"Pretty good for an old man!" Joel laughs, following up with a series of quick jabs into AJ’s kidneys from behind. But AJ is able to turn, wrapping his arm around Joel’s neck quickly with his lightning speed before Joel even has a chance, letting his knuckles bruise Joel’s cheek. 

He keeps connecting his fist to Joel’s face, over and over and over again, to the point that Joel suddenly regrets being here alone. This feeling swells inside of him, his arms flailing, trying to catch on to AJ’s sleeves, or on to anything before AJ completely obliterates his face, but he can’t seem to get a grip. 

“Just like always, Miller.” AJ says breathlessly, taking a break long enough to tilt Joel’s face up to get a better look at the blood, at the bruises blooming below the surface. “You always start it, but I will always finish it.”

Joel should have known better than to do this alone. But he just couldn’t help himself. 

Another blow to the face before the ringing in his ears increases, the break from AJ’s fists only temporary while he feels the vibrations of AJ’s laugh. Another punch to his cheek, his hands becoming weak from holding at AJ’s arm, not able to provide air for himself any longer. 

But suddenly, the arm is lifted from his neck and he is able to kneel roughly, coughing into the concrete and supporting himself on his hands. Joel looks up, the ringing subsiding, his heartbeat still loud in his ears to see you, standing above AJ leaning over the side of the roof. 

And it’s not like the movies, with anything said between the two of you, or him pleading for his life. No, Joel watches as you reach down, your foot pressing deeper into AJ’s sternum and wrapping your hands around his head, quickly twisting and snapping his neck. 

Your suit glows around the arms, the strength you used not your own, as you stand there and stare at the life you just took, before releasing your foot and letting AJ’s body fall over the side of the building. 

Joel releases a sigh, breath heaving as he looks at you, turning your body to face him as if he is next. Your eyes are glued to him, blood on your hands, splattered up your wrists from your own punches thrown, and all he can see is fury. “Why did you do that?” He asks, husky and dry on his tongue. 

You stare at him a bit longer, a frown of confusion on your face for a moment before you lift a hand and point at him. “You don’t trust me.” You spit at him. You suit continues to glow, and Joel realizes that you’ve made your suit work off your emotions; your anger.

Joel coughs, closing his eyes from the pain radiating through his face, before the words spill out of his mouth.  “I couldn’t. I had to be sure. I had to do this myself.”

You laugh, shaking your head and looking down to AJ’s still body over the edge of the roof. “Yeah well I finished it.”

At first, Joel doesn’t know what to say. He’s not sure if he should thank you, or if he should be upset with you. He settles on indifferent, sighing heavily. “I know. I’m at peace with that.”

You turn you back to him, shoulders coming up to your ears in defense as if Joel is going to take a step forward and touch you. Part of him wants to–to put a hand on your shoulder, to turn you around, to whisper how thankful he is for you. For saving him. He was literally about to be pummeled to death. 

But he doesn’t, he stays where he is, one knee on the ground and the other supporting his elbow. He begins to stand, grunting and groaning at the feeling before resting on the balls of his feet and staring at you. 

You open your mouth, straightening your back and turning to him again, but this time you’re even more stone cold. No anger, no anything, just looking at him. “I’m not at peace.”

Joel is confused for a moment, eyebrow furrowed as he waits for something else to come out of your mouth. “What do you mean?” He concedes. 

“If you can’t trust me, I can’t trust you.” You say matter-of-fact, looking at his feet before snapping them back up to his face. “I’m done.”

The silence of the night fills the air between you, the distant sound of sirens reach Joel’s ears as he begins to understand what you mean. You can’t trust him, and so you won’t stick around. But that can’t be right, he just got used to you. 

“You can’t be done with me.” He scoffs, shaking his head. 

“I can. I am.” You clear your throat, crossing your arms over your chest in defense. 

“Slim, please,” He caves, suddenly hyperaware that the sirens are getting closer, and they are likely coming here. The overwhelming feeling to fight for you comes over him, and he reaches out for you. 

You try to dodge him, but his fingers graze your wrist. “Don’t fucking touch me, ever again.” You snarl, the cold exterior dropping for a moment and he swears he sees your eyes pool with tears. “You used me this morning, and nothing you say will change that.”

Joel shakes his head. “I know, baby I’m sorry–”

“Stop.” You cut him off, taking a large step away from him. The sirens are ever present, and you begin backing up toward the edge of the roof where AJ was standing. “I’m leaving.” You announce, twisting yourself to get ready to launch and fly off the edge. 

“Will you come back to the hideout?” Joel persists, stepping forward and reaching for your hand. You’re already mad, maybe this won’t help, but he has to try. His fingers graze yours, and you pull away as if burned. 

You shake your head, hissing. “Never. You can’t trust me, I can’t trust you. We’re done Joel, do you hear me?”

Joel lets his hand fall back to his side, the feeling of something warm dripping down the side of his face as he whispers. “Is that what you want?”

You gasp, eyes searching over his face, not expecting him to ask that. He sees you nod your head, the tears back. “Yes.”

Joel nods, stepping back toward the shadows, the sound of yelling filling his ears. “Get out of here.” He nods at you, covering himself in shadow as he launch yourself off the side of the roof. 

When Joel is able to make it back to his hideout, the news on the TV already covering AJ’s death, he roughly sits down on the couch and sighs heavily. He looks to the open bedroom door, the sheets and blankets a mess, and can almost see the panic that you endured as you began to get ready, trying to find where Joel was. 

He almost laughs, the feeling on the side of his face radiating a pain he hasn’t felt before. His eyes flick back to the screens in front of him, Marianne plastered over every single one as she tries to work the PR crisis. 

But Joel doesn’t feel anything about it, about Marianne being on the screen. Instead, Joel stands and clicks a few buttons, his surveillance cameras turning to the rooftop he just came from, rewinding the time to see what exactly happened. 

He watches, emotionless, until you appear on the screen. He commands his security system, a few clicks of triangulation, and now the security system is focused for him. Focused on finding you. 

Joel knows you don’t want to be found; you made that very clear. But…he knows he can’t help himself. 

If he can help protect you, even though you can do it yourself, then he will try. 

[mageofseven]

MC's Bra Game: The Brothers

Okay so I just had to write this after I read this post from @l3viat8an

Thank you so much for the funny and relatable post! I used to keep my phone and money in my bra during the summer when I wore shorts without pockets.

But anyway! I've had your post stuck on my mind since I read it and it inspired this one so thank you making it! I don't think my writing is as good as yours, but if you read this, I hope your find enjoyment from it 🥰

But ya! Bra game! With this post, MC will try to find something important enough to each of the Boys that they'd be willing to reach in and grab it. This post is just for the Brothers, but I will be making a second one for the UnDateables (what do people even call them now of days? I'm so out of the loop 😅)

Also, I decided this will be gn!MC, but they will be afab so they/them pronouns are used.

•▪︎▪︎◇°●♡●°◇▪︎▪︎•

Lucifer:

Okay, MC had to admit, it was hard getting this man to participate 😥

For a while, each item they slid into their bra was not enough to make their boyfriend play their game.

House keys? He has a spare. His credit card? Honestly, he saw their bra as the best place to hide it from Mammon. Which ya know, fair. Even if Mammon found out it was in there, would he really have the guts to reach his hand in his brother's partner's chest for it? Honestly, it's a better hiding place than the freezer was.

No matter how much MC pouted, Lucifer had no interest in playing such an inappropriate game and would send them off so he could focus on his work.

That's when MC got some advice from Satan.

The blonde didn't know why the human was so determined to play this weird little game of theirs, but did not care; he only saw this as an opportunity to bug Lucifer.

His advice? Use this blue orb.

This marble looking object was one that Lucifer kept magically locked up in his room. It was this condensed ball of magick--or was. The orb was empty now because of...something the blonde had planned, but Lucifer won't know this and will go digging for the orb in order to secure it's safety.

...The wrath demon's plan worked a bit too well.

"You did what?!"

Oh no...

"MC, that orb has the power to blow up this very house if you drop it! Out of all of things--"

The human hung their head as their boyfriend carefully slipped their hand in and felt around for the marble, his face red all the while.

MC pushed his hand away before retrieving the orb on their own and putting in Lucifer's hand.

Arms crossed, they turned away from them.

The pride demon sighed.

"Love...I didn't mean to upset you. You just took this game of yours too far."

MC refused to answer and kept turning themself away when he'd try to meet their eyes.

"MC, can you please just tell me why you started this?"

The human finally turned to look at him.

"Because...all you've done lately is work." They pouted. "You never come to bed with me and then during the day, you are just tired and stressed out..."

"Love..." He pulled them into his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm well aware that balancing work and life is a skill I struggle with. For now on though, please just tell me when you're feeling lonely or worried for me when I work too much. You don't need to create games to get my attention."

The human nodded before their boyfriend leaned in with a kiss.

"Now," He lifted the marble in his hand. "I'll be putting this back then--"

The man leaned in closer towards the orb.

"MC...can you explain to me why this is empty?"

His Love told about how they got the orb from Satan.

The man gave a large sigh.

"How am I not surprised..."

Mammon:

This game was a lot more fun with Mammon 🥰

Round one: Goldie

"Hey babe~"

Mammon was laying on his bed with his phone when he looked up to find his Human leaning over him with their boobs like 3 inches (about 8cm for non Americans) from his face.

"Ey, what's this about?" He smirked till he realized what was sticking out between them. "Wha-- babe??"

MC giggled as his cheeks filled red. They crawled onto the bed and sat next to him.

"Want it back? Its all yours~"

Their boyfriend's brain practically broke. He slowly reached his hand out only to pause and look up at his Human.

They gave a nod.

"Go ahead, Baby Boy~"

Mammon diverted their eyes before quickly snatching the credit card from between their boobs.

His shy, blushy look was too much for the human. They laughed before leaning in and kissing him.

"Good boy."

MC would play this game with their boyfriend every now and then, sometimes with Goldie, sometimes with cash.

It grew to be Mammon's favorite game, even if he wouldn't admit it.

Leviathan:

"Where is it????"

This man was freaking out.

There was this livestream being hosted by his favorite voice actress that only those selected could join.

Levi had managed to win the contest and was given the code to join the private livestream but it was gone! He wrote it down himself and he swore he just left it on his computer desk.

"Sweetie, I found it~"

Oh thank devil.

Without even thinking, Levi reached towards his Henry and pulled the paper out from between their boobs.

It took only half a second for their man to realize what he just did.

The demon dropped the paper before covering his increasingly red face with both hands.

MC laughed before picking up the paper and kissing their boyfriend's head.

They also logged them into the stream so they wouldn't be late because let's face it, this man needs a minute.

Satan:

"Tawny~"

Satan lowered his book to see his Kitten on the other end of the couch on their hands and knees grinning at him--and with a little cat figurine between their breasts.

The blonde smirked. He was used to this. After all, their playful personality was one reason why he called them 'Kitten'.

"Well look at that."

MC crawled closer to him and he plucked the cat figurine out of their bra.

"Is this a new gift for me?"

MC happily nodded.

Satan leaned in closely and kissed them before pulling them onto his lap.

The two stayed like that and read together happily.

Asmodeus:

Asmo was getting his make up done when MC snuck around him and plucked the lip gloss out his hand before he could open it.

"Dolly! I was going to use that!"

"I know~" MC smiled, looking so proud as they started backing out of the room.

"Gonna give it back then, hmm?"

"If you follow me." The human turned and kept walking.

Azzy smiled. He was mostly done with his makeup so he didn't mind playing for a bit.

He followed them into the bedroom and saw them lean against the bed.

The lust demon wrapped his arms around the human and kissed them as they lowered down onto the bed.

After a few minutes filled with kisses and giggles, Azzy sat up.

"Is that enough attention, Doll?"

MC nodded happily.

"Good~ now can I have my lip gloss?"

The human giggled.

"Aww what's that giggle for~?"

"Look down. Where you wanna look~"

Asmo glance down at their chest and saw his lip gloss nestled between their boobs.

The man smiled happily as he plucked the lip gloss out.

The couple gave a small giggle before the demon planted one last kiss on his human's lips.

"Thank you, Dolly~"

Beelzebub:

MC always made a habit of carrying food around for their boyfriend.

I mean, this man is always hungry so they know the food will come in handy.

The human doesn't have that many pockets in their school uniform so they decided to get creative.

They learned a spell in one of their classes to keep chocolate from melting (okay so it had a different purpose, but they figured out how to tweak it for chocolate)

And with this knowledge, they started to carrying mini chocolate bars in their bra for the latter half of the day when Beel has eaten the rest of the snacks.

The couple was on their way to their class when Beel took their hand and led them to a deserted corridor.

"Beel?"

"I'm hungry." The big guy frowned.

MC smiled.

"Take them then they're all yours."

Beel grinned back before reaching in and picking out the candy bars.

The human laughed, their boyfriend had a snack. It was a win-win.

It helps that this isn't the first time they've played this game, but Beel's reaction this time is on par with the last couple times as well.

Belphegor:

Belphie was so out of it

Like more than usual.

Beel talked in his sleep about food louder than usual the night before so the Avatar of Sloth was extra tired.

His mind was covered in a fog so the man was pretty much working on autopilot all day.

Unaware of this, MC thought their boyfriend was just ignoring them and it hurt their feelings.

The human slipped in the demon's pocket and took out his D.D.D.

"Ugh, Brat, not now." The man complained, trying to grab his phone back

But was skillfully evaded by the human, who playfully stuck their tongue at him and skipped away.

The man groaned, but followed after them.

Once caught up, MC turned around and raised both hands, currently empty.

"Where--"

That's when the demon noticed their triumphant smile and his D.D.D. resting between their boobs.

Belphie shook his head at them before reaching in and grabbing his phone.

"Enough--" He noticed his Human hanging their head now so instead of scolding them, he gave one last sigh and messed up their hair.

"It's not your fault, Butthead. I'm just tired. Like, extra tired."

"Do you wanna head home and nap?" MC raised their head.

Belphie smiled at them.

"If I can use my favorite pillows."

The human laughed and the two headed home.

[theboywithburninghands]

Hello yes hi I’m not dead. Sorry, I got tangled up in playing Kingdom Hearts III and my birthday along with the usual mental struggles… But I got a new story. It’s longer than the others, and it also dabbles in another ship that I’m quite fond of along with Funnybunny. I enjoy Buttonblossom as well, I’ve always been of the opinion Pomni is bisexual. Not me projecting… anyway, this one is a little bit more dramatic. But I like it, even if it’s got a ton of ellipses, but it’s also got a big snake in it. Big snakes are cool. Enjoy, hopefully.

Jealousy, Thy Name is Rabbit

Today was a game of capture the flag set in a virtual jungle, girls against boys (boys and Zooble, just so it was 3 on 3). On the girl’s side, Ragatha was elected flag guard on account of being the tallest and widest, not that she had much in the way of competition from either of her teammates. Pomni and Gangle were the scouts sent to find the boys’ (And Zooble’s) flag. Pomni had spent the last half hour on all fours, clambering through some cartoony underbrush. The various brambles may have been gaudy shades of orange and purple, but their thorns still hurt to climb through. Caine really needed to focus less on hazards and more on… well, fun.

Pomni: OW! F@&$! *Pomni covers her right eye as a stick jabs into it* Urgh… Gangle? Where are you?

Pomni poked her head cautiously out of the canopy of plants. Her teammate was nowhere to be found. Had they already gotten separated?

Pomni: Peachy…

Pomni ducked back down into the underbrush and continued to crawl forward as best she could. Her coxcomb hat kept getting tangled in the briars, and leaves and bits of twig stuck to her hair. Caine had even gone to the effort of including irritating little bugs the size of pinpricks that crawled on her face and buzzed in her ear, which she routinely had to stop and swat. Thank god she had no nose or one of them definitely would have crawled up it by now. She peeked out from the underbrush again, spotting a small clearing up ahead. It looked like it could be the entrance to the enemy base. If she crawled, she could get there in about 10 minutes. Then it was a matter of getting past whoever they had guarding it, then getting back to her base and ending the game so they could go home. Apparently there was some sort of reward for whatever team won the round… Knowing Caine it would probably suck hard.

Pomni took a deep breath and dove back into the brush. If Jax was the flag guard, maybe she could convince him to give up the flag peacefully in exchange for some extra “alone time” that night. It was surreal to think that she had gone from hating the rabbit’s guts to him being one of her closest friends… just friends. Just friends that kissed and hugged and cuddled. Friends could do that. It had been Jax’s idea to not use any words like “relationship” or “romance” or “love” to describe what… whatever they had going on, in case of disaster. And they were both free to have “alone time” with other performers… at least that’s what she assumed. Not like Jax was close with anyone else.

Pomni came to a large, fallen tree, black and flecked with neon colors. There was no way around it without adding several minutes to her already onerous trek, so she rolled her eyes, stretched, and began to clamber over the tree. The trunk was oddly squishy, it must have gotten soft from the moisture of the jungle floor. That was a pretty impressive detail for Caine to add… As she slid over to the opposite side, her bare legs touched the trunk. The texture was odd as well, smooth and oddly bumpy… no… scaly?

hhhhhhhhssssssssssccchhhhh…

Pomni: Oh sweet f$&@.

The “tree” slid forward on its own, a good twenty feet of shiny, technicolor-on-obsidian mass emerging from the underbrush, a stone’s throw from where Pomni was just crawling. The snake turned its refrigerator-sized head to look at Pomni. Its fishbowl eyes were different colors, each appearing to slowly change hues, its left eye yellow shifting green and its right eye purple shifting brown. It flicked out its tongue, pink with electric blue stripes and thick as Bubble Tape.

Pomni: Nonononononono-

Pomni took off running towards the clearing, but found herself hopelessly slowed down by the overgrown floor of the jungle, brambles snagging her legs and tripping her to her knees every few steps. The giant snake slithered up beside her before lazily, yet gracefully gliding in front of her and cutting her off, forming a loop around her with its body.

Pomni: -nonononononoNONONO! NO! NO! NONONONO!

Pomni tried to climb over the snake as it began to pull right around her, but only succeeded in sticking one arm out before the rest of her puny body was squeezed into immobility by the black rainbow serpent. She was so small that the snake barely needed to wrap around her once before she was trapped.

Pomni: NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOO!!!

Pomni screamed blue murder. The panic of being cornered by a large predator and her phobia of being touched formed a cocktail of primal terror she hadn’t experienced since first arriving at the circus. She shrieked and pounded on the snake’s body with her one free hand, even trying to bite into its flesh, anything to get it to stop squeezing and let go. The snake’s scales were far too hard to bite through, even chipping one of her teeth, and the reptile continued to squeeze tighter and tighter and tighter. Pomni felt her body begin to flare with pain as it was constricted to its limit… if she still had bones they probably would have been crushed into splinters by now. She didn’t even have enough room left to scream, only managing a choked rasp…

And then there was a reverberating crack.

Voice: Let her go! I said let her go!

Another smack against the snake, and it hissed irritatedly this time. Pomni saw a faint purple and red outline out of the corner of her watery eyes, coming into clearer view as it strafed around the serpent.

Ragatha: Y-You want to lose an eye, Jafar?! Let her go, I said!

Ragatha had a sturdy tree branch in her hands, twigs sticking out of her hair and her dress stained with dirt. She took on the stance of a major league player and swung her makeshift bat with all her strength, cracking the snake on the chin. The reptile hissed, revealing fangs of all colors, and struck at Ragatha, who managed to stumble out of the way with a hair’s breadth between her arms and the snake’s teeth. Ragatha put one hand at the top of her branch and the other in the middle and wound back.

Ragatha: I’m sorry-!

Ragatha drove the branch into the snake’s right eye, and it snarled, thrashing about in pain. Its coils loosened enough for Pomni to squirm free, landing on the jungle floor with a dry plop and scrambling backwards. The snake threw its head about a few more times before hastily slithering away into the jungle, frustrated but trounced.

Ragatha: Yeah! Get out of here! I’m sorry, but get out of here! *much quieter* I’m sorry… *she stiffens* Pomni! *She looks about before finding Pomni seated on the ground, and she hurries over to her* Pomni, hun- are you okay?!

Ragatha crouched down to Pomni’s level and looked her over. The jester was breathing rapid, shallow breaths, her usual red and blue roulette eyes replaced with black squiggles.

Ragatha: Pomni…! *she puts her hand on Pomni’s shoulder, but the jester reacts like she’s been shocked and slaps her hand away*

Pomni: NO!

Ragatha: Woah heyheyhey! Pomni, it’s me, it’s Ragatha! It’s gone, the snake is gone! You’re safe..!

Pomni: Do-Do-Dooo-Don’t touch me, don’t… don’t touch me…

Ragatha: Okay sweetie, I won’t touch you, but are you hurt? Did it bite you?

Pomni: N…..No….

Pomni’s eyes, though now back to their usual colors, soon swam with tears and she buried her face in her gloves, beginning to sob. Ragatha, resisting the urge to hug the poor girl, took a moment to check on herself.

Ragatha: *examining her arm* Ohhh, I must’ve popped half my stitches… I hope I don’t lose any stuffing… *she turns back to Pomni* I can’t imagine how scary that must have been for you… are you afraid of snakes?

Pomni: *in between sobs N-N-No… I… I uh… I… I don’t… I-I-I-I-I-

Ragatha: Hey… hey… match my breathing. Are you ready? In. *Ragatha takes a long, deep breath in* Out, like you’re blowing on a dandelion. *she lets her breath out.* Not too hard, right? Try it with me.

Pomni managed to slow down her sobs long enough to match Ragatha’s breathing exercise. It didn’t make her feel any better, but it at least helped her get her words out

Pomni: Thank you… *sniffle* You-You… I’m sorry I didn’t… save you…

Ragatha: Save me?

Pomni: On my first day… w-when Kaufmo…

Ragatha: *smiles* Oh, hun. It’s okay. It was your first day. I would have done the exact same thing in your shoes.

Pomni’s eyes welled up with new tears.

Pomni: I-I’m sorry… I was so… I didn’t… I didn’t deserve to get… saved…

Ragatha: Nooo, no, Pomni, don’t say that! We’re all we’ve got… I wouldn’t let you or anyone else get eaten, okay..?

Ragatha placed a hand on Pomni’s shoulder unconsciously, and the jester girl flinched.

Ragatha: Oh shoot, I’m sorry! *she takes her hand away* I forgot-!

Pomni: …N-No… if it’s just… I-I calmed down… I can… handle it… I-I just I wasn’t… I wasn’t expecting it, I… I… I’m sorry…

Ragatha: …Can you handle a hug? It’s okay if you can’t, but- OOF!l

Pomni threw herself into Ragatha, wrapping her arms around the ragdoll woman and hiding her face in her chest. Ragatha smiled and hugged the newcomer back, rubbing the back of her head.

Ragatha: Don’t worry now…

They remained like that for a while. Pomni had never actually touched Ragatha before, and it was… odd, but pleasant. She felt much the same as a cloth doll, dense and tightly-knit fabric wrapped around a soft filling like cotton or polyester. But she was unmistakably warm, the same way Jax was. Although Pomni still felt sick with fear, the sensation of a friend holding her helped ease the churning in her belly.

Pomni: …Thank you, Ragatha.

Ragatha: What are friends for, right…?

The two performers locked eyes. Both of them became acutely aware of a not-unpleasant heat glowing on their cheeks. Ragatha broke the pregnant silence by chuckling nervously.

Ragatha: Hahaha… soooo…

Caine: CON-GRATULATIONS TO TEAM ZOOBLE!

Out of nowhere, Caine exploded onto the scene, a neon-marquee sign emerging above him that wanted to spell out “congratulations” but appeared to malfunction and sputter, spelling out “crodulates” instead.

Ragatha: Oh no, the flag… I completely forgot!

Pomni: *automatically* Who gives a s#%@…

Caine: THAT’S RIGHT, RAGATHA! WHILE YOU WERE OUT HERE, JAX ESCAPED WITH THE FLAG YOU WEREN’T GUARDING! AND POMNI! *he points his cane at her, causing the jester to flinch* CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU FOR FINDING ALGER, THE RAINBOA CONSTRICTOR! I was wondering where he went…

Pomni: It has a name���?!

Ragatha: Uh yeah, Caine, about that snake-

Caine snapped his fingers, and all of a sudden, the six performers were back in the tent. Zooble, Jax and Kinger looked about the same despite some odd leaves and sticks stuck to their clothes. Gangle landed with a wet slap beside Pomni and Ragatha, groaning and dripping wet.

Ragatha: Gangle, there you are… where’ve you been?

Gangle: I-I fell in the river and got washed downstream…

Caine: SO, FOR WINNING THE GAME, TEAM ZOOBLE WINS…!

There was a drumroll that went on for far too long. Pomni made eye contact with Jax, but neither of them smiled. She was still getting over the encounter with the Rainboa Constrictor… but what was wrong with him?

Caine: ……………AN ALL DAY PASS TO THE DIGITAL AMUSEMENT PARK!

Zooble: Yippee-skippee. Not like we haven’t gotten that prize at least three times before. Can I go now?

Ragatha: Yeah, Caine, I ripped some stitches, can I go back to my room…?

Pomni: *to Ragatha* Are you okay?

Jax: Oh yeah, I’m sure she’s fine. You got a pretty close look back in the jungle, didn’t you?

Jax’s usual brand of sarcasm came out as oddly venomous, not even sporting his typical snarky grin.

Pomni: What are you talking about..?

Jax: I don’t know. You tell me. Anyway, f@&$ you all. I’m going back to my room.

Jax walked away from the group, stunning even Caine into silence. Jax almost never swore.

Caine: Boy, you give a guy a pass to an amusement park and he thanks you like that.

Bubble emerged from Caine’s hat with a toilet brush

Bubble: We should wash his mouth out, Caine!

Zooble: Whatever, dinner without Jax sounds good to me.

Gangle: Uh… h-has anyone seen Pomni..?

—————————

Pomni marched down the hallway to Jax’s room, pounding on his door.

Pomni: Jax! Open up!

Silence.

Pomni: …Oh for… *deep breath, gentler tone of voice* Jax, it’s Pomni. Can we talk?

Silence.

Pomni: …You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you? Fine. “Oh great Jax, may I please enter your…” *cringes* “…your humble abode.” Eugh… *she glances around to make sure nobody heard that*

Still more silence.

Pomni: Okay, he must be somewhere else if he’s not responding to that…

A voice came from behind the door

Jax: It’s unlocked.

Pomni: Oh. Then why the h@&$ am I knocking? *she opens the door* Jax! What was… that…

Pomni’s anger trailed off as she saw Jax laying in bed, covers pulled all the way up to his chin. He faced away from Pomni, looking at nothing in particular.

Jax: Come on in.

Pomni: …What… Why did you blow up like that back there?

Jax: You really don’t know?

Pomni: No..?

Jax: …That’s fine. I guess I’m being the irrational one.

Pomni: Yeah, you are. I was attacked by a snake… A huge f@&$-off snake that almost squeezed me to death!

Jax: What?

Pomni: Oh, did you miss that part?! Lemme say it again. *shouting* A! BIG! SNAKE! NEARLY!-

Jax: *shouting right back* ALRIGHT! I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THAT, BUT- I saw you with Ragatha.

Pomni: *genuine confusion* What?!

Jax: In the jungle, stupid! I saw you and Ragatha!

Pomni: …She saved me from the snake. You heard Caine talking about it… she saved me!

Jax: …You were blushing.

Pomni: Who cares?! I- wait you were watching us for that long?

Jax: You were right outside our base.

Pomni: …Oh my god. You’re jealous.

Jax: What..?

Pomni: You’re jealous! You thought me and Ragatha were- OH MY GOD.

Pomni laughed incredulously, which made Jax shoot up in bed like a snapped wire.

Jax: Don’t you laugh at me!!!

Pomni: I’m not-! I never thought you’d take it seriously!

Jax: What, my first relationship?! Yeah, I can see how that would be HARD to take seriously?!

Pomni: What are you- wait. I’m your first?

Jax: …

There was a long period of silence before Pomni swallowed.

Pomni: Well… look, you said you didn’t want a relationship, so… I mean… I didn’t mean to make you mad, but I was attacked. So I’m not going to apologize for hugging Ragatha… she helped me.

Jax: Okay.

Pomni: …Um. But… it’s… it’s okay. To be mad… I guess? I don’t know. I guess you thought I was cheating…? Right?

Jax: I guess.

Pomni: Well, I wasn’t.

Jax: You were blushing, though.

Pomni: Yeah, so what? She’s… *swallows and turns slightly pink despite herself* She’s pretty. For a ragdoll. It doesn’t mean you’re any less… nice to be around. Or look at. For a rabbit.

Jax: …What are you, gay?

Pomni’s words caught in her throat as she looked at Jax, who had finally managed his usual toothy smirk.

Pomni: *small snort* God, shut up…

Jax: …I’m sorry though. I didn’t know about the snake.

Pomni: You didn’t hear me scream?

Jax: You scream a lot.

Pomni: …Yeah. I guess so. So… this is more than just a… “friends who kiss” thing, now? It’s a…

Jax: Nah. We’re still just “friends that kiss.” But if you want to go be “friends that kiss” with Ragatha… at least tell me before you do, okay?

Pomni: I will. I’m sorry.

Jax: Relax. You didn’t do anything. Apart from almost being snake food. …Do… you want a hug? Or something?

Pomni: …Uh… honestly, not really? I-I’m kinda iffy on being touched anyway and the snake squeezing me like that… it really screwed with me. But uh…

Pomni closed the distance between them and planted a kiss on Jax’s lips, having to lean on his knees and stand on her tiptoes to reach the lankier rabbit’s face.

Pomni: *blushing* It’s really sweet to know you take this seriously. I’ll see you later, okay..?

Pomni headed back to her room, shutting Jax’s door behind her. The rabbit licked his lips. He then laid back down on the bed, staring at the door.

Jax: You hugged Ragatha.

—————————————

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

OC Questionnaire

Thanks to @elizaellwrites here, @mysticstarlightduck here, and here, @the-golden-comet here, and here, @urnumber1star here, @duckingwriting here,

@thepeculiarbird here, and @paeliae-occasionally here!

And that's STILL not all the tags! Stopping at eight again because that seems like just enough (yes there are nine tags but one of them repeated questions)

Other Questionnaires:

Round One Masterpost

Round Two: Tyler, Gwen, Liam, Noelle, Akash, Robbie, Sam, Ewan

Round Two: Jazlyn, Carla, Wade, Rose, Maddie, Xitlali, Jedi, Lexi

Round Two: Ash, Kelsey, Atsila, Teo, Carmen, Issa, Raissa, Gabriel

See below for George, Wendy, Hye-Jin, Alex, CJ, Anathi, Niri, and Parker!

#1- George

Where and how did you learn most of your skills?

“Well as a matter of fact, I learned most of my skills in the easement of my own home! I grew up here, and I even took a lot of my schooling here, remotely. As for how, well... I don't mean to brag, but I am self-taught in a lot of areas. Miss Donner was my teacher when I was younger, but uh... Anyway, my chemistry skills came from years of studying my father's books as a young adolescent. Technology came so naturally, I didn't need many lessons for it to stick, and I fiddled around with it so much that I learned it. I got bored super easily even before my superspeed, so I had to do something! I went from project to project, so much abandoned. And I got a degree in technology, but nothing too fancy. Only got something to get a job to support myself and Carla.”

Who has had the greatest impact on you? How?

“That is a hard decision. I don't remember my parents very well, so not them, even if my father's journals helped me. Damian, maybe. Damian was like a second father to me, and he stuck around and supported me more than anyone else did. He's the reason I was able to help Carla.”

Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist? Why?

“I am an optimist! Things can always get better. They did with Carla! And also, despite a lonely five years, we have so many more friends now! I got to see Carmen again, who I barely remembered before. And I met Liam! And now I know what Mario Kart is! Things are awesome now.”

Other George: OC in three, questionnaire one

#2- Wendy

Do you know how to dance? If so what kinds?

“Conceptually, yes. Occasionally I'll find myself reading a book on dancing through the ages. Many kinds. Alii and Ceter dances. Even styles that are a mix of both!”

What's the season you hate the most? What's your favorite season?

“I find all seasons fascinating! But summer is hot, and I can't wear my favorite style of clothing.”

Do you have any unusual fears?

“... I wouldn't call my fear of being buried alive unusual. I've read plenty of history books, and this happened on Ceteri all the time four hundred years ago. It's perfectly reasonable that a terrakinetic could bury me even deeper! A mean one, I mean.”

Other Wendy: questionnaire one

#3- Hye-Jin

How good is your sleep schedule?

“I think it's pretty good! Though it did mess up a bit when Dr. Asghar scheduled early sessions to study my powers. It's okay, I fixed it!”

Do you have any siblings? If so, how good is your relationship?

“Yes! A younger brother named Ye-Jun! We have a good relationship, but there's a few years between us.”

What was the toughest time you had to endure while growing up?

“... My parents were protective, and I love them for that, but sometimes I did find it difficult not knowing how to fit in. But it's okay! They were looking out for me.”

Other Hye-Jin: OC in three, questionnaire one, bingo, origin

#4- Alex

What's your relationship with your family like?

“Oh, it's awesome. It's just me and my mother now! Well, uh, she did kinda get this new boyfriend, and I dunno, it doesn't seem like he likes me. But it's okay! I always have my pia!”

Do you have any hobbies? if so, what ones?

“Yes! I love designing things. Like, interior stuff. I have some models that I work on sometimes, and I work around the house so much. My pia lets me decide what things should look like since she's busy, and I have a more convenient power.”

Do you dream often? what about?

“I remember a lot of my dreams, actually. A lot of them seem to involve me getting lost. Which is so silly since I'm a teleporter!”

Other Alex: questionnaire one

#5- CJ

How much time do you spend on your phone, if you have one?

“Yeah, we have phones in this dimension, too, but they also work in Alium, we just have to change the settings before we go through the portal so it works in the other dimension. I don't spend...too much time on it... though I'll admit I'm checking my school email often and I have to reply to all notifications immediately. I hate them building up."

Do you often lose your stuff?

*laughs for almost a full minute* “Oh, no, no no, I never lose things. I'm serious. One of my hobbies is organizing things and knowing where they are at all times!”

Tv shows or movies?

“Oh, that's a tough one. TV shows are pretty big commitments, but I like the routine of them. I'd say weekly shows are the best.”

Other CJ: questionnaire one

#6- Anathi

Would you ever kill another person?

“What, no! ... I mean, I don't think I would... I could... And I hate that I can!”

What is your biggest dream?

“I want to hold someone without being scared I'll hurt them.”

If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

“My powers. Superstrength is already awful, but I have a rare condition that makes it nearly impossible to 'turn off,' and it's greater than any recorded, growing at a much faster rate than most. Maybe I'd give myself a lower level of superstrength, but I'd rather just get rid of the power altogether.”

Other Anathi: questionnaire one

#7- Niri

What's a book that you'd recommend?

*getting extremely excited and signing furiously* “Scarne’s Encyclopedia of Card Games!” [pause...] “I understand that sounds weird. I really like card games. Maybe you'd prefer normal books.... I like romance dramas and comedies and dramedies. I started reading Jane Austen. But I sometimes stop by the romance section in book stores and get some modern stuff! Like if you want a tragedy, maybe They Both Die At The End? It became popular during my childhood. My older cousin read it then. I also started While We Were Dating recently. I don't read often, but I like reading.”

What's your favorite type of cuisine?

“Hard decision. I like Cajun food and Mediterranean.”

What's your favorite way to unwind after a hectic day?

“Art. Card games are fun, but I feel like I have to be in the mood for them. I can do art whenever, especially when I'm stressed. I just paint or draw or sculpt something to understand my emotions.”

Other Niri: questionnaire one

#8- Parker

Would you give away secret information if tortured? Be honest.

“Uh, obviously not! I've literally never given away someone else's secret! It's true! *Sigh* WADE BACK ME UP! He's not answering, but believe me, I can keep a secret. And I have a high pain tolerance. So I'll be good.”

Who could you trust the most with a secret?

“Another secret question! HA! What, did you run out of questions? Alright, fine. Anyways, Wade, of course. I'd say Teo is up there, but he's slightly more likely than Wade to forget something is a secret. He's my number two, though.”

You have been caught somewhere you shouldn’t be! Quick, what is your excuse?

“This ALL depends on where I've been caught. If I'm in an unfamiliar building, I always use the classic 'I can't find the bathroom' excuse. Works every time.”

Other Parker: questionnaire one, two truths and a lie

Tagging @winterandwords @loopyhoopywrites @mrbexwrites @sarahlizziewrites @sleepywriter00

+ ANYONE ELSE

Your questions: 1) What was your biggest fear as a kid? Are you still afraid of that? 2) Do you ever go on passionate rants? If so, what was it about? If not, what would it be about if you did? 3) What's the biggest obstacle in your life?

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[miracleweaponhunt]

Miracle Weapon Hunt Chapter 44: Round 3: Prep

"Anything to note?" Rodrick asked. The top floor of the hotel, reserved for Zach and his staff. Nothing out of the ordinary, which was good. Zach's son, Arden, was discussing theories with him.

"Nothing out of the ordinary up here." Arden yawned. He knew yawning about the Legion members that were probably skulking around wasn't a good look, But damn, being stuck in a place not even the legion would be stupid enough to check around was the most boring thing ever. You could only watch so many old sitcom reruns without it getting as dull as it was.

"Good to know." Rodrick nodded, jotting things down in a notebook. "But still, watch out for any suspicious activity. The bait was broken into, you know."

"Oh, the prize leak?" Arden asked. "Yeah, heard about that. My dad's got the real thing, so we're good there."

"Excellent. Well, I'm going to cheer on…Adebayo, he seems like the best one left."

Rodrick looked over his notes. Somebody in the hotel either tampered with the door for the fake documents, or called someone in to do so. The main question now was who, so he put everyone in the tournament's second round into one of three lists. Not suspicious, somewhat suspicious, and very suspicious. Not suspicious, him and Ryland, the main three Battlestorms, the Maximos, the Kerobons, the miracle group, and Willow. Nobody in the hero groups shown much in indecent behaviour, and Cassandra and Willow already had weapons and weren't doing anything with them.

Somewhat suspicious, the Stone Queens. Sure they were good at their jobs, but always secretive. Not to mention the group was founded basically out of spite towards Arianna's old group, the GlassHearts. And speaking of them, Arianna could also be a suspect. Disgraced leader of a hero group showing up uninvited, even before the announcement her rival would be there? Certainly raised an eyebrow or two. Siena. His own teammate. But only very recently, with a power that could serve the Legion very well. Adya. Same with Siena, very recent addition to a hero group, so he'd have to follow up on that with Gavin or Caoimhe. If he asked Luca, he'd get confrontational about his recruiting skills, and that'd just be a pain.

And most suspicious of all, Cheng Tse. The guy just radiated evil, but too much evil. From his conversations with the guy he seemed…okay? If the legion could send someone, surely someone more charismatic? Unless he was meant to stick out while the real mole goes undercover. Always a possibility.

Roxanne was sat across from Zach, who was leaning casually across from her, looking over some papers. Roxanne wasn't allowed out of her room, apparently none of the round two losers were. Phones were also taken away. But after a while, Zach appeared in front of her with a stack of papers, sitting on the hotel room's chair while she sat on her bed.

"Roxanne. No official last name. Found on the miracle ship as a baby. No known family, assumed to be of Inarian descent but nothing confirmed. Currently single. Not a wielder. Part of the newer Hero group known as the Miracle Scouts. Officially a Sandalan citizen. Kazumi did all the paperwork there, I'll thank her for you. Holding the thunder axe, currently haven't done anything with it to arouse suspicions. Okay, you're in the clear."

"That's it?" Roxanne asked.

"Eh, for you it's basically a formality. Just gotta interview the other losers to make sure nobody's working with the Legion, you know how it is. Anyway, you can leave whenever. Second round starts in an hour."

He gave Roxanne her phone back, and opened it up to see a bunch of texts from Julian.

'Yo Rox where you at'

'Need 2 discuss strats meet me in the dining room'

Roxanne went to the dining room where the round three fighters were gathered. Julian and Cassandra were in the back, with Willow leaned in next to them trying to look discreet. But discreet wasn't really in Willow's personal dictionary. Or maybe it was, with about a hundred bored doodles dotted around it. Adebayo was nodding along to whatever self-aggrandising crap Luca was spewing out of him, while Cheng seemed pretty engaged in his conversation with Fiorella and Capri. Shame they didn't seem to be.

"So, where were you?" Julian asked.

"Zach took me in for questioning. If you lose you get interrogated on whether you're with the legion."

"Wait, really?" Cassandra asked.

"Well, he concluded that we haven't done anything with the axe yet, so aren't a concern. It'll probably be the same for you two."

"Oh, that's convenient." Cassandra sighed.

"Anyway." Julian cut through with a hand wave before leaning into Roxanne. "I think I figured out what Cheng's deal is."

"Yeah, that! We were talking about that!" Cassandra added, slamming her hands on the table for extra emphasis.

Julian gave a side eye to Cassandra, as if he was trying to read her mind, relaxed his face again, and continued.

"First off, he was drinking a lot at the party without getting drunk, but people were getting drunk around him. Same with him stabbing himself but hurting you and that other girl. Seems to me like he's a wielder capable of transferring things to other people. Just sensations, though. You aren't wounded, got the doctors report."

"So how do you beat him?" Roxanne asked.

"Well, this is just a dream right now, but maybe I could trick him into transferring the pain to the bear, or my bugs, or something like that."

"Will that work?"

"It's all I've got to go on right now. Also, Cassandra? If I win, please take the fall so I can beat Luca myself."

"Sounds fine to me." Cassandra nodded with a knowing smirk.

"Excuse me?" A staffer asked from behind. "Your fight begins in a few minutes."

"On it." Julian sighed. "Gotta prep. Mind helping me out?"

Julian made his way to his room. Nothing tampered with. He got the staffer to wheel the bear to just outside the arena, into the hallway he'll make his grand entrance in. His bug jar was in good condition.

"So, how confident are you?" Caoimhe asked from behind.

Julian spun around to meet her. She stood before him, arms crossed, looking bored.

"Luca hasn't shut up about fighting you."

"Feelings mutual." Julian replied casually, snapping his fingers at her.

"I'm still on his side, you know."

"For real?" Julian asked.

"You still think you aren't guilty?" She asked, squinting her eyes at him.

"Look, I'm sorry about the tarantula, but you've replaced everything else by now, surely."

"You could have killed thousands of people!"

"The ship exploded with the Legion guy in it, what's the big deal?"

"Listen, Julian. It took a lot of convincing from me and Gavin to not leak the fact the legion member you were supposed to guard got out in Bestiamea? And that they would have killed people in the capital if the Stone Queens weren't there?"

"It was for me, was it? Not the fact that you and Luca would have lost your precious sponsorships?"

Caoimhe stared at him, turning away without saying another word. Great, now Julian was pissed off before the fight even started.

"And welcome to the first fight of round three! The necromancer supreme from Miracle, against the mysterious man of mystery who makes folks drop! It's Julian Torres against Cheng Tse!"

Cheng stepped out, waving to the silent arena. Whoever won or lost, the audience wouldn't be satisfied.

Well then, time to win this thing.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Fully Completely 1

Warnings: non-consent sex and rape (series), attempted violence, mutual irritation.

This is dark!Loki x reader and explicit. 18+ only.  Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Series Synopsis: There’s a new face in Birch and he’s come to haunt your door.

Sister series to Smalltown Bringdown, When the Weight Comes Down, and Little Bones

Note: I did not plan to get the first part done so soon. I will probably be setting time aside as I write this to also work on some original stuff. When it comes to that, I’d love if y’all might let me know what you think would be a better medium to release it? Kindle, Patreon, etc. I’m really not sure but if it was Patreon it would like be two series running at once with a chapter of each a month + Q&A and maybe some bonus materials? I am a noob at this shit and it wouldn’t be for a while yet.

Anyways, I’m rambling...

Thanks to everyone for their patience and feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Chapter 1: She simply slammed the door

💀💀💀

The garage smelled like oil and snow. The cold air seeped under the closed metal door as you sat on the low stool and affixed the new headlight to the propped up Harley. It was only the start of an impractical rebuild; your brother wanted everything metal replaced with chrome. You thought it was obnoxious but the parts were paid for and you could never complain for money.

You were funded exclusively by the town’s club, your garage not far from The Asp where the members hung out and revved the engines you found yourself looking at more often than you liked. You were good at what you did though and privileged for it. You had the protection of the club without having to devote yourself truly to its bounds.

You checked the wiring and rolled away from the bike to change the station as the radio crackled. The snow kept setting the speaker to static and the noise was driving you mad. You flipped the switch to play the cassette stuck in the drawer, the old stereo beaten up and filthy. Springsteen’s gristled tones filled the shop and you wheeled back to your brother’s ride.

With the storm would no doubt come more work. Your fingerless gloves itched more than they kept you warm. Your fingertips were numb as you touched the frigid metal and the sweat of your palms made the fabric uncomfortable. You were used to it, rather tolerant as your task kept you distracted.

You were interrupted as you bent to look under the tank and get a good look at the exhaust and the rest of the beast’s entrails. You had the new pieces still wrapped and didn’t intend to do it all at once. Jerome could wait for his tacky redesign.

A loud banging came at the metal door and you glanced over in irritation. Anyone in Birch knew to come in the painted door to the left and not hit the large one. You huffed and stood with a groan, your hips sore from the low stool. 

You fixed the front of your fleece-lined denim jacket and pulled the tail of your plaid shirt from inside your jean pocket. You’d been hunched over so long you were all wrinkled. You went past the large door and into the small entryway off the left of the garage and opened it with a tinkle of the rusty old bell above.

You stuck your head out into the gales as the snow continued to fall and squinted at the man in his thin jacket. He stood beside the long luxury car as another man with wild orange hair remained in the driver’s seat and blew into his hands. They were out of place in the small town and you could tell by the way the man scowled at the door that he knew it.

“Hey,” you called to them, “there’s a place down the street. I don’t do walk-ins.”

“Oh, hello, Miss…” he let his voice trail off as he neared and you stared at him rather than provide your name. His accent, his attire, the curl of his lip, it was clear what he thought of you and the bodunk town, “actually I was referred by an acquaintance. One, James Barnes.”

“Bucky?” you furrowed your brow.

“Mm, yes, that one,” he said, “my car will need detailing. We had some difficulties on the motorway.”

“Right,” you tried not to scowl, “well, if he sent you, I guess I can help.”

You left him and the door clattered behind you. He followed a few steps after as you went to the switch and pushed it to raise the wide door of the garage. You waved in the driver of the car and he carefully pulled in beside your brother’s bike. 

He got out and you were surprised by his size, he was taller even then his companion and wider; neither could be described as short. You lowered the door as the thinner man walked along the shelves and the long table along the other side of the garage. The bigger man stood by the car and tucked his hands in his pockets.

“Not much better in here than out there,” the dark-haired man turned back to you, “you have heat in here?”

“You need a better coat,” you said as you rounded the back of the car, “and some boots.”

You glanced pointedly at his leather shoes and bent to reach under the table. You pulled out the space heater and plugged it in as you set on the wood. You cranked it up and smiled at him tritely.

“So, what’s the damage?” you asked as you looked to the other man.

“Headlight, maybe,” he said in a peculiar accent, “some scratches. We had a bit off a run-in.”

You neared and bent to examine the front of the car. You sighed as you tilted your head and clicked your tongue. It was easy enough to beat out the dents and buff out the scratches with a quick refinish. The headlight would need to be replaced and you knew they didn’t carry anything for that model in town. No one there was pretentious enough to drive it.

“If you want the headlight done before you leave town, it’ll take some time to get the replacement,” you warned.

“Oh, and how do you know I’m leaving?” he taunted coyly.

“Well, I know you’re definitely not sticking around,” you scoffed.

“Why wouldn’t I? A quaint place like this, I’m sure there is so much to explore,” he said dryly.

You had no delusions of what Birch was but it wasn’t the part of outsiders to deride the dead end. You stood straight and put your hands on your hips.

“You can go back to your castle, my lord, but you will have to wait out the storm,” you sneered. “Two days for the scratches. If you want to take it back after that and wait for the headlight to arrive, that’s fine with me.”

“Two days for the scratches? Surely you could do it before the morning,” the black-haired man insisted.

“I could but I have other work to do,” you replied, “so you can be patient and take your turn in line after all the hicks who live here.”

You went back to the table and grabbed your phone from where you tossed it earlier. You unlocked it and searched the model of his car and scrolled through the parts list. 

“You’re Bucky’s guest so I’ll send the bill to him?” you asked, “though you do look to be able to afford it yourself.”

“You can invoice him directly,” he assured, “so you’re one of them?”

“One of them?” you repeated as you focused on checking out. The damn internet kept cutting in and out.

“My brother, those men in this town, I never knew a woman--”

“I’m not a biker. My brother is in the club,” you assured him, “so that big blond dope, he’s your brother?”

“Regrettably, yes,” he slithered, “Loki Odinson,” he introduced himself as he rubbed together his hands, the leather gloves doing little to protect his fingers, “my driver is Korg, and you’ve yet to tell me with whom I am trusting my property.”

“Again, there is a shop down the street. Prices aren’t bad,” you finished up your purchase and tucked your phone in your jacket pocket.

He met your eyes as you turned to him and he looked down his nose. You kept on and brushed past him as you went back around the car and sat by your brother’s bike.

“Sorry about the boss,” the other man, Korg, intoned, “he can be a bit--”

“Don’t apologise for me,” Loki snipped, “I needn’t atone to her.”

You rolled your eyes and wheeled around the side of the bike, “if that’s everything, you two can head back out. I’ll let you know when the car’s ready.”

“We might wait for the snow to calm,” Loki suggested.

“I close in an hour, you’re not staying here all night,” you sniffed.

“Trust me, I have no special desire to spend more time with you than necessary,” he retorted, “I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman so volatile as you, dear, and I’ve only just met you. I never expected you people to have very many manners but perhaps what I did presume was too much.”

You bared your teeth but kept at your work. You would worry about kicking him out when you finished the wiring.

“To be fair, had you not spoken first, I might’ve assumed you were a man,” he added.

You paused and glanced down at the open tool box. You weren’t unused to the comments, you weren’t girly in any way but it wasn’t like you were trying to be a man. You wore what was comfortable and in your work, practicality prevailed over aesthetic. Yet, your years of ridicule as a kid made you less tolerant of the comments and those had stopped long ago because you made sure they did.

“Oh, darling, have I upset you?”

“Don’t call me that,” you said as you reached into the toolbox.

“Well, you’ve not given your name and I’d hate call you what I truly think of you--”

The wrench flew from your hand as you stood and spun to him. It barely missed his head and bounced off the wall and plunked onto the table beside the heater. His eyes rounded and the other man looked at him. There was a thick silence as you glared at him.

“If you weren’t a friend of Bucky’s, I wouldn’t’ve missed,” you hissed, “now I will kindly, before I reach for a bigger wrench, ask you to leave.”

He pushed his shoulders back and tilted his head as his lips thinned dangerously. He swallowed and beckoned the other man with two fingers. His cheek twitched as if he would grin and he nodded subtly.

“Well, darling, how amusing you are. These brutes must adore you,” he snarled, “the exterior does indeed say it all.”

You bent and reached for another tool blindly. He blinked and quickly dodged as you flung the next wrench and he followed his henchman to the entryway. Your temper was a match for many men. It kept you safe.

“Barnes did not say his mechanic was a madwoman,” Loki called back as the bell rang.

“What, are you going to tattle on me?” You stormed towards the doorway, “you precious little princess?”

“Princess?” he met you in the doorway as Korg behind him held the door open and the snow blustered in, “I know Barnes will do me no other favours, but do you think he’ll do you any?”

“Get out,” you spat and shoved him, “I don’t need men to take care of me and I have no problem in proving that.”

He bit the inside of his lip in a crooked smirk and winked before he turned away and strutted out into the snow, shielding his face from the wild winds. Korg trailed behind him and the door sprang back into the frame. You crossed your arms and glared at the peeling paint. 

You were tempted to tow his car out and let it weather the storm but you were smarter than that. If he was doing business with Bucky, you would be a fool to get in the way of it. 

💀

The snow dwindled to a lazy dusting, the ground thick and treacherous. That day, you started early and around noon, you headed across the street to the diner for your usual lunch of a club sandwich and black coffee. You didn’t have to order as all the waitresses knew what to expect. You weren’t unfriendly but your association made many standoffish.

You tapped on the lip of your mug with your thumb, fingers hooked through the handle. The sleepy town felt dead in the winter. You were used to the dullness of Birch but tolerance was hardly happiness. It was home, where you’d grown up and you had no certain desire to get out, but you wouldn’t mind a little more than what was expected.

You yawned and gulped down the last of your coffee. It was bitter and left a few grounds on your tongue. You leaned back and grabbed the monthly newsletter from between the salt and pepper shakers. You read through the fun facts which weren’t very fun or even new. They were copy and pasted out Guinness and Reader’s Digest.

You looked up as you sensed someone approach your table but it wasn’t the waitress. The man from the day before slid coolly onto the seat across from you at the booth and smirked over the table. You raised the newsletter again and folded it backwards to read about the weekly knitting circle down at the rec center that was also the library.

“Good afternoon to you too,” Loki said, “it must be fortune I ran into you, I was hoping to inquire after my car--”

“I told you, two days,” you said tersely as you continued onto your horoscope …‘a new force will bring change’... You hated this tripe. You swore, every month they just switched the blurbs under each sign and hit print.

“So be it,” he cleared his throat and you lowered the paper as he shrugged out of his jacket.

“What are you doing? I eat my lunch alone,” you said.

“Well, to be frank, I was pointed here on the promise of some famous cabbage soup,” he explained as he folded his jacket over the seat next to him, “you looked like you needed company.”

“I don’t,” you assured him.

Kimmie came over and set down your sandwich. She greeted Loki and you saw the way she eyed his tailored suit. He stuck out in the town of flannels and denim.

“Hello, sir, can I get you something to drink?” she asked.

“Tea, English breakfast,” he ordered smoothly.

“Oh, sorry, we only have um, um, sorry, peppermint, earl grey, ginger lemon, and green,” she listed off as she tried to remember them all.

“Earl grey,” he sighed, “and a menu.”

“No, no menu,” you insisted, “and you can take his tea to another table.”

“And when we’re through, I’ll take the cheque,” he ignored you and snickered under his breath.

“Kimmie, can I get a to go box?” you asked as you shimmied off the seat and snatched up your coat, “I have to get back to work.” You took out your wallet and counted out the usual amount plus a tip, “thanks.”

“Of course,” she smiled awkwardly and glanced between you and Loki.

She scooped your sandwich back up and scurried away with it. You felt him watching you as you walked away and went to stand by the till as you watched Nora flit into the kitchen. She packed up your food and returned with the box. You took it and headed for the door, ignoring the arrogant out-of-towner on your way.

“Wait,” Kimmie called out your name and you turned back as she held up your keys, “you dropped these.”

You met her halfway and took them from her with a mutter. Again, he was watching you… or still watching you. She spun and promised she’d have his tea shortly.

“Hmm,” he hummed and you head to the door again, “interesting, I never would have put the name to the face.”

You pushed out into the snow and gritted your teeth. You thought of getting the work on his car out of the way quickly so he would leave you alone but your spite made you want to put it off entirely. Whatever. He’d be gone soon enough.

[gojo-x-reader]

Red String of Fate

Relationship(s): Gojo Satoru x F!Reader

Warnings: slight swearing, slight manga spoilers

Tags: Soulmate AU

AO3 Link: here

Words: ~2.3k

Request:  “Hello I'm actually not sure if I'm supposed to put put my request here? well, if its not supposed to be here, then please ignore it. Anyways, can I ask of you to share your thoughts on Soulmate AU w/ Gojo around 12 to 16 yrs old where he can see signs of who's soulmate is whos meeting his possible fiance who turns out to be his soulmate (I asked that age bc first meeting! he's from a noble clan and its really weird he doesn't have fiance or something) Sorry if its confusing and Thank you!”

Gojo Satoru was twelve years old when his Six Eyes began showing him the red strings of fate. Every person’s string was different. Some of them stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, almost seemingly never reaching the other end. Others were shorter, connected to the person they stood next to (whether they knew of their existence or not). And unfortunately, on some, Satoru could see the end of the string, but it dragged behind someone, unconnected to another human.

Satoru had told his mother about the strings as they appeared. Those are strings that lead one to their soulmate, she had explained to him. Everyone has a soulmate, but not everyone is in love with theirs. There are different kinds of love in this world.

Satoru’s parents were soulmates, but they did not love each other; that much was clear from how his father treated his mother. He never hit her or anything, but he didn’t treat her like an equal; more of a vessel that gave birth to an heir. He only interacted with his wife when necessary, the two not even sleeping in the same room at night.

For that reason, Satoru was scared to meet his own soulmate. He had one, that much was clear by the bright red string tied around his left pinky that stretched on for kilometers. He didn’t want to end up like his parents.

Gojo Satoru was fourteen years old when his father announced that he would be marrying you, a girl from the Kamo clan. You were the youngest daughter in the secondary branch of the family, just a year younger than him. Tomorrow, the two of you would meet for the first time.

You were nervous about tomorrow, for several reasons. Number one, you had heard the rumors about Gojo Satoru--the first member of the Gojo clan to be born with the Six Eyes and  Limitless, the two inherited techniques of his clan, in a hundred years or so. That meant, in a nutshell, he was much stronger than you could ever hope to be, as someone who hadn’t even inherited the Kamo clan technique (which is why you were being shipped off to another clan). Number two, you had heard rumors of his personality, somehow both cold and carefree at the same time, but one hundred percent a horrible personality to be combined with your timid and quiet nature. And number three, you almost resented him because now you were stuck in an arranged marriage and you saw how well that worked out for your parents.

Tomorrow arrived, and the maids dressed you up in the finest of kimonos, hair ornaments, and even makeup. You weren’t particularly into girly interests, more interested in training for when you enter Kyoto High in a few years; the feeling of foundation and lipstick felt foreign on your face.

You arrived at the main hall, escorted by your uncle (the head of the Kamo family), your parents, and a few maids. You normally didn’t wear a kimono often, except for very special occasions, and you have never been in one for this long. Graceful, you were not, and tripped a few times because of the geta chosen for you to wear with the kimono. Each time, the maids were swift to grab ahold of your arms and stabilize you. They even helped you sit down as you awaited your future fiance and his parents.

Gojo Satoru’s parents arrived before he did. They apologized on behalf of their son, citing that he was on he was back from a mission. You were jealous, he wasn’t even in high school yet and was already being assigned missions. While you weren’t powerful in comparison to Gojo Satoru himself, you could still hold your own against your older cousins and had a decent amount of cursed energy.

Gojo Satoru’s parents seemed nice enough, but the chemistry between them resembled that of your own parents; they tolerated each other, but that was it--no love, no spark, nothing. You wondered if his parents were also put into an arranged marriage. You could sympathize, but you also secretly hoped that the two of you wouldn’t end up like your parents.

You poured tea for your future in-laws, hands shaking slightly, a few drops of tea spilling. As you sat the teapot down, in came Gojo Satoru himself, dressed in a simple black kimono, but the sash was not tied tightly. His hair was touseled, and stained with either dirt or blood (you hoped it was dirt). Despite his unkempt look, he was gorgeous, with bright white hair and eyes blue like the sky matching neither of his parents. Despite the color differences, he took mostly after his mother with her soft features.

When he made eye contact with you, he froze, looking down at his left hand, and then back to you. Before you could even greet him, he immediately fled the room, both his parents calling after him, leaving after him.

That was a bit painful; your first time meeting him and he leaves immediately seeing your face. You weren’t sure how your self-esteem would recover after that blow.

About twenty minutes later, Gojo Satoru’s parents came back, empty-handed without their son. He refused to meet you, but they promised he would come around eventually. So, your family said your goodbyes and left the Gojo estate.

Once your family arrived back at the Kamo estate, your uncle slapped you across the face, blaming you for what transpired with the Gojo family. It was your looks, your lack of femininity that obviously scared your fiance away. Not even makeup or the finest materials could fix it.

So what, if you weren’t “feminine”? Being “feminine” doesn’t exorcise curses, now does it?

You grumbled an apology, leaving to your room and locking the door behind you. You started crying, ruining the makeup that took the maids hours to do, but not even bothering to care. It took a while to get out of the kimono, but you changed into sweatpants and a large T-shirt and left the offensive material on the floor. Neither of your parents bothered to check in on you, but the head maid did. She cleaned up your makeup and brought you some of your comfort foods. She was more of a mother to you than your own, and you were always grateful for her in your life.

The next time you would meet Gojo Satoru, there would be hell to pay for embarrassing you like this.

Gojo Satoru was sixteen years old when he next met his fiancee, this time on the battlefield rather than mitigated by their families. Kyoto was short by one for the Kyoto Goodwill Event, so you were allowed to join as the sole first year. You were glad for the opportunity because that meant you could finally pay back Gojo Satoru for the embarrassment you felt two years ago.

You were told you had great potential as a jujutsu sorcerer, already being promoted to Semi-Grade 2 as you entered Kyoto High. Of course, you weren’t even close to your fiance who was promoted immediately to Special Grade upon entering Tokyo High. While the power difference between a Semi-Grade 2 and a Special Grade was immense, you weren’t going to let that stop you. You held a lot of pain in your heart for how Gojo Satoru rejected you from one glance, refusing to ever see you again that day.

This was Gojo Satoru’s first Goodwill Event, as last year he was only a first-year and the spots were full from the second and third years last year. Since last year, Kyoto had won, the event was held at your school. Not a single second or third year at Kyoto believed they even had a chance to win this year, as Tokyo has not one but two Special Grade students this year participating in the event. There was only one Grade 1 sorcerer on the Kyoto side, a third-year, while the others were a Grade 2 or Semi-Grade 2. The goal was to stick together; power in numbers. While the two monsters Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru could take out the entire Kyoto team singlehanded most likely, the others on the Tokyo team were rather weak, at only Grade 3.

So, the Kyoto side would stick together, avoid conflict. The goal was to exorcise curses, not necessarily fight each other.

The six of you stuck together, exorcising curse after curse. It was strange, as several minutes passed and you hadn’t even encountered one of the Grade 3 Tokyo sorcerers. You felt the hairs on the back of your neck stick up, then a voice behind you announcing, “Hello~”

You turned around quickly, barely able to avoid an attack. There he was, Gojo Satoru in the flesh. He was much, much taller than last time you saw him, now towering over you like a tree. On his (admittedly) handsome face was a smug grin, his bright baby blues peeking out behind round black shades. He held his hands in his pockets in a carefree manner. Almost not like he just attacked you and your senpai.

You glanced back briefly. While you were somehow lucky to avoid the attack from your fiance, your senpai behind you was not. The attack left them unconscious, back against a tree and blood running down their head.

While reading headfirst toward your fiance probably was not a good idea, only rage flowed through your head. You may not have inherited your clan’s cursed technique, you inherited a similar technique but more closely to your mother’s Zenin clan’s technique. You could manipulate shadows, not to summon shikigami, but rather to form weapons.

You summoned the shadows to form a sword, raising it to strike Gojo Satoru. But it reached just centimeters away from his body before stopping, almost like an invisible forced kept it in place, unable to move it further. You stared at your hand in surprise.

“Now, now, is that any way to greet your fiance?” Gojo Satoru asked, grin widening.

“Are you really though?” You asked, jumping back cautiously before he could ready another attack. “You didn’t even want to meet me two years ago.”

He placed his hand onto his chin in thought. “Hmm, I suppose that’s true. Tell you what, land a hit on me and I’ll tell you everything.”

“Bastard,” you called to him, switching your shadow weapon to a bow and arrow, pulling back the shadow string, and releasing it toward him.

Gojo Satoru held up two fingers as the arrow stopped in mid-air, much like your sword earlier. “I don’t think that’s my name, sweetie. Bad luck for you today. Seems like we’re just a bad match.”

You were frustrated. How the hell was he doing that?

A siren sounded out through the forest. The match was over; Tokyo won, only because Gojo Satoru had distracted the Kyoto group while Geto Suguru handled the stranglers and the remaining Grade 3 sorcerers were able to exorcise more curses than your side.

Gojo Satoru disappeared before your eyes, but you heard a whisper in your ear from him, “I’m feeling generous. An hour before the individual matches tomorrow, meet me in the garden. I’ll explain everything.”

So, that’s how you found yourself out in the garden at 8 am, shivering from the morning chill. The garden was huge, but somehow you figured your fiance would be able to find you.

“Yo,” he called out, startling you from your thoughts. “I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

“I don’t think highly of you,” you admitted. “You embarrassed me two years ago and my uncle thinks I’m a disgrace to the family now.”

“Yikes, that seems a little harsh. Not like I annulled the engagement or anything. I just was going through some good ole teenage angst then, nothing more.”

“Still going through some ‘teenage angst’?” you questioned.

“Oh, you know, just the normal amount. I died a few months ago and it reset me back to typical teenage angst levels.”

“You what? ”

“But that’s a whole different story. We’re talking about why I left two years ago after seeing you.” He brought a finger up to his lips. “This is top secret. Can’t tell anyone.”

You nodded.

“So, my Six Eyes. I’m sure you’ve heard all about them, being in the Kamo clan and all. It turns out I can also see the red string of fate that brings soulmates together. My parents are soulmates, but they have a shitty relationship.”

“Okay.” You could relate, your parents also have a shitty relationship.

“And they’re the only pair of soulmates I’ve ever known. So,” he grasped his left pinky in yours, “when I saw that red string of mine connect to yours, I panicked. Didn’t want to be forced into a relationship with my own soulmate and end up like my parents. Call me a sappy romantic, but I wanted to meet you and get to know each other on our own, not because we’re in an arranged marriage.”

You couldn’t help but blush. Here was Gojo Satoru, your fiance, one of the strongest jujutsu sorcerers in the world, proclaiming that you were his soulmate. It seemed ridiculous, but you didn’t think he was lying. Suddenly, all the resentment for that time a few years ago left.

You took your pinky out of his, looking away from him in embarrassment, then stated, “There’s nothing that says we can’t do all that while still being engaged. Lets.” You took a deep breath, looking straight at those brilliant blue eyes past his sunglasses, then continued. “Let start over. Get to know each other the right way and see where this takes us.”

He grinned. It was the first time you saw him smile with pure happiness behind it. “I like that idea, soulmate.”

[cjtheghost-14]

Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans - Pidge Gunderson x Reader

Requests: None (but please give me some)

Notes: This came to me while I was eating chocolate covered espresso beans at 3:42 am last night, why do you ask?

Summary:  Your the White Paladin on team Voltron, and you also happen to be dating the little gremlin piloting the Green Lion. Pidge Gunderson. Lately, you haven’t been able to have much alone time, what, with saving the Universe and all. The only downtime the two of you have is at night, and the castle has run out of coffee. Your body can’t handle it, and you pass out as soon as you get in bed with your girlfriend. Pidge, on the other hand, doesn’t need coffee to stay awake. It’s not like she has a choice, anyhow. She’s always up late working on upgrades for the castle. You’ve been upset about the lack of contact the two of you have been having lately, and mad at yourself for always falling asleep. What are you meant to do without coffee? Then you remember something you smuggled aboard when you left Earth.

Warnings: Some good old fluff, being sleep deprived, stress, caffeine over load,  swearing

(sorry this took so long, blame my hectic life!)

Is it 11:00 pm already? How could that be right? You check your watch again, your vision beginning to blur from exhaustion. You take a sharp breath in, being able to just make out the time. It was, in fact, 11:00 pm. You rub your eyes in an attempt to just simply wipe the sleepiness away. Today was an unusually long day for the whole team. Zarkon apparently didn't know the meaning of sleep since his attacks have been relentless. Just today the team saved two planets. Although afterwards, the castle had been so severely damaged that we spent the rest of the day trying to fix it. Coran only let you stop a few minutes ago. He could’ve kept you longer, if not for that fact that you were practically falling asleep while re adjusting the teludav. You didn’t know if your girlfriend, Pidge, was even going to be in her room but you drag your feet in it’s direction anyway. She was always the busiest when it came to castle repairs, leaving you alone with your thoughts. After leaving your family, maybe some quality time with your depressing brain wasn’t the best idea. You have never felt more alone. Loneliness was corrosive, eating away at your heart until it left only a shell of a human. It could arguably be the worst feeling someone could feel. And ever since you left earth to become a paladin, that very feeling has taken over your already fragile mind. You depended on Pidge to pull you through, but you’ve barely been able to see her lately. Now, of course, you had the rest of the team beside you. You loved cooking with Hunk, listening to Coran’s weird stories and Allura’s beautiful ones. You loved spending time with Lance, he was your best friend after all, and you grew up with Shiro and Keith. Shiro was like a Dad to you, as Keith was like your brother. You loved them all with your whole heart. But those bonds paled in comparison to your feelings for Pidge. Your heart ached thinking about her. All you wanted to do was hold her in your arms. The thought made you walk faster, rounding the corner and not hesitating to barrel into Pidge’s messy room. You stumble over a box of electronics, your eyes landing on Pidge sitting on her bed, fiddling with something glowing. Your face breaks into a huge grin as you see her sitting there, her face bathed in blue light, glasses askew on her nose, pictures of you and her stuck on the wall behind her.

“Pidge!” You exclaim, surprised that she was actually here.

Her head shoots up, the lazy smile you love making its way onto her face. “Y/N!”

You run over to her, jumping on the bad, grabbing her face and slamming your lips onto hers. She laughs, pulling away slightly to look at you. “As much as I loved that, Y/N, I have work I need to do.”

“But I haven't seen you in days!” You say, your hopes sinking like lead.

“I know, love, but I really can’t relax now. Coran needs this by tomorrow morning. Just give me a few minutes, I’m almost done.” She says, turning her attention back to whatever she was working on.

You sigh, laying down. You can feel all of the anxiety from the past month weighing on your chest, crushing you with no hope of escape. You had hoped to talk to Pidge about it, but she was too busy, yet again. It wasn’t her fault, of course. It was Zarkons. But it didn't matter, you just needed someone to talk to. You knew that wasn't going to happen tonight though. When Pidge says she only needs a few minutes, she means she needs a few hours. Yet you decide to try to stay awake anyway, her presence was enough to make you feel better. But before you get to have any say in the matter, sleep grabs you by its claws, dragging you under.

***

You peel your eyes open, only to be met by complete darkness. You blink once, twice, trying to understand what happened. Then you realize, you fell asleep. You sit up suddenly, slamming your hand down on the mattress.

“Quiznak!”

You bring your watch up to your face, squinting, reading with difficulty the numbers 5:33 AM. Not again! How did you fall asleep again? Every rare time Pidge is actually in her room when you are, you end up falling asleep before you can talk to her. In a rush of adrenaline you bolt out of bed, maneuvering through the dark and into the hallway. Your footsteps echo through the castle as you round a corner into Lance’s room. You power off his white noise machine with a slam of your hands as you shout, “Lance!”

He bolts up, his eye mask sliding off of his face as he cries out in alarm. “I remember our bonding moment!” His head whips over to you, eyes widening. “O-oh! Y/N, w-what are you doing here?” He asks, voice rising an octave in embarrassment.

“I fell asleep!” You shout, throwing your hands in the air as you plop down on the bed next to him.

“That's why you woke me up?” He yells in exasperation, laying back down. “Go back to bed you freaking maniac” He says, kicking you off the bed with his foot. “I need my beauty sleep.”

“Too late for that.” You say sarcastically, standing up and grabbing his pillow from under his head, hitting him. “Get up!”

He yells out, bolting up, grabbing the pillow out of your hands. “I will shoot you!”

“Noted. But Lance, I fell asleep again. Now who knows when I’m going to even see Pidge again. Weeks? Months?” You sigh, sitting back down on the bed, staring at your hands.

Lance’s expression softens at the tone of your voice, resting a hand on your shoulder. “I’m sorry Y/N, I know it's been tough. But don't we have coffee in the kitchen? I swear Hunk smuggled some in.”

“We’re out.” You say sadly, shaking your head. “I have no way to stay awake, bu-” Your eyes widen suddenly, an idea forming in your head. “Wait, Lance, you're a genius!”

“I know.” He says triumphantly, crossing his arms with a smug smile. “Wait, why am I a genius?”

You chuckle, getting up, beginning to walk out of the room as you explain your idea. “The coffee Hunk smuggled in might be gone, but I totally forgot about what I smuggled in. Chocolate covered espresso beans, my mom made them. God, it's perfect! Thanks for the idea Lance!”

“Anytime. And, oh, Y/N?” He calls out after you.

You stop before you reach the door, turning around. “Yeah?”

“About what I said… I absolutely do not remember Keith and I’s bonding moment that didn't even happen.”

“I’ll be sure to tell Keith you remember, he’ll be happy to hear.” You smirk, running out of the room.

“Y/N! I said I don't remember! Y/N come back!” Lance shouts, sticking his head out of the door. “Y/N!”

A Day Later

You skip into Pidge’s room, a new sense of energy engulfing you. To your delight, you find Pidge sitting on her bed.

“Hey, lovely.” You say, plopping down next to her.

“Hi, (Y/N)” She says, looking up momentarily from her project to kiss you on the cheek. “Sorry to do this again, but I’m gonna be busy for a while” She explains, frowning slightly, her nose scrunching up in the way that you adore.

“It's alright, I’ll be waiting.” You say, leaning back on the bed to watch her work. She smiles softly before turning her attention away. You watch her slim fingers for a moment, fiddling with another glowing object before you decide to pull out your small packet of chocolate covered espresso beans. Pidge stops for a moment, turning to look at you.

“Uh, whatcha got there?” She asks, peeking into the bag.

“Some chocolate covered espresso beans.” You say, smiling softly before popping one into your mouth.

“Oh.” She says, reaching a hand into the bag before stopping, looking up. “Can I have some?”

“Of course.”

She smiles brightly, taking a handful, popping a few in her mouth as well. “Ooh, these taste like the ones your mom makes. These will help me stay awake for this project, actually. Thanks love.”

“And these will also help me stay awake long enough to spend some time with you.” You say softly, your eyes drifting over her lips.

She smiles more, leaning forward and kissing you, sending an electric jolt through your body. This was just what you needed. You melt into the kiss, running your fingers through her soft hair. You were convinced this had to be what heaven felt like. And when you pull away, theres a lingering taste of chocolate covered espresso beans.

[kuroopaisen]

tiny love || iii

➵ as tooru’s younger sister, falling in love with iwaizumi hajime is easy. your feelings aren’t ignored, either. but is it worth the complications it could cause? iwaizumi made a decision for you. but, life goes on. 

warnings: f!reader, Emotions 

wc: 4.6k (i’m so sorry we had a lot of ground to cover)

m.list | ch. 2 ↞ ch. 3 ↠ ch. 4 

last time...

“Look, I…” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I think it’s best if we pretend this never happened.”

The world shuttered to a stop. The mild afternoon sun was now searing your skin.

✧ ✧ ✧

“He disgusts me,” Amaya shivered, angrily shoving a spoonful of strawberry kakigori into her mouth. “Piece of—”

“It was ages ago,” you sighed, picking at the mountain of flavoured ice in front of you. “It’s not that important…”

“Yes, it is,” Amaya leant forward across the table. “It’s his fault, right? He kissed you.”

You bit your lip, giving your friend a pitiful look.

To say it was ages ago wasn’t quite a lie. It was finally the summer holidays, and it’d be a few months since that fateful afternoon.

You hadn’t wanted to spend your summer break thinking about this sort of thing. It felt like a waste of emotional energy.

But you just couldn’t get it out of your head.

You kept replaying the same few moments over and over in your mind – the kiss, the morning after it, the conversation…

“In my humble opinion,” Amaya sighed, preparing herself another scoop of kakigori, “I think he should answer for what he’s done.”

“Please don’t say anything,” you whined, reaching across the table and grabbing her wrist. “Don’t do anything, either. I don’t want to cause a mess.”

“He’s the one who caused a mess,” Amaya huffed, dropping her spoon into the kakigori bowl. “You have a right to be pissed.”

“I am pissed,” you sighed. “It’s just… I kind of get where he was coming from, you know?”

“No.”

“Well, like—” You squeezed your eyes shut for a moment, trying to clear your mind. “If we’d broken up, that’d make things really awkward.”

“Isn’t it already awkward?”

“I… yeah…”

“I just think he could’ve gone about it better,” she shrugged. “That’s all.”

You bit the inside of your cheek, twirling your spoon between your fingers. “You’re right about that, at least…”

Amaya watched you for a moment, pursing her lips together. You knew what she was thinking. That was reason enough to fear any potential advice.

“Date someone else,” she suggested. “Maybe that’ll help you get over him.”

You grimaced, cursing her for being able to read your mind. “No thanks.”

“Why not?” Amaya asked, raising an eyebrow at you. “Yahaba seems to be into you.”

You shook your head vehemently. “Ew, no! He’s on my brother’s team.”

“And?”

You shot your friend a dithering look. “That’s the problem, Maya,” you scoffed. “If Iwaizumi’s not ‘good enough’, then I doubt anyone else on the team is.”

“Did your brother say that?” Amaya gaped.

You shrugged. “I don’t know. But that’s what Iwaizumi implied.”

Amaya scoffed, screwing up her nose. “Men aren’t worth it.”

You laugh, shaking your head. “That’s true…”

“And men,” she said, pointing a finger directly at you, “don’t deserve you.”

“You know what?” You grinned, tilting your head at her. “You’re right.”

“I always am,” she replied, waving a hand at you.

You sighed, stretching your arms above your head. “Besides, if I end up going to America, I don’t want to deal with a long-distance relationship,” you grimaced. “Sounds tough.”

“What, you wouldn’t fight for love?” Amaya teased, fishing her phone out of her pocket.

You stuck your tongue out at her, screwing up your nose. “Shut up.”

Amaya giggled, looking down at her phone screen.

You took the opportunity to treat yourself to some of the kakogiri. The two of you had barely made a dent in it.

Amaya dropped her phone back into her pocket, tilting her head at you. “Hey, aren’t those qualifiers coming up soon or something?”

“Hm?”

“For your brother’s volleyball,” she shrugged. “You said something about going to nationals?”

“Oh, right!” You perked up, nodding. “If they win these preliminaries, they’ll finally get to go to nationals.”

“This is your brother’s last chance, right?”

Your stomach sank a little. “Yeah. He’s… he’s been working really hard.”

“Really hard?” She raised an eyebrow. “Or too hard?”

“What do you think?”

She sighed, placing her hands in her lap. “Right.”

You pressed your lips together, frowning.

“Hey, hey,” Amaya hummed, leaning over to flick your forehead. “Try not to think too much, okay? We’re supposed to be having fun.”

You smiled at her weakly.

“No more talk of boys,” she decreed, waving her spoon at you. “They’re a waste of time anyway.”

✧ ✧ ✧

There might be a thousand other places you’d rather be than outside Seijoh’s gym. But, you’d come to the conclusion that God hated you, and therefore would take any opportunity to submit you to some kind of punishment.

Tonight, it was this – standing outside a gym where a mass of sweaty teenage boys congregated, one of which was your brother, and another the Iwaizumi Hajime.

Tooru had always finished practice late, but this was just ridiculous.

Initially, you’d been content with walking yourself home after class, asserting that you were grown up enough to trawl the streets of Miyagi without a chaperone.

But recently, you’d signed up for the student council. You were surprised they let you in so late in the year,

Your parents had been chuffed with that, proclaiming that you were “finally showing some initiative” and that it was “a great way to teach you some responsibility.”

You hadn’t told them that the real reason you’d joined was because you were worried about Tooru.

You peeked inside the gym, eyes scanning the brightly lit hardwood for any sign of your brother.

You didn’t bother to check your watch. It was far too late in the evening for that anyway.

The boys were scrambling around on the court, jumping and spiking and all that volleyball stuff. You managed to catch sight of your brother, who, by your observation, was very much in the zone.

Perhaps maybe it would be okay for you to sit in on—

A flash of spikey hair was enough to make you recede, drawing yourself back into the dark.

You sighed, turning around and slumping yourself against the wall. Somehow, you felt even more exhausted than before.

Fuck this.

Fuck school and all it’s damn responsibilities.

Fuck your brother’s determination to overwork himself until he’s falling apart at the seams.

And fuck Iwaizumi Hajime.

Maybe you should just head home. Tooru would come home eventually, and…

No. That defeated the point.

You’d just have to wait it out, Iwaizumi Hajime be damned.

A few more minutes passed. You heard who you believed to be the coach call out an end to practice, followed by a resounding “Yes!”

You sighed, checking your watch. Seven o’clock. Even that would be considered a late practice.

Usually Tooru would usually wave the rest of the team out, spending the next hour on his own.

But not tonight.

You scampered through the gym doors, making a beeline for your disaster of a brother.

“Hey, Oika-chan!” A voice called out, making you stumble in your approach.

Ah, Matsukawa.

“Hey,” you waved absentmindedly, unsure of how exactly to process that nickname. It didn’t exactly roll off the tongue

“Stop calling her that!” Tooru yelled from the other side of the gym. “It doesn’t even sound cute!”

“You’re just jealous,” you shot back instinctively. “You just wish you were me.”

Tooru scoffed, ready to launch into a new tirade.

But you weren’t listening to him. Against your best efforts, your eyes sought out Iwaizumi. He wasn’t even looking at you.

Ouch.

Sure, you’d be avoiding him as best you could; finding excuses to be in your room or out with your friends whenever he was round at your house, always positioning Tooru between the two of you whenever you were forced to spend time with him... But, that didn’t stop it hurting. 

You shook off the disappointment and continued your route to Tooru.

“Oi,” you barked, jabbing a finger at him. “Hurry up. I’m making dinner tonight and you’re going to enjoy it.”

Tooru screwed his nose up at you, grimacing. “But I still need to practice.”

You came to a stop in front of him, grabbing his elbow. “Too bad.”

“Aw, don’t complain,” Matsukawa grinned, suddenly appearing and looping his arm around Tooru’s shoulders. “We don’t all have a cute girl vying to cook us dinner.”

“Ew!” Tooru shrieked, shrugging off Matsukawa’s arm. “Don’t be gross that’s my sister!”

“I slave over the countertop for you and you don’t even have the decency to respect my efforts,” you scoffed, deciding to ignore Matsukawa’s half-compliment. You weren’t going to make the same mistake twice.

“Just stick it in the fridge,” Tooru sighed. “I’ll heat it up when I get home.”

Agitation brewed in your stomach, your mouth turning dry.

If he stayed here, he’d just overwork himself like he always did. And he’d come home sore and exhausted, bandages on his fingers and bags under his eyes.

But the prefecturals were so soon. If he wore himself out now, he wouldn’t be able to play to the best of his ability.

“Tooru, that’s not fair and you know it,” you whined. “Please.”

He tutted at you, shaking his head. “Now, now, as the older sibling, it’s natural law that I know be—”

“Hurry up, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi grumbled, coming up behind Tooru and kneeing him in the back.

Tooru yelped, stumbling forward and out of your grasp. “Iwa!”

“We’ll clean up just fine without you,” Iwaizumi muttered, stepping away from your brother.

He caught your eye.

Your breath caught in your throat. Was he going to speak to you? Acknowledge you? Make you feel like things weren’t as weird as they were?

He just gave you an almost imperceptible nod.

You gave him a small smile in response despite the sinking feeling in your stomach.

Of course, Iwaizumi understood. He probably understood better than you did.

“Come on,” you whined, grabbing Tooru’s elbow and yanking him towards you. “Or I’ll kick your ass.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

You stuck your tongue out at him, dragging him towards the door. After a small scuffle he grabbed his bag, whining about how he was still in his sweaty gym clothes.

You waved off his concerns, telling him it was his own fault. Mustering all your strength you managed to push him outside, reprimanding him for wasting so much of your time.

You glanced over your shoulder one last time as you left. You weren’t quite sure why.

But Iwaizumi met your gaze for just a moment, his jaw tense.

That look stuck in your mind for the rest of the evening.

✧ ✧ ✧

The last thwack of a ball on the court.

Your brother, body half-twisted and arms outstretched, fighting to the very final second.

Everything the team had worked so hard for, gone. Crushed.

All those hours, all those late nights spent practicing, all the sweat and grief and band-aids.

All meaningless.

It was written on their faces. Regret, disappointment, shock.

And Iwaizumi. Poor steadfast, honourable Iwaizumi.

You’d never seen him cry. Never. But there he stood on the court, doing everything he could to hold back the tears.

You couldn’t even guess at what was going through his mind: probably some guilt about letting everyone down, for not being the best version of himself for the team.

You hoped, for his sake, that nobody else was paying attention to him.

Tooru patted him on the back. A firm, solid slap.

Even you could tell how much meaning was in that one gesture.

You gripped the barrier tightly, your knuckles beginning to ache. You watched with bitterness on your tongue, ready to cry the tears that Tooru refused to.

By the time you meet the team outside, you knew he didn’t want a hug. Even if you wanted desperately to give him one, he wouldn’t accept it.

He’s too angry for that.

You don’t know what to say; he’s worked so hard for this.

They all have.

And now they have to walk away from it all, no real victory to their name. Oikawa Tooru – destined for greatness, but yet unknown outside of Miyagi. He never did make it to nationals.

You bit your lip, regret and frustration and sympathy twisting in your stomach. There’s nothing you could’ve done, but by God you wished you’d done more.

Something. Anything.

But you’re just his little sister, a girl with nothing to offer. You hadn’t even stepped into the manager role when he’d asked you to in your first year. You’d been so distant from this world of his, a distance you’d only widened since that little hiccup with Iwaizumi.

You turned to the team, racking your brain for the appropriate thing to say.

You bowed. “Thank you for all your hard work.”

It felt empty, but you meant it. You knew that most of all, Tooru was proud of the team. Proud of what they’d built together.

It’d been three years of pain, but they’d done it together. And you knew, deep in your heart, that they’d given their all for him. That, at least, you were grateful.

You didn’t say goodbye.

Your fists are clenched at your sides as you exit the building, rushing home on aching thighs. You hadn’t even realised you’d been tensing so hard during the game.

Thoughts stumbled through your mind on the walk, trying to sort themselves out.

Should you have said something to Iwaizumi? Offered him some comfort?

He was obviously shaken by what’d happened. But perhaps that would’ve been stepping over a line. Maybe it would’ve made him uncomfortable.

And yet, you regretted not addressing him. He, more than anyone else, had given everything for Tooru.

His time, his sweat, his heart.

He couldn’t give anything to you because…

You swallowed, shaking your head. Now wasn’t the time to feel bitter.

Once you walked through the front door, you raced to the kitchen and rifled through your cupboards.

Bread flour, yeast, sugar…

A peek in the fridge.

Milk, butter, eggs.

You set everything on the counter, clattering around in your cupboards until you find a bowl, a whisk, a wooden spoon and a baking pan.

Your next few hours are a flurry of measuring ingredients, kneading dough with aching thumbs, checking oven temperatures and waiting.

You did all sorts of things to distract yourself during the waiting period: cleaning, reading, homework, laundry. But you could only do them in spurts, little five-to-ten-minute blocks until your anxiety returned.

You’d have to sleep this off.

By the time the oven finally pinged, letting you know you were finally free of your baking duties, you were exhausted.

But you rushed back over to the oven and took out your loaf, inspecting it once over. It looked okay – not as good at Kaori’s, but passable. Hopefully it tasted alright. You didn’t have the guts to check.

You let it cool as you grabbed a scrap of paper and scribbled out a little note.

“Good job today, you asswipe. You inspire me to work harder and go farther.

I’m so proud of you.”

You bit your lip, looking it over once. Is it sensitive enough? Is it too sensitive? Would it bring him comfort? Would it piss him off?

Hard to say.

You sighed, folding it over so it could prop up like a tent.

You cut off a third of the loaf, still hot, and plopped it on a plate. You wrapped the rest of the loaf up and placed it in the bread holder. Perhaps you’d have some tomorrow.

Tooru’s room, usually a place that was very out of bounds, was the next stop on your anxious little trip around the house. You placed the plate on his bedside table, propping the note up next to it. Hopefully this would make him smile, even if just by a little.

But you didn’t want to wait up to see.

The comfort of your own bed was calling you, coaxing you into an early night’s sleep.

You laid down with a sigh, unsure of whether or not you could be bothered to have a bath.

A little suggestion crawled through your mind, dragging itself along by it’s fingernails.

You tried to shoo it away. It was a terrible idea, really. One that was bound to end with you feeling quite shitty.  

But tonight wasn’t about you. It wasn’t about your feelings.

You sighed, picking up your phone from the bedside table.

Hey, you typed.

[YOU] 7:31 PM: I hope you don’t mind me texting you like this, but thanks for looking after Tooru so well.

You bit the inside of your cheek as you stared at the name “Iwaizumi Hajime” at the top of your screen. Taking a deep breath, you tapped the blue arrow.

The message slipped into the grey space above, into the train of messages that hadn’t moved in months.

You stared at it a moment longer, fingers flitting anxiously around your screen.

Oh, fuck it.

[YOU] 7:33 PM: And thanks for being the best Ace he could’ve asked for.

It’s not what you wanted to say. It’s not what you feel like you should’ve said. There’s so much more, so much left unsaid.

But tonight isn’t about me, you reminded yourself. It’s about him. About them. About all they’ve been through together.

You waited a few minutes, heart hammering in your chest.

A response.

[Iwaizumi] 7:37 PM: Thank you.

[Iwaizumi] 7:37 PM: I’m sorry it wasn’t enough.

✧ ✧ ✧

“Argentina?” You hissed. “But that’s—”

“On the other side of the world,” Tooru shrugged. “What are you so mad for? You’re the one who wants to go to America.”

You had nothing to say to that. The two of you were sat at the breakfast table, your pieces of toast left untouched.

When Tooru had told you he wanted to talk to you this morning, you hadn’t expected this.

“When do you leave?” You asked, a lump forming in your throat.

“Soon,” he sighed. “I’m just trying to work out boarding and whatnot.”

“So… you’ll leave as soon as that’s sorted out?”

“That’s the plan.”

“It’s like you’re rushing out of here,” you mumbled, picking at your nails.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” he grinned. “I’ve just got to make sure I can get ahead. The sooner I start, the better.”

You looked up at him, frowning.

He wasn’t the little boy curled up in the bathtub anymore. He’s a young man with the tenacity to form his own destiny, circumstances be damned.

This day was bound to come.

But that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

✧ ✧ ✧

A week passed. And then a month.

The year ended before you knew it. The festivities rolled on, but not without a hint of melancholy.

Each New Years celebration was tainted with the realisation that, after he left, chances were you wouldn’t see Tooru again until the same time next year.

You returned to school for the third semester and everything seemed like it was moving in fast forward.

It’s well and truly changing.

Student council swallowed you up, your family made a point of spending as much time with Tooru as they could, and life plodded on.

And before you knew it, you were standing at the airport at five in the morning, your parents to one side and Iwaizumi to the other. Your older sister, Kaori, was also there, hand-in-hand with your nephew.

For a farewell, it was quite the turn-out.

“Well,” Tooru took a deep breath, looking between the small crowd of faces in front of him. “You all better miss me.”

“Don’t push your luck, Tooru,” Kaori teased.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tooru tutted. “Almost sounds like you’re glad to be rid of me.”

“I am,” your nephew piped up.

“Takeru!” Your mother chided. “Don’t say things like that.”

“It’s fine,” Tooru grinned. “He obviously just doesn’t know what else to say.”

Takeru simply stuck his tongue out at your brother, who just laughed as he stepped forward to ruffle his hair.

Tooru turned to you, grinning. “It’s now your job to take him to volleyball practice.”

You rolled your eyes at him. “Really, that’s all you’ve got to say to me?”

“Of course not!” He laughed, hopping towards you and wrapping his arms around your shoulders. “You be good, okay?”

“Always am,” you mumbled into his chest, wrapping your arms around his waist.

“Study hard,” he hummed. “And don’t talk to boys.”

“Tooru!”

“I’m serious!”

“Don’t worry about me,” you huffed. “Worry about yourself.”

“I’ll be fine,” he chuckled, pulling back. “Stop being such a worry-wort.”

You pouted at him. “Stay hydrated or I’ll kill you.”

“You know I will,” he tsked. “Which one of us is the athlete?”

“And don’t overwork yourself,” you continued, “or I’ll crawl out of the TV like Sadako and drag you back to Japan.”

“You know what?” Tooru grinned, letting you go. “I fully believe you’re capable of that.”

“Be afraid.”

He ruffled your hair; a sure signal that your conversation was over. You bit your lip as he moved over to talk to Iwaizumi. You tottered around to where your sister was, wrapping your arms around her waist – partly to give Tooru and Iwaizumi some privacy, partly to seek out some comfort.

She chuckled, standing on her tiptoes and propping her chin on the top of your head. “It’ll be okay.”

“Hm?” You blinked. “Oh, I’m not sad. Not at all.”

“You sure about that?” Kaori chuckled.

“Mhm,” you nodded. “Glad to be rid of him, actually. It’s my turn to get the biggest bedroom.”

“Sure,” she grinned. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to text me, okay?”

“Thanks,” you smiled.

“And visit me more often!” Kaori chided. “I feel like I don’t see you enough.”

“I’m sorry,” you whined.

Kaori was right about that, at least. You’d spent the past few months focusing on Tooru, and before that, you’d been moping about Iwaizumi.

Some sister you were.

You peeked out the corner of your eye at the two boys you’d just fled from.

They were fist-bumping. Why they couldn’t just get over it and hug one another, you’d never know.

Especially seeing as this would likely be the last time they saw each other in a very long while.

Even if this was what Tooru wanted, even if this was a decision made on his own merit, something about it still felt off.

You want to be happy for him. You want to celebrate this new chance, this opportunity to make a name for himself outside of this tiny prefecture. But the melancholy wouldn’t budge; it’s like it’s rooted itself deep amongst the marrow of your ribcage.

You take a deep breath, trying to ground yourself.

You needed to be happy for him. And if you couldn’t, you needed to fake it.

“Alright,” Tooru sighed, addressing all of you as he stepped back and grabbed the handle of his suitcase. “I’m off!”

“Call us when you get there!” Your mother called after him, her eyes glassier than they were moments earlier.

“Will do,” Tooru called back, waving a hand over his head but not turning back.

“Make sure you eat well,” Kaori yelled. “Like I taught you!”

“I will, don’t worry!” Tooru called, ever more distant.

You wondered if there was anything you could shout out, anything you could implore him to do. But nothing came to mind that you hadn’t already said. But even that didn’t feel like enough.

Tooru passed through the gate, turning around to give you all one last wave.

He was so bright, so brilliant.

He always had been. But it was as if passing through that airport gate had freed him of the roots twisted around his ankles, finally allowing him to fly.

You frowned. What a stupid thought.

Once he was out of sight, your parents sighed.

“Alright, everyone,” your father yawned. “Time to go.”

You shuffled out of the airport in silence, your eyes cast to the ground. You lagged a few steps behind your family as you let your thoughts consume you.

How was this all going to work out?

It wasn’t like Tooru was just leaving for university. If it was just for education, there’d be a time frame. But he hadn’t given your family any of that.

He was just… going to Argentina. For how long, he couldn’t say. Would he be gone one year? Five? Ten?

Was that really for the best?

But he seemed optimistic. Maybe this would be the opportunity he needs. Maybe this would change everything.

“He’ll be fine.”

A voice over your shoulder made you jump. You turned to see Iwaizumi, a look of genuine concern on his face. You hadn’t even noticed him come up behind you.

“He always finds a way to land on his feet,” he said, digging his hands in his pockets.

“I know, I just…” You sighed, running a hand through your hair. “I’m worried about him.”

Worried about his safety, worried about his health, worried about his tendency to overwork, worried about the possibility he could be lonely, worried about his sense of self, worried—

“But, if he’d just stayed here, he’d never be satisfied.”

You paused, looking up at him. Iwaizumi was staring ahead at the early morning sky, something relaxed in his features.

“He’s got to keep pushing forward, no matter what,” he continued, looking at you. You caught your breath, but you didn’t look away. “If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for his losses.”

You stared at him for a long moment.

He was right. Iwaizumi was always right when it came to Tooru.

And you were grateful. Of course you were.

But a nugget of regret was buried deep in your heart.

Iwaizumi wasn’t worried about Tooru at all. He believed in him, trust him to go forward.

And yet you don’t feel the same. You can’t.

You can’t have the same faith in your brother because you don’t know him well enough.

Maybe you never would.

✧ ✧ ✧

More time passed.

Your holidays ebbed by in a haze, a flurry of friends, family, serious conversations about your future, and a little bit of snow.

You were trudging home in the waning afternoon after a day out with friends when you saw him. He was coming back from the opposite direction, bundled up in a jacket, with a scarf slung haphazardly around his neck and beanie pulled low over his hair.

You wondered if he’d bothered spiking it up this morning.

“Hey.” Iwaizumi raised a hand at you in some paltry greeting.

“Hi,” you nodded, slowing to a stop in front of your house.

He looked at you for a moment, something unreadable in his eyes. Admittedly, that was usually how he looked at you.  

“How are you?” It was a simple question, but you were more curious about it than you’d like to admit. The two of you hadn’t spoken since Tooru left, your interactions limited to brief nods and hellos if you ever happened to bump into each other in public. Nothing deeper than that.

“Good,” he said, finally breaking eye contact as his gaze flitted to the ground. “I, uh… I leave for uni tomorrow.”

Your heart stopped in your chest.

Iwaizumi was leaving too, huh?

Not that there was much of a friendship for you to miss. But something about him leaving really solidified it all.

Tooru had left to pursue opportunities much bigger than those offered to him in Japan, and now Iwaizumi was off on his own journey.

Your stomach swelled, a quiet nausea rattling through your body.

“Oh,” was all you managed to say. “Well, good luck.” There was a long, painful pause.

He was looking at you again, something else in his eyes. Did he want you to say something else? Ask more questions?

“You’ll do great,” is all you managed to say, a tight smile stretched across your lips.

“Thanks,” he breathed, something between a sigh and a chuckle.

You hurried through your front door, a strange anxiety prickling over your skin.

Whenever you spoke to Iwaizumi, it never felt like enough. Like there was more to say, more to admit.

But regardless of what had happened, regardless of your regrets, you had to move on.

You should’ve done so months ago.

✧ ✧ ✧

a/n: this is SLOPPY but please forgive me! a lot of ground to cover,,, a lot of feelings to unpack,,, 

[let-them-read-fics]

Saranghae

Requested by Anon: “Can i make a request for Blackpink RoséXFem!reader one shot/imagine where y/n always thought she was the one that said I love you first but she realizes rosé said it in korean when y/n was first learning it the first few months they were dating. like rosé says it and y/n is like wait what does that mean? and rosé teases her and doesn't say anything (holy crap this is long, sorry. i hope that makes sense. I asked someone else if they can write it but I dont think they're going to) thank you very much if you do🥺❤️”

Pairing: Rosé x Fem!Reader

Word Count: ~ 2,300

Warnings / Misc. -- Fluff, Happy Ending

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: To the anon who requested this: Thank you! This is actually a really sweet ask, so hopefully I did it justice. I stuck with the gist of the prompt, but I added a little twist to it. I hope you enjoy; let me know what you think. Happy reading, everyone!

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

~~~ Flashback: A Few Months Into Your Relationship ~~~

“Baby, come grab the door, please!” You request, your hands busy holding the two steaming cups of hot cocoa you prepared for Rosé and yourself. At the sound of your voice, she sets down the notebook that she had been writing in, and makes her way to you. She appears in the doorway with a wide smile, her face lighting up when she spots the drinks. 

“How’d you know I wanted some?” She takes her mug from you, being careful not to move too quickly and spill it, and lays a kiss on your cheek -- her way of thanking you.

With a nonchalant shrug, you make your way across the room, saying over your shoulder, “It’s my superpower, duh. We’re just in sync like that.” The giggle that leaves her lips makes your heart flutter, and you can’t help but smile back.

Now armed with your beverages, the two of you sit back down on the floor next to each other, getting prepared for your mini lesson. The fluffy material of the carpet comforts you, and you settle in.

~~~~~~~

Rosé repeats the phrase one more time, slowing it down for you, enunciating the words as clearly as she can. Your gaze is set on her lips, taking note of how they purse and pout with the different syllables. You try again, albeit incredibly slow and choppy, but eventually the words manage to come out intelligible. She celebrates the win, quickly standing and pulling you up along with her for a victory dance; after all, it was a pretty tricky phrase for someone just starting out. She knows how competent you are though, and she wanted to give you a challenge. 

As the two of you stand there, doing a little dorky jig together, she takes a second to think. She is totally smitten with you: these past few months have been some of the happiest times of her life, and she owes a lot of that to you. There’s no one she’d rather have by her side like this, staying up well into the night to teach Korean to. She loves that you’re eager to learn more, and she’s ecstatic to be the one that gets to help you on that journey. It really is a special thing to her, and she doesn’t take it for granted. Time spent with you is heaven, regardless of what the two of you are doing. 

Rosé is pulled from her thoughts by the quiet sound of you yawning. Her heart nearly melts at the sight of your face all scrunched up, paired with the little wiggle that you do. She pulls you in, smiling as you nuzzle your face into her neck sleepily. “Rosé, I’d love to keep practicing, but I’m about to pass out.” Her hand comes up to run through your hair, the other one wrapped around your body to keep you close. “We should be going to bed anyway, babe. We can pick back up tomorrow, if you’d like.” She kisses your forehead tenderly as you just simply nod, your body too tired and brain too fried to do much of anything else. 

Once she’s tucked you in, making sure you’re comfortable and warm, she crouches down next to the bed. The lights are dimmed now, the only source of illumination being the moonlight that glitters in through the blinds, kissing your skin just right. Sitting there, face to face with you, she realizes that you’re her person. The one that she wants to wake up next to every morning and fall asleep wrapped around every night; the one to go on late night drives through the city with, stopping wherever your hearts desire; the one to hold through the bad times and comfort through the sad. You mean the world to her, and she can’t help but declare it.  

“사랑해, Y/N.” 

Despite only being half conscious, you’d never ignore the sound of her voice. “Mmm?” You mumble groggily, the noise making her laugh. She makes a mental note to add that to her list of favorite sounds. “Nothing, angel. Rest now.” With that, she goes to stand, but you catch her wrist before she can go. “No, tell me. Pleaaase?” Your eyes are open now, but just enough for her to see that beautiful sparkle in them. “Tomorrow. Now shhhh.” She leans down, placing a hand on your cheek to caress it, as she presses her lips to yours in an attempt to silence you. Her plan works, and she gives you a few more pecks before going to pick up and organize the books that were still strewn about on the floor. Not even a minute later, the sounds of your soft snores carry over to her ears, and she just shakes her head in amusement. 

~~~ The Next Day ~~~

“Alright, ready baby?”

“Do your worst.”

“Next up is… 사랑해.” Her eyes hold a hint of mischief, and you furrow your brow as you try to place where you’ve heard that. 

“Wait, wait, wait. Have you said this one before? It sounds familiar…” Now, deeply confused, you rack your brain. She plays innocent, though, having no intention of bringing up what happened the night before. With you being none the wiser, she’s content with teasing you for now. 

“Oh, that’s gonna drive me insane. Roseanne! What does it mean?” She chuckles at your frustration and use of her full name, but she doesn’t give in. Clearly, she gets a kick out of this. 

“Just start guessing, babe.”

~~~ Present Day, At The Blackpink Dorm ~~~

“Guys, I have the perfect game for tonight! Somebody was talking about it at the studio today: it’s called the Newlywed Game. I wanna see how well the lovebirds can do.” Lisa informs as she walks through the front door of the dorm, making her way into the living room where you and the girls are sitting. 

“Oh you’re on, Manoban. I know Rosé like the back of my own hand.” A smug expression takes over your features as you smirk at Lisa, standing up and playfully challenging her. 

“Oh yeah? Jennie and I are so gonna beat you.” She matches your energy, coming eye to eye with you, and she struggles to mask her grin. With the way she’s moving her lips to hide it, she kinda looks like a fish. 

Jisoo is next to speak as she goes to stand between the two of you, pretending to hold you back. “Hey, hey, break it up. Save it for the game.” Lisa sticks her tongue out at you, which prompts you to brush past Jisoo and tackle her onto the sofa. Jennie shouts, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” And soon, all of you are piled together in a heap of fake punches and throws, laughing loudly. 

{....} The Game {....}

“It’s neck and neck as our couples head into the final round; whoever wins this, wins the game.” Jisoo announces to no one, gesturing and looking to imaginary cameras around the room. “Contestants, are you ready?” Everyone nods in affirmation, and you give Rosé’s hand a loving squeeze. 

“Who was the first to say, ‘I love you’?”

At the question, you look to Rosé with a cocky expression on your face, absolutely convinced that you’ve got it in the bag. She scribbles her answer down on the white board -- yes, surprisingly, the girls had a few of them laying around the dorm -- and looks up at you with a smile. 

“Reveal your answers in 3...2...1…” Jisoo calls out in her best host voice, successfully creating suspense as she holds onto the numbers, dragging the count down out. 

“Now!”

Everyone flips their board around, and it seems as though time stops for a moment. Lisa and Jennie have the same answer, and you look to see what Rosé put -- despite being confident that you already know. Your jaw nearly drops to the floor as you read her name on the board.

“WHAT??” You exclaim, utter disbelief coursing through you: your whole life is a lie, it’s official. The other team is cackling by now, and you send them a mocking smile. 

Eyes now focused back on your partner, you say, “I totally said it first. Remember, that night after dinner with your parents back in Melbourne?” You hope something will click at that, her memory magically being jogged. Alas, that never happens. Everyone gets comfortable on the couches in preparation for the story she’s about to tell.  

“We hadn’t been dating super long, but it was when I was teaching you Korean back at your place. We cut the lesson short because you got sleepy, so I put you to bed. I couldn’t help myself though; you just looked so cute all cuddled up like that. I hadn’t expected for you to actually hear me, since I thought you had already passed out, but you asked me to tell you what it meant. I was stubborn and didn’t, of course,” You narrow your eyes at her, ready to stick up for your past self, but your heart secretly soars at how precious that story is.

“I love you, a lot, Rosé; but I hardly think that that counts, considering I was practically unconscious,” you say, putting emphasis on the word. The inner gamer in you is on full display, and you’re not ready to admit defeat yet. 

“Nope, we won, fair and square.” Lisa declares, exaggeratedly tossing her hair over her shoulder. You look to Jisoo, hands clasped together, eyes pleading, but she hands the victory to the other team. 

With a roll of your eyes, you tut at the loss; in no time, though, the feeling of Rosé’s arms snaking around you has you abandoning your little pity party, opting instead to smile at her. You pull her in for a kiss -- there’s no one you’d rather lose with, after all. Her lips turn up in a smile, and you can taste the cherry gloss on them. Eventually, the two of you decide to spare the others from your love-fest, and pull away. You keep an arm around her, your other hand busy being held by hers, and she lays her head on your shoulder. 

The playful atmosphere still stands, and Jennie goes to rub it in. “How’s it feel to lose, Y/N?” 

Dramatically, you look off into the distance, pretending to be in deep thought, before looking down at Rosé, and say, “With you, I can never lose; you’re the greatest prize I could ever ask for, Rosé.” The other girls let out a chorus of boos at your cheesy line, and Rosé lets out a little squeal as she scrambles to hide her blushing cheeks. With each laugh that she lets out, her body shakes against you, and you laugh right along with her. 

“Have I told you how adorable you are?” She asks, gazing up at you through her lashes. 

You purse your lips at her own cheesiness, and say, “Once or twice, I think. But tell me again.” 

Over the course of the night, she does just that -- multiple times, might I add -- and the 5 of you revel in each other’s company. Given their busy schedules, the opportunity to spend multiple hours with each other can be pretty rare; so, all of you thoroughly take advantage of the night. Karaoke sessions, Netflix binges, dance battles, food breaks, tickle fights -- anything you can think of, you guys probably did it. 

As things wind down, everyone is nodding off, and you take that as your cue to go. You remove your arms from their position around Rosé, the action drawing a whine from her, and you lay her back against the couch so that you can bid the girls goodnight.

“Sweet dreams, Y/N.” Jisoo says, voice laced with exhaustion, as she flips the small pillow in front of her over to the cool side. 

“Night, loser.” Lisa’s grin can be heard through her words, and you lightly smack her as you go by.

“Sleep well, Y/N. We love you.” Jennie is the most awake of any of them, and she reaches up to give you a hug. 

“Goodnight guys, we’ll see you in the morning.” Arms are thrown up into the air as a sign of acknowledgement to your statement, and you make your way back to Rosé.

She’s curled up against the side of the sofa, her hair falling gracefully over the armrest. Not having the heart to wake her up, you opt to scoop her up into your arms, smiling as she drapes hers around your neck. Her skin is warm against your own, and you take comfort in the feeling. Somehow she always manages to be so, so perfect, without even trying. As you make the journey back to her room, you’re careful to not bump into anything. She shifts a bit in your arms, and your heart nearly stops when she lazily mumbles your name in her sleep, a cute smirk on her lips. Nothing feels better than this.

Now in her bedroom, you slowly lean against the door until it shuts, and the soft sound of it latching behind you echoes across the silent space. You lay her down and pull the sheets up on her -- just as she had done that day, all those months ago -- and press a kiss to her cheek. “사랑해, Rosé.” As you climb into bed next to her, she rolls over to face you. A small smile plays on her beautiful lips as she says, “I heard that; I love you, too, baby.” A content sigh leaves your lips as you beam at her and pull her into your embrace. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world right now.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Thanks for reading!!!

[trashytummiez]

Tummy Rubs for Raihan

The croptop idea I got from @squidbiscuit thanks to some really cute drawings she did of Raihan.  And all the nauseous burpy content from yesterday finally gave me the inspiration I needed to write a fic for the boi!  <3

"How are you-urf-holding up?” Leon asked his partner after huffing mid-talk.  Leon’s stomach was still bugging him after lunch but he was managing because he hadn’t eaten nearly as much as Raihan did.

Raihan was leaning against the counter and feeling really bloated and miserable after eating so much.  This was extenuated by Raihan’s new experimental croptop hoodie which revealed his dark skinned stomach in its visibly rounded form.  It burbled loudly which made Raihan burp deeply.  Then his hand dropped to his belly and he burped again even louder.

“Excuse you,” Leon joked lamely.

BrrraaAAAAAAAAUUURRRRRAAAAAP!!!!

Leon’s grin vanished with that huge burp Raihan unleashed that left him huffing and patting his belly to try and calm it down.  “All that curry really did a number on you, didn’t it?”

Raihan puffed out his cheeks and blew off to the side while his hand delicately stroked the rounded surface of his smooth bloated stomach.  “Feels like there’s lava in my gut right now...”  He hiccuped loudly and rested his hand against his chest, blowing off to the side again in a sickly manner.  

“Lemme help with that,” Leon insisted.  He leaned against the counter Raihan was against and placed his hands on Raihan’s bare and bloated belly.  It churned under his fingers and loudly gurgled away which made Raihan cringe miserably.  Leon proceeded to help by massaging Raihan’s bloated tummy to help ease the pain away.

Raihan huffed and leaned back some more against the counter which made his belly stick out a little more.  Leon laughed.  It was like when that old Arcanine he helped train would beg for tummy rubs.  

His fingers kneaded into Raihan’s tight and warm flesh, really digging into his sides as his palms ran circles against the center of Raihan’s belly.  Leon applied a little pressure to Raihan’s stomach while he rubbed it, pushing his palm down a little and kneading firmly with his fingers.  This helped to ease some of the knots forming in Raihan’s tummy but also to help knead some pressure out which Raihan released in the form of a large burp.

The bloated dragon trainer groaned at that one and spat off to the side.  “Ungh, tasted some curry with that one...”

“Long as it doesn’t come up, that’s fine,” Leon groaned, turning his head to burp into his fist.  His own stomach was still nagging at him but it was really mild.  He could handle it better than Raihan could, especially since the latter ate so much curry in a single sitting.  

When it came to certain restaurants, Raihan got as greedy as Piers would.

So Leon continued rubbing Raihan’s belly which made the nauseous young man moan, both from the relaxing and sensual feeling of Leon’s hands against his belly and from his tummy feeling like it was unwinding which provided him some much needed relief.

While rubbing, Leon kneaded some more and caused a hefty burp to erupt from out of Raihan’s mouth.  He pressed more firmly into that bubbling tummy and an even bigger belch rolled past Raihan’s fangs.

BRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRPP!!!!!

Raihan huffed and almost whimpered when that one rang out of him but Leon just gingerly stroked the smooth surface of his rounding tummy and gently shushed him.  “I know, I know.  But trust me, after a bout I just had at my last public battle?  Better to get it out this way than start puking the way I did...”

Leon’s face soured at that very recent memory.  Felt like it almost literally just happened.  

Still, Raihan’s belly was bubbling up a storm from all that curry.  It made him feel so unbearably heavy in his stomach that every burp felt like a weight was just lifted from off of his belly. 

Raihan kept burping from Leon’s rubs.  It was making his stomach hurt a lot less and making it feel less like there was bubbling molten lava in his tummy.  With each burp he felt less like he was on the verge of puking.  The nausea only came when the burps gave way to hiccups which caused his belly to jostle in a way that made the digesting curry slosh around in his stomach.  And that motion did nothing to quell the sick he was feeling.  

It was a good thing that Leon knew when to change his tactics to help settle Raihan’s tummy.  He explored more of that rounded belly, pulling Raihan’s sweatpants down slightly to caress the underbelly some more.  His hands kneaded into Raihan’s sides and eventually, his right palm just rubbed circles against the middle of that bloated turbulent middle.  He wasn’t applying pressure or even using his fingers beyond letting the tips trace against the surface.  Leon just rubbed small circles in the middle of Raihan’s belly on loop.  Whenever Raihan hiccuped, Leon could feel Raihan’s tummy jiggle just ever so slightly but kept it up until the hiccups stopped.  And when they did it eventually seemed as if Raihan’s nausea had all but left him.

With his job more or less done, Leon kept kneading and massaging anyway.  He was always really touchy feely with Raihan even when they weren’t full and nauseous and he enjoyed how relaxed Raihan seemed to be and wanted to keep making him feel good.  His hand ran tummy-relaxing circles all across that soft and gurgling surface.  Raihan’s breathing slowed down as he took in deep relaxing breathes.  It was a lot easier for him to breathe in with his tummy being tended to by Leon and after enough pressure was eased out of him.

“Haaaaah...that feels so nice,” Raihan almost purred.  “Thanks, mate...”

Leon just smiled and leaned in to kiss Raihan’s cheek.

Unfortunately for him, when Leon leaned in, he applied a lot of extra pressure against Raihan’s belly.  And as soon as his lips planted against Raihan’s cheeks, a huge pressure pocket rushed up Raihan’s throat and expelled itself as a giant burp; the biggest Raihan had yet let out yet!

BRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUURRRRRRPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leon’s eyes bugged out.  That massive belch was so loud that his ear actually hurt!

Raihan gasped heartily and sighed with such relief his tongue stuck out.

“Haaaaaaaah....!  Ohhh my god that’s so much better...!”  Raihan gasped and patted his belly with relief.  “You’re a lifesaver, mate!”

Leon just glared at Raihan and rang out his ear.

“...’Happy’ to help...”

[sadachmesarthim]

towers for your honeycomb chapter 3: no i do not condone underage drinking i just think it's a good plot devic-

content: the boys have One Beer Each™, peter both sets and completely ignores his own boundaries, author remembers the communion chapter from "how to read literature like a professor" and bastardizes it, both of them have anxiety but neither say anything about it, smoking

words: 2k     song: outskirts of paradise - bad suns     

Looking Tony in the eye was like staring at the sun. Peter could barely hold his gaze, always finding an excuse to turn away.

He was sat in front of the other man a few weeks later, sharing drinks and pizza at a new brewery down the road. It’d cost him his liquor license, and potentially a clean record, if anyone found out, but Richie (their most beloved regular) offered to let the pair try the latest house brew if they ever swung through.

Peter wasn’t one for beer, but he’d accepted Tony’s invite anyway.

He wasn’t entirely sure why. Since their fight, they’d worked all of maybe three hours together. No other shifts, they avoided each other at meetings, and neither were particularly willing to reach out off the clock and apologize.

It was like the world was screaming at them to stay away from each other.

Peter wasn’t sure he wanted to listen.

After his shift that morning, Peter found Tony outside, leaning up against the hood of his car & working through his second cigarette. He drummed on the side of his thigh, keeping his empty hand busy as he waited for Peter to come out. Tony jumped at the sight of him, tossing the half finished cig down a storm drain.

“You know those lead straight to the ocean, right?” There was more amusement than anger behind his words. Peter wasn’t entirely sure what Tony was up to, but he was too tired to start shit. He crossed to the passenger side of his car, tossing his belongings to the floor.

“Even if it didn’t go through the city’s filtration system – fuck the fish.” Peter rolled his eyes. Funny as he was, Tony always had to be contradictory.

“Don’t you have, like, a school of them on your shoulder?” Tony’s normally visible salmon tattoos were safely tucked away behind a denim jacket Peter’d never seen before.

“Irrelevant.” Peter rounded the hood and turned, facing the other man. “Did you need something or were you just here to argue about my town’s plumbing system?” He huffed the words out, arms crossing in front of his chest expectantly.

“I, uh…” He suddenly went silent. The ground crunched under Tony’s feet, gravel scraping asphalt under his shoes. They were a rattier pair he owned – more tape than sole, oil staining the canvas.

“I wanted to know if you’d come to lunch with me. Today. Like, right now?” He hesitated at the last few words, like he wasn’t sure he could say them out loud. “I, uh. I’m pretty sure I have some things to say to you, and Richie’s got some good stuff waiting for us at the Pub House…”

Peter was astounded. “Who are you, and what have you done with my Tony?” My Tony? What? “I- why should I trust you? I’m sure as hell not getting in a car with you.”

Tony’s face fell. A bit of- what, disappointment? flew across his face. Peter would’ve missed it had he not been staring, impatient for his answer. Tony, floundering at the rejection, couldn’t give him one.

“Okay, maybe- how about this. I’ll think about it. Give me five minutes to go wash up and I’ll be back.” He turned & headed inside, not waiting for a response.

The cool water felt good against his burning, salt-stained cheeks. Peter hadn’t realized just how tired he was – opens had always taken it out of him, and the early spring temperatures didn’t always prevent the stand from turning into a heater during rush hour.

The soap in the stand was always too fragrant for his taste, but it did the job – it felt good to wash away the day’s work and come back looking like a new man. He smoothed his eyebrows down and dried himself off, wetting his hair a bit as he finished.

He wound up with grind in it again, brushing it out with a comb he found in the first aid kit. One of these days he was going to have to start wearing hats to work. Shampooing his hair every single day was taking its toll on his curls, and he wasn’t a fan of burnt coffee smell.

Stepping back, he squinted into the warped mirror in front of him. Much better.

Back outside, Tony’d lit up his third cigarette of the day. The shakes’d largely abandoned him, allowing his anxiety to drift inward. The sticks only did so much – he missed the higher, stronger hit of his Suorin, but he was trying to quit (ironically enough).

He was actually able to finish this one by the time Peter made his way back outside, looking significantly better without $5 worth of product on his face.

“Okay, some rules.” He came up, stopping just short of Tony. “You’re paying for both of us. We leave whenever I want, without complaint. We go straight there and come straight back - it’s eight blocks, I don’t want any bullshit scenic routes.” His tone was firm – something Tony’d never encountered with him before. 

“Yes. Yes, anything. Okay.” 

Tony’s car was a lot nicer than Peter anticipated. He’d recently sold his truck, swapping it for a silver Mini Cooper instead. It was a pretty little thing, just up his alley.

It was also fucking obnoxious. He’d bought it with a modified exhaust and had plans to make it even louder. You could almost always hear him coming, little pop pop pops audible for quite a ways. 

It was… less clean than Peter expected. Tony was always so well put together, so well-maintained - seeing stray gum wrappers and drink cups littered around the interior was almost jarring. He didn’t realize he was staring until Tony spoke up. 

“She’s nice, isn’t she?” Peter nodded. He silently took in his new surroundings, nerves on fire. He’d never done well around strangers, in new places. His mind’d always screamed at him, danger unsafe bad run, overriding his sensibilities.

“Hey, are you good? I can take you back if you need.” They’d barely left the Outback parking lot. 

“No- no, I think I’ll be okay. Just… not where I thought I’d end up when I woke up today, y’know?” Peter tried to laugh it off, but he’d always been pretty transparent. 

Tony turned a corner, cutting back into the lot they just came from and turning the car off. “Seriously, Peter. If you don’t want to come to lunch with me just say so. I’ll take you back to your car and we can pretend it never happened.” Okay, seriously, who the fuck is this guy and what did he do with Tony?

“No, I- I think I’m okay. Seriously. Let’s just go and get it over with - I kinda want to hear you grovel anyway.” He settled further into his seat, failing to shake away the agitation. 

The flatbread was actually really good. It was more of a hipster take on pizza - white sauce and pearl onions definitely making it stand out - but it wasn’t a bad lunch by any means. 

The beer definitely wasn’t Peter’s favorite. He was barely sipping by, trying hard to keep a straight face as he swallowed. Damn Richie anyway. 

It’d started off awkward enough - discussing where to sit, small talk about their week, the weather. It felt more like a bad first date than an apology, but- 

“I really am sorry. For what happened in the fridge.” 

Oh. 

“Okay. Why?” Peter tightened the hand around his glass, bracing for Tony’s next words. 

“I.. I was kind of an asshole when I was younger, too. I figured I could make a fresh start here with a brand new town of people that didn’t know or assume anything about me.

“I was doing okay for a little while, too, but I don’t know man I just.. something happened and I just- I don’t know why I’m a dick to you. But I’m trying not to be. This is that, like, ‘first step’, I guess?” Peter nodded along, attentive. 

"So, I don't know. I'm sorry for being a dick to you at work. I'm sorry for being a dick to the girls. I shouldn't yell at you or drag your family into this bullshit - I'm sorry, Peter."

There it was again, that name. His first fucking name. 

“I- thank you, Tony. It’s a start, and I certainly haven’t forgiven you, but… thank you. Seriously.” Tony sighed, shoulders visibly relaxing. Peter let go of his glass and wiped it off, standing and walking around to Tony’s side of the table. 

“Okay then, time for a do-over! Hi, I’m Peter Parker. I’m 19 and I’ve worked at Outback North Espresso for a little over 9 months. What’s your name?” He stuck his hand out, waiting for Tony to make the next move.  

Tony laughed, pushing his chair back and standing to meet the other teen. “Okay, uh, I’m Tony Stark, I’m 18, and I’ve worked at Outback for almost 6. Nice to re-meet you, Peter.” He shook Peter’s hand, awestruck at just how soft it was. He quickly steeled his face and sat back down, releasing Peter and allowing him to do the same. 

Once he was sat back down at his side, Peter looked up, confused. “Wait, you’re still 18?” 

Tony laughed. “Not for long. My birthday’s at the end of next month.” 

“Wow, I can’t believe I’m older than you!” 

Tony rolled his eyes. “That’s - it’s literally three months, that barely counts.” 

Their debate lasted well into the afternoon, alongside several other discussions. Peter’s childhood in Richland, and what it was like growing up there. What Federal Way was like, and why Tony left. Peter could tell he was remaining intentionally vague, but didn’t push it. 

Their beers were warm and the pizza was long gone by the time they abandoned their table. Tony guided him out the back, hand high on his arm. 

Once they were back in the car, Peter’s anxiety returned. It was like he’d spent the last few hours speaking to a completely different person, and now that he was sitting mere inches from Tony… 

He wasn’t scared. He wasn’t. He wasn’t… sure, exactly. What it was. 

Tony spoke up when he noticed the tension in his passenger seat. 

“Hey, we’ll get you back to your car soon, I promise. Eight blocks, remember?” His right hand made its way to Peter’s knee, digging soft circles into the denim. Just like in the fridge.

“Please don’t- don’t touch me. Without asking.” It came out harsher than intended. 

“Okay, all good. No worries. We’re like, two minutes away.” Tony eased off the clutch, turning right out of the parking lot and onto the road. The windows rolled down and Peter let his head fall back in relief. Fresh air always helped him clear his head. 

It really was a short drive - right turn, left turn, right turn - and they were back at Peter’s car. The doors unlocked, and he was out in an instant. A bit too fast to be respectful, if he was being honest, but he knew he needed out. Tony stopped him before he was able to get in his car. 

“Hey, for real. Thank you for today. I’m sorry if it was too much.” 

Peter looked over and down to meet his eyes. “I- yeah, of course. No, yeah, thank you. For the apology. I’m sorry I freaked out on you. But no this- it was good. Yeah. Thank you, Tony.” 

He turned, unlocking the door and closing it before either could say anything else. After turning the key he sped off, without throwing even a glance behind him. 

Tony watched as Peter peeled away, reaching for the box of Pall Malls in his cupholder. He lit one, shifting into first and heading in the opposite direction. 

Not bad. Not good, but not bad. 

lmk if u want on or off the tags list!

@snowstark @kaleidoscopeluli @parkerrbitch @carelessannie​ @bluestarker​ @longlivestarker​ 

[ijustwant2write]

Sweet Boy-Bonnie Gold x Reader x Finn Shelby (Part 6/?)

(GIF credit to @roseydoux​)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5

Masterlist

Tags: @stressedandbandobessed7771 @bethany-taylo @lovelynerdytraveler @savvy7392 @kingarthurscat @smallheathgangsters @soleil-dor @alyse45 @bloodorangemoonlight @amirahiddleston @captivatedbycillianmurphy @jenepleurepasbaby @haphazardhufflepuff @ravenoussss @ophelias-flower-bed @peakascum​ @mzcrazy2​

Summary: After her meeting with Tommy, (Y/N) is conflicted on what to do. She knows what choice she wants to make, but is it the right one? Is it the right choice that will make all these problems go away, and keep the people she cares about safe?

Characters: Bonnie Gold x Reader, Finn Shelby x Reader, Polly Shelby x Reader (platonic)

Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name

Warnings: Swearing, neglect, bullying, shouting, arguing, some fluff

(A/N: Joan is a made up character)

                                         *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Here ya’ go!” Arthur beamed as he dropped off two suitcases filled with my things, throwing them onto my bed.

“Thank you, Arthur.” I politely replied, knowing that nothing in there was folded or organised. There were bits of clothes hanging out of it, they would surely be creased by now.“I’m sorry you had to pack for me.”

“No problem, it took no time at all.”

Further proving my point.

He clapped his hands together.“Right, well, I’ll leave you to it then.” 

“Arthur?” I called after him before he could walk away. 

“Yeah?”

“Um...has...has Finn said anything? About what happened?”

He shook his head, smiling at me before he left the room.“Nah. Got to go darlin’.”

Arthur really couldn’t read people. He was smiling to himself as he left, thinking he did a good job. And although I loved him dearly, I hated the thought of ironing all of my clothes again. Opening the cases, I groaned into my hands at the sight of all my belongings piled on top of each other, pairs of shoes in different cases, jewellery scattered all over the place. It was going to take me days to sort all of this out.

“Shall I give you and suitcase a minute?” Polly said from the doorway, cigarette in hand.

I sighed.“I’m thankful for this, I really am. I just wished Arthur was house trained.”

“Linda tried her best.”

“And thank you Pol, for letting me stay.”

“It will be like old times.”

Yeah, we were just missing one person.

I sorted my belongings into piles, beginning to hang up clothes that didn’t need ironing (which turned out to be two jumpers and a cardigan), untangling jewellery and pairing up my shoes. After half an hour, with little to no progress, I decided I needed to go for a walk to clear my mind. I would stick to the surrounding area where everyone knew me, and where I knew peaky boys were patrolling, informing Polly of this so she wouldn’t worry. She was hesitant to let me go, but knew I would be safe if I stuck to my word. 

I felt strange that day. Not because of everything that had happened. It just felt like I had stepped back in time. Being back with Polly brought on many memories, mostly happy, though some upsetting. But Finn wasn’t here this time. I just prayed that the double bed wouldn’t feel lonely, especially after having Bonnie in mine the other night. God, I sounded like a whore.

Rounding a corner, I bumped into someone, my instincts making me jump back in case someone was trying to kidnap me. The panic quickly slipped away when I realised who it was. 

“Joan?” I smiled, glad to have ran into an old friend.

However, she frowned at me, brushing down her coat as if I was dirty.“(Y/N).”

“I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you?”

“You would know if you ever wrote to me. Or even pop by. Or even join me and the girls for a drink.” Her tone was snappy.

“Joan, you know I’m not with him anymore.”

She didn’t look sympathetic.“I thought as much. You’ve been dragging yourself around, looking miserable.”

“So if you’ve seen me, why didn’t you come up to me?”

Joan scoffed.“Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! You ignored us as soon as you started going off with Finn Shelby!”

“I did that to protect you-”

“Oh, this again.”

“Have you seen what they do? Have you seen the type of people they’re up against? I couldn’t bear it if something happened to any of you because of me.”

“But you’re still with them, aren’t you? Their little bitch on a lead.”

My mouth dropped open at that, ready to swing for her.“How dare you?! I stay because I have a stable job!”

“You stay because you enjoy their power and the reputation and attention it gives you.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“No, I don’t. Because my best friend deserted me. I don’t want to speak to you ever again. Goodbye (Y/N).”

Joan side stepped me, quickly walking away. I wouldn’t have stopped her anyway. I was in shock. She was right, I had left them behind but none of them were ever mixed up in peaky business. However, I didn’t think her comment was fair. It hit me like a tonne of bricks; I had lost my life because of that boy.

I took a deep breath, trying not to burst into tears as I entered the sweet shop. I did’t care how weird I looked as I scooped up as many sweets as I could into the little paper bag, quickly paying the man and rushing out. Perhaps I could go down to the canal, sit and eat my feelings. But I couldn’t be sure how safe it was. As I tried to think of a place to sit, I heard someone yell out to me, making me flinch for the second time that day. Looking down at the sweet I just dropped was almost the tipping point for me.

“Oi!” It was Tommy, he had shouted again as he approached me, Arthur, John and Finn behind him.“What you doing out here?”

“A walk.” I mumbled, popping another sweet in my mouth. 

“You’re not supposed to be out here.”

“You didn’t say I had to stay inside.” I wasn’t talking back, I was just stating a fact.

“It should have been obvious. If you want sweets, get someone else to buy them for you.”

“I’m sorry.” I couldn’t stop the tears brimming in my eyes, embarrassingly one rolled down my cheek.

He sighed, mumbling under his breath.“Fucking hell.”

“Why don’t I take her home Tom?” Finn suddenly suggested.“I’m sure you don’t need me for this.”

Tommy glanced between us, but it was obvious he couldn’t give a toss about this. He had far more serious things on his mind. Tommy just nodded, gesturing for his other brothers to follow. I stayed still, unsure why Finn had offered in the first place.

“You coming?” he asked, but his voice was gentle.

All I could do was follow, keeping a little bit of distance between us. He reminded me of how he used to be, when he was still slightly shy, trying to be like his brothers, but a true sweetheart nonetheless. I wasn’t going to fall for it. Neither of us spoke as he escorted me back to Polly’s, until I pulled him back, spotting Joan with some of my oldest friends. This was the only way to get to Polly’s if we didn’t want to walk for another forty minutes; but in this case, I wouldn’t have minded the extra steps.

“What are you doing?” Finn stumbled back. 

“My friends are there.” I whispered as if they would be able to hear us.

“So? Go and see them.”

“No, they’re...they’re old friends. Well, I don’t think I can call them friends anymore.”

“What? Why?”

“Because of you.” 

“Me?”

I furrowed my eyebrows at him.“You told me to stay away from them to make sure they didn’t get caught up in anything.”

“Oh, I did, didn’t I? Explains why I don’t recognise them.”

“We need to go the other way around.”

“No we don’t.”

“Yes, we do.”

“You live across the road, just go.”

“No, I don’t live there, and they know that! And if they see me with you, they’ll think all kinds of things.”

“Like what?”

“It doesn’t matter, they just said some things earlier-”

“What did they say?”

“Nothing, let’s just go Finn.”

“No, tell me.”

I hesitated, hoping he wouldn’t do anything.“They just...they called me a Peaky Blinders bitch. Said that you’ve got me chained up on a leash. Don’t worry about it and go the other way home.”

I turned around, ready to head to Polly’s in the other direction. I didn’t care that Finn wasn’t speaking to me, but I still looked over my shoulder, wondering if he was following; which he was not.

Finn’s P.O.V

I knew there was something wrong with (Y/N) as soon as I saw her that morning. She may never smile because of me again, but there was a reason for that sad expression. She had also been wandering, (Y/N) knew not to go out of the safe area (which she wasn’t), though it was clear that her mind had no idea where to take her. I had to take her under my wing.

However, when I made her tell me what was on her mind, guilt and anger rushed through me. I had told her to ditch her friends, both because they would be safer, and that selfishly meant I had her to myself. However, knowing that she now had no one outside of my family to rely on or spend time with, I realised how toxic I had been towards her. I assumed she would go back to her friends, cry about how I broke her heart, have a night out with the girls getting drunk trying to find someone to ease the pain. But she had been alone.

My feet started walking before I could even think, heading straight for the group of girls. (Y/N) tried to stop me, but didn't risk being seen. They should have forgiven (Y/N), given her a second chance at least. Instead they cast her aside, no longer interested. I knew (Y/N) had upset them when she no longer saw them, so she was in the wrong, but that was my fault too. One girl who was facing me had a scared look on her face when she spotted me, causing the other girls to look over their shoulders, all of them tensing up when I stopped.

"I heard you lot don't see (Y/N) anymore." I bluntly said.

The girl who seemed to be the leader pursed her lips."She stopped seeing us. Did she put you up to this?"

“No, she didn't. But I know things."

“You're not scaring us."

"Am I not?" I couldn't help but chuckle, especially seeing as the girls were practically hiding behind this one."Look, I think you need to give her another chance. I was the one who took her away from you."

"(Y/N) is smart. We all said we would never let a boy get between us, yet she broke that promise. She could have sneaked out to see us at least. Or said hello in passing."

"Well even if you don't take her back, watch your fucking mouths. You don't speak about her like that."

"Oh god, she's still got you wrapped around her finger. How did she do that? Is she your little visitor during lunch breaks? Is that why she's still got her job?"

My nostrils flared as my breathing got heavier."You're lucky that she's stood behind that building right now, and that I don't pick fights with women. She has her job because she earned her place, including her place in my family. And that's how she kept it. You said it yourself, she's smart. If I get word that you say something as stupid as you just did, you might want to stay inside and lock your doors. No one disrespects a Shelby."

The leader didn't seem phased when I walked away, though I knew she had been effected by what I said. Heading towards my aunts house, I took the keys out of my coat, looking back to (Y/N) and gesturing for her to follow. I stayed outside of the open door, waiting for her to reach me. Her head ducked down, trying to hide herself from her old friends, walking as quickly as she could. Once (Y/N) was inside, I lingered by the door, sending one last glare to the group.

(Y/N)'s P.O.V

My heart was in my throat, I felt mortified. I tried to steady my breathing as I walked into the house, rushing to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My nerves weren't easing up, and I found my hands were shaking as I held the glass. Quickly chugging down the water, I accidentally slammed it back down, before brushing past Finn to the front room and flopping onto a chair. It felt as if I had gone running around the whole of town.

“Why did you do that?” I sighed, putting my head in my hands.

“I was defending you. I don’t understand what’s wrong?” Finn protested, but he didn’t seem angry, just confused.

“I left them for you, it’s one of the worst things someone can do to their friends. They warned me time and time again not to go off with you, but I did. Then it turned out they were right. I couldn’t exactly go back to them after, even though I tried. I was alone. And them seeing us together today...well, I can only imagine the rumours they’ll spread.”

“Who cares?”

“I do! Everyone know who I am and what I did! They’re right, I’m just a Peaky Blinders bitch.”

“Don’t talk like that!” Finn snapped, sitting beside me.“They’re terrible friends for not helping you.”

“No, they’re not. You know that.”

“Well, you’re certainly no ones bitch. You don’t answer to anybody.”

“Yeah, sometimes. I hate to say this, but thank you Finn. That was quite nice of you actually.”

Finn went to speak again, being interrupted by a knock at the door. He offered to answer, tapping me on the knee like he used to always do. We both tensed, trying not to make a big thing out of it. He quickly left, closing the living door on his way. I sat there stunned. He hadn’t touched me like that since before we broke up, when he was still affectionate. I heard some commotion from the front door, worrying that it was one of the girls. Curiosity took over, making me peek my head out as the front door closed. Finn had just walked past when I opened the door, but I saw a flash of colour in his hands. 

“Who was that?” I asked.

Finn spun around to face me, looking suspicious.“No one. Just some kids.”

The bin was behind him, and I had a feeling he was hiding something.“Don’t lie to me. I know what you look like when you lie.”

“It’s nothing.”

I walked up to him, pushing him to the side as I looked in the bin. There was a small bouquet shoved in there, the poor, fragile petals either crooked or ripped off. My jaw dropped at the sight before I slammed the lid back down.

“Who are they from?”

He didn’t reply.

“Tell me.”

“Bonnie.”

“Bonnie?”

“He’s not supposed to be round here. He-where are you going?”

“To catch up with him. He can’t have got far.”

Finn called after me, though I didn't listen, making a point of leaving. However, when I stepped outside, I saw that the girls were still stood there, looking like they were heavily gossiping until I showed up. They caused me to halt, we all avoided eye contact, and I distracted myself by looking for Bonnie. I saw his figure up the road, head hanging low and hands in his pockets. For a second, I didn't care what those girls thought, running to catch up with him. I called out his name once I was closer, he turned around after I shouted a second time.

"(Y/N), what's wrong?" he sounded worried, and I realised I must have looked like I was in trouble.

"Nothing, nothing." I breathed out."Sorry, I just didn't want you to get away."

"Oh. Finn said you weren't in."

I sighed."Of course he would. I did see your flowers, or what was left of them rather. They were beautiful, thank you."

"Just thought I could start earning your trust back. I know it's not a lot, but I figured it was a nice gesture."

"Bonnie, you don't have to-"

"(Y/N), you should get back inside." Finn said from behind me. I hadn't even heard him approaching.

"Finn, I'm talking to Bonnie."

"Come on, you heard what Tommy said."

"He didn't restrict me to the house-"

"Finn, let her do as she pleases." Bonnie said.

"Don't get involved."

I gently pushed them away from me and each other, knowing where this was headed."I just came out here to thank you Bonnie. We really shouldn't be altogether anyway."

"You're right (Y/N)." Bonnie smiled.

Finn rolled his eyes as Bonnie agreed. I knew Bonnie was trying to please me, and piss off Finn at the same time.

"Well then, thank you again for the flowers Bonnie. Finn..."

I had no clue what to say to him, deciding that nothing was best. Walking back to Polly's house, I refrained from looking behind. As I got to the door, I noticed the girls had inched closer, becoming silent when I was in range of hearing them. This was such childish behaviour. We were adults, we could move past this. If they didn't want to be friends, then fine, there was nothing I could do about that. I would hold my head up high, move on and-

"Never thought I would see the day that sweet (Y/N) (Y/L/N) had two men on her arms."

That made me stop instantly, with only one foot in the house, hand now clenching onto the door frame. She had some nerve today.

"What did you say?" I slowly asked.

"You heard me. You've changed. And not for the better."

"And how would you know?"

"I was debating giving you another chance, I was feeling guilty about what I said. But now I see that I was completely right."

"You know what Joan, I really don't give a fuck." I said, throwing my arms up and letting them flop by my side.

She looked shocked at my words.

"We had a past together, all of us girls. But if we can't move past this well, I guess it's goodbye. It's been fun ladies."

"Wait a minute, you can't-"

"We're all adults here. If we don't want to play together anymore, then let's not do that."

Before she could say anything else, I went inside, leaving the door open for Finn, who I had seen approaching out of my peripheral. Standing in the hallway, leaning against a wall with my arms crossed, I heard Joan having the last word as Finn stood in the doorway.

"You did this. You corrupted her."

Finn smirked at me, shouting over his shoulder."Yeah, and she loved every second of it."

The girls gasped and instantly started talking again, but Finn just slammed the door behind him.

"I must admit, that was good." I shook my head smiling.

"Me corrupting you, or me back chatting them?"

I wasn't expecting that answer, my mouth gaping a little as I thought of what to say. When nothing came to mind, I made my way upstairs, trying to focus on unpacking again. I hoped Finn wouldn't follow, as I had no idea what to say, but of course, he did.

Picking up where I left off, I didn't start a conversation, waiting for Finn to say something. He walked into my room, inspecting my things even though he had seen everything I owned before. As I started to pull my jewellery apart from each other, Finn spoke.

"I'm sorry about that. What I said downstairs."

I shrugged, hiding my shock that he had apologised."It's OK."

"You always did that."

"Did what?"

"Pretending like everything I did was alright, when it wasn't. I was a shit boyfriend."

I hesitated to say anything."Not at the beginning."

He didn't respond, focusing on my hands that were struggling to untie two necklaces from each other. I also stayed silent, concentrating even more on the task as I noticed him moving towards me. He knelt down in front of me, so I had no choice but to make eye contact. He put his hands over mine, helping me to separate the necklaces, but my fingers were frozen at his touch. Why was I feeling like this? I didn't want my feelings for Finn to come back, he hurt me. Think of the pain (Y/N), think of all the times he deliberately hurt you!

I had been distracted by those memories to not see Finn's face was now closer to mine. He had a sweet look in his face, hope in his eyes, he looked like he used to when we were younger. For a second I saw the old Finn. But that was the problem, that was the old Finn. I stood up, pushing him back, and he landed on the floor.

"Why would you do that?!" the necklaces slipped out of my hands, clinking on the floor.

"(Y/N), I wasn't going to-"

"Then what were you going to do?!"

He didn't answer.

"I want you to go."

"Wait, (Y/N)-"

"Get out Finn!" He scrambled to his feet, staring at me for a few seconds before rushing away. I let out a shaky breath as I flopped onto the bed, hands slightly shaking. My mind was swirling with thoughts on what just happened, and I didn't like them. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs again, making me angry that he thought he could come back just like that. As they got closer to the door, I rose to my feet, storming towards the door.

"I told you to leave!" I shouted as I swung it open, jumping back when I saw Polly."Oh my god, I'm so sorry Pol!"

"What the fuck is going on in my house?"

My mouth opened and closed repeatedly, wondering if I could really tell her the truth. When I didn't answer her in time, she rolled her eyes, frustrated that there was still drama occurring.

"Would you fucking kids get a grip?" she scolded.

There was definitely something else stressing her, but it was a mystery if she would tell me.

"I've got to go." she huffed.

"Where are you going?"

"There's a family meeting."

I was about to move to follow her, before remembering that I wasn't part of the family anymore. Polly noticed, though didn't comment on it.

Her tone was softer now."There's men on guard, alright? Just in case."

I nodded, watching her walk away. Closing the door, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, not surprised by how much had happened that day. It seemed that this was the norm. That's what you got when you mixed with the Peaky Blinders.

Peeking through the window, I watched Polly walk off, it looked urgent. I also tried to recognise any peaky men guarding, managing seeing one on a corner. Before I could back away, someone else caught my eye, he was already looking up at me.

Bonnie smiled, his hands in his pockets as he strolled down the street, I wasn't sure if he was part of my protection or planned to hang around to see me. Embarrassingly, I hesitantly waved to him, blushing when he did the same back. However, I was confused.

Today had shown a lot of my past. It felt like I had been thrown back in time, but this time the pain followed me. Joan was right, I would always be tied to the Peaky Blinders, it was like an unbinding contract. I would never have a normal life, I would always be known as the youngest Shelby's ex, and I was scared how much it would effect my future.