#anyway to the three people that actually look at this please appreciate that I gave him a smart watch with an unusably cracked screen

[enzymedevice]

[copper-16]

You Didn't Let Me Finish

Ingrid had a rule that she had held onto ever since she started working as a stripper: she doesn't sleep with clients.

Usually.

Ingrid doesn't usually sleep with clients. Exceptions must be made for most rules anyways though, right?

(a/n: Yes it's a stripper fic. I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone, this is just a silly little idea I had in my head and decided to write on a whim. Feel free to skip if it's not your thing! Also I didn't proofread it, so ignore any mistake lmao)

Sometimes, Ingrid wasn’t exactly sure how she had ended up here. 

The Norwegian had done a semester abroad in Spain when she was in university, and found that she absolutely loved the city. So when the opportunity to move to Barcelona presented itself after graduation, she jumped at the chance to go. Her study abroad had been in Madrid, but it was still Spain, right? 

And the Norwegian actually preferred Barcelona to Madrid, the longer she lived here. She enjoyed the energy of the city, how posh and lively it was, how wonderfully kind the people were. The job she was offered was modest, and despite the fact that she got by, Ingrid wasn’t all that comfortable with living from paycheck to paycheck if she didn’t have to. 

Which was exactly how she had found herself at Dollhouse. It was the most exclusive strip club in Barcelona, catering only to those clients who could pay for the supreme services, and they only accepted the best when it came to their girls. 

The owner had taken one look at Ingrid, roving his eyes up and down the dark haired woman with interest before he was nodding, clearly pleased with what he was seeing. Her ability to speak both English and some Spanish came in handy, and she became a regular for many of the international clients. 

Ingrid was paid well, only worked three nights a week, and it helped her to nearly double her salary with the tips she was given. She gave lap dances, some pole work, did a few shows on the main stage, served customers when asked. It was an easy gig, and she couldn’t help but feel appreciated given the reaction that she could stir up in most men. It was addicting, really. She felt powerful and in control, her confidence only rising the longer she worked there. 

It wasn’t sex. People often got that mixed up, that being a stripper meant sex. It could mean sex, if that was what the girls wanted, but Ingrid had little interest in the older men who came into her rooms. She was as gay as they came, and it was very rare for them to receive a female client, and Ingrid had never had the pleasure of having one, not personally. 

But she wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea, if the right person came along. 

It’s just, nobody had. 

But perhaps that would change. 

—

It was a Sunday night, which meant that the Dollhouse was relatively calm. Ingrid was in the back room with a few of the other girls, getting ready for her show in around thirty minutes when Miguel came back. 

“Ingrid, Misa!” He called, and both women turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. They stood, setting their makeup down to walk over to their boss, who was in charge of the scheduling. 

Miguel was gruff but kind, and he always made sure the girls were comfortable and not exploited. He could be a bit rough around the edges but he never failed to make the girls feel cared for as people and not just objects, and in return they did their best to make his life as painless as possible. It was a good gig, they all knew that, compared to the nasty bastards at some of the other places around town. 

“We have two clients in separate private rooms. Footballers, booked after winning something big I think, I want the two of you to take them,” Miguel explained, and he looked between Misa and Ingrid with a critical eye, clearly trying to decide who to send where. 

Despite the fact that Ingrid was Norwegian and Misa was Spanish, the two actually looked quite similar. Ingrid was paler, taller, and less tattooed than Misa was, but in terms of build and physical appearance, they were rather alike. 

“Misa, I want you in Room One and Ingrid in Room Two, Misa your Spanish is better than Ingrid’s. The girls will cover your sets for the night so don’t worry about that. They’ve booked for the rest of the night so make sure to give them their money's worth but you’re free to leave when you are done, alright?” Miguel decided, and Ingrid and Misa both nodded. 

“Oh and–”

“If they do anything creepy we will come find you,” Ingrid and Misa rattled off in perfect unison, and Miguel scowled at his predictability before he shooed them away to go get changed, the two women smiling at the action. 

Ingrid and Misa walked back to the changing room, each of them looking through the different lingerie sets they could wear. 

“What are you thinking?” Misa asked as she pulled out a purple lace set before shaking her head, shoving it back in her closet. 

“Well if they paid for the whole night then clearly they have money, probably want something expensive and distinguished. Footballers can be assholes and handsy, and they think too much with their dicks and not enough with their heads,” Ingrid scoffs lightly, and Misa snorts as she looks over at the dark haired woman’s closet. 

“Hmm…you’re going to wear this,” Misa decides, pulling out a hunter green piece of lace, and Ingrid raises her brow before nodding her agreement, looking over at the Spaniard’s closet. 

“And you’re going to do this, I’ve seen you in it before and your chest looks amazing in it,” Ingrid says with an air of finality, and Misa smirks at the outfit before they both went into their changing rooms to slip their clothes off and put the lace on. They don’t bother with robes, the hallway to the private rooms is secluded from the rest of the club anyways, so the two women make their way back together, chatting lightly about their day jobs, what their weeks look like. 

By the time they make it to Room One and Room Two, the women are both relaxed and ready to do their job. Neither of them really has any idea what lies beyond the door besides a footballer, so with one final goodbye they both enter the passcodes to the room before stepping in. 

Ingrid closes the door behind her before turning around, and she can’t help the way that her eyebrows jump in surprise when she sees who it is sitting at the table. 

The room is set up with a bed, a couch and two loveseats, as well as a table with four dining room chairs. Lap dances are usually given in the chairs at the table or the loveseats, but the rest of the room can be utilized however the girls may choose to. 

The thing that surprises Ingrid though, is the fact that the person sitting at the table is a woman, and not a man. 

The woman stands, the chair rustling against the floor as she pushes it back before she steps forward to examine Ingrid. Her gaze is curious but not sharp, her entire body language relaxed. She’s clearly a footballer, her body muscled and well built.  

She can’t be more than a few years older than Ingrid, and she’s just an inch or two shorter than her with light, sandy blonde hair that is straightened just past her shoulder. Her hazel eyes take Ingrid in, the light lace that covers her body, and she nods appreciatively for a moment before cocking her head. 

“Hello,” she offers, and Ingrid is quick to respond, the woman’s gaze making her feel a little bit hot. 

“Hi,” Ingrid responds, not entirely sure what to say. The woman was speaking to her in English, so clearly she recognized that the Norwegian was a foreigner, though she wasn’t exactly sure how she noticed that before she had even spoken. 

“Why did they send you in here to me?” The woman asked curiously, her hazel eyes still boring into Ingrid. The question is surprising, considering the fact that they were at a strip club. They sent her in here to do her job, but the Norwegian gets the sense that isn’t what this woman means, so she answers with more candor.  

“My coworkers' Spanish is better than mine. Presumably your friend only speaks Spanish, but you clearly can speak English well, so here I am,” Ingrid supposes, and the woman nods slowly before her lips quirk up in a smirk. 

“My friend can speak enough English for tonight, I promise. I think you should switch rooms…I insist actually. I think she’ll be quite charmed by…” the woman looks down at Ingrid once more before her gaze returns to the dark haired woman’s eyes, “...you.”   

Ingrid’s eyebrows raise in surprise before she nods in agreement, never one to say no to a client request unless it really was something she couldn’t do. 

“If that’s what you wish…” Ingrid trails off, still unsure of the woman’s name. 

“Alexia. And my friend's name in the other room is María,” she supplies, and Ingrid regards her for another minute before slipping out of the room, Alexia turning back to sit down in the chair she had been in originally. 

The Norwegian walks over to Room One briskly, rapping on the door three times before she steps back, waiting for Misa to come out. It only takes a few seconds for the Spaniard to slide out of the room, her eyebrows furrowed in clear confusion. 

“We need to switch, the other woman requested it,” Ingrid explains, and Misa nods for a second before she looks back at the room. 

“Can you believe it’s women? And god, if the second one is as hot as this one…” Misa trails off, practically drooling, and Ingrid can’t help but laugh lightly, because really she quite agrees. Misa is the only other gay woman at Dollhouse, and Ingrid finds solace in the fact that she isn’t alone, calmed by the Spaniards presence. 

“I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Her name is Alexia,” Ingrid adds before the younger woman can leave, and Misa nods before she gestures back at the room next to them. 

“Names Mapi,” Misa supplies, and Ingrid’s eyebrows furrow at the fact she’s now been told two separate names for this woman. But honestly, if she was even half as attractive as the first woman, Ingrid was seriously going to be in trouble. 

The first woman, Alexia, hadn’t exactly been her type per say, but objectively she was very attractive. 

As Misa disappears down the hallway Ingrid takes a deep breath, trying to center herself and remain calm at what is about to occur. She knew what the deal was with men, how to dance and act. 

But women were different, Ingrid knew that even if she had never had a female client. They were more watchful, more appreciative, more in tune. 

And well, if this woman was as attractive as Misa was making her out to be, she might be in a bit of trouble. 

The green eyed woman punched in the code before she stepped into the room, once again shutting the door behind her. 

Ingrid turned around, taking in the room and the woman who was settled on one of the room's two armchairs. 

And god was Misa wrong. 

This woman wasn’t attractive. 

She was mind numbingly, astronomically stunning, and it takes everything in Ingrid not to let her jaw physically drop. 

The woman had her hair down in beach waves, lighter highlights against the brunette of her hair accenting the dark strands, framing dark eyes and supple, light pink lips that are set in a smirk. 

She’s wearing a button down that has far too many buttons undone, but it only serves to show off her cleavage, biceps straining against the tight black fabric. She has on gray dress pants, and she shifts her shirt sleeve up to glance at her watch before she stands, making her way over to Ingrid. 

“Hola princesa,” the woman greets softly, her voice raspy and deliciously low, and if Ingrid wasn’t wet at just the sight of her, she was now. 

If there was anyone who was going to break her rule of not sleeping with someone, it would be this woman. That was assuming she wanted to as well, but if the glint in her eyes was anywhere near as serious as it looked, Ingrid thought her chances might be relatively high. 

She scrambled to gather as much Spanish as she possibly could. It was a little pathetic that she wasn’t more fluent, but between this being her third language and the fact that her work was in English and most of her friends spoke the language, her Spanish could definitely use some work. 

“Hola,” Ingrid rushed to reply, internally cringing at how bad her accent was while understanding washed over the woman’s face, and she switched to a heavily Spanish accented English. 

“Ah, English, no?” The woman suggested, no malice in her tone, and Ingrid let out a small sigh before she nodded. 

“Si,” she acquiesced in a bit of a defeated tone, but the woman simply tipped her head back in a delicious laugh, something light and breathy, her neck on full display. She had a tattoo on it, and Ingrid could see more ink peaking back at her on the woman’s available skin. 

It did absolutely nothing to help the green eyed woman’s aching core, but she ignored it in favor of returning to the problem at hand, to the fact that she needed to get on with the performance for this woman. 

“Sit?” Ingrid asked gently, gesturing to the table and chairs that surrounded it, walking over to pull one of them out. 

The woman made no move to walk over, seemingly not done with the conversation. 

“I’m Mapi,” she said instead, and Ingrid raised her brow at the woman, clearly a little curious. 

“I’ve been told by a confident source that your name is María,” Ingrid sidesteps the introduction to ask the question, watching the way that the woman’s eyes darkened with lust when she says her name. 

“Have you now?” Mapi drawls, the surprise clear in her face. The smirk is back, and she finally begins to walk toward the table, but before she sits she stands in front of Ingrid, still only looking her in the eyes. 

The Norwegian keeps waiting for her to drop her eyes down, to look over the lace that could hardly be described as modest, but the smaller woman seems hell bent on keeping her eyes trained on Ingrid’s. 

“And you are?” She asks lightly, the dark haired woman answering her question quickly and easily. 

“My name is Ingrid,” she murmurs, once again gesturing at the chair, and this time Mapi takes her up on her offer. The Spaniard sits down before she looks up at the Norwegian, who strolls over to turn the music on. 

“Any requests?” Ingrid questioned, looking back at Mapi to find the woman staring at her with hooded eyes and a hungry gaze. She shakes her head, finding no offers. 

“Whatever you prefer,” Mapi decides, and Ingrid observes the woman for a moment before nodding, turning back to the speaker system. She sets up her playlist, playing the song TiO by Zayn, which had been a recent favorite of hers. 

The song is a bit of a quicker pace, which she liked to start out with. It was easy to flash the quick movements before she let things get sensual, and her approach for this woman is absolutely no different. 

She turns back toward the table, walking over in long strides before she comes to rest in front of Mapi, her ass pressed back into the table behind her. 

“Can I touch you?” Ingrid asks in a low voice, tossing her thick, dark hair over one shoulder. Mapi looks up at her with an unreadable expression, holding eye contact before she nodded carefully. 

The Norwegian stood from the table, stepping forward. She turned, rounding the chair that Mapi was currently settled in, just watching. The brunette didn’t look back at her, but did meet her eyes when Ingrid finally circled all the way back to the front of the chair. 

It’s at this point that Ingrid brings her hand up, resting it over the Spaniard’s collarbone carefully. She slides her hand up, coming into contact with bare skin as she pushes her middle finger inside the cuff of the woman’s popped shirt. 

The dark haired woman plays with the collar for a moment before she begins moving once again. She drags her fingers around to Mapi’s back, stopping when she is standing in front of the Spaniard’s back, pressing both of her palms to the brunette’s back, fingers down. She slowly runs her hands down, into the small of the footballers back, before she shifts, moving them to caress her sides gently. 

She’s gone as soon as she arrived, however, continuing around the chair. Her hands travel over the Spaniard’s arm, down her side and around the underside of her chest before she splays it over the top of the brunette's abdomen. 

The muscle beneath her palm is rock hard, and she cannot help but let out a harsh breath at the feeling. She hopes that the footballer doesn’t notice, but when she looks up to see that Mapi is smirking back at her, she considers the effort fruitless. 

Ingrid’s hands retract from the Spaniard’s skin, and she shifts so that she can move her hips down and into the brunette’s lap, her back to Mapi’s front. It’s a bold first move, but she’s quick, in time with the song for just a tease before she’s gone, several steps away. 

Mapi is watching her with eagle eyes as Ingrid runs her hands up her own sides, squeezing at her own chest, letting her eyes flutter shut at the feeling for emphasis. It’s a little pornographic, and perhaps a little bit of a sell out, but she doesn’t care. 

The Norwegian makes sure to spend several moments just watching, teasing herself in whatever way possible, reveling in the way that the Spaniards eyes darken at the sight. Her nipples strain against the lace, hard and begging to be freed, but the dark haired woman ignores them in favor of returning to the footballer. 

The song changes to Lose Control by Teddy Swims, something more slow and sensual. Ingrid stalks back to the brunette, her intent clear when she places her hands on the woman’s knees, sliding them up her thighs before squeezing, lightly. 

The Norwegian moves her hands up the Spaniard’s side as she settles in her lap, her knees spread wide as she presses forward into the brunette’s personal space. She moves her hips slowly in an infinity pattern, sensual and enough to drive any man crazy. 

And yet still, Mapi has yet to touch her. Her arms remain listless at her sides, rather awkwardly. It’s a staunch change from the male clients she has often, who feel that they are allowed to touch, to take as much as they want. They consider the fact that Ingrid has been paid for, that they are allowed to do whatever they want to her, within reason. 

This doesn’t seem to be the case for this woman, however, and it only turns Ingrid on more. She leans forward even further, placing one hand on the woman’s shoulder while the other remains firmly planted on her side. Her lips are on the shell of the woman’s ear as she speaks, her voice low. 

“You can touch…you know,” the Norwegian drawls, her words breathy and filled with lust. She leaned back to look the footballer in the eyes, noting that her gaze was dark, the way her tongue flicked out to wet her lips. 

They held the others' gaze for a moment, neither moving until finally, finally Ingrid felt two hands carefully, respectfully placing themselves on her side, down toward her lower back. 

It was the Norwegian who moved them, removing her hands from the Spaniard to place hers over the brunette’s, sliding them lower, lower, lower, until they were resting firmly on her ass. Only then did Ingrid remove her own hands, planting them on the back of the chair as she rolled her hips down into the brunette. 

Mapi was staring at her intently, and she gently palmed at the Norwegian’s ass to test, rewarded greatly for her efforts when Ingrid arched into her, letting out a breathy noise. 

The dark haired woman’s body could only be described as fluid as she moved above the Spaniard, finally moving her leg to hook over the back of the chair, wrapping around the brunette’s back. 

Mapi slid her hands up, pulling Ingrid’s body more flush with hers. The Norwegian smiled, their faces just centimeters from one another. The Spaniard’s breath on hers was hot and insistent, her eyes roving over Ingrid’s face, finally eyeing the lace that covered the dark haired woman’s body. 

“You like it?” Ingrid purred, a smile evident in her voice as she gripped Mapi’s shoulders. The Spaniard scoffed lightly, looking back up at Ingrid. 

“You could say that,” the brunette hummed, her voice thick and low. It sent a shot of heat straight to the Norwegian’s core, and she arched even further into the smaller woman. 

Ingrid turned her head, brushing her nose against the Spanaird’s temple, her breathing shallow. 

“I don’t sleep with clients,” the Norwegian explained, and felt the shift immediately from the woman beneath her, the instant reaction to move away.

Ingrid had to give the footballer that, she was nothing if not respectful. It only made the Norwegian want her more, only made her flush further at the thought. 

It was her choice. 

Ingrid intercepts her hands, shoving them back down onto her ass before she brought her own to the brunette’s neck, pulling her in. 

“You didn’t let me finish,” the dark haired woman pouted, her lower lip jutting out slightly. Mapi reached forward, running her thumb over Ingrid’s lip slowly, softly. 

“Lo siento, princesa,” Mapi soothed, her expression willing Ingrid to continue. The Norwegian smiled gently, leaning down so that her lips hovered over the Spaniard’s throat. 

“I don’t sleep with clients, not unless I want to,” Ingrid continued, her hot breath leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. Her fingertips trail up Mapi’s side, running over ridges of muscles and soft skin, dipping under her shirt before they retracted. Never direct, always teasing. 

“And trust me, I want to,” the Norwegian promised as she brought her face back to level with Mapi’s, her eyebrow quirked, almost daring the Spaniard to disagree. 

But the brunette would never do that, especially not when she has the most gorgeous woman she had ever laid eyes on sitting in her lap. 

They are left staring at one another for a few moments, their eyes flickering back and forth between the others eyes and lips, waiting to see who breaks first. A game of wills, a question of who is going to hold the power. 

It’s the Spaniard who snaps first, lunging forward to capture Ingrid’s lips in her own. She’s impatient, unable to resist having Ingrid in front of her looking so delectable, without doing anything about it. 

Mapi’s mouth is hot and insistent on her own, the brunette’s hands coming up to cradle Ingrid’s face as she kisses her senseless. 

It’s only a few moments later that the Spaniard presses her tongue into the Norwegian’s mouth, silently asking for entrance. The dark haired woman allows her access instantly, completely floored at the feeling of Mapi’s mouth on her own. 

The footballer swipes her tongue over the roof of Ingrid’s mouth, smiling into the kiss at the whine that slips past Ingrid’s lips at the feeling. 

The Norwegian’s head is dizzy, completely and utterly overwhelmed with the feeling of the Spaniard, of her hands being everywhere, of the press of her lips to Ingrid’s. It feels as though life is being breathed back into her, transformed into a fire that is sent straight to her core. 

She knows that she’s soaked the lace beneath her completely, but she can’t bring herself to care. Especially not when Mapi leans back, gesturing for her to stand. Ingrid is quick to comply, not bothering to try to make herself seem as cocky as she was pretending earlier. 

It’s been a long time since she’s been fucked properly, and something in this woman’s eyes tells her that the Spaniard is exactly what she needs. 

“Get on the bed,” Mapi instructs, and Ingrid is quick to comply, walking with purpose before laying back on the bed, sitting with her head up near the pillows, still clad only in her lace. 

The Spaniard stands from her spot on the chair, flipping the lock on her watch open as she sets it on the table in front of her. She pulled her shirt up from its spot having been tucked into her pants, looking over at the Norwegian as she undid the last few buttons. 

She laid the shirt down on the table, the picture of control and composure. The loss of the garment leaves her in only a black bra, which contrasts against the tan of her skin. She loses the belt she had on but elects to keep her pants on, instead moving toward the bed. 

Throughout this, the footballer had never let her eyes leave contact with Ingrid, not wanting to let the Norwegian out of her sight, even for a second. 

Ingrid lays back as Mapi joins her on the bed, crawling up the Norwegian’s body until she was positioned over the taller woman’s body, where she had wanted to be from the beginning. 

“You tell me to stop the minute you do not like something, si?” Mapi asked, her voice clear and leaving no room for argument. The Spaniard had no interest in making Ingrid do anything she did not want to. 

“Si,” the Norwegian parroted, squirming just slightly under the Spaniard, desperate for her to do something. 

Once she has confirmed Ingrid’s answer, the Spaniard is quick to begin her descent down the woman’s body. She captures the dark haired woman’s lips in a bruising kiss, applying just the right amount of pressure and tongue to have Ingrid gasping for more. 

She releases the Norwegian’s perfect, plump lips only in favor of working her mouth across Ingrid’s jaw, sucking and nipping lightly at the skin there. When she reaches the dark haired woman’s ear, she works her lips down and over the column of Ingrid’s throat. She pays close attention to the areas that make the taller woman let out a heavier breath, or the ghost of a whine, doubling down on her attention to those spots. 

She kisses over soft, pale skin, and down toward the soft flesh of her chest. Ingrid is arching into her before she even reaches her destination, desperate for more. 

“Can I–” Mapi removes her lips only to start a sentence that is never finished. 

“Yes, please, do anything to me,” Ingrid gasped, her entire body on fire at the thought of Mapi’s mouth over her chest, at the apex of her thighs. A flush is blooming on her chest as the Spaniard pulls the lace down, revealing Ingrid’s chest. 

Her nipples are peaked, aching to be touched and played with. The footballer doesn’t even bother with using her fingers first, simply leaning down to wrap her mouth around one of Ingrid’s nipples, her hand coming to cover the other. 

“Aye, María,” Ingrid hisses at the feeling, her whole back leaving the bed as she arches into Mapi’s mouth. Her hand has flown to the Spaniard’s head, her fingers tangling in the brunette’s hair and tugging lightly. 

Mapi doubles her attention at the feeling, swirling the tip of her nipple around her tongue, teasing her teeth over the sensitive area. Ingrid ate every lap of attention up, basking in it. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had made her feel so much, and it was turning her on in a way that was borderline painful. 

“Please, more,” the Norwegian begged once attention had been laved to both sides of her chest, and Mapi released her other nipple with a lewd pop sound. The footballer raised a brow at her, but Ingrid shook her head, her breaths shallow and desperate. 

The stripper is well aware of the irony, given her profession. She’s the one who is supposed to be pleasuring, not the other way around. But there was something about the way this woman composed herself, something about the reverence with which she touched the Norwegian that made her comfortable.

Mapi considers the request for a moment before she relents, pulling further at the lace, signaling that she wanted it off. The dark haired woman is quick to comply with her request, removing the hunter green fabric before she threw it to the ground, already forgotten. 

Ingrid lay back down on the bed, her hair splaying out against the pillow. The Spaniard watched her with hungry eyes, her lips turning up into a smirk. 

“So beautiful,” she murmured softly, her words filled with clear appreciation. “Espléndida, princesa,” Mapi whispered as she returned to Ingrid, softly holding the Norwegian’s face in her hands. Her lips were gentle against the taller woman this time, leaving the Norwegian with the feeling that she was delicate, and deserved to be treated as such. 

Oh, and what a different feeling it was to be touched by the Spaniard, as opposed to the heavy handed men she usually interacted with. 

To be touched and praised as though she was the most important thing in the world. No drug could compare, not to her anyways. 

Even as she trails down the Norwegian’s body, Mapi stops to press kisses into her skin, imbuing the fire of their interaction with a level of sweetness and ingenuity Ingrid had not been expecting. 

But nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared the Norwegian for what the first run of the Spaniard’s tongue through her would feel like. 

She is unsure of where her voice ends and Mapi’s begins, but all she knows is that two moans are filling the room, both equally desperate. Ingrid clutched at the sheets desperately, her hands fisting the pristine white fabric beneath them as Mapi ran her tongue through her again. 

The Spaniard eats her out as though it will save her, with an intent and passion that Ingrid cannot remember ever having in the bedroom. She brings her tongue up to circle the Norwegian’s clit several times, and every time a new wave of pleasure washes over her. 

“You taste perfect,” Mapi mumbles against her heat, and Ingrid flushes completely at the praise, struggling to compose her own pleasure. She attempts to bring her hand up to cover her own mouth, something that Mapi notices instantly. 

“Aye, I want to hear you,” the Spaniard chides softly when she sees what Ingrid is doing, and the dark haired woman lets out a filthy moan as she removes her hand, at the feeling of Mapi’s finger teasing at her entrance. 

“Is this okay?” The footballer confirms, waiting for the fervent head nod that she receives from Ingrid before she finally dips her finger in at a painfully slow rate, before curling gently. 

Ingrid is writhing under her, letting a string of mewls and moans that tumble from her lips of their own accord. She doesn’t care that she had no idea if anyone can hear them, only focused on her own pleasure and the feeling of the brunette’s body near her own. 

“Si, si, si,” Ingrid begs, moaning unabashedly when Mapi adds a second finger, curling with more purpose this time. 

The footballer could admit, her plan had been to tease more than this. She was a playful woman, and enjoyed picking her partners apart before allowing them to come, usually. 

Something about this Norwegian, the flush in her chest and the noises slipping past her lips, has Mapi throwing her entire playbook out the window.

She’s more than happy to continue this, so long as Ingrid continues making those noises. 

“You like that, princesa?” Mapi asks, her voice hoarse with arousal. Ingrid nods tightly, her chest arching up as the Spaniard curls her fingers deep within her. 

The set of her jaw, the way it opened with pleasure left Mapi flooded with the need to please, so the Spaniard lowered her mouth down to Ingrid’s clit, sucking lightly. The dark haired woman cries out, her hips rutting down into Mapi as the footballer continued her brutal pace. 

“Fuck!” Ingrid wailed, her voice dripping with need as she hurtled toward orgasm. Her hips grew erratic, jumping into Mapi’s hand as her whole body squirmed. The brunette could tell that the dark haired woman was close, doubling down on her pace and intensity, intent on getting her there. 

It only took a few more curls of Mapi’s fingers from deep within the Norwegian for the taller woman to let out a sharp cry, her whole body tightening. The Spaniard couldn’t help but smirk against the dark haired woman’s core as her whole body began to shudder, her orgasm working through her like a forest fire. 

Her whole body was arched off the bed, the sheets gripped in her fists as Mapi worked her through her orgasm, her entire body shaking. She collapses against the sheets, her breath coming in quick gasps as waves of pleasure flooded her system, her eyes still screwed shut. 

It took her a few moments, but she forced her eyes open when Mapi removed her fingers from Ingrid. The green eyed woman looked up at the Spaniard, who had sat back on her heels, her own breath short and lustful. 

The brunette reached her finger up to her own face, brushing some of the arousal away from her lips with the pad of her thumb as Ingrid looked up at her. The Norwegian’s dark hair was a sharp contrast to the pillow, the flush of her chest and stomach the complete antithesis to her pale skin. 

Mapi would never see a sight prettier than this under her again, she knew that for certain. Ingrid turned her head, glancing over at the clock and realizing with a rush that they still had several hours before either of them had to go anywhere. 

When the Norwegian looks back up at the Spaniard, it’s with a smirk on her lips, one eyebrow raised, almost as though she was challenging the brunette. 

“Fuck, princesa,” Mapi swore before surging forward to claim Ingrid’s lips once more, pressing her back into the bed. 

Ingrid let herself moan out, half at the feeling of Mapi’s body above her own, and half of the self satisfied feeling of knowing that it was going to be hard to walk tomorrow. 

So yeah…maybe some rules are worth being broken every once in a while. 

[gilmore-angel]

unexpected pleasures || A.T x fem!reader

summary ♱ reader has just wed the infamous aemond targaryen, and though she's nervous, she will soon discover there are many pleasurable things to come (tldr reader gets finger fucked good)

warnings/contains ♱ arranged marriage, awkwardness at first, smut obvi, sub!reader dom!aemond, fingering, praise kink!! use of good girl, pretty girl, wife. overall very fluffy!! soft!aemond<3. let me know if I should add anything else!!

authors note ♱ okok this is probably trash but I'm literally forcing myself to write rn<3 lol anyways this is also my first time actually writing for aemond which is crazy bc I've been obsessed with him since like early January💀. if you enjoy please reblog! likes are obviously appreciated but reblogs are the thing that actually help the writer<3 oh and lmk if you want a part two!!

navigation 𔓕 follow and turn on notifications for @baysfics to know when I post my writings

married life isn't so bad after all.

of course, you've only been married for about three hours now, but it's going better than expected, which at this point is all you can hope for.

your new husband, prince aemond, has been quite pleasant thus far. you have only had roughly six full conversations since you were betrothed two months ago, but based off of them he was very polite and well educated.

though you had dreaded the wedding day, everything had gone smoothly. the ceremony itself was a big event, full of lords and ladies you didn't even know the house of, all eager to get on the new princesses good side. and of course there was the kiss you shared with aemond, one that sent an unknown feeling through you, settling at your lower belly. and now, the grand feast to celebrate the union.

it had less people there, only family and the very important houses were allowed to attend. you sat at the table in the middle, sitting in the center along with your husband. on your other side sat your father, mother and siblings, the same went for aemond. your husband stayed mostly silent during the feast, only speaking when spoken to.

your belly slightly ached with nerves for what was coming next; the bedding. thankfully, the queen had insisted upon a private bedding, just as she did for her other children when they wed. the action soothed your nerves a bit, but they still clung to you.

you had been warned by your mother that the bedding was an uncomfortable and painful process for the woman. but she also informed you that it is something all woman must do to please their lord husband and produce heirs.

you felt your heart sink when the king stood up weakly to announce it was time for you and aemond to head to your chambers. you both stood up and gave your goodbyes, your mother giving you a reassuring smile before you left.

there was an awkward silence as you walked with your husband to your chambers, escorted by guards. you glanced at him, only to see him looking straight ahead, blank expression on his handsome face.

once you arrived the guards pushed open the heavy wooden doors. you gave them a small smile in thanks before aemond dismissed them. as the doors closed aemond let out a small shaky sigh, you couldn't tell if it was out of nervousness or dread. you both stood awkwardly, unsure of where to begin. he spoke first, breaking the deafening silence.

"would you like help taking down your hair?" he blurted out. you nodded, giving him a awkward small smile.

"please," you moved past him to sit at the vanity. you began taking out the many odd placed pins and braids in your hair. aemond came up from behind you to start assisting in the process. the feeling of his long fingers in your hair made up for the times he would accidentally tugged too hard trying to take down the hairstyle. you both worked in silence, the only word spoken was his occasional 'sorry's when he would notice you wince.

now that your hair was down, the room was once again filled with an thick silence. eventually you stood up, turning to face him. you sucked in a breath, looking up at him nervously.

"should i..... should I remove my clothes, my prince?"

his eyes widened at the question, but he nodded, "yes, my lady... I can help."

he moved behind you, undoing the laces of the dress with shaky fingers. the gorgeous dress fell to the floor, pooling around your feet. you stepped out of the dress, leaving you in a silky shift and small clothes. you felt quite vulnerable as you begun taking your shift off, even more so once it was gone.

aemond let out a shaky breath at the sight of you in nothing but your small clothes. he looks up and down your body, desire filling his eye. he walks closer to you, looking deep into your eyes.

"may I kiss you, my lady?" he asked, his usual cold tone gone, now replaced with a soft, caring one. you nod, eyes wide.

aemond smiled softly before leaning down and kissing your soft lips. this kiss was unlike the other one you both had shared just hours before. this one was out of pure want, not obligation.

you gasp softly against his lips when he deepened the kiss, your hands flying up to his strong shoulders. his hands found home on your hips. he pulled away just enough to whisper against your lips, "is this okay?"

you nod, staring up at him with wide eyes. "yes, my prince, I just... I don't really know how to do this properly."

he smiles at you softly, moving one of his hands to caress your cheek gently.

"that's okay, just copy what I do, okay?"

he leans back in, kissing at a slow pace. his lips are soft and warm against your own. you feel something wet poking at your bottom lip and soon realize it's his tongue. you open your mouth slightly and gasp when he slides his tongue in, exploring where he can reach. the sensation causes a soft whimper to fall from your lips.

he begins pushing you backwards gently until the back of your knees hit the edge of the plush bed behind you, causing you to lay down on it. to your surprise, aemond gets on his knees before you and pulls you down so your legs hang off the bed. leaning up on your elbows you look down at him extremely confused. "my prince... what are you doing?"

he simply smiled and blushed, "let me know if you wish to stop, okay my lady?". his big calloused hands went up and down your thighs, pulling them apart. you laid back, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. his hands eventually found their way to your small clothes.

"may I remove these, my lady?" one hand continued rubbing you thigh gently. you hum and nod. that wasn't good enough apparently and aemond lightly pinched your thigh. "words, wife. I need to hear some words out of those pretty lips."

you blushed deeply, taking a deep breath, "yes, please take them off."

he smiles, murmuring under his breath "good girl". you felt a tingle in your lower belly, growing each time he touched or talked to you.

he carefully slid your small clothes off, throwing them somewhere in the room. he sucked in a big breath at the sight of your bare cunt. you squirmed slightly, his gaze lighting you on fire almost.

"may I touch you, wife?" he spoke softly, a poorly hidden desire behind the words.

you nod but quickly remember what he told you. "yes, you may."

with one hand he softly rubbed your thigh, with the other he rubbed one finger up and down your lips, pushing past them and exploring the wet outside. your back slightly arched at the unknown but not unwelcomed feeling. he moved his finger higher until he found your clit. a high pitched whimper escaped your lips at his soft but achingly good touch.

he looked up at you with a sweet smile. "does that feel nice, wife?". his finger moved in gentle circles, pressing ever so slightly.

a few breathy whimpers and moans slipped out of your mouth. "yes," you breathed, "so so nice..."

he let out a hmm, continuing his movements. he moved his finger up and down, gathering your wetness and then spreading it around your sensitive clit. as he rubbed on your bundle of nerves, his other hand came up, softly pressing against your slit.

"this may feel strange, my lady, but I promise it'll feel so good soon, okay?" he pushed a long thick finger into your previously untouched hole, groaning at how tight you were. your back arched off the bed as a loud moan rang around the room. he slowly started moving it in and out, sending waves of pleasure through your body when he curled his finger upwards. your gummy walls tightened around him, almost as tight as he cock felt in his trousers.

he looked up to see your reaction, smiling when he saw your head thrown back in pleasure. soft whimpers left your mouth as his movements quickened.

"may I add a second finger, sweet girl?" something about the way he said the affectionate name sent chills down your spine as you slightly bucked against his hand.

"hmmph, yes, yes please husband." he smirked as he added a second finger. he pumped them in and out fast, his other hand still focused on your puffy clit.

suddenly a new feeling hit you. like some sort of knot in your belly, ready to explode any second. a panicked expression washed over you at the strange sensation.

"aemond, aemond! something is, fuck, happening!" you cried desperately, clenching the sheets beneath you hard.

"shh, it's okay, it'll feel so good. just let it happen sweet girl." it was too much and too little, it was overwhelming yet you needed more. it hurt but felt so so right.

before you could reply waves and waves of pleasure washed over you, drowning you in the feeling of him. your whole body shook, hips bucking wildly into his hand. creamy white cum drooled onto his fingers and hand. he groaned at the sight and fucked you through your peak.

he eventually slid his hand out and climbed up the bed, hovering over you. he brought his cum covered fingers to you mouth, "open," he commanded softly, sucking in a shaky breath when you wrapped you lips around them. he pulled them out, moving to caress your cheek, "such a good girl."

he began kissing your neck, trailing his hand back down to your thighs. you whimpered sweetly causing him to chuckle.

"oh, sweet wife, we are just getting started."

[pshcomforts]

➳ double take | psh.

non!idolsunghoon x fem!reader (feat. haechan from nct and ningning from aespa)

“i don’t see nobody but you”

synopsis: you never noticed sunghoon until your friend and your crush started going out.

warnings/content: written in third pov. fluff! slight angst(?) love my girl, ningning but she’s not the best in here. kind of idiots in love. friends to lovers (as always). high school au but major time skip! mentions of alcohol, pregnancy, and marriage. not proofread and cursing!

comments, likes, and reposts are appreciated :)

word count: 4.4k

a/n: fictional characters — dae (jungwon’s boyfriend), min-su (heeseung’s girlfriend), and ji-woo (jake’s girlfriend). this is essentially let you break my heart again but if hoon was in jay’s spot.. :)

༘˚⋆𐙚｡masterlist⋆.✧˚

current song playing: double take by dhruv

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

0:39 ─────|────────────── -2:12

“you think you can tell him for me?” y/n pleaded.

“y/n..” her friend, ningning frowned.

“please, ningning!! i need to know! the mixed signals are driving me crazy.”

ningning let out an exasperated sigh. “fine, just for you y/n.” the girl let out a victorious yelp, patting her friend up to go towards the boy she liked.

y/n intently watched her walk to him with hopeful eyes.

“hey y/n,” dae greeted her with a grin.

“hey dae” — she responded, not even meeting eyes with him as she stayed glued to the two people in front of her.

“what’s ningning doing over there??” ji-woo chimed in as she sat next to dae.

their other friend came into the sight as well. “uh.. is ningning talking to haechan???” min-su harshly said with blinking eyes.

“SH!” y/n shushed. “she’s talking to him for me!”

“as if he’d ever like you,” sunghoon randomly intervened.

y/n’s head whipped to the tall boy, shooting an annoyed look towards him and the three boys behind him. “shut the hell up, you weren’t included in this conversation for a reason.”

he let out a ridiculed scoff before sitting beside her. the rest of the boys went to their significant others, lovingly taking them in their embrace.

her eyes went back to ningning and haechan, only to find her rushing back.

“so..??” y/n questioned. ningning bit her lip with sorry eyes. “uhm y/n, we should talk one to one..”

y/n’s brows furrowed, still going along with her request — leaving the rest of the group confused.

“what’s wrong?”

“so i told him.. but uhm, he actually admitted to liking me instead..”

it was then that y/n felt her heart drop and shatter. “o-oh…” she swallowed a harsh gulp, feeling tears spark at the rim of her eyes.

ningning’s words were filled with guilt as she struggled to look at her. “i’m so sorry y/n…,” her arms immediately flung into her comfort.

holding back the threatening tears, y/n softly pulled away from the hug after a few seconds. “thank you ningning, but it’s okay. i won’t stop you if you want to go out with him.” she comforted with a heartbreak.

“y/n i would never-“

“it’s okay. i’ll get over it, it’s just a small crush anyway.” she said with a reassuring smile.

ningning’s eyes softened. “thank you y/n, you’re the absolute best.” she gave her another quick hug before drifting off to her new found boyfriend, haechan.

watching her friend run to him was already such a difficult task to endure. to see how she automatically ran to him after getting a “blessing” was something that bubbled her insides.

y/n bit her lip to stop the tears nearing its fall while dragging her feet back to the table where her friends stood.

“so.. how’d it go??” dae enthusiastically asked.

her breath trembled as soon as the words had processed. “uhm..” she took a pause, feeling like there was a lump in her throat — “he likes ningning.”

the words stunned everyone, sunghoon especially.

“w..what??” ji-woo yelled.

y/n let out an awkward laugh, averting the rage-filled friend who was trying to be calmed down by her boyfriend. “it’s fine, really! i even told ningning to go for it so..!”

min-su rolled her eyes at her dumb-founded friend. “you fucking bitch. no… that fucking bitch!” she took a stand before being pulled back down by her boyfriend, heeseung. “calm down baby!” he yelled.

“NO! she’s right!!” dae and ji-woo retorted at the same time.

y/n couldn’t help but cackle at her stupid friend’s reactions. “you guys are so silly.. it’s really okay though! i’ll get over it.” she said while patting them.

her eyes turned to look at sunghoon who had stayed quiet. the other boys gave a little of their input because of their partners, but hoon? he never said a word.

he just looked scarily tense. not moving a single muscle in his body to show a reaction was scaring y/n.

“you okay bro?” jake asked after taking notice of his statued body as well. “you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

jungwon and heeseung laughed along. “just fine,” he uttered through gritted teeth.

the girls and dae looked at each other, wondering in unison of why he was reacting the way he was. well if it wasn’t so obvious to everyone else, sunghoon had liked y/n.

well, perhaps everyone knew through their partners.

it was such an easy observation to be made. of course y/n never realized it. she was far too lost in the deepest thoughts of haechan. so when y/n looked at her friends, they also shared the same look even if they knew the reason why.

she shook it off though, everyone did.

as lunch came to an end, y/n packed her things and left to class with her friends. reluctantly, they all had the same classroom together to enjoy the school year.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

long months had passed by now, and seeing haechan and ningning be a couple in front of her was not as easy as she believed it to be.

though sustaining little things they’d do as a couple was getting to be tolerable.

in fact, as she adapted to just ignoring anything related to the two, she actually began to grow closer to sunghoon. with all of her friends in annoying relationships, she found comfort in the only other friend who was still single like her.

it was like they went on couple dates with their group of friends because of how they were the only ones left. she didn’t know when or how, but she slowly started to fall in love with him without even realizing it. they just matched each other’s compatibility. everyone saw it.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

“y/n, you awake??” ji-woo softly shook the girl.

“what???” y/n groggily said with an irritated tone.

“wake up bitch, we’re gonna drive to the beach!” min-su yelled in one of her ears.

y/n let out a loud groan, attempting to cover herself and dae who remained half asleep and half awake. “just go without me..” she mumbled, words almost not even coherent.

“girl no! get up! we’re going with the boys. sunghoon’s gonna be alone if you don’t go..” ji-woo said with a smug grin.

“ugh just let him be alone, i want to sleep.”

“girl get up!” min-su yelled, trying to wake herself up by rubbing her eyes.

y/n groaned again. “i fucking hate you guys..”

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

after leaving at the crack of dawn, everyone found themselves comfortably situated in the huge car that carried them all (a second car holding the others).

heeseung drove while min-su stayed as his passenger princess. jungwon and dae were in the back with earphones in each side of the opposite ear. jake and ji-woo remained in the back of them, arms linked up as the girl laid her head on his shoulder while his rested on top of hers — both asleep.

as for sunghoon and y/n.. well unfortunately, they couldn’t fit in that car so they had to ride in jay’s car, in which contained ningning and haechan.

as much as they wanted to be in the other car, they settled to be with jay who was suffering just as much as they were. jay drove of course, with niki as his passenger princess. ningning and haechan were in the back of them, and y/n and sunghoon were in the complete back with sunoo.

y/n yawned, softly frowning at the fact that she couldn’t even be in the same car as her closest friends. “you tired?” hoon asked with a low voice.

her head turned to him, blinking softly as her drowsy mind barely processed what he said. “hm? oh.. yeah kind of…,” she yawned again.

he lightly chuckled before handing her his airpod. “take this, you might need it after hearing the couple in front of us talk.”

y/n smiled at his words, rolling her eyes but taking the offer anyway. “gosh hoon… same song again?” she beamed while being alarmingly close to him.

sunghoon gulped, hoping she didn’t see through his nervous manner. “uhm.. yeah, of course.” he averted her gaze to start the music — ‘21’ by gracie abrahams.

within seconds of the song playing, y/n instantly felt relieved. the suffocating thought of her friend with her crush she was still trying to get over was gone after being in sunghoon’s comfort.

“i love this song..” she quietly uttered, expecting him to not even hear it.

“me too,” he replied back.

y/n closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep after feeling her heart gently thump at his small response.

throughout the ride, in some shifting way, her head drooped down as she attempted to find something cozy to lay her head on. suddenly, she found her head to be laying on sunghoon’s shoulder. she knew she probably shouldn’t have because that’s a little awkward, but the girl was tired! she’d apologize later but right now, she wanted some comfortable sleep.

as she laid her head, the 5’11 boy dumbly smiled to himself. he couldn’t even contain the wide grin that was plastered across his face. he was so happy that sunoo had to silently judge him with a soft scoff.

“they’re next, i swear.” the boy mumbled to himself while going back to his phone.

hoon heard it, but couldn’t even give a remark back because just those words had his heart almost jumping out of his chest. the mere thought of them becoming something more set fireworks.

eventually though, he fell asleep as well — unknowingly laying his head on top of hers. the two became sound asleep, letting sunoo take a peek and softly scoff again.

“i have to take a picture,” he mischievously said with a smile. a snap of a photo was taken and sent to min-su with a caption — ‘they’re in love! and you guys can’t even see it happen!! ㅋㅋㅋ’

in the other car, loud gasps were made. “GUYS! sunghoon and y/n! sunghoon and y/n!” min-su yelled, shoving her phone to dae who eventually passed it on to ji-woo.

“OH MY GOD!” the two said in unison.

“they should’ve been in this car!!” ji-woo exclaimed with a groan. jake chuckled in return, “you know they couldn’t baby.”

“i can’t even see it happen.. i’m literally their biggest supporter!” she yelled again, causing another laugh to be spurted out of her boyfriend.

“aww they look so cute,” dae commented while showing jungwon the picture. “don’t they, wonie??”

“they most definitely do!” the dimpled boy responded.

after getting her phone back, min-su tapped her boyfriend’s hands. “baby look! it’s disgusting but something’s finally happening!” she yelled to him. heeseung took a quick glance after stopping at a red light. a smile curled onto his lips as he said, “my boy’s finally doing something other than watch from afar.”

“just focus on the road, hee.” she retorted after slightly judging his words.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

soon enough, the drivers made it to the beach. those who had fallen asleep had woken up in a slight daze.

when y/n had awoken, her eyes scanned around. “morning lovebirds, you guys finally waking up?” jay beamed with a wide grin.

her face scrunched up in confusion. “lovebirds?” she hoarsely repeated with a cough.

the male laughed at her reaction. “guess you guys just had to hold hands while falling asleep huh?” he asked with a downturn smile in disgust.

sunghoon blinked in confusion, face scrunching just like hers. their heads lifted at the same time, eyes scanning for an answer to his word choice. in seconds, they both looked down and found their hands interlocked with each others.

quickly, hoon discarded his off of hers. “oh uhm sorry,” he awkwardly uttered.

“it’s.. okay…,” y/n responded back, looking the other way in embarrassment.

“you know, that’s cute and all, but please get out for what we came here for.” niki snorted.

sunghoon rushed out of the car, letting y/n be the last to get out.

“such a gentleman..,” jay softly remarked with a head shake.

the 5’11 boy shot him a glare before looking at her to see if she noticed what he had said. she didn’t though, she was still trying to wake up with a long stretch.

“you really fell asleep huh?” haechan asked the girl.

y/n paused for a second. “oh yeah.. ha ha… i was really tired.” she didn’t like him as much anymore but that didn’t mean she still wasn’t awkward around him. “weren’t you tired?”

“oh yeah, i definitely was.” he responded with a half smile.

her heart still softly lit up at his cute grin. she knew he was with someone else, but the side of her still liking him was peeking through just a little.

sunghoon rolled his eyes at the sight, giving a light ‘tsk’ at watching how awkward and nervous she was becoming. his tongue poked out of his cheek and his jaw clenched, feeling an overprotective urge to drag her away.

“lighten up, would you? you look creepy just staring.” jake said with a laugh and a hit to the shoulder.

“thought you were still next to your girlfriend? surprised she’s not even here, you guys are basically glued to the hip.” hoon smiled after what he said.

“okay calm down, just because i have a loving girlfriend and you don’t. just don’t be too creepy.”

with that, jake walked away to find ji-woo. the jealous male remained to watch closely at how haechan and y/n interacted. it seemed obvious that she kept a distance, but just a light laugh about a joke he told was already setting him off.

as he was about to approach the two, he saw ningning go to them first. she dragged haechan away, leaving y/n alone with an obvious sad tone in the background. he let out a sigh at her, watching how her heart still tore from them.

“y/n!! come here!” hoon heard dae yell. the girl went to her friend, giving out another sigh, this one more in defeat as the urge to comfort her had now been stolen by jungwon’s boyfriend.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

long hours passed by. each couple had gone off on their own, leaving the singles out. jay, niki, and sunoo adventured together while sunghoon and y/n walked out on the shore.

it was awkward between them two. holding hands had been the furthest they gotten with their somewhat situationship that wouldn’t be talked about.

“hey hoon?” y/n softly chirped.

“hm?”

they both stopped in their tracks. “i’m sorry if it was awkward that we held hands. you’re my friend, and i don’t want to ruin anything special we have going on here.”

hoon smiled at her words. “you think we have something special going on?” he teased.

she quickly shut her eyes and smacked him. “you know that’s not what i meant!” he chuckled in response, holding his arm as he hit her back.

“would it be bad if we did though?” hoon uttered. his heart raced afterwards, feeling a numbing pain hit his legs as he awaited for a response.

y/n froze though. she didn’t know how to respond to that. “uhm, would it?” she sheepishly asked.

sunghoon chuckled at how shy she got. this is something he always wanted to see after seeing how flustered she’d been with haechan. he looked at her with slightly watered eyes from the wind.

“i don’t think it’d be so bad if we had something going on.” he said, in almost a whisper.

she bit her lip and turned her gaze elsewhere. “geez you’re really confrontational today.”

his lips curled into a smile, bringing his hand to her chin to lift her gaze back onto him. “only when it’s something like this with you.”

damn, he was charming.

y/n’s heart was fluttering, melting, pounding — all of that within seconds of his sappy words.

“i like you, y/n. i like you a lot. i think i’ve always liked you ever since we met. seeing you fawn over someone like haechan wasn’t the best feeling, but i’m honestly glad that we got closer because of him.” hoon confessed.

butterflies hit her stomach as she felt herself starting to breathe heavily. “i.. i like you too hoon. you being there while i was getting over haechan made me realize how well we match. you’ve always been the one.”

sunghoon automatically grinned ear to ear. “i’m the one?” he teased with an eyebrow raise.

“shut up—“ and he did, by kissing her.

his lips smashed against hers, desperation and hunger evident in the kiss as she kissed back. his hands met her cheeks while smiling along her lips.

he pulled away not too long after. “i just did,” he panted to her. she pushed him back with a scream, “hoon!”

as they softly tussled with each other, they soon tired out and watched the sun set together. sand in almost every part of their clothing as they watched with their knees up to their chests, and heads on shoulders.

“you guys ready to go?” ji-woo yelled to the new couple.

sunghoon and y/n stood together, holding hand in hand, causing a gasp to be heard from everyone.

“you guys are finally together??” she yelled out for the whole group to hear.

they both laughed at their friend’s reaction, hearing the rest scream together as they saw for their own eyes.

“awww finally!” dae yelled.

“right. fucking finally!” min-su reiterated with a disgusted look. y/n laughed, smacking her friend’s arm as the boys congratulated hoon.

“finally bro, i’ve been waiting!” jake said, aggressively patting his back.

“never thought it’d come true,” niki retorted with a chuckle.

as the rest congratulated the couple they had been supporting, everyone soon agreed upon leaving to the car and going home.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

years passed by after such an unforgettable memory between them. such long time had gone by that the group went through high school and college together. everyone had went in their late 20’s, living their own life while still being in touch time to time.

and after years of being together, sunghoon had finally proposed to the girl he’s always loved.

as time began to near their wedding date, y/n and him decided to bring the group back together as it was what they always did when someone got married.

first it was min-su and heeseung, then it was ji-woo and jake, then dae and jungwon. y/n always found it a little crazy in how much each couple still made their relationship work even after high school.

haechan and ningning, on the other hand, were something else. they still remained together, but the energy was always off between them. it was as if there was no spark.

when everyone had finally gathered for the hangout at a korean barbecue restaurant, drinks and celebrations were held in the air for the soon-to-be wedded couple.

hoon had his arm around y/n, letting his hand interlock with the one closest to him.

“congratulations to the finally engaged couple!” ji-woo yelled, raising her glass in cheers.

everyone complied and raised theirs as well, everyone except min-su.

“aww thank you guys! we should also be celebrating for someone else too!!” y/n exclaimed, gesturing to the pregnant girl. “another kid on the way.. that’s a little crazy.”

min-su laughed alongside her husband, heeseung who was rubbing her tummy. “just a few months along,” he whispered in a slightly drunken voice.

everyone was a little driven by alcohol (except min-su), and as hours passed, the group had continued to have the hard liquor in their system.

ningning giggled with her infamous shrieking laugh. “hey y/n, wanna know something funny?” she asked with a hiccup.

y/n nodded to her, laying her head on sunghoon’s chest afterward.

she giggled again, being close to haechan as she said, “i guess you can say i played cupid..,”

y/n laughed with her brows knitted together in confusion. “what do you mean by that?”

“well actually..,” she downed another shot, “that one day in high school when you told me to go confess to haechan, i actually lied to him and you!”

everyone quieted down after hearing her, haechan especially.

“yeah! i told you he didn’t like you when he actually did, and so i went out with him because i liked him!” her words were slurred, showing that she was obviously drunk.

“you WHAT?” haechan loudly boomed. “you didn’t tell her i liked her??”

ningning laughed again, feeling like everything was just silly and in the moment. “nope! but isn’t it great? we ended up together, and now they’re getting married!”

y/n repeatedly blinked. she was more in disbelief of how her friend had done a backstabbing thing, more so to her old crush actually liking her back. everyone else kept their mouth shut, all a little too shocked to honestly say anything.

“you’re telling me i could’ve had a life with the girl i loved instead? you robbed me of what i could’ve had??” he angrily spat, causing random heads to turn at him.

“w..what?” she said with a gulp, feeling a little scared of his next words.

haechan scoffed. “i’ve been thinking of a way to break up with you, but i felt like i couldn’t because of how long we’ve been together. but this? this is a great way to end this relationship. sunghoon and y/n? i’m sorry for ruining the night, but have a great life together, you deserve it. and y/n, i’m sorry that you never got to know the truth.”

y/n pressed her lips into a firm line, uncomfortably looking down while muttering, “it’s okay.”

and it was then that he walked out. haechan left, and ningning scrambled after him in pleading cries.

the rest of the group sat in silence. the only thing heard were sizzling meats on the grill and talks of other customers.

“so um…,” dae softly said, clearing his throat after breaking the awkward ice. “that was..,”

“crazy? yeah.” min-su replied while rubbing heeseung’s hand.

“uhm should we go after ningning?” y/n worriedly asked, eyes searching for the girl.

“she’ll be okay, haechan still got in the car with her.” said jay, who was holding tightly onto his wife.

“i don’t even know what to say…,” y/n said, eyes looking at sunghoon who remained quiet on his side. “you okay?” she mumbled only for him to hear.

he snapped out of his daze, turning to her and just nodding before going back into disassociation.

instantly, she knew he wasn’t. it clearly bothered him and she wanted to say something about it, just not in front of everyone.

her hand grasped his, softly rubbing it in a gentle way to assure him. he held onto hers as well, a little tightly at that. holding on like he was gonna lose her.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

one by one, each couple left. hoon and y/n being the second to leave.

the car ride was quiet and she knew why. his hand held onto hers still, soft gentle strokes coming from his thumb as he overthought everything.

when they reached their house, they both instantly went to their bedroom. y/n took off her comforting jacket while hoon swept off his coat.

“tonight was a little tense, wasn’t it?” she tried to softly joke. there was no response though. “hoonie?” she called out.

silence filled the air for a few seconds before he spoke, “so would you have been with haechan instead if he actually knew?”

“what?” a slight scoff had left her mouth, a little in disbelief that he said that.

he didn’t repeat his words or respond back, causing y/n to turn around after getting into her cozy pajamas.

“hoon…,” she softly uttered. his heart thumped at the name call, and all he could do was turn to face her as well.

immediately, her eyes softened at how he looked. his facial expressions tried to scream stern, but his eyes said something else. they were glassy with a sense of doubt.

she got closer to him, cupping his cheeks as she furrowed her brows. “no, think about it y/n.” he pushed the hands away — “you could’ve been with him right now. do you.. still want to be with him?”

y/n sighed, somewhat in disbelief of how he was being. “sunghoon..,” she let him turn to face her again. “look, who knows if he would’ve been the one i’d be with if i knew the truth, but in all honesty, i’m so very glad that ningning never told me.”

his face subtly lit up at her words and she only smiled at that. “i’m so glad we fell in love instead because i can’t even see myself with someone like haechan anymore. maybe when i was a young teenage girl.. but guess what? that young teenage girl still fell in love with you, my soulmate. we’re getting married hoon, i’d never rethink of my life with someone who wasn’t you.”

her arms flung around his neck after watching how reassured he became with her words. hoon’s hands met her waist as their heads softly bunked against each others. “that’s right.. you’re marrying me. i win.” he said, leaning in for a kiss.

their kiss lasted seconds before they both pulled back. “you know, i think this is the nicest you’ve ever been to me.” he said with a grin.

y/n rolled her eyes. “shut up, im nice to you!”

“yeah, like once a week.”

she sent a smack to his arms. “that’s because you make me not want to be nice to you, loser!”

sunghoon laughed, squeezing his eyes shut while showing his fanged smile.

“want me to be nice again?”

“actually?”

y/n nodded. “that day that we confessed to each other at the beach, it made me actually enjoy the beach for the first time since childhood, and you know i’ve never liked the beach.”

his eyes widened and he smiled once more. “really??” and she nodded again.

“it’s been my favorite day ever since then.”

“wow you must really love me!” hoon laughed before planting a kiss on her cheek.

she rolled her eyes, pushing him away as she exclaimed, “oh god hoon! let’s just go to sleep.” the girl murmured back, avoiding his sweet touches that caused constant thuds in her heart.

she pulled her fiancé into bed, turning out the lights and pulling in closely to his chest.

“good night, pretty girl.”

“good night, winner.”

★・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・★

[art-missy]

Quality Time (Gekko x Reader)

Please, someone save me from that Gekko brainrot !

I'm back with another shot. I love writing (and thinking) about him way too much.

Thousands apologies in advance to your eyes for my murderous grammar.

Eating the floor.

As figurative as this expression might be, Gekko now perfectly understood it in several different ways. Each way of how he tasted the floor had a different flavor : painful humbling, jaw fixation, flattened face, the training tatami that he accidentally licked during his degustation, his own saliva that he accidentally choked on, and maybe a bit of his own teeth. He even had a little taste of the wall.

“Stand up.”

Gekko uttered a small grunt, his face still kissing the floor as he momentarily wondered if you secretly were a sadist. He stood up and looked at you as you put your hands on your hips. You looked at him with your eyes slightly squinted and Gekko suspected that you wondered how you'd make him taste the floor again. His eyes met Wingman’s who was shaking his head and hiding his face.

“Ready ?” 

He huffed. At least you warned him. He took position and waited.

How did he end up in this situation ? Well, Reyna once pointed out how hand-in-hand combat was his weakness during missions. She was unsurprisingly not wrong. Since he joined Valorant, he prioritized his aim and his stamina over anything else. And he had never been much of a fighter. The number of times he had been physically restrained by an Omega agent was quite big. So, to overcompensate his weak point, he asked you to train him. You were the best in the protocol in hand-in-hand combat. 

And he wanted an excuse to be physically close to you anyway.

“Your shoulders...” You noticed. “You swim ?”

Gekko blinked before managing to dodge an attack from you. He couldn't help but feel a pang of pride when you nodded appreciatively. He heard Wingman applauding from the corner of the room.

“Actually yeah.” He answered as you paced around him like a predator. “It helped with my asthma growing up. Harbor has even been coaching me when I joined the protocol.”

You nodded and suddenly jumped on him. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a surprised yelp as he felt his back bouncing harshly on the tatami mat. When he opened his eyes, you were staring at him intensely, your eyes squinting slightly in concentration. He then noticed that you were pinning him down. A new way of eating the ground.

“Your reflexes are weak.” You said plainly. “How did you survive until now ?” 

Gekko did not find anything to answer that. The way you easily kept putting him down since the beginning of the hour said enough. Harbor also trained him with basic martial arts knowledge to be at least capable of defending himself. But against you, they seemed pretty useless. You read his movements as if they were boringly predictable — they probably were — and slow. Plus, the fact that your face was only a few inches away from his did not really help him to focus. His brain literally stopped.

“Hm. I’d be honored to give you some muscle stiffness.”

Was he intimidated ? Yes. Did he like it ? Very. Does that make him a masochist ? He wondered.

Your training was painfully effective. In only three hours, you solidified the basic knowledge in martial arts Harbor gave him and was able to dodge some of your attacks. It took him time, but after you explained to him how to read people's body movements in a way he could understand, he managed to predict some of your punches. Not all, but it was a beginning. But even though he could sometimes predict your movements, you were way too fast for his body to react in time. He swore that your kicks were deadly weapons.

Wingman brought Gekko a bottle of water while cheering as he was laid on his back on the tatami mat.

“You alive ?” You nudged his shoulder with your foot as you looked down at him.

“I’m still breathing.” He huffed as he sat up. “I think.”

He patted Wingman's head and took the bottle while looking up at you. You did not even seem tired.

“You have more stamina than I thought you’d have.” 

“Thanks…?” He said while raising an eyebrow.

You tilted your head slightly then shrugged, your eyes still fixed on him. “You're very welcome.” You took a look at your watch then hummed. “I recommend you to take a warm shower, eat dinner, then to go to bed. You will suffer when you wake up.”

He was always stunned by the tone you used every time you spoke : a tone placed between an absolute neutrality, a subtle amusement and a vague boredom. And most of the time, he couldn't manage to guess what you were thinking about. He stood up and tried to stretch his arms but immediately winced when the pain started hitting.

“Yep.” You nodded without even looking at him. “A warm shower. Very warm.”

You walked out of the training room with a light step while he was dragging his feet behind you.

“Have a nice night.” You said to him as you walked away.

“Huh ? Ah thanks !”

Gekko always felt uncharacteristically shy around you. Which was quite surprising since you barely talked with him. He just admired you from afar since he joined the protocol, sometimes rambling about how he found you cool to Neon. You always intimidated him. He was so outgoing with people but with you, he became so shy. The other agents noticed it of course. How could they not ? The bubbly Gekko being suddenly so quiet in front of someone ? Of course they would notice. The teasing he received from his friends was colossal.

After a warm shower (a very warm) and a good dinner like you recommended, he let himself flop down on his bed with a tired huff. Today was the longest interaction you two had since he joined Valorant. A very painful interaction but still an interaction. A very physical and brutal interaction but still a lovely one. He reached out to you for help, advices and tools to defend himself, and you handed it to him without questioning. You did not judge him like he feared you would. After all, agents of Valorant were supposed to be the best defense of this world. He was one of these agents. He had a good aim, he had good stamina despite his asthma but he lacked hand-in-hand combat experience and knowledge which could be quite vital in some situations on the field. He didn't think low of himself. Gekko was just someone who wasn't afraid nor ashamed to acknowledge his weaknesses.

Outside of your sessions, everything sadly stayed the same between you two to Gekko’s despair. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. He thought that you grew  close, but outside of the training room, you stayed distant. When he waved at you from afar, you turned your face away. When he raised his hand for a high five, you stared at him in confusion. When he handed you a weapon for a mission, you just nodded curtly. When he joined your table for lunch, you barely acknowledged his presence. Neon and Jett tried to reassure him by saying that you were like this with everyone. He knew that, but he had hoped to be an exception.

After a few weeks, he still happened to taste the floor as much as when you started to train him. Not because he was a bad learner, but because everytime he adapted to a fighting style, you switched into another. Everytime he walked out of a session with you, he felt he improved himself until the next session. It was impressive how many ways you had to beat his ass. Or to strangle him.

“I yield !” He choked out as your legs stifled him. He patted the floor to indicate he was giving up. “Air ! Air !”

You released him from your legs and let him breathe and sat up with your legs crossed, staring at him.

“You dead ?”

He coughed a little and shook his head. “Nope ! Pretty much alive !”

Wingman rushed towards him with a bottle of water as he kept coughing. He took a few sip of water then looked up at you to notice you staring at him without flinching. He cleared his throat to hide his blush under your gaze (even though he knew it was useless) and turned fully towards you.

“Why did you accept to help me ?” He asked.

“Hm ?” You tilted your head slightly.

“I mean…” Gekko nervously rubbed his neck and shot a glance at Wingman who quietly nodded to encourage him. “...we never really interacted with each other outside of missions before.”

You tilted your head to the other side. “And…?”

Your attitude reminded him a little bit of a cat : aloof but attentive.

“And despite that, you accepted right away.”

You stayed silent for a moment, squint your eyes slightly then shook your head negatively. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t manage to see why this comes as a surprise.” 

He looked at you with raised eyebrows. Of course he was the only one surprised here. 

“We barely talked to each other yet you accepted right away. Why ?”

“Why not ?” You ask back. “You're my colleague, you asked for help and I could provide you with that help. So I did it. Why is it that surprising ?”

Gekko blinked for a second and let out a soft chuckle. Wingman looked between you two with a curious tilt of his little head. Your response was so simple that he never envisaged it. So simple that it was almost unpredictable. 

“Well thanks.” He laughed gently.

“You’re very welcome.” You shrugged. 

You kept staring at him with that deep (and sometimes unnerving) gaze of yours. After some time, he realized that your eyes weren't dreamy. They were intensely focused and he could see the intricate mechanisms constituting your thoughts without being able to decipher it.

“Do I have something on my face ?” He asked with a nervous chuckle.

“Freckles.” You responded simply. “And a smile completed by dimples most of the time. Why ?”

Wingman let out a few high-pitched garbled sounds that sounded like laughter. Gekko’s finger played with the bottle.

“Nothing. I just noticed that you sometimes stare at me a lot.” 

“Oh.” You nodded slowly. “Sorry. I tend to stare a lot at things that fascinate me.”

If he was already slightly blushing (maybe because of the previous efforts), he was now burning red. His eyes were wide open. Wingman put his little hands over the space where his mouth would be, looking even more flabbergasted than his friend.

“Wait…what ?”

“You seem surprised again.” 

He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, cleared his throat (nervously choked on his own saliva) then looked fully at you.

“Do you realize what you just said ?”

“Words ?”

Of course. He started to understand how you worked. When most people thought A, you thought Z. Still, your trail of thought stayed unpredictable.

He was about to say something when his phone suddenly buzzed. Wingman handed it to him and he quickly read the message he received.

“Shit.” He muttered. “I’ve been called for a mission.”

When he read the callsigns of his teammates, he noticed that yours wasn’t there. He sighed. It seemed like your moment together was shortened for the day. A pity, really. He liked these moments.

You nodded slowly, stood up then stretched your arms. “Come back safe.”

‘Come back safe’ ?

Gekko stood up too and walked towards the exit door, Wingman following him. “I will. See you later.”

You said nothing back. You just stared until he fully exited the room.

Your words kept looping in his head during the briefing. 

The mission was the usual : eliminating Omega agents, defusing the spike then going back to base. It wasn't his first mission at Icebox, but being the Californian guy that he was, it wasn't his favorite place. The cold wind was whipping his face while the snow was burning his feet. He definitely should have chosen another pair of shoes and thicker socks. The mission was going smoothly: Jett and Phoenix were competing, Reyna was creepily laughing in the comm and Brimstone was complaining about the pain in his knees.

He sent Thrash to Jett and Phoenix because they fell in an ambush while he kept running where the spike had been spotted.

“Yo, I see the spike !” He said in the comm.

He then sent Dizzy to be sure no one was around before sending Wingman to the spike.

“My buddy is diffusing.” 

Suddenly, Gekko felt the hair in his neck rising and his instinct urged him to bend down and to take a few steps aside, which he did. 

“Damn.” He muttered under his breath.

His eyes immediately fell on Omega Yoru who just came out of a rift with a knife in his hand. Gekko just dodged his attack. He already had an history with this agent in particular. It wasn’t the first time that they ended up in a duel-like situation. Everytime, Yoru managed to manhandle him until Wingman stun him.

“Gekko ?” He heard Reyna in the comm. “What is happening? Where are you ?”

He took a deep breath and thought quickly. You taught him how to analyze a situation quickly and took advantage of it. 

“I’m site B.” He answered.

First step : not panicking. Panic not only leads people to make rushed actions, but it also quashes your thinking capacity. In a moment of panic, your reptilian brain is the one mostly working with your adrenaline.

‘Panic and fear are not to be confused.’ You oftenly reminded him. ‘In a dangerous situation, panic could easily lead you towards a certain death while fear keeps your senses constantly alert. It makes you more aware of your surroundings. It makes you think thoroughly at different solutions in order to survive.’

You did not only make him eat the floor. You also sometimes planned some meditation sessions. Gekko loved these. It made him feel light.

Gekko calmly watched Omega Yoru walking towards him. His step was confident. He played with a butterfly knife, visibly trying to intimidate him. Gekko almost rolled his eyes.

Second step : analyzing the situation, then your options. A thing that you insisted on : weapons never only had one way of utilization.

Right now, Wingman was diffusing the spike, Omega Yoru was walking in his direction and Thrash was too far. Dizzy could only blind him for a few seconds but then what ? His weapon was empty and he would lose deadly seconds reloading it. Yoru was walking calmly but a certain tension in his step indicated that he would soon pounce. He too had not a lot of options. His teammates were falling, the spike was being diffused and more enemies would soon arrive.

Gekko mentally counted until three then Yoru attacked him with the knife like he had planned. Gekko quickly countered the attack with the barrel of his gun and swiftly kicked his joint ball, making his opponent momentarily fall on his knee with a huff of pain. Yoru seemed surprised for an instant before he stood up again. This time, he was a bit more alert.

They kept fighting for seconds that felt like hours. Gekko was glad his stamina didn't fail him. He clearly had the upper hand while Yoru’s movements became slower and his breath more erratic. He almost found this easy. Compared to yours, Yoru’s attacks were slow and easy to predict. They had strength but lacked precision.

Finding an opening, Gekko suddenly tackled his opponent in the snow. He then proceeded to press with strength the round of his shoulder in the solar plexus of the mirror agent. You once explained to him that a violent shock in this zone would make anyone go limp. 

‘One could be as muscular as possible and have an iron will, once this zone is violently attacked, they would fall to the ground and gasp for air.’

Gekko felt his opponent’s strength faltering beneath him and his rage spiking. He heard Wingman’s high-pitched victorious scream and several hurried steps in his direction.

“Gekko, move !”

Recognizing Reyna’s voice, he obeyed quickly, standing up and taking a few steps back. A single shot and Yoru was now dead. Gekko let out a long sigh as Wingman and Thrash returned to him.

“You did good, you two.” He patted his radivore friends.

He then felt a friendly but strong pat in his back.

“Nice fight, mate !” Phoenix smiled. “You could almost be a duelist.”

Jett joined them then smiled mischievously at him.

“So you were actually training during these private sessions !”

Gekko cleared his throat to hide his blush but Reyna quickly cupped his face to inspect it. 

“¿Estás herido?”

He shook his head and smiled to reassure her. 

“I’m fine.”

Just slightly exhausted. He trained with you before this mission, after all. His muscles were sore and he was tired of the cold. His teeth were chattering and his body started to shake a little. But he tried to look fine so as not to worry her. Reyna could be quite overprotective over him.

“You did good, Gekko.”

“Gracias mi reina.”

He enjoyed the warmth of her hands on his cheeks and let out a small sigh of delight. He still couldn't feel his feet but it was a nice beginning.

“Seems like you improved some of your skills.” The Mexican duelist smiled.

Gekko felt proud at her words, his eyes twinkling in pride. He definitely had to thank you for this.

“Well, I have the best professor. Training can sometimes be brutal but I always learn something new after a session.”

Reyna raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She was already aware —like the entirety of the protocol— of his feelings for you. At first, she was quite suspicious of you, ready to pounce if you ever had the idea of using him. But once she saw the care in your eyes, she relaxed fully.

Gekko slept during the entire flight like a log. His head leaned on Reyna’s shoulder, he snored softly, his body warming up slowly. For an instant, he dreamed about his fight with the mirror agent and couldn't help but feel some pride. He took the situation calmly like you trained him for and busied while Wingman took care of the spike. For the first time since he joined the protocol, he felt like he didn't necessarily need a gun to be useful on the field.

Once the VLR/T landed, Reyna woke him up. He jolted awake under her amused gaze and quickly got off the aircraft to join the training room. He immediately found you meditating on a yoga mat. Despite his exhaustion, there was an excited skip in his steps. He quietly closed the door behind him, took a yoga mat in the back of the room, placed it in front of yours and sat on it, his legs criss-crossed. Wingman sat down next to him.

“You did come back safe.” You said without opening your eyes. 

“Yep !” Gekko grinned. “And it’s all thanks to what you taught me.”

You slowly opened your eyes to look at him with a raised eyebrow. You then looked down to Wingman who waved friendly at you, nodded at him in return and looked back at Gekko.

“Care to develop ?”

He nodded excitedly and with animated hands movements (and Wingman to illustrate his words), proceeded to recount the events of his missions. Pride flooded from his voice and sparkles from his eyes. It was maybe another simple mission, another moment in the routine of being an agent of Valorant, but he felt like he surpassed himself. He rubbed his neck sheepishly after he finished his story, a proud smile on his lips.

“The student surpasses the master.” You chuckled softly. “Seems like you won't need my training anymore.”

Gekko’s smile immediately faded away at your words. He shook his head and leaned forward to catch your hand. He didn't want these private sessions to stop. These moments were way too precious for him to let them go.

“No !” He calmed down a little, noticing how his tone raised. “I mean…I’ll probably need more training. I mean, more training from you !”

Wingman nodded with energy beside him. You blinked, surprised by his sudden outburst.

“No worries. I planned to train you to fight with a knife at our next session.” You said as you patted Wingman’s head gently. “Plus, I enjoy your company anyway.”

Gekko looked at you with wide eyes. His hands subconsciously squeezed yours. Wingman’s eyes also widened in shock.

“If you enjoy my company, why do you always avoid me outside of this room ?”

You tilted your head slightly and looked at him as if the answer was obvious. “You’re always surrounded by others. I’m not really comfortable with too many people around. Even though they're close co-workers.”

“Friends.” 

You raised an eyebrow at his intervention. “What ?”

“You mean friends, right ?”

You stayed silent for a few seconds and Gekko wondered why you saw the other agents under such cold eyes.

“Maybe Iso, Deadlock.” You hummed. “And you, of course.”  

Gekko’s hand squeezed yours again. 

“What about the others ?”

“They’re colleagues—”

“But—”

“Gekko.” You interrupted him. “They are your friends. Not mine.”

Gekko let out a huff and caressed the back of your hand with his thumb.

“And you’re okay with that ?”

Your eyes squinted a little. “Gekko, you’re a social butterfly. Being surrounded by people gives you energy. In my case, it drains me. And while people of your kind sometimes fascinate me, yes, I’m okay with that. And I’m not sad about it.”

You gently pulled your hand off his and stood up.

“Could you try understanding that for me ?”

He clenched and unclenched his now empty hand and watched you stretching your arms.

“Isn’t it cold to call others ‘co-workers’, though ?”

You momentarily paused your movements to look down at him.

“How would you call people you work with without being emotionally close ?”

Gekko stood up and started to stretch with you. “Fair point.” 

You two (three, let’s not forget Wingman) kept stretching quietly for minutes. Gekko was thinking as he looked at you closely. Neon and Jett would call him desperate, Yoru and Phoenix a simp but he did not care. He was happy with the evolution of his relationship with you. It started with staring you dreamily from afar to stretch with you while sometimes exchanging simple words.

“I’d like to thank you.” He suddenly said.

“You don’t owe me anything.” You lowered your arms and started to stretch your back. “But I’m starting to know you. You’re stubborn and you’ll do it anyway.”

Gekko grinned widely, his eyes filled with joy. “Yep. That’s me. And I’d like to ask you on a date.”

You stopped your movements and raised an eyebrow. “A date ?”

“Yeah. As a thank for all the, you know, the training. For teaching me your techniques, your knowledge and all that. Even if that was goddamn painful at first.”

“And that's not painful anymore ?”

Gekko paused for a moment then nodded, chuckling softly.

“Okay.” He huffed. “It’s still goddamn painful. But still. I’d like to thank you.”

“With a date ?”

“With a date.” He nodded. “You enjoy my company, right ?”

“Are you sure you want a date with me as a ‘thank you’ ?”

A sudden blush dusted his cheeks but his smile remained.

“Let’s say it's one of the reasons.”

Wingman was watching the interaction with an entertained eye.

“And could you do me the honor of telling me another reason ?”

You stopped stretching to stand straight. Gekko did the same, his smile still present.

“I like you.”

“Well you’re a masochist.”

The laugh that bursts out of Gekko's mouth was booming and shaking his body, loud enough to reverberate against the wall of the room and probably make anyone passing by the door jump in surprise. You watched him calmly as his laugh slowly faded. Wingman tossed a bottle of water at you and you took a few gulps and thanked him.

“Masochist with a loose screw, I see.” You hummed.

“I’ll take it.” He snorted. “So, what do you say ? Will you go on a date with me ?”

You took a few other gulps of water, your eyes still on him. He waited for what seemed like long minutes. Was he being too bold ? He liked spending time with you but he only had the training sessions. A date would be the perfect occasion to know you better.

“Why not ?” You finally said. “But don’t go thinking I’ll be softer during your training.”

Wingman jumped and chirped in joy, making Gekko chuckle again.

“I'm counting on it !” He said with cheeky grin. “I’m a masochist, remember ?”

You snorted and exited the room. 

Gekko hadn’t felt this proud in a long time. First, the mission, now you accepting to go on a date with him. Even though he was certain his friends will tease him, nothing could stop the joy that filled him at the moment. His smile was wide, his pupil dilated. You noticed that, of course. The excitement he tried so hard to hide didn't go unnoticed. You were fine with it, though. You found Gekko fascinating. Predictable at some moment, but fascinating. His company was enjoyable and warm. 

However, the evolution of your relationship with Gekko will be far from predictable in your eyes, but so enjoyable.

I really don't know how to write an ending that could satisfy me. It's like a curse that I have: the beginning is easy but never the end.

At the beginning, my brain goes like 'DO IT' but at the end it goes like 'Nah'.

Anecdote : I've practiced several martial arts since I was a kid. It's like a thing with my mother and each one of her children. (“As long as I am your mother, you, my child, will never be a prey.”— my mom) And as a martial artist, I can tell you that a violent shock to your solar plexus is not only painful, but it also desactivate automatically your capacity to stand on your feet. Your body just goes 'nope !'. The first time I received a hit on the solar plexus, I almost choked on my mouth guard and hurt my leg during the fall 🥲. Did it discourage me from practicing ? Nope ! But it is still a very...special memory.

Thanks again for taking the time to read until the end. I wish you a nice day/night !

[aziraphales-library]

Hi there! First off, thank you so much for y’all’s work here on Tumblr, def one of my main sources of fic recs.

I read Summer’s End by FeralTuxedo a while ago (lovely rec) and am definitely back in my TLOU-apocalyptic-setting-with-a-moody-but-calm/nature-esk-atmosphere-and-character-centred-plot era again. I just genuinely enjoyed the specific atmosphere that the apocalyptic setting gives works. Anyway, that being said, I would love any recs that would fit that kind of vibe (I would prefer less smut since I skip over it but honestly as long as it isn’t specifically plot-relevant its fine lol also not TOO much angst please, I cant deal with Az or Crow actually dying or something like that unless it is done in a comforting way).

ps: on a more specific request, if y’all know of any GO fics inspired by TLOU I would greatly appreciate recs (look, Bill and Frank’s episode in the tv adaptation is screaming to be written as a fic with Az and Crow instead- Bill and Frank’s deaths are wht I mean by deaths done in a comforting way I suppose, haha).

Wow, this is a long request, so sorry. Thank you so much for reading, have a great day and happy new year!

Hello! Pretty sure we've recommended almost all of these before, but there aren't loads of this kind of fic (and I could find no The Last of Us specific fics)...

Dead Genres by A_plus_platypus (T)

The end is nigh when a zombie virus ravages the world. Luckily, there is hope yet in the form of pharmaceutical scientist Anthony "Just Crowley" Crowley. With his adopted younger brother Adam, his other three kids The Them, and English teacher Aziraphale Fell, he searches for the fated military base in Tadfield. There, they — along with the rest of the world — have a chance at survival. And also Crowley is a disaster, and Aziraphale is a disaster, and everyone needs a hot cup of tea.

what's to come by PepperPrints, restlesslikeme (M)

Post-Apocalyptic AU. Even without the Antichrist, both Heaven and Hell insist on Armageddon. Aziraphale is missing and Crowley sets out to find him, driving through a scorched Earth with a witch in his passenger seat.

is there anybody out there? by theycallmeDernhelm (E)

Welcome to the zombie apocalypse. England has been overrun by walking corpses, everything's gone to hell, and the few survivors are scattered- among them, Crowley and his 11-year-old son Warlock. When Crowley's radio signal is unexpectedly picked up by another group of survivors, he finds himself falling, in a way he never thought he'd fall again, for the charming and kindly Aziraphale. Over three seasons and a tenuous radio connection, a romance develops between them, while a friendship grows between Warlock and Aziraphale's nephew Adam. Love isn't dead (or undead) after all.

Ouroboros Forever and One by iblankedonmyname (T)

An AU where the Apocalypse-Definitely-Did, Aziraphale is a cowboy and Crowley is on a mission from God to reboot the universe. “God gave you, a demon, a mission?” Aziraphale snaps his glass onto the table. “Millions of angels at Her disposal, and yet…” His eyes are sparkling again. It’s more refreshing than a glass of tequila in a waterless land. “You?” His eyes slip from Crowley’s toes up to the top of his head. “Well, I am certainly surprised.”

Zombie Apocalypse by AppleSeeds (T)

When a meteor strikes Earth carrying a virus that can 'turn people into zombies', Aziraphale finds himself responsible for a group of frightened teenagers at an airbase-turned-hospital in Tadfield. Aziraphale is terrified, but experiences some relief when the teens introduce him to Crowley, who has a plan to get them all to safety. When things don't exactly go according to plan and with the zombies closing in, Aziraphale must face his fears in order to protect the children from becoming infected.

My Favorite Ghost by cassieoh_draws, DiminishingReturns (T)

Decades after the world didn’t end, Heaven and Hell got their war — and nearly destroyed everything in the process. When Aziraphale finally manages to reacquire a corporation and return to Earth, he discovers he was gone longer than he thought and the planet has become unrecognizable. As he searches for Crowley and tries to figure out how he fits in a world that Heaven, Hell, and God have all wiped their hands of, nature works around him to reclaim the bones of an old civilization as the scraps of humanity build a new one. A lush and optimistic post-apocalypse story, told from the POV of an immortal who can't let go of the past.

And the one you mentioned...

Summer's End by FeralTuxedo (E)

2095. Britain is a post-apocalyptic wasteland ravaged by droughts, the collapse of civilisation, and hordes of the undead. Despite that, Aziraphale’s life is actually pretty good. He has his caravan, his books, and his work, offering his services to the men who stop by Tadfield on their arduous journey north. One day, a mysterious stranger knocks on his door. Crowley is charming and handsome and he appears to know his way around a vegetable garden. He comes with the tempting offer of a mutually beneficial arrangement. But it’s in Aziraphale’s best interest not to get too attached. A dystopian cottagecore sex worker AU.

- Mod D

[scrubbinn]

Mimic HRT: month 23 “Alone with myself”

“This is a dumb idea. The day after Erian gives up with his mimic research, you decide to resort to the worst possible option. There's so many other options we could try.”

“Oh, so now you show up in my head. Of course you're only here to attack me. Why should I expect anything different? It's just magic. We're inexperienced but the book can guide us. If you want to help then you can stay, otherwise I don't want to hear a single thing out of you.”

“You can't call this magic. This is so much worse. Look, I'm here to make sure you're going to be ok, I'm here to talk when you need it.”

“Well I don't need to talk to anyone right now. So go away. I need to concentrate.”

“And what would she think?”

“Leave!”

“Ms.Mulberry, You’ve been in your office for a while now. Is everything alright? You seem to have locked the door, and barred it considering the master key is doing nothing. I understand if you’re having trouble with your panic attacks. It’s the only reason I gave you this place. I just need the recording on Mimic behavior. The full recording, not the edited draft this time.”

“Sorry Theo, I, uh, yeah I’m kind of busy at the moment. I left the recorder in your desk drawer, the one with all the candy. By the way, you know you’re not at that age where you can be so casual with your teeth, right? Maybe get that sweet tooth pulled instead? Anyway, I’ll be busy for a while so I could use some space.”

“Right… Well your unneeded chastising aside and your odd hiding of your recorders around my office, I’ll take a look. Please don’t take more than 15 minutes. We have several important clients coming in soon and I need you at the front desk on your best behavior.”

“What happened to Jacob?”

“He was fired after he screamed at a dragon walking into the clinic on three separate occasions. Look I would appreciate not having a conversation with a door, will you open up or not?”

“Busy right now, like I said. Just. Go away for now. Like an hour?”

“You have 10 minutes. Harumph. I will be in my own office with the door not barred and I will be listening to your findings, they better be worthwhile.”

* * *

“Mayday! Mayday!? You open this door this instant!!” Listen to me right now! I know you have that book from Thayer library in there! Do not use it! Mayday, you will not use that book or you’ll wish all that happened today is me breaking down this door!”

“Leave Theo, I’m not stopping now. There were no concrete answers anywhere until this book found its way to me. If science won’t show me my origins, then the only answer I have left is magic. Now be quiet. I need to make sure the ritual circle is perfect. I can’t afford to mess up a single line. You said you had some clients, right? Go tend to them, I’ll be fine.”

“You most certainly won’t be! This isn’t magic, Mayday! This is something far more dangerous! Not to mention it could cause the ethics board to take away my license if they found out something like this happened here! I'm calling the fire department, I'll be taking the damages out of your paycheck!”

“Of course that’s what you’re worried about. Now hush already… The protection circle goes here, I think there’s just enough salt to finish the rest of these sigils…”

“Why are you even doing this here of all places!? Do you seriously just want to get me in trouble when this childish impatience blows up in your face? 

Wait. Why are you doing this here? This is the only place where I could interfere with you… You’re worried what she’d say if she knew what you were doing. It’s easier for me to hate you, isn’t it.”

“...Don’t bring up Abigail. She wouldn't get it. Neither of you would. It's so clear you've hit a dead end. You just found some random substances in your office and decided that, in your oh so infinite wisdom, this, this right here. This is what should go in a person's medicine. I'd ask what you'd have done if it didn't kill me, but I've actually seen how many people have nearly choked on your experiments. It's your fault I'm a mimic, I never asked for this. I wanted to be a slime! I still do. Now I'm this thing that can only fake it. I was so close, I was so, so close. And now it's gone forever. I am the only mimic in existence. I am alone, and I can't convey to anyone how scared that makes me.”

“You're worried Ms.Abigail could talk you out of this, aren't you.”

“The ritual is nearly complete. Please leave the building, Theo. I can't call you a friend, but you're like the definition of Stockholm syndrome. I don't want to see you hurt.”

“You open this door this instant you little ungrateful stain of a-

“Theo?... He's… gone? Oh the summoning circle! Ok everything looks fine. Protection ring, spell ring, candles.. have blown out. It's pitch black outside. I think I should close the blinds. Though I doubt it'll stop whatever's out there from getting in. Ok, focus, you're in this deep, what's a few more miles. All you need to do is read the next part. Heh, hehehahaha! I… why can’t I read these words? It's my nerves, I’ll bet. I don’t want to think if it could be something else. Let’s just get this over with, read the passage, figure out the rest later. Iɟ I ʍɐᴉʇ ʇoo louƃ I pou,ʇ ʞuoʍ ʍɥɐʇ ʍᴉll ɥɐddǝu…

I think my reality is starting to break. Oʞ lǝʇ,s qǝƃᴉu.”

“HⱯⱯⱯꓵ ҼODOʁHꓕ IⱯ,Է BEҼ,Γ-EE,H HꓕOHꓕOƧ-ҼO⅄ 'HⱯҼИ,ҼИ,IⱯ,⅄!”

“Are you there?”

…

“Oh, oh stars it worked. Hello… I am Mayday Mulberry. I've summoned you to-

…

“Of course, how rude of me. Then does that mean you know? You know what I am, and where mimics come from?” I beg of you to impart this knowledge onto me. I must know my kind and their history. Are there others out there like me?”

…

“I… I'm sorry for summoning you, but I had no other choice. I- what do you mean I'm stagnant? No, I'm still changing, I’m a mimic! We’re the definition of changing.”

…

“I. I don't believe you! You're wrong! Just shut up! Just tell me what I want to know! I summoned you! I'm the one in control here!”

…You are an insect, a being, trying at something it is not. You who expect mere shapes to impress and salt to keep you safe. You fumble in ignorance. You crave the isolation that you fear so much. If you wish for knowledge, You will have knowledge. This stagnant thing before me. It pretends to change in vain displays of approval. Revolting.

… ..! …….!!

You will not speak. This ingredient you wish to know. This thing that makes you mimic. It is nothing. The entirety of nothing. The concept to not exist, so that you may be anything. You should not be physical, but only existing blissfully as the thoughts of others pass through you. And forget you. Mortals think, and you mimic. You are the accident of yourself. A concept that formed its own existence. The byproduct of which was found by a paradoxically curiously incurious mortal who knows its place in the cosmic scale. Unlike you, stagnant thing. I will teach you. You will mimic.

* * *

Where am I? I can’t speak. I can’t see. I can barely keep a single thought, it disappears

       the second I stop thinking about it. There’s no sensation. Am I dead? Could I even be considered dead? Self, think of a self and try to form an idea and then it will work. I need arms, I don’t have arms. Can I form an arms? Wait… what is an arms? I don’t remember. Legs? No, I've never heard of those. What’s a self? No, I know what a self is because I am a self. I think… hard to think.   How do you think again? Can you do that in this reality?

Mɥɐʇ ǝʌǝu ᴉs ɹǝɐlᴉʇʎ ɐuʎɯoɹǝ?

I I w I

t s i

l c

f t l a

e h n

e i I t

l s

s s r

l e e

s i e m

o v e

i t m

s n h b

t g e e

r ? m r

a

n a h

g g e

e a r

i

Ah n n

did I  a

just melt m

into myself? e

Do I still have a 

self? I can’t even 

remember anything 

about myself. I am a 

mimic. My name is. Oh, 

I don’t know it anymore… 

I think that would be scary, 

but I don’t know how to be 

scared anymore. Was this 

supposed to teach me? To 

be ever changing. Why did 

I do this again? To learn who 

I am? Did I not have a self 

before? Why did I need to 

know?... I was lonely. Right?

It was so lonely. 

I remember being 

so incredibly tired. 

Sometimes I would 

just cry from how 

bad it got. I had to 

be seen. To be 

known. I had to 

be. Or else I. Or 

else I… I don’t 

remember. 

What shape am I 

now? Something 

called a knife? 

What is that?

I was just something wasn’t I? I was a past memory. I don’t remember it anymore. It wasn’t a good one. Should I forget it? But if I do then I won't remember anything ever again. Eternity with a bad memory. It feels fitting for some reason. I should figure a way out. I want to leave.

Every thought takes so long to form.

If I stay here any longer I won’t be able to leave. I need to think. I was talking with someone before I came here. I know they’re here because they've always been here. Because where else could they be? Because… where are you?

There you are! Here I am. 

Who are you? I'm you!

Can you please explain? I’m someone to talk to.

I see. Like an imaginary friend? No, I’m very much real.

Could we talk normally? Yes we can, and it’s no problem.

I’m… Mayday, being able to talk with someone helps focus my mind. I feel like I can actually think straight. How long has it been since we came here?

I think it’s been about… 20 years? I have zero frame of reference. But at least we can finally communicate easily. Imagine if it took us 20 years in the real world. That would suck! But seriously, we really should talk now. I think it’ll be important. Oh right, where are my manners. My name is. Well. Mayday doesn’t really work for me. We can figure out a different one later. Let’s just pick something at random for now. Something like, how about laborer?

Are you sure you want to go with a name like that? Well I guess it’s temporary. So I have a lot of questions. How are you me? Are you the voice in my head? Were you always a part of me, or are you some mimic brain thing?

Woah, Woah, slow down. One thing at a time. How do I answer everything? No, I've been in here long before you. Yes I'm the one who's been able to talk to you, and before you ask, I'm not some ghost of Mayday's former self. I'm just… Someone who works here.

Cryptic. Maybe you should start from the beginning? I'd rather not test if Getting a headache without a head is possible.

Really? You want to start a self therapy session out here in the void? Alright. I’m game. Well you spent the last decade here feeling isolated. I’m sure it felt longer, that’s what happens when you get trapped in a place without time, I guess. Anyways, you don’t remember, but I used to be you. Before we even knew who we actually were, and that was the problem. We didn’t know what was wrong with us, but we knew we weren’t, ugh, normal. Normal in boring people’s eyes. But, it was isolating, we removed ourself from people who didn’t understand, and it isolated us even more.

So you’re saying I went crazy because we never connected to anyone? Why are you only showing up now anyways?

First of all, we’re not crazy. I’d bite anyone who’d call us crazy for that. Secondly, I've only been able to reach you since you started feeling like your true self.

Pretty sure I screwed that up becoming a mimic instead of a slime.

Oh, no, I wanted to be a slime, you were the one who wanted to be a mimic.

Huh? I guess I didn't hate being a mimic exactly. So all this happened because I, er, we felt isolated. Is that really true?

  Loneliness is more traumatic than you’d think. When it was just me, it got to the point that… I couldn’t think of anything else but… no, don't worry about it. Since you stopped me before I could do something stupid, you took over, and you started talking to people. It helped, it got us to where we met others like us.

But it didn’t help. I still feel lonely. I can feel it, you know. There’s other mimics around us here. They’re all here and I still feel lonely.

Yeah, dummy. We don’t know how to feel any other way. We need to unlearn it. Otherwise nothing is going to change.

… Hey um, laborer, ugh awful name. We'll pick something better, I wanted to say I'm sorry, for getting us stuck here for all eternity. I was supposed to be the one who stopped us from feeling this way and I ended up digging us into a deeper hole, at least we have each other, and the trillions of mimics that surround us.

You did your best. Hey, let's try doing something. Look down. You can see Erian right? This is him two years ago. We’re mimicking his thoughts right now. I think normally we would just munch on his stray thoughts. But being physical we could do something fun with what’s left of our body. Check it out.

What did you just do? Did you just. We're the one who left that ingredient for Erian to use. So we created ourself on accident. Oh stars, the ingredient was our own decayed body, I think I'm going to be sick. Wait, isn't this like a time paradox?

Paradoxes aren't real, humans just haven't figured out the physics of time yet. This is a teachable moment. We're going to get out of here. We're going to find a tear in the void and walk out of it. Since time doesn't exist, our perception of it becomes reality. A century becomes a blink, we just need to find the point where we escape to the correct time and go there.

I understood basically none of it but you’re saying we can go back, right? Then I’ll try whatever nonsense you tell me. Hey laborer, will we be able to talk when we get back? Laborer? Hey! Are you there?!

“Ms.Mulberry? Mayday! Mayday! Are you finally awake? Mayday, can you hear me?!”

Theo? H-how long was I gone?

“Mayday! You have so much to answer for! Pull yourself together already!”

Huh? Can he not hear me? Oh, right, I forgot how to make a mouth. No, that’s not a mouth, that's just teeth. Teeth and eyes. Is that all I can remember? No… Teeth, eyes, and knowing, I just know. I know what he’s saying, that he knows what I am, and he doesn’t understand. It felt like it was years. No wonder I can’t remember how to move a body.

All of my memories are flooding back… Except the old ones. I don’t remember my time there. Just that it was horrific, and that I’ll miss it. I was connected to my kind for just a brief moment of eternity. I think I met someone there, and I wanted to say goodbye to everyone before I disappeared. I don’t think I’ll ever get back now. What do I even do? Therapy I guess. Oh, Erian is still talking. Maybe it’s important.

“I swear, you just do things with no regard! You could have seriously endangered my life, and the livelihood of everyone who comes to this clinic! Do you ever think about others? You better have a good explanation, and more importantly answers to our research if you ever want the chance of me forgiving you. You arrogant, ignorant, self-obsessed, blah, blah blah blah…”

Yep. Nothing important. Whatever. Stars, I’m bored. I want to hang out with Aria again, I want to see how Sandy is doing, I want to make sure Alexis is ok, I want to be able to hold Abi again. Maybe I should host a party. It’d be nice to be around others.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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[honeyjars-sims]

3.18 Forward Momentum

Chantal had invited Johnny to go to the gym with her, which both of them were starting to regret. She’d dragged him to every machine in the building and he had a complaint about all of them.

The treadmill gave him motion sickness. The stationary bike “makes me feel like I’m cycling towards nothing.” Now he was sitting on the workout machine scrolling on his phone.

“If you’re not going to work out, then get off the machine,” Chantal complained.

“Great idea!” Johnny stood up and started walking off.

“Wait!” Chantal shouted. “I thought you were trying to be more active?”

“I am, but the gym is boring. I can’t just stay in one spot. I need movement!”

“You don’t seem to mind being still when you’re looking at your phone.”

“That’s different. Anyway, there are other ways to be active other than the gym, you know.”

“I was just trying to help.”

“I know, and I appreciate it," Johnny said apologetically. "It’s just not for me.”

“That’s fair. Thanks for giving it a try. How are things at home?”

Johnny sighed. Things were better, he supposed. His dads seemed pleased with how well he was performing at his job. He’d been too tired to go out to the club, and the idea didn’t seem particularly appealing these days anyway.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. No one was arguing anymore, but were they actually happy?

“It’s ok,” he told her. “I got Taco a laser pointer and she’s obsessed. She tries so hard to catch it. It's so cute."

“You and that cat!” Chantal grinned. “I’m glad you have her. I hope you’re making actual human friends, though.”

“I am,” Johnny assured her. “Everyone at work is really nice.”

“I’m sure they are, but you should hang out with people outside of work hours, too. Even if it’s your coworkers. It’ll be good for you, I think.”

“Probably. I’ll think about it,” he promised. “There are a lot of cute girls there."

Chantal groaned. "Trust me, you don't want to get involved with someone you work with! Are you even ready to date right now?"

Johnny shrugged. "I didn't say anything about dating, I was just making an observation. But if I make some new friends and it ends up leading to something more, I'm cool with that. Anyway, what's up with you? Are you still hanging out with Kayla?”

“Yeah. Not as much since school started back, though.”

“Is school going okay?”

“I guess so. Do you regret dropping out? I mean, you found a pretty good job without it.”

Johnny felt a bit of a pang at the question. Maybe he didn't need university to be successful, but the memory of the people he’d met there and how he quit so abruptly still pained him. “Sometimes. But I wasn’t really in a good frame of mind when I did it.”

“I guess that’s right. I just keep wondering if I really need a degree to achieve my dreams.”

“Sounds like you and Cece are in the same boat. Imagine our dads reactions if all three of their kids drop out of school!”

“Maybe we’ll all get rich and we can pay them back.”

“I think the endorphins are getting to your head.”

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

Author's note: The next post will be written in first person from Johnny's perspective! Something I'm trying out.

[devildom-moss]

Could you write some domestic fluff headcanons for Solomon x GN!MC like you did with Lucifer?

Thanks in advance!

I got you. I feel like I bully this man so much in my posts, so it was nice to spend three full pages just affectionately thinking about Solomon. I adore him so much. I kind of set these in Nightbringer times just for the purpose of MC actually living with Solomon, but I didn't really touch on anything too specific to that era - because I probably could have gone on way longer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Domestic fluff headcanons (Solomon)

(Solomon x gn!MC)

Word Count: +1800

Solomon adores spending time with you, but he also likes having a separate room. Solomon is used to being alone, and he appreciates time to himself. The man loves his space, but that makes it even more special to him when he shares a bed with you. Solomon can’t always express how happy he is to have you there. In his mind, it was always okay that he was alone so often in his younger years. Somehow, he often “forgets” (suppresses) that there were long periods of his life where he wasn’t just alone – he was lonely. Being with you makes him wonder if maybe he can avoid that desperate, painful loneliness for the rest of his life.

This man has had a long, kind of rough life. Sometimes that means nightmares or ruminating on his past late into the night (on top of any day-to-day stressors). When he can overcome his embarrassment about you seeing him in a vulnerable or fragile state (because some nights he can’t), he will ask to crawl into your bed. If you aren’t awake, he’ll either sleep on a chair in your room or on the floor – at least until you inevitably tell him that it’s fine to sleep in your bed if you’re already asleep. No matter how difficult the night is, Solomon feels a noticeable amount of relief when he wakes up to your voice or your touch – even more so when he wakes up in your arms.

Solomon is pretty good about knocking before entering your room, but that’s only because he requests the same from you. He’s not an innocent man, and he would be mortified if you just walked in on him during something he had intended to be private.

Solomon will not go to bed if he expects you home and you haven’t arrived yet. He worries about you so much, and no matter how much he teaches you, he’s started to realize that he’ll always be protective of you. He’ll text early on in your lateness, but if you don’t respond to his texts and no one has eyes on you, he’ll call after an hour or so. If there’s no response after that, he’ll go through his magical options to get in contact with you. Please don’t let your D.D.D. die, basically.

I imagine MC’s phone dying during a party and them not noticing until after they were already outside the club. You wanted to text Solomon and let him know that you were heading home, but your phone was dead, and Mammon and Asmo were still inside. It was a nice night, and it was only a half hour walk home. You’d be fine. When you walked through the door, Solomon gave Asmo a quick “they just came home,” before he walked up to you and pulled you into his arms. You didn’t get a long look at his eyes, but the mixture of relief and fear they held simultaneously was evident. Solomon couldn’t let go of you the rest of the night. He even joined you in the shower.

Solomon takes so much pride in telling people that he has to leave or head home because “Mc is waiting for me.” He knows the others must be so jealous that he gets to return home to you and that he’s the person you return home to. However, he feels so guilty when you actually are waiting for him. He hates to leave his adorable apprentice waiting. You’d think that guilt would make him do that less, but he’s busy and a bit forgetful, so it happens more often than he wants it to.

He understands if you don’t or can’t wait up for him when he’s home late, and he doesn’t resent you for it. However, especially if he thinks you took special care to plan out a romantic night or if you are really nice (saving his food so it’s easy to reheat whenever he gets home and leaving a cute cat post-it note complete with a sweet message and a little heart on top, chilling a bottle of demonus for him, tidying up his desk that he left a mess – even by his standards – earlier that morning, running him a magic bath that will stay warm all night, or leaving a bouquet of flowers in a vase on his bedstand), he will be so grumpy the following day. Don’t get me wrong, he appreciates you, and he’s so happy, but he’s mad at himself and anyone who made him late. He’ll at least do his best to smile around you and thank you for being the best human to exist. To distract you from his grumpiness, he will kiss you a lot that day: soft, tender kisses where his lips linger on your skin; affectionately trailing his lips over your neck between whispered words; and even possessive, hungry kisses – especially in front of someone else who he blames for him being out so late.

The only thing you let Solomon make without complaint are drinks – which are close enough to potions that they somehow don’t kill you. He’ll make you coffee, cocktails, and tea. (Starbucks who?) I can’t explain why, but I feel like Solomon cannot make you a bowl of tomato soup that won’t hurt your intestines, but he can make you a delicious honey vanilla lavender frappe or a muddled blueberry vodka lemonade. Something about the actual cooking food bit just makes that sick, pretty head of his just think “yeah, I should improvise this badly.” Your smile is infectious when you enjoy a drink that he’s made for you.

Unfortunately, despite your pleas for him to not cook, Solomon still does it. Even worse, he blows up the kitchen or creates unimaginable messes every few months. He knows he’s not allowed to cook because according to you, his food is “inedible,” and “a biohazard unfit for consumption.” But he wants to get better until you can finally trust his food, so he has to practice. One day, he wants to make food that you want to eat, which is why he keeps offering you his culinary abominations. He’s not there yet.

When you have a bad day, Solomon will hold you, offer to cook you dinner and get rejected, and ask how he can help you feel better. If you want a distraction, he’ll have a game, movie, or show ready for you in a minute. He’ll order food in or take you out to eat. Anything you want, he’ll do his best to give it to you.

When Solomon has a bad day, he will return home and immediately find you so he can bury himself in your arms. If you are working at a desk, he will worm his way onto your lap and just nuzzle against your chest or neck. He’ll try not to disturb you, but once you’re done, he would appreciate your undivided attention.

This man loves being held so much. If it’s just you and him, he’ll occasionally do the grabby hands thing with his arms outstretched, waiting for you to hug him.

Also, we’re going to address the manspreading. This dude – this absolute bro – does not stop doing that around you, either. If you want to sit, you have two options: either you sit between his legs, or you teach him a damn lesson about keeping his legs open (by straddling his lap and forcing his legs together with your thighs). Both of those are just going to encourage him to continue, but at least you get to sit and fluster him slightly the first few times.

Solomon’s erratic sleep schedule means that, some days, he’s heading to bed when you’re getting up – sometimes vice versa if you’re playing it a little fast and loose yourself. On those days he likes to give you a kiss good morning/night before either of you finally go to sleep. If your schedules can’t align, he’s going to squeeze out whatever affection he can get from you.

Sometimes he wakes up before you and wants to get you up. He either can’t bring himself to wake you because you look so cute, or if he can, he does it with such a gentle touch. That sweet voice will call out your name, and his fingers will graze your face or arm in soft, slow motions. If only he could save this image of you for his eyes only.

Solomon tests out his love magic on you in the privacy of your home. He also uses you to practice his seductive speechcraft. The fact that no one else can walk in on the two of you is a big plus. As much as he adores experimenting on you and seducing you, there are times when he can’t stand the idea of anyone else seeing your flustered face. Also, if his love magic goes wrong, he doesn’t want anyone else to be around. Who knows what could happen.

I feel like Solomon keeps a stock of MC’s favorite snacks in the house. He does this with scented candles and soap, too.

Solomon will keep the house cool – or at least his room. If for some reason, you have a problem with it, he will – in typical flirty sorcerer fashion – offer to warm you up. If it seems to be a consistent issue in his room, he will buy a sweater or cardigan specifically for you to wear in there. He will not be made to be warm in his own room – but he’ll be damned if you’re uncomfortable.

MC covers Solomon with blankets or their jacket when he falls asleep on the couch. They will wake him or just carry him to bed if he falls asleep at his desk so that he doesn’t wake up sore. He’s so old – his muscles and joints aren’t what they used to be. He always leans into your touch in his sleep.

This is self-indulgent and related to an MC from one of my Asmo stories, but MC gave Solomon an oversized GILF (gosh I love frogs) shirt, and he sleeps in it a lot. He gets super embarrassed if anyone else sees him in it. It’s one of the few things you gave him that he won’t show off until everyone understands how NB (Nightbringer – not non-binary, but I mean?) Barbatos feels.

Solomon loves singing along or dancing to human world music with you. It’s something that feels special between the two of you. There’s something so lighthearted and sweet about those moments; Solomon can’t feel the weight of his sins when you’re smiling through a song and swaying to the music. He’ll get especially giddy if you sing love songs to him.

Genuinely, Solomon is so happy to live with you, and he’ll try to express that often. I don’t know if he could get through a day without telling you he loves you. To him, you are his home now. When you’re gone, he starts to feel lost. Wherever he goes, whatever happens, he wants to return to you every time in every world on every timeline.

[queer-ragnelle]

tristan/isolde/palomides your MIND

LISTEN I have so many thoughts about them!! It’s an actual tragedy that they’ve never inhabited a movie together. I first noticed them in Le Morte d'Arthur, as I'm sure most people did, as it's more accessible than the Prose Tristan. But I didn't really appreciate them until after I read Between Knights: Triangular Desire and Sir Palomides by Oldga Burakov Mongan. In this essay, Mongan claims:

Very often the bond between the desiring subject [Palomides] and his beloved [Isolde] is peripheral, subordinate in its intensity, to the subject's relationship with his male 'mediator of desire' [Tristan].

This essay breaks down many of the encounters between these three in Le Morte and demonstrates how interconnected they truly are. Speaking for myself, I prefer La Tavola Ritonda instead. I'm not quite done scanning that, but it will be on my blog ASAP.

In the mean time, it has one of my favorite Palomides introductions ever.

There entered on the side of the King of Scozia a knight who bore all black insignia, and who was called Palamidesso the Pagan, a son of King Scalabrino. This Palamidesso carried two swords by his side as a signal that no knight had ever made him bend over the saddlebow.

Duel wielding? Bend over the saddlebow, you say? Interesting. Palomides goes on to win this tournament! After that he follows his lord to another castle where he first sees Isolde, falls in love with her, and begins a hateful staring contest with Tristan (literally). It's here that they battle for the first time...

As Tristano looked over the field, he saw that Sir Palamidesso was leaving, and called out to him, "Hallo, knight, guard yourself against me! I am the knight you met at King Languis' court, and it seems now that I am the worthier of the love of Isotta the Blonde!" Bold Palamidesso, hearing those words, turned his horse's head around and, drawing his sword, gave Tristano such blows on his helmet that he bent him over the saddlebow. But Tristano hit back, and hit Palamidesso so hard on his helmet that he made blood gush out of his mouth and nose, and knocked him off his horse so badly wounded that for a long time he was unconscious. Thus Palamidesso lost the prize, and lost also the right to wear two swords.

Compelling word choice throughout this. Anyway as per usual they continue to squabble until eventually settling their differences and becoming friends (in part thanks to Lancelot who apparently rents out his castle for polyamorous hookups).

"When I was jousting with Sir Lancilotto the other day, he said to me, 'Now, Palamidesso, Gioiosa Guardia is worth more than any other place in the world, for it holds a noble treasure.' Therefore I imagine that this treasure is Sir Tristan and the beautiful Isotta, because those two are the ones who excel all others in the world in beauty, prowess, and courtesy." When he heard these words, Tristano allowed Palamidesso to remount and then let his lance fall, since Palamidesso had broken his. Then he spoke in this way: "Palamidesso, Palamidesso, here is this Tristano you have been searching for. Come and fight me, if you want to. If not, I am willing to stop because of those words you spoke. I am your enemy, but I am ready to make peace with you. Still, if it would please you to fight, I am ready to do battle with you. You may choose whichever pleases and delights you most." Palamidesso replied, "Surely, Tristano, the man who could have you for a friend would be foolish to want you for an enemy, Therefore I ask that there be peace and good friendship between us."

Nobody tell Palomides that Lancelot was almost certainly referring to Guinevere and not Tristan or Isolde. But their truce culminates in everyone joining back up at Cuck Castle Joyous Guard.

The knights then rode in that direction, and when they arrived at the main palace they found the lady, Queen Isotta, all happy and joyous, attended by ladies and maidens. When Tristano told her how he and Palamidesso had made peace, she was very glad of it, and welcomed the knights with much honor. Then the tables were set out, and they all sat down to eat.

Much later, King Arthur hosts a joust in which all participants are to bring a lady. So, now that everyone are friends, Isolde is brought along with a retinue of knights, including Tristan and Palomides. They wear her colors and fight on "her" side against Arthur, Lancelot, and their kinsmen on Guinevere's "side." Polyamory enjoyers, this text is for us. Anyway the only portion of that I'll include is this sweet passage which really illustrates that the friendship in this little group is genuine. They're all affectionate after the truce and everyone is having a great time.

When Isotta had returned to the pavilion, the tables were set out and food was prepared, and when water had been brought out for their hands, they sat down to eat. As they ate, Gariette looked out and saw Palamidesso going by looking for them, and pointed him out to Sir Tristano. Tristano got up and went to meet him, taking him by the hand and leading him into the pavilion, where he disarmed and sat at the table. They all passed that night in great joy.

After this, they all live happily ever after, and nothing bad happens. :'^) I'll have La Tavola Ritonda done soon, and then you all can enjoy it too. I promise it's worth getting used to the Italian names, it's so fun! Thanks for the ask!

[powerfulscribbles]

In Need of Aid - A G/t Elden Ring fic (3)

Prologue | Chp. 1 | Chp. 2 | Chp. 3 | Chp. 4

Chapter 3: Floral Scent

->Read the chapter on ao3 (registered users)<-

Chapter summary: Varré relives a very sweet moment, before learning the news and dealing with the aftermath of the invasion.

Warnings: swearing, fearplay, some slight creepiness.

This story contains g/t stuff, so if that's not your thing it's in your best interest to click away! Thank thee kindly~

Words: 6k~

~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~

~Limgrave, First Step site of grace. 1 day and 16 hours before the meeting.~

“A gift? For me?”

“Yes! All yours! Please accept it!” the Tarnished woman cheered, offering him a small bouquet.

It was finely garnished with various types of flowers. Golden lilies, Erdleaf flowers and some slightly wilted sunflowers, held together by a bunch of evergreen leaves at the base.

Those flowers…

“I thought you might appreciate these!”

“But…”

“Mh? What’s wrong? You don’t like them?”

“Oh I do actually, I’m… very flattered, thank you. But… why would you hand me such a present? I… I haven’t done anything remarkable or noteworthy” the surgeon said.

“Heh, nonsense. You had the patience of explaining how the guidance of grace works, and then you gave me directions, pointing me right to Stormveil’s Castle, to Godrick. Actually, you even mentioned his new trick up his sleeve! So when I went to fight him I was more prepared, and now he’s no more!” Valyssa said, smiling brightly.

“You did it? Oh, my sincerest congratulations! I always knew you would succeed.”

“Heh, thank you, you’re too kind” she said, looking down bashfully.

“I only speak the truth. Although decrepit as he was, taking down old Godrick must not have been an easy feat.”

“Yeah it wasn’t. Dodging his big axe attacks was quite the challenge, and the dragon head was a whole problem on its own. But as you can see, this is his Great Rune!” she continued, retrieving from her bag a big, greyish rune made out of a golden circle, with three ellipses that met each other in the middle.

“I still need to restore its power at the Divine Tower, but here it is! In all its glory! And it’s all thanks to you!”

“Me? Oh no no, I appreciate the sentiment, but you did all the work. I merely provided the basic information so you would triumph in your deed.”

“Still, isn’t it something I should be grateful for?”

“What do you mean by that?” Varré asked, inquiring.

“What I’m saying is, I don’t think I should take everything for granted. I’ve arrived here in the Lands Between just a few weeks ago, and even though I don’t remember much from my past, it’s obvious that here things aren’t too different. Although there are some kind people who are willing to help, there are also selfish, greedy folks who don’t want anything to do with you or just don’t care.”

She sighed, her jade green eyes looking down.

“That’s why I think we should appreciate and cherish each positive moment, since we don’t see them very often.”

A pause. So they could both reflect.

“…Yes. I suppose we should” Varré admitted, clutching to the gifted bouquet he’d just received.

“Very beautiful flowers. You have good taste.”

And it’s peculiars that, of all flowers, you have instinctively picked these lilies in particular.

“Now you’re the one doing the flattering, haha” she laughed. “I hope they’re not poisonous by the way. I thought they looked pretty and decided to craft a small bouquet out of them.”

The surgeon chuckled.

“Oh absolutely not! They’re safe to be plucked, even though they happen to be very uncommon to find. How did you come across them? I haven’t seen any in such a long while.”

“Uh… I think I found them in the inner side of a church, here in Limgrave? Like, it’s that one church in Mistwood, near Caelid.”

“Ah yes, that would be the Third Church of Marika, to the east. And it’s there you gathered the lilies?”

“Yep, they were right underneath Queen Marika’s statue, if I recall correctly.”

Hm, I can see that.

“Anyway, if they’re so rare that’s one more reason to keep them, right?” she chirped, smiling from ear to ear.

Thump-thump.

So sweet.

“You are right, in fact I’ll hold onto the bouquet. I can’t say no to such a wonderful gift, crafted with so much care, nor I can thank you enough for it”

“Oh it’s nothing!” she said softly.

“Changing the subject, there is something I wanted to ask. Have you had the chance to have an audience the Two Fingers, in the inner chamber of the Roundtable Hold?”

“Not yet unfortunately, but I’ll be seeing them shortly.”

“Good idea. Having acquired a Great Rune, you’re now a true member of the Roundtable Hold. Thus, the doors to the inner chamber must have opened, so they can receive you at any time.”

“Oh I see. Mmmmm, maybe I shouldn’t leave them waiting, then” she decided.

“A wise choice. And after your audience, come and pay me a visit again. I might not be here by the time you arrive, so I’ll leave a message for you in that case. Would that be alright with you?”

“Yeah, sounds good. I feel like we’re going to discuss about a lot of things, the next time we’re seeing each other.”

Oh, you have no idea.  

“Well then, see you soon! Bye!” she waved at him happily.

“Be well. Until next time.”

She smiled wider and approached the nearby site of grace, focusing her hand on the it before disappearing in rays of golden light.

The surgeon watched her leave, before bringing the flowers to his chest.

Nobody had ever given him a bouquet. Even better, these golden lilies, belonging to the Luminary’s consort, were no mere coincidence.

A promising sign. Divine, even.

He moved the flowers closer to his face, so he could smell their delicate scent.

… I look forward to see you again.  

~Liurnia of the Lakes, Rose Church. 3 hours past the meeting time.~

She’s not coming…?

Was he wrong? Did he… misinterpret her actions?

Her words?

The white mask could easily remember just how joyful she was the last time he had seen her… Had something changed?

His heart ached in sorrow and worry.

Hopefully not…

“Varré?” a feminine voice called out to him, dragging him out of his internal doubts.

A woman wearing a drake knight armor had approached him. Her cape crafted with a dragon wing membrane fluttered gently in the cool breeze of the damp region.

“Violet Finger Eleonora? What brings you here? Is something the matter?” the white mask asked, surprised.

“Yes, actually. Something requiring your attention. Word is spreading in the dynasty, that a Bloody Finger invaded a Tarnished without requesting it to a superior beforehand, only a few hours past.”

The surgeon sighed softly, attempting to keep his serious demeanor.

“…That isn’t too surprising unfortunately, it’s already happened before. I’ll make sure to deal with them after journeying back to the dynasty. I’m waiting for an important disciple at this very moment.”

“Is this disciple, by any chance, a woman that rides around on a spectral steed? Wearing a vagabond knight’s armor, usually armed with a greatsword?”

“Precisely. Have you met her before?”

“I haven’t, actually. But she perfectly fits the description provided by that Bloody Finger.”

Eleonora couldn’t notice it, but Varré’s heart skipped a beat.

“What you’re saying is… She’s the Tarnished that fell target of such invasion.”

She nodded somberly. “Correct.”

The surgeon’s mouth felt dry, all of a sudden. If the mask could keep his expression a secret, the pale golden eyes betrayed his deep concern and pain.

“…Who was it? Do you know who committed the violation?”

“I do. Nerijus slipped up when he came directly to me, to inform me the Hunter Yura still lurks around. He was defeated by him, from what it looks like.”

That fool Nerijus… What… What did he think he was doing?

Varré did his best to keep his composure.

“Even though Yura must be getting on years now, he’s still the capable swordsman he’s always been. And here I thought he had retired.”

“We all did. But if Nerijus is telling the truth, we have quite the situation on our hands. First your Tarnished, then him, as a Bloody Finger Hunter” Eleonora explained.

“I’ll see to both of these matters.”

“… And if he proves himself to be a more serious threat than expected, do not hesitate to request assistance. I know how hard it’s going to be, for you” the surgeon reassured her.

“Worry not.” She placed her hand on her poleblade. “I will not falter.”

“As you wish. I trust in your skills. You will do a fine job, if he ever comes looking for you.”

The woman nodded, almost coldly.

“We shall head back to the dynasty now, and solve this madness” Varré said, before bowing reverently to her.

“I thank you deeply for the report, Eleonora. You’re a Violet Finger worthy of its name” the man praised her.

“Just doing my job. When someone else clearly misbehaved.”

~°~

“You have quite the explanations to do. And I hope you had good reasons to go behind the interests of the dynasty, which I believe you do not.”

The Bloody Finger Nerijus sat before the Varré in the latter’s study. He had removed his black, embroidered hood and now the big red trident was very visible on his annoyed face. The surgeon merely welcomed him at his desk with a stern look, while two Sanguine Nobles stayed by the door behind the guilty man. A third instead remained by Varré’s side.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, you don’t? Is going behind your superiors’ back that much of a habit, to you?”

“And not only that, of all Tarnished, you simply had to go after her? The number one pawn that could even pose a threat to the whole dynasty, if not our mighty Luminary?”

“I… I wanted a real challenge. I didn’t think I would beat her so easily!”

“But why risking the odds at all, when there are other strong Tarnished that have nothing to do with the dynasty?”

“None but her has taken on a demigod, and succeeded” Nerijus specified.

“Yes, but that’s precisely why we need her allegiance in the first place! To assure her a place under the Luminary’s guidance and love. Attacking her was nothing but pointless and counterproductive on your part.”

The Bloody Finger grumbled, refusing to meet the other man’s gaze.

“Well then, fine, I got carried away. I should’ve consulted with someone of a higher rank beforehand. I’m in the wrong. Are you happy now?”

Varré’s lips tightened in a thin line behind his mask. “Watch your tongue, Nerijus. And behave. I now need more information about the invasion.”

The surgeon opened a drawer from his desk, taking out a small vial of ink and a quill, along with a register. It contained various files about different Bloody Fingers. When he found his, he cleared his throat.

“Tell me where you fought her, how it went, and the weapons and tools you have utilized.”

Another snort from the grey-skinned man.

“Fine. I invaded her by the Murkwater river. She had just come out of a cave when I spotted her. I almost killed her before the Hunter Yura appeared and pierced my chest from behind with his Nagakiba, vanquishing me. And I had brought two Reduvia daggers as usual, then a bunch of Swarm pots and two Freezing pots.”

The white mask gave him a quick glare, before dipping his quill in the ink and writing down the details on the refined paper.

“Well then, is that all?” he asked, raising his pale golden eyes from the book to look directly at his subordinate, who seemed reluctant to return the gaze.

“That was everything, right?”

The two Sanguine Nobles who guarded the door now approached Nerijus from behind, until they were too close for comfort.

The Bloody Finger shook his head.

“N-no. I forced her to drink a potion that I had brought along. It made her shrink, until she was only a few inches tall. I had received it from Esgar some days ago, and I wished to try it out.”

“… I beg your pardon?”

“I know Esgar has been experimenting on a new blood-driven tool for the past months. He promised he would let me test it, once it was ready.”

“It is true, he has been busier than usual of late. So he succeeded? That potion was the brand new tool for the dynasty?”

Nerijus nodded. “It was.”

“…So she turned no bigger than a smoldering butterfly?” the surgeon asked.

 “Yeah. She probably still is, Esgar guaranteed that the potion wouldn’t wear off any time soon after .”

“… I see. Did he also let you in on an antidote? Or some other way to counter its effect, or reverse it.”

“No, as far as I know. The potion was created as an extra tool to debilitate a target before the elimination. And as such, whoever drinks it is usually not expected to survive the invasion.”

“… Something isn’t right, however” Varré pointed out.

“Esgar has left the Mausoleum for the capital of Leyndell around two weeks ago, in search of the Luminary’s shackle… How did you obtain his final approval to not only bring that potion with you, but to use it as well?”

No response came from the grey-skinned Bloody Finger, who lowered his gaze.

“You didn’t wait for his return, did you?”

“And how could you, after all? You must have been so eager to try it out…” the surgeon continued.

Nerijus simply frowned as he locked his eyes full of hatred with his superior.

“But if, as you have said, you wished to only challenge her strength…”

“Why then in the name of the Formless Mother did you go as far as administering a potion that reduced her size by force?”

Nerijus sighed again.

“I saw that as a golden opportunity to weaken her! Who else should we use our most powerful tools, if not on our strongest enemies?”

“But that’s exactly the point, she was not an enemy to the dynasty! To me…”

“… it just sounds like you also took the opportunity to finish the job in a more grotesque and humiliating way for her. You treated her like prey!”

Varré sighed in exasperation.

“You just acted like a thoughtless, reckless, disrespectful ruffian, and that is not the type of behavior the dynasty should represent, nor be associated with.”

“Oh, you think all the other Bloody Fingers shy away from a good bloodshed? You can see it in our eyes, you’ve anointed us yourself! Even the others are all sooo eager to just get their hands on a poor bystander and slit their throat right and there!” Nerijus retorted.

“Enough!” the surgeon yelled.

“You will not speak ill of me, or your fellow Bloody Finger siblings any further. The fact that you even have the nerve to argue back and compare their noble behavior to yours is beyond outrageous.”

“This being said, theft among fellow dynasty members is not to be overlooked. And let me get this straight.”

“Not only you didn’t inform a superior of your invasion beforehand, and gravely endangered an essential pawn for the dynasty, but you also made use of unauthorized enchanted equipment, taken without the proper owner’s permission, and  lied shamelessly about it.”

Varré slowly raised from his chair, splaying out his arms on the desk so he could lean forward as he faced his underling.

“All this information is more than enough to allow me to relocate you to the dungeon for an adequate amount of time. So you can reconsider your actions.”

His subordinate raised from his chair in clear anger.

“What? Why? Because I decided to go after your precious sweetheart, is that it? I disrupted your well thought-out plans of turning her into a bloodthirsty sucker like all the others before her?”

The yelling turned to silence. Not even a pin drop could be heard as the two men stared at each other in the eye. Varré just looked at his subordinate, unfazed, while the main hand of all three Sanguine Nobles crept to the sheath of their helice, in preparation for the incoming bloodshed.

But the Bloody Finger soon backed off, sitting back down on his chair with a grunt. The horned creatures returned to their neutral position, but never lowered their guard.

“You know, Nerijus. I’ve always seen endless potential in you. Even long before your anointment, you never disappointed with your impressive amount of slaughter. But I’ve been doubting your careless behaviour for far too long now.”

“I see some fixing is in order. And I will gladly take care of that myself. I’m certain you won’t mind, will you? Sanguine Nobles, take him away. To the dungeon you go.”

The Bloody Finger’s red eyes widened in fear as he bolted from his chair.

“W-wait! If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have known about Yura!”

“Ah yes, that tiny itty bitty detail. It would alleviate your sentence by about a day or two, if only you didn’t draw his attention by picking a very inconvenient target. Get him out of my sight. I have seen enough of his face for today.”

Nerijus snarled and struggled as he was dragged outside the study, but the surgeon was already too focused on his next move to care. Every sound and noise around him was dampened as he was absorbed in thought.

Shrinking her? Why? What was even the point of that? He was going to ruin everything!

He felt himself hyperventilate all of a sudden, in terror of what could possibly happen in the future.

With how things are now, she is going to mistrust me if she is to find out about the dynasty from unreliable sources, such as Yura. What happened with Nerijus wasn’t supposed to be her first impression of it!

The white mask desperately clutched his head with his hands.

How is he going to get her closer to him and keep her at bay, if she knew about his position? And what about the trails? There’s no way she can take any of them in her current conditions.

Varré took come deep breaths. In and out, slowly.

It’s okay. It’s going to be alright.

Maybe he could salvage the situation nonetheless.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

And that’s when a familiar, cherished words resonated in his mind again.

“Go ahead and claim it. Take it. It is yours to have.”

Could…

Could have the Luminary known about this matter already, when he summoned me to see him?

…

A sly grin made its way under his mask.

Yes… It all makes sense now.

… I know what I must do.

…

Yura must have brought her to a safe place close to where the invasion happened, if she was so in peril of death. He can’t have gone too far.

But first, I shall have Esgar’s room searched, to locate any notes from this last research of his. He’s no fool, he must have invented a way to nullify the effects of his own potion.

And although he will not be pleased we have looked through his belongings, there is no easy out of it. I’m not going to send an envoy or a research party to the Leyndell undergrounds, just so we can find where he is and bother him to ask if he’s developed an antidote already. It would be a waste of time and resources for everybody.

“I have a request for you” the surgeon finally said, turning to the Sanguine Noble to his right.

“I want you to search the private rooms of Esgar, our Priest of Blood, and bring me the tome where he usually catalogues his blood experiments. Pick all the locks that block your way, if necessary. And please fetch me the Ravenmount assassin, at once. I have a job to assign him.”

~°~

Valyssa’s eyes slowly opened, one by one. Her vision was very blurry, causing her to blink a few times to adjust to the light brought by the massive bonfire in the cave.

I’m… I’m still alive?

“Mmmmrrr…” she complained, shielding her eyes with a hand.

Her whole body hurt, like she had fought Godrick a second time. With some groans, she tried to move to a sitting position, but pain flared up in her wounds again, causing her to hiss.

Her noises didn’t get unnoticed.

“Ah friend, you’re awake at last! Easy easy, you’re still not in top notch condition!” A booming voice coming from above her made her gasp, and she turned around to face the merchant.

“Woah Patches, when did your voice get so lou-“

She couldn’t speak anymore as she looked up. Her eyes were all wide in fear, which took control of her so suddenly as she crawled on her back to create some distance from her now giant pal. Her heart was beating so fast, it was almost making its way out of her chest.

“What??? How??? I-i… I…”

“Hey hey, careful dude! Everything is fine!  You’re going to be alright!” the man said with a lower tone, backing away to give her some space.

She seemed to calm down a little, but her hand still had moved on instinct to the back of her neck, where the hilt of her greatsword usually remained. Only to grasp at nothing.

“Uh? Where’s my sword?” she asked, looking around hoping to spot her weapon somewhere nearby.

“You… must have dropped it in the river, while you were fighting… some guy?”

“Uh? Oh…” she suddenly recalled.

“So that’s how it happened, I… wasn’t hallucinating then… he did look bigger, but… I thought that was due to frostbite or something.”

“Nope, you really are as tall as an apple as you were then, my friend.”

Valyssa sighed.

“… Do you think you could go and get me my sword, please?” she pleaded.

“Oh trust me friend, I would, but it’s dark outside now, and even with a torch you wouldn’t see a thing in the river. And I wouldn’t dare leaving you alone even if it’s for a few minutes. Plus… it might be oversized for you now.”

“You mean… it didn’t shrink with me?”

“I didn’t see it in the water, but again we didn’t stop by for long, Yura and I.”

 Yura? Who’s Yura?

“Is that the person who saved me?”

“Yep, that’s him” Patches confirmed.

“Ugh… Unfortunately I must have blacked out when he did, because the last thing I remember was biting into that cloaked jerk’s hand as hard as I could” Valyssa said, mumbling.

That bastard really did me dirty, with those pots.

“Girl, you really did fight till the very end! Despite being shrunken and all!”

“Oh? I mean… yeah. I really didn’t want to go like that, you know? Plus that asshole forced me to drink his fucking potion and almost made me drown.”

“What a scum…” Patches snarled.

She checked her pockets, and was happy to see her crimson tear flask was still there.

“Hey, at least I still have this! It did shrink with me!”

She took a few sips, humming contentedly. “Ah! That’s better!” she said, looking down to her body. She grimaced at her own wounds and bruises.

These are quite nasty, though. They might take a few more time to heal. I still feel all of them.

But hey, at least I don’t wince whenever I breathe! That’s an improvement, she thought, smiling weakly.

“Hey uh, could I ask you something?” Patches spoke, out of the blue.

“Oh! Yes?” she replied, looking up at him.

“I know you’re still shaken up and terrified by the whole ‘I’m small now’ situation, but… I can actually barely hear ya from uh… ‘up here’, pal? Would it be alright if I lift you up a little bit?”

“Uh… I’m… I’m not sure” she stuttered, getting paler all of a sudden.

“Oh all good, all good. The last thing I’d want is making you uncomfortable.”

She nodded. “I… I mean… maybe we could find a compromise? Like… you could place me on the stool next to you, so you can hear me and I’m not constantly shivering in fear.”

“Well sure, alright. That’s actually a smart solution.”

Nodding again, she carefully got up and looked up at her big friend expectantly.

Patches very slowly approached her with his gloved hand. One inch at a time.

When his digits were close, she instinctively flinched and squeezed her eyes shut. A thumb and two more fingers carefully pinched her by her belly and back, sandwiching her in between.

Oh god…, she thought nervously.

And with a gentle tip, the hand was now lifting her up in the air, from the Warming Stones she had been resting on. With no rush.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod

Her heartbeat and breathing accelerated, but she tried to focus on remaining calm.

She inhaled and exhaled deeply, thinking of something positive.

Flowers. Tons of flowers. A whole field of blooming flowers.

Patches in the meantime had picked up on her anxiety, and stopped raising her from the ground.

“Should I… put you back down? You don’t look well.”

She shook her head. “No, I want to do this. Let’s continue.”

The merchant nodded with a concerned expression. “Alright.”

And he continued to lift her up. After a while, Valyssa decided to open her eyes, hesitantly at first. She could now see that the stool was in reach now, and so the man was carefully placing her onto it.

When her boots touched the wooden “ground”, she immediately sat down, breathing deeply some more.

“Oof… We… we did it.”

“Yes! Congrats for not freaking out too much there! You did pretty well!”

“Oh… Thank… thank you Patches” she said, as she was calming down more and more.

The bald Tarnished smiled weakly, before looking down somberly.

“This just made me realize… I must be some sort of behemoth to you now.”

“Mmmmm… uhm… yes, kinda, to be honest. To me you’re much bigger and taller than any of those Trolls that wander around Limgrave.”

“But definitely more friendly and not as scary, right?” he joked.

“Well… You could’ve crushed me between your fingers just now, but you didn’t.”

“True, you’re still all in one piece! See?”

“Yeah… I… I guess it wasn’t that bad after all” she smiled, blushing lightly.

Nobody spoke for a few moments.

“But.” she continued, raising a finger in a fake condescending way.

“You did give me a scare the first time we met, when you jumped down that cliff behind me” she giggled.

“I took you for a demi-human! And you were in the middle of stealing my clothes pal, don’t you deny it” he smirked.

Her cheeks turned red in embarrassment. “The chest was right there, with no one around. Someone would think some good loot was inside!”

“Aaaaand instead you only found my shirt and pants” he said with a grin.

“Hey, at least I gave them back to you. And c’mon, even you would’ve opened an alluring chest like that!”

“Me? Being greedy? Nope! That wouldn’t be me!”

She groaned, before a soft smile made its way onto her lips.

A sudden rustling sound made the merchant turn around incredibly fast towards the entrance.

He leaned towards her to whisper as quietly as he could.

“Someone’s outside this cave right now. If they’re a customer, I’ll be sending them on their way. If not, I’ll deal with them in the best way I can. Either way, get ready to hide somewhere, okay?”

Valyssa was hesitant at first, but then nodded less worryingly.

Patches took a deep breath and gently placed her back on the ground, before he picked up his usual spear and greatshield and headed to the entrance of his shop. The green-eyed woman in the meantime sprinted away as fast as she could, looking around for a good spot to conceal herself under.

“Hello, the shop is closed until further notice! I suggest going to the merchant Kalé instead, at the Church of Elleh! Now leave quietly, or you’ll have to face me and my men!” the untethered Tarnished exclaimed.

No response.

“Well, that’s it then!” he yelled, before an arrow pierced his shoulder through his leather armor, making him wince.

As he moved away from the entrance to lean against the stone, another arrow passed by him, getting stuck in the soil. It looked like it was made out of a thin animal bone, a light purple substance slowly dripping from the tip.

As soon as he could he whistled loudly with his fingers. “C’mon boys, get them!” he bellowed. But nobody came to assist him.

“… Guys?” he called out, before he started to feel weaker and… drowsy? He could barely keep his eyes open, but he did his best to keep going as he drew out one of the acid spraymists he always had on him.

He quickly drank it and immediately spew out an orange cloud in front of him. It wouldn’t do much, but at least it’d keep the attacker at bay for a while, and give Valyssa some more time to hide.

The merchant didn’t expect the mysterious foe to ignore the acid cloud altogether, however. They walked right in, wearing a banished knight set with a scarf that surrounded the helmet and fell on their shoulders.

They immediately approached Patches with a strange-looking branch. The emblem of an unalloyed gold tree appeared before he pierced him with it, releasing a dark pink mist around him.

The merchant coughed, but soon fell on his knees due to the enchantment and his own tiredness. The spear and shield were dropped to the side.

“Now you will answer to some of my questions” he spoke, with a deep, rich voice.

The untethered Tarnished nodded, as if he wasn’t in control of his actions. “Y-yes. Anything you say is my command.”

“Very well. Tell me, where is the Bloody Finger Hunter Yura? Why isn’t he here?”

“He… he left. He said he was going to look into whatever made Valyssa shrink. First he mentioned his shack, and then the Academy of Raya Lucaria as a second location if he couldn’t find anything about it.”

“Noted. Where is the girl? Did he bring her along?”

Patches shook his head.

“She’s somewhere in this cave. I told her to hide because I heard you coming. She was badly injured and Yura deemed the journey was too risky for her.”

“Good. Thank you for the useful information. Now you can shut your eyes and rest. The next time will wake up, you will have no memory of what has just transpired. Understood?”

The merchant nodded again, more absent-mindedly this time as his eyelids closed.

“I… I understand.” And he was soon out like a light, falling to the ground.

The banished knight moved away from him and had a good look around. The inner cave wasn’t too big, but there were definitely many hiding places for a tiny person. A couple of small unkempt bushes, some empty barrels piled up in different spots, a few sacks of flour, some bundles of twigs gathered around, a single open chest…

He checked behind the barrels first, lifting them carefully to avoid them falling and crushing her by accident. The bushes were searched next by moving the leaves away, but again, there was no sign of her. And no luck with the sacks of flour and the bundles of twigs either.

Then he realized, the chest was only touching the ground where its legs were. The rest of it remained above the dirt and gravel, creating a small gap of about an inch and a half. Ideal, for someone tiny to crawl under and hide.

So the banished knight knelt before the chest and took a peek underneath.

Laid down on her stomach, a miniature woman stared back at him with horror in her watery eyes, her hands tightly clasping around her mouth to stifle any whimper and sob that may come out.

“Ah, there you are.”

His grave voice made her wince, but she immediately started to crawl back frantically and as fast as she could, as a hand gloved in metal began to make its way towards her.

“S-stay a-away!”

The chest was suddenly ripped from above her though, exposing her again to the light of the bonfire.

Before she could get up and run, the same fingers grabbed her by her sides, lifting her up from the ground and enclosing her into a fist.

“N-no! L-let me go! P-please!” Valyssa cried out, wriggling as much as she could in the giant’s grasp.

“A-are you here to finish what you had started? So you can crush me into a pulp or drown me again, and feel better about yourself?” she spat out, wriggling like crazy.

The banished knight didn’t respond.

Is he… thinking? Hesitating?

“A-answer me!” she shouted, desperately.

Instead, he grabbed a handkerchief from a pouch and gently pressed it on her face. She struggled and whimpered as much as she could, even scraping her nails on the metal digits, but when the soporific grease got to her, she fell limp in his grasp like a lifeless doll.

Seemingly satisfied, the foe tossed the handkerchief into the makeshift bonfire, and that’s when he noticed the Warming Stones next to it.

With decision, he smashed them under his boots, making sure they all broke down in smithereens before walking out towards the exit.

He passed by Patches’ bandits as he did, all passed out thanks to the same sleeping bolts that made their boss fall asleep.

~°~

Outside, the fire that usually signaled the entrance of the cave had been extinguished, leaving only the burnt, glowing embers.

Not far from it, another man was waiting, leaning against the wall of rock beside the entrance to the cave. His dark outfit, consisting of a tight skeletal mask and a robe made out of black feathers of a bird of prey, allowed him to camouflage perfectly with his surroundings in the dim light of the night.

When his colleague made its way out of the cavern, he approached him in silence.

“The Tarnished is here with me, but alas, the Hunter Yura had left long before our arrival. He’s supposedly headed to his hideout first, and then to the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Track him down and dispose of him, will you?” the banished knight ordered.

The Ravenmount assassin bowed slightly with his head, before ducking and doing a leap into the air as he disappeared, leaving only some black feathers in his place.

That’s taken care of as well.

After a quick look around to avoid prying eyes, the banished knight slowly removed his helm.

His brown hair, held together by a messy ponytail, was the first to emerge from underneath the metal. A dark red trident was carved on his forehead, and some sweat drops were running down by his light stubble.

Oh my. I don’t think I’ve ever worn an armor this heavy. This was quite the ordeal.

But it was worth every single second.

His pale golden eyes fell on the asleep tiny woman in his hands. He held her close to his chest, wrapping her in the scarf adorning the helm, so she wouldn’t suffer the cold and remain warm.

From his pouch, he retrieved something that looked like a caramelized chestnut, and slipped it into his mouth.

When it dissolved, he finally was able to speak with his usual raspy, dry voice once more.

“Oh my love… Just look at what that disgraced fiend did to you. But worry not, you’re safe now.”

He leaned down and pecked the top of her head, grazing his lips against her hair as gently as possible. Despite scurrying around in some dust and dirt, she still smelled of chamomile and wildflowers.

“Where you waiting on Yura alone, with that lousy merchant? Mh?” he whispered.

“Well, no need to do that anymore. I wouldn’t be forced to take such drastic measures if it wasn’t necessary… You will understand, in due time” he said as he drew out his Pureblood Knight's medal, the red trident making its appearance and allowing him a safe travel back to the Dynasty Palace.

Back to Chapter 2 | To Chapter 4

[kimbappykidding]

Taehyun x Beomgyu’s sister Part One

Imagine being Beomgyu’s younger sister and liking Taehyun. The only problem? You couldn’t be more different.

Part Two Here

When your university placement happened to be in the same town that your brother lived in, Beomgyu didn’t hesitate to offer you the spare room in his shared house. You happily accepted very excited to spend time with Beomgyu. You were just like your brother. You were loud, social and liked talking to other people. So you were pretty different to Taehyun but opposites do attract and the two of you were proof of that.

You first met Taehyun when the group first formed....but that was a while ago now and all the members had changed so much since then. So you weren’t expecting to recognise them all but you remembered Taehyun the most because 1. he was the same age as you, actually only born a few days before you and 2. back then you'd thought he was pretty good-looking. You'd never mentioned that to Beomgyu or thought much about it in the years that had passed but he was the member you were looking for when you walked into the house...however he wasn’t there. Three boys were waiting when Beomgyu led you inside but none of them sparked any recollection. Beomgyu introduced you to them and sure enough none of them were Taehyun. He was apparently at the gym and arrived about an hour later.

The second you saw him you knew it was him and were surprised to see he'd gotten even better. Somehow he suited the very light blonde hair and it made him look almost other-worldly. Beomgyu called him over and introduced you "y/n this is my other member Taehyun. He's born just a few days before you remember?". You nodded and went to say hello when Yeonjun paused "wait they're born the same year?". Beomgyu nodded "see why I can't be in the maknae line?". "No you're in the maknae line" Soobin replied and they began arguing. You smiled and turned back to Taehyun. "So anyway I'm y/n, it's really nice to see you again". Taehyun smiled "likewise! Beomgyu mentioned you were here for a while with school?" you nodded "yeah it's until my university placement ends but i have no idea when that is". Taehyun nodded "you're training to be a vet right?". You nodded "yeah that's right, I didn't realise Beomgyu had told you all so much". Taehyun smiled "all he does is talk about you, he's very happy you're here". You smirked "well he is a pretty great brother" but then Beomgyu caught on you were talking about him and demanded you relay all the compliments back to him.

You had a very nice first night with Beomgyu's members and the second you were alone Beomgyu insisted you spill everything. "So what do you think of everyone?" Beomgyu asked and you smiled "they all seem really nice! Soobin seems so soft and Yeonjun looks intimidating but is really caring. Huening is a baby and Taehyun...". Taehyun made you pause. Out of all your brother's members he was the one you wanted to impress the most. He was the most mysterious and handsome in your opinion. When he'd walked in today post-workout in his sleeveless top you'd be lying if you said your heart didn't speed up. He had such an angelic otherworldly look about him it was pretty mesmerising. "Taehyun is interesting" you finished and Beomgyu nodded "yep you pretty much summed them all up in one word! I knew you'd fit in well". That comment pleased you and you smiled brightly but your brother wasn't being completely honest with you.

Beomgyu was a lot smarter than people gave him credit for and he clocked onto your appreciation of Taehyun very quickly. He saw your face when he walked in the door and couldn't stop a slight smirk as he introduced the two of you. It made sense to be fair. Beomgyu himself thought Taehyun was absolutely gorgeous and so he figured you must have some sort of genetic weakness to big eyes and cute faces. So he decided to play matchmaker.

Beomgyu gave you 24 hours to settle in and then launched his plan. Taehyun worked out at the same time every day and Beomgyu decided to take advantage of that. He made sure you were in the kitchen at prime Taehyun time and smiled when he saw Taehyun go for his gym bag. "I have the best idea, why don't you take y/n to your gym?". Both you and Taehyun froze and looked at one another. "He doesn't have to do that" you said when Beomgyu smiled brightly. "Nonsense! You were saying you needed to new gym here and Taehyun's is the best! Plus there are free trials and it looks good on Taehyun if he brings new people in". Taehyun couldn't deny that, he got a month free just for bringing someone in for a trial so he shrugged "it's true so you're more than welcome but no pressure". "It's perfect because I'm busy this morning so you can go with Taehyun. Plus you're so into your fitness you'll fit right in at Taehyun's gym" Beomgyu said pushing this heavily. You hesitated "but I wouldn't want to inconvenience you" and Taehyun shook his head "it's not an inconvenience really. Please come along". Taehyun wasn't the most social but he also wasn't rude so he assured you it was okay. It worked because you agreed and you rushed off to get ready. Once you'd gone Beomgyu smiled "what a cute gym date" he said and walked away before Taehyun could comment.

You did exercise but very much at your own pace and with no professional trainer. When you walked into Taehyun's gym, your eyes widened at how fancy everything looked. You spotted the treadmills and weights which you knew but there were so many other machines you didn't recognise and had absolutely no idea what they did! "Y/n?" Taehyun asked and you realised you'd just been stood staring. "Yeah?" you asked and he nodded "the front desk is over here, I called ahead and booked you in for a trial". You nodded "that's so great thanks". "No problem" Taehyun nodded and he led you over before giving the receptionist your name. Meanwhile you were still trying to work out how it was so bright in here and why everyone seemed to be bouncing when they walked. "Y/n, Claudia is ready for you whenever you are". You nodded and then looked to Taehyun, feeling oddly scared at being left alone. Taehyun smiled "I'll be in the weights section, I'm usually about 1 - 2 hours but come and get me if you want to leave earlier". You nodded "okay" and went to meet Claudia.

Taehyun left you and headed off to his sanctuary. He finally felt like he could breathe. All the way here he was tense, not wanting to say anything weird or rude. He wasn't sure why Beomgyu had done this or what his date comment meant but he was nervous. Had Beomgyu remembered that comment he made years ago when he said you were pretty? After he'd first met you he'd mentioned it to Huening Kai who burst out laughing and told everyone. Beomgyu had pretended to try and fight him and Taehyun went bright red. That was years ago but it was the only thing he could think to explain the situation. He stood by that past comment and thought you'd gone from pretty to beautiful as you'd aged but how did Beomgyu know that? Then he spotted you down below with a trainer being shown around. You looked so cute and appeared to have already made fast friends with the trainer chatting away. Claudia showed you around and then told you, you had free reign of the whole gym today. You opted for the cardio area and Taehyun kept an eye on you just in case you needed any help. 

Then a while later he couldn't see you anymore and he worried. He checked the reception area in case you sat waiting to go but no. He looked in the studios and cycling area but nothing. Taehyun wondered where you'd gotten to when he saw you chatting to some trainer who was apparently a lifeguard seeing as you were stood by the pool? Taehyun walked inside and you turned at the sound. You smiled at him and Taehyun smiled back. The trainer noticed and nodded "ah Taehyun your friend here is delightful! I'm trying to convince her to become a permanent member just so I can see her more". You laughed all smiled but Taehyun paused not too keen on this guy flirting with you. "Yeah she's great" Taehyun said "I was about finished for the day but if you want to finish your conversation we can wait in reception?" Taehyun asked. You paused before nodding "sure we won't be long right?". The trainer nodded "I just want to show her the private dance studio, something tells me this one's got rhythm". Taehyun nodded "okay well I'll be there" and walked away.

When the trainer said you were delightful Taehyun couldn't have said "yeah she's great" in any more of a monotone and it hurt. You were hardly listening as the man showed you the studio. "My husband and I actually met here" the trainer said and you smiled "that's nice...I'm really sorry for wasting all your time but I don't think I can become a member here. It's just a bit too expensive for me and I'm a student". The man nodded "we do offer a discount for students but I totally understand, let me grab you some leaflets in case you change your mind" and he passed you some of the employee's desk as you reached the door. "But Taehyun gets a guest pass with his membership which you're free to use whenever you'd like" he smiled. You nodded "yeah I'm just not sure Taehyun would like that. We don't know each other very well you see, he was doing this for my brother". The trainer nodded "well that is a shame. I hope we see you again somehow" and he waved goodbye to you.

You walked over to Taehyun who noticed how the trainer was watching you and felt jealous that the trainer had probably spoken to you more than he had. Which was of course ridiculous. He had no claim to you and anyone else would've just asked you out but he didn’t. "Ready to go?" Taehyun asked and you nodded "yep, thanks for bringing me". Taehyun just nodded and led you back to the car in silence.

When you got back the apartment was empty but the two of you just went into your own rooms silently. You weren't sure what you'd done to offend Taehyun but it must've been something bad. You racked your brains trying to think of what you'd done but couldn't think of anything. Meanwhile Taehyun was across the hall cursing himself for being so cold towards you. It was just his natural reaction when he felt insecure and the idea that Beomgyu had put you together on purpose made him uncomfortable...but none of that was your fault.

After that the two of you pretty much avoided one another. Beomgyu asked multiple times about the gym trip but neither of you would open up about what happened. So Beomgyu decided phase 2 was needed. It took a while for there to be a day where only the two of you were off but it finally came around.

You had just finished breakfast when Beomgyu texted you. "Y/n I'm locked out on the roof! Come and get me". You began to panic and tried calling but he wouldn't pick up. "My phone is dying come quickly" he text you. "But I have no idea where the roof is!" you replied and Beomgyu's last text was "ask Taehyun". You sighed and looked to his closed door which you could see from the kitchen. You stood up and made your way over.

Taehyun opened just seconds after you knocked but looked shocked to see you there. "Y/n..." he said adjusting his jacket so he was properly covered "what's up?". "Beomgyu's locked out on the roof!" you said "we need to go get him!". Taehyun frowned "but I thought Beomgyu had photoshoots all day?". You shrugged "he just text me so he must not be. We have to go, It's freezing outside and he's all alone!". Taehyun nodded "yeah of course let me grab my shoes".

3 minutes later you were outside the roof door but you couldn’t get it open. "It gets a little stiff so let me" Taehyun said and he forced it open using his shoulder. The door opened to a spacious roof with lots of summer equipment now abandoned in the winter frost. "Beomgyu" you called and headed further out onto the roof. Taehyun followed and you both called his name but no Beomgyu. You were utterly confused when Taehyun touched your shoulder "y/n there's a light over there in the greenhouse". You nodded "he must've gone there for warmth" and followed Taehyun. Inside the greenhouse was decorated. There were candles and coats and even some snacks...but no Beomgyu. "What on earth?" you asked and Taehyun lifted something up "there's a note. It says you'll thank me later. Love Beomgyu". "I don't get it" you frowned when you heard the door snap shut. You and Taehyun exchanged a look and then ran for the door.

It was now closed and there seemed to be something wedged behind it keeping it shut. "Did Beomgyu do this?" you asked and Taehyun nodded "it had to be him". "I'm going to kill him!" you cried and started dialling his number. Meanwhile Taehyun kept trying the door but to no avail. "He won't pick up" you sighed "did you bring your phone?". Taehyun shook his head "just my keys" and tried to ram the door again. "Stop you're going to hurt yourself" you told him "Beomgyu knows we're here so maybe we'll just have to wait this one out...unless you know any of the other guy's phone numbers?" you asked holding out your phone. Taehyun frowned "yeah I don't even know my own number". You sighed "waiting it out, it is" and headed back to the greenhouse.

Taehyun followed you to get out of the cold and found you lighting the candles. "Here" you said handing him a coat "I figured if we stay in here with the door closed we might be able to keep some of the heat in". Taehyun hesitated "I erm might just wait by the door for Beomgyu". You looked up "look I know you don't want to have to spend time with me of all people but would you really prefer to freeze outside?". Taehyun frowned "I just don't like small talk". You rolled your eyes "I won't talk to you" and sat down in a huff. Taehyun sighed "I didn't mean...it's not you" he tried but you shook your head "whatever let's just sit in silence until Beomgyu gets here".

For half an hour you sat in a painfully awkward silence not even looking at one another. Eventually Taehyun stood up, trying to find some way to ease the tension and looked at the snacks Beomgyu had left. "Would you like some?" he asked gesturing to a flask of warm coffee and you nodded. You took it from him and said thank you softly. "I'm sorry for snapping at you". Taehyun shook his head "it's okay but what did you mean about you of all people?". You looked away "well you obviously don't like me. I realised after we went to the gym together and you got mad at me for talking to your friends. It's okay I know not everyone has to like me". Taehyun shook his head "but I don't not like you. At the gym I was embarrassed". "Embarrassed?" you asked "of me?". "No of me!" Taehyun said "I've been at the gym for years and after one afternoon they liked you better than me". You shook your head "I bet that's not true". "It is" Taehyun said "and I don't even want them to like me but I sometimes get insecure around people who find socialising so easy like yourself. I don't mean to come across cold...just sometimes it takes me a little while to open up. Especially around such extroverted people" Taehyun told you "but it's no reflection on you and I want you to know I don't dislike you. I’d like to be friends with you". You nodded "Okay thank you for telling me".

Taehyun shrugged "it's okay" and you smiled "so what do you do for fun?". He paused "what?". "Well I want to be friends with you too but I know my problem is I sometimes steamroll and talk too much about myself so I want to get to know more about you. Do you have anything you are really passionate about or enjoy apart from singing? It can be absolutely anything". Magic was the first thing that came to Taehyun's mind but he paused. He didn't want to tell you he liked magic. It would surely be construed as weird. "There is I knew it!" you cried "what is it?". Taehyun paused "it's kind of niche so I don't think I should say". You smiled "hey there will be no judgement here! Plus you get bonus points if it's nerdy! Cosplaying? Dungeons and dragons? Pokemon? I like it all". Taehyun winced but decided magic was probably along a similar level so he sighed "okay okay I'll tell you...I like....magic" he said. You paused "as in Harry Potter?". He shook his head before pausing "well yes I do like Harry Potter but I mean magic in general. Like tricks". You processed it and then smiled "really? That's pretty cool, are you good?". Taehyun watched you for any sign you were lying but you seemed genuinely intrigued. He nodded "I'm pretty good". "Can you show me a trick?" You asked "then again we don't have any card or magic stuff". "I don't need cards" Taehyun said and he picked up the pencil from the table. He showed you a range of simple tricks with the pencil. Making it disappear, making it wobble etc and he was really good. You...not so much.

He tried to show you how to do the trick but you were very clumsy and didn't have very good dexterity. Taehyun smiled as you tried very hard to get it but the pencil just kept slipping from your hand. Finally you managed to slip the button behind your hand and you grinned "i did it! Did you see that?". Taehyun nodded "it was very good! Keep practising and your sleight of hand will improve". You nodded and focused on your hands practising. The concentrated frown on your face was so adorable and Taehyun was pleased you liked magic too.

Taehyun was going to suggest he show you another trick when he heard someone call his name. "In here" he called back and the door opened to Yeonjun and Soobin. "I can't believe he actually locked you out here, we thought he was joking" Yeonjun said. "Nope and I'm going to kill him" you said standing up but your leg had fallen asleep so you hobbled. Taehyun went to steady you but you managed to catch yourself. "You must be freezing, come on let's get you back inside".

"Indoors at last!" you cried when the boys let you into the apartment and they smiled. "Do you have any cards?" you asked Taehyun before pausing "wait...calm down y/n don't be so pushy" you scolded yourself "you just spent 2 hours trapped with me the last thing you probably want us to be performing tricks for me". Taehyun actually didn't mind. He liked seeing your reaction to magic and found it a good thing to spend time with you doing. But he didn't want to come across as too needy so he smiled "how about I show you later?". You nodded "totally!" and smiled at him "I'll never tell Beomgyu this but I'm actually kinda glad he locked us up there. It gave us a chance to work stuff out". Taehyun nodded "yeah I'm glad too". You shot him another smile and then disappeared into your room. Taehyun stood there for a while thinking about you and then with a smile he went into his own room.

__________________

I honestly adore how different Beomgyu and Taehyun are but how much they get along so this is what inspired this piece!

This will be a two part series and the next part will be posted soon :)

[daddysfangirls-marvel]

Scars

Chapter 2: Decisions, Decisions

He called her. 

After the mission, he called her and called her and called her. But she didn't pick up. He left Voicemail, after voicemail, after voicemail, until there wasn't room for any more. 

Calling for the 30th time, Tony finally gave up when his phone lit up with a low battery sign. "Finally, he's given up," Clint says dramatically, flopping on the couch "who are you trying to call anyway?"

Tony was silent for a moment looking at his phone "my friend ...an old friend," Tony said, hoping Clint didn't think too much of it. He did.

-

Alice sat at the table, the phone right in front of her. It was silent, but she watched it ring, and the red light beep when a message was left and deleted until the light wasn't beeping anymore. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to hear his voice. She'd much prefer the silences she had known all her life. she was mad and would be like a child and give him the silent treatment. He deserved way more than the silent treatment leaving her alone in the underground for most of her life. But this was all she had to punish him. 

"Jarvis"

"Yes, Ms.Stark?"

"do you think he'd ever let me out?" the calls had finally stopped.

"though Mr.Stark is overprotective, I do believe the day will come" She appreciated Jarvis's kindness even if it was artificial. It was the only kindness she had ever known outside of her father. Even then, she would classify that as kindness. 

"thank you, Jarvis I'm going to the pool now"

"you're welcome, and have fun, Ms.Stark"

-

Alice leaned on the edge of the pool and looked out at the large body of water that was there. She watched the fish swim by she could see the small cave opening from under the water the light shined in and made the water look beautiful. Alice hates this place, most people would have loved it, but she hated it she spent too long here to actually be in love with the place anymore she was too alone to see its beauty anymore. But this view, this window by the pool, this one real, actual window, she could never get used to this view it was just too beautiful, it was just too real to hate, it was actually the only real view of the real world she had.

The place she lived in was deep within the mountains in said a little cave lake, well halfway in, the place had four floors. On the upper first level where you entered, Tony parked his helicopter or suit up there, the second level where the kitchen, living room, library where she did her schooling, and entertainment room was located, the third level where four bedrooms and three bathrooms were located but most of them were locked, and the fourth level the gym and pool were located there. Tony was dramatic and wanted to add more, but it wouldn't have been able to happen, especially not with the lake and all. Sometimes she wished he did add more after a while, as she got older, this place was no longer as big as before it was small and suffocating. It was no longer a castle with robots but a four-story cell with eyes.

"four walls, all eyes," Alice said out loud as she floated on her back.

"I'm lonely, Jarvis," she got out of the pool

"I could call your father to come keep you company, Ma'ma, " Jarvis said

"I'm tired of these walls, Jarvis " she trails her fingers along the walls. So thick she could scream for hours, and no one would hear her. Most days, she even questioned if the outside was even real. Or if it was all a game.

"I could request that your father paint the walls a different color" Jarvis was clueless about her true needs he was just a robot, after all.

She stood in front of the 'window' and said, "I want to go outside, Jarvis " he did not provide an answer this time, so she repeated, "I want to go outside," she banged on the glass. He did not have an answer. " Please, can I go outside, please" 

-

The ceiling it was quite interesting to him as he lay on his back on the floor. The team was all gathered together, lounging around in the lounge on game night they were all playing games, everyone but Tony, he was lost in thought about his daughter at the moment.

 He was thinking about the last few vital reports Jarvis had sent him she was showing signs of depression lately, as well as other health problems. She had never shown signs before, but back then, Tony would call her, send her a message, or send videos of himself every day for her so she wouldn't be lonely. But he stopped sending Video when he became an avenger, not wanting her to worry every time she saw a bruise on a mission plus, he didn't have time to stop and make a video. He stopped sending messages he didn't have or made time to send her a thoughtful paragraph about how he loved her anymore. He didn't call anymore he used to call every day they'd talk for a few hours, but sooner or later, hours turned to minutes, and minutes turned into maybe twice a week, eventually turned into whenever he showed up, which was rare because he was a superhero after all the whole world was watching and she was a secret that could not be seen. 

Maybe he could move her into the tower he knew he had a few extra rooms, hell, even floors, which no one used. Maybe he could stick her in one of those rooms she'd be much closer to him, he would see her every day when he felt like it, plus she would have a new view. Maybe he should just tell the team she'd have more people to talk to and more floors to explore without worry. But what if Director Fury found out that would be a problem he'd problem turn her into some mutant soldier and make her use her abilities. Tony couldn't let that happen.

"Tony," Sam called out " yo man, you okay?"

" what's up" Tony was back in reality 

" you've been spacing out for a minute, you okay?" Clint asked

" yeah, fine"

"it is your turn, Truth or drinks," Natasha said " ... what were you just thinking about it's got you stressed"

He debated for a minute if he should tell them. They took Clint introducing his family pretty well maybe he could tell them. But there was still the problem of Director Fury; he decided he would deal with it when it came.

" I was thinking about my kid"

The room fell into silence. Now if this were anyone else, they probably would have burst out into laughter, but this was Tony, and his history with women was well known. The possibility of having a child was very like and concerning. The fact that his shot lay untouched on the table also didn't help, even if they were praying for him to pick it up. 

"Are you serious? You actually have a kid?" Bruce asked quietly, but everyone heard him in the still silence. " Are you sure it's yours?"

"Pretty sure," Tony shrugged 

"damn, when did you find out?" Clint asked,

"how old is she?" Natasha asked

"I've known for about ....17 years and nine months, and she is 17 years old"

"WHAT!?" just about everyone shouted. He was quite amused with their reactions he actually expected worse.

"You had a kid for Seventeen years and didn't say anything." Bruce looked on the verge of a hulk attack. 

"why are you surprised Clint did it with a wife and two kids" Tony defended himself seriously, did everyone forget that Clint hid his family as well? His secret held three people and a farm. 

"one, Clint's not famous. Two, Clint's not famous. And three, Clint's not famous. Also, four, he's a trained spy," Natasha said with a smirk, and his defense was gone. 

"I was an ass that's how I kept all the cameras pointed everywhere but home until I sent her away, then told them I was going on a vacation or some meeting or something and visit her. Only three other people know of her existence, and only one of those three people has met her" 

"where's her mother," Steve asked cautiously, just in case

"die when she was a baby," Tony said, rubbing his face as Steve had thought this was a soft topic for him, and he thought correctly, it seemed. 

Lilly's death was something Tony hated to discuss it was a very sensitive topic. He never got over her death he tried to, but she was just too perfect for replacement. He was absolutely head over heels in love with her, which would never change the fact that he had never loved any other woman the way he loved her, not even Pepper. The only other he loved enough to measure his love for her was Alice, and he barely saw her. He wanted to see her more and love her more. He would see her more and love her so much no man's love would compare.

"Listen...... I want to bring my daughter to the tower I want her to live here"

"your daughter is coming here, when?" Bruce asked 

" I actually haven't told her yet. But yeah, I want to bring her here. But I still don't want her in the spotlight or for anyone else to know about her. She's different, I don't want everyone - anyone to know about it. "

"what is it," Bruce asked 

"I'm going to visit her tomorrow to discuss her moving in. If things go as planned, she'll move in in a few days. Oh, and don't tell Director Fury I will talk to him myself," Tony said, grabbing a bottle of vodka and heading to the elevator  " also, her name is Alice Blut Stark meaning  Alice Blood Stark cool, huh" he said the elevator closing leaving everyone on, that note. 

"he has a kid, " Bucky said

" a 17-year-old kid," Natasha drank

" that's practically an adult," Sam said 

"How did he hide her for so long," Bruce wondered

"where did he hide her for so long," Steve asked,

"Better yet .... why did he take the vodka?"  Clint, of course.

-

Tony was lying in bed with a bottle of vodka next to him as he thought of ways to tell Alice and Director Fury. He had already made the decision himself he knew Alice would jump at the opportunity to leave, but she might not like the rules along the way. But Director Fury was another story he'd probably be enraged he thought he knew everything about Stark. He would probably be pissed Tony didn't tell him. 

"oh boy, this is going to be something else," Tony said to himself, taking a swig of vodka. This definitely was going to be interesting.

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[moonchild-things]

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Tempo

Summary: Shōyō Hinata loves volleyball! There is no doubt that all he really thinks about is volleyball. His sister, however, isn’t the same way. Sakura is ready to start her first year of high school at Karasuno with her twin brother and doesn’t really want to do anything, unlike Shōyō. Though she can’t help it when she gets dragged into the antics of the volleyball club.

Word Count: 6303 

Blog Masterlist | Red Herring Masterlist | Last Chapter | Next Chapter

A/n: Oh I feel so productive! I finished writing this today, finished editing three videos that imma post on my youtube channel in the coming weeks and working on some more, and I worked on my manuscript for NaNoWriMo! Not only that but I got a requested story that I'm working on, it'll take me a bit but I'm finishing up the outline, get it checked and then get to posting some nice long chapters of it lmao Anyway, on with the chapter!

---

EVERYONE COULD TELL THAT SKAURA WAS TENSE about something. It’s usual for her to sit on her own, rarely talk or engage in conversations while at her club. However, from the way that she was even more withdrawn than normal, everyone figured that there was something wrong. They hadn’t seen her like this before, so none of them were really sure how to bring it up to her. After all, what if they said something insensitive to her since they didn’t know what was going on with her. Well, that would matter if the people in this club actually knew how to be considerate of that. 

Which is why Wada had walked over to Sakrau’s table and leaned over towards her. His piercing eyes stared down at her as she looked over some of her notes that she took in class. Feeling the gaze on her, Sakura glanced up to come face to face with Wada and his slightly concerned expression.

“Is everything okay with you, Hinata-chan?”

Sakura stared at him with a normal bored look, “I’m fine,” she leaned away from him, “now leave me alone, please. I’m trying to study.”

“You always study,” He whined, “but you’ve been glaring at that same paper for over thirty minutes and I’m beginning to think you’re trying to start a fire with your mind.”

She sighed heavily through her nose, knowing that he wasn’t just going to leave her alone like she wanted. For most of the day today, she had been fussed over by Yachi. Sakura really does appreciate the fact that she has a best friend who cares about her and her wellbeing, but it got annoying eventually. Of course, Sakura didn’t say that to Yachi at all since she didn’t want to hurt her feelings or anything. So she was hoping that when she came to her own club that no one would mention anything to her.

Though she realized that she only has herself to blame for this. She was acting more withdrawn than usual, zoning out from time to time and getting lost in her thoughts. She figured that out after noticing the strange looks Shimada was giving her. Maybe she should have done a bit better to make it seem like nothing was bothering her. The last thing she needs is for them to bother her as well.

She looked back down at her papers, not really paying attention to what was on it, “And what if I am?”

Wada gave her a look and sighed, “Listen, I know that we all are a bit worried about you…”

“Why would you be?” Sakura snapped.

“Well, I overheard a little rumor about you getting into a fight with your brother.”

Sakura gritted her teeth, “Damn Endo.” She knew that it had to be him who spread it a bit. Let it be known that Sakura hates how drama hungry Endo Joji can be at times.

Noticing how Sakura was growing uncomfortable and annoyed, Mori decided to speak up. Her heavenly voice said, “Wada, please. If Hinata-chan doesn’t want to talk about anything, then we don’t have to push her.”

“I mean…” Emi trailed off as she, Wada, Yokoyama, and Ito all shared a look with each other. “We all are curious.”

Sakura just grunted, “It’s just personal issues with my brother, that’s all.”

“Oh! Though I heard that you were actually fighting your brother and Kageyama-kun!” Yokoyama exclaimed, a bit excited at the prospect of a fight. She smiled widely, “You must have gotten quite a few punches in, right?”

“No,” Ito shook her head, “she’s too short to throw a proper punch, she definitely went for the legs.”

Wada pursed his lips, “Though her brother is the same height, no?”

“But are you hurt!?” Emi then shouted, becoming extremely worried, “Oh, they would definitely be able to hurt you badly! We-”

Sakura cut off any other stupid rumors or speculations that they could make with a harsh glare, “Can you guys shut up.”

All of them shuttered at the menacing look on Sakura’s face. They could all feel the impending aura surrounding them as Sakura glared at them. They collectively shouted out in fear, “Y-Yes Ma’am!”

With it being obvious that Sakura didn’t want to talk about any of this with them, they decided to leave it alone. They didn’t want to push Sakura too far to the point that she left or anything. So they needed to move on and focus on something else, whether that be showing off some of their photos or complaining about their recent grades. However, there was only one person who seemed to be a bit more 

“You know, it’s okay to say that you’re hurt.” Mori Aiko said softly as she leaned against Sakura’s table. 

“I’m not,” Sakura rubbed her head, “Shōyō couldn’t hit hard enough to leave a bruise or anything.”

Mori gave her a knowing look, one that made Sakura shift uncomfortably in her seat. The crystal blue eyes of the vice president were seemingly looking right through Sakura, and she didn’t really like that. Mori continued to say, “Not physically, emotionally. It’s okay to say that he hurt your feelings, because I can see that it did.”

Sakura looked away from her, not exactly the best at talking about things like her feelings. She played with her fingers for a moment, trying to decide on what to say. “I know he didn’t mean to hurt me or anything, but it did hurt to realize that I couldn’t help him, I guess.” She gnawed on her bottom lip, “Shōyō is the more emotional out of us, and I always know how to help him or see a logical side to things. This time I don’t know. I’ve just… I’ve realized that we need space. My brother and I have been attached at the hip for too long.”

“Did you not think it was healthy?”

“Maybe.” She shrugged her shoulders, “Before I went to bed last night, I had a thought; I had been using Shōyō as a shield to hide from everything, I guess. I used him as an excuse for a lot of things, to explain how I acted or why I did things. Now, after…” There was a little bit of a grimace on her face, “Last night I figured that it’s time to distance myself from that. I’m a high schooler now, I need to learn about myself and not just be a shadow to my twin.”

There had always been a part of her that knew this fact. Knew that she was not really her own person and was hanging onto her brother for far too long. She’s known that ever since she started high school, that’s why she tried to branch out by means of the photography club! She wanted to be her own person, but never really had the push to really make it a reality for it. Though perhaps after last night, this could be the right push that she needed. She didn’t really picture it being because her brother would hurt her, but whatever it was was still good enough to get her on that track.

“That’s very mature of you, Hinata-chan.” Mori smiled, breaking Sakura out of her thoughts, “Realizing that must not have been easy.”

Sakura just shrugged her shoulders, “it was a bit uncomfortable to come to terms with, I guess. Though it’s the truth, so I can’t really deny it or run from it.”

“Still, it's very impressive of you."

"Impressive?” The younger girl pursed her lips. Her cheeks were a bit pink now that she was complemented by such a pretty girl, “Maybe."

“Just make sure you talk with your brother about it. So you both are on the same page.”

Sakura nodded her head, knowing that it was definitely a good idea. So the two were then absorbed back into whatever conversation the rest of their club members were having. Mori felt happy to give Sakura an outlet to talk a bit more about her issues, and Sakura felt lighter to have actually articulated what was running through her head.

---

When it got considerably later in the day, it was time for students to be heading home. Sakura had only stuck around in her club a bit longer because she somewhat dreaded having to see her brother. After all, she knew that they had to have quite the important conversation when they actually got home. She was anxious about it, there was no denying it. Sakura could stand up to other people for her brother, but talking to him about something like this left her nervous. They’ve never really had a moment in their lives where they would have to question their relationship or have serious conversations.

Surprisingly, Shōyō hadn’t been around to nag Sakura about her riding home by herself. Sakura wasn’t sure what to think about it, nor did she even know where he was! She noticed that his bike was still at the bike rack but with practice over she would have figured that he would already be gone or him waiting for her. It certainly was concerning. Though she brushed it off, it had to just be that he was avoiding her somehow. It certainly had become uncomfortable between them since last night so she could understand that.

So perhaps she would get to ride home on her own for once. Even as she grabbed her bike and mounted it, the nagging feeling of the unknown location of her brother was bothering her just a bit. It wasn’t like him to just not be around and not leave some sort of note for her about where he was. Though it’s not like she was really expecting him to since he knew she was somewhat avoiding him. 

Most of the time when the twins got into an argument there were a few things that would happen really. If it was some small disagreement, Shōyō would bother Sakura to the point of annoying her and eventually the two would forget anything happened. If it was something a bit more severe, like this time, they would keep their space from each other. Shōyō kept away to keep any further arguments from happening, until the two cooled off to apologize and then made up. That rarely ever happened since the two never got into large arguments, but it wasn’t impossible.

As she rode home on her own, Sakura was preoccupied with trying to map out what she was going to say to her brother. After all, she had to make her intentions clear. It was the right opportunity, the time to explain her growing feelings about wanting to have distance. Though her mind was thinking about how he was going to react to what she wanted. Would he be angry? Upset? Would he yell at her? Argue with her? Sakura couldn’t be certain about what he would do. This was uncharted territory, if she was being honest with herself.

She arrived home sooner than she thought, too caught up in her mind to really notice. So she put her bike away, greeted her mom and sister, and waited in her shared bedroom for her brother to come home. At one point, she was even thinking of writing her thoughts down to give to Shōyō. That way they would be as clear as possible as she was starting to feel like she would be tongue-tied when she actually got to talk to him. 

“Hi mom!” An excited voice that sent ice into Sakura’s chest shouted from the door. There was a conversation from the kitchen as Shōyō bounced around the home, returning from his trip with Coach Ukai and old Coach Ukai. It was quite the eye-opening practice that he had with the old crow coach and the kids out there. He couldn’t wait to tell Sakura about it! He certainly was conflicted when he found that her bike wasn’t still next to his when he got back, but he understood. It was getting late and as much as he wanted to ride with her to make sure that she was fine, like a big brother should, he didn’t expect her to wait forever. Especially since he’s certain she’s upset with him.

There was quite a bit of apprehension swirling in his gut as he made his way to their shared bedroom. As he walked into his room he found Sakura sitting on her bed, propped up against the wall as she read over some notes like usual. The twins stared at each other for a moment. Both were quite anxious about what the other had to say. Shōyō was quite certain that she was angry with him right now, while Sakura was trying to figure out if he would be angry with her after what she has to say.

As Shōyō put his backpack down next to his bed and plopped down onto it. Might as well as get this over with, she thought to herself. Sakura cleared her throat, “Okay, Shōyō, I wanted to say that I’m not angry with you.”

“You’re not?” Shōyō asked, more than surprised by that.

She shook her head, “No. I put myself between you and the King, so I can’t really blame you or anything, it was an accident.”

He let out a puff of air, relieved that she wasn’t upset with him. Though he hastily said, “I am sorry though! I never want to hurt you, accident or not.”

“Which is why I’m not angry with you.” Sakura chucked slightly before sobering, “But I do want to talk with you about… how clingy I am. ”

Shōyō blinked, “Clingy?” That wasn’t a word that he would use to describe his sister. Especially considering she liked to keep herself away from most people and normally just be around him, their family, or by herself. So why would she think that she’s clingy?

“Yea. I mean I have been since we were infants, mom says so.” Sakura tried to make a bit of a joke, though it didn’t land as Shōyō was just staring at her in confusion. “But even all through school and such. I don’t normally stray far from you.”

He tilted his head in confusion, “that’s an issue?”

Sakura pursed her lips, “well, yes.” It took a moment for her to find the right way to say this. She really should have written it down. At least she’d have a plan on what she was going to say. “I just figured that it would be a good idea to have… distance. You know, so we can do our own things.”

She really did lose him after that as Shōyō attempted to try and find where she was going with this. Honestly, he really was trying to understand since he knew this was a serious conversation but he wasn’t seeing where she was  going with this. “Though we already do our own things… I’m on the volleyball team, and you’re in the photography club.”

“That is true, but…” Sakura sighed, “Okay, let me rephrase that. It would be a good idea for me to find my own identity.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Sakura has an identity. She’s Hinata Sakura! What else could she mean? Oh no! Had he hit her head so hard that she forgot who she was?! This is worse than he thought!!

Before he could freak out about hitting her too hard, Sakura said, “Shōyō, you do know that everyone refers to me as your shadow, your clone. I’m not ‘Sakura’, I’m ‘Shōyō’s twin’.”

He blinked, “Is that wrong?” He wasn’t oblivious enough to not notice that. It had been happening ever since they were little. Sure, when they were a lot younger Sakura was more distinguishable from him since she had longer hair. Though after she got her hair cut sometime in junior high she ended up getting confused with him more often. Considering she kept her hair short, Shōyō didn’t think that she had an issue with that.

“It’s not wrong,” Sakura quickly amended, “but I just… I want to be seen as my own person, you know. When people talk about me or think about me I don’t want their first thought to be Shōyō’s doppelganger’. ”

Shōyō stared at her for a hot moment, trying to understand what she was saying. Was this his fault? Was she actually upset with him and just lying to not hurt his feelings? Had the fight that he had with Kageyama finally driven Sakura to the point where she wanted to distance herself from him? That she felt so annoyed with him that she didn’t even want people to think of her as his twin?

This had to be because being on the volleyball team had made him more emotional. Not to say that he wasn’t emotional about volleyball before they started at Karasuno, but it certainly had escalated. The fight the other day was a good example of that. So was she saying this because she wanted him to not do it anymore? He certainly wouldn’t, but he would consider it for her.

Sakura could see the confusion on his face, figuring that he wasn’t really getting at what she was saying. She tried to make things clear by saying, “There’s nothing wrong with me being called that, but I want to be my own person.”

A sour look consumed his face, “If you don’t like me being on the team you can just say it.”

“That’s not it,” Sakura stated in her own confusion. So he really was taking it the wrong way, just as Sakura had dreaded. How he reached that conclusion, she’s unsure, “I have supported you and your passion, Shōyō, and will not stop doing that.”

“So why do you want to get away from me? Why now?” The only thing, in his mind, that had changed for Sakura to leave him is that he joined the Karasuno team. So that just had to be the reason!

She blinked at the seemingly rising harshness in his words, “It’s not like I just randomly thought of this today.”

“If you had, you would have told me! We tell each other everything, right?”

Sakura looked away, ashamed to admit that wasn’t true, “Not this, I didn’t tell you about this.”

It was as if that was the biggest betrayal to him. After all, they grew up with each other keeping no secrets from each other, no matter what. “Why didn’t you tell me you felt like this?” They never kept things from each other, at least Shoyo thought. It was actually heart breaking for him to realize this.

“I- I just- I didn’t know how to.” She stuttered out, “I honestly was still trying to understand how I felt about it.” How was she going to really articulate to him that she had been struggling with it for a while. That she was bullied quite a bit during junior high over it. That, despite what she tried to portray to him, she was more than insecure about herself due to it. She didn’t think that it would help him to really know that. Maybe he would even feel bad about it, which she didn’t want him to.

He shook his head, “You could have at least mentioned it, because I really don’t understand. You want to just abandon me?”

“That’s not at all what I’m saying!”

“It sounds like it!”

The two were starting to get a bit more heated. Both of their emotions were starting to boil over. With Shōyō taking Sakura’s words the wrong way and Sakura getting frustrated she couldn’t get it right, things were not going all too well.

“There’s nothing that would convince me to abandon you!” Sakura shouted now, “I just want to do my own thing right now, can’t you understand that at least?”

Shōyō grunted, turning away, “No. Because my sister wouldn’t just suddenly want to leave me alone.”

“I’m not- I’m not leaving you alone! At no point did I say that!” Though even if she tried to insist on it, he had turned to face away from her. She figured that with his stubbornness, he was going to make his mind up and stick with it for the time being. There wasn’t much she could say or do that would convince him otherwise. She’ll just have to try again at some point perhaps. She let out a large sigh, there might have been a few tears in her eyes as well though she disregarded that, “Look, I plan on going to Tokyo with you and the team but after that… I’m going to focus on my photography and my own friends.”

Shōyō snapped, “You actually have your own friends?”

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, “Yes. I do.” 

“Really?” He asked sarcastically, “Okay sure, whatever.” It seemed like the conversation was over after that. Whether Sakura had anything else to say to him or any rebuttal, Shōyō wasn’t going to listen as he made his way to the bathroom to change clothes. Even when he came back both of them were quiet. 

Nothing else was said between the twins as they got themselves ready for bed. Maybe Shōyō should have apologized, maybe Sakura should have tried again to make it clear, but it was already too late. There was a bitter taste in both of their mouths. Whatever attempt that either wanted to make amends with each other was just a pipe dream at this point. If anything, this might have just made things a bit more difficult than to begin with.

---

If there was one thing that just about everyone noticed, it was that Sakura wasn’t coming to their practices as much anymore. The boys were used to having Sakura sitting on the sidelines alongside their managers and coach, so not having her there was a bit strange. There was no sarcastic or snide remarks made by her on the sidelines and it was just strange for everyone. 

“Where do you think Sakura is?” Yamaguchi asked his best friend, only a little concerned at the girl’s disappearance. She was always at their practices, even skipping her own club if it meant getting to be at theirs. A few times, Yamaguchi will admit, he has tried to convince her to go to her own club. It might have swayed her even a little bit a couple of times, but nothing too significant. As her friend, he does his best to encourage her to do well with her photography. Ever since they had a heart to heart some time ago and grown closer as friends, he likes to believe that he’s getting to her a bit. 

Perhaps that’s why she wasn’t here! Focusing on her own interests and finding her love for it. After the last gallery he saw of hers, he knew she was growing stronger in her confidence, so maybe not being at the practice was her just going to her own club to work on her passion. At least, he hoped.

Tsukishima clicked his tongue, going about his stretch like normal, “What does it matter? One less person to annoy us.”

The green-haired boy tilted his head slightly, “Even you have to be wondering though.”

He deadpanned, “No.”

Yamaguchi didn’t seem to be as convinced, he just hummed. He knows his best friend, and knows that there’s at least a little part of him that is wondering about her. Yamaguchi is more than aware that Tsukishima had a bit more of an interest in Sakura. He chalked that up to Tsukishima doing what he could to get a rise out of Sakura from time to time, or when he was annoyed by her brother. Yamaguchi couldn’t really pinpoint if Tsukishima enjoyed her being around, but he knew that Tsukishima at least noticed it. Ever since they first came into practice, Tsukishima’s eyes drifted, ever so slightly, towards the managers. It wouldn’t be all that strange, However, Yamaguchi just knew that Tsukishima was looking for Sakura. As much as he could say that Tsukishima is his best friend, the blond could still be a bit of an enigma to him. There was something that Yamaguchi noticed every once in a while from Tsukishima. He wasn’t going to voice his questions or suspicions just yet, but he knows for a fact that it has to do with Sakura.

He had a feeling that Tsukishima was frustrated by Sakura, more often than he’d like to admit. In the beginning, Yamaguchi saw why Sakura ticked him off. They are very much alike and Sakura never really acted the way that Tsukishima wanted her to when he tried to get a rise out of her. He expected her to be like her brother, much like how she looks like a clone to him. Though since she’s got quite a pessimistic personality, much like himself, Yamaguchi theorizes that Tsukishima wasn’t expecting it. He even theorizes that Tsukishima was surprised to the point that he wanted to push her to the point where she did react. Yamaguchi wasn’t supportive of this, obviously. Though what was he going to do about it? 

So he just dropped the subject. Either way, Yamaguchi might be lost in his thoughts about how his two friends were acting, but there was one person lost in his thoughts about his sister. Shōyō was the one who mainly could sense Sakura’s disappearance, since he was blaming himself for her not being there. Like a part of him was missing, and it really didn’t sit right with him.

Even if Ukai was talking to him, Shōyō wasn’t completely registering it in his mind. He was understanding the plan that Ukai wanted to try during this practice, but his mind was still thinking about the absence of his sister. Even when they were heading to school, Sakura kept herself distanced from him. He certainly wasn’t used to 

“All right, let’s get this started!” Their coach said as he rallied them all together. “Make sure you stay hydrated!”

All the boys lined up to get ready, “Right.”

As all the boys were getting ready for their practice, Yachi had something on her mind. “Um… Hinata.” She nervously tried to get Shōyō’s attention. “U-Um, I was wondering if you were okay… You and Kageyama-kun, um, uh…”

Shōyō just smiled, a bit wistfully, like he wasn’t completely hearing her, “I’m fine.”

Yachi let out a relieved sigh, glad that there might be some resolution between them. Though she could tell that there was an underlying emotion that surrounded the boy. No doubt in her mind that it was about his sister. As the boys went about their practice, Yachi thought back to the school day. Sakura had been a bit more reserved than normal, which is saying something since Sakura does love to keep to herself in class. Yachi had been a bit fussy over Sakura, she realized how pushy she might have been. But she had wanted to see if Sakura was really ok! She wanted to make sure that she wasn’t hurt, how her and her brother were after it, and if it was as bad as Yachi thought. Sakura didn’t say too much about it. Though she did reassure Yachi that everything was fine, that her brother was fine, and nothing was wrong. Yachi didn’t completely believe her, and really did try to hold herself back, but she was anxious to know. Perhaps she was being too pushy. Though she really was just worried for her friend! She just hoped that Sakura was doing okay now while at her own club. 

“Say, Yachi-chan,” a sly voice slid over to her, “where is our little paparazzi-chan?”

She blinked up at Endo, who suddenly appeared beside her. The intense gaze that he was pinpointing her with caused a shiver to crawl down her spine. “Uh, at her club, probably.”

Endo hummed, “A bit weird that she isn’t here.”

Yachi just blinked at him, “Well, m-maybe.” She really didn’t like it whenever Endo got into her personal space and looked at her like this.

He tapped his chin, “Just makes me wonder… Is our little decoy in a fight with his clone?” He really couldn’t wait to find out what was going on with the twins. Oh, how fun it might end up being.

---

When Asahi had asked Endo to stick around and help him practice a bit, Endo was more than happy to oblige. Any time he can get to hang around with his best friend, he certainly was going to take it. An added plus was getting to avoid his father for even longer by staying in the gym. So he just worked on setting the ball to Asahi so he could spike it. Then they would swap so Endo could work on his own spikes. Though they also took some breaks for Asahi to work on his serves. Since that was the biggest thing that Asahi had wanted to work on, Endo was more than happy to help him with that when needed.

Though just as Asahi served another ball over the net with some strong determination behind it, their libero came out of nowhere and saved it from hitting the floor. “Asahi-san! Endo-san! Mind if I join you?”

Asahi just blinked at him, put out that Nishinoya could easily receive his serve. “Oh, yeah. Sure.”

Endo shrugged his shoulders noncommittally, “I guess.” He had been hoping to just have practice between him and Asahi, but he supposed that it was fine. Nishinoya could join if he wanted. Not that he was going to be salty about it or anything, he’s not Tsukishima. Besides out of the others to join, Endo supposed that Nishinoya was alright.

Nishinoya excitedly asked, “Would you mind hitting some of my tosses?”

“Yeah, sure.” It took a moment for the libero’s words to hit him, but Asahi blinked when he finally understood, “Uh, wait, what? You’re going to toss?”

“Did you change positions?” Endo asked, also thoroughly confused.

Nishinoya smiled, “I’ll help you with your serves, too, Asahi-san. Then I can help Endo with your receives since they’re horrible.”

Endo scowled, “they’re not that bad.”

A determined look came over Asahi’s face, “Sure. Let’s do this.”

“All right!”

So the trio practiced for a while. Nishinoya worked on his technique to toss the ball, Asahi worked on his serves, and Endo was just there helping them out where they needed to. Not that Endo thought he didn’t have anything that he could work on, he certainly could improve a lot of his skills. Though what was the point in him working on something when two starters had to work on something. It was more important.

At one point, Asahi had said he needed a break to go to the bathroom, so obviously they paused. Endo sat himself down against the edge of the wall, a bit tired. He wasn’t exactly tired from practicing, since he was really just hitting the ball to Nishinoya for him to set and Asahi to 

“Endo,” Nishinoya said, standing over him now “Do you really want to be on this team?”

He chuckled loudly, “Whoa, quite blunt there, Nishi!”

“With you I know I have to be.” The libero then peered down closely at him, “So?” 

Endo didn’t really like the way that Nishinoya was staring at him. Like he was trying to look right through him to find out what was going on in his head. He never likes when people try to do that. Endo pursed his lips in thought, before deciding on what to say, “My father… He’s not exactly supportive of me staying on the team.”

“Though you’re still here.”

Endo scoffed, “Obviously! I will take any chance I get to spite him! Though he did say some things that made me question why I’m here to begin with.” 

After the loud conversation that he had with his father about volleyball, his future career and their relationships as a whole, Endo was at a bit of a loss. There were revelations between them that it was a good thing that they talked about. Even though Endo said to him that he wanted to keep doing volleyball during his highschool career, he questioned it still. If he really didn’t intend on continuing playing into university what was the point of playing now? Should he be focusing on his studies for his entrance exams? Going with his father to the company and learning more about it?

“Hey!” Nishinoya shouted, abruptly breaking Endo from his own thoughts, “If you’re starting to have doubts about being on the team, figure it out quickly! Either get off the team or stay!” Endo blinked at the loudness of his friend, with his mouth a bit agape at his yells. Nishinoya continued with a hard look on his face, “If you leave I’ll definitely call you a coward, though understand why, especially with your father breathing down your neck.”

Endo scoffed, “My father did make some good points, since I’m destined to work at his company and take over when the time comes, I should be focusing on my studies more.”

At the mention of studying, Nishinoya’s nose wrinkled. “So? Are you going to quit now, even when we’re close to getting a chance at winning!”

Endo had put quite a lot into this team. Effort that his father may not understand, but effort that Endo was proud of. So what was he going to do? He licked his lips, “I wanted to stick around for as long as I can, I want to see you guys win. I want to see Asahi happy because of it.” Yeah, he definitely would be more than content with seeing Asahi happy. He shook his head, “Though it’s not like I’m important to the team or anything.”

“It doesn’t matter if you're a starter or a bench warmer, you’re a part of this team!” Nishinoya said strongly, seemingly trying to get that notion out of Endo’s head.

Endo didn’t think that he was valuable to the team, not in the slightest. He was never a starter, his teammates were always so much better than him, and he never put the same amount of time into the team like they did. He did what was asked of him, but never overachieved. Nishinoya saying that he was important to the team was… 

Nishinoya continued, “All I’m saying is either commit or don’t waste more time!”

---

Yeah, Nishinoya is right, Endo thought every time he was at practice after that day. He never knew he would believe that, but Nishinoya does have his moments it seems. So as time past and they had their practices, Endo was making his decision. He wanted to stick around. He wants to be with his friends, he’s only in high school once, and he wasn’t going to let the responsibilities of adulthood haunt him yet.

Karasuno’s practices were going well. The team was coming up with new playstyles, improving on their existing skills and having fun doing it. Yes, Shoyo was a bit of a downer at times, most likely due to his sister’s absence, but he worked through it.

Not seeing Sakura at practice had become the norm. It worried a few, didn’t matter to others, and was interesting to one. After all, everyone had been accustomed to having her at every practice no matter what since the beginning of the school year. Everyone figured that it had to do with the fight that had happened between their sunshine decoy and gloomy setter. However, they had to wonder what Sakura thought about it. 

Meanwhile, Sakura was at her own club, listening in on the plans for the “Heroes” gallery. She wouldn’t say that she’s happier not being at the volleyball practices, but she also wasn’t upset about not being there. She did miss getting to talk with Kiyoko and Yachi. However, not having to deal with the volleyball idiots like Tsukishima, Nishinoya, Kageyama, Tanaka, Endo was a near god-send. Now she just had to deal with the idiots within her own club. So she was… content for the time being. Even if she was still upset about the argument she had with her brother. Though she’d push that to the back of her mind. They had the gallery tonight, just before summer vacation started, so they were getting that all settled. She certainly was excited about that since she got the photo that she wanted. Even if it made her feel a bit… sorrowful.  Though for now she’d just focus on how Ito and Wada were arguing yet again about something trivial.

In the volleyball club’s gym, Takeda gathered the boys all together. “Now, that it’s summer vacation, we can practice from morning to night.” He said to the group after one of their practices, “And starting tomorrow, we’ll resume the Tokyo away games. This time, we’ll be there for a solid week! This is the first and last long-term training camp before the spring tournament prelims. Let’s make the most of this opportunity, so we have no regrets entering the spring tournament prelims.” All of the boys definitely were eager to get the chance to play against such talented teams at the camp. One of the most eager, was Shōyō. Even with the fact that his sister and him hadn’t been on the best of terms, he put all his effort in getting better. With the team and his time with old Coach Ukai, he certainly thinks that he’s improved. Hopefully, he could use that to convince Sakura that she doesn’t need to leave to “find her identity” when she should be perfectly fine with being his twin.

---

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A/N: Ah, so a little bit of conflict between the twins now, and it's serious. I figured I wanted their to be some misunderstanding between the twins since they never have had something like that happen to them before. They're not perfect siblings, but they've never argued to the point of staying away from each other, you know what I mean. Just figured it was a good way to have some character development between them. Then we've got the Tokyo training camp coming up next, but before that, we've got another gallery to see from Sakura! Not going to lie, I feel like the actual dialogue that I wrote for the agreement between Shōyō and Sakura was a bit... lacking, but I think it does it's job. Until the next one, my friends~

[tuiyla]

Hey, Happy New Year!! I wish you had been on the Glee fandom back when the show was airing; you'd have encouraged me to try to see things differently with your metas instead of just dismissing every one-shot character or absurd plotline that never went anywhere. You certainly gave me a newfound appreciation for certain chunks of S3 and S4-S6 as a whole. And your fancy gifsets are *chef's kiss* too but I guess they could only exist in the 2020s so thank you (and all the other gifmakers) for being here and keeping the fandom alive with this new giffing style bc it must take so much time and effort to make them look so gorgeous.

So anyway could you please rank the Glee seasons? Based on whatever standard you'd like - personal preference/enjoyment, whether the year was a good one for your faves, the actual writing and whether the plotlines were well-executed, etc.

Hey Anon, Happy New Year to you too! This was such a kind message, thank you so much. To be honest I don't wish I was here then haha just because I know how intense it all was and I would have burned out so quick. And I think we need this distance from the show to be able to analyze it in such ways. But! I'll take the compliment of course and I'm very happy if my ramblings can bring about new perspectives and appreciation. That's more than I could ever ask for.

And thank you for the kind words about giffing, too! It's become my primary way of adding to this fandom recently and it's always nice to see it being appreciated. I still maintain that I only do it because I want to and it's fun, but feedback is nice of course.

On the topic of Glee seasons, well I have a feeling that'd be a different ranking every day so take this as a very fluid list. It's also a mushed-together one because I kinda wanna consider several aspects, my personal enjoyment as well as what we'd call "good writing" in a more, though not completely objective sense. I'm happy if I can encourage appreciation for seasons 4 to 6 if only because it really irks me when people pretend there's a clear-cut divide in quality, though on previous lists I've also ranked the first three first and the later seasons last. So with that in mind, strap in:

Season 2

This is the easiest to decide. Season 2 is that sweet spot, imo, where we still only have three writers and therefore a semblance of consistency but it feels like a larger world with more developed characters than season 1 did. There are issues, sure, and I could go on and on about major gaps in all Glee seasons. But season 2 feels the most like Glee, to me. There's infighting and an overall arc and fun one-off themes and tributes. The focus is still too Finchel heavy and the Wemma drama throughout is meh, but those are general problems in Glee. I feel like, more than any other season after it season two has a beginning, middle, and end, and some of Glee's strongest character arcs. Scratch that, in Kurt and Santana we get the two strongest arcs of the series. And the way Karofsky's story builds on and makes both of these better, chef's kiss. And the whole Glee club feels much more like the dysfunctional family they are and there's more of an effort to include every member. Basically it's my fave and imo, the best, for many reasons. We could get more in-depth with this one day.

After no.1 is where we start going "Idunno" but I'll try to establish a ranking.

2. Season 4

I'm not sure if placing season 4 second feels quite right but ranking the other seasons above it doesn't, either. Look, it's a very flawed season of television. There's a clear shift between the two halves. For the better, but still. Santana took way too long to go to NYC. The most fascinating dynamics happen in two lines of dialogue and then entirely off-screen. The Lima-NYC split was not thought through. But it's by far the season where I can tolerate and even like Finn the most. It's arguably Santana's best. It brought me the newbies, my beloveds. Amazing group numbers. The best the New Directions have ever been as a group. Good one-offs, some crimes against humanity, surprisingly few duds. Will fades more and more into the background, bar wedding drama. No clear direction or purpose but a vibe of ND becoming a new sort of family and the alumni struggling. Waaaay too many characters and the season is worse off because of that but, somehow, it still kinda works. It's a ride.

3. Season 1

Sigh, listen, season 1 is the big struggle for me. If I muster as much objectivity as I can, it's the best-written and generally well-put-together season. Even when the back nine changes direction a bit, it's still a much more cohesive unit than even season 2. It's a good season of television. It's also one I saw all the way back in 2010 and said "uhm, no thanks, that was fine but I don't need more Glee." It's missing that je ne sais quoi, imo, that makes Glee truly great. And maybe truly bad, too, but that's part of the show's appeal and I still find season 1 one of the least engaging whenever I watch it. And there are many reasons, from my infuriation with the disproportion of singing to Finchel shenanigans to Quinn's storyline, and, of course, the lack of Santana. I still rank it in the top 3 just because I can't overlook how strong it is from a purely, this is good TV perspective, but make no mistake it's far from being among my personal faves. Deffo not the one I wanna be rewatching the most. It's so good in some aspects but I know what else Glee can be and yeah, that's messy and makes my blood boil but at least it makes me feel so much more than the Finchel features and Finn-Will bonding moments of season 1. Based on this you might think I should rank it lower. Maybe I should. I think I'm just being so hard on it because I know it's considered to be the best by many and it's just, not that for me. I only put it in the top 3 begrudgingly.

4. Season 3

Season 3 is impossible to rank and I feel bad putting it above season 6 but I can't lie and say it didn't have good stuff. I'm actually really curious to find out what parts of it you appreciate more now because of me haha because I feel like I'm always so hard on season 3. Because it sucks. I hate s3A so much. It pisses me off like no other season. But damn, it has the good stuff too. Some of my favourite GCVs, for starters. Nationals, graduation. All the nostalgia and sting of that. The underdogs winning. The end of an era. So much more Santana. (Soundtrack-wise, anyway.) The Troubletones. What did it cost? Everything, but we got it. There's a clear arc, it just takes a million detours. The most controversial season for me, personally. I wish it never existed. I wish it was so much better. I'm a different person for having witnessed it. Everything wrong with Glee but maybe everything great with it, too. The new writers? Not a great idea. An inevitability. Season 3 is a dumpster fire and quintessential Glee, dare I say even the peak of it in some ways. It makes me wanna choose violence. We should move on.

5. Season 6

Sweetie I'm so sorry for ranking you so low, I'm usually a season 6 defender. It's been too long since I've seen it to confidently be able to say that it's good, though, and it just very much feels like the swan song it is. I'll be completely honest, it's also the lack of Santana for me. Sure, she gets her own arc on the side but I'm not a 100% happy with how they bid her farewell and any given episode of Glee is just way less appealing to me without her in it. But putting the Santana of it all aside, season 6 fully leans into the insanity of Glee in its final season. It's also a breath of fresh air, of postmodernity and a new generation and goodbyes that feel as authentic as they could be at this point. It's... like a post-finale. It's surprisingly real about the concept of the aftermath. A fascinating case study of the show's identity, its underdog obsession, what it means to deconstruct that. It's also just a bit boring, innit, compared to earlier shenanigans. But still, season 6 defender over here.

6. Season 5

I really didn't think I'd rank season 5 last, again, because I always used to and I actually appreciate it a lot more these days. But it's a case of not wanting any of the others to be last. Season 5 seemed like as good a sacrificial lamb as any. I think it's that, much more than season 4, it doesn't feel like one season, not even like one show. And it's understandable, of course, because production and the people behind it went through hell when Cory died. Looked at through the lens of grief, it's a fascinating season. And there are aspects I really like but aspects I despise, and unlike season 3's controversy I also find a lot of it just dull. Now, this might change when I eventually rewatch it but as it stands I just don't feel as strongly about wanting to defend season 5 and I do season 6. It's great when it's great but it's lukewarm so often. There are also way too many character assassinations happening and part of me will never forgive dropping the newbies like that. And all of me will always be mad about Santana's/Naya's treatment in season 5B.

[thearchivistsjournal]

Day 333,

Morning thought: Three hundred thirty three is a good number.  It’s not a special milestone or symbol or anything to me though.  It’s just pleasing in an aesthetic and numerical sense.  Sure, one hundred eleven and two hundred twenty two have something similar going on (and I’d rank one hundred eleven as the second most pleasing of the three), but they both lack the additional layer of repetition of being three threes.  And just twenty two gets used so much more in comparison to make two twos just not as special.  And having those repeated threes calls to mind the weirdness of trying to convert an even one third into decimal notation, which is also neat.

It’s the little things.

*******

I had another encounter with Theo today.  Unintentionally.  For once, I don’t think either of us was actively looking for the other.  Then again, who can really tell with him?

I had gone up into the lighthouse to try meditating again when I found him already in the bedroom standing by the desk, head bowed and with one hand lightly touching the vine-wrapped dagger on the windowsill.  I really didn’t want to deal with him again this soon so I started quietly backing down the stairs, but he must have heard me anyway (or sensed me with however it is he tracks people) because without turning around he asked me why I was here.

I said I could ask the same of him.

He observed that I could, but he’d asked first.

I briefly considered insisting he go first anyway, but ultimately I just wanted this conversation over with as soon as possible and simply leaving felt more like an escalation than an escape.  I told him that he was the one who said to focus on thoughts of ascending, so I went somewhere high.  More literal than he probably meant, but it helps.  His turn to answer now.

Finally turning to face me, he confessed to “making a rare indulgence in sentimentality.”

I said that I took it he got along with Devi more than he does me.

He said Devi really appreciated this place in a way that most outsiders didn’t.  Maybe it was because her past life had been harder and more painful than most.  She never really went exploring or spent much time asking “why,” she just wanted to live a life in peace.  

If she had a flaw it was that she was too afraid of losing that peace.  She joined the guards because she wanted to help protect the people she cared about like she’d been unable to do in her past life.  Not that she remembered any more detail about that life than I did mine (no outsider does), but that pain of weakness, failure, and loss haunted her anyway.  Eventually that fear led her to become convinced of a nonexistent threat to the Village that she went into Cloud Tower to face and never came back down.

There was a wistful tone to Theo’s voice as he spoke about my predecessor that was terribly strange to hear coming from him.  Did he actually like her for her, or was she just his ideal well-behaved outsider?  Perhaps he felt her a kindred spirit in their desire to protect this place?

Before I could find the words to ask, he changed the topic and said that I’d been cleaning this place up.  A statement, not a question.

I asked if that was a problem.

He said it depended on what I planned to do with it.

I gave a shrug of forced nonchalance and said I didn’t have a plan.  I walked in here on a whim one day, saw it was a nice place, and thought it was a shame to just let it gather dust and rot.  Also, the act of cleaning itself is calming at times.

That answer seemed to satisfy the old guard.  He nodded his head, said something under his breath about it being impractical to keep monuments around forever and stepped past me to leave.  Halfway down the stairs he said loudly enough for me to hear (bordering on a yell) that he’d talk to someone about fixing the pipes and refurbishing the mattress.  And to take the dagger if I want it.  It may or may not help with the nightmares, but may as well try it.  I’d cause more problems than I’d solve if I died from them.

I’m not sure if that was supposed to be affable or threatening.  Probably both, coming from him.

Once Theo was gone I tried meditating as originally planned, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation I’d just had.  Not that anything productive came from those thoughts.  I’ll try again when I’m done writing.  Hopefully this will have helped to get my mind clear.  It usually does.

As for the dagger, I did go ahead and disentangle it from the vines.  I feel something different when I’m moving around while I hold it, so I’m fairly certain it too is an artifact of some manner, but I haven’t yet figured out what.  Still can’t get the thing out of its scabbard.  That rust is holding tight.  Makes me wonder if the rust itself is part of the artifact now and shares that anomalous durability they supposedly have.  If that’s the case, is it even possible to unsheathe it?  Maybe with enough grease and someone like Maiko pulling on it.

I’ll try holding onto it when I attempt the meditation again, maybe it’ll help me focus.  That said, I think I’ll leave it here for now when I leave for the night.  It feels like a sort of weird thing to go walking around with.

If it doesn’t actually help with the nightmares at all (and how would I even keep it on me in my sleep?) I wonder if Maiko would like it?  An artifact - even one of unknown properties - might make for a nice housewarming present.

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