#anyway. LOVE LETTERS DOES ANYONE REMEMBER LOVE LETTERS. OH MY GOD LOVE LETTERS

[mqfx]

thank you for your thoughts!! nodding along enthusiastically.

if i were to pick a sect leader to abandon his post i would pick nie huaisang--he already put revenge first, the headshaker style! im willing to go along with "he was an awesome sect leader all along actually" ideas, and i would love to peer into his head with a comically ginormous magnifying glass about his feelings about the nie sect generally, but ... perhaps the art scene is flourishing there!

so the most optimistic sangcheng scenario i can think of might be that he finally puts down the nie sect and lets someone else have it. goes to lotus pier, becomes the lounging presence on the docks jiang cheng might have known he'd appreciate if not need, and they get to have out their spiky feelings at each other in some peace, with some time.

otherwise with sangchengs inglorious defeat the fish anon of weeks past can have their time to shine (i think about that ask and giggle sometimes).

meowwww!!!!!!

as for me, while i agree that IF it was necessary for sangcheng that one MUST abdicate it's slightly more likely that nhs would do it, generally i don't see him doing that either bc 1) [especially in cql-verse] nmj trusted him with it and i don't think he could make himself let it go, 2) given that he's the type to dedicate himself to a decades-long grudge, sect leading is a cakewalk in comparison, 3) who would take nie sect? would a new person allow the cycle of qi deviation to continue or address the problem of the saber tombs? 4) luckily it is not necessary because 5) i like the idea of long-distance couples :p sending each other terse business reports that slowly develop into amicable greetings into general life updates and well-wishes to poems to encrypted love letters. the gradual change of address from just their names to "best" to "yours" to "love" ACK AUH I INFECTED MYSELF WITH THE FEVERS i have to sit my hopelessly romantic ass down!!!!

im currently fascinated with the idea of them coming together to make the wuxia version of the fish and wildlife department as well.

[splendidreads]

Open Your Heart, Part 1

Mob!Bucky Barnes x Female OC

Word Count: 3,299

This first chapter is so long omg.

This first chapter has no warnings. Future chapters will include the following; Cursing, mentions of abuse, violence, weapons, smut, angst, fluff.. I will add more as needed!

Kind of a summary? Idk. I’m still thinking.

‘Arranged marriages are never easy. This one is no exception. Both sides will have to relearn their ways, and learn to trust each other. Bucky has all the love to give, but Katherine doesn’t know how to accept real love. She’s never been loved by anyone other than her best friend. Will she learn to open her heart, to New Yorks most notorious Mob Boss? Or is she too scared, that he’s just like everyone else?’

A/N; This is my FIRST Bucky story. As well as my first AU story. If this first part does well, I’ll keep on going. I’m incredibly beyond nervous about this. Constructive criticism welcome, but please be nice. Please re-post and comment :)

I do NOT give permission for my work to be copied and posted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. PLEASE just reblog if you want to share my story!!

Will happily start a tag list if anyone is interested!

✨Part 2 here✨

“Yeah, it’s getting pretty chilly out.”

Katherine tossed her keys onto her dresser as she held the phone between her ear and shoulder, flipping through the stack of mail in her hands.

“Perfect night for a book and hot chocolate.”

Katherine chuckled softly, “Sage, do you ever really need an excuse to do that?”

She could hear laughter on the other side of the phone, “Not really. But it’s the aesthetic!”

She rolled her eyes at her friend, humming softly as she sorted a few bills, until her eyes landed on an envelope that stood out. It was a deep, blood red color with a silver wax seal on it. Her name was written on it, so she didn’t hesitate to open it.

“Anything interesting?”

She hummed in response, “Possibly..”

Her fingers gently tugged the paper out from the envelope, her curiosity spiking. She unfolded the paper, and her eyes soon began to go over the words.

“Oh my god,” she gasped softly, a bit breathless, “Its him.. It’s a letter from HIM!”

As soon as she got the words out, her phone began chiming in her ear, signaling that Sage was converting the call to a video call. Katherine answered it, and propped the phone up on her dresser.

“Well, what did he say?” Sage looked at her curiously, “Its about the wedding, right?”

Katherine looked at the letter, and let out a soft breath.

“It says..”

“My Dearest Katherine,

I know that we’ve both been waiting for this moment, at least.. I know that I have. I wanted to give you the space you deserve, and to not rush you. If you’re ready for me, I’m here, and I’d like for you to come stay with me. I’ll take care of anything you need, or want, to make this transition easier and more comfortable. Just let me know when you’re ready.

Sincerely yours,

James Buchanan Barnes

My number: xxx-xxx-xxxx”

Both girls were silent for a moment. Katherine’s thoughts were overwhelmed by excitement, the moment she’d been waiting for was finally here.. While Sages thoughts were quite the opposite.

“The mob boss Bucky Barnes?!” Sage exclaimed, finally processing the words from the letter. “YOU'RE MARRYING A MOB BOSS?”

“Seems so..” Katherine grabbed the phone, and immediately put the number in, sending him a text.

“I don’t know Katie, this is.. Are you sure? You’ve heard all of the stories..”

Katherine rolled her eyes, “I can’t break the deal. It’s not mine to negotiate anyways..” she let out a soft sigh, “I know. I remember them, we’ve all heard the stories..”

Sage let out a long breath, worry written all over her face, “Well.. When do you think you want to go? I’m sure he’d understand if you wanted more time.”

Katherine bit the inside of her cheek, having already received a few text messages from him, “In a few hours.”

Sages face fell, “What?”

“He’s sending a driver over at 3,” She began moving around her room, and began the process of packing, “It’s not like I have much to pack anyways.”

“You already texted him? Katherine-“

Katherine shook her head, cutting her off, “You know how long I’ve been waiting for this. Yes, it’s.. Interesting.. Who he turned out to be.. But this is still my only chance to get out… A chance to be happy.”

As much as Sage wanted to argue, disagree, and try to talk her out of it.. She knew that she was right.

“If he can make you happy..” Sage let out a soft sigh, before a smile spread on her lips, “Make sure to tell me everything! I want to know what he’s like, what his house is like! I’ve heard it’s a huge mansion..”

As Sage began to go on and on about all the different rumors they’ve all heard about him, Katherine’s mind was occupied with other thoughts.

I hope I don’t disappoint him.

If I just keep my head down, and listen, I’m sure it’ll be fine.

I wonder if he’ll like me..

Will we be happy together?

“I bet the arm thing isn’t real. You know how mobs like to spread stories to scare people.”

Sage's last words made Katherine chuckle, “I suppose I’ll be finding out which rumors are true or not, hmm?”

“Yeah, you’ll have to let me know if his eyes are really that blue.” Sage let out a soft dreamy sigh, “I wonder what he really looks like. It seems to depend on who you ask.”

Katherine hummed softly, imagining the man as she packed, “Yeah, if they’re on his good side, or his bad side.”

Both girls chuckled a bit, continuing to talk about all the different possibilities that might happen. Katherine continued packing as they spoke, finding that she really didn’t have much to pack. She didn’t have many clothes, most of it being her work uniforms. A couple pairs of jeans, a few t-shirts (All of which had something to do with music), a single long sleeved shirt, and her oversized nightshirts. She only had three pairs of shoes; A pair of purple converse sneakers (which were on her feet), her black combat boots, and her work shoes. Thankfully, she still had her black dress and heels from when Sage forced her to get them. She could still hear Sages words from that day, ‘This dress would look killer on you, your curves will pop, and drive any man crazy!’ She had only tried the dress on once, never having an occasion to wear it. So, including the heels, she actually had four pairs of shoes.

Great.

A loud knock on the front door made both girls fall silent, but Sage was quick to realize.

“It’s three..”

Katherine sucked in a breath, nodding her head, “Okay… Okay. I’ll talk to you later, I promise!”

Sage sighed, nodding her head, “You’d better.. I’ll send a search party! Don’t forget your art bag!”

The call ended after the both girls said ‘I love you’, and Katherine made a beeline to the front door, bags in hand. She opened it to find a man, a bit older than her, with a nice suit on.

He offered a small smile, “Miss Connors?”

She nodded her head, “Yes sir.” Returning the smile, before realizing..

Dad.

She let out a soft sigh, “I have to do something really quick, then I’m ready.”

The man nodded his head, and reached for her bags, “I’ll take these, and meet you at the car.”

She turned on her heel, walking through the house. Her father was passed out in his recliner in the living room, a beer threatening to fall from his hand and onto the floor. Shaking her head at the sight, she decided to just leave him a note, instead of waking him.

‘Mr. Barnes finally reached out.

I accepted.

That’s where I’ll be when you wake up.’

She placed the note in front of the television, before walking back through the house. Grabbing her leather jacket, and her ‘art’ bag as Sage called it, she went out the front door. The man at the car gave her another smile, opening the back door for her. As she stepped in, she took one last look at the house, before nodding to herself and letting the man close the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The car ride was silent for the most part, the man asking her a few times if she was alright or if she needed anything. New York City seemed to disappear behind them as they went, the drive lasting about 20 minutes. Katherine’s eyes widened as the car rolled to a stop.. He really did have a mansion.

“Alright Miss. Connors.” The man got out of the car, as her eyes observed the large home. It was old, Victorian era old. Equal parts elegant, beautiful, and creepy. The driver, whom she had learned to be Joe, opened her door for her, offering a warm smile. She got out, and was greeted by a crisp breeze. She was glad to have her leather jacket on.

“Thanks for the ride.” She said to him, a small grin on her lips as she grabbed her bags.

“Anytime, ma’am. Mr. Barnes is my favorite client.”

She gave him a small nod before turning to walk towards the house. As she walked up the front steps,, the nerves finally began to break through. She took in a deep breath as she raised her fisted hand to knock, but the door opened in front of her, startling her.

“You must be Katherine!” An older woman, probably in her late 50s or so, gave her a wide grin.

“Yes ma’am, that’s me.” She returned the grin, trying to conceal her nerves.

“Come in, come in…” The woman motioned her inside, and as she stepped in, she closed the door. “I’m Annette, one of Mr. Barnes housekeepers.”

Katherine’s eyes wandered around the entryway, “It’s nice to meet you.”

Annette stood there, silent for a moment. As if she were allowing Katherine to study the home. “Mr. Barnes is currently in a meeting, so I’ll show you to your room!”

Katherine gave her a small smile, nodding her head to the woman. She followed along behind her, looking around as they went. It was pretty modern inside, compared to the old style of the outside. The first room was huge; a long fireplace along the far wall. It seemed to have been set up to hold guests, maybe for meetings or get-togethers. There were staircases on either side of the room, and they started the descent up the left side. Once at the top, she realized that both sides met on the same floor. There didn’t seem to be much personal touch in the home; No family photos in sight.

“Here we are, the last door on the left. The room on the right is an office area that he never uses, the other door on the left is another entrance into your bathroom. I usually keep it locked.”

Katherine blinked a few times, before hesitantly opening the door to the bedroom.. her eyes widened once again, seeing how large it was. It was almost like a suite at a hotel; having a lounge area with a couch, recliner and television. A wall separated that space from an area with a ginormous bed. It must’ve been a California king, she’d never seen a bed so large. As she walked around, Annette came in as well, opening the curtains.

“This door here is your closet,” she said as she turned the knob, revealing a walk in closet. “And over here is your bathroom.”

Katherine was shocked, her eyes trying to take in the massive space, “A-And this room… Is mine?”

Annette let out a soft chuckle, “Yes dear.”

Confusion then came across Katherine’s face, realizing that she and her future husband had separate rooms. Annette must’ve noticed this, because she offered a kind smile.

“Mr. Barnes is a good man, Katherine. He wanted you to have your own space, he didn’t want to pressure you into anything until you were ready.”

Katherine nodded slowly, setting her bags down on the foot of the bed- Her bed. She gave Annette a big grin, when the initial shock had finally subsided. She let out a giggle, doing a twirl as she took one long look at the room. Annette chuckled softly, watching the woman.

“It was overwhelming to me too, back in the day. I’d never seen such spacious rooms.” She shrugged her shoulders.

Katherine let out a long sigh, a smile tugging at her lips, “This is.. It is a lot. This room is half the size of my house!”

Both women chuckled for a moment, until there was a knock at the door. Katherine’s eyes moved to look at who it was, somehow knowing that it wasn’t him. A tall man leaned in the doorway, golden blonde hair that went just past his ears, and a neat beard on his face.

“Mr. Rogers.” Annette nodded her head toward him, giving him a small smile.

“Annette,” he returned the smile, then his eyes landed on Katherine, “So you’re the one who’s marrying my best friend.”

Katherine’s nerves slowly creeped their way back into her mind, nodding her head silently. She wasn’t sure what to say, her eyes flickering between the man and Annette.

He walked towards her, extending a hand, “I’m Steve.” He gave her a warm grin, and it helped settle her silly nerves.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, taking his hand and shaking it.

“I hope you’re finding everything to your liking. Buck sent me to extend his apologies, his meetings running later than expected.” Steve let out a soft sigh as their hands fell, “He wanted to greet you when you arrived.”

Katherine nodded her head, running a hand through her long brown hair, “It’s alright, I understand.” She shrugged, though secretly she was quite anxious and excited to finally set her eyes on him.

Steve’s eyes wandered around the room, before settling on her bags, “Are there more bags downstairs? I can go get them if you’d like.”

Katherine was slightly embarrassed, “Oh, uhm.. No.. That’s all I’ve got.”

Silent words seemed to be exchanged, Steve understanding the expression on her face. Katherine didn’t want to have to explain to anyone that she was dirt poor and didn’t have many possessions. Steve didn’t seem to want to press the issue.

“Well, I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll see you around dear! Steve will take good care of you.” Annette gave them both a smile, before leaving the room.

Katherine let out a breath, before making a clicking sound with her tongue, “Welp,” she moved to start unpacking her bags, “I s’pose I’ll start unpacking while I wait.” She shrugged her shoulders, before letting out a soft chuckle. Her phone was going off in her pocket, and she knew who it was. She pulled the device out, to see text messages from Sage.

‘Everything good?’

‘Are you there yet??’

‘KATIE’

‘…Has he swooped you off your feet yet?’

‘DETAILS WOMAN!’

Katherine laughed, reading the messages. Steve quirked an eyebrow curiously, wondering what was going on. She looked over to him as she texted Sage back.

‘I haven’t met him yet! Just settling into my room. I’ll video call you before bed!’

“Oh, it’s just my best friend chomping at the bit. Sage is a very protective friend, and if I don’t answer, I’m sure she’d manage to find out where I am.”

Steve let out a soft chuckle, nodding his head, “Oh, I understand that.”

Katherine hummed softly, “I’m sure she’d like to see where I’m living now.. Do you think he’d be alright if she came over some time?” She looked at Steve, wondering what he thought. But Steve’s eyes were now on his own phone.

“You can ask him yourself,” he said, sliding the device back into his pocket, “He’s out of his meeting, and would like for me to escort you to his office.”

Katherine nodded her head slowly, “Uhm, then lead the way.”

Steve gave her a smile, before doing just that. He led her down the hallway, and back down the staircase. Her fingers began fumbling with the hem of her shirt, ‘The Andrews Sisters’ logo quite faded on the front of the old clothing. As she followed him through the house, her anxiety came creeping back into her mind. Thoughts of her mysterious suitor flooded her brain, wondering what their first interaction might be like. She was lost in her thoughts as Steve led her into a room, her eyes wandering around as she observed the new area. There were bookcases covering the walls, hundreds of books filling them. She smiled, looking at all the old covers. She could’ve sworn she had spotted an old copy of ‘Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe’.

“Katherine?”

Her eyes snapped to where she had heard her name, and the nerves turned into butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Standing before her, leaning against a large wooden desk, was a man. Probably the most attractive man she’d ever laid eyes on. He had dark hair, a quiff of dark locks settled at the top. His eyes were an icy Blue, staring into her hazel brown orbs. He had quite the jawline, a short beard covering it. His arms were crossed against his chest, one of which seemed to reflect the light from the ceiling..

“H-Hi.” Was all she managed to squeak out, her eyes transfixed on him.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he took a few long strides across the room, extending his flesh hand to her, “Bucky.” He flashed a toothy smile, and she felt her heart flutter.

It was him.

She took his hand, hoping he didn’t notice that hers was shaking. He gently clasped both of his hands around her much smaller one, the metal of his fingers sending a chill up her arm.

“You have a really lovely home.” She mentally scolded herself, knowing those weren’t her first choice of words.

He let out a hearty chuckle, holding onto her hand gently, “Thank you. It’s yours now, too, you know.”

She nodded her head, realizing how much closer he was to her now. She could see his dark eyelashes flutter as he watched her. She slowly retracted her hand, suddenly feeling quite self conscious. She wrapped her arms around her middle, wanting to hide herself from his piercing eyes. He seemed to notice her hesitance, taking a step back from her. They were both silent for a moment, Steve watching the awkward interaction. Her eyes began to wander again, fixating on all the books in the room.

“Do you like to read?” He asked, giving her a small smile.

Katherine’s eyes glanced towards him, getting captured by his icy orbs once more, “I do.” She returned the sweet smile.

“You’re more than welcome to any of them. I have more in the basement library.” He hummed softly, “Please feel free to explore. What’s mine, is now yours.”

She gave him a slow nod, the smile still spread across her lips, as she began to walk around the room. She walked up to one of the large bookcases, her fingers lifting to gently brush across the spines of a few books. She hummed softly, her eyes scanning over the different books. Bucky silently followed her, watching as she admired them. He glanced at Steve, who gave him a reassuring smile.

“I’m happy to collect more, if you think of any we should add to the collection.” He said to her, trying to ease her nerves. He didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, regardless of the odd situation.

“Duly noted.” She turned towards him, a slight blush crawling onto her cheeks as she realized.. While she was studying the books, he was studying her.

“Uh, are you hungry?” He gave her a side grin, “Steve and I usually go to this pizza place out on 6th, every Thursday.”

Katherine let out a soft laugh, “Pizza sounds great.”

Bucky clapped his hands together, “Then it’s settled. Steve, can you pull the car around?”

Steve nodded his head, “Yep.”

Katherine smiled to Bucky, “What are your favorite toppings? I’m a meat lover myself.”

Bucky’s lips spread wide on his face, “Me too. With the garlic sauce on the crust.”

Katherine’s nerves were slowly fading, “Extra cheese?”

Bucky chuckled, motioning for them to leave the room, “Doll, I have a feeling this’ll be much easier than either of us realized.”

“As long as you don’t put anchovies on anything, I think we’ll be set.”

They both began to laugh, all the nerves and awkwardness fading behind them.

[mixelation]

I would love to see you rank Akatsuki by how shippable they are with Kakashi

oh my god. called out. but i will answer. CRACKS KNUCKLES

tbh this was kind of hard to write because even though i love akatsuki ships AND i love kakashi ships, there's not a lot of.... like..... easy/natural chemistry going on here??

least to most shippable

9. Zetsu - Does anyone ship Zetsu? No. Get out of here, Zetsu.

8. Pein - I think the connection here would be like. Similar Traumas (tm) and I know some people like this but I don't LMAO. That or missing-nin!Kakashi joins Akatsuki because he likes what Pein is selling philosophically, and it turns into one of those "loyal follower sets themselves apart in order for leader to notice them Romantically" which is another dynamic I know some like but I don't.

7. Kisame - Kisame is Chill For An Evil Villain and I think he'd admire Kakashi's philosophy of ninja who abandon their comrades being less than trash. He'd be annoyed but not lose his mind over some of Kakashi's more annoying traits. But, idk, this ship doesn't really have enough Spice for me.

6. Itachi - I like the fanon that Itachi and Kakashi were friendly in ANBU, and for a long time I liked the idea of them running into each other years later and reconnecting in a more shippy way. But I have rotated and rotated this and I cannot make it work in a shippy way. I've read some fics and they else seem to just not have.... a spark? a Spice? There's something missing. I just like them more with a platonic dynamic.

5. Sasori - There are some interesting parallels and contrasts and vague plot connections between these two, but oh my GOD is it hard to fit them all together in a compelling way. There's probably something in "Your father killed my parents and it fucked me up for life" vs "Yeah well, then he also killed my father and fucked me up for life" but you will have to work so hard to extract it. Sasori and Kakashi are antisocial weirdos in opposing ways and GETTING them to the point where you can do anything is so hard.

4. Kakuzu - Despite fighting each other, canon failed to produce any emotional connection at all between Kakuzu and Kakashi, which is unfair to us all. Kakuzu is ranked here because he's the first person on this list I can see getting into bed with Kakashi without the writer having to do a shit ton of work. Kakuzu fucks. Kakashi fucks. I think under the right circumstances they'd fuck each other. If I wrote it, I'd have a Catfishing AU where they're both trying to lure the other one out to collect Dat Bounty but they're doing it via the lonely hearts section of a newspaper. Anyway their public personas don't impress each other but once they switch to private letters they both realize they're both weird kinky freaks. Kakuzu WAS trying to catfish you in that he lying about his age and name and sent a fake photo, but somehow he was not lying about the tentacles.

3. Hidan - I think Kakashi and Hidan would make eye contact across a bar and then go hook up. I just think they're both like this. Maybe they run into each other again later and are like, "fuck it, why not?" It's a very straight forward relationship and both somehow miss all the ways the other one is completely unhinged. ALTERNATIVELY, Hidan thinking Kakashi's suffering and wallowing is so, so beautiful.

2. Deidara - Okay. Do you remember his "sees Itachi for the first time" face? I think Deidara would make this face at a raikiri. And as we all know, Deidara is at his cutest when screaming because someone is actively trolling him, and Kakashi loves trolling people. I don't think Deidara would be very impressed with Kakashi's dedication to a never ending mourning period, BUT I think there's room for interesting character growth on both sides here. Also I just think Kakashi should fuck him. As a little treat

I. Konan - Okay. Listen. My ideal Kakashi het ship is "weird damp man and woman who would crumple him up and wring him out like a paper towel." This is them. Kakashi literally only knows how to take care of his loved ones by going out and killing their enemies and Konan thinks this is so sweet. She doesn't NEED him to, but he does go out and kill people she hates and he's not even weird about it. Kakashi murdered more specific enemies of the Ame or Akatsuki than the Akatsuki. Very cute. Also they'd look good together. ALSO the pairing of her blank, judgmental stare and his trolly grin. Excellent vibes all around

BONUS RANKINGS:

Orochimaru (between Deidara and Konan) - They would hook up specifically for the psychic damage to everyone they know.

Obito (True Number One) - OBVIOUSLY. Rivals to friends to enemies to lovers! The mutual obsession! Bonus identity porn!

[alegocarmadein]

How about 35, 32z and 17 for the writing asks?

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

oh god. so it's set in the fae realm, right? I call it Elphame in this fic. And it's this mismatch conglomorate of ideas I've learned, rpg shit, and random fucking ideas. not based on real fae myth, this is fantasy bullshit. So there's these beasts, right? these monstrosous, weird creatures called the First Beasts because they were what first evolved/were created. And over like….millions of years many of these beasts have been hunted down (mostly by humans). They're generally worshipped by various species of the fae realm. we meet at least two, maybe more. But they're ethereal in a way. kinda terrifying? ever see a bug that's so fucken weird you're like. I don't think you're an enemy. but maybe ur an alien so please leave my house/screen. or had a weird crawdad-like thing run over ur foot when you weren't expecting it? yeah like that, like not unheard of just like ah hi what the fuck are you. generally this fic is meant to be a respite. there's not really weird time shenanigins, or fucked up memory stuff, just a classic slow, we're walkin in the forest looking at shit and talking while we head towards our destination. oh look a giant snail. hey did you know i love you. im going to look at you meaninfully and study your features cause i have no clue if we'll ever get home. that shit. not pining…just…lingering. it's also a uh interim? between next of kin & the third story in the series. that ones. gonna be. rough. so we have to be chill in between then and now. god i will get this goddamned story done. someday.

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

Hm. I am really. really. really. bad at remembering lines. but this segment sticks with me.

"Still, Feels said nothing. Not the house still brought you back to me. Not you were unconscious, you didn't hear how that place still breathed - quiet, yeah, but still there. Not the flies were gone when we left, the dust swept away, the window propped open for us .

Instead, wordlessly, he held his hand out.

An invitation. A question.

Do you trust me? it asked.

Kane took it, and in the silence he gripped it tight."

god the "An invitation. A question." I LOVE that shit in writing. the repeat of similar words but with important meanings that when put one after the other elaborates on the feeling of the story, the imporatance of the end, the meaning behind the action. AHG.

this is my favorite kaf fic. and this whole segment of it is just OH so impactful. i love house horror and i love the house loving you (see thirteen letters). i found it because its a kaf fic- shit i just realized you asked me this rowan, this is going to seem like pandering, i didn't even notice you asked it. well. anyway- the way it's written is really alluring in a way that is very satisfying to read. it is just the type of fic i wish everyone made because it's so good and really just. good fic. 100/10. quality shit. like argh. 

(https://archiveofourown.org/works/44602054)

35. What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

uh keep it tight. fuck keeping it tight. sometimes. you need to linger. SOMETIMES. you need to use fucked up punctuation. SOMETIMES you need to repeat words in a row to emphasize shit. SOMETIMES you need to fuck up your structuring and have it not make sense to get there. to the end. sometimes. you need to linger. sometimes you need to say "fuck consistency we're takin this shit OFF THE TRACKS. WE WILL NOT RAILROAD OURSELVES INTO STEREOTYPICALITY. WE WILL MAKE WEIRD STORIES." 

make weird stories yall.

(i never do ask games so this is very fun. im gonna reblog the list so if theres any anyone wants to ask. ya know. ask.)

[memoryoflooping]

i started taking notes this play session bc i'm forgetter georg like siffrin. this shit is a mess, glad no one has to use these to play the game look at this shit

extra benefit is that i started writing down my reactions and observations to things bc i can't be assed to constantly liveblog i neef to charge that damn phone

gen notes- considering tutorial kid makes the same moves, i wonder if the saddnesses do too? for sure the status ones do i think?? rng targeting i think? saddness attacks seem random. unless its to do with the room they spawn in? but freezing in time from that one enemy seems so consistent?

story notes: loop 8 - odile won heads or tails this loop. interesting! should have long-thingy thing, but is the last one the bell? chain not compatible with pendant, so its probably the long thing SIF IS SUCH A DORK IN THE BATHROOM LOL "thank you for this gift" help, time loop torture hasn't set in yet huh KEYKNIFE? oh fuck yes the change god rules tped back… wonder if there's extra dialogue if i interact with the statue again? quick walk anyway swagever could probably loop back and go other ways if i end up looping back again also…? THERE WAS EXTRA DIALOGUE YIPPPEEE!!! we keep making fun of mira… so sad oh my god what the fuck is this thing, hello face saddness. i've had like 0 trouble with these bosses its probably fine OHHHHH NO . dear lord . multiple parts i see i see… alotta damage from the main one… but we should be good getting the paper hands down first will always make quick work bc of sif. shining life sounds good but i have never had anyone downed by a saddness lmao, ig they get harder from here? oh they noticed sif's breathing in and out, he's been doing that since before the loop started so they probably knew about this before ohhh my god mira… :-( i do wonder why she helped mira, did she know something everyone else didn't? sif is such a dork i have to pinch their cheek like a grandma awhhh, awhhhh bonnie made those fritters for sif… so cute oh my god the king is fucking huge???? sick as fuck design ?????? does sif rememember what? he's bad memory georg HE HAS SO MUCH HEALTH??? UH OH oh my god he one shot us. its so over loop 9 - HWTA?? oh my god the items disappearing is so scary what??? i forgot the give her the letter last loop and mira has a headache now loop "sometimes" wants everything frozen in time? secret library?????? oh my god you CAN give the flower to loop? i wasn't sure. please . NOOOOOO WHAT the blind man's house password was change and i forgot to ever check helppppp. well i guess i have the long thingy thing hmmm ok i guess i'm going to floor 1 and then exploding after using a star crest in the wrong area loop 10 - change god statues mission… go!!! odile won the coin flip again oh my god i literally remember checking that wall in the library. i love timeloops odile curious about something ? oh the no color is diegetic. awesome oh i can just go fight the bitch huh

[whoslaurapalmer]

look. I love good things come in threes and I packed a lot of stuff in it and it's like quietly one of my fav twin peaks fics I've written because of all the little world building things and I have notes I've held on to about how I wrote it

-sometimes I do think the fic is a little slow -- but not. In a terrible way?? In a sweet way. It's supposed to be a slow little afternoon. Just a little time

-ed has a tammy wynette tape bc he and norma listen to her in the pilot.

-there was a line I really wanted in there – “so you’re gonna stand by your man her into a prom date?” but it didn’t really tonally hit anyone’s dialogue, which I was having a hard enough time with. harry and hawk and ed are out there sharing a braincell and hawk has it 100% of the time

-the Fall Football Game Of Some Renown, where, according to the access guide, hawk ran the wrong way, and according to the secret history, hank fumbled a play, took place in fall 1968, so this fic takes place a couple weeks before that. I was imagining it as like a, thanksgiving game or something, bc the schools where I live always have a high school thanksgiving day game (or they USED TO), and the fic takes place like, early october.

-the mod squad (which also had peggy lipton) had indeed just started airing at the end of september that year, and the fugitive (which also had a one-armed man) had indeed started airing four years previously (and ended in 1967).

-oh! so i wanted them watching unsolved mysteries, but that aired too late in the timeline. then i wanted them watching the untouchables, but that would've just ended right before fall 1964. so that was how they watched the fugitive, because it started airing fall 1964. they're likely watching the first ever episode.

-oh, was that a weekend? i don't think it was, but. that's where my attention to detail conks out.

-okay the thing about time here. harry and hawk and ed are born in 1950. the fall football game is 1968. that makes them 18, seniors, and they will graduate in june 1969.

-frank is harry's older brother.

-FRANK IS INEXPLICABLY LISTED AS AT THAT FOOTBALL GAME.

-BUT HE CAN'T BE???? BECAUSE HE WOULD'VE GRADUATED?????? I'M???????? i'm still screaming. anyway in this fic frank is in college.

-hand to god I probably attended at least one “under the sea” themed dance in my school career, although I never went to homecoming. i don't even remember what the themes were. i think one prom was like???? a night in paris????? do NOT remember.

-the point is also that time repeats.

-i have never in my life seen the good the bad and the ugly, but it has that Classic Whistle-y Theme, which I figured they’d know. didn’t know if peaks was big enough to have a movie theater or drive in?? and I wanted to pull in the nearby town of newport (where hawk buys a car during high school).

-i picked the 1960 chevy impala bc it’s a cute ass car. love a good old car. that interior?????? to die for.

-guys just Loving their super inexplicably terrible cars is one of my favorite things. Ed's car is inspired by like 3 men I've known I swear to god who were just THAT into their terrible sad little cars. It's the PRINCIPLE of the thing, you know!!!! It's the car!!!! It's the memories!!!!!! You can't put a price or value on sentiment and what even a not well working car means to you. and.....it still WORKS. just needs a lil love.

-a group of guys banding together around their terrible little car and having a ROUTINE to get it to work is also. so good to me

-there's a lot of 'just needs a little love. Is it enough' in the fic bc that's how Harry feels about the town. That's what the town does. The love is not enough. But these friends love each other and are doing their best

-shout out to my mom for coming up with ed fishing out the cassette tape from inside the seat

-I cannot resist mentioning Diane Shapiro. I think it's a fun idea, if she and hawk are vague high school sweethearts and write letters to each other.

-harry has this vague deja vu (???) feeling of s1e6, where coop and hawk and harry and doc hayward go into the woods to find jacques renault’s cabin and find margaret’s first, bc I can’t resist some good time shenanigans

-harry thinks the cabins change because that was the only way I could rationalize them going into the woods in s1e6 and NOT RECOGNIZING MARGARET’S CABIN.

-you wanna tell me they'd never seen her cabin before??? they'd never been there????? really????? in all the years they've lived in twin peaks, of all the years harry's been sherriff????? they don't know that's margaret's cabin?????????????

-especially bc like, look at harry's face in that scene. he and margaret have looked each other dead in the eye and shenanigan'd before.

-anyway.

-the cabin that harry thinks is missing is jacques renault’s.

-the road with the controlled burning on one side and the forest fire remains on the other is 100% real. they do controlled burning where i live in late winter/early spring, to decrease the amount of stuff around in the event of a fire. and you can always see remnants of it for months after, just these scorched little baby trees and the bottoms of tree trunks. but over the summer there was an enormous forest fire, burned for like, three, four days?? smoke lingered for WEEKS after. (no structures were hit, which was good. and i think it did manage to jump the river??) and if you drove through the area, you could see this distinct split where the fire had hit, where stuff was just burned, leaves dead, everything orange and brown. and then just on the other side of the road, there'd be the controlled burn remains, these black branches against the most lush summer green leaves.

-my fav part is harry's flashback to the other fires -- just my favorite parts to write, I think there's a lot in there about. The town and the bookhouse mentality and failures that don't read as failures and. Everything, yknow

-fuck hank, btw, he's just. such a fucker. Harry loves him such a terrible amount here

-the 'good things come in threes' is bc the good things are harry and hawk and ed. They mean a lot to each other. Not you, hank. And harry is gonna have to learn that and it's gonna suck

[bronze-bell]

Even as Frederick watched over Victor and Aesop from a distance, he couldn't help but smile, knowing they were comfortable, knowing they were warm and safe and that they had somewhere they could go if they needed to.

Both of the others were quite visibly asleep, and the sky was growing dark, anyway. Maybe it would be best to have them over for the night. Maybe they'll stay until morning, maybe they won't, but he was happy they chose him to lean on anyway.

Untying long, white hair and letting it fall, he stared into the bathroom mirror as he contemplated just what he'd learned, what he'd entrusted to Victor and Aesop, what he hoped the two wouldn't have to learn. Before he finally retired to bed, he placed his hands ever so gently on the heads of the two men who were currently asleep within his room, another peace offering, another wish for them to be happy, for him to be enough for them.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In another room entirely, meanwhile, a man is standing in front of a blank canvas balanced on an easel, hand and brush frozen. Frustration mounts as he examines the paints on his palette, glaring as he mixes selections despite not being sure if any are going to work, until a breaking point strikes, and he slides the palette knife along the canvas, marbled, partially mixed oils creating a ground for whatever may come next.

...Oh god, that actually sort of looks good. Oh, he can use this.

Painting tools clatter to the ground beneath him as he remembers something he told himself he was going to do. After all, this paint needs a long time to dry. Pen in hand, hurried script, breaths heaving and eyes much too wide, he set to work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(The paper appears to be notably expensive, a deep crimson border ornamenting the words, as does the envelope. The wax seal is red, bearing only the initials "E.V." on its stamp. As for the writing on the letter, the handwriting is frantic, shaky, stressed.)

Good day.

I could not tell you when I'm writing this letter, with the hours blurring together, only that it's by lanternlight. I could not tell you why I'm sending it to you of all people. Only that I believe you will not tell others of what's inside. Do not prove me wrong.

I was told by the composer—Frederick, I believe—that it didn't matter who I played to. That they didn't care for me anyway and I should paint for myself. I don't know what that means anymore. How should I know what "I" want? I know people don't want me. I know they won't listen, or bother with anything that isn't packaged as the right misconception of art. But if I don't pander, I can't survive. Even if I know what art and its meaning should be, why can't I create something that lives up to that? How haven't I been able to since... god, I don't know when? If I don't have to get things right, then what does any of my work mean?

I started a new painting today. I froze in front of the canvas for so long, I tried something undeniably stupid. And it worked. I can see all too many things in just what I've put on the canvas, I can see all sorts of ways I can show things that live outside of a single moment in time, things that feel like they move and glow and flicker and burn. The world is too large to show everything, but I can select my subjects and what I focus on within them to make a point. Beauty, pain, fear, time moving forward, meaning lives around us.

The paintings have gotten louder since then. I used to be able to hide from their screeching and hissing in my room. What happened?

I don't care if you respond. It's probably better if you don't even read this, frankly. After all, these are my words you're reading. If you chose to do so anyway, I will tell you one thing. If anyone asks, I'm fine.

Edgar Valden

They stayed in that sanctuary until morning, Victor waking up to warmth and safety and love for the first time since he was a child. Unfortunately for Victor and his loneliness, not doing his job for a few days was starting to get to him, and so he eventually decided it'd be best to leave and continue his duties somewhere.

If there were a few tears shed upon leaving, and if he held Aesop's hand until he heard the sounds of people and knew he had to let go, well... Nobody had to know that.

As part of Victor's work routine, he'll check his room for letters in case any had been posted directly to him. There usually weren't, as there was no reason to send him much, but with the last few days in mind it was less of a hopeful dream and more of a very real possibility.

Rounding the corner, bell around his neck ringing out to signal he was here and prepped for delivery, he is startled by a door swinging open behind him as he walked, causing him to stumble back in a flustered panic as it nearly knocks him over with the force.

There's a letter thrown hastily in his direction before the door swings shut again, almost like whoever's inside is in a rush, or a frenzy of some kind. Victor sighs, inspecting the letter to make sure nothing is majorly damaged.

If the wax seal or paint stained corners weren't enough, the plaque on the door that nearly toppled him over like a bowling pin was unmistakeable proof of the sender. He really did worry about that painter sometimes, even if he rarely got close...

He turns the letter over to find where it's supposed to go, but is met with a blank side. That's fine, he's more than used to this conundrum. Slipping into his room and locking the door behind him to ensure safety, he works on prying the wax seal off with a practiced ease to reveal the contents.

It comes as quite the surprise when it's addressed directly to him.

-----

The letter that is poked gingerly through the mailbox has watercolor at the edges, pretty red creating a border on both the envelope and the paper inside. The ink, too, is red, along with the wax seal bearing an envelope. Clearly Victor was going for a theme.

The handwriting is crisp and neat, just like the tone of the letter itself, in stark contrast to what it's replying to.

[Dear Mr. Valden,

Good day to you too! As of writing and sending, it is about 10 am. I am sorry for not being available earlier, I was pulled away from my duties temporarily.] Honestly, he hoped he would be pulled away tonight as well. Maybe he should wait by the mailbox in the middle of the manor and see if either Frederick or Aesop show up... That's for after this conversation, though.

[I promise I will not tell anyone of what I have read. I have locked your letter away as well, in case anyone else should try to read it somehow. It is safe with me.

I wish I could help you, although all I can be is a listening ear, as I have not experienced anything like that myself.] A complete lie, but he doesn't want to tell Edgar that. He shouldn't get close to someone like Edgar, because Edgar doesn't seem like the type to get close to people. It'll just end in him being thrown away, surely.

[I'm sure saying I cared for you would be hollow and worthless, since we've barely interacted and you do not enjoy my presence, but I will say here that I do, at least, worry about you, especially after reading the things in your letter. Please try to take care of yourself if you can, okay?

I do not know the first thing about art, as you've definitely gathered, but from what I can tell of your words you seem to be... Happier? If that is truly the case, and I am not mistaken, I am glad you seem to be enjoying it.] Victor shudders as he deciphers the words scratched through. It's not at all safe to say he's read them, so he decides to pretend he hasn't, and just end the letter here.

[Have a good time with your painting! I am glad you are fine.

Regards,

Postman.]

Frederick is behind this? Surely something must have happened between them, but for lack of a better word, Edgar takes things... pessimistically. He should ask Frederick in some capacity, although keeping the key information out as to not break the promise.

Victor can only hope his oblivious act will bring more answers than questions.

[angstandhappiness]

DUDE WHY like that trope where you look into your mirror and realise that YOU'RE the dark future one and the other you is horrified of what you've become instead.

@andyundan : #can you tell i don't draw clark often#all i know is my version gives him a cowlick and a butt chin#OH MY GOD HIS CAPE I FORGOT#this is so funny i remembered the shoulder part of the cape but not the... cape part of the cape.....#i'llllll fix that in the future maybe#anyways yeah the other versions are just if anyone wants to fix the terrible lettering or they don't like the speech bubbles#anyways this idea is baller because i love identity shenanigans and multiverse shenanigans + angst?? sign me up#so my explanation for this is bruce was getting a little too mean about dr wayne so superman was like#you know what if you have a problem with my husband than take your dumb mask off and say it to my face#cue oh fuck moment#artyundan

@arcanistvysoren : #l o o k#while i am not necessarily a superbat shipper.......#i go INSANE for shit like that#a character with a bunch of trauma being confronted with a reality where that trauma did not occur?#seeing the effortless happiness of the other version's life?#and‚ like‚ for REAL‚ no walking it back‚ no saying later that actually this traumatized version is happier#no‚ the other version is happy and has not missed out on anything#and then also thinking they are too broken to have even a little bit of that? worse (better): that they are unworthy to have it?#and tie it all into a shipping dynamic?#i die every time#tag: i had to make up all the words myself

@lebelinoria : #this is gonna live in my head forever#i love stories about other parallel dimensions bc you get shit like this where its like#here's how things are different and how you are different#here's how things are different and how you are the same#just really wrench your heart knowing that you *could* have this#in another world where the awful terrible thing that altered you forever didn't happen#in another world where *you* are better you get the thing you've wanted desperately for forever#but you're not and your world isn't this one and you don't. you can't. you won't.#and then of course the other side of it as 'here's how it could have gone. your loved one is desperately hurt and you didn't know.'#what could have happened to your loved one to make them like this in another world?#and then of course everyone goes back and the person who will never get the thing they want does get it because they are worth it#regardless of the awful things and how in the other world everyone was shocked and horrified and in this one youre a mess

I am sitting on the angstiest superbat fic idea I’ve ever thought of,,, I feel so devious rn.,,twirling my mustache evily,,..

[scaralvr]

07. mystery man chapter seven to the secrecy of our confessions [masterlist]

synopsis: scaramouche decides to go to the music room to leave a letter of his love confession in your locker but instead, finds an awful surprise awaiting him.

"what are you still doing up?"

scaramouche was taken by surprise by mona's murmuring as she lazily sat up in bed. "none of your business," he spat and continued to write something on a paper. whatever it was that he was writing, it sure was alot. "turn off your lamp. some people are trying to sleep." mona said, her tone flat but demanding. fischl loudly snored and scaramouche rolled his eyes.

he made no signs of turning off the lamp anytime soon. mona clenched her jaw and turned it off herself, only for him to turn it back on. mona's eye twitched and she pulled on the chain of the lamp, the lightbulb's luminosity going out. as soon as scaramouche let go of his paper to try and turn it off, mona snatched it from his lap.

"GIVE-" scaramouche instantly slapped his hand over his mouth as fischl turned in her sleep. mona snickered, "i wonder what this is, hm?" she teasingly circled him with the delicate paper in her hands and scaramouche lunged forward to grab it but fell on his bed as she stepped out of the way.

he narrowed his eyes in pure anger, "you..." scaramouche ran and quickly grabbed onto it, but her hands were still on the other end. her smirk fell when she noticed the distress in her brother's eyes. "don't you fucking dare rip it. please." scaramouche begged through heavy exhales. mona's eyelids lowered and she let go. he sighed in relief and plopped onto his bed.

"what even is it?" she asked as she went back to her own bed, pretending not to care about the way he seemed like he would've cried if she ripped it. mona tucked herself beneath her blanket and scaramouche clicked his pen, "none of your business." she scoffed, "you barely tell me anything. c'mon, i won't tell anyone." scaramouche groaned underneath his breath, "why would i tell you anything? you're so annoying." mona hummed in agreement.

she shifted her gaze to the ceiling. "i'll tell you one of my secrets if you tell me what you're writing," mona suggested, causing scaramouche to look up from his paper. "why does it matter so much to you that you're offering something like that?" he sputtered out in bewilderment. mona shrugged, "i'm bored. so, will you take it?" scaramouche warily squinted. "okay, fine." he put his paper aside and faced her.

mona sat up in her bed and criss-crossed her legs. "remember the party i went to a few months ago?" she asked with a serious face. scaramouche rolled his eyes, "uh, yeah. the one at heizou's? i didn't speak to you for a week because of that." mona waved it off, "yeah, yeah, anyways, they hosted a seven minutes in heaven game and guess who i got stuck with." scaramouche pretended to look shocked, "oh my days, i don't know, that himbo, itto?"

mona leaned in and whispered, "kuki shinobu is such a good kisser, okay? no homo, of course." scaramouche furrowed his brows together and his jaw dropped, "kuki shinobu? God, you're such a bisexual." she threw a pillow at his face, yelling, "shut up!" fischl mumbled incoherent words, causing the twins to tense up.

"but that's that. now tell me what you were writing," mona said with a wide grin, giggles slipping out every now and then. scaramouche's cheeks flushed, "well... um..." he hid the paper to his chest, "what about i just tell you a secret of mine?" mona deadpanned and he groaned, "okay, okay." scaramouche pursed his lips in hesitation. "it's a love confession for (y/n)."

mona immediately squealed, "IT'S A LOVE CONFESSION FOR (Y/N)!?" she kept on laughing and scaramouche's face was painted a deep red. "shut up, shut up, idiot!" he hissed as a warning. but it was too late. ei slammed the door open, her eyes narrowed and her lips in a sour frown. fischl sat up from the loud noise of the door meeting the wall and she stupidly looked around in a half-conscious state. ei flared her nostrils. "go to SLEEP!" she yelled, startling all three of them as they panicked in response, "YES, MOTHER!"

"(y/n)!~" yoimiya giggled, clinging onto you. you smiled, "hello, 'miya. do you need anything?" you asked and the blonde suddenly got onto her knees, clasping her hands together. "(Y/N), COULD YOU PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE TAKE CARE OF MUSIC ROOM DUTY TODAY!? I KNOW IT'S MY TURN BUT I REALLY DON'T WANT TO!" she cried out, scooching closer to you. you yelped, "calm down! there's people in the hallways!" yoimiya continued to beg, however. "PLEASE!~ I'LL DO ANYTHING FOR YOU FOR A WHOLE MONTH JUST PLEASE!-" she's stopped short when you cover her mouth in a frenzy.

you sighed, "alright, i'll do it." yoimiya jumped up and hugged you, "YAY! THANKS SO MUCH!" she ran off and left you there, confused. as yoimiya rounded a corner, scaramouche slapped some money into her hand when she passed by. "thanks," he said, to which yoimiya replied with a thumbs up gesture, "good luck!"

"ah, i wonder what that girl is up to this time." you wondered, making your way up the stairs. unbeknownst to you, a certain student council president had his eyes set on you from the start. ayaka came out of nowhere, meeting you at the top. "(y/n), perfect timing!" she exclaimed and continued, "i need your help, i forgot how to use the hand dryers again..." ayaka murmured.

you chuckled, "alright, i'll come along." ayaka allowed you to go first and she peered at the end of the staircase, giving scaramouche the time to sneak into the music room. she quickly handed him the key as he swiftly brushed by. scaramouche closed the door behind him and didn't waste any time in finding your locker.

"239... 239..." he muttered, brows knitted together in concentration as he scanned the lockers against the wall. scaramouche's eyes lit up, "ha!" he fumbled with your code, which yun jin gave him, and swung the door open. he felt himself blush. he was looking through his favourite drummist's locker. the door was decorated with a variety of magnets, which held polaroid photos of you and your friends on different occasions.

a soft smile upcurved his lips when he found a photo of you as a child with ayaka and ayato, as it seems ayato was teaching you how to ride a bike while ayaka cheered you on. scaramouche was quick to snap out of it. "i'm such a creep," he winced, and was bound to place the letter in your locker when the doors opened out of the blue.

you looked around the music room with a blank expression. you sighed, "no one's here." you made your way to your locker and lifted up your hand to open it, only for another hand to place itself on yours. you quickly turned around at the sudden contact and dashing purple hues gazed into yours. "cyno!" you exclaimed in surprise. "that's my name." cyno said, removing his hand from yours.

scaramouche had his hand over his mouth, watching from the inside of your locker through the gaps. "you scared me!" you complained as you punched him in the arm. cyno didn't move, nor did he flinch. he just allowed the hit to happen and tilted his head, "i was wondering if you were possibly free this saturday? i would love to spend some time with you. it's been a while, after all." scaramouche narrowed his eyes, 'who does this guy think he is?'

you looked elsewhere in thought, "saturday? yes, i believe i'm free to spend a day with you." cyno smiled, "okay. so it's a date?" you gawked and your face flushed, "a date!?" cyno gently held your hand and pressed a soft kiss to your knuckles. "a date." he repeated and you swore your heart felt like it was about to pop out of your chest from the rapid beating. scaramouche's gaze darkened and a gasp slipped from his lips.

"i'll see you then, (y/n). we'll have alot to catch up on," cyno said, leaving the room and you as a flustered mess. you didn't reply and watched him close the doors. scaramouche didn't even notice the way he was clutching the letter so hard, it completely crumpled. you murmured, "how odd... it's not like him to ask someone out so abruptly like that. but it's cyno, after all." you tensed up when you realized. "HAH, WAIT! I'M BEING SO UNFAITHFUL TO MY TRUE LOVE RIGHT NOW!" you panicked, holding your head in your hands.

scaramouche was beyond confused. 'true love? hold on, that's right. they previously mentioned that they had a sort of liking for someone with two sisters. cyno, however, doesn't meet that standard.' he went into deep thought, surveying your behaviour. you paced back and forth as you mumbled words scaramouche couldn't hear, much to his dismay. "please forgive me for what i'm about to do, scaramouche. you'll still be my future husband... hopefully i don't end up falling in love with cyno," you whimpered and rested your head against the wall in defeat.

the puny letter scaramouche made became nothing to him. his eyes scanned the paper in his hands. 'how stupid.' he shoved it down his pocket, 'to think that (y/n) would ever give me a chance was insane in the first place. a nice person like that cyno guy made them weak in the knees with just a few words and he had the courage to give them a kiss. for all i know, (y/n) hates me just as much as anyone else does.' scaramouche tucked his bottom lip beneath his teeth, struggling to keep his sobs to a silence as tears poured down his cheeks.

"HOW WAS IT!?" ayaka, yun jin, hu tao and yoimiya were waiting for him outside of the music room when he exited. scaramouche didn't reply and his glare sent a chill down their spines. he walked past them and went down the stairs to leave the school as the bell rang. ayaka softly cried, "this isn't right... (y/n)'s infatuated with him. what went wrong?" yoimiya ran into the music room and examined your locker. yun jin and ayaka followed suit as yoimiya opened it.

hu tao frowned, "ugh. he didn't leave the letter." yun jin's eyes grew wide, "what!? but he was so set on doing it! he even got us involved!" hu tao slammed your locker shut, "it's obvious he chickened out." yoimiya yelped, "hey! you shouldn't say things like that, hu tao! maybe he just needs more time." hu tao crossed her arms and seethed, "you can't talk, 'miya. even if he did give (y/n) the letter and they accepted it, would we really want them dating him?"

ayaka stammered, "wh-what's that supposed to mean? we thought you wanted this like we did from the start-" hu tao slapped her hand on her chest, "oh, we? since when was it we!? you guys have always been like this! you never hear me out and it's clear you don't understand what a bad influence he is on (y/n)!" she shouted as tears began to peek at the corners of her eyes, "he's such an asshole, that's why! you don't know what he did to me!"

the three watched in shock as hu tao wiped her tears. yun jin slowly reached out to her, "hu tao..." but hu tao slapped her hand away and picked up her guitar case on the way to run out of the room. ayaka yelled in worry, "hu tao!-" she was stopped by yun jin holding onto her shoulder. "let her go, ayaka. she'll come to us when she feels ready." she solemnly said. yoimiya nodded, "yeah, don't worry! this isn't the end of our friendship yet..."

hu tao sniffled where she sat at the bottom of the stairs with her guitar on the floor. she continued to cry, not caring whether anyone could see her at anytime. "what are you doing, idiot?" the familiar voice of her older brother rang through her ears and she grumbled, "go away." xiao rolled his eyes, shrugging as he stepped down the stairs, "i'm supposed to be the one telling you that." he seated himself next to her and hu tao looked at him with teary scarlet eyes.

xiao hesitantly held out his arms and hu tao threw herself onto him, bawling, "i hate them! i hate them so much! they don't know how i feel and they would never understand all because (y/n) likes him so they'll believe i should keep quiet for their own good!" xiao frowned, "...they've been your friends since you were little, hu tao. i'm sure they wouldn't act that way if you told them about it. and recently, you've been telling me about the way scaramouche has changed lately. what happened?"

hu tao sourly added, "but seeing him like (y/n) made me feel so... so... disgusted! he doesn't deserve them, whether he's changed or not." xiao's shoulders raised, "you should give him a chance, hu tao. you should wait-" hu tao huffed, "wait until what? until he breaks their heart?" xiao put his hand on her head, "wait until you see the major changes. trust me, you'll know when a person has changed."

"kunikuzushi! how did it g-" mona startled when scaramouche shut their bedroom door on her. she stepped back a few times before kicking the door open. "leave. me. alone." he growled into his pillow, but he couldn't hide the cries releasing from his lips. mona leaned against the doorway, "oh, baby brother. did they turn you down?" scaramouche turned to face her, "no, are you stupid!? as if anyone would... would reject... me..." his sobs got the best of him and mona approached him with gentle tuts.

mona engulfed him in her embrace as she sat on the bed, "shh, shh..." she scoffed, "you're so ugly when you cry." scaramouche groaned and mona teasingly added, "can't take a joke?" she paused before continuing, "tell me what happened." scaramouche inhaled her scent. a light perfume that smelt of strawberries. he shakily exhaled and his words were in a broken form, "do you think anyone likes me? anyone who's not desperate enough to get in bed?" mona hummed, "of course, kunikuzushi. there's always going to be people like that."

"i don't deserve (y/n), do i?" scaramouche mumbled.

© scaralvr.

@meowlumi @beriiov @apr1cityyy @xtodorokismistressx @dollpoetwriting @bleedingwhiteroses222 @r0ttenhearts @sammy-hammy @atsukawolfcat @pooonyo @strawberryclumsy @emmaemoseila @kunikuzushiit @scaramouchesmoocher @lxry-chxnn @koiir @rvoulte @scarasaver @slash3rcore @sup-zfam @cotton-eee @twistedrxses @dameofthorns @ayamvirus @thinkingotherwise @jameineliebe @thenightsflower @lumpywolf @whatamidoing89 @strawbxrrytiger @sunfloens @one-offmind @angryhope @gyros-cum-sock @celestair @sixscara @bewithmecats @mikathasquirrel @kunisbeloved @asthespirit @itsyourgirlria @lunavixia @elysiasbae @bsd-goes-brr

[chocolatemilksmoothie]

Edge of the World

I knew it was gonna be harsh for King this episode but ouch...

first of all shoutout to Hooty he really did protect these kids!

I do feel the need to mention I'm surprised Hunter wasn't mentioned or shown once (1)? like Eda I know he's not your kid but he did run alone into the woods, panicking, is anyone gonna go check up on him

King wants his demon family to meet his owl family and for them to play catch together :(

hugs <3

anyways poor Luz is having a hard time, understandably, so she must be thankful about the letter so that she feels like there's something she can do

LULU! I love her current design

I liked the little heart to heart with Eda, she is stressed about how serious this all is so it's nice there's anther adult there to talk to

I saw the promo images by the crew with the baseball and glove and I KNEW it was gonna be heartbreaking. I suspected King's dad was dead and I think that is very much the case now huh

getting an army def would've been helpful, but I guess that's out of the question now

thought if you think about it they're kinda losers too, Titan slayers trappers who have never even seen a live Titan

though considering they worship the Collector, and they got King to light up the uh, Round Boi, I am very much expecting to see these guys again

they have this teleporting magic thing, even if it was destroyed it's still interesting. so they're far, but they can travel

I always loved the concept of islands made of a giant carcass, it's fascinating and horrible. seems they can warp from the hand to the finger right? how'd they get the finger so far away

I thought we'd get an Eda+Lily B plot but we really didn't get much from them after leaving, so the cliffhanger makes me think they did something. the house may be empty, or they may have called someone, but who?

I knew there was something creepy or something bad was coming but the moment I realized they were WEARING the SKULLS my jaw dropped, that's dark

"he passed down that skull of yours" they assumed he was in disguise too

it's so sad because he thought he was learning about his family, about his culture, his people! but they were just going to hurt him

how long does a Titan live? how fast do they grow?? if King's dad was still around a few years ago before he hatched then I'm sure he's not the Titan we're living on but is he 100% dead??

is King really the last one...

EDIT because oh my god Titan Blood NO ONE LET BELOS KNOW

this kid's heart has been broken enough times!!! give him a break!!!

Luz and Hooty are actually a comedic duo bless

A couple things:

This dude has wings! I remember back in Eda's requiem I wondered if this meant King would get wings eventually but seeing as other people in the group don't have wings I think it's just him?

and it seems to me he was getting attached to King before realizing who he was, which is kinda sad

"can we play catch?"

look at how tiny he is :'(

"release the grand Huntsman from his prison" it's interesting they have the Round Boi and it's shattered. does Belos know where it is?

I thought the Collector would be freed in the Day of Unity but it seems these guys want to free them too hmmm Bill knew of Belos but doesn't seem to care or be for or against him, so they're not working together...

King lit the flame and his eyes glowed, he was somehow connected to the Collector but the ritual was thankfully left unfinished. but the fact that it started is VERY concerning

"tell Lulu how brave I was" I WILL HUN

this shot is gorgeous

and we end with the house surrounded.

Once again things get tense and the Day of Unity is a week away, so next week should be intense too. this was an Emotions Heavy episode for the main cast, especially King of course, and we finally get the confirmation that he is a Titan. the last one. poor baby

So, speaking of next week

so, ever since Hollow Mind I think it's clear we're on Season Finale Mode so all episodes will be intense. Next week we have Labyrinth Runners (is that a Maze Runner reference lmao) and it's a Gus episode which yesss I love my boy.

but it says the Emperor's Coven is going to Hexside, so I assume they're hunting for Luz and probably anyone who sides with her. Gus will team up with an "unlikely ally" and there's a lot of options there so we gotta wait and see.

Still, I noticed this one shot of the promo is definitely from next week's ep and it's the last shot from the promos we haven't seen as far as I can tell (do correct me if I'm wrong). Which means we're going blind into the last few episodes. ominous

[dulcewrites]

Was bored at work

Slipping Through My Fingers

Mayhaps the Gods will give you girls and you will finally get how I feel about you

Johanna would just roll her eyes when her mother told her that. She found the statement hyperbolic at worst; dramatic at best.

But as Johanna watches Jasmine pack bags, a sick sort of feeling settles in her stomach. Her first baby leaving.

“You do not have to take everything at once,” she says softly. “You can always come back for more.”

Jasmine turns with an absentminded smile. “I want to take as much as I can. I assume we may be busy.”

We

She would like the believe that her daughter leaving is not the beginning of a fracture, but Johanna knows how it goes all too well. She remembers leaving her home to come to the Stormlands. Your husband’s life becomes yours. His wants become yours. His doom, your doom.

His decisions are your downfall.

Jasmine holds two dresses to herself then frowns.

“Hopefully, I will need new ones made anyone anyway.”

A bile rises in Johanna’s throat. She will have to remind herself that her grandchildren are half of her daughter. Half dragon demon spawn, but half her sweet girl.

Johanna wants the moment to pause. She wants to go back to when Jasmine was six, and she would catch her sneaking away to peak at Landyn in his crib. Or when Jasmine was two and ten, and all she wanted was to go sailing with her father.

She says a small, thankful prayer in her head when she sees carriages instead of dragon.

The prayer turns to a curse when she sees a familiar head of silvery hair. Jasmine preened and primed herself all day for him. Omar gushes over him. All Johanna can do is fake a smile. Her other children wish their sister well.

And.. she holds onto Jasmine for too long.

She does not realize she’s crying till she feels Omar’s hand on her face wiping the tears away.

“Oh, my love, our girl is smart,” he smiles as the carriage pulls away. “No need to worry.”

How well does being smart bode you when you are playing a dangerous game with dragons?

Jasmine does not fully remember the first two times Aemond kissed her.

The first time was back home. She remembers him being wet and his lips being cold, but not how she felt during it. Shock leaving her mind blank and her body stiff. She doesn’t even remember how she felt when they kissed at their first wedding. Her feet were numb with nerves. His families eyes on them.

His cloak was heavy.

What she does remember is their third kiss. She taste the blood before his lip, his lips before his tongue. She remembers thinking he did look like a Targaryen God in that moment. While she felt terrible out of place in the Valyrian garb, he looked at peace.

The fire that was lit in her belly continued to the that night.

She likes that Aemond. The one holds her at night. Jasmine often wonders how that one inhabits the same body as the war practitioner.

Jasmine spends most of her days with Alicent or Helaena and the children. The green of Alicent’s room reminds her of home. Green of fresh, wet grass. Alicent welcomes them all daily.

The Red Keep is now your home. All of it, including my room.

Jasmine walks with Helaena, Jaehaera and Jaehaerys in tow, to Alicent’s chambers with a package from her mother, and letters from the rest of her family. Chewing her lip over the news she wrote to her mother about. News no one else knows yet.

Something she always noticed about Aemond is not ready he is. She often found the paranoia, even in during this time exhausting.

Perhaps that was her first mistake… not being ready. Ready for marriage, ready for this family. Ready for consequences.

Everything happens all too fast. Seeing Alicent tied up, a pleading Helaena. Jaehaerys… Jaehaerys.

Jasmine is on her back, her screams are muffled. She sees a teddy bear. The one her mother gave her as a child.

It is the last thing she sees before it all goes black.

I'm a bad influence cus you said Hades and Persephone

Ya twisted my arm (jk). But a Aemond x oc story starting from slightly from the perspective of her mother. Some details that I think would be hades x persephone coded

- house [redacted] (I’ll think of a name lmao) is a stormlands house made up of our oc (I like the name annora but I also like having flower motif) her two younger sisters and brother, and her parents -Johanna and Omar

- their sygil is a narcissus blooming through rain. It sort of symbolizes how their house sits in the intersection between the reach and stormlands/dornish marshes. Much of their wealth comes from being around extremely fertile area and what grows there. Let’s say both team green and black go there (over house Baratheon) based on that wealth

- random but i sort of like the idea of house Baratheon feeling a bit slighted that Aemond didn’t come to their house. they are like daeron will marry whoever as a conciliation prize (daeron slays but you know what I mean)

- Aemond specifically came there for annora. Johanna instantly gets #bad vibes. Not even just the obvious war thing but just the way Aemond is looking at her daughter is NOT sitting right with her. So, she lies and says her daughter is betrothed to another. Omar, completely oblivious, is like no she isn’t????

- now I go back and forth between if this Aemond is charming enough to put the rizz on annora. On one hand, I think both book and show aemond have to work themselves up bc of insecurities. But ngl something about that probably bs account, bc it’s from mushroom, of book Aemond kissing all the Baratheon girls lives rent free in my head. Like why would he do that 😵‍💫😵‍💫

- a hot prince shows up on a dragon saying he wants to marry you, there is only one answer. She’s here for it. Johanna pulls Omar to the side and is like ummm our daughter could be essentially a war prisoner. Now I don’t think Omar is a bad dad, he loves his kids. But do I think he’s super smart? Probably not lol. He sees baby targs with baby dragons. He thinks about tides changing and stormlands houses swearing fealty to them

- the luke stuff happens in front of them. Johanna is mortified, annora is still like “but mom, he took his eye of course he wouldn’t like him ☹️”

- now I kind of like deviating from the book and show in the sense that no one really knows what happened to Luke. Pieces are arrax do not wash up. Did he die on accident? Did Aemond/Vhagar kill him on purpose. Did luke runaway? Who knows. Obviously people think Aemond did something but 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️

- they still get married despite Johanna pleading to her husband to not let this happen. Annora and Aemond have a traditional westeros faith of the seven wedding BUT and here’s the kicker. Aemond wants a Valyrian wedding as well. I really don’t care about whole blood binding thing (If y’all want to pretend she has distant Valyrian blood go for it). I just like the idea of the blood being a similar motif as the pomegranates.

Anyway I don’t want this to be too long. Just in case I’m a glutton for punishment and actually do this. But yeah it spirals from there. Aemond descends further into madness as people think he is kinslayer. He probably puts a lot of energy/obsessiveness into his relationship bc of it. Very much ‘but you don’t think I’m a murdering psycho right baby 🥺’ while cleaning off his sword of blood. Johanna just wants her daughter back… it’s a mess y’all.

[bee0bub]

・꒷꒦︶ 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐆𝐘 𝐓𝐄𝐀 𝐒𝐄𝐓 𓂅◞

🧺﹗pairing : gojo satoru x gn!reader

‿︵ 2.6k words + fluffy fluff fluff + married au + theres one (1) girlboss joke anyone can be a girlboss ok + not edited/beta read pls (dont) trust my english skills

₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎🍵 : why did this take me a week to complete ok anyways this was inspired cause i saw this rlly cute froggy tea set on amazon and i want it pls

So you forgot your wedding anniversary.

It was just like any other day. Your husband wakes up, you wake up with him, you both prepare two plates of pancakes topped with chocolate chips for you and the standard blueberries for him, he quips about how adorable you look half-asleep in the morning, you exchange quick banter, shower shower, your dumbass forgets your towel so you have to scream at the top of your lungs for your husband to get it for you, you put on some clothes, exchange kisses and two of you are out the door. Except, it wasn’t like any other day. The calendar emphasized that for you.

Written in capital bold letters and encircled with an intimidating shade of pink reads “Wedding Anniversary!!”, the ‘i’ distinctly dotted with an adorable heart; a small habit that your husband, Gojo Satoru fell in love with. That wasn’t going to help you any longer, you just forgot one of the most important days of your life.

The last time you felt panicked over a bunch of words is when you almost sampled a box of rat poison instead of cornflakes due to the terrifying similarity of the box, and even a near-death experience couldn’t top the fact you forgot your wedding anniversary! What would Gojo think, does he feel invalidated right now? Does he think that you lost feelings for him- oh god, is he planning to file for a divorce?!

You quickly swat your terrifying thoughts out of your brain. Note to self: never be alone with your thoughts. Another Note to Self: your current and only agenda today is to buy a gift, stat. You just have to play it off like you actually remembered the occasion. This is good. You’re going to be good. No divorces today.

You scramble out the door, before stopping beside Gojo and giving him a cheeky kiss — as if you both were teenagers again. “Happy anniversary, honey. Your gift will come toni-i-ight.” You mumble against his lips, oh the ever intoxicating ones. Gojo chuckles at the double meaning, earning a soft jab on his shoulder from you. “Don’t be crass.”

“I’ll be waitiiiing!” You roll your eyes at the nonchalance of his voice before making a quick dash to your workplace. Your boss is brutal as fuck and he would throw you straight into the mouth of a volcano if you skipped just one day of work to buy an anniversary gift for your husband. From the mental calculations in your head, you had 9 hours of work, only leaving you 3 hours in the day for you to pick out a gift before the mall closes.

You were so desperate, you could just take any item within your reach. But you married Gojo fucking Satoru, and that man isn’t easy to please. Go figure.

━━━━━━━━

Yeah, Gojo was screwed. As soon as he heard the word “anniversary” leave your mouth, his brain immediately went haywire, tuning out anything but the strings of consonants and vowels you verbalized. Yup, this is the most fabulous time for his braincells to go out to lunch and make your sentences seem like jumbles and mumbles to Gojo’s ears. The “Out To Lunch.” sign is practically posted on his brain right now.

Uncharacteristically, Gojo’s ears only pick up the sentence, “your gift will come toni-i-ight”. He reacts coyly to the unintentional innuendo.

After you left for work, Gojo immediately teleports himself to the shopping mall not far from the house. He had no less than 5 hours before you returned home, which is a lotta hours. Gojo could just waltz in a jewelry store, buy a pendant that looks promising, wrap it and slap a half-assed written note on it. But hell, you deserved more than that. If he could buy the entire world for you, he would. You were his partner and he would rather kill himself than give you a half-assed gift.

━━━━━━━━

As soon as your boss dismissed the meeting, you immediately ran to the direction of the nearest shopping mall, thank god your work shoes also worked as running shoes. As you ran to the mall, you scourge through your bag for your wallet, hoping you had enough to buy an apt gift. What you saw in your bag was a good amount of cash.

What you didn’t see, however, is the fact that you were walking straight into the glass doors to the mall.

Sure, you did hit your head and grabbed a whole crowd’s attention along with two security guards who were about to call an ambulance, but hey! At least you didn’t hit the ground too hard. It took at least 3 minutes for you to regain your balance from the fall. The only thing you were worried about at that moment is that it’ll probably take you at least three years for you to regain your dignity. You kind of wished you actually lost consciousness and crossed the Styx right then and there due to the embarrassing looks and noises of worry from the bystanders.

Thank God Gojo wasn’t with you to experience your demise, he wouldn’t live that down for centuries.

Like a true girlboss, you balanced your stance and walked right inside the mall while trying to distract yourself from the throbbing pain on the back of your head. The bright lights of the building added more to the pain, but today’s agenda isn’t about that. You had to get a gift, stat.

Your eyes roamed the million shops and pop-up stores; Monocle, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton — jesus, you might have to sell your soul to afford any of that. The mannequins dressed in posh outfits situated behind the big windows and the golden letters spelling out designer brand names dominated the mall, but you found a cute antique shop that displayed two grandfather clocks and 5 very creepy porcelain dolls on the window display.

Interesting.

━━━━━━━━

Never let Gojo go 5 feet near an arcade, because he will stay there for hours — probably a whole week if he could.

Gojo snickers to himself as he greedily watches the Flappy Bird machine spit out an endless line of tickets, all piling up on the arcade floor. Before he could make his grand exit as the Flappy Bird king, he puts his hand on some kid’s shoulder — also known as Gojo’s current and unofficial official arch nemesis, as if he’s not a married 28-year-old guy with a full-time job.

“Come to me when you beat my high score, kid.” He yammers, earning an annoyed whine and a string of complaints from the booger-picking, gum-chewing kid that has been watching and commenting on the sorcerer’s play for the past 38 minutes like a Let’s play Youtube video.

It was no surprise that as soon as Gojo warped into the mall, his first destination was — no, not a clothing store, or a jewelry store, or any possible store with a potentially exceptional wedding anniversary gift — but the arcade. For his own expense. The ultimate 3200-ticket prize looked really cool on the display window. Plus, you get to be on the Wall of Fame! Endless bragging rights!

The buckets of tickets spilling out of the brim and dangling like chains, which were owned by none other than your husband yourself, garnered jealous looks from each and every kid in that arcade. With those buckets, he was sure that he’d get the ultimate arcade prize and have a photograph of him hung up on the ‘Wall of Fame’. The arcade ticket collector counted Gojo’s tickets, much to their dismay since he obtained a lot of tickets, and came to the number of 1000. Not enough.

The catalog of prizes for 1000 tickets seemed okay; A Buzz Lightyear (correction: a Zap Lightmonth — an obvious rip-off of an iconic Disney character) action figure, a glow-in-the-dark fidget spinner, a tacky glitter phone case, and last month’s Bonny Wedding Fair magazine.

Oh fucjk. It dawned on him. He was supposed to get you a wedding anniversary.

Surely he can’t give you a glow-in-the-dark fidget spinner unless he wants to see the face of the Grim Reaper, you deserve better than that! Swallowing his pride, Gojo stuffs the piles of tickets in his front pocket (which surprisingly fits) and dashed straight out the arcade and enters the nearest store within his line of sight.

That being, an antique store.

Thank God the antique store was littered in tall bookshelves displaying different gizmos and trinkets that looked older than Gojo himself, forming aisles in the shop like a grocery store. Otherwise Gojo would find out that right now, you are at that same shop, and you both are looking for one thing because you both forgot it.

Yes, he is at the same shop you’re in right now. No, Gojo does not realize that he is quite literally an aisle away from you.

━━━━━━━━

Your head was still throbbing in pain from the fall you took outside the mall, leaving you unable to focus on getting a gift. At that point, you wanted to grab the 1960 Pin-Up themed calendar displayed on the wall and smash it on your head to prevent that stupid pounding on the back of your head. Realistically, it would add to the damage — you just really wanted to hit something.

It was like the Gods of Antique shops heard your desperate cries, because as soon as you whipped your head around to another aisle, your eyes are met with the cutest tea set you’ve seen in your life: a big ole froggy teapot accompanied with two tadpole mugs. Oh my stars, it was adorable.

It’s the perfect gift for Gojo, hell you even wanted it yourself.

You run to the direction of the adorable fucking tea set, almost throwing yourself onto the item so that you could grab it, purchase it and call it a day. You reach for the tea set, fingers itching to touch the glassiness of the frog teapot, except you couldn’t.

Right then and there, a customer snatched the tea set right before your eyes, as if you weren’t there. As if you weren’t the first person to see it.

Oh Lord, you’re not going down without a fight.

“Hi, uh, are you going to take that—“

“[Name]?”

Oh fuck.

Oh shit oh fuck oh fuck. That voice sounds so familiar. You didn’t want it to sound familiar. You were afraid that if you turn your head, you’re going to see — yep.

Your handsome husband, the blindfolded bastard himself, Gojo Satoru.

Okay, this is bad. You didn’t want to reveal that you had forgotten a wedding anniversary and is now buying a gift now, so you could just let Gojo purchase the tea set because it seems like he really wanted it. But at the same time, that gift was perfect. You didn’t want to let him go under the impression that you were buying a gift for yourself while remaining gift-less for him. You wanted to give the tea set yourself.

Little did you know that Gojo’s thinking the same thing for you, thoughts running wild as he devises a plan in his head on how to get the tea set. It was perfect and you knew that you’d be gushing over it like a little kid.

“Sa-to-ru!” You squeak, voice heightening after every syllable — a quirk that activates when you’re hiding something. “What are you doing here?!”

You didn’t mean to make the question sound so, panic-stricken. Like you were caught cheating on your husband or something.

“[Name]!!” Yeah, he was panicking too. “What are you doing here?!”

“I was just- buying a trinket, that’s all. The doll in the window looked really cool.”

You cried watching Annabelle. Gojo knew you weren’t a fan of dolls.

“That’s all? Okay, I’ll just be getting this-“ Gojo quickly reaches for the frog tea set as if he was about to “dibs” it before you screamed the most panicked “no wait!!” he’s ever heard.

“I was gonna buy that too.” You grit between your teeth as you place your dominant hand on the tea set, stacking your hand on Gojo’s.

“That’s too bad, because I saw it first.” He slowly pushes the tea set to his direction, like a chess grandmaster watching their opponent’s reaction as they move their pawn across the board.

“Cheater! I definitely saw it first than you!” “You’re the cheater, [Name] darling! Don’t make me pull out the domain expansion.” “You wouldn’t dare!”

“[Name], I need that tea se-“

Both your eyes drifted over to the mentioned tea set, before locking eyes with an empty space on the shelf. If it was a cartoon, the dotted silhouette of the tadpole mugs and the frog teapot would be blinking on the empty space like a neon sign. While you and your husband were fighting like children, someone that didn’t reach both your peripheral visions managed to ninja their way into getting the tea set for themselves. All that embarrassing bickering for nothing.

“Okay, this is getting childish.” You sighed. Honesty is the best policy they say, but what you were about to say may take down the entire relationship to dust and debris. “Satoru, I forgot our wedding anniversary so I went down here to get you a gift and I saw this teapot and- and I thought it was really cute and I wanted to give it to you mysel-“

Your rambles were quickly shut down by a tight hug from none other than Gojo himself. Usually, his form of shutting you up when you’d get carried away with your prattles is a trite kiss on the lips, but it seems like Gojo wants to switch it up today.

You hear a shaky, relieved sigh beside your ear as the arms snaked around your waist tightens consecutively. “Thank God.” “What do you mean?”

“I may have forgotten our anniversary too.” All of Gojo’s pride and even the sliver of confidence present in his voice thrown out the window. He could’ve just played it cool and acted like he’s the most aware person in the relationship, but that was all a lie. He didn’t want to make you feel bad, worse of all, he didn’t want you to overthink. It was true you were better than him anyway. “I also wanted to get you that tea set cause the frog looked like you.” “Hey!”

“Baby, it was a cute frog!”

Your giggles filled the air, making Gojo wish that he had a voice recorder to capture your adorable giggles and play it on loop. “So, that means you aren’t mad? For forgetting probably one of the most magical day of our life?” “Baby, of course not! We’ve been so swamped with work- I’m just glad you tried to find a way to redeem yourself.” He was right. You both were drowning in workload, so it was easy to forget things. Hell, the only way you kept track of what day it is in the week is from all the deadlines your boss practically threw at you. It was absolute hell.

“You’re right. God, I love you.” “Also, magical day of our life? You thought that me barreling down the stairs on our wedding day and you following suit is magical?”

You cackle at the memory of Gojo walking you down the stairs of the magical building that you both just married in, surrounded by all your family and friends, before he missed a step and practically threw himself onto the bottom of the stairs. His Infinity saved him from fucking dying but his hand was still vigorously wrapped around your wrist. And you had no Infinity. Thank God for Gojo Satoru’s back for cushioning your fall.

“I should’ve gotten you like, weighted boots or something.”

“Me too.” Both you and Gojo shared a look, remembering why you guys came to the mall in the first place. “Race you there.”

[markantonys]

winter’s heart chapter 22-27

“[min] nestled in the back of [rand’s] head more strongly than elayne or aviendha, or alanna. he was only vaguely aware of the others. min seemed alive inside him.” yes this is only because min is physically nearby him and the others aren’t, but still, it just feels like such a slap in the face to avirandlayne enjoyers 😒 especially seeing as elayne is the only one who ever wanted rand as her warder in the first place or should even have a warder. the other two have no business having a warder (especially min, whereas avi at least is a channeler if not an aes sedai) and just co-opted what should’ve been a randlayne-only bond and i’ll never stop being mad about it.

“in far madding, a wealthy man was one whose wife gave him a generous allowance or a widower who had been provided for” a city of sugar mamas, love to see it!

“at best, he would have to abandon his sword, which he was reluctant to do. it was a gift from aviendha.” 📣📣 rand just had an independent individual thought about aviendha! instead of only thinking of her in the Girlfriend Blob! stop the presses!

but rand does not have a single independent individual thought about elayne. like, he saw her again for the first time in months and found out she loves him after all, despite the confusion of the letters, and slept with her for the first time, and he’s just? not going to even mention that? have any thoughts about it? i hate it here.

min gets plenty of independent individual thoughts, of course, when rand returns to the inn and sees her and thinks about how beautiful she is and how he can feel her love in the bond. i hate it here!!!!!

could we not have been spared one (1) scene of rand pov when he was with all of them in caemlyn? he’s just had major relationship developments and we don’t get to hear a peep about how he feels about it! i know he’s busy with world-saving stuff to do, but good god!

it’s so unfair. why can’t elayne or avi be the ones traveling with rand and having adventures with him and pretending to be his wife at the inn and sharing a room and feeling his (lack of) emotions in the bond and vice versa? oh, right, because they actually have important roles in their own plotlines, how could i have forgotten.

anyway, rand’s like “why is nynaeve wearing so much jewelry and attracting attention to our party” but i recognize at least one piece as an angreal, so i’m guessing they all are. why wouldn’t she explain that to rand? they’re working together on a super important mission and still aren’t telling each other stuff?

we learn that the traitor asha’man are all darkfriends and i’m annoyed about it. every time a character turns out to be a traitor or villain or what have you, they’re always a darkfriend. i want more villains who aren’t actually darkfriends or serving the dark one! villains who do bad things without being Evil™! i think all we’ve got on that front are elaida (who’s under the control of a darkfriend), the seanchan, and the whitecloaks (who’ve been MIA for many books and aren’t a real threat). this was my same frustration when it turned out elayne was poisoned by darkfriends and not political rivals as i was expecting it to be.

lews therin is good at drawing! a random little factoid that i love. always nice to see wholesome lews therin memories. the only other one i can remember is one where he was climbing olive trees as a kid.

luc. forgot about that guy. still no clue what his deal is, but we get confirmation that he is indeed luc mantear and rand’s uncle. i can’t muster up the energy to be interested in him, i’ve already got more than enough characters and plotlines to be dealing with.

speaking of, the next 2 chapters are in some windfinder’s pov and i don’t care. i think that it should be illegal for anyone to have pov for more than 1 page unless they are rand, mat, elayne, nynaeve, egwene, aviendha, faile, gawyn, morgase, moiraine, or lan (tho i don’t thiiiiink we’ve seen any pov from him yet in the series). perrin is on thin ice. min’s ice has all cracked. everybody else never had ice to begin with.

the one good thing about the windfinder is that she’s unambiguously and canonically bi! she is married to a man whom she misses and wants to be with again, but she also had an affair with a cairhienin woman (ailil, the icon who was making fun of rand’s Can’t Kill Women shit in the last book and is now more of an icon due to being canon wlw). throughout her chapters she describes both men and women as pretty. good for her! i still don’t want to hear from her for 2 whole chapters though.

but we do have the sweetest  of moments when, after spending 2 chapters hearing how her younger sister harine is always mean and authoritative towards shalon since she ranks higher than her, harine says when she sees how scared shalon is to be cut off from the source (we also learn that far madding has ter’angreal that make it like a stedding where no one can channel): “i was afraid of the dark when i was a child, and you never left me alone till the fear passed. i will not leave you alone either, shalon.” 🥺

rand is playing his flute!!! yes!!! if only it was mat sitting in the inn room with him instead of min. i miss the cauthor roadtrip.

“how would he feel at dying? sadness at leaving [min], at leaving elayne and aviendha.” and once again we have min separated out and elayne and avi together in a blob 😒

“he would like to see his father again before the end.” 😭😭😭😭😭😭 if we never get a rand-tam reunion i’ll kill myself

“he had been told [that he had to die] by those he had to believe. to live, you must die.” the snaky folk perhaps?? i don’t think we’ve heard what rand’s questions and answers were. (also, we got an aelfinn namedrop somewhere in these chapters but i don’t think we’ve yet learned that that’s the proper name of the snaky folk. whenever i see you guys talk about the aelfinn i go “the who now? oh, you mean the Snaky Folk™” that’s who they’ll always be to me.)

“‘if you hadn’t [let us bond you], we’d have tied you up and done it anyway.’ best not to ask how that would have differed from what alanna had done, he decided. certainly, [min] saw a difference.” uh yikes min! big “it’s not rape if he’s my boyfriend” energy. elayne and avi have definitely had their moments, but min is by far the worst when it comes to stripping rand of all agency in his own relationship, what with this line + how she said “us 3 women will decide about marriage” + how she told elayne they would slice him up between them like a pie + her entire books 4-7 approach of “i’m gonna chase rand down and force him to love me”

when rand says alanna’s about to walk into the room, min drapes herself all over him on the bed so that alanna will see them that way. once again i’m asking for min to find some dignity and self-respect. she’s just so possessive of rand and insecure about her relationship with him. there is no doubt in my mind that she would not hesitate to cut elayne and avi out of the relationship if she had the chance.

alanna mentions that she asked cadsuane if she could transfer rand’s bond to her: “only, she refused. she was furious that i suggested it without asking you, outraged” nice, cadsuane has one (1) right

“a man who trusts everyone is a fool, and a man who trusts no one is a fool” lews therin does come out with good advice sometimes

rand initially thought of having aes sedai swear fealty to him as only a power move, but now alanna makes him realize that if he puts a little trust in them he can use them to help him out and solve some of his political problems in other lands. nice!

“he hoped elayne and aviendha masked the bond when he was making love with min.” aren’t they way too far away to feel it anyway? “when the two of them were together in bed, no one else existed except her, the same as it had been with elayne.” an independent individual thought about elayne and their night together!!!!!! but also, harem vibes. it’s weird to have them all bonded but not all banging. either have them all bonded and all banging, or have them banging separately and rand is bonded to none (or only to elayne). i’m all for warder bond sex benefits but rand is clearly uncomfortable with the thought of the other two girlfriends feeling what he’s doing with the third girlfriend, just as min and aviendha were clearly uncomfortable feeling what he was doing with elayne. and it seems that the warder can’t mask the bond but that min also wasn’t able to despite being the bondholder, i’m guessing because she can’t channel, which is EXACTLY why she has no business being a warder’s bondholder.

verin is native to far madding but was exiled and seems to be a wanted woman? girl what did you DO?? “hastily filling a second cup, verin slipped the small vial back into her pouch unopened. it was good to be sure of cadsuane at last. ‘do you take honey?’ she asked in her most muddled voice. ‘i never can remember.’” GIRL!?!?!??!!! i never have any idea what verin’s up to but i love her. add her to my “characters who can legally have pov” list. i would gladly read the whole series from verin’s pov.

cadsuane again talks about how she needs to help rand relearn to be human and to laugh and cry. why do you think that bullying him is helping accomplish this at all? and why the hell is this role falling to cadsuane? still struggling to see why she needs to exist at all. why can’t it be rand’s friends and family and partners (ALL of them, not just min) chipping in and teaming up to bring him back from the brink?

i guess this is why we have so much plot-mandated character separation - for narrative and character arc purposes, rand isn’t allowed to realize how many loved ones he really does have. readers say how sad it is that everyone abandons rand, but they don’t, rj just forbids them from spending time with him. but before they were separated from him (and separated from him largely not of their own choice), we’ve seen in elayne’s and mat’s and perrin’s pov that they notice rand is unwell and are worried about him, and nynaeve’s too, tho at least she’s with him rn so i have hope. and while egwene is tower-focused now, in the next chapter she does tell elayne that she loves rand, and when they were together in loc it was clear she cared for rand and worried about him even though she always misinterpreted his growing hardness as arrogance rather than trauma. and rand thinks that lan sees only tdr now and is afraid of him, but i wouldn’t be at all surprised if that’s just rand’s self-loathing making him think that and lan actually does still care and worry about him.

i would kill for the pivotal scene in rand’s emotional arc to be ALL his loved ones showing up and being there for him and making him finally see that he’s not alone and that he’s so loved, but i know i’m not going to get that and i’m devastated about it.

“egwene seemed stunned by [the changes in emond’s field]. when she first appeared in tel’aran’rhiod, a long braid had dangled down egwene’s back and she was in a plain woolen dress, of all things, with stout shoes peeking out beneath her skirts as she walked.” 😭😭 egwene is the one who’s left emond’s field furthest behind, and it both heals and hurts me to see that she DOES miss it and her family (later in the chapter she wonders if her family is well and elayne suggests Traveling to visit them, but egwene says that she “can’t face confronting emond’s field as amyrlin” she misses her home but knows she’s changed too much to go back and have things be the way they once were 😭)

“[elayne] hoped rand could still love emond’s field, but it was no longer the village where he and egwene had grown up.” “here in tel’aran’rhiod, she could not know which direction he was. she missed that knowledge, small as it was. she missed him.” 😭😭😭 randlayne deserves betterrrrrrrr

“Traveling made such things [as egwene popping in to visit emond’s field] easy” YEAH IT SURE DOES SO WHY DO NONE OF YOU GUYS EVER TRAVEL TO HANG OUT WITH EACH OTHER

egwene is burdened by duty and elayne hugs her and comforts her. once again i am asking why the boys aren’t allowed to do this! “‘whatever i decide, people are going to die for it.’ she patted elayne’s arm. ‘well, you understand that sort of decision, don’t you.’” once again i am asking why neither of them are allowed to have this sort of conversation and duty-empathizing with rand!

from rumors, egwene thinks rand is chaining aes sedai like damane. aha, i remember back at dumai’s wells i predicted there would be a reckoning between rand and egwene when she found out about him making aes sedai kneel and swear fealty to him. elayne thinks “rand would never do that! if only for love of her, he would not!” bless her ❤️

“with him so far away, the veins of gold shone only in memory.” RANDLAYNE DESERVES BETTER

OKAY OH MY GOD aviendha and elayne are now sharing a bed!!! “every morning since they had begun to share the same bed” and elayne mentions “aviendha’s side of the bed” and they dress together and have breakfast together every morning, they are WIVES like straight up this is not even subtext anymore. i’m gonna jump out of order a bit here to present my evidence on this topic.

aviendha is unhappy about elayne pretending mellar is the father of her baby in order to protect them (since they’d be in danger if it was known rand was their father): “‘i see,’ aviendha said slowly, and frowned into her plate as though seeing something other than the eggs and plums she began pushing around with her spoon.” while she understands it, she’s upset about her wife pretending to be in love with someone else!

throughout these chapters, avi remains by elayne’s side and we are told many times about other people reacting to this with surprise and sometimes confusion/judgment. “the kandori studied aviendha surreptitiously when not listening attentively to elayne, and the illianers avoided looking at her at all after the first widening of eyes in surprise.” meanwhile, “if [reene harfor] had ever been uncertain about elayne calling aviendha sister, she had never shown it, and now she genuinely appeared to approve.” the sister business is all a euphemism and we are actually seeing people react to the daughter-heir having a wife.

like it’s just soooooo blatant at this point that i have to assume rj genuinely WAS intending their relationship to be subtextually romantic but just couldn’t make it explicit due to constraints of the times and/or publisher. there’s just no other explanation for this shit. they live together and share a bed by choice when other beds are available and elayne’s housekeeper approves of their ““sister”” relationship though others find it strange and avi is constantly fussing over elayne and the baby (i will get into that more in a moment bc it made my heart melt). and it seems to me that they started sharing a bed around the time of rand’s visit to caemlyn (i don’t THINK they were before that) so i can only conclude that all 3 of them got together officially that day (with min once again being the awkward outlier)

back to where i was chronologically. avi and birgitte told elayne that min told them she’s pregnant, but we learn later in the chapter that avi and birgitte got too drunk to remember that it was boy and girl twins so elayne thinks she’s having only a single baby and doesn’t know the gender. feels weird to me that avi and birgitte would remember elayne’s pregnant but not that it’s twins but whatever lmao

“she almost looked forward to the start of birthing sickness, so she could share the queasy belly with birgitte” jdfkjgh crying. also yet another reason why rand should be allowed to be near elayne again, it would be hilarious having to watch him deal with secondhand pregnancy effects.

elayne is so overworked that sometimes avi has to “half carry her to bed.” to bed, not to ELAYNE’S bed. because it is THEIR bed that they share, together, every night, as wives.

“‘do i need [birgitte] to tell me you spend too many hours inside and sleep too little?’ aviendha replied contemptuously. ‘you need fresh air.’” “‘monaelle has borne seven children. she says i must see you get fresh air.’” “elayne hastily ate her midday meal early. she had not sent for it; aviendha had. apparently, monaelle said missing meals was as bad as eating too much.” caretaker avi looking after her wife and baby 🥺

“whatever protected her baby, she was willing to do.” “nothing could be allowed to threaten her child. nothing!” 🥺🥺❤️❤️ elayne haters are always going on about how annoying pregnant elayne is, but i for one am adoring this so far. i love elayne and i love babies and i love elayne loving her babies!!

“no escort, birgitte. except for you. an aes sedai and her warder. and aviendha, of course.” of course! because elayne’s wife accompanies her everywhere! that goes without saying!

“dark-stockinged legs bared above the knee by straddling a saddle” elayne is looking at aviendha’s legs Respectfully

“unlike birgitte, [aviendha] had not ceased her attempts to dissuade elayne.” protective yet annoyed wife! “[elayne did not feel] at all ready to put up with badgering. but she did not want to snap at aviendha.” exasperated yet loving wife!

“it might be better to have a son first, so he could begin his training before his sister came. yet a daughter secured the succession, while a lone son would be pushed aside, and as much as she wanted more than one, nothing said she would have another child. the light send her more of rand’s children, but she had to be practical.” elayne i cannot wait for you to find out that you and your spouses are gonna end up with 6 kids!! she’s gonna be absolutely thriving!!

elayne finagles the borderland rulers into an agreeable deal with ease! i say that’s my baby and i’m really proud.gif!

“take care of him, min, she thought. take care of him for us.” elayne is so trusting of min and is all in on the polycule, contrasting back to my earlier thought about how i always get the impression min would jump at the chance to cut her and avi out and keep rand to herself.

“there was no time for sleep, no time for weariness. she had a city to defend.” baby 😭 she and rand are THE SAME

reading this post back, it’s amazing how much more cheerful my liveblogging became once i got to elayne pov lmao elayne and avilayne are literally saving me!

[spice-chan]

Cure Me

King!singledad! Bakugo Katsuki x fem!reader

Prince Matsuki makes an interesting friend. he could have never foretold who she is to his father...

TW: curses, sickness

Thank you so much to @stargazingaloneatnight for sending this lovely request ! I totally got carried away though, so it’s going to have a second part. 

Thanks a lot to @patt-writes-stuff and @reddriot for being amazing beta readers !!

Wordcount: 4.4 K

..........................................

At the ripe age of 18, you were married off to the woodcutter in your village. 

You weren’t enthusiastic about it, but you didn’t dissent. After all, in a small village, all the people of close age were expected to marry eventually. It was either him, the farmer or the butcher. A prince isn’t going to come and sweep you off your feet.

You moved to the isolated cabin near the woods where your husband resided, and you lived there with him for a year. You wouldn’t exactly describe it as harmony, but it was peaceful enough for you to be content. He respected you and you respected him, but you yearned for something more.You yearned for love, for the overwhelming feeling that would envelope you whole, that would elicit shivers from your spine, and down to your very toes. 

But you had to get those foolish fantasies out of your head; after all, your husband was now all you had. Until you didn’t have him anymore. 

His body was found, squashed underneath a large tree that fell the wrong way. 

Guilt and loss reigned in your mind and heart. You wondered, should you have appreciated him more ? Should you have cherished the little moments instead of wishing for something better? 

It was a lonely existence for a while after that, until a red eyed, spikey haired little boy ventured to your isolated abode. 

………

Loneliness was a disease that feasted on your open wounds until they were gaping holes, bleeding and gushing, but you were unable to stitch them back together. Who wants to be lonely, truly? So all Bakugo did was cover the open wounds with his hand, growling protectively as he shielded himself. And he couldn’t stitch together the hole in his chest, even when his hand was stained red as evidence of his pain. 

He thought he loved her. He convinced himself he loved her. The only woman and person who seemingly managed to stand him and understand him. He tried so hard to be good to her. Tried to act better when he saw the gleam of judgement in her eyes. Only to wake up one day with a letter telling him “don’t look for me” and “I’ll be somewhere better. Away from you and that spawn. Good luck with him, though you’ll probably have enough soon and throw him somewhere far, the sound of his cries is annoying.” 

Him. 

She couldn’t bring herself to say her son’s name. 

It’s like he was a disposable piece of trash to her. Katsuki’s teeth gnashed whenever he remembered the way she spoke of her own son, his son. 

“DAD!” screamed a little boy, the carbon copy of his dad, running to his father's lap where he ducked down and hid between them. 

Bakugo growled playfully, bending his back to look at the excitable little boy, who held his finger to his lips. 

“What do you think you’re doing, squirt?” 

“I’m hiding from Shitty Maid.” 

Katsuki quirked his eyebrows at the foul language that came out of his son’s mouth, but his response never made the light of day as a flustered and heaving maid entered the dining chamber, her eyes frantically searching. 

“My king, I’m so sorry ! Have you seen Prince Matsuki come here ?” she questioned breathlessly, the prince having evidently tired her out. 

Bakugo clicked his teeth rather impertinently. “No, you shitty maid, I didn’t see him come here,” he replied and resumed eating, seemingly unperturbed by his son being ‘missing’. 

“Sorry, Your Majesty, I’ll resume my search for him. Sorry to have disturbed you!” she exclaimed before picking her gown and scrambling out. 

Bakugo stared beneath his chair pointedly, his carbon copy only giving doe eyes as a reply. 

“Why are you hiding anyway?!”

Matsuki crawled out from underneath the chair and stood up, dusting his knees. 

“She wants to teach me eti-etiquette or whatever,” Matsuki grumbled. “I’m going out to play with my friends.” 

Etiquette? How useless. Is that what they are teaching his son? 

Bakugo clapped his back, glad to see his son not be a pushover. “Don’t be late, squirt.”

“Ok, dad!” Matsuki jumped and enveloped Katsuki’s muscular frame in a hug with his tiny arms, warming Katsuki’s heart as he ruffled his son’s spiky hair. 

……..

Matsuki couldn’t find his friends. 

He ventured into the woods in search of them, sporting a scowl everyone should be familiar with. His tiny, handsome face scrunched slightly as he looked around the place curiously. His feet padded on, scrunching on crispy fallen leaves in their wake. 

He walked for a while, marking trees as he went along to ensure he didn’t get lost, but eventually, a sugary sweet scent had his tiny legs move faster on their own accord in search of it. The closer he seemingly got, the more powerfully the mouth watering scent assaulted his nose. It smelled cozy on this chilly day, like a warm cup of milk by a warm fire as snow fell outside.

He reached a clearing. The thick, intimidating trees that loomed over him shrunk away until there was none left. 

No trees, but he found a small cabin with a window cracked open. 

He boldly marched up to it, his mouth set in a straight, determined line. A fisted palm knocked once, twice, and thrice on the worn out wood, to ensure that it was heard. 

His nervousness set in when the handle turned and a lady emerged at the threshold. He steeled himself. His daddy told him that if he wanted something, he should work to get it. 

You smiled at him warmly when you spotted him: a young, unfamiliar boy. He looked out of his element, but his strange red eyes stared at you despite how he seemed to be unused to such situations. His eyes reflected the embers of a brave soul. 

“There was a nice smell coming from here,” he admitted, his tiny face scrunching into a scowl that seemed more adorable than anything.

“Well, yes, I baked cookies,” you responded mildly, your voice never too high but quite clear. The boy’s eyes widened, his red hues glistening in child-like excitement.

“Cookies?!”  He jumped, and clutched your gown. 

“Can I have some ?” Puppy dog eyes stared up at you, pleading and cute. You haven’t encountered a child in a long time. You stopped going to the village as often, and eventually, they stopped visiting too. Your mother died after she contracted something, her old body unable to fight it off, and your dad ran off somewhere to ‘adventure’. 

“Sure.” You moved from the threshold. “Come in.” You gestured with your head to your small cottage, a humble place, but a reminder of your lonesome existence. 

He brightened up considerably, his mouth twisting into a sweet smile. He would become such a handsome young man once he grew up. It made you wonder how beautiful his parents must be. 

You pulled a chair for him at the table, and went to put some cookies on a plate for him. 

“YUM. That’s so delicious!” He spoke between mouthfuls, some tiny crumbs flying out of his mouth in his excitement. 

“Thank you, but be careful. You might choke if you speak while chewing sweetie,” you chided him lightly. Matsuki didn’t recognize this tone, it sounded equal parts stern and caring. He nodded and continued munching down. 

“Would you like to drink something? I have some orange juice, and uh, water. I could make tea, but I don’t think kids your age fancy that you rambled, suddenly excited about having someone keep you company for the first time in a while. 

He opened his mouth to answer, but upon remembering your words, he opted to chew for a few more seconds then swallowing his cookies before bellowing out,“Yes! Orange juice.” 

How adorable. 

You poured two glasses of orange juice and joined your little companion, munching on some cookies of your own. Before long, he finished all of them and leaned back on the chair, mouth letting out a sigh and hand patting his stomach as a show of overindulgence. 

“Good?” 

“Yup! You’re a very nice lady. Way nicer than my dummy maid,” he grumbled, you weren’t sure whether to be flattered or concerned, but one thing did grab your attention. 

“Maid ?” 

He nodded, slightly confused at your question. 

“Don’t you have one ?” You quirked an eyebrow and looked around your tiny cottage. Did it look like you have one? 

Oh God, you hoped this boy wasn’t mistaking his mother for a maid. With that in mind, you asked him, however, his face fell in sadness and the fire in his eyes dulled a little. 

“I don’t have a mother. The maids always talk about how sorry they are for me. I hate it. None of them even care about me,” he spoke in a quiet voice, tearing at your heart with his down turned face. 

“But at least I have my daddy,” he spoke up, brightening a little. You smiled at that, reaching towards him and ruffling his fluffy yet spikey blond hair. 

“That’s good. Keep cherishing your father, at least the two of you have each other.” You wiped some crumbs from around his mouth with a napkin, speaking to the boy in a lonesome voice; unintentionally mothering him. 

He smiled and nodded;unintentionally accepting. 

The boy was either mistaking some people in his household for maids, or he was some rich merchant’s son. On that note—

“Did you tell anyone you’re coming here? They might be worried about you,” you asked cautiously, but then your eyes widened as a new wave of worry hit you. 

“Oh my God, what if you got lost? Do you know your way back?” 

You sighed in relief when he nodded, flashing you a smile with his teeth on display, one of them missing from the front, making it all the more endearing. You narrowed your eyes at him, prompting him to elaborate. 

“I always come to play around here with my friends. It’s really close to home!” You oo’d. However, it was now his turn to panic. “Oh no, I forgot all about them !” He looked outside, seeing the sun shining proudly in the centre of the sky. 

“I think I can still catch them,” he declared determinedly, and hopped off his seat. His tiny legs carried him to the door, his pale hand grasping the worn down doorknob, but before twisting it, he turned to you, his smile of youth gracing his face again. 

“See you later, nice lad !”

.……..……

“No way! You wanted to be a pirate? But they’re so nasty!” he exclaimed, scrunching his nose at you in disgust. You shrugged, shoulders slumped. 

“I thought it’d be a fun time. I found it in a book and dreamed that one day, I too can embark on an adventure and find hidden treasures,”you explained with a dreamy, yet nostalgic look in your eyes, akin to one looking back fondly at a long gone memory. It’s been nearly a year since you met the mystery child. You’ve been...noticeably happier. 

His cherry red orbs made your day, along with an innocence that was very hard to maintain in these tough times, although that's probably because his toughness differs from yours. 

He pouted, running a hand through his tamed locks. “Well, why can’t you?” 

He stared up at you expectantly, oblivious to what he was expecting. His red orbs burwith ith the flame of innocenand and didnuldn’t dare blow it out. 

“I don’t know.” 

Even for his young age, he was perceptive. Bbut before he could question your downtrodden face, you stood up, coughing loudly. It went on for a few seconds, and Matsuki watched worriedly as you cupped your hand over your mouth, shoulders shaking from the force. 

After you stopped, you breathed for a few seconds, face flushed and stamina depleted. But again, before he could question anything, you stood up, stretching. The sun hit your face, which looked noticeably paler, but you forced a smile anyway, and held your hand out for Matsuki to grab and follow suit. 

“Let’s go inside, you wanted me to redo your hair, right ?” He grabbed your hand with renewed vigor, hopping off the wood and trekking with you back inside the cottage. 

He said his maid had to slick his hair back because they had guests over and he ‘had to look more presentable’, which you internally scoffed at. His hair was amazing as it was. 

You’d never seen a texture so amazing. It was soft as silk, but it appeared spikey. Like a porcupine or something, looked thorny but had a soft side? 

You brought some water and wet his hair, before drying it with a towel. You could already see some results. You brought a hairbrush and began to hum softly while brushing his semi dry blond locks. 

You towelled it once again, before patting him across the back. Your head felt light, and a light pain began to creep in. You probably need some water. 

“THANK YOU! It was so ugly before.” He pranced about, happy that his hair no longer looked like some ‘sappy extra’. You wonder where the child got those interesting phrases. You stood up to get a glass of water, but the moment you stood up, the world swirled, spinned, and blurred. And then it all faded to black. 

You hit the floor with a loud thump, and Matsuki sprung to his feet and frantically ran to your side. 

His small hands grabbed your arm and shook you, his face growing warm and throat getting clogged up, before tears burst forth. They dampened your sleeves, continuously flowing like a waterfall, but you still remained almost lifeless on the floor. Matsuki was young, helpless, and alone. 

And he did what any young, helpless and crying child would do. 

He ran to the person he loves —his father. 

……………

Bakugou heard the sound of Matsuki running before h, felt the wind, tornado like, as the doors of his room were pushed open in a manner so excitable he’d consider it rather insolent had it not been his own son. 

 His reprimands were stuck in his throat when he saw the flushed face and bloodshot eyes of his shis heart aching at the sight. 

“What’s wongh” he asked softly, the tone rather unusual coming from him. Then again, his son coming to him crying was something very rare.oo., Matsuki took after his  and and he was a very brave and strong boy. Something that Bakugou lamented about, at times. Being his carbon copy wasn’t that much of a blessing when it came to the matters of the heart. 

Matsuki found his dad sitting at his desk, he ran to him and clung to his legs, crying uncontrollably. 

It took Bakugou a second to overcome his awkwardness and emotional constipation. He scooped his son up and sat him on his lap, wiping his tears away. 

“Hey squirt, calm down and tell me what’s wrong. If it’s someone that upset you, God help them-” 

Matsuki tried to halt his hiccups, failing for a few seconds while he hugged his dad, he patted his back comfortingly. 

“Dad, my friend…” he began, but his eyes watered as a fresh batch of tears threatened to burst. 

“What happened to your friend, Matsuki?” 

Matsuki sniffled, wiping his eyes before continuing. 

“So, she’d been sick for a few weeks, but today when I visited her, she fell and wouldn’t wake up,” Matsuk explainedd, clutching into Bakugou tightly. 

Bakugou hummed, nodding solemnly. 

“Can you take me where your friend is?” 

Matsuki nodded, but Katsuki was dubious about the nature of this pursuit. His distrustful nature was shining through.If this ‘friend’ was outside the protective barrier, then Katsuki didn’t know what to really expect. So before leaving his room, he donned his protective amber around his neck, a magical jewel chosen by his dragon when he was younger. All shifters choose an enchanted jewel to guard their existence and warn them of dangers. He made sure to pick up his son’s, looping the necklace around his neck, the jewel dangling and shining. 

He needed to give his son a talk about this. 

…………

They walked in the forest for a while before reaching a small, worn out looking cottage. Bakugou arched a blond eyebrow, more curious than ever. He’d think it was a ploy with more sinister intentions, luring both prince and king but… he’d never seen his son more shook up over someone, they must mean a lot to him. He couldn’t bear to delay this. 

They reached the door, the wood creaking as Bakugo opened it. His ruby eyes started searching for you, and when they caught your figure on the floor, they began gleaming. 

He felt the breath knocked out of him when he saw you, asleep (he hoped) like an angel with your hair looking wild but still adding to your charm like a halo. You looked so soft, so precious, and it felt like his life only began this moment when he caught sight of you. 

His heartbeat was so strong, he could feel it in his very eyes, who were overwhelmed with the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. He had seen plenty of beautiful women, ones he didn’t spare a second glance at, extras, unworthy of his time. But for some reason, the beauty of you rooted him in his spot and halted all rational thoughts. He was only broken out of his reverie when Matsuki shook him. He felt a rush of love, devotion, and ease like he’d never felt before. It all made sense, the sense of loneliness, of being lost when his path is clear in front of him. Of finding every potential romantic partner lukewarm at best. 

“Dad. Can you help her ? I don’t want her to be sick anymore.”

And in that moment, it dawned on him. 

Katsuki found his soulmate, but there’s a chance he might have already lost her. 

He ran to you checking your vitals, and thankfully, everything seemed fine. He put his forehead against yours, cursing when he felt a scalding fever. 

“What happened ?” He picked one of the numerous questions buzzing in his head. 

“Well, she did my hair like I’d asked her, but the moment she stood up, she fell down! I tried waking her up, but she wouldn’t. She’d been coughing a lot the past few weeks too and looking tired,” Matsuki explained clearly, now comforted by having his father share the weight with him. 

Katsuki looked around at the rather shabby place. Fit for a commoner. Not you. 

He was baffled at having a mate. Only the most legendary, wise and favoured dragons did, the dragons that made it to history scriptures. Things no one considered him to be. Things he was succumbing to not being. Things she convinced him he wasn’t. Sure, he could fight deadly wars, bring nations down to their knees, but violence did not warrant a soulmate. 

He scoop you up, closer to his chest. Heyouyou tightly, heart physically hurting at the thought of you being in pain. He just met you, what’s with him ? 

He stood up, nudging his son to leave. 

What a coincidence. An insane, crazy coincidence. 

His son, his only blessing in this shrouded world, was what led him to the one thing nobody thought he’d have. 

“Tell me more on the way.

Matsuki nodded. 

……………

Bakugou laid you on his bed, surrounding you with the softest materials one could ever touch. He pulled a chair besides you, lounging on it as he waited for a healer to arrive. 

You remained unconscious, but it seems like your temperature increased even more. He was so lost in his own thoughts, that he didn’t register that Matsuki walked inside the room until he was addressing him. 

“Is she going to be alright ?” Bakugou didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth, then again, he didn’t have the heart to lie to him either. 

“I don’t know.” Somehow saying it out loud hurts even more. 

A knock on the door broke the gloominess. 

“Come in.” 

Hope walked in, in the shape of a short, old lady with medical equipment. 

Recovery Girl inspected you, from temperature to heartbeat. And when done, she sighed. 

“Everything boils down to it being a simple fever, but in that case, she wouldn’t be unconscious,” she explained ambiguously. She took one of your hands, and andr fingertips were icy cold. 

She hummed contemplatively. She brought out a healing crystal, squeezing it in one fist, while she held your hand in the other. The idea was to transfer the healing energy from the crystal to you, only possible through a healing mage. 

However, when nothing seemed to happen, Recovery Girl opened her fist. She found a shattered crystal. 

“Oh my…” 

Bakugou growled, frustration willing up and tipping over. “The fuck!” 

Recovery Girl glared at him. Such language shouldn’t be used in front of a child. 

“Typical healing methods aren’t going to work.” 

Silence reigned over this time, willing the old lady to continue on, both his and his son’s hearts on the edge. 

“I believe she’d been cursed.” 

Bakugou scrunched up his eyebrows at the absurd explanation. Who’d curse you of all people ? He only just discovered your existence!

Yet for some reason, he felt like he’d rather die than let you, the one who could love him for all his flaws, the one who always brought a smile on his son’s face, suffer. 

“How?” The deity up there must be very cruel, to take you away when he just met you. 

“I don’t know, son. There’s a very strong, malevolent energy, enough to break a healing crystal. It’s going to make her body reject anything that could heal it,” she explained solemnly. 

“If you want this young lady healthy and well, we need to take different measures to heal her. Also, do you know who cursed, or where she could have incurred it? That will be very helpful.” 

Bakugou looked at Matsuki, knowing that he himself is clueless. 

“This is the first time I met her. Matsuki seems to have met her a while ago in her tiny ass cottage outside the protective barrier.” She looked like she had some questions, but instead directed her attention to the little Bakugou and asked him what matters most right now. 

“Do you know anyone that might’ve done this? Have you seen her interact with anyone that could possibly be capable of it?” She knew asking a child would likely be more fruitless then not, but she still wished to help you in any way she could. 

Matsuki shook his head. 

“I’ve never even seen her talk with anyone.” This only served to increase Bakugou’s suspensions. Could it be something to do with your affiliation with Matsuki ? And if that was the case, then there’s so many other things he must take into account too, because that would mean that there’s a traitor in their midst, or at least someone that had been tracking Matsuki for… what fucking ever reason. 

He sighed, feeling an ache beginning to form in his head. He touched your arm, wanting to reassure himself that you are alive. 

A gasp rang out from the occupants of the room when you opened your eyes, making them seem glowy when the sunlight reflected off them, giving you an ethereal, angelic radiance. 

The air left his lungs, while blood rushed to his cheeks, making them seem ripe as apples. 

“How is this possible?” 

This shocked him awake, out of his reverie and into reality. 

Recovery Girl glanced at the arm Bakugo was touching, humming to herself with a knowing glint in her old, wise eyes. 

“Well, my king, did you forget? The oldest, most powerful magic that dragons have been gifted::soulmates.” 

Bakugo blushed again, kissing his teeth and glaring at Recovery Girl. 

“What are you babbling on about, old hag?” 

“I believe you know.” 

He glared at the ground, childishly not answering. 

“Um...what’s going on?” A small, feminine voice asked. Bakugou turned to you, melting at the majestic sound of your voice. 

“That’s a good question.” That brat. 

Bakugou tried to stay in contact with you, afraid of making the burst of magic triggered by your bond slipping away. 

“Uh, you lost unconsciousness and Matsuki asked me to help you. Oh, and apparently you were cursed.” Bakugou bluntly spits the facts at you, not thinking ahead for your reaction. 

“A CURSE?” you shouted, coughing after due to hoarseness. The old hag shot Bakugou another glare, before sweetening up and looking at you. 

“We’ll explain after you rest a bit and freshen up, you’d been through quite a bit.” she said, deliberately not divulging any information yet. She didn’t need to be there for the grand explanation. She’d rather not be, actually. 

She stood on her weary legs, leaving the room unnoticed as you admired your surroundings, and as Bakugou admired you. Matsuki’s stare lacked the burn of fascination as he stared at his father grumpily. 

“The fuck you looking at her so weird for?” Matsuki seethed. You gasped and turned to him. 

“Matsuki!” He bristled in frustration, having forgotten how much you hated it when he cursed. 

“Sorry. He was though!” 

Bakugou, throughout the whole thing, glared at his son with blushing cheeks. He wanted to spank some respect into him so bad right now. 

You turned to Bakugo, gaze weighty in the seriousness it’s burdened with. 

“Thanks for helping me, I appreciate it. You’re Matsuki’s father, right? The resemblance is hard to miss. Well, I have a lot of questions, but firstly, what do you mean by cursed?” 

You felt as if a rock was pressed against your chest, gloom overtaking your features as you awaited his answer. Still hopeful that it was a joke, but the ancient dark magic was not to be joked with. 

“Someone cursed you. It’s the cause for your sickness, and it’s slowly sapping the life out of you. You’re only awake because uh...the magic of our bond is more powerful.” Bakugou rushed the last part, his heart beating, squeezing painfully when silence hung in the air after his not so confession. 

You purse your lips, the movement catching Bakugo’s attention, drawing him to your lips. Supple, kissable lips. 

“Our bond?” 

Bakugo nodded. 

“You’re my soulmate, it’s why—probably why Matsuki was so drawn to you.” Bakugo was looking forward to explaining more, before his door was busted open (a common occurrence these days it seems) by a panting soldier, who summoned the strength to salute stiffly. 

“Your majesty, we have received a letter from Celeane Siloh.” 

Well, what a great introduction to the family. 

...............

Kofi

Don’t forget to like and reblog if you enjoyed this !

[cornfarm]

waves against the rocks

saiki kusuo x reader

word count: 2.0k

synopsis: you show saiki your powers. he’s unbearibly jealous, yet for the first time, he feels seen and understood by another person.

cws: mention of the reader having a bad family

genre: melancholic fluff

reader is gender neutral!

===================================================

notes:

greetings... i promise i’m working on cease and desist part 2 but i keep starting one shots;; I ALSO DECIDED TO CHANGE MY TEXT FORMAT... i yoinked all the capital letters away... it feels a bit more liberating

whenever i make my crazy op self insert oc, i always think about how i can make them a foil/double to the characters i like. for example my gintama s/i is also a traumatized war veteran. i thought like... wouldn’t it be fun to write the reader character as a direct foil AND double to saiki? they have everything he doesn’t, but he has a lot that they dont and it’s like,., mutual jealousy.

i also wanted to write saiki properly empathizing with someone. aiura and toritsuka are so fun because they both have different moral compasses with their powers and how they’d like to use them. however despite the fact theyre all psychics, saiki can’t really empathize with either of them.

i wanted to have saiki be excited about something, and feel truly seen. empathy is a very powerful thing.

i hope the “ability” i chose isn’t too cringe;;;

i can’t help but feel like i write saiki ooc so feedback would be super appreciated!

===================================================

perception. the way people are seen by others, the mental images and sour thoughts rooted in nothing but misconception. the falsafied persona of greatness, beauty, and kindness. perception.

you kept saiki afterschool. tugging at his sleeve, you quietly asked “i need to show you something, stay here for a few extra minutes?”. he refused you at first, but you stayed firm, “i need you to stay.” fierce. he decided to stay.

but you stood before saiki, right? were you there? he suddenly felt a bit weary, head pounding at the thought of you. your name, voice, scent, failing to find matches in his library of records. when he thought of you, his brain flickered through the faces and names of everyone else he knew.

you were a gap, a void, a sudden unconjurable memory. it was horrifying. but he quickly accepted it. the body circling behind of him was none of his concern, because there was nobody there. he supposes he should go home now. why was he standing alone in the classroom anyways?

firm hands land on his shoulders, warm, present. he remembers why he’s here.

“it’s not that i’m invisible, it’s just that your brain can’t recognize me, and refuses to acknolwedge me as a thing that exists.”

like a wave crashing against a rocky shore, the void is filled. your voice, your scent, your name, all slotted back into place in his mental library. he recognizes the hands on your shoulders as yours. 

a hand snakes around and pushes up his glasses, covering his eyes.

“it’s not about visibility, it’s perception. you are unable to percieve me as a living thing, or of anything of importance. that’s why you can’t read my thoughts, and that’s why you’re so quick to give up trying to recall me.”

he’s practically trembling- you have one power. it was simple, but it managed to find a loophole around practically all of his.

“that’s terrifying.”

“right?”

you take your hands away and step in front of him. he adjusts his glasses properly.

“were you born with it?”

you nod, “it caused me trouble when i was a kid. i almost got left at an airport,” you chuckle.

“does anyone else know?”

“i’ve tried to tell my parents but they don’t believe me. they called me a liar and delusional, so i decided to stop trying with them. nobody else knows, i’ve never told any of my past friends either. when i found out about your powers, i thought maybe someone would finally understand. that’s the only reason i wanted to tell you.”

your lip quivers, “you believe me, right?”

truth be told, saiki’s stunned. he wasn’t expecting someone like you to have such an abrasive ability. despite how reclusive and fittingly unnoticeable it is, it was certainly powerful.

he’s jealous. you were able to freely aquire something he wanted- privacy, but he does believe you, afterall he just watched you waltz around him, outside of his keen field of view. 

“yeah, i do.”

you smile, bright and wide- you’re nearly trembling. was being believed that big of a deal to you?

you take a step forward and embrace him, wrapping your arms around his torso as your head presses against his chest. he goes a bit stiff, and glances at the door. “hey, someone might walk in-”

“it’s fine.” you look up at him, meeting his eyes, and oh. your eyes are glimmering, shining greater than he’s ever seen them, “they won’t.”

burying your face back into him, he tenataively wraps his arms around your back. you continue, voice muffled, “’m sorry, you’re the first person who’s accepted me. i’m happy.”

the emotional explanation for your actions ease him a bit, “it’s fine.” he states back.

you finally pull away, and for a brief moment as you lose connection, you flicker out of his view, but you come back in again, placing your hand on his.

“actually, i can touch you while using my power without you being affected by them, but i’m manually using it on you right now.”

“if you touch someone while making sure they still can’t see you, what does that make them experience?” his voice is clear, a bit fierce in tone. you always had trouble reading saiki, but you could tell that this was interest. perhaps he was threatened, but he was certainly intrigued.

“they might whirl around and look who’s touching them and account it to a person around them, but if not, they might think they’re having sensory hallucinations. i can also talk to people, but because my voice doesn’t have any weight to it, it’s almost like a hypnotic suggestion.”

“so you can brainwash people?”

“not necessarily,” you let go of his hand, you must have released your power, your eyes are dark, “if i suggest something to someone and it’s something mild, they’re more likely to do it because it already falls into their line of thinking. if i suggest something bold, they might do it thinking it’s an impulsive thought.”

“most people won’t do extreme things, they’ll read those as intrusive thoughts. but sometimes people think my voice is the voice of god, or a passed on relative, and will do intense things regardless of their judgement. others have poor impulse control, and some are just batshit crazy.”

you sheepishly scratch your head, “but i don’t really like having that much control over people. i don’t want to use my powers to hurt anyone.”

“do you want to use them to help people?”

you pause. it seems you’ve thought about this quite a bit.

“well my powers can’t help people. they give me the ability to help people, but they can’t help people directly. i think it’s a matter of it i’m strong enough to help people.”

“are you?”

“would you hate me if i said no? of course i lend a hand to my friends when they need it, but i don’t think i’m strong enough to really make a difference. i want to live peacefully.”

you look down at your hands, “i wish i wasn’t born with it.”

saiki felt unnervingly softhearted. he struggled empathizing with his peers, but his heart pounded in solemn familiarity. “i don’t hate you for that, i’m the same. having the powers i do means i have the responsibility of keeping the world in peace. people would be jealous of me for the self-fulfilling purposes i could use my powers for, but i don’t want to use my powers to hurt people. i don’t want to help anyone either. i just want to be left alone.”

guilt. guilt was a disease, just like jealousy is. it eats at you from the inside, and creeps up at times least expected. it left both of you hollow and empty.

“i wish i didn’t have powers,” he continues, “i don’t think i’ve ever properly experienced life in the way i’m supposed to, like everyone else has. i’m envious of you, you’ve had a bit more normalcy than me.”

“i suppose we’re equally unhappy, then,” you smile at him. he had been staring out the window, but he turns to looks at you. you’re leaning on the door of the classroom, tilting your head, you ask him a silent “walk home with me?”. 

“i mean,” you begin, “i’ve missed out on a lot. i’ve always had trouble making friends- my powers made it difficult for people to remain interested in me. i’ve gotten pretty good at controlling them, pk academy has been really good to me, but it doesn’t heal the damage it’s caused me.”

your teeth gnaw at your lower lip, “your family is so supportive of you, they love you so much, it makes me angry. i wish i could say the same about mine.”

it wasn’t too empty in the school, but your footsteps were loud and clear, both you and saiki walking in sync. saiki didn’t really know what to say, so he stayed silent. 

sighing, you continue, “i don’t want to be alone, but it’s too easy to be reclusive when that’s where you’ve always been. if you live a life of isolation, making friends is scary and draining,” a grim smile forms on your face, as if you’re trying to comfort yourself.

but saiki does have to admit that the two of you have much more in common than he initially thought. he quietly thinks to himself, perhaps he could use your abilities.

“y/n,” he begins, eyes meeting yours, “will you do me a favor?”

“yeah, what is it?”

he doesn’t like being indebted to people, but he wants to test your limits. you don’t give him the chance to ask, “you want me to use my powers while we walk out together, don’t you.”

his mouth falls a bit open, lips parting, “how did you know?”.

you laugh, “you’re not the only one who can read minds,” and reach out to wrap a hand around his forearm. he raises a brow at you, seemingly amused by your comment. he expected you to take his hand again, but your firm grip on his arm was admitedly unexpected.

he felt his heart skip a beat.

“well? are you doing it?”

“yup, you won’t feel any different though.”

walking down the steps together, people passed the two of you, strangers, familiar faces, teachers. nobody noticed.

the two of you passed toritsuka at the steps, but he paid no mind. “you know,” saiki started, “when i use my invisibility power, that guy can still see me.” 

“can he?” you murmur, your voice a bit low. 

“if it’s easier, you can just think what you’d like to say to me, we can talk that way.”

you squint your eyes in concentration, “like this?” you think to yourself. 

“yeah.”

you smile. you continue to hold onto his arm as he changes his shoes. 

“that must be frustrating, that he can still see you.”

he nods. he supposes if toritsuka can’t see you, then aiura probably can’t track you- and him, down either. 

“hold onto my arm while i change mine.”

without breaking contact, he gently wraps his fingers around your wrist. you hastily change your shoes, and slide your hand a bit up, taking his in yours.

“is it neccesary to hold hands?” he asks. his expression was nearly deadpanned, but the slight crease in his brows communicated just enough. he felt sheepish, a bit lost.

“no, but it’s nice.” 

teruhashi stands idly at the exit, waiting, doing her best to gently shake off the boys that surrounded her.

“she’s looking for me.”

“is she? do you want to talk to her?”

“no.”

you pause. 

“is she the reason you asked me to do this for you?”

he nods.

you turn and head towards the gate, but not before waving a hand in front of her face. you take a deep breath, before exclaiming a loud “teruhashi!”. she whirls around, trying to find the source of the voice, looking rather bewildered.

letting out a hearty laugh, you grin up at him. a slight huff of air escapes his upturned lips.

the two of you slip past the front gate.

“but you owe me something in return, i don’t give out my labor for free!”

he sighs, “what would you like?”

“wait, really? i was joking, you don’t have to do anything for me!” you double down on your demands.

“you say that, but i know you’re secretly hoping i’ll treat you.”

“shit, i forgot you can read my mind. that’s so invasive.” you pout, “not fair!”

“it’s fine, i don’t like being indebted to people, and you did do me a favor like i asked, so i’ll take you somewhere.”

you look a bit nervous, “really? you’re sure?”

“just accept the offer before i revoke it.”

you twirl in a circle, letting go of his hand and hopping a few steps ahead of him. “you’re buying me a nice coffee then!” 

he lunges out to take it again.

“sure.”

and once more in sync, both of your hearts skip a beat.

[randomshyperson]

Wanda Maximoff / Reader - The One Where You Punch Tony Stark - Chapter Three

Gif is not mine, but i love it.

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 4 ||  Read on AO3 (Complete Work)

Summary:  When the rumors that you punched Tony Stark in the face spread around your school, some interesting events unfolded.

Warnings:  18+; Enemies to Lovers;  Angry Sex; Underage Sex; High School AU;  Violence; Fights;  Inappropriate language; Fluff and Smut; minor mentions of Reader x Carol and Reader x Jessica Jones.

Notes:  This work was already finished on AO3, but i forgot to continue this on Tumblr. I hope everyone who thought that was a one shot, enjoy the rest of it.

-------//---------------------//---------------------------

Chapter Three - Sometimes it’s just a date

You don't like water polo. Actually, you don't like watching the water polo team. 

With next week being finals week, you would like to have a quiet period. But then, the track and field and water polo finals are making the athletes restless, and you have to deal with the excitement of your colleagues around the halls. 

Maybe Natasha is right, you are pretty grumpy when it comes to socializing.

Participation in a sports team is mandatory from the first year on. Principal Thanos had approved this rule as an "incentive to healthy living," and only students with a medical condition could get away with it. You considered falsifying a medical history many times, but eventually you agreed to join the lacrosse team. You kept your performance average, just to maintain your grade. And even when the coach saw potential in you, you told her that you had no interest in participating in the championships. 

And then you were sitting on the team bench, watching your team play on the field while the crowd cheered as you watched. All sports were encouraged, after all, usually all students attended all kinds of games. You watched Natasha wave to you from the stands, and you smiled back. 

You were almost falling asleep, then a chorus of startled exclamations coming from the audience startled you, and you looked quickly at the field.

Your teammate, Gamora, suffered a foul and was being helped off the field by her teammates. You looked down the field with a frown, hoping that she was all right. But then she was taken off the field on a stretcher, her knee bandaged. It didn't take long before the coach came to you and signaled that you were going to have to replace the girl.

Letting out a grumble of protest, you stood up, grabbing the bat the coach offered you, and stepped onto the field.

Your approach to playing was interesting. You were aggressive and impatient, but efficient. You scored three points, and tried not to be bothered by the attention you were getting. And then, when your team won, you tried not to push the girls who jumped on you during the celebration. 

As you joined the team in the locker room, the coach asked to speak to you privately.

- I wanted to say that I was surprised by your performance, but in fact I always knew what you could do. - She commented as soon as you were alone in her room, inside the locker room. You shifted the weight of your feet, awkwardly.

- Thanks, I guess. - You say, and the teacher smiles tenderly at you.

- Tell me, Y/L, do you have plans for college? - she asks, leaning on her desk. 

- Not really, Coach. - You say. - I sent some applications, but after my suspension, I don't think I will have much of a chance.

- You know that something like a position on a regular team can count in your favor. - She comments, and you shrug.

- I have only played in two games so far. - You hit back. She smiles.

- Oh yes, and you performed flawlessly. - She says. - What I'm saying is, I could write you a letter of recommendation. If you commit to play with us until the end of the school year, of course.

You frown, thinking about it. 

- I wouldn't want to take Gamora's place.

The teacher laughs, shrugging her shoulders.

- Don't worry about it, we can arrange the team for you to play together. Besides that, unfortunately Gamora will not participate in at least two games because of her injury. And she will be happy to know that you are helping the team to win.

You nod, putting your hands in your pockets.

- Okay, I'll take it then. - You say. - Only for the letter of recommendation of course. - You joke, and the coach goes to one of the drawers. She pulls out a first team uniform. - This is yours. - She hands it to you. - And please try to control your temper on the field.

The coach winks at you, and you laugh slightly, accepting the uniform. You nod slightly and walk out of the room toward the showers.

- I can't believe you're a jock now! - Natasha jokes when you tell her you joined the team. You laugh, pushing her slightly. You are sitting at the tables in the outdoor cafeteria during the second break.

- Please don't say that. - You say playfully. Nat just smiles, taking a bite out of her snack.

- But anyway. - she says after a moment. - Are you still going to the concert on Saturday?

You let out a sigh and Nat looks at you curiously.

- I'll tell you something, and you promise not to hate me? 

Nat laughs, imitating a promise sign, and you shake your head, smiling.

- Go ahead, say it. You're making me curious. - She asks. You laugh, trying to build up courage.

- I have to tell Carol I'm not interested. - You begin, and Nat raises her eyebrows in surprise. - I'm liking someone else.

- Wow, Jones really got to you? - She assumes, and you laugh, denying it with your head. - Wait, there's a third girl? My God, you're unstoppable.

You laugh ruefully, and Nat follows you. You swallow dryly before speaking and look at the table where you are sitting.

- I am in love with Wanda Maximoff.

Nat lets out a surprised exclamation, and then laughs, thinking you were joking. And then she notices your expression, and widens her eyes in surprise.

- My God, you are serious! - she exclaims. But then she smiles at you, and puts her hand on your forearm. - Hey, I don't have a problem with that. I was just a little surprised.

- Really? - you ask with a sigh of relief. Nat smiles at you.

- Now explain to me how this happened. - She asks, cupping her face in her left hand as she looks at you intently. You take a sip of your soda before speaking.

- Actually, this has been going on for some time. - You confess. - Me and Wanda... well. The first person who knew I liked girls was her. - You tell, and Nat lets out a surprised exclamation, but does not interrupt you. - We have been in the same class since elementary school. When we were in eighth grade, she saw me kissing Mary Jane Watson behind the soccer fields. I asked her not to tell anyone, and she never did. - You say, and Nat listens attentively. - And then she became who she is now, and any interaction we had seemed like we were going to jump around each other's necks at any moment.  - You sighed. - And then, after the soccer game, I gave her an orgasm against the locker room wall.

- Wait, what? - exclaimed Natasha in surprise. - My god, you had sex with Wanda Maximoff? - She practically screamed and you raised your hands and waved for her to keep her voice down. Nat laughed with a mixture of disbelief and excitement. - I can't believe it. I don't even know what to think about it.

You mumbled with embarrassment, looking away.

- Just keep it down, please. - You asked, and Nat laughed. 

- Are you two in some kind of secret relationship now? - she asked, and you laughed ironically.

- Not at all. - You say. - She completely ignored me after that. And then we argued during Ms. Hill's class. 

- Shit, I'm sorry about that. But are you still willing to take this anywhere? Since you are going to dismiss Carol.

You blink slightly, thoughtfully. Then you shrug.

- I'm only going to dismiss Carol because it's not fair to be with her while thinking about another girl. - You explain. - And I don't expect Wanda to want anything to do with me anyway.

- I see. - Nat says, giving you a sad smile. - But I think she would be very stupid to let someone like you slip away.

You smile sadly, and you go back to eating. Before long the break is over, and you share Nat's displeasure at having to go to the health class.

Health classes are awkward. At least now that you and Natasha were friends, you were distracted by her jokes. Professor Wade Wilson was known for his humorous and completely unfiltered attitude during class. He made jokes and pranks, and didn't care much if the students were actually learning something. You remember when you were learning about the effects of alcohol on the body and he brought a bottle of whiskey and shared it among the students. Counselor Fury was not happy at all.

But occasionally you learned very important things in class, like how to clean wounds made in laboratories, for example.

You figured he would follow the programmed curriculum, but you should know better. Wilson came into the room, sat down at his own desk and signaled for everyone to go to their seats. Nat exchanged an amused look with you.

- Good morning, brats. - He said as he took something out of his pocket. The room erupted in giggles and comments as he held up a rubber penis and vagina. - Let's talk about sex today.

- Finally, eh Mr. Wilson! - shouted Tony Stark ironically, causing the class to laugh. You saw him give Pepper Potts a mischievous look, while the girl just smiled and fiddled with her hair. 

- Well, I need to teach you how to put on condoms first. - says the professor with a slight irony in his voice. - Because of course you are all innocent in this matter.

The class laughed, but you were distracted scribbling in your notebook. The professor leaned over to read the attendance list on his desk.

- I need two of you to demonstrate your knowledge to me. - He says. - Stark and Y/L/N come forward please.

Nat nudges you with her elbow and you frown. She nods toward the desk, and Professor Wilson is already looking at you. You mumble a "shit" before getting up and walking to the front of the room.

- Please demonstrate. - He says handing a condom to you and one to Tony, who gives you an angry look, and you roll your eyes. Tony moves toward the plastic vagina, but Wilson laughs, putting his hand in your way. - The other prosthesis, Mr. Stark.

You watch Tony's red cheeks with disbelief, and you also hear the giggles that circulate around the room. Tony quickly opens the condom with his teeth and puts on the rubber penis with his shaking hands. Then he turns to the class, putting his hands in his pockets.

- Who can tell me what Mr. Stark did wrong? - asks the professor, but no one raises their hand. You wonder if people just don't want to say that Tony Stark was wrong, or if they really didn't know. - Really, guys, nobody?

- He bit the package, sir. - You grumble, feeling all the stares on you. Wilson lets out a happy exclamation as he looks at you.

- Yes, exactly, Miss Y/L/N. - He says, looking around the room again. - When you bite the condom wrapper, you can damage the condom, and consequently, take away its effectiveness. The class takes note of the information passed on. - Now, Y/N, please. Demonstrate how to use the female condom.

You let out a sigh, and turn to the table, without preventing other students from seeing what you are doing. Quickly, you open the package and put the condom on the prosthetic.  Professor Wilson lets out a chuckle, congratulating you for handling it correctly, but as you turn around, you hear Tony Stark comment loudly:

- With so much practice in real life, it should be easy. - He says, and the class bursts into giggles. 

- Stark. - The professor says with a scolding tone, but you assume a wry posture.

- Don't be like that, Tony. I'm sure Steve will be happy to let you practice with him. - You fight back, and the laughter swirls around you. 

- Look, here you bitch... - Tony steps forward and the professor stands in front of him, with a serious expression. You think this is the first time you've seen him angry.

- You two come with me immediately.

And so you end up sitting in Nicky Fury's office again, with Tony Stark in the chair next to you. You both stand with your arms crossed and looking straight ahead as Professor Wilson explains the confusion in his class. Fury nods and says that he will handle everything, and the professor gives him an understanding smile before leaving the room.

- I have been waiting to talk to you two. - says Fury as he sits down at his desk. - Who would like to start?

- I have nothing to say. - says Tony in a harsh tone. You want to punch him again.

- That's too bad, Mr. Star. - says Fury. - You will stay here until someone tells me the nature of this conflict.

You let out an irritated snort. 

- I've told you before, Fury. - You say. - Stark is an arrogant piece of shit who has no respect for anyone. 

- You're fucking insane, girl! - Tony cuts you off, and you refuse to look at him. Fury lets out a sigh. 

- Please, I will not tolerate this kind of verbal aggression in my office. - He says. - If you don't answer me, I will simply recommend that you both be expelled.

You and Tony are silent, both with furious expressions. But then you remember the promise you made to the coach, and let out a sigh.

- I punched Tony in the face at his eighteenth birthday party. - You confess, surprising them both. 

A moment passes, and you think Fury is finally going to expel you, but then Tony speaks up next to you.

- I provoked her. - He confesses. You look surprised, and Fury just waits for Tony to clarify. He lets out an impatient sigh before speaking. - I followed her out and said some rude stuff.

Fury is thoughtful for a few minutes, and then he makes some notes in his notebook. You began to drum your fingers against your thigh, uncomfortable.

- Would you like to tell me exactly why you did that Tony? - Fury asked.

Tony let out an impatient grunt. And many moments passed before he spoke again.

- I don't know, okay? - He says, running his hands through his hair nervously. - I only saw her kissing a girl and then I was outside. I didn't want her at my party.

- I should have known you were a homophobic jerk. - You say, and Tony tells you to go fuck yourself. Fury warns you both again.

- Tony, I've heard rumors about your relationship with Mr. Rogers. - Fury begins and Stark straightens his posture, his face red. You think the conversation is getting interesting. - Don't you think, perhaps, your reaction to seeing Miss Y/L/N has something to do with it?

- I don't want to talk about it. - Tony grumbles. You stand there thoughtfully, understanding what Fury meant. He had suggested that the only reason Tony hated you so much, besides being a complete idiot, was because he rejected his own sexuality.

- We're going to talk about this privately, Mr. Star. - Announces Fury. - That will be my last warning to you two. No more fighting. If I hear that you two have renewed conflicts, I will recommend your immediate expulsion.

You and Tony nod, and Fury releases you with a detention card. You grumble, but leave the room, closing the door while Tony and Fury stand talking in private. 

You never imagined that you would see Pietro Maximoff in detention. But when you thought about it, it actually made sense. 

Sitting in the back of the room, you were even more surprised when he looked up at you, and gave you a shy smile. You blinked in surprise and looked away.

Professor Charles Xavier only taught history to the senior year, which left him with many free periods throughout the day, so he was also responsible for the detention class. It worked well, since it seemed that no one could hide anything from her, and detention ended up being quite efficient.

He came into the classroom with a book in his hand, and sat down, staying for many minutes without saying anything at all. And then he asked everyone to pair up, and you looked incredulously at Pietro Maximoff as he sat down in front of you.

- You're kidding me, right? - you said as soon as he arrived. Peter laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

Before Pietro could say anything, Professor Xavier announced that the class should make a short summary of the last subject he taught in class, which drew a disgruntled gasp from the few students present.

You started to take the materials out of the backpack and put them on the table. 

- I wanted to thank you. - Pietro said as the professor sat down. The class was buzzing with murmurs, all the students talking about their work, and Charles didn't seem to care, focused on his book. You looked at Pietro with your eyebrows raised, and he smiled wryly. - For helping me that day.

- It's a natural reaction, Maximoff. - You retort, looking away from him and start writing in your notebook. Pietro chuckles.

- Yeah, I know. - he says. - But still, thank you. The nurse told me that if you hadn't been so quick, I might have had an injury that would have prevented me from playing football.

You shrugged, not knowing what to say. You were silent for a few moments, each concentrated on his summary, and then Pietro stopped writing and you felt him looking at you.

- What is it now? - you asked without taking your eyes off the paper.

- Do you like music? - You raise your eyebrows incredulously as you look at him.

- Everybody likes music, what kind of question is that? 

Pietro laughs awkwardly.

- Sorry, you're right. - he says humorously. - I actually meant, do you know "The Panthers"? They are a rock band. They are playing in town on Saturday and…

- Are you asking me out? - You blink in confusion. Pietro shrugs.

- As a thank you. It's not a date. - He adds quickly when he sees your expression. - I'm going to the show with some friends.

- I'm also going to the show. - You retort, and Pietro assumes a surprised but happy expression.

- Great, we can see each other there then!

- I guess. - You grumble, turning your attention back to the summary. Pietro smiles, and a moment passes before he hands you a small piece of paper with a phone number.

- Text me when you get there. So it'll be easier for us to meet. - he suggested. 

You blinked in surprise, but remembering that Fury had told you to avoid conflict, you just put the paper in your pocket, and you and Pietro finished the exercise. He handed your summaries to the teacher, and sat down in front of you again. You left your hands in your pockets as he turned to you.

- What did you do to be here anyway? - you asked. Pietro stretched out his legs, leaning his back against the wall.

- I followed your lead. - He said humorously, and you frowned uncomprehendingly. He laughed, then clarified. - I punched Tony during practice.

You raised your eyebrows in surprise. 

- Wow, I didn't see that one coming. - You say. - May I ask why?

- He said some things about my sister. - Pietro says, locking his jaw as if remembering the conflict. - And then I punched him in the mouth. - He grimaces and imitates the move with his hand, making you laugh slightly.

- What did he say? - You can't help the question from escaping your lips. Pietro doesn't seem to mind though, shrugging his shoulders.

- Stupid comments about her, sex stuff. - he says. - We were training and he decided he was free to talk about her body to everyone on the team.

You swallowed your anger, not wanting to show it to Pietro, choosing only to nod.

- When he does it with other girls is it okay then? - you tease without holding back. Pietro frowns, denying it with his head.

- Of course not. - he says, and straightens up. - Look, I know you have an opinion about me. But I'm not a complete idiot. I don't treat girls that way.

- Oh, right. - You say it with irony. Pietro laughs, knowing exactly what you're talking about.

- I am serious. - he says. - I know what the school says about me. I don't like commitment, and I've been with a lot of girls. But I didn't cheat on any of them. - He clarifies, shrugging his shoulders. - And I don't treat them like objects.

- Congratulations for doing the minimum. - You say a bit harshly, and Pietro laughs. 

You fall silent again, and then Professor Xavier dismisses the class.

Pietro waves and smiles at you as you leave detention, and you think that maybe you have been teleported to a parallel reality.

Carol picks you up at your house. You both put on your leather jackets, and she thinks it' s pretty hot. 

The Panthers' concert is very crowded, and it is held in an open field on the edge of town. When you arrive, Carol holds your hand to lead you to your group of friends. You don't mind.

You hug everyone, and mention that you like Thor's new haircut, who had cut his long hair and was wearing an earring in his left ear. You were talking for several minutes in the food cart area, since the show was going to take a while to start. 

Then Pietro Maximoff saw you and waved excitedly, and his friends looked at you with a mixture of curiosity and incredulity. Natasha laughed softly in your ear before he approached. 

- So glad you could make it! - he said cheerfully. You decided not to mention his choice of clothes, since Pietro came with the team jacket.

- Hi Pietro. - You greet awkwardly, but he looks cheerful, and greets all of your friends with a smile. 

- Hey, you're owls, aren't you? - He says. - I've seen you at state when we played there last year!

Your friends smile and nod politely, and then Pietro looks around, and waves. A group of people join you all next. You feel your body tense up the moment Wanda Maximoff walks up to you, and then a deep irritation hits you as you notice a tall boy with his arms around her. You think you have seen him before in geography class. Also in the group are your classmates Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and Peter Parker, the last being a freshman. You barely register the words of introduction that Pietro makes, your attention completely on Wanda, who looks surprised and slightly embarrassed to see you. 

Your friends greet Pietro's group, and you look away from Wanda to pay attention to his words.

- If you guys don't mind, can we all stay together? - Pietro suggests, and you want to scream that you can't bear to stand next to the boy holding Wanda without strangling him, but your friends agree, looking excited to interact with new people.

- Let's stay in the north stands, it's better to see. - Said Valkyrie signaling the direction, the group agreed and you started walking. Natasha hugged Clint and gave you a suggestive nod in the direction of Wanda, which made you roll your eyes in humor. And then Carol threw her arm over your shoulder, and you wanted to laugh at the deadly expression Wanda threw at you before looking forward. Carol didn't notice.

When you arrived at the chosen area, you sat down on the grass. The group was well-mixed, and everyone seemed to be talking to each other. You felt Wanda's gaze on your back, but you refused to look at her. Thor and Bucky handed out the snacks that they had bought with the group, and as you drank your soda, you felt Carol's hand on your thigh.

And then she kissed you, and you knew you had to talk to her. You asked her to walk with you, and you walked back to the entrance of the show, which was now completely empty. 

It was quick, and impressive easy. Carol smiled and said that everything was fine, and said again that you never made promises to each other. She gave you a kiss on the cheek and went back to the group. You told her you would buy some candy before you went back.

When you reached the snack bar area, someone pulled you behind a pillar.

- I want to talk to you. - Wanda said angrily. You rolled your eyes impatiently, putting distance between your bodies.

- I'm all ears. - You said with irony.

- I don't want you dating anyone else.

You let out an incredulous laugh. 

- You've got to be kidding me. - You spoke in anger. - Are you even listening to what you're saying now?

- Why are you going out with that girl? - Wanda asks in the same tone.

- You're a damn hypocrite, you know that? -You accuse her, moving closer. -Wanting to impose demands when you're having sex with that jerk.

Wanda rolls her eyes, and you think you might explode with rage. And then you grab her around the waist and push her against the pillar behind her. Wanda lets out a surprised exclamation and her gaze falls directly to your mouth.

- You think I don't know how you feel, don't you, Wanda? - You whisper, looking at her with a mixture of seriousness and desire. - Tell me, do you pretend it's me touching you when you're with him?

Wanda lets out a sigh, but lifts her head, not responding. You let out a wry laugh, and then you press your knee firmly against her core, and she shivers and lets out a low groan, closing her eyes tightly.

- Don't forget to moan my name tonight. - You say it against her ear, and then let go.

You walk back to the group, feeling hot and bothered. You exchange a look with Natasha, but say nothing. 

Wanda comes back a little later, and during the entire show, you feel her looking at you.

You refuse Carol's ride when the show ends. She waves with a smile, and leaves. And then you wave goodbye to everyone, and decide to leave by bus. You liked public transportation because it helped you to think while you looked out the window.

- Be careful, troublemaker. - asks Nat as she gives you a hug goodbye. She is sleeping at Bruce's house and will not accompany you on the way back. 

Pietro has had a few too many beers, and gives you a tight hug when he says goodbye, saying that the night was incredible. You laugh at his reaction. You don't say goodbye to Wanda.

And then you are walking to the bus stop, with your headphones on, and you almost stumble in shock when you feel someone touching your shoulder.

- Fuck, girl! - You complain as you turn around. - What is it now?- Go on a date with me. - Wanda says looking at you.

- What?

- Go on a date with me. - She repeats, smiling. 

You blush, and look down at the floor, suddenly feeling very warm. You wave your hands inside your jacket pockets.

- Now?

Wanda nods, and you bite back a smile on your lips.

- Okay. - You agree.

You turn and sit down at the bus stop. Wanda sits quietly next to you. You raise your hand and take out one of your headphones, offering it to Wanda. She smiles when she accepts, and you listen to some music together while you wait for the bus.

Since the vast majority of places in town were closed at this time, you took Wanda to a place that wouldn't be.

When you worked at the junkyard, you discovered many interesting places when you had to pick up equipment for your boss. One of these places was the city's port.

You knew that there was a secluded area of the municipal harbor with an incredible view of the sea, and so you guided Wanda through the bars and down the concrete path. You sat on the edge, your feet dangling a few feet from the ocean below.

- How did you find this place? - she asks, staring at the landscape. 

- Working at the junkyard made me explore the city. - You answer also looking straight ahead.

You are silent for a moment before you ask:

- What should we talk about, Wanda?

- Anything. - She says. - Or nothing at all.

You smile.

- I don't know what is going on between us. - You confess, and Wanda lets out a sigh.

She says nothing and you almost give up trying to talk about your relationship, and then she puts her hand on top of yours, looking at the ocean in front of you. 

- I'll tell you one thing, and you promise not to freak out, okay? - she asks, and you nod.

Wanda looks down at her own lap, and takes a deep breath, as if she is taking courage. 

- I think I'm in love with you. - She confesses, and you feel your heart race. - It's been a while, actually. I guess I just realized it now.

- How long?

- Do you remember when I saw you kissing Mary Watson in the eighth grade? - She asks and you nod. - I just... I didn't know why it bothered me. And then, you told me to keep it a secret and I got so jealous that every time I saw you I just wanted to slap you. And then we started to fight and I pushed all the feelings aside hoping they would go away. And then game night happened.

You remained silent as you absorbed Wanda's words. She spoke again before you could.

- Damn, I know this is a lot to absolve. - She says. - I understand if you just want sex. Or if you'd rather not talk to me anymore.

You interrupt her monologue with a kiss on the lips, which makes her gasp. But you pull away, smiling shyly at her.

- I'm in love with you too, Wanda. - You confess, and watch Wanda's cheeks turn red.

Wanda brings your mouths together again, and you kiss her intensely. You giggle with relief and happiness, and then Wanda hugs you around the neck, and you let your arms wrap around her tightly, sinking into her body heat as you close your eyes. 

You hold each other for long minutes, until you break the embrace to look at Wanda tenderly. You find her to be the most beautiful girl you have ever seen. Running your fingers over her face, you smile tenderly.

- What will happen now? - you ask, and try not to be intimidated by Wanda's hesitation.

- I don't know. - She says. - I want to be with you.

- Are you ready to admit this to everyone?

Wanda closes her eyes for a moment, and you think she is going to deny it. But then she nods in agreement, and you feel a new surge of excitement hit you. 

You let out a relieved laugh, and kiss Wanda's cheek, pulling her into a hug. She giggles against your grip. You then settle down, sitting side by side as you put an arm around her shoulders and she leans her head on your chest. Wanda intertwines your hands in her lap as you gaze out over the ocean in front of you.

- Do you really think Darcy and Elizabeth wouldn't be together? - she asks, and you laugh, not moving away. 

- Actually, I just disagreed with you, because you're hot when you're mad. - You joked, making her laugh. 

The night went by quickly after that. You and Wanda cuddled while talking about various random subjects. You watched the sunset together, and she kissed you hard before getting on the bus to her house.