#as someone who is pan this just makes my blood boil

[fangswbenefits]

Some people need a reality check. A pansexual man can be with women. He can be with whomever he wants. He's still queer.

[astonmartinii]

bad blood (lando's version) | lando norris social media au

pairing: lando norris x fem carlos ex!reader

band aid's don't fix bullet holes but his best friend might

based on this request:so reader is a famous model who’s also carlos ex (dated YEARS) and after the breakup he jumped straight to rebeca (we just need a tiny bit of bad blood). soo she and lando always got along, ever since carlos was in mclaren. the point is they get together and come hand in hand to a gp out of nowhere so drama and more bad blood surface - you can lead this to whatever you want hehe, thanks!!! - @lorenakaspersen

MASTERLIST | TIP JAR

vogue

liked by hunterschafer, landonorris and 1,209,433 others

tagged: yourusername

vogue: y/n y/ln takes the cover for this month, where she talks re-discovering herself and giving yourself time to move on. copies in stores everywhere this friday.

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user1: i am once again asking how the fuck that man fumbled a bad bitch like her

user2: do not bring that man up here, he actually boils my blood

user3: honestly thank god they wear helmets in f1 cause if i saw his smug little face i may have smashed by tv

yourusername: thank you for having me hehehehhe xx

vogue: you dropped this queen 👑

user4: not vogue supporting her more than carlos ever did 🤨

user5: at least lando still supports her

user6: i'm glad the friends she made... i.e lando, charles, max, daniel, etc did also abandon her when carlos just dropped her

hunterschafer: you're the person i see in your dreams

yourusername: are you sure i'm not just your sleep paralysis demon?

hunterschafer: you're welcome to stalk mine dreams anytime

user7: how am i meant to care about f1 without y/n?

user8: she's the reason i learnt about the sport but at leats now i have an excuse to support someone else LOL

landonorris: tinkerbell looks a little bit different here

yourusername: i thought you were too old to watch peter pan?

landonorris: i just said that so you would think i'm a big macho man :(

yourusername: that is tragic

landonorris: can i interest you in a movie night some time soon then

yourusername: you might

user9: WHAT IS GOING ON HERE ^^

user10: idk but i am excited

f1wagupdates

liked by user11, user12 and 4,032 others

f1wagsupdates: carlos sainz debuts his new girlfriend rebecca donaldson at the bahrain grand prix, just one month after breaking up with model y/n y/ln. sainz and y/ln were together for three years, and sainz was seen with donaldson for the first time just a week after the breakup.

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user13: lol the wag accounts are done with his ass

f1wagsupdates: i am a y/n y/ln stan first and foremost

user14: anyone see the absolute stink eye charles and lando gave carlos LOL

user15: that's the thing when you're together for so long, the friends get attached as well

user16: i mean if certified homie hopper charles leclerc is calling your bluff then you know you've fucked up

user17: i will never understand how he jumped into a relationship with her after three years ?? LIKE IT WAS NOTHING

user18: things like that make me glad i'm single

user19: the thing that is bothering me that no one has said yet is the fact that he's been with her what a month? and he's already brought her to a race when he made y/n wait months to go to a race?

user20: screams insecurity - like "look i have moved on, i'm an alpha male who can get whoever i want"

user21: i never understood why he didn't let her come to races for months when they first got together, like not even his home race?

user22: i've always got the vibe that he thought that he was better than her and that she was using him?

user23: the way if he ever posted her (which was not very often) he never tagged her

user24: which is ironic because she's one of the most celebrated models in recent history, she has millions more followers than him and has a bigger network than him, so really if anyone was using anyone it was carlos using her

user25: anyone else pulling for her to get with lando?

user26: i always thought they got on more in the videos of them all together but honestly i just want her to be happy

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, landonorris and 2,018,552 others

yourusername: not much going on recently

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user27: SHE'S SO HOT

user28: i need her to give me one chance please

charles_leclerc: are we still down for the road trip to lourdes?

yourusername: needed now more than ever

charles_leclerc: trust and believe

user29: charles and y/n friendship you mean so much to me

user30: need her to sit in charles' side of the garage

user31: mother went to the university of servington where she got a degree is cuntology with a minor in slaying the haus down

danielricciardo: miss ma'am, leave some for the rest of us

yourusername: why thank you good sir

danielricciardo: where do i procure a veil as such?

yourusername: i may source one for you if you promise not to shave that moustache

heidiberger: preach

user32: i bet carlos just thought everyone would just forget about y/n when he dropped her, but he forgot that she's probably more liked on the grid than he is LOL

landonorris: why are you staring into my soul like that

yourusername: why are you lurking in my comment section

landonorris: i thought we were friends :(

yourusername: always and forever

user33: but he wants it to be more

liked by landonorris, danielricciardo

user33: I SAW THAT LANDO X Y/N COMING SOON?

landonorris

liked by carlossainz55, yourusername and 803,774 others

landonorris: hostess with the most-ess?

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user34: is that a ... WOMAN?

user35: he's saying he's a host ... maybe he's hosting a friend who is a girl, it's not illegal

user36: i get your sentiment, but that photo is straight out of the soft launch girlfriend pinterest boards

user37: well now i'm picturing lando scrolling through pinterest and asking ??? to recreate the pics 😭

carlossainz55: missing my golf partner, round this weekend? ⛳️

landonorris: let me check my schedule buddy 👍

user38: okay... well someone else tell me that they can feel the vibe shift

user39: it's their first online interaction after the breakup, i think we can guess who's side lando is on

oscarpiastri: someone needs to debrief me asap

landonorris: someone forgot that he owns a phone

oscarpiastri: needed the added pressure of the public call out to make you actually do it

landonorris: fine, but you get three questions and that's it

user40: if the call out was public can't we get the public answers

yourusername: are you coming for my job?

landonorris: you saying i could model 😊

yourusername: i'm definitely saying you should let me give my agent your number

landonorris: you already have my number babe

yourusername: okay pretty boy

user41: i need this type of nepotism in my life

user42: i need the nepotism and the sexual tension cause PHEW it is through the roof

yourusername

liked by danielricciardo, landonorris and 2,760,521 others

yourusername: enjoy the picture of me fucking up a pretzel

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user46: okay where are the detective freaks from f1twt?

user47: reporting for duty 🫡

user46: what car is that?

user47: it looks strikingly similar to a jolly, but i don't know if that's just my brain pushing me to make it lando. but there is a florist in monaco that wraps their flowers just like that as well ....

user46: thank you for your service

danielricciardo: this is very ballerina core 🩰

yourusername: has the old man been spending time on the internet?

danielricciardo: yes he has 😃

yourusername: omg proud

danielricciardo: no but seriously how did you do it? it looks sick

yourusername: very fiddly, needed an extra pair of hands

danielricciardo: an extra pair of hands [wiggles eyebrows]

yourusername: did you just comment your own stage directions?

danielricciardo: funny 😄

user48: okay i am glad we're not being deprived of the y/n and daniel friendship.

landonorris: i am enjoying this picture of you fucking up a pretzel

yourusername: i am a whore for carbs

landonorris: i am a whore for you

this comment was deleted

landonorris: i am also a whore for carbs (don't tell jon)

maxverstappen1: 📸📸📸 saw that mister !!

landonorris: you didn't see NOTHING

user49: we saw everything. i am so disappointed in lando, he's carlos' bestfriend and he's doing this?

liked by carlossainz55

user50: oh i know this man aint speaking

f1teaandgossip

liked by user51, user52 and 10,945 others

ftteaandgossip: carlos sainz was caught liking this tweet about his ex girlfriend y/n y/ln and his (former?) best friend lando norris. what do you think?

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user53: the audacity of men never fails to astound me

user54: you know what, i feel like a guilty man only acts this bold. so i'm saying it. i think there was overlap between his relationship with y/n and his relationship with rebecca

user55: you're right and you should say it

user56: carlos got with rebecca within a WEEK of the end of a three year relationship but is angry that she's finally moving on after months ?

user57: for real the first sight of lando and y/n was after at least two months

user58: i know people will say she's in the wrong because it is lando but honestly carlos has no leg to stand on with him parading rebecca around the paddock

user59: i really couldn't give a fuck if lando is his best buddy you act like a fool expect to get treated like a fool

user60: also the whole "whoring around the grid" is so dumb. you mean her FRIENDS? you know the friends she had to make when you would just leave her in the paddock or ignore her at parties ?

user61: babe really thought he was more loved in the paddock and expected everyone to go along with his messiness

user62: men don't talk about women this way challenge

user63: imagine talking about a girl you were with for THREE tears like this

user64: i wish lando and y/n all the best and i hope they're together for a long time, she deserves a good man after all of this

user65: i have faith 🤞

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, landonorris and 3,109,413 others

tagged: landonorris

yourusername: sloppy seconds you say? i never come second with him. pun intended x

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user66: SERVE

user67: user67 found dead in her home, cause of death: this post

landonorris: what can i say i'm a giver 🤷‍♂️

yourusername: i'll say 😮‍💨

oscarpiastri: ENOUGH

landonorris: i thought you were happy for us oscar :(

oscarpiastri: i am !! i even took the second picture. but i think you forget that i am staying with you in monaco :/

yourusername: whoops my bad

landonorris: i swear my hospitality is usually better

yourusername: i can attest to his hospitality

oscarpiastri: STOP PLEASE STOP

user68: poor oscar being traumatised by y/n and lando 😭

carlossainz55: real mature

yourusername: how about instead of liking shady tweets and commenting on my instagram posts, you come confront me like a real fucking person.

carlossainz55: you'd love that wouldn't you

yourusername: i really would because if i said everything you needed to hear i'd be banned from this app

carlossainz55: you really are the gold digging slut my parents warned me about

landonorris: you will absolutely not talk to her that way. if you do so again we'll have a very real problem

carlossainz55: you have no sense of loyalty lando

landonorris: the call is coming from inside the house

user69: the girls are FIGHTING

comments on this post have been limited.

landonorris

liked by oscarpiastri, yourusername and 1,866,398 others

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landonorris: nothing better than a podium at home and time with family

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user72: the sky camera shady as fuck for cutting straight to y/n in the mclaren garage when carlos crashed LOL

user73: her and lando's dad trying not to laugh had me creasing

yourusername: beyond proud of you baby

landonorris: your support means everything pretty girl

yourusername: and your family are the loveliest, tell mama i said thank you for having me (and my sandwiches for the plane)

landonorris: she say's thank you and come back soon (i also want you to come home asap)

user74: he already refers to his house at their home

user75: and y/n has been accepted by the family - the sainzs could take notes

oscarpiastri: oscar piastri erasure

yourusername: sorry osc, you're our favourite pookie on the grid

landonorris: also mama made you sandwiches too

oscarpiastri: i know they were very yummy 😋

danielricciardo: HOLD ON, oscar is your favourite pookie, where am i ???

maxverstappen1: i think you'll find i am their favourite full stop

charles_leclerc: nuh uh it's clearly me

yourusername: i'll just say lando is my favourite

landonorris: and i'll say y/n is my favourite

yourusername: and that's that

danielricciardo: boooooooo.

maxverstappen1: cop out :(

charles_leclerc: 🍅🍅🍅

user76: i am so confused right now

yourusername

liked by bellahadid, landonorris and 3,109,766 others

tagged: landonorris

yourusername: you are in love, true love.

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user77: omg the letters? i swear there were letters in her first post after carlos took rebecca to the first race of the season

user78: wait so do you think they were from lando the whole time?

yourusername: yes they are from lando ! after the carlos stuff had somewhat died down he had them all delivered to me and it definitely swayed me for a first date

user79: but i thought some of those letters looked pretty old

landonorris: i won't deny that i liked y/n for a long time but i obviously couldn't express that so i put them in letters. an idiot was an idiot and i'll never not take my chance

user80: okay that makes this whole thing so much cuter

user81: y/n is the definition of never letting your boyfriend stop you from finding your husband

landonorris: you're my best friend and i love you so much

yourusername: i'd go through all this mess and all this heartbreak again if it meant i still end up with you

landonorris: but i'm by your side forever now you can't get rid of me

yourusername: i wouldn't dream of it

user82: lord i have seen it all, please bless me with a relationship like this

danielricciardo: god you people are ridiculously cute

oscarpiastri: just think yourself lucky that you no longer share a garage with them

landonorris: we're not THAT bad

oscarpiastri: i have working ears

yourusername: sorry not sorry osc x

fin.

note: hope you all enjoyed. i am dying trying to do 75 soft but i also signed up for burlesque class !!

[totorolaughs]

DABI x READER

dead dove, toxic relationship, gn reader, blood & gore, cannibalism, spanking, after care (?), no pronouns for reader REQUEST: OPEN | CLOSED

You have been dating Dabi for a while now. Your friends had warned you about staying away from him; ‘he smells strange’, ‘I heard he's an absolute psycho with daddy issues (Name)!” and ‘he’s toxic’.

You ignored all their protests, you liked Dabi. and he /seemed/ to like you /a lot/ whenever you were around other people and he was around you could feel his blue eyes piercing into your soul.

But that was because maybe he had never been in a serious relationship before, he was prone to get jealous and possessive over you. He would always ask to stay over by your house and every time he would leave your house would smell like sex, blood, and cigarettes with a hint of beer floating in the air.

Today was no different, you were lying with Dabi on the couch and he had his arm wrapped around you. He had a tight grip on you as you both watched TV. It was a horror movie about a cannibal who kills prostitutes and then sends their private parts to the police as a clue.

Dabi seemed to be enjoying it as his eyes stayed glued to the TV, you on the other hand felt sluggish. Your mind wondered with one question; would humans taste good? — as strange as it was, you couldn't help but let the questions sink into your brain.

Dabis's hand rubbed your waist in an up-and-down motion which snapped you out of your thoughts. “You okay, Babe?” Dabis asked as he placed a kiss on your head. “You seem to be thinking hard about something and that's not normal for you, toots” You frowned at his words since he was basically calling you brainless but he was telling the truth.

It wasn't normal for you to think, you never think before speaking or committing an action. And ever since you met Dabi he had been making choices for you which felt nice to have someone do all the thinking for you, if Dabi told you to do something you would do it in a heartbeat you would never protest or fight against him.

“I’m fine..don’t worry” you snuggled up against Dabi as he ran his fingers through your hair “Plus don't be silly, my mind is always empty” you lie through your teeth. all of sudden as if he sees right through you (which he can) his fingers tangled in your hair and yanked your head back.

You let out a pitiful cry “You aren't lying to me, right?” he smiled. under different circumstances, you wouldn't have been fluttering after all you did love it whenever you got to see his creepy yet handsome smile. “My boy wouldn't do such a thing?” but you knew he didn't like liars, you had to learn that the hard way.

He slapped you the first time you lied to him, it was a little white lie it wouldn't even hurt a fly but even then he couldn't stand it.

He had cupped your face “You know I don't fucking like lying rats,” you had nodded as hot tears filled your eyes but as soon they began to run down your cheeks he (forcefully) grabbed you by your waist and pulled you to his close to him, you buried your face in his chest. “ I only do it to teach you a lesson, y’know I love you doll”

From that moment you had never told him a lie.

“I would never lie to you!” you pouted, he chuckled. “I know, just teasing y’know,” he said as he continued to watch the movie, your eyes stayed on the movie you felt too scared to look at Dabi at this very moment, as you watched the movie;

The killer stood on top of a woman he had just beaten with a baseball bat, her clothes were torn off her body and covered in her blood. bruises formed on her beaten body before cutting off and showing the killer dismembered her body and putting her parts into jars.

It seemed so real to you, your eyes stayed fixated on the scene; he covered her skin in salts and peppers as he began to chop them up. He poured boiling water into a pot as he collected her body parts and dumped them into his pot.

He grabbed a torn-off chunk of her body and put it on an oiled-up pan, the sound of sizzling could be heard as your stomach growled.

Fuck. you hoped Dabi didn't hear that.

But the human flesh looked so good, could it be chewy or rough like a well-cooked steak? Gosh, you couldn't help but begin to drool at the thought of it.

You hadn't realized you were actually drooling until Dabi spoke up.

“Looks super tasty, right?” he laughed, and you felt your face begin to heat up. You didn't answer him which was a bad idea but you couldn't help it. It's embarrassing admitting that you like the way human flesh looks!

He grabbed the remote and turned off the TV as he pulled you onto his lap, his hands gently placed on your hips. “Are you gonna answer?” before squeezing your hips roughly and digging his nails into your soft flesh.

“I…It looks g..good” Your face flushed as you grabbed his wrists since his long nails began to dig deeper into your plush skin. His narrowed as he smiled, placing a sloppy kiss on your forehead.

“You wanna try it?” your heart skipped a beat it felt as if your heart had stopped beating in that moment, and your eyes widened. You just stare at Dabi as if he had grown two heads, he slaps your ass which causes you to jump.

“Answer.” Dabi’s voice turns rough “M..mhm I wanna try..” He smiles before picking you up and you wrap your legs around his waist as he takes you to your rather dirty and unkept kitchen. He places you down on the kitchen counter; there are cans of beer, boxes of cigarettes, empty vapes, and weird stains covering the floor.

Dabi keeps an eye on you as if to say ‘stay’ before he goes over to the sink and turns on the sink, beginning to clean a dirty used switchblade (which usually he uses when there aren't any clean knives). You truly don't know what to think at this moment.

Was he actually going to cut his flesh to feed it to you? No of course not! That would be fucking crazy but Dabi is known for being crazy.

Before you know it Dabi is looming over you with a sharp black handle switchblade. “If I'm going to let you /eat/ me, you’re going to have to do something for me, yeah?” his free hands tangled in your head and forced you to nod.

“Mhm…” your whole body is shivering. Dabi is only wearing; a nine-inch nails t-shirt that is pulled up slightly as it shows his v-line and his happy trail along with some black sweats-pants, you can tell Dabis cock is hard since he isn't wearing any boxers you can see the line-out of his thick cock showing as it twitches in his sweats.

He makes a deep cut into his arm and blood begins to drip down his arm. The sound of blood dripping onto the floor is the only thing you can hear besides your heavy breathing, He cut himself deep.

Your mouth waters at the sight of his crimson blood. He places the switchblade down on the counter as he brings his arm up to your mouth and you latch your lips and begin to suckle on his deep gash.

A groan slips from Dabis scarred lips, and Dabi palms his clothed cock. The sound of wet sucking sounds and heavy breathing can be heard throughout the dingy apartment you and Dabi owned.

“F..fuuuck go easy on me, baby” Dabi throws his head back before tugging on your hair causing your lips to let go of his arm, blood is all over your face.

“You made such a mess..” He pinches your cheek “Ouchh, Dabi m’sorry!” A whine comes from your bloody lips causing Dabi to smirk “Shhh I’mma give you more ‘kay?” Dabi once again grabs the switchblade and begins to carve into his skin he digs his thick fingers into the deep wound his nails tearing chunks of his flesh.

He holds the pieces of his flesh in front of you, drool drips from your crimson-covered lips. As you open your mouth to begin eating his flesh, he slaps you with his free hand.

Your eyes went wide, and you gasped, you never liked it when he would hit you yet it would feel sosos good. “Before I give you what you want,” he places a kiss on your lips, the taste of blood begins to fill his mouth, just making his cock leak pre-cum more. “I want you to strip.” In a blink of an eye, you're stripped from your clothes, all of your clothing is on the bloody floor, your pierced nipples hard and your cock twitching and leaking like a leaky pipe.

Dabi had torn your clothes right off of you before you could even reply which humors you since he said you're the needy one. “You look so pretty, baby..” Dabi licks his lips as he scatters marks all over your neck he loved it whenever you would show off his markings that were proof you belonged to the lunatic.

His bloody-covered fingers teasing and pinching your nipples, you moaned as your back arched. “P..please Dabi!” your voice filled with desperation and need.

“Please what, huh?” He bites down on your neck, you're definitely bleeding. “I w..wanna taste you!,” you cry out “I w..want you inside me..mee”

Dabi lifts your legs up and spits on your winking hole, you feel Dabi's spit roll down your hole and his bloody fingers enter. You let out a choked-out moan.

Your nails digging into the countertop “You’re tight, I should fuck you until your hole bleeding and begging for more. You would like that, no?” he kisses your cheek as his thick fingers go in and out of your whole. It hurts.

Your whole body feels hot and is burning up, you knew you would need him fingering you for a good while before you were able to take his cock inside of your tight heat but tonight he didn't feel like waiting for him to get his fat cock wet.

He pulled his member from his sweatpants. It had a trimmed bush of white and red hair unlike the hair on his head which was dyed black. His cock has a Jacob's ladder piercing which probably was your /favorite/ piercing he had besides his helix piercings which he had put silver spikes along with his nose and nipple piercings.

Once his cock was free from his black sweatpants, his pants dropped to around his knees as he began to slowly shove his cock inside. You breath in and out as he grabbed something and once you realized what it was he slammed his cock inside his balls slapping against your ass.

It was the torn-off chunks of meat, he gripped your jaw and shoved the chunks of flesh into your mouth. You whimpered at the taste of it on your tongue, and without warning he began to thrust in and out of your bloody hole.

His hands held your legs up as he shoved his cock deeper inside of you, your cock leaking all over your tummy as drool escaped from your lips. You almost choked on his flesh from how rough his thrusts were getting.

Your bodies stuck to each other by sweat, the kitchen smelled like blood, sweat, and sex. “Holyshiiit… you feel so good!” he groaned as he tightened his grip on you “Dabi g.. gah! ” Your tears began to burn with tears.

“C’mon, babes cry harder you can do that for me, right?” Dabi hisses as he feels your nails dig into his back, you nod as you continue to cry out in ecstasy.

You had long ago finished his flesh but you wanted, no, needed more of him. You needed to have him fill all your senses, you buried your face into his shoulder as you sank your teeth into him. Blood began to gush into your mouth as you sucked hard on the bite mark lapping up the blood with your tongue.

It felt like forever as he continued to slam into your tight warmth, your tummy covered in pre-cum as tears rolled down your cheeks, Dabi on the other hand growled and folded you like a lawn chair as the tip of his cock kept hitting your prostate causing you to roll your eyes into the back of your skull.

“Fuuck..imma cum” he groaned as he gave your thigh a spank “m..me ah..ahh c..cummingcumming!” your cock squirts out cum as it lands all over your tummy and chest. Dabi kisses you; it is sloppy, filled with teeth, and tastes like blood.

Your eyes crossed as you began to sob from being fucked stupid, what was your name again? Fuck you couldn't even remember. “n..no more! P..please st..stop!” Dabi didn't listen to your pleas as he reigned your guts.

“J..Just a little m..more, fuuuck..!” He buried himself balls deep inside of your velvety walls “I.. I'm gonna c..cum inside..you okay with that right? Of course you are, you whore..” he painted your walls in his cum. You could feel his cum slip out from your hole as he fucked his load deeper inside of you.

You both breathed in and out.

“You did so well…” he placed a kiss on your forehead as he rubbed your bruised hips “You take me so well..” he placed kisses on your neck and shoulders so gently as if you were going to break.

“l..love you..” you whisper into his ear before closing your eyes “I love you soso much, fuuck you drained me dry..”

You or Dabi didn't feel like moving at this moment, too sore. He held you close as he gently ran his finger through your messed up hair as if he didn't just fuck you brainless.

“I’ll take care of everything, okay? Rest easy, doll” All you remember is Dabi slowly pulling out his cock with the feeling of his cum oozing out of your abused hole.

[deathofpeaceofmiiind]

illicit affairs | seven

*Noahs POV*

“Has anyone seen Matt?”

We were all gathered in the lobby of our hotel, getting ready to go out for breakfast before we left. No one had seen Matt since yesterday and it wasn’t like him to just go off and do his own thing. It felt like someone punched me in the gut, he was obviously with her. 

Bryan grabbed his phone to text him as everyone scanned the lobby again, “He never came back to the hotel, his bed was empty this morning.”

“Oh he hooked up with someone I bet.” Folio joked with Jolly, who just send him a glare to shut up. I think he had a hunch where he was too, his face was stern.

“Shut the fuck up.” I snapped, angrily walking away before I said something else. The idea of those two together just made my blood boil. I don’t even want to know what they go up to while I was sleeping last night...

“You okay?”

I looked up and saw Bryan following me outside. I took a deep breath as my eyes panned over the busy Vancouver street. “No…I know exactly where Matt is.”

“Where?”

“He’s with Ellie.” I pursed my lips together, thinking about the two of them together. It was pure torture.

“I don’t think anything is going on with them.” He replied so nonchalantly, clearly not noticing how much this was killing me. 

“What if something did happen?”

He sighed, running his hand through his hair before looking over at me. “Noah I say this as your friend, you had a whole year to reach out to her and properly apologize. No matter how many times we tried to encourage you to do it, you pouted instead. You can’t be surprised that she’s moved on.”

Fuck, that stung to hear, but I knew it was right. “Why him though? Why couldn’t she meet someone up here? Not someone that I’ve known for forever.”

“I think you need to ask yourself that question man. Look at what Matt did for her in LA, he almost took the fall cause he didn’t want to see anything bad happen to her. While you threw a party and fucked some random girl, he practically went to war for her to make sure she didn’t get in any trouble. Fuck, look at how they interacted with each other that night in Santa Monica in general. They just…work.”

I still kicked myself for how I dealt with everything in LA. Ellie felt disrespected, and Matt did what I should’ve done. Instead I got drunk, made her the villan while I worried about my own reputation. Why would she want someone like me back? I know I wouldn’t if the roles were reversed. “Maybe I should just let her go then.” After everyone gave up looking for him, we finally headed out for breakfast. There was a small brunch spot recommended to us around the corner so we just walked to it. I really did miss Vancouver, I could still move up here if I wanted to, but that would be too weird. As we got closer to the restaurant, I saw a black Audi SUV parked outside. My stomach dropped, I wonder if it was hers. 

“We should go somewhere else.” 

I was about to ask why but I answered my own question. A few booths away from us, I saw the two of them sitting together, drinking coffee and so lost in a conversation that they didn’t look up at all. She looked so beautiful, it was killing me. Her short hair was sleeked back in a bun, matched with some leggings and one of our shirts that was oversized on her. I wonder if she still wore the same YSL perfume or even the lip gloss that made her taste like strawberries. I was brought back to reality when Matt whispered something in her ear, making her laugh and flash that smile that used to bring me to my knees. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, she looked happy with him. 

“No it’s fine, we can stay.”

We all piled into another booth, luckily not too close to them but close enough she could see me. My eyes darted over to them again after the server took our order, and I noticed Folio was talking to them. Cursing under my breath, I put my hood up and looked in the other direction. He clearly didn’t get the memo.  “Did you guys know they were here? I asked them to come sit with us.” He said as he sat back down. His facial expression dropped when we didn’t reciprocate his excitement.

“Bro you gotta learn how to read a fucking room.”

“Morning” Matt greeted, Ellie’s hand was wrapped around his arm as she scanned the table. She made contact with me, our eyes stayed locked for what felt like an eternity before she turned her attention elsewhere. Her lips were glossed over with the same shade as before, I could almost taste it on the tip of my tongue.

“Do you two mind squeezing in at the end?” “Why not.” She sarcastically replied as her and Matt exchanged glances. As they sat down, the whole table went silent, darting glances at Folio for putting us in this situation. My eyes were burning a hole through his chest, this was all his fault. 

“So, Ellie…How’s work been?” Nick said as everyone simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

“I actually quit my job. I work for the hospital still, just from home. I deal with difficult cases, work on care plans, also help patients with any concerns they have. It's lots of emails and video calls.”

“I thought you liked your job.” I slipped out surprisingly. 

“I did, but people change.” She replied, very passive aggressively may I add. 

“How’s everything else?” Bryan asked her, “Last time I spoke to Danielle, some things were up in the air?”

“Everything is a lot better now.” She replied, turning her head to look at Matt. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. I wanted to leave but I also sadly wanted to be in her presence, even if it killed me. 

“I saw your instagram photos. That condo you have is sick.” Folio added, making me roll my eyes.

“Thank you! I was gonna sell it and get a house but I can’t be bothered. I’d love to have you all over for dinner one of these days… you too Noah.”

I glanced over at her and her bright eyes were blinding me. She looked really genuine with her invitation, “that would be nice.”

“Good.” A small curved on her mouth, causing one to form on mine too. Maybe if I buried my feelings I could became a friend to her. At this point I’d do whatever it takes to stay in her life. 

“Maybe we could do thanksgiving together? We usually do it with Ruffilo’s family but they’re in Europe all November.” Jolly suggested.

“Canadian thanksgiving is actually in October and it happens to land on my birthday…it’s a big one for me.” 

“She’s turning 30.” Matt chimed in. She rolled her eyes and elbowed him slightly. Not gonna lie, it made me chuckle a little bit.

“Fuck yeah! We’re throwing you a dirty thirty!” Folio exclaimed. “We’ll come up here for thanksgiving dinner and party afterwards.”

“I hope Canadian thanksgiving is good...” Bryan whined, “please tell me there’s football on.”

“It’s the Canadian football league but it’s still good, and there’s hockey! You guys will be fine.” Ellie tried to convince him but it wasn’t working. 

Our food arrived and we all dug in. Bryan picked up a piece of his bacon and pointed it in Ellie’s face. “We’re only doing this cause we love you.“ “I know.” She smirked, taking the bacon out of his hand and eating it, leaving him stunned. “We still haven’t figured out our thanksgiving. I know for a fact we’re off.” Matt asked us. We all looked at each other but couldn’t come up with anything. For the last 7 years, we always did the same thing for thanksgiving, so this year we were a little lost.  “Let’s get a cabin with a hot tub in Whistler.” Ellie suggested as her eyes lit up, she definitely had our attention. “It's quiet up there since ski season hasn't started but there's snow up there by then. We'll just get drunk, watch football and go out for dinner. Turkey is overrated anyway.” Jolly wrapped his arm around her and gave her a squeeze, “I’m so glad you’re back, El.”  We all ate our food in silence, talking about random things here and there. It was so bizarre, but I was actually having a good time. It felt like we picked up where we left with Ellie, almost as if she was a missing part of our group. My eyes wandered over to her and she caught my stare. A soft smile appeared on her face, and I mirrored it. 

Maybe we would be okay.

[scarvi-tealdisc]

Heya! So this is my first time writing a fic for these characters! Pokemon Scarvi has become one of my favorite games to date, with the latest DLC igniting a love for the BB E4 cast. Especially Drayton, seeing that he reminds me of another white haired character (Friede from Pokemon Horizons) that I love haha

This fic is inspired from this ask response by @cheemken! It's a self indulgent piece mixed in with doses of self projection, and I had fun writing it! I'm hoping to get a better handle of their characters as I write more stuff about these characters in the future!

Series: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet | Indigo Disc DLC

Characters: Drayton, Crispin

Warnings: Plot involving food, eating food, intentions of feeding someone food

---

Crispin knew it’d be tough going into this but someone had to do it.

“C’mon Drayton, we gotta move all of this to the storeroom or else Lacey’s gonna flip!” Crispin stated in exasperation. He had his hands on his hips, trusty frying pan set aside for once. Narrowed eyes settled on his friend, who barely moved beyond lifting their head. 

“But there’s just so much of it. Can’t we just pile it in the corner and call it a day?” Drayton whined, sporting a cheeky grin that got Crispin’s blood boiling. 

Argh, why can’t he understand that they should have done this yesterday? Crispin wasn’t keen in seeing Lacey’s angry, disappointed frown even if it wasn’t directed at him! Drayton should know that she’d be on their case again for slacking off!

“Nope! These boxes needed to be moved yesterday but you wanted to nap first! No napping now! Move first, nap later!” Crispin’s insistence eventually led him to straight up grab Drayton’s wrist, tugging him to his feet.

Drayton wasn’t expecting this so they had no choice but to get up lest they faceplanted on the floor instead. While his friend rubbed the back of their neck, grumbling about feisty peppers or something, Crispin stared quizzically at his hand.

Why was he able to…?

“If you’re gonna make me get up for this, don’t zone out now.” Drayton’s voice snapped him out of the brief trance he was in. Right, they had stuff to do now. He should focus on completing this task first.

–

Hours later, Crispin still couldn’t forget it. He stared at his hand, fingers curling and uncurling around an imaginary wrist. He gently circled his own wrist with a thumb and forefinger, frown deepening.

Crispin didn’t realize how skinny Drayton actually was. Was it their attire that gave them the illusion of looking more filled out? He supposed the jacket hid their upper torso, while the cape wrapped around their waist made it seem… fuller or something. He wasn’t sure the right terminology to use, only that it didn’t sit right with him.

With how often Drayton snacked in the clubroom, the idea that he wasn’t eating enough never crossed Crispin’s mind. Sure, Drayton laziness rivalled that of a Slakoth but he didn’t think his friend would be too lazy to eat… unless there were other reasons? 

It made his head hurt a little when he tried to think too deeply on it. Crispin can’t just go out and ask them anyway. Knowing Drayton as well as he did, they’d probably wave of his concern, claiming that he was seeing things or something. Yet Crispin just can’t forget how thin their wrist felt. He hated the idea that one of his friends might not be eating enough.

After a brief brainstorming session that would’ve caused smoke to leak out of his ears, Crispin came up with a plan. He wasn’t as good as Drayton when it came to sneaking around and cooking up schemes but he was good at actual cooking.

Let's see what he had in his recipe book…

–

When Crispin poked his head into the clubroom, his eyes quickly landed on Drayton's slouched form by the desk. They looked to be munching on some snacks, which was far from nourishing in his opinion.

“Hey Drayton, are you busy right now?” Crispin piped up, entering the clubroom properly. In his hand was a small box wrapped up in a checker patterned cloth.

Drayton paused in his chewing. Slowly raising his head, he cocked an eyebrow, lips set into a faint grin.

“Nope. I'm pretty busy right now quality checking these snacks.” 

Crispin playfully rolled his eyes at the response. Drayton's teasing tone meant exactly that so he simply took a seat on the other side of the table. Placing the box in front of his friend caught their attention at least.

“So I've been doing some recipe testing. I wanted to spruce up common sandwich fillings, see if the taste can hold up even hours later. I tried them out and it's tasty but I want a second opinion,” Crispin explained while he unwrapped the lunch box. Upon taking off the top, it revealed various sandwiches with the crusts cut off, shaped in rectangles.

“What, so you want me to be your test Morpeko?” Drayton asked, arms now loosely crossed over their chest. They seemed interested at least with the sandwiches, which Crispin took as a small win.

“What, like I'd feed you bad food? Spicy food doesn't count!” Crispin quickly added before Drayton made a sassy remark. “But yeah, I could really use a second opinion and I do trust you so…”

Someone once commented that he had ‘eyes that were hard to resist’, which Crispin took as a compliment, thinking that it was his fiery spirit coming through. In actuality, he looked more like a pleading Lilliput more than anything.

Drayton locked eyes with Crispin for all of three seconds before they turned away, sighing.

“Alright, I'll give it a try. Geez, you'd think that should be classified as a weapon or something…”

Crispin ignored the rest of Drayton's mumblings, simply pleased as pie to watch his friend pick up one of the sandwiches. Looking at the color of the filling, that one had smashed eggs with a sprinkling of curry powder to give it an extra kick of flavor.

Drayton took a bite of the sandwich, chewing slowly before swallowing. The brief silence genuinely made Crispin sweat a bit but eventually, he got some feedback.

“This one's not bad. I'm getting hints of… some kind of spice.”

“It's curry powder! Specifically a blend that's pretty popular in Galar. Figured it would add a bit of a kick.”

“It's tasty. Adds a pop of flavor to the eggs.” Drayton took another bite of the sandwich. “I'm getting like different textures too. Smooth and a lil chunky. I like it.”

“Oh that's from adding some soft scramble with cut up pieces of boiled egg before I mixed both together in the sauce.” While Crispin beamed at the positive review of his creation, he also took note of Drayton's comment to file it away for later.

He seems to like contrasting textures.

Once Drayton finished their first sandwich, Crispin wasted no time in encouraging his friend to taste the next one. There was a bit of mild grumbling but Drayton did pick up the one that had shredded Klawf Stick next. 

This went on until Drayton finished tasting all the sandwiches in the box. Swiping off a bit of crumb from their bottom lip, Drayton flashed Crispin a lazy smile, leaning back against their chair.

“I suppose being your test Morpeko wasn't all that bad. You've been upping your seasoning game. There were all home runs, no strikeouts.”

Crispin tried to suppress a goofy smile. “Heh, thanks! I really appreciate the feedback too. Out of everything you've tried, was there a favorite?”

“Hmm… guess I liked the first one the best. The curry flavor added a lot to the filling.”

He seems to like curry flavors. Should look into making actual curry.

“Noted! Say, mind helping me out again tomorrow? I want to try out more fillings, maybe switching the bread up too.” Crispin tried to keep it cool, gazing at Drayton with his fiery eyes again.

“... sure, guess I don't mind.” Drayton’s eyes flicker to the left, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“Sweet! I'll see you tomorrow then!” Crispin gathered all his stuff before exiting the clubroom. With the door closed behind him, he pumped his fist triumphantly, hissing out a delighted yes.

Success! Drayton seemed none the wiser to his plan from the way they ate all the sandwiches he made. Crispin got some good information out of it too. It was important for him to take note of Drayton's potential likes and dislikes. Making food more tailored to their tastes will make things much easier down the road. 

Now he needed to come up with more enticing sandwich fillings for tomorrow. With a pep to his step, Crispin made his way back to his dorm room, where he will test out new flavor combinations for the rest of the day.

[philsmeatylegss]

As a history student and as someone who would love to work in museums and with artifacts, other than the plain, cruel, devastating inhumanity inflicted on Palestinians second by second, nothing viciously infuriates me more than all of the history being lost right now.

Yes, this includes the thousands of museums, libraries, universities, cultural heritage sites, places of worship, landmarks, and other obviously historically significant items by burnt to ashes every day, but it also includes every day items.

I currently work on my small college’s archives in which I digitize hundreds of small pamphlets sold on street corners in the 1800s. Most cost 5¢ to 25¢. Our archive is made up of mostly donated items people found in their grandparent’s basements. Things we view insignificant, every day items are so historically significant. Newspapers, clothing, books, jewelry, photographs, receipts, wallets, stuffed animals, toys, buttons, pins, fabric, accessories, pocketbooks, writing utensils, towels, playing cards, beauty products, carpets, bedding, pillows, brushes, brooms, glasses, bowls, pots, pans, knickknacks, and so much more. These are all things historians treasure. Not to mention how many of these often contain incredibly significant details that an owner doesn’t realize at the time. Regular journals kept by Germans talking about their day during an election in 1933 is invaluable historical archives (as I’ve seen and read them).

All explosions, any war, breaks my heart from a historian point of view due to the invaluable artifacts being senselessly destroyed. But especially in Palestine, a culturally rich land holding the start of so many beautiful religions, peoples, cultures, and more, it makes my blood boil how much history is being lost in front of our very eyes. How many unanswered questions will remain for future generations because artifacts that would have easily answered the questions were destroyed. Palestinians are fleeing with the clothes on their back if they’re lucky. Those priceless items that us historians mourn were the last things on the mind’s of Palestinians watching their homes and families being lost in seconds. And that pisses me off.

I see a lot of westerners lament on the loss of the Library of Alexandria and the amount of knowledge lost. And, which, fair enough, the void of anger in the amount of knowledge being lost in Palestine as each second passes never fails to infuriate me. The amount of important historical knowledge that lays in the Middle East and Africa that is so easily overlooked by westerners never fails to shock me.

If you care about history, you should be enraged by Palestine. You should be furious. You should be terrified of the historical implications this will have.

From any perspective, what is happening and what has been happening in Palestine should have and should remain horrifying every waking moment. But just for any fellow historians out there, here’s your reminder. You should be fucking angry.

Anyway, read below the cut for some of the millions of priceless historical things hit and or destroyed to Israel:

Church of Saint Porphyrius

Al-Omari Mosque

Arab Orthodox Cultural and Social Center

Gaza City’s public library

Gaza Strip's main courthouse

Ibn Uthman Mosque

Al Qarara Museum

Rafah Museum

Al Qarara Cultural Museum

Pasha's Palace Museum

Al Mat'haf

Rashad El Shawa Cultural Center

Samir Mansour’s community bookshop

Sayed al-Hashim Mosque

Katib al-Waliya Mosque

Anthedon

Hammam al-Sammara

Qissariya Market/Gold Market

Barquq Castle

Central Archives of Gaza City

Gaza War Cemetery

Gaza Strip: Damage assessment (UNESCO)

[barry-j-blupjeans]

11/14 with the twins?

11. Do I actually have to swear a blood pact for this?

--

There were many conversations one could have in the kitchen at half past two AM. Lots of heartful moments, a ton of weird, goofy, and maybe like, a smidge sexy times. Mostly, it's quiet words exchanged between the noise of a boiling teapot and the kitchen tap running as someone washed dishes. Mostly, there are no words, just company.

A few nights ago had not been that. A few nights ago, Taako tried to sleep for a total of five minutes before deciding that, actually, fuck this, and went to make himself some eggs. Lup didn't even move in her sleep as he hopped off the upper bunk and left the room. The kitchen light had already been turned on and Taako walked in on Magnus attempting to fix their microwave (it hadn't been broken).

Lots of conversations can happen at two AM. Taako was expecting a "hey" or a "what the fuck" or a momentary reenactment of that spiderman meme where two identical spiderman's pointed at each other. Instead, he cracked an egg open into a pan and was met with,

"Is it just me or has Lup been acting... strange?"

"Just you, homie," Taako had said.

"Ah," Magnus had said. That would have been a neat place to end the conversation, but instead, he continued with, "because like, we were hanging out and having fun and stuff, and then Barry came back from- from wherever the fuck he went with Lucretia-"

"Library."

"Right, the library. And then Lup was like. Not... Lup-like. Y'know?"

"I do not, in fact, know," Taako said.

And then he spent the next thirty minutes, diving a little too deep into what Magnus had noticed about Lup's body language (Taako never wanted to hear an analysis of how he and his sister interacted with people again. But he supposed being stuck on a spaceship with six other people tends to put you through the mortifying act of being known much more than you would like.) and her word choice and all of that and all Taako really got from it was "Magnus is a fucking creep who likes to watch us like a fucked up science experiment".

But now that it had been pointed out? Yeah. Yeah. Lup was acting weird. She would stop halfway through a conversation if Barry came into the room. And she seemed to go out of her way to avoid interacting with him directly. One day, they had been making dinner, and Lup straight up left the kitchen when Barry came in for something. Either they had somehow had a fight without anyone noticing or Lup had caught a bad case of Feelings. And Taako was pretty sure he'd know if Lup had gotten Feelings for Barry, so it had to have been a fight.

So, like any good brother, that also meant Taako was now Against Barry. Did he know what the fight was about? No. Did he care? Maybe a little bit. Barry had seemed chill but now Taako wasn't sure. Like, they were nineteen years into this and that might seem like a lot for some people (cough cough, Magnus), but that wasn't even a tenth of Taako and Lup's lifespan before the mission. Yeah, sure, he liked them well enough, but he was ride or die with Lup. But hopefully the dying wouldn't happen too much.

It was two weeks after his conversation with Magnus in the kitchen when Lup approached him. Or rather, Taako walked into their room and Lup immediately said,

"What the hell has your problem been with Barry lately?"

Taako paused. He shut the door. And then he turned back to Lup, squinting at her.

"What's been your problem with Barry lately?" Taako asked, because he wasn't going to rise to whatever bait this was.

"What's my prob- I'm not the one avoiding him!" Lup said. "You're making him feel weird!"

"I'm avoiding him because you're avoiding him, doofus," Taako said, calmly, like an adult. He sat on his bunk (the bottom one this week, as scheduled) and crossed his legs. Lup was sitting on top of the desk that was shoved into the corner, holding a notepad in her hands.

"I- what?" Lup said. "Since when was I avoiding Barry?"

"Since like, two weeks ago," Taako said. "Three weeks?" How long has Magnus said again? "Three weeks now."

"I have not-"

"You leave the room whenever he's there," Taako said, holding up a finger to start counting. "You talk weirdly to him. You've stopped looking at him-"

"'Cause he's weird," Lup said.

"Yeah, but he's been weird for the last twenty years, bud!" Taako said. "He's not gotten any weirder this cycle! The only thing I've seen him do is fuck with the robot parts and we're all doing that. I don't know what kind of fight you had but obviously, if you don't wanna be around Barry anymore, then we're not gonna hang around Barry anymore. The world can end as many times as it wants but we're still gotta be a team about things, dumbass. It's bond science, or whatever the fuck."

"What fight have I had with Barry?" Lup asked, looking genuinely confused now. "Did he- did he say I had a fight with him?"

"He-" Taako paused. Closed his mouth. "...No. But your avoiding him, so like, cha'boy assumed-"

"Babe, I didn't have a fight with Barry," Lup said with a little nervous laugh. "I just- y'know. He's weird."

"Again, Barold has been weird for much longer than we've known him," Taako said. "So if you're not avoiding him for it, then there's really no other- oh, shit."

"Taako," Lup said warningly.

"Oh, shit," Taako said. He slammed his hands down on the bed. "You caught Feeling for Barry!"

"Shh!!" Lup said, gesturing for him to be quieter.

"You've got romantic feelings towards Barold J. Bluejeans," Taako said. "D'you hear those words I just said? Do you know how fucking ridiculous that sounds? Like, what the fuck would that couple name even be-"

"Taako," Lup groaned, sinking into a heap on the desk.

"Barup," Taako said. "Larry."

"Taako."

"Blupjeans."

"Taako!" Lup was now sliding off the desk, her head in her hands. "Shut the fuck up!"

"I think this is the best day of my life," Taako said. "You've got feelings for the guy who keeps getting his fingers burned by the toaster."

"It's a hard toaster to navigate-" Lup started.

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Taako said, absolutely delighted. "Lup, be honest, are you avoiding him because you've forgotten how to talk to him like a normal person? Does talking to the guy who dresses in the same stupid outfit every day make you embarrassed?"

"I hate your fucking guts," Lup said. "You can't tell anyone- I'm gonna make you take a blood pact-"

"Lup, I rolled a nineteen, you gotta tell me," Taako said, climbing off the bed to sit next to her on the floor. "It's important. What the hell about that man is attractive to you? I mean, the ass, obviously-"

"Gods, the ass," Lup sighed. "In those jeans."

"Lup," Taako begged, on the brink of laughter. "You gotta be goofing me. You gotta be."

"But you've seen the ass," Lup said, as if that explained everything. Maybe it did. "Like, you've seen the ass-"

"Too many times," Taako said. "I want my eyes removed from my skull."

"Yeah," Lup said dreamily. Taako was going to lord this over her for years. A crush on Barry Bluejeans, good gods. She's had space madness. Taako was going to ride this serotonin into cycle twenty.

"...Do I actually have to take a blood pact for this, though?" Taako asked. "Like, I'm not gonna tell everyone-" Just Magnus, to prove him wrong that they hadn't been fighting, thank you very much. And Davenport, for like, mission safety. And Lucretia, so she could accurately write their interaction down. And maybe Merle, too, actually-

Maybe Magnus had been right about this body language stuff. Taako had got to get more dets from him later.

[weatheredpileoftomes]

a reluctant envoy

For FFXIVWrite Day 1, “envoy”. Grishild, early A Realm Reborn, ~800 words. Reference to war, PTSD, a little internalized ableism.

There has to have been some kind of mistake.

“I don’t know what the Admiral’s thinking.” Grishild rests her head in her hands. Around her the kitchen of the Rowdy Minnow is unnaturally quiet, everyone gathered in and listening.

Dinner with the Admiral and no few of the rest of the thalassocracy had been bad enough. She owns a bloody tavern. She pays her dues at the Culinarians’ Guild, and they haven’t managed to find an excuse to get rid of her yet, but she’s no restauranteur, and even when she was a soldier she wasn’t the kind to get the attention of admirals, or generals.

“I had one of my fits while she was making speeches,” Grishild says, and starts shivering again.

She’d been there. Carteneau, the skies blood-black and lowering, and stars falling, and the screams of the fearful and the dying. She’d heard Flame General Aldynn giving orders. She’d never gotten the order to retreat, which means somewhere on the killing fields below the Admiral’s lofty viewpoint Grishild’s squadron was already dying, or dead.

And stars falling, and the moon, and the sky—

She drags her head up out of her hands. Outside the streets are quiet enough that she can hear the shushing of the sea, never far away in Limsa Lominsa, and she slows her breath to match it. Water drops glitter on the pans drying in the draining rack; herbs sway gently on their cords; steam rises from the stockpot; Linana is chewing worriedly on one of her fingers. There’s a gouge in the surface of the table, pale where a knife has slipped.

Baderon’s fancy shoes pinch her toes in a way she’s never put up with, and the weave of her dress is uncommonly smooth against her skin. The table is smooth under her elbows, too, scrubbed silken with honest use. She flexes her feet to feel the flagstone—not tile, nor dirt—scrape under them.

A log snaps in the fire. Outside a streetwalker is calling for a client, and always the sea—the lulling waves, and the salt tang that twists around the yeasty smell of rising bread as it reaches even into her kitchen. She’s glad it does.

Herlwyda hands her a mug, and Grishild drinks without asking what’s in it. There’s enough sun lemon in the water to make her eyes water, barely cut with honey, and she almost chokes but swallows it and feels better.

“Thanks,” she says. Her voice is hoarse. She wonders if she screamed, at the Admiral’s fancy dinner, or if it’s just the strain of not screaming that’s done it.

“I’ll make some tea,” Linana says, all her brightness dulled with worry.

Grishild stirs herself. “You will not.”

“I’ve got the tea,” Pfardoen says.

He can at least boil water, though not much more, and Grishild is too bone-tired to argue. “They want me to be an envoy,” she says instead, as the pump swishes and the kettle clangs onto the hook. “Some kind of politics. I thought for sure they’d change their minds when the…” She gestures, a weary flap of one unmoored hand. “But apparently it doesn’t bother them. At least I wouldn’t be flying the bloody airship, if I were going.”

Linana’s ears droop. “You’re not? But’d be such an honor!”

“Honor, hell.” Grishild stares at the gouge in the table again. “I said I’d help find Q’zazanh and the others, and I don’t like the Yellowjackets getting ideas much more than Jacke and V’kebbe do, and if I’m going to be stalked by wizards in robes I’m not going to just sit there and take it. That’s all… That happened. But it happened to me, you know?”

“And now politics are happening to you,” Herlwyda says dryly.

Grishild twists around so that Herlwyda can see her eye before she narrows it. “No, they’re not. I’m sending word to the Admiral in the morning she can find someone who knows how to handle all this shite to do it instead.”

“We’d take purr-fect care of the tavern.” Q’ralka clasps her hands pleadingly, giving Grishild the big-eyed look that never fails to get tips from the customers, or at least the ones who like women or have a protective streak. “Don’t you trust us?”

Grishild damn well knows better and even she feels herself wavering a little.

“We’ve got this, miss,” Pfardoen says from the hearth.

Herlwyda nods.

“But I don’t! There has to be someone better the Admiral can send.”

Linana rolls her eyes. “Oh, yes, there’s heaps of people better than you just lying around in piles at the marketplace. I wouldn’t work for just anyone, you know!”

Grishild looks around at her staff, all looking right back at her with pride and affection, and shakes her head. It’s just going to be the Culinarians’ Guild all over again. She might as well pack.

[captainjimothycarter]

okay for the ship prompt thingy - 68. And this phillips/sarah Rogers ship.

“Look, I know we don’t know each other that well, but I’m still worried about you. No one deserves to be alone.”

This is just one giant ramble, but I needed it clear my head so thanks?

--

Meeting Sarah Rogers changed the older man’s life for the better. He’d never regret coming across her bakery for a second, even if that meant he put on a solid five pounds thanks to her baked goods alone.

Those apple pie tarts were to die for and those blueberry muffins? Chester was damn sure he’d kill for them to begin with. He didn’t know what that woman did with those baked goods but they tasted of heaven.

Truth be told, he came back again and again for more than just Sarah Rogers’ baked goods. He fixed her leaking pipe in the kitchen, cleaned her windows, fixed the flickering light in the dining room, etc. Sarah Rogers was just a delight.

She was a walking angel on this god-forsaken earth, a bright spot in his dreary days. She made him laugh, made him smile.

There must’ve been something that allowed him to stay around too, beyond his handyman skills because Sarah Rogers wasn’t a fool. She’d find the smallest, odd jobs to keep him around and that must’ve meant something because she was pregnant with another guy’s kid. A little boy she was naming Steve.

The guy’s father had run out on her when she told him she was pregnant, taking all of their savings and wiping her account clean. It left her pregnant and broke, right after opening this wonderful, little bakery too.

It made his blood boil to think that anyone could do this to someone so precious, so sweet. Sarah was nothing but a sweet, sweet soul who deserved the best – her son included.

“Will that be all, Miss Sarah?” Phillips asked, groaning as he forced himself to sit up and crane his aching back from being under the sink for so long.

Sarah’s little laugh and touch to his arm made his heart soar. “I think you’ve done enough, Mr. Phillips. I can’t overwork not only my best customer but my favorite handyman. Are you sure I’m not overworking you?”

He chuckled as he closed the cabinets under the sink and leaned into the counter, watching her slide a pan of freshly made cinnamon buns into the case. They smelled like heaven and reminded him how early he’d gotten up this morning to be here, with only a cup of coffee in his stomach.

A look must’ve shown on his face because she was already cutting him a sizeable chunk and sliding the plate toward him. He didn’t even want to take it without paying for it but he knew this game by now. There would be no paying for it, but he’d find a way to give her the money.

“Thanks, darling,” he purred at her, spearing a piece of the freshly baked buns onto a fork and holding it out to her. His eyes were drawn to her lips as he watched her take the bite. “I swear – this stuff you make…nothing compares to it.”

He watched as she bustled around the little kitchen with her oversized belly. He had the privilege of watching that belly grow with the life inside of it, the little man more than eager to embrace the world around him.

“Did Stevie keep you up last night?” He asked, taking his dishes over to her sink and starting to wash the small pile that had already appeared.

“You know it,” she groaned, rubbing a hand over her belly. “I swear, he’s going to be grounded until he’s 30 at this rate if he continues to kick my bladder.”

He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, taking the dare to catch her as she passed him and laid a hand over her belly. “You poor lass, he’s going to be a fighter, I just know it.” He felt the strong kick against his hand, chuckling. He rubbed his thumb over her taunt skin, shaking his head. “You be nice to your mama, Stevie. She’s the most amazing woman I ever met and you’re incredibly lucky to have her. You have no idea how much she loves you.”

He realized what unstated boundaries he might’ve overstepped, already stepping back but she caught his hand and held it there. “Don’t,” she breathed, keeping him close. “Stevie likes your touch and…so do I.”

Maybe it was the weeks of this, whatever this was, building up but Phillips found himself leaning in to kiss her, found her leaning back into him. The weeks of flirting seeing her belly growing with life and talking to Stevie like he was his own child, to building the child furniture and going to her home to fix the small issues he could here and there.

Nesting behavior, his friends called it and perhaps they were right.

--

Phillips wished he was wrong about Stevie and his fight for life because he didn’t want to end up here with Sarah Rogers sobbing beside him and him feeling entirely numb.

With little Stevie, born far too early, and fighting for his life.

He pulled her into his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. “Sarah, darling, I know we don’t exactly know each other so well but I’m still worried about you. No one deserves to be alone. Stevie is a fighter, just like his mama.”

His attempt at comfort only made her sob harder, mentally cursing himself. He could fix things with his hands; a physical problem was quite easy to fix but this? This wasn’t something he could mend with a hammer and some nails. This was…was…time and patience and he wouldn’t say he was a very patient guy.

“You’re wrong,” Sarah sobbed, looking down at her son and counting the number of breaths he took. “I’d like to think that you and I know each other quite well.”

And in a much quieter voice, she whispered, “Thank you. I don’t want to be alone.”

Nor would he let her be if he had his way. No way this mama deserved to be alone after a traumatic birth, after Stevie’s birth. He’d find a way to stick around.

He found her fingers weaving between his own, squeezing and hitching her breath. “You won’t be, doll. I’m here, I’ll always be here for you and Stevie. Rather that’s as your handyman or…more.”

He held her close as they watched the little one in the incubator, rubbing at her side. He won’t let her be alone, he didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t think he could, knowing that Sarah was here alone.

No one deserved to be alone right now.

--

“I told you,” Phillips chuckled as they slowly walked up to the newly refurbished bakery, his arm around Sarah’s shoulders to guide her, “It’s a surprise, darling. I’m not going to ruin a surprise for you.”

Little Stevie was held against her chest, sleeping soundly. He adored the little tyke, considering Steve his son through all but blood, at this point. He loved her, he loved his life, and he wouldn’t change it for the world.

After Steve’s birth, Sarah had been forced to close the bakery for a while to focus on Steve and her own health. While they both recovered and Steve grew stronger by the day, he took the time to refurbish Sarah’s bakery. He fixed all the little projects, all the things that constantly broke but he did so much more. He took inspiration from her countless designs that were hidden away in journals, repainting the whole bakery and moving things around.

She knew about it but never got to see the finished product until now.

Standing outside of the bakery, Phillips smiled as he took off her blindfold and pointed to her the new bakery. It was designed, as she’d always wanted, a bright and happy place.

Outdoor seating in the shape of sunflowers, the umbrellas in the table opening to reveal sunflowers. Inside he’d painted the walls a warm, welcoming yellow and hired painters to paint Sarah’s sketches on the wall. Sketches of a simple life in Brooklyn, of her son, her baked goods on the wall. The older chairs and table had been replaced with sturdier ones, flowers lining the surface. The counters were replaced with sturdy marble and the glass containers were now larger, two-tiered instead of the cramped ones she had before.

In the back, he showed her everything had been replaced with new equipment for her, even the leaky faucet had been replaced rather than constantly fixed. Newer, larger ovens, proofing drawers, even a new, larger mixer. Enough room for both to move around.

“I know I might’ve overstepped…” He began, rubbing the back of his neck as he showed her the new name he’d designed for the bakery, a giant sign across the façade. “But we can change it…”

“Stevie’s Bakery,” Sarah read, tears glistening in her pretty blue eyes, blinking hard not to cry. “It’s…it’s perfect, Chester. What do you think, Stevie?”

He cooed against her chest, at his mother’s voice and all Phillips could do was laugh with relief, his laugh cut short as she pulled him down to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her sink into his side.

He didn’t know what his life would be like, a year ago, but Phillips was glad it had led him here.

Send me a prompt and character/ship

[pinkroboticunicorn]

BIG FAT DISCLAIMER!! NOT A PROMPT!! A PROLOGUE TO MY FANFICTION!!!

Heroes AU: The Cruise

Prologue: The Powerpuff Girls.

Townsville's heroes, and saviors from ultimate doom, heroes from the evils of villains! Have now grown up from little girls to their teens, and eventually turning 18 years old.

They retired briefly in High School, in order to pursue Academics, Blossom was training up to be either an engineer, or a scientist like the Professor, for years she's been building a thesis on Chemical X, which has a long history, if you asked her about it she would go off on where exactly it came from, why it's so powerful, etc., etc., and has won multiple science fairs in a row, but she could never really beat her true mortal rival and enemy Mandark! His smug grin every time boils her blood, thankfully both Mandark's rivals are friends, mhm, Dexter is friends with Blossom, and together they come up with amazing science experiments, Brick will help on occasion too, he's more of a math and statistics kind of guy, than a science guy, but he's good friends with Blossom, and might have a tiny crush on her, so he's willing to help any time.

Meanwhile...

Bubbles and Boomer were in the arts together, Bubbles is still a really good painter, and even made a full scale mural of the Professor, and them in the living room once, where it still stays to this very day, she mostly does landscaping and flower paintings, and sells them for a lot of money, Boomer however is more of a digital artist, he likes making animations, and has thought of making his own series many times, mostly he makes animation memes, and draws fanart, and sells prints of his work online, and at cons.

Meanwhile...

Buttercup and Butch were the main athletes in High School for a very long time, competing in a lot of Competitions since they were like 10, Buttercup was an absolute BEAST at soccer, scoring multiple times in a row, while Butch competed mainly in a good game of Tennis, and was known only as the King of Tennis at School.

Mojo Jojo had retired from villainy at that time as well, because he could not defeat the Powerpuff Girls at his hands! At the moment! But also because he was just in general very very tired, and just wanted to binge his new favorite show Lake Oak, a good drama, but when they killed off his favorite character for being gay, he returned to a life of villainy.

In that time Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, even Brick, Boomer, and Butch, and yes even Dexter discovered some things about themselves.

Blossom found that she was kind of bi, discovered this when she easily crushed on any nerdy girl or boy or nb person, just falling for them, of course Dexter, and Brick are still friends, despite reaching her level of nerdiness, but yeah.

Brick found himself to be pretty bi himself as well, he even crushed on the same kind of people as Blossom did, intelligent nerdy individuals, and even crushed on Blossom and Dexter for a bit during High School, but they all collectively decided to stay friends, just friends.

Now Dexter discovered that he was an Asexual, but wouldn't mind dating anyone, and got crushes all the time, he's also a bit pan, and is crushing hard on someone currently, but everytime Brick and Blossom asks he kinda clams up a bit about it.

Bubbles discovered that she was aro/ace actually, had no crushes, no interest in doing it with anybody, just wanting to vibe, Boomer feels the same way, and is also aro/ace, although the 2 have had many come to ask them both out, only to have to explain some things, Boomer always gets excited when he finds an aro/ace character, and always has to draw them, pretty much immediately.

Now Buttercup found that she was a big lesbian, loved girls, any athletic girl, and Butch found himself to be very gay for athletic guys, very very VERY gay for athletic guys. The amount of athletic people Buttercup and Butch fawn over together is very high, if you asked them who their crush is, they'd probably short circuit thinking of all the muscly ones they've crushed on.

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were thrust completely back into crime fighting during their sophomore year, when trouble struck once more, and evil reared its ugly head, with new and old villains coming out of the woodworks to stop them from having a normal High School experience.

But they still manage to save the day! In the end! Nothing can stop them really, they're the Powerpuff Girls! Of course it's that same old story most tell of a High School kid balancing their academic life, social life, and fighting giant monsters, and dastardly villains life.

Why is that a thing? Oh well!

Finally though they reach the age of 18, and get to take a break, a cruise might be nice.

[naradivision]

“Ho. Mine is the same as last year huh,” said nonchalantly Saigo as he picked up a cup of hot green tea freshly brewed by Chishio.

“*sighs* Just when will my broke little sister stop getting more and more broke by investing in something idiotic like this? No wonder the company’s stock has never shot up to my interest ever since…”

He panned his vision long outside the window before taking a sip of his drink, drawing a small chuckle from his old attendant.

“Pft. Dear young master, I can make your bounty vanish in a single night if you wish so. My usual salary is enough for the payment...”

Chishio’s wrinkled yet experienced eyes of a predator glinted mischievously at the list on his young master’s phone.

His formal smile was still well plastered on his face, only that the formality a butler needed to retain in his manner doesn’t seem to reach his eyes.

“Nah, don’t take it that far, Chishio. You know what? Your sense of humor can tick me off sometimes.” The ex-tycoon and exiled heir of Fuyugami lowkey brushed his attendant’s words off. “I believe this bitch isn’t worth your effort. Now just continue to keep up our security like you always do, I may have to look for some more reinforcement in case worse things happen.”

Speaking of the truth, he didn’t really give much about his own bounty. Looking at other participants from other big families and you would understand why he didn’t need to get too startled —Except for one thing,

Those kids in his team.

Asahi-kun was sorta understandable, given he could kind of piece up the infamous rumor around his grandmother —But, that Kanata brat who is the leader of his team??? This was totally rendering him speechless.

He had no idea …Just what in the world this goody-two-shoes brat got himself into?

In the meantime, that respective leader of Miraitabi in the mention was still stupefied at the numbers presenting on his phone.

“W…What? Why is my division set to be this high???”

And what almost made his heart jump out of his chest was that malicious 5M$ price signifying after his name. What kind of dirt had he got on someone??? More specifically, whom?

Of course, he was no doubt indeed very very… scared. This ‘Dead Pool’ list gave him so much shock. How should he not? If not counting the fact that he was roping into this deadly tournament, he was pretty certain that he was just an innocuous citizen until a minute ago.

“Don’t think about it too much, Yuuyu! Granny said this could happen to anyone if you live long enough.”

The wagashi artist tried to cheer up his friend, even though he knew his sense of optimism couldn’t be of any help.

Well, he had got his own bounty too but it was nowhere near both of his teammates.

“Thank you, Hi-chan… But, for real? Aren’t we only in our twenties?”

Does confronting a few goons that attempted to snatch three Hypnosis Microphones away from the regular delivery which led him to the foundation of Miraitabi over his hometown cost him this much price on his head? Who would have known anyway.

The reddish-haired boy could only clenched his fists to vent out the frustration on his mind; however, remembering he was their leader —the captain of their team— He had no choice but to calm down the boiling sensation in his head and think about their circumstances more thoroughly.

Meanwhile, a pair of brilliant blue orbs were watching their caretakers from one corner of the room.

Around the Siamese kitten’s neck was a black band that had the look of an ordinary pet collar …unless there was a certain girl’s voice coming from it.

“Buddy, you know why everyone looks so tense right?”

Meowing softly as an answer to her cybernetic companion, Ojou-chan drooped her ears and tail in distress.

“Damn this, I do feels it too,” retorted the same voice from the collar, sounding like she was gritting her teeth even though she didn’t possess any flesh and blood.

The words of a certain someone still rung in her record as clear as that one time she hacked his device of communication.

“… Sticking with him will only push him into more danger, you’d better understand …”

As his heartless words burning into her consciousness, at this moment she could only begrudgingly accept that what the sly bastard said was nothing but the truth.

“… Know your stake, little princess. No matter how pleasant your pretty ignorance have tricked yourself into thinking, you can’t just keep clinging onto your precious prince forever. Your unknown chasseur may not be able to exactly nail where you at, but so far as this mess goes down, I’m afraid to say they have already made him their biggest suspect ...”

Her memories might happen to be full of glitches and gaps far beyond to grasp. But with this much hint from that sussy ‘Sneaking Cat’ whom she refused to believe as someone really on her human’s side, the cyber girl wasn’t that dumb to not realize it had always been herself who deserved the most suspicion from everyone.

Because the past was way too fallible, therefore what could be able to hold onto now was the present.

There she quietly swore to herself.

“This time for sure… I will be the one who protect you, human.”

Division Rap Battle Dead Pool

Do not ask me what this is and why I am posting it, this is yet another product of the insanity that goes on in our 18+ discord server

Credit to @toyama-division / @suginami-division for the idea! 😈

It’s no surprise that with the formation of the Division Rap Battles by the Japanese Government (also known as Chuohku), many teams have been formed either through coercion or by their own volition, with those teams come many high profile people or very prolific celebrities both old and young. As such, a betting ring was formed, by who? Well, no one knows, it could be from criminals to politicians to random civilians to even other contestants in the very same tournament, all that matters is that every person in the Division Rap Battles has a bounty on their head, this is a list of how much they’re apparently worth.

As for the reason why? Figure it out yourself.

Ace Douglas: $0.08

Asato Rikiya: $100

Kyō Sakuma: $100

“Sen”: $100

Criss Hiromi: $500

Ishihara Daisuke: $1,000

Asahi Tomoharu: $1,000

Takumi Wakaba: $2,000

Ryuunosuke Sekiguchi: $2,000

Azusa Furukawa: $5,000

Naoki Hamasaki: $5,000

Teijo Masakazu: $8,000

Yoichi Shujo: $10,000

Fleuret Oshiro: $15,000

Kai Quinlan: $20,000

Mireya Quinlan: $30,000

“Ruichi”: $50,000

Eldrid Iwasaki: $50,000

Zakari Hiroya: $100,000

Ming Kawanoe: $100,000

Ryuko Umemoto: $350,000

Wataru Sasaki: $400,000

Oki Teagan: $500,000

Tasuku Kawanoe: $500,000

Kisouna Yuzairu: $500,000

Ayumu Hayami: $500,000

Kokomi Morozov: $500,000

Keiko Yumi: $600,000

Miku Shirazuki: $700,000

Maki Umemoto: $750,000

Joey Kurusu: $900,000

Aranai Norikoru: $1,000,000

Jack Verrill: $1,000,000

Daiki Kamiyama: $1,000,000

Queen Card: $1,000,000

Lyall Shiba: $1,000,000

Shuu Edogawa: $1,000,000

Nikki Yoshie: $1,000,000

Yano Ietsuna: $1,000,000

Shisuta Heisha: $1,000,000

Luis Kōkyū: $2,000,000

Seiji Tsukimoto: $2,000,000

Evelyn Rose: $2,000,000

Aika Yumi: $2,000,000

Shian Meizono: $2,000,000

Kureha Koizumi: $2,000,000

Ren Nakashima: $2,000,000

Miho Kobayashi: $3,000,000

Rashaad Young: $3,000,000

Meari Miracle: $3,000,000

Ted Bridges: $3,000,000

Chinami Chinen: $3,000,000

Diêu Hoàng: $4,000,000

Juu Judice: $4,000,000

“Ageha Shinozaki”: $4,000,000

Kensaku Morimoto: $4,000,000

Eiji Noguchi: $4,000,000

Sakura Kito: $5,000,000

Hisoka Tetsumatsu: $5,000,000

Kanra Akemi: $5,000,000

Mina Nakayama: $5,000,000

Elliot Shimizu: $5,000,000

Sanyu Inouye: $5,000,000

Kira Chinen: $5,000,000

Sayaka Miyuki: $5,000,000

Yuuya Kanata: $5,000,000

Kotan Anchikar: $5,000,000

Karada Kessaku: $6,000,000

Yorii Sakuma: $6,000,000

Saigo Fuyugami: $6,000,000

Yuki Kuraokami: $6,000,000

Kaiji Sano: $6,000,000

Makina Setsukura: $6,000,000

Masa Judice: $7,000,000

Ivelisse Martinez: $7,000,000

Taria Chinen: $7,000,000

Iwao Masuda: $7,000,000

Lola Takahashi: $7,000,000

Ritsuko Okada: $8,000,000

Nadya Kuromiya: $8,000,000

Kanon Hojo: $8,000,000

Kotono Ohara: $8,000,000

“Aruto Shinozaki”: $9,000,000

“Masuzō Shinomiya”: $9,000,000

Touya Kisaragi: $9,000,000

“Cinder”: $9,000,000

Max Soukoku: $9,000,000

Sumire Shinomiya: $10,000,000

Kaoru Shinozaki: $10,000,000

Mai Yousei: $10,000,000

Reiaki Suzubayashi: $13,000,000

Rintaro Himura: $15,000,000

Kyler Aaron: $15,000,000

Anika Kiyozaki: $17,000,000

Eko Seishin: $20,000,000

Reika Aichi: $20,000,000

Alexis Ward: $20,000,000

Yuno Kamora: $30,000,000

Ryūzō Mizutori: $40,000,000

Yuriko Kuromiya: $50,000,000

Akihisa Mashiro: $50,000,000

Tomi Chōten: $500,000,000

Wild Shīnu: $7,100

Jigoku Riderz: 9,100

Blade Maiden: $70,000

Private Party: $150,000

Otaku Corps: $1,600,500

Sazanka Zombeez: $2,100,000

Sakurai Clan: $2,500,000

Valor Guard: $3,500,000

Liberty Guild: $5,000,000.08

ECO BooN: $5,000,100

MIHANASA: $5,600,000

Veiled Vanguard: $7,000,000

Kuma no ie: $8,500,000

Miraitabi: $11,001,000

Oculus: $13,000,000

Polar Knights: $13,060,000

Femme Fatale: $14,000,000

R.I.P. Märchen: $14,700,000

Birds of Prey: $15,000,000

Last Judgement: $15,500,000

ENIGMA: $16,000,000

Justice Shield: $16,300,000

Lovesick: $17,000,000

Pixel Syndicate: $25,000,000

CodeX: $30,000,000

Sounds of Silence: $31,000,000

Silent Tragedy: $33,000,000

Kiya Kara: $48,002,000

OverDrive: $60,000,000

Wicked Requiem: $78,000,000

Death Row Block: $83,000,000

Jet Set Trio: $508,000,000

@shinagawa-division @kobedivision @kanazawa-division @uenodivision @aoyama-division @arakawa-division @roppongi-division @edogawa-division @shizuokadivision @katsushika-division @niigata-division @minato-division03 @akihabara-division03 @minato-division01 @akihabaradivision @setagaya-division @taito-division @okinawa-division @hakodate-division @naradivision @naha-division @sapporo-division @oita-division @fukuokadivision1 @sendaidivision @fukuokanodivision @obihiro-division @ota-division @ginza-division

[eristic-kaleidoscope]

Glass Onion | Erik Azrael | Trial 1.4 | Re: Ae-ra, AIRika, Eureka, Eri

This marks the third time from the third separate person in the last twenty-four hours that Erik and AIRika are simultaneously accused for being closer than friends, apparently. Frankly, if it wasn't for the fact this was getting really tiresome, the thespian might have laughed at the literary significance of the rule of threes, especially given how hypocritical it all was that every single one of those people had someone they probably cared about just as much and would chomp at the bit to defend just as well. But he is really sick and tired of people accusing AIRika for simply existing, and also harping on him for wanting to defend people he cared about. What made him so separate from them? Just the fact he could articulate things politely without resorting to shouting and petty insults? Manipulating people with pretty words? Was that what made the fucking difference?

Sigh. Right now, he was just severely annoyed at the pinkette two podiums to the right. Both Eureka and Eri had gotten the point of his argument against accusing blindly across, at least, so he'd simmered down from boiling point a bit ago. 

"If accusations based on assumptions are what you prefer, never mind the fact that you are, to put it, simping just as hard for Mx. Lapis and gutting me about it, then it stands to reason you will have no objection to us dropping the subject now that neither has panned out." And as much as the first source of anger had all the destruction and rage of a hurricane, the second source was the eye of the storm. Perfectly calm and placid on the surface, but bottomless in its depth. "Woe betide me to admit it, Eureka has gotten my implication that I honestly could not think of why Mx. Lapis would go through so much trouble to try and circumvent their restriction, only to be shocked if they knew something had a good chance of undoing everything they had worked for. And as I knew, and as Ae-ra has helpfully pointed out, Mx. Lapis has decent knife skills, which makes them going through this whole song-and-dance routine of sandwich-making even more suspicious in hindsight. They undercooked their fish, grated their cheese, and ate that with lettuce on bread. That is an observation, not any indication of guilt unless it means something to someone else here." 

He sighs. "I am not directly accusing Mx. Lapis because those are circumstantial evidence pieces, and therefore they should be allowed to explain for themselves before we settle on anything. I do not intend to accuse them further until they have clarified Eureka's point." And Erik will magnanimously drop the matter at that.

"In the interest of transparency about the knife situation, you all saw me with the cake knife last night. I returned that to its stand after cleaning, and it was present this morning while I was cooking. When our group re-entered the Eatery to look around, all but the one knife was still present, so I imagine it was taken sometime during the investigation." He glances at the fallen plate. "Presumably, by Eureka to make her French Toast. If it is still missing, I can at least say that I am currently not in possession of any knives from the Eatery myself."

Erik pulls out his tablet. "I cannot comment on why her purse had blood over it, but I did want to bring up the fact that Miss Murphy's final letter in the Trampoline Room had been written and rewritten with some length, and the apples had been cut into but not eaten, perhaps because she was busy writing.. I may not have known her long, but I do not suspect in this environment that Miss Murphy would willingly enter a room with someone in it to write her letter since it was not meant for anyone else to see at that point. The only two people that I think she might have been comfortable with were asleep or engaged with Erik A at the time." He means Kaguya and Byrne. "With all sincerity, I do believe she was the one who brought the cutting board and fruits to the Trampoline Room a lot earlier, which matches up with the last time Miss Danger and Ae-ra saw her depart, the knife having already disappeared by then because she took it. Whoever entered next then sparked the chain of events that led us here."

[demonlamb666]

How would yandere Deku react to reader stepping on a piece of glass in the kitchen and her foot starts to bleed?

A Villains Protection

Did I take this idea and run with it? Yes and I’m sorry 🤓

Warnings: yandere themes, villain Deku, blood, non consensual kissing, reader hurts themselves accidentally, swearing, reader gets knocked unconscious, breaking and entering, stalking, reader is being watched non consensually, hints to murders.

The green haired man sat in his dimly lit room his hair tangled, and his face lit up by the computers he stared at intently. His eyes widened in anticipation as he looked back and forth between the clock and his camera feed. He tapped his foot anxiously as the minutes ticked passed, he looked up with deranged filled eyes as the clock hit 6.30 and you still hadn’t arrived home. His head shot up at the sound of one of his phones pinging. He held it tightly and typed furiously as one of his men updated him on you.

Y/n’s guard

She’s ok boss,

just running late

Make sure my angel gets

home safe, or you know

what happens.

Y/n’s guard

Yes sir

Deku’s eyebrow twitched in frustration at the thought he hadn’t been able to see you all day and his grip on the phone tightened. Not only did your coworker have the audacity to look at you so lustfully, but he also took up precious time that should have been spent watching you. Not that he’s have to worry about him ever taking up your time again Deku giggled his maniacal laughter filling the room. He looked at the cameras as the door of your apartment opened and you stepped inside, his jealousy faded instantly at the sight of you and he pressed his hand against the screen longingly “not too long now bunny, I promise I’ll bring you home soon…” he muttered as you went about your day unaware of the cameras watching you.

……………………………………………………………………

You stepped inside your cramped little apartment and immediately flopped onto the couch exhausted, you slipped your shoes off and switched the news on needing some white noise. You instantly realised your mistake as a image of the most dangerous man in Tokyo’s face played on the screen, a flicker of fear ran through you at the deranged green haired man, you’d always been scared of him since he became a villain, but that fear only increased after a number of your coworkers had gone missing and Hero’s informed you Deku was thought to be related. You quickly switched the channel trying to ignore the chill running up your spine and the invasive feeling of being watched. You sat in a tense silence, your feet kept fearfully off the floor before a loud grumbling sound interrupted your spiralling thoughts. You groaned as you remembered you hadn’t had lunch today, your shitty boss was overloading everyone with work since you were missing so many employees. You patted your stomach comfortingly as you stood up and walked into the kitchen deciding your hunger was stronger than your fatigue, you boiled the kettle and grabbed a cup of noodles before pouring the steaming liquid inside. You waited impatiently and decided to have some water and grabbed a glass, a loud explosion came from the tv startling you and causing you to drop the cup and smash into sharp pieces. You mentally face palm yourself for being so jumpy and stepped forward to grab a brush and pan before wincing as a sharp piece of glass slit through your foot. You lifted your foot as you hopped around “shit! Fuck! Oww!” Damn today was really not your day.

……………………………………………………………………

You looked up as someone rattled your doorknob, you shook it off thinking it was just some students who had gotten drunk considering it was a Friday night. But your brow furrowed and you bit your lip nervously as the rattling continued. At the unsettling sound of keys and the even worse sound of your door unlocking you stood up fearfully and backed away.

Shit, today was really not your day

You willed your body to move but it refused to do anything but freeze in fear as your door was thrown open. You stared in horror as Deku stepped into your apartment and ran up to you before wrapping arms around your neck “oh my angel don’t worry I’m here!” He nuzzled into your neck his deceptively soft skin warm against yours as you simply stayed shock still as the insane man you’d been watching on the news for years cradled your body like it was the most precious thing on earth. You flinched as his terribly scarred hand grasped your newly bandaged foot, he rubbed it softly and ran his fingers over your skin as you trembled softly under his unpredictable touch “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to protect you bunny” he whispered. “I wanted to wait until your room was ready before I brought you home, but now I see, you’re far too precious, too fragile” he brought his face closer to yours and held you in his delusional grip as you tried to squirm away. He brushed his lips over yours as he brought a hand to your neck. You squeezed your eyes shut as tight as you could, expecting to be the next victim of the infamous villain, but you only felt a small pinch before instantly falling unconscious. Deku caught you carefully as he pressed a long loving kiss to your lips “shh… I’ll protect you now little bunny.”

[thatspookyagent]

I hate how online queer exclusionist have pushed that the bi and pan labels are "at war" with each other, as well as the folks within both communities, to the point to were it has become inconceivable that someone could be both bi and pan. Like the very thought of someone using both labels, especially equally and with no preference for one or the other, is something never really talked about, considered, or thought of as real.

Like as someone who's bi, pan, and omni, the very notion that I have to consider one of those identities either as "more inclusive" than the other or "better", just makes my blood boil. No really cause I'm very proud of the fact that I use multiple mspec labels and I love them all, I really REALLY do! And I would appreciate it if folks like me weren't erased constantly from conversations surrounding mspec labels. Like bi people who use the pan label exist, pan folks who use the bi label exist, and folks who use neither of those labels but use other mspec labels to describe themselves exist and so do folks who use bi, pan, omni, and ply to describe themselves!

Also you can very well be unlabeled and mspec or just use the mspec label in general to describe yourself! And people do all of these things for very different reasons, which shouldn't be challenged or questioned! Stop instigating into why mspec people use the labels that we do, or don't use certain labels at all! Literally none of those labels "inherently contradict" each other by merely existing, also some folks belong to multiple mspec communities while some are just simply unlabeled. Mspecphobia comes in many forms and neglecting/erasing folks who use multiple mspec labels or none is just one example of many out there!

[bontenten]

Bewitch

Pairings: Osamu x F!Reader x Atsumu; Miyacest WC: 7.4k Genre/Warnings: smut, fairytale retelling (Hansel and Gretel), magic au, dubcon/noncon, incest (miyacest), fear, knife, monster, bondage, snuff, vore, gore/blood, object insertion, body horror, a bit of size, tummy bulge, oral (m.receiving), anal (m. receiving), masturbation (f. & m.), voyeurism, arson...

Summary: The unexpected guests at your cottage have a mysterious past and hidden agenda. Will they allow you to accompany them on their journey?

Travelers are advised not to spend the night in the Dark Woods. It's said that beyond the last hiking trail, past a brook, lives an Evil Witch. That witch is vile and merciless; often, fools lost in the woods are never seen again. It's said that she must be over 800 years old, feeding off of the essences of children and young men unfortunate enough to cross her paths. It’s said that she even eats fellow witches. No one really knows. After all, no one who has seen her has lived to tell the tale.

It's been a few months since your teacher has left you to fend for yourself here in the woods—your first time alone during this apprenticeship. She said she had to attend a big conference with a whole bunch of other grand witches. You asked if you could tag along, but she insisted that you stay and watch the cottage. The lack of company is about to drive you insane so you often resort to conversing with yourself or the forest itself.

The soft moss muffles the sound of your footsteps as you begin the trek back home, a faint off-trail path away from the main road that no one else would usually notice. On any other day, you would just go home without a fuss, but loneliness makes people do some bizarre and odd things. For instance, the desperate longing for companionship leads to you dropping a not-so-hidden trail of fancy pebbles to inadvertently lead someone to your abode.

For most travelers, going off-trail is akin to a death sentence as any wrong turn might lure them into the forest's deadly maze. Not for you though, you know this place very well: every fallen tree, overturned log, the wanted signs nailed to the trunk...

Wait. A wanted sign?

You can make out from your distance that there are two heads on it, but the details are fuzzy, and the bounty looks smudged. Before you can get a closer look, you hear the birds caw in the trees, signaling the beginning of sunset. You pull your attention away from the poster and continue on to your way home.

The cottage is extremely cozy and warm. The windows are bejeweled and the door is solid wood. You live here comfortably with your teacher, after all, learning about the principles of magic and what it means to be a witch. It's much more than curses and spells, as your teacher would tell you, witches have character and a moral compass. Although there are certainly those who decide to experiment with the darker arts.

While you get a fire going in the huge furnace and boil some water on the stovetop, you hear two voices squabbling outside followed by three raps on the door. You're stunned by the noise, turning to face the shut door wondering if you were just dreaming about the noise. Is it? Visitors? No, you must have heard wrong.

"'Samu, I bet it's a farce, let's not." The voice sounds both tired and weary, almost out of breath.

"Let me just try again, I can smell a working kitchen in there, someone is definitely there," another voice insists. Three more knocking sounds. "Excuse me! Is the owner of the house available? My brother and I followed a path of colored stone and came upon your establishment...could you spare us some water? A bite of food?"

Two men, though they sound friendly. You're frozen in the kitchen, staring at the door that remains between you and the strangers.

"Is there someone home?" The second voice tries again. "Please, my brother is not feeling very well."

Your initial wariness for the stranger melts when you hear about the brother, which does not sound like a lie based on the raspy voice you first hear. A witch's character is fundamentally kind to all sentient beings, especially those in need. But you're still nervous, so you end up grabbing a metal ladle before carefully going to open the door. When you crack the door open, you see a pair of twins. Beautiful men, one blonde and one grey-haired. The former, with a quirky grin, although his eyes certainly look lackluster. But the other seems like he's at the right place, eyes peering past you into your home, fixated on your kitchen.

"I'm Osamu. And this," he gestures to his twin, "is my brother Atsumu. We're a bit lost, you see."

You nod your head in a casual greeting and introduce yourself as the resident apprentice at this cottage. As a good host should, you open the door to the weary guests preparing to welcome them in.

"Are we welcomed in?" Osamu asks, not moving from his spot. Atsumu isn’t budging either, arms crossed and only looking at you from the corner of his eye, waiting for your answer.

Without giving much thought you nod and open the door wider. "Both of you are most welcomed in."

"Then we thank you for your hospitality," Osamu says, taking a step inside, dragging his twin with him.

Words, especially spoken words carry power and hold intent. And a witch's words, no matter how careless they slip out, contain magic. Welcome, as you say. So welcome, they are.

You shut the door behind them and prepare to go give your first-ever guests some water. When you turn around, you notice Osamu already in the kitchen, the sleeves of his tunic rolled up past his elbows.

"Your food is about to burn. Heat's too high," he tells you, expertly taking control of the sizzling pots and pans. "I got it, don't worry."

Feeling flustered at the faint smell of scorching food, you hurry over to see if you can be of any assistance. "Let me help out."

"No, it's quite alright."

How can a host let her guests do all the work like that? And the first company in a while too! What an utter failure.

"How—" you try to argue back, but you're cut off by Atsumu tugging on your wrist, dragging you over to the sofa in the corner.

"Don't worry about him, he loves to cook." Atsumu brushes out the wisps of his bangs with a huff. "And actually quite good at it. Anything that goes through his hands...well, in short, all become part of his design."

Like his twin, Atsumu's frame is broad and huge, but there is a quality of emptiness of sorts. Osamu's shoulders are wide but there's more substance to it, whereas Atsumu's form seems contained. You can't help but use your learnings to see if you can figure out just what's off about Atsumu. He's slowly walking around the living room and studying the portraits hanging on the wall. He picks up a frame that is set above the fireplace and comments, "None of these are you. How come?"

"Oh, they're my teacher. I'm just a witch-in-training at the moment, so—"

"A witch?" Atsumu questions, clenching the frame tightly. His hands begin to shake, the glass under his thumb beginning to crack.

You did not expect Atsumu to display such a visceral reaction upon the mention of witches. After all, witches normally stayed far away from ordinary human society and when they do mix, it's often a role of healing. But the look that sparks in Atsumu's eyes, it's almost—feral.

"'Tsumu!" Osamu yells while stalking over quickly from the kitchen. He throws his arm around Atsumu's neck and drags him off into the shadows. You can't make out the muffled voices and deep growling noises that are coming from down the hall.

It's their private matter, so you go back to the kitchen. True enough, Osamu's hands are almost like magic. The bubbling pot of broth doesn't seem to be on the verge of overflowing, the onions caramelizing beautifully, filling the air with deliciousness.

Moments later, the twins come back. You notice that Osamu clothes are wrinkled from tugging Atsumu around, but at the very least, Atsumu is looking much better than before.

The three of you set the table for dinner. Osamu brings out the plates as though he knows the kitchen inside and out already. Atsumu comes emerging from the cellar with two bottles of fine wine that you didn't even know your teacher had stowed away. Surely, she wouldn't mind? With Osamu and Atsumu sitting to the left and right of you at the round table, it almost feels like a more familiar, cozier gathering between friends than a situation of a host and her guests.

They tell you that they have been traveling across the lands for a long time now, looking for a cure for Atsumu's illness. It reminds you of the hollow, repressed form you saw earlier and your curiosity gets the better of you. They don't tell you the nature of the malady, but what they do share is that they are looking for a witch to undo the curse on Atsumu, a result of dark witchcraft.

"I am a witch!" you exclaim, feeling your call to action at the moment. "Please, is there truly nothing for me to help to undo the spell?"

Osamu leans in close to you, and wipes a bit of sauce staining the corner of your lips with the pad of his thumb. He smiles. "We're looking for a very high-level witch. One day, maybe you'll get to the level of magic needed."

"You're too weak," Atsumu bluntly points out. You're sure Osamu means to say the same thing, but Atsumu's words are really sharp.

"I know," you sigh. "My teacher tells me that all the time. So, I'm really trying. I'm sure there's at least something I can do."

"I definitely think that. Don't be so hard on yourself," Osamu comforts. "Have you been living alone here for a long time?"

You feel two pairs of eyes glued onto you waiting for your answer. You smile reflexively before your eyes trail to the empty plate and carefully choose your words. "Yea. Just me and my teacher. She's a grand witch...maybe if you wait here for a few days, you can meet her when she comes back from her conference."

"We—"

"We'll be gone tomorrow!" Atsumu snaps, staring into Osamu's eyes.

Osamu doesn't pay any mind to Atsumu, and puts an extra piece of dessert onto your plate.

"We have a long way to go. Atsumu's condition isn't getting better, so we can't stop in one place for long."

It makes you a little sad, because you were hoping to spend some more time with the twins, both of whom you have grown fond of. Osamu and his gentleness. And even Atsumu, despite his quick remarks and outbursts, adds a particular spice to your mundane life.

"Maybe we'll bring you with us," Osamu comments lightly, "'Tsumu, wouldn't that be nice?"

"She'll just be dead weight," Atsumu retorts. You wonder if he absolutely hates you. Is that why he is always so against you being next to Osamu?

Osamu puts an arm around you and blows on the shell of your ear. It tickles and you can feel his body enveloping you. "But she's so sweet," he tells Atsumu and whispers into your ear, "Aren't you?"

You find your wandering gaze looking into his half-lidded grey eyes. His face is right next to you, lips just hovering barely five centimeters away. The overwhelming presence of him is undeniably alluring. Your breaths become shallow as your heart rate speeds up with desire.

"I'm exhausted! 'Samu you too. We're going to bed!" Atsumu drops the silverware onto his plate and stands up. He comes around the table, muttering curses under his breath. Atsumu grabs Osamu by the wrist and drags him off towards the guest bedroom you have shown them before.

You didn't quite catch Atsumu's angry mutters, but you hear "slut" and "harlot" thrown around a few times. Were they directed at you? No, you're not like that, you tell yourself. Atsumu must have been thinking that you are trying to seduce his twin. After you clear out the table, you decide to clear up any misunderstanding.

You tip-toe down the hall to the guest bedroom prepared to knock when you hear muffled sounds coming from inside. You carefully press your ears to the crevice of the door and clamp a hand around your mouth upon hearing the stream of moans.

"'Samu, 'Samu please, ah—"

That's Atsumu? Your eyes are wide and still trying to process the shock of what you're hearing. You tell yourself you shouldn't be here. You should not be listening to whatever is happening behind the closed door, but you can't help it. Hearing Atsumu's moans makes you want to squirm.

You slightly jump when you hear a slap, followed with a pleasured groan. The sound is so clean it feels as though the phantom hands are touching your own heated skin.

Osamu's chuckle nearly makes your knees weak.

"Don't get cocky, if it were any other day ngh—, any other day, I would be the one pushing you into the mattress."

Slap. "Shut up, cute 'Tsumu. I like you being so needy for me like this. What do you want from me? Tell me."

"Fuck me, 'Samu."

"With pleasure."

The wood creaks loudly and you tell yourself, you really need to get out as you back away and try to quickly walk down the hall back to your bedroom.

You throw the door open and lock the door behind you with a click. With your eyes closed, you try to steady your breath and the building heat in your core. It's quiet. There's no noise coming from their room. But they are twins! 

You remind yourself that a witch is all-accepting and kind. There are so many circumstances beyond your understanding, judgement is not a part of your nature. And if what they are performing is wrong, what should you say about yourself? You peel off your clothes and step out of the soaked panty that is proof of your lust.

Pillows are fluffed and covers are pulled over your body. You try to sleep, but each time you are about to drift, Atsumu's cries of pleasure come back into your head. Your hand trails down your navel until the fingertips trace over your clit. Gathering some slick from your cunt, you drag it across the sensitive bud.

You shudder from the touch as images, constructed in your fantasy, cloud your mind. You imagine Atsumu's hands spreading your legs apart and Osamu's teasing words next to your ear. He would tell you to open wide and shove his cock down your throat. You suck on three of your fingers until lips wrap over the knuckles, your saliva pooling from hunger. And slip your fingers into your cunt easily, curling them against the plush walls.

"F-fuck me," you moan into your pillow.

With pleasure.

You quiver, clit pulsating, and your pussy juice dripping into your palm. The wash from the high soon takes you into sleep. All throughout the night, you squirm and feel the phantom sensation of being watched. Not just observed, but studied, by two pairs of glinting hungry eyes. You can almost imagine them on either side of the bed, trapping you into the mattress no matter which way you turn.

A few times the weird feelings almost pull you awake, but you don't dare crack an eye open to confirm your suspicions until the morning light begins to filter through the windows, rousing you from sleep. The air is filled with fragrant herbs and the sizzle of delicious brunch from someone awake before you.

No doubt, it's Osamu, because who else can it be? Atsumu? Please. The twins....

You climb out of bed and stretch your neck on the way to the washroom. Your bedroom door is open, but it's too early to notice that detail.

"Morning!" Osamu greets you from the kitchen. You find a fresh mug of coffee shoved into your hands from him.

You mumble thanks and sip at the brew while watching Osamu fry the eggs. Osamu looks to be deep in thought, probably thinking about something pleasant from the faint smile ghosting on his face. You feel a pang of guilt from both listening to their private lives, and also the strange feelings that maybe they heard your private life too—it's all your paranoia talking.

"You're so talented," you blurt out, fisting the fabric of your long skirt.

"Thanks, but better not let 'Tsumu hear ya, he gets jealous super easily."

Even if Atsumu hears, it's fine. You really mean both of them. Both of the twins both seem super talented as a duo; like they've been out there and seen the world. Meanwhile, you're still stuck here, without company. Would it be possible...if they simply stayed?

Osamu senses the words that are stuck in your mouth and answers them for you. "We're gonna be leaving right after breakfast. There's still lots of ground to cover today," he explains, plating the pancake before preparing to ladle a spoonful of batter for the next one.

"Do you have to leave?" you ask, almost pleading.

"It's cozy here and comfortable. We enjoy your company too, but we have to go. Your teacher would hate us, immensely, and on top of that...let's just say, we're always on the run."

"You say it like you two are fugitives or something."

Osamu chuckles and leans closer to you, hot breath flaming your cheeks, or maybe it's just the heat from the stove. A teasing grin pulls his cheeks up slightly as your eyes flicker over to see his lips spell out, "Maybe. Scared?"

Embarrassed, you take a defensive step back, squeaking and bumping into another body.

"MORNING!" Atsumu announces behind you. He's in good spirits and he has his hands on your waist to steady you; he sniffs your hair and smiles before letting you go. "I smell something delicious."

"Breakfast is ready," Osamu says, plating the pancakes. "Hungry 'Tsumu?"

"Tch." Atsumu shoves past you and knees Osamu, mood doing a complete 180. You're almost left like a fly on the wall as you watch the scene unfold.

Osamu is quick to catch his balance while keeping watch on the stove. "Not awake yet?" Osamu grins and passes him a plate of pancakes, essentially telling him to shut up and eat. "Who shoved a stick up your ass? Go eat."

"Fuck you."

"Hm."

Atsumu grumbles but digs into his food anyway. Osamu catches your amused expression in the corner and explains, "It's always like that between us. It's our...way of showing how much we care."

"I know." It's sort of endearing, the banter between the two brothers. Even if the world turns against them, no matter what the odds are, at least Miya Osamu will have Miya Atsumu, and Atsumu will have Osamu. Perhaps it's exactly that sort of bond the two share that you're envious of. Body and soul. Because if only you could have just an ounce of that sort of familiarity with another. But you're just an outsider without an invitation to join in.

While you're mulling over your thoughts, you don't catch the darkening gazes being exchanged between the twins. At some point, Atsmu's plate is already emptied and the wooden table is cleared while you're still lost in your mind. Osamu is fiddling with the metal tea strainer, bobbing it up and down to brew a mug of tea. He threads a cotton string in and out like it's a plaything.

"Do you really want to be with us?" Osamu asks nonchalantly. "'Tsumu and I were talking about it. If you do, maybe we can work something out."

"I just..." You feel like this is your final chance to tell them that you don't want them to go. None of the going around circle hinting that you have been doing. This is the moment to just tell it to them. If you miss this chance, you feel like you won't have another. And even though a pit pulls at your inwards telling you to reconsider, you're brave. "I just want to be together with you all, and help you cure Atsumu. My teacher is so talented, I'm sure she'll have a remedy."

They grin.

Osamu is a great cook, he can do that. Atsumu sometimes seems lazy, but he's super strong and quick to help too. And you can pick up all sorts of other tasks in the area! Maybe because they're so helpful, your teacher will even let them stay once Atsumu is cured. Maybe they can learn magic too! You have heard of warlocks who are powerful with spells too. And you can already imagine, the three of you, like a team, eventually going out into the world to fight demons and monsters and—

"Open wide," a sultry voice sounds next to you. Backing away automatically, you find Atsumu standing right behind you.

"W-wait," your voice shakes, stuck in your throat. "What are—"

His fingers reach for your mouth, prying it open. Before you can voice your distaste, a warm, metal ball gets shoved into your mouth, the thin chain quickly tangles into your hair. The faint traces of tea seep out of its small holes down your tongue and throat, while some spill out the corner of your mouth like trails of drool down your jawline.

Osamu smiles and wipes the liquid away with his thumb, relishing in how your widening eyes gape at him in confusion.

"Being together," he answers the question you wanted to ask, "is what you want isn't it?" He takes a spool of kitchen twine and begins to secure the tea strainer in your mouth. The thin cotton threads wrap around your head over and over again, tightening the steel against your tongue.

You shake your head and try to take another step away from the man you're beginning to become wary of, but the strong grip of Atsumu's hands on your shoulder prevents you from squirming at all. His fingers dig into your flesh, and when you turn to look at him you catch a glint in his eyes, glowering down at you.

"No, no, no, behave," he taunts you, "listen to 'Samu. He'll make you feel real good, trust me."

With the gag in your mouth, all you can let out are weak, warbling gargles from the back of your throat. Why are you doing this? You weren't like this before? Loud snorts flare out your nostrils from the fear screaming through your body.

Osamu comes back with a paring knife, examining the edge under the sunlight filtering in through the stained glass. He presses the cool blade along your cheek, dragging with the dull edge just enough so the sharp end doesn't cut your skin. You feel your knees growing weak and if not for Atsumu's hold on you, you would sink into a shuddering heap on the floor.

"You know, I think you might be the best meal yet," Osamu compliments, blade trailing down to your collarbone. The tip of the knife toys with the first button, pressing tension on the x-cross stitching. Snap. The first button pops off, dropping onto the wooden floor and rolling away to an inconspicuous corner. "I'll prep you well."

Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. The knife flicks again and all the buttons clatter on the floor before running away for refuge.

Atsumu has cleared the table already and you find yourself hoisted up and laid onto the surface like a slab of meat on a cutting board. The cold surface presses against the back of your shoulder and ass. Osamu ties your wrist together with a hemp rope and secures the other end around the table leg. He also secures your ankles to two other anchor points.

You're utterly exposed and ashamed at your body's display, mortified at how your body is reacting when you catch sight of Atsumu, his eyes dilated, looking at your slit that you know is drenched already. The rough texture of the rope presses painfully into your skin from how tight the bindings are. You can only let out gagged whines in complaint, chest rising up and down from the loud breaths.

"Can't do, love," Osamu chides, kissing the knot at your wrist, satisfied with the results. His fingertips trail down to cup your jaw and his thumb runs across the tea strainer. You close your eyes and groan at his touch. Osamu murmurs, "I won't let anything go to waste."

Atsumu is growing impatient at the sight of his twin treating you like the finest specimen ever. You're not the first one. You won't be the last one, but he still can't stand the sight of someone looking just like himself having first tastes while he's missing out himself. He wants to shove Osamu aside, but he knows that Osamu absolutely hates it when he ravages the meal when it's not ready.

Atsumu unzips his pants and lets his hardened, leaking cock spring free. You stare at Atsumu who is fixated on his own pleasure. His hand wraps around his cock and pumps the length up and down.

Osamu turns your head to look at himself instead. "Someone there is impatient, but let's not learn from him, okay? I want to take you slow, make sure you'll be ready. I don't want you stressed, you release too much cortisol and that toughens the meat."

Anything that goes through his hands...well, in short, all become part of his design.

His hand kneads your breast and toys with your nipple, circling and tugging on the tiny, erect bud.

"Relax," he whispers into your ear. "Just like you did last night."

You try to clamp your thighs shut from reflex. Immediately the resistance from the rope ties stop your movements. Osamu squeezes your thighs and pushes them apart once more.

"Right here isn't it, after hearing me fuck 'Tsumu..." Osamu's finger runs down the sides of your labia. "You just couldn't help touching yourself too huh?"

He knows. They know. You feel your cheeks burn at the realization.

"There's nothing embarrassing about it. If anyone should be, it should be us twins, " Osamu's fingers easily slip in, your pussy already dripping with arousal. "Oh woops, I shouldn't need to comfort you. You're clearly not shy."

Osamu's fingers are thick and long, able to reach far deeper than you ever can. Your tongue is still struggling against the gag while your saliva steeps the tea leaves trapped in the ball.

"Oi," Atsumu cuts in with annoyance. "I thought you said to not play with food. What the fuck are you doing, chef?"

Osamu stops his finger in you for a moment before dragging them out. You're trembling at the sudden emptiness and desire to fill the space immediately. The lack of stimulation is irritating and you are desperate.

Osamu walks up to Atsumu, bringing his drenched fingers covered in your slick to his lips for a taste. Before he can do so, Atsumu grabs Osamu's wrist and takes in those digits, sucking on them gingerly.

Osamu smiles and runs the other hand through Atsumu's hair.

"Patience is a virtue, 'Tsumu, I was just getting her fully prepared for you. I'm giving her all to you already, you couldn't even let me have a taste of her?"

Atsumu releases Osamu's fingers with a pop. "I never said I wasn't going to share," he mutters before pulling Osamu in for a kiss, passing the taste of you along their tongues.

Your body jostles as you finally get a visual matching what you heard last night. You feel your pussy leaking with more excitement, the arousal drips all the way down to your asshole. And the more you squirm, it's as though the rope ties become tighter and tighter, rubbing your skin raw. But even that pain is incomparable to the need to quell your fire.

Atsumu pulls away and presses one last kiss on Osamu's nose. "I always love what you serve, thank you 'Samu." Your heart rate rapidly speeds up as Atsumu comes towards you. He's positioned between your legs, both hands on your thighs, marveling at the display of your body. His hands feel hot.

Atsumu grins. "You probably didn't expect me to be the one taking you, huh?" He guides his cock to your entrance, the bulging tip prodding along your puffy lips. "Did you want Osamu to be the one fucking you?"

No? You want to argue, straining your head up slightly, but only tea-laced saliva drips out from the corners of your mouth.

"'Fuck me, 'Samu. Fuck me, please.' Is that what you heard? Is that what you wanted to say too?"

Your screams are muffled whimpers.

Osamu snorts off to the side, watching Atsumu do exactly what he accused Osamu earlier of: playing with his food. Hypocrite.

Atsumu glares at Osamu before turning his attention back to you. "You'll be begging for me, Atsumu, after I'm done with you."

He lines himself at your entrance and inches himself in, groaning at how your cunt is somehow just sucking him in. You're so warm and tight inside, wrapping perfectly around every part of him. He sits in you for a moment, just enjoying being blanketed by your muscles and chuckling how you tighten around him every now and then.

You whine, urging Atsumu to move a little.

"Okay, okay. Geez, and 'Samu says I'm impatient." Atsumu slowly draws his cock out and snaps his hips forward, the base of his balls slapping against your ass. He delights at how you squeeze your eyes shut and continues rocking into you at a comfortable pace.

Osamu enjoys standing off to the side for a while. He always liked watching Atsumu savor and delight the food he prepares. Atsumu always eats with such gusto. It should have always been that way, until the witch ruined everything. The curse, an experiment with the dark arts, should have never happened. Above all else, it should never have been on Atsumu. Osamu can only wonder if the reason they are subjected to this fate is because they are twins. Until a cure is found, Atsumu, his most beloved other, will have to replenish himself in this way.

A sharp pain rips through you and tears well up in your eyes. You feel Atsumu's cock suddenly begin to pulsate and grow in size. At first, you thought it was because you're clamping down on him too hard and will yourself to relax. But the cock, the thing, is certainly unnatural now. And between your tear-stained vision, you can just barely make out... Monster.

You begin to thrash wildly, head tossing side to side, back arched as much as you can in a futile escape attempt. Atsumu's claws rest on your hips while he pounds into you furiously. His groans, now deep growls, send vibrations that you can feel within your throbbing clit. You fear that you'll actually be ripped in half by the way Atsumu is thrusting into you. The engorged cockhead hits your cervix each time and his ball sack, even heavier, bowls and knocks against you.

Osamu unfolds his arms and comes over.

"It'll only hurt if you don't relax," he tells you, reaching out to press on your clit. "Just let him have his way."

"Go fuck her somewhere else," Atsumu snarls. His voice is warped and bellowing. Your mind is getting foggy as Osamu's fingers on your clit don't stop teasing the bud while having a petty talk with Atsumu. And Atsumu, ticked off by Osamu, picks up his speed.

"There we go, now that's beautiful," Osamu comments, taking his hand away and watching you unfurl in your pleasure. Your abused cunt is puffy when Atsumu pulls out, and you feel the thick liquid start to flow out when you take breaths.

"No, don't do that," Osamu chides, taking three fingers to gather the cum spilling out and stuffing it back in. "Better keep it all in. 'Tsumu isn't done with you yet."

Not yet? You can't even voice your thoughts except weakly shaking your head and moaning into the steel gag. In the moment, your stomach rumbles loudly.

"'Samu, she's hungry," Atsumu points out, rubbing your tummy. "You feed her and I'll stuff her."

Osamu ruffles Atsumu's long hair and gives his new, erected horns a teasing squeeze. Atsumu yelps at the touch. "'Samu!"

"Okay, okay," Osamu relents and stands next to your head. You see him take the paring knife again and slide the icy blade between the cotton ties and your hot cheek. A quick slice and you feel the pressure of the gag release. Osamu removes the tea strainer from your mouth and tosses it into the sink.

"Must have been so over-brewed, I apologize for that," he says. You know he doesn't mean it at all.

"Why?" you croak out. Your jaw and cheeks are sore from being held in position for so long. There's so many things you believe you can ask why about. Why they are prepping you like a meal, fucking you like a toy...Why Atsumu is the way he is. Why Osamu is not who you think he is either. Why you.

Despite Atsumu's grotesque figure, you're sure that you fear this twin more. Osamu's thoughts are so well-hidden behind his eyes; he never gives away what he's thinking or planning. You can only accept his decisions from the receiving end.

"Because of Atsumu," Osamu answers. Everything is for 'Tsumu. "I'll feed you."

Osamu cradles your head with both hands, his fingers tangled in your hair. He prods his cock against your lips. Feeling your resistance, he grips your hair tightly, painfully pulling on your scalp, and presses the tip of his cock to force your lips open. You nearly gag at the length entering your throat and your hands ball into tight fists. Your nose is buried in the base of his cock, pressing into his balls. Each breath you take is heavy with his musky, hot scent.

It's easy to focus on Osamu's cock fucking into your throat, leaving an unamused, monstrous twin off to the side preparing to turn your attention back to him by force.

Atsumu rubs himself against you, preparing to enter you again. You're sure that he has become even bigger. When the tip pushes through, your body attempts to fight the intrusion in self-preservation. The claws at your hips dig in and Atsumu all but pulls you onto his length like a sock. You scream around Osamu's cock, throat clenching around his thick length, and nearly black out from the stretch.

You never had anything this big in you before. Atsumu lifts you up slightly, his grasp becoming large enough to encircle around your whole waist. Your ankles are still tethered and tug on you, much to Atsumu's annoyance. He easily slices through the bondages with a sharp claw. Now free of restraints, Atsumu can cradle you more easily, finally pushing the last section into you. 

Crack!

You can’t cry while you're stuffed with Osamu’s cock, but tears stream endlessly from your eyes. You’re sure your pelvic floor is broken, completely forced apart in a futile attempt to accommodate Atsumu stuffing you beyond your physical capacity. Your hips give out as your two legs, bone out from their sockets, dangle grotesquely.

“Just focus on me,” Osamu wipes your tears away and continues to pump into you. But you cannot focus on the human object in your mouth when your whole lower half and inwards are broken, stretched or squashed.

"Hey look ‘Samu! It's bulging," Atsumu marvels at the imprint of his tip pushing your flesh out from the inside. “Look, my cock is saying ‘hello’.”

Atsumu excitement translates into messy thrusts, treating your body like a game. “Maybe I can even touch your dick through her!” 

Your whole body is numb, the brain shuts its pain signals off completely, and hormones pour through your bloodstream in overdrive. The broken climax spasms through your body like the last bits of a faltering system.

“Better hurry...she’s...she’s fading soon,” Osamu warns between his grunts. He clasps your head and spurts his seed into you. You mindlessly swallow every drop of him, letting the contents slowly flow down your throat. You can’t process anything nor recognize any of the murky images. Who are you? Where are you?

Your memory fades in and out as your eyesight drifts between black and white. You can’t do anything about how the monster is now on all fours over your body, unrecognizable as Atsumu. You don’t feel any fear towards this grotesque figure. You don’t register how his tongue licks your neck.

Your mouth is now empty but you can’t formulate syllables.

“I’m sorry,” you hear Osamu whisper before sharp fangs pierce into your jugular, digging in deeper and tearing a chunk out. Red sprays across your body in fast spurts, drenching Atsumu and covering Osamu. The teeth at your throat gnaw at the flesh, starved, tearing through the skin, fat, and tissues like a child crunching fruit. 

You can feel the droplets falling onto your face like fresh rain after a storm. You vaguely remember your teacher and her warning of strangers. She always reprimanded you and you wanted to make her proud. There will no longer be any chance of that now. You weren’t a good student, and only an utter failure.

Osamu waits for Atsumu to finish you off. Atsumu always gets messy at this point. Osamu tried to help Atsumu section his prey off by cutting and organizing the limbs and even attempted to debone the meal beforehand, but Atsumu has his preferences, and Osamu respects them. So, Osamu delegates cleaning duties to himself instead. 

You’re already beyond recognition when Osamu comes back with barrels of oil. All that is left is a kitchen stained with blood and a pile of bone with chewed connective tissue left. Atsumu sometimes eats the bones too, but not always.

“‘Tsumu, are you full now?” Osamu asks, reaching out to cradle his twin. Atsumu has now transformed back to the way he is supposed to be. Osamu threads his hand through Atsumu’s blonde hair and inhales his twin’s scent.

Atsumu doesn’t respond and tugs at Osamu’s collar, trailing down his arm to bring Osamu’s hand to his own cock.

Osamu grins and kisses the top of Atsumu’s head. “Do you want to fuck me ‘Tsumu? I know you like to, after your meals.”

Atsumu whines and nips at Osamu’s jaw, pushing the twin down on the blood-stained floor.

“Okay, okay.” Osamu unzips and pulls down his pants before crawling onto all fours.

Atsumu’s hand cups Osamu’s ass and pries the cheeks open before curiously fingering at the specimen plugging Osamu’s hole. Atsumu holds onto the base and turns the object, before laughing.

“‘Samu, what is this you have in your ass,” Atsumu teases. “I like this presentation.”

This time, Osamu is the one embarrassed. “Last meal, it hurt like hell. So...I wanted to prepare a little.”

“With an egg holder?” Atsumu cackles again, fiddling with the ceramic object. “Should’ve just told me ‘Samu, I could never bear to hurt you.”

Atsumu holds onto the base and slowly pulls the object out before tossing it aside. He smiles and teases Osamu’s enlarged hole that’s opening and closing around nothing. Gathering up some saliva, he spits onto Osamu’s asshole before lining his cock at the rim and slowly pushing in.

Along with the curse comes a near insatiable lust. Atsumu knows that if he doesn’t fulfill his need to fuck or be fucked, he will snap. He doesn’t really care who he kills during a frenzy of that sort, but it’s too risky to get Osamu caught up in the collateral.

The witch that wanted to create the perfect weapon, failed. She failed because she underestimated the twins’ bonds for each other. She failed because the twins discovered that witches excrete a very special hormone in their body after climax, and it is exactly that substance that is slowly curing Atsumu. With every witch eaten and absorbed, Atsumu is healing and gaining magical powers. He is even capable of passing those essences to Osamu. One day, everything will be the way it's supposed to be.

Osamu plays with a few strands of Atsumu’s hair. Atsumu’s softened cock still buried inside of him. Atsumu has his jaw resting on Osamu’s shoulder.

“You make me feel so good,” Atsumu sighs, enjoying the quiet moments after his high.

“And what about her?” Osamu asks, gesturing to the table where your remains are still at.

“She made me feel good too. The best one yet, but don’t be jealous.”

“Come on, let’s clean up and get out of here.”

After washing their bodies and changing into clean clothes, Atsumu and Osamu are ready to say goodbye to the cottage they have overstayed their welcomes at.

"Let's go 'Samu, we're already behind." Atsumu finishes dumping the last bucket of oil along the edges of the room.

The clamor of boots stride across the creaking wood. As though with the passing of its owner, the cottage itself has lost the will to live.

"Coming," Osamu calls back, walking past the makeshift funeral pyre for you. He notices a flash on the ground and bends down to pick up a button.

"'Samu! Get the fuck out or I'll burn ya down too!"

"Yea, yea."

Osamu drops the button into his shirt pocket and joins his twin outside. Atsumu strikes a matchstick and tosses the small flame into the cottage. Fire meets oil and spreads in an instance, engulfing the cottage in an angry blend of orange and red, devouring all contents and remains within. The smell of scorched wood reaches the twins who are looking at the sight from a distance.

"She was good," Atsumu comments, looking at his twin unsure about what Osamu's grey eyes are thinking about. Atsumu realizes that he didn't specify what good exactly means. But it doesn't seem like Osamu is paying much attention. Is Osamu thinking about you? Is he unhappy? Does he regret what happened to you? Although what's done is done already, if time can go back, would Osamu choose? You or Atsumu?

Osamu slips his hand into Atsumu's, erasing the unspoken worries away. He gently leads Atsumu onto the trail, leaving the burning cottage behind.

"Stop thinking such nonsense," Osamu mutters, squeezing Atsumu's hand. No matter what happens, Atsumu will always come first. His needs, his desires. That's what it means for Osamu to love Atsumu. Even though the rest of the world may not understand the relationship the twins share, calling it depraved and disgusting, it's still selfless on their part. What sin is there to honestly love? What sin is there to try and save his loved ones?

While Osamu admits to himself that he does feel a deep attraction to you and knows that Atsumu feels the same pull as well, there's nothing that can be done about Atsumu's condition. But it's not as though you are completely gone. Your essences and core are within both twins, being absorbed as one with their bodies and soul. You'll forever be with them in that way, even if you no longer have any sentient memory of it.

Osamu fiddles the button in his pocket; there's still a physical reminder of you in that tiny form.

It must be about a twenty-minute trek from the burning site. Although the flames are already far from eyesight, the scorching smell and embers still drift over. The twins pick up their pace, eager to exit the forest before nightfall and make it to the next destination. On the way, they pass by the tree trunk with a wanted poster.

"They never get my best angles!" Atsumu complains, ripping a wanted poster that is nailed to the tree trunk.

"It's not like you have a good angle, ‘Tsumu."

"Shut it, we look the same ‘Samu. You're just calling yourself ugly too!"

Osamu shrugs and continues his trek down the main trail. Atsumu huffs, tearing the parchment into indistinguishable pieces before throwing the shreds up into the air like confetti.

"Wait up!"

Osamu stops in his tracks. "Hurry up, loser. We still have a long way to go."

Atsumu takes a few wide strides and swings his arm around his twin's shoulder. Behind them, a very light drizzle falls from the sky.

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Day 125.3 Accidental Bonding (Part 3)

You can start at Part One, if you'd like.)

"Piss off, Malfoy," Jenkins snarled from across the room at the end of the training exercise, drawing Harry's attention from the conversation he was having with Ron. "You are such an arsehole. You think you're so clever, so much better than us," he shoved Malfoy's shoulders, "but you're just a slimy Dark Lord worshiper-"

"Oy!" Harry shouted, darting forward and physically putting his body between Jenkins and Malfoy, "Don't talk to him like that."

"I'll talk to that fu-"

"You need to back down," Harry growled, his body thrumming with energy, fingers tingling with the urge to punch Jenkins in the face, his magic racing hot and bright under his skin.

Malfoy put a hand on Harry's shoulder, "Don't," he said. "He's not worth it."

He glared at the other man for a moment before taking a step toward the locker room.

"Oh, I get it," Jenkins sneered, "some people are so possessive of their pets. He's letting you fuck him now, so-"

Harry spun around so fast that Jenkins didn't have a moment to see what was about to happen as Harry's fist connected with his jaw. "Watch your mouth," he growled, low in his throat. "We aren't sleeping together but even if we were that wouldn't change the fact that he is twice the auror you will ever be." He took another step closer, "He's smarter, faster, and has better instincts. And everyone knows that your pathetic attempts to belittle him are out of jealousy. So you can fuck off before you make an even bigger arse of yourself."

"Alright," Ron said, holding out his hands between them. "That's enough."

Jenkins spat blood at Harry's feet but had the good sense not to say anything more as he left and slammed the door behind him.

Harry turned to see Malfoy storming away from him. "Malfoy," he shouted but the other man threw him a two fingered salute and stalked off.

"What the hell?" Harry grumbled.

(Read more below the cut)

Ron shrugged, "Beats me, mate." He slapped him on the shoulder, "but I wouldn't want to be going home with him. He looked pissed."

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

Regrettably Ron was right, Malfoy was pissed. Harry couldn't understand it and the other man wouldn't say a word to him about it.

They went home and Malfoy shut himself in the bedroom without a word, leaving Harry standing completely confused in the living room. "What the hell?" he repeated.

Hands on his hips, he stared off after the other man and replayed what he'd said to Jenkins for the fiftieth time, trying to figure out what had made Malfoy so mad.

Giving up on trying to puzzle it out seemed like the only course of action so he headed into the kitchen and started dinner. In the past week and a half, Draco had cooked, they'd cooked together, or ordered take out. Harry hadn't cooked anything on his own since he's arrived and honestly, he was glad for the chance to cooking now.

He chopped up an onion, diced a carrot, chopped up a stalk of celery, and minced several cloves of garlic. Then he turned to the stove and heated a frying pan, pouring in some olive oil before tossing in the veggies and letting them cook down while he chopped up lettuce for a salad.

After about ten minutes, he added the ground beef, salt, and pepper into the frying pan and uncorked a bottle of Merlot, pouring himself a generous glass and dumping a few ounces in with the beef and veg.

He cast a simple spell to keep the spoon stirring while the beef browned and he turned to cut up tomatoes and onions for the salad and made a simple vinaigrette. When the beef was brown and fragrant, he added in tomato paste, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, and a dash of nutmeg before stirring it all together.

With a pleased hum, he put the lid on the pot and cast a spell that would condense the simmering time to about thirty minutes instead of three hours.

While the sauce cooked down he baked brownies, tossed the salad, and prepped the water and spaghetti. Boiling the spaghetti, cutting the brownies, and plating everything was easy after that. Harry topped the bowls of bolongese with freshly grated Parmesan and basil.

Then, after a moment of debate, he decided to bring dinner to Malfoy instead of the other way around and laid out their salads, bowls of bolognese, glasses of wine, and brownies onto a tray. He levitated it down the hall and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Malfoy called, sounding bored and detached and Harry had to take a steadying breath to tamp down the irritation that tone of voice invoked before opening the door.

"Made dinner," he said casually.

Malfoy turned his head from where he was laying on the bed, idly catching a snitch and releasing it. He sat up, his blonde hair trailing behind him, "It smells good."

"You don't need to sound surprised," Harry teased.

Malfoy opened his mouth to protest but Harry continued as he set the tray in the middle of the bed.

"I'm just kidding," he assured quickly.

"Do you really think that it's wise to consume red wine and pasta on a white bed?" Malfoy asked, one eyebrow arched at him as he climbed onto the bed across the tray from Malfoy.

"It'll be fine," Harry assured as he picked up his salad bowl and speared a tomato. "We're wizards, we'll magic it away if we must."

Malfoy hummed but picked up his own salad. "Thank you."

He shrugged a shoulder, "No problem. I like to cook, actually."

"Do you?" Malfoy asked curiously.

Harry nodded, "Yeah. Once we left Hogwarts and I was living on my own, I was eating out all the time and it wasn't doing me any favors. So I learned how to make some simple things that taste good." He tilted his head, "What about you? You're not a bad cook."

His cheeks turned a light pink and he cleared his throat, "That's Granger's doing actually."

"Sorry?"

He sighed, "She made a really good case about house elves. I didn't want to be who my parents wanted me to be so when I moved out and joined the aurors, I basically shunned anything that whiffs of pureblood bullshit. It has no place here," he said gesturing to his home with his fork.

Harry blinked, "That's amazing."

"Shut up."

"No, I'm serious," Harry said. "You're amazing and I had no idea."

"Stop," Malfoy said. "Please, it's not-"

"Is that what earlier was about?"

Malfoy stilled, "Excuse me?"

"Is that why you were upset?" he asked. "You thought that I was taking the piss?"

"I thought that you have an insufferable hero complex that makes me want to vomit," he growled.

"You're a hedgehog," Harry said, finally understanding.

Malfoy froze, "Who told you that?"

"Told me what?" Harry asked.

"That my patronus is a hedgehog," he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Harry laughed and Malfoy flushed cherry red, his eyes narrowed. "No, sorry," Harry said holding out a hand, "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because I had no idea, honestly!"

"Then what made you say it?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just," he paused and took a bite of bolognese as he searched for the right words, "When you start to feel vulnerable or like someone is going to hurt you, you curl into this defensive ball that will stab at someone no matter what they say or do."

"I-"

"You are genuinely one of the best aurors in our class," Harry said earnestly, steering the conversation to something more tangible that they were less like to fight over. "I was serious."

Malfoy rolled his eyes, "You're just saying that because the bond-"

He shook his head, "I've always thought that," he protested. "It's annoying as fuck because it always seems like everything comes so easily to you. I used to complain about it to Ron all the time."

"Says you," Malfoy protested. "You're always doing everything right; throwing yourself into danger to protect people." He shook his head, "By all accounts, what you do shouldn't work but it does. You're a good auror, Potter."

Harry swallowed, "Thanks, Malfoy. That means a lot coming from you."

"Yes, well," he said as he took a sip of wine, "Don't let it go to your head."

Harry chuckled and they took a few bites in companionable silence before Draco started to talk again.

"You didn't have to come to my rescue with Jenkins, you know."

He waved the thought away, "He's an arse. We've had it out before."

"I'm just saying," he argued, "I was fine. Honestly what he was saying wasn't even that bad."

"Not that bad?!" Harry yelped. "He-"

Malfoy shook his head, "It's the bond, Potter, don't you see that? Jenkins has said a lot worse, other trainees have said a lot worse, and you've never felt the need to jump in and defend my honor before."

Harry frowned.

"You're being swayed by what the bond wants you to feel about me."

"I'm not sure you're right," he said. "Because you shouldn't be treated like that at work. No one should be treated like that."

"Be that as it may-"

"I'm just saying, even if the bond brought it to my attention, I would have done that for anyone. If he'd been saying shite like that to Ron, I would have decked him, too."

Malfoy looked like he was going to argue with him, before visibly changing his mind, "You do have a wand, you know. There's no need to resort to brute force."

Harry shrugged, "But there's just something so satisfying about punching someone."

A laughed forced it's way up Malfoy's throat and Harry grinned at him. Shaking his head, Malfoy replied, "You're ridiculous. And this is good, by the way," he added, pointing to his pasta with his fork.

"Good," Harry said with a pleased little smile.

The conversation turned lighter as they bickered about the training exercises and the best approach, but the bickering held none of the animosity it had a week and a half before.

And Harry couldn't help but wonder how much of this was the bond's doing and how much was simply him.

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

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4