#ba business my beloved

[patrice-bergerons]

Okay this is such a non issue in the grand scheme of things but I find flying economy to be a massively stressful experience and even worse because it was the only direct flight available I'm flying with a budget airline, early morning flight, and in the UK these guys make the EU visa check such ineffective hell on earth for non UK/eu passengers. AUGH.

[writermai05]

Arsonist's Lullabye

Prologue: All you have is your fire

Summary: Zuko’s bad day gets a bit better after an encounter with an unfamiliar face. 

Pairing: zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated) 

A/N: I am delusional, and when I had the idea for a zuko x reader modern AU where he works in Iroh’s boba tea shop, I had to follow through with said idea. Let’s see if this goes anywhere, and feel free to leave comments or suggestions on how the fic could play out maybe :) 

Word Count: 773

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot.  This is a modern AU that takes place in the avatar world. Bending still exists. Zuko and the gaang are in college in this series !!

TW!: Physical abuse, burns, Ozai in general, Zuko’s backstory is so sad. 

Zuko knew it was going to be a long day as soon as he opened the shop at 12pm. 

Within the first two hours, he had run out of tapioca pearls, dropped a container filled with matcha on the floor (which by the way, was a pain in the ass to clean up,) and slipped on the floors he had just mopped. Perhaps he was just born unlucky. Perhaps, most people in life didn’t have to struggle the way that he was, the way that he always had. It wasn’t all bad. He was lucky enough to be here, working in his uncle’s tea shop in the Earth Kingdom, rather than in his father’s company back in the Fire Nation. 

The Jasmine Dragon was beloved by many. People from all over the city came to have some of the shops' amazing teas and pastries. It wasn’t too busy, having only three people come in today.  perhaps because school at the University of Ba Sing Se hadn’t quite started up yet, outside of the students who had moved in early. The shop was particularly chilly today, but the atmosphere managed to maintain the same warm and cozy feeling, with the dim atmospheric lighting and the sage and emerald hued furniture. Zuko had a second to just relax in the stillness. 

 He appreciated these quiet moments the most.  The moments where he could stop worrying about the shop, and overthinking the worst things he had ever done in his life. Such as when he lashed out at his uncle, multiple times, or about the people he had bullied in high school. He was almost able to forget it all. Forget the fact that his younger sister, Azula, was still stuck in a house with his abusive father, or even forget the feeling of his father’s hand, burning the flesh of his face, leaving a scar in its wake, as well as a near complete blindness in his left eye. His demons may be restless, but boy did Zuko keep them on a tight leash. 

Zuko’s reverie was broken by the sound of the door’s bell chime. He immediately snapped out of his thoughts, waiting patiently for his assistance to be needed. 

“Um, excuse me,” 

A girl, who seemed to be around his age, was standing right in front of him. She wore a navy blue dress with a pale blue lining and detailing around the edges. A belt of the same color was around her waist, with a brown leather cord connecting a bag onto her hip. Her black jacket was cropped to about rib length, with brown leather cords fastening it closed, as well as matching black pants and brown boots. 

“This is my first time here…Is there anything that you’d recommend?” She asked politely. 

There was something about the way her kind eyes twinkled in the orange lighting that made Zuko fluster. He cleared his throat before opening his mouth to talk. 

“Well, Lychee juice is a customer favorite. But personally, my Uncle Iroh’s jasmine green tea is the best in Ba Sing Se.” 

“The best in Ba sing Se?” She raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

“The best.” he nodded. 

“I’ll take it.” She said, reaching to the tote bag slung over her shoulder. Zuko interrupted her actions with the wave of his hand. 

Zuko shook his head. “Don’t worry, It’s on me.” he said, as he began punching numbers, into the register. 

“Oh no! I can’t let you do that-” She protested. 

He shrugged, a blush beginning to warm his cheeks.  “For a first time customer.” 

“Thank you so much…” She trailed off, waiting for him to tell her his name.

“Zuko.”

“Zuko. I’ll be sure to come by again. And I fully intend on paying that time.” She said with a playful glare. 

The boy smiled slightly.

“Your tea will be ready shortly.” 

Zuko had Iroh bring the tea over to the girl. He wasn’t confident in his ability to steadily bring the tray of hot tea without causing more burns to cover his body. The older man made sure to give the girl a complimentary fruit tart to enjoy, but not before looking at his nephew with a teasing glint in his eyes. Zuko groaned. 

“Not a word, uncle.” He said as he walked through the staff doors into the shops’ kitchen. 

After about 20 minutes had passed, Iroh came into the kitchen, clutching what looked like a napkin and some paper Yuan bills. 

“Zuko! The girl left this on her table after she left!”

Zuko carefully took the napkin from his uncle’s hand, reading the message. 

“Thanks for the tea! - y/n.” 

[tastesoftamriel]

Hey all, I don't normally do this but my alma mater is actively planning on axeing our beloved Anthropology and Ethnobotany department due to (surprise) gross financial mismanagement!

I did my BA and MA at the University of Kent and learned so much under some amazing anthropologists. Over the course of four years, my education became a lens through which I can critically analyse the world and for this I am so grateful.

So please, please, sign this petition and/or pass it around. We need to demonstrate to the the University of Kent and other institutions with similar ideas that the Arts are equally as important as Business or Law. Universities should not be about profit, but education!

[zuko-always-lies]

AITA, Reddit?

So I (60M) grew up the crown prince of this country bent on world conquest. I figured I might as well as get involved in the family business, so I joined in and spent a few decades conquering places. This had the added benefit of making my divine monarch father (95 M but he's dead) happy, plus I knew from a dream I had when I was seven that I had a divinely blessed destiny to conquer Ba Sing Se, which is like the biggest city ever.

Anyways, this whole "conquering things" and burning them down went on for a while, and I even got my wonderful son (20M but also dead unfortunately) involved too. All the while my younger brother(45M) was jealous and would often throw temper tantrums about my success. He would complain that our dad favored me over him, what was absolutely not true at all. I loved my brother to death though but he just never seemed to really grow up. I think it's my fault maybe for not guiding him properly.

Anyways, eventually my brother married my sister in law(35F). They seemed like a great match and were having kids in no time. They had two kids, my nephew (17M) who I took a liking to even when he was a baby and a girl (15F) who always seemed fussy and unfeminine.

Anyways, when my nephew was like 8 myself and my son took off with a huge army to besiege Ba Sing Se for like 600 days. It was bloody affair but you can't go carrying out world conquest and fulfilling destinies without breaking a few hundred thousand eggs. I even got my nephew a gift I looted from an enemy general, a knife with a really cool inscription. I sent the girl a gift too because I had to, a doll or something similar that I looted; I hoped it would make her more proper girly and less of a tomboy.

We were winning the siege and about to conquer the city but then unfortunately my beloved son was killed by an enemy soldier. I was overcome by grief and immediately ordered the army to withdraw. I then left it in the middle of combat and personally left. I know it sounds bad but you have to understand that my son dying was the worst thing ever to happen to anyone and totally justifies it. I went on a bit of a walkabout around and realized this whole "world conquest," "conquering," and "ruling the world" thing just wasn't for me anymore. I really just felt like retiring but of course I was the crown prince so I really couldn't.

Fortunately, when I got back home, I found that my brother had murdered my father and sister in law and stolen the throne. I know it sounds bad but boys will be boys and I didn't want it anymore so I didn't really care. My brother was even really chill about me being back home again and invited me to all his war meetings. I think he was showing off his power or something; it was really adorable. Anyways I kind of felt the whole war thing wasn't very morally good at this point but I still did my best to give valuable advice at the war meetings.

So everything was working out surprisingly well but there was one massive problem. The girl was just completely taking the limelight away from my nephew. She was really smart and good at fighting and fiercely competitive and everything, everything a girl shouldn't be. She played with fire, not dolls. I expected her father to smack her down and put her in her place, but instead he lavished attention on her and neglected his son instead. He began disparaging my nephew and comparing him negatively to the girl, which was very wrong since she was someone who should be focused on having babies and getting married while my nephew was the first born son and the crown prince and deserved accolades for that alone. But to be clear, this was all the girl's fault, not my brother's fault. He never was the best at controlling himself and retaining a clear mind and she took advantage of that by trying to impress her father rather than quieting her competitive spirit and letting her brother maintain his proper place. Plus she criticized my decision to abandon the whole siege thing, which is not how you're supposed to treat a respected elder.

Anyways, all of this made me feel wrong. I really wanted to discipline the girl but she had her father bewitched and there is zero chance he'd allow that, but I figured I could at least give my nephew some positive attention for a change. I got to know him better and he reminded me both of my brother when he was younger and my own son, and I realized I had kind of found two second chances (or maybe even three) in one with him, so I really made a real effort to support him. My nephew could be mean and disrespectful and violent and impulsive, but I always knew he had pure heart behind it all.

Anyways, things were going OK for a while but then they suddenly got much worse. My brother had unjustly banned my 13 year old nephew from a war meeting(probably the girl's fault somehow), so I let him in. Then my nephew, with his big, pure heart, verbally attacked a general for a callous plan, so my brother challenged my nephew to a duel and burned him when he didn't fight back. I just kind of watched (but I'm pretty sure my niece was smirking about the whole thing).

Anyways, I felt kind of guilty about the whole thing, so when my brother banished my nephew to look for the Avatar(a demigod who hadn't been seen for 100 years), I went with my nephew even though what I really wanted to do was stay retired and drink tea all day. This search went on for three whole years as my nephew threw tantrums and randomly attacked people in his search, but boys will be boys and I knew he had a pure heart. I tried to encourage good qualities in him by giving him proverbs but I'm not sure if he got any (but I like my proverbs too much to stop using them). I tried to teach him better firebending but he never really had the patience for it. I guess I tried to get my nephew to stop and smell the roses but that was never going to work.

Eventually the actual Avatar(12 M) showed up (I wasn't expecting that!). The chase went on for another few months. I helped my nephew when I could and encouraged him to keep up the chase, but ultimately we ended at the Northern Water Tribe, where I helped a crazy Admiral named Zhao (45 M) as he tried to conquer the NWT but it was all only to cover for my nephew trying to catch the Avatar. Zhao gave off a lot of self-destructive conquest vibes(I should know-conquest was me at some point) but I still helped him. Anyways, Zhao tried to destroy the moon, I had to try to stop him, it kind of worked, and my nephew and I were forced to flee south on a raft.

We spent some time in a resort, but then the crazy girl showed up and claimed my brother wanted us back. I knew that was sus as hell, it turned out my brother wanted to imprison us (but I'm sure the girl was putting him up to it but unfortunately he never changes his mind once he's made it) for our actions at the NWT, the girl tried to capture myself and my nephew but failed at it, my nephew tried to put the girl in her place, which was a good idea, but he wasn't strong enough, which made it a bad idea, I ended up kicking the girl off a ship, and we escaped. I was sure she was right behind us, so we decided to hide as refugees in the Earth Kingdom.

We spent some time fleeing and hiding in that, I had a brief falling out with my nephew since he was a bit too handsy with other people's things, we reconciled, we hooked up with a couple of members of an old secret fraternal organization of mine, and we headed to Ba Sing Se to hide as refugees. Along the way, my beloved nephew tried to put his crazy sister in her place a couple times, but he wasn't strong enough and it was a bit of bad idea, so I tried to teach him better firebending so he'd have better luck next time. I'll be honest, his attitude was a bit frustrating. I almost forgot to mention this but also at a certain point Zuko and I teamed up with the Avatar to try to put Azula in her place and we trapped her but she got away and I got burned for my trouble. And apparently Zuko and the Avatar couldn't play nice with each other since by the time I woke up they were separated. What can I say?

To get back on track, we headed to Ba Sing Se as refugees, hooked up with another refugee boy who stole food from the captain of our ferry for us. It was surprisingly fun to visit as a tourist the city I had spent so many years trying to conquer and reduce to ashes. I know this sounds bad, but trust me it's not. After being exposed to the abomination which was the local tea, Zuko and I got jobs as tea shop attendants making superior Fire Nation tea, although Zuko didn't like it much even though I told him to accept this was now his destiny. The other refugee boy accused us of being Firebenders but fortunately got taken away by the secret police and we ended up becoming owners of a tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon. It felt like a perfect way to fulfil our destinies and spend my retirement, but Zuko still wanted to capture the Avatar. It was a pain in the ass but boys will be boys, I suppose. I had to rescue him from a secret police compound to prevent him from doing anything really stupid. After that, Zuko finally started to accept his destiny and be happy!

Just when everything was going perfectly, the girl showed and ruined everything. She captured Zuko as part of her coup to seize control of the Earth Kingdom, and I had to team up with the Avatar to try to get him back. It was at that moment I knew Zuko's true destiny was to join up with the Avatar and restore balance to the world! It made perfect sense for once. Zuko was the only one pure enough and true hearted enough and with the right blood to do this; I certainly never could. I just needed to ask Zuko to look into his heart and he'd do it! But again that bitch ruined everything. She manipulated Zuko, that poor boy who didn't know better, into siding with her and her father and betraying me. Into fighting against the Avatar and helping her conquer Ba Sing Se, conquer my city to conquer. She almost killed the Avatar and I had to sacrifice myself to allow him and his little girlfriend to escape. Sometimes your kids will get killed.

I was captured but not powerless now. As I began plot my escape, I also thought about how to influence Zuko into becoming the perfect pure prince I knew he could be, into becoming the friend of the Avatar I knew was his true destiny, into breaking him out of the influence of his evil sister and his father who never quite treated him right. It was easier then I thought. A couple fake cold shoulders (although that hurt a bit for me) and some careful revelations about how he had good blood through his grandfather the Avatar and Zuko was back on the right track, on the track of being the perfect Firelord I could never be. I knew he would stop the Fire Nation, overthrow his father, end the war, and redeem our country, all without needing my help! You might think I should have tried to help him more, but trust me, it works out in the end.

With Zuko's destiny taken care of, it was time to focus on my own. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I also knew I was special and destined for something incredible and I just needed to figure it out. My boyhood dream gave me the right inspiration. All along it was to conquer Ba Sing Se, but for the Earth Kingdom and not the Fire Nation. Everything just clicked into placed. Finally all those deaths I had caused had meaning.

I escaped, and set about fulfilling my fate. I wanted to stage the liberation on the Day of Sozin's Comet, since all firebenders would be more powerful that day. The most important day of my life, the day I finally accomplished the destiny I saw all those years ago, deserved to be at the time I was the most powerful. I gathered up all my friends and prepared for my attempt.

However, just before I could make my attempt, my son and his friends showed up and asked for my help. Zuko begged for my forgiveness. I was so happy to see him like that and I of course forgive him and hugged him. My "replacement son" was now as close to my heart as my actually son had been. He asked me to be the next Firelord, but I knew his heart was a million times purer than mine (and I'd be happier running a tea shop in retirement), so I refused. He wanted me to fight his father the Firelord and defeat him, but that was that 12 year old the Avatar's job and not mine, and it would have looked really bad for a brother to fight a brother to seize power, like really really bad, so I refused. Then I told him his destiny to was to fight his sister and put her in her place so that he could finally become Firelord. Of course, even my perfect nephew, as pure and perfect as he is, didn't have a chance against that girl in a fair fight, so I sent along a waterbender(14F) to help finish the issue.

There was also this issue of my brother, poor deluded creature he was, trying to use a giant airship fleet to burn down the whole Earth Kingdom, but I let the three remaining kids handle it so that my buddies and I could focus on the more important mission of conquering Ba Sing Se on the day of destiny. I know this sounds kind of bad when I write it out like that, but trust me, I knew the kids had everything in the bag.

So, with everything arranged right, we could accomplish our fates. We liberated Ba Sing Se with only a bit of collateral damage(it was the greatest feeling of life) , the kids stopped the airship fleet, the Avatar beat my brother and only took his bending and not his life (which I'm glad for, I always loved my little bro) and my wonderful nephew and the waterbender beat the little terror. Apparently she went really insane during the fight; I'm not surprised, she always was a crazy bitch.

Zuko got coronated and I'm sure that he'll be the most perfect Firelord ever that will restore honor and order to the Fire Nation and fix the last 100 years of mistakes. He's the only one with the blood for it, the only one with true honor, after all. Azula that crazy girl was placed in an asylum like she belongs and my poor little brother was locked away true (that's my only real regret, other than not saving Lu Ten. I wish things could have ended better for sweat little Ozai).

I meanwhile didn't attend Zuko's coronation, so I could focus on setting my retirement as a tea shop owner in Ba Sing Se. Finally I could have a life where I could relax, indulge myself, and serve others wonderful Fire Nation tea. It took a surprising amount of bureaucratic wrangling, but I got my tea shop. I was so sure that the people of Ba Sing Se would find it a blessing to be the presence of their savior and liberator!

However, then Zuko's girlfriend got mad at me. Apparently I had "given Zuko an incredibly difficult and dangerous responsibility and then abandoned him." And then my sister in law showed up alive too (I'm still not sure how she survived Ozai killing her) and she got mad me for "abandoning her daughter and turning Zuko against the girl." And now there are people protesting and rioting outside my tea shop all the time because apparently they can't let go of the time I besieged Ba Sing Se for 600 days.

I don't get any of this. Everyone is hating on me for seemingly no reason. So tell me, Reddit, am I the asshole?

[darklydeliciousdesires]

Immortal Beloved - A John Shelby/Vampire OFC Story.

Well, guys. It's happening. Kinda happening. Testing the waters, yep. We'll go with that. I'm not convinced it's any good despite my best efforts, so I thought I'd see what you thought by sharing the prologue. Who knows? You might love it and then I could feel a little much-needed cheer when I'm going through a bit of a black spot at present, but if not then I know I have to go away and work harder on it. Either way, your feedback matters to me, and I thank in advance those kind enough to leave it.

The story will differ slightly from canon here and there, as you will notice, but not so much that's unrecognisable. Slightly AU, shall we say!

Here we go!

Tag list - In the comments

Words - 1,956

Warnings - Adult themes + vampire content throughout. Minors DNI!

Prologue

He stumbled, muttering cusses that fluttered off to permeate the silence of the night, rooting his feet as he straightened, pulling his overcoat around himself more. The cobbles underfoot already twinkled with a smattering of frost, the air thick with winter mist and pungent coal smoke, John feeling his pale skin tremble. The bitter December cold greeted him with her usual sting upon that night.  

“Don’t get so pie-eyed that you don’t know what’s what, John. That goes for all of us.” 

John Shelby wasn’t always the most proficient at following orders, especially when a bad business day had led to his arrival at The Garrison, a decision to sink nine whiskies one after the other and six pints, thus leading to him sitting there sloshed and grinning.  

His troubles had been far behind him as he’d revelled in merriment, loudly championing to his cohorts exactly what he would like to do to Clara Bow, for instance, should he have the screen siren within his lustful clutches for long enough. He’d heeded Tommy’s advice to begin with, but on that day, the loss of over a grand thanks to a horse who should have lost, and a jockey with other ideas, his elder brother’s words of warning had fallen on deaf ears.  

“Fucking Rasmussen’s,” he muttered, sniffing as he at least attempted to walk up Watery Lane in a straight-ish line. “Bastards can fucking try and ‘ave me, but they won’t. Fucking Geordie cunts.”  

The Rasmussen’s, of the family Rasmussen, were a definite thorn in the side of anyone with the surname Shelby at that moment, the Newcastle criminal outfit currently making their presence known, and loudly. Barges that moved through the canal systems anywhere close to their areas within the north had been firebombed, their cargo sunk, Shelby bookmaking stands ransacked at the races, and threats to the family delivered with malicious intent; stay out of the north, or else.  

The Shelby’s were not the type to simply back off, though. They were the type to be on their guard against any reprisal attacks, vengeance against the kind of Shelby retribution the likes of which had - after quite the bloodied brawl - sent the Rasmussen’s scarpering from a race meet in Derby two weekend’s past.  

The family would not simply roll over and take the threat lying down, and neither would the Rasmussen’s. They were great in number, and where hand to hand strength lay, perhaps the most formidable in force that the Shelby’s had ever encountered. That strength did not seem normal, more deity gifted than naturally arising.  

They bred ‘em hard as nails in the north, apparently.  

As he staggered, lying down was exactly what John wished to be doing, once again standing to root his feet upon the slippery cobbles, looking up at a streetlamp which had begun to flicker slightly, the bulb then suddenly popping with an audible bang.  

First assuming a stray bullet had been responsible, it was just the sobering shock he needed to quickly take stock, his sky-blue eyes scanning the darkened street for any kind of movement through the thick fog, drawing himself up taller as his hand automatically hovered over the gun nestled within his ever-present holster. Bang, bang, bang, another three streetlamp bulbs all shattered, plunging the lane into darkness, John feeling the effects of the whiskey diminish as his senses prickled on high alert.  

He stood statuesque, his ears pricked, eyes still darting from left to right while his hand curled around the thick handle of the gun, primed, ready. They wouldn’t get the better of him, oh fuck no. He blinked, and a figure finally came into view a couple of hundred yards ahead, seemingly appearing from nowhere. He blinked again and saw that the woman dressed in white and stained with blood had moved again, John shaking his head in confusion.  

It must have been the drink. People did not move from one side of the street to the other at such a speed, seemingly vanishing and appearing once more within a blink.  

She appeared to be on high alert, John watching as she sniffed the air, a deep, foreboding rumble sounding through the night. He wondered whose dog was out at that hour, until it hit him; the growl was coming from her. It was a noise neither of human nor beast, an eerie, echoless reverberation, his heartbeat amping up a notch as he watched.  

Another blink and she was once again moved, a tearing sound filling the air, followed by a shrill cry, gurgling noises, spluttering. Looking to his right, he witnessed the woman dragging a man who had been concealed within the shadows out into the street, her mouth clamped upon his neck. John stood motionless, his eyes widening as he viewed the scene, a cold snap of horror shocking his bones as he witnessed her yank the man’s head clean from his neck with frighteningly swift finesse.  

His jaw began to tremor, his grip upon the gun in his hand tight as she walked to him, her fingers tangled in the black hair of the severed head she carried, a shock of crimson painting her chin and neck from where she had gorged upon the blood of the now lifeless, headless body slumped upon the cobbles.  

“Who the...” he began as she halted before him, changing track. “What the fuck are you?” 

Her lips curled into a smirk, holding the severed head aloft, blood and sinew dripping onto the ground below. “I am the one who saved you from Samuel Rasmussen. He waited for you.” Her head jerked back a fraction in the direction of the darkened lane. “Same as his three friends.”  

The silken purr of her voice was so alluring, it almost overrode the fact that John stood so terrified, he honestly did not know what on earth to say next. Had he truly seen what he saw? Was this merely a whiskey hazed dream? Surely, he was about to wake with a start, a thumping headache accompanying the morning that followed such peculiar dreams, for this couldn’t be real. 

Could it? 

Dropping the head to the floor, her hand reached for him, John’s shaking grip upon the gun solidifying as he thrust his arm forth, attempting to press the barrel to her skull. He found himself disarmed faster than he could comprehend, the Webley revolver landing with a clatter upon the ground.  

“Shhh,” she soothed, her enchanting eyes flitting over him, her long nails gently trailing his cheeks as she viewed him intently. “I mean you no harm.”  

Studying her up close properly, it was then that he noticed them, the two long, pointed teeth in place of where her canines should have sat, the smooth white smudged with red. His heart pounded like a war drum, his entire body feeling light. The lithe muscles of his form pinched tightly in fear, yet a juxtaposing sense of calm seemed to swirl through him at her softly delivered words. 

“You can trust me. I wish nothing more than to instil that within you.” What on earth was that accent? He couldn’t place it at all. 

How exactly, he could trust a woman who had just decapitated a man with her bare hands after drinking his blood, he didn’t know, but he felt on an instinctual level that he could. Unless it was the whiskey. Whiskey, of course, had the power to lie.  

The woman, though, seemed to be earnest in what she had told him, her nails stroking her cheeks as she studied him, her blue eyes flitting, taking him in. Oh, how she approved of what she gazed upon. He was magnificently handsome. Her nails stroked a hail of goose bumps over his alabaster skin, reaching his neck as she leaned forward, sniffing him. A contented sigh fluttered over her lips. 

“Your blood smells like earth and fire, honey and dark orchids.”  

What?  

He frowned, perplexed, opening his mouth to speak. No words came forth. He was so overcome by her that speech was beyond him. It felt like she was pouring soothing waves of calm into him, and little did he realise, but he was correct. Her kind could transmit energies to humans in order to placate their fears. 

Staring down at her, it struck him sharply, how much she didn’t quite look like she belonged there. Striking she was, with her milky skin that matched his own, her throat and chest covered in tattoos, symbols and swirls he didn’t recognise whatsoever. He knew tattooed ladies existed, but he was yet to witness one up until then, the dark-haired, blue-eyed woman smiling, her nails like sensual daggers upon his neck. 

She was unlike anyone else he’d ever encountered, a woman of distinct enigma.  

There was something about her that didn’t fit, decapitation and blood drinking aside. She looked as if she’d come from another time, a different age. This yanked at his interest almost as much as her allure, her pale skin seeming to glow beneath the light of the moon, now unincumbered by clouds as it shone its rays down upon them.  

“You are perhaps the most beautiful creature I have seen in a long, long time.”  

No, it was not he who uttered those words. It was the woman, her statement one of parting, John blinking and finding her vanished once more into the night. She’d left him breathless, with every hair on his body feeling like it was standing on end.  

Vampires tended to have that effect on the living. 

While the third youngest of the Shelby men made his way into their abode, the vampire moved at speed, perching herself atop the roof of one of the opposing back-to-back houses. The dark slate tingled against her bare feet, but being a creature of zero body heat unless she was sitting close to a source of warmth, it was of no bother to her.  

She sharpened her senses to the night, listening intently to every noise, every rustle. A bottle rolled over and tinkled over the cobbles a few streets away, a gentleman a few further on than that regurgitated the many beers he’d sunk in a nearby pub into the gutter, too, but other than that, all was quiet.  

Well, mostly all.  

Within the homestead she had been watching over, she heard the brand-new object of her desire being berated by the woman named Polly, as she’d gathered. Closing her eyes, she saw the one she knew to be named John there in her mind, a throb reverberating through her. Goodness, how handsome he was close up, perhaps the most divine man she’d encountered in a while.  

He carried himself with such pride and confidence, being a member of a notable criminal outfit, of course he would. A vampire of her age could tell so much more about a person, though, just by studying them, as she had with him and his family from the shadows. For all his acts of violence and authority, of which she had witnessed a couple, she sensed a man a little less ruthless than his elder brothers, with a heart a touch softer.  

It was the softness within him that pulled her in the most.  

She had gone there that night with the view of a single-minded agenda, only to encounter John Shelby up close for the first time and realise that her plight was perhaps not going to be quite as polarised as she’d first envisioned. Confident that the family were safe from any further acts of violent subterfuge, the vampire took one last look at the house.  

“Until next time, beautiful creature.”  

She was gone into the darkness within a blink.  

[burning-academia-if]

*An beloved, worn journal of the MCs tucked under the bed. With a drunken entry*

Rook, loving you is one of my very first memories. When we were so young that I could slip my hands into yours when the world start to be too much. When the world started to spin to fast. I would feel so much safer just holding your hand. Like you were my very own knight against all the darkness. Sometimes I would just reach for your hand, because mine naturally fit in yours. When did you feel the need to stop holding my hand? To leave me behind?

I know everyone of your smiles. When you are hiding, when you sad, when you don't want to be seen, the ones when you are generally happy. They are all so beautiful. People have asked me why, why do I not persure Teri, who looks at me with interest, or Gale who seeks me out at every turn. How can I look at them, when you have galaxies in your eyes. When I can witness all your smiles instead. Even when they are for someone else. That is happening more often now. When did I stop being able to make you laugh? Is that why you were always busy? Always away?

I know you have your secrets, and that's okay. But every year you tell me less. You spend just a bit less time with me. Now when I try to get close to you, you always seem to run. And I can't blame you. I wouldn't want to hold these hands either....

Been staring at this since it hit my inbox. I think you just wrote the first official BA fanfic anon

[ellssbellss]

Lavender Roses ~ Kyoya Ootori x Reader

pairing ~ Kyoya Ootori x Reader

In which a rational head hides a generous heart, but you have always known how to see past his walls and help him bloom into the gorgeous rose he is. Enjoy a slow burn between an honor student and our beloved glasses character!

Happy 1 year to Lavender Roses and this entire, wonderful blog. Without you, this story wouldn't have reached as many people as it has. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much.

-> summary: "But not anymore. You haven’t been alone for a long time, (Y/n), not since you joined the club. Not since you met me."

-> word count: 8.3k

tw! the scene on the cliff gets a little intense, mentions of blood, demeaning language against women, slight PTSD, weaponry (knives), verbal assault, physical assault, sexual misconduct. kyoya is dumb and so are you.

legend:

(M/n) - mother's name

(n/l) - native language

(s/c) - skin color

see masterlist! masterlist

taglist! @abbysblogsstuff @sunukissed @kisskissshutmydoor @idonia-dovahkiin @greensnakegoblep @vervainnnn @desert-fern @delievia @obeythemasters @luca-nightshade @sweetandsourwrites @wrzloyd @1234567890nono @inactivecrofters @katiebwalczak03 @reader3 @radical-bunny @stevexbucky404 @localgaytrainwreck

The Sun, The Sea, and The Host Club! pt. 2

Kyoya lounges as he writes, a foreign feeling of contentment wrapped around his frame.

Soft bursts of images sift through his mind, you over his lap, your arm on his side while his gravitates towards your hip. How close your mouth was to his and how badly he wanted to taste it. How he had basically lunged at the chance, not that you were complaining.

That had caught him off guard. 

As he was writing, the megane realized he had never been a fan of romance. Above multiple reasons, he never saw the point. His father and mother had married for business instead of love, creating an environment where affection was not celebrated or practiced. He would see couples in the hallway and roll his eyes, thinking that they were wasting their time. 

When he voiced these opinions one evening to his sister Fuyumi, she gasped. 

“Kyoya! You really think love is a waste of time?”

“It’s a chemical reaction, Fuyumi, that’s all.” He had explained in a monotone voice, barely giving her any attention as he was typing away at his computer. “Your brain releases a certain neurotransmitter when you find someone attractive and compatible, and it tricks you into thinking you’re in love. Companies leech off this, creating Valentine’s Day, cards, encouraging weddings and all this nonsense.” 

He pushes his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “I am not one to be fooled, and I will certainly not allow myself to be tricked by my own mind.” 

Kyoya ended his bored rant with an amused chuckle, feeling sorry for the suckers out there who lost precious time and money on something that could never really last, at least not forever. 

But Fuyumi just stood there, leaning against the doorway with a small smile on her face as she looked at her oblivious brother, too young to take the world as seriously as he did. 

“You can tell me that when you meet a wonderful man or woman, and we will see how you feel about how you want to spend your time.”

Kyoya scoffed. “Please, how I feel is irrelevant. My work is what deserves my time, end of story.”

Then his phone rang, and he paused his typing to see a contact picture flashing on the screen. Leaving his chair, he had walked to the door of his bedroom as he answered the call. 

“Hello, give me one second, please.” Then he turned to her, a little brother shoving his sister out of his room.

“Goodnight, Fuyumi.” The door closed behind him with a clack, and Fuyumi heard her brother pick up his conversation as he disappeared into his room. “Hello, (Y/n), thank you for calling me back…”

Kyoya smirked as he came back to the sounds of the beach, waves and laughing people filling his ears as his thoughts ran away with him. 

He had met a wonderful girl. And he could barely fathom how he was lucky enough to understand the feeling his sister was talking about. The pull he had to you was intense, and it was something he had never experienced with anyone before. 

The sun had reflected off of your (e/c) irises so perfectly in that moment, and the short distance had enticed him heavily, that the pull tugged and tugged. 

He hadn’t even confessed yet, and you had somehow convinced him to give in to his own temptations. 

“Kyoya! What should I do?!”

The ravenet broke out of his thoughts as his best friend ran towards him, arms holding a bucket of snakes in their grasp. 

Kyoya simply arched his brow.

“I wanted to scare Haruhi and (Y/n) with these rat snakes, but the twins said that anyone would find them creepy, so it wasn’t a true weakness! And now I don’t know what to do!” Tamaki whined, his voice rising as he shuffled on his feet, anxious about the snakes in his grasp. 

The club director’s spectacled gaze fell onto the snakes, twisting inside the plastic bucket without a care in the world. Taking a closer look, he let out a deep sigh.

“Those aren’t rat snakes, Tamaki. They are poisonous Habu snakes.” Kyoya turns back to his book. “Rat snakes aren’t even native to Okinawa.”

“What?!” Suddenly, the prince of the host club is running around in circles, whining while juggling the bucket in his hands. “What do I do with them?! C’mon, Kyo, you gotta help me out!”

“Tamaki, Kyoya!”

Both boys freeze as they watch Haruhi race towards them, her feet kicking up sand as she meets them at the chair. 

She’s breathing heavily, her eyes wide with fright and worry as she heaves. “Help, please, you’ve gotta help me.”

Forgetting about the bucket completely, Tamaki rushed over to Haruhi, pulling her close to him to try to ease some of her worries. “What is it, Haruhi? Are you hurt? What do you need?”

“It’s (Y/n). I thought we could handle it, but things got out of control. She told me to come get you.”

“What?” Kyoya sits up on his chair, quelling the anxiety in his chest. He admired Haruhi for being a girl who is very put together, so for her to fight the fear in her voice so adamantly is concerning. “Is she okay?”

“What’s wrong with (Y/n)?” Tamaki says calmly and firmly, trying to get some answers out of his panicking honor student. 

“These boys! They were- they-, god just follow me!” Flustered she turns around, sprinting away from the two hosts.

Kyoya and Tamaki rush in pursuit, agony filling into their chests. 

As the cliff comes into view, Kyoya catches Haruhi’s concerned gaze rise to the top of it, his own eyes following. Three shadowy figures struggle in the sunset, and his heart plummets as one of them is pushed to the high edge. 

In the distance, a piece of fabric lies stagnant in the sand, and Kyoya curses as he passes by it. A Hawiian shirt, ripped and torn as it lies helplessly in the sand. 

“No, no wait. Stop!” You struggle as Ren pushes you back, your heels leaving the ground as he holds you over the cliff's edge.

“Yeah, yeah, you know what?” The alcohol on his breath is rancid as he sneers, Aoi grinning behind him. “I ain’t got time for difficult chicks like you. Might as well leave you out to sea.” He jostled you, and relished in the way you flinched. 

“Don’t! Don’t, please, don’t. It’s too much. Please, don’t let me go.”

“Oh, now you’re begging for me to hold you? Where was this a few seconds ago, sweetheart?”

“(Y/n)!” Hearing Tamaki’s voice was sweeter than any cake that Honey could’ve given you, making you want to cry out in relief as you looked behind the two thugs. 

Ren and Aoi freeze as you see Haruhi, Kyoya and Tamaki round the corner of the bottom of the cliff, concern and determination shining in their visages.

Meeting Kyoya’s gaze, you wriggle around some more, trying your best to shove Ren off of you without any friction below you. “Tamaki! Kyoya! They’re going to-”

You're quieted with a hand covering your mouth, Ren shouting in your face. “Be quiet! We aren’t doing anything!”

Kyoya’s jaw clenched at your plea, and he pumps his legs into a faster run, trying to get to you as you are, dear god, dangled off a cliff. “Let go of her!”

Aoi turns to Ren, and you see panic in his eyes as your three heroes charge up the rocks. “Ren, we gotta go. Like now, they don’t look happy.”

“Shut up, I know that.” Ren snarls before he forces a grin and turns to the boys, holding you up by one hand now.

“You want me to let go? Well, whatever you say.”

“No!” Kyoya called, but it was too late. 

Ren’s fingers go limp, any tension that was holding you up above the waters below disappearing as the fabric of your bathing suit slips from his grasp. 

The air whipped around you as you watch the cliff get smaller and smaller, plummeting towards your greatest fear. You feel a scream bubble up to the opening of your throat, but no noise dares to release, shock taking over your entire body.

Cold, sharp pains spider through your back as you hit the water, knocking all the wind out of your lungs in one single splash. The feeling of watery nothingness surrounds your skin as it pricks you. At the waterpark, the lazy river had tried to pull you into its flow, desperately and immaturely trying to take its next victim. 

But the ocean was experienced, eerily calm as it let you sink. And sink. Wrapping its deep silence around your form, you don’t think you’ll ever stop sinking. 

And as you begin to cry at the thought, water fills your lungs. 

“(Y/n)!” Haruhi tried to call, but you were already out of sight, plunging into the water below. Panic clouded Kyoya’s mind as he ran, all of his thoughts zeroed in on the conversation that he had just had with you minutes before. 

I just don’t like the idea of being deprived of oxygen. Then I’d just sink, and be lost.

And now you were lost to him, falling into something you so desperately had tried to avoid. 

In his pursuit, a hooded man, much shorter than Kyoya, tried to step in his way. The kid grabbed at him, and any anger Kyoya had in his body went into a singular push, sending the man tumbling to the side. “Get out of my way.”

Reaching the edge, Kyoya didn’t think twice. Discarding his precious glasses to the side, Kyoya shoved the problem of the disgusting man in the red shirt out of the way, and took the dive. 

Long and lanky, he arched into the dive, his nearsightedness making it so your figure was just a blur from this distance, but he targeted it. His palm reached out and willed you to be closer, willed you to be okay. 

“(Y/n)!” He called as your fuzzy figure disappeared into the ocean with a harsh slap, the sound echoing in his ears. Kyoya’s own fall ended as he dipped into the water soon after, cursing his terrible vision as he looked around. 

A relieved exhale presented itself in bubbles when he finally saw you, drifting limply as the current pulled you along. Kicking hard, Kyoya stretched his muscles and his lungs as he held his breath, fighting against the density of the water. As he got closer, his stomach turned when he saw a small vein of red seeping from a cut in your leg, which only made him swim faster towards you. 

Finally, his hand grasped your floating one, and in one quick movement, pulled you against his chest. With your weight against him, his logical mind rebooted, and he tucked your head under his chin as he swam up to the surface. 

“(N/n)-chan!”

“Kyoya-senpai!”

The voices seemed so distant, your skin clammy and gooseing against the beach air. Something was moving you, you could feel a familiar pressure against the small of your back and behind your knees, but it didn’t distract from the wave.

Your blood waved, splashing and swaying against the walls of your veins. It felt like your muscles had melted into liquid, and you were still in the pool, being bobbed and pulled into the black of the ocean. 

But then there was a shade of orange behind your lids, and blinking made it brighter. Something dragged over them still, tugging your eyes open as the sky moved above you. 

Tufts of black hair and a very sharp jawline were the next visions to come into your view, and the waving stopped, replaced by the firm steps of Kyoya carrying you to safety.

“Kyo…” Your voice was hoarse, raw from unconsciously coughing up water as soon as you had reached the surface. 

He didn’t respond, his gray eyes covered by his wet hair, but his grip on you tightened ever so slightly. 

Instead, he looked forward towards what you would assume to be your friends, but you were too focused on the deep orange the sunset casted across the clouds. 

“Where’d they go?”

“We took their ID cards and asked them to leave, not before showing them what’s for.” A voice said. Hikaru..yeah, Hikaru.

“The girls went back to the hotel and Mori called a doctor. He should be here any minute.” Kaoru follows like he always does, and the comfort of their routine brought you back to reality, especially when they mentioned the doctor.

“I���m fine, guys. I really don’t want to see a doctor.” You say, sighing as you leave Kyoya’s grasp. When your feet hit the solid ground of packed sand, you wobbled a bit, and Tamaki came into your line of sight. 

His arms helped steady you, but he didn’t let go as you straightened out. “What were you thinking?”

Still a little dazed, your brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

“Tamaki, stop.” Haruhi says as she stands next to you, giving you one of her jackets to wrap around yourself. 

“No, no.” Tamaki’s voice is low, collected. It shook you. “What were either of you thinking? You know, you aren’t martial arts masters like Honey and Mori-senpai.”

“Duh, don’t you think I know that?” You chuckle a bit, trying to lighten the mood, but you’re getting more and more frustrated by your best friend’s accusatory tone.

“You think this is funny?” Your prince is in disbelief as he raises his hands from your shoulders to the base of your neck. “Why did you confront them? What made you think you could stand a chance? You against two boys?”

“It doesn’t matter if they were boys and I’m a girl. They were harassing our guests, they needed to be stopped!” The emotional toll that today’s events have taken wore down your patience, and now you’re raising your tone, lacing it with betrayal and disbelief.

“We were there, Tamaki, we had to do something!” Haruhi takes a stand, trying to talk some sense into your best friend. 

“That’s no excuse, you idiots! Don’t forget that you are girls!”

“Kyoya.” Turning, you look back at your director for some support. “Tell him we did the right thing.”

But there is no answer. Kyoya just stands there with his arms folded, his mouth formed into a straight, formidable line, securing all of his thoughts behind a single wall. Water drips off the ends of his hair onto his toned torso as his jaw clenches, not breaking eye contact with you. 

“Kyoya?”

“You ran into a situation unprepared, unyielding, and irresponsibly. You put yourself in danger, self-sacrificing your safety for the needs of three girls you barely know.”

If Tamaki’s serious tone was shaking, Kyoya’s was chilling. It was cold, unrelenting as it jabbed into your heart with every syllable. “Are you mad at me right now? After you jumped off a cliff to save me?”

“I wouldn’t have had too, if you had been as smart as I thought you were.”

Defensiveness burns inside you. “I did what had to be done! Yes, it wasn’t safe, but it was me or those girls, and I couldn’t let them get hurt.”

“But you could put yourself at risk?”

“It’s different!”

“How?” With haunting grace, Kyoya outstretched his hand in order for Hikaru to place his lenses into his palms. Using the fabric from his shorts, he cleans them off the best he can, and slips them onto his nose. “The worry you felt for those girls when they were grabbed, and the worry that not only I, but everyone here felt for you when they saw you dangled at the edge of a cliff, you tell me how those are different.”

Heaving a heavy sigh, you run your hands over your face, not being able to put your feelings into words. “It just is. And I’m sorry you had to come save me, but I can’t understand why you’re so mad at me right now.”

“You can’t, or you won’t?”

“I don’t think I did anything wrong!”

At that, Kyoya’s piercing gaze sharpens, and you see his adam's apple bob, a signal that he is calling upon his immeasurable self-control. “You don’t think so? Fine.”

He steps forward, walking towards you and then brushing your shoulder as he passes your form. 

“Kyoya, where-?”

“I don’t think we can speak again until you can admit that you were wrong.”

And with that, his form becomes a spot in the distance as he leaves you in the dusk. 

Soon, you left the others to wander around Kyoya’s guest house aimlessly. You frowned at every framed picture of his family, even ones where he was young and round, not sharpened by what his world had to offer. 

You climbed to the second floor, only to come to a line of doors. 

“Bedrooms…” you confirmed under your breath, running your hands along the wall as you passed them. “But…which one..?”

On the door handle on the second room from the end of the hall, a yellow rose was tied around it, welcoming and ironic all at once. 

A sad smile came to your face as you plucked it off the knob, then turned it, still holding it in your grasp as you entered the room. 

The room was generic, but you noticed a bouquet of yellow roses sat on the bed, tied with a lavender ribbon. There was a note in the gorgeous arrangement, and you plucked it out from it’s stand. 

Dear (Y/n),

My room is the one at the end of the hall, next door to this one. Should you need anything, you may let me know, and it will be done. 

Have a restful night. 

Sincerely, 

Kyoya Ootori

Swallowing, you set the note down and fiddle with the petals of the roses, Haruhi’s jacket softly brushing against your wet form. That note must’ve been written before everything had gone down, and your heart turned a little at the thought of him coming in here and placing these here with care, knowing how touched you would be when you saw it. 

Putting them on the nightstand, you drag yourself to your shower. While the hot water runs down your body, you rest your head against the tiles, trying to think your way through this. 

Tamaki was frustrated, Kyoya was pissed, and Haruhi was almost hurt. Everything today had been overshadowed by a single action by two terrible people, and you hated it. The drama that had been going on lately, and the stress of the dinner with your family and Arai, had left you tired, emotionally and mentally. To make it worse, the person you wanted to talk to the most about everything that was going on in your head currently was not talking to you. 

Lifting your head, you let the water splash onto your face before getting out and dressing into something that was finally more your speed. The week had been full of dressing you to the nines for the perception of others, but as you prepared to have dinner with your friends (or who you hoped were still your friends), you could wear something that expressed who you were, not who someone wanted you to be. 

As you fixed your face and hair, a knock sounded at your door, methodic as it rang against the wood. 

You almost wanted to ignore it, but the possibility of Kyoya being on the other side was too intriguing, and you rushed to the door, calming down before coolly opening it.

“So, now you decide to-oh. Hey.” Hiding your slight disappointment, you look up to see Mori standing in your doorway. “What’s up, Mori-senpai?”

“Dinner’s ready.” His mouth is curved a little at one side, and you can tell he’s trying to be a little more joyful for you, considering everything that happened. 

He then raises his hand from his side, and presents an Ootori Hospital First Aid Kit. “Kyoya wanted me to give this to you. For your leg.”

Eyebrows raising, you take the kit. Throughout the drama, you forgot about the cut Ren had made on your calf. Seeing it now, the salt water helped stop the bleeding, and it was scabbed over, now just serving as a reminder of what you had gotten yourself into. 

“Thank you, Mori.” Your gratitude came out as a sigh as you set the med kit down, and Mori watched as your form slouched ever so slightly.

“(Y/n).” 

“Hm?” Looking up at him, he swallowed at the tiredness in your eyes. Doing what he thought was right, you felt the stoic place a comforting hand on your head. 

“I can teach you. So can Mistukuni.”

“Teach me? Teach me what?”

“How to protect yourself.”

Two times you had been subjected to the whims of a confused, angered man. And both times, no matter how you had tried to fight against them, you were still untrained, still ignorant of the ways to use your power to its fullest potential. This time, when you looked back at your friend, your eyes glimmered. 

“Really?”

A firm nod came from the tall man, and you couldn’t help the sigh of relief that expelled out of you. Arms opening, you reach out and hug Mori around his waist, nuzzling into his long frame.

“Thank you, Mori.”

The hand on your head tightened for a moment before he stepped back. “I’m gonna go get Haruhi, and we’ll walk down together, yeah?”

Nodding, you step out of your room, closing the door behind you. “Yeah, sounds good.”

The minute Haruhi had stepped out of her room, your eyes lit up.

A pretty pink nightgown draped over her shoulders, ruffles shooting out the side of her collarbone. She looked beautiful and elegant, and it was refreshing to see her out of the clothes that reminded you of the fight on the cliff. 

And if you thought she was beautiful, the rest of the hosts clearly didn’t disagree.

As the three of you stepped out into the dining hall, the twins immediately shot up, mouths agape as Haruhi glided into the room. 

Even Honey smiled as he stood on the chair of his seat, milk chocolate eyes glittering with the sight of her.

“Woah!” The boy-lolita said, and you stepped aside as he and the twins surrounded the honor student, complimenting her as she smiled gratefully. 

Turning towards the long dining table, you see two figures. Tamaki fights the blush on his face as he stares at Haruhi, but still chooses to sulk at his place at the table. His purple eyes meet yours, and then they slide down, and your stomach coils as he turns himself off to you.

Daring to glance at the person sitting across from your prince, Kyoya leans into his chair, his black journal perfectly perched on his lap as he writes, and you swallow. 

Knowing that Tamaki was a ticking time-bomb, you take your chances, walking up to the Shadow King. 

“Is this seat taken?”

No response. Looking around, you see name cards propped against the plates, your name clearly written in a very familiar cursive. Must’ve been the preparations he had made before.

“Looks like it is now.” You say awkwardly, shuffling the chair out and sitting down next to the ravenet. “I, uh, I got your note. And the roses. They were really beautiful.”

His pen pauses, and his dark eyes lift over his pages to stare into space. Then Kyoya’s eyes shift down, and his writing continues.

Folding your fingers over, you wait silently as the other hosts fawn over Haruhi, literally twirling your thumbs. Tamaki is sitting across from you, avoiding your eyes. Rolling your eyes, you twist your mouth as you try to catch his gaze, and being the pushover he is, he holds it after a moment.

You tilt your head, sitting aggressively back in your chair. You’re mad at me too, now?

Violet eyes roll. He’s not mad at you, just hurt. Talk to him, mon ami.

You think I haven’t tried?

Clearly, you didn’t try hard enough. Flipping his blonde hair away from his eyes, your best friend gives you an incredulous look. The man jumped off of a cliff for you. 

I didn’t ask him to do that.

You wouldn’t have done the same for us?

Your lips part a little, but you look away for a second before meeting his eyes again. A blonde eyebrow raises and Tamaki rests his chin in his hand.

I would’ve jumped off that cliff too if Kyoya hadn’t beaten me to it. We’ve all been through a lot today. Violet eyes are drawn back to the host in pink, and you sigh as they become distant. 

Reaching across the table, you tap it lightly, hearing the writing beside you pause for a moment as Tamaki looks back at you. 

You’re not going to tell her she looks nice? I figured you would’ve been all over that dress.

We aren’t speaking right now. 

Your expression morphs into one of disbelief and slight annoyance. What? Why?

She acted childish, running up there with absolutely no regard for herself.

So did I, and you’re talking to me.

Deadpanning, he smacks his lips together. This isn’t talking! We probably look like crazy people right now.

A small smile takes up the corner of your lips, and he simpers back. Plus, I can’t stay mad at you.

Your eyebrows raise, an equivocal gaze clouding your eyes as you glance over to Haruhi and the twins. I doubt you can stay mad at her.

He straightens his back as a blush rises to his cheeks as Haruhi’s skirt swishes with her movements as the rest of the hosts make their way to the dinner table. She sits down next to him, a challenging look on her face as she spies on him from the corner of her eye.

Tamaki narrows his gaze and turns back to face you, a sigh rolling through his lungs. We’ll see.

The twins pull out a chair and sit, Kaoru to your right and Hikaru to his. After everyone gets situated, plates are filled with delicious looking crab legs and side dishes, creating an array of a colorful feast. 

Cracking shells filled the air as no one bothered to speak, the tension of the room encasing your group into a box of crushing glass. Haruhi began to make a pile of empty shells on her plate, sending the prince that sat next to her in a state of disbelief. 

Digging into your own dinner, you look over to your left to see Kyoya still writing, his portion of the catch of the day remaining untouched. 

“You’re not eating?” Your voice raises barely above a whisper, afraid that if you broke the silence, the tenuous glass of tension would come crashing down on you. 

Not even a glance from the megane. You send a pleading glance to your friend across from you, but Tamaki shrugs. Third times the charm?

Putting your cheek in your teeth, you try to get closer, pulling a strategy that has worked before. “What’re you writing about? Can I see?”

You sulk as Kyoya turns away from you, bending the spine of his book so that the pages are fully covered from your view.

Kaoru, having seen the whole thing, gave a wide eyed look to his brother. “Well this is uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, kind of awkward.” Says his twin.

Defeated, you sit back, smiling weakly as Kaoru puts a few extra crab legs from his plate onto yours. 

Pleasured grumbles interrupt your self-pity as you and the twins look across the table to see Haruhi demolishing crab legs. Everytime she opened her mouth, she made an ‘ah’ sound, a blush coming onto her cheeks as she relished in the seafood taste. 

“Oh my god,” bits of crab fall onto the corner of her mouth as she groans. “These crabs…taste in-crab-ible.” A cute, muffled chuckle escapes out of her full mouth as her stack of crab shells continues to grow. “Get it?”

Tamaki is caught in the splash zone, shells and crab crumbs being tossed into his space as he sits next to her. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough? Geez, Haruhi, give it a rest.”

“Hm?” Her sarcastic tone goes up in pitch as she fills her stomach with more crustaceans. “I thought you weren’t speaking to me.”

A tick appears inside the veins of Tamaki’s forehead as he grumbles. “You trying to be cute?”

Haruhi just shoots him a victorious side eye, taking another huge bite of her food. 

Something broke inside the prince and he sighed harshly, slamming his napkin on the table as he rose. “Okay, fine. I get it. It seems you refuse to admit that you were wrong.”

He pushes out his chair, putting his hands in his pockets. “See if I care then, I’m going to bed. Kyoya?”

A voice that must’ve been foreign to you by now sounds a hum as Kyoya stops his writing immediately, giving all of his attention to Tamaki. 

“Will you show me to my room, please?”

“With pleasure.” Kyoya then stands, an aura of nonchalance cascading into your space as he slides by you. “Excuse me, everyone.”

An air of ice surrounds you as Kyoya doesn’t give you a sparing glance, his cold shoulder sending a shiver down your spine while he and Tamaki walk out of the dining room, the large doors closing behind them. 

Haruhi’s confidence dissipates as she watches her prince leave the room. Swallowing her food, she sadly cracks a new crab leg, the overconfident display now being replaced by a sincere realization. 

“Maybe he’s right. Maybe I should learn to protect myself.”

Looking towards Mori, you share her sentiment. “Yeah, it might be a good idea.” You say, relaxing into your seat. 

Hikaru and Kaoru reflect each other as they put their heads in their hands, giving the both of you empathetic glances. “So that’s it, they got to you, huh?”

Nodding, you look down. “Kyoya can be cold, sure, but he’s never just ignored my existence. Maybe I could take a class or something, I don’t know.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to learn martial arts…” Haruhi thinks out loud, now only picking at the food she had been devouring moments ago. 

“But that’s not the real issue here.” The twins say, folding their arms onto the table.

“To be honest, we were all a little worried about how recklessly you two acted.”

Looking up from your plate, you and Haruhi both shoot Hikaru a confused glance. 

“What do you mean?” You ask, bending around Kaoru to mee Hikaru’s gaze. “We didn’t cause you guys any trouble or anything.”

“Are you serious right now?” Kaoru asks, giving you a disbelieving look.

“Yeah, I mean you guys didn’t have to sprint up a cliff to help (Y/n) and fix my mistakes,” Haruhi reasons. “So you guys were fine, right?”

“That’s not true, Haru-chan.” Honey kneels on to the seat of his chair, his palms resting on the table as leans forward. “I think you guys should apologize, kay?”

“We were all worried, of course, but Kyoya-senpai and the Boss almost had a heart attack.” Kaoru says, speaking with his hands as he waves his fork around.

“We think you need to apologize to them the most. Both of you.” Hikaru states, the hand under his chin moving to support his cheek. 

“But you were worried about us?” The twins looked to their side to see your eyes switching between the both of them. “But why?”

That earns you a deadpanned look from the brothers before Hikaru drops his head on the back of his chair, and Kaoru rests his head on your shoulder with a whine. “You’re both hopeless.”

A small chuckle rises out of you as you rest your head on top of the sneaky twin’s, your mind flashing through the previous events. 

Stubbornly, you knew that you had done the right thing, and that you would’ve made the same choice if you were given a second chance. 

But then you imagined the boy on your shoulder being grabbed by his shirt, hung over the edge of a cliff reaching higher than you thought it could reach, and your gut twisted. Then the image flashed to where Honey was held and Mori was running after him, or Hikaru, then Tamaki.

Then Kyoya. And you immediately understood their worry.

Swallowing wetly, you took a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry you guys.”

The twins raise their brow in surprise, and when Haruhi voices her apology too, it melts into a content simper. 

“Awe, come here you little runt.” Somehow pulling you and Haruhi out of your chairs and into their arms, the hosts embrace you in a tight group hug. 

“Don’t get all soft on us now, (Y/n).” The twins say as Honey rubs his cheek against a smiling Haruhi. You laugh and push them off, just in time to see the natural type’s face fall as her color disappears.

Hikaru notices immediately, holding her side. “Is something wrong?”

Haruhi’s stomach makes a concerning gurgle. “I don’t feel so good.”

And that was how Haruhi ended up in your bathroom, heaving her guts out in your toilet. 

You’re sat on your bed as you hear the toilet flush, looking out one of the massive windows in the room as the moonlight lets itself in. 

The light from your bathroom seeps into the space as Haruhi walks out, weakly falling onto your bed with a light thud. There’s a beat of silence as she flips over, both of you lost in your own thoughts.

“We kind of fucked up, huh?” You joke, still looking out at the ocean as it calmly waved against the shoreline. 

“Yeah. We did.”

“Who do you think we should apologize to first?” You ask, meeting her eye line as she continues to focus on the popcorn ceiling. 

She just shrugs, at a loss for the next step. “Should we go together? Or one at a time?” 

“Probably one at a time. I’ll go to one, and you go to the other, and then we can just switch.” Sheepishly, you sigh. “Besides, I think that I have a little more to apologize for.”

“It could’ve been either of us, (Y/n).” Her low voice echoes off the walls. “If you had run in front of me, it would’ve been me who would’ve gotten thrown over.” 

Another small silence blankets over you before you nodded your head sharply. “If we’re gonna do this, we gotta do it now.”

Haruhi props herself up on her elbows as she watches you push off the bed, an air of confidence surrounding you. “Now?”

“Now.” You stop in the mirror, checking yourself over to make sure you are presentable. “We will get the hard ones out of the way. You apologize to Tamaki, and I’ll apologize to Kyoya.”

“You sure you’re not rushing into things?”

“Nope! Just gotta get it over with.” Head held high, you walk out the door with Haruhi on your heels, picking up the first aid kit so you could return it to its owner.

You and Haruhi walk from your door to the end of the hallway, a lavender rose on one and a red rose on the other. Stopping in front of your respective hosts doors, you each raise a fist, preparing to knock. 

“Ready?” You ask.

“Ready.” She sounds confident, affirming. 

Then each of you turn around and switch places, losing gusto as you walk into Tamaki’s room. 

Knocking softly as Haruhi enter’s Kyoya’s room, you step into the prince’s chambers, searching for the signature strands of blonde hair. 

He jumps from his corner, the phone to his ear tumbling out of his grasp as you spook him with your entrance. Blowing out a breath, Tamaki runs a hand through his hair, tuning back into his conversation. 

“Yes, Grandmother.” Your heart sinks as his tone loses the flamboyant flair you had come to enjoy. “I understand. Goodnight.”

Hanging up the phone, he turns back to you as he hangs up the phone. With a hand on his hip, your regular scheduled Tamaki is up and running, an exaggerated frown on his face. “You can’t just barge into a man’s room like that, mon ami! Think of your manners!”

Looking down, your fingers tighten on the med kit in your hands. You chuckle at his words, but it quickly quiets when you remember what you came in here to do.

Since you chickened out of one apology, the least you could do was try to get through this one. 

Raising your eyes to meet his, blonde eyebrows rise as he senses utter sincerity in your gaze

“Tamaki, I’m so sorry for making you worry.” Earnest honesty blends into your words as you pour your apologies out to him. “Everything happened so fast, and I wasn’t thinking straight when I saw those men try to take advantage of those girls. I just got so mad, ya know? No one deserves to be treated like that.”

Tamaki parts his mouth, but sees that you have more to say, and closes it.

“Haruhi and I tried to run, but they caught the back of my shirt – well, it was Kyoya’s shirt because he let me borrow it earlier today – and I was forced into a fight or flight mode.”

“And you chose to fight.” The prince’s hands pocketed themselves into his jeans. 

Nodding, your actions became a little frenzied. “I wasn’t going to be helpless again, not like that time in the dressing rooms during the physical exam. I can take care of myself, and I wanted him to know it. I wanted him to know I am strong and independent and I wasn’t going to let them do whatever they wanted to me.”

An annoyed sigh shot out of you as the moments on that cliff replayed in your mind. “But one of the guy’s had a knife!” You gesture to your leg. “And it all got out of hand so quickly that it seemed like I blinked and all of a sudden I was being held over an endless sea. I was stupid, and reckless, but I just wanted to help and save them, save myself that I completely–”

Your face collided with a shirt, soft and lavender-scented as your best friend embraced you. Your rapid heartbeat echoed against the close proximity of his chest before it slowed, and you breathed as you wrapped your arms around him. It was a tight embrace as one of your palms grabbed onto the cloth of his button down like a lifeline while the other pressed the med kit into his back.

“I’m sorry.” The apology is muffled as you nuzzle against him. 

Pulling back, Tamaki looks down at you with a gentleness only he could provide. He grabs your hand and pulls you to an empty chair. “Here. Sit down.”

Brow furrowing, you sit as the large, red loveseat molds to your tired body, and you fight against your instinct to melt into the cushions. 

Your confusion takes precedence, though, as Tamaki sits on the floor below you, crossing his legs before holding out his hand. “The med kit?”

Once you hand it to him, he pops it open and scans over the supplies. He stretches his hands and cracks some knuckles before shaking them around, as if they had been asleep for hours and he was trying to wake them up. 

“I might not be good at all the medical stuff like Kyoya, but I can clean up a scratch or two.”

A light giggle rolls out of you as an intense look of concentration sculpts into his features. Setting everything he thinks he needs to the side, he opens his palm again. “May I?”

Rolling your eyes, your heart blooms at your friend's gentle touch as he begins to try and fix what you broke, even if that was what you had come here to do in the first place. 

Eventually, Tamaki breaks the silence that had lulled over the two of you as he applies a cleaner to your cut. “That was my grandmother on the phone.” 

Wincing at the medicine bubbling out of the cut, you nod. “I heard. I didn’t know if you wanted to talk about it.”

“There’s not much to say.” In comes another rare instance like the one at the Tiki Bar. An aura of calm maturity takes the prince’s form as he sits in front of you, completely concentrated at the task at hand. “She was angry, like usual.”

“Did she yell at you again?”

His nod twists your heart on its chambers, but his eyes flick up at you to stop you from giving him any pity before going back to the task at hand. “She is an angry woman. She was widowed when she was young and since then has had a pessimistic perspective on life.” A sad sigh escapes him, but he still manages to keep a serene smile on his face. “She is not a woman I will ever completely understand, but I think, for the rest of her life, I will always strive too. While I may never be on her good side, I want to always put my best foot forward and keep my mind open, so that I might see the world through her eyes. Understand what she is dealing with even if I don’t agree with her actions.” His chest shakes with a low laugh. “It seems I’m stuck doing that for all the women in my life.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m telling you I understand.” Tamaki rifles through the bandaids and picks one that must’ve come from some sort of Valentine’s Day collection: shiny, red hearts with a white background. 

He places it gently over the scratch Ren had left you with, running his thumb across it in a loving gesture. “You were put in a terrible situation, and you did the only thing you, (Y/n), are programmed to do. Survive.”

His fingers swim through his hair again, and his violet eyes are swimming with genuine kindness with a hint of concern that you don’t think will ever fade away. “You're always by yourself. Your parents leave you alone in your home enough times, and you learn to depend on only yourself, because no one else has ever stepped up to the plate. You never call any of us for help, even when we are so close, until it’s too late. Until you realize that you pushed yourself too far.”

Leaning up, Tamaki puts his hands on the arms of the chair as he becomes eye-level with you. “I get it now.” A soft smile curls onto his handsome features. “I’m sorry I yelled at you on the beach. You grew up without relying on anyone else.”

Your eyes had gone wide and began to shine as Tamaki stood to his full height and held a hand out to you. “But not anymore. You haven’t been alone for a long time, (Y/n), not since you joined the club. Not since you met me.

Emotion wells up in your throat, making it hard to swallow as you quickly take his palm, jumping into his arms again with vigor. You feel him chuckle against you as he lifts you up in the air for a moment before setting you on the ground, your new band aid twinkling in the moonlight. 

“So, you forgive me?” You say, wiping the small, joyful tears away before he could see. 

“If you can forgive me for comparing you to my grandmother.” 

“I was just going to ignore that. It seemed like you were on a roll there.” 

You both laugh as Tamaki hands you back the med kit. He taps the top of it with his finger. “I think you need to return this.”

A different kind of feeling stuffed your airflow now as you looked out of Tamaki’s open door to the one across the hall, a lavender rose lacing the doorknob. 

“Yeah, yeah I do.” 

Feeling your feet begin to drag across Tamaki’s carpet, you force yourself to feel lighter, invigorated by your friend’s words. “Thank you, Tamaki.” You smile up at him as you pass through his doorway. 

At your grin, Tamaki squeals in his place. “Awe, you’re so cute, mon ami! No need to thank me, no need at all!”

You simper as you flick him on the nose and close the door behind you, taking the treacherous steps towards the Shadow King’s door.

The feeling of your thumping heart began to ring through your frame, but you willed it to calm down. Looking around, you tried to spot Haruhi in her door frame, waiting for you to be done talking with Tamaki so that she could tag in, but it was so late that she might’ve just fallen asleep. You would understand, especially if her conversation with Kyoya was as emotionally taxing as yours was with Tamaki. 

Every nerve stood on end as you raised your hand to knock, but hesitated. Would he be mad if you made so much noise in the middle of the night? Plus, if he had fallen asleep, he wouldn’t just wake up with a simple knock. The man slept like the dead who had turned to stone. 

Your hand hovered over the doorknob, careful of the thorns guarding the purple rose. Did he even want to see you?

The image of his softened gaze as it dropped to your lips and then back to your eyes, shrouded in sunset as Kyoya’s hand gently lifted to your waist filled your mind, and it motivated you to turn the knob. 

You had to salvage this. All he had asked was for you to admit that you had done something wrong, and now you were prepared to do that. It had taken some convincing, but you were ready to set aside your pride. Besides, to endure another moment of his gaze without the touch of softness he saved just for you would be hell compared to a little bruise on your ego. Maybe he will forgive you for waking him up.

You cringe, knowing you’re being way too optimistic.

The door doesn’t creak, the well-oiled hinges of an Ootori household silently as you sneak into Kyoya’s bedroom, barely opening the door a smidge before you see a shadowy blob on Kyoya’s bed.

Squinting your eyes, you struggle to peer into the darkness, and you open the door another centimeter, letting the light of the hallway bring some illumination to the shadows. 

The med kit drops onto the carpet, not a sound adding to the empty soundtrack of this moment. 

Shadows merge and billow before defining into bodies. Haruhi’s pink dress comes into view as the small amount of light grasps onto her form, revealing her as she lays wide-eyed on the bed. Her back sinks into Kyoya’s comforter as she looks up, blinking mildly at the form hovering over her. 

Long tingles of darkness form into a body you admire, the man you adored caging your best friend under him like a predator. His muscles tense as his arms work to hold his body just above her, his naked torso defined in the contrast of the night. 

Haruhi says something you couldn’t possibly hear over the blood pumping through your ears, and you see a smirk curl onto his face as if she said something clever, and Kyoya drags a thumb over his lip. 

The image is burned into your skull as you race back to your bedroom, only a wall separating you and the betrayal next door. 

Haruhi and Kyoya?

Haruhi and Kyoya?

Tears now welled in your eyes as you rushed to the comfort of the bed that wasn’t your bed, in a room that wasn’t your room. 

Fuck! Your mind screams as you shove your face into your pillow, rocking back and forth as the picture of them together keeps flashing behind your eyelids, a persistent roll of film filling in all the areas you didn’t see in the dark. How their bodies must be closer now, closer than you and Kyoya ever were. 

A hiccup escaped as the pressure in your chest tightened. Kyoya’s aversion to physical touch made it so he constantly kept an arms distance from you. Yet here he was, chest to chest with your best friend who you had grown to love like a sister you never had. 

Your fingers dug into the pillow as before you threw it across the room. Yanking the covers over your head, you begged and begged anybody that was listening to turn back time. 

Turn it back to the moment on the beach chair, under the umbrella in the glow of the sunset. Rewind to Kyoya serving you your favorite food with his sleeves rolled up, or the two of you linking fingers on a piano bench, the moonlight cascading down his soft smile effortlessly. 

A hand claps over your mouth to keep any sob from passing through and sounding through the wall, and you realize that even though the ocean was outside your window, you still couldn’t find your breath.

It seems that Kyoya didn’t deserve to win those pictures after all, because the image that still pulses into your vision causes you to sink into darkness. You find a new worst fear as Kyoya’s name echoes into your mind as you become lost. 

Next Time on Lavender Roses!

“I never noticed. Haruhi is perfectly suited to be accepted into an elite all-girl’s school.. And that’s exactly why I can’t let her transfer!”

“But (Y/n)’s been here for years, why does she want to transfer too?!”

A Challenge From Lobelia Girls Academy!

hey there, just wanted to apologize for ruining your day and leaving you in suspense :)

thank you for being so patient, there is always more to come :) comment if you can! i'd love to hear your thoughts.

[boingfessions]

HAPPY OINGO BOINGO DAY EVERYNYAN!!!

I hope everyone has a great time today! Surely more than one person asked themselves a question: What the HELL is Oingo Boingo? Well, the name itself is complete absurdity! But what makes Oingo Boingo Oingo Boingo? Find out in this post under cut!

Our beloved crazy ginger man! Daniel Robert Elfman is an American film composer, singer, songwriter, and musician. Delusional, orange af, joker-like, face with a combination of slasher smile and Kubrick stare, perhaps even had prolonged non-fatal rabies in his time in Oingo Boingo that was only recently cured when the band broke, but unfortunately (or not) returned in recent years. Now his entire body is covered in tattoos and his hair is straight now because of dyeing it to hide his gray hair, ergo his old age. The truth is that he is actually a skeleton disguised as Danny Elfman to pass himself off as living human so that the Grim Reaper don't come after him, but SHHHH!!! I did not tell you anything!

Danny Elfman (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)

Steve Bartek (lead guitar, rhythm vocals)

Fluffy tall boy <3. Steve Bartek is an American guitarist, film composer, conductor, and orchestrator. Elfman's right-hand man and the one he trusts with his skeletons in his closet, oh and his film compositions too of course! One of the few members of the band who was not consumed by it and therefore did not become a feral creature in the process. He plays little guitars because he's a big man, y'know! He usually wore ridiculously short ties along with baggy t-shirts. His guitar solos drove Danny so crazy that he was spinning around and caused him to have back pain to this day, so you know how to blame. Nowadays unfortunately his beautiful dark curls have become gray, but luckily he now looks like an adorable grandpa now! (just like the others)

Kerry Hatch (bass guitar, backing vocals)

A marvelous human being! Kerry Hatch is an American musician... and that's it. Walking diva and Zoolander wannabe, this lad was the band's bassist until 1984, when he decided to join the band "Zuma II" (what the HELL is that band? I have no idea!). A pretty lad who likes to be handsome and play bass guitars that don't even look like bass guitars, I don't know what else I could say about him! Maybe he thought the band wasn't good enough for him and decided to leave to pursue something better, but that's just a guess... if you can consider a landscaping business better!

Richard "Ribbs" Gibbs (keyboards, backing vocals)

Mister mistery~ Richard Gibbs is an American film composer and music producer. Like Kerry, he left the band in 1984 to join Zuma II, and to be honest I don't know what what that band had to make not one but TWO members of Oingo Boingo (the best band in the entire galaxy and even the sixth dimension) have left to be in that band. Anywho, all I have to say about him is that he did well in life, being a composer like Danny and that's it.

Johnny "Vatos" Hernández (drums, percussion)

THIS IS JOHNNY VATOS FROM OINGO BOINGO MAN!!!! He is a drummer with crazy hairstyles who likes to dum ba dum through life. Almost as crazy as Danny was, he stayed loyal to the band even after they broke up (yes, he was in another band called Food for Feet, but I don't give a DAMN!) Years after the band broke up he managed to reunite about four former members and form "Oingo Boingo Former Members", made up of him, Steve Bartek, John Avila, Carl Graves and Sam "Sluggo" Phipps, in addition to new members. Idk about you, but I would like to have him as my grandpa!

Sam "Sluggo" Phipps (saxophone, backing vocals)

Leon Schneiderman (saxophone, backing vocals)

Slam Bam "Sluggo" Phipps is an American saxophone player known for his signature bright, expressive smiles, where he shows off all his teeth and can light up an entire room. The tallest guy in the band and the one who likes to show off his instrument the most, rising it high in the air when attention is focused on him. Well, maybe not so much, but you understand what I mean! Maybe he can be too expressive and noisy, but we still love him ❤️

Dale Turner (trumpet, backing vocals)

Do you remember when I said that Sluggo had the brightest smile in the world? Well, I lied! That one goes to our dear Leon Schneiderman, the other saxophonist in the band. He could do anything in the whole world, even his own instruments! Being a childhood friend of Danny's, it can be said that he has been in the band every moment since it started, even longer than Danny himself! Don't you love him and his smiles?

John Avila (bass guitar, backing vocals)

Our beloved grandpa-mom. He is an American trumpet player who entered The Mystic Knights after they let him audition after seeing him practice in secret. He makes sure to keep an eye on the other guys in the band and can (if he hasn't already) spank them to make them behave (except for Sluggo; NOBODY spanks Sluggo). Even if he is the shortest member of the band along with John Avila, that doesn't make him any less authoritative, being around ten years older than the rest of the band. He is silent like a mouse and has never been heard to speak, perhaps because he is reserved or has nothing to say. He left the band and is currently enjoying his life privately, and I really hope he's okay!

HE IS MY BABY, MY CUTIE PIE, MY PUPPY, MY LOVE, MY LIFE, THE BEST BOY IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!!!!!! RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem, sorry about that... John Avila is an American bassist and music producer. A literal human puppy and the shortest member of the band. He looks like you could pick him up in your arms and cradle him like a baby... Sorry, I'm off topic again! What do you want me to do? He's simply adorable! (At least for me). Anywho, Although he appears in the Gratitude MV, it was not until 6 months after the release of the album So-Lo that he joined the band along with Michael Bacich, being the new bassist and keyboardist respectively. He is usually hyperactive and you can see him at concerts jumping, spinning and playing his bass like a pro. The strange thing is that, even though the years go by and he obviously ages, he still seems to be the same mischievous and playful puppy-like guy... Okay, sorry again!

Michael Bacich (keyboards, backing vocals)

Quiet nerdy boy. He's was the keyboardist of the band since 1985 until 1988. Yes, he didn't stay for a long time, but his presence in the band is still important as he was present in the band's best era (Dead Man's Party). He looks like the typical nerd who would say "actually☝️🤓" and give you information that you didn't even ask for but still decided to give you to expand your zero knowledge. He also looks kinda shy and like someone who Danny would bully if the band were in a cliché teen movie. Like Dale, he decided to move on with his life after leaving the band, which it's okay after all.

I ran out of space for more images! Don't worry, I'll reblog this post right away talking about the rest of the band (which are only two members but still!). Thank you very much for reading this far and HAPPY BOINGO DAY TO ALL OF YOU AGAIN!!!

[starrclownshazbinblog]

Wanna know some Emily + Sera lore? :)

Sera:

Sera, along with Lucifer, was one of the first Angel's to ever be. Sera is "the court judge" of Heaven. If rules are to be implemented then the higher ups take it up with Sera. Sera was also there when Luicfer (renamed) was cast out. Sera was actually very upset at Luicfers betrayal. Both Sera and Luicfer wanted the humans they made to thrive. Why Luicfer betrayed the Heavens she longs to know. Sera is someone who overworks herself constantly. She's also someone who is very lonely. Hense, the creation of her beloved daughter, Emily.

Emily:

Emily is a eternal child. She's forever 13. She was created to be eternally 13 so that she'll 1. Be able to relate and care for the children she watches and 2. So she'll always have the mentality of a child. (So she'll ba able to fool and to mold into what the heaven wants.) She's takes care of the children of heaven that either don't have parents in heaven or if their parents are too busy to watch them. (This is why Isabella is under the care of Emily.)

Sera and Emily's relationship:

(You know that one tiktok audio where it's the the beginning of "I bet on losing dogs" by Mitski but it has the "Baby! My baby! *crying* My baby, my baby. Ya that's their relationship. Sera gets really upset when Emily is hurt :( )

Just like Charlie, Emily is a HUGE mommy's girl. (Not like she has a dad any way.) She inspires to be exactly like Sera and will go out of her way to be Sera's perfect daughter. Sera loves her daughter greatly. She will do ANYTHING to make sure her little girl is okay. Problem is she goes overboard sometimes.

Emily is a extremely sheltered child. She doesn't know much about Heaven and even less about Hell. All she knows is Hell is a bad place that no one wants to go to. Anything her mom tells her she believes. Sera is a parent that is unintentionally hurting her child by loving her too much.

Feel free to ask questions about them or Heaven, I have alot of ideas.

Asks are always open, art is always here, commissions are open, don't forget to pet your dog.

- ⭐️StarClown⭐️

[flowerandblood]

My Best Friend (30) (End)

[modern! club owner • Aemond x fem!reader]  

[warnings: kissing and fluff so none?]

[description: Aemond has his own club and often does business at the home of one of his business associates. There he often meets his younger sister, with whom he develops a deeper relationship through shared secrets. This is slow burn love story.]

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Previous and next chapters: Masterlist

______

This series has a sequel under a different title, My Beloved Nymph, which you can read here: Part 1

______

Y/N and Aemond were sleeping in each other's arms as the sun went down when the phone rang suddenly. Y/N reached for her cell phone, surprised, rubbing her eyes.

"What happened?" She asked, trying to clear her mind quickly.

“Police searched an apartment which belongs to Albert for drugs and found it well hidden under the floorboards. However, they found a lot of your photos on his computer." She heard Marcus' voice. Her heart was pounding like crazy. Aemond must have heard what he said because he pushed himself up on his elbows, his eye wide with disbelief. “You have to come to the police station to make a statement. I'll be there in about half an hour, don't say anything until I get there."

Y/N and Aemond got dressed in a hurry, looking at each other alarmingly. Aemond didn't say anything, but he wondered who had tipped off the police about the drugs in his apartment, and how they'd even found out about it. He wondered if Marcus and his men had anything to do with it.

They got in the car and drove to the police station. Marcus and Klaus were already waiting for them there. Marcus smiled reassuringly at Y/N as he hugged her.

“I told you we would catch this peace of shit. Come, I'll prepare you for the conversation."

Aemond and Klaus waited impatiently outside the room where Y/N and Marcus were talking to the policeman. Klaus, as her brother, had also been questioned about this earlier. The minutes dragged on and on until finally the door opened and Y/N walked out of the room, pale, followed by Marcus.

"You did well." He complimented her, but she just pursed her lips and nodded. Aemond, seeing the look on her face, suggested they come over for some warm tea. They walked over to the vending machine, and Aemond spoke immediately.

"What happened? What did they tell you?" He asked, feeling his heart pounding with stress. Y/N swallowed softly.

“They showed me pictures on his computer. There were pictures not only of me from a distance, but also of me sleeping, pictures of the inside of my room, of my lockers." She shuddered at the thought. Aemond's jaw tightened at her words. “He took pictures of me through the window while I was changing. At night when the light was on."

Aemond exhaled softly, trying to control himself. He was furious, but glad that the police finally got their hands on him. He hoped he wouldn't get out on bail. He stroked her shoulder comfortingly and kissed the top of her head.

"Go to Klaus. I want to talk alone with Marcus." He said calmly. Y/N looked at him surprised but nodded. Aemond asked Marcus aside. He suggested that they go out for a cigarette, so they both left the police station. Marcus pulled out his package and opened it, pointing it at Aemond. Aemond took a cigarette from him and lit it with his lighter. They both took a drag and stood in silence for a moment.

"How did the police find out about the drugs in his apartment?" Aemond asked, exhaling smoke through his nose, glancing at him intently. Marcus smiled.

"Does it matter?" He asked, flicking the ashes off his cigarette. Aemond frowned.

"It does for me." He said briefly, looking at him intensely. Marcus shook his head disapprovingly, taking another drag, looking to the side.

"Knowing this won't do you any good. Let it go." He said briefly, exhaling smoke through his mouth. Aemond stared at him, his face expressionless. He inhaled, frustrated by his lack of response.

"I have a bad feeling you did a little house search before you reported it to the police, am I right?" He asked suddenly, looking at him carefully. Marcus laughed.

"Aemond, you are a wise man." He said looking at him. There was something unsettling in his eyes, just like when he was in his office. "Why do you get into things that can hurt you. You don't have enough of your problems? Are you running out of topics to talk to your therapist about?”

Aemond looked at him in shock. Nobody but his parents and Y/N knew about it. He was sure none of these people had told him. So where did he get his information from? He pursed his lips.

"How do you know that?" He asked, uncertainty evident in his voice despite his efforts. Marcus looked at him calmly.

"Your brother often visits one of the brothels I own." He said in an expressionless tone, Aemond staring at him in disbelief. "I already told you. I'm not a good person."

***

"What?" Y/N asked in shock as they drove back to his apartment. She couldn't believe her ears. "Did he tell you he owned the brothel we were in?"

"Yes." Aemond said, exhaling quickly. “He is dangerous. You shouldn’t see him again."

Y/N looked at him in pain and disbelief.

"He took care of me all my life, he would never hurt me." She said quickly, feeling a huge pain in her chest. She knew Marcus had secrets and things he was hiding, but she didn't know he was in this business. Aemond snorted.

“With such a place, he definitely has contacts with the mafia. That's how he had to know what they were selling Albert and how much. And that's why he didn't want me to get involved." He said through clenched teeth. Y/N looked at him questioningly. “After Albert texted me, I met up with Marcus. I wanted to know where Albert picks up his goods. Marcus then told me to be careful what I’m getting myself into." He said, anger building up in his chest.

Y/N stared at him in disbelief. She pressed her cheek against the glass and sobbed. Aemond took her hand with his free hand and squeezed it. "I'm begging you, don't go to see him ever again."

***

The next day, Marcus texted her. He wanted to meet. He wrote that Aemond could come too if he wanted, but he'd have to give them some alone time. Aemond had advised her against it at first, no longer trusting him completely, but seeing her desperation and pain, he agreed to take her where Marcus wanted.

It turned out that the given address was a cemetery. The additional number he gave was the grave number. Y/N watched him from a distance, sitting on a bench in front of the statue, which was full of fresh flowers. She knew what had happened. She felt her heart pounding like crazy. She glanced at Aemond, who seemed to be thinking the same thing as she was.

"Give us a moment." She said softly and walked towards him. Aemond stayed behind.

Y/N walked over to Marcus and sat next to him. A photo of smiling Laura looked at them from the other side. Y/N's lips twitched, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She looked at him.

"When did it happen?" 

Marcus looked at her, the sight of her face making him look full of concern and warmth.

"Three days ago. Everything was ready. Her parents took care of it." He said, but there was irony in his voice. Y/N didn't say anything for a moment. They stared into each other's eyes intensely.

"I'm so sorry." She said finally.

Marcus was silent for a moment.

"He told you?" He asked suddenly. Y/N shuddered, pressing her lips together tighter. Tears streamed down her face, making her vision blurry. She wiped her nose with her hand.

"Yes." She replied in a broken voice. To her surprise, Marcus smiled.

"Good. It'll be better for you that way." He said calmly. Y/N frowned, for some reason his remark infuriated her. Until now, she hadn't realized how strong her feelings for him were.

"How can you say that?" She asked with pain. Marcus hit his tongue against his cheek, her reaction genuinely surprised him. She could see that for a moment he considered whether or not to tell her anything else.

"You do realize that Albert wouldn't be such an idiot to keep your pictures on his computer and drugs at his apratment, right?" He asked and Y/N froze. She stared blankly at him, trying to understand what he was saying to her.

"My people dropped them off. They took pictures of you too. One night Klaus let them into your house. But don't worry, he doesn't realize what he agreed to." He spoke in a tone she had never heard from him before. She felt his gaze burn her. She felt her heart shrink to the size of a walnut.

"You framed him?" She asked quietly, wanting to know if she understood correctly. Marcus laughed heartily.

"Did I? No. He's really a drug dealer and he really took pictures of you in the park. I tried to make the ones that went to the police less... intimate." He said after a moment's thought. "But don't worry. He's got rich parents, he can afford a lawyer. He'll get a suspended sentence. But I suppose it'll give him a tought that you have some interesting friends." He said calmly.

Y/N felt her whole body tremble. She had always sensed that Marcus was hiding something. When she saw him talking quietly to his father in his office, when they were suddenly silent as she entered the room. She explained to herself that these were things they didn't want her to know about. What she was hearing now was a bucket of cold water to her. She thought for a moment whether to ask the question that was on her lips.

"Was what happened to Laura really an accident?" She asked softly, her voice empty and tired. Marcus smiled sadly.

"No. Accidents don't exist." He said, looking at her understandingly. "It was a sign from several people that they didn't like what I was doing. The price of my selfishness. I thought I could take what I want and have her at the same time. But that was impossible. I tried to explain it to Aemond. I hope he is smarter than me." He said and took her hand in his. Y/N looked at him surprised.

"I will take your case to the end. I will keep in touch with Klaus. You can always count on me. But I have a soft spot for you. I won't be able to stop seeing you unless you make me. I shouldn't have come to the University to pick you up. I'm afraid if this keeps up, one day when you're coming home from somewhere in the evening, a strange black car will suddenly hit you, and I'll bring flowers to another grave."

Y/N gasped at his words, unable to breathe. Marcus kissed her hand, as he had done in the car. This time the gesture lasted longer, he closed his eyes as if he would never see her again. Finally he looked at her. There was only fatigue in his eyes.

"Forgive me, I told you I’m selfish. They say that if you love someone, you should let them go. Go away with him and don't try to meet me. Be happy with him as I was with Laura for a few years."

***

After talking to Marcus, Y/N was devastated. She felt like she had just lost a family member. She couldn't sleep at night. Aemond kissed her shoulders and neck tenderly, hugging her from behind. Y/N was cradled in his strong arms, tears streaming down her face, her breathing ragged. His presence was the only comfort that brought her relief.

"My little one. My beloved nymph." He whispered again and again, his lips touching her bare skin. He knew how much she suffered. He felt a twinge of jealousy that this man was so important to her, but on the other hand he understood it and tried to accept it. He kept his thoughts to himself, showing her only his total support and all the tenderness he had inside.

"I love you." She whispered softly, taking a quiet, greedy breath. Aemond kissed her neck again at this confession. "Please, don't leave me alone."

"Never." He groaned, pressing her tighter against him. They both knew that by arrangement, he had to drive her to Klaus's tomorrow. His throat tightened at the thought. He never thought he'd become so dependent on someone. 

That he will fall in love with someone so much that he won't be able to sleep without that person next to him. He felt like it was getting worse. He missed her even when she was in class for a few hours. He didn't know how he was going to survive a few days without her.

A thought occurred to him, but he backed out of it, deciding it was too soon. It was coming back to him, again and again. He thought deeply as he stroked her tiny shoulder, placing gentle kisses on her neck. He pursed his lips, not believing he was about to say it. 

"Move into my apartment." He said softly.

He felt Y/N shiver and froze in his embrace. She didn't move for a moment, then turned slightly to look at him. Their faces were millimeters apart. She was all red with tears and embarrassment, but her eyes shone.

"Are you serious? I don't want you to feel overwhelmed by my presence. Make you tired of me." She said uncertainly. She was afraid that if he was with her all the time, she would eventually get on his nerves. Aemond ran his fingers through her hair.

"I'm overwhelmed when you're not with me. When I can't confide in you, touch you, embrace you, fuck you.” He whispered, his gaze dark, his artificial eye staring blankly at her. Y/N swallowed loudly at his confession. She felt the same, but was afraid to admit it. She smiled slightly and kissed him tenderly.

"All right."

***

Klaus took the news that Y/N wanted to move very badly. She knew he was as attached to her as she was to him. She had promised him, and was going to keep her promise, that she would visit him several times a week. They hugged tightly without saying a word. Klaus knew he couldn't make her stay. He wanted her to be happy.

Aemond freed up one of his rooms in the apartment, which previously served as his home gym, to make it into a workshop for Y/N. He wanted her to have a room of her own to run away to—just as he had his office on the other side—and where she could work in peace. He knew that at first she would be uncomfortable and that such a place would allow her to settle in better.

They bought special shelves for her, drawers and a tall, sloping desk where she could draw and pin her work, as well as work on a laptop. They bought her proper lighting and an armchair, set out her books and supplies. Y/N even brought her plants from home and put them on the windowsill.

Aemond also gives her a section of his closet to put her clothes in. However, he stipulated that he still wanted her to walk around the house in his shirts if she felt like it, because he liked the view very much. To his surprise, the presence of another person in his apartment did not annoy him. On the contrary, now everything around him reminded him that Y/N was with him and only him, that she was his and he didn't have to share her with anyone.

He watched her as she arranged things in her study. He pulled her to him suddenly and murmured in her ear, nuzzling his nose against her cheek. He loved that it was their gesture. Y/N always beamed when he did that. Nobody else knew what it was about.

"Shall we order something for dinner?" He asked, stroking her bare thigh. Y/N sighed softly, wrapping an arm around his waist, which he accepted with a sound of satisfaction.

"Yes. I don't have the energy to cook. I'm not even halfway through unpacking yet." She sighed heavily at the thought. Aemond kissed her head tenderly.

"Rest, then I'll help you." He said, taking her hand. Y/N smiled as she looked at his face. He did not wear a blindfold in her presence. She stroked his scarred cheek gently, looking at him thoughtfully. "What?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Y/N only smiled wider and kissed him deeply, standing on tiptoe to reach him. Aemond cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her back with a sound of pleasure, they caressed each other's lips for a moment without breaking away from each other. Y/N broke the kiss by grabbing one of his hands and kissing it. Aemond shivered at the sight.

"I'm so glad I made it." She said softly. Aemond looked at her amused.

"What exactly?" He asked, lifting her chin.

"I became your friend."

_____

I decided to end this story here, feeling that it could get too long - it already has so many parts! Nevertheless, I made a second part of this story with a different title, taking place about 2 years after the events of this chapter, of course with the same characters, referring to the events of this part. The second part would revolve around Aemond's already more serious plans for Y/N and their already more advanced relationship. Thanks for all the kind words so far! 💖😬🔥🥴🥵

@chainsawsangel​​​​​​​​​​​​  @yentroucnagol​​​​​​​​​​​ @cardi-bre91​​​​​​​​​​​ @melsunshine​​​​​​​​​​​ @bellaisasleep​​​​​​​​​​​ @candypurplebutterfly​​​​​​​​​​​ @malfoytargaryen​​​​​​​​​​​ @serrhaewin​​​​​​​​​​​ @svtansdaddyx​​​​​​​​​​​  @iiamthehybrid​​​​​​​​​​  @beiigegalx​​​​​​​​​​ @sarahkimtae​​​​​​​​​​ @fangirlninja67​​​​​​​​​​ @namoreno​​​​​​​​​​ @thetrueblackheart​​​

[thenatashamaximoff]

Piece Of Mind

Summary: Running into strangers while on a shopping trip with your girlfriend seems to leave you with a lot of questions. But, don’t worry... Wanda has a way to answer all of them at once.

Pairing: Wanda x Reader

Warnings: mind manipulation

Words: 3,323

✎ | ？

┌─────────────ᗢ─────────────┐ @diaryoflife​ @women-am-i-right​​ @creatively-analytical​​ @obsessed-with-wandamaximoff @beforeoursecrets​​ @iliketozoneout​​ @olsensnpm​​ @hoefnagel521 @jsonebraincell​​  └─────────────ᗢ─────────────┘ ┌─────────────∞─────────────┐ @myfavoriteficss​ @pinkytoecrust​ @cyncity32​ @romanoffomixam​ @peachbear88​ @magicallymaximoff​ @therealmeari @peggycarter-steverogers​ @ba-romanoff​ @natashabelovas​ @morbid-gaymer​ @reminiscingtonight​ @when-wolves-howl​ @idontknownemore​ @natashasilverfox​ @sayah13 @fuxk182​ @scarletwitchofthewilds​ @natashamaximoff69 @wuwu96  └─────────────∞─────────────┘

It was that time of year again. The time when farmers' markets open up to let your beloved girlfriend splurge for fresher herbs and spices. You enjoyed watching her snoop around, the concentration etched on her face was beauty in your eyes. You could look at her all day, every second, every heartbeat. And when she found a perfectly plump apple or a ridiculously deformed sweet potato, holding it up to show it to you with the biggest, brightest smile… you'd only fall deeper in love with her.

You rested a hand around her waist and pulled her into your side as she asked the vendor questions, not paying any attention to the conversation as you stared at her, a small little smirk resting on your lips as your eyes soaked her up. She rubbed your back absentmindedly, chills racing up your spine underneath her touch. But the conversation soon bled through your trance, the vendor's voice cutting into your daydream.

"I actually sold my last batch of paprika," the vendor claimed sadly. "There's another booth a few yards that way that sells it. It's a bit pricier but just as good."

Wanda looked at you with a little pout and you were already stepping away from her, the slight smirk growing into a wide grin on your face. "Don't worry, darling, I'll go get it. You finish up here." Anything to get rid of that frown, no matter how small it was.

"Four ounces," she clarified as you planted a kiss on her cheek, "and don't get anything else, Y/N. Just paprika!" You gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, taking the small wad of cash out of her other hand and shoving it into your jacket pocket.

You sent her a sloppy salute as you walked away from her, your eyes scanning the area for the booth the vendor suggested. The market was crowded today, and you normally weren't the type to do large crowds like this, but you'd do anything to see that smile on Wanda's face. The way her nose scrunches, the way she squints her eyes, the crinkle in her cheeks. There was no word worthy enough to describe the feeling you get whenever you look at her.

You caught sight of a sign sitting in front of a booth, listing off some spices they were selling and you were already making a beeline toward it when you saw the exact thing Wanda required. "Paprika?" You sighed with relief when the vendor nodded his head, handing you a small glass bottle of paprika. 

"Last one," he stated. "Paprika, very popular spice."

"Trust me, I'm aware," you promised with a soft smile, reaching into your pocket to pull out the money due.

He cleared his throat. "It's buy two, get one half off," he claimed as you looked up from the money in your hand. You sighed at his offer, knowing he was only handing out the deal after he spotted the amount of cash you had pulled out. "Nutmeg is popular, too. And cinnamon."

"I'm sorry, but I only need paprika," you expressed. "How much-"

"Please," he begged. "Buy two, get one free. Please, ma'am, business is not good. My family…" He trailed off, his eyes glossing over with unshed tears and the man suddenly looked so exhausted. His hands shook as he rubbed them together, nervous that you were going to deny his offer once more, and you couldn't help but feel bad for this man. "I can't…" He shook his head, his chin falling to his chest in shame. You saw the look in his eye, the look of desperation. This man was anguished, willing to do anything to help his family, just like how you’d do anything to make Wanda smile.

You glanced over your shoulder towards Wanda, but the thick crowd of people blocked you from being able to spot her. If she truly didn’t want you to spend the money, she wouldn’t have given you so much. You looked back at the man and cleared your throat. "I'll take that offer."

He picked his head back up, a smile brightening his features as a single tear slid down his cheek. His shaky hands held onto the cinnamon and nutmeg as he dropped them into your opened palm and, in exchange, you gave him the whole wad of cash in your possession. His eyes widened with shock and gratefulness, moving away from him before he could try to give some of it back. “Very kind!” he claimed and you laughed softly, waving him off.

"Have a good day, sir," you said before turning your back to him.

You looked down at the spices in your hands, already trying to form a story as to why you bought more than necessary, and why you no longer had all the cash she had given you. You absentmindedly took a step forward, so lost in your thoughts that you were completely ignorant of the figure running towards you despite the commotion he was causing. He bumped into your shoulder when he tried to avoid hitting you in general, but the sudden impact caused the bottles in your hands to fall. You flinched when the sound of glass shattering reached your ears, your chin slowly falling to your chest to stare down at the mess at your feet. The only one you needed was the only one that didn’t survive the descent. 

You knelt to pick up the two spices that survived the fall, sliding them into your jacket before you carefully started picking up the broken glass off the ground, not wanting someone to get hurt. Now you have to start thinking about a story to tell her about why you no longer have any paprika to give her, standing up with your hand cupped gently around the glass. You turned, planning on making your way back to Wanda, but were immediately cut off by yet another person smashing right into you.

Your hand instinctively clenched tightly around the glass shards, hissing at the sting it brought as the pieces fell out of your hand when you shook it as if shaking the pain away. You stared at your hand, no obvious signs of injury could be seen on your skin, but it didn’t make your hand sting any less. You weren’t aware that the person who had bumped into you was still present until they spoke.

"Y/N?" You looked up on instinct at your name, furrowing your eyebrows when you saw a redheaded woman look at you with hopeful eyes, a sad smile on her face. She looked ecstatic to see you, yet she seemed tired, short of breath from seemingly chasing the running man that had passed you earlier. "I can't believe it." Her grin was wide despite it seeming to be troubled, her shoulders relaxing as she maintained eye contact with you. She released a long, steady breath as if breathing for the first time in a long time.

You tilted your head in confusion. This woman treated you like a friend, someone she considers close. Yet, you don’t think you’ve ever seen her in your life. Surely you would’ve remembered someone like her, there was no denying her beauty even if your heart does belong to Wanda. She wasn’t a face you’d forget, not for a long while. But she knew your name, that wasn’t a coincidence. And she didn’t give you any major stalker vibes, feeling a sense of solace and security in her presence. You weren’t… scared. You felt… fine. 

The woman shook her head, disbelief was written on her face. “You just… disappeared, Y/N. Ever since the whole thing with-”

"I lost him." A man jogged up next to her, his eyes scanning the area to see if he could find his target, his face pinched into frustrated anger… until he looked at you. "Y/N?" His face softened, his eyes filled with worry and happiness, mirroring the redhead standing next to him. He, too, reacted to you like a close friend.

"We've been looking everywhere for you," the redhead said. Looking at the two side by side, they had a familiarity with them. A feeling of friendship and… comfort. Their names were on the tip of your tongue, you could feel it. You knew these two, but there was something in your brain that was forbidding you to connect them to your memories. As if that piece of your mind was missing, preventing you from remembering. And though your face was contorted into pure confusion, it seemingly evaporated once you mentally snapped yourself out of your own thoughts.

"I… don't know you," you said, laughing a little bit as you continued to coddle your stinging hand. "I'm sorry, but… you might be confusing me with someone else." They got your name spot on. There were more than enough different names in the world and they had somehow managed to get yours exactly right? 

Surely you'd remember these two.

"Y/N, it's… it's us," the man stated, pressing his hands to his chest as you slowly shook your head. "It's-"

"Clint. Natasha." They turned to look towards Wanda's voice coming from behind them, her arms crossed over her chest with a bag dangling from her wrist. The look on the witch’s face would send any sane person running for the hills, the way her jaw locked prominently, the way her pupils narrowed to the size of a crumb, and the tilt of her head. Yet, her glare didn’t send these two away with their tails between their legs. No, the strangers stood their ground against your peeved girlfriend. But when Wanda noticed the way you were holding your hand, all anger had evaded her face. She marched forward, moving to stand next to you protectively. "What happened, baby?" She took your hand away from you gently, glancing towards Clint and Natasha before inspecting the minor injury as she decided to blatantly ignore the two people in front of you. She was careful with you, double-checking to see if you were seriously injured, and you let her examine your hand for the invisible wound.

"I'm fine," you assured, shrugging nonchalantly as you looked down at the pieces of glass at your feet, the small pile of red dust. Hopefully, she didn’t see the waste of paprika on the ground. You always hated a sad Wanda. "Just a little incident. Nothing to be worried about, sweetheart." You shot her a cheeky grin when she looked up at you, not being able to hold back a smile of her own when she saw the unwavering brightness on your face. The stinging in your hand was immediately forgotten.

"Wanda." The way Natasha said her name made her look away from you and to the redhead, her eyes darkening with anger once more and the smile wiping off her face instantaneously. "What did you do?" Natasha, as you had learned, gripped her hips, eyebrows pinched together with fury as she stared Wanda down. You could sense the tension between the two women. The same tension was radiating off of Clint, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, but he was quieter about it. You seemed to be the only one confused about what was going on.

"I bought some fruit and vegetables," she answered casually, though there was a hint of hostility in her voice that you detected just as easily as the other two did. Her face still showed the annoyed anger, her jaw clenching whenever she wasn’t using it to speak. "As nice as it was seeing you two again, we should go get her hand fixed."

"Wait-" Clint stepped forward, grabbing onto your wrist that she wasn't holding, his grip strong and secure. It felt as if he was trying to keep you away from her, feeling him begin to tug you towards him, but Wanda was quick. She placed a hand against his chest and pushed him away from you, a puff of crimson smoke evaporating at the contact as her eyes glowed a dark red to match. A sign that she wasn't going to be so gentle the next time either of them tried to lay a hand on you.

"Leave us alone," Wanda warned through clenched teeth, "and stop looking for us. We’re fine." With her hand still firm around the wrist of your injured hand, she pulled you back in perfect sync with the moving crowd, Natasha and Clint almost losing the two of you immediately.

"I'm sorry," you stated as she continued to drag you, the crowd not hesitating to part, forming a perfect path for her as if they knew just how much of a threat she could be when she was enraged. You knew she was heading to the parking lot, trying desperately to get away from Natasha and Clint.

"It's not your fault," she said softly. "It's-" You pulled yourself free from her grip, making her stop. She turned to take a step toward you, her head tilted slightly with confusion. Her hands twitched by her side, wondering if you were about to make a scene right now, in the middle of a crowd. The only thing on her mind at the moment, though, was getting you out of here.

"No, I'm sorry I lost the paprika," you told her, reaching into your pocket with your good hand to bring out the cinnamon and nutmeg. "But, according to the vendor, these are pretty good." You sent her a smile, clearly unfazed by what had just gone down between her and the other two. "And I also gave him all the money you gave me."

"Y/N-"

"We can stop at the store on the way home!" you expressed, hearing the disappointment in her voice. "I know it's not as good as it would be from a farmers market, but it's better than nothing, right? I mean, he needed the money, Wanda, and-"

She stepped forward, bringing your face into a gentle hold, and the bag around her wrist softly tapped against your shoulder. Her smile was soft and genuinely happy. No sign of disappointment advertised on her features, no sign of the anger she had displayed earlier, her thumbs running circles on your cheeks. You felt yourself calm down under her green eyes, a crooked smile tugging her lips. “I couldn’t care less about the paprika, Y/N, as long as you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” Your reply was automatic. You couldn’t even hear your own voice, too lost in the hypnotic trance her eyes locked you in. Your knees were weak, your heart was pounding, and when she slowly pushed her lips against yours in a deep kiss, warmth spread through you as red colored your cheeks. You didn’t want her to break away from you, feeling as if her lips were the reason why your heart was beating, but she eventually did pull away from you and a soft whine came from the back of your throat.

Her hands left your face, plucking the two bottles out of your hands to drop them into the bag. “Come on, darling, there’s a first aid kit at home.” She intertwined her hand through your good one, pulling you close to her as the two of you walked side by side to the parking lot. 

“It doesn’t really hurt anymore,” you assured her absentmindedly, looking at your palm. 

But you couldn’t stop your thoughts from wandering back to Natasha and Clint, as Wanda had referred to them. There was something in the deep depths of your mind that told you you knew them. They clearly knew you. And what did Natasha mean when she said that they’ve been looking for you? You weren’t missing. You were with Wanda.

You climbed into the passenger seat of the car as the engine roared to life, Wanda glancing at you before pulling out of the parking lot. She didn’t bother with the radio, enjoying the muffled music instead as she drove down the streets, but it wasn’t much longer after that she was intercepting the silence with her words, “What’s on your mind?”

You slowly turned your head to look at her, eyebrows knitted together. “I knew them,” you said, unaware of her grip tightening around the steering wheel. “They… seemed familiar. Clint and Natasha. They knew me. I… can’t remember them. Why can’t I remember them?”

You watched as her lips pursed together, her eyes intent on the road in front of her. She knew them, and you thought that you know everybody she does. That's apparently not the case. Is she… lying to you?

"Wanda," you expressed, clearing your throat. She didn't look at you, her eyes straight ahead as if she was avoiding confrontation. "Who were they?"

"Old colleagues," she answered, finally glancing at you to send you a soft grin. "I told you I used to work with the government."

"You did," you confirmed, nodding slowly. "They worked with you?"

"Yes."

“But they know me.”

“I bragged about you all the time to them, Y/N,” Wanda expressed casually, shrugging as a smile tugged her lips. “It’s not hard to deduce what an angel looks like.” She laughed gently as you pursed your lips together for a moment, turning to look away from her.

You released a soft breath. "You should invite them over," you offered, suddenly perky. "I think it's healthy to rekindle old friendships." You smiled widely at her, earning a subtle shake of her head and a small laugh. "It'll put the stuff you bought from the farmers market to good use." And, maybe, whatever had happened between the three of them to cause such tension could be resolved.

She chuckled but shook her head subtly once more. "They're very busy, Y/N," she explained. 

You rolled your eyes, resting your head against the headrest behind you as you looked at her, taking a moment to soak in her beauty as the sun reflected her features in a brilliant light. You hummed softly along with the quiet music rolling off the radio for a second before saying, "We don't have to invite them over today. That's a bit last minute, Wands."

"Sweetheart-"

"Oh, c'mon, baby," you pleaded. She kept her eyes forward, her jaw clenching tightly at your request, knowing you were sending her a pout that would make her fold. "The house gets so empty. We never have anybody over. Not even our own neighbors!"

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, her knuckles bone white as her stare remained front and center. But then she released a heavy breath, nodding her head as she said, “Alright. I’ll call them when we get home and we can plan dinner for this week.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at your giddiness as she slowed the car upon reaching a red light, taking the moment to look at you.

She could see how quickly your thoughts were racing, already laying out all the details for the dinner in that brain of yours. She sighed softly through her nose, sending you a wide grin as she reached over to rest her palm against your cheek. She felt her heart skip a beat when you leaned into her touch on instinct, a hum emitting from the back of your throat. But the excitement didn’t last long because, as Wanda pulled her hand away from you, swirls of red vapor escaped her fingers and disappeared into your skin.

You blinked, looking at Wanda for a moment before you broke out into a sheepish smirk. “I dozed off again, didn’t I?” You sighed in disappointment as she sent you a faint smile letting you grab her free hand to give it a squeeze as she continued driving. 

As much as she hated taking pieces of your mind, she can’t have you finding out the truth.

[planetkiimchi]

celebrating lunar new year | x.dj

chinese title: 过年 (guò nián). read the chinese version here!

featuring: childhood friend!xiaojun x hendery’s younger sister!reader (all dialogue is in cantonese)

summary — xiao dejun completely lost contact with you, his first love, when he moved to korea to become a trainee. this year, he's back in china to receive an award, and he sends a red packet to you with your brother as a messenger, with a note inside telling you where to meet him. when you see him again, you realise nothing and everything has changed, all at once.

word count: 1556 words

author's note: happy lunar new year! this is my first time writing a piece in chinese (the piece was originally written in chinese and then translated to english), so if there are any weird grammar quirks please forgive me 🙏 wishing you good health and smooth sailing ahead! 🧧

note 2: also this was based off the tencent entertainment awards but i realised uhh hendery wasn’t there ?? it was winwin all along ?? anyway no way im changing this after writing it so pretend hendery was there instead of ww

if you liked it, REBLOG it.

The door creaks open, and you hear someone carefully locking it, and the sound of shoes shuffling on the floor. It's already midnight, how could there be guests coming over? you wonder. You get out of your bedroom, and see that the "guest" is, as a matter of fact, your beloved brother.

"You're finally home!" you cry out, collapsing into your older brother's arms in unspeakable happiness. Hendery has left China to be an idol for more than eight years now, and besides Lunar New Year, he's usually too busy with work to come home to visit. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last time he came back to China was three years ago.

He rubs your back comfortingly, ruffling your hair. "Bet you weren't expecting me, huh?"

You nod. "Did you tell Ba and Ma that you were coming home? If they had known, they definitely would have insisted on fetching you from the airport."

Hendery smiles softly. "Yeah, I knew they'd do that, so I didn't tell them. I was planning to give them a surprise this time."

Watching his familiar expression, you find that you've missed your brother. You've missed his mischievous, laugh-inducing antics, and the times when he's nicer to you as well. You really wish he could stay a little longer.

"Actually..." Hendery hesitates for a bit, and you feel your heart plummet from the top floor of the building as you watch him anxiously. What on earth could have made him come home so suddenly, at such a late hour?

"Actually, I have to leave again quite early tomorrow morning. There's no way I can come with you to visit our relatives. I've been very busy with work lately, and this time, I'm in China to receive an award, not for a holiday. Tell Ba and Ma 'Happy New Year' for me, okay?"

You can't hide your disappointment, and a few tears silently roll down your cheeks.

"Okay," you say, nodding your head determinedly. Hendery has come home, this in itself is a good thing, you tell yourself. Don't cry!

Hendery hugs you tightly. "I'll sleep in the living room tonight. If you don't see me in the morning, you'll know I've left for work."

"Then... when will you come back again?"

"I don't know yet. But I promise I'll come back to visit you as soon as possible, alright?"

You raise your pinky finger. "Promise?"

He nods assuredly, hooking his pinky with yours. "Promise."

��

The next day, you wake up early on purpose. At 3.30 am in the morning, you blink the sleep away from your eyes, slowly sitting up in your bed. Your bedroom is as dark as ink, without a single sliver of light. You hear a sound coming from outside your door, informing you that your brother has just awoken as well. You quickly get dressed, getting out of your room.

Hendery doesn't dare to use the flashlight on his phone to shine light on his luggage as he rummages through it, clearly looking for something.

"What are you looking for?" you ask curiously.

"My toothbrush, of course! What else could I be looking for?"

You sigh in exasperation. "Men." You kneel down next to him, turning his shoulders towards the toilet as you suggest that he goes to change first. At the same time, you'll help him look for his toothbrush, and he can just use the toothpaste you have in your house.

"Sure." With this singular syllable, Hendery takes his clothes to the toilet to get changed.

You roll your eyes, and easily find Hendery’s toothbrush in his luggage. After he’s brushed his teeth, he runs his hand through his hair, smoothing it down. He’s packed his things and is ready to go when his eyes widen, having just remembered something.

“Oh, right, Dejun said to give you this.” Hendery hands you a red packet. “I told him not to, but he insisted, so I have no choice but to give you one as well.” He places yet another red packet on your palm.

“Okay. Please thank him for me.”

“Then… Wishing you good health and success. Take care of yourself, you hear me?”

“You too,” you tell him. It’s always been Hendery that doesn’t sleep enough, yet he’s always the one reminding you to take care of yourself whenever he sees you. Hendery doesn’t know how to take care of himself, but he cares for everyone else without fail.

Once he’s left, you impatiently open the red packet. But what interests you isn’t the sum of money inside it, rather, it’s the note that’s left inside the red packet. Seeing the neat, even script, you immediately recognise it as Dejun’s handwriting. Your name is written on one side of the paper, and there’s writing on the other side.

I’m finally back in China. Missed me? Hendery said he’d give this red packet to you, so I believe today should be the day we’re receiving a prize. I’d like to invite you to come. The address is written below. If anyone asks, probably my manager, tell him I was the one that invited you. See you soon!

You hesitate for a second, but the decision isn’t hard to make. There can’t be any unimaginable consequences, anyway, right?

—

You’ve never known what regret is. Your entire life is built upon decisions you’ve made by yourself, and your brother has always told you not to regret your choices. If you regret something that you’ve done before, then you shouldn’t have done it in the first place. You’ve lived by these words ever since he first said them to you.

But when you see Dejun again after all those years, you think you finally know what the word “regret” entails.

He’s taller than you, and he’s grown more muscular as well. Despite this, his resplendent smile and mellifluous voice hasn’t changed at all. Your name falls from his lips, full of questions, fear buried in the dulcet tones of his voice.

You freeze, staring at him blankly. When you’ve recovered, you smile tentatively, trying to dissipate the tension in the air. “Dejun-kor.”

“Happy New Year,” he offers.

“You too.”

“Long time no see, you’ve changed plenty.”

“Long time no see. You… haven’t changed one bit.” His cheeks flush at your words, eyes lighting up, and he takes two large steps towards you, enveloping you in a warm embrace.

Suddenly, you see Hendery’s silhouette. You push Dejun away, as if scalded by his touch.

“Little fool! What are you doing here?” You cast a frantic glance at Dejun, mouth opening and closing like a fish in water, but no sound escapes your lips. How should you explain this? 

“I asked her to come.” Dejun’s words turn Hendery’s attention from you to himself, and Hendery’s gaze turns from amused to stormy.

He roughly grabs Dejun by the collar. Dejun flails in his grasp, fighting to pry himself from Hendery’s strong grasp. “What are you doing? It’s not like that! I just invited to come watch our awards ceremony. I didn’t do anything to her!”

Hendery’s expression remains upset, steam billowing from his ears, but he lets go of Dejun. He doesn’t even look at you when he asks, “Is he telling the truth?”

“Yes. You shouldn’t make a racket here, there’re too many people around. Why don’t you talk it out without fighting?” You try to suggest.

Hendery takes a deep, long breath. He glares at Dejun, spitting out the words, “Fine. Go on, what were you trying to do?”

“I just wanted to see her again. She may be your sister, but she was—is—also my friend. Since none of us is spending the new year with our family, I wanted to at least spend it with someone aside from just ourselves. Is there anything wrong with me inviting her to come watch us?”

Hendery may be rash and hot-tempered, but he’s not unreasonable. He knows that what Dejun is saying makes sense, so he says nothing, storming off unhappily. Dejun turns towards you with a sheepish look on his face, about to apologise, when you cut him off.

You pat his shoulder comfortingly, saying, “It’s not your fault. Hendery’s just like that.” Before he can respond, you catch sight of Kun’s outstretched hand, and take it, introducing yourself.

“Sorry, we have to rush off. It’s almost our turn to go onstage. See you later!” He says, and you wave at their disappearing backs.

—

When you woke up that morning, you never would have thought that today would go the way that it went. You were so grateful that you were able to meet Xiaojun and Kun, not to mention being able to have a reunion dinner with them. Sitting in front of that table, watching them crack unintentional jokes as they happily ate their food, you found that you enjoyed it very much.

Kun was the first to stand and say goodbye to you, followed by your brother. Dejun was last, holding you close to him as he whispered in your ear. “When I saw that you had come, I felt indescribably happy. If there’s ever a chance, I’d really like to spend another Lunar New Year with you.”

His words rendered you speechless, unable to do anything but tightly hug him, whispering “thank you” over and over again.

if you liked it, REBLOG it.

[blessyourhondahurley]

Part 1: Morning

After the best (mostly) sleepless night of his life, Dean wakes up to the start of a very special day.

(Read on AO3)

Dean can't sleep.

He's had sleepless nights before, of course. Hundreds, honestly thousands of them. Nights when his blood screamed with adrenaline left over from a recent fight. Nights when the pain of fresh wounds throbbed with every heartbeat. Nights when his head spun from whiskey, and cigarettes cadged off of friendly strangers. He's lain awake in anger, in despair, in loneliness, in exhaustion so deep it drove away the very cure it craved. He's spent bleak hours watching the numbers change on a cheap motel's cheap clock, too overwhelmed with dread for the coming day to allow himself even the respite of a long blink.

Today, though, for the first time in his harrowed life, he is wide awake with joy.

It's a few ticks past 4 a.m. according to the pretty nice clock on his pretty nice dresser. He is curled on his side in his bed, wrapped in warmth, listening to the pre-dawn birdsong, and he's so full of joy he thinks he might cry with it. He'd turned in shortly after midnight, but sleep so far hasn't come to him. He's just been lying there all night, smiling into the dark like a crazy person.

It's the sweetest vigil he's ever kept.

~~~~~

To his own great surprise, he must actually manage to fall asleep at some point, despite the joy (and the birds), because when the alarm rings at quarter of six, it jolts him out of a gauzy dream. The blankets shift and the form beside him unfurls. Cas gives a low, rumbling groan that Dean can feel in his spine as he's spooned snugly from behind. An arm wraps around his waist, a broad hand flattens on his belly, possessive.

“Too early,” the love of his life grumbles. Dean can't help but grin.

“You're the one who set the alarm, baby,” he chuckles, nudging a gentle elbow back into his bed mate's ribs. “We've got a busy day ahead of us, remember, and you said it was important that we had, and I am quoting you here directly, 'enough time to eat a filling, nutritious breakfast'.”

Cas drops a dry kiss, sleepy and slantwise, onto the side of his neck. “I regret every word,” he rasps.

“Oh really?” Dean says. “Because I also remember you including a slot in the agenda for morning sex. You regret that part too?”

Another kiss, this one firmer and with a hint of teeth. Cas's hand slips down Dean's tummy and insinuates itself under the elastic of his boxers. “On second thought I stand by my earlier statement in its entirety.”

It never takes Dean long to get riled up in the mornings, not when it's Cas doing the riling. Twenty minutes later, they're giggling in the shower, bodies flushed and blushing with post-coital glow. The day already feels golden, and his body feels weightless, like decades of fatigue and wear have fallen away from him. He's starting to contemplate a soap-slicked round two, his dick plumping a little between their bellies, when Cas slaps his ass hard and shoves him out of the spray.

“Go make me pancakes. You promised.”

“Bossy,” Dean says as he reaches for a towel. “You're lucky I love you.”

Cas turns off the water and gives him a gummy grin. “Yes, I am. I want mine with chocolate chips, thanks.”

Grumbling good-naturedly about eons-old entities with palates like a toddler's, Dean pulls on a clean pair of boxers and heads to the kitchen.

~~~~~

“Are you sure we have everything we need?” Cas asks him again. It's ten or fifteen to 9:00, and they need to get on the road soon if they want to be on time. On cue, the last-minute jitters have shown up. Cas is standing in the middle of the kitchen, wringing his hands together and looking around like he's never seen the place before in his long, long life. “I just feel like we're forgetting something,” he says plaintively.

Dean slots the last of the breakfast dishes in the drainer and turns to wrap him up in a hug. He kisses the spot on his beloved's forehead where his eyebrows are drawn up with worry.

“We're good, babe,” he soothes. “I checked and triple-checked. The car's packed, the calls have been made, the paperwork is all filed, I even took the trash out already.”

He can feel Cas's body relax in his arms as he runs down the list. Once the worst of the tension has dissipated, he pulls away (because they really are on a schedule here) and pecks out one more quick forehead kiss. “Today is gonna go off without a hitch,” he promises.

Cas smirks, puts a little tease in his voice. “Not even one hitch?” he asks.

Dean laughs. He has to kiss him for real then. They let it go on a bit too long, but, well, fuck it. It's their day. “C'mon, sweetheart,” he says, grabbing his fiance's hand and tugging him towards the garage. “Let's go get married.”

Continues here

[seytazen]

When a Prime Falls

Ambition is the deadliest of poisons. It’s an unspoken fact. Codex Prime, one of the most beloved rulers in the history of Iacon, mysteriously falls victim to an assassin’s blade. The killer and their motives remained unknown, but they’ve unknowingly set destiny into motion. Rebels and propaganda are creating a perfect storm to rise up in the wake of the tragedy. The threat to those of noble standings are higher than ever, but they are determined to keep the status quo intact. As long as they keep Codex’s secrets hidden, they’ll be untouchable. Unfortunately, such is much easier said than done.

Orion had already accepted his predetermined fate as an ill-fit heir to the Matrix when his world came crashing down. A new destiny is unfolding for the entirety of Cybertron, and he will find himself at the head of it one day. He has much to learn before he is capable of holding such a burden, but he is determined to find the right path. Along the way, he’ll find twisted truths, buried histories, and pieces of himself he didn’t know existed.

Transformers— All Media Types

Tags

Royalty AU, Maximum High-stakes Drama, Romance, Viva la Revolution, Class Differences, Religious Trauma, Abuse of all types, Mutual pining, Unrequited Love, Infedelity, Regicide, Murder, Political Thriller, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, Orion is disabled and is a main character, No he doesn’t become magically “fixed” at the end, Yes it gets in his way sometimes and effects his everyday life, Eventual happy MegaOp, IronOp, ShockOP (one sided), Arranged Marriage, Unhealthy Relationships, Finding Healthy relationships, Infedelity, Unethical relationships, Betrayals, Back-Stabbing, Mommy issues, Daddy issues, Omniscient 3rd POV, Unreliable Narrator, Sexual Assault, Rape, Dead Dove: Do not Eat in places, Lots of Plot Twists, Inheriting the Throne, Assassination, Heavy on the World building, Step-mommy is a creep, SLOW BURN, VERY VERY SLOW BURN, heart break, break ups, slooooooooow burn, Sexual frustration, Trauma, Sexual Taboo (Not extreme), Pent up feelings, Orion is repressed as fuck, Megatron is obnoxious, childhood friends romance dynamic, protector/protected romance dynamic, Gentle Sex, Reunion Sex, Oh my god we didn’t die sex, Sleeping with a superior officer, Sleeping around for power, Blood sports, Dark pasts, coup de ta, suicidal thoughts, Trigger Warnings, Painfully oblivious, multiple relationships, everyone loves Optimus Prime kind of, angst, fluff, family drama, mystery, politics, Continuity Soup

Characters

Royal!Orion Pax, Disabled!Orion Pax, Megatronus, Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave, Senator Shockwave, Shockwave, Elita One, OCified!Onyx, ooc Vector Prime, Alpha Trion, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Kup, Caretaker!Ratchet, Drift, Swindle, Rodimus/Hot Rod, Codex, OCified!Nova Storm, Mafia Boss!Dai Atlas, Wing, ooc Halogen

Relationships

Optimus Prime/Megatron, Orion Pax/Megatronus, Drift/Ratchet, Senator Shockwave/Orion Pax, Ironhide/Orion Pax, eventual Dai Atlas/Wing, OC/Ultra Magnus, Chromia/Ironhide

Coming Soon!

Hello everyone, long time since I’ve written anything! I’ve got several unfinished works, but I am determined to finish this one. I’ve been gone for a while for a variety of reasons, mainly because of my home life and because I’ve been busy trying to earn my BA in Creative Writing! I’m an aspiring author, but I know I need more practice writing for an audience and marketing and such if I want to be successful in the publishing industry. Fanfiction is an awesome way for me to practice without any additional costs to myself! This isn’t a first draft for a book that I’m wanting to publish, but if I do publish something you’ll find some similarities lol. I’m going to be releasing the entire fic at once with a few sneak peeks for you guys here and there, just like I would a real book, so stay tuned!

To those who are interested in following me in this endeavor, I’m grateful for your support ❤️

[player1064]

Footy RPF Fictober, day 3 - videocall

also available on ao3

SORRY this is a day late. When I say I've had an insane few days --

this is BARELY a beville fic but if Gary has to deal with his insane little brother then the least he deserves is a nice husband who's cooking dinner for him in the background, so technically this can be considered as part of the happy-ish beville 'verse.

ALSO sorry that this is genuinely. an Insane concept for a fic. blame my beloved friend Isla @michaelowenfever who wanted pnev getting a rabies vaccination. yes you read that right. enjoy!

---

“Gaz, I literally can’t tell if he was joking or not. You know what he’s like.”

“So can’t you just ask him?”

Gary watches his sister roll her eyes over the laggy video connection. “Oh my god, Gary, it’s not like I’m asking you to fly out there and see for yourself. Just call him when he wakes up. Please? I can’t stay up that late, my girls have got a match tomorrow –”

“Okay,” he says, choosing to cave easily and avoid having Tracey spend the next twenty minutes ranting about what a terrible brother he is. “I’ll call ‘im when I get home from work, should be before he’s due at training. Is that acceptable to you?”

She rolls her eyes again, but she says “Fine. But don’t tell him it was me that –”

“Night, Trace.”

“Yeah, yeah. God forbid I try have an actual conversation with my second favourite brother…”

“Oi!”

“Night, Gaz!” she says sweetly, then hangs up before Gary has the chance to argue any more.

*

He shoves it to the back of his mind for the rest of the day – he’s got meetings to go to, emails to write. No need to worry about whatever minor drama Phil’s got himself wrapped up in now. He’d call Gary himself if it was something really important. Or at least, he’s pretty sure he would.

So he leaves it until he’s walking through the front door, unloading all his bits and bobs from his backpack into their designated Spots (a necessary evil – he discovered a long time ago that he could save himself from a lot of arguments if he just kept a dish for his keys and wallet by the front door.) When he pulls out his phone the screen lights up with the reminder he’d set that morning, which he swipes away and goes wandering towards the smell of cooking coming from the kitchen instead.

No cooking is actually being done when he walks in – Becks is sat at the kitchen island reading on his kindle while something simmers away in a pot on the stove. He looks up at the sound of Gary’s footsteps with a smile – but that smile, unfortunately, also comes with a pointed look at Gary’s feet.

“Shoes, Gaz.”

“I paid for this house,” Gary teases back. He walks over to the island and presses a quick hello kiss to David’s cheek. “If I want to stomp about in outside shoes then that’s what I’ll do, ta very much.”

 “Animal,” Becks says, but he’s still smiling so Gary reckons he’s in the clear. He goes over to the fridge to have a rummage around for some kind of pre-dinner snack.

Becks clears his throat. Gary obligingly pulls out one of his cans of diet coke and passes it over to him.

“Work alright?”

“Fine.” His phone pings again – he’s willing to bet Tracey put something in his iCal to bug him even while she’s asleep, so he pulls it out of his back pocket with a sigh. “I think Philip’s been bit by a racoon.”

“I –” Becks blinks forcefully a couple of times, shakes his head like he’s not quite sure he’s heard right. “You mean our Philip?”

“D’you know any others?”

“A racoon?”

“Mmm, they get those in America. I think.”

“Do I even want to ask?”

“I definitely didn’t. None of my business, is it, what he’s up to over there. But Tracey’s twisting my arm about it.”

At this, Becks hops off his stool and steps into Gary’s space, pressing a firm hand to the small of his back so that he can start steering him out of the kitchen and into the living room. He doesn’t stop until he’s got Gary sat on a sofa in front of him, then he plucks his phone out his hands and takes a moment tapping at it before handing it back with Phil’s contact page already pulled up.

“Call your brother.”

“alright, bossy,” Gary complains, but it’s a weak argument because he and Becks are both well aware that’s how he likes him best. He hits dial and then shoos Becks away while it rings.

It takes a good few rings for Phil to pick up, and when he does Gary is greeted by a close-up view of his forehead, frowning like an old man who’s never used facetime before.

“Hello Philip,” he says. Phil does a tiny little jump at the words – must have his volume up too high – then he holds the phone a bit further away so that Gary can actually see his whole face.

“Hello Gary. Everything alright? I miss a birthday or somethin’?”

“Why would I be calling you about a missed birthday, when have I ever done that?”

“To be fair I was gonna say it’d be a bit rich coming from you – didn’t you forget Roy’s birthday over summer? I feel like I saw something about that.”

Gary can feel himself very rapidly running out of patience, so he ignores this (and not because he still feels guilty about that, definitely not) and gets straight to the point: “Philip, what’s this I hear about a racoon?”

“Oh! Yeah, I got bit by a racoon. Why d’you ask?”

“Oh my god,” Gary mutters to himself, running a hand down over his face. “Is your hand alright? What were you even doing near – actually no, I don’t need the whole story.”

“Oh, yeah, no I’m fine Gaz, don’t you worry about me. The doctor cleaned it up and gave me an injection for somethin’, I forget what – don’t give me that look, like you always ask the doctor for the contents of every injection you’re given – or ‘ave you already forgotten the boss giving you the hairdryer when we came back from the world cup in ’98 –”  

“Oi!” Gary turns his head to see Becks leaning in the doorway, nosy prat, so he angles his phone to get him in view of the camera too. “No talkin’ about the ’98 world cup in my house –”

“—my house, we literally just established this –” “—shush, you, it’ll all be in my name when you die anyway –” “—not if I change my will it won’t –”

“Gaz,” Philip interrupts, reminding Gary that they have company, even if only through the power of iPhones and mobile data. Then, much cheerier, he adds “hiya, Becks. You keeping well?”

“’course I am, Fizz, look at me,” Becks says, taking a step back so he can gesture to his body. The effect is somewhat lessened by the fact he���s wearing an oversized hoodie and some old shorts, but he still plays up the bravado for the camera, like he’s angling for another ‘sexiest man alive’ nomination. “You didn’t actually get bit by a racoon, did you?”

“Why does nobody believe me! Do I ‘ave to send you all my medical records or will a doctor’s note suffice – oh! Rabies, the shot was for rabies. I remember now.”

Gary blinks. Then blinks again. “Is rabies an actual thing, then? I mean, it’s not really somethin’ you hear much about, is it?”

“I dunno, Gaz,” Philip groans, “it was probably just a precaution, weren’t it. I’ve gotta get to training soon, was that all you wanted?”

[autisticempathydaemon]

Take all the time you need hun! I don’t wanna make you feel rushed or anything, life is always busy 💞💞💞

What song are you fixated on at the moment? What lyric or verse, and why?

Both Over & Over by Rio Romeo and Again&Again by The Bird and the Bee, those two songs have been stuck in my head recently, it fits this fear I have in my mind that I’m never truly growing or I’m never actually gonna leave where I am, that I’ll always fall victim to habit and paranoia 💃🏽 also I just ADORE my meloncholy depressing songs lol but that’s not very heehee haha of me soooo Spider Web by Melanie Martinez bc it has the sound of a Coqui in it (I’m Puerto Rican) or River is a Vampire by Bear Ghost and Dan ET bc it’s just the vampiric version of that one meme “How you do my fellow kids” and it kills me

• What is your Enneagram type?

I think I’m a type 4? but I do know I’m an ENFP!

• Do you love gargantuan Youtube video essays, and if so, which is your favorite and why?

God I haven’t watched a video essay in AGES but I used to love them, but idk what gargantuan is </3 but I typically like video essays about internet history or crime cases, or of shows I enjoy (like MLP)

• Tell me about your childhood imaginary friend.

SHE WAS A CHEETAH WHO WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR ME NO MATTER WHAT!!! I would pet her, talk to her, and she’d keep me company when everyone would isolate me/avoid me bc I was ‘too weird’. She was just a big ass cat that would keep me company and run by the cars side to make sure I and my family was safe. She protected me 💞 (thank you for making me remember her 🥹)

• What is your go-to way to fall asleep?

Getting on call with my partner, I’m rather clingy and just wanna spend time with them even if it’s just silence or sleepy rambling, it also keeps me from doom scrolling. If not on call with them I’ll put on RSlash or Gavin’s/Davids sleep aid and hope that knocks me out (and if not that a ba LMFAO-) also if I have Lavender, I put it under/rub it all over my pillow and plushies

• If you had to change your name, what would it be, and why? (In tandem, if you have changed your name, why did you pick that one?)

Im genderfluid/gendervoid so I’ve tried many names, I do like my birth name, it means Loyal Protector/Pledge, so I wanted to find names that mean loyalty or music related names, but one name I’ve been using recently is Quincy, it feels nice sometimes, my partner suggested it to me.

• What is your favorite of Redacted's audios, and why?

Sam’s cuddles and confessions, it’s nice and comforting. That or Cataclysm in general, I fucking LOVE Cataclysm, I love relistening to it. Also any audio that involves Caelum I love that boy dearly

• What Redacted boy holds no appeal to you, and why? Like, not the one you hate but the one who you don't get the hype for. (I won't judge, I promise.)

Aaron and Vincent. Despite me being a huge vampire lover, Vincent just did not catch my attention at all, Aaron just doesn’t peak my fancy aside from one of his BA’s. Also same thing for Porter, he kinda bores me 😔

• Tell me about that one book/movie/tv show you know all the words to.

When I was a little kid, it was the live action 102 Dalmatians, I KNEW THAT MOVIE LIKE THE BACK OF MY HAND!!! I FUCKING LOVED WATCHING CRUELLA BEING BAKED INTO A CAKE BY ALL THOSE DOGS. Also Oddball my beloved 💞💞💞 the sweet baby puppy, I just understood the pup for feeling like and odd one out as a grew up, I haven’t seen the movie in years now but it still holds such a special place in my heart. Now as an adult my two favorite shows are The Promised Neverland(only season 1, I’m reading the manga) and Madoka Magica. I love rewatching TPN, but Madoka I have to mentally prepare myself for cause good lord does it make me feel like I never took anti-depressants/pos and then a movie I love now, A Silent Voice. I think I do know that one scene for scene. As a kid who grew up being bullied for being different or just not doing things right, I felt strongly for the main characters. I’ve cried almost every single time I’ve watched the movie. The part where one of the characters jumped off the balcony kills me every time because it reminds me how that could’ve been me from the fresh ages of 9-16 and almost was. It just holds a special spot in my heart and helps me keep going. (I adore my sad heart wrenching shit lmfao)

• Which Redacted boy are you platonically attracted to? Like- forget dating, which dude do you want to be your best friend?

Asher and Guy, those two would be so much fun to be friends with, also with the fact I’m so similar to them, especially Asher, bro is just like me fr 💀💀💀 collars and all. Like I just wanna be that man’s friend he is so silly

• Do you have a go-to thing you ramble about when you're tired, and if so, what is it? (For example, my boyfriend knows I'm ready to sleep when | start talking about space.)

As cheesy as it is, the fact I just want everyone in the world to be okay and happy, I want us all to hold hands, hug, and not hurt. I cry during these rambles sometimes, I genuinely just want everyone to be safe and happy and it tears me up inside and out bc that’s just not possible with the world we live in. That or I just start rambling nonsense lmfao (bonus is if I start rambling about how much I love and care about the person I’m talking to)

• Tell me your go-to gas station and drink combo.

Root beer and either Hot Cheetos/Cheesy Ruffles, or spicy chicken cheese sticks, meow I’m eating the shit out of that. (But if we have the money for it, Icys specifically cherry cause it’s objectively the best flavor next to Pinacolada)

• Tell me about your favorite playlist at the moment.

Like music playlist? Currently my fave has to be either my Alexis, Quinn, or my Darlin and Quinn playlists, I love my evil people playlists and songs that represent fucked up mindsets and relationships. That or my Melancholy Comfort playlist, I enjoy my meloncholy songs.

Redacted playlist tho? Either Sam, Vega, or Caelum, Sam holds a very special place in my heart, he’s incredibly comforting and ngl I miss the less sexual audios from his earlier era. Vega just drives me feral with every new piece of info we learn, GOD I FUCKING LOVE THAT ANCIENT MAN AND THE LORE HE DROPS!!! And then Caelum’s playlist holds a special place in my heart since that was the only playlist I could listen to after finding out I was cheated on/the other woman. Helped me out a lot for about 2 months 💞

• What's your guilty pleasure media, and why?

Those shitty werewolf romance things you see on tiktok, GOD I get so fucking invested in those they’re so needlessly interesting LMFAO idc they’re cringe, I’m cringe too stfu

• And whatever else you think tells me about who you are!

I’m a huge performer! I love singing, dancing, acting, especially singing and dancing. I LIVE for the stage and positive attention, I just wanna make people smile or make people feel scene when I preform. Hopefully one day I can be famous and truly fulfill that dream of mine. I also feel emotions strongly and spent my entire childhood from middle school and up studying psychology and human behavior. Also I absolutely HATE fake people, I can’t stand when people are fake, I try to be a safe person for everyone to truly be themselves cause lord knows I always hated having to put on a mask growing up/being isolated because I didn’t fit in lmfao.

I forgot to click on anon sorry-

I adore this entry- not only did you give me so much information to work with but you’ve given me an opportunity to pair you with Lasko which I love to do.

He’s such a character in need of love, and I think you’re a perfect person to love him and be loved in return for so many reasons. He’d be an introvert to your extrovert which is always an adorable couple dynamic. You’ve mentioned a past characterized by isolation and feeling other; Lasko is uniquely situated to understand and empathize with that. You prefer true, genuine people, and Lasko is so incredibly (albeit apologetically) himself and probably incapable of being anything else.

One of the most fun activities I think you and Lasko would do together is watch anime. I like to think he’s already a fan, mostly of adventure and isekai, with some cheesy shoujo faves he’s so bashful about liking. You show him A Silent Voice, which isn’t his usual genre, and you two cry together. Another fun thing is how you’ll perform and Lasko will be in the front row every time, cheering you on. He brings you a mismatched bouquet and rambles about how he couldn’t pick a dozen of one flower, so he got a little of them all.

Song:

Cause lately it's been hard/ They're sellin' me for parts/ And I don't wanna be modern art/ But I only got half a heart to give to you/ How can you miss someone you've never seen?/ Oh, tell me, are your eyes brown, blue, or green?/ And do you like it with sugar and cream?/ Or do you take it straight, oh, just like me?

You like melancholy songs; I can provide. This is one of my favorite pining songs, and it makes me think of a young Lasko (and maybe a young you) longing for connection, love, understanding, that one person who will make the love songs finally make sense. It makes me picture Lasko just waiting for you, you know?

Runner-ups:

On the total opposite of the pairing spectrum, Hudson is one of your runner-ups because he’d be such a good match to you as a performer. I personally can’t imagine a better hype man than Hudson. I’m also picking David as a runner-up for you, because I think you two would contrast each other really cutely, in a maybe golden retriever/german shepherd way.

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌