#because I got too excited about snagging a copy

[sealbug]

@contact-guy Holmes and Watson

[askthekuvaqbrothers]

Previous part

“Whoooow!! Look at all this!!”

Argus failed to capture Rufus as he sprinted into the tower, listening to his voice become a distant echo.

“And he was the one saying we had to hurry.” He grumbled.

“Well, we have to find a boat now, so a little exploring wouldn’t hurt… right?” Cletus rocked on his heels as he made his case.

He got a deadpan look from Argus, then a sigh pushed through his nose.

“Go on then. But! Be careful!”

“Of course.”

And with a quick skip he too vanished into the tower with a series of ‘oohs’ and ‘aaahs’. He was trying to be cautious in this unknown territory, but as he followed his brothers, Argus could feel the same excitement brimming.

The inside of the building was nothing like Kuvaq. No jumble of junk and metal to make a settlement, but instead a singular building coherently made from wood, metal and other fancy material coloured in green and gold that were (relatively) still in one piece. There were even working lights helping keep the place illuminated as the sun began to sink. 

He found Cletus not too far in, now standing by a colourful wall that seemed to make a picture. 

“Look.” He began to point at parts, “These little guys are carrying big beams up ramps, and to the side these fancy ones, they're making fancy ornaments.”

It made Argus feel uneasy, “Guess it's showing them building this tower?”

“Hmm, maybe. I know which thing I’d help with.” He smiled and ran over to an odd item on the ground, its design elaborate and its function long forgotten, “Isn’t it cool?! Elysium is probably full of these right?”

He shook his head, “I- I don’t know. Where’s Rufus?”

As if on queue, the sound of giggles came from the door at the top of the ramp. The two brothers headed up to investigate, finding a small room filled with lights and machines, Rufus face first in one. 

“This is the coolest. Place. EVER.”

As he pulled back, there was a wad of something fluffy in his hand, which was promptly shoved in his mouth.

“Rufus! You know the rule about eating strange things from strange places!”

“It’s that you don’t.” Cletus helpfully added.

Once he’d licked his fingers, he stuck out his tongue, “Rules-shmools. I’m hungry, and this is food! Here, look-”

He went to another machine and slapped a button, causing it to dispense a fish on a stick, which was collected and shoved in Cletus’ mouth. 

“Hrmf?!”

“Fishy food! Hehe!”

“Rufus.” Argus took the stick before Cletus choked on it, pointing it accusingly at his hyperactive brother, “This is not helping us find Dad. Let’s go.”

The red-head groaned in annoyance, pointing back, “Uugh, I bet I could find one of those up your arse!” Cletus made a small gasp at such language, “Why are you being more of a bore than usual?”

“Because I am focused on finding Dad and getting home in a timely manner, without anyone getting hurt. What’s wrong with that?”

“We’re on an adventure! Adventures are always filled with danger and mystery and unknown things. And they can go on for ages! If you’re too focused on boring stuff like time then what kind of adventure is that?”

Cletus looked between his brothers, backing up to escape their argument. Rufus hadn’t been bowing out as easily in recent times, and he was worried they’d begin a tousle. 

“Adventures are for books and radio stories! And they’re about adults, not a stubborn little trash babies!”

“You take that back!”

They lurched forward, pressing their foreheads together as Cletus stepped back again, “C-come on, we shouldn't be fighting right no-!”

There was an echoing ‘CRACK’ as the floor gave away, and Cletus felt gravity take him down. Both brothers turned and reached for him, but even on snagging his hands, it was too late- they all fell.

After a short blackness, the afternoon sun hit them as they emerged under the tower. At that moment, Rufus saw their target below, and tried to adjust their trajectory by pulling at Cletus’ arm, twisting himself backwards so their positions reversed. Argus thankfully caught on, copying the motion, but also taking Rufus’ arm and twisting to the right. 

It was just enough to drop them into a large pipe, Argus taking the brunt on the impact as they began to slide down its length. After a long minute of holding each other, they came to a stop as the pipe deposited them into a small trash heap. They remained still, panting as they recovered.

“So uh, can we stop falling please?”

Suddenly they all broke into giggles. 

“Sure, let’s just stay as low as possible.”

Rufus pulled himself up first, dusting off and checking their new location. His eyes lit up, though he knelt back down and gestured for the other two to remain low. 

“Hey Cletus, would a pirate boat work?”

He adjusted his hair, “Well, a boat is a boat…” He peered up to inspect.

Argus rubbed at his shoulder, wincing, “But a pirate might not be so friendly…”

He joined the spying pair, also catching sight of the burly pirate in the massive hat, as well as his smaller crewmate, both sporting thick beards. They had two options…

[f1uffy-turtle-fanfic]

Lumity Week Day 1: Azura Bookclub

CW for talks of death and sacrifice

Last week, the final book in the Good Witch Azura series was released. And frankly, Amity was rather anxious to get her hands on it. Luckily, when Luz visited last time, she was able to snag her a copy. She was filled to the brim with excitement, so much so that she couldn't help but take Luz by the face and kiss her over and over again. Today, she finally put the book down. Because today, they were going to talk about how it ended.

It was strange to think that the series would end at all, much less the way that it did. Amity, quite frankly, didn't know what to feel. She and Luz shared their love for the series when they were just fourteen. Amity herself has been reading them since she was eleven. And now they're both sixteen. The series that brought them closer together had been brought to a close. It was over, just like that.

Amity set her reading glasses down on the end table along with her book, and she rubbed at the corners of her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. She was just about to get up from her seat when she heard a knock at the door.

Weird, Amity thought, I wasn't expecting her until four. It was then that her gaze drifted over to the demon clock that hung on the wall in her room, which read: four-fifteen. Oh! Dear Titan!

"Psst," Luz hissed through the door, "sweet potato, it's me."

"Be there in a minute," Amity called back to her as she quickly set a table up in the middle of the room with a few chairs tucked away neatly underneath. She breathed deeply before turning to open the door for her.

"Hey."

"Que tal, hermosa," Luz greeted her girlfriend, kissing her on the cheek.

Amity flushed, "oh, I was just finishing up --"

"The book? Emira told me you were still reading it when I got here."

Amity rubbed at the back of her neck, her face growing hotter. "How's school going for you?" She deflected.

Luz pulled up one of the chairs Amity set up and sat down, folding her hands into one another and resting her chin. "It's been alright," she sighed, "it's definitely better than before I came to the Isles, but I still prefer it here, you know?"

"That’s not an excuse for you not to do your work, is it?" Amity said sternly, leaning her hand on one hip.

"No, absolutely not," Luz smiled at her, "I just like being here. I like being with you."

Amity nodded and pulled out the other chair to sit across from Luz. "I like you here too," she said softly, kissing her cheek, "now, do you want me to get any snacks or drinks for you, mi batata?"

This time Luz flushed, "Yes, please."

Once they prepared the snacks and some tea, Luz set her copy of the book down on the table. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.

“Sooo,” she mused, “what did you think?”

Amity was caught off guard. She only just finished the book and barely had time to think. The first time Luz asked her this, she had recently finished the fifth book, Turn of the Tides, and was giving her back the copy she borrowed. Back then, she had so much on her mind: school, pressure from her mother, and her crush on Luz. All of it swam through her head that it made her practically dizzy.

In retrospect, Amity enjoyed the book. She especially enjoyed the new character that was introduced; Lucy’s sibling, Mica Malingale. Luz found a fan drawing of her with Mica, and she was so embarrassed that she immediately burned the drawing.

“Do you mind starting?” She asked, “I still need time to think.”

Luz made a mock bow in response, at least the best interpretation of one while sitting down. “It would be my absolute pleasure,” she said in her most exaggerated posh Erynian accent. Amity couldn’t help but laugh at how cute she was.

The young witch took a sip of her warm tea and watched lovingly as Luz went on about the story. What she liked, what she didn’t like, and what she thought was great in concept but needed better execution. And then she stopped suddenly. Luz had tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Amity,” Luz said meditatively, “have you heard about what happened when I faced Belos? What really happened?”

“Eda told me a few things,” Amity answered worriedly, “Why? What’s going on?”

“You know how Azura died?”

Amity paused. She knew exactly what Luz was saying. Reaching over to touch her hand, she spoke to her calmly.

“But she came back, didn’t she?” Amity said, “And even if she stayed dead, she sacrificed herself for Hecate. Azura always thought she was an awful person for falling for Menos’ tricks. But that’s what he does; he tricks people. He tricked all of Eryon. He used the Desolation to lie to and manipulate the people. But just because she fell for it doesn’t make her a bad person. It made her a victim. But Azura saw Menos for what he really was. He labeled everyone who defied him as a witch. She rose and called him out for his abuse and claimed the title of The Good Witch not just for her, but for everyone he mistreated.”

Amity rose out of her chair now, “And she never had to sacrifice herself to prove that she was good, even if she had no choice. All she had to do was be there for the people; for everyone that she came across on her adventures; Malingale, Eila, Aithlin, even Hecate,” tears started rolling down Amity’s cheeks, “Hecate, while she was a childhood friend, she became an enemy, another victim of Menos. But Azura made her see that she was wrong. And eventually, Hecate grew to love her.”

Amity now knelt before Luz and put her hands on her shoulders, “and with that love, she brought her back. Despite everything they’ve been through, she loved her. And you can’t take loved away.”

Luz wept into Amity’s shoulder. It was everything that Luz needed to hear. She never completely processed what happened back then. And when the hero that she looked up to suffered nearly the same fate, it brought everything back.

It brought back all the hardships and all the struggles she faced. All the mistakes that she made. But in the end, she had love, just like Azura.

Luz wiped the tears away from her eyes and withdrew her breath. Then she smiled at Amity, the Hecate to her Azura, her cotton candy goddess. She was so lucky to have someone like her by her side. Luz leaned in to kiss Amity, and she returned the favor. They stayed that way for a while until they eventually pulled away. Luz then started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“So, I see you liked the book.”

Amity’s face grew hot, and joined in her girlfriend’s laughter, “You’re such a dork.”

“You know it.”

Amity leaned into Luz’s shoulder, kissing her cheek, “I love you.”

Luz’s smile softened as she rested her cheek against Amity’s head.

“I love you too.”

[wraithdance]

Hi! I wanted to ask for some advice from someone like you (I've been reading your fics like they're water and I'm parched) since I’m pretty new to this fandom.

I wrote a one-shot that blew up—got around 600 notes, which feels huge for a newbie like me. I was ridiculously excited about it. But then, a few weeks later, someone wrote a very similar one. It was much shorter (mine was around 10k words, theirs around 1k), but the setting, key sentences, and overall theme felt blatantly copied.

And it got, like, 5k notes in a week.

I know I shouldn’t fixate on engagement numbers, but honestly, it stung. On one hand, I’m flattered that I might have inspired someone so much that they recreated my work, but on the other hand... at least tag me, you know? Of course, I can’t be 100% sure they saw my fic and copied it, but some parts are so similar that I can’t help but think it’s not just a coincidence.

I dunno. I wanted to ask—if something like this happened to you, what would you do?

Feel free to trash this if it’s not something you want to weigh in on. Won't take it to heart! I’m just feeling a bit lost.

Oof I’m so sorry friend! Putting my reply under the cut 😔

Yeah so that exact scenario has happened to me a couple times now and I ended up unfollowing the people in the moment because it hurt my feelings pretty badly.

like you, I’m still new to the fandom and idk my work means so much to me because it all comes from personal experience. It really sucks to work so hard on something and feel like it amounts to nothing because someone else managed to say it differently or they’re more popular than you are. So I understand completely why you’d feel hurt.

Now that I’ve gotten over the big emotions I can acknowledge that sometimes ppl forget where they got a lil brain worm from. talking it out with my friends I personally just moved on because the effort it would take to prove it was an intentional intellectual theft would have been exhausting because people are biased and no one likes making accusations/being accused.

I’ve actually not been able to touch one of my fics that I felt like got snagged because it makes me feel bad.

You personally don’t have to take that route though and if you feel it’s blatant enough I’d message the person and ask them to please credit you at the very least!

At the end of the day you know why you created your work and there’s nothing anyone can drop that will take away your ability to tell the story your way. So please keep writing no matter what you decide!!

Check your notes on your original posts and see if they reblogged or liked the work before they made theirs, that’s how I confirmed that the person who recreated something similar saw mine first and that at least helped me stop gaslighting myself.

I’m so sorry friend, after I post this I’m gonna ask others what their thoughts are because I’d actually like a varied opinion too 🥹

[aeterna-auroral-avenger]

Oh my lord. You didn’t tell me I Was Anastasia would be so depressing. I shed some tears when the family was getting murdered. That was rough. A lot of it was tbh, especially the train scene. That was nasty. But I guess it makes sense considering Anastsia’s story. I think a lot of people know it. I will say I didn’t know about Anna Anderson and her side of things. In my defense, I’m not a huge Anastasia buff to begin with. I’m just familiar with the very basics of her story.

The only problem I really had was how the book was structured and how it flip flopped between timelines. I don’t mind duel timelines but the way this one was laid out was a bit confusing, even after reading the author’s note. Maybe because I read it through audio and so I couldn’t go and recheck what exact date we were in.

I’m not gonna lie, because of how it flip flopped and with the title, I kinda thought Anna was like a ‘reincarnated’ Anastasia and she was telling her past life to the readers, and the reveal at the end would be something like “I was Anastasia but now I’m Anna in this new life” instead of “I tricked you into thinking I was Anastasia”. If that makes sense lol. Had I known Anna was an actual person in history, I would’ve gone into the book knowing that there was a scam-like situation going on. Maybe if I read the synopsis but I didn’t. I almost never do anymore tbh.

I still really liked it though and I’m glad I took your suggestion to read it. I also feel like I had a history lesson with this one. And that’s not a complaint on my part. I like learning about history. I got in line for the other book you mentioned too and I’m excited about it.

On a different note (sort of) as soon as I returned I Was Anastasia, Lady Sherlock 7 was available for me to rent! That helped lift my melancholy mood and I snagged it right away. That timing could not have been more perfect. I love it when stuff like that happens. It’s like fate lol.

My library also got 2 more copies of the 8th Lady Sherlock audiobook, which means I only have to wait 2 weeks now instead of 10! It’s about time my library realized that people are enjoying these books and need more than 1 copy. I’m excited, talk about luck.

-Book Anon

If I'm being honest here, Book Anon, my only knowledge of Anastasia's story came from the cartoon movie LOL 😅 so I had like no idea about anything I was about to get into. I knew the myth, not the history. And I had no idea whatsoever about Anna Anderson either, so that threw me for a really big loop.

The whole thing was so wild to me, and honestly, I got choked up at the end too. My tears were a combination of shock, anger, and sadness. I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me, ya know? But still, the whole story was so very good. I enjoyed every bit of it.

I'm sure listening to it got confusing with the different dates. Now that you mention it, I remember flipping back and forth to check dates, and I remember at one point when I did, I was like *that doesn't add up*. That should have been my first clue I suppose. Still! I enjoyed it, and I'm glad you did too.

Hooray about the Lady Sherlock books too! That's very exciting! I like how things like that line up too; it's so satisfying. I'm excited for you!

[ziracona]

For the videogame ask game 5, 7, 9, 11 :D

5: Game(s) coming out that you’re looking forward to

Hmmmm I guess the next Dark Pictures game, because I really like Supermassive, and I’m enjoying the series! Someday they’ll make another main series Fallout game, and I’ll be excited for that. I’m excited for the new Spider-Man determinately—not playing until I hear if they did right by Harry Osborn, because he’s a blorbo of all time, but if so, I will be over the moon. Wolf Among Us 2, like most people, and I’ve heard if it succeeds, Batman the Telltale series season 3 will be next and I desperately need to help John and Harvey and see what happens, so that too.

7: A series you’ve lost interest in

Right now I’d have to say Dragon Age, if this question means in a moving forward way? Like I still Adore Origings through 2, but DAI was so fucking horrible in a lot of the pulls they made that I have -200 interest in Dread Wolf or any new DA game unless the devs like, un-become shitty people. I felt genuinely betrayed by a lot of stuff they did in DAI, and I’m still very hurt over it.

9: A game you played completely blind with no prior knowledge of and enjoyed/loved

Hmmmm Oxenfree I think I just snagged on a PS sale? OH The Council is a fantastic little mystery/suspense/eldritch horror game, and I love playing titles where the ends aren’t even all known because it’s so branching and so few people have played (this was also my experience with Oxenfree, bc I played around launch back when people thought there just was no good ending). I googled like ‘suggestions for decision based games’ and that’s how I found The Council, but I hardly thinks subgenre counts as prior knowledge. — oh I could also say Fallout 4. I knew nothing about Fallout at all, and got a PS4 to play Until Dawn as many times as it took to save Josh right after launch, having played once with my brother on his. I came home with my system after a shady Walmart parking lot Craigslist deal half an hour away where both I and the seller were sure we’d be murdered by each other, and when I got home my brother offered me his copy of FO4 for ten bucks (a month after release, back when it was a sixty dollar game), because he’d beaten it and only plays games once. I owned no games yet and wanted to try out the system, and happily agreed. I’d never played an open world game before. Or one where followers had an affinity system, or branching choices in the large scale way, so my mind was blown. I remember Piper stopping me (literally) to tell me she thought I was a little bit of a do-gooder, and being amazed the game was keeping track of my actions and she had comments on it. Core system memory there. It’ll always be a special game in my heart.

11: Do you prefer ‘blank slate’ main characters you make yourself or otherwise project onto, or characters with a set personality and backstory?

I like both! I guess I prefer a little backstory though? Because a game like FO4 where you can chose almost everything but you had a spouse, kid, and specific job, solid building blocks to rp with while getting a more complex personality. if I start a game like Skyrim where there’s a fuck ton of backstory I don’t know for the world, and NO history for me, I have no idea how to RP correctly. Because I don’t have the social and historical context. Like, DAO? Okay I get a quick background. Tabris. I love in a shitty Alienage, humans oppress us, I’m getting married, here’s an overview of my immediate social and political system. A+ — my personality and feelings are mine, but I have enough context for the world and my species and class that I can rp well. DAI? Idk we assume you played the rest of the series and tell you fuckall. I was a mage Vashoth. I got ‘your powers that would have made you a threat back home made you a successful mercenary. People are afraid of your species though.’ I’m there for some meeting?? That’s nothing. I started DAI before any other game, and had fucking 0 clue what anything to anyone was, and I couldn’t even give ‘I don’t know’ answers to make that work. Terrible game design. You can’t assume every player in your franchise played all 5 games before this. I know like 30 people who started Witcher in Witcher 3, and it did a great job of giving us not only world background, but specific past game facts too, so we /could/ start in 3. Anyway uh, I like minimal but enough context to rp well out the gate I guess? But it’s also fun to like, play a Telltale game be Lee Everett or Bruce Wayne. Like that’s cool too, idk which is more fun. Both fun for different reasons.

Ask game

[jaybirdss]

comic store crush |

 Jay x gn reader 🛼

SORRY THIS TOOK ME LITERAL MONTHS LMAO, I HOPE YOU ENJOY 

It all started with Jay entering the comic book store one on an average Monday afternoon.

you’d just clocked into your shift, standing behind the counter watching people come and go. the blue ninja walked into your store, from what you hear he was a regular. his usual purchase was the latest Fritz Donnagan comic issue. He came in once a week at least, usually around the mornings, surveyed the figures and arcade games, purchased his comic and left.

You watched with little interest as he begins his routine. it was the same thing every day. the only interesting thing about today was he came in later than usual. you’ve never been on the clock when he came in late.

the blue ninja rushed to the stands for the new comic, only to find it was sold out already. “aw man ! you’ve got to be kidding me!” he exclaimed, clearly distraught over it. “yeah, you should have come earlier” you said, “the build up for this one’s release was big, there was a crazy amount of people here” you knew that because you arrived early to purchase a copy for yourself. you were too big on comics but figured this would be a good place to start, so you snagged one while you had the chance.

“Do you guys have any left anywhere?” he asked, hoping desperately there was one left for sale. “no,” his shoulders sagged, “but we’re getting another shipment in by thursday if you want to come early for that. Or i can save you one” you offered.

immediately he brightened up, “Really?” he asked, feeling it was too good to be true. “yeah, just don’t tell anyone” you said, lowering your voice and looking around “we’re not really supposed to do that”

jay nodded with understanding, a serious look on his face. “I see..can you save me one then? i’ll come in whenever your in to get it and pay!” he said, barley containing the excitement in his voice. he may be bummed that he can’t get it today, and he’ll have to avoid any and all spoilers until he got his hands on it, but he was still excited that he could get it.

you nod, looking at him clearly. freckles ran across his right cheek, over his nose bridge and to his left cheek. some went lower and were more sparse, like they got separated from the group. and others went higher, on his forehead and the sides of his eyes. they all varied in pigmentation, from a few shades darker then his skin, to several shades darker. they created an intricate artwork along his face.

his mouth was quirked up in a goofy smile, his lips a warm rosy shade. they were freckled, too. a single dark freckle lay on his lower lip, just by the corner.

his eyes were bright and optimistic, his excitement making them shimmer under the fluorescent lights above.

“oh, yeah I can do that for you. I just need your name?” you said, plucking a sticky note from its pad, and a pen from the cup to your right.

“it’s Jay! Jay Walker!” he said proudly. “well it’s nice to meet you, Jay Walker, i’ll save one for you. i’ll be in friday if you want to pick it up then?” you tell him, revising your work schedule in your head. “oh and saturday, both in the evenings” you recount, waiting for his response of which day he prefers.

he hummed, tapping his foot in thought. “I think…” his eyes wandered to yours, “i’ll come for it Thursday!” he decided shortly. with a thank you he left the counter to survey the figures and merchandise.

Thursday rolled around, and you were waiting behind the counter bored. you started your shift half an hour ago, but Jay hadn’t shown up yet. you were beginning to think he wouldn’t show up at all- until of course, he came barreling in through the front glass doors.

Jay stumbled up to the counter, sweaty and out of breath. “Woah, what happened to you man?” you asked, concerned. He was red in the face, his hair damp and frizzy. not to mention he smelled..

“Oh, you know, saving people and stuff” he huffed out, bent over. it took him a few minutes to regain his composure and to be able to stand up straight. “i’m sorry i’m so late” he apologized, wiping his face with his hand.

“it’s okay, i got your comic” you spoke softly, turning to look for the mini fridge under the counter. you duck down and pop back up, a cold bottle of water in hand. “here, you look beyond thirsty” he took it graciously, downing half of it quickly. “Thanks! I really was thirsty!” he sighed, taking a deep breath. 

you set the plastic wrapped comic on the counter, scanning the back of it. “4.99″ you smiled, looking back from the register to him. jay was staring, and seeing this caught you off guard. your felt your face get a little hot, staring back at him. he smiled, a small, goofy looking smile. he handed you a slightly damp 10 dollar bill, grimacing a little at the state of it. 

“thanks so much for holding this for me again!” he grinned. “not a problem,” you replied, turning to scrawl something on a sticky note. you folded it up as he watched from the other side of the counter, confused. you shakily passed it to him, “open it outside” you smiled.

jay smiled, and after another round of thanks and a goodbye he left. wou waited anxiously on your stool, waiting to see what he would say. 

half an  hour had gone by without a text, or a call. you worried he didn’t feel the same. how could you be so stupid, you asked yourself, forehead against the cool glass of the counter. deciding your fate was made, you sighed. maybe you would mope about it all day, and when you got home you’d eat ice cream and move on. 

until the ding of your phone pulled you back to your senses. 

‘I think you’re cute too, I’d like to get to know you more :)’

and another ding, 

‘sorry that took so long, got caught up fighting more bad guys >_<’

[sunwoo-hoo]

↣ the boyz reaction to s/o bringing home a pet / interacting with animals

↳ a/n: hello my darlings! we are back at it with another tbz reaction! this is for my lovely anon who requested this. i hope you don’t mind i altered the request a little bit. i’m so sorry that requests are coming out slowly but bear with me i’ll get through them. nevertheless, i hope you enjoy! also, all my reactions are canon to my boyfriend series so i highly recommend checking those out as well! ☻

↳ genre: fluffiest of fluff

↳ requested? yes

↳ send me your requests here!

↳ word count: 2.7k

↳ the boyz x fem reader

「 Lee Sangyeon  」

it had been a week since you last saw sangyeon and you were finally going to see him, but you never would have guessed the unexpected to happen one rainy evening when it was nearly 35°F

as you were walking up to the dorms that’s when you heard tiny meows and spotted a small white kitten near the alley trying to make cover in a box

you instantly felt bad for the poor kitten due to the harsh weather conditions and it looked like it was lost from it’s mother

you swiftly picked up and tried your best to cover the tiny kitten with your jacket as you made your way inside the dorms

as sangyeon open the door he instantly smiled seeing your face giving you a cheek on this kiss

“what’s that sound?” he wondered as he heard the faint meows coming from your jacket

removing your jacket sangyeon saw the small kitten that was in your hands

“i found him outside, i couldn’t just leave him out there. do you think we can keep him?” you asked hopefully giving sangyeon your doe eyes

he sighed “i don’t know baby, we’re both really busy with our schedules.. he should be with a family where they can properly take care of him”

you nodded hating that he was right, you knew that you couldn’t take care of pet when you had a full time job and sangyeon had his idol responsibilities

sangyeon noticed your sadness and lifted your chin to look up at him “we’ll make sure that he’ll go to a loving home okay?” he promised

you smiled in response giving him a small peck setting the kitten down on the floor where he quickly ran under the table

「 Jacob Bae  」

you were excited, it was the day of your birthday and jacob wanted to make it extra special for you

he knew you always wanted a pet so he decided that you could go to the pet store and get any pet you wanted with his card

he wanted to go with you but unfortunately practice overlapped

nevertheless, you were ecstatic looking at all the different animals that were for sale, when your eyes finally landed on some caged rabbits

you smiled as you saw a light brown one with his long whiskers, in a way it reminded you of jacob

as you told the seller that was the animal you wanted, you bought all the corresponding items you would need like food, treats, toys, and a cage with a matching bowl set for his food and water

once you had everything you needed you made your way to the dorms to surprise jacob with your new pet

as you knocked on the door jacob answered noticing the huge cage covering your entire face and half your upper body

he laughed “what on earth did you buy?” trying to peek through the cage grabbing it from you with ease setting it on top of the dining table

“something that reminds of me of you” you smiled

“that’s funny because i don’t see a golden retriever anywhere” he teased

“this is better! just close your eyes” you instructed as jacob did was he was told

once you knew his eyes were closed you opened the cage and grabbed the rabbit holding it in your arms “okay open!”

when jacob opened eyes he saw the small brown rabbit in your hands “aw… you got a rabbit?” he asked scooping it from your hands wanting to see it closer

“yes!” you squealed not hiding your excitement as jacob set him down on the floor so that he could hop around

“well it’s super cute, and it suits you so well” he said giving you a kiss on the cheek before he continued “now c’mon i have more surprises for my birthday girl”

「 Kim Younghoon  」

you loved younghoon, you pretty much had the perfect little family including your little poodle bori

but when your friend texted you that her maltese dog had a litter of puppies you couldn’t deny that you wanted one, they were just so precious

you kept hinting at younghoon all week that you really wanted to snag one of your friend’s puppies

“younghoon look at this cute picture again” you grinned showing him your phone

“they are cute baby but we already have bori” he said glancing at the picture

“but bori needs a friend” you protested leaning your head on his shoulder “pleaseee?”

he let out a light sigh “we can go and look at them but no promises okay?”

you shrieked “yay that’s perfectly fine! i love you so much” you repeated grabbing his face giving him kisses all over

as expected when you and younghoon went to go see the maltese puppies he was excited and couldn’t deny their cuteness and agreed that you could get one

you ultimately decided on the runt of the litter which was a boy and the smallest out of all the puppies

「 Lee Hyunjae 」

it was fun weekend when your sibling asked you to take care of their pet hedgehog

at first you weren’t even going to mention it to hyunjae since he was busy but he decided to surprise you at your apartment one evening

that’s when he noticed the small cage in your living room that definitely wasn’t there before

“hey babe what’s this? did you get a pet?” he wondered curiously

“oh! no i didn’t i’m just watching him for the weekend while my sibling is out of town” you replied heading to the kitchen to get dinner started

as hyunjae opened the cage to get a closer look at the hedgehog it quickly curled up into a ball out of anxiousness pricking hyunjae’s fingers

“ah! it feels like needles” he nearly screamed closing the cage quickly

as you ran back into the living room to see what the commotion was all about you saw the hedgehog still curled up in a ball in the corner of his cage

“aw hyunjae you scared him” you said opening up the cage grabbing him carefully

the hedgehog slowly peeked out of his little ball and started to relax in your hands

hyunjae came up behind you laying his head on your shoulder trying to get a better look at the hedgehog’s face

“it looks cute, but he still hurt my hand” he whined playfully

rolling your eyes at him you set the hedgehog back inside the cage where he started to walk freely

you grabbed hyunjae’s hand giving it a small kiss trying to make him feel better

“it hurts here too babe” he said pointing to his lips smirking

you chuckled as you leaned in giving him a small peck

「 Lee Juyeon 」

you were visiting juyeon during practice when he finally met your pet turtle for the first time

it was a yellow-bellied slider turtle and it was still small enough that it fit in the palm of your hand

you walked in the studio with your small portable cage and saw juyeon practicing alone to new dance moves for the boyz next comeback

he smiled when he saw you through the mirror reflection turning around walking towards you giving you a peck on the lips

when he pulled apart he noticed the tiny cage in your hands

“hey babe, you didn’t have to come all this way to see me. i was gonna head to the dorms after” he said

“i know, but i wanted you to finally my meet my pet turtle. i’ve had him ever since i was little” you smiled taking your turtle out of the cage handing him over to juyeon

“he’s super cute” he commented as the turtle kept sticking its head in and out of his shell

as you both sat down on the floor you grabbed a little bit of juyeon’s fruit from the table and started to feed your turtle

juyeon laughed at how slowly the turtle was eating

“that was all the food i had for practice and it’s gonna take him at least 5 years to eat it all” he teased as you giggled in response

「 Kevin Moon 」

after dating for about a month kevin finally decided to visit your apartment for the first time

you were a bit apprehensive at first mostly because of your pet since you weren’t sure how he was going to react

as you walked into your apartment he casually looked around

“wow i’m jealous i think your place is bigger than our dorms” he commented

you laughed before stopping in front of your bedroom door

“okay, so don’t freak out but i have pet snake..” you told him hesitantly

“no way for real? can i see?” kevin asked excitedly

you nodded opening your bedroom door as you and kevin walked up to the medium sized cage in the corner of your room

“wow he looks really cool can i hold him?” kevin asked

“absolutely he’s actually really sweet” you replied taking out the medium green snake and handing him over

kevin held the snake in his hands while sticking out his tongue copying the snake as you smiled

“i actually have to give him away soon since i’m moving to another building and they don’t allow pets” you mumbled

“aw that sucks [name] i’m sorry, how about i help you find him a good home?” kevin asked placing the snake back in the cage

you nodded happily wanting nothing more

「 Choi Chanhee 」

you weren’t expecting that this was the way that chanhee would meet a pet mouse for the first time

it was a memorable experience to say the least

when chanhee was on vlive you figured now was the time for him to meet the cute little mouse

“i’ll be right back deobi’s i’m gonna bring a friend” you smiled

chanhee gave you a confused look as far as he knew it was just you and him that were gonna do the vlive together

once you came back into the room chanhee turned his chair to greet the new acquaintance but the first thing you heard was his screams

“love what is that? is it a rat?” he shrieked as he covered his mouth in disbelief

“no! it’s my pet mouse, doesn’t he look cute deobi’s?” you asked showing him to the camera

“look at his cute little round ears” you added as chanhee was still giving you puzzled looks

“oh love, i don’t know…” he finally said looking at the mouse from afar and at his phone reading deobi’s comments

you giggled responding “relax chanhee it’s my neighbors mouse, i just wanted to see your reaction”

he sighed putting his hand over his chest dramatically “love you almost gave me a heart attack in front of deobi’s”

“sorry deobi!” you apologized sincerely leaving the room

“what just happened?” chanhee asked the camera jokingly

「 Ji Changmin/Q 」

it was a nice sunny day when you and changmin decided to take a walk through the city

it was a spontaneous day, doing everything that caught you and changmin’s eye like the cafe and shopping

as you both were making your way home that’s when you spotted the pet store asking changmin if you can go in

“changmin-a, can we go there?” you asked pointing to the pet store

“of course babe, i was thinking about getting some new fish” he grinned grabbing your hand

as you both walked around the store looking at the various fishes and reptitles that’s when you saw a cage full of adorable hamsters

“aw changmin look how cute these are, they look just like you! especially that one” you pointed laughing at the individual hamster in the corner eating with its cheeks puffed

changmin laughed showing his adorable smile agreeing before asking the seller if he could hold one

the seller opened the cage and handed changmin a hamster to hold

you quickly took out your polaroid camera as changmin started to pose with the hamster

the rest of the day was spent taking pictures with all the animals in the pet store

「 Juhaknyeon 」

it was a chill day spending it haknyeon on his rare day off

as you two were watching t.v with your head on his lap you were casually scrolling through your phone

that’s when you saw an ad for a chameleon that was for sale

you didn’t know much about chameleon’s besides thet fact that they were really cool looking and that their skin camouflaged itself to hide from prey

you gently tapped on haknyeon who was slowly starting falling asleep

“haknyeon look someone is selling their pet chameleon” you said lightly trying to wake him up

“hmm? that’s nice babe” he replied still half asleep

“can we go and see it?” you asked hopefully

“mm, sure babe” he murmured bending down to kiss your forehead before falling back asleep

a couple of days later you were seeing the chameleon for the first time even though haknyeon barely rememberd the conversation on going

“this is him” the older lady introduced you two to her loving chameleon adding “would you like to hold him?”

you nodded enthusiastically as she grabbed the chameleon and placed it on your forearm

haknyeon lightly touched his back commenting on the odd texture

you then placed it on top of haknyeon’s forearm and saw the chameleon changing colors to haknyeon’s jacket

“wow, this is officially the coolest pet ever let’s get him” haknyeon’s said smiling

「 Kim Sunwoo 」

kim sunwoo loved you, in fact he adored you. in his eyes you could do no wrong

but he also loved the two lovebirds you had together as pets as they reminded him of your relationship

the birds were always together, eating, sleeping, and flying simultaneously

the male lovebird had a black face with a grey body and his name was jae

while the female was light blue with white body with her name being eun

he especially loved it whenever he would come home from practice and they would fly all over the dorm

“sunwoo wait, jae is on top of your head” you giggled as sunwoo entered the apartment taking off his shoes

you pointed your index finger outward as jae flew on top of it landing easily

jae quickly flew over to his wooden play stand walking to eun as she was eating from the bird feeder

sunwoo pulled you close wrapping his arms around your waist pressing light kisses in the crook of your neck from behind

“how was your day?” he murmured in between kisses

you moaned in response “so much better now that you’re here”

sunwoo smiled as you both heard the the faint chirps from jae and eun in the background

「 Eric Sohn 」

one of the reasons you loved hanging out with eric was because he always made you feel like a little kid again

it was his idea to spend the day with you at an amusement park where you two went on countless rides and ate all the junk food you can eat

you both decided that it would be best to take a break from all the rides and go to the park’s animal exhibit

“wow babe come look a this” eric exclaimed excitedly pulling your hand running towards the reptile exhibit

you giggled in response at his energy following right behind

you both took in all the different snakes, lizards, and turtles before you finally stopped in front of an exhibit where a worker was explaining one of the lizards they had which was a bearded dragon

“now would anyone like to hold him?” the worker announced to the onlookers

“i would!” eric grinned raising his hand in response

as you both walked closer to get a better look the worker handed eric the bearded dragon where he was also explaining more fun facts and instructions on how to hold him properly

“hold still eric i wanna make sure i get a picture of this” you smiled taking out your phone

after you took a few snaps you sent it to the boyz group chat where texts started to flood in

you laughed when you read hyunjae’s comment saying that the bearded dragon looked like eric

eric peeked at your phone to see what was so funny until he read hyunjae’s text

“just wait, he won’t laugh once he finds a bearded dragon on his bed” eric chuckled mischievously

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* © sunwoo-hoo 2 0 2 1  ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi! Can I request the Heartslabyul gang (separate) dating a Vtuber reader? Since Vtuber usually have their own persona during streams an such, how do you think they will react to it and will they support them? Headcanons pls! Thanks for your hardwork, Raven-san!!

It looks like Vtubing is the next big thing, ehhh~

***Spoilers for Cater’s Unique Magic.***

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Riddle’s more interested in the logistics of Vtubing than your avatar. He doesn’t see a reason to pretend to be someone else, even if just for a gimmick. According to him, “A character is merely that: a character. Why should I vest my interest in a character when I have the real you here before me? Surely the ‘true’ you is far more worthy of my time.”

Though Riddle doesn’t know much about Vtubing, he’s impressed with the amount of work it seems to take on your part. It’s not just about having the right tech and assets, but knowing the right things to say on the fly to engage with and entertain your fans--things which are almost foreign to a stern, by-the-books person like Riddle. He makes it a point to commend you for your hard work, and asks that you take breaks when possible.

Riddle doesn’t approve of your weird hours (especially the late night, lengthy gaming streams), but he learns to adjust to them. Before leaving for his classes or meetings, he’ll leave out a plate of sandwiches and a cup of tea to help you recharge after a long night. It’s a simple gesture, but it helps remind you to look after yourself, because Riddle’s thinking of you, too.

On certain streams, Riddle’s actually one of your moderators (thought admittedly, he’s the most strict one). His presence helps keep the chat log clean and orderly (because he loses his temper and instabans anyone that speaks rudely or implies crass things).

He’s no hardcore fan, but he does think your Vtuber avatar is cute. Trey often takes inspiration from it for a lot of the personal desserts he makes for you. For special occasions, like your birthday, or when you hit a massive new follower milestone, he makes especially extravagant works of edible art to celebrate.

You spend so long in front of a computer or on your phone streaming and posting on social media... Trey worries that you forget to take care of yourself in the process. While he won’t tell you to stop Vtubing, he does place your wellbeing over the importance of gaining online clout and money.

He’ll remind you to look after yourself, while continuing to support you in his own way. This usually involves a lot of nagging gentle scolding. You’ve had to adjust your streaming schedule before because Trey pulled you aside and cautioned that you weren’t getting enough rest for your eyes (”Your vision is going to be worse than mine, you know.) or nutrition (”You can’t just live off of chips, popcorn, and energy drinks.”). 

He also has a pretty bad habit of walking in on you midstream (then scrambling to deliver a plate of snacks and a quiet “’scuse me” before slipping back out). The sounds usually get caught on stream anyway, and it has become a joke in your fanbase that your “mom” keeps interrupting you.

Of course Cay-kun’s all for you Vtubing~ He thinks it’s just so super exciting that you’re a couple that has made a name for themselves on the internet (although none of your fans know you’re dating). It’s a secret just between you two!

You do a lot of collabs and cross-promotions together. Cater’s got a special Vtuber model to use just for when he guest stars in your streams, and you’ve found out a way to superimpose your persona in your place during Cater’s Magicam livestreams. You have tons of fun just goofing around in front of the cameras.

Cater’s big on merch. Whenever you’ve got a new item out, he somehow manages to snag a copy (... though he uses his Unique Magic to cheat, with one Cater clone apiece on the merch site and filling their carts with stuff every release).

Every so often, Cater will remind you that while it’s good that you’re having fun being someone else, you shouldn’t lose sight of who you were to begin with. That’s coming from someone with many ‘faces’ of his own, but he’s dead serious about it. “I like you just the way you are, (Y/N}-chan~ So don’t forget who you are, ‘kay~?”

A Vtuber? You? Seriously? Ace has just gained a new avenue to mess with you. He takes your persona and makes a caricature of them, putting on an exaggerated voice and taking their character traits to the extreme to make jokes.

Even though he makes fun of you, he has a pretty good attendance record for your streams. Ace doesn’t exactly announce that he goes to them, but it’s pretty clear it’s him spamming the chat with emojis and saying outrageously dumb things to grab your attention (it matches the way he texts you).

Occasionally, he’ll donate a few madol to get you to do or say something silly on stream which he will then bring up to you when you’re off camera, just to push your buttons. With his bulletproof memory, Ace pretty much remembers every in-joke and little gag in your fanbase, so there’s no escaping his bullying, even when you’re in your Vtuber persona!

When you confront him about his teasing, he just rolls his eyes and lightly bonks you on the head with his fist. “Dummy. Don’t you get it? Whether you’re being someone else, or just being yourself... the one I’ll like at the end of the day’s still you.”

Deuce is super enthusiastic about your Vtubing career! He thinks it’s so cool that you can be someone totally new with the power of the internet--but he knows its not easy to take on a new persona, so he’ll give you all the support he can muster!

He lets his friends and family know about what you do! No matter how big or how small your following is, Deuce talks about your persona like it’s the best thing since sliced bread. He knows you put all your passion into designing them, so he needs to output the same amount of passion in his support!

Deuce does other little things to demonstrate his love for your persona, from liking and sharing fan art of them to buying merch here and there. He actually has a little patch of your character sewn onto his most worn jacket, and he proudly shows it off while he’s riding his Magical Wheel!

He doesn’t collect every piece of merch or follow every collab religiously, but he keeps up to date with what you’re up to in your Vtuber life. “That’s not weird, is it? For me, it’s like getting to know another side of you that I don’t normally get to see. It’s really cool that I get to experience that!”

[hockeyboysiguess]

two turtle doves -> two hockey skates | t. seguin

a/n: thank you for all your sweet comments on the first fic of this little holiday series :) here’s fic number two in my 12 days of christmas series! full list linked here.

word count: 3,643

warnings: alcohol, terrible skating, some questionable choices, cheesiness. 

Christmas in Toronto, well outside of Toronto, with the Seguin family was going better than you had let yourself hope it would. Meeting Tyler’s family happened ages ago, but the decision to split holidays, Thanksgiving with yours and Christmas his, was a much bigger one that had brought nerves in never ending supply. Spending Christmas away from your own family, where you had always spent it, also had you worrying, on top of endless time with your boyfriend’s family where you felt like you always had to be on, you worried it wouldn’t feel like Christmas. But now, with the gifts opened and cherished, the fire roaring, dinner served and enjoyed, and with everyone drinking Tyler’s mom’s incredible spiked hot chocolate, your nerves had given way to warmth and love, and as cliché as it was, the Christmas spirit. 

“How you doing, Ty?” 

You smiled as you wrapped an arm around his waist from the side. His arm extended out, giving you space to tuck under it and into his side. He pulled you in tighter for a moment and dropped a kiss to your temple, other hand setting his fourth, possibly fifth, mug of spiked hot chocolate on the counter. The marshmallows in his mug floating on the surface were dissolving into the cocoa, a situation you knew Tyler was hoping to create, the candy cane used to stir discarded on the counter. It was the little things that made the holidays, not the big ones, like disintegrating marshmallows and his younger sister’s obsession with your family gingerbread recipe she swore was the best she ever had and the noise of the fire crackling in the background on top of a rare snowy Christmas in Tyler’s hometown. 

“When are we going to get you to use your Christmas present?” Tyler asked you, words slurring a little together from a combination of alcohol, exhaustion, and the holidays. 

“Oh, at some point, I guess,” you shrugged, then realized that might sound like you didn’t appreciate them before quickly adding,  “I really appreciate them, Ty. Thank you.” 

Tyler shook his head softly, “No, no, we need a plan to get you on the ice finally. None of this ‘at some point’ or ‘later, Ty’ bull. You’ve told me later for two years now and you know what? Now is later. Come on, get your coat.”

“Wait, you wanna go skating right now?” you squeaked out. 

“You mean,” he snagged a Stars beanie off the counter and tugged it down over your head quickly, pulling it back by the pom pom to adjust it, “we’re going now. Full stop.”

You were sputtering out words as Tyler headed for the front coat rack. Your inability to skate, and your even stronger will not to learn at this point in your life, were a regular sticking point with Tyler, a person whose job required him to skate well. He offered to teach you way back on your second date, and back when you’d been trying your hardest to impress him, you’d agreed to take lessons from him but only because the teacher was cute. Tyler hadn’t actually scheduled any lessons back then, when he was trying even harder to impress you, so you quietly let the offer fade to black, hopefully never to be resurrected. But here Tyler was, bringing it back from the dead, when you least expected it, on Christmas Day, a day you never expected to spend with him, but now we’re pretty sure you never wanted to spend the day without him. However, you didn’t want to spend part of it falling flat on your face attempting to do the thing your boyfriend did for a living. 

“Come on,” Tyler encouraged, as he laced his boots up tighter. “Get your coat. I’ll grab the skates.”

“Tyler, it’s after nine-”

“Stop giving me crap,” he teased you. “Coat, gloves, come on.”

You sighed and wanted to push back. It was dark. It was cold. It was snowy. It was Christmas, and yet, Tyler wanted to cash in on a promise from your second date. You pulled your coat on and wrapped a green scarf around your neck, Dallas Stars green, a reminder of just how much Tyler had permuted every aspect of your life, how important you made him, how central you made him. You never would be spending Christmas outside of Toronto, holding a brand new pair of ice hockey skates in one hand, walking down the Seguin’s neighborhood street, if you hadn’t made Tyler completely central to your future. Sometimes the thought of that, changing as much as you had for him, was terrifying, the kind of terrifying that made your hands shake and your chest tighten and your mind race down paths you barely knew excited because they were so rarely tracked. But then, like he did in that moment, Tyler turned to you and gave you his widest smile, smiling so hard to do it that his nose scrunched up and his eyes squeezed shut, and you remembered exactly why it wasn’t terrifying at all. He loved you with a pureness that reminded you of a child’s love of Christmas morning, but with the depth to grow and change with you the other three hundred and sixty-four days of the year. 

Maybe for him, you would try to learn to skate afterall. 

Tyler turned at the house at the end of the block, heading straight to the side gate. He noticed your puzzled expression and offered an explanation, “Neighbors built a little ODR they didn’t mind sharing when I asked.” 

“Tyler Seguin, how long have you been planning this?” you huffed, pausing in the open gate to give him a look that signalled you knew Tyler needed to come clean. 

He gave you a sheepish smile before saying, “Since you said you would come for Christmas?” 

“Tyler, that was in October!” you cried out, a laugh edging at your voice. 

“The lessons are part of your Christmas present,” he replied, pushing aside your whining tone. “Can’t give you a gift you can’t use and not teach you how to use it, right?” 

You sighed as you rounded the corner of the yard to reveal a small, but serviceable outdoor rink his neighbors created on a pond in their back garden. Tyler ushered you out with a wave towards the pond and your brows furrowed, but he just waved his hands to usher you along. It was dark, far too dark for you to possibly learn to skate in this, with just the faint lighting from his neighbor’s back patio showing the outline of the pond and a small bench beside it. You dropped down onto the bench and began to unlace your boots. 

Just as you pulled the second boot off, suddenly, the pond was flooded with light, making you jump a little in surprise. There were lights all around, spotlights, string lights, lanterns, everything it seemed the family could find to make the backyard as bright as possible. You shook your head softly as a smile came over your face. Of course. 

“Tada!” he shouted as he trudged through the snow to cross the yard to you. “The family that lives here is out of town for the holidays, but they were super nice and told me how to set it all up so I could teach you. Do you like it?” 

The skates in your lap and the ice in front of you that would soon be combined in a way sure to cause you physical pain made you want to say you didn’t love it, but the look on Tyler’s face, the obvious meticulous planning, and the thoughtfulness of the gesture made you feel otherwise. Plus, it was a Christmas gift and you couldn’t tell Tyler you didn’t like his Christmas gift because you were embarrassed you got this far into life, this far into a relationship with a professional hockey player, never learning how to skate. 

“It’s great,” you smiled at him as he plopped down onto the bench next to you. “Thank you, Ty.” 

“Merry Christmas, baby,” he told you before dropping a kiss to your temple in reply. 

You slid your skates on at the same time Tyler did, and you did your best to copy his motions, looping the laces on your skates to pull them tight. Tyler tried not to laugh, but you definitely weren’t pulling hard enough or loosening them at the right points or something else wrong because Tyler was done and laced up before you’d even gotten part of the way through one of your two hockey skates. Tyler laughed, more at your struggle compared to his practiced ease than actually at you, before sliding onto the ground in front of you, one knee dropping into the snow. 

“Let me do it,” he said as he pushed your hands away softly. 

He looked up at you with curious eyes for a moment. There was that familiar glint of a patented Tyler Seguin idea in them, which made you cock your head and furrow your brows at him. He just smiled wide, shook his head softly, and turned his attention back to your skates. 

“What?” you pressed him softly. “What did you just think of, Ty?”

He pulled the top of your laces on one boot tight to finish tying them as he spoke to you, “Just thinking about kneeling in front of you is all. Feels like it’s good practice, eh?” 

You sighed, “Ty, you can’t make jokes like that.” 

He barked out a laugh as he tightened the laces on your other skate, “Who said I was joking?” 

Before you could form a response, Tyler was up on his skates and pulling you up too. He led you to the edge of the pond, then took a confident step onto the ice when he reached in. Effortlessly, he spun on his skates to face you, reaching two hands out, ready to take yours and help you take your first steps onto the ice.  He made it look so easy, as easy as walking, but you knew if you tried to do what he just did without you, you were going to look like a very short baby giraffe, legs splayed out, flat on the ice. You huffed and Tyler gave you an encouraging smile as you gave the ice a disapproving look. 

“I’m not going to let you fall, baby,” Tyler said lazily. He outstretched hands opened and closed in front of you to encourage you to grab onto them. “Come on, it’s just skating.” 

“You’re tipsy and a professional,” you pointed out. “I’m tipsy and a complete novice.”

“I’ll have you know I’m one of the best in my field,” and the cheeky smile to accompany his words drew an eye roll from you. “Tipsy or not, I can still make sure you don’t fall.” 

“Pretty sure I’m going to make you eat your words, Seguin.” 

Without a second thought, another second to rethink the moment, you slapped your gloved hands into Tyler’s and put one foot on the ice. Your foot immediately started to slide forward, toward Tyler, and you panicked. Tyler was ready for your panic and pulled your hands, forcing you to put your other foot on the ice. You let out a small scream and Tyler laughed. 

“Baby, you’re so stinking cute,” he whined as you managed to, with as much force as you could muster using his hands as an anchor, stand up mostly straight in front of him. 

“I hate you, Tyler Seguin,” was all you could come up with in response. 

Your response made Tyler tip his head back and let out a long, full bellied laugh, bending his back into it as he laughed. Tyler seemed to forget your balance was incredibly precarious and entirely dependent on him. The three inches he shifted back on the ice as he laughed completely unbalanced you, sending your feet sliding forward too quickly and making you release his hands in favor of his forearms in a desperate grab for balance. 

“Whoa, whoa!” Tyler was still laughing as he spoke. “Easy there. I’ve got you.” 

“Does not feel like you do,” you grumbled, trying to focus on your feet in order to keep them steady now. 

“Okay, okay,” Tyler sighed. “First, don’t look at your feet. Look where you trying to go.” 

“What direction is home?” you quipped back without missing a beat. 

“Ha, ha,” Tyler replied dryly. “Look at me. You want to go toward me.” 

You let out a quick, irritated breath. You knew a large part of the reason you were irritated is because you were being asked to do something you were terrible at, in front of someone who was amazing at it, who just so also happened to be your boyfriend. No one liked to do things they knew they would be terrible at, let alone in front of someone who was so practiced in it that they probably couldn’t explain it well. In fact, that was your problem that developed after about two minutes with Tyler trying to teach you how to skate. Tyler couldn’t explain how to skate in the slightest. 

“Just push off on one foot, let your other one slide. Put the foot you just pushed off with on the ice again, and push with the one that was sliding. Go back and forth and then tada, you’re skating.” 

That was his best explanation of the lesson and you could confidently surmise that Tyler Seguin was an absolutely horrendous skating coach. And he was a drunk skating coach. Maybe, if you were throwing your boyfriend a bone he didn’t deserve, you could say if he was sober, he might be doing better, but deep in your heart you knew that wasn’t true. Tyler Seguin was definitely a terrible teacher, trying to teach something he could do forwards, backwards, diagonally, with his eyes closed, and made millions of dollars doing, while drunk. You were the one suffering. Tyler was having incredible time watching you flail and grip onto his arms to avoid falling flat on your face. 

“Tyler, help me!” you pressed. 

“It’s so funny. You’re like a baby penguin,” he managed to get out through his laughter. “So cute. So clumsy.” 

“Tyler!”

He cleared his throat and sucked in a deep, centering breath before saying, “I think part of your problem is that you’re afraid to fall. If you aren’t afraid to fall, you’re going to be too focused on doing exactly what’s keeping you from falling and not actually skating.” 

“Well, I don’t exactly want to fall, Ty. That’s not really the goal,” you said pointedly, your hands digging into his forearms when he shifted suddenly. 

“Falling is part of skating,” he told you. “I fall all the time. Get too on an edge or try to turn too tight or get rammed into by some wrecking ball on skates. But I just hop right back up and go again. You have got to get over this fear of falling and learn how to fall and get back up. Otherwise, you’re not going to learn.” 

Whether or not tipsy Tyler meant that statement to have merit and weight outside of the context of skating, you doubted, but it did. That’s the attitude you carried with you when you were at school, at work, everywhere. “It’s better to have tried and failed than to live life wondering what would've happened if I had tried,” by Alred Lord Tennyson popped into your head. Just maybe Tyler was right about something. Maybe your biggest hurdle was just the one in your head and you needed to, on the most magical of all holidays where miracles came true and the world was a little brighter, take a deep breath and fail spectacularly under the hazy eyes of the boy you loved. 

It didn’t even cross your mind that you were definitely still feeling the affects of that infamous spiked hot chocolate, not even for a second. 

You nodded and took in a deep breath as you did. Tyler raised his eyebrow to check in with you and you nodded again. You released your choking grip on his forearms and Tyler slowly backed up, giving you space to try on your own for a moment. You took a second to pause, your feet shuffling a little out of the natural movement of your body, making your arms flail to steady yourself. It wasn’t pretty, but you managed to stay upright after moving an accidental inch unassisted and for you, that was progress.

“Okay, okay,” you mumbled to yourself. 

You mentalled tossed out every single lesson Tyler had tried to impart on you on the ice that evening, knowing all of it was absolute drunken nonsense and wasn’t going to help you skate. You were better off going with your nonexistent skating instincts, which were just a series of mental clips from probably inaccurate ice skating scenes from terrible Hallmark and Netflix Christmas movies. The actors were never the ones skating, but someone had to for the shot, so you figured it had to be at least partially accurate. You knew if you looked down, you would definitely topple over, you looked out onto the snow covered lawn ahead and hesitantly pushed forward with one foot. Before you started to lose your balance, you took a chance and pushed off on your other foot, letting yourself glide just a little in between. 

“Your first successful skate!” Tyler gasped from somewhere beside you. “I feel like a proud mom at the preschool Christmas pageant.” 

Normally, you would’ve told him exactly where he could stick that comment, but you were focused on trying to make it as far as you could before the precarious house of cards that was you on your skates fell. You had a messy, incredibly atrocious rhythm going now. You knew you had to look ridiculous, partially bent over, arms out wide, tongue stuck out between your teeth in concentration, but you were skating and no one said it had to be pretty to count. You realized one thing too late though, far too late to even begin to do anything about it. Tyler was too far behind you, filming your first skate like the proud soccer mom he was, and far too tipsy to clue into what was about to happen. There was nothing you could do. You just had to accept that this was how your journey would end. 

You hit the edge of the pond roughly, the front half of your skate blades hitting the snow and you unceremoniously face planted into the snow surrounding the edge of the pond. You tried to twist as you fell to make it anything other than a complete face plant, but much like the end result of your first solo skating attempt, you failed spectacularly. Tyler was behind you in a second, dropping down onto his knees in the snow next to you and brushing your hair back to try and get a view of your face. 

“Baby, are you hurt? Oh my god,” Tyler started rambling. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I should’ve kept closer to you so I could’ve done something. I should’ve-”

“Maybe you should’ve taught me how to stop, you idiot,” you grumbled out after lifting your face from the snow. “Stopping might have been a good first lesson, you know, like how dads teach you to drive. They make sure you know where the brake is first.” 

“You know,” Tyler mused as you pushed yourself up onto your knees, “that probably would’ve been a good idea.” 

“Oh, ya think?” You glared at him before beginning to brush off snow from your body.

“So next lesson-”

“No way,” you cut him off. “I’m asking Jamie to teach me. You’re fired, coach.” 

Tyler gave a whine that could only be described as like a petulant child who was just told they couldn’t open their Christmas presents two weeks early. He pouted at you, Dallas Stars pom pom beanie on his head flopping forward as he tilted his head to go with his jutted out lower lip. 

“Come on,” he begged softly. “Let me try again. Give me one more shot as your teacher. I’ll even be sober for the next lesson. I promise.” 

“If you aren’t, I’m suing you for damages,” you teased him, a smile coming across your face slowly. 

While you hadn’t succeeded, in fact your fall had been far worse than anything you had pictured it would be, you couldn’t deny you had a good time and it was really only because of the boy whose pout was slowly changing to a smile because of your own. You still couldn’t skate. In fact, you thought you might be a worse skater now than your previous baseline of zero. Tyler hadn’t taught you a single thing this Christmas about skating, but Tyler taught you a lot about Tyler. He liked way too many marshmallows in his spiked hot chocolate, he ripped wrapping paper to absolute shreds, and he relished in matching Christmas sweaters even though he pretended to hate them. You also learned that Tyler Seguin, who sometimes acted before he spoke, and was just a little too over eager for you occasionally, cared more deeply about you than you could possibly understand. Being loved like he loved you was rarer than the perfect Christmas day, which today had been, faceplant included. 

Most of all, you learned Tyler wanted to spend every Christmas for the rest of his life with you too, and that was the best gift you’d ever received on Christmas, the knowledge that he too wanted to spend the rest of his life sharing Christmases with you.

[worldwidemochiguy]

Sweets (Soft Yandere! Jungkook)

You keep being visited by the most peculiar thief…

➵ in which jungkook steals your lip balm and perfume instead of talking to you, you leave a post-it note with your number on it for the strange thief who only seems to take the most inexplicable items and has a strange sense of responsibility for your wellbeing, and the cute boy in your photography class with the fluffy hair and the oversized sweater keeps getting more and more endearing…

➵ Warnings: Soft Yandere Jungkook, Breaking & Entering but without the Breaking, Reader is a bit of a ditz (lol sorry guys) 

➵ Word Count: 4.2K

➵ Masterlist

“Hello, uh, I’d like to… report a crime?” 

Your statement, which had always sounded suitably firm and assertive when you practised it in front of the bathroom mirror, ended with an unplanned upturn, making it sound more like a question than you would like. 

“Please state your name and address, ma’am.”

You did so, listening anxiously to the tap of a keyboard as your information was filed away. The undoubtedly over-worked police officer on the other end of the line sounded like he was two seconds from falling asleep, and you questioned yourself for the millionth time over whether you really needed to report this or not.

“What is the nature of the crime you are reporting, ma’am?”

“Um… well…” 

You twisted your hand into the fabric of your shirt self-consciously, trying to decide the best way to explain the strange little occurrences that had been surrounding your apartment over the last few months. You had not yet found a way to put it without sounding ridiculous, but you supposed there was a first time for everything. 

“I, uh, I think someone’s breaking into my apartment and stealing things.”

“You have an intruder?”

“Uh huh,”

“…Are they currently in your residence?”

“No, I think… they come and take things when I’m not here and then they’re gone by the time I get back.” 

“What items have been stolen?”

You bit your lip. 

“I know it sounds silly, but…”

“No crime is too small to report, ma’am. We are committed to making the lives of everyday citizens safer.”

“Well… they’ve stolen my lip balm like… several times. I keep buying new ones and they keep being stolen after a week or so. And my perfume. And my hairbrush one time, and-”

“Ma’am,” The officer cut you off with the impatience you had been both anticipating and dreading ever since you decided to call the police, “Listen, we don’t have the capacity to deal with prank callers-”

“It’s not a prank call!” You blurted, a momentary burst of desperation overtaking you, “I- um, sorry for interrupting, officer, but this isn’t a prank call. Things have been going missing. I can’t afford to keep replacing my lip balm.” 

A sigh crackled across the line, and you pictured the officer maybe taking off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose like those people in movies always seemed to do when they got frustrated. Personally, you had never found that it helped. 

“Are you sure you aren’t just… misplacing them?”

You gasped, offended that even a stranger could think you so stupid. “No! I remember exactly where I leave things and then they just vanish! I swear!”

“Has anything of value ever been taken from your apartment?”

“Yes!” You exclaimed, excited to be able to prove the officer wrong, “My bunny plushy! Mr Snuggles is extremely valuable to me!”

“…Monetary value, I meant. Has anything expensive ever been taken from your apartment?” 

There was an embarrassing silence. The officer sighed again, with a little more exasperation colouring his tone. 

“If anything significant is stolen, call us back. For now, just… be a bit more careful with your possessions.” 

He hung up. You pressed your forehead against the wall and wished your strange thief had taken your phone in one of his little visits. Maybe then you would’ve avoided making that agonising call. 

The next morning as you were leaving to go to class, you noticed a pile of discarded post-it notes on your desk — the remnants of a redbull-fuelled late night study session. Your newly purchased lip balm lay next to it. Impulsively, you grabbed a pen and scrawled a message on one of the post-its, sticking it horizontally to the curved surface of the lip balm tube. 

it reads: 

pls don’t take this i just bought it and this brand is actually v expensive and i am only a struggling college student with loans and chapped lips (。•́︿•̀。)

It might have been a little too polite considering it’s intended recipient was someone who had stolen multiple items from your apartment, but you figured there was no point in being rude. They probably wouldn’t even read it anyway. 

You strolled out of your apartment, planning to pick up a smoothie on the way to your lecture, and promptly forgot all about it.

 When you returned home to find a pile of newly bought lip balms on your desk — all embossed with the logo of your favourite brand — you were slightly puzzled. But, once you remembered the note you had left- well, the confusion didn’t exactly vanish, but at least you were given some context. 

The note had disappeared, along with the lip balm you had used a scant few times. But, you didn’t understand what the thief’s aim was. Why on earth would they steal small things like lip balm and perfume? And why would they buy you new copies of the product? Wasn’t that counterproductive?

you’re very bad at your job

Your next note read, stuck to your fridge as you left to grab coffee with your study group. It remained there for a few days, and you couldn’t ignore the way your heart sank a little each time you saw it hadn’t been taken. 

After six days, when it finally vanished, you felt an odd sense of happiness bubble up within you. Yes, there was someone routinely breaking into your apartment, but at least now you had an open channel of communication with them. They had left a brand new bottle of your preferred perfume — which had been stolen at least twice before you stopped bothering to buy it because perfume is pricy — resting on your kitchen counter, beside a box of your favourite chocolates. 

As you dug into the box later, snuggled in a blanket and having a Studio Ghibli film marathon, you didn’t even consider the fact that the sweets might be tampered with. If they wanted to kill me, they would’ve killed me already, you reasoned to yourself, sucking the icing sugar off your fingers. Nor did you question how they knew your favourite chocolate. If they broke into your apartment as much as you assumed they did, they probably knew you better than your own parents by now. 

You were the very definition of a broke college student. As far as you were concerned, if this random stranger wanted to buy you things and sometimes clean up your apartment — you had definitely come back to a home tidier than you had left it more than once — then you certainly weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe it was a little naïve of you, but… you had already called the police, and they hadn’t cared.

thank you for the perfume and chocolate <3

You wrote next morning, hesitating slightly before putting the heart. Before you could convince yourself not to, you scribbled another line underneath. 

i wish you’d write back someday…

As you walked to class, you scolded yourself for the butterflies swooping in your stomach. They’re literally a criminal, you told yourself, Stop getting crushes on anyone who shows you the slightest bit of attention. You don’t even know their name. 

Despite the small amount of common sense that you did have mocking you all day, you sat in classes and daydreamed about your mystery home intruder. Would they read the note? Would they be happy about your appreciation? Would they — you bit your lip — would they write back? 

You felt like a dumb schoolgirl, excited by the prospect of a badly written love note shoved in her locker. And, like a school girl, you trudged back home with your arms weighed down by class work, a billion essays and quizzes that had to be completed overnight. Did your professors not realise you had a life outside of college? Not that you did, of course, but like… in principle. 

You were so preoccupied with the coursework that you didn’t even notice the note stuck to your bedroom door. After an hour of studying, you rose wearily to start fixing yourself something to eat, and your eyes snagged on a flash of yellow. 

You squeaked, almost falling over yourself in your rush to get to the door and read the note. 

i’m glad you liked them. i’m sorry i took your things, that was mean of me. i tried to only take things you wouldn’t miss, but i guess that backfired… i just wanted to feel close to you. and these notes… are the closest i’ve ever been. i know that must sound weird, but… well. i’m a weird guy, i guess. i just liked hearing from you. that’s all. 

~ koo <3

You didn’t stop freaking out for a full five minutes. After that, you poured over every detail of the letter, eager to extricate any fragment of knowledge possible. You ended up with a list which you scribbled down in your diary, above which you pasted the note. 

The list went as follows:

They want to feel close to you

They have not talked to you before, since the notes are the closest they’ve ever been, but they must have seen you in person at least once 

They are a he 

(you adamantly did not get flustered about that)

and

     4. He calls himself Koo

When you left your apartment the next morning, you placed your note on the exact same spot he had left his. An indirect touch. 

hi koo !!!!!!!!

i was so excited to see you had written something!! you know, if you want to talk to me more often, there is an easier way…

Underneath you had scrawled your phone number, hastily and not allowing for regret before you flounced out of the apartment. The reason why you were in such a rush was because you were about to go to your favourite class: Photography 101. 

You had taken it as an extra credit, something that interested you but not enough that you wanted to pursue it as a career. You had expected it to be fun, something artistic to break up the monotony of classes. What you had not expected was the dreamy boy who sat in the first row and had full possession of your heart. 

You didn’t even know his name, but you were pretty sure you were half in love with him. With fluffy brown hair that fell over his forehead whenever he leaned over to scribble down notes, and cute bunny teeth that stuck out in a flustered smile whenever the professor praised his work in class, he was perhaps the cutest boy you had ever seen. 

Though you were sure he had many girls sighing after him, he seemed to be really shy, only ever speaking in class when called on, and even then it was in a quiet, soft voice. He was kind of like you in that respect. But that was where your similarities ended. 

Yes, you thought, sighing as you watched him pay avid attention to the professor’s lecture on the composition of frames, his cute doe eyes wide and twinkling like stars were embedded in the pupils, He is way out of my league. 

It took three days for you to lose hope. You hadn’t received a text, nor had you found any notes left for you. You tried not to be disappointed, even as your traitorous sub-conscience mocked you for being able to scare away the one person who arguably paid you the most attention. 

You didn’t really have many friends, and the ones you did have preferred each other over you, and often left you out of activities because of your shy nature. You guessed this whole thing had just been a way to feel like you actually mattered to someone, like, for once, someone cared about you, but-

You were pulled out of your musings as your phone chimed. 

From: Unknown Number

[6:48 PM]

hi

this is koo

The two of you texted every day, and soon enough you were hiding your phone underneath your desk in order to chat to him, keeping your phone on your person at all times in case koo wanted to talk. Of course, the only class you didn’t do this in was Photography, so you could spend a blissful forty-five minutes staring at the boy who played the role of your husband in all of your favourite daydreams. 

Koo still broke into your house occasionally, and he still left you sweet, considerate gifts. Often, you would receive texts like this:

From: koo ✨

[3:24 PM]

sweets i’ve been checking your groceries and your vegetables are not being eaten as often as they should be 

i know you have a sweet tooth and that’s cute but please try to stay healthy

To: koo ✨

[3:25 PM]

but i can’t cook all i know how to make is microwaveable mac n cheese :///////

You came back home that day to discover a bunch of Tupperwares full of pre-made healthy meals and a note stuck to the top of them. 

try microwaving these :)

To: koo ✨

[3:01 AM]

koo are you awake?

From: koo ✨

[3:01 AM]

i am now

what’s wrong?

To: koo ✨

[3:02 AM]

i can’t sleep :////////

From: koo ✨

[3:02 AM]

sweets you need to go to bed

you have an early morning class

To: koo ✨

[3:02 AM]

i knowwwwww

i just… i can’t sleep without mr snuggles :((

From: koo ✨

[3:03 AM]

Mr Snuggles??

???

To: koo ✨

[3:03 AM]

my cuddly bunny :((((

i think you took him a while ago

could i maybe have him back…?

From: koo ✨

[3:03 AM]

Shit

i didn’t know you couldn’t sleep without him 

[3:04 AM]

sweets im so sorry

To: koo ✨

[3:04 AM]

its okay koo

From: koo ✨

[3:04 AM]

no it isn’t

you’re loosing sleep because of me

fuck

i could… bring him to you?

To: koo ✨

[3:05 AM]

you’d do that?

…i could see you?

From: koo ✨

[3:05 AM]

no i’d leave him outside

you’d have to promise not to come out until i text you saying i’ve left

To: koo ✨

[3:06 AM]

but kooooo :(((((

From: koo ✨

[3:07 AM]

sweets 

To: koo ✨

[3:07 AM]

okay :((((((((((

but i expect you to leave a big box of chocolates on my pillow for me to come home to tomorrow evening!!

From: koo ✨

[3:08 AM]

of course sweets <3

im gonna get going now

don’t look outside your apartment

To: koo ✨

[3:08 AM]

okay

From: koo ✨

[3:34 AM]

im gone and mr snuggles is waiting outside for you

he might have a little gift with him

You trudged outside your apartment, rubbing your eyes blearily, and looked down to see your beloved plushie clutching a single rose in its paws. You gasped, leaning down to pick up the flower gently, and you noticed all the thorns had been taken off. Koo must’ve removed them so that you didn’t accidentally hurt yourself. 

You felt warmth flood you, drowning the butterflies in your stomach and replacing them with something much less fleeting, much less shallow. 

It sunk into your bones, into your heart, into your breath as you sighed, squeezing your long-lost Mr Snuggles close to your face. He carried the familiar scent of nostalgia, but also something different, something sharper. You realised with a jolt that you were smelling Koo’s cologne. 

You went back to bed, nuzzled your face into the plushy’s furry belly, and dreamed of fluffy brown hair and bunny smiles. 

Though with Mr Snuggles’ help you were able to sleep wonderfully, you were only able to do so for four hours before your alarm jolted you back into early reality. Honestly, you were sorely tempted to just ditch class, but it was Photography, and if you missed your regular dose of the cute boy in the front row then you thought you might just crumble into dust. 

You dragged yourself out of bed, pulling on your softest oversized hoodie — a gift from Koo which, now that you thought about it, smelled like the same cologne that Mr Snuggles did. You flushed at the thought of him giving you one of his hoodies to wear, though you couldn’t say exactly why that image charmed you. 

You stumbled into the lecture, arms full of textbooks because you knew you wouldn’t have the energy to return back to your apartment to retrieve the relevant materials for your next class later in the day. Your excellent plan was to crash in the library directly after this, have a two hour power-nap, and then make yourself get up in time for Calculus. 

You barely had the energy to listen to the professor droning on and on about… the perfect lense, or whatever. You allowed yourself the indulgence of tuning out, resting your chin on your palm and gazing dreamily at the boy in the front row. He was taking notes, as per usual. What a good student! You praised him in your head. I bet he has the best handwriting. 

Despite your best efforts, you fell asleep within ten minutes. You were woken as the class concluded by the clamour of students grabbing their materials and the scrape of chairs as your classmates stood up, leaving you behind — the only one half-splayed across the desk in front of you. 

You jerked upright, grabbing your stuff in one hand as you tried to tug on your bag, eventually succeeding with much struggle, only to drop it all again as soon as you stood up. You whimpered, watching helplessly as your textbooks fanned across the floor. You saw one of them split along the spine as it landed on an open page. 

That cost me two hundred dollars, you thought absently, and I just chucked it down like a bouncy ball.  

Suddenly, you glimpsed someone crouching down and gathering them all up into a sturdy pile. As he stood up, your vision was full of fluffy brown hair, errant strands falling into star-filled doe eyes. 

Oh. Oh no. 

“H-Here you are,” He murmured, passing you the pile gently, making sure you were able to take the weight before leaving them in your arms. When he leaned close to you, you breathed in a scent that was oddly familiar, and yet new at the same time. As his hands receded, his skin brushed against yours for a second and you swear your vision blanked out. 

“Thanks,” You whispered, your gaze so firmly focused on the floor that you didn’t notice his flushed cheeks. 

As soon as you got to the library, you whipped out your phone, all tiredness banished from your system by that momentous experience. You had talked to him. 

To: koo ✨

[8:47 AM]

koo i think im in love

From: koo ✨

[8:47 AM]

what

with who

To: koo ✨

[8:47 AM]

this boy in my photography class 

he’s just so- 

[8:48 AM]

i can’t even explain it

i dropped my textbooks and he picked them up for me and i stg i almost cried

From: koo ✨

[8:48 AM]

wait

seriously??

To: koo ✨

[8:49 AM]

yeah i cry at like the drop of a hat 

From: koo ✨

[8:49 AM]

no-

cute 

but i mean

that’s who you’re in love with?

To: koo ✨

[8:49 AM]

yeah?

From: koo ✨

[8:49 AM]

gray sweater

[8:50 AM]

big eyes

tall-ish

that’s him???

To: koo ✨

[8:50 AM]

OMG YOU’RE IN MY PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS AREN’T YOU

From: koo ✨

[8:50 AM]

WHAT

NO

IM NOT

To: koo ✨

[8:50 AM]

OMGGGGGGG

YOU SAW HIM HELP ME SO YOU MUST BE IN MY CLASSSS

[8:51]

okay!

are you the frat guy who always comes in hungover???

no judgement

From: koo ✨

[8:51 AM]

NO

To: koo ✨

[8:52 AM]

are you the guy who only ever wears knitwear???

From: koo ✨

[8:52 AM]

NO

To: koo ✨

[8:53 AM]

…are you the professor?

From: koo ✨

[8:53 AM]

NO!!!!!

oh my god lets just meet up or something before i explode

To: koo ✨

[8:53 AM]

WAIT

ARE YOU SERIOUS????

From: koo ✨

[8:54 AM]

…you’re that excited to meet me?

To: koo ✨

[8:54 AM]

OF COURSE I AM

OH MY GODDDD

WHEN?

From: koo ✨

[8:54 AM]

now?

i can meet you at the campus coffee shop in like five minutes?

To: koo ✨

[8:55 AM]

five minutes???

that’s not enough time koo i have to go home and pick out something pretty to wear !!

From: koo ✨

[8:55 AM]

it doesn’t matter what you wear, you’re always beautiful to me

To: koo ✨

[8:56 AM]

you

you think im

b-beautiful 

: ’ ))))))))))

From: koo ✨

[8:57 AM]

…

haha see you there!! 

To: koo ✨

[8:57 AM]

GET BACK HERE WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS-

You sat on an empty table, fiddling with the tea bag tag which hung over the side of your mug. You had bought Green Tea as an effort to calm yourself down so you weren’t too anxious to meet Koo, but it hadn’t worked because you were impatient and sipped it too soon so now you were sat there nursing a burnt tongue like an idiot. 

You knew it was irrational to be self-conscious. He already knew who you were, and seemed to like you, it was just you that was in the dark. You went over the possible people Koo could be, mentally cycling through the boys in your photography class. It was an annoyingly large class, which meant he would be anyone from the guy who smelled like Funyuns to-

Fluffy-haired boy strolled into the coffee shop and you let out an involuntary sigh. He seemed to be cheerful, a smile exposing his bunny teeth and making his cheeks bunch up adorably, with like,  five different sets of dimples poked into them. You had never agreed more with the saying that dimples were caused by an angel’s kiss. 

Well, at least I’ll have something nice to look at while I wait, you thought, just before all your thoughts suddenly tipped out of your head when you realised he was walking towards your table. 

“Is this seat taken?” He grinned, before sliding into the seat across from you. 

You whimpered, and his smile grew devastatingly wider.

“Hi,” He breathed, before his gaze flickered down to your mug of tea, clutched so tightly in your hands that you worried the ceramic might shatter. “You didn’t get hot chocolate? I thought you had a sweet tooth?”

“Uhm-” You choked, before forcing yourself to get a grip. How would Koo feel if he walked in here and saw you sitting with another guy? “I’m actually- I’m waiting for someone. Sorry.”

If it was possible — and it certainly seemed to be — the boy’s grin broadened even more, his eyes crinkling into adorable half-moons.

“Is that so? Is he your boyfriend?”

“No!” You blurted, before flushing profusely. The boy across from you seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the display. “I mean- uhm, I don’t know. Maybe? This is our- this is our first actual meeting.”

“Oh?” The boy tilted his head, “Really? How exciting.”

You hummed in agreement, eyes fixed on your slowly cooling beverage. You raised it to your mouth to take a hesitant sip and- nope,  still too hot. You whined quietly, rubbing your sore tongue against the inside of your cheek to try and soothe it. 

“Oh, sweets,” The boy murmured across from you, and you were too distracted to notice the nickname. He plucked the mug out of your hands and placed it on the other side of the table, as if he was trying to make sure it couldn’t hurt you anymore. “Are you okay? Do you want me to take you to the campus infirmary?”

“Wha- no, it’s okay,” You mumbled, lisping slightly on your burnt tongue and blushing when he cooed over you, “It’s- I’m waiting here for someone, and- I mean, I don’t even know your name-”

“It’s Jungkook,” He interrupted cheekily, deliberately ignoring the rest of your statement, “Some people call me Kookie, and really special people call me… Koo.” 

Oh. Oh.

Fuck.

“Really special people?” You asked, your voice small, and not because of the burn. 

“Well, people…” Jungkook- Koo paraphrased, tilting his head slightly, “I guess it would be more accurate to say… one really special person.”

“Really?” You breathed, and Jungkook leaned over the table, close enough that you could smell his cologne, the same scent embedded in the fabric of your hoodie- his hoodie. 

“The most special person.” He murmured, the fervent emotion packed in each word speaking louder than any increase of volume could.

You had never been anyone’s most special person before, but, as you looked into Jungkook’s chocolate eyes, you started to believe you could almost taste it, sticky sweet on your lips. And when Jungkook eventually, finally coaxed your lips in a gentle kiss, you let him in, and found out that happiness tastes reassuringly honey-sweet. 

[milkacchan]

Request for anon: Ah!! My bad!! Didn't know you couldn't write controversial stuff!! I'll be happy to resend the ask!))May I have Enji, Bakugo, and Deku with a very punk S/O?-Anarchy anon

Bakugou:

• He thinks its very entertaining.

• V e r y

• He likes what you wear 🥺🥺

• He thinks they suit you

• they match your skin

• and your body

• thigh highs?? Yes.

• skirts??? He loves it

• tight jeans?? Baby pop the duck off

• studded collar? Y e s

• all your bracelets? Shits dope as duck

• Listen I know his parents literally work in fashion- but he did not inherit the genes needed to be good at it

• so you're gonna have to help hi

• and your make up blows him away

• You teach him how to do eyeliner

• bc we all know he abuses the power

• so you sit him down and you show him how you do yours

• and then you give him an extra eyeliner pen and he copies each step

• Now his eyeliner is sharp as fuck

• its great

• he'll help you dye your hair

• which you love because the feeling of him playing with you hair or running his fingers through it to even out the dyed strands feels like heaven

• you've fallen asleep from it before

• he thinks its funny

• bc here you are

• big scary punk babe

• falling asleep bc he's playing w your fucking hair

• HE LOVES YOUR ATTITUDE

• There just this ion give a fuck attitude that punks have

• and he lives for it

• except when it comes to school

• or anything else productive

• so basically just when you're dealing with other people

• bc he's absolutely on your ass about grades

• he'll come w you to get new piercings

• stick n pokes are a no go tho

• seriously he'll flip lmaoo

Deku-

• Bro you and Dekj are literally the opposite

• he's ✨🧚‍♀️🥰😍💋💫❣❣

• a fucking bottom

• and youre 🤬👺😈💢♠️⛓💉🩸🗡

• its very amusing to see a babey decked out in black and blue and purple with crazy fucking hair, screamjng profanities at some bitch who had the misfortune of messing w ur bf

• and then a broccoli boy w green hair panicked and trying to pull you away from the fight

• :)

• he's enamored with your makeup tho

• heavy eyeliner?? Yes

• blush??? Yes.

• eyeliner in places thats not your fucking eye? Yes.

• Black lipstick? Yes.

• Babey wants to try and to it 🥺

• its harder than he thinks

• he's looking at the best he just made on your eyelids and he's like 😓

• he likes to try on your jewelry too!!

• just chill with it throughout the day

• like he'll walk into class one day wearing your spiked choker and no one bats an eye

• bc they just know

• its a deku thing

• or he'll come in wearing your cool hand chain things on days they don't have to train

• or your bracelets!

• also?? He sees your coping method of piercings

• and that you do them yourself

• and he'll watch as you do it like 🥰🥰

• he'll make sure its all safe tho!!!

• just because you're punk doesn't mean you can't be safe!!!!

• he likes to see all your cool pins :(

• he'll steal those too

• @ arthur making a fist meme pin

• your favorite one

• he SNATCHES

• HE JUST TAKES IT

• AND YOURE LOOKING FOR IT

• UNTIL ONE DAY YOU SEE IT ON HIS MOTHER FUCKING BACKPACK

• n your like sir??????

• whomst??

• you can't take it from him tho 😔

• he's just too cute and he'd be sad if you took it

• he'll sometimes pick your outfit to go out

• or he'll have you style something he can wear so he looks 😤😤 too

• and its a vibe

Enji:

• You'd never think

• THE Enji Todoroki

• would end up

• w someone

• like

• you

• He's a very composed man

• He dresses well, expensive designer brands

• he's always put together and well-mannered (for the most part)

• and then there's you

• the fucking gremlin from hell that runs on caffeine and energy drinks that looks like a hottopic advertisement

• Its awesome tbh

• Shouto LOVES you

• Bc you're in your late 20's- Early 30's and you fr just living not giving a shit

• Not acting like his mother

• knowing you have like 0 authority over him

• just fucking vibing

• And somehow you managed to snag his dad??

• youre the embodiment of ill marry your date and make you my stepson bitch

• he's like yo, I see you

• Enji lowkey (highkey he just doesn't think its obvious) finds it hot

• that you dress the way you too

• and your attitude

• it just does things to him

• he just really really likes the vibe

• theres an excitement of finally just letting go and saying fuck it after a long day of being composed

• and it appeals to him

• I feel like lowkey part of the punk vibe is making/thrifting/mismatching clothes and just good hard as fuck

• like

• I got these pants from Walmart, this shirt from 7/11 that I cut up and I found these shoes behind the dumpster of an Arby's so here we fucking go

• so when he buys you fancy and expensive punk shit you're like 😤😤😤

• but also like 👁👁

• bc get that bread sis

• mans just watches you kill your hair with bleach and hair dye

• "Would you like me to call and schedule and appointment with Fuyumis hair stylist?" He asks with confusion

"No!! We're fucking shit up is what we're doing. We HAVE to do it this way!!!!"

"Okay, would you like help? I can try the best I'm able to,"

"Aw bby, help is for the week."

• you end up needing help to get the back lmaoooo

• you do your own haircuts

• bc like I said

• fucking shit up

• thats the vibe

• m u l l e t

• PLEASE

• or you know the girls that cut lil bits of their hair so short it looks like lil horns??

• please do that

• I promise he'll get rlly soft about it

• "I believe it suits you," he'll say softly, running his fingers through the ends of your hair

"Thanks, I fucked it up and went for it."

• he tends not to curse as much

• so

• :)

• you'll curse for him

• some shit goes wrong? You're right next to him?

• get ready for the storm bb

• "oh you mother fucking cu-"

• he honestly doesn't mind the mouth

• bc like I said before

• its refreshing for him to know he can come home and not be expected to be composed

• He will absolutely be willing to pay for whatever tattoos you want

• and honestly just take him up on it bc tattoos are expensive like

• 3 letters is like 150 bruh

• but!! Piercings are done at home!

• unless they're in your mouth :)

• tongue piercing or that peircing above your teeth

• he won't let you do shit like that at home

• when you did get them he helped you take care of them

• but esr piercings are free game

• overall he's very very supportive in the way you dress and act all around• he really doesn't mind at all

[nalgenewhore]

masterlist - ao3 - last chapter - next chapter 

+*+*+*+*+*+*

The ride from the palace to downtown Perranth was smooth and quiet. Elide sat in the back, feeling calm. She drummed her nails against her thigh, staring out the window as lush forests faded into sleek buildings and towering skyscrapers.

Her citizens lined the sidewalks as the motorcade passed, all smiling and waving. She smiled as well, waving even though they wouldn’t be able to see her through the tinted windows. The partition rolled down and a familiar voice asked, “Excited for the show, Miss Lochan?” 

“Oh my gods, Ress!” she yelled, for once staying in her seat. Elide smiled widely, tears lining her eyes when his kind gaze met hers in the rearview mirror. 

“Good afternoon, milady.” 

“Oh, I- I missed you,” Elide said, reaching forward to pat his shoulder. Ress took a hand off the wheel, resting it overs hers and squeezing tightly. “I feel like it’s all my fault and I’m sorry–” 

“Elide, please, don’t worry yourself,” he insisted, taking his hand away to hold the wheel as the car turned a corner. “I needed a break. You know, you might try it sometime, I think you’d rather like it.” 

She rolled her eyes and sat back, carefully wiping her eyes. “Not even five minutes and you’re already telling me what to do.” 

Ress laughed, slowing down in front of the parliament building, “That’s my job, Elide. Telling you what to do.” 

She laughed again, so inordinately happy to have her friend back. “And- and you’re ok now? You- you’re ok?” 

He gave her a sad smile, his eyes flickering, “I’m getting there.” Ress went to open the door so he could open hers, but Elide had another question. 

“Ress, what about us? Are we- are we friends again? Can we be friends again?” 

He grinned warmly, nodding slightly, “I’d love that.” 

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Ress escorted her through the back halls, pushing away the few desperate gossip columnists who had managed to evade the other security measures. 

He pushed away one young man who lunged at Elide with a voice recorder. When the bodyguard chasing after him finally caught him, he said, “I’m sorry, sir, he just slipped past.” 

Ress cut him a hard look, suddenly fitting the imposing title of his job. Elide tucked herself behind him, giving the eager reporter an uneasy look. “If this happens again, you’ll answer to Miss Ennar, got it?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Good, now get him out of my sight.” 

The bodyguard nodded and hauled the young man away. Ress sighed, turning to Elide, “You ok?” 

She smiled, nodding, “Of course.” Elide slipped her hands around his elbow, nudging him with her hip, “So bossy, Mr. Freiberg.” Ress rolled his eyes, swiftly showing her through the rest of the building. 

“So, you excited for the last of the announcements?” 

Elide sighed, rolling her eyes, “Gods, yes. I really don’t know why I couldn’t just write a nice little statement to release to the public.” 

Ress snorted, pressing on his earpiece to listen to the comms. After a moment, he nodded, “Copy that.” He turned back to her, “Miss Ennar tells me we need to pick up the pace.” Elide smiled, speeding up to a brisk pace, her heels clicking smartly over the polished floors. “And the reason why you can’t just release a pretty statement is because you had two events for the elites and none for the citizens. Wouldn’t want the rabble to get jealous.” 

Elide laughed again, slapping his arm, “Stop it. You know how I love the peasants.” 

They sniped at each other, wide smiles on their faces until they reached the last hallway. Ress stopped, letting go of her, “This is where we part.” 

She grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck for a moment, “I missed you.” He hugged her back. 

“I missed you too, El.” 

The door at the end of the hallway opened and they parted. Fenrys popped his head in, the easygoing smile on his face freezing, “El- Ress? You- you’re… back?” 

Elide blinked, stepping away from her bodyguard. He was completely still, trying to keep his face neutral, “Yep. Got back yesterday.” 

Elide stared at Fenrys as he bobbed his head, something like a mix of panic and pain in his eyes, “That’s- that’s cool. Um, did- did you enjoy your… vacation?” 

“Um, yeah, I guess,” Ress said quietly. He flicked his eyes to Elide, nodding once, “You have a thing to do. Best get to it.” He flashed her a small smile, flashing the same one to Fenrys before he walked off to convene with the other security detail personnel. 

Elide stared after his retreating form in shock. It was only when Fenrys cleared his throat that she startled out of her stupor. She blinked again, making her way down the hall to him, “So… you and Ress?” 

He nodded, his smile not reaching his eyes, “We can talk later, but we do have an adoring public waiting to see us, so…” He offered her his hand, his fingers shaking. Fenrys’ voice broke slightly, “Please?” 

Elide took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “Of course, Fen.” 

+*+*+*+*+*+* 

They walked out onto the stage, smiling warmly at the crowd. Elide tried to let go of Fenrys’ hand, but he gripped hers semi-desperately and his face was tight. She rubbed her thumb over his knuckles, giving him an encouraging smile, “Hon, you have to let go now. I have a speech.” 

He shook his head slightly, “I can go with you.” 

Elide smiled softly, leaning up to kiss his cheek and cup the other, her thumb stroking over his cheekbone, “Fen, you have to let go. Later, we’ll binge our favourite movies and cry about your pathetic love life.” 

Fenrys chuckled, albeit tearfully, “We don’t get to cry about yours?” 

Tossing her glossy locks over her shoulders, Elide asked, “What’s there to cry about? My fiancé is the prettiest boy in town and I’m a future duchess.” She cupped his face, tilting his head down to kiss his brow, “I will be right back. Go sit with Ro or even Lorcan, he seems like a nice person to wallow in sadness with.” 

Fenrys smiled, nodding and finally stepping back. He did indeed choose to sit next to Lorcan instead of Rowan and she watched them talk quietly for a moment. Lorcan even slung his arm around Fenrys’ neck, pulling him into an affectionate headlock. He said something else, his lips moving. Then, he kissed the top of Fenrys’ head and her friend smiled, reaching up to pat Lorcan’s cheek gently. 

Surprises upon surprises. 

+*+*+*+*+*+* 

Fenrys moved, but his shoulder stayed pressed against Lorcan’s. They both watched Elide as she stepped up to the podium. Lorcan drank in the sight of her, from the tip of her nose to the carpeted ground beneath her feet. 

He dragged his eyes up her again, watching her lips move but not hearing a thing. His gaze snagged on her mouth, his blood pumping a little bit faster when her tongue licked over her lips. Lorcan breathed out, muttering a prayer in his mother tongue. “Creator save me from myself.” 

Lorcan focused his gaze on the podium, looking at the wooden grain. But, all too soon, his eyes slid back to her. She looked powerful. Beautiful. Goddess-like. Elide looked completely in her element and he would worship the ground she stood on in her lavender, rounded-toe pumps if she asked it of him. 

When she spoke, her shoulders were down, her spine straight. Elide smiled occasionally, pausing when people clapped. 

He was still staring, no doubt looking like a fool, when Elide turned neatly, gesturing to Fenrys. Fenrys stood, walking over to join her. They addressed the public and Lorcan felt someone kicking his chair. He looked over his shoulder, “What, Maeve?” 

“You look like a lovesick idiot,” she hissed, crossing her arms tightly. Lorcan rolled his eyes and looked forward again. 

He held back his smile when a group of small children approached the couple, carrying a bouquet between them. Elide crouched, as did Fenrys, but Lorcan looked at her face. She was smiling so warmly as she tucked her hair beneath her ear. Elide accepted the flowers, pressing her nose into the biggest one. It was white and it was only because of his sister Sadirah’s adoration for all flowers that he could name it as a gardenia. 

Lorcan looked up at the adults chaperoning the children. They were wearing matching uniforms and it hit him that these were wards of the province of Perranth. Immediately, his eyes snapped back to Elide, to her face, when she noticed as well. Her eyes filled with tears and Lorcan fisted his hands at his sides, biting his cheek hard enough that blood bloomed over his tongue, all in the hopes that he would stop himself from pulling her away and holding her close, just so that he could make her feel better. 

His aunt scoffed from behind him, “Orphans. Look how good our esteemed duchess is, using defenseless children to pander to the public.” 

“Elide wouldn’t do that. She’s not like that.” 

If Lorcan weren’t so distracted by her, by the being that Elide was, he would’ve held his tongue. But, of course, he couldn’t and he was too distracted to note the dangerous gleam that glowed in Maeve’s eyes. 

+*+*+*+*+*+*

“What is this?” Aelin asked, picking up the file Elide dropped on her desk. 

“It’s- it’s a proposal.” Elide dragged her hands through her hair, pacing the carpet in her office. Ever since they had arrived back at the palace, she had holed herself up in her office, working it all out. “I had Lysandra help me with the old laws and stuff, but I wrote it. I wrote a proposal.”

“For…?” Her cousin looked amused, “Are you high again, Ellie?” 

“No! No, I am not high,” Elide said, gesturing wildly to the papers, “It’s the orphans- the state wards. I was talking to the caregivers about the house they live in and it’s not enough. It’s- it’s not big enough and they need more resources. Parliament has been slowly taking away their funding for years, allocating the taxes to other things!” 

Aelin hummed, nodding, “Ok, like what?” 

Elide gestured to the file. The sleeve of her hoodie slipped and she quickly pulled it back down, not wanting Aelin to see the scratches. She knew if her cousin saw them, she would beat herself up over it forever. 

Aelin flipped through the pages, narrowing her eyes, “Maintenance… for the Perranth Mountain Manor.” She flipped through more, sitting up straighter. “What, is this really real?” 

Elide laughed breathlessly and nodded, “Yeah. It’s at the disposal of the members of parliament. Mainly a winter vacation home.” 

“So you want to, what? Take away the funding, give it back to the orphanage?” 

“No, no, I want to turn the manor into their home. Can we do that?” 

The queen stood up, positively beaming as she raced around the desk to hug Elide, “Oh my gods, yes! Yes, yes, we can do that. This is- it’s brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.” The smaller woman smiled, pressing her face into Aelin’s shoulder. For a while, they just stood there, the hug washing away any animosity, all ill-will between them. Aelin gently stroked Elide’s hair, whispering, “I’m sorry, my darling.” Elide made a noise to protest the need for an apology, but Aelin shushed her, “No, no, please, let me apologise. I shouldn’t have talked to you like that. It’s- it’s not your fault. And I know you’re trying as well, I know that.” 

Elide sniffled, hugging Aelin more tightly still. The golden-haired woman kissed the side of her head, whispering softly, “I can’t imagine how you’re still standing with everything that’s happened. I am so proud of you and to call you my cousin. Your parents would be too.” 

All Elide could do was hold her even tighter and pray that it was true. 

+*+*+*+*+*+*

“They’ll like it,” Fenrys insisted. He watched Elide with increasingly concerned eyes as she paced incessantly in front of the closed doors of the parliament room in the palace. 

“They’ll love it,” Lysandra agreed, smiling warmly. 

She chewed on her bottom lip, picking off pieces of skin from her chapped lips. “No, they won’t. They’ll- it’s some silly idea. I just want to help, you know? But they’re all in these positions for power. None of them want any real change.” 

Elide knew these men, had grown up with them as the influencing adults in her life. Luckily, she had Aelin, and Rowan, and Finnula, so she had never fallen into their crowd or been weak enough to succumb under their pressures. 

She wasn’t hopeful, so for the next half-an-hour, Elide stared at the doors, as if she could see and hear through them. 

Finally, they opened, and out stepped Rowan, his face impassive. Scarily impassive. Like Elide had lost. 

“So?” 

Rowan smiled, nodding. Elide stared at him in shock, barely noting the dirty looks the parliament members threw her as they all filed out of the room. “It’s passed. The Perranth Mountain Manor will now be home to the wards of the province.” She laughed, launching herself at him. 

“Oh my gods, I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “I was sure they would shut it down.” Elide laughed again, stepping back from Rowan when Aelin walked out next to… Lorcan. Aelin even had her hand tucked into his elbow. Elide nodded politely, dismissing him as quickly as she could. 

Aelin slid up to her, slipping her arm around Elide’s waist, “I was just thanking Lorcan, Ellie.” Elide glared at her cousin, knowing that she was up to something Elide didn’t think she would like. 

She decided to play along, ignoring the heating of her cheeks, “Really? Whatever for?” 

“Well, he adored your proposal.” 

“He did?” Elide looked up at Lorcan, for the first time in over twenty-four hours. He looked good. Really good. Gods. “You did?” 

He nodded his head serenely, once, “I read through it - you’re quite talented.” 

She blushed further, murmuring her thanks, “Thank you. It’s what I went to school for.” Elide looked at Aelin, begging her to come up with some reason for them to leave. She didn’t know what to do with the feeling growing in her chest. It was something like… pleasure. In knowing he was impressed by it. Elide didn’t know what to do with it. 

“Well, we haven’t eaten all day and I’ve barely had any time with my cousin dear, so, gents, enjoy yourselves. The ladies and I have things to do, places to be,” Aelin declared, theatrically turning and prancing away. 

Huffing a light chuckle, Lysandra said a quick good-bye to follow Aelin. Rowan and Fenrys suddenly found better places to be. 

Lorcan tapped his toe into the ground, awkwardly lifting his hand to scratch the back of his neck, “I should, um, go with the boys. Fen wants to do some bachelor thing, I dunno.”

She gave him a halfway comfortable smile, “Well, have fun. I should make sure Aelin hasn’t done any pyrotechnics or whatnot.” He laughed quietly, the low, rumbling sound sending a giddy feeling racing through her, but only this time, Elide didn’t attempt to quash it. Lorcan nodded, going to turn. 

Elide’s hand shot out, gripping his bicep, “Wait, can you…” 

He turned back, looking down at her with a curious expression, “Yes?” 

She looked over at Fenrys and then back at Lorcan, “Can you make sure he’s ok? He saw Ress today and I just… I want to make sure he’s ok. He put on a brave face and made some joke, but I know him better than that.” Elide dropped her hand, now feeling self-conscious, “I hope I know him better than that.” She groaned, knowing she was making it more complicated than it was. “Please, just… take care of him.” 

Lorcan said, “Of course I will, Elide.” With another serene nod, he was gone, going to join Rowan and Fenrys. 

Elide stood there in shock. She realised it was the first time he had ever called her ‘Elide’. And, oh, how she loved hearing her name roll off his tongue. 

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Lorcan sighed as he walked, his head hanging low and his hands in his pockets. He had put on some random playlist, not really paying any attention to it before he left his rooms. 

He felt like he couldn’t breathe inside the palace. He didn’t belong in there, didn’t belong on the throne. 

Maeve always told him his father had always fought to have custody and that his mother was the problem, always blocking his attempts. But the truth was that his father had never wanted to be a father. He and his sisters were split between two people, with one who didn’t even really want them. 

They had split custody because Odette had insisted on it, but his father stuck them in a prestigious boarding school for the months he had them. They never saw him except for the occasional holidays they were given when they flew to Perranth. 

Lorcan had spent those visits comforting his sisters as they cried for home. Cillian had wanted nothing to do with them and though Lorcan had never taken it personally, he knew his father was an ass, he had held grudges for his sisters. 

It was because of that that Lorcan hadn’t told them that he had gone, had sat next to his father on his deathbed. But, he had left. The day after his father died, he had left. Hadn’t gone to the funeral and hadn’t spoken a word of his whereabouts to either of his sisters, not even his mother. 

Lorcan walked along a gravel path, looking up at the moon. He thought about his sisters and how they were doing. He chuckled a bit, recalling fondly how angry Aneha had been that he was even thinking about pursuing the title. They were so alike in that way, in their anger, that she hadn’t even said good-bye when he packed up the last of the boxes in his townhouse. 

But the moment he had opened the cab door, she had come hurtling out of the house and crashing into him. “I love you, idiot,” she had muttered in Ozuye*. Aneha had pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and had tucked a beaded medicine wheel into his pocket before leaving. 

Then, Sadirah had approached him, apprehension in her dark eyes, “Be smart. This guilt is not your burden alone, Lorcan.” 

Lorcan swallowed, missing his family and his home. He wished he could close his eyes and when he opened them, that he would be in his mother’s kitchen, sitting on a stool with Aneha and Sadirah beside him because they had all been banned from the kitchen ages ago. There would be warm, hearty laughter filling every nook and cranny of the home as they conversed in their native tongue, as Odette and Sadirah worked in the kitchen. His grandmother, Čantéwaštéwin, would be around somewhere too, fondly nagging them all. 

He dug his phone out, itching to call them and tell them he made a mistake, to tell them he’d be on the first flight home. Just as he began typing the number, the gravel skittered behind him and Lorcan turned, spying Bear. 

The dog wagged her tail, loping up to him and bumping her snout into him. “Hey, Bear,” Lorcan said, idly scratching her ears. “Where’s Elide, huh? Where is she?” 

He peered into the darkness, waiting for the petite woman to come running after her escape artist of a dog, but there was nothing, no one. “Elide, come on,” he called out, hoping she would hear him. “I got Bear, where you at?” 

The night remained dead silent and Lorcan sighed through his nose, looking down at the dog who tilted her head to the side, “Are you out here all alone, Bear?” Bear barked softly, thumping her tail against his leg. Lorcan chuckled, “I guess I’ll walk you back, c’mon, girl.” 

He patted his thigh and set off back to the palace. Bear followed him immediately, practically prancing next to him. Lorcan smiled and soon enough, he was opening the door to let Bear in. “I bet you had a fun adventure,” he commented, not even noticing that he was talking to a dog.

The pair passed a couple members of the staff finishing up their tasks before they themselves went to bed, but soon enough, Lorcan was walking up to Elide’s rooms. 

As he approached, he heard hushed voices from inside the door whispering harshly, “We can’t go out, we’re high, it’ll be so suspicious. Like, no one just goes on night walks, Aelin!” 

Lorcan swallowed his laughter. 

“But Bear’s gone! She- the dog is gone, Ellie,” that was Aelin. “We have to find her.” 

“But how? Like… how, it’s, like, so dark outside, you know? It’s, like, nighttime!” 

Deciding to put them out of their misery, Lorcan knocked on the door. Elide quickly hissed at Aelin to be quiet before she cracked the door open, “Hello, may we be of assistance to thee, good sir?” 

“You’re fucking baked, sweetheart,” Lorcan said, a slow smile playing on his lips. 

Elide shook her head, her eyes half closed and red, “I am not. I don’t do drugs. And marijuana is legal, Mr. Salvaterre.” Aelin snickered behind her, dissolving into a fit of giggles. “Anyways, we have things to do. Let us pass.” 

Lorcan shook his head, “I was outside on a… night walk,” Elide’s eyes widened comically large, “and I found someone.” He moved to the side, revealing Bear who shot past him through the door. 

Elide gasped, “Oh my gods! You found her, that’s my dog.” She crouched down, sliding her hands into her soft, soft and thick fur. “Oh, bubba, I missed you! Yes, I did, oh, you’re so soft, Aelin, she’s so soft.” Elide looked back up at Lorcan, “This is Bear, she’s mine. My Bear.”

“Yeah, I know. She tackled me, remember?” 

“Oh, yeah,” she said, drawing out the syllables. Then, she frowned, looking more adorable than anyone had a right to, and stood up, “You told me to eat shit and die. That wasn’t very nice.”

“After you told me to fuck off and go fuck myself,” Lorcan countered. 

She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “I did! That’s right, I did say that.” 

Elide’s eyes became hazier and Lorcan smiled, nodding towards her room, “I think you should stay in your room, sweet- Elide.” His cheeks burned and he thanked the gods she was too high to notice. “Elide, you should go hang out in your room, yeah? Hug your dog, order food, do normal high people things. Don’t go outside.” 

“I like it.” 

“Yeah, I like being high too,” he said, but Elide was shaking her head. 

“No, well, yes, I like weed, but I like it when you say my name,” she said with a gentle grin, her nose crinkling, “You usually call me ‘sweetheart’.” 

“And what do you think of ‘sweetheart’?” 

She shrugged, making a face. But then, then Elide fucking beamed and he had to remember to breathe with her smiling at him like that, “I like it, but you’re always making fun of me. I don’t like that that much. It’s not nice to make fun.” 

Lorcan smiled, bowing exaggeratedly, “I would never dare make fun of thee, sweetheart.” 

Elide smiled again, “Gods, go already, stupid.” She waved her fingers, her eyes soft and open, “Good night, Lorcan.” 

“Good night, Elide.” 

He would remember the look on her face for a long while after this night. 

+*+*+*+*+*+*

“You are a genius, my heart.” 

Maeve smiled, sipping from her wine glass. She crossed her right leg over her left, extending her arm out to Vernon. He was such an easy man to toy with, she thought as he took her hand and brushed a wet kiss to her slim, graceful fingers. 

She chuckled into her glass, drinking deeply to hide her shudder. Maeve sighed, looking out over the balcony. The glittering lights of Perranth excited her and she dampened for a moment before she remembered who she was fighting against. Elide Lochan wasn’t strong enough to handle her. 

Her glass was empty when she put it down, and Vernon picked up the wine bottle, his eyes gleaming with something dangerous, “More?” He was already pouring before she could say no, but thankfully, her phone rang. 

“I will be right- oh. It’s Lorcan,” she said, sitting back down. Maeve held a finger to her lips as she accepted the call and pressed the phone to her ear, “Lorcan, dear. How are you, feeling better?” 

“I want out. I don’t want this anymore, any of it. Let Elide have it, she’s the better fit.” 

Maeve pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes, “Lorcan, you need to think about this. Think of all we worked for, everything we sacrificed. Are you really willing to let that go for some girl?” 

Her nephew cursed in his first language, “Fuck, Maeve, she is not some girl. She’s Elide. This is her birthright and she has worked her entire life for this.”

“Oh,” Maeve purred. 

“Oh, what? Spit it out.” 

“You love her,” she commented, smiling wickedly. “The little lady of Perranth has stolen that wicked heart of yours, hasn’t she?” 

Lorcan answered, his voice slow, “No. I do not love–”

“Please, don’t lie to me. It’s unbecoming of you, nephew,” interrupted Maeve. “You do realise, right?” 

“Realise what?” 

“That she will never love you back, Lorcan,” she said. Maeve wanted to keep her voice blunt, but something, probably the shrivelled husk of her conscience, made her soften the blow. Made her stand up from the terrace table and walk into the living room of her lavish apartment. “Lorcan, even if she never loves Fenrys, Elide will never allow herself to admit that she loves you.” 

On the other end of the line, Lorcan remained dead silent. The only indication that he hadn’t hung up was slow, too-even breathing. “Lorcan?” 

“Creator above, shut the fuck up, Maeve! You don’t get to act like you care about me or my feelings now. Just- end it. I won’t fucking do it, I refuse to take the throne. Good luck finding another fucking heir.” 

Without another word, he hung up and Maeve blinked, looking down at her phone. Then, she cackled, her head tilting back. The door opened behind her and Vernon stepped in, “Is everything alright?” 

She turned to him, still laughing hysterically, “They’re- they’re going to ruin themselves! All by themselves! We don’t even have to do anything, darling.” Maeve swept towards him, tossing her phone onto the couch. 

Elide and Lorcan would burn themselves and everything around them and nobody even had to try. How beautiful would their story be if they were not fated to be a tragedy. 

And what a beautiful tragedy it was.

+*+*+*+*+*+*

an: well.....that happened. anyhoozles, i have some things to say ! 

*ozuye is a lakota word meaning warrior, which i thought was fitting for lorcan's tribe name

here are some even more cool links:

this will give you a base understanding of what the medicine wheel means to the lakota ! the medicine wheel is a sacred symbol used widely across turtle island (north america) by native tribes, but is mainly used by plains natives ! (Blackfoot, Arapaho, Assiniboine, Cheyenne, Comanche, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kiowa, Lakota, Lipan, Plains Apache (or Kiowa Apache), Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwe, Sarsi, Nakoda (Stoney), and Tonkawa)

and this will tell you about the significance of beading to lakota people !! the lakota nation is not the only nation that beads, but since i write lorcan as lakota, it's what i focus on :)

if u were wondering, neither of lorcan's sisters names are related to the lakota tribe - they are modified from constellations <3

i hope you enjoyed and if you have any questions or critique as i am white and the furthest thing from an expert, *please* let me know !! i will do what i can to help you or modify anything that needs to be changed

@mythicaitt​ @tinywolfofeyllwe​ @schmlip-scribble​ @the-regal-warrior​ @empire-of-wildfire​ @ladyverena​ @ttakeitbacknoww​ @shyvioletcat​ @alifletcher2012​ @tswaney17​ @ourbooksuniverse​  @flora-and-fae​ @thesirenwashere​ @queenofxhearts​ @maastrash​ @mynewdreamwasyou​ @cursebreaker29​ @empress-ofbloodshed​​ @b00kworm​ @hizqueen4life​ @silversprings98​ @amren-courtofdreams​ @minaidss​ @superspiritfestival​ @sanakapoor​ @ireallyshouldsleeprn​ @spyofthenightcourt​ @januarystears​ @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln​ @magicalunicorngypsy​ @elriel4life​ @sensitiveillyrian​

[keigos-dove]

Teen Hawks Headcanons

Paring: Keigo Takami (Hawks) x G/N!Reader

A/N: This is something @leeswritingworld​ and I made together inspired by this tweet from @kadeart​. We hope you like these!

Word Count: 2,247

|All works tag:| @redbeanteax​ @candychronicles​ @kirishibi​ @greenleaf-fantasy​ @k-atsukidayo​ @togasknifes​ @yuueimagines​ @jojosmilktea​ @lovingshoto​ @denkithot​ @softforshigi​ @cosmicskin​ @uwus-for-bnha​ @vixinman​ @seiiblue​ @verytiredartist​ @pinkjeanist​

You're his high school sweetheart.

You're the shy quiet kid while he's more outgoing. So while he's chatting with all his friends he always looks over at you to make sure you're doing well and gives you a warm smile like a little "I love you" before going back to talking with his friends.

He sits there in class daydreaming about how wonderful and amazing you are in general and to him. He starts thinking about how he managed to snag you when there are so many other people who would be better.

Whenever he gets the chance, he looks over at you like this and when you give him a shy smile back, he can't concentrate anymore because his heart flutters uncontrollably and he's just overcome with happiness. He always gets called out by the teacher for not paying attention.

You can't help but laugh at him for getting called out but he just laughs it off and continues looking at you and not paying attention. Preferring to copy your notes later and look at you being you instead.

He'll ask you every time to copy your notes, knowing you’ll say yes every time, so that he can see you and get the chance to brush his fingers over yours when you hand him the notebook.

Sometimes he'll just snag the notebook with one of his feathers and grabs your hand just to hold it for a bit and to watch you blush and get even shyer.

He's a teen boy, so he's going cause trouble a lot. Sometimes he manages to hurt himself so carrying a small first aid with bandages has become routine at this point. Sometimes he'll do something dumb to hurt himself on purpose just to see you get worried and bandage him up.

You're not even trying to send him to the nurse's office cause you know he won't go. He'll only want to be patched up by you. He doesn't even think of going to the nurse. He'll just say, "Why go to the nurse’s office when I have my own cute nurse right here." Because we know this dork can't go one sentence without flirting with you even though you're already dating.

He'll just continue to make you blush with his flirting, and you're like "Keigo we're dating." His feathers will ruffle in excitement and happiness when he hears you say that.

Hearing you say his first name makes him so happy because he really only gets called Takami by his teachers and classmates and Hawks by the commission. The only person who knows the real him is you.

He gets made fun of all the time by his classmates because they always tease him saying "He's whipped for the shy kid." but he'll just smile and start bragging about how amazing you are and just proves their point by accident.

He wouldn't care at all that he's getting teased like that cause they don't know what a wonderful person you really are, the only person who knows who he really is and he's just so proud of having you.

He's the one to make sure you don't study till your head pops off your shoulders. He'll come through your window and fly you somewhere to eat for a break to make sure you're not stressing yourself out. He’s doing it whether you complain or not, there’s no avoiding it. 

He would also make sure to be one to bring you home from school so he can protect you from eventual bullies.

At school, he brings you snacks, drinks, or sweets from the vending machine so you have something to snack on at all times.

Who needs a school bus when you have birb boyfriend transportation?? 

He'll just be at your widow in the morning being like, "Where to cutie?"

In high school he starts having nightmares about the stuff the commission does to him so when he does have one he sneaks out, not caring if he gets in trouble, and flies to your place and stays with you for the rest of the night for comfort.

He claims he sleeps best when you're wrapped up in his arms and wings.

Your parents tend to be strict but you don't care and always leave the window open behind the curtain for him to get in when he needs. It's gotten a habit of you two to text each other at night before going to sleep, sending each other sweet goodnight messages.

He's the boyfriend to send good morning and good night texts every day. 

If you're lucky when you wake up, he's already there with something small for you to eat for breakfast. He wakes up early and gets ready for school way before you do so that he can get to your place just as you're waking up. Sometimes he's lucky and gets to watch you sleep a few minutes before you do actually wake up.

When he comes early, he slips into your room, kneeling by the bed and brushing his fingers over your cheek saying, "Time to wake up my little dove."

He's the softie who gets upset and apologizes first if you two fight even if it wasn't his fault just because he feels bad and doesn't want you to be mad at him because he doesn't want to lose you.

You always forgive him because he's just holding you so tight close to tears because he feels so bad he made you upset. You just can't stay mad at him no matter what happens. 

For example when you get mad because he got into another fight and you have to bandage him up again. He'll look at your distressed face and after you're done immediately hugs you, saying "I’m sorry" the whole time. He'll be so relieved and holding back tears when he feels you hugging him back and hearing the change in your voice when you tell him to be more careful.

Even after you forgive him he'll still be emotional so you have to give him little kisses and promise to get him chicken later to make him feel better. That evening he definitely wants to come home with and fall asleep in your arms with his wings wrapped around you.

Your touch alone can keep him calm as happy enough to fall asleep. If he's not with you he's not sleeping that night.

He's generally much more prone to having nightmares when he sleeps alone. That's also why he prefers to be with you at night. He just feels so safe and secure with you.

He may be the one with wings but he calls you his guardian angel because you're always protecting him, even in his sleep.

He can't explain how grateful he is to have found someone like you who not only sees him as the real boy he is (not who everyone in school thinks he is) but also for you to be the most incredible person he has ever met. Understanding him and being able to calm him down, to ground him in his darkest moments.

You regularly pick him up from Kendo practice and check on him to see if there aren’t any new injuries from training, ‘cause you know he can be clumsy sometimes.

You go to his practices and watch him.

You go to all of his competitions to cheer him on.

You treat him to something nice when he wins and comfort him when he loses. 

Keigo gets really cuddly and longs for affection after losing in an exhausting competition, so when you’re at his place afterward, you let him rest his head in your lap and you massage his scalp, shoulders, and back to help him relax.

You have to praise him for doing a good job either way and tell him that he’s really good at Kendo still.

He will nuzzle his face into your body and blush when you praise him like this but it makes him feel better nonetheless.

When he loses it’s one of those rare times when he feels vulnerable and almost weak because he’s always supposed to be strong and always win because that’s what the commission told him.

In moments like these, he can’t get enough of your love, touch, and reassurance because you’re the only one who is able to make him feel better, soothe him and build him up after feeling down like this.

He's always wearing a pair of headphones around his neck because he's a huge music dork. Music is one of is few escapes from reality besides you.

He gets a bit grumpy whenever he forgets them at home because while flying to school, music always helps him relax and focus but when he doesn't have that he gets agitated quickly. He's more than happy to finally see you when he has to go a morning without them.

He makes song playlists for both of you to listen to and has a special playlist with songs that remind him if you when he feels lonely.

He keeps that playlist a secret though. He doesn't want you to find out how whipped he is for you.

He also made a playlist for you if his favorite songs and such for you to add too as well.

He's only gonna add them to your existing playlist anyway.

He always has a pair of your favorite earbuds on him at all times in case you happen to forget yours that day.

He always as an extra connection link. During lunch you can escape to the roof or to the schoolyard and sit under a tree and listen to music together, leaning against each other.

He has to have chicken for lunch every day or he'll be cranky.

But he's really forgetful so it's become a habit that you prepare bento boxes for the both of you. You always fill his up with extra chicken.

He kinda lays in your lap curled up like a cat while you feed him the chicken.

He takes you out to the field behind the school for lunch every day. Not many people go back there. And during the springtime, the flowers are all in full bloom and he picks them and makes flower crowns or little bouquets of them he finds scattered about.

One day when you lay in the flower field after lunch and he's in your lap, he makes a promise to marry you when he's old enough.

He promises you that he won't have to work as a hero, he'll be safe, and he'll have all the free time in the world to spoil you rotten and snuggle all-day.

They first think that it's just lovey-dovey talking from the birb, but then Hawks sits up and gives them a deadly serious look and holds out his pinky to them for a promise.

He promises to protect you from this crazy dangerous society and one day be able to take care of them without any worries of anything or anyone. And you make that promise with him because he doesn't get serious like that often.

Soft forehead touches while he intertwines his hand with yours and you, in return, promise to be strong for him.

You promise to continue to cheer him on and believe in him till that promise becomes a reality.

He plans on buying you promise ring to wear as a necklace to forever remind them about those promises.

The ring is nothing expensive, just a cheap ring he got from a coin machine. But it holds more value than a diamond ever could.

He keeps it in his pocket and when they ask why he is so secretive the whole day when they sit in the flower field one afternoon, he asks them to close their eyes and he wraps the necklace around them and leans against their back, softly whispering to open their eyes again.

He feels bad that the ring isn't fancy or expensive and hopes they still like it anyways. He seals the promise with his softest kiss, it's so soft it almost felt as though he wasn’t there at all.

They well up in tears and they keep it to their chest and heart at all times. One of his delicate feathers is also bound to the necklace and sometimes they kiss it when they miss him at night.

He ends up crying a bit as well, pouring his entire heart and soul for you to see. He thanks you for being there, believing in him, trusting him, loving him. He confesses that you never leave his mind, everything he does is for you, you're his entire world and he'd do anything to make sure you're safe and happy with him till the end of time.

His wings are all puffed up and ruffled behind him because of all the emotions he's feeling. His love is so strong he can't control himself, he just cried and mumbles 'I love you' into your skin till he loses his breath.

You just hold him tightly and tell him you love him back every single time. Running your hands through his hair, feathers, up his back. Anything to calm him down. 

It's you and him forever till the end of time and against anything that stands in your way. Together you’re stronger than anything, and are prepared for whatever troubles you may face once Keigo becomes a pro hero.

[etraytin]

Quarantine, Day 149

August 7

I've been too busy or distracted for the last few days to properly inundate you all with kitten pictures, but that ends now! You have been warned! Today I had lights and a fully charged phone and the will to use them, so you are going to feel the wrath of this fully armed and operational cat lady. I am also posting this during first dinnertime, so my background music is tiny Katara making improbably loud smacking noises while she eats babycat food mixed with warm water. 

Clockwise from top left: Zuko, Sokka, Katara, Aang

Now that the kittens are debugged and down to about 30% of their original hissiness levels, they are ready for cuddle times. Zuko won the best cuddler award today by actually purring when I picked him up, so he is my current favorite. Sokka needs his nails trimmed very badly, Katara is picking up the hissing slack for her unacceptably trusting brothers, and Aang has finally started using the litterbox but cries when he poops. (This is not uncommon for kittens who are first learning to go unstimulated, but I'm going to keep an eye on him to make sure he's not constipated.)  Four weeks is a very fun age, so this should be a good kitten week, knock on wood. They are all eating well and don't need a bottle, which makes my life way easier. 

Zuko and Aang

Katara still thinks I might be planning on eating her. She is the size of my hand but will go down hissing all the same.

It is just as well that these guys are weaned because the MPRE snuck right up on me. I started studying a couple weeks ago, but there's always so much to do. BARBRI's MPRE study program is funny because it's basically a taste test of their bar review program for the 2L students who typically sit for the MPRE. It's set up exactly like the bar review course, but where the typical bar review lecture is 2-3 hours, these lectures are about 15-20 minutes and each one covers a discrete subtopic of professional responsibility. Altogether, they are maybe just a little bit longer than the professional responsibility lecture I listened to for the bar review back in February. (Many states do not include PR on their bar exam at all because of the MPRE, but Virginia has more testable subjects than any other state and throws that one in as well, so I got a module on it.) In any case, I have been listening to these little bite sized lectures and doing the learning questions, then looking at the outline, then moving on. I plan to have all the modules done by tomorrow, then spend the weekend doing the three practice tests, sixty questions each. All three practice tests together are not as long as the bar exam practice test! I keep reminding myself that even though the subject matter is limited and I've covered the material many times before, I have to take it seriously. It would be both inconvenient and extremely embarrassing to pass the bar exam and fail the fucking MPRE at this late date. I'm also going to have to take at least one of those practice tests with a mask on, bleah. 

Ha, I have successfully tricked the kittens out of sleeping in their yucky litterbox (they are too young for nice clumping litter because they might eat it) by offering them a decoy litterbox with a towel in it. Cats do love boxes! 

(Sokka is behind the box, he is so fuzzy I cannot get him in focus for a solo picture.)

The kiddo and I went to the library today for the first time since March! It only opened on Wednesday and there were very few people there, but they'd arranged it so there's lots of open space and a counter right by the front where a friendly guy offered us hand sanitizer and reminded us about social distance. We were finally able to turn in March's library books, which had fine amnesty thank God, and snagged some new stuff. I wasn't feeling creative so I took advantage of the lack of patrons to snag a couple of newer Nora Roberts books, the kind that are usually hard to get hold of. I read a funny meme the other day of "2020 As Described by Nora Roberts Books" that showed Happily Ever After for January, Storm Warning for February, and then seven copies of Shelter In Place for March through August. The kiddo got a couple of graphic novels and also picked out two books with no pictures at all after I promised I'd get him a magnifying glass if he wanted it. Kiddo is farsighted and has glasses to read, but he may need a new prescription. I should get on that. 

Okay, knowing myself as I do, I took a brief break there to order some cheap little sheet magnifiers off Amazon because I try to keep my promises. It is hard when you are very forgetful, but I try! Not too much else to report today, oh, except I went into my primary doctor's office for the first time in many months. It was for a heat rash, of all things, but I just couldn't get it to go away! I could probably have done it online, but when it's a rash it's kind of easier to just go in there than to try and find the right light and the phone with the best camera, and this way I don't have a lot of weird pictures of my armpit for posterity. She gave me a steroid cream prescription and it is starting to feel better already. 

While I was getting the prescription filled, I got way, way too excited about the electronics clearance at Rite Aid and bought fifty dollars worth of stuff. (By Rite Aid's calculation it was 200 dollars worth of stuff because I spent 50 and saved 150, but you know how their prices are.) In any case, I got two wall chargers and a car charger, two sets of earbuds, a stereo headset with microphone  for virtual school, and the piece de resistance, a waterproof Bluetooth speaker that also has a multicolored light display. The kiddo is in love already and I hope it encourages him to more frequent showering. My 50 also bought me some melatonin gummies, some multivitamin gummies, a bag of chocolate snacky stuff, and two packs of Magic: the Gathering decks that the kiddo was distinctly underwhelmed by. He likes Pokemon cards so much despite not having the first idea how to play, I thought these might be good too. I'll set them aside in case he gets interested later. I am pretty sure that four dollars apiece is not bad for 60 card decks, even if they are planeswalker themed. Anyway it was a nice haul and now I can stop bitching at everyone and no-one every time I can't find a wall charger to plug into. A small price to pay for peace of mind! (And the cream itself cost $2.19, so at least I can feel a little good about our truly exorbitant health insurance this week.) 

Who wouldn’t believe this guy can save the world? 

[gustafsnightangel]

Shattered Lives Ch 40 Pt 1

Sildie woke refreshed, even if miss Lily was screaming her head off feeling anything but. “I’ll get her.” She chuckled as Gustaf went to move her off him to do exactly that.

“You sure?” He mumbled. She loved that half asleep voice, the crumpled look on his face that told her he’d slept and slept hard.

“I’m sure sleepy head.” Her kiss was sinful.

“Someone had a good night.” She heard the smirk in his voice and giggled.

“Yeah some guy fucked my brains out, he wasn’t bad.” His expression made her laugh as she threw her robe on. “You’re better.” She grinned and kissed him chastely.

“I should hope so.” He growled indignantly. “Otherwise I’d have to prove otherwise kitten.”

“Promise?” She teased, her lips brushing against his.

“Absolutely.” His grin was wicked before he devoured her mouth.

“Goodie.” She kissed him again before she sashayed away to rescue Lily from her wet diaper, the groan and thump of something heavy hitting the bed confirming he’d face planted into the pillow.

“You kill me love.” He called after her. “All those salacious curves.”

She changed and dressed Lily for the day, roused the boys and had them start to pack while she made breakfast, Brendan offered to supervise and she knew he was still a little shaken from yesterday. When she asked him about it he said that he and Gustaf had talked. Her man never ceased to amaze her, the way he just took care of things, explained things to the boys so they understood without freaking out.

Coming into the kitchen there he was, sweats slung low on his hips, those lower back dimples she adored in full view, simple white cotton tee, so normal yet so fucking sexy.

“Tea is steeping.” He said quietly as Lily squealed a dad dad and lunged for him. “And good morning to you too little lady.” He chuckled as Sildie handed her over, not that Lily gave her much of a choice in the matter.

So normal, she thought, and Ana doesn’t get to destroy this, she doesn’t get to take this from him, from us, she’s not worth it. She had to try harder for Gustaf, to not let her anxiety spiral as quickly as it did yesterday, he was trying, and she needed to do the same. Together, together they were stronger.

“That’s a lot of thinking going on in there.” He said gently, tapping her temple and kissing her, catching her unawares.

“Sorry.” She shook her head as if to clear the thought physically.

“You ok?” He asked, brow creasing in concern.

“Yeah, just reiterating to myself that she doesn’t get to destroy this and she’s not worth the effort of getting as upset as I did.” She shrugged. He left the pancake batter for the moment and crossed to her, pulling her in for a hug.

“No she doesn’t.” He toyed with the wisps of hair that hung at her cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too and I’m so ready to eat, get packed up, and get in the car and go.” She kissed him sweetly and he smiled, she was putting it behind them where it belonged. “Just a blip. I freaked out yesterday, but she’s just a blip and we need to move past it.”

“Just a blip.” He murmured and kissed her, that longing making her go weak at the knees.

“Or you could just kiss me like that again.” She sighed, his chuckle making her smile when he did exactly that.

“Anything for you my love.” He grinned devouring her mouth a third time. He smooched Lily after she made a fuss until she crumpled against him giggling. “And you too Lily bear.” Turning back to the pancake batter Lily helped stir in the milk while Sildie poured the tea.

She took over cooking the pancakes as Lily was determined dad dad was her go to person of the morning and would not be denied cuddles and kisses and the mans undivided attention. “I’ll go and start packing for this monster.” He said softly and kissed the back of her neck causing her to shiver.

“Sounds good.” They were becoming a team she realized, still a little disjointed, but better than it had been when they lived in separate apartments. As she fussed around the kitchen making breakfast she smiled at the noise from the boys rooms, happy, excited noise. No tears, no sadness, no grief, just three boys that were finally having a childhood and making some memories.

Her phone pinged with an incoming text and she held her breath as she opened it. Leon.

Some good news for you at last, they remanded her in custody, no bail. Trial is set for February 16. She’ll be cooling her jets in a cell for a few weeks. The judge was not amused.

She let out an explosive breath and grinned. Some justice at long last. But she knew what the judge wasn’t amused by, the potential to walk on a deal.

Thanks for the update Leon. We’re out of town for the next ten days. Let’s touch base when I’m back to work?

Sounds good. I’ll copy Lindstrom, make sure you contact him when you get back into town. This will undoubtedly pull you and Lucas into it, maybe Gustaf.

Absolutely. I’ll be emailing him here in a moment regardless. We are prepared for whatever comes.

Sounds good. Have a great break, god knows you deserve it.

Count on it. Thanks again, for everything.

She owed Leon more than he realized. The fact he’s found her charm was just the start.

“Why the grin that clearly says you’re the cat who ate the canary and got all her Christmases at once?” Gustaf chuckled as he came in a little while later with Lily chattering in his arms and her bag.

She turned her screen around and showed him the messages from Leon and watched a grin spread across his face.

“I’m not one to bask in another’s misfortune.” He said. “But, it’s about fucking time something went right for us.”

“It’s only just beginning love, but this is a damn good start.” She kissed him fiercely.

“A long road ahead huh.” It wasn’t a question, because he knew damn well this was just the start of the shit storm that was brewing.

“I guess we’ll see. I’m not celebrating just yet.” She said chewing on her lip, brain going a mile a minute.

“Fair point.” He kissed her tenderly, the action freeing her lip and pulling her thoughts away from their destination of work. “Let it go now love.” The pleading look in his eyes had her drop all those toxic thoughts in a heartbeat. “We both need to let it go for now.” He smiled at her nod.

“You’re right. Letting it go. We have snowball fights to organize, marshmallows to toast, giggles and smiles to enjoy.” She said blowing out a breath and grinned.

“Amongst other things.” The goofy wiggle of his eyebrows had her chuckling.

Once breakfast was ready they sat as a family around the table, eating and laughing, throwing around ideas and what activities they were going to do at the cabin. With full bellies the kids helped Gustaf pack the car while Sildie packed her own clothes, got an email off to Lindstrom, and sorted the snacks. Car packed, children buckled in, Gustaf looked over the top of the car at her and let out a breath. “We got everything?” He grinned, it had been a flurry of non stop activity all morning.

“Kids, clothes, food, and most importantly, you sweet man. It’ll have to be everything or we’re never going to get out of here.” She snorted.

“Exactly what I was thinking.” He was almost bouncing with excitement to get going like the big kid at heart he was. She loved seeing this side of him carefree and happy.

They were finally in the car and on their way before she noticed it hanging from the rear view mirror. The ribbon still stained with red paint, the charm needing a good clean and a little worse for wear, but it was there, where it belonged. He hadn’t gone out and replaced it just to make her happy. He’d found a way to find it, to right the wrong of another human. To maintain a piece of her brother, a man he never knew. She reached up a hand to brush a finger over it and looked at him, her eyes welling with tears of gratitude. He got it, he got her, and what she needed, what that one little gesture meant to her and the kids.

His quick glance at her before snagging her hand and kissing her fingers had her smile through the tears. That smile was all the thanks he needed before he lightly held onto her hand as he drove. The grief was there but she seemed more at ease with it now. Allowing it to surface and be there but not overwhelm her or send her spiraling into despair.

A few hours later they arrived, his best girls fast asleep, the twins quietly chatting, Brendan with his nose in a book. He felt the stress leave him as the boys climbed out of the car, all the anger and frustration from the past week melting off him. He sighed, the snowy landscape in front of him consuming every ounce of stress and bitterness. It had only been a week yet it felt like a year. “Brendan can you get the twins inside? Maybe choose your rooms and then come grab the bags?”

“Sure.” The teen rounded up his brothers and they headed inside to explore.

“Don’t wander too far.” He called.

“We won’t.” The three of them answered.

“Masters of mischief.” He mumbled as he rounded the front of the car grinning. “They’ll be in the snow hurling it at each other in minutes.” He chuckled. It reminded him of Alex, Sam, and Bill when they were kids, always getting into something they weren’t supposed to.

Opening the the passenger door he crouched down and grazed his knuckles along Sildie’s cheek, her sharp inhale as she woke telling him she had been out cold.

“I’m up.” She mumbled.

“You crashed.” He chuckled. “Must be the mountain air.” She could hear the humor in his voice.

“Must be, or it was the mind blowing sex I had last night.” She said softly, that face she thought, they broke the mold when they made him. Eyes of ocean blue and a sinful poets mouth.

“I wear you out kitten?” He growled, that tone he knew made her wet.

“Not complaining.” She snorted.

“The boys are exploring the cabin.” He said seeing the question on her face at the quiet in the car. “I was about to get Lily out and then get the boys to help start hauling everything in.”

“I’ll get Lily, take her in.” She said as he stood and opened the back door.

“I’ll go and see what mischief the boys have found then. It’s way too quiet in there.” He chuckled, kissing her cheek quickly before going to hunt down the boys.

The kids had found mischief, already outside having a snowball fight which was why the cabin was so quiet. Rounding them up, all smiles and giggles, they helped Gustaf unpack the car while Sildie took Lily inside and put her down for the rest of her nap.

As it was well past lunch time Sildie started to prepare an early dinner as Gustaf took the kids exploring in and around the cabin, finding out where everything was and what the place had to offer. By the time they sat and ate the twins were already planning their day tomorrow.

“How about we each choose an activity for the day and all do it together?” She said watching them closely, half expecting the boys to balk at the idea of doing something she might want to do. She wanted them to do things as a family as much as possible this trip. Solidifying the bond between Gustaf and the boys was crucial, and for that, they needed time together. To talk, to fight, to laugh, to just do boy things with a man that wanted to be a father to them in every way possible.

“I like that.” Brendan said eating his sandwich. “We could write activities down on bits of paper and then choose them at random?” He shrugged.

“I like that idea even better.” Gustaf grinned. “Two activities each, and that’s what we can spend the day doing, or a few hours depending on how we all feel.”

“Whatever we want?” Liam grinned.

“Whatever you want.” Gustaf knew exactly where his devious little mind was going.

“You may regret that decision later.” Sildie muttered and smirked at him over the top of her teacup.

“Quite possibly.” Gustaf snickered as he sipped his tea, the boys just grinned at him. Oh he was in so much trouble, he thought. He was expecting them to gang up on him and had to remember to wear a base layer and turtleneck, to stop the snow going down the back of his neck, because he knew that one was coming. Once he’d finished eating, Gustaf found a pens and paper and had the boys write their two activities down. They scrunched each one into a little ball and tossed it in a salad bowl Sildie had found in the cupboard.

“Ok, let me grab Lily and then we each draw two out of the bowl.” Sildie said as she went to collect Lily, the little lady starting to make a fuss. The boys were giggling when she came back in the room. “What are you up to?” She asked knowing something was afoot, the wink from Gustaf asking her to just play along.

“Alright, youngest to oldest, Finn you’re up.” Gustaf said as Sildie fixed Lily a bottle, the tiny child snuggled in close to her mum mum.

“I got, hiking.” He said and put it on the table as Gustaf wrote it down, that would be a good one for tomorrow while the weather was still nice, he thought.

“Snowboarding.” Liam said excitedly. “That was one of mine.” His grin was wide.

“Well we’ll all get to have a go now.” Gustaf chuckled.

“Build a snow family.” Brendan laughed and Sildie smirked, that was one of hers.

“You’re up love.” Gustaf said.

“No, you are. I’m older than you.” Her chuckle playful.

“Snow fort.” He said looking at her, that desire for her flooding through him.

Her hand dipped into the bowl. “Snowball fight.” She said. “Well that was a given.” She added with a snort. “Go again Finn.”

“What about Lily?” He said quietly.

“I think Lily will be happy with whatever we’re all doing love.” She said gently. “Maybe we can have a Lily safe snowball fight like we did before.” He smiled and nodded, face lighting up.

“Snowball fight.” He giggled holding it up. Liam’s hand dived in to reveal another snowball fight as did Brendan and Gustaf.

“I think I’ve been played.” She muttered with a huge smile on her face as she pulled out another snowball fight.

“A little.” Gustaf’s wink make her laugh, that laugh he adored as he wrote them down in order that they came out of the bowl. “The weather should be nice tomorrow for a hike.”

“What should we pack for lunch?” Sildie asked.

“Picnic.” Liam said bouncing in his seat. “With cookies.”

“With cookies.” Gustaf chuckled. “Can’t forget the cookies.” She loved that smile, the one that said I don’t have a care in the world except for the people in this room. He was relaxing already, the stress and anxiety starting to melt away. Those crows feet she had a weakness for out in full bloom.

“Keykey.” Lily squealed as she reached for Gustaf.

“Yes little lady, lots of cookies.” He plucked her off Sildie’s lap and kissed her until she giggled, his scruff tickling her, tiny hands tapping his face.

They spent the late afternoon settling in, just taking time to relax and unwind. Bathed and in pajamas, the twins had their heads together formulating a plan for the epic snowball fight. Brendan had curled up on the couch with a book, and Gustaf did the same in the one seat with Lily in his lap happily snuggled in chattering and playing with her toys, Gustaf reading to her quietly. Sildie had slipped away to soak in the tub, a time to unwind, to start her vacation off right. She could hear him reading and the tone of his voice soothed her. “I could listen to him talk all night.” She sighed, sinking up to her neck in hot water. There was something about his voice that always set her mind at ease and calmed the raging storm of her thoughts and emotions. This was a different tone to the one he used in the bedroom, but both equally arousing in their own way.

She cleared her mind, let all the events of the past week come to the surface, acknowledged the way they made her feel and let them go. Sent them out into the ether for the universe to take care of. It was her own form of meditation, one she’d let slide since her brother died and she needed to get back in the habit of letting shit go. As her mind cleared from all the anxiety and stress, she thought to the future, their future. About making partner and what that would mean for her, for them as a family. With Gustaf’s help she knew she’d be able to handle it, even if in the beginning it would be a learning curve. “I can do it though, with him beside me I can do it.” She knew she could do it without him, but with him would be so much easier. She would hopefully make partner and get her career back on track.

Gustaf had saved them from spiraling out of control, from drowning in grief and despair, and in turn they had saved each other. It was time to put the grief aside and live life, she decided. She couldn’t allow it to consume her as it had over the past year. This was a new year, a time for new beginnings, a time to become a family and figure out their future together. “No more wallowing in your own self pity, they’re all grieving. But it’s time to move forward.” She muttered. “There’s a life to start living, with a beautiful sweet man in it.” She smiled at that thought, her man, their family, a future together. “Mine.” She said softly. “He’s mine.” Her throat choked up with emotion. “Only mine.”

Gustaf looked around the living room. A happy Lily curled up with him playing and talking in her own way quite content, Brendan with his nose in a book, the twins formulating their attack strategy for the snowball fight. Normal, no grief in sight, and genuinely happy. Sure, he knew it was there just below the surface, but they were healing, the sorrow not as all consuming as it was when he’d rescued a few wayward oranges at their door. They would continue to grieve, he just hoped he’d made it easier for them to process and to think about a future where it didn’t rule their lives. “One step at a time huh Lily bear?” He muttered quietly. “Slow and steady.” The tiny girl snuggled into him, the affection and unconditional love she gave melting his heart.

He let his mind wander to Sildie, their future, as a family, as a couple. Marriage kept springing to the forefront of his mind. He never thought he’d contemplate marriage again after Hanna, but with Sildie it was different. He was different. Would she want to get married? Could he be the husband she deserved? He wanted it like his next breath, to give himself to her completely, commit himself to her, to the kids. He glanced at the three boys, what would they think about it, he wondered? “Maybe I’ll have to ask them.” He mumbled against Lily’s temple, kissing her softly. “I already know where you stand on the matter young lady.” He chuckled and Lily squealed a dad dad as Gustaf’s scruff tickled her cheek as he kissed the little girl.

Maybe kids of their own, he thought. He wanted kids with her, no question about it. “That’s her choice though isn’t it little lady?” He kissed Lily’s head. “Her body, her choice. And she already told me where she stood on the matter in the very beginning.” He mumbled. “It would be nice for you to have a playmate though, huh? A little Sildie to cuddle.” He grinned against the child’s hair as he imagined a child with Sildie’s copper hair and ice blue eyes. “Or a little Gustaf you can boss around.” His soft chuckle made him grin wider. “I’m such a sap.” He whispered and Lily hugged him right. “I want everything with her Lily, absolutely everything.”

“Mum mum, dad, dad, dad.” She chattered softly.

“Exactly.” He kissed her head and went back to reading, oddly feeling more relaxed about it after chatting with his pint sized shrink.

Sildie pulled herself out of the tub and dressed in her pajamas. She felt loose and relaxed, much like she’d soaked all the stress off her body and let it swirl down the drain. Her mind had finally quietened, her thoughts drifting along now instead of zooming a mile a minute like they had been.

Padding out to the living room she smiled at the scene, such serenity, it choked her up. She started to make some hot chocolate from scratch, the one she usually saved for Christmas or special occasions. To her this was a special occasion, their first vacation together, the calmness that had settled over all of them was something to be acknowledged. “Who’s up for toasting some marshmallows?” She said softly and instantly had three boys at her side, the fourth standing behind her, Lily in his arms, a hand circling her hips. “You guys will need to find some toasting forks or skewers.” She chuckled as they raced off to do exactly that as Gustaf kissed the nape of her neck.

“You smell nice.” He purred, tongue teasing the dip at her collarbone.

“I’m all warm and soft too.” She murmured, her hand reaching back to rest against his thigh pulling him closer, the nuzzle against her neck making her weak at the knees. Her man knew exactly how to turn her entire system to goo.

The boys bounded back in, Brendan holding up some toasting forks he’d found in the mud room closet, those grins wide. It had been a long time since she’d seen them this happy, saw those smiles bloom in genuine joy not just putting on a brave face.

“Lily and I will stoke the fire, we need embers to toast marshmallows properly.” He kissed her quickly before heading over to the open fireplace.

Once the fire was happily crackling in the hearth they all sat around it as if it were an outdoor campfire. The six of them in pj’s or sweats, hot chocolate with an abundance of cream and marshmallow, and giggles, lots of giggles as they talked about snow forts and snowball fights. Gustaf telling stories of his childhood and the mischief him and his brothers got up to.

“Don’t give them ideas.” Sildie scolded, and he grinned at her. A boys childhood was nothing without mischief.

Sildie reminisced about her and Quinn as kids with their parents, much happier times, and good memories for the boys to have. She found it didn’t destroy her as much, sure it still gave her that ache in the chest, that longing to have them here, but she didn’t spiral. That’s what she needed to hold onto, those good happy memories, and she need to share them with the boys, with Gustaf. This was the way she needed to help them heal.

As the fire died down to embers they toasted their marshmallows.

“Nothing like the crispy outside, and a gooey inside.” Gustaf said as he blew on a little bit of marshmallow for Lily to taste. They’d all be on a sugar high for the next little while which was fine, they were on vacation, the everyday rules didn’t apply. He kicked back, Lily clinging to him as he read Harry while they finished the marshmallows and had another round of hot chocolate.

At nearly ten, Lily was asleep in Gustaf’s arms, and the twins were almost asleep curled up with Sildie as they listened to the story. “Time for bed I think.” Gustaf said gently as he watched Finn stifle another yawn at the end of the chapter.

“I think so too. Hiking tomorrow and a picnic.” She stood and helped the boys to their feet following them to the rooms they’d chosen to sleep in. Finn broke away from Sildie and rushed back to hug Gustaf tightly, Lily barely stirred.

“Love you dad.” He said quietly and Gustaf felt his throat tighten, it sucker punched him every time.

“Love you too. Get some sleep.” He watched Finn go and let out a careful breath. “I doubt I’m ever going to get used to hearing that.” He muttered to Lily as he got to his feet and carried her to bed.

With the boys settled and Gustaf dealing with Lily, Sildie set her phone to play some slow jazz in their room as she stared out the window into the night. This was the peace she craved for them and hoped one day soon they’d feel it in their own home. She heard him close the door, his soft steps to her before those arms wrapped her up, his scent equally comforting. Turning she swayed, his hands fitting her against him just right.

“I love dancing with you.” He said softly. “It was like we were made for it, you fit just right.” He kissed her temple and lingered, her scent filling his mind. Home, love, peace.

“I love it too. Just this, nothing fancy, just you and me and some good music. It’s perfect.” She said softly and rested her head against his shoulder, her thoughts drifting nowhere in particular.

“The only thing that would make it better would to be naked.” He said a while later, the soft growl making her chuckle.

“Then you’d better take care of that then.” She teased.

Gentle fingers aroused as they peeled the sweats and pajamas from each other. Both naked, he danced her around the room, slow and soothing until she was almost asleep on her feet.

“Into bed love.” He said tenderly and kissed her brow before helping her in. She snuggled in and kissed him, love and need pouring from her. Rolling, he pressed her into the mattress, the feel of those lush curves against him making him harden. “I can never get enough of you.” He murmured. “My goddess.” Her legs wrapped around his slim hips and she drew him closer, an invitation to slip inside. To claim each other. With a gentle thrust he buried himself to his hilt in her wet heat their mutual groans mixing with the jazz.

Her hands roamed that well honed body, all the dips and valleys that made him irresistible as his hips flexed, cock filling her. He made love to her, the gentle push and pull as their bodies intertwined and danced together. She came with a soft sigh, her release rolling over her taking the last of the stress from her body. He joined her in pleasure a moment later when he came with her name on his lips. Curling her in to him, she went lax in his arms. “Sleep love.” His smile wide.

“Gustaf?” She mumbled, hovering on the edge of sleep.

“Mmmm?”

“I’m so in love with you.” She slurred.

“You’re my everything Sildie, sleep now.” He switched the music off and let the silence of the cabin soothe him to sleep, peace at long last.

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