#because there's a *small* chance that they could grow and *if* they grow

[jaberaldahdouh]

My name is Jaber, I am 13 years old, and I live in Gaza, where life is nothing like what you see in movies or read about in books. Here, everything is difficult, and even dreams require a miracle.

Sometimes, I sit on the roof of our fragile house and look at the sky. I see birds flying freely and wonder: why am I trapped? Why is my life measured by barriers?

In Gaza, there is no safe place for children. The sounds of explosions teach us that fear is a part of life, and the night is darker than it should be. But despite all of this, I dream. I dream of living a normal life, going to a school where studies don’t stop because of wars, and playing in safe streets without being afraid of the dangers that could harm me.

I need a chance, a chance to leave this place and start a new life where my childhood can grow in peace. But I can’t do it alone. I need your help—not just to save me but to give me a life I deserve, like any other child in the world.

Every bit of support brings me one step closer to my dream, and every kind word gives me greater hope. Help me live and build a future full of peace and achievement.

My dream is small, but it’s so big for me Please help me make it come true.

Please donate

[limethefirst]

Hello! I've read you're shadow fanfiction and it's just absolutely amazing!! Can I request a shadow x teen reader(platonic) where the reader stays with robotnik and stone but isn't related like they just decided to keep them because they were useful and when shadow comes around he grows an attachment to them and constantly wants to protect them

Please and thank you!!!!

Guardian Hedgehog

pairings: Shadow the Hedgehog x teen!reader (platonic)

warnings: slight sonic 3 spoilers

summary: Shadow finds himself getting attached again, but maybe this outcome will be different from the rest

a/n: thank you so much for being patient and enjoying my other stories! Here’s your request, I hope you enjoy it as much as the others!

When you first met Shadow, he quite literally jump scared you. You were walking down the dark corridor with Knuckles the Echidna, he was letting out a nervous mumble about supposedly not being scared but you could tell he was from his shaking. You didn’t blame him though, this place was creepy that’s for sure, you wanted to go with Robotnik or Stone but Sonic had very little faith in you three so instead you had to pair up with Knuckles.

As you walked with him, your arms crossed you let out an annoyed groan, sure this place was creepy and weird and actually somewhat scary…but nothing would get you, so why make a big fuss anyway.

“Boo”

And that is how you met Shadow. By getting unintentionally scared and jumping behind the smaller echidna.

From that point forward it seemed as if he wanted to just stick by your side, which you didn’t really mind. It was actually quite funny; when Robotnik would reprimanded you for messing up a task, Shadow would give him a mean glare, which happened a lot in the short amount of time he was with you.

Even Gerald noticed it, although he didn’t say anything about it. It was you and Shadow’s little thing, like he was your little guardian.

Currently you were in London, inside The Crab, watching the novela on the T.V.

“Gabriela should kill them both, she’s not a prize to be won,” Shadow grumbled, his focus on the show in front of him. You let out a small nod, not turning back to look at him, disgustingly engrossed in the show.

Stone only let out a chuckle, telling Shadow not to be so negative before he called out to you, “Hey, could you slice up these avocados for me while I use the mortar to grind them?”

You gave a quick glance back before standing, eyes lingering back to the show every once and while. Shadow watched the interaction subconsciously moving a bit closer to where you were.

As you stood next to Stone on the counter you weren’t paying as much attention to the knife in your hand as you should’ve as you suddenly cut the tip of your index finger.

“Ah shoot,” you hissed out, dropping both the knife and the avocado in your hand onto the counter. Within a second Shadow had immediately teleported to your side, his head raised to get a look at what happened to you.

Stone also turned, putting down his bowl and taking a look, “Just a small cut don’t be so over dramatic,” he sarcastically said.

“If it were the Dr you’d probably already call an ambulance…” you replied with a snarky tone, teasing him a bit. He gave you a short glance before grabbing a first aid kit and handing it to you.

Shadow watched you the entire time, his face as stoic as ever, but his moves precise. He would check the cut then your body language seeing if you were in anytime of pain. Honestly it was a bit of an over exaggeration on his part but he felt the need to protect you and in that moment he sensed it was like he failed you.

As you took the first aid kit you turned over to Shadow, before you even got the chance to open it he’d already taken it from you, “What are you doing?” You questioned him.

“Fixing your cut,” he plainly replied.

“Awe you’re like an angel sent from above!”

“Don’t call me that.”

You chuckled before sitting down on the ground so Shadow had an easier time helping you. Shadow didn’t want to admit it but he found your banter with him endearing and tolerable compared with most others.

As you sat there, you watched Shadow disinfect the cut, drying it once he was done.

“You’re good at that, have you done this before?” You asked him, watching as he grabbed one of the kiddy bandaids in the kit.

“I have experience,” was all he said, not feeling the need to go into detail, most of his focus currently on making sure your cut was secure.

Slowly he unwrapped your bandaid, Patrick the Starfish was the one you got, they were all little kid bandaids since you were in charge of making sure all the first aid kits were packed.

You watched as he put it around your finger, his eyes very focused on the task at hand. Quietly he gave a curt nod once he was done, signaling that you could get up now.

As you stood up you took a look at your bandaid, you gave a small smile, “Thanks Shadow,” you quietly said, patting the hedgehog on the head.

He didn’t tell you anything, his job was done, you were okay now and he could relax.

Shadow wouldn’t do what he had just done for you for most people, but even he knew it was a little different when it came to you. The longer he’d been around you, the harder it was to detach himself, in fact, he’d found himself growing more attached.

Maybe it was okay for him to finally get attached again, maybe things wouldn’t be so bad this time. Everything would be alright.

[chrissv4mp]

♱ EYES FOR YOU

requested <3

WARNINGS. tiny outburst, small argument, jealous!reader, and billie acting like a huge cornball.

SYPNOSIS. when you find a wide-spread video of your childhood best friend kissing another popular social media star, you find yourself growing jealous. however, billie seems to think you're a little out of your mind.

WORDS. 2.5k

LETTERS. wanted this fic to take a more gentle, fluffy route since i haven't been providing that much 🤍

music from billie's new album boomed in the background of the low-quality video, lights flashing of every color imaginable onto the stage that seemed to be crowded with more people than it would hold.

the most noticeable people were front and center—billie and quen, a friend of hers that you'd grown to like and enjoy hanging around.

billie walks in quen's direction, the quality fuzzy, but it's clear that billie grabs her chin and pulls her into a kiss—a quick one—but a kiss nonetheless. with their height difference, billie has to raise herself on her toes.

sure, the kiss doesn't last long, but when billie pulls away, her fingers are still grasping at quen's chin. then, billie moves away and she retracts her hand like nothing happened.

you can't seem to take your eyes off of your phone, the video playing on repeat as you just sit there and watch. it was some stupid tiktok taken last night while billie was at coachella to play her album that showed up on your feed—and it was getting to you a little more than you'd like to admit.

billie was your childhood best friend, and the bond that you and her grew throughout all these years never changed. your feelings—platonic, of course—never changed, not even when you two had arguments or disagreements. but then, when billie got together with her second boyfriend, something in your mind shifted.

and after she broke up with him, you were happier than ever. it was selfish of you, sure, but you couldn't help it. then, when billie started seeing another guy a few years later, you finally acknowledged your crush on the girl—but you never had the guts to tell her.

then she broke up with the boy, and you were happy again, like you had a chance at winning her heart. every time she broke up with one of her boyfriends, you were always there, comforting her with gentle words despite how overjoyed you were. you didn't understand how she never saw that you were the one for her.

so, when billie came to you with the confession that she liked girls as well, your hopes—as if you were gonna tell her anytime soon—skyrocketed. then word spread via an article, and the whole queer-baiting rumors started up again. when her album came out, and lunch was put out into the world, the feedback seemed both positive and negative.

billie's collab with charli was another big thing that was put out into the world not even 5 months later, and with the knowledge that billie was so open and proud about her sexuality, you somehow found yourself falling deeper in love with billie—your childhood best friend.

when your hopes were just starting to overflow and you were beginning to gain the courage to ask her out, this video was put onto your for you page. but this was not meant for you to see at all.

you weren't sure what came over you. in an instant, your phone was flying through the air and banging against the door of your bedroom. with a small clatter and the quietest cracks of glass, your phone falls onto the hardwood floors of your dimly-lit room, the only source of light being the evening sun shining through your blinds.

a quiet gasp was all you could react with because, quite frankly, you had no idea what you had just done. you throw your covers off your body, the cool air hitting your skin immediately. your feet tap against the wood beneath you as you scurry to grab your phone, eyes wide and filled with the tiniest flickers of terror.

the screen protector that billie had suggested sounded really useful right now. but, of course, you were always so stubborn.

you carefully grab the device, eyes tracing the little pieces of glass and plastic that surrounded it. you knew it was destroyed, but something in your head told you it wasn't. so, you flip it over, and fear quickly passes through your system. it shouldn't have been a surprise, but your phone was broken and you couldn't have been more frustrated.

to think this was all over a stupid video of billie kissing her friend was embarrassing, really, and it almost made you want to laugh just thinking about it. but nothing was funny because now your phone was broken and now—maybe—your best friend, crush, whatever she was, kissed a girl that wasn't you. but she was prettier than you, so you had no chance in the world anymore.

your mind is fuzzy, filling with so much anger and frustration that it feels like you might explode any second now. not even the stupidest person would be dumb enough to something like this: destroying their phone over some girl that they stood no chance with. a popular, liked world-wide, pretty girl.

dropping your phone and sitting against the wall beside your door did nothing to help your situation because when you blinked, your eyes gravitated to the calendar that was pinned above your bedside table—and, by some coincidence, tomorrow was the day billie began her temporary stay so that she could get the plumbing in her house fixed.

you were so fucked.

you only realized how much you regretted giving billie the spare key to your house when she showed up at the bright and early time of 8 am with a backpack slung over her shoulder and a couple of suitcases at her sides. the quiet thud of the front door closing isn't what woke you, not even the loud clatter of billie tripping and falling over her suitcases disrupted your peaceful slumber.

neither of you knew how or why, but the faint smell of billie's perfume when she carefully and quietly opened your door was the one thing that would never fail to wake you. your eyes snap open, and your heart clenches immediately as you sit up to see the exact person you dreaded meeting today. in an effort to seem presentable, though, you offer billie a sleepy, half-assed smile.

"good mornin'," she greets, lips tugging up into that smile you always loved but forced yourself to hate in this moment. it was not a good morning.

however, you rub your eyes and pull the covers closer to your body. you lower your hands back to your sides, twisting and tugging at the comforter nervously as you completely ignore her.

billie shrugs it off, brown locks cascading over her shoulders, a loose strand hanging over one lense of her glasses. she kicks her shoes off, placing them beside yours like she always did whenever she came over before she crawls onto the bed with a gentle smile on her face. her eyes are still drowsy with sleep, and you can tell she's still not over the high she got from coachella just a few days ago.

the thought alone makes you sick.

but you keep down your comments, keeping yourself calm with a few deep breaths. your eyes move back over to the open door, billie's bag and suitcases resting in the hallway, knocked over. you're so intent on your need for a distraction you don't even realize when billie snuggles under the covers and turns on her side to stare at you.

she notices your distracted state, eyes following yours to the hallway where her things were. she only giggles at the memory, "i'll get those in a bit. they fuckin' tripped me. unbelievable." she grumbles, shaking her head.

despite your nervous, ticked-off mood, you can't help but crack even the smallest smile at her ability to get mad at an object.

still, you don't utter a word, the only sounds coming from your throat being soft breaths and the quiet, fast thumping of your heart in your chest. you were sure billie heard it. or you were just paranoid and kept on your toes from the video you saw yesterday. you couldn't ignore the jealousy and frustration you felt even at the slightest indication of it.

at your silence, billie sits up, cocking an eyebrow and tilting her head in confusion like a dog, "hey, what's wrong?"

when your silence continues, billie can't help but come up with the idea that you're ignoring her. because that's exactly what you're doing, "did i do somethin'?" she asks, voice small. she sounded genuinely concerned.

she frowns when you still don't give her the reassurance or satisfaction of a clear answer. even a simple nod of the head would do it for her, but you don't even provide her with that comfort. her hands clench into fists, tucking her lower lip between her teeth because she didn't know what else to do.

her eyes flicker with worry as you exhale deeply, and she comes to the conclusion that you're mad. mad at her? but why? she didn't understand, but she wanted to. she really did because she couldn't stand the silent treatment. and you knew that.

"y/n," her voice shakes, lower lip beginning to quiver. billie really was just a big baby when it came to you, "seriously, you know how much i hate this shit." she murmurs, running her fingers through her hair and tugging softly whenever she gets to the ends, "y/n."

even at her vulnerable, sad state, you still don't let out a peep. you just sit and stare at the hallway, breathing in and out deeply, each breath coming out harder and faster. your heart felt like it'd beat out of your chest if it kept up with the pace it was at.

your own hands tug at the sheets, finally tearing your eyes away from the hall as you focus your attention on the white comforter again. you tried to ignore her, you really did, but with the way she was asking—almost begging—made you want to punch yourself because she was just so sweet.

"just tell me if i did something. i—i'll fix it, y/n, i promise i will." she whimpers. she whimpers and your walls break down completely.

"you kissed her, billie. at coachella," you blurt, tone hostile and sharp as you turn your entire body to face her, "you kissed her when it was so obvious that i like you." you scoff, and exasperated smile on your face.

she's taken aback by your confession, and the bewildered look on her face is laughable, but nothing seems to be very light or funny. she furrows her eyebrows, recollecting the events of the night a few days prior where she was on the stage with her friends.

a lot of videos seemed to circulate and get passed around all of social media that night. videos of billie grabbing her friends playfully and just being touchy per usual. the video that was most prominent, though, was the clip of her and her close friend, quen, kissing. it was obviously playful, anyone could see if they had two eyes and good vision.

and, plus, most of the internet passed it by as 'billie eilish and her best friend quen blackwell playing around,' so it came as a surprise whenever you looked at her as if awaiting an answer.

"it was quen, y/n, she's one of my closest friends. i was being a total goof the entire night, it was all just playful fun. i—you, sorry—you like me?" she stammers, the entire situation too much for her to wrap her head around so quickly.

it was all news to her. your confession, your accusation, everything.

"still, billie—it doesn't make any fucking sense." you retort, eyes wild.

she still tugs at her hair nervously, albeit knowing the reason for your silence, and begins to speak again, voice shaky, "it was just a dare odessa gave me, y/n. honest. quen thought it was out of the ordinary, too." billie explains.

"we were laughing at the videos on the ride back to our places. it was all just a misunderstanding," she breathes, eyes searching yours for any glimmer of hope or realization. when your eyes meet hers, she almost frowns because of how embarrassed you look.

instead, her hands reach out for yours, taking them in her own large ones adorned with the rings she forgot to take off the night prior. she gives you a reassuring smile, soft and genuine as her eyes dart between your lips and irises.

still, she catches the tiny glint of doubt in your eyes. so, she acknowledges your confession again, knowing that was the one thing that was bugging you, "i don't think anyone's more stupid than me for not realizing your feelings sooner. and after all these years? god, i feel like an idiot." she laughs.

her eyes never leave yours, showing just how serious and committed she is to the words that leave her mouth, "i really hope you more than just 'like' me because i love you."

your lips part in surprise, eyes widening even more if that was possible. your heart seemed to beat faster, and this time you were sure it'd beat out of your chest if you didn't calm down soon. her own confession was a huge smack in the face because she seemed to be really good at hiding it. so, it led you to think she was lying. just maybe.

when she saw the flicker of doubt was still there, though, she did the first thing she could think of. her face spoke for her as she gave you a, 'you think i'm kidding?' look, then her hands cupped your face and she kissed you and you almost passed out from the shock.

her lips molded against your so perfectly, fingers digging into your skin so gently it was like you were getting pulled in by nothing but the wind. her nose brushed yours as she pulled you closer, lips curling into a smile from the pride she got from finally making a move.

the feeling of her lips against your own was euphoric, like something you'd never felt before. it was a new high that would never be beat ever again because billie was surely about to take over your entire life after this. she'd become everything and all you'd think about.

she never wanted to pull away, but when her lungs demanded fresh air, she pulled away with hesitancy, lips parting to breath deeply, heavily. her eyes fluttered open, eyes flitting all across your face and taking a second to admire your each and every feature.

her tongue darts out to wet her lips before she speaks again, mind completely lost in nothing but you, "believe it now?" she teases lightly, challenging you even in the softest, most vulnerable moments of your relationship—a relationship that was definitely gonna become more than just friends.

her thumbs caress your cheeks, touch soft and sweet against your skin, "now you know i only have eyes for you." she whispers, smiling proudly.

your smile grows at her words, biting your lip as your eyes flit down to her own plump ones, "glad to finally know that."

"great. now can i kiss you again?"

TAGS. @mseilishmwah @sophloveswomen @mxqdii @livvydunneness @vyntagess @afteraftercare @wiidfi0wer33 @loving1dsworld @tan1shere @fallingforfalll2 @cierraonline @dandelions4us @scarlittt @ifwdominicfike @slxtarchive @stonerfromlesbos @bilsdillldough @47lake @hopingforgoodblogs @karaeilishh @mybluebossanova @sturnsmia @moralesluvr @justtr @greenbttrflyy

[theemporium]

for your holiday blurb what about dad!nico?

your kid(s) waking you up so early because they want to see what santa has brought them and if he ate the cookies! i just need to snuggle nico and his kids in a big bed under layers of blankets on christmas day😔

just fyi that this is later in the timeline so that i could have nico and honey in a bed together🤠thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

series masterlist

.

It was barely six in the morning when you heard the telltale sound of little toddler feet racing down the corridor.

It was no surprise to either you or Nico that the twins were excited for Christmas, especially after it took longer than usual to get them to sleep the night before. They were buzzing with restless energy, stuck somewhere between wanting to stay up to see Santa and wanting it to already be Christmas morning. It had taken some bribing before they eventually dozed off, but it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that they woke up before the sun had even risen.

You expected to hear them run past the room, to go straight to the living room to see all the gifts laid out under the tree. Instead, you heard them pause outside the door, whispering loudly to each other before they managed to push the door open and rush inside.

“Santa came! Santa came!” 

Despite your exhaustion, you could feel your smile growing as the two of them stood helplessly beside the bed, tugging on the duvet to get your and Nico’s attention. You blinked your eyes open, finding Otto standing on your side of the bed with a big smile on his face that reminded you of his father.

“Wake up, Honey!” Otto exclaimed, his tiny hand pressed against your cheek like it would help wake you up. “We need to see if he ate the cookies!” 

“Oh, he definitely did,” you mused, smiling as the boy’s eyes widened. Brief memories flashed in your mind of Nico insisting he needed to take a bite out of every cookie last night so it seemed more authentic. “I bet the reindeers ate the carrots too!”

Nico was, admittedly, less thrilled about carrying out that part.

“Really?” Otto whispered in awe.

“Papa, wake up!” Marley insisted on the other side, tugging on the duvet. “We need to see!” 

You opened your mouth, ready to come up with some excuse to give Nico a chance to wake up a bit more considering the fact you knew he was far from a morning person, especially at six in the morning. But Nico was already awake, lifting the duvet enough to grab Marley onto the bed as she giggled hysterically.

“Five more minutes,” Nico grumbled, smiling a little when Marley settled happily on his chest, just like she used to when she was a baby. “Then we will go see Santa, okay?” 

“Deal!” Marley grinned.

Otto let out a squeak when you lifted the duvet, helping him onto the bed and expecting him to climb over towards Nico too. Instead, the boy curled up against you, his cheek pressed against your stomach and a pair of puppy dog eyes staring up at you as he muttered out a small “hair please, Honey” at you.

You smiled down at the boy, almost snorting at the near identical sigh he let out when you began to run your fingers through his hair. The same damn sound Nico makes when you do the same.

“Five minutes,” you repeated, even though you could already see all three Hischiers dozing off and knew it would be a lot longer than that before you made it out of this room. 

“‘Course, baby,” Nico muttered, one hand holding Marley protectively against his chest and the other reaching out for you and Otto, insistent to be touching all three of his favourite people.

.

[burningcheese-merchant]

PLEASE MERCHANT LISTEN TO ME

I started watching Burning Spice Cookie's flashback in the game and suddenly I started thinking "is that all? How stupid" because there are characters older than him and who apparently haven't had this problem of "boredom from "same old thing" so he leaves the Burning Spice Cookie thing as childish. but then I started thinking, what if I developed this? You see, if a person doesn't have a proper childhood they can develop psychopathic traits (more or less what I've seen in Burning Spice Cookie) so what if he and the other Beasts didn't have childhoods? We are not given any clue that they have grown, which gives us to understand that they appeared among the common cookies as adults.

Imagine that you barely have time to know your own name and suddenly you are thrown into... (I don't know, a battle?) expecting you to help calm everything down. What if, as soon as Burning Spice Cookie was born, he began to be burdened with many responsibilities and having to fight to unify Beast-Yeast into one nation? It would be a good reason why he "got bored" with everything, since some psychopaths have that trait of enjoying causing harm or hating monotony and social rules (it could also be an explanation for your au's Burning Spice Cookie).

I am SO glad someone else sees the problem with Burning Spice's "boredom". We have a million immortal characters in this universe and not a single one has had this issue with their lives. The Ancients live forever thanks to the Soul Jam, and they don't seem bothered by it at all (hell, look at Golden Cheese. She is actively pursuing immortality, for herself and especially for her loved ones). The Elementals are immortal, and they have zero complaints about it. Millennial Tree and Sugar Swan are older than the world itself, do you see them crying about it? Nope. They live and carry out their duties happily. You don't even see this with the ones that actually WERE mortal once. Fire Spirit? He loves who he is now, he's said so out loud in cutscenes in Ovenbreak. Sherbet? Though he misses being with Cotton, he otherwise loves being free to travel and see the world almost entirely unburdened, the way he always dreamed. Frost Queen? She adopted her role and upholds the balance of nature with grace. Life and immortality are only what YOU make of them. The Beasts are a bunch of stupid, selfish babies. The end.

"Not having a childhood" IS an interesting point to raise, though. You're absolutely right: having a tumultuous youth can and often does lead to psychological issues of all kinds, big and small ask me how I know lol. And for all we really know, they WERE born adults right from the jump. How Cookies are born and how they age are SUPER weird in this series and neither is ever explained properly besides "baked in oven", so... What's keeping anyone from imagining characters just born fully grown right away?

With this in mind, and with the points you've raised, we can maybe look at the Beasts like this: people who were brought into the world without being asked (although no one is), and burdened with nigh-impossible responsibility right away. Immediately told to sacrifice themselves for people they do not know or care about, who do not know them or care about them. To uphold a balance they may not understand, nor did they create themselves. Never having been allowed the chance to live and grow as all sapient beings are entitled to; to go out and have fun and be foolish and make mistakes that they end up learning from. They were born abnormal, and they never never allowed to escape that abnormality once. They live only for others, never for themselves, not even for small things. One has to wonder if they even counted as people at all in the eyes of those they fought for, or if they were just archetypes whose faces and actions were used to placate and justify whatever anyone wanted them to.

... Yeah, that sounds pretty shitty when you put it that way lol. It just goes to show how the Ancients are the true rightful owners of the Soul Jam, in my opinion. They EARNED that power, it was not given to them on a silver platter. They were able to live life as regular mortals for a while, then actively sought out that power and proved themselves worthy of it. Hollyberry united an entire region of warring houses. Dark Cacao tamed dragons and brought peace to a long-devastated land. Pure Vanilla endured the many arduous trials of the Sugar-Free Road in pursuit of truth and enlightenment. These are all things that require hard work, dedication, humility, and a certain wisdom that you gain from experiencing life in general. Wisdom that the Beasts may or may not have possessed, because they may or may not have ever been able to attain it in the first place.

As for my Yandere AU Spice... Yandere Spice is well and truly a psychopath (all the Yandere Beasts are). It's the thing you see often with actual stalkers: he's more in love with the IDEA of Golden Cheese than the woman herself, as she actually exists. It's all about what HE wants, what HE needs, what HE expects from her. Pure, utter selfishness, projection and delusion, as psychopaths are fundamentally incapable of empathizing with others (that's what marks them as psychopaths in the first place). With the Accidental Yandere Golden Cheese one, he's the same, but A) leaning a bit more into his bloodlust/enjoyment of harming others (which is also common in psychopaths, like you said), and B) him actually being clever/manipulative enough (at least to some degree) to know how to play into Golden's wants and feed her ego in order to sway her (Golden in this AU is also just kind of a fucked up person on her own, independent of Spice, so it's an unlucky combination). She's not "boring" like everything and everyone else is. She captivates him, she surprises him, she keeps him on his toes. He "loves" her. Therefore, he owns her and vice versa, and he will do whatever it takes to have her all to himself, up to and including hurting and killing innocents (it's not like they mattered, anyway). What caused him to be this way ultimately does not matter; maybe it's that overwhelming burden of responsibility and lack of a choice or a chance to live life that we addressed earlier. Perhaps he was just born broken. Whatever it is, he's a bloodthirsty, selfish, uncaring monster and it is Golden Cheese that he has chosen to make pay for it, unfortunately.

TL;DR Not liking immortality is a skill issue. The Beasts are dumb little crybabies. Yandere Spice is disgusting and should face a wall. I like writing deranged people far too much. I enjoy engaging in meaningful conversation with others about things. Thank you for the ask, I vibe with your thoughts and ideas, I hope you find lots of money on the ground today

[narcjsistx]

𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 | kaiser x reader

— part eleven

plot: kaiser comforted you after a bad and slow breakup, but what will happen now considering what you two shared? is everything still unexpected or is there something you both simply have yet to realize?. fluff shit 'cause yeah!!

words: 2.2k (2224)

extra: it will probably become a multi part story, tell me if you're interested in a part twelve!

𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ; take a look, trust me!. you can find the other parts of the story by searching in the section dedicated to bllk

The clip of your kiss had gone viral, too damn viral. When you were there you didn't know the camera was filming live nationally for a famous TV network, and frankly you didn't even know if it was legal to do so. You just knew that the media had been talking about you again for hours, filling all the social media with the same speculations of a possible return between you and Gabriel. Opinions were mixed, some said you had never broken up, others said it was a staged scene, others still who had noticed your disgusted face. There was also another portion of people, smaller than the other factions, who wondered if Kaiser had no problem, given that the idea of a possible relationship between you two was starting to grow on the web. If this had just happened, the chances of a relationship were zero, according to many fans. Yet the thing that worried you most now was your relationship

You wondered if the lack of response to messages and calls was due to a reason related to the clip or because he was seriously at practice and he could not answer you. But it was strange, Michael always answered your messages in the small breaks, and yet now he had not done so for too many hours. Had Kaiser seen the clip or not? What was going through his head now if he had seen it? He was thinking of leaving you?

You were afraid, there was no point in hiding it. You were afraid that you were losing, or rather had lost, the reins of your life that you had struggled to regain control of after the recent scandal. You were afraid that you were slowly sinking into a hole that you would never be able to climb out of, not even with your efforts. You were simply afraid that the only person who was next to you at the moment, the one you were seriously in love with, had already decided in his mind to leave you. But if Kaiser left you, you would have been truly alone for the first time in your life, and honestly you didn't have all that strength to get up a second time on your own. If everything collapsed this time, you would have collapsed with everything too, without a brake

You loved Kaiser, you really loved him, even if it took you years and a disappointment in love to understand it. You had always considered him akin to your soul, someone who could really understand you without explaining; and now that he was yours, maybe you had already lost him. Michael knows perfectly well how much you hate Gabriel, how much the mere thought of him makes you want to throw up, but a kiss on national television between you and your ex must have been a difficult pill to swallow. Maybe you were crying for hours on the couch in vain, because he wasn't worried, or maybe you had just lost him and didn't know it yet

Gabriel was a fucking piece of shit, one of those parasites whose only goal in life is to suck your soul out. You didn't know if he did it to annoy you, for any other reason, or because maybe he too had begun to suspect the closeness and the strange relationship between you and Kaiser. Your ex wasn't a stupid person, he was unfortunately much more intelligent than average, maybe he had really understood that between you and your best friend there was no longer just a friendship. Gabriel was a very good body reader, and maybe you let out an extra twinkle when you talked about your secret boyfriend, just maybe

The thing that bothered you the most about the whole situation was that there were so many 'maybes', but not even one certainty, other than that Gabriel was a piece of shit. You didn't know anything about Kaiser's situation and Gabriel's reasons, you didn't even know if crying at that moment was right or not. You hated crying, even though you advised others to always do so when they needed it; you needed it at the moment, but you didn't want it. It was something you hated doing since you were a child, something a very small and strict number of people had seen you do in front of their eyes

Kaiser would be back in a few days, and if he didn't answer you in a few more hours, you would go to him, even if it was just to be left or shouted at. The oppression was too much, and being in this state was destroying you. You knew where he was at the moment, and it wasn't even that far from home, about two or three hours by train

You lift your face from the couch cushion only when you hear the doorbell ring. You had ordered takeout about twenty minutes ago because you had died of the desire to cook, so it was probably your burger delivery guy. You get up from the couch rubbing your face to make the tiredness go away, while you listlessly grab your wallet, as you approach the door. You open the door, not even looking up because of tiredness, just putting the money in front and a free hand to receive the food

But when you look up a pair of cerulean eyes, the ones you would recognize among billions, send shivers down your spine. Kaiser, with his suitcase in his hand and wrapped in his coat signed with the team crest, is in front of you. The calm gaze, perhaps too calm, as he stares at you with an intensity that scares you a little. That's why he wasn't replying to messages, he was coming back

But was it a good or bad thing to have him here already? That was your question

You look at him, unable to lower your gaze again. Your lower lip begins to tremble slightly, and you know your body signals: you're about to burst into tears again, and the last person you want to show it to is him. He's already seen you cry more than a few times since you've known each other, but with this situation in the mix it would be the limit

"Will you let me in?" he asks firmly, not seeming to feel any anger whatsoever. He picks up his suitcase and walks past you, while you automatically close the door. You lean your back against it as he positions himself less than a meter away from you, releasing his grip on the suitcase as he takes off his coat, hanging it on the coat rack. You don't know what to say, or even what to think except why is he here: that he wants to broke up with you in person and then go back to his games out Berlin? Did he really do this just for a few words or is there another reason behind?

You both remain silent, a short distance from each other. Holding yourself in is proving difficult, more than anything else has ever been. If you burst out now, right in front of him, you will have no limits to crying like a desperate woman, perhaps for the first time in your life. It is precisely his silence that is making you lose that minimum of self control, something you have always been more than good at. If he has to do it, do it now and quickly, so that you can cry when he's already gone, after finally leaving you alone

"What happened?" he asks, and in his gaze you feel that softness that he has never given you since he came back now, the same one he reserves for you only when he says he loves you

You can't take it anymore, not after this. The brakes you were holding on to are released, as you throw yourself into his arms and start crying like never before. You cry about everything, you cry because at the moment it seems like the only sensible thing to do. You feel his arms holding you, something Gabriel has never really done: it's not just a physical holding, it's also something you can't explain, but you know with absolute certainty that it does you good. It's like you're now pouring out everything you've been keeping inside for too long, things that go beyond the current situation, things you've never had the courage to talk about with anyone; no one except him, who isn't going away as your wicked imagination had believed. He's not walking away, he's not doing this to then stab you in the back, that wouldn't be his style. If Kaiser thinks of something, he does it without thinking twice and most of all without remorse, and yet he's not throwing you away from him. It's holding your pain, it's not stopping it, but he's there for you, only for his girlfriend

"A shit happened, a real fucking shit. I didn't know and he just pulled me close to him-" you say through tears, stopping often to catch your breath because of the crying. You take deep breaths, catching your breath when you need to "I didn't want to, Michael, I didn't want to. He did it all" you say desperately, and he nods, running a hand down your back "And I didn't know it was on national television, I didn't even know the cameras were coming. I knew absolutely nothing. And he made us look like a couple again in front of I don't know how many millions of people, and now the media is all about me and him again, again, and again" you say taking a second to clean your face, only to start crying again a few seconds later "And I know you saw it too, I know because you're here. And I don't even want to imagine how you felt, because you saw it, right?" you ask confused with your words, looking up at him

"I saw it" he says confirming

"Of course you saw it, because otherwise you wouldn't be here now even though you had to be in some training camp in Germany" you say sarcastically "Sorry, you really have to excuse me, please" you say, and for the first time you see him confused since he came home

"Apologize for what? For something you didn't even want? For something you couldn't control but just accepted?" he asks, and you look at him a little relieved "I know how much you hate him and you know how much I hate him. I didn't doubt you for a second when I saw that scene. Maybe not all viewers noticed, but I can read my girlfriend's eyes, and you wanted to run away. If you thought for even a second that I was going to break up with you, because I know you and I'm sure you did, you're stupid and you should just have a little more faith in the man you say you love. I'm only here because I knew I'd find you like this, that you needed me, so skipping one more training and spending a few bucks on a plane ticket seemed like the only really good solution" he says, not stopping for a second to hold you in his arms "Why should I be the one to leave you if I've wanted for years to be yours and you to be mine?"

Kaiser knows where to strike with words, especially against you. He has his way of expressing himself so clear and precise, like a sniper, but he aims exclusively at your heart with a completely different idea of hurting you. You remain still for a few seconds, processing his words, before smearing your face against his chest as you begin to cry even harder

"Silly girl" he says, chuckling, while holding you close "I understand crying for the situation, but for my words, really?" he says in an affectionate tone, and you can't help but nod "I needed them. I have too many thoughts in my head and you gave me confirmation that I needed to calm at least some of them" you say, sighing, feeling slowly more relieved. He rolls his eyes in amusement, then leans down and leaves a kiss on your forehead "You have to calm the other thoughts too, give yourself some answers. You have to devour Gabriel and make him regret everything" he says in a firm tone, but with a determination that seems small compared to the one you have now. You have to make Gabriel a dog, a fly, a cockroach. You have to make him so small that he will feel so much pain when you are finally the one to stab him in the back after years of silence

"You're right. But I already have something in mind" you say in a confident tone, finally giving a chance to what you've had in mind for a while, perhaps unfeasible, but you won't know if you never try. Maybe it's not even the right way to act, but when has Gabriel been right towards you?

The shit you were about to throw at him was just about to begin. Now that would have been fun

tag(s): @rroxii ; @kittenish0 ; @bungoustraydogsno1fan ; @sabrina-senpai (if you want to be tagged tell me!)

[kingkaizen]

oh em gee I just came across your kashimo drabble and I am going FERAL..nobody ever writes for him 😔

by chance could you possibly write a smut with him involving...electrocution?

∘ a/n: i am lovinggg this kashimo request <3 thank you for letting me write this. this is alot more pwp then i initially wanted so defintely let me know if you want more smut HAHA enjoy anyways sweetie

∘ ft: kashimo

∘ includes: fingering, TENSION

The training room was quiet, shadows stretched long under the dim lights as the clock ticked past midnight. Despite the serene atmosphere, you felt anything but calm. Sparring on your own for awhile, you’ve been attempting to hone in your technique, training tirelessly as the minutes ticked by. It wasn’t like you to be this distracted, but your attention kept drifting to Kashimo, who leaned casually against the wall. He hasn’t said anything to you, only watching with a glint of amusement, as if he could hear your thoughts right at this moment. 

Finally, with a dangerous smirk appearing on his lips, he made his way towards you. “You look like you need some help,” he said, voice low and edged. “Why don’t I show you some of my techniques? Maybe that will help you with your own practice, hm?”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes at his comment. “You’re so full of yourself,” you turned to him, jabbing a finger in his direction. “You stand there and stalk me, expecting me to ask you for your help as if you’re better than me or something.” 

Kashimo raised an eyebrow, a small hint of a smirk creeping onto his face. “Well, that’s because I am.” He began, “I could easily see that from the way you move. You’re not all that confident with your ability, but that’s nothing some extra guidance can't fix.” 

He moved closer, the air growing charged with an electricity that wasn’t just from his cursed technique. “I could show you,” he continued, his tone dropping as he held your gaze. “If you think you’re ready for it.”

Kashimo raised an eyebrow, waiting for your answer. There was no going back once he started; you knew that. But the lure of understanding his power up close—and the way he was looking at you—made it hard to resist. Slowly, you stepped closer, and with a steadying breath, you gave him a nod.

He moved like lightning itself, fast and fluid, until he was right in front of you. His hand brushed over yours, and he leaned in, his voice barely a whisper. “Good,” he murmured, lifting your hand to press it flat against his chest. A tingling warmth pulsed beneath your fingertips, subtle at first, but as he increased the flow of his cursed energy, you felt the hum of electricity begin to build.

Kashimo slowly raises his cursed energy output, letting faint sparks dance across his skin as he watches your reaction. The tingling intensifies, a warm hum that becomes almost addictive as it spreads from your hand and up your arm. His voice is low, guiding you through it, sensing exactly how much you can handle without pushing you too far.

With one hand still holding yours, he trails the other along your back, letting his fingertips leave a charged path that makes your pulse race. “Still with me?” he whispers, a knowing edge in his tone. He’s testing you, pushing just enough to see how much you’ll take, how far you’re willing to go.

The air between you crackled, the faint scent of him mixing with the heat of your combined energy. Kashimo’s smirk shifted, no longer just teasing but something sharper, more focused. His hand lingered near yours, the faint hum of his cursed energy brushing against your skin like a whisper.

“You’re holding back,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. “Why?”

Your breath hitched, your pulse racing not from exertion but from the way his gaze bore into you. “I’m not,” you shot back, trying to keep your voice steady, though the closeness between you made it a challenge.

Kashimo tilted his head, a glimmer of something unreadable in his eyes. “Liar,” he said simply, stepping closer. The space between you was nonexistent now, his energy buzzing like static against your skin. “I can feel it. You’re scared to let go.”

You bristled at his words, a flare of defiance sparking within you. “I’m not scared,” you said, though even to your ears, it sounded more like a dare than a denial.

He laughed softly, a low, rough sound that sent a shiver down your spine. “Then prove it,” he challenged, his voice barely above a whisper. His hand lifted, brushing against your jaw with surprising gentleness. “Or are you just all talk?”

The tension between you was suffocating, but you didn’t pull away. You couldn’t. Instead, you met his gaze, your heart pounding as you held your ground. “You’re insufferable,” you muttered, though your voice lacked any real bite.

Kashimo grinned, leaning in until his face was mere inches from yours. “And yet,” he said softly, his breath brushing against your lips, “you haven’t moved.”

Time seemed to stop as his eyes flicked down to your lips and back up again. Before you could second-guess yourself—or the charged pull between you—you closed the distance.

Your lips met his, a collision of energy and heat that left no room for hesitation. His hand slid to the back of your neck, his grip firm but careful as he deepened the kiss. The hum of his cursed energy surged, mingling with yours in a way that made your entire body feel alive, every nerve alight.

Kashimo kissed like he fought—with intensity, precision, and an edge of unpredictability. It was electrifying, his cursed energy sparking faintly where his hands touched your skin. You responded in kind, matching his fervor as you pushed against him, unwilling to let him have the upper hand.

When you finally pulled back, your breaths mingling in the charged air, Kashimo’s smirk returned, softer but no less confident. “Not bad,” he said, his voice rough, “but I hope you’ve got more than that.”

You rolled your eyes, though a grin tugged at your lips. “Guess you’ll just have to find out.”

Kashimo chuckled, the sound low and rumbling as his fingers brushed against your jawline, trailing heat wherever they touched. “Oh, I will,” he murmured, his voice dripping with confidence. His eyes searched yours for a moment, as if gauging just how far he could push you, how much you were willing to give.

Before you could respond, he leaned in again, capturing your lips with renewed fervor. The kiss was slower this time, deliberate, his cursed energy humming faintly against your skin, making your pulse race. His hand slid from your jaw to your waist, pulling you closer until there was no space left between you. The sensation was intoxicating, the electricity of his touch mingling with the heat building between you.

You tangled your fingers in his hair, tugging slightly, earning a low groan that sent a shiver down your spine. His lips left yours only to trail down your neck, his breath hot against your skin. Each touch felt like a jolt, his cursed energy sparking faintly as his fingers traced the curve of your waist.

“You’re full of surprises,” you muttered, your voice breathless as you tilted your head to give him better access. The words barely made it out before his teeth grazed your collarbone, the mix of pain and pleasure making your knees weak.

Kashimo pulled back just enough to meet your gaze, his smirk returning, more dangerous than ever. “You haven’t seen anything yet,” he said, his voice rough, his cursed energy flaring for a brief moment, making the air around you buzz. His fingers trailed down your spine, leaving a charged path that had your body arching into his touch.

He leaned in, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispered, “But I think I’ve proved my point.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but the words died in your throat when his hand slid lower, his touch firm yet teasing. The electricity between you felt almost tangible now, a steady hum that made it impossible to focus on anything but him.

“Kashimo,” you said, his name coming out as a breathless plea. He chuckled, the sound dark and filled with satisfaction as his lips found yours again, silencing any protest you might have had. The kiss was consuming, leaving you completely at his mercy as the charged air around you seemed to ignite.

Kashimo moved with calculated intensity, his cursed energy still humming beneath his skin, creating a subtle, crackling presence that heightened every touch. His hands cupped your face gently, his fingers brushing through your hair as if grounding himself in your warmth. His kiss was slow, possessive, dragging out the tension between you, leaving no room for hesitation.

You clung to him, your hands exploring his back, fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt as if anchoring yourself in the overwhelming wave of sensation. The electric hum of his energy surged through your veins, making your breath quicken, the intensity building with each passing second.

“Let go,” he murmured, his voice soft but commanding, his lips brushing against your jawline. “Feel it. Feel everything.”

You gasped as his hands wandered lower, tracing the curve of your hips before slipping beneath your clothing. His touch was both firm and careful, his cursed energy radiating warmth that sent shivers down your spine.

“Please,” you whimpered, your voice hitching as he gently pulled you closer. “I can’t—”

But Kashimo silenced you with a deep, searing kiss, his tongue sweeping into your mouth with possessiveness. His hand slid further, exploring every inch of your body, his touch demanding but never rough. The sparks of his energy felt like fire, creating an overwhelming mixture of pleasure and need.

“You can,” he whispered, his breath hot against your ear. “Let me take you.”

With each touch, his cursed energy surged, blurring the lines between pleasure and pain. You felt it—every jolt, every wave of heat and electricity—coursing through your body, making your senses spiral. The pressure between you was unbearable, and you could no longer hold back.

“I—” you started, but Kashimo placed a finger against your lips, silencing you once more.

“Shh,” he murmured, his voice low and possessive. “Let me.”

And with that, he pressed into you, slow at first, letting you adjust to the electrifying sensation of his cursed energy. Every movement was calculated, every touch gentle yet unwavering, as if he was savoring every moment. His lips returned to yours, the kiss growing deeper, hungrier, as his fingers moved within you.

The world faded away, leaving only the feel of his body against yours, the spark of his energy, and the overwhelming pleasure that consumed you both. He was lost in your gummy walls, loving the way your body withered against him. You were lost in him, in the electrifying connection that tethered you together, unable to escape the pull of his power or the need that burned between you.

In that moment, you knew there was no turning back.

© kingkaizen | do not copy, steal, or duplicate!

[m4dwxmn]

AgathaRio Salem Days – snippet

“Why can’t you just accept that I genuinely care about you? That we can grow into something more, together?” Rio was trying her best to get across her point without letting her anger overcome her. Despite how extraordinary Agatha Harkness was, she was no more than a mortal and Rio could never let Agatha fear her the way everyone else did.

“Because you’re always away!” Agatha yelled with desperation in her voice. “For weeks, if not months. Rio, how do you expect me to truly believe we have a chance when I spend more time waiting for you than actually being with you?” Her eyes welled up with tears, her brows slightly knitted together in agony. Rio wanted to look away, to turn her head from seeing the broken shreds of hope on Agatha’s expression be buried under anger and heartbreak. 

“Because I love you!” Rio all but screamed. Agatha recoiled at that, her blue eyes widened, letting the tears overflow. “Because I love you,” Rio repeated softly, taking a step forward and gently cupping Agatha’s face. “Because all of me that’s human is for you, because of you. I’m not a person, Agatha, I’m not supposed to be one. And yet, here I am, desperately wishing I could just die, like a mortal and reborn as one to be with you the way you deserve it. I shouldn’t feel,” Rio chuckled bittersweetly and swiped away the tears on Agatha’s cheeks with her thumbs. “I’ve been here since the beginning of the universe, since there was nothing, I’ve never once felt. I was sure I’m not even capable of it. But ever since I first saw you, I feel so much I fear it might overspill. Before you I was Death only, I was something. You made me someone, mi amor.”

“You love me,” Agatha whispered in a small voice, her hands coming up to hold onto Rio’s wrists. 

“I do, more than you’d think.”

[sere1nnes]

︶︶︶﹕House of Cards. CHAPTER 2

Pairing: Aventurine x Galaxy Ranger!Reader second chance romance, canon universe, ex!aventurine, reader is a former member of the IPC Read chapter 1 : tumblr ao3 Read chapter 3 : tumblr (TBA) ao3

︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶ ── ⟢ ・⸝⸝ SYNOPSIS: When a seemingly ordinary visit to Penacony ends up in meeting your ex from the IPC, it quickly leads to numerous attempts from Aventurine in winning you back. You swore to cut off ties with that corrupted organization, but the past always comes to bite you eventually. You begin to wonder if his feelings are genuine, or an elaborate plan for you to be dragged back as a pawn for the higher-ups.

Even with the familiar sensation of his lips on yours and his gloved hand behind your neck, you still can't help but be skeptical of his true intentions. But perhaps he really is willing to bet on you two again.

After all, Aventurine's more than willing to gamble on his pride in exchange of your heart.

︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶ Chapter WC: 2.5k

The tub was laid before you, filled with glowing blue liquid as it invited you to step in. However, you were still disheveled by the unexpected turn of events. In the several months of fleeing from those pesky IPC representatives— bounty hunters even— you managed to hold your own ground.

Now as a follower of the Reignbow Arbiter, you swore to leave behind the past of deceit and shadow. But day by day, karma caught up with every bloody step you’ve left behind on numerous individuals’ lives.

Perhaps being a Galaxy ranger wouldn’t be enough to atone for your actions. This was an introspection that found its way to slip inside your mind every now and then.

You moved from place to place, determined to change lives for the better instead of destroying them. To be a gallant figure across the planets, that was what you longed for. Yet it was difficult, as not every individual that intended to block your pursuit resorted to peaceful methods.

The Path of the Hunt was what all rangers shared in common, despite not being considered an organization for most occasions. They sought justice, defending the weak from their perpetrators.

However, you felt like a contradiction.

Deep down, you were afraid. Anxious that you could never truly break out of the fraudulent role you’ve played for years. So much that it feels as if you’ve completely lost yourself to the act.

The road ahead wasn’t always paved with thorns, all because of a certain individual.

Mentally slapping yourself, any forming memories about Aventurine were forced to subside. Though you were in turmoil, you weren’t here at the most sought-out attraction in the galaxy for nothing. It was time to unwind mentally and physically. On the other side, the Dreamscape was waiting for its newest guest. Time does not stop for anyone.

With one foot dipped into the cold depths, the other slowly jumped in— making a small splash while you adjusted to the water’s touch. It was icy, causing every hair on your skin to stand up. But after a moment’s time, the feeling grew comfortable.

You crouched, relaxing your back against the wall. A cool sensation wrapped around your body, the only sound in the room being your heavy breathing.

Shutting your eyelids, you felt yourself growing increasingly weary. Slowly, all the loud thoughts in your head dissolved into stillness.

…

You regained consciousness in a dark surrounding, your body sinking deeper and deeper down a bottomless pit. The body of water around did not have a certain temperature, and there was no sign of anyone nearby. In fact, it was an empty abyss.

A situation like this would seem frightening, but you felt unusually at peace within the bare depths. The bubbling of water rang inside your ears continuously, and before the possibility of exploring was considered, you saw pitch black.

It was instant as the scene shifted into one of falling from above the skies, soaring with almost no regulation of yourself. Eyes narrowing in apprehension to this situation, you used every ounce of strength to regain control.

”What a way to greet newcomers.” You huffed out, and the next moment a blinding light struck your eyes. This caused you to instinctively bend your arms to block it from the unknown source.

The light eventually dispersed. When you placed your hands away, you quickly witnessed a magnificent view.

A grandiose symphony played, a mixture from various instruments such as a violin and a trumpet. The Penacony’s Golden Hour sat just below your shoes. Even from a great distance, guests could be spotted bustling about, akin to little ants in their hill.

Though the sight was astonishingly beautiful, the fact that you could crash into a ceramic sidewalk was your concern as of the moment. People from the ground spotted your arrival from the stars, with some stopping to stare curiously. They only observed momentarily, before resuming in their errands.

This isn’t looking too good…

You held your breath with immense concentration. At the last crucial seconds, you managed to tilt yourself upwards to prevent falling face-flat. And fortunately enough, your descend slowed down and ensured a safer landing. With a shoe tapping gently onto the ground, a sigh of relief escaped your lips.

Now that the silhouettes of the Dreamscape were so much clearer, the beauty of their intricate architecture could be more appreciated up-close. Loose stands of hair that appeared from the free fall framed your face, in which you tucked away with one hand.

In the center of it all was a Clockie statue, Penacony’s very own mascot and the main character of the eponymous children’s show. He flashed a wide grin on his analogue clock head, displaying a boundless sense of optimism.

“What's special about SoulGlad? Whoever answers correctly will get SoulGlad for free!” An automated voice obnoxiously rang out behind your back. You spun around and spotted some sort of creature running towards you on top speed.

”What the—“

In a flash, you kicked it away with an alarmed look. Launching into the air, it landed with a thud against a wall, its eyes spinning around dizzily. “What are the— bzzt! Bene— szzzzzz! Of Soul Gl— vhrrrr….”

Staring at the now malfunctioning machine, you quickly realized that it wasn’t a threat at all. The poor animated billboard laid on the ground. Electricity continuously zapped out of it, probably beyond repair.

You turned your head to see if there were any witnesses— and to your dismay, there were a few. An Intellitron couple and a Halovian gawked at the scene, along with other human guests.

Gulping slightly, you decided to quickly prevent the hazard that the electric current could cause. You stomped on the signboard, rendering it to a full stop. Although that only made the people’s reactions worse as a few gasps could be heard from the other side of the road.

“Hey, you’ll have to pay for that you know!” An elderly man barked, pointing with his little cane.

Turning to the concerned citizens, you flashed an embarrassed smile. “Ah… my apologies, sir. It was merely a mistake.”

He grumbled lowly, shaking his head. “Youngsters these days.” With that, he walked away to the opposite direction.

At that moment, you wanted to dig up a hole, crawl into it, and die. You even considered giving the witnesses a little “memory loss”, but you swiftly eradicated that intrusive thought.

Out of nowhere, a deep voice belonging to a woman spoke from your left. “It’s best if you left the area, miss.” When she captured your attention, she added. “The Bloodhound Family isn’t located too far away from here.”

The individual was tall and undeniably held a sense of mystery around her. Calm violet eyes corresponding with her hair color observed you with some aloofness in them.

“I appreciate the heads-up.” You replied, nodding in courtesy.

She returned the gesture. “If you make a detour right past that cafe on the end of the street, you should be able to avoid them.”

Giving your thanks once more, you made haste in following her instruction. While briskly walking towards the location, you couldn’t help but feel interested in that woman. Your gut feeling suspected that there was more to her than meets the eye. The large sheath hanging from her belt only made her more intriguing.

If fate would grace you with her presence again, you were determined to learn more about her. But for the meantime, it was best that you kept a low profile— all because of that SoulGlad incident…

“What can I get for you today, ma’am?” The bartender wiped a champagne glass with cloth, setting it aside on the shiny counter. He was dressed in a formal attire, and didn’t seem to look any younger than 40.

You found yourself in an elegant, refined tavern, seeking to distract yourself from the recent troubles. The lights were dim, creating a relaxed environment for the handful of patrons.

Sitting upright, you glanced at the bottles displayed on the shelves, before replying, “Do you mind recommending a drink?”

“Sure thing.” The man pondered, fingers brushing against his chin.

“What about a fine glass of Paper Moon?” He suggested. “It is a little on bitter side, and is quite refreshing. Perfect for your mature demeanor.”

Perhaps a drink that would lift your mood would suffice. “Hmm, do you have any other choices in mind? I have a preference for sweet flavors.” You asked, hands rested on your lap.

“Ahh, then you would certainly enjoy our best-seller, Glimmering Dreamscape.” The bartender’s thin lips curled into a hospitable smile. “If you’d like a stronger liquor, Clockwise Sleeptalk would be sure to satisfy you.”

The former piqued your taste. “I’d take one glass of Glimmering Dreamscape, please.”

“Coming right up.”

After a couple of minutes, a glass rimmed with gold was slid over in front of you. With a thanks, you examined the drink that was new to your eyes. The cup was filled with a mixture of Ice SoulGlad, Soothing Soda, and Practitioner Pepper. Ice cubes floated atop its gradient blue and yellow liquid, topped with a mini Origami bird as decoration.

It was raised to your lips for a sip, the sugary sensation dancing on your tongue.

“This is an amazing blend.” You complimented the bartender along with a nod of approval.

“Why, thank you!” He beamed, proud of his craft. “This is a new recipe for me. I’ve only added it to the menu this week. The person over there enjoyed it as well.”

You turned to look towards the direction the bartender was pointing— to your surprise, it was the dark purple-haired woman. Her bangs covered one side of her face, making it difficult to see her expression as she sat in the corner, unchaperoned.

“Ah, I am quite familiar with her.” You admitted. “We exchanged a few words a while ago.”

The tender moved in closer, but left a comfortable amount of space. “So you also agree that there is more to her than meets the eye?”

Nodding slowly, you replied. “Perhaps.” After some contemplation, you left the high barstool and walked over to the corner of the tavern where she was located.

The lady remained still in her respective table, but her head slightly tilted as she sensed your presence even from meters away.

“Mind if I sit here?” You politely said, holding the Glimmering Dreamscape in your hand. She emitted an aura of intimidation around her, and you silently doubted if this was the right move.

Unexpectedly, she nodded and turned to face you. “Not at all.” Her voice showed no traces of annoyance. Only composure.

“So we meet again,” You sat on the opposite end. “Thanks for that advice, the authorities would’ve been on my tail if it weren’t for you.”

“Don’t mention it, miss.” She hummed. “I assume this is your first time to Penacony?”

A smile appeared on your face. “Right on the money. That billboard creature scared the living daylights out of me.”

You paused, before adding. “Speaking of which, I don’t think I’ve caught your name?”

A flicker of hesitance passed by the woman’s eyes, but she nevertheless answered your question. “Mhm, I guess we haven’t introduced ourselves.”

“I am Galaxy Ranger Acheron.”

Your ears perked up in enthusiasm. “You’re a Galaxy Ranger as well?” This was definitely a first for you, considering the scarce number of members.

Acheron raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

“Indeed I am, it’s always been a childhood dream of mine.” So that was why she seemed so intriguing…

“I see.” She mused, before asking. “What pushed you to take the big step?”

You quickly recalled the events back at the IPC several months ago, the mess that had been left brewing even up to this very day. You decided to play it safe for now. “My previous occupation didn’t feel as fulfilling.” Though this wasn’t exactly fabricated either. “What about you, Acheron? What made you become a ranger?”

She took a sip of her drink, her face slightly scrunching. There was a silence between you two, with jazz music from the speakers filling it in. Acheron exhaled. “My apologies,” she wiped her lips. “I’m not quite used to sweet beverages such as this one.”

Your mind went back to the bartender’s statement about Acheron’s praise for his mix, curiously wondering why she didn’t seem to be acting according to his account. “Don’t apologize. Do you want another drink? I’ll treat you to one.”

She shook her head. “That wouldn’t be necessary, you ought to spend your own credits for yourself.”

“No, I insist! Just pick anything you’d like.” You reassured Acheron. “Consider it returning the favor from earlier.”

The Galaxy Ranger seemed to be in thought for a moment, before giving in to your friendly gesture. “…Alright, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” You said, before gesturing to the counter. “He’s not attending to anyone at the moment.”

Acheron gave you a small smile for the first time, before heading over to the serving station. Once she left, you opened your phone to check your balance.

Inputting your credentials, you were greeted by a large sum of cash. You blinked in confusion. Who sent you the—

Your chest suddenly tightened. Who else would it be? Aventurine did mention something about your bank account. But you didn’t expect him to casually drop 500,000 credits on you. Yet again, he’s probably spent more in your entire relationship.

Should you feel flattered or offended? It wasn’t just any sort of gesture, sure, but it also felt like Aventurine was trying to buy your attention.

With an infuriated huff, you started to press buttons on your phone, returning the amount. Though you were tempted to keep it, you didn’t want to make Aventurine think that he could simply use money if things didn’t work out the way he desired.

Clicking reluctantly, the credits were returned. A notification to your email address popped up from the upper part of the screen, confirming the transaction.

You sighed out loud, leaning back against the cushioned seats in the secluded booth. With your gaze sliding over to Acheron, your focus returned to the mystery that still surrounded her. When she was asked about her reason for becoming a Galaxy Ranger, she seemed to have switched the topic smoothly.

Even after learning of her identity, you felt as if that wasn’t all to who she truly was. But for now, you could only get to know Acheron bit by bit.

The phone in your hands vibrated. Then, another was sent out. With a sense of carefreeness, you simply unlocked it and read the two notifications.

You have received 1000000 credits from the Interastral Peace Corporation.

….

Rubbing your eyes, you tried to see if you misread the number of zeroes in that message. But no, it was actually a million credits.

You quickly tapped on the screen, sending you to the PayBud app. On the bottom of the receipt a note read,

Really, returning the money? Are you feeling guilty about my little gift? That’s cute. Who do you take me for?

-Aventurine

Your face quickly grew heated, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. On the other side of the screen, that Stoneheart’s probably giggling on his phone right now.

a/n: chapter 3 is available on my ao3 and will be posted here once chapter 4 is ready! divider creds @/cafekitsune

[general-sleepy]

Looks like my loser liver is staying intact. I have two small lesions on my liver--which is not as scary as it sounds! They're called hemangiomas and are basically clumps of blood vessels. As it is, considering that I have no symptoms and am otherwise in good health, they're nothing for me to be worried about.

But, at the same time, it's not a good idea to go cutting around them. And it also doesn't make my liver the best choice for the recipient.

Next step is to start the process of kidney donation. Which I'm cautiously optimistic about, because the scans didn't find anything wrong with those guys. I guess, in one way, it's selfishly good news, because kidney donation is significantly safer, but it's still a huge bummer. Ah, well. I'll just have to thinking about kidney puns instead of liver puns.

[silkpages]

if i had a nickel for each otp i have that's destined not to be together because ultimately their stories are not about a happy romance but rather of coming-of-age/maturity and deep mutual affection that can't be destroyed even by the bittersweetness of the narrative and the recognition of the barriers that stop them from being together, then i'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[19catsncounting]

Hey does anyone still think about the thematic differences between Supernatural and the Wayward Sisters and how self-isolating male hunters are compared to community-building female hunters and how this was shown from the Harvelles to even arguably Missouri Mosely and even Samuel Campbell who is his daughter's father almost more than a man himself (especially in Season 6) is not immune to this?

And how the Wayward Sisters could have been built not on sacrificing yourself to this singular all-consuming relationship with your brother and sacrificing yourself for the world second or in name only, but instead on what it takes to cut yourself into useful and digestible pieces for the sake of keeping your place in that community because you're almost certain that it's This Community or Solitude Forever (Alex you can never escape the life no matter how much you don't want it you've gotta pitch in do you want your family to die on this hunt Claire you know you'll never find anyone to love you unless you make yourself softer and then are they really loving you are you even worthy of love anymore Jody your husband and son would still be alive if you listened and learned you can't lose another child in every sense you can't quite let your children be defenseless children either and you know so well how sick this fear makes you and how you're dealing with it the wrong way your son got to be a child but your daughters can't be that vulnerable Even Donna you have Your Role to play here you're not good enough as a hunter but you're funny and happy and you don't take up that much space so that's exactly how much space you're given to exist in).

And yes, a lot of these things are echoes of Kripke Supernatural but instead of too-intimate and dark and quiet confessions that the Winchesters share and know that no one else could ever have the context to fully understand it's Community it's All Our Problems the humiliation and shame is all-encompassing because there is no privacy Everyone Sees You Everyone Knows You Everyone Wants To Fix Help You.

[enbysiriusblack]

you're on your own, kid marauder characters:

regulus black

emmeline vance

remus lupin

mary macdonald

peter pettigrew

[not-the-grave]

the depth of abandonment trauma i'm discovering i have is kind of insane

[loonylupinblack3]

Shy

Pairing: Logan Howlett x Reader

Warnings: swearing, suggestive content

Summary: you have a crush on a certain co-worker but are too shy to tell him. so someone does it for you.

Word count: 2.6k

A/N: THIS WAS A REQUEST BUT WHEN I TRIED TO REPLY TO IT IT DIDNT LET ME AND DELETED IT INSTEAD (also jean is a meddling little shit in this and u just gotta accept that)

You watched him from across the hall greedily, eyes drinking in his panting form, the sweat coating his chest and back, the strained muscles underneath his wife beater tank top. Logan was a sight for sore eyes on a normal day, but when he was working out? He had you practically rabid for him.

You were sitting on one of the benches, a forgotten book in your hand you hadn’t glanced at in ages, preferring to treat yourself to the image of Logan Howlett hot and sweaty while working out. There were a few other X-men exercising alongside him, and others on the bench with you hanging out so you weren’t too out of place, but everyone could see the way you looked at Logan.

Everyone but Logan himself.

You’d joined the team a few months ago- 5 to be exact- after whispers had gotten to you of a safe space for mutants. Having hidden your true genetic code from everyone else in your life, you jumped at the chance of not having to hide anymore. With your unique skill set too- the ability to formulate and present illusions- you were an exceptional addition to both the X-men and the teaching staff.

You thrived at the X mansion. The kids loved you, you got along well with your fellow teammates, and you had suggested and helped act on several improvements to both the school and the team. You were a good addition, and the other mutants were grateful to have you there.

You’d just had one problem when acclimating to the school. Your teeny, tiny, incredibly small crush on your fellow professor, Logan Howlett. At first you really had thought it would be no big deal. Just a co-worker you had noticed was slightly attractive. That’s all. Other mutants had told you he was hard to talk to, and had a gruff, moody personality, so you’d thought the attraction would soon fade.

Unfortunately it had only grown. The first time you’d realised, shit, this might actually be a problem, was when you’d gone to get a glass of water in the middle of the night and found Logan leaning against the kitchen counter, shirtless, with a beer in hand.

You’d been so flustered, eyes continuously betraying you and straying to his chest that you’d blurted out the first thing that came to your head, “how’d you get beer in here?”

Logan had chuckled, observing you as he brought the beer bottle to his mouth for a sip. “Why? Want some Sweetheart?”

You’d felt heat rise to your face at the nickname, shaking your head. “No, I was just curious.”

Logan stared at you a second longer, eyes trailing your figure appreciatively before shrugging. “Your loss. And unfortunately I can't tell you how I got it. Gotta keep it a secret lest Xavier finds out.”

You were too flustered to argue so you’d just nodded, mumbled a quick goodbye, and quickly walked back to your bedroom. You hadn’t even gotten your glass of water. 

There had been other similar instances over the past few months. Logan just had a way to get under your skin, to cause your heart to go into cardiac arrest every time he looked at you, which made it hard to conceal your ever growing crush on him from literally everyone. Even your students knew about it, or at least had their suspicions, and you prayed they were too intimidated by Logan to ask him any questions about it. The last thing you needed was to get humiliated and have to pack up all your things and leave the home you had just created for yourself because you could no longer look any of your co-workers or students in the eyes again.

Especially Logan.

Things had escalated until you could barely look Logan in the eye anymore, and actively avoided him at all costs. The last thing you wanted to do was embarrass yourself in front of him, and though it was unpleasant you’d decided the best course of action was just to steer clear of him altogether.

Still, you allowed yourself some enjoyment, like watching Logan workout from afar while in a room full of people. The onlookers weren’t the best, but it was better than being alone with him when who knows what would happen.

“Like what you see?”

Storm’s voice dragged you out of your ogling, and you turned to her with a sheepish expression. “Maybe.”

She gave you a knowing look, raising her eyebrows. You ignored it, because you’d heard her suggestions many times before and found they didn’t align with your own interests.

“Go and tell him how you feel.”

And embarrass yourself when he inevitably rejects you? No thanks. You were more comfortable with keeping your feelings suppressed, continuously shoving them down, building a brick wall between them and you, to permanently keep them out. Yet for every single brick you added somewhere below you could feel three more being punched out, slowly destroying your barricades bit by bit. 

Your eyes strayed back to Logan, like they always did, yet surprise striked you when you couldn’t find him. Your eyes scanned the room like a man on a mission, only to realise too late Logan was heading towards you, a towel in his sweaty grip.

He greeted Storm with a nod before his gaze zeroed in on you, and you mentally added another brick to your shield, determined to keep him out this time. 

“Y/n,” he greeted, eyes never straying from your face.

You looked down, fidgeting with your hands. “Logan,” and, because you were incredibly weak willed- “did you have a good workout?”

You swear as you looked back up at him you saw the remnants of a smile on his face, but it was gone in the blink of an eye so you couldn’t be completely sure. You don’t think Logan had ever smiled at you, and you felt the bricks within you start to wobble.

“It was alright,” he said curtly, ever the man of few words. He lingered though, as if debating to say something, when it came out anyway. “I’d like it if you joined us next time.”

You felt your heartbeat increase. You felt the jump and the rapid incline as you processed what he said, your mind swimming.

“Me? But I just do illusions… I don’t have a fight worthy mutation.”

“Which is exactly why you should workout. Build your strength so you don’t need to rely on others and can trust your own body to do the job, regardless of mutations.”

It was the most you think Logan had ever spoken to you all at once, and you were suddenly feeling very dizzy. Logan wanted you to workout with him, to spend time with him. Could you imagine? Standing alongside him while he panted. Sparring and ending up underneath him, his entire body weight crushing you between him. It was almost too much to think about.

You cleared your throat, trying to clear your mind of unhelpful distractions, and found your eyes glued to Logan as he brought the towel to wipe the sweat from his throat, his muscles straining right in front you as he reached behind the back of his neck, wiping the sheen of sweat from his body.

You were staring, you knew that, but you just couldn’t find it in you to look away. It was a godly sight, Logan in front of you, sweaty and staring right at you. How were you supposed to look away?

“Uhm,” you mumbled when Storm stepped on your foot. If she’d noticed your ogling Logan certainly must have, and you felt heat rise to your face at the thought. “Yeah, maybe. I’ll think about it.”

Logan looked at you again, really looked at you, before nodding, slinging the towel over a shoulder. “I hope to see you there.”

And with that he walked away, and you felt the bricks tumbling, clattering away inside you, and you could do nothing to stop it until you felt bare and vulnerable, watching the man walk away with the realisation this might be more than just a silly crush.

You couldn’t let that happen. Couldn’t let yourself go too far, even though you could already feel yourself falling. You needed stronger defences, more barricades and walls. And if that meant more space between you and Logan, more avoiding and distance, well, you’d do it. You couldn’ let yourself go past the point of no return with him. You couldn’t.

Your avoidance of Logan had continued ten-fold. Whenever he entered a room you would exit. You would no longer spend time watching him workout or teach or do anything, really. You stayed as isolated from him as possible, and when you couldn’t you stayed silent, eyes fixed ahead of you rather than on him.

Others had noticed. You heard the rumours, whispers of a fight, a break up that occurred between the two of you. It was laughable, the idea that you and Logan had ever been together in the first place.

It was working though, or so you thought. You could feel your shields and barricades strengthening each day, and you continued to build them higher and higher, in the hopes you would eventually not need to avoid Logan, for he would no longer have any effect on you.

Until then you were determined to avoid Logan and spend as little time with him as possible. Unfortunately Logan did not share that sentiment.

You’d just finished up a class, instructing your students to have their homework prepared for next lesson and watched them all file out the door when Logan entered. It was so unexpected you hadn’t a chance to leave before he was upon you, his figure towering over your frame. His arms were crossed and he watched you with a frown on his face, yet you weren’t afraid of it anymore. Sure, you had been originally, but soon you’d discovered behind the frown was usually no ill intent, so you weren’t nervous.

Well you were, extremely so, but not about that.

“Oh, Logan,” you managed, swallowing thickly. “What are you doing here?”

Logan crossed his arms. “We need to talk.”

You winced. “We do?”

He let out an aggravated huff. “LIsten, I don’t know what I did to make you so pissed at me but it can’t be this bad-”

You interrupted him, confused. “Wait, what?”

He sent you a look. “You. Being mad at me. I don’t know why.”

“I’m not mad at you.”

Logan paused, looking at you with a scrutinising gaze. “Yes you are.”

You scoffed at him wrongly telling you how you felt. “No, I’m not.”

“So why are you ignoring me? And don’t say you haven't-” Logan said, noticing you’d opened your mouth to defend yourself. “I know you are. You have been avoiding me for weeks, and if you’re not angry at me I can see no other fathomable reason for why you’re acting like I have the plague.”

I frowned. “You noticed that?”

Logan scoffed. “Of course I noticed it. You don’t even come to training anymore, not even to watch like you used to. Why?”

You shifted uncomfortably on your feet. You obviously couldn’t tell him the real reason, otherwise all the hard work you’d done would be for nothing because you’d end up humiliated and rejected anyway, but you knew Logan could tell when someone was lying from their pulse spiking, and yours certainly would if you lied about this.

You grappled for something to say, anything, to shake him off your trail. “I have to prepare for another class-”

“You’re not preparing for shit until you tell me what’s wrong,” Logan practically growled. “I can stay here all day Bub.”

Well shit. You didn’t really have another choice. You were going to have to tell him about your feelings for him. Literally anything else would have been better. Anything else.

At that exact moment Jean walked into your classroom and relief bloomed in your chest. You were saved, you were safe. You could use Jean as an excuse and-

“She was avoiding you because she has the hots for you, Logan. Something every single person in this school knows except you.”

Well, not anything else apparently.

Logan let out a noise of surprise and looked at you, but your eyes were glued to Jean, horror and betrayal painted on your face. She mouthed ‘your welcome’ and left. What the fuck? Was that the only reason she entered, to butt into your private conversation?

“Y/n. Was what Jean said true?”

You opened your mouth and then closed it, looking like something akin to a gaping fish. “Define truth.”

Logan narrowed his eyes at you, not at all amused, and his silence forced you to continue.

You sighed, preparing yourself for the inevitable heartbreak to come. “Yes, it’s true, alright, but I never intended to act on it and I won’t act on it so you’re fine-”

“Who said I didn’t want you to act on it?”

You started. “W-what?”

Logan took another step until your chest was suddenly pressed against his. “Did I stutter?”

You felt like you were going to stutter if you said anything, so you sort of just… stood there. Waiting. For what exactly, you weren’t sure. Some clarity maybe?

Certainly not Logan grabbing you by the waist and kissing you, so firm and confident you couldn’t help but melt into his embrace. His hands were grabbing your waist, finding the dips in your curves and squeezing there, grabbing them and tugging you towards him.

His lips dragged across yours, adding an air of desperation to the kiss. You couldn’t help but bring your hand up to cup his cheek, thumb stroking his bearded jaw as he kissed you deeper, seeming for all the world like he was never going to stop. You were powerless to stop it, and you found you didn’t even want to. Your walls were crumbling and you gladly let them if it meant you could continue kissing this man.

Logan hefted you up onto your desk and you let out a gasp, muffled by Logan’s lips. He smiled into the kiss anyway, amused by your surprise, and placed his hands on your knees to part them so he could get between your legs. 

You immediately wrapped your legs around his waist, something he liked if the pleased grunt from his throat was anything to go by. His kissing became more fevoured, like he wanted to devour you, and you gladly let yourself drown in him.

That was until the school bell rang, startling you both out of the kiss. Or rather, just you, because Logan seemed content to move to your neck when your lips stopped responding.

“Logan,” you murmured. “I have a class to teach.”

Logan made an angry grunt and continued placing open mouthed kisses to your collarbone. You laughed and gently pushed him away, causing the man to growl and look at you with such irritation you’d think you interrupted his wedding or something.

“I’m busy here,” Logan said.

You had to physically swallow the breathless sigh threatening to escape your lips, instead saying, “we can continue this later.”

“We will continue this later.”

You smiled, almost shyly, which was ironic considering he was still between your legs. “Yeah?”

Logan moved forward so he could whisper into your ear. “Now that I have you Bub, I ain’t ever letting go.”

He pulled back and your smile widened, making a mental note to thank Jean when you next saw her. “I can live with that.”

[shuafiles]

making the bed [c.sc]

MDNI, 18+

SUMMARY | you and seungcheol’s marriage is hanging on by a thread. separate rooms, broken conversations, and barely any contact, it's clear that what you once had is slipping away. desperate for a second chance, you both turn to couples therapy, but when intimacy—or the lack of it—becomes the topic of conversation, everything changes.

PAIRING | husband!seungcheol x afab!reader

CONTENT | nonidol!seungcheol, angst, bad relationships, miscommunication, fingering, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex, creampie

WORDS | 4.9k

A/N | quick disclaimer i know nothing about therapy sessions, so there may be inaccuracies. i loooved writing this ! i hope u enjoy it as much as i did, pls pls pls leave feedback if u can. ty <3 not proofread !!!

you woke up to yet another feeling of cold sheets beside you. the sun peeking through the curtains, the cool breeze of air conditioning meeting your skin. you shivered at the sensation. you patted seungcheol’s side of the bed, knowing you would be disappointed yet again. your eyes fluttered open, the sight of neatly tucked sheets on the opposite side of the bed made your heart heavy. as if he hadn’t slept there at all.

for months now, your marriage had a cloud looming over it. love that was once warm had grown cold and silent, reduced to taking care of household necessities and meaningless small talk. you couldn’t remember the last time you felt comforted by your husband of three years. and even if you did, the memory wouldn’t bring any comfort.

seungcheol’s career was at its peak. he was a few steps closer to getting promoted to a higher position at the firm he worked at. of course, along with this almost promotion, he had to sacrifice spending time with you. he was never home most days of the week. and if he were home, he would instead be resting and catching up on whatever sports he watched on tv.

needless to say, you were getting tired of that routine. you felt lonely. you tried to keep yourself busy with work or even joining a pilates class, but every corner reminded you of how much you missed your husband. the sight of other wives being picked up from work or how some husbands would join their wives for workouts. the feeling was gnawing at your chest.

you and seungcheol didn’t fight. in fact, you barely even talked. you resorted to cooking his favorite meals–which were mostly piling up in the fridge because he was never home–and steaming his suits for him. the silence that gathered in your home was louder than any argument could ever be.

it was strange, living together, yet he felt farther than when he went on his business trips.

you loved seungcheol. you were so in love with him that the thought of losing him terrified you. but sometimes you wonder if love alone was enough to hold your marriage together. you often thought about what went wrong, questioning if you ever did something to make him lose interest in you.

you sighed, pulling the covers off you to prepare for the day. after showering and brushing your teeth, you headed to the kitchen to make lunch. the silent air greeting you as you walked through your shared apartment. you decided to make coffee for your husband, even if deep down you knew it would just grow cold. you wanted to show your affection for him somehow.

you took a sip of coffee from your cup, the bitterness lingering longer than usual. you glanced at the clock, seeing it was almost time for your therapy appointment.

it was your idea to attend couples’ therapy, seeing it as a last resort to salvage your crumbling marriage. when you first suggested it to seungcheol, he was hesitant and weary about the idea of running to another person about your problems. but seeing that it would mean a lot to you, and he didn’t want to put up a fight, he agreed to give it a try.

you hadn’t seen seungcheol since the previous morning when he hastily left for work. bidding you goodbye with a tired smile when he left you alone in the kitchen. a small part of you was worried he had forgotten about the appointment, not wanting to be disappointed, so you decided to send him a text.

wifey <3: hi, just wanted to remind you about our appointment at 2 pm

you stared at the screen, fingers dancing anxiously as you awaited his response.

cheolie <3: yea, i'll meet u there

that was it. no greeting, no apology for not coming home the night before. you pursed your lips at his response. feeling somewhat disappointed with his nonchalance. you convinced yourself that he was preoccupied with his career, too busy to send you a proper response. but nevertheless you decided to brush it off, tucking your phone in your bag as you got ready to head out.

when you arrived at the clinic, you couldn’t help but glance around the waiting area to find a glimpse of your husband. but to your dismay, you were the first one to arrive. you took a seat in one of the empty chairs, scrolling mindlessly through your phone in an attempt to ignore the tightening feeling in your chest.

exactly a minute before the clock struck 2, the doors swung open, and seungcheol walked in. his hair was messy, bags surrounded his eyes, and his shoulders slumped. he looked like hell, you couldn’t help but wonder if this was affecting him more than it was affecting you. his eyes landed on you and he made his way towards you, sinking in the seat beside you.

“hey.” he said softly, eyes barely meeting yours. hearing his voice reminded you how much you missed him.

“hi.” your eyes scanning him. you heart fluttered at the proximity between the two of you. you weren’t sure whether you were just touch deprived or you just missed your husband too much–it was probably a mix of both–but the thought of having him close to you made your head slightly dizzy. your mouth opened to speak but decided against it. you wanted to tell him that you were glad he made it and how much it mattered to you. but words felt too heavy to speak, so you enjoyed the silent company he provided instead.

the therapist’s door opened, and a nurse emerged, calling his and yours’ last name. you both stood up, walking inside the room side-by-side, hands almost grazing each other.

you and seungcheol settled on the couch in front of the therapist. she offered you a soft smile, eyes flicking between the two of you.

“hi, mr. and mrs. choi. how are you two feeling today?” she asked, her tone gently with a hint of curiosity.

your eyes shifted to seungcheol, wanting to see if he would speak first. he shifted in his seat, clearing his throat. “it’s been… a busy week.” he let out, eyes glancing between you and the therapist.

your lips formed into a frown, fingers fiddling with each other. “it has been tough. recently i’ve been feeling like we’ve been living separate lives despite sharing the same space.” you forced yourself to speak, the words falling out of your mouth before you could even comprehend them. “i’m afraid that if we let it happen for too long, we might lose each other in the process.”

you could feel seungcheol’s gaze on you, his once tired eyes growing soft from taking you in. he could tell you were extremely upset, your lips quivering and your hands playing with one another–which you only did when you were visibly upset. he wanted to reach for your hand, to provide you with comfort. but his cowardness was taking over him.

she leaned forward, her voice soft but firm. “i see. this must be incredibly difficult for both of you.” her eyes flickered between the two of you. “if you both want to reconnect, we need to address the emotional and physical barrier forming between you.”

you felt a lump form in your throat at her words. you glanced at seungcheol only to find him staring at you. his expression was guarded and unreadable. you felt tiny under his gaze, not used to the intensity of his eyes on you.

the therapist cleared her throat, drawing both of your attention to her. “the effort you two took to meet me today is a sign that you both want to save this relationship, but it seems that there’s a lot of distance–both emotional and physical.” you shifted in your seat at her words. you couldn’t deny the truth; it had been a while since you had a proper conversation with seungcheol, let alone a moment of intimacy. “when was the last time you two… shared a moment of true closeness?” her question was left open. still, you and seungcheol know her meaning was leading to one thing.

your cheeks burned slightly at the thought of it. it had been months since you last shared a bed, weeks since he last held you close; you couldn’t even remember the last time you had sex. you glanced at your husband, wondering if he felt the same embarrassment or if the thought of this issue would bring him back to you.

seungcheol let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, a hand rummaging through his hair. “i-i don’t know, it has been a while.” he admitted, voice so soft you barely caught on to what he was saying. “i’ve been too caught up with stuff at work, i don’t think we’ve shared a bed in a while.” hearing him admit your problems made your heart ache. he was capable of acknowledging his mistakes, yet he made no effort to correct them.

she gave you both a sympathetic look. “it’s not uncommon for couples under this kind of strain to lose touch emotionally and physically. often, intimacy is the first thing to slip, but it’s also one of the most important bridges to reconnecting. i’d like to encourage you both to try spending time together, maybe even share the same bed, and just… see how that feels.”

the suggestion lingered in the air. silence erupting from the two of you as you processed her words. glancing at seungcheol, whose gaze was fixated on the floor while it seemed like he was in deep thought. seungcheol lifted his head, facing you briefly, his eyes filled with vulnerability for the first time in a long time. you caught your bottom lip between your teeth, nodding at your therapist while sending her a soft smile.

the session ended with an agreement to try. hoping that the words you heard today were a head start to fixing your crumbling marriage.

seungcheol mentioned that he had to return to work but promised to be home early. without having a choice, you went separate ways and decided to go home. your heart was heavy on the drive home. you weren’t sure how he took the session today and all you wanted was to talk to him, to hold him, for him to remind you that everything would be okay and that he loved you.

as the afternoon turned into evening, you couldn’t help but pace around the apartment. you already tried everything to keep your mind off of what happened today, but it was nearly impossible. your habit of cleaning every surface took place, every inch of the house spotless as you awaited your husband’s return. even catching up on your favorite series couldn’t help you keep your mind at ease.

you found yourself checking your phone every so often, the time taunting you as it nearly reached 7 pm and there were still no signs of seungcheol. you sighed, feeling a twinge of disappointment form in your heart. not wanting to feel the empty space of the house any longer, you decided to get ready for bed.

after taking a shower and doing your skincare, exhaustion begins to seep through your body. you felt stupid, stupid to think that seungcheol wanted it to work as much as you did. you started to accept that maybe he no longer needed you, no longer felt the same affection he had for you when you first started going out.

you lay in bed, going under the covers as tears escaped your eyes. the memories of you and your husband’s early days haunting you, wondering where it all went wrong.

you hadn’t noticed that you cried yourself to sleep. the sound of rustling around awoke you from your slumber. with heavy eyes, you tried to make out the source of the noise.

“fuck.” seungcheol whispered as he dropped his phone that had his flashlight on as he tried to navigate the room in the dark.

“cheol?” you mumbled, hand rubbing your eye as you sat in bed. seungcheol turned to face you with an apologetic look on his face.

“y/n!” he said, surprised, guilty that he had woken you up. “did i wake you? i’m sorry, i was trying to find a change of clothes.”

you leaned over the bedside table, turning on the lamp to provide light for him. eyes secretly glancing at the time, seeing that it was only 8 pm. “don’t apologize, this is your room too.” you said, but it felt more like a reminder than a statement; it had been so long since he slept here with you.

without saying a word, he stepped towards the bed, sitting on the edge while his back faced you. his shoulders were tense; you could tell he had much on his mind.

you watched with worried eyes as he sighed before he turned to face you. “i’m sorry, y/n.” his gaze was soft, lips dry as he mustered up the courage to speak to you. you inched towards him in bed, sitting directly in front of his body that was turned to you. “i know i’ve been… absent these past couple of weeks, months even. and your head was probably filled with thoughts about what was going on, and i-“ he gulped, tears forming in his eyes. it had been so long since he opened his feelings to you since he looked at you with warm eyes and honesty. the nights you spent alone and mornings waking up next to an untouched bed flashed before you. “i was trying to prove something… to myself, to you.” he admitted, his eyes filled with shame and regret. still, you listened to his words intently. “i thought that if i kept my head down and focused on work, i could finally give us this picture-perfect life that you deserve. and i-i thought you’d be okay with waiting.”

you took a moment to register his words. your fingers absentmindedly fiddling with one another–which he caught. you hadn’t been okay. the loneliness swallowed you these past few months, and his physical distance from you only made it worse. you missed him. you missed his scent, his touch–his hand on your back as you slept, the feeling of his arms around your shoulders, the way he pulled you close in his sleep. you missed the feeling of his soft lips, the feeling of his hands on your body. it had been so long since you felt good.

“you have no idea how hard it’s been, seungcheol.” you started, voice almost trembling as you spoke. “going to bed alone, having no clue if you’d even come home to me. i felt like i was losing you, little by little.” 

“god, no.” for the first time in forever, seungcheol reached for your hands instinctively. comfort rushing through your body by his touch. he held your hands tightly, his eyes pleading. “i thought i was doing this for us, y/n, but i was being so selfish. i pushed you away. i pushed us away.” his voice cracked, pain written all over his face. “i missed you. i missed everything about you. i missed us.” he admitted, his thumb gliding over your hands in an attempt to provide solace. “i didn’t want to fail you, y/n.”

his eyes shut, a tear slipping down his cheek. you reached out to cup his face, your thumb wiping away his tears. you felt him lean against your touch, making your heart ache. you couldn’t remember the last time he had been this vulnerable with you. you could see how deeply he felt the loss, even if he had hidden it from you.

seungcheol’s eyes fluttered opened, his voice barely above a whisper. “i promise i’ll make up for the lost time. i want to show you that i’m here and i’m sorry. you’re not losing me.”

his words impacted you harder than you had expected, providing you with both comfort and hurt. it felt silly to be so relieved by his simple promise. but after longing for him for so long, you couldn’t help it. it was exactly what you were waiting to hear. the assurance from him was more than enough to give you ease.

instead of saying anything, you leaned forward and rested your forehead against his. he exhaled softly at your touch. god, you missed him. it meant everything to you that he was here. actually here.

“cheol.” you mumbled, eyes shutting. “i missed you so much.”

you felt him nod lightly. “i know, angel.” hearing his pet name for you flooded you with warm memories. “i missed you, too. more than you could imagine.” his hand slid to the back of your neck. you pulled away from his forehead, eyes staring up at him as he rubbed the skin. slightly shivering at his touch as it reached down into the parts of you that had felt cold and empty for so long. “let me make up for the lost time.” his voice was deep as his gaze on you darkened.

your eyes fluttered open, gaze falling to his lips. you let your hands slide down his shoulder, almost pulling his body close to you. he leaned closer to you, his breath fanning your face, lips brushing against yours. you melted into his touch as he connected his lips with yours. your hands finding their way to his chest as the kiss deepened, feeling his heartbeat beneath your fingertips. it reminded you that he was actually here, and you weren’t alone as you had felt for all those months.

seungcheol wrapped his arms around your waist as he laid you on the bed, your back meeting the soft sheets as he climbed between your legs. his thigh rubbing against your core that was growing warm with his every touch. feeling the tension between you dissipate with each kiss and touch. the gap between the two of you shrinking as he showed you just how much he missed you.

his fingers made their way to the hem of your shirt, pulling away from your lips to tug the fabric off your body, leaving your upper half naked. he groaned at the sight of you, reminding him how much he missed seeing your body. “god, i missed you.” he whispered before leaning down and pressing his lips to yours. moaning when his hand slipped between your legs, hand cupping your pussy that was growing wet at his mere touch. your body craving him more than you anticipated.

“cheol, i need you.” you whimpered against his lips as his fingers traced over your clothed core. desperation lacing from your voice made him grow hard against his suit. feeling his hard-on against your thigh. your hands reached up to undo his tie before unbuttoning his shirt. he hovered over you to give you more access, sliding the shirt off once you were done. you shamelessly checked him out, running your fingers over his chiseled chest. you almost forgotten how much you loved his body.

seungcheol hooked his fingers around the waistband of your shorts and underwear. sliding them down your legs, feeling your arousal sticking to the fabric. in a swift movement, he inched his body down the bed until his head was in between your thighs, face dangerously close to your throbbing pussy. he took a whiff, your familiar scent welcoming him. “you smell amazing, baby.” his arm hooked around and over your thigh, pulling your body close to him. bringing two fingers up to your entrance, collecting your arousal, and spreading it up to your clit. “so wet and needy for me.”

you moaned at his touch, hips bucking upwards as you tried to get more friction but his grip around you prevented you from moving. he softly smiled at your state, wasting no time in pressing his tongue against your clit. you gasped, hand flying down to grip his hair.

seungcheol ran his tongue up and down your folds, lips sucking on your clit, occasionally flicking his tongue over the sensitive bud. the sudden movements had your back arching off the bed, hand gripping the sheets beneath you as his tongue lapped your hole. “f-feels so good.” you whimpered.

his free hand snaked around your body, his thumb circling your clit while his tongue fucked your entrance. the sensation driving you crazy as you let out curses. he knew your body all too well. he knew exactly how to push you over the edge even after all these months.

“my pretty girl. i bet your pussy was waiting for me, hm?” he hummed against your folds, the vibrations sending shocks throughout your body. you lifted your head to meet his gaze, his eyes flickering to yours. maintaining eye contact, he slipped his fingers down your core, abruptly inserting two of them inside you. you could barely let out words once you felt his digits curl inside you. he beamed once he saw you writhe beneath his touch, glad that you weren’t that disconnected from each other in every way.

seungcheol pressed his mouth against your clit, sucking on the bud as his fingers relentlessly fucked your hole. thrusting them in and out of you in addicting movements. your hips jerk up from the overwhelming pleasure. toes curling as you felt a knot form in your stomach.

“p-please, cheolie, i want to cum.” your voice shaking as he continued his movements. your hand reaching up to your breast, squeezing them as you felt your orgasm forming.

“let it out, angel.” he whispered against your clit, sucking on it harshly to the point tears fill your eyes. without warning, you came undone with his fingers in you, cursing his name. your insides clenching around his digits as his movements slowed down. you head thrown back against the mattress as you let out shaky breaths.

seungcheol detached his mouth from your clit, pulling his fingers away before entrapping them with his lips. savouring your cum to account for the many months that went by without tasting you. “my good girl.”

seungcheol kneeled between your legs, his cock hard against his stomach–you hadn’t even noticed he took his pants off. you lifted your head to face him, mouth watering at the sight. nearly forgetting how big and thick his cock was. you wrapped your fingers around his length, pumping it lightly before stroking it. his hips inching towards you as he leaned into your touch. your thumb running over his tip that was leaking with precum. you looked at him through your lashes, but his eyes were already dark and focused on you.

“fuck, baby.” he grunted once you jerked him off, but his hand reached for your wrist to prevent your movement. “stop teasing, princess. i need my cock inside your pussy.” his confession made sparks shoot throughout your body and onto your cunt.

seungcheol positioned his body between your legs, gripping his cock in one hand, aligning it with your entrance. you couldn’t help the moans that escaped your lips as he glided the tip of his cock along your folds, spreading your wetness before sinking into you. you gasped at the size of his length. your fingernails digging (careful not to hurt him) into his shoulders as you adjusted to his size.

“i know, baby.” his voice soothed you, hushing you as tears threatened to escape your eyes. fuck, you forgot how his dick felt inside you. “you’re taking me so well, angel.” he pressed kisses all over your face.

once he was balls deep in you, he stayed still for a moment. letting you get used to the sensation, he reached for your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours.

“m-move, please.” your voice barely a whisper. “you’re so big, cheolie.”

seungcheol growled at your words, slowly starting to move his hips. “missed your pussy, baby.” you felt every inch of his cock in you, insides splitting from his size. your insides burning, but it felt so fucking good. you bucked your hips, meeting his thrusts.

he took this as a sign to gradually increase his speed, his hips rocking into you faster. your legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, pulling him even closer to you, scared that if you let go, he’ll disappear again.

the proximity allowing him to bury his cock deeper into you. in a swift motion, he pulled his cock out before slamming his hips against yours. sounds of skin slapping filling the room, along the moans that emit from you and the groans that escape his throat. he buried his face into your neck, leaving soft kisses against the skin.

“you feel so fucking good, shit.” his hand sneaked to your breast, taking your nipple in between his fingers, circling the sensitive bud. the rough pad of his thumb and index adding to the overwhelming pleasure. “fuck, i’m never leaving you alone ever again.”

you don’t know if it was his words or the pleasure from his cock that brought tears to your eyes. he pulled away from your neck, towering over you as he held eye contact with you. “my pretty wife, i love you so much.”

“i-i love you, cheol.” you breathed out, feeling him twitch inside you from your confession. the words felt foreign from your lips, but the feeling was reeling in so many memories. he picked up his pace again, relentlessly fucking you as if to remind you that he’s here now.

seungcheol leaned forward, capturing your lips with his. the kiss was more passionate and needy, his taste leaving you intoxicated. his hand inching down to your clit, rubbing circles on the nub. the stimulation building your orgasm even more. he knew you were getting close when you clenched around him, driving him to fuck into you deeper and harder.

“are you gonna cum for me, angel?” his voice deep as he watched you squirm underneath his touch. he latched his lips to your chest, sucking on the skin softly, enough to surely leave a mark. the overwhelming amount of pleasure he was providing was enough to drive you insane. the coil in your stomach begging to be released. “cum all over my cock, baby, let me feel you.” with the encouragement of his words, you released all over his cock. stars clouding your vision as you ride out your high. “s-shit, baby.” the sight of you cumming on his cock was enough to send seungcheol over the edge. with a few final thrusts, his warm seed burst inside you, painting your walls white, groans filling the room.

seungcheol slowly retreated his cock from you, his cum spilling from your pussy. you winced at the sticky feeling. he pressed a quick kiss on your forehead before he disappeared into the bathroom and grabbed a towel which he ran under cold water. he returned and immediately nursed you, dragging the towel up and down your entrance which made you giggle.

“thank you.” you mumbled as he went to return the towel in the bathroom.

“anything for my beautiful wife.” seungcheol grabbed a shirt from the closet, handing it to you because he knew how much you loved wearing his shirts to bed. even helping you slip it on your body. your heart warmed at the sight of him taking care of you. you barely noticed that he climbed into bed and pulled you close to his chest. “i told you, i’ll make it up to you, my love.” he whispered, pressing a kiss on the side of your head.

you could only nod at his words, feeling slumber take over you. hearing him whisper how much he loved you before falling unconscious.

-

you woke up to the warmth of a body shifting beside you, feeling the familiar weight of your husband’s arm around your waist. the soft morning light greeted you as you opened your eyes. you glanced at his sleeping figure, taking in the sight of his relaxed face, lashes resting against cheeks and lips slightly parted. he was still here. your heart was pounding so loudly that you were sure he'd hear it if he were awake.

your hand reached up to brush away the strands of hair falling onto his face. but before you could do so, his eyes fluttered open, a soft smile forming on his lips as he focused on you.

“g’morning.” seungcheol mumbled, voice deep and husky, still laced with sleep.

“good morning.” you responded, unable to hide the chipper in your voice. you rested your hand on his bare chest, rubbing the skin comfortingly, slightly scared that you were in a dream.

his hand fell to your back, pulling your body close to him. “i meant it, you know.” he whispered, his thumb rubbing circles along your back. “i don’t want us to fall apart again.”

your chest tightened at his words, but this time, the ache was different–it was hopeful. “neither do i.” leaning your head against his neck, softly kissing the skin.

“you have me forever, baby.” he said, a promise that felt as grounding as his touch on your body.

you closed your eyes, letting the warmth of his embrace engulf you. comfortable silence taking over as you lay there in each other’s arms. you both knew this was just the start of finding your way back to one another.