#but I estimate he’ll change back while there

[leviiackrman]

“What if he stares at you every time you look away?”

[TEMPLATE] || [MORE EDITS

tag list (ask to be added or removed): @carrionsflower @statichvm @risingsh0t @simonxriley @marivenah @bbrocklesnar @confidentandgood @unholymilf @florbelles @thedeadthree @shellibisshe @roofgeese @aezyrraeshh @faerune @tekehu @jackiesarch @jacobseed @minaharkers @sergeiravenov @rosenfey @queennymeria @shadowglens @nokstella @imogenkol @heroofpenamstan @fenharel @alexxmason @pensdragon @rolangf @a-treides @solasan @bigbywlf @delzinrowe

[ellieswrldd]

about you

pairing: spiderman!ellie williams x female reader

summary: ellie is living a double life, one of a college student and one of a crime fighting hero. she wants you more than anything but is scared to put you in danger.

content warnings: SMUT 18+ MDNI, oral sex (r!receiving), scissoring, use of alcohol and weed, ellie is kind of a nerdy loser, a little rushed! not proofread

a/n: writing this taught me that i should never try to estimate when i’ll finish something because “posting this week” quickly turned into “posting sometime this month”….sorry lmao. also this is inspired by the 1975 song!!

8:30 am

Good morning New Yorkers!

This was Ellie’s favorite part of the day. A bagel in one hand, the newest edition of Savage Starlight in her other, and her phone playing the morning newscast. 

Today is April 12th and it looks like another beautiful day…

Moments like these were the only times she felt at ease. Her university classes kept her busy and when she wasn’t studying or in class, she was off protecting the city. 

So, sitting on the rooftop of a building where nobody could bother her was Ellie’s idea of peace. 

It was easy to lose track of time while in her spot and Ellie always tried to keep an eye on the time, but it seemed to end the same way almost every day. 

We’re starting to see some traffic down by— 

The reporter was cut off by Ellie’s loud ringtone. She glanced at the caller ID and sighed softly when she saw it was her best friend Jesse calling. 

“Hey man, I’m kinda busy right now—” She said as she took a bite of her bagel. 

“Dude where the hell are you? Class started fifteen minutes ago and we have that big lab today!” Jesse whispered-shouted into his phone. 

“What are you talking about? I don’t have class on Thursday mornings,” She said. 

“Ellie, it’s Friday, we have class today,” Jesse said sharply, clearly irritated by Ellie’s lack of organization. She couldn’t blame him– he always needed her help during labs, and without her, it was likely he’d get a failing grade. 

“Oh shit!” Ellie groaned and began tossing her things back into her backpack. “I’m on my way right now, I swear.” She stated with her phone pressed against her ear by her shoulder. Stuffing her face with the last of her bagel, Ellie slid her backpack around her shoulders and stood up. 

The streets were beginning to bustle with activity and the sky was bright, New York was awake and ready for the day. Ellie pulled her mask over her face and jumped off the roof, flying towards her class with the flick of her wrist. 

—

10 pm

Going out was the last thing on your mind. You were still coping after a messy breakup, and partying didn’t sound like fun. The only reason you found yourself standing in front of a bustling frat house was because Dina had dragged you here. She had made a variety of arguments as to why you needed to come, mostly consisting of “You’ve been too sad, let’s get you laid!” or “I need you to be my wing-woman, Jesse will be there!”. Despite her nagging and desperation, you somehow ended up following her right to the party. 

“Dee I don’t feel great, maybe I should just go back home,” You mumbled and tugged at the skirt you wore. It was Dina’s and it was far too short for your liking. In the past, you loved partying and going out with friends, but at the moment all you wanted to do was curl up in your bed. 

“Just stay for a little bit, I promise you’ll have fun. It isn’t good for you to rot in bed every day anyways,” Dina linked her arm with yours and gave a soft smile. You sighed and nodded, she had a point. 

You stood in the frat, holding a red solo cup close to you. Dina shifted nervously beside you. 

“What if he changed his mind? Maybe he doesn’t want to see me,” She crossed her arms.

“Dina, he’ll show up, don’t worry.” You reassured her. “Have another drink, you need to chill out,” She shrugged and poured herself a drink. 

“Hey, Dina!” A man greeted your friend loudly, a bright smile on his face. Dina grinned and gave him a quick hug. 

“Jesse! I’m so glad you made it, I was starting to think you weren’t going to show,” 

“Sorry, Ellie was taking forever to get ready, slowed us down,” He laughed and shifted his gaze to you. “I’m Jesse, you must be y/n,” 

“Yeah, Dina’s told me a lot about you,” You glanced past him and looked at the girl standing awkwardly behind him. She was staring down at her phone, her lips pursed, clearly not excited to be there. 

“Oh, this is Ellie,” He turned and nudged Ellie with his elbow.

“Hi,” She offered an awkward smile and stood a little straighter. “Sorry, I don’t come to these things very often,” Ellie looked around at the frat, drunk partygoers dancing and screaming, the floor covered in red solo cups and sticky liquids, it wasn’t really her scene. 

“That’s alright, it’s nice to meet you,” You shook her hand. “I’m going to go out and get some air,” You shouted into Dina’s ear and she nodded. Waving to Jesse and Ellie, you pushed past the crowds and made your way outside. 

The cool air against your skin was a relieving change. You leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. It was nice that Dina was looking out for you, but it was honestly overwhelming. 

“Mind if I join you?” You turned to look at Ellie, who stood a few feet away with her hands in her pockets. You simply nodded and tipped your head to the spot next to you. Without all of the flashing lights, you could get a good look at the other girl. A red flannel hung loosely around her frame, her short hair was in a messy half-up half-down style, and her face was covered in light freckles.

Ellie’s eyes lingered on you for a moment before she spoke again. “You look stressed,” 

“I guess that’s one word for it,” You chuckled. She dug her hand into her back pocket and pulled out a neatly rolled joint.

“Jesse gave me this, do you want some?” Your eyes lit up a bit at the sight of the joint and you looked back at her.

“How could I say no to such an offer?” Taking the joint, you held it between your glossy lips. “You got a lighter?” 

Ellie’s eyes widened slightly as she realized she had been staring at your lips. “Ah— yeah, here,” She took the lighter from her pocket and fumbled with it a few times before she got a steady flame. You leaned in and watched as the end began to burn. 

“You don’t smoke much, do you?” You giggled softly as your eyes drifted toward her. She watched you intently and shook her head. 

“No, not really,” You breathed out the smoke and offered her the joint. 

“Do you want to try?” Your voice was soft and sweet, Ellie couldn’t help but take the joint from your fingers. “Just breathe in slowly and then exhale,” She followed your instructions, still watching you as she took a drag. Coughing, Ellie passed it back.

The two of you passed the joint back and forth in silence, staring up at the night sky until you were able to drown out the loud noise of the party. 

“Jesse and Dina are definitely hooking up right now,” You blurted and started laughing. 

“Oh my god they totally are,” She shook with laughter. As your shoulders touched Ellie’s and you laughed until your cheeks grew tired, you realized that you were actually having fun. You hadn’t thought about your ex in hours. 

Eventually, Ellie offered to walk you back to your dorm, and you accepted gladly. 

The walk back was full of mindless giggles and seemingly innocent brushes against one another’s arms. Ellie leaned against the frame of your door as you fumbled with the key. 

“Do you want to come inside?” You muttered with a smile once you managed to get the door open. Ellie’s heart pounded at the offer and she could feel heat rush to her cheeks, but she found herself shaking her head no. 

“I—I’m sorry, I can’t,” She bit her lip and looked down at her sneakers. “I’ve gotta be up early tomorrow for work, but I’ll see you around, yeah?” You tried not to look disappointed but Ellie could see it on your face almost immediately. 

“That’s fine, see ya,” You sighed and closed the door with a small smile. 

Ellie could feel her heart sinking, and she almost regretted her words. Almost. She knew better than to get involved with someone while in her position, she could put you in a lot of danger, and it was too risky. 

The next few days were rough. Ellie seemed to be actively avoiding you for some unknown reason and it felt like Dina and Jesse were too wrapped up in one another to even notice you. Every time Jesse came over to see Dina, he used the same excuse to cover for Ellie’s absence. “She’s busy studying, couldn’t make it today.” 

“Hey, have you seen Ellie lately?” You asked Dina as the two of you walked to class.

“Huh? Oh, no, I haven’t, why?” Dina glanced at her phone before looking back at you.

“Well, I thought we kinda hit it off at the party, but I haven’t seen her since.” You sighed and trained your eyes on your shoes. “I invited her to come inside our dorm, but she said she had work and bolted,” 

Dina looked confused. “That’s weird, she doesn’t work in the mornings,” She shrugged. “I can invite her to come with us to that bar tonight, how about that?” Dina bumped her arm against yours.

“Sure, that’s great,” You smiled, relieved to see your best friend was still looking out for you. Her words stuck with you, why would Ellie lie to you? Maybe she was avoiding you.

That night, Dina got ready with you in your shared dorm. 

“Did she say she was coming?” You asked nervously as you stared at yourself in the mirror. 

“She just liked the message,” Dina snorted and rolled her eyes. “What an ass.”

You sighed. “She’s definitely avoiding me,” 

“I’ll have Jesse drag her ass down to the bar if she doesn’t show, don’t worry babe.” Dina pat your shoulder. “Are you ready to go? I think some of the other girls are there already.” 

“Oh, yeah.” You took one more glance at yourself. You wore a sparkly fitted dress, one that had been growing dusty in your dresser. It was pretty, but a little loud for your taste. “Let’s go before I change my mind,” Dina laughed and nodded.

The bar was busy already, filled with college students and their fake IDs, overpriced drinks in their hands. Dina ordered the two of you some drinks and you stood beside her at the bar. 

You couldn’t help but watch the door as Dina told some exaggerated story. You hated this, the feeling of self-doubt and disappointment that coursed through your body every time a girl let you down. It had only been a few weeks since your last girlfriend dumped you, and yet here you were repeating the same vicious cycle with another girl. 

Just as you were about to make an excuse to leave, the door to the bar opened and Ellie strolled in. She was by herself, fidgeting with her hands nervously as she looked around the room.  

You turned back to Dina before you could meet Ellie’s gaze. You had decided that if Ellie wanted to speak, she would have to come to you first. 

“Hey,” Ellie tapped your shoulder and stood beside you at the bar. 

“Hi Ellie,” You gave her a tight-lipped smile and took a sip of your drink. Ellie glanced at her shoes for a moment before speaking again. 

“Can we talk?” She asked quietly. Was she nervous?

“Sure, yeah, outside?” Ellie nodded and followed you out. 

“Okay, you wanted to talk so let’s talk.” You crossed your arms and faced her once you stood outside. 

Ellie took a deep breath and stuffed her hands in her pockets. “I know this is kind of forward, but I like you, and I want to get to know you better, but—”

“But?”

“I’m just,” She sighed, seemingly frustrated. “I can’t, I can’t be around you,” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” You scoffed. 

Ellie pinched the bridge of her nose as she struggled to think of a reply. 

“It’s not a good idea,” She mumbled.

“You’re still not making any sense,” 

Ellie hesitated. “Can I show you something?” 

“Sure,” 

“You seriously can’t tell anyone about this,” Ellie glanced around. “Like anyone, not a single soul,” 

“Jesus, I get it, Ellie, I’ll keep whatever secret you’re sharing.”

Ellie nodded and took one more look to make sure nobody was nearby. 

“I’m, um, kind of like a superhero of sorts, like I fight criminals and protect people sometimes,” Ellie’s cheeks seemed to burn red as she spoke. “I just— I don’t want you to be put in danger because of it,” 

You stared at her for a moment before you laughed. “Is this some kind of joke? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard! You’re a superhero? Forget it, I’m going home, Ellie,” You turned away and began to walk toward the bar. 

Ellie reached out and grabbed your arm. “No, I swear I’m not lying, I can prove it!” She said frantically. 

“You can prove it?” 

“I can,” She nodded. 

“Okay, prove it.” Ellie nodded and offered her hand to you. 

“Let’s go to my dorm, I can show you there,” 

“Are you trying to get me to sleep with you?” Ellie rolled her eyes. 

“Not at the moment, no. Would you just come with me?”

“Alright then, let’s go,” 

The walk to Ellie’s dorm wasn’t long, but the tension between you and her made it feel insufferable. 

“Here we are,” She nodded toward the building and unlocked the front door. Ellie led you up a few flights of stairs before finally arriving at her room. 

Ellie’s dorm room was covered in colorful posters and pictures. A small telescope was leaned against the wall by her window, comic books were stacked high on her nightstand, and some science textbooks were left open on her desk alongside scattered papers and assignments. 

“This is cute,” You muttered as you ran a hand along her navy blue bed sheets and looked around the room.

“Oh, thanks. You can just make yourself at home,” She smiled and went to open her closet. 

You sat on her bed and watched her rifle through her clothes. “How do you plan on proving this?” You asked, slightly amused by this whole situation. 

“Just wait and see, I don’t think you’ll find it funny in a minute.” She said, glancing over her shoulder to look at you. Ellie finally pulled out a hanger covered by a black zip-up cover. 

She held the hanger up and unzipped the cover, letting it fall to the floor. Underneath the cover was a bright red and blue suit. 

“What is that? Some sort of cosplay outfit?” You snorted.

Ellie narrowed her eyes at you. Without a response, Ellie slipped off her flannel and started tugging her shirt off. 

“What are you doing?” You gasped and covered your eyes. 

“I’m just changing, don’t cream your pants.” She said sarcastically. Ellie stepped into the suit and pulled it on. 

The suit itself seemed good quality, it was a shiny, bright red with black and blue highlights, and it fit her like a second skin. With a closer look, you could see the little details of the suit were designed to resemble a spider web of sorts. 

“This is what I wanted to show you,” She said and held out her hands. On each wrist was a complicated gadget that wrapped around her wrist and lay in the palm of her hand.

You reached out to touch the device but Ellie pulled her hands away. 

“Don’t touch them, you’ll regret it.” She said with a small smile. 

“What do they do?” 

“I’ll show you,” She walked across the room to her window and pulled it open. “C’mere,” 

You went and stood by her side, an anxious feeling bubbling in your stomach. Ellie reached behind her head and pulled the mask of the suit over her face. 

“Do you trust me?” She asked, her arm snaking around your waist. 

“Do I have a choice?” Ellie laughed and pulled you closer to her side. 

“Hold onto me, and uh— don’t look down,” Before you had time to ask her what that meant, Ellie flicked her wrist and sent the two of you swinging out of her window. 

As you flew through the air, all you could hear was the wind blowing past you and the sound of your screams. It was then that you started to believe that Ellie could be telling the truth. 

“Ellie Williams put me down right now!” You screamed as you watched the buildings fly past you in a blur. 

“Calm down, we’re almost to my spot.” 

Ellie slowed down and stopped on a rooftop. She pulled her mask off. “This is my favorite spot in the city.” Ellie helped you find your feet and kept a hand on your lower back. From the rooftop, you could see the glittering lights of the city life and the usual noise seemed to be quieter. 

“That’s great and all but I think I might vomit,” You let out a shaky breath and sat down. “You wanna explain what the fuck you just pulled?” You looked up at her.

Ellie grinned and sat next to you. “The nausea will pass, just take deep breaths. As for that,” Ellie showed you the gadget on her wrist. “They’re web shooters, I made them myself. They shoot something similar to spider webs, but much stronger.” 

“So what, you’re like a spider-girl or something?” 

“Well, when you say it like that you make it sound childish.” Ellie chuckled.

“Okay Spider-Woman, why is this stopping you from taking me out?” 

“I’m scared,” She sighed. “I already put myself in so much danger by doing this, do you know how much worse it would be if I had to worry about keeping you safe as well? I can’t guarantee that you’ll be protected from everything I deal with, and I can’t even imagine what it would be like for you if I ended up hurt or worse.” 

You stared at her for a moment and reached out to rest your hand on top of hers. 

“You’re forgetting that I’m my own person, Ellie, I can make those decisions for myself. You don’t have to protect me, I can do that on my own.” 

Ellie, careful not to touch the web-shooter on her palm, squeezed your hand gently. “I want you and I want this so bad, you have no idea,” 

“Show me,” You murmured as you turned to face her. Ellie let out a shaky breath and leaned in. 

Your lips tasted exactly how Ellie had imagined they would. They were sweet, presumably from the lipgloss you always used, or maybe you just always tasted like cherries, Ellie couldn’t tell, all she knew was that she wanted more. 

“Let’s go back to my dorm,” She murmured as her lips chased yours. 

“Okay,” You agreed, every thought in your head was focused on Ellie, and suddenly the only thing you cared about was getting that comic-book-looking costume off of her body. 

The quick trip back to her dorm wasn’t as scary as the first, though you weren’t sure if you could ever get used to the way your stomach dropped every time she swung. 

The moment your feet were on the floor of her dorm, Ellie had you pushed up against the door, her lips traveling down your bare neck. Your hands ran down Ellie’s back in search of a zipper or button to take off the suit, but you grumbled in frustration when you failed to find one.

“How do you take this fuckin’ thing off?” You muttered while Ellie ran her fingers along the hem of your dress. She laughed softly against your skin.

“The zipper is right here,” She whispered into your ear, taking your hand and guiding it to the side of her torso. Hidden beneath her arm and within the detailing of the suit was a tiny zipper. 

Your lips met hers again, and while you slowly dragged the zipper down, you let your other hand slide around her waist. 

And just before you were able to completely unzip the suit, a loud banging on Ellie’s door startled you both.

“Yo, Ellie, you in there?” It was Jesse, and he sounded very drunk. Your eyes widened as you looked at Ellie, waiting for her to say something. 

Ellie held a finger up to her lips and signaled for you to keep quiet. She was sure that if Jesse assumed she wasn’t home, he’d find someone else to bother. 

Jesse banged on the door a few times and groaned loudly when he realized Ellie wasn’t answering. You sighed softly once you heard him shuffle away. 

“Where were we?” Ellie smiled and pulled you close to her. Finally, you were able to pull down that zipper and the suit came loose enough for Ellie to pull off. 

Ellie slid her fingers under the straps of your dress and let them fall down your shoulders. “Can I take this off?” She asked.

You simply nodded. 

As if trying to tease, Ellie slid one strap down at a time, then moved onto the zipper, which she pulled down as slowly as she possibly could. 

After what felt like years of waiting, your dress fell to the floor, pooling at your feet. 

The feeling of Ellie’s skin against your own was everything you needed. She was warm and gentle, even her calloused fingers felt like butter on your skin. 

Hungry for more of her, you reached out and ran your fingers along the waistband of her black boyshorts. Everything about her drove you insane, the sight of her in the simple black sports bra and boyshorts that she wore was enough to make you go practically feral. 

Ellie followed your lead and copied your moves, tracing the waistband of your panties, then going further and dipping her fingers inside. Ellie could’ve sworn that the gasp you let out when she brushed against your clit was enough to make her cum, god she was already completely soaked just by standing there with you. 

“You’re so wet,” She breathed and her fingers slid against your pussy again. 

“Fuck,” You whined. 

Ellie pulled her fingers from your underwear and licked them clean. 

“I gotta have more of you,” Ellie said desperately.

“Then stop talking and do it,” You bit your lip. Your words were the last bit of confirmation she needed. Ellie grabbed your thighs and picked you up with ease.

Just as quickly as you had said those words, Ellie had swept you off your feet and sat you right on her bed. Your legs spread and her head in between them. 

She didn’t waste time taking off your panties, she couldn’t stop herself after she had that first taste. Ellie’s lips brushed against your cunt almost hesitantly but soon enough she was diving into you like she was starving. Your hips bucked up against her tongue as you searched desperately for release. Ellie’s hand snaked up around your thighs and held you down, causing you to whine out loudly. 

“God, you taste so good…” She groaned against your cunt.

“I’m getting close,” You gasped as you felt Ellie swirl her tongue around your clit. 

“We just started, baby,” Ellie chuckled and ran her tongue up along your slit. “Think you can wait a few more minutes? You just look so pretty like this…” She squeezed your thigh and looked up at you with a playful smirk. 

You stared at her, stunned by how she could be so dirty when she was the same girl who had been nervous to talk to you at the bar. How could she look so sexy when her chin and nose were both glistening with your slick and her hair was messy from you pulling on it? Was this the same girl who had choked after taking a drag from a joint?

“Please…” You moaned loudly and let your head fall back against the mattress. Ellie pulled away and kissed the inside of your thigh. 

“Fine, but only because you asked so nicely,” She smiled and stood up, pulling her underwear down and straddling your hips. “I wanna cum with you…” She mumbled as she leaned down and kissed you gently. 

A sharp gasp escaped your lips once you felt Ellie position her cunt against yours. Ellie let out a whiny moan and slowly rolled her hips forward, drawing out a loud sigh from you. Your bodies moved together slowly as if you were performing some heavenly dance. 

Her wet folds grinding against yours seemed to stop every thought in your head. You couldn’t recall the last person who had made you feel nearly this good– hell, you could barely form a coherent sentence. You reached out and grabbed Ellie’s hands, intertwining your fingers and squeezing her hands gently. 

“God, Ellie I can’t–” You stuttered and squeezed your eyes shut. 

“I know, me too…me too,” She groaned and tossed her head back. It wasn’t hard to tell by the way her thighs were beginning to shake or the loud profanities leaving her mouth that Ellie was just as close to orgasm as you were. 

It only took a few more moments before you came completely undone. A hot, sudden pleasure overcame you just as Ellie climaxed. As soon as the pleasure lulled, Ellie climbed off you and settled down next to you on the bed. 

“I didn’t want it to be like this,” Ellie whispered and turned to look at you. 

“What?” You giggled. 

“This,” She said and slid her arm around your waist. “I would’ve been more…romantic. Take you out to dinner, maybe show you all my favorite rooftops, I would’ve made this special.” 

You cupped her cheek and ran your thumb along her cheekbone. “I think tonight was pretty special. It was the best night I’ve ever had.” 

Ellie’s cheeks flushed slightly and a stupid smile tugged at her lips. “Don’t say that, it’ll inflate my ego.” 

“Alright then,”  

“Hey, promise me you won’t tell anyone about my–”

“Your secret identity? Trust me, I’ll take your secret to the grave.” 

“Thank you.” Ellie took your hand and placed a gentle kiss on the back. “I just want to keep you safe,”

“I know,” You sighed. 

On her nightstand, Ellie’s phone buzzed. You passed her the phone without hesitation. 

‘Active robbery occurring at…’ The headline flashed across her home screen. 

You watched as Ellie sat up and started grabbing her clothes off the floor. It had barely been ten minutes since the two of you had finished and she was already getting ready to run off and stop crime. 

“I’m so sorry, I just–” 

“You have to go,” You smiled and watched her slip into the suit. 

“Sorry,” She murmured, leaning down to kiss you before pulling the mask over her face. 

“Good luck and be safe,” You waved as she leaped out of the window and swung into the darkness of the night.

[hornychristianprincess]

wasted (leehan x fem reader) | preview

genre: college au, smut, fluff, angst, inspired by summer walker's wasted

pairing: fuckboy!leehan x reader

word count: anticipating 30k, will be split into 4 parts

summary: leehan doesn't usually do two-time hookups, and yet he makes an exception when he meets you. two times bleeds into three times bleeds into all the time, until you're in a full blown friends-with-benefits arrangement. surely this won't end with someone getting their heart broken, right?

estimated release date: TBA

preview below the cut

“I have to tell you, Y/N,” he opens his mouth to suddenly say, pulling away from your lips he goes to rid you of your shorts. “I don’t usually do two time hookups. After the first time, I thought I’d never you see again.”

Your chest rises and falls with the weight of several shaky breaths, desire racing through you as Leehan just plays with the little bow on your underwear, looking up at you as he awaits your response. “And is that what you wanted?” you ask. “To never see me again?”

“Not particularly. Still, that’s usually how these things go,” answers Leehan in an almost unfeeling way, something you don’t dwell on as the yanking of your underwear down your legs brings your attention to more important matters. ”But then you show up here, all pretty and badly-behaved, I couldn’t wait to get you alone.”

You’re not even given a chance to laugh at the words he uses to describe you before he lets a single, bony finger slip into your wetness, the stimulation of which has you already mewling, arching your back. He pushes it in and out of you in slow, teasing movements that are made lewd by the sound of your wetness gushing in and out with his finger. When he goes knuckle deep, curling the digit inside of you, you throw your head back, asking for more.

“I wanna make you come, Y/N. I wanna make you come so bad.”

“So do it,” you mumble in response, once again struck by the intensity of him giving you pleasure like this while keeping his eyes locked on your face. Despite your pleading and his own admitted eagerness to please you, he maintains a steadily slow pace of pushing his finger in and out of you.

“I have to let you know something first,” he says, and although you hear him take on a more serious tone, you don’t pay any mind to it, too focused on your building pleasure to analyze another one of his characteristic changes in disposition. “I’m not interested in being your boyfriend. Or anyone’s boyfriend for that matter.”

You slightly perk up at these words, wondering why it’s so important for him to tell you them now after he’s already took your clothes off and began fingering you into bliss. You don’t say anything in reply, only moan, hoping he’ll add another finger as he continues his languid movements.

“And if that’s an issue for you,” he continues, his voice grave and deep. “If you can’t fuck me knowing that, then we should stop now.”

To perhaps emphasize how serious he’s being, Leehan takes his finger out from you in one sudden movement, leaving you empty and unsatisfied. It has its desired effect because you find yourself sitting up, finally taking real consideration of his words.

“But if you still want me,” he says, the two of you face-to-face in a way that lets you see the absence of amusement in his expression for the first time since he started talking. “Then dare I say that I’ll look forward to this becoming a regular thing between us. Should you want that, of course.”

He runs a hand through his hair, perhaps expressing a bit of nervousness as he awaits your response to this sudden proposition you’ve been given. Finding it hard to take any of his musings serious, you reach a hand up to cup his cheek. “I mean, you’re not wrong,” you assert with a tilt of your head. “Why settle down when you can fuck anyone you want?”

Immediately understanding what you’re referencing, Leehan smirks. “You heard that?”

“Yeah,” you confirm with a pitying half-smile, “and it almost made every bit of attraction I had for you dry up.”

Even as Leehan smiles shyly, looking down to avoid your gaze, you still don’t get the feeling that he’s at all regretful about what you overheard him saying. “I mean, was I wrong?” he raises, running his fingers along the skin of your bare leg. “Right now, you’re what I want, and I’m fucking you, aren’t I? Is that not what this is?”

Faced with the reality of Leehan’s advances for the first time, you have a hard time deciding how you feel about the proposition he’s posed. You feel pulled to Leehan in a way you haven’t felt for anyone, ever. And a part of you is disappointed and maybe even a little sad that he’s basically asking you to boil down a dynamic you were curious to watch grow to just detached, casual sex. 

You could say no and remain friends. You’d be able to watch your relationship play out in a platonic manner. But that would be denying yourself of some of the best sex of your adult life, not to mention the pure herione that is feeling sexually desired and wanted by him.

Faced with such a dilemma, you defer to your instincts. And instinctually, you’re inclined to believe that maybe you and Leehan were meant to meet this way. Before now, you don’t think you would have ever went for someone like Leehan with romantic intentions. He’s too wayward, too free-spirited. And yet, your paths were brought together in an unlikely way, and perhaps you should lean into the feeling that caused you to follow him into a stranger’s bedroom just a few weeks ago – the promise of mindblowing sex.

“You’re an enigma, Kim Leehan,” you declare with sincerity. “I don’t want to be your girlfriend either. No offense.”

“None taken,” he replies with breezy indifference, bringing his hand to lay over the one you have on his face. “But don’t say that so easily. You don’t know me well enough yet.”

You roll your eyes at yet another show of cockiness from him. “And are you saying if I did, I would fall for you?”

Even as his expression remains passive, he replies forebodingly, “Isn’t that usually how these things end?”

You’re not sure what to make of that statement, so you decide not to respond. “Like I said, I don’t want to be your girlfriend. I do, however, want you to fuck the shit out of me. You’re capable of that, no?”

Leehan stares at you like he’s only now just capturing you and your essence, and his expression is that of someone in awe. It makes your heart and core flutter at the same time. “I really hope you’re being serious when you say you don’t want to be my girlfriend, Y/N,” he mumbles, and then, he’s leaning in to kiss you

a/n -- send an ask or leave a comment to be added to the taglist for when this fic drops!

[cocogum]

Togashi planned different endings for HxH.

The fourth one surprised people.

Recently, there have been news regarding Togashi on his health and what would become of HxH in the near future, so he wrote his answers on a talk show for an interview. From the small leaks and sneak peeks that people were able to gather and collect from the ongoing interview, we got to know a bit more about Togashi’s thought process as well as what he had planned for some scenes to go about but later changed.

These sneak peeks and leaks were later translated by these same fans and got shown on Reddit. You can find some of the translated questions and answers HERE!

But while this was going on, what really caught the fans’ attention about this interview (that we got of for now), were the possible endings Togashi had in mind. Since his health and back weren’t doing so good, Togashi figured he could at least give us some information on the possible endings of HxH he had planned. Of course, his answer was in Japanese but thankfully, some fans (like @pewpiece on Twitter) were able to take some parts and pieces of the explanation and translate it for us.

This is what Togashi said:

According to what the translation is saying, Togashi has planned THREE possible endings for HxH and has also estimated how good the ending would impact the fans.

Ending A (the first one), seems to look rather fine. This ending is deemed to be satisfactory by 50% and unsatisfactory by 20%.

Ending B (the second one), looks like it’ll have an equally mixed reaction. This ending is deemed to be satisfactory by 50% and unsatisfactory by 50%.

Ending C (the third one), looks like it’ll have the worst reactions between them all. This ending is deemed to be satisfactory by only 10% and extremely unsatisfactory by 90%. (Ending C is very likely that it’ll receive negative remarks but Togashi kept that one possible ending around because he personally liked it.)

Despite the fact that he had made three ending possibilities for HxH, he still plans on keeping them on the side to think about a bigger ending that could be better and bigger than the three he had made up: “I want to think to the utmost extent about an ending to the point where I might not choose any of these three and create what I find most enjoyable, which is my ideal and goal.” -Togashi on paragraph 2.

He also mentioned, however, that if he doesn’t find a better ending than these three before his time runs out, he’ll resort using the fourth ending as the true ending.

Yes, there’s a fourth ending that he hasn’t estimated the satisfactory and unsatisfactory rate of. Apparently, he had planned a fourth ending but scrapped it. It’s called the “Ending D” (or the fourth ending) and was the reason why people are starting to talk about this interview (at least from my end).

Curiously, Ending D was the one that had been talked about more by Togashi. Since he didn’t give any estimation on the satisfactory and unsatisfactory rate, he decided to tell us a bit on what it would be about.

To summarize it, here’s what it’s about:

Gon ends up marrying Noko, the only other kid on Whale Island, and they end up having kids. Now, Gon and Noko are grandparents and we get introduced to their granddaughter named Jin who was currently following the Freecss tradition: taking out the Lake Lord fish and share it with the other Whale Island residents. She ends up catching the fish and proudly goes up to her mother to tell her that she will not leave the island to become a hunter (insinuating that this must be a requirement once you capture the Lake Lord fish) and she’d rather stay here to inherit her parents’ place instead. Jin then goes to the shop from Mito’s days to cut up the fish all while thinking about how her mother will never understand how she’s saddened by the fact that being a hunter meant making the people that you love worry for you. Jin complains about how grandpa Gon is unaware of how his hunter stories make grandma Noko sad which is why Jin has decided that she’ll never become a hunter. Then, just as she had finished thinking about her resolve, a chubby little boy (holding a plant for some reason) enters the shop to which Jin seems to act very comfortable with. She tells him that she had caught the Lake Lord fish and they are both happy as they begin cooking it together.

This ending is odd because of three major key points.

1) This ending sounds way too much like a shonen anime ending where it’s a childhood love story like so many main pairings have gone through in the past. Plenty of people would be complaining (and even stating) that this ending is fake since Togashi would never write something this basic but you have to understand that he DID write something like this back when he was working on his old work Yu Yu Hakusho. The main character Yusuke returns after his adventures to get married to his childhood friend Keiko.

2) The way Togashi worded the ending at the end of it.

“The son of one of them, the daughter of another, and the grandchild of another live in different places, exchanging smiles. They might be the children of that character and the grandchildren of that character.” - last paragraph

This specific chunk of paragraph sounds a bit confusing at first read since Togashi doesn’t name any of these people and doesn’t address or clarify who is who. All we know, is that the “children of that character” and “the grandchildren of that character” is Gon when Togashi says “that character” since it has been established that his granddaughter Jin, the little boy with the plant, and the two kids’ parents are aware of who Gon is. However, we get confused yet again once it says “the son of one of them” and “the daughter of another” implying that “one of them” and “another” is not just Gon. This all seems a bit confusing but Togashi does have a habit of remaining ambiguous and vague when he explains in interviews.

3) The last line of the translation ends with “In the background, a figure watches the scene.” Who’s the figure you ask? No one knows.

Nonetheless, what we do know now, is that Ending D should NOT be ignored.

Many fans have already concluded that it shouldn’t be taken seriously because Togashi ‘scrapped’ it out but you have to understand that he had kept it around and WILL use it if time runs out for him and he doesn’t manage to find a better ending than the three he already has.

This is why the Ending D, also known as the fourth ending, should also be known as the default ending.

So if Togashi can’t continue anymore, this could be the true ending for HxH.

Keep in mind that this is Gon’s ending too.

We have no idea what he has in store for Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio not to mention Hisoka and the Phantom Troupe.

———————————————————————

Btw I can’t believe I’m seeing this cuz I once talked about Noko like two years ago and said how I wished that she could have more scenes or anything remotely interesting about her AND NOW WE GET THIS!!!?!! Damn.

this is the post I was talking about her if ur wondering.

I’m sure other ppl must’ve wondered about her too at some point cuz why would Togashi include the fact that she’s also the only other kid on Whale Island if ur not gonna do anything about that fact???

@thelovelyghostwriter

@itsmyara

@cautionworks

[akiranzee]

❤️ • ° ` — “HATE TO LOVE YOU”

-> PAIRINGS: Sanemi Shinazugawa x f!Hashira!Y/n -> SUMMARY: You like him, but he hates you. Or so you think. -> WORD COUNT: 2.0k+ -> CONTAINS: fluff, a little cursing, a little suggestive (it’s js 1 paragraph lol), sanemi is 21 & reader is 19. -> A/N: this was sitting in my drafts for quite a while LMAO. anw, i’m gonna change some things here; genya got killed by his mother, so meaning only sanemi survived.

-------------Loading…------------

------------Complete!------------

It was that time of season, which you hated most, feeling all cold and shivering.

“Y/n-san!” Someone called out to you, only to reveal the kind boy you have met back at the Hashira meeting.

“Oh, Tanjiro-kun!” You yelled back, waving at him all smiley.

“What are you doing here, Y/n-san?” And you just then realized you are right in front of the wind hashira’s estate.

You didn’t know what you even came here for, perhaps you forgot, or perhaps you just... felt like it.

You asked Tanjiro the same question, his answer somewhere being ‘Shinobu-san asked me to bring Shinazugawa-san his medicines’.

Well, good luck Tanjiro.

Oh, now you remember.

Now you remember what you were doing in front of the wind hashira’s estate.

You wanted to give him some ohagis you made, which by the way, you’re holding right now.

I mean, he got injured in his last mission, so of course you have to pay him a visit. Especially when you like him, after all.

But instead of handing him the ohagis, you decided to pussy out and go back to your own estate.

Reaching your estate, you place the ohagis on the table and ate it in his stead.

You had dreams of one day, in this table, the both of you would eat, and he would sit right in front of you, talking about sweet nothings.

Also, desires of where he’ll sleep beside you in the bed, naked and covered in sweat, making love like there’s no tomorrow.

Those were the dreams and desires you wished to achieve. But you know damn well, that they will only be your dreams and desires, and will be nothing more than that.

It’s a painful thought, of course. But you can’t help but think he hates you.

And he’s shown countless signs of it.

When one time, you did hand him some ohagis you made, but he just told you to scram off. So in the end, you just decided to go back later when he’s inside his estate, and leave it outside.

Second time was when Oyakata-sama assigned you both for a mission. It was an easy mission, the demon wasn’t even an uppermoon or a lowermoon. It was just a normal one. But even so, Sanemi spat out his usual words to say to you, ‘weak’, ‘fragile’, ‘useless’, and ‘pitiful’.

Third time was when he also got very injured and you can’t help but get worried of course. So you and your dumbass decided to volunteer to bring Sanemi’s soup and medicine, only to be thrown straight to your face.

You’re lucky the soup was just mild hot, or else your face would’ve been burned.

And well, those were the times you clearly remember as they were the most hurtful times with him by far.

But even so, you still like him. Whatever can this feeling called ‘love’ ever do to a person? It’s crazy and it’s scaring you.

It’s scary how every single time he keeps pushing you away, you fall for him more and more instead.

It’s scary how every single time he curses at you, you even talk to him more and more.

It’s scary how every single time he rolls his eyes and avoids you, you follow him more and more.

It’s scary how ‘love’ can turn you into this kind of person.

And you don’t even hate it. Not even a single bit.

Even your friends, or your fellow hashiras ask you why, why did you fall in love with this scary scarred maniac.

And you don’t even know why. It must have been just... fate.

~~~~~

2 weeks later, Oyakata-sama called you for a mission.

It was to assassinate the lowermoon 2, somewhere deep in the forest.

You’ve been running around the dark forest for which you’ve estimated to be 3 hours atleast.

It was tiring, sure, but you’ve trained for more than a year to reach where you are now.

And you can’t let this lowermoon stop you.

It was a dumb act, that you’ve only realized the purpose of this demon once you were tired enough.

It was to tire you while running around the whole forest looking for him, when the forest itself is the demon’s blood demon art.

And once you’ve reached your limit, the demon camouflaged you at the right time, injuring your stomach and right leg.

You were obviously at a disadvantage, and your injuries hurted like hell, especially when it’s winter, and the cold is slowing you down.

But those didn’t stop you. Instead, you took your katana that fell out of your grip the moment the demon injured you, and tried your best to execute your fighting stance.

It was hard to breathe, your vision was slowly getting blurry, and your chest was feeling heavy.

It was as if you were almost gonna pass out, considering that you’ve went past your limits already.

The demon was about to attack you, and you were about to defend, but then suddenly, not even in a blink, the demon’s head fell off.

You didn’t know why or how, but your confusion was quickly solved when you saw a certain white haired man strolling right up to you.

“S-Shinazugawa-san!” You called out, causing your knees to give in, and causing Sanemi to sprint towards you.

If he hadn’t caught both your arms by now, you would’ve fallen head first to the ground.

“W-What are you doing here?” You managed to stutter out, blood dripping out of your mouth.

“Let’s get you to the butterfly estate first.” Sanemi said gruffly, swiftly carrying you in his arms bridal-style like you weigh just as a feather, and off he ran.

It was short, simple, and brash. But you swore you saw something wet in his eyes.

But you must’ve been just imagining it. Why would he, Sanemi Shinazugawa, the cold hearted wind pillar, cry for someone like you?

Your vision is blurry, that must be it.

Then, darkness completely takes over your sight, and falling asleep into his arms.

~~~~~

It’s comfy, warm, and soft. You tried to open your eyes and adjust to the lighting, only to hear a shriek coming from Aoi,

“HYA! L/N-SAN IS AWAKE!!” Aoi called out, sprinting out of the room and repeated the sentence thrice.

Your eyes were hurting by how the light hit your eyes, but even so, you still saw the one and only, Sanemi Shinazugawa.

“Let me have a minute with her.” Sanemi breathed out, and that was all it took for the both of you to be left alone.

“Sanemi-san... How are you?” You asked, smiling oh so gently at him without even noticing you called him by his first name.

“...You ask me that? Why don’t you look at your fucking self!? You look more pathetic and weak than me, hell, do you even care about yourself at this point!?” Sanemi snapped, and you were shocked.

Shocked because he never or you never saw him acting this way towards others. Even with Rengoku’s death, he didn’t cry, he didn’t get angry when they’ve known each other far more longer than the both of you know each other.

So why? Why does Sanemi Shinazugawa care for you? When after all, all he’s ever done was to push you away, curse at you, and roll his eyes at you.

So what does this sudden change mean?

“Damn it... Why can’t you just atleast stay...” Sanemi whispered under his breath, but you swore it was loud enough for the whole room to hear it.

“What do you mean?” Sending him a questioning and confused gaze, only to realize you weren’t supposed to hear that.

“Stop. Just stop. I don’t want to do anything with you anymore. Why do you keep making me feel like this? I hate this. I don’t like you. I despise you. I shouldn’t have saved you. I hate you.” He sprouted words again, but this time, you were far from believing them.

You saw the look on his eyes while saying those things, as if they were the complete opposite to what he just said.

He was on the verge of tears.

~~~~~

Sanemi Shinazugawa. 21 years old. Cold, arrogant, aggressive, and scary. Name him any heartless names you have, and it will easily define him.

Sanemi Shinazugawa. 13 years old. Kind, friendly, and bright. Name him any kind names you have, and it will easily define him.

Whatever does this two have a difference? It’s of the same man, but with different personalities.

Ah, that’s right. It was when Sanemi Shinazugawa still had everything, and when he had lost everything.

He was just a child, who’s childhood has been robbed away from him.

He was just a person, who tried to protect his family.

He was just a human, who make mistakes.

But why? Why can he never keep anything or anyone for himself?

His mother, his siblings, Masachika, Genya, all the people important and close to him. He could never keep them.

They’d always die when they’re near him. They’d always end up in a pool of blood, with tons of injuries.

Sanemi can never keep anything and nothing can ever belong to him. He always lose everything. He can never call something or someone his.

~~~~~

“W-What do you mean, Shinazugawa-san?” You reached out to his face, trying to wipe the tears away, but he obviously just slaps it away.

“Don’t touch me dammit.” He looks at you with anger, and maybe hatred. But his voice cracks, as if he didn’t want to say that.

“Sanemi-san, why do you keep pushing me away? I've always tried to be your friend, but why? Why do you hate me so much?” You questioned, feeling your heart break and tears threatening to spill out.

“I can never keep anyone.” He started, slowly calming down.

“Everyone who I’ve called friend, family, and brother. I’ve lost all of them. They all end up dying. I don’t want to get close to you, or else you might just become one of them. Be a bloody body laying on a pool of blood, all lifeless right in front of me. I don’t want to get attached to you, but you just keep going near me and it’s annoying.” He slowly looked at you, and you could see his eyes filled with sadness.

Ah, so that’s why. That’s why he’s always pushing you away, always rejecting you, always avoiding you. He just tried to protect you.

“The day you tried to give me ohagi, I had to build up much courage to push you away, but I found and ate it outside my estate either way. The day that Oyakata-sama also assigned us both on a mission, I told you those things to make you feel worthless and helpless. I didn’t want you fighting that demon, because who knows, you might just die in front of me. Also when you brought me that soup, I didn’t mean to throw it straight at your face. I aimed at the door, but my hand didn’t function correctly if I may say. On that last winter too, you gifted me 2 kimonos but I didn’t have any gift for you. And this winter too, you were about to give me ohagi, weren’t you?” He continued, looking away from your eyes.

It’s great that he looked away from you, or else he could’ve seen the ugly look on your face while crying.

You were crying because you weren’t sad. Instead because you were happy. Happy that you now knew your crush doesn't hate you.

And because he was rude to you not because he hates you, but because he wanted you to live.

You find yourself sitting up, reaching for his neck, and pulling him in for a hug.

That was his breaking point.

Tears started to flow down his cheeks, burying his face in your chest, and this time, he hugged back, not pushing you away anymore.

“Maybe. Just maybe, I could keep you. You could be mine.” Sanemi thought, slowly tightening his hug on you.

Sanemi Shinazugawa didn’t love to hate you. He hated to love you.

[dragonfly0808]

Sneak Peak

Hey guys! So, since I’m not posting till next Friday, I thought I’d give yall a little sneak peak to build hype for the next chapter.

Also, there might be some more moodboards of the sibling squad friendships in the week

Here’s the very first part of the next chapter!

Roxy was not going to think about it.

Nope. No sir, she was going to put that into a little box, shove it to the corner of her mind and ignore it for a good while.

She knew it couldn’t be the whole story, but she did not have the energy to dig into it. 

Nope. Not doing it.

Instead, Roxy was focusing on packing.

As it turned out, she’d managed to convince her dad to let her go to Solaria for Chimera’s birthday, which meant she had to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything for her very first interdimensional trip.

She had her pj’s, her toothbrush, a change for the following day, comfy shoes and a pillow just in case.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Her dad asked for the hundredth time as he paced just outside her door.

“Yeah, the squad have done this a hundred times.”

“Has Naten? He’ll be the one piloting right?”

“Yeah, he’s done it… a few times on his own. But don’t worry, Alexa will also be there.”

Her dad stopped for a moment, cocking his head, “And Shirley?”

“…yeah her too but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t actually have any experience in piloting.”

Her dad smirked, “Hmm.”

“Anyway, what’s important is that I trust Naten and Alexa and they just got their official piloting license like yesterday-”

“Yesterday?!”

“So it’s fine. They have the training and everything, seriously dad, it’ll be fine.”

Her dad shook his head for a moment, “Alright… if they have their official license I guess it should be fine… even if they’ve only had it for twenty-four hours… just be careful okay? And have fun.”

“You got it dad.”

Roxy all but skipped over to her dad, giving him a big hug, “Wish Chimera a happy birthday on my behalf.”

Half an hour later, Roxy stood in Bloom’s backyard, jaw hanging as she stared at the ship that had just landed.

A smaller version of the Owl, according to Timmy, the ramp lowered and Naten ran down with a huge smile, “I told you I could do a controlled landing by myself!”

Shirley appeared at the top, eyes wide and clutching her stomach, “You call that a controlled landing?!”

Riven nudged Sky, “Still better than the time we landed in Black Mud Swamp.”

Sky chuckled at that, “That was a crash not a landing Riv… man I’d nearly forgotten about that.”

They made quick work of grabbing Roxy’s stuff and showing off the ship while Tecna yelled from the bottom of the ramp to keep to the speed limit and to be careful.

The ramp closed up as Naten wrapped an arm around Roxy, “Alright ladies, let’s get this show on the road! Roxy, this is your seat, right next to the window so you have the best view.” He strolled on to sit at what Roxy could only assume to be the ‘helm’, a control panel filled with buttons and levers before him, “Please remain seated during our flight and maintain idle chatter, gossip is welcome on board, I am your beloved captain Naten, my co-captain is Alexa, we depart now at 9:17. a.m. from the lovely planet Earth, our destination is Solaria and we estimate an arrival time of 12:23 p.m. Thank you for flying with Newbie Pilots, now let’s get going!”

“Wait, you’re sure you can do this?”

“Roxy, I learned how to drive in Zenith, if you can drive there you can drive anywhere.”

Alexa snorted, “You learned to drive a tractor Nate.”

“Oh yee of little faith, we’ll be just fine. Now… for a smooth ascent.”

Roxy’s body suddenly lurched back and Shirley yelped before yelling at Naten.

[bahbahhh]

begin again

a lot of change happens in between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. let’s fill in the gaps.

zelda pov | zelink | totk spoilers | rated T zelinkweek2023 | @zelinkcommunity

[first] [previous] [ ao3 ]

ao3 appears to be back up more consistently, but I will continue to post full chapters on tumblr.

your comments, kudos, reblogs, likes, feral tags, questions, curiosities, are all so appreciated. seriously, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

read on ao3

chapter 3

for the prompt “letters”

‘You sure?’ Link signs with one hand. He’s sifting through the chest at the foot of his bed, layers of silk and cotton and wool in every color around his feet. He’s started clearing out unessential belongings from the Sheikah Slate in preparation for his travel and by the looks of it, – there are piles of material everywhere (gemstones, rock salt, a heap of shields, a basket of Hinox toenails) – he seems a little overwhelmed he has to manage the sorting manually once again.  

Zelda leans her back against the banister lining the loft that overlooks the main floor to his home. There is a bundle of blue nightshade in the vase by his bed. It glows dimly in the absence of sunlight through the window, like a children’s bedside candle. She used to have one to ward off nightmares after her mother died. 

“I’m sure,” Zelda answers and glances back at the nightshade. Does he just prefer them or does he need the glow? After he emerged from the Shrine of Resurrection, when she was still able to watch over him while he slept, in the shade of a tree, in a corner bed of a traveler’s stable, by a small fire in the wild, she would sometimes catch him jolting into consciousness. Frantically reaching for whatever weapon was laid to rest beside him, pulling back from the spot his body had been, as if trying to escape something unseen and unyielding. For some reason, she always imagined a dozen hands reaching out for him from the dark of his dreams.

He stops sifting through the chest at the foot of his bed and turns to face her. ‘It’s cold.’

“Yup.”

“Really cold,” he says out loud.

“I remember.” She flinches as the words roll off her tongue. Such a simple phrase and yet, spoken to him, after all he’s been through, it feels like a knife in her hands. She knows he’s just being honest, thoughtful even, but the insecure parts of her claim he doesn’t want her to come. She crosses her arms over her chest and tries to keep the edge out of her tone. “I’d like to see the Spring.”

It's the last shrine in the region for Link to clear. Tomorrow he’ll be off to Eldin to start on the shrines there and then he’ll work his way east. An urgent message came in about a week ago from the Gorons. The lava appears to be cooling and they fear Death Mountain will fall dormant before they can commit Vah Rudania into the central vent. No one can recall a time when the Gorons expressed urgency, so Link’s original journey was revised. 

It’s taken two full months to plot out Link’s path. They have to be somewhat strategic about the shrines because he loses the ability to fast travel when he clears one, which isn’t much of an issue at the start, but as the shrines disappear, he will need to rely more upon horseback or foot to navigate back and forth. He is to clear a region, take a monster census, check in with the group running point on the guardian removal, load whatever is left into the Sheikah Slate, and then move onto the next region. They estimate he can clear at least three shrines a day. Originally, the plan proposed more, but Link hinted at the unpleasant side effects of excessive Slate travel and the Summit unanimously agreed to accept whatever he could manage. 

Purah estimates if they stay on track, all Sheikah Technology could be gone in a year. 

A year. 

Link turns back to the trunk. He fishes out a tunic, vest, and trousers, embroidered with the symbols of Rito Village, and tosses them in her direction. Zelda lunges forward to catch it all, weighing them in her arms carefully. Impossibly light for how thick the material is, she can smell the crispness of Tabanthan wind, like it’s woven into the fabric itself. 

She blinks. “Is this your snowquill set?”

He nods. 

“You’ve just finished telling me how cold Mount Lanayru’s peak is.”

He nods and holds up an emerald green doublet. The right sleeve is badly torn. 

Zelda shakes her head, holding out the snowquill set to him. “ I don’t need–”

He gives her a look. It will take him all of a minute to clear the shrine with the Slate, but they have to travel by foot down the mountain to Kakariko because he’s already cleared the rest of the surrounding shrines (hence the need for strategy moving forward). 

“I can wear the doublet,” she insists. He rolls his eyes. The ease with which he accepts personal discomfort has always bothered her, but especially now when it is on her behalf. She wants to tell him doesn’t own her anything, not his best cold gear, not his smile; that she’s better equipped to handle being uncomfortable than most after standing in a festering spring of rot and oil for a hundred years, but before she can protest further, he lifts his shirt up over his head. 

Scars weave like roads on a map across his chest, memories of pain etched forever into olive skin, the worst of which a blossom of twisted flesh on his left side where the guardian carved an entire piece of him out with a fatal glare all those years ago. It’s memory she wishes would erode with time, but clear as the day it happened, she can still feel the scream he let out when it hit him in her teeth.

He pulls his head through the hole in the doublet and makes eye contact with her.  Zelda busies herself with folding and refolding the snowquill set over her arm. She can see him shifting in her peripheral, pulling off his pants, rummaging around the trunk for another pair and some boots that will protect him against the mountain. When he’s satisfied and set, he grabs the Master Sword and exits the loft wordlessly, gifting her privacy when he takes none for himself. She’s left to change and try to diffuse the electric current running across her skin.

Somehow, she does, only for it to return the second she comes down the main floor and he tells her they have to be touching in order for the Sheikah Slate to transport them both. 

“What?” She tries to keep her voice steady. Link holds the Slate out, inspects the space between them, and then steps directly into her. They stand toe to toe, so close she can smell the pepper from the elixir on his breath. “You’ve- uh- you’ve done this before?”

He shakes his head and lifts his gaze to look at her through pale lashes. She can see specks in his eyes so blue it’s like something is always lit behind them. “It’s only meant for me, right?” he says. “It has to register you as part of me.” 

“Oh,” Zelda would be fascinated if her stomach wasn’t knotted so tight. “Should I…?” She lifts her hands toward his chest, hesitating. 

He nods. Zelda swallows. Come on, you walked into the mouth of ethereal darkness completely alone, you slayed the Great Calamity and purged all its malice from the realm, you can touch him. She wraps her arms around his middle and tucks her head into his shoulder. She feels him lift up onto his toes so he can see the Slate, hears him select the shrine, and then the world bleaches white. 

It’s an incredibly awful feeling; to exist and then just not; to splinter into a million pieces of burning magic. At least when she was with the Calamity, her physical body remained, acting like an anchor inside the neverending storm of magic. If there is any doubt inside her about the validity of Link’s theory, about Sheikah Technology being powered by spirit energy, there isn’t now. With her soul is exposed and pulsing like a nerve, she can sense the entirety of the Sheikah Technology network - all the shrines, every guardian, the towers stretching up into the sky, the furnaces burning outside the Labs - all these things without a mouth suddenly have one, and they open wide and desperate, and begin to siphon energy from her.

She comes back to herself in pieces, and when there is enough for her to cling to him, she does, gasping Lanayru’s frigid air into her lungs. She immediately starts shivering violently– although it feels more from shock than from cold. 

He leans back enough to see her face, his hands on her, smoothing hair back from her eyes. He opens his mouth, but his voice doesn’t quite leave his throat. She watches him give up on speech quickly, and instead, tilts his head with concern. 

“D-does it feel that terrible to you?” She gasps.

Link nods. She can see all the color has completely drained from his face. His eyes are sunken, the glow in the speckles now dim, like he’s been wounded and is bleeding out. 

She hates that she knows what that looks like. 

“Every time?”

He’s still inspecting her. Maybe making sure all of her made it back. When he’s satisfied, he steps back and bends over to retrieve the Sheikah Slate which sits in the snow, several inches deep, at their feet. He must have dropped it when he reached for her face. Or it just fell when they reappeared. That’s more likely, she tells herself.

He nods again, and signs, ‘I didn’t try it again for a year after the first time.’ 

Zelda often thinks about why it took Link so long to enter the Sanctum. Initially, after he gained the paraglider and the Runes, he launched himself off the Great Plateau and made a beeline for the castle. Zelda watched him march through the ruins of their fallen kingdom, seemingly fearless and determined to reach her, until he walked into the nest of hostile guardian stalkers crawling over the bones of Castle Town. Calamity slipped out of her hands for a moment, and swirled into the sky to greet him, spewing a fountain of malice so high into the atmosphere it stained the moon. Link ran all the way to Blatchery Plain and didn’t step foot in Central Hyrule again for nearly two years.  

Fear was a big part of it, but as Zelda watched him grow stronger, as memory started to return to him, she couldn’t help but feel like he was searching the Wild for something that could strip him of the destiny he could barely remember. Something that could sever the connection between them. She willed herself to give him grace, to smother the resentment that began to fester in every extra inch he put between himself and the castle. How could she damn him for running from fate when she herself resisted it as long as she could?

Those thoughts are even uglier now, having experienced what it was actually like to use the technology that waited ten thousand years for him. That was made for him.

“Link, you can’t do that more than once a day,” She wraps her arms around herself and shakes her head. 

‘It’s what needs to be done,’ he signs. 

“No,” Zelda steps forward. He doesn’t retreat, so they are close enough to touch again. She holds herself tighter to keep from reaching for him. “It’s not. I’m serious. We don’t need to do this so it's over in a year. We have time. We have help, now. ” 

He looks at her for a long minute. His expression is painfully neutral at first, guarded, but then it softens and at the same time, life starts to bleed back into his cheeks. He reaches out and grips her shoulder, firm enough to register between the layers of Rito feathers; enough to reach the parts of her that feel lost and guilty and alone. 

Link makes for the shrine. Zelda inhales and blinks the tears from her eyes, trying to hold onto the warmth he’s ignited inside her while his back is turned. The Spring invites her forward. She sets her jaw and glares at the eerily still water, unable to lift her eyes to the statue even though she can make out the reflection of the Goddess in the water. 

Does she pray? Speaking of running from destiny and owing nothing. Is devotion all she has to offer? Is it all they expect of her? She can see Link at the shrine in the cave just beyond the Spring. There is a flash of bright light and then a slow creep of darkness as the shrine disappears. She’s squeezing herself so tight her arms begin to ache, fighting against the muscle memory of where her hands go when she’s standing in this spot. 

No, she’ll never pray again, but the thing that was supposed to occupy her hands, the key to her new sense purpose, all of it will be gone in a year. It’s already gone from this place. All that is left is the statue and ice and waters that know her more than she seems to know herself.  

The wind on Lanayru’s peak is as brutal as it was a century ago. It rips at her exposed skin, and she’s immediately grateful to be wearing more than she had the last time she climbed to the top. When she climbed to the top…

Something pulls at the back of her skull, a nagging tiny detail she’s suddenly aware she is missing. It’s enough to force her gaze up to the Goddess, who has her blank eyes fixed on Zelda, waiting, as unhelpful as ever. 

Zelda can’t stop the question from pushing past her lips the second he’s within earshot.

“What’s the date?”

He pauses.

“Today’s date?” She repeats. “What is it?”

He tells her.

It’s her birthday. 

The same day a hundred years ago she failed in this very spot and the Calamity emerged, bringing terror and death and the near end of the world. If he remembers, it doesn’t register on his face. He just looks cold and a little confused. No one else would remember the date, everyone it was significant to is dead.

‘What’s wrong?’ He sweeps his hands in front of her face to get her attention. She didn’t see him approach her through the swarm of her thoughts. 

Above their heads, Naydra, a ribbon of ice, circles the mountain and lets out a groan.  

“Nothing. It’s just I’m…I’m 18.” Zelda replies in a hollow tone. Even as she says it, it doesn't feel true. She can’t decide if she feels eighteen or a hundred and eighteen. It is just a date, and somehow, it’s the same as the moment he recommended they destroy the Sheikah Technology and Hyrule rallied, the instant she realized Purah has been circling Sheikah Towers on maps, when the shrine by his house disappeared into nothing before her eyes. 

It’s time to move on. 

Link was right. It is cold. Pillars of crystal blue ice curve into fingers that point down. Away from the Spring and prayers she will never say again, in the direction of a spot in the distance, maybe the same the Sheikah Eye looks to now, that Zelda can’t quite see, but everyone else seems to trust. 

Snow begins to fall in sheets of white, a storm summoned by Naydra’s descent. It rapidly begins covering the path ahead.  If she doesn’t move her feet soon, she risks becoming trapped. Frozen. 

The fire his touch lit inside her goes out. She looks at him and the light behind his eyes. She’s so desperate for warmth and Purah said it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, anyway-

Zelda lunges forward into his arms, buries her face in the doublet she should be wearing, and lets out a sob that is swallowed by the wind. 

—-

Three weeks after Link leaves for Eldin, a letter arrives in Hateno addressed to her.  

Zelda stayed behind to focus on phase two of the restoration efforts. That has always been the plan, but when she watched Link disappear, face caged by the helm of his flamebreaker armor because he was teleporting right into the beating heart of Death Mountain to see the cooling lava for himself, she couldn’t help but feel regret she didn’t ask to go with him. 

Purah put her to work immediately. There are a few moments that have felt good even without Link there, like when they helped Reede figure out how to update the irrigation system, meaning the village can plan to double their crops next year; or whenever Purah pulls her aside to get her thoughts on the Anti-Aging Rune. 

It’s what needs to be done.

His words replay over and over again in her head. They keep her from doing selfish things, like looking over the proposal stuffed under her bed or cocooning herself away from the world in her tiny cot in Purah’s study. They have a kingdom to restore and jobs to be done; roles to define. Now is not the time to be self-serving. It is time to move forward. To let go of the past. Bury what she can’t destroy. 

Zelda,

I’m hoping the letter survives the heat. When I’m close to the belly of the mountain, my arrows start smoking. Took your advice. There are only ten shrines in Eldin and no one seemed to notice I was a day behind schedule when I reached Goron City. I’m not saying I won’t use fast travel when I need to, but it feels easier to travel how I prefer after what you said. Thanks. 

The bike helps. Did you know I have one? It is shaped like a horse. Climbs the rocky terrain around the mountain pretty good and I don’t feel guilty like I would if it was one of my own. The horse god would have my head. I’ve never asked her what she thinks about a Divine Beast in her liking.  

Anyway, it’s the only thing I think I’ll miss about the Tech. 

Will you write to me? I meant to ask before I left, but it never felt like the right time. Would give me something to look forward to.

Link

Zelda rereads the last sentence three times. Every inch of her is warm and buzzing. Her heart rabbits against her breast so hard she has to set down the letter and fold over herself, pulling air in through her nose until everything slows enough for her to form a coherent thought. 

She has a response ready before the sun sets the same day. 

Link,

I’m glad to hear you are taking care of yourself. Have you been able to rest, too? You said you were a day behind schedule, which means you still traveled dozens of miles of craggy terrain in record time. If you are looking to make a habit out of my taking my advice, please prioritize your rest. 

I didn’t know about the bike. It was more challenging to watch over you toward the end and I’m assuming that’s when you received it. Did I ever tell you I did that? If these letters are meant to have a theme, I suppose I should share something, too, right?  

I would be happy to write to you. I will be leaving for Tarrey Town in a month’s time. I’m not sure when this letter will reach you or when you’ll have time to respond, but I’m to meet with Hudson to hear the rough proposal for rebuilding efforts across Hyrule once the Sheikah Technology is gone. 

Everything is moving so fast. I suppose it all feels fast to me now. It’s a good thing, right?

Zelda

His letter breathes new life into her final days in Hateno. She borrows an old shirt out of Link’s trunk, rolls up the sleeves, and volunteers to help Dantz and his sister Koyin build out the fence for more livestock. The learning curve is pretty steep, she’s never had so much dirt cakes under the fingernails, and although Koyin seems a little annoyed with her at the start, when Zelda shows up with the sun the following morning, ready to work, the tension dissipates by noon.

His next letter comes a week later. 

Zelda,

I’m resting when I need to. I hope you are, too.

We never talked about that, but it makes my memories of that time feel less lonely now. Thank you.

Eldin has the least amount of shrines and guardians, so I’ll be heading east soon. I’ve got the cores.The Gorons plan to use most of the guardian metal in their restoration territories to reinforce the mines closer to the volcano since it withstands the heat well. 

They are sending Vah Rudania into the fire tomorrow morning. It still feels as hot as hell up here, but they are convinced something is changing inside the mountain and want to get it over with. They will be splitting their aid between Central Hyrule and Akkala to help the Hylians once it's all said and done. Yubuno is leading the charge to Akkala.  Say hi to him if you see him. He’s more useful than he gives himself credit for. 

Hudson’s an interesting guy. Watch yourself – not like he’s dangerous or anything, but he’ll have you running errands for him if you aren’t careful. He’s good at selling what he’s invested in and nothing is more important to him than forward motion. Except maybe his wife, Rhondson. I think they had their baby girl right before the Summit. He was anxious about being away. Can’t remember the name. 

If the building is up to Hudson, it’ll be in good hands. 

It does feel fast, but at the end of it all, it's just another year. Important things take time. 

Link

His penmanship is challenging. She can tell he’s either walking or riding while he writes by the blotches of ink and the aggressive slant in his writing which means either he’s lying about the rest, or he’s multitasking because of it. 

They exchange several letters in the six months she spends in Tarrey Town. Hudson is passionate about what he’s good at, and she learns more about infrastructure and the philosophy of construction than she imagined possible. She watches him raise three new homes from nothing in the time she is there.  Everyone in the village plays a part, down to the children who paint the stamps of the town’s symbol; a heart, which Hudson says is the most essential resource they have for the restoration ahead. It’s the kind of thing a real leader says. She’s learned better than to get ahead of herself, but the idea Hyrule could grow without her needing to take the throne, where she is bound to fail them again, if someone like Hudson guided them takes root. 

She half-jokingly starts referring to him as President Hudson. 

Zelda also spends time with his infant daughter, Mattison, whose tiny fingers and bright emerald eyes give Zelda enough strength to keep her teary eyes on the horizon when Purah announces she and Robbie have a plan for the Sheikah Towers– tear them down, too. They propose erecting brand new towers, called Skyview Towers, and they think they can power them entirely with sunlight. A formal prototype of the device to connect them all is also in the works: the Purah Pad. 

Link makes it to Hebra. There are significantly more shrines and a graveyard of decaying guardians in the canyon that splits Rowan Plain and southern Tabantha. The Gorons he traveled with take most of the metal back to Death Mountain, so he goes up into the snowfields alone and takes out a white-maned lynel by the North Lomei Labyrinth. This is one of the regions their strategy must be followed closely, otherwise he risks getting stranded in a blizzard without shelter. He bounces back and forth between Rito Village and the shrines scattered across the mountain range over the course of several weeks. He sends her feathers, and braids of colored rope, and receipts from his stays at Swallows’s Roost and Snowfield stable. She sends him a cherry red Akkala forest leaf and an order from Hudson for a hundred and thirty six bundles of cedar. 

Link sends back a twig.

He’s surprisingly witty, but by the time he’s reached Faron, his humor runs out. His letters grow taciturn, more reflective of how he is in person. He reports on cursory things like the weather and the lack of ingredients for a proper meal. The only glimpse into what he’s feeling comes with how he signs his last letter:  

I never want to see another shrine again. 

By her estimate, he’s still got at least three dozen shrines left between Central Hyrule, Necluda, and Akkala, so she avoids mentioning anything about them and instead, asks where his favorite place in Hyrule is, hoping to break up the droning routine of his days and coax something hopeful back out of him. 

She doesn’t hear from him for six weeks. 

Impa tells her to try not to worry, that he’s known for disappearing for much longer and now that he is known, someone is bound to recognize him and will send an update of whatever has sidetracked him in good time. The lack of urgency from the Sheikah makes her blood boil. Even Paya, who has been known to worry about too much dust and heirlooms, doesn’t seem all that concerned with Link’s whereabouts. It makes Zelda wish she was anywhere else; makes her long for a home she could run back to and slam the door. It’s not their fault the way the wind moves through the pass to Telta Lake reminds her of the sound he made when his last breath rattled past his lips, or the fact she’s barely slept because she’s watching the skies for a Blood Moon (there hasn’t been once since Calamity Ganon defeat). Even though she has no way to warn him properly, it's the only way she feels useful. Like visiting the Spring of Wisdom, or the pause that grips her everytime she passes the inlet to the Goddess statue in the center of Kakariko, or blaming Hylia, it’s another old habit from her old life that activates whenever she feels useless.

She’s about to write to Prince Sidon for help when the updates come in. All the shrines in East Necluda, including the one that sat on top of Eventide Island, are gone. Link was last seen riding a draft horse in the direction of Central Hyrule. Another report says he’s been seen near Lake Hylia, heading north toward the Great Plateau. 

The letter arrives soon after. 

I’m standing in the broken cathedral on the Great Plateau. I guess they call it a temple. It feels like it might have been holy once. Maybe it was the place where something significant happened, or something important was hidden, but if that is true, it's long gone. It's just the first of many empty, rusted places that have told me about myself since I woke up. This is the place where I learned ghosts could speak and I could hear them. It’s also where I first heard your name. 

I followed the plan and came here after the Gerudo region was done. It took me half a day to clear all the shrines. Only the Shrine of Resurrection was left. I was going to paraglide off the northeast wall toward Lake Hylia and prepare for Faron. That’s my problem. I’m always ten steps ahead. Most of the time I have to be.

Zelda, I completely froze. I stood outside the Shrine for an afternoon that turned into another and then another, trying to pull myself together, screaming at my feet to just move, but I couldn’t do it. It feels like the Shrine knows I’m here. Like it’s waiting for me to step back inside. The more and more I stare at this stupid cave, the more I see a mouth that will close the moment I’m inside. 

So I left, took care of Faron, came back, left again and went to Necluda. 

You want to know where my favorite place in Hyrule is? There is a spring on top of a waterfall north of Lake Floria. It's where I first saw Farosh. Came right out of the water and climbed up into the sky above my head. Nearly scared me to death. I can’t really explain it well, but it's where I realized I wanted to actually be here. Ruins and wild and all. It's where I realized I wanted to be the one to save Hyrule. To save you.

I followed Farosh back to the plateau this time. I took one of her scales for courage. Imagine that. I know what I have to do. Just like I did back then, even when I was running and telling myself they had the wrong guy, or if I made them wait long enough, they would find someone else. 

It’s just, sometimes it feels like this destiny asks too much, you know? 

I know what I have to do. And I will. As selfish as it sounds, I just wish you were still with me.

Link

She wipes her mouth. As much as her fingers shake with it, as badly as she wants to pour her heart into a reply – because she knows exactly what he’s saying when he talks about destiny and feeling selfish and needing courage– the letter feels like a plea–

A prayer. 

She shivers like she did on Lanayru. There is gold on her tongue, the taste of pure sunlight and falling stars. Why is it only in moments when he’s suffering can she summon this Power? She pushes the words as they form in her head across all the miles between them, trying to imagine them soaring like birds to where he waits. She tries to imagine them reaching for him and his head turning to the sound–

But there is no way for her to see him now. She’s not confident the magic is even really there, so when the buzz leaves her fingertips and she can actually grip a pen, she sends those words in a letter, too.

Link, 

Come to Kakariko. I’ll go with you. I’m always with you. 

You don’t have to do this alone. 

Zelda

end notes- This fic is set in the same story as like someone would” You don’t have to read it, but it might add a little extra context to this chapter in particular, especially since that fic is Link’s POV.

[tkachuktkaching]

As Matthew Tkachuk’s body heals, the pain of defeat still hurts

Tkachuk’s emotional scars from losing the series in five games, the last of which he had to endure as a spectator. He describes the feeling as “still so fresh, still so frustrating.”

On one hand, he does acknowledge that his 2023 offseason won’t be normal and that he’ll “definitely be on the shelf for a while.”

His estimated recovery was four to six weeks at the time of his injury, and since his Panthers played into June, the best-case scenario would have him starting some upper-body work by the end of this month.

He recognizes he needs to block off time for “chilling and relaxing,” as he puts it.

He’s excited for a bit of recreational travel he’s planned. Being the competitor he is, however, he expects he’ll spend most of his summer focusing on healing and training once he’s medically cleared to do so. If all goes well, he’ll be ready for training camp.

He simply can’t wait to get back in action because, as exhausting as this past season was, it was incredibly rewarding for him, too. The Panthers sat outside the playoff picture for much of 2022-23 and squeaked in by one point, but there was no despair or lack of confidence in their dressing room, as Tkachuk put it. Yes, his father, retired NHL star Keith Tkachuk, earned a lot of credit for supposedly sparking a late-season surge after he publicly called the team soft, but “that was more you guys just making a big deal about it,” Matthew said. The Panthers weren’t fragile. They had a lot of self belief for a team on the bubble.

And even though coach Paul Maurice indicated the Panthers would “have a hell of a time making the playoffs next year” as Tkachuk and defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour recover from injuries, it doesn’t scare Tkachuk.

“The best part about us is not really thinking too far ahead with anything,” he said. “We just kind of enjoy it, come to each game and try to win it. We never had an expectation all year about what we were going to do. We just came in and tried to win each game, and it got us to the Stanley Cup Final. So we’re gonna try to do the same next year.”

Not that Tkachuk is the type to worry. He feels the Panthers “know what it takes now” to go all the way, and if they survived a poor start this past season, they can do it again.

“I kind of just roll with it,” he said of the change in U.S. media exposure. “It’s been a great year on and off the ice for myself. Super happy with the change and everything that came with it. But hopefully we can (be) better next year and keep having fun down in Florida, because it’s really unbelievable playing there.

[scarfacemarston]

Can you do c-d-m for charles? I luv ur writing btw 😘

Thank you! : ) Prompt here. If anyone sends a request, please check the Charles x reader tag to see if the letter has already been completed. Arthur Morgan x Charles (Charthur) tag has been added by request. C - Cuddling (do they like to cuddle? And how would they do it?) Charles loves to cuddle. He had a lovely mother growing up who used to cuddle him growing up while his father remained distant. While some of his friends were physically affectionate, it was not the norm for him. Cuddling required him to become close to him and while he was open to it, it was simply never a priority. Then he fell in love and simple romantic gestures like a hand holding, or a more intimate hug suddenly became more normal for him, causing him to remember his past. Of course, this was now towards a romantic partner and nothing to do with his mother. With that, he tried to discreetly experiment on what he liked and what you responded to, h however, he sleeps on his stomach so he had to consciously fight against that urge………and was not always successful. Yes, he is absolutely the big spoon, but don’t under estimate the power of hte little spoon! It is sometimes slightly awkward maneuavering, but he absolutely loves being the little spoon.  THe only problem is he sometimes gets overheated and is trapped under you. He also likes to drape his arm on top of your waist like you’d hold a teddy bear. He’s a light sleeper or else you’d be trapped like you sometimes trap him.

D - Domestic (do they want to settle down? How good are they at cooking and cleaning) Charles never really thought domesticity was for him. He wasn’t against domesticity. He loved tribal culture and what family meant in many Native American tribes, it was completely different from how his father viewed domesticity. However, he grew up rather isolated and wandered for many years of his life, never truly belonging anywhere until he met the Van der Lindes. While on the run, what purpose would there be dreaming of domesticity?  The most he would do is pick up someone at the saloon or visit a sex worker. Joining his gang was the first sense of stability that he had in ages until it all fell apart. Yet it wasn’t until he reunited with John Marston in 1907 that he truly began to think about domesticity. It was helping John fix his life that made him realize how the life he wanted to live would look like. Building a house with his own hands and tools, laughter and camaraderie, taking turns cooking ---charles was the best cook by far with John being so-so and Uncle being awful. It was listening to John sometimes half drunken lamenting Abigail leaving him that made him realize how much a good romantic partner can change a man. He knew before on the surface level, but watching John? He really knew. When Abigail came back with Jack, Charles felt the most at peace than he ever had in his life. It was watching Abigail greet John with a kiss on the cheek, or the way she served them breakfast, her gentle chiding of him to eat more. It was watching Jack grow, awkwardness and all. It was watching John try to bond with his son, John and Abigail rocking on the poarch together that realized that was all he wanted. The Marstons and Uncle were crushed when Charles left. Him leaving left a big hole in their heart, but they understood that Charles was more independent and wanted something to call his own. So yes, he absolutely wants domesticity and everything that comes with it. He doesn’t really view tasks as masculine or feminine. He will do half of everything as long as his partner does the same. As I said, he's a decent cook and has always been pretty tidy. He hopes to build a family the same as the Marstons. That would be perfect to him.

M: Mornings (How are mornings spent with them?) Charles loves and hates mornings. He HATES actually being woken up by someone. If you have breakfast for him, then MAYBE he’ll roll out of bed faster. However, he enjoys them if he gets to pick the time to wake up. He loves the quiet of the morning. Some days he’s up before the sun is fully out. Other times, it’s ‘late’ as 9 for him. Some mornings he loves to forage or hunt before the forest is fully awake. Sometimes he has a better chance of catching certain types of animals. It’s the quiet and the crisp air. Other mornings, he likes to lounge in a blanket pile in t he middle of the bed, a blanket cocoon if you will. Yes, you as his partner might be in the middle of cocoon as well. Sometimes it’s a good morning, other times it’s spent quietly cuddling or talking about the day’s events.

[iamwritingsanders]

Inherited Mess Pt. 9

First: Link Previous: Link Next: [TBA]

Worries

Hours passed, and everyone was oddly quiet as Patton served dinner, placing plates of chicken in front of them. They all waited until Patton served himself and sat down before beginning to eat. Roman caught on to that habit fairly quickly. 

“Will Remy be able to join us tomorrow?” Patton asked. “I can make his favorite.” 

“He should be on his feet in the morning. The medics want to check how drowsy the pain medicine makes him before giving an estimation on how long he’ll be out of commission,” Remus said, poking at his food with his fork. 

“He’s going to be pouty until he’s cleared.” Virgil weakly laughed. “He’ll be giving you a run for your money.” He added to Roman.

“I do not…” Roman let his annoyed protest trail off when he noticed that Virgil’s joke got the others to laugh. He liked that change in mood a lot better. “If he gets grumpy, he’ll be giving you a run for yours.” Roman decided to tease back instead and relaxed when that also got a few laughs. 

“Shit, Roman, I was supposed to talk with you,” Remus spoke like the realization literally hit him, a hand going to his forehead. 

“It can wait till tomorrow,” Roman said with a shrug, just catching the hint of a proud smile Virigl had, and he did not know how to feel about how that got his face to go a bit warm.

“We can go back to the store tomorrow, Patton,” Janus said. “And then you and Roman can work on that sushi stuff you were talking about.” 

“Just the two of you going out?” Remus asked. “I’m not sure-” He stopped at the feeling of Logan’s hand on his thigh under the table. “Be careful, alright?” 

“Always.” Janus grinned while Patton softly giggled about why Remus changed his sentence. He didn’t need to see it to know what happened. 

“Remy likes sushi, so you’ll get a two-for-one with that dinner plan,” Virgil said. 

“You know a lot about Remy,” Roman commented.

“It’d be shocking if he didn’t.” Janus hummed with a chuckle. “Kind of hard not to know things about-ow, fuck! Virgil!” He snapped after Virgil kicked his leg hard under the table. 

“I didn’t do anything,” Virgil said and took a sip of his drink. 

“Wait, why is it not shocking that he knows a lot about Remy?” Roman tried again. 

“He’s likely referring to-shit!” Logan started answering and got kicked as well.

“Virgil!” Remus’ sudden harsh snap got everyone to go still. Logan felt the strong, protective hold on his leg, and he placed his hand on top of Remus’

“I’m okay,” Logan said softly. Remus’ eyes widened when he realized what he’d done.

“Shit, sorry. I’m just-shit.” Remus shook his head and stood up. “Sorry, I think I need to call it an early night. Thanks for dinner, Pat. I’ll see you all in the morning.” He shook his head more at himself before walking away. 

“I’m going to call it an early night as well.” Logan stacked Remus' plate on top of his own. “Dinner was delicious, good night, everyone.” He gave a quick nod and walked off as well. 

“It’s…weird seeing Remus like that.” Roman didn’t mean for that to be said out loud. 

“It is.” Virgil agreed. 

x~x~x

Dinner finished, everyone else split off to do their own thing, and Patton was alone in the kitchen doing the dishes. He was beyond talented at hiding his own worries, keeping a happy face, and laughing through it all to help others stay calm. His job wasn't just cooking, it was also helping to keep the energy happy. People went to him to feel better, to get a sweet treat, and a positive attitude. It was easy to turn off worried thoughts with others around, but when he was alone…that’s when the wall breaks.

Patton was scrubbing a clean plate, lost in his head as his hand moved in a sharp, repetitive movement. He was unaware of someone else coming into the kitchen as well and didn’t hear his name until it was said for the second time.

“Huh? Oh, sorry.” Patton put his smile on when he saw Janus and sat the clean plate aside before working on an actually dirty one. 

“What’s on your mind?” Janus had been with Patton long enough to be able to tell his real smiles from his trying-to-hide smiles. 

“It’s nothing,” Patton said out of habit. 

“What’s on your mind,” Janus repeated to remind Patton that it was just the two of them. There was a pause as Patton placed the new plate aside and was now working on cleaning the silverware. 

“You were supposed to go with Remy.” Patton finally broke the silence, speaking in almost a whisper. 

“That was the original plan, but Adrien insisted Remy would be able to handle it on his own.” Janus moved closer to Patton and noticed how he seemed to be fixating on a specific spot on a spoon. 

“You were supposed to go with Remy, and Remy got hurt because someone snuck up on him, and he got lucky the person missed, and if you-if you had gone-if you had gone, they might have…” Patton’s hands started to shake as his vision blurred with tears. “If you had gone they might have shot you, and they might have hit where they wanted and-and you-and you’d be-and you…” He was trying not to cry and sniffed as he watched Janus gently guide him to drop the sponge and spoon. 

“I’m okay, Remy’s okay, we’re all okay.” Janus took the dish towel and dried off Patton’s hands. 

“He got hurt. You could get hurt. You could die-” Patton’s voice cracked at the last word and he couldn’t hold back anymore. He grabbed Janus into a tight hug, hiding his face in the crook of his neck as he cried. “I don’t want to lose you.” 

“Oh, honeybun.” Janus used the pet name for Patton which was only ever used when they were alone. “I’m not going anywhere.” He rubbed Patton’s back with both hands. 

“You don’t know that.” Patton’s voice was muffled. 

“I do.” Janus moved Patton to straighten up just enough to be able to see his face. He placed his hands on Patton’s cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe away his tears. “Do you really think my stubborn ass is going to get killed?” Patton couldn’t help from giggling and put his hands over Janus’. 

“You are always careful out there, aren’t you?” Patton asked with a soft smile. 

“Of course, I am. I have the most important person in the world waiting for me to come home.” Janus smiled back as Patton giggled more and pressed their foreheads together. “You’re stuck with me.” 

“And I wouldn’t want it any other way, sugarplum.” Patton used his own pet name he only used when they were alone. Janus chuckled and pulled Patton into a light kiss. 

“Let’s head to bed.”

“It’s still fairly early.” Patton leaned into another kiss as Janus lowered their hands. 

“It won’t be by the time we’re done.” Janus chuckled.

“Done with-oh!” Patton took a second but he caught on to what Janus was implying. “Okay.” He squeezed Janus’ hands and was back to giggling as Janus walked them out of the kitchen. 

[wistfulweaverwoman]

I need to know about TAD- first night scene

Okay so this was something I wrote awhile ago and then changed some of the direction of the story, so this will not actually be going into the fic and there will be something else that's quite different.

Mild smut warning

So. at this point in the fic it's their wedding night and Peeta was on team waiting to consummate to get to know each other better, and there was zero sweetheart ribbons or her asking him if he'd like to marry her. There was also no waiting period, just that at some point people were supposed to start. And she pushes Peeta into sex immediately to get it over with so the clinic won't have a reason to send her away to the capitol or wherever they're carting women off too. She's finally convinced Peeta but he's kind of salty (because he rightly thinks it will not be good for developing relationship) taken the stance of you want to do it then you go ahead and be on top.

While my attempts at seduction were weak he seems wholly unenthusiastic as he undresses slowly, avoiding eye contact. I can’t help but stare as he lays on his back on the bed. 

Isn’t that where I’m supposed to lay? I think. 

I’m a bit dismayed. I assumed that just offering myself up would be enough for any male to… have their way with me. I close my eyes. I can’t even think the word, how am I supposed to actually do it? 

I release the buttons at my hip and the silken knickers puddle at my feet. The look of interest returns to Peeta’s face and he peers at me, I guess to see what I do next. Which… I hesitate. Do I take everything off? I decided to keep on the brassiere and my stockings so I’m not completely naked and exposed.

My tongue feels heavy in my mouth.

I swallow and lift and swing my leg over him. Perching over Peeta’s upper thighs, my knees support my weight on either side of him on the bed. His cock stands erected before me, so I scoot up and position myself in what I estimate is the correct spot and press myself down against it. I’m not really sure how he’ll fit, I estimate it’ll be like trying to push a rolling pin into a nail hole. 

He’s up on his elbows now, watching my progress. Which is almost non-existent. My eyes are already stinging at the pain and there’s nothing actually in yet.

“No, Katniss, you’re hurting yourself, you have to stop. You’re not ready,” he says. This annoys me.

“I’m ready, I just don’t know if I’m doing this the right way,” I say, huffing.

“No, I mean,” he says. “You’re not… ready.” A kind of understanding blooms. I glance down, and then away, sitting back on his thighs.

“How do you know, have you done this before?” I say.

“No, I have two older married brothers,” he says. “They’ve been very detailed about… this. What I’m not supposed to do, and what I am. And what to expect, somewhat.” I almost regret stopping that conversation with my mother. Maybe I should have tried to ask Madge. 

“So… you mean you know how I’m supposed to become… ready,” I say.

“Well, in theory,” he says, slowly. I wait for him to elaborate. He rakes his fingers through his curls pushing them off his forehead and flops back to the bed.

“Have you ever touched yourself?” he says, his blush spreading from his already brilliant face down his neck. He clears his throat and peers up at me. I close my eyes and eventually nod.

“Only a few times, nothing really… I couldn’t… figure out… what was supposed to…” I say, covering my face with my hands. I peek at him through my fingers.

He glances back up towards the ceiling.

“I could try, if you want,” he says. I drop my arms down to my sides and grip the bedclothes. I still feel warm and a bit bold from the liquor.

“Okay,” I say, barely above a whisper. He sits up immediately and places his warm hands on my upper arms, sliding them up and down. It feels… nice. Comforting. I relax my fisted hands a little.

“Rye said that if the female is properly tended to the joining part should be very easy,” he says.

“Tended to? What am I? A goat?” I say. 

He laughs. It’s a nice sound.

“Uh no, he likened it to a flower bud that blooms with, uh, careful care,” Peeta says, chuckling nervously. I roll my eyes. 

His fingers fumble with the tiny buttons of the brassiere, clumsily forcing them through their snug holes. He exposes the skin between my breasts and a kind of shiver shoots through me. His hands hover then he makes eye contact with me, silently asking permission for whatever he intends to do. I yank the thing off and fling it somewhere across the room. I am impatient to get this over with, and unbuttoning my clothes and undressing me is romantic, and I refuse to be romantic when my choice would have been to stay home with my sister.

This seems to encourage him to action because his mouth lands hot wet kisses on my neck and shoulder and his hands skim up and down my sides, his fingers lightly tracing the lines of my curves, the sensitive flesh from my hips to my ribs. He’s being too tender, so I grab his wrist and force his palm over my left breast. The nipple immediately draws in tight and he withdraws his hand, looking from left to right. He places a hand to my right side and runs his thumb over the soft flesh and watches in fascination as the right nipple hardens with the contact. 

There’s a zinging of electricity zipping from my breasts to my belly. I’m determined to not make a sound but I can’t keep my breath as steady as I'd like. 

[valleyrunearchives]

Weightless (The Leap of a Jade Rabbit)

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Fandom: Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia Pairings: Aizawa Shouta/Yamada Hizashi Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Chapter 41/?

Midoriya Izuku stopped believing in heroes when a tragedy occurred in his life. When at the tender age of 11, he lost everything that was everything dear to him, everything that was worth living for. Yet he doesn’t give up. He can’t give up. He decides to make a choice instead. No longer will he stand around and wait for the heroes to arrive while a crime goes down. He’ll be his own hero and a hero to those who are just like him. Those waiting for help that will never arrive. In order to do that, though, he’ll have to fight to survive and lie through his teeth. It won’t be so bad!

After all, it’s not like they can bring him in for vigilantism and Illegal Quirk Usage when he doesn’t even have a quirk, right?

Previous | First | Next

Click here to Read on AO3!

“I honestly can’t believe you let us go out again this soon,” Izuku comments as he leaps from one rooftop to the other, following Shouta in front of him.

The older man looks back at him out of the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to in front of him, “You were getting antsy. Figured it was better to go ahead and take you before you snuck out again by yourself…” He scowls to himself, “Doesn’t mean Zashi didn’t pitch a fit over it though.”

“Yeah I can imagine…” He can see the blonde’s facial expression in his mind so clearly at that. Disgruntled and pouting somehow all at the same time. Spouting something or another about how it was too soon to put their ‘Bunny Bean’ in so much danger again. Completely with flailing limbs and all. It’s just too Hizashi like to not be accurate. He hopes his other foster dad won’t be too worried the whole time they’re out. It’s not like he’s by himself this time. Shouta’s here and will hopefully keep him safe from whatever group it is that Nighteye is hunting. 

They also let Nedzu know in the event anything happens again. That way the chimera can know which cameras to check first if it does occur. They’ve covered all their bases this time. Hopefully. A spot of sharp movement catches his eye even though Shouta misses it. “On our nine, Eraserhead!” he calls out. 

The pro undergrounder whips his head around to the left to see what he was talking about. He also spots the movement that Izuku did and, with the style and ability like the professional he is, abruptly changes his course to the center of the action. Izuku follows him and they crouch on the edge of the rooftop above the scene. It’s apparently a drug deal gone wrong from what Izuku can see. A man being threatened at extremely hot knife point for not having money while he begs for a discount or an exception. Poor guy is clearly tweaking out, twitching and resisting the urge to scratch at the various places on his arms and face. Drugs suck and Izuku has no idea why people think they’re a good idea. 

“Alright kid,” Shouta says quietly, causing Izuku’s head to turn to him, “Gimme the rundown on them. What do you see about their quirks?”

Izuku squints down at the two engaged individuals, “Attacker is clearly a dealer. Quirk has something to do with heating up metals, estimated max of around nine hundred celsius. His knife is clearly homemade so that he can quickly heat it even when he’s holding it by the handle. It’s made to be a conductor. Watch that knife or any other metal he can get access to.” 

“Roger. Victim?” Izuku’s eyes move to the attacker’s target. What’s his quirk? He notices his eyes darting as his hands continue to twitch. Ah! He’s not just tweaking.

“It’s a sensory quirk,” he deduces, “I originally thought his twitchiness was because he was off his drug of choice but that’s not entirely it. His drug probably keeps his sensory quirk on the low side so he can function. Something he probably can’t afford normally with his regular job. Guys like these don’t look for the drug for a high, they look for it to make a way of life when they couldn’t before. My guess? It’s something with heightened awareness of electromagnetic fields. Higher EMF fields can often make you feel like all the hairs on your body are standing up straight or that you want to crawl out of your own skin. He’s clearly refraining the urge to rub or scratch at his skin and hair. If he gives trouble, rely on his sensitivities.”

“Recommendations for the both of them, then?” Shouta asks, a gleam of pride clear in his eyes. 

“Arrest the dealer, figure out where he’s getting his supply. As for the druggie, offer assistance with finding a way to pay for the medication he needs. He’s clearly suffering and only turned to this because he felt like there wasn’t any other option. Happens a lot in cases like these.” 

“You’ve seen them before?” 

He sends Shouta a look, “Obviously. I lived on the streets. I’ve seen it tons of times before,” he turns back to the scene, “We should get down there. Before Dealer-san decides he’s had enough of listening to the guy’s begging and pleading.”

“You’re right,” Shouta pulls his goggles down over his eyes. I’ve seen it happen a ton of times, “Alright. When feet are on the ground, codenames only. I’m Eraserhead, you’re Gyokuto. No exceptions.”

“Duh.”

Even though he can’t see his eyes, he knows Shouta is glaring at him. The man doesn’t say anything more though, just jumps off the roof towards the altercation. Izuku pulls his mask up and follows, landing with a roll. Shouta goes for the dealer so Izuku moves towards the druggie. The guy, seeing that a hero was now on scene, ducks back further into the wall and curls into himself. “P-Please! I-I didn’t do anything wrong I-I swear!” he begs, arms tight around his head.

“It’s okay,” Izuku says calmly, moving to sit down beside him while Shouta very clearly engages the real enemy behind them, “It’s okay. I know.”

“No! You don’t! I can’t lose this! I can’t lose the drugs! I need them!” 

“I know… Is the pharmacy charging you a lot for it because of your insurance or is it because it’s a higher quality ingredient brand?”

The man uncurls just a little bit, “W-what?” 

“The prescription that you need,” he smiles softly behind his mask, “You’re getting it from that guy because you can’t get it at the pharmacy. Is it because it’s too expensive?”

“Yeah,” The guy nods, tears springing up into his eyes, “I’ve got a new kid at home… They have the ability to manipulate EMF fields. Had it from birth. It’s making my quirk go haywire… and I can’t turn it down!” He shakes his head, hands running over his arms repeatedly “I went to the doctor and they changed my medication but the pharmacy said that they don’t stock it and they’re going to have to order it from out of the country each time! They were going to charge me over ten thousand yen just to order it then I’d also have to pay for the medication itself! I can’t afford that every month! But I have to be a dad to my kid too… It was either get the drugs illegally or leave my kid… y’know?”

“Yeah… you had to make a difficult decision on what you thought was best for your family. No one blames you for it. I think I probably would’ve chosen the same option you did if I was in your shoes,” Izuku shrugs. Family is obviously really important to him. It’s no wonder he chose this method. 

That seems to really strike home with the man who just full on starts sobbing. Izuku lifts a hand to place it against where he thinks the man’s EMF sensors reach, not wanting to overwhelm him just trying to offer him some comfort. Shouta wraps up the apprehension and approaches them just as the guy starts calming down. He looks up pleadingly at Eraserhead, “Please don’t arrest me… I don’t want to lose my family…” 

Shouta blinks. To most it would seem like it was in disinterest but Izuku knows him well enough to know that Shouta feels sympathy for the man. He sighs aloud and rolls his shoulders, “I’m not arresting you. Not this time. Gyokuto explained why you were with the dealer and what your issue is. But there are other resources than the one you chose to get the meds you need. I’ll let the officer on scene know you need the list of resources.”

“Also the number for a good lawyer?” He turns back to the man and smiles while explaining, “Under section two of the MQPA, or the Medicated Quirk Protection Act, it’s illegal for any pharmacy to deny filling a prescription or demand extra payment for it since it helps you to lead a normal life as prescribed by your doctor. You can sue and would either win or would be given a large settlement for it.” 

“They denied it?” Shouta says with a raised eyebrow.

“Demanded extra payment to ship it in,” Izuku clarifies. 

The darker haired man scoffs, “Yep, he’s right then. That’s illegal since your doctor prescribed it to you. I’ll let the officers know to also find you a lawyer that will take your case pro bono until you win or get paid that settlement.”

“Really? They… they aren’t allowed to do that? Like at all?” 

“Nope,” Izuku shakes his head, “You need it. The doctor’s said you need it. So the pharmacy isn’t allowed to deny it or charge you extra for it. That’s the law. Most people forget that the MQPA exists though. It was on the lower end of passed laws when it happened but it was no less important in my opinion.” 

The man bursts into tears again, muttering about how good that was and how much better it was going to be for his family. Izuku smiles again as Shouta also moves to sit down in front of him, content to wait there with the man until law enforcement arrives on scene. Izuku feels like a raw nerve already and they’ve only handled one thing tonight. He wonders if Shouta will be upset if they call it a night after this.

___

“We’re home,” Shouta calls as he and Izuku head into the house. 

Hizashi springs up from where he was sitting on the couch attempting to read a book. “You guys are home early! Way early!” Hizashi wraps Izuku in a hug which he immediately returns, “What happened? Did something happen?”

“Found a drug deal in process. It was a rough case. A dad just trying to get some meds to help deal with his quirk around his new kid that has their own quirk already. Makes his own go haywire. Pharmacy told him he was going to have to pay to have it shipped in then pay for it again.” 

“But they can’t do that!” Hizashi shouts, petting Izuku’s curls, “It’s illegal under-”

“MQPA, section two,” Izuku murmurs into Hizashi’s shoulder.

Hizashi stops before chuckling down at him in fondness, “Of course you would have studied all those laws, too. Our smart Bunny Bean!” 

Izuku smiles at that, even though Hizashi can’t see it. He hopes he can at least feel it. He listens as Shouta relays all the information he can to Hizashi. At the end, the blonde makes a sad sound before pushing Izuku back by the shoulders a bit to look at him. “Why don’t you go take a bath, bean? Then you can go to bed and get some rest while being clean and warm,” he offers kindly. 

“Yeah, okay,” he agrees tiredly, “Thanks, pops. Night, dad.”

He walks away with a yawn not seeing both Hizashi and Shouta staring at him as he goes with wide eyes. Shouta glances over to Hizashi before glaring, hissing, “No! Don’t you dare! I’ve used my quirk enough tonight!” 

Hizashi clamps his lips shut and lets out a muffled squeal of joy before turning to him with a wide grin, “He called me pops. He called me pops, Shou!”

“Yeah I heard… no need to bust out the windows of everyone in the neighborhood for it though…” He digs a finger into his ear for exaggeration. 

“But he called me pops!” Hizashi grabs his arm and starts shaking him back and forth. 

Oh boy… Shouta has a feeling this is going to be Hizashi’s mood for the next several days. Hizashi lets out a happy sob. Shouta huffs a sigh through his nose. Make that weeks.

[schrijverr]

Tomorrow Will Be Different 3

Chapter 3 out of 26

Instead of managing to meet up later, Oliver has to keep running with Akio. The only way to keep them safe is to go public with Oliver being alive, leaving him back home in charge of Akio, while Tatsu and Maseo are still in the wind

In this chapter, Akio and Oliver are on the run to get the news of Oliver's survival out. It ends up in a chase across Hong Kong and a splash in the media.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: violence, unnamed character death

~~~

Chapter 3: Breaking News

Maseo wasn’t lying when he said they were moving in on all of them. With so much time that passed between now and when they first went underground, Shrieve must be as anxious for results as Oliver was before getting Maseo’s message.

When he tries to get back, he spots quite a few of the men following them. He has to go through a few shops and even over a few roofs to stay out of sight. With Akio in tow, it won’t be as easy, might even end in a fight.

The Sheung Wan business district is near the botanical garden, but Oliver also picked it, because it’s near the American embassy. If Maseo wants him to get his face plastered everywhere and a high chance of visibility in America that’s where he needs to show up. He’ll have to risk Shrieve getting in and hope he can contact his mom and agent Micheals before that.

By his estimate, the embassy is about 20 minutes walking from their office building. With the amount of force on the street, he’ll have to risk bringing his self made bow. The higher visibility will be worth the extra protection it will give.

He forgoes changing his clothes, after today there is no more ruse to keep up, moving fast is more important now.

Akio looks surprised but delighted when he un-barricades the door. “Oliver, you’re back early! Did you find them?”

Oliver smiles at him. Despite the bad news that they can’t go see them yet, the fact that he has news of them, is worth the moment of danger the two are about to face. Seeing Akio’s face explode in happiness at it is the best thing Oliver has seen in three years.

“You did?” he asks, excitedly.

“I have a letter from them for you,” Oliver says, taking it out his pocket and giving it to Akio. He isn’t going to get the kid to move until he has read it anyway. So he uses the time Akio takes to read the letters to pack up all the important stuff.

He grabs a few changes of clothes, the small amount of money they have, Akio’s game and a few snacks. It’s not much and they’ll have to leave the suit case and all their blankets behind, but if all goes well, they should be in America before they know it, with all the comforts his family can provide.

With everything securely in the backpack, he slings his homemade quiver on his back too. It’s a bit of a struggle, but soon he has it to his liking.

When he looks over, Akio is reading the last of his letters and once he’s done, Oliver asks: “Wanna tell me what your parents said, buddy?”

Akio looks a little sad as he looks up to Oliver. “They say they cannot come see me yet. I want to see them, but it is dangerous. The bad men are still out there. But they say you are going to take me with you, that we are going on vacation, like you said by the boat. Are we going on your plane?”

“Maybe,” Oliver tells him, not wanting to make promises he can’t keep. He feels for the kid, being separated from your parents fucking sucks. However, he is glad that Tatsu and Maseo gave him something to tell Akio and that they ensured Akio will listen to him.

“Otōsan and Okāsan say they are going to join us when they can, will you send the plane to them?” he asks, eye wide with hope.

“The second they call, I will do anything to get them to you,” Oliver promises, because that is one he can keep. One he is going to keep, no matter what. Getting Akio to his parents is his most important mission.

“Thank you,” Akio exclaims, throwing his arms around Oliver.

Oliver hugs him back, giving himself a second to breathe and take in the moment. Once they get out there, it’s going back to being a shit show, he needs this moment of peace before he can face it.

He lets go after a second and squats down to be at Akio’s level. Seriously, he says: “Once we get outside, we’re going to try and stay out of sight again. Remember when we came here? How we had to hide from the bad man?”

Akio nods.

“They are still out there, so we have to watch out. We are going to the American embassy and then I am going to have to talk to a bunch of people, but I am never going to leave your side. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Akio answers dutifully.

“Good kid,” Oliver smiles, ruffling his hair again.

With that said and done, they’re ready to go. The arrows are a little less suspicious, since they’re partially hidden by the backpack, but the bow is harder to hide. Oliver tries to keep it close to his side and as much under his jacket as he can, but it gets a few looks anyway.

Still, he is happy that he has it with him. He has a small knife with him as well, but he is most confident with the bow and it’ll give him range.

Oliver is especially happy for it when they get spotted after only five minutes outside. Being outside as a duo makes them easier to recognize and it’s clear that Shrieve’s men remember that Oliver had been with Akio the day they disappeared. Maybe his luck thus far has been mostly dependent on the fact they are looking for two, not one.

It’s also clear that they aren’t looking to talk to them. There’s only a yell to someone else, before bullets start whizzing in their direction.

He tugs Akio into an enclave and readies his bow, nocking the first arrow and taking a breath, before he steps out from it and aims without thinking, muscle memory taking over. He lets the arrow fly and steps back, not even looking to see if it hits, the gurgling tells him it does.

Oliver doesn’t waste any time, nocking the next arrow and shooting the second pursuer, looking for more as he does.

There were four total, now only two. So, he repeats it two more times, barely managing to dodge all the bullets.

When all the men are down, he immediately grabs Akio’s hand and starts running. They’ve caused a lot of commotion and Oliver is sure that the reports of arrows will have Shrieve’s men swarming their location within minutes.

However, it’s clear that Akio’s days of inaction have made an impact on his stamina, which had already been lesser due to him being an untrained child. They can’t run the entire way to the embassy.

This is confirmed when more of Shrieve’s men show up. He and Akio have to zig zag, using stalls to hide behind as people panic. Oliver is shooting down their pursuers expertly, but for every soldier he takes down, another takes their place.

It’s slow going and the adrenaline is coursing through his veins. He can’t let Akio die on his way to safety. He’ll never forgive himself.

They round another corner, cutting through a building. Oliver is glad he knows these streets well after nearly two weeks. They are getting close. If they exit the building, it’s only a little further. If they can slow down those in pursuit and run, they can make it there.

But Akio can’t make the distance running and Oliver can’t shoot and carry Akio at the same time.

Before they can exit, he takes a second to scope out the distance. For now they’re hidden with a few exits they can emerge out, which gives them a few precious seconds Oliver needs to come up with a plan.

The embassy is in sight, but he doesn’t have enough arrows to shoot all of Shrieve’s men. The ones that remain will get them before they can get inside.

However, there is a reporter on the steps. He hasn’t been keeping up with international news, so he has no clue what they’re reporting on. But Oliver does know media well. He easily recognizes the CNN logo; they’re American. He’s also pretty sure they’re live.

Maseo asked him to make his return public, right? Can’t be more public than that. Plus, he doubts Shrieve wants his men to shoot down an American journalist on live TV.

Oliver turns to Akio and says: “Brace yourself, I’m going to step out, shoot the last of my arrows, then grab you and run. Hold onto me when I do.”

Akio nods again. He looks scared, yet determined. Oliver hates how used Akio has gotten to all this, how strong he has to be. Still, in this moment, he is grateful for it.

He takes a deep breath, having used the mirror he made his arrows out of to check their positions, then he steps out, rapidly firing the last of his arrows. His targets fall, but he doesn’t stay to watch, he has already dropped his bow and scooped up Akio.

It’s strange how familiar it is to carry Akio as they run for their lives. Not a thing he would have ever expected to become normal for him when he got on the Queen’s Gambit.

They don’t get too far, before bullets are flying. However, these men were trying to blend in, so they carry hand guns, not rifles, which means Oliver’s zig zagging can save them from their lesser aim.

As he runs, he keeps his eyes on the reporter. She flinches when she hears the gun shot and the camera whips their way. He admires her for not running, but staying to report. It works in his favor too. This is breaking and likely streaming on TVs all over America.

Once he gets close there are less bullets. Shrieve’s men indeed don’t want to hit the reporter and have to come down from the surrounding buildings to get a shot on them again.

It’s in that window of opportunity that Oliver takes the microphone out of the reporter’s stunned hands with the arm not holding Akio, asking: “Is this live?”

She gives a quick nod, eyes wide.

Oliver turns to the camera and loudly says: “I’m Oliver Queen. I’m alive. I’m in Hong Kong. Someone had taken me along with others. I escaped. Send help. A man has this boys parents and Waller, a woman.”

He sets down Akio at that, turning him towards the camera and keeping himself between the men’s pistols and Akio. “This is Akio. Akio Yamashiro. He’s with me.”

It is critical that he gets both their faces clearly on camera. Everyone now knows that Oliver Queen is alive and that Akio falls under his protection. If either of them were to be killed now, it will be at the very least national news.

The woman is clearly a reporter, because she recovers admirably quick. “Oliver Queen, the shipwrecked billionaire?”

“Yes, that’s me, got fished right out the sea by those people. I’ve been their captive ever since,” he answers, starting to herd the group towards the embassy. “We have to move now, they’re right behind me. Get to the embassy.”

That news does make both her and the cameraman move. Both have witnessed the bullets flying not moments before, so they don’t question his statement at all. He has certainly made a splash.

Akio dutifully walks in front of him, quiet and a little intimidated by the woman and the camera lens that are in his face. For Oliver it’s strangely familiar. Just three years ago having reporters zoom around him was his normal, now it’s bullets.

While they walk, the reporter keeps looking back. Oliver can’t blame her, he does the same. But it seems the men fell back the second he got himself and Akio in view of the camera and said their names loudly.

The safety of fame. Of being alive.

God, he’s alive. He is going home.

In all the excitement he hasn’t even thought about that part. His whole being was so focused on keeping Akio safe and getting the message out so his parents can be saved too, not to mention stopping Shrieve before he killed an entire city, that he never thought about what taking the steps to make that happen would mean for him.

Oliver was home a little earlier, he could have stayed. He was in their living room. He was right there. But he left.

His father wants him to right his wrongs, Oliver doesn’t know what that means, but he knew then that he couldn’t let the Triad sell a bio weapon right in their city. Stopping that deal felt right, felt like what his father meant.

It was also supposed to be his ticket home.

He thought that had been voided when on the docks. Hell, he has practically kissed his return home goodbye these past weeks to keep Akio safe. He was fully prepared to leave everyone he used to know and love behind to reunite the Yamashiro family.

In hindsight, it is kind of scary how easy it was to make that decision. He wants to go home. Of course he wants to go home, he has missed everyone so much. But now that is here, he is scared of what will happen.

Last time he could go home, he could return as being found somewhere. Amanda erased the past three years of torment as easily as she used him for them. It is in her interest for no one to think Oliver could be connected to anything she had done. He would have been able to return home as a castaway, alone on an island for three years. That’s gone now.

Now he is going home with a story about having been captured that he hasn’t fleshed out at all. He left a trail of bodies behind him to get to the embassy. He appeared miraculously resurrected on live TV with people shooting at him.

Everyone will have questions.

Like the reporter. She doesn’t waste a moment. She has taken back her microphone from Oliver and is already interviewing him as they walk the last bit to the embassy. “Where have you been all these years? You disappeared on the North China sea three years ago. How did you get here?”

“We went down in a storm. I managed to hold on to some of the rubble of the boat. A freighter fished me out of the sea,” Oliver answers, remembering what Sara told him. He hopes that she doesn’t mind him borrowing form her to make sure his story has verifiable facts.

“Did the boat take you here?” she asks.

Oliver pushes open the door, letting Akio go in first, as the reporter and cameraman follow. Being inside instead of out in the open, relaxes Oliver slightly. He doesn’t answer her, ushering Akio to a chair and setting him down.

He kneels in front of him and gently asks: “Are you okay?”

Wordlessly Akio nods. This must be overwhelming. But Oliver also sees him frown slightly as he looks at the reporter, then back at Oliver. Akio has noticed that his story is a little off. At the very least, not what he’s been told.

Oliver is grateful the kid is a polyglot at this point and knows Mandarin, since Oliver has no knowledge of Japanese or Cantonese. In Mandarin, he says: “Say nothing, okay?”

“Okay,” Akio agrees, also in Madarin.

“Good kid,” Oliver smiles, ruffling his hair.

The reporter looks between him and Akio, then asks: “Who is this child you have with you? You said you were captured together.”

She has enough footage of Akio for the kid to be safe, Oliver decides. So he stands up and blocks the view of the camera, so Akio is left alone, crossing his arms. The reporter is next to camera now, the lens entirely focused on him as she holds out her microphone eagerly. This will likely be the highlight of her career.

“Akio won’t be talking to you,” he tells her. “We just got out of something very rough. We had to leave his parents behind. You leave him alone or you will be in trouble with me. Do you understand?”

He can see that she calculates the risks of pushing anyway in her mind. However, Oliver knows he has become quite intimidating. So, she says: “Of course. Can we expect answers from you? Do you know who held you captive?”

“I don’t know what his name was,” Oliver says, not wanting to give Shrieve a reason to silence him, before help can get there. “I never saw his face, none of them. I can’t give you more than that and I’m not saying more until I’ve spoken with someone from the government. Thank you for hearing me out, but I won’t be saying more.”

With that he says: “Come on, Akio.” The boy follows him easily, the two of them having built a strong report. The reporter tries to follow, but Oliver is already talking to someone from the embassy, explaining his situation and getting them a private space.

It’s really happening. He’s going home.

[cocogum]

Hating on Ending D will get you nowhere.

Don’t underestimate it.

One thing that pisses me off about this stupid fandom were the reactions of the killugon fans once they heard about Ending D.

Nah cuz let’s talk about it.

These ppl are seriously acting delulu rn.

They weren’t too much before but now it’s just ridiculous.

I’m starting to see a reaction pattern here through this plausible ending:

1) Some are saying that Togashi said this as a joke therefore, he’s just fucking with us and hasn’t actually revealed anything.

2) Togashi will never use this ending because he scrapped it.

3) Togashi said that his personal favorite ending was Ending C but he said that the majority of the fans will hate it. So it doesn’t mean that he’s super ecstatic by Ending D.

4) This ending is way too shonen and cliché for him to actually use. Since it’s so basic, it doesn’t scream his style. Therefore, even if the ending happened, it wouldn’t feel real.

5) The fans who like this ending are problematic and homophobic.

I’m so sick of hearing these same things come out of their mouths so let me just clearly explain why this is all ridiculous:

1) Why would Togashi ever joke about something like his plausible passing and the work he’s been working so hard for which started in 1998?? The dude has never once joked around with the questions he received about hxh. He’s also been the type to spoil some people through interview questions too so if we follow your logic, that would mean he would’ve also lied about the fact that Kurapika and all the phantom troupe members would die.

2) We shouldn’t act so hasty when it comes to this ending just because it got scrapped. Togashi did say that he took it out from the endings he was planning on using but it doesn’t change the fact that he: a) actually took his time out of the day to think about the idea in the past and b) said that he’ll use it if his time runs out and if he can’t come up with a greater ending better than the three ones he already got.

3) Yes, it’s true. Out of the three ones we got, Togashi’s favorite ending was the third one, Ending C. So what? He said he kept it around simply because it was his favorite.

That also means he’s not so into Ending A and Ending B. An author doesn’t have to specifically use their favourite ending to end their series. They have to think about what the audience and what the majority of the reactions would be like to the ending they came up with. So since he estimated that only 10% of the fandom will like Ending C and 90% of it will hate it, there’s a very high chance he won’t even attempt at using it for the ending. Also, we have no idea what the ending is about.

4) The ending may sound basic and very shonen-like but so was Yu Yu Hakusho’s ending. Or rather the ending of the main character Yusuke. If you don’t happen to know, Yu Yu Hakusho was Togashi’s old work and in it, the main character Yusuke comes back from his adventures to marry a girl named Keiko, his childhood friend.

5) Did you ever stop to think that maybe some people just didn’t like killugon? Shocking, I know. We just plainly don’t like it. It doesn’t make the most of us homophobic or problematic in the least, stop trying to shove that dumb idea onto other killugon fans’ throats. Some of us are just not into yaoi and have tried to get into it but just don’t see the appeal (i’m personally more of a hetero and yuri fan) of it. Also, some of us would be delighted to see more female characters taking more major roles in hxh. It would be refreshing to see since the main cast is all filled with males while the females usually take minor roles like mothers, instructors, teachers, supporters for some male characters, (ex: Mito, Kikyo, Abe, Noko, Palm, Bisky, Coco Loo, Coco from Heavens Arena, Melody, Alluka) or are just in the background most of the time (ex: Canary, Amane, Tsubone, Shizuku, Machi) (wow these almost sounds like SHONEN ROLES FOR WOMEN).

[jayvikbrainrot]

This is a drabble is based on a head cannon that Viktor rarely laughs. He’ll snort, grin, exhale through his nose, silently chuckle, everything just short of a full laugh. And when Jayce finally hears it, it’s the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard.

——————

“I’m serious, that's what he said!” Jayce was three beers in and was really feeling it. The bar was loud and he was struggling to even hear himself despite the fact that he knew he was yelling.

Viktor, who was on his second, but much stronger drink, merely scoffed. His smile forming behind his glass. By his own estimation, Viktor was that pleasant sort of tipsy now. Where he spoke a bit more candidly, joked a little more, swore a little more. It was a very nice change from how he was in the lab. Not even mentioning the slightest tint of pink that touched his cheekbones.

“If that’s true I’ll eat this cup.” He muttered while taking another sip. His smug face looked exceptionally kissable.

A mad idea crossed his mind. He grabbed a salt shaker and began to shake it over the outside of the glass. “Well eat up sweetheart because it’s true!”

Viktor’s eyes went wide, then confused. His smile going wider and wider until it broke. Releasing a wheezy wispy chuckle that grew until he was laughing. It came from the back of his throat, a hiccuping breathy laugh that Jayce struggled to place. With a start he realized he had never heard this before. It was so darling, and beautiful, so uniquely Viktor.

After a moment Viktor came back to himself, still smiling, but side eyeing Jayce as he picked up his glass again. “What is it? You’re staring.”

“Your laugh. I don’t think I’ve heard it before.”

Viktor scoffed and rolled his eyes, “I’ve laughed before...”

“Not like that. That was... really something...” Jayce could hear the awe in his own voice. So it was unsurprising when Viktor looked away, his blush growing deeper.

“I’m serious. Your laugh? I love it. I hope you’re not holding back on me.”

He snorted in response, “Perhaps you are just not very funny, hm? Have you ever considered that?”

“Sure, fine, but...I want to hear it again.” Jayce felt breathless. “Really.”

Viktor blushed harder, and looked away, but Jayce knew he was pleased. He just hoped he kept the sentiment in mind, the next time they went drinking.

[iovchlde]

hi!! may i request some reverse comfort headcanons for diluc, kaeya, childe, and xiao? maybe about relationship insecurity or something of that sort??

relationship flaws and insecurities.

no one is perfect— so what exactly are their flaws in a relationship? and what do they feel most conscious of in a relationship?

featuring diluc, kaeya, childe, xiao

diluc

he feels that he might scare you off with his overprotectiveness. he’s already lost someone before, and he doesn’t think he can handle losing you either.

it’s not that he wants to control your life— in fact, he wants you to live it to its full extent. but there’s always that small worry, an annoying voice, in the back of his head that reminds him that the wilderness of teyvat is dangerous.

subconsciously, he may find himself interrogating you if you plan on leaving the house early in the morning, or late at night. there’ll be times where small quarrels stem from this, and inevitably it can get heated sometimes.

if you walk out on him for more hours than what feels comfortable, to cool off, he might start to think if you’ve left him for good.

diluc’s sitting at the edge of the bed, and there’s a consistent tapping on the floor as he anxiously drums his foot against it. it’s way past his assigned time to sleep, knowing he has to be up early to run his business. he doesn’t have half the mind to check what time it is, at least, not right now. all he can think about is that you’ve been gone for way too long.

he expects this from the two of you, especially after a heated argument. you two take the time away from one another to cool off and collect your thoughts, but this? this is just outrageous. if he were to give an estimate for how long you’d been gone— it would be two hours longer than you’d typically be gone for. and this just feeds into his worries from earlier, about your well-being.

the whole fight was about you and your safety after all. you would tell him that you’re fully capable of looking out for yourself; he’d say that he has enemies who may come after you; it goes back-and-forth. sensing that the argument was getting nowhere, you took it upon yourself to see yourself out first. “let’s just,” you pinch the bridge of your nose. “let’s just take time to cool off for a bit, shall we?”

“it’s been longer than a bit,” he mutters to himself.

he’s snapped out his thoughts as he hears the bedroom doors open slowly. you peek your head in, just to make eye contact with diluc. you two freeze, simply caught off-guard in the moment. he notes how your hair is a mess— it sticks out in certain areas, and obviously has not been brushed down— and you look a bit rugged. “hey,” you mutter sheepishly.

he wonders if he should ask you where you’ve been, but he holds his tongue. “are you okay?” diluc asks instead, and there’s a certain tenderness in his voice as he addresses you. “you look a bit... rough.”

you snort, throwing a feign hand of offense over your chest, at his words. “gee, thanks. nice to know i’m looking very appealing right now.” you joke. he stares at you, but you can see the faint smile on his lips at the way you’re joking around already. it’s good to know that you two are still okay. “but to answer your question, yes. i simply tripped over a pebble— it was so dark out and my foot got caught. who would’ve known that a pebble would be the one to take me down.”

he laughs at this, and you feel the tension from the argument completely lift.

kaeya

he’ll often wonder if you’re slowly becoming untrusting of him. he’s generally reserved, and quite mysterious— and it could easily be read in the wrong way.

kaeya knows that a relationship is all about communication and trust, well, for it to be healthy at least. and for the most part, he’s pretty open with you.

but there’s still certain aspects of his life that keeps in the dark from you. from his unknown past, to the business he does out of the knight of favonius— he likes that you look up to him as a respectable knight.

sometimes, you’ll ask him why he has duties to attend to at the dead of night, to which he reassuringly tells you that he’s simply off to bother diluc at the tavern. but he knows you’re catching on— diluc hasn’t seen him in the tavern for quite a bit.

“i know you haven’t been at the tavern.” you finally speak up, and you keep your eyes trained on the plate of food in front of you. you dig at the food, poking it around with your utensils— anything to keep your mind off of the fact that your heart is slightly racing right now. you don’t mean to be confrontational, but to be frank, you’re fed up that kaeya hasn’t been honest with you. “you can say that it came as a surprise to me when diluc said you hadn’t been there for a while now.”

“i guess it was only a matter of time before you’d ask diluc about me, and my whereabouts.” he sighs. he’s leaned into his chair by now, and he’s looking at you. your lips are locked into a tight line, a little peeved at the way he still talks so smoothly, and treats this so casually. as if he weren’t taking this seriously, and that this was just some other conversation to him. “i’m simply handling nightly duties.”

your grip becomes slightly tighter around your utensils, and he notices; your knuckles are turning slightly white, and your breathing is slightly out of pace. there’s a small change in his expression, and you can see the way his eyes narrow slightly.

“does it hurt to be honest to me about these things?” you ask him, genuinely hurt at the way it feels like he doesn’t trust you enough. “as your significant other, i guess i’d expected you to be more open to me. i’ve already told you countless times that no matter what, i’ll stick around— and even right now, i mean those words.”

once i tell, there’s no going back, is what he wishes to say. that it’ll be hard to look at someone the same way you’ve done before. “look,” he says as he sighs. kaeya wracks his mind for a way to respond— in a way where he wouldn’t be lying, but he wouldn’t subject you to danger either. “these matters, my nightly duties if you will, are matters between the abyss order and i. i’m afraid that if i tell you anything more about what goes on, you’ll become a target as well. too much knowledge can be harmful.”

“and you couldn’t just tell me that from the get-go?” it’s a fair point, and he throws you an apologetic look from across the table. “i understand, okay? just,” you swipe a hand through your hair. “no more secrets. i don’t think i’ll be as understanding if there’s a next time.”

“of course, my love.”

childe

he fears that one day, he’ll come home and you won’t be there anymore; his involvement with the fatui doesn’t make it any better.

the fatui is known for... it’s notorious deeds, to put it lightly. he had warned you beforehand, that dating a fatui harbinger will be exhausting. mentally, that is.

he’s bloodthirsty and thrill-seeking— it’s his nature. but he knows you don’t agree with the brutal ways the fatui handles their business, and he tries his best to take your mind off of it.

but it’s hard to ignore the words that circulate around liyue about certain things that he’s been up to. childe wonders that if you’ll get fed up one day, and just leave him.

there’s always a small amount of anxiety that bubbles up within childe whenever he approaches the doors of your shared bedroom. there’s that slightly irrational fear that he’ll walk in, and the room will be empty; you won’t be beneath the sheets in deep sleep, and your small breaths wouldn’t fill the room. his hand is hovering over the doorknob, and he almost laughs. a man like him, who stares death in its eyes, too afraid to open the door in fear that he’ll see something he doesn’t like.

childe gathers the courage to twist the knob, and the door creaks softly as he pushes it open. he pauses halfway, the fear taking over him for a second, but pushes through. he lets out an audible breath of relief— seeing you alive and well in front of him, and the comforts of just seeing that. his shoulders slack visibly at the confirmation, and he allows himself to enter the room.

he strips himself of clothes that he’s worn outside, changing into ones more fitting for bed. he’d jump straight into your arms if he could— but he knows that even in a sleepy state, you would still scold him.

he stalks towards the bed after doing the necessities. you stir at the way the bed dips beside you, feeling a pair of strong arms wrap around you. “childe?” you mutter. your voice is laced with sleepiness having just awoken, and you’re rubbing at your eyes as you turn to face him. it takes a second for your brain to start functioning, and you blurt out the first word that comes to mind. “hi.”

“hi to you too,” he mirrors, a small smile gracing his lips. your eyes are barely open as you glance at him, and your words are slightly slurred— but despite that, he truly thinks he’s the luckiest man in the world that he has someone as good as you. someone who sticks around, despite his affiliation. “i’ve missed you a lot, y’know.” he says.

“i missed you more,” you challenge, even in your sleep driven state.

he chuckles at you, before pressing a small kiss to your nose. “sure, sure. let’s fight about who misses each other more in the morning, okay?”

xiao

he’ll often doubt why you’re with him— and wonder if there’ll ever be a day where you run out of patience with him.

he’s getting better with affection, and he’s not finding it as weird as he had before. he doesn’t initiate things, still too embarrassed about the last time he failed to hug you. he wants things to be intimate, but there are still times where he flinches if you touch his hand or hug him, after forgetting to give him a heads up.

you always smile at him, and tell him that you care for his comfort the most. he can see the pain behind your smile though— almost a year of dating and he still hasn’t warmed up to you.

xiao still doesn’t fully understand the logic and need behind affection. but what he does know is that humans seek affection. they are social beings after all. knowing that, he worries that you’ll eventually want someone else who can give you the affection that you deserve.

“i’m sorry,” xiao apologizes in a panic. he was so thrown off-guard and so deep in his thought, that when you’d given him a back hug, he had reacted more violently than intended. thus, he had instinctively pushed you off his shoulder. it was hard to miss the flash of hurt in your eyes as you stumbled back, a little baffled, not expecting xiao to react in a such a way. “i... i apologize for that, y/n.”

it’s easy to notice the literal distance between you two and he reaches out for you, to which he stops himself midway. there’s just something that feels so wrong about touching you right now, especially after he’d just shoved you— it doesn’t feel right. even to now, he’s still scared of touching you. he finds himself getting frustrated at the way that he just can’t wrap his head around doing things in a romantic aspect. even he’s running out of patience with himself, so why do you still have so much?

you notice the way his hand stops, and you can see the countless of emotions within his eyes as he stares at his hands. there’s little glimpses of worry, of self-doubt, and you can tell right now that he’s being critical of himself. you don’t blame him for reacting that way, now that you look back on it in hindsight. anyone would’ve reacted like that as a form of self-defense.

“it’s alright, xiao, it really is.” you reassure him. “don’t be too harsh on yourself, okay? i said we’d take it as slow as we have to, and i plan on keeping my word for that. now... may i?” you gesture to his outstretched hand. he gives you a blank look at first, but nods slowly.

you take his hands in yours— you take your time to link your fingers, intertwining them and appreciating the way they mold together perfectly. you let him feel the way you draw soothing circles on the back of his hand. it’s such a simple action, but it flows with intimacy, and it has a weird feeling erupting in his stomach. (butterflies, he recalls you telling him.)

“see this?” you raise your linked hands. “if this is what you’re comfortable with at the moment, then i’m more than willing to hold hands for as long as you want.”

he wonders if you’ll grow impatient with him— but for now, he’s reassured you’ll stick around.

author’s note.

i’ve put this off for so long, and i intended on keeping it short— but then i felt bad and so i decided to indulge just a little