#but for now lets all enjoy the fact that the anime made it obvious that marcille only freaked out bc falin was using her mana

[forgotmysword]

Not one person has mentioned marcille’s fucking breath hitch/quiver in the dub. Im literally foaming at the mouth.

[rothpie]

❝FIDELITY❞ |part4

MASTERLIST -`✮´- Rafe Cameron x Kook!Reader x JJ Maybank

Summary: Kook!Reader’s world is upended by betrayal, and her only way forward might lie with the most unlikely person—JJ Maybank. But as they build a new life together, old flames and past mistakes refuse to stay buried.

Warnings: mentioning abortion, daddy issues, mentioning violence, kind of depression

previous - next

You missed feeling relaxed. You missed that brief period without all the stress packed into these last two weeks. Actually, it wasn’t just these two weeks. Ever since you noticed the symptoms, a constant worry had settled inside you.

What would Rafe say, what would your family say, how would they react—would they even want this?

Now, at least you knew what they felt. You knew they didn’t want this, that they were trying to convince you to end it. But the worry hadn’t gone away, not for a second. It clung to you like it knew your weakest spot, pressing down on it relentlessly.

Looking at the big picture, you didn’t really have anything left to fear. The people who needed to know had found out. Even though their reactions were awful, now you knew, and you’d have to carry on knowing it.

And that was what truly scared you.

You were starting to feel anxious about the future. Bringing a child into the world without anyone by your side would be incredibly tough, and you were sure of that. You were basically broke, with no support from your family.

Entering a dark, unknown path without any light ahead was terrifying.

This wasn’t how you wanted things to turn out.

“You’re quiet.”

Arms crossed over your chest, you were walking with your gaze on the ground. If he hadn’t spoken, you might not even have been aware of the state you were in. At the sound of his voice, you lifted your head and looked at his face. He was smiling at you, just like always.

His smile didn’t seem very sincere—it was almost infuriating. And you could tell he was doing it on purpose. He seemed to enjoy messing with you, and you hated it. The way he talked to you, as if you were some alien who just didn’t get it, made your blood boil. It was like he was observing you the way someone would watch a caged animal.

When it became clear you weren’t going to answer, JJ chuckled and turned his gaze forward. The sky was nearly dark, and the air was beginning to chill.

To be fair, he wasn’t oblivious to the fact that you weren’t exactly on a pleasant path. The evening was closing in, and the road had grown desolate. But he knew this walk would be worth it.

You were behind him, but JJ made a point of staying close to you. Not because he wanted to be near you, really—he just wanted to make sure you were ready for anything. Simply put, though he’d never admit it, he didn’t want you to miss out on this. He’d never say it, but these weren’t the safest paths to be on.

Hearing you sigh in frustration behind him, JJ rolled his eyes. Your impatience was practically a signature trait, especially for a Kook like you. “Not a fan of hiking, huh?” JJ’s teasing was obvious, and you disliked his tone. Just a bit.

“This isn’t hiking,” you muttered, trying to scrape mud off your shoe. You could swear you were in the most godforsaken corner of the world. "This—this feels more like a death march. Tell me there’s something good at the end of this, or else—”

JJ couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh. Sometimes, he thought your silent moments were his favorites, but hearing you complain actually amused him in its own way. Whatever happened, you’d keep following him like a little lost puppy. He cut you off before you could go on. “We’re almost there.”

When your complaints subsided, he found himself smiling involuntarily. He was absolutely certain you’d hate every bit of this, but for now, you were stuck here with him. You didn’t really have anywhere else to go. Sure, he did—he could go to John B’s place, and he would eventually.

It just didn’t sit right with him to leave you on your own. He hadn’t been raised with high standards, but—he was still the kind of guy who wouldn’t leave a girl alone at night.

And since he definitely wasn’t taking you to John B’s house—he was sure you’d say no—the only option left was his own style of a safe, quiet spot. At least you wouldn’t stand out around the Pogues, and you’d get some peace and quiet.

To say he was doing it entirely for you would’ve been a big lie. He needed some time, too. He wasn’t ready to show up at John B’s place, explain everything, and face them in this state. JJ didn’t want to feel their silent pity, even if they didn’t say it out loud.

You wouldn’t ask, he was sure of that—or at least he hoped. And even if you did, it wouldn’t stick in your memory for long. To you, JJ was just some random person, and to him, you were the same. Your lives didn’t really intersect in any meaningful way.

JJ pushed some branches and shrubs aside to clear a path for you, and you followed close behind. This hike was becoming increasingly strange from your perspective.

As the sky darkened and you nearly found yourself in the forest, JJ took out his phone and turned on its flashlight. You rummaged through your pockets, intending to do the same, when you remembered storming out of the house in such a hurry. Honestly, you were lucky you’d even put on shoes because you’d left everything—literally everything—behind. Wallet, phone, cash, hair tie, body spray, everything was still at home. You were truly penniless.

JJ jumped down from a ledge and extended his hand to you. The realization that you’d left everything behind had hit you hard, but you pushed aside the frustration and focused on the path.

You tucked your hair behind your ears and tested the ground with your foot. It was pure mud. “Come on.” JJ extended his hand a bit further. You hesitated, but something in you trusted he’d catch you. Even though JJ was unreliable in general, you believed he wouldn’t let you fall. Just as you trusted he’d keep your pregnancy a secret.

He could be obnoxious, foolish, and infuriating—but he wasn’t a bad person.

As soon as you jumped down and took his hand, JJ quickly leaned forward and caught you by the back to keep you steady. Your foot slipped on the mud, but his grip kept you safe from harm.

“You okay?” he asked. Once he was sure you were steady, he slowly let go of your back and hand, bending down to pick up his backpack. You gave him a quick nod, and he looked at you, nodding back and gesturing at the trail.

Even though he’d held onto you and kept you from falling, you were still frustrated at the path he’d chosen. “I already hate this,” you said, and JJ immediately started laughing. The fact that your irritation amused him made you somehow even more annoyed.

You crossed your arms and took a deep breath, tempted to fire back a few words. You just wanted to get under his skin, to rile him up as much as he seemed to enjoy riling you. But it felt impossible. No matter what you said, he just found it funny, like he was looking for any chance to mess with you. Was it your tone, the way you phrased things, or were you just naturally the kind of person he could laugh at? You couldn’t tell, and it only irritated you more.

But then, as you looked over at him, you realized—it was none of those things.

He was genuinely laughing. His dimples appeared. There was no mocking glance, no condescending smirk. He was actually amused. It was like he found you funny, not in a mean way, just… funny.

Just two seconds after you looked at him, JJ turned back with a wide grin—nearly every tooth on display. “Told you you’d hate this,” he chuckled, his voice shaky from laughter, as if still savoring his victory.

He had indeed told you, and he’d meant it. He wasn’t saying it just to annoy you; he genuinely knew you wouldn’t like this. Not that it mattered much. You weren’t alone, after all.

The anger simmering within you slowly began to melt, and for a second, you even wanted to smile back at him. After a brief exchange of glances, you both looked away, but a faint smirk remained on his face.

When JJ sped up a little and moved ahead, you opted to stay behind him. He paused just enough with each branch he brushed aside to make sure you could follow, eventually taking a deep breath as he passed through. “Home sweet home,” he declared, as though this place were actually his.

By the time you both finally made it through the branches and bushes, you were covered in scratches. You swore you’d kill JJ. No blood, but plenty of pain. As he flashed his phone’s light around, you rubbed your sore arm and looked at the scene around you.

Wonderful.

An abandoned dock. Was this his idea of a “nice place”? You figured you had about 15 minutes before the bugs and snakes launched an all-out assault. “I’m not staying here.” you announced firmly, crossing your arms. JJ turned to you with a smile.

Did he ever stop smiling? He nodded as if he agreed, surprising you. You almost thought he was crazy. You’d followed a madman all the way out here. Great decision.

“Same.” he replied, that knowing tone in his voice. Before you could step back, he grabbed your wrist and pulled you along, heading toward the edge of the dock. For a second—a single second—you thought he might push you into the river, but he didn’t.

It was too dark to make out everything around you, but as JJ's phone light lit up the surroundings, you saw it. Slowly, the scene became clear. Was that... a boat?

Did JJ get a boat?

Impossible.

“What are we doing right now?” you asked, pulling your wrist back as he crouched down to untie the boat. His phone light didn’t quite reach, so he handed it to you, gesturing for you to shine it on his hands. You did as he asked, though you watched him warily. What was he even doing?

He had to be nuts.

“Is this... your boat?” you asked, as he stood and stretched out a hand to help you aboard. JJ shook his head, still grinning.

Wait a minute... the boat wasn’t JJ’s. It wasn’t yours either. So—

“Are you stealing this boat?!” you blurted out, unable to hide the horror in your voice. JJ rolled his eyes, extending his hand again as he shook his head. He thought you were being dramatic. This wasn’t stealing.

“We’re not stealing it. We—remember? We’re in this together,” he said, his tone playful. You immediately shook your head, taking a step back, but JJ quickly placed a foot on the dock to steady the boat and grabbed your hand before you could retreat any further. “We’re absolutely not in this together. You dragged me out here on some unknown path, and now you’re stealing a boat—”

JJ couldn’t take your ranting anymore. Without a second thought, he tightened his grip and pulled you onto the boat. The world was pitch black out here, and even if you tried to turn back, you’d get lost. He just hoped you wouldn’t be foolish enough to attempt it.

Once you were on board, JJ stood in front of you, so close that you were nearly nose to nose. When you stumbled, he reached out to steady you by the back, speaking before you could protest further.

“We’re not stealing. We. Got it? We’re just borrowing it, and we’ll bring it back by morning. And if anyone asks, there’s only one thing you need to remember,” he said, his tone casual, yet with a hint of amusement.

As you stared at him, you noticed how close he really was. Your hand rested on his shoulder, and one of his hands was on your arm, the other somewhere between your back and waist. Silently, you waited, wondering what he’d say next. JJ smirked, clearly enjoying your curiosity.

“Deny, deny, deny... You tripped, fell into the boat, and it just happened to drift off on its own. And unfortunately—” he continued, pulling his hands back from you as he spoke. You were so focused on him that you barely noticed his movements. Fixated, you watched him start up the boat as though he’d done it a hundred times.

“We’re just two clueless kids who don’t know how to steer, and the boat just started moving,” he said, a grin still on his face. He turned to make sure you had something to hold onto before he started the engine.

You weren’t sure how long you both stayed silent, just that you hadn’t drifted too far. Sitting beside him, you enjoyed the cool breeze—until it started to chill you to the bone.

You didn’t know where you eventually stopped, but JJ clearly did. You followed his lead, keeping quiet.

Now, both of you were lying quietly at the back of the boat. JJ’s phone lay face down, its flashlight casting a soft glow. You both seemed to enjoy the silence.

You were an idiot. You hadn’t planned anything for tonight, and now, like a fool, you hadn’t even brought anything warm. A T-shirt and red shorts, no jacket. You started to feel the night chill, hoping you wouldn’t catch a cold. You didn’t have the energy for that right now.

JJ noticed. He knew if he handed you one of the blankets from under the seats, you’d wrinkle your nose at it, just like he would. So, instead, he took out his sweatshirt from his bag, took a deep breath, and handed it to you.

He waited for you to refuse, to say you didn’t need it, but you surprised him. You looked at the sweatshirt for a moment, then took it from him without a word, slipping it on quickly.

The slight movement caused JJ’s phone to slide, leaving his face illuminated by the flashlight. His hair, tousled by the wind, fell slightly to one side.

Your gaze lingered on his eyes, but something distracted you—a bruise you hadn’t noticed before. Probably hidden by his hair until now.

JJ realized you’d noticed. Instinctively, he ran a hand through his hair, rearranging it to cover the bruise. He knew exactly what he was doing, turning his head slightly.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was fresh. The bruises you’d seen two weeks ago had already faded. This one was definitely new.

JJ saw you looking. He shifted uncomfortably, yet he knew you were still watching him out of the corner of your eye. “What?” he asked with a smile, though it was different from the smiles you’d seen earlier. It just sat there, plastered on his face, almost lifeless. “Did you like what you saw?”

He expected you to look away, maybe even sigh in annoyance or give him a frustrated glare. But you didn’t. You just looked at him, knowing full well that something was wrong. And he knew you knew it, too.

“What happened?” you asked quietly. The words left your mouth almost as light as a feather. But JJ, listening intently, caught every word.

His smile turned bitter as he took a deep breath. He didn’t want to tell you, but things might change, given that you already knew his most guarded secret.

You were each other’s opposite. You were a Kook; you didn’t deal with Pogues. JJ was a Pogue; he didn’t associate with Kooks. You’d barely spoken to anyone from that crowd. Not that you didn’t want to—it just hadn’t interested you.

And yet, here you were with JJ. You weren’t trapped; you’d chosen to follow him willingly. He’d led you to this deserted, uncomfortable place, but it was relaxing. Sure, you’d hated it at first, but now you were starting to like it here.

This was one of those moments you’d never have predicted, not even if someone had told you about it hours earlier. What could you possibly want with a Pogue?

“Did I ever ask you about how that fight went?” JJ’s tone was cold, harsher than he intended. He wasn’t looking to bite back. He didn’t even know why he was saying it, only that he regretted it when he saw your expression fall.

You’d both come out here to get some peace—not to ask questions.

But instead, you withdrew, mumbling a soft, dry, “Sorry.” You drew your legs up, crossing your arms to brace against the chill. There was nothing to see in the darkness around you. Nothing but darkness itself.

JJ hadn’t expected this reaction. For a moment, he’d forgotten how rough your day had been. He’d anticipated a biting remark, even a small argument. But you remained silent, as if you hadn’t asked at all.

Maybe, JJ thought. Maybe you weren’t as stuck-up and unbreakable as he’d thought.

He hadn’t intended to add to your sadness. It was just that he felt his space being invaded. But he already regretted not biting his tongue. He could’ve said nothing at all, but now, it was too late.

You felt like you were meddling, like you were sticking your nose into someone else’s business. And maybe you were. But today, without knowing what had happened, he had helped you. There was no need to ask him anything; whether he chose to open up or not was up to him. Pressuring him for an answer had just happened in a brief, unintended moment.

JJ straightened up and moved his phone's flashlight aside, taking a deep breath. "My dad," he muttered. He hadn't planned on telling you. He hadn't even shared this with his friends. But then again, you'd also told him things no one else knew about you.

JJ trusted that you wouldn’t tell anyone. After all, who cares about someone else's daddy issues?

Your eyes turned back to JJ as he spoke. Feeling your gaze, he nervously ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t intend to tell you everything—just the basics. It was hard for him to explain.

You listened intently, and after his response, you thought he might stay silent for the rest of the night. You wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d stayed completely closed off. But barely a minute later, he began speaking again.

On a good day, you might have jokingly called him bipolar. But neither of you was having a good day.

"Long story short, he has a drinking problem. We don’t get along too well," JJ continued, struggling to articulate his thoughts. Besides his friends, he’d never opened up to anyone. His friends were his family, his only family.

JJ shifted slightly, watching as you leaned in a bit closer. You stood facing each other, and he avoided looking directly at you, worried that he might see pity or sympathy in your expression. If he saw even a trace of it, he thought he might just jump off the boat and into the river.

But when he looked up and met your gaze, he found none of that. You were simply looking at him with understanding. Your eyebrows weren’t raised, and there was no pity in your eyes—just empathy.

Nobody deserves to have terrible parents, no matter where they come from. It just wasn’t fair.

"Sometimes… things like this happen. But I'm used to it, Princess. No need to feel sorry for me. I’m still as handsome as ever." He extended his leg to nudge your own, a grin appearing on his face. It would’ve taken a fool not to see that his smile was a mask. He was trying to hide his pain behind a playful facade.

You decided not to call him out. Smiling in the same way, you pushed your legs away and gently nudged his back.

It felt like an unspoken promise had passed between you. You wouldn’t mention this to anyone. It seemed important to him. Even if he thought no one would care, you knew it mattered.

"Yeah," you teased, recognizing he was trying to change the subject. "I’m sure Pogue girls will be lining up for you either way." He threw his head back and laughed, his Adam’s apple prominent as he tilted his head off the side of the boat.

As you laughed with him, you felt, for maybe the first time today, a craving for something normal. It felt good to share a moment with someone who wouldn’t judge you. The same was true for JJ. You both exchanged secrets and now carried each other’s burdens. If one of you fell, so would the other.

But you couldn't help but wonder. Had his father caused the scars you saw when you first met, or had he really been in a fight? You weren’t bold enough to ask. Respecting the boundary he’d set, you didn’t make any comments.

"Actually, you’re funny," JJ remarked with a grin. Of course, you were funny—you just didn’t show it to people who didn’t matter. Why would you?

Rolling your eyes, you laughed, and JJ continued smiling. He’d always thought you were serious, not because he was always thinking about you, but because he’d never seen this side of you.

But now he knew better.

While JJ watched you, you didn’t look back. You hadn’t even noticed him observing you. With your arms crossed, you took deep breaths, savoring the fresh air, trying to unwind, and, in this moment, you finally relaxed.

Despite JJ’s presence, you felt detached from all the day’s stress. If you could, you would erase today from your mind entirely. But you couldn’t, and you felt deeply exhausted. As you thought of tomorrow, you couldn’t help but wonder. Soon, you’d leave JJ, the boat, and this river behind. Where would you go? You had nowhere to go except home, and you didn’t know if they’d continue being mad at you. A sigh escaped you, and you felt a nudge on your leg.

JJ was looking at you intently, with a slight grin as if he knew something you didn’t. "Stay in the moment," he said as if reading your mind. He tilted his head back, looking around and taking a deep breath. "We’re in a place no one can find us. Whatever it is you’re worried about—deal with it tomorrow. Let them wonder what you’re up to. Why should you be the one feeling bad?"

In a million years, you wouldn’t have thought you’d take advice from him. But what you couldn’t believe even more was that you actually wanted to follow it. He was right, and you wanted to hold onto his words.

He was right.

Let them think whatever they wanted. You were going to be fine. You’d figure things out. You just needed a little time—not much.

You and the baby.

The thought made you smile.

You nodded, glancing at JJ. Even an idiot could say something wise once in a while. Like a broken clock being right twice a day.

"I’ll stay in the moment," you said, agreeing with him. Your smile grew, and it was as if JJ had been waiting for this. He exhaled and clapped his hands. "Finally!" he shouted, startling you as he moved closer.

In that moment, a realization hit you: JJ Maybank made you feel better. He’d lifted the sorrow from your body, just with his words—the words you needed to hear.

Not Rafe, not your family. You didn’t want to remember their words. JJ’s words were enough.

JJ broke eye contact, still smiling, and picked up his phone. “Shit…” he muttered. You wanted to ask what was wrong, curious, so you leaned forward, realizing his phone battery was running low.

“Your phone—” JJ began but stopped, remembering you looked like a runaway with no phone on you. Of course, you’d left it at home. “Oh, great,” he mumbled to himself.

"Are you afraid of the dark?" he asked. You shook your head in response, even though, well… you might’ve been a bit scared. But you were on a boat with someone, so it didn’t really bother you.

JJ ruffled his hair and looked at you. "If we’re going to sit in the dark, I need a verbal answer. I can’t see you shaking your head.”

Just when you thought you’d found a way to get along with him, he managed to ruin it. He was driving you insane.

“Yes! Are you happy now?” JJ rolled his eyes and, adjusting his position, turned off the flashlight.

Your eyes tried to adjust to the darkness, but you could feel him sitting beside you, his shoulder almost brushing against yours. “More than happy,” he replied. You turned your head the other way, not wanting to look in his direction, even if you couldn’t see him. You sensed he was smiling from the tone of his voice. He enjoyed this—teasing you.

Even if he couldn’t see it, he knew he was getting under your skin, and it pleased him. Although he could’ve found other ways to connect with you, this playful sparring felt right to him. Besides, your reactions amused him.

"Pouting, are we?" JJ teased. He liked the quiet and the dark. Even if he couldn’t see you, he still felt your presence, your shoulder barely brushing against his.

“Not at all,” you replied, making JJ chuckle. He couldn’t help but enjoy every minute he spent with you. Your way of responding to him was entertaining, but deep down, he knew—you enjoyed this back-and-forth too.

You didn’t like the darkness. You weren’t scared, but you didn’t love it. JJ, right now, was your distraction. You’d been watching him or the boat to keep your mind off things, but since the flashlight had turned off, the heaviness inside you began creeping back. You couldn’t tell if your eyes were open or closed, and all you could think about was the day’s events.

Absentmindedly, your hand drifted to your stomach, as if feeling it might help you make the right choice. But the feeling you’d expected didn’t come. You felt nothing at all.

What am I gonna do?

Fears were starting to creep in. You didn't know if they'd be there for you if you went through with this, but you hoped you could overcome it. You were strong, ambitious, and capable of handling things on your own. If, of course, you wanted to. But did you even want it? Were you ready to bring a child into this world at twenty?

"Listen to yourself," JJ’s voice startled you. You turned to him, unsure of what he meant, and a small murmur slipped from his lips. Was he reading your mind?

"You asked what you’re going to do. Listen to yourself. Your body, your choice." JJ’s voice was close. You had turned to his side and didn’t expect to be this near. His breath was almost brushing your face.

"Rafe doesn’t want it," you said without thinking. Again. Yet you couldn't help but see JJ as a sort of mentor. He wasn’t on anyone’s side. He was an independent observer. "What would you do? If you were pregnant?"

At that, JJ’s laughter echoed through the woods. It was so loud that it made you jump a little, and you sensed him holding his stomach—not for the same reason, of course, but it looked like he was almost cringing. Not exactly an appropriate question, but—he needed to understand. Without meaning to, despite the difficult situation, you smiled. Laugh really was infectious.

"First off," he began, still chuckling, "Who the hell is Rafe to ask me to get an abortion? Second, fuck his opinions. He can shove it right back where it came from. And third—and this is the last point—as long as I want it, no one can make me do anything I don’t want to do." You didn’t usually like swearing, but coming from him, it was funny. You hadn't expected those answers, but then again, you’d thrown him a question out of the blue. It was fair.

"Besides, sorry, beauty, but I can’t get pregnant." You couldn’t help thinking how clueless some guys were sometimes. You’d meant what would he do if he were in your shoes. Of course, you knew he couldn’t get pregnant. You weren’t that dumb.

But JJ wasn’t dumb either. He just liked to mess with you.

No one could tell you what to do. You were the one carrying this baby. Abortion was your choice, and so was giving birth. You’d decide. Tonight, you’d know what you wanted. You might stumble at first, you might be afraid, but you’d make your choice.

It had been a long day. As the beginning of a headache began to make itself known, you leaned into the touch of JJ’s shoulder. Your lips parted, but only air came out instead of words.

You appreciated his words. Though you were two completely different people, from opposite sides, he’d supported you. He’d brought you back to yourself. Neither of you would call this helping, but it was. JJ had been there for you when no one else was.

So, without thinking, you said, "Thank you." And you meant it. You didn’t mutter it, nor did you look away. If there’d been light between you, you’d have looked right into his eyes.

JJ wasn’t expecting that. He didn’t even know what to say, but he took a deep breath. When you leaned into him, he leaned back. Now, your shoulders were fully touching. He didn’t know if he’d do this with the lights on, but the lights were off, and there was no need.

The unknown, dark path was terrifying. But it would pass. It would light up eventually—maybe with an object, maybe with a person, or perhaps even with a baby…

You couldn’t enjoy life by standing around, waiting in fear. You couldn’t let your paranoia stand in the way of living. This was your life, and you were the one in control. Your fears and anxieties were temporary; they’d go away, and in the end, you’d be left with yourself. This was your life. You had a life to live. Stay in the moment.

JJ took a deep breath. You both fell silent. There wasn’t much left to say. "Of course," he almost whispered, but you heard it completely in the stillness and quiet between you.

As your eyes slowly closed, you took deep breaths. The only scent you caught was salt and the sea.

You lay together until dawn, sprawled out in place. JJ would occasionally wake up and just lie there, only to fall back asleep, but you never stirred. It was as if you were lying on a queen’s bed.

When the sun’s rays started to creep into your eyes, JJ was the first to wake up. He moved to put the boat back in place. When he accidentally woke you, he muttered a small apology. You’d have woken up to any engine sound anyway, but he hadn’t meant to wake you. The two of you moved to the captain’s side as you tried to wake up and gather yourself. You didn’t chat much. JJ took you back to the old pier and helped you out of the boat.

After making sure there was nothing left behind, you took the water he offered without hesitation.

You muttered a few complaints about possibly getting bitten by bugs again, which JJ found amusing. A few cars passed by as you walked, and together you headed back to the beach where you’d been yesterday.

As you reached the entrance, JJ’s eyes wandered to the sea. You wondered if you should just leave him. You didn’t know what to do. To avoid making the situation more awkward, you looked away and gazed around. "Nice weather," he said, still looking around, but the ocean was his main focus.

"I have a change of clothes. Do you want to swim?" Your eyes shifted to the ocean he mentioned, your mouth opening and closing. If he wanted to see you go swimming in your underwear, he was in for a surprise. But you breathed a sigh of relief when you realized he meant clothes.

Fuck it.

"Let’s go." You left him behind as you walked toward the ocean. Without hesitation, you took off your shoes and socks as JJ, trailing behind, looked at you in awe. "Come on!" you shouted. A smile played on your lips. He smiled back, then quickly followed, dropping his bag near where your shoes were and tossing his shirt on the ground. He already had swim shorts on. You didn’t.

You took off your red shorts, tossed them with the other clothes, and walked toward the water. You couldn’t go in naked, but a T-shirt would work. JJ seemed just as eager.

The coldness of the water made you both shiver the moment you stepped in. It felt like something you had to do. "If you tell anyone about this, I’ll kill you," you said as you waded in deeper. JJ laughed, looking at you as you both continued shivering.

"We know a lot about each other. Isn’t that sweet…” Then he shrieked when you splashed water at him. Even though you were soaked, you hadn’t yet adjusted to the water. As you splashed him back, he scrunched up his face at the feel of water on his bare skin and tried to back away.

"No! No!" JJ yelled, but you didn’t stop. As you kept drenching him, he finally dipped himself underwater, unable to handle your relentless game. Smiling mischievously, you looked around to see where he’d resurface. He was nowhere to be seen.

Then he grabbed you by the legs and pulled you down, cutting off your scream as you went under.

That mother fucker.

He’d outplayed you.

As soon as you emerged, you pushed your hair back and looked around. JJ was already in front of you, catching his breath and fixing his hair, smiling. "Didn’t like that, did you?" he asked, moving toward you, still smiling, showing his dimples. Just as you raised your hands to splash him again, he caught your wrists and pulled you close.

"I didn’t like it either."

Then, he splashed you in the face and bolted away. You didn’t feel like yourself, and JJ didn’t seem like JJ. There were no names, no titles, no telling who was from where—you just had fun. You didn’t even notice, but you felt like you had nothing to worry about anymore. You lived in the moment.

You weren’t sure what had changed within you, but it felt like everything had shifted. You didn’t know how long you’d been in the water until a few people appeared in the distance, and as the area grew busier, you and JJ left the water. He gave you another shirt. You put on your own shorts and sweatshirt. He walked with you until you got to your path home and turned to you as you were about to part.

"Not very Kook-like, but I’m sure you didn’t hate it as much as you say." No, it wasn’t Kook-like. You were sure of that. And yes, you might have hated it just a little. But you didn’t tell him that. You smiled, feeling the chill on your face from your wet hair.

After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and said, “Take care.”

He was right. What mattered was you—your choices, your life.

Nodding to acknowledge him, you started walking toward home while JJ headed off toward John B’s place. Would you have had as much fun alone? Probably not, but here you were, laughing and living a bit more freely thanks to someone you’d never expected.

As you walked through your front gate, you were startled by the people waiting outside the door: your dad, your mom, and the sheriff. There was a whole lineup of officers, as if you’d been kidnapped or something. When your eyes met your mother’s, you could see her tears and the redness from crying, which made your heart twist painfully. She rushed over and wrapped her arms around you, her hands softly rubbing your back.

You didn’t want to listen to anyone. Without saying a word to either your mom or dad, you headed straight to your room. There on your bed was your phone, and you saw that you had a few unread messages—from your mom and dad, of course. They must have stopped messaging once they realized you’d left your phone behind. Even Rafe had sent you a few texts, as well as a couple of your friends.

But you didn’t care about what Rafe had to say. It was more of the same—messages about “thinking of your best interests” and a whole lot of other nonsense. He could go straight to hell for all you cared. It was you against the world. Even if you were alone, you could handle this. You were strong, and you’d get through everything just fine. You didn’t need anyone’s support; just your own belief in yourself.

So, fuck him.

You

Keeping the baby.

seen.

[green-alm0nd]

Love your writing so much! Can you please do some separate headcanons of the bad batch who get assigned a female!general who’s super sweet and a total scaredy cat? Because of this, they’re SUPER protective (and jealous) of their dear general, especially when it comes to other regs! And of course as time passes, they begin to develop a crush on her

Hello! Of course I can! :p

[The Bad Batch x Jedi!fem!reader (headcanons)]: "I could never choose to love another"

----

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Summary:

In which the Bad Batch member you're in love with falls for you too.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: protective Batch, jealousy, fluff, mild mentions of Crosshair having a panic attack, and that's pretty much it. Not proofread.

Enjoy!

A/N: Thank you <3 and I hope you enjoy your request!

----

HUNTER:

When Hunter first heard of becoming a general's squadron, he couldn't believe it. He and his brothers had been rejected by the Republic (in general), and suddenly, someone wants five clones on their squad? Unbelievable.

However, Hunter knew you were different when you first showed up and tripped over your own Jedi robe, got up, smiled and extended a hand to him. There was something in your eyes that made you different from the rest of the Jedi.

The more time he spent with you, the more time he got to meet you. At first, it was the usual jokes to break the ice; usual, playful banter; calm nights talking to his brothers... That's when Hunter saw your sweet side. There's a point where he started calling you by your real name whenever you were alone.

He literally became your protector, keeping you out of trouble whenever he could, avoiding food cantina fights so that you wouldn't get hurt, etc. He knows you can defend yourself, but there was always something that made him protective over you and his brothers.

Another reason you gave Hunter to be more protective over you was the fact that you got scared pretty easy. And, cherry on top, whenever Hunter saw you with regs, he'd become jealous and probably try to get you away from the regs as much as possible.

He didn't make it super obvious, of course. Then, he realised he might have fallen for you. However, he knew it was unprofessional, so he'd keep it to himself.

Though, he could not hide the slight blush that came over his face whenever you teasingly brushed your fingers against his calloused hands.

ECHO:

Now, Echo was happy his squad assigned to a new general. Ever since Skako Minor, he felt like the Republic had done little to nothing to try make him feel normal again. However, he was insecure about his general seeing him and rejecting him in some way.

Nonetheless, he immediately fell for you when he saw your bright smile, as your eyes came in contact with his.

Unlike Hunter, who took a long time to realise he had fallen for someone, Echo had the love-at-first-sight type of problem and he swore he'd keep it to himself. It was unprofessional and you were his general.

He found it endearing to see how scared you were of basically everything: bugs, surprise hugs, animals... However, that did not stop him from blushing every time you jumped in surprise and held his shoulders for support.

He's definitely protective over you, but he knows you can handle things. He trusts you completely and knows you won't get in trouble. He's not possessive nor jealous in any way (he's too sweet to be possessive).

Yet, he still feels a bit jealous when you prefer talking to the regs and sometimes will try to make a friendly conversation so as to keep you with him.

Again, Echo knows what he's doing. He knows he shouldn't confess to a person that's a higher rank than him.

But, his face turns red when your hands rest on his waist for a few seconds.

WRECKER:

Let's all be honest, Wrecker does not care who you are, as long as you like hugs. Because Wrecker gives lots of those.

When he first saw you arm wrestling a reg and you won, this man was ready to spar with you for the rest of his life. You were also very nice and polite.

I reckon Wrecker laughs when you get scared. Though, he does become serious and protective when there's something truly menacing happening.

He will not be bothered to beat up any reg if they're disrespectful or just mean. You're one of his only friends besides his brothers, and he feels the need to protect you.

He found out he was probably in love with you because 1) He asked Tech, and 2) He felt something pleasant in his stomach whenever you laughed.

Wrecker won't hesitate to show his love for you: whether it's by hugging, congratulate you for anything you do, let you sleep with his tooka doll...This man is not ashamed of showing how much he loves you.

He knows he shouldn't date someone in the middle of the war, but he can't help but hug you from behind and wishing you good luck whenever you go on a mission that's not with them.

TECH:

At first, Tech did not care who you were. To him, you were just another Jedi general. He hadn't heard from you, so he thought you'd want Clone Force 99 for their strength and not their personality.

Tech didn't pay much attention to you at first. But, one day, he started rambling about hyperdrives and noticed you listening. You were paying full attention and he couldn't help but blush a little.

This smart clone will be a tad surprised at how much of a scaredy cat you are. Maybe, you'll receive a comment or two from Tech, though they are harmless.

This is one of the reasons why Tech became overprotective. He started placing you behind him whenever something -or someone dangerous would happen to be there.

And, around the regs, Tech will get into a verbal fight whether they're mean or not. He registers the feeling he feels as jealous, and he will try anything to get rid of it.

That's when he realises that jealousy is laced with having feelings for someone. And he figured it was you since he felt jealousy when you were with other regs.

Tech knows he's risking his and your position if anything happened between your two, so he'll stick to telling you how beautiful you are through flowers.

CROSSHAIR:

Like Tech, Crosshair doesn't care either about who you are. He figures you didn't want to be a general for Clone Force 99 and you'd probably run away out of fear when you saw them.

At the sight of you, he couldn't deny you were beautiful. And he was genuinely surprised at you kindness, making him slightly fond of you the more time you two spent together.

Time passed, and he hated you for making him feel weird stuff on his stomach, yet he admired your sweetness towards anyone you met. This made you naive, but also endearing.

Cross will mock you for being a scaredy cat, but in reality, he will become more protective of you. Whenever a reg approached you, he was right behind you. He will listen what you are talking about, and, if things went bad, he will immediately come out of the shadows to protect you.

When he realises he's fallen for you, he tries to deny it and refuse to accept him. But the way you smile, the way you fight, and the way you are in general will keep him grounded.

There's a point where he won't deny it, and give subtle touches or a gentle nudge whenever he's around you.

Crosshair does not give a damn about the rules and the order, but he knows you'd risk everything, so he keeps his hands to himself most of the time (besides when he's doing the things from the prior paragraph).

However, the annoying butterflies will appear again when you stand opposite him whenever he's having a panic attack and you help him.

----

I hope you like it, anon :p

[silverechosandblankmasks]

Privately, Etoiles thinks training with Team Bolas is a little horrifying.

Its- it's hard to explain why, other than the obvious. It's not like they scared him, he didn't scare easy after all, but they were... unsettling, that was the word.

It was on the 4th day of purgatory, most people were busy with tasks or upkeep of supplies, and since they only had 4 hours to actually pursue tasks a day, today it just lined up to be a day of mostly chill attitudes while most grindy people were off and away from base.

It's why Green even had the chance to come visit Team Red, prompted by the fact Bad was spawn killing the poor team again. They didn't even have color on the board!

Granted, that really didn't mean anything in Purgatory, alliances and well-wishes for other teams changed on a dime, but that day Green had nothing else to do then try and keep Soulfire at bay so there they were to help scare him off and chat to see if Bolas had anything to say.

It mostly turned into a training session, Etoiles could see Charlie and Jaden had potential just lacked knowledge so he offered advice, and in fighting them and watching them fight each other, that's when the unsettled feeling crept in.

Part of it was obvious, the Gas masks, but it's not like they were the only ones. Everyone had them at this point, but it was how they wore them, obviously cared enough about to personalize, and the noises they made as they yelled, grunted, and howled behind them.

It was also in the way they moved, lumbering, stalking gates, lunging and almost dancing as they moved jerkily. In the way they would, in unison, suddenly break out into more deranged noises or chanting without any noticeable cue.

But it was in the way they fought, that gave him the willies the most.

Etoiles fought because he enjoyed it, he enjoyed ridding the high of adrenalin and indulging in his bloodlust, of trying to win and the work put in.

Bolas, however, fought like they were Hungry.

Not like a flesh eater or vampire would, though the jokes he overheard about them eating their corpses didn't help (and gods did he hope they were jokes), but Red fought like they were hungry for the kill, hungry to see blood spilled and willing to do anything to have their enemies corpses lay at their feet, like they had nothing to loose.

The way they scraped at each other with their nails and bit with their teeth, unafraid to fight like an animal, or bring down their opponent with them if they knew they weren't going to win.

It wasn't like Etoiles hadn't fought Bolas before, but here, free from the rush and face pace of trying to survive a real battle and instead doing 1v1's and watching as they fought each other, that's when it was really obvious. It was inhuman and feral, and Etoiles wondered for just a second, how much of this was his fault from that first day, how much him and his team and blue's actions had pushed red over the edge.

They made him worried a bit, but Etoiles pushed it aside. Nobody was their best selves in purgatory after all, and he'd crossed several lines he normally wouldn't, specially at his friend's expense.

All he could really do was ignore the feeling and try to not let it get to him, so he pushed it down and got ready for the Egg War the next day.

It was less than a week later when Etoiles thinks about this again, ponders on their unsettling nature for just a second as he's absorbed into their team. He's unsure how or where he can fit into such a team like this, how to cope with their feral and chaotic nature.

The thought goes away as Etoiles gets pulled, almost too easily, into their dynamics. Bolas eat together, sleep tucked against each other for safety, spar and fight with each other to get better, and kill for each other too. Bolas was a family.

It's only on the day before what is possibly the last match that he realizes the unsettling, feeling has long since gone and it, and Bolas' once strange, horrifying habits now feel like second nature and normality.

Etoiles may not have started as Bolas, but he was Bolas now, and forever. And nothing could take that away from him or any of the Bolas.

Please, if you did enjoy, reblog and just not like. Likes do nothing and it's kinda disheartening to see like 50 likes and 4 reblogs only for it to die because nobody else sees it after the first 3 days. I'd appreciate it greatly! <3

[strongheartneteyam]

Realize where you belong.

Chapter 9

Pairing: neteyam sully x female!dreamwalker!reader/female!human!reader

CW: wholesome fluff, a good amount of angst, lo'ak being nosy lol jk he's genuinely trying to look after neteyam, descriptions of masturbation, TRIGGER WARNING for mentions of depressive symptoms, reader meeting neteyam in her avatar body, neteyam and reader vent to each other about their struggles, sensitive themes, hurt/comfort, cuddling, sexual tension, kissing, sexual content, mentions of sexual fluids, neteyam slightly begging to mate with reader, foreplay (i don't know if it counts but it definitely is teasing in a sexual way). Tell me if I missed something ♡

Hello, my cute little readers! I got a little better in terms of my fibro flare up and have been feeling a little better emotionally/mentally these days, so, I was able to write again. There's a slight chance that some paragraphs are a bit confusing. I didn't fully proofread it. I'm sorry, my babies, I'm really tired right now, really achy, still. And I'm extremely hungry and there's some delicious homemade orange cake in front of me waiting to be eaten 😍 I've already eaten two pieces of it and drank a full cup of coffee with milk but I NEED to eat more bc I'm still starving and I love cake and coffee 🤤 idk about other countries but it's a tradition that we have here in Brazil to eat cake and drink coffee, together 🤍 anyways I gotta shut up now lol Hope you enjoy this chapter! I'd love to read your lovely comments down below 👉🏻👈🏻 I love y'all SO MUUUCH 😘 

Slightly proofread.

Chapter 8

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

No way out of your quicksand

But I can breathe underneath

Take your love, cover me

Pull me down, pull me down

You are wonderful

You've taken all of my heart

It was so worth the fall

Don't let go

Quicksand (Bridgit Mendler)

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Today you felt anxious but excited. It was your first day off in a week. You were gonna Dreamwalk in your Avatar today. But you were not gonna be on a solo mission this time. Neteyam would be by your side. You two had planned to meet each other next to the river you always loved to play in. You had always loved running water.

Having Neteyam around felt like a breath of fresh air to you since you never truly felt at home amidst other human beings and, after so many years, it started to feel like a joke to you to insist on trying to fit into a society that seemed to not even want you there, in the first place. Most people behaved towards you like you were weird in some way. Neteyam never made you feel that way. You did not know if it was in view of the fact that he was na'vi or if it was just because he was in love with you.

You had always preferred to live among plants, insects, songs, books, animals… on your own little world, since you were a little girl. Everybody used to call you a daydreamer, saying you had your head on the clouds. When you were a child, you did not let that get under your skin. That's the beauty of childhood wonder, it has a lot of wisdom in it that we seem to forget, once we start growing up. Your little self never cared about those "demonstrations of care and concern" (that were nothing but condescending criticism and you never understood why people tried to conceal that fact if it was so obvious) because you knew you were not crazy or completely oblivious to reality like they used to say. Your fun and whimsical inner world was what felt like home to you, not the everyday mundane routine, the protocols that seemed ridiculously stupid to you, the shallow conversations and gossip… the over-all human society. It fucking sucked, if you were going to be totally honest. 

It's not that you hated your own kind. No. It's just that you hated the way they built their empires, throughout history, the tainted legacy the ancestors left for the ones to come in the future - like a dying Planet, for example -, because of their own stupidity and recklessness.

You knew you were not harming anyone - yourself included - despite always engaging in daydreaming, all alone, with your earbuds on or just staring at a beautiful landscape and your grip on reality was still in check. Your grip on reality was actually so tight, your fingers would get hurt and start to bleed sometimes, because reality is a double bladed sword. It keeps you safe and stable, it is needed for you to not go bonkers, but it also cuts you deep with its sharp edges.

༊⁀➷

Neteyam prepared to go out today to meet you during the day for the first time after the both of you became mates. It was just like Eywa had blessed him as he was able to finish all his duties to the clan and his training a little earlier than the usual today. Or maybe the Great Mother had nothing to do with it and it was all Neteyam making the greatest effort ever just to be able to spend some time with you in the daylight and finally see you in your na'vi body again. He missed seeing you like that. He missed the way your tail would wag softly showing you were feeling happy, he missed looking at your stripes and thinking they were the most beautiful stripes he had ever seen and most of all, he missed admiring the way you loved his planet, the way you respected and appreciated Eywa instead of hurting her.

When Neteyam was taking his bow and arrows and putting them on his back, ready to go into the woods to meet you, Lo'ak approached him, suspicious.

"Where are you going, bro?"

"To the forest. Maybe I can hunt for some food and if I'm lucky I'll bring us some good meat for dinner." Neteyam smiled and gave his younger brother a head pat, rapidly walking out of the Sully's hut door

Lo'ak wanted to yell something to his older brother, something like "I know there's something you're not telling me" but he did not. If Neteyam was hiding something, it would probably not be something that would harm him - Neteyam. Everybody knew how responsible - to the point of being annoying, sometimes - Neteyam was. Lo'ak used to get Neteyam into trouble all the time back when they were just teenagers and he was trying not to do that as much as he used to, even though he was not exactly doing a great job - he was doing a terrible job, actually - but he was still trying. He would still keep an eye on his older brother - "It seems like the tables have turned, huh?" Lo'ak thought - but he would leave him alone to do whatever he was going to do in the forest. He knew Neteyam did not have much free time for himself and he sometimes felt sorry for him, seeing him so tired and even stressed out really often because of his Olo'eyktan to be training and his responsibilities as the older brother. Lo'ak used to hold some grudges on his older brother when he was younger but now he understood that Neteyam actually struggled a lot too.

Neteyam pretended to not notice anything when he was leaving home but he did not fail to see the mistrust on Lo'ak's face. That was something he would have to deal with sooner than he wanted to, he acknowledged. He also thought about how his mother would react when she eventually finds out that her son, the future Olo'eyktan of their tribe, was in a relationship with a human girl. Neteyam did not want to disappoint his mother. He knew how proud she was of him and it hurt to think that she could start to think badly of him. He tried his hardest to whoosh those thoughts away.

༊⁀➷

The Pandoran sun shone bright up in the sky, its rays reflecting on your bioluminescent freckles, making them a little more evident on your skin. The soothing sound of the leaves dancing with the pleasant wind and the water running in the nearby river filled the atmosphere around you. You walked slowly towards Neteyam, adrenaline dancing around in your belly in a bittersweet motion.

When Neteyam looked at you, it was like lightning had struck him. Not a destructive kind of lightning but a good one, sweet in its intensity, falling strongly all over him. Neteyam was seeing you in your Avatar for the first time after you had become his mate.

Your mouth was somewhat open, revealing your upper teeth and your na'vi (Avatar?) fangs. Your gaze revealed how much you had anticipated that moment, how much you stayed up when you should be sleeping, thinking about finally being able to see the look in Neteyam's face when he saw you in your Avatar. You knew he had watched you while you were Dreamwalking too many times before but you never got to see the admiration in his eyes when he did so as he had been stalking you, not letting you know he was around. You had wished to see his beautiful golden eyes captivated by you for so long. You wanted to feel pretty and desired like that. And now you were finally experiencing it as Neteyam looked almost dumb with enchantment while he stared at you. But cute dumb, you know? So damn cute…

You stared back at him as you took the last steps towards the place where he stood, as if he was frozen.

Neteyam felt like he was not able to move as he took in how beautiful you looked. He had never seen your na'vi body so close to his own body and it felt overwhelmingly good to do so. His sweet yawne finally belonged to him and he could now touch you and hold you in the physical form he found you most beautiful in. It's not like he did not think you were madly beautiful and hot in your human body, he always wanted to pin you down and make love to you while he was close to your human form, but nothing compared to seeing you in your na'vi form, the form where you smiled the most, where you seemed so much more alive and full of lust for experiencing the world around you. That made you even prettier. Happiness looked pretty on you.

Neteyam was na'vi and his people did not have as many severe mental struggles like humans did but there were rare cases where some na'vi who went through terrible trauma in their lives did become uninterested in fighting their dark thoughts and they did become extremely depressed, though they could be cured from that illness through rituals that healed the spirit, performed by their clan's Tsahìk.

Neteyam was not blind or oblivious to things that were obvious to the naked eye. He knew that nobody would break down and cry as often as you did, only minutes after waking up in the morning, while getting ready for work etc if this person was not in an enormous amount of pain, the kind of pain that made them wish to disappear and never be found again. Thinking about his mate feeling that kind of sorrow made him feel like his heart was being torn into pieces, blood spilling from it like water spills from a fountain.

The reason why Neteyam was so determined to convince you to transfer your consciousness to your na'vi body forever was not some selfish wish, it was not just because he wanted to take you to his tribe and have you be his mate, be able to bond with you through tsaheylu every night and get to love your body, sharing his affection and sexual pleasure with you as well as feeling your own through the bond - even though that thought did wake up a raw, intense desire and need inside of him and he just could not stop himself from fantasizing about that while stroking his cock when he could be all by himself without any chance of disturbance. Neteyam also wanted to give you the opportunity to live a blissful and fulfilling life, a life where you would laugh way more often than cry. If he knew someone that deserved nothing less than that, that person was you.

If in the worst case scenario, you still felt so bad after you had your consciousness transferred to your na'vi body, Neteyam planned to ask his mother to perform a ritual that heals the spirit on you. Thinking about that, he suddenly felt anxious and he felt his heart tightening inside his chest. Neteyam had been trying not to worry about the fact that it would be extremely hard to convince his mother to accept you as his mate and perform the ritual of transference of consciousness on you but that thought had been eating him alive constantly, ever since he talked to you for the first time, outside of the laboratory’s kitchen window.

"Hi, muntxatan." (male mate) Neteyam's heart started beating quickly and it almost came out of his throat when he heard you calling him your mate in his people's language as you stopped in front of him and smiled widely, your eyes narrowing slightly. Those torturing thoughts about his mother trying to tear the both of you apart quickly were washed away from his mind by your presence. It was hypnotizing to him.

"Yawntu… You're just so beautiful. So insanely beautiful." Neteyam smiled, his eyes shining, still bewitched by you, and pushed you roughly against his body. He hugged you tighter than he ever did before since he knew he wouldn't hurt you by doing so when you're Dreamwalking. The size difference between the both of you was not that substantial anymore. His chin rested on the top of your head as he held you strongly against his body.

His roughness did not hurt you, on the contrary, it made you feel safe and protected to have his big - currently not huge, just big - arms around you, keeping your body close as your head was against his chest, your eyes shut and you could hear his heart beating fast. It made you indescribably happy to know that you were the reason for that quick heartbeat. You curled your lips up, smiling peacefully.

Peace. You spent so much time without feeling that but, after you accepted becoming Neteyam's mate, finally defeating your cruel fears, you started to feel peaceful way more often than you had ever felt in your life, even more often than you did when you were little.

Neteyam distanced your bodies a bit, still putting his hands on the sides of your arms, right below your shoulders and announced:

"Come! There's a place I wanna take you to." He took your hand and started walking in front of you, excitedly leading you somewhere 

"Where are you taking me?" You smiled and chuckled softly, curious

"You'll see." It was all he said

Neteyam made you feel excited about little things, like you were just a child again, a feeling you hadn't felt in so, so long. After Neteyam came to your life, it was like he painted vivid colors on your once all too white and dull canvas. You almost shivered at the reminder that you nearly ruined your chance to have a love so pure and true such as this one because of fear of the unknown and refusal of getting out of your comfort zone.

After walking through the rainforest with you for a little while, Neteyam stopped in front of a tall, large tree and you soon recognized it. Its branches had clusters that were full of some beautiful fruits that reminded you of blueberries that used to exist on Earth, before they went extinct.

"Here. Do you recognize this tree? I've seen you look at it so many times. Were you wondering if the yovo fruits are safe to eat?"

"Yeah." You smiled bashfully "They look delicious."

"And they are. They're safe to eat, yawne. We can eat some now, if you want to." Neteyam smiled kindly at you. The fact that he remembered small details about you made your heart melt. 

"I'd love that, Teyam."

Neteyam smiled, unbelieving.

"What did you call me?"

"Teyam…?" You furrowed your eyebrows "It's just a nickname I came up with for you… Do you hate it?" You contorted your features in a way that showed him you were feeling slightly insecure and embarrassed 

"No! I love it, yawntutsyìp! I love it." He smiled and chuckled "I just wasn't expecting it. I love that my muntxate is calling me by a special nickname. Feels intimate." Neteyam came closer to you and held your face with both his beautiful strong blue hands

You looked up at his face with doe eyes and waited as you knew what was coming. You could feel it. The sneaky butterflies started flying inside your belly again.

Neteyam kissed you slowly, crushing his soft wet lips against yours. He pressed his lips on your mouth again and again for a short amount of time but it was enough to make your legs feel weak.

"Come, oeyä muntxate. I'll help you climb the tree."

Neteyam did as he said and soon enough you both were sitting on the wooden "floor" of the tree, sharing yovo fruits and eating them.

You two started to chill and talk about everyday life. It felt so good. It felt familiar, just like any relationship you had had before with a human guy, but better. So much better. Your alien boyfriend - mate? It felt so weird to say it like that… - made you feel things that none of your ex human boyfriends could ever dream to do. Neteyam made you feel understood. He did not judge you. He made you feel at home. Neteyam was becoming home for you.

You started to tell him how sad and done with everything you sometimes felt. Well, not sometimes… It happened all the time, even though it got better now that Neteyam was in your life. But you did not want to make him worry about you.

"You know, sometimes I feel like that too."

"What do you mean?" You questioned

"Like there's so much chaos inside that I just wanna talk to someone and vent. But I'm always so busy. There never seems to be time to find someone to do that with."

You were slightly surprised. 

"Yeah, me too. Always too busy." You sighed "And exhausted, to be honest. Both physically and mentally."

"Well, I do have way more stamina than humans do" You laughed at Neteyam's teasing "But some nights I come home from training and after taking care of my siblings, really, really tired too. And I don't mean only physically."

"We have some stuff in common, don't we?" You pointed out, smiling

"We certainly do." He smiled back

You felt good knowing that.

Neteyam laid on the floor, right by your side.

"I'm full" He let out a laugh that sounded lovely in your ears while stroking his stomach.

"Me too." You laid on the floor too, just like Neteyam had just done. Your belly felt pleasantly filled up "But these fruits are so good I'd still eat a dozen of them." You playfully said, laughing

"Do you want more? I can get you some more." Neteyam gently offered

"No, it's okay, Teyam. I'm good for now." You smiled at him

Neteyam smiled back, showing no teeth, a soft, enamored look in his feline amber eyes.

You two spent some time together in comfortable silence.

"Oeyä muntxate?"

"Yeah?" You looked at him and let out a relaxed sigh, smiling softly

"Oel ngati kameie." He said, with vulnerable sincerity in his eyes

It seemed like he was gazing inside your very soul. Like his golden eyes could see something in you nobody else could. Like he saw who you truly were. Like Neteyam saw the good and bad and the ugly and the greatness and the doubts and the fears and the uniqueness and the ordinary parts of you, like he saw all of you, and it did not scare him off to see your dark side. You could feel he was staying for both your virtues and your vices. And maybe that's what "Oel ngati kameie" meant, when said to the one you're choosing to be your mate. Means connecting to someone in a raw, deep way, a way that nobody else is able to. A way that allows you to see the other person's flaws but not be afraid of them and try to find a way out. A way that allows you to see the grace in every little detail that that other soul has, to see the beauty in them that they themselves could never see.

"Oel ngati kameie…" You finally said, smiling, still not believing he had said those words to you

Neteyam smiled brightly while gazing into your eyes. He always looked deep inside your eyes… It felt almost too much but it still had just the right amount of intensity for it to be deliciously alluring instead of overwhelming.

Neteyam took your hand and intertwined your fingers on his. You felt the touch of his warm hand burning your skin in a pleasant way. After a few seconds, he kissed the back of your hand tenderly. You kept staring at both your hands glued together for a while.

"I wanna cuddle with you, oeyä muntxate." His voice brought your attention back to his face.

You could hear nervousness and need in his tone.

"Sure, yawne."

You were starting to really like calling Neteyam by na'vi pet names. The na'vi language was incredibly pleasing to the ears, in your opinion.

Neteyam started moving your body carefully, so you could lay on your side and when you obeyed, laying in said position, he himself laid on his side and pulled you in, making your body be as close to his as he could, your ass against his clothed member. 

Your lungs started to do a poor job at helping you breathe now that the both of you were so close. You got nervous as you two had, yes, cuddled before, when you were in your human body, but he was never behind you like that, his body glued to yours. You knew he could feel your ass on his cock. Your heart was beating at the speed of light.

It did not take long for you to start to feel Neteyam was now fully erect, his cock pressed against your ass. You felt the inner walls of your pussy start to twitch and you got all wet, your juices spreading over your panties. Neteyam was so big and thick and your body responded like crazy to him.

It was a violent, invincible desire that made Neteyam cling so much to you, all the time. It would burn his insides, making him yearn for you, for your touch, for your warmth. There was no rational explanation inside his head for it. Neteyam could not understand it, he could only feel it covering all his being, exuding from his eyes whenever he looked at you, touched you, kissed you… He knew you could tell how much he was thirsty for you almost all the time. But Neteyam did not care about being so vulnerable. He wanted you to know what you did to him. Maybe like that you would surrender sooner and give yourself to him completely already. He felt so impatient. Everyday it was getting harder and harder for him to not take you in his arms and mate with you. This wait was killing him, day by day. It was like a slow and agonizing death. And now that he could smell your sweet juices so vividly, he felt like he could no longer hold back.

Neteyam pushed you even closer to him. You whimpered softly, the feeling of his huge, girthy cock pressed against your butt was divine.

Neteyam got you crazily wet just so quickly that it never failed to surprise you. He was like quicksand to you; you could try and run as much as you wanted but you would always end up being swallowed by his love.

"I need you so much, muntxate…" He cried out softly in your ear while rubbing his hard cock on your ass. "You're all wet for me. You smell so good, it's intoxicating." He sniffed the air, savoring your natural scent just like it was the most mouthwatering thing he had ever felt filling his sensitive nostrils "Please, lemme make you mine completely, my sweet yawne. Please…"

༊⁀➷

Taglist:

@kitsunefirewail

@tumblingdevils

@a-blog-name-2003

@xylobee

@nerdybouquetofkittens-blog

@henhouse-horrors

@lala-1516

@xylianasblog

@samistars

@crazy4books1

@explosiongamora

@lik0

@your-girl-mj

@darktyrantwinner

@sereisstuff

@yeosxxx

@die4niyahhh

@iman-lu

@manumanulau

@im-in-a-pansexual-panik

@hana-yuri

@thehoneymushroomhealer

@melllinaa

@annaibansworld

@siriuslysmoking

@avatar4eva

@ellabellabus07

@badbishsblog

@neteyamsmate4life

@c-h-i-l

@criticallybella

@celi-xxmoon

[wayfayrr]

I've been on a little bit of a first kick recently - so here's a first meeting of reader and him based on this piece of the dolls au by @ovegakart (this amazing comic piece in particular) and on the topic of tagging people I've got some new friends on discord who have a love of first so consider this a gift <3 @fanfic-fairy-fountain @dreaming-of-lu @angry-trashcan @neverchecking <333 enjoy!

[masterlist]

“Hello..? Time… Sky… Link? Is anyone there?”

As if being forced into Hyrule wasn’t bad enough when I was with the chain, now that cursed shadow decides to push it even further by separating me from them? Why not just kill me outright… Is it to try to give the heroes hope? Wouldn’t it be worse for them for it to kill me outright than string them along with false hope?

“IS ANYONE HERE? HELLO??”

Where even am I? It looks like… Oh. Alone in catacombs, yeah if there’s anywhere to be killed by a malicious shadowy entity it would be in catacombs. Are there going to be redeads here?  If the rest of the monsters are anything to go off of it’s going to be much worse dealing with them now. They can’t handle sunlight though, can they? 

Then that means the pile of rubble in the centre here should be the safest place for me to think through the best way to handle all of this. If the shadow really wants to get to me then of course that won’t stop it but I have to try something right? Is sitting on top of what looks like a grave a little disrespectful? Yes. Do I have many options at the minute? No.

“-Wait-!”

WHY IS THE GRAVE SLIDING OPEN - WHAT WAS THAT!? WHY DOES IT SOUND LIKE SOMEONE IS YELLING?? 

“What… happened? Where is this place?”

I think without a doubt the sound I’ve just made is the most blood-curdling scream I’ve ever let out and - WHY IS HE COVERING MY MOUTH!?

“I’m sorry I know you’re confus- ACK.”

Was biting him the right option? Probably not! But it’s the only thing I could think of to do seeing as well, I'm not exactly calm at this moment in time. Despite the fact that this man has known me for, what, the span of less than a minute, he seems to have at the very least noticed my panic. Backing off like you would with a scared animal - do I really look that petrified? It’s taking everything in me now to not give into my racing heart. 

“I’m sorry, I must’ve overstepped your boundaries. But please can you not be so loud?”

“....”

“... yeah. Yeah I can be a bit quieter”

“So you uhhh-”

Where do I even start - this man just - He just crawled out of a grave. What do you even respond to that with??? 

“...You come round here often?”

[name]. [name] what the heck was that. That's how you flirt with someone at a bar not speak to a living corpse.

“No, I don’t really?”

“Yeah, I figured. I -”

“Are you alright?”

“Look I’m just a bit overwhelmed, I was separated from my group and dropped here then you- You crawled out of a grave and now I’m just?? I’m just stressed and this is only things that have happened today. Now I know that you’re probably more stressed for obvious reasons, but I’m just - I’m sorry for screaming.”

He took a step closer to me at that, not trying to be intimidating, but more cautious. Asking for permission to touch me with an invitingly open outstretched arm, one that seemed to promise some sort of salvation from all the stress I’ve been feeling. One that I was embarrassingly quick to accept. His touch - His hold, is so warm for someone who should really be so cold, there’s definite comfort in feeling his heart beating as well something that proves he’s alive. It didn’t last for long though, as he pulled himself away, reluctantly if I were being bold in how I was to describe it. His fingers lingered, resting on my arm in such a teasingly wanting way. He’s definitely a link thats for sure, that helps me to be more comfortable around him than I would have been with anyone else. He looks like he’s about to start crying.

I - oh god I’m the first person he’s seen since he came back to life. 

“Are you alright link?”

Was that the wrong thing to say? He hasn’t introduced himself to me,  I shouldn’t have said that. It seems like now it’s his turn to look confused - more so than he already was. 

“you how do you know my name?”

“I just guessed, the group I was with before they - well they all looked similar and went by the same name ‘link’ so I just assumed it was the same with you. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

“No it doesn’t.” Why is he reaching for my face? He’s got such a soft look on his face, do I remind him of someone? He’s been dead so it could be possible I guess, but it feels like there’s more to how he said it than just something that simple. 

“Oh my dearest love...”

His hands are so soft… it’s hard not to just lean into his touch and stay there, but there are more important things to be dealing with right now. As much as I’d prefer to not have these questions answered. 

“What do you mean by that link? I don’t - I don’t think I’ve met you before.”

He’s so warm, I hate the fact that he’s most likely going to stop holding me when he realises I’m not the person he’s really ever going to want in a relationship. 

“You haven’t but, I can already tell that you’ll be my beloved soon enough.”

“I’m sorry? We’ve only just met how can you tell s- ACK”

This has to just be a link thing. What is it that makes them fall so quickly? But to hold someone so tightly when you've only just met them - when you’ve only just come back from death?  That doesn’t seem like a healthy thing for him, not in the slightest. 

Is my shoulder wet?

Why would it be wet - he was tearing up earlier and - no there it is he’s sniffling as if he’s trying his hardest not to cry. Even if he’s mildly delusional how cruel would you have to be to not help someone go through something as tough as this clearly is. It’s not hard to gently rub his back as he cries onto me, it’s not hard to hum to him as he clutches me like a lifeline, it’s not hard to be here for him when I have to do so little for him. 

“Link? Would you like to talk about it? I don’t know you but - but I’ll be here to listen to you.”

“Thank you. It’s simply that I - I don’t know why or how I got here, It’s simply that I woke up in there after everything then I saw you -”

“[name]”

“[name] and well you know what has happened since. I have to thank you for being here though, there’s something about you, some kind of energy that just feels like a part of myself that I lost. You feel like home to me [name]”

With that last sentence, he burrows his head even further into my neck seeking what I can only guess is comfort. He’s probably just desperate for another person's touch right now, rather than him having fallen in love with me from the briefest interaction that didn’t even go that well.   There’s no harm in waiting here with him for a moment though. What could go wrong in this amount of time?

[lawlightautismtruther]

SUPER LONG LAWLIGHT DYNAMIC ANALYSIS RANT (THIS MOSTLY ONLY APPLIES TO THE ANIME)

It’s really not that serious, but there’s more to my thesis of L being a sub/bottom than just blorbo yaoi fuel. I‘ll call back to my post about L’s true emotional vulnerability that most viewers seem to miss, because on a surface level (especially when coming from the manga and when trusting the words of Obha at face value) you may see L as detached and cold. You’re supposed to think that L is unfeeling at FIRST but post-confinement/pre-yotsuba, the truth starts to seep out. L could have had Light convicted after seeing that no more criminals were dying since locking him up, but he didn’t. Even Aizawa admitted that it was enough evidence. You know it’s real when Aizawa agrees with Matsuda, lmfao.

Anyway, after this point, L and Light actually really start to bond. (I pretty much see lawlight as subtextual canon) L, not really needing to do this because of his access to surveillance, handcuffs himself to Light Yagami. He doesn’t want to be apart from him. I actually find it to be a comedically obvious act of desperation.

My point is, Light is winning the game, and L is letting him do it out of what I believe is love. L has found the one person in his life (besides maybe Naomi) that he really feels any sort of connection to, and therefore he would hate to watch that person die. L is inarguably a vulnerable character imo. If you rewatch the the series, outside of his internal monologues, he’s actually extremely soft-spoken and coy.

“Oh, uh, well it was nice meeting you”

“Light, please make Misa stop talking now.”

You get the point. He’s nervous. He’s super frail and holds himself very compactly, he walks with his eyes on the ground usually. He shakes when Aizawa lays a hand on him. He is terrified of shinigami. I think his coldness is an act to protect himself. I really do, because he knows how much things actually do affect him. In order to continue with cases, he has to pretend like none of it really matters to him. And he almost believes it at this point, too— hence his monster speech.

But then there’s Light Yagami. A worthy individual to truly understand L. He comes along, actually treats L like a human being (be it an act, I believe it still feels good to L, who has been treated like a robot his entire life), of course L is bound to at the very least see him as a friend.

I don’t believe L’s external behavior towards Light is an act. He didn’t have to be kind, he didn’t have to pretend it was a friendship. He had zero professional reason to do so. In fact, it very much made the case a harder one to solve. If we take L’s character at face value, he would have scrapped all of the fluffy shit (like asking Light to go get cake with him, telling Light he was his only friend knowing damn well Light wouldn’t budge regardless, etc.) Adding a friendship into the mix only complicates the process of trying to read Light.

As much as L the detective hates to lose, L the person is desperate. If he really hated to lose, why did he let himself? He’s submitting to Light’s will and THAT is what kills him. On the day he dies, he knows it will happen, but still, he treats Light with kindness. Sure, he asks him if he’s ever told the truth once in his life, but after that, he pretty much gives up prying. That’s it. He’s put his gun down. Since he’s going to die anyway, he might as well just enjoy being around Light. I know for a fact that he is smart enough to have come up with some sort of plan to convict Light post-Higuchi. There’s a book about that. But canonically, he didn’t do it. Notice also how L goes to Watari before he dies for comfort. L is really such a sad character.

The crux of his character is his submissiveness, hence why I’m such a proponent of that ship dynamic. Its not just a wet-dream, it’s something I sensed in their dynamic to begin with. It’s why I became an L simp, not the other way around.

Anyway, the anime is a genius adaptation and expansion on the original story imo. (At least up until L’s death— unfortunately it didn’t do the other Wammy’s boys any justice)

TLDR;

manga L- cold and domineering, hates to lose and mostly loses at first because Light outsmarts him

anime L- the very opposite and I LOVE IT

Look at me putting my 5 on the AP English literature exam to use! Also, I know I’m a huge L fan, but I am a Light kinnie and I love him as a protagonist in every possible anti-hero type way and would love to analyze him so let me know if yall want that.

Okay, class, any questions?

[enoe-of-noen]

Glass Petal Vision

Based on the Glass event <3

☞ Word count: 1,104 💀

Mc took hold of a petal on the ground. “Oh! Does that mean we get to see what your ideal world is, Mc?” Luke looked up at them expectantly. Mc chuckled and shrugged. “Well, let’s see.”

A bright flash of white appeared and cleared as the cast found themselves in the House of Lamentation. “Mc!” whined Leviathan as he tugged on Mc’s sleeve. “Tell Mammoron to pay me back already! He’ll listen to you!” Mc sighed as they closed their book.

“Ah, Mc, before you take care of that, could I tell you about this chapter? A quick second.” Satan peered from his book with pleading eyes. Mc chuckled at the sight. “I promise I’ll deal with Mams quick, Tanny.”

“Mc, I brought back food for you.” Beelzebub handed Mc a donut. “That’s your favorite flavor, right?” “Yeah.” Beelzebub’s eyes sparkled and grinned. “I’ll get that next time too, then.”

Mc nodded and took a bite. Belphegor passed by with his pillow, kissing Mc’s cheek. “I’m gonna take a nap, join me later,” he smiled briefly before walking off, following Beelzebub. “Mc! Check this out!” Asmodeus showed a magazine with him on the cover, dressed in stylish clothing. “You look dashing.” “Don’t I? They really captured my good side — like this? The lighting was perfect!” Asmodeus practically squealed.

“Hey! Mc! My man! Got any spare grimm you could lend to the Great Mammon?” He jumped onto Mc’s back, making them stumble. “Mams!” They laughed. “Mammon, for the final time, stop jumping on Mc! You could damage their back.” Lucifer stepped in with a scowl.

Mammon groaned and slid off Mc’s back. “Back to the grimm,” he whispered into Mc’s ear. “Mammon!” Lucifer glared. Mammon ran off as Lucifer calmly walked after him, leaving Mc alone. Yet, despite it all, they stood there, smiling.

White flashed as they return to the present. “Wait…nothing was different about that world.” Mammon pointed out. “Captain obvious, here,” Belphegor scoffed. “What, hey! Respect your elders!”

“Isn’t that touching?” Simeon smiled woefully. “Couldn’t help but notice the fact we weren’t part of this vision of yours,” Solomon frowned. Mc smiled, patting Solomon’s shoulder.

“You’re just jealous. Besides, it seems we have overworked the flower.” Mc chuckled. Their laugh made Simeon and Solomon smile. “As long as you’re happy, Mc.” Diavolo grinned. “It is an honor to know that you don’t see much to change,”Barbatos added. “Not that it’s a bad thing that the others did.”

“Really, Mc? Are you truly that selfless?” Luke beamed. Mc shook their head. “I just enjoy how things are now. Yeah, I have wishes and whatnot, but I’ve got you guys and your silly quirks. I might not love everything, but I certainly love all of you.”

Leviathan and Luke teared up at the notion and wiped their cheeks. “That’s awfully sweet of you, Mc.” Satan smiled warmly. “I promise I’ll always share my food with you, Mc,” Beelzebub chuckled. “I promise to always give you the chance to nap.” Belphegor offered.

“If you need a listening ear, you’ve always got me, Mc!~” Asmodeus cooed, hugging them. Mc snickered as they pat Asmodeus’ arm. “I’ll gladly spend hours with a book and your company in my room.” Satan bowed slightly as he took Mc’s hand and kissed their palm.

“M-my room is always open if you want to play games o-or watch anime together!” Leviathan squeaked, an obvious blush on his cheeks. “The Great Mammon’s got your back! Anytime, any day, human!” He boastfully pointed to himself with his thumb. “You can always rely on me, Mc.” Lucifer smiled sweetly.

“Don’t forget about us, Mc!” Luke held their jacket. “I’ll always make sure to invite you whenever we bake! Always!” Simeon hummed in agreement and pat the chihuahua’s head. “We enjoy your company.” He handsomely smiled.

“I’ll always lend a magical helping hand,” Solomon smirked, holding his hand out. Mc smirked back and took it softly. Asmodeus giggled, still hanging onto Mc’s neck as he snuggled. “I’ll prepare you tea whenever you visit the young lord’s castle, dear Mc.” Barbatos smiled with closed eyes, a hand placed on his chest. “Haha! It’s always wonderful to see Mc be appreciated!” Diavolo laughed.

“And what about you, Dia?” “Pardon?” Mc pat Asmodeus’ hands and he let go with a mischievous expression. Mc approached Diavolo closer with intent in their eyes. “What exactly can the lord of the Devildom do for little old me, hm?” They smirked, circling Diavolo like prey. Diavolo felt a thrill and he laughed with red cheeks.

“My castle is always open for your visits!” He grinned, desperately trying to keep his composure. Mc giggled. “What about,” their hands ghosted Diavolo’s arms, “these are kept open for me? You know how much I love warm hugs.” They hummed. Diavolo heard his heart in his ears and struggled to not breathe so heavily.

Meanwhile, Lucifer was holding the brothers back from intervening. With Simeon holding back Barbatos and Solomon. “Oi! Human! You’re flirting with the wrong demon! Your number one is over here!” Mammon’s mouth was promptly shut by a swift wave of Lucifer’s hand.

“Young lord, Mc,” Barbatos strained. “Please, Barbatos, calm down,” Simeon begged. “What’s going on?” Luke tried to grab at Asmodeus’ hand covering his eyes. “Hush, Luke! Tension!” Asmodeus snickered. “T-tension?”

“I’ll come over to the castle after this ordeal is over, m’kay?” Mc winked at Diavolo, making him still. “Mc, I can’t hold Barbatos any long-“ in an instant, Barbatos chased after Mc and they cackled as they sprinted. “Go easy on me!” They laughed maniacally.

“Should we not help them?” Beelzebub looked at Lucifer nervously. “They deserve it.” “Hah?! I was jealous but I ain’t letting that old man beat my human to death!” Mammon retorted.

“Don’t worry, Mc will be fine. This isn’t their first time,” Lucifer sighed. “Wahhh?? What does that mean?” Leviathan fidgeted with his hands. “Haha, Mc tends to be…frivolous with Barbatos.” Diavolo chuckles as he scratches the back of his neck.

“They’re allowed to do that?” Asmodeus grinned. “They’ve survived?” Mammon looks flabbergasted. “It seems to be a privilege that Barbatos gives to lord Diavolo and Mc exclusively,” Lucifer looks at the two squabbling and wrestling in the distance.

Minutes passed and Barbatos returned with a scruffed up Mc dragging behind him. “Excuse my outburst,” he bows. “Mc!” Mammon cries as Belphegor snickers. “Y-you didn’t need to go so hard on Mc, Barbatos.” Diavolo smiles.

“You are not exempt from punishment, young lord.” Barbatos’ smile sent chills down Diavolo’s spine. “O-of course…” Barbatos sighed and kissed Mc’s head before handing them off to Lucifer.

This took too long oml, the ending went off the rails 😭

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

Kafka with a tsundere reader (I love Kafka SO MUCH…)

Kafka with a tsundere reader

characters: Kafka x gn!reader

warnings: none

a/n: GET YOUR WISHES READY. IT'S HAPPENING. Less than 24 hours until Kafka releases. So I decided now would be a great opportunity to write something for her, as something of an offering to the Gacha gods...

I'm so down bad for this woman. I swear...

I wish everyone pulling for her the best of luck and I’ll see you on the other side!

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Kafka

While the Stellaron Hunters were composed of all different kinds of personalities, the ones Kafka kept around herself the most weren’t the most jovial of creatures. Silverwolf ironically preferred to ignore the tendencies of the animal in her name and rather work alone, while Bladie never was all too talkative in the first place.

And then there was you, someone trying so hard to match the stone-faced attitudes of your co-workers, that it was almost a crime not to try and get you to show your real feelings. A crime Kafka for once in her life didn’t intend to commit.

Kafka’s teasing was a misfortune every Stellaron Hunter working with her at least once had to endure. One you begrudgingly had to admit was fun to watch whenever you weren’t her target, the urge to join in whenever the purple-haired woman broke through Silverwolfs stoic facade forcing you to bundle up all of your self-control on more than one occasion.

Today however, was not your lucky day, as it quickly became clear who today’s victim would be.

“Come on, finish what you just wanted to say”, Kafka urged you to continue with a smile so devilish even Nanook would have felt creeped out. It had been foolish enough of you to let your compliment slip out in the first place, especially when Blade and Silverwolf were in the room, but all hopes of not drawing a giant Target on yourself were lost when you cut yourself off in the middle of your sentence, making the fact that it was a slip up as clear as day.

“There is nothing to finish, I was just talking to myself”, you lied as naturally as you breathed, hoping it would be enough to get Kafka to stop. Only for your hopes to be crushed in front of your very eyes as you saw her face light up in a familiar way, one signaling that giving up was the last thing on her mind right now.

“You’re lying.” While being called out on your obvious lie already was enough to make you lose your composure, her teasing tone sent blood flooding directly into your cheeks, causing them to turn red in almost an instant

With one swift turn of your head towards Blade you silently begged him for help, only for your fellow Stellaron Hunter to face away, putting all of his attention onto his weapon. And while you ought to have felt betrayed by his action, knowing how you did the same whenever it was someone else’s turn made you unable to hold a grudge against him.

Silverwolf however was a different story. As when you glanced towards her, you weren’t just brushed off, but instead were greeted by an amused smile, one radiating enough Schadenfreude to feed an entire planet of sadists. Before you knew it however, your attention was once again drawn to Kafka as you tried your best to find the right words to say.

“...I said the new coat suits you”, you murmured out just loud enough for her to hear you, nevertheless she gave you one more teasing smile, one wider than all of the previous.

“That’s interesting, I could have sworn I’ve heard a ‘B’ somewhere. Something along the lines of ‘You look beau-’”, she continued, dragging the last word out in anticipation of what you would say while forcing you to look her in the eyes.

“You look beautiful today”, you finally whispered in defeat, her ears immediately picking up on your words. For a moment you expected her to pretend she didn’t hear you, forcing you to say it once again, just louder. However, it seemed as if getting you to spit it out was enough for her as she showed you a satisfied grin before letting you finally go. Sparring you the embarrassment of having your fellow crewmates hear what exactly you had said that caused you to get this stand-offish.

Or at least that’s what she let you think for a few seconds.

“Oh you think I look beautiful today? Thank you, you’ve got quite the looks yourself.” The big smile on Kafka’s face was hard to miss, although you were far too embarrassed to look back up at her, your red face glued to your shoes for at least the next hour.

No matter how hard you tried to match your colleagues' blank expressions, there was always one person for whom you were as easy to read as an open book.

[forthevillains]

Sacred beings (pt.1)

Albert Wesker X fem! Reader

Summary: She was a creation of his, supposed to have died during the difficult process, she was labeled as dead, but she managed to escape and now he's the one to hunt her down...

[before you read I’d like to inform you that this fanfic is going to have up to 30 parts. It’s not based on the main storyline of Resident evil so please don’t get mad after reading this, I warned you beforehand. Anyway I hope you enjoy it and let me know if you would want more!]

It was late in the evening in the headquarters of Umbrella corporation. The scientists have been switching their positions, some leaving for the day and others coming to take over their place for the night, yet the number has visibly lessened. There were a few that refused to leave most of the time, but those are the fools that sold their souls for the experiments that'd make every normal human's stomach twist in disgust.

Y/N, the one who's been stripped off her name, who already forgot who she's been before being dragged to this hell of a place, before all she could hear were her own screams of agony followed by a terrifying echo in the hallway. She was special. She was labeled as fragile goods, meant to be tested carefully, by the best of the best and only most trusted scientists were allowed to break inside her comfort space to observe her, like an exotic animal locked in a cage. The fact that she's been there for so long alone made her special, the fact that she survived most cruel experiments, until one...

"Test subject 087 has escaped!" The voice is nothing but a mere echo through the empty hallways, all painted in cold colors to match the laboratory interior. There were guns, many of them, as heavily armored men have entered. "Close all the exits, no one is allowed to leave the building." The voice continues, it's emotionless, calm, too much for any human being. As the speakers tremble with each word, the employees make sure to obey, staying in the same positions they've been in. Of course, they wouldn't want to get into any trouble, knowing how cruel Umbrella's politics can be.

The young woman, in her late twenties, was sneaking around the place, hiding behind every other corner in hopes that the exit is close. This was either run or die situation, there was nothing else she could do, although her weakened body tried to resist every single move she made. There were no shoes covering her bare feet and each step onto the cold floor sent shivers down her spine. She moved quickly and quietly, like a fox even though her head was spinning and her vision blurry. The cameras in every corner were obvious, so she only made sure to hide her face in high hopes of them not recognizing her. She barely had a few minutes to disappear before they run at her with guns and shields to get rid off another thing they created. No, she couldn't let it be that way. She wanted to live, she craved it, the feeling of being alive, free.

In one room, where a man named Oswell Earl Spencer has been occupied by the newest reports made by his subordinates until now, was already a plan to be made. He's been a clever man, that is for sure, determined to reach his goals at all cost, no matter the losses nor pain caused to the innocent.

"Send for him," he'd order one of the guards. He didn't even need to say the name out loud, it was his obvious favorite, his greatest creation that was capable of handling such a situation. "He's responsible for her. Tell him to catch her." He adds, tapping a finger on the surface of his desk impatiently. He jerks his head towards the door, to make the other man hurry and make the order clear. A dead meat has escaped, an experiment that was supposed to be far from alive, on the other side even. Yes, she was pronounced dead just early this morning and yet, when the sun came down and the darkness took over the world, that's when she seemed to have been resurrected and miraculously brought back to life. It was one of the very few failures of the feared and respected Albert Wesker, the one who was infected himself and who was supposed to make that woman the same, perhaps even better, however he was almost sure of that she would not survive the virus, not when it wasn't fully developed, he thought that when he saw her in the morning, it was the last time. He's seen her take her last breath, seen her eyes wide open with nothing but emptiness in them, not even the fear she used to possess was there. The virus didn't even create a 'superior' form of her body, no changes to be seen at all. It was just... nothing. The devastating truth hit him like a bus, he was not meant to disappoint again... His failure was something that enraged him, way more than the life that was lost. He's the best of the best, so why did he fail again? He spent the rest of the day turning his usually peaceful office upside down, searching for any type of clue on what he did wrong. But now that she's disappeared, there's hope, there's hope that she might be a worthy person, someone in whom lies the future as much as in him.

Wesker is quick to jump to his feet when he hears the order, his eyes widening in hope. He's going to find her... He's going to hunt her down and bring her back, no matter what...

|next part|

[rosemariilovesyou0922]

WHAT DID I JUST WATCH???

SPOILERS TWF4 !!!

It was the best thing I could ever experience rn, I'm pretty much ascending. The fact that there was ANIMATION?? ON IT??? Martin is extremely talented I swear to god.

Personally I think a Lot of My questions we're kind of answered. Deffinetly not the "Where the hell is Jack?", No I'm Even more confused about that... I THOUGHT LIKE- FELIX GOT RID OF HIM OR SOMETHING I DIDN'T THINK HE WOULD TELL THEM WHAT HE DID? I honestly thought he would hide it and kill anyone who knew (he didn't need to they're all pretty dead). I honestly felt slightly Bad for him, HE DUG A HOLE FOR HIMSELF 😭. I swear I was SHOCKED- mouth open eyes wide type of stuff, I COULD FEEL HOW AWFUL HE FELT, He reeks of guilt, desesperation and actual negativo emotions, where before I honestly think he only transmited me the smell of alcohol or something; I deffinetly feel Bad for him now.

Okay so aside from the whole Felix thing here's a few things I really enjoyed/noticed:

Beggining ANIMATION with Ed and Molly; knowing what happened that night it was honestly really sad and I felt like it was the Best way to start pt4

THIS HAHAHHA:

ROSIE VOICE REVEALL!!! Girl I swear, it's extremely obvious how hard I Stan Rosemary Peony Walten SO You know I started levitating ‼️‼️

"Bon" appears in the video early on so that's cool, aside from that uhhh Tv Guy is deffinetly going to be quite the goofy silly guy so stan

SUSAN AND CHARLES BEING SILLLLYYY!!!

Charles struck me as kind of a manager? Someone who does stay in the establishment and is involved but isn't actually like- an engenieer or chef.

Susan You wonderfull woman I swear the strong ass mecanic lesbian is all I needed in my life.

So the whole animatronics moving around and facial recognition actually clear up a bunch of stuff for me, for instance: How the hell would Bon be able to tell who Sophie was. Also I was screaming for them to run whenever an animatronic was lowkey near, scary stuff.

AWOOPPPP TIME SKIP!! Or something skip I have no clue, Charles and Susan talking about Rocket being there. Rosemary and Jack did not know Félix was an alcoholic aparently, that explains why Jack would ever let him drive his children anywhere from somewhere there would be alcohol at.

JACK?? JACK BANGING AND KNOCKING ON THE DOOR FOR FELIX TO OPEN ACTUALLY GOT ME SHOCKED TO MY GODDAMN CORE?? HIS VOICE IS CHILLING.

Félix and the whole cliff scene really broke me not going to lie, You dumbass of man, you're stupid and reckless but I feel awfull for you.

Felix told Rosemary and Jack what happened which actually throws my "Oh yeah Felix deffinetly sent killer animatronics to kill his Best friend and his family so the business wouldn't crash" theory down the drain. Also Rosemary asking for the doll, I cannot imagine how devastated She would have felt, She does not deserve that.

Alright that was terrifying!! Scary imagery actually got me bit scared at atimes, which is good, the show keeps me on My toes.

WHO THE HELL IS INSIDE OF BON?????? WHO IS THAT...

The fact that: We could actually SEE how he KILLED Susan but ED AND MOLLY HAD TO WATCH TOO 😨

Poor children, god.

The animation actually scared me really Bad, it was so unreal and disturbing in a sense that Made You feel like you'd get jumpscared at any moment, that's what makes this kind of horror amazing.

The whole conversation between "Bon" and Susan/Banny is something You have to watch for yourself.

She was ALIVE in the SUIT, GOD 😭

The fact her 'Wonderland' for has her neck snapped and everything, it looked so disturbing, it was really clear how she got killed.

THE MUSIC WAS CELESTIAL, I PRAISE WHOEVER PLANNED THE SONGS THAT PLAYED BECAUDE EVERY SINGLE ONE MADE IT TEN TIMES BETTER.

Ed and Molly at the end :[

[ronwestbreeze]

TO YOU , WORLDS AWAY : PART ONE : CHAPTER SIX

pairing: jake sully x human!fem!reader

summary: in which you and jake sneak off for a night ride

warnings: none!

word count: 2.4k

author's note: jake and reader are just cuties hehe

AO3 | prev | next

“Jake Sully, where are you taking me?” You asked for what felt like the hundredth time as you followed him through the forest.

The man was practically jumping around excitedly, glancing back at you every now and then to check if you’re following with a large white grin.

“Hey I know you’re a little out of your prime but at least try to keep up, Doc!” He teased, a laugh then falling from his lips.

“Shut up.”

Really, you had never seen him this happy before. In the three months you had known him, sure he’s given a few smirks and dumb jokes every now and then, but hearing him laugh and smile unashamedly, that was something new. Something that could be dangerously addicting if you allowed yourself to let your guard down too easily.

But the thing was, in a way, your guard has always been down around Jake Sully. You just hadn’t realized just how vulnerable you were around him until a smile tugged at your lips just at the simple sound of his laugh.

After a few more minutes spent running around the forest, you finally made it to a clearing of sorts where an ikran was waiting for the both of you.

You were cautious to approach but Jake confidently strode over toward it. Jake chuckled when glancing back at you, “He won’t bite, Doc. Promise.”

“When did you tame your own ikran?” You asked, slightly in awe at just how far he had progressed with his training with Neytiri.

Jake hoisted himself onto his ikran and smirked down at you, “You really don’t listen when I talk, huh, Doc? I literally told you and Grace about this like a week ago.” He then stretched his hand out to you. “Come on.”

“Wait, what?” You glanced from him toward his ikran worriedly. “Um, are you sure about this?”

He tilted his head, “I won’t let you fall if that’s what you’re scared of.” You stared at his hand for a few seconds, your own fingers tingling with want. “Trust me?”

“Still debating.” You hummed but reluctantly your hands weaved with his. His muscles flexed when he pulled you up until you were sitting behind him. His hand was still around yours as he stretched your arm around his waist until you were holding onto him. Even from behind him you could tell he was smirking, “You’re enjoying this too much, asshat.”

Jake leaned back into you and murmured, “Just hold on tight.”

Right after he said that, his ikran’s wings expanded, and then it took off. You let out a yelp from how fast it took off, your screams mixed with Jake’s joyful laugh. It would’ve been like music to your ears if not for the fact that you were flying on an unstable animal.

You briefly did research about ikrans in the past though you never read much further about them. All you knew about them was that they chose you first and once they did, that is when you bond with it. But it’s known to be quite the dangerous task which is why you were surprised yet impressed with Jake’s obvious success in being able to get one for himself.

After finally getting over your initial shock from the takeoff, you were able to take in the view before you. You always knew Pandora was beautiful but seeing it from the sky, flying as you would in your dreams. But dreams didn’t feel like this. Dreams didn’t make you feel so alive, so free. Dreams didn’t have the wind blowing in your face, intaking the air around you and letting it flow into your lungs.

Your head was thrown back from the euphoria of it, eyes fluttering closed as you breathed in and out. One of Jake’s hands grasped both your arms and kept them around his waist when you leaned back further. Seconds go by and your stunned screams turn into giggles and a big smile.

This was the most free you’ve ever felt in a while.

Jake patted your leg, gaining your attention, “Look, you nearly missed it.”

Further ahead, he pointed toward a tall waterfall with mist surrounding it. The trees surrounding it were so green and so vividly beautiful, you swore all of this wasn’t real. It was all too good to be true.

Jake leaned into you before saying, “You might wanna hold on a bit tighter, Doc. Things are about to get wet.”

“What—AAAAAAH!”

The ikran took a sudden dive, making your stomach drop just as well.

“YEAH!” Jake hollered as they flew toward the waterfall.

“JAKE I SWEAR I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” You shout, squeezing your eyes shut when you get close toward the water.

You buried your face into his back when the water sprayed on you. By the time you opened your eyes, you were all wet and now flying away from the waterfall. You smacked Jake’s back as he grinned.

“A little warning next time!”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

He grasped your hands again tightly around his waist but didn’t move his hand away. Instead he gently  squeezed both your hands tightly with his larger one.

“Skxawng.” You muttered but hid a smile in his shoulder.

Night had fallen by the time Jake landed his ikran on a cliff that overlooked most of the forest. Even at night the planet was beautiful. It was vastly different viewing it here instead of through a window in your lab. Here you could stare up at the stars and look at the moons. Here it was magic.

The two of you sat on the ground next to each other, legs dangling at the edge of the cliff.

“I’m not ready to go back.” Jake spoke first, gently next to you. As if what he said was something forbidden. Something wrong. “I know this is temporary but…this is…I don’t know how I could ever return after all of this.”

“I felt that way too. Back when Grace’s school was still open.” You admitted. Really it was the first time you had ever said this out loud. Before you were always afraid it sounded pathetic, stupid, and reckless. But now, it just felt nice to get it off your chest. “This place has been more of a home to me than Earth ever was. I’m not sure I could imagine going back either, even if we’ll never truly be one of them.”

“You don’t think we can be?” Jake turned to you with a frown and you were surprised at how desperate he looked. “I mean I-I’m working to become one of them, right? That means something, doesn’t it?”

Perhaps you were too used to his human form where his face always seemed a bit guarded and stoic, hiding away his true emotions and vulnerability. But this Jake was different. He was open. He was happier. He was a different person entirely. You wondered if this was the change Grace had seen. This version Jake peeking out in his human form. You wondered if this was the person Grace believed in. You saw it now.

And admittingly it was a slow journey to get there.

“I wish I could say it does.” You respond truthfully as you turn fully toward him.  “But because of the Sky People, because of what they did those years ago, because of what they’re doing now, we’ll always be outsiders to them.”

“But you love these people.” Jake grasped your arms gently. “You said so yourself, this is your home. Not on Earth. Not with Quaritch. Here. Why not fight for that?”

You stared into his yellow eyes as you paused. And before you knew it, the words stumbled out of your mouth before you could stop them.

“What else did Quaritch tell you to do?”

Jake closed his mouth and turned his gaze toward the view. You grasped his face in your hands and forced him to look at you, “Just be honest with me, Jake. I won’t be mad, I promise. I just want to understand what he wants. What he really asked you to do.”

“I-I can’t.” He shook his head, dropping his gaze to his hands.

“Why not?”

He leaned into your touch, closing his eyes.

You dropped your hands to his and gave them a gentle squeeze. The two of you were quiet for a long moment. Pandora breathing around you.

Then you whisper to him and only him.

“Grace put everything into that school. Ten years. The children, they called—call her sa’nok.” You glance up at him, “Pop quiz, what does that mean?”

Jake chuckled in disbelief at your timing, “Mother. It means mother.”

You nod, your foreheads now touching. “And when I came along and worked as her assistant, they called me—”

“Tsmuke.” Jake gave a small grin at the surprised look on your face. “Sister. I heard Tsu’tey and Neytiri refer to you that way a few times.”

Quietly, you nodded again. “Sylwanin was my friend. Tsu’tey was like an older brother to me…When they shot up that school…when Sylwanin died…that’s a great pain that no mother should feel. No sister should ever feel that.” A tear slipped before you were able to wipe it away. Jake was quicker though and caught it with his thumb. “That’s why I can’t ever feel like I belong with them, be one of them. Not after everything the Sky People did. I’d feel like a fraud, a liar.”

The entire time you talked, Jake’s gaze never wavered from yours, his hand that wiped away the tear before was still resting against your cheek.

“I understand. I do.” Jake assured you, pulling you closer until your foreheads were touching once more. “I’m sorry.”

You gripped his wrist and closed your eyes, breathing in his scent. His hand slid toward the back of your neck, squeezing it gently. He was guiding your head and you let him. The tips of your noses brushed against each other.

But before you could brace yourself for the breaths to then turn into something more, something different, you were pulled out.

It almost felt like waking up from a long slumber when you peeled your eyes open to find Norm standing over you.

“Jesus.” You muttered, squinting your eyes when the straps were removed from your body. “Damn it, I forgot about the groggy after effects.”

“Sucks doesn’t it?” Norm grinned down at you as you slowly sat up. After flipping him off, he handed you a warm bowl of what looked like soup. “Grace says it helps to eat when coming out of the link.”

“Yeah, I know.” You sighed before taking the bowl into your lap. Norm then moved on to the other link beds and your groggy mind began to catch up with what had happened.

Fuck, you nearly kissed him.

What happened to not getting too attached, especially when you didn’t know where he stood? There was a glimmer of hope that perhaps that Grace was right, that he was on your side, but there was still the unknown.

Why did Quaritch want him to become one of them? Why did he want him learning their culture? What was his game? How did he win in this?

You didn’t get to think too much more on it when Grace, who seemed to have been out of the link beds longer than you had, spoke. “I can’t believe you’ve made it this far, Sully. I want to say I’m proud—really I do—but how far are you actually willing to go here?”

Jake’s voice hit you before you saw him, “It’s the last part to finally becoming one of them. I’m close, Grace. I’m willing to go as far as I can.”

When you got up from the link bed, you sauntered over toward the table Norm was already sitting at and listening to both Grace and Jake. You kept your gaze down at your bowl, not really ready to meet his gaze after their moment.

“You know you’ll never be one of them, Jake.” Grace sighed, leaning against his now closed link bed. “The Avatar Program was meant for you to link up with these bodies, yes but it was always meant to be temporary.”

“I tried telling him that.” You mumbled out, placing your bowl on the table.

“I have to try.” Jake pressed. “I have to finish this.”

The room was quiet after that. You still couldn’t meet his gaze or even look at him without feeling like your face would catch on fire. But this conversation was a nice distraction, made you forget momentarily for a bit.

“Why are you pushing so hard for this?” Grace then asked. You knew she knew the answer, which is why she asked it. But you wondered if he would tell her. Grace did have a way with people.

“You know why I’m here.” That’s when you finally looked at him. His own gaze flickered from Grace to yours for a few seconds before he continued, “You know Quaritch sent me.”

Norm choked on his soup, his jaw dropping. “Wait, what?!”

Grace held a hand up to him and Jake hesitantly continued, “He wanted me to infiltrate the Omatikaya people. Become one of them and find out how to screw them out of their home.”

“What?” Now it was your turn to be startled, your heart dropping to your stomach. “That’s—he…you—”

“Oh my god.” Norm muttered, massaging his face.

You should've known that was his angle. You should’ve seen it from the start. Of course Quaritch would send him here to try and get them to leave their home, to leave Hometree. This was Quaritch’s way of being diplomatic before starting a war with them just to get what he and the RDA wanted.

“And what about now, Jake?” Grace asked patiently.

“I’m not that guy anymore.” He was looking at you when he said this. “I’m not, I swear it.”

Quietly, you looked to Grace. She was already looking at you, meaningfully. 

He’s changed. He’s changed. He’s changed.

You looked at him and nodded, “I know that now.”

Norm was at a loss, Grace was thoughtful, Jake was regretful, and you were planning.

It was time to set things in motion. It was time for you to stop hesitating and be brave for once. It was time for Quaritch to know that you were never bluffing.

It was time to launch Project Pandora.

taglist: @luvvfromme @sully-stick-together @dazedshoon @jakesullylvr @s-u-t @ssc7514 @cheari@tojigirl @nyotamalfoy @perfectprofessorloverapricot @erenjaegerwifee@naityelen @dumb-fawkin-bitch @raggedyoldwitch @dorck26 @nhemmingsf @biooiuygjjgfsrb @thatsenoughformelol

[mayuichi]

“If I die in the process, will you join me?„

Nikolai Gogol x Reader ⟡ Warning : slight yandere behavior (kinda) I suppose??

note: i'm sorry for every Nikolai simps if i made him ooc, i really tried my best (and i think he's okay??). i still hope you can enjoy it!!

Official art from the anime.

You were pouting at him when he shoved a candy inside your mouth. It makes you gasp, chewing on it. He laughs at you, clearly mocking. You are about to make a comeback when he stands up to go to the bathroom. You blink a few times.

You don't even remember how you two ended up befriending one another. Wasn't he supposed to piss you off ? Well, he still does. But there was something more perhaps. You are his safe space, one where he can act however the hell his heart tells him to. And he is your home.

Wherever you are, as long as he's with you, then it means you belong there. You could be on the other side of the earth, if he's there, you'd be fine. You aren't properly dating though. You know, that step where no one dares to make a move.

It's so obvious though. The feelings you have for him are pouring out of your heart. Even a blind man could see it. And the way he acts with you is nowhere close to how he can even act toward Sigma. Not even close to how he treats Fyodor.

There is something about you he couldn't explain, yet he wants to comprehend it. No, he needs to. He can't spend a day without thinking a hundred times about your expression, your shy laugh whenever he's around. But he wants to hear you burst in laugh. Why can he only hear it when there's the others ? Can't he be the only one to hear it ?

He needs to know why you can't act entirely like yourself. But he knows. He knows but he doesn't understand. If you love him, can't he be the only one who sees your brightess smile, hears your most sincere laugh?

He'd be a liar to look in your eyes and say he doesn't want to wake up next to you every morning. You are the reason why he's feeling weaker recently. And he loves it. He craves for that sensation, that safety near you. Why are you so special ? He had so much plan with the Decay of Angels, why did you joined and ruined it all ?

But he can't bring himself to push you away. He wants you as much as you do. You're addicted to one another, and there's no way back now. He would kill you if he couldn't be all you need.

... You were supposed to hate each other. You were finding him over the top, and he was thinking you're too simple. But there you both are.

Sitting in his apartment for the last few days before changing place. Picking on each other, just to be annoying. He is the best though, he always manages to piss you off. But do you actually mind ? Probably not.

You sigh, walking up to the small tree. In fact, it was a tiny Christmas tree in a pot. You couldn't do a big one when you need to leave each place so often. You all did it. You managed to all be here to make it and have dinner together. For once you wouldn't be at one another's throat, trying to strangle them. It's hard to get along with them.

Nikolai insisted on placing sweets around the pot, and some candy canes with the garlands. They all let him do so. Why would they say no anyway? It isn't like they'll be the one to be in the apartment a lot.

You stare at the red and white sweet. You can't lie, the colors remind him somehow. He haunts your mind, isn't he ? You reach out to take one in your hand. He's like sugar, addictive and intoxicating. He would definitely be more likely to be the reason of your death. But you don't mind it.

Hearing footsteps coming closer to you, you turn around to see his tall figure hovering over you. He leans closer, to take a candy over the table. At the same time, he skillfully steals the one in your hand. Placing the small candy on his tongue, he inspects the one that caught your attention earlier.

He hums, a faint smirk appearing. “It reminds me of you. You are as sweet as this candy cane. I want to cherish it, and devour it. Just like with you. I bet you'd taste as good. Sugary like, or perhaps more like a cotton candy?„

He approaches, until you become stuck in between him and the wall. His hand creeps to your jaw, gripping tightly on it as the playful light in his eye disappear. “Why can't you laugh the loudest with me ? I'd do anything for you. I'd even die. Wouldn't you do the same ?„

Any sane person would try to escape that situation. Perhaps you aren't as sane as you thought you were, compared to them. You may be as bad as them. Your gaze faltering, your shoulders sagging, you can barely keep looking at him.

“No.. I would. Of course I would... But I may be scared to make you think I am not good enough...„ you admit. After all, who could be enough for a clown?

A deep, low chuckle emits from him. His finger tracing your face, and stops at your nose. “Do you think so ? Have I not been clear enough?„ he gives a gentle pinch, freeing you. He picks a few candies on the table, sitting down on the sofa once again.

He pats the seat beside him, hurrying you to join him. “If I die in the process, will you join me?„ you don't expect such a dark talk around such a joyful period. But he is right. You take place beside him, hesitantly placing your hand over his.

Without even speaking, he already knows your answer. It's so obvious. A playful smile covers his stern look, and he leans to press his head against your shoulder. “That's what I thought. That's why you are the only one who'd suit me.„

Everyone is sure of his feelings for you. If anyone were to deny it, they'd be such fools. But yours, even if pouring out, you would deny it. You know they're real, but you can't trust your feelings. You want to deny them. And he knows it.

He undoes the paper around the candy cane, before tapping it against your lips. “I'll be waiting for you to be sure. Even if it takes years, I'll be waiting. But don't let me die without letting me know I haven't been delusional.„ he half heartedly jokes.

You could guess what was going in his head. And why he left to the bathroom for several minutes earlier. He didn't wanted to snap at you, not when you are so vulnerable. So he had to bring himself back together.

He squeezes your hand, and you squeeze it back. “... I won't. I promise. Let me just a few more days...„ you breath out, and he nods.

“If you can make someone such as I, a clown, be so weak, then you shouldn't be fret about the truth in my words.„ he closes his eyes, sliding the sweet past your lips.

“Thus is the truth about your clown, lovesick for you.„

/ᐠ - ˕ •マ Ⳋ mayuichi's property. do not repost, copy or translate it without permission.

[fleabagsjoy]

Ok so i just binge-watched Oniisama E (Dear Brother) and i have.... thoughts. And feelings.

(SPOILERS AHEAD!)

Not super eloquent ones, I don't have any type of degree or formal education on writing or media analysis, i'm just word vomiting what i think and feel without any sources or facts to back it up so i hope that's okay. And i feel like i should preface with the fact that i didn't actually watch the last four episodes because i dreaded having to sit through Kaoru and Mariko ending up with men idgaf about, and instead read a summary of those last four episodes on Wikipedia.

With that being said, i absolutely loved this anime, i had already watched Revolutionary Girl Utena and everyone who enjoyed that one was talking about this anime so i figured I'd give it a try too and i don't regret it at all. The characters, the setting, the ANIMATION, the main plot and subplots (some of which i enjoyed more than others), i enjoyed it all.

I don't want to point out the obvious about the ending, we all know. But i was prepared, went in with the mindset of completely ignoring eps 36-39, specially the "Real Love is Heterosexual Love" speech that it pulls in the last couple episodes, so i'm not that upset by it. I will say that putting "you will only know what true love is when you find a man for yourself" is some twisted, sexist and lesbophobic stuff to put in an anime where Nanako, Rei and Mariko canonically fall in love with girls and whoever came up with that will not be seeing the pearly gates of heaven. And if that wasn't enough, they had to make the girls end up with men because uuhhh i guess they have to! But anyways, i still read the summary of what happened in those last four episodes.

I read a review from 3 years ago by medivhtirisfal that mentioned this and i'm so glad i'm not the only one but this really reminds me of a series of books that i used to collect when i was younger about an all girls boarding school and all types of adventures and mischief they got up to (the St. Clare's series) and i guess part of me always craved more of that. Oniisama E scratched that itch i suppose, i'll always crave all female casts and to see interactions and relationships that form between them, all types of relationships really: sisterhood, platonic, romantic, sexual, healthy, toxic, simple, complex... women stories matter! And i love when they're the center and backbone of the plot.

Now back to the actual anime. I haven't read the manga yet, don't think i will for a while even though i do like the mangakas artstyle from the few panels i've seen. But like i mentioned, Oniisama E reminds me of those books i used to collect, it's a string of events that happen during the first school year at an all-girls academy of our main character Misonoo Nanako.

It was very satisfying to see Nanako be a bit more submissive when everything and everyone was new to her vs. becoming more confident in her decisions and standing up for herself and others she cares about later on. She was always very caring for others, but i do feel like she let herself be shoved around in the first few episodes so seeing her stand up for Rei against Fukiko and quit the Sorority because of her loyalty not just to Mariko, but to herself and her values, made her one of my favorite characters. Also who can't relate to falling in love with Rei... Asaka Rei was undoubtedly one of the reasons that got me to watch the anime.

I gotta prepare myself before i write a paragraph for her because wow... too much to unpack. I can't elaborate better than some other Asaka Rei understanders about the intricacies of witnessing her own mother take her life in front of her daughter, after telling her to protect and take care of Fumiko, and how that pressure of committing to her mother's final wish lead to Rei's confusion of feelings for her own sister, devoting her everything to her, even her life. I suspect never dealing with the loss of her mother properly is what lead to Rei's severe depression and inability to understand all types love and bonds that she could have with other people, seeing Fukiko as her beginning and end from that moment.

Needless to say that, as much as i wanted her to realize this and free herself from this torment so she could deal with her trauma properly, she had to do it by herself so she could gain some sense of self and build an identity outside of someone she worshiped for so long and SPECIALLY before getting into a relationship with anyone (r.i.p. nanakorei). She's the most tragic character in this story to me, all of this started at a very young age and she had no way to get out of it and when she got close to that, the plot decided to say NOPE. NO CHANCES OF A HAPPY ENDING FOR YOU. Bottom line is: she desperately needed therapy. Veeery early on.

I have to follow up with Ichinomiya Fukiko, a really toxic and abusive teenage girl with too much power over the other girls at school, she lives in a bubble built for incredibly rich people (as do many of the other characters), leader of the Sorority (an academy "elite club"). One of the best things about shoujo ai like this is that all female characters are so fleshed out and have so much to give to the viewers and Fukiko is no exception. I will say that i fail to see a character that has so much (negative) impact on most of the other main characters as she was very often abusing/taking advantage of/humiliating others.

It's definitely because of her upbringing but she always bottled up her feelings to keep up a façade of composure, with Nanako's constant defiance, after confronting her feelings for Henmi and her relationship with Rei, as well as after the abolition of the Sorority, we gradually got to see different sides of her. She's... complicated. Not an evil mastermind or anything, her attempts of sabotage seemed very desperate adn half-hearted, but she could still be very cruel and take advantage even of people she claimed to love. Still, Fukiko was one of the main driving forces of the story and i can always appreciate a character like that.

Of course that leads me to Orihara Kaoru! She is probably one of the most consistent characters in the anime, loyal, determined and resolute, very sure of where she stands, oh my god... i'd crush on her so hard too if i was one of the girls at the academy. I loved the relationship she had with Rei, the soulmateism was off the charts, they had an incredibly intimate bond that no one could replicate and, besides Nanako, i felt for her the most when Rei passed away. I'm pretty sure her having to face the past between her and Henmi was also a big part of her character but again, i really don't wanna witness how that ends so i'm not gonna elaborate too much on what happens in the last four episodes, which is unfortunate because i'm sure a lot of her own development as a character happens in those but whatever...

I didn't expect this when i started Oniisama e but Shinobu Mariko is my favorite character!! It took a while for her to grow on me but i love her a lot. Mariko is mostly known for the misandrist lines (which... real) and i appreciate that she never really changed that (until #those episodes but i won't consider them strictly canon for my sake), but she had such a great story arc with facing her loneliness and facing the problems she had with her parents. I'm no psychologist but BPD is heavily implied and from what i've seen by other fans with BPD, a lot of symptoms were shown throughout the anime, which i appreciate since Mariko wasn't villainized and was instead shown as someone with her own issues with boundaries and relationships at first but that she could manage and balance in a healthier way later on... it's not something you can easily see in anime, specially not from this time. I was really happy when Mariko, Nanako and Tomoko became a great friend trio who could rely on each other halfway through, another testament to her character development.

Tomoko was one of my favs as well! A lot of other characters were very interesting and had important moments in main characters arc like Misaki and Henmi. It's been a while since i've seen an older shoujo but the animation and editing was fascinating to me, very gorgeous, over the top sometimes but we need that! What happened to that! Anyways it's very beautiful, i appreciate it. The intro song will stick with me too and the damn Academy bell... Very melodramatic, but very fun, it's a hit for me!

I'm still grieving Rei so i can't really face anything that happened in eps 33-35. We're past making the lesbians suffer, NANAKO AND REI DESERVED THEIR DATE ON THE BEACH!!

I fear i will be upset by that for the time being but hey, that's what fanfiction is for.

[misscammiedawn]

50 Days of HypnoKink - Day 49: Hypno in Media

My heavens... we made it to the finish line. Tomorrow is the final day.

I wanted to save an obvious one for the end because I do so enjoy MC in fiction so very much. So much, in fact, that I made a Twitter thread with 110 recommendations and never even came close to emptying my resources.

I know so many of these scenes, both that Twitter thread and this page are skimming the surface.

I'll be using some of those recommendations here but let's divide by category:

Film

So let's get the obvious out of the way. You have

Trance

A Danny Boyle thriller with a terrible plot and Rosario Dawson as a hypnotherapist trying to get hidden information from James McAvoy's mind. Silly movie but one that doesn't get brought up a lot. Dawson learned hypnosis to get into the role.

Candyman

Horror movie in which the director literally hypnotized the actress so any time she was being stalked by the titular killer she looked completely entranced. Link above is an interview discussing this.

Hypnotic

HORRIBLE movie on Netflix but Sleepyhead and I have hosted a number of watch parties and let me tell you, this is the PERFECT movie to watch with a bunch of rowdy hypnokinksters. The therapist is unethical to a laughable degree and his office looks like it's inside of the Death Star. He's a living breathing red flag. The movie does have a really hot freeze scene, a good ragdoll and the dollification sequence. It's just enjoyable because it's terrible. Check CWs first though, this movie has a bunch of things that can make it an uncomfortable viewing experience.

The Great Hypnotist

This is a Not For Daja movie. A Chinese movie that doesn't get brought up a lot. Like Trance above it is a thriller with some twists and turns that I don't really want to spoil.

Stir of Echoes

A visualization of a dissociation induction designed to make a person view events on a screen so they are separate from the memory. It's a remarkably well done scene.

Now You See Me 1/2

The hypnosis in these movies is STUPID and I love it. The first movie has a punchline that every time Mark Rufallo's character makes a frustrated comment people who Woody Harrelson has hypnotized will start acting as if they're in an orchestra. Second movie has a twin Woody Harrelson as an evil hypnotist and he uses a pizza box as an evil induction. It's amazing.

Sherlock Holmes Woman in Green

This induction is one of the coolest I've seen in a film and I try my hardest to channel the energy of this when I am doing a relaxation focused scene.

TV

Charlies Angels

This is bar none my favorite hypnosis scene in any fiction. The typewriter induction is amazing, the hypnotist has such a smooth voice, the entranced gazes are lovely. It's just perfect. Heck, the link above is "hypnosis scenes" from the episode and is 26 minutes long. From a single episode of television.

Doctor Who

Sarah Jane gets hypnotized so often that I could make a list purely from her.

Legion

I just wanna link this one as it's one of those scenes that works so much better without context and the aesthetics are incredible. Plus who doesn't like Aubrey Plaza?

Quick Bonus Animation Round

Carmen Sandiego (Neflix) has a ton of mind control including the bad end to the interactive movie.

Totally Spies is a meme for a reason

And this one is a reason many of us are here <3

Comics

DC vs Vampires

I think the page speaks for itself. "Hypnosis isn't lying, Diana. It's speaking to your vulnerability."

Korra

This sequence of Asami, brainwashed to hate the avatar, being deprogrammed is so good that someone on AO3 did an incredible fan-fiction which may well be one of my favorite hypnokink stories of all time.

Super Mario Comic

I bring this one up as it was one of my earliest moments of "...oh... this is kind of making me feel some kind of way."

Video Games

A note that a full directory of video games featuring Mind Control can be found at mindcontrol.fun the MC Games Wiki, run by @soveryverytired

Nyx Gaming (Featured game: Enthralled)

Nyx do incredible games which are designed to hypnotize the viewer and their consent practices are wonderful. They recently teamed up with Secret Subject to release a vampire enthrallment game and let me tell you, there is not a single word in that synopsis that doesn't make me happy.

Mind Melting Massaging Machine

The best tool for VR hypnosis. Upload custom files and program spirals, subliminals and chose between static spiral or headtracking. I have had so much fun with this over the years. There's a desktop version too but VR is optimal for this experience.

Spiral Clicker

It's such a simple concept. Click on the character and watch their will go away. Spiral Clicker is backed with a fun little universe, fun characters both original and community sourced, amazing art and a clever little gameplay loop that is quite addictive. Careful, the game features a constant spiral, you may find yourself falling in to trance. Don't worry. The game will wake you up. You can even ask the game to include suggestions for you :)

The sequel is being worked upon now and I cannot wait <3

Music Videos

Anna Soares - Hypnodoll (NSFW)

Straight up just a song and music video about hypnokink. If you click anything in this thread, click this one.

Little Big - Hypnodancer:

Silly antics but a fun music video.

Pharrell Williams - Hypnotize U

It's just Pharrell hanging out in a mansion with his hypnotized harem.

Grimes - We Appreciate Power

It's dronekink baby.

Andamiro - Hypnotize

Maid hypnotizes their employer.

I could do so many more in all areas. But the point is, media is hypnohorny. I never went over advertisements (UK ones especially), books, musicals (Phantom and Next To Normal for instance), anime (Sailor Moon) or manga.

But I write about a bunch more in my Twitter thread.

---

Day 48: Stealth Inductions

FULL SCHEDULE MASTER POST

FINAL Day 50: Presentation

[mania-sama]

feel how the winter succumbs to the spring

Caesar - The Oh Hellos

➼ information ❧ Voltron ❧ Pairing: Keith/Lance, Allura & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro ❧ Tags: episode: s07e04: the feud!, light angst, character study (sort of), hopeful ending, introspection, ptsd in the form of game shows, pining, extended metaphors, keith has issues ❧ Summary: Keith lied about his reason for choosing Lance during Bob’s twisted game show. He comes to some revelations while he contemplates his answer. ❧ Word Count: 3,498 ❧ Cross-posted from Archive of Our Own ❧ Original post date: 18 January 2023

Keith thought he was enjoying himself the least out of everyone on his team.

Their whole situation was a mess. Keith had liked game shows when he was younger, back when he would watch them on the shitty TV his father owned. It wouldn’t receive signals half the time, and when it had managed to show something on the screen, it had only ever been at half volume. Despite the visceral rage it would cause the two of them, they found that watching game shows on the few channels they owned soothed their nerves.

Game shows only served to elicit painful memories for Keith now, so he turned away if he ever saw one playing. He would listen in on a nearby conversation rather than the over-animated host on the screen. The images of his laughing father would be stomped out of his mind with heavy feet.

All in all, he was having a pretty terrible time participating in this alien game show. It actually wasn’t the threat of a lifetime of imprisonment looming over the team’s head that caused him the most anguish. It was Lance.

Emotions weren’t Keith’s strong suit. They hadn’t been when he was a kid before his father died, and they certainly hadn’t gotten better afterwards. When he looked at Lance, he felt frustration and something else—something that he hadn’t been allowed to feel—meld together to create one chaotic mess of heated body parts and cross-eyed stares. This stupid, godforsaken game show was throwing everything for a loop, just as it always did when his emotions started to separate and show their true colors.

Though Lance didn’t say much of anything after his original comment on the liquid, which had something to do with exfoliation, it was obvious that he was beginning to feel true pain. His face was scrunched up and he started to paddle the green acid to keep his head in the air. His encased feet couldn’t be helping the matter since it had a tendency to lean him one way or another. He let out a nearly inaudible hiss of pain that nobody but Keith seemed to recognize.

There was also the fact that there was a missing patch of skin on his exposed hands, the acid having eaten away at the fabric of his gloves. Lance seemed aware of this, too, but he was forced to keep his hands on the liquid to prevent his head from falling under.

As the team leader, he was meant to keep a level head. And he did. For the most part. On the outside, he tried to help as best as he could, staying calm and collected in order to keep the rest of his team the same way. For a second he thought it worked; when Pidge tackled Bob and demanded to let the team leave, he thought he was going to jump from his own skin from elation.

Then everything was set back to rights in less time Keith needed to scream. PIdge was back at his side, her feet encased just like the rest of them. Keith felt hope drain from his body so fast it was as though it had never been there at all. He almost didn’t want to look ahead of him and see Lance drowning in the acid, his face red from eaten flesh.

“It looks like the Paladins have just made it into the final round!”

Only when he did let himself spare a glance, he realized that there wasn’t a tank at all. Lance, in all his confused and pained glory, was carefully touching his face on the other side of Pidge. He appeared just as shocked as Keith felt, his armor fully restored and skin completely untouched.

Keith’s heart was trying to escape his chest, either by beating its way out or by climbing up through his throat. The lights were too bright, the foot restraints were too tight, and there were too many people in the room. Keith liked to be alone. He hated all of these things, and yet they all became a thousand times worse when he came to grips with the fact that they really could just be here, stuck playing this game for an eternity.

‘Final Round’ meant nothing to Keith whenever everything changed and moved so quickly. They could be in this final round for as long as the host wished.

He could be forced to watch Lance drown in acid again, watch him become overheated in the isolation tube as he was forced to sift through his obviously shitty memory, and watch him fail. It was bad enough with their sworn enemies resurrected. It was worse when it was the one person who Keith could never get his heart straight about.

“One of you will now be allowed to leave the game,” Bob said, floating over to them on his UFO. His grin was cocky, and his voice grated against Keith’s brain like chalk against a board. “The rest of you will be staying here with me forever.”

Keith wanted to get them all out of there. He had half a mind to call the host back after he floated away, demanding that he flip the script. One of them has to stay there while the rest get to leave. Of course, he would make sure the one that has to stay be himself. It was fair. However, Bob didn’t seem to be in the business of fairness.

“You have blazzle hoochas to write down your choice for who should get to escape on the screen in front of you.” Blue dividers came up between the Paladins suddenly, scaring Keith more than he’d like to admit. Ever since he’d become a Paladin of Voltron, he’d been jumpy and terrified of almost every step and decision he made.

Not that he’d tell anyone that, though. It felt nice to be able to say it to himself—it meant he wasn’t hiding from the truth as much as Shiro liked to tell him he was.

“Go!”

Music started playing, not too dissimilar from Jeopardy!, one of the game shows that he used to watch with his father.

Keith stared at his blank screen, willing his mind to become clear. But now that the music was blasting in his ears, and all he could see were the contestants on the quiz show writing down their final answer. They would take a calculated risk with their current scores, putting hundreds to thousands of dollars on their answer. Some would risk nothing, and others would risk it all.

His father would grumble and talk to Keith about what he thought the answer to the big question was. He was never right, and neither was Keith, but it was always fun to try. They would cringe when the contestants wagered their entire worth on their score, only to get it wrong. Or they would gawk at the ones that did the same and got it right.

Keith hadn’t been able to properly keep track of their scores during this game show. It was in currency that he didn’t have a strong grasp of, and they didn’t have any individual scores themselves. There was nothing for Keith to wager outside of freedom.

The thought came to his mind only once to put himself down as the answer. He could find a way to save the rest of his team. Or maybe he would abandon them all and choose to live with his mother, finishing off their loose ends with the Blade of Marmora instead of returning permanently to Earth with Shiro.

His dad had loved Krolia. Keith didn’t have as strong feelings, despite the time they’d spent on the giant space worm. For once, he actually did want to sort out his emotions concerning his mother. He liked her as a person, but the strong warmth of a mother-son relationship was only a flame to him. It should be a burning bonfire. It could be, if he fostered it with proper ventilation and tinder.

His own wants didn’t matter as much as his teammates did. They had families they lived with their entire lives, goals they strived to achieve. The reasons for them to leave severely outweighed his own, so he let the selfish thought of writing his own name down leave his mind with the grace of a crook getting thrown into jail.

He leaned over the blue dividers for a second, letting himself spare a glance at all of his teammates. He knew them all like the back of his hand; it was a requirement of him for being not only a leader, but a friend.  

He never thought that he’d actually ever manage to get one. He’d spent so long in the desert with only his dad that he’d fundamentally lacked the social skills to make friends. Then, as the anger seeped in to replace any other emotions he could feel after his parent died, any potential ability to develop a sociable persona went down the drain.

Shiro helped, but he didn’t make Keith sociable. He made Keith tolerable. Then Shiro disappeared and everything they’d built fell apart. 

He didn’t know how the Voltron Paladins became his friends with him, and he didn’t know why they still liked him after he practically abandoned him. However, that wasn’t something he had to understand. What he did need to sort out was why, when he put his alien pen to the screen in front of him, he was spelling out Lance’s name on autopilot.

At first, he only allowed himself to think the obvious: he wrote down Lance’s name because he was Keith’s right hand man. As the new Red Paladin, he took over all responsibilities the current Black Paladin handed down to him. They’d built a trust that only they could have as the roles they filled in the team.

However, as he stared at his quivering hand, he knew that wasn’t the case. It would ultimately make more sense to have Allura leave the game. She could reassemble the Voltron Coalition again, and probably make it better than it was before.. She was a diplomacy master. Between her and Coran, they would ensure peace for the entire universe. She was a natural-born leader.

Both Pidge and Hunk made sense to choose to leave the game. Hunk could make friends with anyone. Even if he wasn’t a diplomat like Allura, he could certainly lead a squadron or army with efficiency. If he couldn’t do that, it wouldn’t take him long to find someone who could. He had an innate ability to sense who was and wasn’t trustworthy, even when the rest of the team was being led blind.

Pidge was the smartest of them all. She could probably dismantle this game show’s entire security system before the first hour of their doomed eternity was over. She would find her way back to Earth now that she didn’t have the weight of her team holding her back, and she would build a new world with her family.

So why, why did he write down Lance’s name?

Keith never had a waking moment since they’d rescued Shiro that he wasn’t frustrated at Lance. Either the other Paladin was mocking his hair or trying to one-up him in whatever they were doing. For a long time, they hadn’t been compatible at all, despite the way their Lions had always complimented each other’s abilities, or the way their bayards were made to have one another’s backs in battle.

It was always one competition to another, one insult to the next. Keith was prone to anger, and Lance thrived off of conflict.

And yet.

Keith was ready to jump over his contestant stand as Lance continued to shout out horribly incorrect answers to his drawings. He knew that they didn’t look that bad, and that Lance’s art comprehension was at the same level as a toddler. Hell, a toddler would’ve done better at guessing than Lance had done.

In the next moment, he was ready to tear out his hair as Lance struggled to name the people they’d met in their time in Voltron. It wasn’t his fault, not really; they had met a lot of aliens since they’d become Paladins, and Lance was already known to not have the best memory out of all of them. It was terrible luck that he’d been picked out of all of them.

It wasn’t the same frustration as before. He knew this because he wasn’t angry at Lance, he was scared for what was to come if he couldn’t answer the questions correctly. Then the worst did happen, and Keith was frustrated because he could only watch as his friend was slowly burnt in acid.

Frustration wasn’t the right word anymore. He knew that because his hands were shaking, his vision was blurry, and his handwriting was all crooked and wrong.

Lance was the hardest for Keith to get along with out of everyone in Voltron, but perhaps that made the most sense for why he wanted Lance to be able to escape shackled eternity the most.

He had trouble with his father in the past. From what he could remember, he wasn’t the happiest child, constantly upset at one thing or another, switching moods left and right. It must’ve been a living hell for his dad. Yet, Keith found that there was no-one else he would’ve chosen to be his father.

For a while, it had been an uphill battle with Shiro. He’d stolen his car, fought with him, screamed at him, and definitely tried to physically assault him on a few occasions. There was no-one Keith would’ve picked to be his mentor and older brother.

He had to work for those relationships. He didn’t click immediately with anyone, but it hadn't been hard to get along with Pidge, Hunk, and Allura. They had their ups and downs, sure, and the whole half-Galra thing certainly threw a wrench between him and Allura for some time, but they had come out with a stronger friendship.

It had taken so long for him to go just one day without arguing with Lance over one thing or another. They had been terrible teammates, and it had brought the whole team down. It was either get along or fail as Voltron Paladins. Somehow, Keith thought, that didn’t make them progress any better.

Keith and Lance built a castle. It was made of sand with a water moat running around and through the middle. It often became mud, and their clumsiness knocked over their hard work constantly. Even now, as they continued to build something grander than it was, they continued to mess up certain portions.

Keith often yelled at Lance to put some sand somewhere else on the castle. Lance would tell Keith to stop stepping on the moat. Their arguments made their castle strong. They saw what was damaged easily by their stomping and waving hands, and they replaced it with different sand. They made little people to defend the castle and to live in it.

It wasn’t finished. It had potential, but Keith was holding them back from finishing it. He was scared of what would happen when they put a flag on top of it, when they added the final touches to the swords the defenders held and the curtains on the windows. He was scared that it would all come tumbling down, and Lance would never attempt another sand castle with him again.

Hunk had chosen Allura to leave the game. His explanation made sense; it was nothing Keith disagreed with.

Keith thought that Lance was becoming a better leader than Keith was now. Perhaps they’d always been at the same level; when Keith was hot-headed and couldn’t make decisions, Lance couldn’t formulate a plan and didn’t take anything seriously enough. Now, though, Keith would leave Voltron in the hands of Lance in a heartbeat.

It was trust, he realized. He had trusted Allura with the Castle of Lions and the Voltron Coalition. But now, the castle was disintegrated and the Galra Empire’s leaders had been overthrown. Keith trusted Lance to take care of what was left, not lead something new.

Allura selected Pidge. Her reasoning had been more personal—she wanted to savor the legacy of her father. Keith thought that his personal reasons for choosing Lance were different.

No-one else could tell Shiro what happened to the team, what happened to Keith. There was no-one else that could tell his own mother what happened to her son. Lance was the only person that could deliver the message, because he was the only person in the room that knew Keith because they’d become each other’s backs. When they failed, they turned to each other as though they were the only two that mattered.

Keith trusted Lance with guiding Shiro back to Earth and bringing Krolia wherever she wanted to go. He trusted Lance to fix what Keith couldn’t, to accomplish what Keith couldn’t. Perhaps his and Allura’s reasonings weren’t so different after all.

“I voted for Keith,” Lance said, his voice the strongest it had been the entire night. Keith thought he was going to explode from where he was standing. He failed to hear most of what Lance said, thought he did manage to catch the last part. “He’s like the future.”

Maybe that was where they differed. Where Lance thought Keith was the future of the universe, Keith knew that Lance was the future of Keith’s world. There would always be an argument between them, and if they somehow made it out of the game alive, Keith planned to start a disagreement over why he would ever consider sending Keith out of the game instead of anyone else.

Although, he couldn't truly say they argued anymore. They would bicker, but nothing heated like they used to. The heat Keith when he so much as looked at Lance wasn’t from frustration, then.

Bob turned to Keith. “Keith, the leader, who do you think deserves to make it out of here, huh?”

Keith hated the way the host sounded, like he knew everything about everyone. Like how he enjoyed torturing Lance and stressing Keith out. The pedestal pinged in front of Keith, and the surprise on Bob’s face sent a wave of anger down his spine.

“Lance? Why Lance?”

There were a thousand things he could say. He had come to the sudden, horrible realization that he wasn’t frustrated at Lance like he always assumed he was. Keith was in love, and that was horrifying.

Lance didn’t deserve to be trapped in the game show for eternity. He deserved to go back to Earth and live with his family. Perhaps he could finish off his schooling in the Garrison and finally put out his middle finger to Keith and say, ‘See, I am the best fighter pilot of our class!’

Lance deserved happiness, and he knew that he wouldn’t get that staying in this game show for the rest of their lives. The revelation was a little too much for him to comprehend, and he did the one thing he always did: fall back to familiarity of red, hot anger.

“I just don’t wanna be stuck here for eternity with Lance,” he said with ire, upset at Bob and upset that he could never say what he meant because his ability to handle his own emotions was embarrassingly terrible. One could say a toddler could do better than him.

They’d voted for each other. They’d always had each other’s backs, becoming almost one and the same. He hated the way Lance looked at him dejectedly for the reason that Keith voted for him, knowing full well that he had lied through his teeth. It was almost too much to bear.

Pidge had chosen Hunk. Her reasoning went deaf to Keith’s ears as he stared at his hands. His emotions were splayed out in front of him, bleeding out of his heart and staining his gloves.

Bob crowned them winners and not a second later, Keith was waking up in the Black Lion. Groggily, he thought that maybe it was all just a dream. One hell of a dream, but at least he hadn’t said that terribly untrue thing to Lance.

Then Hunk started talking. Keith watched a piece of the castle crumble away, and he knew he would have to patch it up. What he said to Lance was heard. Lance would think that Keith meant his until he would finally replace the missing sand in their castle.

Keith looked out at the beach that housed their castle. It was all-too much for his heart, and he knew that he didn’t have the capacity to ask Lance about finishing it off yet. So, he settled for a compromise.

When we get back to Earth, he thought, I’ll tell him everything. The fate of their castle would come. Keith was done holding back.