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ghostflowerhotpotch · 1 year ago

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How good of a parent is George Stacy?

Okay, this was going to be part of another post, but it got so long that I decided that you know what? Let's give its own.

I want to make one about Miles's parents and a bit of a preview: 1) Rio and Jeff, while not perfect, LEAGUES better than George, and all things considered they almost deserve a medal for how patient they are about the situation and 2) Part of the reason that post hasn't come out yet, is because I had been trying to get dig some sources about some cultural differences between America vs Latin America, as well as Puerto Rico and the importance of family (because I am not from PR, just to make sure instead of assuming is similar because our countries aren't that far,) and how diaspora also impacts this.

As you can imagine, that's a lot of things to consider, unlike this, that is the equivalent of not-so-well adjust adult in their mids twenties screaming about adult parents because hey, I am bitter and I think Gwen deserves better.

This also will talk a bit about cops, implied childhood neglect, nothing would get too graphic but take this into account.

Let's go!

There are many reasons why I think this, but let's start with the biggest one: Peter's death.

Now, I can't say this is entirely George's fault; if you see things from his perspective, it all makes sense in his eyes.

In his eyes, you need to have a public face when you do this type of job, you shouldn't hide. That sounds dumb, especially when taking into account the type of villains spider people fight, which usually is the type that will try to go to your loved ones to hurt you.

However, he kind of has a point. If there is damage, if someone else gets hurt, even by accident, the person who did should be able to face consequences.

Do police do this? Not really, at least not in most places I had lived, maybe is different somewhere else, but let's not dig too much into politics here. Perhaps in Gwen's universe the police system works; this is a work of fiction with super senses that can travel past dimensions and time, this isn't the craziest thing.

Going back to the point.

In George's eyes, SpiderWoman, at least at the beginning, should give a name, since you shouldn't hide with that amount of power. The guy doesn't realize the fine print because either he isn't aware of it, or thinks the bad guys can be stopped easily enough that the vigilante in question shouldn't worry.

Then, the next time you see her, she is with the corpse of your daughter's best friend; and for how she behaves later; the last friend she has to his knowledge.

Sure, he doesn't have any idea of what happened, but as far as he knows, she killed him. This also checks out with the fact that he believes you shouldn't hide, and go by the book; he probably believes that if she truly didn't do anything, Spiderwoman would have cooperated with the police because is innocent; so if she is running, is because she is guilty.

Could all this be fixed if she had talked to him at some point about this? While she was hugging Peter's corpse, while grieving him, before this all happened? Maybe, maybe if he could have known what was at risk, why she was doing it; and emotions weren't running high, this could have been better.

There is some blame on both sides in this situation, however-

This, is a good indicator of something.

Look, we don't have an exact time of how long has been since Peter died, or when exactly this conversation happened, we aren't even sure how much time has been since ITSV in this instant either. We only know this conversation happened a few months before ATSV, and that's not much.

However, I can't believe this is too recent, anyone feels free to bring me the evidence; but until we have something set in stone, I believe Peter died not so long after Gwen became Spider Woman, if only because the bite and the death of someone close to them are fairly close. And by ITSV, Gwen already has been SpiderWoman for 2 years.

(I don't think it was a matter of days, personal headcanon is a few weeks, since Peter had pictures of SpiderWoman and everyone close to her knew about it, which meant she already gathered a bit of a name in the area. As well as enough for Peter to want to be more like her.)

All of this is to say: It has to be a while, and Gwen is clearly not interested in this topic.

Considering the possible timeline, it has been a while since Peter died; I don't think this is the first time they have had a similar conversation, maybe not with Gwen shouting, but with her preferring to not talk about it, or move on.

Is not that odd; sure, partially because Gwen doesn't want her dad to hate her alter ego, but the fact of the matter is this: Gwen is telling her dad that she doesn't want revenge, she doesn't want to continue chasing anyone. Even if Gwen and Spiderwoman were different people; Peter was her best friend, she was the one who suffered the biggest loss, and she has the right to mourn her friend as she wants.

I understand that George needs to do his "job," and that a lot of people feel relieved when the murder of a loved one is captured; but Gwen is telling him that is not going to her grief, and he clearly hasn't been able to help her with that.

I didn't want to put that image because this post is going to be long; however, when Gwen says she quit the band, he looks a bit unsure at first, and then breaks the news that he feels they are closer to capturing Spiderwoman.

George is trying to bring good news, but the fact that she commented on quitting the band, and this was his first idea to how "cheer her up," shows how much he doesn't know how to help her out.

Can't he help her because she isn't telling him the full story? Yes, but that fear comes out of nowhere? Nope!

I try to do one pic with multiple scenes for this one, it's a trial; hopefully, Tumblr doesn't mess up the quality too badly.

George says "I have a job to do," when Gwen says Spiderwoman may be innocent. Not only this is the truth, George doesn't have all the facts; Spiderwoman was cradling Peter's body when he came by, and she ran away after he pointed a gun at her and has been hostile. The fact that anyone would be nervous at that doesn't come across his mind, let alone; the position she was in with Peter wasn't anything close to lethal. Not to mention that the other students should at least have mentioned, that the lizard try to attack them, and probably that regardless of what happened to Peter was voluntarily or not, as far as everyone is aware, no one knew Peter was the lizard. I doubt they didn't examine his body to figure that one out, considering this is supposed to be attempted murder so they probably checked stuff.

I bet this happens often. Look, I get it, both of my parents are alive but I grew up mostly with one parent for most of my life, and this parent had a very time-consuming job, as well as energy-consuming. I understand that even if we don't know how long Gwen's mom has been gone (though you can guess a while considering she isn't mentioned at all in either movie.) George has a job to do. That being said...Gwen has probably suffered from this; you can see it later in her face, in the fact that her color changes (she was blue as sadness, got warm when they hug, and then went back to blue when he left her.) She probably has to spend a lot of time alone for this, perhaps for a while she was terrified that she would lose her dad forever in a job, considering how dangerous is his line of work. And while it may be the right thing to do for your work/duty, it definitely means he is prioritizing his job over her; Gwen said it more than once, her dad is all she has, and she probably doesn't have an uncle Aaron, even with other living relatives, they are clearly not close enough. If he dies, Gwen effectively becomes an orphan, and goes to the house of someone she isn't close to, blood or not. (Sidenote, hey how are the chances Miles also had the same fear, and both becoming heroes partially, to ensure they can be there for their respective fathers?) Let me tell you a painful truth; even if George has good intentions in doing what he does, none of that eliminates Gwen's pain. If a kid loses a parent in a fire-related accident because the parent was a firefighter and they risked their life, it doesn't mean the kid doesn't grieve a parent just because said parent didn't abandon them like a deadbeat; in fact, if it is for a noble reason, it may make those feelings more complicated and difficult to deal, especially without professional help (that I doubt Gwen has gotten much of.) And I am sorry, but there is a difference even in my hypothetical scenario, because is one thing having a risky job when you have another partner, and in case you have family or friends that can be there for them in case something happens to you. As far as we can see, the closest they had was Ben and May Parker, which is nowhere to be found in the present time. I am sorry, but in my eyes, that's failing Gwen, especially because she is suffering from needing to deal with sudden absences, possible wounds, and scares.

She is giving her big speech as to why she needs to do this after he attempts to walk on her for being salty (which I still feel annoyed at, I think he should have groveled, but WHATEVER, not the point.) And he is trying to justify this as "you need to obey the law no matter what." Look, I understand there are laws for a reason, but laws can be fallible, and in this case, hurt the wrong people. Both in real life and in this moment, if they try to go by the law, things would get worse; Gwen would have her identity leaked, and even if proven innocent, more people would be at risk for it.

The last two pics show the same point but also illustrate the gravity of the situation in different ways. First, George refused to listen to Gwen, despite her trying to explain the situation to him. And btw, the second? that's not when she is masked, that's when she has already revealed her identity, just before Miguel shoots a trap at him. Sure, he may not have pulled the trigger, but that's EXTREMELY close to pointing at her, and let's remind you, he didn't stop because he remembered she was his daughter, he didn't have to point directly at her because Miguel threw a trap to him before it happened; maybe he wouldn't have pointed at her, or truly pull the trigger; however, do I need to say how absolutely HORRIFYING is for him to do this to her?

I know, all of this is happening in a specific timeline of their lives, and doesn't necessarily need to reflect their reality the rest of the time, much less that maybe things were better before Peter's death, or before she became SpiderWoman.

To that, I said: that may be an argument for real life, but this is a movie, normally, you try to show often, things that show you how a dynamic works so you have an idea of what's going on in the character's lives.

(For example, in ITSV, we see in the beginning Miles being late for school, barely getting ready, and talking to a bunch of people before his dad picks him up. While this is a new day for him, it also gives us an idea of what's normal for this family and their dynamics on a semi-regular basis.)

George, repeatedly puts his job over Gwen; there are even other hints in moments I didn't bother to show. And this is not new; as I pointed out, which really is a bad look.

Now, do I think is the worst? No, of course not; I had seen way worse before.

To be fair, this is the defense.

He is interested in what she is doing, and being his idea ask her how the practice went and check on her. Yeah, he didn't know what to say about her quitting, but aside from the guy not being the best emotionally wise (which he looks like Gwen inherited from him, not shocking considering the very likely scenario that the mom kicked the bucket early and may have also had the same issue for all we know,) but he is trying to ask about it and isn't mad for her leaving like that.

I know what you are going to say "WAIT, didn't you put this as a negative earlier?" Yes, and I still think is a negative, however; there are nuances in everything, and if I brought up the bad in that scene, I need to recognize the best. Do I think he should take the hint and drop the topic, at least? Yes, but I say this earlier: He thinks this would help, and in most cases, it does help; a big part of the reason is not going to do it in this scenario is because it makes more messes than anything else, yet if the scenario was exactly what he thought it was, perhaps it would have helped. As far as he is aware, Gwen just wants to drop the subject because she may be disappointed this hasn't been solved already, and the fact that even if it isn't, it looks like the real reason she has become so much angry and solitary.

This one kind of addressed both images, and none of them are big talking points, however, I need to say it: 1) It was HIS idea to ask for a hug, and mind you, asking; maybe is because I am someone who can't hug people they aren't comfortable with, but I prefer people ask me, especially when I am feeling emotional. 2) See how he looks at her, he clearly loves his daughter.

Gwen went to hug him, if he was that much of a horrible father, she wouldn't have done this, let alone as quickly.

I know this one carries controversy, but yes, I believe Gwen is a trans girl, and probably has been out for a while (nope, I don't have sources or similar, just hc based on other clues.) I don't think I can say anything that someone else didn't say already, so I will not analyze why I think this is the case. I will say this; yes, I am aware there is no hard proof in the movie. Yes, I think is okay if other people think her dad is trans, or Peter was, or maybe everyone is just an ally. My only issue is people saying is IMPOSSIBLE to happen, or that is not the case because (insert theory with no hard proof, meaning is okay to believe it, but not to push it down anyone's throats.) With that out of the way; as someone who is trans, I can't say enough about how having a parent supporting a transition is MASSIVE. Especially early on.

He QUITS. Did he wait at the end after doing something absolutely horrifying to her, leaving her in a very vulnerable position that technically, lead her to be in a dangerous position? Yes, it took a while all things considered? Also yes. I consider those factors important, HOWEVER, he decided to quit. While the emotional wounds are probably still there, he is finally listening, and deciding to change for Gwen. Mistakes or not, he is doing the right thing, and is up to Gwen if she can forgive him or not. And she does, which should show something.

Again, it needed a very serious experience, but this was the wake-up call he needed. I didn't show it all, but he says how his job as a Captain doesn't matter anymore, because ultimately he loves her more than his position, and she is at the end of the day, the best thing he has ever done. Not becoming captain, not detaining a dangerous criminal or anything, her. I believe it would have been valid for Gwen if she decided to not forgive her dad, or that they still have a long road to recover; nonetheless, I think when you aren't the one who was directly affected, you need to take into account when someone decides to do the right thing, and turn a new leaf. Is one thing to not be able to move past a betrayal for someone really close to you; and another is hearing someone you know to some degree made mistakes and then fix them. It took me a while (in fact, almost 3 hours; there is another post that is half-done since this was part of something else, but yeah.) While I believe George Stacy did mistakes, he is turning a new leaf, and working to be better. And that's amazing in itself. If anyone thinks that the bare minimum or some of my points were the bare minimum, I think that's fine. My baseline for parenting and judging parents is kind of off, and that's as much detail as I want to give about it. One way or another, I think George for a while, wasn't able to support Gwen in all the ways she needed; he was trying his best, and a few things aren't his fault considering the circumstances. However, Gwen definitely needs more than him. Next, Gwen's possibly wanting a mom, and the role Jess plays in all of this.

#across the spiderverse #atsv #george stacy #gwen stacy #atsv files #captain stacy

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flawsofdawn · 11 months ago

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TW:// GORE/DISTURBING CONTENT. (not tagging as mature so everyone can see.)

Character Introduction time! BEFORE READING!>>> (FOD is short for Flaws Of Dawn just incase anyone is confused! writing it out every time is tiring!) SOME THINGS ARENT SET IN STONE YET BUT I WILL TRY MY BEST TO KEEP THINGS ACCURATE AND FLUENT! (keep in mind I'll refer to some areas with placeholder names such as "hybrid area" "demon area" "mortal realm" etc. since not everything is quite figured out yet :D)

Aurora-! Aurora is essentially Protag #1 in the story, shes a human that lives among the people In the world FOD is set in. As of now she can use magic to summon temporary wings to get across large gaps but they don't last very long and are only used when ABSOLUTELY NECISSARY. She used to live down in the Mortal realm until she was brought over at some point, which she then moved to the outskirts or the "hybrid area" in the woods with a smaller tight knit community. When Aurora lived in the mortal realm she was held up in her small apartment most the time except for when she either had to go to school or work at her part-time gas station job. All of this changed later on when she'd met Mizuki and she'd essentially had a friendship with with them forced upon her due to a misunderstanding. Why did I even keep talking to her anyway? Later on Mizuki would be the one to bring Aurora over into the realm (FOD) is in. Somethings not right...somethings off..

Aswell as Aurora I'd like to talk a bit about Pina and their species as a whole!. Pina is Auroras pet dragon, They are part of the "Crystallium Dragons", a species which has no gender. These creatures asexually reproduce in the form of "eggs" , these Eggs are actually Mana crystals that absorb magic and energy from the "parent" to form their offspring over the span of around 5-12 months. A dragon that was carried and fed mana by their parent for 9-12 months would grow to be much much larger and stronger than a dragon that was carried only 5-8 since they rely on the mana for their growth as a entity. These Dragons can grow to be 60ft tall (not including wings) OR larger, but, it all depends on the circumstances of how a dragon is formed and the life it leads going forward. These creatures have existed for as long as the land itself has, they aren't dangerous unless provoked and tend to be quite gentle giants if you will :) They have many abilities by "default" such as portals, flying (DUHH), healing magic, ability to "bless" others, Shapeshifting (into more "humanoid" forms), etc. Since I mentioned it!, Yes, the dragons can shift into more humanoid forms, Intelligence/"human-ness" depends on the age, strength, and how often the dragon socializes in their humanoid form with others.

TECHNICAL YAP OVER! TIME TO GET TO PINA THEMSELF!

As stated before, Pina is Auroras pet of sorts. They were gifted to her by Mizuki at some point when they were freshly hatched. Pina is still considered a baby by the dragons time it takes to age so they are quite clingy and generally pretty dumb and silly. They act similar to a dog but also kind of like a bird?? its hard to explain, BUT before Aurora was able to use any magic whatsoever (and still currently when needed) Pina would help Aurora get across the suspended landscapes via gliding to different ledges/platforms, also making portals to random places for her. (Pina don't know how to use their magic properly yet WAAH)

Autumn-? (Protag #2)

Autumn Is a Hybrid fox girl that lives and works directly in the populated areas of the "hybrid area" which is a large cityscape where any species/mix may reside no matter what they are made up of. She works at a small coffee shop/diner to sustain herself in the city. She lived alone in her parents vacation home they rarely use until she'd met Aurora and gave her a place to stay with her. Autumn comes from a larger family having a sister and 2 older brothers and a newly born baby brother. This is common for Hybrids since there isn't many threats for the people to have kids where they stay. She rarely see's her family because shes been off trying to start her life independently in the city, hoping to see the rest of what the world has to offer and explore. She enjoys gardening and studies magic phenomena and language as a hobby.

?::-What is the relationship between the three?

Aurora , Autumn, and Pina all live together trying to get by. When Autumn first met Aurora and Pina she had to teach Aurora how to speak the common tongue around (FOD) since she was only able to speak her native language from the Mortal realm. Autumn generally thinks very fondly of Aurora but is a bit hesitant towards Pina due to a dragon related trauma within her early childhood, but she tries her best to look past that and interact with Pina as normally as she can!. Everything is going to be okay.

Later on in the story they become devout lovers <33 (Aurora and Autumn!) Mizuki- ♡ (Protag #3?) Mizuki Is a Purebred succubus who was raised in nobility with her parents and brother Shoda wasnt there a third one?. She lives quite far away from the Hybrid area, rather being where most "demon" based people reside, The community around her is quite strict with its rules and expectations for whom you speak to, build bonds with, etc. This causes her to have some deep rooted prejudices and dispositions about hybrids since she was taught and shown to be "pure". (Essentially she along with most other demons don't really like hybrids like Autumn since they are made up of alot of different species genetically, unlike demons who are mostly made up of either demon/elf/succubi genes primarily. Some have external species mixed in but it isn't usually in excess.) She commonly travels to the mortal realm to socialize with others around her age, while in the mortal realm she hides her markings/horns/tail/wings/etc. since mortals don't know of the existence of the (FOD) universe. Mizuki would meet Aurora while with a group of friends and later bring her to the (FOD) realm, gifting her the ability to use magic and re-writing Auroras genetics so she could survive the strain of traveling between realms. Aswell as hanging out in the mortal realm she commonly smokes with a group of friends. Mizuki gifted Pina to Aurora to show her affections for her and make everything feel more welcoming.

Why'd I do that?

(CONTEXT: Mortals CANNOT travel between realms without the aid of an insider, even if they knew the realm existed and could make a way to travel there the strain of the transition would tear their body apart and cause the person to die. This is why someone would need to give the person a part of themselves/their magic which would then allow them to survive the transition, though they will be quite weak in their realm until tolerance is built or they learn more about how to utilize their magic to adapt.)

Shoda- ♡ (semi-Protag #3.5) Shoda is Mizukis older brother, He is also a purebred succubus. Whilst Aurora stayed with Mizuki, Shoda had built a bond with Aurora, offering some solace and comfort after they would argue. Occasionally Shoda would take Aurora into their city to learn more about where she now resides, taking her to parties and to see shops around. Shoda spent most of his childhood ignored once his sister was born due to his disobedience and ignorance of the rules his parents had set for him. In his teenage years he would meet Jackie, whom would become his best friend and later on Dedicated partner to him.

(NOTE. Jackie's introduction is confusing on purpose. C'mon why would I spill everything immediately!)

Jackie-🥩♡♡♡♡♡♡!!!!!! Jackie Is a Shark/Panther/Succubus hybrid who resides in the countryside area south of where Shoda and Mizuki are (The nobilities city) Her hobbies include... [redacted] ...?, Hanging out with Him!, talking to Him!, Loving Him!, what else would I do? Jackie grew up an only child with her two parents. She made friends with a girl named Koma in Pre-school!, they would become best buddies and spend all their time together in and out of school, having many playdates and sleepovers!. After an accident Jackie never was able to see her again and left to explore the world on her own. That doesn't sound right, that's not how it went. Jackie would become independent at a young age after her parents kicked her out, she would have to [REDACTED] herself out for others to survive from a young age causing [REDACTED]. Later on once she had the funds to, she would pay to attend a public school away from where she had lived before, this is where she would meet Shoda and quickly become obsessed attached to him. She would spend most of her time from then on with him, besides when she would [REDACTED] in the mortal realm, which she kept a secret from him. You could say she has a preference for fresh meat.

That's all for now.

If you have any questions about anyone mentioned at all, the world, or even characters not mentioned at all (or mentioned briefly) then go ahead and ask away (PLEASE.)

ToyHouse with other characters and info.

#lore #jackie #aurora #autumn #shoda #mizuki #voidedaurora #flawsofdawn #fod #oc lore #loreddump #character introduction #oc

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atinydragon · 4 months ago

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Rat Manor: Enter the Manor Part One

Desperate to get out of the cold, a fae rat named Willow takes shelter in the first place he finds. With some unexpected help, he searches for an entrance.

[masterpost]

Willow shivered as a cold breeze tore through his clothes, cloak billowing uselessly. It had been made to withstand the drafts of an old house, so the fabric did little against the gusts of autumn air.

The hedge he was cowering in wasn't of much help either. Most of its leaves were already brown and dropping. Willow needed somewhere else to stay for the coming winter.

He looked up at the absolutely huge dwelling in front of him. It was massive even for a home for giants. The roof rivaled the trees around it and Willow couldn't even make out where it ended. Or hope to count all the windows.

The thing was certainly big enough for one little rat to go unnoticed. Assuming there were even giants living there to worry about. The place looked half eaten by all the vines crawling up the sides. But it was the first place Willow had seen... in awhile. So he’d have to make it work.

Cautiously, Willow scurried out from under the hedges to the yard surrounding the dwelling. He was very exposed here with only some tufts of dying grass to provide meager shelter as he darted towards the looming wall. Despite the crumbled look of the stone, there was no obvious entry here. Willow dashed onward. He kept close to the dwelling while practically diving into any plants for protection. It wouldn't be good to be caught before he even set foot inside.

As if summoned by the thought, someone was suddenly in Willow's way. Gasping as the two crashed into each other.

Willow's brain buzzed as it jumped from stealth mode to panicking at being caught to realizing that the gasp was not the thunderous boom of a giant.

Dusting herself off was another rat who looked far more prepared for time outside. She had a jacket made of a durable looking leather with boots to match. Her shirt and pants were made out of a thick looking wool or cotton. A nicked ear and a knife strapped to her bag suggested that this rat could fight.

It dawned on Willow that he had never been in a fight before.

The other rat looked Willow up and down. Her face was stern before she made a goofy grin and held out her paw "Hi! It's been awhile since I've seen another Rat!"

Willow shakily got his hand out, the other Rat grabbed it and shook it with far too much vigor.

"I'm Sam!" She said

"Willow" he said as his brain was mixed up.

Sam released him. "So what is a Rat like you doing out here? No offense, you just look like the type to hide in a giant's dwelling. Or do ya'll go outside sometimes? Is that a stupid question?"

"Oh, um no?" said Willow "I mean I do both? Hide inside for winter and travel outside in the summer. I'm not sure how others do it."

"Ah! So you're looking to hunker down here for the winter too!" she clapped him on the back.

Willow wheezed "Too? Sorry but aren't you a wild Rat?"

"Wild? That's rude, does that make you domestic?" Sam grinned.

"I- well sorry. But hey wait-" Willow tried to protest.

"Hah! Sorry too, I don't mind being called wild. It's true after all." She winked "I'm just taking it easy this year."

Willow opened his mouth to argue that living in Giant dwelling wasn't all roses when Sam reached down, pulled up her pant leg and popped her right leg clean off. So he ended up gaping like a fish.

Sam gave a deep and hearty laugh at him, leaning against the stone to keep upright. "Oh I love doing that to people." She shook the leg in her hands.

It was very realistic looking. The paw was shaped just like a real one, the thigh curved naturally, and there wasn't any obvious machine parts. It was even colored similarly to Sam's fur color. You could only tell that it was a prosthetic because it didn't actually have fur. There were grooves carved into it that mimicked the appearance of fur, but it wasn't a very realistic effect.

"Yeah happened in spring." Sam said now that she was done laughing. "Was helping out a village with a Skitter problem. You know how those winged fae are, don't like dirty work. Anyway, got rid of all those pests but one managed to get a real nasty bite in. Couldn't save it." She wiggled the prosthetic "Still getting used to it so I want to take it easy this first winter."

"I'm sorry that happened..." Willow paused, unsure if it was any of his business to point out the flaws in her plan. Well, if she was okay sharing such a story the first time meeting someone it should be fine. "But have you ever dealt with a giant before?"

Now Sam paused. "I haven't actually! Seen a couple from a distance. But I mean, look at this place." she gestured to the looming dwelling "Doesn't look like there's that many around."

"Well, potentially." Willow rubbed the back of his neck.

Sam shrugged and bent to put her leg back on "Yeah so shouldn't be too difficult to hide in a dwelling for the winter." She glanced back up at Willow and then straightened up "Sorry was that rude? I don't mean to insult how you live your life. Just comparatively..." She moved her hands up and down like she was comparing weights in them.

Willow sighed "No, It's fine. You're technically right, living inside is much easier than surviving the winter outside. But it's not like it's an easy ride either. Honestly you might find it harder. Dealing with giants is way different than cleaning out a Skitter nest."

Sam laughed "You're right. It probably is a whole different pond. So how about this, why don't we stick together? Correct me if I'm wrong but don't ya'll usually travel in packs?"

Stick together? Like help this stranger survive? Willow rubbed his arm.

"You don't have to. I was just thinking with how run down this place is there must be tons of bugs that you'd have to deal with. Which is my specialty. While living in dwellings and dealing with Giants is yours..."

"...so we will both be at a disadvantage. And helping each other would be best." Willow finished.

"Right!" She made a clicking noise while making finger guns.

"Well, okay." Willow fidgeted with his cloak. He wasn't entirely sure if he should be trusting the first random wild Rat he met. But she had a point, and they were both going to the same place anyway. It would be probably better to know where she was than to wonder if she'd appear behind him knife drawn.

"Great! Let's go!" Sam whirled around and began walking with purpose.

"Wait, where are you going?" Willow scrambled after her.

"The front door? How else do you get inside somewhere?"

"Okay but how are you getting it open?" Sam stopped mid-step with one leg still in the air. "Ah, right Giant dwelling, giant doors..." She turned back around "So how do you actually get in?"

"That's the fun part." Willow sighed "It's different for every dwelling. With the state of this one our best bet will be a literal hole in the wall. Though if you want to see if they've conveniently left the door open we can."

"Ha ha, funny. Let's go find our hole in the wall.

—————————————————————————-

It took a few hours to find a suitable entrance.

While the dwelling did have an ample supply of holes and cracks, but most were only surface level and did not lead into the rest of the structure. Or if they did it was only big enough for something much smaller than a rat to squirm though. But the pair would eventually find a way in. Though it wasn't a hole.

"Oh look, they've conveniently left a window open." Sam grinned smugly.

"Convenient might not be the right word for this." Willow looked up at the window. While it was on the first floor, it was still an entire few feet above them.

"It's just a little climbing." Sam grabbed one of the rocky protrusions of the dwelling and began fitting her paws into the grooves to climb.

"Not that. Well not entirely that. An open window usually means a giant is in the same room."

"So?"

"Giants are very territorial beings. They don't like others being in their space, especially us."

Sam stopped so she could look down at Willow "Even in a dwelling this big? They're not pack creatures right, there's no way this place is filled up."

"You're right, there probably isn't many. But yes they are that territorial and will attack if they see you." Willow flinched as memories threatened to bubble up to the surface.

Sam groaned "So we have to keep moving."

Willow shook his head. More so to shake the dread off his brain. "No, we can potentially use it. Just don't go in imminently. Peak over to see if anyone is there."

"Okay." Sam continued climbing.

She climbed faster than anyone Willow had seen. He was sure she would just vault over the ledge and go inside. Thankfully she did pause to peer over the ledge. She motioned down at Willow for him to follow before she crawled onto the windowsill.

Willow climbed up. He had always been a decent climber, but the sheer size of this particular dwelling made him far slower than normal. Finally he too crawled up onto the windowsill.

"Ya good?" said.

Willow wheezed "Yep. This is just a bigger dwelling than I'm used to."

"Yeah I have a feeling these Giants live like Wings. Way more space than they need. Thought Giants seem more boring about it. Like look at that wall, completely empty! At least Wings put up art or a mantis head or something!"

Ignoring how a giant mounting a mantis head on their wall would be far less impressive, Willow looked around. Sam had been correct in her observation, the room was very sparsely furnished with no decoration. But what was in the room was high quality from the wooden chest to the silk blankets on the bed. It was also much cleaner than the outside. "Their terrible décor aside, let's find a way down."

"Way ahead of you!" Sam walked to the side of the sill and grabbed a fistful of the shiny curtains there.

Willow grimaced at as he approached the curtains. They were not made out of a very easily climbable material.

The two began climbing down. This time they were at much similar speeds as the silky smooth texture of the fabric meant they had to be careful. Or else lose their grip and plummet to the floor.

They were almost to the bottom when a loud thumping noise came from the other side of the door. It started quieter but it was getting louder.

"Wow, are those footsteps? Is that how noisy giants are?" Sam looked up to where Willow was.

He was frozen. His eyes locked onto the door. That noise was definitely the footsteps of a giant.

"Willow?" said Sam "Are you o-"

"Move behind the curtain." Willow interrupted as he suddenly started rapidly moving to the side. He had to get out of sight before a giant could see him!

"Hey!" Sam moved to follow "Be careful!" Just as the words left Sam's mouth, Willow's hands slipped and he dropped.

Willow gasped as air rushed past him. His hands grabbed the fabric causing him to stop suddenly. Gravity yanked on him, he almost screamed from the jolt. But years of living quietly stopped him. Though even that was barely enough to stop the scream in his throat when the door was slammed open and a giant stomped in.

Neither rat could see the giant as they both managed to get on the other side of the curtain. But they felt the whole room shake as the giant stomped over to the bed and then fling themselves onto it.

"This place is so boring! Why did we have to move here?" shouted the giant.

Willow folded down his ears. The giant's voice was clearly that of a teenage girl, but the size disparity meant it was absolutely booming. He almost didn't hear the second giant walk into the room.

"I know dear." said the second giant. She sounded older than the first. "But it's what is best for the family. Just give me and your father some time to fix the place up."

Willow's arms were shaking. It wouldn't be long before they started to burn. But he couldn't move or else- The curtain began slightly shaking. When Willow looked up he saw that Sam had begun climbing again. "This is why it's a bad idea to trust someone you just met!" he thought.

Sam looked down at Willow.

He shook his head and mouthed the word "No".

Though she seemed affronted by it, Sam did stop climbing.

Hopefully the giant's hadn't seen that. Even though they were both close to the bottom, they wouldn't be able to jump down and run if the giants came over.

"I don't care!" the younger giant as she got up. And stomped to the window.

The air left Willow's lungs as he heard and felt the thunderous noise of the Giant approaching. She got closer and closer and then he saw her come into view and-

He was falling.

His hands had let go again and now he had no more space to react. He hit the ground with a painfully loud thud. If he had any air left Willow would have lost it then. His back had taken the brunt of the impact. It was hard to tell if he was in pain or just stiff. But he couldn't focus on that now, he had to see if the giant had heard that.

Willow looked up, past Sam's shocked form up to the looming figure past her. His brain could barely work through the panic so he couldn't see the giant's features. But he could see that her face wasn't looking down. Maybe. But Sam was definitely climbing again.

"Now dear, stop acting like that." the older giant walked over, sending shockwaves through Willow's body. "I know it's a big adjustment but you'll get used to it."

Willow did his best to pay attention to the giants and see if they noticed Sam's hasty climb down the curtain. His legs were unharmed so he could run if he needed.

"Tell you what, if you start behaving better I'll have the cook make you a special dessert."

"Really?" said the younger giant, twirling around to face the older one. Her dress hit the curtain in the process, rustling it. And sending Sam off of it.

Sam wasn't as far up as Willow had been, so she was able to hit the ground with less force and a better position. Rolling so that she wasn't injured. But she did end up out from behind the curtain.

"Of course dear-" said the older giant

"Yay! Oooo is there strawberry cake?" the younger giant dashed past the other and out of the room.

"Wait, I didn't mean right now!" the other giant rushed after. Leaving the rats alone.

Willow breathed out the air that had somehow gotten into his lungs. They were gone for now. He slowly sat up and tentatively tested to see if anything hurt.

Suddenly Sam was beside him "Are you okay?" her paws hovered over, as if she wanted to check him over but didn't want to hurt him more "Is anything broken? How about your head? Did you hit it?"

"No" Willow stammered out "I hit my back. But it doesn't hurt."

"You sure?"

"It's fine." Willow tried to stand. For some reason his legs were really wobbly. He stumbled.

"Easy now. Let me help." Sam caught Willow and put his arm over her shoulder and her arm under his other. Given that she was a good few centimeters taller than him she ended up basically carrying him. "Alright let's get out of this room."

Willow found himself unable to protest being carried so awkwardly. Or more importantly the fact that Sam was just walking straight through the center of the room. He was too shaken and just wanted out of there.

The two reached the door and it did not help Willow's shaken feeling. The room opened up to a huge hallway. It was wide enough for three humans to walk shoulder to shoulder and as long as some of the dwellings Willow had been in. A thick carpet ran down the middle of the whole length, and turned the corner with it. It was all entirely exposed space. A couple tables dotted it, but other than that there would be nowhere to hide if a giant turned that corner. Unless a door happened to be open, but that was hardly a good option. Given the emptiness of both the room and the hallway that was likely how the rest of the dwelling was.

These giants lived far differently than the ones Willow has seen previously. Would his strategies work in a dwelling like this? Could he adapt to it and teach another how to do it?

Sam started to walk out into the hallway.

"Wait!" said Willow louder than he wanted.

"What is it?" said Sam ignoring the volume "You okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just..."

"Oh! I should put you down huh?" Sam set Willow down. "Well, yes that too. But you were about to walk out into the open."

"I wasn't!" Sam acted offended "I was heading to that table over there." she pointed to a table across the hall. It was at a giant's waist height and the cloth over it went halfway to the floor "Gotta get cover to scope out a new place after all."

"Oh, right" Willow folded his ears back in embarrassment "Sorry."

Sam waved her paw "It's fine. I didn't exactly scope out that first room very well. Now let's get out of sight. I feel like I'm being watched right now." she shivered.

Willow nodded, recalling the crawling spine chills that happened after he had first been spotted as a child. For many moons after that he felt large eyes on him at all times.

The two made a mad dash scurry across the hall and under the table. They went to the very back and paused to catch their breath. Or at least Willow did.

"Alright." said Sam "What I usually do in a new area is scope it out fully. Take note of what animals and plants are there, where there's clean water and food, places to sleep, yadda yadda. Is that about what y'all do?"

"More or less." said Willow. "Although I doubt we're going to be able to scope this whole place."

"Ah, right this place is a much bigger area then I'd usually scout. With just the two of us it would be impractical to spend that much time scouting every corner..."

"We shouldn't need to. Normally I don't like leaving places unexplored but in this case we should be able to. It'll be easy enough to figure out where the giants normally are. They honestly likely won’t make full use of the space either."

"True. Yeah just scouting the necessary areas should be good enough. I'm a bit worried about who else will decide to hunker down here but that shouldn't be a problem."

Willow tilted his head "Who else would be here besides us and the giants?"

Sam shrugged "Maybe nobody. But it's a big place and looks like it's the only dwelling in this neck of the woods. So any other poor souls that need shelter for the winter will come here."

"Oh." Willow hadn't thought about that. He had thought his and Sam's meeting was some kind of luck (good or bad, he still wasn't entirely sure) but what she said made sense. There was more than enough room in this part of the dwelling alone for several different families.

"Yeah" Sam continued "It's a big place so there shouldn't be trouble. And I bet these giant folks have plenty of food somewhere. But if some territorial jerk decides to make a claim... well it can get dicey" She put a paw up to the part of her ear that had been torn.

Willow gulped, he had definitely not thought about that. He didn't know how to fight.

"Oh, sorry." said Sam as she noticed Willow's fear "Like I said, big place. Probably nothing will happen. Or we'll figure it out. Haven't you borrowing rats gotten into territory spats?"

"Not that I remember..." said Willow. Had his family gotten into disputes with others? He had never thought about it but now it seemed oddly convenient.

"That's lucky." Sam said earnestly "Actually maybe not since it'd be better if you knew how to fight. Oh well you got me!" She put her paws behind her head in a way that showed off her muscles.

"Thanks. I'll help you how I can too."

"Great because I have no idea how to navigate a giant dwelling. Or how they work... they have kitchens right? We should go there first?"

Willow laughed "Yes they have kitchens. And it is a good idea to find that first." He walked over to peer out from under the table. "It's a bit tricky to navigate a dwelling as they have odd layouts. Did you happen to see which direction the giants went? It sounded like they were heading to eat."

"I think I saw them go..." Sam turned around so she faced how she did leaving the bedroom "Right." she pointed.

"Okay then, we'll go that way."

#g/t #giant/tiny #g/t writing #g/t ocs #borrowers #sort of #borrowing rats lol #rat manor #my stuff #totally put off posting #so it would be closer to fall #not because im nervous #what lol #ah i should add oc tags #oc willow #oc sam

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haunteddrawings · 1 year ago

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after a lot of time, effort, and an unusual number of helpful dreams: demons <3

thoughts about them (I have. so many) under the cut

ok so literally everything about all of them is subject to change, but I’m happy where they are for now! I’m building up a lot of stuff for them, but it’s very work in progress. there is some important lore I doubt will change too much though!

the demons essentially are “evil” gods (none of them are super evil, but they are in general more evil inclined/presenting, and they all have pointy ears and horns so they’re one big group that was y’know. demonized) I’m going to have to design the “good” gods at some point but I have some other stuff I want to do before jumping into more mass character design, so those designs might force me to change these ones idk. it’s gotta make sense as one big world y’know.

all these guys (and the angels or whatever I'll call them when I get there) come from an original god. this gods pronouns (for now thy/thym/thyr/thymself) are the basic "godly" pronoun set that all of the demons share. this god also (and most importantly) shattered into pieces and leaked stuff everywhere. the stuff became everything that exists! this original god was made of everything that now exists and also nothing (y'know the science thing abt how before matter existed time didn't either? something about that) so the demons aren't flesh and blood but instead made of magic or something. this means that they all technically have the ability to shape shift, though it isn't a huge part of what they do.

also despite being gods, they aren't all powerful! they have the power to influence the world, but don't have full control over anything (for the most part)

now a rundown of all of them (not strictly in this order. kallie had to go first because of how important she was to me doing this at all)

Kallie: she/thy

my absolute blorbo. was my second demon but the one I cared about the most by far. did 4 pieces of her for a school project I love her so much. she started out as a demon with both a pink demon from and a "normal" human form. she also had wings and was a galah (pink bird). for some reason. her human form was because originally the idea was that she was infiltrating a high school in order to get close to someone so she could betray & kill them in as painful a way as possible. she was an agent of my hell on a mission. then shenanigans occur (this was supposed to be a comedy idk)

NOW: she's the demon of war, violence, and chaos. she's often confused with the love demon because of how much heart patterned stuff she wears. she's silly and cute! always wearing a different outfit. like 6'2" without platforms. she's extremely unreliable when sharing information, and thinks she's really humble (she's not).

Elio: he/thy

my first demon! used to be named sol so this name isn't set in stone but y'know. not a man! this is a lesbian! original concept had him fall in love with a human which I might keep but who knows.

he's basically a demon laywer. demon of laws, oaths, and fire. in the lore he used to be wayyy more evil, more fire than law, and a tyrant! he used to suck! much more chill now though, and more law motivated too.

Vesh: they/thy

sporty icon. demon of electricity, energy, and mischief (they're a troublemaker and a prankster). high energy thus: sports. also I needed a theme outfit-wise because it was really lame originally.

Cleo: she/thy

Cleo was the one I had a helpful dream about. she's demon of doubt, secrets, and being hidden. she can also shape shift into any type of snake!

shes really fond of humans, and really helpful despite having no reputation of being so. everything she says might be a lie though, so she helps point humans in the right direction, but her info needs to be verified. strong believer in shades of grey. she and vika despise each other. her horns aren't visible because I forgot them and couldn't make them work with hair so their really small. it's good hair though, right?

Nira: she/thy

demon of water & fluidity. honestly her design was so easy I don't have many thoughts. she's the tallest. very shy. either apathetic or full of rage and tearing things apart. something about the moon. that's all I got.

Vika: he/they/thy

demon of knowledge, facts, and the mind/the brain. pretends he knows everything but he really doesn't. an egotistical motherfucker. they are the largest source of information out there though. doesn't believe in maybes or subjective answers. if they answer a question with a maybe or subjective answer they will just tell you one answer. doesn't like sharing information but loves showing off. must be very very respectful and stroke his ego to get his (often extremely helpful) information. doesn't know everything though, they're not omniscient. he and Cleo despise each other.

Frankie: he/thy

demon of emotion, beauty, and sex. the actual love demon. a bitch but very very cool so it's waved away by those not victims of it. appreciate beauty and confidence above all. has a fun pink twin purple twin thing with kallie. they are not twins, nor are they particularly close. very dramatic. feels emotions very strongly. often underestimated.

Keres: she/they/thy

demon of darkness, death, and peace. an absolute sweetheart. cane user. slightly separated from the rest of the group. cares for the dead. a highly feared and beloved god. I love her your honor

and that's all of them! these probably aren't all the demons that exist, but it's all I'm making for right now. if you actually read all this, thank you! I really appreciate it. this is the most I've ever cared about ocs before <33

#can you tell i really care about these guys?#yeah #honestly while kallie is so important to any of this shes no longer my fav #cleo and keres are tied for that rn #deities ocs tag #<- probably need one of those

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zydrateacademy · 9 months ago

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Current Activities in ESO #6

Had to dig for this one. Like Warframe, my last ESO related post was way back in 2014.

My #2 post states my own brother dropped 95$ on the game. 2014 was before I ever ever employed. Jesus.

The origins of Dibbe are revealed. I do remember her still being a dark elf, I still have a screenshot of her as a level 46 being stuck in Coldharbor which eventually drew me away from the game for years after. (I didn't know the guy I had to talk to was just hanging out in the Fighter's Guild there). I've had a pale argonian before on previous games but they were named differently.

Ancient Dibbe. She's hideous!

My number 5 post basically precedes me quitting the game. Couldn't find my #1 or #4 post.

All of that long before the One Tamriel update. Came back to the game some time ago and all of my problems are basically gone. Leveling still feels just a tad sluggish. 3-10 are usually pretty easy but up into the 40's feels like a slog. Generally one of my better methods is counter to what I usually do on MMO's and I level up as a tank or healer for quicker dungeon queues and just bank on that chunk of experience at the end of them.

After becoming unemployed again I will say that my lack of the craftbag drew me away from the game for a long time. However I've developed something of a system regarding that. I am still painfully selling off some of the harder-to-get materials like runes, but I'm collecting stacks of the more common stuff in my bank. Presumeably to be sold on a guild trader at a later occasion. That way I can still dismantle stuff and it will have a purpose later.

My gaming loop has mostly revolved around collecting decent sets for my various alts. I'm not good at making gold passively, mostly just selling motifs that I get randomly. I keep being told that writs are the moneymaker but that's only a few grand at a time. I wonder if they refer to those master writ you get as rewards sometimes because those typically sell well if you're lucky to get the ones that reward a lot of vouchers. But those aren't guaranteed either.

Dib, my main, is on the cusp of crafting mastery so generally she can craft a couple of decent sets for fresh alts but crafting sets are usually for the beginning. Overland and dungeon sets tend to be improved, so part of my gaming loop is the slow grind of transmutation stones so I can make shit there as well. However a big hurdle there now is without my subscription, I'm now locked out of 80% of the DLC dungeons. I have a few, but I thought dungeons came with the zones that they were released with. I was incorrect. Turns out, ESO content is released quarterly. So I've bought a few zones (I'm missing the Reach which makes me sad because I love that zone and Murkmire, which I don't have much of an opinion on but now I can't make the grave-stake set which I've had fun with in the past).

And I certainly need to keep playing the game because if I run out of gold, it usually means I can't outfit my characters! Transmogging doesn't cost much but still. Gold doesn't make itself.

And then I spend my nights roleplaying. I feel the cusp of a sort of golden age of roleplay for me personally, especially regarding my main girl Dib. I've recently developed a "radiant" quest system. Around 8 of my houses are decorated and can be used for various stealth activities. For most of them (I lose out on decor slots without a sub) I can place a variety of those Precursor dummies, little bland robots that can act as like DnD figurines to represent npc's and enemies (not to mention a few houseguests, I can have up to like 15 npc placements if the decor slots allow). I've put this in practice twice now with a few different people and it's really fun. For the smaller homes it also doesn't even take very long, so it can be used for a thief-to-thief RP meet and greet.

I joined the OG <The Thieves Guild>, a player has owned that tag since 2016 but they're recently staging a revival. It still has a pretty small core right now, about four to five of the same faces have attended the last few events.

I generally, absolutely, detest tavern RP as a general rule but I will resort to it when I'm bored or want to watch a podcast or streamer on the side. However a few nights ago a marshland tavern was opened up in Blackwood, where Dib got to meet a lot of her own kind for once.

As an aside: Not that Argonians don't frequent the current RP hub in Evermore, but I spend most of my time in Evermore wallflowering with nobody deeming my character interesting enough to approach. That or the fact that they're all usually up their own asses to greet newcomers. I had Dib try to contribute to a "never have I ever" and she was never directly replied to once. It felt like four people had me on ignore for no reason.

But in Blackwood, everything felt pretty organic. I dressed Dib down from her usual shady attire from this;

To the more approachable this;

So either she was more approachable or the energy of the room let to my own Dib having more incentive to interact. A friend even came along and instead of being attached to the hip we would interact, break off to mingle, swing back to each other, and break off again. Like a real party! There was one particular player whom I didn't know very well who seemed to attach herself to Dib's side but it didn't detract too much. It was a great night. Dib is pretty sure she almost got jumped by a couple of Khajiit because she openly purchased a tome of daedric lore right there in the open. She detracted an imperial priest's claim that she is so clearly a shady sneaker.

"...Charming."

I've posted that around in some discords I'm in but I can't help it. I almost died laughing at my computer. I'm even unclear if he bought it or not but she cut real close about openly admitting daedra worship (she's a Nocturnal simp) but I feel like she managed to pull way from it.

While unemployed I'm generally making an effort to pop in relevant RP events I see scheduled in the various discords I'm in. And I do say relevant. I almost attended a pet show, I wanted to bring a small guar that Dibbe named "Lump" and would emote the fact that there was nothing special about it and that she likely just picked it out of a field somewhere. "This is lump he's wonderful" (this Guar isn't special at all). I decided to go for some other open RP in someone's household. I acquired secondhand knowledge that there was no "show" to begin with. People just brought along pets and everyone just walked around to talk about them. Would still have been funny to have Dibbe and Lump just hanging out in the corner somewhere.

Anyway I've been working on this post for an hour with Dib waiting for me in the background to do a Jester Festival quest.

#TES #The Elder Scrolls #ESO #Elder Scrolls Online #MMO #Gaming #Pc Gaming #RP #Roleplaying

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its-vannah · 2 years ago

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Sweet Nothing | Jacaerys x Reader

A/N: My goal is to finish this Masterlist by December, and I've got to say that this is one of the most wholesome fics on this whole list. I dearly loved writing it, and I hope y'all love reading it ❤️

Warnings: Childbirth, intense pain, labor, birth, lots of fluff

Midnights Masterlist

Another restless night had gone by, with bouts of sickness and fever. Laying in bed, feet propped up, you tried to ease the pain in your stomach.

You were only eight months pregnant, but you felt as though the baby could arrive any day now. Praying to the Gods to give you another month, to ensure the safety of both you and your unborn child, you hoped they answered.

I found myself a-runnin' home to your sweet nothings

Jacaerys had insisted on being by your side throughout it all. He had instructed your handmaiden to care for your oldest son, Arewyn, while he tended to you.

Slowly opening the door to your shared chambers, he held a cold, damp rag in his hands. Standing at the side of your bed, he placed the rag over your forehead in an effort to break your fever.

That I'm just too soft for all of it

He sat beside you, gently running a hand over the curve of your stomach, a soft smile on his face, "I can hardly wait, my love."

You let out a content sigh, the baby kicking against his hand, "I don't think the babe can either."

Placing your hand on top of his, you guided him to the upper part of your stomach, "Just wait..."

A hard kick came, and Jacaerys released a breathy laugh, "A strong one we have, don't we?"

"Oh, I'm sure of it," You winced at the pain in your lower stomach, exhaling slowly, "Too strong."

"Any day now, my love, I'm sure of it," He said, pressing a kiss to your stomach, and then your forehead, "Is there anything I can do?"

You shook your head, "I don't believe so, but..."

I spy with my little tired eye

Pausing, you saw the door opening from the corner of your eye. It was slow, as if each push was a struggle.

Tiny as a firefly

Seconds later, a small boy peeked his head through the door, pushing his body through, his eyes wide as he saw you.

A large smile plastered on his face, he ran towards you, his feet slapping against the stone floor.

Desperately trying to get up on the bed, he motioned for his father to lift him up.

And smooth-talking hucksters

"Is the baby here? Can I see it? What's it's name? Is it's name Arewyn, too? Do we have the same name? What does it look like? Like me?"

The constant questioning typically drove those in the palace mad, but Jacaerys found it endearing. He remembered when Joffrey was that young, only three and full of questions.

Jacaerys grinned down at his son, lifting him into his arms and setting him on his knee, allowing him to face you.

You say, "What a mind"

"He has a mind of his own, doesn't he?" Jacaerys said, trying to tame his son's head of curls which he had seemingly inherited from his uncle.

Arewyn searched the room, "Where's the baby?"

You pointed to your stomach, "Not here quite yet, my love."

"When is it going to be here?"

"Soon, my sweet, have patience," Knowing fully well it was impossible for a four year old to practice the art of patience.

This happens all the time

Shaking your head, Jacaerys smiled, nuzzling his son's cheek, "Always asking questions, aren't you?"

"Tell me, Arewyn, where is Pia?" You asked, caressing his small cheek, "She was supposed to watch you."

Arewyn furrowed his brows, crossed his arms, and huffed, "She wouldn't let me see you and the baby. So we played a game. She hid, and I found her."

"So where is she?" Jacaerys asked.

He shrugged, "I didn't find her yet."

Everyone's up to somethin'

The two of you shared a look, shaking your heads, "He's too smart for his own good."

Feeling a sharp pain in your abdomen, you held back the urge to cry out, not wanting to scare your son. Suddenly, you felt warm.

Grasping Jacaerys hand, you shot him a look, "Go fetch the Maester."

He jumped up, Arewyn still in his arms, and promised he'd be back shortly.

-------------------------------

Every time you pushed, you felt a stabbing pain inside you. Although Arewyn's birth had hurt, you hadn't expected this birth to be worse.

They said the end is comin'

A fresh stream of tears cascading down your face, the maester promised it would be over soon.

Out glad-handing each other

Jacaerys held your hand, which was quite the fest itself with how hard you were gripping him, tighter with every push.

Nearly out of breath, you shook your head, suddenly dizzy, "I can't..."

"You should be doing more"

"You must, Princess," The Maester urged, "You need to push more."

Struggling to breathe, you kept pushing, crying out in pain.

After what seemed like hours, you heard the cries of a newborn baby, begging for it's mother.

The wetnurse lifted the babe, a smile on her face as she wrapped it in a blanket, "A boy, my prince."

Jacaerys smiled as she handed the babe to him, as you were too weak to hold him in your arms.

We almost forgot it

Watching as your husband rocked him slowly, back and forth, you nearly forgot about the pain.

The Maester sent a handmaiden to grab fresh linens as he tended to you, and she returned with not only the linens, but little Arewyn, too.

Outside they're push and shovin'

Rushing to your side, he struggled to climb on the bed. Using all his might, he gripped the sheets and sat cross legged beside you.

Attempting to lean over you to get to his brother, Jacaerys reached out a hand to stop him, "Careful, Arewyn. Your mother is still weak from the birth."

And the voices that implore

Groaning, Arewyn tilt his head to get a better look at the babe, a soft smile on his face, "Is it—"

"A boy," You answered, "We have yet to chose a name, my love."

"Then pick one," He urged, excitedly, clasping his hands together, "You can name him Arewyn."

Jacaerys shook his head, "That's your name. He needs a name of his own."

You gazed up at him, "Not quite a name of his own, but a memory of another."

It took him a moment to connect the dots, but once he did, he pursed his lips, "Are you sure?"

"I'm certain."

Jacaerys looked at your eldest son, turning the bay to face him, "Lucerys the second."

Arewyn smiled at him for a moment, before looking between his parents, "That's a long name. Can I call him Luc?"

To you, I can admit

Memories struck Jacaerys, of the times he and his brother had spent together, before he nodded, "I couldn't think of a better name."

All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothin'

Before the births of your son's, you and Jacaerys shared a strong, beautiful love. And even after the addition of your heirs, that love continued, with only one difference. It was stronger. It was unconditional.

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thesevro · 4 years ago

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besties / headcanons

𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖋𝖚𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖌𝖚𝖗𝖔 𝖙𝖔𝖏𝖎, 𝖌𝖔𝖏𝖔 𝖘𝖆𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖚, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖓𝖆𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖎 𝖐𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖔

𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙: 1.4K words

𝖘𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖞: how toji, satoru and kento would act as your best friend

GOJO SATORU

- Gojo may not be very loyal as your boyfriend, but he would definitely be one among your most loyal friends.

- Whenever you're sitting down at some place, literally anywhere, be it at a cafe or on some random stone ledge, he'll let you lean back into him.

- Gojo is tall, and he's somehow always so warm, so treating him as a platonic cuddle buddy would be so nice.

- So imagine you're exhausted from a long day and you find this stout little ledge to rest on. Gojo would sit down with you there.

- You could lean onto him, press your head into his shoulder and Gojo would actually feel very relaxed to have someone he trusts and holds dear next to him.

- Knowing that one of his closest friends is safe calms him to an impossible degree. He knows he's lost too many already.

- And if the day has been too long, he'll let you sleep on his shoulder. Let you enjoy having a little power nap while ignoring the little line of drool that will wet his uniform.

- Hip to hip, your head to his shoulder, it does not feel as romantically intimate as it could be, but he loves that you're here with him all the same. He's always been scared of losing his friends, no matter how well he hides it.

- So he'll keep you warm as you nap on his shoulder.

- PARTING FROM OUR ANGSTIER PARTS... Gojo would be the best hype-man.

- You wearing a dress that barely reaches your knees and flaunts your ass whenever you jump? He'll cheer for you and scream, "THAT'S MY HOT BESTIE!!!"

- You have a crush on some dude? Some gal? He'll get very close with that guy or gal and tell them all the good things about you.

- If you like someone from the school it'll be even worse for you. He would blatantly skip missions just to set your crush up with you as your partner.

- Gojo would be a great, awesome, amazing BFF and you cannot tell me otherwise.

NANAMI KENTO

- Nanami as your friend would just be. Aw.

- He would be the most attentive friend out there.

- You just come back from a mission, hair and clothes a mess, face streaked with blood? He'll let you use his handkerchief to wipe the mess off. And he'll fetch some bandages for you if you need it.

- If you're bed-ridden, he'll stay by your bedside and talk to you there. Silence with him is also just... so nice. So peaceful. So serene.

- Nanami would even make you coffee, tea, whatever it is you like just so he can help you feel more refreshed after whatever tiring mission you went on, or whatever complicated job it was you had to finish.

- He knows what your favorite drink is. What your favorite food is. He also knows the best place to find both.

- Will eat lunch together with you every day at the school, or at yours or his favorite restaurant.

- He can't really make food for you... so he always buys something for lunches at the school with you.

- Sometimes he'll just stand in front of one of the school vending machines, in undeniably deep thought about what your drink of the day could be.

- Whenever he visits your favorite coffee shop, or whatever place sells your favorite drink, he'll ask the cashier to add the specific extras you like incorporating into your drink. He knows all of them.

- AND OKAY. LISTEN. NANAMI WOULD TOTALLY CALL YOU AT THREE A.M. TO RANT ABOUT WORK.

- Of course he would first say something along the lines of, "I must apologize for bothering you. I promise to buy you (insert fav. drink) and (insert fav. food) and (insert fav. dessert) tomorrow. Promise." Then he finally reveals how stressed he is, "But. Are you aware of how much I want to wring Gojo Satoru's neck and kick him off a cliff?"

- It would turn into some sort of comedy, where Nanami mocks every single person who has stressed him out (Gojo Satoru for once in your life just STFU) in that sonorous, baritone rumble of his.

- Imagine hearing something like that at three in the morning. Sometimes it makes you question why it is no one has asked the guy out yet. (AND WHY YOU HAVEN'T DONE THAT EITHER.)

- Nanami would also be the BEST listener.

- You have a problem with something? With someone? Okay. He'll hear you out. Will not interrupt you while you're speaking. Not once will he do that.

- If it's something serious, and you start sniffling or maybe even crying, okay let's be honest he wouldn't really know what to do...

- SO. Because he doesn't know, he'll do what he sees everyone else do.

- He'll hug you. His arms will be stiff and that deep pit of awkwardness will definitely form in his stomach, but if it helps you, he'll do it all the same.

- If this is your first time crying in front of him, he'll only pull out one of his handkerchiefs and hand it to you. Sorry, but he wouldn't know how else to comfort you.

- He'll also comfort you with words of logic. Nanami has that perspicacious outsider's perspective that lets him see the rational portion of everything.

- BUT HE WOULD ALSO BE SO UNDERSTANDING. If you voice that you think your feelings are stupid, or dumb, he would FIRMLY insist that no, no (Y/N), your feelings are not stupid. Your feelings matter to me. And nothing that matters to me is "stupid."

- And he would proceed to help you find a solution to your problem, or would just hear you out some more. You can be honest with him and he would not judge you for any of your feelings.

- In conclusion, Nanami Kento would be the most caring BFF out there.

FUSHIGURO TOJI

- Okay HEAR ME OUT ON THIS. HEAR ME OUT.

- Toji would be an AWESOME best friend.

- He would be the guy you could punch in the arm with abandon.

- Toji would ALSO be the mean tease of a friend who is able to bed you at least once.

- After getting you in his bed though he'll let you go back to the casual thing you share, if that's what you want. But if you want to be together, well... he would be willing to try, but only because you're his friend.

- It may or may not work out. But he does try to make it work. Whether it does in the end... depends.

- MOVING FORWARD, again, Toji would be the friend you could punch without being hit back for it. He'll just be like yeah, okay short stuff then move on.

- He's just someone you could debate with, have fun with, and tease and test to no end.

- AND TOJI is the type of guy who would be super casual about letting people stay over at his house. You had a tiring day? You want to crash at his house? He'll let you.

- You open his door and he'll look at you like he was expecting you, but maybe that's because you'd just ranted about how someone at work had treated you like shit.

- You know. Through the private messaging app only assassins like him use. But since you're his bestie he let you download it too.

- HE CALLS YOU EVERY SINGLE PET NAME OUT THERE TOO

- And he always greets you with, "Something wrong, short stuff?" when you come through the door

- AND HE WOULD EVEN CALL YOU "PRINCESS" WHEN HE REALLY FEELS LIKE PUSHING IT

- And listen bitch even if you're tall... this asshole is literally as tall as Gojo (I think?????) AND he's a DILF. So shut your mouth, short stuff.

- At his house you can either: 1. Order take-out and eat together on the dingy old table someone's great-grandfather used to eat on; he might pay if you really aren't feeling it but he's also an avaricious, money-hoarding bitch (in other words, broke) soooo don't expect much. Or 2. Just sleep on his couch while he watches TV. His bed smells like shit and really his couch isn't any better buuutt at least it doesn't have... stains.

- And please, don't even think about venting your feelings to this guy. He would either laugh his ass off at you or only nod with a tight smile of discomfort on his face.

- Princess, he won't be tucking you into bed, but he'll definitely have some leftover pizza ready for you in the morning. His love language is lazy as hell, but it's love all the same.

- Though your pizza will most definitely be either burnt or cold as shit.

- But either way, he cares.

- So if you're feeling down because someone looked at you wrong in the streets, expect to see a "Missing Person's Report" on the news in the morning.

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reigenhusband · 3 years ago

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Psychic Wedding Time!

Art by @/cowboyologist

After months of holding back, we finally tied the ole knot! Me and the conman are officially hitched today September 10, 2021!

This silly little blonde anime man means an awful lot to me and its really more than I can say. These months with him have been a great help.

When I went through some of the roughest things I've ever gone through, I had him to think about for comfort. He is a little part in what keeps me going and I wish I could thank him for everything. He sparks a lot of joy so I think I'm gonna keep him!

I've never been happier and I'm so lucky to call him husband! He's had such a positive impact and I love him so, so much.

Special thank you to my friends and of course our son Mob who carried the rings!

Under the cut is a little fic about getting ready for the wedding. Thanks everyone for your support!

Reigen squinted at his reflection, dark eyes hauntingly focused on a strand of hair that didn't take to the product he put in it. A grunt of dismay rumbled low in his throat.

"Um…Reigen?"

"Just a second, Serizawa. Almost got it."

The taller man's voice wavered but he managed to hold fast and keep his confidence. Reigen could almost hear his hands wringing.

"Er...Well. Its just...you've been staring at yourself for a little over 20 minutes now and you haven't moved and…"

Reigen sucked his teeth and pressed his palm firmly to the side of his head. Damned strand of hair! Slick like the rest of it! Don't you know know day it is?!

"What I mean is..! Are you alright?" Serizawa finally asked, his voice heavy with concern. "Since it's your wedding and all I figured you'd be nervous but you seem really on edge. Is something bothering you?"

The blonde twitched.

"W...what are you talking about? Of course not! I'm calm and-" He stopped abruptly and slammed his hands flat on either side of the mirror, his eyes wide and bloodshot upon inspection of his suit. A fleck of black thread pervaded his white vest and he looked around frantically for the lint roller. "You thought you could hide but you can't best Reigen Arataka." He muttered as he furiously went over his all but pristine wedding attire.

His best man scratched his own cheek nervously and looked on with clear uncertainty. "If you're sure."

Once he was satisfied after a thorough inspection and having Serizawa scrutinize the back, he dropped into a chair. Nearby was a table decorated in what was probably a thousand congratulatory flowers from clients. He exhaled and stared a hole into the arrangement of colors. His heart was pounding. His brow, coupled with his hands, were visibly slick with chilled sweat. His stomach was full of stones.

He met his own gaze in the mirror again. He looked well kept and yet...disheveled at the same time. Come to think of it, his face was flushed the shade of his usual pink tie. The last 3 days without sleep also hollowed out dark circles under his eyes. His shirt collar began to feel more and more constricting as time went on no matter how much he tugged on it.

Maybe he really was scared.

He didn't doubt that he loved Mitty. In fact, he wanted to be with him more than anyone. A case of cold feet wouldn't change that. It was himself he was wrestling with here.

Spirits, monsters, and deadly espers. He'd faced them all and came out on top. But they were nothing compared to these looming expectations to be a person to rely on. This wasn't something he could bullshit his way through. This was marriage. Mitty was going to see the warted underbelly of when he was Reigen the man instead of Reigen the psychic. His fiancé was going to experience sides of him he only revealed when he was alone. Would he still like him even then?

Reigen was good at a lot of things but this had to be the one that counted most. Could he really be a good partner forever?

Was he really going to cut it as a husband?

"Hey, Serizawa?" Reigen asked, not looking at him.

The man's shoulders lurched at his name suddenly being called. He straightened his back. "Oh! Yes sir?"

"Do you think we'll be good together?"

Silence sat heavily for a moment. Every second felt longer than the last.

His friend seemed taken aback by the question but nonetheless looked at the ceiling as though collecting the right words to answer. "Well…"

Another moment passed and Reigen waited with his hands clasped and breath baited.

"I've never been with anyone so I can't say for certain what a good relationship is but," A compassionate smile spread across the esper's face before he continued, visibly more sure of his words. "I think you and Mr. Mitty understand each other. You always seem to know what the other is thinking. You motivate each other to be better and you seem happy when you're together. And...and you trust each other too. And I think that's whats important."

Reigen looked at the velveted floor. "Then…"

"You've become more honest by being with him and he talks like you're really important to him. So please...get married if it makes you both happy! I think you can really be something!" His friend was beaming with

what Reigen could only say was genuine assurance.

"I really believe you'll take care of each other."

His co-worker actually really was resourceful. Maybe someday he ought to pay him more. The uncomfortable feelings waned slightly and his shoulders slowly slacked. Mitty was waiting for him so now wasn't the time to lose it.

After a few seconds of letting his feelings iron themselves out, he stood and smoothed his hands over his suit jacket. "Well alright then. If thats what you think then I guess there's no backing out of this one."

Serizawa pressed his hands together in delight. "YES! I've got your back, Reigen!"

The door into the hallway opened and a set of black eyes peered into the room. "Master, It's starting. Are you coming?"

The jarring announcement had him scrambling to fix the piece of hair he'd been fussing with.

"OF COURSE." He jabbed his thumb into his own chest to feign total confidence. "Right behind you, Mob!"

He held his breath. Alright, let's do this.

Mitty POV

Teal eyes darted around the room carefully.

"Hey...Dimple? You there?"

The whizzing of the spirit materializing buzzed next to his ear.

"Yeah whaddya want? You're on soon, aren't you?"

Mitty jabbed his right hook into the air where the voice was coming from. "AGH WHAT THE HELL?"

A swift flash of green dodged his reach.

"HEY, why are you hitting me?! You asked for ME, remember?" The ghost clucked his tongue in disapproval and floated a few inches away for safety.

"WELL MATERIALIZE WHERE I CAN SEE YOU, YOU BIG BOOGER! I'm on edge!"

"On edge? What for? You're the one who wanted this, right?"

"W..well….yeah, sorry." He looked at his clenched fist and opened it. "...sorry." He said again more thoughtfully this time.

Dimple raised a spectral eyebrow. "Whats wrong? Having second thoughts? I mean it's Reigen so who can blame ya."

Mitty scowled while straightening his tie in the mirror. "Hey! REIGEN'S…." His voice softened closer to a whisper. "A pretty good guy. Get off my case. Aren't you supposed to be my support? You're being kinda harsh!"

"Well kid, something is obviously on your mind so let's hear it. Wedding starts soon right? Yeesh. Once you do all this he's your problem forever."

"I'm not worried about him!! I'm more worried about...me."

"About you? What're you talkin' about?! You're too good for him!"

"Thanks for the flattery. You still can't have my body though."

"Well I didn't want it anyways, ya bastard. You're weak compared to Shigeo. I'm just being honest here!"

Silence.

"So? Out with it, What did you want anyways? You're talking nonsense here!"

Mitty wrinkled his nose in discomfort. "I just needed to ask something. But you can't run your mouth off like you always do, you old gossip. You're like a knitting circle."

"TCH. like I'd blabber your business to someone. It's all so boring."

"Yeah, yeah just listen, alright?!"

Another few seconds passed. "So? Say it. We don't have all day, you know."

He was looking at his hands again like he was somewhere far off. "Well. D...D'you think I'll be good at this?"

"Good at what, exactly?"

"Being married."

Dimple's form rippled with thought. "You're seriously worried about that?"

Mitty was going to make a sharp remark but his head dropped and his face buried into his knuckles. "Yeah."

Dimple deflated slightly in exasperated defeat. Humans could be so ignorant.

"Listen. That fraud never shuts up about you. You think you're not good enough? You should hear him talk. It's annoying how you both don't realize things."

"Realize things?"

He sighed and shrugged his tiny arms. "I hear everything whether you like it or not. You two idiots never stop talking and moaning about the other is too good for the other. It's getting old, really."

"HUH? He says that? No way! But he's always beaten me at everything! I always thought he was way out of my league."

"Kinda the opposite actually but...sure. What I'm saying is…! You're both seeing the best parts of each other. Keep doing that and it'll be smooth sailing."

"Yeah but...what if he stops seeing the best in me?'

"You planning on making things hard?"

"Not really. I just know I can be difficult to deal with."

"So is he. You really think you got this far because Reigen's all roses and sunshine? 'Course not. You've seen all the stuff he does and you still like him, right?"

He certainly was flawed, that was for sure. Mitty spent most of Reigen's antics with his eyes rolled up in his head but that didn't mean he wasn't enjoying the moment either.

"Right."

"Then it's the same for him. Sure it won't always be fun but that phoney won't give up on you just because you're annoying. He's way too persistent. It kind of ticks me off."

I'm annoying??? That stung but he shook it off.

Reigen was going to have to deal with him for the rest of his life once they said the right words. But if Dimple was right...would it be so bad to annoy each other for the rest of their lives if the other was willing to put up with it?

Reigen seemed okay with it so far. Mitty would just have to listen to him make a fuss about his coffee table clutter until he died. But really, he wouldn't have that any other way. His voice was kind of cute when he hit that inhuman octave he had when he was in disbelief.

The door from the hall swung open and a blond clad in what was perhaps the most blinding and loud suit he had ever seen poked his head in.

"Oh, You're still in here? It's bad luck to be late on your wedding day! Master Reigen is waiting. " He cocked his head to the side. "Or did you need some help with your suit? Its looking a little plain."

Hanazawa. This kid would try to accessorize his suit in the worst way possible. He put up his hands to wave him off.

"N-nah, kiddo that's alright. I'll be right there."

Hanazawa, after a few more attempts to get Mitty to let him help retreated back into the hallway. When it was quiet again he eyed Dimple. He was abrasive and unpleasant. He always had a motive for everything and rarely had something nice to say.

But he came through when it mattered.

"Hey Dimple?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Thanks."

Dimple wouldn't meet his eyes and levitated towards the hall. He didn't want to acknowledge he was helping, he supposed. It was in character for that tsundere blob.

"You ought to get out of here now if you wanna make it on time."

He stood and dusted himself off.

"Welp. Here goes everything."

#i only have access to mobile so the format for everything is so ugly but HIIII ITS MARRIAGE TIME #i wanna write a fic of the actual wedding or what it entails later.#thanks for letting me be cringe #to any non selfship blogs that might be seeing this i am so sorry #I'll show the rings i had made later!!!#wedding mentions

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totiredtowrite · 3 years ago

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"ＴｈｅＢａｒｔｅｎｄｅｒ"

Warnings - Alcohol, cursing, brief mention of seggs, the word prostitute if that means something to you

Note: Guess what, I made the dni thing bigger ehe 🤪. Also I need more Iwa works on my page

FEM READERS DO NOT INTERACT (SHE/HER, SHE/THEY)

/̵͇̿̿/’̿’̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿

Iwaizumi Hajime was a rather popular man.

The reason being, of course, that he was the bartender.

Most everybody knew about him. The strong, handsome, man who worked at the saloon. Sleeves rolled to his elbows, the occasional charming smile, strong arms and cut jaw. If you've seen how he interacts with his childhood friend, the salesman who hangs around the bar, you'd almost think he was stubborn and rude.

While correct about the stubborn part, he was charming when he wanted to be. Good with people, good at his job, attractive. He was everything a bartender needed to be.

Of course, his job also meant dealing with the less pleasant people. Drunken idiots, the occasional prostitute who he usually just gave money and sent on their way with some kind words, those who ugly cried in the corner tables about how fucked up their situation was. (He felt pity for the last group of people, though it really wasn't his problem. Or his business).

Lastly, he got hit on. A lot.

Granted, a lot of people who tried to get in his pants were shit faced. So far gone that they probably couldn't remember their own name. Still, there was a decent number of people who were stone cold sober. As much as he hates to admit it, he actually likes the attention, to an extent. Pretty people fall at his feet, though many were...shallow. That surface level attention was nice in the moment, but he knew none of them would be able to provide the connection he wants.

The most he'd get from any given person who came through for his attention was a one night stand and some pretty words. Come sunrise, and they're gone.

Iwaizumi sighed, setting down the glass he was polishing. It was nearing the end of the night, only a few people left at the bar. While the business was open at all hours, (Iwaizumi works nights), there was a time when business slowed tremendously. A drunkard in the corner, a regular, was babbling nonsense about something to the woman across from him. There was a new woman with him every other night.

With another sigh, Iwaizumi put up the glass and leaned against the counter, watching the door with boredom. He was young, he was desirable, and he was giving up the idea that he'd get some sappy romance. Working at a bar, seemingly untouchable or unreal to the people around, was just going to be his life wasn't it?

He got up to turn around, when the sound of the door swinging open stopped him.

"I do hope this place isn't closed." A small laugh left your mouth.

Hajime turned around, breath catching in his throat. You were easily the most beautiful man he'd seen in what felt like forever. Even if other people, (or you), thought you weren't all that, he could say otherwise. And he would.

You tilted your head at his lack of response. "Hello?"

Snapping out of it, he shook his head furiously. "Of course we're- we're always open."

You gave him another one of those beautiful grateful smiles, taking a seat in front of him at the bar. You slipped off your overcoat, adjusting your vest. "M'sorry, I'm new in town," you chuckled. Iwaizumi let his eyes wander from your face to your, obviously expensive, clothing.

"Yeah?" Iwaizumi said, cursing his voice for cracking in the middle of the word. Thankfully, you didn't seem to notice. And if you did you hadn't commented on it.

You nodded. "It's obvious, isn't it?"

He laughed awkwardly, nodding yes. "Do you, uh, want anything?" He rubbed his hands together. No way in hell was he going to lose his cool over a pretty man.

"I dunno," you let out an exhale as you pondered. "You can pick. I don't usually drink."

He turned to find whatever the best thing in the saloon was. In truth, Iwaizumi didn't drink much either. With his back to you, he popped the cap off of the most expensive looking liquor in his cabinet. Biting his lip, he pondered what to say. It's not every day that some otherworldly looking new guy walks into his bar, after all.

"So..." he eventually started, "Ya staying long?"

"Mm," you rested your head in your hand. "Just moved in, not leaving any time soon. Can't tell you the details of my job, but it's...tiring."

He scoffed in agreement. "I know what you mean," he turned around and slid a glass over to you. "Well obviously I don't get paid as much as you probably do, but night shifts aren't fun. 'Specially not here."

You hummed. "I guess you've gotta deal with a ton of people, huh?"

Iwaizumi grunted in approval, absentmindedly watching you take a tentative sip of your drink. "Drunks, my dumbass best friend, people who wanna get in my pants," he sighed.

You looked up to take a better look at him. "Can't blame them," you giggled. "You in a relationship? Got a woman? Or a man. I won't judge."

Iwaizumi shrugged, feeling himself blush at your compliment. "Nope. Not like I'm opposed to either, but," he sighed in the middle of his sentence, "Finding well meaning people here is hard."

You traced your glass. "Tell me about it. I can't make a meaningful connection with someone for the life of me."

Iwaizumi laughed. It was a nice sound, sort of hoarse and rocky. "Then I guess we can be hopeless romantics together, can't we?" He smiled at you softly. His previous nerves about being faced with a man who may or may not reject him, (or even be into guys), have disappeared. Being around you felt...nice. Comfortable.

You hummed out a 'yes' into your glass, giving him a small smile. "I'm (y/n)," you said when you looked up. "How about you?"

He knew he was getting progressively more red. "Hajime."

"Well, Hajime," you sat up straight, "I guess we'll be seeing each other often."

No doubt about it, Iwaizumi was falling further and further into this hole. This stupid hole of feelings for a man he just met. "Yeah," he fought the stutter in his voice, "I guess we will."

Do not repost, translate, or copy my work on to other platforms.

#hq x male reader #m!reader #anime x male reader #x male reader #male reader #haikyuu x male reader #iwaizumi x male reader #iwaizumi hajime x male reader

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hpurplicious · 2 years ago

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" Our Friend Is A Magician " is a benchtrio-centric AU where Tommy and Tubbo meets an amateur magician named Ranboo in their expedition in the city of Lowelle, who's main goal is to spread joy to the people

But little did they know....there lies secrets that unfold with their unexpected friendship and endeavors they soon face

-----------------------------------

Chapters

Prologue (still a W.I.P)

More will soon to come....if I don't get demotivated hopefully

-----------------------------------

Characters

" The Main (Bench)Trio "

>> Tommy Crofter (he/him)

The youngest son of Phil Crofter and Kristin Crofter. He is not afraid to speak his mind a lot of the times, maybe it's because of his loud voice that people tends to find annoying.

He may seem unapproachable especially with his demeanor, but he has a soft side and is really thoughtful.

He really cares about the people that treat him well, and he knows everyone has boundaries and all that. He just tends to light heartedly mess around at times.

He's, surprisingly, responsible and holds himself accountable whenever he makes mistakes. Whenever he apologizes, you can tell by his low voice that he means it.

Despite that, he can go a bit too far and find himself in deep trouble. Like that one time he fought with a jock back at high school after the guy pushed him one too many times, or when he messed with a demon that cursed him into a frog for being rude. Quite the encounter, one may say.

Did I mention he wants to be the greatest filmmaker one could imagine? He does like some vlogging of some parts of his life and especially his travels with his friends. He loves capturing memories live on his phone's camera and editing them to give them some flare and entertaining bits.

>> Tubbo Briggs (he/him)

Tommy's bestest friend since pre school and the younger brother of Niki.

Bold, impulsive and unafraid is the three things that best describes this brunette. He jumps into action when an idea sparks and will do anything to turn it into a reality.

Sometimes he's too aware or oblivious, there's no in between really. He can spot an evil spirit nearby when he sees one yet an unassuming magical item he found on a stone pedestal could lead him to being in serious danger. Tommy or Ranboo (or both, rarely) would try to stop him in doing so. He became less and less endangered by whatever is out in the unknown thanks to Ranboo's supervisions.

Even with all of that, he makes sure that he doesn't forget his trusty bag filled with necessities he needs to sustain and defend himself or with his friends. He knows that he'll be ready to face whatever encounters they end up with; big or small.

He is a bit loud and energetic at times but sometimes he's just chill. He's quite the silly guy.

And oh yeah, he loves taking photos of his adventures, even the times where they almost got either stuck somewhere or fighting some hostile beast. But he mostly takes photos of the environment, because it looks cool and really nice to look at, y'know?

>> Magician Ranboo (he/they)

Adopted at the age of 5 and raised by two lovely women in a cottage within a forest, who then sets off to become the magician he wishes to be and stumbles upon two boys the same age as them. They befriend the two (it's actually the two trying to befriend him and he just goes along cause he is quite lonely anyways) and ventured alongside with.

He is determined to become the greatest magician to bring joy to the people all around and to show that magic is, in fact, an actual thing and aren't just mind tricks most think it is.

Besides using his magic for his shows, he also uses it for his daily routine. Like when he uses teleportation to get around most of the time or how he makes objects levitate towards him when it's a couple of meters away from him. He is an amateur anyways so anymore complex magic spells are yet to be practiced by him, hopefully he doesn't accidentally use it to destroy or hurt something/somebody. To add on, he uses a magic wand to use his magic. Without it, he's pretty much powerless unless he hones it even without the wand, which takes a lot of training to do.

Did I mention they're an amateur still?

They're still trying to work himself up to more complez and effective spell casting within their journey.

In his show facade, he is seen as enthusiastic and silly up the stage, and when the curtains go down, his personality shifts as he lets out an exhausted sigh. It's fun for the most part to entertain, but god damn it's very tiring. He doesn't like being bothered during his rest times, and when he is, boy you will not be meeting the same fantastical man that was up the stage earlier.

Whenever they see someone oppressed or in trouble, he'll come running and defend the inferior one. They'd try to talk it out first, but once threatened, he'll use his magic to put a stop to it. Unless it is a hostile beast they are facing, he makes sure that neither the victim or the oppressors gets hurt.

Don't want to be imprisoned and receive a terrible reputation to his magician career (as well as other innocent magicians that roam around the world).

They're pretty selfless, putting others before himself in most situations; especially ones that may cost their life. Whether it means saving their friends or striking a deal to make sure his mothers are left unharmed by whatever evil dares to hurt them. They will die for his loved ones if he has no other choice even (but I hope it doesn't come to that)

-----------------------------------

(This is all the characters I can show right now, I'm yet to work on the rest of the people related to them)

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deltas-writing-corner · 3 years ago

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Courtship (4): The Gargoyle Graveyard

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland (Malleus x GN!reader)

Author note: Again, thank you all for being patient with me and I apologize for having a very inconsistent writing schedule. I'm going to make it my goal to update on a bi weekly basis instead of leaving you all in silent limbo. Also a reminder I suck at figuring out which warnings to put so if there's something that needs to be forewarned that I failed to disclose please lmk!

Warnings: Mentions of heavy bodily injuries | childhood trauma/neglect | discussions/mentions of discrimination | mentions of virginity/sexual history

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AO3 version

Clay. Stone. Porcelain. Plaster. Metal. There are even gargoyles carved entirely of wood! Some statues are stand-alone works of art while others are part of a clear collection or series of similar inspiration. They even come in all sorts of shapes and sizes; as small as an apple or a towering height to rival Malleus himself. No matter what, each grotesque has been crafted with the utmost consideration, by well seasoned and knowing hands. Even the ones that have clear defects and cannot serve their intended purpose are free of overabundant ivy, weeds, or dust. There’s a clear degree of love and care the family who makes these statues has for their craft that makes him feel less alone in his interest in an uncherished form of art.

“It should be around here somewhere,” you muse aloud. Ever since he expressed interest in seeing more sculptures made with non-traditional materials, you’ve been keeping your eye out for a particular one that would fulfill his yearning. You eventually find it and eagerly point to it. “There it is!”

Malleus watches as you approach a massive-sized statue covered with a thick and half-wet tarp. He helps you remove the cover, revealing a winged and slightly humanoid canine. There are many more grotesques with a similar design, but what makes this one stand out the most is the material it’s made out of.

“Amazing!” Malleus awes. “I’ve never seen a grotesque of this size made entirely of glass! They’ve even managed to maintain their attention to detail despite such an abnormal material choice.”

“You can even see the inner channel where the water would flow in and redirect out of its mouth,” you notice.

“They even went out of their way to make it functional despite it being unfit for actual installation?” Malleus inquires with disbelief. “Such a shame.”

“If you’re looking to buy anything here, I’m afraid it's a lost cause. One of the first warnings the grandfather gave me is that none of these are for sale.”

“What was his second warning?”

“If we damage anything, even as small as a scratch, he’ll kill us.”

“How charming,” he chuckles. “I cannot blame him. These statues must take weeks to complete. Time is a human’s greatest enemy.”

“For some, sure. But when I went to visit the family and talked to the old man, he was lunging around all this heavy equipment like he was still in his prime,” you recall. “He lives for his craft. If there’s anything humans are at risk of their entire lives, it’s a lack of motivation and reason to live.”

“I suppose that’s true, but the lifespan of humans and the inevitable effects of aging is difficult to live with, especially once it begins to hinder one’s ability to do what one could previously do without issue. ”

“You’re not wrong,” you acknowledge. “But I think I’d rather live a short life with fulfillment than a dull, long-as-shit life.”

To show that he’s entirely on your side, Gunter lets out a guttural bark while his tail rapidly wags and thumps the damp ground, coating the ends of his bushy tail in specs of dirt and dirtied, remnant snow of the north that has managed to stay frozen on the isles warmer south end.

“You’re only agreeing with them because you’ve been promised food,” Malleus chastises. “Don’t think I didn’t pick up on your grumbling stomach.”

“And don't think I didn't pick up on your stomach rumbling either your highness," you quip back at him. "The family has a small cottage nearby we can use. We'll settle down for a bit and eat before sightseeing some more."

Before you turn and walk in the direction towards the aforementioned lodgings, you reach your hand out for Malleus to take and he latches onto you with restrained enthusiasm. He's taller than you, but he takes care not to take his normal strides as to not leave you struggling to keep up with him. Gunter doesn't know the way, so he trots beside you every step of the way up until the destination is in plain view. The cottage is small but well-attended. There’s a rustic flair to its construction that makes it feel familiar and safe despite never stepping foot in it before.

"Those gargoyles were something, huh?" you remark to him while you tap and shake off the gunk wedged into the soles of your heavy boots against the frame of the door.

"Indeed," he nods, taking your cloak off for you and hanging it on the wooden rack nearby. "I don't think I've ever seen that many gargoyles in one day. Just when my eyes land upon an intriguing one, there's several more that catch my attention."

The way he gets all wide-eyed is outright adorable. It makes you grin just as enthusiastically too. "I bet your club is going to have a field day once you tell them about this!"

His child-like smile turns into one of disappointment. "I'm certain they would, if I wasn't the sole member that is."

Your hands halt from pulling out and setting down all the premade food out of your pack. "Seriously? You're the only one?"

When he nods his head, you feel a twinge of hurt in your heart. Poor guy. You can only imagine how disappointing it must be to go through all those lengths to start a club (you would know since you're technically a staff member of the school and have been given a rundown on some of the school's functions and regulations) only for no one to show interest. Of course, you completely understand that gargoyles aren't exactly all the rage within the minds of teenage boys. Still! He goes through so much effort to build relationships with his peers but they always cower away, either due to his status or even because of the way he looks. You won’t deny that he does come off as rather intimidating at first glance, but he's a sweet guy once you give him the chance to speak.

But to expect teenagers going through social pressures and demanding academics to be as understanding and willing to understand someone like Malleus is an impossible demand. Given that everyone in the school can be a bunch of self-centered and easily agitated bunch of pricks, it's understandable that most of the student body isn't keen on trying to take into consideration the proper etiquette one needs to consider in the presence of a young and noble fae. Deuce has met and talked briefly with Malleus on one occasion, but even he visibly shakes whenever his name is mentioned, even in casual passing.

Wait until they found out who you've gone and gotten buddy-buddy with behind their back. They probably think they're slick or that their intentions are well swept under the rug, but it's clear they feel some semblance of responsibility for your well-being, as both a magicless individual as well as a close, albeit older, friend. You dread the day people begin to make the connections between Malleus and you, but you still can’t help but wonder what their reactions might be. You also dread the high probability those two idiots are going to find out and embarrass the living hell out of you, which you know you do not have the patience or tolerance for.

Gunter jumps up and sits himself down in one of the wooden dining chairs, pushing the small ceramic plate towards you with his nose, as if telling you "Alright, I’ve done what I said I'd do, now feed me what I'm owed." You tell him that you'll give him what he's well earned after you get a small fire started in the brick fireplace. Just because it's warmer near the southern half of the island and not as heavily blanketed with snow, doesn't mean the cold has completely vanished, Winter is still winter after all.

"Where did these scars come from?"

Malleus' unexpected question and closeness nearly make you drop the iron rod you've been using to stoke the growing fire. You've since taken off your boots and rolled up the bottoms of your pants just above your knee as the room starts to warm up enough for a thin layer of perspiration to accumulate and roll down your skin. The scars he's referring to are the ones on your right leg, both side by side at an awkward angle and discolored. You have a lot more scars than these, some much more gruesome in appearance than these two. Malleus has never asked about your scars, but sometimes you catch him looking in the general area of some that peak through your clothes. He likely keeps quiet about their existence out of courtesy.

Yet out of all the markings on your body, why did these two stand out enough that he'd finally ask about them?

"It's a long story," you say in an effort to stall the topic. "Sit. I'll feed you two once the fire is stable."

He doesn’t push you for an answer, instead simply doing as you say and lets you poke at the burning logs until they're properly aflame on their own. You made mostly some of your morning favorites; Creamy and thick potato stew with diced carrots and peas and some eggs, ham, and crispy hash browns sandwich between homemade halved croissants. You teased him about having picky taste buds earlier, but Malleus is content to eat anything you serve him so long as it is not comparable to the likes of Lilia's atrocious cooking.

(Seriously, how does a man as old as Lilia not know the basic fundamentals of cooking? And why does everything he makes end up burnt and tasting like something rotten? You will never understand.)

"Don't eat too quickly," you warn Gunter as you pour a bit of light-colored soup onto his designated plate. Your words are ignored, as the equally marred wolf sloppily slurps and munches on the few bits of potatoes and vegetables you generously scraped out of the thermos. His food is gone as quickly as it’s put in front of him and he looks at you expecting more.

"No. The rest is mine," you scold. "And don't beg Malleus for some either! I know you do it behind my back, you little shit!"

He turns to look at Malleus with an accusatory glare, thinking that he ratted him out to you. Malleus’s response towards the silent imputation is to turn and look out the window as if something caught his interest all of a sudden, cup raised to his lips as he politely sips away at his meal without an air of calmness. You have to slap a hand over your mouth to hide the amusement that overtakes your senses.

"Malleus, stop that!"

"Stop what?" he innocently asks.

"Stop making me want to laugh!"

He sets his cup down onto its matching serving dish. "It's not my fault you have an easily satiable sense of humor."

"Wow!" you say incredulously and put your arms up in offense. "And here I was thinking we were friends!"

His distant demeanor breaks and you both devolve into a fit of laughter together. Gunter unfortunately takes advantage of your joint distraction and slips away with a warm sandwich between his jaw, your sandwich in particular.

"That damn wolf!" you curse. "I knew I should have trusted my gut and pack extras.”

Malleus pities your distress before moving over to sit closer. "Worry not. I'll split mine in half with you,” he reassures.

"No, it's fine," you immediately dismiss his offer. "Have it for yourself."

"I'm not taking no for an answer," he firmly states. “Don’t be stubborn. It’s far too early for that.”

"I thought you liked it when I was stubborn?” you pout.

He shakes his head with a smile. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t”

"At least someone likes my attitude,” you say after chewing and swallowing a mouthful of soup. “Sebek certainly doesn’t."

"The boy is stubborn as well. When two equally stubborn individuals cross paths, you will witness nothing but discord between the two."

"Add the fact I'm human into the mix, and we'll be exchanging fists instead of words sooner or later," you scoff. "I get that some faes don't like humans, but what's his deal with acting like he’s got a vendetta against me?"

"Sebek doesn't hate humans for the reasons you might think," Malleus admits. "It’s more like he finds them difficult to think that highly of. Did you know that he is half-human?"

You nearly choke on your own breath over the sudden revelation. "Really?"

"Indeed," Malleus finds amusement at your disbelief. "Have you ever wondered why his ears aren't pointed like Silver, but his eyes are like mine and Lilia’s?"

"Damn,” you scratch the back of your head with embarrassment. “Now I feel stupid.”

"You aren't. Given the way he speaks, not many would assume he had human blood in his veins. His mother was highly regarded within her social circle, but her marriage to a human man tarnished her reputation a great deal. She's happy and does not seem to care what others think of her these days. However, when Sebek set out to be a knight, his mother's marriage and his lineage were often brought up as a way to scrutinize his character and capabilities rather than any of his actual shortcomings as an individual."

"Poor kid," you sigh. "Lilia told me those sorts of things still happen in The Valley, but it sounds so outlandish that I couldn’t take it that seriously."

"Many faes hold old traditions above all else, to a degree that the purity of one's blood stands above all other merits." His eyebrows pressed together in annoyance. "Even my grandmother thinks it's archaic, but as the reigning queen she has to embody a persona of neutrality between the social divide."

"It sounds like you have your work cut out for you in the future," you say, almost apologetically. "What do you plan to do about it once you're the king?"

There's a brief flash of surprise over your question, but Malleus easily answers it as usual. "I think my first course of action as king would be to properly knight Sebek and Silver."

"Bet my rifle that Sebek is going to cry the entire ceremony!" you remark with certainty. "That's all he ever goes on about, being a knight and all."

"He's devoted countless hours and efforts since he was a child. If there's anyone who deserves to join the knighthood, it's him."

"Definitely," you nod to further cement your agreement with him. "He could stand to lower his voice a bit. He'll give you tinnitus before long.”

"At least we won't have to worry about losing him in a crowd," Malleus jests.

"That's to say we'll lose sight of him to begin with," you remark. "He'll gladly lose me in a crowd. You? You'd be lucky to get out of arm's length."

"You underestimate me, dearest," Malleus smirks. "Ever since I've met you, I've perfected the art of avoiding Sebek's insistent searches."

"Have you now?" you razz back. "Don't let him catch onto the fact. He'll have my head."

He reaches over and tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. Each second his skin touches yours makes you tingle. Time slows down ever so briefly if only to savor the small instance of physical connection for as long as possible. "What of your aunts?" he inquires. "Are they as overprotective of you as Sebek is of myself?"

"They’re a trio of mama bears," you proudly admit. "I'm old enough to drink and well equipped to fend for myself, but in their minds, I'll always be the little tyke that couldn't even eat their meals without looking at them for approval. Especially my aunt Gia."

You have three aunts. There's your aunt Marisol, the mother of most of your cousins and the main caretaker of the household. Your second aunt Lucia was well into her studies at university when you came to live with them, but her stress and long hours of mulling over her course materials paid off in the long run. Your gardening skills wouldn't be what they are now without her expertise in agricultural botany.

Then there's your aunt Gia. Oldest of the three. An absolute tank of a woman. No spouse. No kids of her own. She lived off the land like an absolute titan. The woman raised you as if she was the one that carried you for nine months and not your actual birth mother.

How would you describe your parents? If your parents were told to list out their priorities in life, their careers would be at the top of the list and you would be put at the very bottom. Why they carried you to term is beyond your understanding. You later learned that Gia had even offered to take you under her care well before your birth, knowing that your parents might not be well-suited to take care of you in the way she thinks would be beneficial for you. It was a convenient offer that would have saved everyone the trouble years down the line when you had your accident. They worked in a cutthroat industry and were constantly moving up the executive echelons. They had no time for you, yet their pride as a pair of young, successful business magnates made them incapable of seeing past the reality of the situation. That left you mostly in the care of last-minute caretakers and your aunts, but only if they had time from their own busy and preoccupied lives to come out into the city and visit.

You were eight years old when things started to get better, but it was upstarted in the worst possible way. Your parents had to go away for the upcoming weekend for work and left you in the care of a babysitter as per the norm. The babysitter never showed up however and your parents apparently couldn’t be bothered to check up on you even once the entire trip. Their silence wasn’t surprising. You just went on about your business for the next three days on your own like nothing was wrong. Your aunt Gia had even called at one point to check up on you, but you didn’t bother to tell her that your parents had left you to fend for yourself. She would have exploded if you did, but not as much as she did when you woke up in the hospital after falling down the stairs and lying helplessly on the ground for several hours with a dislocated shoulder and a compound-fractured leg. You were lulling in and out of consciousness due to all the medication pumped into you, but what little you do remember seeing and hearing when you regained consciousness will forever stick with you for the rest of your life.

If people think your level of swearing is bad, they should have heard your aunt that day. She swore so viciously that it could set an innocent bystander's eardrums on fire. What will forever stand out the most to you was the fact that your parents didn’t even look the least bit apologetic or regretful. They didn’t even approach you once your aunt was done giving them a piece of her mind to check up on you. They simply talked with the awaiting social worker and doctors and then left. It was for the better, but the small part of you that continued to hold onto the desperate belief that your parents would come around one day sent you into a thrashing frenzy and you had to be sedated before you could hurt yourself anymore.

The next year was spent recovering from your injuries, meeting regularly with your caseworker, and going through therapists like a pack of cigarettes. By the time you were back on your feet and the legal proceedings of your custody case were concluded, all you wanted was to move on with it all. Nearly a decade of neglect left you this unattentive, uncertain husk of a person who couldn’t take a single step forward without looking for some sort of guidance or assurance. Your family was exhausted by the entire ordeal and over speaking with third parties. Your aunts took it upon themselves to help you regain your sense of self in the comfort of your new home, no matter how difficult or demanding it was going to be.

“It took some time, but eventually it clicked in my mind that I was in a better place and I started to get better. As for my parents, I have no clue what they’re up to these days.” You lean back into your chair and let out a shaking yawn. “I like to think they’re getting on well like I am.”

“I don’t understand.” Malleus looks at you with unbelievable confusion. “Your parents treated you poorly, yet you don’t sound the least bit resentful. Why is that?”

You shrug your shoulders. “What’s the point? I'm in a better place now, so I've let bygones be bygones. 'Doesn't mean I don't harbor any anger against them anymore. I do, but getting upset won't change what's happened to me."

Gunter, having sensed your discomfort over the matter, trots over and rests his head on your lap. You gratefully rub the top of his head, carding your hands through his thick, coarse hair. "I'm just glad they let me go without a fuss. Family court was hell for my family.” Your eyebrows knit together. “Expensive too.”

Crackling wood fills the momentary silence that befalls the small cottage. What you've recollected to Malleus is a lot to take in, and if you're being quite honest you'd prefer if he just dropped the subject and talked about literally anything else right now. You hope he doesn't say he's sorry or any other type of apologetic comment. That's all you were ever told that entire year it all happened, during court proceedings, your rehabilitation, by both strangers and distant family members alike.

"I'm so sorry. What happened to you was unfortunate. You didn't deserve it."

No shit you didn't deserve any of that. You were a kid. You don’t need one pity party after another to realize that what took place then had fucked you forever. But as you said earlier, you're in a better place now, with a loving and supportive family that's moved on alongside you. A family you need to get back to as soon as possible.

"I love you."

Well, if he was hoping to take your mind off the past. that certainly did it. How can it not? It came out of nowhere and as good as you are at holding your composure when need be, you're sure you look no less like a gaping fish when warm and plush softness presses right against the corner of your lips. A kiss. His kiss.

"What's wrong?" Your voice sounds shaky. You’re nervous.

"Nothing," he smiles reassuringly. "I simply said what I felt needed to be said."

"Fair enough" you concede easily. He was going to say it sooner or later. He already has actually, now that you think about it. Yet here you are trying to process his words like it’s rocket science.

"Am I going about this too fast perhaps?" he genuinely asks. His hands that have been busy massaging your calves that have settled across his lap somewhere during your long retelling gradually slow down, but his hands never go completely still. "This is my first time experiencing something like this."

"What?" You sit up a bit straighter. "A relationship?"

"Yes."

Your head tilts to the side. "Really?"

He nods hesitantly "Yes?"

For a moment, you go completely quiet. "I don't believe you,” you doubtfully say, head shaking to further showcase your refusal to believe him.

He must not have liked your remark, frowning with clear offense in his eyes. When he dislikes something, the vertical slits in his eyes contract into a thin line. "I cannot lie, yet you still doubt me?"

"I know you can't lie, but I find it hard to believe you haven't been with anyone else before," you explain. Before you can consider the appropriateness that was your newfound curiosity about Malleus's apparently non-existent love life, you blurt out, "Are you still a virgin?"

You slap your hand over your mouth the moment those words come out of it. He's equally caught off guard and nearly drops his warm cup of coffee. Even Gunter is surprised by your question, olive-colored eyes looking at you as if you've lost your mind. It's an invasive question, inappropriate even. You and Malleus have been dating for a little over two days. A question like that is way too early to bring up just yet.

"You don't have to answer that," you tell him behind your palm. "I shouldn't have even asked it. Forget I ever brought it up-”

"I'm not," he interrupts you, leaving you even more shocked than you already are. You’re practically gaping like a fish by now. "I'm not a virgin,” he further insinuates.

A deafening silence, but it’s eventually broken by yourself. “I still don’t believe you.”

Malleus gets further annoyed at your refusal to accept his truth. "I'm not lying!" he insists.

"Bullshit!"

"Do you want me to recount my history to you?" he asks, exasperated as you are at the shift the conversation is taking. "Will that satisfy your doubts?"

"You know what? It will!" you loudly declare. "Who'd you sleep with?"

"He was a young page at the time,” he reminisced. “It happened before I was a century old.”

Your eyebrows raise with intrigue. "Was he cute?"

"Yes," he hushedly agrees. The disconcerting admittance paints his face a pinkish-red glow. "But that's not why I bedded him."

"But surely his looks are what made you interested in the first place?” you make blatant regard of the fact.

“You’re not wrong,” he acknowledges, expertly avoiding agreeing with you outright. “But his looks aren't the sole reason I was drawn to him. He was bright-eyed and ambitious, to the point you’d think him insane given his position in the court. It was also the first time I ever truly met with a group of humans, and my young mind was eager to get a more accurate perspective of humans that wasn’t through the lens of my tutors.”

“An ‘accurate perspective’?” You make playful air quotes, eyebrows wiggling because you know the fact that he knows what you’re implying. The playful comment is met with a sharp pinch on your leg that makes you jump and shriek out in pain. Did he have to dig his nails into you? Apparently so, and now you have small crescent indents on your skin. “I bet Lilia had a good laugh when he found out.”

“He doesn’t know, actually,” he admits to you with what is obviously a proud smile.

“Now I know you’re lying to me,” you scoff. “Nothing escapes the old man’s radar.”

His hands begin to rub out the marks he’s left on you as a form of apology. “Lilia is sharp, but he had lost most of his vigor by the time I was born.”

You go wide-eyed again. “You mean his hearing and eyesight was better than it is now?”

He nods affirmatively. “From what I’ve been told, terrifyingly so.”

Lilia is already frightening as is. His short stature and boyish looks make him perfectly unassuming to those who don’t know any better. You once watched him beat up a couple of bulky, twice-his-height students from Savanaclaw without breaking a sweat, yet moments before he was jokingly scolding himself for dozing off so easily. You never once thought he was ever out of his elements. A cold chill runs down your spine thinking how much more perceptive the older fae may have been back during his prime years.

“Wonder what Lilia’s gonna think,” you ponder out loud in a quick effort to banish out the skin-prickling mental imagery your mind was invoking. “About us, I mean.”

Malleus seems surprised that you would change the topic to that of all things, but his initial shock goes away as quickly as it came. “As you may have guessed, he’s an open-minded individual, but he’s also very realistic and unafraid to say what’s on his mind.”

“So what does that mean for you and me?” you question with a bit of hesitation.

“Well,” he trails off and ponders for a moment. “He’ll surely like the scandal our relationship would invoke. However, as my caretaker and mentor, he won’t hesitate to put an end to it if he feels it necessary.”

Had it been anyone else sitting beside you, you’d have found that comment way too extreme and outright ridiculous. However, you are not speaking to anyone ordinary. You are not sitting before someone normal. It doesn't matter how well you get along with him. It sure as hell doesn't matter how deeply in love you are with him, and him of you. The moment you have been deemed a shortcoming, the outings, the closeness, it all stops. All of it will come crashing down and both you and him will be left wondering what could have been done differently.

Malleus is truly your best friend, because already he can tell that your mind is beginning to spiral even when you go quiet. He calls for your attention by gripping his hand around your bare ankle and carefully tugging the end of your limb. “Don’t fret over it too much,” he soothes, yet also sounding like he’s scolding you for letting your mind wander off so negatively. “Lilia is an exceptional judge of character. From what I’ve gathered, you’ve well exceeded all his marks. He trusts you, and to gain such a thing from someone as old and wise as him is an extraordinary feat.”

You brew over the attempted compliment he tried to pay to you. Unfortunately, it doesn’t snub out all these festering thoughts in your head. It doesn’t even give you temporary relief. Perhaps it would have brought you a sense of peace a few months ago, but with everything that has happened thus far, you doubt even Malleus can alleviate the storm that rattles inside you, even if what he speaks is without a doubt nothing but the truth.

Surely he can see that you are still having some hangups. When you lift his hand and plant a chaste kiss on the back of his hand, you hope he can decipher the gesture as a pitiful request for his forgiveness for dampening the once energetic mood. He is not at fault for your loss and inability to think optimistically at the moment and you need to make sure he knows it.

Today is about him, not you. Even if it’s just for today, you’ll put on a pleasant facade and worry about the rest at a later date. It’s just you and him, and for now, that’s enough.

You do a mental countdown starting from three, before finally giving him a late response to the three words he uttered in confidence to you earlier. “I love you too, by the way.”

You love him. You love him. You love him. That’s all his mind can think of for the rest of the day. He replays your reciprocation over and over like it’s sacred and all-powerful.

He had planned to return to his dorm before the sun began to set, but he found the mere idea of detaching from you deeply unwanted and made the last-minute decision to spend the evening at the Ramshackle dorm. He already has a few articles of clothing and personal essentials set up in one of the many empty rooms, so neither Lilia nor you had any objections at his sudden request.

“Don’t worry!” You shout across the room so that Lilia can hear you over his phone. “I’ll make sure he gets to bed on time!”

“You have my gratitude!” Lilia’s muffled voice responds gratefully. “Don’t cause too much trouble now, you two.”

“No promises~” you sing in jest before Malleus hangs up. Once the call ends Johnny, Benji, Franky, and you turn their attention back to their ongoing game of poker. Malleus watches and occasionally laughs to himself over the friendly banter shared between the quartet. At the end of every round, the winner is assaulted with colorful profanities whilst they take their newly won gambling chips with ebullience. Yet with each new dealing of cards, the animosity goes away and they’re all back to being friendly. He finds your interactions with your incorporeal roommates more entertaining than the book he’s been reading to pass the time.

“Hey, fairy boy,” Franky informally calls out toward him. “Don’t be a stranger now. Play a few rounds with us.”

“I’m afraid I’m not well versed in card games,” he admits, yet he still finds himself setting his literature aside and moving over to join them.

“Don’t worry,” you give him a reassuring smile. “They’ll go easy on you.”

“For how long?” he knowingly asks.

You give him an impressed smirk at his quick uptake. “I give it three rounds before they start to pull back their sleeves.”

Malleus is well-adjusted to the need to quickly learn a new topic and the expectation for him to fully comprehend it in full. None of them are harsh on him for his minor mistakes like some of the tutors he’s had in the past. Answers that he believes may be obvious or not as complicated as he thinks they are being answered with enthusiastic patience. The smallest achievements he makes are met with a proud response. When he makes a surprise turnabout and wins his first game, he’s rewarded with an encouraging round of applause by everyone.

“Not bad,” Benji praises as he shuffles the deck of cards. “You’re a fast learner.”

“So I’ve been told,” he humbly replies. “Is this the part where you all stop going easy on me now?”

“Don’t provoke them,” you half-heartedly warn. “Otherwise we’ll be up all night duking it out otherwise.”

Franky sets his glass of iced liquor down on the edge of the table. “Don’t you little lovebirds worry. We won’t take up too much of your well-needed time together.”

Annoyed at the clear jab at his relationship with you, you throw one of your chips towards his head. It passes through his body and clatters on the floor behind him. Your fawn Blossom jumps down from their spot on the couch and goes to sniff it, thinking it to be food, but walks away with a disappointed strut when he realizes it isn’t anything edible.

“I didn’t tell them a damn thing,” you defensively clarify. “It was so obvious what was going on between us that they figured it all out before we made it official.”

He lets out a deep breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “That’s...I can’t say I’m too pleased to hear about that.”

“We won’t say anything,” Franky reassures. “Just make sure to put a sock on the door whenever you guys want some alone time.”

“Franky!” you hiss at him. “What the hell?!”

“What?” he looks at you, unbothered by your clear embarrassment. “Do you honestly expect us to think you guys went out just to look at a bunch of statues?”

“Oh, I’m sure they were looking at something,” Johnny smirks. “It wasn’t made of stone though.”

“I hate you guys,” you growl out, arms crossing and leaning back into your seat with an angry huff. You don’t mean it. He can see the tremble of your lips as you try to contain the urge to grin. “Even if we did end up rolling around in the sheets, I wouldn’t be yapping about it for all to hear, much less you guys!”

“What happens in the gargoyle graveyard stays in the gargoyle graveyard, eh?” Franky winks at both Malleus and you, nudging you with his elbow.

“Exactly!” you affirm, batting the large ghost away from you for some much-needed distance. “Now stop being so damn nosy.”

They cackle one last time and everyone seamlessly goes back to their ongoing game. Conversations like the one that just concluded are commonplace in your dormitory. Even if he contributed next to nothing to the discussion, he enjoys watching them interact. You come from a world where ghosts are hardly as overt as the ones in this world. Ghosts are said to entertain themselves by picking on the living, to the point that it can be fatal. Your ability to come up with witticisms at a moment's notice is something he enjoys seeing in action. He feels great satisfaction not only knowing that he has secured your love but to also see you in a state of tranquility and within your elements.

As Benji and you have a hushed conversation on the sidelines, he reaches over and places his hand on your knee beneath the table. You quietly reach over and put your hand over his, stroking the back of his hand with your thumb like it’s instinctual. Unfortunately, the heart-fluttering moment is ruined by the sudden buzzing of his phone. He has half a mind to ignore it, but when he gives the screen a glance he realizes ignoring the caller is not an option.

“I’ll be out for a moment,” he excuses himself once he sets his hand down and stands himself upright. “This shouldn’t take that long, hopefully.”

They all stop to look up at him inquisitively for half a second. In unison, they ask, “Sebek?”

“Sebek,” he affirms.

There are simultaneous displays of annoyance, pity, and silent wishes of good luck directed at him. He’s tempted to ask where all this contempt for the boy comes from, but then he remembers the many times Sebek barges his way into their dorm at the worst possible moments. It is either when everyone is beginning to settle down after a long day or in the middle of an important house project, the former more so than the latter now that the dorm is much more stable and in need of less restoration. Malleus learned the hard way how ill you and the ghosts will react when your peace is unwantedly interrupted and your space invaded by an unwanted guest.

Sebek is also quick to scrutinize whatever he sees out loud without a filter. You never seem to mind half of the time, merely rolling your eyes and moving past Sebek’s ill-meaning remarks as if you never heard them. As you are someone Malleus highly regards and holds close to his bosom, he hopes Sebek can one day set aside his strife with humankind and give you the due diligence you deserve.

...Though, he completely understands that reaching that point will take time. While you can endure Sebek to a certain degree, there are times where he, unfortunately, pushes you past that threshold and, without flinching, you will tell him to “Shut the fuck up”. Your words, not his.

“Young master!” Sebek's transmitted voice peaks and he has to half pull it away to give his pained eardrums some relief. “I was informed by Lord Lilia that you will be spending the night over at the Human’s dorm. Have you all your accommodations at their estate? If not, I will swiftly-”

“That won’t be necessary,” he half laughs at his enthusiasm over such a small task. “I have enough to keep me comfortable and well for a few days. Your offer is still very much appreciated.”

“Y-Yes, of course,” he stutters. “If there’s anything you should ever find a need for, please inform me at once! I will fulfill your every wishes no matter the hour!”

He’s enthusiastic and ready to act at a moment’s notice, even during the middle of a cold and dark hour. Malleus doesn’t necessarily dislike this part of Sebek, but he’s starting to understand why someone like you would find such subservience difficult to deal with. At any moment, Malleus could ask Sebek to grab some insignificant item of his and tread through the thick snow to deliver it to him, and the boy would do so with jubilation and utmost timeliness. You on the other hand wouldn’t be caught dead ordering someone to do something on your behalf when you believe you are well and capable of doing it yourself.

You don’t put expectations onto the backs of others, choosing to trust yourself first before anyone else. He knows now that it’s a result of the one instance where you expected something from someone, only to be thoroughly let down and left wondering if it was you who did something wrong.

Malleus cannot make up for the pain you’ve been subjected to, but he hopes that he can become the outlier in your life that surpasses any preconceived notions you may hold onto others. He hopes...No, he absolutely will be the one who brings you your well-earned and deserved joy and repose, just as you have done for him and continue to do so.

You love him, and he will ensure he is worthy of every last drop of your fidelity.

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