#but no. this isn’t about him. even though he is the final straw that led to my decision to resign

[deus-ex-mona]

my five surviving braincells when something remotely good happens:

[greatdenimbeast]

Diamond castle au- Mephiles as Lydia! The muse of Music, Tragedy and Eloquence

He’s a god, born on Olympus, chosen to be Apollos first muse, due to his prolific musical talents and understanding of tragic stories. Mephiles graciously accepted his position as well as his twin flutes

To him, to be a muse is to be the example, the authority, to have the final say over what people can and can’t do with their art, down to the style and expression.

Mortals were simple creatures, with fickle emotions that easily led them astray. They needed guidance, direction, the ability to create was gifted onto them and they needed to use that gift properly. (More accurately how he deemed it being used properly)

He was content in his care for the diamond castle and the way he ran things… but then Apollo chose another muse. A demigod. A descendant of an underworld god, gifted with full godhood in order to carry out his duties.

Mephiles wasn’t… fond of this decision, working with a mortal isn’t something he had ever foreseen and he didn’t think that this mortal would be capable of taking on these responsibilities. But he chose not to argue with the authority of lord Apollo and welcome the godling into his ranks as a fellow muse. He could be taught the proper ways after-all and, even when he was a mortal, the blood of a god still ran through his viens, this was about a century before Apollo introduces them to another chosen muse.

This one a pure mortal, not even a lick of godly blood in him and yet he was chosen.

Mephiles was completely baffled and infuriated by this decision but held his tongue, something that was hard to do when this… former-mortal was the most ungrateful one he’d ever seen, having as much snark as he had audacity as he clearly did not wish for this decision either

Everything Mephiles told him to do, he did the exact opposite! And if that wasn’t enough! He slacked in his duties! The mortals engaging in his art just did whatever they wanted and interpreted his aspects however they wanted and he just let them! In fact he actively encouraged it! Going down to the mortal realm, in mortal disguise to interact with them. And then, for some ungodly reason, the second muse (who had previously been butting heads with this new muse as well) followed his example!!! It was infuriating, especially when the two started to creating music, and doing whatever the heck they wanted with it! Starting to insist that he could lighten up cuz he didn’t actually have the authority on what people created

The final straw was when the two of them created music that in turn created a little godling (literally, they made a song an poof! Baby!) and the god Apollo proposed that the child train to be a muse

Mephilis wouldn’t stand for this anymore, they didn’t deserve to hold their positions so if they didn’t do things his then he’d take care of all the arts himself! But he knew he couldn’t exactly do anything, his fellow muses, though tainted by their former mortality, were just as powerful as he was. So he ventured down to Tartarus for something give an edge, he found the dark power he was looking for, as well as the dragon, iblis.

So he conspired to take over while tensions rose with the other two muses, what he needed was the instruments to have full control but for people to believe his authority he had to let those two ruin their own image to make him look better by comparison and ruining their harmony to make them more susceptible to his powers

But then Silver found out, told the other muses about him wanting to take over and they hid the castle and their instruments. The two muses tried to confront him and stop him but he quickly put a stop to that, they won’t be doing anything without his say so anytime soon… but the little apprentice got away, seemingly disappearing into thin air. Meph had a hunch that he knew the whereabouts but there was no sign of

His powers still only extended over his domain, so he still needed those instruments… but no matter, he was in charge and he was immortal, he had millennia to wait and there were only so many places that child could hide

[nanawritesit]

Your Highness - Sanji x Reader: Part Three (Final Part)

PART ONE PART TWO

plot: you’re a runaway princess bride who finds her way into the straw hat crew. you expected one hell of an adventure, but you never expected to fall for the head chef. things get even more complicated when your father, the king, and your ex-fiancé send their troops after the going merry. now you must choose between surrendering to save your crew and being with the only man you’ve ever truly loved. but of course, the straw hat crew isn’t going to let you go without a fight. especially sanji.

—————

A singular tear rolled down your cheek and splashed onto the skirt of your new wedding gown. Although it was an exact replica of the one you wore a few months ago, it felt much more constricting this time. The corset was cinched so tight that you could hardly breath unless you stood up perfectly straight. Part of you hoped that if you slouched, one of the wires might pierce through the fabric and stab you in the stomach, causing you to bleed to death. It seemed an easier fate than the one that awaited you.

Your ladies’ maids were all scurrying about, putting the final touches on your wedding look. You tried to keep a brave face for them, but your mask was beginning to crack. You couldn’t stop thinking about how Sanji had fallen to his knees when you left him, and that helpless look on Luffy’s face. Leaving them was the hardest thing you ever had to do, but at least it was better than watching them get killed.

How wonderful it would have been to spend the rest of your life on the straw hat crew, fighting alongside your dearest friends. You could’ve spent an eternity playing their princess. But all the wishing and hoping and loving you did couldn’t keep you from being yanked back into the role you were born into. And worst of all, it cost you the only man you’d ever truly loved.

Now you were about to walk down the aisle, and it absolutely killed you that Sanji wouldn’t be waiting for you at the altar.

“Your highness?” one of your maids interrupted your thoughts. “May I place your tiara on your head?”

You flinched at the use of your title. It would never feel the same being called “your highness” ever again.

“Yes, go right ahead.” you mumbled, shifting to cross your legs. Except you couldn’t, because they were chained to the chair beneath you.

You groaned, stomping your heel on the ground. “Father is relentless, isn’t he?”

Once your maids were done getting you ready, they all exited the room and sent in your father, just as they were instructed to do. You weren’t to be left alone for even a second, even though you were literally chained to your chair.

“Ah, there’s my princess.” your father beamed as he entered the room. “You make a beautiful bride.”

You gave him a strained fake smile. “Wonderful. My only job in life is complete.”

“Don’t be silly, dear. You’ll also have to give birth to at least ten children.” he chuckled cruelly, leaning down to unlock the chains around your ankles.

You bit your tongue angrily. You wanted to kick the heel of your shoe straight through his eye. But you’d probably be thrown in the dungeon if you did, and no one would be on your side during your trial. You hated having the king as your father.

He helped you up out of your chair, then grabbed your shoulders and looked at you intensely. “I hope you understand who you belong to now. If you try to run away again…”

“You don’t have to worry about that, father.” you explained apathetically. “I have nothing else to live for now.”

“Good.” he grinned, linking his arm with yours. “Let’s go give you away.”

Your father led you down the long hallway to the doors of the chapel. As they opened for you, you could feel your soul splitting in half inside of you. Your guests all looked so happy, while you were fighting back sobs and focusing solely on placing one foot in front of the other.

As you reached the end of the aisle and your father lifted your veil off your face, you felt as if you might collapse onto the floor. But you just held your head up high, no sign of sorrow on your features. You weren’t going to let anyone see you be weak.

The priest began the service. You glanced over at your fiancé, who in contrast looked absolutely thrilled to be there next to you. You could tell he couldn’t wait to push you around and force you to be a perfect wife for him.

The priest was instructed to make the service as short as possible, in order to minimize the amount of time you could possibly run away. “Do you, Princess Y/N, take the Prince to be your lawfully wedded husband, as long as you both shall live?”

You froze. Your brain was telling you to say “I do,” but your heart was fighting against it. It felt like the air was sucked straight out of your lungs, preventing you from speaking.

“Say it.” your fiancé hissed through gritted teeth.

You gulped. “I…”

“Stop!” a voice called out, echoing against the chapel walls. Everyone immediately gasped and whipped their heads around, including you. Your heart stopped as you saw who the voice had come from. It was Sanji, power-walking up the aisle with the rest of the straw hat crew trailing in behind him.

“Sanji!” you cheered, dropping your bouquet and running to embrace him. You practically leaped into his arms, to which he caught you and twirled you around, a wide smile on his face. “What are you doing here?”

“You didn’t think I was going to lose my princess without a fight, did you?” he smirked, taking your veil off and throwing it across the room.

“Guards! Seize them!” your father ordered, standing up in his pew. In an instant, the guards were encroaching upon your crew. They all readied their weapons, attacking them upon confrontation.

“Y/N!” Zoro called out. You looked over to him, and he tossed you one of his swords. “Take this, and escape through the back. The ship is waiting in the port. We’ll be there as soon as we take care of these guys.”

You nodded, turning around to exit the chapel through the acolyte’s wing. As you exited the chapel, it was a straight shot through one long hallway out of the castle. You began sprinting down the hallway as fast as you could, picturing your freedom at the end of it.

Halfway down however, a presence emerged from the door behind you. You stopped in your tracks as you glanced behind you, gasping as you saw your father.

“I must say, your friends are better fighters than I thought.” he sneered, walking towards you with cold, calculated steps.

“Just let me go father.” you demanded, backing away from him. “I’m never going to be the person you want me to be.”

“Let you go?” he scoffed. “You belong to me. You’re either going to do as I say, or kneel in pieces.” He suddenly flipped open his cloak and revealed a sword on his hip, unsheathing it from its holder and brandishing it at you.

Without thinking, you held your sword out straight in front of you and assumed a fighting stance. In an instant, you and your father were swept up in a duel, clunking your swords against one another’s’ and spinning around the room.

“I must say, you’re a phenomenal swordsman.” your father grunted. “It is in your genetics after all.”

You scoffed. “It has nothing to do with you. I learned from Zoro.”

He furrowed his brow. “Who’s Zoro?”

“The world’s greatest swordsman.” you practically spat. In the midst of your father’s confusion, you spun around, kicking against the wall to jump up on a nearby table, landing with perfect balance. Using your high ground to your advantage, you kicked your father in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground flat on his back and drop his sword. You held the blade of your sword against his throat threateningly.

“Please, don’t… you win.” the King pleaded, holding up his hands in surrender.

“How do I know you won’t come after me again?” you demanded, pressing the blade even further to his flesh.

“You have my honor as a king.” he whimpered, trembling slightly.

“Give me your ring.” you ordered. “So that wherever I go, no one will ever bring me back here.”

He slid his ring off his finger and handed it to you. You placed it on your own finger and backed away from him slowly.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he sat up. “I suppose you’re not a princess after all.”

“I am a princess, father.” you told him with a satisfied smile. “I’m just not yours.”

And with that, you took off through the back doors of the palace, seeing the crew leaving through the front at the same time.

“Guys! Wait up!” you called out, running up to them.

They all turned around in surprise.

“Y/N? We thought you’d be back at the ship by now.” Nami questioned, an amused smile on her face.

“I had to tie up some loose ends.” you smirked, holding your hand up to showcase your fathers’ ring. Everyone’s’ eyes widened at the sight of it.

“Is that…” Sanji began, holding your hand to inspect it.

“My father’s ring.” you finished with a proud grin. “I fought him for it, and I won.”

“Yes! I knew you could do it!” Zoro beamed, patting you on the shoulder supportively. You swore it was the happiest you’d ever seen him.

You nodded excitedly. “This whole time I was worried I wasn’t going to be any good in a fight. But after taking on a king, I’m pretty confident in my skills.

“Well, now that there’s nothing standing in your way, are you reading to be our princess again?” Luffy asked with a hopeful smile.

“Of course I am, captain!” you squealed, causing everyone to enclose you in a huge group hug.

“Three cheers for the princess of the Going Merry!” Ussop cheered.

—————

Once the ship was back on the sea, you had gone into Sanji’s room with him for a moment alone.

“I can’t even begin to describe how thrilled I am to have you back.” he sighed, enveloping you in a tight embrace as soon as the door shut behind you.

“You don’t know how good it feels to be back.” you replied, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. “I was so relieved when you burst through those doors.”

Sanji smiled, leaning back to look you in the eye. “Well, it only took us about fifteen minutes to decide that we were going after you. Speaking of which, did we prove to you that we can handle ourselves in a fight?”

“Yes, you did indeed.” you giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck. “I hope I did the same?”

He nodded admiringly. “You didn’t even really need us to save you. You won your own freedom.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” you told him. His face broke out in a huge grin as he leaned down to kiss you. You met him halfway, and as soon as your lips connected, it felt like all was right in your world again.

“Please don’t ever leave me again.” Sanji requested in a voice barely above a whisper, his forehead still pressed against yours. He was squinting his eyes, brows furrowed in desperation.

“I promise I won’t. And this time, I mean it.” you replied. He then kissed you again, deeper this time, his hands moving up from your waist to cup your face. You brought one hand up into his golden locks for stability, then brushed your tongue against his lips. He allowed it to pass by slipping his own tongue along your lips, the two of you now fully immersed in each other.

“I love you, Y/N.” he told you breathlessly between kisses. “Every single part of you.”

“I love you too Sanji.” you told him, practically gasping for air. “More than anything else in this world.”

He began kissing down your neck. “You look beautiful in a wedding dress, you know that?”

You giggled, tightening your grip on his hair as he nipped lightly at your skin. “You always think I look beautiful.”

“Because it’s always true.” he winked, going back up to kiss your lips. He deepened it slightly, then bit your lip at the end, releasing it from between his teeth before looking you in the eye once more. “Still, it’d be a shame to waste such a beautiful dress.”

You chuckled. “What are you saying, Sanji?”

He smirked, then grabbed your hands tenderly in his. He started lowering himself to the ground, kneeling before you on one knee. Your eyes widened as you realized what was happening.

“Y/N… From the day I first met you, I have been absolutely enamored with you.” he began, happy tears pooling in his pale blue eyes. “You continue to surprise me every single day with your strength, kindness, and never ending talents. You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met, and I would be honored if…” He then pulled a box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal a ring. “If we could spend the rest of our lives together?”

You stared at him blankly for a moment, before nodding profusely. For a moment you couldn’t find any words. He just looked at you expectantly, a playful grin on his face. He gestured his hand impatiently, causing you to giggle.

“Yes, yes, of course I’ll marry you Sanji!” you finally blurted out, tackling him onto the ground.

He laughed as you did so, wrapping his arms around you tightly and kissing the top of your head. “Give me your hand, love.”

You did as he asked, and he slipped the ring onto your finger. You admired it, wincing at how beautiful it was.

“How did you even afford a ring?” you asked him, propping an elbow up to lean your head against.

“I got help from a friend.” he grinned, reaching into his pocket once again. He pulled out a letter and handed it to you. You furrowed your brow in confusion, opening it up to read it.

“To my little poetry princess,

I would like to begin by stating just how unbelievably proud of you I am. I always knew you would do great things, ever since you were a child. You had a spark in you that I knew would get you through any challenges you could ever face, and that one day you would have the great life of adventure you so desired.

While I will be sad to see you go, it brings me great comfort to know that you’ll be in the hands of someone like Sanji. I’ve only met him once, and that was to set up your rescue. But the way he spoke of you! I have never in all my years heard a man talk so fondly of a lady. He obviously cares for you tremendously. I know he’ll make a wonderful husband. This ring has been in my family for generations, and I would like you to have it, as you’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to a daughter.”

You should be incredibly proud of yourself, my dear. Not many princesses have the courage to stand up for themselves. To chase after what they truly want in this world. To say they’re not happy with the part they’ve been assigned. You are truly special, princess, and it’s been my great honor raising you these past twenty years. Should you ever find yourself in Dacovia again, I should like to receive a visit from you and your husband. Oh, and do write often!

Love,

Your Governess”

You sniffled and wiped away the stray tear that hung at the corner of your eye. “So she was the one who got you guys into the castle?”

Sanji nodded with a smirk. “I told you, your loved ones will always want the best for you.”

You jumped on him once again, catching him off guard but making him chuckle nonetheless. You began attacking his face in kisses, not being able to hold back your affection.

As you ran out of energy, you sighed and laid back down on the floor next to him, holding his hand gingerly. “I can’t wait to spend forever with you.”

He smiled that perfect smile of his, kissing the back of your hand. “I’m going to make you so happy, your highness.”

“I already am.” you told him. “As long as you’re here next to me.”

—————

TAGS:

@genshingeeksworld @gg-trini @sinmp @mitsureigen @fanficwriter5 @sophiaj650 @number-0-iz @tr4shygrrl @ren-ni @secretlife028 @sapphireonline @seodami

[cloudyyoimiya]

hello cloudd. may i req any bsd character (i’d love to see doa though ahah i love them) get jealous over their s/o hanging out more with another bsd character, but they ‘can’t’ do anything because it’s a co-worker of theirs? i hope it makes sense.. totally isn’t an ask for yandere hcs

omg i’m so happy to see you in my inbox krei! anyways yes that made sense don’t worry! also i hope you dont mind that i actually did the main three of the doa! they all make me giggle and kick my feet

Their Darling Hangs Out With Their Coworker; Sigma, Nikolai Gogol, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Format: Headcanons

Possible warnings: Yandere/dark content, unhealthy relationships, jealousy, manipulation.

Sigma

Simply put, Sigma gets jealous very easily. You’re the meaning to his life, the candle that led him out of the dark. So when you started your friendship with Nikolai, Sigma was distressed.

He had no clue what to do with himself. Sigma cares about your happiness, so he wouldn’t try to do anything too rash, but he’d still want to distance you from him.

Sigma knows that Nikolai is a very unstable individual, so he was absolutely terrified of leaving you alone with him. If you and Nikolai happened to be in the casino, Sigma would constantly be watching you via security cameras. He wanted to make sure that the jester didn’t do anything… unsavory towards you.

It irritated Sigma that he couldn’t just get rid of Nikolai.

Nikolai was his coworker after all.

If he even laid a hand on him, Fyodor would know and he’d be severely punished.

It made Sigma want to rip his hair out.

It made him feel sick.

He absolutely hated it.

If he ever caught you getting put in danger, Sigma would immediately take you back from Nikolai and lock you up for a few weeks. He’d then lecture you about how terrible Nikolai is and how he’d hurt you in a snap.

Sigma might also feed you some lies about Nikolai. He knows everything about you; your likes and dislikes. He’d use that to his advantage and tell you how Nikolai did all of the things you don’t like with a serious expression.

Of course you believed him because he’d never lie to you, right?

He’d then try to guilt you into staying away from Nikolai for good measure. You wouldn’t want to upset your boyfriend and future spouse, would you? You don’t want to leave him, right?

In all honesty, he would be the best out of the three.

Nikolai Gogol

Let’s say for Nikolai you befriended Fyodor. The two of you would sometimes sit in his office and just talk, or sometimes he’d bring you out for some tea. Fyodor’s intent wasn’t anything romantic, he just thought that your views of the world were so.. interesting.

Being the good friend you are, you always joined him whenever he asked you to hang out.

Nikolai was absolutely stuck on what to do. He didn’t approve of your friendship with Fyodor one bit, but he was happy to see you getting along with someone he admired.

His conflicting feelings made him want to kill the rat. He absolutely hated feeling chained down his emotions like this.

It left such a bitter taste in his mouth.

He’d do anything to make it stop.

One time he actually did come close to killing Fyodor.

You were out at a bookstore and Fyodor had joined you. Nikolai would have stayed in the shadows, silently watching the two of you. Eventually Fyodor had put his hand on your back, and apparently that was the final straw for the jester.

It took everything in him to not take you away right then and there.

Eventually when you and Fyodor parted ways, Nikolai magically appeared beside you with an unreadable expression. You had asked him what was wrong but he only grabbed your wrist with an iron grip.

He brought you back to your shared apartment and locked you in your room until Nikolai sorted out his emotions.

Nikolai is a sadistic yandere, yes, but he wouldn’t be sadistic towards you without any reason; or being caught up in his emotions for that matter.

What it all comes down to is that he still loves his darling despite how they made him feel some wretched emotion besides love.

He’d eventually calm down and trap you in your apartment until you can ‘behave yourself.’

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

For Fyodor let’s say that you befriended Sigma. You originally approached him since he seemed lonely and needed some time off from work, but over time your friendship with him grew. Fyodor only watched as this happened on the side lines.

Surely you weren’t stupid enough to talk to another man while you had him, right?

Well, he was wrong; though he slightly expected this from you. You always cared about other people, even if they didn’t care about you.

Normally if something like this was to happen with anyone else, he’d kill off your friend immediately. But since Sigma is one of his coworkers and is vital to his plan, he’s unable to take care of him.

That fact slightly infuriates him, but he’d never let it show. He’d let it boil under the surface until he eventually confronts you.

Fyodor reached his breaking point when Sigma was fast asleep in his office and you put your jacket over his back so he wouldn’t get cold.

You’re only supposed to be doing those type of things with Fyodor.

It made him almost want to kill you along with Sigma.

Oh so gradually Fyodor would start feeding lies to Sigma about how you’re only using him, and in return he’d tell you lies about Sigma, saying that he’s an awful person that only wishes to see you fail.

Fyodor’s lies made the two of you extremely angry at each other, and eventually the two of you would stop talking.

Fyodor would let you cry to him with open arms. He’d be there to comfort you and tell you that everything is all right.

He’d be there to tell you that other people only wish to hurt you.

Locking you away wouldn’t be his solution for this issue, but if something similar happens again in the future, he may consider it. He won’t be so nice next time.

Fyodor would be the worst to have out of the three in terms of mentality. Let’s just hope that you don’t break easily.

this was my first yandere ask on this acc! i hope you liked it <3

[thegreatcaptainusopp]

The Water 7 Fight: An Analysis

So. Water 7. There’s a lot to be said about the Usopp vs Luffy fight, their motivations, and the right vs wrong of it all…it’s a complex situation, and so I wanted to share some thoughts:

The Set Up

The growing tension and activity that led to the fight between Luffy and Usopp is so so well explored in the scenes right before it happened. Of course, events are kicked off by Usopp’s abduction by the Franky Family, and his subsequent beating and losing the money. This, on top of the many many clues sprinkled throughout the early bits of the arc and earlier arcs regarding his own feelings of inadequacy as well as his connection to the Merry, is the straw that breaks the camel’s back for Usopp in my opinion. This was one of his deepest fears, finally realized: he felt that he had finally crossed the line into more than just useless but an active liability to the crew. He admits as much to Nami when he sees her: he’s ashamed more than anything else. He can’t face the others.

Nami’s reaction in this moment is also really interesting. She sees Usopp at possibly one of his most vulnerable moments ever, and she reacts so kindly: she tells him it’s not his fault, that it’s going to be okay, that she’ll get him some help. It’s such a mature and responsible response and out of everyone here I think she reacted most rationally to this whole situation. I think if she had been a little more confident she could’ve engaged in some really good conflict resolution practices with everyone.

At the same time, everyone slowly gets the bad news about the Merry, and their differing reactions are interesting: they’re all upset, and openly discuss that. Sanji even notes that Usopp is going to be particularly upset to hear this, so they’re all already aware that this is going to be quite bad. What’s interesting, though, is Luffy’s reaction: he goes through a similar emotional journey that Usopp does when getting the news, but their ultimate destination is what differs greatly here. I think the difference here is probably down to two factors: 1. Luffy does not have the same particular insecurities that Usopp does and 2. Luffy is the ultimate authority in the decisions here, Usopp is not.

Then, Usopp picks himself back up, badly wounded, to return to the Franky family to try to get the money back. This is a big moment too, because it showcases that he is the type of person to fight even when he knows he isn’t going to win, which is what ends up happening here. Even the moment where he burst in really felt paralleled to the moment he stares down Luffy in a fight later: it’s a really good set up.

And then he gets injured even more, and chopper has to check if he’s even alive when they find him, which is important to note because his physical condition is just dire right now.

I found the reactions of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper interesting too because they get super angry, obviously, partly because of the money but more because of how Usopp is hurt. In one sense it’s funny that they just left him there while they took revenge for him, but on another it’s a little tragic because that wasn’t what he needed in that moment. I don’t think he ever finds out about it either if my memory served me correctly. There’s another layer of irony in the way they all leap to fight to save their crewmate but we’ll get to that later.

I also think it’s notable that Luffy locks in his decision to get a new ship here, right after they destroy the Franky family’s hideout. I think he felt a sense of responsibility for what happened, maybe believing that if he’d been more decisive in his leadership, then Usopp wouldn’t have been this badly hurt. Which is also just oof. Extremely ironic.

So they take Usopp back and it takes him a while to even wake up, and when he does he’s all apologies. The physical framing of it is interesting too, because he’s on his knees and hugging Zoro’s legs and stuff. He’s not outwardly expressing his shame like he did with Nami earlier but it’s close. He’s not really standing up at all.

And everything seems to be going ok, and Usopp is asking about next steps and then…and then Luffy drops the bomb. And that changes everything.

The Confrontation

Usopp starts the whole argument in full denial. It’s a pretty classic gamut of emotions here: he goes full tilt into the cycles of grief, starting with just straight up denying that Luffy would do this, to bargaining by asking if he was at fault in this situation and trying to convince the others to let him continue fixing the ship. He’s clearly feeling a lot of guilt here: he believes he is directly responsible for the Merry’s “death” as it were and is scrambling trying to take responsibility for fixing her. I think everyone else was taken aback by the level that this guilt went and were wholly unprepared to deal with it. Luffy yelling that he isn’t a carpenter I think was him trying to talk him down but ultimately had the exact opposite effect: all Usopp heard was he had no expertise in this and was useless, and may have even harmed Merry further or out her in this situation to begin with.

This snaps Usopp into the anger stage, and this is where it really starts to get ugly. It’s notable to me that he’s the one that escalated by grabbing at Luffy’s shirt and yelling at him that he excepted better, which were intended to hurt I think. Luffy though gives as good as he gets, and is the one that actually turns the confrontation violent: knocking a grave injured Usopp down. In short: he doesn’t descalate or calm the situation, but instead adds to it. The way his temper is so hair trigger in this scene is extremely interesting to me.

Nobody else intervenes either (at least not yet). All of them try on occasion to tell them to calm down or stop fighting but not more than that. Not even Zoro steps in at this stage, which I found super interesting. Nami tries to tell Usopp at one point that Luffy had a similar emotional reaction ti him about this choice, but Luffy stops her. Funnily enough I think if he hadn’t she may have been able to calm things down a bit here.

It’s not until Luffy is right about to tell Usopp to leave, it’s practically already left his mouth, that someone actually steps in here. And it’s SANJI. Sanji, who knows very well how it feels to be told you don’t belong somewhere anymore. Sanji physically knocks Luffy back and he does it with FORCE, and it’s him who desperately tries to wrangle some control back of the situation. And the thing is: it almost works! Everyone listens to him, nobody objects to his methods, and Luffy actually starts to reign himself back and apologizes!

But it’s a bell that can’t be unrung at this point. Usopp has heard what he heard and has made his decision. What’s interesting here though, and what I realized upon rereading it, was how self aware Usopp was at this stage about the whole thing? Like he was fully aware that he was substituting himself in for the Merry and straight up tells the crew that he thinks he’s useless and that they should get rid of him in the same way that the did the ship. Like…he’s not subtle at ALL about this, and about the reasons why he’s behaving the way he does. He knows exactly why! And he tells them! I honestly credit him for that in a way…he’s spiraling here but he’s aware of it, and he’s aware of exactly what he’s feeling and why. The way this fight is remembered and discussed in fandom I feel is he’s characterized as throwing a tantrum about it but this really isn’t what happened here at all.

Nobody really pulls him back on his statements: I think they were too shocked here to really know what to do. Chopper is falling apart emotionally, Nami is trying to get him to hang back and wait, Sanji even starts yelling at Usopp to come back. Zoro…Zoro says nothing, which interested me a lot too. He does however have a flashback to him being the one to invite Usopp on board, which I have a LOT of thoughts about. From Alabasta, Zoro has been privy to a lot of Usopp moments that were important turning points for him: carrying dalton up the mountain, expressing doubt after long ring long land, etc. I think he’s thinking of those things here too. I think he’s feeling a sense of responsibility here that he doesn’t know what to do with.

Luffy says nothing too. He looks angry, which I think is a cover for upset, but his silence is fascinating. He’s letting things play out here because I think he’s still in fight mode but also because I think he’s letting Usopp make his own choices here, as he should. I think he’s trying to be captainlike here. But…also not quite. He’s spiraling just as bad as Usopp here, imho.

And then, Usopp issues his duel request. There’s a few interesting bits in between where Nami is trying convince Luffy to not go through with it, but he’s very dedicated to doing so anyway. She’s telling LUFFY to apologize which is interesting thinking of the fandom recollection of this fight. She’s trying conflict resolution here but it’s a bit too late for that.

I also like that Sanji and Zoro are fighting about this too, blaming each other for what happened. I think it’s a form of tension release for the two of them, and Nami stopping them shows it’s still a bit of a sensitive time for it anyway. Which leads to:

The Fight

This fight is one of my favorites in OP, insofar as actual fighting techniques/approaches go. It’s unique to the series and so emotional and just hits different. Luffy’s later fight against Sanji hits similar notes but this one stands out specifically because it’s Usopp, who is very much not a fighter in the same way Sanji is.

For one, Usopp’s a ranged fighter, and he’s fighting Luffy at close quarters. He’s already at a MASSIVE disadvantage and he knows this, Luffy knows this, the straw hats know this. It’s his fight to lose, and he picks it anyway. And I think this is what’s so key to this entire conflict, from start to finish: Usopp KNEW he was going to lose. He knew it from the start. He knew Merry was doomed. He knew that from the start too. But he did all of that anyway. Why? I think the why is so incredibly nuanced, from loyalty to pride to fear of rejection to abandonment issues. But it also highlights his tendency to bullheadedly get things done if he thinks he’s the only one left who hasn’t given up on something. And I think that’s so important to him as a character, and it’s this realization and this specific fight that made Usopp into my favorite character. It’s also why I don’t think there’s a black and white wrong and right side to this conflict. From one end, Luffy’s the boss so they need to follow his instructions without question. From another, I like it better when Luffy’s challenged by his crew for both story and character purposes for all involved. I think Luffy needed this to happen, not because he needed to assert his authority as captain, but because he needed to fuck up as a leader and learn from that.

For another, Usopp is also on the brink of collapse this entire time. The fight ends when Luffy gets a single hit in, which means Usopp was on his last legs and he still went through with it. That is super admirable to me and a testament to his super tanking abilities and determination when it counts. He had the deck stacked against him here and he still went for it.

Now: fight techniques. Usopp took this fight seriously, like for real seriously. He pulled every weapon out of his arsenal and went for it, from lying to caltrops to dials and actual honest to god explosions. It was interesting to see the crew be so surprised at him doing so well at the start. He even uses Luffy’s care for his injuries against him which was a notable part of it for me. The impact dial bit is one of my favorites: it’s such a powerful moment to me.

And then he loses, and is probably actively dying as a result lol. Everyone’s absolute devastation, expressed in different ways, was really fascinating to watch. Chopper just trying to run over and fix things and Nami unable to watch hit hard. Zoro being super composed on the outside and holding Luffy together but…yeah he’s not pleased about this. Sanji telling chopper not to go because Usopp doesn’t need pity. Luffy crying…which always is very emotional. Them giving Usopp the ship and moving on to demonstrate that they took all his words seriously but also to acknowledge his dedication to the Merry. Ooof.

Anyway this arc physically hurts. 10/10 experience. Destroys me every time.

[joelswritingmistress]

You Scare Me, Professor: Chapter 48

Summary: The reader is taking graduate classes at a local university in the wooded upstate New York. She is drawn to her professor, Dr. Joel Miller, though she is also inherently aware that he has something dark about him that she can't quite put her finger on. As the reader's attraction grows deeper, she has to decide whether to endure the danger or run away as fast as possible. 

Pairing: Professor Joel Miller x f!reader 

No.

No. No. No. No. Why?

“You look surprised.” Will tossed the cheap mask to the side and it skidded to a scraping halt on the small, square tiles.

This has to be a joke. “Will?” I shook my head. “What are you doing? What is this?”

“All valid questions.” He gave a nod and pulled the hood down off his head as he paced in my direction.

I began to walk backwards alongside the pool. “This isn't a joke? This is.. this is for real?” My mind still couldn't comprehend that part.

“Well it's not a nightmare, if that's what you mean,” Will went on. “It is for real.” He calmly folded his hands as he walked.

“What did you bring me down here for?” I continue to step backwards.

“I didn't initially intend to include you in all of this,” he explained. “But when I realized Joel was screwing one of his students, it was just the perfect addition to make this whole plan fall into place. You are going to be the final girl of this whole.. ordeal.”

“I don't understand.”

“I don't mean final girl as in survivor. I mean in it in a way that you will be the final girl killed in the string of Woodbridge murders. And your text breaking off your unorthodox relationship with your professor was the final straw that set him off - and led you to be his final victim. Before killing himself, of course.”

I shook my head, not following anything Will had just said. “What?”

He reached into the pocket of his dockers and removed my phone. “Just watch.” Will read aloud as he typed. “Dr. Miller.. I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore. It’s been fun.. no wait..” he deleted the word fun, “It's been hot sneaking around with you this semester but..” Will’s eyes met mine and he smiled, “It's over.” He tapped his finger once more, “Send.”

The phone slipped back into his pocket.

“You killed those girls,” I concluded.

“Guilty as charged.” Will raised his right hand.

“Why?” I shook my head, attempting to scan the area for somewhere to go. “And why are you trying to frame Joel?”

“Why?” He eyed the ceiling as if he was searching for the answer but I knew it was on the tip of his tongue. “Well, there’s a lot you don't know about Joel.”

“Unless he also kills innocent women I don't think you're in any position to throw stones.” We continued our walk. Will stalked me as I continued on backwards.

“Women.. no.” He shook his head, “But Joel Miller is a killer.” Will flashed a grin, “I didn't even mean for that to rhyme.” He chuckled as if we were back at the bar having drinks.

I wanted to pinch myself. How could this man chameleonize himself so incredibly? It appeared as if he was head over heels for Carol; a perfect gentleman. There wasn't a hint of malice in his eyes. Not once. The man before me was far different than the Will Brennan I had met.

It left me with a thought I quickly shoved out of my brain: Could Joel be deceiving me, too? Will said he was a killer.

He's attempting to manipulate you, I told myself.

“He didn't tell you, did he?” Will branded the knife he’d placed up to my throat and placed the tip of the blade against his fingertip. He then twirled the knife a few times, watching it spin against his finger before glancing back up at me.

“Tell me what?”

“That he killed a dear friend of mine.”

“The UPS guy?” I squinted my eyes. “The one who assaulted Carol?”

Will let out a chuckle. “No. No, that one was deemed some kind of ‘accident’.” He made air quotes with his fingers. “No, I'm talking about another person Joel killed. You see, Dr. Miller isn’t some knight on a white horse, even though I can tell that’s how you look at him. No, he’s quite the opposite actually.”

“And for that reason you feel it’s necessary to kill women?” I squinted my eyes at him, feeling some kind of anger erupt through all the fear.

“It’s all part of a bigger plan.”

“So, they’re collateral damage then? Is that it?” I rounded the corner of the pool and glanced down at the water. It was so still and serene, swaying gently within itself. And then I glanced back up at Will.

“Something like that,” he said, not caring in the least.

“And what about Carol?” Another tragic piece to this puzzle.

“Oh, Carol and I will be just fine. I mean, after the tragic revelation that her brother is a serial killer who offed himself, and you, tonight, we probably won’t be getting married tomorrow. But that’s fine. I’ll be right there to help her through her grief, and maybe a year from now, or whenever she’s ready, we’ll get married and live happily ever after.”

I shook my head. “You’re sick.” Tears stung the bottoms of my eyes. This time it was for Carol. “She’ll know, ya know. She’s an intelligent woman.” I wiped a tear away.

“Well, if she hasn’t figured it out by now..” Will shrugged and smiled, “I didn’t plan on sticking it out with Carol, but she really did grow on me. I love her.”

“You’re not capable of loving anything.” I shook my head and then said again, “She’ll figure it out. Even if it takes a year, she’ll figure it out. Joel wouldn’t kill those women.”

He grinned, “And have you figured out your lover’s secrets? I’m willing to bet he’s never told you about Ace Deerfield.”

“Oh, I know all about Ace Deerfield. Another piece of shit ‘lady killer’.”

“Let’s be careful with our word choice,” Will said, “I don’t want to get knife happy prematurely.” He ran a finger down the length of the blade. “I’m sure Joel left out one major detail about Ace Deerfield, and you wouldn’t have figured it out without me telling you. Joel killed Ace.”

I swallowed hard and stepped backwards up onto a small, square diving board and the off the other side.

Will smiled and trailed me. “Of course he left out that part. Who would willingly be with a man who admitted to killing somebody in cold blood?”

“Ace Deerfield was a serial killer.”

“Who the justice system set free,” Will said, “So, if there wasn’t enough evidence, was he really a serial killer? I guess we’ll never know. He doesn’t have a voice anymore. Because Joel Miller killed him.”

“Lou Brackett killed Ace Deerfield.”

He cackled a laugh that echoed off the walls of the big, empty space. “Lou Brackett?” Will laughed again, “Lou fucking Brackett. All one-hundred and fifteen pounds of him? You could’ve broken Lou Brackett in half. Hell, little Frankie Miller could’ve broken him in two. Lou Brackett could barely walk in his final years, nevermind carry out a murder.”

“Well, the world’s a better place without Ace Deerfield in it, regardless of who killed him.”

“ I thought we talked about watching your mouth.”

“No. You talked about watching my mouth.” Fuck. I knew I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t have a plan after getting feisty with Will, and so I turned and started to run in the opposite direction.

It was all of two or three seconds before Will caught up with me and pulled me against him again, putting the knife back against my neck. That’s a feeling I would never forget. It was just as terrifying the second time.

“Why?” I shouted again, “Why do you give a shit about Ace Deerfield?”

“He was my best friend,” Will hissed, “Since grade school. “We were in the military together, right after high school. He saved my life. And ever since, I’ve owed him mine.”

“He was a bad man, Will.”

“Joel is a bad man.”

“Why did you kill those women?” I went to shake my head but the knife was digging into my skin. I felt a drip of blood this time slide down the center of my throat.

Will huffed a deep breath and the blade loosened just a bit on my neck. Rather than respond, he walked me toward a dark corner of the room, explaining the fictional story, again, that he intended to carry out. “Joel had this darkness in him. He took a job at Woodbridge and began killing off women on campus. And then he meets you, seduces you, and makes you his final victim when you try to leave him. You discovered his crimes. Maybe you threatened to go to the police, and as a last ditch effort, he lures you down to the hotel spa, knowing you can’t swim and shoves you into the pool before taking a handful of pills, killing himself.” Will chuckled, “A real life twisted version of Romeo and Juliet. Perfect ending.”

I let it sink in for a moment. Joel was in danger. Carol was in danger. If I died right then, what would happen to them? And why was Will walking me away from the pool?

He extended his arm over my shoulder again toward a dark nook in the corner of the room beyond a jacuzzi. My eyes widened and I struggled to get away now, feeling tears begin to fall down my face again.

Will held me tighter, “Shh.. shh.. He’s just sleeping.” He laughed now, as we both looked upon Dr. Miller laying unconscious in the dark corner of the room. “I’ll make sure Romeo’s awake for the first act.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER

@untamedheart81 @suttonspuds @cesspitoflove @michilandcof @grogusmum @morallyinept @akah565 @brittmb115 @magpiepills @poodlebae @gobaaby-blog-blog @mermaidgirl30 @mandojojo @shotgun-shelby @itscatrodriguez-thepearl @macaroni676 @smolbeanzzz @sarcasm-theotherwhitemeat @bandluvr97

[amberskywrites]

Brewing Storms

Fic Masterpost | Ao3 Link

Fandom / Genre: Stardew Valley / Kinda fluff?

Pairing: (Pre)Sebastian/Elliott, Sebastian & Elliott

Prompt: Requested by @cooltuna69 :

My idea is that Sebastian goes to beach on a rainy day but slips and falls in the ocean, and Willy isn't home and his house is way too far away so he has no choice but to ask Elliott for help.

Warnings: Very mild injury, storms, lmk if I need to add anything else!

Summary: Sebastian is on the beach during a rainy day, as he often does, but this storm turns out to be worse than normal. He's forced to take refuge in Elliott's cabin, but really, is that such a bad thing?

Today had already been a pretty shitty day, even though it was raining.

His mom had barged into his room early in the morning no less than seven times, Demetrius had made yet another comment about Sebastian potentially moving out, and Maru had gotten a raise from Harvey which just led to being compared to her even more by both his mom and Demetrius.

This really felt like the last straw, and Sebastian isn’t even entirely sure how it happened.

One moment, he was standing on the docks, smoking a new pack of cigarettes, his umbrella clenched in his other hand doing little to shield him from the onslaught of rain, providing just enough cover to keep his cigarette and face dry. The next moment, he was in the water, being dragged under and was narrowly slammed into the pillars of wood supporting the old docks.

Sebastian grappled until he felt something and yanked himself up, sputtering and coughing when he was able to push his head over the water’s surface, and he just barely managed to secure his hold before another wave tried to push him away again.

He shuddered against the wood he was clinging to, looking around frantically. He was under the docks, kinda. From the looks of it, he had been swept from the pier closest to the Lonely Stone to the pier closer to Willy’s shop.

Bracing himself, Sebastian grit his teeth and pushed himself further above the water’s surface, and just as his head brushed the wood above, he propelled himself back enough to grab at the edge of the dock with both hands.

One slipped and he cursed, feeling the burn as salt water hit the broken skin, but he reached for the wood again, getting a better grip before another wave could push him back under the water or docks again. He pulled himself out and up, using the surging water to at least save some of his energy.

By the time he flopped onto the wet wood, he was panting heavily and his hoodie was seemingly trying to glue him to the docks. He groaned into the paneling below, forcing himself onto hands and knees, and then shakily onto his feet. The wind and rain seemed to get worse—at least it felt worse, maybe because his umbrella had been lost to who knows where—and he hugged himself despite how his clothes were already growing colder and clinging to his skin.

He treaded as quickly as he could to Willy’s shop, slumping against the wall under the overhang. Knocking as hard as he could on the door, he shuddered as the overhang only slightly saved him from the biting wind.

Nothing. Sebastian couldn’t hear much over the wind and crashing waves anyway, but he’s pretty sure he couldn’t hear anyone inside.

Frowning, he knocked again, hopefully louder.

It wasn’t until the third knock did he finally notice the note in the window and groaned.

Closed until Saturday - On fishing trip.

“Just great,” Sebastian muttered, glaring at the little paper before huffing and looking out at the restless water.

Home was too far—at least in this weather without better rain gear. And it was definitely getting worse—the water was sloshing through the wood of the docks occasionally, and Sebastian figured it was only a matter of time before it became a constant submersion. With how soaked he was, he also wasn’t gonna be getting anywhere quickly, that was for sure. Already his clothes were growing heavy, almost like they were trying just as hard as the wind to drag him back into the water.

He’d still have to trek farther than he probably could at the moment to get to the Saloon—and Gus might not even be open at the moment. He usually closed earlier when the weather was this bad.

He thunked his head on the shop wall with a loud huff, glaring up at the water dripping off the roof.

Well. There was one place he could probably manage dragging himself to.

Ten minutes later and no less than three stumbles and two actual near-faceplants into the wet sand and Sebastian found himself in front of Elliott’s cabin. The windows were fogged and blurry from the rain and cold, but he could see a faint light emitting from inside, and so with one hand steadying himself against the wall, Sebastian knocked hard on the wooden door.

Sebastian once again didn’t hear anything and was about to knock again or curse his fate when the door swung open, and Sebastian was suddenly face to face with a frazzled-looking Elliott.

Elliott blinked down at him, his brows furrowing for a moment as though he couldn’t quite comprehend what he was seeing, but before Sebastian could even open his mouth to say, well, anything really, it seemed the older man got a hold of himself, jolting and reaching for Sebastian.

“What in the name of Yoba are you doing?!” Elliott demanded as he hauled Sebastian inside, the door practically slamming closed behind him. “Are you mad? Weather like this could be considered a death sentence!” Sebastian had to put his hands out to stop himself from barreling into Elliott’s chest, blinking in momentary shock as his brain reoriented itself.

Suddenly he felt even colder than just a few minutes ago, while also feeling like he was burning, it was so warm in the cabin. Sebastian shuddered harshly at the dual temperatures, and the next thing he knew, Elliott was helping him out of his hoodie.

“Sebastian, truly, what happened? I know you are not so foolish as to brave this weather without some protection against the elements.”

With the hoodie alone gone, Sebastian feels hotter but melts into the heat, welcoming it for a change. His shirt, pants, and shoes are still soaked too, but at least he doesn’t feel quite as constricted anymore. He watches Elliott hang his hoodie over a chair to dry and is beckoned to enter the cabin further.

He shucks off his shoes as he answers, wrapping his arms around himself even more. “I was enjoying the rain, having a cigarette, and I guess I didn’t notice the water getting so high, and I think a wave knocked me in?” He doesn’t mean it to sound like a question, but he really isn’t completely sure how he fell into the water. It’s his best guess, though.

Elliott looks him over more critically after that, and the concern in his eyes is almost palpable. “You aren’t hurt, are you?” he asks, though Sebastian doesn’t miss how his eyes linger on his hands, tucked beneath his arms and out of sight.

Sebastian cringes and holds out the injured hand, getting a look at it himself for the first time. Elliott approaches and takes it into his own, and Sebastian is surprised by how large Elliott’s hands are, even more so by the callouses that scratch lightly against his skin as Elliott tilts his hand around, examining it closely.

It’s not a bad wound, but the skin broke deep enough that it was clearly bleeding at some point, and when Elliott traces a finger over it gently Sebastian hisses.

Elliott looks him head to toe and back up, tilting his head down at Sebastian before looking around his cabin.

“You’re still quite cold,” he observes. “If you’re comfortable, I may have some spare clothes that would fit you, if you wish to get into something dry. I can look for my first aid kit in the meantime.”

“Dry clothes sound great now, actually,” Sebastian nodded, and Elliott smiled slightly at him before walking to his dresser to pull whatever he had in mind out.

The next few minutes passed in relative quiet, and when Sebastian was done changing and Elliott nudged him towards his bed to sit, the silence between them was more comfortable than Sebastian thought it would be. Elliott worked diligently to disinfect Sebastian’s scrape, and Sebastian watched him work.

It gave him time to think.

He was quite comfortable, actually, despite the burn of the alcohol on his palm. Elliott had handed him a maroon knitted sweater and some sweats that, while pretty large on Sebastian, were easily adjustable—Sebastian was just stunned that Elliott, who he had never seen in anything besides a suit or nice dress shirts, even owned. The cabin itself was small, and the storm was still raging outside, but it was quite cozy, lanterns and candles creating a yellow and orange haze.

It wasn’t terrible either, Sebastian mused, that he’d been getting to know Elliott a bit more before this.

Really, it had been Sam’s fault. Sam had wanted to get to know the farmer more, and the farmer hung around Leah and Elliott most of the time at the saloon, though Leah hadn’t been coming lately according to Elliott. Sam didn’t want to just approach alone though, and with Abigail grounded at home, it fell on Sebastian to be there for him. It was the first time in a long while that Sebastian had seen his best friend so nervous to get to know someone, which he’d refuse to admit aided in Sebastian being less grudging to hang out with the farmer and Elliott for the night. He had bit back his teasing of Sam, if only because Sam seemed genuinely really invested.

Sebastian was not expecting to actually really enjoy spending time with the farmer and Elliott—or rather, mostly just Elliott since Sam hoarded much of the farmer’s time.

They’d gotten to talking about their careers, and Sebastian had been surprised by just how much their jobs made them alike. How much they liked doing what they did.

Elliott had been fascinated to learn that Sebastian was a programmer, and asked dozens of questions, and Sebastian… Sebastian had never had more fun talking with someone.

Don’t get him wrong, he loved hanging out with his friends, but there were some things they just didn’t quite get. Really, Sebastian hadn’t really found anyone who understood what he did for work, or why he did it.

He was surprised by just how much of it Elliott understood.

Sebastian was even more surprised by how much he liked hearing Elliott talk.

He enjoyed hearing about the progress of his novel, the way he spoke about the structure of plots or character arcs or world building reminded him much of how he had to program things sometimes. And the creativity itself… Sebastian really enjoyed when Elliott would bounce ideas off him, because each scenario was often more unique than the last.

And then it happened again and again. Either he, Sam, and Abigail would join Elliott, the farmer, and sometimes Leah at their table, or they’d wander over to the saloon’s side room and join them on the arcade games or in a round of pool. And it wasn’t until once he was in bed that Sebastian realized he spent so much of the time talking to Elliott, and just Elliott.

“Something on your mind?” Sebastian was brought out of his thoughts by Elliott’s voice, and blinked down at his bandaged hand.

“Nothing important, really,” he lied easily—he would not admit he was coming to some conclusions about some new feelings for the man sitting right beside him, not right now. “This just got me thinking, what were you doing before I crashed in here?”

Elliott tilted his head, studying Sebastian’s face. Sebastian could feel his ears heating up under the scrutiny this close, and hoped his damp hair was enough to hide the blush. Whatever Elliott was looking for, Sebastian wasn’t sure if he found, but the writer shrugged and turned away, settling more comfortably onto his bed beside Sebastian.

“I was working on my novel,” he said with a sigh.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. That was a decidedly not a happy sigh. “Something wrong?”

“I’ve been stuck for the past week!” Elliott exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air and slumping back to the cabin wall. “I don’t know, the words are just not coming. Every time I try and reorient the story, it’s like the characters are demanding to go into a different direction, into a different story.”

If it weren’t such an undignified term for such an expression, Sebastian would have said Elliott was pouting. It was almost surreal, to see him this disheveled and frustrated.

He shook his head, thinking back. Elliott was trying to write a romance, last Sebastian was told—and it had been going quite well, according to last week’s little talk. At least that’s what Sebastian had assumed, after seeing how enthusiastic Elliott had been to talk about it. He’d finished plotting everything out, finally figured out an ending, and seemed quite happy with what he had come up with.

What could have changed?

“What kind of direction are the characters trying to take it?” Sebastian asked, settling more into Elliott’s bed as well, pulling his feet up and leaning against the wall. “Like. Was there a tone change somewhere?”

Sebastian dealt with that a lot, when playing Solarian Chronicles with Sam and Abigail. The game would shift in tone depending on the day or what they were focusing on, and Sebastian would have to adapt the story to fit the tone. And it was infinitely easier to go along with the change rather than trying to force things to remain as planned.

“Well, I don’t know, I keep writing the characters speaking cryptically, or observing things that seem at first glance fine but when I reread, it seems ominous or strange because I’m dragging attention to it. But I want those details included as well.” He sighed, heavier this time than before. “Maybe it’s the books I’ve been reading…”

He said it in a murmur, but Sebastian still caught it, and it was his turn to tilt his head at Elliott, brows furrowing slightly.

“What kind of books have you been reading?”

Sebastian was treated to the pretty picture Elliott made when he blushed—and he would shove those thoughts away later, when he was safely tucked into his own bed and not thinking about today, thank you, but for now, he just enjoyed the flush that crossed over Elliott’s tan skin. The man seemed embarrassed over the genre at first, and Sebastian couldn’t imagine why, unless he was reading erotica or something, but Sebastian highly doubted that would lead to him writing cryptic dialog and ominous details.

Well, Sebastian thought, briefly remembering the few times he’d explored that genre himself and ended up being thoroughly creeped out, those aren’t the intended implications.

Elliott cleared his throat. “Um, actually, after you mentioned last week enjoying the mystery and thriller genres, I decided to pick up a few of your recommendations. Since then, I suppose I couldn’t get it out of my head about trying my hand in the genre myself.”

It took a second for Sebastian to realize what Elliott had said at first—the fact that he remembered what Sebastian liked reading, the fact that he found and read those books as well, sent a happy flush through Sebastian’s entire being, as cheesy as it may seem. And then the last part of his statement hit, he wanted to try writing a mystery or thriller because of him—indirectly most likely, but still.

Again, not the time to evaluate how that made him feel.

“How far are you in the book?” Sebastian asked.

“Not as far as I’d like, I’m afraid,” Elliott practically grumped.

“Well, why not turn it into a mystery or thriller?” When Elliott just raised a questioning brow at him, Sebastian smiled slightly, turning more towards Elliott. “We got into it last week, right, debating which genre was better? Romance and horror edge a fine line, just shift the tone a little, and a romance can be turned into a horror story or a horror turned into a rom-com.”

Elliott blinked at him, and for a moment, the wind roaring outside was the only thing that filled the air.

Then Elliott was leaping to his feet, Sebastian barely moving out of the way in time as Elliott spun around and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him ever so slightly.

“My dear Sebastian, you are a genius!”

Sebastian watched the man dart to his writing desk, scooping up his phone, the notebook, and pens scattered across it. Elliott dashed back to the bed, and wordlessly the two got comfortable leaning against the wall, a respectable distance between them. Elliott passed him the phone and spread the notebook out on his lap, flipping to a blank page.

After texting his mom with Elliott’s phone — letting her know where he was, and that he’d likely only be able to get home in the morning — Sebastian shifted just a little closer to Elliott, enough where he could feel Elliott beside him even if he closed his eyes, and settled in to watch Elliott work through his writing process.

[onceuponaoneshotfanfic]

hey! i don’t know if you’re free/able to write right now but i have a request i’ve been meaning to put in :) it’s a oliver wood x reader one where the reader is dating someone, but it’s not a very healthy realationship and oliver realizes he’s in love with her too. maybe it some big arguement that causes y/n and her former partner to break up and when oliver realizes he comforts her and she eventually spits out her feelings. no pressure though <33

So this came out a tiny bit longer than I had planned, but I hope you like it! Thank you for the request! 💕

Warnings: toxic relationship, mentions of insecurities and a really awful boyfriend

~

Chocolate, tissues, and one of his oversized hoodies. This was Oliver’s patented feel-better recipe for you whenever you had a fight with your boyfriend. It was an embarrassing pattern: your boyfriend would be a jerk, you’d fight, he’d scream at you, you’d run to Oliver, Oliver would hold you while you cried, and, once your eyes were dry, you’d run back to your boyfriend and his half-apologies, which always managed to remind you how the fight was really your fault, and isn’t he actually the bigger person for forgiving you?

So, when you walked into potions class with a blotchy red face, Oliver knew exactly what to do. As soon as class ended, he took your hand and led you to Gryffindor tower and up to his dorm. Soon enough, the two of you were lounging on his bed, sharing some fudge he’d bought last time you were in Hogsmeade, laughing at the latest ridiculous thing his teammates had done at quidditch practice.

Oliver’s heart swelled as he watched the smile on your face, the one he knew hurt your cheeks. He felt proud; this was the fastest he’d gotten you from crying to laughing. But his heart also ached, knowing that any moment now you’d sober up and go find that rotten boyfriend of yours.

Sure enough, you eyed the clock warily, noting that it was almost dinner. “I should go,” you said slowly, slipping off the bed. “Got some reconciling to do.” You tried to smirk, to play it all off as a joke, but this smile didn’t quite reach your eyes the way it had a few minutes ago.

“Why do you stay?” Oliver blurted out.

You stared at him quizzically. “What d’you mean?”

He shrugged, knowing he was tiptoeing into dangerous territory. “He’s a jerk,” he explained. “He’s rude to you, he flirts with other girls in front of you, he makes fun of you, he talks behind your back…” Oliver shrugged again, a sigh escaping his lips. “You just deserve better. That’s all.”

There was a heavy silence as you mulled over Oliver’s words. He’s not wrong; your boyfriend is the worst. But he’s also the only boy to notice you in the five years you’ve been at Hogwarts. As you stare at Oliver, a tiny voice in your head can’t help but wish he would notice you like that. But you know that will never happen; he’s gorgeous and muscular, captain of his quidditch team, charming and outgoing, the absolute whole package. Just being friends with him was a dream come true.

You offered Oliver a small, sad smile. “Thanks, Oliver,” was all you could manage before turning and walking out the door.

As soon as the door closed behind you, Oliver laid back on his bed, shoving another piece of fudge into his mouth. Merlin, would you ever figure out how he felt about you?

~

The screaming match in the Great Hall was the final straw.

Your boyfriend was being obnoxious, as usual. Except this time, when you asked him to please stop, he doubled down, his voice growing louder with every word, until he was yelling at you in front of all the students trying to enjoy breakfast before going off on their Saturday morning activities.

“Calm down,” you begged through gritted teeth, the tears threatening to spill over as people’s heads turned to look at the two of you.

But he kept going, telling you all the horrible things he’s said before- insulting your looks, your intelligence, reminding you that you’re not funny, even comparing you to the girls whose beauty always made you feel insecure.

Something in you just broke in that moment. Maybe it was the cruel words spilling from his mouth. Maybe it was the look on his face, the anger in his eyes as he looked at you. Maybe it was the awful mixes of pity and disgust on your schoolmates’ faces. Whatever it was, you stood up, jaw set. You ignored your shaking legs and looked down at him.

“I’m done.”

That was it. That was all you said. Two words, and then you climbed out of your seat and willed yourself to march out of the Great Hall, ignoring the stares and whispers that followed you.

You wandered aimlessly through the hallways, just needing to get away from him, along with the embarrassing scene he’d just caused. Now you’d be that girl whose boyfriend (ex-boyfriend, you corrected yourself) screamed at her at breakfast. Great.

Finally finding an empty hallway, you collapsed on the ground and buried your hands in your face. You felt a mix of relief, embarrassment, and sorrow; but mostly you felt free.

Someone sat down next to you. It couldn’t be him, because he’d be screaming in your face by now. When you looked up, you didn’t feel an ounce of surprise to see Oliver Wood by your side, watching you with tenderness.

“Hey,” he whispered. He reached over and took your hand. “Y’okay?”

Surprising yourself, you nodded. “Yeah. I think… I think I actually am.”

He smiled gently at you. “Good, good.” He paused a moment, looking down at your clasped hands. “You’re really done with him?”

With a sigh, you nodded again. “Yes.” You leaned your head back against the stone wall and gave his hand a squeeze. “Because of you, you know.”

“Me?”

“Well… yeah.” You turned your head to look at him. “You were the one who told me I deserve better. And back there in the Great Hall, I realized you were right.” You shrugged. “So, thanks, I guess.”

Oliver’s smile grew. “You’re very welcome.”

The two of you sat in a comfortable silence, his thumb stroking your hand gently. You scooched closer and leaned your head on his shoulder, the way you had about a million times before. But something this time felt different.

“Can I ask you something?” you whispered, so quietly Oliver was almost unsure if he heard you.

“Hmm?”

You sat up, looking at Oliver again. His golden eyes searched yours. “Why do you put up with me?” The confidence you had discovered in the Great Hall was beginning to dissipate. “All my drama and- and my crying and my neediness. Why’d you put up with it?"

“Er…” Oliver’s cheeks burned as he let out an awkward chuckle. “I mean, we’re best friends, right? It’s what best friends do.”

There was something in his tone, in his nervous shifting, in the way he couldn’t quite meet your eye, that told you something wasn’t quite right. “Oliver?”

He ran his free hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. “Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m-I’m not trying to press you into something- especially right now- but I mean, I always figured it was pretty obvious-” Another deep breath as he finally met your eye. “I love you.” His smile returned, lopsided and bashful now. “I’ve loved you for years now. And I figured eventually you’d realize that you deserve a lot better than that-” He gestured in the direction of the Great Hall. “-and that, when you were ready, I could maybe have a shot with you.”

“Oh.” That was all you could say as his words washed over you. Your mind raced, recalling all the times you’d turned to Oliver for comfort and the million different ways he knew to make you smile. Slowly, a smile spread across your face. You leaned forward and pecked his cheek, warmth against your lips.

Now it was Oliver’s turn to smile. “So, I do have a shot?”

“Yeah,” you chuckled, leaning your head back against his shoulder, squeezing his hand. “I’d say you have a shot.”

[acasualcrossfade]

Whumpril Day 13: “I think I need to sit down.”

Heat Exhaustion

Written for @whumpril challenge Day 13: Blurry Vision | Support | “I think I need to sit down.”

Stranger Things: Steve/Eddie

Words: 1049

TW: dizziness

Steve is dizzy after his lifeguarding shift and staggers to the concession stand, where Eddie works, for help.

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

Steve’s ears roared as he stepped down from the lifeguard stand. 

The air felt thicker and slower, and suddenly he was too hot in his tank top and shorts. Steve could feel the heat climb up his legs and across his chest as the cacophony of the public pool faded to a low hum in his ears. He staggered as he approached the concession stand, glad to see that Eddie was on shift behind the counter. The world seemed to shift and tilt under him.

Dimly, he wondered if Eddie could see that he was on fire. 

“Steve?” Eddie called, immediately jumping from his perch from behind the counter. “Steve, you okay?” Worry coated his words as he saw how unsteady Steve looked.

“I-I think I need to s-sit down,” Steve moaned, his voice barely a whisper. The ground swayed like he was standing on a waterbed and his mouth felt like dry paper and he leaned heavily on Eddie, who led him the rest of the way to the concession stand counter.

“You’re burning up,” Eddie frowned and led Steve into the concession stand, and then to the back room. He sat Steve in the chair closest to the fan that blew loudly from the corner. “Here, sit. I’ll be right back with a few things.”

With Steve supported against it, Eddie swiped a hand across his forehead. Steve frowned when Eddie’s hand left; he wanted nothing more than to melt into Eddie’s arms and press himself against his familiar worn t-shirt.

Steve put his head in his hands as he relished the feeling of cool air on his overheated skin.

Eddie was gone for less than a second and returned with a cup of water, a cup of ice and a tray of damp clothes balanced on the two cups. 

Steve couldn’t help but smile at the sight. His boyfriend might not have the obvious muscles, but his balance and agility were unmatched. 

“When did you start feeling like this?” Eddie tutted, already positioning the fan so it blew directly on Steve. He pressed a hand against Steve’s forehead and bit his lip, and then nodded at the fan. “If this isn’t enough, I have no qualms about carrying you to the showers.” 

Steve frowned when Eddie’s hand left his forehead; he wanted nothing more than to melt into Eddie’s arms and press himself against his familiar worn t-shirt.

Steve lifted and lowered his shoulder, trying to give Eddie answer. His brain felt too heavy and sludgy to really think much about it. When had he started feeling like this? Maybe the middle of his shift? Or was it closer to the end? His memories felt like he was grasping at a wet soap bar. 

Eddie pressed one of the cool cloths to Steve’s forehead and temples, and Steve sighed in relief. Eddie dabbed at his jaw and cheeks, and then gently, the back of his neck. 

Slowly, Steve could feel the overwhelming heat extinguish away.

Eddie's eyes were warm and inviting as he took in Steve’s form. “Geez Stevie, how is it that even with heat exhaustion you look…”

Steve breathed out a laugh at that. “Like a damsel… dressed as a lifeguard?”

Eddie gave him a secret smile that made Steve’s heart skip. “Something like that.”

Eddie handed Steve a cup with a straw and the ice knocked together in the Styrofoam cup. “Here, we gotta get some water in you.” He held out the straw to Steve. “Slowly though, I don’t want you to get sick.” 

Steve sipped slowly as Eddie held the straw in place. The water felt like heaven against his paper-dry mouth and Steve fought the temptation to gulp down the whole cup.

Finally, the world was coming back into focus. 

Eddie cupped his chin in his palm and gave him a sympathetic look. “How do you feel now?”

“Better. Less dizzy.” Words came easier and Steve felt a weight start to lift from his brain. He met Eddie’s eyes.

Ever since that day in the shed, Steve hadn’t been able to forget the hard intenseness of the man’s stare. They glinted and gleamed and shone, and after their first kiss, they looked like melted chocolate. Now, Eddie’s chocolate eyes studied him as if he was spontaneously going to lose consciousness.

“It’s already better,” Steve assured Eddie. He already felt more steady than he had a few minutes ago and he felt cooler.

Still, Eddie eyed him carefully. “You still look pretty pale, Harrington. And pale isn’t the best look on you.” Eddie bit his lip and Steve could see him starting to contemplate how to get him into the showers.

Steve tried to concentrate on something else. The attention, being seen, still made his cheeks and ears heat in shame. He was too used to assuring people he was fine and they typically agreed once they saw he could walk, talk, and function. 

It wasn’t until Steve was truly alone when he’d let himself fall apart.

But with Eddie, it was like the man had a sixth sense for it. He saw right past it all. And sure enough, when Steve tried to stand up to prove he was fine, the world swayed.

Eddie steadied him easily, his eyes wide. “Woah, okay, nope, you’re not going anywhere.” 

Steve nodded mutely and let Eddie guide him to put his head between his knees. Eddie kept a hand on his back as he sat, and then slowly started to rub his shoulders.  

He felt Eddie’s hand leave for a moment and he looked up. Dizziness still hummed in his ears. “Eds?”

“Right here, Steve,” Eddie replied, placing another chair next to him. “We’re gunna stay here ‘til the end of my shift.”

“Here?” Steve looked around the small break room. “Don’t you have to work out there?”

“I got it covered,” Eddie replied easily. He placed a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing.”

And for the first time in a long time, Steve found that he didn’t have to worry. He let Eddie push a few strands of his stubbornly sweaty hair off his forehead before going back to rubbing his back and shoulders. 

And as Steve recovered, he allowed himself to be cared for and cared about.

[theoseong]

Theo's Past Relationships

As Theo once said, he’s kind of a serial monogamist. He’s had plenty of hook-ups, but he’s more of a relationship kind of guy, even if they rarely last long. Here’s a summary of his past notable crushes and relationships.

Jude Derringer (Hybrid): Theo discovered he was gay when he was 13 and developed a hopeless crush on his dad’s employee’s son, Jude Derringer. He always thought Jude was cool, but one day he noticed how much he loved his heterochromatic eyes, one gold and one hazel-green. Theo knew it could never go anywhere. Jude was way too old for him at 21, but at least he understood how hot boys were now.  (FC: Jackson Rathbone) 

Brad Enair (Erkuss): When Theo was 15, he couldn’t stop looking at the pretty blond boy with gold eyes in his history class. Instead of paying attention to important dates, he planned ways to ask Brad on a date. He almost wrote him a song, but couldn’t find the right words, so instead he wrote him a note that said, “Do you want to go on a date with me?” and two check boxes for “yes” and “no.” Shockingly, Brad said yes. Theo ended up taking him on a date to the diner, because he didn’t have enough money for a real date. Their relationship lasted a grand total of three weeks before Brad got bored of him working at the diner all the time after school and broke up with him.  (FC: Lucas Till)

Ross Volges (Erkuss): By the age of 16, Theo was a lot more confident with his songwriting skills and decided he was going to ask out the hot 18-year-old Erkuss with violet eyes through the art of song. After school, he pulled Ross aside and played him his song and only fumbled with the chords a little bit. Ross was actually extremely flattered and asked Theo on a date to the arcade before they became boyfriends that same day. Ross was the one Theo shared his first time with, and he was convinced he was in love with him after two whole months of dating. The excitement ended though when Ross grew more and more annoyed with Theo’s constant talk about music. The final straw was when Ross said “MCR isn’t even that good,” leading Theo to end it then and there.  (FC: Jacob Artist)

Marty Irlai (Erkuss): It’d been two years since he broke up with Ross, and Theo was tired of being single. Hook-ups weren’t the same. No one had really caught his eye, until a new kid enrolled in his school, who had just moved from Different City. Marty ended up sitting next to Theo in their Flagruu class, and his gold eyes lit up with excitement when he told him all about his favorite bands. Apparently, Different City’s music scene was better than Rungung’s, and he was feeling pretty homesick. Theo invited Marty over after school, so he could play a few songs for him. He even offered to teach him how to play guitar. Marty and Theo ended up kissing more instead of playing, which led to a whirlwind five month long relationship. It all fell apart when Marty seemed a little too close with the lead in the school musical. Theo couldn’t control his jealousy, and it annoyed Marty so much that he dumped him…and then dated that same guy a month later. (FC: Xiao Zhan)

Zack Strun (Erkuss): It took Theo a while to recover from Marty. He found it a lot harder to trust people when Marty was still dating that musical theater asshole. Sure, he never cheated on Theo, but he made him feel crazy for being jealous when apparently had a good reason to be. When Theo was 21, he skipped school to go to the mall, because he needed new boots and that felt more important than classes. There was a cute guy working at the register with red eyes like Theo’s. He offered to help Theo pick out a pair of boots and complimented him a lot, until he eventually gave him his number. It started off as just hooking up, since Theo didn’t feel ready for a relationship again, but Zack confessed he actually had feelings for him, so he gave him a chance. They didn’t see each other very much though because of their jobs, and eventually Zack stopped texting him back. They never officially broke up, they just stopped talking.  (FC: Nicholas Galitzine)

Robin Astrea (Hybrid): Five months after his relationship with Zack fizzled out, a cute hybrid came up to him in the cafeteria and asked him on a date out of the blue. Theo thought Robin was adorable from the moment he met him, but didn’t expect to fall for him as hard as he did. Robin was younger than any of his past boyfriends, but somehow seemed to be more mature than any of them and already had his life planned out. The only problem was his plan didn’t align at all with Theo’s. By then, Theo was already set on leaving home soon to play music, and Robin was going to become a smuggler one day. Despite the fact that they still had feelings for each other, they ended their relationship to focus on their future careers.  (FC: Cha Eunwoo)

Bowie Vussaer (Erkuss): After moving to Different City, Theo missed Robin a lot. He knew he made the right decision to move, but that didn’t make his feelings for his ex-boyfriend fade any faster. He was too focused on trying to get a record deal to think about a new relationship, but it kind of happened anyway. Bowie was a bartender at the bar Theo’s new band sometimes played gigs at. He always slid Theo free shots with a big grin on his face, his violet eyes lingering a little too long on his lips. His eyes reminded him of Robin’s, which only made him miss him more. Against Theo’s better judgment, he ended up sleeping with Bowie one night. Maybe because he was lonely and missed Robin. Bowie wanted more than a one night stand though, and he seemed to actually really like Theo and his music, so he agreed to go on a few dates with him until he was suddenly his boyfriend. Theo could never seem to give Bowie what he wanted though. He kept his past to himself, rarely talked about anything deeper than music, while Bowie was always open and vulnerable with him. One day, with tears in his eyes, Bowie told Theo he couldn’t be with him anymore because he was basically giving him nothing.  (FC: Taylor Zakhar Perez)

Larry Mennet (Erkuss): Theo was 24 and had been living in Different City for a year now with no record deal and no money. He had to work part-time in a coffee shop to afford the rent, which wasn’t a great idea when he was usually up all night and had to open the shop at five in the morning. With dark circles under his eyes, Theo wrote down the name “Larry” on a flat white without looking up when the man commented that he looked like he could use the coffee more than him. Larry was handsome with his dirty blond hair and red eyes, but clearly older than Theo–32 to be exact. For some reason, this well-rounded adult with a real job in tech wanted to treat Theo to dinner. At first, their relationship was pretty nice. Larry went to his shows and bought him things like food and clothes, but then Theo realized, again, he wanted something he couldn’t give him. Larry was ready to settle down, get married and move into a house to start a family, none of which suited Theo’s lifestyle, and he wasn’t willing to compromise for him. Larry kept urging Theo to quit music and let him be his provider, until he eventually grew too frustrated and ended the relationship.  (FC: Glen Powell)

Oliver Vix (Erkuss): By 25, Theo was beginning to accept that maybe relationships just weren’t for him. He wanted a boyfriend, and he wanted to be in love, but men just didn’t seem to accept Theo’s life or personality, so what could he do? The last person he truly felt like wanted him just the way he was, was Robin, and that was years ago. He never considered dating someone from his band, it seemed like a bad idea, but he was always close with their drummer, Oliver. At first Theo thought it was just friendship, but he and Oliver started spending more time together outside of rehearsals and gigs, and he actually found himself opening up about what happened at Rungung, because he thought he could trust him. Theo stopped looking at Oliver as a friend and as a potential relationship, falling in love with the way his gold eyes shined when he smiled, along with the cute dimples on his cheeks. He realized he was in love with him when he couldn’t stop writing songs about him, and, one night, he confessed after everyone else left rehearsal by singing him one of the songs. Oliver kissed him and told him he was in love with him too, which began Theo’s longest relationship so far.

For a year, Theo thought Oliver was finally the one. Things were pretty perfect. They already lived together, since they shared an apartment with the band, and they were both completely dedicated to music, so there was no way he was getting dumped for that again. It never even occurred to Theo that Oliver would cheat on him. It started with little warning signs. Oliver would turn his screen from him when he got texts, he stopped going home with Theo after rehearsal, claiming he was looking for more gigs or had to repair his drums…three times. Theo tried to ignore his suspicions, remembering the last time he got jealous. He left a shift at the coffee shop early when he started to run a fever and went home, only to walk in on Oliver fucking another guy. Needless to say, Theo was devastated and heartbroken. Luckily, the band was on his side and ended up kicking Oliver out. This was a breakup that Theo didn’t know he could recover from, but he all but forgot about Oliver completely when his dad died a few months later.  (FC: Samuel Larsen)

Robin Astrea (Hybrid): Theo’s life was a lot different after he moved back home. He took over the diner while grieving his father and pretty much put music behind him. It made Theo look back and think about his life leading up to this point. He had been so selfish and focused on himself that he never made up with his father, and maybe he really was the reason so many of his relationships ended the way they did. The only ex he really looked back on fondly was Robin, the only relationship that ended because of external factors and not because Theo cared too much about music or…wasn’t hot enough or something. Even if Theo stayed home, Robin would've left. He accepted that Robin would just be one of those exes thought about and smiled and nothing more, because he was long gone at that point. Or at least he thought so, until Henry Astrea walked into the diner and sort of adopted him.

After Henry helped Theo get a job on the prosperity, and he reunited with Robin, he pretty much knew from the beginning he was going to fall in love with him all over again. Robin was so different from when they were young, and so was Theo, but somehow it still felt the same. They took their time getting to know each other again and treading the line between friends and something more. For Robin’s birthday, Theo gave him a song he wrote about him years ago, but when he didn’t get a response, he figured the hybrid just wanted to be friends. During Theo's birthday party a few months later, Robin pulled Theo aside and asked about his feelings, which led to them kissing and becoming boyfriends again. Robin is Theo’s current boyfriend, and he’s very in love with him. He plans on doing whatever it takes to keep him this time. 

[thisaintascenereviews]

Thy Art Is Murder - Godlike

Thy Art Is Murder has had a very interesting couple of weeks, haven’t they? The Australian deathcore band has had a really prosperous decade, with releasing sophomore album Hate in 2012, and catapulting into deathcore fame. While their popularity has waned a bit since, they still have that legendary status, thanks to that record. I’ve enjoyed most of their work, but their last LP, 2019’s Human Target, was almost paint-by-numbers deathcore that didn’t offer anything new, despite still being solid enough. Well, the band was slated to release their newest LP, Godlike, on September 15th, but they randomly announced they were delaying it a week. Weeks before that, vocalist CJ MacMahon posted some very transphobic things that he didn’t quite apologize for, and the band first made a very weak apology to that, only to make a much better apology a few days later. I guess they realized that wasn’t enough, so on September 22nd, they announced that the reason they were delaying the album a week is because they fired MacMahon and got on a vocalist (first unnamed, but now they’ve started playing shows and it’s Aversions Crown vocalist Tyler Miller, but that got the metal world fired up in a few different ways.

Some people were angry with the band for firing him over “free speech,” and then replacing him with next to no warning, but other people were mad at MacMahon for saying that he wasn’t going to apologize, and that led the band to fire him. It seemed like there was a lot more to the story, as the band said that was the final straw, but the drama isn’t the point of this review. Personally, though, I think it’s good the band kicked him out. We have no room for transphobes, even if Ronnie Radke stood up on his defense and wants to “boycott Thy Art Is Murder.” Anyone would be a better vocalist than CJ, just as long as they aren’t transphobic pieces of trash, but I digress.

Godlike is a very unfortunate title for this album, because that immediately has great expectations for this album, which it doesn’t completely reach. That should be obvious, but here’s the thing with Godlike — it has some incredible moments that make this album one of my favorites of the year, and I never thought I’d say that about a Thy Art Is Murder album. I don’t listen to a lot of deathcore these days, because of how incessantly “brutal” the genre has gotten, but Godlike reminds me of the heyday of the genre, where all that mattered were sick breakdowns, cool riffs, and a good vocalist with some range (Miller is a very good vocalist, and while he doesn’t do anything different or out of the ordinary for what a deathcore vocalist should do, he proves that MacMahon isn’t as good as people think). Godlike has all of that, and a lot of the album is really awesome, especially with album opener “Destroyer Of Dreams” that has a really cool riff running throughout it, and Miller’s vocals are monstrous. Songs like “Join Me In Armageddon” or “Keres” have awesome breakdowns that I can’t get enough of, and it shows the best qualities of the genre, all the while without feeling boring or stale. This album is only 40 minutes, and it feels like it’s the perfect length in that respect.

Some of this album feels like the best qualities of deathcore and some of the more bland, albeit in a solid enough way. This album isn’t really anything special, minus a few blackened passages, crushing breakdowns, and some really cool guitar solos, but that’s not quite a bad thing, either. If you’re a sucker for this sound, you’ll enjoy it a lot, but if you want a little something more from the genre, you may be disappointed. Personally, the album rules, warts and all, because it reminds me a lot of what I love about the genre, especially having a more stripped down sound that takes it back to basics, instead of trying to be as brutal as possible, and that’s all I need. Yeah, it isn’t revolutionary, but there’s nothing wrong with that, either. For all the moments that are relatively generic (yet they’re still pretty good, all things considered), there are some truly awesome moments that genuinely surprised me. I’d say check this out if you want a sick deathcore record that does what it does well, and throwing in a few surprising curveballs along the way that elevate the album a bit.

[kurthorton-moving]

He thinks maybe this is the last straw, maybe there’s no good way out of this. His parents had never been secretive about what a problem it was when people learned about their secrets, had always led with fear when it came to keeping Kurt in line. He’s oblivious, really, to the way things really are. To the world outside, to the horrors he’s truly experienced. It’s so easy for him to assume that this is just how it is, that this is what parents are like. Maybe his are a little heavy handed, but he never imagines that what’s going on is wrong, never thinks that his parents are monsters. He’s terrified of them, but as far as he knows that’s just how everyone is with their parents.

The fact that neighbours called worries him slightly, mind racing with just how loud it must’ve gotten for them to call paramedics. He knows they must have heard plenty of noise in the past, the thought that this was the time that they finally acted almost making it click in Kurt’s mind that this isn’t something simply swept under the rug. Bruises are easily hidden, easily explained away. Bloodied gashes not so much.

He prepares himself for pain, for the worst possible outcome. Some part of him knows that cleaning the wound is important, that it’s not going to be the worst part of the process and even if it was it would be necessary. But even so, he’s bracing himself for whatever comes. In truth, though he’d never admit it, he’s more afraid that it won’t hurt. He’s more afraid of what happens if he’s treated gently, cared for. He doesn’t know how to deal with that, how to process it. It’s never been an option.

Stomach drops at the message that comes across the radio, mind racing at what could be outside. But he already knows, he doesn’t have to think about it. The quiet sounds of bustling people, the way it gets louder as TK reaches the window, the history he has of people getting in his business. Heart starts pounding as he thinks about how his parents would react to the cameras, about what story they’d be spinning, trying to work out if his story would contradict theirs, leaving the situation appearing far worse than it was. Oblivious to his parents position in the back of a cop car, oblivious to the fact that the trapped feeling that rises in his chest is the first signs of freedom.

TK returns to his side, somewhere between a comforting presence and a source of anxiety. He can’t imagine his parents letting a paramedic in to find him, but that doesn’t soothe him at all. Maybe they were too busy with the cameras, maybe they let him in to make themselves look better. That would still come with consequences later, especially if their stories don’t match up, but at least for right now it meant Kurt got some medical attention for once. “How bad is it? Is— Can my parents handle it? I can’t— I can’t face that like this.”

A look crosses his face, gaze dropping to his leg, as if only just realising how hurt he is. It’s only just processed for him that if he can’t stand and move on his own now then there’d be no chance that he could bounce back and do gymnastics any time soon. He can’t just spring back into his career, would have to take time to heal, have to rest and relax. Not that he ever really lets himself do that, always pushing himself past his limits. Gaze returns to TK, attempt made to hide how frantic he feels. “How long does it.. How long does it take for this stuff to heal? Is it quick?”

This was not the first kid to wind up like this. TK was a professional in the field, his job here was not to be upset by evidence he had seen more than once before. He opened his mouth just marginally, a parting of lips that got nowhere, then swallowed and blinked two or three times through the controlled exhale, righting himself again. There was work to do here that was his job, and whatever else he thought had happened in this house was beside the point. 

He reached gloved hands, gentle, to assess the injury Kurt had been trying to stitch up. It was slippery with deep red blood, but not gushing, so maybe not as deep or as bad as it looked. He’d need to clean it up to be sure there wasn’t debris in there, the lay of the cut too rough to have been a clean slice of a blade. 

“Your neighbours called us.” This was true. “I’m gonna clean the wound, okay? I don’t know what’s caught in there, it won’t heal well if there’s still stuff inside.” He’d warn him it would sting when they got up to that part. They weren’t there, yet.  

“TK?” The radio at his shoulder. TK’s hands were busy collecting wipes and saline to irrigate Kurt’s leg, but he listened anyway, because Captain Vega’s tone promised something more: “Keep him away from the windows.” 

One beat. Two. What was happening on the ground, outside? The noise had been increasing since they’d arrived, that was true, but nothing beyond a general murmur. TK looked at Kurt, injured and unable to stand himself to be able to see outside, and then - because TK wasn’t deliberately withholding anything, he was just curious - TK stood to cross to the only window in this little room, peering onto the street below. 

The moment he appeared in the window he knew this had been a mistake. Cameras flashed; the news crews (multiple) on the street pulled forward as though the blood on TK’s gloved hands was worth filming; they were here before they, the paramedic team, had identified this was a scene which might need media control, so the PD who had arrested the kid’s parents were doing what they could to manage and cordon off a busy scene with only two officers and arrestees in the back of their squad car. 

TK stepped away from the window. “Roger that, Cap.” 

Who was this kid? He’d passed trophies on his way in, and honestly not thought much of them beyond the fact they were not the injured, bleeding person he had been following a blood-and-general-destruction trail towards. He sqautted back beside the kid, back to work. 

“You’re Kurt, right?” a name provided by the neighbours, to despatch. “You’re pretty popular.” Not said without apology, but TK wasn’t going to lie to him about what was downstairs. 

@camptw1nk

[bubbledumbbinch]

I really like your smut writing! So can I please request some spicy headcanons for Floyd, Epel, Riddle and Idia with a fem s!o who surprises them by sending a nudes? How would they react? Thank you^^

Aaa thank you so much!!! I’m p new to this writing/requests thing so I’m really glad you like it! :’)

Warnings: light degradation on Riddle’s part

A/N: this piece of writing is purely 18+. Minors do not interact

NSFW below the cut

Floyd Leech x Fem!Reader

You and Floyd are practically inseparable. You spend so much time together that you feel so sad and empty when he’s gone doing something else!

So when Floyd has work at the lounge or basketball practice, who can blame you when you say you felt a bit lonely? You decide to send your lovely eel boyfriend some photos back in your bedroom while you’re alone.

The body parts you decide to send photos of are your breasts and ass, specifically the parts Floyd loves to squeeze! Well, he loves to squeeze all of you, but he favors those because you make some really cute noises when he does it!

Floyd would take one look at his cell phone, immediately drop everything he’s doing and come find you. If he was working at the lounge then he would drop his tray. If he were at basketball practice he would just straight up leave. His stuff would still be there LOL.

He would definitely be rough with you (as if he isn’t normally) and remove any clothing you had on, if you still had any on, and fuck you multiple times for sending those photos to him while he was away! Don’t you know how much he missed you already?

Floyd pays special attention to use his hands to squeeze your breasts, nipples, or ass with his fingers while he’s ramming his cock deep in your cunt, his head kissing your cervix with each thrust.

It hadn’t even been 3 minutes after you clicked ‘send’ on those photos for Floyd. He didn’t even respond to you, which had you feeling a bit sad. Usually he replied within the minute! You covered your naked form up loosely with the white sheet, which accentuated your body shape even while draped with it.

“Shrimpyyy~” an eerily sweet voice called out in the hallways leading up to your room, leaving you with goosebumps. Suddenly your door burst open and Floyd was standing there, obvious tent in his pants.

“Hi Floyd…” you called out to him. Floyd’s eyes widened and his smile grew large. “You look like a siren Shrimpy…. you’re making me wanna squeeeeze you~” The eel merman closed the distance between you and ripped the sheet off your body, exposing you completely.

Epel Felmier x Fem!Reader

Epel would probably be busy with Vil, learning how to use some new product Vil was promoting soon.

Epel hears a ding on his phone saying you texted him but ignores it since Vil is trying to lecture him. He will definitely get back to you soon! If it was urgent you would call him.

Once Vil is finished with him, Epel finally returns to his room, and opens your text. He definitely doesn’t expect to see you scantily clad in a lavender set of lingerie!!!

Y/N: “Hey my favorite farmboy~ I know you’re probably busy right now but I bought this while I was thinking about you. I’m getting hungry, and I would love to have an apple in my mouth right now. Come over soon~”

Epel gulps down and feels his cock starting to harden in his pants. A part of him just wants to video call you and have phone sex but another part of him wants to ravage you in person!

He would definitely be happy he opened that text in his room!!! Vil didn’t need to see Epel getting so worked up over this.

“I’m on my way now.” He sends the text quickly.

Epel would remove any bits of makeup on his face before heading over to your dorm, bringing over some snacks. Beads of sweat were already starting to build on his face as he enters and heads toward your room.

When he finally gets there, he’s sweet at first when it comes to foreplay and kisses, but you want to see his real side and he wants to show it to you too! Epel would roughly slap your ass and fuck you doggystyle, while you’re screaming out his name, lingerie thrown on the floor along with his own clothes.

“Y/N..?” Epel knocks on your door and opens it, peeking around to see you in bed. “Come here, Epel. I’ve been waiting for a while now, and I want to see how well this set matches with your hair, preferably with your head between my legs~?” You finally used your pointer finger to beckon for him to come closer, in which he quickly did. The boy didn’t hide the way his eyebrows quirked in determination as he smiled eagerly. He knelt down and pulled your panties off, shoving his tongue into your leaking hole.

Riddle Rosehearts x Fem!Reader

Riddle was a changed person after his incident when you were still a new student. You grew to love him and it ultimately led to you two being in a relationship!

Riddle was always very gentle with you when it came to being intimate, you often wanted him to be a bit rougher with you but he said “it wouldn’t be chivalrous”.

You decide to take matters into your own hands by building up tension - you start breaking rules here and there. Riddle would forgive you at first but once he noticed how often you did it, his face would turn red and his voice would raise, yet he still forgave you!

You decide to send a photo of yourself in his bedroom, dressed in a red babydoll lingerie set, your body spread out on his sheets. If you’re bold, you also take pictures with his crown atop your head, showing off the way your nipples perked in the set.

Y/N: “Riddle my dear~, I’ve been so bad. You know it, and I know it. Why don’t you come over here and punish me?”

This was the final straw - your punishment starts now. He’s forgiven your rule breaking so easily because he had a soft spot for you! But you knew this whole time you were breaking rules?!

Riddle storms in a few minutes after sending you many texts in all caps. Once he really sees you sprawled out so seductively on his bed, he can’t help but let his face go red as he swallows a lump in his throat.

His mixture of anger and arousal showed quite freely when he was fucking you into his bed, spewing light degradations towards you while teasing you for being such a whore.

Riddle hikes your leg up onto his shoulder, using it as a leverage to hit a new angle inside your already abused cunt. “So, you really were trying to break those rules on purpose, my rose?” Riddle panted while smirking down at your squealing form. “And then you come into my room while I’m not here, pose so lewdly on my bed, wearing that? I guess you are a dirty slut.” Riddle chuckled darkly, still fucking against your pussy. His grip on your leg tightened. “Say it. Tell me you’re a dirty slut, and maybe I’ll consider forgiving you…”

Idia Shroud x Fem!Reader

Idia… this guy lives his life digitally, he likes texting you frequently, and sometimes he still gets nervous seeing you in person, as your boyfriend!

One day he wasn’t texting you back, which had to mean he was PROBABLY busy gaming.

You decide to surprise him by getting into a cosplay of a character that you both liked. The costume was already a bit revealing but you decided to take it to the next level by sending upskirt pictures that accentuated your butt, and even shots of your panties being soaked under the skirt!

When Idia opened his texts, the photos of you flooded his screen and he screeched, shutting it off before Ortho could wonder what was wrong! “O-Ortho, could you please patrol the hallways right now? I just f-found out I have to do something. A-and,” the blue haired boy stuttered. “Feel free to start up conversations with the dorm members, for as long as you want, okay?” Ortho of course happily agreed and practically flew out of the room.

I can see Idia either calling you to come over or he would want to video call you and watch you bring yourself to orgasm.

Seeing you in those clothes though, I would imagine him reaalllyy wanting you to come over, though.

Idia called your phone and you could hear his shaky breath starting to talk. “Y-Y/N, could you nnh- come over, please? And, m-maybe wear a jacket over yourself, I want to see you wearing that outfit here, please…”

Once you get to Idia’s room, he pulls you eagerly in an embrace, and you feel his hard cock poking your stomach through his pants.

Idia loves to watch you bounce on his cock while you’re wearing the same exact cosplay in the photos!

“Aanh- Y/N-shi…” Idia covered his face with the sleeve of his shirt. His cheeks were radiating heat and his eyes were glazed over with pleasure. The skirt you wore was hiked up to your waist, shirt on the floor along with your bra. “Mm, Idia~ it feels so good, I’m so haaah, so close..!” You could only whimper out, feeling yourself clench around his cock. “C-cumming!!” He pulled you down into a kiss in which you both moaned into as you milked his hot cum into your greedy hole.

[lovesupernova25]

okay, so... the new episode came out and i was sucked back into tss against my will. sorry to everyone who followed me for dsmp stuff 😅. buuuuuuuut- that means it’s time for another character analysis!

So I want to talk about Remus.

There’s been a lot of theorizing about Logan’s character development and the orange side (which i am super excited for!!) but i haven’t seen that many posts discussing Remus’s role in this last episode, which I think was a LOT more important than we all realized.

Here’s the thing: Remus is smarter than he looks. We haven’t gotten to see much of this before now- I mean, sure, he had like an entire 45 minutes devoted solely to him, but that was just the introduction. There’s clearly a lot more to Remus than he lets on, and we got a bit of that in WTIT. Now this episode was great for a lot of reasons, but especially because it started to answer a question i’ve had since DWIT-- what is Remus’s purpose? He’s intrusive thoughts, yes. But that isn’t why he exists. Every side has a certain job to fulfill, all of which help thomas in some way. For example, Virgil’s title is anxiety, but his purpose is to keep Thomas safe.

So what is Remus really trying to accomplish? If we just look at DWIT, it seems like all he’s trying to do is hurt thomas. But that can’t be right- it seems the only common factor between the sides is that they all want to help thomas as much as possible (though they have very different ideas of what ‘help‘ is). So how does Remus help thomas? Lets look at what he does.

Probably the most beneficial thing Remus has done is get Logan to snap at him. Why? Because Logan ‘I do not have emotions and everything will be fine if i simply ignore them’ Sanders needed that. And Remus knew this. He also— because it’s his job--knew exactly what buttons to push to get get to Logan’s breaking point. He knows that Logan is feeling ignored- which already makes him a lot more perceptive than any of the others seem to be.

Here’s the thing: A problem can’t be solved until it’s addressed.

So what’s Remus’s purpose? What has he done?

Remus is honesty. That’s not his title, no, but that’s his purpose. To get Thomas to be honest with himself. Remus takes all the nasty, slimy, twisted parts of everyone that they’ve all preferred to just shove under the rug and he brings them to the light. He pokes and prods and needles until they have no choice but to address their problems, and, consequently... fix them.

And here’s the thing! WTIT isn’t the first time Remus has done this. Remember when he first appeared? Remember all those little comments toward Virgil, pushing his buttons and dropping subtle hints that left everyone else confused?

Remus was the tipping point, the last straw that led to Virgil finally telling thomas about his past. And Remus knew this. Sure, it was awful, and there was definitely a better way get Virgil out of his shell—but it eventually led to what we saw in the first asides. Thomas let Virgil know that they were still friends, and it was okay. They were okay, despite a rocky history.

I‘m sure Virgil himself would’ve preferred never to tell thomas— but they couldn’t have truly moved on and worked through other problems if he hadn’t.

I‘m almost certain the same thing is going to happen with Logan being ignored, and whoever the orange side turns out to be.

Remus is working for Thomas’s benefit, even if it’s hard to see.

[lord-explosion-baku]

Regret Duet

Pro Hero!Bakugou x fem!reader

Warnings: smut, angst, betrayal, tears, strong language, post-break up, semi-public sex

A/N: this is a song I like to call Katsuki Bakugou is my favorite character to hurt. MINORS DNI. DO NOT REPOST MY WORK WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!!

“…what happened to us?”

That’s the question Katsuki Bakugou knows isn’t supposed to be brought up, but for the past hour of catching up (if he can even call it that), it’s been burning his tongue, begging to be asked. He has to ask. Because maybe the question hasn’t been driving him crazy for only an hour. Maybe the question has been plaguing him all these years since your disappearance. It’s only by coincidence that you—you, the girl-now-woman who Bakugou would’ve laid down his life for—appeared at the hotel bar at the place he’s supposed to be patrolling. After circling around a few times to make sure it really was you, and after he fought off the cotton forming in his mouth, he’d finally taken the seat next to you.

“It took you long enough,” you’d said, and it’d blown his mind. Those were the first five words he’d heard from you in four years.

Since then, chit-chat has been friendly, if not incredibly vague. When asked where you’ve been, you’d shrugged, and with little interest, listed places such as South Korea, India, and Thailand. When asked if you’ve seen anybody the two of you used to know, you had scoffed.

That had been the catalyst to get you talking, but since then you’ve diverted the conversation into what Bakugou has been up to. Which has been the shitty part of finding you. Everyone knows what Bakugou’s been doing. He’s a high ranking hero, he’s got merch, and he’s loved throughout Japan. That’s it. That’s the tea. He hasn’t seriously dated anybody if that was what you’ve been wondering. He hopes you did wonder. He hopes you’ve thought about him as much as he has thought about you. And that’s what he plans to find out, if only you’ll open up. For the first time in a long time, he doesn’t want to talk about himself.

On the other hand, you’re enjoying yourself. Watching your ex’s ears flame up every time you catch him checking you out, eyeing your smooth and exposed legs, is peak entertainment. He probably hates that he’s found you here wearing one of your best cocktail dresses—the one that hugs you in all the right places. It’s clear that you’ve worn it to grab attention, and if you knew anything about Katsuki Bakugou, he hated it when other men looked at you. He can’t fault you though. You’re not his. Not anymore.

However, after bringing up an inside joke from the past and hearing the hauntingly familiar chimes of your laughter, Bakugou couldn’t help but think why not? Why aren’t you his anymore? These prodding thoughts are what led him to ask the question to begin with.

The time it takes you to answer him is borderline sadistic. You’re milking his anticipation, swirling your two little straws around the martini glass you haven't taken a sip from—he’s noticed—while humming to yourself. Bakugou wonders if you bought the drink for yourself, or if some other sleazebag tried putting moves on you before he found you. The thought boils his blood.

“You know what happened to us,” you finally say, and there’s no animosity, not even a hint of regret. It’s insipid. It’s heartbreaking. “You chose your job.”

“I didn’t-!” He starts, but you hold up your hand, stopping him from raising his voice. The bartender looks at you and strikes the classic is-this-guy-bothering-you pose, which you appreciate since nearly anybody else would see that it’s Dynamight sitting in a barstool and look the other way.

“Don’t get excited,” you say, “but don’t you remember that day? I basically gave you an ultimatum.” You roll your eyes. “I was so dramatic back then.”

“Of course I remember…” Bakugou murmurs. That day was and is a literal nightmare. You, crying, packing your bags, using your quirk to have inanimate objects attack him. Despite the morose feeling washing over him, he smiles when he says, “you had your hairdryer chase me around the condo.”

“That was a good hairdryer.” You sniff and Bakugou actually chuckles. He’d blown it to bits.

“None of that shit had to happen,” he says after a moment of contemplation. He watches his gloved fists clench and unclench, thanking the stars that the tip the agency got about some sort of heist going down at the hotel tonight turned out to be bunk. “If we’d just sat down and talked…”

“There was nothing left to talk about, Katsuki. I wanted to work on our future, and you wanted to work on your future.”

“My future is our future,” Bakugou says without thinking. Is. Was. He doesn’t correct himself. He doesn’t want to. “I’ve been working on becoming a hero since I was a kid, and—“

“—and that’s valid. Listen, I’m not claiming to be the victim here. I was selfish and tired of being left alone. You had priorities and I wasn’t one of them.”

The snap of Bakugou’s molars can be heard across the room. Not a priority. A fucking blind person could see how much he cherished you, and only you. He knows that for a while, he’d put work first, but that had been to benefit the both of you in the end. Even then, he’d spent months after you left regretting doing that, because it ultimately drove you away from him. But it’d only been temporary. If you hadn’t left, the two of you would be happily married, in love, and prospering together.

Through clenched teeth, he utters, “I put that rock on your finger, didn’t I?”

The twist in your lips is maddening. Bakugou can’t tell if your expression is hurt, or angry, or sardonic. You don’t say anything. Fucking hell, he’s a razor’s edge away from grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking the words out of you. He remembers those tearful eyes, the ultimatum…how he’d failed to move fast enough.

Instead of grabbing you, Bakugou whispers, “I don’t want to fight with you…”

“Oh. I didn’t realize this was a fight!” You half-laugh, and it’s baffling how you’re not the least bit affected by this conversation. “Jeez, how am I supposed to take on the pro-hero Hot-shot? Go on and cuff me now. We both know that I’m no match for you. Don’t you remember when we used to spar?” You snicker, a suggestible glint lighting your eye. “Remember what you’d do after you got me pinned to the mat?”

Bakugou goes still, and you’re again pleased to see the rosy hue return to his ears. God, he is just too easy.

“It’s uh”—the red floods into his cheeks—“it’s Great Explosion Murder God, Dynamight…”

“I know,” you groan, laughing. “Should’ve gone with Hot-shot!”

“C’mon, you should’ve known it was always gonna be Dynamight. ‘Cause I’m—“

“Dynamite in bed?” You bite your bottom lip, holding in the snarky snicker that’s bound to come out at some point. Rather than reacting abrasively like you expect him to, Bakugou’s eyelids grow heavy. Lust-blown pupils flick down to those lips, then back up to your eyes. “But we both know you have a pretty…hot shot.”

He opens his mouth to speak—to say anything, maybe something equally flirtatious, but a cocky grin and a ‘you know it, princess’ doesn't fit here. It doesn’t hurt you. And in a way, he wants to hurt you. There’s been a dull ache in his chest ever since the day you left, and now you’re sitting here flirting with him like nothing ever happened between the two of you. Would you be doing the same thing to another guy if it hadn't been Bakugou to approach you tonight? That shit isn’t fair.

You should hurt, he decides then and there. You should hurt just like he does.

“I still have the ring,” he says, a low murmur. He averts his gaze and thinks about what he just admitted. He doesn’t want to believe that it’s the wrong move. He doesn’t want to believe that it won’t get to you.

Despite the fact that his gravelly tone strikes at a nerve, you bark out a laugh. “Don’t tell me you wear it around your neck!”

“No.” He shuts that down immediately, but the greater flush that crowds his cheeks hints at a lie.

“Oh, really?” Unceremoniously, you reach out to touch his chest. His hot chest. He’s always been…so warm. Comforting. But you don’t dwell on that. You don’t think about the nights you spent pressed up against that same warmth, or how cozy you’d felt when he would wrap his strong protective arms around you. You don’t think about how happy you used to be. Instead, you yank on the chain that’s undoubtedly tucked against the tight polyester fabric of his hero suit. Your heart falls into your stomach when you see that it’s just some bullshit talisman.

“Could’ve had me fooled,” you say, but it’s more like a thought spoken aloud. Idly, you play with his chain, twirling and untwirling it around your fingers, wondering what you would’ve done, how you would’ve felt if it’d really been the ring he kept close to his heart. Finally, you ask, “why’d you keep it?”

“Because it meant something.”

Meant. Past tense. It would’ve gotten to you if he hadn’t already said that his future is your future.

“Even after I threw it at your head?” You ask, recalling your shining moment. You’d managed to hit him square in the nose with that ring, right before fleeing out the door. Take it back, you’d said. I’ll never want to have anything to do with it or you ever again.

“Even then. Do you remember what I said to you when I proposed?”

“I never thought you’d be so sentimental.” Ignoring the question, you move your hands from his chest to up his neck, then back down towards his pecks, you feel his blush spread down his body as your fingers tip-toe across his skin. There’s a shaky exhale when you spread your palm across his left breast. His heart thumps against your hands, making your own heart give out a tight squeeze. “So, what do you do with it? Gaze at it fondly? Keep it as a reminder that there are crazy bitches in this world? Or are you saving it for the right girl?”

“I already found the right girl,” Bakugou hisses. He wraps his fingers around your wrist, and for a moment, you think he’s going to pry you off of him. Instead, he guides your hand around so your fingertips caress his chest in the same patterns you used to. When he drops his hand, you don’t stop touching him.

“Oh dear!” You feign surprise—or maybe it’s not a facade at all. It’s definitely caught you off guard. You didn’t actually assume he’d use the same ring that had been yours to propose to any other person. And you definitely never thought he’d let another person touch him when he’s spoken for. Floozy. “I had no idea you were dating anybody. Where is she tonight?”

Bakugou tsks. “She walked out on me about four years ago.”

There’s a flash in your eyes, but it’s gone in less than a second. It’s driving Bakugou batshit. He wants to know what you’re thinking. He wants to know what you’re feeling. He wants to know why you have this stupid fucking wall up.

“I said you were my whole fucking world,” he says, tone harsh and too serious. You can tell that he’s answering his own question. Do you remember what I said to you when I proposed? Of course you do. You don’t want to, but he’s not giving you any other choice. “Said I couldn’t picture my life without you. Said that you’d make me the happiest man alive if you stayed by my side forever.”

You’re silent for a long while. All you do is touch him, noting his growth, admiring the layers of muscle that line his arms while your fingertips trickle down to his elbow. Then, very slowly, you pull your hand away, stand, and say, “I think you and I are playing vastly different games tonight, Katsuki Bakugou.”

“What are you saying?” He asks, dreading the feeling that you’re about to leave him. Again.

Shaking your head, you say, “believe it or not, I didn’t put these heels on to have a pleasant conversation with somebody I used to know.”

“So, what?” Bakugou burns. Four years is a long time. He can’t believe you’ve changed this much. The girl that he loved—loves still has to be in there. You’re not invincible, even if you try to be. “If I had a hand up your dress, would you stay here longer?”

“Well, not here,” you say with a pointed nod to the bartender. “I have a room.” You move so that your breasts press against his side, your lips against his ear. His warmth pushes into you like an old friend giving you a hug after a long time away. You ignore it, moving a hand to the nape of his neck, toying his hair like you know he used to love. “We can go there now,” you whisper lowly, enjoying the bob in his Adam’s apple. “We can forget about the past and enjoy tonight.”

This is all fake. He doesn’t know what it is, but you simply can’t see him and not think about the past the two of you shared. You’re not invincible, he thinks again.

“No,” he says with some finality. “I don’t want to.”

Stepping away from him, you jut your chin up at him in some sort of defiant gesture. And that’s all you give him before you start walking towards the elevators. But he doesn’t care for that shit at all, and rather than watch you leave without a proper goodbye, he grabs onto your hand, pulling you back to him.

“Why’d you leave?” He demands, grip vice. You glare at his hands, but he doesn’t let up. “Why didn’t you ever call me?!”

“You didn’t chase after me!” you spit, words like venom. “I ran away and that was all she wrote!”

“I did!” Bakugou admits. “But Jesus, woman, you ever think to give a guy some time after you throw the symbol of his love in his face?! I was fucking devastated, and by the time I finally realized you were really leaving, you were nowhere in sight!”

“Let go!” You say, pulling at your arm with little success.

“I looked everywhere for you,” Bakugou growls, bringing you closer. He wants you to see the desperation in his eyes, feel the desolation he’s felt for four-fucking-years. “I went to your friends, your family. Nobody knew where you were. I’d search the streets day and night! I put posters up! Ads on TV! People thought you were dead! But shame on me, I didn’t go to places like fucking Thailand or South Korea!”

“Katsuki-“ you start, a warning.

“But I would’ve,” he rasps, voice on the edge of breaking. “God knows I fucking would’ve if I’d known you were there. I would’ve found you, begged you to come back. And you know I wouldn’t do that shit for anybody else! I would’ve done anything for you! If only you’d been patient!”

“Well!” You scoff. “That’s one thing about me that hasn’t changed!” You manage to pry your arm away from him and slam your finger on the elevator’s ‘up’ button. It dings immediately, as if it has been waiting for you. Offering Bakugou nothing else besides a scathing glare, you step in. “I have no patience for you.”

The already small elevator seems to shrink when Bakugou steps in. He’s always been this all-consuming presence, but it’s worse now with his size and age. He steps in, and you have no other choice but to back up against the wall.

The air is thick, permeating with tension. The tear trickling down your cheek isn’t left unnoticed. Bakugou raises a hand to wipe it away, but you grab the edge of his gauntlet, stopping him from touching you. He begins to say your name, but he’s cut off by your growl.

“I’m done talking!”

Then fuck it. He won’t talk. He doesn’t have to say anything as long as he can continue seeing you. You, with your wild eyes, and the scowl lacing your brows together. Your bratty face. He’s fond of it. Mostly because your bratty face would always be the facilitator he’d need to crush his lips against yours, turning your sour mood into something else.

So that’s exactly what he does.

One gauntlet falls to the floor before he wraps one of his arms around your waist. He yanks you up against his body, then with the sheer force of his kiss, pushes you back against the elevator wall. You groan into the kiss, and whether it’s from the ferocity of your back hitting the wall, or because you’ve been wanting to do this all night doesn’t matter to Bakugou. He kisses you like he’s starving for it. Hell, he probably is starving for it. It’s been four fucking years since he’s had the pleasure of having his tongue groove against yours. He’s missed the sweetness of your breath, the gentleness of your sigh.

When he pulls away, you pepper kisses along his jaw, down to his neck. While you nibble on his skin, making cute mewling noises when you suck a spot until it’s dark, Bakugou uses his teeth to rid himself of his gloves. If he’s going to touch you, he’s going to touch you. Feel you. Caress you. His skin against yours.

He’s been staring at your legs all damn night, so when he finally gets to press his palms against the meat of your thigh, his cock jumps to attention. Hot and smooth, begging to be groped. He moves his hand up your thigh and is at once delighted and pissed to find that you’re not wearing any panties. When his hand finds your ass, he gives it a tight squeeze and growls, “so this is what you’ve become. Some kind of slut?”

You toss your head back and laugh while your hands reach down to unbuckle his utility belt. “Only if you treat me like one,” you say after his pants drop. Alert, his cock springs out when you tug his boxer-briefs down. You rub your finger over his cockhead, sliding the bead of precum that undoubtedly seeped out down his girth. You squeeze his length and watch his lips turn up into a snarl. Ignoring him, you begin to stroke him, enjoying the throb you feel against your palms.

This is just a tease, because really, you’re only testing the waters, seeing how hard he’s gotten for you. You don’t touch him for him; you touch him for you. Bakugou won’t stand for that shit at all.

He’ll allow himself to be selfish right now. Only in this elevator. Inwardly, he promises to make it up to you, but for now, he grabs your hand and pins it against the wall. His free hand slides back down your leg, smoothing over the goosebumps that appear, then he lifts it up, exposes your core. Sliding his shaft against your slick, he offers nothing but his classic cocky grin, and drives himself into you.

A moan tears out of your throat, your pussy squeezing at the intrusion. Bakugou’s met with only a little resistance. He hasn’t fucked you in a good, long while, and he won’t allow himself to believe that you’ve found anyone as big as he is, so you’re not yet used to his shape. Not like before. Your tightness makes him hiss through his teeth, the edges of his vision blurring.

“God damn it,” he groans as he fills you up. Your unforgiving walls nearly suffocate him while he slowly begins to stretch you out. You’re trying to laugh, but it only comes out in a husky sigh. You try again, but when Bakugou buries his face in the junction of your neck, licking your salty skin, you can only coo.

“Ah! Katsuki!”

“Since you wanna pretend like we don’t know each other,” Bakugou begins, snapping his hips forward to elicit more of those sweet pathetic noises, “you can call me Dynamight.”

“Mmmm, Hot-shot!”

Brat. Bakugou bites down on the junction between your neck and shoulders, and you wail. Pain mixes with pleasure, making your body buzz, and he hasn’t even touched your clit. Fuck, you’ll never admit this aloud, but he doesn’t need to. Your body responds to him like it hasn’t for anybody else, and you want to kick yourself enjoying this brutal form of lovemaking. He’s never been cocky for nothing.

The elevator dings when you land on your floor. Bakugou is quick to slam on the ‘close’ button, never breaking out of his relentless rhythm. He’s fucking you raw, you realize a moment too late, and the thought makes your cunt clamp down on the bastard.

“Fuck,” he groans, right as white hot cum explodes inside of you, lining your pulsing walls. He doesn’t stop pumping though. Instead, he looks at you with an expression so intense, so vehement that you actually shudder. Then, he kisses you, and it’s not any softer than before. This kiss is a claim, an assertion. He’s telling you that tonight, you’re his, and he leaves very little room for you to object.

When he finally pulls out and allows you to fix yourself, he picks his gauntlet up off the floor, and asks, “where the hell is your room?”

The two of you move quickly—you, because Bakugou’s fucking jizz is leaking down your thigh, and him, because he needs to touch more of you. He needs to see more of you.

While you fiddle with your keycard, he’s behind you, kissing the nape of your neck, your shoulder blade. He snakes his arm around your waist, and grabs the uncooperating card away, slides it with ease, and guides you into the room. There’s not another second to spare before he’s tearing down your zipper, pulling your dress down, and ogling your beautiful fucking body.

There are a pair of handcuffs on your nightstand, and when he questions you about them, making a provocative suggestion, you shut it down.

“Those are for when I don’t want to be touched,” you say, and though the thought of you having another man bound to the bed claws at his back, when you say, “I want you to touch me”—he immediately forgets about them.

Aside from the clanking of all of Bakugou’s hero gear falling to the floor, it’s silent while you both hurry to undress each other. He tells you to keep the heels on when he pushes you onto the bed.

“They make you look like a hooker,” he snarks as he pushes your thighs apart.

“Well, your mask is stupid,” you weakly retaliate.

“You always said you thought the mask was sexy,” he shoots back before his tongue slides up your thighs. God damn him for being so hot, all muscles and couldn’t-care-less attitude. This should make hating him easier, but it doesn’t. When you run your hands through the soft spikes of his hair, you remember how he used to soothe you all those times you’ve cried. You remember him letting you pet his hair when you’d start to cheer up. For years, you’ve tried to forget. For years, you’ve tried to hate. As hard as you try, you can’t.

“Sexy…stupid,” you murmur, “same difference.”

Is. Was.

Shame and guilt twist in your stomach while Bakugou gives you pussy little kitten licks. He’s taking his sweet ass time, savoring you as long as he can since he hasn’t tasted you in fucking ages. His tongue dances over your clit, and your hips buck against his face.

“God…Kat, go easy. I’m…really sensitive right now…”

“Oh, yeah?” Bakugou looks up with a smug victorious grin when he sees your frazzled state. His fingers prod your entrance, and he licks his lips as he watches more of himself leak out of that tight little hole. “Afraid I might hurt you, princess? ‘Fraid I might eat you so good you’ll never want another man’s tongue on your perfect fucking cunt?”

He slides his tongue up and down your slit, only to stop to suck your clit, nibble on your lips. His fingers take on a slow coaxing movement. They rub against that spongey spot they’ve been craving to pet all night long. You writhe underneath him, muttering the same thing over and over again. Please, Kat. Please.

“Aww, baby, whatsamatter?” He asks with faux concern, right before placing an opened mouth kiss at your entrance. He tastes you. He tastes himself. And he fucking loves it. So much, in fact, that he can’t stop his tongue from moving around you, washing over you until you’re good and trembling.

The build to your release isn’t a quick one. Rather, it’s something the two of you have been working on since he’d first laid eyes on you. You’d known he was fucking you with his eyes, even when he insisted on catching up first. Now that you think you might want something else, even though you know you shouldn’t, that build-up crashes down with violent retaliation. Your body arches, your hands fisting into Bakugou’s hair, and his confident groans against your pussy making your orgasm hit even harder.

After your ass falls back into the mattress, and you’re stuck there, panting and embarrassed, Bakugou croons, “fucking hell, princess.” He wipes his mouth on his arms before leaning over you. “That was fast.”

“I told you,” you pant, thankful that the lights are out so he can’t see just how embarrassed you are, “I’m really sensitive right now.”

“Didn’t think you meant that sensitive.” He pulls you up so that your back sits flush against his chest. He nuzzles his nose into the back of your head while you very subtly wipe a tear off on the mattress. Memories from your past come flooding back to you. You try to suppress them, but when he forces you on the back, and he towers over you, you can see that he, too, has a storm in his eyes.

He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to. But he does kiss you, and this time, he is softer. Languid strokes of his tongue coax your mouth to part, and now when he touches you, they are loving caresses, little squeezes of affirmation. For only a moment, he’s able to forget the anguish you’ve put him through. However, when the tears that fall from his face mix in with yours, one of his heartstrings snaps, and he can’t stop himself from slamming his fist down on the mattress, letting out a tiny explosion.

“Bitch,” he croaks.

“I know.”

Neither of you stop crying until he’s inside of you again. Then he’s rough and cocky and more-or-less himself. He says things like, “you better not be getting tired yet. I’m just getting started,” and, “I’m gonna ruin this pretty pussy for any other man”—while you oblige him as much and for as long as you can.

The two of you spend hours making up for lost time, though it will never be enough. You’re singing the regret duet until the both of you are wiped out, falling into one another’s embrace. He holds you tightly until he starts to snooze. He holds you in a way that suggests he’s afraid that if he lifts a finger, you’ll float away. The only floating you do, however, is in your head when you walk about the room to do a little cleaning up, until you crawl back into bed with your ex-fiancé who’s none the wiser.

During the blackest part of the night, the hotel begins to shake. Bakugou is the first to wake, or he would be if you’d ever fallen asleep. He’s groggy and exhausted, murmuring questions, while you shush him, holding onto his arm to suggest that you’re scared. Another blast, a bigger one, completely snaps Bakugou out of his sleep stupor.

The informant hadn’t been wrong about some hotel heist.

He curses and rushes out of bed. His pants are the easiest to find, but he yells for his gauntlets. You pull the covers around your neck and glare.

“Don’t,” you say when he finally looks at you. “Don’t go.”

Bakugou gives you an incredulous expression, then his heart softens a bit when he sees that there are still tears in your eyes.

“This isn’t like that.” His voice still crackly with sleep. He moves over to your side of the bed, dipping down to his knees to say, “I’m not choosing my job. I’m going to be back.”

“You are,” you accuse, balling your hands into fists to stop from shaking. I need to do this, you tell yourself. “It’ll always be like this. I knew it, I just thought…”

“You’re wrong,” he growls. “Please, princess, if there’s a chance that we can start over, if we can be together, I swear on my goddamn life, you will be my top priority. But people’s lives could be at stake right now. I need to do my job.”

You shake your head. “It’ll be just like before.”

“Can we please talk about this when I get back. Baby, I”—he pulls back the covers in hopes to grab your hand, to beg you to give him a fucking chance, but then he freezes—“why are you wearing clothes?”

“Katsuki,” you breathe, more tears falling down your cheeks. You reach up to place the palm of your hand against his cheek, then guide him closer. “Kiss me,” you say, “just kiss me.”

He does as he’s told, still very aware of the calamity he hears downstairs. He needs to get down there, but, as awful as it is, he can’t just leave you thinking he won’t do everything in his power to have you and keep you in his arms. So, he kisses you, one long passionate goodbye to hold you over until he gets back. He’ll make it up to you in every way that he can.

This’ll be a quickie, he thinks, buncha sore hotel robbers. Easy peasy.

He stays confident until he hears the click. Then he feels the cool smoothness of metal tightening around his wrist. He’s only confused for five seconds, and those five seconds are the time it takes for you to spring out of bed, moving as far away from him as possible.

“This was fun,” you say, gathering a bag, as well as some other bullshit he should have seen when he first got into the room, “great catching up with you, Hot-shot!”

“You,” he begins to say, anguish and betrayal drying his throat. It really is sad. If you hadn’t been sure he would blast you to space, you would’ve given him a farewell kiss. But you’re not an idiot, so you say no more and hurry out the door.

You take the stairs, not only because it’ll get you out of the building faster, but if Bakugou finds his gauntlets, you know he’ll be barreling down with you. You hadn’t hid them in a tough spot, though we wish you had, because in a matter of melts you hear the sound of the top story door blasting off, and Bakugou’s incessant yelling. Some things never change.

But you’ve been given a good enough headstart, so when you’re running through the lobby, Bakugou is a long distance away. You have enough time to find the truck that’s blown a hole in the side of the building, and hoist yourself up with the rest of your team, along with the important shit that they took.

Bakugou erupts into the lobby, and spots you immediately, meters away. You’re inside a cargo truck, and next to you is some crusty-looking man wearing an ugly ass jacket. The man sneers at Bakugou before wrapping an arm around your waist. He’s about to blast this jagoff to hell, when said jagoff points at the reception desk. There are four or five attendants bundled near it, each with their hands covering their necks, shaking. A green blast erupts from above, and the light fixtures hanging around come barreling down. Bakugou has no choice but to leap in to save them, blowing the lights away with one strong blast. Glass and debris cut at his face, which is exactly why should always wear his ‘stupid’ mask.

He’ll mention that the next time he sees you. There will have to be a next time, because someone on your truck must have some kind of portal quirk. You’re blowing him a kiss while the truck, now too far away, drives into an unknown location.

He kicks at some plaster before going to check to see if everyone is okay. Nobody had been seriously injured, thank fuck.

Bakugou would call himself an idiot, but that would be an understatement. He’s not going to waste his energy on feeling sorry for himself. As soon as he’s able to clear the hotel, he’s gonna get to work. Because he’d meant it when he’d said his future is your future. He’s going to find you. And when he does, you won’t slip away. The two of you are destined to meet again. To be together. He’d seen it in your tears. And he’d learned his lesson. He’d already lost you once. He’s not going to lose you again.

[evandstuff]

I’m gonna add more to this, since I’ve had time to sleep on it and think about it. Let me start off by saying these are just my opinions and they’re not meant to piss anyone off.

I’m only going to mention the Ted and Rebecca relationship, since I fully enjoyed the rest of the episode. (I do think Beard deserves better than Jane, but they seem to really thrive on their toxic relationship so, whatever.)

Ted didn’t deserve Rebecca. Let me say that again, as someone who once shipped them. Ted didn’t deserve Rebecca. Let me explain why I say that.

Throughout season 3, we see that Rebecca is continuing to grow and move forward. She’s realizing just how toxic Rupert was and why she’s better off without him. She’s realizing Roy is right, she needs to be with someone that deserves her. Ted, on the other hand, is continually reversing. Sassy even tells him the reason she won’t take their flings further is because he’s a mess and not ready for it. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but she’s right. We later see him having a meltdown over Michelle and Dr. Jacob, and though I understand why, he can’t move past it. He simply can’t let her go. Though the end of the episode leaves it open to did they or didn’t they get back together, I lean towards Ted and Michelle being back as a couple based on what we were given.

When Rebecca pours her heart out to Ted in the finale, as others have pointed out, he seems very cold towards her. It honestly seems very out of character for him. But it’s his way of shutting her down because he is so hyper-fixated on getting back to Henry…which we realize later isn’t the only reason.

Rebecca realizes that AFC Richmond is her family and though she’s ready to sell it all and move on, that would have been a huge mistake. AFC Richmond is part of her future. It’s a place that she and Ted cultivated into a supportive group that changes lives, including their own. I’m not going to say Ted didn’t deserve that because he certainly did, but he wasn’t ready for it.

This brings me to why Matthijs/Dutch guy ends up being better for her, even though we don’t get enough about him for it to seem right to others. I get it. What I also get is that he was Dutch!Ted, but unlike Ted, he was ready and willing to give a relationship with Rebecca a go. He obviously had feelings for her and yes, he was much more deserving of Rebecca because he wasn’t stuck in his past. Hell, he’s even the last straw of Rebecca getting over Rupert if you think about it. By the time Rupert tried to kiss her later, she had already been well over him.

The sad truth is that even though Ted was a kind soul who brought joy to those around him, sometimes good people make bad choices. He deserved to be with his son AND chosen family, but clearly that didn’t happen. He couldn’t put the past behind him and couldn’t realize Kansas was no longer his home. It’s a cruel twist, and yet unfortunately realistic.

And this is where I yell out that the glass half full is that it’s been set up for Rebecca to take Ted’s place as the supporter and encourager of the team, and Keeley is right there with her (and of course Higgins!!!). If I had to choose between a spin-off with my two favorite characters vs Ted and Rebecca getting together - get ready for it - I, too, would have sacrificed the latter. I just wouldn’t have led people on about it. I don’t care that the cast and writers told us it wasn’t happening, they left the breadcrumbs that people picked up on and that’s not the fault of the fans.

So yeah. I’m gonna need my Rebecca Welton and Keeley Jones and Leslie Higgins spin-off where they also manage the women’s football team or whatever. I’m going to need to see more CFO Barbara, Roy Kent, and Jamie Tartt. I want to see more of Mae and the lovely characters at her bar that we’ve all come to know and love. At the end of the day this is MY AFC family, and I swear the show set that up in the end. The problem is there’s no guarantee of a spin-off and it wasn’t worth nuking the main character.

This has been a Rebecca Welton is with someone who actually wants to be with her supremacy post. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. It’s been real. 🎤

I have cried so much over my little kicky ball show. :’) Though it didn’t all go the way I would have liked, I’m glad that it ended on a happy note. This also leaves the door open for a certain spin-off, and I’m sticking by it and all for it!