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cinnamonest · 3 years ago

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You know when it comes to Yanderes I'm pretty lenient. Like, yeah you can tie me up to bed and make me never speak to other people again, just don't be boring and I'll be fine, i certainly won't appreciate the murdering of my close ones but it's kind of unavoidable sometimes with them.. no matter how much you convince them that you love only them it's not gonna be enough and they'll still be jealous... and if there's absolutely nothing i can do about it, then might as well accept it. If anything, if you have a pretty face, or just... pretty in general.. then i might not complain at all, you know what i mean?? 😝😆

But. As lenient as i am.. There's this one thing. The only thing that I'm absolutely terrified of is the thing we call pregnancy. Absolutely terrifies me. A-and much to my dismay, i can tell that most of genshin men (hell all of them) probably have a raging breeding kink and i certainly can't stop that😔🥲

So! If you don't mind answering, how do you think genshin men will react to a darling who has massive Tokophobia, which is, indeed a fear of pregnancy and childbirth? Like, full-on breakdowns about it and probably even slewer-side attempts, so it's not easy to ignore at all

(also i really really like your blog, thank you for posting and feeding my deranged brain💕💕)

Ahhh yes same honestly, the thought of it irl freaks me out so much I hope I never get pregnant 😓😓 Also, !REMINDER! to all that when it comes to fears, insecurities and stuff like that, I write it being handled very poorly on their part, often manipulative and controlling or making the problem worse, rather than actual good comfort, due to the nature of my writing. I'm just always cautious in case to make sure people know that before reading especially newer followers who might not know. If someone wants like true fluff comfort, this is probably not the place to go 😅 Our boys are toxic and awful <3

Pretty much all of these have themes of forced impreg/pregnancy, toxicity, guilting/shaming etc so it's below a cut. Also some graphic/crude descriptions of things being joked about that may be bothersome depending on severity of your sensitivity.

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There are some that handle it well, namely Venti. Venti would be so sweet about it, he's very non opinionated on the matter so he'll just kinda go with what you want. He doesn't need anything but you, so he's perfectly happy as it is and would never verbally try to pressure you into it.

The only issue, you see, is that your insides feel amazing and it's like, super duper hard to pull out or wear protection of any kind. And while he tries to, sometimes he just... forgets. He can't really afford meds of any kind, so... it may turn out to be an issue nonetheless. In which case he really does try to be comforting, and thankfully he's rather good with words... but really, he tries to be distracting. You can't be worried if you're not thinking about it! So basically he puts a ton of effort into taking your mind off the matter entirely, making you think about anything else, which is more of less trying to be avoidant, which he can only manage for so long. He's bad at managing panic attacks, because it just makes him start to panic, too, but he really does try.

Kaeya is fine with it, namely because he has a lot of... negative thoughts regarding the idea himself. Sure, having a kid wouldn't be bad per se, but the thought of you putting so much time and energy and affection into something that isn't him, right in front of him, starts to get under his skin. He's one of the most likely of our boys to actually kinda avoid it entirely... not in a way that would force him to give up pleasure or anything, no, it would have to be hormonal medication for you to take or something like that. He takes good care of you, so it's only fair!

However, should you get pregnant anyway, he's not the best at comforting you about it, namely because he's actually panicking a bit too, and frankly, he knows full well there is no way to comfort you that wouldn't be a blatant lie because, to be honest, he has no idea what to do. He can't get anyone to help, he doesn't trust someone to help him and not go to authorities about the situation. It's not like he can just so would you by chance know how to assist birth haha to a coworker at random, either. Expect a lot of nervousness on his part, which will inevitably make it a lot worse for you by extension. ...Nervousness about how this will affect him and how he'll lose a lot of your attention, of course.

He pretends to be fully confident to dismiss your worries, though, in an effort to try and seem put-together in hopes it'll make you less worried. Nah, it's not a big deal, really! You can't help but notice he seems to move around a lot and avoid eye contact whenever it comes up.

Kazuha... is somewhere in the middle. He's so sweet! He's comforting and reassuring and calm. He understands. Everyone is afraid of something! He goes on with the comfort for a while actually, telling you he totally gets it and he will always support you, it's not your fault, he understands why you'd be afraid.

...It's not until several minutes in you realize, of all the comforting words, he hasn't outright said he's okay with you not having kids, though. Just that he loves you, supports you, will always be there to help you get through it.

So after a minute you finally gather some courage and outright ask so it's okay if we don't right? And then you see his eyes widen, his soft smile falls. Oh... you mean you... don't want to? He thought you were just saying you were scared, which was hard to deal with considering obviously you want him to put a baby in you. After all, that's the natural way love works, so if you didn't want his babies, you must not love him... but you do love him, right? He asks you with a grip on your shoulders so firm and eyes so unblinkingly wide and empty you know far better than to say no. Okay, so if you love him, it shouldn't be an issue right? Because if you love him, you want to. He can't comprehend how you wouldn't. He would push through any fear for your sake... of course, he trusts you would do the same for him... the thought that you might not want them, and thereby don't love him, does linger in the back of his mind and bother him for a while, but he tells himself that's just more of a reason to get you knocked up sooner. That way you'll realize how much you want it, and then he can help you get over this fear of yours.

Xingqiu is also pretty in the middle, but pretty annoying about it because he has read exactly one (1) book on pregnancy and believes he is the Expert™ and knows more than you. On the bright (?) side, you will actually be in top-tier care because his family will just hire people who know what they're doing, including a therapist that is supposed to "help you get over it" because they genuinely believe in the "if you have a phobia just try not being scared :)" mentality.

In the end though you're not getting out of it. Need for heirs and all that, it's like, literally your responsibility. He's also extremely infuriating because he too has the mindset that ah, you'll get over it. Just you wait and see, a few months from now and you'll totally be over this silly little fear of yours and be super happy and excited about it! Until then, he can reassure you it'll be okay.

Diluc and Albedo dig themselves deeper and deeper into a hole with their words.

Diluc understands what you're experiencing a lot better, he gets the concept of a phobia unlike some others, but he's still awful at comforting. He's too practical and thinks he's helping when he's just making it worse, will say things like "well my mom said it wasn't that bad, she only had (insert the worst experience you've heard of in your entire life) so you'll be fine too", and when that only backfires into making you cry and panic (must be those pregnancy hormones?), he has to find one of the maids who has had kids and try to get them to reassure you. At least talking to them helps a little bit.

However, it gets worse as time goes on because unfortunately, what makes him especially awful for this situation is that he gets paranoid and panicked, which in turn certainly does not help you. He starts mumbling about how maybe he should call a doctor, he senses something's not right or something is abnormal, and that just makes you panic so much worse. And then he starts talking in what-ifs and that just sends your mental state into a downward spiral. Ugh.

Albedo has the same problem, but it sounds even worse with the way he talks about it. "Well statistically, the number of people who sustain injury during childbirth is only--" and then flinch at your interrupting reaction because he genuinely thought saying that would bring you some comfort. Okay. It's certainly not his field of expertise, but he has an anatomy book shoved away somewhere that he had for the purpose of chemical makeup of various parts of the body, but it has a section on pregnancy. See, here's the diagram showing you how--

Okay, so that... made it worse. You're panicking and breathing so fast, that can't be good. He knows he's not the best with words, but he wasn't expecting you to react that badly. Well, no worries. He's actually alright with it... sort of. In theory. He can just... make a kid on his own with your DNA. All organic and gestation-free. Like a plant.

The "in theory" part, however, similar to Venti, comes from the fact that while he can accept not impregnating you as a concept, in practice... well, no way is he going to put you on anything hormonal. Tons of negative side effects, you know (such as a decrease in sex drive, for one!). And pulling out is just... I mean, consider it logically, how would you like to have the best part of orgasm taken away from you? That's right, of course not. And condoms are awful, you literally can barely feel anything. No he's not exaggerating. Here, put this glove on, notice how you can only vaguely feel anything? See, that's what it's like. And cycle tracking... that would have to mean going some days without sex, and it is factual that he needs you as a means of stress reduction, you make him more productive, and you wouldn't want him to fail at his job right? So yes, he nods his head when you mention the fear, it's fine if you want to not get pregnant... he just will take absolutely no measures to prevent it from happening. But no worries. If you're panicked once again when you find out, he can always break out the diagrams again, maybe it will help this time...

-----

Then we have the worst. Razor, Xiao, and Gorou. For Razor, it's a complete lack of understanding the very concept of a phobia and horrible communicative skills, for Gorou, it's the freakish pregnancy itself, and for Xiao, it's both of those things.

First of all, you will get pregnant. It is only a matter of time. There is no avoiding it. They all have strong breeding instincts and can't be bothered to use any form of protection -- why would you ever pull out when it feels so good? What kind of torture is that? And those things you tried to get him to wrap around his dick feel awful, no thank you. And as for Gorou, well, it's not a choice, he literally can't pull out when he's knotted deep inside you, and condoms don't fit around said knot. Besides, it doesn't matter, they reason, they all try to tell themselves that although you're like this now, once you're bred and knocked up you won't be so panicked.

...Okay, so maybe you are still panicked. Well, that's... not good. Xiao and Razor are basically in the same camp where they genuinely do care and don't want you to be afraid, but also think a simple "it will be okay. You'll be fine" should be enough to eliminate said fear entirely, and will be confused why you're apparently still upset. He just told you it's fine?? Do you need to be told a second time? A third time? Why is it not working... what is it that you do not understand...

But what makes them really bad is that they choose the absolute worst ways to "help". You finally convince Xiao to allow a medical doctor to have a look at you because you're getting sick with paranoia over your health... but it backfires when the doctor tells you he's fairly certain there's more than one, more than two even, causing you to panic and say something about how you're going to have tons of babies... but Xiao decides to reassure you that there is no worries. Tons? It's only like five or six. Not tons of them. The only downsides are the massive amounts of adeptal energy that will probably make you super sick, but he will be there for you and you two can what's with that look on your face why are you crying--

Likewise, Razor decides the best way to help you deal with this fear is by example to show you that it's not bad at all. Thankfully, one of the wolves is pregnant too, so when she gives birth you can come watch. You shake your head and dig your heels into the ground, but since he knows it'll be helpful, it's okay to pick you up and carry you by force, it's for your own good! You'll watch at a short distance, of course, but still close enough so you can see everything in great detail. See, it's not that bad! Look at how happy she is! After a little while he realizes you haven't said much ever since the first one came out, looks over and sees your eyes are closed and you're all slumped over, so he gives you a shake... huh, must have gone to sleep...? Well, that must mean you feel better about it now.

Gorou is on another level in terms of how much he wants it to begin with. Please. Please let him knock you up. Please he promises it'll be fine and there's nothing to worry about and you can carry four puppies just fine and okay maybe he shouldn't have added that part, anyway, please just--

He will literally hump you and whine and whimper about it, if he gets desperate enough. He's far more understanding and considerate of your feelings than the other two, but that makes it honestly a bit worse for him because he wants so badly for you to be happy and love him -- but you just don't understand. You can't understand how bad his need is. He wants nothing more in the world. Maybe, just maybe, he thinks, if he can just... get you into that state... you'll stop being so afraid, maybe?

He's also so apologetic about it the whole time, too. He knows that once he shoves the knot inside you it's more or less a done deal and irreversible, so he keeps mumbling apologies while he ruts into you, thinking that will make up for it. He hates to do something that will make you afraid, but can you really blame him...?

#lena's asks #q #tw: pregnancy

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kingdaddydaichi · 3 years ago

Text

NSFW Alphabet || Katsuki Bakugou

I had so much fun with this! Vodka may or may not have been involved in the making of this little ditty. 🍸 I hope you shameless hussies enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. 😩

*Exhibit A:

(Source)

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

I feel like he gets clingy asf, but plays it off like it's something he's doing for your sake. He'll probably never admit that he feels so vulnerable after sex, but he does. If it was a rough session - which it usually is with him - he'll ask if you're okay, if you're hurt anywhere, kiss any marks he left on you - he's such a protective hero boi.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

His: he's not gonna lie, he's fully aware of how well-endowed he is. He really is proud of his cock, the way it makes you sing when he works it - and he knows how to work it okay? Favorite non-sexual body part - his arms. He works hard to keep them cut (as in lifting, not cutting). 😬

Yours: listen, Katsuki is an ass man through and through. Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong, I'm 👏🏼 not 👏🏼 listening 👏🏼. He loves to watch the subtle ripples he sends through your ass cheeks when he's driving into you from behind. Also, our big scary boomboom man appreciates a nice, thicc pair of thighs. Bonus points if they're muscular/toned - he loves the way it feels when your thighs have such a strong grip around him.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Let's just say our boy's orgasms are explosive. He cums hard and loud, shooting long ropes of his hot seed. Consistency is about average, not too thick, not to thin, but there's a lot of it. He doesn't taste too bad - salty, but not too bitter. You're more likely to gag from the sheer volume and force of his cum hitting the back of your throat than the flavor.

His precum gets honorable mention here. It's fucking delicious. That is all.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

It took him no less than 2 years into your relationship to tell you this, and if you ever tell anyone he might actually kill you, or at the very least make your ass bleed. He hasn't gotten to the point that he's ready to try it yet, but he's not entirely opposed to the idea of you pegging him. Someday. It kinda does make his balls tingle a little just thinking about it tbh. He hasn't yet, but he thinks he might be ready to try working up to it and is really close to asking you to stick a finger in his ass and stroke his prostate. He's heard how good it feels and he's super curious to find out for himself.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Not very experienced, actually. He's only had 1 or 2 lovers before you, BUT he's determined to be #1 at everything. Couple that with how perceptive he is and you've got yourself a winner of a loverboy. He's going to make damn sure that, even if things don't work out between you two, he will always ALWAYS be the best you've ever had. No other man will outdo him, E-V-E-R.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Doggystyle all the way, baby. As stated before, he loves watching your booty jiggle every time he slams his hips against it. He gets off on spreading your ass cheeks to watch his slick-coated cock slide in and out of you. God he just loves hitting it from behind, makes his dick so fucking hard.

Bonus 2nd Favorite Position (couldn't help myself): you on your back with your ankles on his shoulders, your ass lifted off the bed, him on his knees and hugging those thick thighs of yours, keeping them closed as he reams into you. (Slight variation of this one: he leans over you, nearly folding you in half, putting you back on your shoulders with his hands pressing into the mattress beside you, angling you such that his prominent corona rubs over your g-spot as he drills down into you. 10/10 you're gonna scream his name when (not if) your liquid gushes all over him.)

Tell me the truth, am I a disgusting human being? Here are all the fucks I give:

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Bakugou is serious asf about his sex game. This is not the time to joke around or poke fun at him, understand me? If you do he will get pissed and either fuck the silly out of you, or if he's feeling particularly ruthless he'll just stop altogether and let you ache for him as punishment until you beg him for release.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He takes care of his body, paying a lot of attention to his hygiene, which includes manscaping to keep his pubic hair trimmed and kempt. The carpet's just a shade darker than the drapes, like a honey blond. If he lets it grow out, it sticks straight out just like his head hair. It's actually kind of funny and he hates it.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

*sigh* Let's be honest. Katsuki is not the super romantic type, at least not outwardly. However, if he realizes something he's doing is hurting you - physically or emotionally - he's going to stop dead in his tracks and hold you close, push his fingers through your hair, and tell you how much he loves you and how safe you are. He can be rough and he can be an asshole, but if he thinks he's genuinely hurt you at all, he's all over you, doing everything he can to make you understand that he will never let anyone hurt you, especially not himself. Got that?

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

He doesn't jack off very often. You two share a very active sex life so he doesn't see the need to. If you have to be apart for more than a day or two, he'll rub one out. Or if the need hits him particularly hard and you're not available or in the mood, he's not above closing his eyes and reaching into his pants to wrap his thick fingers around his cock and start tugging.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Lord Baby Jesus, where do I even begin? Kinky, kinky Katsuki. This man should come with warning signs and disclaimers.

First of all, he dom asf okay? Even if he lets you play with his ass someday, he's gonna be bratty about it. He's going to top from the bottom, hashtag facts. And trust that he WILL own you afterwards to securely reestablish his dominance.

Giving and Receiving: Hair pulling. DIRTY TALK - you think he's got a potty mouth in the streets? His mouth is downright filthy between the sheets. Loves it when you dirty talk right back to him. "You love taking my fat cock, don't you princess?" "Mm yessss, fuck me, Katsuki! Your cock feels so fucking good babyyy!" He eats that shit up.

Giving Only: Degradation. Praise. Spanking. Cockwarming. Dom/sub/power play. Shibari/ropework (he tried it bc you wanted to and he fucking loved it). Creampies. Begging. Discipline. Ravishment.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Literally anywhere inside your home/homes - bed, bathroom/kitchen countertops, kitchen/dining table, office desk/chair, any piece furniture is fair game really, up against a wall, washer/dryer, the fucking floor, ugh just all the places to fuck. Not one square foot is sacred tbh.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Wear something that showcases the curve of your butt. Doesn't have to be revealing per se, matter of fact he'll get possessive as fuck if you're showing too much skin in public. At home/privately though? He can't help himself. Dat ass tho...he is going to smack it hard enough that it stings and that's final, understand?

Tease him. You can't be obvious about it though. If he senses that you're doing it on purpose, it'll just backfire. But if you just so happen to brush against his crotch when you squeeze past him, it'll drive him crazy. Go commando in short shorts/skirt and cross your legs just so, his dick will twitch. Even better if you do shit like this in public where you know he won't act on it. But when you get home you best believe he's going to dick you down so hard, won't even bother to take said shorts or skirt off.

His ears and neck are his most sensitive erogenous zones. Whisper in his ear or kiss his neck and he's going to grit his teeth in an effort to fight back the shudder that threatens to rattle his bones.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Let's get one thing straight. Katsuki Bakugou does not share. This is non-negotiable. He will not agree to anything involving additional people - cuckolding, threesomes, orgies, exhibitionism, voyeurism (unless it's him watching you pleasure yourself - that he will gladly do, and probably start palming himself in the process).

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Loves giving and receiving. Giving puts him in full control of your pleasure, receiving makes him feel like you're worshipping his cock, which you probably are. Have you seen this man's cock? Of course you have. Gatdamn.

Y'all, Katsuki's so good at eating pussy. Like how does one get that good at eating pussy? I don't even know, but god the way he flicks his hot tongue over your precious, tiny bud before wearing it down like a fucking feed bag? It's unnatural. Like it could be his backup quirk if blowing shit up doesn't work out. You've seen the way he licks his lips when he gets excited, everyone has.* He doesn't even bother swallowing while he's feeding on you so you just be dripping in slick and saliva and he's just slurping away. It's lewd.

*See Exhibit A above.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

You already know this, but I'll say it anyway. His go-to fucking style is fast and rough, dominant and relentless, hard and dirty. But every once in a while he'll want to take you slow and deep and passionate. He'll hold you so tight in his arms and chest, you'll have to tap his shoulder sometimes to let you breathe. And he'll just roll his hips so fucking thoroughly both of you will feel every last inch, his pubic bone rubbing your clit so hard. You've told him so many times how much you love it when he makes love to you like this, but he maybe makes it a rare treat on purpose. 😈 Little shit.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Quickies are difficult for our boy. It's not that he's against them, it's just that he savors every drop of sensuality, he has a tendency to draw the pleasure out as long as possible. He can’t help it.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

The idea of having public sex turns him on, but he's only done it with you a couple of times when he was 10000% sure you wouldn't be caught. He can't risk doing anything that would tarnish his reputation and goal of becoming the #1 Hero. He might be freaky as hell, but he needs a sex scandal like an Alaskan needs a refrigerator.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He loves you long time. He's a Taurus for fuck's sake (well, Aries/Taurus cuspie, but that just sweetens the deal). Great stamina. Grinds you down like a whetstone. Can last as long as he needs to to ensure you cum for him as many times as it takes for you to beg him to stop. If he feels himself getting too close while you're blowing him, he'll stop you and go down on you instead. If he's inside of you, he'll pull out and start kissing all over your body, sucking, nipping, licking until his urge to cum passes, then he pushes it right back in and keeps going.

If on the off-chance he does cum before you, he'll be ready to go again in about 20-30 mins. Just give him some motivation, he deserves it.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He didn't own any toys when you first got together, but you did. He hated the idea of you using them though, especially when he's right there with you. You've since assured him that you don't want to use them to replace him, but to enhance the pleasure. So now you do use them from time to time.

The first time you managed to coax him into using a toy together, it was a small wireless bullet with a remote. When you brought it out and showed it to him, there was a wild glint in his eye. He carefully inserted the vibrator into you, his cock slowly following suit. He loved the fact that he had complete control over this thing, but later complained because the sensation of it against the head of his cock made him cum too fast. He still wants to use it sometimes though. 😏

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Oh he can be so unfair. He loves teasing you until you're begging him to put his cock inside you. He's not so much into orgasm denial per se; he just loves to hear you beg him for shit - to let you cum, to suck his dick, to stop fucking you when you're overstimmed, etc.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Lol he's fucking LOUD! And he's going to make you cum so hard that you're screaming his fucking name. There was a time when one or both of you lived in an apartment and the neighbors would bang on the wall behind your headboard.

Shit, what sounds does he NOT make? He growls, moans, grunts, groans, yells, swears, fucks you so hard you can hear the wet sound of slapping skin, hell even the bed protests. Another reason he doesn't fuck in public - he can't stay quiet enough to be discreet about it.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Okay, as much of a wild sex beast as he is behind closed doors, he gets embarrassed so easily when your sex life is so much as hinted at around others. It's legit funny how flustered he gets about it.

If he goes into work real tired and Kirishima says, "Hey Bakubro, you look like shit this morning. You and (y/n) stay up too late?" while doing the finger in the hole gesture, Katsuki will just "Shut the fuck up, Shitty Hair, or I'll blast your ass right through that fucking wall!"

Or if you two go out together with friends and the girls are talking about sex-related stuff, Katsuki will just roll his eyes and try to ignore it. But if one of them is all "So, (y/n), does Bakugou ever like accidentally let off explosions while you're doing it?" and you wink and say, "Only when he's especially *cough* frustrated *cough*". Katsuki will go red from his neck up to his hairline and start stuttering, sparks flying from his palms. "H-hey, d-don't tell them sh-shit like that! I-it's none of their god-goddamn b-business, (y/n), what th-the f-fuck?!" Meanwhile, you and the girls are in stitches while he stomps away, just mortified, bless his heart. When you catch your breath from laughing you'll follow it up with, "Looks like tonight's gonna be one of those nights", and you all lose it again.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

As has been mentioned, Bakugou's well-endowed. I figure he's packing about 7.5-8" in length x just under 2" wide. He takes some getting used to, that's for damn sure. Oh, and he's more of a shower than a grower. Like around 6" long x 1.5" wide when flaccid. Katsuki + sweatpants/basketball shorts = swinging dick print, alright sis? Take notes, this motherfucker visibly jumps when he does, class dismissed.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Eh, he's surprisingly not ridiculously horny. Maybe a little above average sex drive? A lot of times hero work just takes it out of him and he comes home utterly exhausted and just needs a soft place to land, and you provide him with all the love and nurturing in your heart. ❤

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Depends, really, on the time of day and what type of day it's been. If it's late (like past 9pm lol) and he fought more villains than usual that day, he's probs gonna pass out pretty soon after. If it's earlier in the day - especially first thing in the morning - it gets him pumped and almost comically genki.

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sokkastyles · 3 years ago

Note

In your last post you talked a lot about how Zuko respects Iroh. Could you give some examples of that? Because I'm feeling like Zuko doesn't really respect anyone, he (understandably) has an ego and thinks he's above everyone, even if he's working on

It is such a shame that Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) was cancelled after two episodes.

Lol, now that I've got that out of my system, I'm gonna assume you aren't just a troll and treat this like you actually want a serious answer, because it gives me an opportunity to meta about Zuko and Iroh's relationship.

I would say that the Zuko we are introduced to has a pretty big ego, yeah, and thinks he's above everyone else. He's incredibly disrespectful to most everyone he meets, including his long-suffering uncle. When I started the show I knew through cultural osmosis that Zuko would get redeemed, and from the first episode I was like "alright, I'm ready to see how the show is gonna make me like this asshole." I especially did have a negative reaction to the way he treats Iroh in the beginning, because Iroh is one of the first characters I loved. I also was sympathetic to Iroh because I'm an adult, and an adult who works with kids. If any of my students said to me some of the stuff that Zuko says to Iroh I'd be like, yeah, okay, detention for you young man.

It's also pretty clear from early on though that Zuko's ego comes from a deep insecurity and low self-esteem. That doesn't make the things he does any better, and yes he is incredibly disrespectful to Iroh, especially when Iroh contradicts him about his mission. That's also related to his deep insecurity and trauma surrounding his father, of course, because Zuko needs to believe that he can win back his father's acceptance to cope with what his father did to him, but that doesn't excuse it.

He says some incredibly nasty things to Iroh. In the first episode we see him respond angrily when Iroh won't teach him more advanced firebending, and Zuko responds, as he does several times, by trying to imitate his father's brand of coercion and intimidation. Iroh is like, not impressed, and he puts up with a lot of crap from Zuko but he also doesn't let it get to him because he's a responsible adult and he wants to support Zuko in the way he can. Which also means telling him off sometimes because dude.

Zuko thinks Iroh is lazy and a failure, and resents the fact that Iroh is keeping him from what he says he is "more than ready" for, and tries to bully Iroh when he doesn't get his way, but then we see in the third episode, "The Southern Air Temple," Zuko's fight with Zhao. We see that for all Zuko's complaining about Iroh's teaching, he does what Iroh taught him to do, he sticks to his basics, and he wins. Iroh says that Zuko is honorable and we see that Zuko appreciates Iroh's support. It's also implied by the way Zhao mentions humiliating Zuko in front of his uncle that Zuko wants Iroh to be proud of him, that it's obvious to Zhao how close they are.

Another example of the show letting us know that Zuko cares more about his uncle than he lets on is when he threatens to leave Iroh behind in "Winter Solstice" but then comes back for him to find him gone, and goes out of his way to search for him, even setting aside his hunt for Aang. Zuko fights the earthbenders to save Iroh and Iroh compliments his form, to which Zuko says Iroh taught him well. This episode does a lot to develop Zuko as a character and his relationship with Iroh because not only do we see that Zuko cares for his uncle, but that, contrary to his rudeness and dismissiveness in episode one, Zuko does respect Iroh as a teacher and a bender.

There's a lot of examples like this where Zuko says one thing but does another, because Zuko is a character who, at the beginning of the story, carries a lot of cognitive dissonance and guards his real feelings about things. His relationship with Iroh is an example. This isn't very surprising because it's pretty common in child psychology. Especially with kids who have been abused, they will rebel against an authority figure and push back in any way they can to see if they can find a breaking point. Iroh's endlessly patient and supportive but solid and firm presence is something Zuko is not used to and doesn't know how to deal with. But it's very clear that Zuko relies on Iroh as a father and mentor, even when Zuko doesn't realize it yet.

"The Avatar State" in another episode that shows how much Zuko relies on Iroh. At the beginning of the episode Zuko is sitting apart and it's implied that he's not happy with Iroh relaxing and getting a massage, but Zuko also opens up to Iroh about his feelings about his father. Zuko also is dismissive and rude to Iroh again in this episode, criticizing Iroh for collecting shells and also insulting Iroh when Iroh contradicts him about going with Azula, but then Zuko is happy when Iroh goes with him to Azula's ship, and we get that flash of the image of Ozai with his hand on Zuko's shoulder. This tells us that Zuko sees Iroh as the kind of mentor figure that he wishes his father were, even if, again, Zuko doesn't quite realize this yet. There are many other examples like this where Zuko is frustrated by not getting Iroh's approval on something because he wants Iroh to be proud of him. Like when he steals the teapot and gives it to Iroh and Iroh is not interested in stolen items. Zuko's clearly hurt by not having Iroh's approval, which is a big part of why he left Iroh, and Iroh knows that Zuko is struggling to find himself but also still needs his support.

Then you have "Bitter Work," the lightning bending, and Zuko's look of total admiration when Iroh is bending lightning and teaching Zuko a move that he invented himself. Like I said before, it's clear that Zuko respects Iroh as a powerful bender. This is also echoed in that scene in the book two finale when Iroh is about to breathe fire and Zuko has this look of "wow my uncle is going to beat you so bad this is going to be great!"

There's also a lot of little stuff in the Ba Sing Se arc that show that Zuko respects Iroh and values him as a mentor figure. He lets Iroh do his hair for his date with Jin! It looks terrible! Zuko has no idea how to behave on a date so he's like um, uncle said to give you this coupon! Look how smart my uncle is! Of course the culmination of that arc is Zuko's fever and his awakening which gives him a renewed respect for Iroh, and he actually makes an effort to show Iroh how much he values him. He still betrays Iroh in Ba Sing Se but it's not the "I hate you and you smell!" thing that the play portrays it as. One of the reasons Zuko was so confused there was because he felt like his uncle was telling him contradictory things, and he couldn't reconcile his uncle's wisdom with what he'd been taught to believe by Ozai.

But it's finally losing Iroh as that pillar of support that makes Zuko truly realize how much he does value his uncle. It still takes him a while to get there, and he again pushes back against Iroh when Iroh won't talk to him in prison and blames him for his own internal turmoil. But when he does finally get there, it's such a slap in the face to Ozai that Zuko on the Day of Black Sun tells him to his face that Iroh is his real father, that Zuko is going to fall to his knees and beg for Iroh's forgiveness, because Zuko has realized that Iroh is the one who really deserves his respect. Not only does Zuko tell Ozai that he, in fact, did not teach him anything about respect, but the respect Ozai tried to get from his son through cruelty and control is something Zuko will freely give to Iroh.

Then Zuko spends the next several episodes constantly talking about how great Iroh is, how much he misses him, how good he is at making tea and telling jokes, how wise he is, and what an ass he, Zuko, had been to him. He follows Iroh's advice and humbles himself because Iroh always said he didn't think things through enough, he works hard to make himself into someone his uncle would be proud of. Then when he does meet Iroh again he asks for forgiveness, but he says that even if Iroh won't forgive him he would try to make it up to him. He's completely humbled himself and it's so satisfying because it's the fulfilment of their relationship arc, and you can feel the love and respect that these two characters have for each other. And it's directly meant to contrast with what Ozai said about respect, because Ozai is full of shit.

And then Zuko just like automatically assumes that Iroh will be the Fire Lord and Iroh's like "Zuko did you forget that you are the crown prince?" And Zuko, bless his heart, is like "but I made so many mistakes."

I'm sorry, but if you're gonna keep arguing that Zuko, at this point, still "thinks he's above everyone else" then you are just being willfully obtuse.

Not to mention the fact that Zuko's crowning moment as Fire Lord is him giving a speech about how he wants to serve others, to heal the world, and even the applause and praise that he, in the beginning, wanted from others is something he doesn't accept. He tells everyone that Aang is the real hero. And Aang is a hero but like, Zuko is a hero, too, by showing heroic qualities like being selfless and humble and caring towards others. And then his last scene is not him as Fire Lord, but serving tea to everyone dressed in Earth Kingdom clothes.

And who does he serve tea to first? Uncle.

#zuko #iroh #atla meta #ozai

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morgana-ren · 3 years ago

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if you'd be so inclined my dear, what are your thoughts on how Tomura's character has developed over the series' timeline? -☼

So, I think Horikoshi did an excellent job at character development- especially considering that he's a villain (not the focal point of the series) and he really didn't have to do that. He easily could have kept Tomura an impudent little man-child, but he didn't, and I truly appreciate that.

So, in season one, we get his debut as USJ, and it became quickly apparent that he was... disorganized. Intelligent and dangerous, clearly, but not quite there yet. He essentially threw money at a pack of sell-sword villains, had a basic plan for how he wanted things to go, and relied on his Nomu to do the majority of his work for him. He didn't even consider variables and other things he couldn't have foreseen- he took Master at his word and just went for it.

He makes a multitude of mistakes during this attack, and it's part of why he fails so hard. Underestimates the kids simply because they're young, not factoring in that these are to be the nations top heroes. Even young, each one is sporting a power that puts them at the top of the class and above the rest of the nation. He basically goes "Fuck it, just scatter them and have these no-name villains kill them. No way that could go wrong." not considering that these children have been learning from the best of the best and are clearly already intelligent of their own accord.

He doesn't take into account that these heroes actually care for these kids and that feeling responsible for them works in their favor as opposed to being a detriment. They fight harder and take more abuse to keep them protected (Aizawa getting absolutely demolished but still persisting to defend the children even as he bleeds to death with a broken body.)

The intel wasn't wrong, per se, but he took it at face value, not even bothering to consider that All Might would push far past his limit to keep these kids safe. For someone as obsessed with felling All Might, he certainly didn't really know a thing about him. His genuine goodness and character would not allow him to fail when their lives were on the line. And then there's the matter of Midoriya, and while Tomura had no way of knowing that he's inherited All Might's power, he should have been able to account for wild cards like that from valiant children dedicated to heroism.

More under the cut because I’m just rambling.

I think this defeat humbles him. For most of his life, things have gone his way because of who is backing him and because he is extremely dangerous with a powerful quirk- this teaches him that raw strength and basic strategy won't be enough.

He watches Stain take the country by storm, and he can't understand it. Doesn't get what the big deal is- he believes he and Stain are mostly cut from the same cloth because of their penchant for violence and murdering heroes, totally blind to the convictions behind Stain's actions. He's incapable of thinking outside of his own view points, and it cripples him. These are his first few steps outside of his own comfort zone and where he begins to grow.

He's forced to consider not what he wants, but why. He resists this every step of the way, but ultimately realizes that paying off little bastard villains to work in his name isn't enough. He needs players under his command that will fight for more than money- and sell swords are loyal to nothing but that. He needs to find a conviction (even as he ends up stealing the mask of one and using it as a facade at first) that others can relate to and be passionate about.

So he does.

He steals Stain's ideology for his own and uses it to recruit some of his top members- even if he is a right little bastard about it at first. While he throws a tizzy fit because they aren't "perfect" (his standards are very high despite the fact that he's arguably not a very effective leader) but eventually ends up utilizing them regardless.

It's around here that he starts sharpening his instincts and learns what it is to be a true leader. He learns he cannot casually throw around his pawns because ultimately, he cannot win this war by himself. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend' and while he isn't as enchanted with Stain's entire gimmick as his comrades are, he still wields it effectively.

He's still learning, however, as we learn when he takes Bakugo. Had he gone to the effort to get to know a single thing about him, he would have learned very quickly that trying to recruit him would come up completely pointless. He just saw untamed anger and unrestrained violence bordering on unhinged and thought "Ah yes, he's powerful and very much like me- he'll do nicely" and put together a whole plan to kidnap him. I think the vanguard's success in capturing him shows Tomura just how useful it is to have clever little birds under your command, and that sticks with him.

Losing his Master, like AFO says, forces him to become his own man. He loses the cushy abode he'd had for most of his life, loses many of the benefits afforded to him by being AFO's protege. He and his ragtag team of villains live in squalor, almost entirely destitute, and are forced to survive- but they stay loyal, and that means something to him. I think it’s around here where he actually begins to care about them.

We see how he reacts to Magne’s death. I don’t think for one second he aided in destroying Overhaul simply because he was a threat. If that was the case, he would have stopped once he was arrested. He risks everything to get vengeance. Cuts his limbs off and renders him completely helpless as payment for what he did to Compress and to avenge Magne’s wrongful death.

Over the course of everything, he’s become more patient, more cunning, more dangerous. He’s learning quickly from his mistakes, how to command his ranks in a respectful, effective way, and how to keep them safe. He learns their strengths and weaknesses, and while he’s still a bit thorny, it’s very apparent he does care for them. He’s on his own now, and knows he needs greater power, greater numbers to achieve his goals. He is ruthlessly ambitious, willing to endure ungodly amounts of pain to meet his ends.

So now we have this season (which I haven’t actually watched, as I’m just waiting for disappointment because I fucking know Bones won’t do him justice) and he’s seeking out both Gigantomachia, a former ally, and the PLF. Both things that could be of great value to him. His leadership skills and ability to command will be put to the test, but so will his endurance, his willpower, and everything else. This is the beginning of him as a truly devastating threat.

He’s growing into the villain I think he deserves to be. He’s facing down the very bones that comprise him and learning why he is the way he is. What his convictions really are and how far he’s willing to go to achieve his goals. HIs past, his life as he knows it, what needs to be done to put a pretty little ribbon on everything. He is, in a way, shedding like a snake- ridding himself of weaknesses, growing into his strengths, and evolving into a more capable predator.

If you ask me, realistically, I think Shigaraki would actually win. When it’s all said and done, I think his arc is far more compelling than any of the heroes or their children. I think he has more drive, more wit, more raw power and more reasons to keep fighting. A lot of the kids, while cute and the main characters, are quite hollow. But over the course of all these seasons, we get to watch Tomura’s metamorphosis and his evolution into a purer, undiluted evil. He transforms into something truly sinister- a literal manifestation of all of the flaws and pitfalls of society and hero culture as it exists. He is undeniable proof of the toxicity and that the way things are cannot be allowed to stand, and the fact that so many people resonate with him and follow him loyally should be the ultimate clue-in.

I think if the heroes weren’t blinded, they would look at Shigaraki and his league and consider it. Wonder if, just for a moment, there was something there that they should pay attention to. A cry that they should hear rather than be willing deaf to. But they don’t.

Gran Torino is a prime example of this. So are all the other so called ‘heroes’. Calling him evil. Underestimating him. Considering him someone who just woke up one day and decided ‘I don’t like this so I’m going to kill a lot of people’. You’d think that they’d recognize that a drive like his does not come from nothing. If they sat down, shut the fuck up and listened for ten seconds, maybe they wouldn’t be dying by the dozens.

I’m not saying that they should allow him to continue to trample the world and kill at will. But what I am saying is that part of how they’re fighting him and how they’re viewing this in terms of black and white and good versus evil is exactly the fucking problem, and it’s that kind of bullshit that birthed the villain we know as Tomura Shigaraki to begin with.

#Shigaraki #Tomura Shigaraki #just my thoughts on it #Thank you for the question anon!#Morgana and friends

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a-little-bit-of-ravioli · 2 years ago

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Rav, please answer the following, no exceptions

3, 5 for Hues of Magic (anything about the series is fair game), 11, 17, 30, and 42, I have no regrets

holy hylia you really aren't granting me any mercy jfkdjdjf FINE.

These got way too long to not put under a read more though, so here it is.

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

Hmmm. Introspection, definitely, but idk if it counts as a trope per se. I have recently been told that my very intentional efforts to always give all the boys at least one moment in the spotlight, no matter how small, are noticeable, though! So that, probably. I'm also very partial to likening a traumatic event to the present happenings.

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [insert fic]? Answer it now!

You chose Hues of Magic! And hmm. I guess I'm always itching to elaborate on which specific glows mean what from Hyrule's pov, where they are from, and what the distinctive qualities between different types of auras and enchantments are, because I do think about those a lot! In Something Focused I basically went on a long diatribe over how I perceive Wars' magic to work, and if asked I could probably do that for most of them! But not every oneshot is meant to become a lecture like that one, so I won't lol

11. Are you partial to a certain character/pairing or are you more equal-opportunity? If you are partial to any character/pairing, why do you think that is?

This is unfair and you know it. I'm absolutely partial. Are you kidding? I grew up playing OoT/MM and TP -the Hero of Time might be my favourite character in all of fiction. I still play OoT on an almost weekly basis, in randomizer. And I have singlehandedly dragged people down into Warriors hell with me.

That said, like I mentioned earlier. I always, always make sure to involve the rest of the boys in the background (when it makes sense), instead of letting them fade into it. I'm really big on knowing what every present character does, so I lead by example!

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

I will cheat and put SSAU (Swapped Species AU, an AU where none of the boys are Hylian, but rather another race in accordance with their games) in here. Because while I'm not the only person enjoying it by a long shot, it was a huge team effort to create as much content for it as there is now. But I did put a ton of focus on everything around Guardian of Time!Wars and his relationship with Mask/Time and First. And I still get that giddy self-indlugant feeling whenever I think about or reread parts of it. So I'd say it counts!

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

I have! It was Whistle, actually, haha. When I started to write it the style was the complete opposite of what my default was. It was an amazing exercise and influenced how my style evolved into what it is now.

If we're talking more about topical comfort zones - I definitely find it harder to write pure fluff, just because the string of narrative is different compared to angsty stories - there is no big climactic event, no comfort at the end to resolve it. But I chose to write some rather fluffy fics for LUAAP 2021, and while I couldn't resist putting in a little angst in the middle parts, I think I succeeded! And enjoyed myself, too.

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

I'm gonna cheat here, because this isn't a single comment, but a theme that went through a comment section. I made up an old mage with his own shop for Something Darker, to fill a role I needed for the plot to kick off. I gave him a couple quirks, little mage things I thought were fitting, as you do with a side character, and didn't think much of it compared to the rest of the fic.

Imagine my surprise when almost every single comment latched onto this guy! People were thinking about his biases and reaction, there were interested in his backstory, someone wrote an epilogue from his perspective in a comment (yes this is a link to that). Safe to say that is gonna stay with me. It was such an amazing thing for people to take this small detail in my writing and latch onto it more than I ever could've expected!

Phew. you better know I'm gonna flood you the same next time fhdkhejdjf

#linked universe #fic writer asks #rav rambles

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wrenhyperfixates · 4 years ago

Text

Movie Night

Disclaimer: Gif not mine

Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: Loki prefers to keep to himself but one particularly persistent Avenger may be able to change his mind. Warnings: none, just fluff A/N: This is the first fanfic I’ve ever written, and, even though the concept is kinda basic, I’m really proud of it. Thank you for reading :) P.S. I apologize for being really bad at coming up with titles.

You stood at the door of the library, trying to figure out a strategy. Loki was sitting in the loveseat by the window with his back turned to you, absorbed in his book. You knew he’d stay there for the rest of the evening if you let him. It had been nearly a year since he joined the team, but, despite your best efforts, Loki ran off to the library every chance he got. Not that you had a problem with reading or anything. You loved to read too—it’s what made you two close in the first place. The problem was why he was there so often.

By now most of the team had warmed up to him. Well maybe that wasn’t quite right. Plenty of your fellow Avengers were still wary of him, but at least Clint was the only one who still sent him death glares. And even he was coming around. Still, Loki felt unwelcome in any of the common areas in the Tower. And it sure didn’t help that the rest of the world couldn’t forget his past actions. No matter how hard Loki had tried to prove himself when he first came to live there, no one would let go of what happened in New York. You could almost understand the not forgetting, but no one could find it in their heart to forgive him? Really?

You thought it was really a shame that the world still saw him as a monster, especially when he was so good looking. If only they could see what you saw right now. His beautiful raven locks fell over the back of his seat. The setting sun illuminated his pale hands as they flipped the pages in his book. And, though you couldn’t see his eyes at the moment, you could picture them in your mind. Oh, those beautiful, shining, blue-green eyes. You could imagine them moving quickly across the page, devouring whatever tale the book held.

“You’ve been staring for an awfully long time, darling” Loki said, snapping you out of your reverie.

You don’t know how he always managed that. No matter how silent you were or if he was looking in your direction or not, he always knew you were there. You guessed it was just a skill he was born with. Or perhaps, you thought, it was a result of living in a place where you felt everyone wanted you dead. “Sorry,” you said, sitting next to him. “I guess I was just lost in thought.”

He glanced up from his book for a split second to offer you the quickest of grins. “And what, my dear, were you thinking about?”

You simultaneously loved and hated his pet names for you. After you two had become friends he started peppering his sentences with ‘darlings’ and ‘dears’. The problem was, you never knew what to make of them. You supposed it was just a sign of how close you two had become. But was it naïve to think that perhaps it was something more? Probably, but that didn’t mean you could stop that thought from popping up every now and then. You tried to ignore the butterflies in your stomach whenever he was around, but most days it proved impossible.

“Just wondering if you would be joining the team for movie night,” you replied, trying (and failing) to keep an air of nonchalance.

You see him stiffen a little at that. You and Thor took turns trying to get him involved in group activities, but he always had a bit of a harder time saying no to you. You looked at him expectantly, despite knowing that he was probably going to decline, just like every other time. Well, not every other time. Once you got him to come out for ice cream. It didn’t go bad, per se, but the atmosphere was kind of tense. That was months ago, though, and you hoped he’d be up to try again.

Finally, he gave his answer. “Perhaps another time.” You frowned a little at that, but before you could insist he continued, “I don’t really think they would want me there.”

“Of course they do,” you quickly countered. “Thor will be there and you know he loves spending time with you. And Peter adores you. And you’ve kind of been getting along with Wanda and Steve recently. And-”

“Though your rambling is adorable,” he suddenly cut you off, “I’m sure that the majority of the team wouldn’t appreciate my presence. Besides, I’m sure all of those people you just mentioned will be just fine without me there. They don’t need me to go.”

“But I need you to go. Come on, do it for me,” you said and grabbed his hand in both of yours, pressing it to your heart. You batted your eyes at him. “Please.”

He went even stiffer and returned to reading his book, but didn’t pull away from your touch. He sighed after a few uncomfortable seconds. You bit your lip as he replied, “Very well. I will consider it.”

You knew that was as close to a yes as you were going to get from him. You dropped his hand and wrapped your arms around his shoulders in a quick hug, excitedly thanking him. You got up and walked toward the library exit. Just as you were stepping out of the room, you looked over your shoulder. With a wink you said, “See you there.”

“But I didn’t sa-” but the rest of his sentence was cut off as you were already gone. You hoped he hadn’t noticed you blushing. Little did you know, he was thinking the same thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening you sat on the couch filled to the brim with anticipation. You were nervously fidgeting with the zipper on your hoodie. You didn’t even notice you were bouncing your leg until Nat laid a hand on it to still you.

“You’re rather excited about this movie,” she said with a knowing smirk. “I didn’t realize you were such a big fan of The Hunger Games.”

You just brushed it off with a roll of your eyes. In reality, she knew exactly why you had so much nervous energy tonight. During your years in the Tower, she became something of a big sister to you. Of course you’d told her about your crush on Loki, and, though she hadn’t been totally on board at first, she was your biggest supporter now. She assured you that Loki would show up, but you were still nervous. After all, he had only said he’d think about it.

Just when you couldn’t take it anymore and were about to get up to look for him, Loki walked in with his brother. Loki hadn’t embraced Earth fashion quite as much as Thor, usually opting to where the most formal thing he could find. That’s when he even wore something from this world, rather than some fancy Asgardian get-up. Tonight, however, the god of thunder had somehow convinced his brother to wear sweatpants and a tee shirt. Damn, he looked good. You must have been staring because you heard Nat snicker beside you.

Thor clasped his brother’s shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile before walking over to his favorite armchair. You quickly waved Loki over before he could retreat. You saw him visibly relax when you locked eyes. It made you feel good knowing you could provide him that kind of comfort. He nodded to Nat as he passed her and sat on the other side of you.

You thanked him for coming and offered him your bowl of popcorn. He eyed it skeptically at first, but, as soon as he put a piece in his mouth, you could tell he loved it. There wasn’t much time for conversation before the movie started. You gave him a smile as Tony shushed everyone and hit play.

With only twenty minutes left in the movie, almost the whole team was asleep. Sometimes you wondered what the point of even having a movie night was if no one was able to stay up for it. Though, you had to admit, there was something comforting about being able to fall asleep in the safety of this little family you had. And maybe that was the whole point. It was kind of the reason you wanted Loki here. So that he knew he was welcomed and belonged. You snuck a glance at him, just like you’d been doing for the past two hours. Somehow he’d managed to relax a lot more. For once, it didn’t seem like he was nervous to be in the same room as the rest of the team. You were starting to feel a little sleepy yourself and decided to rest your head on his shoulder, surprising him a little.

“My sweet,” Loki whispered in the dark, just loud enough so that only you would hear, “thank you for convincing me to come. It means a lot that you care.”

“No problem, Loki. Maybe you won’t fight me so hard next time.” Before you could think better of it, you lifted your head and placed a kiss on his cheek, then turned back to the movie.

He was shocked into silence and just stared at you, once again resting on his shoulder. He too turned back to the screen, and was grateful that it was dark so you couldn’t see how much he was blushing.

Perhaps, he thought, we’ll have to have another movie night. Just the two of us...

#loki x reader #loki odinson #loki laufeyson #marvel #mcu #first fic

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whump-cafe · 3 years ago

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Henlo~♪

I have an ask for: soft asks to get to know people

1 , 8 & 22

1. What song makes you feel better?

Okay it's not technically just one Song but just the entire Album "One more Light" by Linkin Park, that's my go to whenever I need music to feel better per se 😌✨

8. Tag someone (or multiple people) who make you feel good.

Aw that's kinda cute tho, I like~

@whumpkinpie, @whumpasaurus101 , @myst-in-the-mirror , @painsandconfusion @cowboy-anon

22. What would you say to your future self?

I think something pretty basic like- You know, ask if Future me is happy where we are per se? In life and whatnot akshaj

Also I hope future me appreciates the effort I put in to make things easier later 😌😅

#thank you for the questions!! :)#i'm really enjoying these I'm ngl~#ask game

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excitedlysuffering · 5 years ago

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OMGOMGOMG possibly Kakashi head-cannon collection? He is the love of my life (lmao don’t tell my bf that)

Your secrets safe with me he’s my love too😂

Kakashi Headcanons Collection

What He Looks For In A S/O~

• A reader, they don’t have to read Icha Icha (bonus points if you did) but someone who appreciates a good book

• Someone laid back and not very high maintenance

• I see him wanting a shinobi S/O cause he needs them to be to take care of themselves or he’ll worry too much

• he’ll worry anyways

• Someone who understands his pain and won’t shy away from him when he’s going through a rough patch

• Someone who is good with words, like say something sweet and he’s metlinggg

• A person with considerate personality traits

• He would like an S/O who’s willing to try new things and adventures

• Someone who would take things slowly

• Someone who could honestly make him laugh

• He’s DadKashi he’s going to want someone good with kids

• To be frank, he would probably want a relatively stable S/O so that in his mind there’s no chance of them ending up like his father

• He wants companionship so someone who’s not distant and who wouldn’t mind him being around all the time

• I really can’t see him with a tsundere S/O, he needs to see that his partner loves him as much as he loves them

Relationship With Kashi Stuff~

• Please do domestic stuff (Sending him off to work with a kiss, a note in his lunchbox, kissing him when he gets home) he will be near tears every time

• TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK™ (whether it’s kicking butt, making dinner, or teaching (raising) Team 7)

• You probably won’t notice moving in with each other until you look up like ‘holy crap I haven’t been to my apartment in like 2 weeks?’

• Read with him or read to him, and you will have his HEART

• He’s not clingy per se, but he loves to be in your presence whenever he can

• Will take you out on dates once a week EVERY WEEK (Sorry Tsunade-sama, I have a date then, but I’ll leave right after?)

• Dating Kakashi means you’re now honorary rivals with Gai (who knows Kashi better, who can make him laugh most etc.)

• Pick up line wars 24/7, the loser has to do the other’s chores Kakashi wins

• Okay, but Kakashi never had a childhood, so make a list of everything he never got to do and you slowly complete them together

• He’s such a sweetheart like, surprise, he’s so sensitive

• Get’s so flustered seeing you in his clothes, he temporarily shuts down

• He’s given up trying to take back his mask whenever you’re wearing it

• Okay, we all know this silver-haired hottie is suave, but he is SMOOTH, he will 100% find ways to have you blush whenever possible, he is the CEO of leaving you hot and bothered

• Made you your own area in the Hokage office as a hint that he needed your company

• Has never forgotten an important date (he uses his Sharingan on the calendar)

• He’s fought demons and other crazy villains, but will still be terrified of you on your period (he’s brave tho he’ll just bring a lot of peace offerings)

• He heard you refer to him as DadKashi in front of Team 7 and/or your friends and just about loses his mind

• When you first see his face without his mask you’re probably pissed cuz WHY would he hide that beauty from the world?! it’s for the greater good hun

How To Lose/Annoy Him~

• Being insensitive/ignorant about things like loss or mental illness

• Constantly distracting him from his duties or hobbies

• Being rude or uncompassionate

• Being willing to abandon people or being self-centered you SCUM

• He always makes time for you, so he’d be a bit bothered if they didn’t put forth any effort to spend time with him

• Little pranks are harmless, but things that make him scared for your wellbeing or stealing his mask are big fat NO

• Being reckless just because, being a shinobi is already dangerous with would you play with death like that??

• Being lazy, Kakashi at his core is really something of a go-go-go person, he doesn’t want to just do anything all the time

Soft Kakashi Things~

• Kakashi is such a softie omg

• He likes to fall asleep last just so he can tell you how much he loves you and you saved him while you’re asleep

• If you’re having a bad day, he’ll drop everything (if possible) to hold you and be there for you in every way you need

• Definitely has Sai draw a small pic of you so he can carry it around and/or put in the Hokage office

• Mission dates are a thing like imagine flirting with Kakashi while destroying your opponents (so romantic)

• He’s big on practical gifts. If he notices you’re running low on shuriken? Expect a box of them from him

• He’ll read a particular *wild* Icha Icha quote to you just to make you flustered (bonus points for him if you’re in public)

• His students question you all the time like how did you end up with their lonely, pervy sensei?

• Will sweep you off your feet for no reason other than he likes to hold you and carry you

Random Kashi Facts~

• Kakashi’s love language is words of affirmation like he craves hearing that you love him and the like

• He hums and sings around the house or whenever he’s bored or preoccupied

• After having eating fish out of necessity day after day he prefers not eating it if possible

• He will often fall asleep a good while after he actually lays down because he enjoys debriefing himself of everything that happened during the day

• Actually sleeps really deep when he’s next to you, otherwise, the smallest sound can wake him up

• He likes to put notes or letters from you in his Icha Icha books so he can read them whenever and no one will peak cuz ew, Icha Icha

• In all honesty, Gai is a common factor in why he’s so late everywhere, but it’s mostly him walking around and taking in the sights like a nostalgic old man

• In the episode where Sakura and Naruto transformed into kids and called Kashi and old man, giving him an identity crisis is actually common. His hair color and the fact that you can’t see his face make some kids think he’s old

• Sometimes when he can’t sleep he’ll find a random tree and fall asleep in it (he’s a strange one)

• He lost his newest Icha Icha book when he was Hokage and very nearly (thanks to Shikamaru) called a citywide search party

Little Things~

Favorite:

• Place to kiss- Your temple, it feels really intimate to him and he’s so tall it’s an easy place for him

• Way to hug- Kakashi loves those giant bear hugs where he just envelopes you like you’re basically one with him now

•’Thing to do with you- He really loves reading with you, whether it’s the same book, or you’re just both sitting next to each other reading

• Type of date- Although your most common date is a mission date (lol), his favorite is being able to take you to a nice restaurant and then on a walk around the city

This or That:

• He’s a winter person actually, he loves being cuddled up with you and blankets, and the abundance of hot drinks

• He’s a morning person because he’s been waking up early since he was a child, and doesn’t really know how to enjoy sleeping anymore (but if that wasn’t the case he’d be a night owl)

• Loves both cooking for you and being cooked for he puts Bobby Flay to shame honestly

• He spends all his time reading obviously and if his S/O is a writer or he’ll be soooo excited and will read everything they put out

Conflict Happenings~

• He knows disagreements are a normal part of relationships (in moderation of course) so if there was a real problem, he wouldn’t shy away from it

• He won’t raise his voice or take a tone with you, he doesn’t feel the need to, but he will definitely get his point across

• To his fault, he might throw in a slight or cutting remark here and there but he will regret it the second your expression changes

• He’s a real go with the flow kind of guy so if he realizes that something is his fault, he will correct it ASAP

• If he notices you’re getting really worked up, he’ll just hug you until you calm down and can speak coherently but at that point it’s like ‘what was I mad about??’

• If his S/O is headstrong it’ll probably bring that side out in him, even if temporarily

• If it’s a minor disagreement he’ll probably say something funny to diffuse the situation

• He would rather die than argue in public, to him it’s a private thing and he hates causing a scene

Modern Kashi~

• I can see him as more of a club/extracurricular activities leader than a teacher

• He’s really close to those kids in his group and probably sheds a few proud DadKashi tears at their graduation

• That one fine teacher that all the students are thirsting over

• If not a teacher he’d probably be an elite CIA agent or a higher ranking FBI officer

• He has so many dogs like he sees a stray and how could he possibly give them up??

• He’d probably walk around Playboy Magazines just cause he can

• At one point he dyed his hair black cause he thought it’d look more ‘normal’ but he HATED it

• He likes plants but he’s so bad at taking care of them?? He can remember all of his dogs’ names and their food preferences but can’t remember to water a plant

• His house is so clean he’s been doing all his household chores since he was a child

• He definitely met Gai in elementary school and they never parted, even going on to become college roommates never again

• Gai probably barges in Kakashi’s classroom so often he’s most likely considered the co-leader/teacher

• Kakashi has definitely gotten drunk on school nights before but he’s such an in-control drunk no one ever noticed

• Kakashi was my first Naruto love and my first husband. BACK OFF

Masterlist

#naruto scenarios #naruto shippuden #kakashi x reader #hatake kakashi #reader insert #Dadkashi #headcanon #hes so perfect

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porta-decumana · 4 years ago

Note

You know exactly who I’m going to ask about... Cid! Oh and Gaius too in case you haven’t been asked about the hubby yet!

CID GARLOND

How I feel about the character: I love Cid. I feel like it would be very hard not to like Cid. He’s just genuinely such a good person? I think he’s the first character in ARR that I really liked because I could tell the writing team put a lot of effort into his character. And I’m glad he shows up so frequently in other side content because I like to see what shenanigans he gets dragged into.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Yume/Cid is the ultimate OTP with Nero/Cid and Mikoto/Cid coming into 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Non-romantic OTP: Cid/WoL in the sense that the WoL is not romantically involved with Cid. So basically Cid and Kaida. I headcanon that they’re good friends and vent to each other often! Especially Kaida to Cid, I feel like he probably knows a lot more about her than most of the Scions do at this point. Especially her drinking habits, when she can be convinced to partake of alcohol.

Unpopular opinion: My unpopular opinion is that the fandom should appreciate him more. I feel like he often gets overlooked for characters like G’raha or Emet-- both of which are also good characters. But Cid’s had a lot of good depth added to him over the expacs and I think he deserves more love than he gets. Especially after the start of the Bozja questline, holy cow. I remember liking Cid a lot before that but the Cidception quest really made him shoot into my top 5 for favorite characters.

What I wish would happen: I really want Cid to fly us to the moon quite literally and if it doesn’t happen, I will riot. I specifically want the WoL to come barging into the Ironworks and being like “Cid, we gotta go to the moon” and Cid is just like “what” and Nero is just laughing hysterically in the background. And then they both make it happen and Cid literally pilots the ship into space and comes with us and we have a great time on the moon before Ishikawa annihilates us with more Amaurot lore and feels. ALSO I WANT CID AND GAIUS INTERACTIONS, PLEASE SE, GIVE THIS TO ME.

GAIUS BAELSAR

How I feel about the character: Oh where do I begin. I started off feeling very ambivalent about Gaius. I thought he was an effective villain in ARR but that was about it. When he came back, I felt very neutral because back then, everyone just assumed he would be back. I thought he looked hella fine though lmaooo. And then I really started getting invested in him uhhh right before Werlyt started actually. The ShB scenes with him and Estinien were so great and I really starting thinking HARD on his character. The implications of indoctrination, the fact that he was Solus’s right-hand for so many years... and I fell in love with his character.

OTP: Gaius/Kaida forever, goodbye. Other Gaiusfuckers are also welcome but you must understand that I am a bit biased.

Non-romantic OTP: So this is kind of wild. Gaius/Emet-Selch and PURELY because the possibilities with their relationship as boss and henchman are absolutely intriguing to me and I’m sad no one talks about this nearly enough. Emet-Selch has 1 line in-game about Gaius and I wish we knew more. I can imagine it was a very one-sided relationship with Emet-Selch probably being amused with Gaius at best and Gaius being the Good Soldier Boy(tm) and protecting his liege. His sword is called Heirsbane for a good reason and I can only imagine how someone as powerful as Emet-Selch felt when he saw Gaius continually putting down usurpers in his name. Probably something to the effect of “oh that’s cute, he thinks he’s protecting me” while also continuing to play his role as a very mortal emperor of Garlemald.

Unpopular opinion: OH WHERE TO BEGIN. I’ll do one that won’t involve me writing a novel. I see a lot of depictions of Gaius where he’s shown as very emotionless and stoic and I don’t necessarily agree with that. I think he’s an incredibly emotional character (5.5 showed that imo) but he’s constantly torn between practicality and his feelings. He’s a military leader, he knows there’s a time and place for everything. But he isn’t entirely heartless, just reserved in showing emotion because of his past experiences.

What I wish would happen: Gaius becomes the leader of Garlemald just to dissolve the empire after realizing the atrocities caused by his people. He sets up a Republic and continues working as a politician to help Garlemald recover from years of manipulation and indoctrination by the Ascians. He and Allie live together and are happy.

#cid garlond #gaius baelsar #earthlystar #i apologize for any typos #i was keyboard smashing excitedly about these two

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mbti-notes · 4 years ago

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Greetings, I am a 75 year old grandma. I am writing because my grandson who is in his 20s won't work. I have been involved in mbti for many decades. I'm an ENFJ. My grandson is still living at home well into his 20s. When I tell him to get a job (over many years) he just tells me to cut him off and that he will be fine without a smartphone and sweet foods. He is very bright. Graduated with a 3.7 from University. He tried various interests, but nothing sticks. Do I kick him out? Its not my nature

[con’t: The actions I've taken to help my grandson is to show him various resources like holland code, personality theory, etc. so that he can find some direction of where to commit. Instead he just takes the holland code over and over again, and happily shows me that his interests vary everytime he takes it. Same with personality theory. He goes on your blog all the time to prove that he doesn't fit anywhere. Based off of that statement he sounds like IxFJ. My grandson resembles Ti loop (IFxJ), but he does not resemble any other aspect of being an FJ. He is relatively well decisive when it comes to everything in his life. The only issue is getting a job, getting on a path, but he rejects this. If he at least helped around the house it would be something, but he can be quite selfish and uncaring, yet at other times very caring. It vacillates. Anyway, please help if possible, I am perplexed.]

WRT His Type:

I can’t draw a conclusion about his type without a full type assessment. Everything you’ve described is quite consistent with INFJ and Ni-Ti loop. It seems that you don’t understand tertiary loop very well. Ti loop is an unconscious repudiation of feeling, responsibility, and eventually, conscience. It amounts to a refusal to be the things that make FJs good and admirable people. Basically, the more severe the case of Ti loop, the more arrogant, narcissistic, and callous the INFJ becomes.

If the INFJ is only at the stage of trying to suppress the vulnerability of feeling life, there is still a fair chance for them to turn their life around by developing better emotional intelligence to address the emotional immaturity. If the INFJ has reached the point of refusing personal responsibility, they will be preoccupied/obsessed with finding any excuse, and even creating enemies, to blame for the poor state of their life. At this point, they are impervious to facts and don’t respond well to advice. If the INFJ loses all self-awareness and manages to convince themselves that they are “special” and not subject to conventional rules and ethical boundaries, then the time for you to distance from them is nearing, as chronic Se grip will set in and produce reactive, aggressive, or extreme behavior.

To get out of Ti loop requires genuine humility and reconnection with feeling life. The INFJ must take full responsibility for their decisions, correct the big mistakes that they have made in life, and atone for all the harm that they have caused. He does not seem to be capable of this at the moment. I explain Ti loop not to be an alarmist, but to give you a realistic view of how destructive tertiary loop can be, what rock bottom looks like for INFJs, and the signs to be wary of. If the relationship with him ever reaches a point where his mindset becomes toxic and harmful to you, it is important that you move to protect yourself.

WRT His Problem:

Getting someone in the right frame of mind to make a change and tackle a big problem is very tricky business because you don’t want to try and fail too many times. If you’re correct about Ti loop, then the more times you try to help and fail, the more likely he is to retreat further into himself (and delusion). To avoid applying the wrong solution, it’s best to do some “intelligence gathering” first so that you understand the problem properly before proceeding.

Neither of you has gotten to the bottom of his “block”, i.e., the actual obstacle that is getting in the way of his advancement. You can’t solve a problem if you can’t identify the cause(s) of it. The cause can be internal, external, or a combination of factors. Getting him into aptitude/personality studies seems like a logical approach to the problem. However, this assumes that the underlying cause of the problem is that he doesn’t really know himself - is it, though? It’s not clear to me, from what you’ve said, that this is the root of the problem. There isn’t enough info for me to draw any conclusion and I don’t wish to speculate wildly about what his problem might be. He seems to have some deeper psychological issues going on. And this lack of knowledge about his motivations is probably the reason that you’re both having difficulty pinpointing his type.

Therefore, the first order of business is to examine the problem in depth to figure out what the true cause of it is. Is the nature of the employment problem practical, psychological, educational, social, etc? Once you have an accurate grasp of the problem, then think on the right solution to it, or get help from someone with the expertise to determine the right solution. Note that if he is already at the point of avoiding responsibility and making excuses to manipulate reality, he himself will be blind to the real problem.

WRT Your Decision:

The last point I want to make is about you and your feelings. It sounds like he is suffering from some form of arrested development because he still has the mentality of a child. Academic GPA means nothing without emotional maturity and life skills. His behavior indicates that he depends on you but is also spoiled in taking your support for granted. This means that the more you try to support/help him, the more you may be enabling his unhealthy behavior and preventing him from becoming truly independent.

It is in his best interests to learn how to be a responsible adult because he will not always have someone to lean on in life (especially since Ti loop is very destructive to relationships). This should happen sooner rather than later, because the longer someone stays stuck in a rut, the harder it is to change, as inertia deepens. This is especially true in terms of employment because doors close and opportunities gradually dry up the older one gets. For the sake of his continued personal growth, he has to learn how to face up to his life’s problems and resolve them. But it sounds like he’s not willing to do that without being compelled to. He explicitly said to cut him off, which is basically like telling mama bird that he’s not going to jump off the tree and fly until he gets pushed off. Push him. Yes, he could have some psychological issue going on, but he’s also using your support to avoid facing up to it. If this is true, then you need to step BACK and allow him to step up for himself.

Should you kick him out? I understand that, from your perspective, this path would be the last resort, because it would violate your moral sensibilities and perhaps damage the relationship. But the fact that you’re at the point of considering it means that you’ve been dealing with this situation for far too long without making any progress. Please take some time to address how much this situation stresses YOU. Otherwise, your feelings may eventually boil over and possess you to do something you regret.

The fairest approach to this situation is to treat him like you would treat anyone else. In other words, stop giving him preferential treatment, especially if he doesn’t appreciate it and thus doesn’t deserve it. (Preferential treatment is reserved for people who are putting in their best effort but still falling short due to factors beyond their control.) If he wants to live under someone else’s roof, he has to contribute his fair share, as any adult would be expected to do (rent, bills, food, etc). If he wants to use/share your space, he has to help with cleaning and maintenance so that the workload is fairly distributed, as any adult would be expected to do. If he wants to have a relationship with you, then he has to reciprocate to make the friendship equal, as any adult would be expected to do. If it were anyone else, you would draw lines and boundaries about what kinds of behavior you would tolerate, wouldn’t you? I hope you would. If you're a doormat, it makes your relationship dynamic with him codependent and even more unhealthy.

**A healthy relationship must have boundaries. Personal boundaries must be respected to justify continued investment in the relationship. If someone doesn’t respect your needs and boundaries, they don’t respect you, and they’re proving themselves unworthy of your continued effort. Until someone proves that they are worthy of your trust and support, it is best to maintain emotional distance from them, for your own safety and psychological well-being.**

It’s time for you to step up for yourself and how you feel. Make your needs and desires matter just as much as his, which means drawing the lines, setting the boundaries, and enforcing the rules that you need for honoring your existence. Yes, it would be nice if everyone just knew how to respect each other, but that’s not the case. If a relationship is hurting you, then it’s necessary to practice proper self-care and correct what is wrong. It’s not about being controlling but about respecting you and what is yours. If he can’t abide by your rules and boundaries, he is an adult and free to set his own rules elsewhere. Don’t forget that if you let him walk all over you, you’re implicitly confirming to him that exploitation is normal and acceptable relationship behavior.

1) Devaluing your needs is a disservice to yourself and puts you in the backseat of this relationship to be hurt and exploited, and 2) devaluing your needs is a disservice to him, because taking advantage of your generosity allows him to continue on with unhealthy behavior. I’ve given a few possibilities above and it’s up to you to take the path that you think is best for both parties.

#enfj #enfj relationships #helping #parenting #relationships #boundaries #self care #ask

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alecmagnuslwb · 4 years ago

Text

Somewhere to Stay

Read on AO3

The rain is battering down as Magnus comes to the first stoplight he’s seen in miles. His bike which has been living on fumes for nearly two states finally clunks out on him as soon as the light turns green. A sputtering and creaking noise sounds as he hits the gas and smoke billows up from the engine almost immediately shot down by the rain.

He sighs taking out his keys and pushing the bike over onto the sidewalk and out of the roadway, not that there’s any traffic anywhere in sight. Magnus is fairly certain the people in this area don’t even know what traffic is. He rolls the bike until he can set it under an awning in front of a small bookshop.

He takes off his helmet running a hand through his dark hair tipped in pink as he pulls his phone from his pocket. Mere seconds after the screen comes to life the low battery warning signals and the screen goes dark.

“Fuck,” he says looking up at his surroundings for anywhere he might be able to take shelter and charge his phone. It’s nearing two in the morning so most of the small shops on the road are closed. There’s an all-night diner lit neon across the street, a 24-hour pawn shop a few buildings down and in the distance a bright motel sign missing the letter ‘e’ shines.

The motel is his last option, he’s not one for staying anywhere longer than he has to and he’s been on the road like this long enough to know that any pawn shop that runs 24-hours is a murder mystery just waiting to happen. So, the diner it is.

He flips the collar of his leather jacket up as much as he can and takes his duffel bag off the back of his bike shouldering it before stepping out from under the awning and sprinting across the street in an attempt to stay as dry as possible.

He doesn’t bother checking as he rushes across the road, choosing to believe the one stoplight is more of a suggestion than anything else. He swings open the door of the diner and steps inside brushing his wet hair from his forehead.

The diner is fairly empty this time of the night which is to be expected. A tall Black man in a sheriff’s uniform gets up from a booth as soon as Magnus enters tipping his hat in his direction as he heads to the door.

“Be with you in a second,” a deep voice sounds out from the kitchen as Magnus moves to sit on a high seat at one end of the counter. Magnus looks around as he waits looking at his fellow middle of the night patrons. A man in a backwards cap with a guitar case leaning by his side sits in the farthest away booth more food than seems possible for one guy his size sitting in front of him and a young woman with curly hair looks half asleep sitting at the far end of the counter with a half empty pot of coffee by her side.

The walls are black and white checker tiled, an old juke box with an out of order sign takes up one entire wall and each booth is lined with pleather seating in a variety of mix matched colors.

Magnus drops his bag and smiles. He loves places like this. Little hole in the wall diners with too many neon lights and random patrons that Magnus can observe. He’s been driving around from town to town, country to country on occasion, since he was 18.

Fresh out of the foster system he just wanted to be free, free to go anywhere and do anything. So he’d taken all the money he’d squirreled away in secret since he’d landed in the states as a little boy, bought a motorcycle and packed a bag. He’s worked every odd job one can imagine and picked up some wonderful friends along the way. But nothings ever totally stuck, nothings ever been worth staying in one spot permanently for.

London was the closest he’d gotten. Camille had been a mistake and his love for Ragnor and Catarina while vast couldn’t keep him in a place that reminded him of all the shit she’d put him through.

Wherever the hell Texas this is isn’t likely to become a permanent residence, but he can appreciate the tacky ambiance of an old school diner for a while.

“Sorry about the wait,” the deep voice from before says as the doors from the kitchen swing open. Magnus turns back around from his observing and practically falls out of his swiveling seat.

The face and body that belongs to that deep voice is absently flipping through a pad of paper looking for a blank sheet unaware of Magnus’ blatant staring.

The man is gorgeous. Too tall for his own good, obviously fit body clinging to a light grey t-shirt and large hands that in under ten seconds Magnus has at least the beginning of three specific fantasies about brewing. The man looks up from the pad finally finding a blank page and pulls a pencil from behind his ear the end getting stuck briefly in his unruly dark hair.

The man pauses for a moment once he finally looks up at Magnus for just a second which gives Magnus the opportunity to spot and admire the inky black tattoo on the left side of the man’s neck. Magnus knows that looks, that first notice, that immediate burst of attraction, he’d experienced it himself not but ten seconds prior. It’s good to know the feeling is mutual.

He shakes his head gathering himself, “Sorry about the wait, what can I get you?”

Magnus smiles leaning in a bit more than necessary across the counter. “I’m afraid I haven’t actually seen a menu yet.”

“Oh,” the man says smiling a bright smile than Magnus would pay good money he doesn’t have to see again. “We don’t actually have a menu per se, we just write everything up on the board.” He gestures to wall behind him a covered with a large blackboard. The handwriting is neat, but blocky in mostly capital letters.

“We don’t get a lot of non-regulars who basically get the same thing every time, so the owner didn’t bother with menus, sorry about that,” the man continues.

Magnus waves a hand in the air, not having menus is another appreciated quirk of places like this. “Don’t worry about it, I think I’ll just start with a coffee.”

The man nods not bothering with writing it down. “Coming right up,” he says as he sticks the pencil back behind his ear.

“Thank you…” Magnus says with a bright smile leaving an open invitation for the man to give his name.

“Alec,” he says before stepping away giving Magnus one last look over. Magnus replies with his own name and Alec nods making a brief stop to tap on the shoulder of the sleeping girl at the other end of counter. She startles awake and gives Alec a salute in thanks.

Alec returns with a mug filled to the brim and sits it in front of Magnus with a small bowl of creamer.

“Where am I exactly?” Magnus asks as he opens two of the creamer packets and dumps them into the mug.

“Midnight,” Alec replies as he starts to wipe down the counter around Magnus. Magnus frowns at the response before Alec elaborates. “That’s the name of our town. One stoplight, seven shops including this diner all named Midnight fill in the blank here, about thirty permanent residents depending on the day of the week and a motel that’s not nearly as sketchy as it appears on the outside.”

“One of those shops happen to be a mechanic that either knows how to fix a bike or has the tools they’d let me borrow to do it myself?” Magnus asks taking a sip of his coffee.

Alec shakes his, “Afraid not. There’s a shop about 15 miles from here, it’s the only one in the county and it’s closed on Sundays.”

Damn, Magnus thinks as he realizes it is Sunday.

“The motels open though if you need a place to stay and I could give you a ride to the shop on Monday,” Alec says. Magnus looks up at him surprised by the kind offer. “Or not, obviously I’m a complete stranger so I get that that could sound a bit murdery.”

Magnus chuckles which stops Alec’s small panic.

“That’d be great actually,” Magnus says unexpectedly trusting this incredibly handsome stranger in a diner at two a.m.. He lingers for a bit after that making small talk with Alec about how he’s just passing through until his eyelids start to droop and he realizes just how tired he is.

He says his goodbyes thanking Alec with a sizable tip that he really can’t afford to be leaving. The rain has settled giving Magnus the easy opportunity to push his bike along the street and over to the motel just around the corner settling in for the night.

***

Magnus sleeps all through Sunday. Alec was right, though on the outside the motel looks sketchy as hell, the interior is something almost nice. He skips the diner that night after he passes by and sees a different person behind the counter and goes for the Midnight gas station picking up a few snacks to call his dinner.

Monday morning, bright eyed and maybe putting a little more effort into his outfit and makeup than he usually would to go to a mechanic Magnus waits outside leaning against the glass windows of the diner to meet Alec.

Alec pulls up in a stereotypically Texas looking truck smiling a small smile at Magnus as he steps out. It’s the first time Magnus has seen Alec in all his glory and if everything from the waist up was a vision behind the counter the long legs that stride towards him are a whole new thing. Alec helps him load the bike into the bed of the truck and they ride quietly out to the small mechanics shop.

Mornings don’t seem to be Alec’s thing judging from the one hand on the wheel and the other holding the tallest cup of coffee Magnus has ever seen. The trip to the mechanic doesn’t take long, Alec waits outside a picture of beauty leaning against his truck with his head tipped back in the morning sun. The mechanic looks over his bike and shakes his head talking as he goes over it all.

“The short of it is, the parts this thing needs it’s gonna take a few weeks at least to get everything to fix it up for you,” the old man sighs blowing out a breath that makes his mustache shift. “You shouldn’t have let it build up troubles for so long.”

Magnus knows that, but money has been tight for a while and he just figured his trusty old bike could hold out. It seems he was wrong about that.

Magnus thanks the man before he’s handed a cost estimate and flings himself into the passenger seat of Alec’s truck with a heavy sigh leaning his head back. Alec joins him sliding into his seat, his giant cup of coffee is gone now and he seems much more alert than he had on the drive to the shop.

“Everything okay?” he asks starting up the truck.

Magnus shakes his head not moving it from where he’s leaned back.

“Looks like I let a lot of things go for too long and it’s going to take a while to fix it, and a lot more money than I have,” he grumbles looking down at the estimate sheet in his hands.

“So, you’re sticking around for a while then?” Alec says. For a second Magnus thinks he hears something that sounds like hope in his voice when he says it.

“Looks like it,” he replies tilting his head to look at Alec. He looks very pretty in profile lit up by the Texas sun.

Alec smiles a small smile just at the corner of his lips, “I might have a solution for your money problem. I know they guy who owns the bar outside just outside of town, he’s always looking for new bartenders since they’re quitting on him all the time.”

“What a resounding review of employment,” Magnus laughs.

Alec laughs in kind. “Yeah, well the Cartoon Saloon isn’t known for its high standards, but it is the only bar in about 50 miles with a decent owner and a bouncer who doesn’t let assholes in or stick around once they show their cards.”

“The cartoon saloon?” Magnus asks incredulously. “You’ve got to be shitting me, that can’t be a real name.”

Alec just chuckles, “I shit you not.”

Magnus spends the rest of the day with Alec getting a tour of the town and who’s who of their small number of residents. He learns a bit more about Alec as a person and returns with his own little bits and pieces in kind. By dinner he’s met Meliorn, the owner of the Cartoon Saloon, and secured a position at the colorful bar starting the next night.

Meliorn leaves him at the diner just as Alec’s shift begins.

“They do not seem like the type to own a bar called the Cartoon Saloon,” Magnus says after Meliorn’s left watching Alec collect the sizable tip they’d left behind.

“We like to bust the stereotypes of the small-town Texas here,” Alec says pocketing the cash.

Magnus hums in agreement.

“That’s true,” he says swaying in his seat lightly. “I mean look at you with your big Texan truck and not a hint of accent to back it up.”

“Hey now,” Alec says playfully. “It’s not about the size of the truck, it’s about what you do with it.”

Magnus snorts, an inelegant thing that makes Alec smile.

“Of course, but still you’re not from here originally I take it.”

Alec leans on the counter, Magnus the only customer.

“I’m from New York, Manhattan specifically.”

Magnus had spent some of his formative years in Brooklyn, for a moment he wonders if there’s a chance he and Alec every unknowingly crossed paths.

“How’d a Manhattan boy end up in small town Texas?”

Alec grimaces a bit and Magnus quickly continues, “Not that you have to tell me if it’s too personal I understand.”

Alec shakes his head, “It’s okay, it’s just been a while since I had anyone ask, small town and all that, the story kind of traveled fast.”

Magnus smiles making a go on gesture encouraging him to tell the story.

“The short of it is my homophobic parents didn’t take too kindly when they caught me with my boyfriend when I was 17, things got pretty bad after that. My siblings, especially my sister, tried their best to shield me from it, but I was the oldest and it wasn’t their job. So, the day I turned 18 I left no looking back, no regrets just packed up a car and drove.”

He straightens up meeting Magnus’ eyes.

“After about a month I’d sold the car and traded it in for that big Texan truck of mine and found myself at that stoplight out there,” he smiles tilting head towards the window. The single stoplight red at the moment, not a car in sight. “I don’t know why but I decided to park outside, ended up here in this diner asking about a job and before I knew it a whole year had passed and I was living in the rented space above the bookstore. A few more years and I had a house and a best friend and for the first time in a long time I felt at home.”

Alec shrugs stepping back when Maia the aforementioned best friend and coffee girl from the night Magnus had arrived comes in. Seemingly on autopilot Alec gets her a glass of ice water and a cup of coffee writing something down on a slip of paper that he sends back to the cook. She thanks him as she lugs a stack of books onto the counter.

Alec heads back towards Magnus after that.

“Do you still see your siblings?” he asks once Alec has returned to his position leaning on the counter beside him.

Alec nods smiling fondly. “My sister Izzy and my baby brother Max have visited here and there over the years. My other brother though,” Alec shakes his head a little sadly, but seemingly resigned. “Let’s just say when it comes to Jace my parents picked a favorite and eventually he went along with it.”

“I’m sorry,” Magnus says reaching out a hand and settling it on Alec’s. It’s the first time they’ve touched and it feels right. Magnus knows what it’s like to have the people who are supposed to love you unconditionally do the opposite.

“It’s okay,” Alec says smiling a little before flipping his hand under Magnus’ squeezing once before letting go and pushing away from the counter when the cook slings Maia’s order out. “I still have two of my siblings and I found a home here, so it all worked out in the end.”

Magnus smiles a little sadly, happy that Alec found that elusive thing he’s been driving around to trying to find for years.

“Especially since he met me,” Maia chimes in from her end of the counter. She picks up her plate, leaving her books behind, and slides into the seat beside Magnus formally introducing herself. He spends the rest of the evening there chatting with the incredibly delightful woman and tries his first full meal from the Midnight diner.

***

Two weeks pass and Magnus barely even realizes it, he now fully understands how Alec ended up just staying here in this small town. What it lacks in the bustle of city life, Midnight makes up for in the goodness of its people and the charm of the quiet area that surrounds it.

In the two weeks that have passed Magnus has gotten to know this little town and appreciate all it has to offer. There’s Maia whose sharp wit could take her anywhere and yet she chooses to stay here, putting a hard worked for law degree to good use to help the local migrant workers whenever she can. There’s the local preacher, Raphael whose religious standings may not be for Magnus, but his dark humor always makes for great conversation over breakfasts at the counter.

And that doesn’t even cover the stately book shop owner, his Zen boss Meliorn who’s all but officially turned the Cartoon Saloon into a specifically themed gay bar, Simon their local musician who often works days at the diner and can pack away more food than every other resident in town combined or the grumpy motel manager that bitches about everything but also leaves an entire bowl of mints on Magnus’ pillow every night when he comes back from a shift at the bar.

And of course there’s Alec who often works the nightshift and Magnus comes to spend his evenings with after he leaves the bar until the sun rises. It’s become his new routine five days a week. Alec whose heart is even kinder than those pretty hazel eyes, who lets him use his truck to get to work and who has depth to him that seemingly has no end.

He’s learned more about Alec in two weeks than he learned about Camille in their entire relationship and in response he’s felt comfortable sharing his own story. Telling Alec things no one else has ever known about his days in foster care, his travels and everything in between. They’ve grown incredibly close in such a short time and the tension that had been there, that attraction that had been instant has only grown thicker with each passing day. It’s like both of them are waiting to see who’s willing to make the first move.

The people of Midnight just make it feel like a place you can stay and the longer he’s there he wonders if maybe he could. So, of course that’s when he gets the call that his bike is back to being rideable.

“It’s not finished, but if you wanted to move along to somewhere where the parts won’t take as long to get it’d be doable,” the mechanic says in his thick Texas drawl over the phone.

Magnus looks over at Alec who’s standing on the other side of aisle as they peruse the bookshop flipping through of all things, a book about knitting, and he thinks for a moment.

“I trust your work, if it takes a little longer, then it takes a little longer,” Magnus says with a shrug. For the second time in his life he wants to stay, wants to see how this all plays out and this time he thinks it might have a better ending.

***

“Tacky is what that is,” Magnus says as Alec tells him all about the pink porcelain bathroom his grandma had when he was growing up.

“Says the guy who works in a bar that’s walls are covered with giant cut outs of cartoon characters,” Alec huffs as he finishes cleaning out the coffee machine. It’s the dead hours at the diner, three to five there’s almost never a single patron, except Magnus who always comes in after last call at the saloon.

“I work there,” Magnus defends swinging his legs back and forth from where he sits on the counter. A thing Alec has repeatedly told him not to do, yet continues to not stop him. “That does not mean I support the décor.”

He actually loves it, not that he’s gonna admit that out loud right now.

Alec just rolls his eyes as he rounds the counter coming to sit in the chair beside the one where Magnus rests his feet.

“What did I tell you about sitting on the counter?” he says once he’s seated reaching out to tap Magnus on the thigh two times in succession with the back of his hand.

He’s been doing that a lot more lately. Touching Magnus in light brushes, standing a little closer. Magnus isn’t sure how much longer this tension between them can stand until the levee breaks.

“I do not recall,” Magnus says his voice bright and cheery, an absolute picture of innocence. He reaches out patting Alec’s cheek lightly with the palm of his hand, much like in the same manner Alec had just tapped his thigh.

Magnus starts to pull his hand back when Alec suddenly reaches up and stops him, holding Magnus’ hand in place. They stare at each other for a moment and then just as predicted the levee breaks.

Alec surges up and in a blink of an eye his lips are connecting with Magnus’. The kiss starts slow a slide of lips and tongue that catches fire quickly. Alec maneuvers them so he’s standing between Magnus’ legs never letting their lips part for long. They stay there on the counter kissing for minutes, hours, Magnus doesn’t know until they pull back to catch their breath.

Magnus keeps Alec close his hands on each side of Alec’s neck and tilts their foreheads together.

“That was,” Alec trails off eyes opening up, his pupils blown wide.

Magnus hums in agreement trailing his fingers along the lines of the tattoo on Alec’s neck. He leans in kissing Alec one more time, chaste in comparison to the previous ones. Alec smiles stepping in impossibly closer his big hands moving from Magnus’ hips to rub along his thighs before leaning back in.

***

Two days later the mechanic calls and Magnus picks up his bike. Alec worries at his lip as he watches Magnus rev the engine to life, the bike sounding better than it has in years. Magnus catches the nervousness out of the corner of his eye as he pays the mechanic.

They haven’t really talked about what happens next. It’s been two days of bliss since their first kiss in the diner the looming reality that Magnus had intention of driving out of town as soon as his bike was ready not even crossing his mind until this moment. Clearly it’s been on Alec’s mind though.

Magnus rolls his bike over to Alec’s truck.

“I’ve got a shift at the saloon tonight, then I’ll come by the diner, maybe you can by me dinner?” Magnus says as he flips the kickstand so he can lean against his bike.

Alec’s head shoots up from where he’d been kicking aimlessly at the dirt.

“You’re staying?” he says a little uncertain and a lot hopeful.

Magnus smiles reaching out a hand that Alec immediately takes. He pulls him in close so they’re chest to chest both leaning against the bike.

“I was thinking I’d stay a little longer,” Magnus says, his turn to sound a little uncertain. Alec’s responding smile is beaming.

“Maia will be thrilled, she’s tired of just talking to me and Simon all the time, you’re way more interesting,” he says leaning in for a quick kiss.

Magnus huffs, uncertainty slipping away, “Just Maia, huh?”

Alec shrugs, “Well maybe some other people too.”

Magnus just rolls his eyes, completely endeared.

***

Another two months pass in a blink of an eye. Instead of going back to his motel room most nights (or days considering their work schedules) Magnus falls into bed at Alec’s house. Their nights at the diners are now filled with sneaking kisses and more and more frequently Alec drops by the saloon on his nights off for a drink or two.

They have breakfast with Raphael every Wednesday sitting on one side of the booth together and Maia drags them out to the Saloon on Saturdays to be her wingmen as Magnus grumbles a bit about being at his place of work on his night off. He even manages to drag Alec to the dance floor a time or two after a few sweet drinks.

He gets Alec on the back of his motorcycle and it’s easily one of the top five highlights of his life so far. The sex they have afterwards, Alec hyped up on the adrenaline of being so free on the back of Magnus’ bike also finds a spot in his top five highlights as well.

He travels to the closest city to attend an art show with Maia, he finds himself looking into renting the apartment above the bookstore and is on the first name basis with everyone in town and a number of the people in neighboring towns as well.

At first they know him as Alec’s boyfriend, but soon enough they know him for him.

He finds himself building a life. He finds himself not just wanting to stay a little longer, but to stay indefinitely.

***

Alec flips the open sign in the front window off before turning to Magnus. Turning the main lights leaving them in a muted neon glow. The juke box Simon finally got around to fixing plays a soft slow song in the background.

“Huh, never had to turn that off before,” Alec says as slides into the booth beside Magnus. “It’s kinda weird.”

Midnight Diner will be closed down the next day for the “once a decade the county inspector remembers our diner exists inspection” as Alec’s boss calls it.

Alec reaches out snatching one of the fries from the plate in front of Magnus.

“Thief,” Magnus whispers with a glare. Alec just smirks. He looks gorgeous under neon lights, the purples, blues and oranges clinging to the tips of his hair and on dark eyelashes and in that moment with that playful smirk edging at his lips Magnus realizes he’s so goddamn in love with Alec.

“I am so goddamn in love with you too,” Alec says casually, easily like it’s the simplest thing in the world as he steals another fry and pops it in his mouth. It takes Magnus a second, to catch up with the fact that he’d said I love you out loud. He doesn’t regret it, it’s truer than just about anything ever has been for him, but he hadn’t meant to say it so soon.

Alec just turns gripping Magnus’ forearm that’s resting on the table and leans in for a kiss. It’s salty and Alec’s breath definitely still smells like that pitch-black coffee he drinks, but it’s just as perfect as every kiss they’ve ever shared.

They sit there for a while longer feeding each other fries and talking about the surprise trip Alec’s been planning for them that he absolutely will not give Magnus any details about no matter how much he tries to pry something out of him. Meals, sexual favors, Agatha Christie novels to add to his ever growing collection, nothing has made Alec budge.

“It’ll be nice to get out of Midnight for a while,” Alec says. “Even if you don’t know where we’re going.”

Magnus just huffs in annoyance at Alec’s stubborn secretiveness. It will be nice, he loves it in Midnight, but a weekend away will be welcome. Afterwards he’s fairly certain that coming back to Midnight will be even sweeter though. He hasn’t brought it up officially with Alec, but Magnus wants to stay. Not just in a month to month their relationship is going well sense, but permanently. Forever, if Alec will have him.

He feels at home here, not just with Alec, but with the town and everyone else inside of it. He has favorite spots and knows local stories and it just all fits so well.

The apartment above the bookshop is now occupied by Simon after Clary dumped him for the fourth time this year according to Maia, but he’s looking into other options and he wouldn’t be lying if he hasn’t considered the fact that he stays at Alec’s house at least five days a week now.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about the future,” Magnus says. Alec drops his fry stealing mission, wiping his hands off and focusing his attention solely on Magnus. He turns as much as he can to face Magnus in the booth and trails his fingers along Magnus’ forearm.

Magnus takes a deep breath gathering up the courage to say what he wants. He knows Alec, but nearly 30 years of people telling him he’s too clingy or he’s too much for too long there’s a fear of saying it out loud.

“I want to stay, indefinitely,” Magnus says eyes shining bright as he looks at Alec. “Forever actually, if you’ll have me.”

Alec looks stunned and even though it’s probably not even a full second of quiet it’s enough for Magnus to think he needs to backtrack.

"Sorry that's too much. I'm too much," Magnus says making to pull away. But Alec's grip on his arm doesn't lessen and he's pulled right along with him. Magnus can't meet his eyes though, can't see whatever agreement or consideration is resting in them. It's quiet the buzzing sounds of the neon lights the only thing filling the space when finally after seconds that feel like hours Alec's hand lets go.

This is it. Magnus thinks. Too much. He’s heard so many of his stories, even taken the whole Camille debacle in stride and accepted all of Magnus’ eccentricities, but this admittance just two months into their relationship is just too much too soon.

But instead of the inevitable pull away Alec's fingers return to delicately trace up along his forearm where he'd just been gripping tight to keep Magnus from running. He trails them up along Magnus' bicep and across his shoulders till he reaches the sensitive lines of his neck and moves upward. Magnus lets out a stuttering breath at the reverent touch still unwilling to look Alec's way.

The fingers pause at the juncture of his jaw briefly tracing the sharp edge until Alec's large hand slides along his cheek fully cupping it softly and gently urging Magnus to turn his head and meet his eyes.

It takes another moment of coaxing, of Alec's thumb rubbing softly under his bottom lip before returning to rest alongside his other fingers but eventually Magnus does finally turn locking out to those hazel eyes filled not with agreement to Magnus' statement or fear or anything of the like. It's a look Magnus has never really seen directed at him before. It's love. It's adoration. It's worship. It's a heady thing that Magnus knows he'd be trying his damndest to send right back Alec's way if his own eyes weren't no doubt swimming with worry.

"Too much of you is never enough," Alec says into the now nonexistent space between them, finally speaking once he feels that look in his eyes has been interpreted correctly.

Magnus breathes out a sigh of relief, his eyes clearing of worry and finally he's able to send the love, adoration and worship right back.

He doesn't know what to say but he hopes a kiss will say it all. It’s a quick chaste thing, but he puts all the feeling he can into it.

“I wasn’t sure, I know you never planned on staying and when you did I just wasn’t sure how long and I didn’t want to pressure you into staying in this small middle of nowhere town just for me,” Alec admits quietly.

“You are a big part of the reason I want to stay; I won’t act like that’s not true. When I first had the option to go and get my bike fixed faster you were the sole reason I stayed, but the more time I spend here the more at home I feel with you, but also with this town. A small town in the middle of Texas with one stoplight is never where I thought I’d end up, but now it’s the only place I want to be.”

“It’s the only place I want to be to, with you,” Alec says his eyes looking a little wet. “Forever.”

Alec pulls Magnus in close hugging. The angle is awkward and both their knees manage to hit the table but Alec’s arms are strong and warm and permanent.

This is home now, this diner, this town, this man.

***

Three Months Later

“Love, do you still have that Space Jam t-shirt?” Magnus asks as he flips through their shared closet. It’s Looney Tunes night at the saloon, Meliorn’s idea of a joke saying they need to live up to their name on occasion and Magnus’ wardrobe doesn’t exactly feature a lot of Bugs Bunny to participate in the dress code.

He does however recall spotting a black shirt with a small space jam symbol on the pocket floating around in Alec’s stuff when Magnus had officially moved out of the motel and into the house.

“Uh, yeah, I’ll get it for you,” Alec says standing up from where he’d been lacing up his boots leaving the right one untied, chest still bare.

“I got it,” Magnus says waving him off. “Bottom drawer right?”

Magnus bends down to open the drawer and sees the t-shirt right at the top, but before he can reach for it Alec trips his way over his untied shoelace to the chest of drawers and slams the drawer shut.

“No I got it,” he says clearly aiming to sound casual, but missing it by a mile wide.

Magnus looks at him, eyebrow raised. “You’re being weird.”

“I’m not being weird,” Alec scoffs hand still splayed out against the drawer keeping Magnus from even trying to open it back up.

“Whatever the hell that was just now says otherwise.”

“I’m just being a helpful boyfriend, getting that shirt for you,” Alec smiles a clear attempt to dodge whatever this is.

“Being helpful by nearly falling on your face to close the drawer shut where I’d already found what I was looking for and not letting me open it back up?” Magnus asks still eyeing his boyfriend quizzically.

“Yup,” Alec says popping the ‘p’. “So, you just go have a seat and I’ll get that for you.”

Magnus stands to his full height, Alec following but replacing his hand that was holding the drawer shut with his foot.

“Okay, yeah no, you’re being incredibly weird so I’m going to get the shirt so I can stop wondering if you’re storing a human hand under there or something with how spazzy you’re being.”

Magnus leans back down quick and Alec attempts to follow, but his untied lace gets caught on the drawer handle sending him to the ground flat on his ass. He scrambles to stop Magnus, but it’s too late he’s already picked up the shirt.

“I don’t see why you’re being so,” Magnus freezes looking at the space under the shirt. Alec’s hand falls onto the edge of the drawer clearly not seeing a point in trying to shut it anymore. Because there under the shirt that Alec never seems to wear is a small velvet box, just the right size for only one thing.

“Oh,” Magnus says in realization. “So, that’s why you didn’t want me to get the shirt.”

Alec snorts, “Yeah, no human hand or anything.”

Moments of quiet pass in their bedroom until suddenly Alec is clearing his throat to get his attention. Magnus looks at him eyes finally tearing away from the box and all the implications it holds.

“Go ahead,” Alec gestures pulling his leg up and finally tying his right shoe.

Magnus shakes his head, he desperately wants to look, but clearly Alec had some sort of plan.

“No, it’s fine, it can wait for whatever you were planning to do with it, I can just act like I saw nothing.”

Alec gives him a disbelieving look.

“Okay, I can try and act like I saw nothing.”

Alec laughs at that lifting himself up onto his knees and grabbing the box from its resting space.

“I’d rather do this now, than have you fake surprise over some romantic dinner or something,” he says flipping open the box. Nestled inside the smooth fabric is a silver ring, simple except for the thin line of black and white diamonds running through the center. “Fair warning, Greta at the pawn shop told me that only one of these diamonds is real and I get to guess which one it is.”

Magnus chuckles at that shifting onto his knees mirroring Alec.

“I was going to ask you in Austin,” Alec continues and Magnus’ breath catches. Austin had been two months ago, a spur of the moment trip just days after Magnus had moved in to support a gig Simon had. Arguably by the standards of most it would have been too soon, but they’ve moved at lightning speed, brick on the gas since the day Magnus admitted he wanted to stay here with Alec forever. Any modern-day idea of perfect relationship timing be damned. “But then I chickened out cause I worried it was too soon after we’d just moved in together, so I’d been planning and coming up with ideas with Maia’s help for weeks so of course the one time you want to borrow one of my shirts instead of the other way around it’s this shirt.”

Magnus just shrugs an innocent smile on his face.

“So, say goodbye to rose petal dinners, instead you’re getting half-dressed on the bedroom floor.”

“I like it when we’re half-dressed on the bedroom floor so you won’t hear me complaining,” Magnus says cheekily.

“Magnus Bane,” Alec says rolling his eyes a teasing reprimand in his voice that he drops with his next words. “Will you marry me?”

Magnus scoots forward draping his arms over Alec’s bare shoulders.

“Alexander Lightwood, I absolutely will marry you.” Alec smiles bright pulling Magnus in by the waist with the hand not holding the ring kissing his fiancé with all that he has.

Eventually somewhere along the line the ring ends up on his finger somehow and they finally pull back for air.

“That’s gonna be Alexander Bane soon enough,” Alec says slightly out of breath.

Magnus leans back, a little shocked. Bane had been a name he’d chosen once he was free of the foster system and here Alec was choosing it just the same.

“You want to take my last name?”

Alec just shrugs, like it’s no big deal, even though Magnus knows he knows it’s a big deal.

“The Lightwood name lost it’s meaning for me the day my parents decided I wasn’t worth their time, so yeah, if it’s okay with you I want to take your last name.”

Magnus smiles eyes suddenly feeling a little wet, “Of course it’s okay with me.”

He pulls Alec in hugging him tight, the ring looking just perfect on his finger as he runs his hand through Alec’s hair.

“We should see if Raphael is free right now,” Magnus says mumbling it into the curve of Alec’s neck where he’s resting. Alec pulls back.

“Wait do you mean-“

“Sure, I mean we both don’t have to be at work for,” Magnus pauses looking at the alarm clock on his side of the bed briefly. “Another three hours, Maia’s a lawyer so I’m sure she can whip us up a marriage license in no time. So why not?”

“Not that I don’t love the idea of marrying you on a whim before dinner, but neither of us are fully dressed and I thought maybe you’d want Ragnor and Cat to be here, and you know Iz and Max.”

“Oh, right, them,” Magnus says feeling a little embarrassed he’d been so caught up in the euphoria of shirtless Alec proposing that he’d forgotten their family who don’t live within their little six block radius.

“Maybe next week then,” Magnus shrugs and Alec laughs which is quickly cut off in favor of more kissing.

A week later somehow impossibly with Ragnor, Cat, Max, and Izzy in the front row Maia hands them a marriage license she obtained “mostly legally” and with Raphael proceeding they exchange vows and rings with only one real diamond between them in front of a small cluster of the town’s residents.

When they kiss after saying I do it feels like the beginning of everything, like all his years of feeling lonely and out of place; of traveling with no real end in sight have led him here to this man, to this town.

He’s never stayed in one place for long, but now here in this tiny Texas town, he’s finally home.

#my fic #malec #malec fic #shadowhunters #magnus bane #alec lightwood

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