#but still it's annoying to go through especially when it's happened for almost every experience in my life

[eggmeralda]

can you get burnout from doing nothing

[your-nanas-house]

The Beginning

◇ Pairing: Tom Riddle X professor!Reader

◇ Warnings: smut, manipulation, forbidden relationship, Tom Riddle, bath, nudity, dub-con, short age gap

◇ Summary: Tom notices that his favourite professor is a bit stressed.

◇ Note: Sorry for the mistakes and the English. Both character are aged up. Part 2 Part 3, Part 4

The room was filled with the chit chat of students who were taking the Defence Against the Dark Arts class, a subject often called simply DADA by everyone.

In the background of the big lesson room, there was soft music that created an almost pleasant atmosphere in contrast to the type of class that was taking place which had quite heavy topics that frightened many and intrigued others.

One of those people who were fascinated by the subject was Tom Riddle himself, clever boy, Slytherin and much more, especially the darling of professors, of every professor, except Albus Dumbledore, so the young professor Y/l/n was no exception.

There was a special bond between the wunderkind student and the professor, almost intimate if someone misinterpreted it but it was nothing like that or at least that was how it was for Y/n, the young witch had only managed to get her job a few years earlier and right from the start, thanks to the passion for her subject shared with Tom, they began to bond.

The Slytherin student who had now come of age and managed to become the head boy as well as a prefect, had approached the teacher to find out more secrets about magic and because he surprisingly found their conversations interesting as well as entertaining.

This was the real reason why he had started a few months after he met her to pretend to meet her by chance while walking around the castle, thus starting a routine between the two of them that happened almost every day if Y/n wasn't busy with her duties as a Hogwarts professor, which happened sometimes and which annoyed Tom for some strange reason.

Y/n was convinced that Tom saw her as a mother figure, someone to follow and learn from, and so did the young adult, but everything changed one evening.

After a busy astronomy lesson Tom wanted to visit his favorite teacher before heading back to his dormitory but when he reached the door of her classroom, hoping to find her still there, voices made him stop in his tracks.

The door was slightly open and he could easily see what was going on inside Miss Y/l/n's classroom.

She was inside, leaned against a table as she listened attentively to what someone was saying to her, Tom couldn't recognise the man so close to the woman with that look that the student had learned was lustful from the experience of his peers.

The whole situation awakened something all too well known inside the Slytherin heir, envy, pure green envy and resentment turned against them, something animalistic flared up inside him, a need to prove himself just as he had done at the orphanage when he was still a child.

Perhaps that was the reason that started the break of the platonic feelings the student had for his teacher.

New thoughts ran through his head as he decided how to move the pawns of his game in such a way as to receive what he wanted and thought he deserved, waiting patiently for the most suitable moment which came one summer night.

It had been a few months since the beginning of her senior year but they were almost at the end, his attitude had not changed in the slightest towards Miss Y/n and so the young woman did not suspect anything when she received a letter from Tom asking her for urgent help and giving her the coordinates of where to meet.

Worried, the young woman rushed to what she discovered was the prefects' bathroom, she was breathing heavily and was ready to solve whatever the problem was.

The young woman however had expected everything but her favorite student to wander calmly around the bathroom as he arranged the water and suds, meeting her eyes with his cold black ones, a faint smile forming on his face when he spoke "professor".

The atmosphere was suspicious in a way, suspicious but relaxing, since the aroma of soap filled the room as Tom tended to his clothes leaving them propped elegantly on a chair so they couldn't get wet "what's going on, Tom? I got your owl and I came as soon as I could" Y/n declared while she looked around, studying the bathroom in order to understand the riddle and discover why Tom Riddle had made her run all the way there.

She didn't even realize what the boy was doing before he was surrounded by the water and the foam caught her attention again.

Tom was standing in the tub, his clothes forgotten on the chair as the water made his pale skin and nearly Greek god muscles stand out; Y/n couldn't help but notice how his student had grown over the summer, making space for a decidedly attractive young man who reminded her very much of a Greek statue while her y/e/c moved around studying the parts of his skin on view, reaching his neck and finally his face.

She only realised she was holding her breath when their eyes met again, the situation they were in became much clearer to her and a blush appeared on her face making her turn quickly to give privacy to the young man who was staring at her amused with an unfamiliar twinkle behind his pitch black eyes.

She could hear him moving in the water, probably moving closer to where she was before speaking again "I've noticed that you are under a lot of stress lately....I thought a bath might help you, professor" the Slytherin revealed with a mischievous smile that relented slightly when she politely declined several times before attempting to leave the room, soon ending up in the water though, Tom's arms wrapped around her as if they were two snakes, his breath was warm against her neck and she could feel him take in her scent before letting his lips graze the delicate skin of that area "I know you want it too" whispered the young man almost in an attempt to seduce her as he sensed the shiver that ran through her body.

"No one will have to know, my mouth will remain closed" he whispered again, licking this time behind her ear before starting to play with her lobe using his teeth "come on...professor".

Miss Y/l/n's eyes flattered closed despite the fact that she tried to fight her lust, but it was immensely difficult with Tom's large, long hands, which traveled slowly all over her body exploring and almost expertly touching the areas that would make her give in.

It was as if there was a study behind it, his hands traveled with the wisdom of someone who had studied but not yet experimented with practice, this however did not silence the voices telling her not to do it.

The struggle in her head continued and the more time passed the harder it was to resist, especially now that the young adult's body was right against her back and she could feel everything from his muscular chest to his abs to his hard cock against her lower back.

His warm breath was against her now cold neck, making her

shiver and sigh deeply memorising how Tom was touching her because it had been quite some time since she had fucked anyone.

Despite the urge boiling inside her, Y/n shifted, slipping from the wizard's strong grip, stopping his next movements by placing her hand on his smooth chest.

Tom's black eyes met her y/e/c's, his large hand with long, skinny fingers wrapped around her wrist, slowly moving it to his lips, his tongue tracing its way to the inside of her hand before stopping to allow their lips to meet in a strangely soft kiss.

Miss Y/n's tits were against Tom's muscular, pale chest, her hands buried in his black hair as the boy's arms were around her waist bringing her even closer to him.

Their lips moved slowly, both of them lost in the shared sensation, exploring one of the tastes after another. It all ended, however, when Y/n regained control, noticing the head of his cock brushing against her entrance almost as if teasing her.

Reason because she forced herself to pull Tom away from her before licking her lips, weighing up her various options, she wasn't going to go all through with one of her students, it wasn't even supposed to end up like this and yet there she was in a bath with the most talented student at Hogwarts trying to seduce her.

Tom moved closer just as her internal debate ended, it only took her hand to stop him and her gaze followed by a teacher's tone to make him obey "get out of the water, sit on the edge of the pool...this is to stay between us, it won't happen again and I don't want to talk about it ever again, do you understand?" she asked after a few seconds the last question before admiring how Tom's body, shifted and emerged from the water to position itself like she had asked.

And there he was, Tom Marvolo Riddle, in all his glory and nakedness, his legs spread for her and an intense gaze focused solely on her. The young professor had listened to several conversations of the horny schoolgirls going after Tom but had not at all expected what she had in front of her now.

That didn't frighten her though, they had already reached a moment of no return and her hands instinctively moved to the young man's muscular, hairy thighs; they traveled a slow, teasing pace that made all the remaining blood go right down into his now rock hard cock.

The wizard admired closely as Y/n's hands moved over his length, pumping him a couple of times using the water as lubricant before she moved her face closer and left little licks on the tip.

Their eyes met and her mouth continued to work on him, exactly as her hands did, causing small moans followed by hisses that came out of Tom's perfect lips.

His dark eyes had not yet moved away from her just as Y/e/c's were still focused on him, it was intense.

Her tongue came out of her mouth to lick the entire length a couple of times and then take him completely in her mouth, deep throating him without him expecting it.

Her cheeks hollowed as she sucked, Tom's thighs shaked slightly under her hands as sinful grunts escaped his lips; his hips began to move without even meaning to, his tingling hand lusting for dominance gripped her wet hair in a tight grip so that he could choose his movements.

His hips moved swiftly as he fucked her mouth mercilessly focused on achieving his first peak of pleasure, it was a almost suffocation feeling, Tom needed more, much more, but he had almost reached his peak.

The wizard only released his hold when he came, now leaving Y/n free to move as she wanted, despite this the young witch focused her attention till the end on his tip, sucking gently as her hands massaged his balls almost as if she was milking him.

As soon as she realized she had taken every last drop, Y/n slowly pulled away, swallowing it all while looking into Tom's eyes.

The young professor had to avoid him in order to reach the entrance to the prefects' door without falling for another attempt at seduction by the student.

The two looked at each other in silence, Tom wanted to say something but Y/n silenced him with one last kiss, followed by an elegant movement of her wand and three words "this stays here".

As soon as she finished speaking she walked out of the bathroom leaving Tom standing there all alone, looking at the door, his body now dry and his uniform back, it was as if nothing had happened, as if everything had only been in his head but the lipstick marks proved something else.

In fact they only confirmed the wonderful and unexpected sensations he had felt in those few minutes he had been with her, he knew that she had sensed that it was the first time he had done this kind of activity but he also knew that she wanted more, he wanted more, there was something more and Tom was going to take it at all costs.

Things had not begun and ended that night in the prefects' bathroom at Hogwarts, the wizard would make sure of that and he would not put an end to what he had managed to get…what he had been craving for some time and now knew he could have.

Taglist:

@gabile18 , @mrsfullbuster500 , @rex-ray , @elizamalfoyy, @eovjjj , @monkeyking-and-liuer-mate , @jeremiah-va1eska , @gothamchic16, @rabbiteggz , @dieg0brandos-wife , @rottenecstasy , @lazyexcuse , @teh-vampire-bunny , @lobotomy-lover , @slasher-smasher , @sleepycreativewriter , @huntress-valkyrie , @lostmyremembrall, @pastelpiisces

[lover-of-mine]

it’s so interesting that with previous love interests, it was normal and fine to not ship them and to still want buddie in the future, but now, we have to sit down and shut up and accept that it’s never happening and B/T are forever

oh no wait, it’s not interesting, it’s annoying and confusing and frankly just weird. misogynistic and borderline fetishistic

shipping non-canon couples, especially ones with 6 years of history and love and shared experiences, is the norm in literally every fandom, but now suddenly it’s wrong and how dare we

a fair few of the people saying this are also, conveniently, the ones implying that B’s bisexuality is tied to T and T alone and if we don’t ship them, we don’t support bi!B

how. very. interesting! /annoying/confusing/weird

So interesting. Dude, I got called homophobic because I didn't immediately look at them in 703 and decided they were true love. In 703. Because I didn't look at the shoulder touch and immediately started shipping them. Homophobic with all the letters. I got yelled at. After 703. Legit almost deleted this whole blog over some of the things that got sent. I was legitimately crying with friends who are not in the fandom if I was being unreasonable or insane or whatever else I got called for not jumping in instantly and to ask if I was actually doing something wrong. People were saying we were being weird about queer storylines. That we needed to shut the fuck up and enjoy the way Oliver Stark was gonna make out with a hot guy. That not being on board the ship meant that we had an unreasonable and ridiculous necessity of making sure Eddie was the only guy for Buck. Literally every single person in this fandom hc Buck 1.0 also hooked up with guys. Most people never acted as if Buck needs to be guided through his queerness by this hot older guy. Oh, wait, no, they did. With T. People automatically decided that Buck needed a queer Yoda. That he needed someone to hold his hand and be a guide. They added a fucked up power dynamic from the get go. With no information, Buck was already a baby that needed his hand held through his own sexuality. And let me tell you one thing, I know for a FACT that if it was Eddie, the automatic reaction wouldn't be putting T in this idealized experienced gay guide position when that would've made more sense (not that I think any of them needs a guide) because Eddie is the one with the body count you can count with one hand and a weird relationship with sex. But somehow I'm the one who's weird about Buck's sexuality. I don't want Buck to explore. I need Buck to only have loved Eddie. Sure. Look, I don't wanna multiship. The same way everyone is allowed to ship whatever the fuck they want, I'm allowed to not ship whatever the fuck I want. If it was a woman no one would've been in my inbox basically demanding I make the same level of analysis I make for buddie for them (let me tell you one thing too, if I made the level of analysis I do with buddie with bt, no one would like what I have to say ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯) but I'm still getting asked for it for some reason when I never indicated I ship the two.

But I'm not allowed to have any critical thoughts about anything involving bt or else I'm being weird and that's the mild term that's being used. I can't point out the fact that T left Buck in a curb and failed to communicate shit properly even though it happened in canon. I can't say that I think it felt kinda callous for him to say "they had henleys in the 80s" to Buck being upset T didn't dress on theme (also, the job requires them to change into a uniform by nature, he could've put a colorful shirt and indulged Buck a little bit there without it interfering with the way he was on standby but I can't say that or else I'm a hater). There is no criticism allowed in the ship but somehow I'm the one being weird. I don't think Buck should be in a relationship. I think Buck is still exhibiting the same patterns when it comes to love interests. And yes, I would feel the same way if it was Eddie. Buck doesn't know how to be happy alone and he will never be happy in a relationship until he learns that. I was saying that when it was Natalia and getting praised for my understanding of Buck's character. Now I'm locking Buck onto Eddie. Buck's bisexuality is only valid if he's actively kissing a guy for some people but I'm the one being weird. BT have so many visual parallels to bucktaylor, but if I say that's a bad sign I'm being a hater. I need to sit my ass down, ignore six seasons of buildup, accept that it's over, and that now making Eddie queer and getting buddie together would suck because it would destroy the friendship they built so bt are endgame and gonna get married and somehow I'm the one who's being weird about queer relationships and attaching Buck bisexuality to a person. The fandom lost its fucking mind when they saw Oliver kiss a guy and, yeah, it does feel misogynistic and borderline fetishizing. But somehow I'm the one getting blocked by half the fandom when I'm not even pointing everything I want out. I lose at least one mutual every time I even suggest maybe we should look at things a bit more critically. I have to sit here and justify things to an insane degree while people's reaction to any of the criticism is "uH BuT T Is hOt aNd hE Is a gUy sO It iS DiFfErEnT oKaY?" Critical thinking skills went out the window because now there's a guy involved and that's fucking weird. People are straight up erasing Eddie, the actual main character of the show, Buck's established partner of years, Buck's best friend, the only person in canon who never left Buck in any capacity, because some guy kissed Buck and, he, uh *check notes* treats Buck as an actual human being? so that means he's perfect. It's nuts. The bar is hell.

Yes, I know this is not everyone in the fandom and I know this is not everyone who ships them but if what I'm saying feels like a personal attack to you maybe you should do some thinking. Anyone can ship anything, you want to ship them go off, power to you, the weird part here is the way some people are demanding other people ship it too. We could all be coexisting if people didn't get weirdly comfortable demanding shit from other people in the fandom and deciding their opinion is the only one that matters so they need to call out anyone who thinks differently, but alas, that's too much to ask.

[chaosduckies]

Silence In The City (2)

Don’t really know how to feel about this one but oh well the brainrot wanted it. This one is a little heartwarming though! (To me). So uhhh just enjoy another part of the kaiju stories :D

CW: Anxiety

Word Count: 4.4k

2- Devon

When I woke up this morning there were several people effortlessly getting me to my feet. I groaned, unaware of what was happening. Several people were talking as they shoved my forward but my legs didn’t want to move. They kept yelling commands at me as I groggily rubbed my eyes open. “Wha-” I barely choked the words out before being thrown onto an oddly familiar, hard metal floor. My arms were a little shaky trying to keep my body up. My vision was a little blurry, but as I looked around I could tell I was in an extremely dim room. I took deep breaths to calm down. To stop myself from overthinking. Where was I? I thought I was going home today. What was going on? Were they going to kill me? I bit the bottom of my lip, forcing my head up to take in my surroundings. There were huge metal walls, a mirror high above, something black moving… Wait…

My eyes widened once the black, scaly and spiky looking wall in front of me moved along the metal floor. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. This place made everything worse. My eyes felt red and puffy after crying myself to sleep last night, and not to mention how I spend almost every waking moment here anxious and scared. After the experience with Kieran I thought I would be able to go home… apparently not. After all, I was in the same room as him right now. I think. My hands turned into fist as what seemed like their tail lifted up, revealing tired eyes. I jumped, staring. It was Kieran all right. The same purple eyes as yesterday. 

Kieran rolled his eyes, huffing through his nose and moving his tail over me. I placed my hands over my head, a little scared that he was going to crush me. I also had just woken up so my mind was everywhere but thinking about the way he treated me yesterday. Nice and some-what calmly and not the monster that they said he was. After a few seconds, when I realized that I wasn’t dead, I turned my head to see that their tail was surrounding me. Why? He didn’t really seem like he even wanted to be around anyone. Heck, I didn’t even know what time it was. Just early in the morning. 

He stole a glance over at me, holding a silent staring contest. I sucked in a deep breath, rubbing my eyes and yawning. He blinked, doing the same but covering up his mouth. I stared down at the ground. I think I had an idea of why they would cover up their mouth but I wasn’t going to say anything. Even though I was still half asleep I’m sure I would pass out. I’m surprised I haven’t yet. Kieran glared at the mirror, making himself smaller and struggling with how small the room was for him. The horns on his head hitting the roof every now and then. He grumbled everytime, just burying his head into his knees. Was it really that hard just to raise the ceiling a little? It seemed annoying to him. How does he even stand up? I feel like it would cramp up my legs if I was forced to sit down all day. I doubt he could even stretch them out.

I started to lay down before there was a red light blaring above. Kieran turned to me, “You need to get up.” He whispered. His voice still hurt my ears but not nearly as much before. I forced myself back up, even standing on my feet. I was scared of not doing what he tells me to. Especially after thinking of how many times I could’ve died yesterday. Too many. Would today be like yesterday? Why was I here? I yawned again, rubbing my eyes. 

Kieran studied me for a while before looking up at the ceiling, ignoring the flashing red lights. Eventually they went away but I had no idea what they were for. Was something about to happen? It was already hard enough to keep myself from having another anxiety attack. I didn’t have my pills either. I took a few seconds to just focus on something and clear my mind. That usually helps. I hadn’t realized Kieran looking at me confused before I turned back around, a little more calm. I played with my hands before one of the walls started opening, revealing an outside space that was still surrounded by walls that seemed to go on for forever. The sun shone brightly above, even though it was still morning. The place it shone on relished in the light with the many trees and overgrown weeds and bushes. It actually looked kind of beautiful in a way. I guess that answers my question of how he hasn’t just given up on life yet. Though this place kind of looks familiar. I knew this base I was in was by the ocean of course, but where? I shook my head, watching as Kieran crawled onto his hands and knees still somehow managing to bang the back of his head hard against the roof. He winced, groaning out frustration. If I were being honest it was a terrifying sight, chills ran down my spine, but there was no way he’d hurt me, right? 

“Let him die and you’ll regret it.” There was a voice over a speaker that made the spikes on Kierans back flare up. Like he felt threatened. He was right to think that, even her voice made me terrified. Though that wasn’t hard to do. Kieran rolled his eyes, but I could tell that he was fine with letting me come along. He nudged his head outside, as if telling me to follow. I jumped, jogging and slowing down when I ran past one of his hands. This was going to be a lot of work for me. It was too early in the morning to be out exercising. I winced when I rolled my ankle, nearly tripping. I really was a sad excuse for a human. I caught myself, letting out a sigh of relief when I didn’t fall. Kieran tilted his head when I stopped, apparently not seeing how I almost tripped. To be honest I couldn’t be more grateful that he didn’t see. He seemed like the teasing type. Even if he was more alone and annoyed than anything. 

I paused when Kieran started moving, lowering his head and squinting his eyes down at me. He let out a huff from his nose, “This is the last time I’m helping you.” I jumped, shutting my eyes closed and hearing some shuffling before everything seemed to stop. When I looked back, I saw his hand laid flat onto the ground, still huge and looked hard to even climb on to. I looked back up at him, his eyes reading ‘hurry up’. I hesitantly ran over to his hand, struggling to climb on. It was hard and it made me feel uneasy at just how huge he was compared to me. He seemed to grow impatient this way too, but I forced myself up, the muscles in my arms tired. As soon as I was on I rolled onto my back, sighing and looking up, only seeing the ceiling far above me. 

This all felt so strange. This wasn’t my first time in his hand and yet, it felt so different. Instead of trying to keep me in a fist he just kept his palm up, fingers a little curled as if creating a border. My heart was racing. What was I thinking? The one time I’m not thinking and this is what happens. I’m completely at his mercy. He could drop me and not even know. Forget that I’m there. I heard my own heartbeat beat through my ears, my vision growing a little stretched out. I sighed, sitting up and taking long and deep slow breaths. They didn’t give me the chance to grab my pills… or even take them beforehand. I’d have to go through the day without any help.

Kieran tilted his head in confusion, not giving a warning before bringing his hand up, giving a small glance to make sure I was okay before crawling through the door. It was weird. I was high up, but I know he wasn’t standing up. Was it for me? There was no way. He seemed a little annoyed already that he had to help me again after saying he wouldn’t do so anymore yesterday. I still have no idea what that meant.

It would be crazy to say that I wasn’t terrified. Who wouldn’t be in this situation? Going to an unknown abandoned part of a city, only having a half-human half-kaiju looking out for you that had very hard emotions to read. Seriously, I couldn’t tell if he was happy that I was forced to be in here or just annoyed. My fate had seemed to be between his palm or a deadly fall. Not sure which I trusted more. Even though Kieran seemed to prove that he really wasn’t harmful at all. At least to me. 

Kieran brought us both to an empty space that looked like he stayed here often with how everything was moved around for his convenience. We both turned to each other, as if he was trying to figure out what to do with me. My anxiousness couldn’t take it as I gripped the hem of my shirt and fidgeted with my shaky hands. What was he going to be doing with me? I hated how he waited so long before lowering his hand to the ground, slightly tilting it so it was easier to slide down. I stumbled off with a yelp before eating a mouthful of thankfully soft grass that broke my fall. I groaned slightly, hearing Kieran very softly laugh above me before apologizing, “Sorry.” It was unsettling that he could see me. Not even mention hear me. Like I wouldn’t be able to escape even if I could. He’d easily found me. Or… maybe that’s how he noticed me in danger? Besides seeing the Kaiju that was running through the streets, how would he have known I was trapped and needed help? I guess having good sight and hearing was a good thing. The pros outweigh the cons apparently. 

He moved, the ground shaking slightly as he did and laid down in the clearing he had made for himself, a pair of arms being used as a headrest and the other two tucked away underneath his stomach. The sun was barely going to start rising, meaning it wasn’t even six in the morning yet. I rubbed my eyes, yawning before sitting up, cleaning the dirt off of my clothes. What was the purpose of me even being here? Should I ask Kieran? Would he know? He does word things a little weird. Like he’s not going to help me anymore? When would he have to after this? My parents would probably want to move away from the coast like they always have. I think the only reason we stayed was because I absolutely loved the beach. So was it my fault we were in this mess in the first place? I shook my head, trying to take my mind off of it. I can just ask my parents when I get home, right? 

When I looked back up to Kieran, his eyes were closed, his breathing slow. Should I ask  him now? While he’s not in such an anguished mood? Was it a bad idea? Would he do something if I bothered him? Would he try to scare me off again? A million thoughts raced through my head. It was hard to choose between which one, or the many outcomes. He might not even wake up! Should I raise my voice a little? Could I even manage that? It didn’t seem very likely if I were being honest. 

“...Will I be g-g-going back home?” I nearly choked on my words, unhopeful of an answer. I was too quiet. Kieran had to be asleep- his head lifted up almost immediately. I couldn’t tell if he was shocked or just trying to catch my own reaction. He sighed, letting out a huff of air from his nose, ruffling my hair. “No. Probably not.” I didn’t know if it was just me, but I couldn’t help but catch the sad hint in his voice. The words hit me twice as hard then. I… Wouldn’t be going back home? Why? I thought they said I would be! I heard my heartbeat ring through my ears, my breathing seeming to slow down. I couldn’t cry here! It would be pathetic! Were the scientists watching? 

“L-look,” He stuttered, “I didn’t mean to say it so harshly, but they’re probably not going to let you go back after doing what they asked you to. That’s why I tried to scare you off yesterday but… you’re very hard to be annoyed and mad at.” For once, I could read his emotions clearly. He was sad. Worried. Almost like it was directed for me. My lips quivered. So if I had run from him yesterday I would’ve been gone? Back home? Why did I have to be so stubborn? Why did I always make the wrong decision? I wanted so badly to run but I didn’t. I wiped away the incoming tears. He really wasn’t trying to be mean. He was just trying to save me. To send me back home. So why did he react that way? Why was it so hard to get mad at me? It seemed to be the complete opposite with other people. 

“I-I’m sorry.” Maybe he didn’t want to be around me anyways. Was that an unspoken reason? I shouldn’t have even been outside that day. I should’ve just forced my way into the underground bunkers like my parents had done. Kieran shouldn’t have had to save me in the first place. Then I would’ve been fine and probably still living out my depressing life. 

Another huff of air hit me, “I don’t know why you’re apologizing. It was my fault why you’re stuck here anyways,” He winced, propping his head up with one of his hands, “I should be the one sorry, and I am.” This was probably the most he’s ever talked to me. A little loud for my ears even though he was whispering, but there was nothing I could do about that. I stayed silent for a while. What else was there to do? I was here for Kieran! Heck, I didn’t even know why they brought me here. But another question popped into my mind.

“Why d-did you s-save me then?” I fidgeted with my hands. That kept the both of us quiet for a while. Neither of us knew what to say. Like even Kieran didn’t know why he saved me. I mean I’m extremely grateful that he did but if he knew that this would happen then why do it in the first place? 

“You needed help. I saw you. And, well, I didn’t want you to die. So I just helped you out.” Kieran stared, his full attention on the next words that leave my mouth. What was I supposed to say? It was nice of him to help just because I was in danger but why did he emphasize that he didn’t want me to die? Were they telling him otherwise? I wouldn’t be shocked if that were the case. They didn’t seem to have any regard for anyone. What was one death going to do anyways when you could save millions of other people? I guess a lot of people thought the same way. 

“Th-thank you.” I turned and looked away. I already said thank you, but it was all I could think of to say. Kieran rolled his eyes, though I could see the slight smile on his face,“Now it’s my turn,” His voice was a lot softer as he moved closer to me, though I instinctively moved a little bit away. He didn’t show any reaction to it, but I could tell he was going to say something. 

“Why are you still here if you’re scared?” He pointed a finger out into the city, the sun rising above it finally. I flinched ever so slightly, but of course that caught his attention and made him frown just a tiny bit. 

“U-um, it’s uh-” I didn’t actually have a reason for staying. Because I didn’t want to be alone? Because it was the right thing to do? It was a hard question to answer. I knew it was easy to see that I was afraid, but if I were being honest I’d rather take my chances with Kieran than going off somewhere else. Plus, I was still confused why the scientists said something about me dying. What did it mean? Was there something else in here? I was tempted to ask Kieran but it was their turn for questions, and I couldn’t even answer one. 

“I just feel safer here. Even though you’re huge.” I move my hands out apart to explain my point, trying to calm my racing heart. Did I answer it right? Was that what he wanted to hear? Kieran stared with curious eyes, only to let out a playful huff through his nose, full on laughing. I had to cover my ears to make sure my eardrums wouldn’t bust, but I laughed lightly with him too. I admit it was funny, but to Kieran it might be for a different reason. 

“Ah, sorry that was loud,” He apologized, quieting his voice to a whisper that was still a little loud for me, “You feel safer with someone you’re scared of? You’re just strange. But in a good way I guess.” A good way? What did that mean? Was there even a good version of being strange? In my book there wasn’t if people say you’re weird then you’re weird. That’s just how it worked. But I guess in a way Kieran knew things others didn’t. Obviously things I didn’t either. 

Kieran sighed, seemingly focused on something that wasn’t here. I lowered my hands back from my ears and began playing with them. What should I do? I was terrified of going off on my own, but I also didn’t just want to stay there doing nothing. Then again, did I really have a choice? Ever since I’ve been here I haven’t been able to do what I’ve wanted to. I didn’t have time to grab my pills, I haven’t eaten in over a day, pretty much everything hurt, I’ve had several breakdowns and it hasn’t even been a full day here. I’d say things were going pretty bad. 

“You know you don’t have to stay here. Just watch out for the small kaiju. They have them out.” Kieran explained. My eyes widened, my heart slightly beating faster. I could even hear it ring in my ears. Small kaiju? Like the ones that are as big as a large dog? I don’t even think I could handle those if I were being honest. I’ve never had to fight back against any kind of kaiju. Heck, I’m pretty sure I’d just pass out. It would be pathetic to say that to Kieran though. Even though he probably already thinks that about me. No surprise there really. 

I stayed silent, even moving the slightest bit closer to Kieran despite my heart beating rapidly. He stared for a long while before sighing through his nose, ruffling my hair a bit, “Whatever  you want.” He shrugged his shoulders, turning back towards whatever was going on. It was still early in the morning, and honestly I was tired and hungry but my anxiousness kept me distracted. There were kaiju in here that could kill me. Was that why they had said I could die? I thought they had just meant that Kieran would be the one to kill me, but apparently it was the complete opposite. He was the one protecting me. 

I jumped when I heard something distant, like something falling and crashing. The Kaiju? Were they coming here? My heart rang faster through my ears as I turned around. There was nothing there, but there was no that whatever fell did on its own. “U-um, is that them?” I wasn’t sure he heard me, but he just sighed, “Annoying….” My eyes widened? Was I annoying? Should I stop talking? What was he going to do? Was I in trouble? I mean of course I was in trouble but that didn’t help figure out what he was going to do! I knew I was annoying but did it have to be now to say it? Right when I was already anxious? 

Kieran held his head up with one of his hands, the other moving right in front of me, like he was waiting for something. I looked around, seeing that his arm was covering my last escape route. To go along with that, there was a not so small Kaiju rounding the corner. Okay, maybe small for Kieran but for me? It was twice the size of a bear, looked kind of like a really scaly dog. What really caught me off guard was the extremely sharp fangs. I jumped when it growled and charged towards me, baring its sharp teeth at me. My body was too terrified to move, let alone even scream. Kieran let out a huff through his nose and just simply moved his hand towards it, making them whine exactly like a dog would. I caught the smirk on Kieran’s face looking like he was pleased with himself. 

I hadn’t realized that I was breathing fast until I felt the air in my lungs give out on me. I took a few seconds to calm down once again. This was way too hard without taking my pills for the day. Just the constant worry and stress was too much to handle while out here. Didn’t I tell them about it? So why was I forced to be here? Kieran side-eyed me, probably to make sure I was okay. I probably looked like it since he looked away almost immediately, but I most definitely was not. Was I really annoying to him? Or maybe he was talking about the kaiju? He hadn’t even done anything to that one and they ran off. Does he deal with them everyday? If they knew he didn’t like them near then why even go near him? None of it made sense at all, but I couldn’t be more grateful that I wasn’t the one he threatened and instead the one he saved. Multiple times I might add even after he said that he wouldn’t anymore yesterday. 

“They’re annoying, not you. Don’t worry about it.” He explained. How did he know? Every. Single. Time. It’s like he could read how I felt or something. Like an empath. I couldn’t do that and I was freakishly good at reading people. How does he keep doing this? 

“They stay away from you?” I forced myself to stand up on shaky legs, walking over to his hand that had scared the one from earlier. Somehow it was a lot easier to talk to Kieran now. Like I was growing used to it? Should I? If I’m not going home, is that a good thing? I had no idea.I tried my best to ignore the lingering fear of being this close to Kieran, hiding behind his hand while peeking out to look for more of those kaiju. Kieran had waited a long time to answer. Like he was nervous or something. Though I was patient, taking a few shaky steps back when I heard another one. 

“Um, y-yeah,” He paused, his voice sounding a little nervous while moving his hand so I was hiding behind it again, “But you’re here so they kind of just want you.” His voice went back to being deep and short. Why did he sound nervous at first? I didn’t pay too much attention, too focused on the threat that minded its own business. Kieran sighed, “Kind of boring out here isn’t it?” My eyes widened. Was he actually starting a conversation with me? A mixture of emotions hit me. Excitement, a little bit of fear, but that didn’t stop me from replying like normal, “You mean besides the murderous dogs coming after me? Y-yeah I guess it is.” I tried to sound funny, and obviously it worked because we both started laughing, Kieran making sure to laugh quieter for me. 

It made me feel happy for once that I could make someone laugh besides my parents from time to time. I haven’t really felt this way in a while, and it's strange that I’m sharing it with someone who’s only partly human. Kieran stopped laughing and started to hold himself up, placing both arms underneath him. The silence stretched between us before my stomach growled quietly. I tried to muffle the sound so Kieran wouldn’t hear, but it was pretty much useless. He extended a hand out, “Let me guess, they didn’t feed you?” I nervously backed up, clutching my stomach and nodding my head. What did he think of me now? Just a few seconds we were having a little laugh but of course I had to ruin everything. 

“C’mon. They’ll probably give you something.” He waited for me to get onto his hand, a tired look on his face as always but there was something else that I couldn’t read. Why was he so confusing? Or maybe that wasn’t the right word.. Closed off? Maybe that was it. He didn’t make it easy to read any of his emotions at least. 

I walked over to his hand, trying to climb on but failing miserably as usual. It was just hard since I couldn’t get my leg over, but eventually I got the hang of it. I rolled over onto my back, sitting up and catching my breath. I really was small to him. I couldn’t even get onto his hand without trouble. I sighed hopelessly, clutching my stomach in case it decided to make the most embarrassing noise ever again. I just laughed softly in the end though , “What happened to not helping me again?” 

Kieran’s eyes shot open wide like he had forgotten his own promise. He huffed through his nose and rolled his eyes. For a second I thought he was actually mad at me before he laughed along, “I guess I changed my mind.” 

How could these people have treated him so horribly?  ——————

Again, don’t know how to feel about it and I think I mainly wrote this to satisfy my brainrot (I only want more now so that kind of backfired) But these two are definitely my favorite OC’s! Yes I am a still a little sick, but I’m working on editing all of the writing I did and will probably post them throughout the week!

Taglist: @da3dm @dav8530

If you would like to be added or removed please let me know!

[errorwarblesrr]

do you like totk or botw better?

In short: Yes, I like botw better.

Here are my reasons, though!

I know a lot of people view it as the better experience, which is completely subjective and valid if you do and like it better, but I just view botw as being better in almost every way.

I will give it to totk. The dungeons have a lot better atmosphere. The game has some extremely high highs with the build-up to the wind temple, the whole great sky island segment, and the final boss is a much better fight (though dark beast ganon has a better theme song imo).

Other than that, I prefer botw. Totk has a much grander story, but it's completely mishandled. You can argue that totk has a great story but has poor execution, and to me, execution plays a big role in what makes a story good. You can have good ideas bit it all falls apart if they aren't executed well which ends up making the story bad. It's not that totk has a good story with poor execution, it has good ideas but the bad execution leads to a poorly told story. (I hope that makes sense). Botw has less of a story and is more like a set of events. Botw has history and backstory that is told more organically. Link has amnesia so he slowly regains some of his memories of the past with some people trying to help fill him in. It feels more real...in a weird fantasy way. I guess totk is similar with how we see Zelda's memories, but not really? It's weird to explain. Everything 100 years ago is felt in present day botw while in totk most of those things don't really matter as it happened so long ago. Things only start to resurge because Zelda wanted to investigate under the castle. Totk also has twists like a story. Idk if this is making sense but that's how I feel on their stories. There was just not much botw could mess up on story wise as the way it was presented.

Gameplay wise I can not lie totk is technical marvel with the zonai tech. That's the most impressive thing about it. Tbh building contraptions isn't my thing though, it takes too long to make and experiment with a machine when I can just do whatever that machine was gonna do much faster. I see why people have a lot of fun with it though, it just isn't my thing. One thing I HATE in totk though is the amount of menuing I have to do. Elemental arrows had a serious downgrade. Yeah it's cool to fuse stuff to arrows, but not when I have to do it to ever single individual arrow and if I want to try something new I have to scroll past 50 other items in a single line. It's just tedious. If I want to use a good weapon I have to go to the menu, drop an item, and menu again to fuse it to a weapon that will still break. Item breaking is still an issue but it's more annoying and the weapons no longer look cool. Totk has some cool abilities, but idk I'd trade them all for remote bombs lmao. I hate going through caves, especially early game, and having to deal with the rock walls where they want me to fuse a rock to a stick 10 times to get through one cave. There's just a lot of little things gameplay wise that bug me. They doubled down on botws gameplay issues and added some more annoying ones. I don't even have to mention the sages abilities, that's a whole mess.

On the topic of gameplay, botw just has the better world. Idc, exploring that world for the first time is an unforgettable experience. Totks main world is too similar so the magic is gone. The sky and depths are also unimpressive and repetitive. Botw also has the benefit on how the word felt so lonely yet alive. Everything had a purpose or a story. The world has a history. And totk just doesn't have that. Outside of the upheaval, totk doesn't really build on botws world that much. I was hoping to see if they would've added new towns or see how they'd rebuild hyrule, but they really didn't do that. We only got lookout landing, which doesn't really count as a town, and a bunch of building stuff lying around which is cool I guess. Hateno has a school and Terry Town expanded a little, but with the estimate of about 5 years since botw it makes you wonder...what have these people been doing? We can theoretically build Terry Town in one day. There could be new towns.

Totk is a sequel that doesn't really acknowledge it's predecessor which is so odd. Botw stands on its own and is an overall more cohesive experience. Everything in the world feels purposefully crafted for that world while totk just slaps things on top of it with not much thought. Botw has some amazing world building while for totk it's either "the Zonai did it" or has some contradictory world building. For example, the old sages lifted up the sky islands so that Link would be protected from Ganondorf shenanigans, but then other sky islands suggest how they've been around long before Rauru since young Zonai used to train in them or something. There is also how Zelda says Link never leaves her side, but people she interacts with on an almost daily basis do not recognize him and how even treat as if he doesn't know some facts about her. So either she is overexaggerating by a lot and/or lying in her own diary or that people in hyrule have the collective memory of a rock. There's also Zelda supposedly never giving Link the champions leathers yet as a gift, but we see him wearing it in the beginning. Idk there's more contradictories, but I haven't experienced this for botw??? Totk is so disconnected and disjointed in comparison.

I'm trying to be vague but there's a lot to say, I'm sorry. I really was enjoying this game at the beginning but the more I played the more I noticed or saw things that bugged me and just kept adding up and up on each other. Botw was never like this for me. It's just more cohesive and I like that. There are so many other things I haven't brought up like the repetitive cutscenes, or missing characters/characters that SHOULD know Link but don't (namely Bolson and Hestu). But this post is long. I can't keep complaining about this game. Botw really is that one of a kind experience, and totk tries to replicate it but worse. Botw had a vine that totk lacks. You feel so alone, but you meet knew people and make friends. You build connections as you learn about the past and help those around you. There is no story, you're just a person going through the motions and exploring the vast world around you. Totk can't replace that for me. I'm the main character playing a side role in a disjointed world where not much makes sense. Everything is similar in all the wrong ways.

And most important of all, they took away Link's fun dialogue and personality now he really is bland asf and used to defend that he wasn't.

[personasintro]

I DONT MEAN ANY HARM WITH WHAT IM ABOUT TO SAY IT IS JUST MY OPINION

im finding difficulty in understanding mh's fanbase nowadays...like it's becoming so childish. all people ever wanna do is complain and demand updates. and especially with whats happening with wattshit and stuff. like if you dont want to wait and you arent patient enough then you can just leave...why be so toxic?

(ofc im not talking about everyone, just the elementary school babies who read smut 24/7 😄)

much love mimi <3

Almost every writer experiences demanding readers and their comments, if not every. I don’t mean to sound as if I’m complaining all the time because that’s far from the truth, I often try to see it from a more positive perspective and I’ll be forever thankful that people are invested and excited about my stories. Trust me, 90% of the time I just ignore those kind of comments because I know it’s something every writer is going through. And it’s obvious the more readers the story has, the more comments like this it will get. I mainly speak about it when I’ve had enough and why I spoke recently is exactly this reason.

I told myself to be a little bit more open, even though I didn’t have to be. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that the whole deleting story issue was already enough. I also spoke about my online and offline struggles. Then many people started copying, reposting and translating MH which I never allowed and never will. I had to deal with that every day, a couple of times actually. Why I decided to speak up again is because like I said before, I’ve had enough and I thought those people are selfish in a way, even though they’re obviously excited. But being a little more empathetic in a time like this, or ever actually, isn’t some kind of impossible task.

I got so much more selfish asks and comments from readers, but I decided to not share them because it won’t do any good. But sometimes I get annoyed too and I feel like it’s important to show this side too, set boundaries and all that. I know not everyone will understand that, based on some of the reactions readers had. But that’s okay. At least I said something and if they still decide to be assholes, that’s on them.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Finished the main story campaign in Spider-Man 2

What I liked

There were some AWESOME action set pieces. Sandman's boss fight, the prison transfer, Kraven's den, chasing Black Cat, and hunting the Lizard just to name a few.

The swinging is still fun and I LOVED the web-wings. There are times when I go in for a glide, hoping to get to the checkpoint without needing to swing. It's more addicting than it should be.

LOVED Kraven. Probably the best adaptation of him yet with an interesting motivation that makes sense for a character like him.

Miles' little story with Mister Negative is ALSO interesting, and I like how it ended, especially with what they do with Martin in the end. It's pretty good.

The boss fights are a huge improvement, adding in a health bar that lets you know how far along you're kicking ass and making each fight feel like a battle WON. It's frustrating that I got MY ass kicked more times than not, but each time I finally beat the boss it I EARNED that victory.

That brief moment where I was killing people as Venom was super fun in a sick way. PLEASE make that Venom Spin-off game, Insomniac. We want you to just for gameplay alone.

Peter giving into the madness of the symbiote is handled pretty well. It DOES feel like he becomes a little more evil quicker than he should have, but I blame that on me going through the game's story mode and actively avoiding the side missions until I finished the campaign. Everyone's gameplay experience is different and something that feels fast in the story might not feel as fast to others.

MJ's stealth missions are actually pretty exciting this time...a bit bullshit that SHE can take care of certain goons, but at least I'm not wasting time hiding anymore. And that final mission with her was surprisingly fun and intense.

I liked those prequel scenes of Peter as a teen. Really sold how young he was when starting out as Spider-Man.

What I Didn't Like

THAT GOSH DANG PARRY SYSTEM! I'm willing to blame my own lack of skill for this, but I HATE parrying. I almost NEVER get it right, and it sucks when fighting foes where parrying is a requirement to beating them. And it's extra bullshit when the game throws in attacks you HAVE to dodge and get super FUCKED when you parry instead. It made combat more frustrating than fun, and actually hurt my enjoyment in the combat, which I INTENSELY enjoyed from the first game and the Miles Morales spin off.

And don't even get me started on those horseshit checkpoints! Every time I start over, I am filled with DREAD that I have to do all that annoying difficult shit all over again because I didn't get to this exact point the game wanted me to get to.

It doesn't make sense that Kraven has goons. He works best as a solo act and I don't get what his minions get out of working for him. I know it's to give us more people to fight against, but it doesn't work for me.

Norman Osborn is surprisingly underutilized in this game? Like, with how much of a prominent role Harry has, there's not much of a need for Norman, nor a valid reason to be there other than get pissed off over what happens near the end. It feels like his character was an afterthought, which is strange for someone who's meant to be the Green Goblin soon.

Harry's character...gets worse the more the game goes by. He started out interesting as someone both clinging to the past and trying desperately to pick up his life right where he left it. But as the game goes on and it tries to push this...idea with him, it doesn't really work as there's not enough time to properly develop it. It was a good idea with not that great of an execution.

Miles' suit...I don't hate as much as the rest of the people who played the game, but I do think it's nonsense that Miles made it while the city was being destroyed. Yeah, Peter made a new suit in the end of the last game, but there you can argue that it's for practicality purposes in order to get the upper hand against Doc Ock. Miles just made a new suit because he thought it looked cool...It does not.

AND WHERE ARE THE AVENGERS?! It didn't make sense that they didn't show up in the first game, and it makes even LESS sense now! Like, you really expect me to believe that NONE of the Avengers were available at the moment? NONE?! Not even Hawkeye?! At this point, I expect the third game to end a similar way Peacemaker did, where Peter and Miles are carrying away a bleeding out MJ after this big apocalyptic fight, and the Avengers show up JUST as its over only for Peter to go, "You're too late, assholes!" And now that I say it...that would actually be pretty funny. But it's still nonsense that they're not there!

And that's about it. 8/10 game, not as great as the first one, but still pretty fun.

[gurugirl]

Okay so I have read all three extras and loved them. Even though the prequel blurb didn't make much sense because in the first chapter it was clear that she did find him attractive but never thought of him like that so I doubt she'd do that intentionally and it was also mentioned that after they danced together at the club only after that Harry thought of her while doing the deed. But it was hot so who cares. And now I have some things to say. Sorry I told you I'd be annoying because that's how I love. When I love something I just can't keep it in. So...

1. I was reading through the tags and there were so many requests for subby harry but I like their dynamic as it is. Because they're not super dom/sub and not super kinky. It's very comfortable very gentle very fragile at the moment, exactly like their relationship at the moment. Maybe when they're more into solid ground....one year or so later...they'd explore the kinkier side of their relationship. Idk to me it feels like their sexual dynamic very much reflects their emotional state, so the fragility of the situation (especially now that they decided to tell Leo) would affect the nature of their bedroom activities. And it's not like she's always been a dominant. It's quite evident that she's confident but she didn't initiate or control things with Leo. We don't know how she'd been with her past partners but she's been with Leo over two years now so she obviously isn't used to being in control now. And with Harry it happened naturally because he wasn't experienced and she was guiding him and he liked whatever she did. But she also lets loose and let's him have his ways. So it's very subtle dom/sub dynamic, which is perfect for them. But I love when Harry whines and begs. It's cute. I also like how confident harry is in general. He's a natural flirt and knows he's attractive and good learner too. He can very well turn into a soft dom and have control and she'd love it. I can imagine him being jealous and dragging her into her room and growling in her ear and just teasing her until she begs and she'd love every minute of it. But he'd still be gentle. We've seen him being very persuasive and her almost giving in to him. She becomes week and loses herself when he's in a commanding attitude. So I wouldn't be surprised if they switch roles. But I think there's no roles they just go with the flow. Like how she let him do what he wanted when she visited him in his dorm and he became subby when they reunited.

2. One more thing I noticed someone said is if yn would ever feel guilty of taking harry away from so many experiences he could have. I remember reading that Harry has dated and had done sexual things before yn. Yes he is only having sex with her. But it's not like Harry doesn't know what being with other people feels like. He gave and received head before and he said none of them did it for him like yn does. So he's not missing out on anything really. They can have all the experience together and they can experiment together

3. Did Parker not recognise Harry at the club? She must know who Leo's son is. I don't think Leo is the type to show photos of his son to his girlfriend so she might not know how Harry looks like. She also must know about the arrangement that yn and Leo have so even if she recognised her at the club or later in her photo, maybe she thought it was someone yn is seeing other than Leo

4. What would Anne think about the situation? Would Harry tell her and would she be supportive and understanding? Or would she hate yn?

5. Harry needs to give yn a nickname that he calls her by. Not ma'am or yn. Ma'am is for bedroom and teasing purposes only. But he needs to call her something sweet but not baby because she calls him baby. Love is very common. I want him to call her something unique that suits their relationship

I was already obsessed with stepdadharry series. But he's mostly an asshole so I'm not really emotionally attached to that. But Oh My God!!!! OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!!!! You don't understand, A Good Boy has changed my brain chemistry. Like I could die and come back to life just to read this fucking story. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that I have not been able to think about anything else since I started reading this. You're gonna ruin me Miss Guru if you don't bring them back. They're my babies and I love them so much. I can't not think about them and I have came up with so many scenarios and I saw so many good ideas in the tags. I'm gonna remind you of them in another ask cause this is getting too long. Please don't block me 😭

I would never block you for sending me feedback and putting so much thought into what you want to tell me. This is truly amazing - once again!

Thank you so much for this.

For point 1 - I think a more subrry dynamic would be ocasional or not often bc I agree - he’s not truly submissive nor is she truly dominant. There could be elements due to the age difference but overall it’s just as you said.

Point 2 - I think YN dealt with all her guilt before she realized Harry just wanted her. I think they’re both comfortable with everything and now they’re just glad to be together so I agree with you!

Point 3 - I wanted to do a follow up for that part with Parker having posted that video but I think it’s something where there were so many people she didn’t realize who she was videoing. She may have been intoxicated herself and just took a video. Parker might recognize YN but maybe not Harry. Either way I imagined that she didn’t record them specifically, it was just a quick moment of them and then the rest of the video but she didn’t realize.

Point 4 - Anne would definitely have her reservations about YN bc it’s obvious YN married Leo for his money - that was never a secret. So Anne may not trust YN but I think Harry could eventually convince her and she’d come around.

Point 5 - I would love to think of a cute nickname! I’ll have to consider it 💕

Appreciate all your thoughts hon!

Xoxo

[demonslayedher]

Things that flew through my mind while watching this episode:

--YAAASSS,k,,, ujkasdlahsd AAAAHHHHH HYYYYAAAAASSSSSSSSSS SO COOL, TANJIRO'S SOOOO COOOOOOOLLLL, LOOK AT 'IM GO WITH THAT HINOKAMI KAGURAAAAAAA

--AAHHHH DAAAAAAKKIIIIII makin' us feel the TEN-SIOOOOOOON, narrating the shock in Muzan's cells SO WE FEEL IT TOOOOOOOOOO, LOOK AT HER HAIR GO FYWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEE when her obi goes FWAAAAHHHHHH

--NEEEEEEEEEEEEE

--ZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

--KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

--Phew, okay, so yeah, this episode gets overshadowed by the animation in the battles once Gyutaro comes in, but this is just SO GOOD, SO WELL PRODUCED, SO EXCITING, SO MUCH REWATCH VALUE

--UFOTABBBBBBBBBLLLLLLEEEEEEE!!!!!! YOU MONSTERS, THIS IS AMAAAAAAAZZZIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGGGGG AAAAAAAAHHHH

--Just… just, all of you, do yourselves a favor and rewatch the solo Tanjiro .vs. Daki battle, which admittedly also gets overshadowed by the full-on violence fest that is Nezuko .vs. Daki right after it. But this fight is so good, right from their first encounter!! Every twist and turn in battle shows us Daki little by little finding herself challenged by Tanjiro and going through a range of thoughts and feelings on that, it is so fun to ride along with her on all her mood swings, but she's still generally in control even if Tanjiro's making her surprised, annoyed, and frustrated sometimes, especially since he's worth so little to her that at earlier points in the fight, she was willing to let him run along and live like a mouse she tired of toying with. Muzan, who doesn't even hold high expectations of her, probably wouldn't even scold her for it (though it would frustrate him that he didn't tell her to kill the kid with the earrings instead of just setting her attention on an annoying demon who got away. Muzan doesn't have high expectations of Nezuko either, at this point). However, Tanjiro is continually pushing himself harder and harder, pulling from harder and harder to access portions of his repertoire, until the horror of Daki's blatant disregard for human life sends him over and edge he couldn't even see. And man, how he plunges!! It almost tempts one to theorize that the mysterious samurai arising in the memories of Muzan's cells is a ghost possessing Tanjiro for this portion of the fight, but my meta angle on it is that Hinokami Kagura already enables humans to tap into this latent power, and Tanjiro has attained enough of a level of mastery--likely both through conscious practice and years of unconscious practice through dance with his father--that allows him to enter a state of flow.

--aaaaAAANNNDD HE LOOKS SO COOL WHILE DOING IT

--I love how she emphasizes how much more Hinokami Kagura hurts and that it's hard to recover from (and I love how that aspect of Hinokami Kagura is similar to Nezuko's fire, what do you know, it's like she's from the same family of fire-working charcoal farmers). Also love how surprised and confused Daki is by the reaction from Muzan's cells. This isn't Muzan telepathically telling her anything like, "that's him, that's the guy, kill him!", no, it's Muzan's cells being unable to control their ingrained terror. Perhaps no other demon after Yoriichi's time has ever experienced what Daki is going through, as she is the first to encounter a swordsman resonating with that side of Sun Breath, and happening to say similar lines in similar depth about the value of life. Muzan would never reveal his fears to anyone (excepts, perhaps, Kokushibo, who maybe hears the brunt of how much his brother sucks), so what Daki is experiencing is downright weird. (Don't worry, Daki, your cells will experience terror of their own when Nezuko soon sets you on fire).

--Two things that interupt the exceedingly satisfying ebb and flow of the Tanjiro .vs. Daki fight: the Sound-Pillar-leaping-out-of-a-hole-with-his-arms-full-of-boys filler, and Shinjuro's letter. Well, three things, I guess. Tanjiro's lack of stamina had quite rude timing.

--Shinjuro's letter, from a lore perspective, is very satisfying, and ties in well with the timing of Daki's encountering Muzan's memories and fear lodged deep inside them. We also get the first mentions of the mark here, which Shinjuro brings up very casually, as though everyone knows about it. Shinjuro is a lore nerd. I already related to him due to feeling similarly depressed about things I started practicing, like, ten years ago but like I'll never progress further than this (and go figure, I haven't been to naginata practice in… five months…… ouch) , but---but now I must also feel a kindred spirit in Shinjuro for how he is a lore nerd. Sure, yes, Kyojuro might had been reading those sword manuals and diaries for his own swordsmanship development, but Shinjuro's obsessed gotten too obsessed with the history and lore! That makes this letter very refreshing. If Shinjuro can come around from dark places and approach things with humility and gratitude and kindness, then I can strive for that too, even in the moments when my efforts feel most worthless.

--OK BUT LIKE THE WAY TANJIRO JUST GRABS HER LEGS AND CUTS IT OFF AND THEN DROPS IT OFF THE ROOF WITH THAT CLUNK OF THE SHOE IT'S MOMENTS LIKE THESE I LIVE FOR IN THIS SERIES

--TRAPPING ALL THE OBI LIKE THAT, EVEN ONCE SHE'S STARTED USING HER BLOOD TECHNIQUE ON YOU INSTEAD OF JUST WHIPPING SHARP BODY PARTS AROUND, TANJIRO, YOU ABSOLUTE BADASS

--AND AND AND THE RED IN HIS EYES AND THE WAY HIS HAIR CHANGES SHAPE LIKE WHEN HE LATER GETS THE MARRRRRRKKK

--I have to wonder at what point Nezuko decided it was time to leave the box. Was she snoozing and ghost-Hanako stopped by to wake her up first? Or did she hear the crash and was like, "hm-mm" ("yes, now")? And then leave the box to see all the wreckage? Was she shocked and immediately worried for Tanjiro and had to go hunting him down? Or did she look at piles of rubble and go "hm. hm. hm." like observing Rengoku-san choking some human on a train?

--AND THE WAY NEZUKO'S HAIR GOES WHOOSH, WHOOSH IN THE WIND UP THERE, and and and the way she was already getting those cracks around her eyes the moment she was in Daki's presence? We could totally watch the anime only and have no idea it's because Daki has more of Muzan's cells than any other demon Nezuko's encountered, but she's still rightfully angry not only about Tanjiro being injured, but the fact that a bunch of humans--you know, Nezuko's family--are dead. In that way, she and Tanjiro have BOTH tapped into another source due to the same emotion. Takeo is very right to start his monologue by saying that she and Tanjiro are similar. Also, I love that monologue. It gives us so much depth to Takeo. He acts cool for the parts we ve usually seen him so far, but at his core, he's still a scared little kid with a keen skill for reading people.

--Neeee…zuuu…. KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

[justonemorewallflower]

Hello, another update!! Last time my cousin and I watched BSG we got through Home Part 1 through Epiphanies.

So here's a quick update about her thoughts to all those episodes:

She was ECSTATIC about the Starpollo kiss haha she literally threw her hands up in excitement when it happened then was annoyed when the scene immediately became tense because of Sharon walking in. She thought the kiss was super random but she definitely wasn't mad about it.

Later when Lee talks to Kara in the brig after he had talked to Sharon and tells Kara she isn't the one who should be telling him what to do my cousin said, "brother you literally kissed her." 🤣

She thought the scene where Lee told her he loved her was cute. And she thought it was funny when Kara teased him about it. My cousin was literally the definition of kicking her feet and giggling during this scene.

She was pretty stressed for all the Kobol stuff especially when Elosha stepped on a trap and Tom and his buddy were planning to take out Lee and his dad.

When they found the tomb of Athena and had the vision with all the constellations it just dawned on her that all the colonies were named after the constellations lmao. It took her that long 🤣😭

She still hates Ellen lol she gets so annoyed every time she's on screen haha. She also kind of figured D'Anna was a Cylon so she wasn't surprised to find that out.

She thought the Blackbird was pretty cool. She was annoyed with Helo and Chief fighting over Sharon. She thought it was super cute how everyone signed the ship and they named it after Laura.

She HATED Cain and understandably so.

She hated what happened with Sharon and Helo and Chief and was glad that Thorne died and that Helo and Chief didn't get executed for intervening.

She was SUPER stressed when Kara was given the task to kill Cain and Fisk had the task to kill Bill. As well as Lee just casually dying during all that too. She was so stressed haha and was relieved when Lee got saved and Fisk nor Kara had to murder anyone.

She was glad Gina killed Cain though. She was just glad Cain died haha.

In Epiphanies she really thought Laura was gonna die. She was confused and shocked when Bill kissed her towards the end of the episode.

Also in the one scene Lee and Dee have where their faces ended up close during like fighting practice she did the same thing she had done to Kara and Sam where she went, "get away!" 🤣

She's gonna absolutely hate how those relationships develop and how it'll be both of the pairs she doesn't like.

Also I asked her some thoughts on current ships/couples like which ones she thinks will make it to the end and all and regarding Kara and Lee she thinks they're endgame for sure and I'm just over here sobbing like just wait your opinion on that is about to change real quick and you're gonna be so disappointed/upset 😭

Also at one point where Kara was in danger I made a joke to her about her dying too (this was like after episode where Lee almost died) and she said "she can't die she's a pop figure." And I'm just over here like oh how wrong you are... she's going to be so upset haha

***

Anyway those were her biggest/main thoughts from our last watch session. Today we are going to watch more and I'm so curious because we'll be starting off on Black Market which is bleh but I'll be curious to see her thought on that episode especially since Lee is one of her favorite characters. And I'm also curious to see her reaction to Scar because that is an interesting episode too and pretty Kara centered which is another one of her favorite characters. I also can't wait for her to watch Sacrifice because she is going to be devastated about Billy (in the past episodes at one point she literally said how he can't die and she likes him). She's also gonna be sad about Lee. Like poor Lee can't get a break he gets seriously injured/has near death experiences like 3 times within 5 episodes 😭😭

I am also excited to see her thoughts on Razor!

I'm not sure how much further she and I will make it into season two, I'm kind of hoping we'll finish the season but that's me being optimistic about our time, etc.

I shall keep y'all posted :)

[myrmyrtheorca]

Vent post because I don't really want to talk about it with people but I still need to get it out of my system somehow

I have a graduation party in another region this weekend and I'm losing my mind because it literally ticks all the boxes to be a disaster for my mental health. Firstly I'm in the car with a couple who fights every single time they travel together and one of them drives (if you remember back when I went to Turin a few months ago, it's the friends who almost left us without a car to come back home). I get in fight or flight mode whenever someone raises their voice in anger in my vicinity even if it's not directed at me, and it's especially bad in a car because I cannot escape and have to live through the aftermath as well. So there will be a lot of yelling to begin with. Doesn't help that said friends are really...peculiar drivers..

At the event there will be lots of drinking, I don't drink anymore myself because of bad experiences in the past where people raised their voice at me for being annoying but being near someone who's drunk makes my anxiety skyrocket because of unpredictability (I do very bad with unpredictable events). People will pressure me and will be disappointed that I don't join the drinking but I won't budge on that and so I know I'll get comments for it.

We're sleeping in a hotel in a shared room, which means more anxiety because I'm super uncomfortable sleeping far from home. I'm scared of sleeping near intoxicated people, not because I'm afraid they will hurt me but because of ... really anything else that might happen to an intoxicated person...

At least here in Italy graduation parties feature a range of activities which usually are made to make fun of the person who's just graduated, and that already puts me of...plus I know that most of these activities have the purpose to MAKE the girl drink...they actually plan to make her blackout drunk by the end of the evening and I find it despicable but i have literally 0 say in all of this

Then there's the waking up part, getting everyone ready for checkout, and the whole trip back home...more yelling...more travelling...more speeding through the highway...

I really really don't want to go. I REALLY want to stay home. Home is safe. I don't want to go out there's too much danger I want to stay home I really really fucking want to stay home but nobody will take my fears seriously because everyone around me thinks being drunk to the bone is funny

I will feel like a trapped rabbit the whole time and the day after I have to go to work.

eep

[elftwink]

so this is from someone who also actively plays in and dms campaigns with other systems but personally i love dnd partly because i like the number of arcane rules. i think part of what it is, is my table experiences have been so combat-lite that for me the system has just become tools for solving puzzles and situations. encounters are so few and far between with my usual dm that they become very intense and scary when they do happen, and you can maybe say well that's dnd guy cope to say that this combat sim is better without the combat, and that probably is true. the best version of dnd for me like if i were writing 6e would be to shift the game's mechanical focus away from combat, increase the prominence of utility/ roleplay oriented spells and skills, and encourage DMs not to rely on combat to fill space in the game

yes!! ik im being a hater in my posts rn but i also love dnd, and especially the magic and spell system. it's not perfect obviously, but i have yet to find a ttrpg whose magic system is as engaging to me personally as dnd is. idk it's like exactly the right amount of rules to feel very bound by them while still leaving wiggle room for creative magic choices (either by way of flavour which is whatever you make of it, or by way of doing something that is Technically covered by the spell but probably not intended, which almost always fucks extremely hard).

& also i agree that dnd is kind of too combat focused, and i actually do think it would be better with less (although i suspect that given theres a pretty large contingent of dnd players who play mostly or solely combat, i dont think this is a universal opinion lol), or at the very least if it didn't feel like it dominated the meta decisions you have to make. like when i take new spells i often have to deliberate between the cool utility spell i actually want to take that has no damage component, and the damage based spell that will keep me viable in combat. i wish often these choices were less at odds with each other, or at least if you had a character who needed to be carried through combat that they would have more utility in non-combat scenarios instead of just kind of feeling like dead weight (now i sound like someone who should try another system, lol. but its more varied spells in the existing dnd system that i want!)

also i kind of think dnd has a problem esp at the mid level with keeping combat high stakes and genuinely scary, which is a whole other post where i could ramble lol, but honestly in terms of per table solutions "do combat a lot less" sounds like actually an extremely good way to deal with it. the worst thing in dnd is when combat starts to feel repetitive and like a slog. if it happens rarely it just so so so much easier to avoid that. i could say much more about this but ive already been typing this ask for a gazillion years but the point is i'm stealing your dms tactics for next time i run a game

also to contextualize my baseless haterism posts, i just want to clarify that i don't care in any way if someone plays only 5e/dnd and refuses to play other systems. this is whatever. what annoys me is when such people insist this is because every other game on earth is worse than dnd at everything, somehow, even though they do not know the full rules of dnd and are not super interested in learning. there's a lot to be found there in dnd but you have to like, engage with it. your dm cant read it for you. & its always more fun to be at a table where everyone knows wtf is going on than with players who barely know enough to scrape by and treat the DM like a rules dispensing machine

anyway. your 6e ideas sound awesome, especially more utility spells pleaseeee wotc. life could be so beautiful

[eyitzme]

ᵗʰᵉ ʳᵒᵃᵈ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ⁿⁱᵍʰᵗ ; ˣᵃⁿʳᵉⁱ ⁽ᵈʳᵈᵗ⁾

Summary: Xander Matthews and Arei Nageishi are trying to get home after spending the day with their classmates. Traffic, rain, and construction go against their wishes, and they're not making it home until a few more hours. Xander can deal with it, but when Arei's phone dies and she can't listen to music anymore, a conversation starts between them. It's not that bad. Word Count: 3,401 A/N: If I had a nickel for every Xanrei fic I made that happened during the night, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but isn't it weird how it happened twice? So, this fic was supposed to be Xanrei driving to some place, sitting on top of the car, looking at the night sky, and talking. (I have three nickels if you include ideas.) The moment I started writing this, my brain wondered about traffic, and the whole direction of the fic shifted before I even knew it. Writing is so weird. Faint traces remain, but you couldn't even tell what the original plan was unless I told you. I'm still proud of writing this entire one shot in one day, though, since the Xanrei fic I posted the other day did, in fact, give me motivation to write more Xanrei. Applaud me! (I'm imagining you, the reader, as a genderless being vaguely shaped like a human applauding for me right now.)

it isn't so bad being out here with you.

Xander Matthews enjoyed car rides. They were, most of the time, a nice experience that helped you get along with those around you. There were plenty of things you could do in the car, and the small stops through the trip, if it was a long one, gave you a short break from the others if you needed it. The question of where you were going was great as well! The possibilities were endless!

Today wasn't "most of the time."

Xander and his classmate, Arei Nageishi, were trying to go home after a long day of taking a break from school at a park five hours away from campus with the rest of their classmates. According to some of them—half, actually—Arei wasn't allowed to drive or even be in a car alone. Xander wasn't sure what the big deal was, but it wasn't like he spoke to Arei much. Whatever the case was, he found himself in his car willing to drive her home. It didn't seem like that bad of an idea, especially since Arei was busy with whatever music was playing in her headphones. The silence was a bit unnerving for Xander, especially considering who he was in the car with, but he was fine with it.

But then they got onto the highway and were stuck in traffic thanks to some construction. It was already getting late, and it just had to start raining too. They were barely moving a centimetre about every few minutes, and with how it was already nearing 11 P.M., he wasn't sure they were making it back home before midnight.

Xander's car was one of the more silent ones. He wasn't honking his horn obnoxiously like the other cars, and there wasn't any conversation going on either. The conversation part changed the moment Arei declared from the backseat, "This is the worst day ever!"

"It isn't that bad," Xander told her.

"Yes, it is. My phone died, and we're not even home yet, right?"

"You didn't realize we're stuck in traffic?"

"We're stuck in traffic?" From the rearview mirror, he could see Arei putting her headphones on her shoulders and looking out the windows. Her backpack rested on the ground in front of her. "Oh, we are. That sucks."

With his eyes still on the rearview mirror, Xander asked, "You actually didn't notice?"

"No," she answered. "I was going to listen to music until we got home so I wouldn't have to talk to you, but now my phone's dead."

"What's so bad about talking to me?"

"You're British."

Xander sighed. "You're not funny..."

"You're not funny," Arei repeated in a horrible attempt at a British accent.

Xander wasn't sure why he even attempted to talk to her. Arei pushed everyone's buttons almost too easily, and he was no exception. He wasn't sure what her deal was, but she could so annoying at times!

"How long until we're back home?" Arei asked.

"We're probably not getting back until after midnight," Xander answered.

"What time is it now?"

"11:48 P.M."

"I bet all the others are already home by now. I should've went with one of them instead of you."

"Too late now." In his mind, Xander repeated, Don't get annoyed. She's trying to make you annoyed, so giving her a reaction would be giving her what she wants. Don't get annoyed.

"It's Friday, right?" Arei leaned back against the backseat. "Nothing to do tomorrow. I'd be upset about the traffic if I had something important."

"You're not the one driving," Xander said.

"Hu Jing doesn't let me drive," she scoffed. "She says I'm not allowed to after what happened last time."

"What happened last time?"

"I don't feel like hearing a speech about being a good citizen or whatever you talk about, so I'll keep that a secret."

"I wasn't going to give you any speeches..."

"Better safe than sorry. By the way, you should really stop giving people speeches. David is right there. He gives better speeches than you. Stop."

The mention of his idol and classmate, David Chiem, put a smile on Xander's face. "Of course David can give better speeches than I can! He's amazing! You should've heard his speech the other day at—"

"Fanboy." Arei rolled her blue eyes. "Just get used to him already."

"I am used to him—"

"Doesn't look like it." She lowered her voice and put on her fake and terrible British accent. "Oh, David, be my partner for this project, love! David, look at these fish and chips I made for you! It'd be great if David could see me right now, innit? I need to give this bottle of water to David right now! David, David, David, David!"

All the reminders Xander had been giving himself to not get annoyed were immediately forgotten. "First, I don't sound like that! Second, your excuse of a British accent is just you not pronouncing the T's. Third, you know I've never said anything you think I say. I swear, you're the most annoying and selfish prick I've ever—"

A sniff interrupted his dialogue. Small teardrops started to flow from her eyes as Arei rubbed them away. "Y-You're so mean..."

Xander's heart shuddered. Her tears were fake. She always did that to get what she wanted. He knew that, but he still wanted her to stop. It was how he felt with everyone, but it was different with Arei. Instead of just the general "stop-crying", he had a more specific want. He wanted to comfort her, take back what he said in a hopefully more meaningful way—that probably wouldn't be the case, though—and possibly putting in some physical contact. He couldn't place why it was so different with her.

As usual, he had to ignore that want, mainly because his brain always went into panic-mode the second someone had tears start to show. "Arei, I didn't mean that..."

"Yes, you did. I get it. I'm the most annoying, selfish, pathetic, and ugly prick you've ever met. You never wanted to deal with me, but everyone else forced you to...!" She rubbed her nose against her sleeve, her blue nail polish looking darker than normal.

The car in front of them moved forward a couple of centimetres. Xander moved his car as far as he could, but the car behind them honked anyway. That made the other cars around them to start honking. Xander really couldn't deal with this plus Arei crying in the middle of the night.

He turned around in his seat to look at her from the front. He had to use the only card he had. "Arei, I promise I don't think of you like that. I won't ever call you that ever again. I won't even think about you like that."

She sniffed. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror. Something about the rain, the streetlights, and the surrounding headlights made her blue eyes with fake tears look bigger than normal. "Promise...?"

"I promise." His voice came out quieter than he expected it to. He figured it had to do with how quiet and soft her voice was. That, at the end of the day, was just another part of her tricks.

He turned back to the road as Arei immediately stopped crying and said, "Good. I'll remember this, Xander. If you break it—"

She was interrupted by a car near them honking their horn loud and long enough to probably be heard throughout the country.

She sighed. "Stupid drivers... We get it, it's late, you want to go home, now stop honking your horns and annoying everyone else! It's not doing anything to speed this up!"

Taking a peek at the rearview mirror, he noticed she was scowling. Normally, he didn't think people scowling was good as it showed they were annoyed at something that maybe they shouldn't be annoyed. True to it, he didn't like seeing her scowl, but a small part of him thought the flash of emotion in her eyes and the way her nose scrunched up was adorable.

He was probably tired. That was probably what it was.

Putting his eyes on anything else as the cars inches forward again, Xander asked, "Arei, do you get road rage?"

"Only when I'm the one driving," Arei answered. "Why?"

"You seem like someone who would."

"I'm taking that as an insult."

"It wasn't meant to be an insult."

"It sounded like one."

"Did your road rage make Hu Jing and everyone else decide you can't drive?" Xander asked to make her think about something else.

"I'm not telling you. What happened last time is a secret, Alexander." Arei pronounced his full name slowly like she was trying to make every letter of stick into his brain. He never told her what his full name was, and he always wondered if Teruko Tawaki had something to do with it. She was the only one in their class who knew his full name.

Xander turned his head to the window. Rain splattered onto it as he looked through the darkened windows to the car next to it. A man was asleep in the passenger seat as a woman drove the car. He wondered where they were going, where they came from, and why they were out so late. They, or at least the woman, could be wondering the same thing about him.

"What music do you listen to?" Xander almost jumped at the sound of Arei's voice. She had released herself out of her seatbelt's hold without turning on the sound of the alarm and was leaning over from the back. Her head was near his, her hair falling over the side her face as she searched through his glove box.

"Stop looking through my stuff!" Xander swatted her hand away. He was a second too late from her opening one and finding a charger.

She grabbed it before he could stop her and inspected it. "This one won't charge my phone. Useless." She dropped it in the passenger seat.

"You could at least put it back..." His grumbles went ignored, so he had to put it back.

"Where's your phone?" Arei asked. "Do you have, like, any streaming services? I wanna listen to something. Play some British song."

"I left my phone at home—"

"Who leaves their phone at home? What is this, the 2000's?"

"We're not listening to music," Xander said. "Sit down before someone sees you."

"We're going at one metre per hour. No one cares." As if she was trying to prove her point, she straightened her back while still sitting in between the passenger and driver seat. He had to tilt his head up to talk to her.

"What if we get into a car crash?"

"How bad are you at driving that we get in a car crash when we're barely moving? At that point, I'd take my chances with Ace driving while Levi does his scary stuff sitting in the passenger seat, Arturo sitting next to J in the backseat taking about J's mom, and Teruko's in the trunk here for her bad luck."

"Why is Teruko in the boot?"

"'Boot?'"

"Trunk," he quickly corrected. "Why is she in the trunk?"

"British people." Her nose scrunched to show disgust, but he knew she didn't actually feel that way. Maybe that knowledge was the reason why that simple act tugged on his heart. "There's no more room in the backseat, and Teruko has to be somewhere if I'd rather risk being in a car with her than you. Oh, yeah, if Arturo and J sit in the backseat with me, I don't have enough room to stretch my legs..."

"I was wondering why you sat in the backseat instead of the front."

He expected Arei to say something about her choices in car seating arrangements, but instead, she asked, "You have a tongue piercing?"

Xander was confused for a second before realizing she didn't know he had one. "Oh, yeah, I do. My old school had a strict rule that didn't allow any piercings, so I pierced my tongue. If a teacher walked by, all I have to do is close my mouth."

He stuck out his tongue so she could see his lip piercing better. The actual lip piercing wasn't anything special, but it was the act of getting one that was. To him, it was an act to fight against the rules that didn't make sense. That was his job! He pulled his tongue back into his mouth so he could explain what he was thinking back then when he noticed Arei expression.

It was oddly unreadable. She always kept the emotions she wanted others to see on the surface, so having a blank face was weird. Her eyes were trained onto his lips, and for a few seconds, silence took over. Then, her eyes lifted off his lips to his eye. He wasn't sure if it was just him or if she truly did stiffen ever so slightly, but he wasn't going to ask. The atmosphere between them felt...different. Like a blink alone could ruin whatever was going on between them. Not like he knew what was going on between them.

Xander wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. It felt like hours. It was probably no more than a few minutes, though, especially when the car behind them honked their horn. He turned to the road and realized he could move forward.

Arei slipped into the passenger seat when the car honked. After he moved the car as far as he could, he forced himself to expand the suddenly uncomfortable silence for a second to try to get used to it. He couldn't, so he asked, "I thought you didn't like sitting there."

She shrugged. "I like it. It's just that I like stretching my legs out more. There's not enough room here, and I can't even lay down."

"If you're sitting here now, put your seatbelt on."

Surprisingly, she listened. His surprise could only be held for a few seconds before she started rummaging around in his glove box again.

"I told you to stop looking through my stuff!" He swatted at her hands again.

"Why? Do you have something to hide, Xander Matthews? Do you have drugs in here? Porn magazines? Condoms? Were you planning—"

"I don't have any of those, and I wasn't planning anything!" Even though the streetlights and the headlights made it relatively easy to see, he hoped it was too hard for her to see how red his cheeks were.

"That's what they all say." She took a five-second break before going back to it.

To focus on something that wouldn't give him a headache, Xander looked out the window to see if he could see the man and the woman who were in the car next to them, but they were gone. A new car was there was two new people. They were a different man and woman. From what it looked like, they were having a lively conversation with each other, one filled with laughter and smiles. He couldn't make out what they were talking about, but they looked like they were enjoying each other's presence.

"Xander, say, 'Cheese!'"

"Huh?"

When Xander turned his head towards Arei, he found her holding his phone towards his face, unlocking it with facial I.D. Before he could stop her, she went back to the backseat and went through his phone, keeping it out of his reach. She readjusted her seatbelt to be around her again as she said, "Liar, liar, liar," each "liar" getting a shake of her head. "You said you kept your phone at home, but it's right here? I knew no one kept their phone at home nowadays! What kind of things are you hiding in here?"

"Nothing, now give me my phone back!" He tried to reach for it from the driver seat, but his seatbelt stopped him from getting too far.

"I'm only checking what music you listen to." She showed him the phone screen briefly as proof. When she turned it back to herself, she stayed silent as she scrolled through. He wasn't sure why he felt nervous about her knowing what he listened to, but he did. After a minute, she smiled and said, "You would listen to this."

The smile on her face and her voice were different than everything he got used to with her. It was small and gentle, and her voice was soft with no hint of teasing. They worked together to give her a look of sweet understanding. It was unusual, considering who it was coming from, but she looked so pretty that he couldn't look away.

He wished he had the photographic memory of their classmate, Rose Lacroix. Just remembering that look on her face would be enough, but if he also received her artistic skills, then it would be even better. Being able to paint how to the light from their surroundings hit her, how the screen reflected on her eyes, how her being in his car like it was the most natural thing in the world would be a dream. He could even frame it somewhere and show off the moment he realized—

No, he didn't realize anything.

Arei leaned down and opened her backpack. She shuffled through it until she pulled out earbuds. Despite already having headphones still resting on her shoulders, she plugged the earbuds into his phone and said, "I'm listening to your playlist now. How much time do we have left until we get home?"

Xander forced his eyes back to the road. The car in front of him moved farther than before, and even with the rain, he could see that there was less traffic not that far up ahead. "Once we make it past here, we should be home in around two and a half hours."

"That's enough time to listen to your playlist. I'm telling you my opinions on it tomorrow—and you better care about them." She put her earbuds in, leaned back against the car seat, and closed her eyes. Even though he couldn't tell what she was thinking, she looked more peaceful than normal.

The construction site was coming to an end. In less than half an hour, he should be able to drive more freely. The rain would be a little bit of a bother, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He already had Arei inside his car. But then again, his mind went back to the sweet smile on her face every time he thought of her. He would happily deal with her if it meant he got to see that smile more.

As time went on, their car made it further through traffic. They just about reached the end when Xander felt someone nudge his shoulder. He looked over and saw Arei sitting in between in the driver seat and the passenger seat and holding out one of her earbuds.

He hesitated, but he took it. Once he did, she sat on the passenger seat and put the seatbelt on wordlessly. He still hadn't put the earbud in his ear yet.

"You need to stop moving so much," he said.

"I'll stop now," she replied. "We're actually moving, so you can get into a car crash now."

"I don't want to get into one."

"Good, I don't either. If you do and I die but you live, I'm haunting you." Her eyes flashed as she looked at him. "And if you try to haunt me if I'm alive but your dead, I'm exorcising you in the most painful way possible."

"I don't want to kill us both, so I guess we both have to live."

"Good thing we agree on that."

Xander realized he still hadn't put the earbud in. When he did, he realized his playlist was playing. His phone sat between them as music went through to both of them. Arei was looking out the window with that unreadable expression she had when she found out he had a lip piercing.

Xander wasn't sure what to think of it, but he had to drive right now. He wasn't risking any haunting from Arei. She could push anyone's buttons, but she would make for a cute ghost.

[blue-howlite]

Hello there! May I request doom breaker characters (anyone you would like to do). With a sick S/O who refuses to take treatment.

This is an opportunity for either crack or comfort. Let's see who fits what.

When you're sick.

Feat. Ned, Lucius, Fade, Dariel.

Warnings: maybe ooc, temporary sickness, reader has bad past experiences with medicines.

Author note: these mfs (affectionate) are fuel for chaos. Lucius and Dariel have a chance of knowing how to deal with this, but Ned and Fade are lost.

Ned

He notices almost immediately you're sick but doesn't know exactly what it is, which worries him.

Which is why he drags you to the closest medical figure he trusts to get you diagnosed.

Once he knows what it is and how to treat it he feels a little better, knowing it's not something too dangerous.

The feeling is replaced by concern again when you refuse the treatment.

His first thought is that you're underestimating the issue.

He tries convincing you of the fact that it's for your own good.

He tries telling you that your condition will get worse if it stays untreated.

You don't change your mind, but he's so insisting you eventually tell him why you don't want the treatment and that you're worried that what happened in the past might happen again.

He reassures you and tries convincing you again.

If you still refuse, he does the thing that he does best: tricking people into doing things.

He manages to have you take the treatment without you even knowing, and still pretends to insist on you taking it so you don't suspect anything.

He doesn't tell you even when you're healed. He knows he might need to use this strategy again in the future.

He does have to deal with your conviction that you healed all on your own and didn't need medicine at all.

At the end of the day he's just glad you're fine though.

Lucius

He quickly picks up on the symptoms of your sickness, he's used to blessing the ill and all that.

He can't heal you from sickness though, so he gets you a physician to make sure you're correctly diagnosed and prescribed an effective treatment.

Which... you refuse.

His first reaction to that is a very confused "Why?". He was there while you got diagnosed, he knows that the sickness might get worse.

Once you've explained the reason to him, he's very understanding of what you went through and why you're afraid.

So he goes for a gentle approach to this.

He gets the physician to explain to you every detail about the sickness you're going through and every effect of the treatment you'll be undergoing to heal, making sure you know what all this implies and are fully informed.

...probably offers a reward system for every time you take the treatment too.

He wants to make sure you get better, and feel safe while doing so.

Fade

Like he sees the first symptoms and immediately gets you a diagnosis and an effective treatment for it, made by himself.

He's the physician that diagnoses you.

He gets a little annoyed when you refuse the medicine. Do you not want to heal?

He assures you that there's no side effects; he's a sadist alright, but it's you we're talking about, he doesn't want you to suffer.

He does think you're being a bit of a brat by refusing medicine and takes it personally.

So he tries using needles to inject the treatment while holding you still enough.

Which he realises isn't a good idea when you have an anxiety attack, and he hasn't started treating you yet.

He backtracks, focusing on calming you down now. He didn't expect you to be scared of medicine. Especially when he's the one that made it...

When you explain to him why you keep refusing treatment, he changes strategy.

He makes you help him prepare the medicine from scratch again, so you can see what's getting into your body and feel less anxious about the whole thing.

He does think your fear is irrational since he's the one that is treating you, but he'd rather take those extra steps than hurt you.

Dariel

He gets something is wrong at the first symptom. He's good at noticing when things change in the people around him.

It's very close to paranoia but be understandable, with what his people went through he can't risk you too.

Gets you to the first physician he finds. No hesitation, no listening to you protesting, he gets you fully checked up.

He visibly relaxes when told it's something that can be easily treated.

Just to tense up again when you refuse treatment.

Because in his culture that's akin to expressing a suicidal wish.

The way he gets sad and starts asking you why you would do that to him should be enough for you to give in and get treated. How could you make the puppy boy sad.

Please clarify that you don't want to die and are just refusing the treatment.

Which he sort of... respects?

If you believe you can heal without medicine, he trusts you can, but he will keep an eye on your condition.

When you obviously don't get better he starts insisting, reassuring you that the medicine will be good for your body.

He even shows you by taking a dose of treatment himself.

Absolutely will reward you for getting healthy again!

[pinkheichou]

Troubles

I decided to post the first chapter of my on-going Itafushi fic on tumblr as well! ^^

Ships: Gofushi (Gojo x Megumi), Itafushi (Itadori x Megumi)

Endgame Itafushi

All characters are 18+

College/University AU. Gofushi includes age gap. Rating for chapter 1 is 'Mature'

Read it on Ao3 or under the cut

Chapter 1: First Awakening of Want

“He's done a lot as a doctor, that's why it's a good idea if you get to meet him and have a little chat with him. He can give you valuable advice, if you ask him for it.” Dr Suguru said—Getou.

“I see.” Megumi answered.

For some unknown reason, Dr Suguru preferred being called by his first name. Even when talking to adults much younger than him. Megumi was certain that Dr Suguru didn't want to accept the fact that he was getting older. But he never openly questioned his preference and thus always called him Getou.

Laughable.

Getou was guiding Megumi Fushiguro through the hospital floors. Megumi had graduated from high school last year, but hadn't managed to enter med school right after. That’s why he'd decided to do a gap year in a hospital to have better chances in getting accepted. It actually worked and Megumi was set to start med school next month.

It was his last day at the hospital he’d worked at. Actually, he’d been ready to leave after having bid every colleague goodbye, when Getou got a hold of him last second and offered him to meet with Dr Satoru before he’d leave. That meet-up hadn't been planned, but since Megumi had nothing better to do for the rest of day, he agreed on it. Luckily, he was given valuable insight into the life of essential hospital workers – especially doctors – so he didn't mind getting to know about one more doctor. 

Megumi watched Getou from the back. A tall, dark-haired figure with long hair tied to a half-bun and in a white coat. He was dressed the same as always. Megumi wasn't wearing his work attire anymore. He had on an over-sized dark hoodie with black pants and converse. That was his go-to outfit for almost everything. He tightened the grip on both straps of his bag as he sullenly followed Getou.

So this was it, huh? Megumi thought, running a hand through his black spiky hair, Just like that, one year comes to an end and I didn't make any memorable experiences outside of work. Life will be dead serious from next month on.

“There’s an after-work party today. Wanna come?” Getou asked casually, as they rounded a corner. “I’ll be there. The one you’re about to meet, as well. And lots of other people you already know.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Alright.”

Megumi sighed inwardly. Not even an after-work party can make up for the things Megumi had felt dissatisfied about.

Megumi Fushiguro was gay.

It hadn't been because of a single, life-turning moment in his life that he had realised that one day. It was just that, slowly and steadily, Megumi had grown to accept that girls never stirred something inside of him. He would look at them, no matter their appearance or personality, and feel nothing. His thoughts would always bury themselves in a void.

But when he had casually observed boys his age throughout high school, thoughts of arousal would float in his mind. When he was watching them, he would think about what it would be like to be sexually devoured by a guy. He didn't want to take the initiative. He wanted to be touched, kissed, fucked, ruined.

He had already jerked off to the thought of guys he found attractive. But nothing serious ever happened.

No one had seriously interested him so far. Not emotionally and especially not physically. 

He would have loved to lose his virginity to someone who could make him strongly feel something. Who would make him feel things he’d always wanted to feel while sleeping with another guy.

But nothing of that kind had actually happened. Megumi wasn't the outgoing type and didn't have the patience of a saint and didn't like overly cheerful people and would sometimes get annoyed quickly, but, still, he didn't turn his back on everyone approaching him privately. There had been a bisexual dude, a nurse, who had made hints towards Megumi about being interested in getting to know him more. It wouldn't have had to end in a simple friendship, he haid said. He would be open for more even.

But Megumi had to decline. That nurse hadn't evoked that fire of arousal inside him. This had been the only approach he was ever met with, but it hadn't been the right one.

The gap year was over – with that his chance to lose his virginity, to explore his sexuality, to find out more about himself – and Megumi had to face the harsh reality of closing a chapter in his life he didn't want to close yet. It sucked. A sense of failure embraced him like chains trapping him and taking away the freedom that he hadn't enjoyed as he should have done. 

They've reached Dr Satoru’s office. A hand of Getou’s was on the door handle as he said, “You don't have to worry about being formal with him. It’s okay. He’ll tell you soon enough that you can call him by his first name. Just call him Geto.”

Another one with a midlife crisis, Megumi thought. 

Getou opened the door and beckoned Megumi to enter first. He did so, impassively, noticing that the doctor was sitting at his desk and had his back turned at them as he wrote something on his tablet. 

Megumi clumsily stopped in his tracks when that person turned around.

That man—doctor—Gojo swiftly turned around in his chair, instantly locking eyes with Megumi. He had silver-white hair, a very pretty face – like an embodiment of an ancient Roman gigolo carved into marble. His sky-blue – no – ice-blue eyes were hypnotizing Megumi to stay in place—like paralyzed. 

There. Megumi was feeling it. That surge of want ripping through his body. That tingling sensation bubbling under his skin, giving him goosebumps. His body stirring just the right way. His thoughts aligning sweetly. His feral desires howling inside him. All that Megumi had wanted, but had thought he wouldn't get anymore. All that he had wished for, but had given up on. All of that had come together and merged together and was now looking at him through those marvelous eyes. The personification of Megumi's wish.

Megumi was silent, his consciousness was a mess.

I want him.

No, that wasn't it. Megumi wanted one thing in particular. He wanted that chapter of his life to end in something worth reminiscing…

I want to sleep with him.

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

[All upcoming chapter will be posted to my Ao3 account: pinkheichou]

[flutteringfable]

post shouki no kami comfort

finally. FINALLY. ITS DONEEEE -<3

enjoy 2841 words of cael and scara being sweet and in love. it’s 12:19 am so i’m too eepy to proofread this anymore, i’m just happy it’s done, so ignore any mistakes. it should be fine for the most part though!

no warnings aside from a brief blood mention, scara’s arm is broken but it’s more of a large crack in his arm bc doll anatomy, and i guess nudity? in a nonsexual context of course (they take a bath together <3)

moonlight spilled dimly through the trees, barely illuminating the paths through the city. scaramouche didn’t need much light, anyway; he had every route to cael’s house memorized. he coughed, cursing under his breath. why had he been given lungs? they seemed to do nothing but weaken when they were filled with debris. being able to breathe used to be one of his favorite things, because it made him feel more human, but once he discovered how fragile his lungs truly were it was less appealing.

he held one piece of his left arm up to a crack in his elbow to keep it from falling off completely. he was amazed that only one of his limbs had broken, though the rest of his body was covered in sizable cracks and bruises.

if this was anything close to the human experience, maybe scaramouche didn’t really want it after all.

he gingerly lowered his broken arm and wiped synthetic blood from his face, trying to make himself look somewhat presentable and less like the broken mess he was. after taking a deep breath (which ended up dissolving into a coughing fit), he raised his good arm to the door and knocked.

a few moments passed. scaramouche considered leaving before the door opened, and he was greeted by a familiar sleepy face.

“ah— kuni?” cael was rubbing one eye behind his glasses. “what brings you here so la—“

cael paused, and scaramouche watched as the taller man’s face fell. almost immediately, cael was leading him inside.

“what happened?” he exclaimed, a mrrp of panic rising in his throat. “are you okay?”

as scaramouche carefully took a seat on cael’s sofa, he took another breath (carefully this time) before speaking again.

“do… do you remember… the project i showed you?” he despised how weak his voice sounded. “i was… i was so close, cael. i was going to be a god…”

an unfamiliar lump built in his throat, causing his voice to falter. had he not been so exhausted and broken, scaramouche would have made more of an effort to keep the tears from spilling onto his cheeks. every effort to calm himself down only made it worse, and within moments he was a sobbing, hiccuping mess.

almost as soon as the first whimper left his mouth, he was pulled gently against cael’s chest. his head rested perfectly above the taller man’s heart.

“hey, shh, i’ve got you,” cael whispered, cradling scaramouche’s head with one hand. “you’re home now, you’re safe.”

“i’m sorry,” scaramouche mumbled. “i don’t know why i can’t control my tears… i’m sure it’s probably annoying…”

cael shook his head, picking up a roll of bandages from the coffee table. he had brought them in his hurry to get scaramouche inside, presumably.

“there’s no need to be sorry, kuni,” he spoke gently, adjusting scaramouche’s broken arm to bind it temporarily with the bandages. “this is a normal reaction, especially after all the stress of the past few months. you’re not a bother. you can lean against me and cry for as long as you need.”

after cael carefully bandaged scaramouche’s broken arm, he held him close.

“cael…” scaramouche mumbled. “why do you still care so much for me? i’m nothing anymore, i’m pathetic…”

the taller man hummed shortly, puzzled.

“what do you mean, darling?” he asked, stroking scaramouche’s hair. “i don’t think you’re pathetic at all.”

“what good am i to you anymore? i’m not a god; i’m not even a harbinger. i’m just… a puppet now. not even human. what worth do you see in me?”

“i didn’t fall in love with you because you were a god, kuni. hell, i didn’t fall in love with you because you were a harbinger. you are so much more than just your power to me, darling. i love seeing you every morning when you come into the cafe for tea. i love listening to you snark about your coworkers, and about the akademiya. i love seeing you curled up beside me every evening, even if you don’t need to sleep. kuni, you mean the world to me, and it has nothing to do with how powerful or important you are to others. i love you because you’re you.”

there was a brief pause, and scaramouche inhaled. his exhale felt shaky as he balled his fists into the back of cael’s sweater. he didn’t deserve someone this kind to him. every time he thought someone truly cared for him, they would turn and betray him sooner or later. it had been that way his whole life. yet, as he pressed his face against cael’s chest, he felt… safe. the gentle rumbling of a purr overpowered the sound of cael’s heartbeat, but the sound was just as comforting to scara.

“i’m so glad you’re alright,” cael sighed, and the crack in his voice caused scaramouche to glance upwards. “i was… really worried…”

“i can’t understand how you still see worth in me…” scaramouche mumbled. “but i appreciate it, i guess. when… when the traveler and buer brought me down, i —“

“the TRAVELER did this to you?!” cael exclaimed. “the next time i see them—“

“don’t bother.” scara reassured him. “you’ll be getting yourself into more trouble than me if you do something rash, especially to the newly appointed ‘first sage of buer’.”

cael sighed, a discontent mrow rumbling in his throat.

“i want to talk to them, at least. but if they lay a finger on you again, they may not be so lucky.”

“how very bold of you,” scara laughed. “you would really take on the world-renowned traveler for me?”

“you underestimate how dedicated i am to protecting you and your happiness. even if i had to explore to the ends of teyvat or take on the abyss, i would do so if if it ensured your safety.”

cael eased out of the hug, leaning back with a sigh. he reached up to pat scara’s head, gazing quietly at him.

“do you want to take a bath? it might help you relax a little,” he suggested. “if not, we can just go straight to bed, i don’t mind either way.”

scara leaned against cael’s hand. “a bath sounds really nice…”

he smiled as cael kissed his forehead and gently scooped him up.

“a bath it is, then.”

he carried scara upstairs, humming to himself as he nudged open the bathroom door with his hip. cael set scara on the edge of the tub, giving him one last kiss on the nose before drawing the bath.

“do you want me to get in with you? i’d be happy to wash your hair for you,” he offered.

scara glanced quizzically at cael. “i get that you’re trying to take care of me and all, but i can wash myself perfectly fine.”

“that wasn’t the question,” cael chuckled, reaching over to gently nudge the shorter man’s leg. “if you don’t want me to, that’s fine, but if you don’t mind, i want to stick around and talk with you, at the very least.”

there was a pause as cael shut off the water.

“mm, alright,” scaramouche sighed. “you can get in with me… and i guess you can wash my hair if you want.”

he chuckled, reaching over to pat the space between cael’s ears. cael faltered a little, leaning into the touch and purring. he fought back a disappointed whine as scara moved away to undress.

“i should’ve never let you know i liked being pet there,” cael huffed, pulling off his sweater. “it seems like all you do is tease me for it now.”

scara laughed, working awkwardly at his hakama with his bound arm. “well, if your reactions weren’t adorable, maybe i wouldn’t tease you so much.”

“fair enough,” cael shrugged. “do you want some help? sorry, i would’ve tied the bandages a little looser if i wasn’t trying to literally hold your arm together.”

after a moment or two more of struggling from scara, he gave in and nodded. cael moved closer and untied scara’s obi, gently setting it and the attached armor on the floor.

“if you want, you can borrow some of my clothes to wear to bed,” cael offered as he continued.

scara laughed, holding out his arms as cael pulled off his gloves. “they’ll probably swallow me up, since you’re so stupidly tall.”

“yeah, but that’s the best part! i don’t get to experience it as often as others do, because like you said, i’m “stupidly tall,” but oversized clothes are so comfy.”

scara rolled his eyes before cael pulled his shirt up over his head. “whatever. we can sort that out after the bath.”

cael nodded. “alright,” he chuckled. “you can go ahead and get in, i’m gonna get some towe-“

scara flinched as he heard cael abruptly gasp.

“what—?”

“your chest!” cael beamed, purring.

“hm..? oh. yeah, before i went in to pilot the shouki no kami, i had dottore modify my body.”

cael blinked owlishly. “really? dottore did this? i can’t believe that archons-forsaken doctor did something right for once.”

scara laughed. “you and me both.”

“regardless, i’m so happy for you!” cael traced the scars on scaramouche’s chest. he paused, snorting.

“it must be a huge weight off your chest.”

“gods, have you been hanging around the general mahamatra again?” scara groaned, leaning away and scowling. “that’s the worst joke i think i’ve ever heard.”

cael laughed. “okay, okay, i’m sorry! it was just too good an opportunity to pass up!”

“i think i’m starting to understand how that botanist fox feels,” he remarked with a huff.

“nooo! i’m sorry, darling!” cael laughed.

he pouted as scara turned away, and inched closer with a pout.

“c’monnn, don’t tell me you hate me for that,” cael leaned down to put his head on scara’s shoulder. “be thankful you aren’t actually stuck with cyno. i dunno how tighnari puts up with him enough to be his husband.”

scara sighed and reached behind him to pat cael’s head reluctantly. “whatever. you’re stupid.”

“says the one who decided to ask dottore of all people to give him top surgery.”

“weren’t you just saying how proud of me you were?”

cael laughed and nuzzled against scara’s hair.

“i am. i’m so happy for you, my dear.” he softened, reaching around to hold the shorter man by the waist.

scara leaned back against cael in return. they stood there quietly for a moment, enjoying each other’s presence before cael stood back up.

“alright, i guess i should go get the towels now. be right back.”

he kissed scara and headed out, humming to himself.

scara sighed as he sank down into the tub, immediately feeling more at ease as the warm water surrounded him. the bathroom door creaked open as cael returned, setting the towels just outside the tub. he took off his glasses and set them on the counter before he finished undressing and stretched.

“mmh, okay, make room.” he carefully stepped in, easing down into the water.

after a moment of adjustment, cael had scara in front of him, resting against his chest. he gazed down at the ex-balladeer as they relaxed in each other’s arms, earning a scoff from scara after a moment.

“you sure do like to stare,” he remarked, crossing his arms.

cael playfully poked scara’s cheek with a grin. “not my fault you’re so handsome.”

he laughed as scara nuzzled back against his chest. he scooped up a handful of water, pouring it gently over the shorter man’s hair. cael repeated this a few times to make sure scara’s hair was completely wet before he washed it.

“so… what now? i don’t mind living with you, but i imagine lord kusanali will want to have a word with you eventually.”

scara sighed, shrugging as cael worked shampoo through his hair.

“i don’t know. the harbingers probably won’t want me back after i failed such a large-scale mission, and frankly, i have no other business with them besides getting revenge on dottore, so i don’t have much of a choice. she probably knows where i am now, if i’m being honest. i don’t know what she wants with me… she didn’t kill me after the battle, so presumably she sees some use for me. i don’t want to think about it right now.”

“fair enough,” cael replied. “hmm… what do you want for breakfast tomorrow? i know you don’t technically have to eat, but i like cooking for both of us.”

scara pondered for a moment, shutting his eyes briefly as cael rinsed his hair. “i like the way you make eggs, i guess.”

“i think i could arrange that,” cael smiled. “oh— do you want to wash my hair? i can lean down for you if you need since it’s hard to move your arm.”

“…sure,” scara replied.

cael lowered his head, as promised, and scara reached up to rinse his hair. he was careful to keep the water out of cael’s ears as he poured it gently over his hair.

the two spent a while longer in the bath once cael’s hair was washed. cael traced circles on scara’s shoulder with his finger, humming quietly.

“mm, i’m gonna fall asleep if you do that,” scara muttered, pouting up at cael from his place against the taller man’s chest.

cael laughed, sitting up a little. “i guess that means it’s time to get out and dry off.”

scara leaned back, stretching with a soft groan. he stood up, getting out carefully. he picked up one of the towels and bundled himself in it after rubbing his hair dry. cael wasn’t far behind, and yawned softly.

“mmh, let’s go find you something to wear to bed,” he mumbled. “if we take much longer i might fall asleep standing up.”

scara shrugged. “i could carry you if i needed to.”

“with one arm?” cael raised a brow, chuckling.

scara shot him a look, but sighed as he muttered “probably not, i guess.”

cael decided not to tease him further, and led him to the bedroom. the shorter man finally looked tired again as he sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for cael. the creak of a dresser drawer and soft shuffling were the only noises in the room as cael searched through his clothing for something for scara to wear to bed.

“do you want to wear one of my sweaters?” he offered, holding up a pink one with a white cat on the front.

“leave it to you to have something so sickeningly cute,” scara remarked with an amused huff. “but sure. thanks.”

he raised his arms, letting cael gently pull the sweater over his head. just as scara had predicted, it reached well past his waist, and the sleeve ends flopped over his hands. regardless, he snuggled into the plush fabric, sighing softly. he must have shut his eyes a moment too long, because he was startled awake by cael laughing softly at him.

“one more thing, and then i’ll let you go ahead and sleep,” he remarked. “i brought your clothes back from the bathroom; they’re on the chair by the window.”

cael crouched down to help scara back into his underwear, and then brushed his still-damp bangs aside to kiss him on the forehead.

“okay, that’s everything. you can go ahead and get comfy while you wait on me if you want.”

despite his exhaustion, scara managed to wait until cael had changed and was curled up beside him to even think about letting himself fall asleep. once cael was settled in, scara snuggled close and shut his eyes.

“i don’t deserve you, cael,” he mumbled, sighing as he carefully draped his injured arm over cael’s side. “but i’m so happy you care for me.”

cael looked down as he rubbed gentle circles on scaramouche’s back. “on the contrary, kuni. i think you’ve needed someone to care about you for a while now, and i’m more than honored to be that person for you.”

scara yawned, feeling his exhaustion slowly overtake him as he curled up against cael. soon enough, the two were sound asleep in each other’s arms.