#consider it a gift you were lucky enough to see whoever was out on that specific day! get a membership if you wanna see everyone!

[despazito]

RE people and wildlife, I so completely agree, there’s just no ability to conceptualize the world as that animal experiences it. I get this all the time at work, people hollering at my animals wanting them to respond in some way, and it’s just baffling to me, do you feel entitled to this animal’s attention while they’re just trying to live their life and you’re the hundredth stranger to shout at them that day because you bought a ticket? Do you want to feed a fawn at the risk of its life because you want to feel special? It just reads as so immature, so short sighted, like nebulous cries for animals needing “freedom,” a concept they straight up cannot engage with, this creature does not experience the world in the same way that you do, and that’s not threatening or sad, it’s incredible and fascinating!!!

i'm so sorry your daily life is a famous dril tweet

[ombrathefurry]

how do you generally design characters/choose color pallets?

whenever I try and create a good color pallet they always end up clashing and looking absolutely awful

i've tried using websites but they always end up being very bland, so i'm turning to the expert lol

the only character i've created that I actually. like. is the one that's just a black freaking tiger with rainbow glowing stripes, but that's because monochrome with color pops just always is flawless </3

Expert what expert

I'm by no means any expert, but I'm really happy you think my designs are appealing enough for you to ask me this!!

I ALWAYS try to come up with a character concept or idea for who they are before I start designing. Because of this, you see a lot of my designs turning out to be designed very strategically, with their features actually having proper functions and reasons to be there

This is why I have such a hard time with gifted designs. I don't know how to make them work without a background or concept I can really connect to properly.

For specific character designs, I usually think of and flesh out a basic idea in my head. Depending on how lucky I end up being, I can imagine every detail right off the bat. Other times, I have to put some work into it and experiment a little.

Here's an example of me working out a character design WIP right now

Development of Mr. V

Some characters just pop into my head exactly the way they are, like how Samuel did

Cogsworth too

Some of my characters come from dreams, too, and I just immediately sketch out my interpretation of the idea I'd had

Peter came from a dream about a white rabbit with a weird face killing a nuclear family's father leaving the mother and child alone with no idea what happened (it was disturbing, (there are more disturbing details,) which is why I made peter very unsettling)

Butch came from a dream that had something to do with fake peppino from pizza tower running around the It Steals maze area throwing cleavers at whoever he ran into

Dreams are a GREAT place to come up with character concepts

They give you a very solid ground before you start designing

One of my guidelines for creating characters is that they should be instantly recognizable as their own character. What are their special features? What defines them? What features would I keep if I were to draw them at the bare minimum detail? What parts of the design would make the character unrecognizable without them?

For example, Reena without her yellow.

Queen without her shadows.

You see this rule pop up a lot online, though mostly focusing on the idea of the silhouette of a character standing out from the others.

While I think it's a good option for when it comes to developing designs, I don't like worrying about it too much. I try to create the individual features of the character rather than immediately think about the silhouette.

All things considered, you're also totally allowed to break the rules to achieve something else. For example, Saleem and Minnow have identical silhouettes because I wanted them to give an uncannily similar vibe. Some characters who were derived off of others through dreams I might have had have very similar silhouettes as a nod to their origins, though have very differentiated individual features.

I look to various other artists and designers I like for feature ideas when I'm super stuck (usually when my ideas are more abstract)

for example, scrawl came from a very abstract dream and literally didn't have a face (they were just a bunch of hands and looked a little bit like a black void worm from Rainworld)

I took inspiration from Fooffle's Space AU Warren for his face, Sir Needle's sona's ears for his hair, and gave him this sweater from a random thing I found on Pinterest that I liked

Bennet (and the rest of the caravan gang) came from a dream about various different individuals riding on a wagon - Bennet specifically in the dream was Uncle Ben who runs The Urban Rescue Ranch. I ended up giving him the name Bennet in reference to this, as well as Uncle Ben's broad shoulders, muscular build and curly hair.

Queen's entire existence is inspired off of the protagonist from Bendy and the Dark Revival. As a nod to this, I gave her a partially monochrome color scheme with some accents. Queen's shadow face was inspired off of this specific fanart of Caesar from The Mandela catalogues.

(I can't find the source for the life of me sobs)

Mr. V was inspired off of Itward from Fran Bow, as well as Pastra's sona Clyde the veldigun. I gave him Itward's large hat and formal attire, and Clyde's long limbs and striped patterns. I also gave him deep halloween colors as a nod to both inspiration's aesthetics.

My biggest thing about features is there has to be a REASON why they have these features, but that's just personal preference (and there doesn't have to be a good reason, or even a reason at all every single time)

okay now for the main part of the ask (I've been stalling)

Sorry if this is disappointing, I don't have a process for picking colors that work together

It's a lot of trial and error, and some characters I've even stalled making profile pictures for because I don't know what to color them as.

to me, you can pick any color you want. It's actually very impressive to think about how many colors you could use.

I'll try to explain what I do know about the placement of colors, though. It doesn't matter what colors you use, but in my opinion, the placement of these colors is what really matters in designs.

Depending on how many colors I'm planning on giving the design, I like to split them up into parts. Primary coloration (1,) which takes up most of the design, secondary coloration (2,) which takes up less of the design but still a good amount, (Sometimes I have more, tertiary, quaternary, whatever, that take up about an equivalent ratio of the design as secondary,) and accent colors (3.)

Similar colors can also be grouped together in these sectors. For example, all the purple in this character would be primary, the greys secondary, and the oranges the accents.

For Chakra, his purples would be primary, all the bright colors of the wounds secondary, and his outstanding eyes accents.

Each sector should be different and differentiable from one another!

Divide your character up into sectors for coloration. Decide what colors go where. Sometimes it takes a bit of shuffling to find what works for you. Adding inbetween colors to branch the gaps between your selected colors can help tie things together, too.

To me, instead of WHAT colors you use, it all comes down to how you USE those colors.

Cordis is mainly dark colored, primary, with their secondary rainbow colors and their accented white features. Even with rather bright colors in their palette, they still come off as a dark gloomy character because of the placement/ratio of those colors.

Monarch has very clashing colors, though when separated and balanced out, they appear harmonious and work together.

Anyways that turned further into a rant about character design than anything else

I hope this helped :D

[seven4asecret]

₊✩‧₊˚ Tipping The Scales Pt.5 ˚₊✩‧₊

Moonknight System x Layla x Gn! Avatar! Reader

Content & Warnings: No pronouns, no Y/N, no Smut, descriptions of typical violence, eventual polyamory, & badly written fight scenes.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 (WIP)

Chapter 5: Enter Anpu

You wanted to scream, to cry, to do something as you peered around the column, watching as Harrow knelt. You had never been a violent person, even going so far as to condemn it most of the time, but the growing urge to wrap your fingers tightly around that man's throat made you consider otherwise. It would only be fair, right?

 The old saying of an eye for an eye comes to mind.

Surely Harrow had caused enough evil for his death to be a favor, perhaps it was even an overdue justice for the trouble he's caused. Or perhaps that was your twisted sense of rage taking over at the moment.

You didn't want to look. You didn't think you could bear the sight of your friend floating on the water's surface, eyes still wide in shock. He felt so hollow, so empty. And in a way, so did you. Gods... It was only a few days ago that you had been having a laugh in the gift shop over something stupid. You never thought that things would end up like this.

Honestly, you had pictured that maybe one day you'd finally work up the nerve to ask him out for coffee. As something more than just friends or coworkers. And maybe, if things went well and you got really lucky, you'd find that you had room for one more in your flat. You found yourself thinking about him often at work, where you could see him working the register out of the corner of your eye. Sometimes you wondered silly little things, like if he had a favorite flower, or perhaps his opinion on 'The Mummy' from 1932. You had debated asking him to watch it with you, just to be able to listen to him ramble on about what the film did and didn't get right. You wondered if he noticed how you gazed at him when he went off on his tangents, the way your eyes softened at him, the gentle smile that would make its way to your lips. It wasn't your fault he looked incredibly kissable in those moments.

But things would be different now. Your stops at the nearby coffee shop would be for one tea instead of two. You wouldn't get to chat between your tours or hear him groan in response to your newest joke, trying to hide a hint of a smile. You wouldn't be able to listen to his ramblings or return his book. Oh, gods... you still had his book.

The sound of someone wading through water caught your attention and you resisted the urge to peek behind the column, instead choosing to squeeze your eyes shut. You weren't sure what Harrow and his band of followers would do to you if you and Layla were found. She didn't need to go through anything else, it was clear that the whole situation was a lot for her. In all truth, with the burning rage settling in your chest you were more afraid of what you would manage to do to them if they looked behind the column.

You let out a breath, counting down as the splashing retreated to the other end of the pool. There was a moment of silence, the only sound being that of the water lapping at the edges of the platform. Harrow broke the silence, his voice making your jaw clench as it echoed in the small chamber.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Marc Spector, Steven Grant, whoever else might be in there."

You glanced at Layla. She didn't meet your eyes looking down in thought, processing the situation. Another step through the water caught your attention as Harrow continued. Your stomach dropped.

"Sometimes we need the cold light of death before we can see reality."

A dark silhouette made itself visible between the two columns that you and Layla were hidden behind. Your eyes snapped to hers and she nodded at you in understanding. Before you could react Layla grabbed the man, plunging a blade into his heart. He let out a soft grunt and you prayed to the gods that Harrow didn't hear.

She nodded her head at you to stay close as she slowly stepped around the column to peer at Harrow. He stood on the steps of the small statue of Ammit, holding it above his kneeling followers beneath him.

"Who wants to heal the world?"

His scepter glowed a sickening purple, letting out the rumble of a crocodile before he set off at a brisk pace, his followers falling in behind him.

As they finally walked out of sight Layla cautiously picked her way across the room, you following close behind. A bit formed in your stomach as you saw the few scattered bodies. It was too hollow here. Too empty. Death was never something pleasant, of course, a tragedy within itself, but now it seemed to surround you. Its evidence permitted the room, with a thick, silent heaviness that neither of you wanted to break. Yet.

As she kneeled beside a body you had to turn away, looking up as you blinked away tears away with a shaky breath. You already knew who it was.

"Marc. Marc." You heard her whisper on the edge of tears, trying to rouse him as if by some miracle he had survived two shots to the heart. She turned to look back at you, her tear-filled eyes pleading for you to confirm he was still hanging onto a thread. You both already knew the answer. You shook your head once, looking down as a tear slipped down your cheek. She sobbed quietly, holding him for a moment and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

You helped her lower him into the water and she turned to you, showing the scarab.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Somehow the two of you had made it into one of Harrow's trucks undetected and overlooked by the others, headdresses shielding your faces. The two of you stayed silent during the ride, processing everything that had just happened. You were still in denial over losing them. It didn't feel real yet. The world around you felt dulled, muted.

You were so consumed by your thoughts that you nearly jumped when you felt something brush against your hand. You looked down to see Layla's hand take yours, intertwining your fingers with hers. Your breath hitched and your eyes met hers. You wanted to smile, to offer her some reassurance. You couldn't. Instead, you just squeezed her hand in return, which seemed to be what she was looking for, not something to make her forget things, just to know that someone was with her too.

Eventually, the two trucks made it back to the ride with a bump, the the truck you were in following behind Harrow's. He pulled to a stop in front of a guarded roadblock. One of the men, speaking Arabic slapped on the hood of his car, Harrow responded by getting out and causing them to panic, grabbing their guns. Harrow stepped out of the truck, hands raised to placate the guards.

"It's all right. It's all right."

The man in front of him held up his gun pointing it right at him, "Show me your papers."

"I don't need to show you my papers. You need to show us your soul." Harrow raised his staff before bringing it against the ground, a wave of purple energy radiating from it. It struck all of the guards causing a bright purple glow to emanate from their chests.

Your handheld Layla's tighter as you watched souls being ripped from their bodies. It nearly made you want to be sick for some odd reason. It felt wrong, so, so, wrong. You felt that same feeling surround you, the ominous hunger, the starvation for power, the very fiber of a being being consumed. You wanted to curl up into a ball, all you could feel, see, and hear, was the repeating mantra of this feeling.

Judgement. Devour. Weigh. Consume.

It echoed louder in your head, seemingly all around you, more prominent than before. All you could see was a purple glow and hear the men screaming as their life was stolen out of their bodies. Darkness lurked at the edge of your awareness, wicked and so, so hungry.

Too much. Too much. Too much. Too much.

You felt yourself tip forward, weightless, before something caught you, a pair of arms. You heard your name being frantically whispered. A moment later you sucked in a breath of air, eyes darting around as the purple cleared from your vision. Your eyes met Layla's and you let out a breath of relief, letting your eyes close as you realized she had leaned you back against her.

"You good? What was that? That was..."

"Weird, yeah" You placed a trembling hand on her arm as she held you, letting yourself settle down and catch your breath. "I-I don't know. It was too much at once. Overwhelming." You let out a shaky breath. "I could feel her, Ammit, I mean. It's not good. Really not good. Harrow must have been stockpiling souls because I have never, never felt a presence like that." 

She furrowed her brows. "Shit." 

Only now you realized that the truck was empty of Harrow's men and you looked at her. "Uh... where did everyone go?" 

"Just over there." *She nods her head to the distance ahead, where Harrow's men are gathered, overlooking things. "But we need to get a move on if we want to take the chance of stopping him." She looks back at you, concern flashing in her eyes. "Sure you're okay to keep going? I don't w-" 

"No!" You cut her off, before quickly correcting yourself with a shake of your head. "No. I've already made it this far. I'm not letting this stop me. I'll be fine." You pulled away from her, standing up with a crooked smile as you helped her to her feet. "Besides, you're not the only one who wants to see this through. I want Harrow to pay too. And I'm sure as hell not letting you do this alone."

She returned your smile as she grabbed your hand, standing up. "Alright. Let's do this then. For our boys."

The two of you tread carefully up the road, eyes locked on him through the mess of bodies, an unspoken plan brewing between you. Layla unsheathed her knife. Your hand hovered over the pocketknife you had from the camp.

Just as you were about to pass the car you jumped at the sudden presence. Before you could open your mouth to warn her of another entity the body in front of the car leaned up, addressing Layla in an unexpectedly feminine voice.

"Don't do it."

Layla ignored it and pulled you along to pause behind the truck, eyes still locked on Harrow. You were more hesitant now, it wouldn't be wise to go against the words of a god. "Layla, wait. I am the Goddess Taweret." Her presence felt warm, and lively, it might be best to follow her advice.

"Layla. It's Marc who's telling you to stop." The body raised its hands in an attempt to softly discourage her.

 "What the hell is this? He's dead" Layla furrowed her brows, looking at the body. Taweret, or the man she was speaking through sighs softly, dropping back against the ground.

"And I'm talking to you through dead people right now. So what? Listen, Harrow is too powerful for you to stop him alone. If Marc... If he can return to life..."

You paused. Well... Taweret wasn't wrong. If what you felt before was any indication the two of you were already going into deep shit. Getting the help of another deity may be the only way to combat another. But it was her last comment that caught your attention.

"What do you mean, 'return to life'?" Layla questioned skeptically. Taweret didn't reply at first, just letting out a soft groan as the body slumped against the ground again. "He's going to need Khonshu. Break his ushabti. It's in the Chamber of the Gods. And you can be my Avatar. Marc says wonderful things about you."

"No, no, no. I'll fight him on my own." She sheathed her knife.

You were about to speak when you heard one of Harrow's followers bark an order, "It's time to go!" The two of you pulled the fabric of your headdresses over your nose and climbed back into the car as the engine started up. This time your hand found hers as the car pulled away.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

The two of you stood on the side of the pyramid, Harrow's men scattered around you, all eyes on him. You bit your lip, resisting the urge to babble on about everything Steven had told-

Suddenly the prospect of entering the pyramid lost its excitement. Your heart sank.

You shifted your focus back to Harrow as he stomped his spear against one of the large blocks with a metal clang. A rumble followed with the scraping of rocks as a crack formed, opening up a dark passageway. Harrow took up the lead.

"Come. You won't believe what the gods have hidden from mankind."

You shuttered as you walked next to Layla amongst his band of followers, keeping your head down. A group of five took their places before Harrow, and you could feel the presence of a god within them. Avatars.

"You're judges, not warriors." Harrow addressed them. "This doesn't need to happen."

The man before him, raised his hands, summoning two orbs of light. Harrow countered, stomping the butt of his staff against the ground, the crocodile eye glowing purple.

Layla took your hand, guiding you down the steps and through a passage. In a moment you were faced with a wall. Among it, scattered blocks were removed to form cubbies, each made to house an oil lamp and aushabti. You and Layla peered among the holes, looking for one that resembled the familiar bird deity.

You paused at one, breath catching in your throat. Its body was humanoid, just like all the others but its head resembled a jackal. Either one of two gods, Wypawet, or Anubis.

"No, way." You let out a breath, picking up the aushabti. As you looked down at the small sculpture you furrowed your brows, all sorts of questions plaguing you. Wasn't he supposed to be the one weighing the hearts? Why had the job fallen to Ammit? What had he done to be confined to stone? You hesitated, you felt the cold weight of the stone, something inside told you to take it, keep it. Layla found the aushabti for Khonshu, taking off to a hidden corner to shatter it against the ground without alerting Harrow.

You went to run after her but stopped. Your breath hitched as you heard a growl from the platform above, your head jolting back at the feeling of overwhelming hunger from Ammit returning tenfold. Your vision turned purple. The statue slipped out of your hand before you could stop it, shattering against the ground.

Black.

You blinked, looking around you, only to see an infinite space of nothingness. There was no sense of beginning or end, to know whether you were up or down within it. It was dark, but somehow well lit with soft green specks of light from some unknown source. It reminded you of the way light would shine on a raw crystal. Your breath quickened, your stomach dropping as you looked around for any possibility of an exit. Your panic was interrupted by a voice.

"Greetings." You whirled around to see a large figure standing behind you, a dark jackal-headed figure. He tilted his head as you observed him, taking in his presence from his winged headdress, his bandaged-wrapped body, to his tall staff. "There is no need for fear, I mean no harm to you." His voice was different than you had imagined, with a soft-spoken element to his deep vocals. He seemed... kind and you could sense he meant no harm.

You let out a breath. "Anubis."

 "One of many names, yes, if that is the one you prefer to call me by." He circled you, taking in your appearance. "I believe I owe you my thanks for freeing me of my stone prison, even if unintentional, I have not been free for...quite a long time. I'm in your debt, little priest."

"Uh... you're welcome?" You looked around the white void. "Where am I? Why were you stuck in the statue?"

"Between worlds. A secret path." He took a breath, his hand tightening around his staff. "As for the circumstances of my imprisionment. That was due to Ammit's greed and hunger. She blamed me for her own actions of devouring souls before their time, feeding off their power. The other gods imprisioned me at her word. She took my place as judge. She has just been freed from her own aushabti, you could sense it, Seer. Time is be of the essence if she is to be stopped."

You nodded. "That... makes sense. Then what can I do to help defeat her?"

"You must bind her. And the only way to do that is channeling a god's power through a mortal." He pauses, humming thoughtfully. "It seems that Ammit has already gained a helper of her own. The circumstance is more dire now. I alone will not be able to help you. I have been imprissioned so long that my full power will take time to manifest. I may be able to assist but you will still require the help of other Avatars."

"Harrow." You spat. "Alright. Tell me what I need to do."

He turned to you, eyes flashing. "Become my vessel, my Avatar. I believe you are more than fitting for the role. After all, you've known of such things beyond your own reality for years now, have you not? Why not harness the abilities that come with it? You were made to be more, little Seer. I can help you understand your gift, use it. Ammit's hunger overwhelms your senses, clouds your mind. Allow me to help you resist it's fog."

You hesitated a moment. This was your way to defeat Amit, to help your friends. You knew what Marc had said. But it seemed like you could use all the help you could get.

"Why not let me repay my debt to you? Your scales are balanced, you wish for a better reality. Allow me help you assist those who cannot aid themselves. Will you join me, little priest? Will you swear to deal justice to the world? To inflict divine judgement to those worthy of it? To serve as healer, guide, and judge? Will you aid me in the quest to tip the scales of this universe back to balance?"

You looked at him, sensing the genuine kindness behind his offer. He was not filled with underlying rage or vengeance like you sensed from Khonshu. No, instead you felt his desire for a better world, a deep love of humans. Your gut said to take it. In some weird way, you felt like you were meant for this role, like you belonged in it.

"You have my word."

He smiled, resting a bandaged hand on your shoulder. "Then it is done. I have no doubt you will serve me well. But first, I believe you will do well to fulfill the role of psychopomp, though perhaps in reverse this time. Find your friends and escort them to the door, I will speak to Osiris on the matter of releasing them.

You furrowed your brows in confusion and opened your mouth to question him when you were suddenly jolted forward, finding yourself in a vast landscape of sand beneath your feet.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ 

All the great epics sent the hero through the underworld. Heracles, and Odysseus, both made their journey to Hades' realm. But at this moment, you were no hero, out of every traveler who made the quest you felt most in the place of Orpheus. Not here out of duty, or a desire for fame, but something far greater, to fetch your own Eurydice.

Or perhaps that was the hopeless romantic in you.

The sky of the Duat was dark, purple, and blue, interspersed with stars. You let out a breath of awe, spinning around only to notice the large doors behind you. The large pillars holding it up, are carved with the ruler of the dead. Something about this role... it felt right. Like you were meant for this. You felt an odd sense of belonging here.

You turned back around, setting off into the sand, determined to find your friends. You could feel them, the thrumming of their souls leading you further. As you peered ahead you noticed the two figures a few yards from you, each of them excitedly talking to the other. You smiled as you recognized their voices. One American accent, and one a very familiar British that made your heart flutter.

"Steven? Marc?!"

Steven's eyes widened as he let out a breath, turning to you. He uttered your name in disbelief. "H-How... I-I... Are you really here?"

"Yeah, I'm here." You whispered in your shock at the sight of them.

He surged forward, closing the yards between you, embracing you enthusiastically. Your breath hitched and you clung to him in return, eyes watering as you rested your head against his shoulder. He took a breath, "Gods, I didn't think I'd see you again! T-there's so much I wanted to-" He pulled back slightly. "What the hell are you wearing? I-I mean, you look bloody amazing, really cool, but uh..."

You furrowed your brows, "Huh?" You looked down at yourself, eyes widening as you took in the sight of black-wrapped bandages adorning your body, a deep blue cape fluttering behind you.

Marc spoke up, interrupting you. His brows were furrowed in his confusion over your appearance. "How did you get here?"

 "Well. I, uh... may have accidentally freed Anubis. I'm his Avatar now! I-I can actually do something to help-" You paused as you felt another set of arms wraps around you, greeted by the unexpected sight of Marc now embracing you alongside Steven.

Gods above you wanted to melt.

"You really gotta stop dealing with gods for other people." The corner of his mouth quirked up, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners. "You keep getting yourself into trouble faster than I can keep you out."

You smiled. "You say that as if the two of you aren't worth every bit of it. I'd have you know I wouldn't do this sort of thing for just anyone."

Steven smiled, breath hitching as he leaned against you. "Yeah? That's really... that's really nice of you." He seemed to hesitate for a moment. "You know... I-I always wanted to tell you I-"

"How's Layla?" Marc spoke up, pulling back slightly.

"Anubis sent me here to get the two of you back. You'll get to see for yourself. Come on, follow me." You smiled softly, turning as the two towering doors began to open. Steven jogged up next to your side, intertwining your fingers.

"Gods... I... I have so many questions now. What was Anubis like? Is he scary like Khonshu? What did-"

Marc interrupted him with a soft smile, his hand finding your other. "Steven. Later. Let's focus on getting out of here for now."

"R-right. Sorry it's just..." He let out a soft sigh, smiling as looking at you. Your stomach did a flip at the softness in his eyes. "Wow... I have to admit I'm a tad bit jealous."

You let out an amused snort as you led them to the door, each of your hands in theirs. As you stepped to the top of the stairs you paused, giving them a lopsided grin.

"I'll see you two in a bit." You let their hands go, looking at them fondly.

They approached the white light separating them from life. Steven stopped Marc with a tug of his sleeve, looking at him, seemingly conveying some unspoken agreement as Marc nodded. He clapped Steven on the back, a grin on his face. "Go get em'. You've taken long enough."

Steven hesitated, turning to you and letting out your name in a breath. He stood in front of you, fidgeting with the sleeves pulled over his hands. "I-I..." He let out a nervous laugh as he ran a hand through his hair. "I..." He cursed, seemingly frustrated with himself. "Oh, to hell with it."

You furrowed your brows, puzzled. "Steven? What are you- Mmmh!"

Your eyes widened and any question you would have asked died on your lips.

Steven surged forward, his lips crashing against yours, his hands gently cupping the sides of your face, holding you tenderly. As if you would fall apart like precious porcelain. Your breath hitched and your eyes fluttered closed as you melted into the kiss. His lips moved against yours with a sense of urgency and adoration, seemingly wanting you as close as possible. Your arms wrapped around his neck, and your fingers tangled into the back of his hair, pulling him against you.

A cough sounded from nearby. The two of you pulled away panting, faces flushed. You turned back to see Marc waiting expectantly, a glint in his eyes. "As cute as it is to see you two actually bing direct for once instead of dancing around your feelings, we got to go. The fate of the world is hanging in the balance here."

Oh. Yeah. You almost forgot.

Steven stammered, a bright blush coating his cheeks. "R-right. Yeah, I... I-I should go..." He looked from you to Marc, hesitating a moment before planting a final, soft, tender kiss on your lips. He flashed you a lopsided smile, "Laters gators."

"In a while, Crocodile." You smiled back, feeling like you were walking on clouds, your heart light.

Steven stepped through the light. Marc hesitated a moment.

He turned to you, letting out a breath. "Look, I know I've been... hard on you... but I want you to know you're not a burden. Not to me. Not to Layla. And sure as hell not to Steven."

You couldn't help but smile shyly. "Yeah, I think I picked up on that last one."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah. I... Look, I was trying to keep you out of this, keep you away from all the shit I had to put up with Khonshu. To protect you, keep you out of trouble. Steven would have killed me if I let you get hurt. I couldn't do that to him. He couldn't lose you. I couldn't lose you."

You blinked a few times. Were... were you hearing him right? 

He paused a moment, looking at you softly, an unexpected tenderness in his gaze. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped, stepping forward to plant a kiss on your lips.

He pulled away before you could decide to reciprocate, his hands running along your arms, intertwining your fingers as his face stayed inches away from yours. He spoke softly. "Thank you... For taking care of Steven, for being there for him throughout everything. He needed that. More than you could know. You're the best thing he's got.”

The corner of your mouth twitched up. You let out a breath. "You do realize that it's not just for Steven, not anymore, right?"

He smiled, leaning forward to press a kiss to your forehead, letting out an amused breath. "Mm, I'm getting it now. You really are trying to get into trouble now" He grinned, squeezing your hand. "I'll see you in a bit.

You returned his smile, cheeks still burning as he walked into the light.

A large smile stretched across your face, a hand going up to touch your lips. You giggled savoring the tingling feeling as you replayed the last few moments of their lips on yours. You grinned, pumping a fist in the air with an elated laugh. "Yes!"

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

You sat up with a start, gasping for air to see Layla kneeling over you. The purple clouding your vision was gone.

"Jesus!" She jumped. "What the hell was that? I thought you said you were fine."

"I am! Long story short is that we've got another god on our side. Anubis wants Ammit stopped but we need more than one avatar to do it." You stood up, brushing the dust off your pants. "Also Marc says hi. He's on his way."

Layla nodded, letting out a breath. "Yeah, okay. Lets go find some."

The two of you silently rushed off to the center chamber and met with one of the avatars before dragging himself up. Layla grabbed him, helping prop him up as you slipped his arm over your shoulder as he gurgled.

"Are you the ones who released Khonshu?

"Yes." She panted as you helped her prop him up against the wall. "Hey! Hey, hey. Hey. How do we stop Ammit?"

The man answered in a deeper, guttural voice that was not his own. You shivered. "This chamber is our most powerful place. From here, we need to impression Ammit in a mortal form."

The man groaned and Layla nodded. "A body instead of a statue. She'd be vulnerable. Okay, how do we do it?"

He gurgled again. "We need more Avatars than we have left-" He slumped to the ground and you cursed. You felt his soul rise from his body and fade.

"Layla..." You started softly, knowing she wouldn't like your idea.

"I know." She sighs. "Taweret, are you there?"

The body shifted, calling her name in an excited shrill. "I'm so excited! We're going to do great things together." You flinched the two of you. turning to see Harrow and a few of his followers heading in your direction.

"Shit.' You grabbed her hand and headed down a dark passage. A purple blast hit and you pushed her onward. The familiar feeling of Taweret's presence intensifies.

Layla groaned, her head jerking back as Taweret's voice projected through her lips. "Oh, you've changed your mind."

You stopped, watching your friend's sudden change in demeanor as your eyes flicked to the crumbling tunnel. "Guys..."

"I would be delighted to accept you as my Avatar." Taweret theatrically waved Layla's hand before she slumped against the wall, panting. "Okay, okay. Temporary Avatar."

She straightened back up suddenly, speaking again in Taweret's high-pitched voice. "Yes, of course!" While Taweret's presence was undoubtedly friendly you had to admit to yourself that this display was... unnerving but not the weirdest thing you've seen. "Oh, your father is going to be over the moon when he hears."

"Guys can we hurry this up?" you felt a sick feeling in your stomach as you felt the familiar sensation of souls being ripped from bodies in the distance. Ammit was feeding again, and not just a little but this time.

"Oh hush, little Seer! You can't rush things. Oh, I have a fabulous costume in mind."

There was a crunch and the rocks above you fell. You braced for impact.

White.

You blinked to see yourself in the same black bandages as before, something now on your face. You shifted, feeling the strain of holding something, breath hitching as you realized you were holding up the collapsing rubble above you. "Holy fuck..."

You saw a glint of gold as Layla kicked down a large chunk of stone, light flooding the ruined tunnel. You tossed the rubble off your shoulders, taking in her new outfit. "You look..." Your heart fluttered as she reached behind her to retrieve two swords, only to pull out a pair of metal wings. Curse your weakness for women in armor. "Oh, that's fucking awesome."

She smiled at you as she looked you over, "Yeah? I could say the same for you. Really sticking with the whole 'I see dead people' theme I see." Her finger traced over the ankh on your chest. You shivered, leaning forward slightly.

You let out an amused snort. "Can I... uh..." You looked at her a moment, eyes flicking to her lips. A light blush coated your cheeks, a nervous but hopeful smile spreading across your lips. "Just for good luck, y'know?"

She let out a soft laugh, leaning forward to brush her lips against yours. "That was cheesy."

You hummed into the kiss, a smile on your lips as your eyes fluttered closed. "Yeah. I know. But it worked didn't it?"

She laughs, an arm snaking around your neck as her other pulled your mask up away from your face. "It did." Her fingers tangled in your hair as she pulled you forward into a kiss. You sighed into the kiss.

Finally.

She pulled away, smiling as her eyes flicked over your face. "Happy now?"

"Oh, very." You reached back to pull out a pair of scythes from your back. "Ready?"

You spotted Anubis in the corner, a small smile on his lips. He nodded.

You sliced the empty air before you with the scythes, ripping a pocket into the fabric of reality.

She grinned, ready to take off.

"Ready."

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

The two of you emerged a second later amid the city, purple balls of light rose in the sky. You frowned as you took in the amount of souls being harvested. You knew this was going to be hard, but things were looking worse by the second.

A streak of white caught your eye. You watched as Harrow hit Marc with the staff before charging it up again. A sickly shade of purple emanated from the head of the staff.

"Quick there!" You pointed. She took off, metal wings spread as she flew forward, kicking Harrow off him. You followed behind her, mask off as you looked at Marc.

He stirred, letting your names fall past his lips. You grinned. "Long time no see."

Harrow waved his staff, another beam of purple shooting from the head, Layla folded the wings around her, shielding the two of you. You ducked to the side, Anubis guiding your throw as you tossed one of the scythes behind him, the weapon slicing a tear in space that he stumbled back into. The scythe spun, returning to your hand as he fell from the second resulting tear, dropping him hard against the ground.

"Layla!"

"Marc." The couple stood, embracing each other happily. You smiled.

"Thank god your okay." Marc panted, taking her face in his hands.

"How did you get back?" She asks."

Marc looked at you, flashing you a smile. "Had some help from our partner here."

You returned the smile, heart fluttering.

Partner? Oh, you liked that.

 Marc's suit shifted, and Steven made his entrance. He looked over at Layla. "Wow, you look amazing. What are you wearing?"

She let out an amused snort. Steven looked at you, the same soft smile spreading across his face. "Hiya." 

"Hi." you let out a breath. It took all your willpower not to pull him in for another kiss right there. Instead, movement to your right caught your eye.

Harrow stood up, his followers, joining him. 

"I'm really jazzed about showing you these new skillsets we have." Steven beamed, the mask covering his face again as he looked between the two of you. 

"All right, show me what you got." Layla nodded, a soft grin spreading across her face.

 "Yeah?"

 "Yeah."

You smiled as the three of you took off. The advice and guidance of your patron deity echo in the back of your head.

Slash there. Step here. Duck. Thrust. Turn.

It was a weird feeling to be turned into something other than yourself. Almost as if you were being guided through a dance by some unseen force. You closed your eyes, letting out a breath that seemed to echo.

Things felt like they slowed down as you spun. You could feel so much at once. Metal clanked around you. People shouted. Footsteps thudded. You could still see. In your mind's eye was a clear image of the scene around you, vivid, bright, and clear as the people moved around you. You could see their souls, and count the exact number of people near you, whether their scales were balanced or not within them.

Pull.

You hooked your scythes around someone from behind, effortlessly pulling him over you to crash on the ground before your feet. He grunted in pain. Unbalanced. 

You raised a hand, gesturing as you guided his soul to the underworld.

You grouped your two weapons parallel to each other, one on top of the other, opening your eyes as you watched them form into a staff. Another person ran at you. You ducked, swinging your staff at their legs, tripping them with your weapon. Predictably they did, and you knocked them out with the butt of your scythe. Balanced.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Out of the corners of your eyes, you could see your partners fighting their opponents. Marc scent a flying crescent at a follower getting ready to shoot at you before his suit shifted again. You sent a smile his way, kicking the man in the stomach. He doubled over and you placed a palm over his head, forcing his consciousness to fade. 

You ducked as Layla flew over you, standing with her back against yours. "You're good at this." 

She grinned. "I know. Weird isn't it? Suddenly knowing how to do these things." 

"Very." You dodged another punch, pulling the attacker down to the ground by his arm. 

Eventually, the three of you made it to Harrow. Your staff crashed against his own, with a clank. You pushed forward, arms shaking with the effort, his jaw clenched as you held him back. You looked him dead in the eye, rage boiling in your chest.

 "You'll pay the price for playing the part of a god." You seethed, arms aching as you pushed your staff forward.

He responded with a growl, matching your sudden push against his staff against your own. "What makes you think I was playing." The purple energy glowed again from his staff. Your eyes widened and before you could deflect the blast he maneuvered his staff, sending a beam of energy against your chest. You flew backward, rolling as you hit the ground with a groan. You stood up, cracking your neck and rotating your shoulders.

"Alright. Let's get this overwith. The trip was fun and all, but I'm a bit tired of this."

Marc let out a laugh. "You and me both."

Eventually, the three of you surrounded Harrow, sending stabs and slices his way. He managed to parry the attacks with his staff. Marc began to gain the upper hand, forcing him back with repeated attacks. Harrow responded in turn by plunging his staff down, sending a wave of purple energy radiating from it. You were forced back again, this time your scythes digging into the asphalt like butter to halt you.

You scrambled up as you saw Harrow corner Layla on a car and let out a curse. That alerted Steven who charged at him, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. A few hits were exchanged before Harrow caught his leg mid-kick, sending him flying through brick, a plume of dust rising.

Your eyes widened and you sent your scythes through the air, pinning his arms in their curve as the blades embedded in the brick behind him. Marc charged, landing a kick to his torso, allowing Layla to attempt to claim his staff, prying it from his hands. Harrow manages to slip out, the three of you scrambling to either grab his hands or take the staff.

 A hum echoed through the weapon and it shot a blast of energy at a nearby van. Your breath caught in your throat and you looked to Layla who went after the passengers, ripping a door off to use as a shield. With a nod from Marc, you went to help her, a band of his followers crowding around her, guns firing.

As you dodged and hit you saw a flashing purple light, Marc and Harrow battling for the staff still.

You let out a grunt as someone landed a hit to your side, making you retaliate, sending them backward across the street.

Another flash of light and Harrow had Marc's weapon at his own throat. You started forward only to watch the weapon fly toward you, pass, and pin Layla's hand to the car.

You looked between them, unsure of who to aid first. You winced as another flash of purple sent Marc to the ground, Layla pulling you to her with her free hand, shielding you with her wing.

She lowered it, eyes wide as she looked at you.

Your eyes were on Marc.

He wasn't getting up.

Time slowed down. In the distance you caught sight of Ammit and Khonshu, his staff being used to take him to the ground, shaking the earth as Harrow stalked forward. From the top of a building, you caught sight of Anubis. He nodded. You knew what you had to do. You just had to get there.

Dirt kicked up behind your heels as you ran towards Marc.

Harrow raised his staff.

You weren't going to make it.

Harrow brought his staff down on Marc's chest, making him let out a guttural groan of pain as the purple glow overwhelmed him.

You reached out a hand.

Pain.

You let out a cry as you felt a sharp pain in your shoulder. Then warmth. You stumbled back, tripping over your feet.

Shit.

 You felt something fly above you, gargling following as the shooter dropped to his knees, clutching a golden crescent.

 You looked up to see...Marc? His suit was different. Darker. He had gotten up, sending a few of his weapons out into the masses of Harrow's followers with eery precision, each hitting their mark. He yanked Harrow's staff from the man's hand. A kick to the cult leader's feet brought him to his knees before he had time to react. He sent a punch to Harrow's face, knocking him out.

 You glanced back at Layla, her eyes as wide as yours.

 When you looked back to Marc he was standing up, his suit now back to normal as he surveyed the scene around him. Layla pulls herself free.

 "Marc?"

 He let out a breath.

 "What the hell was that?"

 You stood up, brushing yourself off as you joined him.

"I blacked out."

You blinked. Before you could respond you heard a thump as Khonshu's body was grabbed by Ammit, dragging him away. Your heart sank.

You looked to Anubis, eyes wide, tensing as you prepared to run.

"No, you stay, little Seer. I shall go try and assist my friend to the best of my abilities." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Layla turned to the two of you. "I know how to stop Ammit. Get Harrow. We need to get back to the chamber" She grabbed his now broken staff, and Marc grabbed Harrow. You slashed the empty air before you, creating a bridge to the dark room.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

"The power of the room will help us bind Ammit to Harrow's body." Layla stepped first into the room, followed by Marc. You cut through the tear behind you, closing it. Marc lay Harrow on top of some rubble."Quick, grab my hand so we can start the spell."

You nodded at her, sliding your hand into hers, an action that had become familiar throughout the trip. Marc took her other hand. Your body jolted forward as words filled your mind. Old, ancient sounds, that you had never heard before streamed from your lips, joining the echo of your partners' voices. A purple light extended from Marc's hand, passing through each nearby statue of a deity.

 The light encircled Harrow and you continued to speak in a tongue that you did not know, driven by the whisperings of your patron.

Harrow's eyes shot open as the purple light funneled into his mouth, answering in Ammit's voice. "You can never contain me. I'll never stop!" The light faded and you dropped to your knees, chest heaving and shoulder aching.

 You felt two pairs of bandaged hands on your back. The same cold-tingling feeling overtook your shoulder, the wound slowly healing from both your patron's touch.

 "Finish it." The familiar voice of Khonshu echoed in the chamber. "And leave neither of them alive."

 Marc stood, grabbing the crescent from his chest and holding it as he prepared to strike the final blow. 

"While he lives, so too does she."  

You looked to Anubis. "It would be a fitting end. A fair punishment for the lives taken in her name." You wanted to agree. You wanted to see this man dead for everything he did. But it didn't settle well with you. You thought back to the man you shot when retrieving the map, the sick feeling that settled in your stomach. No, this wasn't right. Not like this.

 "I have to finish this. If not, I'll never be free." You heard Marc say in return to his patron, seemingly more to himself.

 You rushed over and grabbed his wrist as Layla spoke up.

 "Marc! You have a choice. You are free."

 "The choice is vengeance! We cannot take the chance that Ammit finds a way out. She will kill again."

 "It would be serving justice that is long overdue, little Seer. An eye for an eye. A life for a life."

 You shook your head. "Justice perhaps. But would we not be stooping to the same level? A killer kills a killer?"

 Marc looks up at Khonshu. "Now you sound just like her."

 He lets go of Harrow, dropping his weapon. "You want him dead... do it yourself."

 He glares at Khonshu. "Now release us."

Ao3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

[swampstew]

Captain Kid's Fiery Passion

Oh shiiit its Yandere time! Eustass Kid landed on your island and he found something he wanted. News flash - its you. Good luck!

WC: 592 CW: NSFW; not-gender specific reader; Yandere Eustass Kid; kidnapping reader; consent/non con/dubious consent and maybe Stockholm syndrome?; murder and very unhealthy/somewhat abusive relationship dynamics; reader is either willing partner or straight up captive. Minors DNI - you will be blocked

Lordt. He saw you and a grin broke out on his face. Its love at first sight for him. Doesn’t matter if you don’t reciprocate, you will in time, he’s sure of it. You get one chance to go willingly – you’re going on the ship regardless, however if you want your family and friends to stay alive you better choose willingness. He might pick off whoever he perceives might be a threat, in the sense that they’d try to follow or save you; he’s just gonna kill them while he’s still in the area and save himself the time and effort.

He’ll tell you upfront that he’s not here to hurt you. Far from it. He’s madly in love with you and will treat you like the Pirate Queen he wants to make you. Its ok if you feel overwhelmed with his affections at first, that’s just who he is – aggressive, touchy, a little pushy, gift bomber, your new sugar daddy. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you’ll be able to ENJOY the life he is giving you. Aren’t you so lucky?

If you try to put up a fight, he’ll find it very cute at first. He likes your fire but you’ll learn really quick that he’s much bigger and stronger than you. Kid doesn’t have too much patience though, so if you dare to make escape attempt #9, well then he might consider putting you on a leash. Maybe seclude you to just his cabin for three months until you beg for his forgiveness. If you’re still bratty after that, well then he has no choice but to scramble your brains until you recognize him as your one and only. Unfortunately, that means he’s gonna hurt you, real bad. Try not to push him to this place, he doesn’t want that to be the foundation of your relationship.

Kid won’t ever force himself on you. That doesn’t mean he won’t objectify you. If you come into the relationship willingly, Kid will make the most out of meeting all your needs and desires. He’s still selfish in bed, but he will try getting you off more than himself to show he appreciates you in his life. If you’re hesitant, he’s willing to work around it until you let him take you. The longer the push back, the more feral he gets though. You wouldn’t be able to escape his leers or peeping, not a single private moment to pleasure yourself without him present and getting off to your body. You’ll wake up to him grinding on you to get off or you find him sniffing and jacking off with your underwear. Regardless of how he gets off, he finishes by cumming all over your body 75% of the time. Another mark of his ownership over you, his captive or his lover.

He’s not worried about anyone snatching you from him, he’d love to see them try. Kid will watch someone try and flirt with you to see how far it goes, to see how quick you cut it off, before he interferes. He guts them 9/10 times. Sometimes he likes to drown them with the ship’s anchor. However, if you were to ever instigate something – with ANYONE – you’re gonna have a bad time. Kid does not like disloyalty and he will punish you severely enough that you’ll never try that shit again. You won’t get a third chance. He rarely has to threaten it but he will cut your heart out if you hurt him.

[lunesprite]

@dca-prompts

I tripped. Dear anon, I think they might still bite each other, but I hope you like this <3 2884 unedited words total, mostly under the cut.

__________

It started as not quite what you’d call a dare. 

More of an… ante up. 

Everyone knows the Daycare Attendants. They’re… a lot. That’s really the only word for it. A manic amount of energy all wound up in springs and titanium in one, and in the other? 

If you’re over the age of 13, honestly, he’s a dick. 

You would laugh if you weren’t also over the age of 13 and didn’t have to man the gift shop three days a week, which meant spending a few hours those days, when all the daycare lights dimmed, pointedly ignoring the jackass with his face pressed to the glass just waiting to freak you out while the kids snoozed. 

That was normally as far as it went. The most dangerous part of your shift would be walking by the jumpscare enclosure on the way out or to sneak in a bathroom break, and you refuse to admit how many times he got you. You’d think it’d be easy to see the gigantic robot with the glowing eyes and stars everywhere coming, but no! Whoever made him had really gone out of their way to program the child caretaker to be a goddamn master of stealth. 

And then. 

Then. 

It snowed out. 

Heavy enough that the daycare was left empty and you were pretty sure the plex was only still open out of sheer stubbornness, which left you and your neighboring menace - Sun excluded - alone. No children to watch and no messes to clean up for either of you. 

The shelves in Lucky Stars had never been so dust-free. 

Every pile of merch was immaculate. The shirts - folded and sized. Even the clearance designs. 

Even Sun was feeling it. The poor guy had already sorted all the building blocks and started organizing the barrels by color. You were considering knocking on the door and offering to play Uno before he sorted the ball pit when the overhead lights dimmed and you let your eyes slide away from the Mayor of Bastard City and his blinking red eyes and back to the keychains near the register. 

You heard the tell-tale scrape of claws on thick glass. The creepy jack-in-the-box tune he liked to wind up if you walked too slow past his enclosure. You glanced over and saw those beacon-bright eyes peering over the side of the wall, heard him snicker as he slowly sank down, down into the darkness, before you hummed and went back to sorting old Bonnies. Vaguely, you saw him pacing. Scuttling around, dangling on his wire, thumping himself into the wall like a dead thing, but otherwise? Ignorable. Standard. Did he think this was your first rodeo? Hell no. 

The silence didn’t last. 

With no children to rein him in, Moon made a new sound: a fucking horrid mechanical death rattle that stopped you in your tracks. 

It sounded like a car on its last, last legs. Like a zombie of a car, dragged back from death by a cruel mechanic who knew no limits and left his morals and half the important car-bits back on the side of the highway three states back. You winced, glaring at him until he stopped with a gleeful giggle and a waggle of his sinful claws. 

“Sounds like shit, man. Good job.” 

“Language.” 

“We’re all adults here, Moonie. And,” you said, turning towards him and signing slowly, deliberately, watching his pupils watch your hands with an ever-more mischievous hiss. “Don’t think I didn’t look up what this meant.” 

He snickered, face spinning lazily above his cheshire grin. 

“Naughty.” 

“You did it first.” 

And then, because you weren’t about to lose this by giving him any more of what he wanted, you looked him dead in the eyes and put in your headphones with a thumbs up. 

Checkmate. He could glower all he wanted. No metal death screams were getting through these bad boys. 

It did work. It did. 

Moon paced like a bored tiger in a zoo, hunched and stalking and dragging his face against the glass. It probably sounded awful. Like nails on a chalkboard, but with metal and silicon shrieks and squeals! 

And you heard none of it. :) 

You were feeling very clever, very triumphant, until you finished all the fiddly bits that decorated the register area and turned, ready to move onto new frontiers - 

The daycare door was open. 

Cracked just enough for you to notice. Just enough you could imagine the stock horror game sound of the hinges creaking in the dark. And, as your eyes slid downwards, you noticed… toys on the floor. Blocks, a plastic ball, a little stuffed Sun. 

All laid in a perfectly spaced trail from the cracked door to the edge of your half-lit shop, where there sat a single, raggedy plush of Moon. Barely a foot away. 

Your headphones crackled. 

Beeehiiiind you, liiittle ssstar. 

A hand, too large and too sharp, settled across your shoulder. 

You did not scream. You will never admit it.  

You lunged to the nearest plush, lit crimson as cackling crackled inside your headphones and outside, and whirled around to beat that goddamn robot to death. 

It did NOT work. At all. He was fast. Bounding on all fours, springing up the walls and deflecting your projectiles with giant plush versions of himself as he laughed and laughed and laughed, always just an inch away, slipping through your fingers as you called him every foul-mouthed minced curse under the fucking sun until you ran out of breath. Chest heaving, fingers clenched around the ragged little Moon, you glared up at your personal demon as he pranced atop the daycare wall like the world’s most kickable imp. 

The shop was a wreck. 

And then he paused, stupid head turning towards the lobby. And fell backwards into the darkness as you glanced at the stairs to see - your coworker, paused and gaping at the disaster zone behind you and your own distinctly rumpled uniform. 

The Moon squeaked in your fist. 

“Is uh,” she said, eyes wide as she took in the wreckage and you, alone, Moon nowhere in sight. “Is everything going ok in here?” 

You exhaled. 

A laugh hissed in your headphones, low and utterly pleased, and you slipped them off and into your jacket pocket with your best beatific smile as you stood straight. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted him: Moon swayed in the air above the daycare on his wire, hands folded beneath his head like a sleeping angel. 

Your coworker stared at you like a madman. 

You lost. Miserably. 

And what could you do about it? All bets were off; the wall of the daycare breached, your game thrown into disarray. 

Except… 

You glanced down at the Moon in your hands. Ratty and rumpled, it must have been a few product lines out of date even before you started. A single bell clung valiantly to its hat. 

You laughed. Before your coworker could wonder - completely incorrectly - if you’d snapped at last, the daycare theme having driven you to the depths of madness, you beamed at her. 

“It’s peachy! Just peachy.” 

She did not look convinced. 

“Are… you sure? Do you need uh… I can probably give you a 15 instead of a 10…?” 

Bless her heart. 

“That’d be great!” You waved lightly back towards the shop. “Don’t worry about cleanup, I’ll get it when I get back! There’s just one itty bitty thing before I go?” 

“... Yesssss?” 

You held up the ratty Moon. It jangled innocently, your coworker flinching like it might explode. 

“Can I buy this before I go on break?” 

Far above, Moon’s smooth swaying on his wire stuttered. Bingo. 

With as much saccharine sweetness as you could muster, you squash the tiny Moon in a hug, cheek pressed to plush cheek. 

“I gotta get something of my new bestie after all!” 

Your coworker’s incredulous disbelief and your total loss of dignity was worth it as Moon tumbled down his stupid fucking wire, red eyes locked on you in mute shock as right in front of the glass, you gave that dingy plush a kiss on the cheek. 

Ante up, bitch. 

It became your new weapon. 

Whenever Moon acted out particularly badly - though you never had a repeat of him slipping his bounds, and neither of you acknowledged it after - then on your break, you’d look him in the optics and buy whatever bit of Moon merch was next on your list. 

Was it escalating? Yes. 

You’d gotten every keychain. Your bag jangled with the things. Sun spotted it one day and you saw him actually stumble. It was cute watching him talk around the Moon-laden bag in the other room when you brought him some desperately needed supplies he’d somehow forgotten he still had entire fabric storage cubes of. 

It was fine. You didn’t mind. It gave you a chance to go fetch your bag and show off your collection. 

(Did you feel a little guilty then? Yes. But you were committed to the goddamn bit and like hell would you break for even a second.) 

Your favorite Moon was the little cat Moon keychain, but the one from the stray Halloween collection box you’d unearthed in the back was mad cute, too. 

And now? You were working through the plushes. The shirts. You’d organized the list by price point. With every purchase, Moon’s eyes got just a little bit wider. His laugh a little softer. Almost - if you dared say it - flustered. 

Almost… charming? 

The kids noticed. 

The ratty Moon sat beside your register, a name tag pinned to his re-stitched torso. A Moon sticker decorated your own name tag - along with a Sun added by the big man himself. You found an old starry version of the plex polo. When the winter beanies arrived - notably weeks after it began to snow -, you were the first one to slam down the cash for the Moon and Sun themed one. It was reversible. It looked like something a ye olde jester would wear. A bell jangled from the tip. 

It was unironically cute as hell. 

The kids went nuts. The child size range sold out almost the same day, in no small part due to your completely definitely as a bit enthusiastic recommendation in jingling around the shop. When the lights went out, the kids all clamored to show Moon their new hats, too, like they’d done for Sun, and you’d never heard such a joyous but utterly failed ‘naptime.’ 

Moon jingled after all the little giggling stars, and you watched, hand on your chin, as he scrabbled up the jungle gym like a big cat. 

So what if when he looked towards you and wiggled his claws, you wiggled your fingers back. It was… it reminded you of the keychain. The cat one, with a paw up like. You know, nya~. 

Your coworkers definitely thought you cracked, but you didn’t really care? So what if they talked when they relieved you for your break in the dark and you and Moon took turns skulking behind the walls, trying to spook one another? You did get him once. 

When they sarcastically asked about you and your wretched bestie, you didn’t even flinch. 

Why would you? He was your bestie. 

Lucky Stars was your shift now. Which worked out great! It gave you even more chances to show off what you’d get next. Since, uh. Fazbear didn’t pay that much, and the big plushes and the honestly sick hoodies they released were definitely a more ‘save up a bit’ kind of purchase. 

Even Sun chimed in sometimes. 

He agreed you should do the hoodie next. It was reversible, too. It was also completely obnoxious - the colors a complete circus riot, though Sun gasped and called it cheerful instead. 

Of course, the day you bought it - you made puppy eyes at the Glamrock Gifts cashier so you could start your shift already wearing it because it had the ruffles and bells included, come on -, it snowed again. Parents trailed in remnants of muddy slush in their trek to fetch their kids, pausing when you greeted them with the mop bucket nearby as Sun waved from behind the glass. Your hoodie matched him. You weren’t an amateur. It obviously wasn’t time for the starry side yet. 

For some reason, they thought you were an attendant. 

(Nah. You just knew Sun would worry his rays off if folks kept trailing muddy water up to his doors.) 

By naptime, it was just the two of you left. 

You’d dragged the mop bucket and a sweet little wet floor bot in from the lobby and set about cleaning your gift shop of any stray mud tracked in and glanced up as the place went dim and the stars overhead twinkled on. 

And paused. 

Neither of you had ever mentioned that time, and you’d never gone inside the daycare proper when it was naptime. But… wouldn’t it be great to show off the new hoodie up close? It was rad. The glow in the dark star prints wouldn’t glow since, you know, it’d been turned towards the inside, but the whole bell and ruffle situation would still be fun, right? 

The wet floor bot beeped up at you. 

With a grin, you patted its head and stowed the mop in the bucket, leaning in carefully before you stepped back. 

“Gotta go show off my latest, little guy.” You gestured towards the daycare, and the bot beeped again. Taking its blessing, you trotted off. 

Towards the doors. Which, before you even reached them, creaked open. 

Moon was nowhere to be seen. 

You stopped at the threshold, exaggeratedly peering in, hunting for him and ‘forgetting’ to look up before giving up with a shrug and a sigh. 

“Man. Here I was, hoping to show Moon my fun new hoodie, and my best friend isn’t even here to appreciate it?” 

Jingle. 

You grinned. Humming, you leant further into the daycare, as if the jingling wasn’t very obviously behind you. 

“Moooon? Hey, has anyone seen a big, lanky animatronic?” You telegraphed your turn so clearly, it’s no surprise Moon has vanished when you look back at the wet floor bot. It waggled its ears, beeping. “Any clue where he went, little guy?” 

Jingle jingle. 

This time when clawed hands curled around your shoulders, you didn’t jump. Or when Moon melted against your back, hat dangling down to jingle against your ear. You just. Went still. That’s all. 

You’d never been this close to one of them before. Not even Sun. 

Little whirrs and ticking sounds buzzed against your spine. 

So he’s… Decided to up the ante himself, huh? Well now! It’ll take more than that. 

You turned in his grip, stretching your arms to your sides as you come face to face with your. Bestie. Suspended upside down on the wire with his face right side up, inches away from yours; the shine of his eyes was low, dimmed, his claws picking idly at the thick ‘ruffle’ across your shoulders. 

“Whatcha think?” 

“Too bright.” He tugged at a tiny bell. His other hand slipped behind your neck, pulling the hoodie’s hood inside-out past your cheek. “This side’s better.” 

The stars inside the hood glimmered, glowing a little - much to your surprise. Though you guess if any part of it was going to glow, then… 

You grinned. 

“Guess I’ll just have to swap it around then for the totally unbiased audience?” 

Now. 

You were ready to swap it. You were ready to awkwardly worm around with his arms still around you, since, well. You didn’t realize he could commit to the bit with the same dedication as you, but of course he could, and his hands were not moving. But you weren’t gonna back down. Hell no. 

You were not, however, ready for him to hum. 

Or for his fingers to slide to the neck of your hoodie and slip it off your shoulders. 

He handled it with the same ease he would helping a kid into their coat. The hoodie’s larger stars across the back shone in the low light, not glowing but still glistening as Moon held up your hoodie before his eyes with a pleased noise. 

Half light, half dark. Like his own paint. 

It was really well designed. 

Though you found you were having a hard time focusing on it, for some reason. 

His eyes flicked to you. 

“Up.” 

On autopilot, you raised your arms. He tugged it back onto you, fingers smoothing the ruffles down across your shoulders, before just. Hanging there. Close. 

Like, really close? 

Like. He made this odd little hum? His hands stayed on your shoulders long after the ruffles had been tamed. His arms twitched, slipping further across your shoulders. 

Something felt. Weirdly warm in your chest. 

And then he tugged the hood up over your head - down over your eyes with a little laugh, and something hard bonked into your forehead. Just once. 

“Looks good, Starlight.” 

And he was gone. 

You swore, rubbing your forehead as you yanked the hood back, trying to find him but to no avail, though you… didn’t know what you would have said. All the bluster had left the building. 

Somehow, you think. 

You might have lost the bet.

Moon trying so hard not to laugh or hug Y/N while Y/N is buying a fuck ton of Moon merchandise

ㅤ

[fungal-wasted]

Hear me out because I have Thoughts that may give you feelings 💕

The jarring thing with the delicate flower quest (the actual one), is that the Grey Mourner is someone who is living her grief pretty openly and with a very specific cause. But this grief is contrasted by a world that has lost so much, that everywhere you go there are corpses in the corner. You don't get to know who they were, beyond where they died and the fact everyone else around is dead too.

You lose some sensitivity to death on your journey. I mean if we were to grieve husk number 45 that attacks us and we kill we would never end. But they're still worth thinking about on some level. Like Myla, for example, or Bretta, who we were lucky enough to save.

Someone has to remember the ones who didn't survive, though, or at least pay some respect to the tragedy they were a victim of. Everyone in those caves has lost someone, whether they know it or not, and many more have been forgotten after so long.

So in a way, Flower Quest is there to remind you that there are people who were left behind, people you never had the chance to meet, and someone is there to see what has become of the world after their death. Yeah, everyone else is dead and you're kinda desensitized to it, but those are still people that mattered as individuals. The Grey Mourner is just, one of the few who will openly talk about it and who, after this long, is still suffering because of it.

But there is something else about Flower Quest and like, individuals snd how they're perceived. I personally like to add my own flavor of angst to things so hear me out. I'm not done.

One of the things I rotate in my head is that usually in Hollow Knight we get clues as to what happened through pieces of lore, background and so on. The only reason to know about the relationship between Ze'mer and her partner is encountering her and she explaining her version of things. She speaks fondly of her lover, feeling such a strong wish to send her a gift she "would give all".

But then you find the place and it's some hidden cave surrounded by thorns making it almost inaccessible, and some marking outside. And in there she's referred as "the Traitor's Child" which mainly serves the purpose of understanding the weight of the conflict of the QG tribe, adding to the Traitor Lord's lore. but it can also feel... contrasting, since that seems like a different person than whoever Ze'mer is mourning and yet they're the same.

And like, in a way that shows that the image Ze'mer had, is way different than the one other people had. Considering that Ze'mer states they were denied their union and she was rejected for being an outsider, it adds to the idea that these two were viewed negatively for what they had together by others.

Remember what I said about memory being important? Well, yeah. At least in the Traitor's Child's case, the vibe you get is that a lot of people had negative perceptions of who she was and/or who she was related to and that impacts what is left of her. So in a way, I see flower quest as a way for Ze'mer to say farewell to her lover in a way that is personal to the perception they had of each other and a way to leave some sort of legacy of who they were. Putting flowers on that grave is both a way for the Mourner to give closure and to leave a mark. She cared for her partner, and even if others tried to deny them their union, she will leave something that persists and makes sense for them.

We don't get to know who these two were besides who they were associated with and maybe glimpses of their personality. We don't get to judge who they were, or how exactly they ended up where they did. And frankly? It probably doesn't matter that much. We're just the messenger, the one who heard a plea and, wanting to help the Mourner get some closure, we complete this quest.

[tartglias]

diluc, kaeya, albedo and childe when they’re in love

“ahh ok i just discovered ur blog and this is my very first ever request to a blog. so uhm can i req diluc, kaeya, albedo & childe headcanons on what they'll do when they're in love? like, will their attitude change when they're around the reader HAHAHA it's ok if u remove a character <3 if u don't want to write it feel free to ignore hehe”

Diluc

Even though you both decided to keep the relationship away from the public eye, it’s not shocking that certain people come and ask if you can deliver a message to Diluc. It tends to be Kaeya or even Jean, whenever the Knights of Favonius are too busy to handle something a little too dangerous. Sometimes it’s even Venti, trying to persuade you to convince Diluc to lower the dandelion wine price.

Whoever the person is, they come to you because they know that Diluc has a soft spot for you. If something catches your eye, expect it on your doorstep the following day. He loves to spoil you, to the point in which you have to tell him to stop gifting you things, and that his love is and will always be enough.

And obviously, they know that if someone can convince him of doing something, that someone is you. It’s amusing how the normal situation switches when it comes to you. If Kaeya approaches him and asks for a favor, expect a very angry Diluc rolling his eyes and turning around, completely dismissing him while trying to not make a scene in front of you and the other costumers at the tavern. But, if it’s you who delivers the message, he just sighs and meditates it, eventually giving in. You see him smile slightly once you quickly kiss his cheek and thank him.

“Why do you always decline these requests but accept them once I ask you?” You once asked, looking up to face him as you cuddled him in bed. His hair was messy and untied, but he still looked beautiful, specially under the moon light.

“Because you’re not annoying” he simply said, caressing your cheek. You stared at him, unconvinced. This earned you a soft laugh from the man beneath you.

“I don’t know, I just can’t say no to you. Which is funny because now everyone knows you’re my weakness” He said.

It was then and there that he understood how much you meant to him. You could ask him to pick up every single Cecilia flower in Mondstadt and he would not hesitate to do it. It was dangerous, and he knew that, but his feelings were too strong.

“Kaeya will definitely use this for-“ “I love you” he said, interrupting you. Your eyes widened and a small gasp left your lips. It was the first time he said the big “L” word, maybe the first time in his life.

“I love you too” you whispered, still in awe from his previous confession.

He kissed you deeper than ever before, transmitting every single feeling he had into the kiss. You meant the world to him. He was in love.

The rest of the night was filled with quiet “I love you”s and cuddles, eventually falling asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

Kaeya

One thing that helped him understand his feelings for you was that he could just be himself.

His past forced him to wake up and put on a facade as the flirty Cavalry Captain that had every person in Mondstadt wrapped around his finger. But you were different. When he was with you, he was Kaeya. No fancy titles, no social etiquette. Just Kaeya. Not only he felt comfortable enough to be himself around you, but you also seemed to like his true self as well. And that’s how he realized.

After long days filled with commissions and some paperwork, he would come home exhausted only to find you already waiting for him. Without need for words, he would wrap his arms around your waist and hide his face on your neck after leaving a small trace of kisses.

“Long day?” you asked as you gently hugged him, untied his hair and started brushing it with your fingers. He would reply with a small “hm” before looking up and kissing your lips.

This sight could confuse an outsider, since Kaeya, with his oh so flirty social title, is usually the one calling out for you or keeping his hands on you at any moment. Kaeya is not afraid to show his love to the world, and he makes that very clear in public. Yet, this sight made him look vulnerable, and that was something he reserved just for your eyes. You made his walls fall down, you made him vulnerable in the best way possible. He felt at peace when he was with you, and that feeling used to be so foreign to him due to the secrets of his past. But here he was, in your arms as he rambled about his day without care in the world.

His attitude towards you in public never changed much, always finding his way to make you swoon and fluster you. He loves to let everyone know that he is yours and you are his. But, once the doors close behind him, he would let his guard down completely with you. He would cling to your body as he seeks for advice or talk about his worries.

“I think that it’s best to ignore Pallad from now on since he always gets-“ you started saying, but noticing how Kaeya was looking at you made you lose your trail of thoughts. “Wh- Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You make me feel better about myself” Kaeya said, snuggling closer to you. He let out a chuckle when he heard you mutter a “huh?”

“You make me feel at peace, and I haven’t felt like that in a long while”

Albedo

Relationships were kind of new to Albedo, he wasn’t certain about the right way to show affection. But one thing he was sure about was that every time you came to visit him in his research room he felt funny inside. Funny in a good way, he felt a sudden urge to hold your hand or make you smile. 

To understand this feeling more, he started doing research on couples in Mondstadt. Was he the only one that felt this way at the sight of someone he cherished? Or was this the beginning of him becoming a monster and destroying the city of freedom at last? Lucky for him, he realized that it was considered normal to smile whenever you see your s/o. 

While he was doing his research, Klee appeared holding one of her treasures. She wanted to show Albedo her newest creation, but instead she found him staring at some old couple sitting by a fountain. She thought it was a strange sight. “What are you doing?” she asked, startling him. “Research” he simply said. “On old people? Why don’t you do a research on me? I’m young! And I have treasures!” “I don’t think you can be of use in this research” he said, sighing. 

It took Klee a while to understand what was happening, but when she did she started giggling uncontrollably. Albedo just stared at her wondering what was wrong with the child. “Albedo are you in love?”

Love, such a strange concept. He read about it, and now that Klee mentioned it, he realized that it made sense. He felt funny every time he managed to make you smile or laugh, and even more when he saw the blush on your face after complimenting you. He realized that the “funny” feeling happened because he loves you. He loves when you visit him, he loves when you ask him questions about his research and when you offer to help him. He loves you.

He immediately started searching for you, he felt the sudden urge to see and tell you about this discovery. Once he found you, he couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. You looked beautiful, and you weren’t even trying. You just came back from a commission and your hair was messy, and he noticed that your clothes were a bit dirty too. Yet you looked mesmerizing to him. 

“Albedo! I was on my way to visit you!” You greeted him once you saw him, kissing his cheek. 

“I made a new discovery today, dear.” He said, taking your hands in his. “I discovered that I’m in love with you”

Childe

If there’s something Childe is gonna do, is spoil you to no end. Similar to Diluc, if he noticed that something caught your eye for more than 3 seconds, expect it by your doorstep soon. And don’t even try to stop him, he just won’t listen.

Since he has to go away for weeks due to his line of work, he wants to spoil you so you don’t forget him. Not that you could anyways, you always thought of him and even prayed for his safe return. When he comes back, expect little souvenirs from his travels and stories he may or may not exaggerate a tiny bit.

He loves whenever you wear things he gifted you, and loves to tease you about it. “May I know who got you that beautiful necklace dear?” he would ask with a smirk on his face. “You, Childe” “That’s right, the best for my favorite person in the world”

But his love doesn’t come in material things only, he also loves to spend time with you. There are times that he has to go away for long periods of time, and after a few weeks he starts missing you so much he just has to send someone to pick you up and bring you to him. On those occasions he makes sure to do everything he has to do in the morning so he could spend the afternoon exploring with you.

His line of work is dangerous, and you know that. There are times in which you’re exploring some ruins with him and treasure hoarders appear. In those cases he asks you to close your eyes, and only open them when he tells you to. Under no circumstance he wants you to witness this side of him he tries so much to hide.

Once it’s over, he would reach to you gently and tell you to open your eyes. When you do, the sight in front of you breaks your heart. He was alright, not a single scratch on him, but his face was filled with worry and fear. “I’m sorry” he would say, closing his eyes and taking your hand. “Why are you apologizing?” “I’m a monster” he said, not daring to look at you.

It would take you a few minutes to convince him that he actually is not a monster. Those treasure hoarders appeared out of nowhere, and threatened you. He was just protecting you. “This is what I do all the time, how are you not scared of me?” He asked. You hugged him very tight, not wanting to let go of him until every drop of fear and guilt leaves his body. “I know you would never hurt me”

He knew you were right, he could never hurt you. He may think he is a monster unworthy of your love, but he knew that he could never lay a finger on you. And as you hugged him tight in front of some random ruins you were exploring, he realized he was in love and swore to himself he would do anything to protect you.

[ykwrites]

♡ 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮  𝓵𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 ♡

Pairing: Asahi x reader.

Warnings: None.

Rating:SFW.

Requests: CLOSED.

I’m back bbys, sorry I got a job, then got fired, then had about four mental breakdowns and a very anxiety filled couple months so yeh

You curiously held the letter in your hand, the fourth letter a stranger left in your locker this month.

Love letters, you thought this only happened in movies and most certainly not in college, that seemed like more of a highschool kind of deal.

Handwriting couldn’t be recognized since the letters were crearly written in a computer and printed.

“Your gaze is warm and beautiful, I can’t help but smile every time you look at me”Daichi mocked, reading over your shoulder “what a romantic dude”

You jumped, startled because he silently appeared out of nowhere.

“Stop that!”you nagged, pushing him “whoever this person is just tries to be sweet”

“Okay then, I won’t laugh at your secret boyfriend anymore”

“What are you talking about?” Asahi stood next to Daichi, eyebrows furrowed slightly.

He probably finished his last class of the day and found you both in the hallway like he always did.

“She got another letter” Daichi explained.

“Oh, they are insistent”Asahi responded nonchalantly, turning to look at you “doesn’t it bother you?”

“Not at all, it’s sweet. I wish they told me in person though”

Asahi keept his eyes on the floor, nodding to show he was listening and didn’t say much more, wich was not at all surprising since he was always just as dry, very nice and caring but dry.

A few minutes later everyone went home, and you wondered who the secret admirer could be. The first time you recieved a letter you thought it was a prank, until they kept coming.

It had to be someone who knew you well because in the messages they pointed out personal details and things you didn’t tell many people.

“I am lucky that I get to see how you work towards your goals and how passionate you are, that accompanied with your beauty is to be considered a gift”one of the letters said.

You had to admit those beautiful words boosted your confidence and even not knowing who they came from you were thankful that someone spent time and effort into making you feel happy.

As soon as you stepped in your room, you put the letter on your desk where you kept the rest and headed downstairs to get some food.

“Hello, sis” your brother greeted when he saw you entering the kitchen.

“Hi”you patted his shoulder brushing past him.

“There’s more of this rice in the fridge”he pointed to the plate in front of him “how was your day?”

“Boring, I got another letter though”

“Damn, that makes four already”he let out an exaggerated gasp.

“Yeah”you sat next to him.

“They should confess already”

“Technically they did”

“I mean face to face”

“It’s okay, maybe they are not confident enough”

“I would put a camera on your locker and catch them in the act”

“Because that’s realistic”a sarcastic laugh escaped you.

“At least I have ideas, I want to know who it is”

Before you could respond, the doorbell rang loudly and you rushed to open the door, wondering who would be visiting so late.

“Asahi?”you asked, looking at your tall friend with a concerned frown “are you okay?”

“Yeah, I am”he responded, playing with the sleeves of his black sweater “can I come in?”

“Sure, we are having dinner if you want some”

This was strange, Asahi rarely showed up if it was not for studying and always appeared with Daichi.

You couldn’t help but worry, since he looked uncomfortable and nervous.

He followed behind you and stopped right before passing the kitchen’s door frame.

“Thank you for the offer, but I am not hungry”he explained.

“Okay”you nodded, understanding but still confused.

Silence arose, you were sure your brother was listening to whatever you two could talk about and decided on guiding your friend into your room.

Asahi sat awkwardly on the bed and looked around lost on what to do or how to start a conversation.

Obviously you knew him enough to know he was shy sometimes, but you had been friends for a long time and it didn’t make sense for him to get so weird.

“Azumane” you broke the silence.

He instantly looked at you, aware that if you called him that it meant you were seriously worried.

“Tell me what’s on your mind”

“I really don’t know why I came here, I could’ve waited until I saw you in class tomorrow” an apologetic expression showed on his face.

Finally, Asahi started to explain himself, although it still didn’t make sense.

“It’s okay” you sat next to him “You never do anything without a solid reason, so I don’t mind that you are here now”

“That’s a relief”

“Plus, I’m always happy to see you”

A faint blush dusted his cheeks as he locked eyes with you.

“I wanted to ask you something”

“Go on”

“How do you really feel about the person who writes the love letters?”

“I mean, I don’t know them so I can’t tell you exactly, by the way they write I can imagine they are an observer, sweet and caring”you answered, taking his hands in yours when you saw him fiddling with them in an almost compulsive manner.

“And you said it doesn’t bother you?”

“Not really, everyone likes positive attention sometimes”

“Isn’t it creepy that they are anonymous?”

“I guess from an outside perspective it can look creepy, but they are very respectful”

Asahi looked away again, not letting go of your hands.

“I know who it is”

Those words left you frozen for a moment and you could only nod for him to continue, hopeful and nervous to know.

“I am”

“You what?”

“I wrote them”he struggled to respond this time blushing furiously.

Your brain on the other hand, stopped functioning when realization hit you and suddenly everything made sense.

Asahi knew all the details on the letters because you told him as a friend, and he never got caught because he also knew your and Daichi’s schedules and could avoid both of you seeing him put something in your locker.

“I am sorry, maybe we should speak about this tomorrow”he finally let go of your hands, visibily flustered.

“No, please stay”you held his arm to keep him in place “I’m just processing, I would’ve never guessed”

“Well…”

“Why didn’t you tell me directly?”

“This will sound pathetic now, but I’ve liked you for a really long time and the letters were the only way to express my feelings without fear of rejection”

His eyes showed exactly that, fear and embarrassment and you felt sad for him, because obviously it was really hard to confess.

“Azumane”a faint voice left your lips as your face grew red and heart raced “I…”

The sudden inability to speak properly made you curse Daichi, your so called friend that spent most of his time teasing you with the fact that according to him you had a big crush on Asahi, although you never really stopped to think about it.

Now looking at Asahi sitting next to you lit up a spark, linking every sweet word on the letters with him.

“Look, you don’t have to do anything, we can pretend this never happened”

“I don’t want to do that”you crossed your arms, almost getting mad at him wanting to leave.

“Then, what do you want to do?”he asked, a mix of hope and confusion flooding his voice.

“I don’t know… go on a date or something”

“What?”he spoke so loud he scared himself.

“What I just said”you let out a little laugh at his reaction, that seemed to ease his nerves.

“I mean, yeah, of course, I would love to”

“Yay, but you have to tell me what you feel directly to my face from now on”

“I will try”he smiled, looking down.

“Daichi is going to give me a hard time for this”

“Oh, me too”

“Let’s tease him first so he shuts up”you held his hands excitedly.

“That’s a great idea, but first let’s plan that date”

[rrasado]

• When You Sculpt •

I vividly remember someone requesting for hadcanons of how Riddle and Malleus would react to a Yuu who did sculptures, there was also a 3rd boy but I genuinely can't remember who TwT (threw in the fae dad for substitute). This request was sent around last year and the ask itself is gone so to whoever sent that forgotten ask, may you find peace now with the complementary drink .

When you create sculptures

Someone of his background would have at least some sort of take regarding sculptures right? And even then it's limited to what he knows of their use within history's narrative.

For one he's aware that royalty such as the ever revered Queen of Hearts would flaunt their might through embellished luxuries, sculptures of their visage being one of them.

So to hear you, the prefect, having a level of adapetivity with that specific art... you have his attention. Depending on whether you wear gloves on the daily are leave them bare, he'll find out with the smudges of material left on your calluses.

At first he thought not much of it, maybe it was from an activity in class that day? Who knows, however his thoughts were disproved when you came up to him at an unbirthday party's aftermath.

It was rare for students to approach him after the tradition, after all no one wants to stay any longer within the rule's chokehold, before he could interrogate your sudden approach he was kept silent by the clothed object within your two hands.

"You'd like for me to unveil it...? This isn't an attempt to prank me is it?"

You'll have to forgive his suspicious considering the dorm he runs, but the genuine expression on your face convinced him enough to entertain your request, sure enough he wasn't disappointed no far from it.

Gifts were something he wasn't sure of, normally they were given in a beneficial sense by his mother or perhaps a favor if it's from some no name mob, but the hardened clay figure shaped to resemble him met his pale gaze, he was rendered speechless for a few moments.

Coughing to regain his composure he gently allowed his own two hands to take the base of the figure from your grasp, upon closer inspection he began to take in more of the details you paved down the block of material, down to the illusion of his dorm's cape cascading behind the sculpted figure of him.

He never thought someone would actually see him in such admirable light, Riddle appreciates your work and intends to show his gratitude with his actions towards you and the gift itself, if you're lucky enough to be close to him... you may just see it displayed on his study table. And whenever he's in doubt during a draining time all it takes is a lingering stare at that gift, assured that someone at one point revered him not as a tyrant, but as a hardworking figurehead.

Malleus is, royalty we all know that. So it wouldn't be a surprise that he's has had other artisans pave his image on blocks of materials for the sake of show.

And yet even then he couldn't help but to feel warm when he saw your shorter stature running up to him in the dead of night at Ramshackle's foyer, holding a miniature figurine of him with your initials engraved under the base.

All those gold and marble depictions of him at the royal ground in Briar Valley were grand yes, but there was something more personal with your craft, something meaningful with the nights you spent to perfect the curve of his two horns.

He doesn't admit it to your face, but you'll have to forgive the fae for catching you working hard near your bedroom window on nights you didn't see him on the grounds. That's one of the things humans fascinate him with, their general drive to pursue a goal with what little time is on their hands, and with a prefect like you who's bound to an array of duties and obligations? Your time is precious, even he understood that.

He even kept the satin green veil you used to cover your (admittedly not surprise) gift, the imagery of him standing ever sternly with his hand gripping the dorm's staff was one he thought was executed nicely.

"You seem to have a knack for this sort of craft...if I may intrude, would you care to share where you learned your skill?"

Whether you were eager or calm with your narration, he'd take in every word and sentence with great interest. The sculptors he knew were all seasoned in age and even then they were what you'd consider polymaths in their own right, so to see an ordinary human from another world practice the same meticulous art was of great amusement to him.

The Diasomnia dormleader stores your gift somewhere safe, when he got back to the dorm he easily handled the plethora of questions thrown by the ever loud first year retainer he fostered. Waving a dismissive hand and painting your work with quaint praise.

There at the top of his bookshelf far from his other belongings, stood the minuscule depiction of the fae prince himself, the satin cloth used as a surface cover in order for the green hue to reflect off the solid figure whenever the light hits it at the right angle.

In shorter terms, Malleus has once again been given a reminder of what humans can manifest should the circumstances garner them to do so. And on nights before slumber he gazes back to that gift with a personal sense of fulfillment.

The vice dormleader of Diasomnia knows many things about many subjects, more than he'd like to let on unfortunately. His take on sculptures were that of a veteran's.

He knew what they meant and possibly entailed, they can either be made to glorify a hero's victory, or perhaps to foretell the wrongdoings of some villainous figure in the form of flammable wood. Either way he knew the effort that was poured into making sculptures regardless of reason or material.

It was a simple Friday for him, classes have finished and he was about to make his way to the light music club's vicinity when he slowly caught your nearing image within his peripheral vision. With an ever friendly wave he greets you and your... sweating state?

Lilia tilts his hear at your current state, seemingly tired from what he assumed was walking all the way here holding something fairly heavy, at least that's what he guessed on the covered object you held so dearly. The third year didn't wait for your words- immediately raising the magenta cloth out of his own curiosity...and great seven he had no regrets.

There under the piece of cloth was what looked to be himself sitting upon an Ivy grown wall, wanting to see more he snatched the cloth off the piece allowing the sunset's hue to settle on the solid figure that depicted none other than him.

"What's this we have here? It's safe to assume it was none other than you who paved such a piece~? Fufufu I quite like it you definitely caught all my features."

Like Malleus, he most likely have already his fair share of sculptures dedicated to him back home at Briar Valley as a veteran to their history, but minor musings such as the one you tired delivered to him? He finds it pleasant in every right!

You were so busy catching your breathe he never allowed you to speak for yourself, going on his own tangent regarding how well done you carved out the vines that climbed the brick wall his miniature self sat on. Judging by the level of details he can only assume you were adept in your field of craft.

A string of chuckles left the fae, easing you of your burden by taking the figure into his own hands while waiting for you to finally regain your composure. His thumb grazed an embossed part behind the sculpted brick wall of the piece, raising the gift to inspect it closer only to see a hastily embedded signature, yours most likely!

To receive a gift such as this from an isekaid student, Lilia would deem it as rare among all the ones existing in the world, after all only few ever receive homage of respect from a non twisted wonderland native right? Lilia will take pride in that aspect, patting you affectionately on the head and leaving in his fae way leaving you alone in the halls. Before dropping by at the light music club he'd put the gift away in the comforts of Diasomnia's lounge where all may be graced with the glory of your creation. Lilia as eccentric as his way was, deeply appreciated the sentiment.

[redpandaramblings]

A Matter of Admiration Alpha Gang Orca x Omega f!Reader

Hello Hello! Here is my very VERY late submission for the SFW portion of Spudcorner's Valentine Blood and Chocolate Collab. This was meant to be a two page drabble. 13 pages later it's a bit more than that. Regardless, I do hope you enjoy!

Sequel/Epilogue Here

Content Warnings- Omegaverse, SFW, Insecurities, Misunderstandings, Pining, Fluff, Lots of food mentioned, Kugo being very down on himself, very minor mention of blood and stitches needed.

“Really? Again?”

The large alpha seemed to shrink under your judgemental glare.

“I am sorry, Y/N. The fight got intense and it slipped off. Someone must have stepped on it.”

You sighed heavily, your gaze turning to the workbench where the shattered remains of your creation sat. This was your seventh attempt at outfitting Gang Orca with a communicator headset. It was dangerous for him to keep fishing for a handheld during the heat of battle. Unfortunately, his lack of outer ear made keeping a headset on him difficult. Shaking your head, you gave a small smile.

“Not your fault, Sakamata. We knew this was going to be tricky. Though at this rate I’m tempted to just glue a headset on you and call it a day.”

Kugo snorted, his posture relaxing. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I hate to see your hard work go to waste.”

“It’s not a waste if I learn something from it. This one lasted a couple weeks of normal patrol work, so that’s an improvement. We just need to figure out what was different about this fight. So, sit. Talk.”

Kugo shook his head with an amused huff. He admitted he had been slightly dubious when you had first come to his agency. He’d encountered many hero support workers claiming to specialize in mutation quirks that seemed to be looking for lab rats for their creations. However, you always listened to what he said, and made suggestions that would actually make his job easier. You made sure your support items not only were functional, but comfortable at well. If the few years you had worked for him, he was pleased to say you had become good friends.

“I can’t right now, Y/N. I need to get cleaned up, then complete my report before I forget the details. I’ll come back first thing tomorrow.” You frowned, tapping your foot. Kugo fought to keep a neutral expression. You’d never forgive him if you knew how much he enjoyed your expressions when you were annoyed.

“Alright. Fine. First thing tomorrow. But make sure you get some rest tonight, you’ve been working too hard lately!”

Sakamata waved a hand in answer as he walked out the workshop door. He’d try to follow your request, but a hero’s work is never done.

~~~~~

Gang Orca shuffled through the door to his agency with an aura of gloom about him. In the past five days, he had broken five more communicators, gotten into several serious fights, and had allowed a villain to escape. And that was just his work life. Some of his friends had set him up for a speed dating session. He didn’t blame them for trying, but it ended exactly how he knew it would. Most of the omegas who had been present were scared of him, and those that weren’t were clearly only interested in his pro hero paycheck. Kugo trudged toward his office, his thoughts gloomy. A man with a quirk like his would never have a normal courtship. It hurt sometimes. How nice it would be to come home to a sweet smelling omega. What wouldn’t he give to home filled with pups, and laughter and love? He sighed softly as he swung his door open. Such a life was not meant for him, so no point in even dreaming. On autopilot, he hung his coat on the coat rack, and turned to set his briefcase on his desk. However, the desk was already occupied. Kugo tilted his head as he stared at the object resting on his desk. It appeared to be a large bento box, wrapped in a rather feminine handkerchief, patterned with some sort of flowers. Kugo set his briefcase down on a chair before coming closer to investigate. Gingerly, he untied the knot, setting the cloth aside as he looked at the contents curiously.

First and most obviously, was the strawberry shaped sticky note attached to the top. “You looked like you had been having a rough week. I hope this can make it better!” The writing was… painstakingly cute. The “i”s were dotted with little hearts. Each letter having just a little bit of flourish, while still being legible.

Kugo hummed quietly to himself. Clearly this had been left on his desk by mistake. A bit awkward, considering his name was on the door, but there was no other explanation. He drummed his fingers on the desk as he considered his options. He could take a guess at who the bento was for. There were several popular alpha heroes working for him that got their share of gifts from admirers. The soft omegan scent coming from the handkerchief that had wrapped the bento was a solid clue the gift was likely meant for one of them. But really, there was no way to tell for sure who it was supposed to end up with, and he really didn’t want the hard work to go to waste. Yes. Best thing would be to eat the bento, and place the box in the break room with a note inside the box apologizing.

His course of action decided, Kugo opened the bento, quietly sucking a breath as he saw what was inside. There were sausages cut to look like little octopi. A large slab of teriyaki salmon. Rice balls shaped like teddy bear heads, complete with little seaweed faces. He tried to tamp down his delight at seeing over half of the bento was dedicated to tamagoyaki. While he lived up to his stereotype of loving fish, the egg dish was a secret favorite of his; something his mother had made for him whenever he had a bad day when he was growing up. The second layer of the bento had even more. Rice, vegetables, and surprisingly a small but adorable piece of cake. Kugo put the bento back together with a small smile on his face. Perhaps it wasn’t meant for him, but it had been a long time since he had been able to enjoy something like this- cute and homemade, clearly filled with a great deal of care. He couldn’t quite feel guilty as he looked forward to lunch. He could pretend, just this once, that a sweet smelling omega had put so much care into something for him.

~~~~~~

Later that day, when most of the day team had left, Kugo made his way to the common break room. He carefully cleaned out the bento box in the sink, setting it to the side to dry. He folded the handkerchief it had came in, and placed it next to the box before sighing. He was in the process of scribbling a brief apology note when he heard a cough. He glanced up to see y/n leaning against the doorway.

“You okay, chief? Thought your shift ended an hour ago.”

Kugo nodded as he placed his note on top of the handkerchief. “Yes, just had a few things I needed to wrap up. What about you? I know you were supposed to be done several hours ago now.”

You fidgeted, embarrassed, shrugging your shoulders as you glanced away. “Had an idea for how to improve a few items and, well, you know how I get when I have a project. But what have you got there? You never struck me as the homemade lunch type.”

It was Kugo’s turn to look uncomfortable as he shuffled from foot to foot. “It was left on my desk this morning by mistake. I had no way of knowing who it was actually meant for, and I didn’t want it going to waste, so I ate it.”

You frowned as you walked into the room, opening cupboards and starting to retrieve things to make tea. You held a mug up toward Kugo in a silent question, grabbing a second one when he nodded. You were quiet for a few moments, going through the motions. After a while you asked “How are you so sure it wasn’t for you?”

Kugo snorted, leaning back against the counter and gesturing at himself. “Omegas aren’t exactly lined up around the block. I don’t place high on the ‘heroes that look most like villains’ list every year for no reason. Some unfortunate omega got confused about whose office was whose. It’s a shame I couldn’t give it to whoever it was meant for, it was a beautifully crafted bento.” Kugo doesn’t mention the note. Kugo especially doesn’t mention the note had found its way into his desk drawer to save as a memory of how nice it had been to receive the bento, even if it was an accident.

You laughed, passing him a steaming cup of tea, made just how he liked. “Sakamata, don’t talk down about yourself like that. You’re big, strong, and prime alpha material. You’re one of the top heroes! And even more importantly, you’re a gentle kind man that any omega would be lucky to have. I’d bet good money that that bento absolutely was made just for you.”

“A nice thought, but I doubt it. You’ll see. In a few days I bet a bento will make its way to who it was meant for.”

~~~~~~

Kugo stood stock still in the doorway to his office. Sitting on his desk was another cloth wrapped package. Once was a mistake, clearly. But two days in a row? Why on Earth was there another bento on his desk? He approached the desk and slide the bento to him. He untied the scented fabric with care. A cat shaped note greeted him.

“I’m sorry if it wasn’t clear before, Sakamata. I wanted to make this for you because I admire you so much. I’m not always great at saying my feelings, so I hope my cooking says enough.”

This was… for him. The bentos… were for him? He sat in his chair, leaning his head against his hands as he regarded the innocent looking lunch. If it wasn’t a mistake, then what could it be? Probably a fortune hunting omega trying to get in his good graces, if he went off his past experience. Though usually those types of omegas were more likely to offer favors of a different sort. Kugo winced as another thought occurred to him. There was a good chance this omega pitied him. Ugly, intimidating, unmatable. Someone had seen him and decided he needed looking after because clearly he’d never get someone on his own. Yes. That had to be it. He should leave the bento in the break room and end this farce as soon as possible.

His mind made up, Kugo picked up the bundle to do exactly that. The subtle smell of the contents hit his sensitive nose, causing him to salivate. Tempura? Definitely egg. Well, it would be a shame to not even look inside to make sure.

Clearly just as much care had gone into this one as the last one. The rice balls were shaped like little cat heads, to match the note. An assortment of tempura seemed to be the main dish, cute cat shaped food picks stuck in some of them. There were even paw print shaped gummy candies for the dessert. Every inch of the lunch was absolutely adorable. And it was all done for him. There was no way Kugo could let it go to waste. It hurt to know it was a gift given out of pity, but maybe, just for a while, he could pretend there was someone out there who loved him like this. The omega would grow tired of this eventually. Until then, he’d let himself enjoy this.

~~~~~

It was surprising how easily this had become routine. Every day when Kugo walked into his office, there was a new bento waiting for him. And every day he’d unwrap the bento, indulging a brief moment in the cutely patterned handkerchiefs. Every bento was unique and cute. They seemed to show a good understanding of his tastes and preferences. It was a pleasant break on the quiet days and a welcome comfort on the rough days. Each day there was a sweet written note that Kugo gently stored in his desk drawer. It was perfect.

Until it wasn’t.

~~~~~~~

Kugo hated attending charity events. It wasn’t the charities, he always supported good causes. It wasn’t the dressing up, or the fancy atmosphere. It was the people. While a few of his friends were around somewhere, there were many many others who didn’t know him well. Others who were intimidated by his appearance. Others who apparently had no idea just how sharp his hearing was.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe Gang Orca is here.”

“I know! Well, I suppose he is a hero. Allegedly, anyway.”

“Did he come with anyone?”

“Of course not. I mean ew. Look at him. Can you imagine cosying up to that at the end of the day?”

“I know! And those teeth! If he tried to bond someone, he’d take their head clean off!”

“As if anyone would want to bond with that.”

“I don’t know. He’s in the top ten pretty often. He has to be loaded, right?”

“Would have to be a lot for me to even consider it.”

“It could be all the money and I still wouldn’t!”

“Oh don’t say that! Poor bastard can’t help he’s unmatable.”

Kugo walked away from the refreshment table as he tried to tune out the unkind comments and mocking laughter. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before. He knew full well what he looked like. He had had enough failed courting attempts to know exactly what omegas thought of him. But it still stung. Stung more than usual, actually. The daily bentos with their scented cloths and cute little notes had almost made him forget. The only omegas who were interested either pitied him, or wanted his money. He could never forget that.

~~~~~

What he could forget, apparently, was that the number two pro hero was scheduled to be at his office the morning after the charity gala. Kugo stifled a sigh when he saw the red winged hero waiting outside his agency’s door. Of course he’d have to deal with this on a day when he wasn’t in the best of moods. “Orca! My man, good to see you again!”

Kugo nodded as he held the door open. “Hawks.”

“Didn’t get a chance to talk to you at the party last night. You know how it is. Go to one of those things when you're single, and you get swarmed.”

Kugo gave a non committal grunt. No, he didn’t know. He just wanted this morning to be over with. He perked up slightly as he saw you hurrying down the hallway toward them. Hawks gave a low whistle. “Who's the babe?” Kugo half growled. “That is Miss Y/N. The support item engineer you allegedly came here to see. You will be respectful and refrain from flirting with my staff.”

Keigo held up his hands and laughed. “Hey now big guy, don’t mean any offense. Just saying you’re lucky to get to work with that every day.”

Kugo jerked his head in an abbreviated nod. You slowed down your quick walk as you got closer, not wanting to interrupt the heroes’s conversation. Kugo waved you closer. You smiled at him so brightly as you joined the group. Yes. He was lucky to work with a friend such as you. Kugo’s nerves started to cool a bit as he introduced you and the three of you began to make your way to his office. Hawk’s casual questions were more inquisitive than flirty, and Kugo knew from long experience just how much you enjoyed being able to talk in depth about your work. He was smiling by the time he opened the door to his office, ushering the two or you in. Hawk’s next words hit him like a bucket of cold water to the face.

“Dang! Either you got one hell of a cafeteria service at this agency, or Gang Orca has himself quite an admirer. Delivered right to your desk, pretty bold, man! That’s exactly why I keep my door locked. There’s only so much lunch a man can eat, am I right?”

The bento. He had forgotten about the stupid bento. There it sat, as always. The handkerchief was especially cute today, some sort of pattern with teddy bears hugging and kissing. Any other day, the sight would have calmed him. Any other day he would have sat down and quickly poked through to see what surprises lay inside that day, would have read the note meant just for him with a smile.

But today was different. Others were in his office. The number two hero, handsome and popular. His support engineer, pretty enough to probably have plenty of suitors of her own. And then there was him. Large. Scary. Consistently told he looks like a villain. Has never had a relationship that wasn’t pitying or profiteering. Kugo remembered the whispered remarks from the party. Usually he’d be able to brush off Hawks’s commentary. But today…

Kugo snarled, his scent agitated as he swept his arm across the desk, knocking the bento roughly into the trash. “They are a nuisance that need to cease! I’m so tired of some desperate piting omega shoving their unwanted, unneeded efforts at me! Enough is enough!” At the end his voice was raised to a shout. He was dimly aware of his nails digging deeply into his palms. Kugo leaned on the desk, breathing deeply as he tried to calm himself. He could hear the others shuffling behind him awkwardly.

“Come on,” You murmured and lightly tugged on Keigo’s sleeve. “How about I show you my lab and take some measurements before we get started.”

“Yeah. Um. Yeah.” Keigo allowed you to lead him away. You softly closed the door behind you. Kugo remained, hunched and breathing raggedly. It took him several minutes to calm down. It took him a few minutes beyond that to gather the nerve to make the trek down to the support lab. He slipped into the room as inconspicously as a man with his fram could manage. You were taking measurements off of Keigo and muttering to yourself as you tapped out notes on your tablet. Keigo noticed Kugo’s entrance and greeted him cautiously. “You good?” Kugo nodded. “I… apologize. It’s been a rather trying week, but I should have composed myself better.”

Keigo waved him off. “No worries, man, no worries. Y/n was just telling me she thinks that she’ll be able to rig up something for me that would help slow my fall in situations where my wings get damaged.”

You hummed an affirmative, taking a few more measurements before you started describing your process. Kugo couldn’t help but notice you didn’t look his way. You looked at the ground, at your tablet, at Keigo, but you were clearly avoiding Kugo’s gaze. He mentally winced as he settled onto an out of the way stool. It was rare for him to have that kind of emotional outburst. It probably could be heard even from outside his office. He’d make sure to apologize to you better when he got the chance. But for now, it was looking like it would be a long, awkward day. Goodie.

~~~~~

Kugo growled under his breath the next morning when he saw the cloth wrapped bundle sitting on his desk. Yesterday’s embarrassment was still fresh in his mind as he stalked forward. His thick fingers quickly untied the surprisingly unpatterned piece of fabric. There, under the cloth, on top of the box, was a note as there always was. Kugo’s anger was cooled by confusion when he saw it, however. The paper was a plain yellow post-it note. Instead of the painstakingly cute handwriting with the heart dotted “i’s, there was a clearly hasty scrawl.

“I’m sorry. I never meant to annoy you. This will be the last one.”

Kugo frowned, shifting in his seat. Clearly the bento maker had heard about his outburst from yesterday. That was… unfortunate. But perhaps for the best, since he had no way of directly telling them to cease their nonsense. Unconsciously, his hand balled up the handkerchief and as he had been doing for a while, he scented it.

The cloth had a slight smell of salt to it. Tears, Kugo realized uncomfortably. The smell of tears slightly diluted the normal soothing smell of whoever had carefully packaged these bentos. He had little appetite as he looked over what was there. Tempura. Salmon. Vegetables. A large portion of tamagoyaki. But the part that caused an uncomfortable weight to settle in his chest was the little red box, filled with slightly clumsy, clearly homemade chocolates. Kugo closed his eyes, sighing as he set the box to the side to wait for lunch. This was good. This was what he wanted, to be left alone instead of some kind hearted omega taking pity on him. He had lived a long time without homemade bentos and little notes. He certainly didn’t want the small offering of chocolates. When lunchtime came, he certainly didn’t linger over the food longer than usual, savoring each bite. He tried to tell himself that this was for the best. That this was what he wanted. He refused to think about why he tucked the handkerchief and the box of chocolates into his desk drawer instead of leaving them in the break room as usual.

The next day as Kugo opened his office door, he looked toward his desk out of habit; searching for the lunch that had been left. His chest gave an uncomfortable lurch when he found the desk was bare. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it. This was fine. This was what he wanted. The sooner he forgot about all this nonsense, the sooner things would return to normal. He settled into his chair and began sifting through the paperwork he had to deal with. No better way to take his mind off his troubling thoughts and distract the whine of his inner alpha. He was certain. Things would be back to normal soon.

Two weeks later, Kugo listlessly picked at the limp lettuce of the poor excuse of a salad that he had picked up at a convenience store. He sighed, putting the lid back on the barely touched meal resolving to throw it away when he next passed a garbage can. He didn’t like to admit it, but he missed the carefully planned meals. Wondering what cute surprise was going to be next. It was nice that someone thought he might enjoy seeing animal shaped onigiri and cheesecake flavored kit kats. His alpha whimpered when he thought about the contented omega scent that gently perfumed every handkerchief, except the last. But just as the note had said, he had received nothing since that last bento. His thoughts remained gloomy as he entered the agency, quickly making his way into his office, locking the door behind him. He knew better than to hope as he looked towards his desk. Bare, once again. Sighing heavily, he slumped into his chair. He gently pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk. Carefully nestled into it was the cleaned, empty bento box from the last meal, the small box of dwindling homemade chocolates, and that last precious handkerchief.

Kugo carefully removed the handkerchief. He brought the cloth to his nose, inhaling deeply. Stabbing pain shot through him as he realized the scent was barely there anymore. The faint scent of tears almost completely overpowering the last lingering trace of distressed omega. His hands clutched the fabric tightly, squeezing until he realized the stress he was putting on the fabric. He quickly placed it on the desk and tried in vain to smooth out the wrinkles. After a minute of fussing, he gently refolded it and placed it back in the drawer. Kugo stared at the contents, unblinking before slowly sliding the drawer closed. It was almost gone. Everything was almost gone. And he didn’t know how to get it back.

With a low growl, Kugo pushed himself up. Today was a rare day where he hoped for trouble on his patrol. A fight would certainly take his mind off things, and just maybe calm the whining alpha that echoed throughout his entire being.

~~~~

He really needed to be careful what he wished for. Kugo winced as he limped toward the support lab. He had gotten a fight alright. He had gotten three fights, a twisted ankle, and a once again smashed communication headset. It wasn’t his fault that he had gotten thrown backwards into a rather solid concrete wall. Y/N was going to kill him.

Kugo pushed the lab door open, stepping inside. His forehead creased in worry. The lab felt off. Wrong in a way he couldn’t immediately place a finger finger on. Well, he’d have to think about it later, he decided as he made his way to where you were sitting. You were at your workbench, tapping your pen on the table and staring at nothing when he settled down on the stool next to you. You glanced over as Kugo sat down, did a double take and let out a small noise of surprise.

“Sakamata! What happened to you?”

The large man shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “The usual. Villain didn’t behave exactly how I thought, and I paid for not being vigilant enough. Nothing too bad. Twisted ankle and roughed up a little. Unfortunately though…”

Sheepishly as a scolded schoolboy, Kugo pulled the shattered remains of his latest communicator out of his pocket and placed them on the workbench.

“Kugo!”

He couldn’t help but smile. He loved the times when you got worked up enough to call him by his first name. He watched as you gingerly sifted through the sad shattered remains.

“What did you do, hit it with a rock?!”

“Concrete wall, actually.”

You stilled before turning to look at Kugo, sharp and suspicious. “And I assume you were wearing it at the time?”

Kugo had the decency to look embarrassed as he nodded. Suddenly he was being fussed over, gentle hands touching his face and turning his head this way and that. An exclamation and curse left you when you found a large, sluggishly bleeding gash on the back of Kugo’s head.

“You! You Alpha!” You huffed as you started digging through the pockets of your lab coat. Kugo got a brief glimpse of colored fabric before the handkerchief was softly dabbing at his wound. Kugo hissed, only half listening as the scolding continued about how knot headed alphas needed to learn to go to the medical ward first before worrying about stupid replacable tech. He was brought back to the present when a hand, so much smaller than his own, grabbed his hand. You easily maneuvered him so that Kugo was now firmly holding the handkerchief over the cut. You hummed, satisfied for now.

“Now Sakamata, please hold that there until you can get medical to look at it. Doubt a hard headed man like you has a concussion, but might need stitches. I’m not exactly an expert. Don’t worry about the headset. I should be able to get a new one to you before my replacement takes over. And if not, I’ll be leaving some blueprints behind anyway.”

What?

“Replacement?”

You stilled, looking away from him. “Yeah. Yeah, sorry. I just… I never found the right time to tell you.” You fidgeted, rubbing your thumb over your knuckles. “I’m going to be going to America soon. I’ve gotten a good offer to work with a few heroes over there that need someone specialized in mutation supports. It would do a lot to boost my career…”

Kugo reached out, grabbing your hand, and stopping your nervous motions. He tried to find words in his stalling brain. “This is really sudden, Y/N.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” You wouldn’t meet his gaze.

He gently shook his head, giving your hand a squeeze. “Not scolding you. Just, is everything alright? Is something going on?”

You pulled away, digging your hands into your hair with a sigh. “You know me too well.”

Kugo gave half a smile. “I would hope so. I like to think we’re friends. Is there anything I can do? Are you in trouble in some way?”

You shook your head. “No. No, nothing like that. It’s kind of embarrassing. Just… A courtship that really didn’t turn out well. And I just… I could really use some time away to get my head back on straight. Eagle Pride’s office has mentioned wanting me to go over and collaborate with them for a while, and what better time than now?” Your laugh sounded bitter.

Kugo sat silent and stunned. He hadn’t known you were courting. Being courted? Honestly, he wasn’t even sure of your dynamic. If you weren’t beta, then you certainly hid your scent well. He cleared his throat before speaking hesitantly.

“I certainly won’t stop you if you truly wish to go. It is an excellent opportunity. Might be a step in having your own support company if you wish. And if not, you’re always welcome here, Y/n. You must know that.”

You give a small smile, finally looking him in the eye. His chest tightened when he saw tears there. “I know, Kugo. You’ve been nothing but kind to me. You’re a good friend for putting up with me.”

“There’s no putting up with. I enjoy your company, always.” Kugo reached out slowly, but you turned away and wiped your eyes with your sleeve. He frowned, placing his hand back in his lap. “And you sure you’re alright, Y/N? No one is threatening you, are they? Someone unsafe taken an interest in you?”

You snorted, “Nothing like that. And people think I’m the dramatic one. No. I just got rejected is all. I miscalculated. Thought they were interested, but they made it very clear they aren’t.”

“Then they’re an idiot.” The words escaped Kugo before he even realized what he was going to say. But it was true, he was sure. You were beautiful, kind, smart. Anyone would be beyond lucky to hold your interest. On the rare days he allowed himself to dream, he often thought he’d love to have someone like you as a mate. Someone who knew him well and cared for him as much as he cared for them. He felt pains in his chest and his eyes widened as realization hit him in the face like a wet mackerel. Oh. He was jealous. He was jealous of whoever it was that y/n had tried to court. And he was angry. Furious that some fool had rejected her. Hurt her. But he was glad she was still here. Yet she was going to leave. Going to leave him here alone. His thoughts swirled and tumbled, and he swayed slightly in his seat. And hand on his shoulder stilled him and he looked up into your concerned eyes.

“Hey, you’re not looking too good. You really should get to medical. Do you need me to help you?”

“No. No. I can make it down a few hallways, thank you though.”

Kugo stood, and tried to give back the cloth he had been pressing to his head. You pushed it back, gently scolding him. “I said leave it there until someone can look at it. If you insist on returning a silly old rag, you can wash it and give it back later.”

Kugo nodded and mumbled out a goodbye. He had a lot to think about as he slowly made his way to medical. So. He liked you. The more he thought about it, the clearer it seemed to him. He’d liked you for a while. Things were always easy with you. But now, you’re leaving. He couldn’t stop you, and wouldn’t even if he could. You clearly felt like you needed to go.

He was still ruminating on his thoughts as the doctor ushered him to a bed. He was poked and prodded. Kugo managed to mumble out what must have been coherent answers. In the end, he did end up needing a few stitches. And just like that, he found himself fixed up and back in his office. He snorted a laugh at the absurdity. How can a day like this somehow manage to be just another day? Kugo sat in his chair and twisted the cloth in his hands absently. He brought it to his nose and sniffed out of habit. Oh course, the scent of his own blood was the most dominant. But underneath that was the usual calming scent of omega. His shoulders relaxed as the tension ran out of him. He pulled that cloth away, idly looking at the pattern. It was cute. Floral. Reminded him of the cloth that the first bento had been…

Wait.

Wait.

He hastily brought the handkerchief to his nose again. There was no mistaking it. He knew that smell. He had missed that smell for weeks. It was faint. But it absolutely was there. Omega, soft and sweet. Not any omega. His omega. His bento maker. His y/n.

Y/n.

Y/n who had seen him toss her courting gift in the trash, who thought he had completely rejected her, and who was moving to America.

Kugo was on his feet in an instant. He’d never made the trip to the support lab that quickly before. You jumped when the door flew open, hitting so harshly that the doorknob dented the wall.

“Sakamata! What?”

He dropped to his knees before you, arms wrapped tight around your waist and his head pressing against your stomach.

“Kugo?” You asked softly, hesitantly stroking along his fin. “Kugo, what’s wrong?”

“You’re the best thing life has ever given me. Please don’t leave. Please.”

You made a soft, wounded sound. You kneeled slowly, and took his face in your hands. Kugo leaned into your touch like a man who had been starved of affection his whole life. You stroked your thumbs over his cheeks.

“Kugo, I’m going to need you to speak plainly, so I’m sure I don’t misunderstand. What’s going on?”

His large hands came up, taking both your hands in his.

“I’m an idiot.”

You snorted and tilted your head, confused. He met your gaze as he continued.

“I’m an idiot and I love you.”

You inhaled sharply, looking at him in disbelief. He pulled the crumpled, bloodstained handkerchief from his pocket.

“I’m an idiot because I love you and yet I never even noticed that you loved me too. You showed me every day. You knew I like eggs just as much as fish. You cared enough to make them cute. You gave me extra sweets on days when I was working a double shift. I loved every bento you made me. I have every note saved. And I might be an idiot, but I’d be an even bigger idiot if I let you go without saying something. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, and I love you and please don’t go.”

“Kugo.” You smiled sadly. “I’m sorry. I already promised I’d go.”

Kugo inhaled a shaky breath, his eyes lowering to the floor.

“But,” you used your hands to lift his chin. His gaze snapped back to yours. “It’s just for six months. Six months, and then I’ll be right back here. With you.”

“With me?”

“Mmhmm.” You gave his nose a quick peck. “Always. You’re the best man I know. I don’t think there’s anyone else in the world for me.”

Kugo groaned and pulled you close, burying his face in your neck. From here, although it was very faint, he could smell your soothing scent. “You can’t say things like that and then tell me I can’t have you here for six months!”

You chuckled as you hugged him close. “Well, we have two weeks before I leave. We have a little time. And once I’m back? We’ll have all the time in the world.”

“Even that won’t be enough time to spend with you.”

“Dork.”

He hummed his agreement. “But it’s true. Eternity would be enough time to spend with you.” Before you could protest, he pulled you in for a gentle, but determined kiss.

[erimeows]

Yellow Roses

The first time was a learning experience.

Bumblebee had been innocent to the ways of human gift-giving back then, unsure of what to get or where to get it, but after using the internet and looking up where to buy gifts for humans, he found that there was a gift shop down the street from where the Autobot base was, and he begged and pleaded with Sari for some of her allowance money “for something important”.

He wasn’t sure what he wanted to get. What he was sure of, though, was that he was completely enamored with you and had been since day one- and he couldn’t bring himself to confess yet, but if he didn’t channel his feelings somehow, they were going to burst.

But as he approached the gift shop on that sunny day in Detroit, no other than Optimus Prime walked out and bumped into him. Thankfully, before he could fall back at the impact, Optimus reached out and caught him, placing him back on his feet with one strong servo. 

“P-Prime, hey!” Bumblebee grinned and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. He knew he wasn’t guilty of anything nefarious, per say, but he had no idea how Optimus would feel about him being in love with a human and wanting to buy gifts for said human with money that wasn’t his. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh, nothing much...” The other Autobot blatantly lied and hid a bouquet of blue and gold flowers that Bee didn’t know the name of behind his back, face burning the brightest shade of red the smaller bot had ever seen it. “Are you looking for something in particular?”

“I don’t know, I mean, what do humans even like?” Bumblebee muttered without thinking, and upon seeing Optimus’s optics widen, he raised his servos defensively and shook his head. “I mean, uh-! Never mind! What’s up with the flowers?”

“Ah,” Optimus gave an awkward grin and held the flowers in front of him instead of continuing to hide them, probably realizing that it was too late and Bumblebee had already seen them. The younger bot wondered if they were for Optimus or for someone else, but he didn’t dare ask, only listening to his leader talk. “I learned that unlike some other organic planets, on earth, it’s considered rude to pick plants if they’re in close proximity to someone’s home or in front of a public building or park unless they’re a specific type called weeds, which flowers aren’t, but I wanted to buy some for someone, so I came here to pick them up after asking Sari about it. Are you gift buying, too?”

“Well, yeah, I guess you could say that,” Bumblebee looked away and held his forearm in one servo, anxiously shifting his weight between his stabilizing servos. It felt like him and Optimus Prime had reached into the cookie jar and caught each other. 

Bumblebee didn’t dare ask who the flowers were for even though he was dying to know in fear that Optimus would ask who he was at the gift shop for in return. An uncomfortable silence fell onto them momentarily, both of them quiet and staring at each other with the noise of traffic and the bustling Detroit citizens walking on the pavement who kept passing by to keep them company.

“I’ve been doing some reading since Sari’s birthday is in a few months,” Optimus tried to continue the conversation and cleared his throat. “The customs for gift giving can involve about anything when it comes to human girls, but the most common are flowers, books, chocolates, jewelry, clothing, video games, or gifts of practicality, which just seem to be hygiene products and things they can use in their daily lives. Gift cards and vouchers with money on them are also common, but considered less personable, so I wouldn’t go that route if you’re close with the one you’re buying for unless they specifically ask for it.”

“Oh... I gotcha. Good ideas, bossbot!” Bumblebee smiled again, the corners of his lip-plates sore from how forced it was due to his nerves.

What if Optimus had figured it out? That would defeat the whole point of his plan; buy you nice things and leave them at your door in the middle of the night without his name attached. It was simple and easy, but if Optimus knew before he even got to try it?

Well. That made it a lot harder.

Thankfully, though, Optimus gave him a nod and bid him a good afternoon, then walked away.

Bumblebee found himself letting out a sigh of relief.

Thank Primus...

...Hours later, Bumblebee regretted all of his life decisions. He was sitting, holed up in his room with one audial pressed up against your wall. It was a terrible habit of his, but he eavesdropped on you pretty frequently when he heard bits and pieces of you talking through the wall, and he was doing it right now.

He wasn’t sure how he had expected it to go, but when he dropped the bouquet of yellow roses at your bedroom doorstep when you were out for lunch and no one was in the halls, he had hoped that you would simply take the flowers, appreciate them, and never say another word. However, you were currently telling Sari about it, which made sense considering that the young girl dropped by your room often and asked you to do her hair or makeup as an excuse to spend time with you- you were an adult, a lot older than Sari, but the two of you got along very well considering that you were the only one who actually knew how to take care of her properly when Isaac Sumdac wasn’t around.

“I have no idea!” You exclaimed, no doubt in reference to the flowers. Bumblebee cringed. What if Sari made the connection that the money he had borrowed from her was for that? What if she told everyone, or what if you told everyone, and Prime realized why he was at that gift shop and let his secret slip? “I can only assume it was you or one of the guys, but like... I don’t know who.”

“Yeah, I have no idea! It wasn’t me, I would’ve just given ‘em to you. We should dig deeper, (y/n)!”

Oh. Oh, Primus, no. 

“I’m not sure, Sari, whoever it was probably dropped it off like that for a reason,” Bumblebee heard you sigh, and at the same time, he let out a sigh of relief. Maybe you would just forget about it and-

“Wait! Do you have a secret admirer!?”

Dammit. Maybe not.

“I... Highly doubt that, the only one I’d be interested in anyways is-” You started, and then cut yourself off in a way that made Bumblebee’s spark shatter and crumble into little pieces inside his chassis. You were single, but you were already into someone? What if it wasn’t him? He’d understand, of course- Prime was stronger, Prowl was smooth, Bulkhead was talented, and Ratchet was intelligent. Compared to them, he felt like he didn’t have much to offer you. Everyone around him was amazing, and he was just there, but... He loved you, and he wanted you to know how loved you were. So, whether you’d love him back or not, he’d keep giving everything he had to you; even if the way in which he went about it was indirect. “Actually, never mind, but your braids are done-”

“No, wait, you can’t just gloss past that!” Sari whined. Bee almost didn’t want to hear the rest of your discussion, but he couldn’t keep himself from listening. “Who is it, who is it!?

“Let’s just go play Animal Crossing in the living room, we can talk about all of that at a later date, yeah?” You offered, voice laced with both your amusement and confusion. 

“Fine, fine, but you have to tell me soon! Pinky promise.”

“Fine, pinky promise. Now let’s go.”

Bumblebee heard your door open and close, followed by what he presumed to be you and Sari’s footsteps in the hallway. The sound eventually dissipated.

The Autobot was left to lay back on his berth and stare at the ceiling with a huff.

You were telling others about the gift he left, trying to get to the bottom of it, and you were into someone or somebot he didn’t even know about.

What had he gotten himself into?

-

The second time, he felt a little better about it. It was a week later and he hadn’t heard any discussion of the subject amongst the other Autobots, so he assumed nothing had come from it.

But, as he lounged on the living room couch, he jumped upon you sitting down on the couch’s arm- right by where his head was laid.

It made sense that he had been jumpier around you over the past few days. Part of it was the usual I’m-in-love-with-you-and-super-tense-about-it jumpiness that he had become accustomed to, but it was made worse by the fact that he was guilty; guilty of keeping a secret from you, of indirectly lying to you. He could’ve done it the one time with the roses and let it die down after, but when you’d talked about your old game controller breaking the night before at the dinner table, he hadn’t been able to help himself- he went and got it along with a new bouquet of yellow roses, left it in front of your room later that night, knocked, and ran away.

It was the next day, and understandably, he’d been anxious about it. It was better than the first time, but he was just hoping you wouldn’t talk about it.

Of course, he was never that lucky, and you looked at him with the controller literally in your hands. 

“Hey, Bee, do you know anything about this?” You asked.

Had he been caught? Did you know? Or were you just trying to get information from him in case he knew something? Unsure, he decided to play it safe and act oblivious. 

“Huh? What’s that?”

“I’m taking that as a no, but someone left this new controller on my doorstep with a bouquet of roses? I needed a new one, but I only mentioned it to you and the others, so I think it’s one of you guys... But this is the second time I’ve received a gift without any name on it and I’m really confused. I’ve done some asking around, but the only one who seems to know anything is Optimus, and he won’t give me any hints and insists that he has no idea what I’m talking about.”

Great. So, Optimus probably realized why Bumblebee had been at the gift shop last week. Well... From what you said, it sounded like Optimus was at least decent enough to stay out of his business and keep the secret for him- or try to, at least. 

“Yeah? That’s weird, I don’t really know why he’d be like that about it... Wanna play Streetfighter?”

“Sure, but I’m just super confused, man,” You muttered, turning on the playstation and giving a frustrated huff. The game quickly turned on, and while Bee took the old controller, you connected your brand new one and chose your stage, your character being Akuma. Bee chose Ken to fight with and listened to you continue as the game started. “I thought the first time might’ve just been a one-off thing, but it’s happened again, and the flowers were one thing, but now it’s flowers and a new controller. Anyone else would be creeped out, and I’m not creeped out- more flattered than anything since I know it’s from you or one of the other Autobots- but this is really expensive... I’d at least like to be able to say thank you!”

“That makes sense, I think I’d feel the same way,” The black and yellow bot mumbled. The game had hardly started and he was already losing due to his inability to focus- it was so bad that he couldn’t even combat you when you crowded his character into the corner and kicked him over and over and over again. His health bar dropped to zero, signaling that you’d won round one.

Round two started, and he did a little better; actually jumping away from your cornering attempts and offering some blasts and punches, but by the time it ended, he’d only gotten you down to half health, and you were delivering your final blow. Ken fell to the ground, Akuma still standing. 

You didn’t even press replay despite being player one. No, instead, you let out a huff and stared at the ceiling. Bumblebee found himself resting his helm against your thigh without thinking, enjoying the warmth against his faceplates. You two were best friends, very comfortable with each other and with physical affection, so you didn’t mind it, only running a gentle hand over one of his audials in return. 

Both of you set your controllers down. It was obvious that both of you were so focused on the subject of your anonymous gifts that the game didn’t catch either of your interests like it usually would. 

“I might try to ask Optimus about it again tomorrow... Information extraction,” You joked, but Bumblebee quickly sat up and objected. 

“Wait, I don’t think that’s such a good idea!”

“Huh? Why not? He’s the only one who’s given me so much as a reaction,” You argued and stood up to turn the game system off, then started pacing around the room. “And I guess his eyes getting all wide ‘n stuff may have just been something else, but like... It’s all I’ve got to go on.”

“Yeah, but you know how the bossbot is,” Bee stood as well, trying his hardest not to look like he was in the midst of blowing a circuit from the panic that was currently taking over his processor. “He shuts down when you push him too hard. If he knows anything about it, you gotta wait for him to come to you with that sweet info.”

“You’re probably right, Bee, thanks for the advice,” You smiled, and then walked to him to put a hand on his shoulder plate. “I’m gonna go to bed, ‘kay? Goodnight.”

You looked into his optics, and oh Primus, he was gone; your eyes were such a beautiful shade of (e/c), and your smile was so beautiful, and you were so beautiful, and he was so in love-

Quickly, he realized that he was taking too long to respond, so he quickly stammered something out.

“G-Goodnight...” 

And then, you left, swiftly turning and walking out of the living room.

Bumblebee found himself letting out a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he missed you desperately.

He wished he’d given you a hug goodnight.

And, as he stood alone in the dark living room, he thought back to how exactly he’d ended up in his current predicament; painfully in love with a human, giving them things without having the courage to do it face-to-face, life feeling like it was falling apart with every hour that passed without him being able to kiss you and tell you how much he loved you like he so desperately wanted to. 

He’d loved you from the very start, and as bold as he was, he couldn’t bring himself to tell you- he was just too scared, but...

What if this was what finally gave it away...?

-

The third time was what ended up blowing his cover. He should’ve left it alone, and he had told himself that after the last time- it was far too close of a call when you talked about Optimus knowing something, and he was so obvious with his own emotions during that, too... He wouldn’t do it again.

But then, he was shopping with Sari that day and saw a (f/c) hoodie that was just your size and style, and he decided you had to had it. So, when Sari was distracted at a different store, he got the hoodie, along with a new notebook, some pens, and a stuffed bee. He bought the gifts for you and put them in a nice gift bag with some paper, then left them by your door and disappeared before anyone could see him. 

He was sitting in the living room yet again. It was late at night, and though him and his team had spent most of that night playing board games and catching up with a movie playing in the background, they’d all went to bed hours ago, leaving him to think by himself.

He’d lost at every game; Uno, Monopoly, Candyland, Sorry, Cards Against Humanity, and Scrabble, all because he was staring at you the entire time. 

Why couldn’t he just get over himself and confess already? It was selfish to keep hiding from you, because what if the one you’d mentioned being interested in was actually him? And even if it wasn’t him, was it fair for you to think that he saw you as a friend when he was secretly in love with you? Was it fair for you to keep receiving gifts and never knowing who they were from? 

Speak of the devil, though- the second Bumblebee looked up from where he was standing in the middle of the room, you were leaning against the doorway, wearing the hoodie he’d bought you and a pair of pajama shorts. You looked sleepy with your (h/l) (h/c) hair a mess and your soft hands rubbing the bleariness out of your (e/c) eyes. 

“Bee?” You mumbled.

“(y/n), where’d you just come from? You look tired! You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m tired, but I’m fine. I was in the hallway, kinda waiting for everyone else to go to bed so I could talk to you, but... It took me a minute to come in here.” Bumblebee walked towards you and raised his optical ridge. His spark sank to the floor because oh Primus, was this it? Was it finally happening?

“Oh, uh... Why do you need to talk to me alone? What’s up?”

You averted your gaze and gently grabbed one of his servos with your hand, holding it tightly. Bumblebee took a sharp intake. You were about to start talking, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for it. 

“I know it’s you,” You confessed with a guilty smile. Bumblebee froze in place and cringed. “I feel bad, but my curiosity was killing me, so I asked around some more and did a lot of prying- Optimus seemed like he was hiding something when I talked to him about it, so I pried until he gave up and told me that he suspected it was you; that he’d seen you at a gift shop the day I got the first bouquet, that he’d seen you lingering in the hallways the past few times I’ve gotten something, etcetera. He gave me enough details that I pieced it together, so... Yeah.”

“Well, at least it’s out of the way,” Bumblebee laughed out loud, and surprisingly, you smiled back at him. This wasn’t how he wanted it to come out, but he wasn’t sure it would have come out at all if not for this. “Getting human money without a real job is hard! Glad I could at least confess without having to do it so much that I went bankrupt.”

“Bee...” You started again, peering up at him, but he felt like he wasn’t ready for what was going to happen next. Were you about to reject him? He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. 

“Well, now that that’s done, I’m gonna go ahead and go to bed! I could use a really good recharge right about now-”

“Bee-” You cut him off with a pout and gripped his servo, obviously not done, but he only continued in hopes that you would give it up and let him escape the situation. 

“Goodnight, (y/n)-”

“Bee!” You yelled and pulled him towards you by his wrist so you could get in his face. “For God’s sake, man, stop and listen to me talk for a second!”

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry! I just-” He tossed his hands up defensively, ready to spill his circuits out, only for you to cut him off.

“You don’t think I love you back, right? You’re such a dolt!” You exclaimed. 

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Bumblebee yelled back at you, processor only catching the insult before he thought back on ‘I love you back’ and froze. “...Oh. Sorry.”

“I mean I’ve loved you for months now! Even before I realized it, I think I would’ve been more than open to dating you at any point in time, I mean... You’re pretty great. Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Well, uh-” Bumblebee stopped and took in a deep intake, then sighed and linked your fingers with his digits so he could hold your hand properly. The anxiety that had been building up over you for so long now was finally leaving his body and being replaced by relief.“I don’t know. I feel kinda stupid now.”

“C’mere,” You mumbled and wrapped an arm around him. He hugged you back, taking you into his arms and resting his chin on top of your head... He could get used to that. You were warm and soft as you relaxed your body against his and allowed yourself to be held. You let go of his servo in favor of curling your hands and arms up by his chest. “Thank you for the gifts. They were really sweet and I loved them all, so... I’ll be sure to return the favor.”

“Return the favor? This is more than enough to return the favor!” He grinned, only hugging you tighter. “I’ve always wanted to just, like, hug you like this-”

“You can kiss me, too, if you want,” You offered, which had him pulling back to look down at you, spark lit aflame. 

“Really?” Bumblebee asked, just to be sure.

“Of course.”

There was a moment of silence; hesitance from both ends. It was true that, while both of you had been physically affectionate as friends, you’d never kissed, and Bumblebee had certainly never kissed a human. He’d been waiting for this moment for so long, but he had no idea what to do now that it was actually happening. 

Thankfully, you took the initiative and wrapped your arms over his shoulders, hands on the back of his neck. You looked up at him one more time before standing on your tip-toes so you could gently press your lips against his. Bumblebee was frozen still for a moment as he processed your warm, soft lips against his cool metal plating, but after the tension faded, he found himself resting his servos on your hips and melted into it. 

One kiss turned into many; again, again, and again, you moved your lips against his in a manner so intoxicating that he couldn’t get enough of it.

Eventually, though, you pulled away and smiled up at him, but now that he had gotten to kiss you like that, he couldn’t help but want more. 

“I, uh... I’m not sure the favor has been returned yet,” Bumblebee averted his optics from your eyes, able to feel his spark beating faster. “I might need one more kiss just to be sure-”

You chuckled, cutting him off by leaning up again and sloppily pushing your lips against his- and, with that, he was gone.

[vidalinav]

Life’s a Beach (1)

I underestimated how long this fic was, so I smashed them together. I will continue just posting snippets and writing it like that (and then smashing them together), but since most of you will already have read it, I will include a bonus scene at the end. My thank you for putting up with my unconventional writing process. 

Summary: Tarquin comes to town and Cassian is jealous. 

~

Cassian doesn’t like when Tarquin visits.  

Never mind the ban from the Summer Court or that at one point, blood rubies pilfer their court. Never mind that Summer crowns him holier than the seas and the sun. Cassian doesn’t like the ease in which he walks. He may not have his usual royal garb, but he glides along the Sidra. The mighty king out for a stroll.  

Nesta looks like his queen.  

His mate is bright and beaming, huffing laughs and smiling wide as she praises his ideas. Cassian has ideas, too.  

But Nesta isn’t interested in his ideas as he follows them around. Nesta just continues smiling. Her skin glows with the sun, the apples of her cheeks turning a pretty shade of apricot as Tarquin notes the dying rays. Are you a poet Tarquin? Cassian wants to ask, but knowing the High Lord, he just might be and Nesta fucking loves poetry.  

Her cheeks remain pink and Cassian resists grabbing her hand and dragging her back to the house. You’ll die of heatstroke; he might say if she protests. But no.  

He won’t.  

He promises to be on his best behavior.  

Even so, Cassian can’t help eyeing buildings as they pass. Just break one, he urges. One and we can ban you from the Night Court. But that might mean, Nesta spending some time in Summer, with her good friend Tarquin, who makes Nesta beam like that, make her cheeks red like that.  

All Cassian sees is red.

All Nesta looks at is Tarquin.  

“You know, I never thought someone as young as you would be so conniving.”

Conniving? Cassian isn’t paying attention, but at the word, he’s ready to deem it insulting enough to fight Tarquin if Nesta so much as gives him a look. But Nesta only listens as Tarquin speaks. Cassian can’t even read her expression. It’s blank as she stares.  

“I admire that quality,” The little high lord says.  

Admire someone else, buddy.  

Nesta only snorts, the words making her laugh.  

The light plays with her eyes as she smirks. They look bluer today. Less silver. Cassian has to think that it has something to do with Tarquin. Tarquin who brings out the blue in Nesta’s eyes, who brings pink to her cheeks. Never mind that it probably has more to do with how bright it is today.  

“You’re too smart,” he remarks, and Cassian wants to roll his eyes. Nesta is too smart, too smart to be hanging around with some pompous flatterer. “No wonder you’re good at this game.”  

“What game?” She asks, lightly, but even Cassian can hear the caution. Her voice slowing as if coaxing an answer from his lips.  

“The game we all play. These situations that have us playing with life whether we want to or not.” Nesta lilts her head curiously, waiting for further explanation and Cassian waits too, because he’s not sure he understands. Tarquin looks like he’d rather not speak of it, but he continues even so.  

“Fae are good at games–invented them really. Court politics, morality, marriage, and bargains. I have to believe you’re good at them. Not just because I’ve seen you, but because I know what Eris offered as soon as he had you in his arms… It’s always the smart ones who win these games–the most clever.”  

Nesta rolls her eyes as if his words offer no great importance, “It’s never the smart ones who win.” She counters. “Not the ones who are strongest or the most magically gifted or the one who smiles the sweetest while she glides across the floor. There is no game that you can win by being the most beautiful person in the room… No game I’d want to play anyways.”  

“Then who does win?” He urges. Tarquin almost sounds desperate for the answer, and Cassian has to wonder if Nesta has woven a spell around him too just as much as Eris.  

“Whoever’s luckiest,” Nesta shrugs simply, “So there’s no point in trying so hard… We all end up in the exact place we were always supposed to be in.”    

She doesn’t sound happy about that either, and something about the tone makes Cassian want to hold her close. Make her remember that it’s a joy to be here. To be together, even if it is with another male who skin beams with the summer sun.

I’m lucky to have you. 

He hopes she knows.  

“Then you’re lucky,” Tarquin notes, “And blessed. You’re blessed and lucky. Smart and clever.” He laughs as if brushing the seriousness off, “Is that why you’re so good at cards? Azriel was moping last night. I thought that had something to do with you.”  

Nesta lifts a casual shoulder, a soft smile playing on her lips. Cassian thinks even that is a play–some move she knows will help her counter his attack. “Azriel loses because he wants to win and it’s easy to win against someone who’s already shown their cards.”  

“Motivations are everything.”  

“Yes,” Nesta nods frankly, “so why are you here?”  

Cassian wants to know, too.  

Actually, Cassian wants to push him into the Sidra and see if pretty fishman can float, but he’ll take Nesta’s verbal spar in any case. If he runs back to the House with his tail between his legs, Cassian will consider it a win for the both of them. His lovely strategist.

But Tarquin doesn’t run. Cassian doesn’t think Tarquin will ever run from Nesta and that simple fact makes him furious. That there is another male in this world who will see Nesta and not balk, who will know Nesta and not grimace.  

Cassian is not the only male who stays. Not for the power or the beauty or the poise, but because underneath all of that is a female who can conquer as much as she can tame. Whose voice sounds like the sea, whose eyes are crystal clear waters, whose mind rages against the tide.  

Tarquin breathes in ocean air.  

Every morning, he fishes on the coast. Every evening, he sleeps to the humming sea. Who would know Nesta better than someone who dreams of waves?  

So, it doesn’t come as any surprise when Tarquin looks to him, as she asks her question. Why are you here?  

“Because I want to know you.”  

A fool’s choice.  

“I’m not foolish enough to claim you,” He adds, “and I’m not foolish enough to think you’ll ever be claimed, even if you have a mate. No offense, Cassian.”

Offense taken.  

“I’m not even foolish enough to think I can even begin to know who you are or what you’ve been through… But when you looked at me that day in the Summer Court, and asked me to help your family, offered me anything that you could give me alone.”  

What? Cassian looks to Nesta, but she promptly ignores him, staring at Pompous Prince Tarquin.  

“I’d never seen anyone want so badly. I wanted to know what that felt like. Know what stirred so deeply in your heart that you looked at me like you’d give me the entire world for just one yes.”  

Tarquin raises a shoulder and Cassian tries not to swallow so loudly. He thinks he might have to shove a fist down his throat to stop his screaming, “You’re a question I keep mulling over and I’ve yet to figure out what the answer is. I don’t even know if I could know the answer if it stared me in the eyes, but I would like to learn. To feel half of what you feel, to learn how to love so truly.”

~

Cassian replays her answer as he sleeps. He goes over it and over it and over it again. At some point, he wakes her up in the middle of the night, shaking her shoulder.  

“Nesta,” he whispers, “Nesta? What did you mean?”

His mate only groans, her brows furrowing, as she burrows further into blankets. Cassian knows he’s playing in dangerous territory, but he can’t stop thinking about. It’s driving him insane.  

“Nesta, what did you mean?”  

He says it once louder, shaking her again. Nesta only juts out her elbow, hitting him in the rib. Cassian holds in the heavy moan as he clutches his chest, and Nesta settles in her sleep.  

Still, Cassian can’t give up now. “When you told Tarquin you’d think about it, what did you mean? Nesta?”  

Cassian grasps her shoulder, shaking her lightly, “Nesta!”  

“What?” Nesta yells, leaning up so fast, she almost hits her head on his chin. “What do you keep yelling about? I’m trying to sleep!”  

Even furious and half-asleep, she looks beautiful. The strap of her nightgown slips down one shoulder, and he trails the movement as if his own fingers push it down. Nesta crosses her arms, and he swallows down the want. Not an appropriate time, Cassian.  

She raises a brow, “Well?”  

“I wanted to talk,” he says simply.  

Nesta looks to the clock on the wall, glaring at him exasperated. “At two in the morning?”  

“Good a time as any.”  

She looks mad that much is true, and Cassian wishes to appease.  

His mate is tired, so he’ll fluff her pillows, rub her shoulders while she relaxes enough to tell him exactly what she means when she tells Tarquin she’ll think about it. As if his I want to get to know you is an offer she can’t refuse.  

But as he fluffs her pillows, Cassian can only think of Tarquin.  

He would have waited to speak to her, prioritizing Nesta’s health over his wants. Just this morning… or yesterday morning, the High Lord of Summer makes sure to ask Nesta if she’s eaten as she reads her book on the couch–a fact he finds rude to say the least–and when she says no, he offers to make breakfast for her. Oh, so generous of him. Never mind that they have a House who cooks their meals.  

Cassian scoffs as he thinks about it. What High Lord plays chef? And who is he to ask if Nesta’s eaten as if his mate isn’t being taken care of?  

He yanks at the pillow, beats at it, punches it. He can’t help but imagine Tarquin’s face. He can see feathers jutting from the cushion, and still he hits. The cloth lays in the cinders on the bed before he stops.  

Nesta sighs at the mess, grabbing one of the pillows from his side, clasping it to her head.  

“What are you doing?” Cassian asks.  

“Hoping I suffocate enough to pass out.”

Her voice is muffled, and he grasps at the pillow. Her hair is a ruffled mess. It splays out on the pillow in waves. Cassian can’t help but breathe at the sight of her and the sound is a sigh of relief.  

She’s his… Or as much as Nesta can be his.  

She chose him.  

Nesta with her matted hair, the side of her cheek pink from where she pushes up against the pillow, her silver nightgown making her skin glow in the light of the moon, chooses him.  

Shouldn’t that be enough?  

Cassian rubs at his face, feeling all too shameful. “I’m sorry. I just–” He takes in their bed, feathers littering the duvet. Suddenly, he feels like a little kid. What was he doing beating a pillow like that? Waking Nesta in the middle of the night? 

“You’re jealous,” Nesta says.  

Her voice echoes in the room, and Cassian frowns at the words. Of course, he’s jealous. That much is obvious. He’s always jealous.  

Nesta is beautiful and powerful and smiles like she grants the sun its light, and males flock to her like moths. Not just any males either but stupid princes and arrogant High Lords and stupid, arrogant Tarquin!

Nesta only grabs at the pillow in his hands, setting it under her head as she closes her eyes. He waits for her to speak, but he can only hear the ticking of the clock, on and on as time passes.  

Nesta doesn’t say a thing.  

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say. You’re jealous and you go back to sleep.”  

The pretty pink of her lips purse, but she doesn’t even open her eyes as she says, “If you were looking for comfort, you shouldn’t have woken me up at two in the morning.”  

Well… damn.  

Cassian settles back at his side, crossing his arms as he stares at the ceiling. He’s one less pillow down, but that doesn’t bother him much. It’s the thoughts that don’t quiet even for a second. Stupid mating bond.  

That thought though has him looking to Nesta. No, he loves that mating bond. He loves her. And even if Tarquin wants to impede himself like a wall between them, Cassian will still love Nesta Archeron.  

He closes his eyes repeating those words as if they’re a lullaby that will let him drift off to sleep. I love Nesta Archeron. I love Nesta Archeron. I love Nesta Archeron.  

The words don’t comfort him even a little.  

But Nesta sets her head on his chest. She tucks herself in to the crook of his arm and Cassian squeezes gently–he tries not to hold on too tight.  

She must sense his surprise. Whether that be from the bond or because Nesta knows him like that back of her hand, he doesn’t know. But she blinks one eye open, looking at him with bright grey and all his fears are assuaged.

“You should hold me since you woke me up.”

Cassian can only blink, nodding his head as she wraps his arms around her, and he settles in. He can hear her heart beating and he can hear her soft breathing and Cassian can go to sleep to this. He can.  

Cassian will hold her until she tells him let go. Cassian will not let go.  

Still… he can’t help it.  

“I bet Tarquin can’t hold you like this.”  

Cassian only gets mouth full of feathers.

~

Tarquin tells Rhys that he’s going to stay for two weeks. During this time, they’ll talk of treaties, draw up some plan of trade, some easy comings and goings of Night Court and Summer Court residences. Cassian tells Rhys that they don’t need a treaty. Throw him out now, he thinks.  

“Is something going on with you?” Rhys asks, leaning back in his chair, ever the High Lord. Cassian is starting to hate High Lords.  

Cassian crosses his arms, grinding his teeth. He’s in the sitting room in the estate. Amren solves a puzzle as if nothing about this meeting is important at all. Mor talks to Feyre by the dining room, gossiping rather than listening to Rhys moan about Tarquin and peace treaties. Nesta, not that she goes to these meetings, is out doing gods know what with Tarquin who wants to view the city.  

Take me to all your favorite places, he says. Cassian rolls his eyes just thinking about the way Nesta’s light up. Bookstores and restaurants and museums. She knows them all. Nesta goes with him, first. Why does Tarquin care? Is he planning on buying a winter house in Velaris?  

Cassian’s blood runs cold at the thought.  

“He’s jealous,” Azriel says, throwing a scroll at Rhys which he easily catches.  

Mor’s head jerks up at the word, even Feyre smirks with interest.  

“No,” Cassian dismisses, but he’s never been a good liar. His voice pitches high and Rhys eyes him with humor, “I… just think that we don’t need Summer Court resources, when we have an abundance of them already.”  

“You’re also banned,” Amren comments helpfully, “I would say that makes you the most biased towards these dealings.”  

“Your boyfriend is from the Summer Court; wouldn’t that make you the most biased?” Mor asks. Amren simply shrugs.  

“I mean have we considered that. That male banned me and now we’re opening our borders?”  

“Our borders have always been open,” Feyre says, not so helpfully. The look she gives him has him sinking in his seat. “Also, you wrecked the central magistrate.” 

“They’ve rebuilt it,” Cassian argues.  

“You mates are all the same,” Amren groans loudly, “She’s not going to fuck Tarquin.”  

“Shut up Amren!”

“That’s the best you can do? I’m sure Tarquin’s more eloquent.”

“Amren,” Feyre says, giving her that motherly reprimanding look. An expression that Cassian supposes comes with the motherhood package.  

It does the trick.

Amren sneers, but she settles back where she sits on the floor, picking at her puzzle. Cassian has the sudden urge to knock the pieces off the table, just for the comment alone.

“Nesta loves you, Cassian,” Feyre says, her voice light and calming. Too bad it doesn’t calm him, and he doesn’t want to talk about this now even if she goads. “What’s there to be jealous of?”  

Cassian already knows this answer. He knows this answer this morning, the other night, the minute summer enters Velaris spring. It’s not that Nesta loves him. Cassian knows Nesta loves him. It’s that he lets his guard down. He forgets the most crucial information of all–

Nesta is easily lovable.  

Sure, she might give a sneer or two at someone who annoys her well enough or beat the living daylights out of someone who threatens those she loves, but Nesta is an easily lovable dork.

She laughs at stupid things and it’s the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard. She’s a goofball! He swears she knows every book in that library. She absorbs information like a sponge, will rant for hours about everything she learns. Her thoughtfulness knows no bounds. They’ll be off at the market and if she sees something that looks like Gwyn or Emerie or himself or whoever, she has to have it. She has to give it to them. They go to get cinnamon buns and she orders enough for the priestesses. She remembers everyone’s birthday. She learns the name of every patron and their families and their language and their holidays. It’s not hard to love Nesta.  

Who would not love Nesta?  

So yes, he has something to be jealous of.  

“You look stressed,” Mor notes, her eyebrows raising.  

Amren nods, “You look like you’re going to fight someone.”  

“Or puke,” Azriel adds.  

“Just don’t fight Tarquin,” Rhys concludes, “I can’t ban you from the court, but I can certainly make sure you’re away in Illyria while he’s here.”  

“You guys are really supportive, you know that?”

“Well at least we’re not trying to steal you’re girl,” Mor teases.  

“Yet.”  

Cassian gives her a glare, but she only laughs a bright sound.  

“I’ve never seen you jealous,” she says.

“I’m not jealous.”  

Azriel raises a pointed finger, “what about that one time you threw that rock at that window?”  

“Or when you broke that male’s nose,” Rhys suggests.  

Amren rolls her eyes, setting down a piece of her puzzle, “How about the last time we all went to a bar.”  

Mor, Azriel, and Rhys look to each other, contemplating the words. Cassian watches as they nod their heads slowly.  

“Oh yeah.”

“You’re right.”  

“You were jealous then, too.”  

“I was not jealous,” Cassian insists.  

Thankfully, Feyre–sweet Feyre offers him relief. She raises her hands, and Cassian thinks he’s glad to have such a loyal sister-in-law. “Guys, he was not jealous.”  

Thank you, Feyre.  

“He was territorial.”  

The others voice their agreement before Cassian has a chance to speak–to defend himself from this defamation of character.

Not that he can defend himself.  

He remembers that day all too well…

It’s the first Nesta goes to a bar with them. The first time she goes to a bar in a while, and she’s nervous. But she looks beautiful. So damn beautiful that he thinks he might suggest staying in. She has on a black dress with these tiny straps and a necklace that makes him want to trace her neck with his tongue until she’s mewling and soft and pliant. But she’s nervous, so he only kisses her forehead.  

We don’t have to drink he says. I won’t drink either, he promises.  

Cassian turns out to be a bold-faced liar.  

He’s drunk by the time the first band plays. He keeps gobbling down the drinks. Nesta gets them for free. Martinis, vodka sodas, gin, and whiskey. All manners of shots. Every alcohol keeps floating her way. The males seem to think they only need to find the right one. The one Nesta prefers and they take it as a challenge. He remembers asking if she even needed their money all those months ago, and she only shrugs a shoulder. Haughty and much, much too beautiful.  

Nesta offers to send them back, but Cassian gulps them down one by one before she can even call over the waitress. I can take it, he says.  

Once again, Cassian is made a liar.  

They have to carry him out of that bar. At some point, he remembers flying over the city as Rhys and Azriel chase him through the streets.  

The only way they get him down is by Nesta calling for him. An easy trick, he thinks. If they asked him, they should have tried that first. Of course, he answers his mate when she calls.  

When he meets her, crawling back with his wings drooping to the concrete, Nesta only opens her arms as if she wants him to hug her. Cassian hugs her. He… climbs on top of her, really.  

But she combs her fingers through his hair and Cassian hunches over to lay his head on her shoulder and the next thing he knows… he’s lying in bed, a glass of water and some headache powder on the side table.  

She’d hit that nerve in his neck.  

Cassian wants to scoff just thinking about it.  

“Where is Nesta anyway?”  

The question has Cassian grinding his teeth, he can hear the noise in his ears. With fucking Tarquin.  

“She’s out,” he says instead.  

“Out where?”  

“Out to museums,” He lists thinking of all the places Nesta enjoys. “Or picnics.” All the places that Nesta will smile at. “Or restaurants.” All places Nesta will bubble up with laughter, that she’ll blush with glee, that she’ll gaze at wistfully with that bastard Tarquin. “Or maybe romantic boat rides. The one in that fucking swan.”  

Cassian doesn’t even know he grabs on to the throw pillow, but the next thing he knows the cushion is torn in half and the stuffing falls out like billowing snow.  

The others look at him strangely, but it’s Feyre who takes a cautious step towards him, taking the pillow from his hands.  

“And when will they be done?”  

Cassian rolls his eyes, looking to the clock. “I meet them in a half an hour. We’re getting lunch,” he mocks in a voice that doesn’t sound anything like the High Lord of Summer.  

Feyre hums in answer, her eyes widening innocently. Cassian stares in suspicion.  

He watches as the others look to each other, too. Azriel to Mor. Mor to Rhys. Rhys to Feyre. Feyre to Amren. And then all of them look back to him.  

It’s Mor who bounces brightly, “I want to go!”  

“I’m going, too,” Rhys announces.  

Feyre crosses her arms, “You can’t go. I’m going! Someone has to watch the baby.”  

“Let Nuala and Cerridwen watch the baby! I’m supporting my brother.”  

“I’m supporting my sister!”  

“Oh, for cauldron’s sake,” Amren groans, “just bring the boy!”  

Cassian frowns as they start packing up around him, yelling at each other for their coats and… baby carriers.  

Amren only pauses to laugh at the look on his face.  

“It could be worse, you know,” She says, her voice something she probably thinks sounds soft and comforting, “Tarquin could have already made some move. What do males say these days? Oh right, I want to get to know you or something equally as vomit inducing.”  

Cassian simply picks up the throw pillow to his left and screams.  

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

BONUS SCENE 1: 

The evening of their first outing, Cassian can’t button his shirt. He should've taken that as his first sign that things would inevitably go wrong. 

“Are the buttons winning?” Nesta asks lightly. Cassian huffs a curse, hiking the shirt over his head. It gets stuck around his neck and he groans out a response.

Fine, he thinks. I give up. 

Nesta laughs at his slumping shoulders. 

“It’s the wings,” He says, muffled through the cloth. His wings drift up and down as if huffing themselves, showing her that they too are thoroughly annoyed. ��This shirt isn’t made for Illyrians.” 

That’s a lie, but Nesta only hums. 

“Well... as much as I like you topless and I do like you topless.” Cassian can feel her hands trailing up his ribs and he squirms at the ticklish touch. “I don’t think it would be appropriate for public outings.” 

“You mean you’d be jealous,” He breaths. Nesta pulls the shirt down, unbuttoning and buttoning it again. His mate makes it seem far too easy, and she smirks up at him when the shirt is fully on. Her lips painted in red. 

The fresh air is cool in his lungs without the noose of dress ware, and he winds his arms around her, breathing in her scent. “All those females looking. Males too. What would you do if they propositioned me?” He urges, holding her closer, bringing her hips to his. “Cassian, Cassian, take me in your arms.”

He dips her low as if they’ve finished some waltz, and lifts her high until her leg is around his waist. That’s when he notices the slit in her gown, running all the way up her thigh. 

“They’ll chase me through the streets, you know. I’m a very hot commodity.” 

Nesta doesn’t even laugh. In fact, she merely lifts her eyes, her expression blank in that very Nesta way of hers.  

She fingers the collar of his shirt and Cassian can’t help but follow her hands. He thinks of every place those fingers can touch. “You wouldn’t be so difficult to catch. All it’d take is some buttons.” 

Cassian roars with laughter and Nesta smiles at that. A small turn of her lips. 

She turns back to the vanity, though he can’t say she’s not already perfect. He’s about to say so too, but that’s when he notices the dress. 

It’s hugs her every curve... the way Cassian only wishes to hug her. The black brings out the gold in her hair, in her sun-kissed skin. There’s a slit, Cassian knows, and tiny, tiny straps. 

Cassian moves towards her without a second thought. How anyone can think when they look at Nesta Archeron, he doesn’t know. He grasps her arms, dipping his head low. He places a reverent kiss on her shoulder and Nesta looks at him through the mirror, blinking up at him with those big, magnificent eyes. 

They’ve never fucked in front of mirror before.  

Cassian makes a note. 

“You know, we can always skip this... thing. Who would even notice if we're gone?” 

“Considering it’s for us, I’d say plenty.” 

She says the words with enough disdain that Cassian frowns at the tone. She  looks away as he catches her eyes.

“Do you not want to go?” He asks, dropping his hands. 

“I want to get this night over with,” she says, with a certain bite that has him backtracking. He runs over the day and all things she can be mad at him for, but he finds nothing, so he doesn’t understand.  

The night is for them. 

To celebrate her more than anyone. There’s been so many celebrations for her these past months as if they’re making up for lost time. Cassian doesn’t mind. Nesta should be celebrated. And Nesta doesn’t seem to mind, though she’s rather quiet during those outings. 

That’s not unusual. 

He used to think Azriel was the most introverted of them all. But Nesta beats him by miles. 

“Why--”

“I just don’t like that we always have these. Why can’t everyone just leave us alone?” 

Cassian stares at her reddening skin. The way her eyes dart back and forth, trying not to look to him. His frown deepens at the way she hides. 

He thought they were past this. 

Cassian is the first person to admit that he doesn’t know Nesta. Not in the way he wants to and Nesta seldom tells him much. But he at least knows her well enough to know that when she gets upset, it’s rarely what she says it is.

So Cassian takes inventory. 

They’re going to a get-together. They’ve done that before. They’re wearing formal clothes. They’ve done that before. They’re meeting the same people. Yes, that’s correct. The only thing that’s different is... the location? 

“You have a problem with the restaurant,” he guesses. 

Nesta merely lies her chin on her palm. 

“It’s new... they have good food... so I hear. It’s got great music, which you like. It’s got a bar,” Cassian’s gaze whips to her, “Is it the bar?” 

Nesta rolls her eyes, but he can see the way her cheeks flush a bright pink. The color softens something inside of him, makes him want to hug her and hold her and get rid of every bad thought in her head. 

The bar. Of course. He sees the way she cringes at alcohol, the way she shifts in her seat when a dinner turns into an after party. She doesn’t even like most of their holidays for that reason, because they all get drunk and she sits in the corner not knowing what to do. Nesta hates being embarrassed.

She can drink if she wants, he tells her, it’s her choice. They won’t judge her for it, he affirms, but... Cassian can’t guarantee that and Nesta knows that’s a lie. Nesta doesn’t even touch liquor. 

Cassian feels his chest start to sink and he must show it on his face, because she scoffs. 

It’s bad enough she doesn’t want to go to the city most days. She’s told him it’s because she’s scared to face who she was, afraid that she’ll be back there soon enough. Cassian can’t reassure her well enough. We can face it together, he says. We can face it all. But it’s been baby steps and these outings are the only times she pushes her limits. 

Cassian shifts her around, laying his hands on her cheeks, rubbing at the heated skin. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want.” 

“I don’t want to be a coward.” 

Cassian shakes his head, “you’re not going to be one if you go and you’re not going to be one if you stay.” 

Nesta sighs, and Cassian kisses her forehead because he doesn’t know what else to do. He doesn’t know how to instill in Nesta that she’s the strongest, bravest person he knows. How does he convince her of a truth that’s so obvious?  

She isn’t going to change her mind that much he knows, but damn him if he let’s her wallow alone.  

“I won’t drink,” He offers, “We can play cards, dance a little... I promise I’ll try not to step on your toes again.” 

“I want you to enjoy yourself,” She says, her lips pouting in that way that makes him want to kiss her nose and her cheek and every place that he can touch. “To have fun.” 

“You are fun and I enjoy myself plenty with you.” 

Little does Cassian know that the enjoyment of the night is him knocking back barrels of drinks, stripping to his underwear, and running head first through the streets. 

To be continued... 

~

LOL. This fic is insane. Because not only do you get snippets before you get the final chapter, you get snippets in the final chapters. Snip-ception. 

~

Tagged:  @my-fan-side, @sophilightwood, @nestaarcher0n, @duskandstarlight, @soitsgorgeous, @ekaterinakostrova @swankii-art-teacher, @lordof-bloodshed, @arinbelle, @thewhelk, @daisy-in-danger, @highqueenevankhell, @lovelynesta, @sirendeepity, @champanheandluxxury, @ladynestaarcheron, @moodymelanist, @teagoddess99, @spoilersteph, @angelicvoice19, @bo0kmaster69, @drielecarla, @generalnesta

I think that’s it. Also know that if you asked to be tagged on snippets, I am going to tag you MANY TIME throughout the day... so be cautious about that. 

[kiastirling-fanfic]

Happy Friday Kia! How about "Fingers scrubbed to bleeding" from the Vague Prompt List 1 - for whoever you think best fits! :D

Happy Friday indeed!

Wound up with a pre Anders/Hawke kinda thing :)

@dadrunkwriting

“Clean” and “Darktown” were antonyms of the highest caliber, words that Hawke could hardly share with most of Anders’ patients considering many likely lacked access to enough education to understand the words (though plenty were certainly clever and could pick it up from context, the insult it might offer them was another reason to keep it to himself). He never even brought it up to Anders, not directly.

But clean was what the sick and the injured needed, perhaps even more than magic. Dirt in a wound lead to infection, and sick people made others sick, and being clean made that less.

Hot water was easy enough for a mage of course, but soap? Lirene could only manage so many miracles, keeping half the Ferelden refugees of Kirkwall alive as she was. Hawke had never quite needed her charity, he’d even donated to it a time or two before the expedition, and now?

The estate was settled, and Hawke finally had room to breathe and do the only thing he could for his friends who had all refused direct payment for their aid. But that was okay. Hawke had always shown his favor with favors. He’d prefer his friends to also live in comfort but he couldn’t force gold on them.

He could force a crate of soap bars onto Anders’ desk while his friend was too busy healing a dockworker’s broken wrist to protest it. Not fancy perfumed Hightown stock, it would draw the eyes of thieves and templars alike if Darktown residents were turning up healed and smelling like nobles, but better than the black bars that were more lye than anything one could sometimes find below Kirkwall proper.

Truth be told, he never wanted to see Anders’ fingers scrubbed to bleeding again. No more spots of blood on the part of his robes Anders would absentmindedly clutch at when he was stressed or angry, no more streaks of blood from Anders pushing hair out of his face, no more wondering if the blood on Anders’ hands was because one of the gangs got a lucky swipe in the night, no more wishing his favorite mage outside his sister would just stop for a minute.

That was a lie. It wasn’t Anders’ hands that made Hawke worry about him, and soap wouldn’t change that. No matter how many gifts of food, herbs, and small amenities Hawke snuck through the cellar, something told him he’d never stop worrying about Anders.

[husky-twst-and-obeyme]

Twst Mc being the child of Lucifer

From Anon: “ Um, could I have one were twst MC is the child of Lucifer and Obey me MC with the dorm leaders reaction? Thank you so much and have a happy holiday! “ 

 (I’m so sorry this is late qwq , i hope you had a good holiday!! )

Also yes the twst Mc is in a relationship with them in this scenario 

Riddle

He never thought too much about you , like he just sees you as a nice and well behaved student 

you two really bonded well with each other 

You felt comfortable enough to tell him that you were the child of the Demon of Pride 

He was frozen , now nothing changed , he still loved you but he now other things to consider 

Were you part demon or just human with small demon powers ? and other questions relating to that 

but it did get scary when her father himself showed up 

Lucifer just appeared out of no where , Riddle and whoever else was around was frightened but you just ran up to him saying “Dad! “ 

Riddle was intimidated but did his overall best to show that he cared and truly loved his child to the best of his abilities 

Lucifer appreciated Riddle how respectful he was to you, he was glad he has someone to care for his child as well as being a well behaved student 

Lucifer wished you both the best and hopes to see Riddle as a son in law 

Riddle felt fully accomplished 

Leona

oh no 

was your immediate thought when you dad said he was going to visit you at your school

it wouldn’t be too much of a problem but you mentioned to your father before that you had a boyfriend and that boyfriend was none other then Leona 

He wasn’t a bad boyfriend but you were afraid that lucifer would disapprove of him , meaning he might prohibit you from seeing him , no way you wanted that , you loved him (even if he can be a butt at times)

the day your father came , you nervously hugged him , and showed him around 

but to your surprise, Leona was prepared??

when you reached Savanaclaw for Lucifer to meet Leona and Leona acted somewhat out of character

He seemed non chalant but he acted more proper then he would - which is usually never 

 there were times Leona wanted to make a “smart” remark but he seemed to hold it in 

Lucifer accepted Leona as your lover, which relieved you heavily , but as soon as Lucifer left 

“Man, he really has a stick up his ass” 

“yeah he would of for sure gave you the whip if you said that .” 

“the what-”

Azul

Azul was having a breakdown and you had to calm him down , or try to-

Azul was nervous because now only are you the daughter of a Demon but a POWERFUL demon- 

he wanted to make the best impression , though you didn’t think it was necessary for him to do so 

They day lucifer arrive, he did his best to be polite and professional as possible at the monstro lounge 

Lucifer was already somewhat impressed that Azul was running his own business, but didn’t really trust the tweels that were with them 

 Azul’s nervous went off when an angry customer tried to confront him and almost took it on you and that very much pissed him off , to the point where he had the tweels “deal with him” 

after coming back to reality , he realized he showed Lucifer the self he wanted to hide 

but to his surprise, this impressed Lucifer “nani-”

“I would of taken care of those humans myself for dare to touch my child but i can be assured they’re safe with you . “

soon after, he patted Azul’s back but whispers before his leave “next time, i’ll show you some other ways to ‘take care “ of customers like that 

As soon as he left, he was relieved but interested in the next time he’d meet lucifer again

Kalim

This sweet baby- 

He didn’t seem to be fearful hearing about you dad, it just made him more excited to meet him! 

You were pleased but scared because you weren’t sure how your dad would react 

On the day Lucifer arrived, Kalim gave welcoming gifts to Lucifer, they weren’t overly expensive but it was still surprising to Lucifer (he better keep these away from Mammon)

Speaking of mammon, Lucifer thought he somewhat looked like Mammon , but he seemed more generous and kind 

that point was shown because Kalim was nothing but a ball of sunshine, he did his best to impressive Lucifer and showed how much he cared for you 

He even threw a party 

During the party, kalim would usually go wild but he was more mellow for your dad , that way he didn’t seem too rowdy 

afterwards it was time for Lucifer to go 

He told Kalim that he was grateful for the gifts and welcoming arua 

and finished off with “Please keep my Child smiling “

that really hit his heart 

Vil

Vil had no worries at all about meeting you father

he had to deal with meeting important people before 

but for this case, he did somewhat practice what he could possible say to your father to make a good impression

The day Lucifer arrived , Vil arranged for you two and him to have tea 

Vil was himself during the whole time he talked with lucifer 

You didn’t really worry too much since Vil doesn’t do anything to drastic for Lucifer to disapprove of 

Lucifer had a blank face, which was scary because it was hard to tell how he felt about the moment 

but Lucifer did approve of Vil but he did criticize him on certain points that involved his views 

like how he doesn’t understand why he would refer some as potatoes, he sees it as in insult Don’t let him know your vil’s sweet potato 

Other then that , he gets along well with Vil 

They talk for a long while , with most of it being about you 

Vil mentioned that he planned to live a happy life with you , such as marriage and (Depending if female or male/neutral by adopting) have children 

Which made you flustered to think about all that with Vil 

Soon after, lucifer said his farewell but before leaving “Yes, you may have permission to Marry “Y/N” 

Idia

Rip Idia 

He will admit he’s not the best at being a person but he will try for you 

but it’s pushing it because he’s going to meet your demon overlord dad 

He felt like he was getting pushed into a Hell escape game and versing a demon boss that was holding the princess captive or something like that 

He really tried his best to improve his speech but he always ends up stuttering even if no one was there 

When the dreaded day arrived , Idia nervously waited For you and Lucifer at the dorm entrance 

He formally greeted lucifer , he was slightly shaky but luckily it wasn’t that noticeable

idia barely talked and Lucifer already had a disapproving look 

sadly the entire time, lucifer was harshly judging him , which he was already used to 

but Lucifer struck a nerve when mentioning taking you away from him 

Idia confindenaly Disagreed which might i add was bold af and you were standing there shook he even said that period 

“L-look, i might be the greatest or best choice for “Y/N” but i love and care for them! They’re the only reason I even try to better myself! “

When he realized what he said , he froze but still was holding his guard 

surprisingly though, Lucifer approved. Not because he was suddenly a good choice but the fact he’s trying to do better just for you, which you gotta admire for Idia’s case 

Before leaving , he did warn Idia if he ever talked back like that again, he’d get the whip , Idia is well behaved whenever Lucifer comes back 

Malleus

oh this was an interesting case 

Now you weren’t sure how it would result , it could go really good or really bad 

Malleus gave the same vibes as lucifer but a bit more on the calm side (not to mention similar horns ) 

Malleus was pleased to hear he’d be meeting your father 

The day Lucifer Arrived , he was first greeted by Malleus who was already with you 

Lucifer and him seemed to be fine but you had a weird feeling they were just eyeing each other down , so a silent fight??

You were enjoying the evening with them and talk about things that they might agree on or having similar interest 

You were lucky because Lucifer was fascinated with Malleus’ interests and his history m], as well as being a soon to be ruler 

though Malleus jokingly challenges Lucifer, you can tell he wanted to actually test that 

Lucifer lowkey wanted to do the same but he had to be professional with him for your sake 

After seeing you two , he gives the ok that he’s fit but he still wants that challenge 

you laughed it off but Malleus seemed highly interested 

lord save us all from a Malleus and Lucifer Fight- 

[elvish-sky]

Gone {Fili x Reader}

A.N: My bad, I really meant to have this up by 4pm my time and it’s a whole lot later now so I’m sorry! I really hope this fic is alright! It’s not my best work, but I like it and I hope you do too!

Requested by @anjhope1 on Tumblr: Lol I take up your angst challenge: can I request a female human(bit thick) reader x fili where he accidentally says something mean to the reader but won't apologize so reader like starts to distance himself away from him and starts hanging out with other people?

Word Count: 1,118

Pairing: Fíli x Reader

Summary: You overhear Fíli denying that he likes you to his brother.

Warnings: Angst, Self-criticism, Insults

**** Gone

The halls of Erebor were full of dwarves, the early morning bustle at its highest. You were headed towards the market, determined to find something that Fíli would like. Browsing through the stalls, you came to one that had weapons on display. They were all extremely finely crafted, but none had the look you wanted, so you placed a custom order to be delivered at the end of the week. 

Next, you went to one of the bakery stalls to pick up some goods for Fíli and Kíli, knowing they would appreciate it, before finally purchasing more of Fíli’s tonic from the healers, the one that he couldn’t sleep without but was too embarrassed to buy. 

You wound back through the corridors, making your way through the maze that was the Lonely Mountain, heading towards your rooms. 

“What about Y/N?”

You stopped, hearing your name from the doorway to your left, the one to the hall where the company usually ate when not at formal events. 

“Y/N? What? I don’t like Y/N!” It was Fíli. 

You halted to the side of the door, curious. That hurt a bit, to be honest, but you wanted to hear the rest of the conversation. 

“You’re blushing!” That was Kíli, you could picture him jostling his brother, teasing him.

“Yes, lad. Don’t try to hide it, you love her!” And there was Bofur.

“I don’t!” exclaimed Fíli. 

“Oh, c’mon, Fee. Give us proof.”

“Ummm… she can be selfish sometimes. And spoiled, she grew up with more than we ever had.”

Selfish? Spoiled?

You had sacrificed everything to join him on the quest, leaving your family and the only home you’d ever known. And while yes, you’d had a comfortable childhood, you also knew how ridiculously lucky you were. And despite knowing how much you liked the comforts of your home, you’d still given them up in a heartbeat for Fíli. You’d given up a whole life for Fíli, and he repaid it by calling you selfish? 

You leaned against the wall for a moment, taking a deep breath. You were really, really hurt. It was bad enough sometimes to think those things about yourself, but to hear the person you loved say them about you? You sighed. Maybe Fíli wasn’t the right person for you after all. 

But you would be damned if you cried about it in public where anyone could see, so you hustled further along the corridor to your room. Almost there, you skidded to a halt as you rounded a corner and none other than Thranduil, the Elven-King, stood before you. 

You quickly dropped into a curtsy. “Your majesty.”

You had forgotten the elves were visiting today before heading to Dale tomorrow. 

“Y/N. It is nice to see you again.”

“You as well, your majesty.”

You were trying to end the interaction as quickly as possible, knowing you couldn’t hold the tears in much longer, but Thranduil had other ideas.

“How many times have I told you, Y/N, to please call me Thranduil?”

“Probably many, my l-Thranduil.”

He nodded his head in acknowledgment. “Actually, Y/N, while we’re here, I’d like to ask you something.”

You glanced at him, curious.

“I know you are probably very happy here and are settled, but we could use your unique skills in the Woodland Realm. I’d like to offer you a job as one of my councillors.”

You blinked. Normally you wouldn’t consider leaving Erebor, but you were still very much hurt by Fíli’s comments.

“I’ll do it.”

Thranduil looked shocked. “You will?”

“Yes. When do we leave?”

He quickly summoned a straight face again. “Tomorrow, early.”

You nodded, curtsying again as you took your leave. “I’ll see you then.” 

You left the elven-king standing there, a bemused expression on his face. 

You finally reached the door to your room, shutting it behind you and leaning against it. 

You were leaving Erebor. Leaving, because Fíli did not love you and you couldn’t imagine living that close to someone you loved who hated you enough to call you selfish. Leaning against the door, you felt the tears start to pour and you slid to the ground, arms around your knees as your sobbing rocked you back and forth. 

After a while, you heard a knock at the door. Standing, you brushed yourself off, blotting at your swollen, red eyes before opening it. 

It was Fíli. 

“I am not selfish,” you exclaimed before slamming the door in his face.

Turning towards your wardrobe, you grabbed a bag, ready to pack and leave Erebor to begin your new life. 

Fíli stood there in the hallway, staring at your doorway. You had clearly heard him talking to his brother and Bofur earlier. He knew you wouldn’t open the door for him again, so he sighed, turning away. He’d find you first thing tomorrow and apologize.

“Where’s Y/N?” Fíli stood in the hallway next to his brother. It was midmorning and he had set out to find you and apologize sincerely for what he had said, to tell you that he had not meant it in the slightest, that really, he loved you. 

Kíli looked at Fíli. “Didn’t anyone tell you? She left with the elves. Last night.”

Fíli looked like someone had punched him in the gut.

“She left?”

Kíli nodded. “She’s gone, Fíli.”

He sighed. Of course she was gone. He had insulted her, and she wouldn’t accept that. But he still missed her. 

Turning away from the pity-eyed Kíli, Fíli made his way back to his rooms. Opening the door, he sat in the armchair in the corner, silent. 

A knock sounded against the hardwood.

“Come in.” The prince had barely raised his voice, but whoever was outside had head nonetheless and opened the door.

The dwarf, holding a long package, handed it to Fíli. 

“What is it?” Fíli asked. 

“It’s from Y/N. She ordered it from me for you.”

“Thank you,” Fíli dismissed the dwarf and sat down to unwrap the package. 

It was a gorgeous pair of swords. The metal was tempered perfectly, gleaming, the edges were sharp, and when he held them it felt like they were meant for his hands. 

Y/N had done all this for him.

And what had he done for her? Nothing. He had driven her away, she would never come back and it was his fault. He had been reluctant to admit it but he did truly love her. And now she was gone. 

Fíli started to cry, the tears marring the surface of his gift from you, just like he had marred your heart, hurting both of you forever.

He loved you. But you were gone. 

Everything tag 💞: @entishramblings @itgetsatadhazy @boyruins @anjhope1 @wellofeternalthirst @kumqu4t @katbby16 @thewhiteladyofrohan @kirstenscaffeinateddisaster @beenovel @shethereadinghobbit

Fíli tag: @laurfilijames

[tsunonotarou]

LEONA, JADE, FLOYD, ROOK

— their reaction when S/O comes up to them and give them a ring made from grass/leaves

notes: AAA THIS IDEA IS SO FUCKING WHOLESOME I NEEDED TO WRITE IT

: gender-neutral reader!

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

When you shook his body lying on the botanical garden's ground frantically, he clicked his tongue and scooted even further from you, hiding in the shades and protection of his arms, but you just wouldn't stop!

"Leona, Leona!"

"Leooona!"

"Leona!"

"Leona look look look!"

"Stupid cat."

His eyelids peeled open, staring bored in front of him while your shaking from behind did not ease for a moment, he sighed, a familiar face of his annoying nephew appeared in his mind

You were acting just like him

Well, excluding the 'stupid cat' from you

Having no choice but to turn, he groaned, eyes still droopy and vision blurry as he has just woken up from a nap, when he blinks it clear though, he was met with your grinning face, looking at him happily

He swear his heart jumped

Then his eyes traveled down, raising a brow at the little circle cupped in your hands

Is that seriously...?

"A ring!" You answered, as if you've read his mind

A ring...made from grass?

After processing it in his mind, he chuckled

You were so cute, looking up at him excitedly and ushering for him to stretch his hand out, he did as you asked, letting you slip it into his ring finger

It fits

Leona is a royalty, any and every expensive ring will appear in front of him when he ask for it but, he never really cared for those

Strange how a weird looking ring made from grass outshines all the ones in gold

JADE LEECH

He really didn't meant for a laugh to escape him

But you looked so irresistibly cute and innocent, proud of your work as you presented it to him, he couldn't help it

Ah, your pouting indicates you're upset, he quickly pulls you back in when you tried to walk away in embarrassment, wrapping his arms around you and leaning in close, gently bumped your noses together, and only then did you realize how close you two were

"Eh~? If Jade doesn't want Shrimpy's ring, give it to me!" Said Floyd, completely serious about stealing the valuable ring—it is made by you, after all—from his twin brother

"Whoever said that?" Was Jade's reply, then he guided his hand to yours where the ring lied in, picking it up carefully, he inspect it for a moment, smiling small before looking back at you

"Do you mind putting it on me?"

His smile only widened when you nodded shyly before admiring how it wraps comfortably around his finger

"It is very beautiful, my love. I will definitely cherish it."

If it wasn't for Azul's fake cough and stern eyes, telling him his break time is over, Jade would've stayed with you the entire night, perhaps taking you out to the field and make a matching ring for you, too

FLOYD LEECH

Unlike the other two, Floyd has caught you making it before you could even hand it to him, ruining the surprise

He was having basketball practice, you thought you have enough time but they ended early today

You were sitting on the ground and leaning on a tree, carefully tying the knot only to break the whole thing when Floyd suddenly appeared from behind, singing your name

He quickly plop down beside you after realizing what he's done, reassuring you that you can make it again, and it's more fun when both of you are making it together!

Fools around a lot, barely focused while you were the only one making the ring, you didn't mind his presence though, him clinging onto you and mushing his face with yours feels good

What surprised you is when you slipped the ring onto his finger, he cheekily hands out a similar one for you

Well, not that similar, yours is more refined, carefully made while his is bigger and—wilder? There's a big difference but that's what makes it so special, it's obvious who made which, but it's also kind of cute! Considering the rings perfectly reflected your personalities. He slipped the one he made to your finger, grinning happily

"Koebi-chan, let's make flower crowns this time!"

ROOK HUNT

He is moved to tears!

You, his beautiful partner, spending your precious time to make a ring for him? How lucky is he to have someone like you?

Will instantly snatch your hand in his, cupping them preciously as he talks about how beautiful the ring you made is, the precision, the skillfully tied knots and the design! Beauté, 100!

Truthfully, it didn't even deserve that much praise from Rook, it really is just a poorly made ring from grass but this man sees beauty in everything, moreover, it's a gift from you!

Cherishes it a lot, he wants to wear it everyday but he knows it is fragile, so he keeps it in a glass box, decorated with various little accessories brought from nature. Say, some leaves, small, thin twigs, anything he can get his hands on, however small and insignificant it is, he can make it fit to accompany and emphasize the beauty of your ring!