#drew this according to what i remembered about his looks lmao

[smilefullofcaligari]

quick alastor sketch i did because of my friend's sudden obsession with him

[meanbossart]

Misc. Ask compilation

These aren't all of the asks I want to reply to, just some that I can answer relatively quickly to clean the ol' inbox out before things get out of hand. Thanks for your patience!

HAHAHA THANK YOU FOR PERUSING AROUND and for enjoying my work! I had a... Weird Gale experience my first playthrough which led to his characterization being what it is in my comics. Here's the beat-by-beat of all the shenanigans: https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/740827466716807168/alright-i-am-like-90-sure-there-is-one-line-in-a

And here's just some of my personal thoughts on him! https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/736193145686114305/can-you-tell-me-more-about-how-you-would-make-gale

I would be lying if I said I'm not conflicted to know my style still bears some remnants of my edgy teen roots (not your fault not noticing it though, you aren't the first and won't be the last) BUT... That comic did mean a lot to me as a youth, so I guess I should be proud 🤷 and honestly it is a little cool that such a thing would survive for so long in what I do, crazy how that works.

LMAO, re: the bottom/top debacle, I was honestly so surprised to see people react to it like it's something novel. If I ever expected to get any push back on the matter, I thought it would be from people assuming DU drow was the top and taking issue with how violent and big he is (and yknow, some people are weirdly protective of Astarion as if he isn't a sneaky murder machine rippling with lean muscle)

Very disheartening to see that mindset still so alive and well among young people, but I guess it just means I gotta draw DU drow throwing more back and Astarion drooling over more ass until the stereotype is forcefully banished out of people's minds!

(more asks below the cut)

"Sleeper agent activation phrase" absolutely took me out, Thank you so much LOL

YEAH I got it pretty late though, Astarion had already told my durge that he was a vampire of his own accord (and the response was, of course, "no duh") I forgot wheter this happened before or after the first romance scene triggered, but I think after.

Since this was after DU drow decided he was gonna fuck him out of pure contrarian spite and was shamelessly laying it extremely thick, He happilly let Astarion drink his blood. Hell, he was probably a little Too Eager - the guy likes pain and he likes letting people he trusts do with his body whatever they will, and while he didn't yet trust Astarion at that point, that event might've very well reminded him of something from his past that planted a seed which would eventually grow into his genuine affection for the guy.

Ah, he definitely got a half-chub as it happened too. I'm sure Astarion noticed it and just walked off rolling his eyes and thinking "eugh of course" lmao.

Hello!!!

Oh man, I grew up fascinated with horror things. I remember from a very young age just looking at the covers and backs of horror movies at the film-rental even though I wasn't allowed to watch them. I was also easily scared but I sought those things out anyway - I think i just enjoyed the visceral reactions it drew out of me and was always curious about most things taboo.

When I got access to the internet that just opened a (very unfortunate) door to all things vile and awful like it did for so many people at that age in time. Though my tastes have changed a lot since then (Less August Underground, more The Devils kind of guy nowadays) my stories and art are just always going to fall into a horror-y category because I just... Don't think there's many better ways to showcase the human experience and emotional range without many of the elements native to the genre, and I'm all about that.

Thank you for your question and your sweet words, have a good week yourself!

I did a little write-up about that over here! https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/742508493562593280/i-dont-have-a-particular-question-in-mind-sorry

That's the result of a scene that happens relatively early in the story I'm writing ("A Novel Experience" on Ao3).

{SPOILERS} DU drow accidentally passes out on a blade which puts a relatively deep gash on his hip. Meanwhile, Astarion is weakened and starved after certain events that transpired the prior night. They have a private exchange both in a somewhat hazy-state of mind and Astarion ends up prodding and prying at his wound while feeding, so it's a laceration and bite mark that just scarred over badly.

Elves apparently don't grow body hair so never LOL guess they'll just have to slip&slide up on each other for heat

[piplup335]

Contest submission #2! (Murder Party, Roblox)

contest submission #2 lmao, pretty sure I wrote this in early 2023 for another contest going on in the same server also didn't win this one lmao enjoy!

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It was dark. And danger always lurked in the shadows. Every turn in another dark alley, every footstep he made...it could all lead to his inevitable doom. Criminals and syndicates prowled around, searching for another unsuspecting individual to target for their own benefit. "Where to go, where to go...I can't just run forever! I need shelter!" After being evicted a few weeks prior, the man realised how he had foolishly taken the refuge of his own home for granted. Another turn, and the man saw a sight that blessed his eyes. A mansion. One that belonged to the very man on a news article he read earlier that day. According to the article, the man who owned the mansion donated over a million dollars to charity, earning the trust and respect of society. To him, that was the place to go. He would be safe from the horrors of poverty and humanity for the rest of his life... ...right?

The first thing he felt as soon as he stepped into the mansion was the cold air hitting his face. Air conditioning. He hadn't felt that in weeks! While appreciating the chilly air on his face, he didn't realise the man standing right in front of him. "Oh, apologies! I didn't see you there." "It's fine. Welcome to my mansion, a refuge for the less fortunate. I assume that you came here in seek of shelter?" Nodding repeatedly, the owner of the grand mansion led him in. Little did the poor man know that the double brass doors of the mansion closing would mark the last time he'd see the dusk.

"No! Please!" Those words were one of the final pleas of the man, another unfortunate victim who had ended up in the mansion of horrors. Blood stained his tattered clothes, and cuts covered his body. The last thing he saw was the face of the man. The supposedly "kind and generous individual". And that man was about to stab him in the heart. All his generosity was a facade. A facade to hide his true intentions. He caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the blood-stained blade of the knife. He was scared, and that feeling was evidently reflected on the shiny blade. "You...you said you'd let me live if I told you everything I knew! And I did just that! I told you everything! Please, don't do this!" He tried to run, but to no avail. All the wounds on his body just made his futile attempt agonising. The man snickered. It was a sinister laugh that foretold of his victim's fate. He drew his knife back, ready to strike. "Please! Don't do this!" the victim cried, but it was no use. The last thing his pitiful victim saw was the man grinning maliciously at him. "Buddy, I never intended to let you leave to begin with." With that, the knife plunged towards his torso, and everything faded to black.

"Are you sure? Managing the farm is tough work, you know..." "Oh, relax! You need a break. Plus, Oreo is a loyal herding dog. What can go wrong?" Oreo, Serene's herding dog barked gleefully, as if to express his determination to be a faithful guide to Patricia, Serene's childhood friend. "Fine, I guess. Where's the hotel, anyway? That's one thing you never told me when planning for this trip." Patricia giggled in excitement. "You know that really high tech town that looks like it's from a movie? The one run by Hector, the one who lived across the street? You definitely remember him, we both knew him since we were kids! That's where the hotel is, and at One Street too, the heart of the town!" One Street. That high tech town. It all rang a bell... Images flashed through her head. Images of people who lived on the street, people without a roof over their heads. And all of them shared one thing in common... They were reported missing or dead.

That night, Serene packed her baggage for the following day's trip. Spare clothes, toothpaste, a toothbrush, shower gel, shampoo...the list was endless, and half of them were only on the list because the ones the hotel provided were usually terrible. As Serene was about to zip up her suitcase, she saw her prized possession on her nightstand. Her sheriff's gun. One her father had given her at a very young age, and the same one she used to defend her farm from intruders. A prominent incident was when a man slaughtered a large amount of sheep, leaving her with no choice but to fight. It was either the farm or her life, and she swore to defend the very place she grew up in with her own body. She shuddered at the memory. Despite duelling the intruder, she never got a glimpse of his face as it was partially blocked by a black mask vaguely resembling the beak of a bird. His identity was still a mystery, and no matter how many leads her brother, David, tracked, her desired answer always seemed to be out of her reach. Just then, something caught her eye. It was a pale yellow file with a note on it. Picking up the note, it read:

Dear Serene, How are you? I haven't visited in a while, so I should probably come over after your vacation. Pat told me about your trip. I want to make sure that you stay safe, because I got another case recently. Someone else vanished last week, and we just found the body 2 days ago. I suspect that the killer may have a connection with the person that invaded your farm a while back. I got permission from my boss, and he let me photocopy the related cases and send them to you. I asked Pat to pass this to you. Do have a look, stay safe, and enjoy your break, sis.

-David

Smiling at her brother's thoughtful gesture, Serene set down the note and flipped through the folder. Her smile, however, slowly turned into a frown the more she read. Most of the victims she had heard of were homeless and desperate for shelter, and this case was no exception. But this one... This one used to be a close friend of hers, one she met while volunteering at a nearby district. Now that she thought about it, most of the victims were people she knew... Worry clouded her mind. If the victims were people she once knew, would she be next? Picking up her gun, she placed it in the inner pocket of her coat. "Yep, I'll definitely need this."

Police sirens wailed in the distance as Serene dragged her luggage to the hotel. Missing posters covered the walls of the hotel, depicting images of various people, young and old. A loosely placed poster dropped from a wall, falling into her path. Picking it up, Serene saw the face of another old friend. "Might be dead by now..." The doors to the grand hotel slid open, and she walked in. The golden countertop of the receptionist's desk gleamed in the light cast by the crystal chandeliers. Lift doors opened and closed, the soft chime of elevator bells reverberating through the foyer. Hotel staff were all over the place, either pushing carts with luggage bags of other tourists stacked on top of one another or attending to the queries of tourists. Walking to the receptionist's counter, Serene picked up her keycard and pushed the button to the elevator, hitting the button to the seventh floor, the floor of the hotel room Patricia reserved for her. Setting her luggage down, she decided to do some shopping in this town. After all, it was a rather popular tourist destination, so why not see what the shops had to offer?

The sight of all the shops on the eleven floors of the building was spectacular. From what she heard, each floor of this mall had items catered to a specific group of people. The first floor had antique clocks for collectors, the second floor was a lumberjack's haven, the third one advertised laboratory apparatus, and the list went on. There was even a floor for...magic users? What Serene was truly interested in was the top floor, though. That specific floor was designed for farm owners, and was filled with shops displaying multiple rows of fertiliser, rakes and all the paraphernalia one would expect to see in a farm. Taking a deep breath, she found a shop and prepared to bask in the delight she was going to get from improving her farm with all her purchases.

"Man, that was a long day..." Serene set all her shopping bags down on the desk in her luxurious hotel room. Strolling to the window, she saw how the lights coming from apartments, office buildings and vehicles illuminated the dark streets of the city. The stars in the sky complemented the spectacular view, and the soft glow of the moon topped it all off. "This is beautiful..." Serene's stomach growled. "...but I can't properly enjoy it on an empty stmach. Dang it, I forgot to grab a bite at the mall..." Trudging out of her room and into the elevator, Serene's lethargy instantly vanished as she felt her gun in the pocket of her coat. A gun to protect herself from threats. And out of all timings she had to get hungry, it had to be late at night. Sighing, she exited the hotel in search of a nearby convenience store for a bite. Upon finding one, Serene scoured the shelves for food, finding a shelf displaying instant noodles and decided to pick out a chicken-flavoured cup of instant noodles to eat, along with a carton of apple juice she grabbed from the refrigerator. Just as she was about to checkout, however, something caught her eye. A homeless person...attempting to steal a bag of chips from the store. "Huh, last I checked, stealing is against the law. OI, STOP RIGHT THERE, THIEF!" One glimpse at Serene's outraged expression, coupled with the blazing glare sent his way and he was out the door, frantically scampering out of the store like a scared rabbit. Dashing out after the robber, Serene prepared to do what it took to bring this criminal to justice no matter what it took.

"Darn it! I've been caught! Guess there's only one option left..." He ran and ran, but it always seemed like he was only a few steps ahead of the woman who caught his unsuccessful attempt at stealithily stealing a bag of chips. According to his calculations, he wouldn't be able to distance himself for much longer. Gripping his only source of food, he ran to the only safe place he knew- a mansion owned by a man who was said to be a kind and generous individual who helped others in need. As a person who was homeless for over a year, he knew the streets better than the back of his own hand. "Left, left, right...there we go! I'm free!" he thought. A wave of relief washed over him at sight of the mansion. Shelter at last! Quickening his pace, he sprinted towards the huge brass doors of the mansion and rapidly knocked on them. "Please, let me in! I don't have time!" The doors creaked open by a fraction, allowing some light to fall on the porch outside. A hand grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and the next thing he knew, he was on the cold, hard floor of the mansion. The owner of the mansion, an individual in a red tuxedo, walked towards the door and locked it shut. He then walked towards the homeless man and extended a hand to help him off the floor. Accepting his help gratefully, the man dusted himself off. "Greetings. I hope your pursuer did not cause you any harm?" "Nope, thanks for saving me from that crazy woman! That woman was a threat to my own existence..." "Anytime. Because now, you have a new threat standing right in front of you." "Wait, wha-" He wasn't given a chance to finish his sentence as the owner of the mansion pulled out a knife and drew back his arm, about to strike. The blade was thrust forward, and everything faded to black.

Dashing towards the mansion, Serene was determined to hunt down the burglar. Sharply rapping on the doors, they opened to reveal a man in a red tuxedo. "Greetings! How may I assist you?" "Cut to the chase. Have you seen a person with a bag of chips that just ran in?" "Ah yes, of course! Follow me." Serene stepped inside, and the first thing she saw was the dismembered corpse of her target. "...what just happened?" She heard the doors lock with a click, and the man turned to face her. "Ah, Serene! It's been a long time, eh?" "W-who are you? And what did you do to that poor soul?" "Why, I killed him, of course! I did it to ease your burden! As for who I am..." He put on a black mask. One that vaguely resembled the beak of a bird. "...don't you remember now?" Serene gasped in horror. "You...were the one that killed most of my sheep?" "Correct! But don't you truly know who I am to you? How's Patricia and Hector, anyway?" Patricia...Hector...wait...it can't be... "...Mark? Is that you?" "Correct again, dear friend! After your father killed my family, I sought revenge for my dear parents. I used to kill people for information regarding your whereabouts, but now I do it for fun. Finally, after years, I can get my revenge!"

Mark leapt forward, unsheathing his knife. Just as the blade was about to slice Serene, she rolled to the side, slicing her arm in the process. She pulled out her gun, aimed at Mark and fired. It missed, and Mark used Serene's moment of vulnerability to his advantage, and dashed forward to strike the finishing blow. She used her gun to parry the blow in time, but got knocked down from the impact. Serene tried to get up, but it was too late. Mark held her at knifepoint. "Any last words?" "Wait!" Mark laughed- a cruel laugh that spoke of his true intentions. "Why would I? I desire revenge for my dear parents." Serene knew what had to be done. "That was a while back. I'm sorry for what my parents did. It's alright if you don't want to forgive them, but we can start on a clean slate together, maybe. I'm kinda sure your parents wouldn't want you to become a heartless killer just for them, and neither do I. It will be hard, but we can do this one step at a time." Mark sighed. "Mom, Dad...I'm sorry for this mess." Pulling Serene to her feet, Mark held her in a tight embrace. "Yeah...maybe I can start over."

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yeaaaa that was #2 lmao, see you guys in a bit

[you-have-made-a-fatal-error]

Cast Swap - cur and hau

idk y’all, I got bored. consider:

Nancy Drew goes to (Northern?) Ireland to check on the recently married daughter of a neighbour, who has apparentely taken ill on a trip to visit family holdings on the emerald isle. She arrives to find that Hugh Penvellyn has been called away on business, leaving Linda alone with his Aunt and 11-year-old daughter (lmao how old is Jane i can’t actually remember).

Nancy finds that Linda has shut herself up in the tower room and refuses to get out of bed or see anyone (in this version the stairs are intact bc reasons). Can Nancy discover what is wrong with Linda? And could it be connected to the mysterious explosion that destroyed half the castle the last time there were Penvellyns in residence here? Or does it have something to do with the local legend of the Beast (/curse?) that has long been thought to stalk the region.

Meet Mrs Drake puttering around the castle library, looking into her grandfather’s books (John was definitely killed in the explosion, maybe Allan too? There’s a disconnect between the living Penvellyns and their family history in this version when the line of initiates was severed so suddenly). She wants to find out what really caused the explosion that killed her brother and grandfather. though many Penvellyns had accomplished great things, their ‘luck’ seems like it’s dried up since they left castle not-malloy.

Find Linda’s stepdaughter Jane in the great hall- she complains about having to stay in this big, drafty, half-destroyed place, and according to Linda and Mrs Drake she’s been acting strangely since they arrived. (still has her board games & etc that she makes nancy play, but also has at least some of the dolls - she tells nancy about the dollhouse in the nursery but says she doesn’t like to go in there bc it’s too creepy. also she probably mentions liking the games at the inn).

(Local? or English transplant?) Nigel Mookerjee is a writer who likes to do his work at the Screaming Banshee Inn (ehhh probably renamed to reflect the werewolf/not-blackmoor beast story) - he seems to know an awful lot about the Penvellyn’s history. Maybe Mrs Petrov tells Nancy that she’s found him skulking around on the property and had to chase him off. (or maybe this info comes from ethel - ehh either works). typing game from hell still exists. he’s still trying to put together a salacious tell-all about the Penvellyns.

And Ethel is the strange caretaker, a position that she apparentely inherited and that has been in her family for generations. She claims she’s simply the steward of the castle and its grounds- but could she have something to do with all of the strange goings on? of course she still pops up in her semi-terrifying manner, and she doesn’t seem to want nancy around.

um. when nancy first arrives she sees something big with glowing red eyes run across the road in front of her car. maybe Ethel tries to turn her away at the door and she has to toss rocks at the library window to get Mrs Drake’s attention? idk

anyhow. eventually Nancy discovers that when the Penvellyn’s arrived Ethel had begun the procees of teaching Jane, the new initiate, as the Bossineys had done for centuries before the explosion (so they were more than stewards/caretakers after all). Ethel’s grandmother had survived the explosion and passed the knowledge down to her daughter, who passed in on to Ethel in turn. there’s no forge to be found, but there is evidence of many of the past penvellyn’s endeavors, including John&Allan’s work on rocketry during WWII. Ethel confronts Nancy in the hut and pushes her down the trap door. Nancy reaches the lab at the same time Jane (acting on her own be she’s sick of waiting for Ethel to determine ‘when the time is right’ or w/e) does, but one of them triggers the lockdown procedure and Jane gets stuck where Matt is, she confesses to making Linda sick because she wants her parents back together.

Nancy figures out how to launch the rocket, opening the hatch and ending the lockdown in the lab - and also opening the secret compartment holding the meteorite/’penvellyn treasure’ that so many generations had thought of as the source of their good fortune.

[criesinmultifandommess]

DSMP Model AU

something different from what I usually post :)

I don't really know much about modelling and fashion, so apologies if some of this is wrong or I'm missing something

lotsa words under the cut, you've been warned <3

Dream wants to create a fashion show :D

there's Dream's company known as Smile, the L'Manberg company, and a few freelancers that caught Dream's eye

Smile: Dream, Sapnap, Punz, Bad, Ant, Sam, Skeppy, Callahan, Purpled

L'Manberg: Wilbur, Niki, Eret, Fundy, Jack, Tommy, Tubbo, Ranboo

Freelance: George, Hannah, Schlatt, Quackity, Foolish, Puffy, Ponk, Techno, Phil

spans about 4-6 months in planning

something something scandal about Dream hiring Eret, Niki, Karl, Ant, and Puffy for LGBTQ+ brownie points uhh yeah American media is an absolute shitshow anyways all of them defend and support Dream (some nicely, some not-so-nicely, some very passive-aggressively)

the show itself takes less than an hour to do; 75 thousand people attend, even more watch it live

after party gets wild. almost no one remembers what happened that night, but it was wild (the interns were sent home early, dw)

they all trade numbers at the end to keep in contact, as they should

just a lot of forced friendship, screams, and chaos, nothing new

Models

George: an up-and-coming model; has an Instagram account that almost that a lot of people follow but he rarely posts; freelance

Sapnap: Dream's first model and followed him into the fashion world; likes to credit himself for getting Dream to where he is now

Wilbur: is a model for fun; works as a freelance musician but also accidentally created the L'Manberg company so yeah

Niki: also a model for fun; works at a flower shop in her downtime; part of the L'Manberg company

Eret: has been modelling for a while; was freelance for a while before getting picked up by the L'Manberg company; Wil likes to threaten to kick them out because they were the first one to agree to model in Dream's show but it's all lighthearted

Fundy: modelling is alright but playing pranks on the other models/photographers and recording them is much better; doesn't play pranks on any hair/makeup artists anymore tho bc one artist got so fed up they switched his outfit with a maid one and posted pictures; he still gets a lil nervous when he's getting his makeup done; accidentally called Wilbur his dad once and no one lets him live it down; part of the L'Manberg company

Hannah: likes to wear eco-friendly clothing; went through a phase of weaving roses into her hair regardless of what she was wearing; she still does that but dialed it down to only one rose and color coordinates the rose with her outfit; freelance

Designers

Dream: head designer, obviously; Sapnap dared him to wear a paper plate with a smiley face on it at a show/interview but it backfired because Dream's popularity skyrocketed and he made it his brand; parents passed down their company to him

Punz: does not care about dressing himself but will judge others; part of Dream's company

Schlatt: close to the L'Manberg company, but isn't a part of them; flirts with just about anyone; has several hidden stashes of alcohol scattered around the set that no one has discovered yet

Quackity: yes, he still wears the beanie; in a constant rotation of make chaotic clothing, flirt with pretty people, be depressed over pretty people, get angry for being depressed. rinse, wash, repeat forever; very afraid of Techno because he took an unflattering photo of him and is scared of it being used as blackmail; freelance

Foolish: likes to use gold and green/emeralds. a lot. very inspired by Egyptian clothing; has a little totem charm for luck; freelance

Hair and Makeup artists

Puffy: tends to dote on the interns; hangs around Niki, Sam, and Foolish; has styled hair for both companies before

Karl: works under Mr. Beast but close friends with Quackity and Sapnap who begged Dream put in a good word for him

Photographers

Ponk: when not working, likes to flirt with Sam; always has a lemon in his pocket and won't tell anyone why; freelance

Techno: technically freelance, but works closely with the L'Manberg company; very close to Phil; used to be a designer and clashed with Dream a lot, but he found he liked photography more; this doesn't mean Dream and Techno don't bicker when they see each other, oh no, their conversation is filled with insults

Agents/Managers

Bad: used to work under Dream's parents before Dream took over; more like an assistant for Dream himself rather than a manager, what with all the things Dream asks him to do

Ant: agent for Dream's company

Phil: technically a freelance agent/manager, but works closely with the L'Manberg company; very close to Techno

Technicians

Sam: unofficial head technician; part of Dream's company

Skeppy: manages the camera footage: part of Dream's company

Callahan: doesn't say anything, which is why Dream likes him (jk); fixes problems quickly and silently tho; part of Dream's company

Jack: can normally be seen wearing headphones; somehow is the dad friend and chaotic friend at the same time; part of the L'Manberg company

Interns

Tommy: joined the L'Manberg company because he looks up to the members and their associates (but he won't tell them that)

Tubbo: joined the L'Manberg company to follow Tommy; jokingly starts a new company called Snowchester with Ranboo and a pig plush they named Michael

Ranboo: technically working under the L'Manberg company, but then again, Dream has also offered for Ranboo to work for him... but does he abandon them or give up on an opportunity hmm

Purpled: is he working for money? is he held against his will? who knows: seems to appear and disappear without a trace; intern for Dream's company

Excerpts

George Davidson, more widely known as GeorgeNotFound, is a handsome British model that's been taking the world by storm. A magazine once described him as "you're either in love with him or want to be him", and, quite frankly, it's true.

Clay Craft, also known as Dream. The charming CEO of his parents' company, Smile, and starting up his very own fashion show. Rumor has it that the show will not only feature his own employees, but will also include some showstopping names from L'Manberg, as well as some very talented freelancers.

Wilbur Soot, the leading model and creator of L'Manberg. Though his company may have been started on a whim, no one can say that L'Manberg is unsuccessful, as it quickly rose in popularity, much like the man himself.

Smile is one of the best fashion brands out there, if not the best. With their wide range of products and people, Smile makes sure that every customer leaves with a smile.

"L'manberg?" Dream chuckles. "What a stupid name. L'manchildberg is a much better fit." "At least our brand isn't just a smiley face one of my friends drew on a paper plate." Wil snarks back.

You know, when Schlatt first asked Wilbur to model for him all those years ago, neither knew that their popularity would pick up, Wil would open his own company, and they would catch the eye of Dream himself.

George didn't know what to expect when his agent told him that Dream was interested in having him in his show, but watching one of the most famous designers fall to the floor, dying of laughter over a deez nuts joke was nowhere near what he could've imagined.

Celeb News @/CelebNews L'Manberg technician Jack Manifold leaks that his company will be participating in Dream's fashion show! The question on everybody's mind is: who will be in it? Mack Janifold @/JackManifold NO NO NO I DIDNT LEAK SHIT @/JackManifold https://www.youtube.com/thislinkaintreallmao YOU IDIOT Jack Manifold @/JackManifold OKAY MAYBE I LEAKED SOMETHING Wilbur Soot @/WilburSoot GODDAMNIT JACK

Celeb News @/CelebNews Dream goes in depth about his vision for his show and drops a few names you might recognize! https://www.youtube.com/ihavenoideahowtwitterworks Dream @/designerDream Replying to @/ :)

Celeb News @/CelebNews Has one of the most famous designers cut his fame short? According to an anonymous source, Dream may have hired some of the people on his show for "representation" instead of talent. Technoblade @/Technoblade bruhhh Sapnap @/Sapnap and you know this how? Are you Dream? Didn't think so

Dream @/designerDream None of the people in my show have been chosen for "representation". All of them are very talented and amazing in their own right, and they are more than just their sexuality or their job. Karl Jacobs @/KarlJacobs Replying to @/ am i just a person who does makeup to you D: Antfrost @/Frosty_Ant if i say im straight will i be kicked out of the show Red Velvet @/Velvet_Cake @/Frosty_Ant we were never dating, we're just really close best friends :) Eret @/The_Eret can't believe I got into the famous Dream's fashion show because I like all genders! Puffy @/CapnPuffy lmao same! Niki @/nikinihachu lmao same!

[sneezingpotatoes]

Merry (LATE ASF) Christmas xD

Over a year late, but... You know?😂😂😂 I come baring gifts! xD Gotta keep my word no matter how long it takes lmao

Okay so I got my ex-best friend to draw Draco for me xD LOL She’s vanilla and doesn’t know about my kink so I had to kinda sneakily ask her to add the blush and stuff lmao BUT FOR THE MOST PART, this is my OC Draco xDD She did a good job with it! That’s him feeling all sickly in the story xD I might get her to draw my other OC’s too! If you want her to draw for you too or see what else she drew, her instagrams are: @ixreikoluxi and @ixreiko_luxi ((Just dont message her anything kinky LOL but she does do commissions on anime art!)) Also I tried new things in here... And there’s a lot that be happenin in this fic so hopefully it’s a good read lmao xD 

ANYWAYS MERRY (LATE ASF) CHRISTMAS AND ONTO THE FIC XD I think it’s around 15k words OvO ENJOY

December 23rd

 A soft murmur slips past Draco’s ears through the darkness of sleep, earning a sleepy snort and a shift on the couch from the sleeping drunkard. The murmur wasn’t loud enough to fully wake the hungover excuse of a man resting on the couch, but it did plant the seed of a weak headache into his temples from the lingering alcohol flowing through his veins.

“...co ... Draco! Wake up, please.” 

The gentle shaking of his arm causes Draco to slowly stir awake. The rugged man lazily blinks a few times, trying to get his eyes to focus through the dim light on the face hovering above him. He winces as he’s greeted with a sharp churning in his stomach from his heavy alcohol consumption the past few days, cursing at the situation entirely.

“Shit. Wahtimeisit..? Wahdoyouwant?” His voice was deep and groggy from sleep, words slurred from his mind and mouth both sluggish and still trying to register and function at the thought of being awake so early.

“It’s 10 ‘till 6am. I need you to do the Christmas shopping for me while I’m at work today.” The gentleman firmly instructed. Shit. He had forgotten about that. The rugged man audibly grunted, rubbing the sleep out of his tired eyes. “I left the shopping list and some money on the table. Do not forget about it, Draco. I mean it.” His voice was strict and bold, leaving a mark on Draco’s deafened pride. The gentleman locked the door behind him and was gone before Draco could even attempt to respond. 

“Could’ve at least turned off the fricken light, jeez.”

He groaned, dreading the long day of shopping he had ahead of him. Every time Reuben had asked him to go to the store for him, it was always at least a four-hour endeavor, seeing how Reuben always had items on the list that he had never heard of, and the nearest shops around his area were all unheard of and he had no idea where any of the items were. Even if he did go shopping on a regular basis, he was sure that he would still be lost in each of the supermarkets. Christmas was in two days, so that meant that everyone was out and about, doing their last-minute Christmas shopping, just as he was about to, seeing how he had waited nearly a month to even think about the list. Yeah, Reuben had warned him about this multiple times, that’s why he had made the list ahead of time, but Draco didn’t care. Well, he didn’t care until now. The rugged man cursed to himself just thinking about the long shopping list and having to deal with crowds of people. Why did he have to do all the damn shopping, anyway? ‘It’s not like you do anything all day, anyway. You just lay around or go to the bar and get drunk. The least you could do is help out around here and go to the grocery store.’ He could hear Reuben’s nagging voice already engraved into his memory. They’ve had this conversation once before, and Draco hated to be reminded of it. He sighs, shoving away the memory and slamming his eyes shut, trying to return to the peaceful slumber that he had been rudely awoken from.

4 hours felt like minutes according to Draco as he was rudely pulled out of sleep by warm licks to the tip of his nose. At first, he shoves the clever feline back away from his torso and rubs his freshly licked nose, sluggishly trying to go back to sleep. Absinthe returns a couple of seconds later, gently sitting on his chest with a soft ‘meowrr’ that makes the rugged man bat an eye at the creature.

“Jesus Christ, cut it out, will ya!?” The man grunted, remembering that he was supposed to feed the feline two hours ago, and that he probably wouldn’t hear the end of it with Reuben when he got home. She speaks again, hopping onto the floor and stretching outward near her food bowl. “Alright, alright already. Shaash, I’m goin’.”

Brain still foggy from sleep, the rugged man brought himself to his feet, releasing a loud, well-needed yawn that forced his jaw to slack all the way open as he headed into the kitchen, feeling the patient feline watching his every move. He takes the can of cat food from the cabinet and sluggishly places the food in the bowl, having Absinthe instantly begin to eat the protein packed meal.

“You’re welcome, little bastard.” He mumbled as he watched the feline scarf down the mushy substance, gliding a gentle hand behind her ears. “Must be good, huh?” It was odd. Draco normally judged Reuben for speaking to his feline like an actual person, but it was actually quite soothing to say the least, as it brought a wry smirk to his face. Obviously, he wasn’t going to tell Reuben that. The black cat abruptly stopped eating and peeked her head at the man crouched directly behind her, purring when he rubbed the right spot. He gave her one last rub before getting up to grab a change of clothes.

He called an Uber after taking a decently long, hot shower and eating a slice of cold, leftover pizza from the fridge for breakfast. Reuben was the only person with a car around here and he had taken it to work today, so he felt that an Uber would be the better option at least. The rugged man scoops the money from on the table into his pocket, grabs the shopping list and heads outside into the freezing winter air.

***

The sky was a nice dark gray, not doing the sun any favors with providing any warmth or sunlight really. There was a cold, gentle breeze that would occasionally brush through his dark black bangs and hug his neck and chest, forcing him to pull up his short jacket collar as much as he could in order to shield himself from at least some of the coldness. This would be one of the moments that he missed his trench coat and fedora the most. Reuben had made him throw the old things out entirely and get a completely new wardrobe about a week after he had moved in. He couldn’t complain; he didn’t much care about having to wear new clothes, he just wanted to keep his fedora and trench coat if anything. The sound of car tires sloshing in a puddle of rainwater catches his attention as it appears to be his Uber driver. The driver waves at his direction, beckoning him to come over.

“So, where we headed?” The uber driver asked as Draco entered the back seat.

“Just to the local shopping center up ahead. I put the damn address in the app, why are you asking me? Do your damn job.” He muttered, eyeing the long list in his hand. He’s sure that the driver said something back to him, but he wasn’t listening; He was already in a bad mood and had to prepare himself for the long endeavor ahead of him. 

The closer they got to the shopping center, the more Draco started to get annoyed. There were so many cars in the street, driving slow for what Draco thought was both to look at all of the Christmas lights and decorations hanging up on all of the lamp posts and just from the amount of people in the area period. There were so many people walking on the sidewalks with their families, friends, partners and just some walking solo; He was kind of glad that he hadn’t driven here himself. It would be hell to find a parking spot anywhere, and just hell to get out of here. He grunts to himself, noticing a few people wearing face masks that were walking along the sidewalks as well. He had forgotten that this was the perfect weather and season for people to get sick. It was probably the perfect place to get sick too, seeing how there were just so many people brushing up against one another, touching all sorts of the same products and just overall breathing the same air in general. The driver pulled over in what seemed to be the middle of the shopping center, having a giant Christmas tree on display to his left with so many bright lights and Christmas ornaments dangling from all of the branches. That seemed to be the hot spot of the entire center, seeing how there seemed to be a ton of families crowded around the tree, whether they were taking pictures in front of it, sitting and chatting, or just hanging out around the area. He paid the uber driver and exited the vehicle, instantly starting to make his way towards the nearest supermarket so that he could get out of this mess as quickly as possible.

Draco was hit with a little bit of relief when he entered the store, feeling the heat instantly wash over him as he grabbed his handheld shopping basket. It was short lived though as he saw how long the checkout lines were, and how many people were still shopping down every isle in the store. He briefly sighed, shoving all of his aggravation aside. He knew that he wasn’t going to get anything done fast if he just kept moping about the situation.

It took about an hour of roaming down every isle a few times, bumping into and being bumped into a good handful of times and scanning over the shopping list at least 30 times before Draco was sure that he had gotten a good selection of items off of the list and made the executive decision to check out. It didn’t matter which line he chose; each line was so long that it was stretching into an actual isle, causing multiple people to have to cut through every once in a while, just to get to the other side of the store. He picks the closest line to him and decides to start waiting now rather than later. Why does everybody have to be out shopping right now anyway? He thought to himself, feeling his arms starting to grow tired from carrying the heavy basket for so long. 

It wasn’t long before other shoppers began to slowly file in behind him, causing him to feel slightly uneasy from how close they had to stand in order to be out of the way of other shoppers. What made matters worse was that the person behind him sounded like he was under the weather and Draco didn’t want to be anywhere near it. The thick sniffling that was heard from behind him made Draco internally groan. Damn it, he hated this so much. The regret was really starting to sink in now. At this moment he wished that he had went shopping right when Reuben had made the list. There’s a chesty cough from behind him that makes Draco turn his head slightly enough to see a young man sniffling helplessly into the palm of his hand. He rolls his eyes, feeling like he’s stuck in his current position. He knew that he always had an option to leave the line, but he had already waited 10 minutes and he didn’t want to be there any longer than he had to. The shuffling of feet in front of him caught his attention as he followed suit and scooted forward a couple of inches as the next customer was being serviced. There were only two customers in front of him now, and he was actually standing inside of the gap with the chip racks and soda coolers; He was nearing the light at the end of his tunnel. He knew that he could wait a couple more minutes and put up with this a little while longer. That was until…

“Hh… Ah’TSSCHiuh!!” 

The loud sneeze from behind makes the rugged man flinch, feeling a gust of air and cold spray instantly hit the back of his neck. He slowly turns around completely this time, bringing a hand up to wipe where he had felt the sickly spray come in contact as he was greeted by a young man with short brown hair, sniffling and wiping his nose onto his jacket sleeve.

“Oh, come on, man! Are you freggin serious?!” Draco yells, feeling disgusted and aggravated at the stranger. The outburst causes a handful of eyes to veer over to their direction. The younger man could only give a sheepish smile in return, feeling way beyond embarrassed and nervous of what the rugged man would do.

“I, uhh… I’m sorry, man! It’s just allergies! ‘Tis the season, right?” The young man said with a pleading smile and nervous laugh, trying his best to ease the rugged man over. Allergies my ass. His voice sounded thick and strained just from that apology alone, and Draco already knew what this meant. He looked like a walking germ cell; ain’t no way that’s some goddamn allergies. 

“Un-fucking-believable.” He muttered, looking at his hand in disgust. He was furious way beyond comprehension, but he didn’t want to cause a bigger scene than he had already. For this kids’ sake. The young man pulled out a pack of tissues and handed him one with a shaky hand. “Where the hell was this at before you fucking sneezed on me?!” His voice was loud with anger again as he snatched the tissue out of the man’s hand and wiped his own in disgust. The younger man quickly fumbled into the packet again to grab his own tissues as his eyelashes began to gently flutter shut. 

“Ah’TSSCHiih..! Ih‘TISShiEW!!” 

The cans and bottles in his handheld basket clanked against each other as the young man jerked forwards, diving into his hand full of tissues as his bangs bounced off of his clammy forehead with each itchy explosion. He would’ve crashed into the chip rack if not for the kind stranger behind him. Draco was relieved when the customer in front of him was beginning to load the belt with his items, allowing him to scoot up some again. It was short lived though, when the young man also scooted up behind him, sniffling and coughing so close in his ear it felt like he was practically shoulder to shoulder with him.

Finally, after a few more minutes of waiting, it was Draco’s turn to quickly checkout and instantly leave the store. The cold air greeted Draco once again, but he didn’t care this time. He was just happy to get out of that store and separate himself from that walking germ infestation. His arms were already starting to get tired even though he had two more stores to visit; He just wanted to go home honestly and take another hot shower to cleanse himself. It was about a ten-minute walk to get to the next store on his list. The fresh air was really nice, but it was awfully cold and starting to loosen up his sinuses. He had to sniffle every few seconds just to try and prevent his nose from leaking onto his numb upper lip.

His second shopping experience was pretty similar to the last store, minus the disgusting event, but the process went by faster than he had thought it would, and for that he was grateful. He peered down at the shopping list once again, having a wave of relief brush over him from seeing the small handful of items that he had left to get: Cranberry sauce, Asparagus, wait… Proscouittio? What the hell was a proscouittio? The rugged man sat down on the nearest bench, allowing his arms to rest by setting down all of his grocery bags onto the cold concrete as he pulled out his cellphone and dialed up the pediatrician.

“Hello? Draco?” The smooth and concerned voice of the gentleman was heard on the other end of the phone.

“Yeah, it’s me. What the hell is a pro… scouittio?” The rugged man asked, voice still coated with irritation from having to be out shopping. He snuffled twice into a curled knuckle, giving the underside of his nose a quick wipe after feeling a faint burning at the back of his sinuses from the cold air. A light chuckle is heard on the other end from the gentleman.

“It’s prosciutto, not proscouittio.” Reuben corrected through a light snicker. Draco snarled, irritably bringing his phone closer to his mouth. 

“If you’re going to laugh and make fun of me, so help me God I swear I’ll hang up right fucking now and blow this money at the nearest bar in sight.” His voice was dry and grim, causing Reuben to stop his chuckling instantly. The rugged man snuffled thickly again, lifting up his arm to briefly rub his leaky nose along his jacket sleeve this time. 

“Okay, okay, calm down. There’s no reason to get all riled up.” Reuben’s voice had a naturally childish glee to it today that forced Draco to ease up a little, even if he didn’t want to. “It’s a thinly sliced ham. Very delicious. You can find it at Scardello deli a little way east of the Shopping Center. Oh, and Draco, make sure you’re reading all of the ingredients carefully. My parents are coming over and it has to be correct.” It was hard to pay attention to Reuben, seeing how his nose would not stop running no matter how many times he wiped at it. He had to keep sniffling to himself in order to barely keep the leakage at bay. He audibly sighs, as he felt his inner nostrils begin to tingle from the cold air just enough to make his chest bounce with a muted hitch.  “—And a block of Gruyère cheese from the deli too, please.” There was a moment of silence before Reuben realized that he had been talking to himself for the past few seconds. Another muted hitch escapes from Draco as his nose and lips began to quiver uncomfortably from the subtle itch. 

“Hehh…” He could feel his eyelids start to droop closed and his shoulders begin to rise from the third inhale that was audible this time and forced him to bring up a shaky hand to squeeze his nostrils shut with his thumb and forefinger. 

“Hello? Draco? Are you there—" The hitch only sounds like a soft grunt to Reuben as he is unable to hear clearly since Draco instantly pushed the device deep into his chest as he jerked forwards twice.

“Kxxnt… Hhuh-… Eh’GSXnt!” The first sneeze was weak and soft enough to go unnoticed, but it made the gentle tingle in his sinuses rattle, causing the second sneeze to sound a bit more agitated and loud enough to get picked up on the line.  

“Oh? Bless you, Draco. Are you alright?” Reuben asked, voice clearly coated with concern. The rugged man barely caught the sentence as he brought the phone back up to his ear, sniffling a handful of times into his curled knuckle.

“Yeah, ‘s just cold as hell out here. What were you talkin’ about?” Draco muttered, massaging the bridge of his nose with chilled fingertips.

“I said I need you to pick up a block of Gruyère cheese from Scardello’s Deli for me while you’re out. I must’ve forgotten to put it on the list.”

“Jeez, I need a drink.” Draco groaned as he massaged the bridge of his nose in irritation of the new item added to his list this time.

"Tell you what: I'll pay your bar tab for all of the hassle you're going through today, even though all of this could've been avoided had you listened to me." Reuben offered, mumbling the second half of his sentence in a matter-of-fact manner. Draco didn't care though. He was sold on the 'pay your bar tab' part.

"You've got yourself a deal then." 

“Good. Oh- And Draco, be safe out there. Don’t stay out in the cold for too long. Make sure you’re keeping wa--” 

“Tch.” Draco instantly ended the call after he irritably smacked his lips, ignoring the pediatrician’s advice. He didn’t need to hear something he already knew and was well aware of. Reuben wasn’t his parent. He knew how to take care of himself. The rugged man quickly stood back up in a huff and headed straight for the second to last store on his list. 

The next store that he needed to visit was a fresh produce store. Reuben was very picky about the ingredients that he needed. He always wanted it to be organic and to be from a certain brand, which was very annoying and very time consuming to find. If he had been lazy and just brought home a random brand of the product, he knew that he wouldn't hear the end of it from Reuben. Draco didn't know why the hell he cared so much, seeing how it all tasted the same to him anyway. What was the point? It was all food; one just costs more than the other.

The list was growing shorter though, and it only took him about half an hour to find the ingredients that he needed, and checking out was a breeze. The only place he needed to visit was Scardello's Deli. He was glad that this was his last stop though. He was growing rather hungry and decided to take this opportunity to grab him some lunch with the leftover grocery money, if he had any.

Upon approaching the Deli, his heart instantly sinks from how many people are inside of the deli, and just from seeing all the tables outside being filled as well. For a brief moment he had forgotten that it was almost Christmas and that the piles of people showing up to this Deli wouldn't be an exception. Scardello's was also a popular Italian deli, famous for their tasty, high quality ingredients; seeing this many people here on an average day wouldn't be surprising either. You'd be lucky if you didn't have to wait in a long line that extended outside of the store.

Draco quickly stepped in line, wanting to save his place before someone else had the chance to and began the waiting game for the last time. He was happy, seeing how after he was finished shopping here, he could finally go home and he also had free alcohol on his waiting list. It wasn't too bad though. He enjoyed the scent of freshly toasted bread and the savory scent of spices that were infused into the meats. This was the best experience he had today for waiting in a long line, even if he had handfuls of groceries in his hands.

After waiting for about 20 minutes in line, it was finally his turn to order and he was relieved. There was a big glass full of different types of meats on display in front of him, all looking very delicious, but he points to the specific type of prosciutto that Reuben had asked for, along with the block of Gruyère cheese. The cashier nods to the rugged man and repeats the order back to a couple of workers that were slicing meat in the back as he pressed a few buttons onto his register.

"Prosciutto di Parma. Good choice. Delicate to the tongue and sweet to the taste." The woman behind him stated as she approached the meat display and stood beside him. She held her black suitcase to her side as her long, white lab coat flapped behind her as she turned to study the rugged man standing in front of her. "Hmm... You don't look like the type to eat anything close to prosciutto... Who sent you?" She mused, chuckling to herself as she saw the confused, and now irritated glare on Draco's face. The rugged man furrowed a brow at the lady, feeling offended by her choice of words. ‘Look the type’? The hell does she mean by that? 

Her long, brown hair seemed to flow vibrantly behind her back, naturally complimenting her dark, purple orbs while she looked at the display case full of meat. She was actually very beautiful in Draco's eyes; he had to force himself to shift his gaze so that he didn’t end up staring for too long.

"I gotta $62.60 for a Prosciutto Di Parma an’ a Gruyère ." The cashier stated through a heavy Italian accent that instantly snagged Draco's attention and brought him back to reality. Over $50 for just some damn meat and cheese? What has the world come to, he thought to himself. 

"U-uh, yeah, and I wanna add your uhh... Italian Sub. That should be cheap enough at least." He muttered, dazed by both the woman still hovering over his shoulder and the price of the meat as he fumbled into his pockets for the leftover grocery money. 

"Ey, Giuseppe, put his order on my ticket." The woman stated as she gently grabbed his hand in order to prevent him from scrambling for the lose bills in his pockets any longer. “Grazie mille amico mio.” Draco gave the woman both a confused and disapproving look in return but she brushed it off as she placed her own order on top of his. 

“Nessun problema. Qualunque cosa per mia sorella!” The cashier replied with a smile as he typed away on the cash register. 

"The hell d’you think you’re doing, lady? I have the money to pay, you know." Draco muttered to the woman with shattered pride after she had placed her order. The cashier had told them to stand over to the side as they began preparing their food.

"Mm-hmm. Oh I'm sure you do." She said with a flirtatious grin. Draco couldn't tell if she was joking or if she was just being sarcastic. Or both. The childish tone of her voice reminded him of Lirin a bit, and made him unintentionally release an agitated sigh. "Nobody in their right mind walks into Scardello's with pocket change."

"Listen, lady, pocket change or not: money is money. Don’t give a rats ass about how it looks." Even though she was very beautiful, her beauty didn’t seem to filter Draco’s mouth nor his personality. He could care less, really. She could’ve been Beyonce in a two piece and he still would’ve said the same thing. 

"Hm. Touché." She muttered, giving the rugged man an approving nod before giving him a light punch in the shoulder. “Can you not call me lady though? Don’t you know how rude that sounds?” 

"Do I look like a fuckin’ mind-reader? I don’t know your name, lady.”

“The name's Sicily." Her response came out awkward sounding as she fought to keep herself from actually socking him in the shoulder again. “Gaash, do you kiss your mother with that potty mouth?” 

"Don’t you ever mention my mother ever again, you got that??" He mutters intensely, having the cashier interrupt their conversation with two bags of food in hand. 

She awkwardly thanked the cashier and gave him a tip before leaving the Deli. Draco followed her outside over to a wooden bench a few steps away from the Deli as she sat down and separated the food between both of them.

"Y’know, you’re being kinda rude to the person that just bought all this food for you. Here." She said as she gave him the bag with freshly purchased food inside. "That one's yours." Draco accepted the bag in silence as she taps the bench and invites him to join her and have a seat, in which he distantly accepts. The two sit in silence for a good few minutes before Sicily decides to cut through the tension. “I didn’t catch your name earlier...” She mumbled into her sandwich before taking a bite out of it. 

“... Draco, I guess...” He replied annoyed, only staring at his sandwich rather than eating it.

"Well, Mr. Draco... You’re an asshole, you know that?” She stated through a soft chuckle after hearing Draco release a loud, obviously aggravated grunt in response, “An attractive asshole, I might add. And honestly, you just have the manliest resting bitch face I’ve ever seen--” 

“What the hell are you getting at here?” 

 “You wanna know why I paid for your meal? I just wanted to make that sour face at least a liiiittle bit sweeter, you know?” The rugged man gave a perplexed look towards the woman sitting beside him. It felt weird hearing a woman speak so openly and without a filter just like him. 

“...Shut up...” Draco half-muttered after an exhausted sigh, before finally taking a bite out of his sandwich. 

“You’d like that wouldn’t you? Too bad. I’m not a sheep. I don’t follow orders.” She mused with a dorky accent, surprisingly earning an unexpected chuckle from the rugged man. He wasn’t expecting such a resilient response. He had to admit, she was a cute, quirky, and geeky person that made his heart flutter the more he talked with the woman. 

The two sat on the bench oddly enjoying each other's company and eating the delicious Italian lunch for about half an hour. Even though it was really cold outside, it didnt matter to them. It felt like Draco was genuinely having a great time with Sicily and he didn't want it to end. You might even say it was a first date at that. She seemed to be the only person that could get underneath his thick skin and actually make him chuckle, multiple times at that. Wait a minute, what was he thinking? It couldn’t have been a date. They were simply just having a decent lunch together. That was all. 

The half hour feels like seconds as the time flew by, though. They had already finished their lunch and Draco knew that he needed to get back and put the groceries away. Sicily seemed like she had her own plans to get back to as well, seeing how she was the one who had cut the event short. She did feel awful about ending their moment, so she paid for his Uber and waited with him until the Uber arrived to take him home.

***

Draco had an odd, empty feeling resting in his stomach as the Uber pulled up to Reuben's home. He was glad to be home and to have all the shopping finished; It felt like a huge weight was lifted off of his shoulders, but he still missed the company of Sicily. He thanks the driver for the ride after he collected all of his belongings and started for the front door, heaving all of the groceries along with him.

Draco raises a curious brow as he sees Reuben's car in the driveway. It was out of the ordinary to see Reuben's car here at this time, because he normally didn't come home until late at night. The rugged man adjusts the bags in his hands, dismissing the fact of the car being there only to be halted by a stray dog crossing his path in the driveway.

The dog looked like a black and brown German Shepard, but it had a deep cut along its left eye and it was faintly shivering from the cold winter air. Once Draco made eye contact with the canine, it slowly sat down and wagged its tail, patiently waiting. For what, Draco had no idea. He had seen this dog before. Multiple times at that. Reuben would always chase the dog away with his shoe whenever he saw him on the porch, but Draco never understood why. The rugged man cautiously approached the injured creature with a struggling hand to scratch behind its ears and the dog instantly dropped its mouth open and let its tongue hang out, clearly enjoying the attention and feeling of affection.

"You like that, dontcha boy?" As if in response to Draco, the dog barked and hopped up to place his paws onto the rugged man’s chest, trying to lick his face. Draco chuckled at the friendly creature and gave it a hug as he couldn't resist the poor, abandoned animal. He knew how being cold, lonely and abandoned felt and how much value was in the slightest amount of affection. He wasn’t fast enough to dodge as the canine licked his cheek a few times. "Okay, okay, down boy! Get down!" He had to force the dog down, seeing how the canine was overly excited from the rugged man and his attention. "What’s your name, anyway?" He muttered, trying to find a collar or dog tag on the animal, only to find nothing. The stray dog sat in front of the rugged man with excited eyes. It was hard for Draco to look back at the poor animal, but he knew that he couldn't take him into Reuben's house. The pediatrician had mentioned that he disliked dogs with a passion; for what reason, Draco had no clue. He gave the dog one last good rub and slipped past him in order to get to the front porch. The dog only sat in place, watching the rugged man as he stood on the porch, glaring back at the stray dog with guilt. “... You know what, fuck it.” He says as he grabs a slice of the prosciutto and tosses it to the stray dog. Immediately, the dog grabs the meat and runs into the grass, tearing the meat up and swallowing it savagely like he hadn’t eaten in a while. ‘You enjoy that, little buddy.” He whispers before sliding into the house. 

***

Draco released a light sigh as he was relieved to be back home and outside of the cold. Before he could enter the kitchen to set down the groceries, Reuben arose from the couch and greeted him with a cheerful grin.

"Welcome back, Draco. I assume everything went well?" The gentleman grabbed a few of the bags from the rugged man and led him into the kitchen.

"Yeah, but- wait, why are you home right now?" Draco asked, confusion coating his voice, as he sat the bags on the counter and began to take all of the items out. Reuben gives a slight chuckle as he takes the empty bag from Draco and throws it in the trash.

"I couldn't have you here while I wrapped up all the Christmas gifts, now could I?" He said, pointing at the elegant Christmas tree that now had multiple gifts resting underneath it. Draco rolled his eyes, aggravated at the fact that it would’ve been a whole lot easier if Reuben would’ve taken him to the store in the first place. “Oh, relax, would you? I thought I’d find you wearing an ear-to-ear grin from the clean slate you now have at the bar!"

"... Fine, just whatever... There better be a flask full of booze under there or you're catching fists." He falsely allowed the joke to slip off of his tongue, forgetting that he wasn't outside with Sicily anymore. Reuben doesn't mind though, and takes it as him finally getting into the Christmas spirit. "What's with the sweater?"

"Oh this old thing? You like it?” Humors Reuben as he stretches out the sweater in order to show off all the glowing Christmas lights and decorations on it. The rugged man only gives a disgusted look in disapproval at the ugly thing. "It even lights up, s-see?Ihktsh!" Reuben furrowed a confused brow as he barely caught the abrupt sneeze into a curled knuckle, feeling an overwhelming itch force entry into his sinuses and cut his shirt viewing short. 

A sharp, breathy inhale was the only thing Draco heard before he looked over to see Reuben twitching forward with each rapid sneeze, catching them with the top-side of his hand. "Hih-Ktsh! Hihktsh! Hh-Hihh! Hih'KSsh! HuhISsSCH'ue!!" The power of the tickling sensation was so strong and abrupt that his lungs didn’t know how to function properly with the irritant fighting in his sinuses.

He knew the feeling of this type of tickle. It wasn’t from sickness, nor from hay fever, and his house hadn’t been dusty enough to irritate him the past few days, so it could’ve only been one other thing.  A handful of muted gasps escape from the gentleman as he could feel his sensitive nose trembling in agony. 

“Hh-have youhh beenn playi’gw-wihh-hih! Wid dohh-gs??” The pediatrician struggled to ask between hitching breaths as he grabbed a few tissues from off of the counter with one hand and pinched his nostrils closed with his other hand. 

“Yeah, so what if I did?” Draco fired back, defensively as if the stray dog were under attack by the evil pediatrician. The gentleman only blew his nose in return, shaking his head from how intense the tickle was becoming. He instantly shuffled backwards after he blew into the handful of tissues for a second time, foolishly trying to expel the irritant as quickly as possible, only to rattle the irritant around and get hit with the full force of the tickling sensation. He coughed and fanned at the air as if doing so would remove the irritant that forced his nostrils to instantly tremble in aggravation. He could feel his body rejecting the irritant fiercely as his eyelids instantly slammed shut once again and his chest visibly bounced from the rapid, overwhelming breaths his body felt were necessary to take between each desperate sneeze he lazily caught in the handful of tissues. The sudden irritant caught both him and his body off guard as it physically tried to process what the devil Draco had brought into his presence. 

“D-Dr-a’KSh!Ihktsh!! Huh’kSsh!! I-Ihssh’uehh-hih! HihH’ksh’u!!… I-Ih-hhehh-HH…” Reuben barely squinted his eyes open to share a struggling glare with Draco, trying his hardest to speak but failed miserably, getting lost in his own sea of rapid hitches. The strength of the irritant forced the pediatrician to instantly jerk forwards into the damp handful of tissues with rapid, itchy explosions. 

“Hihktsh! Kshnt! IhKTSH-tsshIISsh! AlleH-Hh’Issh…! T-tIDSh’ue!! Hehh…D-dohhgs-s Hhgh-ihkssh’u! hHAH-ESsh’uekgshu! IH’KGshIEw!! Iksshu! Kgshu-IKGSshu!” The gentleman's body trembled with each sneeze as he struggled to take in a breath of air. He had foolishly tried to speak in-between the fit in vain as he had cut himself off with the rapid, tumbling sneezes. 

The rugged man gives Reuben a questioning glare as he released four more tired sneezes in-between desperate nose blows and irritated coughs into his handful of tissues. He didn't know that Reuben had a dog allergy; He also hadn't played with the canine for that long either, so he was confused as to why Reuben was having such a reaction.

"I'm a-allerhh-hih... Hahh...! Ihktsh!! Hheh'kssh-ISshu! 'EDSh'ue!! Ekgsh!! IsshShishh! IGSSch'uh! Hahh... Allergigk do dogs." He congestedly tried to explain again through disruptive hitches. 

Draco could see the pediatrician's pink tipped nose still twitching from the irritant lingering about as he dabbed away the allergic tears that started rolling down his cheeks with the side of his hand. He gave a sly smirk to himself, finding a hint of pleasure in seeing the arrogant pediatrician looking so vulnerable. It was nice to see Reuben knocked off of his high horse for a bit. 

"Well in that case, I want a dog." Draco humored to the pediatrician as he watched him still trying to catch his unsteady breath.

"Hah’KGshn! Ihgsh! Kgsch! H-how consihhderate o-of... Ih-Kgsshn! Hh-huh... youhh." His speech was still shaky and broken from the faint hitches riddled between his words. He blows his nose once again in an attempt to blow out the irritant that had entered his nostrils, but it does nothing but dampen the tissues further in his hand.  

 The gentleman irritably tells Draco to finish putting away the groceries and to throw his clothes into the washer as he left the room to take some allergy medicine, already beginning to feel miserable. He also couldn’t help but give a little chuckle to himself, finding the whole situation to be quite humorous. He only wondered how bad it would be if Reuben were to actually encounter a dog in person. 

The hot shower that Draco had been waiting for all day finally came and went, leaving him with a strong feeling of relief and relaxation. It felt like ten pounds had been lifted off of his shoulders, seeing how he still felt disgusting from that irritating encounter at the store. Reuben seemed to be feeling better as well, since he had stopped sneezing when he got out of the shower. He had to admit: The Christmas vibes were definitely present from both the nicely decorated Christmas tree and all of the decorations Reuben had been putting up all over the house. It was his first Christmas with the pediatrician, and it felt like it was going to be a great one at that.

December 24th

The loud clank of a pan serves as a rude awakening for the rugged man as he flinched awake from the couch. He tries to open his eyes but instantly slams them shut with a heavy wince from the blinding living room lights. A few light coughs escape from his grasp as he sluggishly wiped the sleep from his eyes. He felt groggy today. Groggier than usual. He releases a sluggish snuffle in an attempt to clear the wall of congestion that must’ve built up overnight. 

“Evening, Draco.” The lanky gentleman greeted from the kitchen, adding water to a pot before placing it on the stove top. “A pleasure to see you awake. I surely thought you were going to sleep the entire day away.” The rugged man remained silent as he blindly reached for his flask from off of the coffee table and instantly began consuming the alcoholic beverage, only to choke on the burn in his throat. That was strange. He thought that he was used to the burn of a little Whiskey. “How many times have I told you to stop drinking in the morning?” The rugged man winces, trying to clear his throat of the itch and now faint burn from the alcohol.

“Mornin’ to you too, asshole.” He muttered dismissively, hearing his own voice sound a little scratchier than usual. “HhUh-TDZSSH...!! EHh’GTSZSHh’UHH!! GOD--!! Damnit!!” He barely catches the first loud sneeze into the cup of his hand, almost spilling his flask from the force of the second loud sneeze that shakes his entire core. He yells a swear, feeling the most torturous burn scrape his raw throat from the loud morning sneezes. 

“Ah. Lovely.” The sarcastic tone from the gentleman earned a pained chuckle out of Draco as he struggled to choke down another swig from his flask. “I’m expecting company over soon. I’d recommend getting dressed and presentable.”

“Dressed and ‘presentable’? Screw off.” Reuben only sighed in return, not in the mood to put up with Draco’s shenanigans. A mild yawn escapes his lips as he glares at the clock resting on the stand. “3:30pm? Shit.” He mumbled as he rubbed a hand across his face in an attempt to wipe the sleep away as he got up to join the pediatrician in the kitchen. There were a lot of different foods scattered across all of the kitchen countertops with other food items cooking on the stove as well, and he was sure that he saw something baking in the oven. “Why the hell are you makin’ so much food?” Reuben abruptly stopped cutting the vegetables on the cutting board and sat his knife down in order to share a confused glare at Draco. 

“Draco, my family is coming over for the Holidays, remember?” His heart instantly sank after hearing those words. He had forgotten about Reuben’s family coming to visit. He dreaded this day as well because it was going to be the most awkward day of his life, which was probably the reason he had forgotten about it in the first place. “You do remember, don’t you?”

“HhUH-EGTSsh!! Y-yeah, sure. When are dhey cobin’ a-adywayhh? IH’TIZSSCH'ugh!! Shidt.” He asked between the forceful sneezes, dismissively trying to hide the fact that he truly had forgotten about his parents coming over. The gentleman raises a concerned brow at the second pair of harsh sneezes and gives the rugged man a quick gloss-over. 

“My blessings. Are you feeling well, Draco?” The pediatrician doesn’t hesitate to shove a cool palm underneath the man’s disheveled bangs and atop his clammy forehead out of his routine pediatric habit. “You look exhausted. Then again, when don’t you look exhausted?” Draco flinches and knocks away Reuben’s hand in return, before taking another swig from his flask. 

“’M fine. Your snooty parents must be talking about me already.” He humored, but not really. He didn’t want to offend the gentleman, but they both knew it was obvious. Reuben brushed off his comment, not disputing it either, seeing how Draco could’ve been right. His parents were a bit snobbish and he wouldn’t be surprised if they actually were talking about him right now.

“We agreed on 4pm, but knowing my family they’ll probably be knocking on the door any minute now. That is why I’d strongly advise getting dressed.” The rugged man leaned against the countertop in silence for a moment, trying to find at least someway to get out of this pickle he was forced into. 

“Why the hell do I gotta act all nice and prissy just to impress your damn parents? It ain’t like we gettin’ married.” He irritably muttered into his opened flask, dreading the evening he had to prepare for. The pediatrician took a moment to compose himself, trying not to let the stress of the day wash over him and cause him to say or do something he didn’t intend to. 

“Draco, can you please just wash up and get dressed? Don’t make this difficult. You can leave for the bar right after, I don’t care, just don’t embarrass me, please?” Draco gave the man a questioning look. He hadn’t heard the pediatrician ask him to do something in this pleading tone ever. It was... different. A bit concerning. 

“Whatever...” He grumbled, silently slipping out of the kitchen and leaving the pediatrician to continue cooking the feast in kitchen.

He had to admit that he was a little nervous about meeting Reuben’s family. If his family was as arrogant and uptight just like he was, it was going to be a long evening. Especially if Reuben was acting this way about his parents, something was definitely going to go down. He did seem like the type to have parents with high expectations and standards, which Draco knew that he wasn’t qualified for. Even though Reuben was how he was, he didn’t want to leave a bad impression on his family, but he couldn’t make any promises either. He knew that he was going to have to prepare himself to probably listen to his parent’s brag about how much money they make and how proud they are to have a Pediatrician as a son. He released a long sigh as he collected a some-what clean outfit, completely ignoring the pressed suit and tie that Reuben picked out for him, and headed into the bathroom. 

***

Draco took his time in the shower, not wanting to leave the bathroom at all and face a room of strangers. He already started to feel slightly worse from when he had woken up, seeing how his nose had begun to leak and itch more profoundly and his throat was really becoming agitated. He could already hear a few unfamiliar voices carrying into the restroom that made him uneasy. He was a complete stranger getting dumped into a family meet and greet. He knew that he would feel out of place and like he didn’t belong but there was no way to escape. All of his guests had already arrived and were chatting up a storm in the other room. He could make out Lirin’s high pitched voice, which gave him at least a little bit of comfort, but the other few voices made him release a tense sigh. This was going to be weird, but it was better to hurry up and get this over with now.

Draco slowly opened the bathroom door, deciding that it was time to leave the steamy bathroom so that the stuffy, warm air could stop making his nose leak so damn much. He carefully peered down the hallway, instantly being greeted by unfamiliar faces. There was a man with brown hair and glasses in a dark suit, looking like an older version of Reuben just with stubbles on his chin that was having a conversation with a mature woman, looking young for her age, with long, luscious brown hair; They looked like they had professions related in business or sales.

“Speak of the devil, that must be the man of the hour! My son here’s been tellin’ me all about ya!” The man in the suit said with open arms as Draco approached the group. He instantly pulled the rugged man in for a tight hug that took the breath away from him and caused him to cough over the man’s shoulder. “Don’t be shy! We’re all family here.” After a brief moment, he finally let go and gave Draco a good look over. “You look well! Seems like you’ve made yourself right at home.” The rugged man remained silent, unsure of how to respond to the sudden change of tone from his last sentence.

“Oh, don’t mind him, honey.” The woman said as she straightened up Draco’s shirt. “Donovan’s always been such a hard-ass to all of Reuben’s new friends, haven’t you, Donny?” She said, abruptly giving Donovan a death glare. “My name’s Colette.” Before he could even reply to the woman, Donovan stepped closer to Draco with judging eyes.

“I just don’t want my son to have any bad influences or distractions. You know how it is.” Draco took an uncomfortable step backwards, feeling the tense atmosphere weighing on his shoulders. He already felt like he was being pulled in both directions from both parents. The rugged man froze, feeling like the dark glare from Reuben’s father was judging his every move and action. He curses internally, feeling his nose start to run again, knowing that he can’t do anything about it at this moment.

“Dad I’ve told you countless times, he’s not a distraction. I’ve been doing just fine even with him here.” Reuben said through an irritated sigh as he stressfully massaged the bridge of his nose. Donovan instantly approaches Reuben with a stern voice, clearly not fond of the entire situation. It seemed like none of his words were getting through to him.

“Mmm. And just how long does this Draco plan on staying here?” The rugged man forcefully took this opportunity to turn around and grab a few tissues and wipe his nose, before the leakage had the chance to become visible. A hint of relief crosses over him as he quietly blew into the tissues. It was a soft enough blow to the point where it didn’t draw any attention away from the conversation.

“Ease up, darling. It’s Christmas. We came down here to enjoy the holiday with our son and niece. Besides, Draco looks like a responsible young man. If our son says he’s fine with him being here, leave it at that.”

“Yeah, Draco is SUCH a RESPONSIBLE young man.” Lirin childishly chimed in, hugging Reuben loosely from his side. “You should see how RESPONSIBLE he is when he’s drunk.” She smirked. Draco bit his tongue, trying his best to catch himself from saying an angry remark. Just hearing her sarcasm made him clench his teeth.

“Is that so…?” The voice of a clearly intrigued and curious woman fills the room as Sicily enters the house and locks the door behind her. “We’ll have to grab a drink later.” She flashes Draco a charming wink that makes him instantly look away.

"Sicily, darling! We thought you wouldn't be able to make it! What a pleasant surprise!" Colette exclaims in surprise as she embraces the woman. “Is that alcohol I smell on your breath?”

"Mom, relax. What are you, a police officer? It’s Christmas!” Sicily’s entrance cuts through the tense atmosphere as she gives Donovan, Reuben and Lirin a hug in greeting. “Anywho, don’t be shy now, Draco, was it?” She gave the rugged man a playful nudge in his side as she pulled him over onto the couch. Draco doesn't fight her as he allows himself to be forced down onto the couch, feeling both relieved that he got snatched away from the demonic man, but also, dare he say 'happy' to see Sicily for a second time. "Some parents, huh?" She says after observing Draco's facial expressions. "I know. Dad can be quite the handful. Just make sure mom doesn't get a hold of any wine, or that could be a real shit-show." She giggled to herself as she kicked off her boots. “Last year, mom had a liiiiittle too much of the holiday nog and almost broke all of my drinking glasses. Wanna know how? She was throwing them at pops for losing 10 grand in one of his stock investments.” Another, louder giggle erupts from Sicily, earning a darted glare from Donovan towards Draco. 

“Um, excuse me everyone. Dinner is almost ready, so if you all could please relocate to the dining room…” Reuben muttered, placing the dinner rolls on the table.”

  ***

“Honey, this looks delicious!” Colette exclaims, looking at all of the food Reuben had prepared. It did look delicious. How one man could make so many different dishes all by himself beat Draco. He did a really nice job with everything, but of course, he wasn’t going to tell Reuben that.

“Let’s dig in!!” Lirin exclaimed before instantly chowing down on her over-piled plate. She was the first to make her plate before anyone else cold even touch the food.

There were so many silverware and differently sized plates on the table and it made Draco squirm internally. It felt like he was being setup. He and Reuben both knew that he didn’t have any knowledge about dining etiquette, or any etiquette in general. Hell- he doesn’t even know the name of anything that’s on his plate! He’s sure that everything on the dining table was fancy and had a L or Lu in front of it. He wouldn’t be surprised if Reuben’s family called their glasses of water: L’agua. 

The rugged man watched as all of the family members delicately picked up their proper utensils and began to elegantly cut and eat the food on their plates. It was like he was in the realm of gods and goddesses and he was the only human in sight, attempting to mimic their custom. Even Lirin somehow managed to mask her gluttony. It was hard to even think about eating, seeing how he could barely survive the coldhearted looks that Donovan was darting his way. He could tell that he was subtly watching him, waiting to see which utensil he would pick up first and judge him if he grabbed at the wrong one.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Draco?” Reuben’s mom gave him a concerned look as she noticed he hadn’t touched his plate. “Your food will get cold soon. It really is good, I promise!” 

"Mom? Please." She whispered, feeling insulted. "Hey Draco, wanna blow this joint and go get some drinks? Lirin tells me you're a real drinker."

“I thought you’d never ask…” He replied with a nervous laugh, giving Reuben almost a puppy dog look of ‘please let me leave, this is my only escape.’ His parents tried to talk them out of it, but of course, Draco can’t be talked out of consuming alcohol.

***

 The music being played from the piano at the back of the bar rang blissfully in their ears as they entered the bar. It wasn’t too crowded, surprisingly. A soft aroma of alcohol filled the air as the two slowly approached the counter. There was a nice Christmas tree set up near the piano that lit up the room, with a male bartender wiping out a glass behind the counter.

“How can I help you?” The man said as he tossed the towel onto his shoulder and sat the glass down onto the rack.

“Let me get two shots of Bourbon for me and my friend here please.” Sicily ordered as she took a seat on the bar stool. The bartender nodded in understanding as he grabbed a bottle and started pouring the alcohol. Draco hesitantly sat down in the stool beside the woman, still tense and a bit uncomfortable with going into a bar with the pediatrician’s sister. “Relax, I just want to loosen up and have a couple of drinks with you.” She muttered, pulling out a cigarette from the paper carton and resting it on her rose red lips. She shared a short glance with Draco before it was awkwardly broken by the rugged man pretending to clear his throat.

 As the night went on, the fuzzier his head was beginning to feel. He had only had 5 shots and he could already feel himself starting to get a little more than tipsy. It was weird; Usually he could down more shots than this without feeling a buzz this early on. He could hardly think, let alone keep up with what Sicily was saying, not like what she was saying mattered, anyway. Draco was sure that she was one shot away from being completely plastered, seeing how her cheeks were flushed and her words were so slurred that it was a challenge to understand a word coming from her.

“It’s nice to let lose every once in a while, and take a break from all this classy shit.” She says, hoping to break the tension while allowing a long sigh to escape from her lips, causing a stream of gray smoke to bounce off of the counter-top and disperse into the air.

"You're tellin' me..." Draco muttered, grabbing the shot glass from the bartender and immediately scarfing it down like it were a dose a vicodine. "I could barely manage back there."

"Yeah..." Sicily distantly mutters, glaring down at the shot glass in her hand for a moment before irritably scarfing it down as well with haste.

“HhH’EGJISCH…!! ‘EGSSCHIUH!!” The rugged man dove forwards over the counter, holding his glass of whiskey away from him in vain so that hopefully it didn’t spill when he jerked forward with both of his itchy explosions. “O-oh shit! *hic*” He yelled with a breathy chuckle, finding humor from both Sicily’s laughter and the discovery of a small splash of alcohol that had spilled onto the counter from his glass. Sicily had toppled over onto the drunk man’s chest in laughter, struggling to breathe from how hard she was laughing. Draco’s own laughter abruptly stopped as the burning in his nostrils was still intense and flaring about.

“HhUH…!!” He sloppily leaned backwards with a deep inhale, barely able to stay upright from the weight of Sicily leaned so close up against him. He can feel his nostrils trembling in irritation from the burning as he slams his eyelids shut and dipped forwards again, slamming his glass onto the counter-top.

“Hhih…! Hhg’TIZSSCH’uhh! *hic* h-HUhgDzZSSCH’uhgg!!” His reflexes aren’t in tune from the alcoholic fuzziness as he is slow in turning his head away from the drunk woman. The first sneeze flies over Sicily’s head and lands on the counter-top, but he is able to partially turn his head over to the right and aim the second slurred mess of a sneeze towards the ground. Sicily shrieks in surprise from the two loud sneezes, feeling his chest tense up and shove her forwards, but she instantly smothered her chuckles into her hands as she pulled away from Draco and took a sip of alcohol from her shot glass. The rugged man brings up a sluggish, curled knuckle to lazily wipe underneath his faintly twitching nostrils, only to feel how moist and leaky they had been.

“Sh-shidt… Hheh…” He tries to cup his hand in order to lazily cover the disgusting mess on the lower half of his face, but before he can even ask for a tissue, his chest inflates quickly, forcing him to lean back once more with a disturbed grimace on his face. “

Sicily sloppily reaches into her purse, fumbling over herself as she takes out her handkerchief and shoves it into his cupped hand.

“Pineapple!” Sicily yelled abruptly, before he could even finish the oncoming sneeze.

“HhUHh’G-ghhn…?” The forceful hitch is instantly interrupted as his fuzzy and sluggish brain tried to wrap his mind around the randomness of the word pineapple. He sat there for a moment, confused, still waiting for the impending sneeze but the tingling in his sinuses had slightly died down to a quieter itch at the back of his nose.

“Ahh YEP, works everytimee.” She tiredly mused, downing her last shot of whiskey. Two hiccups escaped from her mouth once she downed her last shot and she giggled to herself before she flipped the shot glass upside down onto the counter.

“I use’to do thaht with Reuben when he’ws younger. That boy hadth’ most sensitive nose I’d ever seen. Once he start’d sneezin’ there was no goin’ back. ‘less you yell ‘pineapple!’ a’the right time. That’ll do it.” She muttered, fighting the effects of the alcohol that were trying to make her pass out on the counter-top.

"Hey... I wann' tell you somethin' an... An' you bettnot l-laugh..." The rugged man rubbed his face, feeling his mouth and tongue gradually becoming numb. It was definitely weird. He was feeling a lot of things tonight, both good and bad. He looked at Sicily with tired eyes, watching her back rise and sink with each breath she took as she rested on the counter with her head faced down in her arms. She grunted softly, as if signaling to Draco that she was still listening. "I... I r-really like you, you know tha?"

"Oh, that's nice. Me too." She muttered, giggling softly in her folded arms. At that moment, Draco's heart flew out of his chest as he struggled to sit upright.

"I'll have the ramen too. No eggs..." She weakly reached out to grab Draco's arm and shook it gently, "Please no eggs. I don't want eggs." He sighed and rolled his eyes, realizing that Sicily must've been talking in her sleep.

   December 25th 

“Hhg’tdsszhh! ‘Egsschh!!” The two tired sneezes were lazily stifled and released into the air as he shuffled around covered in his soft blanket in which he wore like an oversized jacket. He gently scrunches his nose around, feeling the tickle remaining at the same strength. He was lifelessly lying on the couch, too fatigued to do anything. Too exhausted to even sniff away the wetness leaking from his sore nostrils. What was the point? He had been sniffling and snuffling all night; every time he sneezed, the wetness quickly returned anyway. He was so congested to the point where it sounded like he was inhaling pudding every time he took a breath. The room was still dark, besides the random flashing lights of the elegant Christmas tree in the corner of the room. He audibly winced from the pressure pounding in his head with the pulsing of his veins. Drinking alcohol all day probably wasn't the best call, he had to admit. He felt so worn out and tired but he couldn't fall asleep; Not even the word Christmas could bring his spirits up. He snuffled lightly, too exhausted to even sniffle as hard as he needed to. His body tensed up reflexively as a shiver crept down his spine, forcing his body to quiver every once in a while. Blankets. N-need more blankets. A-and huhh-

“Draco…? Are you up?” The soft, sleepy and tender voice of Sicily cuts through his suffering as he can just barely see a thin figure slowly approaching from down the hall. She slowly made her way over to the couch and noticed the poor, sickly body lying there in pain. Her sleepy expression changes instantly to concerned when she observes the sick body closely. “Draco, you look horrible!” She exclaimed in an intense whisper, not trying to wake up the sleeping pediatrician. She held his clammy cheeks and frowned, giving them a smooth rub with her thumb to clear the sweat away. “You’re boiling! And-- Oh...”

"Ehh'hoOo! Hh-hih- HIH'gdzssh!" He can feel his cheeks start to blush a light pink as he barely realizes that he had sneezed on Sicily's neck and chest; He wanted to pull away but he was too exhausted and fever struck to do anything.

“HEH'Ssgk! ’M-m alrigh’. ‘ll jus’… Jus’ do the sleep. EEH'HooOgk! Hih'gSHUHhgk!Tiredhh…” He muttered, finding it complicated to compose the proper sentences and to communicate in general. At this point, he had partially given up stifling, forcing his sneezes to sound like a mixture of a cough and a mild yell. Sicily gave him a worried look, finding it odd to see a person so delusional and out if sorts. She was too worried to feel disgusted.

“Hey, Draco! Wake up! I ne...ed you t.. sta... Awa... Ke..!"

Draco wasn’t sure what dimension he had stumbled upon, but he couldn't hear or see Sicily anymore; He felt like he was asleep but at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he was. The blackness around him began to swirl into a spiral as if he were entering a portal, and before he could comprehend what was happening, he was back home in his old house. All the lights were off in the house but the single overhead kitchen light, which severed as a homing beacon to the rugged man. There was a tall, slender woman that stood hovering over the stove, humming an all too familiar tune.  

“Mm?” The woman slowly turned around to face the rugged man as if she were moving through molasses. The crimson locks resting beneath her shoulders dangled behind her back as she gave him a pained smile. “Just in time for dinner. Have a seat.” The bags underneath her eyes were complimented with a subtle dark circle, indicating that she had been overly exhausted and worn out for days on end. “Dinner’s almost ready.” 

“N-no, I...” Something isn’t right. Before he could do anything, the creaking of the front door catches his attention.

“M-mom...?” His words came out sluggish and muffled, as if he were moving in a time warp. With each hesitant step he took, the world around him blurred and swashed around, colors blending and smothering each other like dye on cake batter. The single word that he spoke seemed to echo for ages and bounce off of the walls and floors with a weird reverb like they were in a mutated cave. 

“You heard your mother, boy.” A dark tone from behind brings a boil to the blood flowing throughout Draco’s veins. He knew that voice all too well.  “Sit like a good dog.” 

“You...” He clenches his fists, feeling all of his uncontrollable anger rising to the surface.

“Draco. Draco, get up! Draco--!?”  He could barely hear the screams of his mother behind him as he was too busy dashing towards the figment of his father with a bawled fist, ready for a solid punch.

“I’LL KILL YOU!! YOU FUCKING MONSTER!!!” His own battle cries begin to drown out the loud crackling of the now roaring fire engulfing the walls and flooring. The dark, bulky body in front of him kept a cool smirk on his face, even in the given situation, which angered the rugged man and the fire even more.

“Draco, stop it!! Draco--!!!” The fear-filled screams from his mother began to cut in and out, almost mutating into the worried screams of the pediatrician.“Draco!!! Stop! Wake up! Blast--, he’s not responding!” Reuben yelled as he was holding on to Draco’s arms.

“We need to get him into some cold water, NOW! Start the bath!” Sicily nodded and darted for the bathroom, immediately starting to fill the tub with the coldest water she could. "Draco, you're hallucinating! WAKE UP, DAMN IT!" There was a slight shakiness to Reuben's voice as he struggled to pin the rugged man down. He had been in situations like this before and seen it plenty of times, but something about seeing Draco in such a broken state filled the pediatrician with more than just a little worry. 

“I-I’ll fucking--... Kill you... I swear it...”  The rugged man exhaustedly muttered, trying to punch the air but failing, since Reuben was holding him down in place.

"Reuben, the tubs halfway full!" Sicily yelled from the bathroom. The pediatrician signals for her to come and help him drag the sick corpse into the bathroom, in which she doesn't hesitate to do.

He was a tall, heavy and sickly thing. It took them a while to get him off of the couch with him fighting the two while weakly kicking and punching at the air as if doing so would hurt his invisible enemy. You could imagine how tough it was for them to force him into the bathroom, let alone the freezing bathtub.

"Help me get his shirt and jeans off..." Reuben muttered to his sister as he forced the rugged man to sit down on the toilet lid.

"W-whahd are yhou d-doig, pervert?!" Draco yelled, eyes sluggishly tracing the room and barely staying open. "G-Gedhh... HEH'Gdzsshiew!" The sneeze sprays the pediatrician’s pajama shirt as he temporarily flinches in disgust, but he doesn't let it bother him. He's in pure focus mode, as a trained pediatrician should be. "EHHgtsshnk!! Thad's whad you ged, b-bast.. bah.. heh-"

"Don't mind him, Sicily. He'll be fine." He says, noting Sicily watching with an expression on her face that he couldn’t read, but mainly to himself to give him some sort of relief while dealing with the given situation. He bites his lip, having mixed feelings about the situation. "L-Let's get him into the tub." The two nearly shove the rugged man into the cold pool of water, causing a lot of it to be spilled onto the bathroom floor. It only takes a second of being in the freezing water for him to snap out of it and realize where he was. Reuben sighs, feeling his heart nearly beating out of its chest. He had never seen Draco in such a state before in his life, and it worried him more than any patient he ever had. “Could you use this cup and pour some cold water over him?” He says, handing Sicily the small cup. “We still need to cool his body temperature down before he overheats. I need to go ge… some water. T-towels…” Before Sicily can even say anything, Reuben darted out of the room and closed the door behind him. She knew exactly what that meant.

“I need to ge… some water. T-towels…”

She heard him repeat it in her head. The tone in his voice when he said it. The strain and slight shake towards the ending. The pause in between and after. She gripped the cup tighter in slight anger. Two loud coughs from the rugged man jolt Sicily out of her own thoughts and redirect her attention. She can’t help but give the rugged man a good gloss over. He was visibly shivering in place, causing little ripples to bang against to tub walls. He looked like a dead corpse that still managed to breathe in her eyes. His red nose didn’t even attempt to hold back the sickly fluids that dripped down onto his chin and bare chest. He was too cold and out of it to care or do anything about it. She could see a tinge of black starting to linger underneath his eyes and his cheeks looked like pieces of cotton candy against his ghostly pale skin. She dipped the cup in the water on his side until it was submerged in the water and poured it over his head. He didn’t even flinch. He was probably too dazed to even feel the cold water, she thought to herself.

“… ‘ts c-cold m-mom-mm…” He barely mutters through chattering teeth, slowly closing his eyes and leaning back into the tub. Sicily immediately drops the cup and grabs the rugged man before his back can fully sink into the tub.

“Draco! Hey-hey, you have to sit up! Look at me!” She says, voice sounding strained from pushing the rugged man forward to sit upright. Draco doesn’t respond, allowing his body to fully go limp into Sicily’s arms. Sicily grunts, barely being able to keep Draco above the water from her current position. She hunches over the bathtub, trying to find the right position to comfortably hold Draco upright, but falls forward into the cold water on top of him. She releases a heavy exhale from the abrupt submersion in cold water and immediately pulls Draco’s upper half out of the water and into her chest as if he were hugging her. The rugged man takes in an immediate deep gasp and releases a handful of wet coughs over her shoulder, shivering like a madman. The woman gives a soft smile to herself, feeling the grown mans body tremble underneath her arms. She allows her fingers to rest on his clammy back, enjoying the feeling of his body up against hers so tight and closely. She closes her eyes, feeling warm from both Draco’s body and the happiness and comfort of Draco’s embrace. It felt as if time stood still for ages as the two leaned up against each other in the tub. Draco’s body had calmed down from the event, besides the constant sniffles, and they just sat there together. Holding each other. 

“S-Sicily…” Draco’s faint whisper barely cut through the thin silence.

“It’s me, Draco.” She whispered back softly, still resting her head atop of Draco’s shoulder and hugging him. The rugged man slowly pulled away and nuzzled their foreheads together. She kept her eyes closed, enjoying the company of the rugged man. She moaned softly, feeling the warmth from his forehead rub against hers. The warmth from his fever radiated off of his face against her skin, summoning a faint smirk to cross her lips. She can feel her heart race a little from the shift in the room as she feels a cold hand rake through the side of her hair. She flinches as the cold water from his hand drip down her left side. His hot breath comforts her as she smells a hint of Marlboro and leftover booze beam closer. She can feel his shaky breaths get stronger and closer as his warm lips come in contact with hers. He gives her a long peck on her soft lips, allowing her body language to convey to him if he should stop or proceed. She gasps internally, half knowing what was happening and half not. She doesn’t fight it though, and brings up a hand to trace a line down his chest as he pulls her closer and gives her two more deep kisses. He can’t help but moan as she gently pushes his head closer to hers. It was a very intimate moment, that’s for sure. If Draco had any questions, they had all been answered right now.

He slowly pulls away and nuzzles her forehead again, allowing them both to catch their breath. Sicily’s eyes were locked onto his as she seductively licked her lips, signaling that she was ready for more. He swallows down a cough as she leans up against his chest again, but this time, pushing him back and forcing him to lay his back against the curve of the tub wall. Draco is caught off guard by this action and flinches, uncertain of what she was going to do next. He can feel his heart begin to race as she starts to give him kisses on the top half of his chest.  Once she reaches his neck, she rests her body on his and starts to give him pecks all over his face. She reaches his nose and gives it two pecks, feeling her insides start to get all warm and excited.

Her adrenaline was rushing all over for many different reasons. She knew about Reuben. She knew about him being gay and she knew about his sneezing fetish. She knew he had the hots for Draco way before he himself probably did. She knew that something was off when he said he needed to get some water. He couldn’t handle Draco sneezing on him or him being practically naked in the bathtub. She herself didn’t have the fetish, but she was overly curious about what was so appealing about it. She couldn’t knock it until she tried it at least; she was already in the mood to get dirty with Draco. It did give her a rush knowing that she had the man Reuben had his eyes on. She was doing things to Draco that Reuben would probably never get to do. Draco sneezing on him was probably the closest thing he would ever get. 

“S-Sicily I—… Hh…” He whispered weakly, closing his eyes and slowly lifting a hand to his face. She immediately grabs his wrist and shoves it back down into the water and holds his other hand hostage under the water as well.

“I know.” She says, watching his red, glistening nose twitch above her. Another peck from Sicily occurs on top of his nose. She can feel his chest rise with another weak inhale. “Don’t worry, I don’t mind. Just sneeze.” Draco snuffles twice, giving Sicily a confused glare.

“W-waih wah?” He says, trying to lift his hand again only to have Sicily press more weight down against it and prevent him from doing so.

“You heard me.” She reaches her head up to Draco’s, using her nose to lightly rub against the moist rims of his nose to try to coax out the sneeze before he can say anything else.

“B-but I ne—” Sicily shushes him and pecks him on the lips before continuing to rub his nose in different patterns and speeds. He produces two loud snuffles, sounding both thick and wet, which creates a spark in Sicily’s eye. “W-wa- HhiH… Hih! W-wahd are y-you HiHh…. Hh-doig??” He manages to say before tilting his head back against his will, involuntarily trying to escape from the induced tickling sensation on his already sensitive nose. She reaches up to follow him, giving a subtle giggle, enjoying the chase.

“Stop fighting me and just do it already.” She says as she can feel his chest practically jumping with each stuttered inhale. Cold, clear sick coats the tip of her nose as she feels his nostrils twitching up against it. She knew that it was building up in there to the point where his nose was crying and leaking sick tears for a release.

“HhuH! …. Hh-hUh! HhIH!” She tightens the grip on his wrists in anticipation, feeling slightly aroused by it all. It was like waiting for the inevitable. A devilish smile creases her lips as she watches the rugged man’s face grimace in torment. He snuffles thickly a few times in vain, as the sick just leaked immediately back down anyway; he just accepted the fate of not being able to use his hands. He felt awkward not being able to have the freedom to cover his mouth. He wanted to turn away from her but he knew that wasn’t what she wanted. He curses mentally, feeling a little embarrassed but more irritated with the pestering itch in his sinuses.

“HIH… HHIH…! HHG’TIZGSSSSCHK’ughh!” She slams her eyes shut and flinches hard, unprepared for the sudden cold spray of sickly fluids. She wasn’t sure what position she was supposed to be in for the actual sneeze. She was too intrigued by the satisfaction of him suffering with his nose to think that far ahead. But this was something… new. “H-HUhgDzZSSSGCCH’kguhgg!! ‘HEEHGSSZCHH’uhh!!!” The second batch of mist sprays her face and she can feel glops of sick make contact with her face and chest that start to slowly drip down. At first she’s disgusted, but she is oddly satisfied in a way. The third sneeze hits her back-to-back with a new batch of wetness, and by this point, she feels like she’s being rewarded for her good deeds. A subtle moan is released, more to herself as she realizes that she liked it more than she thought she would. “Eh… HehhgKSSZCHHh’kt!!” She squirms, feeling a rush when his body jerks underneath her from the harsh coughs that follow; the rattling coughs remind him of how much he feels like a pile of crap all over again. Sick was all over both of them and he knew it. It was hard not to hide all of it, especially since he didn’t have his hands to cover or wipe away at it, and his nose was practically drooling over her nose tickling his. There was bound to be a lost of discharge. He can feel his cheeks start to flush a dark red from embarrassment as he tries so hard to sniff everything away. All he wanted to do was get out of the bath and hide on the couch. “S-sorry.” He mutters between sniffles and nose twitches, feeling slightly guilty as he tried to clean himself up without his hands.

“Thanks.” She says, kissing his now sick coated lips and giving him a smile. “Now I know.” Draco pauses for a moment, surprised at what he was hearing. Was he still hallucinating from the fever?

“Huh..??” He says, overly congested, trying to clean himself up with the bath water now that his hands are free.

“Now I know that you are the one… And this secret stays between us.” She said with a final kiss before getting out of the tub. The whole time she dried herself and left the room, Draco was still sitting there dumbfounded, overly confused about everything. He didn’t know how to feel. He was happy that he pretty much made out with his newfound crush, but… What the hell just happened??? Was any of this real..? N-no… It couldn’t have been…

“… I need to go the fuck to sleep…” He muttered before sinking into the tub again

***

“Reuben, I don’t care! I wanna open gifts now!” A loud, high-pitched voice rings the ears of Draco and causes him to stir awake against his will. “We’ve waited long enough! It’ll be New Years if we wait for him to get up!”

The rugged man sluggishly cracked open an eyelid to be blinded by the Christmas lights from the tree and the fire in the fireplace. Someone must’ve moved me back onto the couch… What the fuck… Immediately he feels his nose start to run like a faucet as he tries to sit up on the couch. He grimaces when his body aches and finds it a challenge to even sit upright. He sniffles a few times, trying to stop the leakage but it does nothing but make the sick dance around in his nostrils before returning back to the same spot it was in before so he just gives up and lets it stay there, too fatigued to attempt to blow his nose or wipe it. His heart skips a beat as he notices Sicily lying on the floor right beside the couch.

“Look who’s awake!” The pediatrician says, relieved to see him up and at ‘em. “Did we wake you?” Draco only sniffles in return, feeling grumpy and too sick to respond. He just wanted it to end. And by it, he means everything. This damn cold, flu, whatever the hell that kid gave him, Christmas, this day, pretty much EVERYTHING. Just leave him alone. “You should go back to bed and get some rest if you still aren’t feeling that well, Draco.”

“I wahs tryig do before your loud ass woge be ubp!” He yelled congestedly, coughing into the blanket right after. He winces, feeling his entire body feeling sore; inside and out. It felt like his whole body would break if he coughed or sneezed again.

“Okay, okay! Everybody calm down.” Reuben says, looking more towards Lirin as she raised a fist to him. “Don’t get too riled up, Draco. Your body is still recovering.” The rugged man leans back into the couch feeling defeated and overtaken by pain. He just wanted someone to put him out of his misery.

“I… I deed sobe paid bedicinde.” He mumbles through wet sniffles, sounding clearly beat down and worn.

“I’ll get them.” Sicily says, stretching from the floor before Reuben can leave the room. He freezes for a second but then nods in acceptance for her to get the meds. She returns a moment later, with the bottle of NyQuil and pours him a cup.

“I deed like… dhree o’ dhose…” He mutters through a strained voice as he shots the cap of medicine down.

“You ‘deed’ to blow your nose.” She jokingly mocks, pouring him a second cap full of NyQuil and handing him some tissues. He snuffles dismissively and jokingly steals the cap, chugging it down and returning it back to her with a mumbled ‘fuck you’ under his breath. She giggles, feeling slightly relieved that the old Draco was starting to come back a little. Reuben distantly watches the two from the distance, feeling a little excluded and odd. He knew something was going on here, but he wasn’t sure.

The gurgling sound in the tissues grabs the attention of the entire room as Draco gives one good blow into the handful of tissues. One blow and that’s it. Fuck it. He was too tired and that single blow took the wind and force away from him. He weakly coughed a few times into the tissues and threw them onto the floor, immediately sinking back into the couch.

“Let’s do the fucking gifts so you assholes can get out and leave me the hell alone.” He mutters, voice barely audible.

***

The gift exchange was fun for the most part. Everyone was having a great time except for Draco of course. Everyone seemed happy with their gifts. Reuben bought him a brand-new motorcycle so that he didn’t have to Uber or wait for him to drive him around. Lirin bought him a book on tips for being sober. And Sicily went out and got him a new flask with a bottle of Jack Daniels and a pack of Marlboros. One thing he could say was that this was the first Christmas that he had in a long while that actually felt homie. And it was the first Christmas that he had been too sick to participate in the festivities for.

“Alright Draco. Thanks for being apart of our Christmas and opening the gifts. We’ll get out and let you rest.” Reuben says, watching the NyQuil already start to take its’ toll.

Reuben and Lirin walk out of the room, leaving Sicily and Draco together again. She was sitting beside the rugged man on the right side of the couch. They sat together in a peaceful silence, besides Draco sniffling every couple of seconds. He didn’t mind her company. If anything, he was glad that she decided to stay.

“Alright, you’re tired. Time to go back to sleep.” Sicily says as she tries to get comfortable on the couch. “Come here.” She gently tugs on his arm for him to come closer to her on the couch. He exhaustedly obliges and nearly collapses into her chest, shifting around to get comfortable in her embrace. She blushes a little, feeling his head resting on her chest. Best Christmas gift ever, she thought to herself. She closed her eyes and raked her fingers through his damp hair, massaging his scalp as she tried to fall asleep wit the sick rugged man. She cracks an eye open as she feels the rugged man shift uncomfortably in her embrace and freeze before lightly jerking forwards twice, releasing two weak sneezes aimed at the floor.

“Hhuh’kgDTzsshn! Eh’Dsschkn!” The two weak sneezes take whatever energy he had left and he doesn’t even sniffle, feeling his entire body becoming too tired to do anything at the moment. He can only release a shaky exhale and collapse into Sicily’s embrace. She smiles, feeling overwhelmingly happy at the situation.

“Merry Christmas to me…” She happily mutters to herself before joining Draco in a long, well deserved sleep. 

END. 

Hopefully it was worth the wait LOL XD A lot is going on in this fic but I like’d working on it even though I had some intense writers blocks lol xD Like I said, I’m working on like 5 different fics all at the same time hahaha so hopefully I can post those because I been writing a lot, just not all on the same fic ahaha.

[joonsmagicstudio]

➢ One Five-Zero (m) : PJM

⇁ synopsis: You make a deal with a devil for a wild time in the middle of classes.

or 

the time when you were bored in the class and drew 150 pentagrams exactly in your notebook before a devilishly handsome man in a red suit breaks down the door of your class room and yells “wHAT the fUCK do you wANT?”

⇁ female reader x jimin

⇁ smut, jimin devil!au

⇁ general smut ig? oral sex (both lmao), slight derogatory language, creampie, unsafe sex (pls get a condom or some contraceptive before you do it kiddos), blowjob etc the list goes on.

⇁ lol a short PWP( 3.8k) . I saw a post somewhere on insta and wanted to write it at 1 am. Pls if you find that post because it gave me a reason to right, lemme know! I lost it sadly,

⇁ A/N: I had actually been busy writing 5 long ass story for my own joy but suddenly a small idea came to my mind after seeing a post and I really wanted to post it for y’all to enjoy. Hope you like it. PS: English is not my first language and this hasn’t been edited. I will edit it soon, but please do let me know if there is any mistakes! Also I am having issues with keep reading, let me know if you are facing some issues with it too! I don’t want to annoy some people by making them have to scroll through the entire fic. Also this is like my first fix, forgive me.

You sat in the back of the lecture hall as usual with your hoodie pulled over and your face resting in your left palm as you couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to the American History your professor was droning on about. You had a lot of regrets, one of them was choosing history but then it was your fault anyways and no one but you was to blame. 

As the professor went on, you had zoned out and doodled lethargically in your notebook with a dull red pencil that you found somewhere on the in the hallway that you pulled out to at least look like your were taking some notes in case the professor decided to look at you. However, the chances of the professor looking at you in far back of the hall were infinitesimally small since the good students that were actually engaging with the lecture content and asking questions were in the front row. You had an absolutely great respect for people like them, it was because of these people you were able to skimp out on paying attention and keeping a low radar in the classroom.

Out of all the doodles, you had taken a keen liking drawing circles and then a star in it to complete a pentagram. It was easy, no effort and quick for you to keep mindlessly doing it until the classroom ended sometimes you would shade in boxes on your notebook if it was a block paper, unfortunately it was the good ol’ lined paper, hence the pentagram. You had finished up a total of one hundred and 50 small pentagram in your notebook with that red pencil when a rather loud cracking of the door was heard, effectively pulling all of the class attention, including you, on the the door that had flown off the hinges and landed across the class room, at the windows in just splinters and large pieces of wood chunk.

However, your attention was on the devilishly handsome man in velvety crimson suit, unfortunately his beautiful face was contorted in an expression of pure anger and frustration, his fist seemed to be clenching and his eyes were dead set on you in a piercing glare, who dares to upset and making his screw up his handsome face? However your thoughts were interrupted by him “wHAT the fUCK do you wANT?”, he yelled, his loud voice reverberating your ear like a clap of a thunder and you swear you felt chills down your spine but moreover you were terribly confused. You were just admiring a masterpiece of an artwork.

You had no idea who he was other than the fact that he was extremely handsome, his hair felt like the kind you could run your hands through, his lips were plushy and kissable. But still you had no idea what you had done to constitute a rather handsome man to be yelling at you in the middle of the classroom after breaking a door with a kick. Was he that powerful?

The classroom had followed his line of vision which lead to you and now everyone had their eyes on you, including the professor, which offended you a little bit. Generally, a professor should get the intruder out but instead it seemed that the professor was invested in the drama that was unfolding right now. You weakly pointed at yourself and mouthed ‘me?’ to clarify if it really was you he was yelling at or maybe someone behind you or in front of you? Idiot, your back was to a wall and nobody was at least within few seats in front of you.

The handsome man rolled his eyes aggressively and ran his hand through his hair as he let out a sigh of frustration. Then he took large and quick strides to stand in front of you, now you were getting a strong aura from him, up close he was intimidating and there a sparkle of something unusual in his eyes. Maybe it was because he standing and you were seated and that he was actually leaning into you. You had shifted backwards until you were close to falling off the chair. Also, if you must add, he had a really nice smell of cologne coming from him and you couldn’t help but enjoy the cologne a little but until the man in front of you slammed his hand of you desk and seethed, “You. Me. Copier room now.” and with that he stormed off, leaving you with your jaw hanging wide open and your eyes blown to the size of the saucer. The professor suddenly cleared his throat and tilted his head to the direction that the man had left, signalling you to take your and go after him.

Embarrassment creeped up the back of your neck as you scrambled to pack everything, including the shitty red pencil you found and speed walked your way out into the hallways. You were utterly confused as to why were the two of you meeting in the copier room for. You would expect the conversation to be held in a cafe or hallway or even in an empty classroom as a matter of fact. You distractedly made your way to the entrance of the copier room which it was closed. You stood there, readjusting your bag strap on one shoulder and to give yourself a moment to prepare yourself to facing him again. Unfortunately, that was cut shot when the door swung open wildly and the man in front of you grabbed your wrist to pull you inside and slamming the door shut behind you. Now you were sandwiched between him, the door behind you and caged between his arms.

A small click was hear and you glanced to the source of the sound, he had locked the door from the inside- what, was that even possible? Locking a door from inside, it would make more sense to lock it from outside. Your train of thoughts were again interrupted when the man in front of you took a step back, standing directly underneath white light that hung from the ceiling. He truly was breathtaking, the red suit complimented his fair skin and his dark brown hair made him look irresistible. 

“Listen up, Y/N right?” he spoke, looking at you with his one eyebrow raised up to clarify if he had got the right person. You nodded immediately and he proceeded to talk, “You-you little-annoying piece of shit summoned me 150 times. What the fuck do you want?”

“Uhm, who are you? I’m positive that I never called you.” You spoked softly, genuinely unsure of what on earth was going on for you to receive swear words from this man’s mouth, not that it was bad at all, in fact it was fucking hot to hear that.

“Damn woman. I’m Park Jimin, the devil you were summoning with your fucking 150 pentagrams. You know just a few would have been fine, but nah you decided to go for a full fucking 150 pentagrams. Do you have any idea how annoying it is?”  The man, now Jimin scoffed, blinking several times to grasp the foolishness of this situation. Not only he had come after being called 150 times, the person who called him had no clue either.

“oh-OH.”, the realization dawned upon you when you remembered that you had indeed drawn many pentagrams in your notebook, but you didn’t actually know it was 150 times you had doodled it and you definitely had absolutely no fucking idea that it would summon an actual devil. It’s kinda nice that the devil was an eye candy though, “Right, uh sorry. Um you could go back I guess? I won’t do it anymore. Sorry for the trouble Jimin.” You mumbled apologetically, sticking out a hand for a handshake and thinking that it would magically resolve how irritating you were according to Jimin.

Jimin stared at your handshake in disbelief, most people would jump at the opportunity to get something granted or scream in fear and run away. Instead, you just stuck out a hand for a handshake and told him to go back. Instead of shaking your hand, he scrunched his eyebrows tightly and pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering what he should do with you now that you had called him 150 times for no reason. He didn’t want to go back for nothing, at least something should be done. Then he opened his eyes, and this time you swear your saw lust in his eyes.

Jimin realized that if you weren’t scared and had nothing to ask for, he could at least ask you for a favour, “Hmm, kitten how long has it been since you had your release?” he purred softly, the side of his lip slowly stretching into a smirk as he dropped the tension from his shoulder and tilted his head slightly while keeping his eyes trained on you.

You knew how this was going to play out, you gulped slightly and thoughts were whirling around in your mind. You honestly were actually considering what he was insinuating and after all it had been a while since you got some action.

“It’s been 6 months.” You replied honestly, and Jimin chuckled at the response, “That’s too long kitten, aren’t you craving for some now?”

Jimin took a step closer to you, hungrily eyeing up your body before he closes the space between the two of you. He then brings one hand to cup your face and bring it closer to his lips, the other hand snakes around your waist and pulls you closer so that his crotch was pressing tightly against you. His lips against yours were opening up the primal desires you had deep within in you and almost instantly you brought your hands around the back of his neck to play with his hair and pull him deeper into the kiss, giving into his his kiss because you honestly needed some action. Jimin grunted at your pull and pull back a little to see your face, he saw you with your eyes half-lidded and a small smile gracing your lips, with that he swooped down to capture you lips in another heated kiss. This time his hands both of his hand had move to the bottom of your shirt and tugged it upwards so that you could move back and stick you arms up while he rid of that article from your upper body.

Upon discarding your shirt, he was in awe of your breast that was still covered by your bra and he went to knead is softly over the bra, stimulating a small sight of relief from your mouth. Hearing the small sigh, he couldn’t help but get turned on slightly and that went unnoticed by you. You brought on of you hand to cup his hard on knead it gently to help him, the tent beneath his crimson pant got noticeably harder and in no time you had gotten on your knees to unbuckle his pant. You removed the belt and guided his waist backward, slightly to the left so that he could lean on the printing machine supports. You nimble fingers unbuttoned his pant, pulled the zipper down before reaching to the sides to pull down his pant completely to reveal the black boxer that had been stained slightly in a darker colour from the wetness of the pre-cum. Before you could do anything, Jimin put a hand on your shoulder, causing you to look up.

“Remove your bra sweetheart.” He played around with the strap, waiting for you to slip of the strap and unclasp it from your chest, allowing your nipple to be exposed and harden in the cool air of the copier room. Jimin gulped at the sight and then pushed your head slightly towards his crotch to get you continuing. AT first you stroked it through his black boxer before Jimin grunted, urging you to take it out. You obeyed easily and pulled down his boxer, letting it pool around his ankle, where his pants had fallen previously. His hard on finally was revealed and its length stood out impressively against his abdomen. Without further hesitation you licked a long stripe from his balls all the way to the tip. You cautiously looked up to see how would Jimin react, he had his head tipped backward, clearly he was enjoying it. You took his length in your hand, giving it a few strokes before engulfing the head of his length in your mouth. You swirled your tongue around his head, earning a small groan from his throat and then pushed in deeper.

Jimin was deep in your mouth, enjoying the warm wetness that brought pleasure in his abdomen. He could feel that he was halfway close to a release however he didn’t want it to be in your mouth. He had other plans to deal with you. Gripping roughly on your hair, he pulled you away from his and a thin trail of saliva stretched out from his head of his length to your mouth. That sight alone would have made him nut right then and there. He tilted you head upward to see your face, a rosy blush was present on your cheeks and you looked awfully fuckable. He let go of you hair and gently brought you up by holding your chin and pulling you up.

“Why? Don’t you want me to finish it off for you?” You asked, licking your lips to moisten it up. Jimin replied, trailing off slightly as he watched you lick your lips, “No… let me prepare you kitten.”

He leaned into the crook of your neck, peppering it with soft kissed before biting to create hickeys while he twirled you around so that your back was facing the copier instead of him.You gave in under his ministration and ran up your hands in the back of neck. Jimin slotted himself between your leg and pulled away to lift you onto the printer. He unbuckled your pants and roughly pulled them down and tossed it to the floor. He was thankful that you were wearing a simple slip on van that was easy to remove. Now you were nearly undressed except for the underwear that seemed to have been soaked slightly.

Seeing that Jimin was more dressed that you were, you whined lightly, “Jimin, you have your blazer and shirt on. Can’t you at least remove that for me?” You toyed lightly at the buttons of his black button up shirt. His hand coming up to hold your and and pull it away, “Kitten, are you that desperate hmm?” 

First he took of his crimson blazer and then unbutton his shirt rapidly, yanking the shirt of his upper body before tossing it somewhere in the copier room. Now you could admire how well built his body was. He indeed has abs and striking black nevermind tattoo on his ribcage, you couldn’t help but lightly glide your fingers along the words. Jimin chuckled softly at your admiration of his body, he pressed his fingers at the wet underwear of yours, causing you to shudder.

“Seems like you got wet at just sucking me off and admiring my body. Aren’t a little bit of a slut?” he continued to pressed it before deeming it wet enough to yank it down your legs to let it join the floor, his once soft words were turning filthy now and that had you yearning for mow. He now had a full view of your wet mound, he dragged to fingers across the slit before pressing softly on your clit causing you to feel pleasure to begin in your abdomen. However, it wasn’t enough to satiate you, “Jimin?”

“Yes?” He he whispered, looking up to meet your eyes, “what is it, kitten?”

“Could you just fuck me already?” You asked in you sweetest voice, however Jimin did not reel to it. Instead he slipped his finger into your wetness, enjoying the hot tightness of it as you felt it enter and stretch you a little. He pulled it out, admiring how your wet juice had coated his digit completely. Then he added the second digit, stretching you out again and feeling you twitch around his finger. His erection was growing much harder and painful for him to ignore. He was going to have to put it inside you real soon. After a few pumps he added the third digit and had his thumb circling your clit.

“Jimin-ngh please.” You bit your bottom lip hard when he started circling around your clit, the pleasure wave coming undeniably close. Jimin seemed to sense that you were close by your twitching around his digit, so he pulled it out, licking his digit clean off your juice. You couldn’t help but whimper at the empty feeling but that was quickly recovered by his mouth on you. Now he had you moaning out softly under his control. His tongue licking long stripe across your wetness and stopping at the clit to play with it. Occasionally he would push his tongue deep into you as of he was devouring his last meal. That alone brought you to the edge, moaning his name softly under breath as you tried your best to keep your legs open whilst your hand were gripping his hair. Jimin kept slurping and licking, riding out your high for as long as possible. When he came up, you could see a sheen of shiny layer of your juice coating his lip and some on his chin to which he collected with his thumb and rested it against your lip for you to suck it off cleanly.

“Now that your pussy is slick wet, you wouldn’t mind if I pounded it hard right slut?” Jimin cooed as he slipped his length with more stretch than you could handle, not allowing you to say anything as the words died in your throat due to the sensation of the stretch and him filling you up nicely.

“Fuck, look at that body of yours.” Jimin complimented you as your hard arched your back, your elbows pressing hard into the copier for some support. When he noticed that, a small idea came to his mind.

“Slut, I’m going to need to get off for a moment. Could you do that?” He smirked at you and your mind was too clouded with lust and desire to wonder what next he had up in his sleeve. All you needed was him to dick you to hell and back. Without much hesitation, you scooted off the copier with the help of Jimin holding onto your waist and then he reached out behind you lift up the scanning lid of the copier. The machine gruntled to life as the white shot shone out from the scanning glass. Jimin then turns your around and forced you to bend over, your bare breast pressing against the cool glass of the copier. Then it clicked to you what he was planning to do. It unfortunately, turned you very on as Jimin smashed the scan and print button before he rammed into you, hard this time which got you groaning contently with him filling and stretching your every time he pushed in.

The tightness of your slick brought him closer each time he thrusted in, he was now finding hard to keep up the ruthless pace he had. He was slowing down, trying to enjoy each and every thrust into you, “Fuck, look at you taking me in so well darling. I ought to fill you up nicely.” Jimin muttered in your ears to which you could only response with a weak nod.

“Uh uh, that’s not the right response slut. I can’t hear you.” Jimin slowed to an extremely agonizingly slow place to get you to respond to his needs. His panting was heaving, the skin contact between the two of you was getting slightly sticky due to the sweat. You couldn’t look back to see Jimin’s face but you could definitely imagine strands of his hair sticking to his forehead from sweat.

“Yes, please fill me up.” You gritted, somehow sounding comprehensible through all the dicking, the pleasure taking over your senses and Jimin heard it well, “Since you said it so sweetly darling.” He cooed, resuming to a slightly faster pace. His hands gripped around your waist tightly that it was starting to leave red imprints, his near was coming close and with a sharp stutter in his pace and pushing deep inside you, he finally cummed. You swear you could feel his cum painting and fill up your walls.

He simply slowed down, coming to a full stop with his dick deep inside you as he pressed both of his hands on the waist, hunching over you body slightly to catch his breath. He had to admit that it was a good fuck he had quite in a long time and looking at your heavy breathing and fucked out state, he was sure you also a good one. He slowly pulled out, watching the cum leak out your wet slick, but before it could spill out, he cupped it gently as if he was trying to contain it whilst he grabbed you underwear with his other hand and slipped it on you, “Keep in inside of you slut. If you don’t I sweat to god I will make you beg.” He whispered in your ears while he pulled up the under wear a little higher to make you yelp at the sensitivity of your clit being pressed by the fabric.

The two of you got dressed up in silence, the copier room definitely smelled strongly of sex and the two of chuckled when you both looked at each other after smelling it a bit. It was the first time you saw Jimin smile naturally and you had to admit that it was a good look on him. As you slipped on the shirt, Jimin went to the copier and picked out a bunch of paper from the tray, you had a pretty good idea of what the scanned documents were but you still were shocked when Jimin took one and flipped it around to show you how your breast on display looked like.

“I’m keeping them as a keepsake.” He winked before folding it and tucking it away in his is pants.

“Sure, take it as an apology for me summoning you 150 times Jimin.” You teased lightly, picking up your school bag and swinging it over your shoulder.

“Jesus, don’t remind me of that. Quit summoning me 100 times, just a few times will be enough whenever you need another release because darling, I am sure I do it better than anyone else you’ve had.” He leaned in and gave you a small peck before opening the door to leave. You were stunned at the fact that you were permitted to summon him anytime you desired, you wanted to ask him if there was any other ways to contact other than pentagram doodlings but by the time you ran out into the hallways to catch him, he seemed to have disappeared into the thin air. 

Looks like you’ll have to doodle pentagrams to get him to come.

[kingneptunesthinninghead]

How much do you weigh? what a weirdly personal question

If you are outside, what are you most likely doing? sitting in the shade reading a book

Do you think you can love someone without trusting them? yes but not in a way that will ever be truly fulfilling

What’s your opinion on people who go hunting for sport? i live in a very rural area so i grew up with hunting for sport extremely normalized but once i actually developed and used my critical thinking skills i realized how morally reprehensible it is. literally just begging these people to use their brains.

Do you have a fairly fast or slow internet connection? eh its pretty fast

Have you ever been someplace tropical? florida lmao

Are you sensitive to caffeine? somewhat. i dont really consume it that much

How do you usually get around? driving myself

Have you ever been accused of being too clingy? no bc i’m generally pretty independent unless i reallyyyy like someone

What do you think about Kim Kardashian? neutral

Can you speak any French? je parle un peu français

Favorite yogurt flavor? i’m lactose intolerant so i recently tried dairy free yogurt and i hated it sooo i guess none

How much money do you have in your wallet right now? i dont have any cash in my wallet rn lol

What bottled water brand do you like? deer park or aquafina

Your favorite way to eat chocolate? brownies

How often do you listen to country music? sometimes.

Linkin Park or Avenged Sevenfold? neither

Last surgery you had? my wisdom teeth surgery

Have you ever played guitar? no but i wish i could

Is there someone in your life whose career/life choices you find immoral/unethical? Have you ever told that person your views? Do you find it difficult to support them (emotionally or otherwise) because of their choices? um i dont think so

What trait do you feel you lack that you wish you possessed? a little more confidence

Have you ever considered writing your memoirs? maybe

Do you find it difficult to stay invested in online relationships? i dont have very many online friends anymore but when i had a bunch i loved talking to them

Are you the type of person who pays close attention to the release dates of movies, music, etc., and will, for example, go see a movie or buy an album on the date it is released? If so, when is the last time you did so? only for something i really like.

Do you have any stickers on your laptop? a bunch

Would you rather have a job for which you had to go in early in the morning or one you had to stay late into the evening at? early in the morning so then i have the rest of the day to myself when i get off

Do you use any apps to track your health or medications? i have a workout app but that’s it.

Whose opinions/recommendations do you value most? my mom, sister, and my 2 best friends

If you could’ve been at any historical event, which would you have liked to witness firsthand? probably the women’s suffrage movement or the civil rights movement

Is there something that you really want to do but are afraid of doing? If so, why are you afraid of doing it?i want to tell him how i feel but i’m afraid i’ll ruin the friendship

What is something society “expects” you to do that you don’t want to do and/or don’t plan on doing? wear a tampon i’m sorry but i can’t do it

Have Jehovah's Witnesses ever come to your door? no

Are you well-known by people in your area? eh somewhat

Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? no and i dont want to

What's your favourite type of bird? owls!!

What tv show(s) have you been watching currently? i’m watching loki, hsmtmts, planning to watch s2 of never have i ever, and i started one piece but i haven’t watched in a while

Have you ever dated a smoker? no but that might change😳

Do you share a middle name with any of your siblings? no

Have you ever been a member in a band? No.

Can you cry on command? If so, have you ever used it to your advantage? No.

Do you have separate emails for personal and business? i have my school email and personal email

Have you ever missed a flight? no

Have you ever seen a lunar eclipse? i think so.

Have you ever taken a ride in a convertible? i literally rode in my best friend’s convertible last night lmao

Why did you last need to use a band-aid? i dont remember

What fruit do you eat most often? bananas and clementines

Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? maybe my great uncle?

Has someone ever tried to start an argument with you over Facebook? What happened? no but i’ve been in a few on insta and twitter.

Have you ever had an unusual type of milk (eg. oat, rice, almond)? i don’t straight up drink milk but i love things made with almond milk.

If you could experience life as a Disney princess for a week, which princess would you pick and why? elsa i want ice powers

When you’re at home, do you spend most of your time in your room? sometimes but normally during the day i’m in the living room with my family

If you like to sleep in late, have your parents ever told you off for doing so? No.

Do you find piercings attractive? Yep.

Do you like potato chips? Loooove 'em.

What’s the most stalker-like/creepy thing you’ve ever done? If you don’t think you’ve done anything like that, what’s the most stalker-like thing someone’s done to you? i’ve looked up a few people’s houses on zillow in my day.

Do you think it’s a double standard that a woman can hit a man and expect to get away with it, but if a man hits a woman it’s assault? absolutely, you shouldn’t hit anyone

What’s your favorite old Disney movie and favorite new Disney movie? my top 3 are princess and the frog, tangled, and frozen 2. i also love the little mermaid

Name something “trendy” or popular that you dislike. idrk

“Dirty talk” in the bedroom…love it, like it, don’t care, dislike it, or hate it? it depends on what it is. it should also be mixed with some loving or praise talk imo

What is/are your favorite type(s) of ethnic food, and what’s your favorite food within that type? i LOVE italian food specifically fettuccine alfredo and i also love asian food such as general tso’s, sweet and sour chicken, lo mein, shrimp fried rice, LUMPIA 🤤

How would you describe your relationship with your hair over the years? i’ve always liked my hair color and thickness. i always go back and forth between growing it out long and cutting it short bc i can never choose which i like more also it has lots of red undertones so i’m thinking about dyeing it a deep red

How do you feel about your SO daily/regularly checking up on a couple of his exes on social media? hypothetically it would be a red flag to me. a clear sign they haven’t moved on from the past

Do you prefer your guy to wear cologne or not? a good smelling cologne on a man will quite literally make me bust a nut.

Ladies, how important is it to you that your SO wears/would wear a wedding ring? i’d want them to unless it didnt fit or something

What was the turning point that led you to decide for or against having children? i’m very close with my family so i’ve always loved the idea of having one of my own with my future spouse

Is having your “dream” wedding really that important to have? i definitely have ideas for my wedding and i would want it to go a certain way according to our plan but in the end if things go wrong or plans change it wouldn’t matter as long as i’m marrying the loml.

Do you consider it cheating if your SO goes to a strip club and then doesn’t tell you? i wouldn’t consider it cheating if he was just watching but i would be angry that he hid it from me

How old is too old for trick-or-treating? i dont think it matters unless ur posing a danger to little children

Do you sleep with your arms over or under the covers? depends but mostly under

Do you own any t-shirts of your favorite band? i have nsync and harry styles shirts but thats it

Fries or onion rings? Fries.

True/False: you’ve had an odd dream this week. all the time but most of the time i forget them right after i wake up

Do you find tattoo sleeves attractive? depends

Do you like carving pumpkins? Yeah.

What’s an animal you want to have as a pet but can’t? i think raccoons are adorable but its kindaaaa hard to domesticate them

Have your parents ever caught you drinking? no bc my parents let me drink in the house and i’ve told them abt every time i’ve drank at college

How would you react if your celebrity crush came to your door? i would absolutely piss and shit on myself.

Has your mom/dad ever walked in on you kissing or anything more with someone? no

The person you have a crush on is drunk and goes to kiss you, you know they don’t realize what they’re doing, but do you kiss anyways? i would stop it even if i want to bc i don’t want them to regret anything and i wouldn’t want them to kiss me if they don’t like me bc it would hurt too much.

What would you prefer to get from a guy/girl: flowers, a hand written poem, a picture he drew of you or a nice night out? i would love them all but something abt a guy taking the time to write a poem for me makes me melt

Do you any shirts with any kind of images of food on them? no.

Which holiday is the most fun to decorate for? halloween

What was the first website you had an email account on? gmail

Have you ever written a fanfic? YES AHSHDH.

Tattoos or piercings? tats for sure.

What’s the last gross movie/show/video you saw? the scene where alexei breaks the inmate’s wrist in black widow is SO GROSS i cringe every time

Would you rather live in a huuuge house or a little cozy one? definitely a little cozy one

Do you have a tutor for anything? No.

Who’s the best kisser you know? i’ve only kissed one person.

Has anyone ever threatened you with a knife? No. I'd like it to stay that way.

(If you’re a girl) Has anyone ever called you "shortie" instead of girl? no and i hope they dont

Do you have a deep voice? not really

Do you play games with boys/girls, like 'hard to get’? no thats dumb

Is there a Sonic where you live? yes i’m a whore for sonic

What do you like on your pizza? pepperoni or sausage

[phairfantooooom]

Buried Truths

Be careful what you may dig up.

Sequel to Origins

You watched him as he set down his tea cup on the matching crimson saucer. The murky liquid shifting before settling in place as the owner of the cup slowly raised his gaze to yours. He was too to ease for someone who had just been accused of being a liar. The smile that graced his face was one that you were familiar with, that you found comfort in. One that you could so easily trust.

“You believe me to lie to you? Why, I’m hurt you would think so… after all this exchange program was founded on the desire to mend relations, not burn them further to ash.” 

His gaze was soft and his words were warm. You gritted your teeth as you responded, your eyes not wavering from his. Maybe before all this you could have believed him, but not now. Not after what you had discovered.

“Could you tell me about the-

-White Crimson War?” Your gaze scanned the history books in front of you. After the incident in the forest you had researched to find out who the woman you met was, but you soon discovered that any trace of her existence seemed to be erased from archives of history.

None of the brothers recognized her by description, and they didn’t remember someone like her fighting in the Celestial War. It wasn’t until you had looked up the Western Forest and had searched for any historical events that had crossed over it that you stumbled upon something.

You had finally gotten a lead when you had come across an article detailing the encampment of the Devildom’s militia in the forest during the White Crimson War. That of which had been pulled from very Devildom History book you could find.

Why was this war being removed from the public eye?

Focusing on one of the entries in a soldiers journal (that you had found buried in the Devildom library in the far reaches of what was considered ancient history) you read it aloud to yourself.

“Last night I witnessed something strange. While I was doing a patrol around the outer perimeter I saw Lord Diavolo with a woman. She was-

-something truly unnecessary.” Diavolo tilted his head and continued to smile, completely unbothered by the question. “War is never waged for fun, dear. That particular one is best left to be forgotten, that’s why I’ve had it pulled from the educational curriculum permanently.”

Your fingers drummed against the table as your eyes narrowed at him. “Is that so?”

He chuckled lightly and poured himself some more tea, not looking the least bit uncomfortable.

“Indeed.”

There was a lull in the conversation as you geared yourself up to make him confess. You knew more than he thought you did, and that was your advantage.

“You know, Lord Diavolo… You wouldn’t happen to recognize the name Kakeru Kamui, would you?”

His unfocused gaze honed in on you in an instant and you felt something shift in the air. It was like a switch had been flipped, like you had opened a door you hadn’t been supposed to open.

“Where did you hear that name?”

“So you do know of him.”

“Answer my question.”

You leaned back into your chair while carefully watching the prince begin to lose his composure, your heart was beginning to speed up. Finally you were getting somewhere.

“Didn’t hear it. I read about it in one of the blacklisted books that were banned from the library. Oh, and before you ask, I got it from one of the antique shops. Turns out information about certain things cost quite a bit of Grimm.”

He was silent for a moment before an unsettling smirk crossed his face, his eyes meeting yours for a moment before they made a slow descent down your form. It was so blatant and obvious what he was doing that it unnerved you.

“You know more than I realized… and yet you're still here. So you must have something to ask me, in which I’m honored to answer.”

Your stomach churned in fear. Were you that easy to read? There was sinister feel to his words and it made you want to run. Forcing yourself to speak you let the question fall from your mouth in a rush.

“Did you know her? The woman? The one with-

-dark brown hair and green eyes.”. You murmured to yourself as your finger traced across the old painting. It had accompanied the memoirs you had bought in secret from one of the old shops that were on the outskirts of Devildom. Apparently according to the shop owner, the woman in the painting - the same woman you had met in the forest - had been the fiancée to what had been a neighboring kingdom's prince eras ago. 

Sitting down you looked at the portrait of the smiling woman and found yourself frowning. Something about her expression seemed sad, despite the smile the image presented.

Your research had provided you with answers to your questions, but what you had learned wasn’t very pleasant. The woman in question was an angel that had accidentally ventured down into what was now known as Devildom and had been struck down from the sky before being saved by the opposing kingdom's prince, a demon named Kakeru Kamui.

At the time of her fall, Devildom had been in the heat of a civil war between two major powers. One of which represented the old ways of thinking and one that desired the chaos that change would bring. 

The woman fell in love with the prince that had saved her, and he in turn fell for her after seeing the beauty and potential that angels held. This happiness, of course, was short lived as the father of the prince forbade him from being with the woman he desired. The King believed that angels had no place in the ruling of demons and devils.

One night, which would prove to be the turning point in the war, the prince and angel fled the castle with the intent of eloping and never returning. Reports state that the last sighting of them was on the edge of the Western Forest where then contact had been lost.

Your breath hitched and you glanced toward the stack of journals that you had started compiling. Not hesitating you reached out to one in particular belonging to a soldier. You remember a record of Diavolo being there that night…

You mouth went dry.

“That night, Diavolo had met with-

-that woman? Yes, yes I’m quite familiar.” In an instant his eyes gleamed and the air in the room seemed to grow thick. Opening your mouth you went to ask him what he was doing but nothing came out. Your hand flew up to your throat in a panic as you realized you couldn’t speak. 

Diavolo merely smiled at your plight acting as if he wasn’t the cause of it and continued.

 “I was the one that killed her after all.”

In your peripherals you saw Barbatos shake his head and turn to lock the door to the room. The reality of your situation dawned on you quickly and you shot from your seat aiming to bash past Barbatos to escape. 

But you had only managed to make it five steps before a hand wrapped itself around your neck and slammed you into the adjacent wall. As stars dotted your vision the hand gripping you began to tighten and you started to hear ringing in your ears. Frantically you managed to turn and see whose hand was wrapped around your throat. Unsurprisingly, it was Diavolo, and he looked... excited. Fear for your life pooled in your stomach and you thrashed yourself around trying to get away. Diavolo, as if it was nothing, pinned your struggling body to the wall and drew closer to your form.

You could feel his breath on your skin as he whispered to you in a playful tone.

“Finally... after all these years... I found you.”

You clawed at his uniform desperately as dark wings unfurled behind him, and he raised your body off the ground. You saw his lips move but you couldn’t hear him as the world fell away, a dark void of unconsciousness replacing it.

“Sweet Dreams, Descendant of Kamui.” 

---

A/N: *bashes keyboard like its a piano* DUN DUN DUNNNN. This took way too long to write cause I had so many ideas and had to figure out what i could and couldn’t smoothly insert into this mess of me creating my own original loreTM. I pray that this makes some sense lmao i had to rewrite the ending like... ten times cause i can’t write action sense for the life of me dkjfghsdf Catch me playing the pronoun game with your angel ancestor’s name until the end of time. 

Callback to whoever played 10dwmd, where are my 2013 voltage devil stans at? 

[chrysalispen]

a very rough bit of sappiness from a WIP i have on the back burner, just so y’all know i’m not dead LMAO

====

Standing frozen before her bedchamber door all but vibrating with anxiety, trying not to grab handfuls of the Doman dressing robe that had been a nameday gift to herself last year, Aurelia found herself wondering what in all the seven hells she was thinking.

While still a student at the Valetudinarium she had attended a bridal shower for a young woman whose mother had been a friend of her aunt's. The majority of the gifts bestowed upon the bride had been of the practical variety, but she recalled in particular one carefully wrapped box passed amidst the flurry of gifts and foods and the nigh-unending flow of Dalmascan merlot. It had come with a knowing wink and a "to be shared with your husband." 

That message had been as cryptic to her as an Allagan hieroglyphic, until the moment the box’s lid had been removed and a chorus of piercing shrieks had erupted in scandalized delight at its contents: a sheer lacy black corset and a matching scrap of fabric that barely qualified as smallclothes.

A maid of seventeen winters not long in the capitol, she had never seen its like before. Her shocked reaction had prompted a fresh wave of laughter and not a few mutters about "rustic sensibilities" as the giggling bride placed the box on the hearth along with the piles of other gifts. She still recalled her own wide-eyed stare and the embarrassed heat in her cheeks, as she'd caught sight of both in the reflection of the mantelpiece mirror.

Over ten years later, peering into a hallway mirror to view the results of painstaking preparation, she felt the same distressing sense of acute self-consciousness. This set covered far more skin than that remembered bridal gift, but the delicate-looking straps of the garter belt supporting her thigh-high silk stockings somehow seemed every bit as salacious as that bare scrap of cloth. They peeked slyly beneath the hem of her robe like a half-revealed secret, no matter how snugly she wrapped it about herself for some semblance of modesty.

She was, if she were entirely honest, about two seconds away from hiding in her closet for the rest of the night.

Oh, for the gods' swiving sake, Laskaris, you can face a bleeding legatus on the battlefield but you can't be seen in some frivolous Thavnarian frippery? Gird your loins - with that ridiculous robe if it please you - and get on with it.

Unclenching her fists, Aurelia quickly opened the door- and paused, lingering small and shy and hesitant at the threshold. Nero still sat in her chair at the writing desk where she kept her journals, awaiting her return. His normally straight and exacting posture was a relaxed forward slouch, the laces of his fine shirt loose and open, chin braced upon his knuckles and his elbow upon the desk's well-worn surface. 

She could follow that characteristically hawkish gaze of his through the gap in the gauzy curtains of her bedroom window to their idle contemplation of the night sky beyond, if she cared to do so. She might have done in truth, were she not so charmed by the look of him in the moonlight, strangely serene and for once quite untroubled by the workings of the world.

A peasant's face, her aunt would have sniffed: its features were what the aristocratic sensibilities of the capitol would call ‘coarse.’ Broad and strong and quite often haggard- although as he sat lost in whatever thoughts held his attention in that moment, the angles and lines of his face were nearly smooth, and the watery light lent an almost dreamlike cast to high cheekbones and strong nose and square jaw. Even his ever-present shadow of a beard seemed lovely to her eyes. It gleamed in soft shades of aurum and auburn upon alabaster, deliberate suggestions of a painter's sponge upon a canvas. 

No matter the time of day, it was a face she privately loved to look upon, especially when he seemed to be happy- or, at the very least, content. She wasn’t all that certain she had ever seen him genuinely happy, and the thought was both saddening and sobering. 

But, she thought, it was accurate. Nero was possessed of a quick mind, a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue. He was also an intensely private man - as secretive about his true self as he was his personal junkets - and so unguarded instances like this one were so few and far between that she had learned to appreciate them. He’d notice her silent perusal quickly enough, of course; he would let fly some witticism or other and she would respond in kind. This soft window would fall shut before her eyes like all the others and perhaps it might resurface at some later date and perhaps it would not. 

It was all very predictable- and probably, Aurelia thought, also for the best. She feared these moments as much as she cherished them, for she was always afforded the briefest glimpses of a man she knew it would be possible to love were he ever to allow it.

And were you ever possessed of sufficient courage to wish for it.

--but tonight was not the night for such somber considerations. She had made a promise, one she intended to keep.

The sound of the falling latch at her back wrested his attention away from the window, and the moon's spell was broken. 

Even so, he nearly returned to his quiet contemplation for all of a brace of seconds before her sigh caused him to snap sharply upright in his seat, startling at her presence in a double take that might have been comical were the entire situation not so nerve-wracking.

She offered an uncertain smile, arms still folded over her chest. "Did I interrupt?"

"Not at all. You were on that call for quite some time." She didn't have to see his smirk to know it was there; she heard it in the teasing note of his voice. He was humoring her, knew she was dancing around some subject or other, simply wasn't sure what or why. "I was half-minded to send a search party."

She was very aware of the thin silk of her robe's hem whispering against flesh, perhaps an ilm or two higher than the lacy tops of the hosiery. The straps on her thighs and the metal clasps that braced her stockings would be visible the moment she stepped into the golden corona of light cast upon the floor by her lamp.

Anxiety nearly overwhelmed her again and she froze in place, uncertain how to proceed.

"I-..." Her mouth felt as dry as the dunes of the Sagolii. "Yes, I suppose I was. I..."

She made her slow approach on near-silent feet, hands clutching at her silk: staring at the floor, at the window, at the wall, anywhere but his face. Above all, she was afraid to see the sardonic amusement that must surely be writ large in his eyes. She knew she could not possibly be the least bit enticing, stammering and sweating mess that she was. She didn't need the reminder.

She drew up short when her shin struck the lip of the chair.

He'd shifted his knees, spreading them apart to allow her space. One of his hands settled over one of her white-knuckled fists where it grasped a handful of silk and curled so tightly into the weave that her fingernails had distended the fabric (a distant part of her mind fretted over it; she'd probably ruined the godsdamned thing).

"....I had something to give you," she began. With a deft touch his fingers wound into the curl of her grip as if it were a piece of malfunctioning machinery and gently divested it of the silk she'd clutched. "It's... it's a surprise, so..."

"Not the robe, I assume."

There it was again, that smile in his voice, the one that put her in mind of a cat playing with a mouse it had caught. She paused, an idea blossoming to life in the back of her mind.

"No, not the robe. It's- actually, can I borrow your hands for a moment-... oh hells." She'd caught the unintentional innuendo a moment too late to take it back, and as if on cue, she saw the white flash of that toothy grin in the heartbeat before Nero began to cackle. "Damn it, no! I meant-"

He was openly laughing now. His hands had dropped to brace her hips, squeezing affectionately through thin silk.

Aurelia was so annoyed at her own clumsiness that she quite forgot her anxiety, and released a loud and irritable sigh, her posture drooping with disappointment like a wilting flower. "This was not my intention, I shall have you know."

"I am quite aware. Were you attempting to seduce me? Gods know I'm flattered, I'm just trying to figure out why the deuce you're acting like a bride on her wedding night." Playfully he tugged at the now quite rumbled panel over one of her breasts. "Are you naked under there or are you hiding contraband? Is that it? Diamonds? The imperial crown? A very small basket of coeurl kittens?"

Hells below, now she was laughing, hard enough to make her legs wobble. The whole mishap was too bloody ridiculous not to find humor in it.

"I'll keep guessing if you don't tell me," he warned. She swatted at his fingers, tried to scowl, ruined the effect by shrieking with laughter when he began to tickle her sides. "Is this some sort of extremely specific roleplay? Am I meant to be punishing you for a smuggling infraction-"

"Smuggling infraction," she chortled, gasping with laughter, "Scaeva, you pillock-"

"Oh, Tribunus, I've been a very naughty girl," he trilled, "perhaps if you would let me go I might show you the kitten in my pocket-"

She took the opportunity to attack his sides, cackled when he yelped and tried to grab her wrists. They mock-wrestled for a handful of moments, until her legs gave out beneath the force of her own mirth. Nero caught her as she pitched forward and buried her face against his chest, howling with the absurdity of it all.

It felt good, cathartic even, and all her low-level terror vanished.

Mutual accord came about when each abandoned their efforts in turn. Aurelia sat upright to see the other Garlean smiling at her, his hair already tousled, still chuckling.

"Contraband," she scoffed aloud. "Honestly, this robe barely covers my arse let alone aught of substance."

Put at her ease and amused by the night's misadventure despite herself, Aurelia paid little heed to the fact of her modest weight seated astride his long legs- until the friction of warm, rough palms skimming over the tops of her stockings served as a sudden reminder. The lower hem of her robe had slipped out of place during their tussle; the Doman silk sat bunched nearly at her waist, leaving her thighs exposed to his perusal.

Deft fingers continued their lazy exploration, pausing just long enough to catch in the garter belt's suspenders and give each ribbon a cheeky little tug, until their owner was bestowed with two generous handfuls of backside, neatly wrapped in soft lace and satin.

He gave a slow and experimental squeeze, and any retort she might have made died upon her lips before it could form.

"Contraband," the one-word observation was delivered with such a deadpan blandness that it would have been simplicity itself to miss the avaricious gleam in his eyes. His smile had turned from playful to wickedly speculative.

A soft laugh, this one ever so slightly tremulous, spilled forth from her throat - not nervousness, but anticipation.

His hands gave her rear another squeeze before retreating: calloused fingers tracing patterns in the lace and dragging against plush smoothness, coming to rest upon the tops of her thighs. She could hear her heart hammering in her ears. His eyes were the color of a clear Coerthan sky, wintry and bright.

"May I?" He leaned forward until he was close enough to rest his head against hers, the soft heat of his breath whispering against her cheekbone. She could feel the slight indent in her skin: his third eye pressed carefully against the smooth ridge of her brow. It was a gesture as intimate as any kiss. At length, she was able to whisper: “I was rather hoping you would.”

[hms-chill]

5, 21, 24?

I have discovered a flaw in my flawless plan to reblog multiple history asks without titles. So here’s answers from both lists lmao.

"I made my own list”:

5. Historical figure we should talk more about

So many of them, but definitely Joe Hill and other leaders of the workers’ rights movements. 

21. How good are you at remembering names and dates?

I’m pretty good with names, but not great with dates. I can remember like... general years (as much as you need for cause and effect, essentially), but not specific dates.

24. What made you fall in love with history?

Drew Gilpin Faust’s book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. It looks at the social impacts of the American Civil War (the effect on the grieving process, etc.) and it made me realize that there’s so much more to history than just dates and facts.

“History Asks”:

5. Favorite political scandal to examine?

I’m not big into political history, but I love all of the really petty court politics. They’re so stupid and gossipy I love it.

21. Which leader do you think would make the best spouse?

James I/VI came to mind first because he promoted his boyfriend so often and so clearly didn’t give a shit who knew they were dating. 

24. Why do you think Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK(and did he act alone)? 

I don’t know enough about Oswald to know his reasoning (though I have looked pretty closely at his autopsy report, which is a fun thing they let me do in intro to the history major), but I am fully convinced he wasn’t alone. There’s a whole museum dedicated to JFK/his assassination in the building Oswald shot from, and according to them, the official investigation found there was like an 80% chance he had help.

[hatsukeii]

Hii!! 3 and 22 for the quarantine asks please! 😄

Here goes...

3. What show/YouTube video(s) do you put on in the background when you when you don’t have anything to watch but you want something on?

I usually just put on some music videos and vibe to them lolol you know like those aesthetic ass videos that put in different scenarios for songs. One of my recent favourites is “Slow Dancing In The Dark but you’re in a bathtub” and it’s honestly one of the most beautiful edits I’ve heard of this song. Or I might just make a playlist of songs I enjoy so I can write while listening. I might also put like random offlinetv or like cooking videos on if I just need some sound output although if I were actually trying to watch it I’d laugh my ass off. (Is it just me or does vibing to music at night make you wanna cry? Just me? Okay.)

22. What was your “phase” when you were younger? (i.e., Mythology Nerd, Horse Girl, Space Geek, etc)

I went through at least two phases. The main phase I went through was the Greek Mythology phase lol. I mean dude, I was 11, obsessed with the Percy Jackson series and basically anything written by Rick Riordan. Plus my friends liked the series too, so we were all convinced the Greek Gods existed for the longest time hahah- One of my friends managed to convince me to believe I was a daughter of Hermes bc I managed to get over half the answers on a listening test right just by throwing an eraser labelled with A to D. I was big sad bc I wanted to be a daughter of Poseidon lolol (but considering my rotten luck these days I don’t think Hermes kept me, I’m pretty sure he transferred me to one of his relatives.) Another phase I went through was the kpop phase. Idek if that’s an actual phase but for 2 years I was borderline obsessed with BTS. I mean like I watched their music videos the second they were released in my country, watched crackhead compilations of them until like 2am, drew fanart of one of them, had a file with said member on it, my Pinterest page was filled with memes and photos of them, I had all the albums on my phone, yeah. That was how obsessed I was. I mean I guess I eventually grew out of it, but if you play one of their songs I can probably still remember the choreography to it, just saying I’ll bust out into dance and song. I mean I did chat with you about it, and I don’t get why they get so much shit from people. Most people in my school absolutely hate them. Apparently they all look like girls to them, and their music is shitty, according to the people in my class. I mean they did get onto the billboard charts for a reason, and that’s not because they’re hot. (Which they honestly are, they’re very pretty human beings, probably the closest we can get to real life anime characters.) Their songs help a lot of people battle with their negative mentality and I think they’re doing God’s work tbh. They’re actively addressing issues that people struggle with, which is much appreciated by a lot of the ARMY. Hell, they even got to work with the UN. The fact that their songs aren’t all about lovey dovey shit really hits different and is what makes them stand out so much in the kpop scene, and they deserve every single part of the spotlight. Take this as my honest opinion even as an ex ARMY that doesn’t actively listen to them anymore.

Lolol my mythology phase was fun though, I liked being able to show off my “status” of being Herme’s daughter to people in my class lmao-

[nnegan13]

Okay, so the Boat Scene (as I am hereby calling it): chock full of symbolism and metaphors and it’s making me yell, quite frankly. 

Given that this is a period romance, each interaction between designated or potential love interests should be looked at with a Romantic Lens, which is how I drew these metaphors. I am no expert at script writing or directing or filming or anything involved with TV production, plus it’s really late and my brain isn’t working super well anymore lmao. Forgive me for not being the most coherent I’ve ever been. 

I’ve written a transcript of the dialogue as well as actions I find significant to the scene. It can be found here, along with where I use it in this meta. The video of the scene can be found here (ok it’s not working in my drive but I'm leaving it there in hopes that I'll remember to come back to it in the morning). also bc tumblr hates me I've put this all in a doc that has the original formatting I used if you want to, like, not be as confused as the tumblr formatting of this meta will make you lmao. 

now to the meta. @viviansternwood thanks for being my excuse to do this  lmaooo <3

The scene occurs in four shifts: rowing, rivers, boats, and rowing again. 

Shift the first: rowing 

Charlotte: It’s a little over an hour until the race Mr. Parker, I’m letting all the competitors know.  Sidney: Thank you. What do you think Miss Heywood, do I look ready to you?  C: I’m no expert.  S: Neither am I, regrettably. I haven’t picked up an oar in years. Sidney picks up the oars.  C: I’m sure it will come back to you. S: I wonder.  Sidney heads to the boat. Charlotte picks up her own set of oars and walks to the boat as well. She hands him the oars  S: Thank you. 

The dialogue is innocent enough, but the metaphor can be drawn looking at this line from Sidney: 

S: Neither am I, regrettably. I haven’t picked up an oar in years.

In years should immediately draw attention, given that Sidney also hasn’t been in a relationship since his with Eliza, years ago. With this connection, the metaphor that rowing skill is romantic skill is established. The scene reads much differently now: 

Charlotte: It’s a little over an hour until the race Mr. Parker, I’m letting all the competitors know.  Sidney: Thank you. What do you think Miss Heywood, do I look ready to you?  —> Do I look ready for a relationship? I mean, in your opinion?  C: I’m no expert.  —> I don’t know, I’ve never been in a relationship before, I’m no expert on them.  S: Neither am I, regrettably. I haven’t picked up an oar in years. —> I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on romance either, I haven’t been in a relationship in years.  Sidney picks up the oars.  C: I’m sure it will come back to you.  —> *thinking about the fact that his last girlfriend is back* I’m sure it won’t be a problem for you to work it out again.  S: I wonder.  —> *thinking about everything that’s gone wrong with Charlotte rather than Eliza in any capacity* I doubt it.  Sidney heads to the boat. Charlotte picks up her own set of oars and walks to the boat as well. She hands him the oars  S: Thank you. 

Now for the oars. I’m real big on word definitions so: 

Oars are specifically used to propel boats through the water. Sidney takes a set, Charlotte takes a set, they both end up in the boat. Onto shift two. 

Shift Two: the river and philosophy 

Since the romantic lens is already applied to this scene, we can just look straight at the dialogue without establishing the romantic connection.  

Charlotte begins to turn back to the tent.  —> Sidney sees her leaving and immediately calls her back. Like literally look at the video I’m gonna attach to the end of this and just scream. As soon as he sees her turn around he launches into this concept like, Sidney, dude, you’re not being subtle.  S: A man cannot step into the same river twice, you ever heard that?  —> I don’t think I can get back together with Eliza. Do you understand why?  Both sets of oars are now placed in the boat. During the last line, Sidney put Charlotte’s oars down as he spoke.  —> think of the definition of oars while I hold you in suspense for Shift the Third C: He is not the same man and it is not the same river.  —> You are not the same and neither is Eliza.  Sidney smiles.  —> Damn you understand me better than I understand myself.  C: It’s Heraclitus.  —> I have to cite my sources that aren’t my personal investments in your romantic life.  S: Yes. Of course you’d know that. Well— —> The fact that you know that pleases me to absolutely no end. 

Metaphor established: the river is Eliza and Sidney’s relationship, Sidney can’t step back into it because he is a different man. 

According to this neat philosophy website, Heraclitus’s original quote is more like  

Which apparently means something like this:  

Which in the context of our dear Sidney and Charlotte means that over the years, since personalities are not stagnant and people do change, Sidney “stepping into” Eliza would prompt not Sidney and Eliza getting back together, but Sidney turning toward Charlotte instead. 

Here’s the mental math bc I’m still a little confused (I’m not a philosopher, clearly): 

River = Eliza  River also is the same according to Heraclitus  Heraclitus also said “not everything is changing, but because some things (ie, Sidney) change, other things come into existence (ie, Sidney and Charlottes relationship) 

So, basically, the Heraclitus quote on the surface level is saying that Sidney and Eliza are two different people, so their relationship won’t work anymore, and on a deeper level (ie, fucking looking up the context of the Heraclitus quote for a meta about fictional characters) it’s saying that because Eliza hasn’t changed but Sidney has, Sidney and Charlotte’s relationship sprung into existence rather than Sidney staying the same with Eliza. 

If you don’t get the deeper level, it’s cool bc I also don’t really get the deeper level. The surface level works just fine for this conversation lmao. 

Shift the Third: boat 

Now, the third metaphor drawn is that of boats. Our Romance Lenses are on. 

Sidney unlashes the boat.  —> It’s already been established Sidney is Looking for Romance through the line “do I look ready to you?” Him unlashing the boat is him establishing that he’s trying to enter a relationship. He himself is unsure of exactly what he’s doing, but the fact that the scene is happening with Charlotte instead of with Eliza is pretty telling. He’s more unsure of what to do that who he’s doing it with. If you can’t tell, I have zero doubts about who Sidney has feelings for and who he doesn’t have feelings for.  S: —I need a second person to balance the boat, would you mind?  —> *Sidney, knowing that his relationship with Charlotte has been touch and go, realizes that he needs to be clear through all of this and establish that he does want her* I can’t exactly have a relationship by myself, do you want to do this with me?  He offers her his hand to help her get into the boat.  —> before this he looked away, which is where I got the idea that he realized the undertones/my meta of the situation as it was playing out. Gotta look away to compose yourself before asking the love of your life if she wants to get in a relationship with you, amirite?  C: I’m not sure if I —  —> Sidney, you confuse the ever-living hell out of me, I don’t even know if I’m the person you want to be with— S: Come on.  —> Charlotte, please, I want you.  Charlotte, unsure, gets into the boat, grabbing one of Sidney’s hands. His other hand goes to her waist. She rushes a little, and rocks the boat. He does not let go until the boat is steady again. —> The rocking of the boat is tell-tale of Charlotte’s character, she often rushes into situations without thinking them through, similar to how she gets onto the boat in a bit of a rush and it rocks. Sidney doesn’t let go of her waist until the boat steadies. Even with my interpretation of what Sidney said, Charlotte’s uncertainty means Sidney needs to be more explicit.  S: Careful. Sit down behind you.  —> It’s okay, I’ve got you, I’m here for you, it’s not just you here in this thing, I’m gonna be with you the whole time.  Sidney pats her hand before letting it go. He sets an oar in place, pushes them off, and starts rowing. —> He gives her a reassuring pat on the hand before letting her go. He lets her know where the best place to sit is, essentially reassuring here that he’s there to help her. The oar’s purpose is to propel the boat, Sidney sets the boat in motion.  

Jumping out of that last one to collect my thoughts. Since the boat is a metaphor for their relationship, Sidney is essentially asking Charlotte to enter into a romantic relationship with him (“I need a second person to balance the boat” meaning he can’t be in a relationship by himself). The entire way into the boat, Sidney is there to reassure Charlotte she isn’t going to fall into the water: they grasp hands, he takes a hold of her waist, he waits for the boat to stop rocking, directs her to where she can sit, and then lets go when they both know she’s not going to fall. 

Finally to the oars. Oars are meant to propel the boat forward and steer it through the water. Since the boat is the relationship, the oar is a metaphor for the effort put toward propelling the relationship ahead. Sidney first rows, as we can see from 1.06 and other bits of 1.07: he asks Charlotte to come to the ball with him, he stays by her side for the beginning of the party and only leaves when he has to help Tom. I assume once he was done he went to find wherever Charlotte went, and immediately asked her to dance. “I don’t want to dance with anyone else,” “I might wait for you downstairs if you don’t mind” (into 1.07 territory, now) C: you’re not nearly as unfeeling as you pretend “Well, if that is the case, I would ask you to keep it to yourself, I have a reputation to uphold.” (the fact that Charlotte is the only one to know he’s a big softie,,,,,,the implications of it all, also he’s establishing a teasing relationship with her here), plus everyone’s favorite from the end of the episode that I’m including just because it’s my meta and I want to lmao “I believe I am my best self, my truest self, when I’m with you.” 

He’s been doing the metaphorical romantic rowing (and for good reason, Charlotte’s been the one all season to fix their misunderstandings with one another, so he needs to step up lmao), and so he puts in the oar first and rows first. 

Shift Four: rowing, again 

Now that rowing has been established as a metaphor for the propulsion of their romantic relationship, the undertones of the physicality in this shift come out just as much as the undertones of the dialogue of this shift do. 

S: May I ask you something, Miss Heywood? Why is it, that when I finally have a chance at happiness, I cannot accept the fact?  —> Literally the girl I was going to marry is back and yet I can’t get myself to date her C: What is it that you cannot accept?  —> I want to die low-key over the fact that we’re talking about your ex, but I’m a good person so I’m going to help you talk through this. Also I want to know what you’re thinking.  S: I had convinced myself I was destined to remain alone, that I was ill-suited for matrimony. —> I thought I was gonna die alone but now I have trouble believing that? And coincidentally that trouble started up when I met you  C: I don’t believe that anybody is truly ill-suited to marriage, not even you. —> It hurts that you think you won’t get married because look at your face. Also I’m taking a jab at you because that’s how our relationship works. Also what the fuck do you think ill-suited means? Marriage isn’t a job that you have to have certain qualities for.  Sidney laughs.  —> I’m gonna get into the difference between matrimony and marriage below okay? Prepare yourself. Also Sidney has a thing for teasing big time.  C: I supposed it’s just a question of compatibility  —> Ill-suited doesn’t even mean what you think it means, you’ve got to try at marriage Sidney and just because your ex dumped you and is back now doesn’t mean you automatically have to get back with her. Destiny isn’t real. Marriage is about finding someone you work well with, not fulfilling some fairytale, destiny, fate thing.  S: Yes. I supposed you’re right. Now, its your turn, give me your hands.  —> I’m in love with you, just a little bit. Now let me teach you the art of metaphorical rowing.  They start rowing together. Both watch the progression of the oars to make sure it’s going smoothly.  —> Rowing has been established as propulsion of the relationship, Sidney is showing Charlotte that he wants her to row, he wants her to be a participant in their boat of a relationship.  S: Roll/row your hands. Good.  —> Sidney has seen here that Charlotte’s rowing works with his, he’s telling her that her rowing is working for him and for their boat.  Charlotte takes a moment to watch her rowing.  —> She’s looking to see what he’s seeing.  S: That’s it. Yeah, keep your back straight.  —> More reaffirmations that what she’s doing is working for him, that this is what he wants and that she’s doing great. Also an excuse to touch her because they’re both repressed horny on main this is a period romance and all touching automatically charges a scene both for the audience and for the characters. Sidney wants Charlotte to get that this is romantic.  Sidney touches her waist, she readjusts herself, he smiles. They’re both smiling wide, Sidney is laughing, Charlotte looks sure of herself for the first time in that scene. Camera cuts wide to show them on the boat together. Sidney lets go and Charlotte rows by herself. Eliza enters the scene and when it cuts back to the boat, they’re both rowing together again. When Sidney looks over when she calls, he’s smiling. Eliza looks unsure of herself. —> got slightly carried away on that last little bit but imagine the stuff about the waist touch down here. Now that Sidney’s reassured her, Charlotte’s uncertainty disappears, she looks sure of herself for the first time in the whole scene because Sidney has given clear indications that he wants to be with Charlotte which is what makes the entire scene with Eliza and Lady Susan later that much more heartbreaking she’s finally been given indication that her feelings are returned, that she’s not foolish for feeling as she is. When Sidney lets go, it’s an indication that the next batch of romantic rowing (beyond the end of the episode) is going to be done by Charlotte because of his declaration at the end of the episode. The camera cuts to Eliza but when it cuts back to the boat, they’re rowing together again, indicating that they’re together in what they’re feeling and that their relationship and feelings are strong. Sidney is fucking smiling when he looks over at Eliza on the shore because he was smiling at Charlotte when Eliza called to him. If their feelings weren’t strong, why would Eliza be looking so worried about the race she only entered because she knew she would win? 

Okay I kind of got carried away explaining in that last bullet point but you get the picture. Sidney rows first because he initiates the romantic development of their relationship (as in the development that can be looked at in universe, not just by the audience, as romantic), them rowing together is an affirmation that they’re on the same page (for the moment, soon ruined by the appearance of Eliza and Sidney’s loyalty and politeness to meaningful people in his life), and Charlotte rowing by herself is an indication that in the end, the decision is hers to add to the propulsion of the boat (ie decide whether or not she wants to be with Sidney), because the boat can’t be rowed by a single person. 

Now into the discussion of matrimony versus marriage.   

The definition of matrimony focuses on the ceremony of being wed, whereas marriage focuses on the partnership and relationship aspect of being wed. Sidney says he didn’t believe he was suited for matrimony, as in the ceremony. He focuses on the formal action because that’s what it’s meant in his life. The one woman he wanted to marry left him for someone with more money, clearly teaching him that marriage is a business transaction, not something romantic. Charlotte uses the word marriage, which emphasizes the actual relationship itself and being with another person, because she’s a romantic. She’s shown time and time again her belief in love throughout the season. Sidney doesn’t think he can participate in the business of matrimony, whereas Charlotte believes he can experience marriage and romance as long as he finds someone he is compatible with. Lads, 

Harmony brings us back to balance (“I need a second person to balance the boat”). Together brings us back to the rowing. 

Other thoughts/observations outside the shifts 

competitors: Stringer and Sidney, Eliza and Charlotte 

“Neither am I, regrettably. I haven’t picked up an oar in years.” —> call back to their conversation in 1.06, Charlotte calls him unfeeling, he says his life would’ve been easier if he was unfeeling, the romantic metaphor of the rowing shows that this line also means that Sidney regrets, at this moment for reasons we as the audience don’t know yet Charlotte, wishes he’d had romance in his life between when Eliza left him and now. 

“Of course you’d know that.” —> in-conversation kicking himself for underestimating her 

The rowing is a test of their compatibility. Idk if I got that in during all of that up there, but it’s late so I don’t feel like checking atm. 

He’s so gentle with her throughout the entire scene. He knows being abrasive is just going to get both of them angry, and while that can be productive for their development (try to tell me it’s not, please), it’s not at the moment because it involves pushing away before coming to a better understanding. He wants to skip the pushing part, and also Sidney is just Soft™ deep down, especially with Charlotte when they’re not at odds. 

Also the balancing, their entire development throughout the season has been about them balancing their extreme characteristics 

In conclusion 

The entire boat scene is a metaphor for Sidney asking Charlotte to be with him and Charlotte being unsure because his ex-fiancee is literally here (and he literally was the one to bring her to Sanditon) and Charlotte and Sidney’s relationship has always been a bit rocky. If Eliza hadn’t shown up when she had, I’m sure that boat ride would’ve ended with Charlotte feeling a lot more confident with where she stands with Sidney. 

Since Sidney was confident with his feelings the entire time, he feels comfortable enough to make the Heraclitus joke/reference in conversation with Charlotte later, but Eliza hijacks it and turns it from a nice moment between Charlotte and Sidney into a moment of competition, which sours the conversation in a similar way that Stringer and Sidney’s conversation after the boat race is soured when Stringer brings up “the prize he wanted.” 

Even though I’m annoyed that Eliza interrupted their boat ride, I think it was necessary so that the conversation later could go as it did (also this meta about that convo is great) and so Stringer and Sidney’s conversation could go ask it did and because it allowed Eliza to think she had “won,” so to speak, and prompt her to talk to Sidney. All three of those interactions influence how Sidney was feeling and ultimately culminated in Sidney going to Charlotte that night and saying “I believe I am my best self, my truest self, when I’m with you.” So while it sucks that it was interrupted, it was ultimately necessary for Sidney to confess and put Charlotte in the position of choosing (ie, rowing by herself) next episode. 

And I guess the conclusion to this conclusion is that the Boat Scene was fully of heavy romantic metaphor and symbolism, Sidney is a hundred percent into Charlotte and Charlotte only and he was even when Eliza showed up, he just needed time and a few gentle kicks to the head (Eliza being rude about Charlotte constantly, seeing that Stringer is interested in Charlotte, seeing Charlotte’s uncertainty about his feelings) to shake off the residual feelings for an ex-fiancee that your family won’t let go about you guys being destined to be together again, and Charlotte gets to choose if she wants to be with him next episode. And I’ve got a feeling she’s going to decide she wants to. 

[cilliansaccent]

The Peaky Designer - Cillian Fanfic, Chapter 6

Hello, welcome back. Below is the next instalment of my fanfiction!

Leave a like or a comment if you liked it, or if I can do anything better! Please, it would mean the world and to understand if anyone is enjoying my writing. Also, sharing/reblogging would be even better.

PLEASE READ:

I will not be including Cillian’s family as it’s kinda weird since he has children lmao. Just a mention of his parents and a previous lover.

I will indicate in a chapter if there is smut in the beginning and before the actual scene!!

I will add trigger warnings if there is any!!

There is a variety of levels of swearing during a chapter, I will not hold back, everyone swears.

The timestamp for the Fic is now 2016 and onwards!! 

——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-

Background: Gabrijela Babic is a Croatian girl from Sydney, Australia. She is born in the year 1991 on the 24th of December. She studies a Fashion degree in a University with a major in Game Design as well. Her teacher in the fashion designer class managed to nail an Internship on the set of Peaky Blinders with the shows very own Costume Designer, Allison McCosh. There, she travels to London for under a year to learn how to be one, working alongside the actors as well the man she admires, Cillian Murphy. But, her platonic feelings for the man begins to grow into something more, and she wonders whether she should pursue them or let him go for fear of her strict parents and her three older brothers…

Characters:

Swantje Paulina as Gabrijela Babic (swalina on Instagram)

Cillian Murphy

Word Count: 2,507

!!Warnings!!: Smut at the end. 

Date: March 2016

Chapter Name: It’s Only a One Night Thing

Brief Chapter Outline: Gabrijela heads out for a birthday party with Logan before it ends on a very pleasurable note... 

——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-

From Wednesday onwards, it was crazy. She had never worked so fast nor so busy. Her work back at home she was a full-time sales assistant in a lingerie store, and it wasn't as busy like how she worked here. 

To be honest, she wasn't sure if she was cut out for this type of stressful work. She was exhausted by the afternoon, and she hadn't been able to meet with Cillian much as filming became more intense and scenes had to be adjusted or changed. 

Lunchtime began to be whenever you had the chance to stop and eat, so she had alway's prepared herself the morning coming in. Though Logan managed to catch her during her breaks and they hung out a lot, even after when the day was over she had invited him into her apartment and started on watching Supernatural. 

It was quite nice, being with Logan. They watched well into the night, and both had fallen asleep on the couch with empty bowls from the chips or popcorn she had made for them. Gabrijela felt comfortable around the man, and they didn't shy away from talking about their desires and their life achievements. 

They both had the same issues of trying to impress their strict as hell parents and their decisions on what to do with their life would be a forever damnation, according to Logan's mother and father. 

She giggled at that, and he as well. 

Came Friday evening, Gabrijela was allowed to go home early. But she wanted to find Cillian before she left to see how he was going. 

He was walking off set and she caught his arm gently, "Hi!" She smiled. 

"Hey, Gab. Long-time no sees," They moved out of the way. 

"Indeed." She laughed softly, "I wanted to see how you were going." She asked. 

"Good! Good, never better. But a tad little tired but I'm used to this." He said, pulling off his cap and tucking it into his coat's pocket. 

Another reason why she hadn't seen him much was that they had moved to another city at some point during the week, and then it wasn't any time to talk to him. 

"I see. But you're doing a fantastic job, Cillian." She nodded, eyes shining with admiration. 

"Thank you. You seem like you are going somewhere?" He asked noticing the bag. Cillian had also felt sad he hadn't been able to catch up with her much nor see her, her presence always made him feel good and happy. 

"Yeah. Allison let me off early today, said I deserved a bit of an early mark." She giggled. "I wanted to tell you that in case you got worried if I wasn't around later." 

"Oh thank you for telling me that. Appreciate it." He also appreciated her kindness and her genuine self. She had always brought him coffee in the morning, or his favourite sandwich for later in the day. It was the little things she did for him that made him like her even more. 

"But call me later, okay?" She gripped his gloved hand. 

"Always. Hey, before you go, did you want to go to dinner tomorrow maybe? Or we could go to a gig or..." He offered as he trailed off. 

She pouted, "I'd love to but I'm going to Logan's birthday tomorrow night. How about Sunday?" She asked. 

"Party? Huh, okay. Yeah, we can do Sunday then. I'll call you tomorrow again for the details." He said, "Where are you going for the party?" 

"Uh, it's somewhere near Trafalgar Square it seems. I forgot the exact place." She shrugged. 

"You be safe, hm? Don't want you getting into any trouble." He pulled her into a hug and she wrapped her arms around him. 

He was so warm and smelled so fucking good. She couldn't help but bury her face into his neck a little. "I will, I promise." She murmured, he squeezed her gently. 

They pulled away and she kissed his cheek lightly and turned to walk away. 

Cillian placed a hand on his cheek, his smile growing. This girl was rubbing off on him and he couldn't help but become worried about her. He remembered what happened last time he took her out and he wasn't to close with the Logan boy she talked about. Or did he know about his circle. 

But Cillian couldn't fret over her too much or it would seem like he was overpowering her. But he would keep an eye out on her. 

Cillian headed off to get ready for the next scene. 

Saturday Night...

Gabrijela had her hair in a high ponytail. Her chosen outfit for tonight was a black mini skirt with a black long sleeve mesh top with golden stars. She had a simple bra for it. 

She was putting make-up on when her phone rang, she pressed the answer button without looking, "Hello?" 

"Hey Gabrijela," Cillian replied. 

"Oh hi, Cilly." She felt her heart jump. It always did when she talked to him. 

"How are you?" He asked it sounded like he was driving somewhere. 

"I'm alright. Getting ready." She said as she applied her eyeliner on. 

"Oh that's right, you're going out tonight." He mused. "Excited?" 

"I guess so. It's not my first time clubbing, but a first in London." She smiled as she concentrated on putting on her fake eyelashes. 

"You sure you don't want me to come?" He kidded. 

She let out a heavy sigh, "Cillian, I'm gonna punch you when I see you next." 

"Joking! God, don't get so antsy." He mocked, but she could hear the smile in his voice. 

"It's up to you if you want to come, it doesn't bother me. But I don't know about Logan." She said casually. She kinda hoped he would come. 

"Nah. I'm gonna have a night into myself, have some red wine, listen to music and have some cheese." He said with relief. "Been a long week." 

"It has. And you deserve it. Besides, we'll have tomorrow together. I can't wait to see Bath." She said with clear enthusiasm. 

"Good. It's a beautiful town." He said, "You'll definitely love it." 

She saw a message said that Logan was walking down, "Hey I gotta go. I have to get dressed." She said as she added finishing touches to her face. 

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, have fun." He said and hung up. 

Gabrijela changed into her outfit, sprayed on her favourite Tommy Girl perfume and pulled up her thigh high heeled boots. 

She grabbed her jacket and her sparkly bag and headed down when Logan called her he was here. 

Logan was dressed in a casual but nice outfit, black jeans and a tucked-in blue with a mixture of a green, red and white floral patterned shirt. His black hair was combed back and curled at the nape of his neck. 

He whistled when he saw Gabrijela, "Wow." He said as they embraced, "You are so fucking gorgeous." 

She laughed, "Thanks man, you look dashing as well." She nodded as she checked him out as he did a little turn with wide arms. 

"One sexy Scottish boy on the menu. Ready to mingle." He flashed a perfect smile. 

She blushed and he called an Uber, a couple of minutes later they piled in and off they went to the club. 

The club was underground and the music was electric, pumping a hard beat. People danced, some grinding against each other no matter who it was. 

Just like home, she thought with a slight shake of her head. She was used to this type of things, as the majority of the young people in clubs, they're looking for a quick fuck. 

Gabrijela had never had a 'quick fuck' with anyone, guy or girl. Just foreplay and that was where she drew the line. She couldn't think of someone being buried within her, especially when she had thoughts that drifted back to her ex. 

Her parents still to this day didn't know the mental abuse she endured through the prick, not even her best friend nor her friends knew about it. Gab worked her way through the pain after the messy break-up, she took counsel on her own and in secret. It helped to ease off the shit of her shoulders, but still, she would remember the dark nights. 

Silence was not the key but she didn't want to dwell on it now, or ever. She was a free girl and she would find someone who would love her as she was, appreciate her body and her emotions. 

Sitting with the group of friends Logan had invited, the drinks began to slide through. She chatted and laughed with the ones around and even danced with the girls. 

Tonight was good, she agreed, no one seemed to brush up against her or pester her. Everyone was in their own world and in their own groups, having the time of their life. 

More drinks, shots, anything. 

Then it was time to move on, the rules here were not as strict as in Australia so by midnight they had gone to four different pubs. Gabrijela had taken easy on the drinks but she could feel the alcohol messing with her head a little. 

Logan had watched her all night and wouldn't leave her side. In their last pub of the night, they were all over each other. Their lips in a heated lock of tongue and teeth. 

Cillian had been in the same club with a few of his mates, drinking and chatting about home. He had seen Gabrijela enter with the group, and had to watch her suck face with the damn Set Designer. He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealously wash through him. He thought back to when he had his fingers inside her, the way her lips felt on his and the sounds he managed to drag out. 

Now Logan would have to hear those very sounds, and Cillian did not like that. 

But what could he do about it? He wasn't going to go there and break them up, for what? Because he was annoyed that Gabrijela may end up in bed with the boy and not him? 

Logan's hand went up her skirt, and Cillian picked up that thrust of her chest. He knew the boy found her treasure. 

Gabrijela pulled back and whispered something to him and his smirk grew as they got up. Logan parted ways with his group and left the pub with an arm around his- around Gabrijela. Cillian's heart squeezed. 

She was young, and she was to be with someone her age. Someone who wasn't going to be an old man in a few years, who wouldn't be able to keep up with her needs. 

But he couldn't help but feel jealous. 

Back in the Apartment...

They laid on the bed, Logan above her and holding her close as he touched her breasts and played with her pink, hard nipples. 

Her soft moans filled the air and he kissed her neck, "Gabe." He murmured and helped her pull off his shirt. 

Gabrijela admired the hard planes of his stomach, letting her fingers brush down his chiselled chest and to his belt buckle. 

Was Logan going to be the one to break her drought of proper sex? She hoped so, he was like a Greek God of some sort.

Well, Scottish God. 

She giggled, "Fuck you're so hot." She moaned as she undid his belt. 

"And so are you." He murmured, his long fingers yanked off her top, and then her bra. Better access now. 

"I want you." She moaned as his fingers flicked her nipples. 

"I'm all yours, beautiful." He said as his jeans joined the clothing on the floor. 

They helped each other undress whatever remaining clothing they had, and she was now laid on the bed, bare. 

His dark blue eyes roved over her body, Gabrijela was not entirely skinny. She had some curve and thickness to her body. But it made her all the most beautiful. 

Gab looked down his god-like body and the huge, thick cock that wanted some attention. "Lay on your back." She said to him. 

He nodded and did so as she moved between his legs. With a hand, she gripped him, with her other she began to touch herself. 

"Oh... Gab..." He sucked in a breath as she began to pump him slowly. She gripped him tight enough that it felt like he was inside something. His eyes shot to what she was doing between her legs and he let out a loud groan. 

She moved her hand faster, "Logan, you are so big. Holy fuck." She pushed two fingers in herself and moaned. 

"Mhm. I hope I can fit in ya." He chuckled breathlessly. 

She smiled, "Of course you will." She said, "But I want you to cum first when I do this." She leaned down and took him into her mouth. 

She sucked lightly on his head and she saw his fingers curl into her bedsheets. She began to take him right to the base. He was deep in her throat. 

"Holy fuck." He gasped, "No one- Oh fuck!" He couldn't talk as she bobbed her head. 

Her mouth was warm and tight, and she took him like a pro. Logan was close already, he was sensitive when he was drunk. 

Gabrijela fingered herself fast, moaning loudly around his shaft. She only pulled back to breathe before she went back to sucking him off. She went faster, eyes shut and for some reason she imagined Cillian. 

Logan let out a cry, his hand in her hair as he came inside her mouth. His load was thick and heavy before she gagged and came as well. 

She pulled back hastily, a bit of his cum leaking down her chin. "Logan." She pulled out her fingers and brought them to his lips so he could taste. 

"I want to ride you now." She said, moving to straddle his hips. 

"Ride me all night long." He said and held her hips. 

But she had paused above him, his cock in her hand and poised to go in. Her heart hammered in her chest, she suddenly felt... Unsure. The whole situation wasn't right despite how clouded her mind was. 

"Gabrijela?" Logan's gruff voice brought her back to reality, "You alright?" 

She looked at him, concern was in his eyes. She could see he was not going to hurt her, there was no malice in his eyes. She could do this. She was going to do this. She can. Screw that fucker. 

"Perfectly fine." She said with a dazzling smile and pushed him into her. 

They both let out a moan as he sat up and wrapped his arms around her. 

She did what she wanted to do and rode him all night with him finishing it off with him on top. 

They both fell asleep in a tangle of arms and legs well into the early mornings. 

[fandomsallaroundme]

As someone who really likes Tony as a character in his various incarnations, as well as a being huge Stony shipper, the current state of the Marvel fandom due to this special breed of MCU Tony stans is killing me. It's like their life's mission is to downplay the contributions of every other character (except maybe Peter) to make their fav look the best. They sure love reducing Steve Rogers to the "pretty white guy who did nothing", which frankly couldn't be further from the truth. (1)

Of course when called outon their shit, (and the fact that they all conveniently ignore that Tony never called Steve either when he had the chance to), they fall back on the "WhY caN'T yOu TaKE a JoKE!!1!" excuse. It's honestly exhausting to have your love for a character being slowly drained out of you because the most popular version of that character has a million toxic stans who somehow don't understand that the other Avengers may mean just as much to other people as Tony does to them. (2)

I found your blog because I pretty much had it with being disrespectful towards the other Avengers as some sort of weird ass defense for Tony, which the character doesn’t need. IMO if you can't build your fav up without tearing other characters down and then trying to play it off as a joke, you're doing it wrong. I don't understand why they can't let Tony be an actual flawed (but incredibly interesting) character,as that is what drew me to him in the first place. (3)

I also have to stop myeyes from rolling into another dimension when they try and make "bad childhoods" into a competition, but then conveniently forget that Nat was literally brainwashed into being an assassin from a young age, and Steve grewup in poverty with an alcoholic father, sick mother, a list of illnesses longer than my shopping list while WWII raged on in the background. Like they're trying

to claim Tony had it the hardest?? Compared to these other characters????

What????? (4)

Honestly, that makes me

feel like these “stans” don't know shit about Tony at all, because that's

something the character himself wouldn't even THINK of saying, in both the MCU

and the comics/cartoons. I just want my pre-MCU Civil War Marvel fandom back so

I can go into the tag without seeing all this shitty content. Anyways, sorry

for the rant, had to deal with some of those toxic stans today and came here to

get a breath of fresh air. (5)

 Sorry if my reply is a bit later than expected, I had to get home from work and then I had to lay out all your asks chronologically and read them all at once because reading them chunk by chunk was whacking my ADHD brain out lmao

Anyway, first of all: hi! It’s super nice to meet another Marvel fan who actually likes the team instead of just one character in particular! So glad to have you aboard this actual garbage dump that is my blog! Welcome! And don’t worry about ranting, lord knows I do it all the time yet somehow people still think I’m worth following. :D

Second, god do I know where you’re coming from. The Marvel fandom used to be such an open and inviting place, full of some of the best people I could ever hope to meet. I was a huge fan since 2011 when Thor and Captain America TFA came, but I didn’t really join the “fandom” itself until… maybe early 2014?? Around the time Winter Soldier came out. I remember the fandom coming together and just sobbing over this beautiful movie, coming up with hundreds of fics and headcanons for how Tony and the other Avengers could help rehabilitate Bucky and help Steve get his friend back. There were whole discussions and wishes for a very long and very important talk between the entire group as friends, for Tony to learn the truth and choose to forgive Bucky for his parent’s deaths because he never chose to kill them, would never choose to do so of his own free will, and for the team to come together, stronger than ever because they understood each other’s pain.

I haven’t seen hide nor hair of such AUs since 2016.

Civil War was the worst possible decision the Marvel execs made. They should never have tried to adapt the storyline into a movie, or they shouldn’t have done it so haphazardly while also still trying to resolve the issues from TWS. Dividing the fandom on who is Right and who is Wrong was a fucking mistake, because instead of thinking critically about the moral implications of what signing or abstaining from the Accords means, the fandom has devolved into claiming the side that their favorite characters are on is automatically “Right” and then trying to build a defense around their character in particular instead of what they are actually fighting for.

I’m very sorry your enjoyment of Tony’s character has faded because of people who cannot admit their faves’ faults. Tony is actually a rather interesting and complicated character, and although I cannot say whether or not I could ever love him the way I used to way back in the 2012-2013 era of Marvel, I could at least, ya know, tolerate him, or just be neutral to him.

But I have to Hate Him, because the toxic, overwhelming majority of his stans have targeted, degraded, and trashed all the other Avengers so thoroughly I can no longer see what I ever liked about Tony in the first place.

Yes, Tony suffered. Yes, his childhood was hard. Yes, Steve shouldn’t have lied to him.

But he hasn’t suffered the most out of the entire Avengers team (Natasha), he didn’t grow up chronically ill (Steve) or in poverty and orphaned (Wanda). Howard not loving him was awful, but he still did have a wonderful father figure in Edwin Jarvis, and his mother loved and cared for him.

Steve lying to him seems to be, like, the biggest evidence his stans have that he should have hated the Avengers, or, it’s the reason they like to give for hating the others because “everyone turned against him!!  He deserved better friends!!!” No??? Steve lying to him was wrong, but him trying to kill Bucky was no less wrong (it was, in fact, about 100x worse because, ya know, murder), and after all of that it was completely within Tony’s power to move forward and try to rebuild his friendships.

The cellphone was Steve’s olive branch; it was Tony’s choice not to take it until the world was literally ending around them. The others were completely within their right to avoid/hate Tony for him locking them up in a remote prison without a trial or even a hope of release before Steve freed them. A lot of Tony’s choices are ultimately the worst things that came back to bite the Avengers in the ass; Ultron, not calling Steve, not turning the donut ship back to Earth after Ebony Maw was dead, the Sokovia Accords, etc.

(Aw geez, I kind of went on my own rant there, lol)

I desperately wish for the days where the fandom didn’t know about Civil War, when the team was the Team and they all lived together and kicked a lot of HYDRA ass together and then went out to do the occasional solo mission that was part of their own trilogies and everything was good and everyone could actually forgive each other for small things instead of instantly turning on each other because someone’s favorite character did something rude to another.

But, seeing as that’s not likely to be happening anytime soon, I invite you to enjoy my blog and engage in more rants with me in the future if you so wish. It’s nice to meet you. :)

[varyupon]

destiel-honeypie replied to your photo “@destiel-honeypie Gonna answer your ask here and combine it with...”

It sounds like an awesome but sad story, could you maybe please tag me if you upload something from the story? But also it's really sad that you experienced something like that, I would like to help but I can't I guess. But if you need something that I can provide just ask me I'm happy if I can help.

@destiel-honeypie​

HONESTLY CURIOSITY TOWARDS MY ORIGINAL STUFF IS ALL I CAN DREAM OF! Especially since I don’t get to talk about them much. If anything, “Everyday Christmas” was the last project I thought I would be able to talk about, especially because of it’s subject matter and how much I put myself into it.

But also I’ve drawn JACK on it, so here’s legitimately all I have of the project development assets that I have thus far.

I’m not kidding when I say the project has a 2% completion status over on my original project lineup list but here we go.

I remember very clearly that I drew Ange way back in 2014 during US Government class in high school, but I’ve since lost that doodle and I hope to find it. TBH tho, not much has changed in terms of Ange’s design from their current counterpart.

Now the reason why I’m at a stalemate with even CHARACTER DESIGNS is because I honestly don’t know what design style this should be animated in.

Which seems like a strange sentiment, but I’m long past explaining my feelings towards handling art styles, so you can read that explanation HERE.

I drafted the screenplay way back in 2015 under the name “DIV-IN” (short for “Divine Intervention” as a temp title) and I printed it physically for posterity’s sake recently.

Around the time I attempted to do this, I still did not understand how screenwriting worked, since at this time I didn’t think about taking taking animation seriously. Much less screenwriting , since I didn’t value myself as a writer. At all. AT ALL.

Here’s a preview of what this temp script contains:

....You can tell a highschooler wrote this lmao. This script will most definitely be scrapped and redone from scratch sometime. Hopefully.

As for design works, since I was in high school with my IRL bestie @mmhinman​ at the time I legit could not for the life of me find the appropriate faces (not design--faces.) for these characters despite having the story down somewhat so I asked her to scribble something for me during passing period. (All I asked for was that these characters need to be fun and easy to draw since the story already hurts to tell, and most of my projects are complex AF in the design department so I wanted some leeway.)

She gave me this:

(The paper is so old, it’s starting to yellow lmao.)

So on the back, I decided to adapt it.

Here are the very first few developmental sketches of the “Boy” and “Mom” characters. (The dad, I have no idea but I have an inkling that I’ll mention in the next bit.)

And then after these sketches were done I put this project on the shelf to work on “The Fledgling.”

It wasn’t until 2017 where I started to get interested in drawing “DIV-IN” since I gained a lot of experience after “The Fledgling” and the preproduction of “Like Glass” began that I wanted to stray away from the original designated aesthetic to be more akin to the works of Yoshihiko Umakoshi (namely his stuff in Casshern Sins and Ojamajo DoReMi--the latter being a childhood favorite of mine.)

The one thing that’s holding me back on this aesthetic being the defining style for the whole project is that I’m super attached to how Ange themself looks--but the style of Ange harkins to my fascination with Lynn Okamoto’s work specifically the adapted designs of “Gokukoku no Brynhildr.” (And a little bit of “Pita Ten.”)

To this day, I’m still torn between the two aesthetics. I haven’t drawn the “Father” character yet because he will look in accordance of the mechanics of the chosen character design style.

If I go the “Umakoshi” route, he’ll probably look something akin to “Braiking Boss” from “Casshern Sins.”

And if I go the “Okamoto” route, then I might look into his other design works for inspiration

Idk if he’ll actually look like Bando specifically but the thought has crossed my mind.

The title was officially finalized this past year in 2018 when I sat down and simmered in trying to find an appropriate title to encompass the whole project on a thematic level. (Especially since I couldn’t take calling it “DIV-IN” anymore lmao.)

And that is literally all I have to “Everyday Christmas” at this current time.

My first mission if I were to deep-dive into it’s production and actually finish writing/drawing it in prep for animation I’d have to find that very first sketch I did of Ange since it’s very important to me, and then round out the final character designs of all the characters. And maybe find proper names for them unless I marry myself to the framing conceit that “this is a fairytale-like story” to heart.

And it may seem like I’m plugging this in a lot but it really is true. If you’re fascinated with “Everyday Christmas” on a writing standpoint, then I really have to mention that it’s a very....uh....straightforward in it’s character writing and themes. As in, there’s very clearly defined “categories” you can sort parties in. (PARENTS=BAD, KID=GOOD, ANGE=GRAY AREA)

Now if you’d like about the same kind of seriousness in the storytelling but crafted much more poignantly and have characters MUCH more nuanced and in grayer areas...That regard would go to the current project I’m writing, “Sow Don’t Sing.” 

I actually compare “Everyday Christmas” and “Sow Don’t Sing” a LOT because the two are the darkest stories I’ve come up with to date despite their mega differences in execution. They also both contain a lot of my own personal feelings and how I’ve come to understand them, especially with my family. 

Thank you again for your concern and support, and I hope my original works can continue to inspire curiosity. :)